Ren placed himself up high, waiting for a sign. After hearing the demon's pained screech he knew that Ruby had succeeded in pinning down one arm. He pulled out his father's knife again, throwing it in such a way that it would hit the monster and make it focus on Jaune. It screeched again and Ren shouted "Now!" before leaping down and keeping the beast's other arm still long enough for Jaune to pin it down more permanently. Ren looked up to a nearby rooftop where Nora stood waiting, her short skirt billowing in the breeze.

Too focused to let that thought move any further, Ren called out to signal Nora. He watched as she let herself fall back through the air. He could only imagine her expression as she fell through the sky. With a sickening thud, drowned out by an even more nauseating screech, the monsters horse half was rendered completely useless. Ren stood and retrieved his father's knife from the monster and stood to face it. It screeched desperately, fully aware that it's last hour had come.

"For my mother," Ren thought, flipping the knife around and separating the beast from one arm.

"For my father," he continued, grabbing it's horn to hold it steady while he severed the other arm.

"Far all those that you've slain," he ignored the beast's pained writhing and slashed its abdomen.

"For myself!" Ren finished aloud, bracing himself for the next moment, the moment he had waited for his whole life. He opened his eyes and slashed at the monster that had destroyed his home, his family, his whole life. He poured all of his swirling, raging emotions out into the last attack and with the single fatal swoop he severed the Nuckalevee's head from its body.

Ren stood back, panting, as the monster dissolved into smoke. As the smoke rose higher, the stronger the waves of relief and joy hit him. They had done it, he had done it. He was exhausted, but relieved. He drooped forward. Nothing could make this moment any better. Or at least he thought so until Nora launched herself into his arms.

He embraced the gleeful girl, feeling his love for her swell more than ever before. He had felt it before, multiple times throughout their time together on this journey, during their time at Beacon, even a few times before that. They both knew that everyone thought she was a simple ditz that he babysat purely out of obligation, but that was so far from the truth. Very few people knew it but really Nora helped Ren a lot more than Ren helped Nora. Sure he helped her study and taught her about aura and fed her and kept up with her crazy shenanigans to make sure she didn't get herself killed, but she took care of him too. She forced herself to grow up confident and outspoken because he could not, would not do it himself. She knew how to live on the streets and helped keep him alive for the first five years before they were able to get into school. She helped balance him out and keep him calm. Whether it was intentional or not she was also the reason that he had learned to control his impulses and emotions. They had taught each other how to fight too, and how to fight together. She also helped him learn what it was like to actually have someone to fight for.

For years he was angry at his parents for making him move on without them. Years. Until he grew closer to Nora. They were closer than he had ever been with another person, then he realized how they had felt. It was then that he realized what it was like to have someone that you are willing to die for. He held her tighter, not wanting to let go. He had loved her for so long, and he knew that she loved him. He wasn't blind, but he was cautious about not risking his relationship with his best friend and he knew Nora felt the same. He felt a pang in his chest, remembering the other teammate who agreed with that sentiment.

Pyrrha had waited, so desperate to protect her relationship with Jaune that she ended up waiting too late. Now Jaune doesn't sleep, barely eats, he constantly mourns the loss not only of a friend, partner and love, but he also mourns the loss of their potential. She waited until she died to tell him her feelings and now he lives on dreaming and mourning what could have been. Ren knew she wouldn't want him to do the same, and neither does he. She deserved to know. It was time. He loosened his grip around Nora and stood up, pulling her up with him. He looked at her with as much courage he could muster and opened his mouth to let his feelings flow out, but she wasn't looking at him.

"Look!" she cried out.

Two giant Mistralian airships appeared, descending to pick them up. They landed quickly and hopped out with a puzzled look on their face, Ren turned and saw Jaune approaching one of the men and began inquiring about a stretcher for Qrow. Nora tugged at his sleeve and motioned to the rear airship.

"We should let them have some space, they deserve it." Nora whispered before picking up Magnahild and skipping towards the ship. He smiled. Even after such a monumental event she could still be so cute and childlike. He followed behind her and chuckled as she jumped up onto the edge of the ship with a "Bloop, hehe" and a sigh. The ship took off and Nora started giggling and "oooh"ing at the sights from above.

Some people didn't like how childlike she was, but Ren knew better than anyone that she deserved to act how she didn't get a childhood, she was forced to grow up to get them both through life. As they got older she began to regress and become more childlike as a coping mechanism and was more than happy to take over as the adult. He watched her lovingly as she admire the land around them as they headed towards Mistral. He remembered what he was going to do before the airships came, but he forgot the words. Seeing her here, alive and happily watching the world below, it made him speechless. But he knew what he wanted to do. He took her hand.

She snapped her head forward in shock. She was completely still, then, slowly, she turned to look at him. She looked down at their hands and adjusted them so that Ren's hand was on top, holding hers. She looked back up at him, the question burning in her eyes. "You mean it? Like, together-together?"

He nodded, "Yes. Together-together."

They intertwined their fingers as Nora scooted closer. She laid her head on his shoulder and he held her until they landed