Pyrrha opened her eyes. What lay before her was an empty hall: two walls, a ceiling, and a floor, all completely void of detail, all dull white and hopeless. In front of her was an impossibly long stretch of nothing but the hall. Behind her was not a wall, but a void, a hollow as black as pitch. She stared into the trench, and felt a fear before unknown to her as the blackness began to move forwards, its dreadful shadow creeping over and taking in the white, empty hall.

It was a primal fear that drove Pyrrha forwards, a fear that sent her sprinting down the hall at full tilt, but no matter how fast she ran, the void followed her steadily. She ran for what felt like hours, days, her mind racing but failing to form a comprehensive thought. The darkness began to nip at her heels, the implausible coldness of its grip attempting to enclose her bare feet. Driven, she pushed herself further than she had thought possible.

By the time she felt like her legs were going to give out, she saw him: a lanky, bare form in front of her, his shaggy hair glinting like gold. He could have been miles away from her, or inches; distance was nonexistent in the hall. All Pyrrha knew was that he was there, her light in the dark, she the light in his dark. He was facing away from her, away from the void. He wouldn't see it coming.

Pyrrha screamed his name at the top of her lungs, trying to get him to turn around to see the danger, to get him to run for his life, to save him like they had saved each other. Her screeches fell on deaf ears. Her legs pumped until her muscles let out bloodcurdling screams of pain, tears formed in her eyes from the exertion…but he pushed her forwards. The sight of him, of his danger, of her ability to save him, to keep him from harm's way, drove her even further than her own wellbeing. Her arms outstretched as she closed in on him, and her legs let out one final howl as she jumped towards him.

Her arms passed through his ghostly image, his form expanding and dissipating into the air like dust. She turned in the air, falling onto her back, the final thing her eyes witnessing being the emptiness as it swallowed her, her last thoughts being of who she had failed.

Pyrrha shot up in bed suddenly, her breath short and quick, her eyes wide in terror. Her head whipped around, taking in the dorm room, the sight ensuring her that what she had just experienced was just a nightmare, and that she was safe in her room. The beginnings of daylight permeated the window, dimly lighting the room. Nora was snoring away, her feet laying on her pillow while her head hung off the side of her bed. Ren sleeping stiffly, his back flat against his own bed, his arms at his sides.

Emerald eyes finally took in what they were so desperately searching for. Jaune was sound asleep, in the fetal position, his head resting on folded hands. He faced away from Pyrrha, but she could practically see his dreamy smile in her mind's eye.

Pyrrha let out as controlled of a sigh as she could, making sure to not rouse her teammates. She duly noted that her covers had fallen off of her bed and were now laying unceremoniously on the floor. Had she been trashing in her sleep? She was certainly lucky that her teammates were heavy sleepers…even Ren, surprisingly enough.

The first night after the dance, a mere six hours, at most, after fully realizing her feelings for her best friend, and she had already had a dream about him...or a nightmare, to be more accurate. Pyrrha pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged them tightly, her chin near her knees, her eyes never leaving the back of Jaune's head. She sighed both out of despondence and relief, her breath warming her bare knees. Her long hair, normally tied, now billowed around her body like a drape, the curly red locks pooling around the fabric of her red night shorts.

Pyrrha Nikos was almost invincible. She could best nearly anybody in a fair one on one fight, thanks to her inert talent and battle prowess. Her mind usually carried the same sentiment; she was intelligent, collected, confident, and her emotional walls were not easily toppled.

But in this very moment, looking at the source of her alien and horrifying emotions…

She had never felt more vulnerable.

A/N: Nope, it wasn't a one shot. And no, the chapters aren't always going to be this short or...I dunno...odd. I'm just trying to catch my stride after a long hiatus from writing stories (I used to write a lot of fanfiction for a different site, the specifics of which I ain't telling none of y'all, 'cuz those stories sorta suck, and it wasn't RWBY stuff anyhow). Rest assured, next chapter will longer, as well as the proceeding chapters. So anyways, if you like the story so far, or, preferably, if you despise it, give me some feedback with a review. It really is imperative for me to be faced with criticism (and not praise) to become a better writer. Thanks for reading so far!