Pyrrha grimaced as she set the rocket locker to launch, sending Jaune away from the ruins of the school. It hurt her knowing that his cries for her might very well be the last things she'd ever hear from him, that their first kiss would be their last. Though some small part of her hoped that she'd see him again at the battle's end, her mind kept telling her that this would be the last hour of her short life. Still, someone had to fight her, to fend the new Fall Maiden while her friends and fellow students got away.

Making her way to the ruined Beacon tower, her memories flashed back a few days, back when she was called up by Ozpin for some urgent matter, back before she knew the Four Maidens were real, or that there was one slowly dying underneath the school. Some part of her wondered what might have been if she underwent the operation then, though a shiver ran down her spine as she recalled the intense pain that the aborted transfer caused. Still, she marched towards the broken elevator, prying the doors open. It was clear that, in this state, the elevator wouldn't budge on its own, forcing Pyrrha to use her semblance to force the elevator cab up.

Taking a breath as she continued upwards, Pyrrha cleared her mind, readying herself for what was to come… as well as whatever might happen to her. Still, she couldn't help but think of her friends, of the girls of team RWBY, of Ren and Nora, of Jaune. After living on a pedestal for so long, she was glad that there were people who knew her not as the Invincible Girl, but as Pyrrha Nikos. The last few months were the happiest days of her life, and if this was the end, then she had no regrets.

A sudden thud and a stop forced Ms. Nikos from her thoughts. For a moment, she thought she reached her destination, but the few functioning instruments showed that she was only halfway up Beacon Tower. Her eyes furrowed before she heard a clang from outside the elevator, followed by a hiss. With a flair of her semblance, she tried to get the cab to go, but it only elicited a cry from whatever was outside before things became deathly quiet. Cautiously, she lifted her hand to reach for Miló before there was a sudden bang, followed by another. Pyrrha's heart was pumping, while her mind was clear and focused on the situation at hand. Whatever was out there, it was trying to break in. A large dent was forming in the elevator wall, before the creature finally broke through.

For a moment, time slowed to a crawl, Pyrrha's eyes going wide as she studied the creature. It was a Grimm, snakelike and akin to a King Taijitu at first glance, if far smaller. Aside from the size difference, the first thing Pyrrha noticed about it was that it sported a black hood that flared from the back of its head, adorned with various red markings. The second thing she noticed was the rows of fangs that lined its upper jaw, twitching slightly right before it sprang for an attack. Instincts kicked in, Pyrrha kicking her feet into the ground, pushing her just out of reach from the creature's initial lunge. Due to the cab's small space, however, she crashed into the wall, stunning her briefly as the dark beast recovered and lunged again, this time managing to sink its teeth into Pyrrha's arm. Her lips pulled back, her teeth bared as she grunted in pain. She could feel a warmth crawling on her skin; a bit of her blood was leaking from the wound, but she felt something else, too...

What did this Grimm do?

Acting fast, she pulled out her sword, holding it with the blade pointed down as she forced it through the Grimm's hood, causing it to reel back and let her go as it tried to free itself from her blade. Taking the opportunity, she raised Miló again and proceeded to stab it through its skull, pinning it to the floor.

In spite of this, it frantically struggled to get its head free, as the rest of its body curled into the cab to try and push itself out of being pinned. With not a moment to lose, the huntress pulled out her shield and slammed the edge into the back of the creature's neck, a blood curdling crack echoing within the elevator. Still, it kept moving, trying to get free, the sight of it still wiggling forcing her to strike into the Grimm over and over with her shield, each loud crack slowly giving way to thunderous clangs as Akoúo̱ slowly cut its way through the floor. Finally, the creature stopped as it started to evaporate, a telltale sign that it finally met its end.

With the threat gone, the huntress fell back, taking a moment to breathe. Already, she could feel the bite closing up, her aura at work as the pain slowly subsided. As her wounds vanished from sight, another concern arose as the cab lurched downwards, metal creaking outside as what little grip was there started to fail. To compound the issue, Pyrrha started to feel woozy. She needed to work fast, or else it'd be the end for her. With what strength she could muster, she used her semblance to try and keep the cab from falling, as she struggled to get herself through the ceiling exit. As she crawled out from the cab, she saw that there was a floor above with the elevator doors busted open. An image of the serpent flashed into her mind briefly, but she pushed it aside as she needed to focus.

