It was dark. Well, it wasn't, but Jaune felt like it should've been. How could he be so stupid? He had suspected, at the dance, but hadn't really known. Then, at the darkest hour, he had learned, but by then it was too late. Now she was dead.
He didn't blame Ruby and Weiss for what happened. They hadn't known it was a promise they couldn't keep, Jaune mused. It was the lady with the bow, and the fire. Cinder, that was the name that Ruby had supplied once she woke up from whatever the hell she did. Jaune wondered how things had come to be this way, for the umpteenth time.
Jaune's feet wandered in much the same way his thoughts did, carrying him through Vale. He only paused when something caught his eye. A shape flickered from rooftop to rooftop overhead. A familiar phantom.
"Blake..." Jaune muttered, and suddenly he was filled with rage. How could she have run? At a time like this? He was about to give chase, when a voice filled with more malice then Jaune could comprehend growled from a nearby alleyway.
"She can't run forever." Jaune turned to face the man that he could plainly see was dangerous. Like that lady had been. All of his rage drained away, replaced with the determination to do something right for once.
"W-what do you want with her?" Jaune challenged. The man looked surprised, as much as a man who's face was concealed could look. He hadn't seen Jaune, until now.
"And what's it to you?" The masked man asked. "You should stay out of matters that aren't your business." His hand dropped to his sword, an obvious threat.
"Well, she's my friend!" Jaune exclaimed. "That makes it my business!" Sort of, anyway. they hadn't interacted very much, but Jaune felt more confident with the assertion.
"Oh, really?" The man's mouth twitched into a smirk. If it weren't for the mask, Jaune felt sure his eyes would've gleamed.
Jaune was beginning to have second thoughts about this, his instincts were screaming at him to run, but he didn't have the chance. The man moved like lightning, his sword flashing out of it's sheathe, and sending Jaune flying. If Aura activation wasn't instinctual, he surely would've been cut in half. He stood back up, and brought his weapon to bear.
"You've got a little more Aura then the rest of your lot," The man called out, his weapon hurtling at Jaune. "But it won't save you. I've seen humans a lot worse then you, and they were no match for me." The weapon thudded against Jaune's shield, and it's owner ran in to catch it. He sliced at Jaune again, but this time another blade met it.
"If they were worse then me," Jaune laughed. "Then maybe I'm a fair match!" Crazy. Absolutely crazy Jaune thought. But if he was going to die, he might as well go out with a few good words on his lips. That thought stopped him short. Was he actually going to die?
Maybe so. In his moment of distraction, his sword arm weakened, and he was disarmed. Fortunately for him, the masked man wasn't prepared for this either, and the pair went tumbling over each other. They scuffled, trying to get loose from their tangled mess, and Jaune managed to bash the man with his shield.
The man's mask glowed momentarily, and then Jaune slammed into a wall next to his sword. His mouth was full of blood; he'd bit his tongue. The fading glow around his body confirmed that he was out of Aura. That was bad, Jaune groggily thought. He needed to get out of there.
"You humans are all the same," The masked man sneered, taking his time. "Arrogant. Selfish. Idiotic. None of you know what true suffering is like." Jaune would've been angered by this, if he wasn't so busy trying not to lose consciousness. He managed to stand somehow.
"Oh, you want more?" The man Jeered. "Well I will happily oblige." Before either of them made another move though, a new noise made itself apparent.
"HIIIIYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAA!" Nora came screaming out of the sky. She slammed into the masked man, hammer first. The man went flying, leaving Jaune to simply gape. He was used to Nora coming out of nowhere at the oddest times, (who wasn't, when they lived with her for nearly a year?) but this was something else.
"Nora? W-what are you doing here?" He stammered out.
"There's no time, Jauney boy! We ride!" With that, she grabbed Jaune, and ran off. She must have been zapped by something, with the speeds she was achieving. At the street corner, a non-descript car pulled up, which Nora unceremoniously dumped him into. She darted into the front seat.
"Hit it, Ren!" She commanded. The car lurched into motion, not giving Jaune time to buckle up. He managed to sit up in time to hear Ren's concerned question.
"Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine." Jaune said, though he probably didn't sound very convincing. "What were you guys doing here? A-and where did you get the car?"
"Oh, we followed you!" Nora sang. "You were being so mopey, and really, I couldn't blame you, but I was worried that you needed some looking after, but Ren said we should give you some space, but I thought we should follow you anyway, just in case and-"
"Nora." Ren interjected.
"Oh, okay!" Nora replied.
"We... borrowed the car," Ren continued. "We will be returning it soon. Are you sure you're okay, Jaune?"
Jaune thought about this. He had nearly just died, but now his head was clearer then had been for a few weeks now. Pyrrha was gone now. He had to accept that. He had his friends to support him, and maybe he could make Pyrrha's sacrifice worth something. Strike back at those who had made his and his friends lives miserable.
"Yeah. I'm alright." Jaune said. "I feel better then I've felt in nearly a month, even. We should go find Ruby, catch up a little with her."
"Ruby? Why do you think that, Jaune?" Nora looked confused.
"Because she always has a plan." Jaune replied. "And I think we could use one right now."