Ren was calm as he slowly walked back to Beacon.

His eyes scanned for that familiar shade of pink, but wasn't coming up with anything. It didn't bother him though, he'd heard the pounding, thunderous sound of a canon blast until the very end of the battle and knew she was at least alive if not injured, somewhere around here. The school was a mess, not one building seemed to be undamaged. The ground was torn up, monster dust and weapon smoke made it slightly hard to breathe…

Or maybe it was the blood loss.

"Ren!" He turned at the sound of his name, eyes falling on familiar blonde locks and bright blue eyes. This was the one Pyrrha believed in with all her heart, and at first he'd simply believed in her. She was a great warrior after all, one of the best; he'd have been a fool to doubt her keen instincts. Now, he knew him as a friend, a leader… someone worth dying for.

Had it really only been a year? Less than that, just a school year.

"Jaune." He greeted, his voice subdued as always.

"Ren! Oh god, have you seen Pyrrha?! She went with Ozpin but I haven't-! I just have a bad feeling something's not right!" He panicked, the battle over but him looking like his was just starting. He had blood on his face, he was covered in dark marks and his armor was heavily dented. It was a wonder he was still standing—then again, Pyrrha always said he was a lot stronger than he looked. Ren could trust in that at this point, he supposed, and chose not to be concerned. Jaune was capable, he would live… if only for Pyrrha's sake.

"I haven't." He answered, his lips feeling oddly numb.

"Can you help me look for her?"

"I have to… find Nora." He breathed slowly. The real answer was no, he couldn't. He still had a ways to walk, and he wasn't sure if he was going to make it that far.

Luckily Jaune seemed to find his own answer in his words and nodded resolutely. "Ok, you keep going, I'll catch up with you later!" He called, already running in some direction to continue his search.

Maybe I'll see you in another life. He mused, wondering if by the time they met again Jaune would have finally gained the recognition he deserved in the world. He really, honestly hoped so.

"Good luck." He said, but was sure the blonde was too far away to hear him now.

He kept walking, remaining calm.

He was a lot like Jaune, it some ways. He wasn't good with his semblance, it didn't come naturally to him at all like it did with most others. He was barely able to handle aura manipulation before he collapsed, which meant one solid hit and he was usually out for the count. That had been less of a problem because he'd always had Nora, who could take a beating like a concrete block and for some reason seemed to be endlessly entertained by it to boot. She was always there, protecting his back and taking the hits that would finish him.

When she found out about this she wasn't going to be happy. He hated seeing her not happy, it was like seeing the sun go dark—it chilled him to his soul.

But it was no matter, he would face it anyway. Both of their lives, since they were small children had been nothing but difficult and… painful, he supposed. Parents brutally murdered, village burned to the ground, the hunger the fear the monsters in the woods and in the darkness, everywhere they turned…

Nora, somehow, managed to face it all with a big smile and a laugh, finding the humor in everything. Ren, on the other hand… well, he chose to face it properly, with good posture, and a calmness to his heart. Panic got him nowhere, tears got him nowhere. Like Jaune, it didn't come easy to him but he compensated for his weaknesses by training his body, his grace and his agility, with everything he had in order to be a good Huntsman.

But more importantly, he trained his mind and his soul to be as still as a quiet pond. He never would've lived this long without that inner peace—he never would've found the strength to keep going without it.

And even in death, he was going to be calm, damn it. Nora wouldn't be, therefore he had to pick up the slack… like always.

He saw her. Well, he heard her first, and followed the sound like it was the siren's call, his feet moving on their own. The only order he'd given his body was to get him to her, no matter what, and it obeyed even though he didn't feel able to move of his own free will anymore. He couldn't change paths now if he tried.

"Hey there stranger!" She jumped down from where she'd been dancing on top of a large pile of rubble, surveying the scene and rejoicing in their victory. Ren heard other voices, so she must've been with others, but he couldn't tear his eyes away to even spare them a glance.

