Gotta' say, I was surprised with the amount of favorites, follows, and reviews I got on the first chapter for the story. So I decided to get this next one out for you. I hope you all enjoy it.

Legend:

Bold: TV/Loudspeakers/Scroll information/Scroll Messages sent

Bold Italic: Scroll Messages Received/Radio

Italic: Thoughts/Letters/Flashbacks/

Red. It was a color that had many meanings, be it love, passion, strength, courage, even life. Despite its popularity as a color, Jaune did not like it that much. It was cool, sure, but it just never clicked with him. It was ironic though. Although it was not his favorite color, it harbored all of the traits that fit him as an individual. Even as it rushed between his fingers in the form of his blood.

The blonde struggled to comprehend what had just transpired. One moment he was rushing towards Yang, then the next he was in excruciating pain and shock. The Beowolf that made him into its chew toy was towering over him, but he had no strength to fight back. He could see its teeth dripping with his blood and it glared down at him, ready to finish him off. He kept one hand on his neck as it continued to bleed profusely while using his other and his legs in a desperate attempt to get away.

He cursed silently as his feet dug weakly into the ground, but it was no use. All the strength was leaving his body. He could barely recognize the voices of his friends.

"Jaune!"

Was that Yang? Maybe Ren? He did not know, but he did know that the Beowolf was about to kill him and unless someone stepped in to help, he was screwed. He was screwed eight ways to Sunday. His bloodstained hand remained glued to his neck to slow the bleeding, but it was a feeble attempt. The Beowolf got lucky and cut his jugular.

A loud bang came from above along with a flash of golden hair. The blonde brawler's lilac eyes were now crimson with rage and she blasted the Beowolf back with one punch at a time, sending one slug round after the next into it.

"Just die already!" Yang sent another punch.

The final shot blew the Beowolf to pieces. The enraged blonde let out a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down. Her anger slowly faded and she turned to look back at Jaune and saw he was being tended to by Port, Blake and Ren. She sped to his side and came to a sliding stop.

Yang felt a chill go down her spine and the color drained from her face. Jaune looked awful. His face was ashen from the blood loss and his dark blue eyes had become dim as the life slowly left them.

"Mister Arc, can you hear me?" Port asked him as he put his hand on his neck.

Jaune gave a small nod, not trusting his mouth to speak for him. Port then looked at Ren, Blake and Yang.

"We need to get him back to Beacon. His Aura sealed the wound, but he needs a blood transfusion," said Port standing up. "Miss Belladonna, Mister Lie, after I call in the Bullhead we need to guard this area for extraction."

Blake and Ren nodded before picking up their weapons again. Being down one man put them at a disadvantage to another horde of Grimm, so they had to cover as much of the clearing as possible.

"Miss Xiao Long, watch over Mister Arc!" Port called over to her.

"Right." Yang nodded.

Yang watched Port take position on the southern end of the clearing, leaving the north to Ren and the west to Blake. Not the best defensive setup, but if it came down to it, she knew she could hold the east and guard Jaune at the same time.

The brawler looked at Jaune and she snapped to attention when she noticed he had lost consciousness. This was not good. She placed her hands on him and shook him lightly.

"Jaune, stay awake!" Yang yelled at him.

She saw his eyes crack open and she shook him again. Jaune let out a pained groan and his eyes opened more. She calmed down just a bit when he became responsive. Just keep talking and keep him focused was what she told herself. She could not let him slip into unconsciousness again.

"I guess you won after all," Jaune said hoarsely.

"Why?" Yang narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why what?"

"Why did you take the hit for me?"

Jaune's face fell, but he managed a weak smile. The answer was simple.

"Because you're my friend and my teammate. It will be a cold day in hell before I let one of my friends get hurt on a mission," he replied.

"And look where that got you!" Yang snapped back.

Yang could not help but get mad at the blonde in front of her. She knew his heart was in the right place and it was admirable that he did what he did, but because of it he was now on death's door. It should have been her bleeding out, not him. She clenched her fists tight, but they loosened when she felt Jaune's bloody hand gently grasp her arm.

