Chapter 98 - The Return
"Wha-" Jaune began to demand, as the silver light engulfed him, before he felt a sudden tugging sensation.
The next thing he knew, a horribly-familiar sensation of falling and nausea overwhelmed him.
And then, one timeless moment later, the light faded, and he was lying flat on the ground, fighting the urge to throw up as he stared up at a thick canopy of red leaves, instead of a black beating void in a blood-red sky.
Jaune could only groan in exasperation, being all too familiar with this situation by now.
At least Angra Mainyu's method wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as the UAC's...
Jaune let loose a deeper sigh, before his fist tightened around Caliburn, and he fought down the urge to curse and swear and start carving up an innocent tree (with his luck, the tree would probably fight back, too...)
He was very familiar with getting kicked out of dimensions, after all...
And he hadn't been lying when he'd told Angra Mainyu that he had faith in his friends...
But that didn't mean it didn't hurt.
And this was worse, because they'd all been right there!
He hadn't even had a chance to properly apologize to Artoria for their argument, to confront Velvet about what had happened at Camlann, to ask Tier just what she was doing here instead of being in Hueco Mundo, to make sure that Blake hadn't broken her promise to him...
... he hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye again...
His breath hitched in his throat, but he forced it down with well-practiced ease.
He could reflect on what had just happened later.
Right, now, however...
Priorities.
He was in an unknown location with two scabbards on his waist and a magical talking sword (though it wasn't doing much talking).
The forest around him was peaceful, and nothing seemed to be trying to murder him at that exact moment.
Already, he was in a better situation than he had been when he'd first woken up in Skyrim.
(Of course, that wasn't saying much.)
Next step - finding food, water, and shelter-
"... ungh..."
A soft voice made Jaune freeze as he began to prop himself up into a sitting position, and he slowly turned towards it.
Lying on the ground next to him, clutching the hem of his t-shirt like a security blanket, was a young girl with dark hair and tanned skin.
"... Angra Mainyu?" Jaune couldn't help but ask, as the girl (who couldn't have been older than twelve) stirred.
"Wha...?" The girl sleepily asked as she drowsily rubbed the sleep from her eyes, before opening them to reveal wide and curious amber pupils.
Jaune's eye twitched, and he groaned into his palm as he remembered Angra Mainyu's parting words.
All their wishes could be fulfilled?
So the situation he was in was a result of her desire to save her, and... what?
His desire to protect his friends?
To try and save Angra Mainyu?
... he really should have known better than to lower his guard around the literal embodiment of All The Evils In The World...
But at that moment, with the curses blasted off of her, all he'd been able to see was a woman who'd been the unfortunate victim of circumstance.
And what did she mean, show her that she didn't have to become her...
His eyes widened, and he fought the urge to curse and swear again as he put two and two together.
This was her grand plan?
Sending the version of herself from before she became Angra Mainyu to go with him to... wherever he landed next?
She said she saw his life; she should know just how messed up that idea was!
What if he'd landed in another Skyrim or Wasteland, or even another Hell invasion?!
"... mister?" Angra Mainyu's hesitant voice snapped him out of his musings, and he turned back to the small girl as she cautiously asked: "Are... are you... Jaune Arc?"
"You know my name?" Jaune couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. If this version of her still had her memories... her experiences...
"Not really..." Angra Mainyu slowly admitted, struggling to prop herself up. "I was sleeping in my bed, when a shadowy figure suddenly appeared in front of me. She told me that she was taking me somewhere else... a place where a nice man named Jaune Arc would take care of me..."
Jaune's eye twitched, but as he studied her face he found absolutely no sign of a lie.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly exhaled, and reminded himself that it wasn't the fault of the girl in front of him.
... okay, well, technically it was (or would be?), but he couldn't really blame her.
The current her in front of him, that is.
He was totally going to blame Future Her (or was it Present Her? Time travel was confusing...) for making him become Past Her's babysitter.
"Are you an ashavan, mister Jaune Arc?" Angra Mainyu cocked her head to the side in curiosity. "Was the shadow one of the Amesha Spenta? And where are we, anyway?"
"..." Jaune just stared at her, before sighing. As he sheathed Artoria's old sword into her former sheath, he answered: "First off, I have no idea what any of those are, so I'll just say "no". I'm just an ordinary human being, alright?"
"... sure thing, mister Jaune Arc." Angra Mainyu chirped brightly, nodding in understanding.
"As for where we are..." Jaune's voice trailed off, and he took in more of his surroundings as he got up. "... all I know is that we're in a forest."
Specifically, they were on a simple dirt path in the middle of a forest, though he couldn't fully tell whether the trail had been made by humans or animals.
Hell, he didn't even know if humans were the dominant species in this world; he still remembered the aliens...
"It's beautiful..." Angra Mainyu breathed in awe, her eyes sparkling, as she got up and took a look around.
"... you know, you're taking being kidnapped from your home and waking up in another world surprisingly well." Jaune couldn't help but note, looking down at the girl clutching his hand.
"Well, I've been considering leaving the village for the past few months." Angra Mainyu admitted, before elaborating to a surprised Jaune: "Things... haven't been going well back home, and the villagers seem like they're getting superstitious and paranoid. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to sacrifice the rest of my cattle soon, just to try and appease whatever's cursing us... but they did help raise me after both my parents died..."
"..." Jaune decided not to mention what her village would do when their desperation finally peaked, and instead changed the subject: "So... what can I call you?"
"You can call me Cinder, mister Jaune Arc." Cinder introduced herself politely.
Jaune wondered why he felt like the name should mean something to him, but decided not to bother overthinking it.
Even if he had known a Cinder in one of the worlds he'd been in, she probably hadn't really made too much of an impact on him.
Well, except for who this Cinder would grow into, of course, but that was a whole other can of worms.
Oum, he hoped Artoria and the others didn't end up blaming themselves all over again...
Taking a deep breath, he took a moment to remind himself that Cinder wasn't Angra Mainyu yet (and would hopefully never be, as far as he and Angra Mainyu were concerned), before grinning at her before the silence could become awkward, and returning the gesture: "Nice to meet you, Cinder. Now, shall we see where we are?"
"I thought you said we were in a forest?" Cinder pointed out with a frown.
"Trust me, that really doesn't help as much as you'd think." Jaune chuckled and shook his head, before leading her down the road, hoping that it would lead him to a place with plumbing.
A quiet twenty minute trek down the path eventually brought him to a large house in a clearing, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
The doors at least seemed similarly-sized and -proportioned to what he was used to, and the fact that it was made of a material besides stone or wood was very encouraging about the dominant species' technological progress.
Of course, that didn't mean it was necessarily safe.
Far from it, in fact; the Wasteland had taught him that much.
Instructing Cinder to follow his every step, he cautiously followed the path to the front door, keeping an eye out for any pressure plates or tripwires as he did so, making sure to not approach the house at a speed that could be misinterpreted as "overenthusiastic".
