Chapter 1
Breach
Looking down at the scene before her, it looked bleak. RWBY was surrounded, and their leader was facing a particularly nasty looking Taijitsu. Over the ruckus below, she heard Jaune shout, "Nora, go!" The ginger maniac laughed as she rocketed herself toward the snake. Jaune motioned for the rest of the team to deploy. As soon as she landed, she took of toward a nearby pack of Beowulves terrorizing some civilians, and slaughtered them easily. Looking back, she saw Jaune facing a large Ursa, looking scared. She tensed up, ready to rush to his aid, but Jaune chose that moment to attack, landing blow after blow, until the Ursa fell. She beamed at him with pride, hoping Jaune would see. He didn't. It was then, seeing Jaune hold his own against the Ursa, and later a group of Creep, that she made a vow. She would tell him how she felt as soon as the battle was over.

'So much for that.' She thought to herself. She'd walked up to him while the last of the Grimm were being rounded and executed. "Hey, Jaune..." She started. He turned to her, "Hey, Pyrrha, good job out there!" He said. She faltered; his blue eyes were so distracting. She blushed, losing her nerve. "Good job to you too!" She said quickly before hurrying away. She cursed herself. Fighting hoards of Grimm was exponentially easier than telling Jaune how she felt. She made another vow. She would tell him as soon as their upcoming shadowing mission was over. No buts, in exactly 1.5 months, Jaune would (hopefully) be hers.

Chapter 2
The Flight/Dream

Pyrrha both looked forward to and dreaded their upcoming mission. She was sure it would be fine, in the activities standpoint, but baring her feelings too Jaune was scary. As they boarded the airship, Pyrrha noticed she was sitting right next to him. When they first started at Beacon, Pyrrha could sit next to him without consequence, but now it like sitting next to a miniature sun. She felt flushed and slightly sweaty, and tried to to look at his face, else she do something... drastic... She settled for staring out the window.
The village they were going to wasn't known for its civility. Much like a pirate town from a pirate movie Nora made them all watch last night, it was lawless and dirty. The reason they were being sent, however, was because of dozens of reports of Grimm activity in the forests nearby. Across from them, Ren seemed to be sleeping, while Nora was muttering something about Sloths eating pancakes... She had long since given up trying to understand the odd girl, and didn't even want to try to understand the relationship between she and Ren. As she looked out the window, she noticed that they were flying over Forever Fall. She vaguely remembered gathering tree sap with Nora, Ren, and RWBY, while Jaune was doing slave labor for CRDL. She remembered how, even after being treated so badly by Cardin, Jaune still saved him from the Ursa. It was then she had started to notice her true feelings for him, even though he hasn't been very pretty after that fight. If you looked at his left cheek just right, you could still see the slightest indentations from the Ursa's claws. 'No. Stop thinking about his face. You'll psych yourself out early.' She angrily to herself.

For the rest of the trip, she decided to try to get some rest. Difficult at first, she eventually drifted off to sleep...
It was raining. Pyrrha was running. Either towards something or away from something, she didn't know, yet. She noticed she was carrying Miló in spear form. She turned down a dark alley, and saw Jaune standing there, facing her. "Jaune!" She tried to shout, but it came out too jarbled and mixed up to understand. He reached out to her, and she moved forward. She batted his hand out of the way, and hugged him, pulling their bodies together. He returned the hug. She could feel every breath he took. She didn't want to let go. She felt his body jolt softly, and he released a small grunt. She leaned back, ready to ask what the problem was. He looked fine, except his eyes were bulging a little... She looked down, and screamed. Blood was flowing from under his breastplate. She stepped back in horror, as he collapsed in slow motion to his knees. He opened his mouth, but only dribbles of blood came out. The face of his killer hovered above his own. Her horror doubled as she recognized said face. It was her own.

