Volume 4 Part 7: Recovering/ A Wavering Friendship

You're sitting by a tree as Ruby is wrapping bandages around your shoulder...God she looks as beautiful as ever, her new outfit works really well on her. She seems a bit frazzled...but after everything that went down, you're also a bit frazzled. Ren and Jaune are beginning to set up a campfire and Qrow's resting on a nearby log. Nora's establishing the perimeter to make sure that Tyrian creep doesn't come back and make sure any Grimm are in the area. Apparently Qrow's going to tell you guys later...well the whole reason as to why Beacon was destroyed.

You:"...I...uh..." Ruby gives you a death stare before slapping you hard in the face "OOWWW!"

Ruby:"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT SCARING ME, YOU JERK!" You hold your cheek as it stings with pain "WHEN I SAW YOU IN A COMA, MY HEART ALMOST STOPPED! NOBODY KNEW WHAT THAT LIGHT SHINING FROM YOU WAS, OR WHAT HAPPENED TO RAIDEN O-OR- ANYTHING! And now look at you, injured more because you had to POP OUTTA NOWHERE!" She breaths out before sitting down on her knees leaning towards you with a serious look on her face. "(F)...I'm sorry I did that but..." She holds your hand "My mind keeps worrying this is just a dream and I'm going to wake up without you..."

You:"Don't worry my love...this isn't a dream...I'm sorry...I really am...I don't mean to scare you but...you already know how I work, I can't just see the people I love get hurt...and because I wasn't looking at the big picture and only acting on vengeance....now Raiden's gone." She looks at you worried.

Ruby:"What do you mean?" You pull down your shirt and jacket a bit to reveal the massive scar on your chest, you can see the other trailing scars from Raiden's 9-whip mode as well.

You:"...Raiden did this...he's with the Man in the Cloak." Ruby becomes more worried

Ruby:"W-what do you mean?" You grab her hand as your flames cover both of your hands and show her what happened...after the memory sharing she just looks at you with tears in her eyes...as she hugs you tightly... "I..."

You:"I promised Yang that I was bringing him back, and I'm promising you the same thing..." You hug her back tightly and you both stay there a while...you forgot how amazing it felt to be with her...you can feel the tension in your body fading. You can feel Ruby relaxing as well.

Ruby:"I've missed you so much... Most days I wondered if you would ever wake up...and some nights I'd fear that I'd never see you again..." You pull back from the hug a bit and look into her eyes as you place a hand on her cheek.

You:"I've missed you as well...more than you know...while I was in that coma...or at least the last few weeks before I woke I couldn't stop worrying about you...it's the main reason as to why I rushed over as fast as I could, I wanted to keep you safe."

Ruby:"Heh, good to know you're still as dedicated as ever...also you look different." That dedicated part made you feel a bit guilty...

You:"Well, I'm older, taller apparently, and I've got a new but old jacket." She looks at your jacket and looks at the little glaive symbol on it.

Ruby:"Yeah...who did that for you?"

You:"What you don't think I can sew?"

Ruby:"(F) you're as good as sewing as Weiss is good with cooking..." You remember the day when the entire kitchen burned down because Weiss thought you needed put the stove onto max and then pour oil not OLIVE OIL, THE TYPE THAT'S HIGHLY FLAMMABLE OIL AND SHE PLACED IT ON THE STOVE IN ORDER TO GET THE FLAME GOING...it...wasn't a fun day.

You:"Ooouuuccchhh...alright I'm not THAT bad...but yeah I didn't make this, it was Yang and Tai, it was a parting gift."

Ruby:"Huh, well I knew dad was good with that type of stuff, but how did Yang do that if she uh...kinda only has one arm?"

You:"Oh she has this sweet new prosthetic arm, it hooks up to her nerves and acts like how any arm should."

Ruby:"Sounds great! Seems like you and Yang really bonded over those few weeks." Your mind keeps flashing back to the kiss...

You:"Y-yeah...sure did!" You scratch the back of your head and Ruby looks at you strangely...

Ruby:"Something up?" ...Should you tell her?

You:"I'm fine, just...thinking of something is all."

Ruby:"What are you thinking about?"

You:"Well two things really...why were you being so...odd when Qrow and I showed up...I said to stay back yet you didn't...Qrow told you repedeatly not to join but you did anyways, if I didn't know you any better than I'd think this is still the first time you were fighting with other people...really reminded me of that first real day in Beacon when we were assigned partners and teams."

Ruby:"I...don't know...I just felt like...I HAD to do something, that staying back would just lead to more of my loved ones hurt."

