Earlier, at Amity Arena
Jeanne grew uncomfortable as time went on.
Not only was she sitting next to some people who looked like they were cosplaying her friends, which was just really weird, but Lunus had left to get some popcorn ten minutes ago and hadn't shown up yet. She was sure that he was probably just going to the bathroom or something like that, but something felt entirely off about this situation.
As Ruby was getting ready to strike at Penny again, rearing back to deliver a blow with her scythe, something happened.
Suddenly Jeanne felt incredibly sad, depressed, angry…Just about every negative emotion you could feel, and she didn't know where it came from. She choked back a sob and rubbed her eyes, she knew they were not her feelings, but whose were they and why was she feeling them?
That wasn't the worst part, which might well have been that everyone else in Amity, among the thousands of visitors there, seemed to feel the same way as her. The whole crowd cried out over the same thing, as if the feeling of raw despair had been implanted into their mind by some malevolent entity.
Actually, even with the raw despair washing over everyone in the arena, that was still only the second worst thing to happen in that instance.
The worst thing to happen was the fact that the emotions washed over Ruby and Penny as well. Because of that, Ruby made a mistake and slipped up the attack she was in the process of performing, yet she didn't miss.
Instead, she delivered a far too powerful attack on the already low-aura girl she was facing.
The attack pierced Penny's aura and cut further, Ruby had shot forward before this with Crescent Rose, there was no stopping this attack. It connected with Penny, and then proceeded to tear her in half, right through her waist. What should have been a bloody mess however, was not. Instead it was revealed that inside Penny was a bunch of robotic parts, this whole display caused gasps and cries of shock and horror.
Weiss and Jeanne both stood up, their eyes widening. Ruby realized what she had done and fell to her knees, the girl didn't move from that spot. That might have been when the announcers called the match and investigated the reason why Penny was a robot, but instead a giant Nevermore crashed into the hard-light dome over Amity and began pecking at it.
Civilians panicked and began to run outside, fleeing the oncoming horror, while simultaneously just drawing more Grimm to the arena, and to Beacon, through their emotion.
The students in attendance began to try and guide the crowds, the Atlesian soldiers that were there also helped, with several airships being deployed by their carrier airships to evacuate civilians to safety as more Grimm poured into the fringes of the arena through one means or another.
The Nevermore broke through the ceiling and raced straight downward, ready to attack Ruby, who was kneeling on the ground still. Yet several students thought quickly on their feet, they called their lockers as the creature descended, and the incredibly fast rocket-powered storage units shot into the sky from where they were located, towards the arena, and as the creature landed on the ground and prepared to attack Ruby with its beak, it was immediately slammed into by several lockers.
The creature wasn't killed, but it was thoroughly stunned and brought down, long enough for Jeanne, Weiss, and the other students to race down to the arena and grab their weapons off the back of the collapsed creature.
The Grimm had been heavily weakened by the lockers that stuck out of its back, and a sudden barrage of attacks from several students from every major academy in Remnant made short work of it.
While it was dissolving and students were trying to figure out what to do next, Jeanne and Weiss went to go check on Ruby. Yet she was despondent, the act of killing her friend, even if it was unintentional, had rendered her incapable of doing anything but sobbing into her hands. Weiss shook her head, "This isn't good, Ruby can't fight in this condition, and we still don't know where Lunus is…Jeanne!" She looked over at the other girl, "Go look for him, wherever you think he is, I'm going to get Ruby somewhere safe, away from all this fighting. Okay?"
Jeanne nodded, "Okay!" She went back to her locker that was still situated on the giant bird, took out her armor to go with her sword and shield, then donned it right then and there. Once she was fully equipped, she headed out to look for Lunus.
She couldn't find him anywhere she looked, not concessions, not any other paths, it was as if he vanished into thin air. However, eventually she found a concessions worker who was not too fear-stricken and was able to tell her that they saw him leaving the arena with a strange woman.
Jeanne didn't like the sound of that, Lunus leaving with a strange woman was bad enough on its own, but given the circumstances and the fact that the worker told her that he looked incredibly despondent meant that she didn't think he was in his right mind.
So she reasoned that he must be on campus, and if the woman was who she worried it might be, then she had an idea of where to look for them as well. She just needed a way to get off the arena and onto the ground…
The solution came in the form of a bullhead which ferried her and the rest of the students who were staying to fight (all of them from what Jeanne could see) down to the academy. The pilot was admirable in his ability to dodge smaller Nevermore, several students with ranged weapons (most of them) were able to shoot out of the passenger doors to keep the way clear and keep the birds away from the ship.
Once she touched down she quickly realized it wasn't going to be a straight shot to the Headmaster's Tower, there were veritable hordes of Grimm in the way, and while it seemed like every student on the ground was fighting, there were still a lot of them.
So, wielding Crocea Mors, she bolted from the landing towards the courtyard. It wouldn't have been such a long run if it weren't for the swathes of Grimm, and her first obstacle came in the form of an Ursa that ran straight for her. She raised her shield and braced herself as the creature stood on its hind legs.
She lunged forward and pierced the creature's chest with her sword, yanking it out and stepping to the side to avoid getting crushed as it fell back on all fours, still alive and very angry.
Jeanne jumped up onto the creature's back and stabbed it repeatedly as it roared and tried to throw her off before eventually succumbing to her attacks. As it fell, she rolled off of it and prepared to leave when another one came charging towards her, this one was an alpha! She prepared for a much more protracted engagement when suddenly a glaive that was completely encased in a bright blue crystal shot past her and pierced the creature's chest, exiting the other side.
As the creature fell and she looked around to find the source of the attack, a guy that looked about her age and her height ran past her to grab the glaive, he had a stocky build, dark blue hair, and light blue eyes. As the crystal fell away and he grabbed his glaive he looked back at her and grinned, "Go! Today is a day for glory, do not let it go to waste!"
