Gamer4 in. Gears probably has the roughest start in the series, darkness-wise. But I'd certainly like to leave Jaune in a better position than last episode before moving on for a bit. Subsequently, this episode. Hope you enjoy!
Episode X
The Woman in the Woods
"Mail call!"
Everyone jumped as a short-haired woman stepped in, carrying a cylindrical package in one hand.
"Oh, hello, Lana," Vanessa greeted guardedly.
"I believe this is for the little lady!" 'Lana' smiled widely as she jaunted over to Ruby.
"Um... thanks?" Ruby accepted uncertainly. She opened it up, revealing a tube out of which a mass of dark matter emerged. With a pop, the matter unfolded to reveal Zwei, the ballistic missile corgi, who immediately began yipping up at them. Ruby's eyes shone. "ZWEI! Thanks, lady!"
"Oh, no..." Blake's eyes widened in terror.
"Just what we needed!" Yang grinned.
Ruby turned and offered Zwei to Jaune. "I think you could use him more than me right now."
"Oh- thanks," Jaune smiled uncertainly, accepting the dog, who eagerly licked up all the salt on his face.
"Yes, thank you very much," Vanessa agreed. "Now get out of here, I can only handle you or Jack on my own, and at least he can cook."
"Sweet!" Jack smiled.
"Alright, alright, I'm out of here," Lana waved, stepping back out through the door she'd entered.
"Ohh, look at da widdle doggo!" Nora beamed- Zwei very clearly enjoyed her attention as well.
"Okay, now that we have that... let's get back to the world," Vanessa decided.
The second Jaune walked across the threshold into the Emerald Forest, all sound seemed to cease. The trees were tall and green, giving the forest its name, tinting all light that entered a deep green.
"Looks about the same as our world," Weiss observed. "Maybe a little rougher."
"I wonder if Forever Fall is in there somewhere?" Pyrrha wondered.
"I hope so!" Nora beamed. "That place has the best syrup!"
"Tree sap," Ren corrected with a sigh.
Per Ren's advice, he stuck to the path, following it until he was certain he was out of sight before doubling over and vomiting. The accusing shouts of the villagers rang in his ears. I... I killed them... killed so many people... because I got into that thing!
"Oh, and he's sick, too?!" Ruby fretted.
"Not sick- overwhelmed," Blake corrected. "An unfortunate, but perfectly understandable reaction." She didn't feel like telling them she'd experienced much the same after her first raid with the White Fang, and that was something she'd done while fully conscious.
Yang considered saying something about the other Jaune earning the title 'Vomit Boy' as well, but thankfully for everyone involved, decided against it.
He thrust his fist into a tree. Why did I do that? Why couldn't I have just helped with the evacuation, and left that damn thing alone?! Maybe if I did... Port... Saphron... Terra... they might all still be alive...
"I hate to say it, but I think your sister would have died anyways," Weiss admitted. "She went back for Dove, not because you climbed into that... thing."
"True, but survivor's guilt is a very powerful- and very cruel- drug," Ren pointed out. "One that people like Jaune are particularly prone to."
Jaune kept his lips shut tight.
A cold hand wrapped itself around his heart as he staggered deeper into the woods. He could feel their blood on his hands... he'd almost welcome a grimm attack. Let them come, rip him apart- he deserved it for the atrocity he'd just committed...
"No, Jaune!" Pyrrha shook her head with tears in her eyes. "Don't start thinking like that!"
But it was no black beast that found him first.
He had just approached the bottom of a hill when he heard a click behind him, and a strong, firm voice. "Sto! Quis est? Telum stillabunt tuum! Aggrediar si dabis irascibilem!"
"Er... what?" Ruby tilted her head, question marks in her eyes.
He turned to face the speaker- a tall woman in red and gold armor, her long crimson hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her emerald green eyes were narrowed as she pointed a long rifle directly at him.
"What?" Nora gaped.
0
Fortunately, his confusion seemed to get through to her- she shook her head slightly and1 b switched languages. "Drop any weapons you have. One wrong move and I will shoot."
"WHAT?!/" Pyrrha shrieked.
Jaune slowly raised his hands above his head, showing that they were empty.
"Very well... turn around!"
Jaune remained still.
"I said, 'turn around!'"
"Maybe you should do it, Fearless Leader, I don't think she's playing around!" Nora advised nervously.
"Pyrrha... aiming a gun at me?" The situation was clearly not computing with Jaune, either.
Definitely never thought I'd see that," Yang readily admitted.
Finally, Jaune obliged, turning just as slowly. The woman stepped fully out from the trees, approaching with clear caution, keeping her gun trained on him, looking up and down for any signs of treachery. Jaune couldn't help noticing...
"Are you shaking?"
"She is!" Blake observed, her faunus eyes zooming in on Pyrrha's trembling hands.
"She's... never pointed a gun at someone before," Pyrrha assessed. "Then again, neither have I, outside of combat class."
"Quiet!" she ordered fiercely. After a brief moment of silence, she stepped back. "Hmm... you don't seem like an Atlesian soldier..."
"Wait, she's being chased by Atlas?" Jaune asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I guess that explains why she's so on edge," Weiss agreed.
Taking the step back as a good sign, Jaune turned to face her- she jumped back and readjusted her rifle. "I said to stay still! I nearly shot you!"
Jaune remained silent.
"You're really playing with fire, VB," Yang said warningly. "If anything, her shaking is only making her more dangerous!"
"I should shoot you... by orders, I'm supposed to execute any lambs I encounter. I... I don't want to, you understand, it's just my orders!
"Er... lamb?" Nora tilted her head. "He doesn't look like a sheep faunus to me."
"It does sound somehow derogatory," Blake conceded. "But... I don't think it has anything to do with faunus. Partly because... yeah, I don't think he's a faunus."
"..."
Slowly, she lowered the rifle, allowing it to point towards the forest floor. "However... as things stand... the truth is..."
She flushed almost as red as her hair. "I'm lost in these woods. If you could lead me to the exit, I'm sure I could be convinced to spare your life!"
Yang snorted. "More like she doesn't wanna kill you to begin with, and that makes as good an excuse as anything."
