A.N: An update and a new upload all in one day?

This thought came to me and it needed to be written.

Enjoy.


I am the last remnants of a time gone by.

I stand here looking out at the courtyard and I think to myself why am I the last one?

Why am I the one who gets to keep living when all the rest are dead?

I ask myself these questions more than once a day, sometimes they repeat until I close my eyes for the night and drift off into a dreamless sleep. Other times they don't come at all and my day gets a tad easier, but the guilt and remorse will soon worm its way into the cracks in my resolve and take root inside until the next time.

I look at the sprawling courtyard full of hopeful dreams and wide eyes and I feel the nostalgia of my time here. None of the new arrivals take me much heed, they have no idea who I am. I don't make a habit of talking to new students before my introduction, my predecessor was that way, it's a tribute to him in a way, the man who gave me this chance to live again.

With a heavy heart and pounding brain I turn and make my way back to my office. The halls of the academy haven't changed over the years, it makes me wonder how long this building will last after I am gone.

With a gentle nod to a passing upperclassman I find myself outside my office. The old oak door still creaks when I open it, I have never gotten around to fixing it, somehow I think it gives the door character. My office is still the same as I left it, the desk neat and stacked with multiple reports and student profiles. My old weapon hangs on the wall, still dented and broken from its last use. I don't have the heart to remove it, it serves as the reminder to myself that the world you know can and will change, and sometimes not for the better.

I take a seat at my desk and place my cane next to me. My leg has been playing up again, the doctors assured me the ache would dissipated after keeping off it for a while. I don't have the luxury today, I need to keep busy or I will seize up and be unable to move. The ache keeps me focused on the day ahead.

A soft knock at the door alerts me to a arrival and with a 'Come' the door opens revealing my newest addition to my staff.

The woman in front of me is a beacon to me, my last reminder of good in a time long past. She stands tall and straight, her eyes locked to mine and a small smile on her lips. She has grown since I saw her last, gone is the timid girl I barely knew. Standing in her place is a woman of power, a person who will not be trifled with. She looks her 30 years, whereas I look and feel much older than my body tells me.

I stand and shake her hand, her grip is strong but not over bearing. She greets me like a old friend, some could say we are friends, we were here together at the same time, we were bound to talk to each over. But we know that any friends I had have long since passed, she doesn't want to be a part of that group or ghosts.

Our 'reunion' is broke short when I'm reminded of where I must be. We converse as I make my way to the auditorium for my introductory speech I give every year. I have a need to change it most years, normally it changes depending on the mood of the room. It tends to be a bit easier to understand than my predecessors, I still have troubles understanding the meaning to his speech.

I reach the doors to the room and turn to the woman next to me, with a smile and a nod I turn back to the door. I feel her hand on my shoulder turning me around to face her, in her eyes are unshed tears. My heart cracks slightly, I had no wish to upset her but I had managed to do it. She brings me into a small hug, her arms barely reach around me as she holds me close.

She whispers "It's so good to see you again Jaune."

I smile to myself, she is happy I'm still here. At least there is somebody who is looking out for me.

"You too Velvet. We will talk after I'm done today."

My response seems to brighten her face, her eyes shine slightly and her tears subside to leave the tear streaks on her face. With a small nod she turns and walks down the hall leaving me to deal with my first official duty of the day.

I open the door and make my way across the stage, normally a member of staff would introduce the headmaster but I don't see the need to play into such fanfare. It's best if I am straightforward with them, some of them will be leaving tomorrow.

"Let me explain a few things to you." The students quite down at the sound of my voice "By the end of tomorrow some of you will be heading home. There are many of you here today who believe that they are ready for the challenges this school will throw at them, I can assure you that you are not. Your time here will show you that whatever delusions of heroism you have are wasted. The life you will lead after leaving this school is not one people will tell stories about, it is a life full of darkness and death."

I pause and look out at the faces in front of me. I can see the determination in their eyes, willing themselves to prove me wrong. I hope they do, the less their lives look like mine is a great goal to set myself.

"Remember one thing. You had better get used to loss, there is a whole lot of it outside these walls."

I turn from the microphone and step out of the auditorium. I stay at the door until I hear the double doors across the hall open and the crowd of students leave the room. Many of them look deep in thought, as if taking m words in and trying to decipher deeper meaning. My speech's are normally like that, they are a accurate representation of what they might face, if they are told from the beginning that the road they chose is hard then they have better reason to be cautious.

I start to walk down the hall towards my office. I decide to take the detour around the grounds and it isn't long until I find myself at the place I visit most frequently.

The flowers are withering, much like the man who put them there. The candles long since blown out by the wind, the leaves have made a pile on top of the engraving. I brush them off and rest my eyes on the names of my fallen family. The names stare up at me and my mind replays their voices in my head. Sometimes I hear them on the wind but I know my mind is playing tricks on me.

The engraving is all I have left of them. Their bodies are resting in the ground across the region, in places I wish I had the strength to visit but I know I'm not strong enough. So I keep the names here, as a constant reminder that I am not lucky.

I am a prisoner waiting for his release.


A.N: So what did you think?

I hope it isn't too much like my other not so happy story, I wanted to write something that showed Jaune being alone and just existing.