Jaune and Ren placed down the tons of cement, the former wiping away a drop of sweat as soldiers in a construction worker's outfit gathered over it. It's been weeks since Rugal's attempt in obliterating every life on Mistral. Luckily, not all of Mistral was completely broken. Only a few cities.
Luckily, Haven Academy was left mostly undamaged, allowing the students who still desire to become a Huntsman or Huntress fulfill their dream. On the downside, of course, was the number of casualties. More than a thousand of people have died in the event, which the BK had dubbed as the R-Incident. Rugal's children publicly disowned any connection to their father, and pledged millions of Lien in help of rebuilding the kingdom, as well to give relief to those who had suffered.
Surprisingly enough, besides the few Grimm that appeared, not much had even bothered showing up to take advantage of the large negativity. Although, it could be possibly that the demons killed them as well indiscriminately.
Right now, they were still in the midst of restoring the broken cities. The Black Knights expended many of their forces to speed up the process, while others were posted in many points of the Kingdom, high on alert to make sure no more dangers swooped in while the kingdom was weakened.
Of course, the Devil May Cry crew helped out as well. Ren, Nora, Jaune, and surprisingly, Dante, chose to help out on the efforts of rebuilding, while Lady, Trish and Noir assisted the military in their patrols. Although, Dante's Doppelganger style was a large help, so that could explain why.
The blond sat down, wiping away a few more drops of sweat his topless body as he took five, sitting down on a layer of planks. He blinked, feeling something cold touch against his cheek. Jaune looked up, seeing Kyrie hold out a bottle of orange juice towards him. The cambion gratefully accepted it, unscrewing the cap and took a large gulp. She sat down right next to him, glancing at her boyfriend fondly.
"Looks like you need a bite to eat."
From behind, Kyrie procured a bento box and popped up a top, filled with some of Jaune's favorite foods. The blond beamed at this, taking it off of her hands.
"You didn't have to do this, you know." he said, as he grabbed a pair of chopsticks and started eating his second girlfriend's cooking.
Kyrie just beamed at him as a response. The young redhead looked around, watching as everyone decided to take a quick break, being handed lunch by Rosia and Jeanne. She spotted Ren, being fed by Nora, who had been shooting scathing glares at a couple of women who had been flirting at her boyfriend due to him being topless as well.
"It's incredible to think that Mistral's almost already back on its feet in just a few weeks." she thought out loud.
Swallowing some pork, Jaune nodded in agreement. "Yeah. It's such a wonder whenever the people put aside their differences so that they can help each other. And it's pretty nice of the Fortunites to help out."
Kyrie agreed. Former inhabitants of Fortuna Island made up a large majority of the rebuilding effort, seeing it as a way to pay back Mistral for giving them a home when they lost it.
Jaune popped in another piece of pork into his mouth, smiling at the flavors that invaded his taste buds. "Man. This is good."
Kyrie twiddled with her hair, blushing at his compliment of her cooking skills. She worked hard to make it, and was pretty happy that he was enjoying it. However, the mood was a bit soured when Jaune changed topics.
"So... Today's the day that Pyrrha heads for Beacon, huh?"
It came as a shock to all of them when Pyrrha announced that she would be enrolling in Beacon over Haven. Her reasons being that she wanted to expand her horizons, and see other parts of the world.
"Yes..." sadly replied Kyrie. "She's already boarded one of the Bullhead en route to Vale. Starting tomorrow, she'll be studying abroad for four years."
Jaune saw the slight frown across her face. Placing aside his bento box, he inched closer to Kyrie and gently grasped her hand with his. "Hey. Look on the bright side, she can come and visit us during their breaks and the holidays. Plus, the Vytal Festival is months away, so we can come visit to cheer her on. No need to be sad. And besides, we can make up for lost time."
"I guess you're right." she said, her sour mood being brushed away as she intertwined their hands together, causing a blush to form on their cheeks. No one seemed to notice, making them internally sigh in relief-
"Filth!"
