A/N. Here we go! Chapter 56, as promised on schedule.
I'm very happy to see that people are still reading this story. Really. And to see so many familiar faces… thanks so much!
And, as routine, here are the review responses!
To Knightspark, me too. Glad to be back writing here.
To SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta, I'm glad you enjoyed it too. And Raven... yeah, not exactly mother of the year award material...
To Gwynx, glad you liked it! And yeah immortals do exist, but they have to die at the end of the story at some point...
To Shashenka, thank you! Happy you did!
To 31, it's good to be back! And, well, since you just asked for Roman and Neo... here you go :)
To SolSparta36, oh Tai definitely would've. Glad to see the chapter did well, and also to be back!
To CriticaofRandomness, I... don't know what to say. Thank you, thank you so much!
To , I actually agree. Lemme make it clear that I don't want to make this an Ozpin hate fic; dubious as he may be, without him none of them would be here talking. He's just as flawed as the rest of them, and that's what makes him human. Also, thanks for the compliments, and happy to be back! ...all these squares make a circle after all, so of course I came back lolll
Just a little side note, this chapter was very much inspired by RGG's Lost Judgment Soundtrack, specifically Justice or Evil and its mix with Unwavering Belief. If you do know the soundtrack then that's great, but if you don't, it's still okay.
Let me know what you think, read and review.
Thank you so much, and let's get on with the story!
As the meeting wrapped up…
Yang silently walked around campus, her Scroll muted and her thoughts empty save for one single goal. She made sure to keep her distance from anyone who might recognize her too well, who'd call her out if they noticed the strange silence she was protecting.
It was just… she wanted to spend a bit more time. A bit more to spend walking around campus, just a brief moment to breathe and get herself ready.
To that end she walked campus with nothing really in mind. She simply lived in the moment as she always had, just with a bit more meaning this time.
She knew what she wanted most – to meet Ruby and the others one last time. But she knew that if she did, then she wouldn't be able to resist. She'd possibly break down, she didn't know what would even really happen to her… and the chance to make things right would slip right by her fingers.
Especially when she heard the whispers of someone attacking the Fang right now. Yang knew that RWBY would be called in, and if they spotted her…
A familiar voice knocked her out of her thoughts. Seeing him getting closer, Yang quickly hid behind a tree as the person the voice belonged to eventually came to a stop right opposite the tree.
And yet, he wasn't talking to her; instead, the person – Kiryu – was talking to someone over the… Scroll? Phone, did he call it? – and seemed to be in a loaded conversation.
Yang's interest was immediately piqued. In the short time they met, to hear Kiryu this loaded with emotion somehow didn't seem to be normally in character with him…
So, with nothing better to do, Yang listened in. And to say she was surprised to hear Kiryu speaking with someone with a fatherly tone – and for the other end to be nothing short of his daughter in anything but blood – shocked her.
Didn't he say he was only 26?!
And to have raised someone too, just like her and Ruby…
Kiryu, oblivious to the new interloper, continued his conversation with Haruka over the phone he was given. A conversation with his daughter, who he had left for this whole U.C mission, and this was the first time he had contacted her…
"Uncle Kaz, I saw your vitals drop! Don't lie to me!"
"Haruka…" Kiryu said placatingly, but she was having none of it.
"Don't lie! You… you saw that Jaune guy, didn't you?"
"I-! Well… yeah, I did."
"And when you fought him…?"
"I… I wasn't strong enough." Kiryu sighed. He felt like he wanted to ball his fists, but he realized how inappropriate that would be when he was speaking to Haruka. "I lost."
"A- and… and you almost died…"
"Haruka…" Kiryu said with more emphasis. And all that did was piss her off even more.
"No! You're being too reckless!" Haruka shouted back. "Uncle Kaz, I understand that you want to bring Nishiki back…"
"I do, Haruka. You have no idea." Kiryu's breath hitched. "He's- he's my brother. Remember? Joji promised me that if I do this, then…"
"But Uncle Kaz…" Haruka quietly whispered, in a gentle tone that caused both listeners to still, "If you do this, and you die… then who'll be with me?"
A long pause stretched on. Neither Kiryu nor Yang broke it; one because she didn't want to be found out… the other because he realized the toll it must've taken on his young daughter.
It was then that Kiryu realized – hunting Jaune, avenging the Clan, bringing Nishiki back… it meant nothing if he left what he already had alone.
He had never feared death; on occasions, he had rushed to it even. But now he realized he had another thing to think about. A life he had to live.
A daughter he had to come back to.
Being here wasn't wrong. Trying to fix things wasn't. But no matter how much he wanted it, he could never turn back time. He couldn't fight for a magic way to solve all his problems.
He still had to finish this through. But now, his priorities had changed. Had changed to something bigger than himself.
"Haruka… I can't change the past. I must finish this through." Kiryu said. He referred to the fact that he was stranded here, that he had no real way of going back. But he also wasn't going to refute her either. "I'm going to try my best. Might as well while I'm here… but when, when I come back… you can be sure that I'll never leave your side."
"…swear on it?"
"We're the only people we have left." Kiryu said solemnly with a sigh, "I'll never leave you. Never again."
"…Okay." Haruka said after a long pause. And then, "…I love you, Uncle Kaz."
"I love you too."
Click! The call had ended, and Kiryu looked around with a sigh. Good, no one heard that exchange.
Part of the reason he had called Haruka was because of the meeting. They would be announcing the U.C soon to everyone, and he wanted her to know before they made it. And… well, he was quite ashamed to admit that that was the first time that he had contacted her in this mission.
But her words had shook him from the slight weariness after fighting Jaune. For a moment, when he had lost, he wondered if he was just too weak… but now, he realized that his strength simply wasn't where it laid.
He was not strong for vengeance. He was strong for love, and he had lost sight of it in this blind reach to get his brother back. He only hoped he wasn't too late to realize that…
…Not knowing that his conversation had only driven Yang deeper into her conviction as she ran away.
Because now, while she had heard everything Kiryu had said… she also now knew that unlike her, he had a way out. Had went out, even, tasted a life she had thought boring before but now knew was the one her mother had wanted her to have.
The civilian life. The peaceful life.
Ruby would never have it. Not as long as Ozpin lived, not as long as he needed the Silver Eyes. And if Ruby could never have it, then she would also never would, for she loved her sister too much to simply abandon her in fear.
But if it was one thing that Summer showed her today, showed her through that mission dossier and through Raven, her mother's very last lesson… was that sacrifices had to be made.
And what Kiryu had shown her, was that someone who cared had to take responsibility.
His responsibility was coming back. That was possible for him. But it wasn't for her. So, she would be different. Her responsibility would be to ensure that her sister could live the life she deserved… and to atone for her mistakes in not realizing Summer's true wish sooner.
A dragon needed to protect the ones they loved. At least when she left, there would be another to take her place.
There could only be one dragon, after all.
Unbeknownst to all…
Stealth had always been one of her specialties. And now, even when the battlefield was totally unreadable, she still reigned as one of the best in that field.
Neo smirked; sneaking into the Atlesian ship hadn't been hard. All it required was some careful steps, patience, and exploiting the guards' very obvious holes in defence.
She had been watching in the shadows for a long time, looking at the enemy movement patterns from a safe and unseen distance, helped with her Semblance of course. And ever since that big meeting in the round table room, the security had laxed, as if being stretched for something big…
And now, she realized, was the perfect time to break Roman out and bring him back to Cinder so they can finish whatever plan it was that the fire bitch had cooked up.
