Thank you for your patience. We've really been on this path for a long time, haven't we? Next path will be Yang and afterwards... Cinder. I apologize for ending it at five when I was supposed to do more, I just can't continue this and extend it beyond where it should. Plus, I'm starting to lose interest. It's been years since I started. I will finish it, damn straight I will. Just be patient. Review what you think, and enjoy!
Chaos was a word Jaune was familiar with. It was one word to describe whatever calamity that was his life was turning out to be. Some of it ended up beautiful, other times it ended up disastrous, but no matter what, there were far and few in between calm moments. This however was different. Life ending consequences were in either direction, fire, smoke, screaming and destruction everywhere. Stalls were lit ablaze, the scent of sweets burning away, fist charring, turning to what resembled lumps of charcoal, and an alarming lot of bodies, enough to make a gravedigger very busy over the next few weeks.
There was discord on either side. In front was a town quite literally roasting to death, people running around like lost chickens with a fox in the den, gunfire popping through the air in tandem with the demon grimm roaring. At their back was a train from Blake's past in the form of an angry ex-boyfriend, and leader of a terrorist sect trying to eliminate humanity off the mother nature leaderboard, who was currently charging like angry bull, no pun intended, via a secondary lifeboat. It was a matter of time before both of the issues sandwiched both Jaune and Blake if they didn't do something quick.
Blake stood at the ready, Gambol Shroud drawn, sweat boarding at her brow. "If you have a plan, I would like to know it." She rasped, trying to get a proper breath out with the heat on the rise.
Jaune looked back at her like the faunus had just lost her marbles. "You have got to be joking. What kind of plan could I even come up with right now? I'm being chased by a jealous ex-boyfriend who wants to eradicate my entire species, starting with this piece of dorky meat right here!" He exclaimed, pointing at himself. "Not to mention the fact that this town is literally burning down! What can I do?"
"Anything other than scream would be nice." Blake retorted, knocking his back with her elbow. "Just think about it- look out!" She dove to one side as the demon grimm nosedived for the pair, wings unfurled, rapier-like claws outstretched, raking against the ground. Jaune barely managed to dive to the side fast enough, the claws splitting a few hairs off his head.
The grimm swiped furiously side to side, ripping apart cars, signs, pieces of fish and gods know what. They had just barely manage to dodge the strikes, debris bouncing off Jaune's shield. The demon Grimm outright front flipped to the pavement, asphalt cracking under foot like glass, claw raised up high. Heart skipping a beat, Jaune raised his shield, blocking the blow as the claws raked down across the steel, creating a shower of sparks. The beast struck down again and again, putting enough pressure to nearly make Jaune's knees buckle. Another swipe came, this time coming to the side. Jaune managed to prepare his shield accordingly, blocking the strike but the force took him off his feet, sending him flailing in the air straight into the side of a parked car, nearly crumpling it in half.
Ears ringing. Stinging pain everywhere. It was as though every nerve was on fire. He could just barely make out Blake screaming his name before charging in, dodging a multitude of slashes with the grace and proficiency of a professional gymnast. She hopped over one, dodging the other by flipping over the veiny extended arm, and fired off a few bullets into the Grimm's face, black mist spilling out of the holes. The Grimm shrieked loudly, and to Jaune's horror, managed a successful hit on Blake, sending her flying high into the side of a nearby building with enough force to crack it.
Coughing, raspy from the smoke, Jaune let out a shaky roar, pulling himself out of the demolished carside to charge once more. One might call this action brave, charging into certain doom without a plan. Just hack, slash, and try not to die. However, every tired brain cell in his head was screaming just for him to listen to the god that was common sense. Respect him even. To hell with that. This was a mess that needed cleaning, for the sake of the people in this town, for the sake of Blake. He had to at least try.
Jaune played the evasion game, rolling, blocking, finding ways between each of its large defence. Between rapid dodges, weaving through a few, he nicked away at whatever was in reach for the moment, from its thigh to its ankle to its midsection. Every motion had to be right, right down to the breath, or there would be no leaving this fight without being in enough pieces to fit in a bucket. It was bizarre, the motions felt so clear, almost as if relying purely on muscle memory. It felt as though this battle had been done before, like staring at the faint reflection of a mirror, but this was insane. He had never seen this Grimm before, had he?
