02
In for a Pound
I was still sitting in that playground when Ren eventually found me.
I must have been there for several hours already but I just couldn't bring myself to leave. At the very least I had gotten off the ground and was now sitting on the same swing Penny had been using before I asked her to be my girlfriend. I just...couldn't get past the fact that she wasn't even a real girl. Certainly she had been odd, eccentric even, but she had just seemed like a sheltered girl just looking to have some fun. I guess that went to show just how stupid I am.
Ren silently picked up my scroll which had been dropped on the ground when Ironwood punched me before sitting down on the swing next to me. He didn't say anything despite the fact that he must have surely been curious about what happened, not to mention worried about me. In fact, I was quite positive Pyrrha and Nora were running all over Vale looking for me right at this moment too, it was after midnight by now after all. Still, Ren remained silent and just waited for me to speak when I was ready. He didn't ask why I wasn't answering their calls or about where Penny was. He didn't call either of our teammates, he just waited...patiently.
"She...wasn't a real girl, Ren." His eyes widened a little in surprise at my words before I amended them. "She was a robot. Well...that scary General Ironwood called her an artificial interface capable of producing an Aura if you want to be technical."
"..."
"...Can you believe that? I spent the whole day with her and didn't even realize I was on a date with a robot girl. She just...seemed like she was having so much fun and I guess so was I. It never occurred to me that something was off." I gave a mirthful chuckle. "I asked her to be my girlfriend right here. I asked her and she kissed me to say yes. Everything was going so perfect. I guess it must have been too perfect for it to actually be true. Man, that's just my luck." My voice cracked and I felt something wet roll off my chin.
Was I...crying?
I reached my hand up just beneath my eye and rubbed away the trail of silent tears that I hadn't even realized I was shedding. Man, I must have looked so pathetic right now. Here I was crying about a girl I had only just met earlier today, I guess technically it was yesterday now. It had been...so much fun though. Even if it hadn't been real I had thought I was really happy hanging out with her.
Ren handed me my scroll and I took it from him to see he had opened it up to one of the pictures Penny and I had taken with one another. We were in front of a couple giraffes, and Penny was stretching her hand way above her head with her mouth making a big O to express her wonder at the length of their necks. I was next to her, nearly doubled over as I laughed at the expression on her face.
"I don't know about you, Jaune." Ren finally began to speak. "But that looks real to me."
I opened my mouth but no words came out as I stared at the picture. "Penny...might not be a real person in the same sense that you and I are, but you said that she was capable of creating an Aura. Only living people with a soul have an Aura, Jaune." Ren swiped the picture to the next one and it was of me making my best lion impression in front of the lion den with Penny giggling just next to me. "You must have showed her a great time if she agreed to be your girlfriend, even more-so because she knew that she wasn't a normal girl like everyone else."
Damn, just like before Ren was throwing his logic at me. I would be kind of irritated about it if his words weren't forcing me to have an epiphany at that very moment. The thing was, Ren was right. I mean, of course he was right, he's Ren. Penny...she wasn't a real girl. That didn't mean her emotions weren't real. That didn't mean her answer wasn't real. Penny, she was a special girl that was just looking for some normalcy in life. I, even if unintentionally, offered that to her. That was why she so readily agreed to be my girlfriend. That was why she looked so hurt when I found out the truth.
The real truth though was...Penny was my girlfriend, real girl or not. And my girlfriend needed my help. With a look of resolution in my eyes, I got to my feet and turned my head towards the Cross Continental Transmit, which was a tall tower that was visible even from here. That was where Ironwood said he was taking Penny. He thought that because I knew the truth, I wouldn't bother to come rescue her. I was about to show him just how wrong he was to underestimate me.
"So...what's the plan, fearless leader?" Ren used Nora's nickname for me and got to his feet before turning to see where I was looking. Just like a real brother, he was with me to the end.
I gave an awkward grin as I rested my hand on the hilt of Crocea Mors. "You know...the usual. Something stupid."
Ren nodded sagely. "Should we call Pyrrha and Nora for this one?"
"Definitely." My scroll was already calling out as we walked off to save my girlfriend.
