Heya! Been a while since I last posted. This is a story that's been kicking around in my head for a while, and with recent events I felt myself get kickstarted to write again, and back to longer stories - complete with with a prologue, and chapters 1 and 2 from the get go! This one has been heavily inspired by the Like A Dragon/Yakuza series, as well as its spinoff Judgment.
Cover has been done by me, you can check out more of my RWBY stuff over at DeviantArt!
And, I shouldn't forget, this has been beta-read by Kabuto. S. Inferno. My thanks always!
伝説・・伝説・・伝説
Fleeting Dreams
Prologue: In the Name Of
伝説・・伝説・・伝説
Title: Fleeting Dreams
Genre: Drama, Crime
Characters: Qrow B., Jaune A., Team RWBY, Team JNPR.
伝説・・伝説・・伝説
It was a bright, hopeful morning in Beacon – the sun was rising a beautiful orange, birds were chirping and singing, and shining orange rays were being cast through its inhabitants' windows.
"Ugh…" One of said inhabitants' being woken up was Qrow, and it was far from his liking. He lifted himself off his sofa as he shook his head, trying to regain his faculties. He had barely slept a wink last night, immediately coming back to Beacon after a long, long mission from Ozpin and staying at one of the free guest rooms.
But then, when Qrow did regain his senses, he couldn't help but smile. He looked at the bedside calendar and felt his spirits rise. After all, today was an important day, that fact written clearly in bold red on his calendar.
December 14th – RWBY's Beacon Graduation Day!
He and Tai had been waiting for this day for ages. Ever since Ruby and Yang picked up their toy weapons way back when, ever since they entered Signal, and then ever since they entered Beacon. Qrow himself could remember his graduation day like it was yesterday; packed with hugs and smiles and joyous laughter.
And for Qrow, he would do anything to make his nieces' graduation as memorable as his own, lack of sleep be damned.
With renewed vigour Qrow dressed himself appropriately and went out the door; he wanted to meet Ruby and her Team just one more time before they turned into fully-fledged Huntresses.
Qrow smiled. He wanted to savor this little moment the best he could.
伝説・・伝説・・伝説
"Uncle Qrow! You came!" Now at 19 years-old, Ruby hugged her uncle with the same vigour she did when she was 5. Yang soon followed suit, wrapping him in a bone-breaking hug the same as her sister.
Qrow chuckled as he struggled to breathe – his girls were getting stronger, and he wasn't getting any younger either. With a smile he carefully pried the girls away. "Settle down, girls. I promised, didn't I? And I wouldn't wanna spoil something as important as this."
"We're glad you came." Blake voiced, "Weiss' parents and mine are currently caught up with something else, so we're glad to see any familiar face here."
Weiss coughed into her hand. More that her father couldn't have come, but that was beside the point. She shifted her attention to her partner's uncle. "Is Mr. Xiao-Long coming too?"
"He's on his way. Bullhead's already departed from Patch." Qrow answered. He checked his watch briefly; he had rushed to RWBY's room as soon as he could, so that meant that they still had some time before the ceremony – time Qrow was sure RWBY needed to tidy themselves up, especially considering how much time Yang needed to take care of her hair. And besides, he needed to meet Tai too once he arrived…
"Hm. I'll get out of your hair now." Qrow gave them all pats on the shoulder. "You're all gonna be real Huntresses now; do everyone proud, okay?"
"We will!" Ruby chirped. She waved at Qrow as he turned away. "See you at the ceremony, Uncle Qrow!"
Qrow chuckled and gave her a wave too as he walked away. His feet led him outside of Beacon to a familiar courtyard, where he had fought Winter in front of an impressive crowd years ago and found that he still had plenty of time to spare.
With nothing else to do, Qrow settled under a tree and relaxed again. He took a moment to let his thoughts wander. It felt just like yesterday that Ruby got her accelerated acceptance into Beacon, felt like yesterday when she competed in her first Vytal Festival and then ranked her Team high in the finals. And it also felt like yesterday when they managed to prevent numerous crimes in Vale.
