RWBY - The Maidens Curse (Patreon)

“Do you believe in destiny?”

What is destiny? Effort, strength, optimistic attitude, and the power to move forward? Is destiny good, or bad? How many questions can be asked about it?

Drip, drip, drip

A blood-soaked sword and cheeks with stained tears. Is that destiny too?

Drip, drip, drip

Jaune had no answer to such questions. He feels plenty though. His gloved hand's quiver against the hilt of his sword. His blonde hair brushes against his brow moist from sweat. Plenty to feel. Jaune’s blue eyes stare blankly down, unblinking. He could feel everything now, but he could still also feel the salty taste against his lips. Would his tears even mean anything? All the young man cared to do was speak up, say something, and do something. His voice, however, only quivers and shakes. The usual optimism in it was gone. “What… what was the point…?”

Drip, drip, drip

The corpse under Jaune would not get back up. It would not laugh, cry, or ever get mad. It had no life, Penny has no life, and now never will.

Clang

Jaune’s sword hits the ground. In his hands, it just felt too heavy. What now? All around him he could still hear some shouting and screaming. People run behind him entering a portal. From the looks of it, the last few were managing to escape. The enemy, Cinder, was coming for him. Winter too was shouting, she was trying to come to his aid. Despite that, his body felt unmovable. He killed someone. Not just a robot. An actual person that bled blood. First Pyrrha destroyed Penny, and now he killed her for good. Was it the world's way of making some sick joke? He feels a copper taste brush his lips. His teeth were digging into his lips too hard. How long had passed, it felt like hours but was only seconds ticking by. Was doing this the right choice? If he was stronger he could have just carried Penny through the portal. What if, if only, he could, he should—he didn’t.

Rumble

The ground under Jaune shakes. The golden platforms suspended in the black void around him begin to fall and turn to dust. Shouting, pleas, Jaune hears it, but it’s just murmuring to his ears. His knees hit the ground and his hand gingerly brushes the hilt of his sword. Not even a full-grown adult, and he managed to kill another human.

BOOM

The platform he was on now shakes, rumbles, and snaps. His eyes flicker with some life, someone had shot at him. With what strength he has in him, he covers Penny’s body to shield it. Maybe it was a reflex or guilt but he squeezes the girl's lifeless body close. Then, the platform vanishes from under him. His hands gather the sword and Penny close, and they fall. They fall till they too vanish to dust.

Thud

Jaune’s head hits the ground, and his eyes squint but only a white expanse is there to greet him. Carefully he breathes still feeling his chest push in and then out. “Wh-where…?” He softly murmurs out the words sitting up slowly. His sword was not with him, nor his armor or even Penny. “Did… did I die too?”

Whooosh

Cold air brushes against Jaune’s back, and a few auburn-colored leaves blow with it gently falling at his feet. Squeezing his fingers against his palm Jaune turns around and sees a girl staring back at him. Long orange hair, bright green eyes, pale skin, a simple white top with a green suspender skirt. The girl smiles softly and waves her hand. “Salutations, Jaune!” It was Penny, no blood, no cuts in her clothes, no hole in her heart. “I had never thought to meet here. Though if I was picked. Then well you too can be!”

Rubbing his eyes first Jaune carefully walks up to Penny. “Y-you…” His voice still shakes, if he talked too much he knew he would cry. “H-how? Is… is this rea—” With each step, he gets closer to Penny, and she seems to get further away. With each step, he feels his heart begin to sink more. “Hah…this… this isn’t real after all.”

Blinking one eye after the other Penny shakes her head, her voice filled with her usual cheerful tone. “Jaune, it’s alright. I asked for this. You helped me, and you’re always very helpful.” Reaching her hand out in an attempt of comfort, Penny’s eyes soften noticing she too cannot get close. “This place… is for the Maidens Power. I’ve been here myself, for the previous Winter Maiden. That’s why we can talk now. For a little while.”

Jaune falls to his butt staring down at the blank white ground. “Why me then? Why talk to me? I can’t have the maiden power. The only thing I’ve done for you Penny, is kill you…”

They both pause for a long while. Penny fidgets her fingers pressing them together and spreading them out. Swaying back and forth even she seemed to have trouble finding words. “The powers already yours.” She says it softly closing her eyes for a few moments. “You’re the new Winter Maiden. You’re who I thought of last. A kind soul, not someone who was born to have the power, not someone who craves it. Someone who just wants to help.”

The air of the white space felt colder. Jaune bites at his lip again his eyes glancing at Penny. He doubt she could lie even if she wanted to. Though he could not help but respond in disbelief. “Me? The Winter Maiden? Penny… I’m not a maiden of anything? I’m some guy.” Trying to gather himself Jaune pushes his hands to his knees and stands back up brushing his eyes of small tears. “And you’re right… that’s not a power I want. We’ve seen what it does. Being hunted, hunted by everyone… Pyrrha died because of it. Yang’s mom ran away cause of it. You died because of it… these powers.” Jaune drags his hand across his face groaning into his palm. “I can’t take this… hah… it doesn’t even matter what I say, I already have it just by being here right?” Penny sullenly nods carefully taking a few steps back. “Pyrrha destroyed you on accident back then… she was manipulated into doing it.” Penny nods again her fingers pressing in close together. Jaune’s tone however does not change. Taking a long breath he carefully lets the words keep flowing from his lips. “I thought if I could protect you… maybe I’d make her proud. Though somehow. Just like her, I ended up killing you too. And now just like her… I’m being drawn into this maiden stuff? Heh.”

Penny’s hands fall to her sides and she takes just one step forward. “Jaune.” Her voice comes out a little stern this time yet still lined with hope. “I do not know what will happen. But please. Do not give up hope. If you feel responsible. Then live for us both. Alright?”

Splash

A wave of water splashes against Jaune’s face, and suddenly he is greeted by a purple sky. Coughing up salty water he rolls to his side noticing his armor was now on his body again. Even his sword was still in his hand. Pushing against the sand Jaune sees Penny’s body just a few feet away. A beach all around him, a woods with purple and blue trees not far ahead. It was no longer a white space, but the new reality he had to face. Standing up, he walks to Penny carefully rolling her over. The blood stain was still there, the hole in her heart still present. Squatting down, Jaune sheathes his sword and scoops Penny into his arms looking down at her face. “Only you could ask me to do something so unfair…” Jaune gives a weak little smile and walks slowly into the forest.

Clack, clack, clack

The rocks were in place. It took him hours by himself, but the grave was finally completed. Even if he did not want to bury Penny in a random location, he had no other choice for survival's sake. As far as he knew no trees or vegetation that he had seen so far was native, anywhere. It was like being on a different planet, but space travel was just a dream, not something people could do. “So, what now?” Jaune sighs sullenly to himself. He had no one for company but himself. “So now I get to live with new trauma while I talk to myself all so I hopefully don’t go insane…  Great Jaune.”