You:"...Is this about Penny and Pyrrha? Did you feel like you couldn't do anything and it reminded you of them?" Ruby sighs

Ruby:"Yeah a bit...I don't want to see another person I care about vanish because I was told to not do anything, or I was too late to save them...I'm sorry, now you and Qrow are hurt."

You:"You're absolutely fine...but how do I say this...if we tell you to stay back it's because we want to protect you, rushing in would defeat the purpose. It doesn't matter what happens to us, all that matters is that you keep living on...I sure that's what Pyrrha thought when she sent Jaune away."

Ruby:"...All right..." She stays there in reflection for a while "Oh, what was the other thing you were thinking about?" Uh-oh.

You:"Do...you promise not to go crazy when I tell you this?" Ruby looks at you strangely

Ruby:"I uh...I'll try? Don't know what you can say to anger me that much..." You begin to speak but you hear Qrow say something a he sits at the campfire that's fully set up

Qrow:"Hey! You two lovebirds get over here. You can make out later" You both slightly blush but you get up as Ruby looks at you worried...you can definitely feel the poison hitting you but, luckily Cole is keeping the effects of the poison at a minimum and Luna's focusing on getting it out. But, you're worried for Qrow, he was stung as well and he doesn't have two beings of enormous power working to stop the poison...You're pissed that you got all the way over here just to get injured again...you're worried about telling Ruby the truth, but it'll keep knawing away at you if you don't...you sit down around the fire as Jaune, Nora, and Ren sit down. Qrow takes out his flash and takes a swig from it before putting it away.

Qrow:"Let's begin with the 4 maidens."

1 Hour Later

You're sitting around a campfire as a troublesome Ruby by your side, Qrow, Jaune, Ren, and Nora are all sitting on logs...as Qrow just finished telling you about the Maidens...damn, do they sound cool...too bad one of them is a cold-hearted murderer that killed your friend, destroyed Beacon and indirectly took your brother...anyways, there's an eerie silence. Qrow takes a swig from his flash

Qrow:"Really? No questions?"

Jaune:"Of course we have questions. This is just... a lot to take in."

Qrow:sighs "Sure, of course."

Ruby:"So these... Maidens... They're powerful fighters that don't need Dust to use magic.

Qrow:'Yeah."

Nora:"And there are four of them?"

Qrow:"Yup. Always."

Ren:"Which means that, whenever one of them dies, the power transfers to someone - a female - that they cared about?"

Qrow:"Whoever was in their thoughts last. Important distinction. Best option is someone we can trust. Regardless, their souls become combined, in a way."

You:"What about the old man who gave them that power? Is there any more information about who he was or if he somehow is still around or?"

Qrow:"Nope, not that I know of."

Jaune:"...So that's what you were trying to do to Pyrrha... the night the tower fell. You were trying to turn her into one of them."

Qrow:"The previous Fall Maiden, Amber, had been attacked. She was young, inexperienced. And her assailant, who we now know is Cinder, somehow managed to steal some of her power, but not all of it. We were afraid that if we didn't do something, the rest would go to her as well." Jaune looks at Qrow angrily

Jaune:"So you forced it on Pyrrha."

Qrow:"We didn't force anything. We explained the situation and gave her the choice, and she chose. You were there, you heard her." Jaune lowers his head for a moment before getting up and walking several feet away from you all. You feel worried about Jaune...this has to hurt...

Ruby:"That guy, Tyrian - why was he after me and (F)?"

Qrow: sighs "Well, you definitely painted a target on your back with what you did at Beacon. Both of you." He says as he turns to you. "I told you having silver eyes is a rare trait. And the fact that you were able to use them seems to have upset some very powerful people. Not many people know about the silver eyes. Those that do aren't very happy that one has surfaced. That's why I've been keeping an eye on you in order to make sure you were safe. All of you. As for (F), I'm not as familiar of the story of the Chronicle."

You:"I know it, sort of. Leviathan speaks to me at times, she says that her power needs to be extracted for some sorta ancient ritual that people like the Man in the Cloak can do...I don't know the full story..."

Ruby:"Well, then, why not just travel with us? It seems like that would've been way easier." Jaune speaks with his back still turned to everyone.

Jaune:"He was using you as bait."

Qrow:"Look, I wouldn't put it like that - it's complicated." Jaune turns back and faces him

Jaune:"What is all of this? Ruby's being hunted, the schools are being attacked, all for what?! What is the point of all of this?! Will you just tell us what's going on?!"

You:"Whoa, calm down a bit Jaune." Qrow glances over at you then back at him, then slouches over with a sigh.

