Hello, here is Khor... as you probably already guessed since this is on my profile's story list. This is another commission for azuring-galaxy, and starts right after Viewing The Sins of the Past chapter 3, okay? This is the non-canon ending of azuring-galaxy's story, and as such I wrote its reactions in a different story altogether. Now that all the pleasantries have been solved, let's just move onto the chapter itself.
The Viewers earned themselves a short time to rest before they continued with the viewings. Ozpin and Ironwood had tried to dissuade them from it, knowing that allowing the mind to settle and take in the new information would only break them further, but the children had just refused to watch another of those viewings without taking a break first.
Alas, it did not go as they had planned. Just like the two adults had predicted, they weren't able to keep their minds off what had recently been shown on the screen, and that was greatly taxing on their minds. Ruby was taking it the worst alongside Pyrrha, both trying and failing to distract themselves with anything, be it games or books. Weiss was taking notes, just in case she wouldn't remember their permanence in that room once they were free to return to Remnant. Blake was just reading a book, but anyone with the slightest bit of keen eye would've noticed she had yet to turn a single page, blankly staring at the words without really seeing them.
Yang wasn't doing much better, though she was at least trying. She continued to tell jokes and puns, but they were in such a dead-inside and sterile voice they only brought the atmosphere even further down. Ren was trying to meditate, but the furrowing of his brow and the beads of sweat not-so-subtly gathering on his forehead made him look like he was having a nightmare, rather than someone at peace with himself. And Nora… just sat in silence, no expression on her face and completely still as she waited for everyone else to reach some level of acceptance.
Ozpin and Ironwood weren't very moved, especially outwardly, already used to cold realities and harsh truths, though they did allowed the children to take some time accepting what they had just seen. Even though they weren't new to those facts, however, that didn't mean the adults were not affected by the gloom as well. Knowing something to be true did not make it any easier to accept it, only impossible to deny. And accepting something did not make it any less saddening. They had just grown used to it, Ozpin especially during his many lives spent fighting a futile war against an immortal entity.
To say that slowly they managed to get out of their funk would be a lie. If anything, as time went on they seemed to just sink deeper in their apparent depression. Not all of it was because of what had happened to Jaune, of course, that trauma was great but not the main reason. The main reason was that their views of the world were being shaken to their very cores, and too suddenly. And as everything that suddenly shakes, their views of the world were tumbling down, bringing them along for the crash.
However, they were moving on. As the saying went, time could heal all wounds, and they were waiting for time to heal theirs as well. In the meantime, they were resigned to continue watching. Aka to inflict themselves more metaphorical wounds, though wounds they were forced to accept.
What wouldn't kill them would eventually make them stronger.
With that in mind, they prepared themselves to watch the screen once more.
"Dammit! I'm out of dust!" Yang yelled as they huddled in the cave, checking their various weapons. Thunder boomed outside as Jaune handed out water and food to the others.
"Everyone eat up, this stuff may taste like paper but it'll give you the strength you need." he told them, handing them bars that had a chalky like texture to them. They were hard but not too much to cause damage to their teeth.
"Ugh, Jaune how could you eat this? There's no flavor or anything!" Ruby whined as she bit into the bar, forcing herself to swallow it before washing it down with some water.
Ironwood actually chuckled at that, making the students focus on him as the unexpected display of amusement. "It is indeed true. Military rations may not always be like that, but we too have similar bars. They are useful because you can pack a lot of them in a small space, even though they are hideous in taste."
Ozpin chuckled too. "Once, after a student complained about the cafeteria's food, saying it was stale, tasteless and barely edible. I had them eat those ration bars for just one day, and they never complained about Beacon's hard-cooked food. Sometimes the harsher methods are also the simpler and the more efficient, I guess."
"Yeah Jauney! This tastes horrible!" Nora simply pouted a bit before Ren handed her the bar, he was tired but smiled at her. She relented, taking a bite. They were all tired and exhausted, having fought through numerous grimm until they stumbled upon this cave. It was Jaune and Weiss's idea to take refuge and rest up before the bullhead could get them with some back up.
"Well, this seems to start with a more dangerous situation than the others," noted Ironwood. "Despite not knowing those students personally, I'm surprised to see them so in trouble. Ozpin sings your praise every time we talk about his students."
"Really?" asked Ruby, surprised.
"Indeed. He said you are among the strongest students in all of Beacon, even among upperclassmen," nodded the General. "So, if you are in trouble, I fear what kind of horde you are facing. Surely not one you should be facing nor one you've prepared for."
"I'm sure everything'll be alright," replied Yang, though she didn't completely believe her own words. "I mean… what would be the point of us being here, if all we had to do was to see ourselves die?"
"Not all missions die with a complete wipe-out…" mumbled Ironwood, already fearing what could happen. "What if you see yourselves being maimed or some of you die while others have to go on?"
"I…" Yang looked away and down at the floor. "I guess let's hope it's not gonna happen."
"This is what we ate in the Death Korps, has all the nutrients you need." he said softly as he took off his respirator. Letting the cool air within the cave make contact with his face, it was refreshing. "Plus, it's better than the alternative." he simply looked down at the bugs as some ran for shelter in the cracks of the wall.
"I will not eat insects Arc." Weiss stated, reluctantly taking a bite of the bar. She looked at Myrtenaster, all her cartridges empty of their respective dust. "This was supposed to be an easy mission, we were told it was just a small pack, not an entire horde!"
"Ugh, I can't even imagine how bad eating insects would be," commented Weiss, grimacing in disgust at the mere idea of eating bugs. "They must taste horrible."
"Yes they do, but not as horrible as you'd think," replied the General. "Actually, some soldiers state they even taste like chicken – although they declined the offer to eat more. Whether that is true or not, I have no idea. Personally, the rare times I was forced to resort to that, I never focused on the taste."
"You've personally eaten insects?" asked the heiress, looking positively revolted.
"Tough times call for tough methods, Ms Schnee. Between death by starvation and consuming insects, I chose the latter." Ironwood allowed himself to grimace. "This does not mean I am looking forward to repeating that experience, of course."
"Besides, in some towns around Mistral, eating cooked insects is normal," added Ren, drawing from his own experience. "Covered in caramel or sugar as candy, but also cooked as meal."
