RWBY Volume 6, Chapter 14

Hey guys. So because there are 2 Hazels in this story, The enemy Hazel in Cinder's side will be called Bad Hazel.

Forgiveness Pt .2

3 MONTHS AGO - MENAGERIE

The black-haired cat Faunus is running down the road, passing by the shocked people, holding the blonde in her arms. Yang has a bullet wound on her chest and is unconscious. Blake is frantic, tears falling down her face, as she carries Yang.

"Come on, Yang!" Blake exclaims. "COME ON!"

She comes close to crying as she continues running. She becomes more frantic as she starts to run faster, eventually screaming.

PRESENT DAY - MISTRAL - PYRRHA'S HOME

Jaune nervously stares at the front door of the Nikos home. Velvet stands behind him, as he raises his arm and is about to knock on the door.

"Are you sure, you want to be the one they see first?" Velvet asked, concerned. "Given that Pyrrha may have told them everything."

"It's alright, Velvet." Jaune said. "I'm pretty confident that they'll react to me in a professional-"

The door suddenly opens, and an older woman with red hair and blue eyes yells and jabs something at Jaune. He yells as electricity surges around him and falls. Velvet's eyes are wide as Jaune groggily rolls around.

"YOU STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" The woman screams, holding a staff that has a handle with electricity expelling out of it.

"Hazel, dear!"

Velvet looks to see an older man with auburn hair and green eyes exiting the house, his arms crossed.

"I thought we agreed not to taser him." The man said.

Hazel pulls back the staff that she used and places it on the wall.

"We did, Crimson. But do honestly ou think that after everything that Pyrrha told us, I was going to allow HIM in our house?" She asked. "I don't want him here!"

"Please, Mrs. Nikos."

Hazel turns around to see Jaune struggling to get up.

"If you could please just give me a few minutes, I can explain-"

"I don't think so, young man." Crimson said, with some aggression in his voice. "I'm sure that you came a long way to be here. But I'm afraid that you need to leave."

Velvet steps forward and moves Jaune away. "Excuse me. Mr. and Mrs Arc. I'm Velvet. Scarlatina. I'm sure Pyrrha's told you about me."

"Ah, yes." Crimson said. "The Faunus girl with the rabbit ears. The one who saw her girl die in front of her, right?"

Velvet tries to answer, but finds that she can't. She lowers her head and backs away.

"Oh." Crimson said. "I'm...I'm really sorry. I guess you're still feeling the pain. I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine." Velvet said. She lifts her head to look at Pyrrha's folks. "Look. Um...maybe Jaune can stay out here? And I can talk to Pyrrha?"

"It's fine, Velvet."

All four turn to see Pyrrha, wearing a dark jacket and her arms crossed, bearing a worried look. Jaune lowers his head and looks away.

"He's fine to come in." Pyrrha said.

Her parents look surprised to hear this.

"Pyrrha, dear." Hazel said. "Are you absolutely sure?"

Pyrrha would stare at her folks for a few seconds, before nodding. "I want to talk to him. Alone. You should go to the village for a while."

Hazel is about to protest, when Crimson places his hand on his shoulder. Hazel stares at her husband before sighing and nodding.

BANDIT CAMP

Vernal sits down, her eyes closed and breathing slowly. Sighing, she reaches for her cup of green tea and begins to sip from it.

"What did you tell him?"

Vernal stops drinking and places the cup back down. While not looking, she can tell that Ruby is angry at her.

"I told him some things." Vernal answered. "Our little deal, for the most part. About green tea. And...where to find you, of course."

Ruby then proceed to walk around Vernal and stares down at her.

"And why exactly, did you tell him?" Ruby asked.

Vernal shrugged. "Possibly to get you out of your way, Perhaps. I don't know. Or maybe because I felt like it. I don't know. And I don't care about what you think."

"You should be." Ruby angrily said, her eyes turning white.

Vernal then just casually stares at her. "You know that stare doesn't scare me. How did you even find out, anyway?"

"One of your bandits owed me a favor." Ruby angrily answered. "He let me know about the visit."

"...Oh, you always need to spy on me everywhere. Don't you?" Vernal asked, standing up.

"You're criminals. Scum, actually. And I hate scum."

Vernal starts to become angry. "You remember Raven Branwen? Our former tribe leader? The one who abandoned us for a war that she shouldn't have been involved in your little war. She was scum, too. A criminal. But you accepted her, because she was family and fighting at your side."

"She made her choice!" Ruby exclaims.

"Sure. She did make her choice. And I'm glad she did. Ever since I took the role, we were doing great. Absolutely fantastic stuff! Until you decided to show up and ruin everything from us! Taking away all of our fun and destroying our way of life!"

