hey guys!
I hope you are all doing well!
I have this new RWBY fic for you all!
So I have been thinking about this particular idea for some time and I wanted to get it out before the next Vol of RWBY came out so I hope you like it and don't forget to tell me what you think.
Also, this contains spoilers from the eighth season of RWBY, you might want to look out for that!
So I hope you all like it and if this goes well I'll definitely be putting more chapters into this one!
In any case, enjoy the chapter!
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A\N - I don't own RWBY! Sadly...
BTW!
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Chapter 1: Fallen And Washed Up
The warm sunlight felt pleasant on his skin, despite the sweat running down the blonde's face. He was busy building another shelter, hoping to accommodate a few more people. All while glancing around, looking to see if anyone needed any assistance with their own tasks.
'It's already been a few weeks since we arrived here…' the man mused. In reality, it had been closer to a month. It was worrying, how fast they had all gotten used to staying here…
"Hey, Jaune!" one of the survivors of the fall called out. "Could you give me a hand over here?" What he was trying to build would surely collapse, at the rate things were going.
The Arc rushed over, helping out as much as he could. The pair successfully finished the new structure's roof, crafted out of leaves that they had found.
The fall…
It had been while he and his friends were trying to save as many people as they could, from Salem and her horde of attacking Grimm. Stopping Ironwood, then leaving for Vacuo to collect the next relic.
Everything had been going as well as they'd hoped for… until SHE showed up.
That monster, Cinder…
She'd attacked them! Not only him and his friends, but innocent people as well! In the end Cinder had stolen the Relic of Creation, fleeing as the whole place collapsed…
That's how they'd gotten here…
Apparently, quite a few people had fallen with them… All civilians, with zero training (or experience) of any kind. It was up to him, and Team RWBY, to keep them safe.
The first week had been difficult, extremely so… Initially, most of the people who'd ended up with them had yelled and screamed at Jaune and his friends. 'It was YOUR idea that failed… YOU were supposed to keep US safe… You're Huntsman, after all…' It wasn't fair of them, Jaune knew that, but… they weren't wrong either.
It WAS Jaune and his friends' job to protect them… it was exactly what they'd signed up for.
Luckily Weiss, Yang, and Ruby managed to calm the civilians down… so they could figure out what to do.
'We need to go back and help them!' Ruby had shouted, insisting that they needed to save their friends as quickly as they could.
…
The declaration weighed on Jaune's heart so heavily, it nearly crushed him. 'Penny…' he moaned silently. There hadn't been a single night that Jaune had NOT woken up panting and sweating, suffering from the same nightmare. It chronicled the events leading up to the fall, with Jaune trying to stop himself… to stop the blade from piercing Penny's broken body.
And every time she would stare at him… her eyes leaking tears of blood, digging into his very soul. A tiny dribble of blood escaped her lips, as she spoke to him…
'Why, Jaune? Aren't we friends? Why did you kill me?'
It was one of the reasons he now slept alone, away from everyone else. "I better stay here, in case something attacks us! Don't worry… you know how sturdy I am! I can always call out to you guys, if I need the help!" the blonde boy had insisted.
He woke up screaming, in tears, most nights…
The next thing they needed to do was figure out where they were, this strange island wasn't like any place they'd ever seen before… Even Blake had never come here in the past, a blob of land with a huge tree in the middle of it. And she'd been to most, if not all, known islands during her time with the White Fang.
It was soon decided that they needed to explore, whether it was to find a way back or uncover anything useful.
"Wait, what about everyone here?" Jaune had brought up at the time. There were too many people with them, that could become a huge issue if combat erupted. "I'll stay… you guys try to find something…"
Over the next few weeks, Team RWBY had tried to discover a way to approach the huge tree… only to come back a few hours later, with no idea how they'd ended up going around in circles (missing the huge freaking tree).
On the bright side, the girls had discovered a few smaller trees with odd fruits hanging from them. The find had really helped ease the survivor's minds. Not to mention the fact that there were no Grimm anywhere on the island, at least not from what the girls had seen.
The temporary camp they'd set up began at the start of the tree line. Building a few makeshift houses had been a bit of a hassle, but completely worth it (if only to raise the morale of the civilians).
"There, that should just about do it…" the blonde remarked. He'd finished another bed, easily allowing one more person a little more comfort while they were here.
"Thank you Jaune, you're a lifesaver!" gushed a brunette woman named Annie, she marveled at his handiwork.
The young Arc simply smiled and scratched his head, before looking away. They all thanked Jaune… praised him, held him up as an example of how they should help one another. Many of them urged him to stop working, to take a break once in a while… 'You deserve it' they would insist, more often than not.
