AN: Hey, glad to post. Sorry it's been a bit, but this last quarter is getting crazy. I just finished a couple weeks of midterms and a few other things.
To Gamelover21592: I'm glad that OJ's betrayal was as awesome as I'd hoped.
To Remnant7: Beyond expired if it's that sour, huh? Anyways, I'm glad you liked the chapter. I hope this one's just as good, at least!
To Xehanorto: Yeah, I was starting to like him, too. But OJ's too obsessed, you know? You'll see that he and Jaune are... different in more than a few ways.
To fangs of death:Well... Jaune and OJ's semblances are... It's hard to explain without spoiling Jaune's. They're kind of the same. I mean, a Semblance is supposed to be an expression of one's character, after all.
To GuestWithIdeas: Yeah, OJ's pretty obsessed. Whether or not he really thinks what he does about Jaune's friends could be up for debate. He did lose his entire universe, so he's not exactly the most mentally stable individual. On top of that, you'll see that he and Jaune have a few differences that would also negatively affect OJ. Jaune's semblance is definitely going to play into the story, and it's going to be similar to the show. How I picture OJ's is also kind of an extension, in my mind, of Jaune's in the show. He infuses Aura into people, but I doubt that people are the only things he can do it for. In this it just happens to have another benefit. Jaune's... you'll just have to see.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 17: Injective
Jaune was sprinting through the pitch black, the horrible knowledge that whatever it was that he was chasing was not something that he truly wanted to see. Still, he couldn't stop. He had to keep running, to find whatever it was that he was so desperately chasing. He kept running blindly, white clouds drifting across empty black in front of him. He grasped at the emptiness, trying to find purchase on something that he could use to pull himself forward but his fingers never touching anything but Darkness. Somewhere in the shadows, he heard a heavy clink. His head snapped towards the noise, and he saw sparks of Light glittering far away in the black. He slammed his foot down and turned on a dime, sprinting towards the vanishing sparks. Footsteps began to thud loudly in front of him. "Wait!" he shouted, throwing his hand out in front of him. "Stop!"
The figure, barely more than an outline in the black, didn't do as commanded. It always kept just ahead of Jaune, speeding too far away for him to catch up, but slowing down when he had nearly lost it. It was taunting him, he could tell. Whoever was just in front of him was... Jaune cursed to himself. Who was this, leading him through the Darkness? The figure stopped and he could feel its formless gaze turn to him for a moment. Just as he neared, fingers brushing against the black material of the figure's coat, the figure bolted away at full speed. Jaune snarled to himself and raised his hand, summoning up –
He froze at the sight of the weapon he held in his hand. "Th..." his voice died. It was not the Kingdom Key held in his hand, not the weapon he had been given in order to reclaim his goodness and make up for his mistakes. No. In his hands was the one weapon he hoped that he would never hold again. Its black, gnarled body was poison to him. Its white veins coursed with his Darkness. Its blue eye stared into his soul and summoned up his every sin. The goat grinned at him like he was a fool for thinking he was free of it, though no name had been given to this weapon, so the only name it had was thus – No Name. "Wait! Stop!" he heard from far away. Jaune felt fear run down his spine.
Jaune dropped the weapon and stumbled back, hoping that he was wrong. He pulled his hood over his head and sprinted away, hearing the sound of footsteps gaining on him now. No, no! He screamed inwardly as he felt the No Name, unbidden, return to his hand. His fingers curled around it instinctively and he stopped, hoping to defend himself. His gaze turned to the figure advancing on him and he froze. Blonde hair, a figure with blue eyes dressed entirely in a black coat. Its yellow eyes burned with Darkness and rage, revealing a monster. Its face was contorted with rage and his fingers reached out for Jaune. Jaune's fingers reached out for Jaune. He jumped away just as the figure's fingers brushed against his own Black Coat – No, no, no! NO! – and he ran away at full speed.
"We're the same," Jaune heard his own voice call from in front of him.
"No! No, we're not!" he screamed, raising his Keyblade and slashing, eyes shut.
Instead of himself, however, it was Yang that screamed in pain. Jaune's eyes shot open, revealing an image he had already seen once before – one too many times, already. Yang was on her knees, hand destroyed by No Name. Jaune's own father was scrabbling to his feet on a ground covered entirely in Black Dust. Heartless and Grimm screamed in battle all around him and... and he could feel the battle Sora and Ruby were having with Salem. This was him, this was when he had nearly killed Yang and his own father.
"We're the same."
Jaune whirled and attacked again, though his blade met a golden blade. OJ, Jaune knew, despite his identical appearance. Blue eyes and a smirk shot at Jaune as the Kingdom Key D in OJ's left hand effortlessly kept up against Jaune's continued push.
"NO! No, we're not!" Jaune snapped, pushing harder. Black flames exploded into being along No Name's edge.
OJ's smirk widened. "Oh, you see? More proof."
Jaune stumbled backwards, falling onto his back beside the injured Yang. Her head drifted slowly towards him. Her tear stained eyes were red, filled with rage and betrayal. "Why did you hurt me?" she asked. Her eyes turned an angry red and she hoarsely screamed, "Why do you keep hurting me!?"
OJ crouched in front of the crying Jaune. He cocked his head to the side and scoffed. "Wow. You see? Even they know we're one and the same."
Jaune was on his feet, suddenly, the Kingdom Key D raised above him. Ruby was on the ground, defeated. Broken. Her eyes glanced up, just in time for Jaune to bring the blade down. He screamed, trying to wake up, but couldn't. He was forced to watch as the blade sliced through his friend's body. Blood coated the blade of the Keyblade and her eyes rolled back into her head even as her body began to disintegrate, vanishing into Light. Jaune stepped into the place where she had been and saw Blake glaring at him, her distrust for humanity reborn by his actions. Another slash despite his protests and the blood began to run down the Keyblade's edge. He took another step and continued to scream. His reward was the Keyblade turning red as it carved through Weiss.
