Chapter 4

"Qrow recovered my old shield right?" Pyrrha asked. Ruby nodded in confirmation. "Did he also get...Jaune's weapon?"

"Yeah, he put it in the shed with his tools and old scythes." Ruby replied while still chewing on a spoonful of cereal. "I can get it out for you if you want."

"I'd like that." Pyrrha said. She went back to slowly eating her breakfast. She obviously had something on her mind but Ruby and Yang were unwilling to ask her.

Nora walked into the kitchen with a bounce in her step, humming to herself. She poured herself a bowl of cereal and joined the others in the dining room. "Good morning!" She exclaimed.

"Good morning Nora." Yang said. "Where's Ren?"

"Oh, he's been really tired lately." Nora explained. "Like, even more tired than usual. I figured I'd let him sleep since we're not training today."

In truth Ren was tired because of Nora. She had terrible nightmares. Sometimes she would wake up in a panic, terrified and crying. Ren would hug her and do what he could to soothe her until she would fall asleep again. On some occasions Nora would just wake up to find Ren whispering that everything was going to be alright, gently stroking her head. He explained that she cried and screamed in her sleep. Nora knew the lack of sleep took its toll on Ren and she felt bad about it, but there was nothing she could do. She offered to sleep in a room by herself but Ren wanted to be there when she needed him.

"I heard you crying last night." Pyrrha said. "Is everything alright?"

Nora did not want to give a straight answer but saw no way around it. "I've been having the nightmares again." Nora admitted. She frowned. It had been a problem when Ren and Nora first arrived at Beacon, but as they settled in and got used to their new home and their new friends, the nightmares had stopped. Nora would still have one every so often, but they had been few and far between. "Ever since...what happened, whenever I close my eyes I just…" She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Suddenly she was her usual cheery self. "There's no point in dwelling on it. It's not a big deal. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Ruby asked.

"There's nothing to talk about really." Nora shrugged. "Pyrrha already knows the story." In the early days at Beacon Jaune and Pyrrha had naturally been curious as to why Nora would wake up screaming. She had described her nightmares in fine detail. They were the kind of horrors that could only be born of the mind of a child who had seen everyone she loved violently killed before her eyes.

Weiss stumbled into the kitchen. She was not a morning person and it showed. She put some bread in the toaster and started searching the refrigerator for something. "What are you looking for?" Yang asked.

Weiss jumped and spun around to face the dining room. She had not even noticed the others were there. "Blake wanted a tuna sandwich for breakfast." Weiss replied. "Do you have any? Maybe some other kind of fish? I'm sure she won't be picky."

"I think so, let me take a look." Yang said. She got up from the table and walked to the refrigerator. "How's Blake doing?"

"She's in some pain but it's not too bad." Weiss answered. "I'm sure she'll be fine in a day or two."

"I'm really sorry." Yang said. She located the tuna and handed it to Weiss. "It's my fault she got hurt."

"Don't blame yourself." Weiss said. She went about preparing Blake's sandwich. "Blake's been pretty depressed. I think a part of her wanted to get hurt. It's like she was looking for a hit to take."

"I still feel like that's my fault." Yang sighed.

"I'd say it's Adam's fault." Weiss suggested. "Blake was telling me about the things he said to her. It's just awful."

"I can't imagine." Yang said.

"At least she seems to be on the upswing." Weiss said. "After yesterday, winning that fight, making up with you, she seemed happier than before, even with her injuries."

"That's good at least." Yang said. "If you two need anything don't hesitate to ask."

There was a loud thud followed by the sound of crashing plates. "Oops." Nora said in the other room. Apparently she had gotten over excited about something and flipped the table.

"I should probably help clean that up." Yang sighed. "Enjoy your breakfast."

Pyrrha zipped up the backpack she had borrowed from Ruby and slung it over her shoulder. She headed for the door, hoping no one would notice. She opened it and was just about to step outside. "Where are you going?" Yang asked.

"I'll be right back." Pyrrha said.

"That didn't answer the question." Yang said.

