[RWBY] The Great Temporal Step-Sibling War!

[AndrewJTalon]

Kuo Kuana, Menagerie

Twelve Years After Salem's Defeat

- - -

The bedroom in their Kuo Kuana home was quiet except for the distant sound of waves and the soft creak of the old ceiling fan. Moonlight slipped through the slatted blinds, painting silver bars across the quilt. Blake Belladonna-Arc sat on the edge of the bed in her nightgown, knees drawn up, tail curled tightly around her ankle like it was trying to anchor her. She looked tired—beautifully tired, the kind that came from twelve years of love, chaos, teaching, parenting, and never quite enough sleep—but there was something else in her amber eyes tonight: nervous anticipation.

The door opened with a gentle click.

Jaune stepped in, yawning wide enough to crack his jaw, hair mussed from wrestling three toddlers into bed. He was still in his teaching clothes—rolled-up sleeves, a few chalk smudges on his forearm from the day's lecture—but his shoulders sagged with the familiar, bone-deep exhaustion of a father of ten.

"Phew…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, Lily, Willow, and Peony are asleep. Finally. They weren't nearly as bad as Milo, Leo, and Fenton, huh?"

Blake managed a small, shaky laugh. "Y-Yeah… Heh…"

Jaune crossed the room, dropping onto the mattress beside her with a sigh that ruffled the quilt. "Geez… ten kids. It's amazing, huh?"

Blake's ears twitched. "It… It really is."

He rubbed his temples, voice softening. "And exhausting. If we didn't have Ruby and Yang rotating in as nannies to help out, poor Trifa would be run ragged."

"Yup…"

Jaune leaned back on his hands, staring at the ceiling. "Leander and Leandra are getting moody now. Geez. Growing up way too fast. I don't know if I could handle more kids right now! We've gone through this so many times! It's just a grind! I swear, these are the last kids we're having!"

Blake went very still.

Jaune noticed. "Blake? What is it? Are you all right? Long day?"

She hesitated—ears flicking nervously—then slowly reached under her pillow and pulled out a small plastic stick. Ten of them, actually, lined up like tiny soldiers. All positive.

She handed him the one on top.

Jaune took it automatically. Stared at the double lines.

Blake's voice was barely above a whisper. "I did it ten times."

Silence.

"I… I know we tried all the kinds of birth control," she rushed on, words tumbling over each other. "I thought we were safe… But… Um… I-I just…"

Jaune's face was unreadable for a heartbeat too long.

Then he grinned—wide, bright, the same sunlit smile that had once made her heart stutter on a balcony a lifetime ago.

He pulled her into his arms so fast she squeaked, burying his face in her hair.

"Mmm…" He kissed her temple, then her cheek, then her lips—soft, reverent, overflowing. "I love you. And I'm so happy we're having another."

Blake's breath hitched. Tears pricked her eyes as she hugged him back—fierce, desperate, like she could merge their heartbeats if she held tight enough.

"So am I…" she whispered against his shoulder.

Jaune laughed—quiet, joyful, exhausted—and kissed her again, slower this time.

"Eleven," he murmured. "We're gonna need a bigger house."

Blake sniffled-laughed into his shirt. "Or more aunts and uncles."

"Definitely more aunts and uncles."

They stayed like that—tangled together on the edge of the bed, moonlight pooling around them, the distant crash of waves keeping time with their breathing.

Eleven children.

A life neither of them had ever expected.

And somehow—impossibly—exactly the one they wanted.

 

[Reader548]

So was this pregnancy twins or triplets?

And how goddamn big is this house?!

 

[AndrewJTalon]

So was this pregnancy twins or triplets?

And how goddamn big is this house?!

Click to shrink...

Triplets again.

 

[Bev]

Kali is over the moon, I'm sure.

 

[John Jackson]

Kali is over the moon, I'm sure.

Click to shrink...

Literally Jaunes aunt is working on her re entry course right now

 

[NightDranzer]

Throughout EVERY timeline, one thing remains constant: these three will forever be Jaune's greatest muses and sources of inspiration (even if they do not get romantically involved)

Spoiler: Jaune Arc's Three Muses

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Beacon, Vale

- - -

The roar of the Vytal Festival crowd still echoed through the undercroft tunnels as Team JNPR stepped off the arena lift. Jaune wiped sweat from his brow, Crocea Mors collapsed and sheathed, while Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren walked beside him—bruised, exhilarated, victorious.

