Hey there, everyone! Hope you all have been doing well. Apologies for the long gap between the previous chapter and this one, the last chapter for my original novel was a little longer than usual and a bit harder for me to write. Plus, I got a little wrapped up with DMC5. Currently playing Son of Sparda difficulty, by the way. And man, it's still just as effing awesome to play!
You know, random thing here, but it always amazes me how the first playthrough, I always struggle to play even remotely decently, but the very second I start a second playthrough, even if on a higher difficulty, I suddenly have a much easier time doing things in game. Of course, even if that's the case, getting S ranks for all missions sure is a damn challenge, ha ha.
That aside, also just got busy with real life in general. Been looking for a new job still and it seems like something may have turned up, but no choice other than to wait and see now. So yeah, that's what's been going on with me and why it's been this long for this chapter to be written and all that.
Speaking of this chapter, it was also rather hard for me to write since I couldn't quite decide on when to end it and how. That now said, I do believe it turned out satisfactory.
Hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 9
Pain was flaring up in his back from the pieces of debris that had hammered and pierced it, but Jaune, like always, ignored it.
He could tell by the expressions on Roman Torchwick's face as well as the faces of the White Fang members here that they were more than a little shocked by this fact. In all likelihood, they were wondering if he even had aura and if so, if he'd neglected to focus on defense.
And they'd be right – unlike every other aura user he's ever met, who keep their aura up as a shield around their bodies, he never bothered with doing so. After all, what point was there in defending himself when he could simply use aura to enhance just his offense and end threats that much faster? Besides, his body was more than tough enough to handle a little injury.
That said…
With a mild grunt, he flexed the muscles in his back as fiercely as he could. In doing so, the pieces of debris embedded in it wiggled and fell out. Blood promptly poured freely from the wounds but slowed down after a few seconds.
The expressions on his potential foes' face would've been comical under different circumstances. But instead, Jaune merely glared at them even more harshly, especially since Roman has yet to respond to his ultimatum just seconds ago.
He took just another step forward – and that was when he finally got an answer.
"Ahhh!" Roman let out a startled yet angry cry as he raised his cane. And then fired a massive shot from it. Because of course it would also be a gun.
Jaune felt absolutely no surprise at this sudden turn of events nor was the criminal's response an unexpected one – the moment he laid eyes on the thief, he'd swiftly ascertained the type of person Roman Torchwick is… and his analysis hadn't been too favorable.
Still, he'd held out hope for just a split second, but now Roman had gone and crushed that hope.
Without missing a beat, Jaune swung with his right sword and sliced the shot straight in two.
Very well then. He'll bring Roman down here and now.
But not before calling out to Ruby. "Get to Blake!" he yelled as loudly as he could for the girl to hear. Whether or not she heard him and will do just that was unknown. Nonetheless, he figured she would much appreciate simply being near her teammate right now.
As he shouted this, Jaune charged right at Roman, but though he seemed to hold the speed advantage, the criminal had managed to get back onto his feet as did a few of the White Fang members he'd rescued from the bullhead he'd taken down.
"Shoot him!" Roman cried and the still somewhat dazed White Fang members did just that.
Alas, they'd done so a little too late, for Jaune was already too close to them. With just a swift spin with his blades, he cut their guns into pieces then did another spin to deliver a roundhouse kick that struck the side of one person's head.
Their whole body rattled from the force and their aura, which must have been quite weak, broke under the impact. They ended up getting sent flying into another White Fang member and both went tumbling several yards to the left.
A pathway now cleared, Jaune ignored the remaining ones that were backing up as to put distance between them and him and headed right for Roman.
And now, the thief headed right for him. Clearly, he'd known what was going to happen and now tried to take him off guard.
This probably would've worked on some other people, but not on Jaune. He's been on the receiving end of such tactics before, during his time in the frontier.
As such, when Roman thrust the end of his cane towards his face and fired, Jaune had already tilted his head to the side, avoiding both the thrust and the blast. Then, channeling aura through his body, he lashed out with his left blade, unleashing a diagonal cut.
The thief, though just barely, was able to roll to the side with a surprising degree of agility. Not that this did him too much good when the sword swing, literally glowing with aura, ended up creating a minor vacuum in the air it had cut through, one strong enough to drag the thief back to Jaune.
The bowl hat wearing criminal could only let out a cry of pure shock as he ended up nearly dragged right into Jaune's path but tried rather admirably to attack anyways.
Due to their proximity and Roman's positioning, Jaune dealt a low kick that hit the criminal right in his stomach, knocking all the air right out of him. Enhanced by aura, it was strong enough to nearly break Roman's own aura completely and launched him several meters, slamming into and through the side of a shipping container.
"Y-You damn monster!" someone cried out – one of the White Fang.
Jaune turned to face said person, not because of the comment but rather because he heard the sound of several guns being cocked. It would seem some of the other members that had come along had finally to deal with him.
The instant he turned, the six White Fang members that had approached opened fire. With nary a change in expression, he spun his swords to effortlessly swat aside all the bullets that came his way.
Right away, he could tell these members were likely the more experienced ones of the entire bunch – their aim was truly excellent. They were also smart enough to maintain a considerable distance from him, seeing him armed with only swords.
The other White Fang members that had already been in the area had also backed up even further and spread out, ready to fire upon him as well from his exposed sides.
Though more than fast enough to deal with all the bullets, he'd end up being pinned down. That wouldn't do; the longer he was kept in place, the more time Roman had to recover and attempt an escape. No doubt the criminal was going to cut his losses now.
Channeling aura into his swords, he spun them yet again to deflect the bullet, the aura in them so powerful that when he struck the bullets, they literally fizzled away into ash.
It also had another benefit-.
"S-Shit, can't see!" one of the White Fang members exclaimed.
Yes, the shining light of his own aura had quickly grown so bright that it made it rather hard for them to aim.
Sure enough, some of them slowed their rate of fire and this gave him the opportunity to move, leaping towards the direction he'd launched Roman in – but not before channeling all his current strength and swinging his right blade horizontally, unleashing the aura he'd channeled into it as a wave of pure power.
