*Just fair warning, this chapter is pretty brutal. It's the main reason the story is rated M.*

Chapter 4

Once classes were over for the day, Helia managed to gather Team RWBY, Aigis and Labrys. The Investigation Team, with no need to attend classes, had gone off to Vale to see if there was anything interesting to do. "You guys are probably wondering what all that stuff with my shadow was about." Helia started. "You've probably guessed, but my team is dead. We were team C-H-R-E, cherry, and Coral was our leader. I may as well tell the whole story."

Two Years Earlier

"I'm really sorry you guys are stuck out here with me." Helia said. Team CHRE was in the forest, searching for a pack of Ursai that had been causing trouble for the nearby village. "I'm sure you wanted to go someplace interesting for our first post."

"I like it out here." Coral said. "It's quiet and everyone is so nice. Besides, your village definitely needs our help. It's tough to get by with just one Hunter for the whole area. It'll be a good way to ease us into this kind of work. It looks like we're in for some action today too, right Russet?" Russet grunted something that sounded vaguely like an affirmative response. He did not talk much. He just went on sharpening his halberd as he walked on in front of the others. Russet never seemed to take a break from preparing his weapons, even when they were on the move.

"Hey Coral, I've got a joke for you." Ecru said.

"Please, no." Coral sighed.

"What kind of train eats the most?" Ecru asked. He paused, waiting for Coral to guess. That guess was not forthcoming. "A chew-chew train! A chew-chew train Coral!" He said while making a biting motion. Ecru laughed hysterically.

"Why do you do this to me?" Coral asked. Helia laughed, not at the joke but at their interaction. Russet had no reaction. They pressed on further into the forest, heading for the last place the Ursai had been seen. The group of Grimm had been attacking anyone who left the safety of the village, but before Team CHRE's arrival, there were not sufficient resources to deal with the problem. Russet stopped walking and held up his arm with a closed fist. He pointed to something on the ground. It was clearly an Ursa's footprint, and it was fresh. They advanced cautiously until the forest opened up into clearing. Across the clearing was a cliff with a dark cave cut into the side of it. A few Ursai were standing outside the cave, unaware of the approaching Hunters.

"You think that's the group?" Helia asked.

"Yeah." Coral confirmed. "They were last spotted nearby."

"I count seven." Ecru said quietly. "That matches the reports."

"Alright Russet, hit them." Coral whispered. With a primal roar Russet rushed out of the cover of the forest and charged across the field at the unsuspecting Grimm. He was upon them before they could react and immediately sliced one in half from shoulder to hip. Ecru stood back nearer the clearing's edge, firing at the Ursai with his recurve bow. He repeatedly sunk arrows into one Ursa until it finally collapsed in a lifeless heap. Helia ran her chainsaw straight through the midsection of another. Coral approached, emptying his three revolvers into one Ursa, killing it. As another charged him, he transformed one gun into a machete and threw it, hitting the approaching Grimm in the center of the forehead. It fell with a thud at his feet. Russet cut the leg off one Ursa before he finished it off by stomping its head flat. The final Ursa tried to flee, but Ecru killed it with several arrows to the back.

Coral ripped his machete free from the dead Ursa's head, transformed it back into a gun and reloaded it before returning it to his holster. "Good job guys." He said as he reloaded his other guns. "We should probably check that cave to make sure we got them all." Russet grunted as he wiped what was left of one of the Ursai off his boot.

"I'll have a look." Ecru said eagerly. He casually walked over to the cave entrance and peered inside. It was dark, but he could just barely see movement. "What's that?" He asked himself before taking a few steps in. Seconds later he came running out of the cave. "Run!" He screamed. The others watched in horror as a giant Ursa burst out of the cave behind him. It grabbed him in its massive claws, and in one swift motion, ripped him in half.

"You bastard!" Russet yelled as he charged at the beast. It casually tossed the two halves of Ecru's corpse aside as Russet leapt at it. He brought his halberd down into the creature's shoulder with all his strength. The blade sunk in by maybe a foot. For an Ursa this large it was merely a flesh wound. It shook him off and he slammed to the ground. The Grimm stomped on him repeatedly, far beyond the point of killing him.