They'd just beaten BRNZ.

May Zedong's team.

Jaune spotted her first—standing near the medical tent, shoulders slightly, but smiling anyway. She looked up as he approached, cheeks already pink.

Jaune rubbed his neck. "Hey, May… sorry about that. I didn't mean to—"

May cut him off with a soft laugh, shaking her head. "No, no—don't apologize. Your performance was great! Super ruthless!" She clasped her hands behind her back, rocking on her heels. "If this was a real battle, I'd still have been defeated. I couldn't sneak up on you and stab you in the throat!"

Jaune blinked.

May's blush deepened to scarlet. "N-Not that I would! I mean—I wouldn't! Because… because I'm your girlfriend!"

Jaune's own cheeks went pink. He smiled—soft, relieved. "That's… reassuring."

May fidgeted, tapping her fingers together nervously. "I-I just mean… good fight. You earned it. Rest of my team will congratulate you after they wake up, I know they will!"

"Sorry not sorry!" Nora chirped.

Before Jaune could scold her, a figure approached—tall, dark brown skin, black hair tied back in a neat braid, dressed in crisp white-and-purple robes that marked her as Pandu diplomatic staff.

She bowed slightly. "Jaune Arc? King Arjun and Queen Saia of Pandu request your presence in the royal skybox. Your team and… your companion are welcome as well."

May's eyes widened. "Pandu? The king and queen?!"

She turned to Jaune, voice rising in panic. "What did I do?! Did I offend them?! Did I kill one of their relatives in Vacuo?! Oh no, oh no—"

Jaune caught her shoulders gently, pulling her into a quick hug. "Hey, hey—nothing like that. They're my godparents."

May froze. "Your… what?"

Pyrrha, who'd been lingering nearby with Nora and Ren, stepped forward, eyes wide. "Godparents?!"

Nora bounced on her toes. "Details! Spill!"

Ren tilted his head. "This is… unexpected."

Jaune rubbed his neck again, sheepish. "I didn't want to brag. They're old friends of my parents. They were on the same team at Beacon. They asked to be my godparents when I was born."

May stared up at him. "You're… royalty-adjacent?!"

Jaune winced. "Not really. Just… family friends."

The attendant cleared her throat politely. "If you'll follow me?"

The group was led through secure corridors, past security checkpoints, up a private lift to the skybox.

The doors opened onto opulence—silk drapes in saffron and indigo, low tables laden with spiced fruit and tea, massive windows overlooking the arena. King Arjun and Queen Saia turned from the glass—Arjun tall and broad, dark skin glowing under the lights, black hair streaked with silver with gray eyes; Saia elegant and serene, red hair short but woven with gold threads, eyes crinkling in a warm smile.

Jaune bowed slightly. "Your Majesties. Thank you for inviting us."

Arjun's deep voice rumbled warmly. "Jaune, my boy. No titles here. Come."

Jaune stepped forward, gesturing to his team. "This is my team—Pyrrha, Nora, Ren. And this…" He took May's hand, squeezing gently. "This is my girlfriend, May Zedong."

Arjun's eyes—suddenly glowing a soft, ethereal blue—fixed on May.

The room stilled.

Arjun took one step forward. Then another.

"…Maia…?"

May squeaked. "Ummm… I-I'm just May…"

Saia's hand flew to her mouth. Tears welled instantly.

"Maia… You… You're alive!"

Before May could react, Arjun closed the distance and pulled her into a crushing hug. Saia joined a heartbeat later, both royals enveloping the stunned Vacuoan sniper like she was the most precious thing in Remnant.

Jaune's jaw dropped.

Arjun pulled back just enough to cup May's face, thumbs brushing her cheeks. "Our daughter… It's really you…!"

Saia laughed through tears. "We searched for years! After the raid—we thought—"

May trembled, her eyes huge. "I… I don't remember…"

Jaune stepped forward instinctively. "She was raised in Vacuo. Orphanage. No memory of—"

Arjun turned to him, eyes shining. "Jaune!"