Of course, that was just her first year. Her second, third and final fourth years were all eventful too – though it did seem as if he, Ozpin, and everyone else had gotten used to the extraordinary exceptions that came to RWBY by now.
Qrow heard a faraway conversation slowly getting closer, their voices ringing a bell in his mind, and remembered an important fact; of course, through all the crime and saving the Kingdom plots, RWBY hadn't done that alone.
Qrow turned his head to the side and saw a red-haired gladiator, a dark-haired martial artist and an orange-haired berserker, conversing with each other through the courtyard as they too discussed their imminent future as full-time Huntsmen and Huntresses; they were Team PNR, a sister Team to RWBY and one of the few 3-member Teams in Beacon's history.
With nothing else to do, Qrow shouted them over and waved when they recognized him. "Hey! PNR, right?"
"Mr. Qrow!" Nora came sprinting over. Her two other teammates Pyrrha and Ren followed suit, with the same warmth but without the same hyperactivity. "What brings you here?!"
"Well, everyone's graduating right? Figured I should drop in and see how they're doing just before the final step." He smiled as he looked at Team RWBY's close friends; and any friend of his nieces was- well, not automatically his friends too, but PNR had been through enough thick and thin that they proved their points. "That means you three too. I hope you're all doing good?"
"We're doing fine, sir." Ren respectfully nodded. "We're just hoping to get the ceremony over quickly."
"Ah, don't be such a spoilsport, won't you? You only graduate once after all." Qrow opened his arms wide. "Take a look around! Chat up with friends, take in the air; once all this is done you won't be coming back to Beacon for a long time. Most don't come back at all!"
"Of course, Mr. Branwen." Pyrrha said, though her tone was just a little tense. "It's just… we both know that's not true, is it?"
"A-ah, heh, when you put it like that…" Qrow rubbed the back of his head. Back when he was graduating, he had put everything regarding now-Headmaster Ozpin's circle, maidens, everything into a small box and pushed it to the back of his mind. RWBY had evidently done so too. Both they and PNR both knew of the true nature of the fight against Grimm, of Maidens and the Grimm being controlled by Salem, and yet they had put it behind them for today.
But he supposed Pyrrha was different - she was always more driven than any of them, and it was why she made a good fit for the 4-man-team-turned-3.
Qrow sighed. "Look, Oz is probably gonna give you guys a week or two off once you graduate. He's not that cruel, you know."
"I suppose. But we'll be ready whenever he calls us." Pyrrha said, and her eyes flashed just a bit with red light; 'Oh right,' Qrow realized 'Oz chose her as the Fall Maiden, didn't he?'
Pyrrha gave a tense nod. "Call us if anything comes up. Have a good day, Mr. Branwen." With brisk but patient steps she turned away and began walking the other direction.
"We… should catch up to her." Nora said. With a nod of her own – much more relaxed and sympathetic – Nora chased after her leader.
Ren gave a sigh as he said a slight explanation. "Sorry. She's been a bit cranky ever since last night," he said to apologize. "Not even my Semblance can make her calm down. If I had to guess, it's because PNR's graduation is going to be without-."
"Your original blond-haired leader, I know." Or rather, guessed. But judging from Ren's slight nod, Qrow knew he had hit the money.
He didn't know much about the kid – only that he was Ruby's friend too, and that he had been kicked out of Beacon around mid-way through his second semester because of fake transcripts. There were some rumors that it was the Winchester kid who put in word with Ozpin, and that the kid went off to Mistral after Beacon – but the former was denied, and the latter came up empty because no records ever stated that Jaune Arc ever entered Mistral's borders.
