The Jewels In Her Eyes Chapter 2: deuxième chance, a rwby fanfic

Chapter 2: deuxième chance

REVIEWS:

fall0fdark: Good, because it's gonna be good! Lots of Romance and Drama!

volcasiron30: Thank you and here's chapter 2!

The. Brotherhood. 0f. Steel: Here's more!

LillyFlow: Thank you, I hope you enjoy the second chapter!

xXLeviathan01Xx: Glad you like it and I will!

TheSlySage: Glad you like the story and the french add-on! We'll be getting more into why Jaune's training at Atlas Academy and what's going on with the Arc family down the line as well as Emerald's mother.

BungusAmungus: Ohh~! It will be~!

Simplyhiccstrid: I will!

Rg Pascual: Lol! I can see why you got that!

Abyss Watchers' Favorite Cook: Yes! Her neferious plans will be foiled rather quickly by the power of friendship and love!

XXX

It was her free period, and technically, Emerald was supposed to be back at her dorm, strategizing with Cinder about Team RWBY and their other targets. That was what she was meant to focus on. But now, none of that seemed to matter.

Right now, all that mattered was the boy sitting beside her—the one she hadn't seen in what felt like an eternity. He'd hugged her so fiercely, with a warmth she had all but forgotten, like a reminder of what it was to be cared for, to feel loved. The years had changed him, she could see that, but what had he been through? What had happened to that boy she'd once known so well?

Jaune shook his head, his eyes still filled with disbelief. "I still can't believe you're sitting here, right next to me," he said, smiling with a bittersweet edge. "It almost feels like a dream... like if I look away, you'll be gone again,"

Emerald nodded, her own smile softened with the same sadness. "Yeah... me too," she said quietly.

Jaune looked at her, his gaze piercing, almost searching. "Emerald... where have you been all these years?" he asked gently, a question he seemed almost afraid to ask.

She looked back at him, feeling her heart twist. "I want to know that too," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "I thought you died that day... I thought I'd lost everything."

Jaune's face grew more serious as he nodded slowly, almost as if he were acknowledging some unspoken pain between them. "I thought so too," he murmured, his voice strained. He took a deep breath, his eyes meeting hers. "What do you remember?"

Emerald's face grew pale as she looked back into those memories, the ones she'd buried so deep she'd almost convinced herself they couldn't hurt her anymore. She took a shaky breath, her voice soft and unsteady.

"I... I remember waiting for you by the park that afternoon. I remember it was supposed to be like any other day," she began, her gaze unfocused as if seeing the past unfold before her. "Then, the village alarm went off, and suddenly, there was just... chaos everywhere, Grimm were pouring in through the main gate, and people were running, screaming... The guards were fighting, but it was like nothing could hold them back,"

She swallowed, forcing herself to keep going.

"I tried to make it home, to get to my mom, but the Grimm got there first. I remember the smoke, the smell, and the noise... It felt like the whole village was being torn apart." Her voice broke slightly as she wrapped her arms around herself, as if for warmth. "I didn't know where to go, so I ran toward your house. But when I got there... It was on fire, I remember seeing it all in flames, and then... I saw your dad, h-he was lying on the ground outside, and I thought... I thought it was over for all of you... I thought you were gone too, Jaune, I thought you all were," She looked down, clutching her arms as her voice grew heavy with years of unspoken grief.

Jaune's expression grew tense as he looked at her, his own pain reflected in her sorrowful gaze. "Emerald..." he started, his voice soft but strained.

But Emerald barely seemed to hear him, the memories pouring out as if they'd been held back for years. "I just... I ran! I ran as fast and as far as I could, thinking it was all over! Everything I'd ever known was just... gone..." Her voice cracked, and she pressed a hand over her mouth, trying to steady herself. "I must have run for miles before I collapsed, exhausted and terrified, I don't even remember hitting the ground—I just woke up in some rundown hostel in Vacuo,"

She paused, swallowing back a sob, and continued.

