Five Years

submitted by: Malcho1234

Blake slowly stretched, yawning luxuriously as she blinked away the glare of the early morning light. Her midnight tresses flowed over the soft cotton sheets and fluffy down pillows, standing out in stark contrast to her pale skin. She snuggled closer into her husband's side, gently running her hands over his protective right arm and muscled chest, pausing when she reached his left shoulder. She fought down a sudden wave of melancholy, shaking her head to rid herself of unwanted memories. It was their anniversary today, she should be happy and looking to the future, not reminiscing on the painful past.

"Hmmm..." her husband shifted slightly, a small smile running across his face as his blue eyes flickered open to gaze into Blake's amber ones.

"Good morning" he grinned, his right arm gently reaching around to caress Blake's back.

"Jaune~" Blake purred, her cat ears flicking as she allowed herself to be pulled closer, resting her forehead against her husband's chest.

She felt him kiss her just between her ears, and she shivered pleasantly. It had been five years since the end of the Human-Faunus wars, five years since the militant White Fang had been put down and five years since the victorious General Jaune Arc had extended equal rights to all faunus. It had been five years since Blake could finally hold her head up as an honest woman, five years since she had last slept with one eye open and a hand on her sword.

Five years... she thought idly to herself. A lot can happen in five years...

In five years she had gone from being a lonely assassin to being Jaune's wife, a grand transition when one considered that Jaune's military victory over the White Fang had firmly cemented his position in the new government of Vale. While she used to live day-to-day in the often barren countryside, surrounded by death and only trusting in her weapons, she now resided in the modest Arc family estate. It had taken her awhile to get used to the comfort of Jaune's lifestyle, as well as the knowledge that she truly no longer had to fear waking to a slit throat. Both of them sometimes still woke late at night, seeking solace in the presence of the other as haunting visions of horrible memories floated behind their eyes.

"Happy anniversary" Jaune murmured, bringing Blake's attention back to the present. She smiled up at him as she leaned in, and the two shared a brief kiss.

"And what did you get me this year?" Blake quietly teased, referencing Jaune's unfortunate habit of finding the perfect gift and then accidentally telling her at a completely random and unrelated moment.

"Well..." Jaune began, his tone sly. "I thought I'd do something new this year and surprise you."

"I like surprises" Blake purred, slowly extricating herself from Jaune's embrace. "But I don't like waiting."

"Your wish is my command" Jaune said grandiosely, rolling himself out of bed with ease.

Blake's playful smile drooped as he stood with his back to her, his frame illuminated by the early-morning sun. He was tall and muscular, with a sort of rugged charm to his general handsomeness that made him endlessly popular with the ladies, both married and unmarried, at court. However, the perfection of his physique was marred by one flaw: his left arm, which should have been as toned and strong as his right, was a mere stump cut off just below the shoulder. Blake quickly averted her eyes, internally burning with shame. Everyone who survived the Human-Faunus wars had done so with plenty of scars and unhealed wounds, and not all of them were physical.

Blake slowly followed Jaune's example, sliding to the edge of the bed and sitting up for one final stretch. She eyed her clothing chest, mentally assembling her wardrobe as she heard the distinctive rustling of fabric that indicated Jaune's amazing ability to completely dress himself with one hand. Shrugging away her morning sleepiness, she got up and quickly dressed herself in a simple black dress and leather sandals. She didn't bother with the fancier outfits or her jewelry, knowing that neither she nor Jaune were expected at court that day. She glanced over her shoulder at Jaune, who had mirrored her simplicity of dress in his plain white shirt, canvas pants, and leather boots. He caught her looking and smiled, an easy expression that carried no pain and no remorse. Again Blake felt shame fill her mind as she smiled back, gently entwining her arm with his as they descended from their bedchamber to their private dining room.

Their breakfast was waiting for them as they entered the small dining room, plates of sausages and sliced fruit, rolls of bread and pitchers of water. It was a simple meal, one that both vastly preferred over the more extravagant fare that the other nobles consumed. The plain, wholesome food spoke of their shared bond as people of the land. Jaune had originally been a farmer before he and his late brother had risen rapidly through the ranks of Vale's army, securing enough money to begin a modest estate and ensure their family's comfort. Blake had been forced to live on the fringes of society for most of her life, only obtaining a reliable source of food once she joined the White Fang. They ate wrapped in a comfortable silence, occasionally glancing up to smile or gesture for one of the serving plates until everything that had been laid out for them was finished. Neither was the type to let good food go to waste.

"Delicious as always, Ren" Jaune finally said, smiling as his silent butler walked quietly into the room.