"There's something I have to do, alone." Pyrrha said. "Don't worry about it."

"I'm worried about you." Yang said. She walked over and grabbed the backpack to feel what was inside. She frowned. "I understand. Are you sure you don't want the others to go too? They'll want to…"

"Maybe another time." Pyrrha cut her off. "Right now it has to be just me. And don't tell them."

"If you insist." Yang sighed. "Be back soon and...don't do anything stupid, okay?"

"I'll be back in a few hours." Pyrrha said. "And I won't do anything you wouldn't do."

"That's not exactly comforting." Yang said.

"Fine, I won't do anything Yang 2.0 wouldn't do." Pyrrha laughed. "I'll see you soon."

The forest path felt longer than the last time Pyrrha had walked it. Then she had been accompanied by Ruby and Yang and stories of their childhood had helped to pass the time. All Pyrrha had now were her own thoughts. It was just as well. She had not planned exactly what she was going to do when she got there. It was not an easy thing. It was new territory. She felt increasingly depressed as she neared her destination. There was something of a finality to it. It was closure in a way, but not closure she wanted.

The path opened into a broad clearing. It was ringed on three sides by trees and a cliff fell steeply away on the fourth. Beside the cliff was a simple stone engraved with a rose and a few words. With Ruby and Yang, visiting Summer's grave had not been such a somber experience. Ruby seemed genuinely happy to have the opportunity to speak to her mother, though the conversation was obviously one sided. Pyrrha supposed they were remembering the good times. Those memories were a solace Pyrrha lacked.

Pyrrha knelt beside the stone and placed her hand upon it. "I'm sorry I could protect your daughters." She said. "In the end Ruby ended up saving me. I guess Yang saved me in a way as well. I know you'd be proud."

Pyrrha moved beside the monument and slipped the backpack off. She unzipped it and took out Jaune's weapon. The sword and shield were undamaged, as if there had never been a battle. They had been useless as the arrow pierced Jaune's throat. They were a reminder of Pyrrha's failure. She had comprehensively failed to protect anyone, least of all Jaune. She had not felt a romantic attachment to him for quite some time, not since she had started dating Yang, but he was still her team leader and a good friend. Now he was gone and two hunks of metal were all she had to remember him by.

Pyrrha jabbed the sword blade-first into the ground so it stood upright as a cross. Then she leaned the shield against it. Another memorial for the cliffside. "...and by my shoulder, protect thee." Pyrrha sighed. "I made that promise when we became a team. I couldn't keep it. I'm so sorry." She began to cry. "You could be frustrating and difficult, and there were times when I wished we'd never met. But none of that matters. Even if you didn't always get it right you tried to be the best friend you could for me. You always tried to do the right thing. That's all anyone can ask. Whether or not you knew it, you were a hero." She wiped away her tears but it was a losing battle and soon they were streaming down her face once again. "Maybe it would have been better if it was me instead of you."

"Don't be stupid." Qrow said.

Pyrrha spun around. Qrow was standing just a few steps away from her but somehow she had not heard him coming. "What are you saying?" Pyrrha asked.

"I'm saying that there's no way it would have been better if you'd died." Qrow replied.

"How can you say such a thing?!" Pyrrha gasped. "Have you no respect for the dead?!"

"I have respect for reality." Qrow said. "The fact is Jaune was weak. He had a good heart and it really is a shame that he's gone, but he was not up to the task. He was never going to be the one to save the world. You, on the other hand, you could be the one. The only thing that's going to stop you is you. I told you the day you woke up to stop blaming yourself. You apparently didn't get the message. If you don't stop it's going to consume you. You can still be the hero you always dreamed of being. You can still protect your friends. But not if you self-destruct."

"It's not that easy." Pyrrha protested. "I can't just change the way I feel."

"Of course it isn't easy." Qrow said. "I would never expect you to change overnight or even in the week you've had. But you have to at least try. Just burying it in the back of your mind won't help. You're never going to just forget about it. You've got to face it. You've got to accept it. And you've got to see the truth."

