Puppeteer's Requiem

by Zacatecas

It was done in less than a year, the total genocide of a people, wiped clean from existence. But, as with most stories, there exists one survivor. With abilities still not tested and a connection between his people and the Grimm, Jaune ventures forth in life searching for the answers as to why his people were marked for death.

6. Exile

As Blake descended down the stairs, her steps grew heavier as she reached the bottom. She'd taken a look around her brother's shop, her eye settling on a frame on the shop counter. It brought back memories, ones of innocence and bliss. The picture was of the two on their first fishing trip together; the boy had caught mostly small fish and was relatively dry. Blake, on the other hand, was soaking wet and gleefully holding a rather large fish in hand. She was impatient, eager, and determined to catch that fish. And she did. How time had passed in the blink of an eye, and here she stood now; arresting the person she once called friend, a traitor to the cause. And her brother, unwilling to stand down, is now to be detained as well. She hated this, having to go against him like this, but the Fang couldn't allow all this in fighting. Taurus had reached a breaking point when it came to light that Kahn had been poisoned by the blond. And with her laid back attitude, along with Sienna's unwavering desire to recruit him, the core members had begun to wonder if their leader was stable enough to continue leading them. And if not, who would lead their cause?

As their leader recovered, Taurus assigned Blake to detain the traitor, her brother's intervention would be an interesting turn of events, but it wouldn't be too much of a surprise. Still, this needed to happen, Ilia was a traitor and Jaune's attempts to poison their leader had already shaken the leadership. It was unprecedented, and should Sienna have been fatally dosed; the fury of the Fang would come down on her blond. That is, if the Generals didn't kill themselves for control first.

She wouldn't kill either of them, they were family. But the cause held a great deal of importance. The order was simply a capture operation; she'd made Adam swear he wouldn't hurt either Jaune or Ilia. And she trusted his word, what would make her doubt him? After all, Amitola could atone for her mistake, and judging by the report Sienna made; Ilia's actions were spontaneous, not intentional. Jaune's actions were harder to defend. Yes, Kahn's persistence in recruiting the blond was time consuming, and aside from his little semblance allowing him to control dolls, Blake couldn't see what was to be gained by recruiting her brother. Of course, that was the initial impression, given time she soon took notice of Jaune's influence over people. Like a true politician, he'd sway the people toward his views, in doing do causing a great deal of the Fang's supporters to think twice about assisting their fellow faunus.

In all honesty, Blake couldn't understand why Jaune had chosen to leave the Fang when Sienna took over. He'd always believed in equality and peace, but even he had to understand that humanity would never take notice unless they took more drastic measures, she wished he would just come off his high horse and realize that the Faunus suffering couldn't be ignored any longer. But he wouldn't budge on his stance; he believed the Fang had become nothing more than terrorists. He always spoke as if he'd lived a long life, giving sagely wisdom as one would expect from an elder. It annoyed the young Belladonna. But all the same, she loved him; hence, once this was all said and done she'd take the blond to her parents and keep him there. Adam and the Fang's reach might've extended into much of Menagerie, but the Chief was still well above any Faunus organization. No matter what he thought or believed; she did care. But she couldn't ignore the plight of her people while she sat comfortably in this haven.

Besides, Jaune was smart, he'd know better than to fight when he was outnumbered. He wasn't a kid anymore.

"YEET!"

Then again, maybe not. Blake's eyes turned back to the staircase from where she heard the sudden, ungodly yell. Followed by the sudden rumbling and grunts of an ongoing tussle. Whatever Jaune thought he could accomplish, the two would eventually be overwhelmed.

Back upstairs, the few assassins that weren't currently under the blond and his puppets stared with widened eyes as their minds were still processing what just occurred. All the while, Ilia stood proud of her action, the blond was visibly seething with rage as he arose from the mess of unconscious assassins. All the while, the puppets as well arose with Jaune, though their faces could not express emotion, it was of no surprise that when the blades from within their forearms were unsheathed, Ilia took a stance. Although, as the puppets rushed her, a grin formed on her lips as they dashed past her and towards the assassins behind her, using their bodies rather than their weapons to repeat what Ilia had done to their master. In doing so, the puppets had managed to knock out another portion of the assassins, while also putting the others on high alert. The former White Fang jumped to the blond's side as her took a battle stance with one puppet at his side.