"It's a leader's job to make sure his team comes first," he said with a firm tone. "I would do it again if you, Blake or Ren were in danger."

"You…" Yang began, but stopped.

She let out a low growl. This kid had a death wish and if he kept doing stunts like he just did for her, he would meet a premature end. She shook her head and her lilac eyes glanced at his neck. The skin that healed now an ugly scar where the Beowolf mauled him. He got that scar because of her carelessness and her jaw tightened. It was her fault! If she just paid attention and made sure the Beowolf was dead, they would be smack talking each other about their competition!

She heard a humming noise overhead and looked up to see the Bullhead appear from over the trees. She shielded Jaune from the gust of wind that came as the ship landed in the center of the clearing. The ramp to the Bullhead opened and two medics came with a stretcher.

"Over here!" Yang waved to them.

She then turned to Jaune and forced a smile on her face to reassure him everything would be fine. It soon fell when she realized his eyes had closed again.

"Jaune!" She shook him again. "Vomit Boy, wake up!"

Nothing. The blonde remained stiff and that was when her heart dropped to her stomach. Her hand shook when she reached for his neck to check his pulse, but she never got to do it. The medics quickly ushered her aside and got him on the stretcher.

"How long has he been out?" One asked as he turned to her.

Yang shook her head. She just took her eyes off him for a second.

"I… I don't know," she said weakly.

"Get him on board, now!" Port yelled at them.

The medics hustled to the Bullhead and disappeared inside moments later. They were followed by Ren and Port who went to check on Jaune. Blake walked over to Yang, concern evident in her amber eyes.

"Yang, are you okay?" She put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine, but…" Yang mumbled.

Blake frowned and gently led Yang to the Bullhead. She had never seen her partner so disconnected and downtrodden. The blonde had always been strong and cheerful. For her to be so shaken by this worried her. Then again, it's not every day you almost get a friend of yours killed either.

The ramp to the Bullhead sealed and it took to the sky. It soared off to Beacon as fast as it could.

The medics were working fast to keep Jaune alive. He lost a lot of blood and his pulse had dropped significantly. They already had blood packets pumping him to replenish the blood loss he suffered to start getting him stabilized.

"Is he going to be okay?" Ren asked the medics.

"Please stay back. He's holding on, but we need space to work," said the medic.

"It's a simple yes or no question!"

Ren had never been one to lose his temper, but since it concerned Jaune it was different. The blonde boy was like a brother to him and if he were to die, it would be a tremendous loss. He sighed and rubbed his temples. How were Nora and Pyrrha going to react to this? Oh man, Pyrrha. She would be horrified to see her partner in this state, and if he were to die, she would no doubt be devastated.

"We'll keep you updated, kid. Just relax and have faith," said the other medic.

The calm and composed member of Team JNPR merely nodded and sat down in the seat nearby. He rubbed his tired eyes and started to meditate to calm himself.

Blake and Port sat beside Ren and watched the medics continue to stabilize Jaune. The two of them had done well keeping themselves calm, especially with the possibility they may lose the blonde boy.

Yang watched the medics continue their work silently. She rested her hands at the back of her head and tangled her fingers in her golden locks. The guilt was growing with each second and she felt the cold shackles of it taking hold. If he were to die, she would have to live with that for the rest of her life and it scared her. There was no was no way she could forgive herself if Jaune died.

She bit her lip and prayed to whatever divine power that could hear her plea to keep Jaune alive. There was no way he could die here. She then thought about Pyrrha, Nora, Weiss and Ruby. How would they take the news of Jaune's condition? How would they take it if he died? She could almost see the looks of shock on their faces. However, she knew that Pyrrha and Ruby would not doubt be the most affected. Her little sister would be crushed if Jaune were to die. Her fellow leader and her first friend she made at Beacon that helped her break out of her shy and awkward shell.