Jaune had no direction, so he walks. The walking took who knew how long. The area around him had no way to tell time. Though it had a sun it seemed to never go down. Rather certain parts of where he walked would be oddly dark like a fake night. The areas gave him some space to sleep at the very least. Jaune did his best to keep hopeful but each day that past began to drag on his mind. Penny told him live, people like Pyrrha wanted him to live too. That did not mean he wanted to live alone. Another day, another lonely night. The more he walks toward what he assumes to be the center of the island the further his mind wanders. Despite it all though, Jaune still lives. Sipping water off purple leaves, ripping odd greenish fruit from trees to eat. Some began to turn his stomach, but so far nothing had killed him. No animals, no people, Jaune heard no bugs, and even wind felt rare. He could sadly not survive on strange fruit alone. Meat, grains, starch, he needed something else. The fruits could also be some sort of slow poison even if they filled him. Then again, the water could be doing the same, the most he could do after all was boil it on a campfire. At least wherever he was still let him make fires. It was not like some storybook where the laws of nature completely changed. Would he find anything at the center? Were the others that fell from the platformers on a different island, the same world, a different time? Jaune scoffs under his breath, they fell into a place made by relics the gods of their world created. Anything goes.

“Only a few find the way.”

Jaune hears the voice and readies his sword. Low, a bit raspy but with a whisper. The voice sounded like it was almost talking on the wind, yet no wind blew. If it was hostile, Jaune figured he could not fight properly. It felt hard just holding his sword properly. Using his energy to chop wood, make fires, and find fruit. It was hard, without proper food he was just barely able to make his body push itself to survive. Fighting was the last thing he wanted to do, so breathing in slowly, Jaune speaks calmly to the voice. “Find the way? ... What way?” Jaune pauses to see if the voice responds. No answer comes back, so he tries again. “Hah… you’re real right? I’m not just going crazy, am I?”

The purple trees rustle. Some branches lower and twitch. A paw print then presses against the ground. Jaune blinks and rubs at his eyes but the print remains. Then a branch to his left lowers down slowly a white paw suddenly resting on it. The hair on the paw bristles like It was sharp and more of the body reveals itself. A creature that looked similar to Ruby’s dog. The face however was fuzzy but more round like a person, yet Jaune could not exactly call it human looking. The teeth it shows are sharp, and the eyes it stares with a glowing yellow. It was like a dog but also some kind of cat. It lays on the branch with expert balance just like cats Jaune would see in the city. The long tail at its back side swishes slowly changing from white fur to purple. Then, the creature speaks, the same voice coming from it that he heard just moments ago. “I’m crazy. Are you?” The creature smiles its sharp teeth one eye blinking after the other. “Though… is it crazy, or simply different from our own crazy?”

Jaune sighs hearing the words. The creature was, creepy to put it bluntly. It calling itself crazy was not a comfort to him either. It was not hostile currently, but Jaune was unsure if talking to it would be helpful or not. Clearing his throat, he carefully puts his sword back in its sheath and speaks back up. “Have you seen anyone like me?”

The creature vanishes from view, but the branches around Jaune keep rustling. Its voice begins to brush the wind again like before. “Only you are you, just like we are us.” The branches settle and once again the creature's body materializes in front of Jaune sitting on a lower branch. It grins, its eyes still blinking one after the other. “Though, you are no longer the you that had slept. You’re awake.”

Groaning at the words Jaune holds his face in his palm. “Ugh…” The creature spoke nonsense and it was making him frustrated. “I’ll always be me… look I just wanna find others that can walk and talk like me. Is that a better question? Do you get that… um buddy? Should I call you anything?” All be it passive-aggressive Jaune did still need to learn more. Provided he was not going crazy if the creature could lead him toward his friends that were lost in the void, it would be better than surviving alone.

The branches do not rustle like before. The creature blinks one eye after another, and the branch it sits on extends up so the creature can stare Jaune in the face. It had no breath as its body breathes. The grin on its face lowers and with its plain expression, it speaks again. “Any path will lead you. The direction is the one you decide. Will you still be you no matter which you take?”

Crack

The tree branch cracks and the creature vanishes from view. Jaune spins on his heel trying to listen for it, but the area was dead silent again. “Wh-what the he—” Cut off from speaking Jaune feels the ground under him shake. Bracing himself he grabs the side of a tree watching as purple branches sway to the side opening a pathway. Even the leaves on the ground blow with a seemingly non-existent wind. In disbelief Jaune’s words mutter off his lips. “It… it can’t really act based on my feelings can it? Was that what it meant… or what I want it to mean. Hah great Jaune… talking to yourself will help… well maybe a little… but what did it mean. Will I still be me… nothing chang—” Jaune’s body shivers as he stares at his hand. Without even having his sword drawn he could feel the hilt like a phantom. The blood was still fresh along the tip.

Drip, drip, drip

Jaune falls into a pant, his chest feeling a bit tight. “Wha-wha— ah-ah-ah…” Grabbing at his chest it felt hard to breathe. He grabs at the tree branches and pushes himself to take each step forward. Was he panicking? Was this what a panic attack was like? Jaune’s body was weak, it felt like he ran around a track far too many times. Though all he had been doing was walking. He wanted to throw up, but he keeps moving anyway. His body shakes now and again, it was hard for him to steady his hand. Holding his actual sword did nothing earlier, why would just seeing his hand remind him so vividly? “Hah…”

Thud

Sliding against a tree Jaune falls to his butt and keeps a hand on his chest trying to control his breathing. His eyes felt heavier than they should. What would cause such a strain? “Hah…” Jaune’s breath begins to slow, his fingers gently grip the ground. “It hasn’t been that long… what did I expect?” The words come out plainly, but Jaune could still feel some pain in his chest. “Did I really help Penny…” Nothing responds to Jaune but the pain in his chest lessens. “Did I really get that power…?” Jaune could not help but focus on the creature's odd words. Just talking to it made him feel like it knew things it should not. Would his having some new power, change who he is as a person? “I don’t even know how to use it… if I could… could I get myself out of here? If this is part of the Creators magic… it’s still magic… but maiden powers… are Ozpin magic, right? Hah, I guess it’s Oz and Salem? How does magic even work… can’t Oscar use it himself? So does that mean anyone can still and we just decided to stop?” The thoughts, the questions, they wander through Jaune’s mind lighting fast. Instead of panicking, he found himself paralyzed with wonder. He never had a chance to stop and think over it all. So much had happened in so little time. Then, his eyes finally close. Sleep.

Bzzzrt!

It sounded like an alarm. A loud and close one blared in Jaune’s ear. It was odd but he could hear a voice too, a female's voice, one that sounded familiar. “I’m late, I’m late, late, late, late!” With a clack of heels and a sway of a skirt, Jaune could barely understand what he was seeing. The trees that had surrounded him were gone all beside the one he was sleeping on. In front of him now what seemed like the purple trees were twisting into concert and metal walkways. The ground shifted to look more like Mantel the place he had just fled from days before. An illusion was the first thing that came to mind. Is the world somehow twisted to suit people’s feelings? Jaune had nothing to go on besides the vague words the odd creature said. Was he in some sort of waking dream? “Finally!” If it was a dream, was the girl In front of him real, or his own created illusion? “Jaune you’ve arrived. We have to hurry now the courtroom appointment starts shortly.” The white hair girl pushes thick-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose. The scar on her eye told Jaune enough, but the pale skin and usual color scheme felt comforting. Weiss, in the flesh, unless he was that far crazy. Though maybe he rather be crazy if he got some human contact again. “Come on we have to go, stop standing around.” Weiss holds out her hand, her nails are painted white. It was odd Jaune thought, Weiss, seemed to be dressed like some sort of secretary. Pencil skirt, white top, black heels with a red lining, and a pocket watch dangling from her side.

