Fleeting Dreams
Chapter 2: The Disgraced Knight
伝説・・伝説・・伝説
She knew she shouldn't complain, but sometimes Emerald wished her customers would leave the bar a little earlier in the night.
But alas, there was nothing that could be done about that; people would come and go as they please until she put the final 'CLOSED' sign up. And so here she was, cleaning down her bar after she had finally finished serving all her customers and they left – and it was well past midnight.
With a sigh, Emerald wiped her brow and finished cleaning down the last of her bar table's stains. She looked up from her hard-earned work and cast a glance around the bar; the formerly loud and lively atmosphere had been replaced with a serene silence that always brought to her mind just how far she had come.
It was moments like these that she would never get tired of – after living so many years as a street urchin and then as a combatant, she knew the value of stability in one's life, and knew not to take these moments for granted.
A cough interrupted her thoughts, and Emerald was instantly reminded that she wasn't truly alone. 'Oh, he's still here.'
Emerald folded her napkin and turned around, approaching the table at the back of the bar – the one where her regular, Jin, still sat at, refusing to leave even when others had long left.
Emerald stood before the table and put her hands on her hips. She raised an eyebrow at the sunglasses-wearing man. "Got something to say?"
"A-ah, no. Forget it." Jin shook his head and began to re-arrange his papers; and even in the dark corner, she could see that they had the Haven Academy emblem stamped on their headers.
Emerald's lips turned to a frown. "Cinder's making you do paperwork again?"
"She's the Headmistress – makes sense that she needs someone to handle the paperwork." Jin remarked, putting them all in his carry-on bag. "And she called me in to act as a guest lecturer tomorrow too, so all of this is to pretty much get everything ready."
"Again? I thought she said that she was letting off on asking for help." Emerald looked at Jin up and down, and her illusionist eyes noticed something off – the space next to Jin's seat was shimmering ever so slightly, the cushion noticeably damp for no reason at all.
Her eyes turned back to Jin, her previously casual tone turning dead serious.
"You've been busy with other things too, huh."
And Jin instantly knew what she meant. With a shake of his head, he hovered his hand over the empty space and pulled out a sheathed bastard sword right of thin air – or rather, disabled its cloaking and put it out for her to see.
"They just won't stop coming." Jin sighed, pulling his sword out of its sheath ever so slightly. Emerald could see the blood dripping along the blade, red and fresh and still smelling strongly of iron.
Emerald bristled. "How many, tonight?"
"Just the one. Made sure he died quick." Jin stated. He put his sword back as he stood up, attaching it to the right of his hip and slinging his bag over his shoulder.
He looked at her with sharp eyes through his sunglasses, but she could see the eyebags growing beneath them, could see the way his shoulders sagged. "There's been a real uptick in crime. Makes it harder for any of us to move. I've been trying my best to take care of it, but the police are on high alert, and with less Huntsmen around…" Jin trailed off.
Emerald's eyes were clouded with worry as she looked at her friend. "That's not your job to do; you've done more than enough."
Jin didn't respond. Emerald pushed forward.
"This isn't healthy – you're falling apart by the seams and in no condition to teach tomorrow! Let someone else take the load off!"
"I'd rather keep myself busy. You know I need to." Jin then curtly stated, but they both knew the excuse was weak.
"Jin-"
"It's about time I get settled down for the night anyway." Jin brushed her off and turned around. "Anyways, is my room upstairs still good?"
Emerald's frown deepened as she sighed. "Your room's as clean as you left it – but don't change the subject, you know I'm right damn it!"
"I know. Doesn't change the facts." Jin rolled his shoulders, letting out an audible crack as he did so. He gave her a shaky wave as he headed upstairs.
"See you tomorrow, Em."
His footsteps echoed around the empty bar as he left Emerald with her own thoughts.
Emerald took a moment before clicking her tongue and grabbing a towel, cleaning the blood soon after.
"You never change…"
伝説・・伝説・・伝説
Click!
Jin closed the door to his room and let out a breath of relief as he looked around it. Everything was the same as he had left it a few months ago – spartan as it was, it still had the same furniture he had picked, the same sparse paintings and personal items, and the same sheets and sets of his clothes only now being newly-washed.
Jin smiled – relief washed over him for Emerald had kept his things how he liked it.
With privacy and safety now assured, Jin left both his bag and his sword atop his desk – always empty save for a turned-over picture – and began looking for a change of clothes within his drawer. With how chilly it was being outside, he decided on a set of blue pajamas and a dark hoodie to keep him warm.
"Hah…" With a sigh, Jin brought the new set of clothes with him to his bathroom and began to undress.
First, he took off his black suit and dress pants and hung them. Next, he took off his dress shirt and neatly folded it to the side.
"Hm."
Jin paused and took a moment to look at himself through the mirror; now, he was only wearing his sunglasses, boxers, and a bronze locket hanging loosely on his neck, having been hidden beneath his dress shirt before.
Jin closed his eyes and took off his sunglasses; immediately he could see his appearance begin to change.
Srrkkkk!
His hair began to fall, changing from sharp sky-piercing spikes to elegant eye-covering bangs. Both the shade of his hair and the colors of his eyes began to change – from pitch black hair to sandy blonde, and deep dark eyes to baby blue.
"Hah…"
Jin put the glasses to the side and grabbed his locket with shaky hands. With uncertain breaths he took it off and turned it over to see for himself.
The locket's face was that of a bronze symbol –a shield, crossed over with a spear, and with a button at the top to see its contents.