It rocketed towards the ground just before the more distance White Fang members and exploded on impact, sending them sailing back from the explosive force, even more debris and dust being blown everywhere.
He could tell most of the White Fang here tonight weren't truly 'evil.' They merely desired equality. Sadly, their methods and hearts were gravely misplaced. Still, they too could find a better path, like Blake had seemingly resolved herself to do.
As for Roman, however…
Reaching the shipping container's hole, he peered in – only to immediately back out when a shot came his way. It struck the very corner of the hole he'd made, blowing off a small piece of the container's metal exterior and sent pieces flying. Some cut into the very side of his face, but he only had to turn just a few millimeters to avoid having his eyes damage and that was all that mattered to him.
Uncaring of the new injuries suffered, Jaune merely lunged at an angle and cut into the shipping container, near its doors. He did so just as Roman, dirtied and with slightly tattered clothes now, kicked said doors open and went running.
"You little-!" Roman growled out upon seeing him, firing yet again.
Jaune cut the blast down and continued forward without a word. He switched his right blade up so that he now held it in a reverse grip and then put on a slight burst of speed, closing the distance between them and slammed said sword's pommel into the side of Roman's face.
The criminal let out a cry of pain, but managed to stay on his feet, using the lurch from the blow to simply speed up.
Jaune then swung his left blade, which he held normally, and cut at the back of Roman's left knee. The criminal's aura, though weak now, was still just strong enough to cushion most of the force and avoid an actual cut, but it still had the desired effect, causing Roman to now stumble and crash.
Unfortunately, Roman ended up crashing in between stacks of shipping containers and the criminal now fired frantically at the ones stacked in the middle. He blew enough holes in them to make them collapse on themselves…
And in turn causing the ones on the very top to now tumble and come crashing down on the two of them.
When Ruby had started this day, she really, really, really hadn't been expecting things to turn out like this.
As someone whose long since aspired to be a huntress, she was all up for the undoubtedly crazy adventures that naturally came with such a position, but being smack dab in the middle of an organized Dust theft with flames and smoke and a bunch of junk being tossed around everywhere during the night in an otherwise abandoned dock hadn't exactly been something the team leader envisioned.
Being surrounded by and shot at by terrorists also hadn't exactly been on her leader agenda.
Boy oh boy, there sure were a lot of White Fang, weren't there?
Thankfully, her semblance allowed her to effortlessly zig and zag past them all as they tried to regain their bearings and shoot at her, courtesy of Jaune's crazy awesome – but also crazy scary; seriously, he got debris embedded in his back! Is he okay?! – entrance.
With the outfits the White Fang wore, Blake certainly stood out along with a monkey Faunus that Ruby had seen before along with the others, though didn't know his name. Hmm, hadn't the police tried chasing after him for being a stowaway? Huh, she wondered what that was like, being a stowaway.
But those questions could wait for way later.
"Blake!"
"R-Ruby-?!"
She didn't let Blake finished whatever she was about to say, the young team leader literally throwing herself into the B of the team in the form of a hug. Thanks to all her momentum, however, she ended up pretty much tackling Blake to the ground.
The two let out quite the comical cry as they struck cement, though Ruby refused to let go that easily.
"You're okay! You're okay!" Despite all else that was going on, she was beaming so much that it almost hurt more than their fall just now.
"G-Guh, I-I'm fine… Ruby, please let go, I can't really breathe…" Blake wheezed out.
Ruby blushed and let go. "O-Oh, sorry!" She got up and kept a very close eye on Blake as she got up immediately thereafter, eyeing the raven-haired girl so intensely that the blond Faunus next to them couldn't help but chuckle a little.
Ruby pouted, under the impression he was chuckling at her antics. She couldn't help but gaze at Blake so strongly, she wanted to explain – she didn't want to risk the girl trying to run away again, after all.
"You… You actually came looking for me…?" Blake muttered, her disbelief obvious even to the socially awkward Ruby.
"Of course I did – we're friends, aren't we?" Ruby said to her, hands on her hips now.
Blake's expression fell at that. "But… I-I mean…"
Now Ruby's expression fell at that.
Right, the whole ex-terrorist thing. She'd actually forgotten about that for a quick minute.
"Blake… I… I'm not gonna lie, the others and I were pretty surprised by all that. And we're still having a hard time trying to take it all in… but even then, to me, you're still a friend and the B of team RWBY! Yang and Weiss think the same thing too! So please, just please come back to Beacon, okay? We can talk this out!" Ruby pleaded.
At her words, Blake blinked several times, a hesitant hope and joy appearing on her face before giving way to self-pity. "No, I… there's no way it can be that easy, Ruby. Especially not with Weiss…"
At that, Ruby winced. "W-Well, yeah, Weiss took all that pretty badly," she admitted sheepishly. But she then put on her best stern face and continued. "And she's really upset about it. But she's even more upset about you just taking off without bothering to explain it all to us."
Blake looked at her, still uncertain.
"Blake, please… I know it must be hard to talk about. But running away from all this isn't going to make it any better for anyone. We… we just want to be a team again."
Blake winced. Something she just said must've really struck home for the girl, it seemed, for her shoulders slumped.
The girl then opened her mouth slowly, ready to reply. But just before she could, the blond interrupted.
"U-Uhm, not to butt in or anything here," he started sheepishly and then pointed in a certain direction. "But we're probably gonna have to finish up this talk later."
The White Fang members had recovered in full now it seemed and some were rushing towards them while some others tried to salvage some Dust from all this still.
"O-Oh, right!" Ruby promptly turned around to face them and whipped out Crescent Rose. The familiar weight of her baby put her at ease and she put on her game face now.
Behind her, she heard Blake heft her awesome Gambol Shroud while the other guy – oh wow, were those nun-chuks also shotguns?!
"So, how do you wanna do this?" the blond asked.
"I'll take care of the ones going for the Dust with my semblance!" Ruby explained. "Blake and, uh…"
"Sun," the blond helpfully provided.
