An Arc's Promise

By: Kuroyami Fukaikuro

Author's Note: So uh, I know this isn't the next chapter of Sins of the Forefathers. Sorry about that, but I was browsing the site and got inspired by another fic and this wouldn't let itself go.

For reference, the fic in question was The Old Knight of Remnant by Voldugu Conqueror. I read it and thought to myself, "This is a good premise, but I would do things differently." So I did. This isn't a whole series - it's just going to be a two-shot. The next and final chapter should be up in a few days, and after that I'll get right on SotF.

The beast growled as the man entered its domain. Slowly, it crept along the underbrush, keeping low and silent as it snuck up on the man.

As it got closer, it could tell that the man was familiar- he had been edging into its territory for the past few days, cutting down trees and clearing land.

That would end today.

Soon, the beast was behind the man. With a snarl, it swung a mighty, meaty claw at him, prepared to cleave his torso clean off-

Only for the man to block the strike with a single hand.

Before the beast could react, the man turned and slammed the wood cutting axe into the beasts head, cleaving its jaw in two.

The Beowolf died, never realizing who or what it had just attacked.

Wake up.

Eat.

Go out.

Work.

Fight.

Kill.

Come home.

Eat.

Read. Maybe.

Drink.

Sleep.

Dream about the people he'd killed. The people he'd lost.

Wake up again.

For the past ten years, that had been Jaune Arc's routine.

Ever since the end of the Second Great War, where all of Remnant had banded together to defeat Salem, Lady of the Grimm, once and for all, he had stepped away from society.

The last time he'd been to any of the major cities was nine years ago, to attend Ren and Nora's wedding.

After that, however? There was no reason for him to go back. The world would do fine without him. Better, even.

Now, he lived alone, eking out a simple existence in the wilds. Occasionally he would visit a small village for supplies, and maybe a new book to read, but he had almost completely become self sufficient.

The others visited, of course, whenever they could. Weiss, Blake, Ren and Nora - whenever they weren't busy, they would come by and see how he was doing. Or, if it had been a while and they had grown worried, to see if he was still alive.

He was doing alright, thank you very much. The corn field was doing well this season, and soon he would clear out enough land to start another field. He was considering cabbage. And how was Beacon? Doing well? Give Headmaster Oscar his regards, would you? No, he doesn't think he'll be attending this years Memorial Service either, but he'll watch it on the village tv.

However, as the sun began to set and he returned home on this day, he had the feeling the conversation would go a bit differently.

For one, it was Ruby, come to visit for the first time since he'd left. And my, had she grown - gone was the short, skinny girl he had called his Captain. Now, standing there was a tall, confident woman, almost reaching his height. Her hair now reached down to her back, where a red military-style cape replaced her old cloak, kept in place by the epaulettes on her shoulders. She wore a uniform - her uniform, that of the General of the Valean Armed Forces. It was prim and neat, a dark grey with red highlights befitting her style, and well shined brass buttons.

Crescent Rose 2.0 ("Just call her CR2 for short!") hung from her left leg, the original destroyed in their final battle with Cinder. This one had been the weapon to destroy Salem. Unlike the original, she had opted to adopt her mother's fighting style, choosing to make a longsword that could extend into a spear. She lost the ability to shoot for momentum, but she could still snipe as well as ever with its rifle form.

More important, however, was what she had in her hands.

Crocea Mors.

His weapon, and his father's before him, and his father's before him, so on and so forth.

After the war, Jaune had taken it with him - it, like he, had seen enough bloodshed. He had hung it above his fireplace, where it belonged - for use as an art piece, not a weapon.

As he approached, Ruby smiled and greeted him.

"Hey. Nice beard."

He nodded back. "Hey yourself. It's a little rude to go into someone's house uninvited, you know."

"Well, I needed water."

"You broke into my house because you were thirsty?"

"What else was I gonna do?"

"There's a well right there!" He shouted, pointing to it in the field.

She shrugged, passing the sword between her hands. "Oops. Still, I can't believe you just hung this up over your fireplace like that."

Gruffly, he crossed over and reached out for Crocea Mors. "What's it to you?"

She turned away, pacing with the sword. "I just think it's kinda funny, in a sad way. How the both of you fought in a war, only to fade away without any notice."

"Me and the sword?"

"You and your ancestor, Gaius. You both took part in the biggest wars of your time, and yet once it ended, you left society and started anew in some backwater in the wilds."

"What's the point of this, Ruby?"

She turned to face him.