And then, they'd finally be free and out of the game for good. Oh, she could imagine it now… victory was so, so close!
As Neo continued to dodge one guard after another, she smirked inside her head. Honestly, she didn't understand why they hadn't just used their Knights. Not that she was complaining, mind you, but human guards were always so- so easily distractable. If not by her efforts, then by the sheer boredom of watching a prison less eventful than paint drying for extended periods of time.
Oh well. Some people chose their lot in life. And she and Roman had chosen theirs.
Click!
Neo's heels smashed a guard's visor as she knocked him out with ease. Reaching down with a silent smile, she grabbed the guard's keycard and swiped it over the cell he was guarding.
Roman's cell, to be exact.
The door opened with a swoosh and Neo strutted in with an easy smile on her lips. She opened her arms with a flourish as she spun on her heels, a silent tease in her eyes as she practically said, 'Were you waiting too long?' to the man she came to save.
But instead of the snappy remarks that she came to expect from her partner… instead, all she got was a whimper of fear.
"S-Stay back…!" Roman wheezed, pushing himself to the corners of the room and curling in on himself.
Neo felt her heart shatter as her joyful expression turned to one of deep concern. She took a cautious step forward, and yet that only caused Roman to scream and enter a panic attack.
"No… no! I already told you everything I know!" Roman cried. He felt his breaths grow shorter, his heart rate quickening as he became drenched in sweat.
'R-Roman…? It's me! It's Neo!' Neo quietly signed. She stepped closer and closer, her hand reaching out to try to calm him down. And yet, Roman flinched at her mere sight, his expression growing heavy with guilt as his eyes barely met her own.
"Oh god… did they bring you in to? God no…" Roman breathed out, "I'm so sorry Neo, I'm so god damn sorry…!"
Neo felt rage burn in her heart as she looked at the condition Roman was in. This- this wasn't fair! They were supposed to treat him fairly, give him basic rights! So- so why was he-!
Roman stared back at her, and Neo saw the utter state he was in. His burnt-off hair, his face scarred and burned in two… and the sheer terror in his eyes.
"N-No… don't come closer! This- at least here I'm safe!" Roman cried out.
Neo shook her head and vigorously signed. 'No, we need to stick to the plan! Cinder can-!'
"CAN GO TO HELL!" Roman shouted out in anger. He flinched as soon as he realized what he did, retreating back into himself and beginning to rock back and forth with empty eyes.
"It's- It's no use.. it's no use…" Roman whispered over and over again.
Neo closed her eyes and calmed her thoughts. One, two, three, she counted to herself. Once she was done, she opened them again and knelt to Roman's side.
'…Who did this to you?' She signed.
"I-It was… It was Indigo. Indigo Arc." Roman just barely managed to stutter.
Neo gave a slight nod. She gave a quick, vengeful sign back, 'Then I'll make sure she pays.'
"N-No!" Roman cried out. In desperation, he reached out and grabbed Neo's small, petite arms, begging her to stay back.
"You don't stand a chance, Neo…" Roman whined. "Not even you can…"
Neo stared back in surprise, her eyes wide as saucers. Roman had- he had never doubted her abilities before, but now…
Just what did she do to her partner?
Roman continued, oblivious to Neo's continually bubbling rage. "Neo… I always said we'd do anything to survive… but now…"
He smiled ruefully, tears beginning to run down his cheeks. "We can't anymore." He whispered solemnly, "Now… the best way is to run, Neo."
Neo froze in her tracks. 'R-run…? But then I'll leave you behind…'
"It doesn't matter anymore. I'm through; bit off more than I- than I can chew." Roman muttered. His gaze seemed utterly broken now, barely able to meet her eyes as his body seemed to crumple before her.
No confidence. No swagger. No style.
Only pure fear and defeat.
"Promise me." Roman whispered to her, "Promise me, Neo… that you'll live."
Neo let out a shaky breath. A thousand emotions ran through her mind, from vengeance to rage to apprehension…
And in front of her lifelong partner, she gave a slow, shaky, yet clear nod.
"G-Good." Roman breathed out. He sighed and let her go, quickly scooting back to the corner she found him in and wrapping himself in his own arms.
"Now go. T-the guards will suspect something…"
'…'
"Neo. Go…" Roman said, barely above a whisper.
And as such, unlike the silence she came in, Neo used her Semblance and disappeared with a loud crack!
Simply put, she wasn't the same as when she first arrived.
What Roman said was true; they had lied, cheated, and ran just to survive. But they did so together. That's all they had did – the world was a cruel place, so what was wrong with that?! What was wrong with doing what they needed to do?!
But now, Neo couldn't give less of a damn. All she cared about was getting vengeance on those who had wronged her and Roman.
Elsewhere.
The sound of clicking weapons filled the room, as ominous as they were certain. Mags were loaded, grenades were prepped, and swords were sheathed.
Jaune placed his sword on his hip and turned to face his teammates.
"So." Jaune scanned the room, "Everyone ready?"
"As ready as we'll ever be." Ren nodded, his calm demeanour a reassurance to everyone. He stored StormFlower within his sleeves and slung his father's bow on his back, squaring his shoulders as he did so.
"We'll be right behind you." Pyrrha confirmed beside Jaune. She noticed the slight way he leaned towards her, stepping closer for her comfort…
"And we won't leave you this time!" Nora cheered, hefting Magnhild over her shoulder. That got a slight chuckle out of Jaune, his shoulders easing just a bit.
"Thanks, guys…" Jaune breathed out, "I appreciate it."
"We'll always be here for you." Pyrrha placed a calming hand on Jaune's shoulder. But at the same time, she casted him a concerned look. "But Jaune… do you have any real plan on how to deal with your sister?"
Jaune heaved a sigh. "Yeah… yeah, I got a little something."
At his teammates' expectant looks, Jaune elaborated. "Indigo, she's… she's always been fixated on being the strongest. I guess… I guess it's because she's the oldest."
"She's always acted stern. Cold. But… she was always there for us whenever we needed help. Whenever any of us needed something, she'd be there."
"She just… just didn't like things being where she didn't like them being." Jaune sighed, "When I went to Beacon… and when I trained Scarlet…"
The hand on his shoulder squeezed. Jaune turned his eyes towards his- his partner… and felt the strength to continue.
"Looking back… she loved us too much to get hurt. Wanted the youngest of us to stay innocent. And I guess…" Jaune's fists clenched as his mind raced with memory.
No, he couldn't stay innocent anymore. He was too jaded for that.
"I guess that's what set her off." Jaune finished with a heavy heart.
Of course, his father wasn't here to confirm that. Nor the rest of his sisters that went on their quests to avenge him… and yet even now he knew that none of them were more dedicated that his eldest sister.
The faster one grew up, the more one wanted others to savour the bliss of happiness while they still had it… And as Jaune casted a look to his teammates, all supporting him with concern and love in their eyes, he couldn't help but agree with that sentiment.
And it was that very reason why he couldn't let Indigo jump into the same hole he had.
Jaune breathed deep and explained his plan to his friends. "Seeing that, she'll probably focus in on me. I say let her have it. I'll take her head on, one by one, and force her to surrender."
He saw his friends open their mouth to protest, but a rare smile – imagine, a smile! – from him paused them right. "You guys won't be standing in the sidelines watching. No, Indigo's probably got something up her sleeve. And backup too, I'm sure. I need you guys to watch my back so I won't-!" Accidentally kill her- "So I can do it properly."