The small cuts were starting to take their toll. The Demon Grimm was starting to slow down, breath getting a tad raspy and haggard. It looked like it was in too much pain to move. Its wings swung by in his direction, Jaune reacting quickly and cutting one of the wings off at the base, it quickly evaporating into a black haze. The unholy, blood-curdling shriek it emitted was enough to make his ears ring. What Jaune did next was going beyond ridiculous, and entering mental patient in a padded room levels. He dropped his weapon, and his shield, and gripped the beasts thick, pail, fleshy arm, and judo flipped it hard into the ground, shattering the asphalt around them in a circular crater.
"Oh don't think I'm done with you yet!" Jaune roared, still gripping the beasts are hard. He sput, dragging the heavy beast off the ground before flinging it into the river with a great splash. Jaune stared at the bubbling mass as the shadow began sinking to the ocean floor. He sat their panting before a wide grin, laughing victoriously with his fists in the air. "I won! I won! Suck it, Cardin, I can kill powerful Grimm on my own!"
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Blake stumbling over to meet him, looking a tad worse for wear. A few edges of her clothes had been torn, a few ends burnt, and a small trickle of blood was dripping down from her head, but she seemed alright, especially with that smile on her face. Jaune raced over to help her stand. She let out an uneasy chuckle. "I don't know whether I should congratulate you, or wonder why your first thought revolved around a bully who's out of his age-range."
"Please congratulate me. This is like a once in a lifetime opportunity. Who can say they single handedly took down an unknown Grimm with sword, shield and just a bit of stupidity?" Jaune mused, wrapping her arm over his shoulders to hoist her up.
"Fine, you'll get it this time." she said with feigned exasperation. She smiled back up to him again, filling Jaune's chest with warmth. Seeing that rare smile was quite a treat worthy of kings. "Good job out there-"
Bang!
Jaune's head snapped forward as a bullet smacked and flattened against his cranium, aura fizzling out like a match in a wet cave. That was it. No more defence. Fear choked him as he realized just how vulnerable he really was. Blake gawked in shock before turning to the direction of the shot. Adam was coming. Fast. Jaune had completely forgotten they were arriving on their small lifeboat, and they were just approaching the port. He could see the malevolence in his grin from there, as well as the smoking barrel of his gun.
The pair stumbled away awkwardly, trying to keep each other on their feet, looking like a poorly constructed three-legged race. The streets were deserted, the flames already dying down, and one of the buildings were nearly untouched. They hunkered down in there, sitting in a basement cluttered with storage boxes and dust, but at least it was an okay place to catch your breath. It was a decent place to recharge for the moment, especially for the living battery man with a head full of noodles as his mother would say, but the dust bunnies kept getting picked up one after the other with Blake continually pacing the room.
Squatted against the wall, still panting to catch whatever piece of oxygen wasn't filled with dust, Jaune reached out to try and stop her, but she brushed past him. She was muttering something under her breath, almost as if she were scolding herself for something. Jaune called out once, twice, nothing. Finally after a third time, she turned back sharply, fury in her eyes.
"I'm fine!" She snapped.
Jaune jumped a little, taken aback. "Alright, you're fine. I'm sorry." He said quickly. "But if you don't mind, could you tell me what you're doing since you're 'fine'?"
"Trying to think! Stop talking!" Blake shouted, grinding her fists against the sides of her head, muttering getting louder and faster. It was incomprehensible at this point.
"Blake, I seriously think you should calm down. This isn't-"
"If you say this isn't my faunt one more fucking time, I will put a bullet in your head!" Blake roared, tears streaming down her face. It was enough to stop his heart. The strongest woman he'd ever known was reduced to a wallowing mess. Jaune reached out again, but his hand was slapped away. She kicked one of the shelves down, screaming in frustration.
"Blake, please just calm down a moment. We can talk this out." Jaune tried to reason.