Thoroughly confused by whoever that was supposed to be but without the time to ask, she just nodded and ran off on her way. Further in, at the main courtyard, she found students fighting packs of Beowolves, and soon found herself entangled in that as well. A Beowolf lunged at her and she blocked it with her shield, pushing it away as she stabbed its neck with her sword.
That one fell, but there were more. She found herself needing to duck and weave, striking when she could and blocking when she couldn't. She might have been overwhelmed if other students weren't readily taking some of the heat off her. She saw Velvet among them, wielding what looked like a hardlight copy of Crescent Rose as she attacked in a form very similar to Ruby.
As Jeanne stabbed another one in the heart and watched it fall, she turned and noticed that it seemed a Beowolf Alpha had joined the party, roaring in preparation to attack. That was until Nora ran into the fray, from wherever she had been before, and leapt into the air. She brought her hammer down onto the thing's chest and crushed it into the ground. She laughed and gave a thumbs up to Jeanne and the others, winking.
Ren soon ran past to join her, and the three shared a smile before Jeanne ran off again. She couldn't afford to waste their efforts!
As she rounded a corner, she found the final thing standing in her way. Standing on two legs, one arm in the shape of a club and the other brandishing a giant black sword that resembled a claymore, the creature had a stocky build and stood at least as tall as a house! Jeanne gripped her sword tightly and readied to face the thing alone if she had to, when she suddenly heard a familiar, if unexpected, voice.
"Heya blondie!" She turned around and saw…Roman Torchwick, Neopolitan, and…Qrow? All three of them were brandishing their weapons as they stared down the giant.
"Y-You two are here?!" Then she looked at Qrow, "And you're not like…Trying to kill them?"
Qrow shook his head, "Way I see it, I found them killing Grimm and not students, we can sort out the rest later. For now…" His giant sword transformed into a scythe, the full form of what inspired Crescent Rose, fully realized, "I say the four of us have a job to do, don't you think?"
Roman twirled Melodic Cudgel with a smirk, "Grimm invasions make strange bedfellows!" Then he pointed it at the Grimm, the end of it opening to reveal the barrel inside.
Neopolitan created a sign with her semblance that read, "Especially if there's only one bed." Then she winked, the sign disappeared and she opened Hush.
Jeanne couldn't help but smile at the three, then she turned her attention towards the Giant, readying Crocea Mors once again, "Right…Let's do this!"
The Giant roared and charged towards them with large steps, Qrow was the first to engage, racing forward and expertly weaving between the creature's attempt to slam him with its club or kick him with its legs. Qrow ran up the side of the creature before plunging his scythe into the creature's side, it roared in pain before staggering to the side towards the building on its left, it crashed into the wall and caused Qrow to grunt in pain as he was forced to leap off the side.
Torchwick took his turn, shooting several high powered dust rounds at the creature's torso and head, each one striking home with deadly accuracy as the rounds exploded and caused the creature to stagger back.
Neopolitan, in the meantime, looked at Jeanne and gestured for her to follow. The two of them raced forward together, Neo expertly dodging any attempted hits with flips and cartwheels while Jeanne had to clumsily roll and pitch herself around. Once they got close enough, Neo gestured for Jeanne to hold her shield up, facing the top of the creature. Jeanne did as she was asked, and Neo proceeded to leap on top of it, using the shield as a springboard, Jeanne also quickly got the message and pushed up with all her might.
Neo was sent high into the air, flipping and twirling as she did so. She landed on the creature's shoulder and pulled Hush's umbrella portion off, revealing a sword cane underneath. She plunged it into the Giant's neck and jumped off its back, swinging around as she descended and the Giant roared in pain and anger.
Qrow came back into the fight, leaping into the air and brandishing his scythe as he did so, cutting deep into the beast's side. The beast reached towards its back with its club and whacked downward, sending Neopolitan flying into a building's brick wall, although Jeanne saw her starting to get up to rejoin the fray in no time flat.
Then, the beast swung its sword in much the same manner, except this time towards Qrow. It clipped the Huntsman and sent him flying into a tree on the left, Jeanne ran back as the creature got its bearings again. The Giant roared at the two it could see, Roman and Jeanne, and began to charge towards them.
It saw them just standing there looking at its approach, but once it swung down at them it realized too late they were an illusion as it kept barreling forward. On either side of the path, Jeanne and Roman had positioned themselves and pulled taut the hook end of Melodic Cudgel. The Giant ran straight into the hook's rope and fell forward, crashing into the ground and shaking the entire area as it did so.
Jeanne let go of the hook and then raced towards the creature with Crocea Mors at the ready, she plunged her sword into the thing's side and began stabbing it repeatedly while the others converged on it as well.
First, Qrow jumped out of the brush he had been thrown into and raised his scythe, jabbing it into the Grimm's back. Following him, Roman began to shoot several rounds of dust at the creature's head, the explosions kept the Giant dazed and unable to stand. Just in time for Neo to return, running towards the beast and then leaping into the air with her trademark flourish and spin, then she readied her sword as she began to descend onto the creature's neck. The blade plunged deep into the back of its neck, and with a final roar the creature finally went limp and started to exude the telling black smoke of a fallen Grimm.
"Woo!" Roman celebrated as he twirled his cane, "You know this whole good guy shtick ain't half bad, dunno if it's my thing, but I can enjoy it while it lasts." Neo jumped off the creature's neck and returned to Roman's side with a smile and a nod of agreement.
Qrow stepped away from the fallen beast and collapsed his weapon down into a sword again, resting it on his shoulder as he walked over to the two, "Keep this up you might be able to earn a pardon, maybe you'd consider going straight then, huh?"
