Spoilers for Volume 6, chapter 9
Ruby wished that she knew a bit more about Jaune.
It had been such a small thing at first. A simple curiosity. Nothing more, nothing less. At least, Ruby liked to think of it as that.
That simple curiosity had started when Jaune had helped her up after she failed miserably at making new friends on the first day at Beacon (Definitely not before. She would like to purge the memory of him puking everywhere back on the Bullhorn, thank you very much), their pleasant little conversation afterwards, where they exchanged dumb little nicknames, showed off their weapons (At the time, that was her favourite part of the conversation), and when they both realised just how bad at the whole socialising thing they were (Hence the self bestowed title of the socially awkward). Back then, during and just after that little interaction, Ruby thought of Jaune as nothing more than a really nice guy, yet also a fellow dork just like her, who just happened to wear his heart on his sleeve.
He was also really bad at being suave. At least, from what she knew about being suave, he was being bad at it. This would only be reinforced further by his attempts at being, what Yang would call a 'Lady Killer', with Weiss and Pyrrha (Mostly Weiss) Before the initiation. It was rather funny to watch, if she were to be honest. Just don't tell Jaune that. Or Yang. Definitely not Yang.
Yet, during the initiation, he'd shown a spark. A raw talent for leadership. Sure, he didn't seem like the best fighter. At all. Like, ever (She wasn't trying to be mean, go hush yourself), but he definitely had a knack of tactical analysis on the spot. Ruby was only half surprised when he was assigned team leader of JNPR. Then again, that might've just been because his name was first in the whole team naming thing. That seemed to be a running theme from the huntsmen teams she's seem.
Still though, Jaune seemed to be a sort of enigma to Ruby. Sure, she was absolutely terrible at, well, anything to do with boys, but she could clearly tell that he was hiding something from her, and everyone else as well.
She just wished that she knew what.
Ruby wished that Jaune would believe in himself more.
After the incident in Forever Falls, where Jaune showed up Cardin -That was a very euphoric experience (Ruby patted herself on the back for knowing such a big word)- And supposedly had his talk with Pyrrha, he came to the rest of JNPR and RWBY and told them the truth. His secret. How he'd cheated Beacon, and forged his papers to get in, in order to become a hero like his ancestors before him, and to honour their name and legacy.
Everyone had their own reactions. Yang had cheered him on for being so 'Ballsy', Nora was convinced that their 'Fearless Leader' Was a superspy or something, Blake had made a bet on how long it'd take him to be found out (Not that she'd told him), But respected and even praised (As much as an apathetic musing can be considered praise) His motivations, and Pyrrha had promised to give him extra training lessons as well.
Ren and Weiss however, had been much more severe. Both of them had lambasted him for cheating his way into Beacon. Weiss, being Weiss, was practically ripping and tearing the poor boy to pieces with her rant, though it was pretty justified given the situation at hand, even if they all could've gone without the yelling like a banshee. Ren, on the other hand, was much more even minded, and a hell of a lot more calm than the Ice Queen herself, but he still chastised Jaune for his forgery, quoting the obvious facts that without any actual training, he could've actually been killed during the Initiation, and during the Forever Falls incident. Some might say that Ren's speech was much more effective than anything Weiss could ever come up with. If that guy could keep Nora of all people on a leash, then he'd be more than suited to give Jaune a firm talking too about his actions.
Luckily the rest of team JNPR had said that they still had faith in Jaune as their leader, so that's always good. Though, once Ren and Pyrrha had properly explained it to her, Nora had made sure to have Jaune make her lots of 'Punishment pancakes', as she called them.
Ruby hadn't been sure of how to react. It definitely put her talk with him before the trip to Forever Falls in a different perspective. She made sure to apologise profusely for the whole 'Being a failure' Speech. Repeatedly. With many hugs.
Luckily, Jaune didn't hold it against her. At least, that's what he said. She could still see that her words still unintentionally hurt the Knight-to-be, and she really wished to make up for it.
