Hello again, everyone! And happy late Independence Day! (It was supposed to be 17th of August, but oh well close enough.)

As usual, thank you for all the support! Writing this chapter took a bit longer than I would've liked, but it got finished all the same. I hope this turns out well enough, just like always.

And, on that note, please enjoy!

On with the story!

"…Is that you, Jaune?"

Jaune stared numbly at his sister. She walked closer to him, the crowd seeming to part around her. As she came closer, Jaune noted more and more features about her. Her voice had changed slightly, probably because of puberty. She was taller too, coming up to just below his eyes. Her posture was more built, a short sword and a pistol at her hip adding more proof that she was trained. Her eyes had matured, yet still held that same optimism and innocence he held so dearly.

Scarlet reached Jaune and stopped in front of him. She gazed in wonder at what seemed to be her brother back from the dead. Sure he had his hair tied back, growed some facial hair, and gained some new scars, but she'd recognise his face and voice anywhere, not even counting his cobalt blue eyes.

Her brother stood frozen in front of her, empty eyes staring into her own. Mesmerized, she brought her fingers up and traced the edges of his face. She felt his rough skin, the brush of his facial hair. She felt the warmth of his being, of being alive. But her brother didn't seem to react to the touch.

"It really is you…" Scarlet trailed off. "How…?"

Jaune seemed to snap out of it. Before she could react, his left arm grabbed her fingers and pushed them away. She didn't realise anything as Jaune then pulled her in fast and hugged her close.

Scarlet gasped in surprise as flesh and metal arms wrapped around her. She stayed frozen as Jaune's face lowered and buried itself in her neck.

Then, she heard sobs.

Her eyes softened, her arms rubbing against his back. Jaune continued to cry.

"I've missed you." He said between sobs. "I've missed you so much, Scarlet."

Scarlet felt her own eyes getting wet, tears flowing down her face. She decided to give in and close her eyes in turn, resting her chin against his shoulder. A wet smile graced her face.

She started to cry too.

"I've missed you too, Jaune."

They stayed like that for a while, uncaring of anyone else around them. They absorbed each other's embrace. A warmth neither of them felt in so long.

Jaune's hands shifted and slowly grabbed her shoulder. He pushed her away ever so slightly and looked into her eyes once more.

He tightened his grip. "You're all grown up now, aren't you?" She smiled and Jaune moved his hands to her face. Metal and flesh wiped the tears off her face. "My little Scarlet, a real girl…"

"W-Well, I can't always stay small can I?" She chuckled wetly. Her eyes flickered to his metal hand. "A-and you're…"

"Well, I'm not whole anymore." Jaune shrugged weakly. "But at least I get to know you're okay. That's enough for me. I don't care for anything more."

"Jaune…"

"Come here." He pulled her in close again and lifted her high, a big smile on his face.

"W-Whoa!" She waved her arms around uselessly. Jaune chuckled as he spun her around and Scarlet continued to scream and laugh. Eventually, he stopped and placed her atop his shoulders.

Jaune laughed. "How's the view, Scar?"

Scarlet covered her mouth with her hands and muffled her laugh. "Better than the highest towers in Vale."

"Heh, it better. So," he asked, looking up to his sister. "Where to, little princess?"

"I just got here, so…" She tapped her finger on her chin. "Let's take a tour of the city!"

"Will anyone else be coming along?" Jaune asked warily. He couldn't stop himself with Scarlet, but with the rest of his family…

He just didn't want anyone else finding out just yet.

"Nah, just me." Scarlet giggled. "The others are still at Vale."

"Vale, huh…. Alright then." Jaune began walking forwards, a pep in his step and a wide smile on his face. His sister didn't weigh on him one bit. They waded through the flood of people easily, Scarlet pointing here and there to where Jaune should go.

"Onwards, my shining knight!"

Jaune chuckled. He could live with this.

Even if he hadn't told her all he really was, he wanted this so, so much. At least let him have this, warmth and comfort he could only get from yesterday.

Scarlet sure had a lot of requests, Jaune noted.

"Let's go to the mall!"

"To the arcade!"

"That restaurant looks nice! Let's eat over there!"

"That Dust Shop's got some good deals, Jaune! Come onnn, let me get some!"

"Can I get some new clothes? Pleaseeeeee?"

And to all of this, he could only laugh and give her the go. Of course, all he had to do was accompany her. She had her own savings, and yet he couldn't be the better sibling and tell her 'no'.

Speaking of that, "Where'd you get all this money anyway?" Jaune asked.

