Chapter 5: The first Battle.
Ruby couldn't help by squint as she walked, her boots clunking heavily on the sidewalk below.
The pain in her head, dull and throbbing as it was, hadn't vanished; an ever present reminder of the concussion she suffered at the hands of another… Another servant.
Of someone like Archer.
She gasped as the throbbing intensified, her feet suddenly losing traction and forcing her to stumble in a wall, but it abated as quick as it came and she was able to blink away what black spots had appeared.
Two passerbys looked at her with concern, but neither approached and a simple smile from her had them returning to their own business.
She sighed and grit her teeth, pushing herself off the wall and back onto the sidewalk.
Silver eyes once more scanned the roads, the shops, and the streets.
Blonde hair was a common trait, and tall people weren't exactly rare, and despite her vigilance she still had yet to find her mark.
The trace of a frown tugged at the corners of her lips.
Where on Remnant had Jaune gone?
She knew he was mad; her team, his team, and the hole in the wall had made that abundantly clear.
Still, it wasn't like Jaune to get so mad. Then again, he had mindlessly charged Cinder back at Haven…
She frowned.
Maybe it was time to talk to him about… AbAbout Pyrrha .
Maybe she should've done it sooner.
'Master, I still think this is a terrible idea.'
And then there was the other half of her problems.
Archer-
'Assassin.'
She huffed, Assassin, look, I'm just trying to find my friend. I'm not going to fight anyone. So stop following me.
'Hmph. Though I'll admit without Saber you're friend likely poses no threat, I wouldn't put it past a fellow master to-'
Hes not just a fellow master! He's my friend and he wouldn't hurt me!
'Tck. You still believe that after his servant almost bisected you?'
Her frown turned into a scowl and her nails dug into her palm, only because you attacked them first.
'a pre-emptive strike.'
That wasn't needed!
A surge of annoyance struck her through their link and she blinked as her feet faltered in place.
A moment later particles of light formed before her with a muted flash of light, Arch- Assassin standing before her with a scowl of his own.
People walking by glanced at him with thinly veiled shock, much to her embarrassment, but after a quick, "semblance!" call out, they moved about their business.
"Master-"
"Shhh!" She hushed, faced red with annoyance, "you can't just appear out of nowhere like that!"
He scoffed, "as if these people opinions of me matter. We have bigger matters to discuss."
"Yeah I know!" She growled.
The man simply smirked.
She huffed, ignoring his obvious pleasure at her annoyance and embarrassment, and jabbed a finger at his chest, "okay mister, we need to set some ground rules."
The man's smirk lessened as he rolled his eye, "such as?"
"No attacking, Jaune!"
He huffed and waved his hand for her to continue.
"No killing anyone!"
His scowl deepened.
"And no more fighting people without me!"
He raised an eyebrow at her.
She huffed and stepped back, slatgening out her skirt as she continued, "we can't just go around attacking people, and even if you're all super strong, that means other servants are just as strong as you. So we need to be smarter and fight together."
The man's face morphed into something unreadable, and despite the intense ire in his eyes Ruby steeled her resolve and pressed on, "I know this war, is a fight… to the death…"
She closed her eyes and sighed.
Sabers attack had made that pretty clear. If the woman hadn't explained her confusion and Jaune use of a command seal, she would've attacked her the moment she woke up. Though she doubted she would've won, the point was she knew… personally, how powerful these people were. And how they both had been willing to kill the others Master.
Silver eyes opened to met gray, "but we are not killing anyone. I'm a huntress and we're supposed to protect people. I will not become a monster."
"Oh?" A single eyebrow rose.
She nodded and crossed her arms, "got it?"
The man didn't reply, simply staring at her with enough impassiveness that even a boulder would've been jealous.
She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, though she didn't let her eyes flicker away.
She was his master after all. She had to be confident!
"Tck. Fine, but don't cry when he inevitably betrays you."
And with that the man disappeared in a flutter of light.
She sighed and looked back around the street.
No one seemed to notice, or really care after all, and she visibly relaxed with drooped shoulders.
Her headache flared and she grit her teeth again as she stumbled forward.
Maybe it would be best to head back…
She shook her head of such thoughts. She needed to find Jaune. With this war and with Salems immortality, she needed his ideas. She couldn't do this alone.
So with renewed vigor she started forward once more, struggling down the street with half a smile as she continued on.
Jaune stared at the statue before him.
It looked so much like her.
From the armor, to the sword, to her hair. Every detail screamed of the girl who gave her life in the defense of Beacon.
At the Fall.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
A fight that had been for nothing… Because Ozpin had lied to him. To all of them.
He growled and his fist coiled.
How could he? How could he not tell Pyrrha everything before forcing her to do something she knew would change her life?
