Chapter 4: Everyone Remembers Oscar Part 3

CRASH!

"Penny! What are you–?!"

"There is something I have to confirm, father! I will not be long!"

"Let me finish this one and I'll call Oz," drawled Qrow, downing another shot of AlwaysTransparent 190 Proof Rectified Spirit.

"Oh for the love of…" began Ironwood before his scroll started ringing.

The scroll read Special Operative Winter Schnee.

Unlike Ruby and Yang, Jaune had a pretty good idea of what made him go back in time. So the moment he realized that he was back in his house lying on his bed, he rushed to his scroll and called Saphron.

"Come on, pick up, sis," he said as he grabbed his calendar, his scroll ringing in his other hand..

He went back four years, when he was still an undecided fifteen-year old who dreamed of becoming a hero without knowing what exactly that meant.

Jaune mused that Oscar is probably still eleven or twelve years old right now, living on his aunt's farm in Mistral. The younger boy mentioned that they were poor and didn't have a scroll nor access to the CCT, hence him calling his older sister, who lived on the same continent.

'Gods,' thought Jaune. He hoped Oscar, if he made it out okay, didn't beat himself over what happened. It was not his fault that he was kidnapped nor that Salem and her whale were unkillable monsters.

The fact that he didn't break under the torture, just thinking about that made Jaune angry, and that he managed to get Emeral and Hazel to their side was honestly impressive.

And admittedly, that magic he used on the Monstra was damn cool, even if it's what likely brought him back to the past.

'If anything,' he thought, 'I should be the one beating myself up for failing to protect him.'

Some knight in shining armor he turned out to be.

He frowned and grit his teeth.

There was time to beat himself up later, right now he's in unfamiliar territory even if he's literally in his room. He needed to take stock of what he had, and what he could do later.

A noise from his scroll alerted him that his call finally connected.

"Hey sis, I–"

"YOU BETTER HAVE A GOOD EXPLANATION FOR THIS!" Shouted Saphron from the scroll. Jaune held his scroll at arm's length. It was loud enough that Jaune panicked thinking it would wake up his sisters.

Thank goodness he had his own room.

"Saph, what are you–" he stopped. He had a feeling he knew what was going in. "Do you, er, remember the future?"

His sister was silent..

Uh-oh, that means she's seriously angry.

"Jaune," replied in a low voice. Double uh-oh. "I went to bed last night in a completely different outfit to the one I woke up in, one that I haven't worn in four years.

"But what's worse," Her voice was breaking. Jaune was about to ask if she was okay before he realized the consequence of his sister traveling to the past. A pit formed in his stomach.

Please, let me be wrong. Please, let me be wrong…

Saphron sniffed."Jaune, we lost Adrian."

He gasped and almost dropped his scroll. He sat on his bed and looked at it, as if unable to comprehend what he just heard.

"What?"

"Terra is pregnant again," said Saphron, her voice hitching. This time Jaune indeed dropped his scroll.

"I-it's okay. It's a boy," she said as if to reassure herself. "A healthy boy. Terra is seven months in so it won't be long. We-I checked the papers. Me and Terra are just going to have to experience everything all over again. B-but we have knowledge of what to do this time! It's going to be fine! It's going to be fine…"

Jaune couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm coming over there," he said. "I-, you need all the help you can get right now."

He could hear his sister sniffle.

"It's fine, it's fine. We…just have to adjust," she said, though Jaune noticed that she did not seem to be convinced of her own words. "Terra, well, it's not everyday you go to sleep at night and wake up with your son in your belly and not beside you, I suppose."

"Understatement of the century, sis," said Jaune. "I'm still coming over there, I want to help. How is she?"

"She, well, she's taking it as well as she could be," replied Saphron. "She's not crying inconsolably anymore, at least."

Jaune heard her take a breath.

"Jaune, what's going on?" she asked.

"As you might have guessed, time travel."

"Thanks, Captain Obvious," snarked his sister. "How?"

"Well, we had a huge fight against the enemy in Atlas…"

Jaune explained as much as he could without giving away classified information over the scroll.

"I saw him unleash a whole lot of magic from his cane. There was a flash of white, and then I found myself here," he finished.

Saphron stayed silent. "But that doesn't explain the time travel," she said.

"Oscar's magic may have had unintended effects because of how much he used, at least that's what I think," he theorized. "I'll have to ask him directly when I meet him."

"How do you know he went back in time with us?"

Jaune snorted, amused. "He was the cause of the blast in the first place. If he isn't involved in all this, I'll wear a dress for a month."