"Yeah, but we never dared to try them," Nora grimaced at the mere thought of doing so. "Though Ren wanted to."
"Has everyone forgotten they are all but hiding from a horde of Grimm, unprepared and running on fumes?" Pyrrha spoke up, sounding every bit as worried as she should've been.
"We haven't, Miss Nikos." Ozpin sighed as all the students soured up immediately. "We were just trying to diffuse the poor mood you are all in by addressing a different topic."
"Do you think they are going to win?" asked Ruby. Up until the day prior, she would've never doubted that they were always going to win. Now, she was unsure, and to be honest, the adults were unsure as well.
Eventually, Ironwood cleared his throat and gave the best answer he could. "We haven't seen this horde they speak of yet, Ms Rose. We cannot appraise the situation like this. Maybe there aren't so many Grimm after them, and we are worrying needlessly."
"Do you really believe that?" Blake asked suspiciously.
"It is not a matter of believing or not believing, Ms Belladonna, it's a matter of facts," replied the General. "There are no facts to make us worry or not. Mine was just a supposition, and as such it should be taken with a grain of salt. We literally haven't seen enough to state any truth on the matter."
"Looks like someone got their information wrong." Blake looked over her own weapon, the blades were dull from the hours of fighting and she had no ammo left to use. She sighed as she looked at her injuries, her aura trying to heal her. "We have little to no dust left, our weapons are pretty much accesories at this point and to top it all off, Our aura's are nearly depleted." she explained, hearing a few defeated sighs. "We might as well use rocks against any grimm that come our way." Jaune looked at them all, Pyrrha was tending to Ruby, covering up the injuries she accumulated over their fight from earlier while the red reaper ate away at her bar. None were doing good, what aura they had left was being used to heal their wounds and it would awhile before they replenished what they lost.
"How's that for facts?" Blake inquired toward the General.
The man shrugged a shoulder. "If the mission was labelled as easy, there should not be too many Grimm left, if you're in that state. As wrong as the mission details were wrong, not even the stupidest of peasants could mistake a horde for a pack. You might be fleeing for a dozen Beowolves at this point."
"I don't think we would be fleeing if they really are just a dozen of Beowolves, General," Ren spoke up calmly. "If we ran, it's because the horde was still very large and the Grimm way too many. Our best option, at the moment, would be to stay hidden and wait for backup, or at least replenish our Auras. We are also hidden, so we shouldn't be in immediate danger, but this might chance soon. Hadn't the horde been so large still, we would've continued to fight, not fled."
"Looks like we'll be stuck here for a while, luckily we managed to get away from that Horde." Pyrrha said as she finished bandaging Ruby's wound before looking at Jaune. He tinkered away at his Lasgun while keeping an eye at the entrance. His years of fighting in wars helped him understand that nothing can work in your favor. He wasn't gonna take any chances. Not with them. He went back to Tinkering with the weapon before feeling two arms wrap around his armored chest. He smiled as he placed his own hand on them.
"Are you alright?" he was worried for one of his loves.
"Eeep!" Pyrrha squealed as her onscreen self hugged Jaune from behind, blushing as she realized that they must've been together already. Together-together, as Nora would say. "I'm Jaune's girlfriend in that?!"
"One of his loves, said the screen," Blake pointed out, making everyone look at her. "Who is or are the others?"
"More than a girlfriend?" Ironwood raised an eyebrow. "That… honestly sounds like a poorly written romance novel."
"Well, not exactly, my friend. Polygamy does exist, and honestly we are watching a universe, not a romance novel," Ozpin reminded his longtime friend, still sipping coffee from a mug no one knew where he took it from. "Whoever is in this poly relationship, I am sure they have a solid reason for it, instead of the flimsy excuses thought up in romance novels."
"Wait, you two read romance novels?" asked Blake, shocked.
"You do not need to read them to know how they are written, as that is common knowledge," remarked the old Headmaster. "We know them because of what we've heard from other people, and those people probably know about it because they've heard of it from yet others."
"But that's not a very reliable source," noted the cat Faunus.
"I never said it was."
"I am, that Beowolf wasn't able to break through my armor." she said, laying her head against his back as Ruby came up and rested her head against his shoulder.
"Now I think we have a clue on who the other member of this weird relationship might be," stated Weiss, raising an eyebrow when Yang didn't react. "You're not going to try and kill someone?"
"And what should I do?" shrugged Yang. "Punch a screen?"
"More importantly, I'm hearing an incredible lack of denials from Ruby herself…" commented Blake, looking at the redhead, who was not even blushing. "Is the idea so absurd, Ruby?"
"What? No! It's just… well, I'm kinda weirded out they're in a pony relationship or whatever you called it," replied the girl, waving her hands. "I mean, I've barely ever heard about it, much less seen one, I wasn't expecting something like that. It's confusing!"
"No Grimm can take down Pyrrha! Shes way too strong." Ruby proudly said as she clutch Jaune's arm. Jaune simply chuckled as the rain poured harder outside. He finished tinkering with his lasgun. They had some time to wait before the bullhead came, now all they had to was rest. Fatigue was finally starting to set in as Ren started to drip off to sleep. The others were about to do the same when a sudden loud howl startled them. It echoed in the cave as they finally realized the Grimm horde was not far.
"I suppose we couldn't have just gotten a moment of rest," grumbled Yang, crossing her arms. "I mean, we just had gotten settled and then we have to fight those Grimm. It's something that really gets annoying…"
"Annoying? Ms Xiao Long, as much as I don't want to make you all worry, facing off a horde of Grimm while in the conditions you are in, is not just annoying, it's plainly a death sentence," countered Ironwood, speaking from personal experience. "I hope you won't try to fight them now. Barricading the cave and replenishing your Aura should be the best choice."
"But what if they smash through the barricade?" asked Blake. "We'd be trapped in a cave."
The General grimaced. He knew what could be done. That didn't mean he wanted to suggest it. "Fighting defensively is still easier than fighting offensively." He glanced at them and cringed. "Well, for people used to both styles. From what I've been told you all greatly prefer offence over defence."
"Hey, offence is the best defence! Kinda," exclaimed Yang, trailing off at the end.
"Case and point."
