Beta: Jefardi

Falling Down

Chapter Two

"Ruby, just sit down already. You're freaking me out." Her sister's words barely registered as Ruby paced back and forth in front of the door leading into Beacon's intensive care ward.

They had been here for hours now! Just what the heck was going on? Jaune was okay, surely he still had to be okay, right? She had been with him every step of the way up until they hit these damn doors and they told her she couldn't follow any further. He had at the very least been alive when they reached this point.

So then why? How was it possible it was taking them this long? He was simply a little beat up, that was all. There was no need for him to have to be sent into some kind of extensive surgery. Just give him a little Aura top-up and the natural energy would take care of the rest.

"It might have been kinder to just let him die." Uncle Qrow's words echoed over and over again like an annoying jingle you wanted to forget. No matter how hard she tried to ignore them, they kept coming back.

A small part of her was angry at Uncle Qrow for saying such words. No matter how grateful she was that he saved Jaune, what he said just wasn't true. Nothing was worse than being left behind by those who passed on. Nothing.

With a small hiss, the door Ruby had been waiting on after all this time finally slid open. It took every fibre in her being not to fly through the small opening it created as Headmaster Ozpin stepped out from behind it, cane clicking against the ground with every step he took.

Before she could say or do anything, a firm hand clamped down on her shoulder, Yang leaning exaggeratedly against the younger sister. "So what's the word?" The older sister asked in a tone that sounded noncommittal, as if she didn't care one way or the other what the answer was. If it wasn't for the spark of concerned curiosity in her lilac eyes Ruby might have thought that was the case.

Ozpin paused and regarded them for several silent seconds. Fingers drummed thoughtfully against his cane and he looked to chew on the words before choosing exactly what to say. "Mister Arc is now awake."

Those words by themselves nearly caused Ruby's knees to buckle in relief. One of the only reasons she didn't fall was she had Yang to lean on for support. "When can he have visitors?" It was once again the blond that spoke.

"Mister Ren and Miss Valkyrie are with him now." Once again, Ruby had to resist the urge to bolt forward, only restrained when Ozpin continued speaking. "I ask that you give them their time with him first. Mister Arc… does not need to be overwhelmed by visitors right now."

"Is that also why Pyrrha isn't with him?" Ruby had been so eager to go see him herself, she hadn't even realized that Pyrrha hadn't once been mentioned by the Headmaster until Yang's latest inquiry.

"No. Miss Nikos not being with him is for an isolated pretext." Ozpin's suddenly stern tone sent a shiver up Ruby's spine. He must have noticed because he amended a moment later in a softer voice. "I apologize. The fact of the matter is, a member of the White Fang snuck into the coliseum right under our noses… and the incurring panic that generated nearly brought the Grimm stampeding to our doorstep."

"It didn't though… right?" A wave of guilt washed over the young huntress-in-training. If the Grimm were attacking she should be out there right now. Not just pacing back and forth while waiting.

"It did not." Ozpin alleviated her worries with a small wave of the hand. "In no small part thanks to the efforts of Mister Arc. His actions to stall for time long enough for Qrow to get in prevented what could have been multiple on-screen assassinations. That could've been the pushing point to madness that the Grimm wouldn't have ignored."

"Hear that, Rubes?" Yang jostled her hair affectionately. "Your boyfriend is a hero. Who would've thought ol' Vomit Boy had it in him?" Ruby blushed deeply but couldn't even bother to hide the shy smile that started to spread across her face.

Vale was safe from the threat of the Grimm. No one aside from that maniac who attacked them had been killed. And Jaune Arc was now a hero who had shown the whole world what he was capable of.

"I'm afraid there is one more thing you should know." Ozpin pulled Ruby back to reality with a solemn tone. She saw as Ozpin's grip on the cane tighten, and incline his head as if to mourn. "That final strike to the back Mister Arc took… it severally damaged several of his thoracic nerves. From what we can tell, permanently so."

Wait, wait, wait.

Damaged?

Permanently?

Ruby's mind tried to make sense of these words like it was the first time in her life she had ever heard them before. Once again, mouth failed to respond and Yang did the talking for her.

