Just a heads up, if you haven't read the first chapter of this story yet I'd highly recommend going back and looking it over because without it you might have trouble getting into Jaune's head-space for this fic! This is a continuation of what was originally a one shot.
So That You Might Rise
All that was left of daylight peeked over the horizon, the sun slowly bowing its head to night. A few weak rays of autumn light still trickled through the trees, wavering and sputtering but in some places dying out altogether.
Chasing the coattails of twilight, dark purple smudges of nightfall hunted down these last vestiges of yellow sunlight, blanketing the sky with their slow-moving footprints. Given an hour's time, they would stamp out bright pinpricks of sleepy stars, but not yet. It was still too early to wake them.
Slowing down their march towards Haven, the members of team RNJR started scouting out campsites for the evening. Eventually they stopped to make their dinner on the bank of a small stream, surrounded on three sides by birch trees and tall, looming oaks.
To the east rose the arrogant peak of a high cliff side, lording shadows over the grove.
Nora chattered endlessly, buzzing around Ren in chaotic circles. Slowly and methodically, he managed to move in and around the blur of constant motion, spitting fish lightly seasoned with salt, lemon, and thyme on thin sticks and setting them to cook by a campfire.
Contentedly, Ruby lounged by the fire, lying on her back with her hands behind her head and humming a sweet tune.
When the fish were cooked, they all sat in a loose circle around the camp. Nora jabbered away, alternating bites of food with incessant babbling about one topic or another.
"You know," she said at one point, mumbling around a mouthful of fish, "I'm really still not sure about this whole team 'RNJR' business."
Ren sighed, "Nora we've been over this, team JNRR just doesn't work as well."
"I know, I know, I know! But what about," she said, waving her arms dramatically as if unveiling a stage between her hands, "team RRNJ? That's a color! A pretty great one I might add," she said, patting her bouncy curls.
Jaune shook his head, smiling. "It's a nice try but I think it's a bit late to change the name now," he said.
"Aw!" Nora pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Nobody ever likes my ideas."
"That's probably because your ideas usually involve breaking someone's legs," Ren jibed, flashing her an impish smirk.
Sticking out her tongue, Nora picked up one of the roasting spits and hurled it past Ren's head where it buried itself inches deep in the rotting bark of a nearby tree.
Ruby chuckled to herself, gathering up what few plates and utensils they had. Tucking them into a dish rag, she carried them over to the stream and started washing away the leftover bits of food.
Jaune watched her as she left, his eyes briefly trailing the swaying motions of her cape before looking away.
Ever since the night that Ruby had confronted him about his grief for Pyrrha, something had been broken between them. Their smiles were more forced, their talks shorter and less frequent. She had seen the guilt that haunted him, the remorse that hid in the daylight behind a false bravado and a sense of optimism.
In an attempt to recoil from that part of himself, he had started to push her away. Despite his efforts, Ren and Nora had started to notice the distance opening up between them, watching as Jaune avoided Ruby's eye, walking a few too many steps ahead of the group…
But it wasn't in Ruby's nature to give up and walk away from him. Most nights, she'd follow him when he broke away from the team to resume his training with the memory of his former partner. She'd settle down a short distance away and silently watch as he moved through his practice forms, all the while listening to Pyrrha's familiar instructions.
Occasionally, she'd still try to talk to him, but without fail he always ignored her, continuing with his swordplay as if she wasn't there. Her voice would eventually trail off, resuming her silent vigil by his side.
Gradually it became a pattern: Jaune would drift away, followed minutes later by his persistent shadow. She'd plop herself down against a tree or a rock, wordlessly conveying patience and support. Some nights when he wrestled with his semblance, she would give him his space and return to the camp alone.
Tonight would be one of those nights.
With a nod, Ruby had picked herself up from her perch on a nearby log, heading back to where Ren and Nora lay sleeping. Half-noticing her absence, Jaune's shoulders tensed as he looked around at the darkness, feeling the night sky pressing down on him.
Alone, he thought.
Pausing Pyrrha's video, he shifted his stance and relaxed. He let his shield arm drop to his side, dangling by his hip. Trying to center himself, he raised the blade of his sword until it was level with his eyes. Glaring intently, he could just make out a weak reflection of his face, eyebrows furrowed over a blurred, whitewashed mix of features.
Concentrate, he thought, taking a deep breathe.
Exhaling with a huff, Jaune's grip contracted around the hilt, causing his reflection to quiver. Summoning up his strength, he tried to recall that warm feeling of a white light spreading from his gut to his limbs, hovering over his skin like a shield.
Slowly, he felt it building.
Come on!
Bit by bit, he felt the energy rising – first to his chest, speeding up his breath and fluttering in his lungs. Then it spread to his arms. Inch by inch, he fought for more – making the light brighter and more intense. He felt it slowly working its way down towards his fingertips.
A sudden breeze swept through the clearing, breaking his concentration for the briefest of moments. The energy snapped back, smoldering like a dying fire in the pit of his stomach.
