Chapter 11: Intermission
Now time for a small break to see how the cast is doing. Letting them relax, use the restroom, and whatever junk they have going on. With an introduction with a few more characters. Maybe you'll know who they'll be. If you want to find out, then just read.
Also added a certain scene from the show. Words and actions aren't mine. They belong to Rooster Teeth.
Permission gotten to also use the fanfiction:
Through Her Eyes(Remastered) By Peroh
There were screams coming from inside the portal. Everybody in the room, antagonists and protagonists alike, don't know what to think. However some in the room could guess what was happening. Those screams, while somewhat jumbled, were quite recognizable to a few. Then, from out of the portal, two bodies were dropped. They were two individuals that the audience immediately recognized, as they just saw them before in prior viewings. However, it wasn't who they were expecting.
"Ow, my ass, where the hell...?" One of the newcomers growled, more angry than confused. He froze once he saw the audience, recognizing a few familiar faces.
"Ugh, my head, what in the world just happened?" The other newcomer asked aloud, more annoyed than upset. He too froze once he saw that he was being watched by several people he didn't recognize.
The former beacon students cried out in surprise, "Cardin?!"
"What!" Cardin replied in surprise.
The Schnee sisters said in surprise, "Whitley?"
"Oh, crap…" Whitley whispered to himself.
"Woah," Mayden said, sounding surprised. He then said, "Okay, it looks like I missed my intended targets by quite a few calculations…
"You didn't mean to bring these two here?" Glynda asked in surprise, having heard the Keeper's surprised tone.
"Yeah, I was actually trying to bring someone from the afterlife." The Keeper said.
"Wait, you were!?" Qrow yelled, wondering if the Keeper was even capable of reviving the dead.
"More or less, But it seems that I messed up… My bad," The Keeper apologized. He then used his powers to lift the two new guests and dusted them off. Then he had them standing on the side, away from the portal. He was ready to try again. "Alright, let's try this again."
Once more, Mayden used his sensing power to locate the people that he intended to bring forth. He then felt a tug and pulled on whoever was on the other end of the portal. Another scream was heard. Within seconds, two bodies drop from the portal, one dressed in finely pressed clothing and a bowler hat and the other was a person they did not recognize, but they looked to be a crocodile faunus.
"OW… What the hell, did I die again or something?" The finely-dressed man asked.
The Crocodile Faunus furiously demanded, "Oi, where the bloomin' hell am I?!"
"Dang, messed up again." Mayden probably should have listened more carefully when he was being taught how to use these powers. Still, he did get at least one of his targets this time.
Ironwood saw the man and cried in outrage, "Torchwick!"
Indeed, standing before them, appearing exactly as he did in life was Roman Torchwick. The man was honestly confused and a little anxious. Last thing he remembered was that he been playing a game of cards with Perry. Now he was standing in a strange place with people that greatly disliked him, which was not much of a difference.
Noticing the general, Roman frightfully said, "Ironwood?"
The newly-revived thief was nervous, especially with all these familiar faces that were looking at him like he should be beaten to within an inch of his life. That fear went away when a bundle of multi-colored joy hugged him, "Neo!?"
Neo hugged him tightly; glad to see her fatherly figure alive again. Then she punched him in the gut, wanting to do that since watching the "Gamer" universe.
The thief exclaimed in pain, "Ow, why the hell do people keep punching me!?"
Roman was not enjoying being used as a punching bag. He was starting to wonder if this was just another Hell. As for the other person, to everybody's surprise, it was none other than...
"Uh, who are you?" Weiss said stepping back a little
Nobody knew who this woman was. She was a scaly, green-skinned woman, clearly a Faunus, with sharpened teeth and a large, old-fashioned stopwatch hanging from her hip.
"Who… are you?" Weiss again asked stepping back a little. This woman gave off a strange vibe, not to mention her looks. Weiss has already accepted Faunus, but she has never seen one with such notable features. There was also that glint of bloodlust in the woman's eyes and it chilled her to the bone.
"Who am I?" The green-skinned woman parroted the question, dusting herself off before asking, "If anything, Luv, the real question is who are ye', and..!"
The woman froze when she saw the girl in a red hood, a girl who had silver eyes. She had received a mission from her mistress to eliminate those possessing that particular eye color. The green-skinned woman then reached out for her weapon...
