The Boy Who Fell Through The World XIV
"Well, I guess you'd want a better goodbye speech than that. All right, I got one for you." Neo giggled softly as she smiled at him. "I won't say I love you; I won't say I forget you. What I will say is…When it's my time, I hope you will be there, waiting for me with some ice cream and I'll bring the cigar and I'll tell all the wild stories I'll have to tell you, Roman."
Roman smiled back and patted Neo on the head. "I'll make sure it's your favorite flavor, kid. Don't be afraid to do something bad along with the good…Or do a little in between."
And with that, Roman's body dissolved back into the particles of light he had appeared from and was gone.
Neo just stood there, watching as he disappeared.
Aqua and Chirithy were silent and remained still, watching as Neo said her final goodbye to Roman Torchwick.
Once he was finally gone, Neo remained still for a moment.
Then she turned around and walked up to Aqua. "…I'm ready now."
Aqua nodded, summoning her Semblance and the pink glyph under her that represented her bond with Neo.
And a moment later, Neo vanished from the Final World.
The EverAfter
The fight with the Jabberwock, needless to say had gotten a lot harder. Penny immediately combined Weiss and Blake's Semblances to summon all of Team RWBY and Jaune back to the battleground, surprising Oscar.
"Ruby? Blake? Yang?" Oscar blinked. "Jaune?"
"Hey, Oscar." Ruby glanced at him with a smile. "Glad you're okay."
"Yeah…Me too." Oscar held up Gungnir. "Glad you recognize me and not just as a voice in Jaune's head anymore."
Ruby, along with Yang and Jaune winced. "Yeah…Sorry about that."
The Jabberwock let out another roar and the image copies immediately attacked. Yang found herself facing not only an image of her uncle, Qrow Branwen but also Adam Taurus. Both utilized the same style with their swords, but Qrow was faster and more skilled than Adam was. Summoning her Maiden powers, Yang attempted to blast Qrow…
Only for Qrow to turn out to be an illusion…or a hallucination by the cope of Emerald using her semblance to confuse Yang.
BLAST!
Yang shouted as she was knocked back and crashed into the ground. Adam shot forward to finish her off…Only for Blake to intercept with own flaming Gambol Shroud. Glaring at the masked face of her past lover, Blake summoned her Shadow Clones, combining them with her Maiden powers to take him out…
BLAST!
Only to be shot in the back by the image of Roman Torchwick. With her distracted, Adma slammed the hilt of his sword Wilt into Blake's face, knocking her down. Weiss in the meantime was facing down Nora and Ren, the latter being one to attack first. He shot forward, slashing at her with the bladed ends of his Storm Flower, channeling his Aura into them as he utilized his martial arts, pushing Weiss back.
Weiss was knocked back and she immediately channeled her Maiden powers through a glyph, sending a barrage of ice at Ren who lowered his weapon and sent a palm strike forward, channeling his Aura into the center of his hand.
SHATTER!
The ice immediately shattered, and Ren charged forward, breaking through the ice until he was right in front of Weiss who gasped and had no time to react as he delivered a double kick into Weiss' face, sending her flying at the copy of Nora…
"YAAAHHHHHH!" Nora swung her hammer, slamming into Weiss' torso and sending her flying, crashing through several trees.
Ruby watched how easily her teammates were being beaten down so easily.
How were they losing so badly?
Did the Jabberwalker make them that much stronger…or were they always that much stronger and Ruby and her friends just got weaker?
And Jaune…
With his armor on, Jaune was easily pinned to the ground by the image Pyrhha using her Semblance.
"You're fighting a lot like Cinder now." Neo remarked as she lowered her arm, holding the Way to the Dawn in one hand and Hush in the other.
Just because she had a Keyblade now, it doesn't mean she would abandon her original weapon. Well, the original Hush disappeared when it fell and Neo had the idea that Ruby and her friends found and destroyed it so she planned on keeping the new one close to her.
"What'd you say?!" Ruby shouted in outrage.