"No... I think she really is lost," Ren analyzed.
"No reason it can't be both," Weiss suggested.
"Well, that depends..." Jaune finally spoke. "My village, Ansel, is back that way... but if you want to go to Vale, I'm not entirely certain how far it is to the other side."
"Ah... I see."
She visibly deflated, looking down to the ground.
"Maybe she's... seeking refuge from Atlas? A prisoner of war?" Weiss speculated.
"That would make some sense, but... we really don't have enough information right now," Pyrrha shook her head.
"So, aren't you going to shoot me?"
"Jaune, NO!" Ruby squealed.
The woman looked up, surprised. "Are you... mocking me? Do you not understand the situation you're in?"
"Yes..." Jaune nodded, his voice hollow. "I understand. After what I've done... it would be justice."
He looked back up to her and took a step forward. The gun raised back up, pointing at his chest. "Stay back!"
"He's trying to make her shoot him!" Nora cried.
"I feel very strongly that my other should have gone with him from the beginning," Ren muttered. "Jaune clearly ought not have been left alone in such a headspace."
"But she's not actually going to do it, is she?!" Ruby panicked. "Other world or no, Pyrrha wouldn't actually kill Jaune! That's like... against all the laws of... everything!" She flapped her arms in desperation.
He took another step, and there was crack as the gun went off- it flew a full foot past his left shoulder.
"It doesn't seem likely," Weiss agreed, placing a gentle hand on Ruby's shoulder.
"What kind of aim is that? Here! You're supposed to put it here!" he pounded on his chest, his emotions overwhelming him.
"What is wrong with you?!" the woman demanded, backing away. "Shouldn't you be resisting? Fighting back, pleading for your life, something!"
Yang couldn't help snorting. "She's the one withe the gun, and he's the one scaring her?"
"I doubt she's ever crossed someone attempting to... er... suicide by cop, I think the phrase is?" Pyrrha considered.
As she backed away, Jaune suddenly spied something in the trees behind her, and his heart stopped. A pair of glowing, blood-red eyes. "Wait, stop! Look out!"
Pyrrha turned just in time for a gigantic black wolf to erupt from the shadows, pouncing on her. Only the quick rising of her hands prevented it from ripping her throat out then and there.
"NO!"
"Beowolf!" Ruby cried.
A new feeling rushed over Jaune, quite different from the self-loathing or pity he'd been feeling before. It was fear- an intense fear for the woman's life, though he didn't even know her name- and a white-hot fury. "STOP IT! YOU LEAVE PYRRHA ALONE!"
"Wait- when did she say her name?" Weiss immediately noticed.
"She didn't," Blake shook her head.
It was almost like when he'd climbed into the gear- everything around him seemed to fade away, everything except for the woman, the grimm, and himself. He wasn't even conscious of the bright yellow glow overcoming his hands as he rushed the creature, filling his hands with an abnormal strength as he forced it off its prospective victim with a single punch.
The woman's eyes widened as she looked up at him. "You... you have aura?"
"That's what his aura looks like?" Ruby's eyes widened.
"It looks like Ren's been training him well!" Pyrrha praised.
"And it looks like Pyrrha's aware of aura as well," Blake observed.
In the heat of the moment, Jaune didn't react to the question at all- instead, he reached down and offered her a hand. "Can you fight?"
"Y-yes." He was right- there was a battle at hand- she could save her questions for when their lives weren't in danger. She accepted the hand, rising to her feet and aiming her rifle, blasting the black wolf's skull away.
"NOW we're talking!" Nora grinned. "Fearless Leader and Pyrrha, working together to kick some grimm butt! This is what I wanted to see!"
From where it had come spilled three more- the woman pressed a button, and her rifle transformed into a spear. She pulled a shield from behind her, deflecting one of the creature's blows with one hand before impaling it with the other. Jaune breathed deeply and struck down another- its external skull fractured beneath the strength of his punch, sending it spilling onto the ground.
"Channeling his aura to increase his strength- yes, that's a favored technique of mine," Ren nodded.
"So... strong..." Ruby grinned dopily.
"If they have aura, I wonder if that means they have semblance-" Weiss started, but Nora cut her off.
"Enough talk, watching cool fights!"
Before he could turn towards the third, there was a sharp cry as its claws passed through the woman's skin. Jaune turned- it must have caught her off guard as she dealt with the other. "NO!" he screamed, fury filling him again as he lashed out and dealt the final blow to this creature as well.
"Pyrrha!" Jaune yelped.
He looked around, snarling, in search of any further monsters- there seemed to be none. He hurried to the woman's side. "Are you okay? Answer me!"
She had slipped into unconsciousness- the wounds she'd sustained from the wolf looked nasty. -
"He's quite eager to help someone who was just pointing a gun at him," Weiss frowned.
"Yes... isn't it wonderful?" Pyrrha sighed dreamily.
When the woman finally awoke, it was night. She looked to the side and spotted a small bonfire crackling next to her, being fed dry branches and leaves by the odd man she'd been threatening mere hours ago.
He turned to see her awakening, and his face lit up in a smile. "You're awake! You were out of it for so long, I... I started to worry."
The woman looked down, feeling for the wounds she'd sustained before collapsing. He had taken the sash she wore around her waist and tied it instead around the injuries. She couldn't help noticing that the gouges seemed far smaller than before. She looked up. "You... aura...?"
"That's what Doc calls it," Jaune nodded. "He taught me how to use it, but... I haven't met many others who can. Just him and his wife. I can only heal other people with aura- I don't wanna think about what would have happened if you couldn't."
"Only heal... others with aura? That's a strange stipulation," Weiss pondered.
"Yes... it does..." Pyrrha agreed thoughtfully. "What if... maybe... let me think, I'll get back to you."
The woman stared at him with befuddlement. She'd just been threatening to shoot him, and he was... healing her?
"Anyways, I've rethought the whole 'letting-you-shoot-me' thing. It'd probably be best to wait 'til we get out of the woods- I think it was the sound of the gunshot that let them find us."
The woman seemed to finally give in. "Why?"
"Hm? Why what?"
