Duality
"Jaune... Jaune!"
The voice sudden and loud, the boy could only open his eyes groggily as the young man in front of him slowly came into as much focus as could be allowed in the hazy room that was just that. Hazy.
Wait. Where was he?
And who was Jaune?
Of course. There's no one else in the room. It must be him, how dense can he be? Jaune... well, despite the fact that at first thought it made him think of the word yellow, which might be in line with the dimly golden lock of hair he blew out from in front of his eyes in the nearly grayscale moonlight cascading into the... room? No, dorm. Must be. Despite that, the name felt important. Overarching as if to protect others. Arc.
Jaune Arc.
Hm, that sounds cool. Could've been worse. His name might've been something like Miles for all he knew.
"Jaune, there's no time to lose - Beacon is under attack!"
The declaration causing the young blonde to snap out of his mild musing, he took his gaze to rest on the kid, his eyes as fuschia as the highlight in his hair. A friend? A brother? No, not a brother... clearly, the guy looked nothing like him. But definitely friend.
Nonetheless, the rise in volume and pitch seemingly unbecoming of who would normally strike Jaune as a stoic young man, the mention of an attack immediately got him to sit up on his bed.
"W-Wha?"
"We don't have it all figured out yet, but... it's, it's unthinkable. Cardin and his team, they've stolen Port's scroll to disable the security systems... We must help the others hold them all back!"
What? Them? Sounded like something much bigger than a crew of robbers. And everything felt so unreal at the moment. But if it was enough to seriously rattle Ren... was it Ren? It seemed fitting, like a silent lotus, ready to strike. Strike... Jaune chuckled inwardly at the unbidden image of a kung fu master that unexpectedly filled in the rest of the youth's name. Lee? No, Lie Ren.
But Cardin? Port? Suddenly Jaune's head was inundated with mixed emotions... animosity, pity, regret... and boredom? Right, classes. Fourth year, at a school. A great teacher, at least great in his own eyes, maybe?
"Port..."
"Yes," Ren continued, his eyes heavier with the bags underneath them weighing his gaze to the floor for only a moment, "He's dead. They killed him, Jaune."
Whoa. Murder? Well this escalated quickly.
"I'll... I'll get my things."
What is this place?
But even as Jaune let the question run through his mind, he jumped up and began rummaging through the dorm for his gear as if it were his own room. As he picked up his gear and the sword and scabbard which he so strangely without a doubt knew was his, Jaune nodded at his solemn brethren-in-arms and followed him out of the dorm while looking for any items of use and picking up a small shell casing which had caught his eye.
Through endless halls within what could only be described as some sort of archaic school, Jaune watched quartets of what must be students running by like NPCs in some poorly-written RPG game as he and Ren exited the building into the starry night.
Despite their efforts, despite their toil, Jaune knew. He felt it, and surely they did, too. They were doomed. This world under their shattered moon in the night sky... fated to fade away. Their world. But not Jaune's.
But all of these kids, anonymous, whose stories would end and be forgotten in a history no longer to be taught, were indeed running in fours... and he and Ren? Shouldn't there be-
"The others are helping team Ruby. They had already made their way out into the forest destroying everything in their path, thinking it was just a fluke incursion when the Headmaster sent word out of the attack. That's when she sent me to get you. They should be just around this corner."
Ah. Convenient exposition placement, check.
But even though he knew what he heard, Jaune felt the team name rearranging itself in his mind into the letters RWBY. Strange. But what's more - aside from the thought of their apparent teammates engaging in unbridled destruction - was the unexpected pull in his chest at the thought of that previous acronym. Something... special about it. But what?
"Jaune, look out! Here they come!"
Swinging in faster than he could realize was the most gruesome thing he could imagine. Easily a million times worse than the Shadow Guardians from that God-awful Cradle of Life Tomb Raider movie, Jaune watched a giant wolf from hell swing its flesh-piercing claws covered in ivory and crimson ochre at him with blood red eyes...
BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!
"...ack! I'm up already!"
The young man all but falls out of his bed in trying to shut off the iPhone practically blaring its alarm into his ear. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, images of the dream linger as the young man stands and makes his way out of the small apartment bedroom. Smoke, weapons... those, monsters. Ugh, he can never remember the names of people and things after he wakes up, and settles with spending a considerable amount of the day trying to recall them.
After all, why not? It's strange enough that he's been having these recurring dreams for several days now. Each one taking him further down the same events than the last.
The groggy blonde shuffles his way over to the fridge, his black tee and ridiculous baby blue flannel pants with little bunnies all over it trudging along with him on his somewhat scrawny frame as he mentally promises himself that next week he'll start working out. He's about to open the fridge door when the bright pink Post-it note catches his eye.
Morning, John.
Didn't bother waking you since you could probably sleep through a war zone. Finished the last of the leftovers. Your turn to buy groceries.
-B.L.
John groans aloud as he lets his head sink in dejection and reaches up to snatch the long grocery list beside the note. Also in pink.
"What is it with this guy and the color pink, anyway!?"
Smacking his teeth at the bitter taste of dried spit and morning breath after uttering his second statement of the day, John shuts his eyes and shakes his head at his pointless complaint. Ugh. Breakfast and coffee at White Castle, then.
Foregoing his favorite black hoodie that he would've normally worn on a day like this in his school years, John puts himself through the normal routine of dressing up in slacks and a dress shirt for his recently achieved position of assistant counselor at Beacon High in Manhattan, New York. A fairly reputable preparatory academy, and one that John is still surprised to think that he was ever able to get a position in, especially for a guy who only has a recently acquired two year degree under his belt. Okay, maybe he stretched the truth a bit in his interview to seem like he had more experience, but it's not like he cheated his way into the job. And Beacon High isn't without its cons, John notes as he thinks about the debilitating addiction to coffee he's developed at that place... no thanks to its questionably sane Principal.
John smirks at himself as he grabs a thin blue tie and puts it on in front of the mirror, "Not bad for a twenty-one year old from Jersey."
New Jersey. In River Vale, to be exact. But with all the neighborhoods within the town like North Vale and such, many people have taken to simply calling it Vale.
But thoughts aside, John tidies up his outfit and is about to step out when he realizes it's still another half hour until the White Castle opens. Sure, he could go for some ridiculously expensive coffee at Starbucks instead of the hectic fast food joint that's a little out of his way, but his roommate's best friend works there and gives John awesome discounts. And having breakfast there is practically tradition after moving in with his roommate.
More so now after what happened to his roommate's brother.
Casually lounging his way back to his room, John flicks the Bluetooth speaker on and sets the playlist to Adventure Club Remixes before flopping onto the bed as the first song comes on.
Have you ever wondered,
What it could be like,
And I was all set to come back home...
As the intro plays out, he smiles as he recognizes the tune and folds his arms over his stomach.
"The remix of Wonder by Kite String Tangle. I guess I can wait until this song is over before heading out..."
However, the song continues as sleep unwittingly begins to overcome him.
And I know I should have held you closer,
And I know I should have treated you better,
In a perfect world,
But we're not always, What we promised to be...
Well, crap.
Jaune's internal curse only came as quickly as the weapon that suddenly pierced through claw and chest, the wolf... no, Beowolf, falling to the ground and disintegrating in death.
Ren smiled as he saw the person approaching behind Jaune first, "Oh thank goodness you're all... alright?"