"…If that's so, then you can count on us." Pyrrha gave one last squeeze on his shoulder and looked over to the rest of her Team. "Right, guys?"
"Yeah! You can count on us, Jaune-Jaune!"
"No worries. Keep your head straight and we'll too."
Jaune breathed out a sigh of relief. He had expected resistance from his teammates, had expected them to question his decision… and yet, they followed his command without a second thought.
Jaune let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks guys… you don't know how much this means to me."
And Pyrrha had smiled at him, smiled at a murderer like him with so much care that it made his heart hurt knowing he deserved none of it. "We don't need to, Jaune."
Of course, more than his conversation with Team JNPR, there was one more person he needed to talk to.
With the sheer amount of things that had happened in the family, there was one person that Jaune knew couldn't go unignored.
Ring ring! Ring ring!
Ring ring! Ring ring!
Click!
"…Big bro? Is that you?"
"Heya, Scarlet." Jaune breathed out, his voice heavy as he spoke through his nanomachine connections. "Been a while…"
"Big bro! It IS you!" Scarlet screamed with excitement. "Where were you?! You haven't called in years!"
Despite himself, Jaune chuckled. "It's been hardly more than a week, Scar."
"Yeah, well it sure didn't feel like it!" Scarlet answered with a laugh. "So, how's it going down there? Everything alright?"
Jaune bit back a gulp. Only now did it dawn on him what this call meant. How was he supposed to tell her than almost half of their family was in and out of the I.C.U? Or how their eldest, the one that had always been such a pillar, had gone rogue in the worst possible way?
But then, Jaune thought again, if I don't tell her, who would?
So Jaune bit back his fear, bit back his apprehension, and pushed through. "Things have been… well, Jasmine, Dad's Arc unit is-!"
"… I know, big bro." Scarlet had interrupted him midway through. "I- Sorry I asked it like that…"
"You knew?" Jaune wasn't angry – but rather, he was worried on how much his sister had heard. After all, an innocent soul like her, who had been through enough, "How much?"
"…Enough." Scarlet had said solemnly. "So I can guess kind guess on why you're calling me right now…"
"Really…" Jaune muttered. He sighed heavily and decided to be honest with his feelings. "I just… I needed someone to talk to. Someone who can see this from another perspective."
"And you decided to call me?"
"You're family, Scar. And I- I just…" Jaune struggled to find the words. He just hoped that one word at the last would be enough for him to describe. The connection it meant, the reliance, the care…
"I get it." Scarlet answered back. "But big bro, I…"
"…"
"W-when you first came back," Scarlet finally said after a long pause, "I was happy. It was the happiest I've ever been in in years. But then I saw the real you. And it- it was… it wasn't what any of us had imagined."
"Scar…"
"I- I don't know if you know how much you dying meant to us." Scarlet choked back tears. "It just- It just wasn't supposed to happen, big bro. No one thought that- that you'd be the first to bite the bullet. And Indigo took it the hardest."
"Losing you meant so much more to her. I- I think… I think she thought that she failed you; that she failed in her job. And then, when you came back like you did… it probably hurt her more when she realized she lost her brother a second time; because you were nothing like she remembered."
"Now I know… I know that you're who you are, bro." Scarlet whispered, "I can't change you. I can't make you like what you were… but you still saved me, loved me. And I… that's all I really want, in the end. I've missed you, and I'm just thankful you're back."
"But Indigo? I think… I don't think she can accept it. She's still lost, big bro. She's still… still grieving. And if you want to stop her… then you need to show her that you're still there." Scarlet finished.
"That I'm still here…" Jaune whispered. He thought back on current events…
Perhaps… perhaps him beginning to feel wasn't such a bad thing…
Jaune let out a loud sigh. He was beginning to feel tired – tired of the fighting, tired of the constant struggle, but most of all, tired of not even knowing who we wanted to be.
That question was easy enough to appease and bury in the United Continents. But now…
Jaune closed his eyes and opened them a moment later.
For his friends and family, he had always been willing to do anything. And if it meant changing, then hadn't he changed once before?
This mask he wore, the smirking confident samurai who never showed remorse, had been imprinted on him so much that it wasn't just a mask anymore. It was his identity… but so was the boy who wanted to become a hero, the gullible dumb idiot who ran away from home without anything but a dream.
He had sacrificed his life for Scarlet, had died on that fateful day almost three years ago.
And now, to save Indigo, he had to find a way to live.
?
Two-and-a-half years she had been at this. Had been fighting the White Fang all over Vale. And Indigo liked to admit that she had gotten quite good at it.
In a mere few hours she had successfully targeted many a Fang hideout. Had brought them to their knees, even if they were mere stragglers at best. And now, having just snaked out the Police HQ ruins, she had managed to obtain what she very much needed.
In the cloud of ecstasy that she felt before, she had forgotten to take this simple thing. But now, with news reaching her ears of her family's near-dead state… she decided it was time she put this to good use.
Now, in a dark room with but a single light inside, Indigo smiled proudly at her family's fruits of labour.
A dossier containing every single thing they had on the White Fang, all leads and all possibilities ranging from mostly improbable to downright certain.
Indigo smirked as her sword let out a shine. Only a matter of moments now, and she would head out to kill them all.
She didn't care anymore if she was the one who struck first. Didn't care anymore if what she did wasn't legal, if what she did would be considered by many to be an act of unjust.
Because terrorism like the White Fang didn't need to be stopped – they needed to be eradicated.
She had seen it again and again. Her brother, murdered. Her family, now reportedly in a coma. The people of Vale, threatened with destruction when many of them haven't even sinned on a faunus in their entire life.
Indigo hefted her weapon and walked out of the room she was in; and in doing so, left the split up and mauled corpses of a White Fang mob to rot behind her.
They had lost so, so much. And yet, the White Fang demand for equality? It didn't make sense. It didn't make sense how her brother had to lose his life for something he never could've controlled, it wasn't fair how they were the ones who had to deal with this grief, wasn't fair how their actions had caused her precious baby brother to turn into a man more cynical than herself.
They had pushed her to the edge and this was the price they had to pay.
Wasn't that 'fair'~?
Now, she would hold nothing back. She would rid them all, she would make them pay, die for having even looked in the direction of the White Fang with interest.
She didn't care anymore. No, her family was as good as dead, they wouldn't be here to say what she was doing was wrong. This was as much as it was for her as it was for them.
Every. Single. One of them. She would kill them. She would slaughter them. They no longer deserved mercy…
And cockroaches had to be killed in mass if one didn't want them to return.
They had crossed many people, and all actions had their consequences. As Indigo headed out, she quickly dialled a number on her Scroll and spoke to the other end.
Among other things they had collected, they had also taken note of the White Fang's victims. Of the people they had wronged.
And getting into contact with them, getting them to mobilize to the beat of her drums, hadn't been hard at all.
"It's me. Get the men ready. Bombs too. We're crushing those cockroaches in five minutes."
"Roger that, Miss Arc… and then…?"
Indigo smirked, "And then we butcher them for their wrongs against us."
Her family had always been cautious. Had been firm, yet steady and slow. But now, with most of them out of the count save for her little brother, she'd be the one to harvest the fruit of their two-and-a-half years of struggle.
All the intel they had gathered. All the leads they had, all the suspicions they carried, all the things they have collected yet were never executed due to their concern of morals and bureaucracy. Everything she could remember, everything she had save for the confessions of Adam Taurus. And god if she had that too…!