Jaune wanted nothing more than to take Weiss’s hand but even he was not so far gone as to do that. Clearing his throat he gingerly coughs into his hand to first make sure he could even speak. “Ehem.” Then trying his best to not fumble over himself Jaune speaks plainly. “Are… you the real Weiss? Cause… you don—”

Weiss covers Jaune’s mouth and pulls him into a tight hug. It was surprising but also made him question the reality even more. Weiss however whispers into Jaune’s ear. “Good… you’re real too. Just play along for now, or we’ll be stuck. I’ll explain later, trust me. Please, Jaune.” Normally hearing such words would do all sorts of things to Jaune’s head. Weiss however sounded desperate. Exhausted even. She did fall off a bit before Jaune did, so maybe it made sense he would stumble into her. “Now come with me!” Weiss’s tone shifts and grows animated instantly. She turns on her heel and puts a hand on her hip beckoning Jaune to follow. He does. To anyone else, the area would look like a normal city street. But Jaune could see it, as they walk the branches of the trees twisted and change colors, textures even. Some hollow out to make buildings, and some morph to even look like fake wooden people. They walk and walk, till finally Weiss grabs Jaune’s hand and guides him up a flight of stairs leading to a double door. “Here we are. Present yourself correctly while in the Queen's court!” Weiss says the words matter of factly but her eyes stare at Jaune begging for compliance as if life and death were the stakes.

Bam

The doors swing open by themselves and a gavel slams down. “Order!” Another familiar female voice. Weiss and Jaune walk down the center of the court. As they walk pews raise from the ground with wooden folk sitting in them. The girl behind the large judge stand though looked real. A crown on her head a rather regal dress on her body, gavel in her hand. Jaune could barely believe what he was seeing. The dark red hair, and silver eyes, the girl looked like Ruby, but dressed like some sort of queen. Weiss makes no mention of it however and still does not break her acting, so Jaune follows along. Weiss takes him to a small table with two chairs and they both sit down. No jury is formed, and no table at their side either. Queen Ruby seemed to be the only one there and she slams her gavel down again to quiet down the silent wooden people. “I said order! — ehm!” Clearing her throat the girl's usual cheery tone remains serious. “We are gathered here today for a trail of murder!” A gasp echoes through the courtroom from parts unknown. Jaune can’t help but look over his shoulder but only wooden people stare back at him. “Yes, my good subjects, murder the most heni—high—the most grossest crime there is!” Jaune's face twitches trying to not laugh at Ruby's failure to say heinous, Weiss thudding his arm sternly luckily keeps him in tack. “It has come to my attention that Jaune Arc, the one standing before us today has committed this grave act of murder!” Another gasp comes from the crowd, but this time Jaune’s body simply freezes up. “Jaune has not only killed a good friend of mine but even stolen away her power as well! The victim will even confirm this! Penny?” From Ruby’s side, a stand by the judge's podium raises, and a wooden cut out of Penny sits. Jaune stares, a large hole gaping in the heart of the wooden statue. The crowd gasps again. “That’s right, you’ve all heard my good friend's words. So why then should the defendant not be found guilty on all charges?!”

Squeeze

Weiss squeezes tightly at Jaune’s arm as if to reassure him. Standing up then she walks in front of Jaune and looks up at Ruby. “My glorious, and kind Queen,” Weiss says the words maturely public speaking seemed something she could manage well now. At least in front of wooden people and her friend that was playing dress up. “I will not deny the acts of my client. Though I ask you to understand the reasoning behind them. After all, my Queen has pardoned lady Pyrrha for the same act you accuse my client of.”

The crowd now rambles and Ruby’s face contorts. At this point, Jaune had no idea what to say. He could still barely process what was even happening. The forest had some sort of power, but was Ruby under the spell, or were they all playing along? If they were, how cruel was it to make this the topic Jaune had to sit through? “Well…” Ruby mutters under her breath, but upon slamming her gavel back against her table her voice raises again. “I do acknowledge that Penny has been killed before in a non-aggressive way. The murder in question was deemed an accident. Though—!” Ruby points to the wooden statue of Penny. “This time the victim was killed intentionally! And I think the court, meaning me, would agree this much is true and unden—undeniable!”

Weiss stomps her foot against the ground and swishes her glasses off. With a flourish of her hair, she glares at Ruby and sternly speaks. “I am a witness to the act in question and Penny pleaded for my client to do so, even when my client had first denied the request!”

The courtroom gasps again and then begins to shake. Jaune jolts up from his chair and Weiss suddenly tackles him to the ground. “What the—” Before Jaune can speak up the trees around them begin to fall apart. Crashing into each other they kick up dust and dirt. The Queen says nothing else but Weiss keeps her hold on Jaune. In just a minute the woods suddenly were just that. No fake buildings or people just trees once more, but Weiss was real. “You…. You are real right?” Jaune’s voice softly cracks, he could barely manage to whisper out his words just feeling the pressure of Weiss’s body on him. It was not because she was heavy either, the pressure of another human, someone else.

Squeezing herself into his body Weiss’s voice shakily speaks. “Y-eah dummy… yeah… finally… someone.”Jaune felt the same, but something about Weiss’s words tugged at his heart. She still sounded so desperate. Jaune was dealing with a lot, but he liked to think he still had some kind of hope. It felt like Weiss had almost completely lost all of hers. “I…” Weiss keeps her head buried into Jaune’s chest, her voice kept at a whisper. “Being out here for months like this… I really thought… I was the only one here. That I’d die here.” Jaune shivers at the words. Just the mention of months passing makes him begin to count the days in his head. He knew days past, but for him, it felt like it had only been a bit over a week at most. “Oscar, the others… I wanted to believe they could push on without us. I want to still believe that… but… here alone. I thought maybe I could mange… find some way… but this place… everything…” The warmth against his chest speaks for itself. Weiss could not help but cry. Jaune let’s her, but his mind wanders too. Blake, Yang, Ruby, and even one of their enemies, Neo. They all fell into the same void. But if months had passed for Weiss, and Jaune had only fallen in a few minutes after. How much time passed for the other girls? If being alone was hard on Weiss, was the ruby they saw leading the court real, or some illusion made by the forest? “Jaune…” Hearing Weiss’s whispering words, all the questions bouncing in Jaune’s mind quiet. He could worry about it later. At least for now, he was not alone.

Drip, drip, drip

Jaune jolts awake, a cold sweat beading down his forehead. Panting he holds his chest, his eyes darting over the trees around him. “Jaune?” Then a soft female voice squeezes at his hand. Weiss was beside him, she never left; she is beside him. “You’ve… had it rough.”

Brushing the sweat from his brow Jaune slowly reels his hand from Weiss’s. “Yeah…” instead of wasting time talking about feelings Jaune needed to learn more. They had to survive and find some means of escape. Keep hope. “I’ll just ask. Weiss, what was all of that? With Ruby. What happened to your clothes too? I thought they may change back but you’re still in that… and just to bring it up before I forget… you said months. I’ve only been here for like a week.”

Weiss’s eyes slowly widen and she gently coddles her head with her hand thinking. “Wow…” The words mutter off her lips, talking to yourself when alone was common Jaune notes. “Jaune…” Weiss stands up slowly dusting off the back of her skirt. “You’ve… only been here for days… where did you wake up?”

The beach was still clear in Jaune’s head. So was the corpse beside him. Squeezing his eyes shut Jaune shakes his head and responds. “I woke up at some beach on this island thing… then I went into the woods. The trees have been pretty weird. But this place with all the purple trees has been, well worse apparently. But I somehow found you, so I guess I got that going for me.”

