"I guess that means I have to ask Jaune a question." Ruby Scrunched up her face as she came up with a question. "I've got one! Jaune, what is with all those Arc motto's you say?" She stares at him innocently. A fair question, it would have been some time since there was an active Arc hunter.
"Well, they are my families huntsman code. The rules we follow to stay true to what a huntsman is supposed to be." I remember all of them. All one hundred and thirty-four. It was tiresome learning them, but worth it, I think, to have values to fall on when things got confusing.
"Huntsman code? People still use those?" Weiss seemed a bit reluctant to believe that. I guess it was a bit old fashioned, but I liked it.
"I know that my family does. Well, mostly me. My sisters tend to pick and choose when they follow them. Other than Emi. The little angel follows our code as well as I do." I said the last bit with pride. I helped her learn most of them, so of course I'm proud.
"Okay, its my turn, right?" I ask, Nora Nodding enthusiastically. "Alright, Yang! Whats your full name? I missed it at the team ceremony yesterday." I rub the back of my head in embarrassment. I was a bit thrown off during the ceremony, between Nora and being tired after the fight with the Deathstalker.
"Lame question. My full name is Yang Xiao Long. And dont you forget it." She flashed a grin as she said it. The name seemed very familiar. I think I remember dad talking about it at one point. Oh yeah, now I remember.
"Nice to know I have a Xiao Long as a friend." I feel relieved just knowing that. She looks confused at that.
"What do you mean?" I look at her. She seems confused about this, I guess it must be something that arcs remember but the Xiao Longs dont.
"An Arc will never betray or leave behind a Xiao Long. Code number 23. Your family is very important to us, you are one of the reasons we are still here." I told her. Going off of her shocked face, I'm pretty sure she didn't know the story.
"What do you mean? I don't remember dad saying anything about the Arcs. Maybe I just spaced out for it though. Spill it, whats with it?" She seemed pretty interested, and so did the rest of the girls.
"Alright, I'll tell you the story, but keep in mind this was about four generations back. Maybe longer." the gang got settled in and was ready for a story.
"It started when the wars were just starting between the kingdoms. The Arcs were a lot bigger of a family back then, though, my parents are working on that," I mutter the last bit under my breath, earning a chuckle from my team. "And Vale wasn't doing so well. My great great grandpa wasn't on the front lines, like some of the more bloodthirsty members of the war. He was on the outskirts of the battle. He was fighting tooth and nail against the grimm, keeping them away from both ally and enemy alike. At one point in the battle, he had just killed an Ursa Major. He had been fighting for a long while, and was exhausted, he tried to get back to the camp to rest for a few minutes. As he turned around, he saw a man. Head full of blond hair almost as nice as his. My dads words, not mine. He noticed second the man was wearing the enemy forces emblem. My grandpa put his guard up when the man dashed towards him. But instead of killing my Grandpa, he fought the Beowulf that was creeping up behind him. Taking it down in a few hits, the man came to stand beside my grandpa and smiled at him. He said, 'Well, you look like shit. Lets get you to your camp for a bit, then you can join me in killing off the real enemy.' My grandpa was so shocked he couldn't stop himself from laughing. They walked back to my grandpas camp, defending the man from his comrades, saying any who attacked him would face the Arcs. Apparently, the man was only fighting in the war as support against the grimm. They hit it off well, with the man pulling his family over to Vales side, his family and ours working together stopped a lot of grimm. Our families bonded, and us Arcs never forgot them. That family was the Xiao Longs. And knowing I'm fighting with one makes me feel a lot better about being here." Yang looked amazed at her family history. Ruby looked shocked as well.
"Wow, so I guess your family has good tastes then. My turn right? Jaune, are there any other families in your code? And if so, who?" She seemed exited to hear about it, so I thought about it. I could remember a few names.
"Yeah, there are a few. The Valkyries, always up for battle. The Belladonas, peace loving and sarcastic, but always loyal. The Nikos, best damn friends you could ask for." Nora looked shocked, as did Blake and Pyrrha. "What? Do you know them?" They all looked disbelieving at me.
"How much of that ceremony did you miss?" Blake asked. At my confused look everyone face palmed. So I'm guessing I made myself look like an idiot.