He pulled Jaune into a bear hug that lifted him off the ground.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! You've brought back our daughter!"

Saia laughed, wiping her eyes. "And they're going to get married!"

Jaune choked. "W-Wait, what?!"

May squeaked louder. "W-WE HAVEN'T THOUGHT THAT FAR AHEAD!"

Nora—watching from the doorway with the rest of the teams—threw both fists in the air. "YAY! Can I be Royal Wedding Planner?!"

Jaune spun. "NORA!"

The royals laughed—deep, joyous sounds that filled the skybox.

Arjun clapped Jaune on the shoulder. "We'll discuss betrothals later. For now—family reunited!"

Saia took May's hands, beaming. "Come, my darling. Tell us everything. We have so much time to catch up."

May—still stunned, trembling—looked back at Jaune.

He smiled—soft, steady, proud.

"Go on. They've waited a long time."

May nodded slowly, letting her birth parents lead her toward the window overlooking the arena.

Pyrrha stepped up beside Jaune, voice quiet. "Your girlfriend… is Pandu royalty."

Jaune exhaled. "Yeah. Apparently."

Nora bounced over. "This is the best plot twist ever!"

Ren sighed. "We're never going to hear the end of this."

 

[digcat]

Pyrrha stepped up beside Jaune, voice quiet. "Your girlfriend… is Pandu royalty."

Jaune exhaled. "Yeah. Apparently."

Nora bounced over. "This is the best plot twist ever!"

Ren sighed. "We're never going to hear the end of this."

Click to shrink...

May is definitely becoming one of the best girls.

 

[Villuviel]

With Varka's release in Genshin now I can only see him as Nicolas Arc/older Jaune. Slap a beard on that handsome himbo and it will be a tactical pantie-dropping thirst-inducing weapon of mass horny. Laws will be passed just to seal this glorious sight.

Spoiler: Future Jaune/Nic Arc

Yeah, I know you saw it. I know you just thought "daddy". Don't worry 70% of Remnant thought the exact same thing.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Most of the students who attended Weapons Maintenance class at the same time as Jaune also attended the same first year Dust Studies class with Professor Thumbelina Peach. As such most of his potential brides had followed him to his next class, with the exception of Blake who had been pulled aside by her parents to give them a hand with something.

The Dust Studies room was double the size of a regular classroom; one half full of desks and chairs in front of an array of chalkboards, whiteboards and screens for lectures and pure bookwork while the other half was full of chemistry lab stations fit for any hands on learning one would expect for a class about Dust.

"Since I'm sure none of you are in the headspace for new material with the festival going on today will be a review day," Professor Peach announced as soon as the hour bell rang. "And today's review is all about the most important Dust Mixture for a Hunter to know. Now what do you think that is? Anyone?" With no volunteers she pointed to a random student, "Lie Ren? What's the most important Dust Mixture for a Hunter to know?"

"Healing Dust," Ren confidently answered. "When you're out in the field away from civilization having such a versatile medical supply is an invaluable boon. Other dust mixtures are either situational in their application or are too difficult to make on your own without specialized equipment you won't always have access to."

"That's right," Peach smiled at his answer. "Healing Dust is always valuable; even the low grade mixtures you can make in the field without the equipment of a proper lab can save someone's life in an emergency. The same can't be said for other dust mixtures. For instance Hard-Light Dust for all of the miraculous things it can do is only useful in a high quality mix that requires specialized equipment to make. Mixtures like Steam Dust can be easily mixed in the field without special equipment but it's rather niche in its applications. Lava Dust is overkill when regular Fire Dust will do the same job in most situations. Healing Dust on the other hand always has a role in your kit, and so mastering this mix will make up forty percent of your final grade."

A few murmurs rippled across the classroom as the students shifted their notes around, half of them thankful for the reminder while the other half thought this was the first time the teacher had mentioned this.

"Now, show of hands; who remembers the formula off the top of their head?" Peach asked as she stepped up to the whiteboard and uncapped a dry erase marker.

Jaune raised his hand straight away, as did Nora, May, Weiss and Ruby. Arslan and Yang rose their hands only a few moments after, with Emerald adding her own hand to the mix a moment later than them. Soon the entire class had their hands in the air.

