New Divide
The monsters that rose from the dead, they are nothing compared to the ones we carry in our hearts
Max Brooks 'World War Z'
To say breakfast was tense, would be a massive understatement. No one really felt like eating, which Qrow found odd considering he was with a group of teenagers. That is until he sat down to eat his own breakfast.
At least they were kind enough to let him eat before dropping the Goliath in the room. Now, Qrow felt a like an ice ball was thrown in his gut as he was told the events of the night that brought about this change in mood from the group. How could he have slept through all of this? Actually, stupid question. He knew the answer. One of the things that years of hunting had taught him was to value sleep. Sleep as deeply as you can when you have a safe shelter. So he trained his body to enter that deep sleep out of necessity, thinking that they were all safe.
"Uncle Qrow?" He looks up briefly to see Ruby looking at him. Her silver eyes looking at him sadly and apologetically. Man does he wish that his flask was full as he swirled it in his hand; just to give him something to do and focus on.
Yang and Ruby had traded off on telling him the events: Yang describing the night and Ruby filling in on the future events that led to the nightmare induced haze, "Yeah?" He managed out now fiddling with the flask's lid, opening it to smell the sweet scent of the liquid it was once fill with. Gods damn it.
Team JNPR and Oscar sharing brief looks with each other, Weiss and Blake hesitantly looking at the sisters, and Yang and Ruby looking at one another before avoiding each other. The morning having been tense between the two of them. Yang still not forgiving Ruby for keeping the fate of their mother from her, and Ruby still lost in her own thoughts about how to control the violent flashbacks, "Anything to say?" Weiss spoke up seeing that neither the brawler or the reaper was going to say anything more.
Qrow scoffs, "Nothing more to say Ice Princess." To him, Winter was the Ice Queen, "What's done is done." He places the lid back on the flask and puts it back in his coat pocket, "As sad as it is, Summer was a highly skilled huntress. She always pressed on despite how hard situations became, and if she chose to take on an immortal witch…" He shrugged and got up from the table, "then it was on her, much like your decisions-" he looks at Ruby now, "are on you."
'Consequences be damned' went unsaid in this case. Despite the words, the tone, the look Qrow was giving her; Ruby could sense the underlying bite. He wasn't trying to, but the hurt and pain were there, much like finding out that Ozpin lied about the truth in regards to Salem, "Right." Was all she could say.
"So, what's next? What exactly do we do from here?" He asks his niece eyeing her up.
Ruby places both hands on the table and also gets up. Needing to move around a bit, "Could you stake out Lionheart's office for the day?" She asks looking at her uncle, "Somethings changed. I…we…need to know what is going on."
Qrow looks at her, giving her one last meaningful look, "So much like your mother." He waves them off before leaving the room.
Ruby shakes her head and pinches the bridge of her nose, "I wish he wouldn't do that. Not right now." It wasn't meant to be heard, but they heard it anyway.
"What do we do?" Jaune asked.
"I've been toying with this all night." Ruby said as she continued to pace, "We have two problems to deal with before Haven. Jaune's semblance and my violent regressions. Not knowing what is real or not real in the moment. So, I may have an idea on how to bridge the two."
Jaune sat forward a bit more, as did the others. Yang narrows her eyes, seeing Ruby's visible discomfort with the idea as she gives Jaune eye contact, "In my line of thought, I actually think I could activate your semblance like I did for Weiss without the mortal wound thing, however it would be equally…unpleasant."
Jaune looked at her curiously, "What do you mean?"
Ruby scratches the back of her head and diverts her gaze, "I can possibly create the environment and the mental state that you need to unlock it. It's not pleasant, but then again war never is." She looks at them now and sees the unease on their faces, "However this here and now is your choice."
"What exactly is involved if he does this?" Pyrrha asks cutting Jaune off before he could have a chance to respond, "And if you look so uncomfortable, why would you suggest such a thing?"
