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RWBY

Remember Me as I Remember You

A few days had passed since Ruby had awoken following the events at Beacon that led to her team being broken up, the deaths of both Penny and Pyrrha, and her learning from uncle Qrow that she might have some sort of great power sleeping within her.

She had checked in on Yang, wanting to see if her sister was doing OK. Their talk could have ended on a higher note. Yang was depressed, she knew that much. The loss of her arm, Blake seemingly abandoning them, and all the other stuff added to that had left her no longer caring about anything.

Most of her time following had seen Ruby keeping herself locked up inside her room, recalling all that had happened and wondering if there hadn't been more she could do. It had be in the evening hours when she realized she hadn't asked about Jaune, Nora, and Ren. Where were they? Were they alright?

She had pulled out her Scroll and looked at it, bringing up Jaune's number on her contact page. Despite the CTT being down, she was sure she'd still be able to contact him as they did live on the same kingdom, assuming he was still within Vale's territory that is. As she goes to hit the call button, she stops as she recalls the last time she had heard from him.

Guilt begins to build up in her. He had asked her to save Pyrrha, her and Weiss. They had promised they would. A promise she had failed to keep. What could she say to him now? Was he angry at her? Did he even want to speak with her now? She shakes her head, telling herself she was being silly. Jaune wasn't the kind of person to act like that. They were friends, each others first friend at Beacon. There was no way he would hate her. She goes to tap call again and again, stops. The doubt just wouldn't leave her added to the fact he hadn't yet tried to contact her as far as she knew. Letting out an annoyed sigh, she closes her Scroll and places it down before rolling onto her side to get some sleep. She'd call him tomorrow, for sure...

Or not. After waking the next morning and having breakfast, she had tried to call him again but like the night before, doubt and uncertainty stayed her hand. She wanted to scream at that. Instead, she decides to distract herself and hope she could find her courage to call him later. Besides, if she was going to go to Haven, she needed to get herself prepared. She looks around her room, trying to find anything she felt she might need for the journey. After checking her dresser, she decides to look inside her closet. She digs around, tossing things out when her eyes spot a chest shoved into the back. Curious, she wrestles with it till she was able to pull it out.

"Wait...this is...it's my old treasure box" said Ruby, trying to get the lid to open but it refused to budge. Obviously, it was locked to keep its contents secret from others, namely Yang. "Now where did I put that key?" she wondered aloud as she stands. She had hidden the key away in order to keep Yang, and anyone else for that matter, from taking a peek inside as the contents of the chest were important to her. Her precious memories one could say.

She looks and looks but can't find it anywhere. She was starting to become annoyed and was even considering using Crescent Rose to slice the thing open, though she feared damaging the items within. She was just about to take the risk till her eyes fall on a simple picture next to her bed, one of her mother holding her when she was still a newborn. She then remembers.

Moving over to the picture, she takes a second to look at it and smiles sadly, a longing to see her mother again rising up within her. She shakes that feeling away then turns the frame around, opening it. Inside, between the frame and picture, was the key. "Thanks for keeping it safe, mom" she says before closing the frame and returning to the chest, unlocking it, and opening the lid.

There wasn't much inside. Baby clothes, her old red blanket which looked like rose petals sewn together. Her favorite stuffed toy, Mr. Wolfie, which she hugs after pulling out, and several other little things. At the bottom, she sees it, an orange colored scarf and under it several pieces of paper with crayon made drawings on it. Pulling the pictures out first, she sees drawings of herself and Yang as children playing. Another was of her dad and Uncle Qrow having a staring contest, or so she assumed. And then she reveals a picture that confused her, one of her and a boy wearing the orange scarf holding toy swords in hand. Who was the boy though? He looked familiar to her somehow.

'Wait...he looks like Jaune...?'

Ruby takes a closer look. Indeed, the boy did have a resemblance to Jaune or what Ruby assumed Jaune might have looked like as a child. He even had Jaune's symbol on the left breast of his black hoody. She then places the picture down and examines the orange scarf, finding the same symbol decorating both ends. "This...this is Jaune's. But why do I have it?"

Immediately, she drops the scarf as her hands go to her head. A sharp pain had suddenly comes over her and with it, images began to race through her thoughts. Then, just as quickly as it had begun, it stopped. Ruby took several deep breaths before picking up the scarf and wrapping it around her neck though she wasn't sure why she did that. She then sees a photo, one of her, Yang, and Jaune at a fair ground. They were all kids; Ruby was smiling, Yang had an annoyed look on her face, and Jaune had a smirk on his. She turns the picture over, seeing a date written on the back.

"This was taken...10 years ago..." At those words, memories begin to surface. "I...I remember..."

(Flashback 1 begins...)

The sun was shinning down as Ruby, 5 years old, entered the Patch fair grounds. She was walking beside her sister, 7 year old Yang who was holding her hand. And a few feet ahead of them was their father, Taiyang.

"Things seem a bit more lively this year than last year" said Yang.

"Well, this is an anniversary year, my little dragon" says Taiyang, coming to a stop then turning back to his daughters. He kneels down to be at eye level with them. "The fair this year is celebrating the 100th year founding of Patch, our home."

"Wow, that's really old sounding" said Ruby, her whole face in awe of the number.

Taiyang reaches out and ruffle her hair, making Ruby giggle. "That it is, my little rose. That it is." After a pause, he stands and says "So, I'm going to go see if I can find my old friend and his son. You two are free to wander around for now though I'll need you both to meet me outside the fun house by 10am. Yang, you remember to bring your watch?"

Ruby looks at her sister who holds her left wrist out and up for Taiyang to see. "Yep, got it right here."

Taiyang nods before turning around and walking off. "Remember, 10 am girls. And I'm sure you'll like the Arc's. They're a good people and I'm sure you two will become fast friends with the son."

"Dad, that's gross" yells Yang though Ruby didn't understand why. "Boys are icky and gross and I'll never have anything to do with them."

Ruby wasn't sure, but she thinks she hears her dad say "That'll be a load off my mind when you get older then." Anyways, she looks to Yang and ask "Why are boys icky and gross?"

"They just are, Ruby. You're just to young to understand now. Well, lets go try to have some fun while we can, before we have to hang with the weirdo."

Yang led Ruby around the fair grounds and Yang was quick to point out how much bigger it was than compared to the previous years, with more stands and more rides than normal. They soon came to a stop outside the 'tea cup' ride. "Can we ride this one, Yang? It looks fun."

"Tell that to him" says Yang, pointing a finger so Ruby could see who she was talking about.

As people got off the ride, there was one boy who looked to be the same age as Yang that was stumbling around, like he was dizzy. He had on black shoes, blue knee length shorts, a black hoody with a green back pack, an orange scarf, and short sandy blonde hair.

"...ulp, I think I'm gonna be sick..." he grumbles as he passes them, moving on a bit till he reached the side of another stand before falling to his knees, making retching sounds.

"Now that's a sad sight if ever there was one" joked Yang. "Just a little spinning makes him all weak in the knees. I sure hope dad's friends son isn't such a wimp."

Ruby, wanting to sound cool to her sister, says "Can't be any worse than pukey over there."

"That's the truth" says Yang, giving her a pat on the head. She then looks at her watch then says "Well, if you want to ride the tea cups, we better hurry on. We're losing free time just standing here."

After the ride was down, which Ruby had demanded go faster, the sisters wandered around some more till Yang said it was time for them to go find the fun house. "Wait, Yang..." says Ruby, breaking free of Yang's hold as she runs over to a flower she had seen growing by another stand. She leans down and takes in a deep breath of the flower.

"Wow, it smells nice...ah...ah...AH..." Ruby could feel a sneeze building up because of the flower.

"Ruby, we need to get going or else dad will be mad" says Yang, walking over to Ruby and placing a hand on her shoulder. Ruby stands, turns back to her sister, then sneezes a might sneeze, getting plenty of snot on Yang's clothing.

"GAH, that's gross Ruby. Disgusting..." cries Yang before screaming she needed a towel.

"Ah, I'm sorry Yang. I couldn't hold it in" cries Ruby.

"Just stay here. I need to find a bathroom or something" yells Yang before running off. Ruby tries to follow but her shorter legs couldn't keep up and Yang quickly faded from view. Now alone, Ruby backs up to the flower then falls back onto the ground. Looks like she needed to stay here to Yang came back. She closes her eyes and hopes Yang wouldn't still be mad at her when she gets back.

After a few moments, Ruby feels a shadow come over her, making her open her eyes. Standing over her was a boy, the same boy she and Yang had seen earlier. "Looks like you're having fun." He then holds out a hand to her and says "I'm Jaune."

Ruby looks away for a second then looks back at him. "I'm Ruby" she says, giving him a smile while taking his hand. After he helped her back onto her feet, she giggles then ask "Aren't you that pukey kid from earlier?"

"Pukey? Wait, you're one of the girls I stumbled past before." He then sighs and blushes in embarrassment, adding "I see you like giving people weird nicknames before a proper meet and greet."

"Sorry, but pukey was the first thing that came to mind when I saw that" said Ruby.

"Well, how'd you like it if I called you snot girl?"

Now it was Ruby's turn to blush as she says "That wasn't my fault. It was the flower's fault."

"If you say so..."

