Author's Note: So I wrote the first chapter because it and one other, longer/deeper RWBY story were stuck in my head and I needed to jot one down to get it off my mind. While I loved the concept of the last chapter and really enjoyed writing it, I did not plan on writing a follow-up chapter because I could not think of something worth following it up with.
So, after a few days of having it stuck in my head again and running down what might happen next, here is the follow up that, while it doesn't have the reveal like the last one, will probably get back at the heartstrings again.
#IfPyrrhaDoesn'tUndieWeRiot
Prologue Pt. II
(Jaune's POV)
I…I am not certain that there are words to describe how gut-wrenchingly sick I feel right now. I have a massive hangover—my first, making it worse—that is threatening to make my head explode with every passing second. On top of that, I spilled my heart to some stranger last night, which had to have looked pathetic; certainly pathetic enough for him to take me home and let me sleep it off in his house. And to add to that, it just so happens that the man I rambled to about Pyrrha and night was her own freaking father.
And now, standing here with my head throbbing (have I mentioned I have a killer hangover yet?) I now have to decide how I am going to break it to Pyrrha's parents that she's dead. Worse still, after I tell them her father is going to very quickly put two and two together from last night.
So I am going to have to break the news to my girlfriend's parents that she's dead the first time that I meet them. If that isn't a recipe to get shot, I don't know what is.
I sat back down on the bed and put my head in my hands, hoping it would alleviate some pain. Spoiler alert, it did not. I sat there thinking about what I should do next. There were a couple of options before me, none of which would be easy or pleasant. The only thing I decided for sure is that I cannot avoid this; this is something I have to do as a team leader, as a friend, and as…and as her…
Running from this was not an option. The only thing I know for sure is that I have to be as thorough and responsible as I can, whatever that may mean.
A thought crossed my mind, though; that didn't mean I had to be alone. I reached for my scroll and was pleased to find that the inner-city communications were operational, and I opened up my messages.
It didn't take long at all to find what I was looking for: the Team JNPR group chat.
Hammer Queen: Jaune WHERE. ARE. YOU.
Hammer Queen: I swear if you did somethin stupid I'm breaking your legs.
Hammer Queen: THIS IS THE 30TH MESSAGE IVE SENT IN HERE WHAT HAPPENED JAUNE!?
Ninja Bro: I'll make Nora promise not to harm you physically if you would at least respond. We're worried.
I made a mental note that I need to change Ren and Nora's contact names in case I ever need someone to call them from my scroll, but that wasn't important right now. I backed out of the messages and went to my files, where under a section of notes designated "Team Leader Only" I accessed files about my team that I was privy to solely because I'm the leader. There was a folder for each member, so I clicked on Pyrrha's and looked through till I found who was listed as her "emergency contacts." Surely enough, it was her parents, and part of the info had their address.
I copied the address and sent it in the group chat.
Me: I just sent you guys an address, can you get here as soon as possible? I'll explain everything.
It didn't take long for a response.
Hammer Queen: REALLY? THAT'S ALL WE GET!?
Ninja Bro: We'll be there. Hope you're okay.
Ninja Bro: Nora this is urgent we are not stopping for pancakes.
Hammer Queen: …
Hammer Queen: Jaune, is it that urgent?!
Me: Yes. Sorry.
I quickly put away my scroll before I had to deal with whatever tantrum Nora might throw. I opened my maps and did a quick search of the place we all had been staying, and it came back that is was a few blocks away. Only about a 10 minute walk, meaning I only had 10 mins to decide how I was going to do this.
After eight minutes where I had still made no progress (except for downing the sports drink that was supposed to help my still pounding head), I decided that whatever happened, I was not going to try to squirm out of responsibility. I'm not going to try to present myself as best I can or romanticize details, I'm just going to be as honest as I can. Surely, anyone capable of raising someone as amazing as Pyrrha Nikos deserves that much.
The doorbell rang, and my stomach flopped so hard I swear I could hear it; I also wanted to throw up, but couldn't fully tell if that was the stomach or the hangover.