He didn't deserve it… he didn't deserve anything…
It was all his fault, after all… If only he'd been stronger, Jaune could have saved Penny and Pyrrha. Or at least sacrificed himself, so that they would still be alive…
'Why did I ever try to become a Huntsman?' It was the same thought that had occupied his mind, ever since the fall of Beacon. If he'd never been stupid enough to cheat his way into Beacon… then Pyrrha would have had a different partner. Someone far stronger than him, who would have helped her… Or, at the very least, stopped her from fighting Cinder.
That very same person could have protected Penny… and everyone else too!
So, why the hell was he still alive?! Why did those amazing people have to sacrifice themselves, to save him?! Why couldn't it have been HIM to-
Jaune noticed the tears starting to form in his eyes, he moved to the sea to wash his face. It had come as a huge surprise to them all, discovering that the water surrounding them was sweet and fit to drink.
'Maybe we are in the middle of a large lake, or something akin to that?' Weiss had theorized at the time, even if this body of water was too big to be any lake that was still unexplored.
The blonde teen washed his face, using the opportunity to let the cool water calm his nerves. It wouldn't be good if someone noticed him break down… he needed to be strong! Or, at least appear strong to everyone he was looking after.
Someone approached him from the beach, Jaune turning his head towards them. It was a ravenette that he'd gotten to know, one by the name of Shelly… Said woman was older than the blonde, and on the short side compared to him. She was holding something black close to her chest, it was his shirt. "Hey Jaune, I'm finished with your shirt!" she exclaimed, smiling prettily at him.
"You know you didn't have to, right? I could have done it myself…" he insisted, she pushed the article of clothing into his bare chest.
"I know… but I want to help after everything you've done for us… Besides, I don't mind it at all!" It was the same argument Jaune had heard from most of the survivors that wanted to ease his workload.
"Well, thank you! I'll wear it with pride!" he teased, putting it on as soon as he'd grabbed it. "Looks good!"
"Yes, it does…" she whispered, realizing she'd spoken out loud upon noticing Jaune's confused face. "Oh, I meant the fabric! Just like new!" she yelled, before running away from him.
Jaune watched as she approached a small group of ladies that were waiting for her, all staring at him with mysterious looks upon their faces. Well… he would be puzzled by their expressions, if he hadn't already learned what they meant in Atlas.
"Looks like you have a fan club, even here, eh Vomit Boy?" teased a very familiar voice, the knight turning towards it. "Also… giving them a free show like that? I approve!"
Team RWBY had returned, Yang leading the pack. Blake walked beside her, followed closely by Ruby and Weiss.
The girls had taken to wearing different outfits, getting rid of a few odds and ends. They now favored a much more casual style, if only to fit the warmer weather.
"Hey girls! So, any progress?" the blonde boy greeted, deliberately ignoring Yang's little jab.
"No… still the same. It's like there's something here that doesn't want us to go anywhere near that tree… I'm honestly considering trying to swim out of here, at this point…" Ruby commented. She was clearly joking, even if there was some genuine frustration in her tone.
Jaune stared at his friend, recalling what he hadn't explained to them yet. He still needed to tell Team RWBY all about Penny… It wasn't that he'd been trying to hide it up until now, there had just always been something interrupting him every time he tried to bring the topic up.
If it wasn't someone who needed help, it was Weiss or Yang needing to talk with Ruby about something they'd found… but Jaune needed to get this done.
He owed it to Penny…
"Guys…" he interrupted them, "…could we talk for a minute? There's something I need to tell you…" Jaune stated, his voice serious.
"Later, we need to plan out how we'll explore tomorrow…" Weiss cut him off, just as she had numerous times before.
"It's important!" Jaune insisted, a bit of irritation in his tone.
"Um… okay, no need to get so bent out of shape… Why don't we take this somewhere a little more private?" Blake suggested, pointing at a deserted part of the beach far away from everyone else.
"Okay… we're here. So, what is it… did something happen? Any new issues back here?" Yang asked, her arms folded, staring at the boy.
…
"Jaune, is everything okay?" Ruby tried to move closer to him, the knight quickly stepped back and away from her touch.
"I-It's about… the fall, when we got here…" the man began.
"Arc…" Weiss interjected, but went ignored.
"After you all fell… I was left to face Cinder. Me, Weiss, and P-Penny…" The memory of her final moments hit Jaune once more. "She tried to protect us… but Cinder managed to hit her…" The rest of the team was completely silent, waiting to hear what they had missed. Especially considering it involved one of their friends.