But that was okay. She could still work with what she had. Today, with her newfound comrades, she'd kill all the White Fang in one fell swoop. Today, she'd finally take the plunge and did what most were too scared to do.
And today, her nightmare would end.
Finding Indigo was remarkably easy. Jaune had initially thought that they had to do some slumming first. More deep dives into Vale's underworld, searching for clues that might lead them to a way to stop her. When in the end, all they had to do was follow the sheer trail of carnage she left behind.
News reports were endlessly broadcasting it over the air, "This just in! Another warehouse has suddenly exploded, this one near the docks! We've also- wait, yes, but-! Yes, we're getting reports too that another warehouse was just attacked, this one downtown!"
"Well, she never was much for subtlety." Nora shrugged, though her thin smile did little to hide her nervousness. All of JNPR was now standing at the landing docks just before Beacon, their weapons ready and their wills too.
The reports sounded again, "Breaking! We have new information that several spots in Vale have been bombed! Preliminary reports suggest that these were Faunus-dominated neighbourhoods; what remain of the police claim that this may be a coordinated strike back from a group of fanatics-!"
As the news reached their ears, Jaune and the others could see the small plumes of smoke rising in the skyline. They also saw the way they grew, the way they increased in number as the reports became more and more frantic.
Ren turned to his leader with a grim expression. "Which one should we go to first?"
Jaune took a deep breath and listened in close to the reports. He filtered through the noise, did his best to remember what his sister was like and what she probably was now…
Jaune opened his eyes and spoke firmly. "If she were me then she'd head straight to the source. Downtown."
"You mean… where most of the Fang are probably holed up in." Pyrrha said.
Jaune's silent nod confirmed it and did little to ease their worries. Because then, how did Indigo gain such manpower? She was just one woman, and yet with the sheer speed in which these attacks were occurring…
"She can't be alone." Pyrrha concluded.
"And that's why we can't wait any longer." Jaune summarized. He clenched his metallic fist as his mind recalled his own past.
The longer she does this, the longer she would be staring into the abyss. The more alluring its fall became, the more inviting its laugh turned into, the more comforting its darkness would become.
Logically, stopping the attacks one by one would be the best choice. It would save the most lives, would ensure their intel was correct, and would make it easier for them to get to the bottom of this.
Jaune was a logical man; but now, it seemed that living rarely was.
Ren spoke once more, interrupting his thoughts. "What about RWBY? Shouldn't they be in here too?"
"They're going to the massive hideout Adam's told us about. Focus their efforts there." Jaune explained. "We're left to deal with this, just a common objective for now. And besides…"
Jaune shook his head, "They're down one member. Yang's been gone for a few hours now, and with it…."
"They need all the help they could get." Pyrrha finished for him.
Jaune met each and every pair of their eyes. "Yeah… that."
Other people's help.
This sheer scale of attack… this cruelty that Indigo was doing and was going to do…
He had to stop her.
Quickly, Jaune grabbed a hand from each one of JNPR's arms and prepared his Semblance. There would be no spares for speed now. He would not let his sister turn out the same.
"Get ready." Jaune said to Team JNPR, meeting each of their eyes with steely determination; yet also with a silent ask for assurance, a slight weakness which they returned with kindness.
And with that single interaction, Jaune flashed away and began scouring through to downtown as fast as his Semblance could let him.
"N-no! Please, don't do this!"
"Oh? Begging for mercy are we~?" Indigo smirked as the White Fang squadron leader – the last of his unit, she had oh so sweetly ensured – cowered in fear as she stalked forward. She bathed in his panic, in his wide eyes behind his cracked visor.
Indigo took a step forwards. And that alone was enough to break the man's resolve and send him bursting to tears.
"No, please!" He begged her, hands on the floor and head bowed. "Don't kill me!"
"That's a pretty big ask, man." Indigo giggled. She raised her sword high as the man froze in fear, unable to do anything as sparks of electricity bristled around her. "Tell you what; give me something valuable and I'll think of sparing you."
"W-wha… alright then! Alright!" The platoon leader answered, "We've- we've got a hidden weapons cache at Baker Street, just by the wall gates!"
"Hm, aaaandddd….?"
"A-and we've got a bunch of us hidden out at East Vale!"
"Hm… now that's good intel." Indigo smirked. She lifted her Scroll and made a call, laughing as she did so. "Got another gaggle. East Vale. Plant the bomb and move on to the next target."
The platoon leader's face blanched. "Y-you're just going to kill them all-?!"
"Well duh." Indigo flourished her sword and smirked at the cowering man, "But don't worry. I'm about to save them the fate of what I'm doing with you~!"
In a flash she brought her sword down on the man's chest, smiling in joy as he howled in pain.
"AHHHHHHH-!"
"HAHAHAHA!" And then, as slowly as she could, Indigo brought the sword down across his body and split him in two, blood and guts spilling everywhere.
And then, she giggled as his blood splattered her face. "Oh, what fun…"
She took pleasure in the blood on the floor, the death spilled on this formerly secured warehouse. This was what they deserved, and what she deserved too. They had taken her family, had crossed one line too many, had never backed off when she held restraint.
And equally, she deserved some stress relief. She deserved to let it all out, to give them a piece of her mind and rage as they had taken and taken and taken. Jaune had done this too, and had brought back results, so why shouldn't she do the same? She deserved that too!
Deserved it after all her loss…
And at that thought, at that little glee she gained in her eyes, was when the warehouse door opened through the bodies of dead she had stacked in front of it.
BANG!
Indigo turned with a smile to the source. "Ah, Jaune… I knew you'd come."
"Of course you did." Her brother answered her back. He stepped inside the warehouse, his Team following suit as they dipped their toes in all the bloodshed she had created. All the progress she had proved.
"So, you know that I know that you know." Indigo teased as she opened her arms. "So what do you say, little brother? Care to join me now?"
"Quite the opposite." Jaune said firmly. He took a step forwards, a determined gaze in his blue eyes. "I'm here to stop you before you go too far, sis."
At that, Indigo smirked. "Oh, but it's already too late for that." With a flourish she lifted her hand and showed her Scroll to the others, the words on it plain to see.
~Lost Judgment OST: Justice or Evil~
BOMB KILL SWITCH
ACTIVATE?
Pyrrha took a step back in surprise. "Is that…?"
"Yeah. A bomb strapped to the homes of every single suspect that we've collected over the years." Indigo said with a smile. "It doesn't matter if they're really White Fang or not. I don't care! If they've even so much as sniffed in the direction of a rally… then they'll have an explosive surprise at their doorstep!"
"How?" Ren asked. "What kind of help did you get?"
To that, Indigo opened her arms and whistled.
Immediately, squads of men filled the warehouse from every side, many of them wearing different uniforms. There were firefighters, there were police officers, there were emergency responders, there were construction workers, and some didn't wear uniforms at all.
And what they had in common was the guns they were pointing at JNPR's heads.
Indigo laughed at JNPR's shocked expressions, "Surprised? Gathering up all my friends here wasn't hard. And as we speak, even more of them are destroying every trace of the Fang they can get their hands on, moving on every bit of intel we've gathered over the last two-and-a-half years."
"And once it's all ready, then we'll end the night in the biggest explosion Vale'll ever see! One that marks a new age, one that can finally get rid of the cockroaches that won't die no matter how many times we slam our boots down!"
The crowd cheered in agreement, their voices of anger and rage clear for Team JNPR to hear. But even though they understood their rage, some of them just thought it was too far.