"Good," Professor Peach smiled before pointing to Yang, "So what is the formula?"

"Roughly one half Plant Dust, one eighth Fire Dust, one eight Water Dust, one eight Wind Dust, one eight Rock, with a pinch of Lighting Dust on top of everything that makes these fractions rough instead of exact," Yang explained.

"And how do you mix it?" The Professor asked.

"You start by mixing the Rock and Water Dust together until you're on the cusp of making Clay, at which point you add the Wind and then the Fire one right after the other in that exact order," Yang began, glancing to Nora and then Weiss to be sure she wasn't misremembering the process. As neither of her friends were cringing Yang felt confident as she continued, "Once you have those four in a relatively even blend you can start adding in the Plant Dust one quarter at a time, mixing that quarter in completely before adding the next one. After all of the Plant Dust is mixed in you throw in the Lightning Dust, which acts as the catalyst that turns things into proper Healing Dust."

"Very good!" Peach smiled as she wrote down the formula Yang had described on the whiteboard. "Now does anyone remember the why's of this formula?"

Realizing he could answer that Jaune raised his hand. Not as many other people rose their hands this time and so Professor Peach pointed to him.

"So the earliest versions of Healing Dust were made in an attempt to replicate a few different hereditary healing semblances," Jaune began his explanation. "Most of these semblances used Plant Dust to fuel their healing, and so when alchemists of old tied to create a Dust based panacea most of them assumed Plant Dust would make for the best base component. It was a classic case of people reaching the right conclusion using the wrong equation, since Healing Dust ultimately works on a different principle than those healing semblances."

"Could you elaborate on that?" Peach smiled at the chance to test his deeper than expected knowledge. "What was the wrong equation?"

"Right, so most hereditary healing semblances take the organic structures of Plant Dust and implant them into the patient's body while modifying them into something the body can process for high speed healing," Jaune replied. "The old alchemists sought to create a Dust the body could use like that without the need for a semblance to modify the plantlike organic structures into animal like organic structures. This lead the creation of the different varieties of Fungal Dust as well as the highly dangerous carcinogen known as Flesh Dust. Neither of them accomplished the goal of creating a Dust that could heal without a semblance, just giving people who had healing semblances more options."

"That's correct, now what's Plant Dust's actual purpose in Healing Dust?"

"The organic components Plant Dust adds to the mix act as a kind of Aura sink, absorbing all of the Aura that can't be filtered during the transfer," Jaune explained. "The actual filtering is done by the Fire, Wind, Water and Rock mix. As for why those four filter Aura? Those four kinds of Dust are associated with different parts of the Soul: In old school alchemy Rock represented your bones while Water represented your vital fluids with the two of them combining into Clay to represent your flesh. Wind represented the breath of life or motive force while Fire represented passion and will, the two of them combining to represent one's Aura. The Lightning Dust is associated with the divine spark of eternal essence that brings the other four together into a complete soul."

"Very good, now for a trickier question," Peach's smile grew wider. "The first true Healing Dust mixture was created roughly a decade before The Great War by Lady Liath Airmed of Albion. This landmark breakthrough only had a five percent efficacy rate compared to the twenty percent efficacy rate expected of most modern Healing Dust. How was her mixture different from our modern blends and why did the changes lead to better efficiency?"

"Lady Airmed's mixture didn't mix the Rock and Water Dust until they were on the verge of combining into Clay Dust, and on top of that her mixture used twice as much Fire and Wind Dust as it did Rock and Water," Jaune explained. "There was a common line of thought that kept rolling around in the zeitgeist of her era that assumed the material was inherently corruptive of the spiritual, and so she assumed the more materialistic Dusts wouldn't be involved in the filtering process. Because of that she used the smallest amount of Rock and Water Dust she could get away with since she thought the only purpose they served in the mixture was to ground the spiritually alined aspects of Fire and Wind Dust. It took Lady Airmed another fifteen years of further research to realize that the more materialistic Dusts were part of the filtering process and needed to be in balance with the more spiritually attuned Dusts to achieve better results."

"Right again, now this is a question I would normally save for third or fourth year students, but since your mother is a leader in the field of medicine there's a chance you might have heard some of her ideas about it if you don't have some of your own," Peach sounded hopeful. "How can Healing Dust be further refined?"