Jin's breath hitched. Before he knew it his finger had already pressed the button.
Click!
He opened the locket and was greeted with a photo he didn't dare look at in the bright of day – a photo of his dear friends, including the love of his life whose emblem she had given him he made this very locket out of.
It was a time that he could never go back to.
With a shaky sigh, Jin closed the locket and put his night clothes on – a stark blue pajama and a plain black hoodie. Once he was done, he pocketed his locket and looked in the mirror.
Blond hair, blue eyes, black hoodie and all. Just like he was in the picture, and just like how he was all those years ago.
'The more things change, the more they stay the same…'
And yet still there was no future for them – not if he wanted to keep his team alive and happy.
Jaune turned around from the mirror and left the closet with a gentle click of the door. With sluggish steps he walked to his desk and placed his locket next to the turned-over picture; he made sure to turn the locket away as well. He didn't need them seeing him like this.
Jaune heaved a breath and picked up his sword. Sitting to the side, with gentle hands and a clean cloth, he pulled it out from its sheath and began cleaning it from blood, its motion almost instinct after all these years of fighting.
And even after all these years…
'Nothing ever changes…'
伝説・・伝説・・伝説
Several Years Ago…
"I'm sorry, Mr. Arc, but we simply have no choice."
"Headmaster Ozpin, please-!"
"No. Mr. Arc… In truth, we have known about the false nature of your transcripts the moment it landed on our grounds. We have accepted dubious students before, and your case was no exception – Beacon Academy looks at the nature, potential, and future of its students, not its pasts that were so often out of their control."
"However, people often think differently. Many, the majority of people, think that the privilege of being a Huntsman should be reserved only to the pure, some only to the elite, and some only to a select few. It is not that we dislike you, however, you must understand that not everyone thinks the same regarding the Huntsmen."
"And now, Mr. Winchester has leaked your fake transcripts to everyone in the school, even to some of the media. And of course, many people feel cheated, feel like they have been treated unfairly, feel as if nothing was fair - even when it is not the case. Already we have received questions, with threats of deeper inquiries and investigations to come soon."
"We simply cannot handle such a thing. We cannot take this heat lest the entirety of the Huntsmen are called into question, risking the safety of all the Kingdoms."
"And, of course, the safety of Team RWBY and JNPR would continue to be at risk as well. I, we, all know that they would go to hell and back for you, that they are the very reason you still stand here in Beacon and remain undisturbed by the rest of the student body…. That they and they alone have been vouching for your place to everyone else… Hm, and maybe are still listening in to this conversation, even now…"
"But unfortunately, we, I, cannot let this continue. I simply ask that you understand that this was none of your fault, Mr. Arc. Had things been different, I'm sure you would have made a fine Huntsman."
"You have a bright future ahead of you. It is simply not here."
"So as of today, Mr. Arc…"
"No, Headmaster, please I'm begging you-!"
"You are hereby expelled from Beacon Academy."
伝説・・伝説・・伝説
Jaune woke up with a start, sweat dripping down his forehead and heart beating like a jackhammer.
"That dream again…"
His dilated eyes looked to the outside, through the mirror by the side of his window.
"It's not even dawn yet…"
伝説・・伝説・・伝説
The Next Day…
sure to leave before dawn broke. He didn't want to be seen leaving Emerald's bar and raise her unnecessary questions, nor did he want to talk to many people anyways.
The walk to Haven was one he took reflexively; he allowed his feet to fall back into routine steps as his mind wandered.
It had been eight years since that day, the day that changed everything. And in that time, the world had changed. Jaune looked around; Mistral was flourishing, its people smiling as they freely enjoyed their days without a care for the monsters that were once outside. Kids played in the street and merchants sold their goods with more and more merchandise from new Grimm-free property outside the Kingdoms' walls.
But of course, there was the other side of change. Where there was once a Huntsman every ten-minute walk, they were now replaced with patrolling police officers and private security guards. Where once he could see mechashift weapons being carried proudly everywhere he turned his eye, now there were barely any Huntsmen left who dared wield their weapon in public.
Times have changed – people flourished without the Grimm, and those who once flourished against them were forced to be cast aside.
It made him wonder what the people would decide next…
Jaune continued his path to Haven. On his way, however, he stopped when he saw a totally new building not far from Haven's grounds, a building just before the Academy's Bullhead station.
Jaune read the building's large office sign out loud, displayed proud over an eagle symbol. "Huntsman Association Mistral Branch…"
"Yeah, that's exactly what it says, man."
A rough but kind voice from behind knocked Jaune out of his thoughts, and he turned around to face the newcomer.
He was around the same height as himself, Jaune realized; and their builds weren't that far off either. The man had indigo eyes, short burnt orange hair, and a neat beard covering his chin. Jaune noted that he seemed to be about the same age as himself, if the beard didn't make him look slightly older. And lastly, he wore a dark overcoat that barely hid his built physique and had a mechashift mace strapped to his hip.
Jaune clenched his teeth. He could feel something familiar scratching from the back of his head, and yet it remained out of his reach…
The man raised an eyebrow. "You got something you need inside?"
"A-ah. No. Just didn't see this last time I went to Haven…"
"Hm, I understand. We did just open an office here a few days ago. Thankfully the construction company managed to finish this quickly." The man walked past Jaune and stood side-by-side with him, crossing his arms and gazing proudly at the symbol and name embedded in the office's entrance.
He spoke again to Jaune. "You a Huntsman?"