Scarlet waved him off as she bought her clothes. "Dad gave me a stipend for the stay here. Gotta say, it's a bit too much."

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Then shouldn't you try to save it?"

"Nonsense!" Scarlet dismissed. "I've already got a scholarship anyways."

'For Huntress-in-trainings?' Jaune noted in his head. 'If I remember right, she should just be finishing combat school.'

They walked out of the store side-by-side, carrying tons of luggage from Scarlet's little shopping spree.

"So you transferred to Mistral's combat school?" Jaune asked as they exited the mall. "What happened to the one back home?"

"You don't know?" Scarlet was shocked. They continued to walk through downtown Mistral, Scarlet's mind racing. She asked her brother back. "Just where have you been, bro? "

"Oh, here and there." His tone was cautious, she noted. "I've been out of the loop for a long time."

Scarlet looked around warily. Jaune didn't know. Jaune didn't know. Their struggle for two-and-a-half years, their borderline war with the White Fang, the aftermaths of his death, how could he not know? Was he always this dense?

Or was it because something far worse happened?

"…I'll tell you later." Scarlet conceded. All this time, she thought Jaune had escaped the Fang and had miraculously survived against the odds. That he could keep her safe. But if he didn't know the Fang were after them, then how could he keep her safe? How could he make the right judgement call?

Her thoughts continued to whir. She went here to escape Vale, Dad had told her to do so. Things were heating up, in his words, but he won't crush her dreams as he did with Jaune before. She'll be prepared, and in a place that was secure.

But now, was she truly safe? How many Faunus were there around here? How many were connected to the Fang? And how many knew that their original achievement was never dead in the first place?

"Too many eyes around us." Scarlet whispered to her brother.

"Excuse me?" Jaune shot back. "What do you mean 'too many eyes'? What, did one of us become famous or something?"

As they talked and walked, Scarlet's eyes flicked to a poster of the Mistral Regional Tournament plastered on the side of a building. It featured a large photo of its undefeated champion. No one came close to her before, and now she grew more and more powerful ever since the death of her partner two and a half years ago. She grew more and more prolific for her strength, but even more than that, for her stints in taking down the White Fang along with the Arc Family.

'I won't let them rest easy.' She said to Scarlet once. 'All of them, straight to the judge.'

"…You could say that."

Jaune looked at where Scarlet was looking. 'Pyrrha?' Then, he shrugged. Maybe Scarlet meant the paparazzi or something. He's sure the Arc family's all fine anyways. They'll always be better off without him.

"Anyways, I don't think we're done just yet." Scarlet changed the topic. "The afternoon's still young. What's say we go to the fair at the docks, bro?"

"Jaune shook his thoughts away and chuckled. "That sounds lovely, Scar."

The walk took them almost all afternoon. Eventually, they reached the fair, a small amusement park on wooden platforms going off from the docks and above the ocean.

The fair had plenty of food booths and lots of amusement rides, all open to the public. As they entered, Jaune and Scarlet stopped at a corn dog stand and bought one stick each. They had gotten several side-eyed glances due to the attire they wore and the weapons they carried, but they paid them no mind.

Jaune and Scarlet walked side-by-side on the wooden dock platforms, making small talk with each other.

"And then got him with a blind shot him, and that was enough to put him in the red!" Scarlet exclaimed loudly. She had a big smile on her face, clearly proud of her accomplishment in a combat school duel. "That was the closest match I've ever got against another student. Honestly, if it weren't for the pistol, it'd probably lose a long time before."

"That right…" Jaune trailed off, eyes far away. Scarlet, however, seemed too absorbed in her story to notice.

"Yeah! Indigo said so too. She told me I was getting better faster than she'd ever expected." She put her hands on her hips proudly. "In the class rankings, I'm by far one of the best."

"So you made everyone proud?"

"Yes!" Scarlet nodded her head eagerly. "But Dad still wants me to be safe… that's why he told me to go to finish up combat school here. But now with you around, I think everything's changed. They can come here tomorrow, I'm sure they can make some time!"

Jaune stayed silent.

"Isn't that amazing?!" She laughed and grabbed Jaune's hand. "Hey, maybe then we can all celebrate and be together again, just like we used to! It'll be a hell of a reunion, right?!"

Jaune closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He exhaled and gained the courage to speak again. "Scarlet, I need you to listen to me."

"Yeah?" His sister looked with concern at him. "What is it?"

