Three Years Later
A single rose petal floated off the edge off the cliff as it fell into the forest below. The sun reflected off the snow illuminating the two graves that overlooked the vast forest of Patch. Mother and daughter resting side by side. The sun hung low in the sky casting the cliff with a bright orange.
"Yang I think we need to go. Team JNPR just got back and they're waiting for us with Weiss." I didn't dare step closer to Yang as she dropped a red and white rose on to each grave. Weiss and I had learned very quickly not to pressure Yang whenever she was thinking about Ruby.
Yang stepped back from the grave and pulled the hood of her jacket over her shoulder-length hair and stepped past me. I followed a few steps behind her and almost ran into her as she abruptly stopped. "Do you want to say anything to her? I haven't seen you visit her since the funeral." Yang didn't look to me but kept facing the waiting airship. "You know it would mean a lot to her?"
"I've already said what I wanted ...all I can do is ask for forgiveness." Yang, Weiss, and team JNPR had tried to convince me in the past that Ruby's death wasn't my fault but I was. I should have been faster, I should have killed Adam earlier, if only I was stronger.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity Yang started walking down toward the airship waiting in the clearing at the bottom of the hill. I let Yang gain some distance between us knowing she was upset. During the funeral, I tried to apologize to her for what happened and ended up receiving a punch to the jaw. After that, I learned to keep quiet.
Yang stepped into the bullhead before me and spoke to the pilot who immediately began to flip switches push button preparing the airship for flight. By the time I stepped in and sat down the bullhead was already starting to rise up of the trees surrounding the cliff then with a single movement the bullhead lurched forward heading straight for Beacon.
Beacon over the past six years Beacon had become what its name intended it to be. A beacon for all of humanity to look towards during time of darkness. After Beacon fell during the fall the Vale council had deemed it necessary to take back the academy using it as a symbol to push back against frequent attacks in Vale.
Hunters all across Remnant had shown up after Ozpin had sent out the council's declaration. No Grimm stood in their way and eventually after three days of fighting only one Grimm remained. This Grimm just happened to be the Dragon frozen to the top of the CCT tower. Four teams had gone up to kill the beast including Team JNPR and us. Out of the four teams only the two of us returned.
After the school had been cleared out Vale spent months renovating the defensive so that it could withstand any new threat. After a year Beacon finally reopened once again as one of the four Huntsman academies and as the new headquarters for Huntsman. With a headquarters, Huntsman now had a place to meet and plan strikes against the growing threats across Remnant. Cinders attack might have broken us but we healed and came back stronger.
As Yang and I stepped off the bullhead we immediately came upon the site of two of team JNPR's member walking toward us and the third sprinting toward us. With a quick sidestep, Nora ran past me and slammed head first into the side of the bullhead with a loud resonating crash. As I looked down at the overly vivacious redhead I swore I could see stars spinning around her head. "Hello, Nora how are you?"
Nora instantly recovered and pulled into a hug trying to squeeze the life from my body. "Oh, I'm doing great especially now that we're back and so are you guys."
It took all the strength in my body to pull myself away from Nora but eventually, her grip loosened as her eyes landed on Yang. Nora lunged at Yang but was immediately met with a stiff arm to the face and a resounding "aww" from Nora. At one time Yang would have met Nora with open arms and the two would have tried to squeeze the life out of one another. However things have changed, all of us had seen what the world could do and none of us liked what we saw.
Ruby's death had hit Yang the hardest, for weeks she locked herself away from the world and drank away her pain. Eventually, she had pulled herself out of her hole but immediately jumped into another. Yang had turned her sadness into anger and pointed it toward the White Fang. For months she went on a rampage and hunted down as many as she could all over Remnant. Her anger had been so powerful that she had almost single-handedly caused their collapse a year and a half ago.
