A/N: Just a quick note, I changed the tags from Angst/Hurt/Romance to Humor/Romance. Simple reason is because I'm terrible at writing anything Angst/Hurt related but I'm sligtly less terrible at writing Humor.
[~]
"Are you sure we're headed the right way?" Jaune asked, the blonde hobbling after Cinder as the two of them made their way across the underground cavern, with the path in front of them so dimly lit that they were only able to see a few meters ahead at best.
"Oh, I'm sorry, would you like to lead the way?" Cinder asked, the Fall Maiden coming to a halt before turning around to face him. With her palm outstretched in front of her, a bright orange flame was dancing in mid-air as it lit up the area around them, "I wasn't aware you had that sort of Semblance."
Jaune, in response, could only glare at the Fall Maiden before looking away.
"That's what I thought." Cinder said, a triumphant smirk on her face before she turned around and started to lead the way once more, "And besides, it's not like there's any other path for us to follow."
"Well, either you're leading us to salvation or - and this is the likelier outcome - you're just leading us deeper and deeper into the cave and we'll be stuck down here forever." Jaune said.
"You'll never get anywhere in life if you choose to live it like that." Cinder said
"But if we die down here, nobody we know will ever find us and the most likely people who will are archaeologists in the far future but by then, we'll just be bones slowly rotting to dust."
"I don't remember you being so… pessimistic." Cinder mused, looking back over her shoulder with a frown.
"It's called being realistic and also, it's been what, five? Maybe six years since we've seen each other?" Jaune said, "A lot can change in that time, you know."
"It seems that way." Cinder said, "Finally laid with that silver-eyed eyesore you call a friend, have you?"
"Silver-eyed-? Ruby?! You're joking." Jaune shot back with a scoff, "She's just a friend."
"Hmm… Is that so?" Cinder said with a hum, "I guess I owe Emerald fifty Lien, then."
"Wait, what's that supposed to-" Jaune started to say before the cavern rumbling all around them had them stop in their tracks, "What was that?"
"Nothing good, that's for sure." Cinder said as the two of them stood back to back against the darkness. Producing a sword from magic, the Fall Maiden then held it tightly with her right hand before asking, "How's your leg?"
"It's healed." Jaune said, the blonde staring at his feet before letting a hiss of pain while trying to flex his toes. Meanwhile, all around them the rumbling sounds were growing louder, "Mostly."
"And your aura?" Cinder asked, the woman's grip on her weapon tightening by the second as the flame on her left hand started dancing wildly.
"Barely above red." Jaune said, the blonde deploying his shield before cursing at the lack of a weapon, "Yours?"
"About the same." Cinder said with a frustrated sigh.
"If only someone hadn't dropped us down here." Jaune said.
"And if only someone had just learned to mind their own business and leave a poor woman living out a cave well enough alone!" Cinder shot back, growling as the ground beneath their feet started to rumble.
"I'm not apologizing for that, even if I die today." Jaune said as he held the shield close to his body, "You got a plan or something?"
"Typical men. Expecting the women to do all the work." Cinder said, a smirk on her face, "Just don't drag me down and we'll be fine."
"As far as plans go, that's not the worst." Jaune said.
"Also, don't die." Cinder said, "Because if you do, your party of idiots are going to think I'm the one who killed you and if that happens, there will be no end to my headaches."
"Unless, of course, we both die here." Jaune said.
"Indeed. Here they come." As soon as Cinder said that, the wall to their right exploded. As the dust started to clear, the head of a Centinel Grimm poked out of the hole as it let out an unholy screech. The sound disoriented both Jaune and Cinder as it echoed around the cavern.
An instant later, the Centinel pounced on the both of them. Fortunately, they were able to dodge in time before Cinder turned around and swiftly decapitated it.
"Is it too much to hope for that this is the only one we'll encounter today?" Jaune asked as the Centinel disintegrated into black dust.