"I… need you to keep quiet. About all of this." Jaune spoke. "No one... no one gets to know that I'm alive."

"What?" Scarlet almost stumbled back from shock. "Why?!"

"I- It's just-" Jaune sighed. "I don't think they'd be happy with me."

"Did you do something? Something while you were gone?" Scarlet tilted her head and asked. Jaune couldn't bring himself to look at her. 'Something made him not know?'

"You can tell me anything, bro."

Jaune turned to look at Scarlet. That innocent look in her eyes. Hopes and dreams shining through cobalt blue… how could he ever crush such a thing?

"…You don't know the half of it." Jaune whispered and looked away. "But please, Scar. Can I ask you to do this? For me?"

It took a long while for her to answer, eyes seemingly boring into his own. They searched every inch of his soul, making silent judgements filled with nothing but concern and love.

"…Okay." Scarlet said. "I'll do it."

"Thank you." Jaune breathed out. "Thank you."

Scarlet shook her head. "Don't worry about it. But you won't disappear again, right? You'll stick with me while I'm here?"

Scarlet grabbed his left hand and held on tight. "Promise me, Jaune. That's my condition."

Jaune pulled her in close again and chuckled. "I'll always be with you."

As they hugged, the sun had begun to set, the lights of the fair lighting up to make up for the darkness. People seemed to both come and leave, the wooden platforms becoming more crowded. And yet it didn't matter one bit to Jaune and Scarlet; all that mattered was each other.

'I'll always be with you.'

Orange rays of sunlight shone on the two, hugging close in the shade of the sun. As the sun fully set and the sky turned dark, they pulled away to find the fair had been lit up with colourful lights, their shine reflecting off of the ocean water below.

"Night time… It's getting kinda crowded." Jaune spoke up. He turned to his sister, "Know any place we'd get some quiet? The noise's starting to kill me."

"Hm…" Scarlet tapped her chin and looked around the various lights. Then, she spotted something at the edge of the platforms and gleefully pointed to it. "Oh! How about we take a ride on the Ferris wheel?"

"Ferris wheel?" Jaune turned to where Scarlet pointed. Oh, that. And it looked pretty too, colourful lights bright in the night sky, creating colourful reflections from the water beneath it. The seats were just right, too. Only for two passengers per ride, and enough room for their luggage. Jaune shrugged. "Sure, why not."

"Awesome."

It took a while for the line to clear up, but in Jaune's opinion, it was all worth it. They rode in the cabins with only each other, gazing at the lovely night ocean. Jaune sat beside Scarlet, her body leaning into his in comfort.

They went from the bottom of the wheel and eventually reached the peak. They were all alone, at the highest point in Mistral for miles.

"Let's take a picture!" Scarlet suddenly said. She fished for her Scroll and pulled it out, changing the setting to its front camera and pointing it at Jaune and her. She smiled wide at the camera.

"Scarlet…" Jaune trailed off, eyes worried.

"Relax, I won't show it to anyone." She reassured and smiled at him. She pleaded to her brother and used her puppy dog eyes. "Come on, Jaune. Just the two of us, right?"

"Yeah… just you and me." He gave a slight smile and looked at the camera with her, giving a weak thumbs up. "Alright then. Take your shot."

"Okay!" She shifted her camera to show her brother and her, the background a clear view of the fair behind them with pretty lights all around. She made sure to get the shot that would show their height as best as possible.

"Now, say…. peace!"

Flash!

After the ride, the two got a quiet meal inside a small, out-of-the-way restaurant near the hotel where Scarlet was staying. The food was quite good, Jaune had a steak with some potatoes while Scarlet had some spaghetti and meatballs.

Thankfully, because of the nature of the restaurant, there weren't any people to listen in on them.

"So…" Jaune took a bite. "How's everyone been?"

"They're just fine," Scarlet answered, taking another bite of her food. She swallowed. "But we've been dealing with lots of stuff right now. That's why Dad wanted me to be alone here."

"Yeah, he doesn't let go easily, right?" Jaune pointed out. "I thought he'd at least send by Jasmine by your side."

"Nah, he figured I arrived just in time to slip by under the radar." Scarlet said. 'That intel said that the Mistralian White Fang dispatchment should have already left for Vale a few days ago. That way, I can slip in here just right.'

"Under the radar?" Jaune asked. "Is this about the 'too many eyes' thing you said earlier?"

Scarlet braced herself and took a deep breath. She looked around the room one more time. Good, the cashier was in the back and there were no other customers. "Yes. Thing is, Vale's heating up, bro."

