Chapter 49

"Pyrrha." Jaune said.

Pyrrha was doing her best to help comfort Naoto but Yu seemed to be the only one getting through anyway. "What?" She asked.

"We're up next." Jaune replied. "Shouldn't we talk about this?"

Pyrrha nodded and stood up. She and Jaune walked away from the others. "Do you want to talk strategy?" Pyrrha asked. "That's simple. You defend while I attack. I defend while you attack. We can't really come up with a more specific plan until we know what we're up against."

"That's part of it." Jaune said. "I wanted to make sure we were on the same page." He opened his mouth to speak, closed it again and squirmed.

"What's the other part?" Pyrrha pressed.

"I...I know I'm not a good fighter." Jaune answered.

"Don't say that, you've been improving a lot." Pyrrha encouraged.

"That's not the point." Jaune said. "I'm not nearly as good as you. I'm afraid I'll be in the way. This is a matter of life and death, and I don't want anyone to die because of me."

"If you're that worried just hang back and let me handle the fight." Pyrrha suggested.

"I don't want to be dead weight either." Jaune said. "I know I'm in over my head, here and back at Beacon. I just want to be a hero worthy of my family. What kind of hero would I be if I just let you do everything?"

"You're already a hero to me." Pyrrha said, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"But I'm not a hero to me." Jaune countered, brushing her hand off. "Maybe this isn't the time to worry about all that, but I don't want to let myself down."

"Just do what you think is right." Pyrrha said. "I'm sure you'll do fine."

"I was sure the others would do fine too." Jaune sighed. "I'd still rather end up like them than see anyone else die."

"Jaune, you're not going to die." Pyrrha insisted. She placed both hands on Jaune's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "No one else is going to die."

"You seem very sure of that." Jaune said.

"I have to be." Pyrrha said. "It's the only way I can keep going."

"We'll see if your delusions can get you bye." Thanatos said. "Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos, enter the arena."

Jaune hesitated. "You're going to be okay." Pyrrha said. Pyrrha headed down the ramp to the arena floor, Jaune following closely.

"Who can defeat the invincible girl?" Thanatos sneered. "The answer is obvious." Shadow material swirled up from the arena floor.

"It's me." Pyrrha said, even before the shadow finished forming.

"Very good Ms. Nikos." Thanatos said in a condescending tone. "This shadow is identical to you in every way. Well, except one. It has an insatiable bloodlust."

"If it's a copy of me, how can it hope to defeat both of us?" Pyrrha asked.

"That's simple." Thanatos said. "I'm betting your partner will be enough of a hindrance to get you both killed. You know it's true. Even he knows."

Jaune stared at his feet, clearly feeling the shame. "Don't listen to him." Pyrrha said.

"Yes, don't listen to me." Thanatos said. "Keep ignoring reality. Surely that will save you."

"Jaune." Pyrrha said. Jaune just kept looking down. "Jaune!" Pyrrha repeated. He looked up at her. "Do you remember what we practiced?"

"I do." Jaune replied.

"Good." Pyrrha said. "Let's put it in action." Jaune was hesitant but Pyrrha's encouraging smile eventually got him to break out of his despair. He drew his sword and extended his shield, ducking behind it. "Bend you knees a little more." Pyrrha suggested. Jaune quickly corrected his stance as Pyrrha drew her weapons and readied for battle. "Don't be nervous. Keep your eyes on the target. We've got this. You've got this." Jaune nodded, a newfound determination in his eyes.

"How cute, he thinks he's a Huntsman." The shadow laughed.

"Advance." Pyrrha commanded. Jaune moved forward at a quick but measured pace, ducking behind his shield. Pyrrha followed close behind, aiming her rifle over the top and taking shots at the shadow. "Charge!" Pyrrha shouted. WIth his shield out front Jaune broke into a sprint while Pyrrha moved off to the right. The shadow threw its spear at Jaune. He deflected it up with his shield and kept running. Using its copy of Pyrrha's semblance, the shadow steadied the airborne spear and forced it down toward Jaune. Jaune did not even notice but Pyrrha did and she used her power to ensure it missed. Jaune plowed into the shadow, the opponents meeting shield to shield. The shadow rocked back but absorbed the blow and lunged forward, knocking Jaune off his feet to a sitting position. The shadow reached out toward its spear and it lifted into the air and shot toward Jaune.

Jaune realized what was happening and lay down flat on his back to let the spear pass over him. The shadow caught the weapon and stabbed down at Jaune. Pyrrha arrived to deflect the spear to the side with her own. The shadow responded by swinging its shield at Pyrrha but she ducked under the strike and elbowed the shadow in the chin. The shadow stumbled back, giving Jaune the opportunity to get back to his feet. Pyrrha and the shadow used mirroring attacks and blocks, each catching spear on shield. They began a perfectly even test of strength until Pyrrha rolled back. With the sudden loss of resistance the shadow tripped forward. Jaune stepped up and bashed the shadow in the face with his shield, then stabbed at its chest with his sword. The shadow swung its shield across its body and knocked the sword aside. Drawing the shield back, it smashed it into the side of Jaune's head.

