Chapter 11
The White Fang have disappeared from Vale. After an attack from the Jedi, many of the leaders of the White Fang were captured. Rosa was attacked by the Sith at the docks in her room and was beaten badly.
"Ozpin, I beg you. Let me take her alone on this mission." Maku said, putting his hands on Ozpin's desk.
"Professor, I assure you that will not be happening. They are a team for a reason. They need to be with each other." Ozpin said.
"She needs time alone. Her confidence is crumbling. They are all stronger than her. She can't keep up with them." Maku said.
"I understand that you're worried about your padawan, but this is highly inappropriate." Ozpin said. "Taking her away from her team is destructive. It will harm her more than letting her stay with her team. What do you think it will do to her to be told by her teachers she's not strong enough to stay with her team, so she's going to need special treatment? Dammit man, think about what that would do to her!"
"I have, and she can take it. She's a strong kid but Rosa can only take so many losses before it all becomes too much for her." Maku said.
"A question then Maku. Have you been training her your best?" Ozpin asked. Maku stepped back and couldn't look Ozpin in the eyes.
"You're a bastard." Ozpin said quietly. "Go."
Maku was about to say something but couldn't. He bowed and turned back. He clenched his fist. The elevator doors closed, and Ozpin let out a breath. He touched the glass orb of his old cane and looked in it. He saw the orb filled with darkness, and he put it down.
"Either the future is undecided, or it's dark." Ozpin said to no one in particular. He looked a Maku through the glass and felt the turmoil in him. He held his lightsaber in his hand and sighed. He put it back and wiped his eye of a tear. Ozpin didn't know why, but he knew Maku was holding Rosa back.
Something had to change there, or he had to know why. But he knew he would be told it was a Jedi matter.
Ozpin put the orb down and sighed. He wouldn't get his answers by trying to divine them. His efforts in that have earned his forces many powerful allies. Even team RWBY and JNPR were formed as he foresaw, but Rosa, and the rest of the Jedi, were a surprise. He wondered if that meant the time was soon to come that Salem would strike.
He used the orb to look out at his students, looking at team RRWBY training. Rosa was sparring with Yang, holding her own. But Yang was better and would end up being the victor. Rosa couldn't handle Yang's punches for long.
Then she did something he wouldn't have guessed. She started using trickery tactics. She was able to get under Yang as she punched and used the force to push Yang away. Yang flew into a tree, slamming into it. She let out a grunt, and Rosa brought her hands up to her mouth. She rushed over to Yang's side and helped her up.
"I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened." Rosa said.
"Good hit." Yang said, getting up, and brushing the dust off. Rosa's heart skipped a beat, and she tried to calm it.
"Padawan Reidan, what happened?" Plo Koon said.
"I don't know. I just wanted to throw Yang off balance." Rosa said. She looked at her hands.
"You did far more than that. If semblances weren't a thing, Yang would be dead." Plo said.
"I understand master. I don't understand what happened." Rosa said.
"Be that as it may, we need to understand why this happened." Plo said. Rosa was taken away from the training grounds. Yang looked at her teammates and sighed. She wasn't hurt. She was alright.
Ozpin stopped watching Rosa. He knew something happened between her and the Jedi at some point, but he couldn't see through the orb. He couldn't search her memories. He hoped there was nothing there that would come to haunt them.
Windu looked around the temple and felt the pain of his failure. The Jedi had fallen. He remembered seeing the temple on fire. He couldn't feel anyone else. He feared that they were all gone. And it was his fault. He had no nightmares. His life was the worst nightmare of all.
He tried to figure out why Anakin fell. He and Anakin never saw eye to eye… but he thought he did the best he could with the boy.
Boy… no Anakin wasn't a boy. He wasn't that little slave boy from Tatooine that Qui Gon brought before them. He wasn't the padawan who traveled with his master to countless worlds, solving problem after problem.
He was the hero of the republic. A republic that he doubted still stood. What could he have done to stop Anakin from falling? He didn't know. The code guided his actions. He thought that if he just followed the code, everything would be good, but… that proved false. He still believed in the code. He had to. What was a Jedi without the code?
"There is no emotion, there is peace"
The words bounced around the empty hall of the temple. The stone and granite holding up this building that once stood as a beacon of light, but is now, a reminder of how even on distant planets like Remnant, there is darkness. No emotion. He had many Jedi give their interpretation of this line. But he knew one thing to be true. The Jedi strive to live without emotion. They strive to live without falling prey to their emotions and endangering the galaxy. Windu looked at his hand, the mechanic arm moved when his brain told it to.
But that was a part of him that he lost. He would have gladly died if it meant that the Sith Lord was defeated… but that didn't happen. He failed to take out Palpatine. His reward for his hastiness was greater than this simple wound. How many Jedi were killed?
"There is no death, there is the force."
He repeated the last tenant of the code multiple times. But he wasn't completed by the chant.
"Master Windu, this really isn't the best place to be chanting the code." Windu turned around and saw two people standing behind him. He didn't recognize either of them.