"Y-you can't do that!" Nora said vehemently. "We've seen those files; some of them you barely even have any idea what they're guilty for! Slap charges! You can't just- just kill of half of a population!"
"I can and I will!" Indigo shouted back. She waved her arms around her as if proudly showing her work. "You see this, all of this? This is progress! Progress we can't take just by being passive!"
The crowd roared again in agreement, and Indigo smiled in delight. She offered JNPR her hand and spoke gently, inviting them over to her side.
"Join us." Indigo spoke softly, "This. All of this, all of us, we're all people that the White Fang have wronged. Some of my friends here don't have a home to come back to because of them, got their livelihoods destroyed by their attacks. Some of them lost their entire families, their reasons to live, because of the White Fang's actions."
"And now it's time we put an end to this silliness." Indigo's voice began to raise, as did the rally cries of the people she had gathered around her. "No longer will we be so forgiving! No longer will we give them second chances! They want equality? We'll give it to them! Humans, Faunus, all are the same in death!"
The crowd cheered their approval. Here and now, JNPR could see that they truly believed in what they were saying.
They didn't care anymore if they lived or died. Didn't care anymore that this was stepping over the line, that this was causing as much harm to the innocents as much as it was causing harm to the Fang. All they cared about was striking back at the pain they had suffered, and if that meant they died too, well…
Everyone died. It only meant that they'd finally get to see those they missed so much on the other side.
Jaune took a deep breath as he looked at the current situation. At his Team huddled close for comfort, at the rage these people were exhibiting, at his sister with her thumb over the detonate button.
Jaune exhaled and took a single step forward, taking charge from his Team, and meeting Indigo's eyes head on.
And then, Jaune asked. "Can you really do this, Indigo?"
The roars of the crowd died down as Jaune addressed her, and Indigo narrowed her eyes and scowled.
Just what is he thinking? Indigo wondered, I've got the button right here!
And so, she said as such. "Of course I can." Indigo spat, "You think I won't?"
"…I think you know this isn't right." Jaune saw the barest of flinches from Indigo, and so he continued. "You're lashing out. You want justice. You want results. You want victory… but this isn't the way to do it."
Indigo paused, and Jaune offered her his hand.
"Don't do this." Jaune pleaded. "Don't take the jump. It's not what any of us want."
And that, that single comment, sent Indigo over the edge.
"WHAT DOES IT MATTER WHAT ANY OF YOU WANT?!" She screamed. Her pupils dilated as her voice grew horse, "THEY TOOK THEM! THEY TOOK YOU, JAUNE! THE WHITE FANG DESERVES TO PAY!"
"But not at the cost of you." Jaune begged her. Begged, not to fall like he had. To see a reason that had eluded him for so long, "Please, sis. Don't do this. Don't make- don't do it like I did. You know… deep inside, this isn't what Dad or Mom anyone else would want. That doing this will only hurt them…. it'll hurt me too, sis."
"IT'S NOT FAIR!" Indigo yelled back. Her body began to shake as tears threatened to leak from her eyes…
And her grip on the detonator Scroll began to wobble.
Indigo continued. "None of it is! I lost you, then I lost Dad and the others! Why should we give them mercy?! Why should we show them a second chance when they never take it?! Why do they keep hurting us?!"
"We give them a second chance not to save them, sis. But to save ourselves." Jaune choked back tears. "I… I can't lose you. I can't. The only way we can beat the Fang is if we live. And that also means not butchering your heart in the hopes of revenge."
Indigo breathed through her nose. "As long as I'm breathing, that'll be my only purpose. They've taken too much of it to become whole again, Jaune."
"Hope is never out of reach." Jaune whispered. "I know that now. I never expected myself to come back home, and yet… Sis, we need to find another reason. I'm still trying, but you… don't do something you won't come back from, please! It won't mean anything in the end!"
"So what do you propose?!" Indigo shouted back. "What, just let scum like them roam free?! Just let them walk all over us?! What do you mean we need to live?!"
"I meant…" Jaune's breath hitched. For a brief second he looked to his friends, looked at the way they still supported him, and Jaune heaved out. "I meant living for something bigger than yourself."
"You were bigger than myself, Jaune." Indigo whispered back.
Jaune's head snapped to his sister as she continued.
"You were my everything. All of you were. I wanted you to be safe, I wanted you to be happy. Your smiles, your laughs…. You're my little brother. You deserve the whole world and more."
Indigo's hand clenched around her sword's hilt. "…And they took you away from me. Made you something that you were never supposed to be…"
"Sis…" Jaune stepped forward again, his hand still outstretched. "I'm still here. I'm still alive… we can find a new future together."
Indigo's eyes went to her brother's hand. Then, it went to his face, to his eyes, to his sword, back and forth as her heart began to rapidly beat.
Her mind flashed back to when she first held him in her arms. His tender smile, his cute eyes… and then when he went to Beacon, how he now stood proud to defend his own dream, how willing he was to die for his family… and now, she saw just a ghost of it reaching back to pull her out.
"How…?" Indigo whispered.
Jaune paused and waited patiently for her to continue. And when she did, Jaune felt his heart clench.
"…How can you be so sure?" Indigo said, barely audible.
And to that, Jaune decided to answer honestly. "I don't." He said, "…But knowing you… knowing me… I know you'd appreciate knowing that someone's still there to love you."
Jaune breathed in at Indigo's shocked expression, "And if you were the kind to truly be that evil… then we wouldn't have come rushing in here to save you."
~Lost Judgment OST: Unwavering Belief~
Indigo gasped as her breathing stopped. She had thought Jaune would rush at her, would deny her and put her down like she expected him to…
And yet, he offered her his hand. Gave her words she didn't know she wanted, didn't know she needed.
But even still, even now, her heart continued to hurt with pain. Still howled at how this wasn't the way it was supposed to be, how it was her who was supposed to keep him safe, how they took the innocence she cherished so much and mutilated it into a cynical man who was now trying so, so hard to come back.
To come back because of her. Because he didn't want her to do this, because none of them wanted to, no matter how much pain they had suffered through.
He kept living here, kept trying, because he loved her.
Jaune saw his sister reach the peak of her frustration. Of her desperation, of not knowing where to go next. Recognized that this encounter was about to reach its crescendo.
And with that, he lowered his hand and motioned it towards his Team. "Pyrrha, Nora, Ren. Nobody lend a hand. Keep the others occupied…"
He had seen the pain this moment could cause. Had now grown to regret it somewhat, and he won't see history repeat itself again.
Jaune's eyes shone with newfound determination. At least, in this moment, his future was clear. His reason for living, not to kill and not to fight…
"I'm not letting anyone else get hurt." Jaune said.
Pyrrha and the rest of JNPR gave a silent nod.
Indigo, however, made her desperation known. She yelled in frustration and threw the detonator to the ground. She let out all her frustrations, screamed at the destiny she was given, desperate rage consuming her as she fell back on the only thing she knew.
Strength to protect her family. Strength to prove her way right.
Strength, the only thing she had left. "JAAAAAUUUUNEEEEEE!"
With her eyes closed and tears streaming down her face, she pulled out her zweihander and rushed at Jaune with all she had. Channelling her electricity-based Semblance Arc Wave through her hands, she turned her normal sword into an HF Blade and met Jaune with the same killing intent he was known for.
And Jaune met her head on, yelling to as he dashed forward, drawing HF Murasama and blocking her glowing blue HF-like Zweihander with his own.
