Chapter 6: Days of Future Past

"Hey Oz… you think we should've pushed a bit harder to make her stay?" Qrow asked.

The two were sitting in the living room, tense. The remains of team JNPR, had already gone to bed, so Qrow and Ozpin only left a single light on. Casting shadows of the two and some furniture on the walls.

"In short, yes. We hardly know of 'Death'. From what I could tell, he may be who he says. But he could just as easily be a corpse of a man with a quick mind and sharp tongue." He replied, still not having relaxed in the slightest since he let the young rose out of his sight.

"Shit… I hope the kid is alright…"

Death was completely covered in the purple fog when he leapt forwards towards the beringel. It brought its hands back up over its head, not relenting on the huntress.

Before it could bring them down, its arms were dismembered at the elbows. It yelled in pain as its pair of stump arms began gushing blood. It caught a glimpse of a large purple hooded figure holding a hooked scythe. It slashed at the gorilla's mouth, leaving a large gash in its lower jaw. It stuppered back, but it the hooded figure brought its scythe down and through the Grimm, followed by a horizontal slash to its stomach. Gallons of blood spewed from the disemboweled innards, staining the now fresh corpse and the ground it stood on.

Ruby only managed to look up to witness the last attack and the gore as a result of it. She saw the hooded figure turn around to face her. The only name that could possibly be put to the thing she was staring at now was the Grim Reaper. And with it a gargantuan scythe, hooked on the end. The edges looked worn, but far from fragile. The beringel was proof it wasn't dull. Dozens of wailing skulls trapped in the blade, seeking freedom from their blood soaked prison.

The Reaper began to emeninate a purple smoke before it vanished, and in its place was the pale rider. Any sense of fear that may have been in the little rose was replaced with a sense of awe. Death approached her as the beringel's corpse and blood began to evaporate into a cloud of ash behind him.

"Are you alri-"

"Ohmygoshthatwasawesome! You just sliced off that thing's arms and spilled its guts like it was nothing! Howdidyoudothat? Wasthatyoursemblance? Ithoughtyouwcouldonlysummon, you didn't tell me you can transform!" Her mouth spat words like bullets.

"That's not important right now. Are you hurt?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Yeah I'm fine, it hurt but my aura protected me." She said a little too nonchalantly.

The two looked around to see the place half in ruins. It wasn't a pretty sight, but it could've been a whole lot worse had they not been there. A huntsman was banging on the doors of the pub.

"Hey! They're gone. It's safe to come out now." He said through the doors.

The doors opened hesitantly, but once some people saw that it was safe and with no grim in sight, most of the people practically rushed out. Others seemed to take their time.

A group of people in yellow uniforms rushed out with hoses and began putting out the fires asap. They seemed to be in a hurry to do their job, but their expressions fell closer to relief than anything else.

An older figure walked out of the building with a long brown trench coat with a badge on it and examined the surroundings. He saw that most of the huntsmen who took the offensive were in bad shape but two figures seemed to have faired better than the rest. A young woman in a red cloak and a tall man with long greasy hair. He had been around long enough to tell these two did most of the heavy lifting.

He approached the two of them, gaining their attention. Though the man turned away from him, subtly trying to distance himself.

"You two. You did this didn't you?" He asked Ruby.

"H-huh?" Did he think they let the Grimm in?

"Cleared out the Grimm, that was you two wasn't it?"

"O-oh, right. Yeah we helped. But we were just doing what we should've, you guys were the real heroes here." She said, bashful of the praise.

"Nonsense! I didn't have to see what happened to know you two were this town's saving grace. Who are you two if you don't mind me asking? I'm Noah, commissioner of the police department." He said, extending his hand.

"I'm Ruby. I'm something of a huntress." She said trying to be humble.

"You look a little young for a huntress. Where'd you graduate from?"

"Well I haven't exactly graduated yet. I'm from Beacon…" her voice seemed to droop a bit with those last words.

"Oh. I'm sorry for what happened to you guys last year. But if it's any consolation, you can basically keep up with the pros if this is anything to show for." He said as he gestured to the small town.

"Who's your friend?" Noah asked looking at Death.