"You sure you're up for this, Nora?" I glanced nervously at my most hyperactive teammate to see her only nodding excitedly. Of course she was excited, I had pretty much given her full permission to break as many legs as she wanted...I just didn't expect that there were going to be so many legs for her to break. We were just outside the entrance to the CCT, crouched behind a row of bushes and just ahead of us was a countless number of Atlas Soldiers patrolling the entire perimeter. I knew Penny was important but this was kind of ridiculous. "You really don't have to do this...you're all going to become enemies of Atlas along with me if you go through with this."
A gentle hand rested on my shoulder and I turned to see Pyrrha give me an encouraging grin. "You're our leader, Jaune. If you call on us, we'll fight for you no matter what." Right, it really was great to know I had such amazing people for teammates. I had never forgotten that fact but it seemed every time we ever did anything together I was reminded of it anyways.
"Can I get going already? You just need me to create as big a ruckus as possible, right?" Nora tapped her hammer impatiently and I saw her feet twitch in anticipation. She really didn't have any second-thoughts about what I was asking her to do. I took a glance at my scroll again to see it was just past one in the morning. Well, I suppose it was as good a time as any.
I rubbed Nora's head affectionately before placing a quick kiss on the top of her ginger hair. "Nora...smash."
She gave a feral grin and broke free from the cover of the bushes as she charged forward with her hammer held high above her head. "Yahoo!" She jumped in the air towards the nearest pair of soldiers and brought her hammer down at their feet. The poor guys didn't even know what happened as they were sent flying backwards by the pink explosion that destroyed the concrete.
A siren sounded in the distance and floodlights illuminated the vicinity around Nora. Soldiers were already running to intercept her. I don't think they expected her to meet their charge all too gleefully, swinging her hammer in circles like some kind of manic psychopath. Needless to say, she was playing the part of distraction perfectly and it would be a while before they managed to subdue her.
"Well, shall we get moving then?" I slowly backed up and the other two followed after me as we made our way to the other entrance of the CCT grounds.
Naturally, all the soldiers had quit guarding the area as every single one of them went over to deal with Nora. Every couple seconds I could hear an explosion and I caught flashes of pink dust. I'm also pretty sure I heard someone shout "My leg!" at one point. I shook off all these thoughts as we made our way into the actual tower. The doors were predictably locked, but Pyrrha managed to pull them open using her polarity and we ran inside...only to find a whole new group of soldiers.
They stopped and stared at us as we stared back at them. Time seemed to freeze as our eyes widened in shock and their jaws went slack. This standstill only lasted for a couple seconds before the soldiers recovered from this shock and lifted their guns to fire at us. This reaction prompted Pyrrha to swing her arm upwards and yank their guns from their hands as she threw them into the air with her polarity. They all turned upwards to stare at their guns which had seemed to jump out of their hands on their own and it was at that moment Ren and I took advantage of their confusion.
We jumped forward and in the span of only a couple seconds knocked the whole group out just between the two of us. Just as the last soldier dropped though, I could hear the thundering footsteps of another group that must have been drawn to the commotion we had just created. "Jaune, go. We will hold them off." Pyrrha readied Milo and Akuo as she prepared herself for combat. I turned to Ren to see him give me an affirmative nod.
"Thanks guys. Be safe." I didn't hesitate to run further into the building and straight for the elevator. I got inside and stared at the number of floors available to me to choose. I didn't know exactly which one Penny was on but if I was a betting man I would guess the top. I pressed button and just as the doors began to close, gunfire echoed throughout the halls of the building. All the noise was silenced as the doors slid shut and the elevator began to take me up.
So far...so good. Just a little bit longer and I would be able to see Penny. What we were going to do after...well, I hadn't really thought of that. I don't know if any of us had. Ironwood's words from earlier echoed inside my brain. Even if I assumed we all safely made it out of here, we would be wanted criminals. Our careers as Hunters, well, that was dead and gone the moment Nora charged out there. They all did this for my selfish request of wanting to save my girlfriend...who I had only just met yesterday. If that wasn't one of the most stupid things I had ever heard I didn't know what was. Oh well, I was becoming a Hunter so I could help people anyways. There wasn't any point if I had to turn my back on people I cared about along the way...maybe they were looking at it the same way I was? Either way, as long as we stayed together, maybe it would work out. I had to believe so, I didn't exactly have much else to believe at this point.
