Seeing Red

Chapter 4

"Steady, steady…" Jaune urged.

Eve grit her teeth. "I told you, I'm fine."

"I know, but just in case you're not-"

"But I am."

"...Right, just in case you're not-"

Eve glared at him. "Let me do this. I am not going to fall."

Jaune stepped back, raising his hands in surrender. "You're the boss. I'm just here to support you."

With him now hands-off, Eve took a breath, and then forced herself to keep walking. To her own surprise, she actually managed to do so without any pain at all, which was more than she expected.

"How does it feel?" Jaune asked, walking alongside her.

"It feels… perfectly fine," Eve said, still a bit in disbelief.

Jaune grinned at her. "Yes! I knew it would be okay. Guess my bedside manner is what did the trick, huh?"

Eve rolled her one good eye. "Your bedside manner only did the trick in that it compelled me to heal faster so that I could get away from you."

"Aw, come on, why do you have to be like that?" Jaune asked. "Do I just make it too easy for you or something?"

"To a point." Eve took a seat on the front step, stretching her arms out as she did so.

Jaune took a seat next to her. "So, I take it that you'll be leaving now?"

"Not quite yet," Eve explained. "I still need to find my weapon."

"That won't be easy," Jaune said. "It's likely in the bottom of the river."

"Then we will dredge the river if we have to. I am not leaving without my weapon."

"I suppose that makes sense, admittedly…" Jaune said. "After, what's a Huntress without her weapon?"

Again, Eve rolled her one good eye. "When did you want to set off in search of it?"

Jaune was surprised. "You're asking me?"

"Yes, I'm asking you. I am currently unarmed, and I doubt anyone in this town would be willing to help me search through Grimm-infested woods for something as simple as my weapon. You, on the other hand… you are quite armed, and something tells me you'd have no qualms about helping me search for it."

"You're not wrong…" Jaune admitted. "Still, wouldn't it make more sense for me to loan you my weapon while you search by yourself?"

Eve raised an eyebrow at that. "You would trust a stranger with your weapon?"

"Are we really still strangers?"

"Yes, we are." Eve's eye narrowed. "Jaune, listen to me – as a Huntsman, your weapon is your lifeline. Never let someone come between you and it."

Jaune blinked. "...Even a friend?"

"Friends can still panic and leave you behind, or die in the heat of battle and force you to fend for yourself. Steel, though? Steel will never betray you if you treat it right."

"You're not speaking from experience, are you?"

Eve didn't bother to give him a response, instead rising to her feet. "Come on," she said.

"Right now?" Jaune asked.

"Yes, right now," Eve urged. "I want to get out of here as soon as I can."

Jaune hesitated, but gave her a nod. "Alright. Let me go get my weapon, then we can set off."

The two of them marched through the forest. Jaune had his head on a swivel, while Eve trudged forward with the kind of confidence that only a seasoned veteran could have.

"Which way?" Eve asked.

"Keep heading this direction until you hit the river," Jaune explained. "You know, if you need to keep asking me for directions anyway-"

"No. I am in the lead."

"Why does it matter? We're both headed to the same spot-"

Because her pride wouldn't let her be led around by a human. But he didn't need to know that. Instead, she said nothing and continued to trudge through the underbrush.

For a few moments, there was silence between them, until Jaune spoke up again.

"So… what's going to happen once you've got your weapon back?" he asked.

"Is that even a question?" Eve retorted. "Once I get my weapon back, I am leaving."

"Right, but… where are you going to go?"

"Back to my friends."

"Oh. I guess I should have figured that…" Jaune trailed off, then shook his head. "And what about us?"

"What do you mean, us?" Eve asked without looking back. "There is no us, there's just me and you."

"Isn't that what us means?"

"You know what I meant, don't pretend like you didn't. Once I have my weapon back, I am leaving and that will be the last we see of each other."

"Does it have to be, though?"

Eve suddenly stopped, then turned towards him, surprise etched across her face. "What do you mean?"

"Well… I kinda liked spending time with you," Jaune admitted. "Sure, you can be abrasive… but I think you're a good person underneath all of that. Plus, um… I don't really have very many friends, back where I'm from. I was hoping-"

"No," Eve said suddenly.

Jaune blinked. "You haven't even heard-"

"I said no," Eve responded, more forcefully this time. "Drop the subject, Jaune. Now."

Jaune's expression narrowed. "...Fine. But at least tell me why."

"That should be obvious."

"Because I'm a human, and you're associated with the White Fang in some way?"

"Because you're a human, and I'm a Faunus," Eve corrected.

"So? We just had this discussion a little while ago. That's no reason why we can't be friendly towards each other."

Eve had to suppress a tired sigh. How dense could he be? He was honestly too trusting and friendly for his own good. One of these days, that was probably going to get him killed. But that wasn't her problem.

