Patriot-112: Well, Volume 5 of RWBY has finally come to an end. Not satisfying to my taste, but at least we Arkos fans can live with satisfaction that Cinder has finally been put in her place.
Though we don't know if the flame bitch is actually dead, at least Pyrrha is avenged.
Now, without further delay, on with the show!
Chapter 9:
Aftermath
Beacon Academy
1 week after Rogue Huntress Incident
It had been exactly seven days after the incident during the Vytal Festival, which many are calling the Rogue Huntress incident after the said Huntress who... relieved Mercury Black of his prosthetic legs, and the ensuing chaos that followed, including the glowing red light in the Emerald Forest, and the large amount of Grimm that were attracted to it.
The citizens almost panicked at the large number of Grimm, the Breach incident still fresh on their minds. But thankfully, many Huntsmen and Huntresses who weren't on assignment, along with the Atlesian Army, managed to eliminate the growing horde in the forest and the ruins. However, thanks to the incident, the rest of the tournament's singles matches were postponed until further notice.
Not to mention the fact, the entire thing was seen LIVE on every television in every kingdom on Remnant. And to say the Councils of each kingdom, except for Vacuo, are furious is an understatement.
And that's what five people in the Office of the Headmaster of Beacon Academy were currently meeting about...as well as the said Rogue.
"You know, I have not seen so many fools arguing so much," said Canus, as he sat in a chair in Ozpin's office, while Qrow was standing in the corner, arms crossed, and a frown on his face, and Glynda was standing next to Ozpin, who was in his seat, while James stood off to the right. "I mean seriously, why have a council if they're gonna do is whine and bitch so much. *Sigh* Man, and this is why I hate politics so much,"
Glynda massage her temples in annoyance at that.
"Yes, we're all aware of your dislike for politics," she said, "But the main reason why we're here, is not only about the Councils' decisions... but also about the girl...,"
Canus took a breath at, before letting it out in a long sigh.
"You didn't tell them that she's here, right?" Canus questioned looking at Ozpin, before giving the Green wizard a guarded look, "Especially not Leo?"
Ozpin shook his head at that before taking a sip of coffee.
"No, I didn't," he said, before sighing sadly, "From what you told me, and the information on the scroll, apparently Salem has him as her spy in Haven... though, undoubtedly, out of fear. Of course, it explains how they were able to infiltrate the Vytal festival so easily,"
Qrow face turned hard at that, along with James'.
"I still can't believe Leo did it," the Branwen sibling said, "I know he was skittish at times but...to actually turncoat...?"
"Look at the lists of Huntsmen and Huntresses that are not in the Mistral Council's pocket, Qrow," Said Canus, giving the dusty old bird a pointed look, "All of the ones who are still loyal to Ozpin. All of your old schoolmates, rivals, and acquaintances... they're all gone! Lead into a trap by Salem, with Leo as her puppet, who gave him the coordinates and then Leo, using his seat on the Council, set them off on these missions, where Salem had Hazel and Tyrian waiting for them! Fear or not, Leo is still a traitor!,"
He then brought out his bowie knife as he inspected the blade.
"And that also means that the relic in Mistral is also compromised as well," he said, before glaring at Ozpin, "Wished you had listened to me before, and moved the damned things to different locations, Oz?"
The said Headmaster just groaned at that.
"And where do you proposed we could've sent them to, Canus?" he retorted.
"ANYWHERE BUT THE SCHOOLS!" Canus finally shouted as he shot up from his chair, making it fall backwards, "Yes they were built as fortresses in the past, but that was CENTURIES ago! Look around you! The world has changed, and Salem is changing with it! She's not stupid! The only one who hasn't changed tactics is YOU! You, who had kept secrets that everyone needed to know close to your chest, and thus resulted in people not trusting you, and look what the FUCK happened!?"
Ozpin kept silent for a moment, before deciding the subject needs to be changed.
"Aside from...changing with the tides," he said, causing Canus to scoff at the apparent subject change routine, "How is Miss Arkos?
Glynda was the one to answer.
"Professor Peach has looked over her after the...incident last week," she said, "Aside from pure exhaustion, mentally, emotionally, and physically, the only major concern was the wound on her back... where the brand mark was originally,"
Ozpin winced internally as he had seen the wound itself, along with what remained of the brand that was Merlot's personal logo. After making sure that everything else about her was stable, Ozpin instructed the School doctor to have the brand mark surgically removed. Though the scar from Dorée's self-inflicted wound would remain, the cursed brand mark's removal will at least give her some peace.
