Smaller, More Honest Souls: Arc of Redemption

by MasterCaedus

Jaune Arc would have done anything to get back the woman he loved. And he did do anything; he did everything and it still wasn't enough. He lost his way, and could only find it for the sake of his friends and family. Now he has a chance to fix everything: Sora & Oz send Jaune with Yang to find her mother's Nobody and protect the worlds. But even a past you confront can haunt you.

37. Broken Reflection

Chapter 37: Broken Reflection

Jaune grunted in pain as he was tossed haphazardly through a Corridor of Darkness, his chest pounding against the metal of the ground where had landed and his face burning as he skidded across the ground. "Ugh..." he groaned before pushing himself up to his knees, the chains around him barely letting him do that much, and froze.

They were at Beacon Academy, the large, floating arena visible just before the horizon on its way to the city. "What's going on?" he asked as the rest of his group walked out of the Corridor and it fell in on itself.

"Well, this is where I appeared, so I'm willing to bet that the walls between Universes are a bit thinner here than anywhere else," OJ explained, coming up beside his kneeling counterpart. His voice took on an excited, hopeful note. "And Pyrrha will be here, if she is anywhere."

Jaune didn't respond to that. OJ was probably right that if Pyrrha in another universe would be anywhere, it would be here. Well, her Beacon Academy. After all, it still felt like home despite everything that had happened there. If there was a world where Pyrrha had survived because he had sacrificed himself, he was sure she would feel the same. And he was also sure she would never love a version of him that had done what OJ had done, just like he would never love a Pyrrha who had done those things either. And, he was sure, neither could OJ.

OJ's eyes widened as the chains holding him suddenly vanished and a blur of red shot past him, a silvery streak coming out of the blur and crashing into a reflect hexagon created by OJ's Keyblade. Ruby appeared when the momentum of the air following her crashed into everyone, sending all but those at the center tumbling to the edge. Jaune yelped and dug his fingers into the roof, struggling to stop himself before he fell off completely.

Ruby jumped away from OJ and her scythe-form Keyblade shot a blast of ice in his direction, creating a wall before he could hit the edge, saving him but also giving OJ an opening to attack. He shot towards her while still midair, swinging at her head. "First I fight Sora, and now I go head to head with you." Ruby launched a Firaga to alter her momentum and spin out of his attack's path, hitting the roof and immediately spinning her scythe above her. An Aeroga exploded into being and the wind blew Morrigan and Emerald away before they could start fighting again, while Jaune was pushed harder into the ice wall. OJ just grinned and carved through the bubble as he fell, hitting the ground in front of her. "Just another reunion before the next." Then he charged her, stabbing at Ruby's chest.

She spun her scythe in front of her, using the base to knock his attack away from her and using that point of contact to force her scythe faster and harder towards his head. OJ snarled and the Keyblade in his hands vanished. The sudden loss of the point caused the blade to miss him, but the long handle of Ruby's scythe still hit his chest causing him to stumble backwards while he resummoned his Keyblade to his hands in preparation for the next clash.

Ruby instead settled her weapon over her shoulders and glared at OJ. "You hurt my sister," she growled. The winds still whipping around them were loud, but OJ could just barely hear her. "My friends. This is no reunion." Then she shot forward with her semblance, a blast of a Thundaga shooting out on front of her. OJ snarled when the bolt hit him and he seized up, leaving him wide open to another attack from Ruby, the blade looping around his legs and yanking back to trip him, then spinning above him, slamming its point into his gut and smashing him into the roof. Ruby bounced off of him, pole vaulting up into the air using her scythe and spinning it above her to attack again.

OJ groaned but forced himself to move, narrowly avoiding the blade that carved through the roof where he had been a moment before. This wasn't going as well as he had hoped. Ruby, much like Sora, was better at this than he was, and he was unwilling to use his semblance in this battle in an effort to save his Aura reserves for later. But she was doing enough damage that it almost didn't matter.

And then he decided to kill two birds with one stone. He raised his Keyblade above his head and slammed the Black Materia into it, then twirled the items before slamming the teeth into the roof. The metal between him and Ruby turned into a swirling, inky vortex of Darkness, and the Princess of Heart stopped in her tracks before she could fall in. "What are you doing?" she asked as she readied herself for anything. The Aeroga spell began to slowly die around them, letting OJ hear her quiet question.

"Come on, Rubes. You can't expect me to waste all my time on you when I still have to wait for Sora to get here," he replied mockingly. She grinded her teeth together and fought the urge to attack then and there. "And besides... you probably can't waste any more time here either."

A horde of Heartless erupted out of the portal in that moment, streaming as a single mass into the sky. Ruby's glowing eyes widened and she flipped backwards to avoid the sudden growth of the portal. Heartless began to fall off of the mass and fly towards her, their prey. She snarled and leaped towards the Heartless, landing on a Ronin and using it to spring to an Oni, which she cleaved in two with a single slash of her scythe. She spun her Keyblade, bathing it in the same Light magic her eyes were giving off, and lashed out, carving a chunk out of the stream of Heartless. But it was no use. There were so many that they wouldn't stop flying out, hunting for Hearts. Ruby hit the ground and turned towards OJ. "Stop this, or I'll make you stop it!" she growled, the glow from her eyes blinding with the energy from her righteous anger.

"And in the process thousands of people, your students included, will die. So you have to make a decision, Ruby." OJ held his hands up on either side of him. He lifted his left. "Fight me and sacrifice, potentially, all of Vale." He lowered that hand and raised his other. "Save them but potentially give me the time to make it to the next World." He dropped both hands and grinned, already sure of what the girl would choose. After all, Ruby had decided to be a Huntsman for one simple reason: to save people. All people, not just some. She wasn't like her uncle or Ozpin; she would never sacrifice one life to save another. "Well?"

Ruby turned her gaze to Jaune, who met it and nodded. She shut her eyes... and rocketed away, shooting off the edge of the building while killing Heartless that got in her way.