And so the kid went missing after he was kicked out – Qrow held no particularly heavy feelings, but he could sympathize with PNR. Pyrrha must've hoped that he would've come back by now; he heard their separation was hard, and so the fact that he was never found, even with their graduation now rolling around the corner…
"Send her my sympathies." Qrow said softly. Ren hummed in acknowledgement and quickly turned around to catch up with his partner and his stand-in leader.
Well, he supposed that graduation wasn't as happy for everyone as he thought it would be.
伝説・・伝説・・伝説
Tap tap tap! Ozpin tapped on the microphone several times, its loud ring redirecting everyone's attention to him. He stood tall and proud behind a podium placed above a stage propped up in Beacon's many open areas, the skies shining bright above them and his eyes overlooking many of the fourth-year students that were lined and organized neatly; in moments, they were those that would soon be released from his charge.
"Now that I have all your attention," Ozpin began as the students straightened up. "Let us begin."
"As of today, you have all been trained on Beacon Academy's curriculum for a full four years. You have studied in classes, trained and sparred among your peers, participated in missions under fully-fledged Huntsmen and Huntresses, and have been guided by us," Ozpin swung his hand behind him – indicating his fellow teachers – and continued, "the faculty here at Beacon Academy for the duration of your academic stay."
"Some of you may feel prepared to face what the world brings; on the other hand, some may not. While we may not know what the future holds for us, but I would like to reiterate what I hope your teachers have instilled in you both inside and outside the classroom:
It is the duty of the Huntsmen to safeguard the future, no matter its lack of clarity."
Ozpin let his words sink in before continuing once more. "Many have dreamed of this chance – to be able to be the ones to protect civilization, to be the one to hold this weight on their shoulders; yet only few, most of them those who are present here today, were afforded the chance to seize that dream themselves. Being a Huntsman, or a Huntress, is a privilege and not a right."
"And so, with these words, I hope you remember your time in Beacon well and fondly. I hope that you will protect Remnant from all evils, Grimm or otherwise, with all your might, and that you never lose track of the future that everyone entrusts us to." Ozpin gave one more glance behind his podium to all the fourth-years before speaking again.
"To all students in attendance: Congratulations. I hereby declare you as Huntsmen and Huntresses."
A loud cheer erupted, students jumping up and down in celebration with ties thrown in the air, and Ozpin smiled. He felt the shine of Beacon's symbol, propped up high in the back of the stage and overlooking them all, reflecting the sun's light as if much brighter than before. He knew it didn't, it was an object, but it was the spirit of it all; another year of students, now finally able to fulfill their lifelong dreams.
Ozpin flipped a page on his podium's book, and everyone quieted down once more. He looked at the list of graduating names, ordered in random. "When I call your name and Team, please step up."
All the students took a breath and looked at mesmerized eyes as he began to read out.
"Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Blake Belladonna. Yang Xiao-Long; Team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose." The crowd cheered as RWBY quickly ushered themselves on stage, standing side-by-side with each other. With a smile, Ozpin turned around and gave them each their certificates and honorary axes – an extension of Beacon's symbol that shone proudly above them and recognized their new status as fully-fledged Huntresses. "Congratulations."
"Whoo!" Yang cheered and hugged Blake as Ruby jumped up in the air, dragging Weiss by her hand. The crowd clapped at their celebration, with RWBY giving slight bows after that and then swiftly getting off stage.
Ozpin moved on to the next Team, eager to continue. "Cardin Winchester. Russel Thrush. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark; Team CRDL, led by Cardin Winchester." Again the crowd cheered as CRDL took the stage. Once more, Ozpin congratulated them and gave them their rewards, stepping back and letting them do their celebrations; a synced fist pump to the air.
"We won't let you down, Headmaster." Cardin promised. Ozpin nodded, and the now-former students bowed before going off stage too.
The Headmaster went back and read the next name on the list. "Pyrrha Nikos. Nora Valkyrie. Lie Ren; Team PNR, led by Pyrrha Nikos." Loud cheers as the only three-member team stepped up to the stage – it was not because of their setbacks, being the only three-member team in Beacon's history, but despite those setbacks that everyone knew this particular team experienced, that the support seemed louder than ever.