"Of course, let's not forget about what she did when she first appeared," James said, and raised his hand before anyone said a word, "I'm not saying I'm going to arrest her. Even though I'm tempted to, but for Miss Nikos and Mister Arc's sake I will not pursue until otherwise. But I am stressing the point that what she did will have consequences, not just for herself, but for everyone else connected to all this,"
"She does care about others, Jim," Canus said, as he turned and began heading for the elevator, "What you don't get, is that it's just herself that she doesn't give a damn about,"
"Where are you going?" Glynda queried, while Canus didn't even turn around.
"Gonna check on the kid," he simply stated, "I'm sure she's bound to wake up after nearly a week of rest... and I'm willing to bet once she finds out she's in Beacon... well, somebody's gotta be there to fill her in on the details,"
The door opened and then closed as Canus stepped and pressed the down button, leaving Ozpin and half of his inner circle to sigh.
"You know...he's not completely wrong, Oz," James said, causing everyone to look at him, "We failed to change with the times, and our enemy used that to her advantage. If we're ever going to defeat her, we have to make changes. First, starting with Leo,"
Ozpin sighed at that, knowing that was true.
"We need to be careful, though," Qrow said, "If Leo catches any wind that we're on to him, he'll run... not to mention he has the key to the Spring Maiden Vault,"
"One step at a time, Qrow," said Ozpin before turning around and looking outside, "One step at a time,"
Team RWBY's Dorm
Ruby, her team, along with Ren and Nora were all sitting in their dorm room, all of them thinking of what happened one week prior.
Especially about a certain clone daughter from the future.
"Jaune and Pyrrha haven't left Dorée's side since we brought her back," Ren spoke up, "Despite the circumstances, it appears they accepted that she's their daughter,"
Everyone sighed at that.
"Must be parental instincts," Yang said, as memories of Summer entered her mind. "I should know, Ruby's mom was like that."
The little Rose saddened slightly at the thought of her mother, whom she'd could only partially remember, since she was only a toddler when she disappeared, including her famous cookies.
Ruby sighed before she brought out a familiar scroll and looked at the profile page of the said girl in question. As to why she had the scroll instead of Pyrrha? Well, it looks like both her and Dorée had a habit of losing something, without them even knowing it.
She looked at the birth date, and she blinked, "Hey, guys take a look at this," she said getting everyone's attention.
"What is it, Ruby?"
The students walked over to Ruby as she held the scroll, their eyes squinted at the spot that Ruby motioned to before their own eyes widened.
"Whoa," Yang stated, "Talk about timing,"
"Hey," Blake said, "That's next week isn't it?"
"Yes it is!" Weiss said, before a thought hit her, "Wait, where's Dorée's armor?"
"In our Dorm...," Nora said pointing toward the door, "...Jaune and Pyrrha took it there after we brought her back,"
"It's banged up pretty bad though," Ren added, "I don't think she can use it. And the combat dress is tattered,"
Weiss placed her chin on that, before a smirk formed, and pulled out a scroll.
"Weiss, who are you calling?" Ruby asked, while Weiss looked for a specific number on her speed dial.
"Looking for the right smith for the job,"
Beacon Infirmary
The infirmary of the Academy was quiet, despite the hectic chaos that happened the week before. While there were a few patients, which most of them were reckless students, the main topic of interest if anyone from a news company were there, was Pyrrha Nikos along with her partner and Team Leader, Jaune Arc, and the person in the bed, which they hadn't left her side since they brought her in. Said champion was sitting in the chair next to the bed, grasping the hand of the person who was -is- their child, as she watched Dorée sleep, breathing so softly they could almost barely hear her. Jaune was on the other side as he looked at the girl.
Her facial features were so much like Pyrrha's, but the hair was almost definitely all him, except for a good number of strands in her bangs which were colored the same shade of red as his partner's. He saw one strand fall out of place and onto her face, which, by instinct, made him reach out and brush the strand back into place.
Of course, the tip of his fingers accidentally brushed against the skin of her forehead, making her suddenly gasp softly, and grip Pyrrha's hand firmly, catching the two off guard for a moment, before they sighed in relief as she just calmed down and went back into her deep sleep again.
"Man...," Jaune managed to get out after that, "...I'm...I'm not sure what to say to her when she wakes up,"
Pyrrha looked at her partner and sighed, as her thumb caressed Dorée's hand.