"Come back with me, Jaune. The world still needs you. I… I still need you."

"You told me exactly how much you needed me after we killed Salem."

She winced at that. "I know. I'm sorry. For that, it- it wasn't very mature." Her voice hardened. "But neither is turning your back on the world and ignoring the problems that still need solving."

"I didn't turn my back on anything. I did my part, and when the dust settled, the world didn't need any more soldiers. It didn't need any more killers… it needed healers. And Semblance aside, that's not what I am."

"But it could be. You didn't always used to be a killer. You changed… you can change back."

"…"

"Do you really think they would be happy to see you this way? Alone, destitute, drunk and depressed? Even Uncle Qrow had us to help him, but you don't have anyone out here."

"Ruby…"

"I'm just saying, I don't think anyone would be happy to see you like this. I know I'm not, and I know your father wouldn't be…"

"That's enough!"

Things went silent for a single, tense moment as they sized each other up.

"Pyrrha definitely wouldn't-"

"RRRRRRRAGH!"

With a roar, Jaune slammed his fist into Ruby's stomach, sending her flying even as his left hand seized Crocea Mors from her grip.

Though it had been ten years since he last touched it, the blade sang as Jaune drew it from the sheath, transforming it into a shield just in time to block Ruby's initial barrage of shots.

He charged forward, blocking more of Ruby's shots with ease as he closed the distance.

As he got closer, she transformed CR2 into its spear mode, intending to use the range to keep him within her preferred engagement distance.

It was what she would always do, back when she was still learning how to use it - and he would be beaten, time and again as they sparred, kept away and unable to hit her.

Things had changed.

Still, he let her keep him at bay for a few moments, analyzing her patterns and openings as he hid behind his shield. Then, when he saw her begin another triple-thrust pattern-

He blocked the first strike with his shield before disengaging it from his arm entirely.

She tried to step back, but Jaune wrapped his arm around CR2's shaft, keeping it still as he tackled her, headbutting Ruby on the way down.

As they landed, he mounted Ruby, swinging his legs over her torso and keeping her pinned as he slammed the pommel of Crocea Mors into her face.

Over and over again he struck, keeping her too dazed to resist, until finally her Aura broke and he paused.

As he did, she groaned and turned one half-lidded eye up towards him.

With a great cry, he slammed the blade into the dirt above her head, before leaning on it and breaking into sobs.

"Why?" He shouted down at her, tears dripping onto her face. "Why'd they have to send you? Anyone else, I could have dealt with, could have turned away easily, but you, I…"

Slowly, feebly, Ruby reached up and grabbed the front of Jaune's shirt. He stilled and looked down just in time for Ruby to force his head down, headbutting him back off of her.

As he lay in the dirt, Ruby got up, forgoing her weapon as she walked over to him, rubbing her forehead. Gently, she knelt down next to him and began stroking his cheek.

"No one sent me, Jaune. I came on my own terms."

He grabbed her hand as he sat up, eyeing her warily. He let go, and she simply dropped it into her lap.

"And what are those terms, Ruby? Why did you come here?"

"Isn't it obvious? It's because I-"

"Mommy!?"

Jaune whipped his head around to see two children burst out from his house and run towards them. As they approached, Jaune noticed they were fraternal twins, a boy and a girl. The girl had her - apparent - mother's silver eyes, and long blonde hair in a ponytail. The boy had Ruby's hair, cut short and messy, but blue eyes.

As they got close, they skirted around Jaune to hide behind Ruby.

"Mommy, who is this?" the boy asked. "Is this the man you're looking for?"

"Did you two fight?" The girl interrupted as she looked around at the field, crops and dirt torn up from the sheer speed of their movement.

Ruby smiled down at her children. "We did."

"Was it awesome?!" The girl cheered at the thought. "I can't believe you didn't let us watch!"

"Ruby…" Jaune began, "who-"

"Who's the father?"

Jaune nodded, but he had a guess what the answer was.

"Jaune, say hello to Yang and Jacob Rose-Arc. Our kids."

"O-our?" He muttered weakly.

She nodded and turned back to the kids. "Jacob, to answer your questions, this is the man I was looking for. This is Jaune Arc, your father."

"You fought with dad!?"

Ruby coughed, embarrassed. "It was more like a… long-time-no-see spar. Friends do that."

"So this is dad?" Jacob asked as he approached Jaune, walking around him and taking him in.

"Why were you all the way out here, daddy?" Yang asked as she did the same.