Jaune turned and immediately saw her, the name coming to mind as quickly as the fiery crimson in her hair reached his eyes. Pyrrha, the seven-time tournament champion. Four in her homeland, three in her three years in... wherever this side of the world was. But as Jaune looked around, watching the distant shadows seemingly engulfing groups of students... no, Hunters in training... he turned back thinking that there may not be enough of this place left to hold a fourth tournament this year.
"Jaune, thank Oum you're alright!"
Immediately taking him into a full embrace, it was only when she pulled back that he saw the dried tears along the sides of her incredibly striking face. Was she his girlfriend? No, but friend? Maybe partners of some type, but it was more complicated than that, judging by the fact she was the first to return. Did she run so fast just to make sure he was alright?
"Pyrrha, what's wrong," Ren insisted, resting his hand on her shoulder to which she merely let her gaze drop in a silent indication of bad news.
Just as Ren's face seemed to be losing its mask of serenity at the implication, the three of them were immediately put on alert by the rustling of the trees nearby. However, Ren's face changed to one of pure relief as an orange-haired girl jumped out into the clearing and sprinted at Ren, jumping on him with the kind of embrace Jaune thought could only be capable by some species of sloth. Those two... they certainly were together-together.
That is, if the subsequent full-on kiss the girl laid on the dark-haired boy was anything to go by.
"I'm so sorry, Renny... we did all we could, but there were too many of them!"
Ren's face regaining a measure of its previous concern, his gaze switched from the girl to Pyrrha and back as he replied, "Nora... w-what do you mean?"
At that, two more girls entered the clearing, a taller blonde one holding a weeping red-hooded one in her arms with tears in her own eyes while the shorter one repeated the same thing over and over.
"She said she'd be right back. She said it, Yang! She said she'd be right back!"
New tears fell from Pyrrha's eyes, the champion silently shaking her head at the little Rose... Ruby, Ruby Rose, before turning to Jaune and Ren to explain.
"We were surrounded by a herd of Ursa Majors and nearly out of ammunition. We needed an escape, and Ruby wouldn't let her cover our exit until she assured her that she had plenty of Dust left in Myrtenaster. I... I should've known she was lying."
Jaune was about to open his mouth when a final entrance was made... by someone who reminded him of what skipping a heartbeat felt like. Her appearance was by no means perfect, but that's not what beauty is. There was simply nothing about her that Jaune would have added or taken away, and her beauty only belied the dangerous killing efficiency within. She walked up to the two girls... sisters, perhaps? and shook her head before holding up the bloody tattered remains of a white coat.
"No sign of her. The Ursae are making their way here now, and doubtlessly another horde of Deathstalkers. We need to move."
Beowolves, Ursae, Deathstalkers... some sort of enemy, maybe. If it was the kind of things which would only leave behind a half-mauled coat, then Jaune suddenly felt that he didn't wish to be there when those monsters arrived.
"Now that's a plan I can get behind," Jaune finally stated, earning a somber nod and tiny appreciative smile from the girl whose name he for the life of him couldn't remember.
He could recall every other name if he tried hard enough, why not hers?
But with no time to lose, Jaune turned and waved for the group of seven to follow him. Or would've, if it wasn't for the golden stinger that flew in to skewer him.
Jumping away at the last second with reflexes that surprised him as the tip embedded itself into the ground, Jaune had no time to think about how he had committed swordsmanship to muscle memory as he immediately unsheathed the sword and lopped off the stinger in one go. As two more beasts just like it cornered them all between the building and forest, Jaune and Ren went to work as the rest receded to the sides of the building to give the weeping sisters cover.
Everything happened so fast, two submachine guns in Ren's hands as he whittled down the Deathstalker - it couldn't be anything else - on Jaune's left, and the nameless girl took on the stinger-less one on Jaune's right. The way she moved was in a word, breathtaking; the sudden appearance of clones as she flitted around its attacks only leaving him in awe despite the obviously unnatural ability. But turning his attention to the largest one in the middle, Jaune set himself to dodging the claws and stinger as he instinctively expanded his sheath into a shield.
Wait, what?
Putting aside the questionable physics of the matter, Jaune couldn't help a small smirk as he felt himself keeping up with the deadly scorpion-like beast, blocking blows which should've shattered the limbs of a normal man without breaking a sweat. This... power... a dim white glow surrounding him like some sort of force field... a sort of aura to protect from death? Or maybe an efficient tool to deal it if used correctly?
But turning to see if the nameless girl had at least caught sight of his impressive power, his smirk dropped as he realized the beast had its claw ready to blindside her from the side.
"Hey! Look out!"
Without a moment to lose, Jaune hefted his sword... ah yes, Crocea Mors, the pride of the Arc family in the hands of a fighter who had finally proven himself with nearly four years of rigorous training... and with a burst of white energy sent it whirring like a disk of metal to lop off the offending claw and let the black angel deal her coup de grace on the beast, much to the girl's gratitude.
But Jaune still didn't know her name.
"Jaune!"
Turning back quickly, he realized almost too late the price of taking his attention off his main opponent, barely able to block the claw in time with his shield. But strangely enough, it was almost as if the shield had lifted itself to block the shot.
Nearly at the same instant, Jaune felt another object whizzing by him, the bronze shield of the girl who had already saved him once deflecting the second claw into the floor and the girl herself standing only a few feet away.
"Honestly Pyrrha, what would I do without you?"
The two fighters trading a warm smile, Jaune's breath suddenly hitched as Pyrrha's eyes widened in the briefest moment of surprise, her smile dropping along with her gaze to see the large golden stinger protruding from her chest.
No. Nononononono...
Sprinting to her as the stinger pulled back and she fell to the floor, Jaune pulled her into his arms as Ren took on the largest Deathstalker along with the girl after defeating his own opponent. Jaune could barely hear the sounds of Ren shooting off the stinger with a volley of gunfire so as to have the cursed object crash into the Deathstalker's head and give the subsequent and strangely nostalgic order for Nora to "nail it."
All he could hear now were words once said... a hymn, or chant of some sort possibly?
And unbound by death, by my shoulder... I shall protect thee...
"Pyrrha, y-you didn't have to do that..."
"W-We're partners Jaune, I-I swore I would..."
Repeatedly running his hand through her hair streaked with equal shades of its natural color along with her life blood, Jaune felt tears welling in his eyes as he vehemently shook his head, "No, Pyrrha. No. Nowhere did that include this! Nowhere... nowhere..."
His tears suddenly wiped by her hand which then caressed the side of his face, he looked into the once vivid emerald eyes of the champion as they now dulled with tears and with her inevitable surmise.
"Jaune, I-I'm sorry I never told you..."
And she never did. The girl in his arms falling limp in his grasp, Jaune felt his teeth clench, the warm power which was protecting him now growing cold like iron as he and the remainder of his living friends backed up towards the building when a much larger horde of Beowolves emerged through the forest around them.
He wasn't going to let them all go out like this. Not like this.
Not like this.
"Nora. Get Pyrrha over to Ruby and Yang. Ren. Keep the girls back."
"But Jaune-"
"I said keep them back!"
His abnormally solemn demeanor breaking out into a heated growl, Jaune noted his team... the remnant of his team... obey his order without any sense of surprise. Clearly, they had seen him like this before in their time together. Was he their leader? Nevertheless, they pulled back as the group was surrounded by the creatures of darkness. The creatures of Grimm.