Half a tense minute later, he made it to the front door without triggering any unwelcome surprises, and slowly and deliberately knocked on it.
"Hold on a second, I'm coming!" An oddly-familiar voice called back at him, and he froze, trying to place it. As his memory futilely raced, his conscious mind idly noted the sound of a key turning in a lock, before the doorknob slowly rotated.
Then the door open inwards, and the face of June Arc greeted him with a smile.
Jaune's mind went blank.
It couldn't be...
Could it?
Oum, he desperately wished it was... but he'd given up hope of ever returning.
Did he dare to hope, to chance more disappointment?
Apprehensively, his gaze flicked upwards.
There, above the clearing, a broken moon lazily hung.
Immediately, a warm stinging sensation began to build up behind his eyes.
Had... had he actually...
The sound of a metal clattering against the floor brought his attention back down.
A ladle lay on the floor; evidently, his mother (who was now looking like she'd just seen a ghost) had been cooking before he'd interrupted.
"M-mom?" Jaune barely managed to choke out as his throat constricted.
His voice, calling out for her, spurred her into action, and a soft and warm hand apprehensively reached out to stroke his face, its owner scared that, if she made contact, he'd vanish, shatter like an illusion.
Jaune didn't dare to move either, scared that it was all just a dream... one final act of cruelty and malice by Angra Mainyu, if it wasn't all just some dying dream.
Cinder, meanwhile, wondered why the nice man helping her had said he didn't know where they were, since he clearly knew the people here, even as she took a few steps back to give them some space.
Eventually, though, she touched him, felt the flesh and bone of his face, and tears began flowing freely as she asked: "Jaune? Is... is it really you?"
"... hey, mom." Jaune leaned into his mother's hand, enjoying the comfort. "I'm..."
Then his mind paused, as he realized he had absolutely no idea what to say.
How long had he been gone?
How long would he be here?
How was he going to explain where he'd been?
How was he supposed to explain everything he'd done?
And how was he going to apologize for running away from home, stealing the family sword, and then losing said sword?!
Fortunately, he didn't have to.
With a loud sob she grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug (still far more gentle than Nora or the Dragonborn or Artoria, at least), and wailed: "It really is you! But... how..."
"I... well... it's a long story..." Jaune deflected, returning the hug easily (had his mother always been so small?). "But I... I'm back now, mom."
"Welcome home, Jaune." June tearfully greeted him with a laugh. "It's been a long time."
Jaune shifted guiltily as he took in her words, her reaction.
He knew what he had to do.
Reluctantly pulling away from her embrace, he forced himself to look his mother in the eyes, and said: "Mom... I'm sorry. I'm so, so, sorry..."
"Sorry?" June repeated as she blinked, not having expected that from her long-lost son.
"I should never have run away..." Jaune desperately began, not knowing if he'd ever get the chance again. "But... I just... I'm so sorry..."
"... don't be, Jaune." June shook her head, before reassuring him. "You're back, and that's all that matters."
"I just wanted to be a hero, like dad and grandpa..." Jaune continued rambling on heedlessly. "I didn't think about how much trouble and pain you guys must have-"
A finger on his lips cut him off, though, and he looked back up to see his mother give a sad smile.
"Jaune..." June began. "I won't deny we all panicked, when we found your empty bed and a note saying you were going to be a hero one morning..."
That was an understatement.
The only reason they hadn't collectively stormed the Four Academies that same day was because a) that was too obvious, and they knew he knew it, and b) none of them had believed he'd ever be able to get in, on grounds that no sane Headmaster would admit a clearly-inexperienced kid.
His sisters had even been rehearsing their "what were you thinking" lectures, preparing for when he inevitably came crawling back in disappointment.
"But when we saw you participating in the Vytal Festival on television... do you know how we felt?" June gently asked.
"Furious and horrified?" Jaune guessed with a weak smile. "Maybe a bit of disbelief?"
"Well, there was that..." June conceded with a snort of laughter. "But more than that... we were just relieved to see you were okay. And then your match started, and we saw you leading your team to victory-"
"That was more Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren than me..." Jaune rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"That's not how they tell it." June remarked, before continuing on before he could interrupt again: "Anyway, when we saw you leading your team... you just looked so natural, so confident, so happy! Trust me, your sisters were crowing to everyone in Ansel that that was their brother, and your father and I were just as proud of you..."
"Mom..." Jaune breathed, hugging her again tears flowing from the relief at her words.
They'd actually been proud of him.
Then June's smile became a frown, as she followed that particular chain of memory.
It was time to address the Goliath in the room.
"Then... then the Fall happened..." June continued on, running her hand across Jaune's face once again, confirming that yes, that was her flesh and blood in front of her. "Jaune... your partner gave us your Scroll, showed us your last video... we saw you die, Jaune... how... how are you...?"
"... I did die..." Jaune admitted slowly, reluctantly, as he recalled the events of that day once again, well over two years ago to him.
The flying fire witch. Pyrrha's look of betrayal as he sent her off in the rocket locker. Pyrrha's, Ruby's, and Weiss's look of relief when he'd crawled out of the rubble. Ruby's look of terror as the witch had fired the glass shards. Their cries of horror as he'd fallen, before the silver light had engulfed everything.
"But-!" June began to protest.
"Mom?" Another familiar voice interrupted June, as another head of blonde hair poked around the corner. "I heard some raised voices. Are you-"
Joan's voice trailed off as she noticed the stranger being hugged by her mother. Then she saw his face, blinked, rubbed her eyes, blinked again, and stared, slack-jawed.
Jaune, meanwhile, also stared at his fraternal older twin.
They'd looked remarkably similar when they'd been kids, but before he'd left Joan had been glaring at her younger twin for shooting up like a beanstalk while she'd remained waiting for her growth spurt.
Disbelievingly, Joan whispered: "Jaune... is that..."
"Joan?!" Jaune couldn't believe his eyes. As she staggered forward incredulously, wondering whether it was all a dream, Jaune asked: "When did puberty finally hit you?!"
Even Cinder coughed behind him, unable to believe what he'd just asked.
Surprisingly, however, instead of irritation, Joan started laughing hysterically, before running forward as she gleefully shouted: "JAUNE! It really is you! Only my baby brother would be tactless and dense enough to ask such a thing!"
"Hey!" Jaune protested with a pout as she slammed into him, forcing him to take a step back. "You're only seven minutes older than me! And I'm not that bad..."
"Yes, you are." Joan sobbed happily into his chest, knowing from his response that it was undoubtedly her brother that she was hugging. "Jaune! It really is you! You're back! GUYS! JAUNE'S BACK!"
""Jaune?""
Five female voices rang out from throughout the house, and Jaune couldn't help but blanch as he heard frantic footsteps.
