AN: Howdy everyone! Sorry it's been so long, but I was out of town and didn't really have access to my computer for that whole time. That said, I'm glad to be back.
So. Jaune. I see that the near future for his path is becoming pretty obvious. Yes, Jaune is not going to struggle with his Darkness in the second half of the story, he's going to use it. So far, nothing he's done is... well, it's nothing I wouldn't do.
To Aoi Hyoudou: I agree. Sadly, Sora's natural hope and resilience to emotional pain don't always make him able to understand how others feel. The same with Ruby. They never forget, but they never stop moving forward.
To Warrior of Six Blades: I have to admit, I'm kind of scared. What Xehanort wants Sora to find is a pretty big game changer, and I'm worried that it will be too controversial. That said, I like it and I hope you all do too when I reveal it or you figure it out.
Also, the secret that Raven told Qrow is in this chapter. It's something both my brother and I thought was the truth in RWBY immediately after watching Volume Three.
Now, I should probably stop yapping, huh? Enjoy.
Chapter 18: Breakthroughs
Three weeks later, the floating training arena had arrived at the very edge of the Mistral continent, and the group had gone to the surface in order to resupply for the week long trek across the ocean spanning the distance between the town where they were supposed to meet Raven and where they were then. Jaune wanted distance from Sora and Qrow; he had cooled down but had yet to apologize to either of them. Because of this, he had gone with Ren and Nora to restock on Dust ammunition for everyone – Sora himself was nowhere near running low due to how rarely he used the stuff, but almost everyone else was completely out due to their daily training sessions with him. Those sessions had not yet grown any less painful for anyone, as the closest anyone had gotten to summoning Light was when Ruby's eyes had glowed for half a second when blocking an attack heading for her uncle Qrow. Otherwise, it had been an unsuccessful few weeks.
Qrow had gone off on his own, saying he had gotten an alert from one of the other Maidens and had asked to check in with her a few dozen miles north – he wouldn't say where. He later said he'd be back at maybe midnight. Neptune and Sun did something similar, deciding they should probably check in with Scarlet and Sage to see how their sudden disappearance had affected the school. After that, they'd go and pick up food – neither Nora nor Sora could be trusted to not eat it all on their way back, after all.
This all left Sora and Ruby alone to try and find something to do. "We could service everyone's weapons," Ruby had suggested as everyone left the Bullhead they'd taken to get to the small village. "There's probably a weapon shop in this outpost."
"We'll be fine," Nora had protested almost immediately, drawing out the last word and snorting. "You two haven't had any time alone in three weeks!"
"Just don't take too much time alone," Qrow growled suddenly as he walked past. He looked at Sora, fire replacing his recent gloom for a half second. "Weaponless into a horde of Grimm."
The Keyblade wielder grinned nervously and looked over at Ren and Nora. The Berserker was carrying her partner over her right shoulder so he was dangling. "Neither have you, really," Sora supplied, holding in laughter at the sight..
"Oh, we had alone time for eighteen years!" Nora replied before Ren could cut in.
"That's... kind of true," Ren supplied. He looked up and shot his friends a smile. "Go. There will be plenty of time when all this is over, and we aren't currently getting in lopsided fights every day."
At that, Sora grinned nervously again. He had a very natural grasp of how to use Light, and a natural grasp of something rarely translated into an excellent method of teaching. He'd been hoping for a while to find some way to break through to his friends, but he had no luck regardless of whatever he tried using to teach them. Sora was beginning to wonder if he even had what it took to teach anyone how to discover their Light, much less use it effectively.
So, there they were, walking side by side towards the jungle area that surrounded the small port town. Sora and Ruby's hands were clasped together, and the two of their cheeks were flushed a subtle red. "This is nice," Ruby said quietly, not glancing away from Sora as she did.
"Yeah, it is," Sora agreed, also keeping his eyes on her despite the flush in his cheeks. The silence that persisted following this was a comfortable one ended only as the two passed shops and looked at different things, or even bought a few knick-knacks or souvenirs to give their friends. Beyond that, however, they had little to actually do. So, naturally, Sora began to ask the young woman her opinion on things.
"What am I doing wrong?" Sora asked with a groan as they walked further towards the jungle. Ruby looked over at him quizzically, eyebrows raised in question. Sora sighed. "I mean, I haven't been able to help any of you to use Light."
"Well, maybe the problem is that you've been too... vague?" Ruby suggested quietly. Sora stopped and looked over at her, earnest interest in his features. He really wanted to help them survive this. Ruby blushed and moved her head from side to side. "I mean... you're trying to get us to use Light in general. Anything. Maybe just tell us how to do one or two things?"
Sora looked down and nodded slowly. "That's... smart. Hm..." Sora frowned, wishing he had more than just a week to try and implement that idea. Sora nodded and looked back up at Ruby, a soft smile spreading across his face. "Okay then. Which one do you want first?"
"What?" Ruby asked.
"Which spell? Which one do you want to start with?" Sora asked again, grin widening. He raised his free hand. "Fire, Blizzard, Aero, Thunder? Which spell that I've used sounds the best? The most fun? The most 'you?'"
Ruby blushed, then looked up and smiled. "Which one did you learn first?" she suggested with a shrug.
"Okay. Fire it is," Sora said, his smile disappearing as he began to try and think about how to go about teaching her how to use the magic. It clicked after a few moments. "How about I just tell you how I make it?" Sora looked up towards the blue sky, thinking hard about what happened when he used his magic. Fire usually began with a spark of his own fire, with a burst of passion or anger that he used to ignite his own energy. "You think of the things that get you super fired up! If you get angry or excited thinking about it, shoot it off to get some fire."
"Get angry, huh?" Ruby asked dryly. She laughed playfully, causing Sora to blush and laugh nervously along with her. "Well, shouldn't be too hard, though I think fire is more my sister's area of expertise."
"Hm," Sora grunted in acknowledgment, not trusting his voice to not crack at the moment. He cleared his throat. "So, how is that going, Ruby? Have your sister or your dad called you yet?"