Jaune Arc
Lost Son of the Arc Family
vs
Indigo Arc
Eldest Daughter of the Arc Family
Their swords met mid-swing, red and blue meeting head on as their electricity clashed. With a roar Jaune and Indigo both pushed through, their swords eventually breaking contact and them dashing past each other.
Srrrk!
Jaune spun around and lifted his sword at the same time Indigo did. Their eyes met each other, the same shade of blue inherited by the same blood and shaped by the same trauma.
And with that single attack chaos erupted around them, men and women fighting against Team JNPR as they now knew what stance they should take. The stance of anger, of vengeance, of revenge.
And with that very same stance Indigo rushed at Jaune again, lifting her sword high and bringing it down. Jaune brought HF Murasama up and blocked the blow, its strength no match for his Aura and nanomachine enhanced powers.
And yet, Jaune couldn't help but flinch at the slight tingle of electricity that grazed his skin, knowing that his sister was using an HF Blade like him; a type of weapon that had damned him as much as it saved him.
Indigo swung and swung again, poking at his defences with picture perfect form. She used her Zweihander's longer length to her great advantage, using it like a spear to persistently thrust at Jaune at odd angles.
"Grk!" Jaune grunted as one of the blades slipped through his defences, nicking his sides and forcing him to take a step back.
Indigo wasn't one to let an opportunity slip. She quickly dashed forwards and swung Zweihander for Jaune's left arm. Jaune brought HF Murasama and deflected the blade away, pushing it out and slamming Indigo's head with his pommel.
She yelled in pain as the surprise hit knocked her a step back. Jaune seized the initiative and flipped HF Murasama, swinging its back side on her ribs.
And yet Indigo reacted quickly and ducked under the blow, twisting her foot and brining her Zweihander upwards to cut Jaune in two. The samurai quickly jumped up and twirled above his sister… which was the exact same time that Indigo brought her sword up and spun it above her.
Jaune barely had any time to react as he crossed his fists, the hit sending him flying back and barely landing on his feet.
Indigo rushed at him again, her sword coming in from the side. Jaune parried the blow and forced her Zweihander to the side, slamming his blade into her chest. Indigo parried just in time, but the sheer strength of a nanomachine suit and Aura powered man was more than enough to send her skidding back.
And yet, as she looked back up at him with wild eyes, Jaune noticed that the fire in her hadn't died down one bit.
With a yell she rushed at him again, and this time Jaune met her head on. He sheathed HF Murasama and used its gunfire sheath to enhance his speed, a loud BANG! reaching Indigo's ears the exact same time Jaune appeared before her with HF Murasama mid swing.
Jaune swung HF Murasama aiming for his sister's sword, another attempt to throw her away. In these milliseconds he noticed his sister's eyes widen at his incredible speed, at how her sword was by her side and nowhere near in a position to block… it was a guaranteed blow to rid her of her weapon.
That was, until Indigo's eyes sharpened and she used one of her hands to grab HF Murasama mid-swing, her fingers arcing with her Semblance as she kept the red blade right where it was.
Jaune couldn't keep the shock out of his face. "W-what?!" Only a number of people had managed to stop his sword with their hands, and the last one was-!
"AAAAAAHHHH!" Indigo roared and took advantage of Jaune's distraction, swinging her blade and slashing Jaune with a slice through his side that cut through Aura and metal and flesh.
"GAH!" Jaune skid back as his right side sprayed blood everywhere, healing with Aura yet doing nothing to numb the pain. He took steps back as he tried to regain himself-!
And yet Indigo was at him with reckless abandon, already moving with another attack.
Jaune bit back a curse as he blocked one of her swings. He gritted his teeth through the pain as he blocked another; and another, and another, and another. They were relentless in nature, and seeing the wild, desperate look in his sister's eyes, Jaune knew she wouldn't be stopping soon.
Jaune pushed back the beginnings of something bad within him and flashed away, barely dodging another attack. He reappeared a moment later in Indigo's blind side, HF Murasama thrusting forth and nicking her in her shoulder.
Slash!
"Grrr!" Indigo bared her teeth and swung behind her. But Jaune had already flashed away and reappeared beside her, dealing a shallow slash that cut at her stomach.
Indigo yelled in frustration and spun and swung around her, her Zweihander sparking electricity around her and the blade as deadly as ever. But Jaune merely flashed away and reappeared above her, descending down and dropkicking her across the face.
The attack caused a loud crack! to reverberate across the room as Indigo was forced down to the floor, faceplanted by Jaune's foot. Jaune himself landed quickly and rushed to her side, HF Murasama by his side and ready to end it all-!
CRACKLEEE!
A loud volt of electricity shot out from Indigo's body and forced Jaune to abort, its blue glow tickling the edges of his skin. Jaune let out a breath as he saw Indigo rise up again, though with an air of danger more prevalent than before.
As soon as she was off of her knees, Indigo yelled to the heavens and gripped her zweihander tight. She focused all of her Semblance within her and pushed its limits, pumping more and more electricity through her body and through her sword as she cried out all her grief.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Jaune took a step back as the room began to darken in comparison to his sister's supernova of electricity; no, of Lightning. She commanded every single bit of electrons in this room, his nanomachines only saved by being formerly attuned to his Aura.
And as his sister's throat grew horse, so did the power growth began to stop; but that didn't mean that it had left her. No, her body was now radiating pure lightning, blue glow more threatening than he had ever seen as her Semblance-infused, HF-altered zweihander continually transitioned between blue and pure white.
Through her power-fuelled haze, Jaune saw Indigo lock eyes with him. And yet, even through her anger and her desperation… he could still see how sad she was. How longing she was, all the despair hidden behind her power.
Jaune clenched his teeth. The fight wasn't over yet, but he would see it to its end.
With another flash Jaune appeared before Indigo and swung HF Murasama for her chest. She reacted quickly and blocked the blow with ease, striking back with a swing for Jaune's neck. Jaune ducked under the blow and struck HF Murasama's hilt on her chin, forcing her back. Spinning and dashing, Jaune slid past Indigo's sides and cut the back of her left ankle, staggering her in place.
Indigo groaned in pain, quickly slamming her zweihander to the floor. A torrent of electricity coated the ground the moment her sword made contact, creeping up and electrifying Jaune in place as he howled from the feeling of a thousand volts coursing through his veins.
Aura attuned or not, her pure Lightning overpowered any of his overrides.
"AGHHHHHH-!" BAM! Jaune's yells were cut short as Indigo struck him with her zweihander across his chest, cutting open metal and Aura and flesh as Jaune spat out blood. Jaune took a step back from the blow, but Indigo was relentless. A slash to his other side, a cut on his left arm, a stab to his thigh, she didn't stop when Jaune couldn't move.
As he was assaulted, Jaune forced his mind through the pain to look, to look at Indigo. He saw how relentless she was still… and yet this increase in power was also beginning to run her ragged, her body now visibly heavy and her successful attacks growing slower with each swing, landing only because Jaune hadn't been able to fight back, frozen in place from her sting as he was.
And Jaune decided that this couldn't continue.
He yelled as he forced his body to movemovemove. With great effort and pain, Jaune moved his metallic right arm and grabbed Indigo's zweihander mid swing.
And now, like brother like sister, she too couldn't help the shock that crossed her features. "W-what?!"
"HYAH!" Jaune took no quarter and struck Indigo across the face with his fist, his human fist. She stumbled back, the shock and the fatigue now enough for Jaune to wrench her zweihander away from her grasp.
