Author's Greetings: Okay, you guys. I am for real completely floored by the sheer number of people who caught on to this story and enjoyed it. I shit you not, within the first four hours of uploading, it had over a thousand views, three reviews, and well over thirty story followers and favorites. Where the story stands right now with all its reviews, faves, and follows… I…

Gals and guys, seriously, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all. You don't know how difficult the past three months have been for me in terms of sheer stress and dealing with this fucking ear infection of mine. All the positive reviews, all your kind words, all of it helped me get through to where I am now, typing these words with a big, dumb smile on my face. I am humbled to have made something that made your day a bit more interesting, and I am blessed to have gained you all as my readership.

That being said, I should probably make something clear with so many people raving that I apparently write me a mean Arkos: I'm not a frequenter of Arkos writing. From the first word written to the last, this fanfiction was and always has been my own way of bidding farewell to the ship. I pride myself as someone who skirts canon as often as I can because it's fun to try and put as much of the original vision into my own spin as I possibly can. I am a BlackSun writer primarily, focusing my attention on "Black Sun Kittens" and "Eternal Autumn," and trying to get them exposure because those are stories that have good chances of lasting well throughout the show's and the fandom's duration.

And before you think that DYBISC is in the same headcanon as Black Sun Kittens, I am officially saying here and now that it is NOT part of my Black Sun Kittens AU for reasons I address in-story.

(Also, real quick in-story references in case some of you don't know or haven't read Black Sun Kittens:

"The Cataclysm" = Whatever final conflict the canon show seems to be leading up to that we don't currently know the details of.

Dusk's Semblance = Think Danny from Stephen King's "The Shining." I won't say anything further on this subject because potential spoilers.)

This is the last chapter in DYBISC, and the last Arkos I will ever write.

With that in mind, though, I hope my writing has drawn at least a good number of you in to whatever else I've written already and hopefully to whatever I write in the years to come. And if that isn't enough for you purely Arkos shippers, I direct you to read "TheJenkinsCurse"'s ongoing series of Arkos one-shots called "Goodbye, Jaune." The adorable little shorts are fantastic reads and worthy of your attention if you're a heavy Arkos fanfiction lover. Please give it a look-see if you're still thirsty for more Arkos by the end of this chapter.

Because make no mistake, this is the end. My end.

For the characters Monty inspired me with, and for all of you.

Enjoy.

xXx

Do You Believe In [(Second) Chances]?

Written by M.E. Grimm

(Epilogue: "A Half-Remembered Dream")

xXx

"Nothing is written in stone, child. Even if it was, stone can be broken."

- Melanie Rawn, "Dragon Prince"

"The future disappears into memory

With only a moment between.

Forever dwells in that moment,

Hope is what remains to be seen..."

- Rush, "The Garden"

xXx

(Thirteen Years Later…)

xXx

In the cottage by the split in the river, Jaune woke to the sound of an infant's cooing.

"Shhh, I know sweetie, not so loud! You don't want to wake up papa, do you?"

A smile bloomed on his lips, and Jaune willed his eyes to open just a crack.

There, he saw Pyrrha on the bed, the pre-dawn sky outside the same glowing ember-red as her flowing crimson tresses. Cradled in her arms was the newest addition to their family, Eponine, as she squeaked and cooed excitedly up at her beautiful mother. The babe's thatch of strawberry-blonde hair compelled Jaune to caress his six-month-old daughter's head, but he refrained. This moment was for Pyrrha and her daughter, for mother and child to speak to one another in their own special language, and he dared not disturb it. He could only stay there, watching in contented silence and pretending to sleep so as to not shatter the moment's beauty.

Pyrrha dipped a quick kiss on Eponine's head, then another and another and another, until her child was positively thrilled from all the attention she was getting. As the infant's arms flailed about, one clasped itself on Pyrrha's left breast and stayed there. Both Jaune and Pyrrha could hear Eponine's amusement deteriorate into a low moan, a plea for her first meal of the day.

"Alright, alright, no need to be fussy…" said Pyrrha.

Chuckling softly, she fished her arm from her nightgown to free her breast and held Eponine's head close so her little lips could latch onto the gentle pink nub. The child nursed eagerly, and Jaune listened to the innocent sound of his daughter drinking her mother's milk, enjoying it like the soft trickle of a mountain spring.

Pyrrha sighed, easing herself back against the headboard, bobbing Eponine gently in her arms while she nursed her offspring with practiced grace. "There you go. That'll calm you down… There you go…"

Sitting there basking in the crimson light of the sunless sky, it was obvious to Jaune time and parenthood had changed the both of them. After bearing three children, her curves became wider and softer (and to Jaune's unabashed pleasure, her breasts more full with milk), though her body remained fit and healthy in spite of this.

But to Jaune, her most obvious change was her glow. That glow, that strange, lightless shimmer that added so much to her smile, to her every action, to the happiness Jaune shared with her ever since she first learned she was going to be with child so many years ago. He supposed such an effect was natural for a woman who'd both lived and nurtured life in equal measure, because that glow only managed to shimmer more brilliantly as the years went by and their children flourished under their loving care. Pyrrha was the life-giving sun around which Jaune's entire world revolved. He couldn't imagine a life any different from this one. This wonderful life with the family Pyrrha and he had raised together.

This future he had forged of his own volition.

"It's impolite to stare, you know," murmured Pyrrha, chuckling as she caught Jaune watching Eponine sucking softly against her exposed breast.

Jaune hummed a deep, low chuckle, and chose this moment to stroke the tuft of strawberry-blonde hair atop his daughter's head. "She's just so beautiful…"

Pyrrha hummed a gentle sigh, smiling as she bobbed her infant daughter in her arms with small, light bounces. "Goodness, she's got an appetite."