Someone shook her awake. She opened her eyes, expecting Jaune's blue eyes, but instead saw deep purple. "Ren, sorry... Must have dozed off..." She said uneasily... Her nightmare really threw her for a loop. "We've landed. Jaune's booking our rooms. Its time we left the plane." He summarized, then left without another word. The sky was cloudy, almost stormy. The village was definitely not Vale. The people who lived here walked around wearing ripped clothing, most of them had no shoes. Nora was being herself and asking everyone nearby whether they had sloths, while Ren came behind her and apologized. Jaune walked out of a nearby building that was just as dirty as those around it, "Hey, we should set up now and check in tomorrow!" He called from the doors. Ren had to physically drag Nora away from what looked like an animal shop.

Chapter 3
Dream Becomes Reality, Kinda

Their room was small, but not as dirty as expected. Jaune wasted no time in getting to business. "Alright, we'll rest here tonight, then go to the forest when our huntsman arrives tomorrow morning." He said. "Who we get?" Pyrrha asked. "Port." He responded with a slight shiver. Nora started rubbing her stomach. "I want...pancakes!" She moaned. "I could eat." Ren said from the corner. "Fine. I saw a restaurant next alley over. Be back in a minute. Pyrrha, you coming?" Jaune said, rising. Pyrrha suddenly remembered her dream. She didn't want to follow him into any alleys... But it would also give her some alone time with him. 'Maybe it wouldn't be so bad... If I move my 'deadline' up...' She thought to herself. "OK, sure. I'll bring Miló, just in case." Although she was bringing it, she promised herself she wouldn't even unfold it unless she really needed to.

It had started to drizzle by the time they exited the hotel. Jaune lead her to another alley, they walked together toward the distant lights that was the restaurant. Steeling herself, she spoke, "Jaune, wait. I need to talk to you about something really quick." He stopped and turned. "Sure, Pyrrha, what's up?" He asked lightly, looking at her with his signature leaderly smile. She almost lost it, but took a second to regain her composure. "Jaune, I really like-" she was cut short when she saw movement behind him. She caught his eye, and he nodded. A figure moved out the shadows behind him. Jaune spun around to face him. It was just a dirty old man trying to get by, or so they thought. As he went to pass Pyrrha, the old man shrugged off his ratty cloak, grabbed her, and held a knife to her throat. "Gimme your money... That weapon too." He breathed, his mouth close to her ear. He pointed at Crocea Mors. The man had obviously mistaken Pyrrha as weak, and soon regretted it. She activated her semblance and moved the knife away without touching it. "What the-" the man started, but Pyrrha cut him off with a head butt. She grabbed his knife arm and spun him around towards Jaune. She pulled out Miló, and fired two quick shots at the man, who collapsed. "Well that was a thing." She said, trying to remember where she had heard that quote before. The man, she noticed something odd about him. She had fired two shots, so why did he have only one? She looked up at Jaune, ready to ask him where her other bullet went but saw the answer before she spoke.

The sound of the drizzle died away, leaving numb silence in its wake. Jaune was still standing there, looking almost normal, except for the look of surprise on his face. Blood was pooling from under his breastplate, just like her dream, except this time, she saw a tiny hole in it, close to the middle. Pyrrha quickly put it together, then felt sick as the horrible truth set in. She had shot Jaune.