"How did they find us?!" Yang tried to get up only fall down, her body had finally begun to rest and her muscles were now aching all over. Pyrrha tried the same only to fall down, being caught by Jaune.
"We're all injured, they must've picked up our blood trails." Blake answered, she too was tired and only barely able to cling to the wall. Jaune sat Pyrrha down, looking at her and the others. He was the only one with some of his Aura left and thanks to the wars, he wasn't too tired.
"Wait, so Grimm have actually functioning sensory receptors?" asked Weiss, surprised. "I thought they were just masses of Grimm Essence in the form of abominations! They never seem to have organs when cut through."
"That is not incorrect, Ms Schnee. Grimm are indeed lacking of any recognizable organs, but just like they can fight and move without having a brain to instruct them to move, they can also see, hear and smell despite technically not having real sensory receptors," explained Ozpin. The man tried to remember more of what Salem had told him back during his first reincarnation. "Some Grimm are also able to breathe fire, despite not being immune to outside sources of fire like Fire Dust. This sounds impossible as they should store their own fire inside their bodies. However, just like their senses, Grimm are able to do that without having a body able to withstand it. They defy any kind of logic."
"One would wonder how we have even held them at bay for so long…" commented Blake, ever the pessimist.
"We haven't. Despite popular belief, Grimm do not continuously attack people, or Beacon would be under constant attack from the Grimm in the Emerald Forest. They are attracted to negativity. Of course, if they stumble into a person while they wander they won't hesitate to kill them, but they do not actively hunt humans if there aren't any nearby," continued Ozpin. "The Grimmlands are immense, Ms Belladonna. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say the number of Grimm living in there is over a trillion and growing. If they were to attack all together, maybe we'd be able to hold a stand in each of the main four cities and Academies, but all the ground beyond those walls would be lost to the Grimm."
"Does that mean we're vulnerable? That we can't defeat the Grimm?" asked Ruby, shocked.
"Of course not, Ms Rose. The Grimm have been around for millennia, just like humans, and nothing ever changed. Maybe, just maybe, we are gaining ground, but I'm talking about a few metres every year, and sometimes we still lose settlements. If we ever defeat the Grimm, I'm afraid it won't be in this millennia," Ironwood spoke up. "The Hunters' original title was 'Guardians' for a reason. We don't hunt Grimm, as that would paint us as the predators and them as the prey. We try to protect what little we have, that being something around five percent of the land, without counting the waters. It was changed into Hunters so much time ago to give hope to the people, to make them believe we weren't on the brink of extinction. And yes, I do know that lying about something as important as that is wrong, but it is to protect our people. You would've found out in due time nonetheless."
"Well I ain't gonna be some Grimm's chew toy, I've got plans for the for the future." Weiss exclaimed, using her weapon to prop her up as she tried to make her way towards the entrance, only to be stopped by Jaune. She looked at him, ready to get angry at him but instead he sat her down much to her surprise.
"Rest." he told her, grabbing his Respirator.
"You expect us to just rest? That Horde will be here soon! We need to be ready!" she told him, trying to get back. Jaune reached into a pouch and grabbed something. He walked towards Nora and handed her a yellow dust grenade, one of hers she used for her weapon. She looked at him confused as he got up
"No. None of you are able to fight, you're out of dust and Aura." he explained, much to their annoyance and confusion. "But, my weapon doesn't use dust and I still have some of my aura left. So i-"
"NO!" Pyrrha shouted as one with Ruby and Nora. "He can't go out there on his own!"
"He's gonna get himself killed if he does!" exclaimed Weiss. While she didn't like the boy much, he was still an acquaintance and she still wouldn't have left someone to die. "If we all had to flee there is no way that dolt is going to be able to keep the horde at bay!"
"NO!" Pyrrha yelled, realizing what he was about to do. Using what Strength she had left, she got up and looked at him. "Jaune don't! You won't be able to withstand that many Grimm by yourself!" he stood stoic however, not wavering as he looked into his eyes.
"You'll die Jaune…" Ruby weakly said, looking at him. He simply smiled at them as he made his way over to them. He hugged them both as they held him tight.
"There is a chance yes, but I'm the only one who can fight. The only one who can hold them off until helps arrive for you all." he told them, wiping away a small tear from Pyrrha's face.
"What?! There is a chance he dies and he's just okay with that?!" exclaimed Weiss, shocked. "Someone just knock him out with a baseball bat and keep him there!"
"I think you are all exaggerating this," stated Ironwood, earning himself glares from the students. "Remind me why have we been brought here, if you would. Or at least, what explanation for this was given to us when we were brought here."
"Someone wanted us to watch this universe," Ren pointed out. "Revolving around Jaune. But this does not mean there is no chance he'll die. Maybe we're just going to see what would happen if he did die!"
"Maybe, but if you stop every time there is a 'maybe' in your life you'll never live it!" barked the General, all too used to that behaviour from his own soldiers. "You cannot do anything or influence that world in any way. The only thing you can do, now, is to wait and see what happens. And if this does end with Mr Arc's demise… you couldn't have prevented it either way. Worrying and panicking won't help you, students, only bring you more pain. There is literally nothing you can do."
"Please...Don't do this." she pleaded as she took his hand, placing it on her belly. Ruby placed her hand there as well as he rested his head against hers. They stood there, as the world grew silent around them save for their breathing. Then came a tiny sound, this small thump that could easily be missed were they not to focused. It was a small heart beat. A tiny heartbeat. "Our child needs their father...please Jaune…"She looked at him as tears escaped her eyes. A small one escaped Jaune's as he looked at her then to Ruby.
That got a far different reaction, but a no less shocking one. Pyrrha fell immediately silent, mouth agape like a fish. She really really liked Jaune, of course she did, but a child? She hadn't even planned up until their marriage, let alone having a child. She quickly back-pedalled and checked her age on the screen, finding out she was a bit older-looking than herself, but not by much. Two years, three, maybe four or five tops? Still far too soon.
Ruby and Yang alike, instead, were angry. And not even angry at the world for making him do that, no they were angry at Jaune. Ruby's mother had died on a mission and Yang's had left when she was born. Both fully knew how it was to grow up without a parent, and it really angered them to see Jaune sacrificing himself and leaving his own child to grow up without a father. It was to save the others, but still they couldn't help the fiery flames of fury from growing inside them.