Jaune lifted himself to sit beside Pyrrha with a dusty groan and a huff. Time hadn't been altogether kind to Jaune, not after the scars from fighting against Salem during The Cataclysm. He'd kept his body fit the best he could with Pyrrha's help, but it seemed a simple truth that some wounds were just too deep to be healed with time. He rested some of his weight against the headboard and some against Pyrrha, leaning in and occupying his lips on the elegant curve of her neck.

"Well, anyone would be if their mother's breasts were so bountiful…" purred Jaune, licking up to nibble her ear.

"Ugh, you pig," said Pyrrha with a groan, snapping her ear from his teeth. She tried to turn away in playful spite, but Jaune was already on her and had his arms wrapped around her torso. He settled himself against the curve of her back and watched his newborn nurse serenely in her mother's arms. The sight was so natural in its beauty, Jaune could only emote his appreciation by tightening his arms around Pyrrha and burying his lips in the curve of her neck.

"She's beautiful… just like her mother…" whispered Jaune, kissing Pyrrha earnestly on her cheek even as she pretended to ignore it out of faux-spite.

Pyrrha faced Jaune with a speculative brow raised. "You totally didn't apologize for being a perv."

Jaune smiled. "I'm sorry for being a perv."

Pyrrha grinned immediately and planted a chaste kiss on his lips. "There you go."

The kiss shared after that one was relaxed and unhurried. It mattered little to them how long it lingered, only that they parted because they no longer could spend entire days alone together now with three children living in their home. Or at least, they couldn't spend it the way they used to when they first came to live here.

And not to mention… "When are Blake and Sun supposed to come to pick up Dawn and Dusk?"

Pyrrha turned her chin up thoughtfully, still bouncing Eponine slightly in her arm as she did so. "Around… nine or so."

Jaune glanced at the bedside clock and read the time. It was early. Good. "Did you get Dawn and Marius up to start warming up?"

"Mmhm," hummed Pyrrha, her hand caressing Eponine's soft head as though it were fine glass. "Woke them up then came in to feed Eponine."

Jaune chuckled to himself, shook his head. A ruthless trainer even in motherhood, he thought with a smirk. "Thanks, Pyrrha."

Pyrrha glanced at Jaune from the corner of her eye and gave a smirk of her own. "I think they like each other, Jaune."

"Who, Marius and Dawn?" mumbled Jaune as he stood from the bed and lifted his shirt over his head. Crisscrossing scars scattered in dark scratches across his lean and muscular back. Pyrrha noticed and felt her heart ache quietly, reflexively. It'd been years, but she still hadn't grown accustomed to the sight. It still surprised her, reminding her how much he'd sacrificed to save so many. How much he'd sacrificed to save her…

"Don't you see it in how they look at one another? The way they compete, it's like they're trying to impress one another. Children vying for the other's attention," said Pyrrha, mentioning the children to keep her mind off her husband's scars.

"Yeah," said Jaune. He stretched an old white shirt over himself and turned back to Pyrrha with a huff and a smile. "I know, I can see it. They're good for one another. But we'll see where time takes them. No, training them to fight is your forte. What about Dusk and Helena? Are they up?"

Pyrrha was silent for a second or two. Her eyes faltered down and away with pursed lips. "That was the other thing, actually…"

"What happened? Something bad?" asked Jaune. He already had an odd feeling about what was about to be said. A memory from a half-remembered dream floating to the surface, a shard of prescience glinting crimson in the morning's rising light.

"He said he wanted to talk to you about it specifically, but…" Pyrrha flicked her bright green eyes back to Jaune, releasing her lower lip from her teeth with a sweet, subdued pop. "I think... he had a vision last night."

Jaune went rigid with Pyrrha's news. Not in a threatened or frightened way, but in the way he felt when memories from the River gave him an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. "What… What makes you think that, babe?"

With a huff, Pyrrha stood herself from the bed and walked to the window, bobbing Eponine gently in her arms. She glanced out to the two tents set up at the edge of the cottage grounds, then sighed. "I could see it in his eyes when I came in to wake them up. Dawn was asleep, but I could tell by how fast he reacted Dusk had been awake for a little while. I asked him what was wrong, but he just shook his head and told me he was alright. I could see it in his eyes, Jaune. A wisdom a boy like him, even with his powers, shouldn't have in his eyes." Pyrrha glanced at Jaune from the corner of her sight, her expression grim. "Whatever he saw… it shook him."

Jaune walked beside Pyrrha at the window, looked out at the waking world beneath a vermillion sky. "What'd you do then?"

"I just asked him if he wanted to talk to you and he said that he did," answered Pyrrha. Jaune felt her hip bump against his and he turned to see her flashing a lovely smile at him. "Training them to fight is my shtick. Visions is your ballpark, buddy."

Jaune hummed a rumble of a chuckle as he returned her smile with his own. "I'll go talk to him."

As Pyrrha beamed up at him, Jaune couldn't help but snake his arms around her to crush their infant daughter snugly between them. Eponine noticed the sudden snugness of another adult warming her besides her mother and was delighted to see the kind face of her father when she turned her head away from Pyrrha's breast. A joyous coo babbled from the babe's mouth, and Jaune felt his heart soar when Pyrrha wiped a finger Eponine's lips where some of her milk still remained.

He then turned his eyes up to meet Pyrrha's as a force more powerful than gravity drew their lips together. The combined warmth of his wife and his child coursed through Jaune, basking him in their vibrant glow. For the second time that morning, Jaune couldn't put into words how blessed he knew he was that this future had come to pass. Heaven paled in comparison to a life spent with this incredible woman, and he never wanted this kiss to end.

Eponine's squirms rose to object, though, and Pyrrha parted from the kiss chuckling helplessly. "Okay, okay! I know you're there! I know my precious little rose is there!"

Jaune couldn't resist any longer and offered his hands to Pyrrha. Of course, she obliged, and Eponine was transferred to Jaune as he rubbed his nose against hers, something that always put a smile on his daughter's face. He tossed her gently in the air much to her very vocal amusement, then did it again to even greater effect. By the time he was done, Eponine's emerald green eyes were positively alight with happiness. He pressed a big, wet kiss on her little cheek. "Why can't I spend the rest of the day with you, huh? Why can't I make you laugh some more instead of dealing with real life?"

