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.

39. Wayfinders

Chapter 39: Wayfinders

The swirling tornadoes of Heartless that stretched from the Demon Sky above were each like an army of their own. They were less dangerous than the Demon Tides, if only because those had been rather strong, but there were so many. Rather than a single mass of Heartless attacking a group of two or more powerful warriors, the humans were the ones outnumbered this time. And that was not even with the occasional tendril of Shadows that shot down from the sky every so often, and had nearly killed a few of them already if not for quick interventions by the others.

Ichigo growled as he launched another red and black blade of energy at the glowing core in the sky, only for his Bankai's attack to be easily intercepted by a tendril that rushed him. "Dammit," he growled, then vanished and reappeared just far enough away that the attack missed him. He immediately turned and spun around an assault from one of the tornadoes that got too close, then rushed in the same direction to avoid three more trying to catch him. He screeched to a stop to avoid another tendril from the sky and jumped to stand a few feet away from Ren, who had just gone through a similar rush away from Heartless' attacks. The two spared a quick glance around and saw the others were separated from one another and just trying to stay alive. "We aren't getting anywhere like this."

"Give us time. We'll have a plan," Ren told Ichigo. He glanced up and snarled in surprise before he jumped backwards, dragging Ichigo with him to avoid another tendril. "... We'll hurry."

"You better," Ichigo growled as he came up to his feet. Tornadoes began to swarm towards them from all sides. Ren glanced up at Ichigo and nodded, then crouched low. Ichigo grinned at that and spun quickly, sending a blade of energy spiraling out in every direction. The tornadoes exploded and soared upwards, giving the two enough time to scatter and present smaller targets.

Ren glanced up at the core of the swarm, Heartless that had forced themselves together into the glowing shape of a Heart, and tried to channel his old friends. What would Jaune or Ruby do in this situation, at least before they had Keyblades and the answer became 'something that shouldn't ever work but does, just because.' Ren had called it the 'Keyblade Effect.' A jealous Nora had called it 'Unfair Bullshit.' He thought both seemed somewhat correct, despite the fact that their own growth had also outpaced the effort they put in after interacting with Keyblade Wielders. After all, he may be able to use some spells and harm Heartless, but he couldn't bounce off of thin air to reach –

His eyes widened and he focused more on the tendrils raining from the sky. He watched them rush down, one after another, then smirked. They came down again, one after another... in the same pattern. It always used the same four spots to create the attacking tendrils, and then sent them at the ground in the same order each time. He watched once more to be sure, and waited for the tentacle he knew was coming to fly from the sky so he could test his theory. When it did, he jumped towards it, flipping to land feet first so he could quickly flip off of it, soaring through the air. He grinned as he shot past some tornadoes; if they could time this right, they could climb up there. And knowing where the tentacles would strike from next, Ichigo, Rukia, and Kirito could even maybe fly up there instead of being grounded as they had been. Unfortunately, he landed right in the middle of a tornado that swung around to greet him, and he screamed in pain as he was tossed claw to claw up the center of the tornado by a thousand tiny Heartless claws, then tossed hard and unceremoniously to the ground outside of it. He rolled for a while before he could manage to come to his feet. Well, that plan needed work, he supposed.

Nora, meanwhile, was doing what Nora did best: attempting to tame and ride enemy monsters. That it was a tornado comprised of dozens or more of those enemy monsters made it seem like that task should be impossible, but the woman wasn't going to let that stop her. She charged one of the tornadoes and supercharged her hammer with Thunder magic that would have made a god of Storms jealous, and slammed it into the ground. The golden energy exploded out from between the stones, carving out a path that enclosed the tornado and hit another that was sneaking up on Kirito and Cloud. The one caught in her path began to swirl towards her, the eyes of the Heartless that made it up glowing a bright red. Nora just grinned at the erratic rage of the monsters bearing down on her. "Come to Mama!" she shouted. She hefted her hammer over her shoulder and it began to glow with the same insane magic as just moments before. The Heartless didn't pause, rage and hunger being the core of their being after all. Nora laughed and jumped towards the tornado as it writhed and shot towards her.

Nora's hammer slammed into the tornado's body and it rebounded off, the swirling growing erratic as Heartless were tossed from it and vaporized by the still burning fence of magic. Nora laughed as she continued moving forward; the Heartless' attack had done next to nothing to mitigate her own momentum. Her hammer trailed arcing bolts of electricity as she spun and slammed it into the reeling tornado again, cleaving it from the Demon Sky above with a strike of thunder that seemed to come from the sky itself. The tornado screamed in pain, paralyzed and shaking from the massive blow dealt to it by Nora.

