Chapter 38

We're finally making it into volume 4 territory. I don't believe it.

I'm really happy we made it this far. I hope I can keep this one going until the end, so I look forward to everyone's continued support peace guys!

But on another note, I may not even write anything related to volume 4. My timeline will probably be what Jaye does during volume four, before they all meet back up in volume 5. Otherwise it would break the whole point of the divide formed at Beacon.

The wooden door to the house clicked softly as it shut, and Ruby let her hand fall from the handle quietly. She turned around as the crunch of a foot sounded in the snow behind her. Blanketed in white, the ground was covered in the white powder, with three figures framed in the color. Jaune smiled at the girl.

'Hey.' He said, lifelessly. Ruby's heart panged at the sight of the forlorn boy. His eyes were shadowed ever so slightly, and she glanced across the three members of the former team JNPR, the fourth spot glaringly painful to see.

'Hey Jaune.' Ruby said, smiling weakly. Jaune made a weak gesture with his hands, resting his palm on the hilt of his sword. She walked up to the boy. 'Haven's a long way to go.'

'I know.' He said, nodding. 'But it's the only lead we have.'

'And you're sure you wanna come along?' She asked, and Ren stepped forward.

'The journey will be perilous, and whether we'll find answers at the end is entirely uncertain.' He said, placing a hand over his heart. Nora slung her hammer over her shoulder.

'But we wouldn't be here if we weren't up for it.' She said, and Ruby smiled a little wider.

'Then let's get started.' She said resolutely, and the four started down the freshly shoveled path together. Ruby glanced back momentarily, at her childhood home. She watched the window where her sister sat, hidden behind the curtain, and turned back to the road. She marched on, unwavering, and they disappeared into the tree line.

One week later.

'You sure you wanna do this? Kamina asked, grasping the boy by the shoulder. Jaye heaved a sigh, scratching his neck awkwardly.

'I suppose in a sense I'm meeting my girlfriend's parents for the first time.' He said, crossing his arms. 'Indigo doesn't count, she doesn't have parents.'

'Ugh just get this over with.' Indigo rolled her eyes. 'The sooner I know whether my replacement is coming with us or not, the sooner I can decide my mood for the rest of this journey.' She slapped the boy on the back. 'Hurry up and get moving. It's already dark out.'

'Hey, maybe she's asleep already.' Kamina jested. 'Then we can just go back to the motel.'

Jaye swore at him briefly, raising a hand to the doorbell. He pushed it hesitantly, pausing as the "ding dong" went through the house. He heard a voice from inside, and jumped as the door burst open, and a blond man stuck his head out.

'Ruby!' He panted, before making a face of disappointment at the three standing there. 'Sorry about that. I thought it was my daughter.' He scratched his head sheepishly. 'How can I help you?'

'Oh um.' Jaye shifted awkwardly on the spot. 'Hi, my name's Jaye. I'm a…friend of Ruby and Yang.' He gestured behind him. 'These are my companions; Indigo and Kamina. Your daughters know us. Are they around?'

'Oh.' The man's face fell further. 'You don't know where Ruby is?'

'No?' Jaye said, confused. 'We just arrived in Patch yesterday.'

'Oh, I see.' The man said. 'My name's Taiyang. Taiyang Xiao Long. I'm the father of these two girls.' He stepped aside to let them in. 'I'm afraid you've just missed Ruby. She left for Haven a week ago. Haven't heard from her since.'

'I'm sorry, I had no idea.' Jaye said, wiping off his shoes before stepping in. Taiyang shook his head.

'No, communications' down around the globe anyway. They barely got the lines open within the kingdom two weeks back, but without the CCT there's hardly a point.' He paused by the stairs. 'Yang is in the first room on the right.' He glanced at the boy. 'Do you…know what happened to her?'