But all Jaune could think about was Pyrrha. His friend. His mentor. She... she had been the one who had painstakingly spent all those hours training him, honing his skills to lethal calibers to the point that he was the one to reach the finals against her in the previous year's tournament.
A fight he'd lost. A fight they'd never get to repeat. Because of this. These snarling creatures waiting around for him to make the first of his final movements in their twisted hunt for flesh.
No. They, they would die for this, these monsters and the monsters responsible for setting them loose on this place, this beacon of hope in the world.
"Rrrrrrrgh!"
Throwing his arms up at his sides, the glow around him coalescing into his hands as he felt the natural pull at his fingertips, Jaune let instinct and unbridled rage take care of the rest as he threw his hands forward towards the beasts.
"NYAAAHHH!"
And incredibly, unbelievably, the entire wall of the building behind him literally bent to his wishes - strands of metal window panes, rebar, and the iron framework of the building itself shooting out like a hail of bullets to inundate the entire horde of Grimm in a fountain of black ichor and death until only their dissipating remains were left.
Turning back and walking without looking at anyone else in the group, stopping only to bend down and tenderly kiss the forehead of lifeless girl whom Nora had propped up against the stony part of the wall that had been left standing, Jaune stood up and kept walking.
"We need to find the others. Let's move."
John awakes silently, wiping an unexpected tear out of his eye as the song on the loudspeaker comes to an end.
This... this can't be normal.
The young blonde slowly stands, his mind a murky mess as he ambles about the room like a zombie and softly shuts off the speaker before grabbing his car keys off a nearby countertop. Groaning as he plops down on the driver's seat of his white hatchback, he turns the keys and heads due south towards his now very necessary cup of jo. Foregoing the 9W freeway due to morning traffic, John takes the 39 south towards the Bergen Turnpike instead. However, before he can even reach the I-95, his minds drifts as he passes a small patch of forest that surrounds both sides of the road. And just like that, he sees it - dozens of armored youths fighting against the shadows in the trees, quickly rubbing his eyes with his free hand to ensure he saw it.
BEEEEEEP!
"Hey! Watch where you're going!"
John immediately swerves back into his lane as an offended driver speeds past him, taking a quick glance back into the forest to see that the kids were never there... that the Grimm aren't real.
"Wait," John suddenly mumbles as he reaches the realization, "I'm... I'm remembering?"
The Grimm. Creatures of Grimm. It's from his dream! They were important... somehow. What happened? And why is it so hard to remember?
"Aaaaagh," John groans as he finally pulls in to the White Castle parking lot after a few more minutes, "I'll get it eventually..."
The young man parks the car and grunts as he steps out into the crisp morning air that doesn't do much to help him wake up while as he shuffles into the restaurant and takes a booth by the window. He's about to nod off when a very bubbly voice stops him.
"Well heya, Johnny!"
He drags a palm down his face to bring himself to reality... a reality which seems less and less real by the hour.
"You can just call me John, you know."
"Nope! I like Johnny!" a lightly ginger-haired waitress states as she plops down on the booth seat across from him with a big grin, "You can complain all you wan't but- hey... you came alone?"
John can't help a smirk at his roommate's best friend who can rarely stay on the same subject for more than a few sentences, casting a glance at her lustrous hair which almost looks orange in the light, "Yeah, Ben left early today."
"Awwwww, bummer," she complains adorably before suddenly brightening up and reaching into her waitress fanny pack thing over her short skirt she wears as part of her uniform, "Oh well, check this out!"
Pulling out what looks like a receipt around a decent wad of cash, John raises a brow at the item as his new companion explains, "Some random guy just left me this mondo tip and wrote his phone number on the receipt! See? It says, 'Looking beautiful as always, Nora. Call me when you wanna meet up.' Can you believe this guy!?"
John gives her another once-over, noting that she's always been a rather good-looking girl - well-endowed to say the least - as she readjusts her pink tee with a little heart over her noticeable bust in front of him in a huff. Of course, if the random customer knew what she was like after talking to her for more than ten seconds, he might reconsider...
"Well-" John begins, but is quickly interrupted by her as she continues anyway.
"I know, right!? It's Norah, with an H! I mean, it's right here on the receipt I rung up for him! What's so hard about putting in the fifth letter, jeez!"
"It's probably 'cuz he was too busy staring at your boobs," the bewildered young blonde mutters under his breath.
"Huh?"
"Um," John corrects quickly, "I said, 'I guess some people are just really rude'..."
"I know," Norah now replies in a hushed whisper as if sharing a top-secret secret before straightening up with a warm smile, "Anyways, want somethin' to eat?"
John grunts as he runs a had through his hair to decide, "Scrambled eggs. Under a mountain of every kind of meat you guys serve... and a coffee?"
Norah shoots up to a standing position with a comical salute before stating, "You got it, Mister Head Honcho, sir! ...but just remember that I'm the Queen of this Castle!"
As the girl skips away humming some tune from that Red vs. Blue show, totally oblivious to how many men's attention she catches as her little skirt flaps up and down with every hop, John merely notices her mismatched knee-high socks before setting his head down on the table. He doesn't even realize he's asleep until he suddenly isn't...
"Jaune! You're alright!"
"Jaune! Please help us!"
"Jaune!"
The cascade of exclamations suddenly surrounded the group as they made their way towards what surely must have been the main entry to the auditorium at some point in time. Now, it simply looked like a war zone, and the casualties littering the area were many. Jaune turned to the nameless girl on instinct despite the congregation of students converging on them, following her aghast line of sight to the literal mountain of bodies a few hundred feet from the auditorium entryway. Gasping at the pair of bodies slumped at the top... immediately recognizing the great witch and wizard atop them all, he turned back to face the youths as a fresh well of tears sprung in the eyes of the other five students who had just stumbled into the scene.
"What... what happened."
A fairly young nameless female student wielding a pair of some sort of gunblades or another pointed at the pair of adults... Hunters... who had given the flames of their lives in favor of the greter Beacon they protected, "They saw the bad guys coming in... they... t-they took care of them all s-so we wouldn't have to..."
The girl could continue no more, bursting into tears as her classmates around her tried to console her but to no avail. Surely, this entire group was the first-year class that these two adults had sworn to always protect. Jaune turned once more to see the two greatest Professors he'd ever met... the blonde one, Glynda, standing over a man with what looked like a haggard-looking chainsaw blade at his side and a broken white facemask who now looked more like a pincushion with all the jagged crystals poking out of him. Surely not a happy death. She was slumped against the bloodied Professor, no, Headmaster, who was propped up by a polished katana through his abdomen on one side and what looked like a cane on the other, thrust into the chest of a man under him in a black tuxedo and with bull horns on his head. Despite it all... it was an incredible sight.
"They took them all on by themselves..." another student mumbled before a distant but ominous rumbling startled the group.
Looking back at the mountain of uniformed corpses who obviously once belonged to the same organization as a distant roaring echoed through the night once more, the six fourth-year students knew that Ozpin and Glynda would've gladly given their lives a hundred more times if it meant avoiding to have their students be forced to take human... no, human or faunus lives of their own. Faunus? Jaune didn't have much time to ponder the meaning of the word before a small group of heavily-wounded students approached the group.
