Chapter 28: So Close, Yet So Far
Robbeeyy: Indeed, Jaune must accept what he's done and move on, because if he doesn't he'll end up like his father, like Qrow, or... walk a much darker path. Kratos was right, "We must be Better"
Asianman2: Yeah, I'll fix them later.
What if: Nicholas is going to show up later and trust me, he and Jaune are going to have a long talk.
ASpanishReader: Trust me, the next chapter is the one you've all been waiting for! As for the clue on who the "Grimm" is searching for, it's not anyone we've really seen in the show, but they have been talked about in "World of Remnant" specifically, they were a king. Also, the "Grimm" really isn't a Grimm but a more recent and newish "character"
A/N:
Worked another closing Shift today, so I'm posting this late, however, I want to wish you all a Happy Halloween and be safe! Love you guys! Enjoy the Chapter!
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Deery slowly opened her eyes and the rays of the sun hit her eyes, realizing she wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep, she got up, stretched out her arms, and yawned before she looked around the room and noticed that Jaune wasn't on the floor. Her brow raised in confusion, wondering where he was, but remembered that he must have woken up early and was no doubt working with Tai. So she quickly got up and got dressed and walked out of the room and then quickly to the backyard, where she first saw Zwei watching something. When she followed the Dog's line of sight, she saw the most amazing sight before her.
In the backyard, Jaune and Tai were having a friendly spar, if you could even call it that, as it was clear that they were both engrossed in the spar, it was as if the only things that existed around the two were the other, and all their focus was on their opponent.
Jaune swung at Tai, but the older man backed up and dodged the attack, before he stepped forward and delivered a blow to Jaune's arm, causing the young knight to groan in pain. Jaune pulled his sword back and then slashed at the older blonde, however, Tai avoided the attack by mere inches, he then ducked and kicked Jaune's feet from under him and the blonde fell onto the floor. Tai spun around before facing Jaune again and he planned on stomping on the young knight, but Jaune rolled to the side and quickly got up and tried to stab him in the leg, Tai, seeing the attack coming, backflipped just as Jaune thrust forward and missed his target.
Deery was in shock, Tai was simply fighting with his fist and no weapon whatsoever, while Jaune was as aggressive and vicious as his fight against Bane and Ilia, both were skilled, and she found it amazing that Jaune was able to keep up with an older and more skilled huntsmen such as Tai, who specialized in close quarters combat.
"Kid's pretty good, I don't think I've ever seen anyone last that long with Tai next to Firecracker,"
Deery jumped at the new voice and turned only to see Qrow standing there, however, he was covered in a few bandages and seemed to be still healing from whatever wounds he suffered from.
"Who are you!?" Deery cried with shock.
Qrow looked at her with a smile, "Name's Qrow, nice to meet ya kid, but the better question is why Nick's son is here?" Qrow asked, "Gotta admit that he had really gotten a lot better, but I shouldn't have expected less from the guy that took down a whole gang by himself," Qrow said.
Last I saw him he was leaving Raven's camp,"
Jaune ducked under a punch and then quickly delivered a slash across Tai's torso, however, the cut was so shallow that it simply cut his clothes and caused slight bleeding. Tai was shocked by him cutting through his aura but smiled and then went for a high kick to Jaune's left, however, the knight blocked the kick with his shield and went in for another slash but Tai avoided it and then managed to strike Jaune in the face, however, it seemed to unfazed Jaune as he tried to go in for another strike, but Tai bent backward and avoided the blade.
As Tai ducked, Jaune saw Deery, but that's when he noticed another person standing next to her, and he was struck with a memory...
Qrow smiled when he looked at Jaune, "Well, I'll be damned," Qrow said, "You do look just like your father," Qrow said.
Jaune's eyes widened and instantly recognized him. 'Raven's twin brother!?' Jaune cried with shock. 'What the hell is he doing here!?'
Jaune quickly ran past Tai and rushed at Qrow, intending to attack him before he could try something.
Tai was confused as to what was going on only to turn around and see Qrow and instantly realize what was happening, he felt a cold rush run through him, and he could feel a sense of dread run through him.
"QROW!" Tai cried out.
