The Legend of Remnant

Chapter 12: Melancholic Memories

Steel collided with steel, as sword met shield with a resounding ring. It echoed across the mostly empty training ground as two figures circled each other, occasionally trading blows. The sun's rays had just crested the horizon, throwing orange light across the two, illuminating the fight. It was a scene that was becoming increasingly common as the semester continued on.

"I must admit," Pyrrha Nikos idly mused, as though she weren't in the middle of a fight, "You've been really improving quickly; I'm guessing you're starting to get used to combat again?"

Ducking under a flash of bronzed steel, Jaune Arc quickly brought his shield to bear, angling the second blow away from himself. He took a half step back, gripping the Master Sword tightly with a wry smile. "I guess you could say that," he replied, letting the ambiguity of the statement speak for him. She was technically correct, in that the Spirit of the Hero was probably slowly acclimating him to the level he was eventually to fight at.

Pyrrha's return smile was dazzling. "I can tell. Little wonder you were able to fight off that Borbatusk."

Jaune's cheeks darkened slightly in embarrassment over the praise. "Ah, I- I just got lucky, that was all."

Pyrrha chuckled warmly. "I think you should give yourself more credit, Jaune. Luck can only get you so far."

Jaune shrugged. As he did so, Pyrrha rushed forward suddenly. While caught off guard, Jaune's body seemed to react almost on instinct as he raised his shield, deflecting Pyrrha's lightning quick javelin thrust at the last moment. "H-hey!"

Pyrrha giggled as she stepped back. "Sorry, sorry! We are still training though." She paused, tilting her head. "I've noticed you've been using your shield a lot more lately though."

Jaune grimaced lightly. "Er, y-yeah. Just, uh…wanted to get a little more practice in using it." He finished lamely. He hadn't even really noticed it until Pyrrha brought it up. It was probably a subconscious response thanks to Link's brutal training.

You're welcome, Link's voice dryly added.

Jaune resisted the urge to frown. 'Shush, you.'

"Well," Pyrrha continued, "that's certainly not a bad idea. Just don't get caught up in the habit of focusing only on defense."

Jaune nodded, taking the advice to mind. "Right. Gotta practice using my shield offensively too."

Pyrrha chuckled again. "That's also not a bad idea. While it's not as maneuverable as my Akouo, I'm sure striking someone with a heater shield would be quite the grievous blow."

I like her.

'What?'

She's intelligent, well spoken, kind, quite the fighter, and wise. Attractive to boot. Link mused. You could do far, far worse for a practice partner.

"Jaune?"

Jaune blinked, and shook his head. "Oh, sorry, just lost in thought again."

Pyrrha smiled softly. "That issue with your 'friend' again?"

Jaune awkwardly cleared his throat, and nervously laughed. "What? O-oh no, that uh…that all got resolved. This isn't anything serious." Before he could continue, a melodic jingle caught his attention, followed immediately by the buzz of his Scroll. He took it out of his hoodie pocket, and tapped at it. "Ah. That's the alarm; we'll have to cut here. Gotta go wake everyone up so we can all get breakfast."

"O-oh." Pyrrha murmured. "Right." Her smile faltered, and her gaze seemed to fall.

Jaune cocked an eyebrow at Pyrrha's sudden lack of enthusiasm, but unable to determine the problem, kept quiet. "Catch you guys in class then?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Yes, of course. I'll…I'll talk to you later then."

'Weird. Wonder where the energy went? I couldn't have been that good, was I?' Jaune mentally asked as he watched Pyrrha walk off to grab her belongings.

I have my theories, Link replied, but without having more information, I don't want to make any assumptions.

'It's not my fault, is it?'

Maybe tangentially, Link admitted. Still, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Until she chooses to bestow you with that knowledge, I'd just focus on your own business. Like making sure your leader wakes up on time, and doesn't attempt to eat sweets for breakfast. Again. Jaune couldn't help but snort at Link's comment, as well as the veracity of the statement. Ruby, despite her surprisingly adept combat skills and great leader skills, was still youthful at heart. Already she'd tried to eat cookies for breakfast, until Yang had interfered.

