Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. It is the intellectual property of the late Monty Oum, and his team and friends at Rooster Teeth. Inuyasha is the intellectual property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Chapter 22 – Good Boy: Part 2
"Why was it inside my body?" asked Ruby, more to herself than to Glynda, "Why would I have something that can empower a… a grimm?"
"Exactly!" barked Jaune as he crushed one of the centipede bones under his bare feet, "A human has no possible use for such a stone. If you don't want to die from my claws, hand it over!"
Jaune presented his black claw threateningly, and Glynda got in front of Ruby, ready to protect her. Jaune looked about him as he heard footsteps, and smirked at the sight of the villagers with their spears and bows.
"Wait, what?" asked Ruby, worried.
"But…" began Pyrrha.
"A common enemy unites," started Raven, "But unless the relationship is between equals, such alliances are short-lived. Isn't that right, Ozpin?"
Ozpin sent Raven a pointed stare.
"Ruby… Whatever you do, do not let Jaune get the Grimmstone," said Glynda.
"If you won't give it, I won't show any mercy. Especially to women whose scent I dislike!" growled Jaune.
The half-grimm charged at the two, and Ruby made a run for it. Jaune lunged at her, his powerful legs carried him to close the gap quickly, and he swiped his black claw.
However, before the claw could tear into Ruby's neck, Ruby tripped on some of the centipede's bones, and she fell to the ground and the attack missed. Ruby did gulp when she saw a few strands of hair fall in front of her. Jaune landed a fair distance, and smirked.
"Next time, I'll split you down the middle," he said with a smile.
"Oh no," growled Yang, "Future hubby, or not, no one hurts my sister!"
"I second that – Wait, WHAT?!" shouted Tai.
"Who are you calling 'future hubby,' Yang?!" demanded Pyrrha and Velvet.
"Are you three seriously going to fight over a guy that just tried to kill Ruby?" asked Blake.
"That's not, the real one," all three girls said.
"How comforting," said Ruby.
Ruby looked at him angrily.
"You… You were serious just now, weren't you?" she shouted.
"Loose!" shouted a villager, and a volley of arrows was released.
Jaune immediately turned, and swiped at the arrows with his other hand which caused them to splinter into pieces. Jaune then charged toward the villagers, and prepared both of his claws. However, instead of killing them, he sliced the tops of two trees, which then fell down. However, all the villagers scattered in time to avoid being crushed, but were all frightened as well. Jaune landed on one of the cleanly cut trees, and looked down on the villagers.
"Who do you think I am, anyway?!" he roared, "Don't lump me in with the likes of that dumb centipede."
"Priestess Glynda, perhaps the girl shouldn't have undone the arrow spell," shuddered one of the villagers.
"The joys of being caught between a rock and a hard place," said Ironwood.
"Yeah, there's no good choice, sometimes," agreed Ghira, "Sometimes, it's just the best choice for the situation, and the hope that it will work out."
"Good grief," sighed Glynda, who then reached into her robes, "It's a good thing I remained prepared for the instance of that hellion getting loose."
Glynda pulled out a beaded necklace, folded her hands around it, and began to chant.
"I wonder what those are," said Ruby.
"Based on what my counterpart is doing… perhaps it is a conduit for a spell, just as my crop is a conduit for my semblance," said Glynda.
Ruby meanwhile was running away again, but Jaune bounded after her and was closing the distance.
"Prepare yourself!" he shouted as he prepped his claws.
"Prepare myself?! How can I?!" shouted Ruby as she ran.
Jaune swiped, but missed. The impact on the ground though launched Ruby into the air, and she landed roughly on the dirt. The jewel fell not too far from her, but rather than get it right away, she took a look at the scarred earth and gulped in fear. She was so distracted that she didn't notice Jaune had landed elsewhere, and lunged for the jewel.
"Now it's mine!" he declared.
"Oh no! He's going to get the jewel!" gasped Ruby.
"To be honest… I think that's what he was after the whole time," said Ren.
"Duh, why else he threaten my daughter's counterpart?" asked Tai.
"I'm aware, but what I mean is Jaune likely could have killed her at any time. His counterpart has the strength, speed and agility to pull it off. It's the same with the villagers. Yet, despite his prowess, he kept 'missing' his target," said Ren.
"So… Jaune was missing on purpose?" asked Ruby, hopeful.
"Yes. I believe so," said Ren, "Perhaps it's his human side keeping him from hurting other people. Or, if you want to be cynical about it, experience has told him that intimidation is better than outright killing in certain cases."
"I hope it's the first one," said Ruby.
"Us also," said Pyrrha as she gestured to herself, and her team.
Glynda meanwhile finished her chant, and the necklace glowed. The bead separated, and shot towards Jaune. The half-grimm was so surprised by the beads that began to form a necklace around his collar that he cut his jumps short to run his hand along his new necklace.
"So… It's a new accessory?" asked Coco, confused.
"I'm sure it has a purpose," said Glynda.
"It kind of looks like… a collar?" suggested Blake.
"What is this?" Jaune asked, confused.
Ruby broke from her stupor, and saw the jewel not far from her.
"Quickly, Ruby!" called Glynda, "Recite the word of subjugation to hold Jaune Arc's spirit down!"
"Huh? What?" Ruby asked absently as she made for the jewel.
"Just say something!" called Glynda, "A word to bring Jaune to heel!"
"I see… It could be a binding spell of sorts, or a means to conduct a binding," said Ozpin.
"Binding?" asked Ruby.
"If I recall there are video games of the fantasy genre that allow you to summon. Traditionally, a binding spell is what the summoner uses to bind a creature to his service," explained Ozpin.
"Hang on! You play video games?" asked Yang, Nora, and Ruby in shock.