"You meet a woman in the woods who holds you at gunpoint, then help her fight off a swarm of grimm when she's attacked instead of running. Furthermore, you go out of your way to heal her and invite her to kill you once you've helped her out of the forest. I don't... I don't understand. Is this customary behavior among lambs?"
"There's that 'lamb' terminology again," Blake's eyes narrowed. "I don't like it... it makes my hackles rise."
"I wonder how Jaune would feel if he had any idea what it meant?" Weiss pondered.
Jaune shrugged. "I guess I'm acting strangely, but... not half as strange as you. Wandering around the midle of the woods, calling everyone 'lambs'..."
The woman looked away, flushing again.
"Well, she at least seems embarassed about it," Nora decided.
"So... can I ask your name?"
"..."
"I get you think I'm weird, but... we are in the middle of this forest together. There might be more grimm out there- shouldn't we cooperate until we get out of here at least?"
"There... is some logic in that, yes."
"Then come on- tell me your name."
"...Pyrrha Nikos."
Jaune's heart skipped a beat. He remembered what he'd yelled when the grimm attacked- Leave Pyrrha alone! He hadn't thought about it at the time, but the name had come so naturally to his lips.
A thought occurred to him- he did only have three years' worth of memories behind him- was it possible that, prior to his stay in Ansel, he'd known this woman?
On the other hand, though, she didn't seem to recognize him at all- though that didn't bar him from knowing her by reputation...
"Huh... now that I think about it, that is weird," Nora thought.
"Nora thinks something is weird? This I have to hear!" Yang grinned.
Weiss, on the other hand, sighed. "It's another world, Nora, it's not that unusual that they haven't met yet."
"It's not that!" Nora denied... then tilted her head. "Well, actually, kinda. It's more like, it seems like he should know her, other world or not..."
"Any time you feel like getting to the point?" Blake rolled her eyes.
"It's the dream!" Nora finally spat out. "Remember the nightmare he had? Pyr-Pyr was in it, so it seems like he should know her! How could he have a dream about someone he's never met before?"
Silence fell as everyone else caught up with her.
"There... is some logic in that, Nora," Ren finally spoke up. "Since it was established he knew us, I suppose I just assumed he'd know the others as well. And yet... he doesn't know Pyrrha..."
"I mean, we could chalk up the spaceship part to a wild imagination, something he heard about in a book or something," Yang was starting to nod, "but just happening to see people who actually exist, but he's never met before?"
"Doesn't seem likely," Blake agreed.
"Do you think... it was a vision?" Ruby asked hesitantly. Everyone turned to look at her. "I mean, Vanessa says this is in the same world- or a similar world- to the one where I started seeing the future, so it is a thing. Do you think he was seeing something that's going to happen, and that's why Pyrrha was in it?"
Another long silence fell. Finally, Yang broke it. "Well, then I guess he's just gonna have to change that future, isn't he?"
"Based on the small snippet of visions we saw in your world," Ren agreed, "it seems they are not glimpses of things that will be- only things that may be. If it was a vision, he now has the power to change it."
Blake had her own ideas, but held her tongue for the moment.
He looked up to realize she was looking at him expectantly. "And... you are?"
"Oh- Jaune. Jaune A... actually, just call me Jaune." It didn't feel right to carry on Saphron's name after all that had happened- just the idea sent a bolt of pain through his heart.
"But- but he isn't the one that did it!" Ruby protested.
"We've been over this, Rubes... him not being literally guilty doesn't stop him from feeling like he is."
"Well, Jaune... I feel that it would be wise to rest here for the night. We can continue in the morning."
"Yeah... that sounds good."
"Alright... I have some food with me, if you'd like..."
"Awww, even when they start as enemies, they're still so perfect for each other!" Nora squeed.
"Stop teasing Pyrrha, Nora," Jaune chastised.
"Yes... teasing..." Pyrrha gritted her teeth.
"And stop writing in your fanfic journal, you perv," Yang chuckled, swatting Blake upside the head.
"...tasteful literature," Blake muttered reproachfully under her breath.
Jaune dreamed again that night. As he'd lay himself to rest, he'd half-expected his dreams to be full of the tormented cries of the people of Ansel, but they weren't. In fact, his dream didn't occur anywhere near Ansel- or anywhere else he recognized, for that matter.
He was in the midst of a vast desert, nothing but sand for miles around. He knelt atop the crest of a large dune, and, looking down, he saw that he was a mere child once more.
"Oh, oh, are we gonna see his backstory?!" Nora asked eagerly, bouncing up and down.
Tears ran down his face, with only the vaguest memories as to why. Alone... he was all alone. Everyone else was dead- who 'everyone else' had been, he wasn't entirely sure.
Or... perhaps he wasn't alone as he thought. Looking up, he saw a small caravan making their way over the dune- very small, only twelve people, marching in a line, though they seemed to pay him no mind.
He rose to his feet and began to pursue them. "Wait! Wait! Please, don't leave! Take me with you!"
He lost his footing and slid down the dune, landing face-first in the sand. Tears dampened the sand, causing it to cling to his face as he struggled to rub the grit from his eyes. Yes, he was well and truly alone.
"So, he was with a caravan in the desert, and they abandoned him?" Pyrrha asked, her voice becoming icy.
"That's... one interpretation," Blake nodded. "But... maybe it's just symbolic. Maybe it just represents how he's feeling now- shunned and abandoned from his hometown."
"Nora did say he's prone to dreams like these," Weiss mused.
In that moment, he found himself wishing for something- more than anything else, he wished for the presence of his mother. He'd never known her, but he had experienced something similar to a mother once- the kind woman, the one with the red hair. But she, too, was now dead...
"So, he had a stepmother with red hair as well?" Weiss crossed her arms. "I'm starting to think Jaune may have something of an Oedipus Complex."
"Fearless Leader is not edible!" Nora quickly leapt to Jaune's defense.
Weiss gave a sigh. "...Nevermind."
A pair of feet appeared before him- looking up, his heart stopped- it seemed to be the very woman he'd just been thinking of, smiling down at him, her eyes hidden behind her bangs. She knelt down and ran a hand across his face, wiping away the dirt. "Oh, Jaune..."
Jaune...
"Jaune! It's daytime- get up!"