"Because real life entails you making breakfast while I get ready to train Marius and Dawn, and you need to talk to Dusk before all that, so," Pyrrha stepped forward to reclaim Eponine from her father, "I'll take her, and you," she said, kissing Jaune quickly on the lips and giving him a pat on his cheek, "go talk to Dusk like I told you to."

Jaune held her hand, kissed her knuckle, and beamed as he watched Pyrrha exit their bedroom, still humming soft lullabies to Eponine. The melody drifted off, filtered by the halls of his home.

Outside, the flame of morning was growing from deep red to an infectious golden ember. Jaune decided to forego the shoes for now. Nothing out there was worthy of such a precaution.

The scent of freshwater never failed to send his mind reeling every time he opened the backdoor of his home. As the wind it carried from the distant twin rivers of the forest, it also brought to Jaune's ears the sounds of clacking sticks and of frustrated battle cries. He moved through the trees and saw them sparring in a clearing. His firstborn son, Marius, was using the leather-padded shield and wooden sword taught to him by his mother. Dawn, meanwhile, took Sun's affinity for a bo staff while she skirted and danced around Marius with all the acrobatic grace of her father.

"Goodness, Marius, you're such a wimp. Why don't you actually try and hit me for once?" pouted Dawn, planting her staff in the ground as she threw her hip-length ponytail over her shoulder.

Across from her, Marius wiped away the golden bangs clinging soddenly to his forehead. The way his emerald green eyes fixed on Dawn was a mixture of anger and attention that sent a surge of pride through Jaune's chest. Keeping his head in the game, thought Jaune with a subconscious nod of approval. Just like his mother taught him.

Then, to Jaune's confusion, Marius planted his feet in place and flipped his sword into a reverse grip. He recognized the stance to be Pyrrha's immediately. Marius's emerald eyes flared with a cocky determination that told Jaune all he needed to know about how this was going to end for his son.

"Why don't you go somewhere else for dancing lessons? I hear ballerina classes are good for little girls, they'd really like you there," said Marius with a crooked grin.

Dawn threw her head back in soundless laughter then ejected from where she stood, leapt, and swung her staff to strike the side of Marius's head. In a flash, Marius's shield caught the blow. Swinging his blade to cut Dawn's stomach in mid-air, it seemed for the slightest of seconds his son's blow would strike true. But as Marius lifted his shield to push her staff up and out, Dawn used the wooden rod as a lever and vaulted over to land beside him. Marius whipped around to thrust the tip of his sword back, but Dawn's tail had already caught it and her staff had already swept his legs out from under him. By the time he realized he was on the ground, both Dawn's staff and the sword she held captive with her tail pointed directly at his throat.

"I already took lessons. Why do you think I'm so good at dancing around you?" said Dawn with a sly grin. The staff removed itself from Marius's neck with a fluid flick of her wrist and she shifted her hips to yank him up with her tail. "Come on, one to one. Up and at 'em."

Marius steadied his feet and rolled his head around his shoulders. "Lucky shot."

"Doesn't really matter what that was, I still got you. Come on, best two out of three," quipped Dawn over her shoulder. Her tail swished and flicked playfully back at Marius, making Jaune swear it carried a lick of cattiness from her mother.

The two positioned themselves across from one another and slid into their appropriate stances, but Jaune noticed Marius was hopping in place way too much. Dawn seemed to notice this and a sly grin sliced across her lips. Jaune saw her stance change while Marius was still "psyching" himself for the next match and again knew exactly how the game was going to end.

"Ready?" purred Dawn.

Marius planted his feet with a loud huff. "Let's go!"

"Stop, stop, stop." Jaune couldn't play the silent arbiter any longer and he made his presence known so when he started laughing, Marius could at least see who it was.

"D-Dad! I-I mean, sir! What's the problem, sir?" Marius snapped to attention instantly, his cheeks reddening as he heard his father's laughter. Dawn flipped her staff to lean on it and also began to snicker slightly to herself from across the small clearing.

"Calm down, Marius, calm down, it's just… what was with the…" Jaune stopped and snapped his legs dramatically into stance as Marius had. "What is that, a new dance move?"

Behind him, Dawn giggled to herself, nodding in appreciation of Mr. Arc's dramatization. Marius dipped his head, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. "I-I was getting myself into the heat of the battle, like mom taught me to…"

"Marius," said Jaune with a wise, understanding hum. He walked to his son and crossed his arms behind his back as he explained. "Didn't your mother also teach you to keep a cool head? You know what I saw when you were cutting a jig?" Jaune pointed over to Dawn, who seemed confused that Mr. Arc was talking about her when she couldn't hear. "Dawn over there was crouching and getting ready for you. She saw you overheating yourself and if I hadn't stepped in, she likely would have had you within five moves of starting. At best."

Marius's shoulders sagged as he listened to his father's dissection. "Sorry, it's just…"

"You psych yourself just the right amount, Marius. Nothing more, nothing less. When you're frosty, you aren't hot. You're cool and sharp. Ready for whatever comes next." Jaune patted Marius on the shoulder, then stepped around to kneel behind him, resting his chin on his son's shoulder. "You won one already?"

Marius nodded. "Uh-huh."

"What'd you do?"

Jaune watched Marius squint in thought. By the way his son's eyes flicked and fluttered through his memories, he felt a jolt of pride swell in his chest. He and Pyrrha had taught him well. "I caught her with a strike of my shield."

"Good, good. Staff means she's long range and her acrobatics makes her flighty and swift, which means…?"

"Get in close," muttered Marius, his fingers twitching around the grips of his sword and shield, "Invade her personal space."

"No, be defensive, and be smart. You aren't your mother, don't try to be flashy. Do what works and wait for an opening, even if that means turtling up for long periods of time," whispered Jaune.

Marius glanced over his shoulder at his father. "What if she stops attacking?"

