Hello everyone and welcome back for the newest chapter of A Rose for the Champion. I rally hope you enjoy this as much as I did writing it.
"You plan to do what?!" Weiss asked with an incredulous gasp on her face as they broke from their alleyway and dashed into another. They had been forced to do this periodically as the night-fury grew closer and closer to finding them. This 'plan' if one could even call it that was insane and the chances of it actually working were astronomically small yet it was all they had to go on.
"It'll be fine Weiss, I can do this." Her blonde leader replied in a feeble attempt to reassure her. Although Weiss didn't like it, a loud roar and searing torrent of blue fire bathed a nearby house and incinerated it, leaving little more than a blackened husk where once a full log building had once stood. Things were far from looking good and despite the confidence in his voice, the young Schnee could tell that he was deathly afraid. Eventually she relented with a sigh, it was a long shot but it was all they had and if they didn't do something and soon then they would run out of hiding places and inevitably succumb to the dragonic beast flying above and razing the town around them.
With trembling hands, the heiress reached into her pouch and pulled out the two remaining bottles of light blue ice dust and the single remaining red fire dust before holding them out to her team's leader. He took them and carefully set them together on the ground before stripping a little of the blue leather from the hilt of his sword, cutting it off to what he deemed an appropriate length with the blade of his sword he securely lashing them together in a sort of makeshift bola with a long strip to swing it around by.
Satisfied by his work he unbelted his sword and removed his armour, he would need to be light on his feet if this was to work out in any way other than his immediate death. He checked himself over one last time, making sure his shoes were double knotted and that there was no risk of his pants starting to fall down. One single mistake could spell his doom after all.
"Okay... Let's get this over with then... wish me luck?" He spoke nervously, his voice trembling ever so slightly as it sank in just how dangerous it was to do what he was about to. One false move and boom, he'd be lit up and his life snuffed out like a candle. No restarts or extra lives.
"You make sure to come back you dolt..." Weiss mumbled and gave him a quick hug, there was a slight film of tears in her icy blue eyes. Though it lasted barely a couple of seconds, she held on so tightly that she nearly choked him to death. It warmed his heart to see that she cared so much, though of course she wouldn't ever say it outright.
The white haired heiress took a step back with a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks. Though she would never admit it to the dunce, she had become quite attached to him in the recent weeks. It pained her to admit it but she had long since begun to see him as one of her fondest friends behind the red riding hood look-alike she had for a partner. She honestly hoped that he would come out of this in one piece... especially since he was doing this for all of them.
Ruby was the next one to step forward... or rather, zip forward. She shot up to him and practically tackled him to the ground as she hugged him. Her tiny arms locked around his waist like little bands of steel. She looked up at him with sparkly silver eyes, filled with tears. She smiled weakly with suppressed worry and whispered to him, loud enough so that only he might hear.
"Y-you come back okay...? Don't forget you owe me that d-date when we get back to B-Beacon..." It was a simple sentence but one with profound impact. Her words made him blush a little as he nodded
"You bet Rubes, you'll be dining on caviar in the finest restaurants when I come back okay?" He spoke with conviction although inside he was steadily crumbling away into nothing. In his heart of hearts he knew that his chances of returning, at least in one piece... He gently patted the little rose on her back and she let him go, shyly taking a couple steps back to stand at Weiss' side where the heiress wrapped her in a soft hug to comfort her.
The last member of their team to step up to him was Pyrrha, her eyes flitting between a wide array of emotions from sorrow to concern through to what Weiss could only identify as deep affection. She gently clamped a hand on her shoulder with a soft, if wavering smile. In reality the champion was terrified by the reality of what her partner was about to attempt and the possible implications of it.
