A/N: Wow. It's been a long while since I've been able to write. I have to apologize about that. My excuse: school, work, life; Pick which ever one that you think fits best. I do apologize for the extremely long break between this chapter and the last, and unfortunately I'm not too sure that I will be able to get back to updating regularly anytime soon. If anything good has come from my little break, it would have to be that I have fleshed out a few more plot points for future tangents along with figuring out a bit more of the overall lore of my story.

Chapter 23: war that our

24 Years later...

"I think that's all we're going to be able to get through tonight." I said as I stood up from my chair at the side of John's bed, "We'll pick it up from there some other time. Good night John."

After I kissed his forehead, I turned around and quickly exited the room, trying desperately to hold back the tears that had come with the memories. I couldn't let my son see me like this.

Subconsciously, I made my way to the sanctuary and sat down at one of the pews at the front of the room. Once I was sitting, and away from the eyes of my son, I quit trying to hold back the tears and just let them flow.

I continued to sob for several minutes and it wasn't until after I felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around my shoulders that I managed to start calming down. I looked up into the beautiful pink-white eyes of my wife and hugged her back.

"I miss them so much, Sarah." I said, my voice and body shaking.

"I know. I miss them too." She said, squeezing me tighter.

I smiled and let out a slight chuckle, "To think that every single one of them willingly gave their lives for us;" I paused and shook my head, "it still blows my mind away." I could feel the tears begin to flow again.

"Not everybody that went on that suicide mission died you know." I heard a different, but familiar voice say.

I wiped my eyes and looked up to see the owner of the voice approaching us.

She was wearing a pair of worn, black, combat pants with a black, skirt-like piece - it reminded me a lot of Yang's skirt - coming off her waist and had her sigil embroidered on the right hand side of it. She also had a black belt around her waist and a black bandanna tied above her left knee.

On her upper torso, she had on a gray, t-shirt that showed off her toned stomach. On top of that she had a long sleeved, black, leather jacket that was shorter than her t-shirt. Around the collar of the jacket and the waist of her pants was a gray, fur-like material. She also had on a pair of tight, black leather gloves that both helped with the handling of her weapon and hid some of the scars that she had received over the many years of fighting both the Grimm and the many demons that inhabited the war.

Around her neck was the necklace that she, with my help, created during the first lesson that I taught to her and her team. Just above the necklace was the face that reminded me every time I saw it that I had a duty, and a promise, to uphold.

Her face, as well as her neck, was marked in various places with scars; scars that gave her naturally lightly toned face a dark, if not unnatural, beauty. On the left side of her face - carving a straight path from her jaw-line, crossing over one of her golden orbs, settling just above her eyebrow - was the most prominent and well-defined of all of the scars she possessed; one that, since receiving it, has been the cause of the majority of her nightmares. Just above her golden, cat-like eyes, was her straight, black, flowing hair that reached down to her waist.

On her back, ready to be drawn at a moment's notice, was her weapon. Attached to one of her belt loops on her left was a mask. A Grimm mask, but not just any Grimm mask. It was a mask that was once colored white and bore witness to the monstrous acts that she willingly committed in the name of gaining equality; actions that she has since regretted.

It was a mask that was now colored black showing her resent towards the terroristic acts she once committed.

In time, it - along with it's counterparts of red, silver/blue, and yellow coloring - became a symbol to which resentment, spite, and hatred, sourcing from the many evils of the world, were directed towards. Something that, in time, was replaced with revere and love; especially from a few of those evils.

Her team, alongside my own, became the world's most infamous and renowned bounty hunters the world had ever seen and fighting force that was not to be messed with.

Her team was a team that I loved as if they were my own children. They were a team that, during the war, inspired hope for a peace filled tomorrow; something that I wish all of them had a chance to see.

To me, she represented the very people that I wish that I could have saved, but couldn't.

Other than myself and Sarah, she was the last living member of the family that we had, in time, created.

She was an individual that I, time and time again, had come to respect and love.

Approaching myself and Sarah was the last surviving Huntress on Remnant, and the only member of team RWBY that still walked the scorched remains of Planet Remnant with her own two legs; Blake Belladonna.

"I know Blake." I replied solemnly.

