Warning to those reading this chapter: There are scenes depicting abuse and graphic violence. If you are sensitive to these types of scenes then after you see the bold (WARNING) sign please skip to the (SAFE) sign. Thank you for taking the time to read this warning, and this fic will probably be moving to M due to this chapter alone.
It was morning and a blond woke up with a stretch. They didn't have the best of nights but it was enjoyable in on itself. The blond fell into a depressive sigh as he recalled the events of the last night. His date had abandoned him, even going so far as to not show up yet he met a lovely girl who agreed to dance with him.
This boy was Jaune and he now had a smile on his face as he recalled the time he had spent with Penny and how... likable she was. His thoughts roamed to Ruby who shared the same interest in Xray and Vav as well as other superhero comics. How they both had a hard time in talking to others. How they had older sisters (For Ruby Yang was like an older sister) and how the sisters went out of their way to embarrass them. How they wanted to help others in need, to be a hero.
They had so much in common yet with the events of last night he wasn't sure if he was willing to go beyond being friends. On the other hand he thought about Penny and how committed she was in making sure he felt better in his time of need instead of going to have fun herself.
Jaune thought about what he knew about Penny, which amounted to more that she was naive but willing to learn about things, such as Xray and Vav. She was very literal and had a habit of calling people Friends. She was best friends with Ruby which was fine by him... maybe it bothered him a little.
Jaune shook his head before getting out of bed to go down to breakfast. Penny wouldn't abandon him right. She seemed so... nice.
"Morning bro" a blond-haired girl called out from the stove.
"Morning Saff." Jaune yawned as he made his way to the kitchen table, already a mountain of dishes sat stacked as the leftovers from the breakfast rush. "Don't you have work soon?" Jaune asked and Saffron shook her head.
"Not today. Terra is going to work soon so I have to finish up and pick up Adrien. I promised Mom that I would help out today since she had to leave early." Saffron replied and Jaune looked at the food she was cooking.
"So where did everyone else go? I did think that the house was a bit to quiet." Jaune ask and Saffron laughed.
"Our dear little sister Sol convinced everyone that they needed to go to the arcade. "
"That's Sol for us." Jaune chuckled and he took a cup of coffee and watched the television. Normally it would be spouting some cartoon that one of his sisters would be watching but Saffron always preferred the news.
"Breaking News here on Vale News. This is Lisa Lavender bringing you your morning report." A lavender-haired figure spoke from the TV.
"We have a missing person case here in Vale. Last night Ruby Rose was dropped off at Beacon High for the annual Fall Dance hosted by the school and she hadn't come home. Her parents Summer Rose and Qrow Branwen called her friends and they both failed to report the whereabouts of their daughter. If you have any information on the whereabouts of Ruby Rose please call the number ###-###-####" Lisa Lavender announced "A police investigation will commence and they will be stopping by Beacon High to question those who were at the dance for the last seen whereabouts of Ruby Rose. This is Lisa Lavender signing out."
"Jaune you want your eggs scrambled or sunny?" Saffron called from the kitchen. When no response came she turned around to see Jaune frozen at the table.
"Jaune... what's wrong."
"Thats... that was my date... she didn't show up so I thought..." Jaune struggled to say and Saffron walked over and dragged him into a hug.
They stayed together, hugging for comfort until the smell of smoke alerted them of their burning breakfast.
(WARNING) (Warning) (Warning) (Warning)
In a dark room with a single bulb, a figure was sitting tied to a chair as she grumbled to herself. Her head was spinning. She tried to gather her breath as she tried to still her vision. Where was she? What was she doing in this room? What happened to her?
The figure looked around as she recalled the events that happened.
She was at the Fall Dance. She was going to find Jaune... She was going to dance with him... She was called to talk... and she was... kidnapped?
Ruby looked around the room to see a set of stairs that led upward. The room was bare with the exception of a table in the corner of the room, obscured in shadows.
"Ruby" A singsong voice called from behind her. Male, masculine, familiar." Ruby shivered at the sound of the voice but she grew hopeful.
He was here to save her. He was going to get her out of this mess.
"Ruby!" the voice called and she responded in turn. "Jaune!" She cried out as a force propelled her forward.
Her face slammed into the ground her knees smashed into the floor and pain coursed through her body. Her fingers swelling as the force, planted itself on her fingers.
"Ruby!" The singsong voice called again. "I've been interested in you for a while, when you said you wanted to be my date I was ecstatic. I was filled with joy when our feelings were the same. I excitedly prepare all of this so that we can enjoy ourselves... together!" Jaune spoke.
"Jaune!" Ruby exclaimed. "I don't want this... I wanted to go on dates, to read comics together, to enjoy ourselves and take our time... not like this! Never like this!" Ruby cried out.