"Ex. Now I'm just a freelancer." Jaune shrugged, "It's been that way for a couple of years now…"
"Hm, I see how it is." The man cast a side-eye glance to the direction of Haven and then back to his office. "Well, if you ever need anything you can always come here. Our objective is to help anyone who's affiliated with the Huntsmen, past, present or future. Be it finding a mission, keeping their family safe, or finding another source of income – everyone's welcome."
"That's… awfully nice of you." Jaune said with a nod. He had never heard of this kind of association popping up. "I'll keep that in mind if I ever come back around."
"Hm. And if you need anything then just hit us up. Anytime, anywhere, alright?" The man turned to Jaune's side and offered him a handshake, offering a welcoming smile with sincerity. With a quirk of his own lips, Jaune took the man's hand and shook it.
But that familiarity was growing stronger and stronger-
The man introduced his name.
"Winchester. Cardin Winchester."
Jaune's hand froze and his heart stopped a beat. His vision began disorienting and sweat began to roll down his forehead.
'H-him…?'
He barely managed to force out his own name.
"J-Jin. Jin Tadano."
Cardin retracted his hand with a nod and handed Jaune his card, which was only accepted due to Jaune's automatic movements. He could barely read the words written on it, though his head made sure to keep it in mind nonetheless…
Cardin Winchester
President of the Huntsmen Association
Huntsmen Association Vale Office, Knight St., Vale Central, Kingdom of Vale.
+(2)-016-207-278
"Contact us if you ever need help with anything." Cardin said. "Us Huntsmen need to stick together, don't you think?"
"Y-yeah." Jaune pocketed the card and forced out a respectful nod to him. "I'll get going. Thanks for the offer."
"Heh, anytime man. Anytime." Cardin waved Jaune away and went to unlock the office, entering it without a second thought. Jaune himself turned away and began walking more briskly to the direction of Haven.
His mind was foggy, and his heart was beating like a jackhammer. He couldn't think clearly, he couldn't feel his feet hitting the pavement, he could barely remember to breathe-
Why was he here? Why was he of all people here?!
伝説・・伝説・・伝説
For the rest of the day his mind was clouded. Even as he began teaching the guest class in Haven, even as he assigned the students their match-ups a-la sparring and they asked for his advice, he could barely get his scrambled thoughts in order, even if to just mutter simple sentences.
Thankfully, he had done this enough times before that he could often fall back into habits and reflexes – first-year Huntsmen-in-Trainings still had a lot to go, after all – but even he knew that the students knew something was up with him this time.
DING! The loud bell brought Jaune's mind back to the present and he raised his hand high. "And that's a match." Jaune said, immediately pausing the two combatants on stage. He went over to them and made sure they were both okay.
"Does anything feel off? Any injuries, Aura exhaustion?"
"We're good, teach." One of the students, Coal, answered. He stood above his opponent, the other student, Silvia, clearly victorious. And yet, he had no sense of elation in his victory today.
"She wasn't fighting at full percent today, so I made sure to hold back." At Coal's words, Silvia flinched and stood back up, furiously wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
Jaune quickly approached the troubled student. "What's wrong?" He asked, and though she didn't answer Jaune could see the beginning of tears going leaking out her eyes.
Coal answered for him. "Her uncle was killed last night. They're saying it's the Huntsman Killer again – the marks are all there."
"Is that true?" Jaune whispered to her. She gave a shaky nod, and with that Jaune swiftly excused both the girl and himself out of the class, gently guiding her by the shoulder and sitting her down in his office.
"Take as long as you need." Jaune said. He brewed a cup of hot chocolate and set one down for him and her. He waited patiently sitting across his student, steam rising from the cup as Silvia desperately tried to regain her composure.
It was only several minutes of quiet sobbing and depthless patience from Jaune that Silvia finally became coherent enough to speak. She grabbed the cup of chocolate and drank it down, now lukewarm but welcoming nonetheless.
"I-it's true," Silvia said shakily, her voice trailing to a whisper. "U-Uncle Alba was k-killed last night."
"I'm sorry for your loss." Jaune tilted his head down. He pushed his own cup away, his appetite never really there to begin with except to soothe his students, and placed his hands on the table. "Would you like to take the day off? Maybe tomorrow too? I'm sure Headmistress Fall wouldn't mind."
"I-I'd like that." Silvia took another sip, lips still shaking. "I knew I wasn't going to be at full capacity today, but I still wanted to come – if not for Uncle's sake…"
"He was a Huntsman too?"
Jaune took Silvia's shaking body and long silence as an answer.
After several moments, she took a deep breath and put the cup back down – Jaune noticed it had already been emptied. But a question was still nagging him, so he turned to ask her once more.
"I'm assuming your family has been contacted by the local authorities?" Jaune asked. Silvia nodded yes, so Jaune continued again. "And who was the detective in charge?"
"M-Mr. Wukong, I think. Yeah, he said his name was Sun Wukong."
"Alright. We'll coordinate with them too; make sure they know that you're a student here and that we'll be with you and your family every step of the way." Jaune said softly. Silvia nodded in understanding, to which Jaune was internally very relieved of.
But he wasn't done. "And if you need anything…" Jaune pulled out his name card and offered it to her.
Professor Jin Tadano (只野人先生）
Guest Combat Teacher at Haven Academy.
Haven Academy, Kingdom of Mistral.
+(3)-778-719-4514
"You can contact me anytime." Jaune finished.
Silvia gently took the card in her hands and put it inside her wallet. She stood up, gave a respectful bow to Jaune, and silently went to the door.