Coral unloaded his guns into the monster. With them empty, he transformed two into machetes and threw them at the Ursa. They stuck in the beast but only enraged it. It charged at him and sent him flying with a swing of its arm. Coral sailed through the air and into the trees. The Ursa went back to mutilating Russet's corpse. Helia ran to where Coral had landed. She found him impaled on a branch. Covered in blood and viscera, it protruded from his midsection. Somehow he was still conscious. "Helia, get out of here." Coral said weakly. "Save yourself."

"No, I'm not leaving you." Helia protested.

"I'm already dead." Coral said. He coughed up blood. "Don't throw your life away."

Before they could argue further, the Ursa charged at them. Helia managed to mostly avoid the attack, but the Grimm managed to grab her flamethrower's fuel tanks with its claw, ripping them off her back. She turned and pulled the trigger, but with the tanks gone there was nothing to fire. The monster grabbed her in one of its massive hands and squeezed her tightly. She could feel and hear bones snap as her aura gave way. In desperation, she revved her chainsaw and cut into the creature's fingers. It let go as she sliced two off cleanly. The Ursa roared as it clutched its mutilated hand, and Helia was able to gain some distance. She looked back. The Ursa stood there, still focused on its hand, with her fuel tanks at its feet. She had an idea. Coral, just clinging to life, had it too. "Catch." Coral tried to yell. It came out much weaker than intended, but Helia heard him. He tossed one of his guns to her. It still had a bullet in it. She took aim and fired at the tanks. The resulting explosion incinerated the massive beast.

Helia grabbed her scroll and hurriedly sent out a distress call. Exhausted and badly injured, she stumbled over to the dying Coral, collapsing at his side. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you." She said, tears in her eyes.

Coral reached out his hand and managed to grab hers. "It's alright." He whispered. "We've all got to go sometime. Most Hunters aren't lucky enough to die of old age. The best we can hope for is a hero's death. Just promise me…just promise…just…" Coral went limp as Helia wept at his side.

*Recommended Music: Wings (RWBY v1 Soundtrack)*

"I never figured out what he was trying to tell me." Helia said, tears streaming down her face. Team RWBY had varying degrees of success in controlling their own emotions. Labrys and Aigis could shed no tears, but their expressions made their feeling just as clear. "I've never forgiven myself. My semblance could have saved them, but I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't use it quickly enough. For a long time after that, I practiced every day to strengthen it, which is why I can use it so easily now. I was expecting to get healthy and to go out to fight again, but as you know the pain in my spine never went away. I wanted to at least be able to do something useful with my life. It was the only way I could properly honor their sacrifice, the only way to make it worthwhile. But I was crippled. Nothing would fix my back and I just thought that was it for me, that I'd never be able to do it. Then you guys came and healed me, and I was ready to get back to work. I joined up with the police and went out fighting Grimm again. But whenever I did, I couldn't think of anything else. All I could see was my team dying, again and again. I kept thinking that no matter what I did it would never be enough to live up to them. I would always think that they could have done so much more. They were so much better, so much stronger. By comparison, I'm worthless."

"I think I know what Coral was trying to say." Ruby said. "I think he was telling you not to give up. He wouldn't want you to let your life be ruined by his death. He'd want you to keep moving forward and be happy." She hugged Helia, which was awkward given their difference in height. Ruby was crying too. "We've all lost someone, but with each other's help, we can overcome the pain and go on living our lives."

"Waiting sucks." Yang sighed. They had to wait for midnight to go save Team JNPR. It was four in the afternoon.

"You could take a nap like Weiss." Blake said.

"I can't sleep." Weiss said, rolling over to face them. "How could I while I'm worrying about tonight? Knowing you, you'd have an even harder time."

