Chapter 22 – Arouse
"It's been a day already and he hasn't answered his phone. I'm starting to feel as though something bad has happened." Weiss said, looking at the news channel that was covering the chaos that had arisen in Mistral.
"I'm sure Jaune is doing fine. He was probably tired from fighting for so long. I was amazed he was still able to stop the reactor." Blake said, observing Yang who was still unresponsive to her teammates.
"Have you guys noticed Jaune's change in behavior? He wasn't acting like himself back at Mistral." Ruby mentioned, remembering his burst of anger towards her when Amber was dying.
"He had to fight Pyrrha and let's not forget that Jay and Yang were threatened to be killed." Blake stated. Yang placed her full attention towards the team's conversation.
"I guess so, but still…" Ruby kept pestering them about this, but they did not pay much attention to it.
"For some reason, I can't get this weird feeling off of me." Weiss said, rubbing each of her arms as though she felt cold.
"You mean the feeling of sending a person to their death?" Yang added.
"Yang for the last time, it's not our fault! How would we know that this could have happened to you and Jay?" Blake yelled in frustration. She did not want to believe that their decision is what caused Jay to die. Thinking about it made her think twice about it. Could they really be the reason that Jay is now dead?
"You had a choice to help him! And instead, you chose to help that sorry excuse for a Huntsman in training fool!"
"Wait just a minute! Jaune tried to help the kingdom from getting destroyed! He has done more than you could ever do! All you managed to do was to get caught and force us to choose who lives and who dies!" Weiss yelled. Her love for Jaune took over her mind. She didn't think what her response to Yang would make her feel. Yang's pent up anger revealed with the color of her eyes turning to crimson red.
"You know what… I don't need this crap. I don't need a girl who has gotten everything from her daddy's wallet to scold me. Unlike you ice queen, I do things on my own. I don't need a father or friends to do everything for me." Yang had approached Weiss and the two were now mere inches away from each other. At any given moment, the two could already get themselves into a brawl which could leave both in an injured state.
"STOP IT THE BOTH OF YOU!" Ruby yelled.
"Listen Yang… I'm sorry that…" Ruby was immediately cutoff by Yang's angry yell.
"You're sorry!? You're sorry!? Sorry doesn't bring Jay back! You could have helped me! Your sister! To save Jay from Rhett's hands! Yet you chose to stick with that stupid guy because you are in love with him!" Ruby had never heard or seen Yang this angry before, especially when all that anger, frustration, and sadness is being directed towards her. Her grey eyes watered and she felt as though she herself was being abandoned by her own sister.
"Yang I…"
"I don't want to hear anything from any of you." Yang proceeds to head towards the door, stomping each foot to the ground fiercely.
"Where are you going?" Blake asked.
"I'm done with this stupid team...
"What!" Ruby, Blake, and Weiss exclaimed, shocked by Yang's response.
"I'm heading to Professor Ozpin's office to let him know I no longer want to be teamed up with you three." Blake yelled for her to stop, but it was pointless. Yang had already opened the door and slammed it shut. Her loud footsteps were heard fading away and they were left to grasp what had just occurred. Tension was high and neither of them was able to relax and maintain a level head.
"Maybe we should let them alone for a while." Nora said to Ren.
"Yeah… we should." Ren and Nora slowly backed away from the door that lead to team RWBY's room and left back to their own sanctuary.
"I understand Jaune. An airship will be at your location to pick you up in a few hours. Try to survive until then." Ozpin said. He managed to escape the city that was now rubble. Right after Ozpin hung up the elevator door opened and out came a fierce and intimidating golden haired student. For a moment, Ozpin saw an image of Raven as if she was the one in front of him. In a mere second, he returned back to the current time and welcomed the student to his office.
"What's seems to be the problem Ms. Xiao long?"
"What's my problem? My problem is my team. I don't want to be teamed up with team RWBY anymore."
"And why exactly do you want to leave the team? You worked so well together and managed to become a team to be reckoned with here at Beacon. Not to mention that your team is now known across the kingdom."
"I don't care about that. I don't want to be part of them any longer and I want you to make it official."
"Is it about Jay?" Ozpin asked. Raining one eyebrow and placing his coffee mug on his desk.