But before she closed it, she kept it open mid-way and looked back to her teacher. "Professor Tadano?"
"Hm?"
"Y-you've always been so nice to us." Silvia said softly, her eyes cast downwards and her posture timid. She gave another short bow to him. "T-thank you for everything, sir."
"It's an honor." Jaune said. With a soft wave from her teacher, Silvia silently closed the door behind her and left for her home.
Jaune turned in his chair as soon as he heard the door click and sighed. With deep fatigue he opened his Scroll and called a number he had on quick dial.
Ring ring! Ring ring!
"Hello! It's me. What's the occasion, big guy?"
"Sun." Jaune said gravely. Even through the phone the guest teacher could sense all the jovial atmosphere on the other end immediately drop. "We need to talk."
伝説・・伝説・・伝説
Jaune was glad that Sun didn't take long to get to his office. It was the one place that Jaune could ensure the secrecy, after all – he didn't want any details of this conversation leaking out.
Sun sat down with a plop on the seat opposite him. "Ahhh, you sounded way too serious over the phone. Car ride was hell, but you've got me now."
When Jaune didn't answer, Sun decided to make himself comfortable. "So. Been, what, a few months since we last did this? What is it you wanted to talk about?"
Jaune answered quickly. "I'll cut straight to the chase. I want in on the Huntsman Killer case."
Sun flinched. "You make it sound so easy," He shook his head. "Getting a Huntsman assist granted these days is hard enough, 'specially with the new paperwork they're throwing at us. But a freelancer? That's borderline impossible, Jaune. "
"I don't care about the specifics." Jaune stressed. He met Sun's eyes with a cold stare. "One of my students' family was killed by this guy. A lot more people too, and I'm not going to take that standing down."
Sun's stare was equally hard. "I'm not risking this entire operation – and especially the people under my charge – for your ego, Jaune. There are procedures, rules, to guarantee everyone gets home at the end of the day. Adding an unpredictable element in a case this sensitive isn't my kinda style."
"You've broken those rules before."
"I've bended them, whenever I needed to. Everyone knows that, Team SSSN and Cinder and you and everyone else." Sun admitted. "But if I made an exception now then it'll set a bad precedent. You know how fragile the Huntsmen's condition is now."
Jaune's mind couldn't help but flash back to that association he saw earlier, something the Huntsmen never needed before – until he forcefully shook it off.
"And besides," Sun eyed Jaune up and down. "It's been eight years since you've seen any action. You sure you're still up to snuff?"
Jaune bristled and glared. "I know I am. Just because we barely talk-."
"If you think the trail of bodies Cinder keeps having to hide every night actually says anything then you're rustier than I thought." Sun rebutted. When Jaune visibly flinched, Sun pushed forward with his accusation.
"It was one guy last night, right? Stabbed him right through the heart. Clean job, I'll say so myself. But we both know they're fodder at most, Jaune. Salem followers that just can't accept the truth that their dear Mistress is gone." Sun said, "And I'm going to need something more if you want me to get you in. Prove to me that this doesn't blow up in our faces."
Jaune looked away and sighed. It wasn't like he was totally wrong, either…
"Fine… What do I need to do?"
"We've arrested a suspect last night." Sun began. When Jaune's wide and surprised eyes turned to him, Sun immediately rebutted. "Now, we're not sure if they might actually be the real Huntsman Killer. We're not even sure if we can keep him in custody for long or get some charges to stick; I'm already getting pressure from up top to let them go, and if this keeps up…"
"Sounds like they have connections." Jaune raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure they're not the guy?"
"I can't tell you that just yet – case confidentiality and everything." Sun raised his hand. "But what I can tell you is that he got into a little scuffle a few minutes before we caught him. Stopped a jewelry store robbery."
"We were so focused on the Huntsman Killer case that the robbers managed to get away even after we dispatched as fast as we could. Now I've done a bit of off-duty digging and found out that the robbers are part of a local street gang called the Bulls of New Mistral. Relatively new street gang – not small fry but not a big deal either."
"And you want me to get in there and start questioning them…?" Jaune trailed off.
"If you can get something we can use then that'll be great. Reasons they robbed the place, anything on how our suspect behaved during the encounter…"
"But mostly we just need someone to teach them a lesson." Sun let out a small chuckle. "Like I said, there are procedures and rules we have to follow; but the paperwork for a raid and getting Huntsman help is a bitch, we're spread way too thin handling these incidents, and there's still no that they'll actually get the message if we get involved."
"But if there's a lone player moving in Mistral's underworld, one that I'm sure their higher ups will remember if they ever even sniffed Mistral crime back before we killed Salem… "
"And if they heard even a whisper of Jaune Arc, the Disgraced Knight, the guy who toppled the damn Grimm Queen making a comeback, then they'll think twice before doing any moves. Don't you agree?"
"Heh, and it gives us some breathing room until this whole case is shut and done too." Sun clapped his hands with a jovial smile.
"So! What do you think, big guy? Ready for another mission again?"
Jaune took a moment to catch his breath. It wasn't that he doubted his skills; rather, it just dawned on him what getting involved truly meant.
It meant getting involved in a whole slew of people's interests, fighting opponents from sides he might not see, throwing his name around and making himself known to be feared – just like when he was first expelled all those years ago.
And after all these years of erasing himself… could he really do something like that again? Could he return to his former 'glory', if it was ever that?
And then, what if the wrong people knew about his return? Would that ruin everything, make it all for nothing?
