Big thanks for everyone that left a review last chapter it really helped to keep me motivated and inspired to try and get this next chapter out sooner than I expected. I would have had this done last week but I had to move to a new place, thankfully that is all out of the way now.

Heart to Heart

Chapter 21: Separation Anxiety

It was starting to get a bit late in the city but Jaune felt that they had to at least try.

"You sure this will work?" Nora asked.

"We have to try if only for them." Jaune told her.

"Maybe we'll be able to reason with them." Ren hoped.

Jaune nodded as the three of them were on the edge of the city. They could smell the sea air and a slight cold wind coming off the water. This area was open and not any residential areas in the area. It was mostly docks, warehouses a few fishing ships in the distance could be seen from where they were.

After dinner, they wanted to get to the Atlas facility as quickly as possible and with luck, Terra worked there. Well she worked as a civilian consultant for their telecommunications system which was linked to the civilian one. They got the directions for the quickest route after they explained why they wanted to try and get Atlas to send an airship out to look for their friends.

Terra warned them that the woman in charge most likely wouldn't do it but still, they had to try.

Jaune wouldn't be able to sleep tonight if he didn't try something, anything to help them while he waited for them. He again checked his scroll just in case and quickly put it away. He couldn't stop himself from checking, he was hoping that one of these times they would just be there on his scroll.

As they walked down the long metal pathway to the Atlas base, they could see the front gate of the facility. To the left he could see rows of Atlas airships, the smaller ones used to carry a squad of people on what he could guess was a landing pad area. As they got to the front, they could see two men in Atlas uniforms standing there.

"Is it just me or do they look pretty similar?" Nora asked quietly as they got closer.

"Twins?" Ren offered with a shrug, which Nora mirrored.

"Halt! No civilians are allowed past this point!" One of them spoke up in a crisp parade voice at them.

"Yeah, uh…hello?" Jaune really wished he had thought more about what to say on the way here. "Look we were on the train that was attacked, you might have heard about it?"

They gave no sign that they had even heard him as they stood like statues.

"Okay, well our friends got left behind, we were hoping that Atlas would help out by sending out aircraft to the area to look to see if they were okay." Jaune asked.

"We do not have authority to launch Atlas military on the request of civilians, please leave the area."

"But our friends are in danger out there!" Nora yelled at them.

"We do not have-"

"Then how about you get someone that does!" Nora yelled at them, as Ren had to hold her back slightly.

"Please is there someone we can talk to?" Jaune pleaded with them. "We're just trying to see if we can get help for them, isn't Atlas supposed to protect people?"

"Sir, if you keep this up we're going to force you to move away from the gate."

"Oh yeah?" Nora challenged as both Ren and Jaune got a bad feeling, as Nora looked ready to make a grab for her weapon. They couldn't start a fight out here and they needed to get some help for their friends.

"Sir, ma'am you three have been warned and we'll warn you that this site is off limits to non-Atlas personnel." With that, they both took a step back and one of them pressed something on the other side of the wall when suddenly a gate closed in front of them quickly with a loud clang sound.

"What!?" Nora couldn't believe that they shut the metaphorical door in their face with an actual gate. "Hey we're not done here!"

"Nora calm down," Ren urged her placing a hand on her shoulder.

"But Ruby and the others need help Ren," She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Even if they dealt with all the Grimm they're still far from the city out in the cold. It's going to be dark soon and it's going to get a lot colder."

"We will Nora," Jaune spoke up looking around the gate and saw a camera at them. "I don't know if you can hear us but we're not leaving until we talk to someone about sending out an aircraft for our friends."

"Yeah we'll stay here all night," Nora grinned. "Hey how about we sing something to pass the time? I know 99 bottles of beer or how about the song that never ends?"

"Yeah we're not going anywhere so we might as well," Jaune could get behind this idea.

Nora started with 99 bottles of beer, as loudly as she could and it wasn't she got down to fifty-three when someone finally came out to see them.

"What is going on out here?" Demanded a female voice as the gate suddenly opened. Before them were the same two guards again but between them was a very short and elderly woman with short cut white hair looking angrily at the three of them.