"This is a fight, isn't it? She has to attack. That or she forfeits, which you and I both know she isn't going to do. Turtle up, wait for an opening. That's the only way you can do it." Jaune stood with a paternal pat on Marius's shoulder as he nudged him forward with his knee. "Go on, son."

Marius heard his father's advice and nodded his head up and down, whispering it over and over to himself as he twirled his sword excitedly in his hand.

Across the small clearing, Dawn kicked her staff up and tapped her shoulder theatrically while she walked forward. "Oh, serious Marius. Look at him, getting his head in the game."

Jaune stepped between the two and put his hand in the air. "You done talking, Dawn?"

Dawn paused, glanced up at Mr. Arc with a sly grin, and then smacked the staff into a twirl, standing herself at the ready.

Jaune's eyes rolled over to his son. "Ready, Marius?"

Marius glanced up to him and nodded wordlessly.

Jaune sliced his hand down. "Go!"

As expected, Dawn bolted into the offensive right off the bat, twirling her staff and using her acrobatic momentum to land strike after strike at Marius. Jaune backpedaled away and was pleased to see Marius turtling up and prioritizing his footwork as he skirted with Dawn's attacks, raising his shield to meet her bo staff each time it flew at him. Always there was the whistle of Dawn's rod as it flew and always there was the sharp slap of impact, but not of wood against skin, rather of wood against leather.

"Now who's the ballerina?!" cried Dawn as she whirled to keep the momentum of her assault alive. She made a sweep for Marius's legs and Marius promptly dodged with a well-timed hop. Jaune could hear the frustration in Dawn's huff as she caught her staff in both hands and threw herself into another barrage. To Dawn's credit, Jaune was duly amazed at the sheer amount of stamina the girl possessed. However, Jaune knew wind could only blow against stone for so long and Dawn's breathing became labored the longer their fight went on.

In the aftermath of another failed assault, Dawn skirted back with shaking steps. For the first time, she didn't immediately throw herself into another attack. A glaring tell of how tired she was making herself, aside from how she hadn't made any wise cracks at Marius at all recently.

Dawn wiped the sweat from her forehead, made a motion to twirl her staff back into her hands to get herself back in stance. "What's the matter-?"

Marius bolted forward. Dawn's eyes grew wide and narrowed in frustration within a split second. At the second's end, she roared in effort and thrust her staff at Marius's middle like a spear.

Jaune knew it was the wrong move to make the instant she made it, and like clockwork, Marius's shield easily batted the approaching end of the staff away. Keeping his momentum, Marius brought his wooden sword down to smash against Dawn's gripping hand. She cried out in pain and threw the weapon away by reflex. Marius pivoted on his heels the instant he saw Dawn unarmed, and used her shock as the perfect opportunity to smash his buckler against her torso. She flew back from the force, and Marius ran forward to plant his boot firmly on her weapon as she rolled to a stop a small distance away.

Dawn lifted herself weakly with her arms, saw this, and spat angrily to her side, glaring at Marius like a feral wolf on its last legs.

Jaune, in his infinite naiveté, thought this was the ideal moment to end the match and stepped forward to announce it. "Alri-"

But in that instant, Dawn sprinted from where she lay sprawled on the ground without warning and practically screamed as she dashed to a tree near Marius, vaulted off of it, and flipped to try and constrict his neck with her legs.

In two motions, Marius lifted his buckler to let her naturally slam her gut into it for a second time, then let gravity take them both down as he pinned her to the ground with the third blow. By the time Marius crawled up to place his wooden sword at her neck, Dawn was already coughing, working to regain the wind that was so cleanly struck from her lungs.

Jaune's heart warmed as he watched how quickly Marius's cool focus melted to horrified concern when he saw Dawn gripping her stomach in pain. He immediately threw his weapons aside and leapt off of her. "Dawn! Oh crap! I-I'm so sorry!"

"Fine… It's fine… You just… Hit the wind…" Dawn laid her head back on the ground as her lungs inflated themselves with a sound like a horrified gasp followed by a string of successive coughing. "Ow- *cough* You hit me- *cough* Really solid. *cough*" Weakly she lifted a thumbs up, smiling.

"I was about to call the match before you went on your feral rage," said Jaune, chuckling wisely as he fell to a knee and helped Dawn upright. "But I think getting the wind knocked out of you is a better lesson of what you did wrong than what I was about to tell you."

Dawn coughed a few more times, knocking her fist against her chest. She turned up to Mr. Arc, strenuous tears streaming from her storm-gray eyes. "Which was…?"

"You're too brash. You knew barrages weren't working, but you kept doing them anyways. All you did was wear yourself out while Marius simply bided his time. Next time you see something isn't working, don't try to hit the wall harder. Adapt and change."

Dawn shook her head, threw a hand up in frustration. "That's what I tired doing… I even tried it without my staff…"

"Yeah, and you did it with a technique you didn't fully understand-" Dawn opened her mouth to object, but Jaune cut her off, "Ah-Ah, don't try and pretend, we both know you did that because you were just angry and for no other reason whatsoever. It was the same with Marius over here pulling his reverse grip last match. Did you learn that flying leg grab from your father, Dawn?"

Dawn nodded her head.

"Did he tell you to use it while you were fatigued on an opponent that had every conceivable advantage over you?" prodded Jaune.

Dawn dipped her head, her gaze turned away. "... I had the tree as an advantage…"

"Which only served to bring your torso fully within Marius's range of attack…" explained Jaune, though he trailed off as he saw Dawn cringe from his dissection. He stopped with a sigh, then placed his hands on both the kids' shoulders. "Look, you two. You're both incredible athletes, let alone fighters. Marius, the fact you listened and applied my advice is remarkable. Not many students would be so willing to change their ways so quickly, and even fewer would be so fast to learn. And Dawn, your fighting technique is incredible! The way you maneuver yourself in the air, using the motion of your body to add force and recovery to your strikes is impeccable!"