"What if I don't want to change the way I feel?" Pyrrha asked. "What if this guilt is a just punishment?"

"Punishment for what?" Qrow countered. "For trying to save the day? For being defeated by someone unimaginably powerful? For being alive? Give me a break." Qrow took a long sip from his flask. "Look, if you won't do it for you, do it for Yang, Ruby and the others. When you're hurting, they hurt right along with you. They don't want you to beat yourself up. They want you to be happy."

"I guess I could try...for them." Pyrrha sighed.

"That's all I can ask." Qrow said.

Pyrrha took a look back at the monument. "I guess I'm done here." She said.

"I wouldn't leave those out here." Qrow said.

"Why not?" Pyrrha asked.

"Jaune might need them." Qrow replied.

"How will he need them?" Pyrrha asked. "He's dead."

"That's the thing." Qrow said. "The more I think about it, the less sure I am."

"What are you talking about?" Pyrrha demanded. "How drunk are you?"

"Not nearly drunk enough." Qrow laughed. "You and Ruby both described what happened to Jaune. Arrow to the neck, then he bursts into glowing ash and evaporates."

"I don't need to be reminded." Pyrrha said.

"The thing is, Grimm evaporate when they die but humans don't." Qrow continued. "We found Amber's body. You could say Cinder incinerated him but that just doesn't add up. For one, even a maiden doesn't have enough power to instantly incinerate a human being. Second, her plan seems to be to spread chaos and fear. What better way than to display the mangled body of a Huntsman with a famous name? Jaune wasn't well known but his family certainly is. If Cinder was smart she would hang it where everyone can see it, not destroy it. Third, Ozpin's missing. All I found of him was his cane. Now his corpse would be a real prize. The wise, all-powerful Ozpin, dead. Imagine the terror. If she could kill him, she could kill anyone."

"Where are you going with all this?" Pyrrha asked.

"It makes me wonder if Cinder didn't have something else in mind." Qrow replied. "For Ozpin and Jaune too. Ruby told me she called Jaune 'an interesting specimen' before he evaporated. Maybe she intends to use them somehow. Perhaps she teleported them somewhere. I can only speculate. I'm not sure it's within her powers, but it could be."

"Her arrows…" Pyrrha mumbled.

"What was that?" Qrow said. "Speak up."

"The arrow that hit me in the foot, it broke on my shield before reforming on the other side to hit me." Pyrrha explained. "She seemed to summon her bow from thin air. Could it be connected to Jaune and Ozpin?"

"It could be." Qrow shrugged. "Unfortunately I can't tell you for sure."

"So there's some hope that Jaune and Ozpin are still alive?" Pyrrha asked.

"I think there is." Qrow answered. "And sometimes the tiniest sliver of hope can make all the difference."

"I need to tell the others." Pyrrha said.

"You shouldn't." Qrow suggested. "I only told you because you needed to hear it. For them it would just be one more distraction they can ill afford."

"I don't like keeping secrets." Pyrrha said.

"Neither do I." Qrow agreed. "Unfortunately there are times when it's necessary. This is one of those times."

"How much aren't you telling us?" Pyrrha probed.

"Not all that much honestly." Qrow shrugged. "It's not about the quantity of the secrets, it's about their importance. When the time comes I'll tell you all everything."

"How can I trust you?" Pyrrha asked. "How can any of us trust you?"

"That's a question only you can answer." Qrow replied. He kept talking as he started to walk away. "But you really don't have to trust me. I'm not going to give you orders. The seven of you are smart enough to decide your own path. My job is just to make sure you're ready for it."

Pyrrha wanted to ask so many questions but Qrow disappeared into the forest. She decided it was time to head back. She returned Jaune's weapon to the backpack and zipped it closed. "If you're out there I'll find you." She declared. Then she headed back down the winding trail that led to the Xiao-Long house. She was again alone with her thoughts but now they were not quite so bleak.