"Right, Sun! You and Blake take care of the other ones in the meantime! Take them down and knock away their weapons! They don't look like they'll be much trouble without their guns!"
"Right!" both Faunus cried out.
Then without another word spoken, Ruby leapt into action.
And just as she did so, using a shot from Crescent Rose to give herself some initial momentum, two of the shipping container stacks suddenly collapsed in on themselves nearby.
It was a sight that definitely couldn't be ignored by any of them, many of the White Fang turning to gawk at yet another show of destruction going on. Not even Ruby in mid-movement could help but look and gape at everything falling down.
If the bullhead Jaune had cut down didn't grab anyone else's attention out in Vale, then that sure would.
Speaking of said blond… he'd gone after Torchwick. No doubt that tumble must have been due to whatever was going down between the two of them.
Worry gnawed at Ruby's heart now even as she blitzed the members trying to load Dust onto the remaining bullhead, knocking them aside with just a twirl of her baby.
Considering the damage he'd taken from the debris just a moment ago, Jaune couldn't be in good shape and those falling containers definitely wouldn't be helping on that front.
"Please be okay, Jaune…" she mumbled to herself.
With no other choice but to trust in his ability, Ruby continued on with her actions as she then zipped to yet another White Fang member hefting a Dust crate, all while Blake and Sun swiftly launched themselves into the crowd of the other members that tried to open fire on them.
This night was far from over just yet.
As he slipped out of the falling pile of containers, Roman found himself wishing to hell and back that this night was over already.
"Shit," he groaned out, his usual wits having left him now.
This really wasn't going like he'd thought it would.
"Just steal some Dust, she said. Should be right up my alley, she said," he mumbled as he stumbled forth. "What a bunch of crap!"
The second he'd shot at those containers to bring the stacks down, he'd hightailed out of there as quickly as he could, but clearly not quickly enough. It was only thanks to ducking and leaping through the openings that had presented themselves as the containers fell that he was able to emerge relatively unscathed.
That said, he's seen much better days, his clothes dirtied and torn and with some bruises here and there all over his body. His aura had been worn down so much that even though it could still take another hit or two, it hadn't been able to cushion the hits as well as it should have anymore.
So, in more than just a little bit of pain, the thief grimaced and swore under his breath as he tried to relax a little.
"Damn blond…" he hissed.
The second said blond had appeared on the scene, cutting through the bullhead and all that, it'd gone without saying that things had truly been screwed over… but man, it hadn't been until the blond really started to lay into him that he came to realize how bad things now were.
To think too that the punk had only landed just a few hits to bring him to this point… it was enough to make Roman shiver.
But he was buried now under those containers, so that should be the last of him, right? Right?
Unfortunately, no sooner than when he thought this, a veritable explosion went off behind him and he staggered forth as debris went flying all over the area. Inwardly, he grimaced. As if all the racket they were making wasn't enough to grab other people's attention at this point.
But his inward grumbling was silenced when he turned around and saw someone emerge from the now destroyed pile of containers – the blond kid.
Much like Roman himself, the kid has seen better days, with torn clothing here and there. Unlike Roman, however, he was a little more hurt for whatever reason, cuts and small bruises all over the visible parts of his hands and face and any other part that was showing.
But even then, the blond stood tall and still wielding his two simple blades. And off his body, a golden light shone brightly – his aura, without a doubt.
The gleam in the teen's blue eyes was just a final indication that he was far from done just yet too.
Roman gaped – for all of maybe a split second, that is. Immediately, he turned tail and began to flee. He was tough guy, but he knew when it was time to run like hell.
Now was such a time and he couldn't have chosen a better time to do so, for the blond swung both swords in a X-shaped pattern, golden light being unleashed from this action.
Roman had to practically throw himself onto the ground to avoid being struck, and while he succeeded at this, the growing aura slashes cut right through the shipping containers in front of him and caused those stacks to start falling apart.
Swearing yet again, Roman dashed like madman but not before shooting several shots with Melodic Cudgel at his pursuer just as the blond started to give chase. The shots barely even slowed him down, but it still managed to occupy his attention just long enough for Roman to put on a burst of speed that saw him out of the collapsing structures and out into the open.
And there, he saw yet another sign of his carefully crafted plan falling apart.
The stupid Faunus – the cat girl and dumb monkey boy – were pretty much tearing apart the animals that were trying and failing to take them down, their blades and ridiculous gun-chuks more than enough to lay on the hurt.
Then there was Red, blitzing across the area and bum-rushing any of the White Fang that had been trying to take off with the Dust onto the bullhead, a bullhead that was now airborne if only to avoid being raided by these annoying teens.
As for the other bullhead, the modified one which had been remaining on standby to avoid gunning down its own allies, now felt it was now or never to get involved once more.
Damn animals, must have had a moral crisis or some shit to take this long to start shooting again, Roman felt.
That said…
"Hey!" he roared as loudly as he could, which wasn't much compared to all the noise going on not so far away, but he nonetheless tried to get its attention as he continued to run.
Thankfully for him, he was within the pilot's line of sight and the frantic waving of his cane helped a bit. He then gestured to the blond catching up with him just as the containers fell behind them both, sending dust and grim splattering everywhere.
He grunted and spun around to block the incoming attack with his cane, but the blond had swung both blades this time in one fluid motion. Roman now knew how much strength this guy seemed to have, but even then, he couldn't fully prepare himself for the impact of both blades against Melodic Cudgel.
Not only that but was it just his mind messing with him or was the blond somehow even stronger now?! The reason why he had such a terrified thought just now was because before his beloved cane had been able to weather a strike or two without too much issue, but now the teen's blades were cutting into it!
On instinct, Roman threw himself back to avoid having his cane and potentially himself cut down. Frantically, he tried to take aim and shoot the blond despite the still close distance between them, but nothing happened when he pulled the trigger – the gun function of Melodic Cudgel had been damaged.
"F-Fire! Fire damnit!" he yelled in a panic.