"Ruby" yells Yang as she comes running back into view. She then sees Jaune and her face furrows. "Who the heck are you? Are you trying to hurt my baby sister 'cause if you are..."

"Wait, Yang. Pukey...I mean, Jaune here isn't trying to hurt me. He was just keeping me company while I waited on you" says Ruby.

"Really...wait, pukey?" says Yang, giving Jaune a closer look. "Hey, aren't you the dizzy boy who couldn't even handle the tea cups?"

"That wasn't my fault" yells Jaune defensively. "Motion sickness is a very real problem for many people in this world. I like to think I do my best dealing with it."

"Right, if you say so" says Yang, brushing one of her golden pigtails behind her shoulders. "Anyways, I'm Yang and you've seemingly already met my little sister, Ruby."

"I'm Jaune. Name's short, sweet, and easy to remember...according to my mom anyways."

"Right...anyways, we need to get going" says Yang, taking hold of Ruby's hand. "We need to go meet up with our dad right now...so, see you around...or NOT." As Yang goes to lead Ruby away, Jaune speaks up.

"Before you go, mind telling me where the fun house is at around here?"

Yang stops and looks back at him with a wary look. "Why?"

"Because I'm suppose to meet up with my dad there so he can introduce me to his friend and his friends kids."

Yang goes wide eyed as she shakes her head. "No way, you can't be...your last name can't be..."

"My last name? Oh, it's Arc" says Jaune.

"Hey big sister, does that mean he's the son of daddy's friend?" asked Ruby.

"YOU'RE HIM? YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME?" screams Yang, her voice being heard all over the fair grounds.

Soon after, the three kids approach the fun house, seeing Taiyang talking to a man with shoulder length golden hair, dressed in a long sleeved gray colored tunic and black pants. "Hey dad, we're here" says Yang though her tone was anything but positive.

Taiyang turns and gives them a look both girls knew well, an exasperated look. "There you are, girls. I thought I said to be here by 10." Taiyang then notices they weren't alone. "Who that with you? Is that your boy, Joseph?"

The man, clearly Jaune's father as, apart from the hair style and beard, looked to be an older Jaune. "That's right, my pride and joy. Well, step forward and introduce yourself, son."

Jaune does as asked and bows. "Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you sir" he says to Taiyang.

"And you as well, young man" says Taiyang. He then looks back at Joseph and says "I can see what you mean now. So young yet I can already tell he'll become a great knight one day."

Ruby doesn't fail to see Jaune's face as he looks away from the adults, his face less than agreeing with those words. She looks to Yang and wonders if her sister had noticed it too.

"Yes, he will" says Joseph before looking back at his son and adds "I just wish he took his training more seriously though."

"Kids will be kids you know" says Taiyang. "Anyways, how did you find him girls?"

Yang then told the dads how they had met, much to Jaune's annoyance. Hearing about Jaune getting dizzy enough to puke had made Taiyang laugh hard. "That reminds me of you, Jo."

"Except in my case it was a fear of heights that could do me in" says Joseph before sighing. "Seems that is the one curse we Arc men must suffer, something out there we can't handle that makes us sick to our stomachs."

"Anyways, lets go get a bite to eat. We can relate stories of our youth to the little ones here" says Taiyang. Joseph nods as they lead the kids towards the food court.

Jaune reaches out and taps Yang on the shoulder, making her look at him. He leans in closer, making Yang repeat his action while Ruby also gets closer to hear them talk.

"This is bad. Our dad's are going to talk about their youths. Be prepared for embarrassment."

Yang nods in agreement. "I was afraid of that. Don't worry though, I have an exit strategy in mind,"

"An escape plan, huh? I can get behind that." Jaune then looks at their dad's then back at Yang. "So what's the plan? You know this place better than I do."

Yang thinks for a moment, then says "OK, if things get to embarrassing, we'll sneak away when they're distracted and make a break for the nearest port. If we run fast enough, and with a little luck, we can be on the next Bullhead to Atlas in an hour. Two tops."

Jaune gives her a nod, saying "Sounds like a plan." Yang nods as well before they pull away.

Ruby smiles, glad to see they were becoming friends even if they didn't realize it. She then turns towards her father and Jaune's dad and says "Hey dad, big sis and pukey are planning on running away together." Her words make Yang and Jaune freeze in their tracks, both turning bone white.

The father's look back and Joseph laughs. "Ah, so young and have only just met yet already planning on eloping. Young love..."

Taiyang, on the other hand, wasn't quite as infused by this. "Over MY DEAD BODY. No way am I going to let my little girl, either of them, run off and do something like THAT. No matter what age they are."

Ruby just giggles as Yang and Jaune both declare they would never do that ever.

Jaune warning ended up coming true. Both he and Yang had ended up being more embarrassed than not as their dads talked about the past. The missions that Team STRQ and Team JSTC went on together and the chaos they'd cause. Ruby ended up being the most interested in the tales and asking the most questions. Once lunch had finished, Taiyang and Joseph told the kids to go wander around some more while they went to take care of some business. They'd meet back at the entrance by 3pm.

Once the dad's had gone, Jaune slumps down and says "Finally, the nightmare is over."

"Not over, just taking a short respite" points out Yang. "We'll probably have to endure more once we meet up with them." After a pause, both Yang and Jaune let out a depressed sigh.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Jaune.

"Guess we can run around and ride some of the rides" says Yang.

"Hey Jaune?" Jaune and Yang look at the younger girl who ask "Why did you look annoyed when your dad talked about you becoming a knight?"

"Shouldn't he have said Huntsman?" adds Yang.

"He did though my family prefer the term Knight over Huntsman due to our lineage" he says to Yang, then looks at Ruby and says "Its because it annoys me that he, as well as everyone else in my family, just assumes I want to become a Knight. They don't seem to care about what it is I want to do with my life? Have either of you ever had to deal with that with your family?"

"Not really" says Yang. "Our dad's just a really laid back guy."

"Yeah, he's really fun" adds Ruby.

"Lucky you two, I guess" says Jaune, his mood becoming more gloomy. Yang then walks over to him and throws an arm over his shoulder, making him mirror her earlier action when he had done that to her by leaning away.

"Anyways, come on pukey. Let's see if we can turn that frown upside down" says Yang, getting a yeah from Ruby. Jaune nods as the three of them walk back to the fun house. It would make a good starting point.

(flashback 1 ends)

"I...I remember..."

She reaches up with one hand and touches the scarf. This was indeed Jaune's though she wasn't sure why she had it. Getting up quickly, she runs over to her school pack and rummages through it, finding a note book she had bought right before the Vytal Festival had begun for school work though she never actually got the chance to use it. She would use it now, though not for school work, but to record what she had remembered just in case she were to forget these memories again. Not that she planned to that was but it never hurt to play it safe.

Every word she could remember, every detail that had happened, she jotted down. Once she was finished, she reread through it to make sure she hadn't left anything out that she could still recall. As she read, she couldn't help but notice the similarities between what had happened back then and what had happened her first day at Beacon.

Jaune had become sick in both instances due to suffering from motion sickness though he had managed to avoid getting anything on Yang that first time.

Yang had left her alone and she had suffered a powerful sneeze, though the fair saw the sneeze being what resulted in Yang running off for a few minutes instead of it happening after she had run off.

Jaune had appeared over her and helped her up like before though the name introductions happened a little differently between the two events. They had even given each other silly nicknames both times; different yet very similar. Pukey to Vomit Boy and Snot Girl to Crater Face. Ruby couldn't help but giggle at that.

There were a few things those memories had that surprised her though. One was Jaune's personality was quite different. He seemed more moody than his future dorky self which she actually liked. And Yang was an even bigger surprise with how NOT interested in boys she was, actually seemingly being against the very idea of boys though she seemed to tolerate Jaune after a bit. A stark contrast to how she was now, being very interested in boys. It just goes to show how much kids could change as they became teenagers.

Closing the note book for now, she wondered if anything else had happened that day? She was sure something must have happened but couldn't remember it. Not yet anyways. Leaving her room with both the note book and scarf in hand, she heads to Yang's room to see if she would recall anything.

"Hey Yang, can I come in?" asked Ruby, opening the door slightly.

There was a momentary silence before Yang replied "Sure, need something?"

Ruby walks into the room and grabs a nearby chair so she could sit by the bed. She then hands Yang the scarf, asking "Does this look familiar to you in any way?"

Yang examines the scarf for a few seconds. "Can't say that it does. Why do you ask?"

"Look at the ends" says Ruby.

Yang does so and sees the two crescent moons sewn into the fabric. "...say, isn't that Vomit Boy's symbol?" asked Yang as she looks at Ruby who nods. Yang actually smiles, then says "Well, well, well, why does my baby sister have something like this? Is there something you're wanting to tell me?"

It takes a moment for Ruby to get the implication in Yang's words and her cheeks go pink as she quickly stutters out "No, no, no, it's not like that. I...I found that in my treasure box a few minutes ago when I decided to go through it for the memories."

Yang still keeps her grin as she says "Then why would that be in there then, I wonder? Hmm?" Yang the thinks about it before saying "Actually, that's a good question. Why is something of HIS in your treasure box? Did you do it when you came to visit dad before the Vytal Festival?"