After the fall of the White Fang Yang started to return slowly herself. Some days would be spent hanging with old friends from Beacon but other days her sorrow would rise and pull her back down. About six months ago Yang had finally hit median point, she was no longer the bubbly blonde she used to be but neither was she the cold heartless revenge seeker. She simply became a new Yang.
The one thing that had not changed though was Yang's fashion sense. Even while hunting down the White Fang she made sure she looked good while doing it. Her outfit had changed over the years but it always kept within certain parameters. Yang had taken to wearing a brown leather jacket with a grey hood over a yellow t-shirt. Her legs were adorned with a pair of calf-high brown boots. The only out of place on her entire body was two emblem set onto her jacket. On her left shoulder was the depiction of her emblem of a burning heart and on her left shoulder was Ruby's emblem of a burning rose.
Nora finally gave up trying to give Yang a hug and accepted defeat with a sad pout. "Oh come to one Yang I haven't seen you in forever." It was now Yang's turn to give up as she pulled Nora into a hug less powerful than mine had been but still filled with the same energy. "I missed you too Nora!"
Yang released Nora as she stepped back I took a chance to look at Nora. Nora's outfit had changed since the last time I'd seen her and to say it was similar to her other outfits wouldn't be far off. As usual, Nora had on a pink skirt that went down to mid-thigh and a pair of white stockings. She had on a sleeveless shirt that had a low cut showing off just the right amount of her plentiful cleavage. The biggest difference in her outfit was the added armor she wore. Nora had taken to wearing a pair of armored greaves and gauntlet. The final piece to tie it all together was an armored corset made of a polished metal.
"I told you Nora would be excited to see them." I spun towards the sound of the voice behind me and instantly came face to face with Ren and Jaune. I almost had to take a step back at the sight of Jaune as he had changed a large amount in the past three months. His outfit, on the other hand, had stayed the same as it had since after the fall. Jaune still wore his jeans and sweatshirt but his armor had been upgraded using the remains of Pyrrha's armor and weapons. His chest piece had become accented with a bronze edge and now extended to protect his gut and lower back. Additionally, he had a set of metal boots and gauntlets crafted increasing his armor. The biggest difference of all came to be his face, Jaune had recently adopted to wearing a short beard while he had been gone and if I do say it made him look quite dapper.
The last of the three was Ren and out of all three of them, he had basically stayed the same. He still wore his sleeveless green tailcoat and white pants. The only thing different was his hair. Ren had been growing out his hair since the fall and it now reached down to the small of his back.
"Isn't Nora almost always this excited though. She's been this way since the two of us have been children." I really didn't know how to respond to the two after so long. Both Ren and Nora had taken Ruby's death pretty hard but Jaune had the hardest time. After Pyrrha's death during the Fall, Jaune had been left in a hole similar to Yang but Ruby pulled him out and with help from us he began training harder and became an impressive leader and warrior.
When Jaune learned of Ruby's death he almost completely repeated what happened with Pyrrha only this time he had no one to help him and ended up turning to revenge. Jaune and Yang chose to team up and the two worked together to bring down the White Fang. After their collapse Jaune returned to his old self and took it upon himself to carry out Ruby's legacy and to help other just as Ruby had wanted. With the help of Nora and Ren, he was doing just that.
"So Blake how are you two, it's been a while." Ren had taken it upon himself to break the silence even as he looked over his shoulder towards his partner as she chatted away with Yang.
"It's been...interesting to say the least. Thanks to Weiss making changes in the SDC the Faunus rights group have slowly gained some leverage in making changes in other parts of the world so I haven't been spending as much time helping her."
"Blake I think what Ren meant was how are you two doing not how work was going." I immediately felt my cheeks blush after Jaune's comment. I'd always struggled with emotional interaction and the only one who had made much headway in that field had been Ruby but without her I'd crawled back into my shell.
"Oh, umm we're doing well. It's still pretty hard but spending time in Patch has helped us." It wasn't a lie though it was an awkward situation for me. Tai had taken Ruby's death as badly as everyone else and spent many nights at the bar but just like Yang, he pulled himself out.