"Lets reintroduce ourselves, it will help us remember each others names as well." Ren stated, and started, first. "Hello, I am Lie Ren, Please call me Ren."
"Hi all, I'm Nora Valkyrie, best friend to Lie Ren."
"Hello, my name is Blake Belladona. I like reading, napping and spending time with my friends."
"Hello, my name is Pyrrha Nikos, aspiring huntress in training."
"My name is Weiss Schnee, Heiress of the Schnee dist company."
"My name is Yang Xiao Long, Breaker of hearts and heads."
"And I'm Ruby Rose, fastest girl you know."
I am stunned and shocked at how many of these names I know. Belladona, Lie, Xiao long, Nikos. But the one that stands out most is Rose.
"Your name is Rose?"
"Yep."
"Your mother wouldn't happen to be Summer, would it?"\
"You knew my mom?"
I'm officially shell shocked. I'm meeting Summers daughter?
"Summer Rose as in white cloak and silver eyes?"
"Yeah, that's mom. Why?"
"Hold on a moment, I'll be right back." I dash off to my room, tearing through my bag. I know I have it somewhere here. Pulling out clothes and trinkets from home I dig deeper. Finally I find what I was looking for. Rushing back to the room, I turn to look at Ruby. She looks confused, and Yang looks concerned. I pause a moment and realize how that must have looked.
"Sorry, it's just..." I struggle to think of how to put this. "Okay, let me ask this. Do you know exactly what happened to your mom?"
She shakes her head and looks saddened a bit. Okay, that clears up somethings, but makes this a lot harder on me.
"Okay, this is something that I think only Ruby and yang should hear. Can you all give us a minute?" The others look concerned but leave the room to us.
"Okay, whats going on Jaune. This sounds important." Yang is concerned for Ruby, of course. I would too if I was in her place.
"You know how I said that the Xiao Longs are important to the Arcs? Well, the Roses are even more so. An arc will never harm a Rose. An arc will never turn their back on a Rose. An arc will never refuse a Roses call for help. Rules thirteen, fourteen and fifteen. Your family and ours have been friends, and sometimes family for hundreds of years. And when I was a kid, my dad went on a mission with Summer rose." I looked at them, trying to figure how to put this next part.
"The mission was one she was supposed to do alone. But she didn't think she could do it all by her self. So she asked my dad, and told him to keep it a secret. He did, of course. But the mission wasn't at all how she was told. They were supposed to go into the grimmlands for something or other. On the dark continent. My dad wont talk about what happened there, or what their mission was. When he came back, he didn't go home right away. He went to whoever it was that ordered the mission and chewed him out for it. He tore up his hunting license, and came home after that. He didn't talk for a few weeks. When I said I was coming here, he gave me this and told me to give it to Summer's kid. I met her a few times when I was little, so I knew who he was talking about. And he told me to tell you, he did everything he could. He tried for so long to get back, to fight through it. But he couldn't. He lost his arm and his leg that day. And I think if it wasn't for mom and us, he would have lost more." I finished to see a crying Yang, and a sobbing Ruby.
"So," Yang choked a bit as she tried to speak, she swallowed and continued, "So what is it you are supposed to give us?"
I handed them the letter. Ruby dried her eyes, determined to read what ever this was. They opened the letter, and pulled out a letter, attached to it though was a scroll. The letter had 'watch first' written above where it was taped, so we did. They turned on the scroll, and went to the video folder. There were two videos. They played the first one.
"So, Summer, I thought you were done being a huntress, now that you have kids and all. What brought you back?" I asked. She looked over and smiled.
"I was planning on retiring, but an old friend called and said this was a mission only I could do. I couldn't refuse, so I accepted. But I don't think I can do this one on my own, especially not with how long I've gone without training. I'm so glad you decided to help me."
"With how much we have gone through? Of course. Not to mention that we are basically family. Throw in that you and Tai are together, all it would take now is for our kids to get together, and we would only need one house for holidays."
Summer chuckled and smiled. "Yeah, but those days are still a long ways off, little yang hasn't even lost all her baby teeth yet. She does have her mothers temper, but she has Tais Loyalty."
"Glad to hear it. If I ever see her mom again, I'm gonna bring her back kicking and screaming. She knows I can too."
Summer smiled at that, though, not as brightly as before.
