Salutation! Well here's the Chapter 24!

Yehey I don't own RWBY! Good for me?

Enjoy!

Chapter 24: Summer Rose

"Summer Rose, was a maiden. That was a fact known only to the guardians like Ozpin and the other 3 heads of academies. However, few people knew of her real identity and of her origins. She was a citizen of Menagerie, the World tree City, and she used to live in the 'Holy Grounds' of Fort Castle."

Tai was surprised at such revelation there, "What!? She told us that she came from Haven!"

"The reason she ventured outside the Menagerie Kingdom was because of her adventurous attitude. She wanted to see the world. Help as many people as she can, not as a candidate of knighthood, but as a Huntress."

"But why? How could she leave a place like that. Everyone wanted to see Menagerie, even me…" said Qrow

"And what's this about 'her' being a candidate for knighthood?" asked Tai

"You see Mr. Xiao long, Summer Rose belongs to a bloodline that traces all the way back to the age of the king. She came from the house of Knights named 'Sage Ayana', the right hand man of the late King Arthur Arc. From birth, education, training etc. Everything was already given to her. That was reason she became a candidate. And….. the other reason as to why she left is rather, more historical issue that befall on her bloodline."

"And that is?"

"Sage Ayana, her Ancestor….. was the King's best friend. He was also the one who betrayed him. The reason as to how and why was lost in the thousands of years that passed."

"So then, she left her home, to go to Vale and train as a huntress?"

"That is correct"

"And Ozpin was aware this?"

Ozpin stood forward, "To my knowledge, I was only aware of Summer's Maiden status. However, about her background information with the knights, I am completely in the dark on that"

"But you knew her capabilities!?" asked Qrow

"Yes, Qrow. She wanted to be a Huntress to help people, that was the reason she kept on stressing. For a time I thought she really meant it, having to enjoy her stay at Beacon as well as to have the 3 of you as her teammates. She excelled, in every way possible. She even manage to keep the peace"

"8 years ago…. 8 years ago, you sent her for a mission and… she never came back" Tai faced Ozpin. His eyes was dead serious.

"Indeed, but that was strictly a reconnaissance mission that didn't involve fighting enemies nor the Grimm. Though I am shocked right now" Ozpin's glared at Jaune, "Actually, words cannot describe the sensation…..I am greatly disappointed, that I myself let her killer enter my school"

Ozpin's grip at his cane got tighter, that Glynda had to step in, held his hands and block his view of the blonde, "Ozpin calm down, this is not the time to break from your passive mood. Please…. Ease up" Councilor Tucson also step in.

"She is correct, Professor Ozpin, you are a professional, a guardian even… act like one." The councilor presence managed to calm things down. He continued, "The reason she left our Kingdom and took refuge here in Beacon was because of another goal….. She wanted to restore the Honor of the House of Knights under 'Sage Ayana'. It was a preposterous at the time. We didn't know how she was going do it….. but….. Jaune came"

Jaune stood from the ground. He was helped by Raven and Neo, and settle him by a chair. He was physically weak, and he wasn't planning on healing himself with his aura. It was the wounds and bruises he truly deserved, "At first, I thought she went after me for that reason alone. In the End, I was wrong"

"We met by the Eastern wall of the Icey Mountain of Haven…."

Flashback ….

Summer stood in front of the child Reaper, blocking his path. Her current goal was to stop him and all his murdering of innocent lives. After she saw this…. 'kid' in the screen back home the night Atlas fell, she knew that she had to do something. The 'True Order' was going beyond the lines as to use a kid for a weapon. She cannot allow such cruelty.

"Hey there! What's your name?"

"….."

"Want some Hot chocolate? I can give you some"

"….."

"How about… Ice cream?"

"….."

"You have to work with me here deary…. My name is Summer Ro—" She was cut off when child reaper charged in and attacked her. Summer immediately evade the deadly swing of the black scythe by jumping on the left. She then disarmed Jaune by grabbing his legs and knocked him down. With her petrification powers, the black weaponized gardening tool turned into stone, then shattered. She pinned the Child completely on the ground.

"It's not a polite thing to attack your opponent, without introducing yourself first, you know"

"..." The child only looked at her.

"You ready to talk?"

The child only glared at her, inside he was already laughing, "You poor lady, don't you know that humans are nothing but insect. Worthless and pathetic. I will not waste my time, talking to such low life." The reaper thought to himself.

But he made a mistake about her. Summer with her Maiden power disrupted Jaune's aura or energy flow. She sent her own energy that spiraled and wreak havoc inside child's body. Making the reaper scream in pain. Imagine the human body like a liter of Coke, an immense pressurize body that was filled with energy, or in this, case elements of a dark malice. The Coke suddenly reacts after having a foreign substance mixed in, which could be a Mentos in a form of Aura. The sensation or the phenomenon was much, much, much worst. You could say the reaction was 10 times worse than normal.