There was a knock at the door and Ruby opened it. "Delivery for Aigis." Amber Kelly said. She had a hand-truck with several crates on it. "The first two thousand rounds are here. That includes 500 fire, 500 ice, 500 explosive and 500 armor piercing rounds. I even fashioned custom magazines to more efficiently dispense them."

"You did not have to deliver them in person." Aigis said. She effortlessly lifted one of the heavy-looking crates and placed it on the floor next to the chair she had been sitting in.

"You're strong." Amber observed. "It took three of us to life them when we were loading up. Anyway, I delivered them in person to make sure they got here as soon as possible. Given how generously you paid me, I thought it was the least I could do. I hired three more technicians and they're working on more rounds as we speak. I should be back tomorrow with the next shipment."

"Thank you." Aigis said politely. She finished unloading the crates and ripped the lid off of one. The rounds were already loaded into magazines that were slightly different than the ones she normally used.

"Now be careful with those." Amber warned. "They pack much more of a punch than the standard round you gave me for reference. See you guys later." She turned and started to leave.

"Hold on." Helia said. "Could you bring me something when you make tomorrow's delivery?" Amber nodded. "Here's my key. There's a wooden box on the mantle in my house. It would be very helpful if you brought it to me."

"Alright, see you tomorrow." Amber said as she left.

Aigis lifted one of the magazines out of the box. It was labeled fire. The magazine was surprisingly light. She slipped a bullet out and held it in her other hand. Its weight matched a normal round's, so the material making up the magazine itself must have been lighter. Aigis replaced the bullet, rolled up her sleeve and slapped the magazine into place. It fit perfectly and the rounds loaded normally. She unloaded her arm and put the magazine back.

"Now you won't have to fight hand-to-hand at least." Blake said. "Dust rounds should give you a tactical advantage as well."

*Recommended Music – The Voice Someone Calls-In the Labyrinth- (Persona Q Soundtrack)*

Just past midnight, the group was gathered and ready for another night of battling shadows. "Where should we go?" Yosuke asked. "Should we try the Tower or one of the other buildings?"

"Perhaps we should simultaneously investigate multiple locations." Aigis suggested. "If one group investigated the Tower while another investigated an outlying building, it would prevent the shadows from focusing against us. Last night's ambush was dangerous and we should take care to avoid a repeat."

"Sounds good, how should we break it down?" Yang asked.

"Yu and the Investigation Team can check out the tower." Ruby said. "The rest of us will check out one of the other buildings."

"Which one?" Weiss asked. "Well?"

Ruby's seemed distracted and was looking at nothing in particular. "Hold on, me, Aigis and Yu need to take care of something." She explained. In front of the statue at the center of campus was a door that had an eerie blue glow. The three knew it well. "We'll only be a minute. Helia and Rise should scan the area while we're busy." Ruby approached the door and the others followed, reaching out for the handle to be transported to another plane of existence.

LLLLL

*Recommended Music – Aria of the Soul (Seriously, pick a Persona soundtrack, the version is irrelevant)*

"Welcome back to the Velvet Room." Igor said. "It seems you are still in need of my assistance." Igor said to Ruby, seeming to ignore the others.

"It's good to see you again." Theodore said. "All of you, it's an honor."

"Theodore, have there been any changes to my powers?" Ruby asked.

"As a matter of fact, you have awakened another bond." Theodore replied. "It is that if the Sun arcana. As a result you can now wield a new Persona, Asura. This change has affected the two of you as well. Unfortunately, the other limitations you faced before remain. Since you are new to these circumstances Aigis, I shall explain. Due to the effects on space and time created by your worlds being linked, the nature of the Fool has changed. Presently, you are only able to wield your base Personas and a few related to bonds Ruby has formed. It seems that the fates of all three of you are tightly connected. You can currently wield Isis, Norn, Kikuri-Hime and Asura. If Ruby forms more bonds, you may yet unlock the power of more Personas."

"When we fought Tuonen Piika, my Persona Summer Rose transformed." Ruby said. "When I summoned her again yesterday, she was back to normal. Why is that?"