Eyes shifting from concern to hope Weiss had a lot on her mind. “I woke up in this terrible forest.” Whatever the months did to her in an illusion forest Weiss still had her sterner bitter tone down. “I never even knew this place was an island! I woke up in this get up too… this forest… it shows you things. If you don’t act along with it… it… tries to eat you?” Weiss seemed unsure how to explain it. “I’d be dead by now without my runes… I’ve no idea what happened to my weapon.” Eyes darting around the area Weiss sheepishly gets closer to Jaune seeming to not want to stray too far. “Whatever the case… if you can get us back to that shore… or somewhere that isn’t this forest. That would be for the best. I have no idea if anyone else is in here… but I certainly hope not.”

More talking could happen when they were not in an illusion forest. Weiss did not want to linger around. Jaune could agree with the sentiment. The path he wanted to go would be there. Jaune wanted to find people so he did, if what the creature told him was true that was how the forest worked. Then why did the rules not apply to Weiss, cause she lacked some deeper connection to the Creators relics? “Follow me.” Jaune’s questions were beginning to feel more rhetorical. So for now he presses on. Weiss stands behind him seeming unsure if she should hold onto some part of him or keep a close distance. “I met some weird creature here.” Jaune starts talking as he walks, he is careful to not go too fast. “I’m not sure if what it said is true. But it seems like this forest reacts to feelings.” What took Jaune days of travel before suddenly only takes a few hours. The crashing of waves rings into Weiss and Jaune’s ears. Weiss could barely believe it, the usual useless silly Jaune was now her savior from going insane. Finally, they both step out of the purple forest and step against a Sandy beach walking along the shoreline. “I guess we somehow made it out of there… this place. Is so weird… no wonder we were told not to fall in.”

Weiss finds herself a log washed up on the shore and sits down looking out to the water. Some of it looked like salt water. The colors of the water change though. One moment it is greenish, the next a purple or blue. Jaune finds his spot beside Weiss, a bit surprised at how calm she seems. Sleeping a bit and knowing you’re not alone in the world can do a bit. “Jaune…” Weiss cups her hands together carefully resting them on her lap. Her words are soft, though from her eyes distant stare Jaune could tell she was in deep thought. “I wonder if the others are even here… if I was here for months and you days. They could have been here for even longer, over a year. Maybe they found a way back. We wouldn’t know.” She asked no questions and just spoke her thoughts. “I’ve been through a few of those… illusion trees. It was terrible. I really thought it was Ruby at first. Hah, I felt so happy to see her, just don’t tell the real one that.” She sighs slowly brushing her thumb against the side of her hand. “I started talking to the creatures I summon. Pretending maybe. I feel like… ever since I went to beacon my whole life just keeps, showing me how privileged I was. How much I take for granted. Even the new family I found.” The pause in her words lingers for a while, then her eyes flick to Jaune but are unable to meet his gaze. “You, Ren, Nora… you’re all part of that family too. Even Oscar and he only just started traveling with us. We’re just a bunch of teenagers. Not even adults yet and we keep having to solve all these problems the adults should have been able to figure out in the first place.” Jaune wanted to say a lot, but he felt unable to. It was all true after all. “It’s like one of Blake’s books or one of Ruby’s silly games. Some great hero that’s ten years old gets to go fight a god on the moon to save the world with some dog they found on the road.” Jaune manages to crack a small smile at that one, Weiss even gives him a small shove seeing the smirk. “I’m not joking though, you know it’s true. How many issues have we had to solve now? So many adults we know, so many adults in those games or books… all of them have powers, allies, some special skill. But instead of helping they thrust it all onto some young kid.” Biting at her lower lip she shakes her head dismissively. “Are we all just doing that to Ruby… It took us way too long in mantel to actually work together. Are we allowed these mistakes… It just feels all, too much.”

Death, destruction, a war no one wanted to be part of. It was all too much, Jaune could agree to that. People his age should not be forced to deal with what they were. No one should. Sighing slowly Jaune leans back looking up at the purplish sky. “Well.” Maybe he could not provide much comfort with his words but he could at least say something. “We’re still alive. We’ll make more mistakes. We’re just trying to survive though. Salem though? Heh… meeting her up close, seeing what the relic showed us. It’s sort of pathetic… all she needs to do is learn to deal with death.”

Drip, drip, drip

Jaune squeezes his hand against the log his eyes wandering the sky. “It’s painful. It lingers in our minds. When we lose something we can’t just get it back. Even if we wanted it. Heh… she did get it back though. They even had a life together after she already ruined the world and restarted it again. Though after that she still never learned to let go. The lesson she was supposed to learn was forgotten, and it just became about revenge to try and do what? Say she’s better than some gods?” Jaune jolts up from the log and kicks his boot into the sand his voice raising with anger. “We all know that if she actually got all the relics all she’s going to do is make the gods erase our whole planet! But she’s dumb enough to think she could beat them when they’re what’s keeping her alive in the first place!” Letting his voice pant out, Jaune wondered himself what reason he had to be so mad. “Hah… she was given everything and more. And all that happened was she became an even bigger spoiled brat.” Maybe Jaune had more to work out than he thought. Dealing with Penny was enough, now he was just making Weiss shift uncomfortably. He just could not stop his words. “If I even had the smallest chances she was given I'd—”

“I’m sorry.”

Jaune’s body freezes up, something about the island, made it so easy to remember. Remember things he kept trying to bury. Sitting back down he stares at his hands, and Weiss carefully sets hers on top of his. She speaks softly, far softer than him. “I can’t understand Jaune… so I won’t say I can. But I’m here.” Jaune grits his teeth, tears wanted to pour, but he keeps them from leaking. “We saw Salem’s choice… of what survival means… maybe she just wants those gods to kill her themselves. We won’t become like her though… from everything we saw in her story. The thing she lacked most was actual friends.” Weiss lifts her hand away and proudly places a hand on her chest trying to put some more energy into the conversation. “If even Weiss Schnee, a prissy rich girl can get a bunch of colorful dweebs for friends. Then, well nothing’s impossible. We can stop her, we can get out of here, we can meet back up with everyone.”

Jaune manages a small smirk. Weiss seemed to be good at speaking facts today. Salem gave up everything for Ozpin. She got her happy life, then got bored with immortality without ever learning anything. She never made friends or cared for others, she just got some pets. Ironic that Salem’s pathetic existence could be what would comfort Jaune. Immorality is a curse, going against the Creators of the planet; not that smart. Salem got Oz in the form of someone that is always reincarnating. Though even getting all the things she wanted, nothing was ever good enough. No friends to help her process loss, no friends to enjoy the mundane parts of life, and no memories to hold close. Salem really is the most pathetic thing Jaune could think of. Part of him wanted her to find the relics just so she could be erased from existence already. Jaune breathes out. Humans are dumb, Grimm would still exist without Salem too. Even if she and she alone were gone conflict would still exist. “That lady causes so many problems. Who knows if she’ll ever learn her lesson. Hah… if we could throw her into a place like this guess that could solve the problem too. More so if the way to escape is by feeling. She’d be trapped forever.” As Jaune says the words, the idea is not that terrible, in fact saying them aloud made him question Ozpin’s intelligence. “Guess we’d need to escape first and get the relic back ourselves to do that one… so a backup idea for now.” Jaune sheepishly turns his head to Weiss who seemed to now be considering the idea herself. “Weiss… you were there. You know what I did to Penny… even if she asked me to. Pyrrha, her, it’s heavy. I guess heavy enough that I start rambling and complaining about Salem. Honestly for some lady with magic she didn’t seem all that threatening when we saw her… more, overconfident. Everyone else was afraid though. Guess since she pumped herself full of Grimm juice she doesn’t like silver eyes 'cause she’s afraid to turn to stone herself.” Kicking sheepishly at the sand Weiss simply nods again seeming to have not thought of such a thing herself yet. “Ah well… don’t think on that too much Weiss, we can’t do anything stuck here anyway… hah wonder if the maiden power really can help us get out if the others got out guess not. Maybe we just have to feel like going home in the forest.”