The others were mainly shocked -in the students' case- or amused -Ozpin and Ironwood- by the notion, despite knowing that a hard battle was sure to follow shortly. But the adults had long since learned to take whatever light-heartedness they could, and regardless of what the future would hold for the Jaune onscreen, they took happiness in seeing him with a family.
"This is why I must. I can't lose you all. I can't lose my family and friends...not again." he said as Pyrrha fell to her knees, her strength dwindling. "I have to protect you all, especially our child. I want them to be born and grow up, to see the sun light and become who they want to be." Ruby started to cry as she looked at him. "I know they'll be okay, they have two super moms right here after all." he said, giving them both a loving smile.
"But what about a super dad? They'll need you Jaune!" Ruby exclaimed, in a vain attempt for him to see reason. But his mind was made up.
Ruby gritted her teeth at her display of weakness. She knew she couldn't be judge, jury and executioner, especially not on something they had only seen a splinter of, but she felt like she should've tried harder, much harder, to keep him from going. She felt like she shouldn't have given up until he gave up too, whatever the cost.
Pyrrha too was desperate, but she could see what he meant. No one else had enough spirit in them to really hold off the horde, and if he didn't do that, they would all die, him included. Maybe it was a selfish thing to do, choosing without consulting anyone, and leaving them all to survive his death, but it was also quite possibly the only thing that could save them.
Yang was even more furious than Ruby. Her friendship with Jaune wasn't as shaky as what he and Blake had, nor it was the barely contained disdain Weiss held for him, but it still wasn't even a shadow of the friendship Ruby and Jaune shared, so she wasn't even kept from bursting by the fact he was her friend. Despite how Weiss or Blake were both more her friends than Jaune, she would've seen them sacrifice themselves more gladly – which isn't to say she would've been happy. But the action of leaving a child fatherless before they were even born lit a fire and an outrage in her, one she could barely contain for her little sister's sake. Had she been in there with that Jaune, she would've probably punched the lights out of him.
"I did want to see them, to make them smile and hold them in my arms." he looked at Ruby, wiping a tear as his others friends looked at him with sadness. His team and Team RWBY became like family to him. Even when he was transported to the Death Korps, they never gave up home of finding him again. He lost his team once, when they fell to Chaos. He won't lose his friends and team again, not to the Grimm. Not to anyone! He will defend them with his life! Its his Duty, not only as Death Korps guardsman, but as a hunter and friend. And a father. He kissed them both before getting up. "Nora, Ren….Thank you both so much. Thank you for all the love and support you've given me all these years. For believing in me as a leader." he told his two other teammates, he hugged them both. Nora holding him tight.
"Don't do this Jaune-Jaune, we can think of something else! We always think of something." she told him, tears running down her face as Ren placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He knew there was no other option, someone or something needed to keep the Grimm occupied long enough for help to arrive.
'But that someone does not need to be the father-to-be of an unborn child,' Yang hissed in the sacred privacy of her mind. 'For fuck's sake his death might even cause Pyrrha a trauma grave enough to make her abort!'
"We are Hunters too," stated Weiss. "Why should he be the only one to fight? It is our duty too, not just his."
"He's trying to protect you," Ironwood pointed out.
"Who said we wanted to be protected?" Ruby replied angrily. "Who said we wanted to see him get himself killed to protect us? He told me, told us, that he doesn't want to be the one who needs to be protected, that he wants to stand beside us, not behind us. That's the opposite of that!"
"He's lost people he cared about. Yes, it's selfish, but he does not want to lose more," replied the Headmaster. "Just imagine how many people he's already seen die, Ms Rose. Maybe he cannot handle any more of them dying in front of him? For him? Especially not his pregnant fiancée, if I may add."
"But it's still not fair for us…"
"No… no it isn't…"
"Nora, when I exit this cave, crush that yellow dust grenade." he explained to her, as she wiped tears from her eyes. "It'll give you just enough strength to move the boulder near the entrance to block any stragglers that might get past me. While a large number could move it, a few won't be able to. Not with me fighting them, Okay? Please, as my final request as Team Leader." She nodded, clutching it in her hands.
"That means…" Blake didn't finish her sentence.
That meant he hadn't even contemplated the idea of retreating back in the cave, if the horde were to turn out larger than he thought. Or maybe he hadn't even thought he would survive since the start. The adults knew that was the case, as it was clear Jaune had obviously planned his own demise by the claws of the Grimm.
The other members of team RWBY tried to talk him out of it.
"I swear vomit boy! If you so much as walk towards the entrance, I'll kick your ass for making Ruby cry!" she threatened, "You don't have to do this dammit!"
"Arc! Cmon! Seriously we aren't dead yet!" Weiss yelled as Jaune looked at them.
"But you could very well be in the next few minutes, if someone doesn't do something," Ironwood murmured under his breath.
"You guys can barely stand, let alone fight." he countered, grabbing his respirator. "All of you-" he gave them all one last smile. Tears running down the faces of a few as their protests fell on deaf ears, "Thank you." with that, Jaune began to walk towards the entrance. The howls getting louder and near. Jaune began to strap the respirator to his face. Pyrrha tried to get up but was held back by the combined effort of Ren and Blake as Yang hugged her sister. As Jaune walked, ensuring the skull motif was on full display, he saw something. He kept marching forward, not looking back. Not looking to his sides as the figures began to appear, standing at attention near the walls. Their hands curled into fists as they rested on their chests on top of their hearts. Blake looked, seeing brief flashes of figures in the same armor of Jaune's. She blinked and they were gone. But they didn't disappear for Jaune. No. They stayed as he made his way to the entrance. The final salute. The final fight for a Guardsman of the Death Korps of Krieg.
"Are they…" began Ruby, not believing what she was seeing. "…ghosts?"
"I would've denied such a thing, but if Ms Belladonna saw them too they can't be anything but spectres…" nodded Ironwood, shocked as well by the appearance of the probably deceased soldiers. He had often dreaded the day he would eventually meet again with the soldiers he failed to save in battle, fearing they would blame him for his failures. Never had it crossed his mind that maybe, they would instead greet him as he too gave his life for the cause they died for.
"But that's impossible… right?" Blake glanced at Ozpin. "Right, Professor?"