OJ stood straight, watching her go for a moment, then the Corridor slammed shut and he let out a heavy, relieved sigh. "Whoa. That was some fight to have right after Sora," he panted, hands on his knees. He shook his head and peeked over the edge to see a tiny red blur far below carving its way inside the building to evacuate the students. "Ruby was always a crazy fighter, but now she is something else. I hope I have enough Heartless here to keep her busy." He turned and looked over his shoulder at Emerald. "Of course, that's a problem that can be fixed..." He walked over to her and pulled out the Night Howler Core, then summoned his Keyblade. He placed the Core above the Keyblade and it floated there, inactive for a moment, before Darkness began to explode from within it, swirling around for nearly five minutes until it became the size of his fist. Jaune, still unwilling to summon his Keyblade, could do nothing but watch when OJ stabbed the floating sphere directly into Em's chest. The Core became inactive and he caught it out of the air, pocketing it again.

Darkness exploded out from Emerald's shoulders and she screamed in pain, falling to her knees and clutching at her head. Jaune shivered, remembering what the thing had done to Judy, who was... well, a bunny rabbit with no weapons. But to a former thief and terrorist? The Darkness around her shuddered and expanded, her screams deepening and the gold of her eyes growing brighter. Her hair began to lose its sheen, growing darker until it was barely recognizable as a green. The screams grew louder, echoing out over the school, until, finally, it broke. The Darkness around her solidified, and a mass of Grimm began to walk out of her shadow, an army of death and destruction made real that moved out to attack the city. "They gave them to you..?" Jaune breathed, scrambling further into the ice wall. He glared at OJ, a combination of horror, rage, and fear in his eyes. After all... he was next. "How could you do that to her!?"

"Quiet," Morrigan commanded softly. Jaune flinched and turned to her. She met his gaze from behind her mask, hiding her own eyes. "If you can't or won't do anything that matters, don't protest."

Jaune wanted to say something, but he shut his mouth. There was a level of truth to what the Nobody had said. Without the will to do something, words were just that. Words. But Jaune couldn't do anything, not without knowing.

"You would do all of this for her," Morrigan noted. She cocked her head to the side and ignored OJ's growl. "Without knowing if she is even protected by your sacrifice, you would choose her over an entire world. You are still very much the same Jaune Arc you were back then, aren't you?"

Jaune felt his hearth twitch in his body, throbbing with pain at what the Nobody had said. "I..." He shut his eyes and tightened his fists.

"Hm..." The Nobody turned to OJ. "I'll head out and take care of any Huntsmen I find." She turned and summoned a Corridor of Darkness, but stopped at the very lip of the gateway.

"What?" OJ asked her impatiently.

She turned her head to glare at him over her shoulder. "... Do not attack my weakness again. She is mine."

OJ raised an eyebrow, but shrugged in agreement. "Whatever," he agreed. "You have at least one more out there. Probably more, so you don't need to be worried."

Morrigan didn't respond to that. Instead, she just moved silently through the Corridor and vanished. OJ stared at the spot she had vanished from and shook his head. "She is going to be a problem one day," he said with a sigh. "But I guess that's our problem for the future."

He turned to Emerald, still spawning an army of monsters from her inner Darkness. "She has the right idea, though. Go, take your little army, and take care of the Huntsmen and whatever else is down there. Oh! And if you find Mercury, bring him to me, okay?" Emerald nodded slowly, and warped away, the monsters vanishing and following her through their link to her mind.

Jaune slowly stood up and looked over at the arena. It was getting closer, now. "Your friends will be here soon." Jaune whirled on OJ, who had begun staring in the same direction. His yellow eyes reflecting the sun without truly reflecting the Light within. He frowned, looking a little jealous. OJ continued, saying, "Friends who would risk everything for them. Even if yours are fake, they do remind me of what I'm fighting for. The only true friend that I ever had... the only true friend we ever had."

Jaune turned his gaze back to the arena flying towards Vale, and where Ichigo, Rukia, Kirito, Cloud, and Tifa were coming to help him. "They aren't fake friends."

"Only a Vomit Boy would believe that," OJ retorted before pulling out the Core once more. He placed it above his Keyblade, summoning the Darkness once more. A blast of a powerful but precise Blizzard spell froze Jaune to the very wall he had been saved by before."But not for long. When I use this, you'll see who we are."

"You have no idea who he is!" And then a fist slammed into OJ's cheek and he hit the roof hard, replaced by the form of Yang surrounded by bright, green light. Her fist was smoking from flame magic and the sheer force of the blow she had just landed. Her eyes were a glowing red, distinct against the bright flames of her hair. Jaune's Keyblade was strapped across her back, glowing and proud. It had protected her and delivered her back to him.

"Yang?" Jaune laughed excitedly and began to tear up. "Yang!"

And then the light around her grew, the forms of Ichigo and Rukia, Cloud and Tifa, and even Kirito appearing beside her. "All of you are here... for me?"

Yang tuned to him and winked. "Even Sora is... But he's trusting us to help here." She gestured up, where the massive Gummi Transport floated for a moment before flying away.

"HOW!?" Yang's head turned back to OJ, who was nursing his cheek. He pocketed the Core and glared at her, rage forming as Darkness above his shoulders. He pointed at Yang with his Keyblade. "How are you alive!? I killed you!"

"Oh, come on, you didn't double check? Talk about rookie move," Kirito remarked mockingly. "Wow, you make Dumb and Dumber here look like basically geniuses. Oh! Dumbest. That's your name."

OJ glared at the swordsman and cocked his head to the side. Then he was suddenly in front of Kirito. The swordsman's eyes widened and his sword, held at the ready, twisted to the side to take the blow. He was still sent flying, soaring over the edge of the building before his wings kicked in and he stabilized himself. And then the fight exploded.