"Heating up?" Jaune put his fork down and leaned in eagerly. "What do you mean?"

'Absolutely out of the loop.' "I mean that things are getting a lot more dangerous down there." Scarlet said grimly. "Robberies, crime, civiliuans getting tense and tight-strung…. not to mention the terrorism and conflicts."

"And… our family's there?" Jaune asked, tone… was that fear? "But you said they were okay. Right. Okay. No need to worry." Jaune calmed himself down.

Scarlet nodded silently in confirmation. Looks like Jaune was starting to put the pieces together, and she could see realisation forming in his eyes.

After a while, Jaune gathered himself and tried to speak again. "Wha-" He stuttered. "What about JNPR? And RWBY? Are they alright?"

"They're doing their best." Scarlet said with the most confidence she could muster.

Well, it was true. RWBY and JNPR moved with what they thought was right, and everything they did was somehow tolerated. It's been going on for a few years now, and neither the Arc family nor Beacon Academy could stop them. But still, they're fine-

"Fuck!" Jaune slammed his metal hand on the table and cast his gaze down to his feet. The wood almost cracked from the pressure.

"J-Jaune?" Scarlet almost skid back. "Are you alright?"

Jaune's metal hand clenched harder inside, sparks flying from the metal-on-metal contact. He grit his teeth and bit out the next words. "So Vale's gone to shit, and we're all playing heroes… so who is it?" Jaune looked up and his gaze burned to Scarlet. "Gangs? Robbers? Some extremists?"

"…The White Fang." Scarelt said softly. "They're being led by Roman Torchwick and helped by his goons."

"And is Ozpin doing anything? Vale's police and military? Is anyone else giving a shit?!"

"…Well, we are working with the police on the Fang problem…"

The silence was worrying… and yet telling enough.

Jaune growled. "Idiots, the lot of them."

"T-there's no need to worry, bro!" Scarlet reassured her brother, waving her arms in front of him to calm him down. "Torchwick's already behind bars. Guarded by General Ironwood's fleet personally, in fact. With time, I'm sure we'll catch Adam Taurus too."

"That's not the point." Jaune growled. "All of this, ALL OF THIS-!" Jaune took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He opened them and let out the breath he took, gazing into her eyes as seriously as possible. "…but you're okay, right, Scar?"

"Uh… yeah!" Scarlet flashed a nervous thumbs up. "Never better!"

"Not a scratch on you?"

"None whatsoever!"

"Good." Jaune shook his head. "At least one thing's gone right."

'I can't reach them now. RWBY, JNPR, my family…' Jaune thought in his head. 'Maybe with more time, but… I don't know. I just don't know. But at least she's okay…' Jaune glanced at his sister again, who was starting to relax. She was still somewhat worried, but that was okay to Jaune. He gave her a small smile, and all traces of tension flew away from her immediately. He gave her a small nod and she laughed, going back to eating soon after. Jaune smiled bittersweetly. '…Maybe with her, I can at least do one thing right.'

After they ate and paid the restaurant for the meal, they left and walked to Scarlet's hotel. It wasn't too far from the restaurant, just a short 10-minute walk.

'Wow.' Jaune thought, looking at the hotel's height and its luxury appearance. It was well lit, had a bellboy waiting outside for their luggage, and even some fountains paired with plants and colourful flowers in front of its entrance. The hotel was around 25 floors tall and had shining white walls with orange cozy lights. Lots of fancy cars were parked in the front too.

Jaune laughed a bit and turned to Scarlet. "Dad pulled all the stops for you, huh?"

"Yeah." His sister said. He could've gone for something a little more discreet though..." Scarlet mumbled out the last part.

"Eh, he always has our best interests in mind." Jaune tried to reassure her. "Besides, it is a nice place, isn't it?"

The bellboy came to them and gingerly took Scarlet's luggage. He put it in his cart and pushed it away to be brought to her room. Meanwhile, Jaune looked up and gazed at the night sky.

'Moons high. Right at its peak.' Jaune noted, concluding that it must be nearing midnight. 'Damn, we really spent the day away, huh?'

"Jaune?"

"Yeah?" Jaune looked down to his sister, whose lips were trembling. Her eyes were wavering. "What's wrong, Scar?"

"You're real, aren't you?"

'Oh.' Jaune smiled and pulled Scarlet in close one more time. "Of course I'm real, Scar."

"Don't leave me?" Her voice spoke, muffled from his chest.

"Not ever." Jaune said with conviction. "I'll always be with you."

