Chương 36: The Boundless Horizon

The sterile, crisp scent of antiseptic and clean linen filled the quiet room. Blinds over the large windows filtered the brilliant afternoon sun, casting soft golden bars across the linoleum floor of the Beacon Academy infirmary. Jaune's vision swam, a heavy, dark fog slowly lifting from his consciousness. His eyelids felt like lead, fluttering weakly as his blue eyes struggled to adjust to the light. The first thing that resolved into focus through the blur was a pair of intense, emerald-green eyes.

Pyrrha Nikos leaned closer, her breath catching. Her face was a stark map of profound worry, her lips parted slightly, her pale hands clutching the edge of his white mattress sheets.

"Jaune...?" she whispered, her voice a fragile thread. As Jaune's eyes opened fully, blinking away the sleep, the immense tension completely melted from Pyrrha's features. A radiant, tearful wave of absolute relief washed over her face. Both of them were wearing the standard, light-blue Beacon hospital pajamas. Pyrrha, sitting on the side of his bed, looked entirely restored; her natural resilience and massive Aura had allowed her to wake hours earlier, fully healed.

Jaune, however, still bore the faint, sluggish aches of a body that had pushed well past its structural limits.

"Hey..." Jaune croaked, his throat dry. He grunted, tensing his core as he attempted to push himself up against the pillows. A sharp, hot ache flared across his ribs and shoulders. The lingering protest of his intensive, daily conditioning.

"Ah, wait. Don't force yourself," Pyrrha said softly, immediately moving closer. Her hands gently supported his back, her touch warm and incredibly careful as she helped him slide back against the propped-up mattress.

"You've been asleep for a day and a half, Jaune." Jaune ran a hand through his messy blonde hair, wincing slightly.

"What... what happened out there? The last thing I remember was Doctor Oobleck and the others showing up..." Pyrrha lowered her eyes, a soft, solemn smile gracing her lips.

"Doctor Oobleck and the teams carried both of us out of the ravine. When I woke up, Ruby and the others told me everything."

"I... see..." Jaune sighed. He lowered his head, staring at his bandaged hands. Pyrrha's gaze toward him was a mixture of awe and disbelief, yet also an undying caring.

"Jaune... you saved my life," Pyrrha continued.

"The medical staff said that if you hadn't intercepted that Beringel's blow, my internal injuries would have been fatal. You sustained massive muscular strain, but..." She looked down at his hands, where the faint white traces of his Aura amplification still seemed to hum beneath his skin.

"The doctors were baffled. They said your cellular recovery rate is completely unprecedented for an un-awakened Semblance. You're healing so much faster than anyone expected."

Down the long, brightly lit hallway of the medical wing, the rhythmic squeak of boots against polished tile echoed loudly.

"I'm just saying, the guy looked like a complete superhero out there! Bare-fisted! Boom!" Nora Valkyrie gestured wildly with both arms, nearly taking out a decorative plant as she walked alongside Ren, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang.

"It was certainly a remarkable display of raw force," Ren agreed, his hands tucked neatly in his pockets, though a genuine smile tugged at his lips.

"Though his execution lacks form, the density of his striking power has completely shifted."

"Well, he better be awake," Weiss sighed, crossing her arms, though her tone lacked any real bite.

"I brought the class notes he missed, and I refuse to tutor someone who is actively asleep."

"Oh, look, the door is open," Ruby pointed out, slowing her pace as they approached the infirmary suite. The heavy wooden door was cracked open just a few inches, allowing the quiet, intimate murmur of voices from inside to drift into the corridor. Instantly, Yang raised a hand, signaling the group to freeze. With practiced, silent teamwork, the six students leaned in, stacking themselves vertically along the door frame, peeking through the narrow gap to watch the two figures inside.

Inside the quiet room, the atmosphere had grown heavy with a sudden, unsaid vulnerability.

"Jaune," Pyrrha said, her voice dropping into a soft, emotional register. She looked down at her lap, her fingers curling into the fabric of her pajamas.

"Thank you. And... congratulations. Your training, that absurd, agonizing routine you've been doing every single day since the end of the Battle of Beacon... it really did something. You actually tapped into a piece of Saitama's strength. Even if it's just a tiny, microscopic fraction... you did it." Jaune looked down at his own right fist. He slowly clenched it, remembering the exact sensation in the forest.

The terrifying, raw weight of the earth cratering beneath his feet, the feeling of a multi-ton alpha predator being launched into the sky by nothing but his bare knuckles. He had never felt anything like it in his entire life.

"It felt... strange," Jaune whispered, his eyes wide as he recalled the memory.

"Like my body failed to understand how to push against the world before. But it hurt so much."