"You threw me?!" He hissed, a sudden stinging pain in his back forced a limp from the blond. Though, it did little to deter him. "I thought you were gonna throw the puppets!"

"I was. But then I realized they were also tied to you so I went for the more effective approach." She answered. Without warning, he pulled her to his side behind the first puppet. With confused expressions, the assassins prepared for their attack when the sudden clanking of wood directed their attention behind them. One of the puppets thrown at them had detached its head, and from its opened mouth shot out a barrage of needles. No reaction was possible as its limbs too had detached, from the forearms shot out another surge of needles, while the torso opened and unleashed a single flurry of them. Within seconds, each member had been hit, no wounds were too fatal, and none had been losing much blood. And so begged the question, why? They pondered as they removed the annoying picks from their bodies.

It wasn't until one of their own groaned, almost tiredly, before eventually collapsing that they were on high alert once more. They'd heard how the blond took down Sienna; the coward had done it by poisoning her. And judging by the same drowsiness being expressed from the remaining assassins; it was a probability they too were poisoned. A few attempted to continue with their mission and lunged at the traitor, but soon fell to whatever narcotics they'd been dosed with. Both Jaune and Ilia emerged from their hiding spot; the puppet being peppered with needles, though, allowing the two to remain unscathed.

"Impressive." Ilia commented. "And embarrassing for them." She added.

"How so?" Jaune asked, walking over to an assassin and reaching for their mask.

"White Fang assassins, outnumbered their enemy, and are taken down with a few coated needles." She quipped with a hint of pride in her tone. Though, as Jaune was known for, he'd bring her down with the revelation of who these assassins were.

Rather than share in her relish, he gestured her to his side. Upon doing so, she instantly recoiled; taking note of the rather youthful face she was staring at. But this wasn't the only one, as Jaune had reached for another three masks, each reveal only reinforced the same narrative; these were recruits, freshly picked. They weren't soldiers yet, but to be deployed meant the Fang, or perhaps only Adam, relied on a rather simplistic tactic; strength in numbers. Or they were desperate to keep order that they'd send everyone and anyone to apprehend both the traitor and the bastard that drugged their leader.

Almost as quickly as it arose, Ilia's pride came crashing down, her expression shifted to one of shame. She still supported the cause; to achieve Faunus equality. But to see these children sent out on their first mission without as much as a lick of training; it infuriated the blond. Was this what the Fang was becoming? Pondering it further would have to wait as Jaune arose, Summer hovering beside him.

"I'm gonna have a chat with my sister, stay here." He ordered. But before she could ask or even debate, Jaune had begun descending downstairs. What kept Ilia at bay for a mere moment of hesitance was the uncomfortably stoic expression on the boy's face. Rather than listen, she followed, knowing full well what would eventually occur with tensions threatening to boil over.

Blake was waiting patiently when she heard footsteps descending from the stairs. She rolled her eyes at the extended time the assassins took in apprehending the two. Though, her pupils dilated at the sight of her brother and childhood friend appearing before her, unchained and relatively unharmed. Although, Jaune was waking with a limp for some odd reason. As the blond stopped before his sibling, he wasted no time throwing the White Fang masks he took from the 'assassins' upstairs at Blake's feet. If her expression was of any indication, she certainly didn't expect to have her brother stand victorious, having defeated the small band of soldiers she was placed in charge of.

"Is this what you've all become?" His tone held enough venom to coat another set of needles. The surrounding puppets and dolls trembled, their heads turned to Blake, the available weaponry beside them already gave the Faunus an immense urge to turn tail and run. "Recruiting kids to your 'cause'? How low have you all sunk?" Oh how she hated this part. The fear and caution she felt were instantly pushed to the side as she knew all too well what would come next; Jaune's sage talks. She rolled her eyes, knowing he'd give her some moral lesson. Only, when she glanced to him, she took notice of his lacking in sagely wisdom. Instead, Jaune was seething with unbridled rage. "Well!?" His question, he wanted an answer this time.

"This is war, Jaune. And right now, we're outnumbered." She parroted, mostly what Taurus had drilled into her head.