As the heads of five of his seven older sisters popped around different corners, forlorn hope, pain, and curiosity visible in their eyes, Jaune began to slowly back out of the doorway as he begged: "Uh, Joan... would you mind letting go? Please?"
"How are you back?" Joan ignored her twin in favor of demanding answers from him. "We thought you were dead!"
Desperately, he turned to his mother, who simply gave him a look asking him what he expected her to do, as his sisters' eyes lit up in recognition and relief.
He took another step back as he turned to Cinder, who held her arms up in a cross as she shook her head, refusing to get involved in what was clearly family affairs in favor of pressing herself against a wall and trying to not to be even noticed.
Then, the footsteps began thundering towards him.
Sighing, Jaune decided to simply brace himself, as the impact of the Sister Arc-valanche slammed into him, almost knocking him off his feet, and he was engulfed in a veritable wave of smothering, hugs, kisses, and...
"You're back!"
"What were you thinking-"
"Where have you been-"
"We thought you were dead-"
"-have any idea how worried we were-"
"What happened at Beacon-"
"How are you-"
June Arc simply snapped a picture of the chaos on her Scroll with a smile, before turning to the utterly confused girl watching the familial moment.
She'd been too pre-occupied by the return of her long-lost son to notice the young girl initially, and she was sure her daughters were in a similar state of mind, and she didn't know who the little girl was, or what her relationship with her son was, but...
"Would you like to come in for a bit?" June offered easily, figuring that any friend of Jaune's was a friend of theirs, and deciding to give her children some time to catch up.
"... is he going to be okay?" Cinder asked cautiously, watching her guardian (for lack of a better term) getting man-handled by the mob of women.
"Oh, he'll be fine." June reassured her, bringing her in. "We just haven't seen him in years... you know how family is..."
"..." Cinder decided not to correct her assumption as she followed the woman who was probably Jaune's mother meekly, figuring that the Shadow That Had Taken Her had told her to trust and follow Jaune, and so Jaune's mother was probably included in that by extension.
Meanwhile, at the center of the maelstrom, Jaune continued his (mostly-unsuccessful) attempts at calming his sisters down: "Girls! One at a time! One at a time! I can't answer all of your questions at once! When did you all get so big?!"
"Did you just call us fat?!" One of the twins growled.
"No, no." Jaune quickly backtracked, hoping that was Jeanne and not Jean who had asked that. Taking a deep breath, he quickly elaborated: "I haven't seen any of you for over three years, that's all! You all look so different from..."
From when he'd run away.
"... over three years?" Joan spoke up first, pulling away from her twin, followed by the rest of her sisters (except Saphron, who was still in Argus) to poke and prod and pinch at their brother.
His clothes looked like the normal stuff he'd worn before he left (jeans and a hoodie), and his face was certainly his, but beyond that...
Before he'd run away, Jaune's hobbies had involved comics and video games, and while he had done some physical training on his own when he'd decided he'd wanted to be a Huntsman...
...
... well, nobody could call him a noodle now, unless they knew a noodle with a twelve-pack that could probably crush diamonds and biceps like a Beringel.
The unfamiliar golden sword and sheath also confused them, since those definitely weren't family heirlooms.
But it was the eyes that shocked them the most.
Sharp sapphires replaced the innocent baby blues they'd known.
"... Jaune... you ran away from Ansel over five years ago." Jen, the second-oldest, took over in explaining. "The Fall was over four years ago..."
"Five years?" Jaune repeated in shock, looking as if he'd been punched in the face. Then he blinked, and asked: "And what's The Fall, anyway? I think mom mentioned it, too..."
"How don't you know what the Fall is?!" Jean shouted in disbelief.
"You were the Hero of the Fall!" Jeanne added.
"I was?!" Jaune looked around, waiting to see if there was a punchline.
"... I don't think he knows it's called "The Fall"..." Jess observed, before clarifying for his sake: "The attack on Beacon, Vale, and Amity Colosseum by Salem's agents, the Grimm, and the White Fang over four years ago? You fighting against that Fall girl and the Grimm Dragon? Do... do you remember it?"
"I... yes, I remember that." Jaune nodded, before his face scrunched up in confusion. "Wait, who's Salem? And why is it called the Fall?"
""..."" The sisters exchanged surprised looks.
"The Fall was... well, I guess you could call it the beginning of the end, Jaune." Joan finally explained, deciding to trust and humor her twin. "Mistrust between the Kingdoms was at an all-time high, Grimm attacks were at an all-time high, Beacon had been overrun by the Grimm... Ansel even had to be evacuated-"
"Ansel!?" Jaune yelped in shock. "Was anybody-"
"Relax, Jaune." Jen placed a comforting shoulder. "Everyone made it out fine."
"... anyway..." Joan continued on warily. "It all turned out to have been orchestrated by Salem - the Queen of the Grimm."
"The Grimm have a Queen?!" Jaune yelped again.
"Had." Jane gently corrected him this time. "It... it wasn't easy, little bro. Haven was attacked. Atlas fell. The CCTs were down everywhere. But in the end... your friends, Teams RWBY and JNPR... they killed her four months ago. The Grimm... they're still here, but they don't spawn nearly as much as they used to, and they're no longer coordinated."
Jaune weakly sat on the ground, as he processed all the revelations he'd just taken in.
His old home was gone.
Remnant had suffered greatly.
The Grimm had had a Queen.
And now, thanks to his friends...
Jaune couldn't help but chuckle, even as he softly murmured: "They really don't need me to be heroes... I always knew they'd be the greatest..."
Thanks to his friends, the Queen of the Grimm was dead, and the Grimm threat was greatly diminished.
"Jaune?" Jen asked worriedly, seeing him suddenly laugh.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Jaune waved their concerns away. "It's just... well, I honestly shouldn't be surprised it's them who killed this "Salem". So, what are the heroes of Remnant doing now? And how in Oum's name did I become the Hero of the Fall? It was Pyrrha, Ruby, and Weiss who saved me at the top of the tower!"
""..."" The sisters exchanged worried looks this time, each mentally declining to be the one to tell him that his friends had been missing since then.
Finally, Jane kicked the can down the road, and addressed his other question: "Don't you know what you did at the Fall, little bro?"
"Get my butt handed to me by the fire witch and the Grimm Dragon?" Jaune laughed as he took the bait.
"Jaune... you single-handedly held up the Grimm Dragon and Salem's minion." Jean whispered.
"And with your friends you forced them back." Jeanne added. "Saving countless lives in the unarmed evacuation Bullheads."
"There's a statue of you in Argus!" Jane shouted. "They even named a park after you, little bro!"
"There is?!" Jaune's jaw dropped.
"Yeah, it's called the Jaune Arc Memorial Park!" Joan showed him a picture on her scroll.
"..." Jaune's jaw dropped further, especially when he began reading the article under it. "... funding was provided by Pyrrha Nikos and Cardin Winchester?! I thought the guy hated me!"
