"Jaune!" yelled Ruby as the blonde knight shielded her from a fatal attack by Salem. The dent in the 'invincible' shield of the Arc family a testament to how powerful Salem's strikes were.

"Ruby…you have to get out of here, without your speed and weapon…" said Jaune his words tinged with fatigue and worry as he glanced at the floor where Crescent Rose was in pieces, as well as…Ruby's broken legs. The damage looked bad, as the legs were twisted at an odd angle.

"I can still figt-ahh." Ruby tried to stand up, but her legs looked like it would give in an instant.

'Damn.' thought Jaune 'Ruby can barely walk, so her escaping would be almost impossible.'

"Jaune, behind you." Warned Ruby

Without taking his eyes off Salem, Jaune used his sword and swiftly impaled the Beowulf that was charging behind him with a backward strike, its body dissolving into dust. 'What, do I do?'

"Well, well Jaune Arc and Ruby Rose, it seems that this is where you journey ends." said Salem, her left hand glowing with a dark and menacing aura, while her right was holding a sword in a casual manner. Why wouldn't she be calm, all that faced her was a huntsman and huntress, albeit the most dangerous ones, but they were already on their last legs.

"Ironic though…that you would end your journey at the place where it all began, Beacon Academy and at the top of the tower as well"

Jaune didn't answer, his shield at the ready and his sword poised to strike at any time. He had to remain calm and wait for his moment to strike.

"It's funny though." continued Salem as she regarded both Jaune and Ruby "A place that was supposed to train huntsman and huntresses, but instead used as a gravestone for all their fallen. Where is Ozpin, where is Glynda, that man Qrow, Taiyang, Winter Schnee and even James Ironwood. Oh that's right…dead." taunted Salem her sword lashing out against Jaune's shield, but Jaune just rebuffed it.

"How many years ago was that two…three? Yet here you stand, making a last stand, a last decisive battle with all your gathered allies and friends, but what has happened to them, let me enlighten you." said Salem as she droned on like she was reading from a book that only she could see.

"Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie, the last remains of your team, left at the entrance to Vale as they stalled for time. They prevented the hordes of Grimm from reinforcing those that were already inside the city and I must say they did an impressive job. Thousands of Grimm fell against those two, but ultimately...there were just too many for them to handle and as they laid on the ground in each other's arms you want to know what they said to each other Jaune Arc?." At this Salem grinned evilly "'I love you, as they were devoured by my Grimm."

"Ahh!" screamed Jaune as he used his sword to strike at Salem, his calm lost as he heard Salem speak of his team's death, but that was exactly what she wanted. As he struck she just blocked it with her own sword and kicked Jaune away from her.

"Not so fast Mr. Arc I am not done yet. "said Salem

"Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long , Sun Wukong and their motley crew of allies, were the next ones. Fighting in the suburban area of Vale, they slaughtered everything in their path; they were powerful, invincible...until Blake had to face her past."

At those words Jaune's eyes slightly widened 'It just couldn't be...but why?'

"Oh yes, you are probably wondering why the Faunus would still side with me when I declared to the entire world my intent to destroy both Humanity and the Faunus. I must say though, Blake was surprised as well and attempted to convince them to stop…too bad they were already dead as well."

Comprehension filled Jaune's mind at that moment "You…you monster!" yelled Jaune as he again attempted to bisect Salem in half, but was again blocked by that damned sword of hers.

"Oh yes, I am certainly a monster, but let me tell you it was quite difficult to force Grimm into the bodies of those Faunus, although...it really was worth it. Worth it to see Blake Belladonna be killed by those who she considered to be her kin!" said Salem as she used her sword to push Jaune away and unleashed a devastating combo of quick strikes. Jaune's shield spotted several more dents as it tried to weather the blow.

"That's where it all fell apart!" said Salem as she kept up her attacks, her sword already slicing through part of the Arc shield. "First it was Blake, then it was that Wukong boy, then one by one the allies of huntsman, huntresses and soldiers you gathered fell, until only one remained. Ruby's big sister Yang Xiao Long."

