Welcome back to Once Upon a Fallen Rose!

The response to this story has been amazing. Every favorite and review makes me even more excited to write the next chapter.

Hopefully some reader concerns are addressed this chapter. Mostly Ruby's dialogue and mannerisms.

Oh and something I really should have put in the first chapter. This fic has spoilers for both RWBY and the Gaunt's Ghosts book series. This is the only warning i'm gonna issue about it. SPOILERS AHEAD ALL WHO ENTER HERE.

Gonna try and explain more about 40k at some point. I assume most people here are RWBY fans so I'll be lighter on the lore with regards to that. Don't expect a history of the Imperium or anything but as stuff gets introduced you'll learn with the characters.

Anyways. On with the show.

/-/

Ruby learned how to play soldier quickly. Yes Sir. No Sir. Of course Sir. it was all surprisingly easy once you'd been at it awhile. Even if you hadn't it wasn't hard to pick up.

They were awoken by Sergeants with shock batons at stupid o'clock in the morning. Or what passed for morning on the ship. The Last Rose Of Summer. It still sent chills through her. It couldn't be a coincidence. She'd lain awake at night. Wept with Jaune as they wrapped their arms around each other for comfort. Ruby kept having nightmares as whispers turned to voices as they sailed through the Warp. Jaune was just broken. A shattered man who had failed his team. "It's my fault" he whispered into the dark. Over and over, an unhealthy mantra. He's whisper his teammates names like a prayer. She started doing the same. She squeeze her eyes shut and colours would flash across the landscape of her mind. White, fresh fallen snow. Black, rippling shadows. Yellow, rising flames. Emotions that couldn't be described ran through her. All lost to her now.

But she had to be strong. Just like when her mother died she had to push her grief down lest it swallow her in it's suffocating grip. She had to be strong for Jaune, her first friend.

Slowly she reached up to run her hands through his hair. Singing softly in his ear. Like Yang used to do for her right after Summer was gone. Gradually he stopped shaking.

The hold was quiet after that. The entire platoon crammed into the same narrow barracks. Stark steel grey walls broken up by gun metal girders. Kit was strewn about everywhere. Ruby had stored both her and Jaunes gear on her bed. Crocea Mors was still strapped to Jaunes body despite her seeing Cinder with it. After the whole "Dying and waking up in another galaxy" thing she just decided to chalk it up to weird shit. Which had way to many marks in it's tally as far as she was concerned.

Everyone was asleep as far as she could tell. Apart from the distant sound of what she thought were pipes all she could hear was gentle snoring. Rolling nimbly she pulled the duvet over the both of them, covering as much of them as she could. Putting her hand to his chest she began to whisper. The words came to her again. The very same she'd used to unlock her own Aura.

"For it is through sacrifice we are remembered. Through doing right we are venerated. It is my solemn burden and my greatest duty. An endless task without compromise or respite. I share this duty with you and release your soul, may it bear your burdens, and shield your heart."

His eyes shot open. It was all she saw before she was blinded by white.

The Light of Jaunes Soul was a pure colour and all consuming. The ship began to shake violently and alarm claxons went off with keening warbles. Kit was thrown everywhere along with bodies. A Tanith trooper sailed across the barracks and Ruby heard his arm snap like a dry twig. It was chaos.

With another shake the ship smoothed out. "What the feth was that?" said the Trooper nearest her. "Saw nothing but white then all gakking feth broke loose" another conferred.

Ruby said nothing as she picked up her gear. An announcement came over the tannoy saying it was just a slight warp mishap.

Ruby cursed herself. What was she thinking doing something like that during a warp transit? She should have done it back on New Tanith! Stupid stupid stupid.

A hand grabbed her from behind and pulled her into the corridor.

"Train me" Jaune said. "I have my Aura now thanks to you. I was useless before but now I can be better. I can make Pyrrha, my team. Proud." He still had tears in his eyes. His stance was still uncertain. His grip was shaky but she couldn't say no to helping anyone. Let alone someone so desperate. "Okay" she said, collecting herself. "We start now"

/-/

They found a suitable enough space in a disused cargo hold. No one had tried to stop them. Lots of troopers couldn't sleep after the "Warp transit error"

Drab green crates with raised aquillias on the sides walled off their battleground. Despite his declaration Jaune still looked nervous. Ruby had bought their weapons with them.

She eyed him as they walked. Hand wrapped around the hilt of Crocea Mors and uncertain eyes scanning around. He had the stance of a warrior but she knew she could wipe the floor with him. What was his issue?

She'd find out soon. They faced each other in the cargo space and she unlimbered Crescent Rose in one smooth movement. Unloading the clip she slipped it back into her belt. Adjusting her flak armour she dropped into a combat stance. Annoyed at how restrictive her new pants felt. Where the hell in this Imperium was she supposed to get a military approved combat skirt?