"We're Jedi from this planet. I'm Jedi Roy Grull." The man said. He was a faunas wearing simple clothes on the surface, but everything had Jedi iconography. He stood a head shorter than Windu, with sky blue skin. He had a pair of gills on the side of his throat but seemed to be perfectly able to breathe on land, like Kit Fisto. He had two lightsabers by his side.
"And I'm Jasmine Flore." A human woman, with short hair, wearing similar garb to Roy. She stood the same height as Pyrrha Nikos, or an inch taller. She had one lightsaber by her side. She had a scar across her cheek.
"How do you know about me?" Windu asked.
"We are Jedi seers. Your arrival has been foreseen for a decade. We knew that a war would break out in the galaxy at large, and the Jedi would be… purged. A powerful warrior with an amethyst blade would arrive after great loss and would restore the temple." Roy Grull said.
"We have also seen the future. You will never again see the home you knew. You will see a great tragedy. We also come with a warning. If unheeded, Life will be endangered. An ancient evil will strike here. We have seen a crystal in our visions. This crystal has cracks running along it and is about to break. But there is still time for the crystal to be healed. We do not understand it. You must figure it out, and if not, all will be in danger." Jedi Jasmine Flore said.
"Seers?" Windu said. "I've been taught to keep yourself mindful of the future, but that it is always in motion." Windu said.
"The Jedi will come here. The beacon has been lit. Many Jedi will come. But it will bring the Sith. War is on the horizon. But it can be ended long before the first shot is fired." Roy said.
"I fought war already. I have no desire to fight another." Mace said.
"The seers will help you." Jasmine said.
"When will we run out of time?" Mace asked.
"We don't know, but it will be in our lifetime. In this decade. Any sooner and we'll be guessing." Roy said.
"Then we must find out what this vision means." Windu said.
After training ended, team RRWBY, minus Blake, started setting up for the dance. Rosa used this as an opportunity to hone her control of the force. She had no idea how she used such a strong attack against Yang. Weiss slammed two white tablecloths in front of Ruby. Rosa dropped the welcome sign in the air, and it fell on Weiss.
"Sorry." Rosa said. She used the force to start again. Weiss rubbed the bridge of her nose and held her head in her hand. Rosa smiled at her, and Weiss held out her hand, helping Rosa. They got the banner up, and Weiss turned back to Ruby.
"I need you to pick a tablecloth." Weiss said. Ruby looked back and forth between them, with the most serious face she could make, then confusion filled her face.
"Aren't they both the same?" Ruby said.
"I don't even know why I asked!" Weiss said frustrated.
Yang carrying a speaker on her shoulder, slammed in on the floor, making Ruby jump.
"Don't scare me like that." Ruby said.
"So, have you picked out a dress yet?" Yang asked. "We got Rosa a dress."
"I know you did. She's shown me. Besides what's the point? Who cares about the dance if Blake isn't going?" Ruby said mopping on the table.
"Oh, don't worry; she's going." Yang said, holding Ruby's shoulder. "Weiss! I thought we agreed: No doilies!"
"If I don't get doilies, you don't get fog machines!" Weiss retorted. Sun and Neptune entered the gym, looking around and nodding. Sun saw Rosa using the force to move everything and looked at her questioningly.
"Why are you…" Sun started.
"She's using this as practice over her control." Ruby said.
"Why?" Sun asked.
"Training. But… during training today, she lost control and used the force to throw Yang into a tree. She's worried about it, so try not to bring it up." Ruby whispered.
"Alright." Sun said. "You ladies all excited for dress-up?"
"Pfft... Yeah, right!" Ruby said
"Laugh all you want. I'll be turning heads tomorrow night!" She smirked as she turned to Ruby.
"What are you two wearing?" Weiss asked.
"Uuhhh... this?" Sun said gesturing to himself. Weiss rolled her eyes.
"Ignore him for he knows not what he says." Neptune said.
"Hey, I may have moved to Mistral, but I grew up in Vacuo. It's not exactly a shirt-and-tie kind of place." Sun said.
"But you are also a Jedi. Which IS a shirt-and-tie kind of thing." Weiss said.
"Wow there. Remember, we don't have that much in ways of uniform. Most of us get Jedi clothing or tattoos." Sun said.
"Tattoos?" Weiss asked.
"I got one on my back." Sun took off his shirt and showed his tattoo. It was the symbol of the Jedi on his back. He smiled as the girls looked at it.
"It looks nice." Yang said. "Maybe I'll do that."
"Does it have to be on the back?" Weiss asked.
"No, it could be anywhere you choose." Sun said.
"I don't know…" Weiss said.
"You don't have to if you don't want to." Sun said.
"Alright." Weiss said
"Soooo... what does Blake think of all this? She still being all, y'know... Blake-y?" Sun asked.
"Obviously." Weiss said, frustrated at Blake more than at Sun.
"I still can't think of a way to change her mind." Ruby said concerned.