Only to find nothing and she voiced her confusion aloud, "Huh?"
"Sorry, Everybody, allow me to introduce Roman, Cardin, Whitley, and of course, Tock." The Keeper declared, introducing the new arrivals. He then told his new guests, "Also, I don't allow any fighting, so I took your weapons… well, except for you, Whitley, since don't have one. In any case, welcome to my home!"
"..."
The new guests were just confused. For the first two that entered, they weren't sure what was happening. Cardin had been on a mission, killing some Grimm in a remote village. Whitley had been familiarizing himself with the inner workings of the company, preparing for the day when he would take over the company.
As for Roman and Tock, they had both been dead. To their shock, they have returned among the living, albeit not on Remnant. They have no idea where this place was either, or if it even existed on the same plane of existence as their home.
"I can see you four are all confused. So I'll just send the information now so I don't have to explain." Mayden immediately imbued the four with the necessary information. Mainly that they were in a strange dimension, which the Keeper called a repository and a cinema, among other things. They have been gathered view parallel versions of themselves existing in other realities. Some realities were good, some were bad, others were just strange, and there were plenty of stupid ones.
For the new arrivals, this information overwhelmed them, especially for the ones who had just died and were reeling with the knowledge that they were back among the living. Sensing their uneasiness, Mayden quickly teleported them onto some nice chairs, so that they may relax. Whitley and Cardin were seated on the "Good Side" of the theater, with Tock and Roman sitting in the "Bad Side" section. Tock's seating arrangements made everyone realize that she wasn't completely innocent; especially with that bloodthirsty stare she gave Ruby.
"In any case, I hope you all treat our new guests well, with respect and courtesy." Mayden implored the audience, with some unsure if they really wanted to. Mainly because many either didn't like the new guests or just didn't even know them. A few were even freaking out a bit, especially the newcomers.
"Is that Adam Taurus!? What's he doing here?" Whitley shouted, completely freaked out. He heard stories of the atrocities committed by the bull Faunus. His legs shook in fear, wondering if the man will try to kill him.
"So I'm here, but I was elsewhere, how is this possible?" Cardin asked, wondering just what was going on. Despite the flood of information the Keeper had sent him, he was still confused
"...Okay, Neo… you can let go now…" Roman begged of his protégé. Since his arrival, the pint-sized thief had been hugging him tightly, a little too tightly, as he started gasping for air. He did not want to die again.
"..." Tock stayed silent, unsure how to take any of this. On one hand she was alive again, which meant she got a second chance to kill that damn silver-eyed reaper bitch that cut her head off. On the other, she was stuck in a strange dimension with people she did not know. However, she was interested by the one named Cinder. That look in her eyes, and that beastly arm... she knew only one person capable of granting that kind of power.
"Um, hey, Keeper," The Keeper faced Jaune, who was speaking. "Why exactly... did you bring them?"
"Oh, please." Mercury spoke up. "Just tell the Keeper you wanted Pyrrha instead of these guys."
It wouldn't be a lie to say that nobody in this room really wanted these guys at all. Plus while a bit crass, what Mercury said was true. For some like Jaune and Ruby, while they wouldn't say it deep down they rather have their loved ones instead of them. Rude but true.
"Like I said, it was an accident." The Keeper wouldn't say this out loud, but he is technically a newbie in the area. His powers were strong, but unpolished. Not that these people needed to know that little fact, especially since he could have accidentally killed them if he had botched the portal. Again, didn't need to know.
"Well... can you bring maybe Pyrrha and some others?" Jaune asked, not liking asking the Keeper after what the being had said about Pyrrha. But he will push his feelings aside for the time being.
"Not even if you begged." The Keeper said bluntly, without any shame. This actually shocked some of the audience.
Shocked by Mayden's continued rudeness, Ruby stuttered with her question, "W-W-why?"
The Keeper replied quickly, "Because I wasted too much power."
"Power, you say?" Cinder asked in curiosity. It was an interesting development. Their host can be weakened, a fact that she can use to her advantage in the future.
"Pretty much, I mean, do any of you know how difficult it is to call forth someone back from the freaking afterlife?" Mayden told them, referring to both Roman and Tock who had been dead indeed. "Tock especially, since she's been dead for a few decades. So no, I'm not bringing back any of your lost loved ones."
