Hello everyone, yes I'm still alive after that last chapter. I can honestly say that I got the reaction I was hoping for...I think. Normally I would use this time to respond to reviews but considering how 90% of them are all angry Guest reviewer's I think I might have to pass on this one...I'm kidding, though I'll only respond to actual account ones today. Abrams 1559; wow, didn't think you'd take to death and destruction so quickly. OutlastTheDark; can't believe how calm you were about the...incident. And Quentin3655; now he is our Drunk Lord and Saviour in Remnant Heaven! Now, on with the show!
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Chapter 17- Never Forget
Ozpin looked out the window that spanned over the courtyard of Beacon, the destruction from last night's battle a grim reminder of what they had lost. Ozpin sighed as he turned back to his desk, taking a seat as he poured himself some more coffee. When the alarm had first gone off he had sent both Glynda and Qrow to investigate. Glynda reported later to say another Team had been murdered and that Team's RWBY and JNPR were missing. That was when he had lost contact with Qrow, they had tried contacting him again, and that was when Ozpin had seen them fighting each other.
He had called for all available staff to head there and assist Qrow, but it was too late. By the time they had arrived, all that was left was the unconscious forms of Team's RWBY and JNPR...and Ruby Rose crying over the body of her dead Uncle.
"Why, Qrow?" Ozpin muttered to himself, clenching and unclenching his fists. That should have been him down there, he was the one the Reaper was after.
Ozpin knew the reason that Qrow had gone to fight the Reaper was because of both Yang and Ruby. The two Huntresses were of course in shock after the events of last night. Yang had only just found out when she awoke and was taking the news remarkably well considering her short fuse when in emotional crisis. Ruby on the other hand hadn't stopped crying since the other staff found her, and hadn't said a word since. It was all understandable of course, to see someone die like that. She had been through much, first her Mother and now her Uncle...and Ozpin had the feeling that it would only get worse. This was far from over, and there would be more bloodshed to come.
"Ozpin, this is Goodwitch. I have the footage from last nights attack." Glynda's voice suddenly crackled in, causing Ozpin to turn and face the monitor on his desk.
"Come in." Ozpin immediately replied, turning now to face the lift door in his office, which opened revealing Goodwitch who walked in slowly. "Any development on Yang and Ruby?"
"Yang appears to be recovering from the shock but Ruby..." Glynda paused as she sighed solemnly, shaking her head at the same time. "...I believe it would be necessary to give both Team's time off from classes. They did both survive attempts on their lives after all."
"Agreed." Ozpin stated, sighing as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Have you had a chance to look at the footage yet?"
"Yes, and it's as every bit disturbing as we had feared." Glynda murmured, glancing outside to the gardens of Beacon.
Ozpin gestured to the console, to which Glynda quickly connected the Scroll, starting a video feed. The battle went as Ozpin had suspected, with Reaper starting with the advantage until the two Team's used Teamwork to outsmart him. Ozpin admitted that he was impressed to say the least. To get that many consecutive hits on such a skilled opponent was impressive. Ozpin even fooled himself into thinking the two Teams had been successful when the Reaper laid silent on the ground, seemingly defeated. But Ozpin knew that wasn't the case. Gently tapping the screen, he paused the footage before turning to Glynda.
"It seems our old acquaintance has some new weapons..." Ozpin murmured, narrowing his eyes as he observed the two weapons in the Reaper's grasp.
"Yes, based on his original weapons, though these ones seem to turn into sickles of some form." Glynda replied, removing her glasses as she cleaned them before placing them back on the bridge of her nose. "It seems as though he takes his new name quite literally."
"And it appears he still uses his teleportation to some extent..." Ozpin added, recalling when the Reaper changed into the stream of shadow. "Anything else?"
"Yes..." Glynda replied, sighing loudly as she gestured to the console. "It appears he's learned a new trick."
Glynda then tapped the screen, continuing the footage that had been playing. All seemed normal at first, until the Reaper began to rise up in the middle of the black vortex forming around him. Then he began to glow a deep blood red as the vortex imploded, quickly covering the ground the two Team's stood on. Then he began to spin around, firing the weapons at breakneck speed. Ozpin could only watch as the Reaper's speed and accuracy increased over time, until he had felled both Teams.