Weiss now jolts up her eyes glaring over Jaune’s body. “Wait!” She speaks sternly eyes a bit alarmed. “We hadn’t had a chance to discuss it. You got the maiden power from Penny…? So my sister didn’t get it?” Before Jaune gets a chance to answer Weiss fills in the words. “You’re in no way a maiden so why did the winter power go on to you?!”

Shutting his eyes Jaune thinks back to what the relic had shown them all. “Oz and Salem had four kids. I assumed those were the first maidens. When Salem ended their little life… Oz sent the powers to different girls. Like letting them reincarnate like him, but only the power—” Stopping himself Jaune frowns his eyes glancing down. “He probably made the machine he wanted Pyrrha to use based on his own reincarnation power… transferring the aura and the soul to another body. Pyrrha was going to gain the fall maiden power through a machine instead of passing it through death, or that Grimm tentacle thing Cinder has. But yeah… Oz never told us why it has to be a girl. Saying he’s fond of girls sounds a little creepy.”

Weiss runs her hand across her face and sighs into her palms distraught. “We really all need to share information better don’t we?” Jaune chuckles nervously under his breath and nods in agreement. “We saw what magic could do… the maiden powers were created by Salem and Oz together more or less. Oz just figured out how to move them around… but passed through death it’s supposed to go to another female. Maybe since Penny wasn’t exactly normal the rules changed…?” Weiss worriedly now looks over Jaune again. “What if something happens to you? Even if the power passed onto you… we still have no idea how it will affect a man. We only know Yang’s Mom and Cinder with the power… and Penny. They all identify as female.” The water crashes against the shore and Weiss slowly nods her head. “Jaune a never kne—”

Slapping the side of Weiss’s arm Jaune sighs and shakes his head. “Stop it. I identify as a guy. I don’t know why the power moved to me… and you’re right I have no clue what’ll happen… hah my chest has been hurting lately though. I figured that was just the panic attacks from ya know… the traumatizing experiences.”

Weiss did not laugh at that joke. She does however sit back down on the log. Slowly her hand brushes along the side of her skirt and she cocks her head back to Jaune. “Well… without Oz here I guess the Maiden power is useless without any idea on how to use it. You’re not dead and you’ve been here about a week or so you said. If it’s just chest pain, for now, we can deal with it. The real question is how we escape here… or how I get some different clothes. I’m sick of playing a lawyer.”

No islands were visible from the shore as far as Jaune could see. Now was the time for being serious. “Well.” Jaune looks off toward the purple woods. “Without anywhere to swim or raft to… we can either explore this island or hope for the best… we got here from a relic created by the gods of our world. So… could only be this island or a whole bunch. Our best bet seems to be figuring out the woods.” Weiss’s face contorts, he could tell pretty easily she did not like the idea. Though it was all they could try less they rafted out to a sea they knew nothing about.

Stretching out her arms Weiss stands back up walking closer to the tree line. She makes sure to avoid the purple tree area and walks closer to the blue tree side where Jaune had buried Penny. Carefully she sits herself down on the grass resting her feet against the sand. “Jaune.” Her hands press against the grass and she leans back looking at the sky. Jaune could tell, she was still tired. No one could really blame her for that her voice even sounded strained and they only chatted for a little. “Let's try and set up a camp here first. I’m pretty exhausted… I was in those woods—for too long. But if you have the energy, I can start on camp… maybe, okay I probably won’t be good at it but I can pick up sticks or something.” Jaune’s eyes shift to the side. Just picturing Weiss attempt to set up a camp sounded cute. Between them both though he knew he had more experience after traveling to Haven. Weiss was not done though. “So… While I do that. Walk along the shoreline of this place. Or climb a tree… this place. I think it’s smaller than we both think.” Jaune cocks an eyebrow and Weiss bites at her lip. “Just… the illusions. I don’t know what was all real and what wasn’t. I just… think those woods make the place seem bigger than it actually is. If that’s true… keeping a more permanent base camp may be a good idea.”

Jaune could not argue with that, so he begins walking along the shoreline. His sneakers sink into the sand and his ears listen to the calm waves. Even if he had not been in the strange location as long as Weiss he did notice one thing. No moon seemed to be present. The shoreline did not shift at all. Yet waves continue to brush the sand. They do not, however, elevate or recede. “This place is strange for sure…” Muttering under his breath he keeps walking. The island curves rather quickly. One part is a woods with multi-colored trees, and the other side is purple trees. It only takes Jaune a few hours to get to what he assumed was the side opposite where Weiss is. Weiss was right, it is a small island. “So the purple forest… is it magic, teleporter, just illusions? What the heck was that animal thing that talked… was it fake? Weiss never met it… why show itself to me? Cause of the maiden power?” Thoughts tick away once again in Jaune’s head and he begins to keep walking along the shoreline. “The Maiden power is the closest thing to magic we have… we don’t know everything they can even do. The relics are magic, but just a tiny bit of our super Creators magic… annnnd this place is where we ended up from falling from inside of whatever the relic created…” The gears of Jaune’s mind tick away, but he knew too little about magic. “We really should have had Oz explain more… I can only guess. Heh, maybe this forest can help us though. I guess me and Weiss will have to try and figure it out.”

Another few hours had already passed by, and Jaune had barely noticed he was walking right by a sleeping Weiss. Pivoting on his foot he walks carefully up to her and peers over the so-called camp. She threw a bunch of leaves down for bedding and threw some different twigs and branches into a pile for firewood. Jaune would have to find rocks for a fire pit. With no bugs and seemingly no rain apparently, a full shelter would not be needed. For now, Jaune gathers the rocks and makes the small pit. He needed kindling for a fire so he gathers different dried brush in the multi-colored woods. The blue trees having the most filling fruits he gathers a few setting them in a small food pile. Then he makes a bed for himself out of the larger leafs the yellowish trees have, the camp is ready. Jaune had no idea of the actual time given the never-setting sun. Still, he was tired too still, a nap would do. Shutting his eyes he lays back against his temporary bed and sleeps.

“Huh?” Weiss’s voice, in a way Jaune finds it calming. The lap of waves, the soft rustling of leaves, Weiss gently touching his shoulder. Jaune shivers, why was Weiss touching him exactly? “Jaune… um.” Her voice sounded worried. “Wake up…” She nudges her hand a bit and Jaune slowly opens an eye; raising his eyebrow. “So… um… ah… I don’t have a mirror.” Weiss fidgets her hands at the side of her skirt and sighs. “No, here.” Picking up Jaune’s sword she undocks it from the sheath lifting the blade to Jaune. “Look yourself… just… try and stay calm.”

