Chapter 11-[Finale]

[T/N: This is the end, 'my' first book to be finished. I hope you guys enjoyed the journey.]

Epilogue

The dusk of dawn

He woke up.

At first, he didn't know where he was or how he got there, or even who he was.

"Jaune, are you okay?" There was a girl about his age next to his bed, wearing a black dress with red trim, calling his name. Or so he thought. "Jaune?"

As he looked into her eyes, everything came back to him suddenly, like the tide engulfing the shore. And he was left breathless.

'This is a dream,' he told himself.

[T/N: OH F*CK OFF!]

He raised a weak, trembling hand to her face. He caressed her cheek with it. She was warm and alive, she was real. She placed both hands on top of his and squeezed.

"I thought you were going to die," she said, her voice low and almost inaudible. Her eyes were wet. "That we had lost you."

"How long have I been here? " his voice came out hoarse, very hoarse, so much so that he was startled and it took him a few seconds to realize that it had been his own voice. Considering that, he came to the conclusion that he had been in a coma for a while. A few weeks at least.

"Two days."

[T/N: AHHA!]

"How's that possible?"

"Your recovery wasn't easy…, and I don't think you want to hear the details."

"Maybe not, but I have to. Please tell me."

Ruby looked away.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Yes. I got inside the dragon in a moment of desperation, thinking… no, I wasn't thinking. But beyond that, I don't know anything."

"You burned him from the inside. You told us that your Semblance is essentially like the Aura, but I think it's not that simple. I think, It's more like Adam's Semblance."

"What do you mean?"

"You absorb damage, and you can use the energy to heal yourself… or to attack. With fire" She explained, still unable to look at him " I was the one who pulled you out of the dragon's body. You suffered third-degree burns all over your body. I don't know how much energy you expended to do that to the dragon, but there was enough left to keep you alive. Barely."

"I don't understand. I feel fine and, as far as I can see, I don't have a scratch."

Ruby took a breath, looking into his eyes for the first time since the conversation started.

"Are you sure you want to hear it? Really?"

"Yeah."

"That… you have Ironwood to thank for. Over a third of your body is now made up of synthetic skin, and a good portion of your flesh had to be replaced as well. All of that came from the supply they had to use on Penny if she was injured in combat."

He should have felt surprise or perhaps revulsion, because he had just learned that he was no longer entirely human, but he felt nothing.

"Oh."

"I don't know how I expected you to react, but not like this, that's for sure."

"I guess I'm just grateful to be alive. That's saying a lot. I didn't dare hope I'd survive, even if I could have gotten what I wanted. And I've done both. Finally… I'm free. You know? I'm free."

Once again, he was inside time. He had a clear, defined past and present, and the future was waiting for him beyond the horizon. Unexplored, full of infinite possibilities. That was the greatest gift one could receive.

"You shouldn't have done that," Ruby said. "Throwing your life away. We would have found another way."

"Ruby, we're here because I've been replaying these last two weeks over and over again. Because we've failed and died so many times I can't even count them. No. I'm not so sure there would have been any other solution."

"That doesn't mean it's right to sacrifice your life."

"Isn't that what hunters do? Sacrifice themselves?"

"You may be right," she said after a long silence.

"Tell Ironwood thanks for me, if you see him."

"That won't be possible. He's already gone back to Atlas. Penny wanted to stay here until she was sure you were going to tell her, but the general wouldn't let her. I'll let you use my scroll so you can call her. Thank her personally."

"Later. I'm a little tired and disoriented, I'm not in the mood to talk to Penny."

"Come on, she's not so bad," she said, with a small smile on her face. Very small and very fragile. Like the last rose of summer.

"No offense, honey, but it's exhausting. I think only you can keep up."

Ruby blushed. He didn't understand at first, but thinking carefully about what had just come out of his mouth, it suddenly became clear. He wanted to apologize for making her feel weird, but he had a feeling that would be like apologizing for the feelings he had for her, and that was never going to happen.

So he left it to her to break the silence.

Ruby grabbed the edges of her skirt with both hands, bunching up the fabric and staring down at her lap.

"Yes," she said after a while, "maybe a little."

"Ruby…" he said tentatively. He looked around. "This is the Beacon infirmary, right?"

"Yes. After the dragon fell, we were able to take back the academy, take care of the remaining Grimm."

"And the others? My team?"

"Weiss had to leave," she admitted. "Her father's men came to pick her up to take her back, and, well, she couldn't refuse. But everyone else stayed here, wishing you well and helping with the restoration of the academy."

"I see. Thanks."

Jaune closed his eyes.

