Welcome to Ch 46 of TPA
The first thing Jaune become aware of was a complete lack of pain. There was no splitting headache, no burning sensation of broken bones and torn muscles, no nausea, no mind-numbing exhaustion caused by continuous physical activity and lack of Aura. Instead, he felt… comfortable. He was lying on something that was soft, firm, and warm at the same time. He felt at peace, like nothing could ever harm him.
This was bad. Very, very bad.
Considering the state he was in when he pushed the last bits of his Aura into Ruby, and where they were, there were only two explanations for this phenomenon that he could think of.
Either he was dead, or all, or at least most of the events of today had just a dream.
He sighed, noting how… strange it felt. Like he didn't quite have lungs to do it, but his mind was desperately trying to convince him he'd done it anyway. Jaune slowly opened his eyes, meeting pair of green ones framed by red hair.
"Hi, Sam." He said smiling. His friend huffed.
"That's all you have to say? After all of this?" She shook her head. "Honestly, I would appreciate it if you stopped dragging me into your dreams whenever you need someone to bring you back from the brink of death."
He grinned at her.
"Oh, don't be like that. We both know you enjoy it."
"Oh? And what made you come to that conclusion?"
He shrugged.
"Dunno. Maybe fact you're giving me a lap pillow?"
To his surprise, Sam didn't blush, or stammer some sort of denial, only to finally jump to her feet and exert unreasonable amounts of violence on his poor persona.
Instead, she watched him for a moment, then smirked. It caused a strange shiver to run down his spine.
"Funny you mention it. I would like to point out we are currently in your dream. So everything that is happening is a product of your imagination. So…" she grinned devilishly. "It means that it is your dream to receive a lap pillow from me." She finished triumphantly.
Jaune tsked, getting up. She had him there.
"Ok, all jokes aside. I have a feeling this has happened before, but I still need to ask." He looked around the empty, white space they were in. "Am I dead?"
She sighed, shaking her head.
"How am I supposed to know? I'm just a product of your imagination."
Jaune let out a heavy sigh. Why couldn't anything be simple? He got up to his feet and stretched. This was the same place… space… thing, he'd seen every time those visions appeared. Come to think about it… when did they start again? It had something to do with Eclipse, but he couldn't quite… ah, that's right.
The Awakening.
Eclipse had been behaving strangely, ever since the fight at the docks. Leon said something about finding his balance, and after discussing it with Ren, Jaune decided to try meditation.
Neither of them had expected results so quickly.
The blond sighed again, recalling the last moments of his fight against the White Fang.
Water, huh?
"Quite a dirty one, but I suppose it suits you… in a very weird way."
Jaune blinked surprised and looked at the still sitting Sam.
"I said that out loud?"
She rolled her eyes.
"This is your mind. Everything here is made out of your thoughts and memories."
He stared at her for a few seconds.
"Then… what exactly are you?"
Sam groaned, hiding her face in her hands.
"Like I just said - a product of your overactive imagination. I'm not the 'Samantha Birger' that you know. I'm just some fragment of your consciousness that took her form. Probably the part that is responsible for your logical thinking, however small it might be. And before you ask." She said, raising a single finger. "No, I don't know what happened to you because, like I mentioned multiple times already, I'm just part of your mind. I know only things you know yourself."
Jaune shut his mouth and pouted.
"So… I'm basically talking with myself?"
"More like getting lectured, but yes, that's the gist of it."
The blond groaned. Great. He was going crazy now. Though maybe it started sooner, when he started seeing the visions. Well, not that it mattered now. He was presumably dead, or at least dying, in hostile territory, with angry Grimm behind his back, and no Aura. Even if he woke up now, as he did back in Spring Valley, he probably wouldn't even have the strength to move a single finger.
He just hoped Ruby managed to get away.
The blond couldn't help but let out a bitter chuckle. Look at him, acting like a fucking hero. Rushing off in anger, and giving up the last of his strength to give someone else a very, very slim chance of survival. Why the hell did he do it? It wasn't the first time he had to leave someone to die because trying to help them would just add to the casualties. Sure, it sucked when it happened, but it was necessary.
No casualties was the ideal outcome, but one that that could rarely be achieved. Most of the time, the best one could hope was to minimize them. And to do so, he had to stay alive, because he couldn't do anything as a corpse.
