The golden outline of the sun's rays cast a shadowy forest down from the tree line. It was almost beautiful, almost. Upon closer inspection, one could see the ripe orange leaves that hung from those dark trees, preparing to be cast away in preparation from the coming winter. It must be horrible, knowing that death is coming, but they faced it anyway. Jaune watched silently as another leaf fell down gracefully to the ground, giving up its own life for the sake of the tree. It must be horrible. A single tear streaked down from his face, held still in a forced attempt to not completely crumble with emotion. He turned away. He couldn't think about anything else, one thought remained in his mind. It must be horrible.
The setting sun still beckoned in the distance, but it was starting to grow dark. Jaune was beginning to dread the coming of the night. The twilight used to seem so calm and peaceful, but now it was only ever filled with dark thoughts. At least he knew that he was still out of reach of the grimm, safe within the city limits; his grief would only amplify their power, so Jaune took extra precautions as he tried to pull himself together. But he still felt lost. Nothing was working. All he could think about was her. It must be horrible.
Jaune couldn't help but feel that he was, at least partly, responsible for this. Pyrrha was gone. He couldn't save her. He couldn't do anything. And worst of all, it wasn't really his fault. He just wanted it to be. Then he might have a reason to feel bad, to hate himself. It wouldn't change the fact that he had lost the most amazing woman he had ever met, but then he could have a real reason to feel sorry for himself. But no, here he was, moping around, not doing anything to justify his existence. It was just so pathetic, that it was infuriating. But still, this was nothing compared to her sacrifice. It must be horrible.
The silvery crystal light of the moon was starting to beam when Jaune decided that it was time that he head back into the city. It was getting late, and he didn't want any trouble. But just then, Jaune began to notice a particular odor, a waft of smoke. It shouldn't have smelled like a fire this close to the trees, or to the city, or to anywhere. Turning around, Jaune watched as the leaves all suddenly burst into flames, a raging wildfire. It was terrifying. All of that life, that sacrifice, was to be wasted and consumed by the flames. He could see her in it, her fiery red hair, her spring green eyes with so much life in them, now turning to dust and floating away, carried by the wind. It must be horrible.
No, this was what really was horrible. That all these sacrifices were for nothing. Cinder had grasped the power of the fall maiden, and taken away everything that was beautiful and that mattered. It was all just ashes now. And once again, Jaune did what he seemingly always did, he ran. There was nothing left to be saved out here, it would all die away and become nothing. He could at least save himself, and preserve the remains of what Pyrrha had died fighting for. But, that dream wasn't really gone was it? The goal of protecting what is beautiful and right, it couldn't be gone. No, it was living inside of him, and Ruby, and Nora and Ren, and Weiss and Blake, and Yang. There was a fire, no, not something consuming, but something life giving, inside of him now, and from it sprang forth hope. The flames could be pushed back and stopped, to save what had not yet been burnt. He could stop what must be horrible.
And so Jaune ran, and found help, and then hurried home. He trusted that what could be done would be, and he wanted to get some sleep before tomorrow. The answer was simple; it was horrible, but it was worth it. To try to save those who are dear from having to go through the same pain, even if it is an effort in vain, is a bold and just cause. And Jaune would be joining it, starting now. He would begin training again in the morning and take up the cause. Now, he would live his life in the same sacrificial love, even if he would be the next to fall.
Thanks for reading! This is my first attempt at a fic for RWBY, and after being completely devastated by the end of Volume 3, I figured this would be a good tribute to my now gone favorite character. Please review if you have any suggestions or ideas for new stories. I'd love to write more RWBY, so having a starting place would be extremely helpful for me.