"Okay," Jaune paused in thought for a moment before he put forth an idea. "So mixing Rock and Water Dust to the moments right before they combine into Clay Dust was another major step in improving the efficiency of Healing Dust. That means there's a good chance mixing Fire and Wind Dust together until they're on the verge of turning into their own combination Dust might also raise the efficiency of Healing Dust. The problem is we haven't yet discovered a stable combination of equal parts Wind and Fire, so it's hard to test that theory."

"Not a bad idea," Peach nodded in satisfaction from Jaune's answers before turning her focus to the class as a whole. "Now, I know our little discussion might make some of you want to try and deviate from the recipe for your own experimentations: today's lab isn't about that. Today's about what's practical in the field, so you're all going to be graded on your mastery of the most stable and fieldwork friendly recipe we have for Healing Dust. Now grab your partners and claim your lab spaces! Let's get mixing!"

Everyone got out from their desks and made their way over to their usual chemistry stations. As Jaune headed towards the space he normally shared with Pyrrha he noticed Weiss slide over to that station as if she wanted to share a few words with him before she joined Ruby at their normal lab space.

"I must say, I'm surprised and impressed," Weiss admitted as he got close. "That was an excellent display of Dust knowledge. Where was this at the beginning of the year?"

"Oh, well," Jaune bashfully rubbed his neck. "I was a bit overwhelmed back then. I was so worried about being caught out as a fraud and trying to catch up that I kind of got lost in my own head and didn't absorb what I should have. I was just lucky that I could still lock in during do or die situations."

"I guess that's why you came off as such a dolt back then," Weiss mused. Then her face morphed as if her words sounded too harsh to her own ears, "That is, I mean, you-"

"It's alright, I realize I didn't leave the best first impression," Jaune sagged a bit.

"Jaune," Weiss sounded serious, so he straightened up an looked her in the eyes. "In hindsight I didn't make the best first impression either, and yet I can only assume you still saw the best in me. And you kept seeing it in spite of how cold I was towards you, and for that I'm grateful." Her voice grew low and whisper like, "I... I'm sorry... for how I acted towards you back then."

"Weiss, you don't need to apologize," Jaune reassured her. "Especially since we both got off on the wrong foot."

Weiss preened at his words, which was probably the wrong way to express the relief flowing through her if the glower the other potential brides were starting to send her way meant anything.

"Jaune, you just tried to flirt with her in a kind of awkward way and took a little too long to stop," Ruby interjected as she grabbed Weiss by the elbow and started to pull her partner towards their work station. "She left you pinned to a tree in the middle of a Grimm infested forest without any idea how long it would take for someone else to come and free you. Her first impression was worse, so don't try to downplay her side of things the next time she apologizes for something."

"I, what, You left him pinned to that tree too!" Weiss objected as Ruby dragged her off.

"I knew Pyrrha would be there to free him in a few moments, you didn't," Ruby replied.

"How could you know that?"

"She pinned him to that tree with a javelin Weiss. Hard to throw those beyond a reasonable walking distance. The math to figure out how far away she could have been was pretty easy."

Jaune suppressed the chuckle that wanted to bubble up from the way Weiss was indignantly squawking. He then turned towards his workstation to find that Professor Peach was there with the kind smile of a proud teacher.

"So, you have eleven brides to be Jaune," the Dust Studies teacher observed in a conversational tone just low enough to not carry over the general din of students talking and setting up their lab spaces.

"I do," Jaune confirmed not really sure why his teacher wanted to talk about it.

"And from what I've gathered you're planing on making all of them proper wives, is that right?" Peach asked.

"That is the goal," Jaune admitted. "We just need to see if it can work out."

"Well, eleven is pretty close to the upper limit where everyone can be more or less on equal footing," Peach mused bringing a hand to her chin. "You could maybe add one or two and still make it work, but beyond that you'd need to layout an official hierarchy. Hmm..."

"Uh... Why are you asking me about this?" Jaune asked with a bit of concern.

"Oh, I'm just striking down a flight of fancy," She explained herself with a shrug. "Dorothy was willing to tell me that I eventually married the man that I'm interested in, but she didn't name names. I'm just making sure I didn't misinterpret who she meant by crossing everyone else that was ever on my list off it."

