Chapter 21

'Make yourself at home. You know where everything is.' Jaye blinked as Indigo flipped the lights on. The two were currently at a small apartment building in downtown Vale, only a short drive away from Beacon. Jaye surveyed the apartment. It was small but cozy, well-furnished to the point that it looked almost luxurious. There was a white sofa against the wall, with a large plasma tv attached to the wall opposite it and a coffee table between them. A purple carpet lay across the floor, underneath the coffee table, and beside the setting was a set of sliding doors leading to a balcony. A small dining set sat under a mini-chandelier, and a fairly large kitchen with a small island in the middle sat opposite the bedroom door. The bedroom itself was large, with a king-sized bed inside and a walk-in wardrobe. Jaye smiled at the familiar sight, and Indigo placed her keys on a hook near the door.

'You know, you didn't have to call. You still have your keys don't you?' She asked, and he smiled at her, unstrapping his boots.

'I thought it would be rude if I didn't.' He said, glancing around. 'This place hasn't changed a bit.'

'Not since you left, no.' Indigo replied, unfastening her cloak. She slung it over a hook by the door, unfastening her boots. 'It was my way of remembering you, I suppose.'

'I'm not dead you know.' He joked, dropping his bag on the dining table. Indigo stalked past, undoing her gloves as she went. She shot him a sultry look over her shoulder, pulling the gloves off her arms.

'Give me a few minutes to change, and we can go for dinner.' She called, releasing the straps on her back, peeling off her armor. She walked into the bedroom, stripping off her pants, and opened the wardrobe, not even bothering to close the door as Jaye watched quietly. He paused in the doorway, looking at her back as she poked through her wardrobe, standing in her underwear. He sighed.

'Oh god, I missed this.' He thought to himself, running a hand through his hair. His thoughts went back to the girls in Beacon, and he wondered if they were okay. His thoughts were interrupted as Indigo patted him on the shoulder, now dressed in a purple halter top and black pants.

'That was fast. Most girls take ages to change.' He commented, remembering how Weiss had taken years to find an outfit to change into for their little operation of sorts. Indigo smiled at him, walking to the door.

'I'm not most girls.' She replied, pulling on a pair of heels, slinging a small purse over her shoulder. Looking at her now, one wouldn't think she was a fighter, or an information broker. Jaye pitied any sorry bloke who'd try and mess with her. And with how she looked, he got the feeling at least ONE case would occur that night. Jaye sighed, scratching his head, pulling his boots back on. Indigo regarded him quietly.

'You're not wearing that to dinner.' She said, pointing at his armor. Jaye glanced at her, and looked at himself.

'What's wrong with it?' He asked, puzzled, and Indigo sighed, pulling her shoes off.

'Ugh, you can be such an idiot sometimes.' She grumbled, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him into the bedroom. 'Your old clothes are still here. Let's get you something to change into.'

'I've always wondered, why do you wear armor anyway? You've never really needed it.' Indigo asked, popping a spoonful of rice into her mouth. Jaye shrugged, cutting his chicken.

'Dunno, guess it felt a little more secure.' He said, and Indigo frowned at him.

'Well don't, you look better without it.' She told him, and he chuckled. Jaye was now dressed in a grey t-shirt and navy jeans, with a pair of simple black shoes and his leather jacket. The two were sitting in a restaurant on the corner of the street, and somehow the cook and store owner of the place seemed to be the same old man as everywhere else. Jaye wondered how much money that guy had, and how he managed to be everywhere at once.

'So, why did you come to see me? And staying over no less.' She asked, and Jaye stared down at his plate. 'Did something happen?'

'Sort of…' He said, chewing quietly, and Indigo stared at him.

'Jaye, you wouldn't come to see me if it wasn't serious. So how about you cut the crap and tell me what happened.'

'So you beat her up? Wow, now you're making me feel bad.' Indigo crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair. Jaye raised his hands defensively.

'Ah no, it's not your fault. I mean, Yang getting jealous isn't your fault, it's her own problem.' He declared, picking up his cutlery. 'She's just being immature.'

'So are you, you know.' She replied, and Jaye looked up at her.

'Excuse me?' He said, looking at her, puzzled, and Indigo giggled.

