A/N: It feels good to get back to writing Fanfics after so long. I hope you all enjoy this revised and extended chapter 1.
After sprinting all through Beacon Academy, Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos finally descended the main stairs, leading them into the primary courtyard. Despite all the training the two had been doing, they still were forced to stop and catch their breath. Jaune doubled over, lungs burning in agony, his knees were weak, his arms might as well have been boulders. His entire being was exhausted. Despite that though, his mind was a whirlwind of emotion and moving pieces. He had an idea of what was going on but what did all mean? Was Ozpin going to be OK? Were him and Pyrrha gonna be OK? The Champion simply took stock, surveying the damage. Even her impressive endurance was wearing thin, a one on one fight with Penny had transferred into an all-out Grimm assault. All of that topped off with the White Fang making their move. Then there was Cinder. Her thoughts shifted back to Penny. Dear gods, she had killed her. Literally ripped her apart in front of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people. She was a monster, a murder. Her thoughts were interrupted by the blond at her side.
"OK, I think I have Glynda's number." His fingers glided across the screen to his contacts but he couldn't stop shaking. He couldn't focus. None of the names on his Scroll were making any sense, all reading "error." Over and over again, up and down. There were no names, something was wrong. Why couldn't he find anyone? "Where is it?" He kept checking, over and over again. Something was very, very wrong. His eyes moved up to his partner. "Pyrrha? What was all that?" Pyrrha was silent for a moment, trying to think of the words. Where did she even start? How do you explain to someone that a fairy tale wasn't just real, but powerful enough to end the world as we know if the power from that story gets into the wrong hands? She had started to answer him but the words fall silent on her lips as the ground quakes beneath them. Through the broken elevator door on the far side of the main building, a figure skyrocketed up the shaft, a trail of blazing fire in her wake. The world ended there, their last hope at stopping that woman, that monster, had failed in the basement. For a moment, there's no air in their lungs, no beats in their hearts, no thoughts in their minds. It was Jaune who broke the silence that had set in. "But… Ozpin…" When they'd left, Ozpin said he'd handle it….
Pyrrha dropped her gaze and shook her head. .
"There's no time." She turned her eyes to her partner and shouted. "GO! Get to Vale and call for help!" It went against everything she wanted but she had to. If anything, Pyrrha needed Jaune to be safe, everyone else be damned. The blond had taken a step back, raising an eyebrow. .
"Huh? What're you gonna do?" The redhead had turned her gaze to the top of Beacon Tower. It didn't take Jaune more than a second the see the thought going through her head. "No… No, Pyrrha you can't! You saw how powerful she is! Pyrrha I won't let you do-" Before he could finish his thought, she'd moved in, her lips meeting his., Jaune's initial surprise had worn off and he closed his eyes, hands finding her hips. She was softer than one would expect a hardened warrior to be. She tasted like peppermint, a flavor that, up until that moment, he had hated. For a moment, just a single second, nothing else mattered. The attack, the Grimm, Ozpin, Cinder. For just a single second in time, amidst all the chaos, they weren't two people fighting for their lives and their school, they weren't warriors. In that single point in history, they were only Pyrrha Nikos and Jaune Arc, friends, partners, and if they survived all this, maybe something more. But all good things must come to an end and the red headed Champion, the Invincible Girl, and the love of Jaune Arc's life, slowly pulled away. Millions of things were moving at Mach speed in the blond's mind. He had so many questions that he wanted answers. Before he could ask any of them however, the redhead's lips morphed into a frown. No, it was something much deeper than that, a look that you gave someone when you knew you'd never see them again. She spoke.
"I'm sorry." With a shove, Jaune Arc was driven back into a nearby locker, the door slamming closed. His hands pushed against the door, he wanted more than anything for it to swing back open. It was useless and he knew it. His eyes pleaded with the girl in front of him and soon his voice joined in.
"Pyrrha! Please don't do this!" Her eyes met his one last time as she stepped back. The locker blazed a path through the night sky, away from the Beacon Tower. The redhead tracked the object, praying for his safety and then for his forgiveness. Tears stung her eyes as she made her way back into the building. She was going to finish this, one way or another.