"What happened to you being a realist?" Cinder asked, an amused look on her face as she quirked an eyebrow at the blonde. Before the two of them could continue their little talk, the cavern around them seemed to explode as more than a dozen Centinels appeared, seemingly from out of thin air.
"If I die here today, I'm going to haunt you for the rest of your days." Cinder said as she raised her weapon once more.
"Not if I die first." Jaune shot back just as the battle began in earnest.
[~]
"Cinder, now!" Jaune shouted, the blonde using his shield to swatt the Centinel's head away from him with all the strength he could muster.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Cinder fired back as she swiftly decapitated what must have been her fifteenth Centinel that day. Exhaustion was starting to set in, the Fall Maiden having barely recovered her aura as she placed a hand on the wall to steady herself.
"We'll never make it out alive at this rate." Jaune said, holding his shield in front of him with a tight grip as he stood in front of Cinder.
"If you have a better suggestion, then I'm all ears." Cinder said as she steadied her breathing.
"You can use magic, right?" Jaune asked as he looked at her over his shoulder, "Can't you do something with that to get us out here?"
"Magic still requires me to expend aura." Cinder said, "And if my aura runs out, then who knows what magic will cost me to use it. That is something I'm currently not very keen on finding out, if I can help it."
"Then we need to find some place to hide." Jaune said, the blonde quickly turning around before grabbing Cinder by the hand, "Come on, let's go!"
"I can run just fine on my own." Cinder said, a scowl on her face as she pulled back her hand. They didn't get very far before a Centinel burst out of the wall in front of them, the Grimm letting out an unholy screech before Cinder cut off its head with a swift strike of her blade.
The Fall Maiden's victory, however, was cut short as three more Centinels burst forth in front of them.
"Damn it." Jaune said, as he and Cinder turned around to run in the other direction only to be met with the group of Centinels that was chasing them earlier. Cursing his own luck, Jaune raised his shield in front of him with a determined look in his eyes, "Well, I guess this is the end. If we're being honest, this was the last place I expected to die in, especially considering who I'm going to be buried with."
"Don't curse your luck just yet, fool." Cinder said as her amber eye glowed.
"You have a plan?" Jaune asked.
"Better than fighting a pointless battle." Cinder said, the Fall Maiden taking a deep breath before she focused on the earth all around her. A moment later, the walls around them started to rumble once more as the two groups of Centinels lunged towards them.
Raising her arm as high as she could, the cavern's rumbling started increasing in intensity.
"Whatever you're planning, you better make it quick!" Jaune shouted as he blocked a Centinel from reaching Cinder.
"Quiet! I need to focus." Cinder said her eye ignited in flames. Before long, the rumbling around them increased in intensity before everything started to collapse around them
The Grimm around them were effectively dealt with as boulders and stalactites fell from above before crushing them to a pulp. The only area that appeared to be safe from all this chaos was the spot they were currently standing on.
Even so, Jaune immediately found himself standing by Cinder's side, the blonde Huntsman raising his shield above his head to protect the both of them from harm.
The collapse continued on for a few more seconds before finally, silence reigned as the cavern settled once more.
"Okay, I'll admit, that was a good-" Jaune started to say before Cinder slumped against him, the woman's breathing suddenly a lot heavier than Jaune remembered, "Cinder? Hey, Cinder! Are you okay?!"
"I… I'm fine…" Cinder managed to say, her voice barely louder than a whisper as she tried to muster up what strength she could to push herself off of the blonde.
"You're burning up. That and the fact that you're a lot paler than you were a few minutes ago, I'd bet anything you are the furthest thing from fine right now." Jaune said, the blonde pressing his forehead against hers before giving the woman a piggyback ride, "Hang in there."
"No…" Cinder said as she tried to push herself off of Jaune's back, "I can… walk on… my own…"
"If you hate it so much then you're welcome to get off at anytime." Jaune said, receiving silence in return before grabbing his shield, "That's what I thought. And don't worry, I'm sure we'll be out in no time."