"Damn you Salem!" said Ruby as she moved to attack Salem with everything she had, even if she had no weapon, no semblance, she was not going to listen to this..this thing talk of her friend's deaths like it was worthless.

"Ruby stay right there!" yelled Jaune as he attempted to push Salem back, delivering a slash from Crocea Mors and bashing Salem with his dented shield.

"Let me tell you what happened to Yang Xiao Long, to that girl who had already lost an arm in combat." Said Salem as she deflected Jaune's sword attack and used her aura to blast him backwards. "Oh she was powerful, her semblance plowed through every Grimm, even the Grimm Dragons that stood in her way, she must have taken out dozens of them…however." With those words Salem immediately charged forward and slammed her sword into Jaune's shield this time it went though the shield, stopping halfway from Jaune's head. "She fell as well, losing her artificial arm, then every part of her limbs" said Salem her face so close to Jaune that all he could see were those red eyes.

As Jaune tried to tug the shield away from Salem's sword , he used the pommel of Crocea Mors to hit the woman's face which worked, her sword ripping out of the shield with a shriek. However, as she stumbled back she looked barely fazed from the hit, in fact she was smiling. Looking at his shield which was broken and dented, Jaune changed it back to its sheath form and grabbed ones of its ends, planning to dual wield both the sheath and Crocea Mors.

As Jaune got ready to attack he stopped slightly as he heard Salem's next words. "Let's not forgot the last two, Weiss Schnee and Neptune Vasilias . Even now they are trying to stop the Grimm from entering the tower, but let me tell you something." With this Salem took a pause and had a far-away look in her eyes, she then smiled. "They are now dead."

With those words despair entered Jaune's heart, everything was falling apart, their friends were gone, killed by Salem's pet Grimm. Salem herself was just too powerful and they were too weak to fight against her.

Seeing this Salem hammered the last nail into the coffin "You are weak Jaune Arc, you couldn't protect anyone, not your family, not your friends and especially not your previous partner Pyrrha Nikos!"

With that Jaune couldn't handle it, he was losing the will to fight and collapsed to his knees. It was true, everything said was correct, she was correct, he was a weak person who couldn't protect anyone. However, as he sank into his own despair, Ruby's voice cried out trying to make him listen.

"Jaune we can't give up now, not after everyone sacrificed themselves to get us this far. We need to keep going, to fight on to the end" pleaded Ruby

"Ruby…its over, we've lost, Salem has won, what else is there to do now?" said Jaune halfheartedly, as Salem just stood there waiting with a smirk on her face. Not even taking an opportunity to attack, confident in her total victory. However, Ruby Rose was not going to accept defeat, to lie down and accept that they were beaten. So she said the one thing that would always work on her friend.

"…Nopppe" said Ruby, her hands folded as she looked at her friend that was lying on the ground.

"…Ruby do not eve-"

"Nopppe"

"…"

"Jaune, even if all our friends are gone, even if it's only us left, we can't give up, not now not ever."

"…"

"Jaune look at me" said Ruby when Jaune didn't respond she repeated her words in a more forceful manner "Look at me Jaune Arc" and with that Jaune looked at her. "What do you see?"

With those words Jaune really looked at her, Ruby's hair was a mess, her skin was covered in scratches and bruises. Her legs didn't look bent anymore, 'She must have straightened them when he was fighting Salem' thought Jaune, but they looked like they would break down at any moment. Her mother's signature white cloak that adorned her shoulders, were in tatters and she herself seemed so exhausted that it was odd that she was still standing right now. All in all, she looked like she was in bad shape just like he was.

"…I don't kno-"started Jaune, but then he saw it. It was in her silver eyes, they didn't bear anymore power since she used most if not all of it in the fight with Salem, but it didn't bear any despair nor hopelessness. Instead it carried resolve, an indomitable will to continue on and it even carried a faint light of hope.

"…"

"Do you see it Jaune." asked Ruby her eyes meeting Jaune's blue ones.

"…Yes."

