The sunlight filtered through the blinds, catching on the strands of Pyrrha's hair and scattering gold across the wall. It was soft, weak light, the kind that gently nudged instead of demanded. For once, Pyrrha didn't wake before it came body ached in that odd, restless way that came after a night of no physical training, but emotional exhaustion. Her muscles were fine, but her soul wasn't.
She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. They were still puffy. She hadn't cried that hard in months. Maybe a year, but she didn't regret it. Her therapist taught her that.
The apartment was silent, with the only sounds being the distant hum of morning traffic and the soft buzz of the refrigerator. Cathleen's bedroom door was closed, but a note was taped to the outside of the fridge in bright red sharpie:
Kick fate in the ass. Go find your girl. – C.
Pyrrha smiled, clutching the note in one hand as she leaned her forehead against the fridge door. It was dumb and corny. Exactly the kind of thing Cathleen would say, but it made the ache in her chest lighten, even if just a little.
She moved slowly through her morning routine. Washed her face, hanged into a clean hoodie and leggings, and made herself green tea instead of coffee. She stood on the balcony, cup warm in her hands, and watched the sunrise behind the New York skyline. It was beautiful in a way completely different from Mistral or Vale, harder, sharper, and more honest.
It felt real now that Weiss was here. Alive, singing and breathing.
Pyrrha had heard her voice. Not in a dream or a hallucination. Her actual voice, which meant one thing above all else.
She can be reached.
Pyrrha set her cup down and moved to her laptop. It whirred to life beneath her fingers, and she didn't waste time going to the same fan page she had scrolled through the night before. The information had changed little, but now she looked with purpose.
She needed schedules, tour dates and physical locations.
The internet flooded her with information, Weiss was currently on tour in Japan. Tokyo, then Osaka, followed by Seoul, then a brief break before Europe.
Pyrrha clicked through a few more pages. Tokyo was nine days from now, in an open-air venue downtown. And it was already sold out, but Pyrrha didn't care.
"If I wait too long, I'll miss her again." Pyrrha murmured as she pulled out a notepad and started writing, her own Mistral shorthand mixed with English. Flights, concert location, US dollar to Japanese Yen conversion, hotel prices, and train lines. It was thrilling and terrifying all at once. Like preparing for a mission again, only this time she wasn't hunting grimm. She was chasing a ghost from her past.
Pyrrha paused when her pen hovered over the words Xavier entrance exam. Her acceptance packet was still on the desk, waiting for a signature and final placement. The exams were in eleven days.
She could go to Japan, she could find Weiss, but there was no guarantee Weiss would see her, or even want to. And if she missed the entrance date, there was no make-up exam. She'd have to wait another year before getting another chance.
Pyrrha stared at the packet for a long time. She reached for it, fingers brushing the corner, then pulled back.
Weiss was part of the old world, but so was she.
She opened her phone and pressed the speed dial button she'd assigned to Cathleen months ago.
It rang twice.
"Yo!" Cathleen answered, breathless and loud, with the roar of wind in the background. "Make it quick, I'm currently dangling from a helicopter."
"Are you-what?!" Pyrrha's eyes widened.
"It's fine, the guy's quirk is wind-based, so I'm letting him think he has the advantage. Spoiler alert, he doesn't. What's up?" Cathleen sounded cheerful as always.
Pyrrha hesitated. "I want to go to Japan."
A pause, then the winds picked up. "For a vacation or for a Weiss?"
"For Weiss. I think I can find her. She's performing in Tokyo in nine days."
Another pause. The wind stopped. "You're sure about this?"
"No," Pyrrha admitted after what felt like an eternity. "But I need to try."
"That's all I needed to hear. Do it Piera!"
"I might miss the entrance exams," Pyrrha said, her voice soft and low. "I might have to wait a whole year to enroll."
Cathleen grunted. "So what? You're not racing anyone. If this is what your heart's telling you to do, you follow it."
"But what if she doesn't remember me?" That doubt plagued the back of her mind.
Cathleen didn't hesitate. "Then you remind her. You remind her what kind of girl cries over breakfast and fried cheesecake because she still cares that much."
Pyrrha exhaled slowly. "Thank you."
"Hey, don't get sappy on me. Go get your girl, Nikos. I'll cover things here." There was a burst of static and then a scream. "Gotta go! Bad guy's back!" The line cut out.
Pyrrha closed her eyes and smiled.
Cathleen was such a good friend.
Booking the flight was easy. Expensive, but easy. Cathleen had insisted she keep the emergency fund they'd built up "in case Pyrrha needed to run," and it was finally time to use it for something other than buying a new phone charger after stepping on it.
Pyrrha chose the earliest direct flight she could afford, departing in three days. The moment she hit confirm, her hands started shaking.
She wasn't scared of flying, or fighting. And at least Japanese was the same as Mistralian, so the language side of the trip would be fine.
Pyrrha was scared of seeing Weiss again and not being seen in return.
The next evening, Pyrrha was in her room, folding her clothes into neat stacks for the fifth time not because they needed folding, but because her hands needed something to do.
Out in the living room, Cathleen was on her fourth phone call in as many hours.
"No, I don't need backstage passes." She said into her headset, tone tight with restrained irritation. "I'm not asking for a favor. I'm asking if anyone in the Japanese Hero Public Safety Commission has a direct contact for Weiss Schnee's agency."
