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Chapter Text

The man in black with red hair stood over her. She screamed in pain, the stump where her right arm was bleeding and burning with agony. She scooted back away from the man as he advanced, his red katana gleaming ominously.

"Time to finish what I started," he hissed. He held the sword up, brought it down upon her-

"AAAHHH! AAHHH! AAAAHHH!"

Strong arms held her shoulders against a bed as she thrashed. She opened her eyes, frantically looking around as a woman spoke to her.

"Calm down! Calm down! It's all right, it's all right, you're safe, you're safe..."

Yang Xiao-Long looked into blue eyes. They were kindly and compassionate, outlined by black framed glasses. She took deep breaths, her chest heaving as her heart threatened to beat right out.

"That's right, that's right, calm, calm," the woman said softly, "You're safe, you're safe."

The panic slowly subsided. She managed to focus her eyes as her heartrate slowed.

She was in a warm room, covered in red wood paneling. A large window, covered in blinds, was to her left. She was in a hospital bed, with several beeping machines on either side of her. The woman was older, curvy, but beautiful. Her light golden hair was tied in a bun. She wore green scrubs underneath a white labcoat. Her chin was pointed, her lips red, and her cheeks rather round with light freckles from the sun scattered across them.

She looked a few inches shorter than Yang, but her grip was so strong Yang couldn't even think of breaking free.

Then again, she thought, the ghostly feeling of nothing under her right shoulder, I... I'm not exactly in good shape myself...

The thought made something inside her break. Tears began to pour from her eyes. She clutched at her stump with her remaining hand, as sobs began to tear their way out of her throat.

The woman wrapped her strong arms around her, and hugged her tightly. She stroked her back, then rubbed circles into her shoulders.

"It's all right, it's all right," the woman murmured, "It's all right, I'm right here. You're safe..."

"... R-Ruby?" Yang gasped between sobs.

"She's safe, she's all right," the woman said, "Jaune got you, her, and a few others here. You're all going to be all right, I promise."

"Where... Where's here...?" Yang whispered.

The woman smiled against Yang's forehead.

"Radian, Gallia Province. North Sanus."

She held Yang as she cried, comforting her. It might have been drugs, it might have been the emotional exhaustion, but Yang slipped back into unconsciousness.

At the very least, she didn't have any bad dreams this time around.

She woke up some time later. The blinds had been opened, and sunlight streamed in. She blinked back against the glare, and her eyes slowly adjusted. Again, her hand went to her stump. Her heartrate skyrocketed again but she forced herself to calm. She breathed again and again, as deep as she could. She grit her teeth huffing and puffing through her nostrils.

C-Calm... Calm... Calm... Calm...

"Yang?!"

Yang opened her eyes. She looked at the open door. A small form in a blue sundress and ill matching black boots stood there with wide silver eyes and short black hair with red tips.

"Ruby!"

Ruby sobbed, and practically tackled Yang in her hug. Yang wrapped her arm around her, tears pouring down her cheeks. Ruby was ugly crying, loudly sobbing into her hospital gown.

"Y-You were so pale--I-I couldn't hear your heartbeat and-!"

She broke down into incoherent sobs, but all were very thankful and relieved. Yang hugged her little sister tighter, resting her chin on the top of her head as she cried too.

"It's okay, it's okay... It's okay... A-Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Ruby looked up and shook her head. She glanced over at Yang's stump, and winced. She buried her face in Yang's chest and sobbed again. Yang sniffled, but held her tightly.

"It's okay... I-It's okay," she managed, her voice choked with emotion.

The two sisters cried for a time. Yang didn't really know how long, but Ruby finally pulled herself together long enough to look up into Yang's eyes.

"I-I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I... I should have-"

As painful as it was... Old instincts came to Yang. She shook her head.

"This isn't your fault, Ruby," Yang said firmly, "O-Okay? This-This isn't your fault..."

"I... I could have... I should have..." Ruby whimpered.

"It isn't. Your. Fault," Yang said firmly, even as her voice wavered, "It isn't... It isn't, okay?"

Ruby still whimpered and hid her face in Yang's chest again. Yang found her fingers going through her short hair, just as she'd comforted her little sister when she was much younger.

"It's okay, it's okay," she whispered. "It's okay..."

"Hello? Can I come in?"

Yang and Ruby looked back at the entrance. The blonde woman from before stood there, smiling gently.

"S-Sure," Yang managed. Ruby smiled and looked up at Yang.

"Th-This is Isabel Arc. Um, Doctor Isabel Arc," she said, "Jaune's mom."

Yang's eyes bugged out as the older woman walked in and began to check on the various machines plugged into her hospital bed.

"Y-You're Vomit Boy-Um, I-I mean, Jaune's mom?"

"Guilty as charged," Isabel said wryly, taking Yang's remaining wrist and checking her pulse. She then shined a penlight in her eyes. "Good, good... May I check your injury?"

Yang winced, but managed a nod. Isabel kept her eyes locked on hers, a kind, gentle smile on her face.

"It's all right, I'm just going to examine it," she said softly. She pulled up the sleeve, and ran her hands over the bandages that wrapped the base up. She sighed softly as she pulled some up, and checked the stump itself.

"Good, good... No infection," she said, "It's healing properly. We'll be able to attach the prosthetic properly."

"Prosthetic?" Yang asked, shocked. Isabel nodded with a small smile.

"Yes. We're relatively close to Atlas, so we get good rates on Hunter and Military-rated prosthetics. The neural interfaces take some getting used to... But you'll adjust, and be back to 100 percent."

Isabel nodded and squeezed Yang's other hand.

"I know this is probably the last thing you want to hear right now. And it will take time to heal in... Other ways..."

Yang winced. Isabel reached up and squeezed Yang's shoulder.

"But I promise... You're going to be okay again," Isabel said softly. "Okay?"

Yang looked down at Ruby. She managed a nod.

"O-Okay," Yang whispered.

"You-You mean it?" Ruby asked. Isabel again smiled warmly, and reached down to rub Ruby's head. For a moment, Yang saw another woman in her place. A redhead with silver eyes and different features, but the same kind, maternal warmth radiating from her.

"I mean it," Isabel said quietly. "Now... Do you feel up to another visitor? He's been very anxious since he brought you all in."

Ruby gave Yang a pleading look. Yang managed a slow nod.

"I... Sure," she murmured.

"Come on in, Jaune!" Isabel called. A moment later, a tall blond young man walked in.

For a moment, Yang was confused.

"Jaune?" She asked quietly.

The young man looked... Different. He wore a long brown coat over his armor and jeans, but his sneakers were replaced with muddy boots. His face was covered in thin stubble. There were bags under his eyes... Eyes that looked so hard for a moment.

Then, relief flooded his features.

"Yang? Y-You okay?"

He walked over to stand at her side. Yang managed a slow nod.

"I... As much as... Yeah," she finally decided on. "Mmph!"

Isabel shoved a straw into her mouth, a straw attached to a water bottle.

"Sip, sip, sip," Isabel ordered, and Yang obeyed. Ruby scooted out from under her arms to stand by Jaune. "Good, good... You're being hydrated by the saline but the old-fashioned way is best. You'll be getting meals from now on and you're going to eat everything you get, understood?"

"Mmph... Y-Yeah," Yang agreed, after sipping the entire bottle down, "How long was I out?"

"A week," Jaune said grimly. Ruby sniffled, and Jaune wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Ruby barely left your side when she woke up."

Ruby flushed. Yang managed the tiniest of smiles at her little sister.

"The nurses will be bringing your food," Isabel said, sighing as she checked her watch, "We've got a lot more patients to look after."

She turned and hugged Jaune and Ruby tightly.

"Take it easy for a while you two," she ordered, "Or I'll find out and make you."

"B-But, Mom-" Jaune tried, but Isabel's steely glare shut him up.

"No excuses. For either of you," she stated. Ruby winced, but nodded.

"Y-Yes ma'am," she said weakly.

Isabel smiled, and strode out of the room. Jaune slowly walked to some chairs near the far wall, and dragged them to the side of Yang's bed. Ruby sat down in one, and Jaune took the other. Yang stared intently at Jaune, this feeling of disbelief still strong inside her.

"I... What happened, Jaune?" She asked. "How the hell did you get us all here?"

Jaune sucked in a breath, and rubbed his face. Ruby squeezed his other hand.

"Well... Pyrrha..." He paused for a moment. He gritted his teeth and didn't look her way.

"What... What happened to Pyrrha?" Yang asked. "What happened to everyone? What happened to Vale?!"

"Yang, I..." Ruby bowed her head and looked at the floor. Jaune forced himself to sit up straight and looked into her eyes.

"Beacon... Beacon was overrun by Grimm," Jaune continued, "Vale is... Vale is in bad shape. The CCTNet was hit pretty bad. We're getting reports from it sometimes, and the radio networks still work, but... It looks like at least half the city's been wiped out. The police, local militias and Hunters are being organized by the surviving members of the government and Professor Goodwitch. We're doing what we can, so are other provinces, but it's ugly."

Yang stared intently at him. Jaune shook his head.

"Pyrrha... Pyrrha went to fight Cinder on her own," Jaune continued slowly, as though he was trying to force the words out, "Shot me away in a rocket locker. I landed near the library. Some... Some of my friends from Radian had brought their own airship here to watch the Festival, and managed to get to me to lead us to where they'd landed. Nora and Ren met me, they'd fought their way with a few of the other students. We... We found you in the wreckage of the library with Blake. She'd bandaged your wounds as best she could, then handed you over to me before she ran off. I uh... I carried you to the Bullhead."

"I... I see," Yang murmured.

Jaune sucked in another breath. Ruby pressed her face into his shoulders and bit back a weak sob.

"Pyrrha... Pyrrha fought Cinder on the top of Beacon tower," Jaune said quietly, "But then a Grimm dragon broke out of Mount Axis, attacked the tower and..."

He bowed his head, before looking back up and staring right into Yang's soul.

"Pyrrha's dead. Cinder killed her," he muttered, his voice dead and empty of anything.

"Gods, Jaune," Yang breathed.

Jaune fell silent. Ruby hugged onto his arm, and he held her close, trying to comfort her.

"I... I saw her kill Pyrrha," Ruby whimpered. "I... S-Something happened, and... I-I blacked out..."

"The dragon turned to stone after that," Jaune took over quietly, "We managed to get to my friends' Bullhead. We crammed as many people as we could into it... Then your Uncle Qrow showed up and handed over Ruby. She was unconscious. He told us to take care of her, and he'd meet back up with us later."

"He-He has," Ruby said quietly, "He's helping us out. Dad's gonna come and visit soon."

"G-Good," Yang managed. Jaune nodded.

"Yeah..." Jaune took a deep, slow breath. "A-Anyway... Ren and Nora made it with us, along with Velvet, Cardin, and a few others from the other schools. Weiss got taken by her dad's people to Atlas. Blake... No idea where she is. I'm sorry."

Yang shut her eyes tightly and slowly shook her head.

"I... I'm sure she's all right," Yang muttered, but her heart wasn't in it. She was a little grateful to Blake but... Where did she go?

"Anyway... Um..." Jaune tried, "We've been working with the militia. My dad runs it here in Radian. We've been rebuilding the outer walls, taking in refugees, fighting Grimm... Ruby was sleeping at my family house."

"They uh, they loaned me this dress," Ruby mumbled.

"The outer walls?" Yang asked. Jaune nodded.

"Yeah. Uh, Radian... Radian used to be a lot bigger when it was the capital of Gallia. We've got the current walls but outside of those are the old walls which we stopped using. But there's a lot of ruined houses and fields for people to stay in, so we've been rebuilding the old walls and clearing out any Grimm. We've been getting a lot of refugees. The CCNet sabotage and the panic caused by Vytal caused a lot of Grimm attacks. We have't been the hardest hit but... It's rough."

"I see," Yang whispered. Jaune managed a small smile.

"It's going to be all right. I promise," he said.

She knew the look in his eyes. It was a look she was familiar with. One she'd seen on her face in the mirror, dozens, hundreds of times, when Mom died and Dad just... Checked out.

He was holding it together. He was hiding his pain, and his fatigue, all for the sake of everyone else.

"I..." Yang shakily reached out her hand to Jaune. He stared at it for a moment, as though not sure what to do. He then reached out and squeezed her hand.

"Thank you," Yang whispered. Jaune shook his head.

"Don't," he said quietly, "You-You don't have to-"

"I do," Yang insisted, her eyes flashing red for a moment, "I do."

Jaune met her gaze, then slowly nodded.

He squeezed her hand back, tightly.

"We're going to make it through this, I promise," he said.

He said it with such conviction. The same conviction that was in his mother's voice.

Despite how empty and wrung out she felt right now, it was like a little candle lit up inside her.

"I know," she murmured. "I know..."

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

"Haa... Haa... Haa..."

Aura didn't just allow for improved defense or special powers. It also did the mundane tasks of increasing your stamina and improving your overall physicality. That's why, even after being in a hospital bed for two weeks straight, Yang was able to hike up Mount Avion without too much effort.

Still, she did need a few more breaks than average. Everyone slowed down dutifully on the hike. It irked Yang a little, so she tried to distract herself with the (quite honestly) breathtaking scenery.

Patch didn't really have mountains. Well it had one, Freemere Tip, but it was a hill in a sandbox compared to the giant that was Mount Avion. It towered up high overhead, a snowy peak on its bare granite top, silent and clothed in green forests that ran in short runs down into the valley. Smaller mountain peaks ranged away from it, forming the North Sanus leg of the great Albus Mountain Range that stretched from Northern Gallia, all the way down to the south coasts of Juzan Kingdom.

Its jagged ridges formed natural defensive barriers and numerous smaller plateaus dotted the valley in every direction, and on almost all of them, smaller towns had been built. The perfect place to resist the Grimm.

She turned away from the valley view... Already sick of it. She glowered a bit up at the head of their little column. Jaune was looking back from the lip of a ridge. He waved.

"We're here! Just a little more!"

"Finally," Neptune grumbled, "It's so freaking dry up here...!"

"It won't be for long!" Jaune shouted back. He vanished over the top. Cardin and Velvet, even now sticking close together, went over next. Nora fairly skipped over the top, giggling loudly, as Ren followed in silence. Arslan went up, May trailing behind. Neptune looked over at Ruby and Yang and sighed.

"Well, let's see if it's worth the trouble, huh?" He asked with a shrug. He turned and clambered up. Ruby turned to Yang and smiled.

"Um, do you need help with-?"

"I'm fine, Ruby," Yang gritted out. Ruby stared at her, and Yang shook her head with a soft sigh.

"It's fine... I'm fine. Let's go."

"S-Sure," Ruby agreed. They went up, climbing over the rocky escarpment. They stood up. Yang's eyes widened. She heard Ruby gasp.

A waterfall fell from further up Avion, filling a small mountain lake. Further up and to the left of the waterfall stood a dull gray watchtower Jaune had called "Roland's Watch". She could spot sunlight reflecting off the windows, the same sunlight that formed a rainbow in the spray of the waterfall.

At the edge of the lake stood the ruins of some older building, done in the same architectural style as Arc-En-Ciel down below: A fort or something? It was dull bluish green like rusted bronze.

Everywhere else though was a riot of color, as the entire meadow was filled with wildflowers of every description.

"W-Wow," May breathed, looking over the gorgeous scenery with wide eyes. Arslan murmured a prayer of thanks, while Neptune gaped. Nora was already flitting about the flowers like an eager honeybee, while Ren had a small smile on his own face. Cardin and Velvet held hands, and looked upon nature's splendor in soft wonder.

"It's amazing," Ruby whispered.

About the only person who wasn't taken in by the raw natural beauty on display (aside from her) was Jaune. He nodded gruffly.

"Yeah, it's gorgeous. You can take photos later. We've got a job to do."

He held out some sheets of paper, and each of them took a copy. They all had pictures and names of the various herbs and plants, along with some short blurbs of information.

"I used to do this every summer for school," Jaune said with a shrug, "I think these info sheets are from the school, too."

"Do we have to start right now?" Nora asked, "It was a super long hike!"

Jaune opened his mouth... Closed it, and sighed. He gestured to the packs they'd been issued.

"All right. Let's eat lunch first, then we'll start gathering them," he ordered, as Nora cheered, "There are picnic tables over there by the ruins."

"What are the ruins, Jaune?" Arslan asked curiously. Jaune shrugged.

"That used to be the old watchtower, Colline Ventus in Old Vale," he reported dutifully, as though he was already done playing tour guide, "or 'Weathered Hill'."

"Looks neat! Does it have buried treasure?" Nora asked eagerly.

"If it does, nobody's found it yet," Jaune deadpanned.

They marched through the meadow, bees buzzing, birds singing, and some little rat things chirping noisily at each other from their holes. A few deer grazed near the lake, though scattered when they approached. Ruby and May both made 'aw' sounds at this.

They reached the picnic area: Several wooden and stone tables gathered under what shelter was available from the old watchtower. They sat down at various tables, and opened their packs.

"Man, Lilac Arc is the best," Neptune grinned, pulling out several mouth watering sandwiches, "She even got the mayo right!"

"The absolute best," Velvet confirmed, digging into her food with gusto. She looked up at Cardin, and playfully took hold of some of the fruit packed in his lunch. "Say aw, Cardin!"

"I..." Cardin flushed at the pleading look in her eyes, and sighed, "Sure." He ate the fruit, and smiled warmly at Velvet. She smiled just as happily back.

Neptune scowled at them, having taken a seat with Yang, May, Neptune, Ruby, Nora, and Ren.

"They're just so disgusting," he muttered.

"They're allowed to be," Arslan stated calmly, praying before she dug into her roast beef sandwich, "Love is a wonderful gift of the divine."

"Well, well," Neptune said with a grin and wink at Arslan, "If you want some gifts, maybe I could-OW!"

Arslan calmly flicked Neptune's ear. He grumbled.

"What's the fun of living if we can't have fun living?" He sighed. He beamed over at May, who was quietly eating a gyro, "Hey May! You wanna try? I've got lots of love to give!"

"I um... Uh..." May flustered, and focused on her food as her cheeks burned red. Neptune felt everyone's glares on him, and he coughed.

"I-I mean... Just a joke! Honest!" Neptune insisted. He sighed and slumped a bit, eating his tuna sandwich, "Geez... Just trying to lighten the mood."

Unexpectedly, Nora reached out and patted his palm.

"I appreciate it," she said, "It's hard being the only one doing it, huh?" She winked. "Thanks for the backup!"

Neptune coughed and then looked aside, his own cheeks red.

"Er... You're welcome," he mumbled. He scanned around. "Hey. Where's Fearless Leader?"

Ruby frowned, also looking about.

"He shouldn't wander off," she muttered. She looked at May. "May?"

The sniper flushed, but looked up. Her eyes glowed briefly.

"He's deeper in the ruins," she reported, "Um, he looks okay."

"He shouldn't wander off," Velvet said worriedly.

Ruby nearly jumped off the bench, but Yang grabbed her arm and pulled her down.

"I'll go get him," Yang said quietly, "I'll be back."

"But-But Yang-"

"Eat, it was a long hike," Yang said, polishing off her own sandwich in a few bites. She got up and headed off.

She felt Ren and Nora's eyes on her, but... She didn't care.

Deeper in the ruins, the Watchtower opened up onto a large porch that overlooked the lake and waterfall. A few ducks splashed around near the alpine shore, quacking up a storm. Tall archways framed the lake, and let Yang out onto the old stone floor.

She spotted Jaune easily: He was sitting on one of many stone blocks littering the area, calmly eating his food while holding his sword in the other.

"Hey," she called out. Jaune turned his head back to face her. He gulped down a bite.

"Hey," he said.

"Thought we were all eating together," she said, trying not to sound accusatory but failing. Jaune shrugged and looked back at the waterfall.

"Someone's gotta keep watch," he stated, "Grimm sometimes sneak in through the mountains. Not often but..."

He gave a half hearted shrug. Yang frowned and fidgeted.

She'd wanted to do something but... All of a sudden her sails were out of wind.

Only the sound of the falls and the wildlife filled the air.

Jaune finally sighed, and turned back to her. He stood up and walked closer, stopping a few feet away.

"I'm sorry about last night," he apologized, "That's... That's the last thing you needed."

"Yeah, well," Yang sighed, her feet fidgeting as she stared at his neck, "I've... Got practice. Putting drunks to bed."

Now she was thinking of all of that. Which just put her in a worse mood.

Jaune's face fell.

"Oh... Yang, I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's fine, it's fine," Yang grunted, glaring out at the pristine surroundings and just getting more irritated, "Why should I expect them to be there for me? I was there for them, doesn't mean they have to reciprocate."

"Yang," Jaune murmured. Yang flushed, and shook her head.

"I... I don't..."

"Your dad's fighting in Vale," Jaune said carefully, "And your Uncle checked in on you both. I'm sure they'd be here if they could-"

Pity. She fucking hated pity. Seeing it in Jaune's eyes just... Just made things so much worse.

"But they're not, are they?" Yang shot back, angry and bitter, "They're not! They just..."

She clutched at her artificial arm tightly. She shook her head.

"Whatever. I'm being selfish," she huffed.

"Yeah well..." Jaune shrugged and sighed, "I know the feeling."

Yang stared at him. He shook his head.

"What? You think you're the only one with family issues?"

Rage ignited in Yang's heart. The first real rage she'd felt in ages and it was filled with bitterness, envy, and spite.

She didn't care.

Yang barked some angry, mocking laughter.

"Oh sure! 'Hey Yang! My family's always been there for me, but hey, it's not so bad that yours barely bothered with you!'"

Jaune glared. He was angry: Good.

"It's not as picturesque as you might think, Yang-"

"Yeah well, from where I'm standing, it looks a hell of a lot better than what I've got!" Yang snarled.

"You've got Ruby-!"

"Yeah, I always had her," Yang snarled, "I always had to look after her! Me! I didn't get any help! I didn't have seven sisters or all these aunts and uncles or a MOM and DAD who were always there for me! So what the hell are you so angry about?!"

Jaune glared, stepping closer as he clenched his fists.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Jaune demanded, "Did you forget what we both just went through?!"

"Oh gee, the girl who loved you died, and you got to go back to a loving, happy family!" Yang seethed, "Woe fucking is me! Meanwhile, what about everyone else out there, huh?! Don't see them drinking! Don't see them feeling sorry for themselves, so what's your fucking excuse?!"

"ME?!" Jaune demanded, now right up in her face, "What about you?! You needed to be tied down in the infirmary when you got injured or lost a fight! Now you're meek and bitter and-what the hell, Yang?!"

"Oh, did you miss THIS?!" Yang demanded, thrusting her artificial arm up in his face with a mocking wave, "Did you fucking miss this?! Did you miss the part where I got maimed?!"

"At least you made a fucking difference!" Jaune bellowed.

"I DIDN'T!" Yang shouted angrily. "I DIDN'T MAKE A FUCKING DIFFERENCE!"

Silence fell as her roar echoed away, swallowed by the waterfall. Yang panted hard, her eyes blazing red, as Jaune glared back. She looked down, clutching her artificial and real fists hard enough to draw blood from one.

"I got one shotted, all fucking right?!" Yang snarled, "I wasn't even... Even worth... I wasn't even worth killing, Jaune!"

"Neither was I!" Jaune shouted back, his anger now more confused, "I got shoved in a locker and sent off because-Because I couldn't even be a distraction-!"

"Well at least your partner thought you were worth saving!" Yang spat out, angry tears, "At least she-She didn't run back home with her fucking boyfriend and leave you! At least Pyrrha tried to save everyone! At least... At least you did something!"

She pointed back at the ruins.

"There's half a dozen people out there alive thanks to you! You saved me! What did I fucking do?! NOTHING! THAT'S WHAT!"

She felt fat, angry tears spill down her cheeks. She sobbed her breaths.

"You even took care of Ruby so... So why am I even fucking here?" She gasped.

He stepped up and hugged her tightly. She struggled, but he held firm.

"You fucking jackass," Yang whispered, burying her face in his chest, "I can't... I can't even help her anymore... You did it all..."

"Yang-"

"I'm a fucking joke," she sobbed angrily, "I'm no Huntress... I'm nothing... I-I should just go... Go be a housewife, for all the fucking good I did..."

Jaune hugged her tightly. He managed to get them over to a block, and sat them both down. She kept crying, even as he held her hands. He winced at her grip, but didn't let go.

"... I'm sorry, Yang," Jaune mumbled, "I-I'm sorry-"

"Just... Just shut up," Yang muttered back, angrily wiping her tears and snot on his armor, "Just... Don't... Please..."

Jaune fell silent. He held her tightly. She kept crying hard, until they ran dry. She breathed in and out, trying to focus on her training. It was instinct now but thoughts of her dad made her feel worse.

She felt Jaune's hand stroke up and down her back. It was soothing, despite everything.

Yang slowly pulled back. She looked away, back at the waterfall. She wiped her eyes, not daring to look his way even as he held her.

He let out a low sigh.

"... I don't know why they do it."

"Huh?" Yang mumbled.

Jaune shrugged.

"Why. Why they follow me. I just... I yelled for them to get on the Bullhead, and they followed. I asked them to help defend Radian when we got here... They did so. I asked them to follow me and they... They just keep doing it."

She chanced a glance at him: He was staring at the waterfall, but not seeing it.

