"Ren? Is that you?"

Innocent eyes…a family of ten…blonde hair the colour of golden wheat…

Jaune…

Jaune?

Heretic

Jaune!

Heretic

Friend…nice…kind…Jaune…

Heretic

Jaune…blonde hair…innocent eyes….family of ten…

Heretic!

Friend…Jaune…Friend…Nora…Friend…Where?

Heretic. Heretic. Heretic. Heretic.

Nora?...No…No!...Not Nora!

Heretic. Heretic. One heretic dead. Kill the other.

What have I done?

The right thing. Now kill the heretic.

/#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/

"My name is irrelevant." Ren replied, tone far more different than what it had been when he had been ten years old. It was more distant, more colder. Mature even. It shouldn't be a surprise, not considering the fact Ren had been a bookish, quiet child who behaved far older than he was.

He was an Inquisitor. But how? As far as Jaune knew, they couldn't have any families, and the gods knew Nora would never have let him abandon her like that. Not to mention the fact Ren's parents wouldn't either, him being the one who would become Kuroyuri's magistrate when they passed on.

Something wasn't right. But what could he do? What should he do?

"Ren I don't know what's wrong but-woah!" Jaune cried, raising his shield just in time to deflect the knives that had surged towards his head, likely aiming for the slits in his helmet that allowed him to see. "Ren stop!"

"I am an Inquisitor!" Ren growled, somehow managing to do so tonelessly, as if he was completely devoid of emotion. "You are a heretic! There is one fate and one fate only for heretics."

Jaune grunted as Ren slid off around his shield, raising a foot and stomping down onto the back of his right leg. He fell to one knee, and he heard the soft sound of Ren's feet whoosh into the air before a heavy weight slammed into his back, making him topple just as he tried getting back onto his feet. He wobbled, staggering forward like a drunkard as Ren grabbed onto his back like a barnacle, wildly stabbing with his knives as he tried to reach a gap in his armour.

'Same old tricks eh?' Jaune thought, growling as he tried to avoid the knives being thrust towards his eyes by his old friend.

Jaune threw down his sword and grabbed his childhood friend with both hands, trying not to wince at the pained grunt Ren made when the edge of his shield slammed into his forehead. He gripped Ren by his armpits and threw him forward and off of him. The effort brought Jaune panting to his knees, but Ren skidded and rolled away for a couple of feet, buying him a respite.

"We don't need to fight Ren." Jaune promised loudly, inching his way towards his sword in an attempt to not startle his all too familiar opponent, feeling the urge to try to reach his old friend even if he felt it was pointless.

"Heretic…Heretic…Heretic…" Ren growled, voice muffled with his face resting against the ground. "Heretic!"

Ren rose to his feet, pink eyes ablaze despite the calm, neutral look on his face. His chest rose and fell with ragged breaths and his hands were clenched tightly around the curved, green knives he pulled from his hip, having lost his grip on the original pair as he slid across the ground.

Jaune wanted to sigh, but he would need his strength and energy if he was going to win this fight. Instead he wrapped his hand around the hilt of his sword and gripped it so tight his fingers hurt. He slid into a defensive stance and waited for Ren to make the next move.

He did not have to wait long.

/#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/

The sun was high in the sky and radiating heat at a punishingly hot rate. The paved road was warm underneath his sandals and the lack of cloud cover made the sun all the more punishing as he made his way through the neat, organised streets of his home town.

He had not seen many other towns, though sometimes his father took him on diplomatic meetings to meet other village leaders and learn more about their closest trade partners. Those towns had been weird, with some being completely different to his home one whilst others were either similar or a mix and match of both. It was peculiar, and hard to understand sometimes, but he knew he shouldn't judge. If you judged just by looks rather than by actions you often would choose the wrong choice. Things that look nice come about through greed and ruthlessness.

He wasn't so sure that could count for the companion dragging him through the streets towards the market. Sure she was ignoring his decision to not go there in the first place, but he knew she meant well by trying to force him to go out and about and socialise rather than just sit around reading all day.