He grew silent, knowing now that he had to watch this horror show. He could not stop it, this was his destiny. His horrible destiny, to destroy the people he loved the most. He cut down Sora while still in a daze. Next, Ren and Nora were together, clutching at each other's hands. Jaune begged for what was coming to not happen. He could not convince his own body to stay its hand as Darkness appeared beneath the two, drowning them as Jaune walked over their struggling bodies. Jaune was trying to fight physically now as he cut down everyone he had ever met, all of his friends, until, finally, Yang was glaring up at him, hatred filling her eyes. But fear, as well. So much fear. From Jaune's own mouth came the next words: "After all, it'll be your fault when she dies." The Kingdom Key D was all red in his hand now, bathed in the blood he had shed. The blood of the friends he had killed. He was screaming again. Begging, pleading, demanding, bargaining, threatening. It was to no avail. "All. Your. Fault." Then the blade arced down, approaching Yang's forehead.
"NO!" Jaune screamed, shooting up in his seat and his eyes opening. He thrashed about wildly where he was, fighting against whatever it was that had been making him kill his friend. "Yang, I -" He froze, a cautious comfort flooding through him.
He wasn't on that battlefield, Yang crouching before him and preparing to die. He took a few deep breaths and looked around in confusion to try and get his bearings. "Ya-where?" He asked between his hyperventilating breaths. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't – He forced another deep, calm breath and he began to slowly steady himself. It took a few more but, when he was finally able to take a breath and hold it in, he let that last breath out in a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. He was in... Yang's recovery room in Doctor Polendina's house. Right, he remembered now. She was... she was sleeping after Doctor Polendina had to repair all her synth nerves in her shattered arm. She... She was fine. Ish. Alive, at least. Alive. He took a deep breath and leaned back, eyes closed. She was fine...
"Jaune?"
He opened his right eye. Yang was staring at him, concern etched across her features. She was in her hospital bed, the bed propped up at an angle so she could easily sit up, and was wearing a plain, all white hospital gown that looked so out of place on her. She must have woken up for the first time not too long ago and had yet to change. After all, it looked far too plain for someone that wore what Yang so often wore. She shifted on the bed, revealing the repaired port on her elbow that was just awaiting its new hand, and Jaune shut his eye to hide the guilt he was feeling. "Hey," he said, cursing internally when his voice broke after the first letter.
Yang leaned back in her bed and sighed. What was she supposed to say to him? "Jaune about what -"
"Yang, look I -"
They both stopped speaking and looked at one another. The silence dragged on for a little while until, finally: "You want to hear a joke?" Yang asked. She pushed herself further up with her hand, then smiled at her partner.
He frowned and looked at the ground, then back up at her. He nodded.
"Okay, here it is... Statistically... 9 out of 10 injections are in vein!" Yang laughed once and gave a wide, semi-forced grin as she waited for Jaune to respond to that joke, which she even thought was subpar.
"Ha," Jaune muttered before shutting his eyes and leaning back again.
Yang frowned. "I don't need pity laughs, Jaune," she half-scolded, earning an apologetic sigh from the Keyblade wielder. "I've done this before. I lost my arm, not my life."
Jaune flinched at those words. "Oh, uh... Right," he muttered as his dream's final moments played in his head again. "Sorry. I won't laugh again."
"Not what I-! Urgh..." Yang groaned and shut her eyes. "It's never right..."
Jaune laughed slightly at her reaction. "I'm glad you're okay," he said after a moment of quiet that was filled only by Yang's griping about how no one had a sense of humor.
Yang looked over at him. "And are you?" she asked simply. Jaune glanced down without answering. "Oh. Yeah, makes sense."
"How could – I mean, how could OJ do this, Yang?" Jaune finally asked. "He fought Salem and now this? This is what he does now?"
Yang shook her head and shrugged. She didn't know what happened, but she could at least guess and assume the best of OJ. "Losing his entire world... I bet it changed him, Jaune."
"I should've trusted you when you said something was off," Jaune said. He leaned forward and put his forehead down on its edge. "I'm so stupid!"
"Well, usually, yeah," Yang said jokingly. She sighed when he didn't respond, then placed her hand on the back of his shoulder. "Come on, Blondie. You can't sulk. You're better than that."
"I don't know what I'm better than, Yang, I -" he looked up at her and froze. She was making a silly face.
"Wha?" she asked as if nothing was wrong.
"I don't see this ending good, Yang. At all." He let his head drift back down, where he remained silent for a while.
Yang opened her mouth to speak after a minute or so, but was cut off by Jaune himself. "I thought about it, you know?" he muttered. His shoulders shook with a long breath that held back tears. "Taking him up on his offer. Leaving. I... I actually thought about it."
Yang considered this for a moment. "And I think about jumping off bridges. Everyone does. It's called something like... I don't remember. But everyone thinks about it," she pointed out. "Your brain just asks, 'What if I did this?' Then your brain goes 'No, stupid!' and everything's back to normal."
He jumped up, tears in his eyes, and stood up straight. "But this isn't jumping off a bridge. It's killing everyone! Again!"
"But you said no!" Yang retorted, half getting out of her bed, throwing the covers off of her and getting on her knees to look him directly in the eye. "You're not a bad guy. You're not the villain. You don't want to hurt anyone, so you said no!" She leaned forward slightly and grabbed his shoulder. "You said you didn't want to do it."