"Jaune... I-I know you can't promise me that you'll be alright but I want you to try your very best. I just... I couldn't bear it if you were to... Please be careful." She stammered as though struggling with some kind of an internal dilemma before she shot forward and placed her lips to his with surprising care, joining the two of them together in a kiss. Once again, just as it had with Ruby, the world outside of the two of them ceased to exist. All he was conscious and aware of were the champion's warm lips pressed to his own, even the Night-fury itself took a back seat.. It might not have been as sweet as his kiss with Ruby but it certainly wasn't lacking in intensity. Pyrrha poured every ounce of her accumulated affection for the knight into their kiss creating something magical. Had either of them been aware of their surroundings, they would have known about the look of absolute shock and perhaps a hint of jealousy. She was unrivalled however, by the look of pure venom and animosity coming from the little rose. It was true that neither of them had officially claimed Jaune for their own but still... she hadn't expected Pyrrha to be quite so bold...
It was a pretty lengthy kiss and when they parted Jaune was left with half lidded eyes and an expression somewhere between happiness and total confusion. Had she just kissed him really or was this all just a dream? No, it couldn't be a dream, the burning town wouldn't be there if it was. So she, the famed champion of Mistral for four years running and the Pumpkin Pete's mascot Pyrrha Nikos had just kissed him?
"P-Pyrrha wha-" He began to speak but was cut off by a long, slender finger being pressed to his lips. By now her body was pressed right against his, making him blush even redder than he had been before.
"Shhh Jaune... we'll discuss it when you get back... this way you'll have even more reason to be careful out there." She said with a giggle and a quick wink before stepping over to join the other two members of her team. Jaune shook his head, ridding it of all thoughts not directly associated with his task. Cobalt eyes scanned the leather wrapped vials in his hand and nodded, it all seemed secure.
"Okay Weiss, you remember the plan?" he double checked.
"Down to a 'T'." She replied with a sharp nod.
Jaune took a deep breath, grabbed his shield and made his way to the end of the alley and poked his head out, eyes frantically darting about the sky looking for their scaly avian enemy. As he edged out even more he had to throw himself back just to avoid a deluge of flame as the Night-fury glided above on silent wings. As it flew off down the street and began to circle round, Jaune seized his opportunity and ran out to the centre of the wide street, his makeshift bola in hand. He watched with a sense of impending doom as it drew back around a flew straight at him. His eyes darted over to the heiress who made a series of gestures with her hands.
Just as the creature drew near a large glyph, black as the beast's hide appeared on the floor fifty feet from the blonde. It was the usual giant snowflake but with a large arrow in the centre. Her gravitational glyph. As soon as the Night-fury flew over it, it knew that it was in trouble. The sudden increase in gravity caught it off guard and brought it plowing straight into the ground at a break-neck pace. With an anguished roar of agony it landed squarely on one of its wings, the snap of the thin bones rang out loud and clear for all within earshot. This was it, Jaune began to swing his bola with increasing speed, raising it above his head and slowly began to walk towards the dragon.
Its eyes burned with hatred and fury as it glared back at him and tried to stagger back upright only to fall back as it did so due to its shattered wing. As he drew near, it snaked its head back and drew a deep breath. This was it. He swung the bola a couple of times, the dust vial whizzing through the air with a low 'whoosh' sound until he released his hold on the leather and threw it straight at the beast before ducking behind his shield. He knelt for cover and waited. His aim was true and the three bottles sailed straight into the creatures mouth and down his gullet. The Night-fury paused for a moment in what seemed to be surprise. Before loosing a billowing cloud of blue fire at him.
"Hey you! Ugly dragon thing!" The blonde yelled from behind the safety of his shield. "Do you know what happens when you super heat ice? It creates a large amount of steam, very quickly. That steam expands and if their isnt enough room it expands quite... explosively."
The beast ceased its attacks and paused for a moment, almost as if waiting for the blonde to explain his point to it. Jaune was only too happy to oblige knowing that by now the vials were likely in the beast's stomach and being corroded by its digestive acids. It was only a matter of time until the dust reacted and produced what Jaune hoped to be lethal results. He had seen the effects of dust weeks ago when Ruby had an unfortunate run-in with the stuff on Beacon cliffs.