"Apparently, a group of travelers found me on the road and took me in, they fed me, kept me safe, and even helped me explain what happened when we reached the city, but, in the end, all they could do was drop me off at an orphanage," She clenched her fists, her voice growing bitter. "That place was... fine at first, but I learned pretty quickly that nothing was going to change, and if I wanted to survive, I'd have to make it on my own,"

Jaune's face softened with concern, a mix of sadness and guilt flooding his gaze. "Emerald..." he whispered, but she couldn't stop now.

"It was hard, Jaune," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "Living on the streets was a constant battle, I did... a lot of things I'm not proud of, things that... that I had to do just to get by," She looked away, a flash of shame in her eyes, dreading the judgment she feared might be coming.

But instead, Jaune's face twisted with worry, and to her surprise, anger. "No one hurt you, did they?" he asked, his voice uncharacteristically hard. "No one... took advantage of you, right?"

Emerald blinked, caught off guard by the intensity in his tone. She hadn't expected him to care so deeply, or to even ask something like that. But she managed a faint, grateful smile and shook her head. "No... I got into some fights, sure, but I was careful, I never let anyone..." She trailed off, feeling both relieved and strangely touched by his protectiveness.

Jaune relaxed a bit, his shoulders sagging in relief. "Thank gods," he muttered under his breath. After a pause, he asked, "So... what did you have to do to survive?"

Emerald looked away, her voice low. "I stole food, money, even some valuables—whatever I could find, I pawned them off just to survive, sometimes just to get food, sometimes to save up for my weapons," She hesitated, glancing back at him. "That's... how I got by for a long time,"

Jaune nodded slowly, absorbing her words. "You did what you had to," he replied firmly. "I don't blame you for any of it, not a bit,"

Emerald let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Thanks, Jaune, you have no idea what it means to hear you say that," She gave him a slight smile, then gestured to his crisp Atlas Academy uniform. "And honestly, I kind of thought you might, y'know, seeing as you're wearing that," She smirked, raising an eyebrow playfully.

Jaune glanced down at his blazer and rolled his eyes with a sheepish grin. "Yeah, the uniform might be pretty "by the book" but trust me, I'm not one of those Atlas types that care about following all the rules," he joked. "Besides, some of the other Atlas students are the real hardasses, not me," He chuckled, nudging her playfully.

Emerald laughed, almost surprised at his easygoing attitude. There was something about his humor, that soft lightheartedness, that felt like a piece of the past coming back to life. She'd worried he might look at her differently now, but he was still Jaune. In all the ways that mattered, he hadn't changed.

They fell silent for a moment, but then Jaune's expression turned serious. "Emerald... there's something you should know," He hesitated as if trying to find the right words. "You didn't lose everyone,"

Emerald's eyes went wide, her heart racing. "What... what do you mean?"

He took a deep breath, steadying himself, then looked directly at her. "My dad... he's gone, he died protecting us, fighting to keep us safe that day," A shadow crossed his face as he continued, but there was a glint of hope in his gaze. "But my mom... my sisters... they're still alive, and so is your mom, Emerald,"

The moment she heard those words, it was as if time itself came to a halt. Her heart skipped a beat, and the world around her faded into the background. Jaune's presence was a comfort, his friendship an anchor, something precious she had never expected to find again. But the idea of her mother—of Jazmine Sustrai still being alive—was something else entirely. It was like touching a dream she hadn't dared to believe in, a fragile hope she had buried long ago.

Emerald's mind was filled with memories, vivid and sharp. She could see her mother's face as clearly as if she were standing right in front of her—the bright green hair that sparkled in the sunlight, the rich ebony skin a shade darker than her own, and those light red eyes that always glimmered with kindness. Jazmine's smile was what she remembered most: warm, comforting, and full of love. That smile could chase away any worry, and calm any storm, and it was what Emerald had clung to in her darkest moments, even when the memory of it began to feel like a distant illusion.

She had admired her mother, who had worked tirelessly to give her a good life, who was as fierce as she was gentle. To Emerald, Jazmine had been the strongest, most resilient person in the world. Side by side with Yalena Arc, the Arc family's matriarch, Jazmine had held their village together with a strength Emerald had always hoped to inherit.