"I do other things besides manage the school, you know," answered Ozpin.
Ruby grabbed the Grimmstone, and ran. However, she didn't look where she was going, and slid down a small ridge near a bridge that was built over a river. She was about to fall on her face when she opened her hands to use them to cushion her fall. However, this made the Grimmstone bounce on the ground, and onto the bridge.
Jaune leapt into the air, and laughed.
"Bring me to heel? You fool!" crowed Jaune as he made his way for the bridge.
Ruby saw Jaune land on the ridge, before he leapt for the bridge.
"Word of subjugation? But… what do I say?" rambled Ruby nervously.
Jaune landed on the bridge, ahead of the Grimmstone. He reached for it with a look of triumph etched upon his face. At that moment, Ruby noticed the dog ears…
"S-S-Sit!" Ruby shouted.
Before Jaune's hands could get the gem, the necklace he wore lit up, and pulled him down hard, headfirst, into the bridge.
"AACK!" Jaune yelped.
"Sit?" asked Weiss, "Like a dog…?"
"Looks like Jaune's about to go through obedience training," chuckled Yang.
"With a collar…? Kinky…" smirked Coco.
Ruby, Pyrrha, Velvet, and Yang immediately blushed.
Ruby approached and stepped foot on the bridge, surprised.
"It held him…" she remarked.
Jaune immediately got to his feet, and grabbed at the necklace.
"T-The hell?!" Jaune shouted as he tried to yank it off, to no avail, "W-What is this? Damnit!"
"It's useless, Jaune!" called out Glynda from the top of the ridge, "Your powers cannot remove the necklace."
"Shut up, old hag!" shouted Jaune angrily, "You're first in line! Even if you look half-dead!"
"Miss Ruby… The word, please," sighed Glynda.
"Sit," said Ruby.
The necklace pulled Jaune's face down into the bridge again, though this time, the planks beneath him broke, and he fell into the river below. As soon as Ruby heard the splash, she moved to the Grimmstone, and picked it up. Glynda soon joined her, and patted Ruby on the back.
"Now, then… Let's return to the village," said Glynda.
"Wow… All I said was 'sit," said Ruby as she stared at the river.
"Wait… Glynda cast the spell. How come Ruby has control over the necklace now?" asked Weiss.
"The necklace was indeed cast by Glynda," began Archie, "But the necklace was devised by those of the Silver-Eye Tribe to wrangle and subdue Grimm for slaying or capture. While Glynda does have the power to use it, the necklace will always respond to those of the tribe first."
"Silver-Eye Tribe…?" asked Ruby, with her head tilted to the side.
"Oh…? You don't know of your own lineage and its place in the history of Remnant?" asked Archie.
"Um… No. This is kind of new to me," said Ruby.
"I see…" said Archie, who looked subtly to Ozpin.
Ozpin noticed, sighed, and turned back to the screen.
The next morning, Ruby was sitting next to Glynda who just removed some bandages.
"Now then… I'll apply more salve on the wound on your belly," said Glynda before she rubbed a concoction onto Ruby's side.
Ruby winced, but her pain dissipated quickly. She was then distracted from the pain further when she heard the noise outside of Glynda's home.
"I guess everyone is fixing up the damages caused by that Grimm from last night," remarked Ruby as she heard the sounds of hammers hitting wood.
"An ill sign of things to come, I fear," said Glynda, "Now that the Grimmstone has appeared, more grimm will come to try and claim it."
"Like yesterday…" nodded Ruby.
"Indeed," confirmed Glynda, "But not just grimm, but also humans with evil in their hearts. With all the violence in this world it follows that there will be those who seek the stone's power to realize their greedy ambitions."
"But Jaune said that humans couldn't really use the stone," said Pyrrha.
"Only in respect to how the grimm use it," said Archie, "The gem can grant wishes, just as York mentioned. That is why mortals would seek it out."
"Like a real wish? Anything they want?" asked Velvet.
"Anything… For a price," said Archie.
"I guess the price would be pretty high, then," said Sun.
"Such is the nature of wishes," said Ozpin.
"I see…" said Ruby, who frowned and looked elsewhere in the house, "Speaking of which, why are you here?
Jaune Arc was reclined on the floor, and looked over his shoulder toward the two.
"Looks like Arc swam his way out of the river," said Weiss.
"Why is he in the same room as them?" growled Tai.
"I should think that's obvious Tai. Even you aren't that blonde," scoffed Raven.
Tai and Yang growled at Raven.
"Give me the stone, and I'll be on my way" Jaune demanded, albeit more quietly this time.
"Don't worry," said Glynda, "With those beads in place, Jaune is no threat. Even if he tried to make for the jewel, your word has the power to stop him in his tracks."
Ruby hummed affirmatively before she took a breath.
"Say, why do you want the stone?" asked Ruby, "You seem strong enough as it is. You don't really need its power, do you?"
"He's only a half-grimm," pointed out Glynda.
Jaune got to his feet, and growled with his hand tensed in a threatening manner. The claws and his black hand didn't appear though, but Ruby still prepared herself for that to change.
"Hey, old hag, who do you think you are?" growled Jaune, "Don't talk like you know me!"
"…I'm not surprised you don't recognize me. It's been 50 years after all," said Glynda, "I'm Glynda, Rosaria's adopted sister, and protégé."
"So I was adopted," said Glynda, "That settles my curiosity."
"You must have been adopted for your potential as a priestess, if you were chosen to become a protégé to this Rosaria," said Ironwood.
"Well, Miss Goodwitch is scary-strong. It's kind of fitting," said Nora.
"Thank you Ms. Valkyrie… I guess," said Glynda.
Jaune blinked, tilted his head, and suddenly, it clicked. His mind saw a little girl trailing after Rosaria, as she held onto a quiver, or any other item that Rosaria needed for her duties as a priestess.