"Just drop the subject," she said tiredly. "It wouldn't work between us, and that's all you need to know."

Jaune hesitated, but then reluctantly nodded. It was clear that he wasn't satisfied with that answer, but she didn't care.

The two of them started walking again, but it wasn't long before Jaune began to speak once more.

"So… that'll be it? We'll never see each other again?"

"Ideally," Eve said. "Why does this bother you so much?"

"I just don't like the ides of leaving you to fend for yourself."

"I'm not by myself. I have friends of my own."

"Do you?"

"Yes. And they're far more helpful to me than you."

"Then why aren't they here?"

Again, Even stopped. She rounded on Jaune, a snarl on her face. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm just pointing out that they apparently haven't even tried looking for you," Jaune explained. "I mean, you've been here for several days, and the river isn't that far away. If they were really trying to find you, then they probably would have by now. But we haven't seen any of them, and to my knowledge, neither has anyone else in town. So that tells me that they aren't even trying to look for you at the moment."

That gave Eve pause. She ran the scenario over in her head – could it be that they thought she was on her way back already. No, she realized; they'd know enough to be certain that if that were the case, she'd have made it back by now. They could've thought that she'd been captured, but at the same time, she sooner kill herself than allow that to happen, and she was infamous enough among the Atlesian Military that if they did somehow manage to capture her, they'd probably sooner summarily execute her in the field than try to bring her in.

No, no matter how she looked at the situation in her head, the only thing that made sense to her was that they knew she was missing, and they just didn't care enough to muster up a search team. The thought made her blood boil – even for a lowly recruit, she still would've tasked a crew to at least try and bring the body back. The fact that her so-called allies hadn't even seen fit to give her that much spoke volumes.

She was going to have to crack some skulls upon returning back to base, that much was certain. But for now, there were more pressing matters at hand.

Eve turned back to Jaune, shaking her head. "...Focus," she urged. "We have a mission we need to accomplish."

"Is that what this is?" Jaune asked. "A mission?"

"What would you call it, then?"

"I don't know. A task? A favor? Calling it a mission makes it sound so… official. Makes me think of-"

The sudden rustling of leaves from nearby cut him off. Jaune froze, his eyes widening with fear. Eve crouched down, her whole body tensing.

"Relax," she urged. "Fear attracts Grimm. If you don't want to be found, then calm yourself."

Jaune nodded, then gave a shaky breath. "...Yeah, you're right," he agreed. "Say, how about we-"

A sudden roar from behind some nearby bushes caught their attention, and Eve turned just in time to see an Ursa come charging out, headed straight for Jaune.

"Jaune, move!" she shouted.

But Jaune was stuck, frozen in fear at the sight of the Grimm. His whole body was shaking, and he stared at the Grimm with wide, terrified eyes as it lumbered towards him. Eve didn't wait to see what happened next – annoying as he was, Jaune was the only person who knew enough to guide her to her weapon, which meant she needed him alive.

And that meant she was going to have to fight.

Eve bent down and picked up a nearby fallen tree branch, then charged the Grimm. Just as it was about to reach Jaune, she jumped on top of it, then stabbed the branch into one of its eyes. The Grimm let out a bestial cry of pain, and threw her off of it; Eve landed on her feet next to Jaune, then glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Jaune, snap out of it!" she growled.

Jaune blinked, then shook his head. "S-sorry, I-"

"I don't care. I'll distract the Grimm while you kill it."

"What?! But-"

The sound of charging feet cut him off, and both of them looked to find the Ursa once again rushing them, now down an eye. They both leaped out of the way, then hurriedly to their feet. Eve didn't waste any time; she looked around for something she could use, and found a hand-sized rock laying on the ground. She scooped it up, then ran at the Grimm with it once more. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jaune still standing there, rooted to his spot, hunkered behind his shield. She grit her teeth, but didn't stop.

She charged straight into the Grimm, colliding with its side, her Aura giving her enough strength to knock it back several feet. She pummeled it with the rock, but its bone plating prevented any serious damage from being done. Desperate, Eve went to check what Jaune was doing again, but saw that he had finally moved somewhere else. She couldn't see him on that side of the forest, however, and immediately assumed he had cut and run.

"Coward…" she growled.

No sooner had the words left her mouth than did she hear the sound of steel cutting through flesh, followed by the Grimm giving another pained roar. Eve leaped away from the Grimm just in time to see Jaune yank his sword out of its side, black ichor spraying across the ground as he did so.

The Ursa rounded on him, and Jaune tensed, raising his shield. The Grimm swiped at him with its claws, raking across the front of Jaune's shield, which remained completely unscathed. Jaune watched and waited for his chance, and found it when the Grimm's attack left it overextended. He lashed out once more, scoring a deep gouge across its front, but it just wasn't enough – someone untrained and, more important, underpowered like Jaune simply couldn't do enough damage to a large Grimm such as an Ursa with the weapon he had.