Neo's first instinct was to make a joke, a sign appeared in her hand, "I'm already straight for you." Then she winked, although Qrow didn't seem affected as he rolled his eyes.
Roman, for his part, shrugged, "We'll talk about all of that after the kiddos aren't having to worry about their dorms getting brought down, yeah?"
Jeanne made her way over to them and grinned, "Good work guys!" She held her weapon in hand still, but lowered, "I gotta keep going, but-"
That was when a loud roar grabbed their attention, coming out of the foliage was yet another Giant. Jeanne swore under her breath, "You have GOT to be kidding me!"
Qrow patted her shoulder, "Go on kiddo, do what ya gotta do, we can take care of this one!"
Jeanne looked between the three, who nodded at her, or in Neo's case, winked at her again. Jeanne nodded, "Thanks, all of you!" Then she hurried off towards the Headmaster's tower once again.
Luckily there were no more distractions on her way there, she was able to read the elevator and begin her descent.
The Vault
The fight raged on with no signs of stopping while I just sat there and stared at the ground, still unwilling to move and still unsure of if there was anything I could do. I heard the fight, magic raging against magic, shields coming and going. Cinder wasn't the most experienced maiden but she was strong enough to make Ozpin actually have to fight. I didn't really care one way or the other how the battle went at this point.
Amber knelt next to me, speaking over the din of the raging battle, "Lunus! Come on, snap out of it! Ozpin needs you!"
"What's the point?" I asked with a dull voice, "He lied to me, about so much…"
Amber struggled to think of what to say, the fight continued with flashes of light and physical strikes. I heard a familiar voice call to me, but it wasn't Ozpin, Cinder, or Amber.
It was Jeanne.
"Lunus!" I heard her run up to me, she knelt next to me and put a hand on my back, "What happened to you?! The school has gone nuts, we need your help!" She had to yell to have her voice heard over the din of the battle, "Ozpin needs your help!"
"The enemy he told us about, Jeanne…" I responded, not making eye contact, "The enemy is my mother, Salem is my mother…" I had been repeating similar statements to myself this whole time.
Jeanne looked stunned, "Wh-What?!" She looked like she wanted to say more, but she closed her eyes and shook her head, "Okay…So he was lying, but does Amber deserve to be left alone in that tube, does Ruby deserve to see you like this, do I?! You need to stand up! At least help me keep Amber safe!"
I closed my eyes, "Jeanne, my mother is Salem, the Queen of the Grimm, Ozpin lied to me, all because he didn't want me to question what we were doing. Because he thought it would protect me, but see what it did?" My mind was still in total turmoil, torn asunder by all of my swirling emotions.
What was my purpose? What was I good for?
Yet Jeanne wasn't having any of it, she grabbed my staff off the ground and stuck it in my hand, then she stood me up, "Come on!" Then she walked us over to the aura transfer chambers
She took a position in front of Amber's chamber, it was at this point that I noticed she was wearing her armor and had her sword and shield. She held the shield up and guarded it while we both watched the fight that was going on.
Cinder wielded her maiden powers with a great amount of dexterity, her fireballs only blocked by Ozpin's shields, and he fought back with constant jabs from his cane. They both took hits and traded them back in return, I wasn't sure who had more aura left, there was no real way to tell.
Jeanne swore under her breath, "Lunus! Come here." I did as she asked, she had me stand in front of Amber's chamber while she began to mess with the machine itself, "Okay, so if I remember what Ozpin said…" She started typing into the machine's terminal and powering up the aura transfer systems.
I watched as Ozpin was suddenly knocked down, sent sprawling on the ground, yet instead of trying to kill him, Cinder turned her gaze towards Jeanne, "You will not take what I deserve!" She declared as she held her hand up and began to channel fire magic into some sort of concentrated spear.
My eyes widened as I tried to throw up a shield, but my focus was still shot and it flickered. Jeanne turned around as Cinder growled at me, "If you're going to stand in my way too…" Then she threw a bolt of concentrated fire straight towards me, my shields failed as my eyes widened and I braced for impact.
Yet instead of that, Jeanne raced in front of me with her shield up and blocked the attack, yet it struggled against her shield. It looked for a moment that she'd be able to throw it off, but instead it redoubled against her and suddenly pierced her shield, and her chest.
The whole room seemed to slow down for me as I saw Jeanne flying backwards and then falling onto the ground. The bolt had dissipated after exiting her other side, and a part of my brain seemed to gather up enough pieces to get me to move. Cinder got occupied with Ozpin again while I knelt down next to Jeanne, "Jeanne! You didn't have to do that, I-"
Jeanne, her weapons having been dropped at her sides, grabbed my coat and pulled me down. She locked her lips with mine, causing my eyes to widen, it was enough of a shock for even more of my mind to start to reject the message I had almost drilled into it. Jeanne pulled back and smiled, "Anything…for my Lunar Prince…" Then she went limp, not dead but unconscious and hovering close to it.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, what was I doing? I was so caught up in my own self-loathing I let someone I care about get hurt…
Slowly, I stood, Cinder and Ozpin were locked in a clash, and I used that as my opportunity. I raised my staff towards Cinder and channeled magic through it, a beam of moonlight white energy shot out and crashed into her, sending her into a wall. She wasn't down, unfortunately, but she felt the hit.
Cinder pulled herself out of the hole in the wall she had made, "You were supposed to be my lover! My lord!" She growled and shook her head, "You will be, still, AFTER I've reminded you of your station and taken my rightful power!"
She began hovering in the air, fire whirled around her as she shot several bolts of flame towards Ozpin and I, we both separately raised our shields. Ozpin took the primary offensive by racing forward and striking at her several times with his cane while she floated in the air, and I followed up by waving my staff in a semicircle above my head, creating several magical bolts of energy that all shot towards Cinder.
