Remembrance

Schnee mansion...

Weiss Schnee is walking down a long, carpeted hallway of blue, white and gray. Protruding columns from the walls are decorated with black sconces and lit candles. Nature paintings are hung in an alternating pattern between the columns. There is also the occasional cushioned chair or round coffee table placed along the walls.

Next, she is walking along an upper-level balcony above a large dining hall. A white and green floral centerpiece decorates the white-clothed table. Every column both above and below bears a sconce, but these candles are not lit. Beside Weiss on the balcony are large arch-shaped openings with white gauze curtains. Through one of the curtains, a crystal chandelier can be seen in another room. There is a shut, brown wooden door in the direction Weiss is heading.

Weiss walks down a wide stairway with curving balconies on either side above it. Large armor statues fill the space on either side of the bottom stairs. Behind Weiss, a paned triptych of arched windows lets in the sun, casting her shadow onto the blue-carpeted steps in front of her. The floor at the bottom of the stairs has a blue and white oval design in its center. Both levels have open archways leading to other rooms.

Walking in another room with blue and white floor patterns, Weiss strides pass a life-size statue of a King Taijitu without looking up. Once again, both the lower level and the balcony level have open archways and unlit sconces. A chandelier hangs from the ceiling.

An upward view shows that the chandelier is in the middle of a blue and white circular pattern that matches the floor pattern from the previous room.

Weiss is seen walking down another hallway. In the music room is a large grand piano with open sheet music. A portrait on the wall shows Whitley Schnee.

Weiss walks alone in the hallway, never having looked up the entire time until she has a startled reaction to hearing her brother's voice coming from right in front of her.

"Good afternoon, sister." Whitley said.

A teenage boy, somewhat younger than Weiss, stands before her. He's got his hand on his chest and he affects a bow.

"A pleasure to see you out of your room for a change." Whitley said.

Weiss sidesteps him and turns to speak, and since he moves to face her the effect is that of the two of them briefly circling each other, "Hello, Whitley. You're in a cheery mood today."

"Klein made crepes for breakfast." Whitley said, clasping his hands behind his back and smirks at her.

"What do you want?" Weiss asked.

"I heard Father shouting with someone in his study earlier."

"Mother?"

"No, she's already drinking in the garden. I think it was a man."

Weiss looks up at him on this.

"I just wanted to warn you. I heard he had asked to speak with you." Whitley said, feigning a concerned look.

"I'll be fine." Weiss said.

"I know you will. You are strong, like Winter."

"You never liked Winter." Weiss said, and behind her is the Schnee Dust Company emblem that can be seen above the archway she was walking toward.

"True, but you can't deny her resolve." Whitley said.

"You...seem different."

"And you've been gone. I'll have you know I didn't stop growing while you were away at Beacon." Whitley said, turning and walks away.

As he does so, the lower half of a family portrait can just be seen on the wall between where the two were standing.

"Anyway, good luck with Father!" Whitley said.

After he is gone, Weiss responds, "Thank you."

She continues walking, and there is a close-up view of the family portrait. Clockwise they are Jacques Schnee, Weiss, Whitley, Winter, and Mrs. Schnee. Jacques has black hair that is graying and a full mustache. Mrs. Schnee has a stern look on her face, Winter and Weiss are frowning, Whitley is smiling, and Jacques has a neutral expression.

Dream…

"I'll be saving magical girls with Madoka Kaname and taking down Grimm with Team RWBY. Maybe kill some witches along the way if I encounter them. Maybe taking down bosses in virtual worlds with the SAO survivors. While traveling with the Doctor now and again, in this amazing blue box that goes across all of time and space." Holo-Jared said, smirking. "That's what I'll be doing, even if it hurts inside in the end."

"Doctor, I, I love you. And Jared, you're one of my best friends, always there for me, always supporting me and the Doctor." Rose said, looking between the Doctor and Jared.

"Quite right, too. And I suppose, if it's one last chance to say it, Rose Tyler..." Holo-Doctor said, vanishing along with Jared.

Rose's voice is echoing in Jared's head, along with Pyrrha's voice.

"Do you believe in destiny?" Pyrrha asked.

As Pyrrha speaks, small white circles, again blurred, move slightly around a center screen that remains black.

"Yes." Cinder said.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.

"PYRRHAAAAAA!!!!" Ruby said, as the white light envelopes her, spreading out to the Wyvern and Cinder.

Forest…

With a gasp, Ruby open her eyes at the same time Jared opened his eyes.

The silver eyed-girl is lying in a red sleeping bag on a clearing in some woods, while the fanboy is sleeping in a blue sleeping bag.

"Couldn't sleep, huh?" Jared asked, looking at Ruby.

Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren are also in sleeping bags around a long burned-out campfire. Magnhild rests beside Nora.