Chapter 4
Aftermath

She sat there, cradling his head, for what felt like years. The nearby passerby's eventually realized what had happened and called the local law enforcement. Pyrrha didn't care. She wasn't crying very hard, but enough for tears to sting her eyes as she looked down at his blue eyes. Those eyes, that had so often been accompanied by laughter or bad jokes, now looked at the great nothingness of the sky. She felt a hand grasp her shoulder. She shrugged it off. Another softer hand touched her shoulder soon after, and this time, didn't let go, even after she tried to shrug it off. She glanced at the hand. It was wearing a pink fingerless combat glove, with a heart shape cutout sewn onto the back. Distantly, she heard sirens, and a male voice, Ren, say "Nora, get her out of here. I'll deal with the authorities, and call the headmaster." The Nora pulled at her shoulder, pulling away from Jaune. Pyrrha, suddenly sick again, retched, and turned away from him. Nora, for once not smiling or laughing, hugged her in an impossibly strong bear hug, and lead her back toward the hotel.
Ren POV
Ren was relaxing. He had spent long enough at school that being out of school, in a slum village no less, felt odd. He saw it as a break from a scheduled, strict lifestyle to an unscheduled, rule-less world. It was rather relaxing to think about as he sat on the hotel bed, watched Nora... Do whatever she was doing. She currently was playing an odd game on involving a mop, a doorknob, and a lightbulb. Suddenly, two shots rang out. Nora stopped, looked around, then, "Ren! Whyd you shoot?" He simply stared at her, sighed, then suddenly sat straight up. "That wasn't me. That sounded like Pyrrha's gun. Come on." Ren ran for the door after grabbing his own weapon, and tossing Magnhild to Nora. Ren exited the hotel at a sprint, heading for the alley Jaune had indicated before he left. He rounded the corner, drawing his guns, prepared for a fight. He was not prepared for the scene he got instead. He skidded to a stop at the entrance, and Nora slammed into him. "Ren! Why'd you-" she began, but stopped short when she saw Pyrrha crouched over a body... Jaune's body. "Oh god..." Nora said, covering her mouth with her hand, dropping Magnhild forgotten to the ground. Ren's usually calm emotionless exterior also cracked, but also for a second. A single tear rolled down his cheek. Then he took a breath, and walked toward Pyrrha, seeking to console her. He laid his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off. Nora appeared behind her, and copied what Ren had tried. Pyrrha tried to shrug again, but Nora held on. He heard sirens coming closer. Apparently some of the bystander had finally called the authorities. "Nora, get her out of here. I'll deal with the police. And call the headmaster. He-" Ren slipped again, and his voice caught on the word 'he'. He steadied himself once more and continued, "He should know what happened." Nora nodded, completely silent for once, and half hugged, half dragged Pyrrha back towards the hotel. He looked at Jaune one last time before turning away and pulling out his scroll.

Chapter 5
JNPR Broken

Ruby had been having a good day. She was on her way to Oobleck's class when she remembered it was canceled. She was turning back from the door when her scroll beeped. She pulled it out. An alert from Ozpin scrolled across the screen: 'All students report to the main hall immediately.' 'Huh, wonder what he wants?' she thought, turning once more to the direction of the main hall and skipped happily and obliviously toward the hall.

When she got to the hall, she quickly found the rest of her team. "Hey guys, anyone know what is going on?" she asked. "No, I just got an alert on my way to see Sun, so I diverted here." Blake answered. The room eventually grew quiet as Goodwitch entered the stage. She didn't look right, something about her was off, but Ruby couldn't tell why just yet, at least until she spoke. "Students. I will cut to the point. I regret to inform you that a student has been killed."Several gasps echoed throughout the hall. "Didn't see that coming, I wonder who?" Yang said from behind Ruby. "He wasn't a good student, at least during his first year. He has made many friends amongst you, and he will be sorely missed." Goodwitch finished. Someone shouted, "Who was it!?" Goodwitch stopped, shaking her head. "I apologize… it was just so sudden and unexpected. All homework and exams have been cancelled-" Weiss audibly groaned, "In honor of our fallen student, Jaune Arc." Weiss coughed mid-groan, and stared at Goodwitch. Ruby choked as well. She has to have heard wrong. "Did she just say-" Ruby turned to Yang, who was also wide-eyed with shock. Yang tried to speak, but merely mumbled. Ruby felt a tear on her cheek, and was suddenly cocooned in one of her sisters bear hugs. She didn't mind though, and let the tears fall freely. Weiss joined the hug, not crying, but shaking. Blake joined soon after that.