Much to his relief, it seemed the bullhead saw how much trouble he was in and opted to prioritize him. He had no idea if the pilot had actually heard him or not, but he was willing to entertain divine providence just this once.
The bullhead closed in and opened fire just as the blond swung at Roman again. Roman deflected the hit as best as he could, but his cane broke in two this time and the force of the strike sent him sprawling tens of feet.
Not that he was gonna complain – it left him out of the firing zone.
Sure enough, before the blond could continue his single-minded pursuit, he was besieged by a hail of heavy gunfire, designed to pierce through the thick armor of artillery.
By all rights, a person should have absolutely no chance at surviving such a barrage, even with aura. They'd be lucky to even survive more than a few shots, much less an entire goddamned ammo supply.
But to Roman's absolute shock, the blond calmly – calmly – swung his blades at the veritable firestorm, cutting down the massive bullets with seemingly little effort. It was a sight that made the thief almost forget how to even breathe.
However, a second or two later, signs of true exertion showed on the blond teen's scarred face and Roman took solace in that.
But then the golden aura exuding from his body increased dramatically, to the point where his very eyes and inside of his mouth now seemed to literally leak aura as well.
The ferocity with which he swung his blades increased in proportion and he started slicing down more and more of the bullets coming his way. He'd been pinned down initially, but now he was cutting them down fast enough to actually progress towards the bullhead!
By now, Roman really should've been making a damn run for it, towards the other bullhead he'd come in on and booked it out of here, but his mind was so out of it watching such an impossible thing that he forgot to do so.
For a long second, he truly wondered if things could get any more ridiculous – and of course, as if to fucking spite him, things did.
There was a lapse in the blond teen's movements – not enough to be truly noticeable unless one was looking for it, but enough to make a definitive difference. And sure enough, the blond had forced an opening in the gunfire just long enough to swing his right sword and unleash yet another wave of pure aura.
It cut through the sky, literally making a temporary tear in the air itself in the process and cut into the bullhead even when it'd tried to take evasive action. It sliced cleanly through its right wing and in immediate response, the bullhead swiftly started to fall, crashing into the ground with a loud thud and heavy shake while it was at it too.
But at the exact same time the blond had launched this strike, it had in turn left him slightly open too and so immediately after his successful attack, several of the fallen bullhead's remaining shots struck him, piercing through his chest and stomach. One of them even got him in his left shoulder.
The sheer force of the shots, again, which were designed to pierce through thick armor such what's found on those Atlas flagships and the like, blasted the blond back and he slammed into one of the shipping containers that held Dust within it.
The shots had also pierced the container and ignited the fire Dust inside, causing it to go up in flames that spread out a fair bit, practically bathing the blond bastard in it.
"JAUNE!" Little Red screamed loudly, very much so.
The now all too familiar sound of gunfire from that oversized garden tool of hers neared quickly, keeping Roman from celebrating the incapacitation and likely death of the blond.
When he'd been knocked aside just a moment ago, he'd ended up near one of the downed White Fang grunts, who'd gone down holding onto his rifle. Picking it up, Roman fired it haphazardly at Red just as she closed in on him.
With that ridiculous speed of hers, she dodged the shots as easily as one would breath, but the spray of gunfire was enough to keep her from immediately closing the remaining distance.
"Torchwick!"
Roman sighed. Right, the damn kitty and her monkey boytoy.
They'd finished knocking down his remaining crew and were nearing him too. Unlike Little Red, however, they switched their weapons into their gun forms and started shooting.
With Melodic Cudgel broken, swatting the bullets aside wasn't exactly an option for him, so he had to stick low and fired back with another rifle he came upon as he rushed for the bullhead.
"Hurry up! Lower, damn it!" he yelled.
The pilot did as he was told and Roman leapt into the opening landing platform. "Go, go, go!"
He wasn't even fully inside the bullhead when it started to rapidly rise, the few animals that had remained on it this whole time rushing to help him in as well as any of the few – so very, very few – grunts that had been wise enough to retreat instead of attempting to engage those stupid teens.
For once, he was almost glad to see the damned Faunus and he started to stand up – only to cry out in pain and collapse to one knee.
His good knee, that is to now say.
A sword had been thrown at him, with another force to pierce and shatter his weak aura and pierce his left knee. Blood leaked out of the entrance and exit wounds as he howled.
Pulling it out wasn't exactly a smart thing to do, but the bullhead had some first-aid kits on board, so he decided to risk it.
No sooner than when he pulled it out while one of the White Fang ran to retrieve the kits, Roman turned around and nearly gasped when he saw the blond, now short one sword, leap up a surprising distance and with a terrifying speed at them!
The blond looked like hell, with some burns from the fire on both his clothes and skin, large holes from the bullhead's gunfire visible for all to see and slowly leaking blood, at least from where they hadn't been cauterized by the flames from the fire Dust. Not only that, but he was bleeding from the eyes and mouth too, as if blood vessels had burst or something.
Even with such injuries, he managed to grip the raising landing platform with just the one hand and started to pull himself in with only a grunt or two to show how hard he was trying here.
Roman and all the remaining White Fang were gaping like damned idiots, but in the case of the thief this lasted only a second.
With a yell, he flung the sword at the blond, who merely moved to the side to avoid it and thus the sword went sailing harmlessly back to the ground.
The blond tried to crawl his way in, but by now the platform was almost completely raised – attempting to continue would only result in him being crushed.
But Roman wasn't about to risk this freak of nature being on the same bullhead as him, no damned way – if he could survive all this in one piece, then he wasn't about to take a chance to see if the blond could somehow shrug off being crushed, especially since collapsing the containers on him hadn't worked.
Limping forward, he started to kick at the blond teen's face and hand, causing his grip to falter and nearly slip – only for the teen to stubbornly refuse to let go completely and keep clawing at the metal, his fingers denting it in his attempts to remain here.
The blond then swung with his other sword at Roman, who was too hurt and tired to fully dodge and ended up suffering a laceration along his side, starting on the right side of his stomach and ending at just a bit below his left armpit.