"How did you kn…"
"Winter told me about it. I'm sorry for your loss." Yang remained quiet. She didn't know how to respond.
"Do you wish to talk about it?" Yang nodded her head and sat down on a seat that was in front of Ozpin's desk.
"Now release all that anger, all that sadness… all that irritation out. No one here will think of you differently. I hope you understand that." Yang was a vessel full of wild emotions, unable to maintain one emotion for a few seconds. Ozpin could tell she had that all inside her due to her semblance activating, as if she had been getting beaten over and over again, unable to fight back an unknown force inside her. Her hair burning like the sun, her eyes crimson red like her mother's, and something else caught Ozpin's attention. Like her hair, her eyes had an intense yellow flame that flickered uncontrollably.
"JAY SACRIFICED HIMSELF TO SAVE ME! WHY ME! WHY COULDN'T HE THINK ABOUT HIMSELF!? WHY DID I HAVE TO GET CAPTURED!? WHY IS IT THAT NO MATTER HOW MUCH I PRACTICE, NO MATTER HOW MUCH I SWEAT, NO MATTER HOW MUCH BLOOD, TEARS, AND FEELINGS I PUT INTO MY TRAINING I COULD NOT SAVE HIM!? Why is he gone? Why did he leave me?" Ozpin showed no sign of being surprised. All his years, he has seen close friends die, close friends leave, and close friends walk out on him. He has had his share of anger, sadness, despair, tragedy… Yet here he was, listening to a young girl who was experiencing the loss of a companion first hand.
"Like you I had to witness one of my closest friends die in front of me during a mission. I've made mistakes that when I look back I wish I can go back and stop it from happening. Yet these mistakes made me the man I am today. Losing friends is what comes in the job description. A Huntress is there to put their lives before the people in order to protect the peace that they are trying to maintain. Jay sacrificed his life so that your sister, your friends, and your father wouldn't have to live a life without you. Jay took this to account, that is why he wanted you to continue living, not because he wanted you to turn away your friends, but to enjoy the time you still have with them. It's not a guarantee that they will be here forever." Yang understood what Jay wanted her to do, but she couldn't agree to his last request. She couldn't see her team the same anymore. They are the reason why Jay died, they are the reason why all of this is happening, yet she can feel a slight guilt.
"I will honor your request to remove you from the team, but I recommend you take some time to think about what you are about to do. It's not every day when someone wants to leave their team." Ozpin stated.
"I guess you're right. I should take some time to think about this. When I come up with my decision I will let you know professor." Yang got up and walked towards the elevator.
"Thank you Professor… I really needed that."
"That's why I'm here. I can only recommend you the path you should take. The final decision is up to you." Ozpin took a sip of his coffee and turned around to stare at the gorgeous scenery. Yang descended to the main floor while Ozpin remained seated.
"The path of hatred, the path of revenge, and the path of contempt are common routes these days. So many are lured into it and only a few are able to leave from it. I can only hope that you will be able to live through it Ms. Xiao Long. Jaune, Jay, and Raven are prime examples of people who walked each of those paths. I hope the day will not come when you yourself will become an example as well… Ms. Xiao Long."
After a few hours, Jaune had returned to Beacon. His team and friends were waiting patiently for an hour for his arrival. Jaune held a blood stained black duffle bag that he had taken from an empty home back in Mistral. Inside carried Adam's sheath and Katana, Pyrrha's Javelin, and her singed armor set that he had removed before cremating her.
"We thought you were in danger." Blake said.
"No… everything was fine." Jaune said. He unzipped the duffle bag and pulled out Adam's sheathed Katana and gave it to Blake. Her eyes widened at the sight of Adam's weapon, something that she did not expect Jaune to bring back.
"This…"
"It's Adam's weapon. You should keep it. It could come in handy one day." Jaune proceeded to walk towards Ren and whispered to his ear before heading inside the school. Blake continued to stare at Adam's weapon in awe. She unsheathed it and held the katana tightly in her dominant hand. She swung it around as if she had been training with it for years and with a smile, she returned inside the Academy as well.
"What did Jaune tell you Ren?" Nora asked. Ruby and the others pulled their attention towards the quiet fellow.