"She flaunted her powers around me and Roman but when I fought her in Mistral, I noticed that she claimed to be stronger her, her skills had actually gone down a bit since I last saw her. If not for her Maiden powers I would have killed her then and there." Neo explained as she and Ruby stared each other down. "Her powers had become her crutch. She focused more on them than on her own skills, likely neglecting her training. Guess she didn't see the need if she thought she could get her hands on all four Maidens. You're not fighting very well without your weapon and just wildly blasting at me with everything you've got, like she did."
Had Neo been right?
Had they become too reliant on their Maiden powers?
Did Ruby and her team let the Maiden powers they had never wanted but had been given become a crutch?
"The more things change, the more they seem to stay the same. Huh, Red?" A familiar voice spoke from behind her.
She turned to see Roman strolling forward, followed by the Malachite sisters. "Roman…"
"An endless hoard of monsters and 'bad guys' and here you are in the middle of it all." 'Roman' twirled his cane. "Guess things never change, even after you're dead."
"I guess not." Ruby softly said. "So, does this mean Neo still holds a grudge with me or is this somehow the Red King's doing?"
"Neo…" 'Roman' frowned as he glanced over at the Jabberwock as it softly approached. "We're just all memories made real to fight whoever that thing sends our way…While Neo stays inside the thing's heart. I can't say if that's better than being dead or not."
Ruby raised an eyebrow, seeing this image of Roman acted more alive than the others. "…I guess Neo's memory of you is so strong, that you actually stopped to talk with me like the real Roman would."
"Guess so." 'Roman' pointed his cane at her, an unreadable expression on his face. "One question, Red…When I died, was I in pain? Was it torturous? Did I die alone?"
Ruby blinked before she answered. "No. It was quick. Yes, a Grimm ate him but it was quick. And he wasn't alone."
'Roman' smiled just as the Jabberwock let out a roar…and then suddenly collapsed.
"Huh?" Penny along with the other Keyblade wielders glanced over to see the creature collapse, followed by the conjured images of past friends and enemies alike, all falling to their knees and all having hands over their chest.
The Jabberwocky growled and hissed, reacting to some sort of pain when it tried to lift itself up. Even the images were mirroring their creator's actions, hands still clenching over their chest as if they were experiencing some form of heartache. Then a pink light appeared in the Jabberwock's chest…then the top of something pierced the monster's chest.
The sharpened end of the Way to the Dawn Keyblade slowly pushed out.
"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRR!" The Jabberwocky roared in anguish.
Meanwhile the Red King glanced over his shoulder, feeling his control over the girl's Semblance fading. She was somehow breaking free of the Red King's control. The light within caused the Jabberwock's chest pain to grow worse with the light getting brighter. The chest ruptured and out of it came Neo glowing bright lights of pink and white lights.
Everyone was surprised, watching in surprise as Neo broke free from that Red King's control broke free of the creature. She landed on the ground, falling to her knees for a moment before she managed to stand back up.
"Usually, I'm making puns for such things like this tut that is one 'major heart attack' we gladly didn't get ourselves into." Yang commented with no pun intended.
The Jabberwocky managed to stand up on its hind legs in the position but paused in place with the source of its power having been cut off. Neo was free from her prison and the creature had been created by her very own Semblance used against her. The creature collapsed to the ground making a large booming sound signaling its defeat, red pixels showing themselves as the Jabberwock began disappearing along with the other duplicates.
Back to her senses, Neo looked at her surroundings, stopping when she saw the Keyblade Wielders, RWBY, the Gullwings, Jaune, Penny and Oscar. Neo then saw an image Roman looking at her with a smile as he tipped his hat to her before he vanished with the red. Meanwhile, the remaining Afterans immediately began to retreat, vanishing into clouds of red dust that then dispersed.
"Hey guys, where is he?!" Neo barked. "Where is that 'Red Pompous Prick'?! I'm going to give him one EPIC BEAT DOWN!"
Everyone flinched from the high-pitched anger in Neo's voice but were glad she managed to break out from the Red King's control. The pink glowing light surrounding faded away and Neo suddenly like her entire being and body were about to faint. Ven was fast enough to catch her. Neo was still conscious realizing but after the Red King took over her body and used her semblance to turn her into both the Jabberwalker and the Jabberwock it had been beyond its previous limits even if being in the EverAfter had evolved it, straining her body almost too much.