The two froze up, hearing Nora's voice coming from right behind them. The exuberant ginger was giving them a look of 'horror', her eyes falling directly onto their hands. Soon, it changed into that of 'disappointment', shaking her head like a parent scolding their child.
"I can't believe you two, acting so indecent in public! Think of the kids that could've seen this, it would've scarred them for life! And you're not even using any sort of protection? Geez, how low can you guys go?"
The couple were now blushing in embarrassment, making Nora chuckle as a cheeky smirk made its way on her lips. Jaune glared at his cousin for ruining the moment, whom only slipped her tongue out in response.
"Any other reason you're disturbing us, Nora?"
She flashed him a thumbs up. "Yep! Dante's calling us back at the office. He says that there's a job waiting for you, me, and Renny. That, and he has something else to show us."
Jaune nodded in understanding. He glanced at Kyrie and leaned in to give her a peck on the cheek, only for his lips to meet the palm of her hand.
"Clean yourself up first, mister. You can kiss me later." Kyrie said, sporting a cheeky grin.
The blond chuckled under his breath and just gave her a hand one last squeeze before following Nora back to the Devil May Cry office.
The three teenagers walked into the building, fresh and fully clothed. They saw Dante reading a weapon's magazine, his feet propped on his desk. Looking up from his reading, he flipped it shut and straightened himself, smiling at them.
"Good. You're here."
"So, what's happening, Uncle D?"
The Red Devil cracked a smirk and nudged his head to the left, wherein three packages lay on his couch, marked with their respective insignia - two golden arcs for Jaune, a hammer with a lightning bolt in the middle for Nora, and a green lotus flower for Ren. They looked at the devil hunter expectantly for an answer.
"They're from Cutting Edge. If you all remember, I forgot when, I asked you three, and Pyrrha, to describe an outfit you want made. I sent those notes to Cutting Edge's owner, since he owes me for Fortuna. After months, they're done and he finally sent over these high quality clothes all made from the finest materials, completely free of charge."
Nora's eyes sparkled in recognition at the name of the brand, having heard it from Trish and Lady. People clamored to try and get their clothes from there. Like Dante said, everything was made from the most finest of materials, built to last, usable in fights, and has a reasonably expensive price. She quickly snatched hers and ran upstairs to get changed.
Ren and Jaune looked at each other, just amazed. They grabbed their own respective package and went to put them on.
"There's supposed to be one for Pyrrha too, but the guy said he was stuck on some of the details, so he'll just send it whenever he can." voiced out the half-devil.
About a couple of minutes later, all of three walked out at the same time, looking quite sharp.
Jaune wore a purple-ish long coat with a high collar that reached up to his legs, adorned with silver buttons, with only the first two being buttoned. The insignia of the Order of the Sword was sewn into both shoulders, with his family one on the back. Under it was a bright blue shirt, buttoned up all the way except for the neck area. And to top it off, a black scarf that was just long as his coat, and for asymmetry, a regular leather glove on his right and two rings on his left.
His lower clothing was quite simple but effective - a pair of comfortable jeans, with a silver belt buckle, a double-strap holster on his left leg, two leather straps around his lower waist, and a pair of combat boots.
Ren's new outfit consisted of a forest green, diesel jacket. slightly zipped up. Streamlines of red ran down the sleeves and the zippers on the sleeves, while the edge was colored a hot pink. He wore a black shirt underneath. Like Jaune, he had a scarf wrapped around his neck, although it was much shorter, and it's mainly color scheme was black, with yellow patterns. His insignia was emblazoned on the back as well, in the same color as his scarf.
For his pants, he wore grayish white jeans, buckled in by a black belt, and finished it off with combat boots as well.
Nora wore a collared black sleeveless vest, with a blue central front with red accents. Under the vest, she wore a white sleeveless t-shirt with a heart-shaped cutout above her breast line in the center. Over it was an open cropped, short-sleeved navy blue bomber jacket with her emblem visible on the back and pink stripes along the sleeves, alongside pink buckled cuffs. and red lining on the collar accompanied with a pair of white armbands on her arms with finger-less gloves.