"I think your physical framework has fundamentally changed," Pyrrha theorized, her eyes lighting up with the analytical mind of a true fighter.

"Your physical strength has advanced so rapidly, and when you broke through your mental barrier, your massive Aura reserves instinctively imbued the blow to protect your muscles. It's a beautiful combination, Jaune." Jaune's smile faded, replaced by a deep, crushing shadow of guilt. He looked up, his blue eyes meeting hers, completely transparent and filled with a profound remorse.

"Pyrrha, I... I am so, so sorry," Jaune said, his voice breaking slightly. He reached out, his hand hovering over hers before gently resting on her knuckles.

"Back on the cliffs... how I treated you... I was so blinded by my own weakness. I was terrified of losing anyone else after the tower, and I turned that fear into a wall. I mistook your care for pity. I forgot that being a leader means trusting the people who stand by you. I forgot that... that I had everyone. That I had... you." Tears pricked the corners of Pyrrha's eyes. She shook her head quickly, her fingers tightening around his hand.

"No, Jaune, please. I have to apologize too. When we spoke... I wasn't being considerate of your trauma. I was so afraid of watching you destroy yourself in that gym that I tried to force you to stop entirely. I wasn't being supportive. I should have stood by you, because..." Pyrrha closed her eyes for a second, before she opened them again and smiled to him.

"Because I have always admired your heart, Jaune. I always have." The raw honesty in the room felt like a physical warmth. Jaune's eyes softened completely, the heavy, jagged tension that had defined him for the past four months finally evaporating into nothingness. A genuine, boyish smile, the kind he used to wear before the world caught fire, spread across his face. Pyrrha mirrored it, a soft sob of relief escaping her lips as she smiled back.

Behind the door, Ruby clutched her hands to her chest, her silver eyes sparkling with absolute joy, while Nora gripped Ren's arm so tightly his elbow made a small clicking sound.

"Look at them," Weiss whispered sharply from the middle of the huddle, her usual stoic posture melting into a soft, rare grin.

"It took a literal horde of Grimm and a collapsed ravine, but he finally stopped acting like an insufferable dunce. It's about time."

"Yeah," Blake nodded.

"I'm glad they finally make up." For a while, Jaune and Pyrrha stared at each other. They don't know what to say next, albeit keep smiling. Then, Jaune's face suddenly flushed a violent, deep crimson. He cleared his throat nervously, his fingers twitching against hers as a vivid, heart-pounding memory flashed through his mind. The heat of the CCT tower. The sudden, desperate touch of her lips against his, and the violent rush of the locker blasting him into the sky while she stayed behind to face the dark.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Pyrrha," Jaune stammered, his voice dropping an octave as his ears turned bright red.

"Yes, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, curious of his unusual gesture.

"I... Um... I've always longing to tell you..." He tried to gather his courage. After a second, Jaune continued.

"Since the academy's mid-semester day off is coming up this weekend, I was wondering... if you'd want to go have a dinner with me. To make up for everything. We can go wherever you want. The city park, the carnival in the lower district... anywhere. Just you and me. Obviously after I finish my daily sets." Pyrrha froze. Her emerald eyes widened in sheer, breathless shock. Within a fraction of a second, her entire face bloomed into a brilliant, radiant blush that rivaled the autumn leaves outside.

Tears of absolute joy spilled over her eyelashes, glittering in the sunlight.

"Yes," she whispered, her voice trembling. She nodded quickly, a wide, ecstatic smile breaking through her tears as she repeated it louder, her voice ringing with pure happiness.

"Yes! I would love to, Jaune!" In her excitement, Pyrrha lunged forward, throwing her arms tightly around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder.

"OOF-- ow, ow, ribs, ribs!" Jaune comically gasped, his face twisting in a mixture of romantic bliss and agonizing physical pain as his unhealed chest plate protested the sudden force. Behind the door, the stack of students nearly collapsed out of pure excitement.

"Oh my gosh, it's happening! It's official!" Yang whispered loudly, a massive, predatory grin on her face as she gave Blake a heavy nudge.

"Look at them! Our boy finally pulled it off!" Inside the room, Pyrrha instantly pulled back, her face flushing even darker as she realized what she had done.

"Ah! I am so sorry! I forgot, your injuries..." Jaune let out a breathless, wheezing laugh, rubbing his side.

"It's fine, it's fine. Totally worth it." Both of them dissolved into a quiet, rhythmic laughter, the long months of distance between them entirely forgotten. They stopped laughing, continued to stare at each other filled with joy. Jaune reached out with both hands, gently enveloping Pyrrha's hands within his own. He gave her a warm, steady smile that carried the absolute weight of his conviction.