"I wonder why that is..." he remarked.

"We're fighting for all Faunus, Jaune. Can't you see? The kingdoms don't care about us, they never have. To them we're nothing more than slave labor or target practice. Over a millennia of recorded history and not one kingdom can see past race, choosing instead to submit to the power of any who'll give them a slip of lien." She'd given him this argument before, and like before he'd counter with…

"Who are you to speak of the hardships of folks from nations you've never set foot on once?! You take isolated incidents, exaggerate the story, and use it to fuel your flock? How are you any different from the kingdoms!?" Though, this counter was new. Blake's fang's bared whilst her hands gripped her weapon. Clearly, she didn't take that little bit all too well. "Was it so hard to just leave me alone?" he muttered. The fatigue in having to constantly send these White Fang off his property was beginning to weigh on him.

"You couldn't keep your mouth shut! Every time we tried to recruit here, the people always quoted YOU. They called the cause a 'temper tantrum'! Even the neighboring towns started having second thoughts too! And now, with Sienna still reeling from your poison, no one will take us seriously. If the in-fighting doesn't break us, the lack of trust in members will, thanks to traitors." Her eyes focused on the chameleon.

The room was silent, for just a mere moment before Jaune turned to Ilia. "We did all that?" He asked, genuinely surprised. "Cause if we did, then the cause wasn't exactly that strong to begin with." Without warning, Blake had lunged at him, stopping only when her blade was pressed firmly against his neck.

"Why can't you understand? You of all people should know what it's like; to have your people hated and feared, thrown into a patch of dirt so the other kingdoms can avoid having to deal with your own scattered." And here was where Jaune drew line.

A doll from a nearby shelf arose and lunged at the Faunus, only to be cut in half. Though, the small distraction was all Jaune needed to shift backwards, tossing a few needles towards Blake. She dodged to the left, but was still hit by a few. Knowing Jaune, the needles were laced with some form of toxin. Nothing too potent, he would never kill anyone…that she knew of. Even so, he was that careful, aiming only to maim, never to intentionally kill.

And the poisons he used were always effective, and alarmingly fast. As her vision grew groggy, she glared at her brother who, when most times he'd smirk triumphantly, looked down on her with disappointment, and it annoyed her. If anyone should be angry with the humans, it was him. It should've been. They took everything from him; his home, his family, his people. Why didn't he want to fight? It confused her; it angered her that he was so calm and relaxed when it came to the truth of how the kingdoms felt towards his people. Did he not care? Or did he simply just give up on trying to change the world?

"Why..." She mumbled, trying to stay awake as the effects had begun to take full charge. "Why aren't you mad? The humans caused you so much pain...they killed off your race...they hurt you..." her conscious was drifting, her eyes in a losing struggle to keep her eyes open.

Jaune kneeled over her body; his hand grabbed her chin, lifting it so as to look directly in her eyes. "What would be the point?" He whispered. But by then, she had passed out. Gently, Jaune laid her head down as he arose. His head turned halfway towards Ilia. "But, if I'm truly honest, I'd love nothing more than teach the humans how I felt watching my people be slaughtered. To make them feel the pain I felt watching my sisters die right in front of me. My friends begging for their lives, the elders pleading for the children's lives…watching the life fade from my father's eyes…seeing my baby sister die in the hands of the Atlesian Colonel…I can't tell you how many times I've woken up from reliving these memories." Jaune turned fully to Ilia, his eyes focused on hers. "And every day…I wonder what it would be like to go with Tauru's idea; make the humans pay."

"Why don't you?" Ilia whispered, curious as to why he didn't join the Fang considering the resentment he felt towards humanity.

"..." Jaune was silent, glancing over to Blake once more before leaning over to pick up her unconscious body. Once he held her firmly in his arms, he stole a few more glances at his sibling before Ilia came to his side.

He remained silent on the subject; Ilia chose to drop the matter, but not fully. As the two walked outside, Ilia was taken aback when she saw the unconscious White Fang recruits from upstairs apparently moved outside. Three puppets were standing idly over the unconscious bodies; one was setting the last recruit down. While Jaune and Blake had their talk, the blond had his puppets moving the bodies out of the house. His control on these things was unbelievably flexed, she knew he couldn't control a dozen at a time, but then what person could? And his control over the, extended quite a bit. Of course, how exactly could he accurately control their action while being downstairs?

