RWBY Volume 6, Chapter 13

Forgiveness Pt .1

IN THE NEAR FUTURE

GRAVEYARD

At a cemetery, Jaune stands in front of a gravestone, who's name is yet to be seen. An angry look quickly turns to sad. He hears footsteps coming near, but he doesn't turn his head. Ruby, wearing a black dress, stops next to him and looks at the grave, before turning to his friend.

"I'm sorry, Jaune." Ruby said.

"Yeah." Jaune said. "Thanks. You doing okay?"

"Trying." Ruby said, sniffling. "I just can't believe it."

"There was a time, when I thought this was all my fault, you know." Jaune said. "But now I know this wasn't. It's really my responsibility."

"Responsibility?" Ruby asked. "To do what?"

Jaune is silent for a few seconds, before her answers. "To help end this war, once and for all. We're going to stop them. Bring justice to those we've lost."

Ruby nods. "Is there anything I can do, right now?"

Jaune then turns his head to Ruby. "I'd like some time alone, please."

Ruby nods again, before flying into the air and away. Jaune moves closer to the gravestone and crouches down. Placing his hand on the stone, he ignores the tear falling down his face, knowing another friend he cares about is gone.

PRESENT DAY(3 Months After Ch.12)

ATLAS - SCHNEE MANSION - JNR ROOM

Jaune is sitting on the side of his bed, staring at the bed where Pyrrha once slept on before her exile. Sighing, he stands up and picks up Crocea Mors, before exiting the room.

VELVET'S ROOM

In the bathroom at Velvet's room, Valerie is looking at the mirror, staring at her reflection. She places her toothbrush on the sink and proceeds to smile, her pearly white teeth showing. Nodding, she looks at her clothes to see if any stains are on it. She then goes to the bathroom door and opens it. As she does, she sees Velvet, her back turned and changing her shirt. Valerie sees the scars that are on Velvet's back. As she puts her shirt on, Velvet turns and looks at Valerie, smiling at her girlfriend.

"Morning, love." Velvet said. She notices Valerie looking sad. "You saw the scars again?"

Valerie nods.

"Val. We had this talk before. It wasn't your fault."

"I know." Valerie said. "But I just can't stop thinking about that day."

"It's not healthy to think about it."

"Kinda hard not to." Valerie said.

Velvet then walks to Valerie and gives her a kiss, before backing away. "How about now?"

Valerie smiles. "Already forgetting it."

A knock is heard from the door. Velvet goes to the door and opens it, where Weiss is present.

"Yes?" Velvet asked.

"Sorry to interrupt a possible loving moment between you two." Weiss said. "But we have a schedule to keep up. And you guys are about to be late for breakfast."

"Really? This whole schedule thing is just ridiculous, Weiss."

"My house. My rules." Weiss said. "5 minutes. If you two are not there, I'll be sure to give your food to Zwei and Fenrir. 5 minutes, ladies."

Velvet closes the door as Weiss finishes her sentence and sighs.

"She's real bossy." Valerie said.

"Ruby leaving and finding out that your sister is alive can have an effect on Weiss." Velvet said. "Come on. We don't want to get on her bad side."

DINING ROOM

Jaune is sitting in at the table, where Ren, Nora, Sun and Winter are. They are all eating breakfast, while the doors to the dining room open. Winter turns to see Weiss, Velvet and Valerie entering. Weiss stares at Winter, before nodding to her and going to sit next to her sister while Valerie and Velvet sit at their own spots. Weiss then sees Klein approaching her.

"Anything particular, Miss Schnee?" Klein asked.

"I'll have what the others are having, Klein." Weiss said, smiling.

Klein nods and looks at the couple. "And for you two?"

"We'll have the same, please." Valerie said.

"You got it. I'll be back shortly."

Klein walks and exits the dining room and accidentally bumps into Oscar, who clumsily enters.

"Morning, everyone." He said.

"Did you sleep well, last night?" Jaune asked. "Qrow told me you were at the library very late."

"Qrow doesn't need to worry about me." Oscar answers. "And yes I did have a good sleep. And I wish I could join you all. But Qrow and I are heading to Alpha Base to speak to General Ironwood. Well...he wants to. I kinda don't have a choice in the matter. We'll be back soon."

Oscar gives a bow, before leaving.

"Even though it's been months, it still feels weird having him around." Nora said.

"I agree." Ren said. "But we can trust him."

"Yeah." Jaune said.

"Jaune!"

Jaune turns to see Sun and Neon, who stand by the door.

"A word? In private."

"Uh...yeah." Jaune answered as he stands up. He goes to the door and closes it. He, Sun and Neon walk upstairs, down the hallway and into JNR's room.

"Okay." Jaune said, closing the door. "What is it?"

Sun turns to look at Neon, who nods at him. Sun looks back to Jaune. "We found her, man."