The elevator dinged as the door slid open to reveal the top floor of the CCT. Cautiously, I stepped outside and into the small circular room. Windows aligned the entire wall, making practically all of Vale City visible from up here. I didn't pay attention to any of that though, because in the middle of the room was a large tube filled with green liquid...and inside that liquid was a comatose Penny.
"Penny!" I shouted as I ran up to the tube but she gave no reaction. Her eyes remained closed and her hair floated gently as the strange substance she was in bubbled upwards. She didn't appear to be hooked to anything but I could see a small monitor that was displaying her vitals. I assumed the liquid must not have been harmful and seeing as I had no idea how to get her out I did the only thing I could reasonably think of; I pulled out Crocea Mors and smashed the tube wide open with the broadside. The liquid poured out the hole I created and nearly bowled me over in the process. I withstood it though so when Penny's body fell forward with it I was able to catch her and keep her from collapsing to the ground.
Her head lulled over my shoulder and her chest slammed into mine but I managed to secure her by wrapping one arm around her waist and slowly backing away from all the shattered glass. Then as gently as I could, I laid her on the ground before sheathing my sword. "Penny, come on." I tapped her cheek lightly and pointlessly checked her wrist for vital signs before I remembered she was a robot.
She let out a small hiccup and her eyes fluttered open. "J-Jaune…" She mumbled in disbelief as her green eyes made contact with my blue ones. I gave a sigh of relief and placed my hand under her head and gently lifted her slightly off the ground.
"You miss me?" I gave her the biggest grin I could and her eyes widened in surprise as she realized that I actually was holding her in my arms right now.
"Jaune?! What are you doing here? I do not understand." She struggled to pick herself up but for some reason her body didn't have much strength in it and she collapsed back into my arms.
"That's a pretty strange question." I held her closely as I leaned down and gave her a small kiss on the forehead. "I'm here to rescue my girlfriend. I wouldn't be much of a boyfriend if I just abandoned you, after all."
"You...but I-" Penny was at a loss for words as she continued to stare at me in disbelief. Finally she seemed to find her voice. "Even though you know I am not...I am not a real girl."
I gently ran my hand through her hair and squeezed her a little more tightly. "You...and even I for a minute in there, we got too hung up on what it means to be real. Today...I had a lot of fun with you doing normal things like going to the zoo and playing on the swing set. Fortunately, I had a really good pal show me I was being stupid. If you can forgive me for giving up on you for awhile in there I would like to try and give our relationship another go. I know I haven't earned your trust and it is definitely going to be hard, but I'm going to try to give you as normal a life as possible. If of course...you'll let me."
Before I could even react, Penny's arm wrapped around the back of my head and pulled my face down. I closed my eyes as our lips locked. The kiss was much more brief than either of our first two, but the feeling she put into it was no less powerful. As she let my head go I couldn't hide the huge smile that spread across my face. "I'll take that as a yes."
She gave a small nod and bit her lower lip as she tried hard to restrain a smile of her own. She tried once more to get back up but failed and I had to support her again. My smile turned concerned but before I could voice it she started talking. "That liquid I was in numbs my nerves. I will be able to move in a few minutes." That was all well and good, but I didn't exactly want to wait here for another few minutes. I had no idea how long it would be before someone came up to check on her. There was also the fact that my teammates were down on the ground floor, risking their lives for this right now. I needed to get Penny out of here as quickly as possible.
"Hold on tight, Penny." I slipped one arm under her back and the other under her knees before lifting her up into the air bridal-style as I got to my feet. Her arms instinctively wrapped around the back of my neck. This was kind of a nice feeling, it really made me feel like some kind of knight saving his princess from the stronghold of the terrible dragon. "Now let's get you out of here."
I turned back towards the elevator door and took only a single step before a loud bang echoed throughout the small room.
Penny jumped slightly in my arms and I instinctively tightened my grip more protectively around her and my eyes clenched shut for a moment. When I opened them back up, General Ironwood was standing in front of my path, a grim look plastered across his face.
In his right hand was a smoking revolver...and as my eyes focused in on the revolver I felt something wet dribble down left leg, past my knee and down my calf until it finally hit my ankle and began to pool inside my shoes.