"But what if I didn't want to say that? What if I -" he froze and his eyes flashed past Yang's shoulder, at which point a bright red flush snapped into existence on his cheeks. "Uh, Y-Yang. Uh... You, uh, hospital gown."
"Hm?" Yang wondered. She turned around and saw that, the hospital had no back. She looked back at Jaune and straightened up so that her back was covered again. "Like what you see?" she finally joked. "Or is there a but?"
"Yes, no, I – Wait, was that a terrible joke!?" Jaune snapped as she laid back on the bed again, pulling the covers over her legs. "What the hell, Yang!?"
"It was an assident."
"Accident!" Jaune corrected angrily.
Yang was just smirking at him the entire time. "I'd stop, but..."
Jaune cooled and glared. "Again?"
"Hey, it got you out of your funk, even if the jokes did stink," Yang pointed out with a shrug.
Jaune blinked. "I guess it di – that was another one!"
Yang snickered for a moment before it exploded out as uncontrollable laughter. "Yang, those were –"
"You're still blushing!" Yang shouted between guffaws. "So – So... So funny!"
Jaune's blush deepened. "Y-Yang, come on. Stop teasing me," he begged, falling back into his seat and covering his face with his hands. Her laughter only increased in its intensity. "...Yang... Please."
"Butt why?"
The laughter got even louder.
"You can't keep using the same one!"
"I'm behind it one hundred percent, Jaune!"
"YANG!"
"What, am I being too cheeky?" Yang asked. "Are you bummed?"
"Jeez, you've hit bottom with this," Jaune sighed in defeat.
It was only when Yang's laughter somehow redoubled again that he realized his mistake. "Why did I even wake up?" he wondered, draping his arm over his eyes.
The laughter slowly died down and he felt a hand on his knee. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Jaune." He opened his eyes to see Yang smiling softly at him. Her face slowly turned into an annoyed one. "Now, I'm the one who lost an arm. Start comforting me for a change!"
"Ach! Right, right!" Jaune apologized, throwing his hand up. "I take it the surgery went well?"
"Well, other than Doctor Polendina saying that I need to stop breaking my arm, yeah," Yang said with a shrug. "Something about me being 'More destructive than Sora or Ruby?'"
Jaune snorted. "What?" Yang asked.
"No, it's just... I mean, you can give them a run for their Lien," Jaune explained with a shrug. "A large, fiery, explosive run for it."
"They destroy mountains! Cut buildings in half!" Yang snapped defensively.
Jaune shook his head. "You rampaged down a highway once," he pointed out.
"That was – So did Ruby! And Blake and Weiss!"
Jaune frowned for a moment. Then: "You destroyed a club!"
"You did the same thing to the same club!" Yang protested.
"I... Your hair lights on fire when you're angry!" Jaune smirked.
"So?"
"So? You're always angry!"
"Hey!"
As if proving his point, her hair exploded into flames above her. She yelped as her hospital bed began to catch fire, forcing her to slap the flames until they were extinguished. "You're lucky that was a small fire," Jaune smugly said.
Yang turned to him and glared for a moment, scowling. It softened for a moment when she noticed that he wasn't feeling better. He was just hiding it for her sake. "Okay, okay. I'm destructive," she admitted with a shrug. "But not like them, and you know it."
Jaune rolled his eyes. "No, but you try."
"Just imagine if I got a Keyblade," Yang said. "Oh, man. That'd be bad."
"You'd blow up forests just by walking around!"
"Cities by breathing!"
"Worlds by blinking!"
The both of them chuckled. "Well... at least you'd be good with it," Jaune said. He stood up and stretched, his back cracking. "Ah... I'm feeling hungry. You?"
"I could always eat," Yang agreed without a moment's consideration.
He walked towards the door and nodded. "Good, I'll try to find some -"
He was cut off as someone burst through the door.
"YANGIHEARDYOUWEREHURTAREYOUOKAY!?" And Jaune was thrown backwards, flying over Yang's bed and crash landing int the corner, head bent at an awkward angle. Flower petals drifted down around him, signaling the arrival of their first visitor. Ruby slid to a stop and placed her hands on her sister's shoulders. "Yang!"
"Ruby!" Yang shouted, pulling her sister in for a tight hug. "Hey! I'm fine!"
"Where's my little girl!?"
Jaune groaned, just happy that he wasn't in the doorway as another of Yang's hyperactive family charged through. Had he been there, he was sure he would have been trampled by Taiyang Xiao Long, charging through the door with all the grace of a brick on his way to his daughter. He slid to a stop on the side Ruby hadn't occupied and reached down, pinching her cheeks. "My little girl! You need a hand?"
Yang began to laugh, while Ruby and Jaune were forced to groan. They caught each other's gaze and Ruby grimaced. "Oops. Hey, Jaune," she muttered, blushing. She zoomed over to him and held her hand out. "Sorry about that."
He looked up at the upside down girl. "A little warning next time would be nice," Jaune explained as he righted himself and took her hand.
She pulled and heaved him up to his feet before wrapping her arms around his midsection. "It's good to see you again, Buddy."
Jaune smiled and gave her a tight hug back. "You too, Rubes."
Ruby pushed off slightly and looked up into his eye. He noticed with a start that it was easier for her, now. She'd gained an inch or two on him. "Are you okay, Jaune?" she asked, trying to comfort him.
He shrugged, deciding not to let himself spiral down again. "Well, you're about to get better!" Ruby shouted excitedly. She turned to the door. "Ta da!"