As the locker sailed through the air, Jaune could feel his world start to fall apart all over again, Pyrrha was going to get herself killed if she went up there. There wasn't a doubt in his mind about that. She was one of the most powerful students at Beacon but she was still a student and that woman had just worked through Ozpin. Pyrrha didn't stand a chance alone. He had to do something, anything. Fate works in mysterious ways though, and in that moment, Jaune Arc got his "anything." As luck would have it, he was flying towards a flock of Griffons; the massive Grimm monstrosities didn't take too kindly to the steel contraption, snatching the locker out of the air like a steak for a pack of dogs. The sudden stop in movement caused the blond to slam into the front, his aura absorbing some of the impact but not enough that it didn't sting quite a bit. Another problem had presented itself on account of the Griffons beginning to tear into the steel, trying to get at their prey inside. "Oh no. Oh nonononononono!" The door was ripped off the hinges and Jaune kicked a leg out, catching one of the creatures in the beak. In response, it shook the flying coffin, rattling Jaune around. The very real fear of falling to his death had risen its head thanks to the missing door.
Another Griffon smashed into the side, damaging what little remained of the navigation system. More shaking led to the boy flying out and only saving himself by grabbing onto the bottom. Now hanging out in the open, the Griffons closed in, pecking and nibbling as his aura and armor clad flesh. He knew his aura was strong but it was fading fast and wouldn't hold out forever. He had to get out of this and find a way to get back to Pyrrha. Jaune could feel his aura draining and his grip weakening. He pulled himself up back into the locker and attempted to curl into a ball in the very back of the locker. With no door to protect him, this was his best chance at survival.. More claws and beaks slashed through the metal, beaks and faces making their presence known.. It was then though, that Jaune had an idea.
He uncurled, stood, and slammed his shoulder into the back wall, trying to change the direction of the locker. He was semi-successful in his attempt but the Griffon still held tight. So Jaune did the only thing he could do, he pulled Crocea Mors from the scabbard on his hip and slashed at the Grimm's talons. With an ear-splitting shriek, the beast released the locker. It continued its flight, however, with the damage to the navigation system, it defaulted back to its origin point. The locker screamed through the night sky again and Jaune slide Crocea Mors back into its sheath, he returned to his curled form in the back of the locker, bracing for impact. It was then though that another problem reared its ugly head: his stomach. It began to churn, roaring like the sea and the blond Huntsman closed his eyes, praying to whatever was up above to help him now.
As the locker shoots through the sky, Jaune could see the Grimm Dragon smash into Beacon Tower, the walls crumbling down and glass shattering. The massive monster then ascended back into the night sky. Inside the remains of the building, he could see Pyrrha crawling to get her shield. Cinder peered down at her, floating as the power of the Fall Maiden coursed through her veins. Fire erupted from Cinder's hands, causing the Invincible Girl to dance back and forth. Jaune had seen Pyrrha fight defensively before in Goodwitch's class but this was so much more than that. There was no strategy, no skill, just a need to dodge and hope. She was so out of her depth but the blond knew that never stopped her before. He saw the redhead put everything she had into a throw of her shield. The attack would've been a feat to dodge had she been fighting a student, the shield flying like a bronze disc of pure energy. Against Cinder though? It might has well been a Frisbee. However, the shield wasn't meant to be an attack, but a distraction. Using her Semblance, Pyrrha hoisted the massive steel cogs which surrounded the area after the destruction of the clock they housed. With the twitch of her finger, her shield careened from the far side of the arena, knocking Cinder's knees from under her and returning to her hands. Then she slammed her hands down, trapping the newly crowned Maiden beneath what had to be at least a ton of steel. The metal prison didn't hold her for long and Cinder extracted herself from beneath the cogs, sending them flying as if they were toys.
The Maiden materialized her weapon, a large black bow, and loosed an arrow as the redhead hurled Akoúo̱. The arrow and the shield appeared to be on a collision course until the projectile dissipated and reformed behind the bronze disc. It suddenly dropped, embedding itself into the Champion's ankle bringing her to the ground. A grunt of pain escaped her lips, knowing her Aura spent. She attempted to stand but this only grinded the arrow further into her bone. With another grunt, she falls to the ground. The redhead reaches down, contemplating whether to pull it out or not. She touched the tip and a lance of pain went through the injured ankle. Pulling it out wasn't an option so she defaulted to plan B; breaking it. Contact with the arrow was agonizing but she fought it down, snapping it in half. Cinder crossed the makeshift arena to stand before the fallen Champion. She crouched cupping Pyrrha's chin and bringing her in close. Thoughts bombarded her in that moment. Was this the end? Was she going to die here? There was still so much she wanted to do though! So many things she wanted to experience. So many things she wanted, no, needed, to say. The woman spoke, her voice dripping with arrogance.
