Author's Notes:
-Happy new year everyone! Good news; I got another chapter for ya! Bad news; It involves more sorrow, hurt and angst. What a bittersweet way to start the year...
-And in case you were wondering, I couldn't fit the entire chapter title in the slot, so I put in part of it and put the full title of it below. You may see this occur again.
Goodbye, My Love/Always Know, That I Love You So
It was nightfall when the boat landed. Blake had been on that boat for nearly two days, well-rested and ready to face whatever threat may come her way. She looked at the docks where the boat was about to unload its passengers. She looked at her hand and imagined Sun holding hers. The catwoman remembered the Beacon Dance as one of the many preceding the Vytal Festival. She wasn't even interested at first, but after Yang pleaded and begged her to slow down, take a nap and relax, she went and had a great time. She danced with Sun and enjoyed herself. Blake wasn't entirely sure when she started to fall in love the mischievous monkey faunus, but she did know it was sometime after the dance. And she knew it by the time the doubles rounds started in the Vytal Festival.
But the festival was crashed... destroyed... Yang... lost her arm... and Sun doesn't know... how I feel about him.
The boat docked at the port. She breathed in and tried to shove those thoughts to the back of her mind without tearing up. She exhaled and breathed again. She had this, she could do this. She was going to find Adam Taurus, end his life and make things right.
"All ashore!" the captain cried out.
It took her a while, but once she got off the boat, she made her way to a nearby wooden kiosk with a bunch of guides. She grabbed one that had a scaled map of the city and a few other guides that might be helpful to her. Using the light, she looked at the map and noticed a small blue box of information in the lower right corner of the map. 69.17 square miles of the city, not even counting the outskirts or beyond city limits. Over 70 miles of land to cover. Groaning, she moved aside to get out of the way of visitors and tourists. As she left the beach docks, she tried to plan out her next move.
Fiti was one of the busiest cities with huge tourism profits. Not likely to have many deserted buildings where the White Fang would hide. Or worse, they could be hiding right in plain sight by masquerading as another type of business. She sighed. Fiti also had one of the lowest crime rates in the world compared to other cities, but most of the crimes caused here were done by the White Fang. Still, trying to find them by roaming around the entire city would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. She needed a plan, but what was she to do?
As she reached the main part of the city, she noted there were not a large amount of people out on the streets. She looked at her scroll and saw it was 11:50pm. Most residents and tourists were asleep or at their homes/hotels at this hour. If it weren't for the fact that she had napped a lot on the ship, she would find a rooftop to sleep on, so she joined the crowd and examined her surroundings. Many of the buildings around here were restaurants, bars, or shopping centers, many of which were closed. None of the buildings had the three vertical claw/chalk marks on them. She felt a dryness in her throat, so she reached for her water bottle and screwed off the cap only to realize... she was out of water.
Bugger...
She then looked around to see if there were any open establishments. She saw one a few doors down and entered the nearest open restaurant, which much to her surprise, actually had half of its seating area taken up. The area was divided into a left and right side, with a square shaped bar table cutting the room in half, like an inner circle. There were a few small television screens around the area, many of them in the bar.
"Table for one please."
"Right this way." the hostess said.
She followed her to a circular table for two on the left side of the room.
"Your server will be with you shortly."
"Thank you."
The hostess left, leaving her to her thoughts.
It's more crowded than I thought, but it's not a huge issue. She looked around and saw a big party of people leave. Even then, I shouldn't spend too much time here. I have a mission. But how am I going to...?
"Good evening." the server said, setting down a big menu on the table. "How are you tonight?"
"I'm doing fine, thanks." Blake tried not to stare, but she couldn't help but notice his tiger tail.
The waiter noticed her eyes. "Oh man..." He played with his tail, trying to get it around his waist. "I try to loop it around my waist so that no one notices. But sometimes it has a mind of its own. Even then, I work the night-shift so that I'm not seen by many people. I hope you don't feel scared or offended."
She smiled genuinely for the first time in two days. "It's alright. I don't mind at all."
"Glad to hear." He smiled. "What would you like to drink?"
"Just water, and could you bring me a pitcher of it?"
"An unusual request, but it can be done." The waiter sped off to fulfill her request. A minute or two later, he brought her a glass of water as well as a pitcher. "Here you go. One pitcher of water."
"Thank you, good sir."
As soon as he left, she got out her water bottle and filled it up.
Later that morning, after the sun rose, team JNPR packed up their bags and vacated the apartment they had stated in. They stood out in an open-air plaza with a huge circular fountain in the center not too far from the apartment complex they once called home. The sun shone dimly upon the land. Jaune thought it was ironic that the sun was visible, but he felt nothing bright or uplifting about the current situation.
"Well... it's time." Ren said.
"I can't believe it... We've reached the end..." Pyrrha sadly and solemnly spoke.