Forcefully transforming her into that thing and conjuring many copies under its command was too much, even for Neo that her Aura instantly broke when the pink light surrounding her was gone.
"Don't worry I got you." Ven said to her.
She was conscious enough to hear concern in his voice and realized something else. The position she was that prevented her from falling had left her to be curried in Ven's arms, bridal style. A few shades of pink appeared on her face blushing.
She had to admit, of all the boys she had met this one was a major cutie and bit of a charmer as well.
"Uh, Ven can you put me down somewhere I could rest a bit." Neo asked kindly as she could, yet a little shy from the position she is in. "For some reason my body is completely spent from endless use of my semblance…"
"Sure." Ven replied simply.
"Allow me to do that." Penny using her abilities to create a nice house with a nice bed to Neo to rest in.
"Thank you." Ven replied kindly, bringing Neo inside the building.
She didn't know if this was making it better or worse.
Ven was carrying her into a house bridal style like they're going on a honeymoon.
'Why am I thinking those type of thoughts?' She thought to herself. 'He's a kid and probably has no clue. Though, looks like all of Aqua's friends seem to have good looks like Terra…Well, when I saw him in his human form, I admit he was hubba-hubba eye candy material. Ven is a kid that is wholesome, sweet, charming, and cute…Oh crap.'
She realized what she was thinking and shook her head. 'That is not the time and place right now. We need to stop that red pompous bastard.'
She wanted to make friends with him first even though she remembered Ven story's of meeting another girl at the castle call herself Namíne. That's right. He's interested in her right now.
Meanwhile others within Penny's heart notices Neo's reaction about the newcomer. Yang grinned, thinking she finally had some dirt on the little ice cream menace but could admit along with the rest of Team RWBY that this boy was almost cute as Oscar. Ruby noticed that as well and for some reason, an image Oscar carrying her flashed in her mind, making her blush and shake her head.
Still, Team RWBY couldn't help but admire how charming and kind Ven seemed to be. For some reason Yang was getting a little jealous of Neo getting the attention. Blake also noticed Ven's fighting style during the battle, specifically his backwards blade strike and fighting style that almost similar to a ninja's fighting style.
For some reason she suddenly began to remember Sun, perhaps because of Ven's blond hair and blue eyes, remembering he was the one who had helped her to not let her own insecurities ruin her friendships with her teammates.
Ven placed Neo on the bed and noticed her face was a bit red now. "Are you okay? You look very red."
"Just fine. Trying to calm myself down. Speaking of 'Red' we need to stop that Red King anyways. Where has he gone and what he's up too?" Neo shook her head.
"That's a pretty good question."
The Red King landed softly on the ground in the middle of a forest close to the ocean. He had sensed his control over the wretched human he had remade into the Jabberwock had been lost.
Regrettable but irrelevant.
It had become sadly apparent that despite his own powers, he was still outmatched by these Keyblade Wielders. Without them, the humans would be weak and easily corralled. Unfortunately, due to his inability to defeat them and restore order to the EverAfter he had to resort to drastic measures now.
That was why he was here now.
He marched through the forest, ignoring any nearby creatures that hastily got out of his way. They recognized him as a being of great importance and power, as they should. He marched through the forest until he found what he needed.
"There it is."
A single fruit with a clock on it.
A Stopwatch Fruit.
Despite what that foolish Rusted Knight would believe, there was more than one Stopwatch Fruit in the EverAfter. Afterans barely used them but some would use them rewind themselves back to see what they had looked before ascension, curious since they had very little memories of their past lives. No one had ever used the fruit for what he was about to do but desperate times called for desperate measures.
"As I take this step forward from today to yesterday, I vow to create a better tomorrow." The Red King spoke as he grasped the time-traveling fruit.
And like that, time began to rewind around him.
"Hold on!" Neo spoke up. "Are you saying that there's a way for that Red King go back in time within the EverAfter?"