A groan of pain reached my ears and I turned to make sure Penny was okay but she was looking down in horror at my leg. That was when I realized the groan of pain had came from my own lips. I clenched my teeth as my brain finally registered that it was in fact I who had been shot.
My left leg gave out beneath me and I collapsed down to my left knee while my right foot remained planted firmly on the ground.
It hurt.
It hurt.
It hurt.
It really, really freaking hurt.
I had never been shot before, at least not by a bullet my Aura hadn't been able to protect me from. Still, I clenched my teeth harder in an effort to not make my pain verbal. I did this both to not worry Penny and not give Ironwood the satisfaction of knowing how much pain he had just caused me.
"You are a resilient one, I will give you that, Mr Arc." Ironwood let out a tired sigh as he rubbed his temple in annoyance. "Your teammates are causing quite the havoc down there still. Once I deliver them your corpse though, that should calm them down."
"Mr Ironwood!" Penny screamed in anger as she turned her head towards him. She nearly tumbled out of my arms from the sudden movement but I managed to hold her in place.
"He brought this on himself, Penny. There is no need to be angry at me. Isn't that right, Mr Arc?" I could only glare at him in defiance, too afraid that if I opened my mouth I would yell again in pain. "You just couldn't let it go? Are you so desperate to be loved by anything that you would come running to save a robot girl? Worse yet, you dragged your team into this, making them fugitives in the process. Now let me ask you, was it worth it?"
My clenched teeth turned into a toothy smile. "It was."
I barely managed to open my mouth to say this but it had the desired look as Ironwood's face twisted in rage. "Are you an idiot!? Just let her go! What did you have to prove by coming here? Penny is just a robot built for war! She doesn't need anything pitiful like a boyfriend or a knight in shining armor! So just drop her already!"
"I won't!" Through my own anger I found my voice. "Penny...she's a normal girl. She just wants to do normal things like everyone else. And every girl deserves a guy that will treat her like she's a princess to him! That's why I won't let her go!"
Bang.
Once more Ironwood's revolver was smoking and my right arm went limp. I wasn't able to support Penny with just one arm and she tumbled to the ground and landed roughly just in front of me. "Jaune!" She screamed as I let out a loud cry of pain. She struggled to get to her feet but it was still too much for her so instead she reached forward and grabbed the hand that had fallen limp to my side. She didn't even concern herself with the blood that dribbled over her own hand as she did.
Why?
Why the Hell did this hurt so bad?
My Aura wasn't healing either wound nor was it making the pain vanish.
"You were saying, Mr Arc?" Ironwood asked, his voice full of mirth before he started chatting in that annoying know-it-all type of voice. "I did some research on you right before I first confronted you. Quite the impressive amount of Aura you have for someone so young. Unfortunately for you, these bullets are special. They're laced with a special Aura-piercing type of Dust. As long as that bullet remains inside you, your Aura won't be capable of healing you."
Shit.
Was there nothing I could do in this situation?
I tried to force my leg to move but just the very act of placing pressure on it caused my vision to flash white in pain. Even if I did manage to get back on my feet, my sword arm was now all but useless. There was no way I could properly even grip Crocea Mors, let alone swing it. This was hopeless. Absolutely hopeless. The only thing I could do was buy time, hope for a miracle of some sort.
"Why? Why can't you just let her live a normal life? Is it really so wrong to let her go out and have fun like normal people? Even if she is made for war, you said you could make more like her. It's one thing if you need to run tests from time to time, but at least let her go out and see the world she is supposed to be protecting when she wants."
"Penny doesn't know what she wants. She still has the mind of a child. She needs to learn and grow here where we can monitor her and provide her a stabilized environment. I know what I am doing appears cruel, but I am doing this because I love Penny. It is you that is leading her astray."
"Penny isn't a child. I spent the whole day with her, I would know. She just has a lot to learn about what it means to have a regular life. She can gain that by spending time outside of this place. Even she can see that and is smart enough to know that's what she wants. You're the only one too stupid to see it."
Ironwood glared at me and pulled the hammer back on the revolver. "Mr Ironwood! Please wait! Jaune is right! I just want to go out and see the world! I want to see as much as it as I can! I promise though, I will never try to sneak out again! Just please do not kill him!" She didn't let out a hiccup. She wasn't lying about that.