"Hated you?" Jess raised an eyebrow. "Jaune, the dude called you a true hero and said you were a shining example of what a Huntsman was!"
Jaune almost choked, as he tried to reconcile the guy who'd shoved him into a rocket locker, blackmailed him with the whole "fake transcript" thing, and tried to get him to prank his partner, with the guy his sisters were describing.
Finally, he weakly muttered: "I guess he must have mellowed out over time then..."
Or maybe Pyrrha had sicced Nora on him in his absence.
He found the latter thought far more plausible, honestly.
And speaking of his team...
"So, anyway, what happened to my team and Ruby's team?" Jaune pressed again.
This time, he didn't miss the subtle shared looks.
He felt like a rock had formed in his gut.
"Did... did something happen?" Jaune asked worriedly.
""...""
"Is something wrong, girls?" June asked, as she finally finished settling their new guest in.
"Mom." Jaune turned to her, desperately seeking answers. "Did something happen to my friends?"
"..." June looked around at her daughters, before looking back at her son. Taking a deep breath, she reluctantly explained: "... nobody knows, Jaune. They disappeared without a trace after Salem died, and, well..."
Cold fury and numbing horror filled Jaune as he processed those words.
He hadn't been there for his team, his friends.
He hadn't been around to protect them when they'd needed him.
And he couldn't even avenge them, either.
His grip on Caliburn tightened, before a hand gripped his own.
Looking up, he saw stared into his twin's eyes, piercing as ever despite the empathetic tears running down them.
Then she pulled him into a tight hug, which he returned desperately, before the rest of his sisters joined in.
"Son... it really is you..." A deep masculine voice whispered from behind him, and Jaune turned around to find his father bearing down on him.
Before he could react, Jack Arc, having rushed home from the market as soon as he'd gotten the news from June, swept them all up in a great bear hug, trying to squeeze the life out of them as he sobbed: "Jaune! You're alive!"
"... hey, dad." Jaune greeted him weakly.
"I am so, so sorry, son..." Jack Arc began to frantically apologize. "I should have trained you... listened to you..."
"It wasn't your fault, Dad." Jaune quickly reassured him. "I understand why you didn't want to train me..."
"And it didn't stop you from going anyway, now did it!" Jack snapped back, shutting him up. The continued warm embrace told him there was no fire in his words, though, and Jaune returned it as, for the first time in his life, the veteran Huntsman openly wept in front of his family.
"... I'm sorry." Jaune felt like he was channeling his partner, as he apologized for the umpteenth time that hour.
Then again, he could never apologize enough to his family.
To his surprise, however, his father shook his head, and replied: "You shouldn't be. Jaune... even without a background in a combat prep school, without any formal training before Beacon... your actions at Beacon saved hundreds of lives, including your friends! And they went on to save Remnant! How can you be sorry about that!"
"But..." Jaune couldn't share his mindset. "... I should have been there for them."
"Son... you died for them." Jack rebuked him gently. "What more could you do?"
"I don't know..." Jaune whispered weakly. "Something... anything... I was their leader, I should have-"
"You did all that you could, and it's my fault you couldn't have done more." Jack refused to let his son bear any more guilt. "And besides... the first rule of the business is that, if there's no body, there's no guarantee they're dead. After all... just look at you!"
"..." Jaune couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face, as he imagined Teams RWBY and JNPR in Skyrim fighting dragons and vampires.
Oum, that would be a sight to see.
Even Alduin would flee before a coffee-drinking Nora Valkyrie, and he'd pay to see the Dragonborn Yang arm-wrestle Yang Xiao-Long.
Of course...
"Somehow, I doubt they went through what I did..." Jaune shook his head, though his heart felt lighter than it had, buoyed by the hope that his friends were, indeed, still out there somewhere. "But... thanks, dad."
"We ain't finished yet, son." Jack placed a firm hand on his son's shoulder. "Speaking of whatever you went through... I think we'd like an explanation on what happened to you, boy! Just look at you! You've got more muscles than even I did when I was your age! And that sword! Is that a museum piece or something?"
Jaune winced, as he remembered what happened to the original family sword.
"Ah... right... by the way..." Jaune sheepishly began, before deciding to just bite the bullet. "... sorry about the family sword, Dad."
"Yes, your girlfriend was nice enough to offer to return the broken remains of Crocea Mors, son." A clipped tone made Jaune wince, and the girls snickered behind them. Then he noticed the g-word had been used, and confusedly repeated: "Girlfriend?"
"You know, Pyrrha. Such a wonderful girl; your mother and I both approve, son!" Jack Arc gave his son a thumbs-up and a shit-eating grin.
"Dad! She's not my girlfriend! We're just partners!" Jaune protested, face furiously blushing. He knew Pyr; he felt sure he'd have noticed if his partner and de facto mentor had held any feelings for him that went beyond merely platonic.
And even if she somehow had, she was the Invincible Girl, the Champion of Mistral, and he'd just been a fraud...
"Sure, if you say so..." Jack waved away, clearly not believing, while the Sisters Arc had begun cheer their brother teasingly. "Anyway, I told them to keep it; something told me you'd rather they continue using it to protect themselves and others, Jaune."
Jaune certainly did feel that way, but he still felt the need to clarify: "And... you're not mad about the sword?"
"Son, you matter more to us than a piece of metal, always remember that." Jack growled, squeezing his son harder. "And besides, it is a Huntsman's sword. It's meant to be used to protect others, not gather dust above the fireplace."
"Then... thanks." Jaune awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.
"And speaking of swords, little bro..." Jane changed the subject back. "You were about to tell us about your new sword?"
"... it's a... very long story..." Jaune sighed, ignoring the way Caliburn seemed to glow empathetically in Avalon. "So I guess I'll start at the beginning..."
-CYRODIIL, THREE WEEKS AFTER THE DRAGONBORN'S RETURN-
"You know, I almost feel bad for them." Serana couldn't help but mutter, as she saw watched the broken Thalmor armies making a mad dash for the border, all the while trying to desperately avoid catching the attention of the dragons flying overhead.
"Hey, you're the one who got Vomit Boy's friends involved." Dragonborn Yang retorted easily, shaking her head as she watched the dragons dive towards the surviving elves, and begin what the extradimensionals had called "strafing runs".
Sure, dragons were the apex predators of the skies and the earth, but the problem was they knew it too well.
In their arrogance, they'd never bothered to learn warfare and tactics like mortals had, relying instead on their Akatosh-given gifts to lord over men.
And none in Tamriel had the same understanding of aerial support as they had (namely due to to invention of Bullheads in Remnant as compared to the Tamriel, which hadn't even discovered powered flight yet).
And speaking of them...
"Another world was in danger!" Ruby protested from the corner, grimacing as she sipped at her warm milk. "It's not like we could just ignore that!"
"I don't know about you, but I personally can't wait to go back to Remnant." Weiss sniffed.