"-and she was just lying there… I tried to heal her, but she said there wasn't enough time, and-" The knight stared at the girls, tears in his eyes. "She told me to trust her… to… kill her…" Jaune finally admitted, his heart pounding in his chest- it started to hurt him.
The members of Team RWBY simply stood there… staring at him.
'What? What was Jaune saying?' Ruby's head started to hurt. 'He-he killed Penny? No, that isn't possible! Weiss said CINDER was the one who did it!' The small reaper turned to look at her partner… to see the horror etched upon Weiss' face, as if something terrible had clicked at that moment.
Weiss recalled Penny getting stabbed by Cinder. She'd kept the villainess busy, letting Jaune heal their friend. Weiss couldn't stand up to the Fall Maiden for long, Cinder ready to finish the heiress off… But she stopped, seeming to hear something, rushing off towards Jaune. At the time Weiss's ears had been ringing, Cinder having belted her with the back of her blade.
The next thing Weiss saw was her older sister Winter, using the Winter Maiden's power. As she put two and two together, the answer to Penny's fate became all too clear.
Now, after hearing this… it was clear why Cinder didn't bother to finish Weiss off while she'd had the chance. Why would Cinder bother with her, when she'd been about to lose a Maiden at her mercy?
Yang could only stare at the blonde boy with tears in his eyes… She felt angry, furious even! She wanted to punch him so much, to completely break him! Why had he just given up like that?! Why not call Ren and Nora?! Why not call Oscar?! Why not throw Emerald at Cinder, and be done with them both?! Why had he been so quick to give up?! Yang's hair started flickering between blonde and gold, her temper rising rapidly.
Blake's ears laid flat against her head. The sight of an excited Penny after becoming human, hugging them, appeared in her mind. A smile of pure happiness, that even filled HER with joy. Now, lost forever… because the boy in front of them had simply given up, the second an easier path was open to him…
Jaune simply stared at them all, he could clearly see the different thoughts and emotions going through their heads… As he'd expected, they all seemed to hate him for it…
Jaune watched, as tears ran down their faces. Both Weiss and Blake both seemed more shocked than anything, whereas Yang looked beyond angry. Ruby had started openly crying, now sobbing uncontrollably, she turned and ran away from the group… The knight's heart broke, fully recognizing that HE was the one responsible for this.
"Ruby!" Yang shouted out. She stared at Jaune, her eyes burning red. They reverted back to her usual lilac-colored orbs as she turned and ran after her little sister, both disappearing into the tree line.
Blake soon followed her blonde partner, not even sparing a glance at the knight.
"Jaune… I-…" Weiss started to say, before her own grief got the better of her. The heiress turned away from the boy, walking in the direction of her teammates.
Jaune Arc was left completely alone…
Team RWBY had reacted just as he'd predicted they would… The knight had been certain that they would despise him for what he'd done… for how weak he was… Jaune knew everything would end up EXACTLY like this.
…so, why did it still hurt so much?
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A few hours had passed since Jaune's revelation, night was now upon them. The survivors of the fall had settled down, building a big bonfire in the middle of the camp. Jaune knew how to make a fire, learning from his time with Team RNJR, he'd decided to teach a few of the people around him how to do it in his absence.
The nights weren't unbearable, by any means. The cool, night air felt refreshing. But, it still came as a relief to be able to see what was going on around them.
The young Arc sat with the group of survivors, sharing stories and funny things that had happened to them. Whether it was about their work, or a tidbit about themselves, everyone wanted to talk… It helped remind the group of what was waiting for them, back home.
No one wanted to even think about the possibility of being stuck here forever… At least, not yet.
Jaune had been obligated to join the rest of the crowd, although he would have preferred staying away from everyone. But considering Team RWBY had yet to return from the forest… Jaune had no choice. It wouldn't be wise to leave the civilians by themselves, they might think they'd been abandoned or something…
As long as the group all kept calm and stayed together, they'd be able to hold on…
The people around Jaune complemented him on today's work, mentioning how lucky they were to have him and his friends.
Team RWBY had been pitching in too, helping out as much as they could. Usually by leaving one of them to help out at camp, as the rest moved through the landscape. Or, by splitting up into pairs… Jaune had always preferred to stay with the survivors. He couldn't face Ruby and her team, not after what he'd done. Even before Jaune had admitted it to them…
The blonde wouldn't blame Team RWBY if they wanted him to stay away… or leave completely. It wasn't a pleasant thought to fall asleep to, but by this point he was used to such worries.
…
He woke up in the middle of the night…
Jaune was sleeping outside his usual room. He'd been bunking with a few guys who he'd gotten to know, at least until they managed to get everyone comfortable.