Jaune drew Crocea Mors and raised it's shield in front of him. Scratching the back of his neck he avoided her gaze "So…"

She smiled goofily at him. "C'mon Jaune. Hit me." She knew she was better than him. Even now she itched to dash forward and put him on the ground. But then he'd never learn anything. It wouldn't do to frustrate him just yet. Not before she saw what he could do.

Nervously he edged forward and gave her a testing slash. Her hands twitched on the hilt of Crescent Rose but she sidestepped instead of attacking. His blow didn't whistle past like it should. He had pulled it at the last second and was already falling back into a defensive stance.

Yelling he came for her again. She weaved through it with a dancers grace. Semblance straining to be unleashed. Her body yearned to break into rose petals and scatter in the air. She restrained herself and tried to pierce his defense. His Aura was monstrous but his control was beginner. Her quick slashes yielded a few thin red lines. He merely stepped into her strikes with the grimace of one used to it.

Flashes of anger appeared on his face but they faded quickly. He was controlling himself. Keeping his anger in check lest he lose control.

She overextended a strike so blatant anyone else would have assumed it was a trap. But Jaune, elated with the chance to get a hit in went for it. She ducked her head and he was already winding his arm back in. pulling another perfectly good strike.

"Stop." She said. He lowered his blade.

"How often did you train with your team?" she asked him.

He reached up for the back of his neck again, a nervous habit she'd noticed.

"I trained with Pyrrha. On the rooftop every night."

She nodded "How often did you get a hit in"

He hung his head. "Never."

She could see one of the problems. Pyrrha was the Invincible Girl. An absolute monster with her weapons and no slouch in hand to hand either. He literally had no time to practice attacking and subconsciously conserved energy to defend himself against her punishing attacks. "You need to put some weight behind your strikes. You can't keep drawing yourself back to conserve energy for defense."

"But what if I fail?"

"Than fail! Better for you to do it in training than out there." She gestured vaguely in the direction of outside the ship.

He nodded once and raised his blade. With a flourish of his sword he charged her. She flicked her scythe into his guard and felt it ping off his Aura. As she dodged she felt his blade roar over her head. She could feel the power he was putting into it. "Good!" she said. "Now lets work on your anger. I know you have it. Why don't you use it?" She rolled past his silent strikes. Using her full skill set to dodge every swing. "You'll never hit me like that." She taunted. "You'll never be useful if you keep fighting like Pyrrha. She's a Technical fighter. You need to use your anger. Give into it Jaune!" She launched a punishing barrage of strikes. Snapping Jaunes head four different ways in as many seconds. Kicking his legs out from under him.

"Pathetic." She spat.

He raised his eyes and she stepped back slightly. He was in a rage now.

"Oh so now you're ready to fight? She gave him a sarcastic smile "Do your best Vomit Boy."

He flicked a bunch of loose camo netting her way. She tried to sidestep but he was there in her guard. Relentlessly pushing an assault. Not giving her a second to think. She bought Crescent Rose up with a twirl and sliced it across his stomach but he grunted and ignored it. With a mighty crack he backhanded her and she spun off balance.

Seeing red she came at him like a beowulf. He flew past her strikes or just tanked them. Bringing his shield up to dodge or simply using it as a battering ram against his lithe opponent. Their blows connected again and again as they came apart and crashed together. Locked in a dance of anger and raw primal emotion.

She was fighting hard now. Breathing harder as their combat dragged on. It was like a switch had been flicked and suddenly Jaune was set free. He had his own style of grappling and deflecting.

She was loving every second as they went all out against each other. Neither able to gain the upper hand. "Good!" she praised, he was finally developing his own rhythm, not relying on brute strength and flawless technique like Pyrrha.

Until Ruby got careless with a strike and suddenly her baby was on the floor, already folding itself back up. She tried to roll out of the way but he slammed into her and pinned her hands above her head. They were both panting hard. Both sweating heavily. He was smirking down at her in hard earned victory. She was painfully aware of their bodies being pressed together. Her breasts rubbing against the front of his flak armour. He didn't seem to notice as her cheeks flushed and heat pooled in her stomach. She wanted to pull him closer.

Crocea Mors fell to the floor as they stared into each others eyes. His were a deep sapphire color. She'd never noticed back on Remnant.

"Good fight" She squealed. Melting into rose petals she got out of the pin and swept Jaunes feet out from under him. "We'll practise again tomorrow night." she said before bolting out the door. Sealing the bulkhead behind her she pressed her back up against the cool metal, hood drawn up.

"What the hell was that?" She said into the air.

/-/

Jaune had dismissed Ruby's sudden exit as just her being weird. He pointedly ignored the dusting of red on her cheeks reminiscent of his late partner. You didn't have your partner/girlfriend die in front of you suddenly after months of crushing on you without learning the signs the hard way. Pyrrha had suddenly left rooms like that all the time.

Great. This was all he needed.

He pushed it down deep. He didn't need whatever the hell Ruby was putting out. Didn't need to complicate things beyond how fucked they already were.