Realizing she had her chance, Nora's grin grew insane. "YES!" She sheathed her hammer and leaped forward, arms outstretched, and grappled the tornado of Heartless, shoving it down and slamming into the ground the tiny, burgeoning core that the Shadows were creating to keep together. The now-Demon Tower crashed into the ground and Nora slammed her heel into its core, bending it to her will. "MUSH!"

The tower shrieked and charged away from the force she placed on the core, and Nora quickly learned how to direct it rather well. Soon, she was making it rocket towards the other tornadoes and firing Thundaga Shots from her grenade launcher as she went. Heartless shrieked and flew into the air, raining down to the music of Nora's maniacal laughter, many even being absorbed by her ever growing new pet. "I am Nora! Monsters are my horse and Thunder my herald!" she screamed, joy and the deep rage of a berserker mingling in her words.

Ren stared at her as she destroyed another tornado. "Well then," he muttered. He turned to the others, studying them for a moment. With his plan, this might work. "Tifa over there. Kirito, there! Rukia, you head up there. Ichigo, all the way up there. Get ready to dodge, all of you!"

Ren was happy these guys trusted him enough to immediately respond. It wouldn't have worked any other way. Ren followed close after Tifa, leaping into the air just as the tendril of Shadows shot down at her. He bounced off of it with practiced reflexes and flipped to the next one, soaring over Kirito and hitting the next. He ran up the pillar of death, bouncing from Shadow to Shadow, then flipped towards Rukia and stabbed the next one to catch it – he'd misjudged the distance by a little bit. He used his momentum to swing up and dash from Shadow to Shadow once more, climbing until he could leap towards Ichigo. The Soul Reaper rushed forward when it became clear Ren wouldn't make his last jump, catching his foot and throwing him high up so that Ren could clear his way up to the Core. Ren slammed the blades of his guns into the Core and swung up onto its top, then aimed his guns at it. "Graviza."

The Core buckled in on itself, then plummeted. Ren grimaced as the Demon Sky went flat and he began to plummet towards the ground. "REN!" He turned to the left –

And was blindsided by Nora, riding on top of a small Demon Tide. "Ready?" she asked with a girlish giggle as she carried him bridal style through the air.

He smiled at her. "Every time."

The Demon Tide swerved down, aimed at the flat, glowing Heart on the ground far below. The two leaped off as it got close and the Demon Tide slammed into the other Core, shattering it completely. Its own core slammed into the ground and it exploded itself, and the two fell to the ground. "I bet Jaune and Yang haven't done anything like that before!"

"No one else would think to, Nora," Ren pointed out as they approached the ground.

She grinned at him. "Boop."

When they finally landed, caught by swirling Aero spells that slowed their movement, the Heartless were finally, completely gone. Nora looked around and suddenly dropped Ren, who yelped as he hit the ground. "My pet is gone again!" she sobbed for a moment.

Ren smiled softly. "I'll get you a cuter one."

"I want a giant goat," Nora suddenly commanded.

"A goa... I'll figure it out?" Ren supplied. A giant goat even surprised him.

Nora nodded seriously, and Ren knew he was locked in. She reached down and pulled him up to his feet. "Now what?"

Ren glanced around at the others looking towards him, deferring to him as the person who was actually from this world. "Well," he began as he turned and finally had a chance to examine the destruction from which they had been protected by the Demon Sky. The arena was still floating above, but one wall was caved in completely, part of the school's spire leaning against it and pushing it down. Ren focused on the arena, where flashes of Light and Darkness could barely be seen burning through the sky. Jaune and OJ. Ren wanted to head that way, but stopped himself. There were other out there, probably hurt from the destruction the arena's crash had wrought upon the school. People that Jaune would need, or at least want, by his side now. Ren looked harder. There was something happening out in the forest, he noted. Massive chains were rolling out into the sky. Mercury and Emerald, likely. From how they had described OJ, it seemed like he would have ordered Emerald to hunt the person she loved down. Of course, he still didn't know where Yang was. But that would probably be answered soon enough; she was nearly as loud as Nora sometimes. "Kirito, Nora, and I will head into the forest."

"Great. Silver the Hedgehog and the Prestige. I can already tell this one will be fun," he groaned. He crossed his arms and shook his head. "Fine. But if we get the bad job, what do those four do?"

Ren turned to the others and nodded. "Yang will make herself known soon enough. Stay here, clear the area, and look for her. We'll meet in the arena to help Jaune."