"It was all I could do," he muttered, "I don't even think I'm doing a good job... It's just... I was the only one who could. I had to... Even... Even if I'm not worthy."

He sighed.

"... I didn't mean-"

"I... I know," Yang mumbled, embarassed. She rubbed her artificial arm. "Your mom... She said I'd have mood swings... From the depression... I-I'm sorry."

Jaune kept stroking her back. He sighed.

"It's okay," he murmured. "I just... I saved you, Yang... Because you matter to me. You matter to Ruby. And... And I wasn't going to leave you behind. You're not useless to me, to Ruby... To anyone. You just..."

He looked back at the waterfall.

"We just... All had a bad day," he mumbled.

"The worst," Yang agreed.

They watched the waterfall for a while longer. Yang sighed.

"... So... I mean..." She bit her lower lip. "... Do you have a plan?"

"For?" Jaune asked. Yang shrugged.

"I dunno... What to do now?"

Jaune stared at the waterfall in silence. He sucked in a deep breath.

"... Sort of. It's... A work in progress," he admitted. "I want to talk more with everyone about it, but..."

Yang stared at him for longer. He shrugged.

"...For now? Rest. Get stronger. Then... Get out of here. Get to Mistral. Find Cinder..."

His fists clenched. He looked back into her eyes, stony faced and determined.

"Kill her, and her boss," he stated, quiet but deadly. "You?"

Yang stared back.

"I..."

She slowly nodded.

"There are worse places to start..."

Neptune sighed as he reached into his bag of potato chips, pulled out one and chewed on it. He was a little agitated by the waterfall, but the rest of the scenery was doing a lot to calm him. Even he could appreciate natural beauty like this.

... Enhanced with the natural beauties around him, of course. That said...

"Do they have to keep doing that?" He muttered in irritation to Ren, as Cardin and Velvet continued their excessively cutesy lunchtime antics. True, he could feel some brotherly admiration for the Winchester heir: He had a smoking hot bunny girl in his lap feeding him dried fruit, in between kisses and nuzzles. That was Grade A manly.

It did, however, remind him of a distinct lack of any hotties in his lap.

"It's kind of weird," Nora agreed, "But I'm glad they're getting along! Cardy used to bully Velvety! Pulled on her ears!"

"Guess she was into that," Neptune muttered. A familiar elbow jabbed him in the ribs. "URK! Arslan!"

"Try to be more polite," Arslan stated, still perfectly calm as she slowly finished the greens and fish that Lilac had packed them. Neptune scowled at her.

"You know, the tsundere childhood friend bit is really getting old," he huffed.

"Childhood friend?" Ruby asked, tilting her head curiously. She'd been staring at the ruins for the last twenty minutes: Worried about her sister and Jaune, no doubt. Still, if she was asking...

Neptune smile and spread his hands dramatically.

"Yes! We went to the same private elementary school, the same middle school, and almost the same Hunter prep school!" He said proudly. "She's obviously in deep denial about her true feelings for me, hiding them with violence and hurtful comments."

"I believe I have made my feelings for you very clear, Neptune," Arslan said calmly, "You're like the bratty, idiotic, perverted and overcompensating little brother I never had."

"Urk!" Neptune gasped, holding his chest. "Geez... Hiding them pretty deep, huh?"

"As though they don't even exist," Arslan stated with a raised eyebrow. "Your philandering isn't winning you any points."

"C-Come on!" Neptune chuckled, "It-It never hurt anyone!"

Ruby frowned intently at him from across the table.

"Weiss was pretty hurt when you dumped her," the silver eyed girl stated, a note of accusation in her tone. Neptune winced again.

"I, well... Okay. I messed up there. I thought she just wanted a-a no strings attached romance. I didn't think it was anything serious, honest. Then she talks about meeting her parents and I realize... No. She's got the wrong idea." He held up his hands. "For what it's worth, I am sorry about that. I'm too young to think about settling down!"

Arslan scoffed a bit. Neptune scowled at her.

"Hey! At least I'm not some repressed warrior nun!"

"As I have said many times, my vows are for chastity, not celibacy," Arslan sighed, "When I marry my husband in a divinely ordained ceremony, we will unleash our loving feelings for one another without restraint. Far better than trivializing such a wonderful gift as intimacy."

"It's not trivial!" Neptune protested, "I'm living life to the fullest!"

"And causing a lot of heartache in the process," Arslan observed.

"Prude!"

"Idiot."

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Nora cheered, still in the middle of her large stack of pancakes. "Now kiss, kiss, kiss!"

Neptune grinned smugly at Arslan.

"Ha! Told you! You're just denying your true feelings for me and sublimating them into violence-ACK!"

Arslan put Neptune in a wristlock, her expression still utterly serene.

"Then I suppose I truly care for you to try and correct your terrible habits," Arslan deadpanned, twisting his arm behind him. Neptune grinned.

"Ha! I happen to like it rough-OW OW OW I'M KIDDING I'M KIDDING! UNCLE! UNCLE ALREADY!"

Arslan let Neptune go. He winced as he rolled his shoulder.

"Geez, learn to take a joke," he muttered.

"I took you in didn't I?" Arslan snorted. Nora, Ruby, and May giggled, though May coughed quickly in embarrassment. Neptune pouted.

"Et tu, May? You're so nice!"

"S-Sorry," May mumbled.

"Besides," Neptune huffed, "It's only natural to feel jealous of what they have." He nodded over at Cardin and Velvet, still blissfully unaware of the conversation at the other table. "Hell, even Fearless Leader and Xiao-Long are up to something."

"N-No they're not!" Ruby immediately spoke, flushing deeply. "Th-They're just... Talking!" She looked at May urgently. "Right?"

May's eyes glowed briefly. She blushed and nodded.

"R-Right. They're just talking," she said. She then frowned as she looked with her Aura Vision out into the fields of flowers. "That's strange..."

"What is?" Ruby asked. The flowers rustled nearby. Everyone reached for their weapons. Velvet slipped off Cardin's lap and went into a defensive stance, as he hefted up his mace.

The flowers rustled a bit more... Before a bright blue bird the size of a house cat popped out of the grass. Its large black eyes studied them intently, as it waved its long, feathery tail. Ruby's jaw dropped.

"It's... It's... Adorable!" Ruby gasped.

"Chou?" The bird squawked.

"What is it?" Cardin asked with a frown.

"I believe it is a Choux Bird," Ren spoke quietly, "Jaune told me about them. They are flightless alpine birds that live in the mountains around Radian."

"Why is it blue?" Neptune asked. "Not that I'm complaining, good color choice and all..."

"It's to reflect UV radiation since they live at high altitudes," Ren went on, calmly studying the bird.

Ruby moved around the table slowly, and cautiously approached the bird. It chirped a bit, tilting its head this way and that. Ruby knelt down, and pulled out a cookie Lilac had baked just for her. She broke a piece off, and held it out in her open palm with a soft smile.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," Ruby murmured, "Come on..."

The Choux stepped slowly, cautiously, warbling softly.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Ren warned her, "Jaune said feeding them can cause problems."

"Come on, this little guy?" Nora snorted, "Let Ruby feed the birdy!"

The Choux Bird got up to Ruby. It examined the cookie, before pecking at it. It tossed the cookie fragment back, swallowed it, and then cooed happily. Ruby beamed. She slowly reached out to rub the back of its head, and it leaned into the touch happily.

"Aww... You're a little cutie, yes you are, yes you are," Ruby cooed, as the Choux bird warbled. "And so fluffy!"

"Aw," Velvet cooed, "It's so adorable! Isn't it, Cardin?"

"Er... Yeah, sure," Cardin mumbled.

"Just agree with your girlfriend, dude," Neptune snorted, "Nothing unmanly about admitting something is cute."

"Says the perpetually single louse," Arslan deadpanned.

"Freaking tsundere!" Neptune growled.

"It really is very cute," May smiled. She advanced slowly, kneeling a bit. The Choux bird turned, and after a moment's thought, it jumped into her arms and nuzzled into her impressive chest. She giggled, and cuddled the bird.

"Aw..."

Neptune's eyebrow twitched. Ren managed not to smirk. Arslan failed not to.

"See? Nothing wrong with feeding the birdy," Nora giggled.

The Choux bird then chirped very loudly, three times. Out of the grass all around them, dozens of blue birds perked up. Ruby gaped, as they began to advance, chirping for food.

"... Um... I'm not sure we have enough," Ruby said cautiously.

"Uh oh," May managed.

Nora grabbed a bag of popcorn Lilac had packed them, opened it up, and began to toss it out to all the Choux birds. Ruby's eyes widened.

"NORA!"

"Now now," Nora laughed, "I'm sure nothing bad will happen if we feed them more!"

Yang and Jaune made their way through the ruins, both a lot calmer. Yang sighed and rubbed her temples.

"... Thanks again, Jaune," she said. "I... I just... Thanks."

"It's okay," Jaune said with a small smile. He shook his head. "I guess... Maybe we do need some rest and recovery. My Nana and Papa used to tell me stories of soldiers with shellshock from the Great War. How... How they needed time away from the fight to recover."

"Yeah, my dad and uncle told me about that, too," Yang sighed, "Maybe... Maybe this isn't so bad. At least for now."

Jaune nodded slowly.

"Yeah... I-I guess so," he murmured. "Just hope the others agree that we need a break from... From everything."

The sounds of many birds chirping filled the hallway ahead. As did the sounds of yelling. Yang and Jaune looked at each other, then readied their weapons. They dashed through the old watchtower, burst into the light, ready for battle...

Into a scene of absolute pandamonium. Nora was waving her hammer and an empty popcorn bag at a huge flock of Choux birds from atop an old stone fountain, while Ren clung to her like a sloth with a deadpan expression. Ruby was using her Semblance and zipping around, squealing as she tried to escape the numerous little birds. Cardin and Velvet were waving their weapons to keep the birds at bay. Arslan was standing on a lonely pillar on one foot, while holding a raging Neptune by the back of his shirt as Choux birds kept jumping at them. May Zedong squealed and giggled helplessly as dozens of the birds cuddled and climbed all over her on the ground.

"Heehee-Oh-AH! D-Don't! Ahahahaha!"

"JAUNE!" Ruby shouted. "HELP!"

"I AM YOUR QUEEN! I GAVE YOU POPCORN!" Nora wailed. "YOU REBELLIOUS TRAITORS!"

"LET ME AT 'EM!" Neptune bellowed. "HOW DARE THESE LITTLE BASTARDS GET TO FONDLE AND GROPE MAY WHEN I DON'T-URK!"

"Please don't make me knock you out, Neptune," Arslan stated flatly.

"JAUNE!" Cardin shouted, "HOW DO YOU MAKE THEM LEAVE?!"

"They're terrifying! And adorable!" Velvet wailed. "Terradorable!"

Yang gaped in utter disbelief. Jaune was much the same. He then facepalmed.

"... Freaking bird brains," Yang managed.

Jaune snorted... Then snickered. Then he began to laugh, hard and loud. Yang's lips twitched, before she joined him. Their laughter spread, slowly but surely, amongst all the other Hunters-in-Training, admidst the chirping and cooing of the hyperactive birds.

"Haaaa," Jaune sighed, still snickering, "You're all so hopeless..."

"So it would seem," Ren deadpanned.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

One thing that Jaune enjoyed about being back in Radian was that when he looked up at the night sky, he could see the hundreds of thousands of stars stretching overhead. Back in Vale, the city had too many artificial lights that obscured a clear view of the sky. The only overhead lights Jaune ever saw were from towering skyscrapers or relay towers as well as any blinking signals from bullheads and other aircraft flying at night.

Standing outside the bathhouse, Jaune combed some damp blonde hair away from his eyes and craned his neck upwards to stare up at the river of astral radiance that spilled across the expanse above him. Even if the tree tops were bordering around his peripheral vision, it didn't detract from the amazing sight. The paper lanterns that lined the stone path leading to the hot springs were the only other sources of light, but the subtle luminance of the dust crystals powering the lanterns didn't hold a candle to the loud flashes of the city.

It was a quiet, peaceful night.

It didn't match Jaune's mood at all.

"Not exactly the most relaxing soak we'd hoped for."

Ren announcing himself with his comment didn't draw Jaune's attention away from the sky. The leader of JNPR really didn't want to address the tension still present amongst them and how their dip in the hot spring had been unsuccessful in alleviating it. He didn't want to respond to the melancholy and simmering frustration that colored Ren's tone. He didn't want to ask his friend if he'd heard Nora's sobbing on the other side of the bath… or if he'd heard anyone else.

Jaune just wanted to lose himself to the void for just a few more seconds. He wanted to be silent, let his mind drift amongst the stars, and ignore everything that was happening on Remnant for just a little longer.

Ren stared at his leader's back for a few moments before letting out a quiet sight and stepping up next to him.

"Neptune and Cardin will be out soon. Just as soon as Cardin can convince Neptune to not try and sneak a peek at the girls as they're exiting the bath." Ren said. "I'm looking forward to seeing what your family's cooked for dinner."

There was still no reply from Jaune. Ren glanced over at the blonde, frowning worriedly before reaching out tentatively.

"Jaune-"

A sharp cry sounded out from inside the bathhouse, making Ren flinch and causing Jaune to finally look away from the sky and over his shoulder towards the door. A few seconds later, Ruby and Arslan stepped outside, with RWBY's leader giggling lightly to herself while Arslan was rubbing her knuckles.

"Neptune?" Ren asked, earning a snort from Arslan.

"Velvet's paramour held him off. I put a stop to his antics." Arslan reported.

"He wasn't doing anything. He didn't even get past the cabinet and cupboards where we left our stuff." Ruby pointed out.

"You overheard his proposals to Cardin. He tried to make an accomplice, but I'm glad that our fellow leader maintained his integrity. Velvet isn't the only one who appreciates that." Arslan replied to the shorter girl before turning to face the two young men standing in front of her. "The rest should be out shortly."

"It… was a good bath." Ruby smiled, but the other three could see how shaky her smile was and also heard the hitch in her voice. The redness around her eyes that had nothing to do with the heat of the water they'd all soaked in also stood out even with the darkness of the night blanketing them. "Your family has a lot of cool things, Jaune. I'll make sure to thank your mom and dad when we go back to the house!"

"Yes. Repaying your parents for hosting us and providing shelter… the list of things that require us to show them proper gratitude grows even larger." Arslan nodded to the blonde, managing to pull a genuine smile onto her face as she said so.

"Yeah. Even if we… well, um…" Ruby trailed off, shutting her eyes as she thought back to what had happened in the springs.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and mentally patted herself on the back for not breaking down again. After Nora had gotten going and May had started crying, she hadn't been able to hold herself back either. Neither had Yang or Velvet. Arslan was the only one that hadn't had any tears to shed, but the words she'd spoken in the bath had been heartfelt even if Ruby hadn't understood them.

Maybe if she were in a better headspace she'd have asked the older girl to translate them into words she could understand.

Instead, Ruby quietly stepped forward and tugged on the sleeve of Jaune's jacket. Jaune didn't react to it, simply staring down at the smaller girl as she gently turned him around and wrapped her arms around his midsection, burying her face in his chest. Jaune didn't react to that either. He didn't return Ruby's hug. His arms hung limply at his side, eyes vacant as he stared at the empty space above the silver eyed girl's head. Ren sighed and stared down at his hand, wondering if it would be worth it to use his semblance for this if it could stop his friends from hurting for just a minute or two. Arslan merely clasped her hands together, muttering a few prayers to herself to bolster her own waning spirit.

A loud growling noise suddenly pierced through the night.

The four hunters were quiet for a moment

…And then a light chuckle from Jaune broke the silence as he finally returned Ruby's hug.

"We'll eat first thing when we get back." Jaune told Ruby, chuckling a little more when he noticed how red the tips of her ears had gotten. "My family's probably got us a big feast cooked up for us, and I promise you'll get first dibs."

"...Thank you." Ruby mumbled into Jaune's shirt, stoutly ignoring Ren's quiet chuckles and Arslan's sharp bark of laughter.

Holding his friend, Jaune glanced up and felt a little lighter seeing the slight smiles on both Ren and Arslan's faces. Past them, he saw the rest of their party stepping out of the bathhouse. Neptune was rubbing his jaw but looked more upbeat than he did before in the spring and was chatting with May about something that had the girl smiling slightly. Velvet was clinging to one of Cardin's arms and while both had tired looking eyes, they both seemed content in each other's presence. And Yang had an arm, the one with her new prosthetic attached, wrapped around Nora's shoulders as spoke softly to her… and the orange haired girl's usual megawatt smile was slowly emerging back on her face.

Jaune stared at the group and felt his own lips twitch upwards slightly.

…Plenty of things were still broken, but he felt a little more ready to face the world now.

- - - - - - -

Like everything else in the Arc estate, the dinner table was big. So much so that even with the academy students and those from Jaune's family who were present all sitting down together it only took up a third of the table. Neptune made a joke about whether or not Jaune's family had a bigger dining room or if the Schnee family would beat them, and luckily the quip had gotten chuckles out of most of the group instead of depressing everyone over the fact that Weiss had been abducted back to Atlas by her family.

And for once, everyone was able to put their morose thoughts on the backburner. As it turned out, good food did much more for restoring the spirit than a hot bath did. It was likely because if each of the fragmented teams thought about it, they hadn't been able to sit down and have a decent meal in a week. For most of them, it'd been quick meals in between jobs or rations they'd been given by the Radian militia. It was hard to dwell on the negatives when you had a feast of [insert foods here] to distract you.

"So… Lilac-" Neptune started.

"She's engaged." Jaune spoke up, cutting Neptune off before he could get started.

"And I am willing to fight her fiance if she can cook like this." Neptune replied immediately.

"You'd probably have the advantage if it came down to fists. Mercer isn't a fighter." Orchid said. "He makes a living as a mechanic, courier and part-time racer."

"He's a mechanic?" Ruby asked, interest piqued.

"He's a racer?" Yang asked at the same time, interest piqued for another reason.

"Speaking of, mom, how's he…?" Lilac looked to her mother who sat at the head of the table.

"He should be at the hospital helping Verdy and Coral with the supplies manifest and making sure that the shipments are getting to where they need to go." Isabel answered, smiling as her daughter let out a calming breath at the news. "He said he'll make time to visit sometime the day after tomorrow once his relief comes in."

"I'm glad…" Lilac sighed in relief. "What about Nana and Papa?"

Nick hummed.

"They should be getting to Vale soon. They've been sending messages whenever they can."

At the questioning looks on his friends' faces, Jaune explained:

"Nana Arturia and Papa Shirou are my great-grandparents," he said, "And they have, um, political connections. They're trying to pull together support to retake Vale."

"They fought in the Great War," Orchid supplied stoically.

"Wow," Ruby supplied. She grimaced.

"Wait, wouldn't that make them really, really old?"

"They are," Isabel noted in amusement, "But it's barely slowed them down since they both hit their hundreds."

"Huh," Yang observed, "So they're getting a lot of old vets to go fight in Vale?"

Was the situation that bad?

Isabel chuckled and shook her head as she took a sip of wine.

"Oh no! Just talking to old friends in high places to get support… Hopefully."

"You know Nana, she's not one to stay on the sidelines," Nick chuckled. "Tangy is doing well, too. Her company is with Nana."

Again, Jaune felt the looks from his friends and quickly explained:

"My sister Tangerine. She runs a private military company."

"Geez," Neptune muttered, "How connected are you guys?"

Jaune flushed, a bit embarrassed.

"Very," Orchid deadpanned.

"So, um," Ruby began, "What news? From Vale? Have-have you heard anything?"

Nick grinned.

"Plenty! Was waiting for someone to ask!"

"Nick," Isabel said warningly, "Not at dinner-"

"We should know!" Velvet interjected. At Isabel's scowled, she shrank a little but scowled back. "Don't we?"

"We do," Cardin said firmly. Arslan nodded, her eyes intense even as she sat quietly. May looked shy, but didn't look away. Ren nodded in agreement, while Nora's smile dimmed. Yang stared intently, clenching her mechanical fist. Ruby and Jaune looked at eachother, nodded, and then looked back to Isabel and Nick.

"We deserve to, Mom," Jaune stated firmly.

Isabel looked over at Nick, seeking some support. Nick slowly shook his head, before he took a bite of some roast.

Isabel sighed and leaned back in her chair with a scowl.

"All right," she muttered. Lilac patted her on her hand as Nick took a deep breath. Yang leaned in eagerly, as did Ruby.

"About two thirds of Vale has been overrun," Nick stated, "The local forces and reinforcements have control of about one third, but the dragon's making it harder."

"How?" Ruby asked in shock. Nick grimaced.

"It's spawning Grimm that support the White Fang," he stated, "And somehow the Grimm aren't attacking them. We don't know how."

Velvet audibly grit her teeth and clenched her fists. Cardin put a hand on her shoulder.

"We might have a few ideas," Jaune grumbled. Lilac frowned but nodded. Nick continued, his eyes locking onto Ruby and Yang.

"Patch is being used as a refuge, along with every other nearby community that can take refugees," Nick stated, "Your father is fighting in Vale. He's doing all right, last I heard. He's glad you two are here."

"Th-That's great," Ruby said with a warm if tense smile smile. Yang's fists clenched but she slowly nodded.

"Yeah," she allowed.

"What about my dad?" Cardin asked urgently. Nick grinned.

"Councilman Winchester is one of the few members of the government who survived. He was a former Huntsman Captain, after all! He's essentially in command of Vale's forces. The staff of Beacon all survived and are fighting under his command." He frowned.

"I don't know anything about the rest of your family but-"

"No... It's okay," Cardin shook his head. "My mom and sisters were out of the country at the time-They should be all right. I'm just glad to hear my dad's all right."

Cardin leaned back and let out a soft sigh of relief. Velvet reached out and squeezed his hand with a warm smile. Cardin squeezed her hand back and smiled happily. They leaned in close to each other, touching foreheads. Neptune scowled and looked to Nick.

"So? What about my team?" He demanded. "And Arslan's? And May's? I…"

He glanced at May, wincing. She closed her eyes tightly and looked down. Arslan reached out and wrapped her arm around her waist.

"I'm sorry," Neptune mumbled, eyes blank. "I'm-I'm so sorry, I didn't-!"

"It's fine," May whispered, "I-I know… I know…"

Ruby shuddered. Yang held her hand under the table, and it calmed her down. Ren and Nora were very grim, as was Jaune.

They all remembered how Team BRNZ had gone out, after all.

Nick cleared his throat.

"Neptune, Scarlet and Sage were picked up by Scarlet's father on his airship," Nick explained, "And Arslan's team was evacuated over the mountains to Vacuo's capital city. Their transport made it safely."

Arslan murmured a soft prayer in relief, even as she held the sniffling May. Neptune also looked relieved.

Nick paused a moment before he continued, his eyes kind.

"Sun is also all right. Made it to Menagerie with Ruby's friend Blake."

Neptune looked conflicted, but nodded his thanks.

Yang grit her teeth. Velvet sneered.

"Did she?" The rabbit Faunus demanded, glaring over near Ruby. Ruby glared back.

"What?!"

"I-!"

"That's enough," Cardin muttered, wrapping an arm around Velvet's shoulders. Velvet fumed but slowly nodded. She looked back to Nick.

"Any-Anything about Teams CVFY and CRDL?" She asked. Cardin tensed, but made no other moves. Nick shook his head, looking regretful.

"No news." He brightened. "They're not on any lists of the dead though, so there's still hope."

"Yeah," Cardin muttered bitterly, glaring down at the table. Velvet squeezed his hand again and leaned into him.

"What about Atlas?" Ruby demanded. "They were able to sneak in and kidnap Weiss!"

"They've gone to Status Alert One," Isabel explained, "They recalled their fleets to try and stop the cyberattack. Ironwood is in intermittent contact with what's left of Vale's government. They were planning on a joint action…" She sighed heavily.

"When Mistral fell into civil war."

Arslan and Neptune's eyes widened in shock. Isabel nodded slowly, looking very tired.

"Mistral's three main factions, the Yellow, Red, and Green Dragons, are in full civil war. Many other sub-kingdoms like Pandu and the Hellenic League under Argus are threatening to be drawn in. The reports are scattered and confused, but it looks like the moment the CCT went down, elements of each began attacking the others. Vacuo's also suffered terrorist attacks from revolutionaries." She sucked in a deep breath.

"They're also threatening to attack Menagerie in retaliation, since White Fang is involved in these and other attacks."

"All at the same time?!" Velvet demanded. "All across the world?! At once?"

"Looks that way," Nick confirmed.

"...What exactly happened?"

Everyone at the table turned to Yang, who had remained strangely silent throughout the discussion. Other than her reaction to news of her father and uncle, she hadn't made any outstanding comments so far. The intense expression she wore gave everyone pause.

"I just…" Yang started before faltering. After a moment, she shook her head and forced the words past her lips. "I barely remember anything about the Fall. I mean, the night everything happened I was sitting in my room with Zwei and kicking myself over what happened in my singles match for the Vytal festival, then suddenly the alarms hit. Grimm, White Fang, and even Atlas's robots start attacking and I fight my way to Beacon's plaza area where most everyone was fighting and met up with Weiss. She told me where Blake was and I rushed to help my par-"

The word got stuck in Yang's throat as Blake's face flashed in her mind. The brawler felt herself grow irritated when she saw a few sympathetic looks from her friends, but shook her head with a small growl as she continued.