"You idiot… Now you've… jinxed it… Doomed the… both of us…" Cinder said through labored breaths, an amused smile on Jaune's face at the woman's attempt at an argument even in her current state.
[~]
Cinder awoke with a groan, the Fall Maiden trying to sit up only to immediately regret her decision a moment later as her entire body erupted in pain.
"Looks like you're finally awake." said an irritatingly familiar voice. Turning her head around to face the source of said voice, Cinder felt a scowl formed on her face as she and Jaune locked gazes, "That's a pretty scary look you're wearing, especially when you consider the fact that I just helped patch you up."
With a pained hiss, Cinder managed to sit up before dragging herself to the wall opposite the blonde.
"I would have been fine on my own." Cinder spat as she glared at Jaune.
"Uh huh, I'm sure you would have." Jaune said, rolling his eyes at the Fall Maiden, "I would ask for a thank you but I'm not even sure you know what those words even mean."
Silence reigned once more between the two of them before Cinder spoke, "Have you found us a way out yet?"
"Well, seeing as we're still here sitting in the dark, the answer should be obvious." Jaune said, chuckling to himself, "But I think I'm getting close."
"Oh? How so?"
"I've been hearing faint sounds of a storm near here." Jaune said with a shrug, "Either I'm going crazy or that snowstorm outside is still going on."
"And yet you're still here?" Cinder asked with a quirked up eyebrow, "Why?"
"Consider it me paying you back for my leg." Jaune said, "That and it'll be easier moving through this place what with you lighting the way ahead, that's all."
"Hmph. So I'm just a tool of convenience for you, is that it?" Cinder asked with an offended scowl, "Maybe I'll just live down here, then. After all, I'm not the one with family and friends waiting for me back home."
"Are you really going to act like a child and be petty about this?" Jaune asked with an unimpressed look.
"Fine, whatever. Let's just get out of here." Cinder said, the woman trying to stand up before sitting back down with a hiss of pain.
"You need any help? You were bleeding quite a bit from where that Centinel got you earlier." Jaune asked, the blonde extending a hand towards the Fall Maiden before having it slapped away.
"I'm fine. I don't need anybody's help, least of all from you." Cinder spat as she tried her best to stand up.
"Oh, for the love of- Here, just let me help you." Jaune said. Not bothering to wait for the woman's approval, the blonde then forcefully placed Cinder on his back.
"W-what do you think you're doing, fool?!" Cinder shouted as she tried to squirm her way off of Jaune's back, "Put me down!"
"Adding to the fact that you're obviously sick, your leg is also busted. We'll be here forever if we wait until you're fully healed." Jaune said as he started to walk.
"What about you? You're obviously hurt, too." Cinder said, the Fall Maiden having stopped her little struggle, "Or are you telling me your foot has miraculously healed over the past couple of hours?"
"It's definitely a lot better than yours right now." Jaune shot back, "Now, would you kindly light up the ahead? That way, I won't have to worry about dropping into a hole or something."
"Not even a please? And who said chivalry was dead?" Cinder said as Jaune let out a tired sigh.
"Please, Cinder, please light up the way ahead with the Fall Maiden magic you stole and isn't rightfully yours." Jaune said in a mocking voice. Without saying another word, Cinder cast a flame that floated mere inches from Jaune's face, startling the blonde, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"I'm not even going to entertain that accusation of yours." Cinder said with a self-satisfied smirk on her face.
[~]
"Are we… outside yet…?" Cinder asked, the woman's breathing having gotten shallower in the past hour while the flame she had magically produced earlier as now a tiny ember, waiting to be snuffed out.
"I think so." Jaune said as faint traces of light started piercing through the darkness of the cavern, "Hang in there. We'll be out soon."
"Who do you think… you're talking to, fool?" Cinder asked with none of the usual venom behind her words.
"Even near death's door like this, you still have the energy to argue, huh?" Jaune asked. When he received no response, Jaune turned his head around to see Cinder's face was flushed and breathing heavily, "Cinder? Are you dead? Come on, say something."