I heard commotion downstairs, and I knew that I needed to be down there when the doors open. I would have a lot of explaining to do, and there's no time to start like the present. At least, that's what I told myself with each step where it felt as if I was trying to carry an entire piano over a bed of hot coals.
Mrs. Nikos got to the door just as I did.
"Who could that be, I wonder?" She asked cheerfully to no one in particular. I walked up behind her to make sure I would be there as the door opened. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mr. Nikos sitting at the table.
The door opened to reveal a very confused and concerned Ren, Nora, and a tagalong Ruby.
"That's my team here to get me. I…have something I need to tell you, actually. Would it be okay if they came inside while I did so?" I asked slowly, making sure to stay respectful.
Mrs. Nikos, cheery as ever if slightly confused, invited them right on in and they kinda gathered around me as I shuffled towards the kitchen where Mr. Nikos was seated, reading a paper. Mrs. Nikos had gone over past him to check on something.
"AH, LOOK! There you are, champ! How's the morning treating you?!" Mr. Nikos boomed across the room with a playful glee in his voice. I flinched at the sudden noise and my headache cranked up to 11.
"GAhhh! Are you trying to make this worse?" I hissed out quietly.
"OF COOOOURSE! I helped you get wasted for the first time, so it's up to me to be the responsible one and make sure your first hangover is so bad you don't ever do something as reckless as that again…" He responded with a chuckle.
"You went DRINKING!?" Nora blurted out. Whether or not she intended to follow that up with bodily harm I'll never know, as Ren already had a grip around her stomach from behind, holding her back.
"What the heck, Jaune?" Ruby asked a little ticked, though her love for her uncle had dispositioned her to more easily dismiss that sort of thing.
Although Ren had held back Nora, the uncertain and distrusting look he gave me spoke volumes more than he ever would have needed to.
"I didn't…mean to. I just happened to turn up at a bar." I answer honestly, though unconvincingly.
"Heh. Qrow used to say that a lot." Ruby softly commented with a chuckle.
"Long story short, I got completely wasted with another Huntsman and had a loooong talk about why I there and…well…" I trailed off, knowing what had to come next.
I turned to face Mr. and Mrs. Nikos.
"Mr. and Mrs. Nikos, this is Ruby Rose. We're helping her with her mission while her team is scattered. This back here is Lie Ren, and this in front of him is Nora Valkyrie." I said slowly and deliberately, allowing my words to sink in for everyone around the room. Nora and Ren picked up on their last name, and the Nikos's perked up slightly too. "I never actually introduced myself. My name is Jaune Arc. We…we were your daughter's team."
I had never been so nervous in my life as I had before saying those words, and I had never been so uncertain of what would happen next either.
It dawned first on Mr. Nikos. The blood drained from his face and his grip on the table in front of him tightened. The more time went on, the further from reality he looked based on the look on his face. He was snapped out of it when his wife grabbed his hand.
"Honey you said he—that his—he…" she said, fumbling her words as her mind began processing too quickly. He must have given her a summary of what I had told him last night, meaning that it wouldn't be long before she realized Pyrrha was gone.
It did not take long. Before Mr. Nikos could even stand up, his wife had wrapped her arms around him and was crying into his shoulder. Not knowing what to do—and still battling the sadness myself—I just kinda bowed my head and stared at my feet, uncertain of anything at this point.
At some point, Ren's grip on Nora loosened, because I was distracted by a rush of wind. By the time I looked up, Nora had joined in the Nikos's group hug, followed soon by Ren. At that point, I felt drawn to do the same, and I think even Ruby joined somewhere on the side. For a few minutes, we were just one big, collective ball of sadness. And somewhere deep inside, it felt good, in a way. It felt like the beginning of closure.
Something else deep inside me told me it would be a long time to really get closure.
And…that's how the day started. A hangover and a group hug. That morphed into hours lost talking about our life at Beacon, from Landing Strategies (or lackthereof) to the beginning of the Vytal Festival. However, once on the topic, we had to completely cover it, meaning, well, I was about to have story time again. Only this time in front of my friends and Pyrrha's parents, and with no liquid courage.
I literally was shaking when everyone kinda trailed off and slowly started looking my way.
"I guess I should tell the end of the story, huh?" I asked quietly to no one in particular.
