CHAPTER 3: a Long-awaited Reunion
.
.
.
.
.
"W-Weiss?" he asked
"Jaune?" She asked back
Both were completely lost in the moment of their reunion. No words could be said as they just stared at the other. However, Weiss ran up to Jaune and he was still lost in the moment but she closed the distance and hugged him tightly. No words were said on her part but one word left Jaunes mouth that made her freeze.
"Is this a dream?" Jaune asked, "Are you really here Weiss?"
Weiss finally broke a little and a few years left her eyes, she sniffed a little bit and nodded her head. "I'm here Jaune, I'm really here," she said
Weiss then felt arms wrap around her tightly and she heard small sniffles come from him and they just hugged each other tightly, like if they let go of the other, they would cease to exist. But they did break the hug and once they did they both looked at the other. Weiss looked up and Jaune and Jaune looked down at her.
"You're still short," Jaune told her with a smile
"And your still a dolt," Weiss said with a soft smile
Jaune chuckled and then wiped tears away from his face, "it's been... It's been too long Weiss" Jaune said
"Yes... Yes it has been" Weiss said "I have a lot of questions and I'm sure you do as well, but we'll catch up later, it's not safe here right now, we need to leave," Weiss told him
"But where?" Jaune asked
"I have a house not too far from here, it's safe, I promise," Weiss said "Also... There's someone there who'd I like you to meet, someone very special"
"Who?" Jaune asked
"You'll see," Weiss said
Jaune just sighed but continued to smile and he walked behind Weiss back to where he guessed must be the direction of where she had lived. Both walked and couldn't help but feel a warm feeling in their hearts. Finally feeling a certain comfort that neither was alone in this cruel and unjust world.
Meanwhile, back at the house, Jade continued sitting in her house and watched whatever was on TV, however, she couldn't help but worry about her aunt. Weiss was all the family she had left. She had taken care of her after her parents had died, she was training Jade to defend herself against the Grimm, and taught her things her old school didn't. Weiss taught her aura and semblances, about dust and dust weapon application. If she lost Weiss... She wouldn't know what to do.
Jade quickly looked out the window for any sign of her Aunt but when she didn't and then headed back to the living room and sat back on the couch and when she sat down, she slouched back and sighed
'Man, nothing is exciting to do around here!' she complained 'why did aunt Weiss have to pick such a boring place to live!?'
Jade then heard someone walking up the front steps and right to the door, Jade turned to the front door and saw her Aunt enter and look at her. When Weiss saw that Jade did as she told she smiled and had a sense of relief flow through her.
"I'm glad you listened to me this time Jade," Weiss said with a smile
Jade pouted as she looked to her Aunt, "I listen to you all the time" she said
Weiss rolled her eyes with a smile, "Right... anyway, there is someone who I'd like you to meet" Weiss said, she then turned to the doorway and looked outside, but Jade couldn't see who it was she was looking at. "You can come in now you know?" She said with a smile
"I don't think this is a good idea..." Came the soft voice if a man
Jade was now confused, she knew that the only friend Weiss had was that adult woman named Sammy from town, and maybe even the blacksmith.
"It's alright Jaune, She won't be scared of you," Her aunt told the man who was outside, now known as Jaune.
The next thing she saw was a grown man walk into her house and look right at her. The man, Jaune, had light blonde hair that seemed to almost cover his eyes, he was a lot taller than Weiss, and he wore a set of black and white clothing, armor, and boots, which were all covered by a long black cloak, and he had a few scars, the ones she could see were two claw-like scars that ran down his neck, she did not doubt that he had gained those from fighting Grimm.
"Who... Are you?" Jade asked
Jaune turned to her and his eyes widened when she looked at Jade, he shook his head before looking back at her. "I'm Jaune Arc" Jaune replied, "and you are?" He asked
"I'm Jade Pines," she said with a smile
"Pines...? Then the means you dad is-"
"Yeah... She's Oscar and Ruby's daughter" Weiss said with a small smile
Jaune's eyes widened as he looked at Jade and that's when he looked closer at her and Jade saw his expression become a bit saddened.
"You have Silver eyes..." Jaune stated sadly
"Yeah... Why?" Jade asked with concern
Jaune sighed, "Nothing... You're too young to know just yet" Jaune said
Jaune looked to Weiss with a bit of a grim expression and Weiss knew what that look had meant.
"Jade go back to watching TV, me and Jaune need to talk about Grownup things," Weiss said
"But-"
"Now Jade" Weiss said sternly
Jade looked hurt at her aunt and pouted and headed back to the couch and she saw Jaune and her aunt walk into the kitchen and talk.
.
.
.
Weiss sat on one side of the kitchen table while Jaune sat on the other side. Jaune currently had a glass of soda and while Weiss just had some juice.