However, she could see that there was much more hurting him than just her own words. Even though Cardin had ceased bullying him or his friends, Ruby included, his words and actions still ran raw with the poor guy, and even then, it wasn't the only thing eating at him. It was his own weaknesses and self doubts that was doing the work for that oversized racist jockey.
Ruby wouldn't deny that Weiss and Ren were right with their words. Jaune had cheated his way into Beacon by way of forgery- Both of which were crimes that could've landed him in prison- With hardly any combat training or physical prowess, and without his aura unlocked, and his semblance yet to be discovered, expecting to just march into one of the most prominent and prestigious huntsman academies on Remnant and breeze it. He was lucky that he didn't get ripped apart by the Grimm in the Initiation, never mind being called out by the teachers for his forgery, and booted out of the academy, crushing his dreams by his own hands.
Ruby knew that Jaune was aware of these flaws, and sought to move past them. She thought that was a good quality to have.
Though, she knew more than most, perhaps as much as Pyrrha, how much these flaws hurt him, though they less ate at his ego (Not that he had one in the first place), And more at his confidence and own self image. The poor knight-to-be had a very hard time believing in himself. He never thought of himself as anything save for, as he put it, 'A hopeless idiot in way over his head'. He thought of himself as weak. As foolish. As a hopeless leader with no skills at all, and a frail weakling with no skills or special traits at all, completely undeserving of the title as leader.
And, as much as it hurt Ruby when she said it, how could he think of himself as anything but, when his own team and sister team as well were leagues ahead of him? Nora's semblance controlled electricity, and she was a unstoppable juggernaut with her hammer. Ren was a capable and brilliant warrior and confidant, as was Blake, whom was a ninja in all but name and could create shadow clones of herself. Weiss could summon glyphs of varying usage and was a freakin' heir of one of the biggest corporations in all of the Kingdoms. Yang could absorb the blows from incoming attacks and give out twice the amount in hers. Ruby herself could trounce the knight in an instant without trying with her Crescent Rose and her semblance, and even his own partner, Pyrrha Nikos, was a warrior spartan whom had come out on top 4 times in the Mistral Regional Tournaments, achieved top of her class at Sanctum Academy, and held in her hands a semblance that allowed her to control magnets, and bend them to her will.
What did Jaune have when compared to that? A family heirloom in the shape of an old sword and retractable shield, a complete lack of training, despite what they had seen in Forever Falls, and a large aura pool. How on Earth could he compare himself to those whom to him stood above him like demigods (Ruby blushed when he considered her amongst them), While he felt like a mere mortal in the presence of titans.
Ruby was now aware that he felt like this even before the Initiation. Now, with the role of leader on his shoulders, he felt more worthless than before. That his parents didn't exactly give him the ultimate confidence boost didn't help. He felt that he didn't deserve the title. He felt that those of JNPR were better off without him. He felt that Pyrrha would be a much better leader. He felt that he was weighing them down and bringing them down to his level.
He failed to see how he held his team together. He failed to see how his leadership was getting them through thick and thin. He failed to see how he helped Nora mature and control herself. He failed to see how he helped Pyrrha feel like more than just a girl with a title. He failed to see how he helped Ren believe in himself, and he most certainly failed in seeing how he himself was one of the best leaders that Ruby had ever seen. Better than she considered herself.
Failed, or refused.
Ruby didn't hate a lot of things. One had to be a real piece of work to be hated by Ruby of all people. However, Ruby hated- Utterly hated- How much pain Jaune put himself though by not seeing how much he meant to everyone. Even Weiss, though she would never say it.
She hated how he would bring himself down. She hated how he would underestimate himself. She hated how he would feel that he didn't belong in a place of heroes, just like him. And she definitely hated how sometimes, when he though that everyone else was in a slumber, he'd look out of the window, towards he shattered moon, and wonder why he continued to drag himself through the mud and eventually drag the rest of JNPR down with him.