"Unfortunately for you dragon... You just ate three vials worth of dust... fire and ice to be exact... you are in some trouble now!" He laughed almost maniacally and ducked behind his shield as the beast flailed in panic to try and escape its doom, but it was too late. Even on the outside, the sounds were heard, two loud 'pop' sounds followed by the hiss of rapid freezing. A look of surprise came over the dragon's face as Jaune dropped down behind his shield and awaited the third Vial. He didn't have long to wait as there was a colossal bang.
He peeked over the rim of his shield to watch and even before his eyes, the monster's belly flashed brightly from an interior light source and began to expand rapids accompanied by howls of pain from the beast. The blonde found himself grinning as it continued to expand, bigger and bigger until it was fully twice its original size. There was a brief pause as Jaune smiled and locked eyes with the monster.
"Pop." he spoke as the creature exploded with an earth and ear-shattering kaboom. The ground shook and Jaune collapsed to his knees clutching at his ears in desperation as chunks of dissipating Grimm flesh fell around him accompanied by a rain of thick black blood. It was a gory scene indeed as the paving slabs were painted black with the Night-fury's very life essences.
Even as Jaune knelt there before the corpse, his ears still ringing and hunks of meat falling from the sky, his team ran over and collectively wrapped him in their arms. Squeezing him tightly, not one of them wanting to let him go. Even Weiss seemed genuinely glad that he had escaped without major injury. The blonde himself had never felt quite so appreciated, it was warming for him to feel wanted by the three people he felt closest to.
"Great job Weiss! That was really impressive! You have really outdone yourself." the heiress smiled warmly at his comment glad to be receiving praise and indeed for being able to help her leader. Perhaps what appealed most to her is the fact that she could claim to have brought down a Night-fury along with one other. Certainly no mean feat
"Well... I couldn't possibly take all the praise, if it hadn't been for you, we would likely have never been able to beat such a powerful Grimm. Really, I only did what I was told. You deserve the credit for such quick and effective thinking... although I still think it was a reckless idea and one that could so easily have gone horribly wrong." She chuckled and even went so far as to give the blonde a sly wink before her face flushed beet red at the gesture.
"Careful now Weiss, I might start thinking that you're actually fond of me." He laughed, soon joined by his teammates. As they were laughing, a ragtag group of guardsmen and one incredibly dishevelled looking Professor Port approached unnoticed. Once the team finished with their hug they were startled to find their new audience gathered around them with awed expressions and smiles of disbelief. The Professor himself seemed scarily alike a lost puppy, his eyes were turned down to stare at his shoes in shame. Even his moustache seemed a mere shadow of its former self.
"Students... I-I am sorry... I should have stayed by your side throughout that ordeal but like the coward I am, I ran so as to save my own skin. That is certainly not how a hunter should behave and I cannot apologise enough..."
Jaune looked at his in disbelief. It seemed surprising, almost farcical that the great and might Professor Port, a man with all of the stories of his own bravery would ever need to come grovelling back to a mere group of students because in their moment of need he had fled to save his own life. Jaune of course was more or less willing to forgive and forget, it was hardly what one might expect from a huntsman but since the whole of his team had made it out of that situation alive, he saw no reason to complain.
Weiss however, would not be placated. She was seeing red and by the anger flashing in her eyes, she was just about ready to drive Myrtenaster into Port's big toe and slowly bleed him to death from there. She was about to explode at him when the blonde clasped her shoulder ever so softly to calm her down.
"Weiss, it's alright. We all made it out alive so it's not worth fighting over anymore. If you really have a problem with it, lodge a formal complaint when we get back to Beacon okay? Shouting here wont do any good." He spoke calmly but with an air of authority that the ice queen found in remarkably hard to argue with. She sighed resignedly to calm herself down.