She sat down next to me in the pew, "You know that was our decision to go, right?" She asked me.

I looked her in the eyes, "I know." I replied honestly, my eyes finally clear.

I checked the time on my scroll, it was almost midnight; I smiled at this. Silently, and subconsciously, I asked a question to no one in particular, "It's almost midnight and the moon is supposed to be in it's shattered phase, do you want to go see if the sky is clear tonight?" After a second, I got two responses.

"Yes." Said the first voice, which belonged to Sarah.

"Always." Replied the second voice, which belonged to the other woman sitting beside me; Blake.

I smiled and moved my head in an upward motion, signaling for them to grab on. Once they both grabbed hold, I teleported myself to the roof with company in tow.

The night was, as I thought, clear.

I positioned myself against one of the walls and put my arms around the two women that I treasured the most; one on my left, Sarah, some one whom I loved as more than just my wife, and one on my right, Blake, who's company I cherished and loved as my own sister.

We laid like this for hours - both of them wrapped in my arms, simply enjoying each others company - just staring at the stars, content for the moment.

After a while I decided to break the silence as I had something that I wanted to address in their presence, "Hey Blake, Sarah." I said aloud, hoping that they wouldn't be asleep.

From both of the women laying against me, I got inquisitive hums indicating that they were listening.

Rolling my eyes, I continued, "Remember how I said that I wanted to make a plaque of sorts to put at the memorial site?" I asked.

I got two nods for a response. "Well, I finally came up with something that I want to put on it."

Blake sat up fully and turned to look at me, "Well..." She said, somewhat impatiently.

I smiled and chuckled lightly at the child-like behavior that Blake was displaying. "I'm glad to see that the 24 some odd years that you have lived since meeting me have taught you nothing in the way of patience and maturity. If anything, it seems that you have taken after Ruby's likeness and become even more immature since then."

Blake didn't say anything back, instead she just stuck her tongue at me and made a face showing that she wasn't amused.

I laughed again before I continued, "It goes something like this: 'In the end, the only things that really matter, are the ones whom we love, and the ones who love us back. For it is love that brings us hope, even against all odds, and it is hope that gives us the strength and the drive to do the things that cannot be done without it. It is only through the desperation and despair that comes with war that our true intentions are not only revealed to others, but revealed to ourselves as well. As such, if we do not put love for others above all else, then what else are we supposed to be doing here? For it is only through love that true peace is obtained...'" I stopped to take a breath, "That's as far as I was able to get before I was distracted. I'll let you two know when I finish it though."

"You know Soap, sometimes you scare me when it comes to how deeply you think about things." Sarah said, giving me a kiss.

I kissed her back but otherwise didn't respond; instead I just laid back against the wall and continued to stare at the stars.

We did this once more for a while. Eventually, though, Blake broke the silence to ask me a question, "Hey Soap?"

I looked down at her and raised and eyebrow to indicate that I was listening.

"I was listening to you and Sarah tell John your story, and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind continuing it?" She asked.

I looked at her with a questioning look, silently asking her "Why?"

She saw this look and explained, "I know the parts that I experienced, but aside from that, I only know bits and pieces of the whole thing. Please, can you tell me? Starting where you left off with John?" She asked, giving me a pair of golden puppy dog eyes.

I had already figured that she would ask for the rest of our story; so with a heavy sigh, I agreed. "Sure."

I sat up, getting myself into a more comfortable position before I began. "That night after I got back from my trip to Vaccuo with Sam, Drake, and Crimson in tow; I went up to the roof, on a night much like this actually, to sit and admire nature's beauty. Eventually, Sarah joined me. We talked for a little while about various things, but eventually we just laid there, underneath the stars. It was around that time that I decided to propose to Sarah..."

A/N: I do have to apologize again for the relatively short chapter compared to all the others, I blame life. But tell what you all thought about it, especially what you think about the two surprises that I threw in and Blake's outfit. I do not claim credit for the design though, that goes to Essynthesis on DeviantArt. Here's the link for that: essynthesis,deviantart,com/ art/ RWBY -Blake -Belladonna -Squall -Clothes -425080252

Anyways, it might be a while before another chapter comes out, but it depends on how much free time I can get during spring break next week; but I digress.

Until next time.

Soap out.