Chapter 36: The Same

The first thing Jaune saw when his eyes opened and he returned to the realm of consciousness was his mirror image, standing outside of a glowing circle rising from the ground. Within – "Dad!" Jaune shouted, trying to surge to his feet to get to his family, but stopping with pained grunt when the chains holding him to the ground went taut and he was forced back into a kneeling position.

OJ slowly turned towards him, the perfect copy of Jaune in armor and clothes designed to look exactly like Jaune's. "Oh, you're awake!" he shouted excitedly, walking over and laughing. He gestured at him. "Sorry about the chains, but... well, I couldn't have you trying to rescue them. Emerald's chains will keep you in place while..."

Jaune ignored his counterpart, focusing on what was important. His family were all conscious and all except Journe were uninjured, he could see that much. They were talking, growling, snarling silently at the wall in every direction. Almost like – "They can't see out here..." Jaune muttered as he realized.

"Dang, you figured it out pretty fast," OJ said with a sigh. "And here I was hoping that being knocked out would have made you a little more out of it."

"Let me go, OJ. And let them go!" Jaune commanded coolly.

OJ stared at him silently for a moment, then sighed and shook his head. "Jaune. Come on. That isn't happening," OJ replied wearily. "But I get it. We have to do these things, it's... common courtesy. So, why don't you help me instead?" He gestured at Argent, who, somehow, was glaring directly at him despite not being able to see him. "Creepy... But Jaune, they don't care about you. You think we're different from each other? Jaune, they couldn't tell the difference between us. How do you think I got them? Asking?"

Jaune shut his eyes tight and turned away. "I don't think we're different, OJ. I know we went through the same problems, the same challenges. If life is every moment you live through, then we have the same life." He opened his eyes and turned back. "But I won't become the same person as you. I won't live the same life as you from here on!"

OJ stared at him. "Wow. Did you practice that one in the mirror, Jaune?" he asked mockingly.

Jaune wasn't going to tell him he definitely had practiced it. He wouldn't give OJ the satisfaction of knowing for sure. Instead, he repeated, "They're your family, OJ, just as much as mine. You have to know this is wrong."

"Spare me. I heard this spiel when I captured them," OJ said, gesturing over his shoulder at the cage. He sighed and motioned his arm, summoning the Kingdom Key D and aiming it at the Arcs. "Now that we exchanged our requests, I'm going to give you a few demands. You're going to help me, or I'll kill each of them one after the other."

"You'll either kill them or find some way to get me to do it the moment I agree to help you," Jaune spat angrily.

OJ shrugged and sighed. "I guess you aren't going to listen to me, are you?" he wondered, his voice sounding sad and low. He lowered his Keyblade to his side and the chains holding Jaune down vanished. He stared at the ground for a moment. Jaune felt an urge to summon his own Keyblade and fight, a natural desire to fight and finally win. But then he remembered Yang, floating in the empty Darkness between worlds, alone and kept alive by nothing more than his own Keyblade crafted into armor around her. His Heart began to push that call away, forcing the Keyblade to remain where it was, far away from him. It was possible she'd been saved already, that she was safe and sound somewhere else. And, he assured himself inwardly, those were the only possibilities. And he couldn't risk that the first was true.

OJ put a hand on his chin. "What are you doing? I thought you'd try to attack me the moment I let you go," he said quietly. "Why aren't you?"

Jaune clenched his fists and looked away from OJ. "It wouldn't matter. We've already seen you can beat me in a one on one fight," he said, knowing that OJ would believe it. After all it was true... just not the truth that mattered.

OJ chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, that's definitely true," he agreed. He turned on the cage. "But if I attack them?" He raised his Keyblade, and brought it down.

"Sol!" Jaune slid to a stop in the weapon's path, his buckler extended and taking the blow. His entire body shook from the force of the blow and his knees hit the ground. "Ach –!"

OJ glared down at him, emotions firing rapidly in his increasingly yellow eyes. And then he thankfully came to the wrong conclusion: "You won't summon your Keyblade? You know you would lose, but you resist in this way? It's commendable in a... 'Vomit Boy' kind of way." OJ turned quickly and slammed his foot into Jaune's side. Jaune felt the air rush from his lungs and he hit the ground on his side, gasping in pain. Another kick slammed into his gut and he was sent tumbling across the ground. "And to be that again is a problem I will beat out of you."

"Aw, come on!" Jaune gasped out before trying to push himself up to his feet. He managed to get to his knees before OJ was on him again, swinging the Keyblade around at his head. Jaune threw himself to the side, managing a messy roll out of the weapon's path before stumbling up to his feet and placing his buckler in front of him.

OJ charged him without another word, barely giving Jaune enough time to turn and deflect the intense flurry of blows that came his way. Left, right, left, uppercut to overhead, stab, left, left, leg sweep, right. Jaune was barely keeping up, deflecting blow after blow that would have ended the fight then and there. OJ leaped into the air and spun after Jaune deflected his attack upwards, spinning with the momentum before coming down with a weapon wreathed in black flames. Jaune brought his buckler up and summoned a Reflect wall, but without his Keyblade it was only a fraction of the strength. The spell exploded against his defense and shattered it, singing him and sending him flying backwards into the wall holding his family. Jaune snarled in pain and fell to the ground, catching himself on his hands and knees while his father looked around to try and find the source of the noise.

"Are you ready to summon that Keyblade now?" OJ asked threateningly as he walked up.

Jaune grunted and stood up. "Are you ready to shut up?"

