A/N: Sorry for the long ass wait but here it finally is!
When Zack and Reno had finished their interrogation, Zack rejoins with the group while Reno goes to Ozpin to discuss getting Cinder some sort of protection since she has agreed to help them. Zack had found Team RWBY, Sun, Cloud, Aerith and the PRN of Team PRMN in his dorm. He was not surprised to see no Mercury there. Before Ruby could ask him where Reno was, the wolf Faunus let her know that Reno was speaking to Ozpin and would come back. Zack then walks over to Aerith and plops next to her before burying his face in the crook of her neck. While waiting for Reno to return, Team RWBY and Sun had took it upon themselves to bring everyone comfort since they were the least affected by all of this. Ruby and Yang had gotten permission to use the kitchen to make cookies, to which of course they used Summer's recipe after getting it out of Qrow. Weiss and Blake went to the other two rooms, Blake having been given Ren's Scroll to access their dorm, and gathered all the squishy and comfort things. Sun took charge of finding something wholesome to put on that didn't require a lot focus to enjoy.
When Reno rejoined the group, he was pleasantly welcomed to a sight of all his friends swaddled up in blankets, eating cookies and just relaxing the best they could. Ruby is immediately at his side and tugging him towards his bed so that she could swaddle Reno up in his blankets. With a faint chuckle, Reno allows Ruby to do as she pleases and he is soon in a cocoon of blankets, Ruby snuggling him and feeding him some cookies that she and Yang had prepared. Reno was completely relaxed for once, and just remains as is with everyone for the rest of the day, mentally preparing for the funeral and moving forward.
The next day, Teams RWBY, ZARC, PRMN, and SSSN all head down to the funeral, all wearing black. Mercury stood away from everyone else, not really feeling like he belonged there. After all, it was partially his fault any of this happened. So instead of sitting with his new found team, Mercury chose to stand in the back of the funeral. A few female blondes who looked a lot like Jaune had walked past him, two with a significant other, and towards where the three main teams were. Pyrrha, who was now team leader and was Jaune's partner, looks at the three females who reached them. With teary, emerald eyes, Pyrrha quietly tells them what happened to their baby brother.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't able to save him..." Pyrrha says quietly at the end, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. One of the sisters, Saphron, steps forward and hugs Pyrrha tightly.
"It's not your fault Pyrrha... Please do not blame yourself for his death. As much as it hurts our hearts to hear this, we're grateful that he died protecting a friend and that his death wasn't in vain," Saphron says. "I know it won't be easy to not blame yourself but do try not to burden yourself with such a heavy platter."
"Thank you for being so understanding..." Pyrrha says before stepping back. "And here you are, comforting me, when we should be comforting you three..."
"We all take turns comforting each other kiddo," pipes up the more tomboyish blonde who came alone. "I'm Xanthe Arc, and the one who just hugged Pyrrha is Saphron. And the miss here with glasses is Daisy."
"If circumstances were better, it would be nice to meet you," Ren says.
"That's understandable. But thank you three for being with Jaune while he chased his dream of being a Huntsman," Daisy says.
"Oh, before the actual funeral begins, we weren't sure what to do with these so we figured we'd offer them to you since Jaune said they were family heirlooms," Pyrrha says, presenting the shield and Crocea Mors to the three sisters. The three look at each other and Xanthe steps forward and gently pushes them back.
"We have no need for them. Do something with them to commemorate our brother," Xanthe says, a tear sliding down her cheek.
"Are you sure..?" Nora asks, looking a pensive about taking the shield and Crocea Mors. Daisy nods.
"Yes, you three will do something better with them than we ever could. Whether you prop it up to be a reminder of Jaune or melt it down to enhance your own weapons... You three will have a better way to commemorate him and his dream than we ever will," Daisy answers. With a nod, Pyrrha sets the shield and sword aside. Saphron takes a deep breath.