"What… exactly does that mean for Jaune?"

"At the present, Mister Arc has no feeling below the waist. Worst case scenario… he is never capable of walking again."

"That can't be right!" Ruby blurted without thinking. "What about his Aura? Shouldn't that heal his nerves?"

Ozpin shook his head. "The damage is too severe. Perhaps it is possible for Aura to heal such an injury but we do not understand it well enough to know how to manipulate it into creating such a miracle."

Her mind whirled as it tried to think of possibilities, briefly pulling up a mental image of Penny. "What about prosthetics? Surely our technology has advanced enough for us to give him new legs."

"Hmm." The Headmaster gave a small grunt of acknowledgment. "That is certainly a possibility, but what you're asking for is not nearly as easy as you make it sound." Her mouth opened in retort before he cut her off. "First off, Mister Arc still has all his limbs. In order to do what you are suggesting would require us to amputate. Furthermore, the damage is not to Mister Arc's legs, but his spine. Do you know how much of his body we would have to modify to accomplish this task?

Then… frankly speaking is the matter of cost. Beacon offers insurance to all its students should they sustain injuries on the field while attending our academy. It is a part of the industry after all and we want to see our students graduate to become the protectors of the world. Even that would only cover a fraction of the price necessary, meaning Mister Arc and his family would be required to pay enormous out-of-pocket expenses."

"You just got done saying he was a damn hero." Yang growled from behind Ruby, squeezing her younger sister a little more tightly as if to both protect and comfort her. "Are you telling us that this is how Vale treats those it considers its saviors?"

"I am." He didn't so much as even try to deny it. "During your first year at Beacon, I like to try and protect my students from as much of the true ugliness of the world as I possibly can. Some lessons, however… have to come early. This is one of them: The world is not always kind. No matter how good a person you are, nor how many heroic deeds you accomplish, the world simply does not care."

"Then what's the point!?"

"That is for you to decide." In stark contrast to Yang's growing anger, Ozpin remained completely calm. "Personally, I've always found the notion rather romantic. The fact that there are people out there willing to go above and beyond the call of action, to sacrifice it all; even knowing that the world may never thank them for it. Perhaps that's simply my own child-like innocence shining through, but those are my thoughts on the matter.

Now if you'll excuse me." Ozpin shifted the grip on his cane before setting off past them. "I have other important matters to attend to at the moment. Please remember not to overwhelm, Mister Arc. He is still in shock."

The Headmaster paused briefly just next to Ruby, placing a hand on her shoulder and leaning in close. "And do not give up on him, as that is not the intent of my words. He needs someone there to be strong for him. I'm counting on you."

Ruby didn't even get a chance to respond before Ozpin was gone, continuing on his way to where she did not know. The one thing she did for sure know was to take his final words to heart. That was what she intended to do from the beginning.

There was no way she was giving up on Jaune without a fight.

Pyrrha's fingers drummed against the sides of her biceps tersely.

She wanted to know why she was here in Ozpin's office right now and not by her partner's side. She wasn't even sure the extent of his injuries yet because Glynda refused to say anything.

The mysterious man that was supposedly their savior was equally silent, only occasionally making a noise when he drank out of some seemingly bottomless flask. When he wasn't doing that he was glaring at two of the other occupants of the room.

"I want to know how the White Fang got their hands on these, immediately." Ironwood slapped a hand on Ozpin's desk. Placed across them were four shiny metal weapons. A pair of gauntlets and grieves that had rendered herself and almost all the others in the arena unconscious immediately.

"I have already sent our father a message." Winter, Weiss' older sister, stated cooly, arms crossed and blue eyes flickering occasionally to her younger sister and Blake who sat here with Pyrrha. "Perhaps in the meantime, your teammate might have some answers for us."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Blake's hair bristled as began to rise from the chair she sat in. She only got part way up before Weiss managed to restrain her with a slight touch to the shoulder.

The younger heiress gave an apologetic shake of the head before turning to glare at the elder. "Blake had nothing to do with what happened today, Winter. Please do not make baseless accusations against my friends."