Time and time again, a few of the female civilians had asked Jaune to spend the night with them… The knight wasn't even tempted to agree, in his mind he didn't deserve any reward for failing his friends. Besides… the girls had either just wanted the company, or the feeling of security from having someone with Huntsman training close by.
The young man wasn't about to leverage his strength in such a disgusting manner, he was better than that… Jaune would do everything possible to make sure they ALL returned home safely.
No matter WHAT it took.
The blonde boy rose up from his spot, looking around. Luckily for him, everyone else was still fast asleep. The only illumination came from the shattered moon in the sky, one of the few things keeping everyone from panicking. At least it was proof that everyone was still on Remnant, the group had a chance to get back home… even if none of them knew where they were.
The teen made sure to move as quietly as he could, creeping away from the people asleep around him. When Jaune was certain he was completely alone, he started running through his usual workout. It was a good way of keeping his mind off of any depressing thoughts, help himself sleep a little easier… as low a bar as that was.
Jaune finished his routine an hour or so later, it was hard to tell exactly how long it had been. Their scrolls had stopped working entirely, the moment they'd arrived on this strange island.
Jaune rested on a rock, staring out at the dark ocean, as he caught his breath. The cool air did wonders for his tired body, even if his mind was still in shambles over Team RWBY's reaction to his confession. A soft sigh escaped his lips, readying himself for a second round of exercises, when he noticed someone now standing next to him.
Tilting his head, up the blonde locked eyes with his friend.
'Weiss…' Jaune wasn't startled by her sudden appearance, too tired from his training (and a lack of sleep). Or, perhaps he had been expecting this. The heiress happened to be the member most likely to confront him after her team's meltdown. She was one who had dealt with difficult situations the most, after all.
"Jaune… I need to talk to you…" she admitted, pointing to spot by his side, "can I?"
The young Arc couldn't really find the right words at the moment… he wasn't sure he'd be able to speak anyway. Jaune was too ashamed to face them… too scared to hear what they had to say.
He simply nodded and scooted to the side, giving her as much room as he possibly could without falling off. He deserved her anger… her hate.
Hell, he deserved all of their wrath. The least he could do was take it… and pray that it would help them.
The white-haired girl sat down slowly, waiting a few moments. Weiss looked at the heavens, glancing at the moon, she appeared to be stuck in thought. "You know… I have never been one to stare off into the sky, praying for something to happen. I usually accomplish things using my own power…" There was a slight change in her breathing that could only charitably be described as a laugh, the girl desperately trying to lighten the mood. "But now, I can't help but look at the moon and hope that my family is alright…" Her gaze drifted back down to the ground.
"Winter's okay… The last time I saw her, that is…" The words had just slipped out, Jaune aching to reassure the heiress that her sister was fine. Weiss didn't need to add agonizing over her sister's fate to her list of problems.
"I know… you told me after we woke up here." Weiss stared up at him. "You know, I don't think I even thanked you for saving me back there…" Her sky-blue eyes stared into his own.
In the past, he would have given anything to bask in her gaze and attention. But now, it felt almost hollow to him… More tiring and painful, than good. He looked away from her, too ashamed to maintain eye contact. "Weiss… you don't have to, I really didn't do all that much-"
"Didn't you?" she cut in, her tone louder than before (although she didn't sound upset). "You stopped Cinder from killing me… several times, actually…" Weiss recalled LITERALLY being impaled by the power-hungry monster, then being brought back from the brink of death by the knight. "As it stands, I seem to fail more often than anyone else on my team… and you keep having to bail me out."
"T-That's only because I'm not that big of a threat next to you… You're all so amazing, so skilled… while I'm just a meat shield, who can't even do that right." Jaune stared at his hands, unable to see any calluses from all the work and training he'd done. His Aura was quite adept at repairing all of the damage he received.
"Well, I can't deny that. I've noticed the way some of the women in camp have been staring at you… I'm pretty sure they see you as a piece of meat as well~" the heiress teased, her tone now much lighter.
The boy stared at her in shock. "W-Weiss, what the hell?!"
The girl laughed at his expression for a moment. "Oh, I'm sorry… I thought we were talking about you simply being a piece of meat…"
"That's not what I meant and you know it…" Jaune stated flatly. Was this really how this conversation was going to play out?
"I do…" Weiss admitted. "But, that doesn't mean I will simply sit here and silently listen to your self-deprecation…" she chided, her eyes boring holes into him.