Still, that wasn't a promise I could allow her to make. "Penny! You have a right to live a long, eventful life! Don't let him make you spend the entirety of that life trapped inside labs!"
Ironwood let out a small chuckle at my words and I turned to glare at him. Just what the Hell was so funny? There was nothing amusing about this situation at all yet now he was laughing. "Long? Penny live a long life? You really don't know anything, do you, Mr Arc?"
What?
What was he talking about now?
I turned to Penny for answers but she averted her eyes.
"How much energy do you think it took to create an artificial Aura for Penny? To create an artificial soul? I'll tell you, more energy than what is currently powering Vale at this very moment. Even after using all that energy though, we only succeeded in creating something that would only last a few years at most. Do you understand, Mr Arc?"
He paused before he delivered the next line which hit me in the gut like a cannon.
"Penny only has about another three years to live."
No.
No, no, no.
He was lying.
He had to be lying.
"That is why it doesn't matter how much time Penny spends in the real world. She's just the prototype subject. What we need to learn from her first is how to create another Aura that costs less energy and lasts longer. We can always just upload her memories and personality into a hard drive and as long as we have the body we can reuse it."
I couldn't believe this guy. How could he say something so heartless?
"Even if you upload her memories and personality, even if you use the exact same body, you're talking about putting a different soul inside Penny. At the core of who we are is our Aura. She may talk exactly the same, and may think exactly the same, but she'll be different. She won't be the Penny that is in front of me right at this moment!"
"That may be true and in some ways that might also be for the best. Maybe the next Aura we create for her will be more obedient. I will at the very least be sure not to implement any of the memories she had of you in her later model. The last thing I need is our actual, working models rebelling against us."
"You bastar-"
Bang.
I didn't even get to finish that word before Ironwood pulled the trigger once again. Instead, blood sprayed violently from my mouth as my chest gave a pained heave. I shifted my eyes downwards to see Ironwood had shot me directly in the middle of the torso.
Oh damn.
I didn't think this was going to be a wound I could recover from.
"Jaune!" I could tell Penny screamed my name at the top of her lungs but her voice sounded incredibly far away and the outskirts of my vision began to fade out.
Ironwood's mouth was moving but I could no longer hear what it was he was saying.
Movement flashed out of the corner of my eye and I saw an enraged Penny finally gather the strength to kick off the ground as she charged directly at Ironwood. His eyes widened in fear and he turned the gun towards her but she was already directly in front of him.
I couldn't tell who was going to strike first. Would it be Penny's fist or his bullet?
Unfortunately for me, the world went black before I could find out the answer to that question.
The first thing I noticed when I eventually woke back up was that the walls and ceiling were really white. The second thing I noticed was that whatever I was lying in was incredibly comfortable.
That meant either one of two things: Either I was dead and this was the afterlife, which I personally thought was the more likely, or someone had brought me to a hospital. If I was being optimistic and assumed I was in the hospital, that meant somehow I had gotten out of that tower alive. So when Penny and Ironwood clashed…
"Penny!" I gasped and bolted upright in the hospital bed. As I did my vision blurred out of focus and I nearly collapsed back down. A gentle arm wrapped around my back and held me up. I grit my teeth and focused on the person holding me. It was Ren, so he had made it out after all...and he wasn't in handcuffs which was a good sign.
What about Pyrrha and Nora? Had Ironwood just let us go? Did he still have Penny? I had so many questions but it had burned my throat just to scream Penny's name a moment ago and sound no longer came out my mouth, no matter how hard I tried.
Ren held up a small cup of water and I took it gratefully. The cold liquid felt rejuvenating as it slid down my throat. While I was drinking, Ren started talking. "You have been out for about three days now, Jaune." I nearly spit the water out that I just drank. Three days!? "A lot has happened since you passed out. I know there is going to be a lot of information but you have to listen with as open a mind as possible. Can you do that?" I gave a small, short nod before I opened my mouth but he raised his hand to silence my questions.