The Disgraced Knight… he hated that name. Hated how true it was. What kind of Arc can't keep a promise?
But a flash of his student's crying face, of how devastated people were and would be if this continued, and it was enough.
It wasn't what his friends would have wanted. Of that, he was sure.
He'll protect everyone from the shadows again. He had erased his name, but he hadn't erased his soul.
"Consider it done." Jaune said firmly. "They'll know their place before dawn."
The knight stood quickly and grabbed his sword. His determined stare met Sun's own. "Keep your suspect until nightfall. I want a word with him once I'm done."
"Ah. No promises, but I'll try my best." They exchanged equal nods, and before Sun knew it Jaune was already out the door, steps heavy and quick – and for Sun, foreboding, as he knew exactly what a serious Jaune meant. And with all that eight-year-long pent-up aggression, who knows what more Jaune could truly be…
伝説・・伝説・・伝説
In Mistral's Slums…
Jaune's nose wrinkled as he stepped foot in the slums. The section was located on the lower east side of the Kingdom, far from its main entrances; and thus, something that most people, even him, rarely saw a need to go to. Out of sight, out of mind, he supposed.
Jaune huffed as his foot walked through cracked pavement with water puddles everywhere. It seemed even as the city grew in these peaceful times, places like this still remained; underdeveloped, left behind, and a congregation place for those deemed less than favorable by society. The perfect place for a gang to hide and even gather local support.
He kept straight as he walked through the slum suburbs. Jaune hid a smirk when he noticed a single fact; with his tidy appearance and sharp black suit, he was already beginning to attract the wrong type of attention, even as all he did was walk. He could see people pointing from the shadows of dark alleys, pairs running away once they thought they were out of his sight, and barely-hidden gang members gathering and scurrying off to contact their leader.
Jaune merely continued to walk, doing his best to appear harmless and naïve. He just had to be patient…
Click!
"Freeze, dumbass!"
And there it was.
Jaune stopped and slowly raised his hand as he felt cold steel press against his skull. Ah, the classic hold-up robbery.
The robber behind him spoke up again, pushing his gun deeper into Jaune's head and his finger off the safety. "Hand me everything you've got. Now, motherfucker!"
Jaune titled his head. "Alright, alright. I didn't bring any cash, though…"
"You think I'm gonna believe that bullshit?!" Jaune heard the soft click of a trigger being touched by a finger. "Everything! Now!"
Jaune shrugged and began digging around his suit. As he moved his hand around, Jaune made sure to start moving his body slightly too, and noticed the tracking of the gun grow on his head slower and slower, until it eventually began to directly stop connecting with his head…
'Now.'
"HAH!" With a grunt, Jaune spun around and elbowed the robber in the gut.
SLAM! "GAH!" The robber felt the wind being knocked out of his gut. With his enemy stunned, Jaune grabbed the robber's arm, slammed him to the ground, and ripped his gun away.
Jaune smirked as the ground cracked beneath his slam. With the robber's gun in his own hand, Jaune put pressure on the robber's neck with his knee and pressed it to the robber's ear. He could feel the robber squirm, but Jaune knew it was useless; there was no way he was getting free.
"Now…" Jaune felt the robber shiver as he pushed the gun deeper into his head. "I've got one question: Are you a Bulls member?"
"I-I don't know jackshit-!"
"Answer me." Jaune said, lifting the gun above the enemy's head before-
BANG!
Firing it to just miss the enemy's head.
"Or the next one goes through your skull."
"A-alright! Yeah, I'm a member!" The robber was full-on quivering now, and Jaune put the gun away.
'Good. That's what I need.' Jaune unloaded the gun and threw it away but increased the pressure on the man's neck. "Listen to me, very carefully. I want you to take me to your leader."
It seemed that the robber had gained second wind. "You think I'm gonna give it up that easily-!"
Squeeze.
"A-alright, fine! J-just, don't kill me!"
Jaune lifted his knee and let the man lead him on, though not without his sword touching the tip of the man's back. The knight's voice was grave and firm.
"Make it quick."
伝説・・伝説・・伝説
"HYAHHH!"
BOOOM!
Jaune kicked down the base's door with force enough to shatter walls. The door flew wide open, alerting everyone inside of someone entering their safehouse-base.
"Hey, someone's breaking in!"
"Fuck, we're under attack!"
"Kill that sonofabitch!"
Jaune walked inside and threw the knocked-out body of his earlier robber to the floor. He gazed around the safehouse and saw people from both the balconies and the base floors aiming right at him with guns galore: All ready to fire killing shots.
Jaune's eyes scanned the room and ended at one man at the very back. He was tall and broad, aiming a scoped mechashift light machine gun right at his head, and beginning to open his mouth. 'Must be the leader, then.'
"Freeze, fucker! Who do you think you are?!" The apparent leader shouted to him. The others' guns clicked, prepared to fire. "How the hell did you find us?!"
"Wasn't that hard." Jaune nudged the body of his former hostage with the end of his foot. He met the eyes of the leader head-on. "I've just got one question. Were you the ones that tried to rob a jewelry store last night?"
Everyone immediately turned their heads to a certain group near Jaune; aside from wielding shotguns, Jaune noticed that they seemed to have bruises and were wearing some stitches.
And apparently the Bulls leader wanted to question them as well. "Hey! Wasn't that you fours' ideas?!"
"A-ah! Yeah, boss, but I swear this guy wasn't there!" One of the grunts shouted. "There was only one Huntsman, I swear! One, boss!"