'I was there.' Jaye nodded grimly, setting his weapons down by the sofa. Taiyang nodded listlessly, resting a hand on the banister. Kamina and Indigo sat down on the couch, watching the two men quietly. Jaye took a breath, starting up the stairs, and Taiyang cleared his throat loudly.

'I've…heard your name before.' He said, and Jaye paused on the step. Tai glanced at him, crossing his arms. 'From Yang, I mean. She likes you a lot; she holds you in very high regard. I'd never seen her happier to have you on her team.' He kicked restlessly at a fold on the carpet. 'I just have to ask; what were you to my daughters?'

Kamina sat up straight on the couch, and Indigo touched a finger to her chin. Jaye stiffened slightly, turning back to the father. Tai was watching him, expectant, and Jaye cleared his throat nervously.

'Ruby was my leader. We were friends.' He said, touching his hand to his neck. 'Yang and I were…ARE…together.' He scratched his neck sheepishly. 'She's important to me.'

Tai watched him, unflinchingly, and Jaye swallowed nervously. Kamina and Indigo glanced across each other, watching the two with bated breath. Tai breathed out slowly.

'I know who you are, by the way. Niefelheim.' He scratched his blond head. 'You're not exactly the kind of person I want in my household.'

'I'm surprised you know that name.' Jaye raised an eyebrow. 'Did Qrow tell you?'

'Yeah, he did.' Tai leaned against the banister. 'He was sent by Ozpin to look into you the moment you arrived in Vale. It was buried pretty deep, but eventually we unearthed everything.' He pulled out a scroll. 'One hundred and sixty-four charges of murder, premeditated. Two hundred and seven counts of manslaughter. Five charges of arson. No reports for one year and eleven months, except for one arrest in December last year because someone thought you were shoplifting.' He narrowed his eyes. 'From the moment you left the Faction till now, your hands have been clean.'

'Technically none of it was manslaughter.' Jaye said. 'I planned and fully intended to kill every last one of them. I don't really know why they consider it manslaughter.' He shrugged. 'Maybe it just looks cooler than three hundred and seventy-one counts of murder on paper.'

Taiyang raised an eyebrow, and Jaye raised his hands apologetically.

'Sorry, I tend to resort to morbid nonchalance when people put me on the spot.' He said, letting his hands fall to the banister. 'I'm a little more used to killing strangers than talking to them.'

'Look, the point is, you're a bad person.' Tai pushed himself off the rail. 'Now no one's really a saint, but you and I both know you're way worse than the average man.' He squared up to the boy. 'Now what I want to know is why. Why would someone like you suddenly be here, living a seemingly honest life? Why would you be coming to see my daughters, when you could easily vanish in this confusion?' He crossed his arms. 'Why, now that Ozpin is gone and can no longer keep you in check, are you still playing the good guy?'

Jaye paused for a moment, watching the father quietly. For the first time, he felt no maliciousness behind any of those words; no judgement or accusations. He realized, Taiyang wasn't an investigator, or a man seeking revenge or righteousness. He was just a man, trying to be a father to two broken girls, trying to keep any source of harm away from all that he had left. He took a deep breath, setting his jaw in a line.

'I got out of the Faction at the start for a personal reason. I never actually enjoyed killing people; I was just very good at it.' He shoved his hands into his pockets. 'But the Faction isn't a place that you can simply walk out of. No matter how much I would have liked to leave, there was no way to do so. And there were too many people to leave behind.' He glanced over Tai's shoulder at his two teammates, standing by the sofa. 'Someone gave me the push I needed to get going. And after I met your girls, well, everything changed.' He scratched his head awkwardly. 'Yang was always someone to shine brightly, no matter where she is. To me, someone who's shrouded in darkness, she was like a blinding light that got in my eyes and annoyed me. She was someone who had lived a life I had never lived, and experienced love like I never have.

