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Pyrrha felt herself gasping, struggling against the arrow. She looked into the eyes of her killer as her future was being stolen from her.
All feeling began to fall away as Pyrrha’s body scattered into the wind. Her consciousness began to follow, diluting into the night air, into nothingness.
But just before she ceased to be, she was engulfed in a strong, warm, white light that seemed to give her just enough to stay together, at least enough to still call Pyrrha.
She no longer had her sight or any other sense for that matter, but for a moment, she had a glimpse of a figure hooded in white. And the figure had her in a mother’s embrace.
The strong light faded, but still burned lightly in the darkness, as if it were sleeping. It began to move away, but not of it’s own will. Pyrrha followed it through the darkness, having nowhere else to go, being unable to recognize anything else.
Background chatter surrounded the light, sounding as if it were underwater and of an incomprehensible language. Unrecognizable shapes passed, silhouettes that faded in and out of awareness. What was left of Pyrrha’s will clung to the light for all it had left.
Then another light emerged from the darkness, burning brightly and with a familiar warmth. As it came closer to the first light, it started to gain a form. Pyrrha had her first memory in this state, or a whole cascade of memories, that recognized the person standing in the middle of Pyrrha’s dark world. He had that frantic look on his face as he talked. She could only pick out one word from the noise.
“Pyrrha”
The silhouettes surrounding him shrank away at the word, retreating further into the shadows. But Pyrrha hung on to the word with all she had left and took refuge within the light that spoke it.
“Jaune.”
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Time might have passed, but Pyrrha couldn’t be sure. All she could sense was Jaune, who burned bright in an endless darkness. Silhouettes faded in and out, sometimes mumbling at Jaune, sometimes gesturing and making contact with him. Were they people? That was Pyrrha’s best guess. But she still couldn’t comprehend their words or actions. She would only get glimpses of Jaune in her chaotic, unstable world.
Sometimes he’d be walking or doing something. Often he’d be staring into nothingness. He cried sometimes.
Pyrrha couldn’t clearly produce many complex thoughts, or make much sense of those that she had. But she wanted Jaune to know she was there. This existence was fragile and ephemeral. She wanted to feel that same warmth of his that she knew when she was alive.
Sometimes Pyrrha would try to call Jaune’s name, but it was like she had forgotten how to. She had no form, no mouth to speak with, nothing that would allow others to recognize her. Pyrrha was merely a will hanging onto existence.
Once she thought she managed to make a sound. Jaune looked up for a moment, but was it because of her? It was difficult to make sense of anything in this state. She didn’t even know if the Jaune in front of her was real.
One time, two silhouettes entered the scene. These two appeared often, and were the only ones that Pyrrha could recognize. It wasn’t until this instance however, that they finally came into clear view.
“Ren, Nora… Let’s go.”
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The three walked for a long time, and Pyrrha followed.
She couldn’t see much besides the trio, but she could occasionally pick up on the sparse conversation. Much of it was inane, with no substance backing it for Pyrrha to latch onto and comprehend. But every once in a while, Pyrrha heard her name, and with it, she felt her strength return.
The walking continued, with little variation. Pyrrha felt lost, with only her vaguely recognizable friends walking aimlessly as her piece of reality to hold on to.
When the walking finally stopped, Pyrrha felt another familiar presence, the same light that kept her together when her body faded. It burned brighter this time, and was given a form once she heard it’s name.
“Hey Ruby.”
Once again, everything went white.
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“So, you’re the Pyrrha I’ve heard so much about.”
Pyrrha was shocked and confused. This was the first time someone had addressed her directly since the incident. In front of her stood the women cloaked in white. She seemed to blend into the endless white surrounding them, as opposed to what was previously only black.
Her mind was startlingly clear. She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating…
She rubbed her eyes
Pyrrha looked down and saw her hands, her body, for the first time since she lost it.
“It’s okay, you’re safe now.”
The woman embraced Pyrrha again. She smelled like rose petals, and she reminded Pyrrha much of Ruby. But for this moment, Pyrrha merely savored the feeling of another person’s presence, and of warm tears dripping down her face.
When the woman pulled away, Pyrrha took a moment to collect herself, then began trying to piece together words, something that she was woefully out of practice with.
“Am… I…” She started, unsteadily.
The woman smiled with a soft warmth Pyrrha had missed for so long. “You no longer have a body. But your aura is still strong. To others, you have passed on because they can no longer see you. But you are still Pyrrha. Most auras will fade without a body to hold onto. But you… you managed to hold onto yourself even after your body perished.”
She looked at Pyrrha, with soft, sad, knowing eyes. “This is all a lot to take in, and I’m sorry for all the pain that you’ve had to go through. I know what it’s like, because the same thing happened to me..”