Jaune is surprised to hear this. He then goes to his bed and sits down.

"I have a friend in Mistral, contact me last night." Sun said. "Said that he claimed to have seen a girl flying away from his home village, after defending the place from the Dark Seekers."

"How long ago was that?" Jaune asked.

""He said about 1 hour before calling me." Sun answered. "It's not much, but I believe that it's Ruby. Although...I'm going to be fair with you, Jaune. Do you think, this is a good idea? Maybe we should leave her be."

"I agree with Sun." Neon said. "If Ruby wants to be left alone, then we should respect her wishes."

"We need her, guys." Jaune said. "Sure. We've done great on our own, even with half the squad gone. But if we're to truly win this war...we're going to need Ruby."

"And...Pyrrha?" Neon asked.

Jaune looks at the ground and stares at it. "Perhaps. Thanks for telling me. Now, then." He stands up. "Training time."

MISTRAL - HOUSE

As the winds blow at the trees nearby the house, Pyrrha is sitting on the grass, sadly staring at the ground. She proceeds to move her hand alongside the grass, slightly smiling. But it fades away to sadness, before she hears someone approaching.

"Thank you for coming."

Pyrrha hears the footsteps walking around her until they stop in front of her. She lifts her head to see Ruby, her face bearing a fresh cut on her left cheek.

"Grimm?"

Ruby nods and proceeds to sit down, across from Pyrrha.

"Still the silent treatment, huh?" Pyrrha asked. "I don't see the use of it, Ruby." She the looks around. "Where's your friend?"

Ruby then proceeds to lift her arm up.

Whoosh

A gust of wind blows on Pyrrha, who looks to see Ryder(Neo), her mask on, standing next to Ruby.

"Seriously?" Pyrrha asked. "When will I ever see your face?"

"I may have a face." Ryder said. "Or maybe I'm a cyborg with no face. Either way, you won't see it."

Ryder then proceeds to sit down. Ruby moves and begins whispering to Ryder. After a few seconds, she moves back.

"Ruby spotted someone making a call to Jaune, after defending his village." Ryder said. "And when I went to hear closer, I heard his name as well."

"And...why are you telling me?"

"Because chances are, Jaune's going to go find Ruby soon after." Ryder answered. "And given that the village is miles from here...he might try to come here. To talk to you."

"It's fine."

Ruby looks surprised to hear her words.

"You'd be okay with Jaune coming?" Ryder asked.

"...He and I have a lot to talk about."

Pyrrha then stands up, as Ruby and Ryder do the same.

"Thank you for telling me."

Ruby nods. He and Ryder prepare to leave.

"Wait!"

The two stops walking and look at Pyrrha.

"I...would you like to come in for some breakfast? The least I can do, for helping me out these past couple weeks."

Ruby lowers her head and stares at the ground. She then proceeds to whisper to Ryder.

"She said she still doesn't deserve to." Ryder said. "But she thanks you for the offer, though."

Ryder the suddenly disappears, and Ruby flies away. Pyrrha stares at the sky, before she turns around and walks back to the house.

VALE

A man is running down an alley, looking afraid. As he runs an arrow flies and pierces his leg. He screams as he falls to the ground. Grasping his leg, he tries to crawl away. Then he sees two feet land a few feet away from him. He lifts his head to see the woman aiming her bow and arrow at him.

"Miles Copperfield!" Cyan exclaims. "I declare you guilty of murder!" Shen then releases her arrow at her target.

ATLAS - SCHNEE MANSION - TRAINING ROOM

Jaune is blocking a strong slam from Magnhild. He pushes his shield, making Nora jump backwards. Ren runs past her and tries to strike with StormFlower, only to be blocked by Velvet, who copies Jaune's shield. When Ren jumps back, Velvet ducks, allowing Juane to jump over her and bash Ren to the ground with his shield. Valerie winces upon seeing that, along with Sun and Neon.

"I've seen some improvement." Jaune said, sheathing his sword. "But I know you guys can do better. Try to practice a bit more." He then turns to Velvet. "And good job, Velvet. Your reflexes were faster than last week's training."

Velvet nods.

"I think we had enough training for today. I'd say that 4 hours can still be a bit achy for some of you. After some rest, we will all meet for a short meeting at the dining room. Dismissed."

As everyone begins to leave, Jaune sees Winter, who was observing the training session. He waits until everyone leaves the training room, before walking to Winter.

"You do realize that they did not improve, don't you?" Winter asked.

"Eh." Juane said, shrugging. "Keeps them motivated to do better. Now, then. I called you here, because something came to my attention. Something that requires me to leave Atlas."

Winter looks confused. "What's so important?"

"...Ruby." Juane answered. "She's somewhere in Mistral."

"Ah. I see." Winter said.

"And so, I'm going to attempt to bring her back to Atlas, as soon as possible." Jaune said.