Vernal angrily then walks until her face is a foot away from Ruby's.

"You...you are a despicable piece of shit! If you were the hero that everyone talked about, then you should be fighting that Torchwick asshole. But instead, you want to focus on us." She scoffs. "Some hero you are. I wonder how the Schnee girl felt when you left her."

Ruby yells as she grabs Vernal and slams onto the table, slitting it in half. She then grabs her again and proceeds to throw her out of the tent. Vernal hits the ground hard, with her fellow bandits looking shocked or surprised. Neo uses her speed to keeps any bandits from reaching her. Ruby exits the tent and takes out Crimson Rose. Vernal lifts her head up and tries to stand. But Neo punches her back down. Ruby angrily stares at Vernal and readies her sword.

Vernal spits blood from her mouth and chuckles. "Go ahead. Kill me, then. It's what you wanted, right? Get me out of the way?"

Ruby looks around to see some of the bandits looking scared, knowing what's going to happen. Tightening her grip, Ruby screams in anger and she lifts her sword and strikes. Vernal has her eyes closed. But upon hearing the impact, she opens them, not feeling any pain. She moves her head to see the tip of the sword had struck the ground next to her.

"I was trying to protect you."

Vernal turned to look at Ruby, confused from her words.

"Protect us?" Vernal asked. "Protect us from what?"

Ruby lifts Crimson Rose and sheathes it. "The Dark Seekers."

Vernal sits up and looks at Ruby.

"...Torchwick knows about you. Your tribe. And the fact that there are children here. And he chose your tribe to destroy, because Raven once led you all."

Ruby looks at the bandits around her.

"Every day! Every night, the Dark Seekers attempted to sneak in here. They were going to massacre you all, while you slept. They didn't care that they would be killing kids. Just as long as everyone would die. But I stopped them every time."

"Why the fuck, would he want to kill us?" Vernal asked, angrily. "We're outnumbered and aren't capable of fighting them."

"Exactly." Ruby answered. "No matter whether you're strong or weak. Whether you're fighting him or not. He will try to slaughter any threat to his plans. And you were one of the weak threats. And that's why I stopped your own plans every time. To ensure that none of you would be ambushed and killed."

"Why, then?" Vernal asked again. "Why would you...a fucking Maiden...protect a group of runaways and nobodies?"

"...Because it's what I do." Ruby answered again. "I protect anyone who would be defenseless against the Dark Seekers."

Vernal scoffs as she gets off. "We can handle ourselves. And given that you've told us this, we will be moving camp now. So why don't you just leave us. If we die, we die fighting. It's the code that we live with, everyday. These people are mines to lead. They are my family. And you should be thinking about yours as well."

Ruby lowers her head and begins to think. Vernal sighs and continues.

"Look. I'm not exactly the most subtle of people. But I can say this: If you want to protect everyone...us...the people of Remnant...and those who can't help themselves...you need to get back into the war. Instead of trying to protect a small number of people, you need to save the millions in danger. Kill that bastard Torchwick and that bitch Cinder Fall. End this, once and for all. I can't make you decide. But you should consider."

Vernal that looks at her bandits. "Tomorrow! We lower the tents and move out! We need to find a new home!"

The bandits begin to disperse and Neo walks to Ruby, who is deep in thought. Ruby the lifts her head and looks at Vernal.

"Where are they?" She asked. "My friends?"

PYRRHA'S HOME

Jaune and Velvet are in the living room of Pyrrha's home. Jaune stares at the clock that sits on the top of the fireplace, while Velvet looks at the pictures of Pyrrha and her family. She turns to see Pyrrha sitting on the counter top in the kitchen, sadly staring at Jaune as he lightly taps the glass on the clock.

"I wouldn't tap on that."

Jaune turns to look at Pyrrha, who is walking towards him. He slowly backs away as Pyrrha gets a rag and cleans on the glass.

"This clock belonged to my grandmother." She said. "This was her very first prize that she got when she was a kid, during a fight. She would tell me the story, every night before she died. So please don't tap on this again."

Jaune lowers his head and proceeds to sit down. Pyrrha sighs and proceeds to sit in the chair across from Jaune. She then stares at him.

"Jaune."

Jaune lifts his head and looks at Pyrrha again.

"You came all this way to speak to me. Well...I'm here. So why don't you start?"

Jaune goes to look at Velvet and nods to her. Velvet nods back and proceeds to leave the room, going through the front door. The two of them now alone, Pyrrha waits for Jaune to talk. But only silence filled the room.

"I'm sorry."

Pyrrha is surprised to hear Jaune speaking.