"I'm surprised, Weiss." Blake observed with a small smirk, even as she went through all the notes she'd compiled. "I thought this was just like your home..."
"I left Atlas for a reason, Belladonna." Weiss rolled her eyes but didn't take the bait.
"I'm with Weiss-Cream over here." Yang (the other one) added her two lien to the discussion. "This world really needs to discover proper shampoo."
"It's not that bad..." Ruby tried to defend Nirn, even as she surreptitiously made sure the notes Eorlund had given her were nice and safe.
"It... certainly has some charm to it..." Pyrrha added politely. "... but I'd certainly like to go back to Remnant as well."
"You mean, you'd certainly like to get back to Lady Killer." Yang snorted with a roll of her eyes, knowing those two (and this world's version of her) were the definition of "biased".
"Hey, we haven't seen our Fearless Leader for a long time!" Nora came to Pyrrha's defense, as she stammered out something incomprehensible.
"It would certainly be nice to catch up with him." Ren added.
"Oh, I'm definitely with you there." Yang agreed, "Vomit Boy dies fighting a dragon, and wakes up in another world to stop vampires and dragons from destroying it? And wait 'til he finds out that the Grimm had a queen!"
Dragonborn Yang watched the seven extradimensionals began to talk and discuss their adventures, before shaking her head.
Like Jaune, it was all too easy to mistake the Huntresses (and Ren) as idealistic to the point of naivety.
(In fact, Njada Stonearm had made that mistake, and called them weak milk-drinkers.)
And like Jaune, while that may have been true to a certain extent, doing so made it very easy to forget that they'd come from a world easily as harsh as Skyrim, and that the seven Huntsmen and Huntresses had been prepared to face their world's Queen of Darkness when she'd met them.
Team RWBY was a well-oiled machine, and working together and covering each other even the Dragonborn would admit she'd have difficulty fighting them off by herself, to say nothing of the Thalmor they'd fought (though she considered them too reliant on their Semblances and Dust. Fortunately, Fire Salts, Frost Salts, and Void Salts seemed to work well enough as substitutes in a pinch).
And while Ren's "automatic pistols" didn't really pack enough of a punch to let him really hurt dragons like the rest of them could (limiting his usefulness in putting down the Dragon Rebeliion), against the much-more-lightly-armored elves their high rate of fire was devastating.
His partner, on the other hand... in terms of raw strength, she was probably the closest to the Dragonborn, and between her explosive warhammer and the fact that she could apparently be super-charged by lightning (as the Thalmor battlemages had accidentally discovered), she'd been more than able to devastate entire enemy formations.
But it was Jaune's (former) partner that she'd (grudgingly) admit impressed (and irritated) her the most.
At the very least, she could definitely see where her partner had gotten his initial skill from.
Shaking her head, she turned back to her vampiric friend, and asked: "So, are we done here?"
Serana easily picked up on the fierceness in her voice, and knew she wasn't looking for a denial. Shrugging, she sighed: "Well, I'm sure Tullius, Balgruuf, and Ulfric can take over from here... and if they can't, I'm sure Akatosh will come knocking again."
Dragonborn Yang's grin grew, and she double-checked: "That's a yes, right?"
"Yes, Yang, you can go and save Jaune again." Serana rolled her eyes.
"You mean, we can go and save Jaune again." Pyrrha interjected, cutting into the conversation with narrowed eyes. "Remember what we agreed on, Yang. My partner's safety and well-being comes first."
"On that, we are in agreement." Yang snarled back. "I only hope you'll remember that, Red."
The two locked eyes for a moment, before Pyrrha finally nodded, satisfied with the Dragonborn's answer.
Honestly, she couldn't hate the blonde barbarian, even if she hadn't been wearing one of her friend's faces.
After all, regardless of how any of them felt, the Dragonborn had saved her partner's life, and taken care of him even when they'd both been strangers in an unfamiliar land.
"Hey, don't forget about me!" Ruby butted in with a pout.
""..."" Pyrrha and Dragonborn shared a look.
While both at least knew where the other stood, Ruby Rose was... a bit less clear, and even her own sister wasn't sure if it was just affection for her first friend, gratitude to him for saving her, guilt over him having died doing so, a small crush, or some combination of all of the above (Pyrrha and the Dragonborn had both asked separately).
Either way, she was still far less of a rival, as far as either of them were concerned.
"Don't worry, Ruby, we didn't." Pyrrha finally reassured her.
"Yes, yes, milk-drinker, we can all say our piece after we save Jaune." Dragonborn Yang added as well.
"So, we're done here?" Weiss could barely keep the eagerness from her voice as she joined in the conversation.
"All that's left is liberating Elswyr and Valenwood, and the continent will be free of the Thalmor." Serana explained.
"Are you sure you don't need our help for that?" Blake made a token attempt to offer.
"I'm sure they'll be fine, cat." Dragonborn Yang impatiently retorted. "You remember what the Companions said, right? We're Nords, proud warriors who can trace their lineage to Ysgramor, and this is our fight? Trust me, they've been wanting to give the elves a bloody nose for decades now... by Oblivion, I might have considered staying myself, but..."
"Yes, yes, Yang, we get it." Serana interrupted in exasperation, having had to deal with her since Jaune's disappearance.
"... just get us back to Jaune, leech." Dragonborn Yang growled, ignoring the others.
"Sure, let's just get to my workshop back the College." Serana sighed, even as she quietly wondered just how their reunion would play out.
-REMNANT, ONE RECOUNTING OF (MOST OF) THIS FANFICTION FROM JAUNE'S PERSPECTIVE LATER-
A stunned silence filled the air as Jaune finished retelling his adventures.
"... so, let's get this straight." Joan finally broke the silence, being the first to recover, and she poked him once again to make sure he was... well... him. "You did actually die at the Fall..."
"But you woke up in another world, full of fantasy and magic." Jane continued. "Where you got saved by that world's "Chosen One", and helped her save it by fighting vampires, ghosts, and dragons-"
"Until you got eaten by a dragon that was supposed to eat the world?!"
"But then you woke up in another world again..."
"This one a post-apocalyptic wasteland, that also had you help to save it by fighting an army of power-armored soldiers with bioweapons."
"And in the final battle against them... you survived getting hit by thirty-six missiles because you got abducted by aliens..."
"Until you escaped during a prison break, took over, kicked alien butt, returned back to the world, got involved in another war, and somehow got vaporized after that..."
"Then you woke up in a fourth world, fought what are basically Grimm on steroids, and then you got betrayed and... sent to a fifth world for an hour, before you got summoned into a sixth world to serve as the advisor for the King, who was actually a girl the whole time-"
"And then... stuff happened, and you ended up fighting alongside... ghosts, of your friends? To protect that world from the literal personification of evil?!"
"I still can't believe that little girl grows up to become the embodiment of evil..." June couldn't help but remark worriedly, looking back at the house where the little girl she'd invited in was stuffing her face.
