-~~ KBTS ~~-

The airship they had stolen… is it still stealing if the person you stole from lets you walk off with their stuff?

Anyhow, the airship they had acquired through unconventional means, was quite nice. But then again it had been chosen specifically to transport one of Atlas's most renown citizens. Cordova probably picked one of her best ships.

It had a roomy passenger compartment with seating for eight. With comfortable chairs that folded out of the wall and a few benches as well. However, a pair of sliding doors on the sides took up most of the wall space. A small galley was built into the back wall. Basically, just a coffee maker and a microwave. And behind the rear bulkhead there was a bathroom, and a cargo hold that would have fit a fair amount of gear, but currently only held a few of their bags.

The cockpit had room for four more people. A Pilot, Co-pilot, Navigator, and a fourth crew member, presumably there to take care of any passengers.

The mood was positive but not exuberant. Not to say they weren't overjoyed with their hard-won victory. Mostly they were just tired, especially Ruby. This naturally meant that their celebrations were a bit more subdued.

Ruby, Yang, and Weiss were chatting with Oscar, while Ren and Nora cuddled together on one of the benches. Qrow and Maria were flying and arguing about the best course to take to reach Atlas undetected.

Jaune looked at everyone there and sighed in relief as the post battle jitters wore off. He was just thankful that everyone made it out in one piece. Especially Yang, Blake, and Ruby.

To say the plan had not gone smoothly would be a massive understatement. Jaune knew no plan survives contact with the enemy, but everything that had just happened had been a new level of ridiculous. A building sized robot? And an even bigger Grimm? And to put the cherry on the ice cream Sunday of bad luck, a homicidal ex-boyfriend. I mean, come on! No one's luck was that bad. He glanced over to Qrow in suspicion.

Yet somehow, they had pulled through. Argus was safe. The whole gang had survived, albeit a couple just barely. As had their ship, battered though she may be. It was a true testament to Atlas's engineering prowess.

Jaune knew something went wrong when the radar was still up. Then Blake's scroll went dead. He knew then that things had gone disastrously wrong. He had barely managed to hold it together. And only because his teammates needed him to stay strong.

They had only just barely prevented it from becoming a full-blown catastrophe, purely through sheer luck and the will of the gods. He would have to do a lot better in the future. There had been so much he had failed to account for. It had almost cost him what little he had left.

He wouldn't be surprised if it was his own worry that generated all the negativity which had brought in that giant Grimm. Speaking of his worry, the object of his greatest concerns was currently nowhere to be seen.

"Hey Blake. I thought I might find you back here." Jaune spotted her behind the luggage when he opened the cargo door. It wasn't really much of a search. There weren't really that many places she could have been. And he had already checked the bathroom.

He tried to sit next to her, but the ceiling was rather low and his sore and tired muscles wouldn't cooperate. He slumped and slid down the wall ending up seated a couple feet away from where she had curled herself up, huddled into a crevice in the rear of the plane.

Blake scooched over to him and leaned against him. He took her hand and tried to give her an aura boost, but it only flickered a bit.

"Sorry, I don't have much I can give you. I kind of got bitch slapped through a rock by a building. And I used what I had left to boost Ren to hide us from the Grimm." Blake chuckled weakly.

"It's fine Jaune. Your being here is enough." Blake sat there relishing the comforting presence as she listened to the rumble of the ship. It wasn't quite loud enough to drown out the other team members talking about their victory. To her it all just felt… hollow.

"I killed him. There is no taking that back, no way to make up for that. I mean I probably have done things in the past that contributed to people's deaths, but I've never actually directly tried to kill someone before." After several minutes of silence, Blake finally spoke up. Her voice low, eyes on a spot between her feet.

"If Yang hadn't showed up when she did, would he have killed you?"

Blake just nodded.

"Then I hope he died screaming." Blake was shocked silent by the cold tone of the normally goofy blonde.

"He was a monster Blake. I believe in second chances, but he tried to kill Yang twice, tried to have your parents murdered, and tried to kill you, what is it two or three times now? Or was it four? Sun said that he tried to kidnap you a couple times, I presume when you were brought to him, he intended to kill you then too. He also attacked Beacon, and therefore aided Cinder in killing Pyrrha. He needed to die. If for nothing else, then for what he has done to you. I will never regret the killing of anyone who tries to harm someone I lo… one of my friends."

Blake looked at Jaune with wide eyes. But as he turned his gaze to her his expression softened and the steel faded from his eyes.

"I think, a good rule of thumb is that if you can't keep track of how many times someone tried killing you, it's okay to be glad when they are dead and gone." Jaune tried to smile, but it was shaky at best. He turned away from Blake to look absently toward the far wall.

