AN: Hello, this is my return back to writing fanfics. I've actually become quite the RWBY fan, and before I return to writing Alien vs. Predator fanfics, I thought I'd give RWBY a try, and Lancaster is just a cute ship to write for. This was co-written between my friend, and I. He goes by "A Swaggy Guy" on Discord. I hope you all enjoy.
"Come on everyone!" A girl in a crimson cloak yelled to her companions as they all seemed to be storming a palace in what had been known as 'The Grimmlands'. She had been accompanied by a blonde brawler, a Faunus ninja, a snow princess, a bombastic bomber, a silent martial artist, and of course a blonde Paladin. Each one were her friends, she loved them all, and they were going to put an end to an evil force that had been plaguing their world of Remnant for to long.
"We're right behind you Ruby!" The blonde brawler said to Ruby, punching her way through an incoming Beowulf. "Let's put that dusty old Grimm bitch in her place!"
Everyone agreed as they kept making their way through the palace, each one has their respective weapon drawn; they easily made their way through any Grimm that has come their way. They had come so far, and they wouldn't lose today. They've already lost plenty; friends, family, homes, but they'd be damned if they let it all be for nothing.
"Nora, how about you open the door." The blonde brawler grinned to the hammer wielding bomber. If this was gonna be their final battle they all may as well have some fun today. Nora just gave Yang a more than pleased grin as she brought her hammer down on the ornate door.
Waiting for them on her throne had been the wicked witch herself, Salem; watching them enter her throne room with a completely bored expression. "So Ozpin's latest soldiers have come to stop me in their final hour? How boringly heroic." She spoke before a wave of her hand summoned a an oddly deformed chimera Grimm; with it's body like an Ursa Major, the tail was an independent King Taijitsu, a Beowulf's head with manticore horns, and walked upright like a Beringal.
"Nothing we haven't handled before!" Ruby yelled before leading the charge to assault the large Grimm. She used a combination of her semblance and the kickback from Crescent Rose to fly up to it, with the others following close from behind.
Weiss looked to Jaune before yelling to him "Boost me!" Weiss jumped backed away from the Grimm's line of vision. Jaune nodded quickly activating his semblance to boost Weiss' Aura into overcharge. Weiss began to glow as she performed an intricate summon before everyone's eyes, as the largest Armed Gigas she'd ever summoned materialized and began to take on the Grimm Chimera head on.
Everyone looked to Weiss' summon fighting the Grimm, and distracting it enough for the rest of the two teams to make their way over to Salem, and whatever Grimm she has conjured to impede their progress to finally ended the age old witch. Salem was less than pleased by the results she was seeing as they progressed towards her, especially the silver eyed one; she'd fix that soon.
"Ruby look out!" The blonde knight yelled as he pushed the reaper out of the way from a sneak attack a Grimm claw from Salem had tried to land on her, the young man's armor sadly had been torn away as the claws cut into his flesh.
Salem sneered as she looked to the fallen knight "The fool playing the hero dies, as it always is in life." He blood covered hand changed back from the shape of a Grimm's claw.
"Jaune!" Ruby screamed rushing to Jaune as she saw he had been slashed across his torso. "No Jaune please! You can't die! Don't leave me you dummy!" Ruby cried as she saw her first friend's blood pooling beneath the two of them.
"Ruby..." Jaune weakly said to the reaper. "Ruby stop crying...stop Salem please..."
Ruby's eyes began to glow with every word her friend said, she could hear him growing weaker with each word that escaped him. Her tears started to hit his body as she felt him growing limp. "Jaune no! Don't leave me you big dummy! Jaune don't go! I love you!" She screamed as an explosion of silver light filled the room.
—
Ruby shot up in a cold sweat as her right hand rested on her stomach. She looked around before looking to the side of the bed next to her. The familiar mop of blonde hair, that she had slept next to for the past 2 years, filled her vision. She pressed a hand to his chest feeling the scar from that day 5 years ago to see if it was truly closed. "Jaune..." she muttered to the sleeping man.