The violet-eyed man bowed, the barest hint of a smile playing about his lips as Jaune and Blake rose to leave. Again Blake's eyes caught the empty sleeve where Jaune's left arm should have been, and she fought to keep her ears from drooping as shame reared its ugly head within her for the third time. She paused as she made to follow Jaune, feeling a hand on her arm. Ren was gazing at her with his violet eyes, his expression sympathetic.

You're not to blame. Though he could not speak, his manner and face clearly conveyed his thoughts. Blake quickly glanced away, unable to meet Ren's eyes.

"I am..." she whispered, hating the fact that Ren's expression was dredging up old memories and emotions that she had thought long buried.

You're not to blame. Ren insisted, shifting slightly to remain in her field of view. Blake steadfastly refused to let Ren make eye contact, turning her face away.

"I..." Blake began, tears welling up in her eyes.

You did what had to. Ren stated earnestly, again shifting to stay in Blake's sight. No matter what you did to him in the past, you are the reason he is here today.

"But..." Blake interjected, Ren's comfort only making her feel worse as her memories took a turn for the worse.

Jaune's pained groaning and shallow breathing, the iron scent of blood, the crackling of fire all returned to her mind, and Blake violently shook her arm free of Ren's grasp as she staggered against the wall. She felt faint, her chest heaved as she desperately tried to give herself enough air.

"There's no choice...everything's prepared..." Two figures lay near each other at the bottom of a gorge, the debris and rubble of a bridge that used to span the gap lying chaotically around them. The area was illuminated by a flickering, ruddy light, lending the spilt blood a blackened hue...

Blake felt herself falling down, down into that black liquid, the utter darkness arising to swallow her whole as she mercifully lost consciousness.

"...an't believe...just a simple gift..." A worried, masculine voice was murmuring as Blake slowly stirred, soft sheets shifting gently with her as she rolled slightly across the bed. The voices instantly quieted, and she could sense that at least two people were leaning towards her. Blearily, she blinked open her eyes.

Jaune and Ren were standing over her, worried expressions plastered over their faces as the housekeeper, Nora, hovered curiously in the background. Ren's hands were poised over a tray of bottled medicines and jars of herbs, their movements suspended as his violet eyes glanced at her with equal measures of concern and guilt. Jaune was leaning against the bed, bracing himself with his arm while his brilliantly blue eyes radiated the same mix of emotion as Ren's.

"I'm alright" Blake offered, smiling as best she could at the three. "Just some bad memories, is all." It was their anniversary, she wouldn't worry Jaune any more than she had to.

"I want to apologize, Blake" Jaune said remorsefully, not relaxing in the slightest at her assertion. "I was the one who asked Ren bring the topic up..." Blake's eyebrows raised in curiosity, wordlessly telling him to continue.

"I know" Jaune stated, taking a deep breath as if to brace himself. "I know how much Gorgon's Gorge has haunted you." Blake internally shuddered as the name was spoken, the memory of that night almost rising again in front of her vision.

"Neither of us wanted it to end the way that it did" Jaune continued, unconsciously rubbing his stump with his hand. "But my only two options were to beg for your help, or to die." He locked eyes with Blake, his sapphire gaze burning with honesty.

"You were the one with the real choice that night" he said, more quietly now. "You had endless opportunities to kill me, imprison me, inflict your rage on me. But you didn't. You saved me. You have nothing to regret. Nothing."

"But...I..." Blake was finding it hard to put her feelings into words.

How could she adequately explain to him that, at the time, she had done the deed out of a towering disgust for the horrors of war? That she had only helped him because she had seen thousands of brave young men and women march to their deaths in a war that made less sense by the day? That even though she knew an immediate amputation was necessary, she still blamed herself every day for the pain he had gone through because of her?

"You did what made sense at the time" Jaune asserted, taking her right hand in his own. "And you saved my life. No one can fault you for that."

Blake took a deep breath, about to argue back, but found herself unable to as she gazed into Jaune's face. He was so open, so honest, the kind of person who wore his emotions on his sleeve. It was impossible to not see that he had never blamed her, had never held a grudge and most certainly had never wanted her to blame herself. His face held an infinite concern for her welfare, accompanied by the love that had only grown stronger after five years. Yet his face also held guilt, what had he to be guilty about? Leaving her own conflicted emotions aside, she looked at him quizzically, her amber eyes clearly conveying her curiosity.

"I know you've been beating yourself up over my arm" Jaune sighed, briefly glancing down. "I've known for a long time, and I just wanted you to be happy...I'm sorry, I should have had more tact, but everything was so promising and I didn't want you to be too worried and..."

"Jaune" Blake interrupted as he began to ramble, gently placing her other hand over his.