"We'll find her," Cloud promised. "She pulled us out of the fire back home."

"Yeah. We more than owe her," Tifa agreed as she leaned against his shoulder.

"We'll look up there. It's possible they are still in the upper levels of the school since they were heading that direction before the crash," Rukia volunteered as she reached out and grabbed Ichigo by the wrist. "We can also scout the arena in case she already ended up in there."

Ren nodded. "Good. Then we better hurry before more Heartless come." He turned towards the forest. "Let's go."

R W B Y

Mercury back flipped over a massive chain whipping towards him, the illusion made real burrowing through the ground where he had been a moment earlier and sending dirt, stone, and bark flying in every direction. He landed in a crouch and immediately dashed to his right to avoid an incoming slash from the massive blades of Darkness that Emerald had summoned to her hands. "Come on, Em, that was just embarrassing!" He rolled past her next attack and turned, slamming his heel into her side. She simply turned towards him and slashed again, forcing him to fall to his back and roll away again. He slammed his foot into the ground as he came up and used a Terra spell to launch himself at her again, flipping and bringing his leg around at her head.

The blow exploded against her guard and she was pushed backwards,feet dragging through the dirt until chains flared up from the ground in a lattice pattern, bouncing her back at him with the same momentum she'd had when hitting the chains. Still midair, Mercury threw his leg out and detonated a Firaga, sending him spiraling out of her path. He hit a tree and swung around it, sliding to a stop at the base of the trunk. Emerald twirled her weapons calmly and began to wait for him to move again. "You're not going to give me anything, are you?" He wondered. He looked around slowly, always making sure she was in his periphery so he couldn't be surprised if she bolted towards him. The trees he'd cut were mostly shards of wood, now, destroyed by one of her attacks or one of his attempts to avoid those attacks, or even just so he would have a straight line to travel in. But there were enough large chunks and jagged edges left over to be dangerous. Not to her of course, but...

Well, that was a plan, he supposed. He spread his legs into a wide, horse stance and brought his contorted hands up defensively in a martial arts position his father had taught him. He preferred fighting fast to strong, but with some magic and some smarts it was all he had. He also preferred fighting in any way other than what the old man had tried to instill in him, but he could deal with it if it helped him help Em. He took a deep breath in and swung his body around, lifting his back leg and slamming it into the ground in front of him, discharging a powerful Zero Gravity spell as he did. The earth shook and the chunks of wood began to rise around him. Emerald glanced around and, realizing he was up to something, charged him. "Damn," he hissed under his breath before setting himself in place with the same wide stance. He brought his fist forward in a heavy blow as he took a half step towards her, her momentum carrying her into his fist as her surprise that he didn't attack with his feet forced her movement to continue. She flipped over him slamming into the tree behind him from the sheer force she had put into his immovable arm. Just like the older Assassin had taught him.

Being an Assassin, he had once told his apprentice – never son – he had told his apprentice, is not like in the movies. It is not always moving, always sprinting and hiding. It is being surprising.

And what could be more surprising than a liquid metal turning harder than steel? Aero magic exploded around his fists and he moved his head to glare at her, his even stance changing directions with no movement. He stepped towards her as she fell and slammed the whipping winds into her gut. She was less surprised this time, and managed to twist her body so his attack slammed into her arm and leg when she bent into a fetal position. The spell still exploded against her black armor, the vortex sucking her into the attack and keeping her locked in place. Mercury grabbed hold of her bent arm and turned to toss her into the air.

She moved with the attack and flipped out of his grasp, soaring into the air before summoning a wall of chains that she hit and slid down without issue. Mercury narrowed his eyes and rushed forward, sprinting at her in his usual style. His foot flew at her head and she blocked his kick with an a small, swirling chain that looped around his ankle, holding him in place.

Pinned, he could do little as she slashed at his chest. The blade carved through his aura and he gasped in pain, holding on enough to cause a Firaga to explode next to Emerald's skull. She yelped and flew away, and with her concentration broken the chain around his leg vanished. He fell to his knee and panted heavily. This was not going as well as he had hoped. He glanced around. At least the plan was still in place, floating in magical energy around the arena, swirling and spinning from the wind of his Aero spell. He forced himself to his feet and shook off the tunneling of his vision. He had to get this right if he was going to knock her out. He slammed his hands together in front of him, creating a swirling sphere of white, smaller spheres of red and blue circling that one in a shape like an atom. He dropped it and passed it from foot to foot, glaring at the woman who seemed to be unfazed by everything he'd done to her so far. Because of course it hadn't.

