A/N: What is it about finishing Arkos stories that makes me wanna write angst right after? Something to think about there. Either way, I hope you all enjoy.
It was supposed to be a simple mission, but then again, aren't they all? Ruby had suggested that they probe the outer lines of Atlas for some reconnaissance. It made sense, they would be leaving soon and finding a safe place to exit was paramount. Leaving the conventional way was still out of the question thanks to General Ironwood's insistence about the immigration and emigration embargo. Qrow could only do so much by himself, the freezing temperatures and icy climate weren't conducive to his bird form.
Ruby spearheaded the group, bringing along Blake and Ren for obvious reasons. Tagging along was also Ozcar, he needed to keep up his training and it was deemed a good idea to allow him to come along to learn a bit about scouting. Lastly, was Jaune. Originally, the blond wasn't slated to go, but he was getting restless sitting in their makeshift base with nothing but his thoughts and requested the chance to stretch his legs.
The group travelled light, with just some extra clothes for warmth, a couple of packs for ammo and Dust, and some light rations. They'd planned to only be gone a few hours, barely leaving the safety of the kingdom limits proper, so they could forego tents and fire-starting equipment at least. The trek was grueling. Icy winds whipped at their backs, storms set upon them with more inches of snow per hour than they'd ever thought possible. There wasn't much for scenery either, unless one was a fan of the color white. Still, the group marched onwards.
After hours of rock climbing, snow treading, and shivering, they came to a small outcropping on a cliffside. It gave a fantastic view of the surrounding area, allowing them to take in just how empty the lands outside of Atlas's influence really were. For miles and miles there was nothing but walls of white with speckles of moving black figures. The land gave birth to no plants or animals, all having succumbed to the elements or slipped into the throes of hibernation. As they were marking down the area, there was a rumbling in the rocks beneath their feet. A second later, the ground slid out from under them, sending them careening down the side of the cliff.
Aura spared them most of the trauma, but Ruby fractured her ankle in the fall, leading to her being carried by Jaune. They'd gotten lucky the slide didn't cause an avalanche but now there was horde of Grimm coming to investigate what just occurred. The group broke off in a dead run, sprinting up a narrow, snowy pathway that took them around the side of the mountain that had been adjacent to them. It was the hardest any of them could remember running, Ren and Ozcar were particularly thankful for their endurance training as of late. Their feet carried them for what had to be miles. A storm had reared its ugly head, bogging the group down but also allowing them to slip into its cover. Thankfully, they found a small cave on the far side of a mountain and decided to wait there until a break in the storm happened.
"This is a good a place as any to take a rest, I shall keep watch of the door." The teens nodded as Ozpin's voice flowed through Oscar's lips. It was still strange to hear, one minute he'd sound like any other sixteen-year-old boy and then at the drop of a hat, he'd turn into Headmaster Ozpin, dispenser of wisdom and keeper of secrets.
The cave was deep enough that they could rest in the shadows, in relatively comfy space. The walls were a harsh gray and speckled with holes, giving them the impression of faces. To call it unsettling would be an understatement. As gently as he could, Jaune set Ruby down, dropping to his knees next to her.
"How's it feel?" Ruby winced but nodded. Her Aura was already doing its best to heal the wound. If they were in a safe place, not being forced to channel it into a defensive shield, and somewhere they could have a proper rest, her ankle would probably be healed in an hour or two. As it stood, it would more than likely take several.
"I just need a little time to rest, then I'll be good as new." Her voice was cheerful but the smile she wore didn't reach her eyes. Ruby had gotten very good at putting a brave face when adversity reared its ugly head.
"I'm gonna try to use my Semblance, alright?" Jaune had been trying to practice channeling his gift for some time now, leading to mixed results. He wasn't great about managing how much Aura he sent out, always pumping too much. The decreased time in healing was invaluable, but it would make the boy all but Aura-less.
"Are you sure? I don't wanna have to carry you home." Ruby stuck her tongue out at the blond, who gave her a small smile in return.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." The girl's ankle had swelled up considerably, jaune didn't need to be a doctor to know that it was worse than she was letting on. He set his hands out in front of him, feeling his Aura push outward. It connected with Ruby's, meshing together. White and red danced together in his mind and he could almost feel her bones mending. It was worse than they'd originally feared, the movement and jostling seemed to worsen the damage. Still, he'd healed worse. Memories of a fiery red spear and Weiss glided through his mind. He shook them away, focusing on the task at hand again. Waves of white rode up and down his friend's leg as she giggled.