Jaune stared blankly for a moment before a soft smile spread across his features, his fears of OJ gone for a moment. Ren and Nora stood there, grinning, with Jaune's own father. "Hey, Kiddo," Argent Arc said, smiling sadly as he did. He walked in after Ren and Nora, who ran forward to hug their leader.
"We heard about everything, Jaune. Are you okay?" Nora asked, as blunt as her hammer. She let go of his shoulders. "Did that OJ guy hurt you? Oh, I'm gonna lay the smack down if I ever see him!"
"Nora speaks for me, as well," Ren pointed out, a serious frown gracing his features. His frown turned to a concerned, thin line. "I know you admired him, Jaune."
Jaune glanced at the ground. "I, uh..." He cleared his throat and looked up, forcing a grin. "Don't worry about me, okay? I'm fine! He got away, so we just have to find..." he trailed off as he noticed his father again.
"Sora and Birdie told me everything," Argent explained simply. He walked to Ren's other side and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Come on, let's go talk."
Jaune glanced over at Yang, who was being bombarded by her father and sister, then at Ren and Nora. "We'll be here when you get back," Ren said, offering his friend his hand. Jaune nodded and clapped his hand into Ren's for a handshake before leaving with his father.
The two left the room quietly, walking through Doctor Polendina's home until they reached the kitchen. Argent looked around for a moment before finding some tea, then set to work. Jaune sat down at the counter, looking down at his hands as his father prepared the drink for the both of them. It was silent for a while until, finally, the kettle was placed on the stove. Argent walked over to the island where Jaune sat and stood right across from him. "So, I guess you want to know why I kept OJ from you?" the younger man asked.
Argent crossed his arms. "Seems like a good place to start," he agreed.
Jaune sighed and tried to look up, but found that his guilt was keeping him from meeting his father's eyes. "I, uh... I trusted him. A lot. He was me, you know? Just... better. A better fighter, who fought against Salem, who saved our lives." Jaune fidgeted and wrung his hands for a moment. "He was just a better version of me. I wanted to be like him. He – he used Darkness. I should have known, right then!" Jaune slammed his fist into the counter, harder than he intended; a small crack appeared in the stone. Jaune stared at it for a while before leaning forward and placing his face in his hands. "I just... I wanted to be like him. Confident, strong. I used Darkness because I trusted him. I almost fell because I -"
"No, you didn't."
Jaune looked up and met his father's eyes.
There was no distrust, no anger, no disappointment with his son. He was not annoyed, or about to say they would never speak again. "Jaune, that isn't the way I heard it." Argent walked around the counter and sat next to his son, wrapping his arm around the boy's shoulder. "How many worlds did you visit before this fight?"
"... Four."
Argent leaned in closer. "And how many people did you help in those worlds?" Jaune frowned. "How many lives did you save, how many monsters did you destroy? Jaune, to those people you're a hero." He leaned back. "And maybe, just maybe, this guy can fight better than you right now. Maybe he can use the Keyblade better. Maybe he can use the Darkness. But you have something that he doesn't... You're good. You are stronger than him, because you aren't out there, threatening the world."
Jaune felt his eyes tear up. "He keeps saying that I'm betraying Pyrrha by not helping him," Jaune admitted through the sobs he held back. "That by trying to move on, I... I never loved her. That I never deserved her."
"Then he's an idiot, and no son of mine," Argent said. He brought his son's head into his shoulder and mussed up the boy's hair. "That idiot, that... OJ. He doesn't love her, not really. He's obsessed. He wants Pyrrha, not as a person but as a thing. He deserves her? He's loyal? Jaune, what do you know about Pyrrha?"
"She... she was good. The best."
Argent patted his son's back. "Exactly. She was a good person. Do you think a good person would be happy with what he's doing? I mean, she stopped you from killing Cinder. She told you to move on, because she didn't want someone obsessed so much with her to do something evil. She loves you. Exactly as you are."
Jaune's arms, up until now resting on the counter, zoomed around his dad's shoulders as he began to cry into the man's shoulder. "D-dad... I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I'm sorry..."
"It's okay, Kiddo. It's okay," he said, brushing the back of his son's head with his hand in an effort to comfort him. "It's okay." They stayed like that for a while, ignoring the screaming whistle of the teapot long enough that the house, long since automated by the Doctor, shut off the stove itself. "Hey... You want to head back down there?"
Jaune let go of his dad and began rubbing at his eyes. "I, uh..." He coughed and nodded. "Yeah." The two stood up, making to leave until Jaune grabbed his dad's wrist. "Are you going to tell Mom?"
Argent stared at his son for a few moments. "Jaune..."
Jaune was fumbling over his words now, begging. "Cause I can't do it. I can't see Mom's face when she learns – I just... I can't see her when she learns there's a me out there doing these things. That I didn't tell her. I can't do it, Dad..."
The man sighed and placed his free hand on his son's shoulder. "I'll tell her," he agreed. "But you'll have to talk with her about it eventually. Your sisters, too."
"I know."
Argent sighed. "You need a haircut," he said, ruffling his son's head before leading him back.
Jaune lifted a strand of hair that reached down to just past his shoulders. "Yeah. I really do," he agreed resolutely before following his father back to the room so he could spend the rest of his time with the friends he needed to get him through this.
S M H S
Classes were already in session at Beacon Academy, something that both surprised and pleased the pair of warriors who had last seen its halls empty following the attack on Beacon. Students were running across the quad, studying, talking, and engaging in duels that, if Yang and Jaune remembered correctly, were against the rules. "Is it me or did Ms. Goodwitch just... acknowledge no student would ever follow the rules?" Yang wondered as they stood at the gates, dressed proudly with aviator sunglasses covering her face and her emblem clear on her clothes. She knew she'd attract attention, one of the heroes of the War of Stars that had reclaimed the dragon continent. And boy did she want it.
