December 16th 1998...
For Jaune it was a normal day. He got up, got dressed, showered, kissed his mother goodbye and left the house with a smile on his face and a Bagel in hand. As he walked to school he saw two of his friends Ren and Nora. walking to classes along with him.
"Hey Guys!" Jaune shouted in his normal slightly high pitched voice as he was finishing his quick breakfast.
"Hey buddy what's going on!" Nora shouted to Jaune as she walked with an arm around Ren.
"Hey we still got a game tonight right?" Ren said as he saw Jaune run to catch up.
"Damn right, I wouldn't miss it for the world, we finally trying our 3rd edition right?" Jaune said.
"Yeah dude of course we are!" Nora said "You see the new perks Casters get now? I can't wait to try out that Elemental swap power and start turning my fire strikes to Ice."
Jaune kept walking along with his two friends "We'll need it to, you saw what the Mr Lionheart has in store for us today, freaking burning Beowulfs? That's some crap!"
The trio walked together for a couple blocks until he saw her. The girl who made getting up every day worth while, his girlfriend of A few weeks over 3 years now.
"Pyrrha" Jaune shouted as she turned and practically skipped over to him wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug and kiss.
"Your running late today." Pyrrha said with a smile, as he glasses were off kilter on her face, and she rested her chin on his chest with a big smile "You know your not suppose to make your girl wait Jaune"
"Well I hope I was worth the wait then" Jaune said as he pulled her in for a long passionate kiss.
"Guys, come on, I just had breakfast, Pancakes don't go up nearly as well as they go down." Nora said faking a look of illness on her face.
"Might as well give up on them Nora, you know once those two get all kissing faced we've lost them for at least 20 minutes." Ren said pulling Nora along leaving the two of them along. Ren shouted one last time back to the lovebirds "Hey don't forget the game today!"
Jaune just gave them a quick thumbs up as He and Pyrrha kissed in the middle of the sidewalk. Eventually Pyrrha pulled back "Jaune, jeez your acting like you haven't seen me in months!" Before she took his hand and walk along with her boyfriend "You okay? You see off today?"
"Uh yeah, I slept rough last night. I had a kinda shitty dream that I can't quite remember." Jaune said as he felt the warmth of her hand. He traced the back of her hand with his thumb as they walked.
Pyrrha looked at her boyfriend with a bit of concern "Well it's over now okay? Do you want to talk about it?"
Jaune shook his head "I don't think so, I mean it was just a dream right?"
Pyrrha smiled and rested her head on Jaune's arm "Yeah, that's all it was."
Jaune smiled as he walked to school with Pyrrha... Suddenly he heard a noise. Almost like the sound of an instant messenger notification off in the distance.
"Uh, did you hear that?" Jaune asked Pyrrha.
Pyrrha's smile had faded from her face. "Hear what?"
Jaune heard the same tone a few more times... That's when he started to realize. "I'm dreaming this..."
Pyrrha gave him a sad smile. "Yeah... Sorry hon..."
Jaune's smile cracked "Damn... I guess that means I'm about to wake up then?
As Jaune looked around the details around him started to blur and fade away. "Do I have to leave you again?
Pyrrha just nodded sadly. "I'm sorry"
"I love you..." Jaune said.
"I know you do, I love you as well, I always will" Pyrrha smiled at him with a hint of tears in her eyes.
Jaune prayed for one last final chance, that he'd sleep for just long enough to kiss her one last time...
He didn't...
December 16th 1998... The real world...
Jaune's eyes cracked open as he wiped the tears away from his eyes... He had settled in for a nap but woke to the sound of someone bombarding his IM window. Jaune could only thing as he sat up wiping his eyes "Why the fuck am I crying for?"
As he sat up he saw the glow of his computer and the sounds of an AIM conversation happening. "Damn girls must be chating, I have to remember to turn the volume down when I'm resting." almost on queue he heart another notification noise from his computer.
Jaune sat up as if he was going to just go turn the His desktop speakers off, when in a half sleeping state he saw Pyrrha... Or at least a very compelling hallucination of her. She stood just in the middle of the room, bathed in a while light in flowing white robes. Jaune just stared slack job at her for a few moments before he could rally his thoughts.