"Guys. Trust me; Blake will be at the dance tomorrow." Everyone looked at Yang, as she gave them a reassuring smile.
Blake was sitting in the library reading, or what passed for reading in her state, about the whereabouts of the white fang, or lack thereof. Her eyes closed for a few seconds, and before she would fall asleep, she jolted back awake. Then she repeated the process. A bright red light came on the screen, and she tried to swat it away. But it didn't go away. She grumbled and tried again to get rid of it, only for it to get worse. She got up, and went after it, following it across the library, until she turned a corner. She turned, and bumped into Yang, bouncing off her, and hitting the floor. She got up and looked at Yang questioningly.
"He-lloooo!" Yang said in a sing-song voice. She grabbed Blake before she could say anything and dragged her to an empty classroom. The sun had started to go down.
"Ren, we need to talk." Jaune said, grabbing Ren after leaving the shower. Ren was about to refuse, but Jaune grabbed him and dragged him to his bed, not letting him change.
"Ren... I'm just gonna say it. You are one of my best friends. These past few months, I feel like we've really bonded, even though you don't say much. I mean, you're really quiet. To be perfectly honest, I don't know that much about you, personally, but darnit, I consider you to be the brother I never had! Especially since I don't have any brothers… and we're both padawans." Jaune said.
"And I you." Ren said, trying to hide his embarrassment and trying to get his clothes, but Jaune stopped him.
"Which is why I wanted to get your advice on... girls." Jaune said.
"Girls?" Ren asked surprised and confused. Nora even looked at him starting to take her headphones off.
"I just... don't know... how to... girls. Um, I-I guess what I'm asking is... Well, how did you and Nora... y'know..." Jaune stumbled, a blush coming on his face, and that of Ren and Nora.
"Uh…" Ren said.
"We're actually not "together-together..." Nora said.
"NORA I SAID HEADPHONES ON!" Jaune commanded Nora.
"Jaune, what is this all about?" Ren asked. Jaune's face was completely red. He looked around to see if Pyrrha was in the room.
"Um… it's Pyrrha." Jaune mumbled so quietly no one heard him.
"What?" Ren asked. Jaune cupped his hands over Ren's ear and repeated himself. Ren gave him a questioning look.
"Really?" Ren asked.
"I know, I know. She's so much better than me at everything. She's so kind to everyone and is the most beautiful girl in school. I'm completely head-over-heels for her, but she thinks about me like that. When we first started training… I tried hinting at what I thought, but she… shut the topic down. And why wouldn't she? She's amazing at everything, and everyone loves her. She's… She's amazing. So amazing that I have no chance in hell of coming close to her. I know she must have had every guy in the school ask her to the dance. What chance do I stand? She just… I drag her down. I've gotten better… but not good enough to be with her. Not even close. Even when I see her every day she stands so far above me. I just… I know we're all training to be Jedi, but… She's more than that. More than the champion. She's perfect. She deserves the world, and I can't give it to her. She deserves to have anything she can dream of, and I can't do that. She deserves better than me." Jaune finished.
"Jaune…" Ren started. No one heard the noise of Pyrrha slumping on the ground outside their door, holding back tears. No one, no one ever had said anything like that about her. She just wanted to open the door and tell Jaune she doesn't need the world. She just needs someone to be with her. Someone who would never judge her. Someone who could be there for her when she needed them. She felt the tears start coming down her face.
"I know I'm being a coward… but if I have to give up my happiness for her, then so be it." Jaune said.
"Jaune! You both deserve happiness. You are the only thing standing in your way to be happy. You don't know what she wants. You have never given yourself the credit you deserve. You deserve to be happy too." Ren said. Standing in front of Jaune.
"But… what have I done to deserve it?" Ren asked.
"Jaune, you are the hardest working person in this whole damn school. You are the most honest person I know. But why lie to yourself? You want to be with Pyrrha, so go grow a pair and ask her. We don't know how much time we have left, so don't waste another second." Ren said. Jaune smiled and stood up, accidentally knocking Ren back. His towel unfolded, falling to the ground. Ren and Jaune stood there for a second. Ren slowly turned his head to see Nora covering her face with a pillow.
Ren grabbed his clothes and ran into the bathroom. Nora put the pillow down, with blood coming from her nose. Jaune had a horrified look on his face, and he started profusely apologizing at the bathroom door.
Pyrrha heard what Ren said and was about to step in when she saw the towel fall. Her face turned red. The emotional rollercoaster brought Rosa out of team RRWBY's room.
"Pyrrha, is something wrong?" Rosa asked.
Pyrrha couldn't say anything. She covered her face and turned away from Rosa. Rosa could almost see steam coming from her forehead.
"I need to take a walk." Pyrrha said.
"Want me to come along?" Rosa asked.
"Sorry… I need to be alone for a few minutes." Pyrrha said.
"Okay…" Rosa said.
Jaune also decided it was best to go out for a walk, trying to avoid eye contact with Nora and Ren. He started walking with his eyes closed. He started thinking about the Jedi code.