"Emerald?" Jaune's soft voice pulled her back, his face etched with concern.

She blinked, feeling the tears begin to well up. "She... she's really alive?" Her voice trembled, her gaze locking onto Jaune's, seeking any confirmation that this wasn't just another cruel joke.

Jaune nodded, his expression gentle. "Yeah, she's alive, and she's been hoping for something like this, I... I think a part of her never gave up on finding you,"

Emerald's breath caught, and she felt something shift inside her. All the bitterness and anger, all the walls she had put up, began to melt away with the realization that her mother, the person who had once been her whole world, was still out there.

A wave of emotions surged through her—relief, longing, a painful ache of the years she'd lost, and a hope so fierce it almost scared her. "I can't believe it," she whispered, her voice choked as she tried to steady herself. "All this time... all this time I thought... I thought I lost everything,"

Jaune reached out, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly. "You haven't lost anything, Emerald, you have people waiting for you,"

She let herself feel that comfort, let it sink in for the first time in years. The tears came then, slow at first, but soon spilling freely down her cheeks. She wasn't crying just out of sorrow or grief; she was crying because, for the first time in so long, she felt something she thought she'd lost forever.

She felt like she had a family again.

In her mind, Emerald could already see it—the reunion she had dreamed of for so long, the one she clung to in her loneliest moments. She imagined her mother standing there, waiting, her arms open, her face lit with joy and relief. She could see herself falling into that embrace, feeling the warmth and love she had lost for so many years. She saw Jaune's family too, all of them gathered, welcoming her back with open arms, tears and smiles all around.

The thought made her heart swell. She almost couldn't believe it, almost feared it was a cruel illusion. But deep down, her heart and soul told her it was real. This was the life she'd longed for, the one she'd thought was lost forever. With her defenses down, the side of her she'd buried—vulnerable, hopeful, the girl who once believed in love and family—finally emerged, if only for a moment. For that brief, precious second, she felt like herself again, like the Emerald Sustrai of the past.

But then, a voice—a low, mocking tone laced with danger—cut through her daydream like a knife.

"Oh? What's going on here, Emerald?"

The voice was unmistakable, and it drained the color from her face instantly.

Cinder.

In an instant, the beautiful fantasy shattered into jagged pieces. The warmth and hope she'd felt only moments before shrank back, retreating behind walls she'd built to protect herself, walls that had taken years to construct. She could feel her body stiffen, her hands tense, her breathing shallow with a dread she couldn't suppress.

Jaune's comforting presence was suddenly a distant memory as Cinder stepped closer, her gaze sharp and unyielding. The reunion, the laughter, the tearful embraces—everything she had dared to imagine evaporated as quickly as it had come, leaving behind only the cold, familiar reality.

Emerald barely moved, her whole body rigid as she fought to hide any hint of the vulnerability Cinder might sense. She knew Cinder's eyes were on her, reading her every twitch and glance. There was no hiding from Cinder Fall, no hope of shielding this glimmer of her past from the woman who had molded her into a weapon.

But then, she felt Jaune shift beside her, felt his questioning gaze, unaware of the storm raging within her. And as much as she wanted to protect that fragile memory of hope, she knew she would have to bury it once more, keep it hidden where Cinder would never find it.

Jaune looked at the newcomer with mild curiosity, his brows slightly raised. "And... you are?" he asked.

Before Emerald could speak, Cinder beat her to it, stepping forward with a smooth, calculated smile that looked almost genuine. "Cinder Fall," she replied, her voice soft but with a strange edge, "leader of Team CMEN, I'm Emerald's teammate."

Jaune blinked in surprise, his gaze flickering from Cinder to Emerald and back again before offering a polite nod. "Well, nice to meet you, Cinder, I'm Jaune Arc," he said with a small, friendly smile, extending his hand in greeting.

Cinder's smile widened, exuding a warmth that somehow felt hollow. "The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Arc," she replied, shaking his hand with an almost imperceptible firmness.