Yet, he pressed on. He continued asking Weiss out, though it failed every time. He continued to study and study, getting better and better in their classes with each passing day. He continued to train with Pyrrha, growing stronger and stronger, better and better, becoming more and more like the knights in shining armour that one could see in a fairy tale. He led his team through training sim after training sim, becoming more like the family that they were, and deserved to be, with each day gone by. He pushed himself harder and harder, determined to do his legacy proud, and become the hero that saved all that he could, that he had always wished to be.
Ruby knew that he had the makings of one of the best leaders, and one of the best huntsman that she had ever seen.
She just wished that he knew it too.
Ruby wished her chest would stop hurting when she saw Jaune with Pyrrha together.
It was supposed to be a small thing. A simple curiosity. Nothing more. Nothing less. Ruby wanted to think of it as that.
And yet, when she saw Jaune with Pyrrha, when she saw them talk together, train together, smile together, she couldn't help but imagine herself in Pyrrha's place. She couldn't help but imagine herself being the one training him to become the knight and hero that he always wished to be. Hell, she even could imagine herself replacing Weiss in Jaune's eyes, being the one he serenaded and saw as an angel.
It was not love. Not yet at least. It was a simple crush, which would fade with time. That's what Blake had said when the reaper girl had asked her (She couldn't exactly ask Weiss or Yang about this kind of subject. Weiss would've made fun of her crush on Jaune, and would've insulted him. A lot, while Yang would've crushed his no-no area in her bare hands. She'd seen it before, unfortunately. Poor guy).
Ruby wasn't entirely sure when it had begun. How it formed. She knew that she had formed an curiosity in Jaune when he'd first helped her up from that crater in the ground on the first day. Since then, they'd been good friends, growing closer and closer every time they talked and interacted together. Eventually, they had come to see each other as siblings. The elder brother, and the little sister.
She supposed that her little infatuation with the knight-to-be had developed over that period of time. It started on the first day and the initiation, strengthened itself during the events surrounding the Forever Falls trip, annexed much of her mind and interests with their time together, and solidified itself during the Beacon Dance, where she'd heard that Jaune had helped Neptune get past his insecurities to go talk to Weiss, and further more during the Breach, when she saw and heard of how he lead his team to greatness and heroism during the battle.
She tried to focus on other things. Many other things. Maintaining Crescent Rose. Talking to Penny. Training and maintaining Team RWBY. Attending classes and keeping up with her curriculum work (Because she was moved up 2 years, she had to focus a lot more, just to keep up with everything else), and yet every time she would see Jaune, even when he just smiled, and said not a word, the butterflies in her stomach would flutter and fly, and her heart would skip a beat.
And how could it not? How could one like Jaune Arc not steal her heart, or any girl's heart for that matter alone? He was one of those rare gems that you hardly find. Brave, funny, kind, loyal, caring, selfless, unselfish. And that was just scratching the surface. He never looked and judged others based on their appearances, never cared if they were black or white, man or woman, human or faunus, but saw those people for whom they themselves were, and who they could be. He was humble, and did not act like the arrogant asses for huntsmen and huntresses in training that Ruby had unfortunately met over the years of school (Team CRDL, for an obvious example), and did not act like a glory hound in heat whenever the opportunity arose. He had integrity, and never broke a promise. He was humane, and idealistic, and caring of others. He so much resembled the knights and heroes that populated the tales and stories that she read, and was something that she knew- Not wished, knew- That he would be someday.
And yet, he was not without his flaws. And she supposed that was what made him even more precious to her than the heroes in her fairy tales. His semblance had yet to be unlocked, his own insecurities still ate at him, his own weaknesses and lack of fighting prowess that so many at Beacon had was still obvious. And so many others still doubted him. They still saw him as the weak fool that had a death wish for entering a school of warriors and future huntsmen and huntresses.
And yet, despite all of that, he pushed on. Despite his lack of semblance, he trained and fought and pushed himself to become strong enough for that to be irrelevant. He faced his insecurities and doubts, and fought them head on. His strength and fighting skills improved and grew more and more with each day. The cries of hate and intolerance against him grew dimmer and dimmer, replaced with cheer and praise and actually useful criticism and advice. A few students had actually come to him for advice a few times, either finding their situations relatable to his, or just hoping that the boy whom had done the impossible was much wiser and smarter than they themselves, to which he had given them the most honest answer that he could find within himself, even if he was awkward about it.