So why did he decide to come back? Why did he ran off, on his own, to find Ruby? He knew she was probably being chased by the White Fang, and if Yang's condition was anything to go by, in no shape to fight. He knew there were tons of Grimm nearby, that he could get surrounded at any moment.
But, like a damn idiot, he decided to rush off after her.
And the worst part? He didn't regret it. Even now, in what almost certainly were his last moments, just recalling the moment Ruby opened her eyes, when her wound started closing, was enough to bring a satisfied smile to his face. Why?
"Maybe because she wasn't just 'someone'. She was your friend."
Jaune sighed. He knew it was true, but he still felt conflicted. As a Professional, he should always be able to make logical choices. Doing something as crazy and stupid as this just because someone he knew was involved?
Leon would be so disappointed.
"Would he?"
Well, of course he would. Consider all those times he told him to not throw away his life like an idiot…
"But did he ever say that you should abandon your friends?"
Well… Jaune blinked, and suddenly he was standing in a run down village somewhere in Vacuo. His younger self stood next to Leon, who was handing a package to a middle aged man. He remembered it quite well. Not because it was particularly important, or exciting. No, if Jaune would have to describe it in one word, it would be 'mundane'. The reason he remembered it was because Leon resigned from another job just to take this one. One that was shorter, didn't require them to travel three weeks in the scorching sun of Vacuo's desert, and paid much, much better.
And all it took was one request from some elderly lady that neither he, or Leon, had ever seen before. When he asked about his reasons, Leon just stared at Jaune for a few moments, with a complicated expression.
"I didn't do it for them." he said eventually. "I did it for myself. To assure myself that I'm still human."
Jaune never quite understood what his teacher meant back then.
"Do you understand now?"
The blond sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Yeah. I think so."
"Oh? The let's hear it."
"Throwing your life away for some great cause is dumb. You might be remembered as a hero, but you will be leaving people who truly cared about you in pain. You should always think things through, and pick a path that has the biggest chance for survival. But you can't kill your emotions completely, it's what makes us human. So even if it's dumb, suicidal, or even if chances of success are close to zero, you shouldn't abandon your friends." His eyes hardened.
"I will not abandon my friends and my family. I'll cling to my life with all my might for them. But if they are in danger, I'll put it on the line. I'll sacrifice anything and anyone, as long as it means we can have a happy ending."
Sam smiled at him.
"Not a very heroic line of thought."
Jaune smirked.
"Good. I'm… We're not a hero after all."
"I guess we aren't. But does that mean you would put your, or your friends life above a mission? Not very professional either, if you ask me."
Jaune shrugged.
"Then I guess we're not professional."
"Then who we are?" Asked Sam again, her voice distant, her form slowly disappearing in motes of light.
"Just us. Jaune Arc. Witcher. Student of Beacon Academy. Leader of team JNPR. All of that and so much more. Why would we stick to one definition? All of it can change." He smiled. "We are like flowing water afterall. One can't enter the same river twice."
Sam smiled at him one last time before disappearing completely.
Just one more thing to do, huh?
Jaune slowly turned around to the monstrosity sitting silently behind him. Now that he took a good look at it, it was much bigger than the first time. Taking a deep breath, he walked up to it and paused just a few centimeters before it. He still felt disgust when looking at it. Still wanted to kick it, to trample it, to bury it so deep that no one would ever find it.
But it just wasn't possible, was it?
It was part of him, after all.
Jaune closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. Then he reached out and placed his hand on the monster that lived inside of him.
Wave of emotions and memories hit him like hammer. Pain, anger, fear. All those times when he hurt another not because he had to, but because he wanted to. All those times he got hurt so much that all he wanted to do was to just curl up in a ball and never get up again. All those times when he panicked, made mistakes, and ran away or gave up. All those situations he was ashamed off, all those terrible things he'd experienced - or done - that he wanted to forget. All those things he didn't want to remember - but they were part of him too, weren't they?
He couldn't just get rid of them, and still be the same person. And even though he had so many regrets - in the end, he liked the person he'd become.
Jaune Arc smiled, for the first time in a long time, completely at ease.
This is who I am. Not a Hero. Not a good guy that will run around, helping everyone, but definitely not a villain, who will abandon friends to their fate. I'm just… me.
He opened his eyes. The monstrosity in front of him was almost completely gone, disappearing in black smoke. It swirled around him, slowly sinking into him.
Jaune sighed.
"Alright, looks like the metaphysical bullshit is over." He rolled his shoulders and smiled bitterly. "I guess it's time to wake up, and get back to work."