"Congratulations, you three." Ozpin provided the three of them with their axes and certificates. Pyrrha smiled melancholically, prepared to put it at the same time as her Team, when suddenly-
ROARRRRR!
"GRIMM!"
The whole attendance scattered as a veritable mountain of Grimm suddenly charged at them, from who knows where, hungry and desperate and attacking everything to kill. And the most horrifying of all was a large dragon descending from the skies, the Wyvern Grimm immediately doing a fly-by attack at the open crowd.
"SHOOT IT! SHOOT IT!"
"EVERYONE GET READY! CODE BLACK! THIS IS NOT A DRILL; NOT A DRILL!"
Pyrrha could barely register her whiplash as the crowd quickly burst into action – the teachers and guests in attendance quickly began to fight, while the fourth-years called their lockers and were left waiting for it to arrive before jumping into the fray as well.
Nora tugged at her all-but-blood-sister's arm, urging her out of her shock and down the stage. "Come on, Pyr! Let's go! We gotta group up with the others!"
"R-right." Quickly pocketing her pin, PNR left with the other fourth-years to get ready as best they could. And as the formerly cheerful energy turned into nothing but panic and chaos, one thought rang emptily in her head, and in everyone else's too.
Just what the hell was happening?!
伝説・・伝説・・伝説
"Fuck! Was this what she was planning all along?!" Qrow grunted, dodging an Ursa's swipe and quickly slicing its head clean off. This was all wrong, this was all so wrong; today was supposed to be a day of celebration, and now it all went to shit because of Salem's balls to attack!
SLAM! "Keep your head in the game; we've got to make sure we pull through this!" Qrow heard Tai shout from beside him; and how glad he was that his old partner kept up with his training somewhat, his fists as swift as it could be at their age. His old teammate dodged a Beowolf's lunge and punched it down, ending its life quickly.
"The kids should be joining us soon – we should hold out until then!" Tai shouted.
"Yeah. Got you." Qrow blocked a Grimm's attack; he couldn't even register what type it was anymore, there were just too many – and swiftly cut it down. "Gotta group up with the others first – higher chances of us surviving."
"Gotcha." Tai punched another Grimm away and moved to stand back-to-back with Qrow. Together, they waved through hordes of Grimm to get to their family's locations – punching, slashing, and destroying every single Grimm they came across. After what seemed like hours, they finally reached Team RWBY, though even then the Grimm never seemed to let up.
In fact, it seemed that as time went on, the Grimm only increased in numbers. Qrow cursed to himself; how? Salem hadn't made any big move in years, much less planned anything out!
"Watch out!" Qrow heard his youngest niece shout and heard a Grimm sneaking up to him from behind. Qrow spun around and beheaded the Grimm before it could land even a nail on him. But then, he felt the beginnings of his stamina leaving him.
"Guh!" Qrow felt himself taking a knee and leaning on his sword. Damn it, he wasn't as young as he used to be…
"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby quickly rushed to her uncle, trails of rose petals in her path, and helped him back up. Her Team secured a perimeter around her, keeping the Grimm away while Ruby helped Qrow get back to his feet.
"T-thanks, Rubes." Qrow gave Ruby a pat on the head and stood firm again. Ruby gave him a firm nod and began to look around as well. And one thing came to her mind – they needed more manpower.
"Where's PNR?!" Ruby shouted.
"Over there!" Blake shouted, pointing to an open courtyard a good distance away. They could see PNR fighting together with Ozpin and his inner circle, and was that a fucking Dragon on Beacon's grounds?!
Slash! Ruby killed another Grimm, more coming in to replace and swarm them, and quickly gave her Team new orders. "We've got to help them! Yang, Dad, Weiss, can you guys make a way through?!"
