A/N: Well, chapter ten. I know where I'm going to end this fic, and the final battle will take place in Atlas. Don't think we're getting some kind of happy ending; I'm going full edgelord with it.

Of Crossed Swords

Summary: Jane was frustrated with being the weakest link on her team, tired of being the damsel in distress, and she ran into the Emerald Forest only to stumble upon the blade Soul Edge. Touching it transforms her into a monster, and Pyrrha doesn't know if she can bring her back…

*Never Forget*

Qrow reached into the pocket of his black pants, taking a swig of his flask. He and Cloud had been on the road for most of the day after the attack on the Arc home, and he could tell that even though the rest of Team JNPR were putting on brave faces, they were slowly succumbing to exhaustion. Dark rings had started to form under their eyes, and though the two adults could easily keep going, he knew the kids weren't going to last for much longer at their current pace.

He looked over at Cloud. The shorter man had been quiet ever since they left Nibelheim behind, not saying a single word to either him or NPR. His eyes had been cloudy and unfocused as they pushed on towards Atlas to alert General Ironwood of what had happened at Beacon and of the incoming danger that was sure to be headed his way; it was like he wasn't really there with the rest of him. Qrow could only feel sympathy for his friend. Knowing that his daughter had become the very thing they swore to fight was taking a bigger toll on him than the huntsman initially realized.

"We'll set up camp in a few minutes," he murmured, jerking the blond swordsman out of his trance-like state. "The kids don't have our stamina."

He motioned to the three teenagers behind them. They were starting to fall behind, with them having covered miles of treacherous terrain including a swamp. Now, they were about halfway through the Darkwood Forest in the northeast section of the continent. Their clothes were torn and dirty from trekking through the swamp, and Cloud nodded in agreement.

After a few minutes they reached a small clearing, protected by the tall brooding forest around them. A large rock sat in the far corner of it, and Qrow put down his bag. "Alright, it's time for us to call it a night." 'Scroll signals are bad around here. We can't afford to be going anywhere alone. If one of us gets attacked by Salem or Nightmare, we might not make it in time.'

If he was honest with himself, Qrow was more worried about going up against Nightmare than he was Salem. Salem, he knew what she would do; even though she stuck to the shadows, she was rather predictable in the way she fought against Ozpin and his circle, whereas Nightmare was anything but predictable.

Another cause for his worry was the fact that she managed to kill Ozpin's body without even half of her power. Even the previous Nightmare, a man who went by the name of Graf Dumas, was nowhere near as powerful. Everything was pointing back to the Nightmare of Siegfried's time, just after he freed himself from the cursed sword. 'It has only been fought against once in history…but could it return? Could we be up against another Night Terror?'

He really didn't want to think about going up against the flying monstrosity from Hell. Fifteen years ago at the peak of his skill, he probably could pull something out of his ass and defeat it. But he was at the point where his strength was starting to decline now; he and Cloud wouldn't last long against a fully awakened Night Terror, even if they had Pyrrha on their side.

Not to mention he had this really unusual feeling they were being followed. He was a scout for Ozpin for years, sending him vital intelligence about Salem and her plans while out in the most disturbing of places ranging from the Mistrali slums to the frozen wastelands that bordered Atlas. He couldn't tell who or what was following them though, and that unsettled him a little. He didn't like being in the dark about anything.

Cloud walked off to set him his tent away from everyone else, and Pyrrha finished rolling out her sleeping bag before making her way over to Qrow.

"Is…is he going to be alright?" she asked, motioning to the blond swordsman with worry flashing in her green gaze.

"Don't worry," Qrow replied reassuringly. "He's always been like this. Don't mistake his silence as cold or uncaring; he does care. He just has a problem of feeling as though he's dragging us into his mess." 'He's been like this for a long time. It had been years since I last spoke to him prior to this, after Sophitia died giving birth to Jane.'

"But it's not just his burden to bear." Pyrrha let out a sigh and looked down at the dirty ground with unshed tears glistening and threatening to burst. "Jane was more to me than just my partner and teammate. She was the first person who didn't put me on a pedestal and treated me like anyone else. She helped me forge friendships that will last for years to come. I…I love her."

"Even though you've seen what she's become?" Qrow asked quietly. "Despite that she's no longer that girl you once knew and is now a hateful monster bent on killing anyone who gets in her way and devouring their soul? You still care for her and love her that much?"

Pyrrha nodded, looking down. "Yes. Jane means everything to me. Even now. Despite her turning into Nightmare and becoming a killer. I love her."

"That's about as good as we can hope for," Cloud murmured quietly, walking over to them. His blue eyes were losing their spark, and he let out a sigh before he started to put up his own tent, propping it up by the edge of the clearing away from NPR. "Pyrrha…it's not a bad thing to love. However, you can't let it be the only thing that drives you. Especially against Nightmare."

His spiky hair seemed to be drooping a little more than it did when they first set off on their journey to Atlas. He had grown more and more distant, and the blond didn't look at them before he went over to the large rock at the edge of their campsite. "I'll keep first watch."

Qrow watched him go, and he sighed. "Dammit. With this much pain and sadness in the air, Grimm are sure to start sniffing around. We'll rotate watch shifts; I'll go in a few hours." 'And maybe we'll get some rest without worrying about an attack from Nightmare. Cloud and I can fight her off, but the kids aren't in any condition to fight her. They aren't strong enough to fight her, even if Pyrrha has the holy sword. Nightmare was strong enough to kill Oz; they wouldn't last five minutes against her.'