"And if she refuses to come back?"

"She has to, Winter." Jaune answered. "She left because she blames herself. I need to tell her that not every bad thing that happens will be on her."

"Are you even certain that this will work? You'd be gone for maybe a day or two. Plus this squad needs a leader. And to be honest...Weiss can't lead them in her state."

"And that's why while I'm gone, I want you to lead them."

Winter is surprised. "Me?"

"There's no one else here." Jaune said. "Obviously, yes. I want you to be the temporary leader of Remnant Squad."

Jaune sees the nervousness that Winter is showing.

"You okay?"

"Um...not really." Winter answered. "I've just...it's been years since I've lead any group. I may be a little rusty."

Jaune just smirks. "Hey. Once a great leader, always a great leader. And I've read some of the reports from some of your missions. I trust that you can lead my friends to battle. You think you can do that?"

"...Sure."

Jaune smiles. "Good. I'm leaving tonight. Be sure to break the news after breakfast."

Jaune pats Winter on her shoulder as he leaves. As he leaves, he doesn't see Velvet. She was hiding and had listened to the conversation.

VALE - CITADEL

Cinder sits at the conference room of the Citadel, angrily staring at the map of Mistral. She hears the door open and looks up. Watts and Hazel enter the room, as Cinder moves the map to them.

"Alright. As much as I hate being interrupted from my only duty around here, why have you summoned us?" Watts asked.

Cinder points a red circle on the map.

"Reports confirmed that Rose was spotted in a village near Mistral." Cinder said. "Flew away right after she saved it. Didn't even stop to say hi to the people. Pathetic."

"Does Torchwick know about this?" Hazel asked.

Cinder scoffs. "Roman is away for the time being. Something about attacking the Faunus island or something. And because he's gone, I've been left temporarily in charge."

"So what then?" Watts asked. "You want us to go find the girl?"

Cinder chuckles. "No. I want you to continue monitoring your little experiment. He has become quite useful these past few weeks. Hazel will meet with our informant in Atlas and remain there until he is ordered to come back."

"But what about the girl, then?"

"I've already sent some agents to get information. Once they find her, they'll bring Rose back here. Alive or dead. And one more thing. She's not the only one in Mistral, you know. Another certain Maiden happens to be there as well. I'm eager to take both of their powers as well."

"Very well then." Watts said. He and Hazel proceed to leave.

"Hazel." Cinder said. "A minute of your time."

Hazel stays as Watts leaves the room. Cinder waits a few seconds until she speaks.

"I'm not going to Atlas." Hazel said. "Aren't I?"

"You may be the quiet one. But you sure are smart. I like that. And yes, Hazel. You're not. Instead...you're going to Mistral. I have a mission for you. You'll meet with my agents and you will carry out a plan that I most believe will be successful."

"As you wish." Hazel said.

NIGHT - ATLAS - AIRSHIP

Jaune is entering the airship, carrying a duffel-bag. He finds a small room and drops the bag. He then proceeds to sit on the bed room and look out the window, seeing Atlas pass by. Sighing, he then proceeds to lay down and stare at the ceiling. As he continues doing so, he hears a thump nearby. Juane quickly stands up, knowing it's supposed to be him and the pilot in the ship. As he walks out of the room, he pulls out Crocea Mors and walks down the hall. He stops when he sees a door that is slightly over.

"Ow!"

Jaune hears the soft voice and has his sword ready while slowly approaching the door. Heavily sighing, he yells as he kicks the door open. He freezes when he sees Velvet, who screams from being scared. Putting his foot back down, he sheathes his sword.

"Velvet?" He asked.

"Damn!" Velvet said, calming her self down. "Please don't scare me like that, again!"

"I'm sorry for scaring you and all." Jaune said. "But I was only expecting to be by myself in this ship."

"Well obviously, you're not."

"What are you even doing here?" Jaune asked. "You should be in Atlas. Wait. How did you even know that I was leaving?"

"I overheard your conversation with Winter." Velvet said, pointing at her rabbit ears. "Faunus, remember?"

"Right. But why did you come along?"

"Because, to be very honest, you are a damn idiot." Velvet answered. "You can't just go on a mission all by yourself like that. Especially with everything that's happening, right now. So I decided that you need at least a fighting partner."

"But what about the team? What about Val?"

"...She doesn't know. I left her a note. But I know she's going to be upset, when we get back. But I'll worry about it, later. Right now, the mission is to convince Ruby to come back."

"That is the plan." Jaune answered. "But this was a plan that I am supposed to do, alone. I didn't want to risk bringing anyone else. If they get hurt, that's on me."

"It is not." Velvet said. "If I get hurt, that's on me. Because I chose to come. Don't try to blame yourself. It only hurts you more."

Jaune sighs and puts his hands on his side. "Fine. But you have to do exactly as I say, while we're in Mistral. And if we get attacked, try not to get hurt. It's just going to be the two of us out there. Okay?"