Ruby frowned and Sora wondered for a moment if he'd said the wrong thing. Then she shrugged and smiled sadly. "No, not yet. Yang seemed really angry last time I spoke to her, too," Ruby replied quietly. She raised her eyebrows exasperatedly. "And I don't know why! Urgh... sisters are so annoying!"
Sora snickered at Ruby. "You're laughing?" she asked the boy.
"Only a little," Sora supplied, trying to hold in his laughter. He calmed himself down and sighed. "Okay. Sorry. But I wouldn't worry about it. In a couple weeks, you'll see her again. And I'll get to meet her! No one can be sad or angry around me! I mean, you can't, right?"
"Ha ha," Ruby muttered, only half sarcastic. Still, she smiled gratefully at his reassuring joy. "Okay. Oh! And you get to meet Zwei!"
"Zwei... your dog?" Sora asked blankly. His face steadily grew more and more excited by the prospect. "The one who can get turned into a fiery explosion? Who can destroy giant robots? Who can blow up entire subways with just a little help!?"
Ruby laughed and began to reply, only to be cut off by a sudden scream as the two of them reached the edge of the town. The jungle loomed ominously, darkness dripping off of the leaves. But the scream came from behind them; an older Faunus man rushed up to them upon seeing Ruby's weapon. His golden-orange eyes were wide and his fox ears were fidgeting nervously. "Huntress! Huntress, can you help me? Please!"
Sora and Ruby looked at each other for a moment, but then let go of one another and entered business mode. "What do you need?" Ruby asked, brow furrowing.
"My daughter! Please, they took her into the jungle! Please!" the man begged, clutching at Ruby's cloak. "Humans. Please help her!"
"Which way?" Sora asked, summoning the Keyblade to his hand and looking serious. The man just pointed into the jungle, and the two turned around and sprinted off faster than almost anyone else the man had ever seen before.
"How does this always happen when you're around?" Ruby asked as she dashed from tree to tree looking for another Faunus. She disappeared in a flash of roses to reappear a short distance away with her hood up.
"It's a blessing and a curse," Sora responded, looking around. The Keyblade thrummed in his hand and he subconsciously turned with its suggestion.
"Sora, where are you going?" Ruby shouted. He didn't answer, instead sprinting through the brush as his Heart was leading him. Ruby just growled to herself and shot after him with weapon at the ready; sometimes they were too much alike, charging ahead without communicating. The leaves rustled in the wakes of the two warriors as they sprinted towards wherever Sora's weapon was leading them, the hidden monsters of the jungle growling and hissing around them. The trees around them swayed dangerously as something in the distance roared... they'd have to work fast if they wanted to avoid whatever that monster was.
After a short while, the two of them burst through the edge of the treeline into a small jungle clearing. Curled up in the tall, swaying grass of the clearing was the form of a young woman with silver hair and rust red fox ears growing from her skull. She had her hands raised in an effort to shield herself from the incoming blows raining down on her that came from a trio of angry looking, drunk smelling humans. One was a middle aged man with graying hair wearing red and gray clothing, another a young woman with long brown hair done in a braid in a white tank and tan pants, the third a young man with golden hair adorned all in black. They all had one unifying factor, despite the disparity of their appearances and age – a black mask that covered their eyes.
The mask had white, glowing slits where the eyes should be, with white and red lines running across the matte material in twisted and evil patterns. It was a reversed Grimm mask. A reversed White Fang mask. "Yeah, how do you like that you dirty animal?!" the older man shouted as he landed a kick into her midsection.
"Did it feel good when you blew up Haven?!" the woman snapped as her boot slammed into the Faunus' head. She fell unconscious, blood flowing from her head. Her skull began to roll weakly in the tall grass, painting it red.
"That wasn't her!" Sora snapped, raising the Keyblade in front of him and summoning a powerful explosion of air around the young woman's body. The three black masked assailants were thrown away by the powerful burst of wind, sending them tumbling through the grass. They stood up slowly, with bruises adorning their skin and cuts leaking blood across their faces; obviously, these weren't warriors trained in using their Auras, just normal people being convinced to do terrible things by terrible events.
"Run away now or those bruises will be small problems," Ruby said, trying to sound as threatening as possible. Sora didn't think that she sounded scary or mean, but he knew she was too nice to go after defenseless people. Even defenseless idiots who beat people when they were afraid. The people who they had just beaten up, however, thought she looked more than terrifying enough to run away at full speed towards the town.
Sora watched them go for a half second before running right at the young, unconscious Faunus woman. Sora quickly raised his Keyblade, channeling a burst of healing magic through the tip and stitching together the wounds of the young woman. She hissed in unconscious pain as parts of her body snapped into place again, Sora's magic saving her life. Still, though, she remained unconscious. "She's not going to wake up any time soon," Sora said as he crouched next to the young woman. The roar echoed again, much, much closer this time.
Ruby looked over her shoulder, towards the source of the noise, nervously considering her options. Whatever creature was on its way, they couldn't both move this girl and try to fight the thing off at the same time. Ruby certainly couldn't carry the Faunus on her own, her specialty was speed after all. That meant Sora would have to carry the girl back to the town. But Ruby didn't have any Dust to use in a fight with some big monster. That meant she wouldn't be of too much help in defending Sora and the girl from the incoming monster. She checked her Scroll. No bars. It was down to the two of them, and she was wasting time overthinking this. They had a long enough trek back to the outpost, and it was getting more and more dangerous every second. "Pick her up, I'll cover you," Ruby finally decided. She readied Crescent Rose and looked over her shoulder again as Sora dismissed his Keyblade so he could slowly lift the young Faunus. He exchanged a glance with Ruby, then the two began trudging through the jungle again.
The two walked quietly for a short while, looking around to make sure nothing and nobody got the drop on them. "What's making that roar?" Sora asked as it echoed again, this time even closer. There was loud pounding as it neared.