"Well we're together now, we can enjoy ourselves just like this. As the dominant one in this relationship what you want doesn't matter now does it." Jaune chuckled and he kicked the chair so that she was now facing the side.
"If you're a good girl then maybe I'll let you roam the house. Better yet, something to eat." Jaune kicked her in the stomach and she cried out in pain. Ruby gasped for breath and another foot came and kicked her in the chin.
Ruby's teeth slammed together and she whimpered.
"We'll be together for a while sweetie. Our love will be eternal." Jaune smirked, his face close to his. Ruby spat in his face.
Jaune wiped the spittle off and he punched Ruby across the face, picked up her chair and slammed a foot into her shin.
Ruby's cries filled the room as she took more and more abuse.
"Behave, we can love together... just behave my dear." Jaune sneered at the sniveling girl before him before he walked up the stairs. The sound of the door closing signaled the end of the abuse today. "Yang... Penny... Nebula"
Pyrrha was smiling to herself. Her cries, her pain, her whimpers. The sound felt so nice to her ears. How dare the tramp touch her Jaune. Pyrrha stretched, a cool down from her morning workout of beating up a poor defenseless girl who foolishly got in her way. "Thank you Emerald. I needed that." Pyrrha smiled at the Emerald-haired girl beside her who looked a little out of it. "Remember what you promised to do. We helped you because you can help us."
"Of course. I will never break my promise to you guys as long as I can get Jaune to myself... speaking of, a new girl seemed to take Ruby's place and she is not me. Can you help me find out more about her.
"That means more favors you know. Boss will be pleased about this but just keep up your end of the bargain."
"No need to say it so many times. " Pyrrha chuckled.
"Jaune will be mine."
(Safe) (SAFE) (SAFE) (SAFE) (SAFE)
"Pyrrha Nikos" A voice called and Pyrrha entered the room to two uniformed officers.
"Can you please tell us what you were doing the night of the Fall Dance?" The seated officer asked.
"Of course sir. I arrived at the dance at 5:46, I kept track of the time since I was expected to give the opening speech. After the speech we opened the dance and I had to talk to a few people. I did make an appointment with Ruby Rose to talk to her outside but alas she never met me outside. I waited for a few minutes before going to look for her. Upon not seeing her at the dance I assumed she had gone home and went about my other appointments talking about agreements and deals for recommendations and future plans." Pyrrha flawless spoke.
The second officer finished writing down the words and paused the recording and they both nodded.
"Thanks for your time Ms. Nikos."
"Anytime officer." Pyrrha smiled and she walked out of the room.
Various others were called throughout the day. Most hadn't even known who Ruby Rose was, a select few had seen her during the opening of the dance but not many recalled her being around after that.
Jaune Arc was called to recall his story.
"I arrived after my sister Saffron dropped me off. I was excited you know, my first dance with a date. We agreed to meet there but after looking for the whole dance I couldn't find her. I sat down and her friend comforted me. I was looking forward to the dance and she never showed up... at the time I was angry at her for standing me up but now that I know she was missing I feel awful. Is there anything I can do to help?"
Penny Polendina recalls her story.
"Friend Ruby and I are close friends. We arrived and I saw her. I ran over to hang out but she promised to talk to someone outside so she promised me a dance. We walked together. I continued to walk until I ran into Nebula, Who was copulating with Friend Mercury."
Penny took a breath
"After some time I went to go look for her and when I couldn't find her I went to go to the garden and met Friend Jaune. We talked and I comforted him... we danced to help him feel better."
Weiss Schnee gave her story.
"I arrived in a limousine my father paid for. I waltzed in with my date and we were going to dance after the ceremony that my friend Pyrrha gracefully did to open the dance. The brat collided into me and nearly ruined my dress. I chewed her out for her misbehavior and she said she was leaving. Where she was going I do not know but I could care less about her. She nearly ruined my night so I guess this is just karma for her."
The two officers combed through the confessions and accounts. "Most of them claim to have seen her but do not know where she went." One officer replied
"Her date seemed innocent enough, ah young love, if I was stood up at that age I would also have been mad."
"You think he was the one who kidnapped her?"
"Can't, her friend confirmed that they stayed in the hall and talked. Their accounts match up. Ms. Xiao-Long can also confirm that Mr. Arc was at the dance. Ms. Violette can also attest for Ms. Polendina prior to that.
"Anyone whose accounts are different that the others?"
"Ms. Schnee said that the girl was leaving. No one else said something about that."
"We can ask the new batch of people if they've seen Ms. Rose, alongside the whereabouts of Ms. Schnee that night."
Mercury Black's Confession.
"I hung out with my date Nebula Violette. We had some time to ourselves, I went to go get some punch and I saw Ms. Schnee walking out of the dance. Curious I followed her to find she left the building and I saw a van speeding away. I just assumed that Weiss Schnee was leaving the dance so I went back inside and gave my drinks to Nebula."