Pyrrha's POV

Nora helped her into the bed in the hotel room. Pyrrha was still in shock, but noticed she still had Milo clutched in her fist. In a sudden fit of anger, she stood up, used her semblance to bend the metal out of shape, then threw the ruined weapon out the window. Nora just watched, still silent, but tears streaming down her cheeks. Pyrrha still raging, shouted, "I never want to see that-that-piece of filthy garbage ever again." She then collapsed back onto the bed, and broke down. Nora jumped up and grabbed her, hugging her again. After a couple hours, someone knocked on the door. Nora tears had run out, and Pyrrha had cried herself to sleep, so Nora quickly opened the door, expecting just Ren. "Hello Ms. Valkyrie, may I come in?" Ozpin himself stood in the doorway. Nora quickly got over her shock, and allowed him to enter. Ren followed him in. Ozpin turned to them. "I will personally escort you three back to Beacon. Professor Goodwitch has already informed the rest of the student about the…events." Nora simply nodded, while Ren said, "Thank you, Professor." "Good, now pack-" he looked at the bags piled on Ren's bed weren't opened, "or gather your belongings, we leave tonight. I will carry Ms. Nikos, so she can sleep." Nora and Ren grabbed all the bags, loaded them into the nearby waiting aircraft, and sat down. Ozpin followed soon after them, carrying still sleeping Pyrrha.

Ren's POV

Every feeling in Ren's mind wanted to start crying, but with Nora being completely silent, and Pyrrha obviously out of commission for a while, he felt he owed it to Jaune to take control. The airship ride back to Beacon passed quicker than expected. When he exited, he unexpectedly found himself facing the entire school. They all stood facing the aircraft, carrying little lit candles. "This wasn't me. The students elected to perform this vigil on their own…" Goodwitch had appeared next to them. "It is fine, luckily they left a path for us. I believe Ms. Nikos needs solitude right now, so I will deposit her in her room. Ms. Valkyrie, Mr. Lie, if you would stay with her to ensure she doesn't do anything she would regret?" they nodded silently. The walk down the line of students in the vigil was enough to make Nora break down again. Even he had to let himself shed some tears. They passed Cardin, who, although not holding a candle, looked horrified. Down the line, Coco removed her beret in respect, and Velvets ears had never been lower. RWBY was the worst. Yang was hugging Ruby, and both were sobbing. Weiss was also crying, but not as hard. Blake had removed her ribbon, and stood there, eyes closed but moist. they finally passed the students, and silently went up to their room. Nora opened the door first, then screamed and ran away, sobbing harder than ever. Ren peeked in, and saw what had set Nora off again. Jaune's signature onesie was laying on his bed. To an outsider, it wouldn't have seemed that sad, but for Jaune, that was his "deal". He quickly rolled the onesie up, setting it on a high shelf, then went to find Nora.

Chapter 6

Funeral and Memorial

Pyrrha woke up in her bed, and for a short minute, she thought the past events were a horrible dream. Until she looked at Jaune's bed for confirmation, which was empty. After she silently showered, and prepped for the day, she decided she needed a walk. When she opened the door, a note fluttered to the ground. She cursed herself for reading it, but she felt she needed to know. "Attention Students: Mr. Jaune Arc's Memorial and Funeral service will be held today at 3 P.M. Attendance mandatory, please wear either School Uniforms or something alike. No t-shirts or jeans allowed." Below that, someone had scribbled a message. "Ms. Nikos, you and your team do not have to attend if you do not wish, nobody will think any worse of you. –Ozpin" At first, Pyrrha was unsure whether she would go or not. Nora woke up, and spoke for the first time since the incident. "Pyrrha, youre awake. Are you ok?" she asked tentitavely. "No, I am not." Pyrrha growled back. She looked back at the note. 'I will go. I owe it to Jaune, after all, I did kill him.' She thought bitterly to herself.