"Are you in charge here ma'am?" Jaune asked.

"I am Caroline Cordovin the commander of his facility and I demand to know what you three are doing causing a disturbance on my base." She said angrily.

"Please we're just trying to get help for our friends who were left behind on the train, you know the one that was attack this morning?" Jaune pleaded.

"I know about that but it's a waste of resources," she said coldly. "You're friends are most likely dead."

"Like hell they are," Nora challenged her.

"They are miles away, with Grimm after them and lost in the snow," Caroline told them sternly. "I am responsible for the safety of this city, Atlas has taken it upon itself to protect these people and ensure their safety. This is my primary mission and I won't jeopardize valuable Atlas resources for a fool's errand."

"Please can't you just send one ship?" Jaune asked her. "One ship to check the area where the train was last seen?"

The old woman looked at him with a scowl. "Are you insane boy? You can't sent just one ship, there were Grimm attacking a whole pack of them. Sending one ship is suicide. No, I would have to send a full squadron to not only search but also to keep each of the flyers covered."

"Well isn't it your job to protect people?" Jaune asked her.

"My job is to protect this city and the citizens, are your friends even citizens of this city?" Cordovin asked as Jaune stayed silent. "I thought as much. Now I've already wasted enough time on you lot, so I want you all to leave my base this instant!"

"Oh come on, we're asking for help and you just tell us to take a hike? What the hell kind of Atlas people are you?" Nora challenged.

"I will not be talked to in that manner from some child," Cordovin angrily snapped at her visibly fuming at the accusation. "Now you get behind that line or else I will have you arrested for trespassing on Atlas property."

She pointed to a section behind them that was marked off. Apparently, it was supposed to tell civilians not to cross.

"Just try it you old-" Nora started but Ren quickly got behind her and quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and the other over her mouth. He could see the guards behind the old woman stiffening and looked ready to come forward.

Being arrested would help no one and they couldn't afford the trouble at the moment.

"We're terribly sorry, we'll go now." He dragged Nora back who flailed wildly trying angrily to yell out stuff behind his hand that he was sure would only get them into more trouble.

Jaune paused to look at the woman trying to think of something, anything that he could say that would convince her to help them but he wasn't coming up with anything.

"I'm waiting boy," she sternly told him pointing at the line.

Jaune clenched his fist but held his tongue as it wouldn't do any good now. He walked off to join his friends.

"And don't let me catch any of you on Atlas property again!" The woman shouted at Jaune's back.

-Arc-Cotta Household -

The front door to the house opened as Terra was sitting on the couch drinking some tea seeing them come in. She was about to ask them how it went but seeing their expressions she knew it hadn't gone over well.

They put their weapons away in the closet as they silently came into the living room. Ren and Nora sat on the couch together as Jaune sat in a chair all his own. All three of them had on various dark expressions.

"That bad?" Terra asked.

"That woman is the most infuriating person I've ever met!" Nora threw up her arms finally letting out her anger.

"Cordovin?" Terra asked but she felt she had a feeling she was correct. She unfortunately had to deal with that woman a few times because of her work as a civilian worker for Atlas in charge of their communications. The woman never listened and wouldn't change her mind once she made it up, she refused to admit when she was wrong and wanted everything done her way.

She was the most infuriating person she had to deal with and every day she had to made Terra consider just finding a new job if she could get one that paid the same.

"Seriously I thought Glynda was a hard ass but at least she was fair and understanding," Nora continued to rant.

Terra looked to Jaune who was too quiet he sat there with a dark expression on his face his arms crossed. "Jaune?"

He was silent a moment before getting up and heading to the stairs.

"Jaune?" Terra asked again.

He paused his hand on the banister, "I'm tired, I think I'm going to bed."

Jaune slowly walked up the stairs his feet feeling heavy, everything felt heavy as the others silently looked at him. He felt like he failed his friends, the one thing he could do to help them and he failed and that hurt worst than anything else. He got to the second floor making his way to his room. He could hear his sister in Adrian's room. Most likely putting his nephew to bed but he didn't want to see her, he didn't want to see anyone at the moment.