"I hurt you, Pyrrha. I hurt you...so bad. And I didn't feel any remorse. But after you left...I felt it."

"...You had every right to me angry at me." Pyrrha said. "And I deserved it, for what I've done."

"But it wasn't you." Jaune said. "Mentally it wasn't. It was-"

"I know it wasn't really me. It was her. Stryker. But physically...it was me...killing your parents. And I have to live with that, for the rest of my life."

Jaune notices something on Pyrrha's arm. He is shocked to see the scars there. Pyrrha sees him and quickly hides the scars with the sleeves of her jacket. Jaune had tried to contain his emotions. But upon seeing the scars, and how he caused so much pain, he tightly grips the chair he's sitting on, trying to slow his breathing. Tears begin to flow down his face as he starts to slightly sob. Pyrrha stands up and goes to Jaune, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm a bad person." Jaune shakily said, putting his hands over his head. "I tried to kill in cold blood. I tried to kill you...with my bare hands. I almost killed you."

Pyrrha the proceeds to move closer and hugs him, placing Jaune's head on her abdomen. Jaune quickly wraps her arms around Pyrrha and holds her as he sobs. Pyrrha shakily sighs as her own tears fall down her face.

The sound of a door opening is heard. Pyrrha turns and sees Ruby, looking a bit shocked. Velvet is behind her, looking concerned. Jaune manages to recover from his breakdown and lifts his own head. He would stare at Ruby for a while, before standing up. Wiping his tears, he would proceeds to walk past Ruby and exit the house. Ruby watches him with concern before turning back to Pyrrha.

"You came at a bad time." Pyrrha said.

VALE - CITADEL

A glass cup is being filled with liquor, as the door to a room is opened. Cinder growls upon seeing Torchwick, who himself is angry. He puts the bottle down and picks up the glass. Cinder notices the recent scars on his face.

"Had a bit of trouble with the animals?" Cinder asked.

Torchwick doesn't answer, drinking from his glass.

"Silent, huh?"

He places the glass down and groans in frustration. Cinder proceeds to sit down across from him.

"They're building an army." Torchwick said. "All those...animals! Building an army against...ME!

Torchwick throws the glass at the wall, it shattering on impact.

"THEY SHOULD BE BOWING TO ME!"

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Angry much?" Cinder said, smirking at the anger. "Don't worry, Roman. We'll kill them all, like all the others that we've killed before."

"We most certaintly will." Torchwick said. "But...as long as the Maidens remain alive, they will continue to stop us. Even if they're not involved in our little war, they will try to stop us. Especially Little Red. Been hearing that she's been protecting Branwen's tribe for a while."

"I am aware." Cinder said. "But given that they're just a tiny threat, why impose on trying to kill them? They wouldn't put a dent in our army."

"True that. But if Rose somehow manages to have them fight with those who already oppose us, they could make some trouble later on. So why not kill them now?"

"Rose is no longer associated with that pathetic squad in Atlas, based on what I'm hearing. Been pretty much solo, since Solis. I've sent Hazel and a few assassin's to go take care of her. She's been reported to be a little...broken. She'll fall soon."

Torchwick nods. "Good. Alone, she's vulnerable. And given the damage that we've given her, she will most definitely die so easily."

"...We do have one problem, I'm afraid. She was seen in a village in Mistral, along with one of the Knights. The one with the speed."

Torchwick begins to look mad. "The Knights. I thought they went away, a long time ago." Scoffs. "They may have killed me before. But I guarantee that they won't be so lucky, this time."

Cinder begins to look confused. "That was a long time ago. Decades. What are you talking about?"

Torchwick turns to look at Cinder, his black and red eyes glowing. Cinder becomes a little unnerved, upon looking at him. She stands up from her chair.

"I'll be heading to Mistral, myself tomorrow. And I won't be needing any assistance. I'll fly there."

Cinder turns and proceeds to leave the room. Torchwick takes the bottle and proceeds to drink from it.

MISTRAL

Jaune sits in the meadow, staring at the grass as the sun begins to set. He begins to hear footsteps and turns his head. Pyrrha proceeds to sit down next to him, staring at the tree near them. And under that tree is a gravestone. Pyrrha's.

"You still haven't taken that down?" Jaune asked. "It's been almost a year."

"I know I should've, given that I'm really alive." Pyrhha said. "But I keep it, as a memento." Her smile then begins to fade. She turns to Jaune. "You say that you caused so much pain to me. I do understand that you did. But...you should know. I did the same to you, too. And I am guilty for hurting you, even when it was not my own mind commiting these hurtful actions. I guess...we've both hurt each other so badly."

"...Yeah. I guess we both did." Jaune said, barely trying to contain his sadness.