Our attacks struck home and she found herself on the backfoot as she once more drew her twin swords, Glass chimed against metal as she exchanged blows with Ozpin again. I activated the war scythe element of my staff and charged forward, raising the weapon and striking downward towards Cinder, only to have her block my hit with one sword and Ozpin's with another.
We began to exchange a flurry of blows, my war scythe and the Long Memory both causing Cinder's weapons to chime with each strike she blocked. I was already exhausted from the spells from earlier combined with whatever it was I did that caused this whole mess to begin with, but I kept fighting nonetheless. Ozpin and Cinder both also looked like they were getting tired, I hoped desperately that maybe, just maybe, the Crown of Choice was wrong.
Eventually she lost one of her swords, shattered by a hard strike that Ozpin dealt out, likely laced in magic. She responded by pushing out fire magic from her person, sending Ozpin skidding backwards and me flying backwards.
My staff had fallen several feet from me, I staggered to my feet to try and get it, only to see Cinder and Oz were both not much better. The Long Memory was cast to the side with my staff, and while Cinder was still holding one sword she looked to be on her last legs, just like us.
Ozpin delivered a hard punch to her jaw and wrested her other weapon from her grasp, Cinder used a blast of wind magic to force it out of his hand. Now they were both weaponless, my staff was still too far away, but at my feet lay Crocea Mors, the sword at least.
I picked it up as I saw Ozpin duck and dodge, before he managed to step behind her and grabbed her, his arms locking hers down, "Lunus!" He yelled, "Do something, now!"
I saw the choice that lay in front of me.
Cinder didn't look like she had any fight left in her, she would have been easy to just knock out then and there, but I also knew how powerful she could be. She was the reason Amber was stuck in that pod, why Jeanne was dying on the floor, why so much suffering had been wrought.
Ultimately, it wasn't much of a choice at all.
I held Jeanne's sword like a javelin and channeled magic into it, the sword bathed in moonlight white energy as it appeared to get longer and, I knew, sharper. Then I threw it forward, propelled by what remained of my magic.
It sailed through the air, and my breath hitched as I watched it draw closer to Cinder and Ozpin.
It hit home, straight through Cinder's chest. I thought that maybe I had avoided hurting Ozpin, but she used what remained of her own strength to drive the magically infused weapon further through her with the force of wind magic, straight into Ozpin's chest. Then she had her own sword fly through the air and plunge into his neck.
The two fell to the ground and I knew they were both dead.
I turned around and staggered towards Jeanne's still form, yet I lost my balance and fell onto my chest, my energy had been well and truly spent. I tried to crawl towards her, but every muscle in my body screamed in protest. As I gave in and began to slowly lose consciousness, I heard Amber's voice, I knew it not to be her spirit, but her in the flesh, "...Let me repay you for all you've done. She doesn't deserve this…"
I would have questioned what she had planned, but my consciousness slipped and I finally fell into darkness.
Jeanne found herself in a white, featureless void. At first she thought that she had died, and she would have been content with that, dying to protect Lunus. No matter if he reciprocated her feelings, she still loved him, and she loved Ruby. She wanted them to be happy.
Yet it seemed that fate had other plans for her.
Appearing across from her was Amber, smiling warmly at the other girl. Jeanne blinked in confusion, "Amber…? What happened?" Her eyes widened, "Did Cinder kill you?! Is this some sort of last goodbye?"
Amber shook her head, "No, well, not for us." She stepped closer to the other girl and wrapped her in a hug, "I saw what you did…You're a true hero, you know that?" Jeanne didn't know what to say, all she could do was return the hug, eyes widened. Amber continued, "Deep down I can't help but feel I caused this… If I hadn't been so careless, none of this would have ever happened."
Jeanne wanted to protest, but Amber continued, "It did happen, though, and while Cinder died I can still feel her within the soul of the maiden…She's not going to hurt anyone anymore now, though."
Jeanne finally spoke, "Wh-What are you planning here? I'm supposed to be dying right now, I think…"
Amber giggled, "Well, you were…but I made a decision." She let go of the hug and stepped back, "I was already ready to die, I accepted it, I'm at peace with it. You?" She shook her head, "You've still got so much you can do in this life, and truthfully you're a lot braver and more heroic than I am." Jeanne again wanted to protest, but Amber continued, "So…I did what I had to do. Now you're going to be the Fall maiden."
Jeanne's eyes widened, "But you're alive! That's not…" Her words died before she could speak them, "N-No…You didn't…" She began to feel tears well up, "Amber…We did all of this to keep you safe!"
Amber kept her smile, "I told you I was ready to die. Besides, I'm not really going to be gone…" She placed a hand over Jeanne's heart, "I'll be a part of you. Every Fall Maiden will be, and you will carry my torch far, I know you will…After all, your work is far from over."
"Now…How about another hug?" She extended her arms out, and Jeanne saw behind her the spirits of past Maidens. From first to last, even Cinder was there, although she looked incredibly angry. "This one's for the road." Amber smiled.
Jeanne swallowed back her sadness and stepped forward, throwing her arms around her.
Fire swirled around the new Fall Maiden before exploding into a beam of golden energy. All at once Jeanne felt her aura restored, her wounds healed, and her mind dragged back to consciousness.
Once the beam dissipated, she looked around the room and took in what had happened. Amber had seemingly vanished, although Jeanne knew what happened to her. She wondered what she had done to her body, but maybe she just wanted to make sure there would be nothing left of her, so as to not cause more pain.
Yet Jeanne still felt the horrible weight of knowing Amber had sacrificed herself to save her.