Qrow:"He's right. And would you sit down? You're stressin' me out, 'kid." Jaune sits back down on his log and crosses his arms. Qrow starts to take another swig, but changes his mind before the flask reaches his lips. "Not many people are super religious these days." Qrow caps and sets the flask down. "This world's been around for a long time, long enough that people have created dozens of gods. But if you believe Ozpin, two of them are actually real." Well...honestly you have two literal beings of great power and one's a mystical Leviathan so the existence of there being two actual gods doesn't really surprise you "They were two brothers. The older sibling, the god of light, found joy in creating forces of life. Meanwhile, the younger brother, the god of darkness, spent his time creating forces of destruction. As you can imagine, they both had pretty different ideas about how things should go. The older one would spend his days creating water, plants, wildlife. And at night, his brother would wake to see all the things that the elder had made and become disgusted. To counteract his brother's creations, the god of darkness brought drought, fire, famine, all he could do to rid Remnant of life. Life always returned. So one night, the younger brother went and made something - something that shared his innate desire to destroy anything and everything." Flashes in your mind shows...something it looks like some weird Wyvern...It looks similar to Serpent and Luna...but not quite.

Ruby:"The creatures of Grimm."

Qrow:"You guessed it. The older brother finally had enough. Knowing that their feud couldn't last like this forever, he proposed that they make one final creation... together, something that they could both be proud of, their masterpiece. The younger brother agreed. This last great creation would be given the power to both create and destroy. It would be given the gift of knowledge, so that it could learn about itself and the world around it. And most importantly, it would be given the power to choose, to have free will to take everything it had learned and decide which path to follow - the path of light or the path of darkness. And that is how Humanity came to be."

Ren:"But... what does that have to do with us?"

Qrow:"Well, that's the kicker. See, the four gifts to mankind - knowledge, creation, destruction and choice - aren't just metaphorical. Each of them exists in a physical form, left behind by the gods before they abandoned Remnant, and each of them is extraordinarily powerful. If someone were to collect all four, they'd be able to change the world. That's exactly what the enemy wants. The Huntsman Academies were created to train generations of Humanity's protectors, but they also serve another purpose - guarding the relics. When Ozpin's predecessor founded the schools, he built them around the relics to act as a fortress. Not only would they be easier to defend, but they would constantly be surrounded by trained warriors. The hope was that hiding them would keep mankind from using them against itself... and, of course, keeping them out of her reach." So...Beacon is basically a vault storing one of the most powerful things on Remnant...huh..."So yeah, there's that."

Ruby:"Her. You mean Salem?"

Qrow:"That's right. Not much is known about her. Quite frankly, that's not what matters. What matters right now is that she wants the relics, and if she gets them, it's not going to end well." Obviously... "Only thing known for certain is that (F) here would be a big part of the plan if she ever did collect them all."

You:"Wait, hold up. Why? Every time I met someone who needs me in their plan I always get stabbed or hurt. I kinda want to know WHY I'm getting stabbed."

Qrow:"Sorry, but you know as much as I do, Salem just believes that Leviathan is the key for now. But she'll realize that it's not Leviathan she needs but it's something about the Chronicle itself and something very special within it." Your mind flashes back to what Luna said..about there being a reason as to why YOU are Chronicle...you all sit there in silence...not knowing what to say

Jaune:"Alright. So, let's say we believe all this. There really is this crazy evil being behind these attacks, not just some thugs trying to become powerful. Why doesn't the world know? Why isn't Atlas going after them? Or Mistral?"

Nora:"And why aren't we in more of a hurry to get to Haven? Shouldn't we be getting them a message? What if they're next?"

Qrow:"The headmaster over there saw what happened to Beacon. He's not dumb. He'll be on his guard. Besides, it takes time to mobilize forces like that. Do you really think they planned out that attack on Beacon overnight? (pointing at Jaune) And to answer your question, it's the same reason we keep quiet about the Maidens. If the whole world knew about the relics, about Salem, there would be chaos. There'd be another Great War on our hands, and this time, you'd have to fight." He says as he points at Jaune again. Jaune turns away...you're going to have to talk with him later

Qrow:"Look, I had the same questions, too. But ol' Ozpin would always put his foot down. "We can't cause a panic." Heh, can't tell you how many times I've heard that. Salem's smart. She works from the shadows, using others to get what she wants, so that when it comes time to place the blame, we can only point at each other. She's trying to divide us - humanity, and so far she's done a pretty damn good job." Qrow leans back and stares at the Shattered Moon of Remnant...

Ruby:"Alright, so what should we do?" You all look towards Qrow. He chuckles

Qrow:"I don't really know."