He howled yet again in pain, the wound just deep enough to draw blood but thankfully not bisect him. He fell back and clawed his way away from the blond… but not before taking one half of Melodic Cudgel, all that remained of his weapon, and jabbing the broken and jagged end into the back of the teen's hand.
It crushed bone and naturally drew blood. It also weakened his grip for good and the blond finally let go and fell from the bullhead's landing platform just before it fully closed, taking the half of Roman's cane with him.
The last thing Roman saw of the blond as he fell was the latter's intense blue eyes.
He wasn't down. He wasn't going to die from just this much. He was going to find him, sooner or later.
And as the bullhead took off at top speed, the operation a complete and utter failure, Roman could only sit there and shake in fear even as he was treated for his injuries.
He didn't relish ever seeing the blond again. He simply wasn't normal, not one bit.
Surely, the blond can't be anything less than a complete monster.
Blake sits there, tired not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well.
It's been a bit more than twenty minutes since Roman and the small remainder of the White Fang crew fled the scene.
Mere minutes after that had happened, the police had finally showed up – and upon seeing the state of the docks, backup was called in as well as several ambulances and firetrucks.
Having lost her ribbon during all the fighting, she'd been unable to cover up her cat ears when the officers swiftly came to question her and the others about what happened, something that had made her feel so horribly exposed.
But to her silent amazement, during the questioning, not once had any of the officers looked at her ears in disdain or outright disgust. They hadn't even seemed to notice her ears at all nor had they treated Sun badly either, even when it was obvious that the two of them were Faunus and the unconscious White Fang members were being visibly rounded up, tended to and ultimately taken into custody.
Maybe whatever racists were among the police were simply being too professional about all this to immediately care or something along those lines.
Or maybe, the racism she'd perceived as existing in Vale was just that – perceived, fake, false, etc. While she'd no doubt it still existed, given the likes of Cardin back at Beacon, it might just be less so than what she's come to think.
"Here," Ruby spoke up, coming up to her with a hot cup of cocoa.
"Thanks," Blake said quietly but with extreme gratitude.
She looked at Ruby in a whole new light.
Before, she'd seen potential in the kind and naïve girl, but now, after having come to fight alongside her and helping her and Sun tell a story to the police that kept any of them from being punished too harshly, the cat Faunus could now see clearly the depths of the younger girl's convictions.
The girl had said she wanted to become a huntress in order to help people and sure enough, she'd come to her side to do just that, even when she'd ran off on her and the others the other day on top of dropping a real bombshell on them too.
It was enough to make the guilt from before return.
It must have shown on her face because Ruby looked like she was going to panic. "U-Uhm, should I have gotten you coffee instead…?"
"Ah, no, it's not that…"
After being looked over by the paramedics and being questioned thoroughly by the officers on the initial scene, Ruby had made a run to a nearby café that was still open and got them all hot cocoa. Yet another small but ever important sign of the type of person Ruby is.
And yet another thing to make her feel bad.
"It's just that… Ruby, I'm sorry," Blake began as she sat there. "About what happened before. I shouldn't have just left you and the others behind like that. It's just that…"
She trailed off, not sure of what to say, partially because she really didn't know how to express her feelings right now but also because her paranoia even now worked to keep her from discussing her past out here in the open with so many officers and officials still around.
But Ruby knew what she was trying to say though and the silver eyed girl smiled softly. "It's fine," she said.
Those simple two words were enough to nearly make her spit out her cocoa. "I-It's… fine?" The disbelief she felt couldn't have been more obvious. "But I-!"
Ruby held up a hand. "Blake… well, to be honest, even now, I'm kinda having a hard time just taking it all in. It's been a pretty crazy few days, you know," she started sheepishly, but then looked serious. "But I like to think I know you by now… and that you're not the kind of person to have joined, well, 'them' for any simple reason. You're a good person, Blake, you just… you just got caught up in a bad crowd. Now you just need to leave it all behind for good and start again."
"But what about us?" Blake whispered, hunching up. "What about you and Yang and… and Weiss? What about the team?"
Ruby's smile softened. "What about us…? We missed Blake, so just having you back – if you want to come back – is more than enough for us."
Blake stared at her. "Even Weiss?"
"Even her." Ruby then scratched at the side of her face nervously. "You might be in for a long lecture though…"
At that, Blake couldn't help but outright laugh.
All the trouble she's caused… and all she's going to get as a punishment from her team is a lecture? Such a thought boggled her mind.
"I see. That's fair. More than fair," she responded. "And besides… I need to clean the air with you all anyways."
Indeed. She really shouldn't have ran off like that in the first place. She should've stayed put and explained herself to them all. Maybe then, tonight could've gone much differently if she'd been able to have the others – her friends, her team – at her side.
"Whenever you're ready to talk about 'that,' we'll be more than happy to listen. I, for one, am just glad you're okay," Ruby replied, now trying to sound more leader-like, which got yet another genuine laugh out of Blake, something the young leader shared in too.
Her burden feeling much lighter now, she continued to sip her cocoa while Ruby plopped down beside her and drank hers too, albeit much more greedily, being a little sugar fiend.
"So," Ruby then began a little awkwardly. "What's up with that Sun guy?"
Blake snorted. "Oh, him? Just a stalker, I guess."
"A stalker?" Ruby looked at her with wide eyes. "You sure about that? I-I mean, he did seem to be helping you… not exactly stalker-like."
A little ways away from them, Sun was talking with some of the paramedics, finally getting looked over after having given additional statements just now to the officers. He noticed them both and waved at them with a goofy smile.
Waving back slightly, Blake huffed in amusement. "Yeah, he's not very stalker-like at all," she said.
The two of them went back to sipping their cocoa for a moment, enjoying the respite. But now that they've said what they needed to say, a certain tension began to fill them both when they eyed a certain ambulance close by.
"I can't believe he's still alive," Blake mumbled in amazement.
"Y-Yeah," Ruby agreed, not really able to think of anything else to say it seemed.
Because of how late into the fighting she joined in, Ruby had emerged unscathed while she and Sun had only mild exhaustion and mildly depleted aura to show for their efforts tonight.
