[DISCONTINUED] The Soldiers Of Remnant - (RWBY + Star Wars Crossover)

Chapter 35 - Closure

Bold Font - Time/Location

Italic Font - Thoughts

The ceiling-fan's squeaking was the only thing audible as the air of the room was filled with silence. Years had passed since Ruby had heard legitimate news about her mother. All they ever heard were rumors and some theories that were logically put together. They never found Summer's body, so Ruby had always held onto hope that she was still alive...somewhere. Now, her hopes were shattered, and she stood there like a statue in front of Crane. Her eyes were on the verge of tears and she could feel her throat swelling up with sadness and shock. However, Ruby was taking this well all things considered. She wasn't too distraught over it but she wasn't completely emotionless either. She sobbed for a while and then wiped her eyes with her right sleeve. Crane slowly approached her and put his hand on her right shoulder. Ruby looked up at him, a little confused and sad. Crane smiled lightly and comforted her.

Crane: "Remember what I said about not knowing my parents?"

Ruby nodded slowly, tears still in her eyes.

Crane: "Well...I never got to know what happened to mine. You know what happened to your mom now and you still have a dad and uncle who love you very much. It may not be comforting or pleasant, but she died fighting for what she believed in. That makes her a hero more than anything else. Here."

Crane handed her the photograph he retrieved from the area where Summer's weapon was found. On it was a picture of a young Ruby playing with Summer's scythe. Ruby took the picture, looked at it for a brief moment, and then quickly hugged Crane and started crying more. Crane hesitated for a moment before hugging her and patting her back.

Crane: "It's alright...you'll be fine. We're all here for you."

Team JNPR crowded around Ruby to try and help her through this tough time.

Jaune: "Your mom was...IS, a hero. She's something we all aspire to be, and I think she'd be proud to see where we are."

Nora: "Yeah, because we kick some SERIOUS BUTT!"

Ruby let go of Crane to face her teammates. Nothing made her feel so proud and happy. These people who started out as strangers in her life nearly a year ago, had become so much to her. 

Ruby: "Thank you. Thank you for sticking by me through all of this. Remember it's going to be tough, and..."

After a long pause, she continued.

Ruby: "And we'll probably lose more. But we have a responsibility to save the world from now on. We're kids, but that won't stop us."

Gizmo raised his hand and asked a question with his head tilted.

Gizmo: "Yeah, that's cool...but, what exactly IS our plan?"

Ruby turned to face Crane so she had him and his group's undivided attention.

Ruby: "Here's the plan. We're going to find whoever was responsible for attacking Beacon. Since we know Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury were from Haven Academy, we're going to Mistral to talk to the headmaster of Haven Academy."

Pyrrha: "Crane already fought Cinder. Do you have any way to track her? Maybe an imprint through this...Force?"

Crane gave a disappointed sigh before responding.

Crane: "No, but I know a couple of Jedi that could. Unfortunately even if they were here they'd have to touch something that the person has interacted with, and it would only work for a short period of time. No more than a few days. Considering that was over six months ago, it's impossible to track them now."

Pyrrha: "Oh..."

Crimson: "But hey, with us on your side, you'll be unstoppable."

The rest of Crane's group chuckled at Crimson's enthusiasm.

Ren: "The journey will be filled with dangers I presume. We shouldn't expect it to be easy."

Crane: "Nothing worth doing ever is."

Ruby: "Alright then. Let's get going!"

Timeskip - Rose/Xiao Long Residence

Yang had been making progress recovering from her injury...slowly. From her perspective, today was just another day. As such, she did what she'd normally do at this time. She got dressed in her brown jeans, orange T-shirt, and light-brown jacket. One of the things she had a hard time doing was tying her hair into a pony-tail. Her father Taiyang even had to help her at some point. Within the brown wooden walls of her home, she was currently sitting down being depressed on her green couch. She glanced over to a stack of three books to her right, but instead decided to reach for the TV remote to her left. She didn't want to have to turn over to reach them, probably because that reminded her that she was missing an arm. She picked up the remote, pressed a button, and the TV screen lit up. Much to her dismay, a news report covering the events of Beacon and current status was playing.

Male Reporter: "---with no end in sight. Try as they might, the local huntsman and huntresses can't seem to get a hold of the situation at Beacon Academy."

After watching Glynda struggling to repair the damage to a building with her riding crop, and then failing, Yang decided she'd had enough. She quickly switched the channel only to find more related news.

Female Reporter: "---though the failsafes have supported wireless communication with the kingdom, the loss of the CCT tower continues to prevent contact with the outside world. Talks with Atlas officials regarding repairs have so far---"

Once again, Yang changed the channel wanting nothing to do with the tragic events at Beacon. Like her previous attempts, this one did not avoid what she was trying to avoid.

Male Reporter: "Vale council voted this week to continue to ban any air traffic that does not have a direct correlation with evacuation. The council has made it clear that they feel---"

This was pretty much her routine. You'd expect the next bit of information to be as unimportant to Yang as it could be, but this time she was taken back by what she saw.

Female Reporter: "Multiple rumors continue to to circulate as to who was behind the attack at the Vytal Festival tournament. While no one knows for sure, officials have confirmed that high ranking White Fang member Adam Taurus was present for the attack. Any and all attempts to bring him into custody have been met with brutal force---"

This time, Yang shut off the TV for good. She hated hearing news about Beacon, but that was to be expected even if it was only around six months ago. But what she hated most of all was the mention of the boy who took her arm away. Yang frowned and dropped the remote back on the couch. As she did, Taiyang opened the door with a creak and signaled that he was home.

Taiyang: "I'm home!"

Yang perked up slightly and and leaned her head upside down against the back of the couch to look at her father. Taiyang was carrying three boxes and two bags, each of which probably contained usual household groceries or supplies. Trying to brighten the mood, he was enthusiastic to reveal what he and a few friends had been working on to Yang.

Taiyang: "Guess what came in today!"

After he shut the door, he walked over to the kitchen while Yang was slightly intrigued by her father's comment.

Yang: "What?"

Taiyang: "I can't wait for you to try this..."

Yang looked back down at her missing arm and took a good guess as to what was in the white box. Taiyang exited the kitchen holding the largest of the boxes and set it down on the brown table in front of the couch. On the top of the box was a black logo, most likely representing an Atlesian department of some sort. Taiyang smiled and tried to encourage Yang.

Taiyang: "Well?"

After a brief silence and stare at the box, Yang solemnly looked back up at her father.

Yang: "It's...for me?"

Taiyang: "For you and you only."