You all look at each other, surprised and nervous. He begins speaking again

Qrow:"Ozpin has put a lot of trust in the headmasters. Like I said, the schools are an important part of stopping Salem. Atlas is going to be on high alert after the last attack, and Vacuo is - well, Vacuo. It'll be hard to hire thieves and scoundrels to fight against other thieves and scoundrels. Take that, add in the fact that Cinder and her crew claim to be from Haven, and I think it's likely the next target. So, we're on our way to the headmaster. Haven't heard from him in a while, even before the attack. I'm hoping he has the answers." Qrow stands, but grabs at where he was cut.

Qrow: groans"Alright, I think it's time you kids got some sleep."

Ruby:"Uncle Qrow?"

Qrow:"Yeah?" She stands

Ruby:"This is a lot to take in, and it all sounds crazy, but... I'm willing to do whatever I can to help because I trust you. But why couldn't you trust me? Why couldn't you just travel with us, instead of this secrecy, and, and--"

Qrow:"Look, this has nothing to do with trust. I-- It's a long story, okay?"

Nora:"Seriously? Now you're tired of telling us stories?" He stares at the fire in silence before speaking. As he talks he kneels down, picks up a stick and pokes at the fire.

Qrow: Did you know that crows are a sign of bad luck? Old superstition, but it's how I got my name. See, some people can absorb electricity, some people can burst into rose petals, some are filled with an ancient mystical Leviathan... and some people are just born unlucky. My Semblance isn't like most - it's not exactly something I do. It's always there, whether I like it or not. I bring misfortune." He chuckles bitterly "I guess you could call me a bad luck charm. Comes in real handy when I'm fighting an enemy, but it makes it a little hard on friends..." He looks over at Ruby "and family." All of a sudden your mind goes back to Summer Rose's grave and the picture of Raven... He gets up, still holding his side.

Jaune:"Well, you are just a real bundle of help, aren't you?" You turn and glare at Jaune. What's his deal...

Qrow:"Yeah." He walks away from the campfire, slowly.

Ren:"Where are you going?"

Qrow:"Taking a walk."

Ruby:"There's nothing else you want to tell us?" A red-eyed raven lands on a tree branch with a quiet caw. Qrow looks at it, and it cocks its head, looking at him...Something about the raven...feels off...almost like it's not fully a raven...

Qrow:"Not tonight." He continues his slow walk away, leaving you all to yourselves. The log he had prodded earlier rolls out of the campfire...Well that's comforting Ruby watches Qrow, concerned...After a while, you slowly get up holding your bandaged side.

You:"Jaune." You turn and face the woods and begin walking off "We need to talk. Now." Jaune gets up and follows you. You turn and face him after you've walked a good distance away from the group. "What's up?" Jaune looks at you oddly "You're acting irrationally and impatiently, and though that's something you already used to do...now you're doing it in less of a goofy way and more in a jerk way." He sighs as he crosses his arms

Jaune:"We're finding out all of this information now...when it could've very easily shared this information, information that could've prepared the school, information that would've prepared us to understand the situation we were in, information that could've saved PYRRHA'S LIFE! AND ONLY NOW THEY TELL US!?" He yells, you glance past him and at the campfire and see that everyone's looking over at you two "They SAY that 'we can't cause a panic' BUT THAT'S SUCH BULLCRAP! Suuuurrreee there'd be some initial panic, but not nearly as much panic as a surprise attack! If we had the time to prepare for such an evil person, and an evil group, WITH A PLAN TO DESTROY ALL WE BUILT then MAYBE we wouldn't be in the state that we're IN! JUST when I thought I was accepting Pyrrha's death now THIS crap appears, NOW YOU TELL ME (F), AS TO WHY AM I BEING SO IRRATIONAL!?" You stay in silence with look of worry in your eyes and your mouth slightly open as Jaune stares at you furiously

You:"...Jaune I-"

Jaune:" 'Jaune' nothing...you know that this could've been easily avoided. Having Ruby, Ren, and Nora around really helped but NOW YOU'RE HERE ALONG WITH QROW, and NOW the same people who DESTROYED BEACON, INJURED YANG, AND KILLED PENNY AND PYRRHA ARE AFTER US!" You...don't know what to say... "You should've just stayed away." You look at him shocked and angered "We've had enough with loss." There's complete silence between the two of you...and you noticed that Ruby, Ren, and Nora are all close by and listening in next to nearby trees...