It sounded hard to believe for her even after everything she had seen and been through, but she wasn't quick to dismiss Penny's claim. Ven and Terra were surprised about this too.
"As a matter of fact, yes." Jaune appeared and then transformed into his elderly form." When I first fell this world, I explored a bit then I found a peculiar plant that was holding a clock. When I picked it off from the plant all of a sudden the hands of the clock started to rewind backwards and everything else around me did too. I had no choice to put the destroy the clock to stop rewinding backwards in time. Then after throughout the years I end up becoming the Rusted Knight"
That was surprising to hear for the Keyblade Wielders, having not been in the EverAfter to see all the strange things it was capable of. Even the Gullwings were highly surprised about something like a time rewinding fruit ever existed in this world. It was intriguing but yet horrifying what happened to the blonde boy becoming an older man.
"Let's go there and stop him Penny can you use your powers parts of the tree to use its roots to block it or hide it that time plant." Oscar told his plan. They have to stop that Red King.
"I can but he's already reached the point where it is and has now gone back in time." Penny answered, meaning during their time fighting he managed to make it. "No worries. He will return and he will finally understand that humans are not all that bad. Fighting against a common enemy Drasil and aiding Master Odin to stop her."
"SAY WHAT!?" Everyone said at what Penny told them.
Even the others within her heart were shocked.
"Who is Master Odin?" Neo asked.
"One of Oz's past lives." Oscar answered. "Apparently he came to the EverAfter or even Remnant a long time ago, maybe just after the Great War and ended up becoming Oz's next host."
"A Keyblade Wielder came here before us?" Ven asked.
"Apparently but I never heard of this Master Odin." Terra stated.
"I only learned of him when I woke up in a place called the Relic of Time. I guess the Brothers got to work on creating more stuff when they left Remnant. It's a place located in between space and time and actually stores other Relics like the ones they left on Remnant." Oscar continued.
"Other Relics?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah. There was a Relic of Light that looked like a staff, a Relic of Darkness that looked like sword but different from the Sword of Destruction." Oscar nodded.
"Aqua and I faced the Relic of Judgement." Terra cut in.
"There was even a Relic of Heart." Oscar continued. "Who knows how many Relics were created. But Odin believed that if Salem ever learned about the Relic of Time and the Relics it stored, she'd go as far as to abandon gathering the four Relics on Remnant and try to find these other Relics. Who knows how dangerous she would be if she did."
"Okay, but what about the Red King?" Ven asked. "What do we do about him?"
Oscar tried to remember of his previous lives specially his past life as Odin.
He saw the Red King as he was from before, kinder and wiser…
Then he had changed and not for the better.
A great red castle, defended by five beasts: the Raven, the Gryphon, the Owl, the Dodo and the Jabberwock.
He remembered…meeting a woman with blue hair and eyes…more like rescuing her from her prison in the Red Keep, regaining her blue and silver armor…The Silver Knight.
And it wasn't just her.
A young boy with hazel eyes…
Another boy, similar age to the first one with blue eyes and spiky blond hair, wearing green and golden armor…The Golden Knight.
A man in bronze armor…The Bronze Knight.
A trio of fairies with one more added to their group.
Even more of the memories return about defending the Ever After with other denizens joining him along with that other Red King they had fought against…
He was in passive at first of the idea adjoining forces especially with a human, then realizing the imminent threat and what her plan was.
A plan that causing more atrocity in the EverAfter…
A plan to merge with the First World.
So, the Red King set aside his pride aside to stop this imminent threat.
"So, he's going to the past to reclaim things once were, but it will be all in vain?" Neo asked Penny.
"Exactly so, even he will have to help Odin to stop the previous avatar before I took her place." Penny explained. "Not only that soon enough the Red King will finally understand if he ever did destroy me in the present time while I still holding the others within me, any one of them would end up becoming the new Avatar. Even though I might not be the core of the Tree, I am still connected to it now so if he ever destroys me the Ever After will be destroyed too or severely damaged. Not only that, all the Afterans will fall into the Realm of Darkness that they will have no defense against the heartless there since they have hearts like we all do."