"No way… You're the twerp?"
"Twerp?!" shrieked Glynda, "Why that…!"
Glynda took a breath, and sighed to calm herself.
"As you can see, I've grown old," pointed out Glynda who moved to the hearth to add more firewood, "A lot of time has passed since those days."
"That means – If you're old, Rosaria must be more shriveled up than you. Wow, you humans age in the blink of an eye. Such is the way of the world," chuckled Jaune matter-of-factly.
"…My sister, Rosaria, died," said Glynda.
Jaune's eyes flicked, and his hand twitched as a thoughtful expression formed on his face.
"She died on the same day she shot you to the tree," added Glynda, as she put some firewood in the hearth.
"Ah, so that's how it went," said Jaune with smile, "She kicked the bucket, eh? What a relief."
"That's so intensive," said Pyrrha, aghast.
"She pinned him to a tree with an arrow," said Raven flatly, "What else would he say?"
"He could be more considerate," said Pyrrha.
"In the era they live in, being considerate was a luxury few could ever afford," said Raven.
"Jaune Arc, it's too soon for you to sigh in relief," said Glynda as Jaune reclined on the floor again, "Ruby, I believe you to be the reincarnation of my sister."
"What?" gasped Ruby.
"I knew it!" said Nora.
"You did?" asked Ruby.
"Yeah. I just didn't want to make any bets about it in case I was wrong," said Nora.
"It's not just your likeness, or the powers of the Silver-Eye clan that you possess," said Glynda, "It's the fact that you bore the Grimmstone within you… That is irrefutable proof. You must protect it, Ruby."
Ruby pulled out and looked down at the Grimmstone. Jaune looked at it briefly, but the longing look in his eye vanished as he got up and left the building.
"Now then… Would you like some breakfast?" asked Glynda.
"So… How does reincarnation work?" asked Ren, "I mean, you mentioned that each volume is a universe where Jaune's soul could be. Would Rosaria and Ruby be different souls with their own archives?"
"Not at all. Reincarnation does happen to a soul at times, especially if the soul at the moment of death is resolved to do something," said Archie, "Imagine a sword forged in a mold. It then breaks during testing, but can still be salvaged. So it is melted down, and the smith recasts it in the same mold. However, even though it's the same mold, it isn't the same sword in terms of appearance. The metal is the same, but perhaps the metal cools a little differently or the smith adds something to make it shine more. That is how an archivist sees reincarnation."
"So would that really be me? Or am I someone else?" asked Ruby, scared at the idea that she may not be who she believed herself to be.
"A person is not defined by their name or looks in the eyes of the gods, Ms. Rose. There is only your soul that they see. Whether it inhabits a body whose parents chose to name of Rosaria, or Ruby Rose, your spirit is yours. If Ruby Rose is who your heart, mind, and soul declare yourself to be, then that is who you are," reassured Archie.
Ruby relaxed upon hearing those words.
"Good! Cause that's who I am, and I have no intention of changing that," said Ruby relieved.
Ruby walked through the village, stopped near the outskirt, and looked at the blood-red stone around her neck.
"I must protect this…?" she repeated Glynda's words, "This is crazy…"
"She's High Priestess Rosaria's what?" Ruby heard.
"She does seem saintly…"
Ruby heard and twitched a little.
"What's going on?
"That girl's Rosaria's reincarnation."
Ruby heard and sighed
"Watch it, kid! That's 'Lady' Rosaria; show some respect!"
Ruby turned in the direction she heard the whispers. However, before she could say anything she was stunned as a large number of villagers clasped their hands in prayer, and bowed respectfully.
"They're… worshipping me…?" Ruby freaked out a little, and walked even more quickly than before.
"No! No worshipping! Normal knees!" cried out Ruby.
"Normal knees?" asked Weiss.
"Just Ruby's way of trying to remain humble," said Yang.
"Wouldn't you want to avoid that? Being worshipped would be so weird," said Ruby.
"I don't know, I kind of like the idea," said Yang with a chuckle.
"You would," said Ruby, Weiss, and Blake.
Meanwhile, Jaune sat on a tree branch outside the village with a thoughtful expression. It was a lot to digest, Glynda's words that is.
"So… She's dead," said Jaune.
"I get the feeling that there's more to Jaune and Rosaria than we think," said Ren.
"What makes you think that?" asked Pyrrha.
"A hunch…" said Ren.
Suddenly Jaune's ears twitched. Something headed toward him from behind, and his hand shot out to grab… Jaune moved his hand from behind him to see an apple was in his grasp.
"Hey! Want to share?"
Jaune looked down to see Ruby on the ground. She had a basket of fruit in one hand, and some washed carrots in the other.
"I wonder if she knew Jaune was going to do that," said Ruby.
"It would be bad, if he didn't catch it," said Blake, "It wouldn't hurt him, but it wouldn't help to endear him to you either.
"What's that?" asked Jaune, surprised by the food in her hands.
"The villagers gave me… offerings," said Ruby, a little embarrassed, "You want some? You eat fruits and veggies, right?"
Jaune stared, but leapt down a fair distance from her. Ruby moved to the tree trunk, and sat down. Jaune joined her after a moment, and Ruby offered him some of the apples she had been given. Jaune stared at them a bit before he swiped them, and began to eat. Ruby ate nonchalantly while Jaune ate, and eyed her warily. It was like this for a few minutes, before Jaune finally spoke up after he tossed the core of one of the apples he ate.
"You're up to something. I know it," he accused.
"Am not," said Ruby, who swallowed a piece of her apple. "You do hate me, don't you?"
"You have no idea how much!" confirmed Jaune.