Jaune just clenched his fist. This Keeper, while certainly not an enemy was also far from being a friend. With a resigned demeanor, the blonde retreated back to his seat. He no longer cared in challenging their host.
Then Cardin punched him in the face. "OW, WHAT THE HELL, CARDIN?!"
"Stop whining! Are you a huntsman or not?!" The former (?) bully said to his former (?) victim. Everyone on the good side shocked at what he just did. He dare have the gall to say something so insensitive.
"Mr. Winchester!" Glynda ordered, rising to her feet, ready to scold the young man. The former Beacon student sweated a bit, but didn't falter.
"Sorry, Goodwitch, but you're not my teacher, not since Beacon. I don't have to listen to you anymore." Cardin said confidently, knowing that it was technically the truth. He lifted the fallen Arc by the collar if his hoodie and stared disappointingly at him. "As for you, what happened to that confidence of yours?!"
"What the-what happened to the no violence rule!?" Weiss asked to the Keeper who then shrugged the non-existent shoulders.
"Sorry, but technically these four can do whatever they want. They haven't been 'affected' by my powers like you guys early on; it might take a while before they are." Mayden said telling them how when they all arrived, they had been affected by the rules in place. As such, these four are not bound since barely arriving.
"Meaning…" Roman realized, staring at the woman who was such a pain in the neck to him. Grinning ever sinisterly, he cracked his knuckles. "…for the time being, we can do anything without consequence."
"Roman…" Cinder threatened with Emerald standing up, ready to defend herself. Mercury just sat in his chair, preferring to watch the coming entertainment. Adam watched the exchange with excited glee. Oh, he was going to enjoy watching them tearing each other's throats outs.
"Hehe, sorry… Actually, no, I'm not sorry, Cinder, this isn't business, just personal." Roman said with a grin, cracking his knuckles. Then he ran straight at her, fists flying. Mercury and Emerald were unable to even stop him as the 'barrier' prevented them from restraining him. Cinder just readied to counter for self-defense, only for the same rules to affect her. Apparently the Keeper forgot to mention self-defense counted as well in terms of 'violence'.
"Take this bitch!" Now glad he wouldn't suffer the consequence, and release the stress from dying, being ordered around, and punched, Roman let it all out. He proceeded to attack Cinder, who was quite literally defenseless.
"Stop it you-" Emerald tried to cut in, only to be kneed in the gut.
"Shut it brat!" Roman yelled, as he lifted Cinder and punched her in the gut. Cinder was furious that she was unable to do anything. Mercury though, just stood out of the way, not wanting to get involved. Neo then tapped his shoulder with a question.
'Gonna join?'
"Nah, I may like to fight, but I'm not suicidal." He responded, not wanting to have his beautiful face get bruised. Neo accepted this and then summoned some popcorn. Then she raised a sign with the number 7 painted upon it. She was now judging her partner's attack. It was satisfying watching Roman kick the daylights out of Cinder, with the woman's sycophantic lackey, Emerald, getting her just desserts as well.
Back in the "Good" section, Cardin continued beating Jaune, for whatever reason the young man found justifiable. The teachers and students were unable to stop the Winchester because of the rules Mayden had imposed upon them.
"Cardin!" Nora yelled out, wanting ever so much to break his legs. Yet she was unable to because of those damn rules.
"Mr. Winchester, stop!" Ozpin tried commanded, having taken over Oscar's body. The young man didn't bother obeying, since he didn't actually know 'Oscar', and he didn't care in the slightest who he was. He continued punching Jaune.
"What's the matter Jauney, haven't had enough?" The bully mockingly remarked, with Jaune barely trying to fight back. The Arc was so dazed that he couldn't formulate a defense plan. Ruby worried and just yelling at the Keeper.
"Mayden, please lift the ru-" Ruby began, only to be cut off as Tock suddenly pounced on her. Her strike knocked Ruby to the ground and getting on top of her on the ground.
"Hu-" Then she felt a nasty punch to the face.
