Setting Things Right

A/N: Here's a quick oneshot for you guys. I've wanted to write this ever since seeing the Volume 3 finale but never got around to it till now. I took creative liberty by making up a semblance for Jaune and my own version of the Silver Eyed Warrior power Ruby posses. I hope you all enjoy. Please leave me a review and let me know what you all think.

EDIT: A lot of people have been asking me to add more chapters or at least an epilogue to this story to show how things turn out. I am currently not planning on turning this into a long story but I do think I will write and post one more chapter/epilogue eventually. It probably won't be for a while as I have other projects to work on first, but there will be something eventually. Thanks for all the support! You guys are the best!

It was almost complete. What he'd been working on for close to twenty years was almost ready. Jaune Arc grit his teeth, keeping his hands steady, as he tried to avoid the urge to wipe away the beads of sweat that were beginning to run into his eyes.

BOOM!

Alarms started blaring in the distance as the whole lab shook. Cursing he completed the calibration he had been working on. It seemed his enemy had finally found him. Hopefully the defenses would hold for a little longer as he no longer had time to relocate. This was his last chance to get it right.

Ever since he'd experienced the tragic events of the Vytal Tournament at the age of seventeen, Jaune had been on a mission. He'd thrown himself into his training, vowing never again to be as weak as he'd been that day. The improvements he made had come in leaps and bounds, faster than anything he'd done before, all fueled by the insane rage he'd felt inside. Even now, years later, he could see Cinder Fall's smirking visage every time he closed his eyes.

All the while, he had started his research. He'd seen legends and stories from his childhood come alive right in front of him, so he knew nothing was impossible. Jaune knew his teammates felt bad for him. They humored him in his training, and his crusade for vengeance. Of course, their understanding didn't last forever. It wasn't until they confronted him, expecting him to have moved on already, that things finally broke for good. They didn't understand. Nobody understood. He left that night, before more things could be said that they'd all regret.

Ruby had told him earlier that Weiss' father had taken her back to Atlas, so that's where he began his search. It didn't turn out to be that hard to track her down, though setting up a meeting was a bit more of a chore. He was sure she was just pitying him as well, but this time he didn't care. He got what he came for, a small lab to continue his research and a minute amount of resources.

This continued on for several years, furthering his project, all the while continuing his training to make sure he was ready for anything. That all changed the day Weiss found her way into his lab sobbing uncontrollably. It seems she finally understood how he felt, not realizing who they had fallen in love with until it was too late. Ruby was dead. Killed by Cinder in their latest clash.

His project only continued to make progress as he received the full backing of Weiss Schnee, now CEO of Schnee Dust Company. She began to delegate more and more of her work off onto others and spent most of her time with Jaune over the following decade.

They grew close in that time, bonded over their shared grief. Not that they ever got involved romantically, no one but those who they had lost would ever be able to fill that void. Jaune's crush on the white haired woman was a distant memory, like some half forgotten dream.

They had planned on using it together when it was done. Using it to reclaim what they'd lost but that wouldn't happen now. Now it would only be him for the same reason that everything else went wrong in his life. A woman named Cinder Fall. She'd tracked down their lab the previous year. Weiss had perished in the ensuing battle though Jaune had succeeded in getting his revenge. He hadn't felt any better after watching her lifeblood spread across the floor, rent from her body by the ancient edge of Crocea Mors. It hadn't brought back what he'd lost.

It had also been that day that he'd learned that Cinder wasn't the end of the madness. It had all been orchestrated by another. So another name was added to his list. Salem.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Jaune finished the final calibration. He wasn't sure how Salem had found his new lab, something Weiss had set up as a contingency before her death, but he could tell she was about to get through.