"The name's Alexander Viola, sir," the leader of the quartet of otherwise scantily-clad female students began as he handed over his teammates to a group of students at the door who seemed to have set up some sort of field hospital in the auditorium, "Reports from the field state that the whole third-year grade has been wiped out. Us second-years are barely holding on."
"And what about the fourth-years?" Ruby quietly asked the boy whom Jaune suddenly realized she must've shared the same age with despite the two-year grade difference.
"...You're all that's left of them."
And with that, the palpable veil of despair over the group now gradually fell entirely on Jaune's shoulders with all the seniors and faculty gone... he could feel the gazes - and expectations - of every person present now desperately riveted onto him. And despite it all, he had no qualms about it.
"Alright everyone, listen up!" Jaune now began with an aura-projected voice he didn't even know he could use, even the students behind the shattered auditorium-turned-clinic windows paying attention to one of the last leaders they had, "We know what this is. We know where it's coming from. We all saw it happen to Vacuo, then to Mistral. We all prayed that we would find salvation from Atlas' forces, only to see it fall in all its might in a matter of hours! We know what awaits us! We know that they're coming! But we know... we KNOW... that we must now do the utmost to survive as long as we may!"
Jaune turned to face his group of friends among the sea of tear and blood-streaked faces surrounding them before taking a deep breath and booming outward with his subsequent words, "Let the land we stand on heed my words, and let our shattered moon above bear witness! We will not vanish into the night! We will not perish without a fight! My peers... my friends... no matter what happens tonight, remember what Old Port used to say... 'And how can a man die better, than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers, and the temples of his Gods?' For there there isn't a world where I nor those who pledge to fight with me will ever let up our fight for justice until the very end..."
Pausing a final time, Jaune cast a final glance towards the grey-haired light of Beacon atop the mountain of the dead lit under the glow of the broken moon before uttering the final statement, "It is now up to us... to take the final step."
BABABABOOOM!
Startled gasps turned to shouts as students realized that what they thought was the forest was actually a stampede of approaching Grimm. Shouts from that direction were heard before a student was able to make himself heard just enough for the students to understand.
"GOLIAAAAAATHS-gurk!"
And under the rumble of the stampede, his voice could be heard no more as it was cut short before the successive tirade of massive trumpeting of the Grimm charge filled the air, the previous lone voice never to be heard again. At that, Ren came up to Jaune's side with a plan in mind.
"They're headed straight for the auditorium. We can divert them if we use my semblance."
"We?" Jaune echoed curiously, the term sounding foreign yet familiar in his mind.
"Yes, Jaune! We! You must replicate my Aura-barriers so we have a fighting chance!"
The sudden rise in volume snapping the leader into action, Jaune turned to the group with orders at the ready, "Ruby, you take the girls and get everyone you can into the auditorium to keep them safe. Alexander, take some able-bodied students and scout; help Ruby take care of any Grimm that stray too close. Got it?"
A wave of nods before he and Ren turned to face the charge, his attention pulled back when he felt a delicate touch on his arm. He turned to see the nameless girl, feeling his heart wrench at the sight of her sorrowful amber eyes, "Please Jaune... be careful."
With a nod of his own, the knight turned to catch up with his partner with a burst of white Aura until Ren stopped and he caught up.
"This should do it. We'll set up the barricade here."
Jaune raised an unsure brow as he noticed the whites of the massive Grimm's masks now visible in the distance, "Right. About that..."
He turned to face his stoic teammate, who despite his initial confusion at his leader's reaction knew Jaune well enough to know when a helping hand was appreciated.
"Jaune, your Semblance. You're a Mimic, remember? You focus on me, reach out with your Aura, and execute."
Only until then did the student realize that the power he'd used upon his partner's death was never his to begin with, so closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he replaced the image of Pyrrha in his mind with that of Ren's. He could already feel the warm glow of his aura spreading outward to absorb the strange quality of the energy foreign to his until it was foreign no more.
"Okay... I think I got it."
"Hm, you haven't sounded so unsure of yourself in a long time, Jaune."
Opening his eyes, he let his gaze linger on the worried boy's countenance until Ren gave him a somber smile and put his hand on his shoulder.
"Funny how things come full circle in the end, right?"
But Jaune would have none of it. Steeling his nerves, he ground his jaw at the oncoming mass of Goliaths before setting himself down into a stance that Ren emulated, the two students side to side as they each began to glow.
"We'll make it out of this, buddy. Ready?"
"Just another day at work," the smirking Ren replied softly for a brief moment before whipping out the command, "Now!"
Both students reacted at once, alternating pulses of fushia and white between the two reaching out to the sides just as the wall of Goliaths overcame them. And with loud trumpeting roars, Grimm calls were replaced with crunches as the front line was crushed against the wall that only became wider by the second, both students yelling with the effort as the barrier reached to the height of the trees the Grimm had trampled and the pressure grew stronger.
"HAHA!" Jaune shouted in triumph as the barricade held firm, the wall of pure energy casting a soft glow into the ominous night. But the creatures were unrelenting, the massive elephant-like beasts resorting to trampling their fallen brethren in their attempts to overcome the obstacle. It would be an impressive sight had there been many a human audience left to admire it.
Seconds turned to minutes as the onslaught continued, beads of sweat forming on the heads of both valiant young men before Ren turned his head to his leader with great effort against the wall they were now supporting even with their shoulders.
"Jaune... there, there was a reason I made sure both of us were here to set this up..."
"Save your breath, man, I know!" Jaune grunted through gritted teeth with the increased weight of half-dead Grimm piling on by the second, "Either one of us would've been trampled by now had we tried to do this alone!"
But Ren merely chuckled softly, readjusting his shoulder against the wall to face the blond as he let out several more Aura pulses to support the wall against another wave, "Heh, you don't remember Port's mid-term lecture from last year, then? I guess I really was the only one who was able to stay awake for the whole thing."
"What are you talking about?" the young man replied with a sharp breath in the effort of speaking.
"The time where Port avoided being eaten alive by a freak incursion of Ursae by hiding under a heap of disintegrating Grimm with the corpse of his comrade over him to mask his scent."
Jaune's brows furrowed before his eyes began to widen in realization, "Hey. Hey! Don't start talking like that, we're both making it out of this, you got that!?"
"We both know there's really no way to stop a stampede of Goliaths," Ren continued with a small knowing smirk without acknowledging his leader's words, "And Goliaths are the only Grimm who never give up until they think they've done their work. We've got a high enough wall of dead Grimm to confuse them for a while, but as long as they sense our resistance, they'll just keep coming... unless..."
"I've never had to say this in the four Oum-forsaken years I've known you Ren, but shut up! You shut up right now and focus, and we'll get out of this!"
The stoic student turned to look at him with the same serene expression he'd always had in better days as he continued, "They have to sense at least one of our deaths to stop coming. It'll give you guys enough time to evacuate the school and stay alive as long as you can, and they need you more than they need me. She needs you, too..."
"Don't do that, Ren... please, think about Nora," Jaune could only croak in his plea as he felt his eyes start to sting with more than just sweat.
"Yes... please tell her I love her very much. And Jaune, know that through these years... you were truly the best brother I ever could've asked for..."
"Ren," Jaune began, but couldn't continue as the student let his side of the wall falter and fall, the knight himself yelling under the strain until Ren blasted him away with an aura-enhanced dragon-punch to the chest in his vulnerable state, "NOOOOO!"