"Got it!" Weiss said.
"Consider it done!" Yang smiled, bumping her fist with her father's.
"Alright! Then let's go!" With shouts of agreement echoed around, they all began to move in sync wading through the Grimm ocean, their kill counts reaching the hundreds as they paved through the black sea of monsters.
ROARRRRR!
And yet, even as they reached the Professors and JNPR, even as the dragon breathed down torrents of hellfire on them, the Grimm just kept coming and coming and coming.
"Tch! Rubes, we can't keep this up!" Even the ever-energetic Yang was beginning to lose steam, her moves growing more sluggish and desperate as she boxed between lesser Grimm and the dragon's fierce attacks. Ruby looked around her Team and noticed the same; Blake's jumps were shorter, Weiss' glyphs weaker, her uncle and father's stamina depleting, and her own strategic mind beginning to slow down.
It was a voice from her fellow leader Pyrrha that knocked her out of her daze. "We've got to get out of Beacon entirely! There's no chance we can beat this on our own!"
"Are you crazy?!" Ruby shouted in response. "If we leave Beacon then Vale will fall!"
"Not if we do it right, Ms. Rose!" Ozpin's voice declared. "Not if we can kill the dragon here and now!"
Pyrrha shouted in agreement with the Headmaster as she dodged a torrent of fire straight from the dragon, guiding her Team around it with the aid of the professors as well. "What do you think, Ruby?!" She shouted. "Give me an answer!"
Ruby debated the matter for a second before deciding to go with the plan too – she was sure PNR was tired too, so it was no excuse for her.
"Alright!" Ruby nodded. With renewed vigour, RWBY and her family began to kill more and more of the lesser Grimm while dancing around the dragon's attacks, dodging and weaving and slipping through the larger Grimm's attacks as they killed Beowolves and Ursas in single shots. "We're with you!"
"What's the plan, Pyrrha?!" Nora shouted to her leader.
Pyrrha flipped in the air as she dodged another attack. "Ren! Distract the dragon! Ruby, do you think Blake can follow him too?!"
"Blake?!" Ruby forwarded, to which the ninja nodded. "She's good, Pyrrha!"
"Okay! The rest, strike any joints in the armor you see – that's got to be its weak point! We'll overwhelm it, and then take the finishing blow once its' completely immobilized!"
"Gotcha!" Ruby shouted. With their plan confirmed, Teams RWBY and PNR as well as their relatives and Professors began to move as one. As the eyes of the dragon were attracted to the pesky Blake and Ren, flinging around and firing shots at its eyes and mouth, Ruby, Pyrrha, and everyone else struck at the joints of the dragon every time it moved to attack the two, slowly but surely sapping its strength and health.
ROARRR! The dragon lifted its head high with a red glow rising from its throat, flames ready to fly.
"It's gonna fry us!" Yang shouted. "Get to cover!"
FWOOOOOOSH! The dragon breathed flames down to everyone there, sweeping it around itself as the defenders of the Team did their best to protect them – Weiss with her glyphs, Pyrrha with her shield, and Ms. Goodwitch with her Semblance lifting rocks as cover.
SCREECH! And as the dragon recovered from its humongous attack, pausing from the sheer scale of it before, Ruby shouted and gave her signal.
"NOW! THIS IS OUR CHANCE!"
"HYAHHHH!" Together Teams RWBY and PNR and their Professors charged at the dragon, striking its joints, limbs, and everywhere in between. The hard hitters, such as Nora and Yang, went for its armored chest, while the faster ones such as Ruby and Pyrrha went for the more vulnerable limbs.
SCREEECH! The dragon stumbled back as its body was relentlessly attacked, its armors cracked open and its weak points exploited. Ren and Blake regrouped with the others as they prepared to launch one final attack, ready to end the dragon once and for all.
"Everybody ready?!" Ruby shouted, heaving her scythe high as the others shouted in agreement. The dragon roared again as it began to recover, but with superior numbers and rejuvenated spirits the prospects no longer seemed as grim.