And yet still, that did little to dwindle her aggression. It wouldn't end that easy, he thought, not when her eyes were still that searching for something.
So Jaune resolved to take it like her brother and now threw HF Murasama away.
With synchronized yells they charged each other, fists cocked. All forms of swordsmanship and Huntress etiquette and mercenary cruelty were all thrown by the wayside.
This was their battle and theirs alone. Not of a Jetstream and a Strongest Huntress, but of Jaune and Indigo.
"HYAH!"
"HAH!"
Their fists collided each other's cheeks at the same time, though both kept at it.
Their punches were wild, lacking any form yet full of all emotion. Slugging one after the other, their cries and tears shed as red and blue, both of yellow, let out their frustrations as pure from the heart as they could, communicated by their bond alone.
'YOU DIED! YOU WERE NEVER SUPPOSED TO LEAVE ME!'
'I HAD NO CHOICE! I'M HERE NOW, DON'T MAKE ME DO THIS!'
'THEY TURNED YOU INTO THIS! THE WHITE FANG! GIVE ME BACK JAUNE! GIVE ME BACK MY LITTLE BROTHER!'
'I'M RIGHT HERE! I'M HERE FOR YOU! DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES I DID!'
'WHAT'S LEFT FOR US OTHER THAN OUR MISTAKES?! WHAT'S LEFT OTHER THAN REVENGE?!'
Their fists met each other's bodies again and again and again, loud smacks the only thing audible in their ears as the world drowned out around them.
"HYAH!"
"HAH!"
BAM! Jaune's fist met Indigo's gut, and she staggered back in shock. She looked up at him again, both of the breathing hard from the pain they felt in their hearts… and remembering that, Indigo's own spirit flared up again.
She didn't even notice that her Semblance had died down. That her Aura was totally out, that she was only on the verge of fighting capability… all she knew was that she had to see this through.
Indigo yelled as she stood back up again. She remembered the loss she felt, the guilt she carried around that was sewed into her heart, the fear she felt at losing her family members again, the frustration at how wherever she turned nothing seemed to be right, at how her life had been broken by choices in and out of her control… and how this wasn't how it was supposed to be.
"JAUUUUUNEEEEEEEE!" Indigo roared as she stood back up and charged straight at her little brother. Her gaze grew hazy as her fist made contact, barely noticing that she had thrown in a punch again and again and again and again at her little brother's figure.
And only once she let out a final breath, did she realize that Jaune hadn't reacted one bit, had kept standing tall and firm as if her punches meant nothing.
"HAAHHHHHH!" Jaune yelled as he brought his fist up and punched down across Indigo's face. A loud BOOM! echoed the room as she was thrown back from the blow, non-fatal, and yet…
At that very moment, Indigo felt the last of her fighting spirit drain from her body.
And just like that… the fight had ended.
"Hah. Hah…" Jaune approached his sister, HF Murasama flying into his hand and quickly being sheathed. He calmed himself down as his wounds were quickly healed by Aura, his suit still a lot on the functional side.
All in all, this hadn't been the hardest battle he had to pull himself through. No, that still went to Raiden and Armstrong…
And yet, as he looked down at a shocked and shivering Indigo, he could admit to himself that this had been the most taxing.
Jaune knelt beside his sister, her eyes still wide and barely looking into his own. The battle around them had died down, civilians having been no match for Team JNPR; and for that, Jaune was immensely grateful to them.
"Sis…" Jaune scooted closer and offered her his hand. "…It's all over now. You…"
Jaune took in a deep breath. He searched his feelings, searched on how similar the two of them now were… and spoke to her as much as to anyone else.
"You don't have to protect us anymore."
That seemed to snap her out of her trance. Slowly but surely, she took his offered hand, his human hand, and seemed to treasure its very warmth like a man dying of thirst in the desert.
And then, all at once, she crumbled.
Indigo leapt to Jaune's arms, hugging him close as her body shook. "I…. I'm sorry…!" She choked out.
Of course, a mere apology wasn't enough to reverse the damage she had done. And yet, more than that, Jaune knew that she wasn't apologizing for the people she had broken while she had snapped.
No, she was apologizing to him.
"I… I wasn't strong enough…!" She wheezed. "I- I let you down, Jauney… I let everyone down...!"
Jaune felt his arms freeze as Indigo sobbed. Indigo was always the strongest of them, and she had never broken down like this. Jaune realized that he had no other plan than making Indigo see sense…
The old him would have scoffed at her weakness. And yet, wasn't this what it meant to feel?
"Shh…" Now, Jaune rubbed circles in his sister's back as she cried. "It's going to be okay…"
The words felt foreign in his mouth. Empty sentences that ran opposite to his cynical opinion of the world. But this was what his sister needed. What he had needed, once upon a time.
And so, he spoke to his sister by drawing on that.
"I know it seems tough. I know it doesn't seem right… but everything will mean something in the end."
"How do you know that….?"
"B-because I came back. Somehow…" Jaune breathed out. His own body shook, and he held his sister closer, tighter. "There's got to be some meaning in there. And if- if I did, then, you can too."
"I- I just wish…" Indigo sobbed. Jaune stayed silent until she could find the words, and when she did…
"I just wished you were here all this time." Indigo sobbed. "You… I missed you. Every day. I thought about how I could've been better, about- about how I should've been kinder, stronger, and then maybe…"
"…"
"I… I…-!" Indigo's hands wrapped tighter around Jaune, her face buried in his neck. "You were my everything, Jaune. Everything. And losing you… seeing you like this…"
"… I'm here, sis. Now and forever."
"The elder is the one who's supposed to carry the burden." Indigo sniffed. She cried on his shoulder, hot streaks of tears streaming down to his metallic hand, "You weren't- you weren't supposed to die. And- and I tried so hard, to live up to what you would've wanted. And then, when you came back, I was just- I wanted it to stop. I wanted us to be happy again! Like we were- like how we were before you died."
"…"
"Jaune… why?" Indigo whispered. Her voice sounded broken now, desperately reaching for a semblance of an answer as to why she had fought all this time. Why she had existed, why she continued to struggle. But most of all…
"Why… why does it have to be us?" She begged to Jaune.
Jaune felt his grip on his sister tighten. To that, he had no answer.
Even now he didn't understand why his Semblance activated when it did. Didn't understand why it was him who had to see the Continents and the cruelty that it laid bare. Didn't know why he was sent back when he was fine with dying by Raiden's blade.
To that end, he couldn't answer Indigo's question.
But there was one thing he did know now. Knew well, from the way he had to save Scarlet back in Mistral, had to confront his Team when he returned, and now, had to hold Indigo in his arms as she wept at her loss.
"…Because we need to live." Jaune whispered to her ear.
"…"
Jaune continued when she didn't. "I… I've always been ready to die. I thought… I thought death would atone me. And when I didn't, I thought killing would be enough to protect Scarlet. To make things right, to protect you. And to defend everyone else."
"But now, I think…" His voice was still uncertain. Saying this meant as much as admitting it…
And yet, he realized that with his family in his arms, he'd do anything for them in the end.
And sometimes, doing the hardest things didn't mean it had to be the darkest of paths. Didn't mean sacrificing hundreds of lives and staining your own just so they could smile.
No, sometimes what was hardest was seeing a light.
"…Now, I think what I need to do is to be with you. And with everyone else, more than anything." Jaune emphasized.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed his Team clean up and lean in close to their conversation. They hovered just out of their space, and yet their gazes were clearly sot towards their mentor, with as much care for her as their own leader.
