RWBY: Lancaster Blooming

"Do You Believe In Destiny?"

I keep wondering what to say to Jaune. Almost every night we make camp, he's out there all alone. Watching that same tutorial Pyrrha recorded for him. Training. Pushing himself. And every time it repeats... I can see the pain in his eyes. I think deep down, he loved her. But she's gone now... and Jaune... he's alone.

'How could I compare? How do I fill that void for him?' Why do I constantly ask myself those questions?

I approached the clearing where Jaune was practicing. Pyrrha's digitized voice echoed through the forest. Once again, I felt a pit of despair in my stomache as I watched him from the shadows of a nearby tree. His eyes were puffy and red...

"Oh Jaune..." I whispered to myself.

He suddenly perked up and turned to my general direction. Did he hear me? I panicked a bit.

"Who's there?" Jaune called out, tensing up. "I know someone's watching. Just... make it easier on yourself... well... easier on me... since I... ugh."

Busted. I sighed, emerging from the darkness. His expression changed to a much lighter one. "O-Oh! Ruby! I was just... y'know... going for a walk..."

"Jaune... you're not fooling me." I groaned, approaching him. The recording had stopped.

He continued stuttering, trying to hide the fact that he had been crying. "Soooo... can't sleep? I couldn't-"

Suddenly, my body moved on its own. But in the moment, I rolled with it. I hugged him gently from behind. I closed my eyes and whispered to him "Jaune. It's time to let go."

He just froze up. I couldn't see his face, but I knew he started crying again. I wanted to tell him to stop, but I had just asked him to vent. So I let it happen.

"Ruby... do-- do you believe in destiny?" He managed to say.

I nodded against his back. "Yeah... why?"

"Do... do you think it was destiny that she died? That Pyrrha was murdered?" Jaune's voice had a hint of rage, but I wasn't worried.

"Jaune... I believe everything happens for a reason. What those reasons are is beyond me." I turned him around to face me. He was visibly upset beyond anything I had ever seen. "But what I know, is that if you let your fears and sadness take hold of you, then you will never progress... no matter how hard you train."

Jaune perked up and looked right into my eyes as I said those words. Right then and there, I felt an odd sensation in my chest; hot... and I felt a bit winded, too.

"Y'know, you always seem to be there when I really need you the most, Ruby. I guess I should be considered lucky, right?" He sounded happier. "Every time I'm down, you always pick me up again so effortlessly. Every time! And you know what to say, too."

I blushed. Those strong feelings inside me were stirring more aggressively... is this...?

"Jaune, I... I'm just being me! That's what friends are for. There's nothing special about that. Normal girl, with normal knees... remember?"

Jaune's eyebrows would shift in confusion. "I... uh... think you said that to someone else."

I blushed harder. "Right... Yang... totally out of context... sorry..."

He cracked a smile. "No, it's cool..."

There was a bit of silence, but Jaune broke it with a deep sigh, and then...

"Ruby... ugh, look... I-- you're more than just a friend at this point."

My eyes widened a bit as he continued.

"Yeah... I will admit, I had the hots for Weiss... totally irrelevant by the way... and... Pyrrha... which I'm still all over the place about... but... in the end you're still here. You're the most inspiring person I've ever met. Always leading the charge, and being everything... I wish I was... but that's okay. You give me a goal to strive towards!"

I felt more red than my own cloak. He's not wrong, but... where was he going with all this?

"Ruby... what I'm trying to say is... I love you. And not as a friend or whatever... like I LOVE love you. I've come to see that now."

I felt light-headed. "Jaune... where is this coming from?"

"Now I know this is a bit sudden..." he began, but I cut him off. "Ya think?"

He frowned. "Hey! I'm trying to confess to you here! This is NOT easy for me to do! So just give me the chance to--"

I locked lips with him. Did I do it to shut him up? Maybe so this feeling would go away? I don't know. I could only hear confused muffles as I held onto him tightly.

I broke away from him. He looked shocked. Innocent as usual. "Come on Jaune, let's go to bed. We have another long walk ahead of us." I smiled. He chuckled. "Y-Yeah. Let's."

... this is what being in love feels like, doesn't it?