"Nothing important." Everyone returned to their rooms to study for an exam that had most of the students in Beacon rattled. As the sun began to set, many students were still roaming around the school, studying with their teams, friends, and instructors. The library was where a good portion of the students were at. Weiss and Blake were one of the many who studied for this exam. After studying for nearly 2 hours, they set the books aside and decided to take a small break.
"Hey Blake, have you spoken to Yang as of late?"
"No I haven't. She still doesn't want to talk to us it seems."
"Do you think that Ozpin allowed her to leave the team?"
"Honestly… I don't know. I hope he didn't. I can get this thought off my head. I could have gone with her to save Jay, but all I could ever think about at the time was Adam. I wanted to stop Adam myself, but things didn't go the way I planned. If I could, I would go back in time and change things differently"
"…"
"Why did you decide to stay with Jaune?" Blake asked.
"I… I thought that my skills would be necessary at the task that was in hand." Weiss crossed her arms and showed quite a bit of signs that she was lying.
"I know when you are lying Weiss. Tell me the truth."
"I am telling the truth. Why would I want to lie?"
"The fact that you blushed when I said Jaune gives me an idea of why you stayed with him."
"Shhh! Be quiet! No one can hear this. They'll start making up rumors." Weiss quietly yelled. Blake and Weiss looked around their surroundings, making sure no one was listening in to their conversation.
"You like him don't you?"
"Okay yes... I do. It didn't happen all in a day. It was just a small thing that grew as time passed. The Mistral thing was the breaking point. That's when I finally realized how I felt about him. You can't tell Ruby about this. If she finds out, who knows how she would feel and it could possibly break our team even further."
"I promise, but it's going to be difficult to hide your feelings in front of her. Sooner or later she'll find out and when she does, she will probably be mad for hiding it for so long."
"I'll handle it if it comes to that. At the moment, no one else can know about this."
"Are we going after Rhett?" Ren asked. Jaune and Ren were enjoying a milkshake at one of their favorite restaurants near Beacon. Back when they forgot about getting revenge, they would always come here with Jay to enjoy a milkshake after a long exhausting morning of school. Whenever they needed to relax, they would come here and enjoy themselves to various delicious shakes that they would consider the best shakes in the kingdom.
"Honestly, I don't think so."
"Why? He killed Jay and he is roaming around Mistral doing who knows what. He should be taken care of as soon as possible or others may suffer the same fate as our friend."
"I know… I know, but there is something that I have to tell you. I'm telling you this because I know you will understand the situation I'm in. This is the reason that I can't return to Mistral."
"What is it Jaune?"
"Shortly after I took out the Reactor, law enforcement caught me at the scene. Luckily I had my mask on or else my identity would have been revealed."
"So they're after you now?"
"That's what I think, but there's something else." Jaune at this point felt really uncomfortable talking about this. He made sure again that no one else in the proximity was listening or watching the discussion happen. Jaune had chosen a secluded table that was surrounded by walls and the only way people were able to listen in or see them was through the entrance.
"Jaune, you're kind of freaking me out here. What happened?"
"I cremated Pyrrha's remains. I didn't want to risk her being revived again by the Dark aura."
"So it was really Pyrrha?"
"Yeah… it was. After I had started burning her remains I fell asleep shorty after and woke up in a completely different part of Mistral and saw…"
"Saw what Jaune?"
"Saw…" Jaune's face grew pale and by him remembering what he saw made him feel as though he was about to vomit.
"Butchered… bodies. There were like 8 bodies there. The whole room looked as though it was dedicated to torturing and dismembering people."
"And you think you are the one that did it?" Ren asked curiously. He tried to piece the information he was getting together.
"I don't want to think that it was me who did it. The whole area was already being occupied by Grimm and I want to believe that it was them that caused it, but I'm just not sure."
"Jaune I've known you for quite a while now and I know for a fact that you wouldn't allow something like this to happen. Don't get stressed out over this. It wasn't you who caused that and you shouldn't beat yourself over it. The only thing you can do now is forget about it."
"Yeah… I guess you're right." Jaune didn't want to worry Ren even further by telling him about the voices he had heard, but decided it would be best not to mention that part.