Ruby clutched her weapon more tightly. "I have a bad feeling we're going to find out," she muttered. The trees swayed, and Ruby dashed forward to crash into Sora. He and the Faunus girl flew away while a large, black fist slammed into Ruby. She crashed through a tree and, without looking at her scroll, knew she could take maybe one more hit from whatever had crashed into her without dying – though she doubted her bones would survive the blow. She hazily pushed herself to her feet and her vision tunneled before she found her feet again. As it cleared, she saw that Sora and the Faunus victim were hiding behind a tree. Sora seemed ready to put the girl down and come to help Ruby. He was stopped when the giant creature slammed through the tree trunk and they were thrown into the base of another tree.
It was at this point that Ruby got a good look at the creature attacking them. It was a gargantuan Grimm, maybe ten or twelve feet tall and built to crush humans under foot for so much as a single glare. Its arms were long, with forearms the size of large barrels and fingers as big around as Ruby's legs. Bone plate erupted from its flesh to guard every joint and location that would otherwise be weak in a battle. Where the plate ended on its shoulders, the black flesh was more of a burnt red-orange that extended to create a terrible fire in its maw. There was a thick bone plate resting on its face over glowing, evil eyes to form incisor teeth as long as Ruby's head. It was a Beringel. Ruby had thought that those Grimm were extinct, for lack of a better word. They hadn't been seen in decades, which was lucky. Even the strongest and most trained Huntsmen had rarely escaped with their lives when they were completely ready for a fight with one. A Huntress in training, without any Dust on her, who was trying to protect two other people had... even less of a chance.
The Beringel reared up on its hind legs, pounding its chest and roaring as it stared down at the prone figures. Sora's eyes widened and he dropped the Faunus to raise his newly summoned Keyblade. The huge fist flew downward and it collided with a bright white wall. Sora's Reflega began to sink into the ground from the force of the blow, white sphere creaking audibly.
Ruby growled and ran forward, knowing only that she had to save her friend. Her blade flashed forward as quickly as she could move it without a Dust bullet, lancing to cleanly slice through the Grimm's leg. It bounced off, and the Grimm's glowing eyes turned towards the girl at its feet. It grunted in something between anger and annoyance, and flicked its foot at her. Ruby crashed into another tree, her vision fading in and out to only be accompanied by the noise of the slowly breaking Reflega wall. Sora couldn't fight back without endangering the girl, which meant that he couldn't fight back at all. Ruby felt useless as she pushed herself to her feet again, trying to catch her breath and figure something out. "Ruby! Run!" She looked over at the source of the noise. Sora was shouting at her as he struggled to keep up his defensive wall. The wall buckled for a moment when the creature hit him again, but he was able to raise it again just in time to deflect the next blow.
"No!" Ruby shouted, anger and worry for her friend and... whatever other title he was at the moment, bubbling up in her gut. She moved her weapon without thinking to its usual ready position across her shoulders, and suddenly found herself launching towards the Beringel. She could faintly smell smoke rising behind her as the blade of the weapon erupted into flames over her shoulder. She screamed a battle cry as the blade arced forward, causing a massive explosion to ripple through the flesh of the Beringel as she attacked. The Grimm looked over, eyes somehow widening in something that looked like surprise or fear while the flames spreading from its midsection began to devour it before its Black Dust could truly escape into the sky. A moment later, Ruby landed on the ground, Crescent Rose laid across her back with rose petals and smoke swirling together around her. And, just like that, Ruby Rose – Huntress in Training – had killed one of the most unkillable Grimm on Remnant all by herself.
"You did it!" Sora shouted, crashing into Ruby suddenly. She yelped in surprise as he picked her up with a big hug. "That was amazing!" He spun around, causing her to laugh at his infectious excitement as the wind dragged her hood down to her shoulders. She blushed as he let her down and her arms wrapped around his shoulders. The two of them began to hold their breath without knowing they were doing so, faces close to each other. "You were... amazing..." Sora muttered again as their faces grew closer and closer.
"Ugh, where am I?" an unfamiliar voice asked. Sora and Ruby stopped just centimeters from one anothers' lips to turn towards the young, bleary eyed Faunus woman who had begun to wake up. She looked around. "Who are you two?"
R W B Y
"Well, wasn't that just interesting, Oz?" Salem asked, swiping her hand across the Corridor of Darkness she had summoned just moments before in order to watch the battle play out between one of her few remaining Beringels and the Silver Eyed girl. The woman had to admit that the girl had been trained well by her many allies. The little bird's brother, Oz himself, and even now with the young Keyblade Wielder, this girl had quickly learned from each of them. Salem smiled at her prisoner. He looked a lot different than he had more than half a year earlier when he had been captured. For one, he had that ridiculous looking beard he had taken to during his hermit decades. For another, his face was plastered with sadness instead of defiance, another throwback to his time as an angry wizard hermit. Salem frowned mockingly. "What, no collected and hopeful reply this time?"
Ozpin just looked at the ground to avoid Salem's gaze. "Oz, I'm going to keep doing this until you decide to respond," she said, voice full of mocking sympathy. She smirked darkly. "Speak. Now, Oz, before I get angry."
"What?" he growled without looking up. "What could you possibly gain by showing all of this to me, Salem? Besides joy from my suffering, that is."
"Well, you know that I always loved the smell of your suffering, Oz," Salem responded cruelly. She leaned down, whispering into his ear. "I did survive on that Darkness for centuries, after all. I love my favorite meal when I can have it." She stood up again, clasping her hands behind her back and staring up at the fractured moon. "Now, how about we start over. Wasn't that interesting, Oz? Red Riding Hood out there killing a Beringel without a single shred of Dust to her name."
"She is growing stronger. Your point, Salem?" Ozpin inquired wearily. His eyes moved without his head to glare into the pitless orbs in Salem's skull. Ozpin did not even bother to struggle against his restraints anymore. He didn't feel like being defiant at the moment. He was just so tired of being a step behind, of waiting for those he believed could save the world to rush headlong into danger they could not comprehend and die at the hands of an enemy that was far beyond their imaginations. Momentarily, he had been broken.