Hearing his name, Qrow turned to look at Tai only to see Jaune rushing at him with an angry expression and his weapon at the ready, once his eyes landed on the young blonde, Qrow felt a horrified feeling shoot through him, and listening to his instincts, Qrow quickly grabbed Harbinger and just barely managed to block Jaune's attack. As the two weapons slammed into each other, Qrow felt the force behind the attack and couldn't believe just how strong the younger boy was.
'Damn, is it because I'm still healing a bit or is he really that tough!?' Qrow thought to himself.
Jaune growled as he glared at Qrow with fire in his eyes. "What the hell are you doing here!? How the hell did you find me!? Is Raven here too!?"
Qrow grunted as he held back Jaune, "E-Easy there kid," Qrow told him with an uneasy smile, "I'm not looking for a fight!"
"Then why are you here!?" Jaune asked.
"Jaune! He's not with Raven!" Tai cried as he rushed toward the two. "He's been exiled from the tribe for a long time!"
Jaune seethed and still glared at Qrow, "That true?" Jaune asked.
Qrow nodded and with that, Jaune eased up and deactivated his shield, and sheathed his sword as he looked at Qrow and began to calm down. "Sorry about that," Jaune said.
Qrow chuckled and put Harbinger away, "Eh, can't blame you, kid," He said. "Saw that fight between you and Raven, saw how bad you wanted to kill her, gotta ask, what the hell did she do?"
"I'm heading you with Arc," Vernal said, "Because you're right, I can't stay here, not after what she did... so I'm coming with you,"
Jaune heard her tone, and it sounded broken, and he stepped forward. "Vernal-" Jaune began, his tone also sounding broken.
"Besides, if I'm not with you, who's gonna be watching your back?" Vernal said with a smile, her tone now changing to more of a playful one. "So what do ya say, partner? We going or what?" she asked, still smiling.
Jaune knew that she was trying to be strong, he knew that her heart must have been torn up about all of this, but he would be strong too, he needed to be strong not for himself but for her. So he smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, let's go... partner,"
After that memory, Jaune's heart ached as he thought of Vernal once more. He missed her, she had been there by his side during his darkest times, she was his anchor, and she always kept him from going too far in the darkness, without her... he was sure he would've fallen into the darkest pits right now. Thinking about what Raven did to Vernal, still made his blood boil, his hand gripped his sword tighter. "She almost took something precious away from me..." Jaune replied.
Qrow saw his expression and let out a sigh, "Sorry kid," Qrow said, "Raven... she's a real piece of work," she said.
Jaune sighed, "Understatement of the year," He said, "Look, sorry about that, I just-"
"Don't sweat it, kid," Qrow said with a smile and a shrug, "Trust me, if I were in your shoes, I might've done the same," He told him.
Jaune nodded, he then looked at Deery, "Hey, since you're up, you feel like getting some training in this morning?" Jaune asked.
Deery nodded, "For sure," She said with a nod, "Besides, I can't rely on you always protecting me! Gotta fend for myself!" She said.
Jaune smiled and gave her a quick nod, "Good, then get you're weapon and I'll spar with you," He said.
Deery ran back inside to grab her weapon and Jaune smiled, feeling good about training Deery, as another memory flashed in his head, as he remembered training Oscar after the farm, and while it was during a rough time, Jaune couldn't help but feel proud about training the younger teen who he's come to see as a little brother.
With that memory, Jaune then turned to the distance and looked in the direction that Mistral was in and softly smiled. 'I hope that wherever you guys are, I hope you're doing ok... and I hope, we'll see each other soon...' Jaune thought.
Suddenly, he was taken out of his thoughts when he heard the cawing of a bird, and he looked at one of the trees and saw a Raven perched on a branch, looking around the backyard, however, Jaune felt as if he had seen that bird before...
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In Cobble, a raven landed on a powerline and looked down as another Bullhead arrived on the docks, and exiting off of it were Vernal, Oscar, and Maria, looking around the crowded town.
Oscar smiled at the town, feeling as if he was back in Matsunoki, he then looked back at Vernal with a smile, "Robyn really came through with finding out where Jaune's Bullhead was going," Oscar said. "You think he's still here?" Oscar asked.
Maria nodded, "I'm sure he is, call it an old woman's intuition," She said with a smile.