His vision blurred, and slowly turned black.
Jaune's eyes snapped open. Everything was blurry, the only thing he could hear was a loud rumbling, his whole body felt numb. Despite this, he tried his best to get up, or roll, or do anything to face the Grimm he knew was behind him. Something pressed on his chest, and the rhythm of the rumbling change a little. He had no idea what was going on, only that he apparently was lying on his back. Did the Ursa knock him around while he was unconscious? Probably, that would explain why he was still alive. He tried his best to get up, but he felt so weak, his body just didn't move.
The pressure on his chest increased, and Jaune started to panic. Would he get squashed? His HIDE armor would protect him to some extent, but could it withstand the full weight of an Ursa pressing down on him? Well, it might be able to, but his body - not so much. HE needed to move to do something, least he die like…
It took him a moment to realize the pressure wasn't strong enough to hurt him, that it hadn't increased, and whatever was pressing on him was much smaller than an Ursa's paw. Despite his instincts screaming at him to move, he relaxed, and at the same time the pressure lessened.
He looked around, trying to get some idea of what was going on. His vision was still blurry, all he could see were some vague blombs. He couldn't hear clearly either, and he felt so tired. Without even knowing when, he fell back asleep.
Jaune woke up with a gasp. He tried to get up, but couldn't. He forced himself to remain calm, and started analyzing the situation. He still couldn't make out any of the details of his surrounding, but this time it was because it was dark. His head hurt like hell, but his body felt strangely numb. The sensation that was strangely familiar, and it took him a few moments to realize it was the effect of strong painkillers.
So, I'm in hospital.
He let out a tired sigh. So, it looked like someone dragged him out of that mess. Was it Ruby? It would be really embarrassing if he'd gotten saved by the person he went to save. He looked around again, now that his eyes were accustomed to the darkness, he could make out some details. He was in a small room with three other beds. It didn't look like there were any other patients in there. He could hear the rhythmic beeping of a medicinal aperture to his right. He tried to move again, but to no anvil. After a moment, he realized he was bound by leather straps, securing him firmly in place.
The beeping got louder, in response to his heartbeat speeding up.
Ok, calm down. Analyze the situation calmly. I'm in a hospital, alone in a three-person room, and bound to my bed. What are the possible explanations.
There were two he could think of.
One - he was captured by the White Fang, dragged to one of their bases, and was about to be used in one of Master's experiments.
Jaune winced.
It sounded ridiculous, like something from a poorly written novel, but unfortunately not as unlikely as he would like it to be.
The second option was that he was thrashing while unconscious, and he was bound in order not harm himself.
Jaune sighed. He really hoped this was the case. The fact that the leather belts were not fastened too strong, only enough to keep him in place, led credence to the second theory.
The blond smiled tiredly. Of course there was always a third option - he was dead, and this was the afterlife. He chuckled, closing his eyes. It didn't matter now, not like he could do anything anyway. He would just go back to sleep, and try to figure things out in the morning.
If he woke up at all, that is.
What woke Jaune up was a very familiar sensation. It raced through his body, assuring him that no, what happened was not a dream, and yes, he was still alive.
Hello Pain, my old friend…
Jaune groaned, and slowly opened his eyes, and almost instantly closed them again when a bright light assaulted them.
"Hey, kiddo."
Jaune smiled tiredly.
"Hey, Leon."
A few seconds passed in silence. When it became clear that the usual explanation wasn't coming, Jaune slowly opened his eyes and looked at his mentor. Leon was watching him back intensely.
"So…" the blond began, "what happened?"
Leon remained silent for a few moments, then sighed.
"I was hoping you'd tell me. I wasn't there, but I heard some strange things from the people that brought you back to Vale."
"Strange? Like what?"
"That a massive horde of Grimm congregated on the city. That transports ships sent there to get the last survivors out were turning back, because there was no way they could get close enough. That there was a sudden burst of white light, and when it faded, all the Grimm were gone. They found you unconscious, collapsed atop that scythe-girl… Ruby I think. She's fine. Was unconscious too, but all things considered, in far better shape than you." He added, seeing his student's worried expression.
Jaune stared at his teacher for a few moments, then slowly shook his head.
"You said that all the Grimm were gone?"
Leon nodded.
"Yeah. The whole city and its surroundings were cleared out. One moment the Grimm are crawling all around the place, the next, there's a brilliant white light, and when it fades, an area almost half a kilometer in diameter is cleared out."