"Very good, Oz. You've figured out the most obvious thing in all of Remnant. A young, Silver Eyed warrior training with a Keyblade wielder is growing stronger. Next you'll tell me that the sky is black or that you're trapped with no way of escape," Salem said, her words accompanied by mocking laughter. "But yes, just as I had hoped, that boy is making that girl much more powerful. Maybe she'll even be powerful enough when she arrives here."
"You won't be able to take her," Ozpin growled, his defiance returned to his voice. His eyes narrowed to angry slits. "She won't give in so easily. You will fail."
"You said that about the last one. And the one before that," Salem said, moving her head almost imperceptibly from side to side. She smirked at the angry glare that her prisoner was giving her. She easily deflected the daggers flying from his eyes and smiled. "How many Guardians did you send to their deaths thinking they were the ones that would beat me? It's been a long few centuries to spend in other people's bodies."
"None of them stood with a Keyblade Wielder," Ozpin retorted, struggling against the Darkness holding him captive. It stretched from the weight of his Heart, but it did not break. "This is not the same as all those other Silver Eyes you destroyed. The first Keyblade Wielder we have seen since we arrived here landed right on Miss Rose's path? I don't believe in coincidences when the Heart is involved."
"Neither do I, Oz. If it was any other Keyblade Wielder, maybe you would be right about me. The Keyblades are connected to the Silver Eyes' powers. To their Light. And this girl's Heart seems especially linked to the Keyblade as well," Salem admitted with a shrug. She laughed after a moment. "But you've seen why this boy fighting me just is not a concern, Oz. You've been watching the same child as I have, after all."
Ozpin's head fell further as he struggled to find a response. Unfortunately, Salem was correct, in a sense. The boy had a painful weakness to the ancient witch, and she would capitalize on it as soon as they met on the battlefield. True, Sora had demonstrated more strength than most any other Keyblade Wielder Ozpin had ever seen. Unfortunately, that did little to change the crippling weakness that permeated his link to the weapon he held. But Ozpin also knew something else, something that even Salem did not grasp. That was something he had to keep to himself until the time was right, until it could be used to defeat her. And it was becoming more and more likely that the secret that Ozpin kept would be key to any victory in the war with Salem.
"You think that I underestimate them," Salem said, seeing through Ozpin's worry and into the core of his hope. "You think I underestimate children." She laughed, the noise dry and grating. "No, unlike my pawns, I wouldn't dare think less of those two – it was little more than children who defeated me all that time ago, after all. But on the other hand, these two are not nearly as powerful as the other ones you've sent after me, even together."
"So you believe that you estimate their strengths perfectly?" Ozpin asked. He scoffed. "You have forgotten what the Hearts of the young are capable of: the more you push against them, the more you try to destroy them, to even greater heights will they will grow."
"Given time. But they will be here long before they reach that level. They won't have the chance to grow, Ozpin. I understand the Keyblades better than anyone alive, after all," Salem said solemnly. He eyes softened as she dragged her open palm across the bearded man's cheek. "Bar none." She added.
After a moment of staring into the dying soul of her prisoner, Salem stood up. Her shadowy dress billowed out around her, as if caught by some ancient wind. She reveled in the scent of pain that flew with it; despite the destruction of the Serpent Grimm during the Haven Attack and sealing of the Dragon Grimm during the Beacon Incident, the world was growing more and more chaotic and afraid. Alongside that crescendo of fear, the power of Darkness on the Remnant was waxing; the Remnant's Light could only wane in response. "In just under one week, Ozpin, I will have everything that I have wanted since I made the first Keyblade in Daybreak Town when we were young. Well, younger at least."
Her hands behind her back clenched even tighter. "It's fitting, I think. You've prepared everyone and everything that you could to defeat me, often using my own weapons against me. Trying to use the Keyblade that boy holds against me. But every time that you have tried to do it, I have ended up using those things and people you send to me in order to humiliate and destroy you. Just as those children grow in power from my adversity, you have crafted me through yours," Salem suggested, flashing a sharp toothed grin at her prisoner; her red eyes glowed menacingly for a moment. "Now, once again because of your attempts to stop me, everything will return to what it should be." She turned her gaze away from Ozpin and sighed in disappointment. "I wish you could see the beauty in that."
"In destruction? There is no beauty in that which is easy, Salem," Ozpin responded knowingly. He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "It is the difficult things which reveal our brightest spots. I fear for her life, for his life. But I believe those two have gone through terrible things because of you, and have grown only brighter because of it. I will choose to do the hard thing then as well, and believe in Sora and Miss Rose."
"Then I will do the easy thing, and burn that hope by making every one of those children my own."
R W B Y
Raven stood just past the edge of the treeline, fidgeting nervously as she plastered herself to the shadows in order to hide. She had faced down monsters so terrible one could call them demons, and dueled with criminals so dark their rights had been stripped away. But none of that compared to having to deal with the twenty year old blonde woman and her father who were training together in the clearing. "Okay, that was good! Put a little more effort into it this time, though, Firecracker," Taiyang said as he picked up a tree trunk. "You only deflected that one. I know you can do better." There was an enthusiastic bark of agreement. Raven didn't recognize the dog; Summer must have bought him.
"Oh, I was just taking it easy, Old Man," the young woman said as she raised her remaining arm. She opened her hand and motioned for her father to throw the tree at her. "Bring it on."
Taiyang smirked back at his little girl, then tossed the tree right at her. A wild grin crossed her face and she took a half step back while readying her left hand to attack. As the tree came near, Raven's eyes widened. Yang wasn't wearing her weapons. The young blonde's fist shot forward a half second later and collided with the circular base of the trunk. Fractures suddenly appeared along the length of the wood, and an eerie creak could be heard as the energy in the tree seemed to suck inward. Another half second later, that energy was let loose in the form of a thundering crack; the tree trunk exploded from the point of impact, a bubble of air rushing out to send the splinters of bark flying in every direction except towards the one who had destroyed the trunk. Wood chips rained from the sky a moment later, bouncing off of the arrogantly smiling Yang Xiao Long. She placed her hand on her hip and laughed at her father's approving grin. "Please, no applause. Unless you can't help yourself," Yang said, bringing her hand up and flipping her hair out of her face. "Which you can't."
