13Takes place just after volume 8.
Weiss and Jaune were on the beach, a campfire flickering in front of them as they sat beside one another. Jaune without his armor and Weiss took off her shawl and sleeves. It was rather hot and humid.
They bot sat in silence. Jaune with his sheath and broken sword laying on the sand in front of him while staring out into the ocean. Meanwhile Weiss simply sat beside him with a saddened expression. Neither have really spoke to one another since awaking on the island. Only when necessary like gathering firewood or if they lost track of the other.
It was mostly silence. Silence that Weiss hated. Jaune was usually the first person to talk... To get their hopes up or back on track. But here he was just depressed. Penny's dead. Jaune likely believes it's his fault. Unfortunately for good reason, he was the one that did the dead after all... But it wasn't his fault. It was that witch, Cinders fault. She was the one who pushed them into such a scenario after all. But is it possible to convince that to Jaune?
She turned her head to see him continuing to stare emotionlessly into the ocean. The fire flickered before them but he paid it no mind. Hands simply limp at his sides, resting on his thighs. His eyes missing that upbeat light they always had, she's never seen him like this before. Was... Was he like this when Pyrrha died?
"Jaune." Weiss spoke out and reached out to place her hand on his without thinking. This caused Jaune to stir a bit and he turned to look at her. She thought his expression looked bad before, but seeing him face her now almost made her fall apart. He wasn't sad, he was broken.
"... Weiss?" he questioned almost absently.
She now gripped his hand with hers. "Jaune." she said again. "It... It's okay..." she stuttered. Tears threatening to drip from the corner of her eyes. She didn't know what else to say, she didn't even realize she grabbed his hand.
Jaune's head looked down, refusing to meet her eyes. "How can you say that?" he mumbled. "It's not okay." he whispered then tore his hand away from hers and shivered a bit before sighing and turning away.
But Weiss wasn't about to let him ignore her. She reached out with both hands and snatched the hand he pulled away with, holding it tightly between both her hands. "Yes it is!" she said desperately, voice hoarce with tears threatening to take over. "You... You..." she couldn't bring herself to say it. To tell him that he did the right thing? That he made the correct decision? How could she tell him that? He was hurting so much because of that choice. She hated herself in the moment, couldn't even bring herself to tell him the truth.
Her hand and arm shook a bit while tears slowly trickled down her cheek. "You once told me that my scar showed I had 'guts', remember?" she asked and watched him turn to look at her in confusion. It was the most emotion he's shown since they landed on this beach. "That it made me look strong. You remember, right?"
Jaune nodded. "Uh... Yeah, I think I remember that... It was at Haven." he sighed. "I was just... Talking, I don't know." he shrugged his shoulders and started to turn away. However Weiss tugged his hand and his attention stayed on her.
"That meant so much to be, Jaune." she said and smiled despite the tears. His expression grew more alive. Her words had an effect on him. She wouldn't allow him to wallow in misery if she could help it. "A- and... I don't t- think it's just physical scars that matter." Both her hands holding onto his one relaxed and she grasped it more comfortingly. "You are the bravest person I know."
Jaune stared at her for a few moments but then slowly turned to the side. "Th- that's not true... I... I-" tears of his own threatened to come but he seemed to hold them back. Weiss let go of him with one hand and placed it on his shoulder to gently grab his attention again. "It is... So don't say that."
She sighed and wiped some of her tears away. "You... You have less than two years of proper training, Jaune." she could see him visibly sulk from that but pushed on. "Yet you're here, fighting with us. Fighting creatures and magical witches along with her monstrous creations." she shivered. "There is no way I would be able to handle what you are going through right now... But... You keep going without making excuses." she squeezed his hand with her own while gliding her other hand down his arm to take it's place atop his. "It's... Well, it's the reason I've begun admiring you as much as I do." a small blush dusted her cheeks after admitting something so embarrassing.
She turned her face away but kept her eyes looking towards him for his reaction. The light returned to his eyes. Her expression grew awed and she turned to face him. He was staring at her with eyes that shined, metaphorically, stronger than Ruby's.
"B- but... I..." he muttered seemingly in conflict. Some part of him didn't believe her. Some part of him was trying to be miserable. To hurt himself. "I'm not... I did..." his eyes flinched, looking away in pain.
Weiss couldn't let him fall back into a hole of self-pity. "My sister said something to me once." she began, cutting off whatever he was trying to say or do. "She said... That a great leader makes the hard decisions. It's the reason why she looked up to General Ironwood so much."
Jaune turned away and shrugged. "Yeah, and look where that got us all. Fighting each other just to follow orders..." he sighed afterwards.
Though Weiss simply nodded. "Yes. I fear that my Sister was incorrect." That snapped Jaune's attention right to her with an expression of pure bafflement. Weiss has never said her sister was wrong before, at least not to any of them. The words seemed to rip Jaune from his wallowing.
Weiss smiled slightly. "I believe a good leader doesn't make choices for their team, but gives their team the courage to make the hard choices for themselves. Then helps them into fruition." she let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his, laying her head on his shoulder while closing her eyes. "And that's what you did for Penny. It was her choice, and you let her make it, then assisted in her accomplishing it." Jaune shook. "Cinder did not get the Winter Maiden. That's because of Penny, and thanks to you."
Jaune sniffled. "I... I don't want to be thanked for that..." his lips curled downward and tears began to pour.
Weiss's grip tightened. "I know... But..."
Jaune lifted his opposite hand up and placed it over his eyes. "If... If someone else was there. Ruby... Maybe Yang or Blake, they would have found a better way."
Weiss looked up at him and reached around with one arm to grab his opposite shoulder and pull. The action made him lower his hand and turn towards her. His eyes bloodshot and frown taking over his expression. "That's untrue. Jaune, I was completely out of aura. Just barely defending myself while Cinder beat me senseless. If you didn't... If you didn't do as Penny asked, I would be dead right now." she let that sink in before continuing. "Then she would have taken the Winter Maiden." she shook her head. "No one else would have had the courage to do what you did. Not Ruby, not Yang, not Blake, … And certainly not me." she sighed, looking away. "We would have been too scared. Ruby would have likely tried to fight Cinder and die trying to save Penny." she looked back up at him. "It was your choice that not only saved me, but saved the world from a terrible future where Cinder held the power of two Maidens."
Jaune looked away in distraught. Emotions flashed across his face, he didn't know what to think. Though his tears haven't went away yet. So Weiss leaned in and pulled him into a hug. One that Jaune slowly reciprocated.
"It's okay." Weiss spoke. "You can feel sad, just don't let it destroy you... Please... We... I... Need you."
He wrapped his arms tightly around her small frame and leaned his head into the space between her shoulder and neck. Then he began crying. No suppressed tears or holding back. Just crying into her. Weiss accepted all the agony Jaune expressed from killing Penny by just holding onto him tighter.
He was not alone in this.
AN:
Well I didn't actually think I'd write another chapter for this fic, but this just popped into my head and I felt it was better in the Healing Scars fic than a new one.
That being said, I highly doubt there will be a 3rd chapter simply because I don't know what happens during Volume 9.
~Please read and review~