"Come on, Em. You can't deny my animal magnetism!" he snapped, kicking the sphere in the air and slamming it with a bicycle kick that sent it flying into the center of the new clearing. Emerald glanced at it, then decided it didn't completely matter and bull rushed him. Well at least there was a benefit to her not being in control. Emerald half asleep could see his obvious plan. Or, bad news, she knew it wouldn't matter. She rushed past the Magnega and began to thread her way between the various incoming pieces of semi-deadly debris. The second one, then, he sighed when she landed and threw her hands up at him. Chains exploded from mid air and flew at him, swirling around one another to create a drill aimed at his chest.

He swung his arms around in his horse stance again, using the momentum to quickly dodge at the last second. The drill scraped along, passing just in front of him, and he dashed along its side. He brought his heel up and slammed it into Em's head, stunning her slightly and sending her reeling a step to the side. He ducked down and spun, slamming his leg up and into her gut. The explosive force of another Aero spell sent her flying towards the Magnega and sent the wood into a hurricane of force. And flying into the center of it, Emerald was buffeted by each piece. Wood shattered against her, crashing against every part of her body. Her arms, her gut, her head, her legs; nothing was spared.

Mercury glared up at her, hoping she'd forgive him for this. If she was already going easy on him, judging by the fact she hadn't immediately taken him to OJ when he was unconscious, then she probably would. He flipped up towards the stunned woman, charging Light on one heel and Darkness on the other, and he began to spin in a tornado. His feet hit her one after the other, dozens of times. Then, finally, he slammed his heel into her face and she was sent rocketing towards the ground, the Magnega holding her vanishing. The few remaining splinters of wood vanished as his assault vaporized them.

He hit the ground a moment later and put himself back into a defensive stance, waiting and watching the cloud of dust. When it finally cleared, she was on her hands and knees, panting. She looked up at him, eyes red once more. "Merc..." she muttered, reaching out to him. He smiled and took a half step forward –

Right as she began to crumble to ash.

"NO!" Mercury screamed, bolting towards her at full speed. "Em, come one, no you -"

Chains whipped out of the forest and crashed into his side, wrapping around his body. Grimm slowly moved out of the shadows, dark and evil as the one who had enslaved their summoner. And then he got it. He hadn't been fighting Emerald at all. No, his opponent from the moment they had arrived in the forest until now had been nothing more than illusion made real. A fake. Emerald, the real one he supposed now, stalked from the shadows, more Grimm floating from her shoulders, and fixed a burning, golden gaze upon him. "You know... I thought chains wouldn't show up in our relationship for a few more years..."

The grip of the chains tightened and he yelped in pain. "Hey, protest all you want... You love me."

Emerald didn't respond, instead simply nodding her head so the Grimm would begin their charge at the young man. "Ah, crap baskets."

"I FEEL THE NEED... THE NEED FOR SPEED!" Genie screamed as he arced down from the air, a jetpack and aviation armor strapped to a small dog with guns firing down at the Grimm below. The spells tore through the illusions, shattering their existence and turning them to ash. The chains recoiled at the assault and Emerald flipped away from the attacks coming her way landing softly and glaring.

"Took you long enough," Mercury growled, resetting his stance. "Where were you?

"It's classified. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

Mercury groaned. "I don't understand what you're saying," he muttered. He shook it off and glared at Em. "You ready?"

Apparently not done with his bit, Genie added on, "You can be my wingman anytime!"

"... It's worse than Edgelord, sometimes."

"Sorry. I'm done with the Topgun quotes now." Mercury was silent at that, and Genie continued with, "Right. Forgot you don't know what that is."

"Way worse than Edgelord."

R W B Y

Yang clenched the handle of her mother's katana, holding it loose but firm beside her head. She and Morrigan had traded blows for a little while, now, but nothing serious. Gauging skill, that was all. And Yang knew, without a doubt, she was not the better of them. But she would make do. Strength, speed, and pure, unadulterated rage could do a lot to overcome most skill gaps. Morrigan's own stance mirrored Yang's, which made sense. After all, Qrow had trained Yang in how to use a katana and he'd learned swordsmanship right next to his twin sister. It was more natural when Yang stood like that, of course, but that was life. Like she'd already decided: she'd make do.

Yang and Morrigan charged each other. The blades flashed against one another, sending sparks into the air. Yang slashed low, moving with the momentum of her weapon rebounding off of Morrigan's. The Nobody followed her own huge sword's momentum and jumped into the air, spinning over the attack and landing in an overhead attack at 's telescoping blade shot out and shoved her out of the way, then retracted as she flipped over the apex of the roof. Morrigan narrowed her eyes, begrudgingly admitting that was an impressive move to make, before charging Yang again.