"Don't have to ask me, twice." Velvet said. "And since we won't reach Mistral until early morning, I'll be going to sleep. I suggest you do the same."

Jaune proceeds to head for the door as Velvet opens her duffel bag. But before he reaches the doorknob, Jaune stops.

"We're not just going to try to convince Ruby to come back, Velv." He said.

Velvet looks at Jaune with a confused look. "What do you mean?"

Jaune turns to look at Velvet. "Pyrrha's home is a few miles from the village that we're going to. She and I have a lot to talk about."

Velvet is surprised as she watches Jaune exit the room, closing the door. She then takes out a small box and proceeds to open it. Inside is a golden locket. Velvet's hand begins to shake and she heavily breathes as she takes the locket and opens it. A tear falls down her face as she stares at the picture of her and Coco, taken before the war. As she stares at the picture, she proceeds to close the locket and place it on the dresser next to the bed. She then lies down and wraps herself with the blanket as she tries to sleep.

THE NEXT MORNING - MISTRAL - ROOM

Neo, her mask off, is sitting down on a chair and reading a message from her Scroll. Ruby is sleeping on the bed nearby, grunting and moving around. Neo sighs and closes her book. Standing, she walks to the bed and shakes Ruby, who wakes up. Ruby slowly sits up and stares at the ground.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"Around 8 o'clock." Neo said. "But I woke you because you were having another nightmare. You're lucky that I've been up since 6."

Ruby stands up and looks at Neo. "It's still creepy for you to be watching me."

"It's my job to keep an eye on you." Neo said. "You did run away without telling anyone."

"I had a reason why. Because of the failures. And because of those who died because of me."

"And that's why Ironwood and Qrow wanted me to come with you. They know about your trauma. And how bad it is. And Qrow wanted to be sure you didn't do anything, that could result in you...well...dead."

"Of course, he would." Ruby said. "Can I at least get a few minutes alone? I need to change my clothes."

"I was on my way out, anyways." Neo said. "Got a contact that I need to speak to. Shouldn't take long. Don't do anything fatal, while I'm gone."

Neo then disappears as she speeds away, closing the door. Ruby walks over to a dresser and moves it sideways. There, a hole in the wall is there. Ruby puts her arm inside the hole and takes out the object. An Aura-depleting collar. Ruby stares at the collar for a few seconds, she then places the collar around her neck and her Aura depletes after a few seconds. She then goes to the dresser next to her bed and opens the top. Taking out a dagger, she also stares at the weapon. Ruby sits down on her bed and places the sharp edge of the blade onto one of her hands. She begins to whimper as she drags the blade across, cutting her hand slowly. Blood pours to the ground, as Ruby does her best to suppress her screaming, tears falling down her face. And as soon at the end of the blade reaches her cut, she drops the dagger and quickly takes the collar off. She then watches as the cut is quickly healing and her Aura restores. Ruby sighs as she stands up and picks up her Scroll.

VILLAGE

Jaune and Velvet walk down the road in the village that they've landed. Velvet notices that several villagers were looking at her, like she's committed a crime.

"I don't like this place." She said.

"I was told that a quarter of the population don't like the Faunus, Velvet." Jaune said. "This is why I didn't want anyone to come."

"It's fine." Velvet said. "As long as they don't try to cause any trouble towards me."

"And they won't as long as you stay close to me. Now we're here to speak to Sun's contact. He's inside here."

Jaune points to a building where a bar is and the two enter. They look around to see the patrons that were inside, chatting and drinking. Jaune taps on Velvet's shoulders and points to a table, where she is surprised to see who. They walk to the table and sit down across from Neptune, who nods.

"I thought you were coming alone." He said.

"I sorta stowed away." Velvet said.

"Ah. Well, then. I suppose you guys want to know any information."

"Any information that you can give will be of great help." Jaune said. "Did you actually see Ruby?"

"I did." Neptune said. "It's not often that you see a flying person in the sky. And since she was defending this place, I knew it was her."

"Were you able to get any other information, in regards to where she could be?" Jaune asked.

"I tried my best." Neptune answered. "But I did hear a rumor from a passerby. He said that he saw someone who looked like Ruby enter a house, near the outskirts of Mistral. That's about it."

"Well that shortens out where we could find her." Velvet said.

"One more thing." Neptune said. "Another rumor was told to me. Apparently, someone is with her. Someone who wears a mask and helps Ruby. Some would see she would be one place, then to another."

"Sounds like one of members of the Order." Jaune said, surprised. "The one who is real fast. But why would they she with Ruby? She can take care of herself."

Velvet is about to give an answer, she suddenly lifts her arm and grabs something. She turns her head to see knife, the blade aiming at her head. She looks to see a bald man, who is angrily staring at her. Velvet then turns to look at Jaune and Neptune, the latter who is covering his eyes.