Scarlet took a deep breath. She spoke again, voice wavering but beginning to steady. "Alright." She looked up to her brother just like she used to. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jaune."

"See you tomorrow." Jaune pat his sister's back. "Goodnight, Scar."

After that, the two of them went their separate ways. Jaune, with nowhere else to go, strolled along the midnight streets of Mistral pointlessly.

'Can't go back to the villa, and I'd rather save up on the cash from the mission.' He thought. 'Well, I mean, I could get a motel somewhere, but that'd eat into it even more…'

Around him, lights from shops and stalls were beginning to shut down. People were starting to go to bed, it seems, and all that was left were nightlife establishments. Things he wasn't really interested in at the moment. He was beat, and all he wanted to do was to lie down and sleep.

Jaune continued to walk, eventually going past a road where there were lots of dark alleys. Subconsciously, his hand drifted to HF Murasma.

He kept his eyes and ears peeled for any signs of danger. He'd rather not leave a bloodstained mess and a trail that could lead back to him. He took forward steps cautiously.

Suddenly, he felt metal hands wrap around his throat and his hands. He struggled against the grip, but somehow, it was stronger than even him! They dragged him into a completely dark alley, dank and silent. Jaune screamed and elbowed the attacker, but it was no use, they didn't even flinch. Instead, all Jaune could feel was a sore elbow from attacking something metal.

"Stop moving and be quiet, will you?!" He heard a familiar sound whisper in his ear as it continued to drag him back screaming. "It's me, dammit!"

Upon hearing the words, Jaune relaxed. He let out a chuckle muffled by the metal hands.

"Yeah yeah, real funny." Raiden growled. "I was trying to be stealthy, you know."

Raiden let go of Jaune once they were deep enough in the alley that no one could see them. Jaune groaned and rubbed his hands and turned around. "You're a real pain, y'know?"

"So are you."

"Touché," Jaune smirked. "So, you got back safely?"

"Official reports should say that I'm dead." Raiden chuckled. "Higanbana's been liberated, though. Managed to cut a deal with the raiders there."

"So you got back by sneaking around the guards." Jaune noted. "And… I'm guessing you're thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah." Raiden nodded grimly. "Leonardo set us up."

"Thought so too." Jaune sighed. "Well looks like you were right. He does have too much power."

Raiden shrugged. "All we need to do now is to take. Him. Down."

"You're right." Jaune agreed. "Got any plans, Jack?"

"Follow me." Raiden turned around and waved Jaune to follow. The samurai did as he was told, Raiden leading him just a bit deeper into the alley. They came at a stop at a manhole cover, presumably leading to a drainage sewer. Without a second thought, Raiden opened the manhole cover and began descending the ladders within it.

Jaune, meanwhile, immediately pinched his nose and stepped back in disgust. "Aw, yuck!" He tried to wave the smell away. It didn't work.

"How can you stand this?!" Jaune shout-whispered. "It smells down there!"

Raiden looked up and smirked, tapping his nose with a metal finger. "Smell inhibitors."

"Bitch." Jaune muttered.

"Come on, it's not that bad." Raiden tried to reassure him. "I mean Wolf didn't complain one bit either."

"Probably because he's got the same damn inhibitors…" Jaune grumbled. Nonetheless, he stepped inside and started descending the ladders too.

After a few seconds, the pair finally reached the end of the ladder. Raiden got off the ladders and stepped onto the sewer floor, slightly inundated with around a centimetre of dirty water. His metal feet lightly splashed against the dirty water as he started moving forwards.

"Oh, and it's wet too?!" Raiden heard Jaune call up from above him. "This suit's new, man! It's practically spotless!"

Raiden shrugged as he heard Jaune finish his descent too. "Not my problem."

Jaune turned around and got off the ladder too, now looking at Raiden's back. "What do you mean not your problem-! Wait a second." He looked Raiden up and down. All metal, not a trace of carefully-tailored cloth to be found.

"Where's your suit?!"

Raiden pointedly refused to look at Jaune and kept walking forwards. "…Here and there."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HERE AND THERE?!" Jaune raged. "THAT COST US OUR MONEY, DAMMIT!"

"I'll get it fixed soon, don't worry."

Jaune grumbled, clearly unsatisfied. But what can they do? They've got more important things to do right now. Such as…

"We're nearly there." Raiden spoke. Jaune looked up and saw where Raiden was looking. A medium-sized opening to the side of the sewers, almost perfect to use as a small hangout spot or as a hideout. Raiden approached the opening and faced it, Jaune following suit.

