Omake attempt. Not sure how I feel about how this turned out.
Omake - Hypothetical Bad End
Emeralda POV
Though your veins feel hot and your heart races while both your feet pound the floor , goosebumps on your skin remains ice-cold and clammy against the air. Every one of your senses is raised to trigger fight-or-flight at the faintest indication of another Grimm. The clammer of weapons and the indistinct yelling of your family can be made out through the walls. You hope that everyone else is fine.
There. You see it. You make it to the safe room, Jaune trailing right next to you. Fortunately, it's unlocked. Unfortunately, no one else is there.
At least Jaune and I will be safe here.
You keep your back straight and your face placid. Maybe you don't have as much combat training as your other sisters, but that's no excuse to let Jaune know you're scared! He's only six after all, and though he seems to be doing well so far, it's the prerogative of the "Nee-sama" as he sometimes calls you to always be composed and on top of the situation.
"Stay here."
That makes no sense. Of course you both will stay here. Why is Jaune stating the obv--
"You're not trained in combat yet, and I'm going to pick up a weapon."
No. Definitely no. Absolutely no. Never in a million year---
"You're not going to go outside and fight Jaune! It's too dangerous!""
Naturally, there is no hint of panic in your voice. You speak calmly and assertively as you explain why his childish notions are such a bad idea.
"I'm not going outside," Jaune retorts. "I just want to make sure I can find Sapphire and Azure. If something happens inside the house, I can still fight and protect them, but I can't do much if I also have to protect you. Please stay here and be safe."
You want to rage and scream at him. You want to point out that you've started training recently and can at least help as a decoy if you have a weapon. You want to tell him that Sapphire and Azure are your sisters and you want to protect them as well.
But you don't. Because Jaune is right, after what you saw him do barehanded to the Grimm outside, it's silly to pretend you wouldn't be a load on him. And maybe, just maybe, in the darkest corners of your mind, it's because you are afraid. The Grimm scared you. And you didn't want to leave the safe room until everything was over. Jaune can take care of himself. You had heard Mom saying he was as good as kids in Combat School already. He won't go outside, he'll stay inside the house and he'll be with Sapphire and Azure.
As you exhale the breath you've been holding, you look straight into Jaune's blue eyes. He's not going to back down. And you doubt you could make him stay. You might have three years on him, but he has the better talent for combat by far.
There are many things you want to ask and many things you want to say.
But time was short, and there was only room enough for one thing to be said.
You crack a bitter smile, and tell him, "You stay safe too, Jaune."
He smiles and gives you a hug like it's just another game of tag, and walks out, closing the door behind him.
Sapphire keeps on saying that it was her fault. She thinks she should have forced him to go back to the safe room. Azure is asking when Jaune will wake up. She wants to apologize to him for being too scared to move and letting him get hit. She promised to let him win tag whenever they played again.
How stupid. You know the truth. It's your fault. You could have argued harder. You could have demanded that you with Jaune, either forcing him to stay, or at least having some extra help. You could have trained to be a hunter earlier, like Sapphire or the rest of your older sisters. If you had said more, done more, thought more...
Ifs and what-ifs. They dominate your mind. They dominate your thoughts and dreams, circling around you like vultures on a battlefield.
There is no hiding from reality. The truth is the same with every new day, and you swear to yourself that in atonement for the death of your little brother, you will save as many lives as you can.
You will become a Hunter. You throw yourself into studies and training. In the training spars with your family, you become the most vicious and determined of opponents, handily surpassing your twin within a few months. Mother and Father are concerned at the change, but you assure them that you are perfectly fine. Months pass. Years pass. You are recruited to Beacon at the young age of only 15 years.
Occasionally, you feel tired. Your muscles hurt. Your resolve beings to fade. Envy grows at the joy that other children your age have in their lives.
Luckily, you are prepared. You take the white sword that he was fond of. Bakuya, it was called. Turn it, so that the milk-white surface reflects yourself within its blade. You do not see your face as it is now, the years having turned you into a woman many would call beautiful. Instead you see yourself, as you were on that day. Nine years of age with unkempt hair, a child's face, ignorant and unaware of Remnant's true nature.
"It should have been you," you snarl into the mirror. You put the blade back into the sheathe. Jaune liked this and its sister sword after all, so you do your best to take care of it. It's always in reach if you need another reminder.
Then you get back to work.