Jaune, however, had suffered much more than they had, so very much. When they'd seen the bullet holes in him in addition to the burns and blood, Blake's heart had felt like it would stop and Ruby had looked ready to cry. Even Sun, ever friendly, had look at his fellow blond in horror and concern.
This was to say nothing of the paramedics who'd promptly looked as if they were ill themselves when they took a glance at Jaune. Given their expertise, Blake imagined they must have immediately been able to figure out the extent of Jaune's visible injuries and had been shocked by how he was still alive.
But the blond himself had seemed nonplussed about it all. In fact, beyond a mild grunt, he hadn't looked to be even remotely bothered by the state of his body, having calmly walked to collect his dropped sword and cleaning both blades off before sheathing them just before the police had arrived in the first place.
Since then, he's been inside the ambulance, still being tended to and apparently insisting on not going to a hospital, merely needing some minor patch ups.
Blake could only shake her head. The blond really was different from most others, something that she now began to question was a good thing or not.
But even so, she was thankful towards him. He'd accompanied Ruby when he didn't have to in attempt to find her and had done more than enough in trying to thwart Torchwick and the White Fang, which he'd succeeded in doing despite them getting away.
At least they hadn't been able to take any of the Dust.
"So, you told JNPR about…?" Blake asked out of the blue.
Ruby nodded. "Sorry, even with everything going on, it wasn't my secret to tell, but-!"
"No, no, it's fine. It's just…" Blake trailed off. Ruby had given her a quick rundown of what had happened following her abrupt leaving, including the meetup with team JNPR as well as the blond leader's reaction to it all.
Yet another truly exceptional individual she's come across, it'd seemed, now more so than ever. She'd thought the blond to be a little special on that first night, before initiation, but now that belief was firmly solidified.
But what made this so much more incredible was just how little Jaune really knew about her… and how little all of them really knew about him. And yet, he was more than willing to go to such lengths for her…
For what purpose had he done all this? What did he have to gain from it all? To immediately aid in looking for her and doing most of the heavy lifting in stopping the Dust theft tonight… even with her whole mindset being reevaluated right now, it was impossible for her to think he could be doing this for any simple reason like Ruby had done.
Just who and what exactly was Jaune Arc?
…
Well, she wasn't going to find out the answers to that just by sitting around.
"Say, Ruby," she began. "I'll be right back, okay? I want to go see how Jaune is doing."
"Oh, okay," the girl replied. "Uhm, just remember that professor Goodwitch is on her way here along with the others… and I kinda don't want to confront them all alone…"
Blake winced. The deputy headmistress has been called as soon as the police had IDed them as Beacon students. She was currently taking a bullhead into Vale right now. As for Yang and Weiss, apparently after they'd finished up their punishment from earlier, they'd gone deeper into Vale in trying to find her and after Ruby had called them several minutes ago, they were now making their way here too.
Ruby wasn't the only one who didn't want to be alone when all three converged on this spot.
"Right. I'll try to be quick."
Giving her leader and friend that quick response, Blake downed the rest of her hot cocoa, nearly scalding her tongue in the process, and made her way to where she wanted to be.
She had a fair few questions to ask.
Jaune took a bit of solace in the relative peace and quiet he now had.
Naturally, when they'd seen the state he was in, the EMTs had pretty much freaked out and all but dragged him into this ambulance to be patched up. He would've been taken posthaste to the hospital too, but he'd managed to convince them to hold off on that, having stated that, as a trainee, he naturally had his aura to help himself recover from. Even then, it hadn't been easy to get them to ease off of him, but the mere fact he was still alive in spite of his injuries proved to be a plus in this case.
So, reluctantly, they'd gone off to check on the White Fang members that were being taken into custody.
Good, he thought to himself, hopefully whatever injuries they may have suffered weren't too severe. He doubted it given it was Blake and that Sun guy – he'd introduced himself right before the police arrived – who'd gone up against them. Still, he was paranoid in this respect.
In any case, he was to remain here in this ambulance for the time being. Professor Goodwitch had been informed of the situation and was on her way here, at which point it'll be her call on whether he should go to the hospital or not.
Until she arrived, however, he had plenty of time to reflect on all that has occurred.
And there was plenty to reflect on.
Jaune couldn't help but feel a little ashamed of himself for letting Roman Torchwick escape, but he knew it couldn't have been helped.
Had he truly wanted to, he could've stopped the thief much earlier on during their little scuffle but doing so would've meant both pushing his body to its current limits in order to end the battle that quickly and would've also meant being more willing to engage in property damage.
Alas, that would've been unacceptable. Doing that would've utterly wrecked the dock, far more so than it had been ruined as it is. There was only so much property damage that could be considered justifiable or excusable during circumstances like this. Not only that, but if he had gone all out, he could've potentially got his comrades caught in the crossfire. Trainees or not, that would've been horribly reckless of him to do.
Thus, he'd been left with no choice but to hold back and it had cost him in the form of Roman getting away.
He'd hoped to at least cut off both of Roman's hands at the end there, when he'd managed to nearly get inside their escaping bullhead, but that had failed too. But at least the damage he had inflicted on the thief would prevent him from continuing his criminal escapades for a while, so that was a minor victory.
Furthermore, the Dust theft itself had been foiled and while some of that Dust had gone up in flames, it was better that than being in the hands of Roman and the White Fang, so that could still be considered a boon, even if others rightfully wouldn't see it that way.
That all said…
"He'd been surprisingly slippery," he mumbled to himself as he shifted slightly in his seat within the ambulance. This small action caused him more than a little pain and aggravation to his already steadily healing wounds, but he paid it no mind.
Out there in the frontier, he's encountered numerous bandits and other less than kindly people, all of whom had varied in threat level towards any surrounding populace. As strong or as fast or as tough or experienced many of them had been, not many had any true training to their names. In this respect, Roman had differed.