As he made his way up to their shared dorm, he couldn't help but muse on the subject of his partner. Ruby was a sweet girl. Nice, bubbly, and he'd be lying if he said she wasn't absolutely vicious on the battlefield, and yet, she did still exude an air of immaturity. 'Pot,' Jaune internally snarked, 'Meet kettle.'

Good to see you've attained some self awareness. Link added.

Jaune frowned, adjusting his sheath more comfortably across his shoulders. "Ha ha. I've always known that. I hate it."

And, you're learning to change it. Growth, as much as we wish it to be otherwise, is not instantaneous. Despite how much I've been pushing you, even I understand that much. Much like how you yourself are growing and learning, so too is your leader. Further, she's younger than you, and in a position of leadership. I can only imagine the stress she must be under. Given all that responsibility, I think a bit of immaturity can be forgiven.

"Stress? Ruby? I don't think she knows the meaning of the word."

Or perhaps, she simply doesn't want to show it.

"Really? I don't think we'd really think any less of her for it."

I don't believe she feels that's the case. If I had to guess, knowing what little I do about her, I'd say it was a desire to assuage all of you. She might fear a drop in team morale if she reveals her own personal insecurities. In addition, much like yourself, she may want to prove to everyone that she's just as capable. She was moved up to this academy, was she not?

Jaune nodded wordlessly, frowning. Link raised a good point. "I wonder if there's anything I could do to help?"

Simply being there for her might be enough. After all, you are her partner. You have already shown that you can be trusted, so let her know that she can rely on you.

"Even if I don't have the proper experience?"

I'm not referring specifically to combat, although that would also help. Be a friend, a confidant. A partner.

Jaune nodded to himself. Link, as always, was right. Plus, it hadn't helped that he'd been so wrapped up in his own issues that he'd rarely taken the time to actually really sit down and spend time with his partner. Well, there was no time like the present to start fixing that little issue. Now that he wasn't quite as worried about losing his spot in Beacon, nor worried about what his friends would think of his lack of experience, he could focus on actually being a good member of the team. Problem was, how would he even start?

That's for you to figure out, Link added, as though he knew that Jaune would be asking him for advice. I can't give you all the answers.

"Not even for this?" Jaune stopped in front of the door to RNJR's dorm, and fished around in his pocket for his scroll. A swipe over the door handle, and it clicked, letting him inside. As usual, the room was only occupied by two, still sleeping people; Ruby, and Ren. As quietly as he could, Jaune deposited his training bag by the door and approached Ruby's bunk. She was curled up slightly, and Jaune paused, watching her slumber. It was, in a word, adorable. Hard to believe she was the combat prodigy that he'd seen in class. Harder still to see her as a leader, and yet he, Ren, and Nora all trusted her. 'Must be natural charisma.'

A valuable skill to have for any leader.

Jaune wordlessly acknowledged Link's advice. Maybe that was why he wasn't made leader? Probably for the best; his lack of experience and charisma would probably spell disaster for any team he tried to lead. He shook his head and glanced at his scroll. 'Crap, I forgot it was a Saturday!' Jaune frowned, and his gaze scanned the room until it came to rest on the curled up form of Ruby, still softly slumbering away. 'Guess I'll let her sleep in then. What do I do now though?'

Jaune stroked his chin in thought, mulling over his options. It was still too early to be doing much of anything, and he was loath to wake up his team. Nora was probably still training, but he didn't feel like spending his Saturday in traction after trying to keep up with her.

A suggestion, if I may.

"Huh?" Jaune whispered out loud, not thinking.

Link was silent for a moment, and Jaune felt a brief flash of hesitation in that silence. Well, it's been quite a long time since I've had the chance to experience the world since my last incarnation. Everything has changed so much, and that's just what I've seen so far. If you wouldn't mind, do you think we could go down into that…'Vale' place I've heard spoken of?

Jaune nodded to himself. It didn't sound like a terrible idea; he could go into town, grab some breakfast, maybe hit up the comic store and even grab some cleaning supplies to upkeep the Master Sword. "What did you want to do?" Jaune whispered.

