A/N: These next few chapters have been a wild ride. Trying to figure out how to write it was rough. I think I'm happy with how it turned out; it didn't mean that the process wasn't painful, though. I took out a bunch of stuff, added in a little bit, and prayed a whole ton that it would become cohesive.
IMPORTANT NOTE: To all of y'all who have specific moments in this fight that you really wanted to see, I'm putting the disclaimer here- I may not have included your favourite moment in this fight. I looked at everything happening to Nora and followed what she would actually see/hear/experience in the fight. This fight takes four episodes, and trust me when I say I watched and rewatched each of them again and again and again (and a few more times in slow motion) to make sure that I got everything that Nora would actually be present to witness.
Now that that's out of the way… enjoy the chapter! I originally wanted to keep it all in one chapter, but 4 episodes worth of content was a lot, so here's the first half.
What We Call Home
The air was still for one long, long moment, Jaune's eyes widening in slow, sinking understanding. Nora felt the air itself escape from her lungs, her body wanting to shrink inwards as the implications of it all settled upon her shoulders, pushing her into the floor.
This woman had taken away Pyrrha, and yet, she didn't even remember Jaune. Jaune and Pyrrha had been together that night, when Cinder had stolen the Maiden's powers from the last Fall Maiden.
She didn't remember any of them, did she?
Finally, Jaune's tears spilled anew onto his cheeks, jaw clenching, eyes shining in pure, scathing anger. He let out a guttural scream, the sound strangled in his throat. From his side, he pulled out Crocea Mors' two-handed, upgraded blade, the golden edge sharp and shining in the lantern light.
"Jaune, don't!" Nora cried, keeping her eyes locked onto the entire group standing before them. Everyone's eyes were locked onto Cinder, awaiting her reaction to his aggression.
The woman in question merely smirked. Raising her hand, a glowing, fiery blade of obsidian materialized out of nowhere, her eyes fixated upon Jaune amusedly. Nora read the whispered words on her lips, her grip on Magnhild growing so tight it was almost painful.
"Come, then," Cinder mouthed; and so, Jaune screamed and rushed ahead, swinging his blade upwards to meet Cinder's exposed left side. However, without even flinching, she block his blow with her blade one-handed, expression betraying no strain.
Despite all of the strength and muscle and combat prowess Jaune had gained since the Fall, he was no match for her.
"Jaune!" Ruby cried, eyes wide and panicked. As if her tiny, terrified voice were a spell, the stillness amongst the rest of the audience was broken, and chaos erupted.
Emerald pulled out twin blades and began to fight against Ruby, blocking the younger's path to Cinder.
Yang immediately rushed forward to help her sister, but Mercury got in her way.
"I'm coming, Jaune!" Nora called, glancing over at Ren. The boy nodded determinedly, the two crouching low and getting ready to intervene in the fight that was beginning to gain momentum between Cinder and Jaune.
Out of the corner of her eye, Nora could see Raven muttering commands to the other newcomer, who nodded and sauntered towards Weiss.
Nora leapt forward, dancing around Mercury's spinning form as he fought evenly against Yang, his kicks and her punches cacophonous in the large hall. I have to get to Jaune! Ducking low, she slid on the floor, narrowly missing being struck by Raven's blade as the woman began to attack Qrow, the man screaming and crying as he yelled at his sister.
Nora paused, taking in his expression for a moment- he looked genuinely broken, utterly betrayed. Maybe he's not one of them, after all.
She had scarcely time to breathe when Ruby's body came flying towards her. She held her ground, ready to catch her friend when suddenly, a giant white glyph appeared vertically in the air scant inches away from Nora's nose. Looking over, she saw Weiss' concentrated expression as the pale-haired girl set up numerous glyphs for Ruby to use as footholds against Emerald, all the while dodging her own opponent's attacks.
Suddenly, Nora's eyes snapped upwards. "Oscar?" she called, glancing around. The younger boy was nowhere to be seen amidst the clashing of blades and firing of bullets happening all around her. Nora's eyes darted back and forth, trying to catch sight of him, but he wasn't on the main floor.