SLAM!
Jaune hammered a foot forward.
The entire warehouse went silent.
"I don't care whose idea it is." The knight cracked his knuckles and let out a breath. "You're all going down."
"GET HIM!"
BRRRRRRTTTTT!
Gunfire immediately erupted as soon as the Leader gave his words. Bullets went zooming for Jaune, red hot and ready to pierce, but he didn't show any signs of panic.
Jaune quickly leapt to the side, the bullets missing by a millisecond. He quickly landed in front of a guard at the balconies, and before the thug could react, Jaune punched him straight in the face.
The thug squealed in pain, but Jaune wasn't done. He quickly followed it up with a punch to the gut, and then a strong side kick with a roar.
"HYAH!"
"AGHHH!" The thug flew back and crashed into his friends, knocking all of them squarely out. Jaune elegantly lowered his foot, smoke still billowing from his heels' impact.
BRRRRT!
Another round of gunfire from the rest of the balcony guards and Jaune dodged again, ducking and weaving through their aim. With each phantom step he got closer, and within seconds he was already up on their faces.
Jaune smirked when the thugs were visibly surprised and shaken. Without hesitation Jaune attacked again; a knee sweep to the guard at the front.
"Gah- AH!" The guard squealed as he landed on his back, and then screamed again when Jaune slammed his foot on his nose. The knight felt the wind shift by his side – it seemed that they were beginning to use melee weapons now – and quickly sidestepped an attack from behind him, a cold steel knife cutting the edges of his hair.
Jaune turned around and scowled, keeping his hands up. That was too close – maybe he had gotten rusty…
But apparently the thug didn't want to give him time to think. "TAKE THIS!" He quickly lunged at Jaune with his knife aiming to stab Jaune's jugular. Jaune swiftly parried the strike away with an open palm, striking back with a punch to the gut.
"Ngh!" The thug stumbled but quickly recovered. He swiped for Jaune's chest, then his arm, then his feet, but Jaune's dodges were faster than them all.
"HYAH!" The knight slipped in a punch straight to the thug's chin, strong enough to make his bones crack through his Aura. BAM! A loud boom sounded, and the thug was sent flying back. Jaune moved to attack the others once more-
GRAB!
Jaune felt two sets of arms wrap around his back. The knight grit his teeth and roared, firming his footing and shaking his opponents away through sheer force. "LET GO!"
"AHHHH!"
"GAHHH!"
The thugs holding him down were sent flying away by Jaune's sheer strength, slamming into the walls before sliding down uselessly to the base floor. The knight took a breath – seeing no more enemies on the second floor, he quickly jumped back to engage the remaining pest.
Step.
Jaune's landing was as elegant as it was foreboding, silent yet hiding uncontested power. There were no cracks beneath his feet and yet the atmosphere was tense all the same.
"Hah…" Jaune lifted his head and brought his hands up. In front of him were the leader, the bruised suspect robbers from yesterday, and the rest of the Bulls gang.
Jaune did a quick headcount – 25, not including the leader.
'Hm. Considerable.' Jaune cracked his knuckles again and roared. "COME AT ME!"
And the gang responded in kind.
"CHARGEE!"
"KILL HIM!"
"DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!"
Shing! RATATATATATA! BRRRRT!
Swords were unsheathed, guns were fired, and the leader fired his LMG. Jaune ducked, weaved, and redirected like water in a river; each sword slice and bat swing was parried and dodged, each bullet fired missed through his swift movement, and the Leader's bullets were easily avoided as Jaune slid low on the ground…
Skrrrt-!
…And then, stopping his slide right before the leader's feet - slipping straight through his guard, with enough time for the gangster to understand but not to react appropriately.
The leader's eyes flew wide open. "SHIT-!"
"HAH!" Jaune's rising uppercut hit him right at his chin, a loud crack being heard as his body flew to the air and his jaw was dislocated, Aura be damned.
But Jaune wasn't done.
As the leader flew back down, Jaune drew his fist back and concentrated his Aura to his fists.
"Hahhh…" He felt his soul being tugged as he summoned strength long known as legendary; the very Semblance of his being, Aura Amplification, being used upon oneself to increase his strength past any limit a normal Huntsman could ever dream of.
Jaune knew that for sure – he had used it often years ago.
The leader's body finally arrived right before Jaune's eyes; helpless, motionless, and ready for a beating.
Jaune roared and let his fists fly free.
"ORA!"
SLAM!
"ORA! ORA! ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAAAA!"
BAMBAMBAMBAMBAMAM! Jaune drew his fist back one final time, white and gold shimmering through his entire body and then concentrating into a supernova in his fist.
Jaune threw one final punch – straight to the gut. "HYAAAAAAH!"
BOOM! A gust of wind blew straight through the leader's back, before his body was then sent flying back to the very end of the warehouse. His back slammed against the wall hard, cracks spreading even to the walls and foundations before his body fell to the floor with a weak slump.
"Hah…" Jaune turned around with his fists raised and faint white shimmering around his body. "Now… who's next?"
Jaune kept his eyes planted on the enemy – he could see the remaining thugs tensing, fear gripping their vision and legs shaking all the while.
And yet…
"We're not gonna let some random fucker stomp all over us!" One of them shouted. Soon that first person was joined by a chorus of agreements, their fear not quite leaving but being replaced with bullheaded stubbornness.
'Some things truly never change.' Jaune thought as the choruses grew louder and louder. He could see them gathering their courage again, collecting their strength in supposed camaraderie, and couldn't help but think, 'Why are they so stubborn over a life like this?'