"Then…" with that Ruby outstretched her hand to Jaune who was lying on the floor. "…will you help me, will you continue on with me, Jaune?" said Ruby her eyes flickering slightly with power.

When Jaune saw that he couldn't help it, he laughed "Ha...Haha…HAHAHAHAHAHA…"

Startled Ruby withdrew her hand slightly "Hey! What's so funny!" she demanded as she pouted. 'You ruined my cool moment Jaune' she thought to herself.

"HAHAHA…I'm sorry Ruby it's just...strange to me, honest." said Jaune as he tried to control himself

"What's strange" replied Ruby as she tilted her head slightly

"Its nothing, nothing at all" said Jaune as he grasped Ruby's hand seeing the imagery of Ruby in her younger days with her red cloak. "Crater Face" he stated plainly as he lifted himself off the floor with Ruby's help.

With those words Ruby gained a slight blush on her face, and realized he was talking about the first time they met except this time she was helping him "Vomit Boy" she rebutted as she stood next to him.

"…You ready to end this now Ruby?" said Jaune as he picked up the sheath of Crocea Mors and the sword itself.

"Always" she replied as her eyes flickered for a moment, then reignited again with the same power she used in the beginning. Looks like she still had some power left to use.

Throughout this entire time Salem was silent, watching the two pull themselves together, but she wasn't silent for long and with a mighty pull of power she blasted both of them with dark aura, to burn them, to turn them into ash, but that girl. That damnable silver eyed girl Ruby Rose projected a shield over both of them and that Jaune Arc charged her! A person of unimaginable power and he charges her minutes after he was in the pits of despair. 'What were these two!' However, these thoughts that Salem was having was interrupted as she had to block that damn Arc's swing as it came for her head.

Jaune used Crocea Mors repeatedly, the sides, overhead, underneath, he kept swinging with skill and precision making each strike count. Each strike was more ferocious, more faster then the last and even Salem was beginning to tire out, but it wasn't going to be enough. Even with Ruby providing support from long-range with her aura blasts she couldn't keep it up forever. So Jaune Arc analyzed tactic after tactic, move after move, until finally when his scabbard blocked another of Salem's sword strikes he found a chance and he took it. "Ruby" he yelled as he used his eyes to convey to Ruby what the plan was.

Ruby hearing Jaune yell looked at where he was glancing at and understood immediately what they were doing; she hadn't been Jaune's partner for the last few years for nothing after all. "Got it" replied Ruby as she used her aura to blast herself towards Jaune's back.

As Salem blocked another blow from Crocea Mors, Jaune jumped back slightly and said"Hey Salem…catch" and then he did the most incredible and possibly stupidest thing in the history of Remnant. He popped open his shield, bashed Salem back and then actually threw his shield, his only defensive protection, at Salem like a Frisbee. While most historians would criticize his action, Salem had other thoughts though.

'I see...you're planning to use that girl's power to break the shield since it's already taken so many hits from me. Thus, making a formidable blast of light aura shards that could hurt me…to bad it won't work!' and with that Salem prepared to used her dark aura to make a shield in front of her. But as Ruby Rose grabbed onto Jaune's back and used her power it didn't hit the shield, it actually passed it…and hit just slightly to the left of Salem…right where the remains of Crescent Rose was…

"Ahhhhhh-"screamed Salem as her entire side was torn by tiny light infused shrapnel from the broken pieces of Ruby's precious scythe, the aura she had collected in her left hand disappearing 'Oh no…' she thought to herself as she realized her concentration was gone and quickly trie-

"Hey Salem…say hello to Cinder Fall and all those other people in Hell for me will you" stated Jaune as he was right in front of Salem with Crocea Mors posed to stab her through. Not only that, Crocea Mors was shining from pure aura from Ruby Rose as she was next to Jaune grasping Crocea Mors grip, the two holding it together…

'But that's impossible… Aura can't intermingle they are manifestations of souls so ho-'that was Salem's last thoughts, but in those few precious milliseconds she saw it. The eyes of both Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc, their eyes…were not the same. In one eye Ruby Rose had a silver eye…but in the other it was a sky blue. The same could be said for Jaune Arc, and in that moment Salem knew, she understood…and she was afraid.