Then, he paused and shook their shoulders to make sure they could see the warm seriousness in his face. "But what you two need to remember is that you aren't like us yet. Marius, you can't fight like your mother or I, and Dawn, you can't fight like your mother or father, either. You're both too young and too inexperienced to do anything but just the basics my wife is teaching you, nothing more, nothing less."

"But…" mumbled Marius, "... When will we be able to fight like you?"

"Marius, by the time you're able to fight and hold your own, you won't need to fight like us." answered Jaune, smiling as he patted his son's shoulder and rubbed it with his thumb. "You're gonna fight like Marius, son. And Dawn, you'll fight in that frenzied and precise way only Dawn can do," said Jaune, laughing as he rustled Dawn's wild black hair and drew forth a few giggles.

"But what's important, though," he continued, "is that what you'll have will be whatever works for you and you alone. You get better at your craft in the ways that only you can. All we adults can do is provide you with the ground-soil you guys start from and the wisdom to give you direction. But what you end up with at the finish line, well…" Jaune paused and smiled at the two kids, his heart growing as he caught the glints of determination flickering in their eyes. "... I guess only time will tell, eh?"

"I couldn't have put it better myself," said a smooth voice over Jaune's shoulder.

He stood and turned. Pyrrha walked into the clearing dressed in her armored uniform as it glistened in the growing morning light. Her outfit had changed over the years as her body did, but even in her designated Huntress's uniform Jaune still felt his breath leave him whenever he saw her armed and ready for battle. An amazonian beauty in her natural, radiant appearance; her blood-red hair pulled into a ponytail that fell behind her like a river of curling flames. An avenging angel beautiful and terrible as the sun.

He almost felt ashamed he hadn't put on his own uniform and blushed a little as she approached. "Aw, honey, I'm sure you've told them something similar to that before, right-?"

Pyrrha cut him off when she pressed her lips to his. Jaune chuckled and leaned forward to let it linger long enough to hear their students shuffling their feet, both refusing to look at one another in fear of seeing the other blush.

"You were right about them," Jaune murmured, nuzzling his nose along Pyrrha's cheek.

Pyrrha giggled softly, nudged her cheek against his nose. "Told you."

"Wh-What are you guys talking about…?" asked Marius tentatively, his eyes flitting nervously between his parents and Dawn.

"Oh, nothing, nothing," chuckled Pyrrha, "Your father and I were just talking about what we think you two need to improve on."

"Which would be…?" asked Dawn.

Pyrrha walked between Marius and Dawn and chopped them both on their heads in beat with her answer. "Don't. Show. Off!"

The kids rubbed their heads and groaned. Jaune chuckled warmly to himself, but was cut off when Pyrrha's hand descended to give his head a chop of his very own. "And you, I thought I told you to go and talk to Dusk!"

Jaune smiled meekly as he winced from his wife's strike. "I just… wanted to see how they were doing…" Then he opened his eyes, "O-Oh, yeah, and to ask Dawn-"

"Hmm?" Dawn turned up to Mr. Arc, puzzled, pointed at herself.

"Yeah, ah," Jaune kneeled down to her and asked, "Where is your little brother, anyways?"

Dawn pointed deeper into the forest in the direction of the distant river. Jaune knew where Dusk was immediately, and lifted himself to his feet with an amused huff. "Let me guess, Helena's with him?"

"Yeah," answered Marius, "she followed him when he said he wanted to practice a bit more by-"

"The split," muttered Jaune, looking off in the river's direction. What did that little boy see...?

"Alright, enough gawking around, you two," announced Pyrrha, stepping in front of the two kids with crossed arms and a stern expression on her face. "You know the drill! Warm up jog! Come on!"

Both the kids began moaning and groaning on reflex. "Aw, c'mon mom! We've already started sparring, can't we just skip it today?"

"Nuh-uh, no excuses, Marius! No matter what we do, we always start with a warm up! Come on! You guys know the route!" Pyrrha glared at them mercilessly until the two kids dropped their weapons and began jogging as she instructed. "You two are gonna earn Mr. Arc's breakfast today, don't you doubt that for a second!"

Jaune chuckled at the sight of Pyrrha asserting herself, then tapped on her shoulder to grab her attention. "Babe."

Pyrrha halted mid-holler and whipped around to meet Jaune with soft, emerald eyes. "What, Jaune?"

"Work on Marius's shieldwork and Dawn's pacing. He needs to know how to switch between defense and offense smarter and she needs to learn how to work around a shield."

"Got it." Pyrrha pecked Jaune on the cheek, then jogged off to catch up with the kids. Jaune watched his wife disappear down the jogging trail around their hundred-acre land, then turned and started jogging in the direction Dawn had pointed him in. He knew exactly where he needed to go.

The rush of the river grew the farther he went. Through the trees ahead, Jaune could see the dim light of morning grow brighter as its tangerine glow reflected off the clear surface of the running water. Eventually, the density of the forest decreased enough that Jaune could see a massive lone oak on a hill overlooking the fork in the two rivers beyond.

And there, in the tree's shade, he could make out two tiny shapes kneeling on the grass side by side in meditation. One's shortly cropped crimson locks gleamed almost ruby in the rising morning light. The other's wild curls shone like spun gold as two kitten ears stood completely still on top.

The sound of nature's motion overwhelmed Jaune as he smiled at the sight. With a hum of a chuckle, he walked forward from the forest to the two children in the distance.

One of Dusk's kitten ears twitched slightly, the perfect peace of his posture disturbed. By the time Jaune reached the two, Dusk had returned to awareness and glanced over his shoulder to his host kneeling between himself and Helena. The boy's golden eyes were slitted like a cat's one second, then became normal when he blinked. Helena's eyes flickered open as well, her sapphire irises burning with a shimmering turquoise light that also disappeared when she blinked.

Jaune smiled bright and warm. "You two are getting better."

