RWBY: Purple Pheonix

Chapter Twenty-Three - The Death of a Pheonix

Jet dispatched the latest monster in a long line of kills today. He glanced at the sky, where his something caught his eye. A flair? Roman.

"Blake and Yang are safe, guys, let's move" Jet commanded, casting a glance at all the dissipating corpses of Grimm they had left behind them. The street was full of dead Ursas and Beowolves, a Boarbatusk every here and there, and the King Tiajitu that Ruby and Jet had beheaded. As impressive as the body count was, it still barely dented the amount of Grimm waiting for them around every corner, and the constant battle was taking its toll on them all. Even Neo, who Jet had never seen run out of steam, panted softly, and obviously despite trying to hide it. It was only a few blocks, but there was no doubt in Jet's mind that it would be the most strenuous walk down the street that they may ever partake in.

A half hour, a pack of dead Beowolves, a family of slain Ursa, and another decapitated King Taijitu later and they had finally made it to the building. All of them were slowing down, and they still had a gauntlet of stairs to climb. Jet sighed, and began to ascend, the others right behind him, Grimm all trying to follow at once, effectively cutting themselves off.

A long, slow ascent later and three exhausted teens, accompanied by a winded Neopolitan, all stepped onto the roof. Yang ran forward, calling out her sister's name before pulling her into a bone crushing bear hug. Blake crossed her arms and smiled softly.

"Touching reunion kiddies, now we can all die together" Roman mused.

"That flair you shot up should've alert someone, I'd say rescue isn't too far off" said Jet.

"Good" Yang replied. "Then you can explain how we've got to this point, and how you know these three." Everyone's eyes shifted between Yang and Jet. The male sighed, placing his palm over his right eye and forehead.

"Right, warzone story time, I guess" the teen sighed. "Well, it started with a man and a woman, the two of them in love. Then a child, a girl with silver hair like her father and ears like her mother." All eyes turned to Amythest, who in turn crossed her arms. "Then, a boy with hair like his mother, and a tail" he continued, regaining everyone's attention. "They were a happy family. Their father taught them to sharpen their minds and bodies. He showed them how to harness their powers and how to use a variety of weapons. He gave them courage, and showed them how to do the right thing. Their mother taught them compassion, loyalty, and care. She showed them how to take care of themselves and others. However, the father became caught up in his work, trying to make Remnant a better place. The mother did the same, attending protests and rallies. The difference was, the father became scarce. Then one day a protest turned sour, violence broke out and the mother was slain. The children of eight and six ran away, blaming the father's negligence. They hit the streets, doing there best to survive with only their wits, their swords, and each other. They barely got by, until they met a girl the same age as the sister, and a young teen of fifteen years. Together, the four took on jobs as mercenaries, not caring about morality. They grew up together, eventually the youngest fell in love with the girl they met, and she fell for him. They grew up together, through thick and thin. Until the siblings' father found them. Then, the group was divided, the sister fled, the brother was forced to go with his father, and the others turned to even worse work than anything before." Neo stepped forward and gripped Jet's hand. "Then, years later, the boy came to Beacon. If he could become a Huntsman, he could make an honest living with the skills he developed" he finished. For a moment, silence. Then, Yang sighed, stepping forward and holding out her hand.

"I'm sorry for jumping the gun and attacking you" she said. Jet smiled and excepted her hand.

"It's alright" he replied, but before he could say anything further, a shuttle could be heard approaching. A few cheers erupted from team RWBY, but Jet looked back solemnly to Roman and Amythest, then down at Neo. He knew they wouldn't be able to go with them. Without the girls noticing, the three headed for the staircase.

"C'mon guys, get ready" Ruby said to her team and Jet.

"I can't go with you" Jet replied, taking a step back. "I can't leave them behind."

"What are you going to do, then? Fight your way out?" Weiss inquired.

"That's the plan" he smirked sadly. "I'll be back as soon as I can." The teen leaped off the roof, the shuttle almost upon them. He once again dug his claw into the building, slowing his descent. On his way down he hit a window and tumbled forward. He let out a stream of fire from his gauntlet just in time to survive the landing. He drew his katana and began to carve a path for his friends. Bursts of fire and dozens of attacks from his claw and sword. Jet was soon joined by Neo, Amythest, and Roman. They seemed surprised to find Jet outside before them. The surprise only lasted for a split second, before the three jumped into action, fighting their way through the Grimm alongside Jet. Now with all four here, they had broken free of the horde in mere minutes. However, they were all almost completely exhausted. It was all they could do to keep ahead of the thronging battalion of monsters behind them. Jet could feel his pulse pounding in his ears, but his canine like hearing did pick up the whistling of a projectile. He had little time to react, and did so on instinct. He stopped and rammed Roman to the side with a leap, hitting his shoulder against the older male. The arrow, which had previously been on course for Roman's head, buried itself in Jet's shoulder. He panted hard, unable to use his left arm any longer. It was all he could do to keep his grip on his katana. Neo an Amythest had turned to hold back the wave of dark creatures while Roman stood. Jet gritted his teeth, then glanced at the sky, seeing the shuttle flying away.

"Guys, if we die, I just wanted to let you know, I love you, and you're the best friends someone like me could ask for" Jet said, igniting his gauntlet. He began absorbing all the energy around him, even his own and his team's. Within seconds he had collected so much energy that the gauntlet was burning his skin and had almost completely eviscerated his sleeve. He let out a scream of agony and he brought his fist down to the pavement, igniting the massive amount of energy. The blast threw him back and destroyed the gauntlet. Jet hit a building hard, before being enveloped by the light, and then.....darkness.