"More like she's too busy to bother chastising them herself," Jaune suggested with a glance up at the emerald tower where the woman worked. "I mean, there's a reason we never saw Ozpin, right?" He tugged his new white Pumpkin Pete hoodie further over his head, having changed out of his armor so no one would recognize him. He pushed his sunglasses harder onto the bridge of his nose so his face wouldn't be easily seen. He was, after all, still a wanted man.
"Maybe your team didn't," Yang retorted, snorting.
She put her real hand in a pocket and gestured towards the quad. "Ready to go?"
Jaune took a deep breath. "Yeah," he said. The two, in tandem, walked onto the grounds of their old school, moving swiftly towards the main body of the building. Ruby had said she had a surprise for Jaune in her office and had asked they meet her at Beacon. Yang personally thought she just wanted to brag about the fact that she had an office now, feeling all big and important. Still, they'd come. She'd get to make fun of Ruby's students, some of whom were older than the young woman. She bet Ruby had to beat up the more... 'confident' of the students on the first couple of days.
"Yang, what if I get recognized..?" Yang heard her partner's nervous voice whine.
The blonde girl rolled her eyes. "They'll be too focused on me to notice you, Jaune."
"I –" he began, indignant. Then, after examining her for a moment: "Yeah, that's probably true."
"See? Isn't it fun being honest with yourself?" Yang asked as she threw up and arm and turned her head directly to the left, smiling and posing for a 'secret' picture. She turned back to Jaune. "I am a star, burning bright. You are merely in my orbit."
"Good to see your ego hasn't gotten big," Jaune muttered dryly.
"Oh, Jaune. Ego implies it's not true," Yang pointed out, voice saccharine as she looked over her glasses and winked at another picture being taken past Jaune.
"Never mind. It started big." Jaune shook his head. "I bet it's hiding in the hair. Ever think of a haircut?"
"Ever think of not wanting to die?" Yang asked, hair lighting up and her red eyes becoming bright and visible through her shades. It died down after Jaune whimpered an apology out. "Besides, you got more than enough haircut for the both of us, Jaune. Why'd you decide on short hair?"
Doesn't look like OJ, Jaune thought to himself as he thought of his new haircut, short and vaguely reminiscent of Qrow's look, though the bangs were significantly shorter and parted to the right side as his hair had before. "I, uh, admire your uncle?" he said, hoping that would work.
Yang didn't question it, even if she knew there was more to it than that. "Makes sense."
Jaune let out a relieved breath. He was done having people worry about him in regards to his evil twin. "So... what do you think Ruby wants to show us?"
"Other than her office? Saying, 'Look at me, I'm Ruby Rose and I'm important! I'm the Bee's Knees!'" Yang said, taking on a poor mockery of her sister's voice. She shook her head and laughed. "Not that she's completely wrong."
The two entered the main lobby and moved towards the main elevator. Ruby's office was Glynda's old one had been, located not far from the top floor of the large tower that housed Glynda's new office as Headmistress of Beacon Academy. "You're not jealous?" Jaune mocked, hitting her with his shoulder.
"Why? I get to go on adventures and she's stuck in this tower," Yang replied honestly. She pressed the button to summon the elevator and placed her hands behind her head. "There's plenty of time to be a fogey teacher when I'm old."
"I'm a fogey, huh?"
Yang and Jaune twirled on their heels to see Ruby standing there, fist on her hip, a large Scroll covered in notes, and an annoyed glare on her face as she stared at her sister. She was tapping her toes very fast, almost jittery in her movements. Yang hoped her sister hadn't gotten into caffeine again... she still had the shivers when she thought about Ruby's thirteenth birthday when they'd stolen some of their dad's coffee. "Oh, Ruby! Hey..."
Ruby shook her head. "I'll have you know everyone loves my class," Ruby said indignantly as she walked up and removed her insignia, placing it next to the button. The button lit up, activated, and she pressed it. She yawned, dark circles under her eyes becoming apparent."We all lock our offices when we're not in them. I learned my lesson when someone tried to sneak in and try to steal the Keyblade."
"But it can't be stolen," Jaune said in confusion.
Ruby grinned. "Cardin still got caught trying."
"Idiot," Yang sighed, grinning nonetheless.
"It's so much fun being able to give people detention and making them write papers. I don't even read them!" Ruby said excitedly. The elevator arrived after a moment and she gestured for the others to enter before her, then entered and pressed a button for her office.
"Just wait till you see the view!" Ruby shouted after a moment, and she began bouncing up and down in excitement. "It's so cool!"
"It can't be that..." Yang's words were cut off as they exited the elevator. There was a stunning view, the sun glittering off of the shining city of Vale below the cliffs. Clouds in the air looked like paint on canvas, and the small airships traveling around the city sent the twinkling light of active Dust streaming towards the room like stars. The ocean stretched out even further beyond the city, blue melting into the sky at the horizon. "Damn."
"Told you," Ruby said as she walked into her office and sat down on top of her desk. Jaune moved in past the still stunned Yang and looked around. Ruby's office was...
A little kid's room.
There were tons of Grimm and Huntsman figurines filling up a book shelf at the back in the corner, all of them arranged like they were about to have a massive battle. At the top were action figures of Ruby and Sora themselves, Keyblades hefted over their shoulders as the limited edition Neoshadow figures died at their feet. Everything smelled like chocolate chip cookies, because they were everywhere. Just plates of them on every table, including Ruby's desk. In fact, she had one in either hand now and was chowing down. And... "Zwei?" Jaune wondered as the tiny dog bounded up and stared up at him. The impossibly strong dog just barked excitedly and jumped into his arms, tackling him to the ground.