Being given a warning and hearing a worried voice was not exactly calming. Jaune grabs the hilt of his sword and sits himself up. His hand shakes for just a moment holding it, but he keeps himself under control in front of Weiss. Looking into the reflection of the sword, Jaune stares. One of his sisters, his mom? The face was pretty masculine but had feminine features. Like a tomboy really. “Oh.” Jaune says the word and watches the lips of the girl move. The reflection was him. Gently he touches his hand to his face. The reflection mirrors the same. He had not been looking at himself so the slightly longer hair would be normal. Though his hair usually never grew that quickly in just over a week. He had a pretty close cut, but now his hair brushes his neck. “This… how much changed? I… I hadn’t been looking at myself since I came here.” Jaune carefully sets the sword down and looks toward Weiss. “I… I’m starting to look like one of my sisters or something… the—the maiden power, do you think it’s changing me? Or is it just this place?”

Weiss leans back and rubs at her eyes to make sure she was not seeing things. “Well… when I first saw you.” Closing her eyes now Weiss presses her knees together. “Your hair was longer already. But… I don’t know. I saw you sleeping and well… your eyelashes look longer. Your lips look different too.” Weiss awkwardly rubs her arm thinking about what to say. “If… if magic can turn someone into a bird. Changing genders doesn’t sound like a big deal… I guess you’re right though, we don’t know if it’s the maiden power or this place… but your face is looking pretty feminine.” Gesturing her hand over Jaune’s body she sighs. “You wear that armor with that hoodie. So more might have changed too. Do you feel different...?”

Jaune picks up and puts down his sword a few times. It felt the same weight. Standing up he unbuckles the sides of his half-plate armor and sets it down. Removing his sash and gauntlets he pulls his hoodie off over his head and piles the clothing up on his bedding. “Well… I guess… do I look different?”

Weiss covers her mouth with both hands, eyes staring him up and down. Without her confirming anything it was easy to tell she could see differences. That did not stop Weiss from pointing them out. “I, yeah wow… I don’t see any hairs on your arms. Usually, girls have light hair, then shave when they get too long… but you seem to have none. Also without your hoodie on. Yeah… your hips seem wider.” Weiss carefully crawls forward just to peek at Jaune’s backside. “Yeah, a few things seem bigger… it’s subtle… but I’ve seen you enough to notice.” Weiss frowns crossing her arms under her chest. “It looks like you still have muscle. Your bodies more feminine for sure though… I don’t know how I’d describe it. I can tell you’re a boy, but the longer I look at you it makes me wanna second guess myself. If you wore a dress like you did at the dance I feel like it would be hard to tell if you were a boy or not.”

Jaune already had enough on his plate turning into a girl was not one he expected though. If Weiss really did notice more changes than just a day before, even more, would happen surely. Turning around Jaune checks in his pants quickly, he was still a boy for now. The maiden power, the fruits, it was hard to say what could cause the change without knowing more. The easy answer was magic, the place he was in seemed to be filled with it considering how he even got there. “Well…” Jaune bites at his lip, the trauma weighing on him was heavy enough. Was it supposed to be an ironic twist that just the day before he was telling some strange creature how he would always be himself? “Hah… I can’t do anything about this. If I change, I change. It doesn’t stop our mission. We have to find a way to get out of here. Back to our… world or whatever. The others could still be in trouble trying to figure out a way to help us. Or have their hands full just helping the people of Mantel and Atlas.” Worrying about others helped, it meant Jaune did not have to worry about himself. “Let’s try and figure out this forest thing.”

A soft sigh of reluctance passes Weiss’s lips, but she stands up and brushes off the back of her skirt. “Okay.” Her eyes keep soft with some concern. Jaune could tell by the look she was worried about him. After all, she had been how could she manage to still worry for another? “Just… a warning again. That place. It changed my clothes when I fell asleep in there. I’ve been playing the lawyer or whatever you want to call it for a while now. Given your current state… I don’t know what it’d do to you. You might not even have to fall asleep. it may just change things based on feelings, like what you were talking about.“

Frowning Jaune starts to walk over to what he deemed the entrance of purple woods. He even placed two large rocks to mark the entrance. “It’s illusions, but I guess it can really change things like objects… it can mimic voices and make at least a few people that look real.” Listing out the things it could do aloud, the thought of actually running into it again sounded like a bad idea. “But.” Jaune had to be positive or at least realistic. “This small isolated island in seemingly the middle of nowhere has no other options. This either leads us to some exit. Or we’re just gonna have to hope the others find a way to get us back.” Walking backward quickly Jaune coughs into his hand and scoops up his armor and sword. He almost forgot about his equipment. Hoodie back on, armor back on, gloves on, and sword at the hip sheathed, he was ready. “Let's go Weiss.”

As Jaune starts to walk Weiss grabs onto his arm. “Wait… just… ugh.” Weiss’s cheeks turn a little red with embarrassment, but to Jaune’s surprise, she laces her fingers with his own. “As much as I’m embarrassed to do this… I don’t want us to get separated in that crazy place. If it really can teleport us. Let’s try and keep close.”

Jaune could not exactly argue. It was a little awkward though. Jaune had a crush on Weiss when he first came to Beacon. Maybe part of him still did, she had grown a lot personality wise after traveling and experiencing more. Though romance felt hard for him to feel given what Jaune had been dealing with lately. Just two friends holding hands, so a magic forest did not teleport them. That was all it was. Him overthinking a little physical contact as anything more was just silly. He should have thought about it more with Pyrrha. Squeezing Weiss’s hand, he did not need to get closer to her, just protect her. He could not let another girl die, because of his actions. “Okay. Let’s go.”

Crack, Crunch, Snap

Each day Weiss and Jaune began to set out into the purple woods after eating some different fruits they could find. Each day they are met with different illusions. Some of friends, some of strangers. It was unclear what the forest wanted to do. Jaune and Weiss both try to focus their minds on going home. Yet the woods would respond with an illusion that related to something else. Another day goes by and another trip into the forest begins. Jaune’s boots crunch against leaves and snap against twigs, and the trees crack back. Just as planned Weiss and Jaune keep each other’s hands interlaced. The trees always begin to bend when an illusion starts, or when a path opens. Today though, is different from the past week.

“Sir, mam, or maybe I should greet both as ladies?”

The low whispering tone, the soft creak from branches. The woods brought them back to the small clearing Jaune talked to the odd creature in before. “Weiss…” Jaune looks at her and she squeezes her hand. “This is what I told you about… this thing. It’s… after I talked to it, I found you.”

The creature's eyes blink one after another appearing in front of Weiss and Jaune. Just the eyes, floating in the air. “Yes. Us. Me, you, I. Our time is here again. Though you don’t seem like you, yet we are still we.” The creature's smile creases across the air showing its sharp teeth. Once again its body begins to materialize out of thin air, its tail swishing behind it slowly.

Weiss had seen plenty from the illusion trees, she does not flinch seeing the creature. “You.” She speaks up to it instead. “What are you talking about? We want a way home, to our world.”

The creature blinks one eye after the other not looking in Weiss’s direction. Jaune clears his throat then and speaks up himself. “I’m a little different from before… but that’s my body.” Jaune says the words and his eyes cannot help but glance down to confirm. After a week had passed, his voice was starting to crack now and again when speaking. His hair now brushes against his shoulders, luckily Weiss had a hair tie so she tied it back for him in a short ponytail. Under his armor, and hoodie more had changed. His hands felt smooth to the touch despite still having the muscle to wield a sword. Weiss said it felt like he lotioned his hands daily, apparently, he smelt better too despite not having a proper place to shower or bathe. It was like his body was going through a second puberty, but one meant for a girl. Even subtle breasts were starting to grow from his chest. Though he had not mentioned that part to Weiss yet. It was starting to feel uncomfortable feeling his shirt rub against the now more sensitive skin. Jaune still had the parts a man needed, but Weiss was blunt with him, with just a week gone by he already looked like a girl that was just a tomboy. His facial features had softened more, his jaw not as defined, and his shoulders had even sunken down a bit instead of standing broad. “A lot changed. But change doesn’t mean I’m not still me.” Even saying the words, Jaune wondered how much he believed them.