Pyrrha sat still and quiet, ears tilted toward the living room. Cathleen had been trying all day, emails, old favors, calls to international liaisons. At one point, she even dug out a wrinkled business card from an old coat labeled Endeavor's U.S. Visit – 2022 and tried calling the number on the back. It had gone straight to voicemail.
"Yes, I know she's a celebrity. I know she's not a villain, thank you. I'm trying to help a friend reconnect with someone who might be the last living soul from her world." A pause. "...No, I'm not being metaphorical."
There was another long silence before Cathleen sighed heavily and hung up.
Cathleen stood in the middle of the living room for a long second, staring at her phone like she wanted to throw it. Then she walked to the fridge, opened the freezer, and retrieved the pint of chocolate ice cream she'd labeled DO NOT EAT UNLESS EXISTENTIAL CRISIS.
The label was now scratched out with a Sharpie and rewritten as SCREW THE SYSTEM.
Pyrrha finally stepped out of her room, revealing herself. "No luck?"
Cathleen looked up, spoon already in her mouth. "They shut me down faster than a rookie sidekick trying to apply for solo license." She pulled out the spoon. "You'd think being the number one hero in America would count for something, right?"
"Is it because of me?" Pyrrha asked softly.
"No, Kid. It's because the whole damn world runs on image control and press access. They treat Weiss like she's made of gold and stardust and million-dollar sponsors. You can't get near her without getting trampled by agents, contracts, and a legal department with more fangs than a shark grimm." Cathleen complained as she stuffed her mouth with ice cream.
Pyrrha smiled faintly at the comparison.
Cathleen slammed the freezer shut and leaned against the counter. "I called some friends in Tokyo. One of them's a support tech for Kamui Woods. Said the security detail around her venue is tighter than the vault under the UN building. Apparently some weirdo tried to rush the stage last year thinking Weiss was the reincarnation of a snow goddess."
"She might be," Pyrrha offered, not entirely joking.
Cathleen grinned. "Wouldn't surprise me."
A pause.
"I'm sorry I couldn't get you anything."
"You tried," Pyrrha said, stepping forward and placing a hand on Cathleen's forearm. "That's more than I ever expected. This isn't your burden to carry."
"Maybe not." Cathleen scooped another bite of ice cream. "But you're mine, Pyrrha. And if I could've cleared a path for you, I would've."
That settled into Pyrrha's chest like a weight—but not the kind that crushed. The kind that grounded.
"Besides," Cathleen said, licking the spoon dramatically, "I have full confidence in you being able to sneak into a backstage area if it comes down to it. That polite, Mistralian charm of yours is way more dangerous than anything I can throw."
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Pyrrha murmured, though her lips curved in amusement.
Cathleen reached into the cabinet above the fridge and pulled out a sleek, unmarked envelope. "That said, here, just in case." She handed it to Pyrrha. "Cash, burner phone, basic credentials, and contact info for a hero I trust in Osaka. If something goes sideways, call him and say 'Liberty Bell' to let him know I sent you."
"Liberty Bell?" Pyrrha blinked. "That's your safe word?"
Cathleen gave her a grin, her teeth stained with chocolate."No, it's the code word. My safe word is 'pomegranate.' Don't ask."
Pyrrha didn't, she just pulled her into a hug.
She spent the next afternoon preparing. Her suitcase wasn't big, and her wardrobe was simple. Comfortable travel clothes, two dresses, training gear, and her practice sword. She hesitated at the last one.
It wasn't Milo, not even close. The balance was off, the blade too modern, but it was the only weapon she had, and after everything she'd lost, it was a piece of who she was now.
She wrapped it carefully in its case and laid it on top.
There was one more item to pack.
A worn photo, the colors slightly faded. Team JNPR and Team RWBY at Beacon, grinning like idiots during the festival prep. Jaune with marker on his face, Ruby mid-bounce, Ren glaring sideways at Nora, Weiss, arms crossed but smiling ever so slightly, and Pyrrha, front and center.
She tucked it into the front pouch of her bag and zipped it closed.
The days passed slowly.
Pyrrha stayed busy, running errands, cooking meals, organizing her notes. Cathleen was in and out of the apartment like a whirlwind, always with a new story of some half-baked villain or chaotic rescue. Cathleen didn't ask more questions, she just supported and encouraged her.
The night before the flight, Cathleen cooked for once, and burnt the edges. Pyrrha didn't say a word.
"You ready?" Cathleen asked as they sat on the couch, a movie playing in the background neither was watching.
Pyrrha nodded. "As much as I can be."
Cathleen studied her for a long moment. "No matter what happens, you've already won, you know that?"
"I haven't even seen her yet."
"Exactly. And you're still doing it."
The next morning, Pyrrha stood inside of JFK International Airport, her hood pulled up, and her suitcase by her side. Her passport had been a nightmare to get months ago, but Cathleen knew people. The plane would board in thirty minutes.
She scrolled through her playlist, pausing on a familiar title.
Shine by Weiss Schnee
Pyrrha slipped her headphones on and pressed song filled her ears as the gate attendant called her boarding group. Pyrrha stood, adjusted her hoodie, and took one last glance at the terminal.
Then she walked toward the gate.
"I'm coming, Weiss."
A/N
Whaaaat? Another update so fast? Who am I?