"Work this out?" Blake said incredulously, as if talking to a child lacking that one extra brain cell called common sense. "How the hell can this even be worked out? Do you want to wave some kind of magic wand and wish my problems away? Is that it?" She screamed again, kicking over another shelf, its contents spilling on the floor in a crumpled heap. "I hate this! I hate this so much! Why did I listen to him? Why did I fall in love with some demented killer? Because he was handsome? Charming? Had conviction and purpose when I had none? Now look where I am! So many people dead, so many lives ruined, all because of me! And now, you're gonna die to. And Weiss, and Ruby and… Y-Yang…"
Her voice choked as she sank to her knees. Jaune didn't miss a beat, rushing over to hold her in his arms. Blake didn't try to run this time, choosing instead to fully embrace him. "I just can't take it anymore. I want the pain to stop." She cried.
"So that's why you didn't want anyone around." Jaune said quietly, rubbing her ears to soothe her.
"What better way to not feel this pain then to make sure no one is around to create it?" Blake asked. "Face it. It's better this way."
"Do you really think that?" Jaune asked. Blake said nothing, tightening her grip on his chest plate. "I'll be honest, I'm in way over my head. I came in Beacon with nothing, no experience, no help, just a suitcase, an old sword and a bunch of lies. I had a lot of growing up to do." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It wasn't easy, but my team made me realize something. We're more than teammates, or even friends. We're a family. We help each other, guide each other, make each other mad, make issues worse, or offer some of the best advice you've ever seen. The point is, they are there, and that's what matters."
"What does it matter if they all die in the end?" Blake managed.
"Blake, please stop. Think of your team for a moment. Not just their wellbeing, but how they feel. They aren't made out of glass." He said. "You're all so close together, and it's honestly really nice to see. Imagine what would happen to them if you'd suddenly just disappear. They'd be broken. If a threat comes, you'll fight for them, and they'll fight for you. Please just stop pushing all of us away. You're hurting us more than any kind of gunshot or grimm ever could, because that kind of pain is something people never really forget."
Blake fell silent for a moment, drinking all of that in. She wiped away her tears, glancing at Jaune with a strange little glow in her eyes. She leaned closer, Jaune's heart skipping a beat or two, meeting his forehead with hers and rubbing them together. A form of affection maybe? Jaune didn't know, but whatever it was, it felt soft and brought a smile to his face.
"Fine. Make a plan so we can go home." She said swiftly. "I also need time to pay you back for this little adventure."
Jaune blinked and stared in surprise. "Blake, please, I really don't need some kind of reward. I just wanted to help you."
"Need it? No. But you're taking it anyway." She said bluntly. "Come. We have a bridge to burn."
/
The fires had died down thankfully by the time the pair had left their hiding place. It was very relieving to see that everyone had been evacuated. A few bodies lay scattered here and there, however the casualties were very low all things considered. The street was bare, save for a few scattered remains cars, stalls, window glass, and a few miscellaneous objects strewn here and there, enough pieces to make things a tad complicated to walk around in. The White Fang soldiers saw no issue with this as they stampeded through the block, stopping shy of two angry teenagers in the middle of the street.
Adam pressed through the crowd, splitting them apart like parting a river with a stone. The air felt tense as everyone was silent. It was a while before anyone even dared to speak.
"Hello, my darling." Adam said in an oddly sultry tone.
Jaune shivered. Blake was not too far off. "Don't call me that."
"You've given up? You're handing yourself over? Good choice. Hand over the human filth and his death will be quick and painless." Adam said, looking oddly eager to get this done. How much of a murder itch did that man have to scratch to be satisfied?
"No, Adam. I'm done." Blake said plainly. Adam cocked a brow, showing an oddly dominant glare that made Blake shudder. Before she could balk, Jaune held her hand, and she stopped shaking. "Adam, I will give you this one chance to give it all up. Stand down, and be peaceful for once in your life." The growing strength in her voice was inspiring. Jaune felt his spirit amping up hearing it.
Adam gritted his teeth, looking on in revile as if the pair were disgusting insects splattered on a windshield. "You've really been corrupted by their filth, haven't you? I would have thought you of all people would have understood. Then again, you are the wench who decided to leave me alone."