Aside from that, Lunus was on the ground, she ran over to him and checked his pulse before sighing in relief. He was just unconscious. Then she looked over to where Cinder and Ozpin lay, she knew they were both dead. She had been informed of Ozpin's ability to join with a new person after death and she wondered just who he would end up choosing, if he even had a choice.
She might have assumed Lunus, but she had a feeling Ozpin didn't want to do that to his own son. He might have been a liar, but he wasn't that cruel. She walked over to where both of them lay, and pulled her sword out of Cinder's chest. Lunus must have used it to kill her, in spite of the grim circumstances she couldn't help but feel good about that. In her own way, she played a part in laying low their worst enemy to date.
Now she carried a much larger burden on her back, but she would endeavor to live for herself and for Amber.
She found her shield, shattered in the middle, and picked it up. In spite of the hole, she was still able to sheath her sword and collapse the whole affair back into itself. Fully sheathed, she stuck it at her side. Then, she turned and walked back to Lunus, scooped him up bridal style and started to walk towards the exit.
Ozpin and Cinder's bodies could be picked up later, she was sure that the fight for Beacon was still going on. She did, however, take the Long Memory with her. From what she knew, Ozpin would want it back. She could give it to Qrow or someone else when she found them.
As she stepped outside she found that while the fight was still raging, it had died down a lot. Two giants lay dead not far from where the tower was, and she was sure there were even more Grimm corpses in other places of the school.
She hoped that nobody had died, or at least that the lives lost were minimal. She knew with a deep sadness in her heart that people had probably died today, not just the three back in the vault, but students too.
She reached the courtyard, those Grimm that didn't just dissipate when they died littered the grounds with their corpses. Tired students were resting while others ventured out to keep the others safe, or stood guard so the others could recover enough to keep fighting.
Weiss was among the ones standing guard and once she saw Jeanne and Lunus she immediately ran over, "Jeanne! What happened? Is he okay?!"
Jeanne nodded, "It's…complicated, but I'll tell you about it later. How's Ruby?"
Weiss frowned, "Physically? She's fine. Emotionally? A wreck. I wouldn't let her see Lunus like this, it might make things worse for her."
Jeanne had to agree, "Well, where is she?"
"Lunus?!" Ruby's panicked voice came from behind Weiss and caused both of them to tense up, and yet before either of them could assure her that he was just unconscious, a blinding white light engulfed them and the entire area as she screamed, "NOOOOOOO!"
The effects of the light weren't immediately apparent, nor was the source, yet when it cleared everyone saw that Ruby had fallen unconscious.
Later they would learn that Ruby's cumulative emotional trauma and shock from seeing Lunus and assuming he was dead triggered a latent part of her, a mysterious force caused by her silver eyes that wiped out every Grimm on campus.
Now though? They had two unconscious teammates, and a lot of work to do.
I didn't know how long I was unconscious, nor did I know what happened afterward.
All I knew was that when I began to come too, I was staring at a familiar ceiling. Not a bunk bed, but my ceiling fan. I was back on Patch, in my bedroom. I was still wearing my outfit, although the coat had been removed and was hung up on my door. As I rubbed my head and sat up with a groan, memories of what happened began to come back to me.
Cinder, Ozpin, Jeanne…
"Jeanne!" I immediately moved to get out of bed, although I grunted as I put a hand over my chest. Cinder had done a number on me during our fight, I hadn't even noticed at the time because of how focused I was…
I heard a knock on my door before it opened, revealing who else but Jeanne herself. Her hair was unbraided and down and she wore a simple T-shirt with a bunny logo on it, along with a pair of sweatpants. She walked over and placed a hand on my chest, getting me to lay back down, "Lunus…You need to relax. I'm okay." She smiled warmly at me.
"O-Okay…" I stared at her and remembered how she looked when she had fainted. So close to death, so lifeless…I doubted I would ever forget. "What happened? You were almost dead…"
Jeanne sat on the edge of my bed, "Amber, she…" Jeanne closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Amber sacrificed herself so I could keep living. She's kind of…part of my soul now." My eyes widened as Jeanne continued, "That makes me the Fall Maiden."
"I-I see…" That would take getting used to, "What about Ruby and the others?"
"Ruby is still unconscious. Last I checked, she…activated some strange power, a light that shone so bright it evaporated every Grimm left standing at the academy. I'm told that after repairs are finished and Glynda settles into her new role as Headmistress we can expect classes to resume next semester. Finals have been deemed unnecessary this year following…Well, that. So…We have a few months off." She smiled, although it was weak, "It's also to mourn the people who died."
People died, people died, people died….
Jeanne sighed, "Weiss got taken to Atlas at her father's request, although I could tell she really didn't want to go. Maybe once Ruby is better we can go get her?" She shrugged, "Although I don't know how long she's going to be unconscious for."
I nodded numbly to her suggestion, but I wasn't thinking about that. I was thinking about how whatever spell I cast back in the arena played a part in innocent people dying. It drew the Grimm and I was too catatonic to do anything about it.
No matter how you spun it, I was a failure, and I caused so much suffering…
Burdened by everything my eyes began to well up with tears, I tried to fight them off. Jeanne didn't need to see me like this, "I…It's been rough, huh?" I tried to keep my voice steady as I sat up again, but it was shaking and threatening to break apart. "I caused so much suffering…"
"L-Lunus, what do you mean?" She looked at me worriedly, and I was reminded once again of how she almost died. If I had kept my cool, that wouldn't have happened. Cinder wouldn't have even been able to get close to Amber, maybe I could have killed her myself.
My father wouldn't be cohabitating with some new person and making their life worse by dragging them into all of this.
"When I learned Salem was my mother, I…Broke apart." I stared down at my lap, "I don't know what I did, but I felt my sadness, my anger, my despair…It all got projected out, everyone felt it. If I had kept my cool, none of this would have happened."