"I'm sure he just needs time to realize that time has passed. Then he'll realize that you're not Rosaria," said Pyrrha in a reassuring manner.
"I hope so…" said Ruby, almost resigned.
Archie looked at Ruby, and hummed in thought.
'Should I…? Perhaps after the viewing,' Archie thought to himself.
"Look…" growled Ruby, "The one you hate isn't me, but this lady named Rosaria."
Jaune scoffed, and leapt back to the tree branch.
"My name is Ruby Rose!" called Ruby, "I'm not Rosaria! So won't you be a little nicer to me?"
Jaune got onto his feet, and balanced on the branch.
"Are you stupid, or what?" Jaune accused as he pointed at her, "Only the strong can get what they want in this world. I don't care who you are! In order to get the Grimmstone, I have to be merciless!"
"He's correct," began Raven, "Only the strong can achieve their goals, and survive in the world."
"Ugh… You and that mantra," groaned Qrow.
"Hating those words doesn't make it less true," said Ravwn.
"Is that so…" began Ruby, "In that case, if you do get violent, then all I have to do is say 'sit' and-"
SLAM
Ruby jumped, and saw that Jaune had slammed hard on the ground face-first.
"Oops! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that time," apologized Ruby nervously.
Jaune planted his hands from the ground, and gave Ruby a stink eye with his muddy face.
"Why you…" growled Jaune.
"Okay… That was kind of funny," snorted Nora.
"T-True…" chuckled Pyrrha, "But it must have hurt too."
"Sorry…" chuckled Ruby.
"It was an accident," said Ren.
It was night time again when Ruby laid in the sleeping mat provided by Glynda and the villagers, as they were apparently working on a proper bed.
"It's been two days since I got here," said Ruby sadly, "Grandpa… Yang… Mom… They must be so worried. I've got to find a way to get home."
Outside the house, several crows were roosting in a tree. One crow though was larger than all the others, and had glowing red eyes. It eyed Glynda's house, and could faintly see a red light through the seams between the planks on the roof.
"That gem is attracting the grimm," said Pyrrha.
"Do you think the gem is emanating some form of negativity?" asked Ren.
"That would be a logical assumption," said Winter.
Suddenly, the nevermore saw something launch toward the tree. Jaune landed on the branches, and swiped about to clear the crows from the trees. It was then that he noticed the nevermore, and went after it with gusto. The nevermore flew off, frustrated, and Jaune scoffed.
"Tch… Great. They've been drawn to the power of the stone. Damn vermin," groused Jaune.
'It's almost like a relic,' thought Ozpin.
The next morning, Ruby walked through the forest toward the dry well.
"Let's see, Jaune's Forest, and the dry well… If there's clues to how I can go home, it will be there," said Ruby.
She moved through the woods, and found the well.
"There it is – Wha-MMMPH!"
Several hands wrapped around Ruby's face, arms, and legs.
"Oh no!" gasped Penny, "That does not bode well."
"More grimm?" gasped Velvet.
"I don't think so. They'd be all 'RAWR, give me the stone!' you know?" said Coco.
Meanwhile in the village, Glynda walked through the village.
"Ruby? Ruby!" she called out.
Several villagers went to her with concerned looks.
"Ma'am, she's not in the village," said one of them.
"She couldn't have left the village by herself," said Glynda, "I ought to have explained in more detail about the wicked beings that seek the Grimmstone."
From the roof of one of the houses in the village, Jaune and his keen ears heard that Ruby left the village.
"I better look her. If the nevermores are coming, who know what's out there," said Jaune before he took off.
"Yay! Jaune to the rescue!" cheered Ruby.
"He's just after the jewel, I bet," said Weiss.
"Weiss…" whined Ruby, "Please, can you be a wet blanket some other time, and let me have this?"
Weiss rolled her eyes.
"Fine. Go Jaune, you can do it," said Weiss flatly.
In an abandoned temple in the forest, Ruby was bound and pinned to the floor as she shook in fear. There were several bandits in cheap metal and leather armor in the temple, who eyed her hungrily, however they didn't make a move… yet.
"Bandits!" shouted Ruby.
Raven and Qrow blinked at the sight.
"That could be worse than the grimm," said Winter.
"No kidding…" said Qrow.
"This should be interesting," muttered Raven.
"Boss! We captured the girl, just like you ordered!" said one of them.
"She's got some strange clothes," commented one, who then tugged at Ruby's skirt, "What's this flimsy wrap-around?"
"Hands off!" shouted Team RWBY, Tai, and Qrow.
"I hope fearless leader breaks their legs," said Nora.
"We'd help if we could," said Pyrrha with a nod from Ren.
Ruby blushed in embarrassment, and scrambled to her feet. Her sudden action surprised the bandits a little, and the fell back.
"Back off, you pervert!" shouted Ruby angrily.
"Well, you asked for it! Exposing yourself like that!" shot back one of the bandits.
"Don't worry," said another bandit, "We won't bite."
"How classless," scoffed Raven.
"I don't know. Pretty accurate, all things considered," said Tai with a sharp glare to his ex-lover.
"There's a difference between a common bandit, and an outlaw," said Raven, who then flashed a flirty smile to Tai, "Outlaws have standards… and charm."
Tai blushed a little as memories resurfaced. Yang looked utterly livid at Raven, and wanted to punch something. However, she tamped the brakes on her temper hard because Archie would definitely get upset, and she knew he could end things instantly.
Some bandits moved to her with lecherous smiles, and Ruby backed away, frightened by the situation.
"Give me the stone!" said a grave voice that made the bandits freeze.
Ruby and the bandits turned to see a large ogre of a man, at least seven feet in height, and all muscle move toward them. His steps were wobbly, and his head swayed lazily.