She had on a short pink skirt with a single white layer under it. White ankle boots with pink soles on them and low heels with pink laces, the tops are folded over revealing the pink lining.
Dante clapped his hand, smiling at their brand new outfits. "Look at you three, looking so stylish!"
Nora beamed at the compliment. Jaune crossed his arms and smirked. Ren, however had the vocal reaction. "Thanks, Dad." Looking at his cousin with a curious glance, Ren brought up something that intrigued him. "I thought you had an issue with the Order? Why have their symbol on the sleeves?"
Jaune ran a finger through his shoulder, looking at the insignia with a look filled with slight fondness, buried deep by regret. "I do, but, I had a different thing in mind when I wrote it. I wanted to pay respect to someone - a great second mentor...and a good friend."
Nothing else needed to be said. Everyone knew who Jaune was talking about, and how it affected him. Ren silently offered a comforting clasp on the shoulder, earning him a thankful nod from his cousin. With that out of the way, they went back to the matter at hand.
"So, what exactly is the mission, Uncle D?"
After he said this, Morrison entered the office, accompanied by a man, presumably the client. The man had white hair and wore an all black outfit, a green scarf and a pair of spectacles, carrying a cane with him. Jaune's eyes lightly widened, recognizing who the man was.
"You're Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon Academy."
The bespectacled man lightly smiled and nodded, confirming Jaune's assumption. "That I am. A pleasure to meet you all."
Dante gestured to his couch, allowing Ozpin to take a seat, which the man gladly took. The Legendary Devil Hunter looked at him with a curious glance. He straightened himself and leaned in. "So, Mr. Ozpin, why don't you tell us all about this job? You had Morrison get you here in secret, so it has to be something big, right?"
The headmaster firmly nodded. "Quite. You see, an associate of mine told me of this place. You know of him, Mr. Redgrave. He's...a dusty old crow."
The Red Devil chuckled, leaning back. "My old drinking buddy, huh? Haven't heard from him in a long time. So, he directed you here, but why do you need us? I heard you're buddy-buddy with Ironwood."
"Yes, that is correct, but this matter requires someone...young." He faced the three teens and asked them a question. "Tell me - what's your favorite fairy tale?"
The question took them by surprise, not at all expecting it. "Pardon?" Ren asked, for the three of them, not really understanding what the man meant.
"Fairy tales, stories from your childhood. Surely the three of you must remember some of them." Ozpin pressed.
Jaune, Nora and Ren looked at each other, slightly unsure. They sensed no I'll intent coming from him, but the question seemed to have come out of nowhere. In the end, they decided to humor Ozpin.
"The Maiden in the Tower, and Hansel and Gretel!" were what Nora said.
"The Spirit in the Bottle, and the Two Brothers." Ren responded.
"...The Legendary Dark Knight."
Ozpin's lips curled into a smile. "Ah. A good selection. But, tell me, what about the Story of the Seasons?"
Dante quirked an eyebrow, having an idea where Ozpin was going with it. "You mean the tale of how four sisters managed to open up the heart of an old man, who gave them powers in return so they can share to others what they did for him? And said powers being the equivalent of the four seasons - Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter?"
Seeing the incredulous looks from his son, his son's girlfriend and his nephew, Dante raised his hands in a shrug. "Hey, it was mom's favorite."
Ozpin nodded at the man with a grateful expression. "Thank you for the short refresher, Mr. Redgrave. Now, would you believe me if I said that that story was true? That there are four maidens in this world with great power?"
Not just the three, but four pairs narrowed their eyes, looking at the bespectacled man skeptically. Jaune uncrossed his arms and leaned against the staircase.
"How would you know that?"
"Because I have one of them in my custody - the Fall Maiden. However, a matter of complication has happened. She was ambushed, and had half her powers stolen by an agent of the one behind the Grimm."
"You make it sound like someone's controlling the Grimm like a bunch of puppets." spoke out Jaune.