Jeanne looked away, "I…I see." She looked back at me, "You couldn't help it, though! It's not like you did it on purpose, so why are you blaming yourself? You should be blaming Cinder and Salem for making you feel this way!"
"If I had been stronger…" I responded, sniffling, "I wouldn't have…Killed so many people." Finally my cool broke apart as I spoke those words, I covered my face in my hands and began to sob.
Jeanne wrapped her arms around me and pulled me tightly against her, "Lunus, no…Lunus, you didn't kill them. The Grimm did." She ran her hand through my hair , her voice soft and comforting, "It's okay, it's okay…" She whispered softly, "I'm here…It's okay to cry…"
I couldn't control it, as if a faucet had been turned on and it was just flowing freely. Between my revelations with Salem, seeing her almost die, and the revelation of just what I had done I had more than a few tears left to spare.
I cried on her shoulder and she continued to hold me close to her. I wished she didn't have to see me like this, I was supposed to be better than this, but I found out after that day that I wasn't. Beacon had made me confident, stronger, happier, I was a steadfast leader, at least I thought I was, and I thought that I was at least sort of a good friend.
Now, torn away from the academy, with my team scattered, my father reincarnating, me having killed people, I was stripped away of all that pretense. Gone was Lunus the team leader, Lunus the mage, Lunus the second to last, Lunus the one who was supposed to bring his parents to his senses.
All that was left was Lunus, the rock bottom loser of Signal and all around mess. Dragged back down and now I wondered if I would be able to climb out of this hole again.
I couldn't tell how long I cried, but Jeanne was there for it all. Eventually my tears stopped, even if it took awhile, and while my mood was still low, I was no longer sobbing uncontrollably. I just rested my head on her shoulder silently while she ran her fingers through my hair.
Eventually the door opened and I heard Mom, "Is he awake?" She asked with concern, and when she saw the state I was in she hurried over and joined in on hugging me, "Oh, baby…What happened is all over the news. It must have been terrifying…"
I knew she didn't know what happened exactly, if only she knew how right she was. I wrapped both Jeanne and Mom in a hug and just silently held them, Mom rubbing my back, "You're home now, it's okay…"
More footsteps, this time it was Dad. He knelt next to the bed, "I can't imagine what you're going through, what all of you kids are going through…but I know you can pull through it, son." He spoke softly, "You know that no matter what goes wrong in life you can always come back here. We'll never turn you or your friends away. You're out there chasing your dreams, and we're always rooting for you, I…know that might not mean much in a situation like this, but I hope it means something, at least."
I took a deep breath and nodded, "It…It does." Mom and Jeanne pulled away so I could look at the three of them. Through the hell I went through, they were still here. My parents, my real parents, not Ozpin and Salem. Jeanne, too, was willing to give her life for me, and Ruby…
I swallowed a lump in my throat, "What happened to Ruby?" I asked Jeanne softly.
The concerned look on her face made my heart sink, "The…Thing that happened overwhelmed her in the middle of her fight. She struck too hard, Penny…She's…" My eyes widened as Jeanne continued, "...Apparently she was a robot. I think Ruby already knew that, but I had no idea. Atlas took possession of her remains pretty quickly after the attack ended…Ruby was catatonic before she fell unconscious."
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before nodding, "I…see." I felt guilty for that too, but that wasn't going to solve anything right now. "I…I want to go see her." I said want, but my words carried the real meaning.
I needed to see her. I needed to be there when she woke up.
Mom smiled, "We figured you'd say that. You can leave, but…You should probably change into some other clothes before you do. Those are…filthy." I looked down at my shirt, and I knew she was right.
Dad patted my shoulder, "We'll have dinner ready in a few hours. Go check on her."
Jeanne took a deep breath before smiling, "Yeah…You should be there for her. I'd go, but…I need to do some thinking too."
Jeanne and Mom left, and Dad began to leave too, he turned towards me, "And, Lunus…" I looked over at him, and he smiled at me, "I'm proud of you. You're growing into a fine young man." Then he headed out and shut the door behind him.
I hoped he was right.
I crawled out of bed and it was then that I noticed my staff was against the wall. It looked like it'd taken some damage when it was knocked out of my hand, there was a crack running down the middle and I think the blade might have been chipped. I would need to get that fixed.
It was crossed with my bat, just like the first time I found it. They must have gotten my stuff from Beacon while I was out. How long had it been, I wondered?
I'd have to ask on my way out.
I changed out of my clothes and put them in a hamper, I instead put on one of my old T-shirts that had an illustration of the shattered moon on it, then I slipped on some jeans and my shoes.
I knew I wouldn't need a weapon, it was a short walk, but still. I stared at my bat, then I grabbed it and the leather strap that let it rest on my back and put them on. It was the first time I'd carried my bat in a long time now.
I saw that my computer was on my desk, where it belonged. So they did get my stuff from Beacon…The school was closed, so I guess it made sense. It would open back up eventually, but for now, everything was back where it used to be.
I sighed and remembered how there were students who would never be back to how they used to be. They were gone, scattered to the wind. If I wasn't so intent on seeing Ruby, I would still be mourning their loss, yet I needed to carry on.
I went into the bathroom and looked myself over, my hair was a mess and my face looked as mournful and down as I felt. I remembered back when all of this began, and I was going to visit Ruby all for a group project.
Before Beacon, before MARS, before magic, before anything else.
It felt like a lifetime ago now.
I left the bathroom and headed downstairs, "I'll be back." I called out and opened the front door. I stepped outside and was on my way towards the path when I heard a voice call out, "Lunus!" It was Jeanne. I turned around and raised an eyebrow.