"But I didn't know the man personally. I think it is also okay to mourn for the man who could have been, while still being glad that the monster was slain." Blake just sat there trying to sort out her emotions, thinking about what Adam was like, what had made him who he was, and what kind of man he could have been if things had been different. But mostly she wondered if she could have saved him.

Jaune sat in silence as Blake leaned into his side. After several minutes he decided to break the silence and began talking, not exactly to Blake, but definitely FOR her. He had his head tilted back and eyes on the ceiling.

"I asked my Dad once if he ever killed anyone. He told me, killing someone is sometimes needed. But it should always be the last resort, and should never be an easy choice, even when it's necessary. And if it ever does become easy, that's when you know you have become a monster."

Jaune put his arm around Blake and pulled her in when he heard her sniffle.

"That's the difference between a hero and a villain. Cinder was so casual during our fight at Haven. It was like she didn't even remember killing Pyrrha. I can't even explain how angry that made me. Might even have been deliberate on her part. But I doubt it. Pyrrha was just an obstacle to her. And she removed her and though nothing about it." Jaune looked down to his fist that was clenched so hard he felt his glove beginning to tear.

"I've thought about it a lot, before and since. What it would be like to kill that bi…witch. I've even thought about what it would be like to look in her eyes knowing I'd be the last thing they'd ever see. Using my semblance on her so she starts to heal, just to see the hope in her eyes die out when I cut off the flow of Aura and twist my blade." Jaune looked at her with pain and remorse clearly written in his eyes. Blake could do nothing other than look at him in shock.

"It's something I deeply regret. Just knowing I was thinking like that makes me sick to my stomach." Jaune sighed and looked back to the ceiling. Blake continued to look up at him with hope, however that hope was tinged with a bit of fear.

"If Cinder was tied up and helpless in front of me right now, would I kill her? I think, Yeah. I probably would, I'm not even sure if I'd hesitate. Would doing that make me a murderer? Definitely. Would I sleep soundly that night? Almost certainly. Would that make me a monster? I'm not sure. If I did that whole thing with my semblance, just to torture her. Would that make me a monster? Yes. It most certainly would. Would I still sleep well that night? Yeah. I probably would." Jaune smiled, but there was no warmth in it.

"And that's the part that scares me." Blake just stayed by his side and listened. Listened and thought about what kind of man Jaune is, and what Adam was. What Adam became and what Jaune was becoming.

"I used to think she took everything from me. But now I have come to realize that's not true. There is still a lot left for me to lose. And I will die before losing another of my friends. And I would do anything, no matter how evil others may see it. And I do mean anything, to keep you… ahem… I mean, them, safe." Jaune's face had a perplexing mix of embarrassment and stoicism that were at odds with each other. It made Blake smile a bit.

Jaune looked down at her and gripped her hand with his free hand. "However, if I ever take it too far. If I stray from the narrow path and fall. If I can't hold onto my humanity… err… my empathy." Jaune gave a sheepish look before he regained his serious tone.

"If you can't stop me from becoming the monster Adam was. If I'm too stubborn to see what you're trying to tell me. If I refuse to listen to reason. If I become as hopelessly lost to the darkness as Adam was. Then the man I am today would want you, Ruby, and the others to stop me. And if I couldn't be stopped, then, I'd want you to kill the monster I'd become."

Blake held him tight as her tears began to pour down. For several long minutes, she cried into his chest, soaking his Pumpkin Pete hoody. Jaune just let her cry, rubbing her back as he silently let her get it all out.

Eventually her sobs turned to sniffles, then to hiccups. It was not pretty, despite what movies may portray, no one looks pretty while crying. He had seen his fair share of objectively beautiful women crying and it was never a good look. So, Jaune did what he could, holding her close and rubbing her back and her hair in what he hoped was a calming and soothing manor. Eventually Blake just wore herself out. After about half an hour or so, she began to relax.

He continued to pet the back of her head as she kept her face against his chest. Then in a moment of inspiration he remembered what Kali had said. Slowly reaching up to her ears, an area he had been carefully avoiding. He let his fingers softly comb through her hair to gently rub the base of her ears. He was expecting her to do something, but he was not expecting her to freeze, going completely stiff in his arms.

Jaune pulled away quickly hoping he had not irrevocably crossed a line. "Sorry. Sorry. I should have asked first it's just your mom said if I wanted to make you feel better to scratch at the base of your ears and…." The words come out in a jumble.

Blake, while not really relaxing her posture at all reached up and grabbed his wrist, guiding his hand back to her head. "I didn't say stop."

She was glad he couldn't see her face. Not just because she had been crying hard and her eyes were surely all puffy, but with how hot her cheeks felt, she was sure her eyes weren't the only thing bright red.