Ruby knew that it was these that made her crush on him stronger with each day. Sometimes, she would imagine Jaune and her sitting together on comfy chairs on the porch of her home, looking at each other with eyes of love and happiness, as 2 5 year old twins, a girl occupying the name of Summer, in the memory of her mother come to pass, with red hair the shade of love, skin as smooth as silk and as perfect as a diamond and eyes as blue and deep as the ocean, and a boy annexing the name of Jain with hair the colour of gold, and eyes the shade of silver, fitting for the noblest of kings, occupying the space between them, playing together, and bathing in the dimming light of a sunset on a clear day, a flock of birds travelling with the sun.
Other times, she would imagine the 2 of them fighting side by side against the hordes of Grimm that come before them, leading their teams- RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, SSSN, all brought together- To heroism and glory, and saving and protecting the innocents of the world from the horrors of a nightmare walking the world as of now. She could imagine her and him surrounded by Beowolves and Ursas and Goliaths and Nevermores and Deathstalkers and the like, and also Grimm that she herself has never seen before. Spiders that wove silk made of bone, caterpillars that cocooned and formed deadly, yet beautiful butterflies, chimeras that roared like a lion, yet soured like an bird, ants that swarmed and protected their queen. Yet, there were other strange variants as well. Walking spider tanks with artillery placements grown onto their backs that shot out black plasma, soldiers made of Grimm matter, armed with a single blood red eye and a rifle that shoots shards of jagged bone, planes and airships that formed out of the matter of combined Grimm, hulking bipedal juggernauts armed with miniguns that propelled projectiles from their backs, floating witches that conjured and fired black lightning from their hands, 4 limbed, cylindrical drones that crawled and scuttled across the ground, blasting red beams of lights from each of their 4 eyes. All of them lead by a bipedal, humanoid monster with armour reminiscent of a king, with blackened angel wings on it's back, and a bloodied, burning black staff in hand, and with it, it carried the name of Onyx, Lord of the Grimm.
She would see Jaune and herself, the acclaimed Great Arc, the Knight of Vale and the Grimm Reaper respectively, dodging gunfire, dancing around blades, and protecting each other and everyone else from the armies of darkness as they fought, they themselves the heroes that would put an end to Onyx and the darkness that plagued the world of Remnant, and would honour the legacies of their elders, Jaune would bring honour and valour once more to his ancestors, and Ruby would finally put the memory and spirit of her blessed and beloved mother to rest, freed from the guilt of leaving behind her children that she loved so much. Together, they would join their hands in union, and dance and dream and kiss the days away, cherishing the well deserved light that they brought to Remnant after so long.
And yet, she knew it would not come to pass. It would be wrong to say that she didn't see the secret glances that Pyrrha stole from and for Jaune. She would look at him with eyes of wonder and infatuation. Ruby knew that hers was a crush long graduated from that grade. She was in love with Jaune. She'd seen all that Ruby had seen from Jaune, and more. That, and Jaune didn't see her as an unobtainable object or sexual plaything like so many others had seen her as most likely didn't hurt that deep love.
Ruby knew that it would be wrong to try and steal away the affections of a man- Yes, a man- From a woman whom loved him so deeply. To do so was, in her opinion, the greatest insult a friend could do to another. She would not become that which she hates and steal away the love of a man from someone who clearly deserved it more than herself.