Just as that thought crossed Eve's mind, the Ursa reared back. Jaune tensed, bringing his shield up again to block what he thought was an incoming strike. Eve's eyes widened when she realized what was about to happen.

"Jaune, move!"

It was too late. Rather than swipe at him once more, the Ursa came crashing down on Jaune, flattening him underneath it. The Grimm then pulled itself to its feet, while Jaune laid there, groaning in pain and shock.

He was completely unprepared for the Ursa to rake him down his front with its claws.

Eve could only watch as blood arced through the air. Jaune screamed in agony as his stomach was shredded, crimson gushing down his front and onto the forest floor below. Eve paused for a moment, her good eye wide with shock, before her expression narrowed and she charged in once more.

Eve collided with the Ursa just as it was about to slash at Jaune for a second time. She succeeded in pushing it back, and it collided back-first with a nearby tree. Eve didn't waste any time – she immediately broke contact and rushed for Jaune, picking up his sword in the process. He simply laid on the ground, thrashing around in pain as a pool of red continued to form underneath him. Eve grit her teeth, then charged the Ursa, completely uncaring of her own safety.

She closed in, leading with the point of the blade. The Grimm was able to claw at her and score deep gouges in her Aura, but she didn't care. This fight had gone on long enough already; it was time to end it.

Jaune's sword sang as it flew through the air, the blade glinting in the sunlight spilling through the forest canopy. Eve sliced and cut and stabbed as fast as she could, tearing entire chunks out of the Grimm even as it bit into her Aura with every retaliatory strike. Finally, though, the Ursa gave one last shuddering breath, then collapsed to the ground and began to dissipate into smoke.

That was all Eve needed to see. She let Jaune's sword come clattering to the earth below, then rushed over to his side. He was unconscious now, the shock and the blood loss having been too much for him to take. His skin was pale, and his stomach was a mess – it was a small miracle that he had managed to avoid being disemboweled. As it stood now, there were several deep cuts on his stomach that would need to be treated, and-

Eve paused, having caught herself at the last minute. She hated Jaune, same as any other human, so why had she just now been so focused on letting him survive? It would be downright helpful to her if he died instead.

...But at the same time, she owed him for helping her fight the Ursa, didn't she? He had saved her once more, and now she was going to leave him to die. And somehow, that didn't sit right with her.

Eve grit her teeth. A part of her mind screamed at her that she was going to regret doing this, but she didn't care. She owed him a favor for what he had done for her…

And besides, as far as humans went, Jaune wasn't that bad. She still hated him, but not enough that she'd condemn him to death by Ursa, alone in a forest somewhere.

And so, Eve gently rested her hands on his chest, then began to chant.

Jaune catapulted awake, his eyes shooting open and a deep gasp erupting from his throat. He sat up, his eyes wide with fear and panic, his chest heaving with heavy breaths. He looked around, his gaze landing on a familiar face.

"You're awake," Eve surmised.

Jaune stared at her for a moment. "...What happened?" he finally managed to get out. Pain lanced through his mind, and he winced, bringing a hand up to rub at his temples. "My head… and why am I all sticky?"

"That would be your blood," Eve said. "You were almost killed by an Ursa."

Jaune's heart skipped a beat. "Almost…?"

"Yes, almost. The Grimm nearly disemboweled you. There was blood everywhere; you're lucky to be alive. I had to unlock your Aura to save your life."

"My Aura…? You unlocked my-"

"Yes," Eve interrupted. "I did. This makes us even in terms of favors."

"I wasn't aware we were keeping score." Jaune went to rise to his feet, and wasn't surprised at all when Eve didn't even try to help him. He looked around for his sword and shield, and found both of them lying nearby.

"Someone had to. I hate leaving debts unfulfilled."

"I can relate." Jaune slipped his weapons back onto his belt, then patted himself down, frowning as he did so. His hoodie and shirt were completely shredded beyond repair, and his jeans were stained with blood. The shirt and jeans, he could do without, but the hoodie? That one was a limited edition. He let out a soft exhale at the realization that he would need some new clothes after this, though it died when Eve's words finally sank in. He rounded on her, excitement etched across his face.

"You unlocked my Aura?!"

"I just said I did," Eve confirmed. "Do not ask me to train you in its use unless you want to owe me one. And believe me, you don't want to owe me favors."

Jaune's excitement diminished at her callousness, his grin disappearing. "...If you say so," he ventured.

Eve pulled herself off of the tree she'd been leaning on. "Where to now?"

"Right, your weapon. It's this way, I think."

Jaune led her through the trees once more, and after a few more minutes of walking, Eve heard it – the sound of rushing water. She pushed past Jaune, then looked around to examine the river.