"How was he able to do that?" Ozpin enquired, replaying that part of the footage again to see if he had missed anything.
"I...don't know..." Glynda replied, standing still as a statue as she watched the footage again alongside Ozpin. "But that's not the worst part."
Ozpin eyed Glynda curiously as she motioned for the Headmaster to continue watching the footage. Ozpin obliged as the footage continued to play, the Reaper now approaching Ruby to deliver what would have been the killing blow. Then the battle between Qrow and Reaper occurred, the Reaper despite having been fighting for longer still able to keep up with the Huntsman. Then came the moment Ozpin had been dreading, when Reaper delivered the killing blow. As the two veteran's charged to deliver their final blows, Glynda paused the footage again.
"What am I supposed to be seeing here?" Ozpin enquired, raising an eyebrow as he turned to face Glynda.
Glynda only pointed at the screen in response, never saying a word. Ozpin followed where she was pointing, and silently gasped in response. There stood both Qrow and Reaper, face to face with one another...and Qrow's sword piercing Reaper's chest. Ozpin continued the footage, eyeing the Reaper as the black clad assassin then thrust one of his sickles in Qrow's gut, backing away as Qrow fell over, the dead Huntsman taking his sword with him.
"I don't know how, but he survived that attack." Glynda stated, turning to face Ozpin who was still in shock. "He should be dead! How can anyone survive that?!"
"I don't know..." Ozpin murmured, turning to face Glynda again. "But I know one thing. For the first time in many years...I am afraid."
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Ruby sat unmoving from her bed, the tears now silently streaming from her eyes. The others had tried talking to her, in an attempt to get her out of her self induced stupor, though all attempts had failed. Weiss and Blake had decided to leave, hoping that perhaps time alone with her sister would get her to open up more. At least that was the plan anyway.
"Rube's?" Yang murmured, looking up from where she was sat to look up at her half-sister, who didn't even so much as turn. "You wanna talk?"
Ruby didn't respond, causing Yang to sigh silently as she closed her eyes. After a short and uncomfortable amount of silence had passed, Yang turned to face Ruby again.
"Look, I know things look bad now, but we're gonna catch that bastard and-"
"No we won't." Ruby muttered, turning to face Yang, her voice filled with venom, something that surprised Yang. "We thought we could take him and we nearly died! If it wasn't for Qrow..." Ruby's voice hitched as the tears began to stream anew down her face. Yang rose up to attempt to comfort her sister, but stopped when Ruby sent a glare her way. "Besides, we kill him, someone else will just take his place. That's just the way the world is!"
"Wait, 'kill him'?" Yang enquired, her eyes narrowing in confusion before widening in shock. "Ruby...what you're saying-"
"He deserves to die!" Ruby interrupted, turning sharply to face Yang, who flinched at the sudden movement. "He killed Qrow! He deserves to die!"
"Ruby, we kill him, we're no better then he is." Yang warned, slowly walking towards Ruby who was now standing up, her eyes set in a glare. "Look, I know how you feel."
"No you don't!" Ruby stated, turning to face Yang again.
"He was my Uncle too!" Yang retorted, her own anger beginning to rise as she started to lose her patience with Ruby.
"You didn't watch him die!" Ruby shouted back, causing Yang to back away slowly.
"What?" Yang murmured, shocked by this revelation. She didn't know that Ruby had actually seen Qrow die. "Ruby, I didn't know-"
"You don't know anything!" Ruby suddenly spat back. "The only thing you care about is your hair and your Mother!"
Ruby stole a glance at Yang, who now looked like she was on the brink of crying as tears began to well in her eyes, her mouth slightly agape in shock. It was then that Ruby realised what she had said, and she immediately regretted it.
"Yang, I-"
"Forget it." Yang muttered, her eyes now narrowed into a glare despite the tears streaming down her face. "You want to be alone, fine! Be alone!" Yang then turned around, leaving the room and slamming the door behind her.
