Edited 2-4-18 by CasuallyPosting
AUTHOR NOTE
So I found my beta/Co-Author.
First off I would like to thank all the of the other interested parties. Your responses are extremely appreciate your interest in helping me. And if I decide to take on a second full length story, I'll keep you guys in mind.
Next this is mostly a sample chapter for the types of work me and CasaullyPosting will put out. It's a rewrite of Truths Revealed chapter 1
However the Full length Story WILL be using Chapter 2 of Truths Revealed as the Jumping off point.
Like Review, and enjoy.
"Did you kill Summer Rose?"
In quick succession two shotguns were chambered. A grenade launcher, sniper rifle, three pistols, and a revolving dust launcher were all armed and pointed in various directions.
Six sets of eyes moved between the leader of the cracked but not broken JNPR and the eyes of both Qrow Branwen and Ozpin.
The Sword resting on Qrow's back exploded to twice its inactive size as the red-eyed man narrowed his eyes at the knight. "Tread carefully kid. You don't know what you're talking about."
"Jaune?" It was Ruby's timid voice that cut through the tension from directly behind him
"It's the only scenario that matches up with what you have told us." Jaune's eyes remained on Qrow's, his hand still resting on the hilt of Crocea Mors.
"Jaune what are you talking about?" Yang had her metal arm aimed at the Arc with a very hurt expression on her face. Not minding that Nora's grenade launcher was now aimed directly at her back.
"Did he tell you how he 'protected' Ruby?" Jaune asked with an unmistakable emphasis on protected. "Or did you just accept that he did?"
The boy continued forward, placing the tip of his legendary blade against Oscar's neck, just as Ozpin moved the boys arm towards the cane on his back. "I KNOW you had something to do with it Ozpin."
Yang turned from her friend and looked at her Uncle. The man's hand tightened on the hilt of his sword, his once faded red eyes were now as dark as her mothers had been. "How did you protect Ruby Uncle Qrow?" She asked shifting her natural arm to aim directly at his chest.
Weiss suddenly got in between the two, trying to stop a needless confrontation. "Yang we need to stay calm" She gently pushed on Yangs stomach to create more distance between the two.
Ten seconds of silence permeated the half-destroyed office of the recently deceased Leonardo Lionheart. Neither side wanting to say anything that could further the situation in a negative way.
That was until JNPR's leader turned his head so that he could lock eyes with his fellow blonde.
"He used her as bait!" Jaune snapped in Yang's direction.
"He WHAT!?" Yang's lavender eyes blazed red as she shoved the former heiress aside, making the distance between herself and her uncle rapidly shrink.
"I was protecting her!" Qrow countered when he felt the green blades of Ren push against the back of his neck.
"Don't," the ninja-like warrior spoke calmly, with rage building behind his normally emotionless mask. "We are both nearly out of aura. Do you think you can do anything before I press forward?"
Jaune let out dry chuckle as Ruby speared her sister.
"It's his semblance! He can't control it because it is bad luck! He was just trying to help me!" the youngest, non-possessed member of the group tried to rationalize with her angry older sibling.
"What was he protecting you from!?" Jaune countered. "A Stubbed toe, a splinter, some other minor injury!?" Jaune replied. "I've been watching him; his semblance causes enough bad luck to make fighting him a nightmare. But we've been around him for months, how many times were we hurt!?"
Jaune's eyes were practically solid ice as he turned to look at Ruby's wide eyes.
"He trained you to use that scythe, right? He was around your village enough to teach at Signal, right? He was around enough for you to feel like he's your uncle, right?" Both girls stopped abruptly at the statement, tears began to build up in the younger sister's eyes.
"I'm not going to lie to you Ruby. At first, I thought he was your blood father and that explained his behavior. But things didn't add up after I looked into it and thought on it more. You two are definitely sisters."
Qrow glared at the teenager standing ten feet away. "How do you know that?"
"It's the subtle things. Eye shape, facial structure. When we were on Patch before leaving for Haven I saw a picture of the two of them from when they were kids. They are sisters. I would bet my life on that." The Arc stated with conviction.
"Mr. Arc is this really the time for this?" Oscar, no, Ozpin again tried to cut in.
"How much longer till Oscar is no more Oz?" Jaune hands were shaking with anger as he turned on the 'boy' his sword still raised to his neck. "Did you use us to gain control? Were all of those training sessions really just to help us get stronger?"
"Mr. Arc we can talk about this later. We have just won a tremendous victory against Salem and her ilk."
Ozpin was about to push the blade off his neck when Jaune added more pressure.
"No, no more secrets, or lies. You're telling them the truth. Did you kill Summer Rose?"
Qrow looked between the two young girls who seemed catatonic at this point and Jaune. "What's your theory?" He crossed his arms on his chest.
"Was Summer taking less missions before she died Yang?" Jaune asked incredibly gently as if handling glass.
The blonde closed her eyes and went back eleven years in her mind. A frown overcame her face as she tried to think while ignoring the dread and anger welling up inside her.
She felt a hand gently clasp her shoulder. "Yang." Blake's voice was soothing, but bittersweet seeing as they had yet to talk about her disappearing on them.
There was a pause as everyone allowed the bombshell to think.
"She was taking less missions. She spent a lot more time at home while dad took on more jobs in between teaching at Signal… I think mom was trying to get a job at Signal too…" the normally cheerful girl spoke quietly with tears beginning to trickle down her face.