Raiden's done some good preparations here, Jaune noted. A small data terminal, some Dust stored as a precaution, weapon maintaining tools, and a map of the city plastered on the wall. There was a metal door on the far side of the wall, closed shut with no light coming out of its prison-like viewing bars.

Raiden stepped inside the opening and immediately went to the data terminal, typing away for intel. Meanwhile, Jaune decided to walk around and look at the state of things. Eventually, he decided to look inside the closed room through the door bars.

"There's someone in here." Jaune spoke to Raiden. A huntress, it seemed, arms bound with Aura suppressing cuffs and bound further to a pipe planted from the sewer. He turned and looked at Raiden, who was still busy typing away. "I think she's a Huntress, Jack."

"Oh, her." Raiden didn't bother turning around. "That's Beryl. One of the Rouge Huntresses Leo sent after me to be dealt with."

"Huntress? Assassin?" Jaune looked back inside. Beryl didn't move an inch,her gaze cast downwards and her body slumped with no energy. She looked utterly miserable, like she had no life left.

"Yeah, I didn't kill her." Raiden voiced Jaune's question. "Part of the deal I made with Soma. They back off right now from Higanbana, she gets to live."

Jaune kept looking at Beryl, nodding wordlessly to Raiden. After a few moments, Jaune shrugged and cast his gaze away. "What'd you manage to get from her?"

"Leo's got his hands in all kinds of dirty spots." Raiden continued to type. "He's been offing Hunters left and right. Not to mention his connections with the White Fang and the Branwen tribe."

"Branwen tribe?" Jaune leaned in beside Raiden. "Name sounds familiar. Who're they?"

"Apparently some raiders whose name means code for strong." Raiden answered. "Say…" The ninja paused and looked at Jaune. "How many Semblances can one person have?"

"Hm? Just the one, Raiden." Jaune answered. "Why'd you ask?"

"The bitch that led them…" Raiden began, "She could make portals. I thought that was her Semblance. Turns out, she can spit fire from her hands too. Any idea how that could happen?"

"Maybe some Dust-weaved clothing?" Jaune said as his first idea, rubbing his chin. "I've heard some people do that, but I'm not all that savvy on how it works. Either way, one person, one Semblance. No getting around that."

"Still…" Raiden trailed off and began typing gain on the data terminal.

"What're you trying to do there, anyway?" Jaune asked. "What kind of intel are you gathering?"

"I'm trying to bust in deeper into the CCT." Raiden answered, "I've already got general access down, but we need to dig even deeper if we want to get to the shadier parts of Mistral."

"Of course." Jaune noted.

A few moments later, a loud ding sounded, and a notification popped up on the data terminal. Raiden finished his typing and smirked. "There we go. All done."

"Nice." Jaune leaned in and looked at what Raiden had access to now. "Hm, Hunter records and missions, encrypted messaging networks, White Fang communications, black-market contracts…. Huh, you really outdid yourself this time."

Raiden smiled in response.

"Say, how about you check for Tai?" Jaune said. "We need to get him onboard too, Raiden. It'll save us a lot of effort."

At this, Raiden sighed. He shook his head silently. His shoulders drooped and hishe cast his gaze downwards.

Jaune's eyes widened. "You don't mean…"

Raiden wordlessly began typing again, staying silent all the while. Jaune cast his gaze firmly on the screen, watching Raiden do his work. 'No, it can't be true.'

Eventually, the screen showed the most recent records of Hunter missions and their statuses, and the results of Raiden's search on the screen were clear to see.

Hunter(s) Deployed: Taiyang Xiao-Long

Mission: Ground Clearance

Status: Participants K.I.A

Jaune closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and clenched his fist. With a roar, he let loose his anger and punched the brick sewer wall. Raiden bowed his head down and kept silent.

"He'll pay." Jaune growled, his fists digging deeper into the brick walls. The bricks crunched even further, destroyed by pure rage. "I won't let anyone else get hurt."

'Especially with her here…' Jaune thought. 'She has to be safe.'

He walked alongside his enemy, trailing right behind him as he was surrounded by enemy troops. He led him through the base he had just stormed, black suit trailing from the dusty winds and black fedora hiding his pale white face and red pupils. Black bones decorated one side of his face, strange black veins moving around from it and creeping to his mouth. Yet, he paid them no mind, and soon they retracted inside to the bones. The veins then travelled in the surface-level of his skin, eventually forming a large black mark on his throat.