The room was small with a single bed, dresser and closet. Apparently, it was originally one room but Terra and Saphron turned one room into two by having a wall split down the middle, made a new door to help give more beds. Again, one of the things you had to do when you were from a large family and could get visitors.

Pulling off his armor, he sat on his bed running his hands through his hair and sighed.

-Later-

It was later as Jaune walked through what looked like endless darkness. He couldn't see anything around him, he wasn't even sure what he was standing on. It was nothing around him an endless abyss that he couldn't tell how far he was going.

He had no idea how long he just walking in the darkness.

"Jaune," a hauntingly familiar voice called out to him from behind.

Jaune turned to see Pyrrha standing there looking like just like she had that final day he had seen her. "Pyrrha!"

He tried to rush over to her but his feet were getting stuck. He looked down to see them sinking into the darkness like it was mud. He forced himself to try harder to move until a scream made his head snap up as he looked on in horror.

Pyrrha was sinking into the blackness as dark clawed hands were grabbing at her, pulling her down as she tried to fight them off.

"Jaune!" She reached out to him as he struggled to get closer to her.

"Pyrrha! I'm coming just hold on!"

"Help me Jaune!" She cried out as she was down to her waist now.

"I'm coming, I'm coming just stay with me!" He yelled at her as his feet had sunk to his shins and was only getting harder and harder to get to her. He reached out with his hand as she sunk lower and lower. She was at her neck looking at him with frightened eyes.

He called out to her over and over again but every step only got harder.

"Jau-" her voice was cut off as her head sunk below the darkness only her hand was left as it too was sinking.

"No! Not again, I'm not losing you again!" He struggled to reach for her hand but just as he was about to reach it, her hand went under the black surface. Jaune screamed out and he tried to reach into the darkness. Maybe he could pull her out, maybe this time he could save her.

"Jaune!" Another familiar voice called out.

He turned his head to see Yang running up to him. "Yang, help!"

"I'm coming just hang on," she called back to him, but to Jaune's horror she seemed to trip.

"Ow, what the hell was-AHH!" Yang screamed as she too started to sink into the darkness.

"No, no-no-no-no-no-no. Not you too, I can't lose you too," Jaune whispered to himself seeing Yang being pulled into the darkness. She was fighting it as best she could, trying to pull her arms free with her strength but no matter what she tried, she couldn't get them free.

Jaune looked back to the spot where Pyrrha had been and then looked to Yang. He was torn he had to try and save Pyrrha but he couldn't let Yang get pulled in either. He reached out trying to get to her but it just seemed like he was stuck in place no matter what he tried.

"Jaune, I, I can't get out!" Yang felt her legs being pulled under a she sunk to her waist her arms trapped. She disengaged her arm as the metal arm was quickly pulled under her into the black abyss. She looked at Jaune with frightened eyes.

"Yang just hang on, I'll, I'll think of something just hang on," He tried to move but it was like his feet were stuck in a solid mass. He pounded his fist against the dark surface but all he felt was a solid ground that had no give to it.

"Jaune!"

He looked up to see that Yang was now sinking faster as she was struggling as best she could with just her stump as she was quickly sinking. She was at her waist and then her chest and her head was the last thing Jaune saw before she disappeared into the darkness.

He could only scream out in anguish at losing someone else.

Jaune suddenly woke up covered in sweat as he jolted up in his bed, he could feel his heart beating in his chest and in his ears. He looked around as he suddenly remembered where he was, taking a few deep breaths he started to slow down his heart rate. After a few moments, he got up and picked up his scroll, it was nearly midnight and he had only been asleep for a few hours.

The problem was there was no way he was going to sleep again. He needed to do something he needed to get out of the small room as he went into the dark hallway. As silently as he could he went downstairs to the living room. Sitting on the couch, he turned on a lamp as he just sat on the couch trying to calm himself.