Vernal nodded, "She's right, he's gotta be here," Vernal said, clenching her fist in determination, "He's gotta be..." She muttered.
Maria noticed Vernal's demeanor and knew she needed some alone time, so the old woman turned to Oscar with a smile, "Oscar, let's look for a place to get some food, I feel like some cashews," She said.
Oscar nodded, "Sounds good to me," He said. "Vernal, what about you?" Oscar asked.
Vernal shook his head, "I'm not feeling good, while you guys look for some grub, I'll look for a place to stay while we stay here," She told them.
Maria chuckled, "Good luck finding a place, might be hard what with all the tourists," Maria told her.
Vernal realized she was right as it was clear the town was rather full of both townsfolk and tourists, so she let out a sigh and shook her head, "I'll find something, trust me," She said as she walked away.
Oscar looked at Vernal with concern, "Is she gonna be ok?" Oscar asked.
Maria nodded, "She'll be fine, Oscar, she just needs time, after all, distance makes the heart grow fonder," Maria said.
Oscar was confused by what Maria was talking about, but Maria just waved him off and gestured for him to follow her, which he did and they walked around the town with the older woman, looking for some food.
Meanwhile, Vernal walked down the town, wearing her black cloak, her hood was up as she walked the town, and she looked at the ground. Around her, she the laughter of people, the wide eyes of amazement in children as they saw new foods and toys at certain vendors.
That's when she saw some couples also walking down the street, holding gifts or bags, while walking next to each other or holding hands.
Seeing those couples happy, she couldn't help but feel... as if she was missing something, something very important to her.
Vernal's worried expression grew, "Arc, you were crying in your sleep," Vernal told him. She looked at him with a raised brow, "What's going on with you?" She asked.
Jaune took a few quick breaths and shook his head, "Nothing," Jaune told her.
Vernal peered at him, "Bullshit," Vernal replied with a bit of venom, "Don't lie to me Arc, I know somethings going on, so spit it out, what is it?"
Jaune shook his head once again, "Again, it's nothing," Jaune told her once more.
Vernal glared at him, "Don't lie to me!" Vernal cried, "I can see that something is wrong, so talk to me! We're partners Oum damn it, we have each other's backs, and we're here for each other... so talk to me," Vernal told him, her tone now a bit worried.
Jaune looked at her and saw her expression, and while she was still glaring at him, he still saw that her eyes had a pleading look in them, and he let out a heavy sigh. "I-I've been having nightmares," Jaune told her.
Vernal looked at him with concern, "About what?" she asked with a raised brow.
Jaune looked at her with a bleak look, "At first it was Shay and his group, trying to drag me down into the dirt, but now there are the spider members and I saw Oscar, Melissa, and... you die," Jaune told her, his voice breaking down, "They keep saying they'll drag me down to the void, waiting for me to die, happy about it, and you three are begging me to save you but I... I fail," Jaune said, his voice sounding fearful, and slowly, his eyes widened with fear.
"Arc-" Vernal began but cut off as Jaune continued to talk
"A-And that's not the only thing, the Beowulf, the one that I killed, it's been haunting me! Laughing at me! Even when I-I'm awake! A-And I-I just don't know what the F-FUCK IS GOING ONE WITH ME!?" Jaune cried as tears fell from his face and, he finally began to sob. "I-I'm a monster..."
Vernal was shocked as she saw Jaune break down, finally seeing what was going on inside of him, she had forgotten just how much he was still new to this world and how much it all had an effect on people, she knew how to deal with it, or she once thought she did, but with Jaune's help, she learned how to deal with it better, to confront it, and not let it hold her back. It was Jaune who had helped her, and yet, he was holding it all in.
"Ar-... Jaune, what happened, back at the tribe, if that happened to anyone, you did what any person would do if they had the chance, Shay made his bed, he needed to lie in it," Vernal told him, resting her hand on his shoulder, "As for what happened last night, that was the same thing, those people made a choice and they suffered the consequences, it wasn't fate or destiny, or any bullshit like that, it was choices,"
Jaune nodded in response, but Vernal wasn't accepting it.
"Jaune, look at me," Vernal told him.