OJ chuckled and raised his weapon beside him in both hands. "Then let's keep going." He charged forward again, slashing downward and letting Jauned dodge to the side again, then let go of his weapon and reached out, grabbing the buckler and holding Jaune in place. "You're not getting away that -"

"Aurora!" The edge of the buckler extended, and OJ yelped in pain as a blast of electric Dust burned through his Aura. He took a hop backwards and clutched at his injured hand before turning his enraged eyes on Jaune who said, "Sol." The edge of the weapon vanished. "I'm not going to make it easy for you."

OJ stood up tall. "Cure." The burn vanished. He turned his Keyblade over and gripped it tight in both hands once more. "I keep forgetting that, even as weak and stupid as you act, you're still me. Strong, smart, and deadly to underestimate."

"Is that flattery or vanity?" Jaune wondered aloud.

OJ didn't give him an answer, instead beginning a renewed assault, his attacks more unpredictable than before. Feints began to appear, throwing Jaune's timing off. What was really coming for him, what –

And then OJ slammed his Keyblade into edge of the buckler, looping the teeth around and yanking the defense away. He charged forward, grabbing hold of Jaune's throat and bringing the Keyblade up to his face, "Sleepga." Then his hand let go of Jaune and he took a step to the side.

The world vanished in that moment, and Jaune fell forward, not even feeling it when he hit the ground. At that point, he was already asleep.

R W B Y

Yang was floating in the Darkness, the empty expanse stretching as far as she could see in every direction. At least, that's what she thought it was. She wasn't entirely sure if she was awake, or even how long she'd been in the emptiness. Drifting alone in an airtight suit screwed with the idea of reality and time, and drifting in and out of consciousness didn't help.

Suddenly she was on her feet standing at the center of a path of glowing light within the Darkness. Yang breathed and slammed her foot down on the ground, cautiously checking if it was real. It felt like it was, but she wasn't sure if that meant anything. She'd had some vivid dreams – nightmares, really – already. The one of OJ trying to pretend to be Jaune, only to impale her when it became clear she knew it was him had been... disturbing. His flirting had been terrible; worse than Jaune's even.

The path of bright colors stretched on forever into the distance, winding and turning and changing colors. She knew that, at the end, was something she needed to find no matter the cost. Yang, still clad in Jaune's Keyblade Armor, took a tentative step forward before glancing back. Just as she'd expected, the path didn't stretch in both directions. She turned her face towards the horizon again and began walking the path, each step growing faster and faster. Eventually she was sprinting, ignoring the brightly shifting colors. "Jaune!" she called into the distance, praying the sound would reach him. She knew he was at the end of the road, she could feel it in her Heart.

And then she was running through a room of black and white, every step echoing. She turned her helmeted gaze in every direction and skidded to a stop, feeling frantic. "Jaune!"

"Yang!"

She whirled around, seeing him. He was bruised, bloody, in pain. But it was him. Tears in her eyes she rushed forward, nearly tackling him with the force of the hug she captured him in. "Jaune, it's you!" she exclaimed happily, lifting him up and holding him close. "I was – I..."

"Yang..." he gasped, pained. She quickly put him down and grinned sheepishly, but quickly realized he couldn't see her face. He waved off her apology before she could make it. "It's okay, you're happy. But... I just have to know..."

The room behind him flashed, pools of blood appearing with the corpses of his family within them. His gaze, once ecstatic and filled with love, turned hard and disappointed. His chest had a gaping hole in it, a deadly wound where his physical heart should have been. "Why weren't you here when I needed you!?" he screamed, shoving her backwards.

Yang lost her balance, fear and the force of his push throwing her backwards. She tumbled towards the ground, waving her arms and locking eyes with Jaune's enraged glare. "Why did you let him keep me!?"

Then she was on her feet again, in a new room of bright, scarlet red lines. She breathed heavily, adrenaline coursing through her body, fighting her attempts to get calm. "You're never there when you're needed. You won't be there for him," a woman's voice called out from somewhere in the room. The ground beneath Yang began to shake and she slipped, falling and becoming entangled in the lines. The hair. A massive hand came up and grabbed Yang, pulling her from the hair and pulling her to eye level with a massive Morrigan. The huge woman's hair began to slowly turn black, the color spreading from the roots as she said, "Just like you weren't there when I needed you." Then there was a Keyblade protruding from Raven's chest, turning her into a four armed, beaked Heartless. The creature screeched at Yang and tore at her with its sword hands and massive claws, making her scream in pain before it threw her in the air. Yang fought to gain control and turned midair, swinging her gaze to the Heartless and trying to find a way to fight, only for it to leap up and swallow her whole, leaving her in an endless expanse of Darkness.

Yang's eyes opened and she screamed. She flailed wildly, fists aiming to hit anything. But they didn't. There was nothing to hit, not in the world she had drifted to in her sleep. She breathed heavily, panting in terror. "It... It wasn't... It was a dream. A dream," she told herself, patting herself down for any injuries inflicted by the Heartless in her mind. "A dream." She looked around and her brow furrowed. "The Keyblade Graveyard... I... I have a chance." She pushed herself up on shaky legs, swaying side to side. She had to get her balance, she had to go and find Jaune and OJ. They were here, she knew it. She could feel it. She stumbled down the path between the ancient Keyblades that predated her own world, and the worlds that had come before it even.

It took a long time to make her way down the path, stumbling the entire time. She wasn't doing well, and she definitely wasn't in shape for a fight. But that wouldn't stop her. She would have to fight to save Jaune and his family, all by herself. The idea made her stop in place for a moment. Just her and OJ in a fight to the death. No, not just OJ. Emerald would be there, supercharged with Darkness, and... and Raven's Nobody, thirsting for Yang's death. She didn't want to admit it, but even one of those fights would make her cautious even if she was at full strength. But Jaune would do it for her, she told herself, and she knew that was true. She took off again with barely a second wasted.