His anger mounted as the Colonel took them on a punishing hike through the ship. The Last Rose of Summer was an absolute monster of a vessel. Bigger than Vale and they were bloody running up and down it. Like they did every fucking morning.

He struggled. His conditioning had improved under Nora's insane training routine back on Remnant. He shuddered remembering it. He missed his teammate. Regretted what must have been her death. But he prayed to this God Emperor everyone kept telling him about that he never had to train with her again.

Ruby ran alongside him. He spared her a sidewards glance. She was actually kinda cute. In an innocent sort of way. She had forgone her flak armour and even her cloak and was running in a black form fitting tube top and khaki trousers. Underneath all that she always wore she was muscled as Yang. She didn't have the size her sister did but Jaune could see she packed just as much muscle in her lithe frame.

He looked straight ahead again. Fighting a pain in his side he gritted his teeth.

He would keep going. For his team. For himself.

And now for Ruby. To protect her. To protect each other.

One promise he was determined not to break.

/-/

Three months passed in a blur for Ruby.

She was kicked awake in the mornings. Ran all morning. Spoke to no one but Jaune in the mess hall. Not for lack of trying on her part. The Tanith didn't seem to be in a chatty mood. She trained all afternoon with lasgun and bayonet. Even concealing her Aura she stomped everyone else. Almost the best in the Regiment, bar someone called Mkvandal. Who she fought to a draw regularly but to her frustration could never beat. Then at night she trained with Jaune. There was never a repeat of their first training sessions incident. As much as a dark whisper in the back of her mind wanted it. Separate from the actual whispers who kept egging her on to do what she wanted, when she wanted. She ignored those. Assumed they were some kind of stress related thing.

The days slipped away like sand in a hourglass. Dragging them ever closer to planetfall. To their first glimpse of a real Imperial War.

The Imperium of Man, she had learned. Was a giant galaxy spanning empire ruled by someone called The God Emperor of Mankind. Who was ubiquitously worshipped throughout the Imperium. His sons, the Primarchs. Were no less worshipped as His sons. Barring the ones that had turned against the Emperor during something called the Horus Heresy.

It awed Ruby to think something that happened over ten thousand years ago could still be affecting present day events. It humbled her to think of herself as a small cog in a greater machine. She would do her part as she had signed up to do. Protect people. Like the Space Marines she'd been told about did. The Angels of The Emperor.

They graduated a week before planetfall. Given a small scrap of paper that confirmed them as fully fledged Guardsmen. Ruby threw it in her locker and thought of cookies as her reward. Sadly none could be found in this godless Imperium.

Jaune pinned it proudly to his, or rather their bed. They slept together to help keep the nightmares at bay. The cat calls had mostly stopped now. Ruby didn't relate it to the other thing. The thing she felt developing for Jaune. They did it for comfort and security. To keep their demons down. They both had the nightmares of things moving in the dark now. The voices chattering to them. Waking up in his arms every morning wasn't exactly helping her problem but it was necessary. She was strong but she had to draw comfort from somewhere.

"Like acting like a child for your friends." a treacherous voice in her head said. "Just pretending you were less mature than you are because it made you feel better. Lighter." The voice was dripping with malice.

She didn't deny it. Couldn't deny it. It was the truth.

Ruby Rose had grown up along time ago. Around the time she saw her mother ripped apart by Grimm. Saw her father sink into depression and her uncle into the bottom of a bottle. Saw her sister push herself half to death to practically raise her. Something that still made tears well up in her eyes.

Jaune squeezed her hand. She looked up at him and smiled weakly. "We'll be okay" he said. He must of thought she was worried about the drop. She could do that. It was protecting people. In a roundabout sort of way. She'd even come to terms with the thought of killing to defend that ideal. As much as Jaune had to hold her hair back as she vomited the first few weeks of mulling over the idea.

"I know." She said. Like she knew the future. Like she knew they would be.

In a way she did. The future was red with the blood of anyone who would hurt the scraps of home and sanity she had left. It was so very red.

Red like Roses.

/-/

Another week another chapter.

Thank you so much for the kind words in the reviews everyone. It's seriously leaving me speechless to see such an outpouring of support.

Too everyone that had concerns over Ruby's maturity. I hope you can see the explanation here. It might not be to everyone's taste but she's gonna have to grow up fast if she doesn't wanna be daemon food.

Also yes. This is a Lancaster fic. When shit isn't hitting the fan it's gonna get all shippy. Something for everyone right?

Too all the 40k fans who wanna see a bit more grimdark and less RWBY. Don't worry. There's purely 40k characters coming in soon.

To the reviewer that wanted Jaune Cain. (HERO OF THE IMPERIUM)

I'm sure i'll add some of the sentences Sandy Mitchell copy pastes into her books at some point. Unfortunately Jaunes not gonna bullshit his way out of everything as funny as that would be.

That's about it. Reviews and follows are appreciated a lot. This fic is doing way better than I ever thought it would already but let's see how high we can go eh?

Next chapter: Planetfall and Colonel Gaunt's story