"What's your name?" Summer asked in a 50% polite way and 50% seriousness.

"I…I…. don't have a name….." the Reaper uttered in a shaky yet monstrous echoed voice.

"Oh… I see, then I'll give you one" Summer remembered the names from the time when Tai and herself was guessing whether they'll have a baby girl or a boy.

However, she was quite embarrassed after remembering that scene. All the name she came up with was beyond normal ones. In fact it was beyond Remnant, Keroro, Menma, Itachi, Sting, Teemo, Fizz, Ezrel the list goes on and on.

Summer quickly thought of the names, one that will fit this blonde, "Blonde? Wait! That's right! I'll call you 'Jaune'. The French term for Yellow!"

Her glee upon finding the perfect name for the child was briefly enjoyed as the child chest's began to glow. She released her grip and back away from Jaune. The aura she was feeling was beyond anything she ever faced before. The glow was deep purple and from the origin of the light, she saw something that looked like a jewel, like a giant pearl of some sort.

"Foolish Human! From the time you touched me, was the time you have touched death!" Jaune's body suddenly went black as dark liquefied substance covered his skin and completely changed form. He was like a monster fit to be called a Grimm. Jaune let himself be engulfed by rage and hatred.

"This is going to be a long day" said Summer as she prepares herself.

The real battle begins…..

The fight between the two was like a fight between Nagato Pain Versus Naruto in his 6 tailed Kurama beast form. The earth shook, shattered and the mountain crumbled down, as the entire Eastern landscape was completely redecorated. The only reason Summer was able to fight with Jaune toe to toe was because of her unique existence. Other than the fact that she was Maiden, she was also a bloodline of the knight 'Sage Ayana'. A house of Knight that stood the test of time. Having both, she was like demigod.

A brief silence exist…..

Summer was all bruised and bleeding. She succeeded in staying alive after almost 6 hours of battling Jaune. Which no one was even capable of doing, not even the other '6' forsaken children. Despite her current state, she can't help but smile. If she was covered by wounds, imagine her opponent.

Jaune was lying on the ground beat and breathless. His beastly form was half casted. He also took quite some damage, enough that his child body was peering from the black death like form he had. Jaune tried to stand once again but was stopped when Summer took the opening and grab the pearled gem in his chest. With all the energy she had left, Summer pulled and reaped the object.

Jaune screamed so loud that it echoed all throughout Haven. The pain was excruciating beyond anything, but he won't let it end just yet. With sharp claws, Jaune slash Summer's left side near the back. He then injected the black substance into her blood stream. From the second that Summer successfully separated the pearl from Jaune, the dark liquid substance disappeared.

The battle was won by the Maiden Summer Rose…

Current Date and Time….

"That time, I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was in a room sealed by fortification runes" Jaune continued.

"Jaune was taken to Fort Castle. Summer barely made it alive after sustaining that level of both blood lost and wounds. She surrendered the gem to the council and told her report." Added by Councilor Tucson

"She regained more than the Honor that the House of knights once lost. She gets to be the one to return the artifact that belonged to the King himself, the 'Sacred Jewel of Equilibrium'. This Jewel was rumored to be the tear that crystalized after the almighty creator 'Monty Oum' was betrayed by one of his sons 'Ova'. It was the single tear that was shed when the god Monty fell asleep." The councilor and the Knights would know such story. It was one of the perks having to live in a city of books.

"Was it that important?" asked Qrow. Clearly he hasn't understood the magnitude of such item, and its origin. Who would?

Oobleck had to answer that, it was his pride, being the doctor who studied the thing, "Important? Mr. Branwen, that Jewel used to belong in legends and 'stories'. Stories associated with the King's adventures or more like struggles to defeat the god 'Ova' and free humanity… And that very Jewel is what saved all of Vale"

"WHAT!?" said by everyone in unison except the Councilor and the Knights. Raven didn't know that part, she was already knocked out by that time. Qrow, Glynda, Tai and Ozpin couldn't not believe at what they are hearing.

"That jewel is known simply by the term 'core'. The very core that rests inside Jaune Arc himself" added the councilor, "Summer…." The councilor paused for a few sec, "She didn't took the 'Core' away from Jaune, because the boy's life manifested from it. It bonded with the core, like a soul. If taken, his physical body would die"

"Then why is Jaune still alive? Isn't he supposed to be 'dead'?" Tai stressed the word 'dead' which made Neo tick a nerve. She wanted to give the guy a good black eye, and she doesn't care if the councilor was present. No one talks about her brother like that. The only thing that was stopping her was Jaune who was holding her hand in a grip.

