Chapter 5:Even The Strongest Huntsmen Cry

You appear back in your village, a goal in mind but no real strategy to achieve it. The only thing you know is that the farther away this person is from Ruby, the weaker they get. Thing is, getting them far away is going to be a challenge. Leaping a significant distance takes time, and to take her with you requires physical contact. Perhaps with more training you could rectify this problem, but you don't have time to train. You need to get Ruby back and stop this spirit.

You scan your surroundings to try and find either Ruby or the spirit. To your surprise, you spot them both instantly. Ruby is lying on the ground where the outlines of your mother and father are, and the woman is standing over her.

"Hey!" You shout, getting the woman's attention.

She turns to you, glowing eyes staring directly into yours. You smile, unsheathing your blade so the rising sun gleams off the black metal.

"You're tough, I'll give you that. But I'm not going to lose when Ruby's life is on the line!"

The woman tilts her head at you.

"Sl... Slater..." She whispers, but it's not loud enough for you to hear it. "J-Jet?"

You swipe your hand back and throw your sword towards her, sending it like a spear that, admittedly, you copied the form from Pyrrha. The woman leans to the side to dodge your sword, but you've planned for that. In fact, using your Shadow Transmission, you're already behind her, grabbing your sword and slicing her. Her stolen aura prevents any legitimate damage, but you still force her away and cut down her aura somewhat. Now that you're here, you're close to Ruby. You leap back, over Ruby, and land right beside her. You kneel down and shake her, hoping her eyes will open.

They don't, and you have no time to try anything more. A screech erupts from under the hood of the spirit as she forms her bone scythe and charges at you. You wrap your arm around Ruby's waist then jump out of the way, landing on a nearby building. You toss Ruby up a bit so you can slide your arm around her upper body and hoist her arm over your shoulders. Now in a more comfortable position, you leap off your current building, passing over your entire village, and landing near the gravestones.

You need to get Ruby away from the spirit, or vise-versa. But even if you separate them, this woman can siphon aura from far away. If she tries that again, however, you'll interrupt her. The woman rushes you in some sort of demonic twirl, similar to what Ruby does when she uses her semblance. You leave Ruby on the ground and spring into the air. She follows you up, then splits into three different forms. You try to follow each one, but they're moving at such a speed that makes it impossible to follow all of them. One charges right at you, which you try and attack, but that only leads to it exploding into decaying rose pedals.

"Damn!"

Another one locks on behind you and charges. The cloak opens, revealing the woman, and she cuts you down, sending your body flying towards the ground. You recover and land, shattering the ground below you as your feet meet the earth. You instantly lock your legs down and block the woman's attack, sending a shockwave to blow away all loose dirt and weak grass in your vicinity.

"So who are you?"

You leap into a nearby building, taking the woman with you. You know all the buildings well, so you're using the layout to your advantage. You both appear in a very low ceilinged room, which gives her a disadvantage.

"You had to be someone who died here, right?"

You jump, forcing the woman to hit the ceiling and contort her body to fit. With that, you spin and elbow her with your free arm, then wrap your arm around her so her face is buried in your chelidon, twirl, and slam her against the ground with the added force of you landing on her. Quickly you get up, grab under her chin, spin around and throw her against the wall. She breaks through the wall, sending bits of cement outside and bending the beams that held the building up. She tumbles across the floor but manages to get back on her feet, slamming her scythe into the ground so she'll slow down faster and gain extra balance.

"So what's your grudge? Who were you?"

The woman assumes a sturdier stance and begins firing sharp bones at you. You normally like to handicap yourself, but considering her insane speed and that Ruby's life is on the line, you have no time to mess around. Instead of dodging, which would be difficult given the small room you're in, you simply step behind her. You go in for an attack, but she disappears into dead rose pedals before you can do anything. The next thing you know a foot connects with the back of your head and drives your skull into the skeletal weapon. She rolls off you, grabs the handle of her weapon, and twirls herself around, delivering to hard kicks in the process.

You fall to the ground after the kicks, but you quickly push off the ground and throw yourself away from her to regain your bearings. She unplucks the scythe from the ground and rests it in both hands.

"I guess in the end, it doesn't matter," you huff. "No matter who you are, I have to cut you down to save Ruby. No if, ands, or buts."

You toss your sword into your other hand and line it up with your sword hand. Since you have armour, you put more force into cutting through to get to your skin. You're successful, and you toss the sword back into your proper hand. Blood flows onto the sword, taking it over and making it its own. You spin your wrist, twirling the blade around as you prepare to attack. The woman starts to sprint forward using the semblance. The moment you see her start to move you attempt to intercept. You have no time to think about it, since you remember she was able to be in front of you in a flash. The difference between you and her, however, is that you are an instantaneous movement, whilst she actually takes time, however small, to get somewhere.

Thus you step forward, taking a gamble of where she might be. When you appear you feel a major, and almost painful, collision against your forehead. You close one eye but check what's in front of you, which is the woman. Lucky for you, you managed to stop her dead in her tracks. Whether her sudden stop is more painful than you being hit with so much momentum is unknown to you, but either way you both fly back. You step back, assuming a perfectly ready stance. She's still skidding across the grass, which is an opportunity for you to end this. You sprint forward, blade in hand, ready to cut her down.