That or she was just jealous he liked books more than her.

"What was that?" She demanded, usually playful teal eyes narrowed and suspiciously angry. Ren had a feeling he had said that out loud.

"You did." Her hand tightened around his hand, to the point it began to ache slightly. Ren wasn't sure what to do. Whenever his father invoked the ire of his mother he would grovel and please her by doing whatever they had disagreed over in the first place. But he and her weren't like his mother and father weren't they?

"Keep digging bub." She growled, flicking her barely shoulder length hair over her shoulder with the hand not gripping his like he was a dog and she the owner. "Cos the more you do the more happier I'll be to bury you in that hole your helpfully digging yourself into."

"I apologise. That was rude of me. It won't happen again" He said sincerely. He wasn't entirely sure she would bury him alive, but he wasn't going to risk the off chance she would if he angered her further.

You never really knew with her. One moment she would be smiling and laughing along and the next she would be standing over your bed with a hammer in her hand and a manic smile on her face. It was both terrifying, irritating and nerve-racking all at once. But that was part of her charm in a way.

He couldn't imagine her without some craziness after all.

"Fine." She harrumphed, grip tightening to the point that if he tried he could probably escape her. The consequences of that far outweighed the benefits of reading the chapter he had been forced to leave unfinished though, so he tolerated it with a quick roll of his eyes. "But you're paying for the sweet rolls!"

"I assume you'll forgive me then?"

"Sure."

With that she was back to dragging him through the streets. He rolled his eyes again before he was stopped.

He was stopped because she had stopped. She had stopped because she ran into someone.

"Argh!"

"Oof!"

"Why?!" He cried as he fell on top of the person she had stumbled into. A scramble followed as he tried to push himself off of them both, though for some reason she was as still as a plank and whoever they'd landed on was squirming like a worm. The farce ended when someone roughly dragged him up and an armoured boot slammed into his friends' stomach, knocking her off the newcomer and filling him with an inexplicable rage.

"Simmer down boy." The man holding him warned, hand not so subtly on the hilt of his sword. "The girl will only be beaten for a bit so she knows not to harm her betters."

Before he could pull rank on the apparent guard of the person they had ran into, the boy on the ground did it before him.

"Turk no! I command you to stop!" The boy yelled, scrambling to his feet and placing himself in between an armoured man and the wheezing girl on the floor. "It was just an accident, right?"

He noticed the boy was looking at him, likely to support his claim. He quickly nodded in agreement.

"It was. And if you hurt her my father would be displeased."

"And who is your father, boy?" The armoured man not holding him spat, and he raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the act, trying to mimic the calm of his father and the disappointment of his mother.

"Li Ren, the magistrate of Kuroyuri."

The boy they'd ran into managed to look both horrified and relieved.

"See Turk? You would've gotten us all kicked out of here and the holiday just started. I know father wouldn't mind, but could you say the same for mother?"

"Brat." The armoured man growled, though it was without heat. He turned back to face him, though his own was hidden by his helm. "I apologise for any inconvenience milord, we thought the young Lord was being attacked by miscreants and acted overzealously."

The other man who had been holding him released him, and he made his way over to the girl's side, helping her to her feet slowly, her hands clutching her stomach and her face a pained grimace.

"It's not me you need to apologise to." He replied lowly, and the armoured man snorted dismissively. Then the boy stood next to him, glowering at the guard and making it clear whose side he was on.

"I apologise, milady." The armoured man said stiffly. "I acted out of turn."

"A…Apology accepted." She wheezed, though she stared away from the man, clearly afraid of him. His anger grew again.

"Sorry about that." The boy they'd ran into said, holding out a hand. "I'm Jaune Arc, heir of Ansel. I hope this won't make you have a bad impression of me."

"It's not you I have a bad impression of." He replied, taking the hand after staring pointedly at the armoured man. "I'm Ren, Lie Ren. My father is the magistrate of Kuroyuri and is training me to take his place."