"Someone had a rough night," said Qrow.
"His eyes…" began Raven, "Something's not right."
"…Yeah," said Tai, "The eyes look… lifeless."
The leader of bandits drew his sword, and his henchmen held Ruby by the arms.
"Hey boss, slice her in half with one swing!" cheered one of the bandits that held Ruby.
"Oh no! Kick them in the shin!" shouted Ruby.
"She's in panic mode, judging from her face. I don't think it's occurred to her to try it," said Qrow.
"Well, I guess we're going to adding grappling to things you need to learn too," said Yang.
"Doesn't that already count as hand-to-hand?" asked Ruby.
"Not really. It's a separate discipline," said Tai, "Well, according to some people."
"L-Let go!" screamed Ruby.
"Hold still, you little bi- ARGH!"
The leader missed, and cut the man down. The other man who held Ruby stumbled back in shock, and the others were frightened by the turn of events.
"B-Boss… Why?" croaked the cut-down bandit before he died.
"…Oops," said the bandit leader, though he was not bothered in the slightest based on the tone of his voice.
The boss swung wildly, and Ruby and the bandits struggled to avoid being hit.
"He's moving almost like a marionette," said Penny.
"That's an interesting description," said Blake.
"They're… like my first steps upon activation. That's how I know," said Penny, embarrassed.
"Well, if he's clumsy, he can't hurt Ruby… well, accurately anyway," said Yang nervously.
Jaune was on all fours, and sniffed about the ground.
"This is her scent… But there are other ones too… Ugh, smelly ones… with blood," muttered Jaune.
As Jaune followed the trail, his eyes widened and he looked up.
"Fear… I feel fear…" he said, then he smiled, "Looks like I found her!"
Jaune took off, and ran toward the direction he felt a strong sense of fear.
"That must be his grimm-traits," said Ghira.
"Heightened senses and the ability to feel negative emotions. I pity anyone that tries to run from him," said Winter.
"Yeah… He'd be like a shark in bloody water," said Raven.
"B-Boss!" cried out a bandit as several managed to grab Ruby and offered the struggling girl to their boss, "Where are you aiming? It's her you want! Aren't you going to slay the girl?"
"There's something wrong with your boss!" shouted Ruby before she whipped her body free, and she slapped their hands back, "Get it together, or you'll be next!"
Immediately, the bandits ducked, and Ruby turned around – and ducked when she saw the sword. As soon as the swords went past, Ruby and the others broke away from the crazed bandit leader and made for the exit.
"Why am I going through this? I didn't do anything wrong!" shouted Ruby.
"It's because she has the jewel," pointed out Ilia.
"I think she's talking more about the situation she's in," said Kali.
The leader rampaged about, and in his frenzy, he sliced through a rotten wooden pillar. The beams in the building began to creak and moan, and the exit collapsed. One of the bandits was caught in the collapse, but wasn't killed.
"The exit's blocked!" shouted one of the bandits.
"Are you okay?" asked Ruby as she helped the bandit in the collapse up on his feet.
"Thank you! T-Thank you!" said the rescued bandit graciously as Ruby hoisted him up on her shoulder.
"Really?" said Raven with a cocked eyebrow.
"That's Ruby, always helping people, even if they don't deserve it," said Tai.
"She sounds exactly like her mother," said Raven, distantly… and bitterly.
"Well, that's good," said Ruby triumphantly.
'It's partly the reason why she died, foolish girl,' thought Raven.
"The stone…" groaned the leader impatiently, "Give me the stone!"
Ruby looked at the Grimmstone that hung from her necklace, and came up with a plan. She moved to the side, and the leader's gaze followed. As she moved, she noticed something: the bandits followed her in fear.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
The crazed bandit leader lunged, and the group bolted. The bandit leader missed his swing, and his heavy body collided with the wall. The wall had a large crack and dent. Ruby then saw an opportunity.
"Here, take him," said Ruby, as she handed the injured bandit to his peers.
"R-Right," he said as he took in his friend.
Ruby yanked the stone from her necklace, and tossed it into the collapsed debris that blocked the original exit. The Grimmstone bounced a little, and clattered away to the outside.
"The stone… The Grimmstone…!" moaned the leader, who then hobbled in the stone's direction.
"Now, let's break that wall down!" ordered Ruby, who pointed to the cracked, dented wall.
The bandits nodded, and charged at the wall. Despite the damage done by the crazed bandit leader, the wall did not budge.
"Boss, it's not good!" said a bandit to Ruby.
"Ruby gained henchmen!" cheered Nora.
"What? NO! I don't want henchmen, or worshippers! Normal knees! Normal knees!" declared Ruby.
"Don't worry. Real bandits wouldn't make you their leader without a display of strength," said Raven.
"…That's true," said Qrow.
"B-Boss? I am not your boss!" shouted Ruby.
Just then, the bandit leader returned its attention to Ruby. Ruby heard the monstrous man's approach, and she trembled when she saw the man swing his sword.
CRACK-BOOM
The dented wall broke inward, and Jaune lunged in and his arm turned black. Jaune blocked the sword strike. The blade shattered to pieces, and Ruby's eyes shined with gladness.
"Jaune…" breathed Ruby in relief.
"Jaune made it in time," cheered Ruby and Pyrrha.
"All he needs now is a white horse!" added Nora.
"Nora… I doubt this Jaune would ever ride a horse, given how physically strong and nimble he is," said Ren.
"Let a girl dream, Ren," said Yang.
"Yeah," sighed Velvet and Pyrrha as they imagined Jaune on horseback.
Ren sighed as Nora nodded along.
Jaune landed, and punched the bandit leader back. The leader collapsed, and the other bandits ran out the newly formed hole in the building.
"We're going ahead, boss!" said a bandit with the injured man from the collapse.