"I don't think she has to." Jaune cut in defensively. "Angra Mainyu told me that it was something her village did to her... maybe she just wanted to prove to herself that she doesn't have to become All The Evils In The World... or maybe there was still some humanity left in her, and she wanted to protect the innocent girl she once was. But yeah... anyway, my friends and I stopped her, and now... I'm back, I guess?"
""...""
"... son, are you sure you're feeling alright?" Jack Arc couldn't help but ask, pressing a hand against his son's forehead in concern.
"I know it sounds crazy and unbelievable, but I swear, that's what happened!" Jaune protested, drawing Caliburn and planting it into the ground. "See! Look what it says on the hilt! And try to lift it!"
Jack sighed, but took a step forward and humored his son: "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone is rightwise King of all... England? What kind of weird Kingdom decides who rules based on pulling out a sword?"
"It's a magic sword, dad." Jaune rolled his eyes, as Caliburn glowed brightly at his father's words, as if incensed by his doubts. "Apparently it's qualified to make the selection or something."
"So, what, you're a King now?" Jack jokingly asked, as he placed his hand on the hilt.
"Oum, no." Jaune laughed. "Definitely not. Me, uh-uh. Not happening."
Jack and his other sisters laughed along with him, though June was ever-supportive as she reassured him: "I'm sure you'd have made a great king, Jaune..."
"... that's what she said, too..." Jaune couldn't help but recall his fight with Artoria, just before everything had gone to hell.
Even now, he still couldn't understand just what it was that he'd said that had angered her so much...
But it left a bad taste in his mouth, that his reunion with his dead best friend in fifteen hundred years (or four months) had ended on such a sour note.
"Is something wrong, little bro?" Jane, who'd coincidentally been the closest to him at that moment, noticed the frown on his face.
"It's nothing..." Jaune shook his head, deciding to simply hope that Artoria wouldn't do anything too drastic, especially with that revelation that the Grail was corrupted. "Just... remembering Artoria... the King who drew that sword."
"... the one who turned out to be a woman, right?" Jane found curiosity and suspicion welling up within her, and she pulled away from the rest of her sisters as they egged Jack Arc on to whisper: "... were you two... close?"
"I'd like to think so." Jaune's response surprised the tomboyish Arc, though she fought the urge to groan into her palm when he continued and explained: "We became best friends while journeying across the land, rallying support to make her King. I think it's mainly because, in our group of four, the other two were her godfather and her stepbrother. Compared to them, I was probably like a breath of fresh air. But yeah... I guess it's only natural that we became close..."
Close enough that he'd taught her how to dance, they'd raised a pet Sabyr together, and she'd ended up making him her official advisor and second-in-command (and apparently wanted him to replace her)...
"You... certainly seem to talk more about her than your other friends..." Jane observed wryly.
Before Jaune could say anything, however, Joan shouted: "Jaune! Your sword's rigged!"
"Don't insult the magic sword, Joan." Jaune rolled his eyes as he turned back to Caliburn, to see the rest of his sisters and his father all gripping the sword together and trying to pull (to little avail), even as his mother covered her hand with her mouth and the sword glowed brightly in protest.
"How come we can't lift it?" Jean snapped, as Jaune walked up to it.
"It's... very picky with who it allows to wield it." Jaune explained as he casually plucked the sword from the ground, much to the disbelief of the rest of his family. "When I first did, it called me an uncultured lowly swine, only granted me special permission in that moment because the actual King was in danger, and even then it felt like I was lifting a mountain!"
"But, you lifted it so easily!" Jeanne pointed out.
"..." Jaune looked back down at Caliburn skeptically.
He hadn't really had time to think about it back in Fuyuki, on account of the whole battle against All The Evils In The World, but it had said something about being worthy back then, hadn't it?
... right, something about engagement, training, and Od...
... he supposed "engagement" had to do with Artoria's decision, the second was easy enough to understand, and the third probably had to do with him drawing on Artoria's energy to supplement his Aura.
"It's... complicated..." Jaune finally explained, as Caliburn glowed softly in agreement. "I guess me helping train the King, helping her run the Kingdom for a year, and being connected to her as my summoner gave me a pass."
"So, what else can it do?" Jane pressed eagerly.
"Uh... I guess it can fire a laser beam?" Jaune shrugged, before pointing it into the sky and shouting it's name, vaporizing a passing cloud. "It's... well, I mean, it's not bad by any means, but the sword I got from Skyrim was a lot more versatile..."
"Oh?" Jack raised an eyebrow as he leaned forward.
"When I poured Aura into that sword, fire, ice, and lightning would run down that blade." Jaune explained. "And I eventually learned to focus it enough that I could create walls of ice, too... oh, and speaking of stuff I got from Skyrim... FUS!"
The windows on the house rattled, and the leaves on the trees shook, as a wave of force followed Caliburn's beam up into the sky.
Jaune turned back to his family, whose jaws were all on the floor, and sheepishly explained: "Uh, yeah. Apparently, I've got Dragon Word Magic now."
"What... but... how...?"
"I have no idea." Jaune shook his head. "I just woke up after getting my ass kicked yesterday to find I could shoot myself forward and level forests with just my voice..."
""...""
"Got any more surprises from other dimensions that we should know about?" June asked pointedly, not having forgotten about their new guest.
"... I helped write a book?" Jaune awkwardly tried.
""...""
"... pfft." Jess cracked first, but soon enough the entire Arc family were laughing, any seriousness and tension bleeding away.
He could freely admit to running away from home, dying multiple times, travelling across the multiverse, saving numerous worlds, and even apparently helped run a Kingdom... and somehow, along the way, he'd also found the time to write a book.
As Jaune's stomach growled, June finally clapped her hands, and cut his demonstration/interrogation short as she declared: "Alright, it's time to go back inside!"
"Awww-"
"But mom-"
"He can tell us all about that book of his and our new guest while he's getting fed, girls." June put her foot down firmly. "We haven't eaten together for years!"
As the grumbling sisters reluctantly parted from Jaune and returned to their house, Jaune breathed a sigh of relief, and nodded his thanks to his mother, before looking back up at the broken moon.
Even despite all the assurances his father, an experienced Huntsman, had given him, he couldn't help but wonder what had happened to his first friends.
And he would be doing some digging as soon as he'd settled back in.
But for now, he was home, and that was enough.
-THE FURTHEST TOWER, AVALON-
"Are you sure I should be wearing this, Merlin?" Artoria asked her godfather anxiously, picking at the armor and coat she'd last worn as a King. "I'm not a King anymore, remember?"
"I know, Artoria, I know." Merlin placated his student soothingly. "But the Prydwen will take you to your countrymen, who will then take you to your familiar. Your armor and your sword are necessary, in order to convince them of your identity. And speaking of which..."