She was unharmed. A little roughed up, a little dirty, but she looked to be lively and healthy as always, invigorated by the fight and relentlessly cheery despite the doom-like air this war had weighed the battlefield down with. Her light seemed to lift him up, letting him breathe a sigh of relief.

It was over. It was ok. She was here in front of him, and that's all he needed.

He realized belatedly she'd started babbling, recounting the battle. It had sounded bad, a lot of people were hurt… but it didn't even matter now. He couldn't force himself to care, and he didn't want to waste energy trying. All that was important was the sound of her voice, which was like was lullaby that drew him in to give him rest.

"-and then Ruby came in all like bam-bam-bam and it was awesome Ren, you should've seen it! Where were you anyway, you had a death-stalker on your tail and just disappeared! You would've loved to see what Jaune did though, he really pulled through! And Yang's not crazy—not that we thought she was, but anyway it's good everyone knows it now too! Blake's gone, can't find her around but I'm not worried—Jaune is though, he can't find Pyrrha! Have you seen her? She left before the fight even really got going so she missed-!"

He shut her up by leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her forehead. When he pulled back, his eyes glinted mischievously to see the look on her face.

She blinked, for once shocked silent.

He smiled an uncharacteristically wide grin at her, causing her eyes to bug out. "Nora. Don't ever change. You're absolutely perfect." He told her calmly, memorizing the way her face seemed to glow at his words. He wanted to remember that look, even if it was only for a little while longer…

"R-re-"

She inhaled sharply when finally… at long last… his strength gave out.

"REN!" She screamed, catching him before he could hit the ground, but he couldn't even feel her vice-like grip, despite her strength. He realized he was on the ground, but all he could see was Nora, her hair, her smile… the smile was gone, but he could still see it in his mind's eye, and he kept it there, unable to bear the tears streaming down her cheeks. His Nora was never sad… it just wasn't possible…

"REN WHAT'S WRONG!?" She screeched, probably catching the ear of everyone at Beacon, but he didn't care. She was here, and that was all that mattered right now.

"One too many hits." He said simply, his breath a little halting now that the last bit of aura he'd been clinging to in order to force his feet to walk to her was slipping away. He could really feel it now—in his chest, his abdomen… pain was one thing but something wasn't right inside of him, something bad that he didn't think could be fixed. His heartbeat was uneven and struggling, even in his own ears, but he ignored it, focusing on being calm.

It was easy really, having Nora right here. She made his inner peace magnify until he was… happy even. Yes, he was definitely happy, there was no other word for it. She made him happy and he was here to be happy with her, one last time.

"Ren, please—I NEED HELP!" She alternated between fluttering over him helplessly and screaming for someone to come save him, but he knew it was a waste of breath. He mustered whatever strength he had to reach up and wrap his fingers around the wrist of the hand she was using to grip the front of his jacket desperately.

"It's ok, Nora." He sighed.

"No it damn well isn't!" She snapped at him, and he felt hot tears landing on his own cheeks. Her tears, not his. He already knew that tears wouldn't save him.

"Yes it is." He argued, frowning a little at her before smiling pleasantly at her tear-streaked face. "I managed to get to you, so everything's alright now." She sobbed openly, burying her face in his chest. It made it a lot harder to breath, but he could deal. The closeness was nice, comforting even.

"You won't leave me!" He heard her yell into the fabric of his jacket, slightly muffled.

He chuckled breathlessly.

"Never." He swore, running his free hand through her red hair soothingly. "Never in a thousand years will I leave your side." He promised.

She lifted her head and suddenly his calmness failed him, his heart jumping in his chest. He choked, both on an emotion that swelled unbearably tight in his chest, and the blood he felt rising up his throat. He fought back a cough, feeling the evidence of his injuries pool on his lips, and he couldn't stop it. Nora screeched a wordless sound of pain.

"Ren, please… I… I-!"

"I know." He murmured, feeling raw and exhausted. His aura finally drained completely away, and a deep, echoing hollowness filled him.

Only to be filled by the memory of a warm smile, and a carefree laugh, dancing over the sound of cannon blast.

"Me too."