Cloud and Ichigo charged him together, readying their massive swords. One moved horizontally and the other vertically, trying to ensure he had nowhere to go. But OJ was fast, and he was strong. He stabbed forward before their attacks could begin, causing the blades to hit one another. Ichigo and Cloud stumbled at the sudden drag their weapons created in the roof, and immediately were greeted by a Dark Firaga that sent them tumbling to the edge. Kirito grit his teeth and flew off to keep them from dying, leaving the girls and Mercury to deal with OJ alone.

Yang rushed forward with Tifa and Merc. "You know what to do, Ice Princess!" Yang shouted. She tensed a leg and shot towards him, her fist slamming into his guard and shattering the Reflect hexagon. She and OJ pushed against one another for a moment just as Merc and Tifa arrived. Mercury slid across the ground, slamming his foot into OJ's shin while Tifa flipped into the air and aiming her foot at OJ's face. He brought his hand around to catch her blow, grabbing hold of her foot and moving her momentum to fly past him. He couldn't do anything to Mercury, however, without risking Yang's fist crashing into his face once more. He lost his balance and after the barest moment where he lacked balance used the flipping momentum to push himself up and over Yang, handspringing up and into the air.

Where a black blur slammed into his side. "Nice try, Dumbest!" Kirito laughed, his arms wrapped around OJ's waist. He grinned up at the surprised Keyblade Wielder. "But I doubt even Jaune could do well against all of us."

"We're all pretty strong ourselves. First Dance!" Rukia snapped from below. "Kirito, now!"

Kirito let go of OJ and flapped his ethereal wings, rocketing backwards to avoid the trap. OJ glared down at Rukia just as a pillar of ice exploded upward. He curled into a ball and snapped, "Refleza!" A massive, spiked ball of energy exploded into being around him, and the ice rebounded towards the one who had created it. Rukia's eyes widened, surprised he had been able to reflect an attack that was supposed to simply travel in one direction for as far as she wanted.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" A white beam of energy flew past her, crashing into her attack and destroying it. Ichigo rushed past her, sprinting beneath OJ who had just recovered and summoned his weapon back to his hand. Tifa came in from above at the same time and slammed her fist into OJ's quick block, sending him flying down towards Ichigo. "Getsuga –!"

"Stop!" OJ snapped, freezing the Soul Reaper in place for a moment, just long enough for OJ to land the ground in a roll and slam his Keyblade into his opponent's gut. The spell ended then and he flew backwards, but OJ had returned his attention to the others already. His Keyblade deflected one of Cloud's blows, and then he flipped over the warrior to avoid Yang's haymaker from behind. He landed and twisted around Kirito's stab, letting him get close to Rukia so he could yank her out of her pose to send a wall of ice to freeze him solid. He then brought her over his head and threw her at Yang, who stopped her assault quickly to avoid hurting her. The both of them hit the ground, but there were others to replace them.

"He wasn't lying about understanding how I felt," Cloud said as he crossed blades with OJ, the two pushing against one another. OJ sneered and shoved off, turning and swinging at Cloud's chest. He barely managed to bring his sword around to block it, but his posture shattered and he stumbled to the side, wide open.

Tifa slammed her fist into the next of OJ's attacks, but her fist simply passed through the blade. Her body kept moving, and the attack crashed into her shoulder, sending her flying away. "TIFA!" he screamed. His eyes narrowed in rage and he charged at OJ, slashing at OJ's head with an easily deflected attack, but it was a feint so he could slam his knee into OJ's gut. The air flew from his lungs and he gasped for air, stunned just enough that his next heavy attack managed a solid blow. Cloud's sword came apart and he slashed quickly at OJ, then spun and delivered a back kick to OJ's chest. The evil Keyblade Wielder backwards before coming up to his feet again and snarling.

Yang pushed herself up and helped Rukia to her own feet. Her eyes turned to Jaune, directly across from her on the roof. "You've got this?" she asked Rukia without turning from him.

The Soul Reaper's brow furrowed. "He isn't taking this seriously."

"Well, can you handle him taking it seriously for ten seconds?" Yang asked simply.

Rukia took a deep breath. "I hope so. Go."

Yang didn't need to be told twice. She rushed towards Jaune, hand reaching over her back to the Keyblade. Jaune's eyes widened as she got closer. And so did OJ's. "NO!" And then he was next to her, Keyblade poised to stab into her side. Time slowed for Jaune, and his old nightmare filled his vision. Himself, killing Yang. Or at least OJ doing it.

Thankfully, Kirito grabbed his shoulders before he could, pulling him into the air. "Not on my watch, Dumbest!" Kirito snapped. OJ just growled and swung his legs up, wrapping his ankles around Kirito's neck and pulling down. Kirito yelped in surprise and pain and let go of OJ, who brought his Keyblade around and hit him with a Gravity infused slash that sent him down to create a huge dent in the metal of the roof.

OJ turned his attention to Yang and angled his fall to head towards her, but Ichigo was at the ready. "Get running!" he snapped, bringing his weapon in front of him. "BANKAI! Getsuga Tenshou!" Black and red energy exploded around him, and a similarly shaded blade of energy flew at OJ. The Keyblade Wielder regarded the attack coolly and coated his Keyblade with Darkness, striking through the attack. The explosion sent him off course, but his own attack had hit Ichigo, taking him out of the fight for a moment.

Rukia and Tifa rushed forward as he landed, slashing and punching at him to keep him slowed. OJ growled and ducked beneath Tifa's punch while slashing at Rukia's own weapon. Her training kicked in and her white Zanpakuto moved into a guard stance. Useless against OJ's Semblance, his Keyblade passing through her weapon and charging up an Aero spell. The magic exploded against her midsection, shredding the gut of her uniform and sending her soaring back into the recovering Ichigo. OJ turned his attention to Tifa and stood up, slamming the top of his head into her chin. She yelled out in pain, vision tunneling. He turned from her and his eyes locked onto Yang.