Jaune whistled, impressed. Whoever did that, they had some serious bullshit of a Semblance.
"Well, all I can say is that it was a solid job, but not my doing. The last thing I remember is passing out, with no Aura, and a hungry Ursa a few steps behind me."
Leon chuckled.
"Heh, you always had thing for Ursa." He watched his student for a few moments, his expression becoming serious again. "There were five corpses there. Fang…"
"Oh, those were definitely my doing." Jaune admitted easily.
"You killed them with Eclipse?"
Jaune just nodded.
"It was acting out, and I could see traces of corruption in their bodies. It was different than what happens to us. It was like they were partially Harrowed themselves."
Leon looked surprised for a moment, then scowled.
"Master's work?"
"Almost certainly. Or at least I hope so - we definitely don't need any more lunatics like him."
Leon nodded in agreement, then returned to silently watching his student.
"You took Aura out of one of them." He said finally. It wasn't a question.
Jaune nodded anyway.
"Their leader. He was the only one with awakened Aura. I was in bad shape, he pinned me down and was choking me out. Not sure what exactly I did, but I managed to… well, the best way I can describe it is that I somehow synchronized our Auras? So, his stopped recognizing mine as an outside force? So, when I pressed Eclipse to his neck, the Aura I used to keep the blade together kinda merged with his own, and for a brief moment it stopped resisting my blade. So, I cut off his head, and his Aura kind of came out of his body… and I… ate it?" He finished rubbing the back of his head
Leon blinked in surprise.
"Wait, you did what?"
Jaune stared at him.
"Wait, is that not something everyone can do?"
Leon groaned.
"Pulling Aura out of people? Yeah, that's normal. It's the same as purifying Harrowed. The only difference is that it's much harder to steal Aura from a living person. It will resist, event if they are unconscious. But syncing your Aura with others, that's new to me. What happened to it anyway? You had to absorb quite a bit. What did you use it for?"
"Oh, I transferred it all to Ruby. She got stabbed in the chest, and was bleeding out, her Aura too weak to help her. That was the only way I could think of to save her."
Leon just stared at him.
Jaune knew that look. He smiled inconnelly, and gave him his best puppy eyes.
"Have I done well, Master? And why didn't you teach me this technique earlier?"
Leon groaned, hiding his face in his palms.
"Stop it. It was bad enough when you did that when you were younger. Now, it's just creepy." The older man shook his head. "That Semblance of yours… it's some serious bullshit, you know that?"
Jaune laughed.
"Yeah, you might have mentioned it a few times." His face become serious. "How did you know I absorbed his Aura anyway?"
Leon just lifted the black sword he was holding - and with a bit surprise, Jaune realized it was Eclipse. He took it from his teacher, watching it carefully. It didn't take him long to find it.
Its blade, pitch black up until now, had changed. It was subtle, anyone else would probably not notice it at all, but Jaune knew his sword. He made it with his own hands, with a piece of his own soul. There, just near the tip, there was a slight discoloration. A small, barely noticeable, hint of green.
Jaune sighed.
"So, how bad is it?"
Leon shrugged.
"You tell me."
Jaune hummed, considering his teacher's question. He could feel it, the strange hunger. It was muted there, not nearly as strong as back then, but still noticeable. Jaune was sure he could ignore it… for now.
"It's not bad." He said aloud. "I don't think I'll suddenly grab sword and start chopping." He added jokingly.
Leon didn't smile, just watched him carefully. Eventually, he slowly nodded.
"I hope so. Just one piece of advice Jaune, don't think, even for a second, that you can suppress it, or ignore it forever. If you try, it will just take you over in the worst possible situation."
The blond tensed.
"Wait, does that mean I have to hunt people now?"
Thankfully his teacher shook his head.
"No, Harrowed will be enough. But avoid eating any more people if you can. I'm not sure what would happen, but…" he trailed off, and Jaune just nodded.
"So, is it a normal thing? This hunger?"
Leon nodded.
"Remember what I told you when you said you wanted to make your own black sword?"
"That this is the first step to becoming a true Witcher."
"And?"
Jaune hummed, trying to recall the old memory.
"And that becoming a true Witcher is not a climbing mountain. It's like jumping down a cliff towards a dark sea. That once you take the first step, there is no turning back."
Leon nodded.