'You're excused.' She teased, and laughed at the death glare he was shooting her. 'Sorry sorry, I won't tease you, I promise. But yes, you were being quite immature. You definitely could have handled that without starting a fight.'

'She started it, not me.' Jaye defended, poking at his chicken. Indigo placed her hand over his.

'You could have defused it. Yes, she was being immature, but that doesn't mean you should behave the same way. You could have done things differently. If you DID…then well, we wouldn't be having this conversation now.' She said, rubbing circles into the back of his hand. 'Though I'm not exactly complaining.'

Jaye took her hand in his. He held it quietly for a moment, staring at her fingers. Her hands were slim and soft, the long digits pearly white. Her hands were unlike those of a fighter; they were those of a princess, royalty. Yet her whole life she'd had to slog and work, crawl through dirt, just to survive. She'd trained constantly, fought hard, her beauty was just something she'd been born with. Compared to Yang, Indigo was a far more precious gem, and yet he couldn't shake his mind from the blonde girl. It was as if Indigo could feel it through his hands, and she gripped them tighter.

'What is it about her? What is it that draws you to her despite everything I do?' She whispered, and Jaye let go.

'I don't know.' He breathed, returning to his food. Indigo watched him for a moment, and returned to her plate as well, sipping from her wine glass. The rest of the dinner continued with idle chit chat, and pointless banter, as if the two were trying their best to avoid addressing what was in front of them

Back In The Apartment

'You can set yourself up on the sofa.' Indigo said, and Jaye nodded quietly. Indigo glanced between him and the bedroom, not particularly conspicuously.

'Or you know, if you feel like it…' She trailed off, biting her lip, and Jaye looked away nervously.

'Uh…' He mumbled, scratching his head, and Indigo grinned at him.

'Wanna watch a movie?' She asked, bouncing over to the TV. Jaye smiled at her, plopping down on the couch.

'Sure. What've you got?' He replied, and Indigo picked up the remote, switching on the TV.

'I've got a whole hard drive of em. Take your pick.'

3 Hours Later

In the end, they'd couldn't decide between watching a romance or action movie, then eventually decided to watch one of each. They were currently in the middle of the romance one, and both of them were falling asleep.

'This is pretty boring, isn't it?' Indigo murmured, inching closer to Jaye. He was propped up on the sofa beside her, his arm outstretched on top of the sofa. Indigo slid quietly into the gap, slotting herself under his arm. To her surprise, and a pleasant one at that, Jaye didn't move away or admonish her. Smiling, she nuzzled into the crook of his neck, and he let his arm fall over her shoulder.

They watched a particularly trashy scene unfold on screen as the two lead actors stood in the rain, pouring their hearts out to one another. Despite the gut-wrenching cheesiness of the film, it was as if something struck home for the two as they watched, the scene reflected in their eyes. Outside the balcony, rain poured down on the blacktop, filling the room with the brilliant scent of petrichor, as if being cleansed. Indigo turned to the dark-haired boy. He glanced down at her, staring into her brilliant violet eyes. No matter how many times he looked at them, he was amazed. Her eyes were almost every shade of purple at different times, changing practically based on her mood. He didn't know if that was heterochromia or if it was something else, but regardless, it was beautiful.

Taking a deep breath, he closed the gap between them. Indigo leaned in to him; her lips on his were incredibly, incredibly soft, and he felt his head spin. They broke apart, still staring at each other.

'Why do we keep doing this?' She breathed, and Jaye kissed her again. She pushed him off, staring straight into his eyes.

'Do you love me?' She asked, trembling, and he pulled her closer.

'Always.' He breathed, leaning in to kiss her again. She placed her hands on his chest, stopping him from getting any closer.

'Do you love me more than her?' She asked, and Jaye froze, mouth slightly agape, unable to reply. Indigo stared straight at him, not breaking eye contact, and he shut his mouth. He took a breath, setting his jaw, and stared back resolutely.

'Yes.' He admitted. Indigo smiled at him, tears welling up in her eyes.

'But we can't, can we?' She asked, and it was like a switch had been flipped, a button pressed, and the world froze. For a long moment, Jaye simply stared into her eyes as what they'd been so afraid to even mention was finally brought to the table. Right then, right there, the world seemed to stop for them, and Jaye gazed into her eyes, terrified of her gaze yet encapsulated by it. To say it would be to destroy it; admitting it would destroy this world created just for them, and he'd been too afraid, too unwilling for so long to let her go. But it could only go on for so long, they could only pretend it could go on forever. The sound of the rain pervaded the apartment, and Jaye finally shook his head, letting his hand drop onto the couch seat.