Jaune grunted and gave a snort as he was shaken awake. "Huh? Oh- yeah. Right." He wasn't in the desert, he was in the middle of the Emerald Forest.
"Well... I don't know about you guys, but I don't understand any more than I did before I saw that," Yang readily admitted.
"Perhaps we're just digging too deeply into details this time," Weiss suggested. "Perhaps this dream really is... just a dream."
They all had their doubts, but as nobody had any other way to interpret it for now, they moved along.
"Were you... having a nightmare?" Pyrrha asked tentatively.
"I... I'm not sure," Jaune answered honestly- much like the dream about the ship, last night's dream was already escaping through his fingers as easily as water- and this time, he had no means of painting what he'd seen. He thought he remembered... a desert? That sounded right, but that was about all he could recall.
He rose to his feet and wiped his hands off on his pants. "Come on, let's get going."
Pyrrha stood still, letting him take the lead for more reason than one.
"Odds of them getting out without further incident?" Weiss wondered.
"None to slim," Jaune answered wryly.
They had been walking through the forest for a couple hours without incident before Pyrrha finally mounted the courage to ask the question she really wanted to.
"Jaune... may I ask you something?"
"Yeah?"
He paused in the middle of a clearing, glancing back at her. For a moment, words failed her, but she forced herself to speak. "Yesterday... you seemed so ready and willing to throw your life away... as if it had no meaning. Why?"
Jaune's chest clenched. "Why... why do you ask?"
"I think that's a fair question," Yang admitted readily. "Not often you run into a guy who seems like he wants to die."
"Yeah, Pyrrha's being weird, but from her perspective... Jaune's being weirder," Ruby conceded.
"Isn't it natural to be curious when you meet someone who asks you to kill them? You... you looked like the embodiment of lost hope. For that matter... what are you doing out in these woods in the first place?"
"I... could ask you the same question..." Jaune evaded somewhat lamely.
Pyrrha crossed her arms, letting him know she'd not be sidetracked so easily.
"Yeah, nice try, VB," Yang chuckled. "Even in another world, Pyrrha's not gonna let something like that go, not when it comes to you!"
Finally, he gave in. "I... had to leave my village... what's left of it."
Pyrrha paled. "What's left of... your village?"
She'd gone white as a sheet, but Jaune didn't seem to notice. "Ansel... a small village between here and the mountains. A quiet, peaceful town, where everyone treated everyone else like family. Last night, a group of gears appeared and started fighting... right over the people... the houses were being swallowed by fire... I had to do something... anything... before I knew what was happening, I was climbing into a gear, even though I'd never operated one before. It was like... it was like someone whispering in my ear..."
"I can only imagine how painful it must be to remember this," Pyrrha noted sadly.
"And it was a disaster!"
"So... the Atlesians destroyed your home?"
He didn't answer- she took a tentative step forward. "Jaune?"
"No... the person who destroyed the village... it was... it was me."
"What?" Pyrrha asked, caught off guard.
"It was me! I destroyed Ansel!"
"What do you mean? I thought you said you were protecting it?"
"That was the plan... I managed to stop a couple of the gears, but... then my sister, Saphron... she was gunned down... I lost control... everything went dark... I don't remember what happened next- I had to be told. The gear went out of control- caused an explosion that destroyed the entire village! I woke up and... and so many people were dead... Mayor Port... Terra... oh, God... Terra and Saphron were supposed to get married! So many good people... their blood is on my hands!"
"It's all coming back to him... all at once..." Blake recognized the symptoms all too well.
"Remember to breathe," Ren advised. "Above all, remember to breathe."
Pyrrha remained silent, some rather uncomfortable memories running through her mind.
She had been entrusted with the transport of an experimental Atlesian gear- she was currently leading her squad away from the Atlesian capital, with a group of soldiers hot on their tails. Her squad flew around her, providing what support they could, but they were badly outnumbered.
"We're almost to Vale!" she called. "Hold steady!"
But the soldiers had not broken off when they crossed Vale's border. What was worse, a volley of gunfire from the pursuing gears destroyed one of her squadmates. Fragments of his gear penetrated into hers. "Damn!" she cursed. "Thrusters losing capacity! We have to make an emergency landing! We can regroup on the ground! We have no choice but to engage!"
But she hadn't had the chance. Her gear, damaged as it was, dropped the black gear in parts unknown, then crash-landed in the deep forest. She had no idea how the battle had gone- until now.
There were some separate reactions to this revelation.
"An experimental gear... that explains why it seems so unstable," Blake realized.
"She stole it from Atlas... that's why they were chasing her," Weiss agreed.
And harshest of all, Pyrrha paled as badly as her other. "You mean... that massacre... it was my fault?"
"Er... Pyrrha?" Jaune whispered hesitantly.
"Then that gear..." she pondered to herself.
"The gear...?" Jaune asked, in an almost dream-like state. "Yes... yes, the gears! If they hadn't come, if they hadn't started fighting right over the village... none of it would have happened! I'd never have seen that gear, let alone tried to pilot it! It's their fault, not mine!"
"Jaune?" Ruby looked a little frightened.
"He's going through the stages of grief," Blake diagnosed. "A mix of denial and anger, I think."
He was working himself up into a frenzy. "It's all because of them!" He thrust his fist into a tree near the clearing's edge, repeating the word almost like a mantra. "Them! Them! Them!"
Almost against her own will, Pyrrha felt a flood of anger in her chest. Each repetition of the word sent a jolt through her heart, as if he was personally accusing her. Almost before she was conscious of it, she'd closed the distance between them and slapped him across the face.
"I... I..." Pyrrha was still gasping.
"...Pyrrha?" Jaune was still more taken aback.
Caught off guard, he fell to the ground and looked up at her, bewildered.
"Enough of that! You're a coward!"
"C-coward?" For some reason, the word stirred something deep in the back of Jaune's mind, something he couldn't put his finger on.
"Yes, you're a coward, running away, saying 'them, them, them,' over and over! Don't talk like you have no responsibility in all this!"
"R...responsibility?"
"Exactly! Of course the gears are the direct cause, but all Atlas wanted was that gear! It wasn't an invasion, they didn't want anything you weren't willing to give up! The real damage was because you decided to hop in a gear without any prior experience or knowledge!"