"Summer was against that idea. She begged and urged us, the Council, to let Jaune keep it. In exchange she will be the one to take care of him"

"WHAT!? Why!?" Tai exclaimed

"Mr. Xiao Long, your wife wants to save the child. He was drag in a world where killing is a normal thing. She wanted to free Jaune from the grasp of the 'True Order'. Summer wanted Jaune to live a normal life. She even considered to bring him back to meet your daughters."

"But she didn't, because that BASTARD killed her!" Tai urged to strangle Jaune again. He was stopped by Ironwood and Lancer, "You! And all of you knights, knew! Why didn't you just killed the bastard! He's a murderer."

Ironwood answered back, "As far as I'm concerned, so does all of us. It's just the matter of….. which side your fighting on and to what purpose do you believe is justly"

Ozpin wanted to know more, other than the fact of Summer's killer. He wanted to know what exactly is that 'core' and what does it do. Vale was saved because of it, he was saved by Jaune… he didn't know how to digest that part, "Then What does this 'Core' do? You said it saved Vale. How exactly did it—", "That black Sphere on the sky that floated. It burst correct?" Oobleck cut him off

"Yes"

"But nothing happened. That was because the core has the ability to convert dark energy into pure light energy and vice versa. That black ball of mass ill feelings was converted into life. You saw it with your own eyes, those specs of green. Jaune also has the ability to seal his own aura or others, freely….. well, if the situation called for it."

Ozpin was stern in his approach, "Then why would Jaune have such artifact?"

"Because…" Oobleck looked at Jaune, he wanted to make sure that he really meant the things they've talked about. Jaune only replied with a nod, so did the rest of the knights, and with that, Oobleck was convinced, "Jaune Arc was once a member of the 'True Order', he was the 'Reaper'"

"WHAT!" Glynda back a few steps away, Qrow drew his sword and Ozpin raise his cane. All of them was hoist to attack Jaune.

Oobleck raised a finger "I would like to emphasize the word 'Once'. Jaune no longer bares any links to the wretched organization."

"How can you be so sure? He could be playing all of us!"

"If he did, then all of you would already be dead, right now" Said Neo with a cold and on point reasoning.

"The one you're so eager to kill right now, is the one who ended the Organization 6 years ago" said Ironwood

Councilor nod his head in agreement, "That is true, Jaune destroyed the 'True Order'. He was the reason why the Enemy was so unstoppable then. When he turned to our side, the 'True Order' quickly fell faster than the time they rose in power. But he wasn't alone, the 4 knights in this room also took part. You could say that these 5 saved not just one Kingdom but the whole world"

"7" corrected by Ironwood. Clearly Saber and Rider was left out.

"I'm sorry?"

"It was the 7 of us, councilor"

"Ah yes, my mistake. The two other knights… they died in the effort to end the madness of the 'Order'"

"We all payed the price for it" added Archer.

"And Jaune was the one who contributed more, even when Saber and Rider's lives were sacrificed" stressed Neo.

Tai didn't care about that details, he only wanted to one thing, "Tell me, how did she die", Ironwood held back Tai, "Your being too irrational tai, calm down—", "TELL ME!"

"Summer died by sacrificing her own life for my sake" Jaune voiced out.

A brief Flashback….

"Hey Jaune! Are you hungry?" asked Summer. She was holding a tray of food for him.

"Why?..."

"Well because you're a growing child, you'll need to eat healthy so you'll—"

"I MEANT WHY KEEP ME ALIVE! I am nothing now. Kill me….. KILL ME!" Jaune even without the power of corrupted 'core', was enrage. He kept on turning his quarters into a mess.

Summer only replied with a "No, I won't" she placed the tray down by the corner table and went to Jaune, "Why do you desire to die?"

"Because I am nothing, keeping me alive is like torture! I ALREADY TOOK SO MANY LIVES! All those people… all those humans… I killed them all. They were all weak…weak…..weak….. and all I had to do….was to swing my weapon…. Please….. please End me….. Kill me now!" His expression was like that of a twisted and crazy person.

Summer only took Jaune and lock him in a motherly embrace, "I won't. Jaune, I want to save you. Your just a child. You have the right to live a normal life, far from the bloodshed. Let me help you"

Jaune was bewildered of the act. The sensation he was feeling was rather new to him. It was something he never knew he could ever feel.

Longing

Bits of tears started to form in Jaune's eyes. He tried to fight it back, because he didn't knew what those were before, "What's this? Why….why is there….. water coming out …of my eyes?", "You poor child, those are called tears. I can feel it, you long for someone that will fill that spot in your heart."

"No….no, no, no, no That's not true" Jaune's chest began to hurt. The sensation right now was burning. The dark malice surrounding the corrupted core was spiraling up, "It…. It hurts…"s

"Jaune, let me help you" Summer mustered all the Aura she has and let it flow through him. As a result, a bright light began to shine all over the World tree city. A pillar of light was coming from the Fort Castle.