Ruby shakes her head then says "No, I didn't even remember having a treasure box till I was rummaging through my closet earlier, looking for things I..." Ruby realizes she was about to blurt out her plans to leave without their dad knowing so she could go to Haven. "...I was just looking around to pass the time. When I found it and some pictures I had drawn, I was surprised to see Jaune's family symbol on the scarf and him, me, and you in the pictures I had drawn. Then, while I was holding the scarf and looking at a photo, I remembered the day we met him for the FIRST time."

"Well lucky you then" says Yang. "I can't recall ever meeting Vomit Boy before that day we all arrived at Beacon."

"Well, maybe if I tell you what I remember, you'll remember it too" says Ruby.

"Well, I guess its worth a shot" agreed Yang. Ruby opens the note book and begins reading what she had written down to Yang. As she heard Ruby recount the memory, Yang did find herself beginning to remember that day. She even added a few bits she recalled from her own perspective that made Ruby laugh.

"...and then the three of us went off to have more fun at the fair while dad and Mr. Arc went off to do whatever it was they were doing" says Ruby as she closes the book. "That's all I can remember for now."

"Hmm?" says Yang, closing her eyes and thinking hard. "I can't recall to much now myself but I think me and Jaune made a bet with each other when it came to the carnival games. That's right, we agreed that if I won, he'd have to get down on all fours and act like a dog till we had to go meet up with our dads and if he won, I'd..."

"Yang?" asked Ruby as her sister suddenly looks away.

"No, nothing. Never mind. It's not important" says Yang, sounding flustered.

Ruby leans to the side, see her sisters cheeks had turned a bright red color. Clearly, she was embarrassed about something. It must be about her end of the bet. But what could it... Ruby grins, asking "You bet you'd kiss him didn't you?"

Yang turns back to look at her, cheeks now a bright pink and her eyes wide with shock. "How did...I mean, don't be silly, Ruby. I would never had made such a bet back then. Boys were gross and stupid as far as I was concerned."

"Right, I believe you, sis" says Ruby, smiling proudly. 'Wait till Weiss and Blake hear about this one' she thought though she quickly feels down. Would they ever get to hear about this? Would she even see them again? That wasn't a thought she was ready to deal with right now.

"I wonder why I can't recall more of what happened that day?" says Ruby to herself, getting her head back to more immediate matters.

"What made you recall that much, sis?" asked Yang.

"When I touched Jaune's scarf, it felt like something buried deep inside my head was knocked loose and a bunch of images flashed through my head then when I looked at a photo of us at the fair, these memories returned."

"Then you likely need something else to help stimulate your lost memories even more to bring more out to the surface, just like how the scarf did for you" says Yang.

"But what? Do you remember something that can help me?" asked Ruby.

Yang shakes her head, saying "Nothing apart from you yourself remember and that little bet me and Jaune had going on. Speaking of, we never got to determine who the winner was."

"Huh? Why not?" asked Ruby.

Yang was quiet for a second before she spoke. "Well, it was because as we were going to play a final game, to break the tie between us, we realized something was missing. YOU..."

An hour later, Ruby had gotten dressed and gone for a walk outside. She hoped the autumn air would help her remember more about that day. Her thoughts played back to her what Yang had said, that she had gone missing while Jaune and her hand been focused on their competition. But why had she gone missing? What would make her just wander off like that? Something like that just wasn't like her and she doubted anyone from Patch would try to kidnap her either, not with having the father and uncle she had.

The sound of children laughing nearby draws her from her thoughts. Looking to them, she saw the kids playing around with kites which made her smile. She could remember her and Yang doing that one time with their dad. Uncle Qrow had joined in though he had been unable to get a kite airborne, much to the two girls amusement.

But her mind went blank as she saw the kite of one of the kids rise into the air; a kite the resembled a blue colored Butterfly. As she looked at it, she couldn't help but feel it was familiar somehow. And then it came flooding back. She remembered why she had wandered off. While Yang and Jaune had been busy in their competition, she had spotted a rare Blue Dust Butterfly, so named as it's wings glowed a lite blue and with each flap of its wings, it gave off blue powder that made her think of fairy dust from some old fairy tails. Entranced by the sight, she began to follow it in her child like wonder, soon leaving the fair grounds and entering the nearby woods.

"So that's what happened" she says, smiling a little at the memory. She then walked over to a nearby tree and sat back against it before pulling her note book out of her coat and began to write down more of her returned memories.

(flash back 2)

Little Ruby was laying on the ground, crying hard following her fall down the very steep hill she had fallen into after she had lost sight of the Blue Dust and had started wandering around, scared and afraid, as she had no idea where she was or how to get back. It had been because of her not paying attention, and a sudden sound that had scared her into running, that had led her to tripping on an exposed tree root and taking the painful fall. Even worse was the fact her left leg was hurting especially bad around her ankle.

"sniff...daddy...sister...sniff mommy...please someone..." she whimpered as her tears rained down on the ground and she sobbed even harder. She didn't want to be hear anymore, she wanted to go back home.

Another sound, the caw of a bird, makes her freeze for a moment. She then begins to shake while she rolls into a ball though she had trouble with her left leg. Her heart was racing from the fright and she began to see images of evil beast coming and eating her just like in some of the fairy tales Yang had read to her, except there would be no hero to save her...or so she thought.

"Hey, Ruby?" comes a voice, a familiar voice. She stops shaking a little as her head looks up. She sniffles as she hears "Answer me, little red..."

"...pukey?" she says. Was that really him? She hears his voice yelling for her again, making her cry out as loudly as she could "PUKEY, PUKEY, PUKEY."

"Hold on" he shouts. "I'll find you WHOA" he yelps , making Ruby wonder what had happened.

She didn't need to wonder long as she sees him come rolling down the hill, in a rather comedic way; spinning like a pin wheel before coming to a stop a few feet away from her. His head and upper back were resting on the ground while his body curved up and around so his feet were dangling over his face.

"...Pukey...?" she asked, momentarily forgetting the pain and fear she had been feeling.

"Ow, I stumbled, I tumbled, and ended as a roll..." he grumbles as his head turns to look at Ruby. Seeing her makes him forget all about his discomfort as he allows his body to role so he was laying fully on the ground. He then quickly gets back onto his feet, stopping only for a moment to groan before rushing over to Ruby's side though one hand took a moment to rub his sore back as he moved.

"Hey, you OK, little red?" he asked her while reaching his hand out to her. Ruby took his hand and allowed him to pull her to him before hugging him tightly while crying into his shoulder.

"I...I...I was so...sniff scared. I thought I was..." sobbed Ruby.

Jaune knew he needed to calm her down. Luckily, having seven sister had taught him a lot on how to deal with situations like this. He hugged her back and while rubbing her back to comfort her. He also said comforting words to her as well. After several minutes, Ruby had finally calmed down and Jaune broke the hug.

"Why'd you run off, little red? You had your sister freaking out, to say nothing of me."

"I'm sorry, I saw a Blue Dust and I couldn't help but follow it and...and" Ruby was on the verge of crying again until Jaune hugged her once more.

"There there, it's fine. I'm here now so there's no need for the wet works, little red" said Jaune.

"Little red?" asked Ruby.

"I thought you'd like a better nickname than snot girl. Plus, you're wearing that read cape and all."

Ruby thought about it and found she did like that nickname better than snot girl. "Where's my sister?"

"You mean, Goldilocks? I left her back at the fair grounds so she could find our dads and tell them what happened. She wanted to come find you herself but I managed to convince her to let me look for you as my dad has trained me in tracking. Sigh Never actually thought I would be happy about that."

After a moment, Jaune ask "Are you alright? Are you hurting anywhere?"

"My leg." Ruby then looks to her left leg, making Jaune nod as he lets go of her and moves down to her feet, removing the shoe and sock carefully from her left leg. As Jaune places a hand on her swollen ankle, she releases a sharp breath.

"Yep, twisted ankle" he says, then mumbles to himself "Why hasn't her Aura..." Ruby heard him despite his low voice. Jaune then shakes his head as he pulls his orange scarf off and begins to wrap it around her ankle. "This should make it feel a little better" he says as he tightens the knot.

"Feeling any better?" he asked. Ruby nods before a gurgling sound is heard.

"My tummies all growly now" she says.

Jaune laughs, making her cheeks go red from embarrassment. "After all you scarfed down during lunch. Well, my mom always tells me a healthy appetite leads to a healthy body. Hold on, I think I have some snacks in here somewhere."

Jaune pulls his pack off and begins to rummage through it while Ruby looks at him for a moment then at his scarf wrapped around her ankle. She then reaches out and touches it, thinking '...it feels warm...'

She then turns her attention to Jaune as he pulls a few items from his pack. She saw a metal cylinder, a few weird looking fireworks or so she assumed them to be fireworks, some goggles...

"Ah, here we are" he says. "I don't have much but I hope you'll like them..." He then pulls out a plastic bag filled with cookies. At the sight of them, her eyes go wide as her stomach makes a rather large growling sound.

"Are those cookies?" she asked.

"Yep, Arc Delight Cookies to be exact. A long standing family recipe and world famous or so I'm told" says Jaune, pride present in his boasting. He opens the back and pulls one for himself out before handing the bag to Ruby who could see seven more waiting within. "Eat as many as you want."

"Thank you" says Ruby, now feeling a million times better. She then begins to eat the cookies with a speed that would make one think she hadn't eaten in days. Jaune was actually finding it to be rather scary. "Guess she was really hungry" he said before going to take a bite from his cookie.