"Zwei, don't hurt him!" Ruby shouted through the cookie in her mouth.
"Ruby, this is insane!" Yang shouted, ignoring the fact that Jaune was now flat on his back with her dog pawing at his chest as it begged for attention. "That view is... They do know you're a kid, right?"
"Hey! I'm cool. And grown up. And collected. And cooool."
Even Zwei laughed at that one.
"Rubes, come on," Yang said before gesturing at the cookies. And the toys. And the dog. And the giant plush wolf in the corner.
"I'm still cool," Ruby protested, arms crossed over her chest and pouting like a two year old denied her favorite toy.
Jaune sat up, petting the dog now sleeping in his lap. "Well, regardless of the fact you're a five year old... what did you want to show us?" he asked, holding back laughter at the younger girl's face.
Ruby brightened immediately. "Oh! Right!" She shouted before rolling over her desk and hitting the ground on the other side. Yang and Jaune glanced at each other then Yang tried to look over it and Jaune around. Ruby exploded upward, hair slightly a mess. "I'm okay!"
"Are you?" Jaune asked, pushing himself to his feet while continuing to pet the dog in his arms. HE grimaced. "Have you slept recently?"
"Not since I flew back here," Ruby responded. She looked around and picked up a mug from her desk, then took a deep swig. She stopped and looked at the both of them. "Coffee?"
"That was... Ruby that was two days ago!" Yang shouted.
"I had to catch up on work," Ruby said as she took another drink.
Jaune grimaced. "You and caffeine is a... scary mix." Yang grimaced... he had no idea. She immediately started to block out the memories again.
"But anyways, the surprise!" Ruby shouted, disappearing behind her desk for another second. Jaune and Yang looked at one another for a couple seconds until, finally, Ruby appeared again. "Got it!"
She was holding a thin white, blade shaped object about as long as Jaune's gauntlets, about as wide as a small Scroll. It had a pair of small clamps on one side that looked large enough to go around Jaune's bracers. "I think you're gonna love this, Jaune," Ruby said earnestly. She placed it on the table. "Your dad and I made it a little while ago, it's um... well, you'll see."
She moved her hand down and gestured at a location for his scroll. Getting the idea, he put the dog down on the desk and pulled out his Scroll. After placing the earpiece in his ear so he could still use the device, he took the Scroll and placed it in the new item's slot. "Now say 'Sol.' Go on!"
"S...ol?" Jaune said, unsure of what was going to happen.
Zwei yelped as he was woken up by the device beside him on the desk exploded outwards, edges expanding into the shape of a small, kite buckler. Jaune blinked and picked up the device, turning it over in his hands. It was a pure white, save for the familiar golden image of his family insignia on the outer face. It looked just like the shield he had lost when he'd... "You and my dad made this?" he asked, stunned by how grateful he felt.
"Mhm," Ruby said, smiling wide. "We had a little bit of materials left over after making your armor, and some more from your dad's equipment in the War. So... say 'Aurora.'"
"Aurora?" Jaune asked, and it was his turn to yelp as the front edge of the kite buckler began to glow, yellow Dust coating it, and its energy extended forward, easily past where his hand would be, to form a small blade of energy. "It... It's so cool!"
"I know, right!?" Ruby asked, bouncing up and down again. She looked over at it. "But you have to be careful. This mode drains a lot of energy and you'll need to charge it in your Gummi Ship when you're not fighting. Shield and inactive should always be fine."
"Ruby, I – thanks," Jaune said, looking up from the item in his hands at the Keyblade wielder. "It means a lot."
"No problem, Jaune," Ruby said, suddenly very calm. She gave him a lopsided grin. "I'm glad you like it."
Some time and many cookies later, Jaune and Yang were sitting together on the cliff overlooking the emerald forest, reminiscing on who they used to be and how much they had changed. "You know, if you'd asked... me," Jaune began, gesturing with his head at the launch pads built into the grass, "where I thought I'd be in a few years, I never would have guessed astronaut with a key for a sword. And certainly not someone with this many friends."
"Honestly? Everything except the robot hand," Yang stated. She looked over. "What? I thought it'd be a foot. Y'know. Like a pirate."
"I don't know why I expected anything different," Jaune said. He raised his new shield in front of him. "'Sol.'" The shield popped into existence, revealing his insignia once more. "Nox." The shield disappeared. His arm slammed back into the grass and he remained silent for a while. "Yang, thanks for everything. I know we were supposed to save your mom, but then we got all caught up in my problems so... Just, thanks, okay?"
Yang snorted. "Hey, don't get all sentimental. We're only... in the place that started the adventures where some of the best and worst things to ever happen to us happened. There's no need for that..." Yang snorted again and shook her head. She leaned all the way back on the grass and sighed contentedly. "Tch... yeah, thank you, too, Jaune."
"What did I do?" the Keyblade Wielder asked nervously.
Yang shrugged. "You kept me going, okay? Even if you thought you weren't doing much, you were still keeping me grounded. And you saved my life a couple times," she said. Her face became hard and her eyes glowed red. "Not that I'll admit it to anyone else. The myth of the Yang needs no help."
"Aw, that's... sweet?" Jaune wondered before leaning back in the grass as well. Myth of the Yang? Wow...
The two remained silent for a while, just laying beside each other and staring up at the now starry sky. "Where do you think he is?" Jaune asked quietly.
Yang sighed. No point in asking who the lovable idiot meant. "Hopefully? Eaten by some Shadow out there," she said, eyes turning red again. She looked over at Jaune and the lilac returned. "Realistically? Probably one of the worlds we've visited."
