Reaper Of Remnant Volume 1 (A RWBY Fanfic)

8.

Reaper walks into the hanger where Winter's transport was moved to. He sees Winter about to board the transport before she looks back and sees him walk up.

Winter: You took your time getting here. You didn't get lost did you?

Reaper rubs the back of his head a little embarrassed. Winter smiles in amusement.

Winter: Well, I'm glad I got the chance to say goodbye before I left, Reaper.

Winter hugs the Grimm and he hugs her back. She then walks up the ramp to her transport.

Winter: Oh, and Reaper? I hope you can find your peace someday. You're a good person despite being from darkness. I wanted you to know that.

Reaper nods and waves at Winter, who does a little wave in return and smiles as the ramp lifts and closes up the transport. He watches the transport launch out of the hanger and sees it make a flyby above the main courtyard before flying away from the academy. Reaper walks out of the hanger while looking down.

~Flashback~

In Mistral, it is raining as Reaper runs through the streets towards the hospital with Summer in his arms.

Please no, don't die. You have a little girl to get back to! These were Reaper's thoughts as he ran. He hears Summer cough up blood.

Summer: Reaper, please put me down for a minute.

Reaper looks at her and shakes his head. He keeps running until her coughs get more violent.

Summer: Reaper, please...

Reaper finally stops and looks at her. He finds a spot and sits her down near a crate. A group of people surround them as he grabs a clean cloth from a stand to place it on Summer's wound. Summer can't help but smile weakly.

Summer: So much for me getting to teach you how to bake cookies.

Reaper looks at her and sees tears in her eyes. She coughs.

Summer: Reaper... Please don't blame yourself for this. It's not your fault.

Summer coughs up more blood, Reaper uses another cloth to clean off the blood from her mouth.

Summer: Please promise me... to protect Ruby for me. Help Tai and Qrow watch over her. And... *Cough* make sure she can grow up to be the best person she can be. And also make sure Yang doesn't get into too much trouble, heh.

Summer coughs again and Reaper nods to her. She smiles weakly.

Summer: You're a good person Reaper. I hope you find peace and happiness some day.

Her eyes start closing. Reaper shakes his head and places his hands on her shoulders. He hears one last exhale from her. The Grimm silently looks at her and then looks at his dark hands, stained with Summer's blood. He holds Summer close to him as he hugs her tightly until he hears someone running towards them, shoving past the crowd. Reaper looks to see Qrow and Raven soaked from the rain running to him before stopping. Qrow looks at Reaper then the lifeless Summer and collapses to his knees while Raven looks at Summer with wide eyes.

Qrow: No...

Raven: Summer...

Qrow's tears flow down his cheek as he looks at Reaper. He is surprised to see tears coming out of Reaper's eyes as well, but they are darker than normal tears. Paramedics finally arrive on the scene and get Summer out of there with some hope of reviving her. But the three know that she's long gone now.

Several days later, Qrow is standing by a transport in front of Reaper. Raven had left to head back to her tribe. Qrow takes out a flask he just bought and takes a swing of it before looking at Reaper.

Qrow: You sure you want to head to Patch the long way Reaper? It can take you a couple years to get there.

Reaper nods silently, he doesn't want to face Summer's husband and child just yet. He needs to sort things out while he treks across the sea and through Vale before he starts doing as Summer asked.

Qrow: Well, I'll see you when you do show up.

He walks up into the transport as Reaper turns around.

Qrow: And Reaper...

Reaper looks back at Qrow.

Qrow: Don't blame yourself for Summer... She wouldn't want that.

Reaper looks down and then tips his hat at Qrow before walking off the landing pad. He watches the transport with Qrow launch and fly off to Vale. The Grimm then silently starts walking on his two year journey to Patch.

~Back to the Present~

Ruby is walking with Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren heading to the transport to the coliseum. Ruby had just told her friends about Reaper and one of them was very enthusiastic with questions.

Nora: So wait, Reaper's been with you guys for ten years and you just called him that name the whole time?!

Ren: That's what you're curious about? I'm curious how Reaper even met Ruby's mother and uncle.

Ruby: Yeah, we tried other names for him, but he hated every one of them! We tried Kuro, Zwei before we got my dog, Albert, he wouldn't settle for any of them. So we just stuck with Reaper.

Pyrrha: It could be because he's the last of the Reapers. So he carries the name to honor his kind?

Ruby: That's what Uncle Qrow thinks too. And as for how Reaper and my mom met, well, according to Uncle Qrow, they met when my mom was on a tree surrounded by Beowolves.

Ren: Why was she in a tree?

Ruby: She lost her weapon and Reaper found it on the ground near her tree.

Pyrrha: Then he helped her deal with the Beowolves?

Ruby: No, he took the weapon and just kept walking down the trail he was on. He did give it back not long after when she managed to get away from the Grimm. Honestly, I think he was messing around with her because he had nothing else to do.

Nora: Weird start to a friendship.

Ruby: Mhm.

Jaune: So, what has Reaper been doing during those past ten years with you and Yang?

Ruby: Well, besides helping Qrow train me to use my scythe or helping Dad train Yang, he usually kept an eye on me and Yang whenever dad was away. Sometimes he goes on missions with Uncle Qrow. He was also the only one bold enough to cut Yang's hair even when she literally was about to tear him apart.

Nora: He's crazy enough to do THAT?!

Ruby: He actually developed a ton of strategies for holding Yang down as a result of that. Though he gave up on cutting her hair when she got older. Too dangerous.

Nora: What else does he do at your house?

Ruby: Guard the cookie jar at night.

JNPR tilts their heads at Ruby. She shudders thinking about the times she tried to raid the cookies at night.

Ruby: Those red eyes in the dark..... Oh look, we're at the transports!

Everyone looks to the transports heading to the coliseum. Time to enjoy some fights!

End Part!