Of course, instead of a cookie, the only thing he could taste was his own fingers which makes him yelp when his teeth bite down to hard. Blinking, he sees the cookie had vanished and looks to Ruby as she downs the last cookie, his cookie, before burping rather loudly then falling back onto her back with a blissful smile. "Those are so good" she says before sitting back up. "Do you have any more?"

Jaune looks at her with a deadpan expression. "You can't be real?"

Ruby ignores his remark, instead asking "Can I go home now?"

Jaune sighs before getting up and walking over to the steep hill they had both fallen from. He looks up and she hears him say "I'm guessing maybe around fifty feet and the curve is to steep for me to climb even if I was alone to say nothing of carrying little red." He then looks to his right then left. "Goes on as far as I can see from either side too." He then turns back and walks over to Ruby, sitting down beside her.

"I'd like to get you back home as soon as possible but wandering around won't do either of us any good. Besides..." He looks up to the sky and Ruby follows suit. "We were suppose to meet up with our dads by 3pm. It's already past three, I'm sure of it so Goldilocks must have met up with them. Knowing my dad and how quickly he's always been able to find me in our games of hide and seek back home, it would be for the best if we stay here for now and wait for them to find us."

"Will it take them long?" asked Ruby.

Jaune shakes his head. "They'll probably find us any second now..."

For the next while, Jaune does his best to keep Ruby entertained so as to take her mind off things, mainly her ankle. He tells her stories from back home involving him and his sisters, stories he had sworn he'd never tell anyone because of just how embarrassing they were. But, he was willing to make an exception for Ruby. Hearing her laugh made him feel it was worth it.

"Tell me more, pukey" she asked.

"You know I have a proper name. You don't have to keep calling me pukey. At least give me another nickname."

Ruby thinks about that then says "Make-up boy?"

Jaune blushes before saying "On second thought, I'm fine with pukey."

After a moment, Jaune looks up at the sky, noting the sun was beginning to set based on the color of the sky. "What's taking them so long? Dad's never taken this long to find me."

"They're not coming for us?" asked Ruby, her voice sounding worried.

"Of course they are" says Jaune reassuringly. Wanting to get her mind off it, he ask "So, is your leg feeling any better?"

Ruby shakes her head, saying "Still hurts."

"That's weird" says Jaune, his right hand coming to rest on his chin. "Even if she has a low Aura level, it surely should have healed her leg by now."

"What's an Aura?" asked Ruby, making Jaune blink is surprise.

"Wait, you mean you don't know?" he asked her. Ruby shakes her head. After a second, Jaune ask "Little red, just how old are you anyways?"

"I'm five and a half" said Ruby.

"Why didn't I think of that sooner. Kids usually don't get their Aura's unlocked until at least their sixth birthdays" mumbles Jaune. He then moves himself closer to Ruby.

"OK then, I'm going to release your Aura. Once your Aura is fully awakened, that booboo of yours should hopefully go right away and you'll find yourself becoming stronger" said Jaune.

"Will it hurt?" asked Ruby.

Jaune shakes his head, saying "Didn't when I had my Aura unlocked by my dad so it shouldn't hurt you. Are you ready?" Ruby nods as Jaune reaches out and places one hand on her cheek and the other over her heart. After a second, Ruby feels something warm and soothing flow into her body at the spots Jaune was touching her. "Let's see if I remember the words" he says before closing his eyes.

For it is in passing that we achieve immortality

Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all

Infinite in distance and unbound by death,

I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee

Ruby feels it suddenly, like a burst of light from deep within her arise and fill her whole being. She wasn't sure what it was she was feeling but it felt...right. Like she was a more completed Ruby Rose. She opens her eyes, having closed them when Jaune started the chant, and looks at herself, seeing a faint red light shining from her, especially bright from beneath the scarf. The pain she had been feeling earlier was now gone as well.

"Wow, that was...pukey?"

Ruby became concerned as Jaune's eyes looked distant before he collapses forward though he stops himself before falling onto Ruby. "Pukey, Pukey? Jaune..."

He cracks a smile, then says "So, you can say my name after all, little red."

Ruby huffs while puffing her cheeks out. "That wasn't very funny."

"I wasn't trying to be funny" admits Jaune as he rights himself. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you. Releasing someone's Aura can cause the releaser, me in this case, to have a moment where we'll fade out. Still, you surprised me."

"I did?" asked Ruby.

"Yeah, you have an incredibly high Aura count. It might even be higher than what I have and my dad told me I was well above the average for a person where Aura's are concerned. Heck, with the right training, you could definitely become a Huntress worthy of being like those heroes in fairy tales."

"But how can I be like the heroes in fairy tales. They're all boys and I'm just a girl" says Ruby.

Jaune just smiles at her while placing a hand on her shoulder. "So you think just because you're a girl means you can't be a hero? That you'd have to settle for just being some damsel in distress? Silly little red, that doesn't mean squat. There are plenty of girls in the world today who serve as Huntress's that are so strong they make us guys look weak. I hear your mom was a shining example of a Huntress and what girls can do."

Jaune stands and looks up at the sky. "You may not be able to see it in yourself now, but I'm sure you'll one day see what I can see." He then holds his hand out to her.

"What do you see?" asked Ruby, taking his hand and being helped up.

"A hero in the making. That is a clear to me as your cute eyes...I meant cool, your eyes are cool" says Jaune, a heavy blush on his cheeks from telling her he found her eyes cute. Ruby also blushes a little as she looks away bashfully.

"Thank you. That was really kind of you to say" she says, looking back at him.

"Yeah..." he says before shaking his head. "Anyways, is your leg feeling better now?"

Ruby puts weight onto her left leg then says "Still feels a little sore but I can stand on it now without feeling any pain." She then leans down and pulls the scarf off and hands it back to Jaune. "Thank you for this" she says.

Jaune takes the scarf back and wraps it back around his neck. "Anytime." After a pause, Jaune says "We'll give our dads a few more minutes. If they don't show up soon we'll start trying to find our way back."

Ruby nods in agreement to this but a sudden growl makes her jump, then hug Jaune from the sudden sound. "What was that?" she asked, her voice trembling as they both hear rustling from the foliage and footsteps impacting hard into the ground.

"This isn't good" says Jaune, bending down enough to scoop up his back pack and pulls the metal cylinder out. As a dark form emerges for them to see, Jaune clenches his fist and grits his teeth at the sight while Ruby hugs him even tighter, her eyes wide with fear. "Grimm..."

(flashback pause)

Ruby takes a moment to think but finds she couldn't recall anything more yet. Closing the note book, she stands up and looks off into the distance. "So close..." she says, knowing she was very close to remembering everything about that time. She just needed one final push to bring the rest to light.

Returning home, she finds Yang asleep and no sign of their father. Looking around, she sees a note on the table, telling her he had to go to Signal for an emergency meeting and he wouldn't be home till late so don't worry about making him any dinner. He'd just get some take out to eat.

Being quiet so as to not wake her sister, Ruby made her way back to her room and looked at the contents of her treasure box again though nothing there triggered the last of the buried memory's. Even Jaune's old scarf, which she was still wearing, didn't seem to work any magic now.

She looked through the rest of the room, even going through some of Yang's old stuff to see if anything she had might do the trick but again, nothing was triggered. She looked around the house, looking and touching everything she saw but nothing happened. She finally lets out a sigh as she collapses into a chair. "Maybe I was just lucky to remember what I have." She wondered if she should just give up or maybe she should call Jaune? Maybe talking to him would trigger the remaining memories.

She gets up and goes to head to the kitchen to make herself and Yang some supper when her eyes notice a door she hadn't yet opened for her search. Opening the door, she finds stairs leading downstairs leading to the storage room and basement. Heading down, Ruby sees several weapons hanging from the wall, including her mothers weapon. She walks over and traces her hand over the blade.

"I wish you were still here, mom" she says before looking away. She couldn't see anything note worthy and starts to head back to the stairs when her eyes finally fall on a specific object she had failed to notice before. "Is...is that...Jaune's?" She walks over to the object, a metal cylinder, laying on shelf.

Taking it into her hand, she turns it and says "It is, but why is this here?" She has a hunch and uses her free hand to turn the knob at the bottom of the cylinder which makes the opposite end split in half. She then flicks it through the air, making the blade hidden below the now split top extend out a few inches to reveal it as a short sword.

"I...I remember this, Jaune's training sword..." Her eyes go wide, a tear escaping, as she smiles. "I remember...everything."

(flashback 3)

Jaune couldn't help but step back, pulling Ruby with him as the Grimm came into view, its teeth bare as it lets out a deep growl. Ruby was shaking badly and Jaune knew telling her to not fear it would do little good as he couldn't even convince himself to do that.

Which was pretty bad as the Grimm were drawn to such emotions. The fear they were feeling was drawing in this Grimm like a magnet. But something was clearly wrong though. This Grimm, though obviously of the Beowolf family, didn't look like the average Beowolf for it's body was all black. There was no white bone like armor to be seen anywhere on it.

"An abnormal" he said, making Ruby look at him.

"Ab...normal?" she asked.