He had achieved the happy ending he had sought for so long. It wasn't perfect, of course. Ozpin was dead, so was Professor Port, some of the students, and many of the spectators who had attended the festival. And although Cinder and Adam had been taken care of, Salem was still out there, the White Fang would continue to operate as before. But it was as close to a happy ending as there was in real life.

"Jaune?"

"Don't worry. I'm just tired, that's all."

"Okay. Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"I appreciate you taking care of me… but yes. It would be better if you did. I have a lot of things to think about."

"Okay, don't worry" he heard her get up from her chair " I hope you find the answers you're looking for."

"Me too. And may they be good ones."

"Jaune…, I wanted to tell you something."

"Yes?"

"…No, nothing. Don't worry. Forget it."

It might not have been anything important, but he doubted it, judging by her tone. Still, he couldn't and had no intention of trying to force her to talk, so he said nothing in response.

He listened to the sound of her footsteps until they disappeared behind the infirmary door. What came to his mind were dangerous thoughts, thoughts that smelled of death.

He had spent years inside the loop, so many that he had forgotten what normal life was like. And he had been left without a purpose, something that would keep him moving forward. He felt lost and alone.

He had finally seen the dawn break with his own eyes, but there was nothing left for him in the world bathed in light. Not anymore.

It was a horrible and monstrous fact, but also a truth from which he could not escape.

He covered his eyes with his arm as if someone was in the room to watch him cry. No one heard the stifled laugh that escaped his throat soon after, either, of course. Except him. And it scared him, because there was a note of finality in that sound. He knew what he had to do.

To die.

Only then and in no other way would he be truly free.

He didn't feel any pain, but when he tried to get out of bed he found that it was difficult to move.

His body was weak and stiff. No wonder. After all, he had nearly died from being crushed in the dragon Grimm's guts, and before that, he had already been at the limit of his strength. Still, it was a nuisance.

He had to do it before Ruby came back or someone else came to visit him. If he was stopped, he might never again muster the courage to do what was necessary. Because deep down, he was a coward.

But how to do it? Someone had taken away his combat clothes and put him in hospital pajamas.

Crocea Mors could be anywhere, in his room or in his locker, so it wasn't a… no, it had actually been broken in the fight with the dragon. Jaune brought a hand to his head.

'Focus,' he told himself.

An idea occurred to him. Staggering slightly, he left the infirmary. He tried not to make any noise. It should have been simple because he was barefoot, but the way he walked made it impossible, and he had to settle on reducing the noise as best he could.

He doubted any excuse would work if he ran into someone in the hallway, so he listened carefully for the sound of footsteps so he could change direction when necessary.

The academy had a swimming pool that anyone could use. Normally it was closed, only used during classes and during free time if a student or group of students arranged to use it. Fortunately, today was not a normal day.

There was a hole in the wall that hadn't been patched yet, because the pool area was very low on the priority list, and he was able to sneak in through there. The workers, men and women from Vale, and the students who were helping them, were still going about their business, so he had to wait a while to get a clear path.

He was sure that no one had seen him.

He walked over to the edge and looked at the rippling reflection at his feet. Ruby had told him that a good portion of his body had been replaced by synthetic materials, but he couldn't tell the difference. Instead of being relieved, it made him even more uneasy. He couldn't say why.

Jaune took a deep breath.

'It's not too late to turn back,' he thought. But if it was, he'd crossed the line long ago. And this was the end he'd always known awaited him.

He entered the water. He swam to the bottom of the pool and stood there, waiting for death. Looking at the surface of the water he remembered being in the belly of the dragon, only there was no pain or fear. Even the air escaping from his lungs in bubbles only caused him slight discomfort.

He was already very weak. He had the feeling that he would regret it and that he would not be able to try to save himself.

Soon, the pain and fear would end. He deserved to rest.

A shadow in the water. A trick of the light, nothing more than that, except no, because that shadow grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him up. Towards the surface.

They left him on the floor, next to the pool.

He saw black boots out of the corner of his eye, then Ruby standing on top of him. Her hair was wet and stuck to her forehead. Her cheeks were damp and very red. She was breathing heavily, her shoulders shaking, her hands still on him.

His consciousness came and went.

Ruby gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and got him to spit out the water that had been filling his lungs.

"You should have let me die," he said, breathless.

"You know I couldn't have done it. I'm not like that."

"Yes, I know."

"Why did you try to commit suicide?"

Jaune looked away. Ruby touched his head with one hand and moved it, forcing him to look at her.

"Don't run away from this, Jaune. I'm here for you. You know I always will be, and I'll listen to whatever you have to decide. So tell me what's wrong."

"I Don't Want To Talk About It."

"I'm begging you. Let me help you."