"There is no emotion, there is peace? What does that mean?" Jaune said. "Emotions are… a good thing aren't they?"
"Jaune is it?" Jaune turned around and saw Cyan.
"Yes." Jaune said.
"Cyan. I couldn't help but overhear what you said. Just saying, yes, emotions are a good thing." Cyan said.
"Thanks?" Jaune said. "Do you want something?"
"Nothing in particular. Just hearing that line from Rosa really annoyed me. Of course, emotions are a good thing. We fought a war over them, right?" Cyan said.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha yelled his name, as she walked over to him. His heart started beating faster.
"Pyrrha! How are you?" He asked.
"Good."
"I'll be leaving you two." Cyan said.
"See you around." Jaune said.
"Same." Cyan said, walking away.
"Who was that?" Pyrrha asked.
"He said his name was Cyan. And that he talked to Rosa. Was there something you wanted?" Jaune asked.
"Well… about tomorrow… Do you have a date yet?" Pyrrha asked, knowing the answer.
"No. What about you?" Jaune said, trying to fight a blush from coming up.
"No, in fact, no one asked me yet." Pyrrha said solemnly.
"That's not possible. You're amazing. Any guy would be more than happy to have you be their date." Jaune said. Pyrrha began to blush.
"A lot of them are too… what's the word?" Pyrrha asked.
"Pigheaded?" Jaune asked.
"Not my choice of word, but yes. They're all too worried about the dumbest things." Pyrrha said, looking at Jaune.
Jaune began to blush, then started rubbing the back of his head.
"Would…" Jaune took in a breath and let it out. "Would you like to go with me then?"
Jaune prepared to hear the kind rejection from Pyrrha. She was far too kind to be rude in her rejection.
"I think that would be lovely." Pyrrha said, smiling at Jaune. His heart skipped a beat, and he went to reach for it.
"Are you… serious?" Jaune asked. Pyrrha grabbed his hand and smiled.
"Of course, I am."
Blake turned around and let out a sigh. She tried to center herself, but she couldn't.
"Yang, if you're going to tell me to stop, you may as well save your breath. I can't let them win."
"I don't want you to stop; I want you to slow down." Yang said as she sat cross-legged on an empty desk.
"I don't have the luxury to slow down." Irritation radiated off of Blake. She wondered if this was what Rosa felt every day.
"It's not a luxury; it's a necessity." Yang said firmly.
"The "necessity" is stopping Torchwick." Blake said.
"And we're going to. But first, you have to sit down and listen to what I have to say." Yang said, patting the open space of the desk next to her.
"Fine." Blake said as she sat down.
"Ruby and I grew up in Patch, an island off the coast of Vale. Our parents were Huntsmen. Our dad taught at Signal, and our mom took on missions around the kingdom. Her name was Summer Rose, and she was, like... Super-Mom: Baker of cookies and slayer of giant monsters. And then... one day she left for a mission and never came back." Yang started. She could remember all the days Summer helped her tie her shoes, take her shopping, bake with her, and do everything she could to make sure Yang felt loved. She remembered all the times when she started to braid just a little bit of her hair. But she always stopped. Yang wondered why, until now. Summer didn't want to force her life on Yang or Ruby.
"I'm sorry." Blake said.
"It's alright. It was tough. Ruby was really torn up, but... I think she was still too young to really get what was going on, y'know? And my dad just kind of... shut down. It wasn't long before I learned why. Summer wasn't the first love he lost; she was the second. The first... was my mom." Yang's fist started shaking before she stopped it. Blake noticed, but couldn't bring herself to say anything. She remembered those times. Her dad… was destroyed. He barely functioned. It took a lot of time for him to start being the fun-loving dad they once knew. He gave up all alcohol completely. He didn't trust himself.
"Your mom… did she…?" Blake started.
"She's alive… for all the good that's done us. He wouldn't tell me everything, but I learned that the two of them had been on a team together with Summer and Qrow and that she'd left me with him right after I was born. No one had seen her since. I just learned that she was force sensitive. Ruby's mom too." Yang said.
"Why did she leave you?" Blake asked.
"That question… why? I didn't know an answer, but I was determined to find out. It was all I thought about. I would ask anyone I could about what they knew about her." Yang got up and started drawing on the chalkboard.
"Then, one day, I found something. What I thought was a clue that could lead me to answers, or maybe even my mother."
Yang remembered the events well. She went from person to person about her mother. She tried looking day and night. She realized she must have had the force helping her because she never once ran into someone who didn't know something. She felt a connection to her mother, but she also… hated her mother. She had a burning hatred for that woman. She clenched her fists and wished she would get the answers she needed. She was a kid! Why wouldn't any of the GODDAMN ADULTS not tell HER? She deserved to know.
But no one ever told her anything except that Yang looked a lot like her. She hated that. She loved her hair… but she wanted to cut it all off… but Summer loved doing her hair. Every time she was about to cut it off, Summer's image came to mind, and she never could.
