So, first I made some changes to chap 13 with that I've been meaning to do for a while now given the fact that we have a name for Weiss's ^*%(#&$ ^# of a father's actual name now and the fact her mother is alive but mostly likely an alcoholic that spends most of her time getting drunk in the garden, given who her husband is I think I can understand. I really considered doing something involving Whitley but I have plans for him in other stories, it won't be pretty or end well for the white-haired snake. Next this chapter is thanks to danielanthonymartinez08311994 coming up with several ideas for A Dragon Returns To Fight (Adopted) that I thought were good and had to use after getting his permission. I hope you all enjoy it. I do not own RWBY. Also, Stopping a Knight's Fight, the RWBYNPR time travel story, is up and I hope you check it out.
Chapter 15- Frozen Knight
Where am I? I remember the explosion, being consumed by it. Yet I live? I should be dead, I should be dust in the wind. Yet I can see Beacon, I can see my friends fighting two people that look like Weiss, I think the female of the two is Weiss's sister. They're winning and then the male does something causing large statues of ice to appear and grab them. The statues are crushing them, Weiss is begging. The man simply smirks and the statues squeeze tighter.
NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS!? I'M FORCED TO WATCH THEM GET HURT! WHAT KIND OF SICK JOKE IS THIS!?
"AAHHHH" Weiss is screaming, her aura is trying to do something, it's forming a body. It feels hollow, lifeless. A shell basically. It's a longshot but perhaps, perhaps I can use it. I can't describe how I move, I'm pretty sure I'm just a spirit, but I enter the shell that's forming. I feel it shift around me but I don't care. A bright light starts coming off me, why I don't know and right now I don't care. Faster than I could ever move before I run around slashing the statues to pieces with a sword of ice that was attached to this body's hip. I catch end with the one holding Weiss and catch her. She looks up at me and tears fill her eyes. I put her down and look at the one that attacked my friends.
He says something but I'm too angry to listen. I charge him and our blades clash. He tries to get around me and I follow this body's reaction. Icicles appear in my hands and I plunge them into the back of the man's knees. He falls to the ground and I slam my foot into his back. I reverse the grip on my blade and prepare to plunge it into his skull.
"STOP." My new body listens to Weiss despite the fact I'd rather just kill him. My blade is so close to ending his life. Weiss then delivers a cut to one of the man's eyes followed by her shouting at the man
"I hate you. You made my childhood hell, you always expected me to be perfect. WHAT KIND OF EIGHT YEAR OLD CAN BE PERFECT?! I know about what you've done to Faunus in our family's company, all the suffering and misery you've caused. You should know I gave Ozpin access to the family server. He's currently gathering information on everything you've done."
"You fool, that will drag the Schnee name through the dirt." Weiss waves him off. "So be it, I'll simply make sure I'm remembered as Weiss instead of another Schnee. Goodbye father." Sarcasm is heavy in her voice when she says father. She turns her back to him and walks away. If she's satisfied, then I suppose I'll let it be. I follow after her to check on the others. They crowd around me and examine the body I'm in. I can see in the reflection of some lingering ice from the statues that this body is a perfect copy of my own, only made of ice and my face is void of any emotion.
"Guys it's me. I don't kno…" I stop trying to talk when they don't react, in fact I can't feel the mouth move. I can feel through the limbs of this body, if barely, yet I can't feel the mouth. I can't communicate with them. I notice that tears have filled their eyes and then Nora suddenly grabs the body in a hug. I hear cracks and the body shatters. I find myself back to whatever state of existence I was in before I nabbed the body. The others look devastated until Weiss mentions she can call up the Ice Jaune later.
"Don't you mean Jaune Frost, Ice Queen?" I'll admit I prefer Yang's idea more. As the others leave for the infirmary I look around only to feel a tug and be dragged along. I find myself following my friends and when Weiss separate from the others to talk to Ozpin I end up getting dragged along with her. Irony at its finest. I'm stuck to the girl that I had a one-sided friendship with at best. Still I suppose I can make the best of this chance. I can try and help the others out at least.
Time Skip- six years later.
Six years since I started this new existence and I've come to have mixed feelings about it. I can't feel anything except in battle, I'm stuck on a leash of a couple dozen yards, I can't rest, I've had to make sure I distinguish between the ice body and myself for the sake of my sanity, but those aren't the parts that truly hurt. It's watching all the pain I caused that hurts the most.
Pyrrha refuses to move on, she won't even try to find a partner. I'm just glad she stopped her near suicidal lifestyle. One brightside to this existence is I got to see Kibo Jaune, I just wish the others wouldn't fill his head with tall tales of me being a hero. I also got to see the Malachite twins and Hei again, I'm glad things turned out well for them. I never blamed Hei, or Junior I guess, for what happened. His home was burned down and his nieces nearly killed because I was there, I probably would have done the same thing he did.