"I know what you mean," she said, "It's been a week since this all happened, and I'm still having difficulty getting my head wrapped around it... my heart is telling me something else altogether,"
Jaune looked at his partner, blinking in confusion.
"And that is?" he said, and Pyrrha looked at him, as she smiled.
"To give her a chance... give us, a chance?," she said, while blushing at the end.
It took a moment for Jaune to understand what she meant by that, before his face was the same as Pyrrha's.
"Oh! Uh...,"
Damn. He didn't expect that at all. True, he got over Weiss at the dance, and after the dance, he and Pyrrha were getting closer, even to the point where he began to have feelings for her... which only grew after Canus told him how she died in Dorée's timeline... and as he thought about that, the more he began to feel afraid for her. Afraid that it could still happen.
He then looked at Pyrrha, now dressed in her school uniform, her hair still in it's ponytail, while her circlet still rested on her head. The sun was shining through the window, as it bathed her in it's light.
The Paladin then felt awestruck, as if the veil was removed from his eyes as he looked at his partner, as if she was something else, but not as a champion or any of the titles that the public gave her, and which made her feel alone. No, to him, she was something else. Before long, a smile formed on his face.
"You know what?" he said, making Pyrrha look at him, "I think that doesn't sound like a bad idea,"
Pyrrha's actually widened at that, but before she could say anything, a soft groan got their attention and they turned to the source, and their eyes widen even more, as Dorée strained herself, as her eyes struggled to open, before finally, they managed to do so.
Jaune immediately left to go get Professor Peach, while Pyrrha stayed with the awake, but still groggy girl.
"W...W-Where...?" Dorée said sluggishly, her vision a bit blurry after being asleep for so long.
"Easy! Easy...," Pyrrha said comfortingly, "...it's alright. You've been asleep for a while,"
Dorée looked at Pyrrha, her eyes slowly widening in surprise.
"Wa-...," what she was about to say died in her throat as she began coughing, due to not using her voice for a whole week. Reacting immediately, Pyrrha reached for the empty glass and full water pitcher on the small table next to the bed, and filled the glass up and handed it to Dorée, who welcomingly accepted it as she began guzzling it down.
"Easy, just take it slow," Pyrrha said, not wanting the girl to choke herself to death after just waking up.
Dorée did exactly that, as her guzzling slowed down. Jaune came back moments later, with the said school doctor herself. Peach immediately went to work as she began her checkup of the time traveler, once she finished drinking her glass of water.
"Alright Miss Arkos," she began, "I know you just woke up, but I want you to answer some things while I check you over, alright? Just to make sure you're one hundred percent functional,"
While not liking to be compared to a robot, Dorée, not wanting to argue, just nodded as Peach did the standard procedures, such as shining a light in her eyes, making her follow her finger, blood pressure check, heart rate, etcetera.
"Alright, everything checks out," Peach said, "Now let's check the bandage on your back,"
Dorée blinked at that, before remembering what she did in order to be rid of the Grimm placed there by Merlot, and thus let the doctor do as instructed, as she leaned over, while being supported by Pyrrha. She felt the bandage be peeled before feeling the school doctor's finger gently probe where she cut herself, though did give a slight wince, which caused Pyrrha firmly grip her shoulders in comfort.
"Hmm, the scar is not as bad as before." Peach analyzed, "Your aura did an amazing job healing it as best as it could after the surgery,"
The Arkos actually turned her head at that, a little unnerved at the word just spoken.
"S...Surgery?" she said, a little fearfully, remembering the last surgery, she endured before.
"Don't worry, you were under sedation during the whole process." Peach said comfortingly, "And all we did was remove what was left of that terrible brand mark. You didn't even feel a thing. I recognized the Merlot Industries logo, and I must say, Doctor Merlot was known to be ambitious and crazy, but THAT level of cruelty was just pure insanity! I can only hope that man is brought to justice for this, someday."
Dorée nodded, though was now slightly trembling, which Pyrrha held her a little tighter in order for Peach to finish.
"Alright, your check up is good," she said, "A strong heartbeat, steady blood pressure... you're all good. All you need is a little more rest and something to eat. After all, it's been seven days, since you were brought here,"
This time, the blonde/red haired girl's eyes actually widened considerably.
"What!? Seven days!?" she exclaimed, before she suddenly decided to look around, "Wait... where am I, exactly?"
"Hmm, why you're Beacon Academy's Infirmary Wing of course," Peach said, and that made Dorée's heart drop like a stone.
