As Pyrrha and her team reached the porch of the Xiao Long home, she couldn't help but stop, her legs freezing in place and her gloved fingers clenched into her palm. To her, the plain-looking wooden door that stood before her loomed greater than any of her previous missions and responsibilities.
Except one, of course. She'd hesitated there, too, and it was why there were only three of them here now instead of four.
"Pyrrha, you… doing ok?" Nora's concerned voice broke through Pyrrha's reverie, and she looked down to see the shorter girl's face wracked with concern.
"I'm fine, I'm just feeling… a bit dizzy is all." As she lied, she felt a pang of guilt strike her. Pyrrha just didn't want to hear it again. The platitudes of how it wasn't her fault. How it was normal to feel what she felt, that she hadn't been a coward.
"If your concussion hasn't fully healed we can always postpone. Ruby would understand." Ren stated matter of factly, though Pyrrha could still see the faint crinkle of his eyes that showed Ren's worry. He was probably the most composed person Pyrrha had ever met, but having spent so long as his teammate, she'd learned to pick up on Ren's tells.
"I'm fine, Ren!" She recoiled at the sharpness of her own tone. "I-I'm sorry. I was just lost in thought, that's all."
Ren and Nora shared a quick glance, silently communicating before they looked back at her. Pyrrha couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy seeing it.
"We get it. We all have had a lot on our minds." Ren's response was blessedly curt.
The three stood there for a few brief awkward seconds until Pyrrha realized they were waiting for her to take the lead. Of course they were. She took in a deep breath, closing her eyes and steadying herself. No more hesitation.
She rapped on the door gently, and the sound of barking came from inside, which Pyrrha presumed was their dog Zwei. Only a few seconds later the door swung open and in the doorway stood Ruby Rose, stock still and her breath hitched as she looked at them. Was Ruby angry with her, disappointed in her? Pyrrha wouldn't blame her. She'd murdered Penny before then failing to save Jaune….
Tears brimmed in Ruby's silver eyes right before she wrapped Pyrrha and her two teammates into a group hug the best she could.
She sniffled, "Guys, you-you're okay…. After I woke up everyone was gone and…"
"It's good to see you too Ruby," Ren said as a faint smile crossed his face.
"We were just in the hospital for a bit cause Pyrrha bumped her head, that's all, silly." Nora teased, and while Pyrrha wanted to frown at that, she understood that she was just trying to lighten the mood a bit.
"Ruby I…" Pyrrha began, but a loud male voice, which Pyrrha presumed was Ruby's father, called out. "Ruby! Don't be rude and bring your friends inside, ok?"
Ruby pulled away, quickly wiping her tears away before she ushered the three of them to the living room, where they sat on the couch while Ruby sat on a worn-out recliner next to them. The sound of scampering on the wooden floors alerted Pyrrha to Zwei running into the room, likely coming to investigate these strangers that had appeared in his domain.
Pyrrha offered her hand out for him to sniff, which he did for a few seconds before giving it a friendly lick. She responded by scratching his furry chin and Pyrrha couldn't help but smile. She heard Ruby and Nora both coo, and Zwei went to investigate the latter, who aggressively scratched his little head while Ren patted him gently. Eventually, he ran to Ruby, leaping into and curling up in her lap.
"So, where's Yang?" Nora asked. "Is she ok after, well… that? By the time we were able to visit her in the hospital, they said she was already home."
Ruby's mood chilled, her shoulders slumping and her eyes became downcast.
"Yang's ... having a tough time and she doesn't want to really… talk to anyone right now. I know she'll get better but… she just needs some rest." Pyrrha wondered how much of that last part was for them, or Ruby's own sake.
"Oh," Nora responded sadly, and Pyrrha frowned. The two had always gotten along well, with their positivity and… energy. The prank war the two had back at Beacon nearly destroyed their entire dorm hall.
Thankfully the rather downward turn of mood was interrupted by Ruby's father, coming in with a tray of what appeared to be steaming hot cocoa, and placing it down on the coffee table.
"Don't worry, I won't hover over you, Rubes. I just figured you all" He said, looking at Pyrrha and her teammates. "Might need some warming up. It's starting to get pretty cold out there and I wouldn't be surprised if it starts snowing soon."
"Thanks, dad."
A chorus of "Thank yous." came from Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora, the latter having a mustache of hot cocoa on her lip, having already chugged down more than half her mug.
"It's not a problem. You're all guests and my daughters' friends. If you need anything, just holler okay? I'll be getting dinner ready." He said before he grabbed the now empty tray, leaving the room to them again. Zwei hopped off Ruby's lap, leaving to follow Tai to the kitchen
The group proceeded to drink their cocoa and make some small talk which Pyrrha mostly remained a spectator to. She still felt somewhat awkward even just… looking at her. It was Ruby who had seen Jaune last, gone to save him, while Pyrrha… Pyrrha was the reason he was gone. Ruby didn't seem mad so far, but would it be that way when she knew what had happened? Knew the destiny Pyrrha shirked? She didn't have a good answer.