Jaune chuckled, trying to ease the sudden tension he felt in the air. "Ah, no need for "Mister" just Jaune is fine,"

Cinder inclined her head, maintaining her smile. "Of course... Jaune," Her tone was smooth as silk as her gaze lingered on him a bit too long before she tilted her head, her curiosity piqued. "So, tell me, how do you know our Emerald?" she continued, her eyes flickering with interest.

"Oh, we go way back," he answered, a hint of nostalgia softening his voice. "Grew up together!"

"I see," Cinder murmured, her eyes assessing Jaune.

Jaune nodded, "Yeah... Uh, if you don't mind me asking, how has Emerald been?" He asked. "It's been... a long time since I've seen her," Jaune told Cinder, his voice laced with sadness.

"She's been doing more than well," Cinder replied smoothly. "Emerald is quite the asset to our team,"

"I can believe that," Jaune said with a light laugh, a hint of admiration in his tone. "She's always been amazing! And I'm sure she's learned a lot under your leadership,"

Cinder's smile widened a hint of pride and something darker. "I suppose you could say that," she replied, her voice laced with satisfaction.

Jaune nodded thoughtfully, watching her closely. "If you don't mind me asking, you wouldn't happen to be from Atlas, would you? Your... vocabulary, it has that distinct, polished tone," he said with an easy smile. "I've only ever heard people from Atlas talk like that,"

For a split second, Cinder froze, a flash of tension running through her that only Emerald seemed to notice. She glanced from Jaune to Cinder, wondering if he was testing her—did he sense something was off, or was this just innocent curiosity? If Jaune had noticed Cinder's reaction, he showed no sign, maintaining the same relaxed expression as if nothing had changed.

Cinder quickly recovered, brushing off the moment with a small forced giggle. "Ah, I've traveled quite a bit, I suppose I've picked up a few things along the way," she replied, her tone smooth, but her eyes glinted as she locked gazes with Jaune, her smile sharpening. "But Atlas is not where my loyalties lie, if that's what you're wondering,"

Jaune's expression didn't waver, he continued to smile and be friendly with Cinder. "Of course," he replied, his voice polite. "Just curious, you do have this commanding presence, to you, Cinder, I'd bet the Atlas Military would be lucky to have someone like you,"

Cinder's smile became sly. "I'm flattered, really, though I'd say our team is exactly where it should be,"

Jaune nodded in response, "Well," Jaune said, his smile unwavering, "I'm glad Emerald has found herself a Leader like you then," He told Cinder.

Emerald swallowed, her pulse quickening as she felt the charged silence between Cinder and Jaune. She couldn't tell if Jaune was intentionally needling Cinder or if he was simply oblivious—but either way, something was brewing. And Cinder... Emerald could see the calculating look in her eyes, the subtle tilt of her head as she scrutinized him, as though sizing him up, perhaps even perceiving him as a threat. But why? What was really going on here?

Suddenly, the heavy atmosphere was broken by a soft chime, and Jaune's attention shifted as he pulled out his scroll. The device was a sleek black, a shade she hadn't seen on anyone else's scroll before—it stood out, different from the standard white.

Jaune glanced apologetically between them. "Sorry, it's my partner," he said with a smile before answering. "Hey, Pyrrha! What's up?"

Emerald felt Cinder's gaze sharpen instantly at the mention of the name, her eyes narrowing with a mix of interest and suspicion. Pyrrha Nikos. Emerald knew the name; everyone did. Pyrrha was practically a legend—the "Invincible Girl," the one every academy dreamed of having. And the one who, according to Cinder's information, had been recruited by Ozpin himself to attend Beacon. So why was she with Jaune at Atlas?

Cinder's mind raced as she pieced together the implications. Pyrrha's sudden switch to Atlas had baffled her, but she'd chalked it up to a personal choice, maybe an attempt to escape the fame Beacon would bring her. But if Pyrrha was Ozpin's chosen candidate for the Maiden powers... then why wasn't she at Beacon? That was what she'd assumed all along, and her fallback suspicion had naturally turned toward Ruby Rose, Ozpin's surprising early acceptance.