She'd always have this nightmare when it got so close to the anniversary of the day they had defeated Salem, the day she almost lost him. Once she calmed down, Ruby began to pout and shake Jaune "Hey why didn't you wake me you big dummy."
Jaune groaned as he started to stir from his sleep, one moment he was dreaming about eating the world's biggest bowl of Pumpkin Pete's he'd ever seen, and the next he was staring at Ruby. He yawned before looking to Ruby, he'd just gotten in from a mission so exhausted didn't begin to describe what he felt right now. "Because you looked to adorable to wake up." He muttered before wrapping his arms around her.
Ruby gave a huff and nuzzled into him. "I'm always adorable buster. You have no excuse for not waking me up!" She poked his cheek with her index finger while mock pouting.
Jaune chuckled before kissing Ruby's forehead "Will chocolate chip waffles make it better?" The knight asked her.
"Yes! Hop to it, after waffles then we can have our post mission snuggles!" Ruby grinned starting to push her lover to her on his feet. Jaune just chuckled as Ruby marched him down to their kitchen, where he had soon made their preferred breakfast of champions.
With their waffles in hand they'd both settled in front of their television to watch the morning cartoons. During a particularly funny scene where Pumpkin Pete was about to hit Carrot Carl with a mallet Jaune couldn't help but double over a little. "Ruby I don't feel so good"
"What do you mean by that, Jaune?" Ruby turned to him seeing him start to double over.
"I dunno I feel all tingly is all." He groaned
"Do you want an aspirin?" She pressed the back of her hand to Jaune's forehead since she didn't have their thermometer on hand.
"I guess." He slumped a little as his forehead felt extremely hot, like a severe fever,
Ruby had left quickly to find some medicine. It was a Little worrying, seeing as Jaune was perhaps the second-most healthy person she knew. A few seconds later, with the help of her semblance, she was back with Jaune, a glass if water on one hand and the pill on the other.
Jaune accepted it all from her and groaned as he took the pill and water, thanking Ruby before panting. He didn't even realize how this happened, he felt fine an hour ago.
Ruby sat on the armrest beside Jaune, her hand quickly going back to his forehead. The fever was growing hotter, and with it Ruby's concern for Jaune grew more desperate. Her other hand flew to the scroll in her pocket, but she didn't mark a number. Her eyes went back to Jaune's, the question going unasked.
Jaune groaned as he started to shake and move a little groaning from pain "Rubes I fell like how you Uncle looks half the time.." he tried to joke weakly after he saw how she looked so concerned for him
Ruby frowned. That was not an ideal state of being. Her mind made up, she quickly tapped the emergency call number, expecting to be answered shortly. Meanwhile, she took a look at Jaune. He was pale, and wasn't that ironic with how hot he felt.
"Hello? What seems to be the emergency." A woman's voice came from the other line after a few long rings
"Hello? W-we need an ambulance, my boyfriend is feeling awful, he has a really bad fever, he's pale and Is shaking. I-it all started very suddenly, just a minute ago. We live in the sector D-3 in the outskirts of Vale, please hurry!"
"Alright we'll be to your location as quickly as we can, remain calm and we'll see what we can do." The voice stayed on the line until the sound of sirens came to their home.
Ruby heard the Siren and immediately moved to help Jaune up, her trying to make him lean on her as much as he needed. It reminded her of the past, when they fought and bled, and they usually helped each other out once the carnage was over. Those times she felt relieved, their enemies were defeated and they could breath happy once again. This time it was different. Their enemy was an unseen one, one they couldn't fight with weapons- one they couldn't fight at all.
The doctors were baffled as whatever ailed Jaune seemed simple enough that his aura should be healing him, but it was like his body itself was fighting him. His Aura was failing to heal him as he was rushed to critical care.