"I'll start in the order that makes sense. Penny, she's safe. After you passed out she attacked Ironwood...and crushed his windpipe. He's still alive but he's in intensive care. It's doubtful whether or not he'll pull through. When the three of us got to the top floor, we found you passed out in a pool of blood and Ironwood on the floor. Penny was cradling you in her arms. We got you here where Professor Ozpin eventually met us. Apparently he had a conversation with a man he only called "Penny's father." We never actually saw him ourselves. Essentially, Penny is free to do what she wants now. The Atlas government no longer has any hold over her. We're also being expunged of our crimes because we were only acting out our civic duties."
I let out a deep breath I didn't even realize I was holding. "So, it's a happy ending then." I couldn't help but let out a bright grin. This was almost too good to be true. Penny was free, my friends weren't going to be imprisoned and I had somehow survived.
Ren's face though twisted in a grimace and my own smile faltered. What was he making that expression for? Everything was all good, wasn't it?
"There's something else you need to know. The doctor wanted to tell you but I insisted that you hear it from me. Pyrrha and Nora...the reason they're not here right now is because they didn't want to be around when I told you."
"Tell me what?" My throat was suddenly dry again. "What happened? Where's Penny? You told me she was free to go!" I grew increasingly more panicked every second and if Ren didn't reach over to hold me back I might have jumped out of my bed to go look for her.
"Penny is fine. She's here in the hospital, on top of the roof. It's you, Jaune." Me? My face twisted in confusion before it widened in fear. Was I not okay? I looked at my arm and it was still there so I checked my legs under the blanket. There wasn't even a bullet wound left from where Ironwood shot me. I looked healthy, so I didn't understand. What was wrong?
"The bullets Ironwood shot you with...they were Anti-Aura bullets." Ren continued slowly, as if he was trying to take great care in explaining to me what happened. He almost looked reluctant to continue and I could've sworn for a moment I saw his look of passive nonchalance crack.
I nodded once more to his words to show I understood. "Ironwood said that when he shot me. It's why the bullets passed through my Aura like it wasn't even there."
"Those bullets...Jaune, they were in you for awhile before the surgeon was able to dig them out. The Anti-Aura residue from them merged with your blood and entered your heart. It infused with you."
"What...does that mean exactly?" I wasn't sure what Ren was trying to get at. My Aura was still working, as evidence by the fact that I didn't even have scars from where I was shot.
"The Anti-Aura Dust in your bloodstream...it's slowly destroying your Aura. In other words, it's whittling away at your life-force a little at a time."
"So...I'm dying?"
Was that what Ren was trying to say? Even if Ironwood hadn't managed to kill me that night he would still succeed in the end? Was that it?
Ren gave a single nod. "Your Aura is rather large but even then...the doctor guesses about three years. In three years the Dust will kill you."
"I...see." I heard Ren's words. I heard them and I knew he wasn't lying to me. In fact, I believed him without hesitation. It was just too unreal. I was going to die? And in three years? I would only be twenty. The life expectancy of a Hunter was never high but that just seemed way too young. Was this my punishment? Punishment for what? Trying to get a girlfriend? "You said Penny is on the roof?"
I needed to talk to her. Maybe if I talked to her I could make sense of this.
Ren gave another nod and patted a change of clothes for me that was placed on the counter. "I'll help you get dressed and then take you to see her."
"Thanks Ren, you really are like the brother I never had." I extended my hand and he gripped it firmly to help me up.
"I feel the same, Jaune."
Penny was standing by the edge of the roof, overlooking the city of Vale. The wind up here was strong and it was blowing her hair and skirt to the side. It also masked any of the noise I made as I struggled to walk on my own to get up to her. I wasn't wounded but after laying still for three days, my muscles needed to get used to moving again. Ren stood just by the door, far enough away to give us privacy but close enough that he could be by my side in a second if I collapsed.
I stopped just behind her and cleared my throat. She spun around in surprise and her green eyes widened as they saw me. I gave a small smile and held my hand up in greeting. "Hey."
That was all I managed to say before she tackled into me and wrapped her arms around me in a big hug that nearly knocked me off my feet, in fact it was a miracle we both didn't tumble over. "Jaune! I am sorry. I am so sorry."
"Woah, calm down there. You have nothing to be sorry for." I gently pat her head and gave her the most reassuring smile that I could. She pulled back slightly to look at me in disbelief.