"You want my theory Qrow," Jaune spoke, turning back to the other object of his ire. "I think Summer was in too deep. She was in this little circle Ozpin has been running and she was starting distance herself. From Ozpin, from Glynda, from everyone. But once you get into the cabal… you can't get out, right?"
The boy cast a glance to the bloody bodies of Raven Branwen and her apprentice Vernal. "You would go so far as to sacrifice your sister because she 'betrayed' Ozpin. Instead of just leaving her alone, letting her live her life, even after Yang. Your boss needed her skills, her abilities. Yang I am not saying she was a good woman, obviously if she chose to leave you like she did… but if you would do this to her…" he cast a glance to the blonde, giving her a small smile as she nodded. "So how would that make Summer any different?"
Jaune pulled his blade away form Oscar's neck and sheathed the sword. "There are no strings tying us to you or yours Ozpin," he motioned behind him to rest of RWBY and JNPR. "So here is my theory."
Pointing to Oscar he continued. "One more mission. Ozpin knows Summer wants nothing more than to retire and teach on Patch so she can spend time with her two daughters and husband so he comes to her with one last mission. This one is particularly heavy on fighting and along the way she gets worn down, but presses on so that she can get back home to her family."
He pauses to let the first portion sink in. "Then just as she is tiring out and thinking about retreating or abandoning the mission," he points to Qrow now. "Her former teammate and trusted friend appears and supports her saying he was sent by Ozpin to help. The two fight side by side and complete the objective… and then you strike. Her aura was nearly gone, and she didn't even get a chance to counter before you struck her down… before she could use those precious eyes you covet so much Ozpin."
His eyes never left Qrow's as he continued. Watching as the older man's eyes hardened.
"Then you fly back to Patch and play the weeping uncle. You help Mr. Xiao Long emotionally and take one of his daughters, the youngest one… the one with silver eyes under your wing. All so that one day she could replace her mother as Ozpin's silver eyed warrior."
Once again, silence cut through the office as the sounds of battle coming from outside the walls started to fade as the were replaced by cheers of victory.
Yang and Ruby were both crying, their expressions broken as they looked to their uncle. Faces begging for him to deny the rumors and tell them it wasn't true. "I wouldn't…" Qrow tried to say before Jaune cut him off with a fierce glare. "Word it like that? No more games! Did the two of you kill her!"
The next silence was all he needed to hear before he turned to the heiress beside him. "Weiss you need to get out of here. We know that Raven's powers were transferred to you even if you can't use them yet. We need t- "he was cut off by Ozpin's cane slamming into his stomach, making him collapse to the floor clutching the affected area.
At the same time, Qrow kicked Ren away from him and rounded on the remaining students.
"No, we all need to go," Weiss's heart stopped as Ruby fell to her knees. The girl's entire world shattered as she let out a heart shattering wale of agony. Every smile, every laugh, every training session, building her weapon, how she dressed, everything she had ever done with Qrow was gone. Replaced by manipulations and lies. With every ounce of strength left in her body she threw Crescent Rose towards the man's feet before collapsing into sobs once more.
"I just alerted my parents. They are getting the main ship ready to leave," Blake informed the group as she dragged a sobbing Yang to her feet. The Faunus' heart ached as the normally warm and fiery girl's skin was freezing to the touch. None of the fire from her normal personality was present inside of her at the moment.
"Yang. We need to go. Weiss, Jaune… Ruby. None of them are safe here," she attempted to drag the blonde but couldn't as she remained rooted to her spot. The raging inferno happening in her mind taking all of her attention as she glared at her uncle through stinging tears.
Every time Qrow had taken Ruby to train, taken her out with him somewhere, just him spending time with her came to mind. Each day Ruby began styling herself more after their uncle came back and pushed her over the edge.
"I'm going to kill you!" the blonde roared, tears evaporating as quickly as they could fall due to the flaming aura surrounding her. The heat forced Blake back, but a large wall of ice stopped her partner's advances.
Yang turned a harsh glare at Weiss once the wall stood between the two teams and their former mentors. Weiss looked sadly at Yang before motioning to the door. "Now is not the time," the ex-heiress said as she and the others began to run towards the door.
Yang remained still until she saw Jaune move from his position on the ground. He stood up and ran to Ruby, scooping her into his arms and stroking her back as he whispered things into her ear.
She only heard the last one as he approached her. "I am so sorry Ruby… but you needed to know."
He stopped next to Yang and stared down her red orbs with his own tired blue ones. "Yang. Ruby needs you right now. We need you right now."
He gently transferred Ruby into the arms of the older sister as they joined their friends in running out the large doors and towards the awaiting transport. Not looking back at the pair still trapped behind the wall of ice.
"When did you figure all of that out?" Yang growled at the boy, not in anger at him, but anger at the world.
"Only once they killed Raven… she was going to leave peacefully after your talk and then Ozpin ordered Qrow to do that…" he lapsed into silence. Not noticing the softening of red to lilac that focused on him for brief seconds as the rejoined their friends and boarded the large bullhead.
There was a very pungent silence that no one wanted to break. The group was shattered and all hurting, but each time Ruby would tremble in her sister's arms the would feel just a little worse.
"What do we do?" Blake eyed the near catatonic Ruby with worry clear on her face.
The group of huntresses and hunter looked at the only leader left. "Vacou is the only place left" Jaune stated.