Saphron let out a bark of laughter. Jaune bet it was the first time she smiled that day. "I'll hold you to that. I guess you'll also be going to Mistral to look for Oscar, right?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, I'll call Cherry and tell her you're coming here," she said. "Make up some excuse about how we need a big strong man to carry stuff around the house with."

"I'll come as soon as I can," replied Jaune, smiling. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Thanks sis, I owe you one."

"Yeah, you do." asked Saphron. "And Jaune?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks."

A single tear escaped Jaune's eye.

"Thanks too, sis."

Saphron ended the call. It pained Jaune to leave his other sisters almost as soon as he saw them again, but saving the world came first, and he needed to find everyone soon.

A knock came on his door.

"Jaune, were you calling Saphron earlier?" asked Cherry, the oldest and who had been something of a substitute mom to all of her younger siblings.

"Yeah," he replied. "She said that Terra was not feeling well and they needed help. Someone who can carry her in and out of bed."

"That's awfully sudden, is she okay?"

"She and the baby aren't in any danger, but she's been miserable."

"I see," she said. "We'll talk later at breakfast, one of the others might want to come with you."

Jaune was about to reply when suddenly her scroll started ringing. Cherry picked it up.

"Ah, here she is," she said as she walked out the door. Before she was out of earshot, Jaune could hear Saphron speaking on the scroll.

"I really owe you one, sis," he muttered.

He picked up his scroll again and began to type Nora's number. Hopefully either her or Ren also went back in time with him.

He was about to call Nora when he paused, erased her number on the scroll and replaced it with Ren's.

If they were in a similar situation as he was, Ren would be in a better position to speak.

The scroll rang.

"Hello?" a voice that was younger but unmistakably Ren replied.

"Hello Ren, this is Jaune, do you–"

"FEARLESS LEADER!"

It was still early in the morning but for the second time that day, Jaune had to talk with the scroll at arm's length.

"Yeah, yeah. Yes, you dolt. I'll talk to you guys later, bye," sighed one Weiss Schnee as she finished talking with Ruby and Yang.

Honestly, this was all too much. She could accept traveling back in time, and even being back to her younger body, but living once more under the thumb of her father was something she never wanted to experience again.

She lied down on her bed.

"This sucks," she muttered. Just when she managed to unite her family and get Jacques arrested, everything was pulled out from under her.

They still had no idea how and why they went back in time, only that the bright flash that came from inside the Monstra was likely involved. Ruby suspected it was Oscar, and Yang and Weiss didn't have enough information to disagree with her.

She wondered if the farm boy came back with them. He lived in an area away from the CCT and didn't have a scroll of his own, so they will need to look for him the old fashioned way.

'Hopefully no one from Salem's side also went back,' she thought. That would be beyond devastating if that happened.

She heard knocking.

Weiss got up and answered the door. Finding no one, she frowned deeply and closed it.

"I swear, who is pranking people at this hour," she said, refusing to acknowledge the existence of ghosts.

Only to find an orange-haired girl outside her window.

"Penny, what are you doing here?!" she exclaimed as she helped the girl get inside.

"Salutations, friend Weiss!" Said Penny. "I came to confirm if you also have memories that do not belong in this time period!"

Weiss blinked. "You came back in time with us?"

"It appears my assumption was correct! That would indeed be the case. Do you have an explanation? In my database, there does not appear to be a semblance capable of doing so. Do you think magic is involved?"

"That's what me, Ruby, and Yang, are trying to figure out," sighed Weiss. "We think Oscar was involved. What was the last thing you remember?"

"I was infected with a virus and thrown around by a Grimm that can talk."

"Oookay. Hold on, are you still infected?"

"I do not believe so. However, as I was only turned on for the first time one hundred eighty hours ago, I will have to run a separate scan when I return to my father's pharmacy."

Weiss let out a breath. "That's something, at least."

Then she looked at Penny again and realized something.

"Speaking of, how were you able to get here, anyway?" asked Weiss. "You can't have just flown here from Mantle, can you?"

"I took the first bullhead flight to the city."

"Huh, that's…surprisingly normal."

"Of course!" agreed Penny. "I learned from the best!"

Weis smiled. Penny was learning how to be a normal girl.

"As for how I entered the Schnee mansion without being detected, I recorded the guard patrols of the mansion's guards from the unguarded scroll of a guard who was sleeping on the job. I then entered the mansion from the servant's quarters side as it has a minimal amount of security cameras. Does that satisfy your question?"

'Slowly,' thought Weiss, looking at Penny again. The girl almost looked like she had question marks popping up all over her.

"What now, friend Weiss?" asked Penny. "We traveled back in time approximately four years, three months, and five days. I assume we will do something to stop the fall of Beacon academy?"