Pyrrha just watched her for a time, processing. “I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.”
The soft smile returned, as the white background changed to falling snow, and a scene emerged.
Ruby stood on a cliff, in front of a grey block of stone read,
“Summer Rose,
Thus kindly, I scatter”
Behind Ruby stood Jaune, Ren, and Nora, watching in silence.
“I’m Summer, Ruby’s mother.”
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Pyrrha and Summer followed the newly-formed team as they set off into the snow once again.
It took Pyrrha a while to get used to seeing and moving once again, and to being “dead”. She spent a lot of time taking in the scene around her, looking at the world as if she was seeing it for the first time.
After a time, she tried approaching her friends. She stood in front of them, spoke to them, and tried waving her arms. But they just walked past her, unaware.
“I’m sorry child. This is the toughest part.” Summer put her arm on Pyrrha’s shoulder.
“If I can’t even talk to my friends, or do anything else, why am I still here?” Tears began to form.
“Even if we can’t be as close to our loved ones as we would like, we can still help guide them. I’m not entirely sure why I’m still here either. But I know that Ruby is what is keeping me going, and I will do anything I can to keep her safe. Anytime I can whisper in her ear, or change the tiniest thing to help her out, I know that I’m not here by chance.” She motioned to Jaune. “And apparently, neither are you.”
“But they can’t hear us.”
“Not with their ears. Now, all that we do, we do through our auras. They may not consciously recognize it, but there are still ways for us to help the ones we love.”
Summer walked up to match Ruby’s pace and wiped her hand across the back of her jacket, causing the snow to fall off. Then she leaned forward, and whispered into Ruby’s ear.
It was very subtle, but Pyrrha could see the tiniest of smiles form on Ruby’s face, and what was previously a slow, sad shuffle through the snow turned into a purposeful stride.
“She seems to get the tone of what I’m saying. It’s not much, but it builds up over time. How do you think Ruby has remained so positive all these years?” She smiled “Though don’t try to hold a serious conversation, it just seems to confuse her.”
“So, we’re kind of like their guardian angels.”
Summer laughed softly, “Something like that.”
Pyrrha followed Summer’s example. She walked up behind Jaune and put her arms around him the best she could, considering she couldn’t make physical contact with him. She then leaned forward, her head next to his.
“Thank you Jaune, for everything.”
Jaune stopped, and Pyrrha almost walked through him. He put his hands over his heart, right where Pyrrha’s hands rested. He closed his eyes, a pained smile on his face. Pyrrha stopped breathing, even though she had no need to.
The moment seemed to stretch on for a lifetime-
Until Ruby looked back. “Jaune, you alright?”
“Wha- Oh yeah, wait up!”
For the first time in her afterlife, Pyrrha smiled.
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Pyrrha and Summer made the most of their situation.
They talked, a lot. As Pyrrha remembered them, stories were shared from their lives, and from the lives of those they were watching over. They laughed at the tales, and at all the little things they once took for granted. With company, they could almost forget that they were no longer living.
They listened in on team RJNP’s conversations. Pyrrha was initially against it, but she eventually found that it came with the job of being a guardian angel. There wasn’t much to the conversations. Most of it was Nora trying to lighten the mood. Unfortunately, Ren wasn’t much for smalltalk, and Ruby helped out, but Jaune tended to retreat into his own thoughts.
When this would happen, Pyrrha would just stay near Jaune, and whisper to him on occasion like Summer did for Ruby. She knew he could feel her aura, because she could feel his, and his face would reveal the softest smile whenever she got close. Just like when Pyrrha was newly disembodied, she found herself drawn to his aura, a soft, strong light that brought her as much comfort as she hoped she could bring him.
Summer didn’t ask many questions about Jaune, as she knew from firsthand experience that dwelling on what could have been is a one way ticket to oblivion for those in the afterlife. But they both knew that Pyrrha was an unresolved issue for the team. Summer knew that Pyrrha desperately wanted to know how Jaune truly felt about her, because he never told her in life.
But Pyrrha’s name was tiptoed around, and each mention would cause Jaune to withdraw. Pyrrha did everything she could to convince him that it wasn’t his fault. But ephemeral whispers could only do so much for the grieving.
In battle against Grimm, Pyrrha found that she could serve a similar role to that which she did in life. She made little corrections to Jaune’s stance and moves, and whispered tactical suggestions into his ear. After each victory, he would stand proud, with both the accomplishment of winning a fight, and that soft smile he showed whenever she spoke to him.
This continued for weeks as the team journeyed to Haven.