"Forgive me for jumping to any conclusions but is this girl your betrothed?"

"She is n-"

"Absolutely is!" Nora managed to exclaim, though she winced whilst she did so. "Nora Valkyrie at your service."

"It's a pleasure." Jaune Arc replied with a low bow that made Nora giggle. "I was only asking because my father would likely try and arrange a marriage between you and my sisters otherwise. What were you doing before we, heh, bumped into each other?"

"We were heading to the market." Ren answered. "There's supposedly a sale on sweet rolls and Nora wants me to buy some for her because I upset her-ow! Why did you elbow me?"

Nora's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"She wants me to buy some for her to make up for an egregious mistake I made that slighted her honour."

"Better." Nora harrumphed, uncrossing her arms and tilting her head at Jaune. "Wanna come with? If you buy me some sweet rolls too I'll forgive you for siccing your guard on me."

Jaune gave Ren a look they both recognised. They both knew he hadn't done that, but they both knew that to challenge Nora would be to bring hell down on them until they did it anyway, just buying more to make up for being stubborn in the first place. Perhaps Jaune Arc had his own version of Nora Valkyrie in…Vale? He thought that was where Ansel was but it was rare for a Valean lord to take his family to Mistral for a holiday.

"Sounds fine with me." Jaune shrugged and Nora beamed at him before grabbing his hand too.

"Great!" She chirped, before practically skipping away and dragging the both of them along behind her. They shared commiserating looks as they did so, knowing that even if their day ended up being Nora's day, they would be suffering together.

/#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/

Nora…why did I?...She was good…She was kind…She was home…

She was a heretic. That is all she is. A heretic.

…Friend…She was a friend…Jaune….is…friend…too…

Jaune Arc is a heretic. He must die.

/#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/

The only way to describe Ren's fighting style was a tornado. Something light, aggressive and powerful. He aimed to bleed, to wound his opponent and slowly weaken them until they could not fight anymore.

For now he was not succeeding. Jaune's armour was too thick for his knives and provided enough coverage of his body that the gaps in between plates weren't big enough for Ren to sneak his knives into. The problem was that the reason he was missing was because Jaune was moving just as fast as Ren to avoid him. If he relied too much on his shield then he wouldn't be able to see Ren's movement's because of its size, something he couldn't afford because of his opponent's sheer speed, practically blurring from angle to angle, attack to attack. If Jaune slowed then Ren gained the advantage. But if he kept up the pace he'd tire quicker because of his heavier armour.

The fight needed to end soon or he would lose.

Jaune's eyes narrowed. He thrust forward with his sword and Ren dodged to the side. He had moved to his right, so he was away from Jaune's shield which could've been used to push him back or wind him, and he lunged, aiming for Jaune's neck.

Jaune swivelled, swinging his sword with him and forcing Ren back. He managed to plant his feet before Ren did, and he surged forward, shield raised and aimed for Ren's chest.

At the very last moment Ren seemed to stabilise from his prior dodge and darted to the left. His knives struck forward and they struck true, scraping through a chink in the chainmail Jaune wore underneath his armour and grazing across the skin of his left armpit.

Jaune yelled out in pain and halted his failed charge, panting with exertion and slowly circling Ren, who did the same in the opposite direction to him. Sweat dripped down his brow and stung his eyes, but he knew if he lifted his helmet to try to wipe them clean then Ren would strike.

Rather than let Ren break the respite, Jaune charged forward again, and once more Ren slid out of the way of his blow. He growled with annoyance as Ren's knives scraped against his helmet, narrowly missing one of the slits that allowed him to see. The grating noise echoed in his ears and Jaune stumbled as his momentum carried him.

Ren took the moment to strike again, this time a glancing blow against the back of the knee he had also stomped on earlier in their fight. It did not break through his armour but it caused his knee to buckle and as he spun around again and Ren dove back again he could tell a bruise was forming.