Yang landed a little off balance, the shingles of the roof shaking and cracking under the weight of her landing. She brought her own sword up and was knocked down, tumbling along the building and coming to a stop when her back hit the upraised stone marking its edge. She snarled in pain at the dull thud that ran through the Aura protecting her back, and forced herself to her feet. She leaped at Morrigan as she flew at Yang, and the two met halfway with a resounding crash and wind billowing behind them. Yang was reminded in that moment, with a burst of anger, that Morrigan had given her her first – and, she could already tell, worst – haircut. Flames sparked from the jagged, uneven mess on her head and she pushed forward harder than Morrigan could push back the sudden increase in power sending Morrigan flying backwards. Yang snarled and chased her down, swinging the katana at Morrigan before she even had the chance to hit the ground. Morrigan snarled as the swords clashed and her guard was broken and she had to dodge Yang's quick follow up, back flipping away to reset the momentum of the fight.

Morrigan regarded Yang carefully. She'd underestimated the girl's skill with a sword. And, she believed, so had Yang. Of course, Yang was her daughter, so – She shook her head. Yang was her weakness. She raised her sword and channeled a wave of Darkness down its edge. Yang snarled and set into a defensive stance, prepared to block or dodge the energy as needed. To her surprise, the blade was stabbed into the roof, and the energy surged outward. Shingles exploded upward, shattering and sending stone bits flying in every direction. Yang's arm flew up to protect her eyes, a reflex that would cost her.

Morrigan was on top of her in a flash, bent low. The bottom of her sword's hilt slammed into Yang's gut, forcing the air from her lungs in a single, quick blow. As Yang stumbled backwards, Morrigan swept her leg up. Yang's left arm came up and caught the blow with Ember Celica, which then shot forward and slammed right into Morrigan's face. There was an explosion that sent Morrigan skidding backwards. Morrigan berated herself as she felt her Aura levels drop. The mask on her face cracked and fell off, shattered from the force of Yang's spell and fist.

Yang sped out of the smoke her spell had created and slashed at Morrigan, forcing the Nobody to jump back to avoid the sudden attack. "No remark about meeting face to face? A punchline?"

Yang didn't respond. She rushed Morrigan and stabbed, only for the blow to be parried away with a flourish of Morrigan's blade. The edges scraped against one another when Morrigan charged forward, keeping the blade vertical along her shoulder. She got close and grabbed hold of Yang's wrist so she couldn't escape, then slammed her forehead into Yang' snarled and slammed her own head forward at the same time, and the two reeled back. Yang slammed her back foot down and brought her eyes back to bear on the still stunned Morrigan. She turned and slammed her elbow into Morrigan's gut, then turned and swung hard at the Nobody's shoulder. The attack hit and Morrigan's aura bore the brunt of the assault that forced her to one knee. She shook her head to clear out the stars and turned, just in time for Yang's kick to slam into the side of her head. Morrigan was sent tumbling across the roof, scrabbling to regain her footing. She eventually managed, sliding to a stop and calling her blade of Nothingness back to her hand.

Yang stepped back and settled back into a fighting stance, the blade held in front of her in a more standard katana stance. She was getting better at this, she noted with a burst of satisfaction. Morrigan stood and entered a different stance, the weapon held low by her left hip. She flashed forward, then slashed up at Yang. The blonde snarled and readied a block, but Morrigan vanished through a Corridor of Darkness she called suddenly. She reappeared a breath later above Yang, attacking with an overhead slash as she landed. Yang had managed to guess where Morrigan would be and spun away, slashing as she backed up. Morrigan slashed upward to deflect the retreating blow, then stabbed at Yang. The blonde let go with her left hand and slammed her bracer into the attack to deflect it, the blade skirting her Aura with yellow sparks. She turned and stabbed the sword into the ground. "THUNDER!" Lightning exploded from the sky, raining down around them. Morrigan snarled and fell through another corridor, ignoring the glancing blows of the spell before she reappeared a short distance away.

"Impressive..." Morrigan said quietly. She pushed herself up and her fingers tightened around the weapon in her hands. She had played around enough. She had a very good idea of how skilled Yang was with a sword, now. She was unpredictable and imaginative... but she was a journeyman at best. Morrigan tossed her weapon slightly, spinning it in the air, then quickly grabbed the handle again once it completed a revolution. At that moment, she charged forward, red eyes cold despite their color, and slammed into Yang. The blonde gasped and was thrown onto her back foot, reeling from the blow. She jerked her head to the right, guessing at what would come next, and managed to avoid a stab that would have skewered her left eye.