He was thrown off course when a series of blows fast enough to leave a glowing afterimage in the air carved into his right side, but he wasn't playing now. He slid to a stop quickly and charged Cloud who was still recovering from his Omnislash attack. Without a word, OJ's Keyblade slammed into Cloud's guard, then he turned and slashed again, this time breaking the sword into its component swords. Cloud's eyes widened as the weapons flew into the air and began to rain down around him, and his gaze met OJ's. The burning yellow-gold was filled with hatred, but none of it was directed at Cloud. He was unimportant. Which is why OJ's fist and not a slower, more permanent Keyblade attack slammed into his gut, but the force still managed to send him flying.

Yang had never stopped running, and was nearly to Jaune. Her hand came up and grabbed the Keyblade, and she pulled the weapon from its makeshift scabbard. "Jaune! Come on!"

"NO!" OJ snapped, appearing just behind her. The tip of his Keyblade glinted, mirroring the evil intent within his Heart. Yang's hand and the Keyblade were outstretched, just in front of Jaune's frozen chest. She was almost there. She could rescue him. But Jaune knew she wouldn't make it. OJ was too fast, too close. Even Mercury, who was rushing up behind OJ to try and pull him off course, wouldn't get there in time to save her. No one would.

"NO!" Jaune screamed. Darkness exploded around the roof, and Yang's red eyes turned lilac.

"Jaune, stay strong! Stay str-" She threw the Keyblade forward and the weapon spun through the air, landing tip first and hilt deep in the ice beside Jaune's right hand.

And then, everyone on the roof except Jaune, OJ, and their Keyblades... was gone. Jaune looked around, scared. "Yang? Yang!"

OJ glared at the spot where she had been and slowly backed off. "... I'll kill her."

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Jaune snapped. His voice had broken from rage, and he was struggling against his bonds. "DON'T TOUCH HER!"

OJ turned towards his counterpart, but the cold of his eyes could do nothing to quell Jaune's anger. OJ closed his eyes, ignoring the raging shouts of Jaune, and calmed himself. After all, he had something else to deal with. He grabbed the Core once more and placed it above his Keyblade. As it charged up with Darkness, he walked over to Jaune, placing a hand on the Keyblade hanging beside him. "You played me with my own hopes, Jaune. Not bad," he admitted. He yanked Jaune's Keyblade from the ice and stared at it with a growing frown. "I hoped Yang was dead, so I overlooked so much. You refused to fight me... it was because you were protecting her. You sacrificed yourself to protect Yang." He turned his gaze to Jaune. "I don't know whether to be proud you still do that, or enraged you would do it for anyone but Pyrrha."

"You wouldn't do it for Ren and Nora?" Jaune snapped in response.

OJ froze for a moment at that, the Kingdom Key dipping in his off hand. Then he steeled himself and slammed the weapon, blade first, into the roof below them. "Nothing matters but Pyrrha. You know that."

"No. I don't," Jaune replied, disgusted by OJ's words. "And neither do you."

OJ turned his attention to the rest of Vale. "Shut up." Then he jammed the growing sphere of Darkness right into Jaune's chest. OJ turned away and began to place more Relics at the end of the Keyblade, gathering their energy to try and rip a hole in reality. He had just finished placing the last Relic when he froze. Where were the screams? The anguish and pain that Emerald had shown when it had been used on her? He whirled around.

Jaune was indeed surrounded by Darkness, the energy shattering the ice holding him in place... but it was receding even as it did that. Jaune groaned and hit the ground on his hands and knees, breathing heavily before the Darkness vanished completely. He glanced up at OJ and reached out to his own Keyblade, using it to help push him to his feet. "What? Why didn't it work?" OJ growled. He pulled the relics away from his Keyblade and pocketed them once more, knowing what was coming next.

Jaune took a heavy breath and pulled the Keyblade from the roof. Then he just stood there, glaring at OJ. "I'm not sure... but I have an idea."

OJ slowly moved into a combat stance.

Jaune pulled his Keyblade up and pulled the Keychain off, replacing it with one shaped like a small carrot. Animal Accord replaced the Kingdom Key in a flash of blue and red. Jaune wasn't sure if he could win, but he knew he needed whatever edge he could get. He'd rely on speed for now. And if that didn't work, strength with Fenrir. Then Black Sun would be his last resort, its power to combine Light and Darkness his only chance. But for now, he would do what he could. Hopefully Sora or Yang could show up and help him. "I already gave in to my Darkness before. I've been weak enough that it took me over," Jaune explained before lowing his own Keyblade into a ready position. "But I've been able to beat it back for my friends before. With them here, fighting for me, I don't have any excuse to not do it again."

"Then I'll just have to kill them all and drag you with me, Vomit Boy!" OJ snarled, and the two Jaunes charged each other, knowing this would be the last time they fought. One way, or another.

R W B Y

Yang hit the ground with a thud, and she groaned. "Ow..." she muttered, face in the ground. "Stupid OJ, sending us away through a Corridor..."

"Yang?!" A surprised shout came. Yang looked up and opened one eye. Ruby was staring at her in surprise. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be – Sora!"

Sora chuckled nervously beside Ruby. "What? I – I mean... she's okay, so of course she -"

"She went to the Keyblade Graveyard, didn't she!?" Ruby growled at Sora, advancing on him. He carefully backed away from her, keeping time with her steps. "And you didn't tell me?"

"I mean, she didn't tell me either!" he pointed out, but Ruby didn't buy that.

"Sora!"

Sora sighed and grabbed Ruby's hand. "She needed to save Jaune, and she wasn't going to let anyone stop her." He looked over at Yang and the others who had traveled with her. "I don't think I could have stopped her even if I fought her. And I was in a hurry!"

Ruby glanced at her sister and sighed in defeat. "Yeah, you're probably right," she admitted. Ruby rubbed her forehead. "But you tell me next time, okay? Doesn't matter how much of a hurry you're in, you tell me."