Jaune scoffed and tightened his fists around the grass. "Yeah, makes sense." He turned his head to meet Yang's eyes. "What?"
She blinked and looked away. "Jaune, you do know you don't need to worry about it, right?" She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "That you're anything like him."
"Yang, I'm over th -"
"Uh-uhn. Can't lie to me, I've been living with you for a while now, Dumber."
"Really? You're using Kirito's nicknames now?" Jaune wondered dryly.
Yang narrowed her eyes angrily and warned, "Jaune, stay on topic."
The Keyblade wielder groaned. "So what if I'm a little worried about it. I'm just... Yang..."
"No, I'm Yang. And there's no just about it," Yang joked, this one earning an actual laugh from her partner. "Wait, I thought I wasn't funny?"
"Broken clocks can be right," Jaune retorted indigantly.
"Hm... Anyways, you were saying?"
Jaune groaned again. "Do I have to?"
"Yep."
"Now?"
"Yep."
"...Yep?"
"Yep."
Jaune sighed. "Okay. Maybe we aren't the same. But we could be. And there's enough that already is that I –" He ran a hand through his now short hair. "I need to make sure we're not."
"And the real reason for the haircut comes out," Yang said quietyly.
"Yeah, yeah, make fun of me," Jaune sighed. He covered his face. "I know it's stupid."
"No, I... Sympathize. If it makes you feel better, that's good," Yang said. She rolled onto her side and rested her head on her hand so her face wouldn't touch the ground."But you don't need it."
"You think that any similarity between you and OJ makes you the same, right?" Yang asked, though Jaune didn't respond. "Well it doesn't. Sure, he's got your face, your voice, and your determination. But he doesn't have your Heart. You're strong, Jaune." She looked over at his confused face. "What? You are. And if you ever need someone to remind you, I'll be right next to you to drive you on every day. I'll be there when you kick OJ's butt and fix all this. Just... do the same for me with my mom, okay?"
Jaune bit the inside of his cheek. "Okay, Yang. You got it."
"Good... Now, how about we go steal all those cookies from Ruby's office?"
"I was worried you'd never ask!"
As they left, another figure melted out of the shadows. "He lays there with her, ignoring your ghost..." OJ muttered as he walked towards where Jaune had been laying. He cast a glare at Yang's spot before turning back to the launchpads and moving slowly, reverently, towards the one that Pyrrha had once been launched from. He sat down in front of it and stared at the symbol on its face, that of the Kingdom of Vale. "I... I can't believe that this is where we first met. Here, so long ago. It... It seems absurd." OJ laughed and ran a hand through his shoulder length hair. "He wants to be different from me, he wants to forget. Why? I don't understand it, I..." He sighed, defeated by his confusion. "I wish you were here, that you could tell me... But that ended when you died at Cinder's hands. When you were stolen from me."
He placed his hand on the launchpad. "Are you proud of me? I killed her for you. She asked if I believed in destiny. I do. It is my destiny to find you, to be reunited with you. I will not rest until it happens." He stood up and moved towards where Jaune had been laying. "Just like it is your destiny, simply because we are the same, Jaune. Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos. Anything less is..." His head turned towards the Yang shaped depression in the grass and black flames erupted into being, burning away the shape. "Disgusting."
He turned towards the forest and summoned the Kingdom Key D to his hand, examining its dulled silvers, bloody red, and tarnished gold. "And I will make sure that you recognize that as well, Jaune, even if I have to kill all of your so-called friends to do it. Even if you hate me now, you will recognize that I am right... and none of them deserve you." Then OJ walked forward, stepping off of the cliff. The wind passed through his hair, whipping it around until he summoned an inky black Corridor of Darkness beneath him. He passed through the doorway after but a moment and disappeared, slamming the portal shut behind him so he could not be followed.
He left nothing behind but a human sized patch of burnt grass that smelled of hatred, a shade of the death that his crusade would bring if he was victorious.
S M H S
Jaune and Yang were checking and double checking their luggage as they stood outside of the Keyblade Temple, triple checking to make sure that they had everything they would need for their journey to continue. Argent had brought a whole suitcase for his son, a gift from his mother with 'extra underoos for my extra special man.' Jaune had nearly turned bone white at Yang's stifled laughter following his dad's failure to whisper that message. Or had he done it on purpose? Jaune shook his head and checked the battery on his Scroll. Full, and so was his new buckler-weapon, Saffron. "Where do you think we should head first?" Yang asked as she went through all of her jackets, trying to choose which one she wanted to wear. She had removed the brown jacket and its side tails and was trying to decide between two. "Oh, and which one?"
"Uh... Huh?" Jaune muttered, pointing towards the black one.
"Good." She tossed the black one in the suitcase and began to slide the other jacket, this one a yellow denim, over her shoulders.
"What? But you just -"
"And you thought I'd trust your taste, Pumpkin Pete?" Yang asked as she gestured at the purple rabbit on Jaune's new, white sweatshirt.
"Hey, he's... cool..." Jaune muttered indignantly.
Yang zipped up the diagonal zip jacket halfway up, leaving the lapels folded down and her new white shirt visible. She folded the sleeves up a bit until there was enough room for Ember Celica to extend, then reached into her bag and pulled out a red bandana with a cross embroidered into it. She pulled her hair up and looped it through, creating a wild, bushy ponytail reminiscent of her mother's.
Jaune rolled his eyes and began to pull his armor back on. "Too much white, Jaune," Yang said, crossing her arms and glaring at him.