"Well, uh-"

Jaune shut up as Ruby placed her hand on his shoulder. "Kids, you know your father fought in the final battle against Salem with me, right?"

"Yeah!" They cheered. "Of course we do, it's our favorite story!"

"Well, afterwards…" she gave Jaune a worried glance before reaching out and grabbing his hand, entwining her fingers around his. "Afterwards, your father realized that- that he wasn't done fighting. There were still monsters he had to beat. And he's been fighting them for the past ten years."

"All on his own?" Jacob said in awe.

"Dad must be super strong!"

"He's the strongest man I know," Ruby said proudly. She let go of his hand for a moment as she stood up and dusted herself off, before offering him her hand once more.

He accepted it as he rose.

The fires raged around him as he crawled out from beneath the wreckage.

Screams echoed around him from distant battles as the Grimm forces tore through the Atlesian Air Fleet, and hundreds of other Huntsmen.

They had made a terrible mistake.

They thought that with all the world banded together, they could finally wipe out the Grimm once and for all. The Atlesian air fleet would bombard Salem's tower, wiping out the majority of their forces, and then the combined might of the Huntsmen of four nations would clean out the remainder before taking the fight to Salem herself, where Ruby, Oscar, and the Four Maidens - Weiss, Emerald, Yang, and Neo - could combine their powers and defeat her utterly.

As with all plans, however, this one went to shit the moment the battle began.

They had underestimated exactly how much control Salem had over the Grimm.

As the battle began, the Air Fleet did indeed bombard the ground Grimm- but then, Salem released not one, but three Grimm Dragons, which made short work of the air fleet, breathing some dark miasma that corrupted the ships and made them crash and explode, or melted them outright.

Jaune was lucky. His ship was only clipped by the miasma, leading it to crash relatively intact a few miles from the Tower.

Which led to now.

He pulled himself upright outside of the ship. No one else on the bridge had survived, and he didn't have time to waste searching the whole wreckage for other survivors.

The battle needed him on the ground, fighting the Grimm.

He walked through the battlefield, felling the occasional Beowolf or Ursa that came at him. From time to time he looked up, at Salem's Tower, and the bright lights and explosions that would burst from within.

Clearly, the final battle had begun.

As he waded through the chaos, he occasionally stopped to check on a body he passed, seeing if they were still alive - or if they weren't, seeing if they had anything useful, like spare Dust or grenades.

The more corpses he checked, the more distraught he became at their chances of winning.

Still, he was lucky enough to find a few living Atlesian soldiers, and some Huntsmen with minor injuries. He did his best to heal them with his Semblance and lead them onwards, where the fighting was still going strong.

However, as the group got closer, he came across two bodies that gave him pause.

Qrow Branwen and Winter Schnee.

Their weapons lay shattered on the ground near them. Qrow's body was torn asunder, his legs ripped off entirely, and his stomach bleeding freely. Winter had been decapitated, head laying near Qrows' feet, her body ravaged by the teeth of whatever had finally laid her low.

Despite everything, the sight of these two, great warriors who far surpassed him in strength, reduced to nothing but broken flesh-

He collapsed to the ground and vomited. Behind him, he could hear a few of his followers doing the same, as the stress amongst them peaked out.

"Kid…"

Jaune's face shot up to see Qrow's eyes open slightly, his right arm reaching out.

"Jaune…"

Without hesitation, Jaune ran forward and tried to use his Semblance to heal Qrow, but-

"Don't waste your Aura, Jaune. I'm all out, there's nothing to enhance… and besides."

He glanced down at the state of his body.

"There's no coming back from something like this."

In tears, Jaune let out an anguished cry as he struck the ground, causing a small crater from the force.

"Cry later, kid. I need you to do something for me."

Jaune took a deep breath as he pulled himself together and looked at Qrow. "Anything."

Qrow nodded towards his hip flask. "Give me one last drink, aye? I can't move my arms anymore."

Jaune nodded and grabbed the flask, unscrewing the lid and pouring the contents down Qrow's throat.

As he swallowed, he looked up. "Thanks, Jaune. I needed that. Now leave me here, and go help Ruby and Yang, dammit. They still need you."

Jaune nodded, and made to stand.
"One last thing, kid."

Jaune looked down at Qrow.

"Promise me, Jaune. Promise me you'll take care of them."

"I will. An Arc never goes back on his word."

With a final nod to each other, Jaune left Qrow behind to die, lying on the rock.

Some of his followers saluted Qrow as they passed him.