She walked over to me, "Uhm…About what happened before I passed out." She played with her braid and I was brought back to when I first met her, "I'm…I'm really sorry. I didn't…I mean, I thought I was going to die…"
I smiled and shook my head, "Don't worry about it." How could I blame her? I would have done the same thing if I was in her position, I knew I would. "We can talk about it some other time, okay?" She smiled and nodded, and then she turned back and headed for the house.
I turned my attention back on the path and walked it. Once again I thought of the first time I was heading back to Ruby's place, and earlier than that, the first time I went there. Those were different times, both, we were so innocent. I found myself wishing deeply that we could go back, but there was no going back, only going forward.
So I pushed on.
It took maybe five minutes to reach the Xiao-Long household. I hadn't seen it since summertime, and now was under much more grave circumstances. It still looked warm and inviting in spite of that, and I went to knock on the door.
When I did, Taiyang answered, he broke into a large smile when he saw me, "Lunus, thank god you're up and about." He sounded relieved, "I might as well have had three of my own laid up with you out of it too…"
Three?
"What happened to Yang?"
"Ah…" Taiyang looked away sadly, "She…She lost her arm trying to help that other girl, Blake I think was her name. Some bastard cut it off. She's…not been taking it well. She's just sleeping right now, but…I've never seen her in this bad a way."
I nodded numbly, "I…see. I'll have to see her too, but…You know why I'm here."
Taiyang nodded, "She's still unconscious but…I'm hoping she'll wake up soon. It's been a few days since the attack." A few days?!
I must have been far more exhausted than I thought I was, between the pulse of emotions and the fight with Cinder…
Taiyang let me in, "Qrow's up there right now, he had something he wanted to give you once you woke up, so you should see him too." I nodded and made my way up, swallowing a lump in my throat as I did.
Once I reached the hallway, I saw Qrow leaving the guest room, yet he didn't seem to be staying here, if the bag on his back was any indication. Was Yang in there? He looked at me and managed a smile, "Ah, hey kid…Glad to see you up and about. I've got something for you…" He took the bag off his back and rummaged around before he pulled out a thick leather bound tome. He held it out to me and I took it, "I think Oz mentioned this to you before. If something happened to him, he wanted you to have it for when he was…You know, indisposed."
I nodded and smiled, "Thank you, Qrow."
He waved it off and put his backpack back on, "Don't mention it, I was just dropping off some stuff for Yang and Ruby. I'm going back to my place for now, but I'll see you later alright?" I nodded and he walked past me.
I tucked the book under my arm as I walked forward towards what was Ruby and Yang's room. Although when I opened the door it seemed like Ruby was the only one sleeping here. That must have meant that Yang was in the guest room.
She was still asleep, and there was a chair against the wall near her bed. I pulled it closer and set the book down on her nightstand, then I sat down and looked her over. She was sleeping soundly, but I knew she had gone through a lot, just the same as everyone else.
I reached a hand out and gently ran my fingers through her hair, even like this she looked so beautiful. I smiled softly just from looking at her, in spite of everything. Then I leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips before whispering, "I love you, Ruby…"
As if waking a slumbering princess, the kiss and my words seemed enough to make her stir. She muttered something I couldn't make out as she slowly began to blink open her beautiful eyes slowly, "Mmmhh?" Then she laid eyes on me.
Immediately her eyes flew open and she gasped in shock, "L-Lunus?!" She reached out and wrapped her arms around me, pulling me down as she started to sob, "I thought you were dead…" She whispered in a hushed voice.
I swallowed a lump in my throat before making a joke to try and lighten her mood, "Reports of my death were…greatly exaggerated." I ran my hand through her hair some more, "Are you okay?"
Understandably she whispered, "No…" She squeezed me tighter, "I killed Penny, Lunus…I didn't…I didn't mean too…I struck her way too hard and she split in half. Brothers, the way she looked…" She whispered softly, "I can't get it out of my head…"
I had been comforted by my parents and Jeanne, now it was my turn to help Ruby feel at least a bit better, "It'll be alright…" I whispered back, "It's not your fault, you couldn't control what happened…" If anything it was my fault, but I didn't want to bring that up right now. "You just have to live for her and yourself now." I continued gently petting her, "If she's a robot…maybe we'll see her again some day? I…don't know how the science would work, but maybe they could…I dunno, rebuild her?"
Ruby gasped, she must not have thought about that before, "You're right!" She pulled away to smile at me, "I bet they'll try to fix her up in Atlas! We have to go check on her…Where's Weiss and Jeanne?" She tilted her head.
"Jeanne is staying in the guest room of my place, Weiss got taken back to Atlas by her dad. We're gonna have to go get her back one way or the other, so we might as well see if we can learn anything about Penny while we're there." I smiled, "Two birds one stone, right?"
Ruby nodded eagerly, "We can't be a full team without Weiss! I doubt she wants to be with her family, they're not very good…We'll have to figure out a way to get her out of there."
I nodded, "We will. For now, though, I think we all need more rest…" I smooched her nose, "We've both been out for a few days, but that doesn't mean we're at all ready to just up and leave right now. We're going to need time to get ready and time to recover. Jeanne told me Beacon is closed for a few months, until the next semester starts…I guess on the bright side that means not having to worry about school when your birthday comes around, huh?"
Ruby giggled, "I guess that's true…" She reached up and gently placed her hand over my cheek and smiled softly, "I thought I lost you, you know." She took a deep breath, "...Here you are, though. I don't know how to tell you just how happy I am."
I smiled back, "I was worried about you too…" I hummed and leaned forward, giving her a kiss, she reciprocated passionately and we both closed our eyes. She was almost desperate, like she was afraid I was going to vanish into thin air at the drop of a hat, yet I wasn't going anywhere and I wanted her to know that.
When we pulled back, she was blushing red, and I knew I was just the same, "I…I love you, Lunus." She smiled timidly, "I can't imagine what life would be like without you…I already lost Mom, I don't want to even think about losing you, or anyone, but you especially."