"Kid gloves are off, huh?" Yang snapped, swinging the sword up despite the fact she had no leverage behind it. Morrigan leaped into the air, parallel to the blade, and landed ready to attack again. Yang brought her katana around to block the next attack. There was a loud clang and her guard was shattered. She hastily brought the sword down just as Morrigan's next attack hit. There was another clang, and then...

A crack.

Yang's eyes turned lilac, filled with anguish and fear, and tracked the blade that arced through the sky and tumbled over the edge of the building. Yang stared at the spot where it had disappeared, then her eyes flashed red and she turned with a scream of rage. "I'll kill you for -"

Morrigan's blade plunged through her depleted Aura, right through Yang's shoulder. "Ach!"

"It's time to die now, my Weakness." Morrigan pushed harder and Yang tripped, falling to her back as she was skewered to the roof. Morrigan's foot landed on her throat and her weight pressed down as, with her opposite hand, she yanked the sword out. Yang stifled a scream of pain as a bright, yellow glow ran across her body. "Goodbye."

R W B Y

Jaune and OJ glared at one another as their first clash ended. Both felt as if they were recognizing the other as what they truly were for the first time. And, Jaune noted, the differences in who they were just happened to be made even more obvious by OJ's glowing, evil, yellow eyes. Jaune wasn't sure if this realization was enough to drive OJ off balance, or if the Dual Spell abilities he could suddenly feel within his reach once more would be enough to turn the tide either way... but he knew he had a better chance than ever before. He raised his weapon, resolute and confident, and charged.

OJ brought his Keyblade around, blocking, and the two pushed against one another. They leaped away and Jaune threw his Keyblade as he retreated. OJ snarled and blocked the attack, sending the Kingdom Key soaring upward, then aimed his weapon at Jaune and cast a Dark Firaga. Jaune's Keyblade returned to his hand and he narrowed his eyes; time to see if his feeling was right. He spun midair as the spell shot towards him. "Blizzareflect!" The spell crashed into the glowing wall that suddenly appeared, then immediately shot back at OJ covered in a bright, white ice.

"Tch!" OJ hissed, his surprise evident. He brought his weapon around to block the spell. It crashed into his attack and exploded. White ice and Black flames swirled around him, icing his joints over but burning everything between. OJ couldn't even cry out in pain or rage as the spell disappated, leaving him to fall to the ground, frozen and unmoving.

Jaune grinned to himself and charged, slashing at the falling warrior and landing a two handed blow. OJ went flying, crashing through debris, rubble, and stone before finally coming to a stop upside down and stuck in a wall. Jaune hefted his Keyblade over his shoulder and used his other hand as a visor as he squinted at OJ almost a dozen meters away.

OJ pushed himself out of the wall, flipping in the short distance he fell. He landed on his feet, and summoned a Corridor of Darkness. A dozen more began to pop up, swirling all around the battlefield. Jaune grimaced and readied defensively again. With this many –

OJ sprinted through the nearest one and reappeared out of another. Jaune's eyes tracked him and he readied to defend, but OJ had already run through another Corridor. Movement far away pulled Jaune's attention again, but OJ wasn't there. Jaune's grimace grew as OJ continued to sprint through the various Corridors, reappearing at another point in the web before vanishing again. Jaune kept his eyes trained on OJ the entire time, even managing to predict where OJ was going to appear given which point he entered. And then –

Where did he go?! Jaune wondered, Heart pounding in his ears now. He whirled around just as another Corridor appeared. Jaune snarled and stabbed forward, ready to intercept OJ before he could even attack. But OJ didn't appear, so Jaune stumbled through the Corridor, right into OJ's Keyblade that sent him flying back to where he had been a moment earlier. He tumbled through the dust, sliding until he slammed his Keyblade into the ground to stop himself. He clutched at the bruise his Aura was healing on his face and hissed in pain. "You summoned another Corridor behind one of the others," he growled as OJ finally stepped through the Corridor.

"Obviously. A real Jaune Arc would have noticed." OJ bent low and sprinted towards Jaune, the Keyblade vanishing as he stuck his hands behind him, hidden from Jaune so he would be unsure which direction the attack would come from.