Seating himself within his makeshift contraption, he adjusted all the pieces into position and lowered the headpiece over his brow. With a final prayer that all their work hadn't been for naught, he flipped the switch. The machine hummed to life around him, slowly getting louder as it built up a charge. Just before it had reached what he knew to be the required energy level, the door finally gave way, flying across the room, slamming into the wall, and shaking the entire room. Luckily it didn't seem to affect the machine as it finally reached the peak of its charge. The last thing he saw was what he knew to be the enraged face of Salem. There was no one else who could look so much like the perfect combination of Grimm and human. It was an unnatural sight and chilled him to his bone.

He had no more time to reflect on this, as his sight faded away. His last thought before losing consciousness being, 'I'm coming Pyrrha.'

Jaune came around quickly, confused as to why he was enclosed in a small, pitch black space. Calming himself, as to be able to think rationally, he finally noticed the constant, familiar, noise in the background that made him groan. It seemed he hadn't made it as far back as he had originally hoped. If his guess was correct he was currently in one of Beacon's Rocket Lockers heading towards the town of Vale, while Pyrrha was heading off to the fight that resulted in her death. The death that he had come back to prevent in the first place. That just wouldn't do.

Pulling out his scroll from where he remembered he kept it at that age, he quickly hooked it into the connector on the inside of the locker door. After this event had happened the first time, he'd made sure to learn everything about these damn lockers. The connection he was now using was usually to set preferences the first time a student claimed it, but he knew it would also give him the access he needed, with a little exploitation of course, to change his current course.

Flipping through the screens, looking for what he needed, with a practiced ease, the locker was heading back towards Beacon tower in under a minute. Kicking open the door so he could see where he was heading, Jaune noticed that the Dragon-Grimm had already removed the top of the famous tower. He was running out of time.

Cursing his bad luck, he waited impatiently as he drew steadily closer to his destination. Readying his weapon, he tried to think what had gone wrong in his calculations, but nothing popped out of him. The only thing he could think of was that the crash in his lab, had infact changed the machine's configuration even if he'd thought it had all seemed in order before leaving.

Jaune could see the top of the tower now. There she was! Right before him. Pyrrha Nikos. The girl he hadn't realized he'd loved until it was too late. The girl he hadn't seen in over twenty years. He winced as he saw the arrow pierce her heel. He just had to get a bit closer.

Jaune growled as he saw her, the bane of his existence, Cinder Fall, cup Pyrrha's cheek. Pumping copious amounts of aura into his legs, he prepared for the jump just in time for Cinder to resummon her bow.

Jaune released the tension in his legs and suddenly he was flying through the air. Expanding his shield in preparation, he hurtled downwards, continuously hardening his aura as he did. This would be a rough landing.

Rough though it was, Jaune still did what he had to do. Raising his shield before him, he blocked the arrow that had previously been heading to pierce the heart of the woman he loved. Of course things weren't that simple, as the arrow he'd blocked and managed to shatter, reformed after a split second and attempted to go around the hunter. Not having any of that, Jaune quickly forced his aura into his blade, and with a quick slash shattered the arrow once again, this time for good.

He spared his partner a quick glance out of the corner of his eye to confirm to himself that she was still alive. He didn't dwell on it though, as he knew he couldn't afford to be distracted. "Jaune! What are you doing here! She's going to kill you! You need to get out of here!" Jaune stiffened. It was the first time he'd heard her voice in nearly two decades.

Not taking his eyes off the clearly surprised Cinder he answered, "I'm sorry Pyrrha I can't leave. You once asked me if I believed in destiny, and I at the time I did, I truly did, but not anymore. I will fight against fate to my dying breath, I will tear the very universe apart, if it's my destiny to lose you. Maybe that doesn't make me any better than her," he jabbed his finger in Cinder's direction, "but I don't think I even care anymore."

"But she'll kill you!" The frustration and pain in her voice was evident even if Jaune still had his back to her. He didn't answer this time only keeping his level gaze on the woman he hated. Her confusion had been replaced by a look of amusement at his interaction with his partner.