"Alas, I cannot say. In our world it is certainly impossible, but in this one… we've already seen that our worlds are different. This might be just another thing in which our universes differentiate."
"Does this mean they are going to protect Jaune so that he can come back alive?" asked Pyrrha, hopeful.
Ironwood hated it, but he had to squash that hope before the screen could do so in a far harsher way. "No, Ms Nikos. They are honouring his last fight, and greeting him as he joins them in the Afterlife. It's a ceremony of death, not life."
Pyrrha stiffened and pointedly tried not to meet anyone's eyes as a few tears began to gather in her eyes.
"Holy Emperor…." Jaune whispered as he readied his weapon, standing at the entrance as he could hear the rusting of the trees from the wind. Rain soaked his trench coat as he aimed his lasgun into the foliage.
"...have mercy on my friends. Protect them as you protected me during the wars I fought in your name…"
"Is this some kind of last words a Death Korps must say before death?" wondered Ren, calm but saddened by his friend's imminent sacrifice.
"I wouldn't know. My soldiers sing something similar whenever they head to battle, but ours is a chant for protection on us, for the chance of returning home alive. We are not offering our lives in prayer so to receive a miracle back." Ironwood scowled fiercely. "Miracles don't exist, so we never ask for them. This does sound like a last chant, so your hypothesis holds sense."
He saw those familiar red eyes in the distance. He breathed heavily as he caught one his sights and pulled the trigger, a beam of red energy traveling to its target with great speed and near precise precision. The beam hit its target and a loud painful howl escaped from the forest before a thud was heard.
"...By your grace, allow them to live so that they may make their impacts on this world for the future…
Another howl escaped from the forest as Jaune fired again, only to graze an incoming Beowolf as it charged at him. He jumped out of the way, causing the Grimm to stop and turn its attention to him. It smelled no fear from him but from the cave...it turned its head towards the entrance. Before it could do anything, another red beam pierced its skull plate, falling to the ground dead. More ran from the forest as they charged at him but he wasn't afraid. He stood steadfast as he fired again.
"...please my Holy Emperor, defender of Humanity, protect them! I give you my life so that they may live theirs…"
"It seems as if he really does believe in that, despite this 'Emperor' having doomed thousands, if not millions, of people to die just because they were opposing his forces," noted Weiss, steadfastly refusing to address the fact Jaune was fighting a battle he couldn't win. "And despite his clearly genocidal actions, Jaune still believes in him."
"Jaune fought for years in the Death Korps," Ren reminded her. "He was mentally controlled, imprisoned, and probably much more. Eventually, he just accepted this new belief and went with it. By now, it's second nature for him to praise the 'Emperor', whoever that is."
"Don't remind me of that," Yang growled at the mention of what Jaune had gone through. "I'm pissed enough as it is."
As Jaune downed another, dodging as one swiped at him with its claws. He failed to stop a few that were making their way to the entrance. Nora, having crushed the canister, was slowly moving the boulder as per her Leader's last orders. She was straining, as she slowly moved it. Two beowolves moved ran, ready to attack her. Jaune couldn't get a proper line of sight as he dodged another attack from more Grimm. The beowolves neared the cave as Nora was still moving the boulder.
"...FOR THE EMPEROR PROTECTS!"
Suddenly lighting struck down a Beowolf causing the other to back up. Whether his prayer was answered or just luck, Jaune took advantage of this and killed the other before being struck in the back.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha, Ruby and Nora yelled out in worry. The three of them were probably Jaune's closest friends alongside Ren -who was Jaune's only male friend- so it made sense they were the ones to take it worst when he got it, ignoring the peculiar lightning that had hit the Beowolf. Ren was sweating and clutching his couch's armrests as if his life depended on it, but he couldn't move his eyes away from the screen.
Weiss was slightly calmer, or at least appeared to be, but inwardly she too was worrying about Jaune. He was a dolt and frankly annoying with his attempts at asking her out, but that didn't mean he deserved to die. Blake was, unsurprisingly, the calmest of the students, having already seen friends die during her time in the White Fang. Yang was gritting her teeth so hard it was a surprise she hadn't knocked them out already. She was still furious about him abandoning his own child, but she too was worried for him. It really looked like he wouldn't make it out of there alive, and she didn't want to see that.
Ozpin was barely affected by the scene, and that was what upset him the most: being so used to seeing death that seeing his own student die was causing him so little grief. Ironwood too wasn't moved, but he had accepted his own harshness and he lived with it, knowing that in times of war his stoneheartedness could save lives.
Blood poured from the wound Jaune fell to a knee, breathing heavily. He looked towards the cave, There he saw Weiss look at him with worry. "Close it!" He yelled to her, thunder booming throughout the sky as he fired again as more Beowolves came charging out of the forest, another red beam making contact; puncturing a skull plate. Weiss struggled, she didn't want to close the entrance to the cave and leave him out there by himself. She watched him fire again as two more charged at him, one going for him while another eyed their temporary refuge. Lightning lit the sky as Jaune shoved the barrel of his lasgun into the Beowolf's mouth and fired, the red beam exiting out the back of its head and searing the ground where it made contact. His wound slowing him down but he wouldn't allow it to cause any more distraction. He watched as the horde walked out of the forest, led by a massive Alpha. This Alpha was much larger than the ones he's seen in books and the wilds. No, this was an ancient one. One that has lived and fought for so long. Its strength showed, as only a powerful Grimm could lead a horde of this size.
"Do you think Jaune can take on that Grimm?" Ruby asked in a small voice, her previous loudness all but forgotten.
The students exchanged worried glances, but Ozpin was the one to drive the final nail into the coffin. "No. That Grimm could theoretically be considered an Alpha among Alphas. We don't really have a name for them as they are mentioned only in legends and ancient records, but if this is really one of those, then Mr Arc cannot win this battle, even if the rest of the pack were to disappear this instant. A team of professional Hunters is needed to bring down such a foe, especially if it's backed up by its pack."
"So you're saying Jaune can't beat that, and is going to get himself killed?!" Nora exclaimed in shock.
"I'm afraid that's the case, yes." Ozpin sighed and returned to look at the screen to avoid meeting their accusing eyes. "I'm sorry, but changing this is beyond my abilites."