'No. We can't. It was impossible the moment I left. To be with you would mean to be in that world again. I'm not going to do that. I'm not going back.' He muttered, voice quivering, and Indigo's lips trembled, tears running down her face. She laughed weakly, wiping the tears away. Jaye reached for her, but she held up her hand.

'No, no. It's fine. I knew it all along, I think I was just denying it. I kept telling myself that it wouldn't matter, that we could live together, grow old together, die together, that we could be happy! But it was just me deluding myself.' She hiccupped, covering her mouth with her hands.

'To be with me would be a constant reminder of the life we lived back then, of the things we did. Even now, I choose to stay where I'm reminded of it, almost like a way of checking myself every time I try to be happy. I admire you, for having the courage to leave, to try to make yourself clean again. But I don't have that courage.' She dropped her hands into her lap, and Jaye took them in his own, running his thumb over her knuckles.

'Can we…ever truly be clean? Can our sins ever be forgiven?' He asked, and Indigo shook her head.

'I don't dare to try.' She whispered, and Jaye pulled her into his arms. He held the sobbing woman tightly as she cried into his shoulder.

'Well I'm going to try.' He whispered, and she wrapped her arms around his waist. He held her for a while, just letting her cry. He could feel her small body underneath his arms. For so long, she'd been a pillar of support and understanding for him to lean on, for him to rely on. Every time he'd fallen down, Indigo had been there to help him stand. She was his rock, his wisdom, his source of strength. Now, that woman was sobbing, damaged and broken, in his arms, and he was powerless to help her. Two broken people couldn't mend each other, but if he could find a way to fix himself, maybe he'd be able to find a way to fix her too. But for now, he could do nothing except let her cry in his arms. She pulled away quietly, and Jaye took her hands in his.

'For as long as I've known you, you have been everything to me. We fought together, trained together, laughed together, even lived together. You took everything for me; all the pain, all the suffering, all the wounds. No matter how many people told you that I didn't deserve you, you always stood up for me. No matter how many people, angry over their rejections, called you a cougar (though the age gap was barely three years) you took it all without complaint.' Jaye wiped a tear from her face, and she gazed into his deep brown eyes. He leant his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. 'When I tried to leave the Faction, you vouched for me, knowing the risks it posed to you and your status. You've done so much for me, even though I could never give you anything in return. Even if I had ten more lifetimes, I could never repay the debt I owe to you.'

'Don't say that. I did all of that out of my own free will. I chose to love you, I never said you had to love me back.' She whispered, pressing her lips to his. He pulled her into his arms, picking her up off the couch. He carried her, bridal style, into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him.

On the TV, the movie continued, and the actors had finally confessed to each other, after a long and drawn out scene, culminating in them kissing in the rain. In the night sky outside the apartment, the rain continued, beating down on the asphalt, almost as if the sky itself was crying with them. As it poured, the clouds that covered the night sky parted ever so slightly above them, stars winking through the gap, down on the two lovers in silence, peeking through the curtains as they poured their hearts out to each other.

AAAAAAND THIS. IS. JAYE'S. DEVELOPMENT. AAAAARRRRRRRCCCCCC. I'm so glad we made it here, I really love writing this story. I hope I portrayed Jaye's immaturity well in these past few chapters, as well as Indigo's maturity and wisdom. So tell me, how do you like it, seeing Indigo's weakness, despite all that she'd accomplished. I feel like things like that make the characters more human, and you'll see and be reminded in the rest of the chapters that while Indigo might seem like a perfect, has-it-all-together character, she has her own demons and insecurities to fight. This chapter was like a breaking point, where she stayed strong for so long that admitting to Jaye that she KNOWS they can never be together served as the tipping point for her to hit the end of her rope and let it all pour out. I hope that this has given you more insight into the characters, especially Indigo, and I hope that Jaye has been developing properly and learning at a good pace as well, BUT this isn't the end of this, Jaye still has plenty more room to grow! Kamina and Indigo are going to be recurring characters in this series because I love them, and both of them will help Jaye to grow and will grow along with him.