Over to one side Roran, whom JSPR were glad to find to be still alive, had formed up the remaining members of the town guard. Out of the original sixty volunteer guards, only a meagre twenty or so remained standing, around ten others were badly wounded or so traumatised that they would be unable to serve in the town guard again. The other remaining thirty men lay strewn around by the town gate in one piece or several. Some were pale faced and entirely devoid of blood while all that remained of others was a smouldering indistinguishable piles of ashes. It made Jaune's heart sink to look over the bodies of so many. Each and ever one of them had a family, they were someone's brother, father or son. They had likely been born in the very town that they had died in.
Even as Jaune contemplated the impact that so many deaths would have on the town, Roran organised a detail to begin gathering the dead and carrying them over to the main town square. The town itself was razed to the very ground. Fires having set and burned the majority of houses down, very few had remained untouched and even those that had sustained no visible damage were blackened with soot.
The dead were laid out in a long line in the centre of the town square, Jaune sighed as he looked the line up and down. The day would go down in the town's history as one of infamy. The Grimm had never been so bold before, such an attack was unheard of before. Never before had the town guard been so sorely tested in their duty and despite having taken such heavy casualties the night before, they had proven themselves more than capable in holding their own against extreme adversity. With a sigh, the bodies ready for the upcoming honours parade, Jaune made his way up to the town hall's massive doors and pounded his fist against them.
Mabelle sat with Marron the whole night through, neither of the two girls could have slept even if they had wanted to what with their concerns about their blonde knight and the three girls at his side. The mother kept reminding herself that her son was out fighting alongside the guardsmen and a fully trained huntsman not to mention his own tightly knit team of trainee huntsmen and huntresses.
When dawn broke and they had still had no news from the fighters, Mabelle began to worry. They could still hear the sounds of battle from across the town. Just how long was this night going to go on for? How many Grimm were even out there? Things took another turn for the worse when they hears a series of deep thuds and terrible roars set them on edge. Just what could that creature possibly be? Where did it even come from? All across the town hall, people peered through gaps in the windows and gasping to themselves before turning away, the hope drained from their eyes. Mabelle had to hold Marron in place to stop her going to look for herself. The less they knew about what it was that Jaune was fighting, the better for them both.
It went on for some time, every passing minute felt like an hour and every hour felt like a week. The mother began to worry more and more until at last there was an earth-shattering explosion. I was a low, dull sound that reverberated through the walls and floor. It startled those assembled and once again had them flying to the windows to see what was going on. From all throughout the foyer, cries and descriptions of the outside world. Talk of it raining black water and... meat? It didn't seem quite possible.
And then she heard it. After several hours locked away in the town hall she heard a loud bang on the doors. Their heads snapped to face the doors, two pairs of intense green eyes staring at them and wondering if it was all over, could it possibly be? A group of three men formed and pulled the door open, as the sun streamed in, there stood Jaune. His clothing was shredded and stained black in places with Grimm blood as well as his own congealed life essences. In an instant, she was on her feet and had crossed the distance between herself and her son, taking him in her arms and holding on as though he might disappear forever if she didn't. For those nearby it was a heart warming sight that had parents hug their children and lovers hold one another.
"Oh Jaune! Thank goodness you're okay! W-where are your team?" she asked with slight concern, noting the absence of his team. Though the young knight didn't seem to be distraught it didn't necessarily mean that the lovely girls on his team weren't injured or worse. Experience had taught the mother that Jaune could hide his emotions remarkably well, it had been his way of coping with his sisters' teasing from a young age. He had learnt that if they couldn't get a reaction from him then they would leave him alone. It was an admirable skill really, and one that he seemed proud of.