Ruby is no longer the innocent girl she once was. After the attack on Beacon I would expect some changes but not what my death? Huh, I never really considered what it might be called given the fact I survived in a way. Anyway, she's colder now, her enemies call her the Red Reaper, it's not because of the rose petals.
Yang took up drinking, it apparently keeps nightmares away. I remember her wakeing up from them in a screaming fit, tears flowing. It's not at Qrow's level but I don't like it, I suspect I'm the cause of those nightmares and I'm not fond of that. Her prosthetic has a shield now, a slight nod to me. I'm just glad she's added a little defense to her style. I don't want any of my friends joining me anytime soon. I doubt they will though.
I've come to the conclusion that the explosion spread my aura all over campus, it reacted to that Schnee bastard attacking my friends and gathered together to bring me back to consciousness. I'm not sure I'm entirely right but I won't claim to be an expert on aura.
Blake, well I didn't think I had that much of an impact on her. The idea she loved/loves me, I still can't wrap my head around it. When I found her on that rooftop after the Breach I was merely doing what I thought was right. She was so close to that edge of sanity, a line I danced with constantly and might have crossed once or twice. She blamed herself for something she had no control over and it was heartbreaking to look at. Now she also refuses to get over the boy that was unworthy of her affections. At the very least she's open with her friends.
Nora and Ren are happy, they finally got together. I was lucky that Weiss was close enough I could follow Ren and see that confession. They've practically become a second set of parents for Kibo, I'm just wondering when they'll have kids of their own.
Weiss… these past few years have been tough on her, a little more so then they have been for the others. Once Salem, the woman that Cinder answered to which in and of itself scares me given how powerful Cinder was, was forced to emerge from the shadows casualties were inevitable. Winter was one of those casualties, she died protecting Ironwood if I'm thinking right.
Then RBY got incredibly injured in a mission, not life-threating but it was bad. Weiss went to a bar and at the time met Neptune. Team SSSN was in Vale for a mission and he was taking a break from his team. One thing led to another and the next morning began with the two of them waking up together. I was so glad I had learned how to shut my senses off before then, I pride myself on being able to not peek on my friends' private moments. Neptune freaked when he realized what might happen and Weiss was worried about it as well. They agreed to wait until a test proved it.
Four weeks later and the test was positive. A little Weiss was on the way, Neptune reacted… well let's just say I fulfilled my promise to Weiss, not that she knows. I've made sure not to let it slip I'm alive. I've been tempted but I can't do it, they're better off just thinking I'm gone. Perhaps then they'll move on eventually.
Weiss of course took a break from her Huntress duties and teams RWBY and NPR helped her out. Everything seemed to be going good. Everyone was excited for the kid to be born, when it was confirmed to be a boy she decided to name him Adeln (1). For months, I watched as my friends' spirits brightened and then everything came crashing down when Weiss was eight months pregnant.
During a visit to Weiss's doctor Tyrian, a scorpion Faunus that literally worshipped Salem, attacked Ruby who was accompanying Weiss. In the close quarters of the hospital Ruby was unable to use Crescent Rose to its full capacity while Weiss was long past combat capable. I tried to fight him, I tried to stop him but he just bounced around me like I was nothing. He got past me and went for Ruby, his tail going for a killing blow when Weiss, her instincts having been geared to protecting her partner after years of fighting by each other's side for years took the blow.
I was able to impale Tyrian to a wall while he was distracted and then went to town on him, stabbing over and over again with my sword until he was dead and the wall was painted red. I then shattered as Weiss's aura couldn't sustain the body any longer and I was spent myself.
Weiss survived but at a cost. Aura will protect the wielder at all costs, it needed to purge Tyrian's poison from her system and it only "thought" about saving Weiss's life.
It cast the poison into Alden.
I had to watch as everyone broke down when the doctor told them.
I was at the funeral for the unborn baby.
I was the reason he died. Like always I wasn't strong enough, I wasn't fast enough, I wasn't good enough.
Now it's time for a New Year and Weiss has retreated in her room with a bottle of Bourbon, already half-gone, the others gave her this night of privacy, the reason of her son's death non-withstanding. I feel her aura rise up and then I'm back in this cold body. She stares at me for a bit, tears decorating her face, before her hand cups the body's cheek. I cup her cheek trying to wipe away her tears but I can't bring myself to move my hand away. I said I was over her and I thought I was but now I'm not so sure. I was still trying to figure everything out during the tournament but then Pyrrha went through her panic attack it escalated from there to when I went kaboom.
"You're not him." I would tilt my head if I could. What is Weiss going on about. Weiss then embraces the summon in a hug.
"Such a horrible joke, that you could look like him yet be as cold as me." Weiss?