"Ren, if I were to ever go… you know… dark side, I want you to make sure that I will never hurt another person again. I want you or anyone else in that matter to stop me… permanently."
"Don't talk like that Jaune. It will never come to that and even if it does, we would find a way to stop you… without having to kill you." Ren placed his hand on Jaune's shoulder to comfort him and make him not think about the possibility of that ever happening.
"I honestly believe that my friends would never turn on me if things do ever go south." Jaune was certain that the voices he heard were wrong and something like that would never happen. The two enjoyed the remaining time reminiscing about their wonderful time in Beacon with Jay that cheered the two up a bit.
As the day grew dark, students returned to their dorm rooms and sleep in. Very few students roamed around the school, but Jaune had something to speak to Ozpin about. Jaune arrived to his office to talk about the situation he was in. He told him about the bloody encounter when he awoke from his sleep. This concerned Ozpin greatly and asked the Knight to not sleep in case something similar happens again.
"I will call Ironwood to advise him about the current situation at hand and I'm sure he will help us solve this problem. Until then, you cannot sleep whatsoever and if you can no longer stay up you will need to go far away from any place that could possibly be populated. We cannot risk you possibly going on a rampage. Do you understand Mr. Arc?"
"I…I understand. Call me when he does arrive." Jaune entered the elevator and begun his descent to the main floor. Upon reaching the floor he bumped into a familiar face. Velvet noticed Jaune and greeted him after not seeing for a while.
"Hi there Jaune!" Velvet exclaimed. Excited to see him.
"Hey there Velvet. Why are you still up? Shouldn't you be asleep?"
"I should, but I'm practicing my hand to hand combat. You see, although I am quite skillful with various weapons, there is a time where I can't use it and need to rely on my hands and feet to get me out of a situation. I was actually looking for Jay. I wanted to spar with me for a while. Have you seen him?"
"Oh… Jay. Yeah he uh… passed away yesterday on a mission."
"You're joking right?"
"No… no I'm not sadly."
"Oh… I'm sorry that I mentioned him."
"No. It's fine. If you want a sparring partner then allow me to help you out. Jay and I always sparred together and I was…"
"YES!" Velvet yelled. She didn't let Jaune finish his sentence. Her ears perked up and she was already filled with ecstasy knowing that Jaune offered to spar with her.
"Okay then. Lead the way." Jaune followed the excited Faunus to the sparring room where the two can engage in a friendly battle.
"So how's your team doing Velvet? I haven't seen them for a while."
"They're doing great. Coco and I have been practicing our combination attacks and I think we are at the point where we could possibly win the upcoming tag team tournament."
"You're participating in the tournament? That's great. I can't wait to see how the two of you perform."
"What about you? You're participating as well aren't you?" Jaune took a while to respond. He wasn't sure if he should or shouldn't. He couldn't risk the Darkness to be discovered, let alone his dark armor he gets when going to that mode. The tournament was said to be broadcasted world-wide and he would definitely get taken in for questioning by law enforcement if he does reveal it.
"I don't know. I am probably going to skip this tournament."
"What!? Why!? You're the best in Beacon. I'm sure there a lot of students here who want to see you in action. Especially those who want to have a match with you."
"I'm sure there are, but I'm not feeling up to it. Maybe the next tournament I will."
"That's a shame. At least I will get to see you in action personally." Jaune's face blushed. The way Velvet said it sounded like something Yang would say. It wasn't until Velvet saw Jaune's reaction when she blushed a lot more than he did. Her pace went faster than the usual, almost like she hoped that speeding up her pace she would lose Jaune. However the two made it to the sparring room and took their stance.
"So would you like me to go easy or hard on you?" Jaune asked.
"Whatever you prefer Jaune." Jaune again blushed at the response and just like earlier Velvet blushed immediately after, knowing how Jaune took the statement as.
"Read…" Jaune wasn't even given a small amount of time to ask her if she was ready. She came at him with the intention of beating him in this little sparring match. Her speed wasn't as fast as Ruby, but the fact that it wasn't her semblance caught Jaune by surprise. Her punches were manageable, but her kicks were something to be worried about. Jaune barely managed to avoid her kicks which moved a lot swifter than her fists. Compared to Jay, she was more highly formidable. Jaune prepared to block one of her kicks, knowing that at the pace she was kicking there was no possible way to continue avoiding it. The impact sent Jaune sliding away with a bit of shock. He didn't know Velvet was really quick on her feet and wondered why she allowed Cardin to bully her around about a year ago.