Once she stood on top of the cab's ceiling, she tried to push the car closer to the doorway above so she might be able to reach it. And yet, the more she tried, the more her muscles seared in pain, each movement becoming harder to make. She then realized it was now or never, making the desperate leap for the floor as the cab immediately started screeching down the shaft. After a heartbeat of suspense, she managed to grip on to the edge of the doorway seconds before she heard a loud, metallic crunch from below. She now hung there by just one hand, weakened from the battle and slowly losing her grip. Drawing out her blade, Pyrrha stabbed into the floor in an attempt to pull herself up, soon followed by her leg as she brought it to further better her grip. Once she finally had her entire self on the very edge, she pushed herself away from the ledge instinctively. After a quick breath, Pyrrha realized she still had several floors to go. She got up to her feet, seemingly ready to continue onward, only to slump over as she took one step.

Why? Why can't I move? I need to stop her!

She clenches her spear, pressing it against the floor to try and push herself back on her feet, her muscles seemingly in revolt as she struggled. Despite her efforts, she fails, as she becomes too weak to even hold the spear anymore, losing her grip and causing her to fall back down. Before she knew it, she was out cold.

She was alone, surrounded at all sides by darkness for as far as she could see. She called out for friends, family, peers, but all she got was silence. She was about to cry out again, when she heard a hiss that seemed to come in from all around her, as though she were surrounded. Blazing red marks appeared overhead, looming over her. She tried to turn, tried to flee, but her body did not accept her will. With another booming hiss, the shadows struck down upon her.

Pyrrha woke up with a start, her heart beating rapidly from what she had witnessed. After she took a moment to breathe, she soon realized that she wasn't in Beacon any longer, but in a bed, her hand being held by a sleeping Jaune. She couldn't help but blush slightly, squeezing his hand a bit before the door opened, a doctor entering the room. He looked tired, the bags heavy under his eyes, but they seemed to brighten the moment he saw she was awake.

"It's good to see you awake, miss…" he stopped, looking at the chart in front of the bed. "...Nikos? Well, it's an honor to have met you, just wished it was under better circumstances." He offered her a hand, which she took to shake in a polite gesture. "It's been a rather… long night." And like that, it looked as though the weight of the world rested on his shoulders once more.

"I'm...sorry to hear that." Pyrrha looked out the only window in the room, Beacon's tower damaged and host to a rather large Grimm that was frozen in place. If she listened hard enough, she could hear the occasional sound of gunfire outside.

"It's not as bad as it was last night, though." Pyrrha's attention turned back to him as he continued. "The Grimm are still roaming Vale, but there are not nearly as many as there were last night. We're getting more ground, slowly but surely. Still…" He looked like he was about to continue, but a murmur from Jaune made him stop. Slowly, the blonde woke up, removing his hand from Pyrrha's to wipe a bit of drool that was hanging from the edge of his mouth. It took him a few moments to remember where everything was, and another to notice that Pyrrha was awake, whatever bits of tiredness leaving from his expression and replaced with excitement and a bit of relief.

"Pyrrha!" He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into the tightest hug she had ever had. For a moment, she was stunned, before she wrapped her arms around him in return. It was enough to make her shed a small tear.

"I'll… give you two a moment, I got some more urgent patients I should be attending to at the moment." With that, the two were left by themselves, the awkwardness between them hanging in the air. Pyrrha wasn't sure what to say, but Jaune was, just unsure of how she may react when he says it. Finally, he spoke up.

"You shouldn't have ran up there, we could have lost you… I could have lost you." It was apparent to Pyrrha that, relieved as he was, he was also hurt by her actions, still not understanding why she did it.

"It was my fight, I didn't want you to…"

"Get in the way?" Jaune interrupted, more of his feelings coming through, a bit more angry in tone.

"Get hurt because of me." Pyrrha sighed, hoping the message was getting through. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to you."

"How do you think I felt? We're partners, Pyrrha. We're supposed to be fighting with each other, not for each other."

"I know, but…" Pyrrha grimaced a bit, thinking what might have happened if Jaune came with her. Even with all the training they have done together, he had room for improvement, and taking on her...

"Pyrrha, come on. Even if we didn't win, we'd have still been standing together to the end. We put our lives on the line every time we fight a Grimm, I don't see how-"

"I didn't want you to die!" She snapped, choking for a moment. "I want you to be safe, to be able to live your life, Jaune, whether that means I'm in it or not." After this emotional outburst, she began to break down.

