RWBY: Siblings Three (Malereader)

I Killed You

"Tess, why did you follow me?" The words cut through the silence of the Mistrali forest, sharper than the chill in the evening air. They had been walking for a week, a week of hard travel, foraging, and silence. This was the first time he'd asked the question that had hung between them since they'd left the bandit camp.

Tess, who was trying to coax a small fire to life with trembling hands, froze. She didn't look at him. Her eyes stayed fixed on the fragile flames, as if they might hold an answer.

"You set me free," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"You're not free if you're chained to my shadow," Y/n replied, his voice low and flat. He wasn't looking at her either, his gaze was scanning the dark tree line, a constant, habitual threat assessment. "I'm a target. Every second you're with me, you're in the crosshairs of the most dangerous people on Remnant. Freedom was your chance to run, to hide. Not to walk deeper into the wolf's den."

The fire caught, casting flickering shadows that danced across his face, highlighting the new hardness in his features. The blood was gone, but the violence was etched into him now, a part of his posture, his stillness.

Tess hugged her knees to her chest. "Where would I go?" The question was despairing. "They have records. My face, my semblance, my... profile. Any city with a CCT tower is a risk. Any village could have someone they've paid off. I'd be looking over my shoulder forever." She finally risked a glance at him.

"It's not like it'll be a problem for long, when I kill dear old dad and Valerie they'll have bigger problems, and if they don't well, I'll be the last of the Jarson family."

"That's... not exactly comforting," Tess whispered, her voice trembling.

"It's not meant to be." He finally turned his head, the firelight catching in his eyes. They weren't the dead, flat pools from the collar days, nor the feral inferno from the bandit tent. They were calm, like the surface of a deep, still lake hiding unimaginable pressure beneath. "It's the plan. And plans require assets. You said you could find ghosts. Prove it. Find Eel."

.

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"So... Y/n was right? Ozpin really is some magic wizard who's been alive forever?"

Ruby's voice was hushed, filled with a bewildered awe that echoed the feelings of everyone in the room. What was left of Team RWBY, JNPR, and Qrow were all gathered around a table littered with ancient texts and Qrow's flask.

Ruby's silver eyes were wide, staring at Qrow as if seeing him for the first time. "All of it? The Maidens, the Relics, Salem... it's all real?"

Qrow took a long, weary swig. "Unfortunately, kid. Every damn word of it. Oz... he's been fighting this war longer than any of us can comprehend. He makes hard choices. Hides things he thinks will get people killed for knowing." He looked at each of them, his gaze lingering on Jaune and Pyrrha. "Sometimes, he's right to."

"But he lied to us!" Yang burst out, her fists clenched on the table. Her mechanical arm whirred softly. "He used us!" She couldn't finish, the memory of Amber and the Fall Maiden power too raw.

Pyrrha placed a hand over Yang's fist, her touch gentle but her own expression troubled. "He believed it was necessary. To protect the world."

"So what does this have to do with finding Y/n?" Ruby asked, steering the conversation back with a determined focus. "You said the Jarsons were connected."

"I did, that's why we're going to Haven, I have people there who might know something, and we'll be able to meet up with the headmaster there. Defend the relic, so a repeat of Beacon doesn't happen."