It wasn't long before she found herself in front of OJ and his group once more. The three were standing before Jaune and his family, waiting for her with weapons drawn. She came to a stop and slowly settled into a combat stance, feeling that if she moved any faster she would cause herself pain and flinch. She took a moment to look past them at Jaune, who was so happy she was there. "Don't worry," she told him. "I'll -"

And then massive chains appeared in the air and slammed into her, sending her flying. She hit the ground hard and rolled through the dead Keyblades, sending shards of the weapons flying everywhere. Before she even stopped moving, a sword crashed into her back and sent her through a red and black portal, letting out high in the sky. Yang plummeted towards the ground, dazed from the blow Morrigan had unleashed, and hit the ground harder than she imagined she could. Dust and stone exploded around her, creating a large crater where she had landed. "Okay..." she grumbled, painfully getting to her feet despite the screaming in her muscles. Her vision was tunneling around OJ – she could always tell the difference, even when they looked exactly the same. "That... wasn't fair..."

Predictably, he didn't say anything. He just glared at her with hate filled eyes, then charged her. She ducked beneath his first attack and brought her left arm up in a punch that was far slower than she was used to. He effortlessly dodged, and swung his attack around before her battered body could recover from her attack and she hit the ground face first. She clenched her fists and slammed them into the ground, trying to stand up. After a moment of struggle, her arms gave out and she hit the ground again. "Dammit!" she growled, rage traveling down her entire body. "Dammit, dammit, dammit! Get up!" Her body didn't listen. It had just survived too much too recently. It was tired. She was tired. Tears welled up in her eyes and she pushed again. She had to get up; she had to protect everyone. She had to save Jaune!

And then the screams rang out before one after another ending suddenly. The end of each scream ignited a new one in Yang's Heart, each of those sending the tears in her eyes flowing along her face. And then she heard Jaune's scream end. Because he would never help OJ, he would never give in.

He was dead, and his family was dead, and Yang had failed. She shut her eyes tight and turned her head to the ground, hiding her face despite the fact it was hidden by the Keyblade Armor's mask. "No!" she cried out, body and mind wracked with pain. "No... Jaune..." She turned to look up at Morrigan, sneering down at her before bringing her sword down at Yang's neck. She felt the weapon pierce the armor and her skin, and -

And then her eyes flew open and she sat up with another scream, reaching towards her throat with both hands. Her prosthetic arm didn't respond, though, instead sending a wave of pain through her body, and she screamed again, clutching at her stump. She turned wildly around, catching sight of medical equipment and white walls. Her arm resting on a nearby table. She tore towards it and grabbed hold, bringing it up to the ports on her body to attach the arm. The artificial nerves popped together with a surge of pain she was ready for and she fought it down to grunt. "Where am I?" she asked, turning wildly again until her eyes caught a reflection on one side of the room.

She stopped and stared at the armor in the corner of the room, a silvery skeleton key resting atop it. Jaune's Keyblade Armor and Keyblade. Something she'd been wearing. And if it was still there, that meant that he wasn't safe. He was still in OJ's clutches. And she was... Where was she?

Yang looked down at herself, finding she was dressed in a blue hospital gown, with a long IV connected to her left arm, pumping fluids into her body. A body that, she noted, was still exhausted. She stumbled and hit the bed again, barely catching herself. She looked around and pushed herself into her bed. This had to be somewhere on Remnant; no one else could find her or save her like this. She groaned and laid down, pulling the covers over herself again. She wanted nothing more than to charge out of this room and go save Jaune, but she couldn't do anything feeling like this. Her nightmare – she hoped it was a nightmare, at least – had been a good enough idea of what would happen if she showed up at the Keyblade Graveyard half dead like this. It went against everything she felt... but she couldn't be stupid.

There was a quiet series of knocks on the door. "Come in," she said after a moment of wondering if she should. The door slowly opened, and Ruby popped her head in. Yang couldn't help but smile at her sister, with her puffy, red eyes and tear stained face. The younger woman rushed Yang in a flurry of rose petals, suddenly clutching her sister's shoulders.

"Y-Yang, I was so worried!" she cried, holding her tight. "I – I've never seen you like that before. You wouldn't wake up!"

Yang smiled softly and clutched her sister back. She ran a hand over the back of Ruby's head. "I didn't mean to make you worry, Rubes," she said quietly and holding tight to comfort both her sister and herself, making sure that this was real unlike the parade of nightmares she had experienced while between the worlds. In retrospect, there was a certain weight that all of those had lacked that was comfortingly present here. She decided to take that as a good sign. She buried her head in Ruby's shoulder. "Jaune?"

Ruby tensed up and slowly moved her sister to arms' length. "He's... not shown up," Ruby admitted. Yang felt her adrenaline immediately cease and she fell backwards onto the bed, the pure exhaustion of her unconscious time between worlds hitting her full force. Her eyes began to droop shut, but she fought the sudden aching in her bones and itching behind her eyes. "H-how... how long?"

Ruby glanced to the side before answering. "It was at least a day before we learned anything was wrong. How long that was for you... we don't know. But you'd been alone in Jaune's armor drifting beside the Gummi's wreckage," Ruby admitted slowly. She crossed her arms and hugged herself. "And it's been another two days since you got back. Dad's been so worried that Uncle Qrow had to take him out. He'll be sleeping that off for the next couple days."

"He wouldn't go until the rest of us promised not to leave you." Mercury walked in looking guilty, Sora moving in behind him. Merc walked up to the side of the bed and put hand on Yang's shoulder. He looked pained for a moment. "I'm sorry. I should have been there, I just... I made a stupid mistake. A bad decision... I should have been there, I'm... I'm sorry."