"I..."
"What could possibly have possessed you to board that gear? It takes years of training to pilot one properly! What did you expect to happen?! Especially when you should have been helping the villagers evacuate! Don't blame the gears when it was your decision- yours, no one else's! Take responsibility! Trying to shift it, putting the blame on everyone else... that's just running away! Like a coward!"
She was unwittingly tearing into every insecurity he'd had since awakening the previous day... and he could do nothing but slowly nod as he pulled himself to his feet. "When... when you put it that way... yes... you're right. I am a coward, aren't I? A... pitiful excuse for a man... but... in that moment, I felt a rush of blood... for all the good it did. I couldn't help myself... or anyone else."
He slumped against the tree, sliding to the ground, hands over his face. "I... I just..."
"Jaune, I'm so sorry!" Pyrrha burst out, grabbing onto him and crying into his chest. "I shouldn't... I shouldn't have said any of those horrible things! Especially when it was all my fault! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sor-"
"Pyrrha, Pyrrha!" Jaune raised his hands, looking alarmed. "It wasn't you- I don't blame you! It was your other! And even she..." He took a deep breath. "Even she kinda has a point."
"Can we just agree you're both wrong and move on?" Yang interjected. "You were both doing the best you could with what you had, and all hell broke loose. You can let that destroy you, or you can move on and try to do better next time!"
Everyone stared at her- especially Jack and Vanessa. "...What?"
"I never expected you to say something so wise," Weiss readily admitted.
"Definitely not the Yang from four on," Vanessa agreed.
Pyrrha's temper died down, and the anger was swiftly replaced with horror. She slapped her hands over her mouth. "Er... Jaune, I... I..."
"Shut up! What do you know?! When I woke up, I was surrounded by piles of rubble... crying... the screams of children... I didn't remember anything, but I could already feel their blood on my hands... my hands... they still remember what they did! Can you see the blood? Can you hear their screams?! Do you understand the feeling... of destroying your own home... killing everyone you ever loved?! They have nothing... I have nothing..."
"At least she seems sorry, too," Nora shrugged awkwardly.
For a moment, Pyrrha wanted to reach out... but she had no idea what to say, especially after her tirade. She slowly grabbed her spear and shield. "I... I'll scout ahead."
She followed the path out of the clearing. It was only once she sure she was out of earshot that she allowed the tears to fall. "Why... why did I say all that to him?"
"Yes, why did you?!" Pyrrha asked fiercely, through tears of her own.
Thoughts and memories ran through her mind.
"Don't talk like you have no responsibility in all this!"
Another image- herself, crouched at the end of a dark hallway bathed in blood, hands over her head as if to shut out all the noise of the world. "No... I didn't do it! I didn't do anything!"
"They died because of you!"
The other her slumped to her knees. "No, it wasn't me, can't you understand?" The hallway was littered with corpses- their blood seemed to spill onto her hands.
"Not just anyone can do this- it takes years of training!"
"No... I..."
"Take responsibility!"
She stood on trial before a council for her actions. "I'm not... strong enough..."
"Stop trying to put the blame on others!"
"I... I'm not even that talented..."
"You're a coward!"
The other her turned into Jaune, slumped against that tree. "Yes... I am a coward..."
"Yes... that's right... I am a coward..." she repeated to herself.
"It... uh..." the audience struggled to find something to say to all that. Finally, Weiss cleared her throat and attempted to remain calm and collected. "It would seem that she has... had a difficult time herself."
"Way to underplay that," Nora ran her hand distractedly through her hair. "Man, everyone in this world is all sorts of messed up, aren't they?"
"I kinda wish Ren would come back, he seemed to have everything together," Ruby said longingly.
She jumped when the ground quaked beneath her. Slowly looking up, a monster emerged from the wilderness far larger than the ones she and Jaune had fought of the previous day. A great black lizard, narrowed red eyes glaring down at her. More than she could handle with her simple spear and shield, or even her rifle, she was sure. With a gear, she was sure she'd be more than capable of handling it, but on foot... there was little she could do as it bore down on her.
"Big grimm!" Ruby eeped. "Big grimm!"
"Hurry, Jaune!" Nora yelped.
"And what good can he do on foot?!" Weiss seemed on the verge of panic herself.
"I'm sure he'll think of something!" Nora declared confidently.
Jaune leapt to his feet when he heard a piercing scream. "Pyrrha!" he gasped, taking off down the path.
He found her struggling to evade the great grimm- a cockatrice, from the looks of things, and a large one at that- but slowly losing more ground with each passing second. Each shot fired from her rifle, each stab from her spear- they seemed to do little more than aggravate it.
"Cockatrice!" Blake gasped. "I've heard of them, but I thought they were a myth!"
"There are many grimm people brush aside as myths that turn out to be all too real," Ren muttered. Nora gripped his shoulder tightly.
At last, it caught her a blow with its swinging tail, knocking her into a tree, where she slid to the ground. Jaune thought he'd heard bones break. Fear clenched his heart- he was sure he could heal her if he could get to her, but with the cockatrice still on the warpath, there was little chance of that happening. "Dammit... dammit! I really can't save anyone!"
The cockatrice let out a roar, but as it died, Jaune heard something else- a great beating sound in the air. Then, there was another voice. "Jaune! Jaune, are you okay?!"
"Renny!" Nora perked up. "WOOHOO! RENNY TO THE RESCUE!"
Jaune looked up and saw the large mechanical crab he'd seen Ren repairing- and behind the controls, the man himself. It was flying- flying on great, spinning blades that rose above the craft, but what caught Jaune's attention the most was the gear it was carrying- the very same black gear he'd left behind in Ansel.
"He brought that thing with him?" Weiss wrinkled her nose at the gear that had caused so much tragedy.
"That thing is what's going to save them now!" Blake realized.
"Wait... but that means...!" Jaune gulped.
"I was afraid something like this would happen..." Ren muttered to himself. "Quick, board the gear!"
He dropped it onto the ground- it landed in a kneeling position, its cockpit wide open. It was enough to distract the cockatrice a moment, at least.