Ruby takes a deep breath, "Well he wanted me to jump start this process, and honestly on my end, it's going to force me to face things I'd rather not face. To answer your question fully, it will involve me recreating a hostile atmosphere; allowing him to bring forth the necessary feelings needed to force his semblance forward."
"So, you would have him experience this, and have yourself re-live it." Weiss says leaning forward, giving her partner a look with her arms crossed.
"More or less. Besides, as I said and we all know, there are things I clearly need to work through as well…as last night showed us. So, it could help us both." Ruby added looking at her partner.
"Or harm you both." Ren says. Then he looks closer at Ruby and briefly sees different flickers of emotions cross her face, one of them slight fear, "Or you are afraid you lose yourself and will harm us."
"Yes." Ruby admits softly, "Especially since you all were used against me in some way; mainly Weiss, Blake, and Yang." The three mentioned looked at one another before giving Ruby a look, "The first night when I woke up, the fight with Yang last night. The way I nearly beat that guy without mercy when we were looking for Raven's camp, my willingness to end a life without a second glance. Clearly, I was wrong in thinking I have gotten used to being in the present timeline, that I have ground myself better." Ruby sits back down "The more I fight and think about you all getting hurt, the more willingly I allow this festering void to fill me and I lose control. Not caring who or what is in my way."
Silence followed that explanation as they let her words sink in. Oscar looked at them all, feeling almost helpless. He has only known this group for a short period of time, and already had so much information thrown at him that it would overwhelm even the strongest of people. However, allowing her words to sink in, he thinks of a question that he is sure is weighing on everyone's minds, "So based on that logic;" he starts off as he looks between Ruby and the others, making sure that Ruby is indeed giving him her attention, "what is to stop you from viewing us as a threat when doing this exercise?"
"There isn't. Which is why, if we go through with this mind you, you will play an important part." Ruby states then adds after seeing his wide-eyed look of hesitation, "Well by you, I mean you and Oz. Mainly Oz."
"Why him?" Yang blurts out before Oscar could comment, not liking where the conversation was now heading.
Ruby looks at her sister, "He would be the most experienced fighter. Besides you've seen me, and not for nothing, I do have ten years more fighting experience than you do. It only makes sense that he, or Ozpin rather, should handle anything that goes wrong."
Silence once more follows this admittance, "Before we make any decisions;" Pyrrha spoke up, voice uncharacteristically firm, even stealing a glance with Jaune, "we need to know what happened last night with the knife and the scythe. Ozpin told us-"
Ruby raised her hand to stop Pyrrha's train of thought, "I think I know what he told you and what you are going to ask." Seeing the warrior nod and the others waiting for the answer, she sighs, "It's the reason why Ozpin needs to be on standby in case something happens. In the case of the Silver Eyes, the power comes from the God of Light in order to fight the creatures of Grimm. Those with the power can use it by thoughts of preserving and protecting life. It is because of this ability, people with eyes like mine were hunted and exterminated." She watches as her friends pale slightly, recalling her outburst from last night.
"The Grimm, what does the power do to them?" Nora asks slowly.
"Turn them to stone, vaporize them, and momentarily blind them. I first used this ability during the Fall of Beacon when I turned the Wyvern to stone…the first time around." Ruby quickly listed, "From there I had trained with Maria Calavera, you might know her as the Grimm Reaper."
"Seriously?" Yang asked in awe, "We meet the Grimm Reaper?"
Ruby smiles, thinking about her mentor, "Eventually. I mean I kind of already re-met her after our little revelation at that mystic's tent a couple days back; but yes."
"Ok so then nowhere on your list did it mention creating or manifesting weapons." Ren points out slowly.
"That is a different brand of magic. If I was in my right mind frame, I would use it as an absolute last resort."
"So last night, when you were fighting Yang;" Blake states slowly, trying to process the information, "you viewed her as a serious enough threat that you needed a weapon?"