"Well, it's time to get this dreary day settled then, isn't it?" Saphron says before walking towards where Ozpin stood. Everyone takes their seats once Saphron stands in front of the podium. Saphron performs the funeral rites for Jaune, and talks about her baby brother. When she finishes her pieces, Xanthe and Daisy step up to say their pieces, managing to hold their tears until after they stepped away. Ozpin speaks about Jaune next and opens it up to the students who wanted to say something. To no one's surprise, Pyrrha, Ren and Nora walk up. Ren and Nora don't say anything but are there for Pyrrha's support.
"As you all know, Jaune was not only our team leader and a really good friend, he was my partner. He was a sweetheart and tried his best to help his friends. He was a source of joy and many times brought smiles to his friends' faces, even at his own expense. It's because of him that I am still standing here today and for that I am grateful. While it will take time to move on, I am very glad I met Jaune and was his partner," Pyrrha says before stepping away from the podium. She walks between Ren and Nora back to their seats. The next person to speak took many by surprise - Weiss. She took a moment to speak, looking at the people there as she puts her hands shakily on the podium.
"Jaune Arc. He was.. A very interesting man. I'll admit that I didn't get along with him at first after his many failed flirting attempts, but when I took the time to get to know him, I was proved wrong about who he was. He was incredibly smart and amazing with tactics and within a short amount of time, he became a decent swordsman. I regret not being able to be by his side in his final moments, but I hope I was able to give him some memories he wouldn't regret as he drew his final breath. Jaune Arc, with his heart of gold, slowly melted the ice around mine and brought a lot of color to everyone's lives he touched," Weiss says. She then steps back and walks to her seat.
When no one else stood to say anything, people were allowed to come up and give their last goodbyes to Jaune before the casket was closed. The casket was then lowered into the ground and the dirt was shoveled back into the hole, covering up the casket. In place of a gravestone was the beginning of a statue to commemorate Jaune. There was a picture of a preview of what the statue would look like when it was finished. It showed that the large statue would be Jaune standing tall and proud, sword pointed straight up and shield in front of his chest. The look on his face was a determined war cry. The finished product would be a wonderful commemoration for Jaune. Jaune's friends spent the rest of the day with his sisters and the two significant others.
As the day came to an end, the 11 students all gathered in Team ZARC's dorm once more. Pyrrha was sitting on a chair, staring at Jaune's shield and Crocea Mors on her lap. She wasn't sure what to do with these two pieces and puts them onto the desk next to her to think upon later. The redhead moves over and sits next to Cloud, putting her arms around him and hiding her face. The room was silent and it was a fragile silence as people tried to figure out what to say. The heavy and suffocating mood was soon lifted by one particular voice.
"Ya know, we shouldn't mope around too much. Jaune wouldn't want us to be dragging our heels because of him," Zack starts out, ten pairs of eyes moving to be on him. "He died for us all so we gotta make it count! After all, we are his living legacy, his hopes and dreams. If we can't live those out for him, then we're doing him dirty!"
"Yeah, Zack is right! This just means we have to work harder!" Ruby says, determination flashing in her silver eyes, Zack's words starting a fire. Pyrrha picks her head up and looks towards the sword and shield.
"I think I know what to do..." Pyrrha says. "I'm going to have our shields melded together. As for the sword... I'll leave it as is."
"Will his sword be carried with you Pyrrha?" Nora asks.
"Yeah, it will," Pyrrha nods. "I think we should call it a night and take the time that Ozpin is giving us to recover and strengthen our resolve so we can carry out his hopes and dreams, just like Zack said."
"Well said Pyrrha," Ren compliments. With slightly lighter hearts and a mission to carry out in honor of their fallen friend, the eleven get ready for bed, Ruby and Pyrrha staying with their boyfriends while the rest went back to their own dorms to sleep in. Not that anyone could see him, but Jaune's spirit smiles softly as he watched his friends pull themselves together. He walks over to Pyrrha and pats her head.
"You'll do great Pyrrha. I just know it," Jaune says before vanishing into the night.