He just sat there in the silence wishing he would stop worrying but he couldn't help it. He hated not knowing how the others were doing, how far away they were. Looking out to the glass doors leading into the backyard he hoped they had found a place to stay for the night. It was cold and he didn't like the idea of them trying to sleep out in the elements.

He pulled out his scroll and checked to see if they were within range, maybe they hadn't stopped and just kept going? They weren't there again and he sighed.

Looking at his scroll again, he pulled up the pictures on it. He needed something to take his mind off things, something to help him remember the better times. He still had images from their time at Beacon as he smiled seeing them. His team whole as all four of them were there, if he remembered Ruby took the picture and sent it to them. They were all so happy back then. Swiping through the images, he eventually got to the more current ones.

Jaune paused to smile at the image of him and Yang sleeping on the couch. Blake had sent it to Yang who had sent it to him. They looked so comfortable right there, as if nothing in the world could bother them. He got to the next one, which was a selfie of the two of them together.

Yang had her arm around the back of his neck as they were pressed up side by side for the photo. Both were smiling into the camera, this was one of their dates before they left on the train.

"So whose the girl?"

"Ah!" Jaune jumped nearly dropping his scroll as he caught it and looked to see his sister in her sleepwear behind him.

"Saph!"

"Shhhh!" She then said in a quiet voice. "Don't wake everyone else up."

"Oh, sorry. What are you doing up?"

"Well I was asleep until someone walking in the halls woke me up," Saphron smiled as she came around to sit with him.

"Sorry, I couldn't sleep."

"Still worried for your friends?"

"Yeah, I just wish I knew how they were doing. I just…I just hate not being able to help them." He didn't say how it made him feel so powerless to do anything. He hated that feeling, of being helpless. He had felt like that, for most of his life and it was only recently he started to feel like he wasn't so helpless after all. At least before all this with the train happened.

Saphron could see how much her little brother was having a hard time. She wished she could fully understand what he went through. She knew some of it from his friends but there was a lot that was being left unsaid. She knew that being a Huntsman was his dream but it also seemed to have caused him a lot of hardships. Saphron just wanted to hold him like when he was little when he had a nightmare.

She decided to try and change the subject as she looked at his scroll again. "So you never said who she was, you two look close."

"Oh," Jaune blushed at the image of him and Yang. "That's Yang she's on team RWBY, in fact she's the big sister for the team leader Ruby. She's also, well, she's my girlfriend."

Saphron's face lit up as she reached over and pinched his cheeks. "Oh that's so adorable. My baby brother finally got his first girlfriend."

"Saph," he knocked her hands away from his face.

"Sorry but you never had one and well, I think some of us were wondering if you were like me and liked the same sex but was too shy to say anything."

"I'm not Saph, I just, well I never had any real luck with girls," Jaune sighed his back resting against the cushions. "Yang, well she's amazing, always has been. She's so strong and I always admired that, plus she's not afraid of being herself or letting others know what she thinks and feels."

"She cares a lot about those around her she's just so free all the time." He smiled thinking back to the happier moments. Although he knew that, it was a struggle for her to get back to this point in her life. She still had doubts and still was scared at times but she keeps pushing herself despite all that.

He admired that kind of strength.

Saphron smiled as Jaune talked about this girl, he sounded like she did when she talked about her wife like that. "Sounds like you really like this girl."

Jaune blushed a bit as he thought about it. He and Yang weren't dating for long a few weeks but he also had known her since he had gone to Beacon as well. They had been friends for the longest time before things between them had grown and changed into what it was now.

Thinking it over he really did like Yang, he liked her a lot.

"Yeah I do." He admitted to her.

"Well then I can't wait to meet her," She told him gently rubbing one of his shoulders. "If you believe that they're still out there and coming here then I'll believe it with you."

"Thanks sis," he told her feeling a bit better that she believed that as well. He just hoped that she could meet Yang and the rest. He wondered what she and the others were doing.

