Ch. 23 Reflecting the moon
Ruby's breath hitched when she saw it. The sight of Jaune's bare chest first brought concern, then understanding.
Unthinking, Ruby took a step closer and placed a hand on his chest, tracing the scaring. The crater of burn scars and surgical cuts spreading out from right over his heart.
"How did…"
"...Signal. I was stupid and went to take the exam without any aura… I nearly died there and then. They had to unlock my aura mid operation just to keep me alive. And when I woke up, I felt great. The doctors didn't tell me at the time, but my heart stopped for a while. It was only thanks to the huntsman that brought me to the hospital that I'm standing here today. I didn't realise until more than a year later the significance of what happened that day. I didn't just get injured, I didn't just nearly die, I did die. And they brought me back from the brink with me being none the wiser."
"Wait, you're the one…"
"The one Yang sent to the hospital? Yes… I don't blame her for this though. She couldn't have known."
"Then the huntsman…"
"Qrow Branwen. I actually met him a few days before initiation. Though I'll admit it took me longer than it should have to realise that you're his niece."
"That's… a strange connection to have, it's almost like some sort of destiny."
Ruby put on a joking tone, trying to lighten the mood. Jaune however replied with a serious tone.
"Do you believe in destiny?"
"What is that, some kind of a pick up line?"
"It's from a book actually. I don't remember the title, just that I read it as a kid."
"We'll maybe you should continue, I think it's working."
Ruby would be lying if she said she didn't have to push herself when it came to flirting so openly with Jaune. But seeing Jaune so far out of his comfort zone she needed, no, wanted to do this for his sake.
That wasn't to say she disliked it. With no need to hide their relationship she wanted to push forward. It just didn't come naturally to her. Then again she kinda doubted flirting came naturally to anyone.
Jaune met the half lidded stare of his girlfriend. Ruby still had her hand on his chest and as such their faces were quite close. At first he was overwhelmed with confusion at the rapid change in atmosphere, but then realised she must be doing it for his sake.
He didn't quite know how to feel about their relationship's progress being caused by him revealing a deeply traumatic part of his past, but it simply wouldn't do to keep Ruby without any response.
Ruby watched as the confusion on Jaune's face turned to understanding, then contemplation, before he leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips before whispering "Thank you."
A few seconds of silence later they were interrupted by Nora's cheerful yelling.
"Well, are you two joining us in the water or what?!"
Jaune looked over to the lake where Nora splashed around while Ren floated face up with minimal movement. It took Jaune all of a second to figure out his next step. Ruby did her best to break the heavy atmosphere and so should Jaune!
"Let's go for a swim."
Jaune smiled at Ruby and bid his time for the moment she turned away from him. And the moment she did he grabbed onto her, lifting her by the waist.
"Eeek! Jaune what are…"
Jaune took off in a sprint towards the water and prepared to throw. Ruby wasn't exactly heavy, but the huntress's body had a whole lot of dense muscle so she wasn't exactly light either. While Jaune concentrated his aura into his arms Ruby caught on to what was about to happen.
"You wouldn't dare! Jaune stop! Nononono!"
And in that moment Ruby left Jaune's grip and was airborne. That in itself wasn't all that abnormal for her. Unfortunately for her she had no control over her fall. Without Crescent Rose or a run-up to activate her semblance she couldn't change her trajectory whatsoever and was consequently reduced to frying through the air screaming her lungs out.
"Aaaaa! You will pay for th-blrgh!"
Before she could finish her threat she landed with a splash. When she got her head above the water again her loose wet hair covered her eyes. When she finally managed to regain her sight she was treated to a sight of Jaune pulling himself up by a branch and imitating Nora and Ren's entrance to the water.
While he avoided repeating Nora's belly flop, Jaune was nowhere near as graceful as Ren. Instead of Ren's perfect swan dive Jaune elected to perform a cannonball.
The impact produced a splash big enough to sink the peacefully floating Ren, prompting him to unwillingly join Nora's frantic flailing.
It was only then Ruby realised just how far Jaune had actually thrown her. Nora and Ren were several metres from the shore and Ruby found herself easily twice as far as they were.
Ruby swam towards the rest of her team, reaching them not long after Jaune resurfaced. So she cleared her throat and repeated herself.
"Ehm… As I was saying: "You will pay for that!"
The moment she finished speaking she grappled Jaune, dunking him underwater.
Soon laughter echoed over the lake as team RNJR enjoyed a proper start to their summer.
=O=O=O=
The residents of Noreia were busy discussing the huntsmen team the young Arc brought with him. Not only were they seen walking through town, but many had seen their display of speed when they left the town proper.
This solidified the theory that these weren't just Jaune's friends but that Jaune was in fact a proper part of the team. The news of the Arc boy's exploits spread like wildfire and while there were some who already knew from his family, to the vast majority of residents this was the most interesting development since old man Nachtnebel caught that big sturgeon.
The talk was soon to be overshadowed though. Only a few hours after the Beacon students passed through town there was a commotion audible over the lake.
When Doré Arc passed by the docks he was presented with a crowd of curious fishermen mixed with other folk loudly speculating what those gunshots were about.
"You think they stumbled on some lake Grimm?"
"Nonsense, I've fished in this here lake for decades and I've never seen one. Now one of them bird Grimm, that I could imagine."
It was then that Doré joined the conversation.
"There's no way a Nevermore could enter the valley without anyone being notified. Let me clear up the mystery for you. My son and his team are training by the lake."