"Damn it!" he yelled. Frustrated, he chucked his sword, watching it flip once before landing point down in a patch of grass, the blade sliding several inches into the soft earth.
Trembling with a thinly controlled rage, Jaune threw himself back into the stream of energy, trying to will it to return to the surface. Balling up his fists and bending over with the strain, his mouth dropped open in a silent scream.
He felt some intangible part of himself reaching for it, like an invisible hand swatting at a dim glowing ball of light, but every time he felt he got close to it, it skidded away out of reach.
"COME ON DAMNIT! It's so close!"
For several minutes he struggled, trying to force the energy inside to resurface, but he was unable to bring it back to where it was before he'd lost his concentration. At this point he was pacing, occasionally grunting or yelling in frustration.
Turning swiftly on his heel and clenching his hands in his hair, Jaune whirled to a stop.
Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he'd seen a glimpse of red, a spectral outline of a ghost not there.
Looking around, he tried to find it again, failing. Turning madly, he tried to see if he could replicate the phenomenon, feeling the blood pounding in his head.
There!
For a split second the red shape shimmered in the air, fading as quickly as it had appeared.
"Pyrrha?" he called.
"Pyrrha!"
Running towards the spot he'd last seen the red light, he dropped his shield and pawed through the bushes, desperately searching.
When he found nothing he threw a wild punch at a nearby tree and cried, "WHERE ARE YOU!"
"Where did you go?" he yelled at the empty space, voice still raised in anger. "Don't you dare, Pyrrha! Get back here! PYRRRRRRRHHHHHHAAAAAAA. Come back!"
Roused by the noise, Ruby, Nora, and Ren crept to the edge of the clearing and watched from a safe distance.
"AHHHHHHHHHH," Jaune roared, throwing back his head and tossing up his hands. Unbidden, the white light of his aura surged over him hot and bright, called up by his roiling emotions.
It grew stronger and stronger, rippling through the air around him. His three teammates put up their hands, protecting themselves from the wind that now buffeted and assailed the woods.
Frozen in place, Jaune tried to move. The effort disturbed the white force field thrumming over his skin and it exploded with a flash, dissolving into a series of black shadows that swirled through the air like wraiths.
"NOOOOOO," he roared, still fighting for control.
A desperate fury surged within him, and suddenly the shadows shot off in all directions. One of them raced towards his discarded sword, wrapping around the blade. It pulsed and the blade shuddered, the metal bending and distorting under the pressure.
The shadow suddenly lifted the sword out the ground with a sharp snick and it went flying through the air in a deadly arc. It flew by Jaune whose back was turned to the blade, soaring past his shoulder, up into the night sky where it disappeared above the trees.
As he watched the black-rimmed blade sail by, a memory echoed in his mind, the words ringing in his ears:
'For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance, and unbound by death, I release your soul and by my shoulder protect thee.'*
Pyrrha's voice trailed off, the memory starting to dissolve. She had uttered those words the day she had unlocked Jaune's aura with hers.
All four of the people in the clearing stood silently for a moment; the only movements were the darting of their eyes as they glanced from face to face.
After several minutes, Ruby's small voice shattered the quiet.
"Jaune… did you just…"
Jaune looked down at his hands, tears welling in his eyes and threatening to spill over onto his cheeks.
I just…
I just used Pyrrha's semblance.
In a broken tone, he answered her, "I did."
His vision blurred, erasing his hands from his view. The world puddled into a pool of dark colors and Jaune shook with sobs that racked his being. He tried to hold it in, but the pressure threatened to break his ribs.
Losing the fight, he let loose a wild cry that shook the night and tinted his vision red.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
He struggled to catch his breath, incoherent words forcing their way out of him.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this. It's all wrong, so wrong!" he cried, his voice starting to split at the seams. He could taste blood in the back of his throat, the bittersweet beads of liquid oozing from the raw edges of torn skin.
He paused, choking on his tears.
The others stared uselessly, too shocked to act.
Lost within himself, Jaune moaned and let waves of grief wash over him. He dropped to his knees, sapped of all his strength. For several moments he stayed there motionless, until he felt a small warmth spread over his shoulder, as if the ghost of a hand lay there.
Almost a whisper, he heard Pyrrha's voice by his ear.
"Jaune," she said.
Looking around he saw that the others couldn't hear her voice. Their faces were blank masks, exchanging glances with one another.
"Jaune," she said again, "I give this piece of me, so that you might rise."
His sobs slowed as he tried to breathe, tears still rolling down his cheeks.
"Be strong…"
And with that, the voice was gone.
Author's note: So this chapter wasn't originally part of the plan, but with some encouragement I decided to try writing it up and seeing what happens. I'm not sure if there will be any more episodes to come for this particular fic, but if you have any comments or suggestions please feel free to reach out or drop a review!
*This part of Pyrrha's dialogue comes from Volume 1 Chapter 6 of RWBY. I take no credit for these lines - all props for this part of the writing goes to the team over at Rooster Teeth!