"Yes, Merlin, Excalibur is right here." Artoria tapped the holy sword by her waist with a sigh. She did understand where Merlin was coming from, and she had to admit she felt far more comfortable using Excalibur again (it helped that remembering every time she'd used it training with him no longer hurt).
But still...
"I just... I just want him to see me as a woman, Merlin..." Artoria grudgingly admitted through clenched teeth, ignoring how her face burned.
Merlin actually paused for a second, and peered at his favored student.
Artoria, actually being honest?
And it had only taken her fifteen hundred years?
A warm feeling filled his chest, and idly he wondered if that was what paternal pride felt like.
"I'm sure he will, Artoria." Merlin reassured his goddaughter with a soft smile, before adding: "Once you've found him, you can change out... I've prepared both a copy of that white dress for you, and some more casual clothing for less formal occasions."
"... thanks, Merlin." Artoria beamed at him.
Merlin shifted guiltily, as her pure smile reminded him that it had been his mistake that had given Morgan the ability to mess things up so badly.
He really didn't feel like he deserved gratitude for this single action...
Instead, Merlin changed the subject, and gestured to the summoning circle on the floor as he instructed her: "Come now, Artoria, Your familiar awaits."
Artoria almost seemed to vibrate with barely-controlled excitement as she stood at its center, and as Merlin pulled out some reagents and cast the modified version of Kaleidoscope's spell, he bade her: "Good luck, child!"
Artoria waved back just as she disappeared in a flash of silver light.
A few seconds later, as Merlin sighed in satisfaction, Morgan strode into the room, and eyes locked onto the Magus of Flower's smug form.
"Merlin!" Morgan barked, approaching her fellow prisoner. "Vivian wants to know why you had Harribel bring you a few dozen pieces of Saint Quartz from Zelretch's new organization."
"Why, it was all to send Artoria over to her familiar, of course." Merlin grinned.
"... is that so?" Morgan raised an eyebrow. "And how, pray tell, did you do that, when Zelretch hasn't even found Remnant yet?"
"Well, he's found the other worlds Jaune's been to..." Merlin explained. "And I just used my Clairvoyance along with his spell to take a peek into some of them-"
"Merlin." Morgan cut in sternly. "Where did you send my little sister to?"
"To the Prydwen." Merlin insisted firmly.
"Did you now?" Morgan's voice was quiet, smooth, and dangerous now. "Is that why the Prydwen is still docked by the shores of Avalon, according to what the faeries tell me?"
"... my way is faster." Merlin defended himself. "She needed the head start anyway..."
"Damn it, Merlin!"
-LUCKY 38 PENTHOUSE, THE STRIP, MOJAVE WASTELAND, THREE MONTHS AFTER THE SECOND BATTLE OF HOOVER DAM-
"Once again, Ms. Lyons, I must thank you for your assistance." Robert House thanked the power-armored woman as she prepared to depart. "Mr. Arc truly did have a point, about the benefits of a partnership between Vegas and the Brotherhood of Steel."
"Honestly, I can't say you were completely wrong either." Sarah Lyons conceded, remembering how some of the Mojave Chapter's hardliners had tried to stage a coup. "The West Coast Chapters are a lot less... flexible, than the rest of us back East."
"A lot more dogmatic, you mean." House remarked drily, before adding: "Then again, they don't see one of my employees as the reincarnation of King Arthur, so there's that."
"No, the people here just see him as a goddamn archangel." Sarah shot back, no heat in her tone.
"Please don't remind me..." House almost wished he was ambulatory once more, just so he could pour himself a stiff drink. "I almost regret sending him to assist the New Canaanites..."
Then again, he doubted they would have handled the post-war situation as well as they had without the Neo-Mormons' aid and experience.
As valuable as all the lands and former slaves would be to the newly-reformed nation's fledgling economy in the long term, in the short term it represented thousands of square miles and hungry refugees that he'd never accounted for, to say nothing of the fact that Vegas's economy was designed to take money from fortune-seeking tourists.
And while the Brotherhood had been invaluable in assisting him in Jaune Arc's stead... they'd come to the West Coast to win a war and bring back a hero. The expedition hadn't been equipped for the task they'd inadvertently found themselves saddled with.
But at the same time...
Just what on earth had he done in Zion and the Mojave, that had led to so many cults worshipping him?!
"Well, it's a good thing we'll be taking him back to DC, then." Sarah declared firmly. "We've got a lot to catch him up on; no need to let all this nonsense about being an angel get in the way."
Indeed. Just the nonsense about him being King Arthur, House quietly mused himself even as he instead replied: "You will receive no argument from me, Ms. Lyons."
Because he knew better than to get between a woman on a mission and her target.
"He is merely a freelance employee of mine, and while I have many questions for him about the alien technology he mentioned, as well as the other dimensions he's travelled to, I am no slavedriver. He has always been, and will always be, free to withdraw his services at any time of his choosing, and if does so he will receive a generous severance package, along with compensation for the... transdimensional accident he suffered in my employ."
Though House truly did mean every word he said, he also highly doubted that Mr. Arc would ever choose to do so; the boy was far too moral and compassionate (a value he'd grown to appreciate, when he'd seen just how many groups had risen up to throw out the Legion's forces in order to repay the debt they owed Jaune Arc).
At the very least, he saw no reason for Jaune Arc to deny telling him about dimensional travel. He'd found that frank honesty worked best with the boy, and he'd already told Mr. Arc about his plans to search the stars for a new home for humanity.
The knowledge that other dimensions existed, and that Jaune Arc had travelled them before, just made finding a new home all the more easier.
Of course, he wasn't the only one with an interest in Jaune Arc.
"With that said, however... you may find staunch opposition from... other parties." House concluded with a warning.
"Like that courier of yours, right?" Sarah rolled her eyes in exasperation.
Leave it to Arc to not only end up with the one person in this dimension with the same name as his former partner's, but somehow have her become his staunchest worshipper (even those New Canaanites weren't as devout as she was).
"I'm honestly surprised her and Sentinel Ironwood haven't killed each other yet." Sarah spat bluntly, recalling the numerous reports Ruby had given her in the past three months they'd been working together at Big MT.
"Indeed." House's voice was full of fond exasperation and nostalgia. "Then again, cat fights are rarely so overt and direct, wouldn't you agree?"
"Cat fights?" Sarah blinked. "Them?"
House paused, and studied her through his cameras in the room.
In the three months he'd been working with the young Brotherhood of Steel Elder, he'd never known her to be willingly obtuse.
Which meant...
"Come now, isn't it obvious?" House asked incredulously. "Both women are competing for the right to monopolize his attention!"
"..." Sarah's jaw dropped in horror.
Fortunately, before she could comment, her radio buzzed to life: "Pride-Seven to Pride-Actual. We have a... situation. Over."
Immediately, Sarah's mind began translating the message as her hand grabbed the radio unit.
The Lyons' Pride should have already been onboard the Prydwen awaiting her arrival by Vertibird, having returned from the Sierra Madre a week ago.