"Papa!" squeaked Helena. Her awareness returned as she realized her father was kneeling beside her, and the crimson-haired girl was up with her arms wrapped around Jaune's neck before he could react. He only chuckled warmly, running his arms around his daughter as he held her tight in his arms. "Oh, papa, I could see so much more today! I could even see what you were gonna make for breakfast!"

Jaune lifted an amused brow as he held Helena at a small distance. She looked so much like her mother, it was uncanny. "Oh? And what was I making for breakfast?"

Helena turned her chin up in thought and began listing off with her fingers the items. "Eggs, pancakes with banana slices for Dawn, sausage biscuits and bacon for Dusk and Marius, and…" Her sentence trailed off, her finger tapping her chin as she wracked her brain for the last item. "... Oh…! It's… Ugh, it's on the tip of my tongue…!"

"Apples," said Dusk from around Jaune, the boy's voice low and soft as he leaned around Jaune to flash a demure smile at Helena. "It was apples, from the orchards. I remembered the smell."

"Yeah! Apples! It was the-!" Helena's enthusiasm shifted into displeasure as she puffed her cheeks at Dusk, stomping her small, bare foot into the grass in playful jealousy. "Dusk! I wanted to figure it out on my own!"

At this, Dusk flashed a wide and toothy smile that reminded Jaune of the ones he'd seen on the boy's father. Not one of victory, but of the same amusement a father shows towards their son or daughter when they do those childish things every parent loves to see their children do. Pyrrha had been right, Jaune thought as he watched the boy chuckle contentedly. This boy has wisdom beyond his years. Far beyond his years.

"Sorry, Helena," laughed Dusk, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully. "It just came out."

"Ugh. Like butthead Dusk said, I could smell the apples while I was slipping into the River." Helena rolled her eyes, lifted her head, and took in a relaxed breath as a stray breeze glided over the running water of the river. A gentle smile stretched itself across her lips as it tousled her hair. "It was clearer than it's ever been, but I still can't really stay in there for very long. If I do, everything becomes a rush and blurs out of my grasp."

Jaune hummed in his chest. "Yeah. That was how it was for me when I first gained my Semblance, too. It wasn't easy. I just got small snippets of events through the shimmers of the River and sometimes I wouldn't know exactly what they meant until… pshh… days- sometimes whole weeks later. But, from your old man to you, Helena, take it from me…" Jaune pulled Helena into his lap and scooted the both of them closer to Dusk, turning to stare off at the flaring halo of the sun still behind the horizon. "... The more you practice swimming in the River, the easier it becomes to know how to navigate it. You'll get there. I promise you, the both of you."

"Yeah, but Dusk is way better at it than I am right now, papa. Him and his weird strings and ropes," said Helena, playfully spitting out the words at Dusk and smiling when he did.

"Well, don't put yourself down, Helena. If you weren't here, neither of us would be able to compare what we saw. That's pretty important," said Dusk with a modest shrug and a smile.

"'Comparing?'" said Jaune with an amazed laugh. "You two compare what you see? You two can do that?"

Dusk nodded. "I can feel her beside me sometimes when we're both looking into the strands, feel her 'sight' looking over the same things as me. Then we dip back out and see if we're on the same page or not. It's really fun, actually."

Jaune huffed, impressed. "Amazing."

"Yeah, but sometimes I can feel Dusk flowing through the River to places where I can't see him anymore. He doesn't want to talk to me about what he sees there, but he always goes upstream when he does," said Helena. Her statement diminished the light-hearted demeanor Dusk wore on his face as he turned his resulting frown down towards the ground.

Helena's smile waned as she watched her friend glower, then she turned to Jaune and placed her small hands on his shoulders. "Papa…"

"Hmm?" hummed Jaune, turning to face his daughter. "What is it, baby?"

"This… is one of the moments Dusk and I agreed on. I have to go back to the house while you talk to him about what he sees when he goes upstream. There's no other way for this to happen," said Helena.

Her tone and the look in her eyes as she spoke to her father sent shivers down Jaune's spine. So this is what it's like to be on the receiving end, Jaune quipped to himself in his head. Jeez, it really is freaky.

"I will, honey," muttered Jaune in an awe-struck reply.

Helena only smiled as she planted a tiny kiss on Jaune's cheek, then walked over to Dusk to give him a loving hug Jaune knew only Helena could give.

"Make sure you don't hide anything this time, you hear me?" ordered Helena, reminding Jaune of her mother. "I know what you saw was serious, and my dad's the only one who can help you with these kinds of things."

"I know, Helena. Thanks for practicing with me, again," replied Dusk, chuckling warmly as he accepted his childhood friend's embrace.

Helena departed, the sound of her bare feet as they disturbed the grass growing softer and softer until it disappeared entirely behind the cover of the forest beyond. Jaune scooted himself closer to Dusk and stopped, turning back to the brightening pre-dawn sky with a contented sigh.

"So what is it?"

Dawn turned to Jaune, puzzled. "I'm sorry?"

"Well, I can tell when something's on your mind, Dusk, and I don't need to use my Semblance to know that about you," answered Jaune with a warm grin. "So what's the matter?"

Dusk's eyes flickered down to the ground in thought. After a few moments of silence, he pulled his knees into his chest and sighed like an old man. "Do you think… there's a reason why I see things like strings instead of the rivers you and Helena see, Mr. Arc?"

Jaune chuckled from the question, patted Dusk gently on his shoulder. "I don't think there'll ever be an answer to that one, Dusk. I mean, from what your mother and father told me, your Semblance is something much more than even my abilities."

Beneath his hand, Jaune could feel a little bit of tension leave Dusk's shoulders. The two rivers continued to split the flowing water evenly between themselves, both continuing their respective journeys to different ends.

Then, Dusk clenched his fists softly. "It… was an arrow."

Jaune turned to Dusk. "What?"

"It was an arrow," repeated Dusk, still staring out to the split of the river as he spoke. "I saw it in my dream. The arrow that flew at the top of the fallen spire."