"So, what has happened to you over the years?" Weiss asked
"I train for three years with both Robin and Qrow, during that time, Qrow had started the mantle of the Black Swordsmen, however, he ran into Salem's new Minions and they wounded him pretty," Jaune said "after that, he and Robin got married and settled down in the far south if Vacuo"
"She has new members of her inner circle?" Weiss asked with astonishment
Jaune nodded, "not only that, but she has Apostles... Human and Grimm hybrids like the hound but more perfect, but they're able to switch between their human and hybrid forms" Jaune said "most are her generals but there are some in her inner circle... Some we may even know" Jaune said
Weiss looked at him confused, "what do you mean?"
Jaune looked at her and shook his head, "never mind what I said... I was just rambling..." Jaune said
"What happened to Ren and Nora?" Weiss asked
Jaune gripped his cup harder but then took a deep breath and looked at her, "I... I don't know what happened to them" he said
"Did anyone else survive?" Weiss asked
"There is one more person I know survived... And she's the reason why I'm here" Jaune said
"Who?" Weiss asked
Jaune looked at her with a questionable look asking her if she really wanted to know, Weiss just nodded.
"It was Cinder" Jaune said
Weiss looked shocked, "what!? No fucking way!" Weiss cried
Jaune nodded, "it was hard for me to believe it as well, but she saved me... Hell, despite all of the things that happened in the past... All of it... We saved each other's lives and we both found common ground" Jaune finished, "but after we ran into Qrow and Robin, she parted ways with me... Told me where she was but... I don't know if she's even alive, Salem's been looking for the maidens for years"
"From what I've heard, Winters leading some sort of rebellion within Atlas and many think it's Blake that is doing the same in Menagerie," Weiss said "As for Raven, no one's heard anything from her"
Jaune nodded and he then took a large gulp of his soda and looked back to Weiss, "what about you Weiss? What have you've been doing with Ruby and Oscar?"
Weiss looked at him and sighed with a smile, "we hid on Patch for years and we had a nice life on there and... We all eventually formed a certain relationship in the years and eventually Oscar and Ruby had Jade" Weiss said with a soft small smile "it was the greatest thing to happen to the three of us"
Jaune looked at her and he had felt something was off with Weiss, her eyes held joy and happiness while talking, but there was also sadness. But decided he would allow her to talk about it when she was ready, after all, he wasn't all that truthful when it came to his answers about their friends
"What happened to Yang?" Jaune asked
"She died that day... Salem stabbed her in the side and threw her into a pile of rubber and I saw her get crushed..." Weiss said with a sad toned as she looked to her drink
Jaune looked to his drink and also was saddened by the news.
"Weiss... What happened to Ruby and Oscar?" Jaune asked
Weiss didn't look away from her drink. "They died," Weiss said "A Grimm attacked and it was strong, it gave me these burns and even burned down the house... And it took their bodies"
Jaune's eyes widened, but he quickly calmed himself, "So, it must have been Salem who sent it..." Jaune said
Weiss nodded
"What about Ozpin? Didn't he take over Oscar eventually?" Jaune asked
Weiss looked at him, "it was odd... After that flash, of white light dying our fight with Salem... He just disappeared from Oscar's mind, he didn't put himself in a block as he did, no, he was just gone, even Oscars Magic disappeared"
Jaune looked puzzled as he tried to try and guess what had happened, but he quickly wanted to ask another important question, "Speaking of that Bright light, after that happened, Qrow had been looking into some of its effects on our world" Jaune said
Weiss looked confused, "what do you mean?" Weiss asked
"Ever since that day, things have gotten a little odd, odd in the magical sense," Jaune said "there have been reports and sightings of sea monsters, not aquatic Grimm, actual sea monsters, not only that, some Vale farms have cleaned that they've seen fairies in the forest... And it gets even odder when you hear this, apparently, there have been some rumors about kids using actual magic" Jaune said
Weiss's eyes went wide with shock, "what!?" Weiss cried "is... That really true?"
Jaune sighed with a shrug, "I don't know... But I have seen one of those sea monsters and trust me, I think it's, even more, scarier than the Grimm"
Weiss sighed, "oh Oum..." Weiss sighed "if this is all true... Then what is becoming of Remnant?"
"I don't know, but I can't tell if this is good or bad," Jaune said "speaking of Magic stuff... Jades eyes, have they-?"
"No... But I have this gut feeling in my stomach that it will happen soon and I'm afraid of what s going to happen to her" Weiss said with a bitter and sad tone
"Weiss... Let me train her"
"What?" Weiss looked at him
"Let me train her... I can teach her how to fight, how to really fight" Jaune said "I've guessed that you've just barely started to train her, but she doesn't have a weapon yet, so I'll train her how to fight with her aura like Ren-... Like I was taught" Jaune said
Weiss looked a little puzzled again at him when he mentioned Ren, but she pushed this side and thought about his offer. "How Hard are you going to train her?" Weiss asked
"As hard as I can," Jaune said "I'll train her to survive, Weiss, she needs to be taught how to survive this world"
Weiss looked at him and nodded slowly, "Fine, but don't do anything that would put her in harm's way... I can't lose her Jaune... she's all I have left" Weiss said with a bit of a desperate tone
"I promise Weiss, I'll make sure she's safe," Jaune said
Weiss softly smiled at him, "Thank you Jaune"