"That guy's been driving people crazy for a while."

Velvet smiles. "Perhaps he needs a reason to leave, then."

She then takes out her bow and quiver, places them onto the table, stands up and begins walking towards the man. Jaune and Neptune stand up and walk towards the guy while keeping distance. The bald man stands up and stops in front of Velvet, being taller than she is.

"I believe this is yours." Velvet said, holding the knife. And seeing that it's a butterfly knife, then begins to swing it around, until the knife is concealed. "I heard you've been causing problems around here. Especially to the Faunus."

"Yeah?" The man said. "So what if I am, freak?"

"You may be..." Velvet said, before she looks at the woman who was with the man. The lady is smiling at her. "But I think your lady friend has taken a liking to me."

"You better shut your damn mouth. Animals often do so." The man said, grasping Velvet's arm.

Velvet sighs. She then quickly forces the man hand off her, and twists it, breaking the arm and making him scream in pain. She then pushes him backwards, before noticing several of the patrons approaching her.

"I've got this." Velvet said to Jaune and Neptune.

She cracks her neck and immediately blocks an attack, sending her attacker to the other side of the room. Jaune and Neptune look at each other in surprise and amusement. She then continues her fight against the group until they are all down. But they stand back up and prepare to fight again.

"Now I can appreciate the help, boys."

Jaune nods and joins in on the fight, while Neptune grabs a stool and smashes it onto an attacker. The trio fight and fight, until there is only one attacker left. Jaune takes that person and proceeds to throw him through a window.

ROOM

Ruby is sitting down, putting her Scroll onto the desk. Pressing a button, she begins to call someone. As the call happens, Ruby slows down her breathing. When the screen changes, she smiles to see the person responding.

"Hey, Blake. Just checking up on you guys."

"I don't think this is a good time, Ruby." Blake said. "Some bad things are happening right now."

"Bad things?" Ruby said. "What do you mean? I thought you said Menagerie is untouched?"

"It was." Blake said. "But this is our problem. And we're going to fix it, ourselves. Don't try to come here, please."

"If you're sure you don't need help, then alright." Ruby said. "...How's Yang?"

Blake sighs. "To be honest...she slightly improving. But she's still needs to recover. But with everything happening right now, that's going to take longer to do."

"Do what you can to help her." Ruby said. "Um...can I talk to her?"

Blake has a worried look. "I'm...I'm not sure. Maybe not yet."

"Please, Blake." Ruby said. "We haven't talked since Atlas. I just want to see her, myself. See how she's doing."

Blake sighs again. "Give me a second."

Ruby watches as Blake gets up and walks off-screen. She also hears voices.

"Yang. Someone wants to speak to you."

Ruby waits a few seconds before hearing footsteps getting closer. That's when Yang, looking very nervous and sad, sits down and stares at the ground. Ruby smiles.

"Hey, sis."

VILLAGE

"Sorry about the mess." Jaune said to the bar owner. "I'm sure we can help clean up."

"No need." The bar owner said. "Those people were driving me crazy, these past few weeks. I don't appreciate racism in this place. I'll need to put that as a rule or something."

"Appreciate it. Listen. I'm trying to head to the Nikos residence. But I heard the roads are bad, right now. You know another way?"

"Let me go get my map."

The owner walks into a room, while Jaune waits.

"Jaune."

Jaune turns around and looks at Velvet, who has a couple cuts on her face.

"I'm ready to leave this place, when you are."

"We'll go in a minute." Jaune said. "You okay?"

"Just a couple scratches." Velvet said, placing a rag on her wounds. "I'll be fine. Neptune's already heading back home. And I would like to leave this place as soon as possible."

"Just a second." Jaune said.

The bar owner exits the room and shows Jaune the map. Velvet sighs as she sits down to wait.

ROOM

Ruby closes her Scroll as she sadly sighs. She feels the tears falling down her face, but doesn't move. The door opens and Neo enters, holding a bag full of food.

"That was nice of my informant to deliver us some good food." Neo said, placing the bag down. "Guess we owe him a favor."

Neo notices that Ruby is frozen in place and walks to her. She puts her hand on Ruby's shoulder and shakes a little. Ruby slowly turns to look at Neo.

"You okay?"

Ruby wipes the tears from her face and stands up.

"I'm fine." She answers. "Just talked to Yang. She's doing better. But she's still hurting."

"She'll recover." Neo said. "I know she will."

Ruby nods. She walks to the dresser across the room and takes out Crimson Rose.

"Come on. I feel like we both need a drink."

FOREST

Jaune and Velvet are walking though a forest, with Jaune looking at a spare map given to him.

"I'd say we have about maybe an hour or two, before we reach Pyrrha's house." He said. " We're close, Velvet."

"Have you given any thought?" Velvet asked.