"Oh, he's my…" Ruby's wits began to fail her.

"I'm her father." The pale man said his head slightly angling over his shoulder so he could see Noah.

"Well, you two seem to make quite the team. My son Shem is a huntsman but we aren't exactly a 'dynamic duo' the same you you two look to be."

"Thanks. We were just passing through and just so happened to be in the right place at the right time." She looked up to see the sky gradually getting lighter as the sun began to rise.

"Well I should grab my stuff and we'll be getting on our way." She said as she turned around and went to get her backpack she dropped off.

"Now, I can already tell you've seen more than your daughter has in terms of what this job has to offer." Noah said as he walked up to Death's side.

"But I think she's going to do great things in this world."

"You don't have to tell me." The pale man replied, trying his best to sound natural.

"I didn't catch your name."

"Robin."

"Well Robin, I wish you and your kid the best of luck." Ruby jogged back up to her father so they could get back on the road.

"Tread carefully, if you're not mindful out there, you're gonna find something you wish you hadn't. It's real easy for a person to not think with their heads when you're on these roads for a while. But something tells me you two will be just fine." Noah said as the duo began making their way to the south entrance.

Once they left Galath behind them, the two continued down the path for roughly two minutes before Despair rose from the earth. A phantom horse would be pretty hard to explain. The two got back on and continued due south.

"So are you gonna tell me what that was back there?" Ruby asked the rider.

"What was what?"

"That giant reaper looking thing! That was awesome!" The rose exclaimed.

"It was a power I was granted when my siblings and I first became the four. Don't expect to see it often. I can only hold it for so long before I need to change back."

"Aww… that's lame."

"I could use it permanently little one, but that would mean your world would soon meet its end." Death 'reassured'.

"I don't follow."

"It means the true apocalypse is upon us."

"Uh, you know, I think I like this you more on second thought." She gave a nervous chuckle.

Death smirked underneath his mask. Giving the young woman a scare seemed somehow entertaining in a sense.

Jaune stared up at the ceiling in the of his room lost in thought. A lot had been on his mind these past couple of days, and last night only added to this. 'Is Ruby alright?' He thought to himself.

He turned in his bed and checked his charging scroll. No new messages. He had hoped that she'd have checked in by now but she apparently had different plans. 'That or she's dead'.

'What was I thinking! I just let her walk out with some thing, and for all I know she could be dead. What do we even know about Death. He could just as easily be a spy for Salem as a horseman of the apocalypse. What am I thinking! He probably is a spy for her. She doesn't stand a chance against him! I need to go after her.'

His thoughts were interrupted when he looked at his window. Soft hues of blue were showing through the curtains. Walking up to them and moving the curtains aside he could see the sky gradually illuminate as the sun was approaching daybreak. He had stayed up all night.

In Jaune's mind it only felt like two hours at most. He hardly even felt tired but his eyes almost felt as if they wanted sleep, even if he didn't. He shook his head and walked to his dresser.

'This just means you've got no time to waste.' He thought to himself as he got into his normal clothing and gear. He reached down to grab Corcea Mors, looking at the lining of his shield.

'Not again.'

Jaune walked out of his room and up to Nora's and Ren's. He knocked on the door but didn't wait for them to open it. He slowly pushed it open and peered inside. He saw his teammates were sleeping next to each other in a single bed. Ren positioned so that he slept with his head at the foot of the bed.

"Hey guys." Jaune said, almost in a whisper.

"Hn…" Ren moaned, confused and not even half awake.

"Try and get ready quickly. I think we should get moving soon."

"W-what? What time is it?" Ren replies rubbing his eyes trying to wake up.

"I think we should go after Ruby."

"Wait, what?" While still groggy, Jaune succeed in getting his friend's attention.

"What's happening?" Nora asked sitting up in the bed.

"Jaune that's-" Ren was cut off before he could question his friend.

"Just get ready soon. We're leaving in a bit."

Before either of his teammates could protest Jaune walked out of their room, closing the door behind him.

Jaune sat down in one of the chairs in the living room. Closing his eyes and rolling his head back he tried to get as much sleep as he could before his teammates got ready. He was starting to feel the effects of not sleeping last night.