"Thank you" Jaune said, taking a deep breath and nodding over his shoulder at Nora, who saluted and left the room. "What I'm trying to say is, I found a solution." Blake stared up at him, uncomprehending. A solution to what?

"I found a former member of the Schnee Dust Company's alchemy division" Jaune explained. "One who still had access to Dust and was willing to try anything, for a price. It took us two years, but we finally made it work." Jaune looked up hopefully, and Blake felt a pit form in her stomach. Alchemy, while incredibly powerful, was also a dangerous field, just as likely to kill someone as it was to save their life.

"Jaune..." she whispered, her hands tightening around his.

"We didn't do anything foolish" Jaune hurriedly assured her, smiling as best he could. "We knew the dangers, and we did everything possible to mitigate them."

"And we succeeded!" A cheery voice chirped, the bedroom door banging open as what could best be described as a crimson explosion flew across the room and stopped next to Jaune. Taken slightly aback, Blake gave the newcomer a thorough visual examination.

The girl was short in stature with a childish face, though her silvery-grey eyes conveyed the impression that she was indeed mature. She wore a red cloak around her shoulders, covering her simplistic white shirt and black pantaloons that looked well-worn. Leather pouches of various elements and materials hung from her belt, each clearly labeled with some sort of sigil, obviously intelligible only to the alchemists.

"Blake, this is Ruby" Jaune introduced, nodding at the newcomer. "Ruby, this is Blake."

"Hiya Blake!" Ruby grinned, instantly ruining the brief image of maturity as her eyes shone with energy and delight.

"Hello" Blake returned, her eyes drawn to the package that the girl had slung at the small of her back.

"Ruby, would you mind explaining the general concept behind what you did?" Jaune asked, smiling reassuringly at Blake as he gently got up and walked over to Ren.

"Sure!" Ruby replied, pulling the package out and unravelling the fabric wrapped around it. Blake's breath hitched as she stared at the metallic arm the package had held, an intricate device that was inlaid with veins of Dust crystals that gleamed dully in the light.

"We knew that the power it would take to regrow an actual arm would have killed Jaune" Ruby began, polishing the already clean device. "So instead I crafted this mechanical arm, which we intend to fuse to his shoulder. The Dust will link up with his aura and he should be able to control it just like the rest of his body."

"And if it fails?" Blake asked, almost not wanting to know the answer.

"It'll probably explode in our face" Ruby replied offhandedly. "And we'll start all over again."

Blake was worried about how casually Ruby spoke of potentially catastrophic events, and she glanced up at Jaune for reassurance. He nodded at her, smiling as Ren carefully cleaned his shoulder and applied a layer of powdered Dust. Ruby waltzed up to Jaune with the mechanical arm in hand, muttering a formula under her breath as she carefully lined the device up with his shoulder. Jaune's eyes met Blake's for the briefest of instants, giving her one last smile as a surge of power rushed through the room.

"...une! Jau...Jaune! Jaune!" Blake's voice drifted down into Jaune's stunned brain, shaking him out of his torpor. He groggily blinked and clutched at his head, feeling as though he had just suffered a massive headache. He ran his hands over his face as he slowly sat up, bracing his back against the wall.

"Ow..." he muttered, blearily registering the fact that both Blake and Ruby were kneeling next to him, with Nora and Ren hovering in the background. "That hurt..." He let his arms hang limp, his left strangely cold...

"Easy!" Blake and Ruby cautioned, grabbing Jaune by the shoulders as he jerked his new left arm up, staring at the mechanical device with an expression of shock that was rapidly giving way to joy.

"It worked" he eventually declared, looking up at Blake.

As amber met sapphire yet again, both could instinctively feel the emotions of the other. Jaune could see the weight of worry and guilt lifting from Blake's shoulders, felt five years' worth of self-imposed stress and suffering fade away. A quivering smile played about her lips, one that spoke volumes about her love for the man she had saved, on impulse, that only continued to grow. He slowly drew her into a hug, both getting closure to an event that had cast a shadow over their lives for so long.

Blake could feel warmth and deep-seated love radiating out from Jaune as she wrapped her arms around him, for the first time truly feeling his embrace. Small tears dripped slowly from her misty eyes as she reciprocated the affection he held for her, affection that had never been tainted by blame or grudges. A smile blossomed across her face as the dark horror of that night faded away, closing her eyes as she finally found herself ready to begin a much happier life.

A/N:

Hey guys! Sorry for such a long break, but schoolwork, pre-college stuff, AP Exam prep, and other assorted distractions kept me from writing for awhile. I won't lie and say that I'll immediately get back into an epic uploading spree, but I will promise to do one story per week for as long as I have prompts, uploaded on saturday. That being said, Wolfrepulser, you can expect your ladybug next week. Have a great week guys:)