Once they'd rendezvoused, they were supposed to take Pride One to Big MT, and together with Ruby (and the damned Courier, since there was no way she was going to let them find Arc without her, and she was his friend so they couldn't just shoot her...) they'd use the Sink AI and a modified transportalponder device (they didn't name it, some senile Pre-War brains-in-jars had) to lock on to Jaune's Aura signature and teleport to his dimension.
A vague message about a situation could have meant anything from the Prydwen spontaneously exploding in mid-air to Santangelo suddenly dropping dead from a mystery disease she'd contracted at the Sierra Madre, to even Ruby finally snapping and killing the Courier (which why radio messages were supposed to be clear and concise).
Then again, while she doubted anything so serious was occurring at the moment, the fact was they were about to get Jaune Arc back, which meant literally anything could (and probably would) happen.
"What's the situation, Pride-Seven?" Sarah snapped into her unit, even as she nodded a quick farewell to the giant computer that was Mr. House's current form (as far as she knew).
"We've just apprehended an unidentified intruder on the Prydwen, ma'am." Initiate Sydney's voice crackled back. "And well..."
Meanwhile, on the Prydwen, Initiate Sydney's voice trailed off, as she looked back at the chaos unfolding on the Prydwen's bridge.
Lancer-Captain Arthur Maxson was on his knees praying, as were most of the bridge crew.
An ecstatic Paladin Reddin was crowing at the top of her lungs: "I told you so! I fucking called it!"
A scowling Knight-Captain Dusk sniped back: "You called jackshit, Reddin!"
A shocked Knight-Captain Colvin was slumped against the wall, muttering: "I don't believe it... you've got to be kidding me..."
And at the center of it all, the cause of all the chaos?
The regal-looking golden-haired emerald-eyed medieval-armored stranger, who'd suddenly materialized on the Prydwen's bridge in a flash of silver light, continued to look at the reactions of the people around her in confusion as she once again asked: "Countrymen, why do you call him the "Pendragon" already? I know I informed the Round Table of my intentions centuries ago, but..."
"..." Sydney's eye twitched, and she tuned out the scene in favor of turning back to the radio and reporting: "... you'll... probably want to see this for yourself, ma'am."
Author's Note: And we're back, as Jaune finally returns to Remnant and reunites with his family, just as everybody else in the multiverse prepares to do the same, Sarah Lyons prepares to learn some things that make her question the existence of a benevolent god thanks to Merlin playing favorites (and just being bored), and I reaffirm that I absolutely loathe writing dialogue.
Yes, I made the decision to split the Return and Reunion chapters into two, because a) I wanted to at least let Jaune have some time with his family, and b) I do also need to remind people (and me, mostly me) about the hanging plot threads making their way back.
I'll be honest, the reason why the FATE arc was purely FATE-focused was because I had no idea how long it would be. I thought it'd just be 15 to 20 chapters that I'd quickly wrap up, and then I'd move on to the "Returning to Remnant" chapter (like I said, I didn't actually properly plan out this story til the Fuyuki part; I just had vague ideas of what direction the story could go in and made do by the seat of my pants).
Clearly, things didn't work out that way.
At the same time, though... I mean, there really wasn't much for me to flesh out, regarding everyone else's plots.
What, do you really want the full account of the Second Great War, namely the three week period of DovahYang, Serana, and Teams RWBY and JNPR convincing the nominal Fifth Legion and the Stormcloaks to sign a truce, and rallying them and the dragons following Paarthurnax and Odahviing in order to march on the Imperial City and kick the Thalmor back to Alinor, all while Weiss freaks out about the existence of other worlds (and how common Armageddon is around the world of Nirn), Yang gets a lot of teasing material, Blake gets a lot of writing material, Ruby and Team JNPR get more stories about Jaune's two months in Skyrim, and DovahYang and Serana (and the Dawnguard and Companions later on) in turn get stories about Jaune as the awkward and bumbling Huntsman-In-Training (as opposed to the young and naive warrior who beat Lord Harkon to death with a single blow from Auriel's Bow, and who went toe-to-toe with Dragons, Giants, and Centurions), and Pyrrha, DovahYang, and Ruby Rose come to a grudgingly respectful understanding?
And I'm sure you guys don't need me to go into detail about how Ruby Ironwood, Ulysses, and Courier Pyrrha spend three months using Ulysses' prior experience with the Think-Thank to infiltrate and subvert the brains (and Ruby Ironwood and Courier Pyrrha notably do not ever come to an understanding, though they do at least tolerate at each other's existence, if only for the sake of getting Jaune back (and Ulysses' sanity)), while Veronica Santangelo and the Lyons' Pride head to the Sierra Madre to take down the rogue former Elder Father Elijah, and Sarah Lyons works with House to manage the lands they find themselves saddled with after Caesar's death and the dissolution of his Legion before the New Canaanites arrive and provide some much-needed humanitarian aid (though Sarah can't help but curse and swear, and House wishes he was ambulatory because he needs a stiff drink, when they learn that the New Canaanites, Dead Horses, Sorrows, and a few other tribes, have begun to venerate Jaune Arc).
There's got to be dozens of good fics out there covering Old World Blues and Dead Money... I think... I've only really read Rise of the Lone Wanderer...
Anyway, there also really wasn't much more to add about CocoSlayer raiding old Argus bases to upgrade her suit and bring VEGA back online, or the conspiracy theorists that are Team CFVY digging into the Fall of Beacon, the disappearance of Teams RWBY and JNPR, and the appearance of Jaune Arc and the Black Dragon...
And don't worry; I didn't forget about Jeanne, Tier, Shiro, or Rin, either.
Also yes, I absolutely suck at names. I think this was established back in Chapter 25...
And yeah, Smol!Cinder is getting a better treatment than Jeanne!Blake did when Jaune first met her... but to be fair, a) Jaune's in a better position than he was after "saying goodbye" to Camelot (and if you saw the full "What If Jaune Stayed In Camelot" Omake, you'd probably feel the same way), having actually managed to talk to his friends (even if he didn't get to say goodbye), and b) Cinder's existence doesn't inherently remind Jaune of absolutely every mistake he ever made.
And honestly, Angra Mainyu being Cinder doesn't actually add or subtract anything of value to the story beyond fluff and maybe giving it a slightly more poetic ending, and I've usually taken a minimalistic approach towards plot points (I swear)... but since the story's already coming to an end, I see no reason not to simply cut all restraints.
On a side note... this is going to be a very weird comment, but I was just blasting music on YouTube's AutoPlay system randomly and... does anybody else feel like "Centuries" by Fallout Boy can sum up Jaune and Artoria in this story (especially the part where he disappeared from Camelot)? I'm not going anywhere with this or doing anything with it, it just came to mind while writing this chapter. Just feel free to give suggestions for songs that you think summarize his relationships with his friends.