"A-Anyway, I find her being attacked by this… this guy who isn't dressed up like any of the White Fang mooks we've fought before. Blake's on the floor, disarmed, and the guy has a sword and looks like he's about to run her through. I rush in, ready to beat his face in, he… he s-sees me coming, draws his sword back, a-and t-then…"

Remembering Blake had made her voice quick and heated, but as she got closer to that final moment, that last memory she had before she'd woken up with Jaune's mom hovering over her, Yang's voice had been reduced to a shaky whisper. The young woman shook violently in her seat as phantom pain suddenly raced up her arm from the point where her prosthetic connected with her arm, and for some reason it had gotten a lot harder to breathe and her heart felt like it was trying to hammer its way out of her chest-

"YANG!"

Yang gasped and suddenly sat ramrod straight when she suddenly registered that Ruby had her arms around her and was clutching against her fearfully as she stared at her sister. Isabel had also gotten up out of her seat at some point and was on her other side, grasping her arm just above her prosthetic limb and pressing down on one of her legs to keep her steady. Looking around, Yang could see how severe the reactions of everyone else had been to her sudden fit. Nora, Cardin and Arslan were all up out of their seats with extremely concerned expressions. Neptune was staring down at his plate, expression pained. Velvet mirrored his pose, only her eyes were tightly shut and Yang swore she saw a couple tears leaking from the rabbit faunus's eyes. Ren had one hand on May's shoulder and both looked oddly serene in contrast to everyone else's distress. Jaune's sisters looked like they wanted to help but didn't know what to do, while Nick was staring at… something behind her? Come to think of it, where was vomit boy? Yang noticed that his seat next to his dad's was empty. Did he go to the bathroom or was he-"

"Yang, calm down."

Yang blinked when she heard Jaune's voice from behind her, and a second after that realized that the hands she felt gripping her shoulders belonged to JNPR's team leader.

"Yang, it's okay. You're safe." Jaune's voice said firmly from behind her, and for some reason his words along with the steadying grip he had on her shoulders helped calm her rapidly beating heart. "No one's gonna hurt you here. Everything's gonna be fine. Take deep breaths. In and out. In and out…"

Yang listened to Jaune better than she had any teacher who'd suffered her antics in the classroom. She didn't know why her hands were shaking so badly, or why her chest pounded with every breath she took, or why every sound except for Jaune's voice felt so muted in her ears, or why the area where her right arm used be was throbbing so much, but she followed along with Jaune's instructions and finally managed to steady herself. The shaking stopped and her heart suddenly wasn't beating so loudly. And the pain she felt slowly receded with each slow breath she took.

When she came back to herself, Yang felt some wetness on her left shoulder and glanced down to find Ruby quietly crying into it. Gingerly, Yang pulled her right arm out of Isabel's grip and enveloped her sister in a hug.

Jaune's hands slowly lifted off of her shoulders.

Yang glanced back at him and Jaune met her gaze for a moment. Both blondes held eye contact for a long minute before Jaune nodded his head a fraction. Yang returned it with a small smile.

"...I think that's enough for tonight." Isabel announced as she stood up from where she'd been crouching next to Yang's chair. "All of you, go get some rest. We've told you all a lot and you'll need time to process everything and decide-"

"No, we're not done yet." Yang protested, squeezing Ruby against her and feeling a little more grounded when she felt her younger sister squeeze her back. "I still need to know. After what… after what happened to me, how did I get here? How did all of us get here?"

Yang looked around and met the eyes of everyone who had been there that night.

"How did Beacon… how did Vale fall?"

Yang waited for someone, anyone, to start elaborating on the events of that night and answering her questions, but noticed her friends were all staring over her shoulder… and glancing behind her, Yang realized everyone was staring at Jaune.

Jaune caught Yang's gaze for a second before sight and gesturing to the other room.

"...Get settled in the living room. I'm gonna help clean up and then I'll join you all in there. Then we can all… go over things together." Jaune said.

"...Right. Sounds good." Yang nodded. Glancing down, the brawler smiled softly. "Ruby, I'm gonna need that arm back. Gotta be extra careful now since I'd like to keep one that isn't detachable."

Ruby giggled wetly into her shirt for a second before pulling back and smiling at her sister. If she could joke, then hopefully that meant Yang was feeling a little better.

"Thank you for the food, Mrs. Arc." Arslan said loudly, her words prompting the rest of their group to voice their gratitude to Isabel and Lilac as they got out of their seats.

Yang shuffled into the next room with her hand held in Ruby's. Both sisters sat down on a long couch together, with May dropping into the open spot next to Ruby's other side. Cardin and Velvet sat together, mushy couple that they were, while Arslan grabbed a cushion and placed it on the floor before sitting down on it in a sort of meditative pose. Nora took the big chair in the room for herself and Ren sat on a small stool next to it. Neptune dropped down onto one of the big chair's armrests, and Nora seemed fine with sharing the space since she didn't attempt to shove him off.

After approximately five minutes of sitting in silence, Jaune walked into the room… carrying a tray of steaming beverages that he set on the table before passing them out. At a glance, Yang thought it was coffee but after being handed her cup, the smell and Ruby's giddy smile gave the game away.

"Hot chocolate?" Yang asked.

"Secret Arc family recipe." Jaune replied with something that actually resembled a smile.

"...Well, it's no strawberry sunrise, but I'll take it." Yang grinned over the rim of her cup.

Jaune shook his head as he passed around the mugs before settling himself in a chair that was placed in front of everyone else in front of the fireplace. Taking a sip of his own drink, Jaune let out a sigh as he drummed some fingers against the armrest of his chair.

"So… anyone got any suggestions on where to start?" Jaune asked the group.

Jaune looked around and it seemed like no one was willing to volunteer a suggestion on how to kick off the recounting of the attack on Beacon and Vale. After a minute or two, Yang cleared her throat.

"Why don't you… start it from your perspective?" Yang suggested. "Thinking back, when I rushed outside, I actually don't remember you being there. Where'd you go during the attack?"

Yang felt a spike of guilt shoot through her heart when she saw the flash of pain that crossed Jaune's face. The Arc son took a shaky breath before he started speaking.

"I was… I'd been with Ozpin and Pyrrha. The woman responsible for the attack on Beacon, Cinder Fall, had us cornered in Beacon's basement. Ozpin-"

"Beacon has a basement?" Yang asked.

"This is news to us." Cardin added with a frown.

"Was it like, a shelter or something? Why did none of us hide there?" Neptune inquired.

"It… look, I actually don't know what it was." Jaune admitted. "Pyrrha actually referred to it as a vault after Ozpin took us down there. It had these machines and some woman was…"

Jaune trailed off when he saw the puzzled looks on everyone assembled. Giving a frustrated sigh, the swordsman pushed forward.

"Look, I don't have the answers about what was down there. Pyrrha and Ozpin knew, I was just trying to keep up. I never got any answers before Cinder showed up and started blasting at us. Ozpin stayed to hold her off while Pyrrha and I escaped." Jaune sighed. "When we got outside, Pyrrha, she… she decided to go back. To try and help Ozpin fight. To try and stop Cinder. I tried to stop her, tried to tell her we should focus on getting out, but…"

One hand came up to cover his face. Gods, he hated remembering that moment. The moment he saw the look in Pyrrha's eyes when she turned to him. The look of resolute determination on her face. The… the kiss she'd given him. The way his heart had leaped into his chest and how he felt ready to take on the whole world so long as he could stand by her side…

Jaune could feel his fingernails digging into his face, feeling his own agonized expression behind his fingers as he remembered the next moment after that kiss… when his partner had shoved him into a nearby rocket locker and launched her away from him despite his protests.

Feeling completely useless as the first person who ever thought he'd been worth anything rushed off to fight an unwinnable battle.

"Jaune…?"

Ruby's voice pulled him back out of the memory. Looking at his best friend on the verge of tears had him glancing away from her… which had his eyes landing on Yang who looked at him with eyes full of sympathy.

"...Y'know, on second thought, we don't have to talk about this right now." Yang started but stopped when Jaune held up a hand.

"No, you deserve to know the full story. And… I think it's something all of us need to finally sit down and talk about. We all experienced it, but we've never had a chance to sit down and really process everything." Jaune murmured. "May as well do it now."

"We'll help you through it, Jaune." Ren assured him from where he sat.

"Together." Nora added, reaching over and squeezing Ren's hand in solidarity.

"You were there for all of us. If gets to be too much, one of us can always pick up where you left off." Cardin offered.

"I think I'd make for a better storyteller anyway, so if you want me to get things started, I'm willing." Neptune smiled.

"Because your account won't be biased at all." Arslan snorted, rolling her eyes when Neptune stuck out his tongue at her.

"I-I don't mind answering any questions you have, Yang." May spoke up, raising her hand with a nervous smile.

"We can always take a break and pick things up later too. We don't have to tell the whole story tonight." Velvet suggested.

"But we shouldn't put it off either." Ruby interjected softly, making everyone fall silent. The young reaper nodded encouragingly toward Jaune, who returned the gesture with a small nod of his own. "Go ahead, Jaune."

"Right…" Jaune sighed, deciding to move past that part quickly so that he wouldn't stall things any further. "So, Pyrrha shoves me in a rocket locker and launches me away before going off to fight Cinder. I land somewhere else in Beacon and call Weiss to tell her what Pyrrha's planning to do and trying to get help. If I remember right, Ruby and Weiss had been looking for us."

"We were." Ruby nodded before giving Jaune a rueful smile. "Weiss and I… went after Pyrrha together after you called us."

"Thanks for that." Jaune forced a smile before he shook his head. "Anyway, after I hung up I was on my own. I was scared, angry, lost, and saw Grimm and White Fang all over. So then I just…"

Jaune's gaze drifted over to May for a second before turning in Yang's direction as he began to explain what had happened on the night of the Fall.

Chapter Text

It was a tight fit in the rocket locker, but Jaune was all too familiar with making calls when trapped in them (thanks Cardin). He got his Scroll out and dialed the first people on his call list even as he was jostled and slammed around. Still, he got his message out:

"Ruby! Weiss! You need to go help Pyrrha out! She's fighting Cinder alone! And Cinder's got-She's got some kind of power boost! They're at the top of Beacon Tower, help her! Please!"

Thankfully, Ruby answered-Apparently for both herself and Weiss.

"We're on it, Jaune! Just hold on, we'll-!" 

The rocket locker landed hard on the ground. Jaune barely stayed on his feet and was slammed around. He cradled his Scroll in his arms, trying to protect it. The locker shuddered to a halt, and Jaune sucked in a deep breath. He summoned up his Aura and punched through the door. He stumbled out into the light. He winced against the light, but his vision soon cleared.

He had landed in Hell: Grimm were rampaging all over the outer courtyard. Civilians were running and screaming. The smell of blood and smoke filled the air. Jaune looked around, taking a few deep breaths.

He was squeezing his Scroll tightly. A few Grimm Beowulves turned their red eyes and snarled at him. Fear filled him, and all of his old fears and insecurities reared their heads.

"I can't lose you… I love you. Goodbye…" 

He shouldn't be here. He was never supposed to be here. Even Pyrrha didn't think he would. Why else would she send him away?

He was useless.

The weak link.

Nothing had changed, had it?

Nothing at all

He saw a familiar Huntress-in-Training sitting against a nearby wall. Her head was bowed. She held onto a sniper rifle but she wasn't using it. A pack of Beowulves were advancing on her, yet she didn't seem to care.

Jaune took one last deep breath. He tucked his Scroll away and pulled his weapons out. He charged for the nearest Beowulf. It lunged for him, but he stunned it with his shield and slashed its head off. The rest of the Beowulves tried to flank Jaune, but he swung his blade hard and fast, his anger fueling him as Pyrrha's training guided him through every step and strike.

One two three… Four five six… Six three one… 

In moments, the Grimm were all dusted. Jaune turned to the girl. She looked up, revealing her red hair and single visible blue-gray eye under her bulky hoodie.

"May, right?" Jaune asked quietly. She stared at him.

"Come on," he said, "We gotta get out there."

"I…" May trembled. "M-My team… They're all…"

Jaune looked around. He saw some remains in a pile some distance away. He covered his mouth and tried to focus on staying calm. He could recognize the clothes through the blood.

He took another deep breath. He turned back to May.

"I know," he said quietly, "I-I'm sorry. We can't change that. But we can save other people. Someone I really care about is fighting for her life-For all of us. We need to help her. I-I can't do it alone."

He held out his hand. May stared at it like it was something utterly alien.

"Come on," he said, "We can't… We can't let anyone else lose what you have."

May shivered for a moment. She took a deep breath. She took Jaune's hand. He yanked her up to her feet. Her eyes glowed gently and she gasped.

"DUCK!"

Jaune dropped instinctively as May pulled her sniper rifle and opened fire. Jaune looked over his shoulder: Two Grimm Ursas were falling apart. Jaune stood up, and looked back at May. She was panting hard, but stared at him intently. Jaune smiled.

"Good job," he said.

"I…" She nodded. "Y-Yes…"

She still couldn't look at what was left of her comrades. Jaune couldn't blame her… But he couldn't let her focus back on that.

"Come on, let's go," he said, pulling out his Scroll with one hand, while taking her hand with the other. He dialed his friends as he led her away to some pillars for cover.

"Nora, Ren! Pyrrha's fighting against Cinder at the top of Beacon Tower! We gotta back her up!" Static blared at him, before Nora's voice came through.

"Jaune-Jaune?! You're okay?!" 

"Yes," Jaune said, "We're near the outer dorms! We'll meet you at the library!" "Gotcha! We'll see you there!" Nora cheered. "Don't worry, we've got this!" Jaune nodded. He turned to May and held his sword and shield up.

"Can you make it to the library?"

May trembled, but managed a nod. Jaune nodded back and smiled even as it seemed like the world was falling down around them. His father had always met every battle with a big, bright smile.

A warrior never lets anyone see how scared he is. If he looks like he has no worries and they can win? Then victory is always possible. 

He wasn't going to let the chance of victory slip out of his fingers. No matter how slim it seemed.

"All right. Let's go!"

"That's…" Yang gaped at Jaune before turning to May with a heartbroken expression. "May… I can't even…"

May slowly nodded, her eyes still down on the table. Arslan squeezed her hand tightly. Jaune for his part was able to reach over to squeeze May's other hand. May didn't look up but she seemed a little less tense.

Neptune cleared his throat significantly.

"We can stop at any-"

"No," May murmured. "We… We keep going… I'm sorry."

Jaune looked over at Ren and Nora. Nora had tears in her eyes but she nodded.

"Renny and I were at the cafeteria," she said, "So we headed off to go and help Jaune-Jaune. We headed off and fought through a lot of Grimm and some White Fang jerks."

Ren nodded. He glanced over at Cardin, who was holding Velvet. The tall redheaded boy took a deep breath. He tightened his grip around the rabbit Faunus girl.

"At the same time…"

Velvet grimaced deeply.

"We… Well…"

"We came back to see the finals," Cardin said quietly, "My team I mean. When the attack happened, we were trying to defend people in the arena." He paused, his expression very dark. Velvet squeezed his hand tightly.

"We were trapped. We had two options: Hole up and hold out, or try to break through. So…" 

Cardin growled as he held up the Executioner, crouched down behind some seats in the bottom row. Dove was at his right, Sky to his left, and Russel was behind them in support. A large crowd of civilians were behind them, as Grimm, Atlas drones and White Fang troops fired on them from all around the arena. Griffin Grimm were flying overhead.

"We gotta get out of here," Dove suggested, "We're pinned here."

"We could hole up, wait for reinforcements," Sky suggested, adjusting his goggles. Cardin shook his head, slapping his mace against his palm.

"We can't! Atlas' fleet has left, we're on our own!"

"Yeah!" Russel growled. Cardin nodded.

"Besides! We can take 'em! What are a bunch of Grimm, tin cans and animals gonna do to us?" He smirked. "We're gonna smash through!"

Russel slammed his weapons together and grinned.

"Let's do it!"

Dove sucked in a deep breath and nodded.

"All right. It's better to not stay here."

"Russel!" Cardin ordered, "Let's open up a hole! Dove! Sky! Get 'em moving! On three! One! Two! THREE!"

Cardin and Russel stood up and unleashed Blast Dust shots at the nearest concentration of Grimm and White Fang. The resulting explosions blew a lot of chairs and bodies up into the air.

"COME ON! LET'S GO!" Sky shouted, and the civilians, with some encouragement, got up. Cardin and Russel charged ahead, as Dove and Sky opened fire on any other Grimm or White Fang who popped out of the smoke. They raced up the stairs of the arena, and made it out the gate into the concourse. Cardin swung Executioner and unleashed another Fire Blast, blowing through several drones. Dove unleashed several precise shots, leaping up into the air to fire several shots through drones.

Cardin looked around. He spotted a food stand with reinforced concrete walls around it. He swung his hand forward towards it.

"That way!" He shouted, over the cries of the civilians, "We'll use it for cover! RUSSEL! COVER!"

"ON IT!" Russel unleashed Ice Dust blasts, sending ice shrapnel ahead. He wiped out several Grimm in quick succession. Sky fired to the left, as Cardin led them towards the food counter.

"More incoming!" Sky shouted. Cardin looked behind them: Multiple drones and Grimm were charging from behind. The wide concourse meant they were out in the open.

"KEEP FIGHTING!" Cardin shouted. He ran ahead, as several drones charged at them. He swung Executioner and smashed through the first, then slammed his elbow into the next's head. He grabbed a third and threw it with a grunt at another group of Grimm.

"Cardin!" Dove shouted over the gunfire and shouts, "We're out in the open! We gotta go back!"

"NO! KEEP GOING!" Cardin barked, as Russel unleashed more Fire Dust blasts into a pack of Grimm. "WE GOTTA KEEP GOING!"

He looked out from the concourse railing to the grounds below. He smiled broadly: There weren't a lot of Grimm or other enemies down there. It would be tough, but they could make it! They just had to get down, find some shelter

A massive metallic shape stomped through the grounds. Its huge rocket boosters ignited, and the form flew up through the air. Cardin's eyes widened as he scrambled back.

"FALL BACK! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" He shouted.

The gigantic Paladin mech landed on the concourse with an earthshaking thud. Concrete rained from above as the giant robot stomped and turned towards them, its huge guns coming to bear.

The civilians screamed and panicked, running back. Sky tried to keep control but they fell into a chaotic rabble. He had to jump up over them to stay out of the way, landing with the rest of the team.

"TAKE IT DOWN!" Cardin shouted, charging in. The Paladin's gatling gun opened up, and he held up his arms and Executioner while powering up his Aura to protect himself. The shots bounced off him at first, but the giant robot unleashed a cannon blast next and Cardin was sent flying.

"CARDIN!" Russel shouted. He swung his revolvers and sent Ice Dust sheets against the Paladin. The ice crawled up the legs as Sky and Dove fired on it repeatedly. The Paladin struggled, the ice slowing its movement, but not the gun which continued to fire a stream of lead.

Cardin got up, shook his head free of his daze, and charged again. Dove and Sky fired repeatedly as they flanked the Paladin, while Russel unleashed more Dust blasts. Cardin rammed the Executioner into the side of the mech's leg and unleashed Blast Dust at point blank range.

BOOM! 

The metallic knee of the Paladin exploded. Cardin unleashed another blast, and another. The Paladin turned and opened fire. Cardin ducked and dashed between the robot's legs, running behind it and pointing the Executioner at the small of its back while Russel unleashed another Blast Dust shot at the chest of the Paladin.

BOOM! 

The Paladin shuddered.

"RUSSEL! LIGHTNING DUST!" Cardin shouted.

Russel unleashed a blast of Lightning Dust at the Paladin. It shuddered again before collapsing. Cardin grinned. Sky cheered. Russel whooped.

"YEAH!" Cardin cheered. "We did it!"

"We have the tools, we have the talent!" Russel whooped.

"OH YEAH!" Sky laughed.

Dove frowned.

"Guys? I think this is very bad."

The Paladin began to shake and shudder. The Dust reactor began to glow and heat up. Cardin's eyes widened.

"RUN!" Cardin shouted. Dove, Sky and Russel turned, rushing back towards the civilians who had been hiding in the gate. Cardin tried to run around the Paladin… When its right arm cannons fired off a leftover round.

The blast erupted right under Cardin's feet and sent him flying off of the concourse. He fell from the balcony down to the ground. He slammed in hard, breaking the concrete underneath him, face first.

KABOOM! 

Cardin groaned. His ears were ringing, and despite his Aura, he ached all over. He was covered in rubble. He surged his Aura, pushing himself back up, shoving the concrete aside. He looked back up at the arena. His jaw dropped.

The entire side of the arena facing him was on fire, with a massive hole in multiple levels. Debris fell like rain while the levels sagged and shuddered.

"Guys! GUYS-!"

He pulled out his Scroll and hit the radio mode.

"DOVE! SKY! RUSSEL!"

Static was his only answer. Cardin grit his teeth.

"GUYS!"

His Scroll stuttered and he heard Dove's voice.

"Cardin… Get out… We'll-!" 

The transmission cut out. Cardin shook it furiously.

"Dove?! DOVE?! ANYONE?!"

He stared at the rubble. It was like there was just nothing. All he could see was flames and wreckage.

Then bullets whizzed by his head.

"Shit, shit!"

He looked over to see White Fang troops and Grimm advancing on his position. He turned and ran for it as the rounds whizzed over his head. He clenched his free fist as he sprinted away.

"Damnit, damnit, damnit…!" 

These animals had… Had killed his team… His team…!

They were working with the Grimm! How in the hell could someone work with the Grimm?! What the hell was going on?!

He just kept running. An Ursa charged in front of him, but he slammed Executioner down on its skull and it fell apart as it died. He kept running, as fast as he could, until he came to a stop near the Elpaba courtyard. He could see people running and screaming, fires burning, Grimm snarling and attacking while Hunters and Huntresses and even police fought White Fang terrorists. He panted for breath.

Which was when a Grimm Ursa roared. He looked to the right and saw the Ursa charging him. He stared, his entire body feeling numb.

A stream of red Dust bullets tore through the Grimm and it evaporated. Cardin looked over at one of the stone fountains. Coco Adel glared at him over her gatling gun.

"WINCHESTER!" She barked, as the rest of her team fought furiously nearby, "MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL!"

Yatsuhachi swung his sword furiously, taking out several Grimm with every blow. Fox dashed about, taking out Grimm with punches. Velvet was treating an injured civilian woman behind the fountain.

"M-My team is at the Arena!" Cardin tried, "They need help-!"

"So do we!" Coco shouted. "BEHIND YOU!"

Cardin turned and swung Executioner. He unleashed a Dust blast at point blank range, blowing apart two Beowulves. He panted hard. Coco let loose with more Gatling gun fire, tearing apart numerous Grimm and Atlas drones as they kept advancing on the evacuation route.

Cardin ran up, swinging hard to take out any enemies he could see. He made it to where Velvet was treating the old woman, providing her cover. The rest of Team CFVY advanced away from the fountain near some of the marble pillars, keeping Grimm and drones at bay.

Cardin looked up and saw several White Fang troops advancing on the courtyard. They weren't carrying rifles or swords alone though: They were hefting up rocket launchers.

"GET DOWN-!" He shouted. It was too late: They fired a massive barrage of rockets right at Team CVFY.

Coco tried to shoot them down, but they slammed into the ground nearby. Massive explosions went off, consuming Coco, Fox and Yatsuhashi. Cardin threw himself in front of Velvet, covering her with his body. Rubble and debris flew through the air and rained down on him.

"Guh…" Cardin groaned. Velvet pushed away and stood up. She looked behind him in horror. Cardin looked back. His face fell.

"GUYS!" Velvet screamed. The pillars had fallen, reduced into a pile of burning rubble.

"FOX! COCO! YATSU!" She shrieked. She tried to charge in, but Cardin pulled her back. "LET ME GO! LET ME-!"

Bullets whizzed over their heads. Cardin shoved her down behind the fountain. He grimaced as he peeked up over the fountain: The White Fang were coming through, targeting the civilians. The old woman nearby was gasping in desperation.

Cardin couldn't see anything beyond flames, smoke and rubble.

Just like my team… Just like…! 

Velvet broke free of his arms and charged again. She ran up to the rubble, screaming the names of her teammates.

"COCO! FOX! YAT-UGH!"

A Dust round hit her, and she was slammed down to the ground. A White Fang soldier, leading a full troop, advanced on her. She struggled back onto her elbows. The White Fang trooper held up his rifle and pointed it at Velvet's head. As did the rest of them.

Do something, Cardin's mind screamed, even as his body remained frozen, Do something…!

Velvet looked up shakily, and gaped in horror at the soldier.

DO SOMETHING! 

"RAWRRR!"

His yell got their attention. He slammed Executioner down and unleashed a Fire Dust blast at the ground underneath their feet. The tiled ground bucked and shattered from the force, sending debris up like shrapnel. Several of the White Fang troops fell screaming, while others opened fire. Cardin charged through, his Aura flaring, as he swung Executioner around. He unleashed more Fire Dust blasts, flinging White Fang troops back through the air.