"I was on your list?" Jaune's confusion was palpable.

"It was obvious from the first day of class that you have the best parts of both your parents, which cover most of their downsides," Peach shrugged. "You would have made a fine husband a year or two after your graduation. So you did feature in one or two different flights of fancy."

"What." Jaune couldn't find any other words.

"Anyways if you ever need any help juggling your different relationships come and talk to me," the Professor offered. "At the very least I can offer you a noninvolved ear to vent to when things get stressful."

With that Thumbelina Peach walked away towards a pair of students who had a history of messing up their mixtures to offer a guiding hand. The handful of potential brides that had been close enough to hear her conversation with Jaune eyed her with varying degrees of suspicion.

"Relax mom," Xander placed a calming hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, "In my future she is married to Professor Oobleck; she isn't going to try and worm her way into this."

"It's the same in our timeline," Ashley added, "Although she needed to form an alliance with Professor Mombi to pull him out of his history books."

"It was like that in my timeline too," Xia chipped in.

Soon all of the rest of his children had added in their own two cents, all of them agreeing that Thumbelina had some kind of relationship with her fellow Professor. His potential wives mollified they all started to work on mixing their own batch of Healing Dust to be graded.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Atlas, Solitas

Two Years After Vytal

- - -

Cinder sat in the hospital room. The rest of Jaune's... Of their friends had all left, some being dragged away. She still kept her vigil, watching his chest slowly rise and lower as he breathed via machines. She stared into nothing, her mind awash with images... Images of the dead.

She paid no mind to the bags under her eyes, to the tear marks on her face. To the rumples in her clothing. All that mattered was Jaune in front of her... And the feelings that dragged her down.

Salem had replaced her. As easily as she had replaced any other servant. As easily as she replaced a lightbulb. Somehow, this hurt... But seeing who had replaced her was even worse.

Her name was Iridescent... And she had murdered an entire village just to draw them out. Just to try and kill her and Ruby. Just for fun.

Jaune... Jaune had taken the hits for her. He'd fought the mad Maiden for them... For her...

And this was the price he had paid.

The door slowly opened. She barely reacted as the form of Qrow Branwen entered, quiet and soft. He sat down next to her in the only other chair.

"Rubes asked me to help keep watch," he said, "I just got off another mission."

Cinder slowly nodded, barely comprehending the words. Qrow sucked in a breath.

"We got cocky after Haven," he said, "Thought we had Salem on the ropes... Guess she still has some tricks up her sleeve."

Cinder again was silent, staring at her boyfriend. Qrow sat in the silence, leaning back, unbothered. The silence just stretched on, and on. Like wires twisting inside her, outside her...

"I've done the same things she has," Cinder whispered. "I've killed, just for her. Just to hurt. Just... Just to make a point."

Qrow slowly nodded. Cinder sucked in another breath, and let it out as a hiss.

"... I... I feel this weight. This... Guilt," she murmured, "This hatred of myself... Because..."

"You see what you were. What you could have been," Qrow said quietly. Cinder swallowed.

"... I remember those kills. I thought I was elated at the time," she admitted, "I thought it was joy... But..."

Qrow sighed softly. Cinder's eyes didn't meet his. She didn't know if she could meet his.

Then, he spoke.

"Growing up in the Branwen tribe, we murdered. We pillaged. We slaughtered. Raven and I were no different. I killed prisoners at the age of ten. Slit their throats. Our entire mission to Beacon was to infiltrate their ranks, learn their methods, and come back so we could raid and steal and murder better. That is literally what we were sent to do, by our father."

Cinder didn't stir, but he could tell she was listening. Qrow continued.

"Nothing I have done since turning my back on my tribe will make up for the crimes I committed. Somewhere deep inside you, you knew it was wrong. A voice inside you screamed for you to stop. You saw no way out. It was the way things were; they couldn't be changed. You tried to convince yourself the people you were hurting deserved it. You became numb to their pain and suffering. You learned to shut out the voice speaking against it. You rationalized it, that this is how the world was. That all that mattered was you, what you wanted, what your family wanted... But you knew it was wrong."

Cinder sucked in a shaky breath. She held up her hands, which trembled in the dim light cast by the medical equipment.