"That tickles." He gave her another small smile. Blake cut in a second later, arms folded over her chest.
"Careful Vomit Boy, don't want it getting back to Yang now do we?" Jaune sighed, her light-hearted banter wasn't appreciated at the moment. He wanted more than anything for that nickname to die but alas, he doubted it would anytime soon. Ruby glared at the girl, planting her hands on her hips.
"Blake! It's not like that and you know it!" The Faunus girl smirked, plopping down on the ground next to them. Ren joined them a moment later. After another minute of silence, save for a giggle from Ruby here and there, Jaune pulled his hands back, resting against the wall. He felt like he'd been running for days. His limbs felt like they'd been dipped in lead and his head felt like it had been used as a substitute on a roulette table. He placed a hand against his forehead, trying to figure out a way to get the world to sit still for a moment.
"How's it feel now?" Tentatively, Ruby flexed her ankle, obviously preparing to wince. When she didn't, she popped up to her feet, gathering her balance. She jogged in place for a second before using her Semblance to send her speeding to the clear other side of the cave. She smiled and nodded before dashing into her friend's arms, enveloping him in a hug that put them both on the ground.
"It's perfect! Thanks, Jaune." The world spun for a bit but when it stopped, he nodded gently and brought the both of them to their feet.
"Glad to hear it. I just need a few minutes to rest and then we can head back." The group nodded and Jaune sequestered himself near the back of the cave. Even the minuscule amount of light that streamed through the snowy sky stung his eyes and boiled his mind. As he sat himself down though, there was a distinct click under his left foot, and Jaune felt his blood turn to ice.
"Jaune… what was that?" He didn't know, not for sure at least. There was no way… it couldn't be… but what else could it be, other than…? A Dust Mine, it had to be. He recalled Doctor Oobleck mentioning them during one of the lectures he didn't sleep through. They combined the natural volatility of Dust with high explosives, and a pressure plate, there wasn't anything the size of a dinner plate that was more deadly.
"Mr. Arc, whatever you do, do not move. Do you understand?" Jaune felt himself start to nod but caught it. Sweat was pouring out of him, he could feel terror exploding out of him. "Mr. Ren, please cast your Semblance on Mr. Arc. No doubt the fear he's feeling will attract the horde we encountered." Ren nodded slowly and Jaune felt walls of calm slam down on him.
"We're going to get you out of this Jaune, don't worry." Ruby's words were comforting, but there wasn't much short of leaving that was going to make him stop worrying. The girl turned to Ozcar. "Can we dig around it try to disable it?" The man in a boy's body shook his head.
"There's too much of a risk. If we make even the slightest misstep, it will detonate." Ren spoke.
"Maybe we could freeze the pressure plate and trick the system into thinking it hasn't been triggered with Ice Dust?" Ozcar brought his hand to his chin but nodded. Blake sifted through the bag carrying their Dust only to pop her head up and shake it. Ruby chimed in.
"I can use my Semblance and pull him out before it goes off." Jaune didn't need to be an explosives expert to know that that would be borderline impossible. He stood at the very back of the cave, less than six inches from the wall If she dashed at him, she'd slam right into the stone and set off the mine. Even if she came in from behind, she would be too close to the explosion and get herself killed.
"He's too close to the wall, you would only endanger yourself. Not to mention that the explosion would more than likely bring the entire cave down and draw the Grimm to us." Ozcar sighed and shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Arc. There's nothing we can do." Nine words. That's all it took to make him see that this was it. Jaune wasn't going to make it back home. If he were at full Aura, he might have been able to survive the initial explosion. The resulting cave in though? That was another story. Whoever had placed this mine had done so with intent to ensure the death of whoever stepped on it, be it Huntsman, civilian, or Grimm.
A pit of pure dread filled his stomach and his mouth dried out enough to cause the deserts in Vacuo to become jealous. His mind kept screaming "NO!" over and over again. There had to be a way out, a secret entrance, a stray tunnel, maybe the mine was a dud! This couldn't be the end, he'd come so far. His fake transcripts were good enough to get in, he survived Initiation, lessons, Cardin, the Vytal Festival, the Fall of Beacon, their fight at Haven. None of it mattered now. Jaune Arc was going to die, in a cave, in the mountains of Atlas, to a landmine.