"Those are bold words young Arc. I admire your tenacity but do you think you have what it takes to truly dig your hands into the filth of this world and take what you want?" The Fall Maiden had raised her eyebrow in question.

"I know I do. Now, before we begin I have a question. Are there any last words you have for Salem before I strike her down as well?" Jaune was having fun throwing the woman off guard. Her whole body had stiffened at the mention of her master, he knew no one was supposed to know about her yet.

"You really believe you even have a chance?" Cinder spat. It seemed he'd touched a nerve. "I've seen you fight in Goodwitch's class. I don't even know why Ozpin let you into the school. Who knows why the old fool does anything he does! I've already defeated your headmaster and your girlfriend, you will be as easy as squashing a bug."

And that was exactly the reason Jaune knew he would win. He didn't believe that he'd grown overconfident during his life but he was certain this fight would end in victory for himself. He'd already killed Cinder once before, and that was when she was fresh and had grown used to the Maiden's powers for years. This Cinder had only had the complete powers for just over an hour, if that, and would already be drained from fighting Ozpin and Pyrrha.

Flooding his limbs with excess aura, he darted forward with enhanced speed, slashing downwards with the still aura infused blade. She seemed surprised when it bit deeply into the palm of her hand, spilling her blood. Rolling backwards, he avoided a retaliatory fire ball sent his way, shifting into a defensive stance.

He dodged more shots sent in his direction, making sure keep Cinder aiming away from Pyrrha, who to his annoyance seemed to be trying to come over to help him even with her injured ankle.

Knowing he had to end this soon, he unstrapped his shield and sheathed his blade. This seemed to confuse Cinder again, but he cleared that from his mind as he began forcing even more aura into the weapon?

"You think you will be able to beat me with that thing? Its nothing more than a relic of what will soon be a forgotten war."

"I see you've heard of it then. Do you know what it's called?"

"Crocea Mors." She sneered and at his nod she continued. "I know the Arcs history."

"Good, but I'm guessing you don't know what it means… in this tongue it would be called the yellow death." At this point, the sword in his hands started to grow. The metal sheath melding seamlessly with the blade, until it finally stopped as it reached the size of a long sword. Even after the transformation, it continued to glow yellow.

Jaune still remembered the day he'd first discovered what his semblance was. He'd been training his aura for months, and though he'd gained better control over it, he wasn't seeing any results. One night he had finally had enough, he releases the large amounts of excess aura he'd been practicing with into the closest available source, his sword sitting in front of him. He'd been lucky that he hadn't been skewered on the enlarged blade. It wasn't till later that he learned that he was the first in his family to have a compatible semblance to use Crocea Mors to it's full potential since his great-great-grandfather, the original owner.

Cinder, either sensing that her maiden powers didn't seem to be helping or finally noticing that her aura was possibly getting low, split her bow into her two short swords. Jaune could tell that his theory was correct almost at once. This Cinder was nothing compared to the one he'd fought and killed before, not to say she wasn't a threat, but he knew how she fought, she had no idea of what his skills were like now.

The battle was over in moments. Her weapons had shattered after a couple strikes, only being made of condensed glasslike dust, superheated by her semblance.

"Who are you?" She gasped from the floor, having been blown back by the force of her exploding weapons. "You're not the same boy I saw in combat class? You could join us, Salem would appreciate someone of your talents."

"You're reckoning." And he slid his blade through her torso. Her offer hadn't even merited a reply. He knew she was dead when he saw the maiden's power leave her in the same way it had her predecessor, and if the gasp behind him was any indication, he knew exactly who it had gone too.

Spinning on the spot he took in his audience. Pyrrha, eyes glowing with her new found power, looking down at her own body as her wounds healed before her eyes and her aura recharged, held up by none-other than Ruby Rose, who must have reached the top of the tower sometime in the last few minutes. Her silver eyes wide, looking between the two partners in shock.