"And what is the meaning of this, ?" A voice asked out of the silence, causing the blonde to jump slightly.

Opening his eyes Jaune saw Oscar, or rather Ozpin, sitting in another chair across from him with his cane at his side.

"We're…" Jaune wasn't sure if he wanted to lie or not. It's hard for him to get a read on the guy.

"We're going after Ruby."

"You and?"

"Ren and Nora."

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious? She could be in trouble. Big trouble! I don't know what I was thinking before, but I've made up my mind."

"I see. Do Ren and Nora feel the same?"

"Probably."

"Those aren't the same things."

"Do they have to be?" Jaune was getting irritated.

"Mr. Arc, as of now it is imperative that we are all not only on the same page but can agree without uncertainty that our next course of action is the right one. 'Probably' might just get us all killed."

"Excuse me sir, but I don't think this is the time for lessons."

"You're right. But that does not mean we can let impulse decide for us."

"So what do you recommend we do." Jaune said standing up from his seat.

"We can't just leave Ruby alone with that guy! What if he's a spy. What if he's not as good as he lets on. She could be in danger and if we don't get moving right now, she'll be dead in no time."

"And you assume I didn't think of that? That I'm ignorant to the very real risks that are present in every move we make? If we leave now we might save . We might fail. And if we do, we won't stand a chance against Salem. No one will. She might not be in any danger at all. Death could be a spy. But if he isn't, at his side is the safest place she could be right now." Ozpin said in authoritative voice.

"She'd be safer if we were there." Jaune said quietly. Defeated.

"But we can't just do nothing. I can't do nothing."

"Have you been in contact with her?"

"I've been waiting for Ruby to check in with us since she left, but she hasn't said anything."

"Then you can start there. Have her check in regularly. If anything comes up, take it up with me and I'll see what we can do."

"Alright…"

"Go tell your team that they can go back to sleep. It's five thirty in the morning." Ozpin said in a more lax manner.

By now the trees had thinned out from what was a densely packed forest, to more expansive grasslands with scattered trees. Though the path had disappeared but there was plenty of open space to offset that change. Light gray clouds created a seemingly never ending canopy that sat high above the green ground, keeping the climate cool and the sun out of one's eyes. And there was an ever so thin layer of fog that is unnoticeable up close but kept eyes from seeing anything that weren't large planes of small green grass or trees that sat atop them.

Ruby had her arms wrapped lazily around the pale rider. Leaning forwards the side of her face was pushed flush his back as the two pressed forwards on top of the flaming steed. She had fallen asleep nearly an hour ago. Not long after she and Death left Galath. Eventually the huntress found the once adrenaline fueling gallop of Despair, rather calming.

Death was silent with the hooves of the phantom horse and an occasional 'caw' from his guide above being the only sound to disturb the silence.

While his patience certainly wasn't lacking, he had too little on his mind to be comfortable. Being alone with nothing but the road ahead of him wasn't anything new, but the uninterrupted song of guilt was becoming all too familiar to his ears.

The nephilim are dead. Their souls lost, along with their bodies. The corruption had its champion's corpse. What was done could no longer be undone. And with them, the roots of sin were too deep in Death's heart to be pulled. His soul forever damned by his own hand.

It was times like these that the sense of remorse was so overwhelming that he couldn't help but tense up. His hands gripping the reins of his steed tightly and his feet pulling hard on the stirrups of the saddle.

Ruby stirred from her slumber. While she was tired enough to take a nap, horseback still wasn't the best place to rest up. She sat up more and brought one of her hands to her face, rubbing her eyes.

Once her eyes warmed up she looked at Death's back and noticed light purple imprint that vaguely resembled her face. She immediately felt a weight drop in her stomach realising she fell asleep on the reaper. To make it worse she also saw a little…

Her hand instantly shot up to the sides of her mouth to find that they were wet with saliva. It was a good thing Death's eyes were glued forward, because if he turned around he would've found Ruby's face to be indistinguishable from her cloak. She tried to think about what she should do but that was wasting too much time. Ruby brought her right elbow to Death's back and began wiping away her drool with her sleeve.