"Those silver-eyes have got to go. Nothing personal, kid, it's just business." Tock sadistically said; glad that she can now finish her mission. She may not have her weapons and semblance, but she can still gouge those eyes with her bare hands. So what if they weren't the eyes of the dreaded Grimm Reaper? They were still silver eyes; it makes no difference to her where they came from
Things were becoming a mess in the room, with Mayden doing nothing at all but watching. He wondered whether this would be good for them in the long run, helping them grow as individuals. Still, perhaps he should interfere, just a little bit. First he took care of Cardin and Jaune. The Keeper snapped his non-existent fingers, trapping them in a stasis bubble, obscuring the two from the view of the audience. He wanted to see how these two would finish this.
"W-why-" Jaune said in between punches. "Ar-are you-guh!-doing this?"
"Because you haven't moved on, Jauney-Boy…" Cardin replied, pushing the Arc into a chair. This only further confused the boy.
"W-what do you mean?" Jaune asked Cardin, who just looked at him.
"...Tell me, Jaune…" He began sitting down, a bit glad that nobody was now interfering. "Why are you acting like this?"
"Like what- Koff-koff!" Jaune coughed, his confusion reaching new heights.
"Why are you still not over her? Pyrrha, I mean." Cardin continued. "Why are you still like this?"
"What?" Jaune asked, unsure where this was heading.
"How come you haven't gotten over her death?"
"Got over her…..Y-you think I should just, FORGET HER!" Jaune didn't know what was going on, but he was starting to feel angry. What was Cardin getting at, telling him these things. Just what would he know of loss!?
"I'm not asking you to forget her," Cardin clarified, crossing his arms. "Just why do you keep torturing yourself with her memory?"
"Oh, oh, like you would know how that would feel!" Jaune retorted back.
"I do…" That stopped the blonde knight, angry still, but subsided. Not sure what Jaune meant.
"What do you mean you do?" Cardin just looked at Jaune. There was no emotion on his face other than resigned glum. The former bully took his and started explaining
"Do you think you're special, that your loss entitles you?" He sullenly asked, his eyes dulled and his posture slouched.
He gave Jaune an unenthusiastic glare. "Well, here's a newsflash, Arc, everybody lost someone at Beacon... I lost my team."
"Your team…" Jaune asked to which Cardin nodded.
"Yeah, my team… Dove died during the fall, Sky's missing and also probably dead, and Russel was so traumatized by the attack that he gave up the huntsman life!" He said, looking down in grief, only to stare back at Jaune with a steeled resolve in his eyes. "However, I didn't let my loss keep me from my duty.
Jaune couldn't say anything to that. Nothing came to mind that could express his shock, surprise, and sympathy. He kept silent as Cardin continued.
"Dove and Sky were like my brothers, I miss them and sometimes I wish they were here. But that doesn't mean I'm going to insult their memories by obsessing about the past. I owe it to them to keep on living, unlike you, who just charges into situations like some half-assed idiot with a death wish. Yeah, the creepy host-guy showed me what you did at Haven. You're supposed to be a leader, Jaune! You mess up and it's your teammates who are the ones to pay the price!"
"Now, don't think I'm just forgetting them, or that I didn't mourn, because trust me, I have and I still do. But I also knew my friends had a responsibility. Yeah, we might have been the biggest screw-ups at Beacon, but we took some responsibility for our actions. We all knew the risk becoming Huntsmen…"
It wasn't unnatural after all, for a Huntsman or Huntress to die in the field. Everybody knew that deep down, yet still seemed to forget it at times. People all just assuming that it wouldn't happen to them, always someone else. As such, it was only natural for those who lost someone will shut down just a bit.
"…And so did Pyrrha." Cardin added, completely surprising Jaune, "Personally, and no offense, I think what she did was dumb, fighting against all odds, but in the end it wasn't my choice, but hers and she didn't regret any of it… even if it got her killed."
"…Because she was a Huntress." Jaune said, with Cardin nodding. "A Huntress... that's all she ever wanted to be."
"Exactly," Cardin affirmed with a smile, holding out his hand to Jaune. "Don't forget her, but don't let her death haunt you. Keep growing, get stronger, and you'll do her proud."
Jaune looked at the offered hand, then at Cardin. The Arc sighed then laughed, saying, "You know, I'd never thought it be you, of all people, who would tell me that."
The Winchester shrugged, "We all gotta grow up. Also, how do we get out of here?"