Yang looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah. You should have," she agreed, sending a shock of guilt through him. "I'm mad, but I get it. I bet OJ sent Emerald away to distract you."

"And it worked," he sighed in defeat. "Because I didn't think."

"We all screwed up," Sora cut in. He settled in at the end of the hospital bed. "Yang... how are you feeling?"

Her eyes half lidded, she shook her head. "Crap." She paused and took the glares. "No jokes. I'm tired, and without Jaune I'm not in the mood. What's the plan?"

Sora sighed and shook his head. "Yang, you're exhausted. You need -"

She glared up at him, her hair weakly flaming up with what little energy she could muster. "The. Plan."

Sora sighed and crossed his arms. "Yang, we don't know anything. What happened?"

"He has Jaune's family, Idiot!" Yang snapped. She threw up a finger, jabbing it in Sora's direction. "You didn't think! You didn't even try to keep them safe because you didn't think he'd go there!"

Sora's brow furrowed and pain filled his eyes, but he kept facing her. "So Jaune and I, we went to save them, just us, because otherwise he would kill them. And even taking me was a risk! And now he has Jaune, too!" Yang growled. Her red eyes focused, the exhaustion slowly getting shoved to the back. "He has Jaune, and you're telling me you don't have any kind of plan after three days!?"

Sora took a deep breath. "I'm worried about him too," he finally said, calm and collected. "But Ozpin, Ruby, and I can't come up with a plan until I know everything. Jaune's in danger, but he's strong. He'll survive until we can get to him. We will have a plan."

"The plan is to save him!" the exhausted Yang snapped. "We find OJ, kill him, and save Jaune!"

Ruby piped up. "Yang, we can't just go in without a plan. That's why you and Jaune got -" Yang turned her rage filled eyes on her sister.

"It's my fault?" Yang growled at her sister.

Ruby glared back at Yang, refusing to give any ground. "Yang, you should have come to us."

"Did you not hear me say that -"

"Enough!" Mercury interjected, drawing the attention of the arguing warriors. He looked shook his head and leaned against the bed. "I get where you're at, Yang. Better than anyone here, because I've also lost someone to OJ. We can assign blame after we save them."

Yang stared at him, then sighed and nodded. "Okay, Merc," she curtly agreed, hair and eyes returning to normal. She turned back to Sora and Ruby. She didn't apologize.

"I'm sorry," Sora supplied. He threw his hands up, feeling more than a little defeated. "I wish I had something to tell you."

Yang was about to respond, but decided against it. Feeling exhausted, she turned over. "Just... let me rest." Sora and Ruby traded a glance before saying their goodbyes and walking just outside of the room. Mercury stayed a moment longer before walking out as well. They spoke in whispers for a while, trying to let her rest after everything that had happened to her. After a few minutes, Yang nearly drifted off to sleep when Sora's Scroll began to ring. He sighed and pulled it out, then his eyes widened. "Jaune!?" he shouted after pressing on the speakerphone button. "Jaune, are you okay?"

"... Jaune's doing much better now that he's free of you all," Yang heard OJ's voice say from outside the door. Her eyes snapped open but she remained stock still, glaring at the wall. She fought the instinct to spring to her uneasy feet and rush the door, screaming at the Scroll. And when she heard the next words, she knew that was a good idea. "Bring me the Relics or the Arcs die. All of them." He paused for a moment. "I killed Yang already, so I won't hesitate."

Yang froze. Killed her? Did – did Jaune believe that? Did he think she was dead, killed by his mirror image? But... the Relics. "And just so you know I mean business, Sora... if you don't bring them, I will use the Keyblade to lock Jaune in the thousand layers of rage and despair already growing within him and make him kill them himself."

Yang's blood ran cold. "OJ, you can still make this right," Ruby finally said. "Give Jaune and his family back. Free Emerald."

"Why would I do that?" OJ laughed mockingly.

Mercury snarled. "Let them go or I'm going to cut you in half with your own stupid Keyblade!" he snapped. "And then I'll burn what's left!"

"Wow..." OJ said quietly before laughing once. "When I get hold of you I'll be able to lock you in your Darkness even easier than with Emerald. And it was already laughable with her."

Sora cut in as Mercury began to snap something else. "OJ... We will stop you."

OJ was silent for a while, stunned into silence. "Well well. Sora 'I'll Never Abandon My Friends' Nomura willing to let Jaune's family die for the good of the World? Never thought I'd see the day!" He sighed. "I'll give you a day to make your decision. Then I'll call back and you can hear them die."

"... We'll call you back," Sora said quietly, then hung up. There was a pause. "He's lying. He won't give us anyone."

Yang's attention turned from the conversation and she let herself drift into unconsciousness, ignoring the thoughts in her head. After all, she already knew what she had to do, before Ozpin and her uncle and everyone else made the 'smart' decision and let Jaune's family die, before Jaune became responsible for more horrors while under the control of a monster.

She was going to steal the Relics and take them to OJ. She had to protect Jaune from that. Even if OJ was lying, she had to try protecting Jaune. They could figure everything out when they were together again. And then they'd beat OJ's skull in. Yeah. Yeah, that's what she would do.

She just really hoped this had been real. If she woke up in the Darkness between worlds, she would probably cry.

R W B Y

Yang had been drifting in and out of sleep for eight hours, greeting her friends from offworld as they came in to see how she was doing, promising to do something, anything to help. Many of them were stuck in limbo, now, unable to leave because of the threat OJ posed, despite the threats growing on their own worlds. She was asleep now, and would be for another few hours. The night was dark, with only starlight sparkling in the moonless sky.