Eventually, however, the conversation slowed as their hot cocoa was finished, and the brief period of warmth and faux normalcy receded. They had danced around it asking about Yang, but what happened at Beacon was too large to just leave unaddressed.
And as much as dredging it up would hurt, she wouldn't let fear control her, so Pyrrha finally broke her silence.
"Ruby… What happened at Beacon? To you, and…" She trailed off, still unable to say his name aloud.
Ren and Nora both looked surprised she even asked, with Nora's foot tapping nervously. Ruby meanwhile just looked downright miserable, what cheer she had gained talking with them melting away.
"If you don't want to, we don't have to-" Pyrrha was quick to add but Ruby shook her head no, cutting her off.
"After Amity and…. Everything there. I managed to make my way to Torchwick. He had hijacked one of the Atlesian cruisers and was shooting the other ships. I…stopped him and his partner, but… the fighting destroyed the bridge. I made my way to Beacon where Weiss and I saw Blake injured and Yang after she lost her…"
Her voice lowered, and Pyrrha could tell she was barely holding back tears. "After Yang lost her arm. That was when Weiss got your distress call and we… couldn't understand much of it but we heard Jaune was in danger at Beacon Tower. Weiss helped me up the tower and I got there and I saw- I saw him and the woman in red, and then… Hold on." She choked out. "Lemme grab something… U-Uncle Qrow brought it back when he grabbed me and you deserve to…"
Ruby ran down the hall for a few seconds, and when Pyrrha saw just what Ruby had laid on the coffee table with the utmost care before gingerly unwrapping it, she couldn't help but let out a sob, despite trying in vain to hold in.
It was Jaune's armor and his weapon, or… what little was left of it. The hilt of Crocea Mors was charred a smokey black color, the worn blue finish having entirely been stripped from it. The actual blade itself was undamaged up until the halfway point, where the rest of the sword was unceremoniously gone, melted to slag.
A round, partially melted oval confused Pyrrha until she realized by the faint gold that could still be made out that it was what little was left of his shield. Family heirlooms passed down for generations, that if Jaune was right, were old when the Great War was just beginning, turned into nearly unidentifiable scrap.
But it was his breastplate that was the worst. A large hole through the center punched inwards, with the edges of the entry wound being warped by the heat. It was one of her arrows, Pyrrha realized. That had been what…
She couldn't finish the thought, her fists balling as a fresh wave of tears rolled down her face, and instead shifted her gaze to Ren and Nora. They were both now holding one other, Ren gently rubbing Nora's back, who sobbed noisily into the crook of his shoulder, while silent tears rolled down his face. They had known Jaune was gone, but… seeing what little was left of him and knowing how it ended… That hurt differently.
Ruby was hugging herself, fingers squeezing her own arms in a vice grip, eyes looking downwards and clearly distant. Pyrrha could recognize she was trying her best to hold it in, to not break out into a wave of crying in front of the grieving remnants of JNPR.
Maybe it was the guilt at knowing her failure was the reason Ruby was crying, that she was bereft of the comfort of teammates and even her own sister because Pyrrha had been too hesitant. Maybe it was Pyrrha's own selfish desire for any sort of human contact, a sliver of what Ren and Nora had, especially after now that she was so alone. Or maybe it was some mixture of the two.
Either way, Pyrrha looked at Ruby and weakly gestured for a hug, simply saying "Ruby…" She quickly found herself locked in a vice grip as the younger girl grabbed onto her, and Pyrrha laid her head on Ruby's shoulder, tears streaming down her face despite her clenching her eyes closed. She could feel Ruby's breathy sobs on her chest, and Pyrrha couldn't help but keep muttering, uncaring of whether anyone heard, "I'm sorry."
/
Dinner was a morose and quiet affair, though everyone was still in a far better mood than earlier, especially given Taiyang's skill as a chef and his subsequent gracious offer to stay the night. With the three of them all from originally out of country, Beacon destroyed, and Vale filled with now stranded people who were waiting for their turn on the evacuation flights, finding a place to stay that wasn't a hastily set up center for refugees was challenging.
However, before they could get some much-needed sleep, Ruby asked them to meet her outside, supposedly for 'nothing important' but Ruby wasn't exactly a good liar.
Leaves crunched under their feet as they neared the tree line, and Pyrrha gently rubbed her fingers over Miló's hilt. They'd been informed when they got to Patch that while things usually were safe, there was still the occasional Beowulf or Ursa around and it was always best to play it safe with Grimm. Far too many rookie Huntsmen met an ignominious fate because they were caught weaponless by Grimm they normally could handle.
Ruby stopped before she took a quick look around, and the three of them also briefly scanned the surrounding area, checking for Grimm in the now-dark forest in front of them, their only light being the dim glow from the house behind them, and the omnipresent shattered moon overhead. Thankfully, there was nothing else nearby besides them and a single lone doe.