How could the man they all trusted keep such an important detail from them all?
He didn't understand it.
Oh he tried. Maybe it had been from the betrayals of Lionheart and Raven. Maybe it was because they were too young. But so many other things showed how flawed both those theories were.
He wanted to know why.
He needed to.
But if he got near Oscar… He didn't know if he could control himself.
There was so much…
Pain and heat and rage, boiling through him.
And then he found her statue, and it only grew hotter.
How could Ozpin just let her die…
Why didn't he stop Cinder?
Why didn't he help Pyrrha?
And then the flames in his soul vanished. The cold air and anger wrapped around him and his head hung low with grit teeth and closed eyes.
He fell to his knees
Why wasn't he strong enough?
He lost Pyrrha. He almost lost Weiss. Almost lost Ruby.
Who was next? Nora? Ren?
Even if what Saber said was true, even if he was apart of this war thing, how could he win?
They knew Ruby was another Master now.
He could never kill her. He would die before laying a hand on her.
So he couldn't win.
He wouldn't be able to bring back Pyrrha, or make Salem mortal.
But…
Maybe Ruby would.
His eyes opened.
Maybe Ruby would be able to win! She was strong all on her own, and if there was a way to forfeit he could-
"Jaune!"
He blinked and turned on his knee-
Thwack!
A lump of red and roses slammed into him, knocking him flat on his back as the sheer force of the tackle knocked the breath from him.
A cough escaped him as he looked down.
"Eh, Ruby?"
The Reaper in question suddenly released her hold on him, silver eyes locking onto him, "I've been looking for you for an hour!"
He blinked.
Had he really been gone that long?
With a huff and glare the girl easily climbed off him and sat crossed legged next to him.
Silver eyes narrowed.
He winced and sat up with a sigh of his own.
"What happened?"
He looked at the ground, "well Saber-"
"Not with Saber, with Oscar?" Rubys eyes bore into his and, despite the disapproval, there was a concern there that had him looking away in shame.
The rage and anger inside him simply poofed out of existence.
"I… I was mad. I know it's not Oscar's fault. I know it's not. But Ozpin just… He lied to us. And I just.. I thought of Pyrrha and I didn't… I don't know."
Horrible excuses he knew. Nothing to justify himself almost breaking Oscar's face with his fist.
He waited for the words to hit him. For Ruby once more to drive home how to be a better leader. A better huntsman.
She was good at that.
It was one of the reasons you could always count on her.
She was a light in the void and he-
A warmth engulfed his side, and a pair of arms softly coiled around him.
Red hair leaned against him and the soft words reached his ears, "I know."
His eyes grew wide.
Even he wasn't sure what he was saying.
How on earth did Ruby understand him?
"You do? " He asked, his own eyes drawn to her as the sudden warmth from her left as quickly as it came and Ruby's own eyes failed to meet his.
Instead she followed his example and stared at the ground.
Her fingers drummed nervously on her knees, and she nodded solemnly before she spoke.
"You know how we used to camp on our way to Mistral?"
He nodded.
"Well," the drumming intensified, "I saw you wake up in the middle of the night one time-"
His heart stopped. Had she… No she would've said something! There… There was… How…
"-and I followed and… I overheard your video. Or Pyrrha's video."
"Oh." He blinked.
It had been a private thing, something meant for him to drown in his sorrows, and to drive him to keep from failing.
Yet…
He didn't feel angry…
"And it's not your fault! None of it!" She exclaimed, her eyes wide and full… of something he couldn't identify.
"What do you mean?"
She sighed, "when you fought Cinder… I heard how angry you were and with the whole video thing, and then this…"
Her hands waved around them, "I know you're beating yourself up. And then with Saber attacking me, I know you're blaming yourself."
He blinked, wondering just when Ruby had become so observant.
"I… I don't know what to say." He offered with a lame smile, "you're right, but it's hard…"
He looked away, to the trees and streets behind the small park.
"I know," she scooted next to him and out of the corner of his eye, "when Blake left and Yang just… stopped, I was so scared. I didn't… I didn't know what to do."
Blue turned to her and silver met him with a warmth and kindness in them that simply kept him from speaking.
"But you pushed me towards Mistral. You helped me get back on track, you, Ren, and Nora. I didn't have a team anymore and you guys took me in."
She shuffled awkwardly.
"We all pushed each other and then we beat Cinder and now we're in a death game, and we have a better chance all together, even with Ozpin."
He flinched at the name, but the words still sunk.
It was true after all. Together they had pushed on, and survived a lot. And Ruby always had his back.
He would be a fool to not have hers. Plus, it was a boon having an immortal wizard on his side.
"You're right.." He sighed and lowered his head, "I've been kinda a bad friend. Sorry about that…"
She shook her head, "we all have our moments."