"I'm really, really glad I have you guys," Jaune said softly, looking into her eyes.

"Ruby, Ren, Nora, Weiss, Yang, Blake... everyone. And you, Pyrrha. Especially you. Thank you for not giving up on me." Moved beyond words, Pyrrha turned her palms upward, her fingers interlocking tightly with his as she offered a beautiful, radiant smile.

"Thank you, Jaune." Behind the door, Ruby was actively wiping tears of joy from her cheeks, her silver eyes overflowing.

"They're so happy," she whimpered happily. Inside the room, the space between Jaune and Pyrrha roughy shrunk. The laughter died down, replaced by a quiet, magnetic pull. Their faces slowly drifted closer, the rest of the world fading away. In the hallway, Nora, Ren, Weiss, Blake, and Yang widened their eyes to the size of dinner plates, their breath catching as they leaned further through the gap.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Yang's hand instantly shot downward, her palm clapping firmly over Ruby's entire face, blinding the younger girl completely.

"Hey! What gives?!" Ruby muffled against Yang's leather glove, kicking her feet in confusion.

"I want to see!"

"Too young, Rubes! Protecting your innocent eyes!" Yang hissed back, her own face flushed with secondhand romance.

"What are you guys looking at?" A flat, profoundly bored nasal voice drifted down from directly behind the huddled mass of students." KYAH!" The sudden, unexpected sound broke the group's balance entirely. With a chaotic tangle of limbs, yells, and fluttering skirts, the entire stack of students tumbled forward. The infirmary door swung wide open with a loud BANG, and Team RWBY, Nora, and Ren crashed into a messy, undignified heap right onto the linoleum floor of the room.

Jaune and Pyrrha jumped backward as if they had been struck by lightning, their faces exploding into a synchronized, bright tomato-red as they violently pulled their heads away from each other, staring in absolute, wide-eyed horror at the floor. Ruby popped her head out from under Yang's stomach, blinking rapidly.

"Hi guys!" she offered with an incredibly awkward, sheepish grin. Yang sat up, rubbing the back of her neck, laughing with pure, forced innocence.

"Hey there! Beautiful day for a recovery check, right? We definitely weren't eavesdropping for the last ten minutes! Haha!"

"You guys!" Jaune yelled, his voice cracking three octaves as he clutched his blanket to his chin.

"How long have you been there?!"

"From the very beginning!" Nora cheered proudly from the bottom of the pile, earning an immediate, collective facepalm from Blake. Ren simply let out a long, exhausted sigh of relief that the drama was finally resolved. Standing right in the center of the now wide-open doorway was Saitama. He was still wearing his yellow jumpsuit, his white cape hanging loosely over his shoulder as he held a small plastic cup of gelatin he had clearly stolen from the nurse's station cart.

He stared at the chaotic pile of teenagers on the floor, then at the two bright-red students on the bed, his face maintaining its absolute, legendary blankness. He had absolutely no clue what had just transpired.

"Oh, hey kid," Saitama greeted flatly, taking a small plastic spoonful of the red gelatin.

"You're finally awake."

"S-Saitama!" Jaune stammered, his face still burning as he tried to adjust his posture.

"Yeah. I'm awake."

"Hello, Saitama," Pyrrha added, her hands folded neatly in her lap as she tried to pretend her face wasn't the color of a fire engine. Yang jumped to her feet, pointing an accusing finger at the bald hero.

"Damn it, Saitama! You totally ruined the moment!"

"Yeah!" Nora agreed, climbing up Ren's shoulder.

"We've been waiting forever for this! Ruined!"

"Honestly!" Weiss chimed in, dusting off her skirt as she stood up, crossing her arms tightly with a fierce glare.

"Do you possess absolutely zero emotional intelligence? We were orchestrating a flawless reconciliation, and you completely obliterated the atmosphere with your utter lack of awareness!" Saitama blinked his small, dotted eyes, slowly chewing the gelatin.

"Huh? What are you all talking about? I just came by to see if the kid was dead so I could stop filling out those incident reports for Glynda. They're super long."

"So..." Ruby squeaked, completely ignoring the bald man as she bounced over to the side of the bed, her eyes shining as she looked at Jaune and Pyrrha.

"Does this mean... you two are... like... together together?" Jaune's chest tightened in pure, nervous panic.

"Uh, well, you see,..." He opened his mouth, his tongue twisting into useless syllables as he looked at his friends.

"We were just talking about the schedule, and the carnival, and--""Yes," Pyrrha, however, said clearly, her smile melting any remaining doubt. Pyrrha simply let out a soft, incredibly warm laugh. The absolute certainty in her heart gave her a radiant confidence. She reached out, sliding her arm smoothly through Jaune's, leaning her shoulder affectionately against his as she looked up at the group.