"I-it's good to see you too Mom... Th-they're fine. Hardly a scratch on them but I uh... I think the house burned down... There's not much of the town that's left standing out there." He replied with a film of tears forming in his eyes. It was heart-wrenching to know that his childhood home, complete with countless numbers of memories and sentimentality was likely little more than a pile of fresh ashes. His Mom seemed to share his mentality, a look of sorrow crossed her face before she buried behind a smile once more. Yet, no matter how hard she tried to hide it; it was clear that she was internally lamenting the loss of so many years worth of objects which, at first glance, might have seemed worthless. But to her they held a deeper meaning. They were things that no-one could put a value on, photographs of all of her children as they grew up, things that were irreplaceable. She sighed and nodded, glad to still have her son in one piece.
Together, the collective inhabitants of the town hall stepped out into the daylight. Many raised hands or arms to shield their eyes from the intense sunlight of dawn only to look on in dismay at their town. Roughly two thirds of the town was completely burned to the ground or had been turned into splinters by the night-fury. The other third were still standing, but it seemed questionable as to whether or not they still withheld their structural integrity. But as Jaune only knew all too well, the town would recover. It might take a while but the townsfolk would rebuild the whole town, from scratch if necessary. They had claimed the land after the great war and built a home and lives for themselves once before, they could do it again. They were a town of hard workers. Men and women with gravel in their guts and mountains of elbow grease.
No, what seemed to shock them most were the long line of covered bodies laid out before them with the faces exposed. Mothers ran over and anxiously made their way down the line looking for their sons. Some sprinting to the survivors and wrapping them tightly in a strong hug. And crying tears of absolute joy. But there cannot be happiness without sorrow. There were some whom were the unlucky few. Families whom had lost their young men, men cut down in their very prime. They felt no joy, only the bottomless pit of despair that had settled into their hearts. For them there was now a huge void, one which could never be filled and it made Jaune guilty to see.
He had been fighting alongside these men and indeed, some of them had died literally saving his life. It made him wonder just what he could possibly have done to deserve life when so many others around him had died. What was it that made him so special, was it really just the luck of the draw or was there some kind of higher being, pulling the strings of the universe and watching them all play out a pre-written script? His musings and mourning were interrupted by a hand gently cupping his cheek and lifting his face.
The blonde found himself staring straight into a set of soft viridian eyes. The eyes of his partner. He found himself blushing as she gave him a smile, wondering why it was that a warm sensation bloomed in his heart.
"It's not your fault Jaune. There is nothing more that you could've done. Nothing that you could possibly have done to save them. The war on the Grimm is just that, a war, and though it isn't the nicest thing ever, people die in war. They fought bravely and their names shall forever be remembered. I hear the townsfolk talking of erecting a monument for the honour of the glorious dead. They shall not be forgotten." She spoke softly to him and he found some comfort and solace in her words. It was a side to her that he had never before seen, one that was more than anything she had ever shown herself to be before. These weren't the words of his teammate, they were the words of his partner and best friend, words tailored for the sole purpose of comforting him alone. It was flattering to see his friend care just so much for him.
Yet it was questionable just what she really was to him anymore. The kiss they had shared back in the alley hadn't been a kiss between two friends. It had been far more than that, something far deeper that had set his heart racing and left his mind spinning. It had been different from his kiss with Ruby but both had shared common ground. It had left him confused about his relationship with each of the two girls. Were they really just his friends, or were they perhaps something more? He simply didn't know anymore, nor did he know how he truly felt about them. They were both attractive girls in their respective ways. Pyrrha was regal, serene and full of grace. A real warrior queen of old with the weapons and jewellery to match. While Ruby was young, innocent and sweet. She was willing to do anything for her friends and was fiercely loyal to a fault. Both were his best friends though neither seemed to hold more sway with his heart than the other. Just what was he going to do?
Blake sat by the window just back and out of view yet high enough to look out. They had been camped out all night without a fire and it had proven to be bitterly cold. Of course, there could be no fire when they were camped out so close to the hideout of their quarry. Anything which might make it easier to spot their small group could spell doom for them all. After all, four of their five were human and would be at a severe disadvantage in the dark against the faunus freedom fighters of the White Fang.