For a brief moment, regret flickered across Winter's eyes. It vanished as she held a fist up to her mouth and gave a polite cough. "I apologize, dear sister. I did not mean to offend you or your friend. I'm simply… tense is all. This technology is something our father has been developing for years in secret."

"...It's fine." Blake relented to the apology first, sitting back in the chair and giving both Weiss and Winter an appreciative nod. "The White Fang has gone too far this time. I really thought we had dealt with them after Mt Glenn too…" She sounded deeply disappointed, yellow eyes downcast.

"We'll stop them, Blake. I promise." Weiss once more placed a hand on her shoulder, an act that the faunus girl clearly found solace in as she gave a more resolute nod.

Ironwood cleared his throat, earning everyone's gaze. "Winter." The older woman straightened at her name. "Why don't you take your sister and her teammate and go enjoy what Beacon has to offer? I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do."

"Yes, General." Winter's tone body language gave away nothing, acting as if it was just another order. Her eyes betrayed how elated she truly was at Ironwood's suggestion. She turned on Weiss and Blake waving them along with a small flick of the wrist. "Come, let us go."

"Okay." Weiss hopped up perhaps a little too eagerly. The sisters were closer than Pyrrha had expected, given what she knew about Weiss. The younger heiress had been restraining outright joy the whole time they were in the same room together despite the serious circumstances that brought them all here.

Blake followed silently after the two sisters, sharing one last glance with Pyrrha before leaving the office. The champion didn't miss that she hadn't been excused along with them. Which brought her back to wondering why she was here at all to begin with.

If they wanted to ask her more about what happened she wasn't going to be much help. She had been rendered unconscious pretty much immediately on Banesaw's entrance and thus couldn't recall much of anything. Her time would be much better spent by Jaune's side and making sure he was okay then here.

A small alert on Glynda's scroll caught her attention and she saw the older woman glance at the contents before giving what sounded like an exhausted sigh. "Ozpin is on his way. Now that it's just us, I think it will be safe to start the meeting."

"Umm… should I also see myself out?" Pyrrha started to rise, wondering if maybe they just forgot that she was here.

"No, Miss Nikos." Ironwood leaned on the desk, fixing her with a sure gaze. "You are as much a part of this meeting as the rest of us."

"Might be more accurate to say you're the star of this little get-together." For the first time the mysterious man behind her spoke, stumbling over to her drunkenly.

"Qrow, enough." Glynda scolded, or, at least, tried to sound scolding but to little avail.

"What? I mean, she is, isn't she? After all, we were going to wait to have this little meeting to see how she performed throughout the tournament. Then that whackjob with Atlas technology had to come in and try to assassinate her."

"Assassinate me?" Pyrrha jumped to her feet, whirling to face the man she now knew as Qrow. "Why would anyone want to kill me?"

"Somehow, it would appear the enemy became aware of our plans." Ironwood stood once more straight, placing both hands behind his back.

"Not you too, James!" Glynda rubbed her head as if to fight off an impeded headache.

"For once I agree with Qrow." The General and the drunk shared a heated stare for a split second before he continued. "Despite his less than subtle accusations against my kingdom, there really is no need to further delay letting Miss Nikos know the truth."

"What truth!?" Pyrrha looked around in exasperation. This whole conversation was continuing like she wasn't even here, despite the fact that they were talking about her.

"Look what you're doing, both of you!" Glynda slapped her riding crop against the desk, silencing everyone and commanding their absolute attention. "You are causing Miss Nikos distress, and that is not how we want to handle this situation."

"...Shorry."

"My apologies."

Both men relented under her strict gaze. As it turned back to Pyrrha, her eyes softened immensely and she gave the champion a warm, motherly smile. "Pyrrha… please, sit back down."

"O-okay." Despite her general nervousness at the situation, she really did feel like she could trust Professor Goodwitch. She knew the older woman meant her no harm.

"Now… we're going to start this properly." Glynda sat in Ozpin's desk, opposite of her. "So in order to do that, I am going to ask you a question. Are you ready?"