At this Ruby gave a look of guilt and hesitated on answering, however Weiss answered for her, "The darkness that you had developed. You just said in the beginning about giving into that void. You didn't just view Yang as a threat, you wanted that personification of her to suffer. That was 'The Bloody Scourge of Remnant'."
"Yes. It's like a blood rage." Seeing their looks, Ruby continues with the explanation, "Loss of control and violent impulses triggered by strong emotion, such as rage or fear."
She then locks eyes with Oscar and says with a sigh, "And again it is why I want Ozpin near and ready so that he could…protect you all if necessary. Besides a simple knife and scythe are not the only weapons I am near fluent in, after all being a weapons enthusiast comes in handy. So, what is it going to be? As I said, this is something we can have more control over; and I can always work something else out."
As the conversation comes back around to why they were discussing this to begin with, Jaune is momentarily startled as Ruby looks at him expectantly. Seeing everyone else's glances, there is a sense of foreboding. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he looks and sees Pyrrha staring at him, "We don't have to do this Jaune. We can continue practicing, I know we are close."
"But how much closer? This battle is coming soon, and I don't want anyone to die because I was useless." He responds dejectedly as Ruby's words ring in his head how his semblance was activated in her timeline, he glances at Weiss out of the corner of his eye. Briefly his dark blue eyes meet her light blue ones as she too is recalling the words, they both looked away from each other not wanting to further imagine the scenario.
"You have come a long way." Nora says encouragingly giving him a small and encouraging smile. She knows that this was a hard subject for him since Beacon. Ever since they found out about his transcripts and working extra hard to make up for it.
"She is right, you have and we are proud of you." Ren states in agreement giving his friend a smile.
Jaune smiles in turn, grateful for their words, but none the less knows that this might be the best course of action. They are, after all, not in the protected halls of Beacon. This was real life and there was too much at stake, "Thanks guys, but we are running out of time." Jaune says as he gently removes Pyrrha's hand from his shoulder. He looks at Ruby and says, "I asked for this, so let's do it."
Ruby nods, "Ok everyone grab your weapons and we'll meet in the training area in fifteen minutes."
JNPR and Oscar left the table to go to their rooms to grab their weapons and get ready. Blake, Weiss, and Yang waited at the table for Ruby to move in that same direction, instead she started to make her way to the training room, "Aren't you coming?" Blake asks after a moment of exchanging looks with Yang and Weiss.
"I'm all good to go. Besides you do not want me to have Crescent Rose in case something happens." Ruby added the last part mostly to herself, and not giving them much chance to respond, she went to the training room.
Silently, WBY went to the room to finish getting ready as they assumed Ruby was preparing the training room, "Anyone else not liking this idea?" Blake questions out loud, unable to bear the silence.
"Oh, it is a totally bad idea." Yang comments with a groan.
"And we are not stopping it if we agree?" Weiss asks as she grabs her weapon not believing the scenario is actually happening to them.
Yang turns and looks at them, "Even if we should, Jaune wants to try this. Ruby gave him a warning and seemed to have laid down all the potential factors that could go wrong. He's a big boy after all."
Blake and Weiss looked at one another, "You are still mad at her." Blake states.
"No, what gives you that impression?" Yang sarcastically asks. In truth she wasn't actually mad, just still hurt and Ruby's explanation still having a bitter taste in her thoughts.
"You could dial down the attitude." Weiss stated firmly with an eye roll, "We are not your enemy after all." She adds under her breath.
Yang hears it and sighs, stopping her preparations with Ember Celica to look at her two teammates, "I know. I'm sorry. No, I am not mad at Ruby. More disappointed than anything else. Like what else could she still be hiding?"
That was the fifty million lien question. While it seemed Ruby spilled just about everything now that Summer Rose's disappearance in full view of everyone that mattered, there will always be that lingering doubt if Ruby was indeed leveling with them one-hundred and ten percent, "Everyone has some type of baggage that they carry and do not want anyone else to see." Blake said, "However I believe Ruby has leveled with us the best she could given her circumstances. Mind you, I am not trying to defend her or let her completely off the hook," Blake says over Yang and Weiss's start of protests, "after all, would you have been opened to listen to her after she dropped the future bombshell on you…on all of us?"