"Yeah, well... I needed a change," Jaune muttered as he clamped the armor tight around his chest before moving on to the Keyblade Armor's left pauldron. Next came his bracers, the left one now with Saffron attached tight enough that it wouldn't move. He also gave Pyrrha's sash on his hip a tug, making sure it was tight as well. "And... done." He ran a hand through his hair to get it out of his eyes and placed his hands on his hips. "How do I look?"
"Mmmm..." Yang began, putting her finger on her chin as she studied him. Finally, she sarcastically remarked, "Well, it won't be completely embarrassing to be seen with you."
"Well who would be looking at me?" Jaune asked with a dry glare at the girl.
Yang looked herself up and down. "Good point. No one will." She struck a pose. "I'm just too pretty."
"Miss Xiao Long, please, your father would not approve." Yang and Jaune jumped as Ozpin and Sora appeared, the both of them looking exhausted as the green light flashed around them.
Ozpin himself looked... old. Not too much older than when they had last seen him, but older nonetheless. His gray hair had turned slightly white and there were slight wrinkles on his face, as if the man was finally showing his age. Well, the age of a man in his mid to late forties, at least. Ozpin glanced between his former students. "Mister Arc, Miss Xiao Long. It is good to see you both," he said as he clasped his hands at the small of his back.
"Hey guys," Sora said solemnly, his ever-present smile serious. He walked up and placed a hand on their shoulders. He looked up at the temple. "Pretty impressive, right?"
"It's... big," Jaune agreed simply.
"I prefer Beacon," Yang said with a shrug.
Sora frowned and shook his head. "Well, if you guys saw the inside you'd -"
"I'm sure, but we are in a hurry you know. Besides, who wants to see an empty school?" Yang interjected, a cruel grin crossing her face.
"Ouch..." Sora muttered. He shook his head. "Fine, but it'll be great when we have students. You wait!"
"For now, however, it remains a symbol of the power of the Four Kingdoms united," Ozpin said as he walked up. He looked at Jaune and frowned, his sad eyes disappearing behind his sunglasses. "You have my apologies, Mister Arc. It is too soon for you to have to fight this kind of war so soon after the last, especially one that seems determined to seek you out."
"Well, it was Sora's turn for a break," Jaune half-joked.
Sora shrugged and crossed his arms. "It was getting tiring being the bad guys' main target." He looked over at Jaune. "I'd take it away from you in a minute, though."
"I know," Jaune said graciously. He looked at the two of them. "So... what's the plan?"
Sora and Oz glanced at one another, then back at the two warriors. "You two have a deeper connection with these worlds that OJ is seeking than anyone else we could send," Ozpin began, tenting his hands in front of his body and gesturing at them both in turn.
"It almost feels like you were supposed to find those worlds. Chosen to help them keep themselves safe," Sora cut in. He placed his hands behind his head. "So the new plan... is the old plan!"
Ozpin picked up the explanation as Jaune and Yang replied with nothing but confused stares. The former Headmaster said, "The two of you continue your journey, traveling to worlds as your Hearts lead you." He held up one hand and began to count. "The nugget of Darkness, the Hogyoku, the world seed, and the seed that births Darkness in a Heart. These worlds you have been drawn to have called you for a reason, and they will likely call Mercury and Emerald as well as the Nobody of Miss Xiao Long's mother. You all have a part to play in this battle, and it is likely you will cross paths with them and OJ. Until we have more information... it is business as usual. Go where you are called, offer aid where it is needed."
"And kick butt whenever possible!" Sora finished, throwing his fist into the air.
Jaune and Yang traded a glance. "Well... if you insist," Yang said, grinning mischievously.
"I assumed you'd be up for that challenge," Sora responded, grinning..
"Oh, before we go, I wanted to ask you something, Sora," Jaune said, jumping towards his luggage and digging through it. "Where... is... it... Ah! Here!" Jaune tore out a small item and held it out to Sora. "Is this what I think it is?"
Sora blinked and looked down. It was a small, pentagonal item made of brown stone. There was a stylized skull over an 'X' at the center of the item, black, empty eye sockets and four teeth. It was connected to a red rope that ended in a silver latch. Sora reached down for a moment, then stopped and looked up at Jaune, silently asking permission. The blonde warrior nodded and Sora reached down, picking it up. He examined it for a few moments, holding onto the pentagonal insignia and bringing it close to his right eye. "Hm..." He held out his left hand and summoned the Master Keeper, holding it by the blade. He pulled the Keychain off of the weapon and tried to attach the one Jaune had given him... only for it to slam into an invisible wall. He blinked once and pushed against it only for the Keyblade and its natural Keychain to vanish completely. He bit the inside of his cheek and tossed the badge in the air, easily catching it. He gave it another once over before handing it back to Jaune. "If this is a Keychain, Jaune, it only belongs to you. What it'll do to your Keyblade..." Sora shrugged. "But it won't work for anyone else, so you'll just have to see."
Jaune looked down at the item. "Whatever it is, I am willing to wager that you have it for a reason," Ozpin added on. Jaune looked up at the man's serious demeanor staring down at him. "So make sure you do not miss the moment when it comes. The mark of a good warrior is recognizing what he has and how it is meant to be used. I trust you are more than capable of that, Mister Arc."
"Aw, you're getting complimented!" Yang shouted, jumping ahead and wrapping her arm around Jaune's shoulder. "See, we all think you're cool!"
"Really?" Jaune asked.
"Well.. 'cool,'" Yang joked.
"You're 'cool,' too," Jaune said.
Yang grinned and forced her hair to light up. "No. I'm hot."
"... Dammit, Yang," Jaune sighed, his gaze falling to the ground in sheer horror and disappointment at how much effort she put into that pun. "That was..."
"Straight fire?"
"..."