Encouraged Jaune went back to his ministrations. Gently stroking her head and her adorable kitty ears. It took a little while, but Blake slowly relaxed into him which he took as a good sign. Experimentally, he started to scratch behind her ears just like he would with one of the stray cats his sister was always adopting.

"uhhhhhhhhhh, sooo gooood." Blakes almost moan of pleasure was even more encouraging. As was the rumbling sound she was making into his chest that sounded damn near a purr. It was quite the 180 from when she was crying. It was a good feeling knowing he was the one making her feel better. To try and add even more, he decided to try and put a little Aura into it. He had been recharging as he sat there and figured he probably had ten percent or so. He activated his semblance. Once again things did not turn out quite how he thought they would.

The purring sound cut off and Blake's head jerked back with wide eyes meeting his. Once again, she went ramrod straight in his arms. He deactivated his semblance and carefully pulled his arms back to release her. But before he could even ask what was wrong, she was pushing off him and scrambling from the cargo bay.

She blew past Nora and Yang, who didn't even bother to pretend they weren't eavesdropping, before darting into the bathroom clicking the lock behind her.

"Nice job lover boy. Sounded like you really got her engine revving." Yang gave him a thumbs up and a smirk.

Yang turned to follow Blake, while Nora went in to check on a very confused looking Jaune. Yang walked up to the bathroom door and gave it a little knock.

"Whatever Jaune was doing to you in there sounded like it was hitting all the right spots. I'll just guard the door and keep Ruby away if you need to, you know, finish yourself off, or something."

Yang was surprised when the door was folded open, and she was suddenly pulled into the cramped little space.

"Yang, it isn't like that." Blake hissed. "There is nothing erotic about ear scritches. It just feels good, like having your hair brushed by your mom. Or holding hands. Having your Faunus traits touched is something extremely intimate, but it is not, and I can't stress this enough, something that is purely sexual."

"Then why did you run out of there like your panties were about to burst into flames?" Yang was hunched against the curve of the outer hull as the two of them were crammed into the little room.

"Oh gods! He is probably all worried and confused now! You need to go tell him it's okay. I can't look at him right now, so I need you to do it." Blake was wringing her hands and fidgeting nervously.

"Okay. But two things. One, you are blocking the only way out. And two, I have no idea what to tell him, because I don't have the slightest idea what is going on right now."

"That makes two, probably three of us then." Blake sighed as she slumped down against the door pulling her knee's up, which left just enough room for Yang to put the lid down on the toilet and take a seat next to her. "I don't even know what happened. I was feeling very safe and secure and... And then he goes and uses his Aura on me, and I felt it Yang!"

"He got wood?" Yang's smirk died when Blake looked up at her with an even paler face than usual, her ears pinned forward against her head.

"No, please Yang, this is serious. I felt it. His emotions. How much he cares for me. I can't exactly explain the feeling, but I'm pretty sure he loves me." Blake looked terrified, but Yang couldn't help but smile.

"Of course he does, we all already knew that."

"Yang! You need to help me. I don't know what to do!"

"Do you not love him back?" Yang scowled at her. She was willing to bet just about anything on this being a two-way thing, but maybe she had been reading things wrong.

"I don't know! I've never felt like this before. It's not a crush, it feels like so much more, but I'm afraid. Yang, what if things aren't what they seem? What if we are just too different? It feels like we have been apart for a long time now. He has certainly changed from how I remember him. Maybe he isn't who I think he is anymore. What if now he is different? What if I'm reading this whole thing wrong? What if… what if I'm too afraid to even try and love him back?" Yang was heartbroken by the look on Blake's face. The girl was a complete mess and just looked so… lost.

"I promised you all, promised myself, I wouldn't run from my problems anymore. And then this happens and the first thing I do is run away. I won't… I can't run from this. But I'm not sure I can face him either. I just don't know what to do." Blake held her face in her hands, she probably would have started to cry, except that her eyes were already all cried out.

"Awwww. Blakey, it's going to be fine. Don't think of it as running away from him, think of it as a tactical retreat. The way I see it, nothing has really changed. The only thing is you are lucky enough to know for certain that the boy you like one hundred percent loves you back. You just got confirmation of what everyone else already knew. But he probably isn't going to act on it if you aren't ready. Heck, it's Jaune. He is probably going to sit and wait for you to make the first move. All you need to do is try and figure out your own emotions, without worrying about any of that 'does he, doesn't he', bullshit. You only need to figure out if you can love him back. It shouldn't be hard, there is a lot about him to love." Yang reached out and tipped Blakes head up so she could see her eyes as she said this.