Jaune continued to back them up while the Grimm watched them, slowly moving toward them as well. "That's a term to describe Grimm missing the white armor like coverings on their bodies. It's a really rare thing to see. Anyways, quick...get behind me...and be prepared to run."

Ruby does as told. She sees Jaune use his free hand to reach into his hoodies pocket and pulls out a small marble sized ball. "What's that?" she asked.

"Get ready..." Jaune tells her as his thumb presses down hard against a dot on the ball before throwing it at the Grimm. The Abnormal just tilts its head curiously at the act while the ball harmlessly smacks it between the eyes, then burst with an intense, blinding light which makes the Abnormal stumble back, hissing madly while closing its eyes and shaking its head.

"RUN!" yells Jaune, already taking Ruby's hand and as he starts to run. Ruby does as told, her grip on his hand becoming as tight as she could possibly make it. As they run through the forest, they hear the Abnormal's howl and the sound of its feet slamming into the ground as it gives chase.

"I have four more of my little friends" says Jaune, referring to the balls. He then pulls another out with the hand that was holding the metal stick.

"Will we make it?" asked Ruby.

"I...yeah, we will. Of course we will" says Jaune though there was obvious doubt in his voice. "Don't worry, little red. I'll protect you. No matter what."

She believed him. Despite the danger they were in now, she believed him. She glances back as they run, seeing the Abnormal quickly gaining on them. "It's getting closer."

Jaune looks back then forward again as he presses down on the dot on the second ball. He the counts aloud to three before chucking it back behind them. It hits the ground and the Beowulf goes to step on it when it explodes with electricity, shocking the Abnormal which sends it crashing and rolling along the ground, yelping from the pain it was feeling.

"What are those things, pukey?" asked Ruby.

"A little surprise I had planned to show my dad when I had to do my next training session." Jaune then smirks, adding "Funny, never thought I'd be using them for something like this. Well, not yet anyways."

They kept on running though Ruby was starting to slow down. Her legs, being short due to her age and the lack of training (and not having gained her Semblance yet obviously), weren't prepared for this sort of thing. Jaune stops, kneels down quickly, and says "Quick, I'll carry you piggy back style."

Ruby knew this wasn't the time to argue or feel embarrassed so she does as told and Jaune continues running. Behind them, they could hear the angry growl of the Abnormal, likely recovered now and chasing after them again. "How can you keep running so fast while carrying me?"

"It's thanks to my Aura, little red. Our Aura's can not only heal lesser injuries, it can protect us from minor injuries and boost the strength in our arms and legs, letting us run faster, jump higher, and so on." Jaune then jumps into the air, successfully dodging out of the way of the Abnormal's lunge at them. He then spins around and throws ball number three, releasing a series of fire work sparks. Again, the Abnormal backs away though it doesn't stay distracted for long as it was learning these surprises weren't dangerous to it.

"A road" cries Ruby, pointing ahead of them.

Jaune nods as he speeds up, clearing the last of the trees and stepping out onto the dirt covered path. His head looks left then right, trying to decide quickly which way to go. "Go left, pukey" says Ruby. "I know this road. It'll lead us to Patch."

"Works for me" says Jaune, already running down the left path. Unfortunately, the Abnormal jumps out before them, blocking the way.

"Well figs" grumbles Jaune before turning and running the opposite direction, dropping the next ball on the ground. Ruby looks back as it continues to give chase but slips on a path of ice made from the bursting of the ball Jaune had dropped.

"There, head over there" yells Ruby, pointing Jaune in the direction she was wanting him to go. Trusting her better knowledge of the area than his, Jaune does as told. After a few more seconds, he comes to a stop before a slab of marble stone resting near the edge of a hill.

"Uh...why did we come here, little red?" asked Jaune as Ruby forced herself off his back.

"Momma" she cries, running up to the marble slab. Ruby runs to the far side of the slab and kneels down to touch it. "Daddy always said to come here if I was in trouble and couldn't get back home."

Jaune deadpans and says "I really don't think he was meaning for situations like these."

The sound of the Abnormal closing in gets Jaune to turn around just in time to see it arrive and look at him with a vicious glare. It was obvious the thing was mad now. Jaune sighs before tossing the last ball back at Ruby. "If it gets to close or if I tell you to use it, throw it at our "friend" here."

He then uses his right hand to push up the left side sleeve of his hoodie, revealing a bracelet which has a ball attached to it which he taps, making it fold out into a round shield. He then twist the knob on the metal cylinder in his hand, making the opposite end split in half before swishing it through the air to make a sword blade extend out.

"Wow, that's really cool, pukey" yells Ruby.

After a moment, Jaune charges the Abnormal which swings its claws at him. He brings the shield up, blocking the attack though he is sent flying yet manages to land on his feet then charges at the Abnormal again, rolling under the next swipe then stabbing the Grimm's foot, making it howl in pain. Or at least it sounded like it was in pain since no one knew if Abnormal's could feel pain or not? The beast tries for another swipe but Jaune jumps onto the claw then jumps even higher, sending his blade swinging vertical over the Abnormal's left eye, cutting deep and making howl louder than before.

Ruby was getting excited. She cheered for Jaune, thinking he was looking super cool. She didn't understand why he had been so worried before. He was doing great. They would survive this, she knew it. The moment she had that thought, it happened. The Abnormal surprises Jaune with a sudden kick that sends him flying, knocking the training sword he had been using from his hands.

He's sent flying back, hitting the ground hard and flipping till he was on his back. As he tries to get up, Ruby screams as she sees the Abnormal comes to stand over him and with one quick strike, sends its claws slashing into Jaune's back, making hims scream as blood is seen dripping from the Grimm's hand.

"JAUNE" cried Ruby, tears falling from her eyes. She couldn't just sit here and watch him die. He was already doing so much to protect her, save her, and because of that he had just suffered a serious injury.

As the Abnormal does something odd, licking the blood off it's claws, a behavior no Grimm had ever been known to do, Ruby spots Jaune's sword laying on the ground. Her fear of the Grimm momentarily forgotten, she runs over to the weapon and takes it in hand, then turns to face the Abnormal. It's attention was still on Jaune as it prepares to finish off its prey.

'I need to do something' thinks Ruby, breathing heavily. She knew she was Jaune's only chance to survive. But reality was setting in; just what did she think she could do. She was only a little girl, untrained and powerless. How could SHE possibly SAVE HIM?

"You may not be able to see it in yourself now, but I'm sure you'll one day see what I can see. A hero in the making."

Jaune's words ring out in her mind, making her grip on the blade tighten. "...I will save him..." Her voice was a whisper. "...I will save him" she says louder. Her eyes narrow. "I'll save you." She breaks into a run, heading straight at the Abnormal's back. She screams as she subconsciously sends her Aura into her legs, letting her jump high into the air.

"I'LL SAVE YOU, JAUNE!"

Before the Beowolf could react to her scream, she thrust the blade into it's back with all her Aura empowered might, sending the blade in deep enough that the guard touches its black fur. The howl of pain the Abnormal releases made her ears hurt while it savagely jerks its body back and forth, causing her grip on the sword to fail and sending her flying, hitting the ground hard. She tries to get up but her body refuses to move.

The Beowolf tries to reach back to grab and pull the sword out but it had been stabbed into a spot its claws just couldn't reach. Failing, it turns its attention to Ruby, its eyes filled with rage and hate. It moves to stand over her, its fangs bare and its eyes wild. It raises a claw up, ready to kill her with a single swipe. Ruby closes her eyes, praying for something, for someone, to save her.

"STAY AWY FROM HER" roars Jaune.

Ruby waited for the blow to come but it never does. She opens her eyes, shocked at what she sees. The Abnormal was frozen in place. No, not frozen. She could see it trying to move but it was like its body was being restrained by some force. She could just make out a faint light surrounding the Abnormal's body. What was going on, she wondered? She then remembers Jaune had yelled something. Had that done something to the Beowolf.

"Ruby..." she hears him say and looks to see he was crawling towards her as he wasn't able to stand do to his wound. She tears up as he reach's her, saying "...Jaune, I...I tried..."

"I know" he says as he positions himself on top of her. He gives her a smile, saying "You were amazing, Ruby. Just like those heroes in fairy tales." A growl makes them both look back at the Abnormal. It was now able to move again and it was raising its claws, now planning on killing them both with its next swipe.

"Jaune..." she cries as he does his best to cover her, to protect her.

"I'll protect you..." he pants out, his words barely above a whisper and filled with pain. "I swear...I'll always protect you..."

"Jaune" she says again, her arms hugging him. "Me to...I'll protect you too."

The Beowolf's claws strike downward but it never hits them. Instead, its arm is sent flying, making it bellow while turning its body. Looking beyond the Abnormal, Ruby sees Jaune's father, his sword drawn and a look that made her heart freeze.

"YOU WON'T TOUCH THEM" he said, his voice low and dangerous. He was far enough away that his sword couldn't have hit physically. The fact the Abnormal's arm had been sliced off was a testament to just how powerful Joseph's swing had been.

The Abnormal goes to charge Joseph but Taiyang appears before it, his features equally as dark as Joseph's had been. He doesn't say a word. Instead, Taiyang just simply send a punch aimed at the Abnormal's head. In an instant, its head was gone. It wasn't knocked off nor did it explode. No, the punch just seemed to make its head vaporize. There was a second delay before the rest of its body was sent flying due to the sheer power in the punch over the cliff. The danger was gone.

