Resurgence: A RWBY Fic

By Kraven Ergeist

Chapter 21

Twelve hours of waiting at the rendezvous point, and there was still no sign of life. Team RNJR had been camped at the predetermined location by a rock face, a position selected for being defensible and offered relative cover, and while there was no sign of any kind of struggle or conflict in the area, the team they were supposed to meet with could have been delayed at any point on their route. Scouting procedures in situations of zero communication were clearly defined at all Huntsman academies – in the event of a no-show, wait for twelve hours and then return to base for further instructions.

What worried everyone, however, was the potential implication of a no-show. While it was possible they had simply been delayed, a far darker fate was also probable, and the worst part was that without communication, there was no way of knowing for sure.

Jaune, Ren and Nora were sitting by the fire, casting shadows against the rock face, starlight gleaming overhead. Nora sat with her legs splayed out, feet bobbing back and forth, while Ren sat calmly on his knees, sipping a cup of tea. Jaune was sitting cross legged and idling poking at the flames with a stick. Ruby had taken guard duty this time around. She hadn't spoken to him directly since their last argument. Jaune supposed he couldn't blame her.

What probably bothered him the most however was the silent judgment coming from his other two teammates.

"Would you stop looking at me like that?" Jaune demanded after he could take it no longer.

Nora wrinkled her nose but otherwise appeared unamused. "Like what? Nobody's looking at you like anything Jaune."

"Yes you are!" he declared, pointing his finger at her. "You're looking at me just like that!"

Nora's expression had not changed. "How else am I supposed to look at you then?"

Jaune held his head in his hands. "Augh! Just forget it!"

"Whatever you say," Nora grumbled. "Mister former team leader…"

Jaune gave her a dirty look. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Nora crossed her arms. "You used to be our team leader. And now you're not."

"Nora…" Ren shook his head, interrupting the two. "Jaune…what she's trying to tell you is that you seem to be falling behind."

Jaune gave Ren an odd look. "Falling behind?"

The other boy took another sip from his tea. "We've all had to grow up rather quickly after the fall of Beacon…but you seem to be clinging to the past."

"Clinging to the past?" Jaune asked bluntly. "How? By holding onto hope that Pyrrha might still be alive? Am I the only one here who remembers that thing we fought? How much it moved like Pyrrha?"

"Jaune…" Nora said, her tone becoming more sympathetic. "Even if…even if Pyrrha's still in there, do you really think there's any saving her at this point? Do you think she'd even want to be saved? I mean, what if we can't reverse what's been done to her? Do you think Pyrrha would want to live the rest of her life as some…twisted thing like that?"

"Of course not!" Jaune shook his head back and forth. "But we don't know if that's how it will be! We don't know anything about what happened to her! And that's what's so frustrating! For all I know, you're right, and the best thing we can do for her would be to end her life and let her rest in peace! But even if we could beat her – which I'm not too terribly confident of, by the way – what if in doing so, we miss our one chance to get her back!? We just don't know!"

Ren and Nora exchanged troubled looks. There was really nothing they could say to dissuade Jaune was from believing Pyrrha could be saved, it seemed. But at least they could try to mitigate what harm it might cause.

"Even if you're right Jaune," Ren pursed her lips. "Pyrrha's not with us anymore. But Ruby, Nora and I? We are here. We're with you."

"This is your team now, Jaune," Nora nodded. "And we have to take care of each other first. We can't put anyone else before each other…no matter how we feel about them."

Jaune placed a hand over his eyes, lowering his head. "So you're saying I shouldn't be putting you guys at risk just because I hope it might save Pyrrha?"

Nora leaned forward and gave him a piercing look.

"We're saying you should go talk to Ruby," she said bluntly. "She's a part of your team now too."

Jaune sighed and got to his feet. "Okay, okay, I'll go talk to her…"

As Nora watched him go, Ren took another sip of his tea.

"You know Nora, you're quite a force to be reckoned with," he said.

Nora smirked at him playfully. "And don't you forget it!"

Jaune eventually found Ruby sitting off by herself away from the fire and and the rock face, staring at the night sky, her weapon in her lap. She looked rather peaceful, despite how long they'd all been out here and how much had happened around them while they'd been on this trip. This mission of theirs was still a long way from being finished, he knew, and that was assuming it would ever end. But in this one moment, Ruby looked completely serene, and Jaune was taken by the strangest sensation that if his young leader could remain calm and resolute before such a storm as lay before them, then it might just be possible that he could weather it too.

Of course, she also made for such a pristine picture that he found himself hesitant to disturb her. He was about to turn around, resolving to bother her another time, when he heard her voice call out to him.

"Hey Jaune," she said simply.