Yang breathed out a sigh, "No I suppose not. But even you cannot deny that she has had ample time to fill me in on things…fill us all in."
Weiss sighs and finishes reloading her weapon, "Look, regardless of what she could have done versus what she should have done, it's over. It came and it went. Decisions, while perhaps not the best ones, were already made and the outcome already happened. Right now, all we can do is just move on and do the best we can." She went to the door and opened it seeing team JNPR and Oscar in the hallway.
"You guys ready?" Nora asks looking at them with slight apprehension. They had caught the tail end of the conversation that the girls had and looked at the sister team with sympathy.
Blake gathers up Gambol Shroud and looks at Yang expectantly. The blonde sighs and places the gauntlets on her arms, "Not exactly, but if this is what you want…" She trails off looking at Jaune with a raised brow.
Jaune looks towards Pyrrha as if he was begging her for her approval. She just silently looks back at him. They had their own little pow-wow in the room, going back and forth why she believed this was not the right call. However, she also knows he is desperate to have his semblance unlocked and ready to go for the battle that lay before them, "Not really either, but what other choice do we have?" She responds slightly defeated. They all caught the tone, but agreed with the sentiment and made their way to the training area.
Once they entered the training area, they see Ruby standing in the middle with hands on her hips. She has target dummies and training mats around the area, including two in the middle. Hearing their steps, she waves them over with a sad smile on her lips, "Hey guys. Ready to start?" She asks lightly as they approach.
"As ready as we will ever be." Ren says in a light tone as he glances to Jaune.
The unease is not missed between them as Ruby looks to Jaune, "You really do not have to do this." She says, "It was an idea that I had, and there is no shame in backing out now."
"No;" He says firmly, "I am not backing down. I want to figure this out."
Ruby sighs, "Ok. If you insist. Now here is what is going to happen. We," she motions to herself and him, "are going to sit in the middle here. Everyone else," she motions to the group, "you are going to train around us. I have target dummies for those that want to work on punches or even shooting. The mats are for those that want to work on hand to hand with a partner. Whatever you pick or whoever you want to pair up with, go for it. Weiss," the former heiress looks towards her leader, "I specifically want you to try and work on your summons. If you can, or want a challenge, have either…" She looks at the others in an analytical like manner, "Nora or Blake spar with you. That way too, maybe they can fight some of your summons. Basically, all of you, I want to make this feel and have the sense of a battlefield as much as possible."
"Why not have us be a free-for-all then?" Yang asks with her arms crossed.
"Control." Ruby responds, "It'll hopefully be safer that way. I am going to see if I can trick Jaune's brain into believing there is a battle, while I myself keep grounded knowing there is no actual battle since I will be too focused on him to watch you guys."
Jaune nodded slowly, "Trick my brain?"
Ruby nods, "Yes see I am going to try and place you in a trance. The idea is that your brain is going to try to make sense of things. Like, sometimes the world is so beautiful, you know? I think that is something we can still agree on." Ruby questions lightly as she looks at her friends, "The laughter of a friend…a newborn baby gripping your finger. Your brain finds that beautiful."
They nod in understanding, but then watch as her smile falls, "Life is also fragile. You blink, it's gone, just like that. In the face of horror, our minds turn our trauma into a story to make sense of it, even if it doesn't make sense."
"So, by using his other senses, hearing and I'm assuming the smell from the shots that are going to be firing, you are re-enforcing his brain to accept this kind of trauma." Pyrrha cuts in softly, "But then that could mean you will start believing in the trauma as well."
"Hence why we are doing this in a controlled environment. Also Oscar?" The farmhand looks at the young woman, "This is mainly for Oz, but I know he is listening; if for whatever reason I lose it; keep me away from the weapons. Specifically, Myrtenaster, followed by Gambol Shroud, and then Ember Celica. In fact…" Ruby takes Crocea Mors from Jaune and hands it to Oscar, also eyeing the cane at his side, "Keep that away too." She motions to his side.