Before I started, a thought ran across my mind: even though I don't know every detail, I know there are a lot of things behind the curtain that were involved in Pyrrha's death, thanks to Qrow's talk with us.
"Before I start, I think that we should tell them everything…" I announced to the confusion of the Nikos's. Ren and Nora arched their eyebrows and looked to each other for confirmation, but otherwise did not object. I looked to Ruby and we locked eyes, but after a few moments she closed hers and nodded slightly.
"What I'm going to tell you…I need you to promise me that you won't tell anyone. I…I need you to swear it on Pyrrha's name." I choked out with much more difficulty than I anticipated.
Mr. and Mrs. Nikos were surprised, but at Mr. Nikos's insistence they went along with it. If nothing else, after what he saw of me last night he trusted I wouldn't take such a thing lightly.
"Long story short, apparently the tale of the Four Maidens in real, and it's been…hidden by the Headmasters. They believe that if the public knew, it would create panic and that would attract Grimm, so they keep it secret. Like in the stories, the Maidens are extremely powerful—almost magical—and only can be transferred to young women. The last Fall Maiden was attacked and had half of her power stolen and…" I trailed off, uncertain of what to say next.
"And Professor Ozpin chose Pyrrha to inherit the other half of the power before it could also be stolen." Ruby filled in. I make eye contact with her and nodded to thank her for helping.
"And so she had to choose between fulfilling her destiny and being with her friends and…with…me. She'd been distracted the day of her big fight, so I tried to comfort her to help out…and she took a nap on my shoulder. When she woke up, she asked what she should do if…if something was holding her back from her destiny."
I paused, and no one moved or breathed a word. By now, I was already alternating between looking around the room and looking at the floor. Every time I made eye contact, I quickly looked back down out of nervousness. I realized that this was actually the first time I had told Ren and Nora this part of the story, so they were as glued to my words as everyone else.
"And that's when I told her that the Pyrrha I know…" and love I thought to myself, but couldn't bear to add that to the story. It would be revisionist history, anyways. "…would never let herself be held back by anything."
"Oh. OH. Big mistake." Mr. Nikos echoed my words from last night, them finally making sense.
"Yeah. As luck would have it, at that very moment I was both a symbol of what was holding her back, and I was literally what was holding her back. And in her already stressed out state, that answer was…heartbreaking to hear. When I tried to find out what I did wrong, she was…she flinched when I touched her shoulder and slammed me into the wall with her semblance. Before I could recover, she had ran away with tears in her eyes.
"The next time I saw her was in the arena." I finished slowly.
After a long pause, the silence was broken.
"That makes sense. She didn't look like herself in that fight, what with how blatantly she used her semblance at the end." Mrs. Nikos commented.
"I think…" Ruby started, "…that someone may have been using illusions on Pyrrha to make it seem worse than it was. The same thing happened to my sister when she…uhh…attacked Mercury."
"Oh? That's your sister?" Mr. Nikos asked curiously.
"Yes, that's my sister, and I'll have you know that I found Mercury walking around the arena the night that Beacon fell. He was in on it." Ruby defended sharply, maybe even a little too sharply. Mr. Nikos backed down with a soft chuckle and lightly apologized for his tone.
"So…that robot…what was that about?" Mrs. Nikos asked, getting us back on topic. I had kinda hoped that the conversation would die and no one would say a word for the rest of, well, forever. No such luck.
"Penny…" Ruby mumbled softly under her breath. "Her name was Penny Polindina. She…I don't know if I'm supposed to tell any of this…" She trailed off quietly.
"Well, with everything else we've talked about so far, I don't think secrets are really on the table anymore." Ren joked lightly, but reassuringly. No one objected to what he said, so Ruby decided to continue.
"Penny was the first…uh, robot? The first to ever actually have an aura, which means she…" Ruby trailed off, hoping someone would jump in. When no one did, I decided that I would; Ruby's has helped me out by jumping in a couple times, so it wouldn't hurt to return the favor.
"If she had an aura, then she was…alive, right?" I asked.
