I don't own RWBY. Rooster Teeth does.
Jaune and Alice landed at the runway of the massive airship. Atlesian soldiers and drones rushed in and out of the ship's entrance, some carrying water and others bringing ice dust.
"Come on. Let's go," Jaune said.
"What about the fire?" she asked, running after him. "And the soldiers who might shoot first and ask questions later?"
"I think they have bigger things to be worried about." He nodded over to the fire that was slowly growing out of control. Ice Dust was being deployed to halt the flame's advance but did very little to stop it from burning furiously. "Besides, we gotta go help mom and dad. What if they're hurt?" he said, running down the hallway and past the gaggle of soldiers that crowded some of the terminals.
"Still, Mom and Dad are like cockroaches. We should probably he-" Her instincts went haywire as she pulled Jaune back. He blinked when he felt the back of his hoodie being grabbed by his younger sister. Jaune glanced over his shoulder at Alice, who only motioned for him to look down.
Wondering what all the fuss was about, he looked down and nearly gagged. There was a freshly butchered corpse right in front of him. The metallic smell hit his nose with full force as he tried to fight his nausea.
"Come on," he said, gulping. "We need to…"
"Jaune, there's blood everywhere," Alice whispered, taking a cautious step forward. It was likely that whatever did this was still here. She coated her hand in aura and nodded to her older brother.
Neither of them had their weapon with them. They had forgotten it in their mad dash to get to their parents on time. To substitute, Alice had coated her fists in golden aura while Jaune applied a thin coating of aura to his hand.
The two walked briskly and quietly, taking notice of their surroundings in case of a surprise attack. Whoever did this must have been extremely skilled and extremely powerful. After all, no one on Remnant other than Ozpin himself had the balls to casually stroll into Ironwood's Flagship and proceed to slaughter a good number of his men.
At the sound of creaking metal ahead of them, the two stopped walking. Jaune glanced at his twin, exchanging words soundlessly. Alice nodded and the two crept forward.
Their plan was rather simple and, if done right, could give them an edge to either run or fight. Jaune would be the first to jump around the corner, taking whoever it was by surprise. After the intended target was stunned, Alice would jump out and deliver the finishing blow. It could work in theory but their timing needed to be perfect. Not that it was anything to worry about. Alice and Jaune were twins and twins never needed to exchange words to give signals or have a conversation.
Jaune pressed his back against the cold metal walls of the flagship. His blue eyes darted to his twin sister, who gave him the motion to move forward. Coming to the end of the hallway and to the intersection, Jaune inhaled.
Without warning, Jaune jumped out and swiped his aura covered hand at the assailant.
Jeanne and the others had opted to leave the ship, using Roman's breached security cell as a good reason as to why he was in Beacon. The four walked in silence amidst the cacophony of emergency and breach alarms. As Jeanne was about to round the corner, all her instincts screamed at her. She grabbed the arm of her assailant and flipped him on his back.
"Nice try, you scor… pion?" Her face went from disbelief, surprise, and then happiness.
"Jaune, nice of you to almost get killed by your mother," Sieg said, walking up to his son.
Jaune's stupor wore out faster than his mother's. He gave his father a big grin.
"Mom, Dad!" Alice jumped out from behind the corner and embraced their parents.
"What are you two doing here?" Jeanne said, hugging her daughter back. Her blue eyes darted over to her son, whose grin never faded. He smiled at her.
"We came to save you," he said.
"From?" Willow asked, standing next to Roman. The aforementioned criminal looked at the two.
"I'm impressed. You two actually managed to stroll into an Atlesian Airship, Ironwood's no less, without getting shot by any personnel." He nodded, impressed by their boldness.
The second Roman's voice reached their ears, a gold sword and a violet sword pointed themselves at Roman's throat. The orange-haired thief's face lost several shades of color.
"Back away from our aunt and parents," Jaune said. His eyes glowed as a violet flame flickered around his eyes.
"Not one step closer," Alice chimed in. Her eyes began to glow as a golden flame flickered around her eyes.
"Stop it you two," Jeanne said, placing a hand on their shoulders.
"Roman's on our side. A bit of talking to Ozpin and some special talking to Willow here got him to join us," Sieg said.
Willow and Roman turned red. A confused look manifested on Jaune and Alice's face.
"Special talk? Like an interrogation? Did Willow torture him or something?" Alice asked, tilting her head.
Jaune nodded, the two turning to their parents for answers.
Their mother wanted to scream in joy and despair. Her twins were as dense as a black hole. As brilliant as they were, Jaune and Alice were not the brightest when it came to subtle details from time to time.