"Yes, Professor," he agreed with a salute, earning a giggle from Ruby.

"Yang, are you okay?" Mercury shot up first while the others began to get help one another up. "He didn't get to you, did he? He was right there!"

"No. He didn't," Yang told him. She put a hand on his shoulder and smiled thankfully. "Thank you, Merc. We only got the Keyblade to him because of you."

"Well, there's more to do." He looked around. "But first, where are we?"

Ruby spoke up as the others got close. "I cleared this area out about twenty minutes ago and have been heading up the evacuation from here," she explained. She moved towards the lone tent and the table within, where Huntsmen were rushing around. "So far, we've only had to worry about the students, and a full evacuation of the city is... impossible. There are too many Grimm in the wilds for everyone to survive. We're consolidating our defense here so no Heartless or Grimm can get to Vale."

"And I'm assuming it's only going to get worse here," Rukia muttered. She shook her head. "This isn't good. There are too many variables. Why not try to get everyone off world?"

"It's not a good idea for everyone to know the truth about the worlds," Ren explained, walking up with Nora. He gave a curt nod of greeting to Yang and Mercury... while Nora bowled into them. "Some people can't handle it. And others will stop at nothing to claim power. It's not a secret, not like it used to be, but we can't go around advertising it."

"I don't know if I agree, but... We'll help you hold the line," Tifa offered solemnly.

Cloud nodded, face set and steely. "I've already seen one too many cities destroyed by these things. I won't let it happen again."

"Thank you, but our best bet is to help Jaune beat OJ," Ruby told them. She shook her head. "And besides, your friends have already offered to help with the defense here, or they're helping rescue the Beacon students. You're Jaune's friends. You have the best chance of helping him."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Sora agreed. He frowned up at the school. "I'm going to stay here with Ruby. Something tells me that I might make things worse by being there; Jaune needs to be the one to end this, after all. So we're leaving it up to all of you." He looked down... and saw that Yang and the others had already run off. "Wha – Yang! Ren! Guys, where are you going so fast? You need a plan!"

"Get to Jaune and get back!" Yang shouted, throwing her fist into the air. "I'll improvise the rest!"

"Yeah!" the others shouted, with even Kirito getting caught up in the moment.

Sora and Ruby chuckled as they watched them go. "Well, then come back and tell us the story of your adventure, Yang," Ruby said. She and Sora turned back into the tent, making sure to keep everyone safe until Jaune, Yang, and all the others ended the threat once and for all.

R W B Y

The Heartless and Grimm began to get increasingly dense after a good ten minute trek from the base camp, necessitating the warriors waste their time and energy fighting to get through. "So, you and Jaune," Nora said after one such battle, rushing ahead to walk beside Yang. "We didn't get a lot of time to talk about that, did we?"

Yang looked over, fighting the urge to groan. "You do know I already got the protective sister thing from seven other people, right?" she supplied dryly. "You don't need to do it, too."

"Protective –? Ha!" Nora laughed, shaking her head. "You won't do anything to him! I'm just wondering, how's it going?"

"... He said he loves me," Yang admitted under her breath.

Nora's eyes widened and she jumped up and down, clapping, before rushing in front of Yang and walking backwards. "He did!?" she squealed excitedly. "Oh, that's great!"

"Right before he put the Keyblade Armor on me and got kidnapped."

Nora's smile vanished. "That's... less great," she admitted. Then smile returned. "But still great! What did you say?"

"I don't think he heard me say anything. You know, with the Jaune-napping going on in space," Yang pointed out dryly.

"But what did you say?" Nora repeated, leaning close to Yang's face.

"Why do you care?" Yang asked, shoving the berserker away. "... It's private."

"Oh..!" Nora squealed again. "You said it too!"

Yang looked up at the statue as they passed it, casting a glance at Pyrrha's stone face staring triumphantly into the distance. She couldn't help but feel a pang of fear. The last time someone had tried to save Jaune during an attack on Beacon, they'd died. And she was walking into that, too. There was a really good chance of dying...

She turned from the statue and continued walking. Jaune was worth it. It was something Pyrrha had known, heading up to face a magical Cinder Fall who had defeated Ozpin in a fight, when she had already been weak from battle with Penny. Something Pyrrha had known when her Aura ran out and she kept fighting. And something Pyrrha had known when she'd shoved Jaune in a locker and sent him flying away. And now, Yang knew it too. But she wouldn't make Jaune leave. They were stronger together, and they'd conquer this fight just like all the rest. The group made their way into the empty atrium of the school, ready for anything.

So when three swarming, floating armies of Shadow Heartless erupted from the ground, Yang wasn't scared. She'd make it through this, no matter what. She threw her fists into a ready position. "Demon Tides. Xehanort said these things are some of the strongest Heartless out there," Mercury explained cautiously. "They can only come together when the Darkness is about to win."

"Well, that doesn't sound good," Ichigo muttered. He looked around, then over at the elevator, then finally at Yang and Mercury. He rushed them, slamming his shoulder into their backs, and sending them flying past the Demon Tides, tumbling into the open elevator.

"What are you doing!?" Yang snapped, coming up to her feet.

"Oh, come on. Jaune needs people now, and it's you two he needs," Nora shouted as the three Demon Tides began to close in.

Ren nodded. "We can handle these and make sure they don't follow you. You two – we're trusting you with Jaune."

"Make us proud, Dumb and Si – Yang and Merc!" Kirito shouted. He glared up at the monsters and grinned evilly. "Finally... some real fun!"

Yang shut her eyes. "How do you want to play this?" Mercury deferred to her.

