บท 2: Burdens and hopes
Warning: This arc (future arc) will have 5 chapters, and after that, it will go to the past arc!
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[Another Day]
'Family roof, huh? Looks like I'm still alive.' Dean thought bitterly as he opened his eyes to the rays of light. His only real arm scratched his face, ignoring his poorly-shaven beard and the smell of dried blood on it.
"Damn fallen hero, breaking my babies!"
'Heh, looks like she's in a bad mood again.' Dean thought as he heard his companion grumbling and the sound of blowtorches.
His tired eyes wandered over the walls of the workshop, decorated with remnants of past memories.
Pieces of his companions' surviving weapons were highlighted on the wall. He wondered when his weapon would be up there. It had been 25 years since he left Even After, and 10 years since he came here. And he was as old as a certain "old crow."
Although still technically younger than his companion, he was still in his 30s, thanks to being thrown further into the future than she had been. Not that he would rub her age in her face, that was asking for a beating (again).
"Ugh, good morning Rub-GAH!" Before he could finish his sentence, Dean found himself taking a blow to the head, knocking him back onto the bed.
"DON'T COME AT ME WITH 'GOOD MORNING,' YOU SUICIDAL LITTLE BASTARD! YOU BROKE MY ARM AGAIN!"
Ah… yes… that's right. Because of a certain redhead, Dean had lost his left arm, resulting in him using combat prosthetics created directly by Ruby. The problem? He had A LOT of aura and A LOT of strength in his attacks, which overloaded his arm/weapons and caused them to break, leaving Ruby cranky for the rest of the week.
"Tsk, damn suicidal hero trying to be cool. Tsk, when will he—" and thus began a torrent of curse words that would make Weiss proud. Ruby was trying to light a cigarette, but her trembling hand made it difficult.
Dean sighed as he grabbed the lighter from her hand—ignoring the teeth trying to bite him—and lit the cigarette for her.
After a few deep inhales and letting the nicotine settle in her body, Ruby relaxed, purposefully ignoring Dean.
He just gave a tired, faint smile as he got up from the bed, putting on his tattered coat before speaking again.
"So… how's Summer?" he asked casually, only to be met with an irritated grunt from her.
"Summer's none of your business, ARC." Ruby grunted as she moved away, taking a seat nearby.
"Well, I'm not her godfather?"
"You're a nuisance. You're more like her Uncle Qrow." The older woman muttered, looking at an old photo of her younger self holding a child with red and black hair.
"Well... you never told me who her father was… and I'm basically the only male figure she's grown up seeing—and you let me get close—so I guess I'm Uncle Qrow."
That was one point that irritated Dean. No matter how many decades passed, Ruby was STUBBORN! She refused to tell him who Summer's father was. He used to think it was because the guy was dead, but Ruby confirmed he was alive—just not present and didn't seek contact with his daughter. It was good that he'd never met the guy, or he would've shoved Neo-Mors up his ass.
The former knight stood up to leave the workshop. Ruby's expression indicated she would spend some hours reminiscing about the past, and he preferred not to interrupt.
"Bye, Rubes, give Summer a kiss for me."
"Go fuck yourself, Arc."
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As Dean wandered through the village streets, he received looks he was already accustomed to. Some were frustrated for losing something to the Grimm, others were angry to see him alive—even though they depended on him. Then there were the children, who stared at him with wide eyes. Some seemed to smile at him, while others looked at him with pity.
These looks had become routine by now. He had grown used to them, but they still frustrated him. He wasn't the hero these kids deserved, but he'd die before he let them get hurt.
While Dean wandered through the village, he purposely ignored the stares until he reached his home. Which—no surprise—was covered in graffiti with insults and others. Judging by the spelling mistakes, it was probably the drunks from last night. Despite what Ruby thought, he wasn't some emotionless puppet, he just discarded things that weren't urgent. After all, they had reasons to hate him! They were those remnants whose parents, siblings, children, families he couldn't save! They were just more proof of his failure.
"Ah… home sweet home…" Sighing, he opened his door, slamming it shut behind him. He threw his boots on the floor and his clothes carelessly, walking naked, not caring, to his bathroom.
"I need a bath."
Before heading to the bathroom, Dean passed by a photo, one from a few years ago when he, Ruby, and Summer were taking pictures together of… Weiss...
[FLASHBACK ON]
"W-Weiss! P-PLEASE!"
"I'm sorry Jaune…but… it's the only option."
"WEISS! NO! COME BACK! SHE'LL KILL YOU! WEEEEEISS!"
[FLASHBACK OFF]
"Just another of my failures…" Dean grunted as he remembered that particular memory. "I REALLY need a bath and a full night's sleep…"
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In the ruins of what Ruby Rose called a workshop, she found herself once again fixing the remains of her "suicidal hero's" prosthetic.
"Humm…hmmm…hm~" humming an old song she used to sing for her daughter.
Summer Penny Rose. One of the only good things Ruby had brought into the world, a light in the darkness of their world.
Even though she despised Jaune and Sum insisting on knowing about their father, that pile of shit didn't deserve her Summer. And Jaune at her feet. At least he sent supplies to pay off his debt for getting her pregnant without her consent.
"Damn it, am I still going to throw Jaune at him like a damn Grim-Hum?" While mumbling to herself, Ruby didn't realize she was messing with the prosthetic cables too hard, causing them to snap. "Grrr..AAAAH!"
And with a roar, the mechanic threw the metal arm into the pile of prototype junk nearby. Panting for a while, Ruby glanced at the old clock on her wall, reading 08:24 AM.