"Thanks again," said the injured bandit, and they went out together.
"Jaune, you came to rescue me?" asked Ruby as she swooned.
"Is it safe? The Grimmstone?" Jaune asked.
"Huh…?" asked Ruby.
"I'm asking you if the Grimmstone is safe?" asked Jaune.
"And we're back to normal," said Weiss.
"Seems like it," said Tai and Qrow at the same time.
"Boo! Bring back Hero-Jaune," said Nora and Ruby.
"Well… about that," began Ruby nervously.
The bandit leader got up, and suddenly Jaune clenched his nose.
"Ugh… What that smell? It's like rotting meat…" gagged Jaune.
Suddenly, a piece of the bandit leader's armor tore off, and revealed a massive, bloody hole on his chest. Within the hole were two glowing eyes, and a nevermore's head poked out.
"CAAAAWWW!" it shrieked angrily.
"EEEWWW! Gross!" shouted the students, and the adult, even Raven, were unsettled.
"W-What?" gasped Ruby as she covered her mouth at the sickening sight.
"Huh… The bastard must have had his heart torn out and eaten. A couple nights ago, at least. Then it nested," said Jaune.
"He was manipulated…? I thought there was something wrong with him. That grimm must be powerful…" commented Ruby.
"What makes you think that?" asked Jaune, who did not take his eyes off the bird.
"My grandfather's stories. Strong grimm are able to influence people, right?" asked Ruby.
"Another adaptation of the grimm in this universe then," said Ozpin.
"Their universe's grimm are more dangerous than I imagined," said Ironwood, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but we're lucky."
"…He's not wrong, but it depends on the grimm," said Jaune, "Nevermores like these are stronger than young ones, but they're far weaker than their alpha forms. They rely on corpses to do their bidding, disgusting cowards."
Jaune's hand turned black, and his claws came out as he thrusted them into the hole. The nevermore burst out from the bandit corpse's back, and flew out the collapsed entrance. The corpse dissolved into bones and collapsed into pieces.
"Wait, it's getting away! Aren't you going to go after it?" asked Ruby.
"What do you think I am, a huntsman? Unlike those morons, I know I can't go after every stupid grimm in the world. There's only one of me, after all," scoffed Jaune.
"Being a huntsman is not stupid!" shouted Ruby.
"He's probably saying that because of his half-grimm nature. Not much surprise there," said Tai.
Ruby grumbled a little.
"But-" began Ruby.
"Forget it!" cut off Jaune who went to the debris at the old entrance, "I'm the one doing the fighting! So I decide! Now where's the – HUH?!"
Out of the corner of his eye Jaune saw a familiar glint. When he face fully in that direction, he saw the same nevermore fly off with a blood-red stone in its mouth.
"Is that the stone?!" yelped Jaune, who then turned to Ruby angrily, "Why, you!"
"I never said anything about having it on me!" objected Ruby.
Jaune claws immediately reemerged, and he tore through the debris with his bare hands. He then got Ruby by the wrist.
"Come on!" he ordered, and the two went after the bird.
A couple steps though, Juane noticed that some of the bandits' horses had bow and arrows. He looked to Ruby, then to the weapons, and ran to the forgotten steeds. He got a weapon set, and gave it to Ruby.
"What am I supposed to do with this?" asked Ruby, confused.
"Arm yourself, and climb on," said Jaune, who then crouched down, "It'll be faster than dragging you with me."
Ruby stared for a moment, but ultimately did as Jaune asked. Bow in hand, and quiver on back, Ruby climbed onto Jaune's back. He held Ruby by her bare thighs, a move that caused her to blush. However, those thoughts ceased when Jaune stood up, and leapt after the nevermore, since she became more concerned with not falling off.
"Someone likes where Jaune's holding her," teased Nora.
"Eep!" squeaked out Ruby.
"Those hands are probably strong… and rough," added Coco.
"T-That's not what's going on!" said Ruby, "He's just… We're working together to take down that bird!"
"So you say…" teased Nora.
"Urk!" garbled Ruby as she tried to calm down.
The two closed in on the nevermore, and Jaune looked over his shoulder.
"What are you waiting for? Shoot it down already!" said Jaune.
"Are you crazy? I've never used a bow and arrow in my life," objected Ruby.
"That grimm survives by eating human flesh! With the Grimmstone, it will transform just like with that centipede-woman," reminded Jaune.
Ruby gulped, and took a breath.
"Alright! I'll try," said Ruby.
"Okay," said Jaune, "Take it out in one shot. Rosaria was a master archer. If you have some of her powers, it stands to reason you have her skill with a bow."
"The powers, maybe," said Winter, "But archery is a skill that takes years of dedicated practice."
"That's right. Unless Rosaria is somehow in her head telling her how to draw the string and loose, I'm pretty sure Ruby will fire like a novice. Sorry, Ruby," said Ren.
"It's fine. It actually makes a lot of sense," said Ruby
Ozpin chuckled a little.
'Too true,' Ozpin thought to himself, and how he helped his reincarnations get up to speed.
"Fine! But I'm Ruby Rose!" snapped Ruby, though Jaune brushed it off.
Ruby took an arrow, and nocked it clumsily to the bow and set it to the string. She pulled the bowstring shakily, and aimed directly at the bird. Then, she let go.
Jaune saw the arrow fly… then fall halfway to the target. He was so horrified by the shot he forgot he was descending, and tripped when his feet touched the ground. He skidded face-first into the dirt, and Ruby looked down safely on his back.
"You aren't lying about her being a master archer, are you?" accused Ruby.
"She was! You're apparently a klutz!" shouted Jaune.
"CAAAAAWWWRR!"
The two looked up, and saw a larger nevermore in the sky with a red aura.
