A/N: T-3 – the moment y'all have been waiting for! I'm so excited to be done this fic. It's gone through such a different progression than LoA, so it's really interesting to write.

Leave a comment if you're reading along!

What We Call Home

Nora awoke a few hours later from a bone-numbing slumber. Her eyelids were puffy, head fogged up too much to truly understand what was happening. As she dragged herself off her bed (when had she even gotten there? Had Saphron helped her up?), she saw Ren and Jaune similarly trying to pull themselves to their feet with little success.

The longer she spent awake, however, the more Maria's story came back to her, and Nora wanted to shut it away. She didn't want to have to think of it. It was awful and terrible and-

Pyrrha.

Her throat seized.

Nora blinked blearily at the two boys stumbling to their feet, then pulled out her Scroll. Quietly, she tapped on Kalian's contact. To her relief, the man picked up, his gruff voice barking, "Nora, what is it?"

She cleared her throat, managing to croak out, "Hiya, Kal."

Instantly, his demeanor softened, his voice dropping low as he murmured, "…Nora, what happened? Something happened. Did something happen to your comrades?"

She sniffled. "Can… can we come see you at some point?"

She just wanted to see them. They hadn't lied to her all this time. They had never done anything but tell her the truth.

After an achingly-long pause, Kalian sighed. "We're only here for the night."

"I know," she whimpered.

"Okay. Let us know. We're in a hotel to avoid suspicion."

"Can we meet up?"

"Okay." He paused, then added, "We love you, y'know."

Nora smiled a watery smile. "Heh. Thanks, Kal. We love you too."

With that, she hung up her Scroll and sighed, dragging herself to her feet and pointing at the door. "Wash your faces then go downstairs," she ordered feebly. "We've gotta see what the others think of all this. 'Cause we can't leave the Relic in Argus- the Grimm will come, right? People are gonna get hurt." Her stomach rumbled, loud and angry. "…also we should eat."

Jaune smiled bitterly at the sound. "Okay." Ren nodded, guiding her out of the door after Jaune.

After they had all washed their faces and fixed their hair, ignoring just how reddened and raw their eyes and noses were, the trio staggered down to the living room. To their surprise, all of Team RWBY was standing by the back patio, concern shining in their eyes.

Jaune glanced around and asked, "What's going on?"

Blake frowned pensively. "It's Oscar. He's missing."

Nora gawped at the other girls. "Wait, since when?!" Where would Oscar even go?!

Panic seized her gut. Wait, if some of Sotz's followers survived, and they saw Oscar with us, then-

No, she told herself sternly. Besides, he's strong on his own, and he's still got Oz to help him.

Blake sighed, grabbing her arm and hugging herself defensively on reflex. "I…"

"We were going to start on dinner," Yang explained, "so we tried to find him. He wasn't with you guys, so we thought he'd be around here somewhere, but he isn't picking up his Scroll."

Immediately, Nora pulled out her own Scroll and tried giving the boy a call. Oscar didn't reply, nor did he pick up when Jaune and Ren attempted to contact him.

Ruby said anxiously, "Guys, we should go look for him before it gets too dark."

Everyone nodded. Argus was cold at night, and Oscar didn't really have a coat- how would he fare out there?

Weiss murmured, "Does anyone have a map of Argus? It's probably most efficient if we split it up-"

"What about Oz?" Jaune cut in.

Ruby blinked at him, confused. "…what?"

"Why can't Oz make sure he's okay?" Jaune repeated, lip curled in a sneer. "After all, he should be able to keep Oscar safe-"

"Oz hasn't shown up ever since we split up," Weiss said bitterly, clasping her hands too tightly. "He… after Ruby asked Jinn that question, he just sort of… vanished."

Wait… so Oscar's just out there alone? And Oz isn't anywhere around? Nora staggered back, trying to process that information. "But… what did he say about… y'know, what happened between him and Salem? About what Jinn said?"

Yang snarled at the very thought of it. "He didn't say anything!" she cried. "He just disappeared, and Oscar's been confused ever since."

Ren murmured, "I guess that proves that Oscar really has been the one controlling him all this time. Ozpin is really gone."

"It doesn't matter right now," Ruby insisted, closing the balcony door almost completely. "Weiss, that was a good idea. Does anyone have a map?"