Jaune's heart grew cold. He'd remembered that description many years ago from a half-remembered dream. He couldn't be… could he? "Dusk… what are you talking about?"

"Missus Arc was shot in the chest with an arrow by the woman called 'Cinder,'" said Dusk in a clear, affirmative voice. He turned up to Jaune with a knowing, almost pleading look in his large golden eyes. "I saw it in a dream I had last night, but… it felt so real."

Jaune couldn't speak, couldn't even show the sheer amount of surprise he felt on the inside through his expression. He could only stare wordlessly back at Dusk as he shook his head and tried to think of something else to say. He couldn't, and so opted to instead to turn and look back out at the two rivers beyond. "So… that's what you saw last night?"

"Yes…" Dusk didn't need much indication to know Mr. Arc knew more about this dream than he was letting on. But as he thought about Jaune's reluctance to address the dream, the revelation suddenly came upon him of the reason why.

"You…" whispered Dusk in disbelief, "You created this world when you saved her... didn't you?"

Jaune tried to hide the wince in his expression from Dusk's eyes. He didn't succeed.

"Missus Arc… was supposed to die on the first night of The Cataclysm, wasn't she?" asked Dusk, the idea more horrifying when he heard the words coming out of his own mouth. "Marius, Helena, and Eponine… they were never-?"

Jaune turned back to Dusk, a smile on his face and an amused chuckle rumbling beneath his breast. "Really now? I wouldn't know about that. I woke up this morning to find my wife sitting next to me holding little Eponine in her arms!"

Dusk winced. "Mr. Arc, please…" he began, but was cut off when Jaune's calloused hand descended gently upon his shoulder. An overwhelming peace overcame Dusk where Jaune's palm rested and he felt as though he could slip into his 'sight' at that very instant. Mr. Arc had suddenly become the king of secrets, and Dusk felt that should he speak, the key to everything would never be pulled from his host's pocket to allow him a look at the truth… whatever it may be.

"Dusk," asked Jaune with a tired, paternal sigh, "How do Helena and I describe what we see?"

Dusk's face scrunched itself in confusion, but answered his question regardless. "Uh… Like a river, with endlessly branching rivers and distributaries that are sometimes other rivers within themselves."

"Mmhm, and remind me how you see it, Dusk?"

"Like strings," answered Dusk, half lost in his own imagination as he spoke. "An infinite amount of strings that bundle up into ropes that when I zoom out are strings wrapped up in even larger ropes."

Jaune thought about this for a moment, then smiled, took a breath, and said, "See, Dusk, what I think it might be… and this is just me completely guessing right now… but have you ever seen the string that you come from? The place where you know your present resides when you start seeing with your 'sight?'"

Dusk blushed, turning his face down in embarrassment. "N-No, sir. Sorry, I never thought…"

"No, no, Dusk, it's fine if you haven't! It's just… go back into your sight right now, real quick, and let me know what you see," said Jaune with a wink. "I'll be right beside you the whole time."

Dusk hesitated for a moment, then nodded and shut his eyes.

Using the calm emanating from Mr. Arc's palm, Dusk felt his 'sight' pulse forth from his forehead and then turned it down to his chest. From his Aura shot forth a tiny point of light fine and thin as a string of silk pulled taut. Using Mr. Arc's training, he concentrated on it until he felt only his string spreading out faintly forward. The longer he concentrated, the more his surroundings fell into the same threaded pattern as his own until an entire ocean's worth of strings was collected all around him. He always felt like an ant standing on the surface of a massive rope, and the thought would have made him giggle had the sight not always made him feel so inhumanly tiny compared to the rest of time, itself.

"Good," said Jaune's familiar voice beside him, coming from a pale blue dot beside Dusk that he knew must be Mr. Arc's Aura hovering above him. "Now just keep your focus on me and I'll pull us both back a little bit. Just enough for you to see."

It was strange, but Dusk imagined reaching a hand out to Mr. Arc and a hand reaching back in turn. When the grip was secure, Dusk felt the strings beneath him vanish as he was pulled up into the void between the strands. Further and further he went, seeing his home line diminishing into a string itself.

Dusk gasped. A turgid rope large and long as a celestial river glowed a throbbing ruby red just out to the side beside his miniscule home line.

"Mother-lines." He'd thought about such an entity, though he never thought he'd see one as expansive as this one. He'd thought his home line might have been one, but this… this was something else. This was the real deal.

It flowed back behind him for a seemingly infinite amount of distance behind him while from it, all along its length, sprouted other small strings like branches in a massive oak. As he looked closely at them, he could see images flashing in the crystalline blood-red of the mother-line of what was, and then he'd travel up one of the many branches to see woven within many simpler, budding thoughts and ideas of what those images in the mother-line could have been. The golden strings always sprouting from the mother, yellow burning gold out of a red like roses.

And then, Dusk could see what made his own home-line distinctly unlike all the others connected to the mother-line: It wasn't connected to it at all. All it was, all it had ever been from what he could see, was a single golden strand of fate neatly severed from a throbbing portion of the mother-line, wherein he could see the image of Mrs. Arc being shot point-blank with an arrow through her heart-

"Open your eyes, Dusk."

Dusk did.

His slitted eyes softened back to normal as he watched the morning Sun's first rays beginning to pierce the far-off hills beyond the two rivers. It blinded Dusk for a brief moment, then he basked in its warmth, breathed in its beauty in a way he'd never done before.

"You made this world," breathed Dusk with a small, disbelieving chuckle. Jaune's hand lifted from his shoulder and Dusk turned to Mr. Arc with a bright, wondrous look on his face.

But his excitement faltered when Dusk saw a sad, tired smile stretch across Mr. Arc's lips. In that moment, Jaune appeared so very, very old to the eleven-year-old boy. In that moment, Dusk understood Jaune's actions were not to be taken lightly, even as Jaune said with a trembling breath, "At a cost, Dusk. At a great cost."