'But she wasn't perfect. I saw her when she got angry, and sad, and when she got jealous and acted tough.' Jaye chuckled gently to himself. 'In the end, I realized she was just a girl. That blinding light I thought she was, became a little more human to me.' He looked Tai in the eye. 'Ruby was a bundle of joy, but behind that joy was a lot of sadness she kept bottled up. Yang had it too, and I felt a little, sort of camaraderie with them. Like they could understand the pain I felt. And they did.' Jaye sat down heavily on the steps, placing his forearms on his knees.

'I don't think I'd ever really known what it was like to live until I met them.' He twiddled his thumbs quietly. 'It was a blessing to live with them, even for less than a year.' He locked eyes with Tai. 'And you're wrong about Ozpin by the way. He was never there to keep me in check. He was there to protect me.'

Jaye clenched his fists, then let them drop like their strings had been cut.

'Like I said; the Faction isn't a place you can just walk out of. But, they wouldn't attack Beacon just for me. They couldn't risk conflict with the Huntsmen.' Jaye said. 'He was the only thing standing between me and my death at the hands of the Faction. Of course, I couldn't possibly just walk into Beacon. With my usual means of securing an identity cut off, there was no way for me to apply into Beacon. I think Ozpin knew that.'

'What are you saying?' Tai asked, crossing his arms, and Jaye shrugged.

'I can't really be sure, but I think Ozpin was trying to protect me. He gave me an out, a way to stay safe and untouchable until I could settle things for good with the Faction.' He adjusted his gloves awkwardly. 'I could just be overthinking things, but either way, what he did saved me. And I'm grateful for it, despite the quirks that came with the situation.'

Jaye pushed himself to his feet, walking slowly down the steps to the father. Tai raised an eyebrow at him, keeping his arms crossed.

'I know I might be asking a bit much. I know you want to keep your daughter safe. But I'm going to Haven; I need to find answers. I'm sure that's what Ruby's trying to find too.' Tai clenched his fists, and Jaye held up a hand. 'I know you probably want to keep her here, to keep her out of harm's way. But the Yang I know wouldn't sit here and wait when her sister is out there. She sure as hell wouldn't sit around doing nothing, and wait for the world to end. Cinder and the others that attacked Beacon could be at Haven. It's the best place to start.' Jaye held out a hand.

'Can I have your permission, to take Yang with me?' He asked, and Tai glanced at his outstretched hand with disdain. Jaye kept it raised, unflinching, and Tai made a sound of annoyance.

'Jaye, I am a father. I can't knowingly put my daughter into the hands of someone like yourself. You've been stained by far too much blood.' He said, and Jaye let his hand fall to his side. Tai's expression softened, his face going passive. 'But you're not the first person I've met who's like that.'

Tai walked slowly to the couch, sitting down gently on its surface. He watched the boy sullenly, tapping his fingers on the armrest. Jaye shifted awkwardly on the spot, shoving his hands into his pockets.

'I think I know why Yang seems to like you so much. I don't know if it's true, since she's never met her, but you're a bit like her mother.' Tai said, and Jaye glanced up in surprise. 'You two are the same. A little hot-headed, more than a little ruthless. No one can chain you down.' He drummed his fingers on the armrest. 'You're both natural leaders, regardless of charisma or eloquence, and you both hold strength in high regard. And you're both bathed in blood.

'But you're not the same as her.' Tai said, giving the boy a small smile. 'You care about your own, not as a leader, but as family. I think that's what Raven lacks. You care about Yang, I can see that. But as her father, I can't give you my blessing to take her into danger.' He stood up from the couch. 'And in the end, what Yang wants to do is up to her. Not me.'

Jaye nodded, and Tai chuckled a little. He watched the boy quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

'I'm glad you're the person I thought you'd be.' He said, turning the boy to the stairs. 'Now go see her.'

'Thank you.' Jaye said, scaling the steps silently. He paused at the top. 'I really mean that.'

'I know.' Tai smiled, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath, hearing the knock on the door upstairs, and chuckled as he heard Yang's voice of surprise.

Here we go. Cheers.