One wielding a large chainsaw sword dodged around the blasts, and swung for Cardin. He hefted Executioner up and blocked the hit, but they had been running with enough force that it shoved him back. The chainsword came at him again and again, and each time he barely managed to block or parry, small sparks spraying into his face as their weapons clashed. The chainsaw wielding Faunus was fast, and had full Aura. Cardin couldn't keep up, and another hit to his gut slammed him back into the rubble. Cardin grit his teeth and struggled back up. The White Fang Faunus held his chainsaw sword up overhead, a smug, bloody smirk on his face.

He couldn't see Velvet anywhere.

I've gone fucking insane, he thought, I'm dying to save an animal… After failing my team… Failing everyone… 

Cardin summoned up some saliva, and spat it at the White Fang trooper as he swung down on him.

Well, he thought grimly, At least… I saved someone. At least… I did one thing right in my-

 "AAUUUGHH!"

A hail of bullets tore the White Fang trooper apart. Cardin stared at the mangled corpse unable to process what had happened for several seconds. A noise to his right pulled his attention as Velvet jogged up, holding a Hardlight Dust version of Coco's gatling gun by her waist. She was trembling, but her face was set. She reached down to Cardin. He took her hand as she pulled him up.

"Th-Thanks," he managed between labored breaths.

Velvet nodded back shakily. Her eyes were hard despite the tears in her eyes. They both looked and saw more White Fang troops and Grimm advancing.

"We'll fight them here," Cardin decided, looking around. "Can't let them get any further."

"And we won't leave a single bloody fuck alive," Velvet snarled, tightening her grip on her hardlight weapon.

As strange as it sounded… Cardin's heart skipped a beat and his cheeks turned red when he heard her accent come out. He shook his head.

"Not a single one," he agreed.

Fuck, I really am going insane, he thought, reloading Executioner and getting ready for the next wave of enemies.

Velvet was softly crying into Cardin's shoulder as Yang stared at them. She looked back down at her hands. She again clenched her fists and unclenched them. She shut her eyes tightly.

All the while… I was unconscious, she thought, her guilt stabbing deeply into her chest.

"Maybe," Yang tried, "Maybe they survived? Mister Arc said they-they weren't listed as dead, right?"

Cardin sucked in a breath. He tried to speak, but Velvet turned her head from his chest and glared at her.

"No," she stated angrily. "No… I know. They were murdered." 

A taut, awkward silence fell over the living room. Ruby bowed her head again. Ren was stoic as always, but his sorrow was evident in his body language. Cardin exhaled through his nostrils.

"But we couldn't hold them," he admitted, "Not alone. We had to run when they broke through. They weren't able to get to the landing pads. We got cut off and went in deeper into the campus to try and regroup. But…"

Cardin trailed off. He squeezed Velvet again, who sniffled.

Nora cleared her throat softly, getting the attention off Velvet. Cardin nodded in appreciation.

"After that," Nora said quickly, though in a very quiet tone, "Renny and I fought our way towards the library…"

Nora and Ren had fled Amity Stadium when the attack began, calling their rocket lockers to get their gear. After that? They had charged into the fight. There was no shortage of enemies to engage, after all.

The library already had several small fires,

"YEE-HAH!" Nora cried, bringing Magnhild down on the head of a small Ursa. Ren, as always, covered her, firing Stormflower to take out a few Beowulves flanking them. Several civilians ran by, and Nora cheerfully waved them towards the evacuation route with her hammer.

"That way! No, THAT way! You got it!"

Nora sighed and shook her head and scanned around as the civilians ran. Ren slowly nodded. He reached out to pat her forearm. She smiled and reached out to pat his back. It was reassuring. He didn't need to say anything at times like this.

"Think the VDF will help?" Nora asked, her eyes scanning the skies overhead. Ren shook his head.

"I don't know. The Atlas fleet left." His eyes widened slightly as he saw a Nevermore fly towards them. Beacon's autoguns were supposed to be firing, but there was no cannon fire to keep the airborne Grimm at bay.

Ren held up his guns and opened fire on it. Nora quickly dashed forward and swung her hammer to deflect a feather it launched. She hit the feather away, as Ren's Dust rounds tore through the Grimm. It fell, dissolving into smoke and dust before it hit the ground.

"KEEP GOING!" Nora shouted at the civilians, who ran as hard as they could.

A platoon of Atlasian drones walked around a corner, their guns raised. They pointed their weapons at the fleeing civilians. Ren scowled.

They're intentionally targeting civilians. Not Hunters, he thought.

"NORA!"

Nora swung around and unleashed a series of grenades at the drones. She aimed them to explode just ahead and above them, targeting their heads. Multiple drones fell back, their sensors and fronts damaged, but the ones behind began to open fire. Nora charged in with the smoke as cover, breaking some Lightning Dust in her fist to charge her Semblance. She swung her hammer down and unleashed her grenades on the first Drone she could hit. The grenades went off and propelled her up into the air. With great practice, she flipped and twisted around as she flew over the heads of the drones.

In unison, the robots pointed their weapons upwards and opened fire. Dust Rounds shot all around her as Nora unleashed another barrage of grenades at the top of her arc. Several drones went up in the explosions as Nora landed behind them. She charged into them, swinging her hammer as hard as she could. Drones went flying as wrecked chunks of metal.

She heard a Grimm snarl behind her. She glanced back over her shoulder to see a charging Beowulf.

Ren's Stormflower was going off nearby. She could imagine him charging to try and get a shot off on the Beowulf. Trying to save her, as he always did. She grinned.

Nora knew death. She knew it all too well. She knew it could come at any time and life was cruel. It was why she tried to make the most of life, to have fun and spread joy.

To grin in the face of death, because tears had never done anything for her or Ren. Whether she lived or died, she would refuse to yield to Death and cry in the face of it.

"YEEHAAAAAA!" Nora cheered, pulling up her hammer to fight on!

Ren's rounds hit home and the Beowulf was staggered. She swung her hammer and sent it flying, the beast dissolving into smoke as it flew.

She felt Ren's hand on her shoulder. She felt her emotions diminish and she became as calm and cool as a mountain lake.

"We need to find some cover, so Jaune can find us," Ren decided. Nora slowly nodded. "Works for me," she said softly.

Everyone stared at Nora. She sniffled softly, but smiled like the sun.

"Geez Nora," Yang murmured. Nora nodded.

"We were pretty close to getting overwhelmed. So we hid out and hoped Jaune-Jaune would catch up."

"And we did," Jaune said, "Eventually."

Jaune and May moved quickly through a Beacon Academy that had fallen into complete chaos. Buildings were blowing up, Grimm roared and snarled as they prowled around, smoke choked the air around them, and their expressions twisted further whenever they heard a civilian or student's scream in the distance.

The blonde swordsman hissed when he heard familiar clanking footfalls, grabbing May's arm and quickly pulling her over to hide behind a collapsed support pillar that looked like it had been blown off from what had once been the entrance to a dorm for the upper years. Once hidden, Jaune carefully peered over the stone and gulped when he saw seven of Atlas's rogue mechanical soldiers pass through the ruined corridor.

"Even hacked, they still keep in formation." Jaune noted quietly, trying his hardest to keep the hysteria from his voice as the robots passed their position.

One leading from the front with the remaining six trailing behind in pairs side by side. With the baleful red glow emitting from the lights behind their visors, the mechanical soldiers looked like they'd walked straight out of a Grimminator movie. And Jaune didn't fancy their chances of taking down seven mechs between the two of them. Their patterns were relatively simplistic but the firepower of the rifles they carried would chew up their aura if they concentrated fire, and while Jaune was often praised for his above average aura reserves, it wasn't worth the risk of drawing their attention.

"…Alright, they're gone." Jaune confirmed when he watched the Knight units turn around the corner. He glanced at the shivering girl next to him. "May, can you see anything that I can't?"

The girl jolted slightly at being addressed directly, but swallowed and gave a stiff nod. Jaune watched as the girl's dark cobalt eyes began to shimmer, the pupils and irises taking on a more cerulean hue as they gave off a soft luminance. It wasn't significant enough to draw any attention to them, but Jaune was able to distract himself from what was going on around them for a brief moment as he watched the girl.

Jaune couldn't tell if the screams he heard in the distance were from civilians, students, or members of the White Fang. He hoped that most of the screams came from the attacking terrorists getting their just desserts, but that was mostly angry wishful thinking. Everything was a mess, and despite all the time he had spent at Beacon, things had gotten very chaotic with all the damage.

It had been quite a lucky thing, him saving May Zedong. Apparently the girl had a semblance that allowed her to see the aura signatures of others around her, as well as Grimm since their complete absence of aura made them stand out like little black holes in reality itself when her semblance was active. It was the reason they'd managed to avoid running into any White Fang patrol groups or packs of Grimm. Sure, he needed to act as a spotter for the rogue mechs, but between the two of them they only had to deal with the occasional stray Grimm and terrorist. Much more manageable than trying to fight through the combined attack force that was tearing up Beacon. It was the one positive thing that had worked out in Jaune's favor since Pyrrha had stuffed him in that rocket locker.

"It's just a shame you were too late to save her teammates." An insidious voice whispered in his mind. "And you still can't do anything to help the girl that matters most to you." 

"Well? See anything?" Jaune asked.

"There's no one-" May's voice cut off with a gasp and she shut her eyes just as a woman's scream sounded somewhere in the distance. After a moment, she let out a shuddering breath. "T-There's no one close to us. No White Fang nearby."

Jaune didn't call her out for her pause or point out how white her knuckles were as she clenched her rifle close to her chest. Instead, he simply nodded and tugged her to her feet.

"Then let's keep moving. We're almost out of the dorm area. The library is just one or two wings over." Jaune said, glad that his voice wasn't wavering as he spoke and hoping that he sounded at least somewhat reassuring. "We'll find my friends and take shelter there."

"O-Okay…" May nodded. "W-What will we do after?"

"We'll go rescue my partner." Jaune declared in his mind.

The words that left his mouth were different.

"We'll worry about that after we get to the library." Jaune told the Shade huntress.

"R-Right." May nodded and hurried after Jaune when he darted through the ruined corridor. "T-This isn't at all what I expected when my team was selected to compete in the Vytal Festival."

"I'll bet. Sorry for being such terrible hosts."

"Hey, it's… it's not like any of this is your fault. I d-doubt Beacon planned any of this."

"Grimm attacks? White Fang terrorists? Atlas machines running rampant?" Jaune scowled. "Nope. Those definitely weren't on the itinerary as far as I know."

"Y-Yeah. I don't think we would've come if we'd known." May murmured, her voice ending in a broken little laugh that had Jaune grinding his teeth.

The attempt at banter felt like little knives stabbing into his head, but the duo couldn't help themselves. Both Jaune and May knew that they were trying to distract themselves and trying to cope with what was happening. Silence would only result in them listening to all the screams, gunfire, and roaring Grimm. Listening to all of that would just make them breakdown, and the two students were barely holding it together as it was.

"I'm really lucky I found you." Jaune said. "Going at it alone would've been terrible. It's only thanks to your semblance we've been able to avoid the White Fang and Grimm."

"N-No problem. We're in this together now. So we'll help each other." May replied. "J-Just as long as you're leading the way. This isn't my school. I don't really know my way around here."

"Yeah, you got it. Just follow my lead. I'll get us out of here safely." Jaune promised, hoping that saying the words out loud would help him actually believe it.

"Y-Yes, p-please. Please, d-do that…"

Jaune didn't think for a second that she actually trusted him to follow through, but he wasn't going to say anything that would break the tentative trust that had been established between them.

"Jaune, I see something!" May said sharply, her eyes glowing softly. "Aura signatures! Four, no… five! And they're coming this way!"

Jaune clicked his tongue in irritation and glanced around. May's expression was panicked as she watched the aura signatures approach their location.

"W-What do we do? D-Do we run? Hide?" May asked desperately. "They'll be here any minute!"

"We can't run." Jaune scowled as he recognized where they were. "Past this hallway is the west courtyard and cutting through the garden there will get us to the library. It's a straight shot. If we go back or try looping around, we'll need to go around the entire south wing to get to the library."

That would take at least twenty minutes, and Jaune found himself wishing he could slap the architect who designed Beacon's layout and for bordering in the library with so many walls and buildings. It was what would make it a defensible position in a crisis, but getting there any other way would take longer than they could afford.

"S-So what do we do then?" May asked, yelping when a gunshot echoed from further down the hall.

"We fight." Jaune declared as he drew Crocea Mors from its sheath. "Take position behind that utility wall that juts out.. I'm gonna draw these guys to me and you'll snipe them while they're focused on me."

"B-But-!"

"Just do it, and don't worry about me!" Jaune said forcefully, feeling awful that he was speaking so harshly but it couldn't be helped. This was their only option. "Thanks to you my aura is nearly untouched. Whether their grunts or White Fang elites, I can distract them long enough for you to line up some headshots."

"Jaune…!"

"This is the plan, May. I need you to do your part. Please."

May stared before hiccupping a sob and darting toward the cover he'd indicated. Jaune sighed, feeling both tired and grateful as he deployed his shield.

Listening to the hurried footfalls of the five terrorists approaching their position, Jaune felt his lips curl into a snarl as he readied his family's treasured blade.

"Between the two of us, we've already taken out half a dozen of you mooks making it this far." Jaune thought to himself as he growled in the back of his throat. "And I've still got a ton of aggression to work out on you. You bombed our school, you dropped Grimm on our heads, and because of your boss my partner went off and…!" 

Jaune took a deep breath as he steadied himself. He could hear shouts and gunfire just around the corner. His hands clenched tightly around the pommel of his blade.

"Hurry, around the corner!"

Jaune flinched at the frenzied voice he heard, eyes widening when he also realized that he recognized it.

Sprinting forward, Jaune passed between Cardin Winchester and Velvet Scarlatina as they turned the corner and thrusted his sword into the chest of a pursuing White Fang member.

Jaune let out a frustrated growl when his sword sparked off of the terrorist's chest. While his aim was dead on, this White Fang must've been more than just a mook since he actually had aura. Sweeping around him, Jaune confirmed that his ally had no aura since a swing of his blade opened up the White Fang soldier's neck with a spray of blood. The militant's hands went up to his neck with a wet scream that quickly morphed into a gurgle, and even as he hit the floor the first target- the one with aura- was already turning towards the third who- shit!

Juan raised his shield and tanked half a mag of automatic fire, while the elite pivoted in Jaune's direction while raising an axe in the air. Juane barely had time to panic, unable to block both the axe and gunfire, but watched the axe sail out of his attacker's hands past his face as a bullet punched into the man's shoulder from outside his line of sight. A second took him in the back which caused his aura to shatter. Jaune didn't pause to confirm May's kill shot as he rushed down the remaining terrorist, his trust vindicated as the scream abruptly cut off following another gunshot.

Jaune slammed into the last attacker in a shield tackle, knocking the man to the floor. Before he could retaliate, Jaune gripped Crocea Mors in both hands and struck in a downward thrust, driving his sword into and through the White Fang soldier's chest. The man gasped and wheezed, struggling for a half second before falling limp. A pool of blood began to expand underneath him as Jaune withdrew his blade and flicked the blood off. The blonde let out a sigh as the adrenaline of the quick fight began to wear off.

Three men dead, two of which he'd killed himself, and Jaune couldn't feel anything but deep satisfaction at the deed. It had been the same when he and May had to defend themselves against White Fang they couldn't avoid during their trek to the library.

"Maybe the horror will hit me later." Jaune thought numbly to himself. As things stood now, he couldn't be bothered to feel guilty about killing the terrorists attacking their school.

He wondered if Ruby or Blake would give him flak about it later.

"Jauney-boy…?"

Turning around, Jaune took a moment to scan over Cardin's appearance. There was no ironic humor or malicious enjoyment to be taken from seeing the poor state of his former tormentor. His face was dirty and scratched, and his usually neat and combed back hairdo was messy and fell over his eyes. His once pristine silver armor was blemished and covered in soot, and Jaune actually could spot several indents where the armor had blocked bullets and a long gash on the right breastplate was wide enough that Jaune could see Cardin's vest underneath.

"Cardin… are you okay?" Jaune heard himself asking, speaking on autopilot as he registered the odd sensation of relief he felt at seeing a familiar face. Even if it was Cardin.

"I'm…" Cardin seemed to struggle with himself for a moment before suddenly heaving a breath and dropping down to one knee, using his mace to support himself. "Not… I mean, okay isn't the word I'd use but I'm… I'm really glad we ran into you."

Jaune actually managed a small chuckle at those words, feeling his own posture slacken as the adrenaline he'd been feeling was starting to peter out.

"Gotta say, against all expectations? I'm really happy to see you too." Jaune smiled before he shifted his gaze toward the other familiar face and nodded in greeting. "Velvet."

"J-Jaune…" Velvet whispered, sounding like she almost couldn't believe what she was seeing as she stared at him with wide eyes while shaking like a leaf. "Y-You…"

Jaune felt his heart clench as he took in her appearance. The friendly upperclassman's vest and spandex bodysuit was torn and burnt in several places. Her eyes were red and bruised, and bloodstains were visible on her arm sleeves.

"Are you okay?" Jaune asked, knowing what was likely the answer but was hoping she'd respond instead of just standing there in shock.

His question prompted the rabbit faunus to take a sharp breath before she suddenly rushed toward him. Jaune barely had time to get his sword and shield out of the way before Velvet slammed into him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Jaune…!" Velvet sobbed into his shoulder. "Y-You're okay! Y-You saved…!" Her voice trailed off as she broke down.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. You'd have done the same for me." Jaune said gently, patting the girl's back as he half returned the hug. Looking past her, Jaune saw May hurrying over to them. The girl looked shaken, but Jaune could see the slight smile on her face as well. "Where did you guys come from…?"

"South landing docks." Cardin answered from where he was still kneeling. "White Fang were attacking evacuation shuttles there. Definitely putting all that dust they stole to use since they were really liberal with the fire dust and trying to set the whole platform ablaze. We tried defending the shuttles and civilians while they were escaping, but eventually…"

Cardin's voice trailed off, and Jaune felt an intense sense of empathy with his former bully when he saw the expression on his face. Feeling Velvet shudder against his chest, Jaune could very well guess what had sent them running.

"W-We fought as many as we could." Velvet rasped, and Jaune blinked at the undercurrent a fury in her tone. "Killed as many of those terrorists as we could. But they just kept coming. There were too many. I ran out of hard light dust. Then our fight started to get noticed by Grimm and me and Cardin just… we had to run."

"I see…" Jaune muttered.

"Velvet's aura is gone. Once she ran out of dust we were out of ways to reliably deal with the long range White Fang troopers. The shooter managed to break her aura a minute ago before we ducked into the hallway." Cardin reported as he pushed himself back to his feet. "Mine's almost depleted. Had to keep tanking shots to make sure that they couldn't hit Velvet."

Velvet pulled away from Jaune and approached Cardin, biting her lip with a guilty look on her face. "I-I'm sorry."

"Don't you dare apologize for that." Cardin told Velvet harshly, causing the girl to duck her head. "You're safe, right? No stray shots got you?"

Velvet spread her arms a bit as presented herself with a small smile. "Still in one piece…" Cardin let out a relieved breath. "Good…"

"I-I'm just glad it was three terrorists instead of the five like I assumed." May asked, speaking up for the first time since the brief fight had ended. "I-I'm glad you're both okay."

"Thanks for the covering fire, May." Jaune called, causing the girl's smile to grow a little bit wider. Jaune returned the smile before his expression evened out again. "We can't stay here any longer. Are you two okay to move?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Cardin nodded, waving Velvet off when she moved to try and support him. "My knees are a little scratched, but luckily I can still run." Velvet said.

"Good. May and I are headed toward the library to take shelter and meet up with my teammates." Jaune informed them. "You two should come with us."

"Yes… yes, we'll do that." Velvet nodded, looking relieved that Jaune had a destination in mind. "Cardin?"

Jaune frowned as he turned to Cardin. Given their history, he expected that the other team leader would argue and try to decide how they should-

"Yeah, just tell us what to do, Jaune." Cardin said with the most intense expression the blonde had ever seen on him. "We'll follow your lead, no matter what."

While Jaune was a bit floored by Cardin's willingness to cede control of the group so willingly, he wasn't about to question it. He simply nodded and gestured for the three other students to follow him.

"W-Wait, shouldn't we wait for a bit?" May questioned, eyes alight with her semblance as she glanced around. "I don't see their-"

"May, we'll talk about things more when we're someplace safe." Jaune cut off, giving the sniper a significant look. After a second, the sniper gasped and turned to Cardin and Velvet with a remorseful look on her face. Cardin's expression was tight and a few tears began to trail down Velvet's cheeks.

"R-Right. I'm not seeing any White Fang or Grimm nearby." May stuttered, hurrying ahead to stand next to Jaune while Velvet followed after them and Cardin brought up the rear. "Show us the way."

"Yeah. This way. And make sure to keep Velvet between us while her aura recovers." Jaune ordered, trying to pretend he hadn't known what May had been going to say.

There was a reason he hadn't asked where the rest of Team CRDL or Team CFVY were. They could address that once they made it to safety.

"Never thought I'd be so happy to see my former bully." Jaune mused idly with a small smile and he took a pause in his story.

"And I never thought I'd be happy to see you either, Jauney-boy." Cardin replied, his tone having none of the scorning mockery that had once accompanied the nickname. The leader of CRDL sighed and leaned back in his seat, pulling Velvet closer to him as he did so. "Seriously, I thought our goose was cooked for a minute there. I was running on fumes, Velvet was out of dust and aura, then you came in swinging that sword of yours and May took shots that'd make Rose jealous."

"Hey!" Ruby cried in protest, causing everyone to break out in light chuckles.

Cardin sobered after a moment. "Seriously though, that's twice you've saved me. First from my own stupidity, and then against terrorists. I can't even begin to think of how to repay you for that."

"You don't owe me anything, Cardin." Jaune said sincerely.

"That doesn't stop us from being grateful. You saved us. Both of you." Velvet spoke up, nodding to May with a smile.

May shyly returned the smile, giggling to herself as she watched Velvet snuggle deeper into Cardin's side.

"Not for nothing, but maybe you should think about getting a gun or something." Neptune suggested, pointing a finger at Cardin. "Props to you both for taking down all those White Fang pricks, but even if your primary weapon is close range it helps to have long range options."

"I know, I know." Cardin sighed. "It's just… I didn't usually have to worry about that sort of thing when I had my team backing me up…"

"Oh shit, Cardin, I didn't-" Neptune started to apologize but the taller boy shook his head.

"Nah, you're not wrong. It's something I'm looking into." Cardin responded before shooting Ruby a smirk. "Maybe Rose can help make it. You're apparently a geek when it comes to designing weapons."

"I absolutely am!" Ruby chirped. "If you want, we can talk about how-"

"Sorry to interrupt, but weapon talk can happen later. Let's refocus on how Beacon got sacked and how we all ended up here squatting at Jaune's place." Yang interrupted, snapping her fingers to get everyone's attention before turning back to Jaune. "So, you and May rescued Cardin and Velvet. And you murked some White Fang mooks while doing it."

Jaune stared at Yang for a few moments before nodding slowly. "I did."

After an uncomfortable few seconds, Yang gave a satisfied nod. There was no judgement or condemnation on her face. Just acceptance and approval.

"…Wish I'd been able to get some of my own back." Yang muttered, lifting her prosthetic and giving it a disdainful look. "Never even got a chance…"

Everyone grimaced at Yang's words, and Jaune heard Ruby let out a small whine of distress. Not wanting to get stuck on this subject, Jaune cleared his throat to get everyone's attention as he decided to resume the story.

"…So, after May and I met up with Cardin and Velvet, we headed toward the library to hopefully find Ren and Nora. I was really worried the whole time we were making our way there. I kept thinking what if they'd been killed by White Fang or Grimm-"

"C'mon, Jaune-Jaune! You know me and Renny better than that!" Nora piped up with a bright grin.

"It certainly wasn't the first time we've found ourselves in a dire situation while surrounded on all sides by creatures of darkness." Ren intoned from where he sat. The young man closed his eyes. "Not that I ever wanted to experience such a thing again…"

"May, do you see them?"

"I-I don't." May reported as she gazed at the library with her semblance. "At least, there aren't any aura signatures that I'm detecting."

Crouching in the bushes next to a tree, Jaune rapped his fist against the bark in frustration. They'd managed to avoid roaming Grimm, White Fang, and Atlas Knights the rest of the way to the wing where the library was located. Their sprint across the one open courtyard before ducking into the garden area that would lead to the library hadn't gotten them spotted by any enemies. Now, the four of them were crouched in the shrubbery that bordered the library building.

"Maybe they just haven't arrived yet?" Velvet suggested. "Should we wait out here?"

"…No. We can't just sit out here. If a Nevermore flies overhead we'll be spotted immediately." Jaune muttered. Pulling out his scroll, Jaune scowled when he saw that he wasn't getting any service at the moment. Trying to call his teammates to confirm their whereabouts would be a futile effort. Service had been spotty ever since the attack started and he'd been extremely lucky to manage his two prior calls given that the CCT was down. Pocketing his scroll, Jaune nodded toward the building. "Let's just hurry inside."

The other three students nodded at his words, and Jaune was the first to emerge from the bushes and dart toward the library entrance, with May, Velvet and Cardin hot on his heels. Twisting the handle, Jaune growled when he found the door was locked.

"Cardin, how much fire dust do you have left in your mace?"