"What do you mean 'I'm sorry', we're going to get him out." Blake started her way towards the blond. "We used Dust bombs when I was in the White Fang, the principle is similar and I think I can disable it." A hand clamped down on her shoulder.
"I can't allow that Ms. Belladonna. I will not lose another life today." Ruby's finger jabbed into Ozcar's chest.
"We're not losing ANY lives today!" She turned back to Jaune. "Hold on, we'll figure something out." There was a howl in the distance. The Grimm were coming.
"We're out of time Ms. Rose. We need to leave." Ren shook his head.
"Not without Jaune."
"If we do not leave right now, this place will be all our graves, not just Mr. Arc's"
"Stop talking about him like he's already dead! We can fix this!"
"Your optimism is commendable Ms. Rose, but we are Out. Of. Time."
"Stop saying that!" Ruby dashed in front of the blond, tears playing at the edges of her eyes. "Everyone comes home tonight. I'm still the leader of Team RNJR and so you have to listen to me." Jaune smiled without joy. His heart ached and his hands wouldn't stop shaking. They don't need me. They'll be OK.
"I'm sorry Ruby, I don't think I can follow that order." Her face dropped and Ren was beside her in a second.
"Jaune-" He shook his head.
"Ozpin's right. You all need to get out of here."
"Not without you." His head shook again, his eyes began to sting as his vision became blurry.
"I'm sorry Ren. I don't need to tell you to be good to Nora." The boy's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. The howl echoed again, this time much closer. Jaune slowly placed a hand on his teammate's shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze. Ren placed a hand over his, tears falling down his face. Sapphire eyes shifted, locking with amber.
"Blake… I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to know you better." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Maybe we could've been friends in another life." She said nothing, nodding. Jaune pulled his hand away from Ren, who used the collar of his shirt to wipe his eyes.
"We need to go, children." Ruby shook her head, walking forward to give her friend a hug.
"Stay back!" His hand shot outward. "I don't want you to set it off early." She shrunk back, openly crying now. "Don't worry about me Ruby, it'll be over in a second. Like snapping your fingers." He hoped it would be at least.
"Mr. Arc, it was an honor to be your headmaster, even if you managed to attend in a less than legal manner." The boy felt his eyes widen, anxiety creeping through his mind.
"You knew?" Ozcar nodded.
"Of course. You think you're the first student to try and forge documents to get into my school?" Jaune shrugged. "I overlooked it because of your family's propensity to produce heroes, something Remnant is in dire need of. I'm happy to say you didn't disappoint." The blond felt his chest swell with pride and even a small smile found his lips. He nodded, gesturing to his sword.
"Thank you, sir." He looked to Ren" Can you make sure my weapon gets back to my family? I know they'd like it back." His teammate nodded, taking the blade from its resting spot on the wall. There was another howl, the Grimm were closing in. "You guys should go." One by one, they exited the cave. Ruby was the last, casting a glance over her shoulder.
"Goodbye Jaune." He nodded.
"Bye, Ruby. Be safe out there." Their gaze held for a moment but it seemed so much longer. He saw their entire friendship, from him helping Ruby to her feet to right now. Jaune was proud to call her his best friend and hated to see her go. She turned away, sprinting out the entrance. As she left, he felt Ren's Semblance melt away. The terror was back with a vengeance but he pushed it down as far as he could. Now was the time to be brave.
He tried to project his fear and pain outwards. He wanted to draw in as many Grimm as he possibly could before he took his final step. That's what he told himself at least and not that he was clinging to every second of life that he had left. The snarl right outside the entrance told him his plan was working. A massive Beowulf head peered around, locking eyes with his. Jaune looked up to the ceiling of the cave.
"You hear what Ozpin said Pyrrha? I'm a hero." If he didn't know better, he would've sworn saw a ghostly image of her, smiling down at him. He smiled sadly to himself, dropping his Aura. He took a deep breath, screaming out.
"I'M RIGHT HERE! COME AND GET ME!" More Beowolves flooded into the cave, even a few Ursa as well. The lead Grimm lunged, claws outstretched and teeth gnashing. The instant before it could make contact, Jaune lifted his foot.
Click.
A/N: To come so far only to fall, how tragic. Wonder if the mine was a dud or not... hmmm... Anyway, scream at me in the comments, give this a favorite if you really like the pain and maybe share it with another person, after all, misery loves company. As always, may Fortune favor you all.