He had a cut on his shield arm, he was limping and panting and tired from the fast-paced fighting and the fight with the bandits earlier. Meanwhile Ren was breathing heavily but apart from a few bumps and superficial scrapes to his armour he was perfectly fine.

From the periphery of his vision Jaune saw Yang watching nervously, eyes flickering between them with worry clear in her lilac orbs. The sight made Jaune straighten his stance and shift his posture, making him appear more open. Ren glared at him, never once taking his eyes off him and making it clear he suspected a trap.

Jaune said nothing. Jaune did nothing. He waited for Ren to start the next round.

The wind howled, rustling the leaves of the nearby trees dotting the riverbank.

Ren charged forward once more.

/#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/

"Begin!"

The harsh bark echoed across the courtyard, and the two boys slowly made their way towards one another. Despite the authority behind the harsh bark, both remained cautious, unwilling to rush in and start the duel, too fearful of making a mistake and embarrassing themselves.

Wind howled around the courtyard and in what was actually a few seconds felt like the span of eons.

It was Jaune who charged first. Ren tried moving out of the way, but he was not fast enough and the side of his shield was clipped by Jaune's own. The other boy was bigger than him, despite being the same age, so Ren was sent stumbling backwards.

Fuelled by the sight of his opponent on the backfoot, Jaune charged forward, eager to press the advantage. Ren managed to plant his feet and met the boy head on, a burst of air leaving him as his opponent's body slammed into his own.

The same occurred to Jaune, but he was bigger and had momentum on his side, so Ren was gradually sent sliding backwards, feet digging into and kicking up the sandy, gravelly ground in a desperate attempt to find purchase on shifting ground.

Then his foot brushed against something solid and within a few moments he had toppled onto his back.

"Winner by ring out-Arc!" Barked Li Ren, who's face looked like it was carved from stone. "Ready yourselves for the second round."

Jaune's hand flashed by his face, and Ren blinked before staring at the outstretched hand offered by the boy.

"Need a hand?" Jaune asked, and although his face was concealed by a helmet Ren could imagine an innocent, kind-hearted smile. He wasn't doing this to rub in Ren's defeat in his face. That just wasn't the person Jaune Arc was.

"My thanks." Ren replied, taking the hand and allowing Jaune to help him onto his feet. He felt the other boy shrug.

"Don't mention it. Good luck next round."

"Thanks. You'll need it."

Jaune laughed and made his way over to his corner, though it wasn't mocking. Ren cast a glance to his father, whose eyes had narrowed and brows had curved.

"Begin!"

Jaune charged again. Ren dodged again. This time he dodged to the right, towards Jaune's sword rather than away from it. Jaune skidded to a halt and lashed out wildly, clearly surprised Ren had attacked the more dangerous side. Ren blocked and parried, his sword smashing against Jaune's shoulder and making him yell out in pain.

Ren smothered the guilt like he knew his father wanted and pressed the advantage, his second swing being blocked by the shield Jaune managed to swing around and raise.

Rather than lock shields with him again, Ren stepped around to the right, realising Jaune couldn't see him because of how high he'd raised his shield. He aimed for the back of Jaune's legs, bringing him to his knees with another cry of pain.

Jaune tried to move but stilled as the blunt blade of Ren's sword rested against his neck.

"Yield." Ren panted, body aching and itching as sweat rubbed against his skin and armour.

"I yield." Jaune reluctantly conceded, and Ren quickly took his sword away from his neck.

"You fought well." Ren complimented, stepping around and offering a hand. Jaune took it.

"You fought weller." Jaune replied mischievously, making Ren roll his eyes at his blonde friend's purposefully poor grammar.

"Prepare for the final round!" Li Ren barked, ending the conversation with a harsh command.

Ren made his way to his corner, and Jaune did the same. When he was there Jaune offered him a nod, which Ren returned.

"Begin!"

/#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/

…Monster…I am….monster…

You are an Inquisitor. A guardian.