"RUBY" yelled Taiyang.

"JAUNE" yelled Joseph.

"SISTER, JAUNE." That was Yang though Ruby couldn't see her.

Ruby could see her father running towards her as was Jaune's dad. Her vision was beginning to fade as she turned her head to look at Jaune, his eyes closed. As the adults reached them, she had joined Jaune in the realm of unconsciousness.

When Ruby opened her eyes next, she found herself looking up to a familiar ceiling. "Where am I...?" she ask as she sits up only to find herself being put into a bone crushing hug.

"Ruby, you're awake" cries Yang. "You dummy, don't ever scare me like that again."

"Yang...can't breath."

"Now now, Yang. Don't go crushing your sister" comes Taiyang. Ruby turns her head and sees him standing by her bed side. Behind him, she could see Jaune's dad sitting in a chair on the far side of the room. Once Yang had broken the hug, Taiyang gives her a much less crushing hug. "You feeling OK?"

Ruby nods, saying "Yes, but I was scared. First I got lost then I hurt my foot then this giant monster attacked and Jaune...JAUNE. Where is he?" Ruby began to look around frantically.

"Don't worry, sweet pea" says Joseph while Taiyang moves to allow Ruby a better view. "He's right here next to you." She could see Jaune now, laying across from her in Yang's bed. He was still asleep as far as she could tell.

"Will he be OK?" she asked, her voice shaky as she could still recall the moment the Beowulf had slashed his back.

"He used a lot of Aura fighting that Abnormal and he took a pretty nasty hit to his back" says Joseph, looking at his son before looking back at Ruby. "But he'll be just fine after a few days of rest. He is an Arc after all."

Ruby lets out a sigh of relief. "Ruby, what happened out there?" asked Taiyang. Ruby told them what had happened, the looks on both Taiyang and Joseph faces being grave.

"We'll need to investigate this in the morning, Tai" says Joesph.

"Agreed, an Abnormal appearing here is quite...alarming. I'll contact Qrow and ask if he'll join us" says Taiyang. He then looks at Ruby and says "I'm not happy with you running off like that, little one. Because of you doing that, you nearly got yourself and Jaune killed."

Ruby tears up and sniffles, knowing her father was right. But Taiyang simply ruffles her hair, adding "But I think the memory of what happened is punishment enough. No child should have to experience what you both did. Just promise me you'll never do something like that again."

"I promise, daddy" says Ruby, getting a nod from Taiyang who then stands up.

"Well, I think its time we have some dinner. I'll make you your favorite, Ruby" says Taiyang before leaving the room. No sooner had Taiyang left did Jaune's eyes shoot open and he sits up fast, shouting "RUB...AAAHHH!" His body goes rigid from the sudden sharp pain he feels from his back.

"Careful son" says Joseph, already up and at his son's side, his hands on Jaune's shoulders. "I've placed some medical dust patches on you back to help with the healing but sudden movements like that will only reopen your wounds."

"Dad? Where's Ruby at?" asked Jaune, sounding panicked.

"She's right across from you, pukey" says Yang, getting his attention.

"Jaune...you're awake." Ruby had tears in her eyes, her voice sounding relieved.

"Where are we?" asked Jaune, now looking around.

"We're at the Xiao Long residence, son" says Joseph before throwing his arms around Jaune and hugging him as hard yet carefully as he could. "Boy, what you did was reckless, foolish, and I am DAMN proud of you. Because of you, little Ruby is still alive."

Joseph breaks the hug to look at his son's face. Jaune looks at Ruby, smiles, then back to his dad and says "What can I say? I am an Arc after all."

"That you are, son. That you are" says Joseph before ruffling his son's hair then getting up. "I'll go help Tai with getting dinner made. You just stay here and rest."

"Dad?" says Jaune as his father goes to leave the room.

Joseph stops and looks back at his son. "Yes, son?"

"When we return home, I want you to start training right away. I want to become as strong a Knight as there ever was in our family" says Jaune with a determined voice.

"Hold the Scroll, Jaune" says Yang. "I thought you said you didn't want to become a Knight?"

Jaune looks at Yang and says "I never said I didn't want to be a Knight. What I said was that I wanted to have a choice in the matter where my future was concerned." He then looks at Ruby and gives her a warm smile before looking back at his dad. "I still feel that way but I now I know I want to become a Knight, the strongest there has ever been."

"And why's that, son?" asked Joseph.

"Because I found something...someone I want to protect. And because I made a promise and like you always tell me, when an Arc makes a promise, we'll never break it no matter what" says Jaune.

"That's my boy" says Joseph, the pride he felt for his son greater now than it had ever been before. "Then once we get back, we'll begin. Just be warned, I won't be taking it easy on you."

Jaune smirks, saying "Bring it on."

Joseph nods before leaving the room with a smile on his face. Jaune smiles before turning to Ruby and Yang, asking "So, what do you do...GGAAHH, Ruby?"

Ruby had gotten out of her bed and had jumped onto Yang's and was now hugging Jaune. "That was so cool, Jaune. You sounded super cool."

Yang shakes her head though still cracks a smile. "Wasn't that cool."

The next day, Taiyang, Joseph, and Qrow had gone out and spent most of the day searching for any more of the Abnormal Grimm but found nothing. Ruby decided she wanted to stay by Jaune and she even tried to read him some of her favorite fairy tale books though Jaune ended up having to read them to her as they had a lot of big words in them. There was also that little moment with Yang giving Jaune a thank you though that was something Ruby knew Yang wouldn't want remembered.

After five days, Jaune's back was healed up enough for the Arc's to be able to leave and return home. Ruby was hugging Jaune with all her might as she cried hard. "No, no, I don't want you to go. Can't we keep him, daddy? I promise I'll feed him everyday."

"Jaune isn't a dog, Ruby" says Taiyang though he had cracked a smile though. Off to the side, Yang mumbles "Could have fooled me." Taiyang ignores that and adds "He has his own home to return to now so you'll need to be a big girl and let him go."

Ruby does break the hug and steps back but she was still pouting while her head was hanging down. "I...I know that sniff but I...I just want..."

"Little red" says Jaune, getting her to look at him. "I know you want me to stay but I can't. I need to be heading home with my dad. But I promise you I'll come back to see you soon."

"You will?" asked Ruby.

"Yep, because I promised and what have we learned about a promise from an Arc, hm?" asked Jaune.

"That you always keep your promises" said Ruby, making Jaune nod. She wipes the tears from her eyes and does her best to smile. "Please come back soon."

"Sooner than you may know" she hears Joseph say though she doesn't understand what he meant.

Jaune then reaches up and removes his orange scarf from around his neck. He then wraps it around Ruby's neck. "Here, you can have it. Even if I'm not here myself, you'll have something of mine here with you to keep you safe. Besides, it looks better on you anyways."

Ruby blushes, her gaze looking away as a hand reaches up to touch the scarf. "Thank you, Jaune. I'll always treasure this..."

"Hey Jaune" comes Yang. "You better not tell your friends about...you know what, because if you do, I will..." She then punches the air with several rapid jabs. "You go it?"

"No need to worry about that, Goldilocks. Truth be told, you and Ruby are technically the first friends I've ever actually made. All I have back home is my mom, dad, and sisters." Yang nods but then frowns as a smirk appears on Jaune's face.

"Beside, I'm not the kind of guy to...'kiss' and tell."

Yang's face goes all red while Joseph laughs hard, knowing already about that little moment from the other day. Taiyang, meanwhile, just mumbles something to himself no one catches.

"Well, we better be going" says Joseph, already turning towards the road to head to Patch to catch a Bullhead. "We'll see you here in a few months, Tai."

"We'll be here" says Taiyang. He tells the girls to wave goodby to the Arc's.

"Hey, little red" yells Jaune as he looks back at Ruby. "Like I said before, I'll protect you. Always..."

Ruby nods as fresh tears fall from her eyes. "Me too" she yells. "I'll become strong so I can protect you too..."

(flashback ends)

Ruby was crying. All the memories of those day had been regained and while she was happy for that, these memories had also brought great sadness and confusion upon her. How could she have forgotten those days? Forgotten Jaune after what he had done for her? Why didn't he ever come back like he promised? Had he also forgotten her? So many painful questions she needed to have answered.

"Ruby, what are you doing down here?" comes Taiyang, walking down the stairs. He reaches her and places a hand on her shoulder, turning her to look at him. "It's late, you should be in...bed...Ruby? What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Dad..." she says, sniffling while using her hands to wipe the tears from her reddened eyes. "Why did I forget him? Forget what happened and what he did for me?"

"Ruby, what are you talking about?" asked Taiyang.

"Jaune" was Ruby's reply. "I started to remember it this morning while looking through my old treasure box. Jaune and his father coming to visit us all those years ago. Getting lost in the woods and Jaune saving me from that Abnormal Grimm, getting hurt in the process. How could I forget all of that? I'm sniffle a horrible..." Her tears begin to fall again, making Taiyang hug her.

"Ruby, you aren't a horrible person" said Taiyang in comforting tone while rubbing a hand across her back. "You remember it all now though, right?"

She nods. "But I still feel..."