"This is it?" she asked. "This is the place?"

"Yup," Jaune said. "Found you floating around here. If your weapon was going to be anywhere in this river, I'd say it'd be somewhere around here."

Eve looked into the water, squinting as she did so. It was crystal-clear, free of the pollution and runoff that often plagued the waters closer to more civilized parts of Remnant, which was a blessing for her – it would make it easier to find Wilt and Blush. Unfortunately, she couldn't see it in this part of the river, but that just meant she would have to look elsewhere.

"Help me search," she said to Jaune without looking back.

"You could at least say please…" Jaune muttered, following after her as she took off down the river bank, both of them staring into the water.

After a bit of searching, Eve found it – her weapon was underwater, wedged up against a large rock. Without missing a beat, she prepared to jump in after it, only for Jaune to stop her by putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait," he urged.

Eve glared at him with her one good eye. "Wait for what?"

"Do you really want to get your clothes all wet? I can-"

"Good point," Eve growled. "Wait here."

Before Jaune could say anything to the contrary, she kicked off her boots and then began to disrobe, hurriedly stripping down to just her underwear before jumping into the water. She was vaguely aware of Jaune shouting something after her just before she made impact with the river, but it was quickly drowned out by the sound of water rushing over her head.

Her weapon was only a few feet below the surface, thankfully, and so she was able to retrieve it very quickly. After grabbing it, Eve swam back to the surface, taking a breath of air as she emerged before placing Wilt and Blush on the edge of the embankment. Jaune offered her a hand and helped pull her out, and Eve shook her head to try and get some of the water out of her hair.

"You were saying something?" Eve asked.

Jaune was silent. Eve blinked, then turned towards him. She found standing there, staring at her, his face red. After a moment, he jumped, his face growing even redder.

"U-um… I was going to say that it would make more sense for me to jump in and get it," Jaune explained. "What with my clothes already being ruined and all. It wouldn't matter if they got wet…" He coughed, then averted his eyes even further. "...If you don't mind me asking… are all Huntsmen and Huntresses as ripped as you?"

Eve's eye narrowed. She reached for her clothes and pulled them back on, then hooked her weapon back onto her waist. The familiar weight felt reassuring to her, waterlogged as it was; she would need to inspect it later and make sure it hadn't rusted, but for now, it would be fine.

"Let's go," she announced. "We got what we came for, and I'm sicc of running around in the forest like this."

Jaune nodded, and the two of them set off for town again.

It was evening by the time they made it back. Eve glanced up at the sky, frowning as she did so. She'd wanted to set off for camp earlier than this, but it was what it was. Nothing she could about it.

"So, I was thinking," Jaune announced as they both stepped into town. "I could make us a quick dinner-"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm leaving."

"Now?" Jaune asked, surprised. "But it's almost night."

"Yes, I'm aware. Is that a problem for you?"

Jaune shuffled his feet a bit, uncomfortable. "I was just… hoping we could at least enjoy dinner together. Nothing fancy, just a way to celebrate you being back on your feet."

Eve stared at him. Even after knowing she was associated with the White Fang, he still wanted to break bread with her. She shook her head.

"You need to get those thoughts out of your mind," she insisted. "Nothing good will come out of associating with me."

"Why?" Jaune asked. "I mean, I know who your friends are… but I don't think you're a bad person, Eve."

"You don't even know me."

"Only because you won't let me."

Jaune let out a heavy sigh, then reached into the pocket of his ruined jeans. He pulled out a small pad of paper and a pen, then began to write something. After a moment, he tore the paper away, then offered it to her.

"Here."

"What is this?" Eve asked.

"It's my scroll number," Jaune explained. "I know you probably still don't like me, and that's fine. But if you ever feel like getting back in touch or talking about anything, that's how you can contact me. Just give me a ring and I'll pick up as soon as I can."

Eve stared at the piece of paper. Her first instinct was to crumple it up and toss it away, but after a brief moment of hesitation, she just nodded and pocketed it instead. Perhaps it would prove useful, having a human at Beacon who was willing to talk to her.

And besides, she could always lure him out and use him as leverage for the operation against Beacon.

"Very well," she grunted.

"Alright, then," Jaune said. He offered her hand; she just stared at it, and after a moment, Jaune let out an awkward cough before slowly pulling back. "I guess this is goodbye, then."

"So it would seem," Eve acknowledged.

"Well, whatever happens, I hope things go well for you, and I hope that we cross paths again some day. Good luck out there, Eve."

Eve didn't dignify that with a response. Instead, she turned and began to march through the forest once more.

For both their sakes, she hoped they never saw each other again.

Not too much to say here. I'm pretty tired, so I'm probably just going to go to sleep now, no AN or anything. Thanks to Ickbard for all the help, as always.

Beyond that, I'll hopefully see you all next chapter. Have a good one!

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