"It's unfortunate you were promised a power that was never truly yours. But take comfort in knowing that I will use it in ways you could have never imagined." Pyrrha gazed into the Fall Maiden's amber eyes, they crackled with power. Pyrrha could practically feel it emanating from the woman. The redhead swallowed her fear, she would not die begging. So she replied.
"Do you believe in destiny?" Before Cinder could even answer the question, Jaune's makeshift missile collided with her. It drove the woman into the concrete, skidding her all across it before coming to a stop against the debris. The impact had stunned her, after all, does anyone expect a locker to come flying out of the sky? Jaune dragged himself from the the wreckage, bloody and bruised, rushing to Pyrrha's side as fast as his body would allow. He fell to his knees beside her, more pain echoing through him. Breathing was more than a challenge at this point as every time he did, another stab of agony went through him. Still, he spoke.
"Pyrrha!" He pulled her into his chest, causing him to inhale sharply; in that moment he knew he had at least a couple of broken ribs. None of that mattered now though. "Are you ok? What the hell were you thinking? What is going on!?" He feels her squeeze back and feels tears start to form in his eyes. He rests his head on her shoulder. "Why did you think you had to do this alone?" He whispers his final question. The Champion replies.
"It was my destiny Jaune. It had to be me. This was so we could have a Fall Maiden that we could trust, this was all for the greater good. I had to protect you" Ever since Jaune was a child, he was always protected. Bullies at school? His sister's stepped in. Stuck in a tree he knew he shouldn't have been in? His mom was there. In over his head, lying to get into a school he had not right to be in to achieve a dream? His partner kept his secret. Jaune Arc was tired of being protected. It was his turn to defend someone else now. Before his reply could be made though, a laugh sounded from behind.
"The greater good? To Hell with your greater good! If you want to change the world, you need power. The weak change nothing, the strong change everything." Cinder stood amidst the rubble, blood dripping down her arms as she makes her way to the two students. The calm look of control she had before was replaced with something far more primal. Unbridled rage coursed through her veins, they had ruined her moment! She was going to make them pay for that. Slowly she stalked towards them. "Which is why neither of you will live to see me turn this world upside down" The students broke their embrace and Pyrrha lunged out but at this point, she has nothing left to give. Cinder deflects the feeble attack and delivers a swift kick to the Champion's ribs, sending her flying into the debris across the dilapidated arena. Jaune tried to retaliate, turning and bringing Crocea Mors to bear but Cinder was much faster, slapping his sword from his hand. The strength behind the blow was staggering. He knew his grip wasn't as strong as it could've been but she looked like she was knocking a toy out of a child's grasp. The blond hefted his shield up to charge her but she swept his legs from beneath him and summoned her bow. She drew back an arrow and sneered. Jaune felt her heel stomp into his broken ribs, more pain exploded through him, his mouth spitting blood. It was unbearable, he couldn't have moved even if her heel wasn't holding him in place. Reality came screaming back though and it all faded. The pain, anger, sadness, and hope all evaporated. Taking its place was pure fear, it paralyzed him. His mind is screaming at him to move, kick, scream, run, do anything but die on his back. But his body didn't listen and she let the arrow fly.
Time seemed to slow down in that instant. It was like his mind couldn't process everything and it delivered the info to his brain in a slideshow format. The blond swore he could hear every millimeter of steel being shredded by the arrow, it would've been nauseating. After it finished with his chest plate, it ripped through the stitching of his favorite Pumpkin Pete hoodie. He knew it was stupid but it was the last gift he family had given him before he left for Beacon. To have it torn by an arrow felt like his whole family was being pierced by it. He closed his eyes at this point, knowing it would all be over soon. He hoped so at least. Next, the invader makes contact with his Aura. The arrow embeds itself within it but he's not dead, seems he still had something left in the tank. The impact caused more misery to flood through him but if he felt something then he was alive. Joy cleaved through the clouds of fear for a moment only to have it all overshadowed by a familiar scream.
"JAUNE!" Suddenly, a silver supernova erupted and the world descended into chaos for what must have been hours. It looked like the sun had taken up a position not twenty feet from where he lay. Cinder appeared to be just as surprised as he was however, even the Grimm Dragon that had begun to make its pass was caught off guard as evidenced by its howl. The screech of the beast eviscerated ear drums and, in but a mere second, everything was silent. Before his vision can fade to black, Jaune turned his gaze to an unmoving Pyrrha, slumped against the rubble. His head fell back, resting against the cool concrete. He never would've thought the position comfortable but it wasn't as bad as he thought. Maybe it's because he couldn't feel anything anymore. It didn't matter as the blue eyed leader of Team JNPR closed his eyes and let himself feel nothing.