She sat there against the cold stone, shivers racking her body over and over as the wind blustered through, carrying with it a biting cold. It was one of the few times that Blake wished for something a little more thick than her usual attire. Something with plenty of fur to keep her warm. With a sigh the stoical faunus leant her head back and cast her golden eyes towards the sky just in time to see a star shoot overhead. For a brief instant and against her better judgement the young faunus made a wish, it was a simple one though she didn't put much faith in these things.
"I-I wish to be warm..." she sighed to herself, scarcely a whisper.
Her wish was heard however, though not by some form of celestial being. Rather it was her partner. The brawler lay on her back and half opened her eyes at the sound of Blake's voice. Her lilac eyes seemed to glow in the dark as she steadily shuffled her way over to the faunus.
Blake's head snapped round at the sound of movement as she saw Yang begin to shuffle over towards her. The faunus raised an eyebrow in curiosity, unsure what was quite happening until Yang arrived and curled up next to her, her body practically draped over the faunus. Immediately Blake understood as heat flowed from the brawler. The evening chill seemed to vanish as the blonde held her partner in a tight hug.
"Wish granted~" She whispered, her lilac eyes looking straight up into her partner's eyes of gold. Something grew within Blake, an unusual feeling in her heart. It was something that she had not felt for many years, not since she had last seen a particular fox faunus... not since she had sworn to never love again. Blake found herself looking straight into Yang's eyes and biting her lip ever so slightly. A blush grew on her cheeks and she sincerely hoped that it would be obscured by the gloom of the night so that the blonde wouldn't notice and be able to capitalise on it.
Yet it was then that something happened which Blake did not expect. The faunus found herself leaning forward, moving her own face closer to Yang's and before she quite realised what she was doing, the faunus had joined their lips together in a slow and sweet kiss. Blake felt her cheeks heat up and her heart begin to run at double speed. This had all been so unexpected and she wanted to pull away yet something deep within her, a primal urge begged her to stay. Perhaps the thing of most concern was whether or not Yang was okay with it. Such concerns were soon settled however as the young faunus felt a hand gently weave itself through her hair and softly pull them together as the brawler began to kiss back. The two of them took hasty and ragged breaths in between kisses until at last the two of them pulled apart, panting softly with half-lidded and sparkling eyes.
"S-so... That was a thing." Yang whispered in between breaths. It was unusual to hear the usually confident blonde stammer. Blake had felt the intensity and affection in their kiss and
"Y-yeah... I uh... Im sorry..." The faunus replied, the blush on her cheeks still very prominent. She meant to carry on with her apology but she was stopped by a finger placed to her lips.
"Blakey, it's okay. Theres no need to apologise. I loved every moment of it~"
"S-so what now?" Blake asked.
"I don't know... I'm kinda new to this but, it's gonna be fun finding out." She giggled.
Across the fire, Nora sat perfectly still, propped up against Ren pretending to be asleep. It took everything that she had not to squeal with joy as her two teammates kissed. She gave Ren a gentle nudge, stirring him from his dozing state and silently motioning towards the kissing partners.
"Renny~?" she uttered, barely above a whisper.
"Yes Nora?" Came his tired reply.
"This...is...happening!"
Yes Nora, yes it most certainly is. Buzz buzz everyone as the bumblebee takes flight. This was an interesting chapter to write and I do hope that you found it to your satisfaction, let me know what you thought of it in the reviews. As always, if you liked this please be sure to follow and favourite so you never miss a chapter. In terms of chapters I have to announce that this fic will be going on temporary hiatus for a little while starting: 11/05/2015 until approx 21/06/2015 for my finals. I hope that you will understand and support me through this time and I shall return to business as usual as soon as possible. Many thanks to all of you for reading and especially to the wonderful littleredscythe from Tumblr for beta reading this for me. I recommend that you all go check her out, her Ruby cosplay is fantastic. Many thanks again and I do apologise for any inconvenience caused by my absence.
I have been theflagshiparkos and Ill see you all in the next chapter.