RWBY: Shadow Company
Chapter 26
"Come on, Weiss. Pick up." Jaune begs.
It's been clear that Jaune has not gone over it by now. He had been calling her for almost a week now. The news said Weiss should be fine, so why isn't she picking up his calls?
"Pick up the damn scroll already." He mumbled angrily. But no matter how many times he tried. That same automated voice would talk to him instead.
"We're sorry. But the number you are trying to reach is unavailable-"
"Oh, come on!" Jaune yelled out.
He pulled his scroll away from his ear, ready to throw it onto the ground.
Good thing that he's not inside the room with Will right now. Well, he didn't want to wake him up because of that.
What kind of partner would he be if he did that?
Jaune calms down and slumps his back onto the wall.
He sighs, "Where are you, Weiss?"
Maybe he shouldn't have left to join the shadows. He could have just finished his studies at Atlas.
He puts his scroll back in his pocket and walks away to find a better place to sit down.
Maybe the cafeteria? It's nice and quiet there. But the doors are locked up tight. There's no way of getting in there now.
Jaune approaches the doors leading into the hangar instead.
They were not locked, surprisingly.
Jaune walks into the hangar.
Its silence was comforting, in a way, anything to take his mind off Weiss.
But his train of thought was interrupted as he noticed a figure in front of him.
The shadow quickly gets up and turns his gladius towards Jaune. The red blade glowed menacingly in the dark.
"Woah! Wait!" Jaune yelled.
The shadow steps out of the dark and reveals his grey eyes and wrinkled old face. Jaune was shocked. He looked as old as his granddad.
"Sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone else here. I'm not as sharp as I used to be." He calmly said.
He drew back his blade from Jaune's neck. Jaune held his neck, catching his breath.
"I didn't mean to scare you, young one."
"No, it's my fault. I shouldn't be out here." Jaune said.
The old shadow smirks, "Me too."
He walks to the edge of the hangar and sits down.
"Your legs must be tired, Jaune. Come sit by me."
Jaune sits by the edge. Dangling his feet as he looks at the moon. He can see the city lights from up here.
"Nice view, isn't it? Vale is beautiful at night."
Jaune nods. "Yeah, it is."
"So, why are you doing out of the barracks at this hour? Trouble sleeping?" He asked.
"I guess you can say that," Jaune said. "But, no, it's more about the whole mess back at home."
"Home, do you mean Atlas?"
Jaune nods.
"I figured that would be the case. I feel the same way too."
"Are you from Atlas as well?" Jaune asked.
"Yes, years ago, before I joined the shadows. I was part of the military. Before Ironwood was a General."
"Woah, you must be older than most of these guys here then." Jaune smiles.
He smirks, "The Black Centurions are all old men, Jaune. None of us are young anymore."
"But why are you still serving the shadows?"
He sighs, "It's the only thing I have left, I guess."
Jaune was confused, "What do you mean?"
"Let's say some people don't want me to exist. They want us gone, Jaune. They hate us, and they despise us. Jealously or envy, they hate those who stand out and excel from them."
"Huh?"
"I'm sorry. I should have explained this better. I'm here because I was better than my peers. And they don't want some random kid to come and steal their fame and glory. They want that boy to disappear."
Jaune shakes his head, "No, that can't be. I'm sure there must be an actual reason why."
"I wish I am lying, but it's true. Why do we wear these helmets and never take them off in public? Why do we never reveal our names?"
"To protect yourselves from them," Jaune answered.
"That's right."
"What did you do? How did you become a shadow?"
The old shadow shrugged his shoulder, "Nothing. I was just simply better at my job than them. They were jealous of me, afraid that I would replace them instead. So they decided to get rid of me. But I got off easy. I managed to escape but at the cost of my identity. Others were framed, blackmailed, exploited, betrayed, assassination, all of it."
Jaune listens on.
"This world is unfair, and sometimes, it's cruel. No matter who the victim is. Jon gave us all a second chance. It is up to us to take it. I'm sure whoever my mother is, she would be proud of me. Or maybe she hates me and didn't plan to have me."
Jaune looks away from him.
"You can spare me your pity and sympathy, Jaune. I already had enough of it. Thank you, though. But let me ask you this, Jaune. Is it wrong for me to run away instead of facing them? Was it wrong of me to throw everything I had to live?"
Jaune didn't hesitate to answer, "No, you didn't have a choice. It was either them or the shadows. But you let them win in the end."
The old shadow raises his eyebrows.
"But they don't know that you're still standing. And from what I see, you didn't lose. You being here is what matters now. You fought the battles that mattered. You fight not for fame but to protect the ones who can't defend themselves. If that's not selfless, then I don't know what is." Jaune finishes.
The old shadow suddenly burst out laughing, which caught Jaune off guard, making him blush a little.
"You know, I think you will be the one who will change things around here. I had this feeling after meeting you, Jaune." He wipes a tear from his eye.
"I'm no one special. I'm just Jaune. And I'm a shadow."
"We all are. Friends are good, but family is important. So, when you see your family again. Hug them tight."
Jaune couldn't help but let out a few tears. He does miss them a lot.
"To me, being a shadow is more than just being a soldier. It's about doing what's right. A second of redemption. A chance to better ourselves. Do you understand?"
Jaune kept quiet, not knowing what to say next.
"You don't have to answer that one. It's just some old man's advice."
"But it's good advice. I guess I still have a lot to learn." Jaune said, rubbing the back of his head.
"I wonder how's Leo doing?" He randomly asks.
"Uh, Who's Leo?"
"Oh, he's just some old knight friend of mine. He's a real fighter, let me tell you. He loves killing Grimm all day. He's not even a huntsman." He smiles.
"Can you tell me?" Jaune hoped.
"No, you should go back to bed, Jaune. You still have some training tomorrow. You have yet to become a shadow. Besides, look at the Time! Go back to your room. Shoo. Off you go now."
Jaune gets up and walks to the exit, "Wait, I never got your name." Jaune said.
But he suddenly wasn't there anymore. Strange.
But how did he know his name then?
A/N: I just went all out for this chapter.
I want Weiss to not be scared and to stand up and fight for herself. I want Blake to learn to accept and understand others of different standing.
I want Jaune to learn that not everybody has the same reasons as him. Not everyone has an easy life like him. And to grow as he becomes a shadow. But I'm not going to make Jaune an expert in combat when he graduates. He will still make mistakes because while he has the knowledge and training, without experience it means nothing.
Leo is a character that will show up way later. When a certain attack comes.
Anyways, I hope this chapter is alright. Writing is not too messy I hope. Okay, I'm done here.
Thanks for reading.