"What do you mean?"

"About what you're going to say to her? Chance are, she's not going to be happy to see you."

Jaune rolls the map and puts it away. "I...I honestly think that I'll just wing it. I mean, I really don't know what I'll say."

Velvet sighs. "Just be sure not to say anything that'll embarrass you. Remember last time?"

Jaune chuckles upon remembering the last time. But his smile fades away as he stops walking. Velvet stops and turns to him, looking worried.

"...Velvet. Do you think that she'll forgive me?"

The two of them stare at each other for a few seconds, before Velvet answers.

"It took me a month to forgive Aiden, despite what he did. If I can forgive him...then perhaps she can forgive you."

Jaune nods and the two continue to walk through the forest. But as they walk, Velvet begins to remember.

2 MONTHS AGO - ATLAS - JAIL CELL

The door to the room containing the jail cell opens. Velvet and a guard enter the room.

"Now, remember." The guard said. "5 minutes is all General Ironwood gave you."

"I'll be done in 3." Velvet said. "You can go, now. It's not like he's going anywhere."

As the guard exits the room, Velvet walks to the jail cell and looks through the glass door. Aiden, sporting a beard, sits on his bed. He is sadly staring at the ground, before he turns to look at Velvet.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. "Thought you didn't want to speak to me, again."

Velvet is silent.

"You came here for a reason. Just spit it out and leave. I prefer to be alone."

"...I'm just here to deliver some news to you. It's good news, actually."

Aiden scoffs. "Good? What, did they reduce my sentence or something? Am I getting a better, more comfortable room than this dump? Or perhaps you want to be my friend, again?I really hope it aint the last one. I don't deserve forgiveness."

Velvet, getting angry, slams her fist at the door and causing Aiden to stand up and look at her.

"You're being released!" Velvet angrily exclaims.

Aiden is surprised and shocked to hear that. "What?"

"It took a long time, but I managed to convince Ironwood that the sentencing given to you was outrageous. You were threatened to do Cinder's bidding."

"Why would you do this?"

Velvet looks confused as she sees Aiden lowers his head begin to shake.

"I did not care, if I would spend the rest of my life behind bars. I don't care if I would be executed. It wouldn't matter. Solara's dead. My whole family is dead. I have nothing left out to live for."

"Aiden...you're wrong." Velvet said.

Aiden lifts his head, tears flowing down his face.

"Solara might be dead, yes. But if she were here, watching as you fall into dread and grief, she would extremely disappointing in you. She would want you to keep going on. To move forward. And that's why I wanted to get you out. So you could start over. Start a new life. Away from everything that happened with you. Maybe get a job. And I mean a "job" job."

"...What if I can't?"

"The entire time that I've come to know you, I know that you've never given up, despite everything that would happen to you."

Aiden sits back down to his bed. "Do you believe that I could keep going?"

"...I do believe." Velvet said. "You're my brother, Aiden. Well...not literally. But you have always been like one to me. So I'm asking you. Please. Move forward."

Velvet then turns to the door and exits the room. And she she walks across Alpha Base, she sadly stares at the ground.

"Velvet!"

PRESENT DAY - MISTRAL - FOREST

Velvet breaks off from her flashback and immediately takes out her bow, while Jaune has Crocea Mors ready. Surrounding them, are a group of bandits with their weapons out.

"You think, we can take them all on?" Velvet asked.

"...I don't know." Jaune answered.

"No need for a fight!"

The two turn to see one of the bandits, his gun bearing a blade on the bottom, walking towards them.

"As long as you don't do anything rash, then we won't attack you. We just want to ask one thing?"

Jaune doesn't lower his shield. "And why should we believe you?"

"...It's our policy." The bandit said. "The name's Shay, by the way. Don't ask for my last name, okay?"

"What do you want?" Velvet said, aiming her arrow at him.

"Relax, sweetie." Shay said. "What we want, simply, are those weapons of yours and perhaps any other supplies in your possession."

"Screw you." Jaune said. "You want our stuff, you're going to have to fight us for them."

Shay sighs and places his free hand on his head. "And to think that we were going the easy way." He then points his gun at the two. "I guess we're going to have to-"

Shay is suddenly interrupted by a fellow bandit, who begins whispering in his ear. His expression goes from mad to surprised. Lowering his gun, he approaches Jaune and takes a look at the latter's emblem on his shield. He then scoffs.

"Change of plans, guys." He said, putting his gun away. "We're not going to be stealing from these two."

Jaune and Velvet lower their weapons in confusion.

MINUTES LATER - CAMP

Deciding to follow the bandits, Jaune and Velvet enter a large bandit camp, where they see multiple tents up and other bandits looking at them. Some of them look surprised to see them.

"I'm pretty sure, they know who we are." Velvet said. "I don't like it."

"Relax." Shay said. "We were told, not to harm you or your friends in Atlas."