Emerald Sustrai's Eyewitness report:
"I arrived at the dance near the garden when I saw a girl stepping into a van, I saw a tall guy with side-swept hair also going into the van, they were carrying someone. I walked into the dance and I found out someone was spiking the punch bowl so I believed that the two were just carrying their intoxicated friend home. The van was a Mercedes Benz Metris if that helps.
Cinder Fall's report:
"That night I was tasked with wandering the halls so that students would not be doing illegal or explicit activities in our halls. I broke up many gatherings as well as confiscated a variety of illegal drugs and beverages. On one of my patrols I witnessed Weiss Schnee coming back into the dance hall a large smile on her face. I tried to recall my memory and I took note that I have not seen her for most of the dance, only during the opening ceremony did I witness her.
Jaune Arc woke up in his bed. The week of police questioning had driven away most of his drive to go to school. It was just a constant reminder that the girl that he almost hooked up with was missing. Her well-being plagued his mind as the amount of days that Ruby was missing weighed on him.
"Jaune!" a voice called from downstairs and Jaune wandered down to find the family gathered around the TV as the tunes of breaking news appeared.
"This is Lisa Lavender reporting that a suspect is in custody. Last Friday, Ruby Rose notoriously went missing after she was dropped off at Beacon High's Fall Dance. Eyewitnesses have reported seeing the girl attending the opening ceremony but had mysteriously disappeared afterwards. After questioning, the Police had arrested Weiss Schnee of the Schnee Dust Company on accounts of Kidnapping and Abduction. The Company already is dealing with many allegations of their mistreatment of their workers in several of their mining projects as well as several instances of faulty equipment that has endangered many. "
Jaune dropped his jaws at what he was witnessing.
"Weiss Schnee? Go figures that company has a notorious history for being a black company for years." one of his sisters growled.
"Its a wonder they haven't shut down." One of his other sisters spat
"They are our biggest export of manual labor, if they shut down thousands of people will lose their job, maybe hundreds of thousands." Their father spoke.
"A necessary evil then" their mother shrugged.
"This might be the tipping point though, I know that Jacques Schnee took some charity work to be a teacher at Beacon High, so his daughter doing this loses all credibility." Another person argued.
"You think that was what they wanted from the start? To make it easier for them to infiltrate the school and coerce them to make their kid shine more?"
"Something must have went wrong then." Their mother sighed.
Jaune stood stock still. Weiss? Why would Weiss do such a thing. She was cold, harsh and arrogant yes. But she wouldn't ever do something like this...
The doorbell rang and the group looked toward the door.
"You think that is Terracotta and Saffron asking us to look after Adrien today?"
"I'll get it" Jaune spoke.
Jaune walked over to the door and opened it only to be tackled by a girl. Orange hair, pink bow and a grey and green dress.
"Friend Jaune." The girl hugged him tightly and Jaune stood stock still as he felt the gazes of his family bore into his back.
"Penny?" Jaune exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"I am lonely... I am upset. I have no one to talk to. Father doesn't know how to talk to me. Nebula runs to be comforted by Mercury. Ruby is missing... You were the only one I could think of that I can talk to..." Penny squeezed tighter "I do not know what is happening. I feel sad. What is it like to be sad? Ruby normally makes me feel confident and happy and now..." Penny stood still.
Jaune wrapped his arms around her hugged her tightly.
"Its okay Penny. I can be here for you. We can talk if you need me. We can hang out. We can be best friends until Ruby comes back okay... They caught the perpetrator this morning so it won't be long before she is back with us right?" Jaune attempted to reassure her.
"I'd like that Friend Jaune." Penny sniveled and she released her hug and took a step back... "Ah... now that I am here want to walk together"
"How did you even get here anyway... how did you find out where I live?"
"My father works in the government. He has detailed accounts of everyone's address... but this is a bit far from my bus stop..." Penny hiccuped.
"Sure Penny, We can walk together." Jaune said "Let me get dressed first, you can wait outside."
"She can wait in here, to leave a girl hanging outside in the cold instead of the warmth of this house, this is why you don't have a girlfriend yet." One of his sisters teased.
Jaune didn't argue and he headed upstairs. He knew leaving Penny would be a bad idea but it was eight against one, he had no chance to refuse.
Long chapters are long, but what can I say. I am passionate of this project... or well this instance of it. Next we get to see some more Ruby. Some more Weiss... probably. and is this a new Penny x Jaune romance? I hope not as this is suppose to be a Ruby x Jaune romance. though what can I say... Jaune x Penny is super cute.
Until next time I can write. Heres to Shuffled Remnant and Fell Knight updates.