The Alpha let out a roar and more Grimm charged at Jaune. Weiss tried to walk out, she wouldn't allow that dolt to fight on his own, even as Nora was closing the entrance. But she was grabbed back by Yang, she tried to fight her off.
"Let me go! He needs help! We can't just let him do this on his own!" she protested, only for Yang to drag her back much harder.
"Don't you think i know that!" she answered, just as Nora finished closing the entrance, leaving enough open to allow air and keep any Grimm bigger than a cat from coming in.
"NO!"
"Dammit Weiss! Listen! We can't fight! We would only get in the way and most likely die!" she yelled, causing the former heiress to break down. "His sacrifice would be for nothing!" she cried, hugging her as they heard the battle outside. The sound of howling and roars filled the the cave. The sound of Jaune's lasgun firing was the worse to hear. Ruby hugged Pyrrha tighter as they heard Jaune fight. It was breaking them, all they could was listen and do nothing as Jaune fought to keep them alive until help arrived. It was his choice. He wanted to do it.
The students agreed the lasgun's sound was the worst. If that had stopped, no one could've mistaken what it meant.
Ironwood knew the only important sound were the howls of the Grimm. A soldier without a gun could still fight with other weapons or even unarmed, but if no howls were heard, it meant the battle was finally over, and that they could open the cave once again – if Nora had enough strength left to do that, of course.
Ozpin was a mix of the two. He too knew, like Ironwood, which sound was the crucial one, but he couldn't help but also agree with the students. Every lasgun fire could be the last, and they could only wait and hope it wouldn't. He knew how straining that could be. He had experienced it first-hand, more than once unfortunately.
She was angry with him. Tears fell from her face as she clutched Ruby and placed a hand on her stomach. She was angry that he wouldn't be there to see their child grow. To see them take their first steps. Their first words. Their first smile….
-outside-
He breathed heavily, his lasgun was running low. The bodies of dozens of Grimm laid strewn about, some dead near the entrance to the cave. The Alpha walked foward as the entire horde began to surround Jaune. They were gonna attack at once now, he wouldn't survive. But to his surprise they didn't, no they simply surrounded him as the Alpha walked forward. No, they were making sure he couldn't run from this fight, him against the Ancient Alpha. He could see its skull plate, dozens of scars adorned it. He saw various weapons sticking out of its back, some looked old. Really old.
"It looks like a monster straight out of a legend," remarked Ironwood, narrowing his eyes at the creature. "I would've never thought I'd ever see such a Beowolf."
"It looks like a monster straight out of a nightmare," Ren corrected him. The weapons sticking out of its back reminded him of another monster, another nightmare, one he was still running away from. Nora seemed to remember as well, as she was silent and shivering beside him, just like she had been all those years prior.
"When we go back, I am going to kill all the Beowolves in the Emerald Forest," growled Yang, never taking her eyes off the screen. She knew it was petty and probably also stupid, but if she couldn't reach the monster onscreen, then she would reach the monsters in her world.
"So, its just you and me huh?" he said, if his respirator was off, one would see a smile. "Alright then…" he aimed his lasgun, only for the Alpha to swipe at him with its massive claws. Jaune was sent flying to the ground, his respirator knocked from his face as she bled from the wound across his face. His breathing grew heavy as he looked at his respirator, broke and unusable. The metal skull face plate laid nearby, next to his broken lasgun. He gritted his teeth as he heard the Alpha walk towards. He got up, still dazed as he reached for Crocea Mors, he stopped for a second, remembering what happened the last time he used it,
"This sword, passed down from my family for generations, led my squad to their deaths." he looked at the cave, No grimm were near it, they were all too busy looking at him. "Well. maybe now it'll save them instead." He pulled out Crocea Mors, pressing a button on as some sort of energy manifested from the blade.
"Arc, your sword. It has been upgraded to a power sword, a gift for your reaching the rank of Watchmaster, lead your men well."
Hadn't Ruby been so worried for Jaune, she would've probably gushed over the energy sword. Now all she could do was to idly note it was an interesting idea, maybe a possible upgrade for Crescent Rose.
Ironwood's interest was instead far more. Already expecting the boy to die, he had quickly accepted and gotten over it, so he could appreciate the idea of energy weapons fully. Depending on the cost of such weaponry, it could greatly improve the military. A revolutionary improvement, even. He would need to look into that once he returned.
The others didn't have any particular reaction at the weapon being an energy sword, but they did frown at the mention of Crocea Mors having basically caused the death of his entire squad. That was definitely not something anyone would want associated with their weapon.
Jaune faced his foe, in one hand his sword and shield in the other. He sighed, feeling the cool rain his face. Memories flooded his head as he opened his eyes. He began to run, sword ready as a specific memory surfaced. A memory from the day before that mission that would transport him to Krieg.
"Hey Pyrrha! " Jaune said as his partner walked up to him. He sat on roof where they trained together, guitar in hand.
"Hello Jaune! What are you doing up here?"
"Just needed a quiet place, gonna sing and get my mind off things before our big mission. Wanna join me?" he smiled at her, a flash of red on her face.
"That sounds lovely. What song are you gonna sing?"
"You are my sunshine. It was something my mom used to sing to us whenever we were down."
"Us? I wasn't aware Mr Arc had siblings," noted Ironwood.
"Yes, seven." Blake managed to look amused by the General's shock. "That was our reaction too, yeah. All from the same mother and father."
The two adults exchanged a glance. Ozpin had already known, but to that day he still could barely wrap his head around it. But Ironwood was hit by the full shock of the revelation, and shook his head to try and clear it. "Seven…"
Jaune jumped out of the way as the Alpha swiped at him. He struck at it with his sword, taking a finger off as it roared in pain. A beowolf from the horde lunged at him, he was barely able to kill it just as another lunged at him. It managed a blow against his back again causing him to fall to his knees.
"I know that song! It is a nice song." she said, a smile on her face. She sat down next to him as he played his guitar. They both sang together, their voices in perfect sync.
"The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping
I dreamed I held you in my arms
But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken
And I hung my head and I cried"
Jaune killed another as the Alpha charged at him. He brought up his shield quickly, blocking the attack but sending him down to the ground. Another Beowolf ready to attack him only to be knocked by the alpha, it was enraged. It looked at Jaune, then at the Cave.