"We will be landing in twenty minutes, best get prepared now. Remember, I'll be back in three days at seven in the morning to pick you up. Don't be late," a voice said over the intercom.
"Well, lets get this party started." Summer said.
"Yeah. If only the old Valkyrie was still here. He would have loved this."
Insert break
The video cuts off at that. Yang and Ruby looking conflicted about what they just saw. I was right there with them.
"So they knew each other pretty well then. I wonder who the old friend was, I'd love to give him a piece of my mind." I said. Anyone who would call a mother out of retiremnet and away from her kids was no good in my books.
"Yeah, whoever it was stole our mom away from us. I'll kick their ass if I find em." Yang growled out. Ruby looked sad and happy at seeing her mother again. We all looked back at the scroll and played the next video.
Loud coughing and a dark cave are seen. The camera shifts and brings a bloodied and battered Nickolas Arc into frame.
"Well, you were right, you couldn't do this alone. Hell, we still can't do this. A little higher Sumer, there you go. Well, I guess we should start this then." He straightens himself and shifts so he is sat a bit straighter.
"My Name is Nicholas James Arc, Head of the Arc household, and this is my final will and testament. If this is found, and my family is still alive, tell them I'm sorry. And that I tried my best to get back to them. Tell them to remember our code, and to live their lives as they want. I leave all my possessions to my wife, other than my weapon. I leave my weapon to my son, little Jaune. I also ask that my apologies be sent to the Belladonas, for not being able to see their little daughter. To the Valkyries, for not being there for them in the last battle. To the Lies, for not being able to take you up on that drink. And to the Nikos, for not being able to fight with you one last time." He shifted again. "I hope this video never becomes necessary."
"Me too, I want to see my girls grow up."
"Summer, you shouldn't be crying, it will only speed up the blood loss." The camera is taken from summers hands and put face up on a surface. There is sobbing and some comforting words that can't quite be made out. After a minute, the camera is picked up.
"Okay, I'm ready." Summer says, her voice hoarse from crying.
The camera turns and a bloody Summer rose is put into frame. Her clothes in tatters and soaked in blood. But the most prominent thing is that her eyes are missing. Trails of blood come from her eyes, and the blood drips down off her chin.
"My name is Summer Rose. I am the head of the Rose house. I leave my worldly possessions to my husband. I want it told to my daughters that I love them dearly, and I never meant to leave them. I want it told to them that I hope they live beautiful and long lives, and that they should live happy and without regret. I want to apologize to them for not being there, and for not getting to teach them about all the things girls need growing up. For not being able to stop Tai from scaring off your boyfriends. For not being able to kiss you goodnight. For everything I wish I could do. I want them to know that I love them from the bottom of my heart." She takes a moment to stop shaking, tears coming down from her eyes along with the blood. Nicholas leans forward and wipes some of the blood ant tears away. Summer holds his hand there, taking strength from it. Nicholas encouraging her to stay strong.
"I would like for my apologies to be sent to the Belladonas, for not getting to set up that play date. To the Lies for not being able to visit. To the Valkyries for not being able to stand with you when you needed it most. To the Nikos for not being able to train our kids together. And to Raven, for not being able to keep you with us." She slumps down as she finishes, the strength leaving her. The scroll is set down again, and Nicholas is heard comforting Summer again.
The howls of Beowolves and Ursa are heard coming from the entrance. There is scraping of metal on stone and feet hurrying to the ready. The scroll is picked up and turned off.
We are all shocked. Ruby is sobbing openly, Yang isn't faring much better. I'm Angry that my dad didn't give this to their dad, or even do anything with this at all for the last who knows how many years.
"I need to make a call." I say. I get up and walk out of their dorm. I open the door to mine and see the others all talking. They stop as I enter, looking at me for some clue as to what is going on.
"You all should go and help them. They aren't taking it very well. I have a call to make." sensing my anger, but knowing I'm being honest about yang and ruby, they make their way over to the other dorm. Nora and Pyrrha stop by me.
"You doing okay Jaune? You don't look so good yourself." Pyrrha asks.
"Yeah, you look like you want to break something." Nora adds. Their concern evident. I hug them both.