Certainly, he's fought stronger and faster and tougher foes. He's fought against those with plenty of battle experience. But Roman has been trained before and his years of experience as a criminal had only further refined his moves. Combined with his pragmatic nature, he'd been a surprisingly slippery foe that, when combined with his own self-restrictions, had been difficult to stay near.
The firepower he'd brought along with him in the form of the White Fang had also been to the thief's advantage.
Which was also an oddity in and of itself. From what he understood, pretty much the entirety of the White Fang wasn't exactly fond of humans, having even expelled all of their human members during their radicalization into the group they're known as today.
They wouldn't be having anything to do with the likes of Roman unless there was a genuine need for him.
And what would that need be? The stealing of so much Dust? Given the fact that the White Fang members that had been here tonight seemed to be relatively new to field work judging by their rash behavior and lack of quick coordination, he supposed whatever cells Roman was now involved with had need of him for his superior skill and experience, but again, why all the Dust? What purpose would the Dust serve in the long run?
"Jaune?"
Jaune blinked and he snapped to attention towards the open doors of the ambulance. From around the corner came Blake, who'd just called out to him.
She looked ready to follow up with something, only to pause as her eyes fell on him. She immediately went still and sort of just gazed at him in a mixture of shock and even horror.
Inwardly, Jaune winced.
The EMTs had stripped off his shirt in order to directly apply aid to his injuries and he'd yet to put it back on, thereby exposing to Blake's eyes the sheer number of wounds he had. Even if they were now bandaged and already healing, the blood slowly seeping through despite how masterfully applied the bandages and gauze were no doubt made for a less than pretty sight.
Thankfully, when his shirt had been taken off, it'd been given to him and he was still holding onto it. So, making it seem as if he'd just been about to put it back on regardless of her sudden appearance, he addressed her.
"How are they?" he asked.
"W-What?" Blake's attention now diverted from his wounds just as he put on his shirt, she looked confused.
"The White Fang members that had been apprehended," he explained. "Had the EMTs looked at them already? Are they okay?"
"Are they okay? If anyone should be asked that question, it's you!"
"I'm fine," Jaune responded, just barely able to hold back from saying he's actually had worse. "And them?"
His words clearly befuddled Blake, who was once more staring at him for a few seconds, but she shook herself out of her reverie. "They're fine. Just some bumps and bruises… Sun and I, as hard as we'd fought, made sure to take them down quickly before they could do any more harm."
Jaune nodded. "I see… that's good."
Indeed, it was good. He'd been able to tell just by looking at them that there was still a hope for redemption there, much like was the case with the girl standing before him. They merely had to want such a thing now. They were a far cry from the likes of Roman, who struck him as the sort of person to never give up his ways.
As such, he'd had no reason to cut them down and it pleased him immensely to see that Blake and Sun had spared them, even if their reasons for doing so likely weren't the same as his own.
Again, Blake looked at him intently, evaluating him it seemed. The look only lasted for yet a second longer than her previous stare before she spoke again. "Look, I just… I just wanted to come by really quick and see how you were doing… and also, to say thank you. Ruby told me what's gone on since my… sudden departure. Thank you, for giving them as well as myself a chance to talk this all out."
Jaune smiled softly. "There's no need to thank me – it was the right thing to do. But you're welcome. I just wish things hadn't gotten to this point just for you and your team to reconcile."
"Well, the mess aside, we did manage to stop Torchwick and the White Fang from taking literally tons of Dust, so let's just call it even on that front."
Jaune nodded in agreement. That was more than fair enough.
"That said…" Blake began, now entering the ambulance and taking a seat by his side. She eyed the open doors a little warily and her cat ears, which he now noticed were uncovered, twitched as she likely used them to listen closely for anyone coming by. "I do have a few questions for you."
Blinking, Jaune could only motion for her to continue.
The B of team RWBY wasted no time asking her questions. "Just why did you do it? Why were you so quick to help us? I… I like to think our teams had become friends fairly quick, but not so much that you'd be so immediately tempted to help like this.
"And more importantly… why do you go to such lengths in the first place? What drives you?"
Once more, Jaune blinked, but then closed his eyes in thought.
Ah, so that's what it was. He understood now. Once more, he was reminded that his mindset was just a bit different from how most people usually thought.
"It was simply the right thing to do," he began rather lamely, saying the first words that came to his mind, words he must have spoken hundreds of times if not more over the years when questioned about his actions.
He paused, trying to think of a way to explain things here. With nothing coming to mind, there was really one thing he could do – tell Blake the truth.
Such a thing made him nearly tense up, but he was able to keep himself from doing so.
Given Blake's own circumstances, perhaps it would be okay to tell her… if only a part of it.
His internal struggle seemed to be something Blake could sense, for she remained patiently silent as he gathered his thoughts.
A moment later, he rewards her patience.
"…When I was around 6 years old," he started quietly. "my family and I went on a little trip. At the time, my dad was out on huntsman business, so it was me, my mom, and my sisters back at the house. Getting a little stir-crazy, my mom had opted to take us out to a neighboring town to let us go nuts.
"Then…" He paused, feeling his own expression darken a bit. "On the way back home, we were ambushed by bandits."
Beside him, Blake twitched, her breath audibly hitching.
He soldiered on with his explaining, but not before adding some context.
"The area in which my family and I live… well, it's not that far out of the kingdom – we're just close enough to enjoy movies and games and stuff, but it's all pretty retro compared to how things are like here. As such, there's a fair bit of distance between our hometown and the other towns and there weren't any cars around to cover that distance – all that travel had to be done on foot, more often than not. So, when we were ambushed, there wasn't exactly anyone else around to help us out.
"…Anyways, the bandits wasted no time attacking us, smacking around me and my sisters. But especially my mother…. She took the brunt of their hits as she tried to protect us all. And all the while I could only sit there, scared out of my mind as the bandits laughed and jeered in between hitting us all. It wasn't until after they'd gone through all the stuff we'd been carrying on our persons that one of them decided to pull out a blade and put it to my mom's throat that something in me started to break…"
Here, he paused yet again, this time doing nothing to keep from tensing up, his fists tightening painfully.