Much to their bewilderment, Ozpin nodded. "There is. A queen of sorts. She commands the Grimm to wreck havoc amongst the kingdoms, spreading despair and sorrow to whatever crosses their paths."
The devil hunters glanced at each other, silently communicating. What Ozpin said could probably true, considering they're well aware of the existence of demons, and how some of their abilities could be magic, it's not at all impossible for the Grimm to actually have a head controlling its hive mind. But the question remained.
"Alright, but what does this have to with us?" asked Jaune.
"She plans to usurp the powers of the four maidens, and use it for her own gain... And unfortunately, one of her agents managed to obtain half of Fall. My associate managed to save her before her powers were fully drained and is currently recovering in Beacon. I fear that her attacker may try to claim the rest of her powers, that's why I want to hire the three of you to infiltrate my school and become students there as an extra measure of protection."
Ren and Nora saw nothing wrong with it and agreed with the details. However, Jaune was conflicted. If he accepted, then it would mean leaving Kyrie behind... It's only been weeks since they've started officially dating. Leaving now would be-
"I... I'm not sure. Look, that's pretty terrible and all, but I don't know. I have my personal reasons for not wanting to come with. I don't want to leave Kyrie so soon."
Dante saw an immediate solution to his problem. "Kid, you know you can just use your Doppelganger, right? One goes with Ren and Nora to Beacon, the other stays to be with Kyrie."
The Son of Vergil opened his mouth to refute, but closed it just as quick. His uncle was right. He could just use Doppelganger. It could act like him, but also like its own person. With a deep sigh, he turned to the headmaster with a pointed look.
"I assume we need to get there by tomorrow?"
Ozpin nodded in confirmation. "That's right. Orientation starts tomorrow." The bespectacled man stood up, nodding at them. "That'll be all. Thank you."
He promptly left, being escorted out by Morrison. Soon after, Jaune headed home to go pack up, bidding farewell to his cousins.
Letting out another sigh, Jaune placed down his pen. Looking back, he stared at the pack that contained all the essentials that he needed what was gonna basically be a four-year mission. He ran his hand through his hair and just slumped back.
"I wonder... Is this really the right decision to make?" he pondered out loud. Shaking his head, he got off the chair and grabbed the bag. "No sense in moping about it."
Closing his eyes, he concentrated for a brief moment and felt his consciousness be duplicated. Opening them, Nero now stood in front of him. His copy clasped his shoulder, already knowing what to do.
"Don't worry, I'll keep her safe. Just try and have fun out there." he said.
Nero grabbed the note and jumped out of the window, running off to meet with Kyrie. Jaune chuckled in slight amusement and double checked everything before he headed out.
"So, you'll be going to Beacon, huh?"
Craning his head, he saw Eve leaning against the door way, watching him. Jaune grunted in acknowledgement, zipping up the pack. "That's right. I'll be gone for about four years." he said as he slung the pack on his shoulder.
"I see... If it's not too much, can I ask you for a favor?"
"A favor? Well, it depends on what kind."
The redheaded Faunus crossed her arms, looking down as her expression turned to that of a sadness. "A friend of mine, she...she ran away from home to join our cause, and I took her under my wing because I knew her parents. In time, I grew to look at her like a little sister, and she saw me as her big sister. But then, during our latest mission, she just...abandons me. I, I don't know. I didn't do anything to her. She literally picked up and left while we were on a mission!"
Jaune could tell that Eve was distraught, but also confused. Just from the way she spoke, or seemed like they had a good relationship, and that her sudden exit did come out of nowhere really affected her.
"Alright, but what exactly do you want me to do?"
"Blake Belladonna. That's her name. The White Fang hates deserters above all, even if I try to somehow dissuade them, they'll still try to hunt her down someday. There's not much places she can go to for asylum... Except for one place."
The Arc Devil managed to quickly pick up what she was trying to say. "You think she'll go to Beacon and become a Huntress-in-training as a way to avoid her punishment? No one can waltz in one of the most highly regarded Huntsman academy and not face consequences... That's pretty smart, actually."