He flew back and landed, looking up just as the wall of Grimm over a mile long collapsed over his teammate and friend without another sound. And finally, after a long moment of suspenseful silence from the forest, the trumpeting of a lone Goliath was heard before the rumbling began to lessen and eventually disappear.
"It worked... It actually worked," Jaune heaved on all fours as a small line of tears ran down his face. But the relief didn't last long, his small smile of gratitude towards his late friend fading when he noticed a shadow pass over him with nary a sound.
Jerking his head up, Jaune turned and could find nothing as the moonlight became dimmed behind thickening clouds. But there was no mistake with what Jaune had sensed.
Nevermore.
"Hey! Heeeeeeey!" he shouted as he sprinted full-force back towards the auditorium that had more students trickling in by the minute, "Get everyone out of there!"
Ignoring the fact that his aura was currently helping him run at the speed of a race-horse, Jaune pressed forward repeating the same thing and pointing at the sky like a madman until he noticed Yang in the distance poke Ruby in the shoulder as she directed more students into the auditorium and saw the young huntress cup her ear towards him to listen.
"Nevermores!"
He could barely notice her yelling, or more like mouthing 'What?' in the distance as Yang, Nora and the nameless girl stood beside her, before trying again, "NEVERMOR-!"
SHSHSHSHSHSHSHSH!
The sudden whistling sounds a dead giveaway of the feathery projectiles in flight, no one had the chance to react as a hail of obsidian feathers rained down on the makeshift hospital, the entire auditorium exploding and blasting the girls back several feet just as Jaune reached the group.
Groaning aloud in despair, the heavily panting knight fell to his knees at the flaming inferno as the four girls regained their bearings around him and slowly began to stand.
"No..." was all the girl in black could say before Nora walked over to help Jaune up.
"Ren? Where is he?"
Without the heart to say anything more, Jaune took an earnestly surprised Nora into a tight embrace as he finally found it in himself to speak, "He... wanted me to tell you, he loves you very much..."
But softly pushing herself back, she looked at the grief-stricken leader with an entirely innocent expression as she cocked her head to the side, "Really... Where'd he go?"
At that, Jaune's breath hitched as he softly shook his head in indication of the stoic's surmise, Ruby placing a hand on her mouth in shock and Yang letting her head drop at the news. But Nora simply looked at the two girls before turning to Jaune with only slightly furrowed brows, "No... No, Renny's fine..."
Despite it being the first time either of the four students present had seen Nora without her ever-present smile, she looked as normal as she ever did. But they all caught the tears welling in her eyes as she slowly shook her head and continued, "No, he's okay. H-He's just... He's just, playing hide-and-go-seek again like we always did when w-we were kids..."
"Jaune, it's circling back," the nameless ravenette warned as Nora shook off Jaune's attempt to put his hand on her shoulder, repeating her warning with much more urgency the second time as rainfall began to cascade around the ruined campus, "Guys, it sees us! We need to move!"
Turning up, Ruby and the girl began motioning for the rest of the group to follow them towards the ruined courtyard in front of the school to find cover under the broken arches of the structures as the knight pleaded with his only remaining teammate.
"Nora? Nora, it's time to go... please come with us."
But no matter how hard he tried, even though she was on the shorter side, Nora had the strength of ten oxen when she didn't want to move. Nevertheless, it didn't deter her leader even when he heard the cawing of the quickly-approaching avian Grimm.
"Nora, please! We gotta go!"
"Sorry, Jauney... but no. I'm gonna go find Ren now."
Realizing what she meant as she dropped the hammer which no one else could ever hope to wield without the super-strength imbued to her by her Semblance onto the the now soggy dirt, Yang gripped Jaune by the shoulders and began to pull him back. Hard.
"Jaune, there's no time! We're leaving!"
The knight's subsequent yells went unheard in the midnight air as the whistling sounds began once more, reaching back towards his teammate as the tear-ridden brawler dragging him backwards pressed on. Soft splats in the soaked dirt began as Nora turned to give him a final glance, sparing him a serene smile just before the avian missiles that barely missed his feet found their fill of marks in the orange-haired girl only several feet away.
The smile never left her face.
Finally finished dragging the 21 year-old fourth-year leader who was kicking and screaming like a little kid the whole way under the courtyard arches where the other two girls were waiting, Yang fell to her knees beside him as the other two girls did the same in a grieved embrace.
He was a knight without a kingdom... a student without a school... and now, a leader without a team. His lone, agonized howl filled the air as the three sobbing young women held onto him dearly under the heavy rainfall, his aura flaring with the intent to eviscerate the Nevermore circling above them before the Grimm was suddenly shot out of the air with a single brilliant energy beam from an approaching Bullhead.
Yet the four students already knew that the marked airship was no herald of salvation, the blonde brawler's eyes already turning a deep red as she stood up and spat out a single word.
"Them."
Yes, Juane thought... they had finally come. And they would pay.
Dearly.
BZZ... BZZ... BZZ...
Jolting up in surprise from a tiny puddle of drool on the table, John reaches into his pocket for his cellphone and tries to wipe his mouth with his free hand at the same time. But realizing his mouth was completely dry, John sighs as he reaches up a little higher and quickly wipes his eyes before anyone else notices. The golden white iPhone finally out of its confines, its interesting color scheme having finally brought the young man to buy it for reasons beyond him, he notices his roommate's name on the Caller ID.
Lee, Ben
"Yeah, hello?"
'Hey. Everything okay?'
"Yeah... why?"
'Cuz according to Nora, you're not. She sent me a text a minute ago saying that you were out like a light at White Castle and nothing she did could wake you up. I found it hard to believe since you only sleep like that in your own bed, but after about a dozen unanswered texts, I figured I'd call.'
"Well thanks for checking if I'm alive," John answers lazily with a stretch, finally noticing the coffee mug sitting in front of him which had stopped steaming already, "And now that we're enjoying the small-talk, how are you today, sweetie?"
An amused scoff from the other end of the line before the reply comes through, 'Meh. Just another day at work...'
"..."
'John? ...John!'
The sudden rise in volume snaps the startled young man back into the moment, swallowing the unexpected knot in his throat before replying, "Yeah, man! Jeez, no need to shout..."
'Look, John. You haven't been yourself these past days-'
"No one's been 'themselves' these past few days," John spits back, screwing his eyes shut to block out the images of darkness suddenly cascading through his mind, "You should know that more than anyone..."
'Hey! Totally uncalled for, man! What's gotten into you!?'
Death. Death everywhere. So much... too much...
John grabs his hair with a growl, so suddenly angry and filled with despair for reasons he can't explain until he finally regains enough composure to settle down in his booth and take a deep breath.
"I... I'm sorry, dude. Things have been weird lately. And I think... I think I just had the weirdest feeling of déjà-vu..."
The young blonde hears a long sigh through the phone before Ben continues with a slightly amused tone in his voice, 'Déjà-vu? As in the feeling of having experienced something before, sometimes even in another life? I thought you weren't into that kind of thing, man...'
"Heh, yeah, that was always kinda more your thing," John shoots back with a more relaxed smirk, "But maybe I can start getting into it someday."
'You... are the strangest guy I know.'
"Which is why we get along so well!" John exclaims before taking a long sip of his now-cold coffee and immediately regrets it with a wrinkled nose in distaste before checking his watch, "Anyway, it's a good thing you woke me up since otherwise I'd be late to work!"