"They've got this," Yang said. She surged to her feet and slammed her fist into the only elevator button that wasn't blacked out. The doors slid shut just as black and red energy exploded from Ichigo, Rukia shot a beam of Ice at one Demon Tide, Ren and Nora began attacking another, and Cloud, Tifa, and Kirito made their way towards the last one. Yang knew she had no choice but to trust her friends, with whom she'd fought demi gods, demons, and immortal Keyblade witches. Yeah. Yeah, they'd be fine against a few fusion monster Heartless. "We'll save Jaune and they'll meet us up there.."

R W B Y

Mercury and Yang jumped out the moment the elevator doors opened, ready to defend themselves. They were in an office – Ruby's judging by all the cookies and memorabilia. Which also meant it was the lowest office, and they had a long way to go before they got to the top one. Yang turned and looked at the elevator shaft, and found it was a massive hole in the center of the office. "Well, I guess we're going to be needing another way up," she said before taking out her Scroll. "I should be able to get my bike here; I got Weiss' sister to upgrade her so she can fly us up now."

"Well we need to get on the roof, first," Mercury responded. He looked around. "Your sister is weird."

"Bark!" And then a tiny dog rushed out of a pile of pillows, leaping into Yang's arms.

She blinked. "Zwei?" She groaned and threw her head back. "Ruby! You forgot Zwei!"

The dog yipped again and began to lick her face aggressively, happy to finally see someone amidst all this chaos. Yang sighed and put the dog back down. "Ruby, I could kill you!" She pet the dog once more. "Unfortunately, we'll just have to leave him here. He's been safe so far, and we can't take him with us."

Mercury didn't respond. "And you can't take me," he told her. Yang turned to him, raising an eyebrow, so he pointed past her.

She turned and scoffed. "Dramatic," she said dryly. "She's a real gem."

Floating in the air, on a writhing carpet made of kurasigama chains, was Emerald. But she was different, now. Darkness was outlining her, a heavy and oppressive feature that blurred the air behind her. And worst of all, Grimm of every kind were growing from that aura, flying into the air or climbing to the ground. "She must be the source of all the Grimm," Mercury said. "Wonder if your sister knew that and we left too soon."

"Probably," Yang said before snapping her gauntlets into place. "Ready?"

"No. This is my fight." The dog yipped next to Mercury and he shrugged. "And his, apparently." Zwei panted happily and began to lick Mercury's leg.

"You sure?" Yang asked.

Emerald drew her Kurasigama and shattered the glass so she could walk inside. The writhing chains vanished, and the flow of Grimm growing from her slowed until it stopped. "I screwed up by not being there before," Mercury explained. He glared at Emerald. "I'm not going to let you do the same thing now. Jaune needs you up there, and he needs me here so no more Grimm show up. I guess you could say, I'm keeping his family safe."

"From destroying Vale with Grimm to saving it. What a redemption story," Yang said. She held out her fist to him. "Go get the girl, Merc. You were lucky you'd find one to put up with you, so try not to screw it up. Then after all this, I'm thinking double date."

"That sounds awful," Mercury chuckled and hit her fist with his own. "I'll hold you to it, Yang."

With that, Yang grinned at him, then rushed past Emerald. The thief turned to attack her, but Mercury put on the speed and blocked her attack with his leg. "No, Em, just you and me here."

"And don't forget me!" Genie appeared behind her, in the form of a dog. Zwei began barking excitedly and ran up to Genie, sniffing his but. "Whoa! Hey, that's a little too nosey, you hear?"

Yang laughed and leaped out the window, her bike flying out of the sky to catch her. She rocketed upward, eyes set on the furthest office on the spire, where Jaune and OJ waited for her. "I'm coming, Jaune!"

Yang swerved around various flying Heartless and Grimm, the monsters making their best efforts to kill her. She slammed her fist into a particularly aggressive Gryphon and it exploded into Black Dust. Yang grimaced. Apparently Emerald's illusions were basically real, now. Mercury wouldn't have an easy time of it. She threw the bike to the side to avoid a Gargoyle looking Heartless, then pressed a button on the front of the bike. A pair of turrets popped out and peppered the air with explosive Dust bullets, catching Grimm and Heartless and clearing a small path for Yang.

She shot upward, spinning slowly as she went to destroy the monsters swarming around her. The turrets did well, but they could only cover so much. Some Heartless and Grimm were able to get close. Her fists had to make up for the rest. She put the bike in autopilot and began slamming her fists into whatever got close. She grabbed a Nevermore from the air and threw it like a ball into a Heartless, and the both exploded out of being. She shot a flame spell into a group of Gryphons and they vanished, ash drifting in the wind. But it wasn't enough. She pulled the sword from its sheathe and swung it wide, carving through whatever got close and giving her more breathing space. "Come on, come on!" she growled at the bike. "Go faster!" She swung again, but the monsters were giving her space, now.

And then, just as she cleared the edge of the next office, a telescoping blade skewered her bike. The blade moved, dragging her bike off course and Yang shouted in surprise, leaping off and hitting the office's roof hard. The sword skittered away from her hands, shooting across the roof until the bike slammed into its path and exploded. "NO!" Yang snapped, reaching uselessly out towards her bike.

She growled after a moment and pushed herself up to her feet, wiping dust from her hands. "You know, you owe me a bike now," she began before turning and glaring at her opponent, "Mom."

Morrigan didn't respond, instead sliding into a combat stance.

Yang shook her head and looked up at the next office. She was on the second or third highest, she thought. Jaune had to be close. "I don't have time for this," Yang said, and she turned away from the Nobody to begin free climbing the way to the last office using the thin ladder rungs on one side of the needle. "I have somewhere to be."

The blade slammed down in front of her, and a wall of Nothingness, spiraling and thorny, appeared around the roof. Yang sighed, exasperated with all of this, and turned to Morrigan. "Nobody is that petty," she said, but she didn't even laugh at her pun. "I'm not in the mood for distractions when Jaune needs me, Morrigan. You can try to kill me after me and Jaune kill OJ."

"Now," Morrigan said, her tone even more even than usual.