The adults didn't understand. She lost her mom. She never even knew the woman who gave birth to her. And she was losing her father. But no one helped her. They all just had that same look of pity. That fucking look made her want to scream.
Then she found the picture. A smashed picture of her dad's team. There, the woman she didn't recognize was her mother… or did she recognize her? She thought she recognized the woman. She lived in the woods. She would go there. Ruby too.
"I waited for Dad to leave the house, put Ruby in a wagon, and headed out. I must've walked for hours. I had cuts and bruises, I was totally exhausted, but I wasn't gonna let anything stop me. When we finally got there, I could barely stand, but I didn't care; I had made it. And then I saw them. Those burning red eyes..." Yang continued to narrate.
"Grimm." Blake said.
"Correct."
Yang didn't know what to do. They were surrounded. She felt tears rolling down her face as she tried to cry for help. She jumped on top of Ruby's sleeping body. The claws should have ripped her apart, tearing through her. She should be dead.
"There we were: A toddler sleeping in the back of a wagon and a stupid girl too exhausted to even cry for help. We might as well have been served on a silver platter. But, as luck would have it, our uncle showed up just in time."
But she wasn't She looked up, and she saw her uncle Qrow, fighting off five Grimm. His bandages broke open again, and he gritted his teeth.
"Fucking serious?" Qrow said.
"Uncle Qrow…?" Yang started. He gave her a look, and she stopped. He thrust his hand up, and in the blink of an eye, cut down all the Grimm. He grabbed her and Ruby.
"My stubbornness should've gotten us killed that night."
They were at their house soon. Tai came back right after Qrow got in.
"Gods…" Tai said.
"Yang, what the hell were you thinking? You almost got both of you killed." Qrow said, dropping to Yang's eye line. He cringed and held his side.
"Yang, you scared all of us." Qrow said, shoving the now crying Yang into his shoulder.
"Yang…" Tai started.
"I'm sorry dad." Yang said in between big heaves.
"No… Yang, I'm sorry." Qrow got up and let Tai hold onto his daughter. Yang remembered her dad just keep on apologizing to her. She didn't know how long she cried. Tai cried as well. He kept apologizing to her. She was the one who messed up. Why was he apologizing to her?
She didn't learn how Qrow knew, how her dad knew, or why Qrow was hurt. She didn't need to.
"Yang... I'm sorry that happened to you, and I understand what you're trying to tell me, but this is different. I'm not a child, and this isn't just a search for answers! I can't just…" Blake said.
"I told you: I'm not telling you to stop! I haven't! To this day, I still want to know what happened to my mother and why she left me, but I will never let that search control me. We're going to find the answers we're looking for, Blake. But if we destroy ourselves in the process, what good are we?" Yang asked.
"You don't understand! I'm the only one who can do this!" Blake said.
"No, you don't understand! If Roman Torchwick walked through that door, what would you do?" Her eyes turned red, and Blake stepped back.
"I'd fight him!" Blake didn't even feel the punch. She fell to the floor, holding her gut. But even as she lay, beaten, she knew Yang used none of her strength. Blake got up and looked at Yang.
"If that took you down, what do you expect to do against someone who wants to kill you?" Blake stumbled back to her feet, only to be knocked down with a simple push. Yang still used none of her strength.
Blake rushed forward at Yang, and she side-stepped it. She blocked every attack from Blake.
"Stop using the force!" Blake yelled.
"I'm not." Yang gripped her arms and tossed them up. Blake prepared for a punch and received a hug instead.
"I'm not asking you to stop. Just please, get some rest." Yang looked back at Blake. Blake looked into her eyes. The purple eyes made tears come down Blake's face. She brought Blake back into a hug, stroking her hair.
"Not just for you, but for the people you care about. And if you feel like coming out tomorrow, I'll save you a dance."
Cyan smiled. He saw Rosa. He went up to her and put on his best smile. The library was mostly empty today with most students more worried about the dance than reading.
"Rosa, how are you?" Cyan asked. He placed a new book down next to her.
"I'm good." Rosa said, putting away her book. She looked at his book, and she traded her philosophy book with him. It was something they did. They would finish reading a book, then trade it with each other, and debate on what they read.
"Do you have a date for the dance?" Cyan asked.
"I didn't think you'd ask me." Rosa said, more confused than anything.
"Friends can dance, right?" Cyan said.
"That's true. Sure, why not." Rosa said
"Wasn't your team put in charge of doing decorations? Can I see some of them?" Cyan asked. Rosa pulled out her Scroll and showed Cyan the pictures. He looked at the picture and smiled. Cinder's plan should go off without a hitch. No one would see her entering the dance.
Soon the dance began. Inside the ballroom, streamers are hung through glass chandeliers, pink and blue balloons are everywhere, and students in dark suits and bright dresses are stepping with each other to the music between the white-clothed tables. Sun was standing outside the hall, trying and failing to tie his tie. He was wearing a black jacket, unbuttoned. The white tie was refusing to tie. Blake looked at him and smiled. She went over and helped him fix it. Her black dress matched her well.