"In 3!" Ruby shouted. The others stood ready for her command. "One! Two! Three-!"
"Wait, Ruby!" Weiss shouted. The others paused as she pointed to the dragon. "Look at it… something's wrong!"
"W-what…?" Ruby and the others followed her partner's gaze and saw the scene for themselves, and what a sight it was to behold.
Without any further attacks from the Huntsmen themselves, the dragon had begun to convulse into itself. Its armors were fading into white dust, its burning red eyes flaring uncontrollably and its darkness rapidly turning into wisps of thick black smoke.
And it wasn't just the dragon either. Qrow looked around and saw that the other Grimm had halted in their attacks as well, their bodies dispersing as if their very existence was being wiped.
"What the shit…" Qrow whispered.
ROARRRR! The dragon lifted its head high into the sky, and yet its roar now was more akin to a whimper, lacking energy and vitality. It opened its mouth wide high into the sky as its limbs could barely support its weight, collapsing as armor, flesh, and bone began to disperse into nothing but smoke, with its actions being followed by every other Grimm that was there.
"O-Ozpin, what's happening?!" Ms. Goodwitch worryingly looked to her superior. "What is this- is this her-."
And for once, Ozpin was stumped. He had no answers, no idea on what to make of this. "I-I don't know… never in all my life-."
And yet, even he couldn't finish his own sentence.
The dragon lifted its head again and roared high into the sky, and Ozpin felt his face pale as the voice of his nightmares echoed through the throats of every single Grimm present.
"OOOOZZMAAAAAAA!"
"O-Ozma?" Every one present turned to the Headmaster, the name similarities not going unnoticed. And as Ozpin took a step back in shock, everyone else noticed something else as well.
Fwooshhh….
A cold wind swept through them. And with it, every single one of the Grimm completely turned to nothing but dust and smoke, its existence ended in a single decisive moment.
"W-what…?" Ruby lowered her scythe, as did the others, as they were forced to take in their new situation. It seemed that they were completely safe now, their adrenaline quickly fading and their enemies non-existent with only the echoes of burning fire and skidding rubble accompanying them. But that was just it; all of a sudden…
There were no Grimm.
No more threats to civilization, not a trace of them ever existing in the first place.
As if it was all just a dream…
"Guys…. I'm not delusional, right?" Yang lowered her fists, confused as everyone else. "Did the Grimm just… vanish?"
"Y-you're not…" her partner Blake answered. "I don't see them either…"
"What the hell…?" Ren eased his stance as he lowered his Stormflower. "…Does anyone have any idea of what just happened?"
Pyrrha was the first to turn her head to Headmaster Ozpin, as did everyone else eventually did. With a raised eyebrow and a voice that was shaking with fading adrenaline and instability she asked him. "Well?"
Ozpin silently shook his head as he put Long Memory back into its sheath. And for once, he wasn't the one with all the cards.
It was more as if his game had been decimated completely. "I-I don't know…"
And now, all that was left was the Academy around them – nearly destroyed to ruins with rubble, fire, and smoke everywhere, many of their numbers injured and some of them even dead at their own graduation ceremony.
Qrow gave one more look around – he was glad that his nieces and her friends were safe, as well as Tai and his other friends, but he knew many weren't as lucky. Many had suffered injuries that Qrow knew, even by a glance, had ended their careers, and many more would never come home.
But even more so…
'If Oz doesn't know… then who does?'
And what exactly was Salem's game here?
And then his Scroll pinged, as did everyone else's, with news headlines that gave them even more confusion.
'Grimm across Remnant are reported to have completely disappeared! No clear answers as of now! Does this mark the end of the Grimm for sure?'
What the hell was happening…?
伝説・・伝説・・伝説
In another, unknown part of Remnant, within a dark castle that had stood for centuries….
Shnk!