"Well, when a man and a wo-" Sieg never finished his words as his wife's elbow made contact with his liver. He keeled over and fell to his knees, laughing in pain.
The two looked to their mother, who had a red hue across her cheeks. "Please don't."
"You seemed to like wa-"
Jeanne's eyes widened as she kicked her husband into a wall.
"I see they're still like this," Roman said, looking at the sight with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.
"Mmm. Come on, let's get you down to Beacon or Ironwood. He's probably at the gate by now. Jaune, Alice, can you two get your parents up so we can get out of here?" Willow asked, looking at Jeanne, who was beating her fists against her husband's chest.
The two nodded as they walked over and separated their parents. The six walked down the hallway. Jaune kept glancing at Roman and Willow. The two were standing extremely close to each other. Too close for someone who was just interrogating someone. He opened his mouth to ask a question when he heard his twin speak.
"So what's going on with you two? Are you two dating or something?" Alice asked, glancing down to their hands.
The two were holding hands. Something she had noticed since they started walking.
"Dating?" Willow asked.
"Yeah, you two seem closer than… someone who just got interrogated. Are you two dating?" she asked.
"Well, we are?" Roman asked, looking to Willow for answers.
"We are. We've been together since Beacon but… certain circumstances kept us from each other after graduation. This is the first time we've seen each other properly with your parents in years," Willow said, tightening her grip around his hand.
"That's so romantic," Alice said.
"Wait, isn't? Isn't Aunt Willow-"
"Stop right there."
The group stopped walking. Ironwood stood before them, his hands behind his back. Behind him was a sizeable group of Atlesian Soldiers. Their rifles were pointed at them, ready to fire at his command. Ozpin stood next to Ironwood. He had the same aloof look on his face but his eyes displayed a different emotion. His gaze rested on Jaune and Alice before looking back to Roman.
"I thought better of you three. Helping a convicted criminal escape from his cell," Ironwood said, crossing his arms.
"Now, now James. Let's not jump to conclusions. There could be something else going on here. Right, Mrs. Arc?" Ozpin said, smiling.
Jeanne remained silent, opting to nod instead.
"A man broke into the ship and into Roman's cell," Willow said, stepping forward. She held her arm out in front of the thief, blocking him from Ironwood and Ozpin.
Ironwood narrowed his eyes at her action but did nothing. He looked to Ozpin for help. Ozpin merely smiled at her action. "Let's discuss this in my office. I'm sure you have security feed of his cell and your ship. We can review it there, James."
Ironwood sighed. He would follow Ozpin's lead for now. He had a record of Team ARSK's entry into his ship. It didn't line up with the time of the alarm and deaths of his troops. So for now, he would defer to Ozpin regarding them.
"Fine. Let's head to Ozpin's office for now. We can talk more there." Ironwood raised his hands and dismissed his troops. "Except you, Specialist Schnee. You can stay here and follow us. We're not walking back to the Headmaster's office without an escort. Especially when we're escorting a notorious criminal."
"Fine by me," Roman said. "As long as I don't have to stay another minute in this graveyard."
He walked after Ironwood, followed by Willow, Jeanne, and Sieg. The two were about to follow after them when Ozpin spoke up.
"Mr. Arc, Ms. Arc, your team is waiting for you outside the ship. I suggest you five let us handle this. I'll call for you after this is done," Ozpin said. He turned around to follow the others but glanced over his shoulder. "I believe it's time that we talked."
Alice's eyes grew wide when she saw a small flame flicker in the middle of his pupil. Ozpin smiled before turning around and walking away.
"Jaune, you saw that right?" Alice asked.
"Yeah, it's weak but it's there." Jaune's entire body had grown stiff when he felt it. The Headmaster. He had such an overwhelming pressure coming from his body. Raven was nothing compared to this for Ozpin's aura felt similar to Pyrrha's. It was like that of a-
"Jaune!"
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Pyrrha's voice. He stepped back when he felt a weight wrap around him.
"Pyr!" Jaune said, hugging her back.
"You guys are alright! Thank… well, thank Alice!" Nora said, running up to them.
"Wait… when did we start swearing things on my name?" Alice asked, looking at Nora.
"About now," Ren said, smiling at the two.
"We should head back. Isla probably wants to talk to us," Jaune said, still holding Pyrrha.
"She said she needed to do something before sending us over here so we'll be free for the rest of the day to watch the next round of the Vytal Festival," Ren said.
Ozpin sat behind his desk while Ironwood and Glynda stood next to him. Qrow leaned against the wall while Winter stood next to him.