"Well, uh… I'm safe now!" He exclaimed, trying to cheer her up. "And you're still here, alive and well! Nora and Ren are healing up to-"

"But what about her? The one who..."

Jaune's brows furrowed for a moment, wondering how best to tell her before deciding to be blunt with it. "She hasn't been seen since the giant Grimm was frozen up there. No one knows what happened to her."

"...So that's it? I didn't even have to try and stop her, after all?"

"Uh- Well, I wouldn't say it like that. Look, once you're released from this room, why don't we just take a walk, have everyone know you're alright, and put this all behind us?" After Jaune said that, Pyrrha seemed to have emotionally calmed down.

"...That might be best..." She mumbled, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Right! I'll be...waiting outside, then." With that, he got out of his seat with a bit of a groan, last night's events affecting him well, before he got out the door, with the doctor coming back in as he left.

"You know, he stayed by your side all night, after they found you." At this, Pyrrha perked up a bit, her gaze focusing on him as he continued. "He was waiting at the edge of the safe zone, hoping that someone would find you. And when they brought you in, he helped out whenever he could. Not many people have someone like that in their lives." To this, the huntress in training couldn't help but blush a bit, feeling just a bit bashful. "Anyhow, I'm going to give one last check up, and then you're free to go."

Once the check up was out of the way, the redhead joined up with Jaune, taking a moment to look out the window from the building they were in. Outside, there was a menagerie of tents and makeshift shelters which served as temporary homes for those who lived in Vale, as well as places for those who were wounded in the battle to rest. There was also a wall set up, soldiers from Atlas as well as a few hunters manning it. A few were taking shots at things she couldn't see, Grimm that were still running free. It was a bit hard to take in, seeing the Kingdom in such a dire state, but it looked as though the situation was under control at least.

Tearing herself away from the window, Pyrrha followed Jaune's lead, taking a brisk walk throughout the building. As they walked, not a word transpired between them. It was odd, comfortable and yet not, Pyrrha glancing at the blonde boy and on one occasion opening her lips to say something, but the only sounds that were heard were their footsteps.

Though Pyrrha wasn't sure where he was taking her, Jaune himself seemed a little excited about it. It confused her at first, but then he opened the door, her friends inside. From a glance, she could tell that Weiss and Blake seemed to be in the best shape. The heiress' dress was slightly torn here and there, and there was a large, alarming hole in Blake's shirt, but they seemed no worse for wear otherwise. Then there was Ren and Nora, who were bandaged up and, in Ren's case, wearing a cast on his leg. It hurt Pyrrha to see them like this, but the two seemed simply happy to see her again, in their own ways of course. It seemed everyone was alright for the most part, but that image was quickly shattered when she saw Yang.

The usually optimistic, energetic blonde looked weary, her lilac eyes carrying noticeable bags underneath them, as well as telltale trackways of recent tears. The thing that stood out her the most, though, was the fact she was missing much of her right arm. Yang tried to hide the pain with a smile, and in a way, it was genuine, but Pyrrha could see that she was still hurting.

Before Pyrrha could give any of this any further thought, she was caught off guard by Nora's hug, who still held tight even as she said 'ow' over and over again before Ren gently pried her off, though whether it was for Pyrrha's good or Nora's was anyone's guess. It was at that point that Pyrrha got a look at her face, tears flowing from her eyes, but there wasn't a bit of sadness within them. The energetic little redhead was smiling wide before managing to say, "You came back!"

After that, things felt more normal, at least where Pyrrha was concerned. The RWBY girls started to open up, chatting about some of the events from the night before. It was at this point that Pyrrha learned what happened to the new Fall Maiden, that Ruby had engaged her before managing to stop her and the giant Grimm with a flash of light. The girl was apparently unconscious, but alive, Weiss having brought her here with the help of Ruby's uncle, Qrow. As though it was on queue, the silver eyed girl came in through the door, a bit drained from what she did, but awake, before joining the rest of the group in chatter.

The day felt short, the hours flying past as they talked and joked and enjoyed each other's company. Even Yang seemed to be doing a little better, opening a bit more and giving some awful puns near the end. It was eventually pointed out by Ren that Pyrrha was scratching her cheek somewhat often, and though the champion assured she sure was fine, she was now aware of how much she was touching it, of the odd irritation that would not go away.