I…kill…I…killed…Nora…

You killed a heretic. One of many. You should feel no shame.

No shame…anger…

Do not pity the damned.

They are only damned because of you.

Because of us.

No us! Only you! Only me! Give me back my body!

Silence. This heretic must be destroyed. Cease your complaints weakling. You will be dealt with upon our return to the Grand Temple.

What is this? What are you?

Divine judgement boy. Now quiet.

/#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/

Block. Parry. Dodge. Weave. Repeat.

None of his blows landed. Ren always dodged with the grace of someone with endless stamina.

He was tired. His body was as slick as a new born babe with sweat and his arms ached. Blood trickled down his side and he was certain he'd pulled the stitch Yang had done for his earlier wound.

Ren noticed, eyes as sharp as an eagle. He struck with a flurry of blows, forcing him back and focusing on his arm. Jaune took the blows, but all too late he realised Ren had intentionally been weakening it.

He tried to move but he was too slow. Ren managed to slip into his guard and pushed him backwards. His arms spiralled, revealing the broken chainmail a spear had pierced earlier.

Ren took the opportunity, striking like a snake. Jaune screamed as a knife dug up his armpit and into his shoulder. His sword arm tremored with pain and the ice cold feeling of steel in his body made him shiver.

"Finally." Ren said tonelessly, kicking Jaune onto his back. The ground was hard and knocked out what remained of his breath from his lungs. "You are a heretic Jaune Arc, yet one of noble blood. What are your final words?"

Jaune said nothing. He couldn't, his throat was choked up and his shoulder burned. He weakly lurched up, trying to slam his shield into Ren's chest. Ren staggered back before kicking Jaune's shield arm back onto the ground before stepping on it with one foot.

There was nothing else he could do. His grip on his sword arm was weak and his hands were shaking uncontrollably. He felt dazed, though whether that was from the shock of being stabbed or from the force of his head hitting the ground he did not know.

"Why Ren?" He managed to gasp weakly, tears building in his eyes. By the brothers he was truly pathetic, crying like a baby when meeting a fate he'd been so willing and eager to give to others not much earlier.

A flash. It was momentary. Brief. But the toneless, neutral visage faded for a moment. Ren's face twisted, into one of pain, regret and grief. His eyes were filled with unshed tears and unspoken pleas, but what he could be begging Jaune for went unsaid.

Then it was gone. His friend was gone again. Jaune looked into the eyes of the Inquisitor looming above him, wondering what had just happened or whether he was just seeing things.

"Very Well." The Inquisitor said, kneeling on top of him, his dagger raised high and aimed for his head. "Good riddance heretic."

There was nothing else he could do. He was too weak. Too pathetic.

Jaune closed his eyes.

/#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/

The breeze washed over Ren's skin like the soft touch of silk clothing. It was dusk now, and the sun illuminated Kuroyuri in an ambient orange glow as it neared the end of its descent.

The day wasn't the only thing nearing its end. Jaune Arc would set off for the coast tomorrow, his holiday and that of his family nearing its end. Their friendship had sprang up suddenly, and Ren couldn't help but feel sad that it was also suddenly nearing its end.

He cast another glance at the blonde boy sat next to him. Nora was one Jaune's other side, having long since forgiven him for the actions of his guard. She looked remorseful too.

"You know I can feel you guys staring at me right?" Jaune smiled, opening his eyes and glancing between them. The smile was as brittle as the small branches that swayed around them, the long, hair-like branches of the willow tree swaying in the same breeze that cooled them, a welcome respite from the warmth of the day. "Just because I'm going home doesn't mean we can't still be friends."

"Your right." Ren said calmly, and Jaune gave him a quizzical look whilst Nora gave him a hopeful one. "We can still write to one another. And what's to say you won't have another holiday in the future. Perhaps my family could visit Ansel instead as well."

"Yeah!" Jaune exclaimed, perking up noticeably. "Father may be a bit of a miser but I'm sure I could convince him to make sure we give the best accommodations and stuff."