"Well, that is good to hear. We cannot forget those we have lost but at the same time, we must also move forward. It is all we can do to honor their memories."
"Yes, that's true...So how was your mission Ozpin sent you on? Any leads?"
"No the entire trail was cold. Cinder hasn't been seen for months. When we went to Mistral and found where she had been holding out but when we got there it was completely abandoned. No leads to where she'd gone."
It was always hard to talk about Cinder especially after seeing how much she'd taken from us. After the Fall Cinder had completely disappeared but would occasionally pop up every month or two somewhere on Remnant. For years we've hunted her but haven't gotten anywhere close to catching her.
"What about those assassinations all across Vacuo have you looked into those. It can't be a coincidence that most of Cinder's past connections have been killed over the past two years. "
"No that was also a dead end. During each attack, all security footage was corrupted and every death is either a bullet to the head a decapitation or a sword through the chest. Other than the bodies nothing has ever been left behind not even a single bullet casing."
In the sky above us, the sky began to darken both as the sun began to disappear over the horizon and dark clouds slowly formed. The low rumble of thunder and the crack of lighting over the Emerald forest signaled the fast approaching storm.
"How about we head inside before the rain hits. Ozpin said your quarters had been left the same. Also, Weiss should be out of her meeting soon and I believe she will be excited to see you."
Jaune motioned to Yang and Nora to follow as I walked in step behind Ren. the idea of seeing Weiss was exciting but also nerve-racking. After Ruby died Weiss had taken up a position in the SDC then a year and a half ago had inherited the company when her father was forced to step down after publicly assaulting a Faunus.
Almost immediately after taking up her position, the SDC had started making major changes in their treatment of Faunus. The labor conditions for workers had been increased exponentially and all indentured servants had been released and hired as true workers. Towns around the mines had been built increasing living conditions. The largest change was the Faunus hired in the SDC could now rise to higher positions and even become board members. Those who had tried to oppose Weiss had lost their jobs almost overnight and been replaced with a mix of Faunus and Human willing to work together.
The change had been so dramatic that it had almost caused the company to fall apart and enter bankruptcy. However, the changes allowed Weiss to gain support from a majority of both Human and Faunus causing the company to come back stronger. All those who had opposed changes had been left behind without a chance to join the future.
These sudden changes also forced other companies to follow in the SDC footsteps. The media had immediately begun to pester other companies about making their own changes. One by one each company began to make changes and as the list of companies began to dwindle the media badgered the remaining companies to change even more. Almost overnight Weiss's single action had changed the world and Faunus rights. There were still racist bastards everywhere who mocked Faunus but for future generations of Faunus, the world was a little brighter.
Every time I stepped into the Vale CCT tower it always amazed me. After the CCt tower had been reclaimed Vale and Atlas worked hand in hand to rebuild it while also creating a memorial for all those who fell during the fall. The biggest thing was a statue in the middle of the atrium. It was a statue of the the CCT tower during the fall with a bright light emanating from the top. The only way to describe the light was a beacon for the future.
As we walked around the statue my eyes fell upon a very familiar figure. Talking to receptionist was the form of Glynda Goodwitch. To say the years had been kind to her would have been very close to the truth. Glynda looked identical to the day I came to Beacon and she still wore the same outfit. Glynda turned and faced use and took a step back bumping into the receptionist desk. "Oh, I did not expect you and Miss Xiao Long so soon. I thought you would be spending more time in Patch."
"Well we were but Weiss sent us a message saying that team JNPR was coming back and that she would also be here."
"Oh I see, well Ozpin and Miss Schnee just finished their meeting so she should be down soon. It was nice to see all of you, but I do have some work to do." Without another word, Glynda stepped past us and walked toward the CCT elevators and stepped inside one as it opened.