Cursing aloud, Jaune quickened his pace, the blonde now running towards the source of the light as Cinder started bouncing lightly on his back. It took Jaune a few more seconds of running through the cavern before the two of them came upon the exit.
"Alright, looks like we made it." Jaune said just as Cinder's flame died. Putting the Fall Maiden down on the ground and against the wall of the cavern, Jaune pressed a hand against her forehead, "Cinder, can you hear me? If you can, say something. Anything. Threaten to kill me or something."
Instead of an answer, all Jaune received in return was silence with Cinder's breathing becoming increasingly heavier as the seconds ticked by.
"Damn it." Jaune said, the blonde cursing his luck as he looked around the area for anything that could help alleviate the woman's pain, even if temporarily. Stepping out into the snowstorm, Jaune came to the unsettling realization that it won't be stopping anytime soon. The blonde was beginning to lose hope before he spotted smoke coming out of a nearby cave just a few meters above him, "That's… Cinder's cave!"
With newfound resolve, Jaune raced back to the Fall Maiden's side before putting her in a bridal carry.
"Gods, if Ruby could see me now…" Jaune muttered to himself, a smile on his face at the thought of his best friend before the blonde ran out of the cave, "Don't die on me yet, Cinder. Not until I kill you."
Laughing at his own joke, Jaune started treading through the storm of white, the blonde barely able to see more than five meters ahead. With the goal less than ten meters ahead of him, Jaune was about to let out a victory cry before a roar behind him made the blonde Huntsman flinch in surprise.
Turning around to identify the source of the roar, Jaune came face to face with an Ursa, the creature of Grimm just radiating bloodlust.
"Damn it!" Jaune shouted, the blonde jumping out of the way of the Grimm's lunge before he and Cinder fell face first into the snow. As the Grimm let out another roar, Jaune was able to react quickly by turning around and deploying his shield to block its' attack.
Using the Ursa's momentum against itself, Jaune pumped what little aura he could into his legs before sending it flying over him. Quickly getting up, Jaune scooped Cinder into his arms before quickly making their way into the nearby cave.
Narrowly avoiding the hole that they had fallen into, Jaune gingerly placed Cinder as close as possible to the fire she had started hours ago.
"It's a miracle it's even still burning." Jaune thought aloud before a roar from the mouth of the cave had the blonde turn around. Gripping his shield with a tight grip, Jaune narrowed his eyes as he and the Ursa stared each other down.
Growling, the Ursa charged at Jaune only for the Huntsman to meet it with his own charge. Shield in front of him held tightly, Jaune slammed into the Grimm with all his might, stunning the Ursa and sending it staggering back a few feet.
Just as Jaune delivered a backhand blow towards the Ursa's head that stunned it for a few more seconds, the blonde's eyes spotted something glinting at the mouth of the cave a few feet in front of him.
With a smirk, Jaune dashed towards the mouth of the cave, dodged the Ursa's swipe, before sliding across the ground and picking up his sword.
Sword in hand, Jaune dodged the Ursa's swipe once more before cutting its arm off that had the Ursa roaring in agony. Taking advantage of the Grimm's distraction, Jaune wasted no time in finishing it off with a swift decapitation.
As the Ursa started to disintegrate into black dust, Jaune quickly made his way past the Grimm and to Cinder's side. Seeing that she was shivering, Jaune then grabbed the woman's blanket before putting it over her.
Jaune let out a relieved sigh as Cinder's expression softened.
"Gods… What am I even… doing right now…?" Jaune asked himself, the blonde leaning against the wall while not taking his eyes off of Cinder for a second.
[Chapter END]
A/N: That's a wrap for chapter two. Hope you guys and gals enjoyed it. Since it's new Knightfall stuff, I definitely enjoyed writing it.
As always, faves, follows, and reviews are always appreciated.
NoXIV signing off.