"Uh, hehe… sorry about that." She said nervously.

"What?" Death asked, confused.

"Oh uh, I just… fell asleep…" she said sheepishly.

"And your apologizing why?" The executioner asked with a slight chuckle to his voice.

"S-sorry. Wait, no! You heard nothing, I didn't mean-" she said flustered, but stopped herself when she heard Death laughing.

It wasn't hearty, but coming from him it felt surreal. The thought that the reaper found her stampering amusing in any form wouldn't have never crossed her mind. She never liked being laughed at, but having it come from someone almost out of a fairy tale felt endearing for lack of a better term. If only she could say the same about Salem.

"I forgot to say thank you for having my back there in Galath." She said lightening up.

"It was nothing."

"No, really you were awesome! I know that kind of stuff might be 'whatever' for you… but I thought it was really cool." Ruby said, with Death responding with a bashful grunt.

"..."

"..."

"Hey Death?"

"Hn?"

"Do you think you can teach me how to fight like you?" The question caught the horseman off guard.

"I-"

"You don't have to if you don't want to. I know you probably think I'm annoying, but I think I can-" it was his turn to interrupt her.

"I'd be happy to."

"Come again?" Ruby said dumbfounded.

"Had you been a human from my time, the answer would've been different. But you and your friends are something else entirely. You have what it takes. Rose. Not many people do. To put it simply, to let that potential go to waste would be foolish."

"So you'll do it?" She asked, her excitement overflowing.

"Yes."

"Yaaaaaahooooo!" She cried out to the sky, arms shooting up in triumph.

"Ahem. Sorry about that, I'm just really gitty about these kind of things. And I know I don't know what it is you do all that much, but your just so cool!"

'Don't listen to her you fool! You'll go soft. The moment you go soft you die.' The reaper thought to himself.

"Most would find the training grueling, so why am I getting the impression you'll find it more entertaining than anything else?"

"Hehe, yeah." Ruby rubbed the back of her head.

"I usually have the most fun when I'm fighting Grimm, or other huntsmen. My friends say it's weird."

"I call it necessary."

Ruby's eyes and smile widened. For just a few moments she completely forgot what they were doing. While being something small, having been complimented for something she's been worried about for years reminded her of something. She forgot all about Salem and the relics and how she had to leave her friends and family behind to save the world.

For just a few moments she felt like she was back in Beacon. When she didn't have to worry about anything other than school assignments. The only crime fighting and facing the forces of Grimm were a convenience to her everyday life.

Where she felt like she could jump off the horse and walk into her dorm room where her friends would be. Where Weiss Blake and Yang would all be waiting for her so they could get to classes so they can have fun sparring and the only thing to dread would be a test she didn't study for.

She forgot what it felt like. What it felt like to be a normal kid. A normal girl with normal knees. She was doing what she always wanted to. But not in the way she wanted it. She would give up all her tomorrows if it meant she could be given back all her yesterdays. All the more reason to finish off Salem.

The sooner they could do that, the sooner she can get those days back. If only she could get them back with Pyrrha. With Penny.

"Thank you." She said contentedly.

"What for?"

"Oh nothing."

A/N:

I tried a different spacing for between dialogue exchanges to make it less confusing as to who's talking. But I think it inflates the page too much so let me know if oyu guys like this style of the kind I've used these past few chapters. It might not even make a difference because the fanfiction docs structure is weird.

I wasted way too much time these past few months. It's summer and I've been managing to slack off on doing something I want to do.

These past couple of weeks, I've been replying Darksiders 2. I'm trying to get every achievement and complete just about everything. This past save file over poured a good 30 hrs in. And through out the entire time I was thinking about this story and how trash I'm being procrastinating.

But earlier this week I introduced RWBY to my dad after having been a fan for four years. I'm rewatching everything with him and we just started volume 3 last night.

It took me rewatching the world Monty created and be the way he wanted it be. The way it's supposed to be. My love for Darksiders was there but the essence of RWBY was missing. Now I think I can really put my imagination to work.

I can't promise I'll be more active per-say. But I promise you that I will finish this and give you all something I think rooster teeth forgot.

Death will be our savior.