"Did your team agree on lace?" Sun asked.
"We didn't agree on anything. Neither Yang nor Rosa has lace." She finished fixing the tie and put her hand on his shoulder.
"A new shirt. You do care about this dance." Blake said with a smile. Sun smiled and grabbed the price tag with his tail, ripping it off.
"Did you get some sleep?" Sun asked.
"Some… but makeup hides a lot." Blake wrapped her arm around Sun's.
"Sooo, does this mean we're going... together?" Sun asked.
"Technically, though my first dance is spoken for." They entered the dance hall.
"I understand what you're saying, but that's not what he said." Rosa said, talking to Cyan.
"Then what did he say?" Cyan asked.
"He said in essence that when passion is gone in a situation, then peace is readily available." Rosa said.
Maku watched Rosa, hiding his feelings about her. He basically raised her. He knew she saw him as a father figure. But he wasn't the person she thought he was. She wasn't the person she thought she was.
Maku stood on the balcony, overwatching the students. His thought lingered on what he had forced Rosa to sacrifice.
"Professor." Ozpin said.
"Headmaster." Maku said.
"What are you hiding from her?" Ozpin asked.
"It's…"
Blake and Yang finished their dance as Sun came by, smiling. Yang and Blake curtsied and laughed.
"Rosa and Cyan are over there debating philosophy." Sun said.
"She does like doing that with him." Yang said.
"Blake, they got this sushi thing up there." Sun said, pointing at the catering. Sun and Blake went off to get food. Yang shook her head and went over to Ruby and Weiss.
"I told you she would come." Yang said with a smile to Ruby.
"Mission accomplished." Weiss said, her happiness radiating.
"Soooo, what do we do now?" Ruby asked.
"Just have fun." Yang said leaving her.
"Does that mean I can change out of these stupid things and into my hood now?" Ruby asked Yang, only to get no reply. "Stupid lady stilts!"
Ozpin walked away from Maku, holding onto his cane tightly. It was the only amount of anger he allowed himself to show. The white knuckles showed as he gripped his cane. He forced the emotion away and smiled as he came behind Ruby.
"Not enjoying yourself?" Ozpin asked. He made Ruby jump, which he found very entertaining.
"Oh, no, everything's fine! I'm just not much of a fancy pantsy... dancey girl." Ruby said.
"Well, you can't spend your whole life on the battlefield, even if you may want to. But I recommend against it." Ozpin said with a smile on his face.
"Yeah, that lesson's been floating around a lot lately." Ruby said.
"If you think about it, fighting and dancing aren't so different. Two partners interlocked, although one wrong move on the ballroom merely leads to a swollen foot." Ozpin said. He saw Ironwood asking Glynda for a dance, and she accepted. He smiled.
"Or a twisted ankle." Ruby said.
"It's not every day that friends are able to come together like this. Time has a way of testing our bonds, but it's nights like these that can help keep them stronger than ever. Nights like these are ones we'll never forget." Ozpin said. Ruby smiled at that, then turned her head to see Emerald and Mercury walking in.
"You guys are just in time!" Yang said.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Mercury said.
"I see you're hiding at the punch bowl." Jaune said. He and Ruby stood side by side at the refreshment table. Around them, the other students were talking, dancing, and even some were kissing.
"Yep." Ruby said. "Did you get a date?"
"Still can't believe it, but yes." Jaune said. Ruby gave him a questioning look.
"Really? I just thought you had something for Weiss." Ruby said.
"She's still good-looking, and awesome in her way… but Pyrrha is… wow." Jaune said. "Did she go with Neptune? I saw her going to ask him."
"What are you talking about? She's alone." Ruby said.
"…Is that right?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah, why do you ask?" Ruby asked.
"I need to go check something out." Jaune said.
"Alright?" Ruby said confused.
Jaune went to the balcony where Neptune looked out over Vale. He sighed and tossed a coin over the edge.
"For luck." Neptune said.
"Neptune." Jaune said. He used his Jedi training to calm himself. Neptune looked at him.
"Jaune right? Sun's told me a lot about you." Neptune said with a smile.
"What are you doing out here?" Jaune asked.
"It's nothing." Neptune said.
"And that coin?" Jaune asked.
"You saw that? I try to do it away from people. My dad taught me that little trick a while ago. I just need to take all the negative feelings I got and toss them away. Kind of silly." Neptune said. "But what are you doing? I heard you asked Pyrrha to the dance, where is she?"
"She's running late. She needed to talk to the masters, and they didn't know about the dance. What are you feeling? If you go to Maku's after-class sessions, we can probably help you with that kind of stuff. Weiss and I go." Jaune said. Neptune flinched when he brought up Weiss.
"I'm sorry. I messed up. Weiss asked me out to the dance, and I freaked out. I… I… I can't dance." Neptune said. Jaune felt his hand run down his face, and he shook his head.