"Yeah!" They shouted. "We're not gonna let this guy beat us without a fight! We ain't gonna run away!" The remaining thugs stood together tight, their guns raised with newfound readiness and their melee weapons – bats, swords, axes, and everything in between – all gripped hard enough to make their handles crack.
And even though the challenge would supposedly get harder for now, Jaune couldn't help but smile. He raised his fists once more. There was no need for Crocea Mors, not against these people.
But against this kind of stubbornness?
He would be glad to blow off some steam.
"Hope you're all ready." Jaune cracked his knuckles and bounced in his steps. He made sure to move his shoulders loosely and kept his neck rolling. "Come at me with everything you are!"
"GRAAAAHHHHH!"
伝説・・伝説・・伝説
In another part of Mistral…
Qrow banged his head on the interrogation table.
"Ugh…"
It had been almost 24 hours – a full day! – of being trapped in this damn station, and his patience was running paper thin.
Qrow reclined in his seat with a sigh, hands cuffed behind his back and staring at the empty ceiling above.
Of course, he knew better than to act out and make things worse for himself. He was sure Ozpin and the others were already helping him from the outside, making sure that he was to be released as soon as possible.
But that didn't mean that he had it easy down here. After all, weren't interrogation rooms purposefully designed as a form of soft torture? The last thing he wanted to do was to accidently admit to something he never really did.
Knock knock knock!
Qrow turned his head to the door as someone walked in after the three knocks – his eyes narrowed as he figured it was someone new. No, it truly felt like he hadn't seen him in the interrogation room, nor the station, nor the jail before. "You're new…"
"Apologies." The man who stepped in bowed; he had silver brown hair, red eyes, and a lean but muscular build. He held a file to his chest and was dressed in a dark-striped grey dress shirt and slacks, the emblem of an eagle pinned on his breast. "It was not our intention to be so late."
Qrow raised an eyebrow. "We?"
Footsteps quickly approached them, and soon Qrow saw Detective Wukong step behind the mystery arrival.
'Oof.' Qrow flinched at the visible scowl on Sun's lips. His eyes were twitching, and his entire posture seemed jumpy; clearly he was not happy with the entire ordeal.
"Consider it your lucky day, Mr. Branwen." Sun grit out, "Mister Kuroya Shoji here's going to be the one to set you free."
The new arrival – Kuroya Shoji – bowed once more, giving Qrow his business card.
Kuroya Shoji (消時黒矢)
Head of the Mistralian Huntsmen Association Branch
Huntsmen Association Mistral Office, Haven District.
+(3)-096-141-080
"I've been sent here by our president himself to assist you in this case." Kuroya said, his tone neutral and professional. "He told me that you're an important person that's been falsely accused – and with him telling me that the assistance request came from Headmaster Ozpin himself, I believe that this is all just a big misunderstanding."
Sun shot a look to Kuroya. "Hey now-."
Kuroya cut Sun off with a silent and calm stare, his voice never changing intonation – "Simply put, Detective Wukong, you have no charges that can truly stick with my fellow Huntsman here. There has been no video evidence regarding his involvement or even his entry into that lot, no hard proof of weapons that can be linked, and body decomposition states that the man was killed days before Mr. Branwen ever arrived. Not to mention we also have multiple, recorded witness testimonies that result in a strong alibi to counter any possible time or date of murder you might throw at us."
"Add to that the pressure from the public, the government, the Academies and even all the Huntsmen themselves – you must have lots of potential suspects, do you really plan to keep pursuing this one? With Beacon and us backing his innocence?"
Sun grit his teeth but didn't answer, pointedly looking away in frustration. He balled his fists and felt the weight of his Scroll in his pocket become heavier. Damn it….
Qrow, meanwhile, felt nothing but elation at being backed up. "Hmph. 'Bout time you got that right." Qrow lifted himself off his feet and shoved his cuffs right in front of Sun's face. "Well then, Detective Wukong? Am I free to go now?"
Ring ring! Ring ring!
Sun's Scroll buzzed right as he was being asked by Qrow. The detective was visibly torn, his lips twisted into a scowl with his eyes showing real annoyance – before he finally relented, ignoring the call as he unlocked Qrow's Aura-restraining cuffs.
Click!
The cuffs fell off Qrow with a clang, and the Huntsman rubbed his now free wrists with relief. "Now that's what I'm talking about."
Kuroya gave a brief nod. "Then I believe we must head out – there is someone else we need to meet, Mr. Branwen. I believe one of your contacts from Beacon?"
"Tch. Figured the old man would send someone else. Take the lead, then." Qrow smiled and rolled his neck. Stretching his arms, he walked out of the station behind Kuroya with visible relief flooding his entire body, leaving Sun staring at the now-empty interrogation room with nothing but frustration and anger.
Ring ring! Ring ring!
"Tch…" Sun knew exactly who it was – the same it must have been before – and finally answered the call.
"You're too late." The detective said, "We had to let him go."
"Ah." Jaune's voice answered from the other end. "That's… disappointing."
"You could say that again." Sun sighed, "In any case – did you do what I needed you to do?"
"It's all done. They won't be bothering you for a couple of weeks while they'll be drinking their food through straws." Jaune responded. "Managed to question some of them while after the fact too. Don't know if it'll be any use to you, but-"
"Any info is good info." Sun cut immediately. He took a calming breath.