"Was." Ruby mumbled sadly. After a few moments, Ruby realized something and looked up quickly as if something she said was wrong. "I don't mean that—well, I don't think anyone blames Pyrrha for Penny's…death. I don't anyways, and I was…Penny's only friend."
Everyone was silent. It had been so long—and so much had happened—since Beacon that Penny's death had been pushed more towards the back of our minds, or at least team JN_R's minds. After a few moments, my team (myself included) starting affirming the last part of Ruby's statement.
"No, no one blamed her. Not even General Ironwood did when we saw him, and he had the most to lose…" Ren mused.
"Afterwards, she was so devastated she never even moved. If Jaune hadn't ran over when that Nevermore attacked, I…don't know what would have happened."
And just like that, the story falls back to me, right on track, too.
"What do you mean she never moved?" Mr. Nikos asked for clarification.
"She…well…Jaune, do you want to take this one…?" Ren struggled to find his words.
"She just…was in shock. Her eyes…I don't know if it was fear or guilt or panic, but her eyes couldn't have gotten bigger. It was just…too much for her to handle, that whole day. She was already confused from earlier and…killing someone didn't help."
Silence ran through the room once more. I stared down at my feet, Ren and Nora scanned the room (and Nora nuzzled closer to Ren in their seat), Ruby awkwardly darted her eyes back and forth, and the Nikos's…processed it all.
"So what happened next?"
I took a breath and prepared myself for what was coming. For what I needed to do.
"So, while everyone is fighting the Grimm and the White Fang, Pyrrha found Headmaster Ozpin and they…they were hurrying for something, and after what had happened you couldn't have dragged me away from her side. We got in Beacon Tower's elevator and went down, well below the school. And…then they…there was this machine, with another person in it—the Fall Maiden that was attacked. They told me to…Pyrrha got in and I think that was supposed to give her the powers Qrow talked about, but Cinder showed up and…killed the other Maiden. Ozpin told us to run and get help, and they were fighting before we got far."
Now, everyone was silent, eyes glued to me. I hadn't told Ren and Nora these parts, at least not in this much detail, and Ruby new next to nothing about this part.
"We got out and…and Pyrrha…" My voice hitched, and I could feel the tears ready to flood at any moment if I wasn't careful. "She said that she had to go back, that she could help. I told her…I tried to talk her out with everything in me! She wasn't listening to me and I was telling her why it wasn't a good idea and the next thing I knew…"
I stopped for a moment to examine myself. My voice had begun to get faster and defensive, my heart rate had spiked, and I was out of breath. I was getting worked up. I bowed my head and took a few breaths trying to calm myself down.
"This is a lot harder sober…" I mumbled weakly.
"This is when she…interrupted you, isn't it?" Mr. Nikos asked. He clearly wasn't drunk enough (or maybe even at all) to have forgotten that last night.
I decided I would power through it; I had too, afterall.
"She didn't want to hear it, and she…cut me off. One moment I was sick to my stomach, scared that she would get herself killed, and the next moment the world stopped as…she kissed me."
For some reason, that was the hardest thing to say. It didn't matter that I was surrounded by those in the same position as me—surrounded by a family I trusted—because I felt like I was betraying them by telling them this. Like I was bragging about an award I had won, when really it was a story about me being too weak to stop her from dying.
After a few seconds, my curiosity and bravery (what was left of it) teamed up and I slowly looked up to scan the reactions around the room.
Nora was crushed into Ren's side, and Ren's face was so distant and sympathetic I felt strange looking at him. Ruby's mouth was slightly agape, and she had covered it with a cupped hand out of reflex; her arched eyebrows and glistening eyes told me that she wasn't mocking me, though.
Mr. Nikos had bowed his head—he already knows how this ends, and I imagine it is difficult to hear this and see me go through this—and was attending to his wife, who had tears streaming down eyes wider than dinner plates; she also had a death grip on her husband not unlike Nora had on Ren.
It wasn't until now that I realized how wet my own eyes were.
"The next thing…" I tried to start, but my voice failed me. I cleared my throat and shook my head, hoping I would shake something loose. "The next thing I knew, I was locked in a rocket locker with Pyrrha…Pyrrha telling me goodbye. That was the last time…"
I trailed off, but had no intention of ever finishing that sentence.