"Why-" Nora starts to ask.
"You practiced with our weapons at one point." Weiss states in slight awe as she remembered seeing Ruby practice moves that mirrored their fighting styles.
Ruby shrugs, "It's no big deal. And it's more like I studied you all, and I am a weapons' enthusiast, but everyone has their assignments. Jaune, knowing all of this, do you still want this?
Jaune nods and sits on the mat, "That answer your question?"
Ruby shrugs and takes her own seat, she pulls out a box of matches and says, "Ok. Let's begin. Everyone find you station, but do not start until I give the all clear." She strikes the match, allows it to remain lit for a bit before blowing it out, filling Jaune's sense with the sulfur like smell.
"Uhm what-"
"Nope just close your eyes." Ruby ordered as he nods and closes his eyes. Ruby lights another match and blows it out, "Inhale." He does so as she mentally counts, "Exhale." He follows her instructions.
"What is she doing?" Nora asks as Ruby lights another match as Jaune breathes with her.
Blake watches closely before realization dawns on her. It was a technique that had been used in the White Fang after some other gruesome missions where the soldiers in question needed to remember details, "She's creating the smell of sulfur." She watches as the flame is extinguished and the smoke from the flame rises in the air, "It's to help create the atmosphere of fighting."
Ruby's voice floats over to them, "Let my voice guide your mind. You are on the field of battle. The sky is tinged red. Ground saturated in decaying Grimm corpses and mangled soldiers that fought for Salem. You don't have time to breathe as there is fighting all around you."
She looks over to them and nods, "That is our cue." Yang says as she engaged Ember Celica.
The group breaks apart and starts on their individual matches. Yang starts to fire at the dummy, purposefully missing and also using it for some hand-to-hand combat. Blake turns to Weiss and lunges as Weiss activates her semblance. Nora too gangs up on the former heiress while Pyrrha and Ren exchange a short look before lunging at each other. Oscar hesitantly stands by before turning to his own dummy, remember your own job. Ozpin comes to him. I am, he responds as he lunges at the dummy with a glance over his shoulder.
Ruby keeps lighting the match and blowing it out as there is now an actual sound of combat around them. She keeps describing the battlefield, something that she is all too familiar with. For ten straight minutes, Ruby allows her voice to drift as she watches Jaune closely, the pile of used matches growing ever bigger.
Soon, even as Jaune occasionally flinches at every sound, she too internally winces at the sounds of her friends' weapons and activating semblances, but keeps her eyes trained on Jaune-his own brows furrowed and small beads of sweat appearing near his forehead, "You are cutting down enemy after enemy. You have your friends fighting at different parts of the field. However, the tide is not turning in your favor."
This catches Pyrrha's attention briefly as Ren fires at her. She swiftly dodges, but keeps focus on Jaune and Ruby, "You hear screams and roars around you. The chaos is intoxicating as you fall to the into a pattern of cut and slice. Cut and slice."
Jaune imagines the battle Ruby is describing. He feels his heartrate pick up, the adrenaline that is coming. He hears the shooting and smells the sulfur around him as the image comes to mind, "You start to feel slight triumph…until you hear a deafening scream. You see the person you care about most fall before you."
Pyrrha, his inner voice comes to him. Immediately he imagines it as Ruby describes it:
The villain had an obsidian bow in her hand with the matching arrow. The ankle is the first to get hit. You try to run over and help, but another Grimm creature blocks your path. You have no other choice but to fight as the person you care most about is in danger. You feel their pain…
Ruby pauses for a moment. She knows they are all listening, but she doesn't want to directly say anything. Especially as she recalled how Jaune had looked as he played Pyrrha's training video over and over when they had made their own trek through the wilds of Mistral. Shaking herself, she lights another match before blowing it out, swallowing hard as she sees his distress on his face.