"Am I too much?" Velvet snickered at her question and Jaune smiled and gestured her to come at him. She sped towards him and swung her arm at him, hoping to land a punch on his face. Jaune however, already planned out how to take her down with ease. He quickly grabbed her forearm and pulled her towards him using the momentum of her swing. Once she took a step towards him, he kicked her foot that was holding all her weight and that caused her to fall to the ground. Jaune jumped back and smiled at the view.
"You're punches are too slow and predictable. Your kicks however, are powerful and swift. If I'm not careful, your kick could send me back to the infirmary."
"Then I will be the one who would need to watch over you again." Jaune smiled at her statement as she got up from the floor and cleaned herself up. Again, she sped towards him with quick and precise kicks this time however; Jaune was ready to take the brute force behind it. He dodged, blocked, and countered her attacks and only some were successful. She wasn't showing any signs of exhaustion however. The training exercise continued for more than 5 minutes, neither side backing down. Jaune was nowhere close from Jay's skills when it comes to close quarter combat, but give Jaune a sword and he would show you what it means to be a Another minute passed and the two were already at their limit. There swings, kicks, and overall movement were now sluggish. Jaune took a step back and slipped to which he quickly grabbed Velvet's hand to stop himself from falling, but Velvet was too tired to hold him and fell with him. The two opened their eyes and their lips were a few centimeters away from each other. Sweat trickled down Velvet's face and landed on Jaune's cheeks. Their hair soaked in sweat and their body emitting steam in the cold air would make people think that they have been engaging in an intense lewd act. After they regained some of their senses, the two already knew what the other was thinking. Velvet quickly got off of Jaune and he immediately apologized for what he had done. Jaune got up and offered to help her up since she was struggling to get back on her feet.
"What's wrong?"
"My legs." Velvet said, massaging her thighs and blushing intensely at the knight.
"They're really sore aren't they? Don't worry." Jaune turned to his back and crouched in front of her. He signaled her to get on his back so that she wouldn't have to walk all the way back to her dorm room.
"You don't have t…"
"Come on. Even I know you won't be able to make it up the stairs." Velvet agreed and held on tightly to the knight as he piggybacked her all the way to her dorm room.
"Your legs are definitely something you should use more than your fists. It seems you're more talented and a lot more dangerous might I add."
"I actually enjoy working out my legs. It helps me be quick on my feet."
"I can feel that." Jaune said.
"I'm sorry? What was that?" Velvet asked.
"Nothing!" Jaune quickly said. Realizing how his response came out as.
The two finally made it to Team CFVY dorm room. Jaune proceed to open the door and was greeted by Coco who was the only one still awake.
"Hi Coco"
"Hey there you two. If I didn't know any better, you two have been ban…"
"WE WERE JUST SPARRING THAT'S ALL!" Velvet yelled.
"Training… sure." Coco said.
"She couldn't get up here on her own so I thought it would be best if I carried her over here." Jaune said. Feeling exhausted after walking a flight of stairs.
"Well you could place her over there. I will be sure to help her to the shower… unless you want to join her inside." Coco said, pulling down her shade
"I wouldn't mind taking a hot shower myself now that I am thinking about it." Coco winked at Jaune to which he responded with a nervous smile and laughter.
"I'm actually needed somewhere else at the moment." Jaune walked inside and sat Velvet down on the chair.
"I'll have to accept your invitation another time. You know, when I'm not busy or anything. BYE!" Jaune hastily retreated towards his dorm room, taking a breather after an intense match. He entered the room quietly, hoping not to wake the others. He entered the bathroom and relaxed his muscles to a hot warm shower.
"This… this is what the doctor ordered."
Hey everyone and here is another chapter for all to enjoy. As you can see, I finally made a scene with a certain Faunus that someone wanted to see long ago. I keep my promises when I say that I will attempt something as long as it sticks with the story. I hope this chapter was good and I hope you stick around. I will see you all later!