Yang sighed. "Yeah, I guess getting a chance to kill me after you thought you missed your shot... You'll never give that up," she supplied in defeat. She threw her hands up and shrugged. "So, my only option is taking you out here and now." She slammed her fists together and her eyes burned the same bright red as the Nobody's, and her hair exploded into flames floating upward behind her. "I'm not messing around this time."

"Neither will I." Morrigan rushed forward, dragging her blade behind her. She leaped over the wreckage of the bike and hit the ground running. Yang shook her head, then rushed forward once more, fists glinting with flame magic.

"Nobody's going to beat me when Jaune needs me!" Yang screamed, the flames growing brighter.

"Then I guess I'm Nobody!" Morrigan retorted in a joke that inspired a single thought in her mind: Tai would have loved that.

R W B Y

Cinder was the first of the two to initiate battle, slashing at the Keyblade Wielder with both of her weapons one after another at his head. Her only chance at this battle was keeping this blonde Keyboy off balance. The moment she gave him an opening, he would annihilate her without a single moment of hesitation. It's what she would do after all.

Jaune effortlessly sidestepped her attacks as if they were moving at a snail's pace, his blonde hair trailing as he kept his rage filled eyes locked on Cinder's determined features. Cinder growled at herself. She had been hoping to use her experience with her swords to keep her safe against Jaune in case he decided to unleash some sort of Keyblade magic later on. If he did, her only defense would be her own accrued magic. Playing her hand too soon could be just as bad as playing it too late.

Nevertheless, she was getting nowhere in her fight with the blonde. She slashed one more time at the Keyblade Wielder's head, knowing she would miss. She brought her other hand up, glowing a verdant green, as he slid past her attack. Jaune's eyes widened as he felt the vines explode from the ground to coil around his ankle. He flailed for a moment, his arms and legs flapping about wildly as he tried to regain his balance. It seemed no matter how much he tried, he couldn't completely get rid of the clumsy child inside.

Taking advantage of the opening she had created, Cinder swept both of her weapons at the boy's midsection in hopes of destroying him. This was it! By killing him, she would show she was worth more than him. She would receive his Keyblade and be free of her Destiny... forever. "Nice try," Jaune cut in. He simply took a step back, tearing the vines from the ground as he moved. The magical plants withered away around his leg, torn away from their roots, and he used his Keyblade to slap Cinder's now pointless blows up and away.

Cinder gasped, knowing this was the end. He was going to take this opening to kill – Cinder brought her weapons down, and Jaune just watched disinterestedly. He was playing with her! "What was it like when you killed Pyrrha?" the blonde asked. He didn't move, he didn't even hide the glaring holes in his defense. Every bone in Cinder's body ached to rush forward and exploit them, but she knew in her Heart it would be pointless. He would move faster than she could perceive and just block her every blow, leaving her more tired than before and with nothing to show for it.

Cinder ignored the question and instead tossed an explosive ball of Dark Firaga and her own Fall Maiden flames at the ground, creating a huge explosion and a cloud of Dust she could escape into. If she couldn't hope to match him in a head to head battle, even with a little bit of magic, then she would fight in a way he couldn't understand. Knights fought head on with any enemy that came their way. It was time to behave like an assassin. She faded into the rising smoke, waiting for the best time to attack the blonde.

Jaune didn't respond to the distraction. He continued to stare at where the woman had been a moment before, letting the cloud drift around him. "I want an answer. What was it like when you killed her? She was amazing, so she must have fought back. Gotten a few hits in. Hurt you," he continued speaking, voice cold and level. "So tell me, what did you do?"

"I didn't even try," Cinder growled from within the smoke. She dashed away from where she had been standing before a Blizzard spell froze it solid. "She got hits in, but only because I let her. I pitied her enough for that." That time it was another Firaga that exploded where she had stood, filling the sky with even more smoke.

Cinder continued to move smoothly through the cloud, positioning herself behind the quietly angry blonde. After a few moments, she quietly combined her weapons into a bow and crafted an arrow at the center. She ignited the tip with explosive, Dark fire and snarled before letting it loose at the small of his back. She would cripple him in a harder to defend region, then attack him when he was down. Victory would be hers.

Jaune turned around and caught the arrow with his open hand. "Then I'll do the same to you," He growled. He let the magic contained on the tip of the weapon explode in front of him, and Cinder took a worried step back. The explosion dissipated after a mere moment, and Jaune walked out of it unscathed. He threw the blackened remains of the arrow to his side and took a slow breath. "Now, I'm going to give you one free shot here. I want you to listen close, Cinder Fall."

Cinder growled and raised her blades in front of her defensively. This had to be a trick. "I want you to hit me. As hard as you can," he said, smirking at the woman who had destroyed his life. He gestured at his chin with his open hand. "Now, you might be thinking that you'll give it half. 'That'll be all it takes. He's only human, after all.' Don't. I want nothing less than everything you have. Now."

Cinder took a step back. "Clock is ticking," Jaune growled. He dismissed his Keyblade and held his arms out to his side. "Come on, try me."

"You little..." Cinder growled. Fine, he wanted everything she had, then she would make him regret his hubris. She dropped her swords at her side and raised her hands in front of her. She would use everything she had to destroy him. She would use the power of every Maiden to wipe him from existence! Her hands began to glow, as did her eyes, with the colors of every Maiden's power at once.

Water exploded from the ground in front of her like a geyser, the spout shooting up dozens of feet into the sky and causing rain to tumble down around her. From there, she created a huge tube of vines around the geyser so that the full force of its blow would be directed only at him. Next, she froze the opening of the geyser solid, stopping the water and causing immense pressure to build in the geyser as she continued to summon water. Finally, she began to create a blazing fire within the geyser, increasing the pressure even further until, finally, the ice exploded upward. It flew through the tube at unbelievable speeds, turning with the vines and firing directly at Jaune, followed by a gust of steam and water. "DIE!"

