Well here is the second to last chapter. Shorter then normal I know but there's not much left to write. The next chaper will mostly take lace a week after everything is said and done with so that will be fun.
Waking up on the wrong side of the bed was probably not the right expression for the situation he found himself in but at least he was anything but happy. Jaune cracked open his eyes for a brief second when a figure in the corner of his vision caught his eye. Raven black hair and a penchant for all things malevolent led the blonde to recognize his former teammate and current problem.
Cinder pushed herself up to her feet and whined audibly when her left arm dangled lifelessly at her side. She took a few seconds to stare at the limb before taking hold of her arm in her right hand and started to limp away.
Jaune looked around at his surroundings and was relieved when he saw the rest of his team strapped tightly to their chairs and still breathing. The only one not bound to a chair from his team was Penny. After looking around for a few more seconds he noticed the robo girl sitting a few feet inside one of the ships terminals. Knowing he couldn't stay there much longer because Cinder was getting away the young Arc took hold of the belt buckle and went to push it.
He stopped just short of pressing the button to make sure there was nothing under him that could cause any injuries. The floor - or rather the ceiling as everything was upside down - had nothing below but the flat of the ground near the lights. Just to be on the safe side of things Jaune grabbed his seat belt with his right hand and undid the release with his left. He dropped quickly but was righted before he hit the ground thanks to his grip on the seat belt.
After giving himself a quick look over the young Arc moved over to the closest person strapped in the seat next to his. Jaune took hold of Neo's face with both hands a gently tapped his right hand against her cheek until she started to stir from her sleep. Her eye's looked from left to right before focusing on his where a confused expression took over her features. Jaune chuckled lightly, "your upside down. Here let me get you down".
Neo's eyes bulged a moment later when Jaune undid her belt and let the small girl drop from her seat. The small mute clenched her eyes shut in preparation for a rough landing when suddenly she felt a hand catch her and gently placed her down on her feet. A pink eye opened slightly and she looked down to see there was no trick and that she indeed was safely on her feet. An explosive sigh tore from her lips before she opened both her eyes completely and looked over to the tall blonde knight beside her.
Jaune smiled warmly at his mini friend, " I know your not gonna like this much but can you go and wake the others? Cinders on the move and I need to slow her down so we can take her together if at all possible"? Neo looked over the room and noticed everyone else was pretty much in the same position as she was just in. She knew facing Cinder alone was always a bad idea but letting the woman run away meant they'd always be looking over their shoulders for her next attack.
Reluctantly Neo nodded to the blonde knight. Jaune's smile grew slightly, "thanks Neo I'll pay you back for this assuming we all make it out of this in one piece". The young Arc went to turn away and give chase when Neo grabbed hold of Jaunes wrist before he could go. He looked back at the small girl and lowered himself to her eye level, "what's up"? Neo gave no answers as per usual but this time she took a deep breath and took the plunge.
Jaune's eyes widened as the small girl wrapped her arms around his shoulders and mashed her lips against his. He had Blake for crying out loud but even that was pushed aside in the brief moment of passion. The two separated for just a few seconds to make eye contact before all the feelings Jaune had buried for this woman in front of him came rushing back. His hand settled on the small of her back before he pulled her in once more. Their kiss was hot and even more passionate then the first with tongues all but trying to bind them together.
After a few minutes to enjoy their moment the two separated with Neo placing a hand on his cheek and her thumb on his lips. She smiled seductively and with her left hand she touched his chest before pushing him away.
Jaune stood up and rushed out of the room giving chase to his former teammate. His fist covered his lips and he cursed himself for giving in like that. If that wasn't bad enough the message she gave him before sending him on his way was a little too close to the truth for him to be comfortable with. A kiss to see where his feelings truly layed and a hand on the heart to let him know that no matter where he was or who he was with she'd always have a place in his heart.
He shook the thought from his mind and continued on down the hallway where he last saw Cinder. Jaune's treacherous mind still slammed him with the guilt of having enjoyed that quick make out session. The blonde growled, "I'm gonna have to grovel on hands and knees in front of Blake after this if only to show that she the one I really care for". It was a dreadful thought but one worth it if it appeased his kitten even the slightest... And he'd have to make sure she never heard his inner thoughts like ever.