"You know Ren told me that Jaune had no idea who the Schnees were. Every time he tried to ask me out he was asking Weiss, not Weiss Schnee, but I thought he only cared about my last name. I truly am a fool. Pyrrha even told me he loved my voice." I want to protest this, to make her understand she has nothing to feel bad about. Weiss deserved better than me, with or without the Schnee name, so it was only natural she'd reject me. Hell, I've already admitted I realized I was nothing but an annoyance.
"I wish I could apologize, that I could just accept one date. Maybe we would have worked out, maybe not. But then I would at least know, rather than simply wondering what I threw away. Now all I've got is you, a shell that's my subconscious punishing me. A monument to my stupidity." Weiss begins to cry again and sinks to her knees. I force my will upon the body and hug her, self-loathing pouring through me. Even in death I make her miserable, this is merely guilt clawing away at her. It has to be, the fool doesn't get the girl. Pyrrha, Blake, Weiss, hell possibly even Ruby are merely caught in guilt. I wasn't worthy of any of them and I sure as hell shouldn't be this hard to get over.
Weiss eventually cries herself to sleep and I tuck her into her bed before unlocking her door and dispelling the body soon after.
One year later
What the hell is with this bitch? She just won't die! No matter what my friends do she won't die. I can't help any as well. Every time I try to help Salem just shatters me and I'm forced to reform the body over and over.
"Honestly children, you're boring me. Could we move this along, I've got plans for this world and I don't feel like waiting any longer." Nora goes in for an aerial assault while Ren comes from her blindside but Salem throws them around like ragdolls. Weiss charges forward at blinding speeds with a glyph propelling the me forward as well.
Weiss aims for Salem's jugular but she's thrown back and I'm cut in half at the waist. I can feel Weiss's aura drop to nothing, I can feel the body want to hall apart but I force it to pull itself back together. Before I can accomplish that however Salem grabs the upper torso of the body while shattering the lower half.
"Curious. I know that the Schnee doesn't have enough aura left to keep you active. You don't feel like her anymore as well. In fact, you feel almost like… no it can't be. Actually, given it was your aura the started the blast. Oh, this is rich." Salem gains a maniacal grin and looks at my friends, all of whom are barely standing along with Ozpin.
"Did you all even realize that the Arc boy was inhabiting this thing?" Shock, sadness, disbelief, all those and more fill my friends faces. "I'll take those expressions as a no. Oh this is hilarious, he sticks around even after death to watch over you all. HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Oh, that is hilarious, right under Ozpin's nose. I thought after so many lifetimes you would be sharper than that Ozpin." She then examines what's left of the body once more.
"You know Watt's told me about you, such a shame that his little experiment failed. It would have been interesting to have more of me around." Pushing that to one side I can't help but laugh even though only I can hear it. Those experiments didn't fail, I was just really good at keeping the effects from showing.
I have to do something, anything! At this rate my friends will die soon! I can't afford to fail again! I've already failed so many times, I can't add another mark on that list! Wait that feeling, that burst of energy. I'd recognize it anywhere, that was my semblance. That was definatly how my aura would feel when I would use it. Like the warmth of a fire yet beneath it you could feel the power that could be unleashed if you weren't careful.
I wrap my arms around her and start flooding the ice with my aura. I focus on directing the explosion, something I had only just begun to practice before I died, upward into the blood red sky. It's a longshot but it could work. And I know that in this situation my friends would accept death to stop this madwoman.
I can feel Salem trying to get my grip to loosen but I hold on tight. I can feel the ice charge up with energy, the molecules practically vibrating apart. I try and picture a cone forcing the explosion upward and let it rip. I look at my friends one last time, somehow, I know this one will be the end of me, and feel the ice around my mouth crack and move.
In the end, I managed to smile at them one last time. I can see them cry out to me, damn looks like I'm still messing up.
I made them cry again.
BOOOM!
I manage to last long enough to see the explosion race towards the heavens, my friends cowering behind a wall of green aura Ozpin forms. Good, they're safe. That's enough for me. I think some rest sounds good right now. Huh? Is this what death truly feels like? This warmth that just lulls me to sleep, after seven years of just constantly being awake that sounds pretty good. Yet still…
I don't want to leave them.
(1)- German that can translate into To Knight
So, I hope you all liked it. This was it people, the true last chapter. I had a blast writing this story. It was my first story and it is still my personal favorite. I want to thank all the people that encouraged me to keep this going and to give a shoutout to mysterywhiteflame on Deviantart for making the Fanart for this story and for some of my other work. Now I decided to make a little contest to celebrate my first completed non-one-shot story. I'm going to post three more chapters for this story that are fan-written. You just need to send me a DocX connection request and then send me the chapter by the end of January 31, 2017. The top three will be posted in order of 3rd place, 2nd place, and 1st place. I hope to see what you all come up with. Once more thank you all.