And besides, what could she offer? Pyrrha was perfection personified, while Ruby was anything but. She was merely 15 years old, too young for him to consider as a romantic option, while Pyrrha was the right age. Ruby wasn't properly developed, and was hardly the strongest fighter ever, and wasn't that pretty to begin with, while Pyrrha was fully developed in all the right places, the spartan having the beauty of an amazon goddess, with the perfect curves and feminine attributes that were hardly sacrificed, and even improved by a muscle mass to rival Yang, and was a 4 time Mistral champion for the sake of the Gods! She could bend over any opponent before her over her knee, and literally tear anything that stood in her way apart, with her sheer strength alone, let alone with her polarity semblance. Pyrrha was also graceful and easy to talk to, and could easily talk to others and understand their problems, helped by being as social as she was, which was a lot, while Ruby was one of the biggest social bumkins that ever existed, and could barely hold up a conversation with a stranger without either stuttering, chickening out, ranting about weapons, or a combination of all.
Ruby knew that Jaune wouldn't be happy with her, no matter what he would've said, and that's what she wanted him to be. Happy. She would've hated herself if she made him unhappy in any way. That's why she knew that it would be best for Pyrrha to be the one that would take Jaune's heart. She was perfect. She would make him happy. Ruby knew this, and knew that if the blond knight was happy, then she would be happy as well.
She just wished that her chest would stop hurting when she saw them together.
Ruby wished that she was less of a coward.
It had been months since the newly formed Team RNJR (or Team JNRR, as Nora so wished to call it) Had set off on their quest to Haven Academy, travelling through Anima on foot or catching as many rides as they could. Months of trekking between the different outposts and villages that scattered the continent like lost vagabonds, fighting off Grimm such as Manticores, Lancers, Sphinx, and even a Sea Feilong in an amusing incident during the boat trip between Sanus and Anima. Not too long ago, Ruby had singlehandedly saved what was left of a village from a pack of Beowolves and Nevermores being led by a Beringel Grimm, and just a few days ago, she and the rest of RNJR (Not JNRR, Nora) Had defeated a Geist that had been harassing a village, and had gotten Jaune some modifications for his armour.
However, their trip was not all fun and games. Not that it ever was, in the first place. They were still coping with the fallout of the Fall of Beacon, the shellshock and the trauma still very present and very raw. This wasn't help by the recent trip to the town of Shion, where they were hoping to hitch a ride on an airship, but found that the town had been ravaged, firstly pillaged by bandits, and then luring Grimm in to finish off the job in the ensuing panic. It was a tale that had been told to them by a dying Huntsman, whom passed away before they could do anything to help him, save make sure that he didn't die alone. The rest of the village had been killed before they arrived, bodies littering the town and hopes, gore decorating the walls and roads red.
The presence of death was not one that the group was unfamiliar with. Ruby hated how they had grown accustomed to it. How it got easier to cope with as time went on. How each death that they saw and encountered hurt less and less each time. She hated Cinder and the Grimm more and more for that each time as well.
However, she knew that no one was hurting more than Jaune. How the ghosts of the past haunted him more and more with each day. How the ghost of the one whom loved him with all her heart still trailed behind him like a shadow.
Pyrrha's death haunted what was left of JNPR, but none more so than Jaune. The Knight and Spartan had become very close during their time together, perhaps as close as Ren and Nora themselves, but without Nora's penchant for wild antics. Ruby would be lying if she said that she, and the rest of RWBY before they broke apart, were guessing with a lot of confidence that they would be 'Together together' By the end of the year (Yang had been betting that they'd be using their partner callsign Arkos as a badge of their relationship by the end of the first year. Not even Ruby argued against it).
However, as if the universe wished to spite it's children and leave them in broken shards and pieces, it took journeying off to a pointless death for Pyrrha to finally confess her love to Jaune. All present wished that she could've said it without the world falling apart around them, none more than Jaune.
Now, as they walked and wandered, they could all see how much the ghost of Pyrrha hurt Jaune with her lingering presence, how much his shoulders hurt with the weight of her loss. Before Beacon's fall, Jaune was still hurting from his own flaws and self doubts. Now, those issues had worsened now.
It was his fault that Pyrrha had to run off and die.
He wasn't strong enough to protect her.
He wasn't brave enough to accompany her to her fight against Cinder.
He wasn't smart enough to think of a strategy to take the new Fall Maiden down.
That was why she left him behind.
That's what he told himself, and Ruby knew it.