At 3 P.M., Pyrrha found herself in front of the hall. Students and people she didn't know flowed past her into the room. Pyrrha soon entered herself, and made to sit towards the back. As she bent to sit down, a strong hand gripped her arm and shoulder, and marched her to the front two rows. It was Yang. "You sit up here with friends and family." Was all she said. As she sat down, Pyrrha saw a man who looked like a much older version of Jaune, complete with mustache, and 8 girls sitting next to him. She distinctly remembered that, during the Ball, he said he had seven sisters. So the eighth must have been his mother. She remembered how he always seemed to look up to her, and spoke about her frequently. Pyrrha had eventually had a mental image of her as a big, strong, Yatsuhashi sized woman who held the leash on the entire neighborhood. Instead, his mother was a tiny, little whisp of a woman with dark blonde hair. The already muted conversations in the hall silenced as Ozpin mounted the stage. In front of him, a long white and yellow box undoubtedly held the reason they were all there. Photos of Jaune, both candid and posed flashed behind him on a power point presentation. she blinked back tears when a particular picture of them after their epic food fight earlier that year popped up. They were all covered head to toe with food. Ozpin began his speech, talking about how, although weak in body, he made up for it tenfold in his spirit and personality. The rest of his speech blurred by, she wasn't really listening, until he said, "The floor is now open for any who wish to share a brief memory." Suddenly, Pyrrha found herself onstage, facing the silent but sobbing audience. "Jaune was a great friend, who-who-" she searched for words. "Who died because my aim was off. He died because I didn't aim straight." She lost control, and let the day's pent up feelings flow out of her mouth. "He died because I didn't even bother to check ifhe was clear before I started shooting. He died because-" another hand clamped on her shoulder, then another on her other shoulder. Ren and Nora had joined her onstage. Then Ruby sped onto the stage, and hugged her. the rest of RWBY followed. For once, however, Pyrrha hated it. she had killed him, and they were hugging her. she angrily pushed them away, and grabbed the microphone. "I KILLED JAUNE ARC!" she screamed. Behind her, a quiet voice whispered, "I'm sorry, Pyrrha." A sudden pain in the back of her head, then instant darkness.

Chapter 7

Untouchable Girl Broken

She woke up, again in her bed. Nora, Ren, Ozpin, and RWBY were all there too. Ozpin spoke first, "Ms. Nikos, I apologize for the timing, but after your outburst yesterday, I feel I need to know what happened." She merely nodded, "We went out to get food for everyone, and a guy tried to mug us, I threw him inbetween us, and shot twice, but only one bullet hit the intended target. The other went through Jaune's breastplate." Pyrrha said in a deadpan voice. Seconds of silence, then "So you were acting in defense?" "Yes." "And you did not intend to harm Jaune?" "No." "Then Jaune may have been struck by the same bullet that killed the mugger. Perhaps the other bullet ricocheted somewhere else?" Ozpin offered. "Even if that were true, professor, I still fired in Jaune's direction. It was my bullet that ended his life." Nora grasped at her hand, but Pyrrha pulled away." "Ms. Nikos, Pyrrha, I believe that you acted on your instincts. If not, you may have been hurt as well as Mr. Arc. Blaming yourself for a freak accident doesn't solve a single thing. What you can do, however, is take from this event and learn from it." Pyrrha just stared. "Don't you get it,"she repeated stubbornly, "I FRIKKING KILLED THE GUY I LOVED!" she screamed at him. "NO YOU DID NOT! THE SCUM IN THE ALLEY DID!" Ozpin shouted back, then returned to his normal emotionless state. "If Jaune were not there, would you have fired?" "Of course!" "So regardless of the consequences, you would have killed the mugger?" "Yes." "then again, I say you acted on your instincts, you basic need for survival. It is for this reason that I have convinced the government not to press charges." He ended. Pyrrha looked at him in a mixture of anger, sadness, and gratefulness. "Now, if you do not mind, I have other pressing needs to attend to. I leave you in the care of your friends." Ozpin stood and left. Ruby was the next to speak, "Pyrrha, we are all very sad about what happened. If you ever want to talk, I'm here." Weiss piped up unexpectantly, "So am I."

All around the room, her friends announced without a doubt, that they were there for her, and would never leave her.