"Not as much as I'd like."

"Is there enough to bust the handle off this door so we can get inside?"

Cardin hefted Executioner with a smirk. "Jaune, I don't need any dust for that."

Stepping forward, Cardin swung his mace and punched through the center of the double doors, knocking the handles and lock clean off and pushing the two large wooden doors in. As the four quickly hurried inside, the sound of guns cocking echoed in front of them as the doors swung shut behind them.

The group tensed as they faced forward but soon found themselves relieved at the duo who were aiming at them.

"Nora! Ren!" Jaune smiled, tears stinging the edges of his eyes as he saw his two teammates standing in the center of the library hall just in front of the checkout counter.

Nora's face was emotionless as she leveled her grenade launcher at the group, but after two second her expression cheered and she tossed her weapon aside and leaped into her leader's arms.

"JAUNE! YOU'RE OKAY!" Nora exclaimed joyfully, wrapping both her arms and legs around the blonde as she hugged him for all he was worth.

"Volume, Nora." Ren advised his childhood friend stoically before he lowered his two pistols and gave Jaune a relieved smile. "Jaune… I'm so glad to see you're alright. And… I see you brought company."

Ren nodded to Velvet who smiled in response, while Cardin managed a small wave which the stoic young man returned even though his expression was slightly surprised at seeing Team CRDL's leader. He paused as his eyes fell upon the rose haired girl wearing the beanie.

"You are… May, correct? I believe we fought your team in the tournament."

"May Zedong, y-yes." May nodded, and Jaune was gratified she'd fully introduced herself so he didn't have to get awkward about asking her last name at a later date. The sniper for her part looked extremely confused. "I… I don't get it. You both were in here this whole time?"

"Why do you sound so puzzled by that?" Nora asked, still clinging to Jaune. "If you're with fearless leader he should've told you where we were!"

"B-But I couldn't see you! There was no aura anywhere in-"

"It's Ren's semblance." Jaune answered, recognizing Nora's initial flat expression had been because Ren had been using his abilities on both of them. "It lets him mute emotions and hide his aura, and anyone else who is in close proximity to him, from Grimm. I guess it also lets him hide from your Aura Sight."

May's eyes widened in surprise. "O-Oh. That makes sense…"

"Huh. In a situation like this, that might actually be the best kind of semblance to have." Cardin mused as he arched an eyebrow at Ren.

The pink eyed young man shrugged his shoulders. "It has its uses."

"Nora, off now please." Jaune ordered, letting out a breath when the orangette released him. "I'm… I'm so glad you two are okay."

"Relatively. But we're better now that you're here." Nora beamed before looking around. "But… where's Pyrrha?"

Jaune's heart sank at the mention of his partner. "I told you where she was when I called you. Didn't you hear me?"

"We heard you say to meet at the library. Not what you said before, and most everything came out as static." Ren told him.

"Plus it was a little hard to hear when we were fighting off Grimm, terrorists, and killer robots." Nora added. "We did hear you say her name, so we assumed she was with you."

"N-No. Pyrrha isn't… I mean, I was with her for a while until she…" Jaune choked as he remembered her face… her words before she sent him away.

"Jaune…?"

"It's…" Jaune pulled out his scroll again, glancing down at the screen and checking the time. Service was still out. "Has it really only been forty minutes since the attack started? It feels like it's been hours…"

"Jaune, what happened to Pyrrha?" Ren asked, anxiety overcoming his usual monotone.

"She…"

"I… told Ren and Nora… everyone who was there, what Pyrrha had gone to do. How she'd left to go and fight the one responsible for all this." Jaune sighed.

"Cinder fucking Fall." Cardin snarled.

"Fake Haven student." Neptune mumbled, face in his hands as he thought about that. "Dammit, how did any of us not notice that girl suddenly showing up? How out of nowhere her team was? Especially when they were competing…!"

"They didn't just appear out of nowhere." Arslan corrected from where she was leaning. "I can confirm that Cinder Fall and Mercury Black were two of the top ranked first years at Haven. Not the best fighters, but enough to be nominated and selected to attend the Vytal Festival. The team played their part well until the need for deception was no longer required."

"But we seriously didn't notice anything? Nobody figured out that they were plotting the destruction of Vale under everyone's noses? That they were calling shots for the White Fang?!"

"Do not borrow guilt, Neptune. There wasn't any reasonable way for us to know. It's not as though any of us assembled here were close to them."

"We were…" Ruby objected. "We… my team hung out with Mercury and Emerald sometimes. I mean, we weren't super close, not like RWBY and JNPR were, but we-"

"You know the reason they associated with your team was likely to keep tabs on you all since you were all actively trying to thwart the White Fang." Ren pointed out.

Ruby slammed her fists down on the armrests of her chair. "Which makes it even worse that we didn't see any of this coming!"

"Spent all our time chasing after Torchwick and the White Fang, only to miss the masterminds who were right in front of us the whole time." Yang seethed. "What a fucking joke. All those late nights, all that time spent hunting them down, letting Blake get us involved in those White Fang raids… and Beacon still got sacked. Vale still got destroyed."

Silence fell over the group as they ruminated on the fall of Beacon and the individuals responsible for the attack.

"…So you told everyone about where Pyrrha had gone to." Yang prompted. "Yeah. I also told everyone about how I asked Ruby and Weiss to help Pyrrha." "Right. What then?"

"Well, we were all taking a moment to catch our breath when… we found you." Yang tensed in her seat.

Jaune sighed. "Or rather, I should say that's when Blake found us. And you were with her, and…"

"Velvet, how's your aura?" Cardin asked.

"Still in the red. But at least I have some now." Velvet smiled. "Won't be a complete liability."

"Know what'll help top up that aura right quick? Snacks!" Nora grinned, holding out some bags of chips to the two brunettes. "I raided the librarian's snack cabinet that she kept behind the counter! Pick your favorites!"

Velvet eagerly popped open a bag and began devouring the crisps. "Oh my gosh, chips have never tasted so good before."

"And to help turn you into an asset, I've cracked open one of my dust grenades to donate to your camera!" Nora chirped. "It is lightning dust though. Does the dust for your weapon need to be light dust?"

"No, lightning dust is the next best thing. Only type that doesn't work is water dust." Velvet said as she pulled out her camera. "I'll just have to fiddle with the settings so the dust doesn't short me out when I use it…"

"Your weapon is insane." Cardin said as he looked over the girl's shoulder as she tinkered with the internals of her camera.

"Well, it uses experimental technology developed in Atlas. My dad works at a major weapons development company there and he got me to test it."

"Your dad sounds like he's made of good things. He need anyone else to help him test stuff? Maybe things that can explode?" Nora asked with a grin, causing Velvet to giggle and Cardin to roll his eyes.

Some distance away from where the trio were sitting, Jaune leaned against the wall as he stared out of one of the library windows. In the seat behind him May sat silently as she fiddled with her scroll. Jaune didn't comment on her proximity, understanding that she wasn't feeling up to converse with the others but didn't want to be alone. Jaune had caught a glimpse of what she was looking at on her scroll before he'd turned to gaze out the window.

Jaune tried to ignore May's quiet sobs as she scrolled through pictures she'd taken with her team. Part of him wished he could comfort her, but he didn't trust himself to be capable of that at the moment. He was extremely grateful and impressed by Nora's capacity to offer comfort to Cardin and Velvet by distracting them with her usual cheer. Though knowing her like he did, Jaune could tell it was forced. Nonetheless, he was glad she was making the effort.

"We can't stay here."

Jaune glanced to the side where Ren was standing by the adjacent window to his. He'd also been peering out the window, but had turned to face his leader.

"Eventually someone is bound to come here. And odds are it won't be a rescue team." Ren told him.

"I know." Jaune muttered, expression frustrated as he started at his scroll. Still no signal, which meant he couldn't call Weiss or Ruby and find out if they'd managed to get to Pyrrha. "The longer we stay here the more likely something that will want to kill us will show up. We've got to get moving."

Ren nodded, seeming placated by Jaune's words. "The question is where we can go. With my semblance and May's combined, we should be able to avoid everything but the Atlas knights. May should also be able to determine where there aren't as many Grimm and White Fang."

"You're talking like we're going to escape."

"Aren't we?" Ren asked.

"It… it would be the smart thing to do." Jaune said as he peered out the window.

Nevermore and Griffons flew through the night sky, screeching and cawing as they dove down. Some bullheads could be seen fighting them, but they were growing fewer and fewer in number while the flying Grimm continued to increase in number. The Atlas battleships were idle in the air. Apparently whatever virus that had caused the knight units to go rogue had also shut down the bigger ships. The Grimm had complete aerial superiority and the Atlas fleet were sitting ducks. Jaune grimaced as one such battleship exploded into flame and began to fall back to earth in a cloud of its own debris.

Past all the chaos and the flocks of flying Grimm, Jaune could view Beacon's tower. The large spire where Ozpin's office was located.

"Pyrrha could be up there right now. Ruby and Weiss too. Fighting Cinder and the Grimm together." Jaune thought.

He wanted to help them. He wanted to be there with them. He wanted to fight with them. He should have BEEN there already! He would've chosen to fight Cinder with Pyrrha.

But his beloved partner had taken that choice from him.

"…What are the chances that we could make it to Beacon's main tower?" Jaune asked. "…Jaune."

JNPR's team leader shook his head at Ren's tone, turning to him with a desperate look on his face. "We… we can't just abandon her, Ren. Or Ruby and Weiss."

Ren's expression was agonized. "I… I don't want to either, but we-"

Whatever objection Ren would have voiced was stopped when May suddenly shot to her feet with wide eyes.

"Two people are approaching!" She whispered. "They're coming into the nearby reading room!"

The sound of a window shattering in the back of the library echoed like a gunshot. Immediately everyone had their hands on their weapons and formed up. Ren abruptly kicked a desk over and huddled behind it with May, both pointing their firearms in the direction of where the breaking glass had come from. Nora had switched Maghild back into its hammer form and took a stance, flanked by both Cardin and Velvet. The former had his mace held in front of him while

Velvet held a sparking, electric hard light version of Executioner in her hand. Jaune found himself standing at the front of the pack, his sword drawn and his shield up.

"May, you said two?" Jaune asked.

"Yes, two!" May nodded frantically while squinting her eyes. "Though… there are more far away heading this direction. Much, much more! Dozens! Grimm and White Fang both!"

"Are… are we making a stand here?" Cardin asked, a tremor in his voice. Glancing back, Jaune was shocked to find everyone looking at him for an answer.

Though before he could reply, two figures stepped out from behind the bookcases. Rather, one person was carrying another over her shoulder at a frantic pace. Everyone recognized them.

"YOU!"

Velvet was the one to shout at the duo who revealed themselves, and Blake froze when she heard the girl scream. Freezing in place, Blake frantically grasped for her weapon before she fumbled upon realizing who exactly were pointing their weapons at her.

"J-Jaune?" Blake whispered, eyes wide with shock as she focused on the one standing in front of everyone else. Peering past him, her eyes swept over the assembled group. "Ren, Nora? C-Cardin?"

Blake was clearly flabbergasted by what she was seeing, but her surprise was nothing compared to the horror the rest of them felt when they saw the condition of the person she was carrying was in.

"YANG!" Nora cried, being the most vocal as she pointed at the blonde slumped over Blake's back.

Jaune and Nora immediately rushed forward, easing Blake down and gently lifting Yang off of the faunus's back. Placing her on the floor, Jaune felt bile gather in the back of his throat as he saw Yang's state.

Blake stared like a cat startled by a bright light. Jaune shook his head and held up his hands in front of the cautious May and angry Velvet.

"She's friendly! It's okay!" He insisted. He quickly turned back to Yang and Blake. Blake shakily set Yang down, and Jaune walked up to her side and knelt down. He ran through the standard checks, drilled into him by his mother.

Pulse… It's weak but there… She's breathing normally… Elevate her feet to keep her from going into shock… He shoved some stray books under her legs and pushed them up.

"No, she isn't!" Velvet snarled, pointing her weapon at Blake. "You're Blake Belladonna! You're part of the White Fang!"

"She's what?!" Cardin asked in disbelief. May gaped. Jaune shook his head as Blake winced. "I-I was," she admitted hollowly, "I wasn't-This isn't-!"

Cardin held up his mace and took a step forward.

"Jauney, get out of the way," he growled. "Get out of the way-"

"We're not going to fight her!" Jaune barked, and Cardin scowled. "Not while Yang's hurt!"

He scrounged around in his belt pouches and pulled out a first aid kit. "What happened? What-?"

"You need to get out of here! He'll be back soon," Blake whispered, as Jaune redid the bandages around… Around Yang's stump. Oh Gods, he was-No! FOCUS!

"Guys! Any Healing Dust?" Jaune demanded. Nora shook her head.

"Fresh out, Captain!"

"Nothing," Ren confirmed.

"N-Nothing," May contributed.

"You caused this," Velvet snarled, "You did this-!"

"I didn't! No! I-I swear!" Blake insisted frantically. "Please! You need to get out of here!"

"Not before we get some payback!" Cardin growled, taking a step forward. Nora stepped in front of him, holding up her hammer.

"Get out of the way Valkyrie! She needs to-!"

"If Jaune-Jaune says no fighting, then no fighting," Nora growled, tightening her grip ominously.

Jaune did what he could. Nora's antics had necessitated him to keep a very well stocked first aid kit. He used spray disinfectant to disinfect the wound. He sprayed some clotting foam on the wound to keep her from bleeding out. Her Aura was very weak, so he prayed it would help as he wrapped new bandages around the stump.

"Can you find her… Can you find her arm?" Jaune demanded of Blake. She was silent. "Blake! Blake, look at me! Do you know where it is?!"

Blake remained silent, staring listlessly at Yang. Jaune reached out and shook her shoulder. "BLAKE!" Jaune shouted. Blake started and stared at him. She shook her head frantically. "N-No! You have to get out of here, all of you! Take her with you! Get out of here!"

"We need to get to the tower to help Pyrrha!" Jaune insisted, "Ruby, Weiss, they need our help!" Blake shook her head, her eyes wide.

"We need to get out of here-Get her out of here!"

Jaune sucked in a deep breath and shook his head back.

"No, no, we need to-"

The ground shook and rumbled so hard Jaune held onto Yang to keep her from shaking. Nora, Ren, Cardin, Velvet and May could barely stay on their feet as the world seemed to jump. Jaune looked up and saw a massive shadow fall over the ground outside the windows. The sun seemed to have disappeared.

Nora knelt down and looked up through the windows, craning her head at an uncomfortable angle.

"I can see something big on the tower!" Nora reported.

"May?" Jaune asked the sniper.

May's eyes glowed as she stared through the wall. Her jaw dropped and she trembled.

"May! May, what is it?!" Jaune barked. "MAY!" He glanced at Ren. The green clad man nodded and rested a hand on May. Her colors faded just a bit as he used his Semblance to calm her, and she slowly stood back up. She wasn't calm, exactly, but she was neutral. She took a deep breath.

"It's a Grimm Dragon. It's landed on the Tower," she spoke dully, her eyes still glowing, "And it's producing more Grimm."

Jaune licked his lips and shut his eyes for a moment.

"How many?" Jaune asked.

"A lot more," May monotone, "With the reinforcements I saw before. All coming this way."

The sounds of battle became very loud outside. Jaune crawled over to the windows and risked a peek.

He saw a team of upperclass students from Beacon-Team FLRE, or "Flare". Their thing was that they all wore the same long white coats, which made them look pretty cool. He could recall Yang commenting on it once or twice.

Their leader, a headstrong woman with red hair charged through the enemy lines, swinging a large sword as she unleashed Dust blasts to clear the way. A blue haired young man fired a machine gun in support, while a blonde cat Faunus boy threw throwing knives and a purple haired snake Faunus girl fired grenades. They tried to fight through the lines and were making good progress. Jaune sucked in a breath.

"We gotta get out there, support them and-!"

Nevermore dove upon them. The redhaired girl screamed and swung her mace, unleashing blasts. The blue haired boy called out to her, firing frantically at the gigantic bird-like monsters. Several Atlasian drones regrouped, turned as one, and opened fire on them. The snake Faunus girl shrieked as she fell. The cat Faunus boy was torn apart. The blue haired boy and the redhead woman vanished as the Grimm closed in. Jaune shuddered, and held a hand over his mouth to hold in his horrified cry.

They didn't.. They didn't even… 

The drones, upon seeing the team was down, turned towards the windows. Jaune's eyes widened and he got down.

Oh shit-! 

Gunfire erupted from the drones, blasting through the windows. Everyone else got down, and Jaune crawled back over to Yang. He held up his shield, putting himself between the gunfire, Yang and Blake. His Scroll vibrated against his leg, and he pulled it out as May, Cardin, Ren and Nora returned fire from what cover they could find. Velvet hid by Cardin, slamming her Dust into her weapon and creating a minigun. She spun it up and shakily stood up to return fire, but the shots that came through the windows forced her back down.

Jaune opened his Scroll and held it up to his ear.

"Jaune!" 

​

"Ruby?!" Jaune shouted. "Ruby, where are you?! Have you seen Pyrrha?!"

"We're at the tower!" Ruby shouted, "Weiss and me and we're going up! We think Pyrrha's still fighting with the dragon! Have you seen Yang or Blake?!" 

"Hurt? Are they okay?!" Ruby shouted. Jaune sucked in a breath. He looked back at the chaos outside.

White Fang troops were advancing, with Atlasian Drones in support. Grimm were charging towards them, ignoring the White Fang troops entirely.

Jaune wasn't the best with directions, but he knew this was the most direct way to the tower on campus. Every other route would be longer, more dangerous.

And if the Grimm are on their side…? He looked over at his team.

May, her colors restored, was still wide eyed in terror but she was firing methodically, taking out larger Grimm with one shot to their heads each. Her ammo belts were getting low though, and she was meek and scared as it was. Ren was ducking and firing between pieces of cover, but barely making a dent in the enemy and his Semblance wouldn't protect him from the terrorists. Nora was firing grenades, which did cut big holes in the enemy lines as drones exploded and White Fang troops fell screaming, but without mobility she couldn't hit as hard. And the moment she got out in the open, she'd be torn to shreds. Velvet might have been able to summon up some heavy firepower, but they were too outnumbered for her to make any use of it for long. And Cardin was tough, but he wasn't invulnerable and his Fire Dust blasts wouldn't take out enough of them.

Yang was easily the best fighter they had, and she was down, unconscious, with one arm. Blake may as well have been catatonic. And him…?

Pathetic failure. You're not enough. You're never enough, the nasty voice spoke in his head again.

Jaune sucked in a deep breath.

"Yang's alive but she's in bad shape, Blake too," Jaune stated. "We can't get to you. We have to pull back and regroup, it's too dangerous!"

There was a horrible silence, and Jaune prayed Ruby was okay. Then:

"Understood. Get my sis and Blake to safety. Help us when you can. We're gonna help Pyrrha, I promise!" 

​

Ruby's determination shone through. Her voice almost wavered, but the conviction in her voice was strong. Strong enough he believed her.

Like he always had.

"Roger!" He looked around at his team. Everyone looked over to him. "We're falling back to regroup! NORA! CARDIN! VELVET! Covering fire! May! Find us a way out with Ren!"

"ON IT!" Nora shouted. She unleashed several Dust grenades in front of the enemy forces, blowing up massive clouds of dust and debris. Cardin stood up and covered Velvet, who spun up her recreation minigun and unleashed a barrage that put several enemies' heads down.

May scanned around and pointed out the window towards a nearby building. "Th-There's only a few Grimm in there!" She shouted. "We can go through there!"

Ren smashed the windows with his elbow, and turned back to fire back at the troops through the other side of the building. May climbed out and ran to a bush, taking a knee to fire on some Grimm before she ran for some debris. Ren followed, guns akimbo to fire on any Grimm coming out of their escape route and to give Nora some more cover. Velvet kept firing, Cardin practically holding her up, shielding her with his mace as he pulled them both back and through the window.

Jaune checked over Yang carefully.

No other injuries, he thought. He pulled her into his arms and set her on his back. He tied her limbs together with some bandages to keep her arms together, and tucked her legs into his belt straps. He looked at Blake.

"Come on Blake, we gotta get out of here," he said, "We gotta regroup, we gotta-" Blake shook her head, almost frantically. She stared out the windows. Jaune followed her gaze.

A tall man in black with red hair and a white mask was standing on a building rooftop. He waved his red sword and shouted things he couldn't make out over the gunfire and roars. He looked back at the pale Blake.

"Blake?"

She shook her head. She stared at Yang for a moment, before taking a deep breath.

"I have to go... I'll make it right. Somehow, I'll make up for all of this!"

Jaune gaped.

"Blake, what the hell are you-?!"

"Tell her… Tell her I'm sorry! Tell them all!"

She threw down a Dust capsule, and smoke exploded from it, quickly filling the reading room. Jaune hacked and coughed, waving his hand in front of his face. He felt Nora grab his hand and yank him away. He bumped into a wall, and reached out. He felt a windowsill and vaulted over it. The smoke kept going, flooding the area. Nora kept running alongside, and he held her hand.

The air managed to clear as they reached the admin building. May, Cardin, Velvet, and Ren were waiting anxiously near the entrance as Nora, Jaune, and the unconscious Yang barreled in, coughing hard.

"May!" Jaune barked. "May, can you-Where is she?"

May scanned with her Semblance, her eyes glowing gently. She slowly shook her head. "I… I can't see her anymore," she said, "There's too much… Too many…" She shrugged helplessly.

Jaune sighed. He felt Yang's weak heartbeat against his back. He nodded, and held up Crocea Mors.

"Come on," he ordered, and everyone else stood up, "We gotta get going."

He glanced back at the tower. From the door, he could see the massive dragon atop it, seeing Grimm spawning from it and flying or falling to cause more havoc. He grit his teeth and forced himself to turn away and run, his team following.

Hold on Pyrrha, hold on! We'll be back! I swear it! 

Jaune sipped his hot chocolate grimly. He looked up into Yang's eyes as he gripped the mug so tightly that for a moment, Yang was afraid he would break it.

Ruby bit back a sob. Yang tightened her grip on her little sister to try and reassure her.

Jaune opened his mouth, closed it… Then forced himself to say it. It was obvious, but he felt the need to get the words out.

"... We didn't make it back."

And here is the full first half of the flashback, written with UnknownAnon's incalculable help. Second part will be available in full on my Pa tr e on first in the next month.

Chapter Text

Jaune’s head dipped down and he stared into his near empty mug. Nobody else spoke. The dead silence following his statement festered in the room. Jaune clenched his teeth angrily, feeling disgusted at himself for the lie he’d told himself in that moment. He knew deep down that once they retreated there would be no going back. He’d chosen to prioritize their own lives instead of staying to defend Beacon. 

He’d lived while the partner he abandoned had died. 

Shaking his head, Jaune pushed aside his self-hatred and tried to distract himself by continuing his tale.

“Anyway, the five of us headed for-”

“Pause.”

Jaune glanced up at Yang’s request, stilling when he saw the expression on her face. 

“Yang?”

“That’s it?” Yang asked, the impassive look on her face unnerving Jaune a bit. 

“Wha… what do you mean?” 

“Blake.” Yang spat her partner’s name. Jaune could hear the anger in her voice even if her expression was flat. “She just left? Just like that? Really?”

Most everyone in the room wore uncomfortable looks on their faces at Yang’s words. Other than Yang herself, the only other two who looked just as angry were Nora and Velvet. Though Nora's expression conveyed disappointment, Velvet’s expression was twisted into a rictus of fury at hearing the other faunus’s name. The bunny girl was clenching Cardin’s arm so hard that the boy was wincing and trying to flex his fingers to keep the blood in his arm flowing.

“That’s… it’s what happened.” Jaune told her slowly. “Blake just… I mean, she-”

“And what was it she said before she ran off? Again? That’d she’d ‘make it right’?” Yang asked, and Jaune could tell from the way her eyes turned red she was building up to an explosion. Her voice was increasing in volume, and her face began to morph into something that made him want to take cover underneath the chair he was sitting in. 

“Yang, she-”

“What was her plan for that then, huh? She didn’t feel the need to share that with the class before she left you all high and dry?” Yang went on, her tone growing more incredulous and disbelieving as she continued. “And… and she apologized? Like everything that happened was her fault? That everything the White Fang did was on her?”

“Maybe it was.” Velvet hissed angrily from her own seat.

“Velvet…” Arslan cautioned, giving the faunus a stern look.

“What? You weren’t there! We were!” Velvet retorted, her own expression furious. “She just left us all! In the middle of everything! She left her partner! Who does that?! Especially when she’d gotten injured like that! Explain that to me!”

“It’s not like that! Blake is… she…!” Ruby struggled, trying to speak up in defense of her teammate but faltered as she tried to do so. “She… must’ve had some kind of plan! She wouldn’t just-”

“Run off on her own?” Nora scoffed, looking deeply unimpressed. “I dunno, Rubes. Given how close our teams were, we got to know each other pretty well even if Blake was almost as quiet as Renny sometimes. And this sort of thing seems par for the course when it comes to the kitty cat.”

Ruby bit her lip at Nora’s harsh words, as she couldn’t deny the truth in them. “B-But, it’s not that simple, she’s…”

“Blake’s always had a strong sense of responsibility… and from what I’ve gathered, she always felt some personal responsibility for the White Fang’s actions because she was an important member of their group before she left.” Ren commented. “She takes actions she believes are right, even if she was often reckless when deciding those actions.”