As you fight, you see that special someone attempt to get to their feet. Jaune's brows furrow as his mind translates Ruby's words to Pyrrha's image. No, he could let her down. He just couldn't, but he can't go to her. He has to fight this damn Grimm. Come on, come on. He begs to himself.He almost lost her to Tyrian, he will be damned if he lost her now!
Both ends of the arrow break off, making removal impossible. The villain stands over her. You cannot make out the words. You finally manage to fend off the Grimm just as another bow and arrow form. You run over to her just as the arrow lets loose, impaling itself directly in the center of Pyrrha's chest.
"PYRRHA!" Jaune yells eyes flying open as he jumps up.
Fighting suddenly stops, but Ren is already into a lunge and unable to redirect course. Pyrrha is momentarily distracted as he nails into her, sending her back. Her aura shimmers and Jaune is immediately over to her, hands flying to her chest, "No. No please no."
"Jaune-" Pyrrha starts to say, but is silenced by Ruby's look as she makes her way over to them.
"Ruby-" Yang calls out.
But Ruby holds up her hand. She watches Jaune beg 'dying Pyrrha' to not leave them. Ruby cannot allow him to be pulled out just yet, but she hates herself just as much (if not more than what she had done to Weiss) as she continues her morbid description, "You see her struggling to breathe before stopping." Heartbroken is a massive understatement as they watch Jaune's grief intensifies on his face. What's more they could not believe Ruby's tone- the resignation, the apathy. It was all wrong.
Pyrrha goes to say something to Ruby, but her words die on her tongue as Jaune's pleading voice brings her attention back on him, his eyes glistening, "No, it wasn't supposed to be like this! Please!"
Jaune sadly closes his eyes, why? Why did this have to happen? He would give all his aura if it meant saving Pyrrha. He hears a sudden gasp, "Alright Jaune. Wake up." He responds to Ruby and blinks his eyes. He is no longer on the battlefield. He is in the training room, surrounded by a sudden white light with his hands above Pyrrha's chest- where the wound was supposed to be, "What?" He questions lightly.
Pyrrha sits up and smiles, "I knew you had a lot of aura to give."
"I-I don't." He takes his hands away and the light fades. He looks to Ruby, "You-"
"No, you activated it."
"You made me think she…" Jaune trailed off wiping his eyes and sitting back on his heels, the light from his hands fading.
"I warned you it wouldn't be pleasant." Ruby said sadly as she looked away and down, no longer able to keep eye contact with them.
No one spoke for a moment, in fact it was Oscar that had broken the silence, "The scene…what was it?" He whispered out.
Ruby let out a shaky breath, "The battlefield was one of many, but that isn't what your question actually was. Pyrrha's death in my timeline was when Cinder fired the arrow through her ankle and then another through her chest atop of Beacon Tower. However instead of the flash incineration ending, I twisted it to Weiss's own injury at Haven…when Jaune activated his semblance."
Pyrrha was trying to comfort him as she glanced over at Ruby, "It's ok Jaune. I'm here. It's ok."
"It's not though." He said brokenly as Nora came over to them, both she and Ren taking a knee next to their own leader, "The unimaginable pain…if…" He glares at Ruby, fists balling at his side. He felt Pyrrha's touch tighten on his shoulder, allowing him to relax-if only slightly.
"I think we are going to take some time to ourselves." Ren said giving his sister team a meaningful look. However, he focused on Ruby a bit more and shivered slightly at seeing the dark petals surrounding her.
Ruby said nothing and walked away without so much as a glance back, followed by the rest of her teammates, only offering nods and slight touches of comfort. Oscar swallowed a lump in his throat as he too gave some form of sympathy, this can only get better…right? He thought to his mental roommate.
I would like to confirm that sentiment, Ozpin thought back, but as Oscar's glance shows team RWBY sitting at the table once more, looking contemplative, but I'm afraid this may get worse before getting better; but I want to believe that it will get better.