"Leave that to me." Mayden said, snapping his non-existent fingers, with the "Good Side" now free to break up the fight. Then they saw Jaune and Cardin smiling and shaking hands, as if they hadn't even fought at all.
"Huh?" Many asked.
"Wait, what's going on?" Nora asked, severely confused about what just happened in the span of a second. Even Ren was questioning the situation.
"It's alright guys, we're cool." Jaune said, shaking Cardin's hand.
"That's right, so back off." The Winchester said crassly, shoving his way back to his seat. The shocked teachers and RWBY just watched with young man in curiosity, wondering what exactly had caused him to mature so much. As they wondered about Cardin, they didn't notice Ren and Nora approach Jaune.
Jaune spoke to his friends. "Guys… I'm sorry I've been a terrible leader… And a terrible friend and I-"
"Jaune," Ren interrupted his friend. "This has to stop."
Nora went on to, speaking, "We heard what you said to Cinder, at Haven. You're not being fair to yourself. We love you, just like we loved Pyrrha." The young Valkyrie smiled softly. "We're teammates, family…"
"We don't want to lose you too." Ren finished.
Jaune just looked at them, lost for words. Then he thought of Pyrrha. "I think… I think she knew she wasn't going to win. That she might not come out alive, but she also knew she was the only one that could try."
"So she did." Ren stated calmly.
"Maybe we should too." Nora concluded, wanting to live up to her late friend's actions. Jaune looked at Nora and smiled. Perhaps it was time to move on, he reckoned. He reached into his pant pocket and took out his scroll. He pulled up Pyrrha's video, the one she had made to help with his training when she wasn't around. He presses his thumb on the screen, prompting a small box to appear.
[You wish to delete video, Yes or No?]
Despite himself, Jaune just let thumb hover over the "NO" button. With one tap, he can erase this video, one of the last reminders of the girl who loved him. For some reason, he can't bring himself to press the delete request, no matter how much he wants to. He was afraid. As his hand began to shake, he felt Nora's hand placed over his own, with Ren's following suit. He looks at both of his friends, who give him small but encouraging smiles.
His burden lifted, Jaune took one last glance at Pyrrha's smiling face. "Goodbye, Pyrrha…"
He pressed the delete button, erasing the video from existence. Feeling like a weight had been lifted off of him, the young man felt a wave of relief, albeit tinged with some guilt, wash over him. His friends stay at his side, comforting him as took this big step forward to a brighter tomorrow. Jaune was ready to take the fight to Cinder. He now believed Pyrrha would still be with them, even in death.
"...Uh, I'd hate to ruin what is no-doubt a very touching and cathartic moment for you all, but I still have a question. Why am I here?" Whitley asked unsurely, not understanding what was happening with the remnants of Team JNPR. He looked to his sisters, as they probably understood the situation better than him.
"I'm rather uncertain as to why your presence was needed." Winter commented truthfully, still on the fence about her brother.
"Likewise a bit," Weiss added. She and Winter didn't know why Whitley was brought here. Although, Weiss was glad Jaune finally found closure alongside Nora and Ren. Still, she had to wonder just how was it that Cardin, of all people, was able to help Jaune reach his epiphany.
"Get her off of me!" Ruby shouted as she tried to keep Tock from tearing her eyes out. The answer to that question would have to wait, as Weiss suddenly remembered Ruby was being attacked, with Blake, Qrow, and Yang barely able to hold back Tock.
"Get off of her, you weirdo!" Yang yelled, holding onto the woman's arm, "Gods, how is she so strong?!"
"I don't think I can hold her back any longer." Blake confessed, already beginning to lose her grip. Even Qrow was having a tough time, as Tock kept kicking him in the face.
"Okay, that's enough of that." The Keeper declared, no longer tolerating Tock and Roman's antics. It was fun watching them beat up some people, but he didn't need Ruby losing an eye. Plus it would be a pain to fix Cinder's broken ribs.
"And Boom!" With that the rules now affected all the new guests. "There, no more fighting, and also-"
With a sudden whish of magic, all of the rule breakers were teleported back to their seats, now unable to inflict any more harm. He then used his power to mend the broken bones and heal the bruises on Cinder, Emerald, and Jaune and other wounds others may have gotten during the skirmish.
"There, all better." The Keeper said proud of what he was done. Three injured people healed at the same time, a new record.