A Corridor of Darkness exploded into being within the room, swirling around in silence for a moment before a figure moved purposefully through it. They stared down at Yang and let the Corridor close itself, the natural boundaries of the worlds' order forcing the gateway to return to nothing. They moved over to the side of the bed and slowly reached out, gently grabbing and stroking a yellow curl of hair between finger and thumb. "... This is a bad idea," Morrigan muttered evenly as she stared down at her daughter, the hollow memory of an ache in her chest crushing something that was no longer there. Her red eyes softened as she twirled the hair around her finger, then froze when Yang stirred for a moment.

"Nhmh... Jaune..."

Morrigan slowly pulled her hand away upon hearing that, her mind returning to the blonde young man fighting tooth and nail against her partner without a weapon. She turned towards the empty Keyblade Armor and accompanying weapon in the corner of the room. A weapon he refused to summon for fear that doing so would kill the woman for whom he so deeply cared, still worried she was drifting between worlds. She had suspected OJ was wrong in assuming Yang's death. Something deep within her could simply tell. It was as much curse as gift, with that same deep weakness within her crying out at her to do this, to go to the Weakness and see her, look upon her, ensure she was okay, also gifting her a chance to cleanse that weakness from her being and start anew.

And yet the idea of killing her in her sleep had never crossed Morrigan's mind. She excused it, of course. It had to be that she was unwilling to face her without giving her a fighting chance. After all, she had said so before, and had even saved her life using those words as a reason to do so. Morrigan slowly sat down beside the bed, tracing a circle on the back of one hand with the other. She knew the truth, the real reason she refused. It was that phantom ache, the weakness in her blood that Raven had left within her. Something she could not escape. She could not kill Yang defenseless like this, for all she could see was memories. The few good memories Raven had with Yang. A smiling infant. A baby reaching out for hugs. Her first words. In battle her mind could fight the memories. But outside of it... Nobodies did not have Hearts, but she imagined that the ache was her body's memory of the Heart. A phantom limb that controlled her with weakness.

Morrigan turned her head away and stayed there in silence. She had forced herself to make promises before coming to this room to see Yang: she would not speak to her weakness, and she would leave after a certain period of time. If she stayed too long, she knew she might not leave. Raven's leftover wishes for a relationship with her daughter pulled at her too hard. Raven's hand tightened on her feathered capelet, the ghosts of emotions chasing one another through her body and mind.

The door creaked and Morrigan's eyes snapped to it. She surged to her feet, hand on the bed, and vanished in a Corridor of Darkness.

Qrow walked in a moment later, eyes drifting left and right. "Had a feeling someone was in here," he muttered quietly before turning from the room, missing the red feather that was blown off the bed by the moving air the door had created, drifting to the ground and under furniture until it would never be found again. "Must have been my imagination."

R W B Y

Jaune focused on the chains holding him to the ground, aiming his index finger at the same link at the small of his back as he had for the past hour and a half. Despite his exhaustion, he took a deep breath and focused the scraps of magic swirling in his body. "Fire." A focused flame exploded into being on his fingertip, bright and powerful, focused intensely on the single point as it had been every time he had summoned the spell so far. The flame burned bright against his chains, melting its way through the illusion made so real as to take on the weaknesses of what it represented. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to get through before OJ and Emerald came back and strengthened them, but he had to try.

The flame on his finger died out, the spell's magic used up. But not Jaune's. He focused his magic again and the flame sprang into being, until this time the chain snapped in two. The rest of the chains loosened around Jaune and he fell forward, no longer supported by the imaginary metal. He groaned when his face hit the dirt. He grimaced and put his hands on the ground, rattling the chains while he slowly pushed himself up to his feet. "Ow..." he groaned, gingerly rubbing his forehead. He stumbled to the side and caught himself. His entire body ached from being in the same position for hours, and his knees were suffering from holding his weight against his jeans and the ground for so long.

Jaune forced himself to ignore all that so he could stumble over to the invisible cage holding his family hostage. They were speaking to one another, given the right to move in their soundproofed cage. Jaune panted from the short few steps, but kept himself upright. "Now to get through that wall," he muttered to himself as he leaned against it, eyes moving over his family. He couldn't use magic to get through; he knew these walls were strong enough to block powerful spells, and even if they couldn't it would probably end up hurting his family if he broke through somehow. Jaune shut his eyes and leaned against the wall, thinking through any one of a dozen ideas he had to get through. All of them had the same problem, however: they wouldn't work. "Ugh... why can't I just get through these like OJ did!?"

His eyes snapped open. "Oh..." he breathed, realizing the truth. He pushed himself from the wall and left one hand on it. "Oh." He focused on the memory he had, of an insane OJ charging his own body with his Aura and forcing his way through. While it seemed their Semblances were different, he was willing to bet he could figure something similar out. So he forced the white glow to come over him, then he jammed his hand into the wall. He screamed in pain as his fingers broke through the wall, sending sparks of magic flying in every direction. He grit his teeth and powered through the pain, forcing down a scream until his arm finally broke through.

All eyes in the cage immediately turned to him. "Jaune!" Journe shouted, still nursing her injured arm, held close to her chest with a sash made of part of her father's shirt. She rushed forward and reached out to him. "Jaune, it's you!"

"Guys... grab on!" he snapped, not entirely hearing her. He reached out, still charging his body with his rapidly dwindling Aura. "Now!"