But before he can stand, he's stopped by the rare laugh that blares through the line, at least rare from his roommate, 'HAH! John, it's Saturday! I'm the only one who works on Saturday! Eeeeesh, you really ARE out of whack these days...'
Grunting in exasperation as he checks the date on his cellphone and confirms the fact, John plops back down on the booth before idly sighing into his phone, "I hate you."
'Yeah, yeah,' Ben continues amiably before snapping his fingers hard enough to be heard through the line, 'Aha! I got it! Norah and me, we're gonna find you a girlfriend. Yep. You know, we invited that girl from high school to Monty's memorial and she's already RSVP'ed. Which means that she's coming back into town this weekend... what was her name... Jun, Juni...'
"Juniper Nichols?" John drawls in reply, eliciting another amused exclamation from the other young man.
'Ahhhhhh, I knew you remembered her! I'm telling you John, everyone in school knew she was crushing on you so bad, I still can't believe nothing ever came of it.'
"Maybe cuz it wasn't true?" John retorts with a small smile at the banter, "So she tutored me for a few years. So what? Didn't she like, go on to win four trophies in the national track and field competitions or something?"
'Heh yeah, I hear she's a beast with the javelin and discus,' Ben adds understandingly, 'I think she'll be going to the Olympics next year or something, too.'
"Then there you go."
'T-There you- Wha!? -NO,' the unusually enthusiastic young man continues through the line, 'You may have been the only guy in the school district not drooling at her heels at one point or another, she totally loved that!'
John facepalms before answering, "Remind me why I'm even considering dating advice from a single guy who has yet to have a girlfriend?"
'Aw. Low blow, John. Low blow. It's because we've agreed to be the best man at each other's weddings already. And besides, you know how possessive Norah tends to be...'
"Well, then why not consider getting together with Norah?"
'...'
"You know, uh... together-together?"
'Dude... No,' Ben finally replies with the most incredulous tone John could imagine, 'She and I have known each other since little kids. As in, 'swimming naked as toddlers in the kiddie pool' kids. You don't GET with a swimming-naked-toddler-buddy, John. Why would you even say that?'
John sheepishly scratches the back of his head as he considers the unbidden thought of the two polar-opposite best friends actually getting together, "Uh... I actually don't know. I know it's weird, but... I just have this feeling that it'd work out."
'Heh. Whatever you say. First the mood swings, then the crazy ideas... look man, just don't go losing your mind at my brother's memorial tomorrow, alright?'
"It's tomorrow?" John asks in surprise, completely having lost track of time in the past few days.
'Yeahhh,' Ben drawls in concern, 'I hope you're ready for it. Lots of people were invited, and you know the kinds of people he used to roll with... product designers, important humanitarian activists, and even a few models and millionaires! You never know who you're gonna meet...'
A glint from some utensil, probably, catches John's eye as a few customers move out from the booth in front of him. But then he sees it. For a second, just a second... he sees it.
He knows he saw it... but, could it even be possible?
'John... you still there?'
The young man's attention remains riveted to another flash of black about three booths down as he mumbles in reply, "Um, uh, yeah... Look, Ben, I'm gonna have to call you back... thanks for calling, though."
'Uhh... oka-' CLICK
John remains frozen to the spot after hanging up, not even thinking to move lest the spell be broken on whatever twist of fate, or irony, had just befallen him. Either way, his view is currently blocked by a non-descript young man maybe a year or two older than him, toiling away as he writes into a mess of manuscript papers strewn about on the table in front of him.
The blonde indulges himself with a guess at the young man's profession; surely a writer, but not in the New York City garb that might characterize a high-profile author. Maybe a ghostwriter? Or probably scribe. But in reaching over for a paper at the end of the table, the young writer moves just enough to grant John a second view of the item that had caught his attention in the first place.
A little, black, bow.
Just the sight of it is enough to send the blonde into a catatonic state as scenes from... somewhere else... begin to flood his mind once more.
They were running now.
They? For some reason, Jaune was tempted to turn his head just a little to see who remained as they sped through sheets of rain in the night.
He stopped holding his breath when he saw the girl in black, her garb further tattered in battle and her bow beginning to come undone, but otherwise healthy.
Then there was Yang, who despite her usual scant gear didn't seem too much worse for wear. Of course, her Semblance. It had something to do with that, though it was then a deceptive guess at the actual amount of Aura she had remaining to the eyes of any average onlooker.
And then... wait, that was it?
Jaune focused forward as the trio ran on, his memory quick to fill in the gaps.
Yes... They had come. And to make matters short, neither of the four students at the time would end the night free of bloodguilt. Jaune, his armor long gone during the arduous battles of the night, was the first to receive his marks of having his first life taken, using the Semblance of the young man with greaves like Yang's gauntlets on his ankles against him until the youth was nothing more than a shriveled husk of a being withering on the marbled courtyard. Ruby was the second, going faster than she'd ever gone before to scythe down the girl with the emerald gunblades who let her overconfidence get to her in the end.
But that was the moment... the moment the young crimsonette froze in time and space in realization of the life she'd taken when her very own was extinguished as well by the thin chokuto which mercilessly tore through her heart. The umbrella-totting assailant who had been the prodigy's undoing met her own grim fate at the fists of the blonde brawler... Yang never stopped until her fists met concrete as well as flesh, but not before the girl in black finally left the bowler-hatted leader of the group with a crimson smile which all the rain in the world would never wash away.
And then the Grimm returned. The wall of deceased Goliaths lining the forest edge now washed away, the creatures returned with unimaginable numbers as the landscape went black under the occasional crack of thunder to surround the students. And now the trio was forced to retreat to the only safe structure remaining, the central spire which had once been the defining landmark of the Academy.
"Cover me!" was the only thing Jaune shouted as he bounded to the elevator door, mashing the elevator button with all his might as Yang and the ravenette took their places behind them and gunned down the faster beasts that tried to get them.
Finally opening, the three young adults tumbled into the space, the nameless girl rolling to point and gun down a final Beowolf with the last of her clip.
"That was the last of my ammo," she admitted in muted exhaustion as Yang let the bountiful shells eject from her still-bloodied gauntlets with an unreadable expression.
"Yeah."
Ding!
And finally opening at the top floor, the sight of the clockwork office that overlooked the entire campus which once would've brought awe to the students was now replaced with a mess of shattered glass and wrought iron gears, the entire roof - the beacon of the school itself - blown off and cast asunder.
Looking out over the edge of what used to be the window-side of the office, the girl in black rolled her shoulders as Jaune came up to her side to see the black mass of Grimm already scaling the walls of the building itself, "So, I take it this is where me make our last stand."
But before Jaune could nod in agreement, the pair was interrupted by his fellow blonde.
"Sorry, guys, but that's not exactly how I wanted to go."
Each turning to face the brawler who was standing at the center of the room, Yang reached down deep between her ample cleavage to pull out what looked like a single shell for her weapons... except with a black skull etched onto it with permanent marker.
"Put this bad boy together myself with my own little cocktail of Dust... Red, with a pinch of as much Black as I could find. I had a back-up one just in case, but I guess I must've lost it in our dorm..."
Jaune turned to see the amber-eyed woman beside him retort in surprise, "Yang, Black Dust is illegal! How'd you even..."