The body of a monster queen was pierced straight through by a golden blade, the queen's eyes open wide in horror yet quickly going lifeless. Her forceless hands uselessly gripped the sword's blade, as if trying to stop it, and yet without any heartbeat it served no true purpose.
No regenerative abilities. No more magic. No more second chances. A final stab to the heart and even the queen could die – did die.
"Hmph…"
With a tilt of the sword, the queens' body began to slide down, her pitch-black blood leaving stains that would rot. The body's hands fell lifelessly without any resistance, following the laws of nature that bounded them all.
Thump!
After what seemed like an eternity the corpse finally fully laid on the ground, black blood seeping out through the castle brick floor as its sword wielder stepped back in exhaustion.
'It's over…' They thought, and then they voiced. "It's all over."
As soon as they said that numerous footsteps began approaching their position, surrounding him in this now queen-less castle throne room. And yet the sword wielder, the queen killer, didn't flinch or move suddenly – these footsteps, they knew, were those of his comrades, those who had helped him all this way in ending this- this plague to humanity.
"So you finally did it." One of his comrades said - one whose footsteps were as metallic as his grey hair. "We've done our part too – no more stragglers that'll follow her orders anymore, not in this part at least."
The sword wielder sighed in relief. They sheathed their sword and used it to lean in support, exhaustion threatening to consume him, and yet he still couldn't help but ask. "Does that include Callows?"
"Shot to hell and back. I made sure of it." Another voice answered, this one female. Another one of his comrades, a master Illusionist that, this time, spoke nothing but complete truth.
"Good." The sword wielder nodded and finally turned around to face his comrades – the two he had spoken to before, another Huntsman team of 4, and the last, the most important one to him; a raven-haired maiden with golden eyes as burning as glass-smelting fire.
The sword wielder spoke to the maiden. "Feel anything weird…?"
"The last traces of the Grimm are truly gone." The maiden lifted her hand, where the symbol and mark of the Grimm queen once was – and indeed, the only thing there now was her fair skin. "You've done it…
Salem's dead for good. And from now, there won't be any Grimm in Remnant anymore."
The sword wielder nodded and promptly fell to his knee in relief, still clutching their sheathed sword for support. They had done it – after all this time, after their bitter exile from their dream and finding out the truth of the world, all to protect those they once left behind-
"People are gonna start asking questions, y'know." The leader of the 4-man Huntsmen team spoke up, a monkey as tricky as he was noble. He continued as all eyes turned to him. "They're gonna start wondering what happened, where all the Grimm went off to. So… What're we gonna answer them with?"
"You're crazy if you think we're gonna go public with this." The metallic friend said. "We've been fighting her under the radar all this time. You of all people should know that, Sun."
Sun quickly answered. "And I know exactly what keeping secrets does, Mercury." He stressed, "I'm just suggesting that we get ready for whatever happens – after all…."
"There won't be any Huntsmen without the Grimm." The maiden interrupted. "Is that it, Sun?"
"See? Cinder gets it." Sun turned back to Mercury. "So I say-"
"I don't give a shit about the Huntsmen and you know it." Mercury interrupted. "And I'm pretty sure Cinder doesn't either."
"But he does have a point." The Illusionist said, stopping Mercury in his tracks. The grey-haired man turned to his partner in surprise.
"Emerald…"
"I'm not saying you're wrong – I'm just saying that we need to do something." Emerald turned back to Sun and his team. "Isn't that right?"
"That's exactly what we were thinking." Neptune confirmed, followed by choruses from Scarlet and Sage. "But of course…"
Neptune held his breath as he looked at the still kneeling sword wielder. "That all depends on the big man himself."
Cinder stepped up and helped the sword wielder to their feet. After hearing a grunt of thanks, Cinder turned to her partner, still leaning in her arms. "You've heard what they said. So what do you think we should do next…?"