Whatever. Ozpin will keep him safe. She grit her teeth and stepped on her hammerhead, ready to leap to the other side of the hall where Jaune was still fighting Cinder. Jaune needs help. If she took out Pyrrha, then there's no way he can do this alone. He's not ready to fight Cinder!
A quiet voice in the back of her mind whispered, Are any of us?
She ignored it. She didn't have a choice. She had always found a way to be strong enough- that fact wouldn't change today.
Before she could press the trigger on Magnhild that would send her flying, however, a giant hand grabbed her arm and squeezed. Nora screeched, her defensive Aura shattering in an instant- the force of the grip on her arm felt enough to shatter her bones. With no remorse, the hand yanked her backwards. She yelped, losing balance and tumbling to the floor, rolling back to an upright position to glare at the veritable beast that had entered the fray.
Her arm ached fiercely, her body glowing as her Aura desperately tried to perform damage control. Ren was by her side in an instant, pulling her up to her feet, eyes locked on the large man in front of them. It was the man who had entered last- the one who had mentioned the White Fang earlier. His large figure was as broad-built, his scarred, muscled arms in a simple olive-green outfit as he squared off against the duo. His presence unsettled Nora- unlike the absolute chaos taking place behind him, screams and grunts of pain filling the air, the man was a brick wall, completely at peace.
"Who are you?" Nora hissed, brandishing Magnhild menacingly.
The man seemed unfazed. "Hazel. Hazel Rainart." He sighed heavily, a strange look in his eyes as he looked down upon her and Ren.
She frowned, trying to place his expression. She took a step back after a breath, confusion taking over. In Hazel's eyes was a deep, profound regret.
The man murmured, "I don't wish to fight either of you."
"Nor I you," Ren replied.
Nora grimaced, gripping onto Magnhild a little tighter. We need to get to Jaune! Her eyes darting between Hazel and Jaune in the background, she cried, "But we will if you're with her!"
Hazel stretched, a deep scowl embedding into his face as he cracked his neck and knuckles. "Very well."
Before either of them could react, Hazel was upon them. Nora tackled Ren out of the way on instinct, narrowly avoiding the man's giant fists from crashing down upon them. Rolling back to her feet, she glared at Hazel, watching his approach carefully. The man was slow to move, but struck quickly once he had gained momentum. Her lips curled into a sneer, Hazel's features fading into a blur in her mind, his eyes only focusing on his movements and his outline against the earthy tones of the wall behind him.
I've taken down big guys like you before. Don't mess with me.
Her mind flashed back to a long, long time ago. She had taken down men bigger than Hazel. She could do this. Hold on for just a little longer, Jaune. We'll be there soon. Trading a determined look with Ren, they crouched, ready to begin their assault.
They never got a chance. A strange glow caught their attention- to her left, Weiss was kneeling down, trying to summon what appeared to be a giant suit of armour using her Semblance. Before she could finish casting, however, her opponent sliced through the Aura-filled apparition, a giddy, smug grin on her face as Weiss' expression fell into panic.
She's being overwhelmed. Nora felt fear rise up in her throat like bile. She couldn't even react properly, however, before Qrow's body flew in from the other side of the hall where he had been sparring with Raven, the man crashing into Weiss the moment she knelt down to try her summoning again.
"They're all too strong," Ren muttered, cold and weary before their fight had even begun.
Nora gulped. Her friends were strong. How in the world were they getting overwhelmed just seconds into the battle? This can't be happening!
In their moment of distraction, however, Hazel appeared like an angry deity, the man looming over them. No anger shone in his eyes- merely acceptance. With that same disappointed look, he knocked Ren's StormFlower out of his hands, picked the boy up by the neck, and held him two feet off the ground.
"Ren!" Nora cried, immediately jumping into the air. She leapt onto the stairway banister and flipped midair, firing Magnhild at the apex of her jump to send her spinning downwards towards Hazel. The man didn't even flinch at her approach- he simply stood, watching her with a bored expression, hand still crushing Ren's windpipe while the boy's eyes bugged out of his head, his frantic flailing growing weaker by the second.
She grit her teeth, slamming her hammer down onto Hazel's arm. The man barely reacted, his Aura shining for a moment, absorbing the blow easily. His fist was still curled around Ren's throat.