"You don't."
Her checks flushed and she looked down at the ground.
"I spied on you though and.."
He rolled his eyes with a smirk, "Rub-
"-I'm so sorry," Ruby suddenly turned to him, silver eyes looking up to him, "I should've told you and I felt so bad but I didn't know what to say, and then this whole Ozpin thing got so messed up and I heard you get mad and I came down and you were gone and I had to-"
"Ruby."
"-see if you were okay, cause I know how much she meant to you and I know Ozpin lying didn't help with anything, and I was too afraid to help before, and then this whole war thing and Saber trying to cut me in half-"
"Ruby!"
She froze mid sentence and blinked to look at him.
Jaune simply smiled, "it's fine."
"Really?" Her eyes grew wide.
He nodded.
Surprisingly it was. Maybe it was because it was Ruby. But he wasn't mad actually. He felt… relieved in a way.
"Yup," He nodded and leaned back on his hands looking to the sky, "it feels… Kinda relieving if I'm honest."
He heard her shuffle and spared a glance to see her nodding along with him as she too leaned back to stare at the stars.
"Sorry about yelling at Oscar too." He added with a somber grin.
He knew she was smiling when she replied, "it'd probably be better if you told him that, but I know."
He chuckled, "probably right. I just wish Ozpin told us sooner. I mean… we're fighting his war now and then Pyrrha…"
"Yeah," Ruby's voice was reserved and it drew his eyes as she continued, "he should've. But, I think in his own way, he was trying to protect us."
"Ruby…"
Her eyes meet his with a roll.
"Okay, Okay I know he lied, but it doesn't mean he's bad! Obviously he's been trying to keep the world safe and… well he should've told us everything from the start but now we know. So what're you gonna do about it?"
"What do you mean?"
She shrugged and gave him a soft smile, "what're you gonna do about it? Are you keep pouting or are we gonna find a way to beat Salem?"
He blinked, "Ruby, she's literally immortal. How on Remnant are we-"
"Ah ah ah!" she shook a finger at him, "I didn't ask for excuses mister! I asked what're you gonna do?"
He sighed and looked back to the stars.
Giving up was probably his best option if he was honest. He could live out a life, find a girl maybe, and maybe raise a family.
It was easy and selfish.
But he'd cheated. He cheated to get into beacon, he stayed in because of a partner that gave everything to protect him, and he had friends that cared about him and would stop at nothing to defeat Salem.
He looked back at Ruby, silver eyes gleaming as she looked back at him.
How could he even think to leave them alone?
He smirked and without warning rubbed Ruby's head, an 'eek!' slipping out as her checks flushed and he laughed.
"Well obviously I can't leave you guys alone. I mean Oscar might be happy if I left," he winced, "but who else is gonna get you guys free rooms with his army of sisters?"
The girl pulled away, flushed but smiling as she replied, "now that's the Arc I know!"
He laughed again.
He could always count on Ruby.
Ruby hummed happily as Jaune trailed next to her, bags of food in his arms as their boots shuffled along the stone paved road.
Her headache was still around, but it was far lessened and though her talk with Jaune had been… strange, it was relieving and nice.
She had been worried for so long and then his outburst…
She shook her head.
He had her back. All their backs, and that's what mattered.
She smiled as his words came into focus, "-and I bet my sister was sort of confused with everything. Honestly, she's probably gonna lay into me when we get back."
He shifted the bags in his arms, "hopefully this helps. Otherwise she's gonna tear me a new one. Joy. Just like back home."
There was a grin on his lips as they continued down the large sidewalk, the street empty and only a handful of people mingling about as they walked towards his sisters home.
Ruby caught his grin,"how much trouble did you get in back home?"
"None I swear!"
She chuckled as he groaned.
"Okay not that much I promise! Living with seven sisters do you know how much they could blame on me and get away with? Especially with those puppy dog eyes! So unfair!"
She turned to him, eyes wide and shining.
"See! Exactly my point!"
She cackled at his next groan.
"Please don't tell Nora…"
She shook her head, "only if you buy me a dozen cookies! With ice cream!" she pointed at him for dramatic effect.
He rolled his eyes, "fine your highness, but no telling! Especially not, Yang!"
"Oh come on she won-"
"Ruby!"
Jaune slammed into her side, his weight and speed pulling her off her feet and into the ground, as something sailed over them and exploded!
She gasped as stone chunks from the street rained down on them, Jaune pulling her to her feet.
"Stay behind me." he demanded, his shield and sword both out as she stepped back and in one motion reached for-
Her eyes went wide.
Crescent Rose. It was broken…
From Saber.
She grit her teeth and looked forward and last Jaune.
And her heart froze.
At the end of the street, stood Cinder, black swords in her hands.