"When I landed, I got a hold of Ruby and…she said she would do everything she could to stop her, but I knew…it couldn't have been enough."
Ruby, thank dust, took that as her cue to jump in.
"I had a friend, Weiss, use her glyphs to get me to the top of the tower. I…I got there just in time to see…I had to watch Cinder put an arrow through Pyrrha's heart."
Now Mrs. (and Mr.) Nikos were really crying, only keeping it together because otherwise they would miss some detail, and right now this is all they had left to hold on to.
"The next thing I knew, I woke up like a week later in my bed back home."
And then there was no talk for a few minutes. That's not to say that it was silent, because there were plenty of sniffles from all directions and laboring breathing from a couple.
After a while, there was a though building up inside me that if I didn't address, it might consume me.
"I've had six months to think on what I could have done differently. I could have been less blind at any time; I've asked myself so many times 'If I meant more to her, would she still have left me?' But that's thinking indirectly. No, if I…I was the one who told her to pursue her destiny without being held back. And then I wasn't able to hold her back. That's a mistake that…that's not something you ever get to live down." I pronounced solemnly.
No one addressed me, and I really didn't have the courage to look up now.
"Jaune, don't you have something of Pyrrha that you could show them? A recording they could see?" Ruby asked softly but knowingly.
My hand instinctively went to my pocket, where my scroll was. How does she know about those? Something deep down inside of me wanted to hide it, to deny that I had anything, to protect this and keep it to myself. It's the only thing of her I have left to myself.
But I told myself I wouldn't skip out of this. I was here to…I am here to own up to everything, and take all the blame that's fair. Hiding this doesn't fall in line with that.
That doesn't mean that handing over my scroll was easy. I sighed and resigned myself to obliging.
"She…had the idea to record some lessons for me to use whenever I needed them. I still train with them. I can…send you copies of them all, but you'll want to see this one." I pulled up the one and jumped to about two minutes left in the video. "All you have to do is hit play, but please…wait till I'm not in the room. I can't…I know every word by heart; I can't bear to hear them again."
I handed them my scroll and went into a different room, with Ruby following me. Everyone gave me a puzzled look when I said what I did, but I didn't let it stop me from getting out of there.
I sat down on the first chair I found, and Ruby followed closely behind and closed the door.
I know this can be frustrating, and it can feel like so much effort to progress such a small amount, but…
"How did you know about that?" I asked, somewhat angry, but too tired to do anything with it.
"I…couldn't sleep one night, and heard you training. I'm…sorry, if I shouldn't have…"
"No, you're…I needed a push." I answered solemly.
I want you to know that I'm proud of you.
"We never…I didn't know about…how she distracted you…" Ruby fumbled her words, uncertain of the terrain she was entering.
"I never told anyone, not yet at least. It's…it's not been pleasant to be me, Ruby. My whole life that's been true. I was born the only boy in a long line of successful, important warriors, and I couldn't even manifest an aura. Or fight. And yet, I…found a way to get to Beacon, which should have been the biggest of my many mistakes. I should have been weeded out within a week…"
I've never met someone so determine to better themselves.
"Pyrrha is the only reason that never happened. I never was willing to believe that I was actually capable of anything, that I was worth anything. But…I could never look into Pyrrha's eyes and convince her of that. So…I went along with it. I didn't have a choice; she didn't give me a choice."
You've grown so much since we started training.
"She's gone, and all I have left is that video to keep me going, and a thought: I am all that's left of her. I'm her legacy. Everything I do from here on in can be attributed to her."
And I know this is just the beginning.
"How crappy of a legacy can you leave, really? To have your entire remembrance entrusted into my hands?"
"Jaune, she wouldn't have chosen anyone else…"
Jaune, I…I…
"I know. That's why I'm not going to stop. I'm…I'm going to continue going, no matter what. I'll sacrifice everything, Ruby. Everything."
I want you to know that I'm just happy to be a part of your life.
"No matter what—or who—it is holding me back or stopping me, I won't be held back. Poetic, isn't it?"
I'll always be here for you, Jaune.
"Because she's worth more than that. I'll ensure it."