Chapter 6- Ashes Part 2
A/N- Story has been changed to Mature.
Her family was special. How was her family special? That's what the man said. Were the two connected somehow? Whatever happened to her, was it somehow connected to her missing memory? Her family? It hurt to think about. That man. That man said she was somehow special. Special like her family….
"Pyrrha." Jaune mused her out of her thinking.
Pyrrha and Jaune noted how the previous men in black started to file out of the room, except for two men and the bald man with one eye and white goatee walked over to them. "Hi there guys." He crouched. "You can call me Stanford." Two men stepped forward and held them down. Stanford said warmly. "Now make sure you listen to all of my directions or else people could get hurt, and we wouldn't want that right?"
"What are you planning?" Jaune growled.
"Just making sure your parent come in here peacefully." He chuckled. "Now let's take them to the auditorium." The two men nodded and escorted them towards the auditorium. The auditorium was dimly lit except a spotlight aimed at the center of the stage with two chairs. Stanford gestured for them go up the stairs that led to the stage.
"Come now, resisting won't solve anything." He nodded at the two guards who dragged the two children up the stairs. "Tie them up" Stanford ordered. The guards nodded off and sat the children down and tied them down. "Watch over them, I need to see how the manifesto is coming." The guards relaxed once they saw their leader gone and proceded off the stage to find better seating.
"Jaune… why is this happening?" Pyrrha whispered.
"I don't know…. But he said that our families were special…." Jaune realized what he said. He quickly looked over to Pyrrha. "Pyrrha, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"
"It's fine." She brushed off his concern, although it did make her think. Whatever happened to her family was because they were special, for whatever reason. The thought also made her sad to think if they were normal, she would still be with her family, then again, she wouldn't have met Jaune. She was cut out of her line of thought.
"Are you alright?" He whispered. She just nodded, not wanting to betray her feelings, being a mish mash of everything. "Pyrrha, really I'm sor…"
"I said I'm fine." She said abruptly cutting him off. A few minutes of awkward silence went by. They could hear the guards laughing and carrying off in a distance. Pyrrha let out a distraught sigh. "Jaune… I didn't mean to snap… I shouldn't have… It's just…"
"Pyrrha relax, I understand, you don't like to talk about your past."
"I don't like to talk about it because I don't remember it."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I don't remember a thing…" Pyrrha sounded defeated once in her life. Jaune always knew her to be a bright and optimistic friend. Hearing her so beaten tore him up.
"We'll find out, together. I promise, that is if you wanna…."
"I don't know. I honestly don't know." Pyrrha shook her head. "I don't know if I can….. Everything is too messed up…. I mean look at where we are at."
"Pyrrha listen to me." She focused with all of her strength on Jaune. "We will get out of this. I promise you. You're one of the strongest people I know. We'll make it out of this, just hang in there. Alright?" She nodded , being somewhat comforted by his confidence in her. She nodded.
Their attention shifted away when they heard a door open from the entrance of the auditorium, their jaws dropped.
"I hope Raven's plan will work." Joan said with a sigh.
"Have some faith." John said confidently as the two walked towards the boarded up entrance of the school. They found the unlocked. Just like how Qrow and Raven said they would be. "We've worked with the Branwens before, they've never let us down before." He said as he opened the door, his wife following them.
"Blood." Was the only thing Joan could say before she dropped to the ground as she clenched her neck.
"JOAN!" He felt something puncture his neck. The only thought he could clearly think was how something was able to get past his aura. Everything started to become a haze and slowly turn to black. Before he lost everything he heard a voice. "Secure them and take them to the auditorium.
Qrow and Raven flew over John and Joan. They did several circles over the two. Raven, deciding it was time, took the lead and flapped her wings towards the high school. Qrow followed her lead. They glided towards the roof of the building. Once they landed, they transformed back into their normal human forms. Raven and Qrow were both stretching their limbs to make sure they were fit for the coming operation.
"I love flying." Raven said with a smile. "So much freedom."
"Is that why you left? Couldn't handle being confined to the home life?" Qrow took a swig from his flask as he noticed his sister turn around, eyes set ablaze with anger.
"I left to make a better world for them." Raven growled. "A want a better world for Yang."
"You could have told Taiyang…"
"He would have tried to stop me…" Raven defend herself.
"Because you had a child." Qrow chastised her. "It's been years Raven, the least you could have done kept in touch with him. I mean you barely kept in touch with me. I mean don't you want your daughter to know about you?" Raven couldn't bear the weight of Qrow's gaze. He couldn't argue against him. She realized that she had made plenty of mistakes. However, she know she was going end one of the most serious threats to her daughter this day.
"I'll stay in touch. After today. I promise. Not only with you, but with our former team, and my daughter." Raven said resolutely. Very rarely did Qrow smile when it came to his sister. Let alone hug her.
"I know it won't be easy." Qrow admitted. "But you're doing the right thing, I'm proud of you."