"Should we exchange addresses? So we can write letters to each other if we want to?" Jaune asked.
"That's not a bad idea." Nora agreed.
Jaune took two pieces of paper from a notebook, carefully tore them in half and got out some pens, handing a pen and half-sheet of paper to each of his teammates. They wrote each other's addresses down and folded the sheets into their pockets. Shortly afterwards, the sky turned grey as the clouds rolled in, making it seem gloomier than ever.
"Well... this is it." Jaune said, looking down. "The end of team JNPR."
"Don't remind me..." Nora groaned.
"I'm going to miss you guys." Ren said, looking down.
"Aw, come here, you!" Nora threw her arms around Pyrrha. The others joined her a big group hug, all trying to smile and not have an emotional breakdown.
"You're... kinda crushing me..." the red-head groaned.
"Oh sorry!" Nora said, letting Pyrrha go.
"Come on, Nora. We have a boat to catch." Ren briefly smiled. "Farewell my friends and good luck."
Pyrrha waved at them. "Take care!"
"Goodbye, my friends."
"Goodbye and good luck everyone!"
And so, Ren and Nora walked off side by side, their hands so close, yet so far. As they faded into the distance, Jaune thought about his own relationship with Pyrrha. Why couldn't they do that? Why couldn't they run away together?
"They're not even "together" together and yet they don't separate." Jaune mentioned.
"They've been friends since forever. All they really have is each other." Pyrrha responded. "You remember the small part of their past we were told at the noodle shop, right before we faced team BRNZ?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I do."
"Man, that was so long ago... Before... everything came crashing down..." She looked at the swords around her waist, a reminder of a big promise that she had to fulfill. But how could she? Cinder Fall was extremely powerful, and Pyrrha believed she would be murdered if she attempted to face her alone again.
What should I do? she thought to herself.
Jaune looked down, crestfallen. "So, how long until your helicopter arrives to take you away to the airport to Mistral?"
"A few minutes at most."
"I... I don't want to leave."
Pyrrha looked at him forlornly. "I know you don't want to leave this place, but there's nothing here for us."
"No, it's not that." Jaune began. "It's that... I don't want to leave you! I'm scared of losing you!" He threw his arms around her. "Don't go..."
"I don't want to leave either." Pyrrha threw his arms around him and held him for a moment before looking at him. "But we have to move on. My family misses me. I bet your family probably misses you as well."
Jaune sighed. "I don't know if they would even care."
"Nobody misses you?"
"Well..." He hesitated. "That's not really true. It's just... some of my sisters doubted my ability to succeed, as well as my parents. I know I told you how my parents expected me to fail, but I never told you about what my sisters thought of my attempts to become a huntsman by enrolling at Beacon Academy."
"How many of your sisters doubted you?"
"At least two, maybe three or four. But even then, regardless of what anyone thought, I vowed to prove them wrong. And I owe you a great debt that I may never be able to repay. Thank you, for aiding me and always being there."
"Jaune, I..."
The sound of spinning blades pierced the air, interrupting her train of thought. The two lovebirds knew what it was; the sound of a helicopter landing. A few feet away from them, a helicopter landed on the ground. From the entrance of the rotorcraft came down a small staircase for Pyrrha to ascend. A door opened, showing a pilot ready to take Pyrrha away.
"Ms. Pyrrha Nikos?"
Pyrrha turned to him. "That's me."
The pilot then noticed Jaune's presence. "Hmm. I didn't realize you had someone seeing you out. I'll give you a few minutes to say your goodbyes."
"Thank you, good sir."
Jaune sighed. "There's no way to stop you from leaving, is there?"
She briefly closed her eyes and spun herself around as she answered, "I'm afraid not."
"Pyrrha... my dearest love..." He caressed her cheek. "what if I never see you again?"
"I would like to believe that fate will bring us together again, or that they might be able to fix the CCT. But..." She paused, trying to hold back tears. "fate forbid I be wrong, it was wonderful knowing you." She set her backpack down and got out two items from it before slinging it over her shoulders again. "Take these." She handed the circlet and sword to him. "The circlet to remember me by, and one of the swords of Penny to remember our fallen friend and the promise I made to her."
He took the items and put them away. "Pyrrha... I love you so much. Why is it always so hard to let go?"
"Jaune... This is so hard to say..." She paused. "Goodbye, my love. But I want you to always know, that I love you so, now and forever, no matter what may become of me." She blinked, trying to avoid crying. "Goodbye Jaune."
"Pyrrha, wait!"
He threw his arms around her and softly kissed her. Pyrrha gently kissed him back, slowly enjoying the taste of his lips. If Jaune could choose any one moment to freeze in time, this would be it. He wished that he had the power to freeze time around him, just so that he wouldn't have to let go. But he knew it was inevitable. After a long, sorrowful kiss, he let go of her and tears began to slowly fall down his face.