"You would rather break a girl's heart and go to a dance alone than just admit to everyone that you can't move in rhythm to music?"
"I said I messed up, didn't I?" Neptune said. "Besides, she's training to be a Jedi. I didn't pass the first test."
"The blood test. That's what's got you so worried? Look, you might not know her as well as I do, but that won't bother her. She's not stuck up. She likes you. And here's a secret, she just wants to be with you. She won't care how well you dance." Jaune said.
"Is this the famous Jedi wisdom?" Neptune asked.
"No, just advice. No Jedi attached to that. But you're going to have to apologize to her and explain why you rejected her." Jaune said.
"…Thanks. I just wish I had that coin back. It's cool." Neptune said.
"But in the end, it's just a coin. And that is Jedi wisdom. Go." Jaune said.
"Alright." Neptune said. He left to go to Weiss. Jaune didn't need to see her reaction, but he did feel the joy that came from her. Pyrrha put her hand on Jaune's shoulder, making him jump.
"Ohmygods!" Jaune jumped. He held his chest, taking in a few breaths.
"Sorry Jaune. I just thought that was sweet of you." Pyrrha said.
"It's alright. So, what did the masters want to talk to you about?" Jaune asked
"They wanted to talk to me about doing one of the padawan trials. They want me to get a lightsaber crystal." Pyrrha said. Jaune smiled and hugged her. He didn't see the blush coming to her face.
"I knew you'd get it sooner or later. This is great. They think you're ready for a lightsaber." Jaune said.
"I still have to go to a force cave and find one. Then get all the material for it. It will be a while before I have a lightsaber." Pyrrha said.
"That doesn't matter. You'll have one." Jaune said, letting Pyrrha go. "We still have time before Ren starts getting anxious about our dance. What do you want to do?" Jaune asked. Pyrrha grabbed his arm and led him back into the main hall.
"You know? I think we really needed this." Yang said.
Ruby smiled at Penny, as she did the robot. Yang wondered what was so funny about it, but Ruby just shook her head.
"Yeah, and you did a great job planning it too!" Ruby said.
"Aw, thanks!" Yang hugged Ruby with one arm, almost crushing her. "It wasn't all me, though. Weiss did a lot too."
Ruby stopped struggling and looked at Weiss. Her smile returned, as she was going over the basic moves of a slow dance with Neptune. His face was red, but she didn't mind at all. The slow dance finished, and Neptune apologized. Rosa curtsied to Cyan. A few minutes later, another slow song came on. Jaune and Pyrrha were dancing. Mercury asked Rosa for a dance. Emerald was dancing with Cyan.
"Tomorrow it's back to work." Yang said. "Our first mission."
"I'm sure we can handle whatever gets thrown at us." Ruby said.
Ruby looks behind her and sees someone running along the roofs. The slow song ended, and Ruby grabbed Rosa.
"What's going on?" Rosa asked.
"I think someone's trying to steal." Ruby said. Rosa shook her head, and they were gone. Maku watched them leave, and was about to follow after them when Ozpin stepped behind him.
"You have to stay." Ozpin said.
"But headmaster, my padawan and padawan Rose have left." Maku said.
"You are on thin ice here. The only reason you're still allowed at my school is that you can still change. The people need you. But you cannot interfere with her life more than you already have." Ozpin said.
"Then what are we going to do about two students leaving early?" Maku said.
"I have everything under control." Ozpin said.
Cinder ran along the roofs until she got to the CCT. Security and troops were everywhere. She smirked as she jumped down. A guard was taking a smoke break. When she landed, she kicked him, knocking him down. She punched him, knocking him out. She grabbed his cigarette and took a puff before tossing it.
She walked forward. She used the force to hide herself. She strolled past the security and entered the building. Behind her, four Sith jumped down in the courtyard and started taking out many of the troops stationed there. The guards in the main lobby started running towards the commotion when Cinder dropped her force illusion. She smiled as she rose her hands. The entire security staff was launched into the air. Some of them smacked their heads against stuff going up. She brought her hands down, and she knew the eight men in the lobby were dead. She pulled out a white fang mask and left it at the scene. She took out her lightsaber and tossed it in the air. The blade was covered with dark metal, nearly black. It had a pointed pommel, sharp enough to stab. She smiled at it.
"I'm surprised Ozpin. Your security is laxer than usual." The elevator opened, and two people, both with lightsabers, left the elevator. They turned on the blue blades.
"That's far enough Sith." The first Jedi said.
"Jedi. I'm surprised you've decided to show your faces. Last mistake." She turned on her lightsaber. The red blade rushed out, and she rushed forward. The Jedi blocked her first attack. She used form IV as the opener. She landed behind them and switched styles. She was trying to figure out what style her opponents used.
They were able to block the opening attacks, but Cinder didn't have the time to deal with these two. She realized they had to be knight-level opponents. They were weaker than she thought Ozpin would station at the CCT. The first one used forms III and V, the Shien style. The Second one used form III exclusively. But they weren't Masters of It. She focused on the first one, while not letting the second get into her blind side. Her Juyo was more than adequate for these two.