Skull Face began to speak.

"Whatever the Navajo told you... it's just one possible solution derived by Cipher. My will is different. I've known you since your time at Langley. I've long been the other side of your coin. 1964, Soviet territory. FOX's first mission. Any mess you made, I was there to clean up. You completed your task - and admirably. The 'information' you returned was far more than enough to fill our pockets. With it, our futures became - more or less - set in stone. And then the major came to me with an idea. 'Washington doesn't know how to spend money,' he said. 'I'd like to... redirect it'. His goal was an organization dedicated solely - covertly - to supporting America. Cipher. You know the rest. To him, it was mourning - the loss of his friend. Or rather, an act of revenge. Something that formed from dissatisfaction will eventually turn into something filled with hate. Revenge on the world, but on America most of all."

They reached an elevator and went down it side-by-side, retracing their steps through OKB Zero. They were still surrounded by XOF units, all ready for combat and to shoot him down.

The elevator stopped and they reached a military four-wheel-drive. Skull Face motioned him to take a sit, and he did as he was offered. The surrounding guards rode their own jeeps and some of them left first. Their jeep trailed along and ended up in the middle of the convoy, guarded excellently so he couldn't make any moves against Skull Face.

With confidence, the red-eyed man began to talk again.

"…To unite America and the entire world. The major thought this was his friend's will. But I think he never understood what she wanted. Before he ever walked, or cried - even before he was born - his mother tongue was English. He doesn't know the pain of losing his own language, of hate and negativity. Not yet. He cannot understand her will. I do."

"…"

"I was born in a small village. I was still a child when we were raided by soldiers." Skull Face leaned in, hands outstretched to Big Boss. "Foreign soldiers. Torn from my elders, I was made to speak their language. With each new post, my masters changed, along with the words they made me speak. Words are... peculiar. With each change, I changed too. My thoughts, personality, how I saw right and wrong... War changed me - and not only my visage. Words can kill."

Skull Face leaned back, putting his hands over his lap and looking down for his fedora to cover his eyes. Then, he chuckled and began to speak again.

"But do you know, Big Boss, something that transcends language? Something that transcends words? It is hate."

He lifted his head again, and the red in his eyes seemed to contrast even brighter against his black sclera.

"I saw them unleash their hatred on the ones I called family. I saw them express their anger and frustration to anyone but their own. And yet, as I was forced to watch, I needed no understanding of their language. Words can kill, and hatred will make you suffer."

"Their words and hatred became mine, burrowing and breeding inside me. As the dust settles, all that's left for me is the future. And mine is filled with one thing: revenge. On those who'd spread their hate, who'd prolong suffering. This is what I learned from the major."

"But then it hit me. It was he who should feel my wrath. He sought control of the human population by manipulating its codes. Language codes, information codes - beamed all around us - genetic codes spanning history. By controlling the codes, Cipher... Zero intends to unify the world. Codes implanted into our heads, sucking our minds dry as it spreads from one host to the next. A parasite upon the earth. That is what Zero is. And yet, will his plans succeed? His form of control rids all of their freedom. That will not erase hatred. It will create blind obedience, chaos bubbling up beneath the surface. He did this because he was dissatisfied with Neo-U.S., the conclusion of Operation Snake Eater and The Boss' fates. Is he not carrying out his hatred of war? His own negativity?"

"And then, I came to a realization. All of us, we all carry hate. We all have negativity. It is simply inevitable, soldier or civilian alike. So then, what better way of life than to embrace it?"

Skull Face opened his hand again and showed it to Big Boss. As he opened his palms, his gloves were beginning to rip apart. Finally, they burst open to show his bone-armour-covered fingers. He showed them off to Big Boss, who stayed stoic. Seeing this, the red-eyed man smirked and lowered his hands, going back to normal again.

"My search led me to Code Talker and his kind. From him, I obtained proof of the legends, and that hate consumes all. The Pool of Darkness, their guardians, and the Grimm parasites that can be birthed from it."

"Hatred is the language without words. Verbis sine verbis. It needs not to recognise through what language it is being spoken. Once someone spelles out their hatred of something to another, it will spread freely like hatred truly does. It will mark a man of his evil, inside and out. And as such, once he reveals his hatred to the carrier, they will both share the same sins."

"From this, the world will know what it means to hold their tounge. To either stop their war or suffer the destruction of everything they were. All men will breathe free again and let go - reclaim their past, present, and future, born anew. This is no 'ethnic cleanser'. This is a 'liberator,' to free the world from hatred. Let the world be. After destruction, only then will they learn the value of The Boss' will.