"It's...done..." and there was Ilia's source of theories and unending questions; Summer. The doll that had accompanied Jaune his whole life, almost like a piece of him. An unsettling fact was that it was sentient. And like his puppets, she was connected to the blond via the blue string. It could be possible that Summer had organized the puppets to move the bodies, but then, to move the things herself would mean...the doll was the puppeteer. Oh how the very image of it sent shivers up the Faunus's spine.

"Good, makes the next bit all the more…" Juane was cut off when he took notice of a rather sizable mass of Kuo Kuana's denizens approaching his shop. It wasn't the rather hostile expressions or the collection of weaponry the folks brought with them that unnerved the blond, and it wasn't the fact that Taurus was leading them either. It was the fact that the folks approaching; he knew a majority of them. As the mob grew closer, the puppets were brought back to his side, Summer taking her place on his right shoulder as the small mob stopped a few feet away, with only Taurus stepping forward over the bodies of the recruits he sent after him.

The blond followed suit, carefully walking forward without stepping on any of the unconscious Fang members lying before him. The two stopped at a respectful distance, within arm's reach, but far enough to see and evade any attack.

"End of the line, blondie." Adam muttered, his tone kept a respectful tone, surprisingly. All the while his hand remained firm on the hilt of his blade. "Time to come clean."

Jaune showed no visible reaction, though inside, a storm of anxiety had been brewing. It would seem that Taurus had caught wind of what Jaune was. And with that little bit of info, he chose to use the townsfolk to his advantage. Regardless of circumstance the blond wouldn't lay a finger on anyone, the red-head held no such connections. But it was clear enough who the folks of Kuo Kuana came for, it was painfully obvious. Although, the scene was playing out similarly to an old horror flick, and by that analogy, Jaune was the monster. And if the consistency followed through, no doubt they've come with one goal in mind.

An elder from the Menagerie council stood forward, stopping only at a distance behind Taurus. "Jaune Belladonna, it has come to light that you've been hiding a rather important detail about yourself from the good folks of this town, have you not?"

A visible annoyance took over the blond's expression. "Councilman Ryner. Are we seriously doing this?" he asked, to which the reaction from the elder was a furrowed brow and the slamming of his cane against the ground.

"Answer the question, boy."

Realizing what was playing out, the blond relaxed himself as he responded. "Yes." Glancing to the crowds, he noticed some of his former coworkers amongst the mob. They didn't bare weapons, but they weren't exactly showing visible signs of concern for him. If the blond had to guess from their expressions of what they might be feeling, his guess would be disdain. They felt disdain at the mere sight of him.

"You are not Faunus, are you?" the elder asked.

In reality, Jaune didn't need to answer any of these questions, hell; he could've easily just sent for Ghira and be done with it. The chieftain would disperse the townsfolk, and Taurus sent away. "No." But not this time. Instead he chose to face Taurus head on, and the crowd had been fed the truth, for once, from the Fang. Yes he grew amongst these people and most of them he was on good terms with. But fear would always dominate. Like the humans, the Faunus too despised the Reavers, similarly for a taboo very few, if any, remember specifically why.

"But…you are also not human, correct?" and again, Jaune nodded, by now a collection of murmurs had begun circulating amongst the crowd.

"Then why not tell the good people what you are. Tell them who Jaune Belladonna really is." Taurus gestured to the people, as if to further taunt the already disgraced blond.

It took all the strength the blond had not to lash out at the arrogant Fang. "A Reaver." He announced, nothing too loud or grand, but enough to get his point across. The reactions from the crowds were as expected; shock, horror, disdain, hatred. He knew he'd see these reactions to his heritage, but never from the people he grew up around, from the old fishermen, to the baker, and even his former coworker Haqua looking upon him with fear and suspicion. It was a rather sudden shift; did they really know what it was his people were guilty of? Or were these simply folks that were easily swayed?

The elder stood forward, his narrowed eyes focused on the blond boy. "Seven years ago, your people were marked for death…"

"Yes, I was made very aware of that." Jaune responded, caring little at this point for whatever this elder had to say.