"That Grimm is probably feeling all the negativity coming from you all," Ironwood explained, needlessly as they all already knew why it was behaving like that. The General thinned his lips, wanting to say more but withholding the words. They should've kept their negativity to a minimum if they wanted to make Jaune's job easier, but he knew he couldn't mention that. They were still students, even if they looked older than the ones in the room with him. He held his mouth.
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You'll never know, dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away"
She rested her head on his shoulder as they sang together. She closed her eyes as he played the guitar, lost in the feeling of being able to spend time with one she loved. To sing with him and hear his lovely voice.
"NO!" Jaune yelled, throw his shield at the Alpha as it tried to make its way towards the cave, it turned to Jaune and growled. "You will not go anywhere near them! Your fight is with me and me alone!" he yelled, running at the Alpha as the others tried to stop him, only to be slain as he made his way to it. The Alpha snarled as it charged at him too. Jaune needed to end this, he knew only one way. As he dodged the Alpha's attack, letting it collide into the smaller ones, he took the opportunity to unlatch his grenade belt. He held the belt in one hand as it held the last five flak grenades he had left. Powerful things they were, one alone could easily kill an Ursa but five at once? "Not even you will survive it." he ran towards the Alpha as it swiped at him, though this time, it was able to grab a hold of him and squeezed. Jaune gasped as he felt his bones begin to break, blood seeping from his mouth as the Alpha brought him closer to his face. He smiled.
"Why didn't he use the grenades earlier then?!" exclaimed Pyrrha, now positively furious. "Why didn't he blow up that monster much sooner?! Why didn't he kill it when he himself could escape the blast?!"
"He didn't want to miss his only shot at it," explained Ironwood, but even he knew it was a flimsy excuse. He did not know why Jaune had chosen that route of action, and he too agreed with Pyrrha, but he imagined that without someone to defend his choice, the students would burst. And they would've been justified in their rage too, hadn't it been so pointless. It wasn't something that had happened in their world, nor it was something they could change in any way.
"He could've thrown those grenades without even coming close!" yelled Ruby, now with tears running down her cheeks. "He… he could've survived this…"
"That was fun! Maybe we should get Ruby to join us, make it a trio!" he laughed, she did too. She placed a loving hand on his face, wanting to so bad to tell him how much he meant to her. Maybe after the mission, she will tell him. No reason to distract him with her confession. What she didn't know as the was gonna do the same thing to her as well, once the mission was over.
"Definitely! But cmon, lets go get some rest. We have a Big day tomorrow!" he nodded and followed her, closing the door behind.
Jaune stabbed the end of the satched into the side of the Ancients face, pulling a single pin from the grenade. He grinned, as the Ancient howled in pain and just as the grenade exploded. In that instance, he closed his eyes as memories flooded his mind.
No one was surprised. They had all expected him to do something like that ever since he had charged the Alpha with the grenades in hand instead of tossing them from a safe distance. Yang was enraged, flaming licking her hair and her eyes crimson, but she held her sister as Ruby cried. Pyrrha and Nora cried too, one angry tears, the other just sorrowful ones. Ren was mourning as well, though he kept his expression lifeless as he stared at the screen.
Blake had a sad frown adorning her face as she looked at the floor, unable to really look at the explosion. Weiss looked to be the least affected of the students, merely stiff and glaring at the screen. Ozpin and Ironwood alike barely showed their discomfort at seeing a person blowing themselves up, both all too used to that.
He held Pyrrha's face as he kissed her, the day after they made love for the first time. She smiled sweetly at him, hair disheveled and her emerald eyes full of love towards him.
Ruby coming up to them one day and confessing her feelings to Jaune. At first, scared at what they would think of her, only for Pyrrha to give her a simply smile. They talked all day that day, before finally agreeing to a Poly relationship between then the three of them.
Pyrrha announcing she was pregnant when they entered their third year at beacon. Jaune was ecstatic To be father! He gave her the biggest hug as Ruby wondered what they should name the baby.
Him and Ren meditating together, Jaune coming to him to help him deal with his nightmares. Only for Nora to jump on them and for them to laugh together.
Jaune tinkering with his lasgun, remembering his old squad and the good times they had together when they were not fighting. The youngest of their group trying to make something actually good for them to eat and failing. Only for the squad to still eat it and thank him….
"Its time to come to Terranis Jaune...You've earned it…." a voice came to him as the explosion killed everything within its Radius.
-Years later-
"It appears we might get to see what happens next," murmured Ironwood. "It's not something many can do. We get to see the repercussions of what happened that night."
"And you think that's something we want to see?" asked Blake, her voice straining to keep in check her sudden anger at the General's apparent carelessness for Jaune's death. "That we want to see just how much each of us broke down after Jaune died? Or maybe we'll just see a row of graves with all our names on it?"
"Ms Belladonna, while I can understand the pessimism, we will be forced to watch this no matter what. I do believe watching with optimism is better than watching it while utterly lost in your own mourning and grief?" Ironwood narrowed his eyes at her, stopping her reply in one single icy glare. "I am not telling you to be merry and cheerful, Ms Belladonna. I am telling you there is nothing we can do, no matter what happens. If, being moody is only going to make you miserable. Looking forwards with a hopeful eye might crush you if this hope is unfounded, but it might also make you happier if it isn't."
"And then all the Grimm ran away, with their leader dead, The horde couldn't keep calm. They scattered as help finally came for us that day." said an older Pyrrha, her hair long and dressed in civilian clothing, on her lap was a small child. No older than six years old. "Thats how your papa saved us that day."
"Wow! Was my papa really that brave mama?" the child ask, she looked at him and gave him a loving smile. He had hair similar to Jaune's in his younger years, except with streaks of red near his tips. He had emerald eyes but they gave off that same look as Jaune did when he first met her. Eager to learn and ready to be a hero.
"I guess you all did survive that mission, eventually," commented Ironwood, shooting Blake a brief side glance. "And despite everything you don't remember that day with enough grief to be unable to speak of it. I must say, this is better than I expected."
"What? Were you expecting to find us all wearing black and not having moved on even after years, or Pyrrha mistreating her own son because of what he costed her?" Yang snapped at the General.