The creature smiles and like it had before it vanishes from view appearing in a spot now high above on an upper branch. “Oh?” The creature chuckles, its sharp teeth clattering together. “You’re the you of yesterday and the day before? That’s just not true. The you of yesterday is dead, the you today is now. And the you tomorrow will be another.”

Weiss did not seem amused by the banter, but Jaune did not want to leave. At the very least Weiss was respecting that; keeping quiet for now. Jaune clears his throat, and his eyes shift down, his words growing softer. “Memories are what make us up… I’ll only ever be now. I have memories of yesterday. But you’re right. I’m not the same me as yesterday. Me and my friend want to get out of here to go back to where we were. Not the were of yesterday, but the were before stepping foot on this island, before stepping foot in whatever the relic created. Home.”

The creature’s eyes spin and swirl in thought, it lifts a paw and rests its cheek on it. “Home is where the heart is after all. So where is yours?” Jaune shivers at the words, part of him figured the creature may say something like that. It smiles at his reaction and vanishes away, suddenly appearing not on a branch but at his legs brushing against him like a normal cat. “I can’t know everything… let your need, guide your behavior.”

With those words as its last, the creature vanishes again and a soft wind rustles the branches of the trees. Weiss tugs at Jaune’s arm and looks at him with concern. “That thing… it only spoke with you. It didn’t even acknowledge me… I could hear it. And see it.” Weiss was trying to understand the best she could. “Is it the maiden power… magic? If it’s native to this land. Maybe I lack something that you have?”

Jaune takes a careful step away from Weiss but does not let go of her hand. “I think… I think I know how to get out of here now. Maybe… maybe it didn’t acknowledge you because you could already leave in the first place. Just didn’t know how. Or maybe you wanted to leave with someone.”

Weiss frowns and nudges her free hand against Jaune’s side. “Come on, that thing sounded like it was speaking in riddles or just nonsense. What exactly did you get out of it?”

Jaune frowns now and gently squeezes at Weiss’s hand. “The way home… I don’t know why this place was created. Maybe the others are on a different island. Maybe they had to deal with things like this or different ones. Maybe you’re just here with me because we fell in the same area?” Jaune was rambling, he needed to get to the point, Weiss’s frowning expression told him that. “I just… I think. I have to face Pyrrha. And… I don’t think I can do it with you Weiss. I think to leave… we have to face. Something like that. This place. Reacts to our thoughts, feelings, memories. It twists them, changes them. But shows us stuff we think about too. Regrets, joys too. At Atlas… I think you dealt with a lot of that already. Which is why I think the real reason you haven’t been able to leave. Is because you were worried about all of us.”

Biting at the inside of her mouth Weiss grabs onto Jaune’s other hand staring him in the eyes. It looked like she wanted to cry. “Jaune. That’s not fair.” He knew it was not fair, it did not mean he did not have to do it. “Of course, I care about you, I care about all of you. Even that knucklehead Ruby. If I’m leaving this place, I’m doing so with someone else.” Her eyes shift down and she releases a little tension in her cheek. “Part of me hopes, Ruby, Blake, and Yang. I hope they already got out. I was worried, that my sister or someone else would have gotten caught in it too. But you told me everyone else got away. I considered you too though.” Weiss does her best, her eyes shining a bit glazed but she manages to hold back the tears. “You’re an important part of our team. You even saved my life despite how I’ve treated you in the past. And… you’ve already dealt with so much. More than I know I’d bet… you seem tighter-lipped than any of us when you’re suffering. At least Yang’s easy to read, and Blake’s ears give her away.”

Weiss was worried, Jaune understood that. It was comforting to hear her actually say it too. Gently he slips her hand from his. “Well… I probably won’t be able to get you to let go of my other hand anyway.” Weiss smirks at the comment and gives his hand a teasingly strong squeeze. “Just… This illusion, maybe test would be a better way to say it. Hah, it’s for me. I guess if you want to understand… even a little bit. I suppose this place will help you. I guess. Part of me was avoiding, having to face it. This forest… it’s just shown us your dad being creepily good. Penny asking why I couldn’t save her, be stronger. And other crap like that. Hah, I wondered why it didn’t show me her… but I guess I knew.” Jaune bites at his lips and he uses his hand to wipe some tears from his own eyes. “Heh… I don’t think I’ll be ready for this ever. So better to just jump right in. Weiss. If you’re gonna stick around. Just make sure I don’t run away… but… heh. Try and not say to much either. I think… I need to make sure I face it. Face her.”

The two walk over to the tree Jaune had slept at over a week ago and stare into the sea of purple trees. Weiss gives another reassuring squeeze to Jaune’s hand. They were about to enter the belly of the beast Jaune thought. The beast though was his fears, worries, maybe his hopes to. He could think the thoughts, but the forest would twist them as they saw fit. Would Pyrrha be a judge, a nurse, an instructor, maybe a singer? Jaune had no way of knowing. They both step into the woods, and the trees begin to surround them.

“For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee.”

Just a step and Jaune could see her. A soft smile on her lips, red hair bellowing in an unseen wind. Her green eyes look hopeful, her armor even shines in the sun. Her gloved hands are held forward body shimmering with a soft red light. Jaune slowly looks down at his own body, Weiss’s eyes looking as well. Jaune’s aura glows a faint white light, just like when it first awakened. Pyrrha was who taught Jaune about Aura, he was already supposed to have it unlocked if he was a real student. She unlocked his aura for him so he would at least not get hurt right away. The first trial they had to do as students, how they became teammates. Pyrrha could have run along with Weiss and Ruby but decided to help him instead. The purple trees shift slowly to match the color of those woods and Jaune steps forward. “Pyrrha?”

“Jaune, you know if you ever need help, you can just ask.”

Suddenly like whiplash the scene shifts. Jaune’s body shivers, feeling a hand grab at his shoulder tenderly. It was not the side Weiss was on. Pyrrha was wearing her school uniform at his side. She gives a tender smile and then gives a glare toward his old bully Cardin. “Heh…” Jaune sighs softly, and squeezes Weiss’s hand. How long had Pyrrha liked him? Why did she like him? Just because he didn’t see her like others? He still thought she was pretty amazing, so what made him so different to her? Why did she look at him like that, and no one else?”

“Jaune, everybody needs a little push from time to time. It doesn’t make you any different from the rest of us. You made it Beacon! That speaks volumes of what you’re capable of!”

Right. Before anyone knew he cheated his way in. Part of him wonders if Pyrrha knew it from the start or not. After all, he didn’t even have his aura activated. Ren’s cold words still hit his heart. He was right, that he of all people was probably the least qualified. Ruby, Oscar, even younger than him and still better at everything he should be able to do. Why did Pyrrha believe in him at all?

“I've been blessed with incredible talents and opportunities—”

The scene shifts to the night of the dance. He trained with his friends to do a dumb dance. He tried to get Weiss to dance with him too. Surprisingly to him, she even seems to shake a little hearing the words Pyrrha was saying. Standing on the rooftop in that long red slit dress of hers. She really was beautiful. She was not without her own issues though.