"… I don't know. I- I didn't…" Their voice cut off, the emotions, the adrenaline, all still crashing down on them. Cinder placed a calming hand on their back.
"Relax, we're here with you." She said soothingly, with more care than she ever imagined she could feel. "You didn't think we'd get this far?"
"Y-yeah."
"Hmph, you always think so lowly of yourself." Cinder shook her head. It was the one thing she never understood about them; that he had managed to pull her out of Salem's control, helped her redirect her hunger for power to a better place and kept Mercury and Emerald with them too, and yet he never believed much in himself. But she was indebted to him, forever and always, and that would never change.
"Come on, everyone's waiting for your answer." Cinder urged.
"Yeah. We owe you, big guy, so no complaints here." Sun said too. "If it wasn't for you then Haven would still be under Lionheart's control. He'd still keep it under wraps, and who knows if it might've spread to Shade too… So I suppose you getting to Mistral after Beacon wasn't so bad after all."
"See? Everyone's waiting." Cinder gave him a comforting smile, the best she could manage – he had come so far, from a disgraced ex-Beacon student to the best partner she never asked for, and now the one who killed Salem and freed Remnant – and while she didn't know the future, she was determined to be free for once in her life – to cease being a slave and take control of her own life.
It scared her – the idea of being free, of no more duties shackling her down… So she needed an idea, a starting point.
And she'd find that starting point from the man who showed her kindness.
"So…. What're we supposed to do next, Jaune?"
"Ngh…" Jaune – the sword wielder, the knight wearing a bronze necklace in the shape of a shield and spear – lifted his head and looked to his partner, and then to the rest of his friends.
He had done it – killed Salem and ended this stupid shadow war. And he did it all for his friends, both present and not – and so that neither PNR nor RWBY would ever have to lift a finger.
Once upon a time he had promised the love of his life to come back; that he'd return stronger than ever, and that he'd lead JNPR like he was supposed to.
But one thing led to another – going to Mistral in disgrace, slumming around the city's underworld and uncovering Haven Academy's corruption, and then knowing the truth of the Grimm, all the while he saved people along the way and made them see the light. And he had made many new friends and comrades too, from visiting Shade students like Team SSSN to former Salem agents such as Cinder and Mercury and Emerald – all the while he did everything in their name, in the name of those he desperately wanted to return to.
But now?
Jaune looked away from Cinder and to an open window in the castle's halls – the sun was rising, shining on a new age where Grimm were no longer a threat to humanity.
An age where, as Sun had said earlier, the Huntsmen would no longer be needed.
This was their victory, and yet none of them knew what was held in the future.
Should they come out and tell the world the truth? No, that would only result in more questions and chaos; they'd see the entire world as a lie, the Huntsmen as tools of Ozma to assert his power, and while Salem as a threat was gone, was it really true? After all, she'd been alive under their noses all along, and should they trust a disgraced student on his word? And her ex-agents, who's to say that they wouldn't try to stir a deadly uprising in the future?
And more than that, it wasn't like the Huntsmen were clean either. There were many among their ranks that gladly used their powers to oppress and stomp down on those lower, those who turned to crime just because being a Huntsman brought them immunity. If the world knew the truth then every single Huntsman and Huntress would be opposed, and even some slaughtered, innocent or guilty. They'd immediately be seen as useless and be thrown away at best or used, enslaved at worst.
Because without the Grimm, what immunity do the Huntsmen deserve? What special treatment do they get to have? Everyone was the same now!
No.
No, this… this was their end.
Jaune took a deep breath and made eye contact with everyone there – from SSSN, Scarlet, Sage, Sun, Neptune, to Emerald, Mercury, and Cinder. All of them had their own lives to live, futures to reach and people to come back to; while he didn't. And so the answer was simple:
"I'll disappear."
Cinder did a double take. "Y-you'll what?"
Jaune met her eyes with steely determination – the exact same bullheadedness that brought him this far.
"I'll erase my name."