"Great, now it's bigger. The thing must have swallowed the stone!"
Jaune got up, and Ruby held on as he gave chase. He leapt up with all his strength to bring Ruby close as she drew the bow, and at the height of the jump, Ruby aimed a little higher and loosed the arrow.
The arrow got closer, but missed by a foot, at least.
Jaune landed, but instead of running, he dropped Ruby to the ground.
"Owww! What was that for?!" Ruby demanded.
"I don't care what Glynda says! You aren't her. You're nothing like Rosaria! I was a fool to expect so much!" Jaune shouted before he took off.
"Jaune, wait!" shouted Ruby.
"I could totally take it down with a bow if I wanted to," grumbled Ruby.
"It's fine, Ruby. He's just putting too much of a burden on your shoulders," said Weiss.
"Indeed," said Winter, "It's often the case when someone sees you as a successor for a great individual."
"That just makes me want to prove myself even more, even though it's not really me he's talking to," said Ruby.
Meanwhile, at the village, a little boy was with his mother when suddenly the boy felt a shift in the wind.
"CAAAWWWRRR!"
The boy looked up and a large nevermore grabbed him by the shirt.
"AAAAHHHH!" screamed the boy.
"MY SON!" cried the mother.
Jaune managed to catch up, and saw the whole thing.
"Looking for food already?" growled Jaune, "Well, you better think about running away from me first!"
"Go get him, fearless leader! Pluck that crow's feathers!" shouted Nora.
Qrow choked on his drink for a moment, and Raven chuckled at the ginger's declaration.
"It would be easier just to slice it to ribbons like he did with the centipede," said Blake.
Qrow began to cough, and Raven laughed even louder.
"Qrow, are you feeling alright?" asked Ozpin, a hint of mirth in his voice.
"Y-Yeah, just peachy," muttered Qrow.
Ruby returned to the village, and saw a commotion on the bridge. As many of the villagers gawked, she saw a hysterical woman cry.
"My son! Can anyone rescue my son?!" she wailed.
Ruby saw Jaune in the distance, for who else could leap that high at the speed the nevermore flew.
"Jaune! Rescue the boy!" shouted Ruby.
"Yeah, right!" shouted Jaune, who lunged with his black claw.
The grimm was shredded by the attack, and though the boy was unharmed, he landed in the water and splashed about.
"Help!" the boy cried.
Jaune ignored the boy though, as he searched for a blood-red light.
"The stone! Where's the Grimmstone?!" muttered Jaune.
"The kid, next," urged Nora.
"Jaune! The boy! Get the boy!" shouted Pyrrha, aghast at her partner ignoring the helpless child.
"He'd probably find the stupid gem if he went in the water," growled Weiss.
"My son!" cried the woman on the shore opposite of Jaune.
The woman and the villagers ran after the boy as he flowed down the current. Ruby saw that Jaune wasn't going to help, and she took off her shoes and socks and jumped into the water. After she dove in, she fell onto her old swimming lessons. She breached the surface for air, and began to stroke and kick her legs.
"Good thing you took swimming lessons," said Tai, relieved.
"Stroke! Stroke!" cheered Ruby.
"How's she doing that?" asked a villager.
"She's swimming so quickly!" said a woman, excited and hopeful.
"WAIT! She must be a kelpie in human form!" gasped an elderly man.
"What's a kelpie?" asked Penny.
"An old legend," said Ozpin, "They often assume the forms of horses, beautiful women, or handsome men to lure victims. Once they have their prey, they drag them to the water to drown and eat them."
"That's lovely," said Ilia flatly.
"Why horses?" asked Ruby.
"In the time the legend was common, horses were signs of stature and wealth. Even if you couldn't afford one, or ride it properly, the nobility would pay a substantial amount for one. The finer in appearance, the more one could gain from its purchase. Legends say many fell prey to the kelpie due to either their greed, or in the case of its human forms, their lusts."
"Sounds like you had some firsthand experience," said Raven.
"…I'm not that old," said Ozpin with a sigh as he ignored Raven's bait.
Some of the other villagers looked skeptical at the elderly man's claims, and instead began to cheer on Ruby. Ruby got to the child, and wrapped a protective arm around him. She then reclined back, so the child would be able to breathe more easily. Ruby kicked her legs and stroked her free arm, and moved diagonally toward the riverbank with the current. When she got to the shore, the boy's mother ran to him, and took him in her arms.
"Mom!" the boy cried.
"You're safe now! Momma's here!" wept the woman as she peppered him with kisses. She then turned to Ruby, and bowed repeatedly, "Thank you, my lady. Thank you! I shall thank the gods every day for you, I promise!"
"I-It's fine… You don't have to," said Ruby nervously.
"Just another day's work for Ruby Rose!" said Ruby.
"Oh, now you'll take grateful adoration?" asked Weiss.
"Well, I actually did something to earn it," said Ruby.
Weiss blinked, and smirked.
"Yes, you did," said Weiss, impressed.
"Hey, girl! Where's the stone?!" shouted a voice from the opposite bank.
Ruby turned, and shot a glare at Jaune, before she turned her nose up angrily. Jaune, who had better eyesight thanks to his grimm-blood actually saw her expression, and recoiled.
"I know he's my leader, but it serves him right," said Ren.
"Yeah…" said Nora sadly.
"Does he get better, Archie?" asked Pyrrha.
"He does," said Archie.
Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren relaxed a little.
SPPPHH – "CAAAAAWWWRRRR!"
Everyone turned to see the large nevermore had reformed, and began to fly from the water.
"It's getting away!" shouted Jaune, who gave chase again.
"I guess I'll give him a piece of my mind later…" said Ruby.
"WAAHHH!"