Pyrrha gave a slow nod, unsure of what it was she would possibly ask, but certainly not expecting the words that came out of Glynda's mouth next.

"What is... your favorite fairy tale?"

Jaune watched as his fingers curled and uncurled. Even without conscious thought, this was something he and every other person in the world were capable of doing. It wasn't anything special.

Yet when he tried to will his toes to do the same thing… nothing. Everything below the waist might as well not even exist so far as his brain was concerned. He couldn't feel it in the slightest, nor could he command it to do anything.

Even Nora's rough pat to the shin elicit no reaction or trace of a sensation. His bubbly teammate had tried several times in different areas to get even the smallest twitch from his legs, becoming almost frighteningly desperate in her attempts.

What hit him the hardest was the restrained tears in her teal eyes that he only started to notice towards the end. That only made him feel worse. She was trying so hard for his sake to prove to him that he would be fine, yet he hadn't been able to give her any kind of showing or sign that he was going to recover from this.

Worse yet, was the sympathetic look Ren gave him the entire time he was in the room. That look… it felt like he was twisting the knife only further into Jaune's pride. He knew Ren wasn't doing it on purpose. The silent man was simply trying to be here in a show of support for him.

Right now though, he didn't think he could take their pity or their comfort. So he had asked them to leave, claiming it was because he was tired and wanted to nap. Nora seemed to buy it quickly enough but Ren knew… Jaune simply hadn't wanted them to look at him anymore.

However, the moment they were gone he missed their presence. Without them here to distract him, his mind continually wandered to the lack of sensation in the lower half of his body. When they were here he was reminded of it, and when they weren't he had nothing else to think about but it.

There was just no escape. No matter what he did, it was like the world was trying to throw it in his face: The fact that he couldn't feel his legs.

A knock on the door to his room thankfully pulled him from these thoughts and he looked up to see a pair of silver eyes staring back. "Hi… Jaune." Ruby fumbled with the edge of her skirt as she greeted him awkwardly.

He couldn't help but smile at her, pushing any other thoughts to the back of his mind. "Hey, Ruby."

A hum and a swirl of roses dancing in front of his face later and Ruby tackled into him, wrapping his body tightly in a hug that could rival one of Nora's. "I missed you too…" He barely managed to gasp out as he returned the hug, albeit with a considerable amount less force.

"I'm sorry, Jaune. I'm so sorry." She repeated over and over again.

"What are you talking about?" He rolled the hands resting on her back to the shoulders before pushing back, separating the two of them. Ruby's silver eyes were wet with tears that had just started to fall, and she shook her head back and forth.

"I shouldn't have distracted you during the fight. I shouldn't have stopped you before the match. I sh-"

"Whoa, whoa." He cut off her rapid burst sentences before she could pile anything more on. "None of what happened was your fault. Hell, I'm probably only still alive right now because of that luck boost you gave me." The corner of her lips started to twitch, almost breaking into a smile at his words of assurance.

"You're… not upset? Or mad? What about your legs?" So much for trying to forget all about that for a few minutes. He supposedly he couldn't blame Ruby for bringing it up so quickly. She probably only just found out from Ren and Nora so of course she would want to ask him about it.

"I mean… I don't know?" He gently took her hand in his and moved it down, placing the palm against his knee. "...I can't even feel that. It's kind of crazy, right?"

"Y-You'll be fine! I guarantee you'll get better. If not, we have so much amazing technology they'll find a way to make you better!" Ruby said this desperately, more like she was convincing herself of this than she was him.

He once more gave her a warm smile. "Thanks, Ruby. I know I'm in rough shape right now. Ozpin and the doctor wouldn't tell me much, saying I should just keep my mind as open as possible. They seemed kind of down on my chances… but I've got a lot of Aura. Pyrrha has even said so. Multiple times. So I'll probably be okay in the end… right?" Despite trying to be the one reassuring her, he found his confidence waver a bit at the end.

Ruby nodded enthusiastically. "You'll be fine!" She repeated again. "It just… it might take some time."