"Isn't that dangerous?"
Doré sighed. This was why he tried to avoid the topic of huntsmen when talking with normal people. He couldn't call them ignorant since this stuff just wasn't taught to civilians, but their lack of knowledge was irritating nonetheless.
"Huntsmen need to train their aura to protect them from harm. A bullet or two is no harm to them. Plus they're probably using blanks right now, since they're close enough for us to hear I doubt they would use live ammunition."
"Oh…"
"So, Doré, your son is a huntsman now? Didn't he study under old Cobalt?"
The elder Arc almost audibly groaned. This was why he didn't brag about his children. The folk of Noreia weren't at fault, he knew that, but talking to them was always so tiring.
=O=O=O=
They were so awesome!
Ash was so glad he didn't listen to the boring adults and sneaked away to take a look at the huntsmen. He knew Jaune… well kinda knew Jaune… more like knew of Jaune as Lavender's big brother, but he never knew he was so strong.
The four of them were running and jumping around in the shallows, but from the looks of it they were currently fighting three on one. Jaune was mostly dodging, since he was fighting unarmed, but the other three were constantly peppering him with attacks.
The other guy seemed to just glide along the water, dodging and weaving through Jaune's fists while firing his… pistols? Ash wasn't sure pistols could even fire that fast but they looked like pistols to him.
The attacks seemed to do nothing to Jaune though. Even at point blank all that happened was that Jaune's aura flashed white gold at the point of impact and nothing else.
And when the girl in red fired her weapon at Jaune he just took it too! Sure the light was stronger and bigger, but he barely even flinched. As for hitting Jaune with the blade, those attempts were unsuccessful. Jaune seemed more keen on avoiding those attacks and actively dodged them.
Then there was the ginger one… Ash thought she was very pretty. Not that the other girl wasn't, but the ginger one was especially pretty. And the way she swung the giant hammer was mesmerising. Sure, Jaune dodged them all the same, but just from the way the water splashed with every impact, Ash could tell just how much strength was behind each atack.
And that's without mentioning how he could see her muscles flex with every swing. It made Ash feel a certain way he had difficulty describing.
He was so mesmerised by her that he barely noticed when she folded the hammer and shot a grenade from the shifted rotary grenade launcher. Jaune dodged the shot, but unfortunately for Ash, the stray grenade was now headed straight for him, eliciting a girlish scream from the young boy.
=O=O=O=
A scream pierced the air shortly followed by a bang. All four members of team RNJR stopped in their tracks and turned towards the shore.
"Shit!"
Swearing wasn't something Nora characteristically did, but when the situation called for it she wouldn't shy from it. And a child getting hurt? Furthermore because of her negligence?
That would do it.
She ran up to the impact site and kneeled beside the pink painted shrubbery. She didn't load explosives today, just pink paint in a pressurised rubber cartridge rigged to go boom with compressed gas.
"Hey, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"
The boy was in a daze, the impact clearly knocking him flat on his ass. When the boy noticed the huntress speaking to him he yelled back.
"MY EARS ARE RINGING!"
As Nora continued patting down the paint covered child she breathed a sigh of relief. Aside from being disoriented from the loud noise and his ears ringing he was probably fine.
"That's gonna go away soon. Anything else? Anything hurt?"
The boy slowly shook his head, his eyes never leaving her.
"What's your name?"
"I'm Ash! What's yours pretty miss?"
Nora froze at being called pretty by a child. There's a saying in Mistral: "The only honest people are drunks and children." and she was suddenly reminded of it. It was only when Ren put a hand on her shoulder that she shook off the surprise. She smiled at the kid before replying.
"I'm Nora. This one is Ren, you probably know Jaune and this is Ruby, our team leader. And you, Ash, are in a desperate need of a bath."
"...huh? Wha…?"
"You're covered in pink paint kid." added Jaune, clearing up the boy's confusion, turning it into terror.
"Oh no! Mom's gonna kill me!"
=O=O=O=
Jaune sat with Ruby at the docks, their bare feet hanging off the pier dipped into the still water. It was already evening and the sky was without a single cloud allowing for the fractured moon to illuminate the darkness.
They had returned the kid to his family without much fuss. Though Nora spent a good deal of time apologising and reassuring his mother, one Ann Burns, that the paint would wash out of the clothes.
Ren and Nora elected to retire to the Arc residence to rest and Ren to calm Nora down, or so Jaune assumed. She didn't show it in front of Ash but Nora was pretty shaken about the whole ordeal.
Ruby probably picked up on this too, since she dragged Jaune on a walk around the town and had him show her around until long after sundown.
By the nature of the valley, sunset came earlier than normal and even before the sky turned orange.
That didn't stop the pair from enjoying the view though. And now that the moon was out the two sat at the docks, gazing at its clear reflection in the mirror like waters of the black lake.
Jaune's arm firmly yet delicately holding her close to his side. Content silence interrupted only by the occasional splash of water.
Ruby's head rested on his shoulder while her hand rested over his heart. The sight of the broken moon overlapping with the sight of Jaune's scars from earlier in the day.
They were similar in a way. Both a reminder of something terrible, but made no lesser through them.
They sat in silence. A smile on their lips and the moon reflected in their eyes.
=O=O=O=
Author's note:
The moon... It's important...
Also, poor Ash... wrong place wrong time I guess. Wonder if we'll see him again. Also his name is both an homage and a pun, how lovely.
Anyway I hope you enjoyed and are looking forward to the next chapter: Ch. 24 Back at the smithy