Roman stood before the headmaster, staring into his eyes. His gaze never wavered, opting to look strong in front of his former professor rather than look weak.
"Mister Torchwick, could you recollect what happened on the ship so we can compare it to the evidence," Ozpin said, folding his hands.
"Well, my old team came to visit me that day in the morning, if I remember correctly. I think it was morning. But how would I know, my cell doesn't have any windows. Anyway, we talked for a while. You know about life, love, and the beauty of all things," Roman said.
Ironwood's eyebrow twitched as he listened to Roman prattle on. He was about to open his mouth but bit his lip when he saw Ozpin's eyes.
"So, you talked about your life so far. Is that it? Nothing about… escaping or anything?" Ozpin asked. He motioned for Glynda to pull up the security recording. Playback of a part of their conversation played back in front of them.
"It looks like nothing was out of order there. However, I have to inform you that my political power isn't unlimited. I have some hoops to jump through if you three want to be the one responsible for Mister Torchwick here. I doubt James here would agree to such a thing," Ozpin said.
"It's illogical for me to agree. Roman is responsible for the destruction of property of multiple SDC equipment and the theft of countless dust stores. Over the past few decades, this amounts to millions, if not hundreds of millions of Lien worth of property damage and loss," Ironwood said. "The SDC wants his head on a silver platter as well as the Valean Government."
"Come on, we all know the reason they want Roman out is for Willow. And the reason Roman sabotaged the SDC was for Willow," Qrow piped in. "If it weren't for the fact that Willow was forced to marry Jacques, Roman would be the head of the SDC and we wouldn't have the Roman we know today. Right, pumpkin head?"
"You still call me that?" Roman asked, giving Qrow a dry look.
"It's been years since I've called you that and I ain't stopping now." Qrow uncorked his flask and downed half of its contents in a single gulp. Roman's dry look faded as he held his hand out.
Seeing his gesture, Qrow grinned and tossed the flask over to Roman, who caught it with the experience and finesse of a professional thief. Opening it, Roman took a swig of it and sighed in satisfaction. He closed the flask and threw it back at Qrow.
"Right, now that we're all here. Let's discuss what just happened. Mister Torchwick, if you may, I'll give you the floor to present your side of the events. Don't forget that lying will get you nowhere. We have security footage of everything before it went dark and footage in your room," Ozpin said.
"That's still really creepy. Even as a criminal, I value the privacy of others," Roman said, crossing his arms. But after a few seconds, it would be much easier if he told Ozpin and the others who broke into Ironwood's ship. Placing his hands to his sides, Roman began to tell the sequence of events that led to his current situation.
During his relaying of the events, Ozpin remained silent, analyzing every detail that Roman had given out. He furrowed his brow. How bold. She was getting bolder by the day. As if she was becoming desperate for some reason. Did she sense them too? The manifestation of the Life God would mean that the other Gods would come down as well and perhaps even they would possibly come down. The prospect of that happening would surely herald the day of Judgement for all of Remnant. He cleared his head of all thoughts as he focused his attention back on Roman.
"I see." Ozpin finally said after a few seconds of silence.
"Scorpion Faunus," Ironwood said, placing his hand on his chin. "I'll send all troops out to investigate the location around Beacon as soon as possible. There's a likely chance he survived the fall and Siegfried's attacks so we need to be sure."
"Check the school too. Especially the students from all schools. There's a chance that Cinder might be hiding out within them. If you can find her, you can probably prevent whatever disaster she has cooked up inside that little brain of hers," Roman added.
"Right, you mentioned that she infiltrated this school. With the visual descriptors you gave us, it will still be difficult to find her as the description you gave matches the profiles of several students from across Remnant. However, despite this, we will begin inspecting each student one by one. Though, I am curious, what do you intend to get out of this? We never got your intentions." Ozpin folded his hands and stared directly into Roman's eyes.
The former thief shivered, feeling the imperious gaze of the Headmaster. Even back when he was in Beacon, Ozpin's stare had been something to be feared. He was worse than an angry Glynda, who at the time was just a student like them.
He swallowed the spit building up in his mouth and sighed. Closing his eyes, Roman clenched his fist and steeled his resolve. He had withstood interrogations from many people including even Ironwood but he had to admit that Ozpin was getting to him.
"I want to stop this. I've bitten off more than I can chew working with these people and what they want can hurt the lives of people I care about." He let out another breath before continuing. "Which is why after all this is over, I want your help getting me and my partner out of Vale and somewhere nondescript where we can hide away from the eyes of the law."