Pyrrha would be a mess. Yang was not blind. She knew how the redhead felt about the blonde boy on the gurney. Sadly the boy did not notice it because he was too oblivious for his own good. If he were to die, not only would that break her, she would most likely try to exact vengeance on the thing or one who led to it. Given the fact that she had already obliterated the Beowolf, Yang knew it would be her on the receiving end of Pyrrha's wrath and she could not blame her. She would take whatever punishment the Spartan could dish out because it would only be fair. An eye for an eye, right?

"We're approaching the Beacon Academy LZ, ETA sixty seconds!" The pilot hollered back to them.

That filled them all with hope. The medics had not said anything about Jaune's condition deteriorating and now that they were almost home, it looked as though he was in the clear. However, that never seemed to be the case for situations like these. The monitor that was keeping track of Jaune's vitals let out the chilling beep.

"Charge the defibrillator, now!" Said the head medic.

The two of them scrambled to revive the blonde. They cut his shirt open and pressed the defibrillator to his chest.

"Clear!" The second medic shouted.

A small buzz filled the ship and Jaune's body arched up as the electricity flowed through him. Nothing. The medics continued their attempts of resuscitating him and with each failed attempt, the sense of dread grew within each of them.

The Bullhead lowered onto the LZ just as the medics tried once again. Like their previous attempts, Jaune's body curved up, but remained unresponsive. The medics looked at each other and nodded.

"Call it," said the head medic solemnly.

"DOA. Time of death, one-thirty PM," said the other.

Yang's mind barely registered the medic's words. Her lilac eyes stared on in disbelief as the medics got ready to cart the blonde off the Bullhead. She sat down in the open seat beside the gurney and looked at Jaune's pale face. He was gone and he was not coming back. She gazed across the ship to see how Ren, Blake and Port were doing. All three of them, like her, had their eyes glued to the fallen blonde.

Blake had remained silent, but Yang was able to see a small tear streak down her face. Her partner was not one to show much emotion, often times only reserving them for those she trusted in privacy.

Professor Port's face was hard to read, but Yang knew the veteran was no doubt sad with the loss. Perhaps even angry with himself. It was his duty to keep them safe and take matters into his hands if the mission became too much to handle. The only trace of emotion that the blonde brawler was able to trace in the man was his furrowed brow and his clenched fists at his side.

Then came the person that Yang was afraid to look at. She glanced to Ren and could see the boy looking down at the floor of the Bullhead. She bit her lip and shuddered when she saw the boy's shoulders shake with sobs. Small dark spots grew on his sleeves as he silently let the tears fall.

All of them were brought back to reality when the medics pushed the gurney down the Bullhead's ramp and towards the infirmary. They silently stood up and followed the medics, not answering the questions from the onlookers they passed.

Professor Port stopped abruptly and put a hand on Yang's shoulder. She stopped and looked at the older man, but was unable to speak. Before she could ask him why they had stopped, he handed her Crocea Mors.

"I must speak with Ozpin and Miss Goodwitch about this. I trust you to look after that for now," said Port before he briskly made his way through the courtyard.

Yang looked down at Crocea Mors and gripped the blade so tight that her hands shook. It was strange. Even though it was a weapon, the brawler could have sworn she felt sadness emanating from the blade. She bit her lip and shook her head. The cold reality was settling in. Jaune Arc was dead and it was her fault. It was all her fault.

And that's a good place for cliff hangar. Jaune's dead... or is he? We'll have to find out next time.

RWBY Story Shout Outs:

"Spectrum" by Super Saiyan Cyndaquil: Updated 9/21/15

"Shattered Arc" by ImSoAwesome: Updated 9/20/15

"RWBY: Tomorrow and Never Again" by PaulXion: Updated 8/15/15

"Burning White" by Azure megacyber: Updated 8/15/15

"The King's Heir" by Howard Blake: Updated 8/18/15

"Light of Remnant" by ImSoAwesome: Updated 8/13/15

"The Heat" by wildstraydog: Updated 8/15/15