"It means a lot for you to say that." Raven broke away. "Now let's stop these bastards." She grinned as she found maintenance hatch that led into the school.
"MOM! DAD!" Jaune screamed as he watched the strongest people in his life being dragged up the stage unconsciously. "YOU MONSTERS! WHAT DID YOU DO!?" Tears coming down his cheek as the men died his parents up two other chairs.
"Shut it kid." One man in black said.
"I'll KILL ALL OF YOU!" *SMACK* The man in black smacked.
"You wanna keep it up?"
"FUCK YOU!" *SMACK* *SMACK* *SMACK* *SMACK *SMACK* The guard continued to beat Jaune. One hit was so forceful it made blood spurt out of his mouth accidently all over Pyrrha.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Pyrrha shouted.
"You want some too bitch?" *SMACK* The man backhanded her. He froze as he was apart to smack Pyrrha. Pyrrha gasped as she saw the blade of knife sticking out of the man's throat.
"I thought I made it incredibly clear." Stanford pulled out the blade. He reached for a handkerchief wiped the blade of it's blood. "Now bring in the camera."
"Got it." One of the guards said. He climbed the stage with a camera and a tripod.
"MOM! DAD! PLEASE WAKE UP!" John started to stir and struggle. Joan did the same soon after.
"No….." John whispered. "We thought you were dead…"
"William! How could you have fallen so far…." Joan surprised.
"Because you left me for dead." Stanford smiled. "Don't worry, I won't leave you with the same indignity for all of you. Don't even try using your Aura, you were shot with an Aura inhibitor."
"William… please leave them out of this. They're just kids." John pleaded.
"I wish I could." Stanford sighed as he tested the camera. "This isn't personal. I hope you know."
"If you harm of them I'll end you most the painful way you could ever imagine." Joan said coldly.
"I don't think that'll happen." He gestured at one of the soldiers. "Gag them." The nodded and shoved rags into each one's mouth. "Start on my mark."
Stanford moved towards the center of the camera, straightening himself out. He gave a thumbs up and cleared his throat. "Good day everyone. By the time you get this tape, everyone will be dead." He said formally. He took a long sinister dagger. "We are the Legion of Ash. As a species, we are a plague on this world. Our very existence is corrupting Remnant as we expand and develop and have inadvertently destroyed the environment in the name of advancement and progress yet we are losing a war. A war we have no business fighting. WE AS A SPECIES SHOULD NOT EXIST! ONCE WE LEARN THIS WE WILL HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR!" Stanford said resolutely. "Hunters are pinnacle of our society, the ones who are supposed to protect those who are defenseless. Well we have seen how corrupt and divisive these so called hunters have been become, constantly pushing humanity to achieve new abominations to destroy nature. Why do you think the Grimm exist?! IT'S BECAUSE WE DESTROYED THE SOUL OF REMNANT! NOW REMNANT HAS DECLARED WAR ON HUMANITY! Ever since the hunters existence we've been at war with Remnant. Well No more! We will right the wrongs that humanity has done to Remnant."
He walked over towards John. "From this day on, we declare war on the hunters and those who support the hunters." He took his knife and rammed it into John's abdomen. John cringed as the blade pushed deeper and deeper into his body. "Ashes to Ashes. Dust to Dust, let nature return in force once more." Jaune and Pyrrha were both screaming in a muffled manner. Joan tearfully glared at the man.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" A voice called angrily, Stanford turned around to see a woman in red clothing and black hair carrying a dust infused odachi. A man behind him carried scythe dealt with the guards, slicing through the men that were supposed to guard the room.
"I'LL KILL YOU WILLIAM!" Raven stormed forward, Odachi in hand cutting two men in half as she stormed up the stage.
"RAVEN!" Qrow shouted he rushed up the stage. Stanford fumbled with reloading a pistol. It was already too late, Raven was on him. She swung her Odachi at the pistol causing it to be removed as well as the hand that held it. Stanford collapsed to the ground clutching his stump of a hand.
Raven tossed her odachi and sheath on the ground. Fire in her eyes, blood rage in her eyes. She picked up Standford by the neck and threw him off the stage. She jumped off and started waylaying into him. "YOU." Punch. "SON." Punch. "OF." Punch. "A" Punch. "BITCH!" She screamed letting all of her anger on the man's face. "YOU KILLED YOUR OWN TEAMMATE!" She pounded the man's face in.
Qrow got busy untying the Arcs and their adopted daughter.
"YOU THREATENED HIS FAMILY!" That sent Raven over the board as she screamed it. She just kept on punching on man's face until it was bloody pulp. Blood was spraying from the impact of each punch. Blood splattering her in her hair.
Qrow rushed John out of the auditorium and towards the medical staff waiting outside of the building.
"Raven." She kept on beating the dead body.
"RAVEN!" She felt a hand on her shoulder and snapped towards the direction of owner of the hand.