The family turned to look at Argent, who studied his son's face for a moment. Then: "Let's go. Journe first." Journe reached out and grabbed on, followed by her sisters and eventually their father. Jaune pulled backwards, spreading his Aura out further, pushing its energy across each of them, using the connections both physical and in their Hearts to strengthen that chain. He screamed and took a step back, and his family screamed as well. He kept pulling, and they kept following him.

And then, just as Jaune's Aura felt as if it was about to give out, they were free. He fell to his back, the glow shattering and leaving him completely drained His family hit the grounds in similar states, their Auras depleted from supporting his Semblance and getting them through. Still, Jaune slowly pushed himself to his feet. "Come on. Have to... get out of here," he told them, stumbling until he helped Argent to his feet. Jaune's father nodded and the two began to help the others up.

"Where... are we?" Jaune asked the others. He looked around, hoping to find out which direction they should go. And maybe some clue as to what kind of world they were on. That they were in a forest didn't do him much good.

"We should just get moving," Argent suggested. He placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "We can't risk getting caught here."

"Anywhere's better than here," Jaune agreed. He took a deep breath and turned in a random direction. "This way. We'll find a river and follow it somewhere we can get help."

"We're behind you," Journe agreed, echoed by their sisters. Jaune smiled through his exhaustion, then walked off with the others behind him.

The thing about traveling with large, exhausted groups is that they tend to be very loud and very unorganized, even on the best day. And draining their Auras completely while escaping from someone who was trying to destroy the universe did not make for a good day. They were loud, injured, loud, tired, and loud. Very loud. So, naturally, it was easy for OJ to find them the moment he returned.

He used a Corridor of Darkness and appeared in front of them, Keyblade twirling at his side and an annoyed glare plastered on his face. "You got them out," he noted coolly. He shook his head. "I don't know why I'm surprised."

Jaune held his arms out to protect his family as he jumped forward. "Oh, calm down, I'm not going to hurt them." He swung his Keyblade to the side, and another cage shot upward from the ground, surrounding Jaune's family. "I need to trade them, after all."

"Because Sora and the others will believe that isn't a trap," Jaune growled. He clenched his fists. "After they found the note I left -"

"Oh, it's not a trap, Jaune. They just don't have any use here anymore. This escape attempt makes that obvious," OJ said dismissively. He dismissed his Keyblade and threw a hand up, cloaking it with Darkness. A Corridor opened beside Jaune. "But I'm willing to risk angering Sora and the others if you don't listen. Go in and sit quietly, or else I'll kill them."

Jaune glanced at the Corridor, then back at his family. They were shouting for him; obviously they couldn't see or hear outside of this cage either. Jaune turned back to OJ. He opened his mouth to say something biting or mean, to say they would defeat him, or even to ask why he wouldn't just stop. Instead, he begged. "Please... don't hurt them. Please."

OJ shook his head. "Fine, Vomit Boy," he replied, voice dripping with disgust. "Then get moving."

R W B Y

Mercury hung up his Scroll, having just finished telling OJ he was on his way with the relics to save Jaune's family, and turned to Yang. The two stood outside of the Reliquary, just a few feet away from the Relics they were going to steal. "Are you sure we should go with these?" he asked her. Her eyes flashed red, and he threw his hands up in surrender. He got it. He wouldn't risk the guy sensing something was wrong and killing Emerald if the deal were for her, after all. And given that he hadn't been there to help keep Jaune safe when he should have been, he wasn't going to argue with Yang. He was just going to listen. "Well, then lead the way."

Yang nodded and turned her eyes towards the door. Sora and those he was meeting were out, trusting their defenses and the Genie's powers to keep them safe. And the Genie's presence was exactly the reason that Yang had even bothered with bringing Mercury; the two of them had a connection she hoped would encourage the cosmically powerful being to help them save Jaune. Well, that and she couldn't risk letting OJ know she was alive. She knew that even making an appearance would throw him off, and hopefully give Jaune some strength. He hadnt summoned the Keyblade since he had vanished, which was why she had it strapped across her back. She knew he could summon it, but... there was something to be said for the symbolism of physically giving it back to him in front of OJ. "Let's go," she said simply before carefully pushing the door open and entering.

The Genie waited inside, sitting back midair with arms crossed. He was staring at the door, a sad and apologetic look in his eyes. "Silver. Hothead," he remarked, nodding his head at them in turn. He uncurled his arms from behind his head and drifted upright, placing his arms on his knees while he kept 'sitting' in the air. "I heard about what happened to Jaune. I'm sorry."

Yang nodded. "Thanks," she said hollowly. She looked past him at the Hogyoku and the Core, two small spheres that held the fate of all existence. And, more importantly to Yang, held Jaune's. She realized in that moment she understood him better than she ever had, his darkest decisions and most regretted moments. But she would not fall as far and do as much as he had, because she would not be able to look him in the eye if she did that. So she would save him, and the world, and everything else. Didn't mean she didn't feel that same temptation to go to any length. "Genie, I need those relics."

"You aren't thinking clearly, Hothead. If you want to trap him, you can't take these," he told her. He motioned at them with one hand. "It's too big a risk."

Yang shook her head and looked over at Mercury. The man stared at her for a moment, then sighed. "Blue, please. We need them," he told the Genie. He took a step forward and crossed his arms. "It's my fault that this happened. I saw Emerald. I... I saw her and I didn't come back until she led me on a wild goose chase! And then Jaune was captured and I wasn't there to help him. Yang almost died..."

Genie looked to the side. "We need these to set our trap, Blue. We need to save Jaune's family. We need to save Jaune. We need to save Em," Mercury implored. He took another step forward and grabbed Genie's arm. "Please. Help us save our friends."

The Genie shut his eyes and let his feet drift to the ground. "... I'm coming with you."