As she sat there with her partners chin in her hand, she realized that having said her piece this would be the perfect time to walk away and leave Blake to her thoughts. Except that she was now effectively trapped in the bathroom.

She just sort of let Blake's head go and slowly retracted her arm. With nothing else to really say, and with no way of escape, she could only sit there.

Predictably, the uncomfortable silence that descended as Blake lost herself in thought was intense. Made ten times worse by the fact that sitting in the bathroom had made Yang realize just how badly she needed to pee, yet her nearly catatonic partner was now making that impossible.

Meanwhile, In the back of the airship, Nora went to keep a distraught Jaune company. Taking a seat next to him she gives him a pat on the shoulder.

"I messed things up, didn't I?" Jaune turns to her with eyes filled with fear.

"Nahhh. I don't think so." Nora remained as chipper as ever. "She just needs to figure some stuff out."

"You think so?" Jaune stood, hope replacing fear, but he still had no idea what to do so ended up just fidgeting in place.

Nora watched him with a critical eye. "You guys both pretend like you want to be 'just friends', but you don't, do you? You want to be together-together. Because you love her. Don't you?"

"Yeah." Jaune doesn't so much say the word as sigh it. But not dreamily like in some rom com. He sounded like he is admitting to a mortal sin.

"You feel guilty about it. Don't you?" Nora tilted her head as she looked up at her leader.

"How can I not?" Jaune let out an exasperated groan as he plopped back down.

"Is it about Pyrrha?" Nora leaned her head on his shoulder as he took his head in his hands. Jaune had made a lot of progress during their time in Argus. She never would have brought up Pyrrha before, but he had finally come to terms with his grief while they had been staying there. He stiffened a bit at the mention of her name, but with another sigh relaxed again, although he still had his fists clenched.

"Yeah, that, but also Weiss. I've had a lot of time to think about things. I now know that, what I felt for Weiss wasn't completely real. At least not like this anyway. I don't think it was even Weiss necessarily that I was infatuated with, just more the idea of what she represented. The princess in the tower, the one I was supposed to rescue. All to fulfill my stupid dream of being the dashing hero. But now I feel doubly guilty for not treating Weiss like a person, and for ignoring Pyrrha." Jaune groaned again pulling into himself even further.

"I'm not even sure what I felt or feel about Pyrrha anymore. I mean I cared about her a lot. But, did I love her the same way she loved me? I never really got the chance to talk to her and figure it out. Now I feel like I'm betraying her memory by replacing her. It's been less than a year and I'm pining after someone new."

"You shouldn't feel that way. If it were me and I had died, I wouldn't want Ren to torture himself forever. I would want him to be happy. To move on and find someone else who could love him as I did. I think Pyrrha would have felt the same. And I think she would be happy for Blake. Out of all of us she needs someone the most, someone who can love her for who she is and help heal some of her past. I think Pyrrha would be proud of you for helping Blake find happiness too. The same way you did for her." Nora stood up and turned offering a hand to pull him to his feet.

"Thanks Nora. So, should I go talk to her?" Jaune shook his arm after having it nearly torn out of its socket.

"No. Not right now, give her a minute. Go talk to Weiss. Clear the air with her, you'll feel better. Then you can be the big hero and sweep the damsel off her feet and save her from the emotional prison she has built around herself." Nora struck a pose as Jaune couldn't help but smile.

-~~ KBTS ~~-

AN: Welcome to Volume 6's post credit arc. In case you couldn't tell, this takes place in the aftermath of their flight from Argus. With the way volume 6 ended and 7 started I have had to retool some of my ideas a bit, so everything happens on the airship. Hopefully the somewhat jarring transitions this story makes when shifting to the next volume were not exacerbated by that.

I'm taking a few liberties with the ship's layout. On every map of remnant I've seen, Argus and Atlas are pretty far apart. I have got to assume they are in for a bit of a flight and I'd hope that the plane had more than a bucket in the corner. Plus, for story's sake I needed a way to separate the groups of characters. I don't think Roosterteeth (the true owners of all things RWBY by the by) took any of that into account when doing their set design for the interior or exterior of that ship. I am going to assume it to be at least a 6-hour flight, made longer by their need to skirt radar installations.

At the end of season 6, just before the giant Grimm appears. Blake is clearly distraught. Yang tries to comfort her, but is interrupted. I personally feel like Yang, despite her best efforts, would be unable to console Blake and it would have to fall on someone else, in this case Jaune. Yang could only ever see Adam as a monster. He was literally her own personal demon. The bogyman haunting her dreams. But he was a person to Blake. I truly think Jaune would have been in the best place emotionally to see both sides of the coin and to provide what was needed to comfort Blake.