"Are you crazy, Ren?!" Jaune asked, aghast. "Don't you remember what happened last time?!"
"An excellent point!" Jaune bit his lip nervously.
The cockatrice attempted to gnaw on the gear, and upon realizing it wasn't edible, turned its back on it, returning its attention towards Pyrrha.
"Never mind, time to climb on board!" Jaune instantly decided.
That was what finally drove Jaune to act. "Dammit!" he cursed, rushing towards the gear, climbing into the cockpit, this time entirely of his own volition, not driven by any whispering voices. "Ren, if I lose control, then do whatever you need to stop me!"
"Jaune... I don't believe that will happen."
"I hope you're right," Ruby gulped. "I really hope you're right."
The cockpit closed up, and the gear rose to its feet. "Get away from her!" he yelled, grabbing onto the beast's tail. The cockatrice roared in indignation and spun around, its teeth gnashing. Jaune blocked with the gear's arm, its teeth cracking as they attempted to pierce solid steel. He raised the gear's other fist and brought it down on the beast's skull- it cried as it collapsed to the ground, swishing its tail around. The tail crashed into the gear's legs, knocking it off-balance. Instinctively, Jaune allowed himself to fall- right onto the cockatrice, putting all the gear's weight into it. The lizard cried again, struggling to pull its way out from beneath him. Jaune did not allow it- he reached out and grabbed its head with both hands, and began to twist- with a sickening *crunch,* the beast's head turned all the way around, and its cries ceased as it stilled.
"Score one for the boys back home!" Nora cheered.
"He's very good with that thing for someone who's never piloted one before," Weiss commented. "I wonder if he did pilot one prior to his amnesia?"
"I'll write that in my notebook," Blake decided, jotting the potential clue down in a very different notebook from the one in which she'd noted Jaune and Pyrrha's star-crossed status in this world.
Jaune immediately returned the gear to its kneeling position, opening the cockpit and clambering out- sitting at the controls of that monster made him feel ill.
"Jaune! Jaune, are you okay?"
Ren must have landed his craft- he hurried over to Jaune, looking him over. "Hmm... you don't seem to be hurt. Good, Nora would have my head if you had so much as a scratch." He offered a small smile, but Jaune didn't return it.
"You're goddamn right," Nora crossed her arms. "And vice versa, of course!"
"I'll... take a note of that," Jaune chuckled nervously.
"Pyrrha- where's Pyrrha?"
"Pyrrha?"
Jaune rushed to Pyrrha's unconscious form, summoning his aura and running his hands up and down her form. It reacted with her red aura, quickly causing the injuries she'd sustained to undo themselves.
"I think I see why it only works with people who have aura!" Pyrrha theorized. "He's not directly healing them himself- it's more that he's boosting the effects of their own auras, to the point that it can heal things it normally wouldn't be able to!"
"That's... quite a power," Weiss noted, her eyes wide. "I wonder if our Jaune could learn such a thing?"
"I mean... still not knowing what my semblance is... I guess it's possible?" Jaune shrugged.
"Ah- it seems you found a friend," Ren smiled.
"Something like that..." Jaune nodded. "Good... I think she'll be okay."
He turned back to the clearing, taking in the rapidly-disinegrating form of the cockatrice, and the kneeling form of the gear over it. "Ren... what are you doing out here?"
"Nora was concerned for you, so she told me to start out early. She's staying behind for now, taking care of Shinji, helping with repairs... I'm sure she'll be along eventually. I suppose she was right, too, if the first thing you're going to do before you even get to San Miguel is pick a fight with a cockatrice."
"I can see Nora doing that," Pyrrha smiled a still rather watery smile. "Though I think she'd have insisted on coming, too."
"Not if she had to protect 'the most precious child in the history of children,'" Ren pointed out.
"Oh, don't make me choose like that!" Nora rubbed at her temples.
Jaune felt that Ren was missing the point. "And why did you bring that thing here?"
"The gear?" Ren looked up to it. "Yes, I've had a look at it since you left- its name is Weltall- Atlesian for 'Universe.' It's a very fine gear, I must say."
"A very fine gear that nearly destroyed all of Ansel!" Ruby objected.
"Who cares how 'fine' it is?!" Jaune persisted. "It destroyed Ansel! I got in to save Pyrrha, but I don't want to see another gear again in my life!"
Ren placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I quite understand your feelings, but the world is dangerous beyond our borders. To defend ourselves, the use of a gear may well be necessary in the days to come- especially since we know there are forces out looking for this gear in particular."
"Oooooor the presence of such forces could be all the more reason to abandon it as soon as possible!" Weiss agreed with her partner.
Jaune bit his lip, his feelings going to war with each other. "I mean... yes, I know all that... I'd be dead now if it weren't for that gear... but... do we really need the power to destroy everything?"
"Power itself is rather neutral," Ren posited. "Whether to use it for good or for ill is up to the man who wields it. Things were different in Ansel- a high-stress situation with many lives at risk. Given proper instruction, I believe you can learn to properly harness this power."
"I mean... he's not wrong, but..." Blake seemed rather conflicted herself.
"Uhn..."
Pyrrha was pulling herself to her feet. She looked towards them, and her eyes widened when she took in Ren and the gear. "A newcomer...?"
Ren bowed to her. "My name is Lie Ren- I'm a friend of Jaune's. I'm glad I arrived when I did- that cockatrice had nearly consumed you when Jaune boarded Weltall here. Or worse... he was trying to fight it with his bare fists when I arrived."
"Bare... fists?" Pyrrha asked, eyes widening.
"Nice wingmanning, Renny," Nora nudged him proudly with her elbow.
"But of course," Ren allowed a small smile.
"Regardless, I'm glad some good could finally come from this gear. A present from the Atlesian army."
Pyrrha did a double take at the gear- Ren caught the recognition in her eyes, but Jaune didn't seem to. "I... I see. Thank you very much, Jaune. I suppose that makes two rescues."
Jaune allowed himself a watery chuckle. "I... I'll put it on your tab."
"Nice one," Yang chortled.
Ren gave a chuckle of his own. "Well, it's not quite dusk, but I believe a rest would behoove us. Let's set up camp here and get an early start tomorrow. You two need rest, and I need to take a look at Weltall- it may need some repairs."