She was alive…
"How…" Ruby hissed, and Jaune tensed before her.
A whistle sung through the air and on instinct, Ruby burst into petals, dashing backwards as a golden sword slammed into the spot she had just been.
Jaune flew forward as she reformed, his guard and stance broken from the sheer force of the blast behind him, and her eyes went wide as Cinder dashed forward.
"Jaune!"
Cling!
Cinder had barely moved forward and yet, before her stood the blond woman in shining armor.
Saber.
And her sword had shattered both of Cinders, blade pointed towards the woman as she glanced back towards herself and Jaune.
"Master, are you all right?"
Ruby shot forward in petals as Jaune got to his feet, her arms forming around him as she helped him the last of the way up.
"Fine," he growled.
She frowned as she followed his eyes and-
"Amusing!"
A voice, powerful and brilliant called out from the night.
Ruby found her eyes drawn up, to a man floating above Cinder, arms crossed with twelve golden portals floating around him.
The light was heavenly, but for some reason, her instincts were screaming at her to run.
The man gave a predatory smile as he spoke, "to see one of my treasures defending such a weakling is truly a testament to the Kings power."
"I am not your treasure, Archer."
Her eyes grew wide as she looked at Saber.
Did she know this man?
The man laughed at that, a hearty but cold laugh, "haha! The fire still burns! I am relieved that these commoners haven't stolen that from you."
His eyes flicked onto Ruby, "though this one has greatly offended my master."
The portals doubled in size and number.
She knew somehow it was meant for her.
"And it is a Kings duty too-"
Boom!
Cobblestone shattered and she flinched as dust swallowed Cinder, only for several more arcs of red lights to slam into where Cinder had stood, each one exploding with double the force of any grenade she'd seen.
Light flashed next to her, and she spun to she Assassin next to her, his eyes narrowed and a truly despot frown on his face.
"A sneak attack from a faker." The floating man spat, and then the portals fired.
Swords, halberds, axes, and warhammers all flew at her and she once more reformed into roses as Saber grabbed Jaune and dashed away.
She landed in a heap further down the street as Saber dumped Jaune next to her, Assassin once more reappearing.
She pushed herself to her feet, "Who the heck is this guy!"
"The woman's servant." Saber answered.
"Yes," Assassin nodded as dual swords suddenly appeared in his hands, "though it looks like she has more than one."
"What do you…" the words died on Ruby lips as she looked back to Cinder, where the dust had cleared and revealed another woman next to Cinder.
She had pale skin and was covered in purple robes.
Purple glyphs surrounded the duo, the damage from the earlier red projectiles completely negated.
" Assassin-"
"Master," he glanced back to her, "We will need you to step back."
"Okay, um why?"
"This is no ordinary servant." Saber hissed and Ruby couldn't help but exchange a nervous glance with Jaune.
Then a booming laugh, cold and filled with malice, crossed the street to them.
The floating man had his hands raised, a snarl on his face as he spoke.
"Rejoice mongrels! For the King has decided to grant you the highest of honors, and execute you himself."
And then the sky filled with golden light.
A/N
Right to the action.
Considering where the servants came into play with the RWBY verse, the groups are abnormally close to one another, so with Gil and Caster as her Servants, it only makes sense that Cinder has a super sped up in her Journey and is able to catch up to Ruby and team. Especially after Ruby was knocked out for most of the day, thereby delaying Volume 6s natural progression. Though thanks to the servants we know V6 is going to diverge from Canon. Just look at Jaunes scene here. It's not Ren and Nora that find him, it's Ruby.
Sun and team CVYF are still out of the game right now since they're far away but they'll have plenty of page time later no worries there.
Now we get a battle, and I'll tell you this should be about 3 chapters of fighting.
This is the first official battle of the war after all.
Ruby is also out of Crescent Rose right now since it was snapped in two by Saber. That's gonna be fun for her.
Two on two battle yay.
Also don't worry, this story still has a ways to go, and remember, Angra Mainyu is still out there. We haven't even seen what it's up too.
Plus we're still missing one servant.
Just be aware.
Plenty of foreshadowing this chapter.
Chapters short I know, but it was the natural pacing for it, and next chapter should be significantly longer with this battle. Hopefully I wrote Gil well.
We'll also get more POV from EMIYA and Arturia next chapters. We couldn't here because it was a heavy Ruby and Jaune focus.
Speaking of that, this is a talk I felt should've happened between the two in any of the last three volumes. Ruby has always been the North Star to Jaunes failings, and they've always helped each other. It also felt dumb that Ruby seeing Jaune cry over Pyrrha was never addressed, especially considering his two outbursts during V5 and V6. So hopefully I did it justice.
Anyway thanks for reading.
God bless and review.
-Metal4k