Jaune is then surprised again, when Pyrrha wraps his arms from behind him. Wrapping her around him and resting her head on his shoulder, Pyrrha sighs.

"But honestly, Jaune...this should be the right time...to comfort each other. To forgive each other. To make peace with each other. And we could try to move on."

Jaune stares at the sunset as he puts his hand over one of Pyrrha's. He then begins to nod, before the two of them stand up and look at each other.

"Thank you." Jaune said.

Pyrrha smiles and nods. "And I could say the same for you." She turns to her house, seeing Ruby and Velvet looking at them outside. She then turns back to Jaune.

"Are...you and Velvet sleeping anywhere?"

Jaune then realizes those words. "Oh crap. We didn't think about that."

Pyrrha chuckles. "Of course you did. Well...my parents might object...but you and Velvet are welcome to stay...if you want."

Jaune then go to look at Velvet, who smiles and nods. He smiles. "Sure."

Pyrrha then proceeds to wrap her arm around Jaune and they walk towards the house.

EVENING

The 4 friends, Hazel and Crimson all sit in the dinner table, preparing to eat the food that was cook. Hazel grabs both Crimson and Pyrrha. Ruby and Velvet, knowing what that meant do the same, with Velvet holding one of Jaune's hands. Jaune smiles and he grasps Pyrrha's remaining hand. The group all close their eyes as they silently pray. After about a minute, they release their grips and start to eat their food. As they eat, Ruby slowly chews on her food, sadly staring at the stew that she's eating.

"This is nice."

Ruby lifts her head to see Velvet, who is smiling.

"It's been a while since we've sat together. You know. Eating with friends."

"It most certainly is." Pyrrha said, smiling. She then looks at Velvet. "So...I heard that you and that girl are together. Valerie, right?"

"...Yeah." Velvet said. "We are. And we've been happy together since we left Solis."

"I bet she understood, when you decided to come here with Jaune." Ruby said.

Velvet stares at Ruby for a few seconds, before answering. "I'm really, really hoping she does."

Ruby nods upon hearing this and eats more. But her smiling fades back into darkness. "How's Weiss?"

Jaune stops eating upon hearing this. He lifts his head and looks at Ruby. Velvet has a worried look.

"I haven't heard anything from or about her, since I left. How is she?"

Jaune puts his spoon down and sighs. "She's been real bossy. Since you left the squad. Been also fairly angry. Mainly because of the schedule that she gave us and expect us to follow."

Ruby raises her eyebrow. "She made a schedule? Seriously?"

"Oh, yeah." Jaune answered. "She enforces it very seriously. Especially when we're out on missions. It was becoming embarrassing after a while."

Ruby smiles. "Even more embarrassing than you in a dress?"

Pyrrha, who had her mouth full, covers her mouth, trying not to laugh. Jaune groans in embarrassment. Hazel and Crimson are a bit surprised. After swallowing her food, she begins to laugh. "Oh, I remember that night." After a few seconds of laughing and everyone around her smiling at each other, Pyrrha begins to calm down. She lowers her head and nods. "It was the best night of my life."

The whole table is silent as they continue to eat.

NIGHT

On the rooftop of the Nikos home, Pyrhha sits and stares at the night sky. The stars are shining and the moon is bright. Pyrrha's smile slowly turns to sadness, before raising her right hand. Fire expels from her hands as she stares at it. But as she does the fire becomes bigger and bigger. Her eyes become bigger in fear. She grabs her wrist to stop the shaking that's occurring. Tears begin to fall down her face as she begins to whimper. The flames dissipate from her hand, Pyrrha puts her hands off her face, wiping the tears from her face. She then proceeds to stare back at the night sky, her smile slowly forming back to her face.

THE NEXT DAY

"Absolutely not!"

Jaune sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. After telling Ruby of his plan, for which she rejects, he just sits down. Velvet and Pyrrha just watch.

"I'm telling you, Jaune." Ruby said. "I'm not coming back."

"Why not?" Jaune asked. "Haven't you heard what I've even said? You of all people know that this war isn't one stop closer to ending. Sure, we've done all we can to reduce the Dark Seeker's attacks. But we need everyone that we can get to win."

"And perhaps, you didn't hear me!" Ruby exclaims, standing. "I left the squad, because my actions led to Yang's trauma worsening, Blake losing her hand, and Terra losing her life."

"Let me stop you right there." Jaune said. "And just listen."

Ruby sits down, angrily crossing her arms.

"Why?" Jaune continues. "Why do you keep blaming yourself for every bad thing that has happened to us? Like you caused them all to go bad? Well here's a reality check: Not every horrible thing we've all experienced were your fault!"