I'm fine with whatever; I just want to experience average life in this time period. See places, people, the usual.

Jaune nodded again. "Sure, it's been a while since I've been to Vale."

Whatever Link was about to respond with was cut off by a gentle yawning noise behind him. He whirled around to see Ruby slowly rising from her bed and rubbing her eyes. "Good morning."

Jaune smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

Ruby shook her head. "No, I'm trying to wake up earlier. Doesn't look good if the leader is always sleeping in, right?"

Jaune chuckled. "Don't think anyone but Weiss would complain if you slept in on the weekends." He watched as Ruby slowly clambered out of bed, dropping to the ground below with more grace than her newly awakened awareness would have implied.

"I know…" Ruby trailed off, frowning slightly.

Silence, then, an idea formed. "Hey, Ruby? I was gonna head down to Vale for the day; see the sights, hit up a couple places. Wanna come with?"

Ruby smiled and nodded. "Sure! I gotta buy some more ammo and some oil for my baby."

Jaune snorted. "Your baby."

"Hey! Don't make fun of Crescent Rose!" Ruby stood arms akimbo, frowning at Jaune.

Jaune raised his hands disarmingly with a laugh. "Alright, alright, I'm just teasing. Get dressed, and I'll meet you down by the Bullhead-'' he didn't have time to finish; Ruby suddenly flew by him in a cloud of rose petals, leaving him standing alone in their dorm, with only the sound of the bathroom door shutting to remind him he'd actually been talking to Ruby. He chuckled to himself, stuck his hands in his pockets, turned on his heel, and made for the door, only pausing to turn to Ren. "Sorry 'bout all that." he apologized, fearing their discussion and the resulting cacophony that ensued, had awoken him.

Silence followed, then what could have been a small huff of amusement, and what sounded something like, "It's all fine, have fun."

Jaune smiled, and walked out the door.

Bullhead doors opened up with a pneumatic hiss, revealing the standing forms of Jaune and Ruby, as though they'd spent the entire flight from Beacon standing right by the door. They stepped off onto the tarmac, both in sync; Jaune slowed his steps to help Ruby keep up, a holdover from his experiences with his younger, shorter siblings. The two chatted animatedly as they moved away from the Bullhead landing zone and into Vale proper. "...and things got super awkward when it turned out that the Wolf Knight was just her Heart World version of her crush." Jaune finished, talking about the latest scroll series he'd been reading about.

Ruby winced sympathetically. "Yeah, that would be pretty awkward."

Jaune paused for a moment and glanced around. Despite how early they were, it appeared as though Vale had awoken even earlier. The main street that the two found themselves on was already active, bustling with groups of people chatting, shopping, and sitting outside cafes enjoying their breakfast. So, Link spoke up briefly, this is Vale. The architecture is definitely a lot different than anything I'm used to. Jaune didn't openly respond, but it seemed like Link was content simply to comment.

"So, Crater Face, where do you wanna get breakfast?"

Ruby stroked her chin for a moment in contemplation before her eyes lit up. "Let's go with pancakes!!"

Jaune nodded. "Sounds great; it'll be nice to not have to worry about Nora inhaling them all before we get our share." He pulled out his scroll, quickly thumbing through it. "It says here there's a breakfast place not too far from where we are. Hit that up, then the weapon shop?"

"Sounds good to me!"

The two continued on their way, falling into silence which was quickly filled by the noises of the city. Vale was, for the most part, walkable, save for the roadways up above where cars transported people across to further districts of the city. To Jaune, who'd spent most of his life in the country, it was almost as much a spectacle to him as it was to Link. Speaking of the Hero, he'd fallen silent again, no doubt trying to experience everything about the world that had left him behind. At that particular thought, a strange sense of sorrow shot through him, feeling somehow alien, and yet his own. Was it Link?

Ruby's voice caught his attention, pulling him away from that particular thought. "Are you okay? You're not still worried about…you know?"

Jaune blinked and shook his head as though trying to dislodge the new emotion. "Uh, yeah- I mean no- I mean-" Jaune winced in irritation at how tongue tied he was getting. "No, it's not that. Sorry, I have a lot on my mind." It wasn't technically a lie, he really did have a lot on his mind. He pushed the unfamiliar feeling from the forefront of his mind, trying to focus on the present. "Hey, Ruby?"

