So, how about that finale huh? I think it's safe to say we're all emotionally destroyed now. That's kinda where this little one shot came from. I know a lot of people want Pyrrha to still be alive, shit I still want her to be alive too, but let's face it, she was turned to stone and disintegrated. There's no coming back from that. At least that's how I feel about it. Sorta. I'm taking the same approach I took when it looked like Glen was killed off in The Walking Dead; I'll accept it at face value until proven wrong. So in order to deal with my grief I made Jaune go through something to help him deal with his own grief.
The funeral was long over. It had been a quiet gathering of the students who knew her best. Teams RWBY and CFVY, and SSSN had attended, all expressing their grief in a myriad of ways from Ruby and Nora openly crying to Coco standing silent, her head bowed and her beret held over her heart, to Ren and Yatsuhashi offering prayers in their native language to whatever deities would listen.
Jaune however, Pyrrha's partner and friend, did not weep. Nor did he seem to be overly affected. He had stood like a statue, face impassive as his friends offered their condolences and spoke of their shared memories of Pyrrha in front of her grave stone. Even has he had laid her shield and diadem on the stone, he showed no emotion.
Finally however, everyone left, leaving him alone, and now that he was he could do what he intended to.
The Vigil was an old tradition, as old as the Arc name. When a family member or close friend passed, an Arc would stand at the grave, light a single candle, and stand watch throughout the night. Keep watch for what, he didn't know. He'd seen his father perform the Vigil once when he was young. One of his former teammates had been killed in action. And after the funeral he had stayed behind, sword planted in the ground, the soft light of the candle the only illumination.
Jaune had been hiding behind a tree, watching his father and wondering if he would ever have to perform a Vigil. He'd hoped back then that he wouldn't have to.
Now here he was, standing in front of his partners' grave, pulling a candle with wax the same shade as her hair out of the pouch at his hip and lighting it before setting it in front of the headstone.
He drew Crocea Mors from its scabbard and buried it tip first in the ground, resting his hands on the pommel. It was going to be a long night. He bowed his head and repeated the words his father taught him; "Night has fallen, and so my Vigil begins. It shall not end until the sun crests the horizon, and the birds sing their morningsong. Know, oh friend of Arc, that I shall guard thy soul until morning comes, that it might pass undisturbed to the next world."
For the first few hours he simply studied the headstone, from her emblem engraved at its head to the words carved into its base; "For It Is In Passing That We Achieve Immortality"
"I guess that's true." He said to himself, not sure if the Vigil was supposed to be a silent one or not. As he stood there he reminisced on everything Pyrrha had done for him. From saving him from what would have been certain death during initiation, to shoving him in that locker and sending him to the city.
"Pyrrha, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not being better, stronger than I was when I first got here. I'm sorry for not trying harder. I'm sorry for not being there to help you." He said, his vision going blurry. His hands tightened on his sword, and he found himself growing angry.
"Why did you do that to me Pyrrha? Why would you choose a fight you knew you couldn't win? Why did you send me away when I could have helped, even if it only bought you time? How could you be so selfish, what were you thinking?" he said, his voice rising to a scream near the end. He fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face, though he kept his grip on his sword.
"She loved you Jaune, and she wanted to keep you safe." A voice from behind him said. He turned to see Ruby, enter the soft light of his candle. Her eyes were bloodshot, making the silver of her irises stand out all the more.
"If she really loved me then why didn't she let me help her? I could have done . . . something." He said as he rose to his feet, his anger finding an outlet. "Instead I became the idiot stuck in the tree again, helpless while my friends put their lives on the line. Tell me Ruby, if she really loved me that much why did she choose to die!" He grew quiet, and Ruby became nervous. This was a delicate situation.
"She didn't choose that you imbecile. She chose to fight for something greater than herself. I'm not surprised you can't realize that." A new voice said. Weiss entered the small circle of light her attire taking on a golden orange glow. Jaune scowled at her insult.
"Even now you'll look for any excuse to put me down or insult me won't you?" He said. Weiss came up short, realizing her mistake.
"I'm sorry, we're all still hurting, you and the rest of your team most of all." She said, her gaze falling to the gravestone. Jaune felt some of his anger dissipate.
"Why are you two here?" he asked, squaring his shoulders and resuming his pose. Ruby and Weiss moved to his sides. "It's not just us." Ruby said, gesturing to the surrounding woods.
Ren, Nora, and Yang came out of the woods, followed by team SSSN.
"We managed to get a message to your family to let them know you were okay. Your dad told us what you might do." Ren said, coming over to rest a hand on Jaunes shoulder. "You don't have to do it alone." He continued, taking Ruby's place at his side and flicking StormFlower from his sleeves.
"We're team JNPR, what kind of team would we be if we didn't stand by our leader." Nora said, a smile on her face despite the unshed tears in her eyes. She pulled Magnhild from her back and shifted it into its hammer form, resting the head on the ground.
Jaune watched as all around him his friends copied his pose in some way. "So how long do we go?" Sage asked.
"An Arc's Vigil lasts until the sun crests the horizon, and the birds sing their morningsong." Jaune said somberly. At the confused looks of his friends he sighed. "We stand here until sunrise." He amended.
"Okay. I think we can do that for Pyrrha." Sage responded, tightening his grip on his sword. There were nods all around and echoes of Sages words.
And so they stood there, occasionally breaking their silence with stories of time spent with Pyrrha. There were a few laughs, and more tears, and in the end Jaune was happy for the company of his friends.
Finally the sky began to brighten, and the birds began to sing.
When they did Jaune knelt and bowed his head, just like he'd seen his father do, and recited the final words he'd been taught.
"Dawn has come, and so my Vigil is ended. May your soul find peace in the next world, oh friend of Arc, and know that you will never be forgotten." He intoned, before adding; "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality."
His final words spoken he stood, sheathed his blade, and extinguished the candle, scooping up what was left and depositing it in the same pouch he'd pulled it from. He reached for her diadem, his hands shaky and unsure, before he picked it up and gently pressed his lips to it.
"I love you Pyrrha." He whispered as he set it back down.
When he looked up he saw everyone had gathered around him, smiling despite their tears. Jaune couldn't have asked for better friends.
"Thank you everyone. Thank you for doing this with me. I'm not sure I could have done this by myself." He said. Ren patted him on the back while Nora threw her arms around him. "Your dad had another message for you for when you completed your Vigil. He said to tell you that the first is always the hardest, and hopefully it will be your last." the green gunman said.
Jaune smiled and hugged Nora back, grabbing Ren by the shirt and pulling him into it was well.
"I hope this is my last one too." He said, letting go of his teammates and turning toward the town. "Let's go get some breakfast, then maybe some sleep." He said.
"Ooh ooh, I want pancakes!" Nora shouted, jumping around the group.
Jaune shook his head and glanced over his shoulder, wanting one last look at the gravestone.
It could have been a trick of the light, something about the first rays of light shining through the trees. It had to be.
Standing in front if the grave, ringed in a candy apple red aura, was Pyrrha. She said nothing, going so far as to hold a finger to her lips. She smiled, her hand coming up in a gentle wave, one final goodbye.
He nodded at her once, and in the span of a blink, she was gone, the sparse light of the sun gleaming off of her diadem.