“Blake feeling guilty about the White Fang?” Yang gasped in mock surprise before glowering at the raven haired man. “Yeah, we already knew about that. It’s old news. What’s your point?”

“My point is, and this is only a guess based on my own inference, but maybe the reason Blake left was because she thought it was how she could protect you?” Ren proposed.

The remnants of Team RWBY and JNPR could very well remember the fights they’d been dragged into courtesy of Blake over her obsession in hunting down and stopping the White Fang throughout the school year. A scorched dock, a ruined freeway, and the resealing of Mountain Glenn were all examples of times they’d gotten themselves involved in foiling the White Fang’s plans. And no matter how often they stepped in the terrorist group’s path, Blake had always been on the lookout for the next set of White Fang toes to step on. And while Team RWBY were arguably the most talented and capable first years in Beacon, there was no discounting the danger they’d landing themselves in during those escapes. 

Ruby, Yang, and the absent Weiss had all confessed to JNPR a time or two how exhausting it was to mollify Blake and try to meet her halfway in regards to the White Fang. It had been a tricky thing to strike a balance between indulging in Blake’s White Fang investigations and reminding her that she had to be a student and not just a vigilante. Jaune remembered when Ruby had come to him feeling shaken over her brief capture by the White Fang in Mountain Glenn, and Nora remembered that week when Yang had challenged her and Pyrrha to spar after spar to shake of the sting of defeat Torchwick’s diminutive associate had handed her on the train the White Fang had crashed.

Though in their minds, Ruby and Yang were both split. Maybe if they had let Blake off the leash a little more the attack on Beacon could have been stopped in its tracks before it happened. At the same time, they couldn’t know for sure if Blake still would have left at some point.

And Blake wasn’t present to answer any questions, so there was no relief from the turmoil her abandonment had given them. 

Still, there was one thing Ren had said that Yang couldn’t let slide.

“You said she left in order to protect me?” Yang asked before she threw her head back and let out a sharp bark of laughter, causing everyone in the room to flinch. “Well, she sure did a bang up job of that, didn’t she?! Couldn’t be more protected than this!” 

Yang’s giggles abruptly cut off as she glared at everyone around her, thrusting her metal arm out in front of herself so that everyone could get a good look at it. 

“Is this what you call making up for things?! Is this why she fucking apologized?!” Yang demanded, clenching her metal and plastic fist angrily. 

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Ren said hurriedly. “I’m just saying that with the attack and after what Adam did to you, maybe she-”

“Shut up, Ren. Just shut the fuck up.” Yang seethed, causing the young man to fall silent. “We can try to come up with reasons for why she ran off. Come up with excuses for her. Forgive her and make up and assure her for the billionth time that we’ve got her back and that she should trust us…”

Yang’s arm came down as she covered her eyes, hating the burning sensation coming from behind them.

“Yang…” Ruby whispered, her own voice cracking as she beheld her sister’s misery. “Blake is… she tried to…!”

“DON’T!” Yang screamed, causing the smaller girl to recoil at the venom in the blonde’s voice. “Don’t try to defend her! None of you! She doesn’t deserve it! Not after she pulled this shit again!”

Everyone watched helplessly as Yang began to sob. Crying fitfully to herself as she tried to pull herself away from Ruby but the little reaper wouldn’t let her. Even as Ruby’s own tears began to fall from her eyes she clutched onto her sister’s good arm. Whether it was an attempt to console Yang or because Ruby was trying to seek out comfort for herself, none of them knew for sure. It could have been for both reasons. With her flesh and blood arm in Ruby’s hold, Yang had to use her robotic arm to attempt to stem her own tears… which only made her angrier since every time she looked at it she remembered her partner. She remembered leaping to defend Blake from Adam. She remembered the moment of blinding pain before everything went dark and then waking up to find out she was missing an arm. 

She’d lost that arm trying to protect her partner, and said partner hadn’t even stuck around to wait for her to wake up.

“I’m… sorry, Yang.” Jaune tried, heart clenching in his chest as he watched her hurt. “I tried to-”

“Don’t apologize.” Yang snapped. “Don’t you dare apologize to me, Jaune…!”

“I am though.” Jaune grimaced. “I… I should have tried to stop her from leaving. I saw when she made that decision, but I couldn’t-”

“I SAID don’t apologize! It’s not your apology I want!” Yang screamed, slamming her fist down on the sofa and causing a crack of air to echo through the room as her metal fist hit the fabric. “Don’t you get it?! This is just what Blake does! She ran away from her parents! She ran away from the White Fang! She ran away from us when Weiss called her old band of psychopaths out! She ran off to fight Torchwick and left me to get knocked around by that midget on the train! And she ran off when her ex popped up and sliced off my arm! Really, we shouldn’t be surprised! It was only a matter of time before she ran off on us all together!”

Yang glared at Jaune so hard that anything he wanted to say got stuck in his throat. The fury and hurt in her eyes made his stomach twist up.

“Don’t… don’t feel guilty on her account.” Yang hissed. The impulse to punch her fellow blonde in the face for trying to shoulder some of the blame for Blake’s absence was strong, but she didn’t give into it. Not that she could with Ruby clinging to her and keeping her in place anyway. “It was her choice to leave. Her choice to run away. Just like every other time. Because… because she never really trusted us, did she?”

“Yang, Blake-” Ruby started but Yang raised her voice to speak over her sister.

“Remember when everyone thought that I’d crippled Mercury during the tournament? When Ironwood disqualified me? I saw Mercury attack me and I defended myself, but I was the only one who saw it. The rest of the world saw me attack a fighter who had already lost and surrendered. Ruby, you and Weiss believed me right off the bat when I told you what everyone saw was wrong. That something fishy was going on. Do you remember?”

“I… I remember.”

“Though now we know Emerald Sustrai’s semblance was responsible for that.” Arslan commented. “And we know that Mercury Black had been putting on a show. There was no leg for you to break since he had no legs at all to begin with.”

“Metal legs. All that screaming and crying… when all he probably had to do afterward was buff out a few dents from your punch.” Neptune muttered. “I can’t believe we all fell for the act.”

“Everything about their team was fake.” Cardin grumbled. 

Yang let out a humorless chuckle. “It was. But even before we knew they were the bad guys, Blake… when I told her that something was wrong with that fight, she didn’t… she didn’t believe me.” 

“That’s not true!” Ruby protested immediately. “Yang, she DID believe you! Blake didn’t actually think that you’d-”

“Ruby, she pretty much told me to my face that she was afraid that I’d become like her ex. The person who was ‘very dear to her’ that she mentioned was obviously Adam. She was painting me with the same brush as the guy who took off my damn arm!” Yang seethed. 

“No! No, you’re wrong!” Ruby shook her head desperately. “Blake may have said that at first, but she said she’d still trust you!”

“Only after she made me promise that I didn’t do it! Because she couldn’t just take me at my word that something was wrong!” Yang snarled, a few angry tears running down her face. “That minute where she made me think that I didn’t have her trust, that she thought I was the kind of monster who’d attack a defenseless person… it was the worst feeling ever! And even after I looked her in the eyes and told her I didn’t do it, that I saw Mercury attacking me… she never said that she actually believed me. She just thanked me and left with all of you.”

“T-That’s…”

Yang’s eyes screwed shut as a painful expression appeared on her face. “She… even when she was leaving she still looked wary of me. Looked like she was judging me. Trying to decide if I was another Adam waiting to happen…”

“B-But she has to know now! We all do!” Ruby insisted with a smile. “Now we know about Emerald’s illusions and Mercury’s legs and that they tricked everyone into thinking you-”

“You’re missing the fucking point!” Yang screamed, wrenching her arm away from her younger sibling as she rounded on her. “If she really knew me, if she really trusted me, she would have believed me! Like you and Weiss did! I shouldn’t have had to try and convince her! She was my partner! The person that was supposed to have my back no matter what! With everything we’d gone through, all the times we saved her and helped her deal with the White Fang, I thought I’d earned that trust!”

Yang was suddenly on her feet and looming over Ruby. The blonde’s hand snapped out and fisted in the younger girl’s collar. The brawler’s mind was a red haze as she screamed and the static in her ears drowned out everything except the sound of her voice. 

“But Blake never trusted me! She didn’t trust any of us, Ruby! She didn’t believe me when I told her that something was odd during my match against that asshole Mercury! I was miserable and crying and when I needed someone in my corner the most… Blake thought that I could turn into someone like the terrorist who led an attack on our school and crippled me! And… and she just ran off again because it always has to be her and the Fang! Like everything they do is because of her and her alone! Because she thinks the best way to help us is to abandon us! Because her obsession is more important than the team! More important than me!” 

The white noise filling her eardrums abruptly cut out and when it did, Yang suddenly became aware of herself again. She felt an arm wrapping around her waist and another around her right arm. A hand was on her left shoulder and digging into her skin like a vice. The skin on her own remaining flesh hand felt wet. Blinking slowly, Yang found herself staring into Ruby’s face as the girl sobbed and hiccuped. Ruby had tears running down her cheeks and Yang’s fingers opened involuntarily, dropping Ruby onto the cushions. Nora and May immediately were at Ruby’s side, the former wrapping her arms around Ruby’s shoulders from behind like she’d often do with Ren and the latter gently taking one of Ruby’s hands and holding it in both of hers. Looking back after she’d let go, Yang saw that Jaune, Arslan, and Ren were the ones who were holding onto her. All the anger she’d felt was oddly distant too. She could tell it was still there, but it couldn’t be drawn on at all anymore. 

When Ren took his hand off of her shoulder, the anger was tangible again but seeing Ruby’s crying face in front of her… Yang’s anger was instantly smothered by shame and disgust. Screaming into her sister’s face, using her as an outlet for her anger even though she’d been trying to comfort her… the self-loathing was like a hammer blow to her. It was even more powerful than when she’d almost been tricked into believing she’d crippled someone on live television. In her anger and hurt, she’d gone and made Ruby cry. 

Yang ducked her head shamefully. “I’m… I’m sorry, Ruby… I shouldn’t have…”

Ruby sniffled quietly and shook her head. “I-It’s fine…”

“It’s not.” Yang denied, not wanting to be excused for what she’d done. “Hah, look at me… making my little sister cry after everything… maybe Blake was right to have her doubts about me…”

“D-Don’t do that either!” Ruby cried, a spark of anger in her voice despite how watery she sounded. “Y-You’d never… it’s my fault for… for trying to make it sound like everything’s okay when I know everything’s messed up. Blake leaving was… I mean, I’m angry about it too! And Weiss got taken away by her dad, dad and Uncle Qrow aren’t here…”

Ruby words trailed off and she devolved into a fit of sobbing that was half angry and half sad.

Nora stared at Yang for a moment before she nodded and unwrapped herself from Ruby, gently pushing the smaller girl forward. May also let go of Ruby’s hand. Yang slowly sat down and gathered Ruby into her arms, hugging her sibling close. Everyone else was silent. Half the group observed the scene with expressions of sympathy, while the other half winced and stared down at their hands and laps while looking frustrated at their inability to speak words that would fix the situation. 

Jaune swallowed the lump in his throat and suppressed the impulse to try voicing another apology. His earlier attempt to give it had been to try and comfort Yang… but if he was being honest with himself it had also been an attempt to assuage the guilt he hadn’t been able to extinguish since they arrived at Radian. 

There was so much he wanted to apologize for…

But Jaune pushed down that impulse and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention back.

“There isn’t much left to the story.” Jaune spoke up. Yang lifted her head and turned towards him, meeting his gaze. “After Blake left, we ran to the west docks to see if we could escape. Find a shuttle or bullhead to fly us out.”

Yang’s lips turned down a little. Jaune could still see that Yang had more questions, likely about Blake. The swordsman could still see the anger and confusion she felt, but he also saw Yang calm herself with a slow breath and she circled her arms a little more securely around Ruby.

“…Right. It’s not like you guys could do anything else.” Yang nodded and glanced around the room. “So then… did you meet Nep and Arslan’s teams on the way? What happened to them? And Ruby and Weiss, how’d they…?”

“I’ll tell you. I mean, a lot was going on at the time, but even when we got to the landing docks we didn’t leave right away…”

- - -

His legs and lungs were burning, and the extra strain put on him thanks to carrying Yang contributed further to his stamina drain, but Jaune didn’t let himself stop. In a straight fight between anyone in their group he’d probably come in last place despite progressing by leaps and bounds in fighting ability since Beacon started, but if there was one area Jaune could potentially come out ahead in comparison to his peers, it was endurance. And bolstered by his aura, the fatigue dragging on his limbs was ignorable. Jaune’s pace didn’t falter and his legs kept moving. He ducked under gunfire and jumped over fallen debris as their party raced toward the docks.

“Just a little more.” Jaune muttered as he ran. Even as the surroundings rushed past him, and even if most of the environment was consumed by smoke and flames, he recognized the shapes of familiar landmarks and the paths they ran through. They were getting closer and closer to their destination.

And miraculously, they were all still together and in one piece.

Velvet was in front of him. He could hear Ren and May shouting where they were headed, using their semblances in tandem to avoid any large groups of White Fang or Grimm that could impede them. Nora’s battle cries could be heard even over the gunfire and roars of Grimm. And glancing backwards over his shoulder for a brief moment, Jaune confirmed that Cardin was bringing up the rear and keeping pace just two steps behind him. 

“We’re gonna make it.” Jaune whispered determinedly to himself under his breath, jumping over a piece of fallen building and using the momentum to shift Yang up so he could better secure his grip on her. “We’re gonna escape. We’re gonna get out of this.”

And hopefully… hopefully Pyrrha, Ruby, and Weiss would be able to meet up with them soon too.

He also hoped Blake hadn’t run off just to get herself killed. In spite of her leaving them, Jaune hoped that she’d find her own way out of this chaos.

“Guys, look!” 

Velvet cried out and pointed up to the sky. Gazing upward, Jaune grinned enough to split his face in two when he saw two evac shuttles ascend in the air before taking off southwest away from Vale. They were Atlas evac shuttles, evidenced by the turrets hanging off on the sides that soldiers were using to ward off flying Grimm that tried swooping toward the vehicle. Even with the flocks of Grimm in the air and the smoke from fires billowing upward, the ships could be clearly seen. That meant they’d almost made it! That the shuttles were even capable of taking off meant that they might actually be able to escape!

“Really hope those weren’t the last ships to leave!” Cardin shouted.

“They weren’t!” May called back. “I can see dozens of people not far ahead! Their auras are all spaced out in a way that looks like they’re crowding around ships! We can still fly out of here!”

“Then we’d better move it!” Jaune declared, finding his third wind as he dashed through the ruined buildings toward the docks with everyone else.

Rushing out from the burning campus area at last, the group hit the tarmac leading to Beacon’s west landing docks in a sprint. Even through the smoke and fire, bullheads and much larger evacuation shuttles could be seen on the dock platforms. Civilians could be seen crowding around them while students, Atlas soldiers, and hunters who had allegedly been visiting Beacon for the Vytal Festival Tournament had managed to set up a perimeter to fight off approaching Grimm, White Fang, and rogue mechas.

There was also one final obstacle between their group and their destination.

Two automated Paladin mechs were stomping over the walkways leading to the zoning pads, firing rockets from the launchers on their arms toward the evac shuttles and bullheads trying to take off. Several knight units were gathered around the larger robots firing their automatic rifles into the groups that were scattered across the landing areas. 

Jaune snarled at the sight, an expression he was sure that his friends mirrored, before he formulated a response to address the issue in front of them.

“Nora!” Jaune called out.

“Yes, fearless leader?!”

Jaune pointed at the first Atlas mech. “Smash!”

Nora grinned fiercely at the order and charged. The rest of the group took off after her. 

“There’s still the second one!” Ren called.

“I know!” Jaune called back. “Velvet! Think you can pull off a Nora smash?”

“I think I can manage!” Velvet shouted in reply, holding out her arm as an arc of electricity sparked across it before a lightning dust replica of Maghild was summoned into her hand. “It’ll be the perfect way to use up the last of Nora’s lightning dust!”

“Great! Everyone else, take out the knight units!” 

As the rogue Atlas mechs had their backs to the running students, they were able to get the drop on them. Ren and May fired their guns at the knights, shooting off their heads or blasting holes in their torsos. Nora amazed them all by swinging her hammer and smashing one of the Paladins into the side hard enough to lodge its elbow joint into its main body. The robot’s torso spat out a shower of sparks before it collapsed.

Cardin was able to use his mace to strike the other Paladin’s leg joint, making it stumble and leaving it open for Velvet to drive her electric hammer into its back. The Paladin sputtered and groaned as it fell to its knees, vibrating and sparking from the electric current running through it. Jaune couldn’t contribute to the battle since he was occupied with carrying Yang to safety. But thanks to their effective ambush, they all managed to break through the line of robots and into the landing area. 

“We made it!” May cheered.

Jaune let out a relieved sigh, letting himself catch his breath for a moment before looking around the scene.

Other than a small handful of hunters, mostly students and Atlas soldiers were present at the landing zone, and all of them were fighting off rogue Atlas mechs that were approaching from the campus or taking shots at Grimm were swarming from where the landing strip dropped off Beacon’s west cliffside. Looking beyond, Vale could be seen and Jaune felt his stomach twist in his gut when he saw the fires and smoke that covered the city. It looked like Vale was experiencing destruction on a similar scale to Beacon. In the back of his mind he had suspected that Vale had come under attack as well, but it was the first time he’d gotten to see the full picture.

It was a horrible sight, but not a picture he could spend a lot of time looking at for the moment.

Jaune turned to address the group. “I’m gonna try and get Yang onto one of these ships. Or at least see if there’s a medic who can actually look after her.”

“What should the rest of us do?” Nora asked. 

“I…” Jaune paused and took a quick glance around. He could see soldiers and hunters defending against the robots and Grimm. “Help defend the shuttles for now. I’ll call you guys over when I’ve found one that can take us out of here.”

Jaune hoped he didn’t sound too uncertain, but if he did nobody called him out on it and everyone nodded in response. Jaune nodded back then started moving away, but blinked when he found Velvet moving to help him support Yang as he carried his fellow blonde. 

“Resting in the library helped, but my aura is still almost gone.” Velvet told him when he shot her a questioning look. “I’d like to help, but… if a few strays hit me my aura would break. Let me help you with her.” 

Jaune nodded toward her, expression thankful and sympathetic before he moved through the crowds and into the landing zone area where the evacuation shuttles and bullheads were docked. Moving to the closest shuttle, Jaune began calling for help. 

“Hey! Is there a medic anywhere! I’ve got an injured person with me!” 

“Jaune?! Is that you?!”

Jaune turned around at hearing a familiar voice and his eyes widened when he saw a dark skinned student with spiked blue hair running to meet him.

“Neptune?”

“Holy shit, it is you! Man, I’m SO glad to see you’re still in one piece!” Neptune grinned, looking positively ecstatic. His grin got bigger when he saw Jaune wasn’t alone. “And hey, you brought a… friend? Who’re you? You’re not Pyrrha.”

Neptune’s mention of his actual partner made Jaune clench his teeth.

“Never mind that.” Velvet answered instead, and Jaune was grateful for her intervention so he wouldn’t have to answer Neptune’s question. “Do you know if there are any medical officers around here? It’s Yang. She’s hurt really bad!”

“Seriously?” Neptune gaped. He was well aware of Yang’s prestige as a fighter and was one of the few among their year who could actually stand up to Pyrrha in a fight. Seeing her unconscious and being supported by the two in front of him was a shocking sight. “How did she-”

“Stop. We’re not answering questions right now. You answer ours.” Velvet interrupted sternly. “Medic? Where?”

“R-Right. Um, there should be-”

“Jaune! You’re alright!” 

Glancing past Neptune, Jaune and Velvet saw the rest of Team SSSN approaching. Sun’s grin was radiant as the monkey faunus slapped a hand against Jaune’s shoulder when he reached them.

“Should’ve known you guys would’ve made it out okay! Now we can get the hell out of… woah, is that Yang? How’d she get knocked out? And where’s Blake?”

Trust Sun to immediately point out that the girl he was crushing on wasn’t among their number. 

“She ran off!” Jaune shouted, ignoring Sun’s shocked expression and turning to address Team SSSN as a whole. “We need to get Yang onto a shuttle and get someone-”

“The fuck?! What happened to Yang’s arm?!” Neptune yelped when he finally noticed that the blonde girl’s right arm ended in a stump.

Jaune gave a frustrated growl, quickly growing fed up that they still hadn’t been pointed in the direction of a medic. “I need-”

“GET DOWN!”

The scream of warning was immediately followed up by a rocket flying over their heads and slamming into the propellers of the ship ahead of them. The shrapnel from the destroyed propeller flew into the engines and caused a chain reaction that led to the whole shuttle combusting. Jaune and Team SSSN were thrown off of their feet due to their proximity to the explosion, and Jaune barely managed to swing himself around so he wouldn’t land on Yang as heat washed over them. 

The screams from civilians which had just been background noise at first grew in volume and almost drowned out the sounds of gunfire and the roars of Grimm as Jaune shakily got to his feet. Looking around, Jaune found that any semblance of order that might have once existed at the evacuation point was gone along with the destroyed evacuation shuttle. 

Jaune crouched down and quickly turned Yang over, relieved when he found that she didn’t sustain any further injury. Glancing up, he saw Velvet pushing herself up but grimaced when he saw the flash of aura over her skin indicating that her aura was gone. Team SSSN was also regaining their bearings as they gathered up, though Jaune noticed Scarlet favoring his left side. Whether it was a result of kickback from the explosion or an injury sustained prior, he wasn’t sure, but he didn’t have time to ask. 

“Guys! Hey!” Jaune called through the smoke that billowed around them and was relieved when after a few moments May, Velvet, Cardin, and his two teammates quickly emerged from the haze and gathered around. “Good, you’re all okay…!”

“That should be our line. You lot were the closest to the ship.” Cardin grimaced. “When we saw the explosion we all panicked.” 

“Are you all okay?” May asked frantically.

“No immediate injuries.” Jaune told them.

“My aura’s gone though…” Velvet winced, drawing concerned looks from everyone. “I’ll just… do my best to keep my head down from now on.”

Jaune was gratified when Nora and Cardin closed in around Velvet, the duo blocking off the bunny faunus from the direction from where Grimm and robots were crowding in the distance. 

“How do things look?” Jaune asked.

“Extremely bad.” Ren reported. “The Atlas soldiers here managed to set up barricades and helped establish a perimeter before the Grimm and White Fang swarmed them completely, but at the rate things are going they’ll eventually be overwhelmed. There are only a few bullheads and half a dozen shuttles left and it’s getting harder to coral the civilians as the fighting gets more intense.”

“The White Fang managed to destroy two shuttles already. It’s made everyone start to panic.” May whimpered. “Everything’s starting to break down.” 

Jaune bit his lip as he looked around. Soldiers and veteran hunters were trying to call for calm, but it was hard to rein in scared civilians while they were busy defending against Grimm, rogue robots, and White Fang terrorists all at once. The general panic would only cause the Grimm to get even more frenzied, and if they converged then there was a real possibility that their position would be completely overrun. 

“Who’re you guys?”

Sun’s question caused Jaune to startle from his thoughts. Turning toward the monkey faunus, Jaune saw the bewildered expression on his face as he got a full look at Jaune’s group. Nora and Ren he recognized. But the girl with the sniper rifle wasn’t Ruby, the faunus girl that had been helping Jaune with Yang wasn’t Blake, and both Ren and Jaune were the only males in the RWBY and JNPR friendship group so the third guy wearing silver armor was a complete unknown to Sun. And if one counted Yang among their number even though she was unconscious, the total count for the group only came up to seven, not a two team combined number of eight.

“Where is everyone?” Neptune followed up Sun’s question, pointing to the three strangers. “Where’s Weiss? Or Ruby? And Blake? And Pyrrha?”

Jaune couldn’t stand the questions. Pyrrha was fighting Cinder, but he didn’t know how that was going. He didn’t know where Ruby or Weiss were, only that he’d sent them after Pyrrha and he had no idea if they’d made it in time to support her in her fight with the woman responsible for everything. And he had no idea where Blake was since she’d run off. He had no idea where any of those girls were or if they were okay. So why were Sun and the others asking him?

Jaune was saved from having to answer when bestial roar took everyone’s attention.

One of the barricades that had been set up collapsed as an Ursa Major crashed through it. White Fang soldiers followed after the rampaging Grimm, raising their guns as weapons as they spread out to attack the crowd. There were no soldiers or hunters in proximity to close the gap, and the suddenness of the breach attack caught their group off guard and so they didn’t react immediately to the threat.

Someone else not among their number did though.

With a cry that sounded like a lion’s roar, a blonde girl with bronze colored skin suddenly descended on the Ursa like a comet, arresting its charge by smashing a flaming fist down on the Grimm’s head. The force of the blow and the swiftness of the attack caused the White Fang members who had been following in the ursa’s wake to stagger, and that pause gave enough time for three other individuals to cover the gap and attack from behind, striking down the terrorists before they could let loose upon the nearby crowd of panicking civilians.

“Arslan!” Neptune cried, recognizing the girl who quickly leaped off the ursa as it faded away and landed in front of their group.