"I'll be fine, I just need to talk to my dad about something." I let go and give them a smile I know is strained. "You should worry more about those two though, they just saw something I don't think any of us should have to see." With that I step aside. Nora walks out, Pyrrha puts her hand on my shoulder and squeeze, giving me some comfort, before she follows.
Once the room is clear, I take out my scroll and call home. It goes to voicemail once and I call again. This time Jade picks up.
"Hello? Arc residence." She sounds really tired. Makes sense for how late it is.
"Hey Jade, sorry for calling so late, but I need to talk to dad. Right now." I say it as calmly as I can, but I know there is still tension in my voice.
"Jaune? What are you doing up so late? And why do you need dad? Are you in trouble?" She sounds a bit more awake now, but worried too.
"I'm fine. But I need to talk to dad right now. Tell him its important, I don't care if you have to wake him up, I have to talk to him now." I am getting impatient and it shows in my voice.
"Okay, I'll get him. I hope you are alright, call me tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay, I will. Thanks Jade." I hope she doesn't think im mad at her. I'll apologize later, right now I have some information to get. It is a few minutes before I hear the phone picked up.
"Hello? Jaune? What's going on?" I hear his sleepy voice. Hearing it gets me more riled up at all he hasn't done.
"Hi dad! Well, for whats going on, I have two crying girls in the dorm across from me and I'm on a team of people YOU apparently knew the parents of. Oh, and one more thing, why the hell didn't you give Tai the damn will?!" I practically shout that last part and I'm sure that the others heard it. But I'm past caring about that right now. I hear dad taking shaky breaths on the other side. I feel a bit of the anger leave me, but I have to hear his reason.
"I'm sorry," His voice is filled with sorrow, my anger leaving me as I hear it. "I should have given it to Tai. But when I got on the bullhead, I was about to tell them to take me to patch. But I remembered Ruby, her little daughter that looked so much like her. I couldn't face her, not after I failed to save her mother. I came home. I was so ashamed, I am so ashamed, I haven't talked to anyone in years. I should have talked to them sooner." He drew in a shaky breath. "I guess this means you saw the videos?"
"Yeah, we saw the videos. We heard what happened." I heard him take a deep breath.
"I think its time I faced them. I'll tell Tai to meet me in vale tomorrow. You think you could bring the girls?" He sounded defeated.
"I'll tell them. Is there anything else I should tell them now?" I ask, hoping he has something to say to comfort them.
"Yeah, tell them that their mom would be proud. And Jaune?" I perk up at him calling y name. "I'm proud of you too son." The call ends a few seconds after that.
"Damn it!" I shout in frustration. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that. An explanation maybe. But this?
I sigh in frustration, and take a few breaths to calm down. At least we will get to hear more tomorrow. I walk over to the door and pull it open. Standing at the door are Weiss, Blake and Ren.
"How much of that did you hear?" I ask. Blake turns away, and Ren isn't much better at hiding that he was eavesdropping.
"We heard you shout at your dad and we heard something about vale tomorrow." Weiss bluntly stated. At least she was honest. I sigh and we all head into the other dorm. Ruby, Yang and Nora are sitting on the bed, Pyrrha holding Ruby, Blake holding Yangs hand. Nora is nowhere to be found.
"Nora went to get food from the kitchen, told us that we need strength if we are gonna fight that old guy they were talking about. I think she just wants us to eat after having been stressed." Blake informs me, seeing the confusion on my face.
"Okay. Well, I talked to my dad, and he is coming to vale tomorrow to talk to us about this. He said he is getting Tai to come over too. You both okay with that?" They both nod and start to pick them selves up.
"Thanks Jaune, I'm glad I heard this from you. I don't think your dad would have made it if he had been the one to tell me." Yang said, the bite taken out of her words by the hoarseness of her voice.
"My dad did have one other thing to say though." Ruby and Yang look to me, waiting to hear it.
"He said that your mom would be proud of you both." They both tear up and hug me after hearing that. I return the hug, knowing that they need to let out their feelings. I can't help but tear up as well. This has been a lot more stressful a night than I thought it would be.
The rest of the night is spent with us all eating food Nora managed to sneak out of the kitchens, talking bout random things, and relaxing together. We fell asleep in a heap in the ground, not wanting to leave anyone else. The next day would be difficult to say the least. But tonight we took comfort in being surrounded by friends.