"I had a choice," she whispered. Qrow nodded.

"There's always a choice."

"I made the wrong ones. Over and over. I ignored the voice..."

"You did... Until you didn't. Until you made the right choice," Qrow said.

Cinder shut her eyes.

"... I can't... I can't imagine a day where I will forgive myself for what I've done," she admitted. Qrow nodded.

"That's because it will never come," he said quietly, "Jaune forgave you. Ruby forgave you. Pyrrha, Nora... They all will tell you they forgive you. That's for them. They don't want to let the burden of anger destroy you. Or them. They want to give you grace, because they care about you. They are better people than you. But you? You will never forgive yourself. That day will never come."

Cinder bowed her head. Her shoulders shook as she cried softly.

"So what do I do?" She whispered.

Qrow shifted, leaning forward. His words were slow and deliberate.

"Accept it. You hurt others, many others. You can't undo that. You will never find grace for yourself, no matter how long you live. You will always have that burden inside you. Even killing yourself won't solve it. So fight; Fight for what's right. Fight for truth. Fight for justice, so that the good guys can win. If you don't fight for good, we all might lose. But don't fight for yourself, because your hatred won't let you fight hard enough. Fight for others. Fight for the people you love. Fight for people who just want to live in peace, and save them. Fight for strangers to see the sunrise. Fight because it's the right thing to do... That is the absolute least you can do."

Cinder slowly shook her head.

"The world never gave me a reason to care before," she whispered.

"Well, you've got a hell of a reason right there," Qrow stated flatly, gesturing to Jaune, "And millions of reasons out there," he pointed at the windows, blinds slid shut. "People you've never met, people who will never thank you... But people who deserve to live all the same. Because Jaune feels that way. He'd do that stupid stunt for anyone, never if he didn't know their name. So fight, Sparky. Fight on."

Cinder sucked in a breath. She slowly nodded. Qrow stood up, and stretched. He turned to the door.

"... Does... It ever get better?" She asked.

Qrow sighed softly. He pulled out his flask and sipped it.

"It does," he said, "It does... If you're strong enough."

Cinder slowly nodded.

"... Thank you," she whispered.

Qrow snorted.

"Don't thank me. I'm just doing a favor for my niece. You? You've got a hell of a lot worse to deal with."

Cinder turned and looked back at her boyfriend. She slowly nodded.

"You're right... I do."

 

[John Jackson]

Atlas, Solitas

Two Years After Vytal

- - -

Cinder sat in the hospital room. The rest of Jaune's... Of their friends had all left, some being dragged away. She still kept her vigil, watching his chest slowly rise and lower as he breathed via machines. She stared into nothing, her mind awash with images... Images of the dead.

She paid no mind to the bags under her eyes, to the tear marks on her face. To the rumples in her clothing. All that mattered was Jaune in front of her... And the feelings that dragged her down.

Salem had replaced her. As easily as she had replaced any other servant. As easily as she replaced a lightbulb. Somehow, this hurt... But seeing who had replaced her was even worse.

Her name was Iridescent... And she had murdered an entire village just to draw them out. Just to try and kill her and Ruby. Just for fun.

Jaune... Jaune had taken the hits for her. He'd fought the mad Maiden for them... For her...

And this was the price he had paid.

The door slowly opened. She barely reacted as the form of Qrow Branwen entered, quiet and soft. He sat down next to her in the only other chair.

"Rubes asked me to help keep watch," he said, "I just got off another mission."

Cinder slowly nodded, barely comprehending the words. Qrow sucked in a breath.

"We got cocky after Haven," he said, "Thought we had Salem on the ropes... Guess she still has some tricks up her sleeve."

Cinder again was silent, staring at her boyfriend. Qrow sat in the silence, leaning back, unbothered. The silence just stretched on, and on. Like wires twisting inside her, outside her...

"I've done the same things she has," Cinder whispered. "I've killed, just for her. Just to hurt. Just... Just to make a point."

Qrow slowly nodded. Cinder sucked in another breath, and let it out as a hiss.

"... I... I feel this weight. This... Guilt," she murmured, "This hatred of myself... Because..."

"You see what you were. What you could have been," Qrow said quietly. Cinder swallowed.