"Why not?" the knight bit out, his voice a bit more heated than before. "I deserve it-"
"Jaune!" Weiss exclaimed, snapping him from his torpor. "While I will admit you deserve something… THAT is not it!" She took a deep breath, before turning to face him fully. "Now… before you say something stupid again, could you describe to me what happened that day? There are some things I want to make sure of, before I come to any conclusions…"
The young Arc nodded once, meeting her eyes once more. "Okay…", taking a deep breath he continued. "What is the last thing you remember?" he asked.
"I was on the ground, at Cinder's mercy… You were protecting me from her… My sister was using the Maiden's powers, to try and grab me…" Weiss answered quickly, there was no way she'd ever forget that moment.
"I see…" Jaune took a moment to think, before he opened his mouth once more. "After Cinder wounded Penny, I tried to keep her stable" he explained, his voice started to crack upon uttering the name of Ruby's friend. "While you were busy keeping Cinder away from us… she told me there was no time and asked me to…" the knight clammed up at the painful memory.
"I know… it's alright Jaune…" Weiss soothed, her hand resting upon his shoulder.
"She… she said that she wanted to choose who the power went to… So, I-I did as she asked…", the tears returned. "I was crying- screaming, Cinder came to me wanting answers about the Maiden's power. She broke my sword, and was about to do the same to me, when your sister showed up and kept her away…" Jaune swallowed the lump in his throat, before continuing. "I started to drag you to the portal… but Cinder attacked us again… even while she was busy dealing with Winter… I stopped her the first time, but didn't realize that she had something else up her sleeve until it was too late!" Jaune stared up at the moon. "You fell after the explosion… it was just Winter and me" he explained, the memories flowing through his mind. "She and I were about to go after Cinder when we heard something, it sounded like a monster wailing on the other side of the portals…"
Salem… Weiss understood, before he'd even said it.
"We decided to go back and help the others… Cinder escaped with the Staff of Creation and, before we knew what was going on… everything started dissipating. Winter started flying towards the portal, before she noticed that the road was gone… I know that she wanted to help me, but it was too late…" Jaune took a deep breath, his story reaching its conclusion. "I didn't make it to the portal… then I woke up here with all of you…"
…
"I see…" Weiss replied, after a few seconds.
Jaune simply sat in silence, now staring at the sand underneath his feet. Weiss was the first person he'd told the story of what had happened… Her opinion was sure to come… Jaune couldn't wait to get this over with.
"My goodness… you're still every bit as difficult as when I met you at Beacon" the white-haired teen growled, the girl sounding very frustrated.
"W-What?" Jaune yelped. 'Why is she bringing this up now?!'
"I mean, honestly… And here I thought you were insufferable BEFORE, I wonder if Pyrrha had to deal with this as well…" Weiss complained, her mocking tone not sitting very well with the knight.
Jaune rose to his feet, staring into Weiss' eyes. "Pyrrha is dead because of me! Because I was too weak to help, or stop, her!" The blonde's eyes burned with anger and self-loathing, red and full of tears, he towered over the heiress's small frame. "The only thing she could possibly feel towards me is hate!"
"You absolute moron!" the ice queen screamed at him. "There is NO WAY she felt anything of the sort!" Weiss watched the knight open his mouth to retort, the woman cutting him off. "Jaune… NONE of us could have stopped Cinder. Even if we HAD been capable of such a feat, that wench would have simply ordered her dragon to kill us all. Pyrrha knew that Cinder would follow her to us… so she chose to stand and fight for EVERYONE. Don't you DARE think that everything is all about YOU!
"Well, what about Penny?" Jaune whispered, his eyes burning. "I could have ignored her request, ran away with her…"
"If you HAD, then I'd be DEAD…" Weiss stated softly, the knight's eyes opening wide. "Afterwards Cinder would have doubtless obtained the Winter Maiden's power, after killing both YOU AND PENNY… would that have been better?"
"No!" Jaune shouted, his heart screaming at the horrifying scenario his friend had described.
"Then you had better stop with all this nonsense of blaming yourself…" Weiss growled, her finger poking Jaune's chest. "You did all you could- all ANYONE could have done! You had better start giving yourself some credit or, as Oum as my witness, I will MAKE you!" she screeched in annoyance. "Jaune… I think you DO deserve something for what you've done…" Weiss conceded, her voice turning cold.
Jaune could only nod in response, wiping his tears on his arm. Finally, someone was agreeing that he was right… Weiss would know what punishment he deserved.
Before Jaune could open his mouth, to declare that he was ready for what he'd earned, the smaller girl was upon him. The very last thing he'd expected was to feel her soft lips upon his own.
X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X
And that's done!
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Chapter uploaded on the 21 of August.