Ruby had tried to follow, but the nurses had stopped her when she reached the doors separating the critical wards. The huntress had merely a moment to watch her beloved before the doors closed in front of her face. Why wouldn't they Let her in? Did they not realize she had been with him through the worst of the worst?! They had fought Grimm, criminals, Grimmified criminals, bled and won together! Then why wouldn't they let her in?!
"Ma'am please, this is a sensitive matter. Not many ailments can get through aura, and your boyfriend could have something that could mean quarantine. If you want please contact any friends and family who can keep you company." The nurse told her as Jaune's pained screams grew faint as they took him deeper into the critical care ward.
Ruby knew she should listen, the rational part of her mind told her the doctors would do much more if they didn't have to care for her, but she wasn't being rational right now. The screams, you she could still hear them, and she wanted so badly to help her boyfriend feel better. To get rid of those screams with her caress, and alleviate his pain, but she couldn't. Ruby desisted, and slumped back to the seats near the entrance of the ward. She eyed her pocket with the corner of her eye, a message to Yang and she would he right there with her. She didn't though. She wanted to be alone for a bit.
Ruby was kept out of the room for hours, but hours turned into a day until she was allowed to see Jaune. He had been placed into a care unit and was hooked up to so many machines monitoring his vitals. A doctor had been waiting for her.
"Hello Ms. Rose I understand you are Mr. Arc's lover. Whatever was wrong with Mr. Arc has seemed to pass, though his body seemed to drain itself of all fluids, so we'll have to keep him for a few more days. It'd probably be best you go home, he won't be awake for a few days."
What? That wasn't fair! She had waited for so long only to be denied like this? No way. "I did not just wait for nearly an entire day to leave just like that. My boyfriend is in there, and the last I saw of him he was strapped to a bed, screaming his lungs out, so you better show me where he is before I do something both of us regret."
"Fine, but please Ms. Rose I must ask you to keep calm and don't disturb the patient." The Nurse led her to Jaune who still looked pained as he slept, but he wasn't screaming his lungs out anymore. The blonde knight was still incredibly pale to the point that Ruby could make out the veins on his exposed skin.
"By the gods..." Ruby gasped. She wanted to take the few steps to close their distance, but she wasn't sure if it was safe.
He looked so fragile, so vulnerable, and that was a thought she hadn't had about him in years, maybe to the start of Beacon, when he'd hide behind his shield during spars. Nowadays it was different. He didn't hide anymore, but he charged with it. And when they were on the battlefield, he would be the one to buy then time. He was their tank, he was their most durable fighter. And to see him down on a hospital bed was something Ruby had never expected since they left Beacon.
Jaune just laid there unresponsive to her as he tried to sleep off what had been coursing through him. For the first time in years Jaune Arc was defenseless and weak go whatever was managing to break through his aura's natural healing. He grunted and groaned with a light convulsion as the monitor showed that his heart rate began to increase more and more.
Ruby almost jumped to his side then and there, but the nurse beside her was already on the move. She inspected the monitor for merely a second, and with only that she realized what the convulsion was and worked to fix it. Ruby stood near the doorframe, watching as the nurse worked masterfully, with the grace if someone used to tending to people in a condition as delicate as Jaune's. It wasn't even a minute later that the nurse walked back to Ruby's side.
"Ms. Rose he's fine now please go home, you've had a long night and I don't think Mr. Arc will want to wake up to see you disheveled over him." The nurse motioned to Jaune, still trying to convince Ruby that she was going to worry herself sick.
Jaune looked to be in good hands for the moment, it'd be best to notify everyone else what was wrong with Jaune. The others would need to know now. It was hard to let it go, but Ruby knew the nurse was right. She wouldn't do any good by getting herself sick. With one last look at the man on the bed, she left the room and headed to the exit. On the way, she took her scroll and sent Yang a quick message. She really needed her big sister right now...
Alright that's the first chapter done, the second and third chapters are currently being edited. Let me know what you think about the story, read and review folks. Me and my co-writer Swaggy will keep you updated.