Neo processed that Aqua told her about hearts having power even without possessing a Keyblade. Aqua told her of what the Heartless are capable of, how they can collect hearts that become part of the very darkness they come from, but even also taking the hearts to have the power too. Neo then thought of the denizens of this world, how they all possess intelligence, emotions, and memories.
All parts that make a heart, what it is the possess power within the one's being.
"That type of logic is proven no matter what being of what world they are capable of not only of intelligence but also emotions too. Which all means possess a heart." Terra told them, knowing this before and after Xehanort possessed him.
"That is very true. Even I made friends with a lot of different beings that were not human. Like King Mickey Mouse, Donald the mage, Goofy the knight, and many others at Disney Castle." Ven pointed out.
"That's very nice and all. Which brings up the important matter of our friend. How did Neo get out of that monster?" Yuna said look in the back at Neo resting on the bed.
"Well... You see I nearly died, and I went to the Final World where I was almost about to disappear. Which I guess if it did happen, I would actually be gone for good." Everyone was surprised at what she told them, but it didn't end there. "I was about to fade away until within that world. That's where I met Aqua once again help me with her semblance to return to this world and reclaim control over myself."
Everyone was stunned and Ven immediately came over to her, bombarding her questions. Asking her if Aqua was all right.
How was she doing walking through the passage of time?
And how many friends she made there.
Neo quickly covered his mouth with the palm of her hand to quiet him. "Slow down, there featherhead boy. Asking all the questions at once is too much to handle after I gone through."
Everyone began to laugh at the scene.
Ven backed away. "Sorry about that. From what you said before all this fighting happened, I can't help but be concerned about what's happening with Aqua."
"I couldn't blame you for that. I would do the same thing as well but should know better." Neo shrugged. "At least I didn't only meet Aqua there. I also saw my best friend Roman there too temporarily. At least now I have some closure knowing my friend's final moments."
The Gullwings flew over to Neo, each one rested upon her shoulders and on top of her bowler hat, trying to comfort her.
At least she got to see him one last time.
Neo appreciated the three even though it felt weird having three miniature friends beside her. Still, they felt like good friends which she really needed.
"So what do we do now?" Terra asked.
Surprisingly it was Oscar who answered. "We go after the Red King and make sure he doesn't destroy the EverAfter."
The group looked at him in surprise before Penny spoke up. "I would like to help, neither I nor the hearts inside me can journey back in time with you."
"That's fine, Penny. You've done more than enough." Oscar stated, looking at the Keyblade Wielders and the Gullwings. "I think you all know what has to be done."
Neo raised an eyebrow and then shrugged. "Fine by me…I was getting bored anyways and I want pay that red douche back for what he put me through." She got up from the bed and stretched herself. "But, before that happens…I need to have talk with Red."
Penny raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Very well."
Neo headed for the door and Penny then changed into Ruby, following her outside.
Ruby stared at Neo's back as she stared at the setting suns in the different. "So…Is this still about Roman?"
Neo took a deep breath and sighed. "Even though I finally can talk, it's not any easier for me to admit so I'm just going to come out and say it…" Neo turned around and looked Ruby in the eyes as she said two words. "I'm sorry."
Ruby's eyes went wide. "…What?"
"For my actions, here and back in Atlas." Neo simply said, trying to keep her face blank, but it was clear she was struggling to speak. "I wanted to avenge Roman so badly I didn't realize what it was doing to me, even after it got me stuck here. Looking back on it, if things had been reversed, Roman would have been furious and he would have tried to kill you if he had the chance, but he wouldn't have gone to the same lengths as I had, and he wouldn't have teamed up with Cinder of all people to do. All my attempts for revenge got me nowhere and if it hadn't been for Aqua…One other thing, you've already guys actually saved me from myself or rather from that whole darkness within my heart thing. I pretty much appreciate your help Ruby, using your powers to purify me too."
"Neo…"
Neo shrugged. "Thought I'd get it out of the way before we left. I don't expect anything to change between us."