Ruby sighed as she crumpled on her bed again, glancing at the bedside cabinet next to her. On it were a number of pictures, most of them of Team RWBY. But the one that Ruby really cared about was one of herself at a younger age, Qrow next her, both of them smiling. Ruby once again found herself on the verge of crying as she recalled how the Reaper had killed him and the conversation she had just had with her sister.
"It's just the way the world is..." Ruby whimpered as she closed her eyes. It was at that moment that she recalled something that her Uncle Qrow had told her at a young age. Something that would stick with her for a long time to come.
"Always remember, never accept the world for what it appears to be. Dare to see it for what it could be."
Ruby opened her eyes as she recalled the statement. Qrow had first said those words when her Mother had gone missing, and Ruby had entered a similar depression. She couldn't just sit around waiting for the inevitable, she had to act. Everything they had been researching on the Reaper pointed to the old Overwatch Academy, so that was where she was going to go.
And this time, she would make sure no one would get hurt.
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Yang sighed as she headed to the dorm room again. She needed to apologise to her sister for the way she had acted, that much was obvious, and deep down she knew Ruby was sorry as well. She approached the door, lightly knocking on the door to announce her presence.
"Rube's? It's me...are you in there?" Yang asked, staying silent as she awaited a response. When none came, Yang let out a sigh before continuing. "Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the way I acted, and I know you are too."
Once again, no response came, causing some amount of worry from Yang. She once again knocked on the door, receiving no response again. "Rube's?"
Yang then opted to throw politeness out of the window and simply barged in the room, more concerned then angry. "Rube's why-"
Yang paused when she entered the room, to find it completely empty. There was no sign of the red hooded Huntress or any of her belongings, the only thing that caught her eye was a hastily written note lying on the bedside cabinet.
Yang, Weiss and Blake.
I'm going after the Reaper, and I don't expect to come back. Promise me that you won't follow me, I don't want anyone else to get hurt. And Yang, I'm sorry for the things I said, I didn't mean them. If I don't return, tell Dad I love him.
R. R.
Yang backed away quickly from the letter as if it were toxic, quickly turning around into a sprint. She had to find the others, before it was too late.
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"Can't believe he got Qrow." Mercury grunted as he continued to make adjustments to his new foot, flexing it to make sure it worked properly. "I'm starting to think staying out of this guys way was a good idea."
"I can't believe I'm about to say it, but I agree with you on this one." Emerald agreed, sharpening one of her weapon blades.
"So Cinder, any reason we stopped chasing this shadow?" Mercury asked, turning to face the woman in question once he was happy with his foot.
"I've already told you, my partner believes it is best we stay out of his way." Cinder responded as she overlooked the most recent footage that Neopolitan had acquired of the Reaper. She hated to admit it, but she found herself somewhat impressed with what the Reaper had accomplished. Taking out Qrow was no easy feat, and he had done it both clean and efficiently. A shame that her current associates weren't as lethal as he was.
"Who is your partner? When are we going to meet her?" Mercury then asked, only to grow silent when Cinder sent a cold stare her way.
"I've told you before, you are on a need to know basis and right now you don't need to know anything!" Cinder seethed, causing Mercury to hold his hands up in mock surrender as he leaned back.
"So now what?" Emerald then asked, sheathing her weapon as she turned to face Cinder. "We go back to the original mission?"
Cinder smirked as she recalled asking that question this morning when they had first heard about the Reaper's attack. She had once again contacted her associate to ask her what they should do with this new development. When she had first been told she had once again questioned her choice, more due to how much of a wild card Reaper was, though her associate had told her not to worry.
"Tell me Emerald, how serious were you when you suggested we should work with the Reaper?"
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Well, shit is about to get serious. Yes, I did steal Harold Winston's line from the most recent Overwatch cinematic and yes, Reaper did use his 'Death Blossom' ability in the last chapter! In other news I have most recently made a Deviantart account where I post drawings centred on mine and others fan-fics. Liked it? Feel free to leave a review and constructive criticism is welcomed. Any questions? Either PM me or leave in your reviews and I'll answer them next chapter for Reviews and whenever possible for PM's.
Raging Archon out.