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At night, Pyrrha would “sleep” beside Jaune, even though she really just laid still around his form as he slept. This was the closest to cuddling with each other that they were ever going to get. Pyrrha felt guilty that she couldn’t ask if Jaune was okay with it. But it made Pyrrha happy, even if she couldn’t really touch him, and she figured being dead gave her a few allowances. Summer merely tried, and failed, to suppress her smile at the sight of the tragic lovers.
Pyrrha hoped she wasn’t just imagining things when he shifted closer to her and said her name.
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The night they arrived in Haven, Pyrrha laid beside Jaune as he settled in for the night in his tavern bed. Summer was in another room, watching over Ruby.
As Jaune drifted off, Pyrrha whispered to him, “Goodnight Jaune.”
“Pyrrha?”
Pyrrha bolted upwards to look at the Jaune standing next to the bed, staring at her with unbelieving eyes. ‘Jaune’ was still in bed, but the Jaune in front of her felt different, much more ephemeral, like her, much more… glowy.
While Pyrrha sat on the bed, staring at Jaune in awe, he rushed forward to embrace her. When his arms wrapped around her, she couldn’t believe that she actually felt him.
The stayed there in their tight embrace, and just cried for the longest time.
When the tears ebbed, Pyrrha explained everything to Jaune in a jumble. She tried to tell him that she was real. Jaune didn’t comprehend most of it, and was unsure if he should believe it. But nonetheless, he couldn’t bring himself to mistrust Pyrrha, of all people, even if she appeared to him in a dream.
With that out of the way they were more than happy just to be together. They talked for hours.
Jaune finally “confessed” his feelings to Pyrrha. Even though he was a mumbly mess, Pyrrha couldn’t wipe the smile off her face.
The pair cuddled, kissed, and just enjoyed being close to one another, a luxury that life had robbed them of.
When they had run out of things to say, they just laid there in each other’s arms.
The last thing said was, “Pyrrha, I’m going to bring you back. I don’t know how, but I’ll find a way. I promise you.”
Pyrrha merely smiled and pulled Jaune closer, resting her face against his body so he couldn’t see the tears roll down her cheeks.
As dawn approached, Jaune drifted off until he awoke in the physical world, a stupid grin on his face.
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Later that day, the final battle took place in Haven square.
Cinder and co. were “defending” Haven from a Grimm invasion, one of a much, much larger scale than the assault on Beacon. Havan’s military and huntsmen were subdued, leaving no one for the people of Haven to turn to but the Cinder and the White Fang.
Nearly everyone from the Beacon assault was here, desperately trying to make right their defeat in Vale. The battle was not going well for the heroes.
In a last-ditch attempt, Glynda singled out Cinder by trapping her in a force bubble with team RJNR, while the others held off the rest of the white fang.
The move was a huge risk, but it ultimately paid off when Ruby’s scythe pierced through the chest of Cinder.
As the light faded from Cinder’s wrathful eyes, Ruby held her so their eyes locked. Qrow had explained the Legend of the Four Maidens to team RJNR and Ruby was intent on keeping the power of the Fall Maiden from falling into the wrong hands.
In that moment, Jaune looked right at where Pyrrha’s ephemeral form was standing, and his expression hardened with a newly-made resolution.
He rushed forward and shoved Ruby out of the way. He grabbed Cinder’s face and made her look at him, her light fading quickly.
Ruby yelled, “What are you doing Jaune? You can’t be a maiden!”
Jaune ignored her, and instead closed his eyes. He began to glow, his aura creating an intense, white light.
Suddenly, that light shot towards Pyrrha. She felt it course through her, filling her with strength. Suddenly she was standing in the same spot as Jaune. The amount of power was unbelievable. It was almost if it was making her more… real.
Then, it was Pyrrha looking the dying, struggling Cinder in the eyes. Just as Pyrrha’s body had done, Cinder began to dissolve into dust, falling away into the wind. As the last of Cinder faded, Pyrrha felt a new power course through her as the world turned a strong but soft shade of orange, much like autumn leaves.
She had felt this once before, in the chamber where the aura of the previous Fall maiden was being “stuffed into” her. But this time, it was different. It was more… pure.
This time it was her power.
It was her destiny.
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When Pyrrha awoke, she was surrounded by people. It had been too long since more than once pair of eyes could see her at a time. But now they all stood in front of her with the most joyful, and disbelieving looks on their faces. Everyone close to her from Beacon was there: Ruby, Ren, Nora, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Glynda, Ozpin, Ironwood, Qrow…
“Jaune.”
He was there, right next to the hospital bed, his hand grasping hers.
“I told you I’d bring you back.”
Pyrrha moved to embrace him. It was faster than she should be moving in her current condition, but she didn’t mind. She was just so happy that this was real.
She looked up over Jaune’s shoulder into the crowd of people welcoming her back to the living.
Behind Ruby, she saw only a glimpse of a white cape as it faded away.
“Thank you.”