The sun was just setting as Pyrrha arrived at the house. The door was unlocked - with so many guests it only made sense - so she slipped inside and tossed the backpack on the floor just beside it. Clanking metal confirmed its contents. "You're back." Yang said with a smile. She was sitting on the couch just across the room. "I thought you'd leave it out there."

"I changed my mind." Pyrrha said. She wanted to tell Yang what Qrow had told her but decided to take Qrow's advice and keep it to herself.

"Feeling any better?" Yang asked.

"I was feeling alright before." Pyrrha replied. Yang shot her a skeptical look. "Okay, yes, I'm feeling better." She walked over and sat beside Yang.

"Yeah, there's something about that place." Yang mused. "As sad as it is Ruby and I always feel better for having gone."

"It's an exhausting walk though." Pyrrha said.

"You're not kidding." Yang laughed. "I know you want to, go ahead."

"Thanks." Pyrrha said. She swiveled her legs up onto the couch and lay across it with her head on Yang's lap. "How's Blake doing?"

"It seems like she's back to being the old Blake." Yang replied. "You know, from before Adam and my arm and everything. She was being all romantic with Weiss before. It's a shame you missed it because it's hilarious. Weiss has no idea how normal people act in that situation and Blake learned everything she knows from reading smut."

"They way you describe them, they're not too different from how we were." Pyrrha said. "Except I think you got your lines from crappy romance movies."

"You're not wrong." Yang admitted. "But it worked, didn't it?"

"It sure did." Pyrrha laughed.

The following morning Winter was awakened by a knock on her room's door. "Winter, are you awake?" It was one of the servants.

"What is it?" Winter asked.

"There is a package for you." The servant replied. "The courier insists on delivering it to you directly."

"I'll be right down." Winter said. She got dressed in a hurry, just enough to be presentable. Qrow had promised Weiss would be in touch and she hoped this was her sister's message. She made her way to the front door. The courier was standing just inside, holding a small package. It was the same courier as the last time.

"Here you are Ms. Schnee." The courier said. He handed over the package and departed as abruptly as he had the last time.

Winter took the package back to her room. Opening it, she found it contained another data disk. She slipped it into her computer and a video began playing automatically. It was indeed Weiss. "Hello Winter." Weiss said. "I'm sorry about the whole faking my death thing, that must have been hard on you."

"You have no idea." Winter whispered to herself.

"I just couldn't allow father to bring me home." Weiss said. "I hope you're doing alright, considering. I'm fine. I'm with my friends now. We've been training a lot. I don't know why exactly, except that I guess it's the only thing we can think of doing. Given everything that's happened, everyone seems surprisingly upbeat. Even Team JNPR seems to be handling the death of their leader well. I don't want you to worry, but we fought some Grimm today. There were a lot of them and they were strong, but we took care of it. It felt really good to win for a change. I came out without a scratch. Blake took a big hit but she's going to be fine." Weiss paused and a look of unease flashed across her face. "I guess I should tell you. How should I put this? Blake and I aren't exactly dating because we haven't had a chance for a real date but...I know. I have commenced a romantic relationship with my teammate Blake."

"Not exactly what I was expecting, but good for you." Winter whispered to herself. "With all the two of you went through together I can't say I'm surprised."

"The thing is…" Weiss continued. "...I'm not sure you're going to like this but...well...she's a Faunus." Winter nearly fell out of her chair. "I don't care what she is. All I care about is who she is. That's what's really important. Anyway, I guess I should wrap this up. I hope I can see you soon. I miss you."

Winter burst into laughter. Weiss dating a Faunus? Their father would have a fit if he found out. Winter had to wonder how much of the relationship was based on Weiss wanting to defy her father, but if the pair were happy, what did it matter? Winter was cautious with the Faunus. As a Schnee she had to be. The bad blood tended to flow both ways. That said, she had no problem with her sister dating one. If it made her happy, wonderful. All Winter wanted was for Weiss to be happy.

Author's Note: The reasoning behind why Jaune might not be dead can easily be reframed into the reasoning behind my belief that Pyrrha is not really dead in canon.