"The whole world went to the crapper in less than a week!" Yang noted with a flare, quickly checking her outburst much to her friends' surprise, "Getting my hands on some Black Dust for a time like this wasn't hard... I call it the Strawberry Sunrise; it'd be perfect with a little umbrella, actually... Ruby would've loved the pun..."
But wiping a single tear from her eye, the once fun-loving young woman turned her back on the pair as she made her decision clear, "You guys can stay if you want; but if you don't, I suggest you get far fast. This ain't gonna be your everyday firecracker, and I'm gonna take as many of these bastards with it as I can..."
Trading a now very concerned glance, Jaune and the nameless girl peeked over the side of the spire once more to see that the Grimm were already over halfway up the building. Knowing Yang had made up her mind and now aware that there was no time to argue, the girl spoke first.
"Jaune, my Semblance. It's the fastest way, and we're high enough to cover some serious ground before the Grimm reach us."
Cocking his head to the side in a brief moment of hesitation, she gave him the smallest smiles before gingerly picking up his bloodied hands in hers, "It's okay... do your thing."
The knight nodded before shutting his eyes and replacing the lingering image of Ren in his mind with that of the girl. He grimaced when even replicating her unique ability failed to grant him knowledge of her name, but like a sudden rush of adrenaline, Jaune figured out why he cared about her so much.
Her aura, the manifestation of her very being, was wrought with pain and turmoil. But the shade of her soul was naught but a shadow cast by the burning willpower she had forged within to overcome it, and Jaune now knew that every moment spent now was a fight to win another precious moment of life spent with her. Otherwise, why fight at all? Humanity was dead, the Grimm had killed it... but for the girl he'd come to care for - dare he say love? - so much, every risk he took was worth its weight in gold.
And maybe it's because he now understood the nature of her Semblance in its entirety, or maybe because the logic of jumping off a building hundreds of feet high finally clicked in his mind, but Jaune now realized that the score of this particular risk was certainly one for the books.
"Got it," the knight finally began as faint claw strikes against steel below them could be heard along with the pouring rain, "And you're insane, you know that? Any idea how we're going to make this work?"
The girl with the alluring amber eyes merely gripped his hand a little harder before flashing him arguably the most incredible grin he'd ever see.
"Together."
And suddenly sprinting towards the broken office vista with the knight in tow, the girl leapt into the air without an iota of hesitation. The sudden sensation of so much nothing between his feet and the ground locking his limbs as the rush of wind began increasing all around him, the girl released his hand with a smile and pointed toward the cliffs at the front of the academy.
"That should be far enough! Shadow-leap on my mark!"
"What!? That's more than a mile away!"
"Jaune, just trust me!" she retorted with what almost looked like a silent giggle, and just like that, his worry vanished. She already knew he could trust her with his life as much as he did, so he relaxed to spring into action the moment she spoke, "Now!"
And so the intricate dance began, the two students redirecting their downwards momentum forward and now shadow-vaulting off of their clones left in the air until their trajectory was nearly parallel with the floor, the cracks of lightning lighting their new positions dozens of feet apart as they soared through the air faster than the eye could follow. Watching her as she glided through the rain with nary a twitch in her expression, focused on the landing spot yet enjoying the flight as much as he was, Jaune couldn't help yelping with the thrill of the flight as they each shadow-vaulted over and under each other's aural clones several times more to keep going. His grin growing wider as he realized that she too was giggling softly at the truly unmatchable acrobatic feat, Jaune refocused as she deftly flipped over and around a few more of her shadow clones to approach his side and continue with the next command, "Alright, now we let ourselves fall as close to the edge as possible to get as far away from the tower as we can! Grab my hand to keep us steady, and on my mark, send as many clones as you can to push us back and slow our descent until we can stick a landing, ready?"
As the cliffs where the air docks were once situated to bring knowledge-hungry students to the place which would never more be able to provide it at intimidatingly fast speeds, Jaune grabbed her hand to let them lose altitude and readied to brace himself when she finally gave the command, "Do it now!"
fftfftfftfftfftfftfftfft...
Jaune pressed his mental abilities to the limit as he imagined a trail of clones lining the air to push him back while soaring through them, each projection reaching its limit and bursting into ambient energy from the force in milliseconds as the girl did the same on her side. Finally no more than a half dozen feet from the ground, the pair of soaked students free fell to the floor, their remaining forwards momentum sending them skidding across the muddy ground all the way to the very end of the cliff. Never letting go of her arm, Jaune dug his feet as far into the soggy dirt as he could with a strained yell until they finally came to a stop, the ends of the girl's legs dangling off the edge of the mile-high cliff. Standing up, the panting knight pulled her up as well while taking a peek over the vertigo-inducing drop.
"I dunno. I think we could've managed to land a few inches closer to the edge, don't you?"
Catching her breath, she rolled her eyes at him with a scoff before bringing herself closer to him anyways to let her head drop against his chest in a mix of gratitude and exhaustion. Still hesitating despite the freedom she'd just taken in breaching his personal space, an action he was sure she repeated with no one else, Jaune slowly lifted his arm around her to let her sink into him further. The rain fell like the world around them, both of them sharing the moment in silence until a light too steady and bright to be lightning brought their attention to the top of the spire.
The Grimm had reached the top, and both students watched as the blonde brawler lit the remainder of her fiery aura at once to ignite the mix of explosive Red Dust and radioactive Black Dust cradled against her bosom. And in a second too long, or a moment too short, they watched the entire tower and campus surrounding it go up in a wonderfully destructive spere-like cloud of rose-gold energy in an intriguingly silent explosion in the distance.
-oooooooom...
"She went on her own terms," Jaune finally spoke to break the silence as it was clear that the explosion had eradicated the Grimm in the surrounding area with so much force that it managed to push the higher clouds away from the vicinity and grant them a temporary reprieve in the heavy rainfall.
"With a bang," the girl finished sullenly before glancing at the view of the kingdom the teens had from the impressively high cliff as the night turned to look at her.
The waning light coincides with the second glint that catches John's eye and snaps him out of his daydream, except this time, the glint is on purpose. John refocuses to see the writer in the booth down from him with a polished spoon in hand and a small smirk at his own successful ploy. Crap, was John staring at him without realizing it!?
His frown of discomfort is assayed when the unnamed writer glances behind himself at the owner of the very real black bow before shaking his head at John with a knowing smile. Gathering his things, he finally stands, granting John the longest moment in his life as he sees her for himself for the first time.
The dark-haired beauty sat without noticing anyone else in the restaurant as she stared at nothing in particular out the window. From that John could tell, she wore the bow over a small streak of violet-dyed hair, a color she matched well with the hue of violet she used as eye-shadow over her slightly cat-like upturned hazel eyes that almost look amber in the morning light.
The spell broken once again as he realizes the young writer approaching him, John turns to hear him as he passes by, "She's all yours, man. Good luck."
Turning back to face her, he almost gasps when the image of a girl he'd known yet never met staring at a dying world superimposes itself over her; bloodied and disheveled, but otherwise the same.
"No way... it, it can't be..."
She still doesn't notice him, but he takes the writer's words to heart as oral courage and begins scooting towards the edge of his booth to stand, all the while watching the unreal reality continue to unfold in front of his vision like an incredible anomaly of what he can only describe as subconscious duality.
The view from the cliff is of a world on fire, lit in rain and drenched in flame.
Jaune continues watching the girl fight back a futile tear in her eyes which have long since run dry at the acceptance of her fate before she finally speaks without looking up at him.