The woman topples over her head and lands on her feet. As she solidifies herself, her hood falls back, revealing herself. A pale face, paler than normal because of her death, but you can still see the freckles around her small nose. And her hair, flowing down her back, to the ribs, once it was released from the confines of the hood. But the colour... You stop dead in your tracks, sliding a few feet.

"No... it can't..."

But everything seems to click. She looked exactly like Ruby, outfit and all, except for one distinct difference. Instead of red, it was orange. More specifically... Clementine.

"M... Mom..."

Clementine looks up at you, her eyes not quite right. You assumed they'd be fill of hatred, but instead they show some sort of remorse to the situation. She looks exactly like the picture you took from your home. You'd say she's still beautiful if it wasn't for the fact she's technically dead. But still, that's your mother. Your fighting spirit instantly breaks down. You can't fight your mother, not like this. You can't even remember being with her when you were a child. This is the clearest memory of your mother that you have, and it's about fighting her.

You stop the blood flow to your blade, not wanting to lose any more blood needlessly. You even sheathe your sword.

"Mom... you... why are you doing this? Let Ruby go!"

Clementine spins the scythe around her and charges at you once more. You get ready, but have no intention of fighting anymore. You need to get through to her, somehow. You turn and start running as fast as you can. You can hear her breezing past the grass, getting closer and closer. You spin on your heel to see what Clementine is doing, but to your surprise she passes right by you, going towards the hill with the gravestones. You're confused as to why, until...

"Ruby..."

You leap to the hill and witness Clementine standing over Ruby, looking down at her.

"Get away from her!" You shout. "Mom, please!"

Clementine turns her attention to you, tilting her head.

"Slat...er."

"Slater? Me? Mom, can you hear me? Mom!" You plead, hoping she's starting to come to her.

"(Y/N)... you..."

Clementine raises her scythe over Ruby, the tip pointing down at her. Your eyes widening, hoping that she isn't going to try and attack Ruby. If she does...

You shake your head, deciding to act before your mother can do anything. You step beside Clementine and tackle her away from Ruby. Clementine drops her weapon beside Ruby as you both tumble down the nearby hill. You land on top of her and pin her shoulders to the ground.

"Please, stop this!"

Clementine bucks her hips to flip you off of her. You land on your hands and easily flip back to your feet. Clementine gets up, angry. She rushes you with her unparalleled speed and lands a good hit on your cheek. But... it doesn't really hurt. You grab her hand and flip her over you, though she lands fluently and attempts to attack again, this time without her speed. You duck under a punch, catch an elbow, push away a kick, guide a punch away and finally flip over her, then sweep her legs out from under her and stand, all in a fluent motion.

Her fighting style... her skill is exactly like Ruby, which means her hand-to-hand is severely lacking.

Clementine's cape twirls around her and shoots off the ground in an instant. You scan the area frantically to try and spot her, and you do. She's back with Ruby, grabbing her scythe. She spins it around and dashes at you, transforming again. She shoots right for you, then straight into the air, returns to her normal form, and brings her scythe down upon you. You clap your hands on the blade last second, barely stopping it from piercing you. You struggle to keep it steady, mostly due to all the weight Clementine is putting on her weapon. You grind your teeth and every muscle as you hold her back, but the blade is getting closer and closer. You need to end this, or at least incapacitate her somehow. You can't hold out forever.

You let go of the blade and swing your body out of the way as you move behind where Clementine will fall. You unsheathe Crimson Blaze, close your eyes so you don't have to see it, and cut through Clementine's back. She lets out a howl as her body falls to the ground. You open one eye just to see if it work, and it did. She lays on the ground, unmoving. This immediately strike you as odd, since last time you fought sh-Suddenly a blinding light erupts from Clementine's body, one that forces you to close and cover your eyes.

At the same time Ruby starts to shuffle, to move, to wake up. Her eyes flutter open as her body finally comes back to her. She places a hand on her head as she pushes her body of the dirt. She moans as she looks around, gaining her bearings. She doesn't remember much; she was with you... then something...

She starts to recognize the blinding light coming from somewhere close. She looks towards it and sees you standing in front of... someone. Ruby is about to call out, but the moment she recognizes the woman she pauses herself. Instead of calling to you, she starts to make her way closer, but not close enough to make her presence noted.

You try to open your eyes once the light dims. As you do, you feel a soft hand on your cheek.

"(Y/N)... my son," a warm voice states which floods your body with a comfort you haven't felt in over a decade. You look up to loving eyes, a beautiful smile... to your mother. "I'm so sorry, (Y/N). Something woke me, made me violent. I didn't want to hurt you, or that girl. Oh... look at what I did," she says, grazing her fingers along your chest wound. "You're not hurt, are you?"

You stand, awe-struck and what you're seeing. She looks into your eyes, awaiting a response. The longer you take, the funnier it becomes for her. She smiles.