Jaune snapped out of his inner idiocy when he came upon a wall that had been melted through. "Gotta be Cinder" he whispered to himself as he touched the edge of the melted wall. He passed through the opening and into the next room over once he was sure there was decent footing on the other side.
The room was nothing more a supply closet but that didn't bother Cinder in the slightest since when she melted another hole in the wall from what Jaune could see. Room after room he continued to follow the straight line of melted walls Cinder left in her wake until the latest hole led to the outside of the airship. Jaune could see the ground below but there wasn't any sign of his former teammate anywhere in site. Had she gotten away while he was busy?
The air around him suddenly changed like when a fire just lights and warmth covers an small area for a bit. Fire was the first thing to come to mind before his hand reached down and he tore the blade from his belt. Jaune spun 180 degrees on the spot and used his blade to protect him when a black glass blade came slashing down from above.
Blue eye's met amber before Cinder created a burst of fire from under her feet to fly forward. The two flew out of the opening in the ship and out into the evening sky. Cinder had hoped to kill Jaune in one move but no plan survives contact with this kind of enemy apparently. With great force Cinder pushed her blade down and tossed Jaune out of her flight path so she could hopefully get away.
When the blonde dropped out of Cinders sight she believed she'd successfully escaped... At least until something wrapped around her ankle and dragged her down. With only partial of the maiden power within her, she couldn't control her flight with an additional person hanging onto her. The two dropped into the forest and ended up crashing into several tree branches before Jaune got caught on one a yanked Cinder to a stop. The maiden power cut off and the raven haired huntress dropped quickly enough to pull Jaunes sword away from him. She then free fell out of the tree and hit the floor with the grace of baby bird just leaving the nest for the first time.
Jaune was no better in his fall and landed on his back with a thud. "That could have gone better" he groaned from his position on the floor. Footsteps crunching grass under foot pulled him back to the reason he was here. When Jaune tried to scramble to his feet he was bowled over by his former teammate and straddled. Cinder grabbed Jaunes face and used her power in an attempt to burn him alive but the blonde wasn't keen to let that happen. He struggled under the woman's grasp before realizing that Cinder was only using one of her hands to hold him down.
In what was a desperate move to stay alive Jaune punched Cinders left arm with his right and earned a startled cry of pain. It was just the briefest moment of weakness but it was enough for the blonde to dislodge the woman from her position on top of him. Cinder rolled on the ground and when she looked up to see where Jaune had gone she received a hard blow to her chin from an uppercut. She staggered back and nearly fell over before her back hit a tree and she regained her footing.
Jaune rushed his former teammate but Cinder matched him by meeting him head on. She created a black glass dagger in her right hand and thrusted towards his neck when she was close enough. Jaune on the other hand brought his right hand under and over to his left side before moving it to his right creating a half circle that hit and changed the direction of Cinders attack. His hand clamped down on her wrist and straightened her arm out before his left hand struck Cinders elbow drawing a loud and painful howl from the woman.
Jaune didn't waste his opportunity and quickly threw a left jab directly into Cinders remaining eye to blind his former teammate for a moment. The next move he made was just as fast when he grabbed Cinders wrist with his left and used his right to smack the back of the glass blade still in her grip with enough force to send it flying into the forest.
Everything was happening too fast to stop and Cinder was at the mercy of each blow the blonde delivered. Even with all the power she had she'd never felt so helpless before. Jaune twisted her wrist and moved behind her to place Cinders arm behind her back. She tried to resist as best she could but without the proper use of her other arm Cinder didn't get very far in breaking free. Jaune then kicked the back of her knee and forced his former teammate to the ground.
"It's over Cinder you lost" the blonde said as he placed his left hand on the back of her neck and pushed down keeping her pinned.
Cinder gritted her teeth and continued to struggle in vain for several minutes knowing without a doubt she couldn't get away like this. It was one loss after another, from her losing half the maidens power to losing her eye, and now losing to the one person who always had it all while she struggled for even a tiny bit of respect. It was too much. The maiden power reacted to her anger and a vortex of fire roared to life on her command.
Jaune looked around and saw the walls of fire burnin brighter and rising so high that nothing could get in or out without burning to a crisp. His hand tightened around the back of Cinders neck, "that's enough Cinder it's over"! The raven haired woman smiled despite the tightening grip around her neck. "It's not over Jaune" she said with a more sinister smile then before "not until I get what I came for". The flames burned even hotter all of a sudden and it felt harder to breathe then normal.