Sufficed to say, watching her daughter train had both calmed down Raven Xiao Long and made her much more terrified of interacting with her family. When your daughter has a temper that is, quite literally, fiery and she's capable of shattering trees with her bare hands, you should probably approach any life altering conversations with a bit of... finesse. Qrow had told her the opposite, of course. "Tai and Firecracker have no finesse. And honestly, neither do you when it comes to feelings," he had explained solemnly. "Besides, you'll just psych yourself out if you keep overthinking it."
It seemed that, despite her adamant belief that Qrow could never be right, Raven was indeed psyching herself out by overthinking things. She groaned inwardly in an attempt to get rid of her anxiety, but it didn't seem to help. "Just go out there, Rae. Tai respects the direct route. Loves it. Just... go! Now!" she hissed quietly, slamming her hand into the side of her head. "Come on!"
"Bark!" a small animal shouted from beside her leg. Raven opened her left eye to stare down at the blank, happy stare of Yang's dog. It cocked its head to the side, tongue flopping about wildly, and barked happily once again.
"Shoo!" Raven hissed, trying to push the animal away with her foot. It just yipped and began to run in a circle, trying to get Tai and Yang's attention. "Stop!"
"Zwei? What's wrong?" Tai asked. There was a huge thud as he dropped the tree trunk he had been holding and began to walk towards the excited pup. "Is there someone here?" There was the characteristic whining of gears as Tai activated his orange-yellow bracers. "Zwei?" The dog just barked happily and began to run in circles again.
As the footsteps grew closer, Raven shut her eyes and began to hold her breath. As Tai began to round the tree, Raven spun around it and crashed right into him. "Ow," she groaned, gingerly rubbing the spot where Tai's bracer had slammed into her forehead. She opened one eye and smiled meekly up at her husband, ignoring the barrel of the bracer that was aimed right at her skull. "H-hello, Tai. Long time no see!"
Taiyang didn't say anything. Neither did Yang, for that matter. The only one who seemed interested in making any noise was the incredibly excited dog who was running around Tai and Raven like the pack had been rejoined. Raven coughed nervously and looked over at her daughter, who was wearing a gray, leather jacket over an orange, midriff exposing tank top. She had olive green cargo pants on with a flaming heart on the right thigh. "I heard you like to be called Firecracker. Um... hi Yang. It's good to see you again... and you're not in trouble this time!"
"R-Raven?" Taiyang asked, his voice beginning to crack. Raven looked up at him, hoping that his reaction would go well. She couldn't tell what he was thinking yet, as she was so far incapable of reading his expression – something of a rarity for her. Tai let his hand fall to his side, the gauntlets deactivating as he continued to stare at the woman whom he had once called his wife.
Raven laughed nervously. "It's, er, good to see you both, I guess we have a lot to talk about, don't we?" There was no response, merely silent stares of disbelief from the two blonde warriors. Raven fidgeted under their gazes, trying to collect herself. "Do – do you feel like saying anything, Tai?"
"Mom?" Yang breathed, walking towards her mother. She flinched to hide her wound when Raven looked over at her. The woman smiled sadly and glanced away shamefully. Raven rubbed her left arm nervously, as if trying to wash off the two decades she had spent running from this very conversation.
"I... hurt the person who did that to you, Yang – Firecracker," Raven supplied suddenly, a small, dark smile crossing her face. "I carved his arm from his body while his followers watched. I left him to rot. Begging for a human to kill him at the center of a war. Heh... I would have tortured him, but I was needed somewhere else." Yang edged away from the darkly satisfied look on her mother's face, but seemed otherwise grateful for the cruelty unleashed on her attacker. Raven shook her head and smiled nervously. "I hope that gives you some measure of peace."
"Did you know she was alive?" Taiyang suddenly asked, ignoring the direction of the conversation and turning on his daughter.
"I maybe saw her once," Yang replied haltingly. Taiyang's face grew quietly angry in response. "She saved me when I was in danger, but I didn't really know until the Vytal Festival was almost over. And then everything happened and I -"
"It's not your fault," Taiyang growled before turning on his wife. His eyes had returned to the lilac they had been when they were young – something that often happened when he was angry. His gaze locked onto that of Raven, growing angrier and angrier every moment. "I take it your brother knew? Don't answer that, of course he did. And Ozpin. You could hide secrets from us – from your husband and your daughter – but those two were always worthy of your confidence."
"Yes. Ozpin was the one who sent me on my missions," Raven admitted. She reached out to try and stroke Taiyang's cheek. "I'm sor -" she was cut off when he slapped her hand away and took a step back. She froze for a moment before coughing nervously and placing her hands back in fists at her side. She was fighting an urge to cry; it seemed to be a day of firsts for the seasoned Huntress. "I'm not going to lie and say I had to leave. But I'm here now. I won't leave you again."
Yang smiled appreciatively and moved to speak. Taiyang spoke up first, though. "Don't believe her. She did this all the time when were dating – disappear and come back at her convenience. I believed the heart wrenching apologies every time. And honestly? Your lying is getting worse," he growled at Raven. She looked down, not denying what he had said. She had often done just as he stated, running off whenever she had grown bored then returning with the knowledge that Taiyang had waited diligently for her. Ruby's existence demonstrated that had not been the case.
Still, she had not expected the usually sunny Taiyang to respond to her reappearance like this. "I want to make it right, Tai. I love -"
"Maybe you do," Taiyang interjected, his eyes softening. He took a breath and shut his eyes as if he was steeling himself to make a hard decision. "But even if that is true, I – Raven, you died. You'd never been gone for years, even when we were kids. At this point... Yang and me? We're strangers to you. She's healing. She needs..."
"I know what I need, Dad. She's my mo-"
"She let you get hurt!" Taiyang snapped at his daughter. He pointed at her arm. "You said she saved you, but then where was she when this was happening? Why didn't she stop that!? Why didn't she save her little girl!? Because. She. Doesnt. CARE!"