Jaune growled; so that's how he wanted to play it. Tricks and surprises. Fine. He would take a page from Yang's book then – smash whatever came his way. He charged OJ instead of hesitating, and didn't stop even when OJ brought his empty arm up to surprise him. OJ flinched in surprise just as Jaune got in range. His Keyblade began to glow, bright yellow electricity and red flames swirling around it. "Magnetic Burn!" OJ turned slightly, and the attack only grazed him. Something for which he was glad. When that energy exploded, it was an intense pain. An explosion laced with bright, vibrant energy that forced both him and it inward, containing the explosion so its force wouldn't lessen. That he was outside of the Magnega's main pull and was able to struggle just outside of its bounds was the only reason his Aura wasn't completely vaporized. As it was, the final explosion as the energy of the Magnega broke was violent enough to send both him and Jaune flying away from one another with the sound of a thunderclap. The dirt where they had been standing had been super heated, leaving a thin patch of glass in the pathway.

Jaune and OJ pushed themselves up and glared at one another. Jaune knew that wouldn't work again, but it definitely would make OJ a touch slower. Would Jaune think like Pyrrha had taught him to do in a fight, or brute force it like he'd seen Yang do so often? Jaune rushed him, unsure himself. Of course, he grinned, that was the point. He slashed overhead with both hands and OJ dodged to the side, then slashed up. Jaune charged his Keyblade with his Aura as he spun to block, and the two Semblances in the weapons fizzled as they canceled each other out. OJ snarled and pushed against Jaune, but the two seemed to be evenly matched now.

"... Fine." OJ jumped away and slid a few feet before stopping. Jaune resettled and the two glared at one another coldly. "You're as fast and strong as me. As smart, as well. But I'm fighting for something that matters." He tossed his Keyblade into the air, and its spinning summoned a Dark glow around it. When it landed in his hand, the Keyblade had changed. In his right hand, a golden short sword. In his left, a silver round shield. Jaune nearly took a half step back, but forced himself to rush forward. Those were exactly like Pyrrha's weapons.

His slash was deflected by the shield and the sword stabbed at his side, hitting him before he could recover. He clutched his gut and swiped to block the shield coming at his head, but the sword flashed with the same energy. It turned into a spear that smacked his ankle and he lost his stance. The spear twirled overhead and both ends hit Jaune with lightning speed. The edge slashed through his Aura and the base stunned him with smacks against his skull.

"Unlike you, I'm fighting for True Love!" He turned and the weapon glowed again, reshaped into a hunting rifle aimed directly at the shredded Pumpkin Pete on Jaune's chest. The end exploded, the thin barrel channeling the Firaga to a single point that slammed into Jaune. More of his jacket was vaporized and he was sent flying back, the golden glow on his body signaling that his massive Aura had taken as much of a beating as it could. He tumbled through the dirt and came to a stop on his chest.

OJ slowly walked up to his – his fun house reflection. A grotesque fake from a wax museum. He leveled the spear at Jaune's back. "Is that the best you could manage?"

Jaune panted on the ground. "I'm not... done -"

OJ's boot slammed into his side and he flopped over onto his back with a cry of pain. "It's clear you are."

"No! You won't win..." Jaune snarled. He turned onto his chest and slowly, painfully pushed himself to his feet. He clutched at his side and held his Keyblade in the other hand. "You can't."

OJ shook his head, disappointed. "You're a poor stand in for Sora. He saved this world, he defeated you, and he even managed to survive and destroy DISC. I wish -"

"I saved his life! I saved Vale!" Jaune interjected.

OJ stopped and glared at the exhausted Jaune. "... Then no one here is worth my time." He raised his spear to Jaune's throat. "Any last words before I make you a Heartless? Can't have you meeting with Yang once I'm gone. Better you two never meet again."

Jaune's eyes widened. He would... He would do something that cruel!?

R W B Y

Yang glared up at her mother's Nobody. "Do you have last words before your death, Daughter?" Morrigan inquired as she lowered her weapon to the blonde's throat.

A cold spike of fear traveled through her Heart. "J-jaune," she managed to choke out, eyes drifting towards the Arena. She reached out towards it, arm shaking.

Morrigan shook her head. "You can rest easy knowing he will go with us. He will survive."

That almost sounded like Morrigan was trying to be nice. But that wasn't what Yang got from it. She just pictured Jaune, eyes yellow and devoid of any kind of goodness in them. The Jaune she knew, the Jaune she loved dead and replaced by a clone OJ built in his own image. "..."

R W B Y

"What was that?" OJ snarled at Jaune. He lashed out with a kick that sent Jaune to his back. "Say it again!"

"Yang... I won't die here." His eyes were more vibrant than they had been this entire day. No doubt, no fear. He was sure.

OJ glowered down at him before slamming his foot into Jaune's gut once more.