"Sorry Penny, we haven't actually planned anything yet," apologized Weiss. "This happened like, two hours ago and we're still reeling from it."

"Of course, recovery is also important for a person," agreed Penny. "I have not changed my number from before, so you will still be able to contact me through your scroll in case of emergency."

She gave Weiss her number, which the girl saved.

"Thanks. Actually, why didn't you just call?" said Weiss.

A pause.

"I did not think of that!" Penny cheerfully replied.

Weiss gave her a wry smile, before frowning. "You better get going, the servants are going to be waking up soon."

"I shall do so. If you have need of me, I will be at my father's pharmacy," said Penny.

"I'll keep that in mind," said Weiss. She opened the window and looked around.

"Okay, the coast is clear."

"Then I shall be on my way."

Penny hopped on the windowsill, but before she jumped, she turned back to Weiss.

"Friend Weiss, from what I recall, you did not have a good life under your father. If so, I invite you to stay with me and my father while you wait for your enrollment to Beacon."

Weiss paused, her words caught in her breath.

"I'll, I'll think about it," she said finally.

"It was my pleasure," replied Penny.

The next moment, she was gone, leaving Weiss with more things to think about.

"Hey you, you're finally awake."

Emerald opened her eyes. When she realized she was not in front of a jewelry store, she shot up, eyes looking everywhere.

An older nurse came up to her.

"You passed out in front of a jewelry store. The doctor didn't see anything wrong with you, but he noted that you seemed underweight."

"I-thank you," said Emerald. Slowly, she remembered the whale, Mercury being an ass, Hazel beating a defenseless boy, Salem's plans for total destruction, Mercury being an ass, and her being unable to take it any more.

She swallowed, her heart breaking.

"Um, I don't have anything to pay you," she said finally, after what seemed an eternity.

"Oh, it's no problem," waved the nurse. "This is a public hospital. The doctor didn't really do anything besides a quick check-up, so we just waived the fees. Is there anything else?"

Emerald was almost too scared to ask. "Did you see a black-haired woman with me? She was wearing a red dress."

There was a desperation in her voice that the nurse couldn't understand where it was coming from.

They frowned. "The people that brought you here say that they did see a woman with that description."

Emerald breathed a sigh of relief. "Where is–"

"But they saw her kick you and left without saying a word."

And Emerald's world came crashing down.

"Is something wrong?" asked the nurse.

"N-no, it's fine, it's fine," Emerald replied softly, so quiet the nurse almost didn't hear her. She got up from the bed and started walking towards the door. "I think I'll just be going now, thank you."

"Oh, one more thing," said the nurse. Emerald turned around. "The doctor said that you need to eat more. This is just me looking out for a youngster, but if you need a job, I could call my friend over at Beacon and see if they need a helping hand."

Emerald blinked. What kind of contrived coincidence is this?

"I'm sorry, Beacon?"

"One last thing Jaune," said Ren over the scroll. He and Nora had been brought up to speed, and they promised to meet up at Mistral once Jaune was finished helping Terra.

Nora was excitedly drawing up plans for the future on her notebook, leaving Ren to talk to Jaune.

"Hm?"

"What are we going to do about Pyrrha?" asked Ren.

He heard Jaune catch his breath.

"We'll have to tell her. Maybe not all at once, but she can't be kept in the dark. She was the first one among us to discover the Maidens, anyway," Their leader finally said. "I'll admit Pyrrha being a Maiden appeals to me..."

"Oh, do you want to be stepped on?" piped up Nora from the back.

"Not like that!"

"Then-"

"I do not want Pyrrha to step on me!" said Jaune. Ren heard his leader mutter something almost indistinguishable.

Almost. He smirked, something that Nora imitated a second later.

Jaune pretended that nothing happened. "As much as I want Pyrrha to become even stronger, I think preventing her from becoming the Fall Maiden in the first place would be better, but let's not think about that right now. We're all tired and too shocked to think clearly," he said breathlessly.

"I understand," said Ren. Pyrrha was someone very important to Team JNPR, but Ren knew just how dear she was to his leader. "Let's take a few days to rest, then we'll begin making preparations, both for how we can prevent her death and how we'll tell her about us traveling back in time."

"Yeah, yeah let's do that. Thanks Ren," replied Jaune.

He finished the call, to find Nora looking at him thoughtfully.

The girl moved forward and engulfed him in a hug.

"We'll break Cinder's legs, right Ren?" she said.

Ren smiled. "For once, I won't stop you."

Author's Note: Poor Pyrrha, the only one of the main characters to not have knowledge of the future. It's going to be awkward for Teams RWBY and JN_R to talk about stuff now, with their future knowledge and inside jokes.