Taiyang breaks the hug so he could look her in the eyes. "Ruby, understand that our memories are incredibly fickle things. Easy to make and even easier to forget. Think of each and ever memory being like a drop of water, falling into and filling a glass. As we get older, we find more water droplets being added to the glass. In time, even the most important memories we held dear to our hearts as children will be swept away by the current and pulled under as the glass turns into an ocean. But even if we forget, the memories are still there inside us, waiting for just the right push to bring them back up to the surface. So don't feel sad that you forgot. Instead, be happy you finally remembered something that was important to you."

Ruby nods and wipes away her tears again, this time smiling as best she could. "You're right, thanks dad...but I still feel bad about it though." After a moment, Ruby holds out Jaune's old training sword and ask "Why is this here? How did you find it anyways? Last time I saw it was still sticking out of the back of that Abnormal your punch sent flying off the cliff next to mom's grave."

"After a few months, I found it while checking on something regarding the Abnormal. Ruby, those variant of Grimm are different from the usual set and not just because they lack the white armor like growths. But we can speak on that another time. To answer your question, I found it and brought it back here. I had planned to give it back to Jaune when he came back but...things didn't quite go as planned." Taiyang then takes the training sword, reverts it to its portal mode and places it back on the shelf.

"Dad, why didn't he come back? He promised me he would and an Arc always keeps their promise, right? Why did I have to wait ten years before seeing him again at Beacon with neither of us remembering?"

"That...that will take some time to explain. So much that it'll have to wait till the morning" says Taiyang.

"But I..."

"RUBY" he says, his tone making her jump. His eyes were hard, serious. It scared her. After a moment, he lets out a sigh. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you there. Please, wait till morning. I know not telling you now will make sleeping hard tonight for you. But..."

"But?" asked Ruby.

"What I'll have to say, once said, may cause you more pain and distress than you'd be able to handle without getting some sleep..."

Taiyang said no more that night. Ruby returned to her room and finished filling out her note book before turning in. As she lay in her bed, her mind wondered what it was she would soon learn. What had happened after Jaune and his dad had left that had been so bad that it would make her father have the look he had on his face and tone in his voice. The very thought scared her. Eventually though, she did fall asleep.

Morning soon came and Ruby was up along with the sunrise. Taiyang soon joined her and while Ruby wanted to start their talk right away, Taiyang convinced her to wait till after breakfast. Once breakfast had been finished and the dishes clean, Taiyang sat Ruby down and took a seat next to her.

After a tense moment, Taiyang lets out a sigh. "OK, I guess I should tell you what you want to know. Ruby, are you sure you want to hear this? What I'm about to reveal may be...difficult to hear."

Ruby nods. "Difficult or not, I want to know. I need to know."

"Very well." Taiyang goes quite for a minute, his eyes closed as he recalls the information Ruby sought. "First, I want you to know why Jaune and his father came here to Patch to begin with."

"It wasn't because you wanted me and Yang to meet him and become friends?" asked Ruby.

"That's part of it. The thing with Jaune is that back home, he had no friends. None of the kids there wanted to play with him. Being of the Arc lineage brings a heavy burden with it."

"I think I understand what you mean. Pyrrha..." Ruby stops, her eyes tearing up at the thought of her lost friend. "She had issues like that too. All her successes put in her a spot others felt they couldn't reach and because of that, they avoided her. It wasn't till she came to Beacon that she found people who saw her as her and would approach her and be her friend. Jaune was the first to do this."

"I see. Anyways, that was one of the reasons. The other reason Joseph brought Jaune here was because he planned on registering Jaune to start attending Signal. In fact, he would have joined alongside Yang had things gone according to plan."

"Jaune...was going to go to Signal?" asked Ruby, getting a nod.

"Yes, which means you would have gotten to see him a lot more often. Everyday actually seeing as he would have been staying here with us" says Taiyang.

Ruby's eyes go wide with shock. "He...Jaune was...going to live with us?"

"Jaune's home is the village of Versailles which, while located within Vale's territory, was within the outskirts. Because of this, commuting back and forth from Signal and Versailles would have been quite difficult and costly for his family. That's why I agreed to let him live with us while he was attending Signal. In fact, the room Yang's using now was originally my office I used to deal with school work when here at home. After they're visit, I converted my office into a spare bedroom for Jaune to use."

Ruby couldn't believe it. Jaune would have been living with them. What would that have been like if it had happened? "Why didn't he come back?" asked Ruby, a knot forming in her stomach from fear on what she was about to hear.

"It happened four months after Joseph and Jaune came here. I can assume Jaune was looking forward to his return and seeing you and Yang again, according to the messages Joseph told me." Taiyang goes silent, taking a moment to breath deep. Ruby could see it on his face, he was finding it hard to proceed.

"Ruby, the reason Jaune never came back was...because he...was kid..."

"Tai, maybe I should tell this to Ruby" came Qrow, his voice making both Ruby and Taiyang jump.

"Uncle Qrow?" said Ruby, surprised to see him here.

"So you got my message?" asked Taiyang, getting a nod from Qrow. Taiyang then looks back at Ruby and says "I asked Qrow if he'd come by and help me explain this as he was on that mission with Joseph when he...was killed."

"Jaune's dad...is dead?" asked Ruby, getting nods from her father and uncle. "But, how? Jaune never told us about that. From the way he talked, he made it sound like his dad was still alive."

"He may not have been comfortable with talking about that fact. I was the same myself in my youth. My dad had died early but I acted like he was still alive with Qrow, Raven, and your mother because well...I guess I just didn't want to get pity over it. Stupid, I know, but that's how I thought back then" said Taiyang.

Qrow takes a moment to drink before continuing. "As Tai was telling you before, there came a day when old Joey and Camille, Jaune's mother, were out at a village meeting and his sisters were elsewhere too. Jaune, wanting to impress his father, did something stupid."

"What did he do?" asked Ruby.

Qrow lowered his eyes. "I don't know the details myself but I do know he suffered a massive head injury as a result of what he did. His twin sister, Joy, found him unconscious with a bloody gash on top of his head. He was rushed to the hospital where the doctors did everything they could to fix him up but he still ended up in a coma that lasted a full year."

Ruby felt tears slide down her cheek. Her eyes were wide and the knot in her stomach grew bigger. Qrow continued, saying "After some time, a mission from Ozpin came up that I was apart of. This mission was of the most critical. I was to assemble a team and launch an attack against the Cult of Grimm."

"Cult of Grimm? Who are they?" asked Ruby.

"Do you remember that Abnormal Beowulf that attacked you and Jaune?" asked Taiyang, getting a nod from Ruby. "This Cult was the source of the Abnormal's."

"We don't know what the Cult were planning, but we do know they had somehow obtained Grimm DNA which they combined with criminals and other such who they had taken as experimental test subjects and had this Grimm DNA injected into them followed by other stimuli being added. I believe they wanted to create the perfect Human/Grimm hybrid being but all they got are the Abnormal's, Grimm with a taste for human and Faunus flesh and blood, a higher intellect than normal Grimm and even, to some degree, Aura."

After a breath, Qrow continued. "I asked Joey to join my team due to his Semblance, which we called Cover. He could warp to the side of anyone within his line of sight and shield them. He could even switch places with another person if he really wanted, again so long as they were within his line of sight."

"But why would mister Arc go with you when Jaune was still in a coma?" asked Ruby.

"He..." Qrow hesitates for some reason. Seeing his uncertainty made Ruby consider something. 'They're trying to hide something from me...'

"Because we needed him. Arc's have always been known for putting others needs over their own. Plus, there wasn't anything more he could do for Jaune apart from simply just being there with him. So, Joey decided to come help me. Besides, the other two members I brought into the team were his other two teammates from his and Camille's old team so it made sense for him to be there" said Qrow.

Qrow takes a drink. "The four of us made our way to the Cult's base and...heh...made our presence known. We found ourselves killing a small army of Abnormal's they had been making till at last, we stood face to face with the Cult's leader. We managed to subdue him but he simply smiled, revealing he had also underwent the Grimm DNA infusion. He then broke free and turned into an Abnormal based on a Grimm we had never encountered before. It was the most humanoid of the Grimm ever seen, having an heavily muscular body and arms, large wings on its back and massive teeth growing from the mouth of its horned faced. We call this new Grimm the Gargoyle."

"Gargoyle? Has there ever been in encounter with them since then, either Abnormal or natural?" asked Ruby.

Taiyang shakes his head. "None that I have heard of."

"Just this once. But the fact such a Grimm had DNA that could be used means that they're somewhere out there, waiting to be encountered. Based on how the following fight with the Abnormal Gargoyle went, I shudder at the thought on fighting multiple natural Gargoyle's."

After a pause, Qrow continued. "The fight was hard. We all took a lot of hits in that fight but it was Joey who managed to land the killing blow though the Gargoyle, being an Abnormal, was able to get off its own final attack before death which fatally wounded Joey. Before he died, he had me promise him I make sure Ozpin would keep an eye on his family and when Jaune was old enough, he would bring him to Beacon to train."

"I was confused by his request, for a long time. When I delivered his body home to his family, with his team and Ozpin alongside, Ozzie told me to keep quiet about what his final wish was for the time being. Years later, Ozzie contact me, saying he had an important mission for me. Meeting with him, I learned Jaune had finally regained consciousness a month after Joey's death. But there was a little problem."