Yang's and Mercury's eyes widened. "Uh, you really -" Yang began.

Genie cut her off. "They're my friends, too."

"And ours." Yang turned, raising her fists in preparation for a battle, only to freeze. Ichigo smirked at her, surrounded by all their friends. Rukia, Cloud, Tifa, and even Kirito. Ichigo nodded at Yang and Mercury and asked, "Did you really think we'd let you go alone?"

"How did you know I'd be going at all?" Yang retorted coolly.

Tifa scoffed. "Come on, we know you better than that. Jaune vanishes and you won't hunt down whoever's got him? I wouldn't bet even one Lien on that. After all, you've been hunting down your own mother until she comes back, across every world you've gotten to. You wouldn't stop there."

Yang couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Yeah, I guess it is obvious," she muttered. She sighed. "But... why?"

"Like he said, Jaune's our friend. He helped us even when he thought it meant he would die," Cloud replied. He crossed his arms and shrugged. "I'm not going to hide when I could do the same."

"Perky response," Kirito remarked as he shoved his way through tot he front. "And, uh, I'd rather not die. I have things to do, people to find. A life, unlike you losers." He grew quiet and threw his hands in the air. "And I'm still going! Why?"

Mercury rolled his eyes. "We love you, too."

Kirito was going to say something mocking, but was cut off when Yang rushed forward, crashing into the group and wrapping her arms around as many as she could. "... Thanks, Guys."

Kirito groaned. "Yeah, well... Yui wouldn't shut up until I came."

"I've been telling you to dump them for hours and go home to Mommy!" the tiny pixie screamed, flying out from his jacket.

Kirito shook his head. "She has been trying to get me to help for hours. She got me to round all these morons up, even."

Sora, meanwhile, watched from behind the corner of the hallway. He took a deep breath and creeped back around the edge, dismissing his Keyblade as he went. "So, you're all leaving to save Jaune? And you're taking the Relics, damn the consequences," he remarked, clenching his fists at his sides and shaking his head. "I can't believe you beat me to it."

He turned towards the hangar and bit his cheek. They would need the Gummi Transport Ship to move all these people, which meant he couldn't take that. And he couldn't take his and Ruby's Gummi, since that would leave Ruby and the others without one with which they could get to him when they needed him. After all, someone needed to stay here and keep an eye on things; Remnant had enough of its own problems he couldn't spare everyone for this fight. Sora raised his hand to his Keyblade Armor. "Well... good a time as any to break you in, huh?"

He turned back to the room and smiled at Yang and the others. "Things look bad, but they aren't. Things are always darkest just before the dawn, so let's go find the dawn."

R W B Y

Mercury was getting fidgety. He didn't like this, no one bit, but the others had agreed to it. And having all of them nearby made him feel more comfortable, even if Yang couldn't be close by due to her plan to make her reappearance a surprise. Yang didn't like watching from this far away, either. She didn't have any direct control over the Relics and their defense, and didn't like leaving her friends to be the front line while she watched for the right moment to join in. It was infuriating, actually, given her usual head on predilections when it came to fighting. She wondered if this was how Jaune felt all the time? If so, then he must always be exhausted.

Yang shook off her thoughts and returned to keeping watch. They were getting close to the time that OJ had agreed to for the trade, and she didn't want to miss her opportunity to make a difference just because she wasn't paying attention. And just in time; OJ appeared a good twenty feet from Mercury, Jaune's family in tow within a spherical cage very similar to the one she had traveled in to get here from Aincrad, back when they learned what he was. Yang couldn't quite see how many people were in the cage, but she could tell from Mercury's agitated behavior that something was wrong. Paired with OJ's mocking wave, so different from anything that she'd ever seen Jaune do, she had a pretty good guess at what it was. Jaune wasn't there.

Yang reached over her shoulder and grabbed hold of the Kingdom Key's handle, wondering if she could use it to bash OJ's skull in. Deciding that wouldn't work very well – it wasn't her Keyblade, and she wasn't sure if it would even let her use it – she let go of the weapon. Kirito cut in, snapping something about 'Face Off' – only his girly voice could carry so far. In response, OJ raised a hand coated in magic at the sphere, and even Kirito backed off. Yang fought the urge to charge right then. His guard was up, and she wouldn't risk Jaune's family even if it wasn't. She couldn't attack until the trade happened.

OJ made a few more statements, and held his hands out gesturing at the space between them. Mercury glared at OJ for a moment, but pulled a pair of spherical containers out anyways. He unceremoniously tossed them to the ground, where an Aero spell sent them flying further into OJ's hands. He opened the containers and studied what was inside for a moment, even giving them a sniff. Satisfied, the cage around the Arcs vanished.

At which point, a figure clad in gunmetal and red Keyblade Armor flew down on a hoverboard shaped like an 'E,' slamming into OJ's chest and sending him flying backwards. The hoverboard flashed and vanished, and the figure ran forward, slashing before OJ had even managed to recover. OJ took the hit and was slammed into the ground. The figure's armor disappeared in a flash, accompanied by the appearance of a Light wall fencing them in. Sora twirled the Master Keeper in his right hand before holding his left hand out as well, summoning the No Name Keyblade before charging OJ again.

The evil Keyblade Wielder snarled and pocketed the Relics before summoning his own weapon, already having changed its form into a long spear. He stabbed out in a quick jab at Sora's head, forcing him to stop his charge to spin to the side, but OJ was already spinning himself to swing the spear's head around at Sora's head. Two Keyblades came up to meet the swing, deflecting the blow upward so Sora could charge underneath, slashing his Keyblades like the blades of scissors at OJ's chest. OJ changed his grip on the spear and the handle dropped down at the fulcrum point of the Keyblades, stopping their movement completely. OJ jumped and swung around the handle of his spear, swinging his feet into Sora's face. Sora stumbled backwards a step and instinctively brought his weapons up defensively, but OJ used his Semblance on his next stab, causing his weapon to pass through No Name with no resistance. Sora's eyes widened and he threw his head to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack that shredded an entire spike of his hair from his head.