Her gaze was piercing. Her silver eyes seemed capable of hypnotizing him, dispelling any attempt to evade or lie.

"My life no longer has any meaning. I have spent years fighting, dying, and coming back to life as if it were nothing, and all of that in the same amount of time, just over two weeks. Always aware of what was coming, bearing the responsibility for the lives of all the people there at Beacon.

"We've been over this. You had no responsibility for anything, nothing was your fault. Okay?"

"But I did. It's nice that you want me to feel better, but it is what it is."

"And why do you think that way? Because of your memories of the future? What does that change?"

"Because!"

"Because why! Each and every one of us are hunters. We have chosen a life of constant fighting, putting our lives on the line, for the good of the world. We all have a long way to go… but we at least deserve that respect. That's pretty much what you told my uncle, so you should internalize it. Don't be a hypocrite. And those who died that night deserve your honoring of their sacrifice, not your spitting on it."

"I… I didn't want…"

"I know. But the way I see it, it is like this."

Jaune gulped. The taste of water was unpleasant, and he felt like vomiting, although that wasn't the only reason.

"You're right, but that has nothing to do with the real problem. That… experience changed me. I'm not going to lie to you, sometimes I didn't fight. I've told you about my suicides, about the time I just acted like I didn't know anything and enjoyed your company. But I want to emphasize that it was a single point of light in the darkness. And cruelly brief."

"I've spent so much time pretending to be the kind of person I thought could prevent tragedy that there's no longer a difference between the real me and the mask I put on. I've almost forgotten how to laugh or cry. I'm not who I was, and I don't want to live like this anymore. I hate myself. There's no hope for me."

"You're wrong."

Jaune closed his eyes. He felt frustrated… no, angry, and there was no outlet for his anger. At least, not one he was willing to use.

"It's not that simple. You can't just say whatever you want and fix this. Fix me."

"Not 'whatever I want.' I'm taking this very seriously. You said you loved me, right? Was that a lie?"

"Of course not."

"Then you'll be fine in time. The only ones without hope are those who only know hate, soulless beings, like the Grimm. You're not like that. You're very human, very kind, and vulnerable. And you deserve to be happy. You deserve to be happy."

Coming from her mouth, those words did not seem empty. They seemed like a promise. A promise of the future.

Jaune realized he was crying.

He didn't know when he had started crying. He was soaked from head to toe, so it was hard to tell the difference between water and tears. He was surprised that he could still cry.

"In another loop, I once tried to kill you" he confessed " I came into your room at night and strangled you. If it weren't for the fact that you always have Crescent Rose at hand, I would have succeeded. I didn't doubt it for a moment."

She hid it as best she could, but he didn't miss her reaction. It had affected her and he didn't find it strange. She would probably never trust him again.

"You were desperate, you wanted it all to end, and you made a mistake. That's all. I don't see why I shouldn't forgive you."

Jaune was stunned. He knew she was very kind and understanding, it was one of the reasons he loved her so much, but not to that extent.

"Aren't you afraid? Of me, of what I could do to other people?"

"Of course not. You're harmless. You're a gentleman, not a monster" she said, caressing his cheek. "Do you remember what I told you before I left?"

"You were going to ask me something," he replied, after gathering the strength to speak again, "but then you asked me to forget about it."

"Yes. I lied, it was actually something important. I was going to ask you" Ruby took a breath "to go out with me."

"What?"

"Nothing. It took me a long time, this is the first time I've done this. So… well, what's your answer? I know we haven't known each other that long, and I'm only fifteen and I've never been in a relationship… but I like being with you. You make me feel good. Calm, relaxed. And I feel like you understand me even better than my sister and my father do. I want to get to know you better. The real you. Love you back, I guess. I don't know if that's the right word. I know you love me. You've told me that, but I mean, I know it's more than just words, that you really mean it."

"That may not seem like much to you, but it's more than enough for me. I don't have the slightest idea about love, but we should at least try, right? See if it works, if there's something there. I think there is. What do you think? Oh, I'm rambling, aren't I? Sorry. It happens sometimes, I'm just a little nervous."

She let out a giggle.

Jaune silenced her with a kiss. It was a chaste one, a brush of lips, and Ruby was too surprised to respond. Still, he felt like someone.

[T/N: Oh Thank GOD! A Happy Ending. Well...this is the end of the book, I'll start working on the next book once I find it. Anyway, why don't you leave a final comment, finally write a review for this book, and drop some stones. If you don't know I've got a few good books I'm busy with right now so why not check them out, just go to my profile, or search for the books, Invisible-A Harry Potter FanFic, and A Gamer in Game of Thrones. Check out the P@treon, or the Ko-fi. There are some good stuff on there.]

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