"Don't, Adam. That's not gonna work on me anymore." Blake growled. "Enough of your control. I'm not some pet, or one of the many people you've brainwashed and corrupted. Not anymore. It's over, Adam. I'm leaving her with you out of the way, or in a body bag."
Brazenly, shocking everyone, Blake charged straight for the person no expected, the raging bull Adam Taurus. The shock took its course on Adam as he barely reacted fast enough to block a blade aimed for his throat. There was a silent determination in Blake's eyes. She didn't want any of this, but someone had to do it. Someone had to do the right thing.
Swords clashed loudly as the two danced around each other, sparks flying as high as the street lamp above their heads. The strikes were precise, well-practiced, almost mimicking each other. The other soldiers were distracted by what was going on, too distracted to notice a shield flying right for the closest ones dome. It bounced off with a loud gong, the terrorist staggering before collapsing, out like a light. Jaune caught the thrown shield, raising it quickly to block the oncoming gunfire.
His breath caught his throat every time a bullet scraped past his armor, bounced off the edge of his shield, whistled by his head, and whenever that burning heat was just barely scratching him. No aura, barely any defence, not nearly enough speed, it made it almost too terrifying to move an inch. Sucking air through his teeth, he charged in with reckless abandon, bashing straight into a terrorist with enough force to send him flailing into a wall. Jaune quickly took advantage of their disarray and swiftly cut them down one by one before they had a chance to reload. Jaune finally took a breath, having held it nearly through the entire process, noticing that it had gotten oddly quiet.
Bang!
Jaune's body jerked to the left suddenly as a bullet bored through his shoulder. Blinding pain nearly made him pass out on the spot. How he was able to stay conscious was anyone's guess. His back hit the ground, a shocking amount of blood. Adam stood a distance away, gun raised, Blake's arms bound behind her back with her own ribbon, struggling to get out from under his boot.
"Human, do you have any idea just how much trouble you've caused me?" Adam seethed. "You've corrupted my darling, wrecked weeks worth of planning trying to attack this port town, and made a mess of my men. So far, you've outdone most of the humans I've had the displeasure of meeting."
"Should I… be honored?" He rasped, holding his bleeding shoulder wound.
"You should be grateful I don't have time to torture you." Adam said angrily, fists balled tightly. "Now hold still if you want this to be a clean sh-"
Another sharp gunshot burst through the air. Jaune flinched, awaiting another surge of pain, but none came. No, in fact, a pool of blood was starting to ooze from Adam's shirt as he stood there, awestruck.
"Wha-" Adam was cut off once again as the next sniper round penetrated his skull, sending him to the ground.
Jaune's eyes rolled back as the pain took him over, making everything turn black slowly.
I can't believe it. You survived once more.
What is the common thread? How did you prevail for a third time? There must be an answer.
A voice. That sounded like his own, but he wasn't speaking. No matter. There was only the darkness left. With that, he passed out.
/
The humming of an airship woke him up again, relishing on the soft, plump surface his head was on. He hissed in pain, not able to fully sit up, and saw Blake's smiling face while he laid his head on her lap. Beside them were many Atlas soliders looking a tad too at ease. To Jaune's shock, neither of them were cuffed either. On the other side of them was Klaus, who sat with an odd smile on his face.
"You are quite the heavy sleeper." He commented.
"I was shot." Jaune managed before he could stop himself. "Wait, what's happening? What happened to the White Fang? Adam? What is-"
"Don't strain yourself. As you've just blatantly stated, you were just shot." Klaus said, clearing his throat. "Through the last time we met, I was doing my own investigation. As it turns out, the claims have been called into question, and those who called it have been held for possible slander. Of course there will be some processing issues, but I'm sure this incident will start wrapping itself up in the coming weeks. All we need is your patience."
Jaune blinked in shock. "So that's it? No more running?"
"None. You're safe for now as long as you behave." Klaus said.
Jaune smiled gleefully. "You hear that, Blake? No more cold nights out in the streets and-" Jaune was once again habitually stopped… by a kiss? Blake had bent and full on lip-locked him, leaving him in a state of shock.
She tapped her lips. "So that's what real romance feels like." She smiled. "Shape up, hero. I still need to pay you back on the way home."
Jaune said nothing. Only smiled.