Current Day and Time…..

"Because of our fight…. Summer was wounded. The black substance poured in her blood stream. It was like poison in a manner. Summer was slowly but surely dying. One night, she came to my quarters. The only way that she can save me and insure the future was for her to sacrifice her life" Jaune's lowered his head, "With every ounces of pure aura she had left, Summer poured everything into the corrupted core. Doing so, she managed to activate and convert the core back to its pure form. But it took a toll…..Just before she breath her last. She looked at me and said,

"Humans…. We humans…..We will change because we can change. I know it, we may be weak but we just have to be. If not then we wouldn't have a reason to grow, to get strong, I know it's seems impossible to you, but it is not…because were getting stronger with every step we make'" Jaune's eye had tear now, "Perhaps you will as well. You are no longer the person you were before. You are now 'Jaune'. The one who will protect this world and be the hero, that you were destined to be. And perhaps you can meet my daughters one day, and become friends."

Jaune paused, he didn't want to say the last words uttered by Summer, just before her eyes closed permanently, "Just remember... no matter what path you have walked, no matter how the journey gets rough from here on out ... You will be loved, you 'are' loved, Jaune. I may not be your mom, but I want you to know, that I love you"

Tai only knelt from his place. He couldn't believe that Summer would simply give her life for someone like Jaune. He still refuse such outcomes. He can never forgive Jaune, not even when Summer saw something in him.

"The maiden powers left her body and seek a new host. To whom and where, I don't know"

Neo suddenly voiced up and crossed her arms, "Well…. I do" her comment made everyone divert their attention to her with confusion, "Go ahead and guess"

Unknown….

Ruby was standing in a world that filled with nothing but the color white. Nothing can be seen, not even a sound exist. A peaceful realm that was like the afterlife. She tried to walk around wondering if she'll see anything recognizable.

"Where am I?"

"…."

"Is anyone there?"

"…."

"Guys?"

"…."

"Where am I, I have to go back to Vale. I have to warn Yang!"

Suddenly the white space began to shift like there was a straight line. Then her body began to rise as if she was being levitated into another row of columns. The environment was like that of a 3 dimensional space inside another 5 dimensional reality (like that moment in the movie 'Interstellar'). The scene wasn't too creepy for Ruby, in fact it made her wonder more. She was simply fascinated. Sure she was in a hurry a while ago, but she decided to stick around for now.

The pillars of endless length stretching as far as the eye can see. Each corner hangs a painting of a female. On the thousands of portraits, she searched every corner and observed each painting she came by. The females looked like they were in different time, races and age. She was floating in space while she by 'will' forces herself like a flying. The phenomenon continued as Ruby flew along the space.

On the 340th turn, another painting hanged. A face that was very familiar to her, she saw someone made her tears drop. It was Summer Rose, her mom.

"Mom..." Ruby slowly lays her hand over the painting near Summer's cheeks, yearning for her, "I missed you"

Then another canvass appeared near the left, the light glowed as if signaling her to come near. Her sight was fixated on one particular image that was forming out of the large canvas. A giant painting was there standing still in the middle of nothing. The image had a forest, a vast and lively forest.

Ruby marveled at the scene as she slowly hovered her hand towards the object. Strangely her hand passed the border line of the image. The picture was like a window, a portal leading to somewhere.

Out of curiosity, Ruby jumped in.

She found hers self in the middle of a vast forest filled with so much life. Animals, trees, flowers and fruits were everywhere, it was as if the season was 'Spring'.

Ruby walked around and marveled at the environment. She never saw something like this. Usually her stroll around the forest back home was always interrupted by Grimm. So right now, she wanted to enjoy the moment. She completely forgot all the problems and all the happenings, especially her Team. Her clothes changed as well, as they slowly fade out with the wind, and replaced by a simple white sleeveless dress. Ruby was so cheerful and lively as she played with the animals. Ate some fresh fruits and ran and dance around the field of flowers. Her mood was so peaceful and lively, as she placed herself down in the bed of flowers.

Little did she knew that one girl with Orange curled hair was watching with glee. This stranger stood from behind a tree and approached Ruby.

"Salutation!"

Ruby was startled, she quickly rose up, "Uhm hi"

"Hello Ruby Rose, My name is Penny"

To be Continued…..

Well there we go!

Sorry it took a while, I blame College. I know it wasn't much, having the scene where Ruby just met 'The' Maiden Goddess. However more will come! I promise XD

Next Chapter 'Penny'

Don't forget to leave a review

The chapter updates will be weekly (hopefully) my Studies and Professors won't be terrorizing my weekends or any free time.

So until then See Yea!

Kuya-taku is out! PEACE …. (^-^),,"V"