"That's not fair, it's not her fault it happened!" Yang responded angrily. She marched up to her father and shoved him with her arm. Raven flinched upon seeing what her mere presence was doing to the people she loved; they were fighting, they hated each other because of her. "If it's anyone's fault, it's -"
"He's right," Raven cut in, making the painful, 'right' decision for once. She smiled sadly and motioned about aimlessly with her hands. After a moment, she placed her hand on her blade and her other on her chest. "I... um... I won't bother you again, Tai. I'm..." She shook her head and wiped away tears. "I'm gone." Then she turned on her heel and slashed out with her blade before she could change her mind and make things worse.
"Mom!" Yang shouted, rushing towards the woman. But it was too late: Raven Xiao Long had already closed the portal behind her and disappeared yet again. Yang stared blankly at where the mother she had wanted to speak with for two decades had just been standing. Her fists trembled at her side as the anger in her chest began to crescendo into a scream.
"This is for the best," Taiyang muttered quietly over the disapproving whines of Zwei.
Yang's hair began to glow a bright yellow, as if she was about to explode with rage. Taiyang shut his now blue, tear stained eyes and shrunk from the inevitable burst of fiery rage, only to be surprised when it never came. "Come on Zwei, let's train by ourselves," Yang muttered, motioning for the dog to follow her. He did, yipping enthusiastically as if unaware of the events that had just transpired.
Taiyang just watched them go, repeating in his mind over and over again that he had made the right decision. Yang needed stability in her recovery, something that Raven had never been able to provide even at her best. Still, he loved Raven and couldn't help but let tears stream down his face. "This is for the best."
R W B Y
"Daughter." Winter Schnee froze in her tracks as a streak of pure annoyance ran up her spine. She turned slowly to glare at the man who stood at the top of the stairs like a king speaking to a disobedient princess, and also the only thing that was stopping her from speaking with her younger sister. It was a man in his early sixties, with hair as white as that of any of his daughters'. He had a luxurious mustache that matched his heavy eyebrows perfectly and came together well with his Schnee-white suit and disapproving blue eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"Father," Winter said, bowing her head slightly, though more out of habit than actual respect. She looked back up at him, not even bothering to hide the disdain in her eyes and voice when she continued to speak. "I was unaware the comings and goings of an Atlesian Specialist were of concern to you."
The man's eyes – somehow – simultaneously softened and hardened. "The comings and goings of my daughter will always be of concern to me, Winter," he said, his own hardened form of love shining through his words. He lifted his hand from the railing and walked towards his daughter with hands clasped behind his back. "You may not approve of my decisions, you may not like me, and you may not even love me, but that changes little in my heart. I disagree with you, I argue with you, and I truly wish that your younger sister did not look up to you quite so much." He stopped in front of Winter and smiled as best he could, placing a hand on her shoulder before continuing. "But I love you nonetheless. What are you doing back, Daughter?"
"I wish to speak with my sister. She enjoys actually learning about what is going on in the world," Winter explained coolly, not letting her father's words sway her. "Understandable, given her imprisonment by her own father."
"I will gladly play villain to keep Weiss safe. If I could do it for you as well I would," the man said, removing his hand from his daughter's shoulder. Her posture softened, though she hadn't even noticed it stiffen. Sloppy, she cursed herself.
"How kind of you," Winter hissed. She looked down at her Scroll, pretending to check the time. "May I leave? My sister is expecting me, after all."
The elder Schnee stared at her for a moment, considering her before responding. "You've never been this disrespectful before," he muttered. His eyes narrowed on his daughter's and his voice became dangerously low. "Tell whatever tramp you've decided to court that he should stay away from you." With that, he turned away and walked back up the stairs.
At his words, Winter had gone beet red. "I am not courting anyone!" she snapped, voice higher than it should be. She watched her father laugh quietly at her as he walked away, his shoulders shaking with joy at his daughter's far too sudden response. After another few moments, Winter coughed to clear her throat and smoothed out the creases of her outfit. She placed a stray hair back into formation and and took a deep breath to calm herself, then walked to her sister's room.
"Sister! How – oh, you must have seen Father," Weiss said, standing up from where she had been reading a book on the many uses of the Schnee Glyph semblance. Her face had gone from excited to empathetic in just a few short seconds.
"It is that obvious?" Winter asked, annoyed. She slowly and quietly shut the door to Weiss' room behind her and sighed. Only two people in all of Remnant could unnerve her – one was her father, and the other... She blushed and shoved thoughts of Qrow Branwen from her mind. "Yes, he was waiting for me on the stairs. He looked like someone trying to play Ice King."
Weiss snickered. "That's new," she noted. Winter looked over, wondering what her sister meant. It must have been plastered on her face, as Weiss laughed nervously and began to explain. "You don't like Father, but... well, you never call him names."
"Ah," Winter muttered. She had spent too much time talking to Qrow recently. "I am just... flustered. I take it you know what happened at the tournament?"
Weiss nodded somberly. "It was... Winter, was it the same person who destroyed Beacon?" she asked after a few moments.
Winter nodded. "Your deductive skills grow by the day, Sister," Winter noted approvingly. Despite the gravity of their conversation, Weiss had to fight off the grateful blush that resulted. Winter nodded again. "Yes, it was the same group responsible for the destruction of your school."
"I wish you could have brought me to help you," Weiss muttered. Her longing for the outside world had also grown by the day, making her gilded cage appear more and more empty as time went on. And when Winter Schnee was where the boy who still constantly called Weiss' Scroll despite having received no answer in months lived, as well as where Weiss' best friend was battling for her life and the lives of others, it made the house seem even emptier.
"Perhaps next time," Winter said, earning a small smile from her sister. Winter stood up straighter and adopted a more strict expression. "Is your training going well? Have you improved your summonings yet, or do you require more of my assistance?"
At that, Weiss' face fell. "It's going... poorly. I haven't been able to summon a full creature yet." She looked up at her sister, hoping that she would at least be impressed with her other news. "Though I can replicate what I did during the attack," she explained, referring to the arm of the creature their father had used to test her devotion to becoming a Huntress. Winter did not congratulate her. Weiss sighed and sat heavily on her bed. "I think I just need more practice."