"Hold on." Yang began. "You could have solved all this if you had just used your powers?"
The fighting got a bit out of control. Yet the Keeper could have stopped it the minute it began. Yet he didn't bother at all. What the heck happened to being weakened?
"Sorry, it's my dimension and my rules, follow them or else…" Mayden left the threat hang, leaving the audience to imagine what fate awaited them should they disobey. Yep, it was like Jaune thought before. The Keeper known as Mayden wasn't their enemy, more or less, but he was also far from being a friend at all. "Also, that just used more of my power, so I need to relax for a bit. In any case, let's continue watching the next world."
A murmur of disappointment and questions came, but none of them reached the Keeper at all, as he just ignored the complaints. While the screen was loading up, many thoughts went around the heads of others.
Cinder was using her time to plan the perfect revenge on Roman. She will make the man pay for his blatant disrespect. He should feel honored for having served her. Emerald wanted very much to do the same thing. nobody hurts Cinder, not on her watch. The two then glared at Mercury for doing nothing during Roman's vicious attack. He just grinned and shrugged of their heated glares, not caring in the slightest.
"What?' He deigned to ask, using a sickeningly innocent tone that too perfect to be sincere. Their response was launching a pie full of hot spice to his face and an apple thrown at the place between his legs. His cries of pain were like music to them. The two ladies smirked, satisfied with their work.
"It's good to be back among the living, huh, Neo." Roman told his ever faithful sidekick who just nodded. When this was all over, hopefully he'd be back in the realm of the living. Roman wondered if the Keeper accepts deals.
Adam himself had his own thoughts on what he should do, now that he can't return to the White Fang. They knew what had happened and how they viewed him now.
'This… is all Blake's fault…' His anger was slowly evolving to something worse. Now that he knew the White Fang wouldn't obey him, all he had left was his anger toward Blake, Yang, and against anyone who he felt had 'wronged' him in a way. Maybe the next world will prevent whatever madness is starting to take hold of him?
'Pyrrha… I hope you watch over us.' Jaune has finally gotten over his friend's death and despite evidence to the contrary, he hoped that Mayden could bring her here in the near future. But he realized that was probably never going to happen.
'I hope we get to see more of Mom.' Ruby thought hopefully, with Yang also hoping the same. They both knew that, in time, Summer Rose will make her appearance in the future.
"..." Qrow of course kept a good eye on Tock while thinking of Summer. That woman, she had been interested by Ruby's eyes from the moment she arrived, even aiming for them during her attack. Not to mention she was on the "Bad Side" too. This woman needed investigation. He made a promise to protect his nieces, no matter what.
'I seriously hope Mayden becomes far stricter with his rules.' Ironwood couldn't help but think, feeling rather bleak about the future. Because he felt for certain one of these screenings will eventually end with some of them dead. The general prays that doesn't happen.
'I really need to get a better handle on dealing with my students.' Glynda mentally sighed. Back at Beacon, she was always obeyed by her students, even after they graduated. She would have to train so that no more incidents like this would occur. She knew that if she continued to deny her own training, there will be death in the future.
'I wonder if this Keeper is willing to make a deal here, anything to get out of here.' Whitley still didn't understand what was even happening, especially with all the craziness involved this place. However, he was interested in these "universes" that Mayden was showing, watching them could prove illuminating.
"Hmph" Weiss turned away from her brother, believing she knew what he was thinking. She thought he was trying to find a way to profit from this universe. She was still upset about how Whitley was made the heir.
Winter Just sighed, realizing she would have to deal with their antics. Sometimes she wondered why her siblings had to act like children. Technically, her brother was still a child, but that was beside the point.
"Can't wait for the next world, right, Blake?"
"It does seem nice." The last worlds were rather off, but better compared to 'Magical Girl Bl-'
'NOPE,' Blake roared in her mind, pushing the memory back into the deepest recesses of her mind.
Oscar was also a bit excited, and Ozpin wondered if he could use this information to help him Salem once and for all.
Cardin just yawned, not caring in the slightest.
"Now it's time to begin." Mayden said as the screen lit up.
And so ends intermission for now. Until we see more future guests, these four will be enough for now. As for who will show up, being living or not, time will tell. Next time we'll see something related to the future. Until then, I'm out.