The ice slammed into Jaune a moment later, with enough force to demolish titanium. "There... you're dead, you stupid boy," Cinder growled, panting heavily from the exertion of magic. "You got what you wanted. You're with that girl again."

"Not yet." Cinder's jaw dropped when Jaune shoved the ice off of him and stood up, not a scratch on him. He rubbed his left forearm and shook his head. "You may have bruised my arm with that one. It was better than I thought you could give me."

"H-how did you?" Cinder asked blankly.

Jaune didn't respond, instead summoning his Keyblade again and rushing the woman. She backpedaled, panicking as she realized she couldn't do anything to stop him. She vainly tried to summon a Corridor of Darkness with which she could escape, and nothing appeared.

Jaune slashed overhead at her, barely giving the woman enough time to dodge. "Y-you don't have to do this!" the woman shouted, hating herself for begging now.

Jaune ignored her and swiped again, this time much faster. Cinder tried to dodge again, only for the blade to slam into her arm. Her Aura disappeared from that single blow, and the rest of the force shattered her arm at the elbow. The woman screamed in pain and fell to her knees, only stopping her cries when she felt a cold Keyblade on her chin. It pulled her up to stare into Jaune's eyes, blue and angry. "You're finally going to get what's coming to you," Jaune growled.

Cinder looked over at Salem, quivering with rage when she saw the ancient witch's smug smirk. Cinder wordlessly looked back up at Jaune. This had been... inevitable. Salem had told her she could escape her fate, but... "Do... do you believe in Destiny?" Cinder quietly asked Jaune.

He raised the Keyblade above his head, its tip already glowing with a huge ball of Light energy that would unlock the Keyhole and destroy her. "No," he said simply, then he brought the Keyblade down at her, teeth pointed at the ground and its tip aimed at Cinder's Heart.

Jaune..!

The blonde stopped just before the blade could reach Cinder, though not by his own volition. He felt a pair of slender, strong hands holding his arm back. Someone had stopped him. Jaune took a shaky breath and looked over his right shoulder.

Every molecule of air in his lungs left in a single breath as soon as he did. Standing behind him, holding his arm back to keep him from murdering Cinder Fall in cold blood, was Pyrrha Nikos. Her green eyes were filled with tears and her red hair was loose, a style she had never had in life, but it was her nonetheless. The girl slowly shook her head, her grip on his arm tightening. "Do it now, Jaune," Salem commanded. Pyrrha shook her head slowly.

The blonde breathed in for the first time in what felt like hours to look at Cinder once again. He continued to take in shaky, broken breaths every few seconds as he suddenly found himself at the crossroads of his future. He hated her. He wanted to kill her. It wasn't even that he was being told to do it, he wanted it more than anything. It was the only way he could save Pyrrha, the only way to change things for the better. And more than this... it was the only way to avenge Pyrrha. And that was worth just as much as saving her from her death.

And then he understood. This... this wasn't really Pyrrha. It was his own mind, distracting him. Pyrrha was dead, killed by this... animal at his feet. He shook off the hand on his arm. "And even if I did believe in desitny, Cinder, I'd know that you don't have one." And then he brought his Keyblade down, burying the glowing tip in her chest, and unlocking the universe's final Keyhole. And unlocking his path to Pyrrha.

The figure his mind had conjured stared at him in horror, but he ignored it. The not-Pyrrha shut her eyes and looked away from him... then faded completely, never to bother Jaune's Darkened Heart ever again.

AN: And there we go! Second chapter of the year! I really wanted to get this one out soon because I'll be starting a new job up in the next couple weeks. What with training, moving, getting my bearings, getting amenities, finding my pace, finding new stuff to do – hopefully a D&D group, somewhere down the line – updates will be slower than usual, at least for a while. On the other hand, we are, like, two or three chapters from the end of this story! Almost three years in the making! Got pretty busy there in the middle, sorry about that.

Anyways, I hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter. It's a lot of setup for the end, but now everyone is exactly where they need to be. And, bonus, we get to see the exact moment that Jaune and OJ's lives diverged. Not that either of them know that just yet. I thought about including it later, but I didn't want to interrupt a fight to have it suddenly appear and disrupt the flow. Which, in over the top, Kingdom Hearts fights is important. To me, at least. Craziness is a river, and it can't hit a dam. That isn't to say there aren't lulls. Rapids and waterfalls versus the calm area. Still moving forward, but a little slower, right?

Enough about that. We've got some good times coming up, some – hopefully – emotional moments. Jaune and OJ's final fight, Yang and Morrigan coming to a head, Mercury's struggle to save Emerald.

I can already hear one question some of you have: why no Sora. It has entirely to do with one thing. Jaune would not break his limits if Sora was there. He would defer to Sora, which might not be what will save the World. Sora has always believed it is Jaune's 'destiny' to stop OJ, and if Jaune isn't at his best he can't do that. Sora in these stories has learned a hands off approach. Sometimes a friend needs you to be there, side by side. Sometimes, they need you to hold back and show them you believe they can solve it themselves.

Now, for some responses!

To Gamelover41592: Hell is right. But what's a bad guy without being actively terrible to the heroes, right? It's great! I hope this chapter was better than the last!

To Chretner: Yeah, I had a vague idea at the beginning of the story that I should end the game at the Keyblade Graveyard. Just like you said, it seems like... a tradition. But in these stories, the Keyblade Graveyard doesn't have quite the same significance, and certainly not to characters like OJ and Jaune. It's got a lot of lore behind it, and it is really cool as a concept... but OJ wouldn't think Pyrrha would be there. He uses it because it holds significance to Sora, who he really sees as his ultimate foe, so it's all about tricking him, fighting him, using history against him. I'm glad that the only thing you hate about the story is wanting more. It's a great thing to hate!

Well, guess I'll see you all next time! Have a great week, and see you soon.