Jaune slowly inhales and exhales before continuing.

"It wasn't your fault, that Neo died. It wasn't your fault that Sapphire died. Or Coco. Or Terra. Or even your own dad, Ruby."

Ruby lowers her head, remembering how her dad, Taiyang, was killed by Cinder.

"Neo and Coco died because they were fighting the enemy. Terra and your dad sacrificed themselves so that you wouldn't get hurt. And Sapphire...her death is on me."

Ruby is surprised by this. "What do you mean?"

"...When I was captured, Cinder admitted that she knew exactly where I was in Atlas. Had Pyrrha put a small tracker on my armor, that I found after the Grimm attacked the city. She wanted to wait for the right moment, when I would find Sapphire. That's when she killed her." A tear falls down his face. "Her death is on me. Not you. So please. Don't blame yourself for every person who died so that this war could end. We all make sacrifices, Ruby. Some less. And some more severe."

"He's right." Velvet said. "Not everything is about you, Ruby. But we need you to come back with us. We need you to help us end this war. So that we can have a future for the new generation to grow up in."

"Enough blaming yourself." Jaune said. "Now's the time to fight not just for ending the war. But for those you care about."

Ruby stares at the ground, silently taking everything that was said to her. Jaune, Pyrrha and Velvet watch as she then slowly standing up. As they stare at her, she speaks.

"I'll need to do a couple things, before we go." Ruby said. "First, I'll need to get my stuff."

Jaune smiles. "Of course."

"Second." Ruby said. "I need to speak to a couple people. And trust me: We're both going to hate talking to one of them."

Jaune is a bit confused. "Who?"

Ruby pinches the bridge of her nose. "...The bandit leader."

Jaune groans with some anger upon hearing this. "You've got to be kidding me."

VILLAGE - BAR

The bartender who helped Jaune, is pinned to the wall, and Cinder puts her blade on his neck. Several Dark Seekers wearing cloaks with hoods stand behind her.

"I...I already told you." The bartender said, his voice shaking. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Cinder presses the blade onto his neck, making him whimper. "Don't lie to me. I was told that Rose was here, defending your pathetic little village from the my leader's soldiers."

"Yes!" The bartender said. "She did. But she left after, without saying anything. She and the speedy woman."

"I don't care exactly where she is." Cinder said. I just want to know which direction. If you tell me, I might spare your life. But...I may reconsider killing everyone in this entire village, if you don't start talking."

The bartender's scared face slowly shifts to one of anger. Cinder's smile fades away, before deciding to release his grip, making the man fall to the ground.

"We are leaving." Cinder said, to her associates.

As she and the Seekers walk out of the bar, they continue until they are 10 feet away from the building. Growling, her eyes begin to glow green. Cinder raises her hand up and the ground begins to shake. The civilians nearby begin to either back away or run. The bar begins to shake and wood splitting. This would continue to go on, until the whole building collapses to the ground. Cinder lowers her arm and her eyes stop glowing. But no smile was on her face. Just anger.

BANDIT CAMP

Jaune sighs as he, Ruby and Velvet stare at the gates of the bandit camp.

"This is a mistake, Ruby." Jaune said.

"I am aware." Ruby said. "I hate having to do this. But I had been planning this for a while. Just kinda wish Pyrrha went with us."

"She did say that she didn't want to come back with us." Jaune said. "For the time being, I'll allow it. I won't pressure her. But I do plan on coming back to check on her, later on."

Ruby nods and begins to smile. "I bet you are."

The gates of the bandit camp open up. The trio walk towards the open gate and enter the camp. They look around to see the bandits packing their tents and possessions. As they walk, they see Shay helping his fellow bandits take down the big tent that Vernal resides in. The latter, who was watching the tent go down, turn around and squints her eyes in anger.

"I was told that you'd be here." Vernal said. "As you can see, I'm preparing my tribe to leave for an unknown location." She the proceeds to walk towards the trio and stops when she's closer. Vernal then sighs before talking. "You already know this. But I hate you, Rose. So very fucking much. But...but despite the rivalry that we have...you protected my tribe, over and over again. I protected them, just like you do for the local villages. And...I suppose I should thank you. Or perhaps I shouldn't. I don't know."

"I just do what I can to help." Ruby said.

"...What are you doing here?"

Ruby turns her head and sees a little girl, who is smiling at her. Ruby goes to the little girl, crouches down and smiles back. She then notices a small knife in the little girl's hand, making her smile fade.

"Give it to me." Ruby said. "Now."

The little girl frowns, lowers her head and gives to knife to Ruby.

"Go find your parents. And stay away from any sharp weapons. You got it?"