"How can you say that? Because of me...your life-"
"My life has a girlfriend in it now, because of you. And I couldn't be happier about that. What happened was because I made a choice to stand by you. I don't regret that." I cupped her chin and placed a quick kiss on her lips. "Besides, this way makes us even...our life expectancy is about the same now." Even as I said those words the truth of them dawned on me. Penny and I both only had about three years left to live. As that thought really began to sink in an idea began to form.
"Jaune…" Penny pulled me back into another hug and rested her chin on my shoulder. I could tell even now she wanted to cry. She wanted to cry but that was something she wasn't capable of.
"Penny, have you thought about what you're going to do...now that you're free to do what you want?" I stepped back away from the hug and put an arm's-length distance between us as I gripped her shoulders and looked into her eyes.
She averted them bashfully and gave a small nod. "I want...to spend the rest of my time alive with you. It is the only way I can think to repay you for what you have done for me."
I sighed in relief and her eyes darted back to meet mine. "I'm glad to hear that because I was thinking the same thing. We should spend what time left we have with each other. We can go explore the world or something. We don't have to decide exactly what we want to do right now, we have a little bit of time to figure it out."
"What about Beacon and your team?" She brought up a good point and I grimaced as I turned back to see Ren still waiting patiently as we talked.
"I'll...have to withdraw from Beacon. I wouldn't even live long enough to see graduation and my Aura is only going to get continually weaker as the years go on. I would just be a hindrance to them once that happened. Pyrrha and Nora...they're not going to like it, Ren won't either, but by the end I won't have much of a choice anyways. I can always talk to them on the scroll...from wherever we decide to go." My breath hitched as I reached the end. My words made so much sense that they sounded foreign coming out of my own mouth. The truth was, I didn't want to quit Beacon. I didn't want to leave my team. What I did want was to spend time with Penny...more time than either of us had. That was the hard truth though. We didn't have time and I would only hold my team back now. So...I had to quit. That was the truth and even though I said it myself I wasn't entirely sure I had accepted it.
I looked past Penny and across the city of Vale. My hands slipped off her shoulders and I took a couple steps closer to the edge of the roof. "Jaune?" Penny asked curiously and turned to see what I was looking at. The thing was, I don't even know if I was sure what I was looking at now that I stood on the edge of the roof, overlooking the city. I could see countless things from here. Other buildings, hundreds of cars as they wheeled down the roads, thousands of people as the used the sidewalk, the blue sky, the white clouds. I just kind of took everything in. It was such a familiar scene yet it all looked different to me now.
Penny stopped right next to me and her fingers interlocked with mine and I gave her hand a small squeeze to acknowledge her. She only had a few years left on this planet...and now so did I. We were two people that wouldn't get to look at ordinary things like this for much longer.
I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared. The idea of death terrified me. I didn't have any regrets though. I made my choice and even if that led me here, I wouldn't change that choice even if I was given the option. Penny was worth making that choice for, I knew that.
"Penny, no matter what, I'm glad I met you."
She leaned her head sideways and rested it on my shoulder as we continued to stare across the city together, hand in hand.
"I am too."
AN: And so there you have it.
I know a lot of you probably think that ending is kind of twisted and isn't really all that happy a resolution, so I'll try to explain my reasoning. I tried to picture what a long life between Jaune and Penny would be like and I only came up with a couple things. One, he gets really old while she remains perpetually seventeen, or two, every couple years she has to change into progressively older looking body. The first one actually sounds kind of creepy to me, and the second just kind of feels like their relationship loses something by doing that. Like, Jaune fell in love with Penny for her soul, not her outward appearance. So yeah, this was my solution outside of some Deus Ex Machina Semblance where they turn Penny into a real girl.
I like to believe that even though their time together is going to be short it will be spent happily, and really to me, that's one of the best endings their relationship can achieve. Whether you disagree with me or not is fine, this is just my opinion and why I chose to end it this way. You're of course free to believe that after they leave the hospital they search the world for a way to allow themselves to live long lives and eventually succeed. That's perfectly fine too and up to you.
Otherwise, things did kind of progress crazy fast between Jaune and Penny, especially when you compare how slow I move in my other story, lol. And Ironwood was certainly more of an ass then he is usually portrayed as in Canon. Alas, hopefully I was able to pull this off in a somewhat convincing manner. Well, that's all from me this time. Thanks for taking the time to check out this story!