Jaune watched quietly from the shaded porch as the two kids circled each other happily, their cries of laughter echoing off into the summer sky. To him, they were beautiful. Not like a work of art is beautiful, rather, in a lovingly personal sort of way. They chased each other and fought, tumbled into the green grass. He smiled and gazed lovingly at them.
His eyes drifted from his children and out onto the fields beyond their house. Seas of green and yellow, with specks of colour dotting the landscape. Roses, tulips, orchids. Every sort of flower he could imagine. And above them all, sitting high in bluest sky was the sun, beaming it's warmth down on to them all.
"Those are lilies, and those are marigolds over there. Can we get a pond in the garden? I want to see lotus flowers in real life."
Their voices were so innocent. He watched them, watching the back of their heads as they climbed the small fence that surrounded the garden and pointed out the flowers just out of their reach. He could remember putting the fence up when their second had been born, and their first was taking her first steps. The porch he was sitting on had come a year later. They'd furnished it with an old black metal table and chairs, which he'd cleaned up as best he could. In fact, Jaune had added something to the house whenever he could. A pond sounded nice.
"Of course we can. Anything you want." he said, in a voice that wasn't quite his own.
Older now, filled with the nuances of time and a life of fighting. He sounded like Qrow, or at the very least, a barebones version of him. Was that what he'd become? An old, dry witted cynic? He hoped not. He hoped that after a life of friendship, he'd be more than that. He hoped that he'd at least picked up a few life lessons in his time. The truth was, he didn't quite know.
There was one thing he did know though. One unequivocal feeling that described how he was feeling. Right now, at this moment, he was happy. He was exactly where he wanted to be. He was certain of it.
"I just want you to know that I'm happy to be apart of your life."
The voice emanated from behind him, from inside the doorway leading into the kitchen. For a brief moment he froze, the hair on the back of his neck on end, as the sound of the voice shook him. And then, he turned his head towards Pyrrha and watched as she took a step out onto the porch, the same she'd always been. Still as young as he remembered her. She was dressed in an elegant summer dress, patterned in red and green, with her beautiful red hair flowing past her shoulders. And attached to the dress, just below her left shoulder, was a burgundy broach.
Their eyes caught one another and Jaune felt as though he'd been taken into a warm hug. She took another step, and then another, until Jaune finally could finally sit back in his chair. She took a seat across from him, placing her hands on her lap. She took her gaze away from Jaune, and to the children playing in front of them, who'd now resorted to playing a two man game of tag.
"Hello Jaune."
Jaune had forgotten she'd said anything. Seeing her was like seeing a memory in person. A three dimensional, real person. She smiled, but didn't take her eyes from the kids. Jaune sat, slumped in his chair, fists tightening around the arms of the chair. He could feel the paint flaking away under his fingernails.
"But… " he whispered, barely making any noise at all. Still, Pyrrha acted like he'd spoken normally.
"The kids are getting big, huh? Old enough to stand on their own now." she spoke, her head tilting slightly, as if confused, or otherwise distracted.
Again, Jaune spoke in barely a whisper, this time only choosing to say 'Mm.'. Pyrrha looked back at Jaune, and smiled sweetly. She could see him now, across the table. He was older, wearier, but no less himself. And she could see, now, the tears that were streaking his cheeks.
"You haven't changed, Jaune. You've grown." she said, speaking freely and without burden.
As the words left her lips, Jaune could feel himself growing younger, back to what he was used to. He no longer felt the grumble in his throat, and no longer felt the doubt he'd pondered over. He was back to normal.
"Pyrrha… I… " he said, his voice cracking under the weight of the words. He felt as though a hand was crushing his neck, making him unable to speak.
"I'm so proud of you. You've grown so much. I know this is just the beginning."
The words passed through Jaune, a ghostly hand wrapping itself tightly around his heart and pulling it out of his chest.
And then he was outside of Beacon, surrounded by the broken remains of what was once his home. There was a conversation, one that he'd replayed in his mind over and over again since it had happened. But right now, he couldn't hear it. He couldn't hear anything. All he could see was Pyrrha's face. Her emerald eyes glistened as she watched the inside of the school. And then she turned, and pushed her lips against his. It was rushed and imperfect, but it filled Jaune with something he'd never felt before. The same feeling that was coursing through him now, as he sat staring at Pyrrha once again.
He burst forth from his chair and lunged for Pyrrha, but his arms grabbed only air. He fell to his knees and let out a cry of despair.
Suddenly Pyrrha was gone, just like she always was, always had been.
"Please don't go… Please, Pyrrha… " he whimpered, feeling the illusion that surrounded him fall away.
The garden, the porch, the fields of green and yellow. The children, the house, everything. It was gone, a facade, a projection.
"I don't want to move on, Pyrrha… I want to stay here! With you! I want to be happy!" he shouted, his body slumping over.
Suddenly, he felt his back against the metal chair again. It started again, the garden, the house, the porch. The sun, and the sound of children. Laughter filled his ears once again. And Pyrrha had returned, exactly where she'd been before.
"You don't have to. You can stay here, with me. We can stay in this place and enjoy it. We can love our children, and each other." she said, her eyes gazing softly, lovingly, at him.
Jaune watched through teary eyes as his dream played out in front of him. Falling in love, having children, buying a house, living a life without danger, and death. It was all so perfect, so...
"But it won't be real." he said, gazing out at the children.
He turned his head towards her. She looked so beautiful to him. She always looked beautiful in his dreams. He didn't want her to change. But that wasn't life, and he knew it. His head dropped, and he felt the whole scene dissipate again.
In darkness once again.
And then, he felt her hand on his face, cupping his cheek, the same way it felt when he saw her for the last time. Warm, gentle, caring.
"Oh Jaune… How I wish we could've spent more time together." she whispered, and he raised his hand, placing it atop hers.
Tears streaked past his cheeks, but in spite of it all, he managed a smile. It lasted for less than a few seconds, before he choked up again.
"I miss you so much, Pyrrha." he whispered back, his voice cracking.
And then, her hand was gone from his face. Her presence disappeared, and he felt a wrenching pain in his chest. It was always the same. It always came back to this, no matter how hard he tried.
His eyes opened. The new morning light streamed in, painting a light red streak on the wall.
It was another day, a new day. He rolled over in his bed, and took ahold of his Scroll, squinting as the screen flashed on. He selected the only video in his files, and played it, rolling the video forward a bit and stopping it around midway through. Pyrrha stared at him through the screen as he rested it on the bedside table.
"I know this can be frustrating. And it can feel like so much effort to progress such a small amount. But I want you to know that I'm proud of you, and I've never met someone so determined to better themselves."
He winced, swallowing the lump in his throat.
"You've grown so much since we started training, and I know this is just the beginning."
Here it came. The moment that inspired his dreams.
"Jaune... I… I want you to know that I'm happy to be apart of your life. I'll always be here for you Jaune."
Jaune collapsed the Scroll again and lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling, and hoped that she would grace his dreams one last time.