The little girl nods and proceeds to walk the opposite direction. Ruby stares at the knife before turning to Venal. "You're training little kids, now."

Vernal crosses her arms. "Some of the children are inspired and they wish to learn. But no. They must wait until they're 13 to begin learning. It's one of our rules. Now let me ask again...why are you here?"

Ruby puts the knife away and walks to Vernal. "I'm here, because this whole relocating idea that you've got...it's going to be for nothing."

Ruby looks around to see the bandits looking at her.

"No matter where you go. No matter where you hide...the Dark Seekers will find you and they will slaughter either some or all of you. And when they're done, they'll just find another group to kill. That's all they've done since they were formed. Very dangerous people."

"Your point being?" Vernal asked.

"...I have an offer for you and your tribe. An offer that would ensure your survival, and the chance to kill some Dark Seekers."

"And exactly what kind of offer?"

Ruby slowly inhales and exhales. "You want to ensure that your people would be safe in the future. I get that. But to only way to do that, is to fight the people that threaten our lives. We all have a common enemy, Vernal. And that's why I'm asking you. To all of you. To help end this war. To join us in our efforts. With you at our side, we'll be more stronger than we already are. And vice versa."

"...You want us to join the Atlesian army?"

"No, I'm not saying that. You'd still be able stay here in Mistral. On the condition that you camp near the Atlesian outpost that's about 4 miles from here. I'd let the captain of that outpost know of your arrival, and that I'd vouch for you. I know him so well, that he owes me a favor. You'll probably hate that you'd be near Atlesian soldiers. But they would assist you, should the Dark Seekers attempt to come after you."

"It's the only option that you have, if you want to stay alive." Jaune said. "Otherwise, I'd give you and your tribe another day or 2 before you get slaughtered."

The bandits look in shock and disbelief as they hear the offer. Vernal growls and lowers her head.

"No Atlesian soldiers will enter your camp, without your permission, of course." Ruby said. "They willl keep their distance, as long as you do the same. And given the condition of your own tribe, I believe that this is only choice, Vernal."

"Enough!" Vernal exclaims. "Are...are you fucking crazy?"

Vernal angrily approaches Ruby and stops near her.

"Do you actually believe that we'd accept this ridiculous offer? Siding with Atlas, just to win this war that we never wanted to be involved, in the first place?"

"You were never involved." Ruby said.

Vernal then just begins to laugh for a few seconds, before becoming angry again. "You are so fucking stupid, Rose. We became involved, the minute you came into our lives. And now my people live in fear. Not for their lives. But for the lives of their children. Their afraid that they'll one day wake up, with the kid lying next to them...DEAD! You, Ruby Rose, are the reason why we're being hunted by the Dark Seekers! Not because Torchwick wants us dead. IT'S BEEN BECAUSE OF YOU!"

Vernal angrily pants as her rant is over. Ruby lowers her head and begins to notice something. Vernal's left hand has one of her fingers pointing at something. Stealthily, she turns to look at Jaune and Velvet, while also noticing that something is hiding among the trees. Not changing expressions, she quickly turns around and sees Vernal's left hand has 2 fingers open and 5 on her right hand. 7 fingers up.

7 Seekers. Ruby thought.

Vernal then quickly grabs Ruby by her shirt and pulls her closer. Ruby then hears her whispering.

"The trees with the ribbons tied." Vernal whispered.

She the shoves Ruby away and then takes out two guns with crescent-shaped blades, aiming them at Ruby.

"YOU RUINED OUR LIVES!" She screamed.

Ruby growls as her eyes turn white, and 7 ice spikes form above her right hand. The bandits quickly back away as they believe a fight about to happen. Ruby turns to Jaune and Velvet, who have their weapons ready. She nods to them before turning back to Vernal.

"You're absolutely sure that you want to this?"

Vernal fires a round at Ruby, who quickly dodges it.

"I am sure of it." Vernal answered.

"...Very well then."

Ruby opens her hand, and the 7 ice spikes launch. But not towards Vernal. But towards the trees with ribbons tied on them. At first, nothing happens. But the sounds of 1 thud, followed by another occur. This happens until there are 7 thuds. Vernal falls to her knees, her weapons dropping to the ground. Jaune and Velvet are surprised at what just happened, but keeping their weapons ready.

"They came in the night." Vernal said, her eyes wide in shock, and staring at the ground. "They killed 15 of my own men. Then one of them. A big guy. He offered us a deal: Capture you...or we die."

"And you chose to capture me." Ruby said.