As Glynda stepped into an elevator the one adjacent opened up and a very familiar white-haired female stepped out. The last time Yang or I had seen Weiss was right before she and I had left to go to patch right after JNPR had left for their mission.
Whenever Weiss stepped onto Beacon's campus she always became relaxed and it was clear she was relaxed right now. Weiss was wearing a blue dress that started just above her knees and got lighter as it reached her neck before cutting off at the collarbone before running down to just below her elbow. It was both simple and elegant matching Weiss perfectly. The best thing was Weiss had adopted wearing her hair down instead of up in the ponytail like she had in the past.
It was a rare sight to see Weiss break her usual stoic form but when she did it was always when she was excited. Now just happened to be one of those times as she ran across the lobby similar to when Winter had shown up during her first year at Beacon.
"Blake Yang I didn't think you would be here soon?" Weiss stopped right in front of both Yang and I trying her best to control her excitement so she could uphold her status as the head of the SDC.
"Hello Weiss it's nice to see you...though it is weird to see you so excited." Weiss almost stopped as she looked around finding more than a few eyes looking at her and began to blush.
"Sorry, you know how I get whenever I come to Beacon and especially after seeing you after so long. You two mean more to me than my actual family, well other than Winter." Yang and Weiss shared a glance and each blushed for a moment before Yang chose to speak up.
"So Weiss what was so important other than team JNPR returning that we needed to meet. When we talked it seemed pretty important?"
"Ye well I was talking to Ozpin abo….." Weiss was suddenly cut off by the sound of glass shattering behind us.
"Holy Shit what was that?" I turned around and immediately saw the cause of glass breaking. Off in the distance atop a rooftop was a masked figure holding a rifle in their hand. Instincts took over as I dove behind cover as another round flew through where the window had been. The round slamming into the statue in the middle of the atrium blowing a large portion away causing it to fall apart.
I looked around trying to find where the others had taken cover. Jaune was next to me behind a receptionist desk while Ren and Nora had hidden behind the based of the statue. The only two I couldn't find where Weiss and Yang. Finally, my eyes fell on where we had been making my heart drop.
Yang was on the ground holding a limp Weiss in her arms. A large patch of blood was growing across Weiss's shoulder staining her dress a dark red. Yang was holding her trying her best to place pressure on the wound. The shooter was still on the other side of the courtyard atop one of the buildings aiming down the sights.
Knowing the shooter was trying to line up another shot I pulled out Gambol Shroud from my back and pulled back on its slide and began firing towards the shooter. None of my bullets came close to hitting them from this distance but I just needed to distract them so Yang could move Weiss to a safer location.
Jaune was the first to move as he jumped over the receptionist desk and pulled out his shield before jumping in the way as another bullet rocketed towards Yang and Weiss. The bullet smacked into Jaune's shield with enough force to knock to the ground.
"REN NORA I NEED COVER!" The two hiding behind the statue instantly made the move as Ren stepped out and began unloading a barrage of rounds toward the shooter. Nora didn't have the range to hit anything farther than 200m accurately though that didn't stop Nora from unloading her entire clip towards the target. Even though the grenades came nowhere close the blast kicked up smoke and dust creating a makeshift smokescreen blocking the shooter line of sight.
"Yang get Weiss out of here! I'm going after them." I didn't wait for a response and took after heading towards where the shooter had been. The cover Nora had given us was dissipating and if I didn't move quickly then my chance to surprise them would be ruined.
Once I was through the smoke I quickly threw Gambol Shroud in kusarigama form planting the blade onto the roof of the building. Running as quickly as I could I kicked off the ground and began running up the wall using Gambol Shroud's ribbon as a rope to help me climb. Just as I reached the top I summoned a shadow clone beneath me and pushed off it launching myself over the edge of the roof.