None of them looked back.

With a gasp, Jaune sat upright in bed and looked around.

His room was dark, and empty save for him. Ruby and the kids- his kids- were in the guest room.

He sighed, resigned himself to another night without sleep, and got up.

He left the room and went downstairs to his kitchen. He started to reach for a bottle of whiskey, but stopped himself. Instead, he began preparing some tea to calm his nerves, saying nothing as Ruby slid into a chair at the kitchen table.

"One for me, please."

He nodded and brought out a second cup. They waited in silence for the water to boil, and once it was ready, Ruby gratefully accepted her cup.

"Bad dreams?" Jaune asked.

Ruby nodded.

"Who was it for you?"

"Neo. You?"
"Qrow."

They sat quietly for a moment as they processed what they remembered. After a moment, Jaune held his hand out, and Ruby grasped it, each drawing strength from the other.

"So what did you actually come here for? Aside from the obvious."

"I told you, I want you to come back. The world is definitely better, but it's not like the Grimm are all gone, as I'm sure you know from living out here. We've sealed the Grimm pools as best we can, but there's more to it than that. Stuff we don't quite understand, probably due to them being the literal creations of a god. The world still needs Huntsmen. And Huntsmen-"

"Still need teachers?"

She nodded again.

Jaune sighed before taking a deep draught of his tea.

"Ruby, I'm glad to see you. I am. But I don't know…"

"Jaune…"
"It's been ten years, Ruby. There's a lot I haven't kept up with."

"We can catch you up, Jaune. You don't need to be afraid of coming back. None of us blame you for leaving-"

"Not even you? Not even for what I did- to you?"

"No," Ruby said, squeezing his hand harder. "Not even me. I mean, I was mad for a while, of course. But I figured… I figured that you were there, on the ground. I didn't see nearly as much as you did. We all lost a lot, but you lost more than anyone. And what I said to you afterward, about leaving Qrow behind-"

She stopped, took a sip of tea as she considered her words.

"I was wrong to say those things. I know that there was nothing you could have done. It doesn't make the loss any easier, but then I keep reminding myself how much it must have hurt you to have to leave him behind like that. And it makes forgiving you easier."

"Ruby, I-"

She reached out and placed a finger on his lips. "Don't apologize. You've done more than enough of that."

She glanced back towards the guest bedroom.

"As for the kids… it was rough going at first, but we learned. We adapted. And since you'd left, I could never get mad at them for anything. It was like they were all I had of you."

She finished her tea and got up.

"I'm not mad anymore, Jaune. Like you said, it's been ten years and I've moved on from that. The only question now is whether you're willing to move on, or if you'll stay here and spend the rest of your life wallowing in your own misery alone."

She moved to go back to her room, but was held back by Jaune, still clinging to her hand.

"Ruby, I-" He coughed. "I noticed you aren't wearing a ring. After all these years, you-?"

She smiled, turned and leaned down to kiss him, deep and loving, lasting for quite a while. When she got back up she simply said, "I've never loved anyone but you," and went back to bed.

Jaune sat there the rest of the night until he finished his tea, thinking hard about the choice in front of him, occasionally touching his lips, trying to remember the sensation of what was merely the fifth kiss they had shared.

As the sun rose over the field, Ruby, Jacob, and Yang all stood at the edge of Jaune's property, looking down the road towards the nearest village. From there, a bullhead would pick them up and take them home.

"Is daddy not gonna come with us?" Jacob asked, looking back at the house. "Does he still have monsters to fight?"

"Well…" Ruby glanced back at the house, and, seeing no movement, sighed and started walking. "It's okay. Your father will be fine. We can come visit him again, okay?"
"Okay!" Yang cheered. "Next time, I wanna see you guys fight! If he's as strong as you, mommy, then his moves are probably super cool!"

"They sure are, Yang. He's one of the best swordsmen in the wo-"

She stopped and stared down the road as there, sitting and leaning on a tree, was Jaune. He had trimmed his beard into a manageable shape, a circle around his mouth mixing a goatee and mustache. Crocea Mors hung from his waist, and two suitcases lay on the ground next to him, along with a backpack.

As she stared in shock, the kids ran up and cried happily, jumping and giving their father a hug. He held them close, smiling and laughing with them before picking them up and walking towards Ruby.

She stared, shocked, before simply accepting the situation for the victory it was and hugging both Jaune and the kids together.

Once they had all had their moment, Jaune grabbed his bags and walked with them to town, and into the days to come.