"WHAT?!" Raven roared in anger. Realizing who it was she instantly calmed down. She then noted the two children who watched her. Both of them zoned. "I'm….. I'm….. sorry…. I lost it….." She backed away from the dead body as she examined the her blood drenched hands and arms.
"Let's go. We need to find John." Joan said she handed Raven her Odachi back in it's scabbard
Raven felt something on her leg. She looked down to see the redheaded girl hugging her.
"Thank you." She said. Raven blinked unsure what to do. Then something in her made her kneel down and hug the poor girl. She looked so familiar, Raven was sure she knew she met before, but she couldn't place name to her. "We'll make sure he's alright." She nodded, Raven held the hand of the redhead as Joan held Jaune and escorted them out of the school. They were barraged with cameras flashes and reporters. "You guys get going. I'll be there in a quick second." Raven slowed down a little. Joan ushered Joan and Pyrrha into the ambulance, there were startled they heard the loudest shout ever.
"GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Raven roared at the top of her lungs which made all of the reporters scatter. Raven boarded the ambulance and sat down next to the somewhat familiar redhead girl. The ambulance started up as the paramedics closed the door. Raven let out an exhausted sigh looked at the floor. She was too slow. If she was fast enough, John wouldn't have gotten injured. John would be alright. There was still no news on John. The guilt was starting to eat at her. For too long Raven had made too many mistakes, abandoning her family, leaving her daughter, stay out of touch with friends, avoiding Qrow, and now she could mark up what happened to John on the long list.
"I'm sorry. I'm so incredibly sorry." She said sullenly, looking at the ground clenching her hair, hoping it would distract her from guilt. It didn't. "I should have been faster. I should have just busted through the front door. I should have found out sooner." Teardrops ran down her cheeks. She looked at the blonde boy who was just completely zoned out. If she was there sooner he wouldn't have seen his father get stabbed. How much mental damage has that caused, let alone him watching her cave someone's skull in with fists alone.
"Raven, it's alright. We're glad you got there in time." Joan spoke up softly, still dazed.
"But I didn't though…." She said bitterly, not able to meet her gaze.
"You did though." The familiar red headed girl. "You saved us from that man. You saved all of our lives." Raven bitterly laughed in her mind. Not all of them.
"Thank you." Raven whispered desperately.
Pyrrha noted how the older woman in red was really stricken with grief. Although she wasn't there to save Mr. Arc, she did stop those terrible men. She did save their lives. That made her a friend in her book. She wasn't that mean either. "My name is Pyrrha."
Raven froze, turning white. Pyrrha. Pyrrha? Pyrrha Nikos? No. Gods. NO! They were all dead! She saw the house burning down. She busted through the door, no one was was there. So much blood. Blood everywhere. She went there to warn them of the appending attack, but she was too late. No trace of the Nikos. All that blood. It haunted her to the core. She was too late to stop all of it. She thought she was too late to save them. She then tried to find their little girl to no avail. She assumed the worst, now she was wrong. How wrong she was. She quickly snapped out of it. She promised that she would not let the Nikos down again, but should she tell her?
No. When she is older, when she can understand. Raven smiled.
"Nice to meet you Pyrrha, you can call me Raven. I'm an old friend of Mr. and Mrs. Arc. and I hope to be friends with you two as well." Pyrrha hugged her in response, looking at the older huntress with those same eyes her mother had. It tore her up on the inside.
"Is… D-D-Dad going to be alright…..." The blonde boy asked zoned out as if he was in was in his own world. His mother hugged him, even though she was really with it still. "I'm sure he'll be fine." She whispered more to himself then to her son. Raven decided to help Joan.
"Your dad has seen so much worse." Raven said confidently. "He's a fighter. What's your name?" Raven asked warmly.
"J-J-Jaune."
"Well Jaune, can I see your hand." He slowly extended his hand hesitantly towards the red clad woman with long black hair. She took it with a firm but gentle grasp with her own. "I promise all of you that something like this will never happen again. Your dad will be fine. You'll be fine. I promise all of you." Even if I have to kill everyone on this planet. She silently promised.
"I don't know how our family is going to be able repay you and Qrow…." Joan started to come back to earth. "Consider the Arcs to be in your debt."
"Anything for friends." Raven reached out to place a reassuring hand on Joan's knee, which made her smile. At that the ambulance stopped. The paramedics opened up the backdoor. They formed a group. "John will be fine." Raven reassured them as she saw Qrow outside waiting for them. He looked as if he saw a ghost, all of his color gone, a hollowed out expression.
As they approached, he gestured for Raven and Joan to come closer. "You may want consider saying your goodbyes. They say he may not last long." Joan collapsed on her knees shrieking as Raven knelt down beside her.
A/N
Hey guys!
How is everyone doing?
So some big things happened… and that ending…..
So Raven is going to play a more important role in the story just as the story progresses.
Tell me what you guys think! If you have any predictions, reactions, opinions, feedback, let me know! I appreciate all of the feedback you guys give me. It means the world!