"The man slit her throat – thankfully, not fatally so, but as a kid, I didn't know that at the time. All I knew at that moment was that my mom may very well have died before my own eyes and that my sisters would likely be next. That realization was more than enough for me to awaken both my aura and semblance, and I finally had it in me to move like I should have done from the start, rather than let my mom take all the pain for us.
"Though the bandits had the numbers advantage, seeing a kid suddenly lashing out at them with aura enhanced fists wasn't exactly something they'd dealt with before and they ran off, leaving us behind."
Jaune sighed upon saying all that, unclenching his fists and forcing himself to calm down. To think he wouldn't be rattled anymore by those memories… looks like speaking about it aloud was a different matter.
"Using my newfound strength from aura, I was able to carry my mom as fast as I could back to town, my sisters doing what they could to keep up. Of course, we did what we could to first bandage her wound first before moving, but being kids there was only so much we could do. My oldest sister, Saphron, in her teens at the time, had mainly taken care of the wound, but again, not much we could do with most of our stuff now gone.
"Not like it would've changed how things turned out in the end – turns out, when the bandits had ran off, they'd gone in the direction of our hometown. They must have been upset over being scared off by me because they really ransacked some places along the town's edge, even killed an elderly couple that ran an arts and crafts shop, and generally scared the hell out of everyone else there before taking off. Even as I carried my mom to the town doctor, it was all I could to keep from hanging my head in shame the whole time."
Taking a deep breath and then slowly letting it out, he looked to Blake as he finished up his little tale. "…Because of my inaction, my mom paid a price. So did the couple back home. If only I'd done the right thing from the start – literally anything other than just having sat there and watched in fear – then maybe, things could've been prevented."
There was a period of silence between them both, with only the sounds outside the ambulance going on still.
Blake was the first to break the silence. "I… Jaune, that's… that wasn't your fault," she said softly. "You were only a kid. Even if you would've been able to unlock your aura and semblance sooner, there was just no way for anyone to know how things could've turned out."
"Indeed, I was. Just a dumb, happy-go-lucky kid." Jaune grimaced. "I'm well aware of that. So was everyone else once the details behind that incident became known. No one blamed me for it, not even once. But even so… I may know that intellectually, but in my heart, it still feels inexcusable. I still should have-."
"-Done something," Blake finished quietly. "Done the 'right thing.' I see now. So that's why you're…?" She trailed off and made an uncertain motion.
Though very vague, Jaune understood what Blake's gesture meant.
'Why you are the way you currently are,' she'd likely wanted to say.
He nodded in confirmation. As he did this, he couldn't help but feel bad a bit.
What he just told her was true and was indeed a major contributor to how he currently was… but there was more to it than just that.
His semblance… yes, that too played a role in shaping him into this, a major role in fact.
But he felt Blake didn't need to know that.
Perhaps it was cowardly of him to hold out on her like this, but he felt he'd be better off holding onto this secret just a little longer.
"What about your mother?" Blake then asked. "I-I mean, is she…?"
"She's still alive and well." Jaune now smiled softly, reliving the moment when he and his family found out she was going to be okay, generally speaking. "Though the cut to her throat had damaged her vocal chords… ever since then, speaking isn't something she could no longer do."
Blake was now downcast. "I'm sorry."
He shook his head. "I am too… but amazingly, it's not all bad. My mom, well, she's nothing if not resilient; though the best she can do is make grunts, moans and the like, she was able to refine it into something so much more, believe it or not." Though the mere memory of the damage was enough to make him frown, recalling the effort his mom had put into recovering and how she did so was enough to make him chuckle quietly now. "She's always loved to sing and she was amazing at it. Even with her current state, I'd bet every last lien I have that she could be the greatest of opera singers."
His comment finally got a small laugh out of Blake, doing wonders to dampen the dour mood. "I see. Interesting… and Jaune? Thank you, for telling me all this. It couldn't have been easy."
"After all this chaos, it was only fair I answer your questions."
She shook her head. "You don't owe me anything. If anything, it's more like I owe you…"
"That so? In that case, let's just say you listening to me ramble a bit was you making it up to me and call it even now."
Blake snorted, but not unkindly. "Even after what you just told me, you're a strange one." Her eyes softened as she stood up and started to get out of the ambulance. "But that's not a bad thing. Now rest up, okay?"
"I'll try."
Giving him one last small smile, Blake walked off just as he heard some more people arrive nearby. Seems like professor Goodwitch and the rest of team RWBY had arrived.
As he listened quietly as the professor swiftly took command of the situation and started chewing team RWBY out, Jaune smiled slightly, feeling better than he ever has for quite a while now…
…Now, if only he could perhaps get out of being lectured by the professor; from what he could hear right now, the others were practically cowering before her and not even he was sure he'd be able to remain fearless before her.
Phew, hadn't expected this chapter to be so long. Rather ironic too considering last chapter or so, I commented on trying to keep most chapters around the same length, ha ha. Try not to think me a hypocrite, okay guys? Heh.
Well, here you have it – part of Jaune's backstory for this fic. Obviously, there's a bit more to it than just that, as Jaune himself has indicated in his own thoughts there, but it shall remain under wraps for a while longer. That said, can't imagine it being that hard for you guys to figure out.
Now, with how things turned out, I'm sure some of you may feel like not much has changed from canon, what with Roman having gotten away, but rest assured that this isn't the case. As you can tell, everyone's favorite thief is far from tip-top shape and this will impact his future appearances as will his completely failed operation.
Not only that, but as Jaune's noticeably warped mentality may indicate, there's a lot more going to him than what you've already noticed about our resident blond. I also like to think the way he was portrayed from Roman's point of view will further change opinions on how Jaune operates, not just mentally, but in practice as well.
Hope this chapter was up to par with your expectations. If so, great! And for those that perhaps expected more action, not to worry, there's still plenty more to come in the future!
Also, on a random side note, Jaune's mom basically makes the same 'aaaahs' and 'laaas' and other sounds that Tiamat makes in Fate Grand Order.
Now then, until next time, everyone. Take care!