Alright I'm finally back sorry it took so long. For those of you who haven't seen it check out my new story A Cat's Final Fight. I do not own RWBY.

Jaune- Flashback

Chapter 5- A Dragon's Lament

Why?

Why did you leave us?

I keep asking myself that.

But did I honestly deserve to have you as a friend?

When we first met you didn't give the best first impression by vomiting on my shoes.

Yet when I left Ruby by herself when we made it to Beacon you where there for her.

When I saw you in the forest I felt sorry for Pyrrha for getting deadweight. I thought you would drag her down.

Not looking beyond the obvious has always been a problem of mine.

After teams were formed Nora bragged about your plan to beat the Deathstalker. I thought you might have some talent after all.

The first time I saw you fight in combat class ended this notion. How wrong I was.

You then became my favorite person to poke fun at.

I found it odd you put up with all my jokes. Now I know you were used to being the whipping boy.

When Cardin bullied Velvet and other Faunus I knew I had the strength to stop him but I didn't. Instead you, the one viewed as the weakest, stood up to him.

We knew he was bullying you and we did nothing.

All my big talk and I didn't help a friend.

Ruby and Weiss told us about what happened in the forest. I know I wouldn't have bothered to save Cardin.

You always saw the best in everyone.

Then you told us about your transcripts and we treated you like scum.

WHAT RIGHT DID I HAVE TO JUDGE YOU?

I've broken so many laws it's not even funny. All for selfish reasons.

I even threatened you to stay away from Ruby. I thought you would get her injured or killed.

Again I've done worse, I nearly got us both killed looking for my mother when we were kids.

Then you nearly died saving Weiss and things went back to normal. You continued to be the kind dork we knew and loved despite the way we had treated you.

I don't think any of us ever actually apologized to you.

When Blake left you were the one to track her down, not me her partner.

I would have lost her if not for you.

During the Breach you had your team check on us based on a gut feeling.

That feeling saved our lives. We would have been overrun if you hadn't come.

Yet we still ignored your plans and yelled at you when you ran off to save civilians.

When I was tricked into attacking Mercury you stood by my side.

My own sister suspected I was lying yet you trusted me. I had done nothing to earn your trust and you still gave it to me.

You went out of your way to investigate any way I could have been tricked into seeing what I saw.

Once the White Fang began to attack I went looking for my team. I found Blake and Adam and blindly charged Adam after seeing him stab Blake. I lost an arm because of that.

You once told me I needed to stop charging in wildly.

Looks like you were right.

I blacked out from shock and didn't wake up for a few days. When I came to I was in a hospital bed with Uncle Qrow and my team watching over me. I noticed the mood and tried to make a pun about lost arms. It wasn't very well received. Ruby, Blake, and Weiss burst into tears and I was completely lost.

Then Uncle Qrow showed me a recording of your final fight.

I was a mess after watching it as well.

Funny all my claims about strength and yet I faint after losing an arm and you lose one and take an arrow to the heart and still keep fighting.

You cleared my name with that video. Ironwood tried to apologize a few days later.

I've been staring at the ceiling for a while now when the door open. Ironwood walks in with my and J… no NPR following. I can't believe they're able to function after what happened. Ironwood begins to speak "Miss Long I would like to apologize for not believing you about your innocence. I hope you'll accept my sincere apologies and a promise to help find a suitable prosthetic."

I begin to accept when Uncle Qrow cuts in "Oh no you don't James, tell them what Jaune told you." Everyone stares at Ironwood and he looks nervous. He begins to stutter and fidget but eventually speaks "Mr. Arc brought his concerns to me about the similarity of your statement and what Miss Adel said happened in her fight with the late Emerald Sustrai. I told him I would look into it to pacify him but I didn't think his concerns were noteworthy and I didn't bother investigating Emerald." I can feel my anger rise with that confession. Ren begins to question Ironwood with a voice that could freeze oceans "What would have happened if you had investigated Jaune's concerns?"

Uncle Qrow answers for Ironwood "If the general had done his job and performed a proper investigation the entire attack probably could have been stopped. The background checks that would be performed in the course of the investigation would have revealed either (A) Emeralds semblance, (B) that Cinder's group's backgrounds were fake, or (C) that Mercury wasn't even injured. In other words Jaune would probably would still be alive." I can't throttle Ironwood myself but the others are trying very hard to do that for me at this moment."

The others beat Ironwood pretty hard that day.

Ironwood still got me a prosthetic though.

I put an expandable shield in it to remember you.

One more thing.

I know you asked me to cheer Pyrrha up but I can't do it.

I can't even cheer myself up.