Neo moved to walk past Ruby, but the huntress grabbed her by the arm, stopping her. "Quite honestly Neo. What you said to me earlier when I was still confused and lost and you were finally able to speak about your past, what you had gone through. Somehow your words actually brought me out of my own despair to truly make a difference once again…Back then, I said I wouldn't apologize for what happened to Roman…I will admit that I'm sorry you lost him and I'm sorry that everyone, Cinder and Salem used you."
Now Neo looked surprised as she looked at Ruby.
"He wasn't a good man. You and I know that, and he probably wouldn't have changed his ways like you have, but I wouldn't have killed him, even if I had the chance. He was beating me, he was winning, and he claimed he would always do what he did best: lie, cheat-"
"Steal and survive." Neo finished for Ruby. "That was his motto."
"Yeah. He told me the world was cold, that it didn't care about spirit and that if I wanted to be a hero so bad, I should just play the part and die like every other Huntsmen in history." Ruby sighed. "Worst of all, looking back on it, I feel like I validated his believes."
Neo raised an eyebrow.
"My friends and I, we lied in Atlas, we stole in Argus and brought the Grimm down on those people, heck I even cheated using Jinn to slow the Grimm long enough and I only left the person I was fighting to clean up the whole mess." Ruby listed. "And surviving…Well, we've both survived this long, haven't we?"
Neo shrugged. "If you can call it surviving."
"Point." Ruby conceded. "Still, I can see that Aqua has been a good influence on you, Neo. Maybe if things had been different…"
"Don't think too hard, Red." Neo rolled her eyes. "Self-reflection is not always good, even if you do learn from your mistakes…Besides, if Roman was alive when Aqua met us…She would have taken the both of us down in a second. As much as I hate to admit, what drove Roman so much when you fought him…You and Aqua are both opposite to everything he stood for, everything he ever believed in and when you refused to break as everything else did, he couldn't handle it. Him, a veteran who has seen every bit of cruelty in the world…"
"…And me, the young idealistic huntress trying to be the hero and save everyone." Ruby chuckled. "Yeah, I can see how that would have egged him. It was pretty much the same with me. I hated how he could just stand, smiling as everything was being destroyed and he simply said that no one could stop the people who hired him and that it was better to just help them. Both of us were at our peak hate for each other on that airship…"
Neo glanced away. "And left me, stewing in rage and sadness because you walked away from that right…and he didn't."
Ruby looked back at Neo. "…Yeah."
Neo started walking. "Well, if this new timeline does workout and I get to be with Roman again, I can't say I would do things much differently. I'd try to make sure he'd stay alive, no matter what he'd get himself into…I'd only hope that even if things did go bad again, that this time I'd have someone to keep me from making the same mistakes as before. Roman was my ticket to escaping a sad, lonely miserable life, I couldn't ever imagine the idea of doing it all over again without him."
"Even if it means you become Aqua's enemy?" Ruby asked, turning to look at Neo's back.
Neo stopped and stiffened. "Aqua…She showed me the kind of hope that made me realize that even if Roman wasn't wrong about survival…If surviving was all we did…"
"You couldn't call it living." Ruby finished, surprising Neo who turned to face her, seeing Ruby smiling now. "Yeah, I heard that part."
Neo sighed. "Sometimes though, I really think it was easier just following Roman's mindset."
"Maybe…But if there was one thing, I would ask of you-"
"Not try to kill you and your friends?" Neo asked, rolling her eyes.
"No, but that would be nice." Ruby answered with a small laugh before she went back to being serious. "If there is one thing to ask of you, I'd ask you not to throw your life for Roman or Aqua or spend the rest of it in their shadow…I'd ask you to live for them and for yourself instead."
Neo froze at those words, staring at Ruby with widened eyes and her mouth fell out…She wasn't sure if her jaw had not touched the ground because of what Ruby had just said.
"…Damn you…" Neo finally turned away. "Damn you, Red. You just have to get the last word in that…"
Ruby said nothing, watching as Neo walked off.
It was unlikely they would see each other again in this life.