"...B...B...BEACON!?" she actually shrieked, but before she make an attempt to get out of the bed, and run away as far as possible, Pyrrha's grip on her became ironclad strong.
"No! Don't! Dorée it's alright! Just calm down!" The champion pleaded, "No one's going to hurt you, I promise!"
The poor girl began to hyperventilate as she gripped her future mother's arm in a death grip.
"N-No...can't be here... Ozpin... he'll...," Dorée began to stammer out between panicked breaths, her hands gripping Pyrrha's arm tightly, causing said Champion to wince as Jaune joined her in order to help calm her down.
"Calm down, Dorée! Ozpin's not going to do anything! He's trying to help you!" the paladin said, but Dorée just shook her head vigorously.
"No! He'll just use me! Just like my mother!" she exclaimed, her trembling getting worse and worse, as her eyes began to flame up with her Maiden powers. "I will not be a chess piece in his sick game with Salem! I won't let him use me as a disposable pawn!"
"He won't kid!"
Dorée actually stopped trembling at the voice that shouted at her, and looked up and saw a familiar face she hadn't seen since she left the future, albeit he was more younger looking, but she still recognized him. She also noticed he had his hand wrapped around Peach's wrist which was holding a syringe, no doubt a sedative.
"C... Canus?" she managed to gasp out, causing the man to sigh, as he let the doctor go.
"Yeah kiddo, it's me," he said, as he grabbed a chair and set it at the foot as he looked at Dorée, "You certainly caused quite the mess, last week."
Dorée's mind then remembered, before her eyes widened.
"Wait, the Fall-," she began to say, but Canus cut her off.
"Hasn't happened," he said, "After your little stunt, Ozpin and Ironwood managed to convince their respective councils, as well as Mistral's to postpone the last matches until further notice. So, in a way, you managed to prevent/postpone the Fall of Beacon, and instead replaced it with, what the media's calling, the Rogue Huntress Incident. Thankfully, no one aside from these two and everyone else has seen your face, and so your identity as the Rogue Huntress is safely classified,"
Dorée, having calmed down a bit, managed to release a relieved sigh at that.
"So what happened?" Canus asked, making the clone blink, before she frowned as she recalled what happened.
"The Grimm..." she said, and Canus nodded, but then blinked as he saw the look turned sombre. "...let's just say, after I was tricked in making me think I killed M-... Pyrrha, the next thing I knew, I was in a dark void. Heartbroken. Lost... I thought it was the end... but, then..."
The sad expression disappeared a bit, while a small smile etched onto her face.
"...Mom... left me a present,"
Pyrrha and Jaune blinked at that, while Canus' own eyes widened, before they softened slightly, while chuckling mentally.
'Smart girl...,'
"She helped me regain control of my body, and I was able to remove the chip that was in my back," she said, and then glared as she gripped the hospital bed blankets, "That's how Merlot inserted the Grimm into me,"
Canus sighed while Pyrrha rubbed Dorée's back, as the girl's face turned solemn.
"Then... after that... Mom said goodbye and she...s-she," she turned to look at Pyrrha, who blinked before her eyes widened, now understanding what she meant. Before she could say anything, she was suddenly wrapped in a hug, before the girl began to weep again.
"Y...You said...were proud of me...," she said in between sobs, "...and that...I made you very, very happy,"
Pyrrha was stunned, but didn't say anything as she returned the hug, as the girl continued to cry. Jaune, seeing the scene couldn't help but smile, which had some sadness, due to the fact, due to the fact, that the Pyrrha from the alternate timeline was gone for good. He placed a comforting shoulder on Dorée's, as her crying began to lessen somewhat.
Canus could only watch the scene with a small smile. True, he knew that the scars on Dorée's psyche were still there... but with Jaune and Pyrrha there to help her, he had no doubt they would heal in time. However, there were some things he needed to talk with the girl about. After waiting a few minutes he cleared his throat getting their attention.
"Dorée, while I am happy that you're growing up and accepting the fact that these two are your parent, despite the fact you were born under...complicated circumstances. There is the question I wanted to ask you, until you woke up," Canus said, before his face formed into a glare, which caused Pyrrha to place an arm around her shoulders, as Canus spoke with razor toned edged in his voice, "Where the hell were you?"
...
Patriot-112: Uh-oh, looks like Dorée is in trouble. May God be with ya, my little Arkos child.
And another chapter bites the dust! And yes, I know, on another cliffhanger. I hope you all enjoyed, and please leave a fav, follow, or review! Remember, no flames or trolling.
Until next time...Later!