Jäger Chapter Eight: Emotional Confrontation
MorgothII: Hello! Just a quick note, shout-out to whoever correctly names the movie that has the same quote as I referenced here. Also, a big thanks to my little sister BlueMountainFairey for reading the entire story AND leaving reviews for each chapter in a single night! Anyways, have fun and enjoy!
"Yeah! Team RWBY is back together!" cries a jubilant Ruby Rose, pumping her hands into the air excitedly. Her three other teammates, plus Blake's new friend Sun, all smile and take a step closer, the previous argument between Weiss and Blake having been ended for good. Weiss points a single finger in Sun's face in an accusatory manner.
"I'm still not quite sure how I feel about you," She warns a startled Sun in a slightly haughty tone. The blonde monkey Faunus chuckles nervously as Ruby takes a look around, suddenly noticing something. She speaks up.
"Hey, wait a minute. Where's Penny?'
For a few seconds Team RWBY (and Sun) looks around for their newly-acquired friend. But the curious orange-haired girl that had helped drive off Roman Torchwick has mysteriously disappeared. Sun leaves soon after, wanting to check something out, so soon the four girls are left alone, Blake and Ruby having already given the witness statements requested by the Vale Police Department. At Yang's suggestion, the quartet of teens leaves the scene. They walk through the relatively empty streets of the city in silence for a few minutes. Then Ruby turns her silver eyes to Blake.
"Is it true about Jake and Roman?"
Yang and Weiss, having both been absent from the incident on the pier, give the other two girls quizzical looks, saying nothing. Blake bits her lower lip slightly, looking like she was being interrogated by her team leader about why Blake has a copy of Ninjas of Love. In a way, the cat-eared Faunus would actually prefer to be in that situation than the current one right now. Finally she exhales with a sigh and nods her head at the shorter girl.
"Yes, Jake even said the word."
Finally Yang raises her hands.
"Ok, hold up! I know Weiss and I were busy elsewhere in the city looking for you, Blake, but what is it you and Ruby are talking about? What is true about Roman Torchwick and Jake?"
The two girls being questioned exchange looks, trying to decide who should answer. Finally Blake decides to be the one who answers, seeing as how she was present for the whole thing. She inhales slightly as she begins to speak.
"When I was holding Torchwick captive, one of the White Fang members nearby was suddenly shot and killed. It turned out to be Jake. The look on his face…it was purely murderous. He actually addressed Torchwick as what he apparently is."
Weiss sighs. She may have made up with the raven-haired teen, but that doesn't mean the heiress is enjoying hearing the long version when the short could suffice. Plus, she is feeling a bit cranky from having searched for Blake for twelve hours straight, having paused only briefly to grab some food, which was then consumed as they continued walking around the city. "And that is?" Blake opens her mouth, but Ruby cuts her off.
"Jake is Roman Torchwick's son."
For a moment the brawler and heiress stare at their partners with stunned expressions on their faces. Then Yang bursts out laughing. After a minute or so, the blonde 17-year-old finally manages to control her outburst. "Jake is Roman's son? The Jäger-the guy who has killed at least thirty people in the past-is the offspring of one of Vale's biggest criminals? I didn't know you two could come up with this kind of joke," She snorts, smiling widely. Ruby fidgets in discomfort, she herself wishing it was a joke. She would rather be cleaning her beloved Crescent Rose instead of dealing with this.
Yang's partner nudges her in the ribs slightly, the lack of a smile highlighting her seriousness. "Yang, this isn't a joke," She says in a stern, almost reproachful tone. Ruby's half-sister's smile disappears from her lips as she takes in Blake's and Ruby's expressions. She rubs the back of her head, now in slight shock.
"Oh, wow."
Weiss rolls her eyes slightly, mildly frustrated. "And he isn't here, and I highly doubt that he will be lying in his bed back at Beacon, or at least, not right away. Guess this means we have to do yet another search tonight," She says with a huff, crossing her arms across her chest. Blake raises a finger before speaking.
"Actually, I may have an idea of where he might be…."
Vale Cemetery…
"Hey mom. Sorry for not stopping by for some time. Work's taken a….turn."
A low voice is the only sound heard among the rows of stone tombstones. Instead of his normal gruff manner, the owner of the voice has a touch of rarely-heard tenderness to his voice. Jake crouches in front of one of the grave markers, located underneath an ancient willow tree. It is a simple slate of granite, with only the dates of the person buried beneath it and the name of Jade Krasnyy Torchwick. The Jäger's mother, and Roman's ex-wife.
Jake's self-made gun lies slung over his back, his bladed weapons in their protective sheathes. His wrist-mounted ammo belts are both empty, having been used up on the docks, thought his main ammunition belt is still fully loaded. The only thing that is missing is his beloved and worn-out cloak.
"Still haven't found her yet, but still trying. I know she's alive, so at least there's that. I did run into father. Bastard is still kicking, sadly. I wo-" Jake pauses and suddenly stands up, his back straightened. In his solitude of his mind the Jäger begins to swear profusely, but not a single word escaping his slightly parted lips. While he wants to activate his stealth semblance, the 17-year old fighter restrains himself.
"Jake?"