Ren immediately pulled out the one he had downloaded onto his Scroll, sharing it with the girls. "We should report to each other what we find," he murmured, brows knitted together.

Team RWBY all nodded in assent, but before Nora and her team could head out, Ruby grabbed Jaune's arm. "Hey," she murmured, voice soft, sweet. "Are you all sure you're okay looking for him?"

Weiss' smile was the gentlest Nora had ever seen. "It's okay, you know. If you want to stay here. We promise we'll find him."

"Yeah," Yang affirmed, "if you all need some more time, that's totally okay."

Nora flashed them a small, weary smile. "We might've spent a bit too much time moping," she winked half-heartedly. "We might as well try and find Oscar."

Ruby wordlessly gave Nora a hug, enveloping the girl in warmth. "We'll talk about it after, okay?" she promised, pulling back to press her forehead against Nora's.

Nora gave the younger girl a weak smile. "Okay, you silly billy," she replied before letting go, turning to Ren and Jaune. "Let's go find little-cute-boy-Oscar?"

Jaune's face was twisted with guilt. "Yeah," he breathed. "Let's go."

Nora quickly looked through her Scroll, finding a picture of Oscar. The moment she found a decent photograph of him, she sent it to the Embers, asking simply, If you see him, ask him to come home, please.

Suddenly, the front door opened once more. "Oh, hey everyone!" Saphron called, an awkward smile on her face. "Ruby messaged me, so…" She paused, frowning as she took in everyone's lost expressions. "…what happened?"

Jaune stepped forward, quickly explaining the situation to his sister. Her eyes widened in concern. "Isn't he just a kid?" she cried before quickly agreeing to join Team JNPR for the search.

So, they said their goodbyes to Team RWBY, heading out the door after separating the nearby districts. Nora followed Ren's lead- he was always better with maps, after all- and obeyed when he directed them down a peaceful parkway. As they walked, Nora shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. "What if he ran away?" she speculated idly. "What if now that Ozpin's gone, he doesn't want to fight anymore?"

"Stop it, Nora," Jaune whispered miserably. "I- I just-"

"It's not your fault," Ren murmured. "You shouldn't have tried to fight him, but… if anything, it's on Oz, not you."

Jaune sniffled. "It's just not fair," he said bitterly. "I don't want to hurt Oscar."

"Jaune," Saphron murmured, a tinge of horror creeping up into her tone, "what did you do? What happened?"

They all bit their tongue, focusing their eyes onto the crowd. They couldn't explain. She wouldn't understand. So, all they could do was call his name as they made their way down the sidewalks of Argus, searching desperately for a face they could not find.

After twenty minutes of searching, Ren murmured, "This city's enormous, he could've gone anywhere."

"This is all my fault... I overreacted," Jaune said, eyes glassy with unshed tears.

"I still don't really understand what happened," Saphron said. "Was it about the mission?"

Nora bit her lip, glancing to the side. She didn't see his face anywhere amongst the crowd. "It's... kind of hard to talk about."

"I know, I know, "top secret"." The woman nodded miserably and sighed. "Did he... do something wrong?"

Jaune scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "No, he didn't. We just got some new information and it's going to be a lot harder than we thought."

Saphron offered, "I mean, if it was easy, then it wouldn't be important. Right?"

They didn't respond for a long, tense moment, eyes too busy roving the streets for Oscar. Finally, Ren murmured, "I think we're all just a bit unsure of what to do next."

"You could stay in Mistral, get your licenses at Haven, and come back to Argus," the elder woman said quietly. "There's a lot of good you can do here. I know your mission is important, but it's not like you're the only ones who can do it. It's not the only mission that needs doing."

Jaune sighed, his torn heart clear on his sleeve. "It's not that simple."

Nora finally lifted her gaze off the other side of the street, turning to look at Saphron as she stopped dead in her tracks. The woman looked absolutely heartbroken, but Nora had no way to console her. After all, staying in Argus and settling down? Going to Haven?

Those ideas didn't even feel like options; not with what they knew.

Saphron recognized their discomfort. "Well, uh... I should go pick up Adrian from daycare. I'll let Terra know what's happened, and we'll meet you later. Good luck." And with that, she walked away, her dejection clear in the slump in her shoulders, the lag in her step.

Nora took a look at the street they were on. Two blocks down was a café she had scoped out on an errand, but had never gotten the chance to visit. "Hey, there's a cafe over there. Why don't we get something to warm up?"