As the night went on, the two teams decided to spend the night together, there being just enough beds for each of them. After figuring out what the sleeping situation would be, with Ruby tempted to make a new set of makeshift bunk beds before being dissuaded by the others, they called it a night. Pyrrha smiled a bit, happy that she got to spend another night among her friends before she slipped off to the warm embrace of unconsciousness.

She was once again surrounded by darkness, seemingly alone. Memories of before seeped into her mind, her eyes going wide as she saw the enormous hooded figure before her once more, staring down at her as though she were prey. This time, her body responded to her wishes, backing away before breaking into a run. Still, it was to no avail, as the serpent easily caught up with her before surrounding her, pulling in tight like a vice. She felt the mounting pressure, trying to pull free from its touch before it seemingly froze. Looking up, she saw its blood red eyes stare upon her, focused and unblinking before her body started to shine a bright red, and she screamed as she tried to break free.

With a gasp, Pyrrha woke up, panicking a bit before realizing she was safe, surrounded by her friends. Taking a few breaths to calm down, she realized that her cheeks itched far more than they had been before.

Why do my cheeks keep itching? They've felt like this non-stop...

As quietly as she could so not to disturb the others, Pyrrha got out of bed, heading toward the nearest washroom across the hall to check what was causing the irritation. Turning on the lights and closing the door behind her, she approached the mirror above the sink, immediately noticing her cheeks were a bit red and bumpy.

Was I bitten by a bug or something?

As she thought about it, she noticed the bumps on her cheeks started to rise, as the redness seemed to get darker and thicker. She began to get a little worried, seeing this happen so rapidly before her eyes. Hoping it'd calm the inflammation down, she turned on the facet and got her cheeks wet, but it did nothing. Before she knew it, she saw the skin on her cheeks open up, as the redness was revealed to be some sort of... scales growing out. Panicking, she tried to pry them off, but it only hurt and tugged at her skin when she did, as if they were part of her. Her ears were next, as they started to tingle, slowly getting longer and more pointed, all the while turning from a pale white to a vibrant red. The poor girl began to panic, unable to stop the changes from happening, and worried what might happen next.

Before she could think, however, her leg muscles gave out, as she quickly slumped to the floor. While she couldn't move or feel her now numb legs, she had no problem moving the rest of herself, as she felt a similar irritation on her hips. She reached over to feel them, and it quickly became clear as more of her skin gave way to scales. Unfortunately for her, this still was not the extent of it, as, rather than irritation, she started to feel legitimate burning pain in her legs shoot through the numbness. She clenched her jaw as this happened, her eyes getting misty from the sensation. She rubbed her eyes to clear her vision, as she noticed her legs growing and merging together, with more crimson scales quickly growing out along the sides, while golden scales grew out from her lap. Watching this all happen, she noticed a pair of green streaks fading into existence down her sides, becoming brighter and more vibrant by the moment. She was helpless to this change, as she saw her feet following her legs, merging together, growing long and narrow to form a green tip. Once it was over, she was petrified in fear by what she had just gone through, unable to think properly. After this pause, she reached for the sink to pull herself up, as she didn't know how to stand anymore, with this new body. She looked into the mirror towards her own reflection, her face betraying her fear and concern.

"What's…happening to me?" She asked to herself. Without any answer, she then noticed her pupils changing shape. They shifted, from their normal round appearance, to narrow, gazing slits. They then grew even narrower, as she started to panic yet again from this final change.

Her breaths became short and shallow as she took everything in, unable to believe what happened to herself. Propping herself up on one arm, she slowly touched the scales on her cheeks and the pointed tips of her ears, being able to feel the feedback from the touch before her hand clenched into a fist. Setting herself down, she stared at her new lower half; her tail. After what felt like an eternity, she brought her hands down to touch her sides, feeling the smooth surfaces of her scales as they went down, and how they propped up as she felt back up. Some part of her feared and expected something else to happen, further changes, but in the coming minutes, nothing happened, and it dawned on her that she had no idea what she should do next.

For what felt like a long while, she just sat there, her new tail coiling unconsciously as she thought possible outcomes for her actions. No matter what though, she expected the worst, be it rejection by her friends and loved ones, being made into a pariah, or…worse. Pyrrha wrapped around herself, quietly sobbing when the door opened, the huntress' breath stilted as she looked on to the one who came in.