"You want amnesty? After all the damage you caused and lives turned upside down?" Glynda asked, lowering her arms in shock.
Ironwood looked to Ozpin, who seemed to be as deep in thought as he was. The information that Roman had given them proved to be invaluable. It was better than anything that they had gotten so far regarding the situation at hand. And to top it all off, it connected with the Breach that happened a few weeks back. Waiting for Ozpin's lead, Ironwood remained silent for once.
"I believe that this can be arranged," Ozpin said. "However, this will have to be settled through James as he has more than enough expertise and resources to help you disappear."
"If you don't mind, I have a location picked out where I believe I can start over after this whole thing with Cinder is kaput," Roman said.
Ozpin raised an eyebrow at that statement. He already had a place in mind. This would make things easier for both of them if the location he picked was somewhere where he could be monitored.
"What's the location, Torchwick?" James asked.
"Arcadia Settlement on the island of Domremy."
Jaune sat at the edge of the rooftop. It had been a while since he had come to this place. This was where it all started. Had he not come up here and told Pyrrha about his transcripts, he would be living his life completely unaware of what he was until it was too late. So many things had happened in the span of a few months. Things that completely altered the course of history on Remnant and he played a role in it. But there were still things out there that needed to be taken care of.
Isla had left earlier that day. She had something to take care of. Something regarding the others. Or as she put it.
"The others? They're coming. A storm is brewing and the others are coming back to watch, if not participate in such events. After all, you humans and faunus aren't the only residents of this world. We Gods reside here too."
"Other Gods huh?" Jaune wondered, staring up at the broken moon. At some point, his original self had done it, but he had no recollection of such an event. But then again, this was all because Isla said his memories were sealed away.
He sighed. As he stared at the stars, indulging in his hobby, he heard someone open the access door and walk-in. The familiar feeling of the person's aura made him smile. It had been a while since they were alone together up on the roof. But the thought of being able to spend such a time with said person brought a smile to his face. Glancing over his shoulder, Jaune greeted her.
"Blake. Coming up here to read again?"
"This is the only place I can go to to escape my teammates," she said, sitting next to him. She smiled as she opened her book to the page. She hadn't read this particular volume in the series since Jaune's disappearance. It felt wrong to open it without her bu- well… she glanced up at him.
Jaune had gone back to looking at the stars. The moon light made him look as ethereal as he did that time. The sight made her heart flutter as she looked back down at her book. A bright red hue was spreading across her cheeks as she struggled to focus on her book.
Come on Blake. Pull yourself together. Jaune's off limits. He's, he's… Okay. Let's see where I left off.
'Takeshi-kun! It's not what you think! I- I didn't mean to hide it from you!' Haruka stammered as she watched Takeshi's shocked expression.
Takeshi made no sounds and uttered no words. The feeling he felt was akin to surprise. But oddly, he felt no rage. This woman in front of him was from the same family his opposed yet he felt nothing. Was this what his older brother referred to? The feeling that caused men to become more powerful and lose their fear of death?
He stared into her lavender eyes and cast aside all doubt. Yes, this woman. This woman was the one who was foretold to be his destined one. As the light of the broken moon shone down on them, his breath hitched when her ethereal beauty became emphasized by the lunar beams.
And casting aside all doubt, he stepped forward and-
Blake slammed the book shut. Her face was completely red now. Steam shot from her ears. Wha- was that scene always there!? I've read this book so many times. Every book in the series but… was that scene always so…?
Her heart couldn't stop beating. She looked up at Jaune once more. He hadn't noticed her outburst. It looked like he was thinking of something. If the turmoil in his eyes weren't an obvious indicator, then his rather stiff position was.
"Jaune? Are you okay?" she asked, touching his shoulder.
Jaune blinked when he heard someone speak. He looked to his side and suddenly remembered that he wasn't alone on that roof. Blake was there sitting next to him. He sighed and smiled at her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just have a lot of stuff on my mind." Barring the stuff with Isla that he and Alice still had nothing on, there was the situation with Pyrrha's family. It could be said that Jaune had a lot on his plate at the moment. But what plagued him most was…
"Hey Blake, have you read any stories where… where the guy had to choose between something that could change his life forever and his lover?" he asked.
Is… Is he having a disagreement with Pyrrha over something? She wondered. A dark part of her saw this as a way to worm her way into Jaune's heart. Fortunately, the majority of herself managed to stifle this thought before it grew out of control. Dangerous thinking she called it.
"I have. Are you referring to The Lunar Princess of Bamboo?" she asked.