Jaune shook his head, a small, sad smile pulling his lips. "I'm okay. You two go on ahead." Before they could say anything, Jaune walked away and took a seat on a nearby bench.

She and Ren followed him immediately. Sweetly, she asked, "You don't want anything?" When Jaune didn't reply, eyes cast firmly down onto the cobblestone sidewalk, she flashed a rueful smile at Ren.

"We'll be right back," Ren said.

Jaune nodded numbly, leaving Nora to walk away, her eyes lingering on Jaune until they had lost sight of his bench. "He's really beating himself up about this, huh," she murmured.

Ren nodded, looking wearily at the sky. "He… isn't exactly good at dealing with stuff about the Maidens."

"It's fair," Nora breathed, looking ahead to the café. From where they were at, it didn't seem like it was really busy. "I don't want to even think about them."

Ren's hand found hers quietly. "I know."

I'm so, so sorry, Pyrrha.

The café was, just as predicted, fairly empty. As they stepped inside, Nora asked Ren, "Hey, do you think he'd like some coffee or some cocoa-"

"Lil' Valkyrie!" a voice called.

Nora paused, staring at the back of the tiny restaurant. Tucked behind a display of baguettes and sourdough, Caelus, Kalian and Howl looked up at them in amusement. Her throat closed for a moment, taking it in; the three faces looking back at her were so unequivocally caring that she just…

What are the chances they'd be here? She wanted to laugh at the luck of it all. I guess Kal did say he'd always come save us.

She certainly felt like she needed saving. She just wanted direction. "What're you doing here?" she asked, skipping over to their table.

Ren called, "I'm getting you and Jaune both cocoa!" before ordering at the counter.

While he did that, she slid into the seat beside Kalian. With a small smile, she noticed their weapons tucked into their holsters, their travel packs resting upon the ground. "You're heading out, huh?"

Howl nodded, his eyes glowing green for a moment. When his Semblance faded, he murmured, "We will be leaving soon. You are going to be staying here for a few days longer?"

She nodded, sighing in contentment when Kalian patted her head comfortingly. "We got your message about your friend," Kalian murmured. "Haven't seen him, but we were gonna come find you after that call. Seeing you here saves you the trouble of hunting you lot down, though. What happened?"

Nora looked up at him, finding concern staring back. "It's… complicated," she whispered. "I wish I could explain. I don't know how to explain."

Leaning across the table, Caelus reached out, stroking her puffy under-eye with his thumb. "What's gotten my little girl all up in tears, hm? Where's my girl's smile?" he cooed, his full lips pulled into a smile.

She grinned weakly at him. "I… things have just gotten more complicated," she breathed, readjusting her head under Kalian's arm. "I wish I knew where to begin."

Howl methodically sliced up his piece of a sweet pecan bread, placing one portion onto a napkin and sliding it across the table for her. She smiled, taking it gratefully while he murmured, "We checked the train before the military could arrive. They're all dead." His eyes were wary. "Is what you're fighting worse than them?"

She nibbled the piece. It felt strange to not be hungry, and yet, she couldn't take in more than a bite. "Believe it or not, yeah."

Caelus tapped her nose, adoration clear as day on his face. "Well-" As he spoke, Ren walked over with a small tray of drinks, sliding into the booth beside Nora and handing her one drink.

Caelus chuckled at Kalian's reflexive defensive hold over Nora, the redhead looking at Ren suspiciously. "C'mon, man!" Caelus laughed, tossing a crumpled napkin at Kalian. "You knew it was going to happen sooner or later."

Nora flushed, sipping her cocoa whilst Ren did the same. I cannot believe they gave him a talking to, she thought idly.

That party had only been two nights earlier. How had everything changed so quickly?

Kalian scratched his head then sighed. "Doesn't mean I have to like it," he grumbled. He turned his attention onto Nora, eyes locked onto her reddened, puffy eyes. "So. When you called- what was it?"

Ren squeezed her hand, a warning clear as day. We can't tell them. "We just found out something terrible," she said brokenly. "Our… Pyrrha died, right? And she died fighting for what she believed in. But apparently… the cause she was told to fight for is actually kind of worthless? And…" she inhaled a deep, shuddering breath, closing her eyes. "I don't want to think it was for nothing."

"She was your comrade," Howl said.

