Author's Note:

Figured I'd put my music on shuffle and see what inspiration might come from it...

Suggested by: Author's Original Creation

Drabble location in R.W.B.Y. timeline: Volume 3, Episode 12: End of the Beginning

Basic Scenario: Jaune, Nora and Ren get the news of Pyrrha's fate. [Inspired by: "Who Will Save You Now" by Les Friction]

*BOOP*

Nurses were swarming the waiting room, attending to students and festival goers alike. Sitting on the ground next to Ren, Nora bit back a groan. There were others who needed more help than she did... she could handle the pain for a little while longer.

Ren reached forward and placed a hand on hers, gently squeezing it.

She simply nodded, knowing that it was his way of trying to comfort her.

Ren's eyes darted up from hers, spotting a new addition to the waiting room.

Nora recognized the armoured blonde, "Jaune!" she had to resist bolting upright and running to him.

"Nora! Ren!" Jaune ran over to his teammates, "She's not here? Is she?" He was distraught.

"We haven't seen Pyrrha." Ren stated, "Ruby and Weiss were going to find her."

"I know..." Jaune ran his hands through his hair, shakily sitting beside them, "Weiss called my scroll."

"Are you okay?" Nora leaned forward, "What happened?"

Jaune hung his head and closed his eyes, "Pyrrha... she- we... we went underneath the school..." he shook his head, "to... some sort of vault... and, there was this girl- she was in a machine..."

Nora looked at Ren, seeing that he was equally confused, and then back at Jaune.

"Pyrrha got into the machine... I don't know what it was for... and she was screaming," his breath hitched, "and I couldn't save the other girl," Jaune's hands were shaking, "She was shot with an arrow, by that girl on Mercury's team... the taller one with black hair."

Ren reached up and set a hand on Jaune's shoulder, "What happened next?" he asked steadily.

Jaune let out an uneasy sigh, "Ozpin wouldn't let us fight her... said we would only get in the way..." he gulped, "I tried to ask Pyrrha what it was all about, but... but then... we saw that girl who had been fighting Ozpin going to the top of the tower. And Pyrrha..." he hung his head, "she said that there was no time... she was going to fight that girl on her own... I tried to stop her, and then she- she-" Jaune nearly broke down.

"Jaune..." Nora placed a hand on his other shoulder.

"She kissed me!" Jaune blurted out, "She kissed me, and then she shoved me into a rocket locker!" He sobbed, holding his head in his hands, "that's... how I got here..."

Nora made a sound in the back of her throat, halfway between a choke and a sob, "She's... she's still out there?"

Jaune could only nod, trying not to cry.

"She'll be fine..." Nora shook her head, blinking back tears, "she has to be... she's- she's Pyrrha!"

"We can only hope," Ren bowed his head, "that Weiss and Ruby got to her in time..."

An uneasy silence descended upon the team, each praying for the safety of their friends.

A nurse approached the group, "we're ready for you two," she indicated to Nora and Ren.

Wiping her eyes, Nora hesitated in moving. She looked from the nurse back to Jaune.

"Go." Jaune implored, "You two need the healing more than I do... I'll wait here to see if there's news."

Nora nodded cautiously to Jaune as she got up. Ren leaned his weight against her shoulder with a grunt of pain and the two nurses helped them towards the nearest medical wards.

Jaune bowed his head. He didn't know who or what to pray to... but he was going to try.

"Please..."Jaune begged, gripping his hands together until his knuckles turned white, "please be all right, Pyrrha."

*BOOP*

"Jaune!" A familiar voice called into the nearly empty waiting room.

"Weiss?" Jaune looked up at the noise and was surprised to see the white-haired girl accompanied by a strange man who held Ruby in his arms, "Who are you? Wait- what's wrong with Ruby?" He was on his feet, looking over his friends with concern.

"Name's Qrow," the man introduced himself, "Ruby and Yang's uncle." He nodded to the unconscious girl in his arms, "as for her... she's gonna be fine."

"Weiss, what happened up there?"

Weiss cast her eyes down, "Ruby and I were fighting Grimm," she took a deep breath, "I used my runes to help her run up the tower... like during Initiation against that Nevermore."

It felt like a lifetime ago...

"And then, there was this bright light..."

"What?"

Weiss shook her head, "Something stopped that huge dragon."

"For now..." Qrow cut in, "but there are still too many Grimm at Beacon, it's not safe."

"Stopped? Wait." Jaune's eyes widened, "What about Pyrrha?"

Qrow sighed heavily, "I'm sorry, kid." He faced the blonde, "she's... gone."

"Gone?" Jaune was stunned, "no... no you can't be serious."

Qrow bowed his head, "I wish I wasn't..."

"No." Jaune's face twisted in agony and he dropped to his knees.

His breath hitched and he grabbed his chest, shaking his head.

Tears ran down the length of his face as he choked between sobs, "Pyrrha..."

Qrow took his leave, carrying the still unconscious Ruby into another room.

Weiss was torn between following Qrow to ensure Ruby's well-being and staying. Seeing Jaune so broken finalized her decision. She knelt at her friend's side and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I should have protected her..." Jaune's arms were shaking with effort to hold himself up, "None of this would've happened if I had done my job..."

"Jaune?" A timid voice came from nearby.

Weiss looked up, seeing Nora leaning heavily against a crutch and Ren close behind her with his arm in a sling.

"Pyrrha-" Weiss suddenly found it difficult to speak, her grip tightened on Jaune's shoulder and she tried not to choke up, "Pyrrha's... gone."

Nora's eyes widened as she shook her head, "Gone?"

Weiss could only nod, bowing her head as hot tears ran from her eyes. She was startled when Nora and Ren both knelt down next to her and pulled her into a group hug.

"I'm sorry," Jaune sobbed, "I'm- so sorry."