But had she been mistaken? Was Ozpin attempting to throw them off with Pyrrha's sudden enrollment at Atlas and Ruby Rose's early acceptance at Beacon? If so, the headmaster's ploy wasn't enough to escape her notice. Cinder's eyes glinted with cold calculation as she pieced it all together. Pyrrha Nikos was still very much a part of the game, hidden beneath the military's vigilant gaze. Meanwhile, Ruby and her team were at Beacon, perhaps as an unassuming second line of defense or even as a decoy.

Cinder's lip curled into a knowing smirk. She'd had her doubts before, but now? Now she had all the clarity she needed. She'd go back to her initial plan, keeping a close eye on Nikos while making sure Ruby and her friends posed no further interference in their plans. And as for Nikos... Cinder realized, with grim satisfaction, that she now had the perfect leverage to keep tabs on the Invincible Girl.

Emerald's stomach tightened as she noticed Cinder's smile. It was the same subtle, cunning grin she'd seen a dozen times before—the one that meant her leader was concocting a new scheme.

A chill ran through Emerald's veins.

XXX

After their brief meeting with Cinder, Emerald and Jaune walked through Beacon's quiet halls, the evening light casting long shadows that seemed to stretch along with the tension hanging between them. They were headed back to Jaune's temporary dorm, yet despite his friendly demeanor, Emerald could barely focus on his words. Every step felt heavier than the last.

She didn't like it.

Just before they left, Cinder had given her that familiar, piercing look, dismissing her with a casual, "I'll leave you two to catch up." But it wasn't the words themselves that haunted Emerald now; it was the way Cinder's eyes lingered, carrying an unspoken command. It was clear that "catching up" wasn't her only task tonight. Emerald was expected to report everything she observed with Jaune's team. And she knew exactly why.

Their primary target was Pyrrha Nikos, Jaune's partner and one of Beacon's most promising Huntsmen-in-training. Rumor had it that Ozpin and Ironwood were considering her as the successor to the Fall Maiden's power. A power Cinder desperately sought to control. If Pyrrha was part of the Headmasters' plan, Cinder needed every detail—conversations, behavior, even the slightest indication of plans surrounding Nikos or the Maidens.

Emerald's stomach twisted as the reality of her mission sank in. She was supposed to spy on Jaune and his friends, dig for secrets, and feed them to Cinder. It felt like a betrayal of everything Jaune had given her in the short time they'd reconnected.

He had shattered everything she thought she knew. In a few quiet words, Jaune had told her the impossible—the people she had cherished, the family she'd long believed dead, were alive. He was alive. Her mother was alive. All of them had been waiting, hoping for her to come back home.

Emerald's heart pounded as the truth sank in.

She... She couldn't do this.

For years, she'd believed she'd lost them all. She had convinced herself that everyone she loved had been taken from her, that her mother and the Arc family were gone forever. She'd never see Jaune's familiar grin again, never feel her mother's embrace or hear her soothing voice.

That grief had been her constant companion, the fire that had driven her forward.

The belief that everyone she cared for was gone had filled her with a deep, burning anger at the world. That anger was why she joined Cinder in the first place. Why she agreed to a plan that would bring down a school filled with people who, in her mind, had probably never known suffering as she had. Why she saw no value in a Kingdom that had turned a blind eye to her pain and to others like her who had been left behind.

She wanted to make the world feel what she felt.

The anger.

The pain.

The sadness.

The fear.

The hopelessness.

But now... Everything was different, there was hope. She could have her family back.

She could be with her mother again.

She could have Jaune by her side once more.

She could see the Arcs again, hear their laughter echo through their home, and spend time with Jaune just like they had in those carefree days before life twisted them apart.

She could finally go back to her mother, wrap her arms around her, hold her close, and feel safe as she had when she was a child.

It wasn't too late—there was still a chance to reclaim everything she'd lost.

With that, Emerald's resolve hardened.

She couldn't let Cinder take that away from her, not after all this time. If she kept on the path Cinder had set her on, she risked losing everything all over again. Cinder had given her an escape from the streets, had promised her a purpose, power, even belonging—but that promise now felt like a trap, a cage that would keep her from ever finding peace. For all the good Cinder had done, she now posed a threat to the very life Emerald wanted to reclaim.