He wasn't the only one that had the ghosts of the dead lingering over them. Ruby knew that Ren and Nora were orphans, but they never liked to talk about their past, and Ruby could personally attest to it as well. Her mother was presumed dead, long before she became a student of Beacon. The Ghost of Summer Rose Xiao Long lingered long and hard over the Reaper. Her death was one of the many reasons as to why Ruby had wished to become a Huntress: To make sure that there would be no more Summer Roses. To make sure that no more children would have to lose their mothers and fathers. To defend those whom couldn't defend themselves from the creatures of darkness, and make sure that no one would lose anyone that they loved ever again.
However, now, she knew that the ghost of Summer wouldn't be alone in her haunting.
Penny was dead.
3 words, and Ruby wondered why the world kept turning. Why the birds kept chirping in the morning. Why the sun kept turning, and why life and time itself continued on like nothing ever happened.
Ruby knew what it was like to have the ghost of those come to pass hovering over your shoulder, controlling your thoughts, leaving you in sorrow and grief. She knew what it was like. She knew how to relate to Jaune and his grief.
However, there was just one problem: Jaune always had a habit of keeping his problems to himself. He always kept his pains, mental and physical, under wraps, as to not show what he perceived as weakness. He always thought that he had to be the one to shoulder his and others burdens, and only him alone. It was as if he thought that if he didn't do this, than he'd be weak. That he wouldn't be the hero that he wished to be. That his burdens and responsibilities were things that he had to do alone, for if he asked for the help of others, than it would be a sign of his unworthiness of the title of Huntsman. It would be a sign that he wasn't useful enough, that he wasn't strong enough. If he couldn't solve his problems by himself, and without the help of others to carry him to victory, then what good was he?
Ruby remembered Pyrrha telling her about this habit back before the Vytal Festival, about how stubborn he could be about shouldering the burdens himself, and not revealing his pain and hurts to others, about how he felt that his weaknesses would only hurt others and bring them down as well. She remembered the Spartan talking about how she was slowly breaking down his habit of doing this, and showing him how the rest of JNPR was willing to help him with his problems as well- His training sessions with Pyrrha was evidence of this- But it was a slow and steady task, but one that Pyrrha was willing to take with gusto, if it meant that the one she loved would be the best Huntsman that he could be.
Ruby was seeing this problem now, as she looked towards Jaune in the middle of the night, the scroll resting on the tree stump illuminating it's nest in a soho light. She could hear Pyrrha's recorded words travel from the scroll to the empty world around it, her voice filled with affection and admiration as she spoke to Jaune in a one sided conversation, singing almost, as she beckoned her partner to continue on with a single training routine, making it seem like a distorted recording of their days at Beacon stuck on repeat.
It should've been nice to see Jaune persevere. To see him continue on. To see him train and prepare, and make himself stronger than ever before.
Instead, it was horrible. It was horrible to see him still grieving. It was horrible to see him bottling up his anger. It was horrible to see him in pain.
And it was horrible that she was too much of a coward to talk to him about it.
She walked away, back to her sleeping bag, content to stay within her bubble of hypocrisy and contradiction, too cowardly to ask him about how he felt. Too cowardly.
Ruby knew that she should talk to him. She knew that she should've asked him to help her confront their grief and sorrow together.
She just wished that she was less of a coward to do so.
Ruby knew that they would win together.
After everything they had gone through in the last few month: The journey across Anima, the fight against Tyrian in Oniyuri, and the one against the Nuckelavee in Kuroyuri, arriving in Haven, and the following Battle against Cinder's goons and the White Fang, the reunion of Team RWBY, the attempted train journey to Atlas and the subsequent Grimm attack, the separation and revelations, the incident at Brunswick Farms and the Apathy, the arrival at Argus and the stay at Saphron Cotta-Arc's house, the talks at the Atlas outpost and with the rest of JNPR, Oscar's disappearance and return (He had gotten a nice outfit, and made them dinner. Free food equals an automatic forgiveness in her books), and now, their gathering once more, in the Cotta-Arc home, with Ruby standing and staring at Qrow, the teams of RWBY, JNR, Oscar, and Maria behind her, filled with vigoured hope in their purpose and quest, especially with Ruby's impowered speech (Which was pretty good, if she did say so herself), and also Jaune's plan. Or part of a plan. It was more of a suggestion, the way he phrased it.