"You are doing fine, Sister," Winter said, face softening. She sat beside her sister and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I do not mean to make you believe you cannot do it. I know you can. After all, you're already better than all of our other sisters."
"They don't even know the right end of a sword to hold," Weiss remarked dryly. Winter laughed, and Weiss' irritated look was replaced with one of bewilderment. "Now you're laughing, too? Did something bad happen and you're trying to make me feel better before telling me?"
Winter looked quizzically at her sister. "No, I – I merely had a good time, is a-"
"Ruby's uncle." Weiss interjected simply.
Winter choked on her own spit and began to pound her chest to clear her throat. She didn't look very ladylike or strong at all. After a moment, she laughed nervously and tried to refute the truth. "N-what?" she stammered. Her voice was an octave higher than usual, and her expression was stuck between smiling nonchalantly and glaring at her sister with enough cold anger to freeze fire. "Wh-what would give you that idea?"
Weiss just crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side. "You blush every time you talk about the 'Drunkard,'" Weiss explained dryly. She smirked at how off put her sister was becoming. "If I'm right, you have a thing for bad boys."
"Watch your tongue!" Winter snapped, immediately cowing her younger sister. The Specialist stood up and smoothed the creases in her uniform and fixed her hair again. "Apologies, Sister. It was a very long flight. Accompany me for luncheon?"
Weiss looked side to side cautiously, then looked up at her sister. "So it is Ruby's uncle?"
"Never mind food. I forgot I must meet with General Ironwood for a debrief." And with that, Winter spun on her heel and marched out of the room, all the while trying to ignore her sister's laughter and put down the flush in her cheeks before her father saw it. Or, worse, before the General noticed and deduced the reasoning for it. That would result in a scandal the magnitude of which Winter hoped never to see, much less one in which she would be the main player.
That was when it really hit her, though. She stopped in her tracks and gripped at her heart, face pale white from shock and terror. "Oh, God, no," she muttered quietly as it sank in completely. "I have a... a thing for Qrow Branwen." Her face fell in shame, and her arrogant mannerisms disappeared as she groaned. "Kill me now."
R W B Y
Xehanort hissed angrily as he stared at his arms, the ever withering flesh and bone of his Replica body spreading beyond his left arm. Now, it was a chore to merely keep himself together at all. Sora had done more than merely defeat him during his assault, he had crushed the elder Keyblade Master as if he were nothing. It was not an experience to which Xehanort was accustomed, not without it being a direct result of his own planning, at least. Magic did him no good to heal his wounds either, instead only weakening him further.
With an angry, exasperated noise, Xehanort began to bind up his arms in bandages so he could hide his worsening injuries. He looked over his shoulder every few moments to ensure that no one came through door of the abandoned building in which they had taken up residence. The other three members of their group were out doing different things. Emerald was practicing hiding herself with Darkness, Mercury was busy watching her and likely making comments that toed the line between sarcastic insults and flirtatious remarks, and Cinder was attempting to communicate with Salem, allowing Xehanort time alone.
When Xehanort finished wrapping the bandages around his arms, he returned his coat to his shoulders. He groaned in pain as his bones creaked within him, grinding against one another more and more with every movement. It was increasingly obvious that he did not have long.
There was a quiet creak as the door began to open. Xehanort quickly pocketed his hands and turned around to glare at his new company. "Mercury," the old man noted as he examined the young man. He looked nervous, almost deferential as he stood in the doorway. Xehanort had to admit that yet another rarity had occurred – he was confused by the young man's presence. "What do you want?"
"You know, I don't respect most people," the young man explained. Xehanort groaned inwardly as he held a disinterested look– he was opening anecdotally. "Any people really. Probably normal if your dad's an assassin who tries to kill you. Hm."
"Does this have a point, boy?" Xehanort asked, annoyed with the inane outcome of events so far. Xehanort began to motion with his hands, probably far too much. "I do not have time for meaningless prattle."
"I like that. Direct. It's refreshing after all this time with Cinder," Mercury explained, voice bored as he began walking from side to side.
"So you want to ask questions. I promise nothing, boy," Xehanort responded. "After all, what would Cinder Fall do if she found you going behind her back?"
"Probably yell at me again," Mercury noted with a shrug, easily quelling the fear in his guts. It was then that Xehanort understood: Cinder Fall had her slave through Emerald's blind faith, and it appeared that a similar respect had formed for Xehanort in Mercury's Heart. Perhaps this would be the key to splitting their loyalties for...
Xehanort smiled and cut off his own thoughts. They could dangerous if someone could read his Heart, a distinct possibility given his many distractions and newfound weaknesses. "I won't tell if you do not."
Mercury nodded. When he spoke, his voice had become a low whisper. It was as if he was afraid that the woman would hear him and kill him as a result. Xehanort had to respect such an ability to inspire fear. "Who's Salem?"
"Bold, just asking," Xehanort said approvingly. He shrugged and decided to answer, to garner the trust of the young man. "Something very old. A woman with very... particular goals." He paused and smiled, golden eyes glowing greedily. "What has Cinder said about her supposed end game, boy?"
"Well, I know she really wants to try on clothes, get her nails done, and talk about cute boys," Mercury noted dryly. He scoffed. "Let's be honest – she's of course told us a grand total of zilch."
"Fitting, given what her Master wants," the old man muttered. He shook his head and stifled his laughter, then looked up at the young man. "Salem is a monster, even by my standards. But this chaos you are sowing? This hatred and rage and destruction that you're crafting? Imagine if the chaos became so great no Light remained in the Hearts of any on the Remnant. That is it – Her goal is destruction. She craves it."
Mercury shrugged. "So? What's a little chaos?"
"Unoriginal and pointless. I despise pointless things, but – for now – her interests align with my own," Xehanort explained, walking up to Mercury. "But they won't forever. When the time comes... well, I do not desire destruction, just power. Power I would share with allies and the deserving in the reconstruction that will follow."