No, she couldn't just stand by. She had to do something. For Jaune, for her mother, for herself—she had to break free. She had to find a way out before Cinder's influence cost her everything she was just beginning to believe she could have back.

There was only one choice left... She had to risk everything and go to them, Ozpin's little circle. She'd face the consequences of what she'd done so far, every lie, every deception—but she prayed that the Headmaster would be as forgiving as he'd always seemed to be. She needed him to see her not as an enemy, but as someone desperately trying to escape a terrible path.

Cinder had always mocked that Headmaster Ozpin's kindness was his fatal weakness, but if kindness was Ozpin's flaw, then Emerald would use it to break free.

Perhaps it was risky, but she would take that chance.

Growing up on the streets of Vacuo, survival had always been the first and only rule. In a world of thieves and hustlers, there was a single creed: look out for yourself, always. Emerald had lived by that law, stealing to stay alive, trusting no one but herself. But for once, "looking out for herself" meant something different—it meant reaching for something more than survival, something she wanted for so long.

And that meant betraying Cinder.

She'd go to Ozpin and lay it all out, she'd tell him everything she knew about Cinder's plans, the plot to destabilize Beacon and the kingdom beyond.

She knew what she'd be called back in Vacuo for snitching—a rat, a traitor. The streets never looked kindly on someone who sold out their own. And this time, it was no petty betrayal; she was exposing a conspiracy that would destroy a school, a city, and the lives of countless people.

If this continued on, if she still went along with Cinder's plan, Emerald could very well end up with a bounty on her head.

She still might just for revealing Cinder's plan since she was in line with the likes of Roman and his little ice cream psychopathic partner, as well as Adam and his rather large terrorist organization.

If she continued following Cinder, she'd be hunted by everyone in the world. If she betrays Cinder, she'd be hunted by Cinder's allies.

But it was a price Emerald was willing to pay. She'd rather be a rat to a school filled with people fighting for something good than live her life as an accomplice to murder and chaos.

And her price for giving up all this information?

Simple.

Let her go home.

Let her return to the life she'd thought was lost forever, a life buried beneath ashes and years of regret.

Let her go back to the Arcs, the family who had taken her and her mother in and treated them as one of their own, who had filled her days with laughter and warmth. She wanted to sit around their dinner table again, sharing stories, finding joy in the everyday moments she'd once taken for granted.

Let her see her mother, the woman whose face she could barely picture anymore but who lived so vividly in her memories. The mother whose embrace could chase away every hurt, whose voice had soothed her through childhood fears, and who had been the one constant in her life until everything fell apart. She missed her mother as deeply as she missed the peace that had become so rare in her life, as deeply as the familiar warmth she now dreamed of each night.

And let her go back with Jaune—the one person who'd always believed in her, who brightened her day with nothing more than a smile. The person who had knelt before her, swearing his love and loyalty despite not knowing what that meant in his childish head.

She wanted that feeling back, to stand beside him, to build a life together unburdened by the sins of what's she done since surviving that horrific day.

In the end, she just hoped her betrayal of Cinder wouldn't come back to haunt her. She had watched too many deals turn sour, too many hopes collapse into dust—but for once, she needed to believe this one would hold. She was willing to give everything for the chance to finally go home, to be free, to live the life she had thought lost forever.

XXX

Is Emerald betraying Cinder a little too quickly? Yes, but that's the point! Canon Emerald was desperate enough to just follow Cinder because she believed Cinder was the only person who cared for her due to Cinder picking her up off the street and giving her something else to do with her life. Cinder gave her a purpose even if it was a purpose that led to a lot of terrible things.

However, this Emerald had a mother who loved her and a 2nd family who treated her like their own, so while Emerald did have to survive and become after assuming everyone she cared for was dead, hearing that they're alive is like getting a second chance at life for her. What she thought could never happened, did happen, the people she cares about, her Mother and Jaune are alive!

However, trust me when I say this, things will not be easy. Despite what Emerald thinks, things have changed and she'll find that out soon...