He removed Harbinger from his back and looked of the blade, thinking of the time he and Cloud went up against Graf Dumas when he was Nightmare. Dumas had been hiding his soul-hungry nature for years, plotting and scheming in an attempt to start another war between Vale and Mistral. However, his plans were foiled once Cloud picked up Soul Calibur from Siegfried; the holy sword had chosen a new owner and it directed him and Qrow to the Azure Knight.

The battle with Dumas in the ruins of Oniyuri in Anima lasted for hours. Not only did the two have to fight Nightmare himself, but they also had to fight through a horde of Grimm as well as those that had decided to aid their new cruel master. So much blood had been spilled that fateful day; the entire village lay in ruins, and Soul Edge was once again destroyed.

And yet, their efforts to keep the cursed sword in pieces seemed to be in vain. No matter how hard they tried, it kept reappearing. A new victim of Inferno would stumble upon the blade and they would be turned into Nightmare. Inferno seemed to have developed a grudge against the Arc family for their efforts to destroy Soul Edge.

Maybe that's why that damned demon decided it wanted Jane's soul. Perhaps it was an act of revenge for Siegfried and Cloud constantly defeating it. Or, perhaps Jane was just unlucky enough and unfortunate enough to be the latest victim.

Either way, Qrow couldn't help but feel pity for her. From how Pyrrha described her, Jane was a sweet girl with a heart of gold, always keeping Team JNPR's spirits up regardless of how crappy the day was. She wasn't the best of fighters, but she always tried her damned best in battle, refusing to give in even if her aura was in dangerous levels. Qrow could admire that dedication to want to protect your friends.

However, he was also told how much pressure she put on herself. How she was so desperate to not be the weakest link on the team, and how she beat herself up after every loss in sparring class. That desperation to not be weak was ultimately her downfall. It weakened her mentally, and that made it easy for Inferno to possess her.

Qrow ran a hand over the edge of his blade, sighing and swatting a fly away from him. The poor girl didn't deserve to have her soul constantly tortured. No one did.

He glanced over at Cloud standing guard. His sword was rested against his shoulder, his knee up to his chest, and he kept his unblinking gaze on the campsite.

Pyrrha looked down uneasily as if she wanted to say something, and Qrow sighed. "If you want to say something, then say it. Don't beat around the bush."

The redhead blinked in surprise at his abruptness, but she recovered from it. "I wanted to ask…what will you do once we find Jane? Are you going to kill her outright?"

Qrow paused, for there wasn't an answer to that question yet. If Nightmare was anyone else, then he'd answer yes. He would kill them in order to protect the world from suffering their wrath. It was his duty as both a huntsman and as a member of Ozpin's elite inner circle.

But knowing that Nightmare was one of his friend's many daughters, someone who was loved by her team…he didn't know. If it were possible, he'd want to free her from Inferno's influence. However, it wasn't that easy; Jane's soul had literally been corrupted by a demon, and that kind of hate and negativity wasn't so easily cleansed.

"I don't know, Pyrrha," he said truthfully, looking up at the stars above them. They twinkled thousands of miles above, lighting the inky dark sky. "I really don't know." 'I know Spiky will want to find a way to save her; she's his daughter, and the bonds of family run deep.'

'Dammit. I hate this.' He grumbled in irritation and slid his hands into the pockets of his pants, stalking off to his tent. "Spiky, wake me in six. I'll take over watch." He didn't wait to hear Cloud's reply, and he zipped his tent shut. He pulled out a book from his bag, along with a bottle of strong booze, and he pulled off the cap before taking a long swig.

The alcohol burning his throat felt good, and he took another chug before he started to read. "The Pangs of Sunset, huh…"

As he started to read, he could only hope that the alcohol would start taking its effects soon. He really didn't want to be awake any longer than he needed to be. The weight of the world was starting to press firmly on his shoulders again, and he had a hard enough time sleeping without worrying about whether there was truly a way to free Jane's soul from its torment without killing her. "Dammit."

It was better for him when things were nice and simple.

Qrow spent twenty minutes trying to read his book. However, both his drinking and his exhaustion were making it hard for him to focus; he could've sworn that the damn letters were floating off the pages.

He rubbed his eyes and closed the book, placing it under his small grey pillow. 'Screw it. I'm not going to bother trying to read when I'm drunk. There's just no point in it.'

He sighed and placed his arm underneath his head, staring blankly above him and praying to the gods that sleep would come quickly and easily for him.

It didn't.

He tried many things to get himself to fall asleep. He tried counting sheep. He even tried drinking more. But no matter what methods he tried, he could not fall into a peaceful slumber.

After an hour of tossing and turning in his sleeping bag, unable to find a comfortable position on the hard packed earth and grass, he gave up. The huntsman sat up and pulled his shoes on, grabbing Harbinger from its resting place.

Maybe, just maybe, he could tire himself out with a good training session. He needed to get his rest some way or another.

A/N: So, not much happening in this chapter. I wanted to take a bit of a break from the constant bloodshed and torment that is very frequent in this fic. Don't worry; we'll go right back to the pain you know and love.

Now, for a bit of an announcement. Jane Arc's Yuri Harem is going on temporary break until April of this year. The reason for this decision is to focus on my more serious works, including this one and Joan Arc's Legend (which if you haven't read, I recommend you do. Really long chapters with tons of world building in them). This fic will slide into the 'high priority' list until it is completed.

Till next time!