"Yeah?" Ruby tilted her head, her expression curious and focused as though she were trying to somehow read his thoughts through sheer effort alone.

Jaune paused, mulling over his thoughts before he spoke. "Are you…is everything going alright on your end?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Jaune felt the urge to facepalm. 'A master of oration am I.' Upon seeing Ruby's expression morph to one of confusion, Jaune tried again. "Sorry, what I mean to say is, are-, no, that's not right." He shook his head hard, trying to restart his thought process.

"Uh…" Ruby started, brow furrowing as she tried and failed to figure out what Jaune was trying to say.

Jaune took a deep breath. "Look, being the leader can't be easy and all, and, I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always happy to lend an ear." Jaune rubbed the back of his neck as he glanced to the street, embarrassed over his verbal tripping. "I…wanna be a better partner, and while I'm working on the whole combat thing, I can at least be a better partner in other stuff."

Jaune was met with giggles, making it his turn to be confused. That was odd; did he say something wrong? His fears seemed groundless though, when Ruby removed her hand from in front of her mouth and gave Jaune a brilliant smile. "You're fine! Thanks though. You know, I wanted Yang as my partner starting off, since she was family, and I was kinda worried about making friends and being treated like I belonged here," Ruby put her hands behind her back and turned, looking over the railing of the bridge the two were crossing, "but I'm glad I got to be on a team with you guys."

Jaune turned to look as well, staring out onto the man-made river that flowed from the ocean and through Vale itself. "Thanks. I feel the same. You'll be a great leader, and I promise we'll always be there to support you."

The two fell into a comfortable silence as they continued to stare out onto the river. As Jaune looked out over the body of water that wound its way through Vale, he felt another twinge of what he could only describe as 'nostalgic melancholy.'

-Eldin Bridge. Twilight. Sky painted orange, setting the stone alight with the dying flames of dawn, and the encroaching royal purple of nightfall. A site of victory. A site of memories. How many times has he traversed these flagstones? How many times has he heard hoofbeats echoing into the ravine below? Each time brings with it a mixture of emotions that-

"Jaune? Hello? Are you still here?"

Jaune blinked and shook his head. "I, uh…sorry, I got lost in thought there." He smiled at Ruby who smiled back, if a little uneasily.

"You looked really sad for a moment. You sure you don't have anything to talk about?" Ruby asked.

Jaune shook his head. "Yeah, I got this weird feeling of Deja Vu. "I'm good now. Breakfast?"

Ruby nodded. "Yep!" She turned on her heel and began to walk away. Then, she paused and turned back. "Same goes for you! I wouldn't be a good leader if I didn't support you guys!"

Jaune chuckled and nodded. "Sure, sure. I'll keep it in mind." As the two began to make their way to the cafe, Jaune couldn't help but find himself continuing to muse upon the memory he'd been privy to, and the lingering feeling of melancholy that accompanied it. Did such a location still exist on Remnant? At least ruins? How much of Link's world remained?

And could he handle the full weight of the resulting sorrow if nothing remained of that ancient land?

A/N: Hot on the heels of the return of Innocence, it's another chapter of Legend of Remnant! What is it with me writing painfully ironic chapters in conjunction with v9? At least in this case, the majority of this chapter had already been written a long while back, and only now just got finished. Still, after seeing Ruby and Jaune blow up at each other, and Ruby being driven to drink tea, it's rather ironic I choose now to upload the chapter where Jaune offers to be there for Ruby when it comes to the Chains of Command.

And yeah, not much going on this chapter, but this was written on the tail of the first major boss fight, so it's a bit of a breather/character based chapter.

Lastly, most of this was written via phone while on downtime at work, and nothing is as teeth grindingly annoying as trying to write on phone keyboard while battling sausage fingers and a temperamental autocorrect. Alas, can't really bring a mobile keyboard into a clean room.

If you haven't been made aware, I'm back! Go ahead and check out my profile for more details, and keep on the look for more content in the future!