“I'm constantly surrounded by love and praise; but when you're placed on a pedestal like that for so long, you become separated from the people that put you there in the first place.”

Maybe that was when Jaune started to realize, after being given a blunt message. Why couldn’t he have been more forward then?

“Everyone assumes I'm too good for them - that I'm on a level that they simply can't attain. It's become impossible to form any sort of meaningful relationship with people.”

Weiss did put her on a pedestal. Just like she was put on her own from being from a fancy dust company princess. Maybe it was why Weiss was hoping to get close to her back then. Though at the time they both wanted different things. Weiss didn’t want to have anything to do with Jaune. Where Pyrrha—

“That's what I like about you: when we met, you didn't even know my name; you treated me like anyone else. And thanks to you, I've made friendships that will last a lifetime. I guess, you're the kind of guy I wish I was here with - someone who just saw me for me.”

A soft smile creases Jaune’s lips, a few tears running from his eyes. He could feel Weiss give him another squeeze. The scene shifts to their dance together, the dance of their whole team with him in a dress. If he could live through those moments again, would it do anything to change them?

“So... What are we?”

The scene changes to the festival. In the tournament, the team attack. It was a joking comment back then, that was what Jaune thought. He was just scatterbrained. Maybe because they never had a proper talk after the dance. Maybe Jaune just never wanted to actually have the conversation. Suddenly, a wall stands in front of Jaune and Pyrrha sits down against it, patting the spot beside her. Jaune looks to Weiss, and she simply nods letting go of his hand. He walks slowly, a bit unsure, but he sits down beside Pyrrha. Both leaned against the wall, she slips her fingers between his and squeezes at his hand.

“I've always felt as though I was destined to become a Huntress - to protect the world... and it's become increasingly clear to me that my feelings were right. But... I don't know if I can do it.”

If he told her not to, would it have changed things? Jaune squeezes Pyrrha’s hand back and shuts his eyes to wince back some tears. “You can, you can do it. It’s just who you are.” No matter what Jaune’s answer wouldn’t have changed. Pyrrha smiles at him and puts a hand on his cheek.

“I’m Sorry.”

Even if an illusion, the kiss felt as real as it did back then. Though as their lips part Pyrrha leans back against the wall, not letting go of Jaune’s hand. This time, there was no pod there to shoot him flying away. “Jaune.” Pyrrha’s eyes soften, it wasn’t a memory now. Her words were something else. “Even if you’re a boy, a girl, have rough experiences changing how you view things. Suffering through hardships you’re not sure how to process…” She tilts her head back to him and once again caresses his cheek with her hand. “I’ll always love you, that won’t change.”

Jaune wipes his eyes again and takes a shaky breath. “Ah…hah…” Wiping away some more tears he looks Pyrrha in the eyes. “You’ve… you’ve been a dead a while. Ya know? It’s… it’s been hard without you. Ren and Nora. They’re still a handful, but… they’re my teammates. I think we’ve gotten pretty good together too.” Each word Jaune speaks he can feel more tears roll off his cheeks, but he keeps going. “And, yeah we get into fights sometimes, but we’re still friends, we patch things up quick. And you know, it seems like Ren and Nora finally like confessed to each other, or something weird. Their relationship is rocky but guess they’re testing things out or something.” Gripping the hand in his tighter Jaune scoots himself closer. Pyrrha does the same and even rests her forehead against his just listening. “We’re fighting to protect the world… just like you felt you had to do… The maiden power you felt to inherit… even I have that now too. I don’t know what’ll it mean for me… heh. Maybe you’d call it destiny? But, I’m going to try… I won’t… I won’t let it all break me.”

Pyrrha lets go of Jaune’s hand and stands back up. “Penny did what she thought she had to.” Pyrrha closes her eyes and holds out her hand to help Jaune up. “We can’t say what’s wrong or right… but you have a duty now. Even if you don’t want it. You picked this path. So don’t run from it.” Jaune grabs the hand and slowly stands back up. The two then share a long stare, Weiss awkwardly rubbing the back of her arm off to the side. Jaune had no idea what to expect from the illusions, part of him thought Pyrrha would be trying to strangle him or call him useless. Instead, he stares at her soft smile and gentle eyes. She takes a step back, and then another. “Aura is a strange thing… Like Ozpin had told me before.” Pyrrha’s eyes look over to Weiss for a moment then back to Jaune’s. “It can hold memories and personality, it can touch others, and with that machine Oz had, it can even be passed onto others. Just like the maiden power can pass between people. Maybe… because I awakened your aura way back then. We were able to become that much closer. Maybe even a part of me was passed on to Cinder too.” Pyrrha gives a small smirk and takes another step back. Jaune takes a step forward a bit confused by the words. “Even if you don’t look like the you I knew. And even if I don’t look like me… I’m sure one day. We’ll see each other again Jaune. Live for your own happiness, and protect what you want to protect. Not because someone asked you, but because it’s what you really want. When all is said and done, I hope I can say hello to you again.”

Pyrrha’s heeled boots clack off into the purple trees vanishing from Jaune’s sight. He wanted to run after her, but he knew he couldn’t. Weiss walks slowly up to Jaune watching the wall at his side fade to just a normal purple tree. “Jaune…” Weiss turns her head off toward the direction Pyrrha left. “That… was an illusion. Right?”

A small smirk creases Jaune’s lips and he takes Weiss’s hand in his own. “I don’t know.”

The two begin to walk the woods again. Only this time, Jaune and Weiss both notice the trees do not change. They walk, and walk, and finally get to a clearing in the woods. A large grassy spot the sun beats down on. Standing there, the trees around them shake and quiver. The branches from the trees lift into the air forming together a large web of branches to block out the sun’s beams. Weiss and Jaune stare stunned, all around them the shadows begin to make a pattern under their feet. They stand in the center, of an oddly shaped circle with different markings within it. Then they see it, up on a high tree. The creates eyes and mouth smile down at them. With a wink of its eye suddenly the ground around them changes from a grassy blue to pitch black. Weiss and Jaune feel their legs sink into the pit. “No!” Weiss yelps squeezing onto Jaune. Jaune holds her just as tight making sure she does not get separated from him.

Darkness.

They had sunk into the pit, and all around them appears a avoid. Jaune could not tell if they were falling, floating, or moving at all. He could not see Weiss either, only feel her grip around him. If it was the way back home, how would he get there? Jaune thinks about the words of the creature, what did a home really mean? “Weiss.” He grips the girl tightly. “I’ll get us out of here… trust me.” Jaune’s heart, his feelings, his regrets, his sorrows. The things that had brought him joy. He cared about plenty of things. He was a teenager with an impressionable mind, of course, plenty would stick out.

THUD

Jaune rubs at his butt and Weiss slowly opens up her eyes. They could both hear it. The sound of construction workers. People clearing rubble and rebuilding. The sky was starry, the moon up, and a large hole in that moon broken from it. Weiss rubs her eyes and stands up. Jaune dusts himself off as well looking at the roof with a faint smile. “Jaune… Jaune, is this Beacon?” Weiss shakes her head and grabs onto both of his shoulders. “No, no, the important thing is this is actually real right?! We’re back?!”

Jaune’s eyes wander over the rooftop balcony. So many days he would train with Pyrrha right here. Even if parts of it were crumbling now. It’s what stuck in his head the easiest. At his home, he tended to be teased and ignored. At Beacon, he just wanted to prove he could do something. He never thought he’d actually make real friends, meet people, meet her. “Yeah. We’re back.”