"You were but a cub when you arrived here. Do you wish to know why your people were sentenced?" And just like that, Jaune's interest was caught. Although, he highly doubted even the old man would know. Still, didn't hurt to ask.

"Why?"

The old man took a moment, as if to build up what he was to announce. An exaggeration to be sure, but one with a resulting reaction that favored both himself and the Fang. "Necromancy."

There were a few murmurs from the mob, a couple expressions had shifted to anger, others to fear. Adam seemed to relish in this turn of events. Before tonight, the people would've instantly sided with Jaune, but now, they finally realized who the real enemy was. Although, if only briefly, he was surprised to hear that the boy's people were killed off due to a single practice.

Of course, what he didn't expect, what no one expected, was for the blond to chuckle softly. It started off low, growing louder with each passing second until he erupted into a full blown fit of laughter. The purpose of his joy was unknown although; no one could deny the unsettling feeling from listening to him laugh like a maniac.

Taurus' grip tightened around the hilt of his weapon, as did most of the Fang he brought with him. The majority of the townsfolk were wavering; the reaction they expected from the boy was mostly denial, or shame. But instead, he appeared to be taking this as nothing more than a mere joke.

It took only a moment for his fit to calm, in which Ilia was growing increasingly worried when she noticed his head cock to the side. She'd never seen this side of him before, especially the negative aura she felt surrounding him, something she similarly felt around…

"Is that it?" The blond's question caught both the elder and Adam off guard, though, the latter did well to hide his reaction. A collective of clanking wood echoed in the ears of the faunus present, an equal mixture of confusion and caution was felt by the populace present. "Damn, and here I thought you knew…" he raised both palms, his arms stretched out, blue strings stretched out. The clanking wood got louder as another three puppets crashed through the shop's window and door. With those already present, the blond now had six puppets at hand. However, none appeared to be in a position to attack as they merely hovered around the bodies of the Fang assassins. Each puppet reached down and removed the masks, revealing the identities of the soldiers sent to kill him. "You're close old man, I'll give you that. I have a lot of fond memories of this town so I'll only ask once; there any chance this can end peacefully?" he knew what the answer would be, and he knew their reasons.

The crowd looked, cautious, more so then before. Adam did as well, particularly over what this old man would say. This little mob was just for show, if they wanted him dead Adam would've been more than enough. But these folks, they were here to drive a message forward.

"Menagerie is a haven for Faunus, for years our people have built it to be a home for our kind. A home meant only for the Faunus. Outsiders are not welcomed; least of all you damned Reavers." The old man had slammed his cane down to further demonstrate his aggression. "Your ilk has no place here. The fact that our chieftain had brought you to our land only endangers the faunus. If the kingdoms were to ever discover Menagerie harbored filth like you, our home would soon face occupation by Atlas and its bastard General; Ironwood. And that is a risk I will not allow."

And once more, for another elongated second, the blond remained silent. Ilia was, to a great degree, livid. She'd heard this kind of speech before, the way the elder referred to the Reavers and, essentially, Jaune; as filth. It was the same rhetoric the humans used. And judging by a large portion of the crowd nodding along with the old man's rantings, the hatred towards the Reavers was indeed still alive and well amongst the townsfolk. And yet, the reason behind it still eluded the chameleon. Was it truly necromancy that made the Reavers enemies of everyone? Was that even possible? Everything described in the books alluded to a taboo practice, but nothing conclusive.

"I see…very well." Without warning the head of the six dolls detached, from their open jaws were shot a 3-round burst of needles towards the armed Fang soldiers. Adam managed to deflect the needles thrown his way, but just barely, as he did in fact feel one hit him in his shoulder. Knowing full well how this blond fought; the needles were coated in some kind of poison, giving him a few minutes before his body either succumbed to it, or felt the overwhelming effect, impairing his fighting prowess. If there was one thing Adam could admit, it was the blond's use of herbs to mesh with his style of combat made him a formidable foe. But his style was reliant on the element of surprise, which only worked once. Or so he assumed.