"I back the fun side, and Cinder's getting a bit boring if we're going to be honest. It's all blowing up cities and filming it. Lame," Mercury noted dryly. He shrugged slowly, then grinned at the Keyblade Master. "I'm game for a good fight, anyways."
Xehanort smiled confidently. Perhaps everything could be salvaged, as long as the seeds of doubt and fear that he had sowed in Sora's ally and within the Heart of the Keyblade Wielder himself could reach fruition. He had to admit, he was short on time before coming face to face with Salem once again, and he would not reveal such information if he had more time to mold the young man to his will. He hated working on short time tables, but this one had promise.
"I think you show great promise, boy," Xehanort said, trying to further gain the young man's confidence. The young man smiled, happy with the approval of the dangerous old man. "I believe you could learn more from me than I originally believed. Tell me, what do you think of Light?"
R W B Y
As Sora and his friends neared their destination, things were looking progressively brighter. Ruby was an insanely fast learner, having mastered the basics of every base level elemental spell that Sora knew, and had even managed to use Fira and Aeroga at times along with a slew of Holy Spells. Each and every time she summoned up a Holy Spell, her eyes glowed with a bright white intensity. She hadn't managed to summon up whatever spell had beat down Xehanort, but she was well on her way. The others had varying levels of success with magic so far, usually being a natural with one spell and being able to use one other. Nora had become incredibly proficient with Thundara and using it alongside her Semblance to almost endlessly increase her own physical strength, but the only other element she had even been able to use was a simple magnet spell. Neptune, perhaps ironically, had only been able to use magic based on the elements of water and ice, while his best friend had a natural affinity for the Aero and anti gravity elements. Ren was pretty good with Poison and Confusion magic, while Jaune could make a stronger Reflega than even Sora could but nothing else. The only one of their group to not bring a single spell single spell to bear was Qrow, something that was only increasing the man's already dangerous levels of frustration.
The night before the arena-ship was set to land over in Vacuo, Sora decided that he should try to see if Qrow would want to talk about what was bothering him. The guy may have been incredibly skilled without magic, but Sora knew taking chances against Xehanort was never a good idea. So that's how it was when Sora found Qrow alone and leaning against the wall outside Sora's room. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to do all this stuff yet," the man said before taking a small drink from his flask. He looked over at Sora and sighed. "I've just got a lot on my mind."
Sora nodded silently and leaned against the wall across from Qrow. "Want to talk about it?" Sora asked.
"Not really," Qrow muttered. He took another drink, then offered it to Sora. The Keyblade Wielder shook his head vigorously. "It's coffee. More for the habit of it all than anything else, and it works for Oz."
Still, Sora shook his head. "Is it about what Raven told you?" he asked after a moment. He crossed his arms and waited for a response. None came. Sora frowned sympathetically at the older man. "Qrow, I just want to help."
"I know," the Huntsman said, then he fell quiet. They stood in silence together for a while, Sora waiting for Qrow to speak and Qrow deciding not to. As the silence continued to lengthen, it continued to grow more awkward. Eventually, Qrow knew he had to say something. "It's the Maiden. When I went to check on her, she was already gone. Looked like she'd put up one hell of a fight."
"Xehanort probably took her," Sora said, though he wasn't sure that would placate the Huntsmen. He grinned sheepishly. "Don't worry though: we'll save her when we take him down."
Qrow grunted an affirmation, but did little else. "What's really wrong, Qrow?" Sora asked when he realized that the older man was not nearly as scared by that development as he probably should have been.
Qrow was dead silent for a few heartbeats before letting loose an exasperated sigh. He realized the Keyblade Wielder probably wasn't going to drop the topic, so he decided to merely scratch the surface of it. He muttered, almost too quiet for Sora to hear, "I was in love with Ruby's mother, you know that?"
"Really?" Sora asked incredulously. He pushed off from the wall and motioned with his hands. "Then why -"
"It's like I told you. I was one of the two choices, not the one choosing," Qrow cut in solemnly. He sighed and put away his flask of coffee. "But still, I would have done anything for her. Even stand there and watch her be happy. Best Man in her and Tai's wedding and everything."
Sora glanced down with his eyes, then back up at Qrow. What did this have to do with Raven and Qrow's new secret? "Is that why you're so close with Ruby?" Sora asked instead.
"At first. She looks... just like... Summer," Qrow said, voice falling in and out. His eyes glazed over and pain flashed across his face.
"Qrow?" Sora said, placing his hand on the Huntsman's shoulder and lightly shaking him. The Huntsman snapped out of his stupor, but the film of tears remained. "Qrow, are you okay? I'm not asking because whatever is going on keeps you from using magic. I'm asking because it's hurting you to hold it in like this."
"You said Xehanort could steal bodies, right?" Qrow asked suddenly, his gaze never leaving the ground. It sounded like he was fighting to hold in every word, but he just couldn't bear the pain alone anymore.
Sora slowly let go of the man's shoulders, growing ever more worried. "Why? Did he take -"
"Salem has her body." Sora's eyes widened slowly and he felt the blood drain from his face. Qrow grabbed Sora by the shoulders. "You kill her, and Ruby never has to... She never has to see. Promise me, Sora. Promise me!"
"We have to tell Ruby," Sora said breathlessly. He turned to go, expecting Qrow to follow him.
"Promise me you won't!" Qrow hissed, launching forward and shoving Sora into the wall. His eyes were red and puffy, tear trails streaming down his manic face. Sora was even more worried now. "It would destroy her. Please, for me, don't tell her. She'll be distracted, she'll try to reason with her. She'll die. Just... not until it's all over, please. I'll tell her then, but just don't – Not yet, please."
"Qrow, she deserves to know!" Sora shouted as he shoved the Huntsman away. However, he didn't move; Qrow's claim Ruby would die had rooted Sora to the floor.
The Huntsman fell to his knees. When his voice came, it was hollow and hoarse. "... Please. Everything going on – it's just too dangerous. Sora, she'll die if she knows right now." He looked up at the young man, eyes full of fear and pain. "Don't tell Ruby that Salem has Summer's body."