"The moment you absorbed Aura from your first Harrowed, you got taste of this power. It was weak, very weak. You probably didn't even notice it. But with every kill, you got a bit stronger, and your body, your very soul, got accustomed to it. It now craves this power. But Harrowed, even stronger ones, don't have much Aura left, and most of it is corrupted. You don't get much out of them. People, living people, are a different story though."
Jaune sighed. Well, nothing he could do about it now. As long as it didn't turn him into a maniacal murderer, he should be fine.
"Don't think about it too hard. I've only heard about two, maybe three, cases were people really lost it because they were absorbing too much Aura. Think about it as your desire to get stronger becomes a bit more… intense." Leon said, getting up.
"Well, I better be going now. See you later, kid."
"Hey, Leon." Jaune called out after him "How long was I out?"
The older man shrugged.
"Five days." He said, leaving the room.
Five days, huh?
Not the longest he'd been out, but still quite a bit. Then again, he'd been expecting to die, so he supposed he shouldn't complain.
Damn, everyone must have been worried. I wonder what are they doing now.
The silence could be described only as awkward. It took a week before he was discharged from the hospital. Thankfully, none of his friends had died, but team RWBY was basically out of commission. Weiss suffered from heavy exasution and Dust over usage. She could barely move, and to her annoyance, she had to use a wheelchair. The doctors assured her she would make full recovery, but forbid her from using any Dust for the time being.
Blake, besides exasution, suffered several minor injuries. She was recovering quickly, and would be back in fighting condition in a few days.
Yang had it the worst - her right hand was in a cast, she had a few cracked ribs, a punctured lung, and had some internal bleeding when she was being extracted. Thankfully, the Healing Enhancer she drank helped to stabilize her until she got proper help. The doctors assured she would make full recovery, but it would probably take at least two or three weeks.
Ruby was in the best condition out of her team. She remained unconscious for two days, but it was due to exhaustion. The wound in her chest was completely gone, but the doctors insisted she remain in the hospital for observation for a few more days.
As for team JNPR, Jaune was the only one who suffered serious injuries. Even now, he had trouble controlling his Aura, and couldn't move as well as he would like to, but he was making steady recovery.
Now, three days after he was discharged, he was sitting on the bench in Beacon gardens, with a can of soda in hand and no idea what to say.
Judging by how tense she was, Ruby was the same.
Jaune groaned. They had been awkward around each other the whole time. At first, he wanted to ignore it, hoping things would just return to normal. But it quickly became clear that they would not. Eventually, Yang dragged him to the side and half begged, half demanded, that he fix things between him and her sister.
So, Jaune decided to ask Ruby to come here, where not many people visited. Hopefully, this would give them a chance to talk things out.
Come on Jaune. You raised six girls. You should be used to situations like this.
He glanced at Ruby, who, seeing him look at her, turned her head away. Jaune sighed. This was getting them nowhere. Well, considering it was him who asked her to come out here, it was up to him to start the conversation somehow.
"So… how are you feeling?" He asked finally.
Eh, good enough.
Ruby perked up, and forced a smile onto her face.
"Great! Perfect! Never been better!" She exclaimed.
Jaune sighed again. Why was this so hard? He and Ruby had fought about their beliefs. Some harsh words were exchanged, but considering how tense the situation was, it was to be expected. She'd almost died, then he saved her, almost dying in the process, and then, apparently, she saved him - and everyone else in that damned town.
If it were be any of the Hunters or Witchers he worked with, they would just shake hands, maybe 'spar' a bit to let the steam out, then go for a drink or two and laugh the whole incident off.
The problem was that he somehow doubted it would work with Ruby - especially the drinking part. He glanced at her again. She was so small, so fragile. Like she could break at the slightest touch.
He shook his head. No, it was insulting to think about her like that. She was a Huntress, perfectly capable of slaughtering hordes of Grimm on her own. She didn't need pity, or sympathy. He had to show her the respect she deserved, and treat her like the Huntress she was.
Or did he?
He glanced at her again. She was so small. Younger than anyone at Beacon, and even they were still considered kids. Many acted like that too. She was kid too. A badass Huntress, wielding an oversized sniper-scythe, an excellent marksman, and a prodigy who build that ridiculous weapon on her own.
But she was still a child. A socially awkward girl that had a big fight with her friend, almost died, and now now is probably regretting some of the words she said and wondering if the two of them were still friends.
To be honest, he was regretting some of the things he'd said too.
"I'm sorry, Ruby."
She looked up at him surprised.