"Unlimited sweet rolls!" Nora gasped, making Jaune and Ren chuckle at her enthusiasm.

"That too Nora." Jaune said, and they fell into silence again, though this time the mood wasn't stifled by angst.

Fear remained. Fear of separation. Fear of never seeing one another again. Remorse too, that their time together had been so short. But they would rather have had that short time than no time whatsoever.

"Ren?" Jaune said, and Ren turned to face his friend. He looked older. There were shadows under his eyes. His face was sad but stronger, all the baby fat gone and there were faint signs of stubble growing on his chin.

Ren stared into his eyes. They weren't innocent anymore. They weren't naive. They were sad. Weary. Burdened.

"Jaune?" Ren asked nervously. Nora was gone. Where had she gone? Was that…blood? A pool of blood?

There was a sword in Jaune's hand, though it was held weakly and his sword arm was twitching. Blood was trickling down his sides.

The acrid smell of smoke curled up Ren's nose and he turned, eyes widening. No longer was there an idyllic scene of a town winding down for the midnight hours, instead there was a bonfire. Flame and screaming. A dark shape looming up above and fire raining down from its monstrous maw. Red eyes glowed, shining like a beacon in the darkness.

"Jaune? Jaune what's happening?"

His friend stared at him. Begging. Pleading.

"Kill me Ren. Please."

"W-What?" Ren cried, breath hitching. "Are you mad?"

"Kill me Ren." Jaune demanded, face contorting into something terrifying. His skin melted, twisting and drooping into a deformed mess, but his eyes remained the same. Sad. Weary. Burdened. "Kill me!"

"No! Never!"

"Kill me!" Jaune bellowed angrily, making Ren step back with fear. The earth shook, the sky trembled and a voice spoke, as clear as the day and as smooth as velvet.

"Then you are a failure, Lie Ren. You have served your purpose. Such a shame as well. Your ancestor was always the reliable one of your little group of friends. I could always count on him to stick to the rules."

"W-Who are you? What's going on?!" Ren begged, as the world opened up and he toppled into an abyss.

"I am the past, present and future boy. I am the one true goddess of Remnant, and unlike your predecessor there is nothing you can do to stop me."

"No!" Ren cried, as he toppled into nothingness. At first it felt like he was floating, then he was being suffocated, engulfed in an abyss of nothingness.

Until a searing flame pierced through the darkness.

/#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/

She could feel it again. The suffocating aura of silver-eyed magic. But this was not Ruby's. This was something far worse.

The Inquisitor stilled, knife hovering above Jaune's throat. Yang froze, paralyzed by indecision. The presence of that horrid magic made her knees tremble, but her body burned at the sight of Jaune's life being threatened.

No one threatened Jaune. No one could take him away from her. He was the only good thing she had left in her life, and she would be damned before she let anyone or anything take it from her!

Fire welled up inside her. It was energising, powerful and intoxicating. It felt like time had slowed, yet in reality her reflexes had made it so she moved faster than time normally passed.

"No!" Yang roared, surging forward and taking advantage of the Inquisitor's indecision. Fire spilled out of her clenched fists, and her hair burned with the fury of a wildfire.

The Inquisitor looked up, eyes widening. He tried to move, but it was too late and she was too fast. Her flaming fist cracked into his jaw, and she blinked in surprise when it didn't burst like a tomato clenched in her hand.

The Inquisitor stumbled back, head jerking and falling onto the ground on his hands and knees. The knife was still in his hand, so he was still a threat to Jaune.

She moved before he could recover, grabbing by the back of his leather armour and dragging him to his feet. Her second blow landed in his stomach, making him fold over and fly back several feet in the air away from her and Jaune.

He skidded through the dirt onto his back, where he lay all but still apart from the steady rise and fall of his chest.