When I reached the top of the building it came as a surprise that the shooter had already bolted. There was no way they knew I was coming. I turned around trying to find any sign of where they had gone but came up empty-handed, not even a single shell casing had been left behind. To my left, the sound of metal scratching something was picked up thanks my Faunus hearing. Running over to the edge I quickly found the source of the noise. The shooter was using a black metal arm to slide down the side of the building.
I jumped off the side off the building following the shooter as they hitting the ground and took off towards the Emerald Forest. As I fell towards the ground I summoned my aura and focused into my legs as I impacted into the ground. Right after I hit the ground I took off after the shooter running as fast as I could.
Even as quick as the shooter was they were not quick enough to escape me. As they ran I was slowly closing the distance I needed to use Gambol Shroud. My chance finally came when the shooter stumbled on a rock. It wasn't enough to trip them but to screw up their pace.
Holding tight onto Gambol Shroud's ribbon I threw the gun while firing it causing it to go into a deadly spin. The shooter must have heard the blade coming at them and immediately sidestepped as the blade flew past. With a quick pull on the ribbon, Gambol Shroud fired again reversing its direction sending it back at the shooter. Just as the blade was about to hit the shooter a small blade intercepted it causing sparks to fly all around them.
Now that I'd stopped them from moving I could actually take a look at them. The shooter was close to Yang height and as I looked it became quite clear that they were indeed female. She was adorned in a pair of tight black pants and a black leather trench coat similar to the one Adam had worn. Under the trench coat was a fitted steel black cuirass with webs of red flowing across it. Dark red hair ran out from under the hood covering her face as she turned and faced me condensing her rifle down and placing it on her back.
As she finished turning she reached down pulling a sword from a sheath on her back. The blade was something different from others sitting just under three feet long, it came straight out curving downward then back up before ending in a sharp tip. There was no hand cross guard and the most interesting part was the handle, it was made out of bone. It took me a moment but I remembered someone from the White Fang who had a blade similarly shaped called a Yatagan.
Strange symbols burned red on the blade of the sword as it was pulled free and pointed at me. The shooter finally looked up removing the shadow of the hood concealing her face. Underneath the hood was an intricate metal mask made of flowers shaped into a skull covering the entire left of the shooters face and part of the right. The right side of her face looked to have once been porcelain white skin was now nothing more than red scar tissue. Where her eye had once been was instead a black metal patch placed into the skin.
The flash of steel in the corner of my eye pulled my eyes away from the shooters face as I jumped back away from her sword. I held up Gambol Shroud blocking the blade as it whizzed towards my head. I grabbed Gambol's sheath and swung it at the shooters exposed chest. Another clang of metal echoed as my attack was stopped. In her free hand was a broken tanto blade.
I jumped back going on the defensive as the shooter held both blades up. Something in the back of my head kept nagging about the broken blade. Another flash of steel came towards me as I knocked the attack away and used a shadow clone to block the small tanto blade as I spun slashing at her. A boot impacted into my back before I could land a hit. I pulled myself out from my tumble and backflipped away firing Gambol shroud at the shooter.
I spun towards the shooter but found her running for the edge of the cliff. I followed suit trying to close the distance. Just like before she was fast but I was still faster and quickly caught up stabbing forwards at the shooters spine. In a flash, the shooter shot away from me as specks of black fell to the ground.
The sudden movement caused me to stumble and fall to the ground and look up at the shooter as she stopped and turned. The sound of boots hitting metal caught my attention as she lifted up her foot and slammed it onto a piece of metal. In an instant, the platform had launched her soaring through the sky out of my sight.
I looked around frantically over the edge of the cliff for any sign but saw none. She had used the launch pads from initiation to escape. How she knew about was beyond me. I looked away from the cliff and my eyes fell upon where she had been when I tried to stab her. All that was left behind was a small pile of ashes. I leaned in close inspecting it. I grabbed one of the pieces and looked at it.
My heart almost fell out of my chest as a few tears fell from my eyes. In my hand was a red rose petal that had begun to wilt and decay.