R W B Y

Yang cried out in pain and clutched at where Morrigan's foot had hit her, turning over on her knees and free hand. "It's not something you'd get," she hissed from between clenched teeth. She turned her gaze up to meet Morrigan's, and the Nobody took a half step back. What was there was... different. It wasn't simply fire or anger or determination. It was... beyond, something that called out to the memories of Raven that Morrigan tried to force away. Memories of another blonde with lilac eyes looking at her as she left. And another, a man with red eyes who was filled with despair despite the same look as a woman chose another. Yang's glare was the same.

Morrigan narrowed her eyes regardless. "And what does that mean?"

R W B Y

Jaune ignored OJ's question and moved the hand clutching his side to his Heart. "Pyrrha was wrong."

OJ froze, the rage in his Heart frozen over but larger than ever. "... What!? You dare -"

"Pyrrha decided to fight so I could live. But she fought to sacrifice herself." He slammed his fist into the ground and slowly pushed himself up to one knee.

R W B Y

Yang's other hand came up to her bent knee and she pushed up to her feet. "Raven, my mom... She should have fought to live. She should have fought so she could see me and Dad again!" Yang snapped at the Nobody.

Morrigan glared at her, a swirl of memories and emotions – the memory of emotions, she corrected herself – running through her mind. Indignant defensiveness, anger, disgust... pride.

R W B Y

"And I will never make that mistake!" Jaune shouted at OJ. "I'm fighting to live, because I would never put Yang through that kind of pain, not after I've survived it and it nearly turned me into you! I won't be responsible for that!"

OJ felt his disgust for Jaune consume him. "Do not disrespect Pyrrha like that!" he screamed before charging forward and swinging at his throat.

Jaune simply shut his eyes and grabbed something from his belt. "I will fight to live. For Yang!"

R W B Y

"For Jaune!" Yang snapped, and her eyes opened. The Wayfinder she had grabbed suddenly flared up with a bright white light, becoming a true star in her grasp. That Light sparked and traveled all across her body, swirling around her left arm. The remains of Ember Celica on her arm flared up and a plate of Light exploded from between the cracks, growing and growing until it formed the shape of a kite shield, a glowing, rising sun of flames at its center. In her right hand, the remains of her mother's sword sparked as well, and a blade of Light, shorter and wider than a Katana's, ignited with the white heat of her Heart. Yang brought the shield up to block Morrigan's attack and readied her sword, and her lilac eyes turned the bright blue of the sky on a sunny day. "Sun Beam! I'm not dyin' today, and not at the hands of some Nobody like you!"

R W B Y

A star of pure, yellow flame exploded in Jaune's hand, the Wayfinder glowing bright and releasing a heat that made OJ jump back, just in time to avoid the pillar of flame that exploded around Jaune.

Within the flames, Jaune threw his hand forward, his Keyblade glowing bright in his hand as he did. It then began to grow and change, the top of the weapon twisting and pulling back while the blade, handle, and basket opened up and coiled into a bracer that shot back onto his right arm. The teeth settled just beyond Jaune's knuckles, and the silver and gold gauntlet tightened into an almost plate-armor like vambrace running along the back of his arm. But OJ was focused on his eyes, glowing red and angry. "Dragon Claw!"

Jaune slammed his arm back and the sound of a shotgun cocking echoed through the empty arena, killing the pillar of fire around him. Some flames remained, however, drifting off of his shoulders like a mane that burned almost as brightly as his red gaze. "Aurora." The buckler on his left arm extended, flames now coating the glowing, Lightning Dust infused edge. He slammed his fists together and entered a boxing stance. "You said I'll lose because you're fighting for True Love and I'm not? Well, right back at you, you bad copy."

AN:

And there it is, the penultimate chapter of Jaune and Yang's journey. It's been a long time coming to get this far. After this, we've got one more chapter of fights and story before the, most likely very short, epilogue. I'm excited to show you guys how it all ends. I hope that this chapter has revved up the hype enough for what comes next! I had a lot of fun writing it, and can't wait for what's next.

To everyone that's been here, be it from chapter one of Smaller, More Honest Souls or reading these stories together a long time after, thanks for taking this ride with me! I'll see you soon!

Now, for responses:

To Gamelover41592: Get ready for the most epic fight yet in this story!

To Chretner: I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Yeah, Yang would not enjoy short hair, but she has things she's more worried about right now. When she has time to breathe, she'll let that anger out. I'm glad you liked Jaune's reaction to realizing that he and OJ are so different. I imagined that it would make him more relieved and confident. And that's not going to end.