"Lunar Princess of Bamboo?" he parroted.
"It's an old romantic story written a long time ago before the Great War. I have one of the only copies left that wasn't destroyed by Mistral." Blake smiled as she recanted the tale.
"The story goes that there was once a Princess who sent down here to Remnant from the Moon. In order for her to survive, her people used Magic in order to turn her into a child. And finally, her memories were wiped away. An elderly couple found her and raised her. And thus, under their guidance and love, she grew into a fine young lady. Wanting to help those plagued by the Black Beasts of the Abyss, she became a warrior that protected her village.
"Then one day, as she was walking home from the town over getting her father a present. She spotted a Man. The Man was unconscious and lying on the side of the road. Her heart, noble and pure, could not bear to see him suffer so she took him home and nursed him. As the weeks passed and the man recovered, the man and the princess spent their time together.
"Then one day, the Princess began acting strange. She began speaking of the Moon and mentioning having lived a life on there once. Both brushed this off as memories but the Princess felt something more. As her memories grew stronger, her desire to return to her lunar home grew as well. But her love for the Man remained as strong as ever and so…"
"She had to choose." Jaune looked down at his hands.
Blake nodded. Was there something she didn't know? The thought of Jaune and Pyrrha breaking up made her heart hurt oddly but yet… Blake shook her head clear of such malicious thoughts. She had to abandon this ambition here and now. By helping Jaune with this, she knew very well that she was giving up on him.
"She did and… she chose to stay. No matter how strongly her need to go home to the Moon grew, her love for the man she promised the rest of her life to was stronger. And so… when the time came for her to finally return, she stood up to the Kingdom of the Moon and said no." Blake smiled. It was a cheesy ending as expected of a children's tale.
Jaune looked up after hearing the ending. That's right. My inevitable Godhood shouldn't be a problem. As long as I have Pyrrha… I don't care what happens to me. He looked out to the courtyard.
"Thanks, Blake," he said. "You're a good friend."
The statement hurt her yet… what could she do? She never made any moves. She practically handed Jaune over to Pyrrha. And so, Blake just smiled in response.
This is it. This is the Universe telling me that I should've moved the minute he got back but… I never did. "Looks like you got over it?" Blake asked.
"Got over? Yeah, this is just something I've been thinking about lately considering Pyrrha's champion status," he said.
"That shouldn't bother you. It's not like she's immortal or something and even if she was, that girl would sacrifice her immortality just to die with you," Blake said. "So you have nothing to worry about."
The situation is reversed but… she's right. I wonder… do I have to choose to be a God again or can I remain human until I die? Jaune wondered. "Hey Blake, thanks for… you know. And for everything you did back then when it all came out."
"We're friends right?" Jaune's eyes widened when he saw her smile. That was no ordinary smile. That was the smile of someone moving on and making peace with something. And that's when he noticed the look in her eyes.
Did she… like me? A thought crossed his mind. What would it have been like if it were Blake rather than Pyrrha? All this time… but, she doesn't seem bothered by the fact that I'm with Pyrrha.
"I'll be here for you and stand behind you every step of the way. Just don't forget to come up here every night, or else, I'll get lonely too," Blake said.
Jaune's eyes grew wide before softening. He grinned at her. How hard it must be for her to do this and yet she's smiling so brightly. This is the most I've heard Blake speak in one sitting. "Yeah, I wouldn't miss it for the world."
After all, she is… Jaune thought.
Of course, you wouldn't miss it, you are, after all, Blake thought.
My closest friend.
Hi hi hi! I'm so sorry! Things have been hectic. Well, to start things off, I went to enjoy a week in Oahu. It was really fun. The beaches were great. The ocean was fun. And I got to take my mind off every thing for an entire week. Then, when we got back, I immediately got back to work and began preparing for some assessments I needed to finish before the semester started back up which for me was early. So that's what's been happening since. Well, another thing that's been going on is that I've been more focused on my original story. So if you all have some time, please go and read it on Royal Road. It's called Memento Mori by NutellaSandwichEnthusiast.
Moving on, yes, I know how I handled the Blake situation will put some people off but this was the safest and... only way I can do it without creating unnecessary drama between Blake, Pyrrha, and Jaune. Blake never went after Jaune despite having feelings for him after Domremy and merely watched on. So I felt like having Blake realize that they were better off as friends was better than her... kissing him and having Pyrrha walk in to cause unneeded drama with everything going on. That's my reasoning.
Well, I'll sign off. I'll try to update as much as possible as my schedule can allow so please be patient with me. And with that, I bid thee adieu.