Jaune stumbled dizzily to the side. The shadow planted its boot on his back and sent him sprawling to the floor. Pyrrha lunged forward with a leaping stab that passed over the shadow's shoulder, affected by its semblance. It tried to stab Pyrrha in the midsection but she used her own semblance to slow the spear sufficiently to block it with her shield. She thrust her shield up and out, smacking the shadow in the face. It shrugged off the attack and kicked Pyrrha in the shin. She stumbled, leaning her arm against the shadow's shoulder to on her feet. The shadow spun and backhanded her in the head with its shield. Pyrrha front-flipped and landed on her back. The shadow stabbed down at her but she grabbed its wrist and dragged it down so that both ended up on their backs.

Pyrrha and the shadow rolled away from each other, immediately springing to their feet. Pyrrha began to charge at the shadow but Jaune stepped in the way and engaged it himself. Pyrrha broke off her attack as Jaune unleashed a wild flurry of sword strikes. The shadow easily deflected the strikes, tied up his sword with its spear then repeatedly bashed him in the face with its shield until his aura failed in a shimmer of light. Rushing in, Pyrrha used her semblance to push the shadow's spear wide as it sought to impale him. Saved for now, she used her semblance to use Jaune's armor to push him out of harm's way. Pyrrha only realized belatedly that the shadow had used its semblance to force her shield out of position.

The shadow stabbed at Pyrrha with its spear and Pyrrha the attack wide with her own. With her shield out of position Pyrrha had no way to block the shadow's. It hit her full-force in the face. She saw double and stumbled back. The shadow lunged forward, simultaneously hitting her with spear and shield, and sent her flying across the arena. Pyrrha slammed into the retaining wall hard enough to defeat her aura. She slumped to the ground, having great difficulty staying conscious after her head slammed the wall.

The shadow began stomping toward Pyrrha but Jaune attacked it from behind. His sword struck the shadow dead-center in the back but it did not penetrate. The shadow turned around and pushed his sword aside with its shield. It headbutted Jaune and he staggered back. The shadow thrust its spear straight for his throat. There was a blinding flash of light and the shadow was thrown back with all the force it had put into the attack. Enraged, the shadow leapt forward, and swinging its spear underhand, thrust the blade under Jaune's chestplate and into his torso. Jaune flailed weakly until the shadow withdrew its blade, letting him drop to the ground in an ever-growing puddle of blood.

Pyrrha could not get back to her feet. Her limbs would not cooperate and she could not see straight. She suspected a concussion, but it did not really matter how she was injured. If she could not clear the cobwebs she would be dead anyway. The shadow walked over to her, just as Pyrrha got to her hands and knees. She tried to cover up as the shadow kicked, but it punted her straight in the chest, flipping her onto her back. The shadow flipped its grip on its spear and thrust it down at Pyrrha's heart. She tied up the weapon with her spear and shield, stopping it just in time. The shadow put all its muscle and weight into forcing the blade down while Pyrrha used all her failing strength to resist. It was a losing battle and she knew it. Suddenly, the shadow stumbled back, almost falling over.

Trailing blood, Jaune had crawled over. With a slash of his sword he knocked the high heel off the shadow's boot. "I'll finish you soon enough!" The shadow shouted. It kicked Jaune over onto his back then stomped its damaged boot onto his wound. Jaune cried in agony but could do nothing. "When I'm done with your teammate, I'll get to you." The shadow hissed. It spit on Jaune before turning back to Pyrrha.

Pyrrha was on her feet, her spear arm back and cocked. With the throw lined up she launched her spear. It hit the shadow in the neck before it could react, coming to a stop only after lodging itself halfway through. The shadow reached up to grab the spear but Pyrrha got her hands on it at the same time. She wrenched the blade out the side of the shadow's neck and its head lolled over unnaturally far to the other side. The shadow burst into a cloud of glowing ash that evaporated away.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha gasped. He had rolled onto his side, curled up and clutching his wound. Pyrrha knelt at his side. "Let me see." She demanded, pulling Jaune's hands away. The wound was even larger than she had feared and its upward angle took it behind his ribcage. It was a miracle he was still alive.

"How did I do?" Jaune groaned.

"You did great." Pyrrha said, doing what she could to attend to his injuries. She knew just applying pressure and holding the sides together was not going to be enough. "I'm not worried about that now."

"I know I'm dying." Jaune said. "You don't have to pretend there's anything you can do."

"I'm not pretending." Pyrrha said, choking back tears. "I'm going to save you."

"Tell me, was I a hero?" Jaune asked.

"Of course, you saved my life." Pyrrha replied.

"I feel like I probably put it in danger in the first place, but okay." Jaune coughed. "I'm glad it wasn't just you protecting me for once."

"Don't give up Jaune." Pyrrha implored. "I can't keep going without you."

"Sure you can." Jaune said. "If anything you can't keep going with me." He cried out and his muscles tensed. "It really hurts. I feel like a wuss. I can't even die with dignity."

"Don't say that." Pyrrha sobbed.