"What was I supposed to do?" Vernal exclaims. "They didn't exactly give us a choice, last night!" Tears fall down her face. "They killed a child. They killed him and then his parents. I couldn't protect him. I couldn't protect any of my tribe. I thought we could handle ourselves, without you. I was wrong. They're too powerful."

"...But with us at the same team...we can be even more powerful."

Vernal lifts her head to see Ruby, who has her hand reached out. Vernal would originally scoof and smack the hand away. But this time, she grabs it and is held back to her feet.

"You care about your tribe." Ruby said. "Your family. I know what it's like. I failed them, myself. But I'm not going to make that same mistake again. And neither should you. Join us, Vernal. Help us end this war."

Vernal wipes away her tears and just stares at Ruby. But eventually, they shake hands.

"I'll expect my tribe to be treated equally." Vernal said. "And we'll need weapons, food, medicine. Anything to help us."

"I'll be sure to make that happen." Ruby said. "Welcome to the Allies of Remnant." She sees Vernal raise her eyebrow. "I know. I just made that up. Now. Head for the outpost. Get there as soon as possible. And please don't cause trouble."

"...I'll try."

Ruby nods as she turns around and begins walking towards Jaune and Velvet. But that stops as Ruby sudenly grabs her head and begin yelling as she falls to her knees. Jaune and Velvet quickly run to Ruby, who is still yelling.

"Ruby!" Jaune exclaims. "What's happening?"

"...It's Pyrrha!" Ruby said. "I can feel it."

"Feel what?" Velvet asked.

"...Her pain."

Jaune quickly gets up and starts to run.

"Jaune!" Velvet yells.

But Jaune suddenly stops when a group of Seekers emerge from the trees and begin firing at the bandits. Most of them take out their weapons fire back, while the rest flee. Vernal yells as she charges at one of the bandits. Velvet helps Ruby up to her feet and turns to see Bad Hazel, who is charging towards them. Velvet shoves Ruby away, before Bad Hazel delivers a punch on Velvet's chest, making her yell in pain. She clutches her chest as she falls to the ground. Ruby takes out Crimson Rose and begins to attack Bad Hazel. He uses his arms to block the slashes, before managing to grab Ruby and slams her down. Ruby growls, her eyes glowing. An ice spike ball forms over Bad Hazel. It falls towards his head. He yells, before receiving a bash on his back from Jaune's shield. Falling forward, her then gets a knee from Velvet, before he falls to the ground, not moving. Velvet falls to her knees, still clutching in pain. Jaune sees most of the Seekers fighting the bandits and quickly goes to Velvet, helping her up and carrying her towards Ruby, who sheathes Crimson Rose.

"I gotta get to Pyrrha!" Jaune exclaims. "If she's in trouble..."

"I get it, Jaune!" Ruby said. "But Velvet's too hurt and we just can't leave her alone."

But that's when Shay appears, falling on his back. As he gets up, he's quickly grabbed by Ruby.

"Protect my friend, while we're gone." Ruby said. "Got it?"

"Why should I?" Shay asked.

"BECAUSE I SAID SO!"

Ruby releases Shay, grabs Jaune, and they fly away. Shay sighs and stays in front of Velvet, who nods.

"Hi." Shay said.

"I'm into women." Velvet said.

"Ah. Right then." Shay said, before firing his guns.