Drawing his blade, he lunged forward, believing he'd only need one clear shot. As his blade was raised and lowered for the desired effect, the White Fang leader had come face to face with the very traitor they'd been sent out to capture in the first place. She had drawn a rapier and stood with the blond Reaver. She chooses to turn her back on her brothers and instead defend a creature sentenced for extinction. Thinking on that note alone, he couldn't help but feel slight pity Jaune, but that did little to dissuade his resolve; Ilia was a traitor and Jaune an enemy to the Fang. They would both be put down here, an example for those with similar intentions.

But before he could knock the traitor aside and strike his initial target, Taurus felt stinging in his back. He turned his head to faintly catch a small doll at the corner of his eye with a knife embedded in his back. It took little effort for him to knock Ilia's weapon out of her hand, even less to bring his blade down on her. His aim was simply to incapacitate her, make it so she couldn't be a nuisance until her 'trial'. At least that was what he expected. What no one saw coming was the trail of blood coating the ground was not of the treasonous faunus, but that of the shopkeeper. He'd, with seemingly lightning speed, placed himself in front of his employer. The attack, however, had done away with his left forearm.

It was an unforeseen turn of events; the only warning was the sudden clanking of wood. That little detail, upon regaining herself from the shock, made Ilia take a double take at the blond. What made her analysis brief was a rancid stench, causing her nose to twitch and her expression to furrow. She backed away, as the supposed injured shopkeeper's staggering body began expelling a red mist. The putrid smell began affecting the faunus as the small mob began to disperse, some of the Fang still able to stand were in coughing fits as they refused to stray from their leader's side, but in turn remained in the heart of the miasma.

The blond staggered more, the clanking of wood echoed in the now fairly empty street. After getting a better view of him, Taurus backtracked, his sword being held in one hand whilst his free hand covered his nostrils.

He could hear fairly well, given the effects the toxins were beginning to display on him, but the thickened mist denied visibility. As for the figure standing before him, the Fang leader was caught off guard by how easily he had mistaken one of the blond's puppets for the shopkeeper himself. Granted, this particular puppet was designed to look like him, so it begged the question, where was the original?

Before being able to search for the blond, the puppet version of him clanked loudly before unsheathing a hidden blade in its wrist and lunging at the faunus. With a swift move he cut the puppet in half, though, rather than fall, they hovered behind the Fang. It lunged again at him, this time using its weight to throw him off balance, and earn a few unexpected needles shot at his shoulders from the mist. These were slightly thicker, the intent being possibly to be just as painful as the coated poison.

For Taurus, this was nothing short of an embarrassment. He had underestimated the Reaver, thinking the blond's pacifist façade would equal an easier capture, but this proved otherwise. The effects of the coated weapons had started to take hold, as he felt the world growing ever hazy. Within the mist, he noticed a silhouette shifting about. Assuming it to be his target he aimed his weapon, and fired.

He knew the blade hit its intended target, he heard the blade hit. What he didn't know was if it was Jaune or not. And he'd probably never find out as the world had gone dark. His body lay beside a dozen or so more unconscious members.

Meanwhile, rising up with cloth covering his mouth was the blond shopkeeper. The blade was embedded in his right shoulder, apparently his attempt to sneak behind Taurus failed. Still, the toxins had done their job. As did the odor bomb his replicate puppet dispersed. The lifelike puppet was intended to release a gas similar to a stink bomb; the gas itself was harmless, but the smell was unbearable. Thankfully, the mob had dispersed and the Fang was incapacitated. Though, that left the blond and his employee with a time limit. The toxin he used to put these Fang to sleep would wear within the hour, and with his reputation now in shambles, he had no choice; he needed to disappear.

As the mist cleared, it was revealed that Ilia was standing beside Jaune, watching the whole ordeal unfold. Though, she quickly jumped into action when the noticed Adam's blade currently embedded in the Reaver's shoulder. He staggered, nearly falling over when he attempted to take a step forward.

"Damn, got a little careless…" he mumbled. "…again."

-Nearly an hour later-

Faintly, light had begun to shine through once again for the initial party sent to retrieve the traitor and shopkeeper. Though, as the group awoke from their slumber, the instantly took notice of two things; one was the collection of their fellow unconscious fang littering the street directly in front of the blond shopkeeper's store. And therein came the second item they took notice of. In a surprising twist, the shop they were sent to was currently ablaze. Their confusion only grew as they began wondering why it was they were suddenly outside. Still, they were also grateful to have been outside; as they watched the flames consume every corner of the store.