"She was my sister."

The table was quiet, aside from Caelus' wry comment of, "I wish I coulda met her, ya? She sounds like a good kid."

Nora turned her face into Kalian's embrace, relishing in his warmth. He was always warm, all fiery Semblance and kindness. It was soothing against her swollen face.

Howl's eyes had been trained upon her, and with his arrival, Ren. "You are still going into something dangerous," he said matter-of-factly.

Ren nodded, sipping his drink. "We told you- we need to get to Atlas. The sooner, the better."

"It's that urgent, huh?" Kalian murmured.

"Yeah," Nora breathed.

For a long moment, it was just silent. Howl was the one who broke it. "You've both grown."

Nora smiled wanly. "You said that before, silly-"

"You're going to lose a lot more in the future, you know," he breathed. Nora froze, feeling her horror slip onto her face. However, when Howl raised his eyes from his cup, green glow fading away from his eyes, he said, "That's the life of being a Huntsmen. You two will be unparalleled. So this mission will be a success."

Nora couldn't help but let out a little sigh of relief. If even Howl's Semblance was telling her that they'd figure out a way to win…

Kalian ruffled their hair, for both Ren and Nora. "You're already on your way," he said gruffly, but the pride in his eyes didn't disappear.

Nora sighed, leaning against Ren lightly. "So you're all heading out soon?"

"Yeah. But don't be sad, Lil' Ren, Lil' Valkyrie," Caelus chided. "Just give us a ring when you're back in Anima, yeah?"

She traded a weary, resigned look with Ren. "Sure, sure," Ren laughed quietly, slipping out of his seat. The group took that as the signal for their goodbyes, the three men standing to give each of them a long hug.

Nora felt her eyes watering, and she choked back her tears as she whispered, "We've got some hot chocolate to deliver. You all be safe, okay?" Because the thought of losing them too was too much to bear.

She and Ren walked to the door, carrying Jaune's cocoa with them. Before they left, Nora turned back, looking dolefully at the trio. "Hey, guys?"

Caelus' face wore nothing but unabashed affection. "What is it, Nora?"

Choosing her words carefully, she explained, "There's someone hunting down Huntsmen in Mistral- in greater Anima. Please, please be careful. Don't work as registered Huntsmen. Try and work off the grid."

Howl's eyes glowed for a moment. "Noted. Thank you. Be safe."

"You too." The duo waved to their guardians for one last time before exiting the café, shivering as the cool night air settled over them once more.

Once they were on their way again, she said, "I'm going to miss them."

"Me too."

"We... we're really loved, huh?"

Ren's eyes were soft, nostalgic. A smile that probably would not have been possible before their trip to Kuroyuri pulled his lips as he breathed, "We are."

Thank you, everyone, she thought, silently sending a prayer up to the sky. Please stay safe. Because even if this was their goodbye, as unassuming and simple and lackluster as it was... she knew she would see them again, and they'd be just as proud of Nora and Ren. "C'mon, Ren," Nora whispered, trying to put on an air of false cheer. "Jaune's waiting."

He didn't respond, simply staying in step with her as they returned to the bench.

Oddly enough, Jaune was no longer seated where they had left him. Nora frowned, murmuring, "Is there anywhere nearby Jaune would have gone?"

Ren shook his head, pulling out his map. "We haven't actually been in this area very much, so I can't think of anywhere he would have gone," he said. "We're probably best just to walk around and see if we can find him in the immediate vicinity."

"Got it," Nora replied. She stepped forward, calling out, "Jaune?"

She and Ren called his name, walking away from the storefronts and into the neighbouring park. Finding Jaune was a fairly easy task; his blond hair and red sash stuck out like a sore thumb against the thin layer of ice that seemed to eternally cover every surface in Argus. When they finally stumbled upon him, he was standing in a clearing by himself beside some statue, glancing back at them in surprise.

Nora smiled, relaxing as she saw the faint smile on Jaune's lips. He looked lighter than he had before they had left. "Jaune," she chuckled, running up to join him, "why did you-"

The gasp that fell from her lips could not be contained. She paused, eyes leaving her friend and focusing on the statue behind him. It was a beautifully carved piece, towering well over three metres tall; as she craned her neck up to look at the statue's tranquil expression, Nora felt her eyes prick with tears.