"For the things I said before we left. At least some of them. For the record, I still think staying in the city was a dumb idea, and that we should have moved out to help Atlas with that assault. Staying behind was a heroic thing, but…" he sighed.
"I once knew a guy. He was like that, always risking his life to help others. He was the kind of guy who would jump head first into danger without any hesitation, if only it meant he could help someone. Me and Leon had to pull him out of trouble plenty of times." He paused for a moment, glancing at Ruby. She was staring at him intently.
"He had wife and two kids. Always was promising them he would come back safely, that he would take care of himself. We promised we would make sure he kept his word. And then one time, he didn't. HE jumped into a burning building, because someone shouted there were still people inside. We were too slow to stop him, and he never made it out. He threw his life away, just like that. And worst thing? It is me and Leon who had to deal with the consequences. It was us who had to go back to his wife and children and tell them their husband and father wouldn't be coming home."
He looked her in the eyes. She held his gaze. There was… something in those silver orbs. Some kind of understanding. And determination.
"I wasn't the first time I saw this happen. Nor the last. But this was harder, since I knew the guy better. He was… maybe not friend, but an acquaintance." He shook his head. "Bringing the news of his death to his family was probably the hardest thing I've had to do, and I don't want to do it ever again. JNPR, and you guys on team RWBY, you are the first real friends I've had, not counting Sam and Leon. I don't want to one day visit your families to tell them that you threw your lives away in some pointless fight. I don't want any of you to have to visit my family with such news, because it hurts more than anything."
"I know." Ruby said quietly.
He looked at her, surprised.
"My mom… she was a Huntress too. One day she walked out on a mission, and never came back."
Jaune just stared at her.
"I… didn't know." He said finally.
She smiled sadly.
"I miss her, even though I was very small back then, and don't remember her that well. But I still miss her." She paused and looked to the sky. It was evening, the first stars appearing on darkening sky.
"She was the one who inspired me to be a Huntress. To help people, to bring them hope." She smiled at him.
"I don't intend to just throw my life away. Dad, Uncle Qrow, and Yang, they were all devastated when mom died. I don't want them to go through it again. But, I don't want anyone else to go through it either. I know how it is to lose someone close to you, and if I can prevent such a tragedy from happening, I think I have to." She paused for a moment, then slowly shook her head. "No, I want to."
Jaune hummed.
"You know, three… maybe even two years ago, I would have agreed with you."
Her head dropped.
"But not anymore?"
"No. Not anymore. I've seen too many pointless deaths to buy into that line of thinking. People dye all the time, they are always dying, and always will be. If not to the Grimm, then from other causes. You can't save everyone."
I know!" Ruby said, voice raising slightly. "I know." She added, calmer this time. "But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try!"
"Save those we can? Sure, but I won't throw my life away. I won't jump into a burning building, just because there might be someone still alive inside. I won't leave people I care about behind for some stranger, not if I can help it. I'm not a Hero, Ruby."
She smiled at him sadly.
"I know. You are a Professional, aren't you?" She said bitterly.
He shrugged.
"Nah, I don't think so." Her eyes snapped back to him, surprised. He chuckled. "If I were a Professional, I wouldn't go back into an overrun city just to drag few stubborn Huntresses who decided to stay behind. I wouldn't run off into enemy territory to look for one crazy, scythe-wielding Hero. I wouldn't give her all my Aura just to give her chance to get to safety."
Ruby blushed slightly at that, and Jaune smiled.
"And I wouldn't do any of that, if those were some random people. But you guys, you are my friends. And for you, I'll risk my life. I'll jump into a burning building, if there is the slightest chance of saving any of you. Even if all I achieved was dragging your body out, so you could get proper burial. I would still do it. I'm a hypocrite, Ruby. A selfish, slightly delusional, cynical hypocrite. I will condemn anyone doing the things I mentioned, but I'll do it without a second of hesitation if it's for my friends." He grinned at her. "I'll leave the heroics to you. Me? I'll guess I'll just focus on dragging your heroic ass out of the mess you inevitably put yourself into."
Ruby stared at him for a long while, then giggled.
"Alright. But I still think it was the right choice to stay and protect those people. Even with all that happened, all that could happen, I don't regret it." She said, placing one hand where the sword pierced her chest.
Jaune smiled and nodded.
"Good. I would be really disappointed if you regretted it. But for the record - I still think it was a really dumb idea."
Ruby giggled.