PYRRHA'S HOUSE

Pyrrha is given a kick to her face, sending her down the stairs. Stopping in the bottom, she quickly gets up, grabs a pot and throws it at one of Cinder's associates, who dodges it. The enemy Seeker takes out a pistol and starts firing at Pyrrha, who ducks behind a counter. Pyrrha quickly get's back up and expels fire from her hand. The Seeker is engulfed in flames, screaming as he exits the building. Pyrrha then exclaims in pain, grabbing her shoulder and seeing a cut on it. A yell is heard, prompting Pyrrha's eyes to glow. She then runs outside to see Crimson swinging a large axe at the other Seekers, while Hazel fights against Cinder, managing to hit the Maiden a few times. Cinder growls and raises her hand. Pyrrha sees a nearby mountain side exploding, with the pieces of the land floating in the air. Cinder yells as she brings the chunks of land towards the area. Hazel, Crimson and the other Seekers are hit. Pyrrha quickly flies towards Cinder, kicking her in the chest and sending her backwards. Cinder stops in the air and flies towards Pyrrha, grabbing her and they fly until Pyrrha crashes onto the wall. Cinder then grabs Pyrrha by her throat, slowly choking her. Pyrrha grabs Cinder's arm and tries to release the latter's grip. But Cinder doesn't budge and squeezes harder. She then feels electricity surge on her back. She releases Pyrrha and quickly turns around to see Hazel, who prepares to strike. Cinder grabs Hazel's staff, takes it from her and slams in on her head. Hazel falls to the ground, groaning in pain. Pyrrha's eyes go wide and yells, tackling Cinder and repeatedly punching her. But she is stopped, Cinder grabs Pyrrha's arms and just smiles. She throws Pyrrha aside and quickly gets up. She sees Crimson about to strike with his axe. But she quickly dodges as the axe hits the ground. Cinder then makes a sword appear and plunges. Pyrrha lifts her head and her eyes go wide is shock upon see Cinder's blade going through Crimson's chest. Crimson coughs up blade and turns to see the smiling Cinder. He then releases his axe and grabs her robot arm. Cinder is shocked as Crimson begins to crush the metal and bending it. Crimson then tells as he pulls the arm off of Cinder, who screams in pain and anger. Cinder falls to the ground, turning to look at the metal plate on her stump. Tears begin to fall down Pyrrha's face as Crimson falls to the ground. Shaking, she turns her head, seeing Hazel on the ground, having been killed by a Seeker. Pyrrha begins to sob, allowing herself to lie on the ground. Cinder grunts as she begins to stand up. She looks around to see the bodies of her allies and Pyrrha's parents on the ground. She begins to look at the stump again, before looking at the sobbing Pyrrha. Only she doesn't smile at this, like at the bar. Cinder then quickly turns to see Ruby carrying Jaune in the air. Knowing that her Aura's low and she only has one arm, she snaps her fingers. An aircraft emerges from the cliff-side. She quickly runs into it. Ruby and Jaune land near the house, just as the airship flies away. They are in shock to see the aftermath. Jaune quickly sees Pyrrha on the ground and runs to her. He crouches down and holds her as she cries. As Jaune comforts her, Ruby goes to the cliff-side and just falls to her knees. Holding her hands tight to her face, a single tears falls as she tries to control her emotions.

THE NEXT DAY - AIRSHIP

The airship carrying Ruby, Jaune, Pyrrha and Velvet is on its way back to Atlas. Ruby and Jaune sit in a room, their heads staring at the ground.

"She hasn't said a word, since yesterday." Jaune said. "She won't even talk to me."

"I know the feeling." Ruby said. "I felt the same way, after Tai died."

Jaune looks at Ruby in confusion. "You just said your dad's name. How come?"

"...I don't know." Ruby answered. "I guess I said it by accident."

The door to the room opens. They turn to see Velvet entering.

"Good news." She said. "Vernal and her bandits made it to the outpost. No incidents reported."

"Good." Ruby said. "And...the bad news."

"That's...why I'm here." Velvet answered. "We have to make a detour to Vale."

"How come?" Jaune asked.

Velvet takes out her Scroll and begins to swipe on it. She then turns it to show a video. It's Weiss, with cuts on her face and having a distressed look. And it looks like she's in the middle of a battle. Ruby's eyes are wide.

"This just came in on my Scroll, a few minutes ago." Velvet said, before pressing play.

"Velvet! If you get this...wherever you and Jaune are it...get to Vale as soon as possible! We need - Ah!"

Weiss is blasted to the ground, dropping her Scroll in the process. Ruby quickly gets up upon seeing that in place of Weiss' hand, is a metal one. Weiss quickly grabs her Scroll and runs.

"JUST GET HERE NOW! OR I'M GONNA-"

The message ends there. Ruby quickly turns to Jaune.

"Why didn't you tell me, she lost her hand?"

"She never did, the last time we saw her!" Jaune exclaims.

"We can discuss this later!" Velvet exclaims as well. "Right now, we need to head to Vale now!"

"Right." Ruby said, still looking at Jaune. "Try to talk to Pyrrha. We might need her help for this one." She turns to Velvet. "Tell the pilot to change course. We're going to Vale."

VALE

Weiss quickly jumps over a railing of a building, using a Glyph to safely land on the ground. Looking around, she sees that she's all alone. She then finally notices the pain on her hip. Seeing blood, she clutches her wound, wincing.

"Oh, man. What do I do?" She asks herself, before she begins running.

END OF CHAPTER 14

Hey, guys. It's me. And another chapter is finally finished. This is tough to write, but I got it done. So the little 2 chapter arc is done. Chapters 15 and 16 will be focusing primarily on Blake and Yang in their time in Menagerie. We'll also have some Ilia moments as well.

I'll be working on Chapter 15, titled "Menagerie Pt.1", ASAP. Please be patient. I also just started Chapter 10 of my RWBY Hero story. That will be coming out, hopefully before Summer. And I might make a one-shot RWBY story, with a certain Marvel movie scene, but with the RWBY universe in its place.

But until then, I'll see you guys later.