“What are you all just standing around for?!” Arslan demanded as the rest of her team stepped over the White Fang corpses to reach them. In their place, Atlas soldiers quickly moved to cover the gap that had been punched in their defensive wall and began laying down suppressive fire, dissuading Grimm and White Fang from passing their defensive line that way. “The battle is still ongoing! If you have a weapon and if you aren’t hurt, you should be fighting! We can’t allow panic to spread anymore than it already has!”

“H-Hey, we were getting to it!” Neptune protested. “A shuttle just exploded on us so we were a little-”

“Casualties will only increase the longer you remain idle!”

“Listen here Lion Girl, you-!”

The budding argument was stopped when an Atlas soldier called over to them.

“Hey, you’re all students, right?”

“Y-Yes, we are.” Velvet spoke up, stepping forward. Being the only one among their group familiar with Atlas, she was able to recognize the insignia rank on the man’s breastplate. “Are you the lieutenant in charge of the soldiers fighting here?”

“One of them. Our captain is… well, it doesn’t matter now.” The man shook his head. “I’m telling everyone that I can that the remaining ships are preparing to take off. Please move to one of the shuttles and they’ll get you all out.”

“You think the White Fang, Grimm, and your haywire robots will just let us all go like that?” Cardin scoffed.

“The remainder of my platoon and a handful of hunters have all agreed to stay and defend this location as long as possible. Or at least until the last shuttle is ready to leave. We’ll take it once everyone has boarded the shuttles and evacuated.” The lieutenant replied. “I’d hurry if I were you. The Grimm are only growing more ferocious and the White Fang look like they’re getting ready for another push.”

Without waiting for a response, the man hurried toward another cluster of people. The group of hunters-in-training glanced at each other for a moment before Arslan gave a huff and pivoted on her heel, heading toward the broken barricade.

“You’re not leaving?” Neptune asked.

“I will.” Arslan called back. “But I will leave with the last shuttle.”

“But that soldier said-”

“I know what he said. But I am choosing to stay and fight for as long as I’m able to.”

“…Well, you heard the boss.” Nadir spoke up as he hefted his gun katana. “Just tell us where you-”

“Don’t feel obligated to stay just because I am.” Arslan interrupted her teammate. “I understand the risk I’m taking by staying. I’m not going to ask you all to take the same risk.”

“B-But you’re our leader. We’re a team. We can’t just let you fight by yourself.” Reese protested.

“Either we fight together or we leave together.” Bolin asserted.

“Hey, Arslan, I know your intentions are good and all but… don’t you think we’ve done enough?” Neptune asked, stepping toward the girl. “We’ve been fighting for a while now. And I’ve seen you fighting past the barricades. Other than your fire dust, you’ve got no long range options for fighting. It’s not like your rope dart has very much distance anyway.”

Arslan frowned. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I know you’re not at one hundred percent anymore. None of us are. I don’t think you need to feel bad for stepping away.” Neptune advised. “The other soldiers and hunters can handle things better than us. We should rely on them.”

“We are hunters.”

“No, we’re students!” Neptune shot back. “We weren’t trained for anything like this!”

“Even so, I believe that I can make a difference. I have a choice in front of me, and I will choose to fight. I won’t let myself believe that my only option is to retreat. This isn’t my school, nor is it my home, but I will use the strength I have to support those who have also chosen to fight.”

Neptune and Arslan’s teammates said something in response, but Jaune didn’t hear it. The blonde girl’s words weren’t especially profound, but somehow they struck a chord with him.

A choice…

He had wanted to fight. He didn’t want to run. If he had been allowed to make his own choice, Jaune would have been fighting alongside Pyrrha at the moment. For better or for worse, he wanted more than anything to fight by her side.

She had taken that choice from him though.

“Because I was too weak.”

Because it had just been him, and he only would have held her back.

…But he wasn’t alone now.

And if the choice to run or fight was presented to him again now? It was obvious which option he’d choose.

“She’s right.” Jaune spoke up loudly, causing everyone to turn in his direction. “This isn’t at all what any of us expected, but we’re here now. We might be tired, we might not be qualified, but we can fight. I will fight.”

Jaune drew his sword and expanded his shield.

“I’ll help the soldiers and hunters defend this place until everyone here has evacuated.” Jaune announced, turning to address the group as a whole. “And even though Arslan said she wasn’t going to ask, I’m going to instead. Everyone, please… let’s fight. We’ll fight together AND we’ll all leave together.”

Jaune didn’t expect his declaration to resonate with anyone. He was just asking something selfish. Yet, he was shocked to see that everyone’s expressions suddenly got a little firmer. Their hands clenched their weapons a little more tightly. They were actually listening to him…

“Tell us what to do, Fearless Leader.” Nora smirked. To Jaune’s amazement, everyone nodded in assent to the orangette’s words.

…But there was no time to dwell on it. If they were all willing to listen, then he’d lead as best he could.

“Velvet, get Yang onto one of the ships. Preferably one with a medic. With your aura down, you can’t risk staying out here anymore. I’m trusting you with her safety, okay?”

“…Okay, Jaune. I’ll make sure she gets help.” Velvet nodded. “In return, you better make sure everyone leaves on the shuttle with us, okay?”

“We’ll be right behind you.”

The swordsman and the rabbit faunus exchanged firm nods before Velvet lifted Yang up onto her back and started hurrying toward the landing zone. Jaune watched her for a moment before turning toward his teammates.

“Ren, your semblance is key here. Go around and use it to calm people down. Nora, you go with him and watch his back. Sun, you’re the speaker. Tell any civilians to get to the shuttles and bullheads after Ren’s calmed them down. Also try to give the soldiers and hunters some breathing room to recover and get back in formation.”

The group stared at him in shock for a moment, prompting Jaune to glare when they didn’t start moving immediately.

“Well? Get moving!”

“R-Right! You got it, boss!” Sun said, snapping a quick salute and giving Jaune an impressed smile. “Still, I can't leave you here without one of mine contributing to the fight. Nep, you mind being Jaune’s gunner?”

“A sound plan.” Arslan nodded, turning to her own teammates. “Bolin, Reese, Nadir? Support SSSN. Though I would like you to focus on protecting civilians and aiding in evacuation. Once they are corralled, you must help keep calm and prevent another panic if you can.”

“What about you, Arslan?” Nadir asked.

Arslan slammed her fists together. “With you all supporting the backline, I will play the role Jaune Arc did for me. I will be where I am most needed amongst our fighters.”

Not giving her teammates a chance to argue, Arslan darted off and let out a roar as she fell upon a cluster of White Fang troops who were trying to climb over a barricade that two Atlas soldiers were hiding behind.

“…And there she goes.” Neptune muttered.

“And that’s also our cue. Time for us to get moving.” Sun grinned before pausing. “Though, Nep… you mind staying and giving Jaune some support? He’s sending off Ren and Nora, so that just leaves him with the guys in the armor and the sniper girl. You mind being his fourth?”

Neptune sputtered a little at being put on the spot. A nervous expression flashed across his face briefly before his expression grew determined and he nodded. “Yeah… yeah, I can do that.”

“Good to hear it man. Soon as we help with the civies we’ll give you some backup!”

“You’d better. I really don’t want to make this some kind of last stand like they do in the movies…”

“Will you be okay?”

Jaune glanced over at Ren when he asked that question. He could see that his friend was concerned, and he saw a similar expression on Nora’s face. Jaune acknowledged their worries, and pulled a confident smile onto his face.

It was important to look convincing.

“We’re hunters.” Jaune said, echoing Arslan’s words from earlier. “We’ll hold the line until you help get everyone organized. We’re not gonna give any ground.”

“…There’s our fearless leader.” Nora smiled. “Time to get moving, Renny.”

“…I suppose so.” Ren nodded, glancing at Cardin and May as he and Nora moved past them. “Watch out for each other.”

Cardin and May didn’t reply verbally, but gave resolute nods to his words.

After watching his teammates and the majority of the Haven students depart, Jaune addressed the remainder that were left. May, Cardin, and Neptune faced him. Including himself, it was a new four person team created from a mishmash of their currently fractured original teams. Cardin was someone who used to bully him. Neptune and May were from entirely different schools to boot. The odds were stacked entirely against them and it wasn’t reasonable to expect any kind of synergy amongst them. 

“We’ll just make it work.” Jaune thought as his expression steeled. 

They’d hold out until the rest of the shuttles took off. And if they held out long enough, made a big enough dent in the enemy, then maybe their teammates would find their way to them. 

“May, Neptune, cover us!” Jaune shouted as he raised his sword and ran toward the encroaching crowd of Grimm. “Cardin, let’s go!”

“I’ve got your back, Jaune!” Cardin roared.

Together the two of them charged an Ursa and swung their weapons down on its head. The impact of both Crocea Mors and Executioner slammed the bear Grimm down into the concrete just as it had begun to roar, crushing its skull and immediately causing its body to begin dissipating. 

The attack was an announcement to the rest of the Grimm, and the creatures of darkness all let out roars, cries, and squawks as they descended on the two team leaders.

Undeterred, Jaune and Cardin continued with the maneuver that they’d hastily fallen into. Every beowulf that leaped toward them, every boarbatusk that charged them, every Ursa that tried to tackle them, every nevermore that shrieked down upon them, the two men struck as a pair. Jaune’s sword cut off a Grimm’s attack and Cardin’s mace crushed the body. Cardin’s mace would block a claw and Jaune’s sword would slice through a Grimm’s body. Or they’d strike together and rip through the Grimm to get through and meet the next monster to kill. It was a pattern of continuous attack and both beacon students screamed battle cries to match the roars of Grimm.

But their initial charge only gave them so much momentum. When bullets from rogue Atlas mechs and White Fang troopers began to pepper in between their attacks, Jaune and Cardin were forced to slow down and play more defensively. Back to back, Jaune maneuvered his shield to block every claw and bullet he could while Cardin followed up with his mace. As perilous as being surrounded on all sides by Grimm was, the creatures of darkness had bulk and thus made excellent impromptu shields for Jaune Cardin to duck behind so the Knight Units and White Fang shooters couldn’t get a solid bead on them. Both boys did their best to stick close together and keep a pair or trio of Grimm between themselves and any gunners at all times. 

When the White Fang’s aggressive shouts started getting replaced with panicked cries, Jaune and Cardin knew that their support was about to give them some breathing room. They could both hear the loud cracks in the air that sounded each time May fired her sniper rifle, and each shot was followed by a scream from a White Fang member or small detonation as a knight unit’s head exploded. More rapid fire shots along with a crackle of electricity was evidence of cover fire that Neptune provided in between May’s sniper fire.

Past the Grimm, they saw a break in the White Fang’s formation and charged through the Grimm blocking them, escaping the encirclement, and retreating back toward the barricade that May and Neptune were firing from alongside a few Atlas soldiers.

“Nice job!” One of the soldiers called enthusiastically. “That made ‘em think twice! I was worried when I saw that group, but you guys took ‘em apart!”

“Thanks for the assist!”

The cheers from the soldiery actually made the four hunters-in-training break out into a few grins. At least until another Atlas soldier shouted another warning.

“Paladin incoming!”

Indeed, the figure of a hulking mech was stepping out from behind a fallen building and was facing in their direction. Instead of approaching though, the mech leveled it’s cannon and began firing. Jaune and Cardin through themselves over the barricade while everyone else ducked behind it, the barrier luckily managing to hold up against the hail of bullets.

“There’s no way we can close the distance to take out that thing before its gun fills us up with bullets.” Cardin said.

“Definitely not… but I think I could manage for a few seconds.” Jaune muttered. “May, do you think you could take out the cannon if you had a chance to take a shot?”

“I-I don’t think I can line up a shot while under fire!”

“I’ll give you time to do it. Just hurry!”

“Wha-?!”

Jaune didn’t hesitate. He leaped over the barricade with his shield in front, crouching low and presenting himself as small as he possibly could. Past his shield, he saw the paladin swerve toward him and unleash another barrage of fire. He gritted his teeth as he felt the impact of the bullets.

I’m not weak… I’m not useless…!

The Paladin fired another missile right at him. He surged his Aura and took the impact head on. The blast hit short of his position but blasted him as hard as an Ursa charge, but he held his ground even as his entire body seemed to rattle from the inside out.

His ears rang, he staggered. More bullets impacted his shield. He kept moving forward, gritting his teeth.

The cannon on the Paladin slowly turned towards him, away from the others. Jaune held his breath.

A shot rang out as a Dust round went right through the barrel of the main cannon. The firing chamber exploded into a massive fireball. Jaune spared a glance back at May: While she still looked scared, her aim was steady and true. 

“HYAAAHHHH!”

Cardin slammed his Executioner down into the ground, unleashing another blast of Fire Dust. It rocketed through the earth, and Jaune barely dodged out of the way as the shot struck the ground the Paladin was standing on. The giant mecha staggered, the earth underneath it crumbling. 

Neptune burst out of his improvised cover and unleashed a lightning blast. The electricity made contact with the Paladin, crackling all over its metallic armor. It stuttered for a moment, but kept coming.

“Damnit…!” Jaune cursed. He charged right at the Paladin, Neptune and May’s fire peppering the Paladin. They were like pinpricks to its armor though, mere distractions. Cardin unleashed another blast of Fire Dust, blasting more rocks and shrapnel up against the monster robot.

“Go for the joints!” Neptune shouted.

Jaune ran as fast as he could, getting over the rubble and barricades. He grit his teeth and swung his sword, hard and fast, for the ankle of the Paladin. His sword burned with golden Aura, and he drove it into the joint-Just between the armor plates. 

The reinforced mechanical hydraulics and electrical sinews resisted the first blow to some extent, but Jaune struck again, and again, and again-Before he reached the breaking point. A final blow, all of his Aura being put into it, broke the main joint of the ankle. Which was good timing-The Paladin spun around, May and Neptune’s fire distraction no longer working. Jaune held up a shield and planted his feet-He took the blow, barely able to hold the blow back. He gritted his teeth as the Paladin, while crippled, still tried to crush him…

“CARDIN!” Jaune shouted.

Cardin barreled in, swinging his Mace to knock the giant robot’s broken leg right out from under it. The mecha fell, and Jaune barely scrambled out of the way as it fell and slammed into the ground. Jaune didn’t hesitate, and drove his sword through the cockpit canopy, smashing it to pieces. Cardin helped by taking out one of the arm joints, making the robot’s gun arm fall, useless.

“Come on Jauney, COME ON!” Cardin shouted urgently. Jaune found the controls for the Paladin and smashed it as hard as he could. The electronics all went up in fire and smoke, and the mecha twitched, shuddered, and then fell limply onto the ground. Jaune and Cardin panted hard, sharing a small grin. It was a savage thing, unspoken yet strong.

All too brief though, as Grimm charged them. And behind them were more Knight drones. 

 - - -

Jaune slowly shook his head, taking a deep breath. He set his finished mug down onto the coffee table. He sighed.

“We fought as hard as we could. Ultimately though… We finally ran out of time.”

- - - 

Jaune could hear the shuttles taking off behind them. Though the seven of them were holding the line, no matter how many robots they took down, more stepped up to take their place. Not to mention the Grimm that were being drawn to all the commotion their battle was causing. 

“We can’t keep this up!” Ren shouted as he fired Stormflower at a beowolf. “I’m almost out of ammunition!”

“I’m out of grenades!” Nora called, swapping her weapon back to its hammer form in time to club away a charging boarbatusk. 

“My aura is close to depleting! I can’t take much more hits!” Arslan announced.

“Same here!” Cardin shouted.

“H-How much longer are we gonna defend this place?” Neptune asked frantically as he fired two crackshots that took out two Atlas knights. “There’s only two ships left! Shouldn’t we escape now?”

“Just… just a little longer!” Jaune called desperately. “There still might be people who are trying to make their way here!”

“Even if there were, there’s no way they’d be able to get through all that!” Neptune shouted, pointing to the mixed horde of robots and Grimm. “I really think we should leave!”

“Not yet! Just a little more!”

“Jaune, c’mon man! It’s time to call it! Anymore than this and we’ll be-!”

Suddenly a familiar silver glyph appeared in front of their formation. A second later, a massive armored gauntlet wielding an even larger sword burst from the glyph and slammed down into the center of the horde, scattering the group of robots and creatures of darkness.

“Yes…!” Jaune cheered as several more glyphs appeared in the air.

Looking up, everyone saw the Schnee heiress using her glyphs as platforms to leap over the swarm of Grimm and rogue robots and over toward their group. Just behind her, a grizzled looking man was jumping across the glyphs right behind her while carrying someone underneath his arm. As they got closer Jaune spotted the red hood the person being carried was wearing, and Jaune felt his relief double. 

…Only to realize a second later that he didn’t see a certain redhead in golden armor jumping after the man. It was just three. 

Jaune shut that thought down before it could break him, and instead raised his sword in the air as he shouted to his friends.

“Retreat to the shuttle! Let’s go!” 

Everyone immediately beat a retreat toward the shuttles. In the corner of his vision, he saw Weiss land between Nora and Ren, with the duo quickly moving to support the clearly exhausted Schnee heiress as she almost collapsed. The older man who Jaune recognized as Yang and Ruby’s uncle was carrying Team RWBY’s leader underneath his arm while firing into the crowd of Grimm and robots with his weapon as he backpedaled to the shuttle. Jaune raised his shield as Arslan and Cardin rushed past him, blocking a stream of bullets before Jaune ran after them.

The shuttle was already beginning to hover off the ground and Jaune had to leap to get himself onto the hanger ramp. He grabbed Arslan’s outstretched hand and she helped haul him up into the back of the aircraft as the doors began to close.

“Everyone who isn’t strapped in a seat better brace yourself! As soon as the hanger doors seal we’re gonna take off fast!”

The pilot’s announcement over the intercom had most everyone in the hangar dropping to the floor and Jaune was quick to mimic them. A few seconds after the bay doors groaned and sealed, Jaune felt his stomach lurch as the shuttle accelerated. The aircraft rumbled and Jaune could hear the winding whipping against the vehicle as it cut through the air. The roars of beowolves and ursa grew distant and bullets could no longer be heard ricocheting off of the shuttle’s metal plating.

Jaune was glad that he was able to push down his motion sickness and not throw up all over the hanger. It was the last thing anyone needed.

When the turbulence settled, Jaune pushed himself back to his feet. Looking ahead, he caught a glimpse of Ruby and Yang’s uncle disappearing through the door that led to the shuttle’s passenger compartment. Jaune quickly hurried through the door after him.

As he hurried down the aisle, Jaune glanced around the packed seats. Men, women, and children all huddled in their seats. There were more people than there were seats in the shuttle though. Every child was sat in an adult’s lap if they could, though many adults themselves were squeezing into one seat and sharing a seatbelt. Even then there wasn’t enough room for everyone to sit down, and Jaune had to step over some people who were sitting in the aisle area or move around someone who was standing and gripping onto the closest seat or overhead storage handle for support. Everyone’s faces expressed the same thing though.

Shock, terror, anger, loss, sadness, and misery.

Husbands and wives comforted each other, mothers and fathers tried to calm their children or hush crying babies, and people who were probably complete strangers to one another huddled close and whispered amongst themselves.

Jaune felt his spirit take another hit as he observed the crowd on his way after Qrow, who’s voice he could hear speaking harshly from the cockpit.

“Sir, if you don’t have anything valuable to contribute, then please return to the hanger area.” The pilot told Qrow when Jaune reached them.

“The hell I don’t!” The grizzled huntsman protested. “We need to get out of the air as soon as possible! I’m telling you that the settlement here will-”

“And I’m telling YOU that going there isn’t possible. Before the radio went out we got a report that the town was under attack! That isn’t a viable landing zone!”

“The longer we stay in the air, the bigger the chance some Grimm will knock us out of the sky! Those gunners don’t have enough ammunition to clear us a path!”

“We’re not clearing a path to anything, sir. We’re flying away from Vale, southwest. It’s the only direction not choked with Grimm. Whether or not we’ll find a place to land before we’re attacked is entirely up to our own luck now.”

Qrow scoffed at that. “Oh yeah, because THAT’S reassuring…”

“Look, before the CCT went down we got reports of Grimm incursions not just in Vale, but in cities and towns bordering it. Any of the places you suggested have us risk dropping down into a Grimm horde. At this point we’re better off trying our luck landing near a midland area or even at a frontier town.”

“You got enough fuel to make it to the frontier though?” Qrow asked.

“I don’t. My point is that the further we can get away from Vale is best. Actually landing in a city or town would be a bonus.” The pilot sighed. “But with the CCT down I can’t communicate long range to see what place will take us. Locale radio works but it’ll only work if I get within range of a city’s air control. I’m flying blind here, so unless you can point me an area a good distance from here that won’t have us getting swamped by Grimm within the hour, I’m just picking a random direction and praying as I fly!”

“You…!”

Jaune coughed, getting the attention of both Qrow and the pilot. The pilot looked surprised while Qrow looked furious, though the older man quickly schooled his expression when realized that he recognized the kid that was standing at the door to the cockpit.

“Kid, you shouldn’t be here right now. We’re trying to figure out where a safe place to fly everyone is without-”

“Radian.”

Qrow blinked at Jaune. “What’s that now?”

“Radian. It’s… it’s a settlement that isn’t too far from here. They’ll take us in.” Jaune muttered. “It’s… between the frontier zone and Vale’s proximity cities. Good distance from Vale, good distance from the border… it’s a sweet spot that’s pretty isolated from everything else. Isolated enough that we should be able to land safely.”

“You sure about that?” The pilot asked. “We only have so much fuel and with the Grimm flying around we can’t afford to be in the air longer than we have to. If they refuse to take us then-”

“Trust me, they’ll let us land.”

“Look kid, without some kind of guarantee I’m not sure I should-”

“My family is in charge of Radian. My dad, Nicholas Arc, runs the militia there. Just tell them Jaune Arc is asking that these people need asylum and I guarantee they’ll put up with us and the other evac shuttles.”

“…Alright, fine. It’s not like we have any other real options anyhow.” The pilot sighed. “You mind punching in the coordinates?”

Jaune nodded and hit a few buttons on the pilot’s console as the man pointed to them. After confirming the coordinates, Jaune felt a hand grip his shoulder.

“Good on ya for giving us a place to fall back to, kid.” Qrow said as he tugged Jaune out of the cockpit. “But you look like you’re about to fall over. Seats in the passenger compartment are filled up, but there’s plenty of room in the hanger. C’mon.”

Jaune let Qrow guide him as he stumbled along. Moving past the fretting civilians packed into the seats, Jaune heard the door to the hanger hiss as it opened before it shut behind him. Slowly and with care, the older huntsman sat Jaune down against the wall a few feet away from the door.

“No seatbelts, but hopefully there won’t be too much turbulence. You gonna be good here for now until we get to your hometown?”

“I… yeah, I’ll… I’ll be fine for now.” Jaune murmured, suddenly feeling fatigued in a way he’d never felt before. 

Looking over Qrow’s shoulder, he could spot everyone else. Neptune was sprawled out on the floor while Arslan and Ren sat in meditative poses nearby. Weiss was sitting against the opposite wall, using her legs as a pillow to support a still unconscious Ruby. Yang was being inspected by a medic with Nora and Velvet hovering close to them, while Cardin sat in a chair nearby and leaning resting his chin against his palm. Scattered around were a few more Atlas soldiers and hunters. Everyone looked exhausted. 

And as much as Jaune wanted to close his eyes and sleep… he had to know for certain…

“Where… where is she?” Jaune asked, gripping onto Qrow’s arm before the man could pull away.

“What are you talking about?”

“My partner…” Jaune croaked. “Pyrrha… she… was going to go after Cinder… Ruby and Weiss were going to help her… where…?”

Qrow grimaced and Jaune felt his heart sink.

“Kid, c’mon… you gotta know the answer already,” he said, gruff but not without sympathy.

Jaunne stared up at the older huntsman silently before he slowly shook his head. Even if he knew the answer in his heart, his mind rejected it. He had to hear it said out loud.

Even with his faltering strength, Jaune’s grip tightened around Qrow’s arm. “Where…?”

Qrow stared at the young man sitting in front of him for a moment before giving a tired sigh. Reaching behind him and digging into his back pocket, the man pulled out a red sash and presented it to Jaune.

“Ruby was holding onto this when I found her. I’m guessing you know who it belongs to…”

Jaune could feel the pressure build behind his eyes as they started to water. Even if it was burnt at the edges, Jaune recognized Pyrrha’s sash instantly. Weakly raising his arm, Jaune grasped the fabric tightly as Qrow dropped it into the blonde’s other hand. 

“Pyrrha…”

“I’m sorry, kid… this was all that was left.” 

Jaune’s grip on Qrow’s forearm slackened and the huntsman pulled away. The young man glanced down and stared at his partner’s sash. After a bit, his arms went limp and Jaune slumped against the wall. Even if his limbs felt heavier than lead, he still clenched onto the ribbon.

Even as his vision began to swim, Jaune thought back to that moment… the last time he ever saw his partner’s face.

“I can’t lose you.”

Pyrrha was dead.

“I love you.” 

He would never see her again.

“Goodbye.”

And he couldn’t do a thing about it.

With that final thought, Jaune felt the last of his strength finally drain away as his head lulled to the side. Darkness creeped along the edges of his vision for a few seconds before blissful unconsciousness swallowed him his thoughts up.