"Still not entirely sold on rebuilding the deathmobile," Jaune admitted.
"It's a very... difficult situation," Pyrrha submitted her thoughts. "I don't think there are any easy answers."
When night did fall, Jaune was the first to fall asleep next to the campfire he'd built. Pyrrha did not sleep- she remained sitting upright, watching the crackling flames. With the last light of day, Ren took his last observations on Weltall before hopping down and taking a seat of his own.
"Knee actuator damaged by the tail swipe... bypass circuit damaged in yesterday's explosion, finished off by the topple. We're fortunate he managed to finish that cockatrice quickly. With the proper tools, I could repair the actuator, but there's no fixing the circuit- it needs a full replacement."
"He just said a bunch of words," Yang shrugged.
"Oh, my dear sweet summer child," Ruby patted her on the shoulder. "One day you shall learn."
"Ah, nerd talk. Say no more."
Pyrrha looked at him blankly. He chuckled. "Apologies- I tend to think out loud when conducting such repairs. Having trouble sleeping?"
"...Yes," Pyrrha nodded.
"I don't blame you. After days like today, people either fall asleep quickly, or not at all."
He leaned over the fire. "This is the gear the Atlesians dropped... but unless I'm very much mistaken, the gear I found on my way into the woods was not of Atlesian make."
He met her gaze steadily, and asked, "Tuum erat, sic? (It was yours, yes?)"
"Wait... he speaks that weird language, too?" Nora stared.
"My bullshit sensors are tingling," Yang narrowed her eyes.
"Just knowing a language doesn't prove anything!" Pyrrha came to her teammate's aid. "Can we at least know what the langauge is before we start slinging accusations?"
"Now that's the Yang I was told about," Vanessa whispered to Jack.
Pyrrha gasped as the language of her homeland passed through this stranger's lips.
"Hmm... so I thought. You were the pilot carrying this gear- the one who made the emergency landing near Ansel, aren't you?"
She nodded mutely.
"And a member of Gebler, judging by your uniform... am I correct?"
"Gebler?" Nora looked around for an answer.
"The army that's backing Vale in the war with Atlas," Weiss reminded her. "Which would explain why they were taking... er, Weltall- to Vale, I suppose."
Now Pyrrha was truly taken aback. "Who... are you?"
"For now, let's just say I'm... well-travelled," Ren evaded.
"Eh-heh," Yang crossed her arms, drumming her fingers. "Am I allowed to distrust him yet?"
"You're allowed to distrust him if my other doesn't know any of this," Nora crossed her arms. "Which isn't gonna happen, because we tell each other everything! You accuse him, you accuse me, got it?"
Yang wisely zipped it.
"Your comrades were given respectful burials, if it brings you any peace. I'm sure they'd rather have been buried in their homeland, but I'm sure you appreciate the impossibility of accomplishing such a feat."
"...Yes."
"Y'know, that begs the question- where is their homeland?" Weiss wondered. "They're working against Atlas, but they always talk about Gebler like it's separate from Vale, so... what, they're Mistralian?"
"I mean, I am from Mistral," Pyrrha agreed, "but... I don't know, I don't see Mistral taking sides in a war like this. Besides, that language is definitely not Mistralian."
"Add that to the list of questions, I guess," Jaune sighed.
"Have you told Jaune any of this?"
"No... I don't think he's figured it out."
"Most likely not. He has only three years of memory to his name, and all three of those years were spent entirely in Ansel. I'm sure this lack of worldly experience is the root of the disaster."
"That is... tragically feasible," Blake nodded. "With only three years of life experience, it's little wonder he has even more trouble than usual handling stressful situations."
He took a deep breath. "However, perhaps it's better that we don't pry into each other's pasts."
"...Will you...?"
Ren smiled and shook his head. "I'll not tell him anything you don't wish to tell him yourself. However, I do have one request."
"Yes?"
Ren pointed down the path. "We're only a kilometer or two from the edge of the woods. I'd be much obliged if you took your leave before Jaune awakens."
"He... he wants me to leave?" Pyrrha was taken aback. "But why?"
"Sus-pic-ious!" Yang couldn't help piping up again.
"...But why?"
"Jaune is going through some very turbulent times at the moment," Ren explained. "Like I said, he has but three years of life experience behind him. This is going to be a journey of healing as much as anything else. The last thing he needs is to be caught up in the struggle between your kingdom and Atlas."
"I... suppose that makes sense," Pyrrha admitted begrudgingly.
"But it is also for you that I speak. This is not your land. It is for the best that you return to your family. That... will be my explanation to Jaune as well."
"I guess that confirms she's not from Vale, at least," Blake observed. "Maybe her birthplace has something to do with that weird 'lamb' thing?"
Pyrrha looked away. "There's... more to it than that. I need to apologize to him... I did something terrible."
Ren steepled his fingers, and peered over them into her eyes. "..."
"Wouldn't be Ren if he couldn't do the look!" Nora declared proudly.
Ren responded by directing the look at her. "Eh... eheh... okay, I admit it, I ate all the pancakes!" she cried after a few seconds.
Pyrrha understood the unasked question. "He told me... he told me it was our fault that... that Ansel was destroyed. I knew what he meant, but... it felt like he was accusing me personally. I lashed out at him, called him a coward... a coward for trying to escape his responsibility. I said so many horrible things, but... everything I yelled at him, I really wanted to yell at myself."
"It's difficult to explain," Pyrrha pondered, "but it somehow is easier to confess things to Ren than anyone else. It reminds me of the confessionals we have back in Mistral."
"I'm glad I can be of such service," Ren nodded in such a neutral voice nobody could tell if he was joking or not.
"The truth is, he wasn't wrong. If I hadn't landed, everyone would still be alive. The person most at fault for Ansel's destruction... is me."
"Hmm, that's uncommon," Ren commented. "Quite against the usual orthodoxy, isn't it? 'Lambs are born with hearts full of hatred, and thus deserve all the suffering they receive...' that is the common teaching, is it not?"
"That sounds like a rather cruel orthodoxy," Weiss narrowed her eyes. "I don't believe even Atlas ever promoted such an idea."