-Elsewhere-

Yang tried to sleep on the floor of the main house they were staying in. Well maybe squatting in was a more accurate word. After their train car had derailed, they had found that some old woman by the name of Maria had for some reason been on it. The old woman was short with tanned skin with a strange walking stick with a skull of all things on it. The mechanical eyes were different, more bulky than what she expected they should be, they looked old too. Maybe that was why, she must have gotten them a long time ago for them to look like that.

At least to Yang they did, she figured that Atlas by this point would have perfected artificial eyes to look more like regular ones so hers had to have happened a long time ago given how bulky they looked. Flexing her own artificial hand, she started to wonder how she would look at that age with her arm. Would she still have this arm or replace it along the way?

Well she didn't really care, mainly because everything had changed.

Ruby had found the stupid artifact and when 'Ozpin' had been acting up Oscar had fought back that he was hiding something. Ruby had called out the name Jinn everything had just stopped, the falling snow had stopped, all sound had stopped and some giant naked like green woman just floated there.

Apparently, the artifact was one of four and hers was about knowledge so Ruby had asked what Ozpin was hiding. A part of Yang wished she didn't know that she hadn't learned what she had learned. The history of the world had been shown to them, Ozpin and Salem's origins, the fact that humanity was on its second try after the gods (which were real! That's something she was starting to try to come to terms with) had destroyed humanity once before because of Salem.

Then when they needed answers from Ozpin he had ran off to the back of Oscar's mind so deep that even Oscar couldn't feel him. Yang cast a look over to the boy, he was asleep and Yang felt bad for him. He never asked for any of this, to have to carry all of this crap on his shoulders and yet because of some kind of random chance his whole life was now messed up forever.

Yang sighed and looked to see Blake sleeping and quickly looked away. She could still remember those words Blake said to them in the barn.

'I'll protect you.'

Yang felt her jaw clench at that. She didn't want to be protected she didn't need to be protected. She wasn't a broken mess anymore, sure, she still had issues but she was here, she was moving past them. What she wanted, what she needed was a partner, someone to stand next to her not in front of her.

With an angry sigh, she looked around and her eyes rested on Weiss. The poor girl was finally asleep she really wished she had been the one to find the first bodies and not her. Poor Weiss was shook up ever since, not that Yang could blame the girl. Looking around the homes it was all the same, dead bodies in beds.

The worst was when she had found a kid's room she had only looked long enough to know the body in that small bed wasn't moving and quickly closed the door. It was why they were all on the ground floor, they didn't want to be anywhere near those bodies. It's not as if they could move them, well they could but why would you? It's not like they could bury them properly either, it was the winter and the ground would be too solid to dig. Throwing them in the snow just seemed heartless since come the thaw they would be exposed and eaten up by whatever animals happen upon them.

In the end she just felt tired.

Tired of all the fighting, tired of feeling broken, tired of this whole mess. They were now stuck in a war with a huge target on their backs with that stupid relic and the worst thing was, they had no idea how to win. Salem can't be killed to now what? Just try forever to keep her from winning? A damn stalemate for eternity?

It all just sucked in her opinion.

She shifted on the ground trying to get comfortable, it was strange she felt so tired and yet she couldn't sleep. God she felt tired, just so tired of everything.

She wanted this all to be over with, for them to just get on with their lives. They should all be in Beacon now in their second year going to classes and having fun. Maybe even seeing if she could set up Ruby with a first year if only she could focus on things other than her weapons, she should be going out, having fun, and enjoying her youth.

Instead, here she was, missing an arm, everyone stuck for the night in a blizzard inside of a house filled with corpses upstairs, carrying a relic from the actual gods, and finding out that the gods and afterlife are real, oh and the oldest being in the world that controlled the Grimm was targeting them all.

Things had changed a lot in just two years.

Maybe it was all of this was why she felt so tired. She just wanted all this to be done with.

Turning to her side she, wished Jaune at least were here with her. Her mind went back to that morning she woke up in the hotel room with him. How at ease she felt, how warm his body felt against her own. Then there was that time on the couch they fell asleep together and it was one of the most well rested sleeps she had in a long time.

'He must be worried sick,' Yang thought with a frown. 'I hope he's doing okay.'

TBC…