He growls under his breath, a slightly feral sound that only Blake is able to hear thanks to her cat former White Fang member, however, remains silent along with the brawler and the heiress. The four girls of Team RWBY had all decided that if they did find the sole member of Team JÄGER that they would let Ruby do the talking, at least for the moment.
"You just don't know when to quit, do you?"
The rhetorical question causes the fifteen-year old scythe wielder to flinch slightly. The words sound like something that his father would say, only gruffer. She doesn't back away, instead opting to push forward.
"Jake, we're not going to judge you any different just because you're the son of Ro-"Now Ruby is cut off before she can finish her sentence. While well-intended, it apparently hadn't been well-received by the Jäger. He spins around, hatred in his eyes as he growls louder.
"I'm his son only by blood! That cock-sucking motherfucker has renounced his paternal role in my life when had attacked my mother for the last time! He punished and kicked and trampled her to death!" Snarls a furious Jake. All the girls tense their bodies slightly, ready if he decides to suddenly attack.
"You don't have to do this alone!" protests a now-shaken Ruby.
"You'll end getting yourself killed," adds Weiss.
"Get myself killed?! I'm going to die one day! The only question is how I check out. Do I want to go on my feet, or on my fucking knees, begging?! I ain't much for begging! Nobody ever gave me nothing! So I say fuck that man! I'll kill him!"
Jake takes a deep breath, trying to at least slightly calm himself down. Then he resumes speaking. "I'm warning you, stay out of this. I'm tired of people dying trying to help me."
The three older girls all exchange looks of uncertainty. Jake lets out a long sigh, turning back towards the final resting spot of his mother. When he speaks, it is at a lower tone, with an undertone that virtually no one has ever heard. The tone of sadness. "Please, just go," He says, his back towards Team RWBY. He hears only three pairs of footsteps that grow fainter.
"What do you want, Ruby?"
Instead of a vocal response, however, Jake is slightly startled by the sensation of a small hand resting on his right shoulder. Knowing that there is no way to get rid of the annoyingly-yet-admirably persistent black-and-red haired girl with bright silver eyes, he fights down the instinctive urge to shake his shoulder and dislodge her grip. "Jake, please look at me," She urges the normally-stoic hunter. Reluctantly he does so, eyeing the unofficial partner that had been assigned to him by that damn coffee-addict headmaster of Beacon, Ozpin. He is slightly taken aback by the 100% serious expression on the teen's face as she removes her hand form his shoulder.
"I don't know what it was like for you to watch your own mother die. There is something about losing your mother that I can understand, however." She then pauses, causing the Jäger to raise an eyebrow. She takes a deep breath before continuing.
"I lost my mother when I was very little as well. She went on a mission, but it must have gone wrong or something, because she never came back. So I understand grief very well," The silver-eyed Huntress-in0training says in a quiet voice. Jake remains silent, his expressionless faces hiding any sort of a hint towards how he will react. "I still miss her, but I had also learned something about grief. You should never experience grief alone. And Jake, yours has been isolated to yourself for far too long."
What Ruby does next startles the Jäger. His chest is suddenly enveloped in a tight hug as the black-and-red haired girl springs forward, a small smile on her face. "Like it or not, Mister Jäger, but you are my friend, whether you like it or not! So get used to it!" She says playfully, refusing to let go. Jake blinks rapidly, having been caught completely off guard by this action. After a few moments of Ruby clinging to him, she raises her head slightly to look him in the eye.
"I'm not letting go until you return the hug of friendship. And don't give a half-hearted attempt," She warns in a serious tone. Of course, Jake has a hard time taking the threat seriously as there is a rather large height difference between the two unofficial partners. But he does know that she won't quit. He sighs in silence, gently enveloping the red hood-wearing teen. After a moment she finally lets go of him, and they take a step back. Ruby flashes him a wide grin.
"See, was that so hard?"
Jake merely grunts, looking at the night sky. His gaze returns to Ruby Rose when he hears the sound of fabric moving about, his curiosity once more roused. His eyes widen slightly as he realizes what she is holding out to him: His beloved (and heavily tattered and holed) cloak.
"You forgot this. I took it before the police could find it and use you as a scapegoat or something," She explains quickly.
Jake gives her a smile as he gratefully retrieves the article of clothing from her small hands, his larger, calloused hands brushing against the younger, unmarred skin indicating Ruby's relatively stable (for one whose parents were/are Hunters and Huntresses) childhood. "Thank you," He mutters in a quiet tone, quickly donning his signature cloak once more.
"Anything for a friend," A beaming Ruby replies. "Now, come on. We better get back to Beacon before the others start looking for us, and more specifically, the staff searching for you."
Jake nods silently, shooting one last gaze of longing at the lonely tombstone that is the resting place of his mother. "I'll stop by soon. I promise" The assassin mentally vows. Then he turns around, leaving the shadowy graveyard once more. Unlike the previous times, however, he isn't leaving the site on his own. This time, he is accompanied by the energetic ball of enthusiasm named Ruby Rose.
"By the way, Yang and the others want to talk to you about our two-week break that starts this Friday."
"Oi vey."
And done, sorry if it seems rushed, been a crazy time for me. Some of it was the good kind, but most of it is the bad, bad kind. Anyways, feel free to leave a review below! Next chapter: Planning. Until Next time! :) Also, there is a poll that I encourage you guys to participate in, let you help shape this story :)