Triumph washed through her. Her strength had been tested but had been true, and her mate -Jaune!- was safe and she turned around, forcing a confident grin on her face. She was riding high after her triumph for his safety, but she feared him rejecting her, out of damaged pride over her intervention or fear of her.

'Keep him anyway. Take him. He's yours.' Growled something primal. Something horrible. Something that sounded like her mother.

'No. I'll be ten times the woman, ten times the mate, you ever were.' She told herself. Told her thoughts? Maybe she should be worried at how fast her heart was pounding and her vision was slightly blurry. She wasn't used to moving so fast, especially not in her Infiltrator form.

Then every thought she had stopped. The smile fell off her face faster than the blood she had earlier washed off of her hands. Her spirit fell and her eyes widened at Jaune's worryingly still body.

"Jaune?!" She yelled, racing over to him and falling to his side. "Are you okay? Speak to me Jaune!"

"I-I'm okay…" Jaune wheezed weakly, making her heart somehow clench with worry but relax in relief at the same time. He was alive. For how long was another question, though if she had her way it would stay that way until they were both old and ready to move on to the next world. "I'm…sorry though."

"What are you sorry for?" Yang exclaimed incredulously, and through the slots of his iron helm Yang could see him smile weakly, even as his eyes became droopy and unfocused.

"I…think…I pulled…your stitches…" He replied, making her eyes roll at his foolishness. He needed to be sorry for not being well, though that wasn't really his fault so she would let it slide, even if the thought of losing him made her eyes burn with fury and sadness. He chuckled weakly, before he coughed harshly. "I'm tired Yang…"

"No Jaune! Keep your eyes open damnit!" Yang bellowed, ripping off his helmet so she could see him better. His skin was pale, and the veins near his neck were a dark black colour. Her hands tightened into fists. That wasn't good. Wasn't normal.

"Just sleep…five minutes…" Jaune murmured, his eyes fluttering and his breath slowing.

"No! Nonononono! Jaune stay with me! Please! I'm begging you please!" Yang cried, eyes tearing up as she held onto him and shook him gently. "Please! I need you. I-I don't want to be alone again."

"Won't…be…" Jaune murmured, before his eyes shut and his head lolled to the side.

Her heart froze. The world slowed and seemed to stop. Nothing mattered. Nothing could happen to shake her from her stupor.

A ragged, weak exhale. Faster than lighting she ripped off his chest plate and pressed her head against his chest. She could feel his heart beating. A desperate sigh of relief burst from her lips.

He was alive. That was something at least.

"Yang?"

She froze. No. Please no.

The voice was familiar. She'd heard it half a million times during her nightmares. It would start off loving, before descending into disgust, rage and hatred.

It sounded older. Less childish. It didn't matter. Yang recognised it.

She turned. A red battle dress. A red scythe. A red rose brooch and red tips to her shoulder-length hair. She was still young, but much older than what she once had been.

The eyes remained the same. Shocked at the moment, but Yang could already see the hatred pooling in the corners of them.

"R-Ruby?" She gasped, voice as weak as it had been when her sister had stormed her mother's lair, silver eyes blazing and kicking up a small whirlwind.

"You." Ruby growled, shifting quickly. Her scythe was held in too hands, on higher than the other for balance. Her feet were spread evenly and her knees bent, ready to launch forward and at her. "What have you done to him?"

"I-I was only defending Jaune!" Yang protested, and Ruby's eyes narrowed into dangerous, hateful slits.

"Liar!" Ruby growled, and Yang froze as she saw the familiar power build in her sister's furious eyes. She whimpered, body stiff with fear. There was nothing she could do. She wouldn't abandon Jaune. She refused to.

But that would mean her death.

"Good riddance." Ruby said, as if she could read her thoughts. Yang held Jaune's hand in her own, closing her eyes and looking away. She couldn't bear to see the sheer vitriol in the eyes of her once loving sister's eyes anymore.

The world flashed and Yang screamed as it was blazed and burnt by the raw power of her sister's silver eyes.

A/N: Next update on 05/09/22