[Oh good, I'm going insane is that it? Funny that I should see you in your Healer outfit] Jaune signed rubbing his eyes. [I'm so fucking tired of this...] he signed at her.
She signed back [Then let it stop.] Jaune took a second to look her over. the way her glasses sat just a bit crooked like they used to, how she allways had a few hairs on the right side that never seemed to lay down straight. it was a perfect vision of her, almost to perfect.
[Oh of course you can sign as well, you never could in life but I guess when your dead you can do what ever you want huh?] Jaune signed back. [How do I "let it stop"]
Jaune turned his head away, when he looked back Pyrrha was still there [Your seeing me, because you want to see me.]
Jaune rubbed the tears from his eyes and signed [Of course I want to see you... I can't see the real you so I get to hallucinate you at least right?]
Pyrrha looked over to his computer [You know how to stop seeing me, you know how to let it stop.]
[I'm not ready for that.] Jaune signed clearly on the defensive [I just... I don't want to lose you twice.]
[Jaune, you already know i'm not here signing at you, you know this is in your head, your not in good shape.] Pyrrha signed never loosing the serene look on your face. [You have two paths that can make this stop]
Just then Jaune heard the AIM notification sound and he looked around to see he was alone again. "I'm going to go insane at this rate..." Jaune then stood up and went to sit down at his computer to see what the hell was going on. part of him was tempted to at least say hi.
RBYROSE1: Okay the truth is, I don't think Jaune has been okay for a while, remember that time he mentioned he had an ex girlfriend back where he lived?
"Oh ruby you are not about to go blabbing to the girls, I actually want to be able to look them in the faces at some point..." Jaune mused as he looked at the conversation. unfolding on his screen.
LIGHTANGEL1983: There's more to this...
RBYROSE1: It wasn't an accident...
BLACKCAT42: how long ago did he learn this?
Jaune put his arms up over his head in frustration. he screamed in his mind "Fuck my life she's telling them..." He honestly considering ripping into Ruby publicly for talking to the others about this. This wasn't her place to talk about it.
BLONDEBOMBSHELL83: I... I just can't excuse it... I'm sorry... I mean I feel awful but...
"Well go fuck yourself as well Yang" Jaune thought seeing that.
RBYROSE1: Leave it be Yang... He was not in his head at the time, I'm not kidding when I say that it wasn't him in there.
BLONDEBOMBSHELL83: Alright... I'll leave it be... Jesus though his ex girl killed herself? He saw how bad that hurt him and he decided to do the same?
"You don't think I didn't get how fucking stupid and selfish it was after I saw what I did to Ruby, and where the fuck does she get off trying to defend me!" Jaune vented in his mind.
BLACKCAT42: That would mess up anyone Yang. I can't say I wouldn't have done the same if I was in his shoes you know? I'm glad ruby stopped him...
RBYROSE1: Hey I'm going to turn in for the night...
BLONDEBOMBSHELL83: It's barely nine and you just got online! You sure you want to turn in already?
RBYROSE1: Yeah Sorry all, I'm going to call it a night.
Jaune leaned back in his seat cursing himself for at least not saying hi. he let his eyes rest for a few minutes. Then he heard the Message notification and saw a new chat window open.
PNIKOS15: Jaune... Are you there?
Jaune's eyes went wide and he looked at the screen "P-Pyrrha?"
DARKKNIGHTARC: Uh hello?
PNIKOS15: OH good your online I barely know how to use this thing, it just logged itself on to this program.
DARKKNIGHTARC: Who is this?
PNIKOS15: It's Samantha, Pyrrha's mom.
Jaune exhaled in relief before he kept talking.
DARKKNIGHTARC: Oh Ms Nikos... I'm sorry I got a spook for a second how can I help you?
PNIKOS15: I should be asking you that, I saw what you were writing on here...
DARKKNIGHTARC: Oh.. Yeah I uh...
PNIKOS15: Jaune. Did you actually go thorough with the last thing you wrote? About the knife?
DARKKNIGHTARC: I guess you and mom haven't talked in the last few days?
PNIKOS15: No...
Jaune paused as he looked at the screen.