"Why?" Jaune asked, cautious.

"Oh, you'll see."

They continue to walk until they reach an open area and a tent, bigger than the rest, is in the middle. Jaune and Velvet notice the people in the camp are forming around them.

"Hey, boss!" Shay yells. "Guess who we found?"

The entrance to the big tent opens up, and a woman with short brown hair exits. Her face is that of surprise, raising her eyebrows.

"Huh." She said. "Despite my doubts, two of you are here."

The woman begins walking towards Jaune and Velvet and inspects them.

"So. What brings you two to the wonders of Mistral? I seriously doubt it's for the scenery. Once you look at it so many times, it does tend to gets boring."

The two are silent, refusing to answer.

"Silent, huh?" She said. "Fine, then. The name's Vernal. And I'm the leader of this tribe. And the man who escorted you. That's Shay." She moves closer and whispers. "His full name is Shay D. Mann. Get it?"

Velvet, despite her trying, let's out a snort and covers her mouth. Shay groans in anger and walks away. Vernal chuckles.

"He hates it when anyone knows his name." Vernal then begins walking to her tent.

"I don't understand." Jaune said.

Vernal stops and turns to him.

"You people raid others for their valuables, with disregard to those who you rob. And yet, your men are to not to steal from us. Specifically us. Why?"

Vernal stares at Jaune before she looks serious. "If you really want to know why, then you two will stay with me in my tent. Some explaining is needed, after all."

As Vernal walks towards her tent, Jaune and Velvet look at each other.

"I don't trust her." Velvet said.

"I don't either." Jaune said. "We should just leave."

"You think they'll let us leave?"

"If they can't attack us, then we should have no problem."

"Hey, you two!"

The two turn to look at Vernal, who sighs.

"Why must you two be so difficult? I'm merely here to help you two. I assume you know a certain Maiden."

Jaune looks surprised.

"Yep. I thought so. Let's talk. My tent. Now."

"Could she be talking about Pyrrha?" Velvet asked.

"Guess we'll get an answer." Jaune said.

They proceed to walk towards Vernal's tent, as the bandits disperse.

"Just be prepared for anything." Jaune said.

"I know." Velvet said.

They proceed to enter the main tent, where they see Vernal sitting down and pouring tea into 3 cups.

"I hope you two like herbal green tea." Vernal said. "I heard it's great for calming the nerves."

Jaune and Velvet sit down at the table that's between them and Vernal. A woman nearby walks to the table and grabs two of the cups. She then nervously walks to the two and places the cups in front of them. The woman then proceeds to pass something to Velvet before speedily walking out of the tent. Velvet cautiously throws the object to the table and slowly backs away.

"Relax." Vernal said. "Meryl can be slightly affectionate. She watched that video of you fighting that Torchwick guy and has been smitten with you, apparently."

Velvet, surprised, looks at the object. It was a heart-shaped object, like it was homemade. All she does is smile, but quickly retracts. She's with Valerie now.

"I can tell that you're with someone." Vernal said. "I'll break the bad news to her later."

"Enough of this small talk!." Jaune said, mad. "You wanted to speak to us. So speak."

Vernal calmly takes a sip of her tea before placing the cup down.

"Very well, then. Your tea's getting cold. Better drink up, as I speak.

Vernal proceeds to stand up and walks to a map of Mistral.

"3 months ago, we were just doing our daily routine. Raiding villages. Getting drunk. Having amazing times. Ah, that was the life. Still is." Her voice then turns angry. "But all that changed when she came here to Mistral. A Maiden. A fucking Maiden! That bitch thwarted almost all of our raids and taking what we stole back to their owners."

Jaune angrily grips Crocea Mors.

"I tell you. She's become a nuisance. And I just wanted to slice her throat open and just end it there. But...she decided to speak with me. I mean, really? After all she's done to this tribe?"

Vernal turns to look at the two.

"I was going to say no to this talk. But after much thought, I decided to listen. Turns out, she wanted to reach a deal. Said that she didn't want to keep stopping us nor would she want to stop us here permanently. And the deal was this: She would leave us alone. And in exchange, if we see her anywhere, we don't pillage that place. And the nerve of her to add one more thing: A place to stay. Pathetic."

Jaune and Velvet look confused at that last sentence.

"We obviously agreed to the deal. We've kept our distance and we haven't had troubles with her again." She then scoffs. "Ruby Rose. Some hero."

Jaune quickly stands up. "Ruby? You were talking about Ruby?"

"Obviously." Vernal answered. "Who else did you think I was talking about?"

"Where is she staying? I need to know where. Tell me."

"And why should I tell you?"

Jaune is about to angrily walk, before his arm is grabbed by Velvet. He stops.

"We're trying to take her back to Atlas." Velvet said. "That's all you need from us. And if we take her back, then you wouldn't have to worry about whether or not you will encounter her again. Could be a win-win scenario for both parties."