"... I remember those kills. I thought I was elated at the time," she admitted, "I thought it was joy... But..."

Qrow sighed softly. Cinder's eyes didn't meet his. She didn't know if she could meet his.

Then, he spoke.

"Growing up in the Branwen tribe, we murdered. We pillaged. We slaughtered. Raven and I were no different. I killed prisoners at the age of ten. Slit their throats. Our entire mission to Beacon was to infiltrate their ranks, learn their methods, and come back so we could raid and steal and murder better. That is literally what we were sent to do, by our father."

Cinder didn't stir, but he could tell she was listening. Qrow continued.

"Nothing I have done since turning my back on my tribe will make up for the crimes I committed. Somewhere deep inside you, you knew it was wrong. A voice inside you screamed for you to stop. You saw no way out. It was the way things were; they couldn't be changed. You tried to convince yourself the people you were hurting deserved it. You became numb to their pain and suffering. You learned to shut out the voice speaking against it. You rationalized it, that this is how the world was. That all that mattered was you, what you wanted, what your family wanted... But you knew it was wrong."

Cinder sucked in a shaky breath. She held up her hands, which trembled in the dim light cast by the medical equipment.

"I had a choice," she whispered. Qrow nodded.

"There's always a choice."

"I made the wrong ones. Over and over. I ignored the voice..."

"You did... Until you didn't. Until you made the right choice," Qrow said.

Cinder shut her eyes.

"... I can't... I can't imagine a day where I will forgive myself for what I've done," she admitted. Qrow nodded.

"That's because it will never come," he said quietly, "Jaune forgave you. Ruby forgave you. Pyrrha, Nora... They all will tell you they forgive you. That's for them. They don't want to let the burden of anger destroy you. Or them. They want to give you grace, because they care about you. They are better people than you. But you? You will never forgive yourself. That day will never come."

Cinder bowed her head. Her shoulders shook as she cried softly.

"So what do I do?" She whispered.

Qrow shifted, leaning forward. His words were slow and deliberate.

"Accept it. You hurt others, many others. You can't undo that. You will never find grace for yourself, no matter how long you live. You will always have that burden inside you. Even killing yourself won't solve it. So fight; Fight for what's right. Fight for truth. Fight for justice, so that the good guys can win. If you don't fight for good, we all might lose. But don't fight for yourself, because your hatred won't let you fight hard enough. Fight for others. Fight for the people you love. Fight for people who just want to live in peace, and save them. Fight for strangers to see the sunrise. Fight because it's the right thing to do... That is the absolute least you can do."

Cinder slowly shook her head.

"The world never gave me a reason to care before," she whispered.

"Well, you've got a hell of a reason right there," Qrow stated flatly, gesturing to Jaune, "And millions of reasons out there," he pointed at the windows, blinds slid shut. "People you've never met, people who will never thank you... But people who deserve to live all the same. Because Jaune feels that way. He'd do that stupid stunt for anyone, never if he didn't know their name. So fight, Sparky. Fight on."

Cinder sucked in a breath. She slowly nodded. Qrow stood up, and stretched. He turned to the door.

"... Does... It ever get better?" She asked.

Qrow sighed softly. He pulled out his flask and sipped it.

"It does," he said, "It does... If you're strong enough."

Cinder slowly nodded.

"... Thank you," she whispered.

Qrow snorted.

"Don't thank me. I'm just doing a favor for my niece. You? You've got a hell of a lot worse to deal with."

Cinder turned and looked back at her boyfriend. She slowly nodded.

"You're right... I do."

Click to shrink...

Nice call back

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JWVSOsLBq-E&pp=ygUcc3RhcmdhdGUgYXJrIG9mIHRydXRoIHRlYWwnY9IHCQmiCgGHKiGM7w%3D%3D

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Nice call back

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JWVSOsLBq-E&pp=ygUcc3RhcmdhdGUgYXJrIG9mIHRydXRoIHRlYWwnY9IHCQmiCgGHKiGM7w%3D%3D

Click to shrink...

Stargate: SG-1 is one of my favorite TV series of all time, and Teal'c is one of my favorite characters. And I think this approach with Qrow would fit. And let him be a badass.

Just because you do the right thing doesn't mean you don't still pay the price for all the bad things you've done.