"Yes. We are." Jaune's brain practically short-circuited from the sheer joy, his face turning an even deeper shade of crimson as he let out a dazed, happy chuckle.

"Congratulations, you two," Ren said with a rare, deep bow of respect. Blake smiled warmly, nodding proudly alongside Weiss, who let out a dramatic but satisfied huff. Ruby couldn't contain herself any longer. She lunged forward, throwing her arms around both Jaune and Pyrrha in a massive, chaotic group hug.

"I'm just so glad you guys are okay!" she cried happily.

"Don't ever scare us like that again!" Jaune and Pyrrha smiled, their arms wrapping around the young leader, returning the embrace with a quiet, profound gratitude. Saitama stood by the door frame, watching the sprawling, emotional display of youthful affection with a completely flat expression. He took one last spoonful of gelatin, tossed the plastic cup into a nearby bin, and shook his head slightly.

"Teenagers," he muttered under his breath, "Always making things so complicated." Saitama turns around to shuffle back down the hall. Jaune, noticing the yellow cape disappearing past the door frame, immediately pulled back from the hug.

"Wait, Saitama!" Disregarding the ache in his legs, Jaune swung his feet out of the hospital bed and jogged out into the corridor, his hospital pajamas fluttering.

"Saitama! Hold on!" A few yards down the hallway, Saitama stopped, turning his bald head around with a slightly confused expression.

"Huh? What's up, kid? You need me to grab a nurse or something?" Jaune stopped a few feet away, his breathing slightly elevated. He stood tall, his posture straight, and brought his hands together, bowing deeply from the waist in a gesture of profound, unshakeable respect.

"I just wanted to say thank you," Jaune said, his voice ringing clearly through the stone corridor.

"Your advice... what you told me back on the training grounds. It saved me. It saved Pyrrha. If you hadn't told me that I couldn't be you... I never would have found my own path. I would have broken. Thank you, Master!" Saitama blinked twice, his face a perfect, empty void of memory. Did I say that? He thought, desperately trying to recall the conversation from a week ago, only to come up entirely blank. Man, I really don't remember anything I say when I'm thinking about dinner.

"Uh... sure, kid," Saitama said aloud, scratching the back of his bald head with a red glove.

"But, seriously. Don't call me like that. You're just like those First Years. Besides, I didn't do anythi--"" MISTER SAITAMA." The temperature in the hallway instantly plummeted to absolute zero. Saitama's entire body went rigid. The comical, cold sweat returned with a vengeance, his jaw dropping into a frozen, horrified line as he slowly, mechanically turned his torso around. Standing at the far end of the medical wing corridor was Deputy Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch.

Her crop was held tightly at her side, her glasses reflecting a terrifying, calculated glare, and her brow was pulled down into an expression of pure, unadulterated fury.

"Uh oh," Saitama whispered, his voice cracking.

"Doctor Oobleck has just submitted his field log from the Forever Fall Forest," Glynda said, her voice a low, terrifyingly calm purr that echoed off the stone walls.

"Imagine my surprise when I read that our resident Security Consultant was discovered miles outside the academy perimeter, completely unescorted, holding a brand-new industrial mop and a bag of discounted groceries."

"Wait! Glynda lady!" Saitama yelled in a panicked, high-pitched whine, his arms flailing comically as he tried to defend himself.

"I-I can explain--""You will follow me to the Headmaster's office. Immediately," Glynda ordered, turning on her heel with a sharp, dramatic snap of her cape. Before she took a step, her sharp gaze softened just a fraction as she looked past Saitama's shoulder at the blonde boy standing in the corridor.

"And Mr. Arc," she added, her voice authoritative but carrying a distinct layer of maternal care.

"Return to your bed and get some rest. You have pushed your body quite far enough for one week."

"Yes, ma'am," Jaune replied quickly, offering a small, respectful nod. With a final, sharp tap of her boots, Glynda began walking away, her presence casting a long shadow down the hall. Saitama slumped forward in absolute, comical defeat. His shoulders sagged to his waist, his white cape dragging along the floor as he began to trudge after her like a scolded puppy. He raised a weak, trembling red glove back toward Jaune without looking.

"Bye, kid..." Saitama groaned, his voice dripping with tragic acceptance.

"Keep up the sets... don't let her catch you using coupons..." Jaune watched the legendary, invincible hero shuffle away into the shadow of administrative discipline. A genuine smile forms on his lips, as he turned back toward the infirmary where his team, his friends, and Pyrrha were waiting.