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Between the Stars

Disclaimer: RWBY is the intellectual property of Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth. I claim no ownership.

Night had fallen upon Beacon when Ren walked up onto the roof to retrieve his leader. Jaune had apparently sent Pyrrha off ahead of him after training and stayed on the roof.

That had been two hours ago.

Naturally, Pyrrha became worried about him and Ren had volunteered to go check. Luckily for him, the blond was still on the roof; sitting on the edge of it to be exact. He was leaning back on his hands and his head was inclined towards the sky. Apparently Jaune was in a thinking mood. Ren was sympathetic, and thus inclined to leave him alone. Pyrrha would probably take it upon herself to retrieve him herself, though, so he figured it would be better to cut out the middle man.

"Hey, Jaune, are you coming down soon?"

There was a moment of silence. He must not have heard him. Before he could call out again, Jaune spoke.

"Why do we fight, Ren?"

The sudden question caught Ren short. It sounded like an idly curious question, but the vagueness added an uncertain depth to it. Years of being Nora's friend kicked in and he responded politely.

"What do you mean?"

Jaune briefly took in a deep breath before answering, "I mean...why do we bother fighting the Grimm?"

Ah. An existential crisis then. Looks like he couldn't just take him back to the room and be done with it.

"Because they're the Darkness, Jaune. If we don't fight, we die," Ren answered. It was the most common answer, but it was truth.

The knight seemed to mull over his thoughts for a second before continuing.

"But...why? What's the point? You can't just...destroy darkness. When the sun sets, darkness rushes in; and between the stars is more darkness. More darkness than there are stars. And sooner or later, those stars will die, but...the darkness won't. How can we beat something that's so permanent?"

As he spoke, the resignation that lined his tone became more noticeable. Ren couldn't blame him for such thoughts. It was a philosophical debate that raged throughout society. Behind the smiles of the people and the propaganda of the governments, there was always doubt. There were people who had taken it upon themselves to declare the futility of their fight. More than once had promising young Huntsmen and Huntresses resigned because they felt their struggle was in vain. He could admit that he had contemplated giving up once or twice.

However, every time he did, there was a bright ray of sunshine that convinced him otherwise. A light that filled him with hope without even meaning to.

"Jaune," Ren said, "What's the first thing you notice when you look up."

There was a beat before Jaune answered, "The stars?"

Ren nodded, "That's right."

He turned his gaze up towards the sky as well. He remembered a passage he once read that neatly defined this situation, "'When Man first gazed upon the night sky, he didn't tremble at the vast blackness that lay above him. Instead, he marveled at the bright stars that glittered amongst it, and he decided that they were beautiful. They represented everything he stood for. The stars lived amongst the darkness, stubbornly refusing to be snuffed out by its mere presence.'"

Another beat before he continued, "The truth is, Jaune, we don't fight to destroy the Darkness. We fight so we can live in spite of it. Between all the fighting and death, there are moments that remind us just why we want to live. Bright, shining moments that fill our hearts with joy and make us look forward to the next one. They make us want to protect them with our very lives."

He looked down at Jaune, who was looking back at him in wonder. He then imparted the best advice he could think to give.

"The darkness may be eternal, but new stars will always be born. So rather than dwelling on what lies between them, you should spend more time admiring the stars themselves."

With that, Ren turned around and walked towards the door.

"Come on; Pyrrha is probably on her way here now to see what's taking so long."

Jaune hesitated before getting up and following Ren. Silence reigned as they walked, with Jaune still digesting what he had been told. As they turned into the hall that lead to their room, the swordsman finally spoke.

"Hey, Ren...thanks..."

Ren wanted to tell him that he wasn't the one to thank, but he didn't feel like explaining why he would have to thank Nora, instead. So he smiled lightly and nodded.

"You're welcome."

A/N: Sudden stroke of inspiration as I was sitting outside. I'm so glad I finally managed to write a bonding piece between Jaune and Ren.