Jaune's eyes widened in realization of what Cinder was actually trying to do with all this fire. If she had been thinking of sacrificing herself the flames could have easily consumed them both but by burning up the oxygen in the air all around them she could knocked him out if she held out long enough. The plan was a double edge sword because Cinder wouldn't be able to breathe either but it would weaken the hold the Arc hadon her if nothing else.
Cinder took slow even breathes and made sure to keep her body loose because stiffened muscles would eat up what little oxygen she had. 'Just a little longer and I'll be free' she thought 'after all with Jaune trying to be the hero as of late he won't have what it takes to do what is necessary to survive'. Cinder felt Jaune's grip on her loosen and not shortly after they fell away.
She smiled proudly at having out witted her former leader. 'Now to end this'. Before she could move or even think of the possibility that she could have been wrong about her former leader one hand settled under her jaw while the other grabbed the back of her head.
CRACK!
Cinder blinked a couple times in confusion, 'why am I looking at you' she thought to herself. Jaune wore a very sorrowful expression and it took Cinder a moment to realize why it was aimed at her. 'Oh' she tried to say but only a small gurgling sound came from her lips before blood followed. Her body teetered for a few seconds and then dropped to the floor. Shortly after the light left Cinders eye's did the giant vortex of fire surrounding them dissipated leaving the young Arc standing in a burned clearing.
Jaune stood motionlessly in place staring down at what he had done with his own hands. His fingers flexed slowly and Jaune looked up to the darkening sky before releasing a shaky breath. First his family, then his master and now Cinder. Just how much will this war between Ozpin and his mother take from him? How far will he have to go in the coming days to avoid his own demise? Or even worse who will he lose next time something like this happened?
"Trouble for another day" he decided before walking away from his former teammates body.
"Tch tch tch poor Cinder. Always did like biting off more then she can handle".
Jaune spun on the spot and looked back to where Cinders body laid. Next to her body stood a man with a long ponytail, a brown jacket that was open to reveal several scars and a sinister grin that let Jaune know he was trouble. Jaune reached down slowly for his weapon before realizing he never did have time to pick it up after his fall. He cursed internally but continued to keep his eye's on the new arrival.
"The fact that you know about Cinder means your working for Salem in some manner, right"?
The man clapped his hands together slowly, "so full of questions but sadly your focused on the wrong person". Jaune looked behind him quickly when the grass under someone's foot crunched and alerted him. What he saw when he turned was something huge and most likely made of dust before it crashed into him and exploded on contact. Jaune felt like he'd taken a bullhead straight on and had come out the loser when he was sent flying so fast he shattered a few trees before rolling to a stop in the dirt.
"Oh my! I didn't think you'd go full power right off the bat Hazel" the other man said. Hazel rolled his shoulders and grunted "that attack won't kill him but it will put him out for a while. Tyrian be sure to load the boy up gently. I am not looking forward to what Salem will do to us if he should die before we return to her castle". Tyrian ignored the large man and giggled when he saw the young Arc stand up again. "Looks like we are not done yet".
In truth Hazel himself was shocked that this boy was even still conscious after being hit with a quadruple dust mixture attack. And yet there he stood.
Jaune for his part hadn't felt this crappy since the first time he battled an ursa bare handed. Then again now that he thought about it his master was a bit of an asshole for making him do that just because he drew a picture of his master as a pig and made Vernal laugh. The young Arc focused on the two grown men slowly angling themselves on either side of him and couldn't help but smile. Their sneak attack had done more damage then he'd freely admit not to mention what he'd already been through with Cinder and the airship.
Jaune's thoughts went to his friends and how he hoped they were all alright. 'You'd think I had Qrow's semblance with how this turned out' he thought just as the two men ran at him to put him down.
"Sorry Blake but it'll be a bit longer before I can get back to you" Jaune lifted his arms in preparation for a desperate fight, "wait for me".
The two men descend on him and Jaune gave all he could in one last act of defiance.
This story is gonna have an open ending so I can come back to it in the future when I have the chance. I'm not gonna write the fight for Jaune, Hazel and Tyrian because Cinder was the last big bad of this story and writing another fight after her's will just undermine her final battle.