"Time… huh?" Blue eyes shifted off Ruby and once more looked down at his legs. "I don't know if I can afford to waste a bunch of time. I was always behind all of you to begin with. If I take too long, you'll all just widen the gap again and I'll be even more worthless to you then I was before."

"You were never worthless, Jaune." Ruby gripped both hands and squeezed tightly. "You may not have always been the greatest in a fight… and sometimes you made some pretty boneheaded mistakes-" Thanks for the confidence boost. "But your heart was always in the right place. That's what's most important about being a hero, Jaune. That's why I fell in love with you."

"..."

"..."

"...Wait, what?" His eyes darted back to meet hers. Ruby's face had turned beet red at the unexpected confession and his was quickly catching up. It wasn't like it was a complete surprise, especially after that kiss they shared in the hallway of the coliseum, but to hear her say it aloud… it was almost unreal.

"Uh-Uhh…" Ruby stuttered and stopped, eyes suddenly finding the ceiling incredibly interesting. She also seemed to forget they were still holding hands as she squeezed his tightly. "I uh… wow, this is weird timing. I didn't mean to say that just now. I mean, I meant it but I didn't mean it."

"Ruby, stop. I get it… I think." If she kept going he had no doubt that she would only succeed in confusing them both even more than they already were.

"Right. So that's out there. Yep… yeah." Ruby finally looked back at him, grinning sheepishly, blush still prominent on her face.

"Ha." He let out an awkward chuckle, still not entirely sure what to make of her left-field confession. That chuckle coerced a light giggle out of Ruby. As if this opened the floodgates, laughter filled the room and washed away all the awkwardness. Only once they calmed down was Jaune able to speak again.

"Thank you, Ruby." He gave her hands a light squeeze. "I don't know how long it'll take feeling to return to my legs… but I hope that when it does, you'll still be waiting for me."

"...Waiting for you?" She turned her head curiously, and he felt his heart drop.

"Well, yeah. I mean… you'll probably be busy with Huntress stuff and classes while I recover. I don't know how long it'll be before I'm able to start attending again… but when I do, hopefully, you haven't moved on."

Ruby shook her head. "I'm not… I'm not going to sit around and wait for you, Jaune." Oh. Well, he had really misread this situation. He tried not to show the hurt and sting on his face but had no doubt he was failing horribly.

"I want to be with you while you recover; I want to help you get better. So let me help you Jaune… if you want, I'll help you not as a friend… but as your girlfriend."

The earnest way in which she said those words and the serious look in those silver eyes made him feel like an idiot for doubting for even a moment. "Nothing… would make me happier."

He let go of one hand, bringing it up to cup her cheek. She leaned into his touch and gave a relieved smile. As he smiled back she began to lean in. He met her halfway, eyes flickering closed as their lips met once again in a deep kiss.

When the kiss ended, Ruby didn't pull away and instead snuggled her head into his chest, wrapping one arm around him and continuing to hold his hand with the other. He couldn't say for sure how long they sat like that. Part of him never wanted the moment to end.

Ruby filled him with confidence. At that moment, he truly believed he might one day be able to walk again. So long as she was with him, he had thought there was a chance that he could really get his legs back.

Yet despite all this confidence, there was something about how hard she was trying to convince not just him, but herself; that gave him a small niggling of doubt.

Chapter End

AN: What is this? An update on this story?

The whole truth hasn't hit Jaune yet and he even ended up with a cute girlfriend this chapter, so he's actually doing alright. Don't worry, that'll deteriorate soon enough. I wouldn't be me if Jaune wasn't suffering and traumatized throughout the story, after all.

Although, with the way Volume Three ended, y'all might have had enough of the suffering and trauma lately. Not that it's going to stop me. I have made several changes to the outline of this story with the information Canon has given us this season. Nothing in the grand scheme or theme of the story has changed, but certain nuances have. The main story is going to revolve around Jaune and Ruby, but there will be more going on in the background throughout now.

I'm not sure how Ozpin came across this chapter but expect to see more of him. He is a tagged character for a reason.

Thanks so much to everyone that supported this story! Sorry it took so long for another chapter, and there probably will be another long break in between this one and the next, but I hope you'll look forward to it!