"DIE!" both Ruby and Jaune shouted as Crocea Mors stabbed Salem's body, breaking through her natural aura protection and running her through. Pure aura destroyed her insides, seeking, and purifying everything it touched, until the light finally ebbed, then died. For a few seconds Salem's body stood there, but with a solid thud on the ground it fell with Crocea Mors sticking out of the body. It was over...Salem was dead for good and if one listened closely...you couldn't hear the growls from the Beowulfs and Ursas. No more flying sounds of Nevermore, Griffons and Dragons. It was just silence in the ruined City of Vale, an eerily silence, but a sign that everything was done. Salem was powerful, incredibly strong, she was the Grimm Queen after all, but with her dead the power that held the Grimm together was gone and thus they just…disappeared.

As the sun shined over the horizon marking a new dawn for this victory, there were two people left on top of the tower watching it. Sitting together, leaning against one another with their backs supported by the broken pillars, they just talked. The silver eyed girl and the blue eyed boy, not as a young man or woman, just as kids…for one last time.

"Hey Jaune remember that time…where Yang..."

"Yeah…how about that…"

"That was pretty funny…"

"Yeah…it sure was"

"…"

"…Hey Jaune…"

"...Yes...Ruby…"

"…Be honest with me…we're dying aren't we…" Ruby stated sadly her eyes watering, but still retaining her bright smile as she looked over to Jaune.

"…Yes…we are." replied Jaune sadly, he knew that without aura they would be dead soon enough, they had so many wounds over their bodies, that even with aura it was unlikely they would live. That last attack also drained their entire aura reserves and then some, it sapped the literal life out of them. In other words…they were already dead, their bodies just didn't realize that fact just yet.

"…Hey Jaune…"

"…Yes Ruby?" said Jaune as he looked at Ruby Rose for possibly the last time. Her silver eyes stared at him, as her hair slowly moved in the cool breeze.

"…Close your eyes would you…" Jaune noticed that Ruby was slightly blushing, but he just chuckled and closed his eyes.

"…It's closed so wh-"that was all Jaune said before he felt a pressure on his cheek.

"…You're a good friend Jaune and a good person…" said Ruby as her peck on his cheek ended. Her face was red from embarrassment.

Opening his eyes, Jaune just smiled at Ruby and then looked at the rising Sun as he slowly clos-

"…Hey Jaune…" interrupted Ruby

"…yes…Ruby…" as Jaune once again looked at his friend

"…That was a thing…" Ruby said with a smirk much like a certain sister of hers.

"…Ruby don't' yo-"started Jaune, but before he finished his sentence, his mouth was covered by the one and only Ruby Rose their lips connected for a brief few seconds until they separated.

"Goodbye...Jaune Arc" said Ruby as her eyes watered even more, tears starting to fall from her face, but her smile was still bright as ever. It was infectious and before long Jaune Arc also smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Goodbye…Ruby Rose" and for the last time with the rising sun accentuating both their figures. Our heroes Jaune Arc and Ruby Rose closed their eyes for all eternity...that was how it was supposed to end for the both of them...but fate always had a different opinion on the matter.

Prologue End…

Hello Everybody, My name is Veran Aval and this is my first actual fanfic on this site…actually in my entire life. So I hoped you enjoyed, if it's not up to your standards I do apologize and will work hard to fix my problems. I appreciate all reviews and criticisms, as well as he-

*BANG BANG

"…Give me a minute guys" *Sound of door opening and slight arguing happening out of screen.

"I didn't get any scre…"

"Next chapter…I pro.."

"Bett….el…" *Door closing and Veran walks back onto screen

"Ehh…sorry about that guys…just a slight problem with an OC that I made and no worries she will only appear for 1 chapter…probably…hopefully…anyways thanks for reading and see you next time"

-Veran Aval out