Yeah, it was Jaune who spoke up first about the next step to Atlas. After he had apologised to Oscar (He hadn't said it outright, but everyone knew the intent), he had proposed the part of the plan to steal an Atlas Airship and fly it to Atlas.
Yeah, it wasn't the best plan, or the most well thought out, or the best, anything, really, but it was all that they had at the moment.
Still, Ruby couldn't help but feel proud of Jaune. He'd seemingly gotten out of his cynical turn, looking more infused than he had seen him for so long. Ruby wasn't sure how he got out of the mood, since not too long ago, she'd seen him in a foul state, which was evidenced by the fact that they'd all seen him try to hurt Ozpin through Oscar after they'd told JNR the truths that Jinn had told them, though he quickly realised his mistake.
Ruby couldn't fault him for that. She couldn't fault him for losing his temper, and snapping at Oscar. Not too long ago, when Jinn had revealed to them the truths about Ozpin and Salem, as well as the 2 Brothers and the origins of the Relics, they themselves had been distraught, and wounded in spirit, falling into despair with the answers given, though none of them were sure of how much of that despair was manipulated by the Apathy. She knew that he had his justifications, though she only wished that he hadn't done so.
But now, he seemed to be better. Ren and Nora must've said something great to him, for now his spirit seemed to be changing.
No, that was inaccurate. He was changing back. He was now, in Ruby's silver shaded eyes, more of the old Jaune Arc, the idealistic, hopeful, and amazing knight, that Ruby and the late Pyrrha fell for than the cynical and emotionally burdened man that he became.
Ruby spared a glance towards Jaune, seeing in his eyes, a darkness once there now lifted, a light from long before returning from hiding, that light no longer whispering through the walls of darkness that caged away the goodness that resided in his soul. His gentle smile seemed more genuine. More real. More like from before Beacon's fall. More like from when things were simple, when it was just RWBY and JNPR surviving together in Beacon, battling against Grimm, the White Fang, and the horrors of homework.
Ruby shed her gaze from the man that she once, and perhaps, still did love, and moved to look to the rest of RWBY and JNR, then to Oscar, and then to Maria, and then once more the Jaune. All of them were renewed, their hope revived, and their despair and fear send back once more to their graves. She could practically sense and feel the hope and good will that irradiated from them.
None so more than Jaune.
Ruby's aura flared, though it could not be seen, the energies coming from Jaune providing her a comfort that she hadn't felt in a long time. His comfort and positivity lifted her spirits higher than she ever thought possible. It was like the complete opposite of the Apathy. It was like his semblance, being the ability to transfer his aura to others and boost theirs, was boosting her hope. Her will. Her love.
She felt like she'd just fallen for him all over again.
She bathed in his comfort, his warmth, his everything. It was like an ocean of love and warmth that she never wanted to leave. It was a moment that she wished that she could freeze in time forever.
Ruby knew that they would press on. She knew that they would push on to Atlas. She knew that they would gather all of the Relics. She knew that they would find a way to beat Salem and her cronies. She knew that they would win, end the Grimm once and for all, and save the world.
She knew that they would do it. RWBY, JNR, Oscar, Ozpin, Qrow, Maria.
Her and Jaune.
She knew that they would do it together.
And here we are! A little present for all of you! Woohoo! Enthusiasm!
This fic came to mind when I came up with my own little headcanon, which was that Ruby had ended up developing a crush on our favourite noodle, but chose to set it aside after the Fall of Beacon as a way of honouring Pyrrha's memory, and not taking advantage of Jaune when he was in a mentally dark place. I hope I was able to portray that good enough for all of you.
As always, check out my other stories please, and reviews are always appreciated.
Titanmaster117 out!