Jaune slowly turned to her and Vernal gave him a reassuring look, "You did what you had to do," Vernal told him, "You are not a monster, Jaune,"
"You are not a monster, Jaune" Vernal repeated.
"You think so?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Vernal's heart nearly stopped and she looked up only to see Raven standing in front of her, her mask was gone and she appeared to not be armed.
Vernal's shock turned to anger and she glared at the older woman and quickly went for her weapons only for Raven to rush forward, grab Vernal, and teleport them to another location. Suddenly, they appeared in some part of the woods and Raven threw Vernal to the ground as she opened another portal and reached in, grabbing her weapon.
Vernal quickly got up and grabbed her weapons, shifted them into pistols, and aimed them right at the older Branwen. "What the fuck are you doing here!?" Vernal asked with anger.
Raven gave her a small smile, "Checking up on a few people here on Patch," She said. "But I was surprised when I saw a certain blonde on this Island as well,"
Vernal's eyes widened before she glared at Raven, "Where is he!? Did you do something to him!?" Vernal asked.
Raven looked at her and rolled her eyes, "Don't worry, Vernal, I haven't done anything to him," She told him, "And don't worry, he's on the Island,"
Vernal pulled her hammers back and still held her pistols up, still trained on Raven. "Where. Is. Jaune?" Vernal demanded.
Raven smirked and raised a brow, "You really want to know? Even though he's a monster?"
Vernal's anger rose and she gritted her teeth as her fury grew. "He's not a monster," Vernal replied. "He's not you, Bitch," Vernal seethed.
Raven chuckled, "Fair enough, Vernal, but I'm actually glad I saw you and him here," Raven told her.
Vernal pressed the barrel against Raven's chest and glared at her, "Why is that?" Vernal asked.
Raven smiled, "Because I've seen what that boy can do, I've seen the killing machine he's become, and I couldn't be more proud, even of you," Raven told her. "Thought you would've gone soft after you left, but I was wrong, you're still as ruthless as you used to be,"
"That's where you're wrong," Vernal told her sternly. "If I was still the old Vernal, I wouldn't have cared about Oscar or Maria, I wouldn't have come after Jaune, I would've just turned tail and ran away... just like you," Vernal seethed.
That seemed to actually hurt Raven as her smug look turned to anger, "I don't run," Raven seethed.
It was Vernal's turn to act smug, as she gave Raven a smirk, "Of course you do," she said. "You ran from your team, you ran from your husband and you're daughter, and you are gonna run away after we have this talk,"
Raven glared at her but Vernal was not going to let her get a word in.
"I've been so close to you for so many years Raven, I can read you like a book like you can read me," Vernal said smugly, "I know that deep down, you're scared of something, something so terrible that you'll keep running from it, I don't know what it is, but I know what it really makes you... a coward,"
Raven's hand went for the hold of her sword but Vernal quickly pressed her guns closer to Raven. Both were ready to fight and both were willing to kill the other at that moment, however, both felt as if it wasn't the time, Vernal had better things to do, she had to find Jaune, and she couldn't waste time on Raven, not now... and not ever again.
Vernal shifted her weapons back into daggers and sheathed them and glared at Raven, "I don't have time for this," Vernal told her, "Send me back to town and get the hell out of here, because if this happens again, I will fucking kill you," Vernal said.
Raven glared at her but she opened a portal, and Vernal didn't even look at her and simply walked into the portal and found herself back in town and she continued looking for a place to stay.
One good thing about Raven popping up was that she now knew for sure that Jaune was on the island.
She was going to find and when she did find him...
She was gonna punch him in the face!
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Vernal, Oscar, and Maria have arrived on Patch and are looking for Jaune! Raven's appeared!? Could this mean she's planning something!? No, Raven's not planning shit, she's just on one of her bird visits, so don't worry, no drama or trauma!
Also, if you're wondering just how strong Jaune was when he and Qrow locked blades, Qrow is fully healed but a little sore, so Jaune's strength really is on par with the likes of Tai and Qrow, however, he still hasn't reached his peak, he still needs to polish his skill.
But if you think Jaune's the only one who's grown, wait till you see Vernal and Oscar in action! Trust me the next Arc those two are gonna shine!
Oh, and don't you all worry, this isn't the last we've seen of Raven...