His eyes inevitably found themselves drawn back to Pyrrha. For her they had only been separated for minutes, for him it had been decades. He'd forgotten how beautiful she looked. His mind wandered back to the same place it had after she'd just died originally, how had he not realized how he felt about her before?

"Jaune… how? I… what…." her voice broke him out his stupor. Cursing his bad luck in when he'd arrived, he realized how what he'd done must have looked. He shouldn't have had the skills he'd just shown yet. This was going to be a mess to explain.

Before he could even try to begin, a roar that shook the whole tower reminded him of something else he'd overlooked. The Grimm-Dragon was still awake. Despite his improved skills, he knew he couldn't kill a Grimm of that level. He doubted Ozpin could bring down a Grimm like this. There was only one person he knew who could do so, and she stood before him completely oblivious to the power she had inside. With the changes he'd made to the timeline already, he knew he probably wouldn't get her to instinctively use it. Pyrrha's death had been the catalyst last time.

"We're going to need to deal with that thing before moving on." Jaune took charge of the situation. "Ruby, do you trust me?"

"Y-yes…" She was still staring at him strangely and her answer was a bit more hesitant than he would have liked, but it would have to do. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he released a trickle of his aura probing along her own looking for the source of that elusive power. As soon as he felt it, he allowed his gaze to roam up to the shattered moon, the only source of light in the night. "I, Jaune, of house Arc, seek audience with the protector of Remnant in accordance to the terms specified in the great pact." At first it seemed like nothing had happened but Jaune, knowing what to expect saw the faint ripple in the moon, and removed his hand from Ruby. Her eyes, after opening seemed to shine with the same light as she gazed upon him.

"Greetings traveler. Why have you summoned me from my slumber."

"I summoned you here to ask for your aide. Please lend you strength to your youngest descendant, give her the power to fell the ancient Grimm that closes in on our location and to wipe the abomination that is Salem from this land for good. She currently seeks corrupt your power for her own means through the link you share with Summer Rose. Even if she fails, she will soon seek to destroy Ruby Rose and end your noble warriors line." The light pouring out of Ruby's eyes seemed to brighten even further and the very air seemed to hum with energy. "In return I pledge myself to you, on my honor as a member of the Ancient House of Arc, that I will aid your champion to destroy the Grimm threat at it's source."

There silence fell over the top of the tower. The distance screams from the battles below and the wingbeats of the Dragon-Grimm as it approached growing more pronounced. "I accept your terms." Suddenly Ruby was in motion. He knew she was skilled, but it was clear she wasn't the one currently in control of her body. She was only a conduit, about to be used to show the wrath of the ancient god he'd called upon. She'd jumped into the air, meeting the Grimm head on, in a sight Jaune knew he would never forget. Crescent Rose was pulsating with the same moonlight as Ruby's eyes and as it came in contact with the beasts armored head, it cut straight through like a knife through butter.

It was over in seconds. Landing back on the ruined tower, she turned her piercing gaze towards him. "Jaune, of House Arc, my power will be hers to call upon when the time is right. Plan well, save my descendent, and save our world." Like a switch, the light shining from Ruby's eyes went out, as she crumpled to the ground unconscious.

Jaune slumped to the ground as well, exhausted. Crocea Mors returned to its normal form, as his hold on his aura slipped. He couldn't believe it. He'd done it. Pyrrha was alive. Cinder was dead. The Grimm Dragon was dead. He'd secured the aid necessary to win this war. Now he just had to figure out how to tell Ruby that her mother was alive, held captive by the enemy over the years. Last time she hadn't found out in time. Summer Rose had been corrupted, her power stolen by Salem, just like the Maidens. Ruby would survive this time. He'd promised Weiss in the future. He's promised himself.

Groaning he pulled himself back to his feet only to stagger as something collided with him. It was Pyrrha rushing to give him a hug, with tears in her eyes. She was probably terrified from what she'd just seen, and very confused. He had a lot to explain, but it was all ok. He was currently exactly where he was meant to be.

THE END