DARKKNIGHTARC: I wasn't all there that night... I mean learning what happened. Well what really happened to Pyrrha... I mean how do I not blame myself for that in some way?
PNIKOS15: Jaune... Did you try to kill yourself.
Jaune stopped as his fingers refused to type for a few minutes, he rubbed his hands together. it took him a few minute to work up the nerve to answer
DARKKNIGHTARC: Yes. I was stopped by a friend who just happened to come over.
PNIKOS15: Well, I won't lecture you, I'm sure your mom did that already.
DARKKNIGHTARC: And my schools principal... That my mom is dating...
PNIKOS15: I heard about that. Jaune you know, My daughter wouldn't want you be like this.
DARKKNIGHTARC: I just don't know how to let her go. I mean why the fuck did you tell us it was an accident, I was moving on until I found out the truth.
PNIKOS15: The truth is we all thought that it was an accident. Ren Nora and even my ex husband, we all thought it was an accident. Poor Ren was there when it happened. He thought it just looked like she didn't notice that it wasn't safe to cross before she stepped out and... well you know the rest.
DARKKNIGHTARC: God damn no longer I haven't seen Ren or Nora online at all...
PNIKOS15: I'm sure that's part of it, the rest of it was their foster situation started to fall apart shortly after you and Mina moved. That's kinda why I was on Pyrrha's old computer tonight, I was going to clean it out so Ren and Nora could start using it.
DARKKNIGHTARC: I'm not sure I follow Sam...
PNIKOS15: I'm going to take them both in, Just got the papers file last week, I'm was the main breadwinner in the house. So if anything, with my Ex out of the way my one income is more than enough for the three of us.
Jaune smiled, actually smiled at the thought of that
DARKKNIGHTARC: Man that's great for all of you.
PNIKOS15: It's what Pyrrha would have wanted. I hope in my heart I can give them a true family. Those two deserve one.
DARKKNIGHTARC: Well I'd say maybe hold off on formal adoption, they are dating after all.
PNIKOS15: Were you actually trying a joke there?
DARKKNIGHTARC: I'm just saying, I mean don't make it weird or anything for them.
PNIKOS15: Ha Ha Ha, Well I guess it's weird to say it, but that's the one really bright thing to come out of all of this, that Ren and Nora will get a family, out of this.
DARKKNIGHTARC: You'll do good by them, I'm sure you will.
PNIKOS15: Just make me a promise Jaune, can you do that?
DARKKNIGHTARC: Yeah sure.
PNIKOS15: Let her rest. You can keep a spot in your heart for her, but move on okay? I'm her mother and I knew her all fifteen year she was alive. But I don't want you chasing her anymore okay. Pyrrha would want you happy, I don't believe she'll be at peace as long as your hurting...
DARKKNIGHTARC: Yeah... I see where your coming from.
Jaune glanced over at his bed. He saw the hallucination of Pyrrha sitting on the bed with a soft smile looking at him, the faint glow around her casting a soft light in the room.
[Is that what you want from me?] Jaune signed to her
Pyrrha looked at him and smiled.
[Even if that means being in love with someone else?] Jaune asked.
Pyrrha's smile got a bit wider as she nodded yes.
Jaune just stared at her as he blinked and she was gone again. "Let her rest huh? I guess I can do that..."
Jaune looked back at the screen where Pyrrha's mother had typed.
PNIKOS15: Can you really do it? Let my daughter rest in peace?
DARKKNIGHTARC: Not alone... But I know who can help me until I can. I really should crash It's almost... Good lord 1 am now I have school in the morning.
PNIKOS15: Go get some sleep and... Thank you for being there for my daughter when you could.
DARKKNIGHTARC: Yeah... I'm sure we'll talk again soon okay?
***PINIKOS15 has logged out***
Jaune slid back and stepped away from his computer muting the sound. The burden at least partially lifted. "Now how to I find the time to applogize to the others?"
Jaune would learn the answer pretty quick as he heard a knock on his window.
Ladies and gents, let the healing begin...
Chapter 19 is already written and will be up I'm guessing Friday or so, I'd upload it sooner but I don't want to break the website again.
Till Next time.