Ruby spun around, looking at them with her silver eyes which Pyrrha swore were almost shining. "So guys, there was something… Uh, two things actually, I wanted to tell you and well-ask you. I didn't tell you because there's some stuff I don't want dad to know and well, we got… sidetracked. It-it's gonna sound crazy I know it did to me but… it explains some things okay?"
"Ruby. There is nothing you could tell us that is crazier than what's happened to us, and what we've all recently learned." Pyrrha replied, looking at her two teammates who solemnly nodded.
"Okay well… There's a reason I was in a coma and that big dragon is now frozen on Beacon Tower. I think it's the reason Ozpin let me in so early. Have you heard of uh, the fairy tales about Silver-Eyed Warriors?"
Nora quickly responded "Let me guess? It isn't just a fairy tale and you're one of these super duper awesome warriors? Ohhh what can you do?"
Ruby looked incredibly surprised but she continued. "Yeah, that's uh, it. And as for what I can do well, I froze that dragon, killed a bunch of other Grimm, annnnd according to Uncle Qrow, it was very uh… glowy. I thought you'd be, well, a bit more surprised. It sounds a so crazy and stuff and I know I didn't-"
Pyrrha cut her off. "Because, Ruby, that… Isn't the only fairy tale that has more than some truth to it. It's actually something I've been involved in, it's the reason this attack happened and…" She stopped herself not wanting to go down that road and derail this. Ruby of all people deserved to be let into this secret. To know why two of her closest friends were dead, and her team scattered to the winds.
"You've heard of the tale of the Four Maidens yes?" Pyrrha asked, and Ruby nodded her head, looking intently at her.
"Well, much like Silver Eyed Warriors, they were not just fairy tales. There really are four young women who have the power of the very seasons themselves at their command, though it is a mantle that changes to whoever the Maiden thinks about last in their thoughts. If they are a girl that is." She specified. "Somehow the powers of one Maiden, the Fall Maiden, were… split."
"The woman in red," Ruby muttered, realization drawing on her.
"Yes. Somehow she managed to steal half of the Fall Maiden's powers and left the previous Fall Maiden comatose. I was chosen to accept the responsibility to take the remaining half of the powers by Ozpin and his confidantes. Which actually included your Uncle. I was… too slow to accept this destiny, and by the time I did it was too late, she took it and..."
"Pyrrha…" Nora started but she put her hand up to stop him. Now wasn't the time for their misplaced sympathy.
"That was who Jaune fought and that's why this whole attack began. Because some mad woman wanted to take the power all for herself." She clenched Miló's in a death grip and her voice now shook with anger, both at herself and at the witch and all her little accomplices who were party to all of it.
"Pyrrha told us all this once she woke up afterward," Ren explained, with Nora gently putting a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder in support.
Ruby for her part was clearly deep in thought, the metaphorical cogs turning in her head as she put her hand on her chin and silently paced before finally stopping.
She looked nervously at the three, "Well… What I'm about to ask you is actually uh, really relevant to that but… My Uncle Qrow may have let it slip that she and her team came from Mistral, from Haven Academy. I want to go and investigate but… I thought you guys should know and… I don't think I could do it alone and well-"
Pyrrha immediately responded. "I'll do it."
"And we'll go too!" Nora pumped her fist, while Ren simply hummed in affirmation.
This was it. Pyrrha had thought she'd be just… sitting in Vale, clearing away Grimm from the school but now… She could reclaim her destiny and most importantly, avenge Jaune doing it. And when the time came… she wouldn't hesitate again.
/
Hello to everyone and esp any of y'all who follow my other story, A Rose Bloom in Autumn. This idea was born from frankly, my own personal realization/opinion that Pyrrha living and Jaune taking her place ala what happened w Achilles and Patroclus, would just be so much more compelling than what we got in canon. And then I thought about what that would be like and well, after a very very long time and some recent hits of inspiration, this bad boy was all plotted out and ready to go. While Pyrrha living and Jaune dying is the main change, there are a few other more minor AU things that will come up for honestly the same reason that this whole fic was born, was that it would just be really compelling and interesting so not everything is limited to pure butterflying as in my other fic. Also just shoutout to some of the authors/artists/works that have inspired me for this one. LastSonata's Dissonance Trilogy, Dashing Icecream, Red Storm Rising, etc and ofc the folks who well, made RWBY.
For the readers for A Rose Blooms in Autumn. I'll try and have your chapter out later this week hopefully and it's halfway done. I'm gonna try and make sure each fic gets updated at least every other week, as while it may seem like an extra workload, letting chapters have a chance to cook for a bit longer I think will be a lot better for me and the stories as a whole. Also, genuinely a special callout to y'all, helping give me the confidence to push myself as a writer.
As always, thoughts, critique, feedback, and ofc delicious speculation is always something I enjoy.