Her eyes widened when she recognized the person at the door, his footie pajamas being a dead give away even if she didn't know the person's face by heart. His jaw dropped at the sight of her, causing Pyrrha to flinch. "Pyrrha?" He asked, his eyes still scanning her form when he rushed over to her side. "W-what happened to you?"

"I-I don't know, I just got up to check why my cheeks were itching when all… this happened." She simply gestured to the whole of her form before her body dropped, her gaze going to the ceiling. For a moment, her mind strained for a cause when the image of the Grimm she faced bolted into her mind. "What am I going to do Jaune?" She turned her head to look at him, her eyes locked with his as another sob ran through her. She could only imagine what he thought of her at the moment, how monstrous she was to hi-

"I don't know what's going to happen, but whatever it is...I won't let you go through it alone." He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. For a moment, she was frozen in surprise, her eyes searching his before she smiled. She was about to thank him when he spoke up again. "Here, let me help you get back to bed… I get the feeling you might go through a lot in the morning." Getting to his feet, Jaune took Pyrrha by the hand before pulling her up to her tail, grunting a bit as he did so. Once she was up, Pyrrha took a moment to try to stand up on her own, but her tail still felt weak, as though it had been pushed to its limit and was still recovering. This, as well as the fact that she was still getting used to her new form, caused her lose her balance, forcing her to grab onto Jaune.

"I'm sorry…"

"D-...Don't worry about it." With that, Jaune put her arm around his shoulder, holding her up as they slowly made their way back to their room. It didn't help that Pyrrha's tail was a bunch of dead weight at the moment, but he didn't complain. Thankfully, the smooth surface of her tail meant that it didn't hold either of them back too much. This fact also helped them quietly sneak back into the room without waking any of the others, though if anything was going to do that, it'd be Nora's snoring.

"Alright, here's your stop." Jaune held Pyrrha just beside her bed, allowing the redhead to lower herself back onto the covers. She was about to thank him when it became apparent that she wouldn't be able to fit herself onto the bed. "Well, I think this was to be expected…" The huntress grimaced a bit. "Still, thank you, Jau-...Jaune?" When she turned back to where he was, he was already back at his bed, taking off the top cover layer before coming back. "Jaune, what are you doing?"

"Just making sure you'll be comfortable. Besides, it was getting too hot for me anyway." Almost immediately, Pyrrha could tell that wasn't the truth by the way he avoided looking at her face, though she didn't bring the issue up as he wrapped much of her tail with the cloth. Once that was done, he got back up onto his feet, stretching a bit before looking back at her. "There, that should be nice and comfortable. Anything else I can get you before I head back to bed?"

"You've done more than enough… Thank you, Jaune." She shot him a smile before making herself comfortable in the warmth of the bed.

"You're welcome." For a moment, his brows scrunched up as though he wanted to say something, but he shook his head before heading towards his bed. "Try to get some rest. Whatever happens, you'll need it."

She smiled at his concern, wrapping a bit of her length tighter around the bed. It felt awkward at first, but it wasn't long before finding a comfortable position, her eyes drooping as exhaustion hit her hard. Before she fell asleep however, she did manage to softly whisper, "Good night, Jaune…"

Author's Note:

As many of you well know, three months ago (or three months and a day, depending on the time zone,) volume three of RWBY came to a close, and a painful end it was. As such, thought it'd be a good idea to post this today, seeing as it focuses on Pyrrha Nikos. This idea came about a few weeks back while I was browsing images of her, when I stumbled upon an image of her as lamia... don't know why, but the idea latched on quick.

Anyhow, in a bit of a rush here, but I'll be sure to add onto the notes for the next chapter. For now, two announcements. One, I'm going to try something new for this fic and open up a Q and A of sorts. Essentially, add a question in a review, and either I, Jaune, or Pyrrha will answer it to the best of our abilities (no spoilers, obviously.) Secondly, for those following my story Hybrid, no, haven't forgotten it. Got the next chapter nearly finished... just been having a lot of issues as of late regarding my PC.

Before I do go, want to say thanks to DarKenn, who has not only helped with the writing and editing process, but also drew the image for this story.

Anyhow, till next time, read and enjoy!