"It's time." He sniffed. "Adieu, ma cherie amour."
"Farewell Jaune. May the stars guide you on your journey."
And so, he stood still as Pyrrha ascended the steps into the rotorcraft, watched the staircase fold up into the helicopter, and watched it take off. As soon as the helicopter disappeared in the distance, it started to rain. The rain came crashing down, soaking him head to toe. Jaune fell to his knees and let the tears fall further down his face. How long he was there, he didn't know.
One minute he was bawling his eyes out, and the next thing he knew the rain had vanished.
"Alright..." he spoke to himself, trying to collect himself. "I've said my goodbyes, I've cried till there's no tears left, so now the question remains; where do I go from here?"
He felt cold and damp from sitting out in the rain so long. He shivered and tried to warm himself up. As he stood up and wondered the desolate city, he remembered how his parents, Roux and Azure Arc, sent him off. And he recalled what his parents looked like. Roux had fiery-orange red hair and hazel eyes. He wore reddish-orange brown clothing, all blended together to resemble autumn leaves. Azure was a tall and slender woman with long wavy ocean blue hair and bluebell eyes. She commonly wore a light blue chemise dress paired with neon blue heels. He and his parents stood at the edge of the front yard, with his sisters over by the door.
"Oh Jaune, don't worry whether or not you succeed. We'll be here for you no matter what." Azure said.
"Good luck, son." His father said to him. "You're going to need it."
His sisters came, one by one, to bid him farewell.
"Good luck, Jaune!"
"Honestly, I don't believe this will end well for you. But good luck anyway!"
"Don't worry, Jaune! Just fake it til ya make it!"
"Jaune Arc, you're an even bigger imbecile than I thought. If I were a betting woman, I'd wager that you'll be out of Beacon in two weeks or less."
"I know you're trying to become a huntsman, but you should have just agreed to take lessons from me. It would have been a smarter, safer and wiser decision."
"Don't be so mean, you two! I believe in him. Good luck, Jaune!"
"The odds are against you, but if you work hard enough, you just might pull it off. Good luck, big bro!"
"Goodbye everyone, until I see you again!" Jaune said.
"Goodbye!" they all said back.
And so, taking his baggage in hand, Jaune walked forth with his head held high, off to the loading section where the bullhead would take him to Beacon Academy.
As he returned to the present, he realized that he had nowhere else to go, and that he would have to go back home, whether he wanted to or not. And he really didn't want to.
He groaned. "I guess I better man up and face the music."
Now how am I going to get back home?
He thought to himself on the situation at hand. Most of the evacuation air traffic had come to a slow point and he wasn't exactly wanting to suffer from motion sickness again. So he decided for a longer and hopefully less torturous route; going by train. He made his way to the underground train station. As he finished descending the steps, he noted three different train track lines, all of which would travel different routes. He looked around and saw a scared little girl and her mother trying to comfort her, a man shaking in fear and a woman giving him a shoulder massage and other people either boarding a train, or waiting around for one, many of them scared and emotionally lost.
Have people been using trains to evacuate the city?
Jaune shoved that question to the back of his mind and made his way to the ticket booth. "One ticket to Olympia with a little roomette please."
"Name?"
"Jaune Arc."
"Is this your first time ever riding with Vale Traveling Trains?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll need your phone number."
"926-201-3111."
"Alright then. That'll be 185 Lien."
"Wow, I thought it would be over 200." he said getting out the money.
"Yeah, they're offering a discount on roomettes right now due to the recent events that happened." He handed the ticket to Jaune. "Here's your ticket. In a few minutes, you'll get a text message with a link to your digital ticket. Click on the link and take a screenshot of it in case you lose your physical copy."
"Will do. Thank you, good sir."
"Thank you and have a good journey."
Jaune got his ticket and sat around the vicinity along with everyone else. When the text came, he followed the instructions he was given earlier. As he sat there, he noticed a lone musician playing the violin and a cup of money and a sign that read, Lost job because of Grimm invasion. Will play for food.
The young Arc didn't have much, but he gave him five lien. The musician looked sad, scared and alone. Nobody deserved to be all alone. Not in this chaos.
But, wait... his brain started to think. I'm all alone.
The end of team JNPR, the departure Pyrrha Nikos, his first and only love, walking into an uncertain future. Jaune Arc had reached a new lowest point. (And that's saying something as he had a lot of low points in his life.) He didn't think it could get much worse.
"All aboard!"
Of course, he didn't know how wrong he was. The doors to the train opened up, allowing passengers to get in. He got up, grabbed his bags, showed his ticket to the collector and got on board. He walked around until he found the coach where he was to be seated. Luckily, it was a fairly deserted car. He set his stuff down, having two seats to himself. And as the young warrior sulked silently to himself, the train took off. He sighed and slumped back in his seat. It was going to be a long ride.