"You're on the job, Jin." Sun stated. "Get here as quick as possible, I want to hear all the details ASAP. We'll move on to the… former... suspect's profile, his history, and then to criminal science as soon as we go over your intel."
"So it's a he…" Jaune trailed off. "Any chance I might've met this guy before?"
"…"
"…Sun? …Something wrong?"
"Best you see for yourself." Sun said. "The line over this call isn't secure enough."
"Hm. Then I'm on my way. See you in five." The call ended with a click and Sun lowered his Scroll. Jaune's words rang in his head.
'Any chance I might've met this guy before…?' Sun shook his head and went for a walk around the station to clear his mind. "You've certainly met his nieces before…"
伝説・・伝説・・伝説
Jaune's walk to the central police station felt quite refreshing – even though he knew the suspect had to be let free, and he was just a tad bit too late to question the suspect in person, it didn't matter; blowing off some steam felt great.
Once more his eyes roamed the streets as he continued his journey. It was a habit he picked up on a long time ago – he had gone to multiple destinations over the years, traveling and seeing the new world, and it paid knowing what was around, what road would lead to where, and being aware of what to avoid.
It helped keep his mind off things – off of things he could never get back, of the things he had to leave behind and erase.
Sooner rather than later Jaune finally arrived at the central police station. It was clearly packed, civilians of all kinds going in and out its entrances and exits. Jaune went inside while instinctively blending into the crowd; black hair and suit, and a pair of dark eyes were so common that it allowed him to easily blend into the crowd and easily slip by the flow of people.
But as he waded through the people, Jaune's trained eyes immediately locked on to a figure walking out of the station. He had grey hair, brown eyes, a light stubble on his chin, and wore a grey suit with black slacks – the most noticeable of all, however, was the large sword he had hanging on his back.
Jaune's eyes narrowed – the way he brought himself, the way he took every step, they spoke of a trained Huntsman, even if his weapon didn't give it away beforehand. But the most concerning of all to him was the way he seemed somewhat familiar; like his style and the way he dressed had been copied somewhere else he saw before…
Nevertheless Jaune kept watching as he moved. He saw the man's companion, one wearing a pin with the same eagle symbol he had seen before, break away and head someone else – that man didn't matter to Jaune. He didn't radiate the same sense of danger the other had. Instead, Jaune kept his eyes square on the sword-carrying man.
He saw him move past him, and then near the very outskirts of the police station entrance. He saw him look around, giving a brief look to his Scroll, and then pinpointing another person – a female – standing nearby and waiting for him, before quickly making his own way over and greeting her.
Jaune's breath stopped, and his blood froze.
Because he recognized the woman, even under the heavily concealing attire she wore. He recognized the bright red hair hidden under a hoodie brown-and-gold hoodie, recognized the emerald jewel she wore around her neck and the red sash around her waist, and noticed her bright emerald eyes staring away from him.
And the mystery man's words confirmed it enough.
"Hey there, Nikos. Hmph, glad to see Ozpin sent someone competent."
"Qrow." A nod, "A pleasure to see you again as well."
'P-Pyrrha's here…?' Jaune stood transfixed as people waded around him, everyone and even Qrow and Pyrrha oblivious to his presence. He could barely register the fact that she was here, here here here-!
Pyrrha spoke again, her voice clear as day to him even through all this crowd. "The Headmaster certainly didn't appreciate you getting falsely caught, Qrow. It took a lot of effort from us to get you free this quickly, and with your request regarding RWBY…"
"Yeah? Well it's not my fault you know." Qrow sighed. "Wrong place, wrong time. And you don't have to tell me to be thankful for him getting my nieces out of this, Nikos; always am."
Jaune's brain connected the dots. 'No. It can't be…'
"Then we'll simply have to find the real culprit soon." Pyrrha said. She swiftly turned around and beckoned Qrow to follow. "We should get going. It wouldn't be good for us to stick outside for long." She then continued in a whisper Jaune barely caught. "And it'd be nice not to get recognized out here… It's been a while since I went back to Mistral…"
8 years. Jaune would know.
He had assured it to be so, pulling every little string he had that wouldn't reveal himself to make sure that his friends would never ever know about him. And that meant making sure they had no reason to step in here in the first place!
And then they stepped away, leaving, shrinking from his vision until eventually they were out of sight. His eyes trailed them all the way as
Jaune curled his fists as his breath grew short.
It was obvious now. Qrow was the suspect that Sun had mentioned, and Pyrrha was a part of the pressure that Sun had mentioned – and that Beacon was inevitably entangled in this too, and no doubt alongside Ren and Nora and RWBY.
Jaune closed his eyes shut and quickly ran inside.
No, no, no, after everything he sacrificed, everything he did, all for them, always for them! – they got involved in something as deadly as this too?!
He needed to finish this, he needed to find the killer and make him pay before they set his sights on his friends.
He couldn't risk them losing their fragile peace like this. And he couldn't let them know about him unless everything he did became all for nothing.
A flame lit inside him, beforehand almost extinguished. But the flame wasn't one of anger or glory; it was out of panic and desperation, of denial that it all can't be for nothing!
He'll stay hidden and finish this case. Alone, if he had to, no matter how many people he had to mow down through. His friends would stay safe – there was no reality where he existed and that wouldn't be the case.
Jaune slammed through Sun's office door and met the surprised – but almost expecting – gaze of the detective with his own stone-cold one.
"Tell me everything. Now."
伝説・・伝説・・伝説
Alright! Done, next update should be another 2 chapter-group. Thoughts, comments, leave them in the reviews!
See you next time!