Jaune flinched a little at her voice. No backing out now, it seemed.

"Hey…" he said, sidling up next to her. "Mind if I sit here?"

Ruby shrugged noncommittally. "Sure…"

Jaune sat down uneasily next to her. She still had not looked at him. He supposed she still hadn't forgiven him for blowing up at her like he did. All he could do now was apologize.

"Look, I'm…" he said slowly. "I'm sorry about earlier…"

Ruby still wasn't looking at him. Jaune hung his head as he continued.

"Things are just so messed up right now," he explained. "But that doesn't mean that I have any right to take it out on you. So…I'm sorry. For being a basket case, for bringing your sister into it…for everything, really. So I'm sorry."

Ruby didn't say anything for a while, but Jaune couldn't think of anything else to say that wouldn't drag on unnecessarily, so he just waited for a response.

Finally he got one.

"We're teammates, Jaune," she said.

Jaune sighed and nodded. "I know…and I shouldn't have said something so hurtful to a teammate."

"No, I mean…" Ruby looked up at him. "I shouldn't have been so hard on you. You're my teammate, and as your teammate, I worry about you. But that doesn't make it my job to tell you how to think or how to feel…especially about someone so important to you."

Jaune managed a smile. "Maybe not…but you have every right to be concerned that I might endanger the team because of it."

Ruby shrugged. "But I also need to face facts. We don't know what happened to Pyrrha. We were also barely a match for her. And she only ran off after facing down you specifically, Jaune."

Jaune fidgeted uneasily. "I noticed that too…"

"The next time we face her, we might not get so lucky," Ruby said forebodingly. "Maybe you're right about her; maybe there's something of Pyrrha left in that creature we fought. If there is…then it's possible that her feelings for you might have saved us all…"

Jaune stiffened. He wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"I know it's…none of my business…" Ruby admitted, sounding embarrassed. "But…if there was anything between you two, Jaune…then it could be the key to stopping her next time. I don't know if we'll be able to save her…but we need to at least be able to save ourselves."

Jaune lowered his eyes. "You're right…I don't like it, but you're right."

Ruby offered a bitter smile. "You loved her…didn't you?"

Jaune nodded. "I think I did…"

"Then…if you'll allow me to offer you some advice…" Ruby stood up, facing him. "You need to show her that you honor her memory and what she stood for. The next time you see her, Jaune…fight her with everything you have. Show her that her legacy lives on in you."

Jaune gave Ruby a confused look. "I thought we were counting on her not wanting to hurt me or something…you think that'll work?"

Ruby smiled. "If she was any bit the fighter that I know she was, then your message will ring the loudest if you speak to her through your sword."

Jaune rested a hand on the pommel of his sword, looking down at it sheepishly.

"Yeah, but…there's also the part where I've never landed a single blow on her in training…" he said nervously. "And that's when she was going easy on me. This Pyrrha isn't pulling any punches."

Ruby sighed and shook her head. "Then you'll just have to get better, Jaune…"

Jaune scratched his head. "You make it sound like it's so easy..."

"It won't be," Ruby assured him. "It'll be the hardest thing you ever do. But don't worry Jaune - I'll help you."

Jaune looked up. "You will?"

"Of course," Ruby shrugged like it was obvious. "We're partners now, Jaune. And partners help each other. I'll always have your back. No matter how many arguments we get into."

She reached a hand down to help him to his feet. Jaune took her hand and got up, blushing sheepishly as she smiled at him.

It was nice to have a partner again.

"Come on Jaune," Ruby gestured back to the camp with her head. "Let's get going."

As Ruby turned to go, Jaune followed after her, the first glimmers of dawn just barely becoming visible on the horizon.

As they reached the others, the each stood in response to their approach.

"It's been over twelve hours, guys," Ruby announced. "I don't think our rendezvous is coming. Time to pack it in."

Nora and Ren exchanged anxious looks.

"They could just be delayed…" Nora pointed out.

Ren shook his head. "Even if they are, if we're delayed as a result, we're not helping anyone."

Ruby nodded. "Ren's right. We can't afford to wait any longer. Scouting procedure is pretty clear – we've waited the allotment of twelve hours, so now we report back to Haven."

Nora still looked troubled. "But what if they finally show up and we're not here…?"

Jaune stepped forward, approaching the rock face.

"Then we leave them a sign," he said, drawing his sword.

Thirteen sword strikes later, the crude lettering for RNJR had been carved along the pale limestone rock face.

He turned to the other three and smiled.

"We're a team, after all," he said, sheathing his sword.

The other three smiled. The sun had begun to crest the horizon.

"Alright then," Ruby declared. "Team RNJR! Move out!"