You:"...Do you know...the shit that I've been through... " you breathe out... "11 years old and I lost my mom to brain cancer...A WEEK later my father abandons us. Years of being in the streets my brother slaves his life away and has to sign up to be in Torchwick's gang. I lost my mobility in my arm, and gets worse with every single day, I lose my team...I lost my FUCKING BROTHER AND ONLY AFTER HE STABS THROUGH THE CHEST! HE'S WITH THE PERSON WHO WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO KILL ME AND EVERYONE I LOVE! AND YOU COMPLAIN TO ME ABOUT LOST!? YOU'RE LUCKY YOU ONLY HAD TO LOSE ONE PERSON YOU LOVED THAT NIGHT AND NOT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR OWN FLESH AND BLOOD RIPPED AWAY FROM YOU!" Flames and electricity are burning and mixing brilliantly from your left eye"WE LOVED PYRRHA AS WELL AND YOU DON'T THINK WE FEEL GUILTY THAT WE COULDN'T DO SHIT!? YOU DON'T THINK QROW OR IRONWOOD OR GLYNDA OR OZPIN FEEL GUILTY?! THEY KNOW THEY FAILED, THEY DON'T NEED TO BE RIDICULED ABOUT IT! A great burden was put on their shoulders and even though they failed, they tried the best they could...if Pyrrha was like you right now AND RIDICULED FOR THE WAY YOU MESSED UP... she would've gave up on you long ago." Jaune widens his eyes a little...you breathe in and out slowly... "But...she didn't...she was kind...sweet...gentle...honestly like a second mom to me...she never ridiculed anyone's flaws or past mistakes, only encouraged you to look on what you could've done better and wanted you to push forward. I'm so sorry...we weren't there for her...and I know the teachers feel horrible for failing Beacon but...her death doesn't mean that we forget about the way she wanted us to act...with mercy, and kindness. We can't forget..we just...can't..." You feel yourself tearing up by remembering her "You guys are the only family I have now ...and I just can't watch you act this way...I know...you're hurt...but you can't let your brokenness cloud the way you think...Ozpin and the others were just doing what they thought was right...and it may have not have been the best way...they were just trying to help us...don't get angry at them. Instead get angry at the bastards that took her away from us." Jaune looks at you as if he's deciding on whether he's going to punch you or not...but...you did go too far...with Pyrrha...He closes his eyes and breaths out before talking

Jaune:"We're talking more about this later, for now just don't talk to me." He walks past you, hitting your shoulder after leaving...After a while Ruby, Nora, and Ren slowly walk up to you.

Ruby:"...Are you alright? That seemed pretty heated..."

You:"I'm fine...I'm not sure about Jaune..." Your mind flashes back to when you first met the clueless, clumsy, vomiting teenager...Jaune seemed so happy and scared but...you could tell he enjoyed every second of being leader after showing Cardin that he could be just as strong as any other person...honestly you learned that Jaune didn't get into this school the normal way and cheated his way in...and you are 99.9999% sure that Ozpin knew as well...but Ozpin never doubted him...even when others counted him out...Pyrrha was a major part of his life as Ruby is a major part of yours...so you'd be just as angry if someone took her...you can't blame him...

Ren:"Nora and I will check in on him, don't worry." You nod slowly as Ruby takes hold of your arm and walks you back to the log.

Ruby:"...I'd say something here but...honestly I don't know what to say." You wrap your arms around her and she does the same

You:"You don't need to say anything...I feel better just having you here with me...I love you Ruby...I really do."

Ruby:"And I love you very much (F)......promise me that if I ever die that you'll be there for Tai, Qrow, and Yang..." You slowly back away from the hug as you look at her... "I also don't want you to become depressed for the rest of your life...I love you so much...but I also want to see you keep growing...keep loving. Because I love you too much to have you be unhappy...got it?" You slowly nod and she pulls you in for a kiss...you close your eyes and press against her lips...

1 Day Later

It's morning now, freakin' birds won't stop chirping. Everyone's in their sleeping bags except you...you've been vomiting blood and poison for the past 3 hours...You feel light-headed and week...you make your way back to your bag and lay on it...only for everyone else to get up... Qrow sits up against the base of a tree, facing the group. Ren sits up with a sigh.

Ren:"We should probably get moving."

Jaune:"Yeah, yeah." You get a glare from Jaune and you roll your eyes and get up. You all turn at the sound of Qrow coughing, which grows louder and sounds worse with each cough. Ruby quickly rushes over to Qrow's side. Purple staining is visible on Qrow's bandage, which he is holding his right hand over. He lifts his left hand to his mouth as he continues to cough. Qrow pulls his hand away with a groan, and the whole palm, including up over the wrist and his fingers, is covered in the purple stain. Poisoned just like you...Ruby's eyes grow wide, and she gasps. Qrow looks at his hand.

Qrow:"Well..." He looks up at Ruby. "That's unfortunate."

(Well...damn, didn't plan out that you were going to get into a fight with Jaune uh...y-yeah...hope...ya'll enjoyed?)