"The world will be torn asunder first. But after their eyes have been opened, it shall be free. People will suffer, of course - a phantom pain. And the new Verbis sine verbis shall rise. A language of nukes, of fear. My Metal Gears shall be the thread by which all countries are bound together, in equality. No words will be needed. Every man will be forced to recognize his neighbor. People will swallow their pain. They will link lost hands. And the world will become one."

Skull Face smiled, baring his teeth at Big Boss. He leaned in and lifted his fedora to stare Big Boss dead in his single eye.

"Because there is only one thing tramples over hatred, and it is called fear."

That's that!

As always, tell me what you thought of the chapter in the reviews!

Oh, and in the last chapter, I've included references to one of my favourite video game franchises of all time (besides Metal Gear). These include 'People like you don't even add to my body count.' And四代目, which means Yondaime (Fourth generation in Japanese). I'm curious to know who knows what it is, even though it is very vague. One more hint, it's been featured in this fanfic before!

And with that, see you next time!

Stay safe, everyone!

Review Responses:

To robertnewmann00, that'll happen at the 'climax' of the arc, which shouldn't be long (around 2-4 chapters I think)

To Victorius 435, Thanks for the compliment! And for your second review, the 'An Arm and a Leg' trope is something that is indeed heavily used to emphasize loss. I don't know who I'll use it for, but it will be used. Or turn into comedy, who knows :)

To TheNineNerdGhouls, glad you liked the fight! And, well, you just saw how Jaune handled his family. Love, restraint, and a whole lot of white lies.

To Dhestyra, well, there are some ideas I have floating around, but I don't really plan on bringing a past Metal Gear characters that are boss-worthy back. There are, however, some who were supposed to be dead but aren't (aside from Venom).

To Salamandra, she is fucking panicking right now I assure you.

To EmperorCeph, well, you just saw how Beryl ended up! And Raiden, of course, both adopts and disavows the 'strong and weak' mindset, more like a mix of his and Armstrong's version. And for Leonardo's asskicking, I'm planning on something that's big.

To Arkantarasia, here you go!

To Phantommore, nice knife!

To Doctor Snake Eater, you can't really expect much from her.

To The Storm Master 567, glad I got what you were hoping for, and the fight illustrated my point enough! Hunters and Huntresses are good and downright superpowered, don't get me wrong. But then the point comes around, can one of them lift a Metal Gear and send it flying to the sky?

To Gwynx19237412, sorry to disappoint you. She's still gonna be stuck around for some time, as the deal Raiden made with the Wild Storm.

To Skeletalrepublic, I hope you enjoyed their confrontation! Jaune really can't seem to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.

To Greer123, I'm doing well, thank you! And I'm glad you liked the last one!

To SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta, they got him on the backfoot first. If he were to go all out from the start, I'd give them 3 minutes tops.

To Kabuto S. Inferno, first off, I hope you're doing better! Being sick's a phase, it'll blow over soon. Just keep trying your best! You've mentioned that STRQ's backstory is pretty much a blank canvas, good for exploring Raven, Summer, Tai, and Qrow. Unfortunately, I don't think I'd have the time for them. There will be snippets here and there, but they won't be taking the main stage, like, say, Venom here. And of course, Raven right now is just a confused mess. I'd say there are both parts that you mentioned. One that honestly believes, and another that's just using it as an excuse. I'd give it 30-70. Other than that, Raiden's performance is obviously a reference to his MGS4 moment. I just thought that it was such a waste that it never popped up in MGRR again, it just went away unexplained. And, of course, Jaune's reaction to his family is exemplified in the title of this chapter: Can't Say Goodbye to Yesterday. As always, thanks for reading and sticking through! Get better soon!

To UnlawfulGentleman, their rematch is coming, don't you worry. And, of course, Jaune can't completely let go, yet he can't completely embrace it either. It's his paradox.

To xXKnow1NosXx, sorry to disappoint, but none just yet. The slaughter hasn't continued just yet.

To SolSparda369, glad you liked it, and hope you enjoy this chapter!

To mera mera no mi, glad you still liked it!

To Guest (1), of course!

To Big E, hm…. Bros for life! And second, *slaps sandal* Emotional Damage!

To Lord-Azrael3, hope this delivers!

To JustTales, I'm glad this exceeded your expectations! Thanks for the compliments, and I hope the continuing chapters will continue to improve! Thank you!