She didn't know how long the fight lasted. She only remembered the looks on the Jedi's faces as she cut them down. The first one was overconfident and left himself wide open. She drove her lightsaber in the opening, stabbing him in the lung. He dropped to the ground, holding onto his lung. The second Jedi tried to stab her from the back, but she spun around and punished him as well. Her lightsaber plunged into his chest. His look of fear was intoxicating. He dropped dead. Then she used the force to pick up his lightsaber and went over to the first Jedi. She plunged the lightsaber into the heart of the first Jedi.
"Careful. Looks like someone tripped the security. Ironwood's leaving." Emerald said.
"I can sense a few more guests here." Cinder said.
"I don't see two of the padawans here. Ruby and Rosa." Mercury said.
"I sense someone else here."
The elevator door opened, and a woman was sitting, meditating.
"Seers?" Cinder asked.
"Some of us. But the master Jedi know you're here, and they're on their way." The seer said.
"Have you foreseen your death?" Cinder asked, turning on her lightsaber. The Jedi turned on a green lightsaber.
The fight wasn't even notable. The seer was dead in ten hits. She looked at the lightsaber and tossed it to the side. She went to the CCT computer database. As soon as it finished downloading, the elevator opened with the two padawans.
"Like the surprise outside?" Cinder asked.
"You sith make me sick." Rosa said.
"The masters are coming!" Ruby said.
"That's the plan idiots." She turned on her lightsaber and rushed Rosa. Her defense was weak. If Cinder wanted to kill her, she could have a dozen times in the first thirty seconds. Ruby was proving to be more of a fight. She turned her attention to Ruby and kicked Rosa into the wall. Ruby was being pushed back, but she was holding her own. Cinder jumped back and tossed a flash grenade at Ruby.
Cinder was gone, impressed and disappointed. But she couldn't fight Ironwood.
"A sith attacked… and you both survived?" Ironwood asked.
Cinder disappeared. The remaining guards couldn't find her. She wasn't caught on the cameras. But she did leave a destructive wave in her wake.
Ironwood was with Ozpin after everything died down. They lost twenty-five troops, with many more injured. Three unknown Jedi were killed. And the Sith was nowhere to be seen.
"We need the Jedi Ozpin. We both know there are more students here that can be Jedi than are. The test needs to be done. The Sith are planning something. We need the only answer to them. Those men who died deserve that." Ironwood said.
"This isn't a Jedi academy James. We have only five Jedi masters here that I know of. We are still gathering the Jedi here." Ozpin said. "I know the Sith are planning something. But can I force the students to join the Jedi and train for a war? We need hunters. The HDF attacked a town with faunas in it. We're on the verge of a race war. And we both know the Sith are behind it." Ozpin said.
"We agree on that." Ironwood said. "Three Jedi were killed by one Sith. The Jedi we do have need to be warned. Ruby and Rosa are well aware, but the others aren't."
"We will, but they need to rest. In the morning we will." Ozpin said.
"Ozpin, what are we going to do?" Ironwood asked.
"Trust in me. That's all I can ask you for now."
Rosa walked down a dark hallway. She didn't know where it started or where it ended.
"You want to know about your past. Why were your memories taken from you?" A voice called out. Rosa didn't recognize it.
"You know what happened?" Rosa asked.
"Yes. I've been watching over you ever since then." The voice called back.
The hallway ended. A door with no doorknob sat in front of her. She put her hand on it and pushed. It didn't budge.
"What is this?" Rosa asked.
"This is what blocks your memories. We can open it together." The voice said.
"What happened?" Rosa asked.
"I cannot say without you unblocking your memories. But what I can say is that your master will do everything in his power to keep this door closed."
"Master Maku? Why would he keep me from my memories?"
"Fear."
"Jedi fear nothing." Rosa said.
"They fear you." The voice called back.
"Why would they fear me? I'm one of them."
The voice rang out with laughter.
"They don't trust you. The ones that do have no idea what's on the other side of this door." The voice called out.
"Why do you want to help me?" Rosa asked.
"It is mutually beneficial to help you. If you join me, you will learn everything." The voice said.
"This is a dream." Rosa said.
"Yes, and it's how I can talk to you." The voice said. A door behind Rosa opened, and she went through it. She saw her lightsaber on a table. She went over to it, and turned it on. A red blade shot out from it. She dropped her lightsaber and stepped back.
"What was that?"
"A possible future."
Author's Notes: The dance is done, and the first mission is next up. But there is more to come. Rosa keeps losing. Maybe the answer is behind the door.
Reviews this time.
CT7567Rules
The lightsaber colors on Remnant are all those in the main galaxy, but with Black being more… common than just one blade. Any color seen in any media is available in Remnant.
Coming up, I may confuse people with lightsaber colors, but they fit in a way.
Thank you everyone who reads this. Please leave a like, follow, and review.
May the Force be With You
-DragonZlayerX12