"No. As Ms Belladonna said, though she meant it as an example, I fully expected to see a row of graves with your names on it. Hordes are not easy to deal with, and Grimm never retreat, even if their leader is killed," Ironwood informed her coolly, making her deflated slightly. "I've seen my fair share of mission teams slaughtered by the Grimm after having been cornered, Ms Xiao Long, and I've fairly often been the one who had to deal with the after-effects. Do not forget am I not a General because I had good grades in the Academy, miss, but because of the field experience I have."
"James, please stop antagonizing my students," Ozpin tried to diffuse the situation, but he only received a glare from the man.
"Why would I do that, Ozpin? They clearly have no problem antagonizing a man with so much more experience than they have in the topic, why should I let them off the hook so easily?" Ironwood crossed his arms in defiance. "I refused to let them snap at me because I'm right."
"I am not saying you aren't James – but following your own advice, I am trying to prevent this group from getting any tenser," replied the Headmaster. "And your frequent squabbles are doing the opposite of calming things down."
The soldier grunted in dissatisfaction, but he did fall silent.
"Yes my little gladiator, he was. He was the bravest of us all." she told him as held Jaune's dog tags. One of the few things that was salvageable after his battle. "Now its time for bed Alexandros, you need get up early for our trip." she said, placing him in his bed.
"Aw okay mama!" he told her as he gave her a hug. The door to room opened as Ruby came in, she was older. Her hair longer, stopping at her neck as she wore her trademark red hood. She was wearing her battle attire with an upgraded crescent rose on her back.
"Mama!" yelled Alexandros as Ruby smiled at him.
"Hey my little sunshine! I'm home now!" she said as she knelt down to hug him. Her mission was a success thanks to her team, the Grimm have been pushed back much further now and she can finally rest. Pyrrha gave her a loving hug as they both gave Alexandros good night kisses.
"Good night my little Gladiator." Pyrrha told him, turning off the light and turning on his nightlight.
"Sweet dreams love! Tomorrow we're gonna make cookies!" Ruby excitedly told him. He smiled at them as he yawned.
"Good night mamas…" he said, drifting off to sleep.
"Alexandros….Hey little one…" a voice came to him as he slept. Alexandros woke up, surrounded by a field of grass. He looked around, scared as to why he was here.
"Hey, isn't that voice…" Ruby began, confused as to what was happening. It was clearly a dream, but if it was, then little Alexandros wouldn't have been able to remember his father's voice – he had never heard it.
And yet that voice sounded exactly like Jaune's.
"Mamas!" he yelled, only for someone to place a hand on his shoulder. He looked at the owner of the hand but felt no fear from him. Only warmth and safety.
"Hey its okay buddy. You're safe and so are your mommys." the man told him. The man knelt down to one Knee, giving the small boy a look at his face. The man had long blonde hair that went a bit past his neck, with eyes that shared the same color as the ocean! He looked a little older than his moms but not too old. He looked familiar…
More than a person gasped at seeing him. "Is he a ghost?" asked Nora, trying to look through him and failing. "Or is this some kind of ghost-induced dream in Alexandros's sleep?"
"Maybe the second. Had he been a real ghost, he would've probably shown himself to his wives as well," noted Ozpin, ignoring the fact the three of them had never gotten married because of his death.
"And maybe he was right in doing so, or he would've gotten his ghostly ass kicked so hard to bring him back to life!" shouted Yang, who was still fuming for his actions. "He left us all!"
"He left to save us," Ren pointed out. Looking away, he added in a smaller voice, "Just life my father did…"
It was soft, but Yang caught it nonetheless, and all her anger was washed away by guilt. "Ren, I'm sorry… I didn't mean-"
"The memory of his sacrifice is painful but it gives me strength, Yang. Don't apologize." The ninja pursued his lips and frowned at the screen. "It wasn't your fault. And besides, I am not saying I'm not angry at him for leaving us. I'm just saying he had a reason."
"Who are you are mister? Where am i?" he asked, the man smiled at him before hugging him tightly. He was confused but he still felt safe.
"Well….I'm your papa…" the man said as he broke off the hug and looked at the boy, his son. Alexandros immediately realized why he looked familiar! He looked like his papa when from when he was younger but he didn't have any scars like he did in the picture
"P-Papa?" he asked, small tears forming in his eyes.
"Hello my little Alexandros." Jaune said, the boy immediately hugged him tightly as he cried. Jaune smiled, hugging his son for the first time. He was allowed to his family...one last time before he had to go back...back to Terranis where his squad waited for him in paradise.
"Does that mean that even in the Afterlife we won't be able to see him again?!" Pyrrha exclaimed with tears in her eyes. Everyone else looked away from the heartwarming scene as they too noticed that last tidbit.
Ruby opened her mouth to add her own note of despair, but Ozpin beat her to it. "I am sure that if you wish to join him again, you will be able to. I highly doubt the Afterlife is really separated for the two worlds." He was speaking from experience, even though his time in the Afterlife had been brief enough – but he was the only one on Remnant who could say to have died and still remember how it was. "Death is a liberation, not another chain, remember. Humanity was gifted with death so that life would not stop having a meaning."
Ruby sniffled. "I guess you're right…"
'I hope so, Ms Rose, I hope so,' thought Ozpin, thinning his lips.
"Duty to the Emperor only ends in death...but even in death, you will still have an impact on those you leave behind. That is what the Emperor wishes." - Jaune Alexandros Arc, 23rd Death Korps Siege Regiment
The screen became black after that, and everyone relaxed a little. That had been the hardest one to watch yet. If those viewings continued to go in a crescendo of angst, they didn't know how much longer they would be able to last.
Ironwood, instead, was slightly worried. He had thought it would be the end of it, but as minutes slowly ticked by, he realized they were not being sent back in their world. The others hadn't realized it yet – aside from Ozpin, who didn't appear fazed by it – as they were too busy trying to calm themselves down, but the General hadn't missed it. Whoever had brought them there still had plans for them – even if he did not know what those plans were.
Gripping his armrests, James Ironwood could only wait for those plans to take place.
Whew this one was long. Well, I have nothing to say really, life is normal so not even updates on my own personal and very secret life. I guess I'm just gonna say ViewingTES is next... probably, maybe Trail of Blood will appear again since it's so close to ending... And otherwise, have a nice day!
Until next time,
Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh.