RWBY Re: Jaune Arc - Chapter 43

While Jaune slept, Ruby and the rest of the group read over the comics that Jaune made, the material consisted of their time together, from the beginning of Beacon, right up until they fought at Kuroyuri.

Pyrrha’s death shocked everybody, almost as much as the story of the Maidens of the Four Seasons being true.

Nora cried as they read about the encounter between Cinder and Pyrrha, she then hugged her friend so tightly that Pyrrha thought she was about to be crushed to death, “I’m okay, Nora.” Pyrrha said as she tried to breath.

“But, sniff, I don’t want to lose you,” Nora continued to cry into Pyrrha’s shoulder.

Ren came up and patted Nora on the head as he said, “It won’t happen again. She’ll have us there to help her this time.”

Nora sniffed as she looked over to the rest of the group, Jaune’s sisters were crying into each other’s arms, Gwen was crying into Lance’s ċhėst, while Joan and Lance had fierce expressions on their face.

“To think all of Vale falls after the Vytal Festival, it’s no wonder Jaune didn’t know about his heritage,” Joan said shaking her head.

“We don’t have a heritage, I abandoned my Nobility and my Title years ago, we’re through with that life, you hear me? My son is not going through those trails.”

“Lance we don’t have time for this; if this can make your son stronger…” Joan was suddenly interrupted.

“Can we not argue! My babies died, Lance, WE DIED!” Gwen shouted.

“I am sorry Gwen, but this is important, the Knights of Vale won’t sit still once news of Jaune’s Aura reaches their ears. They will kidnap him if necessary and toss him into the pit, just like what they did with you,” Joan gritted her teeth and winced in pain at the thought of what the trials did to her sons.

“They’ll have to go through me first!” Lance’s eyes burned with a bright Aura, “If they think that…”

“Excuse me?” Ruby said as she raised her hand.

“Yes, what is it, Ruby? You can put your hand down, you’re not in a classroom.” Gwen asked wiping the tears from her eyes.

“I think Jaune should decide whether or not he wants to take the trials, or whatever,” Ruby stood up and continued, she remembered the time Jaune opened up to her after his family died.

Joan started to laugh, “I like this girl, my grandson is a lucky man to have such a lovely wife.”

Ruby blushed hard as she tried not to act bashful, but the moment Joan mentioned being Jaune’s wife, Ruby couldn’t help but think of the day they got married, all the memories and emotions she inherited were from Jaune’s perspective.

She could feel his love, and from the look on her face, she knew she felt the same, Gwen smiled and said, “I think that’s a great idea, Ruby, don’t you, Lace?”

Lance looked at his future daughter in law and sighed, “If Jaune says no, then I will do everything in my power to stop the Knights of Vale,” Lace directed his comment towards Joan.

“Um…what are the Knights of Vale?” Yang asked.

“Scum!” Lance answered.

“Lance, enough, I know you don’t like it, but it was a different time during the war, these measures were necessary to secure the safety and peace of the world, Ozthor was a direct d…” Joan rubbed the bridge of her nose and let out a sigh, “I’m sorry dear, the knights of Vale are a failsafe to ensure that the bloodline of the Arc takes the test. They too are revenants, they belonged to the order of the round table, the mightiest Knightly Order during the war. However, all that remains is an automated order, they are not truly the knights themselves.”

“So they’re ghosts, but why didn’t they take Jaune in his previous lifetime?” Ruby asked.

“Because Vale fell before he turned 24; that’s when the brain reaches full maturity, only then will the revenants’ act,” Joan explained.

Joan nodded her head in affirmation, “Yes, without the King, all is lost.”

“Good riddance I say,” Lance grunted.

“Lance, you would condemn the innocents to damnation? I raised you better than that! For the test to disappear would result in the deaths of millions!” Joan shouted.

“I’m not saying that’s what I want! It’s just, how can you defend a system that resulted in the deaths of your sons, my brothers!?” Lance shot out.

“You think I don’t weep for my sons, you think I’m some heartless monster!? The test was put there to give all of mankind a chance to end the threat of the Grimm once and for all. I hate that you were forced into this situation, I hate that my grandchild will face the same threat, but seeing the future just proves how serious a matter is.” Joan took a breath, “I don’t agree with how the system was put in place, but it keeps out those that would do harm with Ozthor’s power. Could you imagine if just anybody could take this test? The chaos that it could bring if it fell into the wrong hands? Your ancestor was capable of routing two armies and slaying all the Grimm without killing a single soldier.”

After panting a bit with tear covered face, Joan continued, “I hate that rural system, it took my babies from me, and I thank god every day that you survived, but, even though I hate it, I also understand the importance of it, your ancestor’s reasons.”

Lance bit his lip, everyone was silent, Jaune’s sisters wore expressions of worry for their brother, Jaune and Ruby’s team were no different.

Sensing the mood, Gwen looked up to her husband and sighed as she closed the comic that was sitting on the table, “I think that’s enough of this talk, no doubt or son has something in mind in order to deal with all this, we’ll put this conversation on hold until he wakes up.”

Gwen walked over to Joan and patted her tears away with a handkerchief.

“Come on mom, let’s finish working on dinner, Ruby, would you or any of your friends like to help?” Gwen announced while putting on her best cheerful expression.

“If you inform me, then I’ll follow orders accordingly!” Pyrrha said as she walked up.

“That’s her way of saying that she doesn’t know how to cook,” Nora said with a grin on her face.

“I can help, it’s usually Jaune or myself that ends up cooking,” Ren stated as he stepped up.

“I’ll help, I can’t make anything other than cookies, but I’m willing to learn!” Ruby said with a blushed face.

Yang grinned, she then elbowed Ruby in the waist as she said, “Trying to earn brownie points with your mother in law.”

“Ahh!” Ruby couldn’t respond, causing Gwen to chuckle before she said, “That would make you my daughter in law too, Yang. Now, why don’t you come here and let mommy teach you a thing or two about cooking.”

Yang held her finger up, but no words came out of her mouth, “Oh, my, is Yang, the Yang Xiao Long speechless?” Weiss said with an open jaw.

“S.s.shut up,” Yang said with a bit of blush on her face. She couldn’t hide the fact that she forgot what it was like to have a role-model mother, and she missed it dearly.

“So you’re going to be my little sister?” Violet smiled, as the youngest, she finally got the chance to be the older one, she would always throw the fact that Jaune and her were twins, and that he was only 3 minutes older, still, in the end, they both got the youngest child treatment from their parents and siblings.

Ruby nodded her head as Violet shouted, “Yes! I’m not the youngest anymore!”

The rest of his sisters joined in and teased Violet by laughing at her and cuddling her, “You may not be the youngest anymore, but you are still my youngest. Isn’t that right, my Sweety Bun!”

“Ugh, mom, I’ve had the older sister experience for seconds and you’ve already managed to destroy my image,” Violet complained.

Violet looked a lot like Jaune, however, she had a far more feminine appearance, just like the rest of Jaune’s sisters, they were all drop-dead gorgeous, with only Ash’s large glasses and pigtails giving her a bookworm type feel.

Clair walked up to Yang and smiled as she said, “Let’s get along little sis.”

“Now, I’ve seen everything, Yang being the one on the teasing end, Yang being the little sister is almost cathartic!” Ruby chirped.

Gwen laughed as she said, “Okay now, we have some food to cook!”

After everyone started to help prepare dinner, while they cooked, Gwen looked at Ruby and asked, “Joking aside, are you really going to marry my boy?”

Gwen smiled and hugged Ruby while patting her head, “Well, on that day, we will gladly welcome you as our daughter.”

Ruby smiled and enjoyed the feeling of warmth and acceptance from Jaune’s mother, she never expected to meet such a loving mother, and one who was eager to call her daughter.

Lance stared at his wife and sighed, “This is all I ever wanted, my family, together, without having to worry about being harmed, safe.”

Joan patted her son’s back, “We can’t keep them safe forever, someday we’ll leave this world, and if we don’t prepare them, then we’ve failed as parents.” Joan looked at Gwen and smiled, “You’re a lucky man to find such a woman.”

“I know that,” Lance responded as he watched his wife turn their sour mood into a happy one. “How does she do that? How can she just flip a conversation and everyone’s emotions like that?” Lance said shaking his head.

“She’s has a talent for this sort of thing, I’ve never met a more nurturing woman in my life,” Joan replied, “But then, she would have to be to birth 8 of your children.”

Lance smiled and watched as his wife uplifted everyone’s spirits, Lance then looked up and thought, “I have a lot to tell you, son.”

Jaune was dreaming of his past, it was during their time in Kuroyuri, just after they decided on using this as their home base, it was a year before they discovered the barrier technology needed to protect them.

Jaune and the rest had led a small group of surviving Hunters and Huntresses to Kuroyuri and had enough defenses built up to bȧrėly protect their lives.

Jaune spilled his guts that evening, he admitted every fault, disgraceful, and remorseful feelings he possessed, as he bawled his eyes out and continued to blame their deaths on his weakness, Ruby ran up to him and held him in her arms.

While she rocked him back and forth, Ruby kissed Jaune’s forehead, then slowly made her way towards his lips, that was their first kiss, sweet, yet bitter. It was one of the happiest moments of his life, it was also the moment that saved Jaune’s soul from breaking.