"As was giving me the last of your Aura, and telling me to run."
He chuckled, and then shot her curious glance.
"By the way, what the hell happened back there? The last thing I remember was everything going white."
She shifted uncomfortably.
"I'm not sure myself. I passed out too. Uncle Qrow said that I have some special superpower, something about my eyes, but he didn't know any specifics. He said Professor Ozpin might know more." She paused, suddenly looking afraid. "But, don't tell anyone I told you, ok? Uncle Qrow said to keep it a secret for now." Her expression turned into one of panic. "I didn't even tell Yang! Or Weiss! They will kill me if they find out I told you first!"
Jaune chuckled and, rubbed her hair. The motion felt so natural to him, that he didn't even realize what he was doing until Ruby pouted at him. But she didn't pull back.
"My lips are sealed." He promised.
She smiled and looked up at him.
Ah, here come her famous puppy dog eyes, the signature attack of every little girl. Good thing I developed a strong resistance to this fearsome technique.
"Does this mean we're still friends?" She asked, staring in his eyes unblinkingly.
He could help but laugh, and rub her head again.
"Of course we are. You're not getting rid of me that easily."
She smiled brightly, and after a moment of hesitation, hugged him. Jaune chuckled, surprised, then hugged her back.
"By the way, what is this?" He said, nodding towards package lying beside the bench they were sitting on.
Ruby pulled out of the hug, looked at where he indicated, then blushed.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" She grabbed the package and handed it to him.
"Here!" She said, with a broad smile. "A get-well gift. Well, you got well before I finished it, so I thought it might be a makeup gift, but since we did make up, I guess it's just a gift now?" She said, laughing nervously.
Jaune stared at her for a few moments, then slowly unpacked it.
It was a gauntlet, big enough to cover his arm up to elbow. Painted in gold and white, It was fairly bulky, but when he put his on, he realized it wasn't as cumbersome as he feared. It shouldn't get in the way when fighting.
But, judging by its thickness, weight, and who gave it to him, it couldn't be a simple gauntlet. He could feel his Aura reacting to it.
"So… what does it transform into?" He asked.
Ruby smiled broadly.
"Just focus your Aura into it. But carefully!" She stepped to the side. "And don't aim it at people!"
He shot her a suspicious glance, but turned his hand away from her, and started focusing his Aura. It flowed into the gauntlet, and he could feel some mechanism shift. Moments later, the plate at the top shifted to the side, and twin barrels of something that looked like small cannon popped out.
"I had some trouble figuring out a good trigger mechanism, but since you're good with Aura control, I needed to go with Aura-sensitive fibers. It need some calibration before you can use it fully, but even now you should be able to shoot a simple burst of Aura to knock someone around. Once we are done with calibrations, you will be able to add Dust, to add other effects, like turning it into a flamethrower, or something like that. I would advise against using electricity, or ice Dust, they can mess up with the mechanism. Since you said you're bad at aiming, and arm-mounted weapons are not very accurate to begin with, I wanted to give you something with a wide area of effect, and possibly some crowd control. It doesn't have much range, according to my calculations, only ten to fifteen meters, but if you load something into the barrels, you should be able to shoot it out at longer distances. I tested it with metal slugs, and from one hundred meters it was able to pierce an Ursa skull. It doesn't use a traditional firing mechanism, so normal ammo won't be effective, but you can load pretty much any solid object into it, and it will shoot it out."
She took a deep breath, and slowly let it go. Then looked at him with a small smile.
"So, how do you like it?"
Jaune was speechless. He just stared at the girl in front of him, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly. Finally, he took a deep breath, stood up, and placed both hands on his friend's shoulders.
"Ruby?"
"Y-yes?"
"I want… no, I need to test it out. Like, right now."
She grinned.
"Then let's go! The shooting range should be still open!
Ok, here it is. Or blond witcher finally realizes the truth about himself - and that is that he doesn't really know who he is yet. But he is fine with it.
He also makes up with Ruby, and gets himself a gun. Sort of.
If everything goes according to plan, TPA should finish in two chapters. I may, or may not, write a short epilogue after that. And what then?
Well, I have next story planned (actually planned, not just a vague idea like with this one). I was working on it slowly when I got free time over the past few months, and have a few chapters ready. So, it will most probably take over after TPA ends. More details about the new story soon.
If you like what I write, and have a buck or two to spare please consider supporting me at 'Patr" "eon'.
See you all next week.