– – –

 The only sound in the room after that was the crackle of the logs in the fireplace, and the ticking of the old clock on the mantlepiece. Jaune’s head was bowed as he stared down at the floor.

“After… After that,” Jaune murmured, “I woke up in the hospital. Met up with Ruby…” He nodded to the little redhead, who sniffled a bit but still managed a smile, “and everyone else. We got to work and, well…” He shrugged. “Ruby?”

“I…” The little reapette swallowed before she spoke. “Weiss and I… We fought our way to the top of the tower. I saw… I saw Pyrrha fighting Cinder and that dragon. She… She took arrows to… To everywhere and…”

She shut her eyes tightly. Yang wrapped her arm around her little sister’s waist, and squeezed her tightly. Ruby forced her eyes open, even as she trembled.

“And Cinder killed her,” Ruby whispered, “And my eyes just… Just exploded. And the dragon was stoned and I just… Just…”

She sniffled again, tears falling from her silver eyes. She crumpled in her sister’s arms, and Yang held her tightly. She rubbed her back up and down with her organic hand. A tense silence fell again, as Jaune bowed his head. 

“We saw the Dragon as we escaped,” Arslan said quietly, “It was frozen to the side of the tower-Stone. There are legends of Silver Eyed Warriors in the past who could do amazing things with their powers.”

“I-I know of a few of them,” May murmured, “My parents told me many… Stories…” Her voice dwindled to a mumble as Ruby sobbed. 

Yang took a deep breath.

“And Weiss?” She asked, bracing herself for more bad news.

“We got here,” Ren said softly, not looking directly at Yang, “And then some of her father’s agents grabbed her at the hospital. Atlas has been reaching out to various towns and cities to find out where their citizens visiting Vale for the Vytal festival or surviving soldiers who were assigned as security for the event managed to evacuate to. I don’t know how, given that the CCT network is down, but word got to Weiss’s father somehow about where she was and his personal staff showed up and flew her back to Atlas. We didn’t know she’d been taken until one of the nurses informed us when we asked where she was staying.”

“She was gone before I woke up.” Ruby mumbled. “I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye. And I can’t even get a call through to her now…”

Yang grit her teeth, but managed to relax a little. Just a bit.

Jaune took a deep breath. He slowly nodded.

“So… You know the rest.”

“And now we’re on break,” Neptune sighed. Jaune nodded slowly.

“Yeah,” he sighed. He looked back up at the group. He worked his jaw carefully, and shook his head.

“Guys,” he said, slowly and carefully, “Now that we know about the situation and your teams? You can all decide on what you want to do now. There’s nothing to keep you here if you don’t want to stay.”

Neptune balked. 

“Woah,” Neptune held up a hand, “Where’s this coming from?”

“I just…” Jaune shrugged. “I mean, we’re here. We’re safe. But you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. If you do? Nothing changes. You don’t have to make a decision now. I’m just saying… It’s up to you.”

Arslan nodded, her face a blank mask. Neptune grimaced, looking confused. He looked over at Arslan, then back at Jaune with a shrug. Cardin and Velvet remained cuddled together, though they both looked very grim. Yang was leaning against Ruby, but trying not to look like it. Even after her outburst, she was trying to look strong, while Ruby had given up her crying and fallen asleep. May sucked in a deep breath and just looked awkwardly towards Jaune. Nora and Ren stayed together, their eyes locked on Jaune expectantly. 

Jaune took a deep breath.

“Anyway… We can talk more tomorrow,” he finished. “Unless anyone has something they wanna add?”

Silence greeted him again. Nora took Ren’s hand and squeezed it, before she turned her smile to Jaune.

“We’re not going anywhere, Jaune-Jaune.” She shrugged. “We… We don’t have anywhere else to go, after all. Or anywhere we’d rather be.”

“S-Same,” May whispered quietly. Arslan reached out to squeeze her hand, which May took. Neptune had made to reach out too, but held back with a grimace. 

Cardin sucked in a breath and slowly shook his head. He tightened his grip on Velvet’s hand, and she wrapped her spare around his.

“We’re fine here for now, Jaune,” Cardin stated firmly. 

“Y-Yeah,” Velvet said quietly.

Arslan shrugged.

“I am here for a reason. And I am content to stay until I am needed elsewhere,” she said softly. 

Jaune frowned a bit in confusion, but managed a small smile in return. 

“Then… See you all in the morning,” he murmured. He turned to Yang. “Do… Do you need any help getting her to bed?”

Yang stared at him for a long moment before she nodded. 

“Yeah. Thanks,” she said softly. Between the two of them, they got Ruby up and carried her gently through the living room. They made it to the foyer, and slowly headed up the stairs. 

It wasn’t until they were gone, and Velvet slowly nodded that they were gone, that Ren spoke.

“We have made our choice. We’re going with Jaune after Cinder… What about you?”

Cardin clenched his fist and growled. 

“That bitch needs to go down. If you’re going after her and her buddies? I’m in.”

“Same,” Velvet stated firmly. “We… We can’t let them get away with this.”

Arslan slowly nodded. Her face was grave.

“I wish to join with you as well,” she said, “If you’ll have me.”

Neptune sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I gotta… Think about it,” he admitted. “I mean, that bitch has gotta go down but… Why us? Why not other people? I mean… I mean I know it’s personal for you guys,” He nodded to Ren and Nora, “I get it. But…”

Cardin scowled a bit. Ren held up a hand.

“We understand,” he said, “And like Jaune said: We don’t have to make a decision right now.”

“I…” May slowly shook her head. “I only had my team. Now… Now they’re gone and…” She sighed and shut her eyes. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with my life.”

“Well,” Neptune smiled, leaned back and winked at her, “You could always date a handsome young Hunter? That might be a nice start.”

May stared at him, silent. The rest of the room was filled with the crackling of the logs and the ticking of the clock. Neptune sighed and looked away, face solemn.

“Yeah… I didn’t think it was very good either,” Neptune muttered.

“I…” May winced. “I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be,” Neptune snorted. “I got worse ones to tell.”

“And I look forward to when we can all laugh at them,” Arslan said, a gentle smile on her face as she reached out to squeeze his shoulder. 

Nora smiled slightly as well.

“Me too,” she said. 

Neptune sighed softly, and stared into the fire. 

“Yeah…”

- - - -

Chapter Text

The day of the Vytal Tournament Finals

Jaipur, Pandu, the continent of Anima

Jaipur was widely regarded as the jewel of Pandu, and the Gateway to Anima. It had been the first Pandavan city that Iksander the Great had conquered after taking the rest of Mistral's holdings. It had the largest natural harbor of any city on the continent, and the Deva Pass that wound through the Atmans gave it access to Mistral, Temujin, and many other smaller kingdoms. Even at night, its light shined out into the darkness of the world. Within its vast city walls were casinos, banks, dance halls, amusement parks, bars, sports stadiums, CCTnet transceivers, and gigantic towers of business to guide its busy ports full of ships, both sea and air based.

But it had not always been this rich or prosperous.

Arjun Sarkara, King of Pandu, knew this all too well.

He was the youngest child of five brothers, a spare for spares. He'd had aspirations of becoming a pilot despite his incredible skill in archery. His elder brothers were meant to have the throne, even though he went through the same lessons in statecraft, diplomacy, and war that they did. He thought he would have had very different responsibilities when he became a man. Responsibilities he would have shared with his half-brother, Karna: A "hostage" of the Kauravas, their family rivals.

Then came the coup. The Kauravas took over with the help of Mistralian gangsters and traitors. Arjun had been the only survivor of his family, with his maid, Saia. The man he thought was his brother in all but blood had betrayed them. They then proceeded to run Pandu into the ground, and even Jaipur had become poor despite its massive wealth. The Kauravas had ruled out of spite, greed, and with short-sightedness.

For five agonizing years, Arjun had worked as hard as he could to reclaim his throne and restore freedom and justice to his land. He'd sworn to Saia he would do this for her. With the help of his friends Nick and Isabel from Vale... And a repentant Karna... They had succeeded.

The effort... Had not been in vain, as he could see. Jaipur glowed in the night, free and prosperous once more. And all of Pandu reaped the benefits.

That said, reclaiming the kingdom had only been the start. Running it? That was the real challenge.

He strode through the warmly furnished halls of the Central Plaza Building, a tall golden tower that shimmered even at night, with his wife Saia alongside... And Karna following close behind at a respectful distance.

"I can't believe it took us all day just to convince the Minister of the tax code changes," Arjun grumbled. His godson was competing in the Vytal Tournament! He'd been looking forward to watching Jaune and root for him.

"I can," Karna deadpanned, his dark blue hair tied into a ponytail behind him as he paced his King and foster brother in simple black clothing, "Minister Virata is as stubborn as he always was." He scowled, the act emphasizing the scar over his nose.

"He always milks the fact he sheltered us after the coup for all it's worth," Saia sighed, her long hair hair held in a few silver bands, wearing her usual white and red sari with cloak as she walked with her Dust Project Staff, "It's nothing we haven't seen before."

"It's always more infuriating," Arjun grumbled. Karna chuckled and patted his foster brother on the shoulder.

"Now now. You did well not to kill him. Save that for in private."

"No! No killing!" Saia said in exasperation. Arjun pouted at his wife.

"But Saia, I'm out of practice. How am I to know if I'm still formidable if I can't off a few fat, corrupt government officials from time to time?"

"He has a point," Karna chuckled, "You can just go blow things up, we have to have more involved training."

Saia rolled her eyes. The two brothers smirked at each other.

"You're absolutely impossible," Saia sighed. "I prefer it when you're with Nick. You're more manageable that way."

"They blew up a trolley car," Karna pointed out.

"That was an accident. No one can prove otherwise," Arjun stated quickly.

"That is easier to sort out than you driving me up the wall," Saia said, "And Isabel helps me scold you. Your wife is far too permissive, Karna!"

"Padmavati is very forgiving," Karna said with a wry grin.

"She'd have to be to marry you," Arjun huffed.

A bright flash outside the window drew all of their attention. A loud boom followed as flames and smoke rose into the night sky. Alarms began to go off as the three royals stared at a conflagration facing the great pass of Deva.

"An accident?" Saia immediately asked. Arjun's eyes lit up as he activated his Semblance. His keen eyes could see Aura, and anything ignited by Aura.

His eyes widened.

"Missiles!" He cried, as another blast erupted around the gateway. He tapped his earbud. "Drona! Report!"

His mentor and chief of staff immediately responded from his place on the royal airship Vikrant. 

 "Your Highness, a Mistralian air battleship just popped up on radar," he reported in his gruff tone, "Nanchang- class ."

"How did we not get any warnings?" Arjun demanded.

"The CCTNet just went down worldwide," Drona growled, "A terrorist attack in Vale happened at the same time. We think it's the source of the CCT shutdown."

Arjun's eyes widened.

"How bad?"

"Unknown. We're getting scattered reports by radio of mass Grimm attacks, thousands of casualties-Your Highness we must look to the crisis at hand first."

Arjun nodded and calmed himself.

He couldn't help his friends in Vale right now. He could help his country though.

"How soon until we get reinforcements? Vikrant's not built to fight a battleship."

"Twenty minutes, the nearest base is having computer trouble," Drona growled. Arjun turned to his wife.

"Take charge of the defenses here. Karna and I will handle the battleship," he stated.

"Your Majesty?! Have you lost your mind?!" Drona cried.

"No, this is what I was trained to do," Arjun stated, "Coordinate with my wife, she'll provide anti-missile support."

Saia nodded, leaned in on tip-toes and kissed her husband on the lips.

"Fight bravely, my love."

Arjun smiled at her.

"It's the only way I know how. Karna!"

Karna nodded.

"My Tigertail should be ready to go."

"Then let's move!" Arjun ordered, as he and Karna ran for the airship pads and Saia ran for the top of the tower. She tapped her own earbud.

"This is the Queen. Bring me as many barrels of Dust as you can to the top of Central Plaza! That's an order!"

"Yes Your Majesty!"

Mistralian Royal Battleship Longmen

Jaipur, Pandu

Ensign Jiang Zhu had had many misgivings since their captain, Sung Shanyuan, had returned from leave. She'd been irritable, secretive, and condescending. Far removed from the almost motherly presence that had helped the trainees grow as sailors she'd almost always been.

At first, he had just assumed it was due to the worsening political situation. There were three major factions in the Kingdom of Mistral: The Yellow Dragons, the Red Dragons, and the Green Dragons. The Yellow advocated a return to a rule under religious principles, though a large number of their contingent also counted the old Temujin Khans from the neighboring lands as truly righteous rulers-Despite the fact they conquered Mistral long ago and ruled as Emperors. The Red Dragons, influenced by Argus and the other Hellenic League lands to the west, wanted to become even more meritocratic and democratic-Though always under their auspices and control. The Green Dragons, the most conservative, wanted to return to the days when Mistral was ruled under its own original cultural identity and ideals: An Emperor with a massive court and bureaucratic system arranged with said Emperor the ultimate symbol of rule under divine right.

Civil unrest between the factions had been a way of life for Mistral for centuries, but their feuds had seldom reached the level of potential civil war. At least not until now. Yet this alone could not be the only explanation for Captain Sung's behavior.

Her orders had grown more confusing by the day. She'd ordered live ammunition loads into the missiles, and their tracking systems disabled. When her XO Xiong Fan had pressed her, even lightly, she'd dismissed him and made Jiang Zhu her acting XO.

They had launched secretly that afternoon, and while they had dispatched a flight plan, Zhu knew that they were nowhere near where they were supposed to be.

Any further protests had died when Sung had brought up some Imperial Marines in full body armor and face concealing helmets.

What is going on? Zhu thought to himself as he checked their course on the holoplot. The bridge of the Longmen was based heavily on Atlasian technology, with clean lines and simple architecture. The large almost panoramic bridge windows gave them a clear view of the prow of the vessel, and the distant lights of a city through the Deva Pass. Why are we near Jaipur?

A training mission in this old battleship might take them here, but why not inform the crew? They were a training vessel, a top secret mission wasn't something they would be sent on!

"Ensign, report," Captain Sung ordered as she sat in her chair near the plotting table. Zhu cleared his throat and tried to keep his nerves down.

"We have reached Checkpoint A, Ma'am. We appear to be near-"

"I am aware of where we are, Ensign," Sung stated firmly, her eyes like daggers. "Firing Control? Give me targets."

Zhu's eyes widened. The fire control officer Laohou was also new, and prowled along the consoles behind the nervous trainees like a tiger. He looked up with a scowl.

"Targets established," he stated.

The holoplot brought them up. Over a dozen red bullseyes on several buildings in Jaipur. Including the main gates. Zhu's jaw dropped.

"Mister Jiang," Sung stated, "Are we tracking the targets properly?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Prepare to fire missiles."

Zhu again cleared his throat.

"Captain... Captain, these are civilian targets-"

"I am aware of what kind of targets these are, Ensign," Sung said acidly, "Are we tracking properly?"

"Y-Yes Ma'am, but-But why-?"

"We have our orders, Ensign," Sung stated coldly, "Are you incapable of carrying them out?"

The ensign shook his head.

"N-No, but this is-"

"War is upon us, Ensign," Sung stated firmly, "War is upon all of Mistral. Our superiors ordered us to be here, and to launch an attack. We do not have the right to question them."

"Pandu is-is not at war with us, Captain," Zhu tried, "Not the last I heard! We're a training ship, why are we-?"

Two of the armored Marines moved up towards him. One held his rifle up in menace. Zhu gulped.

"I believe I gave you an order, Ensign," Sung said, cold and hard as Atlaesian steel, "Are you unable to carry it out?"

Zhu's heart pounded in his ears. He stared down at the plot. He had been in training to remain objective, to not give into emotion and to disconnect himself from the realities of his mission. A mission that would involve killing people, no matter how distantly.

He stared at the holographic outlines of the buildings. He knew they would be filled with people. Hordes of innocent people who had no idea what was coming.

He knew there were tensions between the factions in Mistral, who didn't? Yet this... How could anyone benefit from this?

"I..."

"Ensign," Sung growled, "Give the order."

Sung looked down at the plot. He looked over at the thuggish fire control officer. He looked at the Marines. His hands shook.

"I... I can't-!"

The butt of a marine's rifle met his face, and he went down. Sung shook her head.

"Very well. If you cannot carry out my orders? You're worthless to me." She walked up to the plot and turned to the fire control officer as the Marines beat Zhu with their rifle butts.

"Mister Laohou? Fire!"

"Fire!" Laohou growled. The other trainees looked as scared as Zhu... But complied. A volley of missiles burst from the old battleship's launchers, and streaked through the valley towards Jaipur. Zhu cried out, but was silenced by a boot to his mouth.

"Tie him up, keep him here," Sung ordered. Zhu felt binders placed on his wrists as Sung looked to Laohou. "Effect?"

Laohou studied the plot.

"We've hit 90 percent of them. They are activating air defense radar but don't have many. Their anti-air defenses have been destroyed along with the other key targets." He smirked in satisfaction.

"The local Grimm are charging into the city. The intel on the local packs was correct."

"Good. Prepare second wave."

It took about ten minutes to reload everything. During this time, Zhu was pulled up and dragged to a chair near the edge of the bridge. He was tied to it and gagged. He shook his head and whimpered in protest, but the other trainees just kept going along with it. Even as video images of Grimm pouring into the city were projected onto the holoplot, they just kept going.

No! No, this is wrong! STOP THIS! STOP IT!

"Second wave ready," Laohou reported.

Sung nodded.

"FIRE!"

Another volley of missiles streaked through the night. Zhu could only watch in horror as the missiles flew straight and true as arrows.

No, no... Please... Someone... Stop this... Please...!

Multiple bursts of white light filled the air, like fireworks. Laohou scowled as Sung looked confused.

"What? What happened? We lost the tracks!"

"The missiles were intercepted this time," a sensor operator reported, "We've got a source... An Aura beam of some kind..."

"Bring up the image!" Sung ordered and a holowindow appeared of a bright figure on top of a golden tower. "Magnify and enhance!"

A tanned Pandavan woman in white and red, with scarlet hair and golden eyes, stood before them with a determined look on her face. Her staff glowed with power. Sung smirked.

"I see. The Queen is here," she stated, "Good. Close to gunnery range. She can't intercept those."

"MMPH!" Zhu screamed through his gag. "MMPH! MMMNGH!"

"Closing," Louhao reported as he loomed over the nervous flight controller, "We should-"

A radar alert went off. A new icon appeared on the holoplot.

"New contact, closing fast!" The sensor operator cried. "Look like a Tigertail, military model-!"

The small but sleek airship buzzed the bridge, then climbed for altitude. Sung growled.

"How the hell did it get this close-No matter! Engage it!"

Automated gun batteries opened fire on the Tigertail, which deftly evaded the tracers like the dragonfly that was its namesake. It dove and looped around, flying in front of the Longmen and keeping it from launching more attacks. Zhu couldn't help but be awed by the courage and skill of the pilot.

Yet it wasn't going to last long. They just needed one hit and it would-

The lights went out and the bridge was plunged into darkness. Red Icons flashed on the holoplot. Louhao growled, sounding like a feral cat.

"Intruder alert. Power's been cut to the bridge and primary controls."

"Switch to backups!" Sung ordered, slamming a holo data drive into the table, "We have to-!"

The doors to the bridge opened.

"OPEN FIRE!" Sung bellowed, pulling her sidearm. The Imperial Marines turned and opened fire, the machine gun blasts deafening. Four of the Marines fell instantly, and even in the darkness Zhu could make out arrows sticking out of their chest plates.

"FIRE! FIRE!" Sung shouted over the din. Smoke bombs went off, filling the bridge with dark clouds. Zhu coughed through his gag and just barely made out a dark figure dashing through the smoke, striking down enemies one by one. Laohou dashed out of the smoke, panicked, and reached for Zhu-

"URK!"

A pointed mace attached to a rope flew out like a lasso and wrapped around his ankles. The fire control officer fell flat on the desk, and yelped as he was yanked back into the melee.

The bridge lights went back on and the windows opened. The smoke was sucked out. Zhu saw the same dark figure walk towards him.

He was tall, and covered head to toe in dark blue and white body armor underneath a dark blue cloak and hood. His eyes blazed blue, his face was concealed by a balaclava. A bow with a quiver of arrows hung behind him, and a short curved sword and mace with rope hung from his belt.

"Stay calm," the man spoke quietly, quickly cutting him free with the short sword, "I need your help."

"Wha-But-" Zhu tried, but the man lifted him up and carried him to the holoplot. Sung and Laohou laid in a pile, as did most of the rest of the bridge crew. Others had hit the floor, their arms up behind their heads in surrender. What drew most of Zhu's attention though was the holoplot. His eyes widened.

"SELF DESTRUCT ENGAGED," it said, red warnings appearing everywhere. The engines of the old battleship were roaring, and the city of Jaipur was getting bigger, fast, in the bridge viewports.

"How do I stop it?" The masked man growled. Zhu shook his head.

"Stop-It shouldn't be engaged! Only the captain can-!"

Sung grinned up at them... Or rather, what had been Sung. Purple tentacles formed hair around her head, twisting and squirming while changing patterns. An unknown Faunus face leered at them nastily, the light of fanaticism burning in her eyes.

"Too late for you, King, too late!" 'Sung' wheezed. "You can't stop it now!"

She bit down on something in her teeth. The masked man grabbed Zhu and leaped away, just before a bomb went off. The windows of the bridge were blown out and the entire structure erupted into flames. Zhu stared in horror as he heard the cries of his crewmates in the inferno.

"No... No... Why...?!"

"We can't do anything for them right now," the man stated firmly, "Give me a way to turn this thing! Quickly! Or thousands will die!"

Zhu stared at the bright lights of the city of Jaipur. He stared at the man.

"Th-The main engines are locked into flank! You-You couldn't stop them unless you could-Could destroy half the engines and make it turn!" He cried.

The man nodded, and hefted Zhu up to his feet.

"Then that's what I'll do. Get anyone remaining evacuated. Tell them to surrender to our forces once they land. I'll handle this!"

"You?!" Zhu gasped. "Who are you?"

The man smirked behind his mask.

"Before I was King of Pandu... I was the king of Archers. Now go!"

The Mistralian man turned and ran, re-entering the ship through a hatch, as Arjun dashed aft. He leaped over the still firing anti-aircraft batteries, Karna still piloting the Tigertail to perfection to draw their automated fire.

He should have packed missiles on this trip for their aircraft. Ugh. That's what he got for forgetting boyhood lessons: Be prepared.

Well, he was prepared... Just not as well as he had hoped. Still, when it came to risking himself versus risking a city? Arjun knew which he would choose.

He made it to the aft deck overlooking the twin engine pods. He readied his bow and notched an arrow-A special arrow. One passed down through the ages of the Sarkaran family, along with their legendary bows. He focused as much Aura as he could into this weapon, and its warhead began to glow ominiously.

"Brahmastra," he said to the arrow, "You have always flown straight and true for my ancestors, and I have always recovered you. You saved our nation before... Do so again. Now... FLY!"

He released the arrow, and guided it with his Aura. It wobbled just a bit through the jetstream... But thanks to the particulars of air currents around large Dust-powered jet engines and Arjun's skill, it found an eye of calm to fly through...

Right into the main engine fuel pump. It exploded with a deafening noise, and the main engines on the port side sputtered. The impact knocked Arjun off the deck. He fell for the ground, and pulled the last of his arrows out. He targeted the still burning port engines, channeled his Aura... And let them loose.

The volley didn't hit as hard as the Brahmastra... But with the engines dying? They didn't need to. The Burn Dust ignited and spread fires all across the engine pod, causing secondary explosions. The whole bulk of the battleship began to turn, as lifeboats launched and people with parachutes leaped to safety. Arjun grit his teeth as he fell.

It would be a good death... Good enough... Saia... Nick… Isabel... Abhimanyu... Maia... Karna-

Only to feel metal hull against his back as he landed hard. He got up and balanced on the top of the Tigertail. His earbud crackled.

"You need to stop falling out of airships so dramatically, brother."

"I knew you'd catch me," Arjun said as he stared anxiously at the battleship. It was still screaming towards Jaipur, but turning... Slowly... So slowly...

He could see it approaching the Golden Cental Plaza Tower. He prayed it would miss... Prayed that Saia had evacuated with everyone else... Prayed...

The burning wreck just barely grazed the tower... And flew off, more explosions tearing it apart. It lost altitude, before crashing into the bay with a massive splash and thunderous final explosion. Arjun let out the breath he was holding.

"Arjun? This is Saia, are you all right?" His wife called out over the radio.

Arjun nodded, even though she couldn't see it. He tapped his earbud.

"I'm all right. You?"

"I am," she sighed in relief, "I thought about taking more shots at it, but I didn't want to risk it blowing up over the city."

"Good call as always," Arjun sighed. "Right... Let's get the ministers on the line. Alert the Council. Have the security forces take the Mistralian crew into custody-Gently! And get me any intel on Vale! We need to know what the hell has been going on."

"Nothing good, that's for sure, " Karna deadpanned, as they flew back towards the city.

That's an understatement for the ages, Arjun thought.

He looked out at the burning wreckage in the harbor. Past it over the sea. His fists clenched.

Friends... I'm sorry. I can't help you...

Not yet.