"Yes, well, if you do see her, I just want to know why... Why she abandoned her duties. Why she abandoned her brothers and sister... And why she abandoned me."
Jaune nodded in understanding, gently squeezing her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll see what I can do."
Eve could only offer him a thankful smile as she stepped out of the way, letting her mentor's son exit his room. As he passed by, the redhead sent him a two-fingered farewell salute. Jaune noticed. He smirked and returned the gesture as he stepped down the stairs.
"You see him yet?"
Ren looked out of their Bullhead, checking for any signs of Jaune's appearance. Sweeping the area, he found nothing that resembled his cousin. He pulled back and shook his head at Nora.
"Not yet. We still got thirty minutes before we depart. He'll be here."
Thirty minutes passed and he still wasn't there, worrying the two. Just as the aircraft was about to take flight, a blue blur blinked right in front of them, revealing a smirking Jaune. Ren shook his head in amusement.
"Cutting it close, Jaune."
The blond didn't look any bit of sorry as he boarded the Bullhead, letting it finally take off. "Sorry, had to take a quick detour. Wanted to get the latest set of headphones. Took a while because of the line."
Nora and Ren looked at his neck, indeed noticing the brand new headphones that hung around his neck.
"Well, try not to be late next time." scolded the orangenette, a grin crossing her lips.
"Yeah yeah. I'll try not to make it a habit."
Jaune placed down his bag and promptly fell onto the chair. Once he was comfortable, he reached out to his headphones to put them on when Ren walked up to him, holding out a purple, one neck guitar with a lot of electric strings and some skeletal-looking features. He lowered them back down, looking at the item in question with surprise.
"Hold on, is that Nevan?"
Ren nodded. "Yeah. Dad told me he's been meaning to give her to you, since you've a fetish for redheads and all."
"I don't!" denied Jaune. "It's just so happens that the two girls that I'm dating and love very much have both red hair!" he cut in angrily.
"Kidding, kidding! It's just a joke." Ren said apologetically, a grin on his face. "Anyway, yeah, Nevan's yours to use from now on. He figured, instead of pawning her off, he might as well give her to someone who can use her."
Jaune tentatively accepted the Devil Arm, running his fingers across the guitar's neck, feeling a spark of power coming from it. He did a quick strum of the strings, liking the sound it emitted. Smirking, the Grandson of Sparda performed a quick guitar riff, testing out her powers before finishing it off, garnering a small applause from his cousins.
Satisfied, he absorbed the Devil Arm into Devil Bringer, curling around his fingers. "Remind me to get Dante something when we visit during the breaks. By the way, what about you guys? Did Uncle D give you two a Devil Arm too?"
Nora shook her head. "Nothing really fit my style. Think I'm okay with just Magnhild for now."
Ren, meanwhile, grabbed something behind his back and pulled out the Alastor. He lightly glared at the sword before placing it back. "Have to say - it sucks having to get stabbed through the stomach. I hope it doesn't become a recurring thing for me."
"Pretty sure Dante's already got that covered." snarked out the blond as he put on his headphones and hit play, leaning back into his chair and made himself comfortable. Ren and Nora sat on the other side, striking up a conversation as the Bullhead flew across the seas.
"Beacon, huh… Wonder what's waiting for us there."
And that's it. Next chapter, we're FINALLY venturing over to the RWBY-side of things. It took me this long, and I want to apologize for that... So! If the descriptions I laid out for their outfits sucked, I'll explain:
Jaune's outfit is based on Nero's prototype outfit, which was released as his secondary outfit in Special Edition, except the boots aren't hidden behind the pants. Ren's new look is based around Dante's DMC2 Diesel outfit, but I tried to make it fit his color scheme. AS for Nora, I couldn't think of something good to give her, so I just mixed her Volume 1 and 4 outfits together.
By the way, are any of you still interested in the Chronicles side story? Let me know, down below, so I can tell.
Remember, keep yourself safe and sanitized. Peace.