Sora spun away, trailing dust before coming to a stop a short distance away. He analyzed OJ for a half second, then threw one Keyblade at OJ, rushing after the weapon while it was still midair. OJ deflected the Keyblade upward, at which point Sora came in close and slashed at OJ's side. The base of the spear caught the stab, but Sora brought his free hand around and slammed it into OJ's gut. OJ grunted in surprise. Sora pressed his advantage and his fist exploded, a Firaga spell burning through OJ's Aura.

Out of the smoke, OJ charged Sora again, unleashing a flurry of stabs that Sora barely managed to dodge. On the last stab, OJ rapidly changed the attack angle and slammed the tip of the weapon into the ground, then used that to pole vault into the air above Sora. He raised the weapon over his shoulder, bolts of black electricity arcing off the entire body of the weapon before he threw it straight down at Sora. Sora's eyes widened in surprise and he could only bring his own weapons above him, blocking the attack as best he could. The resulting explosion of magical energy left a bright flash around him while OJ flipped through the air and summoned the spear back to his hand in a burst of Darkness.

Sora was slowly revealed in the dust, the Dark Thundaga spell still sparking off of his body. Yang's eyes widened. He was barely hurt by that attack! Sora dismissed the No Name and moved the Master Keeper over his shoulders. A Firaga was accompanied by a pair of red flashes, one turning the weapon into a scythe and the other of his Wayfinder glowing a bright, ruby red. Yang couldn't even appreciate the pun, she was so worried about Jaune. The scythe swung around before OJ could react, its edge catching him in the side. The blow sent him flying, bouncing off the boundary wall fencing them in. OJ recovered midair and his spear flashed, turning it into a pair of short swords.

The two met in the center of the arena once more, seeming evenly matched, if only because of OJ's Semblance. Sora was the more powerful and skilled of the two, and if it weren't for the fact that he was forced to dodge and lose all momentum every so often, Yang was sure this fight would have ended quickly. As it was, she wasn't sure how long this would go on. He could eventually escape, but he would need space and time for that. Things he didn't have with Sora constantly attacking him. OJ back flipped over another scythe slash and tossed a Blizzard spell at Sora, hoping to freeze him in place to gain that space and time, but a wheel of fire flew from the spinning scythe and the spells evaporated in an explosion of steam.

Sora was on OJ the moment he landed, the blade's edge looped around his throat. OJ froze in place, unable to move unless he was willing to risk losing his head. Sora was saying something Yang couldn't hear. OJ responded. The wall vanished around them.

At which point, chains erupted from the ground, looping around Jaune's family and tightening. Even at the distance she was hiding, Yang could hear them screaming in pain. Sora glanced between the family and OJ... and his weapon vanished. OJ laughed and nodded at Sora, before vanishing through a Corridor of Darkness. The Chains disappeared a moment later, leaving the injured Arcs on the ground. Sora stared at where the Corridor had been... then turned and walked towards Yang. She sighed and went out to meet him.

"It was a good idea hiding like that," Sora said when they got close to each other. He shook his head. "If Jaune had been here, it might have even worked."

Yang shut her eyes and looked at the ground. "I don't regret it." She waited for him to get angry and give her some sort of punishment.

"Me neither. I was on my way to steal the Relics and do the same thing," Sora admitted. Yang's gaze shot up and saw his sheepish grin. "You beat me by a few seconds."

Yang smiled softly, but it quickly vanished. "So what now?"

"Luckily, Genie managed to get a spell off before OJ vanished. Once he arrives wherever he's going, we'll know and be able to follow him," Sora explained. He put his hand on Yang's shoulder. "And we'll save Jaune."

Yang looked up at the starry sky. "Yeah... Did he say anything? OJ?"

Sora nodded. "He said we'd see him soon," he recalled, hand on his chin. "But why would he see us soon if has everything he needs?"

Genie was flying over, shouting worriedly just a half second after Yang put it all together. "We need to go home! He's heading to Remnant!"

AN:

Happy New Year, everyone! Hope you all had a Merry Christmas or Happy Hannukah. I hope your 2020 turns out amazing!

Anyways, I hope you guys liked this chapter. It's the last one before the final fight, which will take place over a few chapters. That's right, we're in the final stretch now! Jaune, Yang, Morrigan, Mercury, Emerald – it's all coming to a head. I hope that the ending of this story can live up to your expectations.

Responses!

To Gamelover41592: Well, in a story with Yang and Tifa both I couldn't not have a reference to the Death Battle. And the wall rebound scene from Advent Children is a pretty iconic Tifa moment, so I couldn't ignore that either. And from here on, things are only going to get more crazy!

To Chretner: Yep, we're entering the final Arc of this story, Kind of can't believe it's finally happening after so long, but here we are. I've definitely had fun writing it, and I'm glad you've had fun reading it. As for a Fire Emblem story... I don't think I'd be a good fit. I don't have enough experience with the series, having only played Heroes and Warriors. All I know is it's got a lot of deep lore and great characters. That said, this is not the last you've read from me. Someone a long time ago asked about a third story in their review, and... well, to keep from spoiling anything, there is room in these stories for a continuation that I have an idea for. I'll talk more about it in later chapters, especially when I've settled on a name...

Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter, and I'll see you soon!