"I've got to go home, Sum. She should be waking up soon."
Yes, even in a world like this that had taken everything from her, and her last friend was slowly killing himself, Sum was one of Ruby's only safe havens, her sweet child.
As she passed by, she noticed a pile of food scraps and clearly preserved cookie packages, all alongside a note; 'Hope little Summy likes them.'
"Damn Jaune… but… I guess I'll take the cookies… I think she'll like them…" Ruby said with a slight blush, grabbing the supplies and leaving her workshop, locking the door to keep curious children out.
"Well… guess it's time to see my Sum…"
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[The days were no longer counted by the rise and fall of the sun, but by survival time. Jaune Arc, or Dean as he preferred to be called now, walked through this broken land like a man on the verge of crumbling, sustained only by the guilt that kept him alive.]
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After a quick bath, Jaune threw himself onto his battered couch, still exhausted from the previous night's battles. He knew Ruby would yell at him again for breaking her new arm. She was always angry about something he did. But that didn't change anything. He didn't fight to be a hero, to be recognized, or forgiven. He fought because, deep down, he didn't know how to do anything else, fighting was all he had left.
While lying there, he grabbed a nearly empty bottle of alcohol from his desk, spinning it between his fingers before taking a gulp straight from the bottle. The liquid burned his throat, but it was still welcome.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoing down the street pulled him from his thoughts. Being a hunter, his instincts and senses were better than civilians and average hunters; decades of experience had given him an edge.
He looked out the window and saw Ruby walking away from the workshop, carrying a bag of supplies. He recognized the packages he had left there.
"She still tolerates me... For Sum, of course," he muttered to himself with a bitter laugh.
He knew Ruby made a point not to thank him. Maybe it was pride, maybe it was anger. But deep down, he understood. He had abandoned everyone once, even if it hadn't been his choice. She didn't have to forgive him. He didn't even forgive himself.
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[Meanwhile, at Ruby's house…]
Summer Penny Rose was a stark contrast to the darkness of her surroundings. With her black hair with intense red streaks and silver eyes that shone like Ruby's once had, she was the last spark of something good in the world. Despite all the suffering her mother carried, Summer radiated an energy that was almost unsettling.
"Mom!" Summer yelled excitedly, running to Ruby as soon as she entered the house. Ruby barely had time to put the packages on the floor before being hugged by her daughter.
"Hey, little one. It's early for you to be this excited," Ruby said with a tired smile, patting Summer's hair.
"I dreamt about Aunt Yang!" Summer announced, her eyes glowing with excitement.
Ruby froze for a moment before regaining her composure. "Really? What did she say?"
"She said you were the strongest sister of all!"
Ruby swallowed hard, forcing a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Yeah… Aunt Yang always said those things."
As Summer continued talking, Ruby fought back tears. The ghosts of her family still haunted her, but she couldn't let them affect Summer. Not while she still had something (someone) to protect.
"Oh, look what I brought!" Ruby quickly changed the subject, showing the cookie packages. "Courtesy of that idiot Jaune."
"Uncle Dean is nice! Why do you always call him an idiot?"
Ruby snorted. "He is an idiot. But maybe... a useful idiot."
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[Later]
After some considerable sleep and rest (3 hours), Dean walked through the streets with heavy steps, ignoring the village's stares. He knew he was the only thing keeping the Grimm at bay; the adults tolerated him, some even liked him. Despite the animosity from those who had lost loved ones, he still fought for those who admired him.
As he passed a group of children playing with improvised weapons made of metal and wood, he stopped and watched for a moment. One of them, a skinny girl with brown hair, looked up at him and smiled shyly.
"Hey, Mr. Dean!" The girl called out. "Can you teach us how to fight?"
Dean looked at the girl, feeling a tightness in his chest. He slowly knelt down to her level.
He smiled at the child as he spoke: "Well, well, so you want to be a knight? Well, this old knight can teach you some tricks, but I'd say the most important thing is that you protect each other. A team can help a lot! Understand?"
The girl looked confused but nodded.
As Jaune got back up and continued his walk, he knew his words wouldn't be remembered. They would grow up, pick up weapons, and eventually follow the same paths he did. But he couldn't take away that last spark of hope from them. He had seen it before.
[Time Skip]
In a more secluded area of the village, a simple, barren cemetery was where he had ended up. He stood before a small, makeshift gravestone among many scattered around the village, kneeling before it. The name carved was practically unreadable, but he didn't need to read it to know whose it was.
"Weiss... I promised you I would protect what was left. But... I'm... so tired."
He closed his eyes, letting the pain pour out for a brief moment before standing again.
"Another day, Weiss. Just one more day... then I can... be with you." As his eyes wandered, it was possible to see several gravestones like this lined up.
A murmur, almost a requiem, was counted by Dean as he passed by each gravestone: "Weiss Schnee… Yang Xiao Long... Lie Ren... Nora Valkyrie... Pyrrha Nikos... Penny Polendina... Qrow Branwen... Saphron Cotta-Arc..." And so, Dean continued his count until he left the cemetery, returning to the village. His shoulders tense, as if he felt the weight of each name on them...
[Cut]
Night fell, and the village remained silent. Ruby, from her house, looked out, watching Jaune returning from yet another of his daily visits to his friends.
"You're killing yourself, Jaune," she murmured, leaning against the window. "And I... I can't stop you."
The two of them, each in their own way, were trapped in a cycle of guilt and survival. Maybe, one day, they'd find a way to break it. But for now, all they could do was keep moving forward—even if every step destroyed them a little more. Both would fight for what was left of this world… but... maybe... it wouldn't last forever.
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