Dusk was silent. He placed his hands on his knees and kept his eyes trained on the distant shore across the mother river. It dawned on him, for whatever reason, he'd never been on that side of the river. He wondered arbitrarily if he ever would. It was a strange thing to ponder and Dusk knew it even while he thought about it. But even so…

"Oh!"

Dusk whipped around as Jaune cried out in spontaneous revelation, his entire focus trained on his teacher. "Mr. Arc? What is it?"

"I think I may know why you see it the way you do, Dusk. Why you see strings and not streams like Helena and I do," said Jaune with an excited glint in his eye.

"Why, Mr. Arc?" asked Dusk, his eyes wide with wonder.

The revelation left Jaune feeling inexplicably giddy, and he laid out his legs on the slope of the hill to lean back on his side. "Whelp, one; because it's a different Semblance, it probably just works different because it is different; but two…" As Jaune settled himself down with a sigh, he turned and smiled warmly at Dusk, "... I think it's because you were born in this little island of a world I made. Helena has my ability by blood, but your Semblance comes from absolutely nowhere, and I think it's in that randomness why you were born with this ability of yours, Dusk."

Dusk's face crinkled a little, still a tad confused. "And I was born with this ability because…?"

Jaune simply shrugged. "Dunno. For a hundred million billion trillion different reasons or maybe just one. But here you are, Dusk. A little boy on a little island looking out at all the stars in all the different universes that could be, branching from one that was." Again, Jaune turned and smiled at Dusk. "And all of the infinite futures that are now completely your own to make."

Dusk was silent for a few moments. The waters of the rivers continued to trickle gently by, leading to anyplace Dusk could imagine, if he only dared to wonder…

"And theirs," murmured Dusk.

"Hmm?" hummed Jaune. "Whose?"

"You know, Marius, Helena, Eponine. Missus Arc," said Dusk, lifting his head to reveal a warm smile beneath his golden eyes. "You gave them their own futures, too. It's like..."

It was Jaune's turn to be silent. The moment passed, and Jaune laid down on the rustling grass with a smile across his face. The answer came to them both at the same time.

"A half-remembered dream."

The two seers laughed gently, surrendering to the silence the area seemed to cultivate naturally. It was some time before Jaune remembered it was his job to make breakfast, and he asked Dusk if he was willing to join him, to which the boy agreed. The two walked back, Jaune offering his hand and Dusk taking it as his teacher guided him back home.

But just as Jaune stepped into the forest, he felt Dusk stop behind him with a soft tug of his arm.

"You know what, Mr. Arc?" quipped Dusk.

"What?" asked Jaune.

Jaune turned to look at the boy. Dusk was admiring the rising sun as the budding morning brought forth a brand new day.

"It's not the real world," answered Dusk, turning and smiling at Jaune, "But it's a good one, anyways."

Jaune had never seen the boy appear as wise in his entire life as he did in that moment. On the one hand, it felt as though it was Dusk saying the words from the depth of his being, but on the other, it was as though another was speaking through him. An entity beyond both their understanding who was seemingly telling him that things would be alright.

The wisdom and the finality passed to Jaune to calm his concerns, and he smiled back at Dusk.

"I think it is, too."

Jaune walked with Dusk back to the cottage. Back to the love of his life, to the woman he'd spend the rest of his days loving with all of his heart and soul, and to the wonderful family he'd raised with her by his side.

Back to his secluded cottage in the forest, by the split in the river.

The End

xXx

A/N: Sorry, just let me regain my bearings real quick.

This is the first story I've ever written that I can actually say I've actually completed.

Just… Just gimme a sec…

*Inhales and exhales rhythmically to keep from screaming like a little schoolgirl*

Alright… Alright, I'm- I think I'm good.

So yeah.

There it is. The very end.

I hope you enjoyed reading it half as much as I did writing it. And I hope that this doesn't mark the end of the time we spend together. I have so much more to show all you gals and guys than just fluffy, shipping fanfiction in the days to come.

I hope you'll be there to see it. I have a feeling you're all gonna like it, whatever it may be. Call it intuition. ;)

In the meantime, I implore you all to read my other two fanfictions, "Black Sun Kittens" and "Eternal Autumn," and give them at least half the faves, follows, and reviews you've given this story if you can manage. I can promise that if you enjoyed this one, regardless of whether you like the BlackSun ship or not, there will be something in either of those two stories that you will all immensely enjoy.

For more on the production statuses of my fanfictions, check out my Tumblr: "To Write is Human, To Edit is Divine".

*(Chapter Soundtrack)*

"The Garden" – Rush, "Clockwork Angels"

"Fountain of Life" – Two Steps from Hell, "Miracles"

"Love Songs For Robots" – Patrick Watson, "Love Songs For Robots"

"Big Bird in a Small Cage" – Patrick Watson, "Wooden Arms"

"Vigil" – Jack Wall, "Mass Effect: Original Soundtrack"

"Burn it to the Ground," "Time Travel" – Michael Andrews, "Donnie Darko"

"Finale" – Danny Elfman, "The Kingdom"

-[Optional Songs]-

"Road to Chicago" – Thomas Newman, "Road to Perdition"

"Halo Effect" – Rush, "Clockwork Angels"

"Flowers in Your Hair," "Stubborn Love" – The Lumineers, "The Lumineers"

"Take Us Back" – Alela Diane, "To Be Still"

"Fare Thee Well (Dink's Song)" – Oscar Isaac, "Inside Llewyn Davis: Original Soundtrack"

"The Rain Song" – Led Zepplin, "Houses Of The Holy"

"Once There Was a Hushpuppy" – Dan Romer, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

"Where We're Going" – Hans Zimmer, "Interstellar: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"

"Deborah's Theme" – Ennio Morricone, "Once Upon a Time in America" (HEAVILY recommend this one as an alternative to "Finale" by Danny Elfman.)

"From The Beginning" – Emerson, Lake, & Palmer, "Trilogy"

Thanks a million again for reading.

To the future ahead, and until next time,

-M.E. Grimm