I grinned, "I love you too, and I feel the same. Neither of us is going anywhere though, we have too much to do in this life before we can even think about dying."
Ruby kissed me again and her smile brightened, "Yep…Way too much." She spotted the book on the table and raised an eyebrow, "What is this?" She wondered, I reached out and picked it up.
"Ozpin wrote all of this down for me, in case he…well, reincarnated." She gasped and I nodded, "While fighting Cinder. The good news is Cinder is dead."
Ruby relaxed a bit at that statement, "I don't like the idea of people having to die, but in her case…Good, she deserved it. So does that mean the old Fall Maiden is alive…?"
I shook my head, "...She was, but she sacrificed herself…To save Jeanne." Her eyes widened in shock as I continued, "Jeanne's the new one, which means I'm going to have to start teaching her as much as I'm teaching myself."
Ruby managed a smile, "Well, it could all be worse…At least Cinder is gone, although I wonder who Ozpin is going to reincarnate into…"
I shrugged, "No way to tell right now. I'm sure Qrow has some idea of how to find him, but for now we're just going to have to wait."
Ruby nodded, "So Uncle Qrow's okay…That's good." She sighed, "We're going to have to check on everyone to see if they're okay…" I nodded in agreement, then she asked, "How's Yang?"
I took a deep breath, "Taiyang told me that she lost an arm fighting someone at Beacon. I was going to check on her after I came to see you, but…We should do it together."
Of course Ruby was in full agreement, she got out of bed, still wearing her outfit from Beacon that she would need to change out of sooner or later, then we headed together towards the guest room.
Once we opened the door, we saw Yang sleeping in there. Ruby saw her arm and gasped, my eyes widened as I saw it as well. I'd never actually seen someone without an arm before…Yet Yang was sleeping, and she looked troubled. Ruby sniffled and I put my hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her. She smiled up at me and then walked forward to give her sister a hug, asleep or not, "Yang…I'm okay. Lunus is too…I hope you'll be okay soon."
If Yang heard, she made no indication, her eyes were shut and her breathing was soft. Although the look on her face was troubled. Ruby stood up fully again and came back over to me, then together we left and headed downstairs.
Taiyang was overjoyed to see Ruby up again, we found him in the kitchen and when he saw her he gasped, "Ruby!" He raced over and gave her a tight hug, which she returned, "Thank the Brothers…" He whispered before pulling back, "Are you…okay?"
Ruby closed her eyes and thought about it for a moment, "Mmhhh…" Then she opened them again and shook her head, "Nope." She spoke lightheartedly with a smile, "But…I will be soon. I promise. I just need to process all of this."
Taiyang smiled sadly and nodded, "I get it, you've been through a lot. You all have." Then he turned towards the stove, "I'm gonna be making some tea soon, I figured Lunus at least would want some, but if you're up, I'll make you a cup too."
We thought that was a good idea, so we took seats at the table and I opened the book, with Ruby looking over my shoulder as I read the foreword that Oz had written for me.
'Lunus,
If you're reading this it means I've reincarnated, for one reason or another. I wrote down all of my knowledge on magic and instructions on how to learn to use it alongside it. Needless to say, this book is very dangerous, so don't let anyone who isn't someone we trust implicitly see it.
Qrow will probably have my cane, you can ask him for it and he will give it to you. It might not be your weapon of choice, but you are free to use it until I return. It pays to have more options than a staff and your magic, as I'm sure you're aware. That's part of why I trained you on how to use it. In case of emergency.
I don't say this often enough, sometimes I fear I may have forgotten how, but I love you, Lunus. You're a far better son than I deserve.
You survived against all odds, came out of the other side of a time stasis and ended up with a good family, and through it all you've managed to become a good person. I know I had nothing to do with it, but I'm still proud of you nonetheless.
You're an impossible boy with an impossible destiny, but I believe that if anyone can pull it off, it's you.
Sincerely,
Ozma, your father.'
I blinked in surprise at his usage of his original name, but I supposed that was how he showed he meant what he said. I smiled sadly, he might have been a manipulative jerk, but he was still my father, and while I was confused and angry at first, I knew now that I still loved him.
Ruby giggled, "Impossible boy, huh?" She smiled, "That fits you pretty well, if you ask me."
I hummed, "Yeah...I guess it does."
Ruby then looked over the letter again, "...You know, I never thought about it before, but under all of that stuff that he's gone through, he's still just…a person. I don't know how he was able to do half of what he did."
From what we knew about his life, I had to agree, "I can't blame him for wanting me to carry the burden as much as he does, and I'll gladly do it if it means keeping everyone else safe."
Ruby kissed my cheek, "Just don't forget you're not in this alone. You have him, you have me, you have Jeanne…You've got so many people who care for you, don't try and carry it all yourself."
I smiled softly and nodded, "Yeah…You're right."
Taiyang, now with the tea ready, turned around from the stove and set it down, placing two mugs in front of us, "Here you are!" He then grabbed his own and sat down across from us, "So…when did you two become a thing?"
Oh he saw that, huh.
I smiled, "The dance." I might have been nervous if I was anyone else, Taiyang was very protective of Ruby, but I knew he cared about me deeply. Maybe not as much as he did her and Yang, but he still cared.
Taiyang nodded, "Took you both long enough!" He sipped his tea, "I was starting to worry it'd never happen."
Ruby giggled and sat next to me, "Well it did, and we would have told you sooner, but…Life stuff." She shrugged, "I guess now's as good a time as any?"
Taiyang nodded, "So what are you two going to do after you've had time to recover? Beacon's not gonna be in session again until next year."
She and I shared a look, then I looked back at Taiyang.
"We're gonna go fetch an Ice Queen."