Jaune felt Indigo look up; and for a moment, he felt hope shine through her despair-ridden eyes. And in that moment Jaune realized something:
It wasn't that killing was wrong. No, war was war, and everyone here understood that.
Killing indiscriminately, that maybe so.
But in the end, what truly mattered to him had always right here.
He had been so concerned with keeping them safe, with shielding them from harm, that he had pushed them away and caused so much damage. Had he simply been here and had focused on what was in front of him, then…
He cherished them; so, so much, it hurt him the most when he was away or those accursed years. But in turn, he had cherished their memory more when he had returned. He had been too scared to embrace them as he was. Had been too scared to accept that things had changed, that they might change too if they got too close to him… when in reality not all change had to be bad.
They can't go back to the way things were. Too much had happened, too much time had passed. But that didn't mean they had to fear a future unknown. Not when they could be together.
And one word knocked Jaune out of his reverie.
"…Promise?" Indigo begged.
And for the first time after years, Jaune felt nervous. Felt uncertain…
But such a thing wasn't something to fear.
"I promise." Jaune solemnly said.
And with that Indigo's tears ceased. She hugged her brother close, wrapping up his very essence and doing her best to heal.
Jaune let his guard down; for the first time, he let JNPR and Indigo see him for who he really was.
A broken man. But one that, through their love, decided to try to be better.
And of course, that was when all hell broke loose.
CRACK! The sound of glass shattering broke everyone out of their trance. Jaune looked up from hugging his sister and saw a tri-coloured assassin behind Indigo, aiming her parasol knife straight for his sister's throat.
A logical man would've teleported away. A mercenary would've drawn his sword and sliced the assassin in two. Had a mere extra second been offered, Jaune would've recovered from his emotional words – from nothing short of his confession of sins – and would've done both.
But at that moment, Jaune wasn't rational. The only thing he had to rely on was his instincts. His will.
His love.
He had just confessed everything to his sister, had laid his heart out bare. And so of course he wasn't fully prepared mentally for another fight. His knees were still weak with emotion, his hands slow with uncertainty, his heart rapid with the very sudden changes in atmosphere...
And because of that, Jaune could only do what he knew.
Being the fastest to react, he spun around and kept Indigo close. He held her tight as the parasol moved and pierced him instead of her, his Aura just fast enough to guard his throat.
But not fast enough to stop it from breaking through his armour and pierce his throat.
SPLASH! Blood splattered Indigo's shocked face as Jaune choked on his own blood, gurgling on it as a red-stained knife protruded from it.
"NOOOOOOOOO!" Pyrrha screamed and launched herself at Neo. She slammed her shield on the assassin's face, taking no small glee as the assassin's nose cracked and she flew away.
The rest of Team JNPR quickly burst into action. They chased down Neo and beat her senseless, and the worst part was that she didn't even try to fight back.
It was clear from the way each of their strikes hurt her, from the way her desperate counters lacked any weight, that she had focused all, absolutely all of her Aura on that one attack.
It had been enough to catch an unaware Jaune, even if he would've normally brushed such an attack off. And so, it was enough for Neo.
Team JNPR quickly apprehended her; it wasn't hard when she didn't even put up a fight.
But that left them quickly daring to their leader, Indigo crawling to him as he laid on the ground bleeding.
"A-ack!" Jaune weakly grasped his throat. He felt his Aura heal, his nanomachine fight it, but he was still choking on his own blood.
"I-It's not healing fast enough!" Pyrrha shouted in panic. "We- We need to-!"
"No. There's no time." Indigo shook her head. She felt tears prickle her eyes again, but when she felt rage coming back…
…she looked at her brother, looked at the way he was still clinging on and looking at her desperately. Not to save him, but to not let it consume her…
Indigo let out a calming breath. She summoned what little Aura had regenerated and let electricity crackle on her hands. "Stand back."
"W-what're you gonna do?" Nora asked. Her mentor brushed her off as she now sat beside Jaune but gave her a side-eye glance.
"I'm going to cauterize the wound. Superheat from electricity." Indigo explained. She shot her eye back to Jaune, "Aura is healing it, but not fast enough. Blood is still leaking out, and it needs to stop immediately. This is the only way, but… it won't be pretty. Your throat won't heal properly, and…"
"…And your voice will probably never be the same. You'll never speak like you once did." Indigo sighed. She raised her hands above her brother's throat. "But… you promised me to live, Jaune. If we don't do this…"
Hearing those words, Jaune focused his eyes on her and gave her the most confident nod he can.
"…Then let us light our darkest hour." Indigo clenched her teeth. With a yell she powered all her electricity though her fingers, a blinding blue glow emitting from her hand as she pressed it down on Jaune's throat.
They all flinched when they saw Jaune scream his lungs out, yet with no voice coming out. In mere moments it was over, Jaune's throat now sealed shut.
But at the same time…
A new voice greeted them; high-pitched like Jaune's, but more… horse. Torn apart.
"I…!" Jaune looked around as his consciousness began to fade from the pain of the procedure. It felt like torture to even speak, yet he still retained the ability to do so.
Jaune clenched his fists. Another part of him taken.
And yet, perhaps it was for the best.
The last words he ever spoke in that voice, in that voice that mocked so many and had laughed at massacres, were words of reassurance. Of belief in a better future, in hope. His last words were those of comfort, of love, words that turned his sister away from his own path. And he felt immense relief that he had managed to do so.
Maybe this was the price he had to pay if he wanted to truly change. A real consequence to his actions, to mark real change. He didn't know if that was true or not, or if this was another cruel trick of fate.
But he would choose to regard it as such.
This… Jaune breathed out. This… This would simply be another beginning.
"I'll… I'll be okay…!" Jaune spoke hoarsely. His new voice had a new growl now, rougher and much more painful.
And yet, somehow, Jaune smiled more honestly than the thousands of sneers he had shot at dying soldiers.
"I… saved you… didn't I?" He rasped out, and at that moment he didn't care about defeating Neo, or about Cinder or anyone else. "Then… that's… enough… for me."
"J-Jaune…!" Indigo felt tears well up, and she swept Jaune in a bone crushing hug. A part of her realized that he had taken responsibility for her mistakes; Neo had probably come for her, for the things she had done to Roman…
But her brother had willingly paid the price. Had done it in her place for her mistakes…
Soon, she too was joined by the rest of JNPR, holding their dear blond tight as he passed out; for the first time, in the arms of people he genuinely loved.
The last thought that entered his mind was…
'This is good… isn't it?'
At the same time.
The door to the lowermost corners of Beacon Academy opened, a small ding sounding as a brash woman entered its confines.
And within it, Ozpin looked up from his desk to see Yang Xiao-Long enter.
She greeted him with a confident smirk, hands on her hips as she stood as proud as ever. "You're getting your answer, Prof. I'm in."
And Ozpin answered that with a relieved smile… the two pods behind him seeming to shine as they await someone to transfer the Maiden powers to. "Perfect, Miss Xiao-Long. I knew you'd come around."
Yang smirked back, though the glint beneath her amber eyes… it was something not even he could read.
"Yeah." Yang answered, "All of it's gonna come back to where it all started."
To Be Continued…
A/N All done. Next chapter: The Flames of Determination / Fist Law.
Thoughts, please leave them in the reviews. As scheduled, next chapter should be next Sunday.
Have a good day and see you next time!