Although, as they quickly took notice that their leader had apparently awoken as well, for a while actually. When she awoke, she quickly took notice of her surroundings, as well as the burning shop before her. But, what her eyes were locked on wasn't the burning building or the various still unconscious White Fang around her, but rather, it was the still burning body inside, already burnt to the bone, leaning against the counter with a katana embedded in its right shoulder. The shimmering dust lingering beside the blood stains indicated the activation of pyro dust rounds. The damned things burned faster, and were more effective. In this case, the fire had enveloped everything, destroyed the shop and all the while, it wasn't the fire that was engraved in her mind, but the image of seeing the burned corpse. When the fire settled, there wouldn't be much to examine, the body was already burned beyond recognition.

Even when the brigades came around to quell the flames, to keep them from spreading, all she could do was watch. Her body felt limp as her mind could only assume what any would in this scenario; her brother was dead. The memories she had of them, the time they spent causing mischief together, the times they argued over what was right and wrong, the sound of his voice; it all went up in flames. She would never see him again, hear his voice, and escape to his shop just to have tea and a civil talk. Never again.

That realization hit her hard, if the streams of tears or sorrow-filled wail were of any indication.

-Meanwhile-

Aboard a vessel, a fair distance from Kuo Kuana's shores, a hooded Faunus turned her head back to the mainland, her ears perked at hearing what she could only assume was her childhood friend awaking from her sleep to find her sibling's body burning in his own shop with her 'crush's' sword embedded in his burning corpse.

Her head cocked to the side, eyes straying away from the pummel of smoke emanating from the docks. "This is wrong…" She whispered.

"She made her choice." Her eyes drifted to the hooded figure to her left. Small hints of blond locks escaped the tip of his hood. His arms were crossed as he kept his attention ahead of them. "The cause was more important to her than family…besides…" From within his sleeves he retrieved a few vials of purple and red liquids. "I don't have enough poisons for another encounter. And they would've been prepared the next time around." After placing the vials back in his sleeve, he gently massaged his right shoulder.

"Shouldn't you get that checked? There should be a doctor on board." Ilia commented, gesturing to where she believed the medbay would be.

"Yea. Just give me a minute." He responded, waiting for a small gathering of folks to retreat inside. All the while he took a moment to gaze over Summer. Her design wasn't an out-of-nowhere inspiration. For the longest time, he remembered these features. He remembered seeing them, and he remembered who it was they belonged to. He even remembered the last time he ever saw her, late fall. Shortly after, his father gave him the doll. Told him to always keep it close, that it carried a bit of her with it. He closed his eyes, thinking back to the very last time he ever saw her. She was not of the Vul Krein, an outsider for a mother, a half-breed he was. He was taunted for it, shunned in most tribal gatherings simply for not being a full blooded Reaver.

There was a time, only once, she promised to take him with her, to go on an adventure. But, the promise was made and spoken of only once. And shortly thereafter, she was gone. He never understood why his father cared enough to give him something to remember her by, but he didn't care. His sisters certainly didn't care, nor did their mothers.

He didn't remember her name, nor did he have a clear image of what she looked like. It was all fuzzy at this point. All he remembered was one word he associated with her.

'Mama'

And there it is, I was hoping to have this chapter up last week, but things happened. I lost a lot of my vigor for writing these last two months, mostly due to personal reasons. However, I am regaining a foothold on my emotions, faintly. Just wanted to give you all a heads up in case the chapters stagnate in their update.

As I said, here's the phrase Jaune spoke in the last chapter;

Aav Ko Dinok,

-Unity in Death,

Krosis Ko Krongrah,

-Sorrow in Victory,

Sos Alun Bo,

-Blood ever Flowing,

Un Sil Unslaad

-Our Souls Everlasting

Please keep in mind, these have a meaning to something in the story, but that's for much later on. Thank you all for reading. Until next time.

Oh, and for those who caught on to the last bit; yes I went there, and I plan to dive more into that and more flashbacks in future chapters. Ciao~