Her eyes widened in horror as she alighted onto her feet once more, feeling his eyes following her carefully. What… what is this guy? No one just brushed off Magnhild. It just… didn't happen.
Yet, here he was, staring at her impassively.
Not even the Nuckelavee could hold its ground. No Grimm can. Nothing can. I'm… strong. Why isn't he reacting? What is going on?
The taste in her mouth was ashy, metallic. It was fear. They're not human. Salem's forces aren't human. Her heart sank.
At last, something in her attack seemed to make him react, however. He dropped Ren, letting the boy crumble to the floor. Nora was in front of him in an instant, wielding Magnhild protectively. "Stay away from him," she hissed.
Ren stumbled to his feet, grabbing StormFlower with shaky hands. "I'll… I'll hold him off," Ren croaked, the marks from Hazel's grip still not healed around his neck, red and raw and painful against pale skin. "You go to Jaune."
"But Ren-"
"Go!" His eyes pleaded with her, but seeing her worry, they softened. "I'll be careful."
She searched his face for a moment. It won't be like Kuroyuri, right?
I'll be safe, he responded silently with a nod.
Nora looked over to her leader, heart plummeting when she saw the blond crawling back along the floor while Cinder cackled loudly, "I'm starting to remember you. You're the dense one that can't tell when he's out of his league!" before striking at him again.
He can't take her on alone.
So, Nora bit her lip, nodded once, then bolted away from Hazel and Ren, running opposite to where Jaune was battling Cinder. She leapt up, kicking off one of the pillars to jump onto the balcony which surrounded the perimeter of the room. The moment her feet hit the railing of the balcony, she stepped off onto Magnhild's hammerhead and flung herself back across the room to the statue, too high up for Hazel to intervene this time.
She landed on the floor just a few metres away from Jaune, ready to run into the fight. The blond's face was shining with sweat and tears as he dodged the relentless, mocking assault of Cinder's obsidian, burning blade, the woman's lips moving quietly as she attacked him. I'm coming, Jaune.
"Emerald!" Hazel's voice roared through the field authoritatively. "Get the hammer-girl!"
Nora spun around, catching sight of Emerald and Ruby. The younger girl was on her knees, clutching desperately onto Crescent Rose. Her shoulders heaved in exertion as she caught her breath, her body glowing red as her Aura fought to repair whatever wounds she had sustained fighting Emerald.
The green-haired woman narrowed her eyes as she looked at Nora. "You were friends with Pyrrha Nikos, weren't you?" she said quietly, triggering her two guns to extend into long blades as she approached Nora carefully.
Nora snarled, "Don't talk about Pyrrha."
Emerald grinned, unaffected by her anger. "Good. You are the loud one."
And suddenly, Emerald was gone from the room. Nora blinked in confusion, gripping Magnhild tight as she spun around, trying to find the other girl. Suddenly, Ruby's voice appeared in her mind. She uses illusions. Dammit!
Nora could've reminded herself of that all she wanted. It didn't change the fact that when she turned back to face Ruby, and instead found Pyrrha Nikos standing there in all her glory, Nora's heart shattered.
"P-Pyrrha…" Nora breathed, taking in the sight of her best friend for the first time in months.
It… was her. Long red hair tied up in a flowing ponytail, bangs framing a golden circlet and brilliant jade eyes set in pale skin, a tall nose and thin lips curved in a kind, sad smile, figure tall and strong and inspiring, shining in golden and bronze and mahogany armour-
It was Pyrrha.
She wanted to scream.
Nora's eyes fell to Pyrrha's hands. Miló and Akoúo weren't there, the gloved fingers instead reaching out to Nora invitingly, her best friend beckoning her to her side.
You're not Pyrrha.
Her stomach heaved, emotion rising in her with sizzling stomach acid, heat rendering her dizzy. She was going to be sick.
She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off when a shrill scream cut through the air. At the edge of the room, Weiss was on her knees, screaming in pain as her opponent sent electric charges through her body at close range.
Nora wanted to help her- wanted someone to go help, at least. But Qrow was getting destroyed by Raven, the woman relentless in her attack- Ren was playing a game of cat-and-mouse with Hazel and he was losing- Yang looked near tears as she fought through her frustration against Mercury, the boy's twisted grin never leaving his face- and she still didn't know where Oscar was.