"You're destined for greatness." Jaune said. "You don't need me. You're going to save the world. You're going to be the hero. Now you won't have me holding you back. I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused."

"Jaune!" Pyrrha cried. She bent over and embraced him.

"Don't ever give up." Jaune whispered. "Don't ever change." He convulsed, groaned, then fell silent and still.

"No…" Pyrrha wept.

"You loved him didn't you?" Thanatos asked.

"Shut up." Pyrrha said. "Just leave me alone."

"It must hurt you terribly." Thanatos said. "You couldn't save him." Pyrrha did not respond. "It's not too late you know."

Pyrrha looked up, tears streaming down her face. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"I'm offering you a chance to bring him back." Thanatos explained.

"What's the catch?" Pyrrha asked. "You're not just going to do it."

"Of course I would require compensation." Thanatos said. "Here's the deal: I will revive him, in perfect health, if you take his place in death."

"Why should I trust you?" Pyrrha asked. "You could just kill me too."

"Since this started I haven't lied to you." Thanatos said. "Just say the word. His life will resume and yours will end. There'll be no pain, I promise."

"No." Pyrrha said without hesitation.

"You would selfishly continue your life rather than restore his?" Thanatos asked.

"You know he's weaker than I am." Pyrrha said. "We both do. If I sacrifice myself for him, the others are more likely to die. The world will be one step closer to destruction. I have to bear the pain and guilt of his death. I'm not going to take the easy way out just to avoid that."

"If that's your choice…" Thanatos said. He waved his hand and Jaune's body levitated up and out of the arena, coming to rest with the others. A white sheet appeared in the air above it, gently laying over it.

Pyrrha slowly made her way out of the arena. She did not want the others to see her crying. "I'm so sorry." Yang said as Pyrrha approached.

Pyrrha barely looked up. Then her head snapped back up and she stared at Weiss. "Weiss…" She started.

"I know, I should have been nicer to Jaune." Weiss said. "You don't have to lecture me. I feel bad enough as it is."

"No, your skirt." Pyrrha said, pointing at her.

"What about it?" Weiss asked, looking down.

"There's no blood." Pyrrha pointed out. "The only stain is from the cut on your shoulder."

"But that...how?" Weiss asked, shocked.

"Aigis, Yu, Naoto, Ren, none of you have any blood on you." Pyrrha said. She looked down at her own hands. "I don't either." She ran her fingers through her own hair, producing a few flakes of dried blood near the head wound she had suffered in her first fight. "My blood is still there, but…"

"What's going on?" Naoto asked. "How did we not notice this earlier?"

Pyrrha looked back into the arena. The puddle of blood Jaune had left on the floor was still there. Then it suddenly soaked into the ground, leaving no trace. "They're doing it." Pyrrha said as she pointed to Thanatos and his siblings.

"But what are they doing?" Naoto asked.

"Maybe it has something to do with absorbing our power." Aigis suggested. "Perhaps it is not enough to kill. He may need our blood as well."

"That's possible, but if our blood has power why not take the blood the survivors shed too?" Yu said. "There has to be more to it."

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Ren said.

"We shouldn't waste our time speculating." Pyrrha said, effectively ending the discussion. "The last time we got distracted by our questions it ended badly. Besides, one of us needs attention." Pyrrha pointed to Ruby. She was sobbing alone.

"Ruby?" Yang said, placing her hand on her sister's shoulder.

"He was my friend." Ruby cried. "And Blake was my friend and they were all my friends. Why did they have to die?"

"I'm sorry you had to go through this." Yang said, wrapping Ruby in one of her smothering hugs. Uncharacteristically, Ruby did not complain.

"It hurts so much." Ruby sobbed. "It feels like losing mom all over again."

"I know, I know." Yang said in a soothing a voice as she could muster. "I wish there was something I could do to make it all better."

"Please just...no one else die." Ruby cried. "I can't take it."

"We are not going to die." Aigis said. "No one else is going to die. We will win our fight. You will win yours. Naoto and Yu will win theirs. Then Thanatos will give us our friends back, or he will suffer."

"Aigis...are you alright?" Naoto asked. Aigis was an impossibly kind, sweet person. Threatening to torture Thanatos, evil though he was, was out of character for her.

"No." Aigis replied. "I have seen the pain Thanatos has caused. I have felt it. He must pay."

"If it changes who you are, I don't think it's worth it." Yu warned.

"I am a weapon, designed and built to fight monsters." Aigis said. "I will make an example of Thanatos, lest another monster rise in his place. I have more friends back home and I will not allow them to feel what we have felt. I cannot stand to see the pain any longer."

"Sister, whatever you do, don't stop bein' you." Labrys said. "I love my sister and I don't want to see her so hurt that it changes her."

"I am still the same Aigis." She said. "But now is not the time for compassion. When we are done here, I will be just as kindhearted as always. Until then I can have no reservations."

"Don't do anything you'll regret." Pyrrha warned.

"We all have regrets." Aigis sighed. "None can be greater than those I already bear. Now is not the time to worry about that though. When the world is safe, I will have plenty of time. We all will."