"You never liked to stay quiet as a child. What happened?" She jokes, a lovely chuckle escaping her lips.

You can't hold it anymore. You drop your sword and wrap your hands around her, hugging her as tightly as you can. Tears fall from your eyes, trailing down the metal armour you don.

"Mom... I... I..." You try to speak, but you can't; you're flooded with a joy that leaves you speechless.

"Shh, it's okay (Y/N)," she whispers, stroking your hair as she hugs you back. "I'm here... I'm here."

"You... I didn't get help in time, and you died... I let you die, mom," you cry, pouring all of your heart and soul into your words, actions, and tears.

"No, you failed no one, (Y/N)," Clementine adamantly says, yet remains gentle with her tone. "Jet and I... we would have done anything for you. We knew, when we sent you away, that we wouldn't make it. We love you, (Y/N). And look at you now," she says, making space between you two so she can look at your face. "You're a handsome, capable Huntsman now – just like your father."

You wipe some of your tears away, letting a smile creep on your face.

"Y-Yeah... everyone says that."

Clementine smiles, patting your nose with one finger.

"I hope you didn't get his bad sense of humour, though," she jokingly scolds.

You rub the back of your head.

"I... think I got that too. I think I'm funny, though."

"So did he," Clementine adds. "But he did always make me smile, no matter how bad his jokes were."

You both chuckle at the thought of the Slater family humour. But you can't help the tears that begin to form again. You've never felt like this before. You're weak, timid, almost like you're a child again. All the confidence, bravado, all idiotic quips and puns, everything that you are has been reduced to a puddle that's washed away, leaving only a lonely little boy staring at his feet.

"You have a lovely girlfriend," Clementine speaks.

Your eyes widen and you look into your mother's eyes.

"I... know her thoughts when I took her aura. I know everything that's happened to you, that she knows. Everything you've done for her... and how much she cares for you."

You blush rubbing your head.

"I-I mean..."

"She's pretty. Fits a handsome boy like you."

"Mom!" You whine, which only makes Clementine laugh.

"Like no time has passed, hm?"

She looks down at her feet and sees them start to dissipate. She frowns at the sight, but she knew it was going to happen.

"(Y/N)... all the aura I've been taking from Ruby is gone. I don't have anything keeping me here anymore. I'm going to have to leave soon."

"What? No, please! Don't go yet!" You frantically shout.

Clementine places her hand on your cheek, which you cup with both hands.

"I'm not supposed to be here, (Y/N). This is your time, now. You're my son... and Jet's too. You're destined for greatness, I know it. But you always have to move forward and let nothing stop you. Both your father and I had that in common, you know? That means you have to have the same trait too."

Clementine's legs slowly dissipate, and it's not slowing down. She gives you a smile.

"I'm glad I got to see you as a grown man, (Y/N)."

"Mom, no..."

"Just be the best you can be. You have friends, people who care for you."

"But I want you with me, mom!"

"Just know... you're my sunshine, (Y/N)... and I'll always love you."

In an instant her entire body dissolves into nothingness. You reach out for her, but she's gone.

"Mom! MOM! No! Please!" You cry out, a flood of tears rolling down your face. You drop to your knees, sobbing. "Mom... I... I love you too..."

You hear someone rest beside you, and turn to see who it is. Ruby, your loving girlfriend, is awake and well. Before you can say anything she pulls you into a hug, allowing you to cry into her hood.

"It's okay, (Y/N). I know how you feel," she whispers. "Just let it out."

You don't argue. You don't try and say anything funny. You accept Ruby's kindness, and cry in her arms.

From a short distance away, Ozpin and Glynda have been watching much of what just happened, including some of the fight.

"You waited some time before reversing the spell," Ozpin comments.

"I wanted to let (Y/N) feel like he did it. You know how he is," Glynda answers. "And I thought letting Clementine have some time with him would be best."

"I think that was the best. Odd that she didn't tell him, however."

"Perhaps she wanted to keep their meeting happy. Telling him about it would only cause more worry."

Ozpin nods in agreement.

"There's no arguing with that. I suppose it's on us to tell him, one day. But not today. Let's give them a few minutes, hm? We'll return to the Bullhead and land it here. That should give them a few extra minutes."

Glynda nods in acknowledgement before following Ozpin back into the forest, allowing you and Ruby to sit together, embracing, and comforting.

And that's all, folks! If you can't tell, the part with Clementine is what I would REALLY want to include in Crimson Shadow, but since there's no sight of spirits or anything like that in the actual canon, I wouldn't do it in Crimson Shadow, since that story attempts to be as canon as possible. But here I can do whatever I want, and I can include the whole spirit thing.

Anyway, this was the Halloween Special which, actually didn't premier how I wanted it. This was suppose to be out weeks ago, but due to reasons that are none of your guys' concern (no offense intended), I couldn't do it. But it's out now and I hope you all enjoyed it. There are a few more Crimson Shadow related one-shots and short stories I have in my vault, but that's for another time. I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in December when Crimson Shadow returns!

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