She wanted to help. But she still couldn't move, feet almost glued to the floor in place. Pyrrha's face was too much. She just didn't know what to do.
After a moment, Jaune's voice rang through the hall, sobbing, "Stop messing with me!"
Nora's eyes snapped over to Jaune, who was still attempting to battle Cinder. He looked absolutely bedraggled, but she was as calm as ever. The only difference now was that she was no longer wielding a blade of stone. Now, her blade was made of flames.
Nora almost fell to her knees, barely balancing with Magnhild as a support. She knew those flames. She had seen them only once before, the image having imprinted itself into her mind forever.
Those flames had been at the top of Beacon Tower, silhouetted against the moonlight, sending away the ashes of what used to be Pyrrha Nikos into the wind.
And, just like that night, suddenly everything went white as Ruby screamed.
Nora shut her eyes immediately, wincing at the intensity of the light. Is that what froze the Wyvern at Beacon? Are those her eyes?
She barely had time to ponder that when the light disappeared. Looking up frantically, she saw Emerald standing over Ruby's slumped body. The younger was clearly unconscious, fallen awkwardly to the side while Emerald glared on.
But Pyrrha's image was gone.
Oh, Pyrrha…
She missed her best friend.
But it didn't matter. She had to protect her friends now. Swallowing down her vomit, she straightened up, taking a deep breath. Twisting around to look at the scene, it was clear that the sudden light had confused everyone- but Cinder was reacting badly to it, the woman screaming in pain and clutching the one arm covered in a long sleeve. Jaune was taking the opportunity to try and slash at the woman, but she dodged, leaving him vulnerable to another attack as Cinder stood. The woman looked enraged. I've gotta help.
God, the distance between her and her teammates had never felt so large in her life.
Jaune was lying on his back, panting for air when Cinder stepped on his chest plate, forcing him back down. "Did you think you actually had a chance against me?!" she roared indignantly. "You?!"
Nora took two steps towards Jaune, but a crushing weight knocked into her from behind, stealing the wind from her lungs. She gasped as she fell to her stomach, the weight rolling over quickly and familiar hands pulling her to her knees. "Nora!" Ren gasped, wincing as his own Aura sparked along his flesh, desperately knitting back together whatever had been broken by his fall.
"You children shouldn't be here," Hazel announced. "You don't deserve to go through this." He seemed regretful.
Nora scrambled up to her feet, quickly activating the lightning-Dust charge impulse in Magnhild's grip. A surge of electricity crackled through her, fueling her Aura and strength mid-air as she brought the hammerhead down onto Hazel's face-
But the man caught Magnhild's handle without missing a beat, tossing her aside like a ragdoll. She crashed onto the ground painfully, twitching as every movement sent flashes of agony jolting through her spine. I'm running low on Aura…
Ren was cast aside just as easily, the boy landing a few feet from her. For a moment, he didn't move. "No, Ren- get up," she whispered, crawling over to him and shaking his shoulders. Thankfully, he responded, eyes fluttering open at her touch. "We've gotta get up."
He coughed, clutching his stomach where pink sparks were dancing frantically across his skin. "Nora-"
"No!" Jaune screamed, cutting Ren off. The sound resonated across the main hall, sending chills down her spine.
Dragging Ren to his feet, Nora turned around just in time to see a fiery spear leave Cinder's hands. Her heart fell into her boots, knees turning to jelly as pale blue followed the trajectory- straight across the hall, a self-satisfied smirk on the woman's face as it landed in its target.
The burning weapon embedded itself clean through Weiss' abdomen, emerging through the other side.
Not again.
Nora's feet stumbled forward automatically a few steps, watching in unabashed horror as Weiss' body shuddered and shook for a moment. Blood spilled from the wound, her white and blue and grey dress steeping in red before the scent of burnt flesh filled the air and the blood stopped. The area around the spear began to char, turning black and mottled before the spear disintegrated in to ashes, and Weiss slumped over onto the floor motionless.
She was going to lose someone again, and there was nothing she could do about it.