It was a statue of Pyrrha. Pyrrha, in all her refined, humble glory; her circlet adorned upon her crown, her shield clutched in her hands, her head titled downwards, a demure smile on full lips. Nora's eyes trailed downwards, finding the plaque at the base of the statue. Stepping forward, she quietly read aloud, "In honour of Pyrrha Nikos, one of many students who fought valiantly at the Fall of Beacon."

She… had gone to Sanctum, huh? They knew her here. No wonder they would choose her visage to honour in place of those fallen.

The thought was a strange one. Nora had never looked at Pyrrha as the prodigy she was labeled to be; Pyrrha had always been her best friend, sister, buddy to gossip about boys with while brushing her teeth. Pyrrha hadn't been someone to make a statue of.

And yet, seeing so many people clearly missing her made her feel just a little bit better, even if it wasn't really Nora's Pyrrha they were missing.

Quietly, Jaune stated, "I'm sorry." That brief happiness that had flit over his face upon seeing them was gone, nothing but regret and loneliness in its stead. "I've been a terrible leader, and a terrible friend, and I-"

"Jaune," Ren interjected, voice faltering, "this has to stop."

Nora looked down, emotions swirling inside her. How could she explain it? Jaune had been beating himself up for so long for not being at Pyrrha's side at the end; they had seen it over and over again, from Vale to their journey through Anima to Mistral to Haven-

Oh gods, Haven. Jaune's face, broken with rage and anguish as he screamed fruitlessly at Cinder, flashed into her mind. She never wanted to see him suffer like that again. "We heard what you said to Cinder, at Haven," she whispered. "You're not being fair to yourself. We love you, just like we loved Pyrrha." She felt her voice crack, but pushed through anyways, adopting a weak smile. "We're teammates, family."

Ren added somberly, "We don't want to lose you too."

Jaune paused, pondering their words with a conflicted expression. Sighing, he looked up at Pyrrha's statue, at the serene face watching over them all. "I think- I think she knew she wasn't going to win. That she might not come out alive. But..." And, surprisingly enough, Jaune smiled. "She also knew she was the only one that could try."

"So she did," Ren said proudly.

Nora paused, taking in what they had said for a moment. Was there a point to fighting even if they knew they wouldn't come out on top?

Pyrrha… you really thought so, huh? You knew there was no chance but you still fought anyways to protect us. You tried your hardest. You were amazing.

Nora smiled, relaxing. "Maybe we should too," she said. Maybe then we can become a team that finally deserves her.

"Yeah, we should," Jaune agreed. It was clear that something in the past twenty minutes had shifted his understanding, had changed his perception of the battle. Pyrrha had died, but they had survived, and if she wanted to protect the world from Salem, then Team JNPR would see it so.

There were worse things to fight for. And, if they did defeat Salem, Nora would finally get to have that peaceful life with Ren that she dreamed of.

Her face was so beautiful, so perfect that Nora wanted to cry, barely holding back tears. "Pyrrha may not be by our side anymore, but we can fight like she is," she murmured.

"And in a way, she will be," Jaune added peacefully. Ren's calm, appreciative gaze only solidified that sentiment.

As Nora handed Jaune his drink, Ren said, "We should check back in at the house. Come on." He turned to leave, Nora following suit immediately.

However, Jaune didn't join them. "Ren," Nora called softly, turning to watch Jaune. The blond lingered for a few moments at the statue, one hand on his heart- on his necklace. And when Jaune stepped forward at last, Nora bumped into him playfully, grinning at him and Ren.

The gratitude on Jaune's face eased her worries. Not all of them, of course; but knowing that Pyrrha was still loved and cherished and remembered brought about a profound sense of relief that Nora hadn't even known she was longing for. With a statue of her erected in that calm suburb of Argus, Pyrrha's memory wouldn't die. Nora and Jaune and Ren wouldn't be the only ones who would remember her.

And, when it finally came down to it in the fight against Salem, Pyrrha's memory would still be there to keep Nora's heart strong.

She smiled giddily at the thought. Thanks, Pyrrha.

"C'mon," she said, skipping ahead, careful not to spill her hot cocoa. "Let's go find little-cute-boy-Oz."

Ren and Jaune simultaneously hummed, "Yeah."

As they turned the corner, Nora made sure to wave goodbye to the statue, to the café, to everything. She wasn't alone. And maybe- just maybe- this fight was worth fighting, after all.