"No," Blake agreed. "The anti-faunus argument is that they're too stupid to rule themselves. Saying that a people deserves suffering because they're inherently hateful... that's a White Fang ideology."
"But it's clearly not a race thing here!" Ruby pointed out. "They're both humans!"
"That's definitely a catch..." Blake agreed. "So who is teaching such a thing?"
Pyrrha nodded disconsolately. "'The Shepherds of Abel took control of the surface dwelling lambs. To keep them from destroying themselves, the Shepherds were granted the right to deal death and punishment as they saw fit.'"
"That... is a horrifying idea," Pyrrha said simply. "Certainly not one I've ever heard in Mistral!"
"And yet," Ren pointed out, "you feel responsibility towards Jaune and the villagers. Why do you think that is?"
"I... I'm not entirely certain myself. I received the usual education at Austin Academy... I was taught how mindless, fragile and base lambs are. But..."
"But actually meeting a lamb changed your mind?" Ren guessed.
"It's strange how such a simple thing can change so much," Weiss admitted, throwing a quick shared glance at Blake.
"Yes... he seems no different to us. In some ways, he's... kinder, more compassionate. Many of the people I know... they'd not have risked their lives to save me... certainly not twice."
"Others of your people would feel ashamed at being on the receiving end of such an act," Ren pointed out. "Yet, you feel genuine gratitude?"
"I don't know for sure, but... I think it was my godmother. She was a... a surface dweller. My father took her in, and she treated me like her own daughter. Only my parents and I knew about her."
"Eh, surface dweller?" Ruby raised her hand. "What does that mean? What, the rest of her people live under the sea?" Her eyes started glistening. "Wait, what if she's from Atlantis?!"
"Or Rapture," Jaune pointed out fairly.
"Oh... right. I guess some of the things she's saying do sound more like Rapture..." Ruby admitted crestfallenly.
"What are you two dolts talking about?" Weiss sighed.
"Bioshock," they shrugged at the same time. Weiss groaned, and accepted she wouldn't receive any answers she'd understand.
"Besides... in a way... he's just like me."
"Just like you?" Ren repeated.
"...Nothing. Forget I said anything."
"Right- I apologize. I'm the one who just said we shouldn't be prying. Nora- my wife- says I'm surprisingly nosy for someone so quiet. I suppose I see where she's coming from now."
"Ren? Nosy?" Pyrrha giggled.
"Oh, you should see the kind of stuff he got us dragged into before we came to Beacon!" Nora laughed out loud. "Interfering, some might call it!"
"Of course, she was always happy to take the credit regardless," Ren noted in that same neutral voice.
A lingering silence fell.
"Still... I do feel it would be best for you to return to your country."
"Well, yes... I must return to headquarters. After that, I... I don't know."
"It's only natural to worry," Ren smiled gently. "Yet... I sense a great deal of strength in you. I believe you'll be alright."
They glanced over to Jaune- as his back was turned, they didn't see his wide-open eyes.
"Oh, no, this isn't gonna be like all those movies, is it?" Nora rolled her eyes. "Where he only hears half the conversation, gets the wrong idea, and they spend the rest of the time bitchfighting about it?"
"I assure it isn't," Vanessa promised.
"Regardless, it's best that you go. I'll take care of Jaune."
Pyrrha nodded, rising to her feet and setting off down the path Ren had indicated. Jaune did not rise from his place, but both he and Ren kept an eye on her until she disappeared into the darkness.
"I think I've had about all of that world I can take for now," Jaune sighed. "It's so dark comparedc to the others- even the one where I died!"
"I'm sure I don't have to explain that we'll be back to it eventually," Vanessa commented, "but I don't see any issue with taking a break. We have to get all these worlds introduced, after all. For the next one, may I suggest-"
"MAIL CALL!"
Vanessa looked to the ceiling and groaned. "Existence, give me strength. Lana!"
Lana was back, hand on her hip. "Yeah, yeah, I know, I know, you can only handle Jack or me at a time. It's just... what am I supposed to do with these guys?"
Everyone jumped- there were three new arrivals behind Lana.
"What the fresh hell is all this? I haven't drunk enough to hallucinate all this..."
"I'd second-guess you normally, but I'm seeing much the same, and I haven't had a drop."
"Play nice, you two, we're in this together for the mome-"
"UNCLE QROW!" Ruby and Yang jumped and dashed towards the man with the scraggly hair and beard who'd just entered.
"Wha- Yang? Pipsqueak? What are you two doing here?"
"Wwwwwwinter!" Weiss leapt to her feet and dashed to a tall, white-haired woman's side.
"Weiss? And her team as well?" Winter maintained a cool demeanor as she scanned the room. "Good, perhaps you can provide an explanation for all this."
The rest of the students looked up at the headmaster that had just entered, carefully taking a drink from the coffee mug in his hand. "Hello... Headmaster Ozpin," Blake greeted uncertainly.
"Well, I'm certainly glad to see my students unharmed," Ozpin smiled. "Though I wish I could say I more thoroughly understood the circumstances..."
Vanessa gave a wookie-like groan. "Of course he's sending me more guests, why wouldn't he? Sure, add three more guests to this whole thon, why not-"
"Four," Lana corrected.
"Pardon?"
"There are four, can't you see- oh, he's hiding behind the banister! Come on over here, Mr. Grumpy Gills!"
She reached behind the banister in question and dragged a young, white-haired man into sight. "Hey! I order you to unhand me, you brute!" he objected before being placed face-to-face with his sisters, both of whom seemed shocked to see him, albeit in different amounts.
"Oh... hello, Whitley," Weiss greeted, her voice dropping significantly in temperature.
XXXX
SURPRISE! Except... this is the exact lineup I said I was contemplating a couple episodes back, so... probably not surprising at all. I did get another vote on the poll, but it was once more the I-don't-care option, (seriously, why do I even have that lever?) so I went ahead and went with my gut. I think having these guys on board will contribute to the story going forward, awkward and random as my choices may seem. Next time, we're going over to the world of Saga with The Voyage Home! Hope to see you there- until then, feel free to drop a review, and don't you dare go hollow- Gamer4 out.