"The transformation of your Persona was brought about by a combination of extreme stress and your intense desire to save your friends." Theodore explained. "With those conditions gone, it is no surprise that your power has returned to normal. That transformation could be repeated and even made permanent if the right conditions arise, but given their extreme nature, I would advise against seeking them out."

"Is that all?" Ruby asked. "Is there anything else you can tell us?"

"I can only offer a warning." Theodore said grimly. "The opponent you face now is much more powerful and ruthless than Tuonen Piika. Do not let your guard down for a moment." Given that advice, the three departed.

"Aigis, are you okay?" Labrys asked as Aigis' mind returned to her physical body.

"Yes, I am fine." Aigis replied.

"We told her it was fine, but she was really worried." Chie explained.

"I am sorry for not explaining in advance." Aigis said. "Now, did Helia and Rise find anything?"

"Well, we couldn't really detect anything about the Tower other than a whole bunch of shadows inside." Rise said. "Some are powerful, but most are pretty standard weak ones."

"On the positive side, I think we managed to locate their friend Jaune." Helia reported. "It seems like he's in one of the lecture halls."

"Then that's where we'll head first." Ruby said. She turned her attention to the Investigation Team. "Don't do anything too risky. We just need you to distract the shadows while we save Jaune."

"We will proceed judiciously." Naoto assured her.

"Alright then, let's get to it." Yang said. "We'll regroup once we've got Jaune."

*Recommended Music: The Genesis (Persona 4 Soundtrack)*

Rosso Victrix sat silently in his cell. He was the only prisoner in the small village jail and had been for some time. Occasionally someone would get dragged in for some petty theft or a drunken brawl, but after a few hours the place would be empty again. Only the guards were there to keep him company, and they wanted nothing to do with him. He was charged with some serious crimes. Kidnapping, attempted murder and a whole host of other assorted charges faced him. He had confessed to them all. It seemed the only thing left was for the authorities to determine his punishment. He thought about it often. Would he spend the rest of his life rotting here? Would they just execute him? Death was preferable, at least as far as he was concerned, even if it was unlikely.

The clock clicked over to midnight. Rosso should have been sleeping but he rarely did anymore. He had nothing but time, and sleeping was as good a way as any to spend it, but for some reason he could not sleep for more than an hour or two a night. At first he thought it might be guilt. He quickly discarded the idea. He just could not stand being locked up here. It was a constant reminder of his failure. His dream, his new world, was as dead as his brother.

The lights blinked on and Rosso could hear footsteps approaching. He watched as one of the guards walked up to his cell and piled up Rosso's armor and weapons just outside. Then he opened the door. "What's going on?" Rosso asked. "Surely I'm not being released. Are you engineering a fake escape attempt so you can murder me?"

"I would not abandon such a loyal servant." The guard said, but not in the guard's voice. This voice was deeper and otherworldly.

"Tuonen Piika?" Rosso asked hopefully.

"No." The guard replied. "She is my Herald. I am her, and by extension, your patron."

"Who are you?" Rosso asked.

"All will be explained in time." The guard said. "Your destiny is calling. Don your armor and wield your weapons. The time has come for you to seize it!"

"You will not punish me for my failure?" Rosso asked meekly. "Have you punished Tuonen Piika? Please tell me you have not."

"The failure was not yours or hers but mine." The guard said. "I underestimated the resistance you would face. I should have intervened personally. Together, we will correct my error and bring about a new world."

"I am ready to serve." Rosso bowed and put a hand over his heart. "Just give the command."

"Take your possessions and go to Beacon Academy." The guard ordered. "Your path has been prepared and you will encounter no resistance. When you arrive, I will have further instructions."

"Yes master." Rosso said. The guard smiled before collapsing to the ground unconscious. Rosso geared up and walked out of the prison. All the doors were open and all the guards were unconscious. He would not fail this time. He would have his new world. He would see his brother again.

*I've been dealing with some stuff lately, so if you like my writing, please let me know. It would really mean a lot. If you don't like it, I don't know why you're still reading, but sorry I guess.*