"Jaune, due to the trauma he had suffered as well as being in a coma, had lost nearly all his memories. All the training he had done, meeting you, Yang, and Tai, his dreams, he had forgotten it all. Despite that though, he still had the desire to become a Huntsman even if he couldn't recall the reason why. Of course, due to what had happened to him and his father, Camille refused to let him train or even to attend combat school."

"But why would she do that? Surely Jaune's mom knew why he wanted to train?" said Ruby.

Taiyang answers her, saying "When you become a mother some day, you'll come to understand. For Camille, nearly losing her son AND losing her husband scared her. It scared her badly. Jaune was more than just the sole male heir to the families legacy and the one who would pass the name on to the next generation. He was HER SON and she'd be damned if she'd lose him too. So, for her, there was no choice. She would keep him safe with her at home. I can relate. After what happened at Beacon and Yang getting injured like she did, I want nothing more than to keep her and you here at home, away from any and all dangers. Even if you hate me for that, I can bare that hatred. I can't bare even the thought of losing you both. I'm sure for Camille, it was the same."

Ruby didn't know how to respond. She honestly hadn't ever thought about it. Qrow takes another drink before continuing. "Ozzie's mission was simple. Head to Versailles and find Jaune and give to him the transcripts he would need to gain entry into Beacon. Luckily, I didn't need to sneak into his home as he was running errands for his mother around the village. Obviously, I couldn't just GIVE them to him as he likely wouldn't believe it could work so I sold it to him. I told him when he would be able to use them and the rest, as they say, is history."

"So he didn't use fake transcripts like he had told us. They were real."

"Fake, no. Unofficial, yes" said Taiyang.

"Wait, what did you do with HIS money, uncle Qrow?" asked Ruby.

"Well, I figured while I was in Versailles, I'd hit up the local taverns and sample the local drinks...and woman." Ruby gives her uncle a stone cold glare, making him sweat drop as he could vividly recall Summer when she had that look on her face and what usually followed.

"You better pay him back" yells Ruby.

"Don't worry, kiddo. I'll pay him back..." says Qrow. 'Eventually...'

"Once at Beacon and the teams had been decided upon, Jaune was made the leader of his respective team because I believe Ozpin hoped the position would stir some of his slumbering memories and bring them back to the surface. And even if not, maybe it would at least bring out the leader we all know he can become" adds Taiyang.

"Jaune..." says Ruby. So much had happened to him and most of it terrible. She knew, now more than ever, she needed to talk to him. To see him again. There was so much she needed to say to him.

"I don't think Jaune being your first friend made in Beacon was chance" says Qrow suddenly as he stands, bringing Ruby's attention back onto him. "...Maybe the fates are wanting the two of you to remember the your link from the past. Old Ozzie believed as much. After all, the two of you are his wild cards after all."

"What does that mean?" asked Ruby.

"Oh look at the time" says Qrow, looking at his non-existent watch. "We really need to get going, Tai. Classes to teach, test to give, papers to grade, the female student body to...educate."

"Uncle Qrow...dad" cries Ruby, jumping to her feet.

"He's right" says Taiyang, also getting up. "Except for that last bit, I mean. Get some rest, Ruby. You're still recovering."

Taiyang and Qrow begin to leave but Ruby stops them by saying "Was that all of it?" They look back at her as she adds "Are you sure there wasn't anything else?" The adults look at each other then back at her. "Yep, pretty much all that and a bag of chips. As for what I meant about you and Jaune being wild cards for Ozpin? I'll tell you when the time comes, kiddo. Later..." says Qrow as he exits the house. Taiyang gives her a final look before he to leaves.

Ruby watches them go. "Now I know they're hiding something" she says to herself. She shakes her head to clear her thoughts. It wasn't going to do her any good to dwell on that question now. Besides, there was something else she wanted to do. She returns to her room and drops back on her bed, taking hold of her Scroll and holding it up above her.

Before, she had been scared that Jaune would be mad at her for failing to save Pyrrha. That fear had stopped her from contacting him then. But now, while she was still worried about that, it was a minor worry. She brings up Jaune's number on her Scroll and finds her heart was beating just a little bit faster as she goes to hit the call button.

But just as she hits the button, the screen shifts, alerting her of an incoming call. A call from Jaune. This makes Ruby's eyes go wide. He was calling HER? It only took her a second to react, pressing the talk button and bringing the Scroll up to her ear.

"Jaune?" she asked, feeling nervous.

"Hey, Ruby." He sounded tired. "You doing OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you OK?" she asked.

"Physically, yeah. But..."

Ruby tears up. "Jaune...I'm so sorry...I...me and Weiss, we promised we'd save Pyrrha...and..."

"It's alright" says Jaune, his voice soft. "I know you did your best. I...I should have stopped her. It's my fault she's gone, no one else. If I had just been stronger...had only done what Ozpin told me to do..."

"It's not your fault either, Jaune" cried Ruby, her tears falling from her eyes. "You did the best you could, we all did. But sometimes...our best just isn't enough."

"Yeah, I know. Doesn't make it easier to bare though, huh?" he says, trying to laugh. "Sorry, by the way. I wanted to call you sooner. Wanted to know if you were OK as you were unconscious when I last saw you. But I didn't know if you were awake yet."

'So that's why he hadn't called. I thought he might have been mad at me' thinks Ruby, feeling a weight lifting from her. "It's OK. I had wanted to call you too...but I was afraid you'd be mad at me..."

"I could never be mad at you" said Jaune. "So, how's Yang doing? What about Blake and Weiss?"

Ruby told him, about Yang being OK physically but suffering both mentally and emotionally depressed. That Blake was missing, having run away from them all. And Weiss had been taken home to Atlas and, with the CTT down, there was no direct way to contact her.

"How are Nora and Ren?" asked Ruby.

"They're both find. They came with me back to my home in Versailles After what happened, they've decided to stick to me like glue" Jaune chuckles. "It's actually a little annoying to be honest."

That makes Ruby laugh. She could only imagine. Ren was nothing problematic but Nora, she was probably being a handful for the both of them. "Say, Jaune..."

"Yeah?" he replied.

Ruby found herself debating on if she should tell him about what she remembered. She wanted to so bad. 'No, something like this should be done in person. Not over the Scroll.'

"My Uncle Qrow let slip some information on the enemy; the ones who attacked Beacon. It looks like there may be a clue to finding them in Haven" said Ruby.

"Seriously?" asked Jaune, his tone becoming serious.

"I'm planning on going there soon" adds Ruby.

"Alone?" asked Jaune, now sounding worried.

"Don't have much of a choice there. With my sister in her current state and both Weiss and Blake being out of contact, I..."

"I'll come with you" says Jaune, breaking in. "Ren and Nora will want to come too."

"Are...are you sure?" asked Ruby.

"I won't let you do this alone, crater face. Just tell me when and where and we'll be there."

Ruby smiles, wiping away a tear. "Thank you, vomit boy. I'm planning on leaving..."

(time skip, one week later)

Dad, I'm sorry I left without saying anything.

I can't just keep laying around in bed or stay at home,

not when I know those who had attacked Beacon are still out there.

That's why I'm going, to try to stop them before another tragedy happens.

I won't be going alone though. My friends will be with me,

Jaune, Nora, and Ren. I promise I'll be in touch and I will return

Love, Ruby

Ruby finished reading over the letter, satisfied with it. She then places it down on her bed before moving over to the other bed and takes hold of her travel pack, putting it on. She then grabs Crescent Rose and leaves her room, heading outside. Shutting the door, she turns to see her companions.

"Hey" says Jaune, his voice quiet.

"Hey Jaune" she says, feeling relieved to see him. Taking a few steps towards him, she says "Haven's a long way to go."

"I know" he says. "But it's the only lead we have."

"And you're sure you want to come along?" asked Ruby.

"The journey will be perilous and whether we'll find answers at the end is entirely uncertain" says Ren, making Jaune and Ruby look at him.

"But we wouldn't be here if we weren't up for it" adds Nora.

Ruby smiles, giving them a nod. "Then lets get started..."

As they walk down the path, Ruby glances at Jaune, smiling. She wanted to talk to him about their shared past. But now wasn't the time as it was something she wanted to talk to him about in private before letting the others know. Now wasn't the right time, but perhaps they could talk tonight, or tomorrow. No matter how long it might take though, she knew she would tell him.

One day...

Ruby's chapter, Fin...

AN: Well, so ends the first of the planned 2 chapter Remember Me, Remember You.

I plan on releasing one more chapter, this one being from Jaune's perspective in both the present and past segments which will add more context to everything, assuming I do a good job of writing it that is. Now I know there are some questions to answer and I'll do just that in the next chapters AN as this chapter is already long enough as is. 31 pages long to be exact. The longest single chapter I've ever written for a fic.

One question I'll answer now is...

"What does Team JSTC stand for? Team Justice, though that was probably obvious."

Other questions, which will be answered next chapter include...

"What is the Cult of Grimm? What are their goals and reasons?"

"Just what are these Abnormal's?"

"Did Jaune use a Semblance on the Abnormal? If so, just what did he do?"

If there are any other questions you have, ask in your reviews and I'll do my best to answer them in the next chapter as there may be a chance you might have a question I might forget to answer without it being pointed out to me. I'm forgetful like that which is annoying.

And hoot, till next time, nates...