"So this... This is how Remnant dies. In unending flame."
Remnant. Her world... It was called Remnant.
John is finally standing, checking his shirt, tie and breath before daring to move forward.
The nameless beauty in his arms continues to stare into the distant inferno, no longer able to bear watching the final hope in her quest to rid the world of all its evils consumed by the darkness itself.
"Cinder will be coming for us, you know," she suddenly adds, causing the knight to furrow his brows, "I will no longer be of any use; that jump used up the last of my aura... but you can still run. You can leave this place..."
The words cut straight to the heart, the knight rendered speechless for a moment at the girl who looks down without meeting his gaze. But then they see it - a distant explosion from what used to be the headquarters of the Valean Council blossoming into a spherical cloud of crimson flame. It doesn't take long to realize the unnatural phenomenon its on its way to Beacon.
Nevertheless, the knight returns his gaze to the girl in front of him.
"To live at the cost of your life? I'd be dead all the same," Jaune replies without missing a beat, "So no. We stand together. We die together. That crazy witch might've won, but it won't stop us from giving her hell when she gets here."
John takes his first step, now able to better see her wardrobe. Clearly not very high maintenance, the girl is wearing a thin black vest over a sleeveless white tee, an aesthetic contrast over her maroon denim leggings that lead into a pair of black calf-length hiking boots that slowly oscillate freely at the end of her crossed legs under the table. A book lies on the table, one hand cradling the cover while the thumb from the other idly rests in the page where she left off.
However, John stops short upon looking at the table between their booths, noticing a single leaf of paper with a simple sketch of a flame on it... or maybe a flower?
Picking it up, he examines it for a moment before turning away from the girl in the direction the young writer just went, "Hey, I think you left... something..."
The girl takes a single breath before sighing aloud, turning up to Jaune with a melancholic longing gaze that sends cracks rippling through his heart.
"Somehow, I knew you might say that," she finally lets out with a humorless chuckle, or maybe crack in her voice, before taking his hands in hers and locking her gaze with his, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry I never gave this a chance..."
Wait, what is she talking about?
"...it sounds really ironic now, but I'd hoped we'd have time after graduating to continue getting to know each other. For me to let you into my heart..."
The girl screws her eyes shut, a new tear - not of despair, but if regret - fighting its way out only to be caught by the thumb of the knight whose hand slowly caresses the side of her face. Letting her cheek lean into the warmth of his touch, she opens her eyes as she places her hand above his.
"I love you. And I should've told you before... I only wish we had a chance to make this work..."
John sighs as he realizes the young man is long gone, turning back to the crude drawing before folding it up and placing it in his pocket.
But in a chance glance upwards, his breath hitches as he realizes the girl had been watching him with furrowed brows until her eyes suddenly widen... with recognition? With surprise? John can't be sure, but he catches her stealthily pulling up her book and picking up where she left off before she thinks he can catch her.
He takes another step forward.
The weight of those three words hit the knight like a truck, lifting his spirits while breaking his heart with the admission. Yet his smile does not waver.
"Maybe we will have a better chance. In a better time. In a better life."
"I thought you dint believe in that kind of thing..."
"Heh, yeah, that was always kinda more Ren's thing," Jaune retorts with a hint of a smirk, "But maybe I can start getting into it someday."
The girl returns a warmer smile before going up on her toes to kiss Jaune's cheek. The young man reels from the sensation, letting his eyes meet her blushing visage as the ball of crimson flame draws closer through the night.
John is just behind the booth seat across from the girl and can already tell that she's doing anything but reading. Satisfied with his deduction, he remains standing there with a smug smile until she finally lowers the book from in front of her face, the black bow giving way to her blushing expression and an apologetic smile.
John used to laugh at those he once thought were too easily carried away by a young woman's looks, but right now, there's no other word to describe him with but smitten.
"Hey. It may take a moment, it may take a lifetime... but if you can wait for me, I will find you. I promise you that."
A single tear falls from her face as she tilts her head and gives him a wry smile.
"Heh. Don't make a girl a promise you can't keep, Jaune."
"No... I intend to keep this one."
John musters all the confidence he's got in the next breath he takes. Confidence... all women look for is confidence, right?
"Uhhh," great start, John, "This seat taken?"
Her same apologetic smile growing just a fraction wider in the most adorable way, she simply shakes her head.
An arch of fire roars through the night. The ball of ethereal flame halts merely a few dozen feet from the surviving youths, tendrils of blood red aura circling the maddened flaming eyes of the pale queen within.
Cinder Fall has arrived.
The young blonde sits down, ignoring the rising blush in his own cheeks.
"And I intend to hold you to it," the girl continues, even though the pair turn to face the Mad Queen herself as they reach back to grip their trusty weapons, "May we meet again, in a better life."
"Do I... know you?"
John shakes his head in turn. There is a wry-half smile on her face, her raised brow accenting the touch of cat-eye liner at the corner of her eye.
The two fighters, divided by their dying world but united in their hope for a better one, draw their weapons at the invincible foe. The royal enchantress grins as she raises up a single hand and dozens of flaming lights appear around her floating throne.
At that, a single memory Jaune recovers from the beginning of the night blooms into an idea.
"Well then. Have we met before?"
The knight and the nightshade trade nods and ready themselves to leap over the edge to take the witch down with them, but not before turning to each other to exchange their final words.
"I love you, Jaune. I'll see you on the other side."
"You know what... I do believe we have," John finally states with a grin as he reaches his hand across the table in greeting, "The name's John Luna."
And with a final yell, they leap into the void as Cinder snaps her fingers with a mad cackle to send dozens of flaming arcs of fire to converge on them in midair...
...but not before Jaune pulls out the second skull-etched shell-casing from under his hoodie to take the brunt of the flame only inches away from her. The girl beside him smiles as she recognizes the Strawberry Sunrise.
"I love you, too... Blake. Don't wait up."
The girl puts down her book, glancing at John's hand and back at him before finally offering hers in return with a warm smile.
"I'm Blake. Blake Belladonna."
A/N: Hi there! TPS here! As many of you know, after a hiatus I tend to start up my mojo again by taking a jab at a new story. In this case, it's actually a reboot of one of my favorite stories ever by ElysiaDreaming. So six months later after talking to Elysia, I've finally gotten around to doing the reboot heh -_-
Anyway, due to TGG and all, I'm kinda planning for this to be a twoshot for now, stretching further than the original story and explaining the premise to this AU and the scope of the quest these modern day characters have in front of them. Oh, and the introduction of the rest of modern day RWBY. Obviously :]
As soon as I'm ready to go further than that, I'll be recruiting a certain beta I'd also spoken to about this story a long while back. You know who you are ;)
In conclusion, after having made my intentions clear, I still leave the final decision to you as I always have, dear reader. Want to see more Remnants Reloaded? Then Fave, Follow and Review to show your support! For those who worry about The Gamer Girl: don't worry, it's in the works, and I'm adding a special little surprise that I hope you guys like ;D
Bah! Enough of my ranting and teasing! As always, take care,
And Happy Reading!
P.S.: All places mentioned in John's world are actual places in New Jersey and New York, USA. Also, any similarity of characters to a certain non-fictional author is totally intended ^,^
P.P.S.: As usual, this story has a butt-ton of references for people as weird as I am to find :)