Vernal stares at Velvet before looking at her. "You really think that you could convince her?"

"We have to." Velvet said.

Vernal then proceeds to tear the map off the board it was on. She placed the map on the table and places her finger on a location near where the camp is.

"Fine. If you can rid us of Rose and her accomplice, be my guest."

"Thank you." Velvet said.

"Yeah, whatever. Just get out of my camp."

Jaune and Velvet turn and proceed to exit the tent, while Vernal sits and finishes her tea.

"I got a feeling, we're going to be seeing her again." Jaune said, as they walk out of the camp.

"Probably." Velvet said, before looking at the map. "Hmm. Odd."

"What's odd?"

"...The house that Ruby's staying. It seems to be almost a mile from Pyrrha's."

Jaune is surprised to hear this.

"But that's perfect." Velvet continues. "Pyrrha's house will be the nearest. We talk to her. Then Ruby."

"...Yeah." Jaune said.

Velvet looks at Jaune and just smiles. "Having second thoughts?"

"Yep." Jaune answered, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well at least you have someone who'll convince you otherwise." Velvet said.

GAS STATION

At a gas station, the bartender is cleaning a glass and staring at someone with suspicion.

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking?"

Ruby sighs and nods. "A water, please. It's a bit hot outside. And whiskey for my friend here."

The bartender raises his eyebrows. "Oh. Right. Coming right up."

As he walks into a room, Neo sits down next to Ruby, donning black hair and green eyes.

"Really?" She asked. "A water? Thought you came here to get a drink."

"I changed my mind, obviously." Ruby said. "Is that going to be a problem."

"Nope." Neo said. "Just hoped to have a drinking buddy. That's all."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you." Ruby said.

The bartender returns with a bottle or water and a bottle of whiskey and puts them on the counter. Giving him some Lien, Ruby grabs the water bottle and drinks from it.

"So." The bartender said. "What brings you two here?"

Ruby is about to answer, when Neo interrupts.

"We are not at liberty to answer that." Neo said.

"Really? What are you? A cop or something?"

"No." Neo said. "But let's just say I do work with higher-ups in the military category. So no. We won't answer your question. Now shoo."

The bartender mumbles as he walks into the same room.

"That wasn't nice to say." Ruby said.

"Sometimes, nice won't cut it." Neo said. "You of all people should know that."

"...True enough."

Neo opens the bottle and proceeds to drink from it.

Ring

Ruby takes out her Scroll and goes to read a message sent to her. Her eyes go wide from the message.

PYRRHA'S ROOM

Pyrrha is silently reading a book, while lying on her bed. Sighing, she closes it and throws to to the ground. She then proceeds to sit up and stare at the ground. Pyrrha the lifts her right hand up, fire spewing from it. But it then disappears, because her hand is shaking. She grabs her hand, but realizes that her entire body is shaking. Taking long, slow breaths, Pyrrha tries her best to calm herself down. But her attempts are interrupted by a familiar voice outside.

"This is it, Jaune."

Pyrrha's eyes go wide is shock.

OUTSIDE

Jaune and Velvet are staring at the house where Pyrrha lives.

"Yeah." Jaune said. "It sure is."

"You know exactly what to say?" Velvet said.

"Every word."

"You need to be sure, Jaune. Don't want to make any mistakes."

"I know. I'll be careful with my words."

"And remember. It's not just her in there. Her parents will be a tough obstacle."

"I am aware, Velvet."

The two do not even move an inch.

"We're procrastinating, aren't we?" Velvet asked.

"Yep." Jaune answered, before sighing. "Come on. No more waiting."

IN THE NEAR FUTURE

Jaune, after visting the grave site, proceeds to walk down from the cemetery and down a hill. He continues to walk until her sees someone sitting on a bench. Jaune then proceeds to sit on the opposite side of the bench. Yang sadly stares away and towards a lake, trying to hold back tears.

"Are you okay?" Jaune asked.

"...No." Yang said, the tears falling. "You?"

Jaune hesitates to answer. But after a few seconds..."No."

Yang then begins to become angry. "You know what we have to do, then?"

Jaune turns to see Yang's eyes turning read and more tears flowing down.

"We have to kill this son of a bitch!" Yang exclaims.

Jaune stares at Yang, before nodding. "We will."

END OF CHAPTER 13

Hey, guys. Been a while since I've posted a chapter. With life, my Youtube channel, gaming with friends, and my full-time job, it's been hard to write. But I do hope you enjoyed this. I lightened the tone that was set in the 1st half of Volume 6. But it will have that tone later on. But until then, enjoy the lighter tone.

Next chapter should be out before April, I hope. I will probably put out a preview or two while you wait. As for my other stories and works, they will be made. Just be patient for those, too.

See you guys later.