My red cape swishes in the cool breeze as the crisp air touches my face. Its words of loneliness call out to me under the dark sky. The bright stars make it possible to distinguish the faint figures of the trees surrounding me. But there is something, or rather, someone else in those woods tonight.
The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it. That's right. It's Jaune. Jaune, the boy that befriended me without a second thought. Jaune, the boy that was once a charismatic and lovable leader. Jaune, the boythat lost his one true love.
The tall blonde sits, his head leaning against a tree, one leg outstretched on the ground, the other with a bent knee.
"Hey Jaune," I say.
"Hey Rubes," Jaune says, giving a faint smile.
"Mind if I sit here?" I ask gently.
"Nah," He says.
I sit next to Jaune. Somehow things seem so natural with him. I almost don't realize that I lay my head on his shoulder as he rests his arm around me. I don't know where to begin, so I just blurt out,
"Jaune, I'm so sorry about Pyrrha…" Oddly enough, he responds twice as calm as me.
"Her star's still in the sky, Ruby. We don't have to say goodbye. In fact, I won't." A single tear dribbles down his cheek, but he's smiling.
"I miss her, Jaune," I say sadly.
"I know, but Ruby, she's still here." Suddenly the mood switches from a pleasant Jaune to an eerily ominous Jaune. "Ruby, she's still here, she has to be," he says, beginning to laugh. It isn't a pleasant laughter, it's forced… almost sociopathically so. "She's testing us, she wants us to find her!" Jaune stands up. "Ruby, she's still here!" he says this so many times that it seems he's trying to convince himself of this, rather than convince me. I stand up, gently placing my hand on his shoulder. He jumps backward, shoving it off. "Ruby, she's here, I'm serious!" He begins pacing back and forth, mumbling to himself. "Where to look first, where to find her?" I take Jaune's hands in my own.
"Jaune… she's gone. Pyrrha, she's…in heaven. You have to let go," I say. Jaune breathes heavily, his eyes dart around, seemingly looking for something to focus on-to keep him calm. He settles for my eyes.
"No," he says under his breath. "NO!" with a smack, his hand slaps my face. The momentum pushes my face to look at the ground, but it springs back to look my friend in his dark blue eyes. "SHE CAN'T LEAVE!" he yells, his voice wavering between high and low pitches. I calmly look into his eyes, placing both hands on his shoulders.
"Jaune, please… you have to understand, she-"
Before I could finish, Jaune pushes me into a hug, sobbing on my shoulder.
"Ruby, why? Why did she do this? She knew she wouldn't win. Why would she do this?!" the boy asked me frantically.
"I don't know, Jaune… I don't know," I say. "But it'll be alright. I'm… here."
After a few minutes, we were back against the tree, Jaune's arm around me, my head leaning on his shoulder. His cheeks tear-stained, the boy let out a small sigh, closing his eyes.
"Hey, Ruby…?" Jaune began. "How did you get through when… your mom died?"
"I just… I was so little… I didn't understand. My sister was there to take care of me, she made it all better," I say.
"I… see," He says. "Oh, and Ruby… I'm sorry I hit you earlier, I didn't mean-"
"It's okay. I get it… your feelings got the best of you," I say. I turn my head from his shoulder, looking up at him. I softly press my lips to his cheek.
"I… love you, Jaune."
THE END.