Ruby whipped to the boy, and saw a large talon was still attached to the boy's shirt, and tried to pull toward the nevermore. Ruby gasped, but noticed a villager with a bow, and got an idea. She ran to him, and the villager took a step back due to Ruby's speed.
"Excuse me, may I borrow your bow and arrow?" asked Ruby politely.
"Uh… Sure, Miss!" said the villager.
He handed them to her, and Ruby ran to the boy. She pulled arrow, and borrowed a piece of cotton wrap from a one of the village women. Using the cloth, and after some effort, she tied the nevermore's claw to the arrow, and nocked it to the bow.
"Clever," said Blake.
"With that thing tied to the arrow, it'll be just like a rifle round. Straight to the target, and BAM!" said Ruby.
"What's she doing? No way can she hit it from that distance – Wait, is that…?" paused Jaune as he squinted.
"This time, for sure!" shouted Ruby, and she loosed the arrow.
The arrow travelled at a fast speed, and closed in on the nevermore.
"She attached the nevermore's talon to the arrow…? Not bad," said Jaune, impressed.
"You want your foot back? You can have it," said Ruby.
"…CAAAWWWRR!"
"She got it!" cheered Jaune, who then paused when a bright light flashed, and he had to shield his eyes, "What…? Where'd the lights come from?!"
A brilliant light ignited the sky, and suddenly hundreds of lights burst like a firework and flew off into the horizon. Back in the village, Glynda looked shocked at the lights in the sky.
"Oh my, I've got a bad feeling about this…" said Glynda, with a worried expression.
"How would it be a problem. I hit the bird," said Ruby.
"…I think you hit more than the bird," said Qrow.
It was Sunset…
"Are you sure it's around here?" asked Jaune.
"Yeah," said Ruby, "I feel it… But I can't help but wonder what that light was…"
"CAWWW"
Ruby gasped, and turned to the sources of the sound. A nevermore head somehow flew at her with its beak open.
"How is that head even flying?" asked Blake, unsettled by the sight.
"It must still have the jewel," said Glynda, "Remember, the grimm that have it don't die unless it's removed from them."
Before it could attack her, Jaune got in front of the Ruby, and shredded it with his grimm claw. However, as the fleshy pieces dissolved into nothingness, a shard of red crystal fell before the two.
Ruby felt her heart pick up speed.
"Could this be…?" she gasped.
"Could this be'… what?" asked Jaune.
Ruby picked it up, and looked to Jaune.
"Um… I think my arrow hit more than the nevermore," said Ruby with a laugh and a nervous gulp.
"Called it," said Qrow.
"Then all those lights…?" began Ruby, nervous.
"Yep," answered Qrow.
Jaune looked at the fragment with a twitchy eye.
"W-What did you say…?!"
…
"Thus begins a journey to reclaim the shards of the Grimmstone," said Archie.
"That sounds like quite the journey. Especially when one considers the chemistry between Ms. Rose, and Mr. Arc in this one," said Glynda.
"That's putting it mildly. Jaune was a real jerk in this one," said Yang.
"Not as bad at the last one where he fought Rufus," said Pyrrha, a little relieved.
"True," allowed Weiss.
"At least he gets better," said Ren, "He does get better, right?"
"I did say that," said Archie.
"Really?" asked Ruby hopeful.
"Yes, I don't normally give spoilers, but I'll make an exception this time. In the journey you take to get all those shards, the two of you will become… very good friends," said Archie.
"Oh… Well, alright," said Ruby now a little more confident, "That's a relief."
A/N: Inuyasha… I forgot how much of a jerk you were at the start. But don't worry Ruby, you two will be very good friends...
I just hope I nailed this one because there were a lot of complicated explanations regarding reincarnation and the soul. Let me know if I got it right in the reviews if you can.
Anyway, this might be a little more Ruby oriented, but some of the key moments in the first two episodes, which also set up events to come, are told from her perspective. I just hope there was enough Jaune perspective to balance it out, and justify putting it in the archive. I'll definitely revisit this one for some Lancaster moments, along with the potential future with Ruby. When? Not sure, but definitely after Lord of the Rings.
Miscellaneous Notes
Figuring out how I would turn Yang into Souta was tricky at first. At first it was going to be the result of a threesome between Tai, Raven, and Summer during a college reunion… Lemon idea…? Anyway, that idea eventually got convoluted the more I thought about it, especially when I considered Tai's character. Then I remembered surrogacy, and figured that would be a more realistic option.
On grimm developing a conscious/soul, I drew some inspiration from the Buffy The Vampire Slayer series that Joss Whedon made. Two characters: Angel and Spike, were both vampires who received souls for different reasons. Angel received a soul as a form of punishment from a gypsy after he killed several members of her clan, and the guilt of his actions as a vampire made him work to redeem himself. Spike received his soul after undergoing several trials, after he tried to rape Buffy because of his obsession for her. It's a really complicated love affair, but like Angel, once he gets his soul back, he is overcome with guilt for all his actions as a vampire that he works to redeem himself. Just like with this story, Whedon used "magic" to explain how it was possible for soulless creatures of darkness to gain souls.
I briefly touched upon reincarnation in the Gintama chapters. Here I gave it from the perspective from an archivist, Archie.
York Rose is an OC I made up to stand in for Ruby's grandfather. York comes from the House of York in the Wars of the Roses. The emblem of the family is the White Rose, and as a fun, shippy note, the emblem of the York's rivals, the Lancasters, is the Red Rose.
Rosaria is an OC I came up with stand in for Kikyo. Her name is Italian for "Rosary."
I was originally going to call the centipede grimm "centispear-woman," but I think Ozpin's explanation was better.
…
Thank you for reading, and please review.
Preview: COD – Advanced Warfare