Ruby sits up and looks around, then at Jared, "No, I can't. I bet you have it harder, huh."

"Yeah." Jared said, sadly. "Penny, Pyrrha, Rose. Three people in my life, gone. Just like that. We both should have stopped them."

"What can we do?" Ruby asked, while birds are tweeting.

"Nothing. We can't do anything Ruby, it went and gone. I just wish I had a second chance."

"Me too. I should have saved them as much as you, for Penny and Pyrrha. Come on, we need some sleep. We still have a long road ahead of us."

"I know." Jared said, while all seems peaceful.

Ruby, however, puts her hand to the side of her head and sighs as though she's in pain. Jared got out of his sleeping bag and moved it so he can be closer to Ruby, while the two look out of each other, in sadness.

Road...

All four members of Team RNJR and Jared walk down a sunny road. Ruby is in front with Jared next to her, and the two are looking at a map.

"So the next town is...uh-huh...uh-huh...we're lost." Ruby said.

"We really are lost." Jared said, taking out a cup of mango milk tea. "We must have made a wrong turn somewhere."

"We're not lost. The next town is Shion. My family used to visit it all the time." Jaune said.

"Oh yeah. Don't you have, like, four sisters?" Ruby asked.

"Uh, seven." Jaune said.

"7-Eleven." Jared said, laughing with Ruby. "We should go for some Slurpees later. How does cherry sound?"

"Um, I'm more of a strawberry kind of girl." Ruby said, smiling.

"You know, that actually explains a lot." Nora said.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Jaune asked.

"So, what did you guys do there?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, all sorts of stuff! Over here is a great hiking trail, and over here is where we went camping all the time. I got my own tent because I was special. Also, so my sisters would stop braiding my hair." Jaune said, looking down at the map.

"Didn't like the look?"

"Yeah, they just kept doing pigtails, but personally, I think I'm more of a 'warrior's wolftail' kind of guy."

"That's just a ponytail."

"I don't think the look of Sokka from Avatar suits you." Jared said, sadly. "It would just clash with your hoodie."

"I stand by what I said." Jaune said.

Nora stops short, raising her hands to her lips as her eyes widen. Soon after, Ren stops, visibly tense.

"Uh, guys?" Nora asked.

"Huh?" Ruby asked.

"What?" Jaune asked.

"What's up?" Jared asked.

Shion...

Jaune, Ruby, and Jared look up from the map. Their eyes widen and jaws drop.

"Shit." Jared said, looking at the desolated village. "Grimm. They must have done this."

The sky is gray and two columns of smoke rise in the air. A gazebo has a broken tower and lampposts are askew from the ground. At least one dead body can be seen on the side of the road approaching the town.

The map is dropped and all five rush forward. They briskly move into the town, looking around. Ren tosses his backpack on the ground and moves ahead while the other four gather in the middle of a road.

"There could be survivors!" Ruby said.

"We have to split up!" Jared said, looking at Ruby, Jaune, and Nora. "Ruby and I will go left, Jaune, N…"

"Over here!" Ren said.

The other four rush to where Ren is leading them. On the ground, sitting propped against a broken building wall is a young man in armor. He breathes heavily and holds his hand against a bleeding wound in his abdomen. Ren drops by his side and puts his hand on his shoulder.

"A Huntsman!" Ruby said, shocked.

"What happened? Who killed all these people?" Jaune asked.

"Bandits. The whole tribe...then, with all the panic…" the dying huntsman said, coughing.

The Huntsman can't finish and coughs repeatedly.

"Grimm." Ren said, standing up and walks a few paces away, placing his hands atop his head. "You were right, it was the end result."

Ruby, Jaune, Nora, and Jared step away to confer.

"Alright, we can get him to the next village and try to find a doctor there!" Ruby said.

"Yeah. Ren, Jared, and I can take turns carrying him there." Jaune said.

"I'm up for carrying him over there." Jared said, excitedly. "Even if it takes a while!"

"I don't know if he'll make it." Nora said.

"He will. He has to." Jaune said.

"We're not leaving someone behind, not here, not now." Jared said.

Ren turns back and walks over to the Huntsman.

"If we get going now, our chances will be better. I can run ahead and look for help!" Ruby said.

"Guys." Ren said.

The other four turn and discover that the Huntsman has already died.

"Should we bury him?" Nora asked.

Ren walks right past them without a backward glance, "We should go. It's not safe here."

"Ren…" Nora said, turning and following Ren.

Ruby puts her hand on Jaune's arm. He is looking stressed and sad.

"It'll be okay." Ruby said.

"I'm just tired of losing everything." Jaune said.

"Same. I don't, I don't know if I can push through." Jared said, sipping on the milk tea. "It's been a rough couple of years."

Ren stops and looks at something on the ground, his eyes widening. A cloven hoofprint is impressed into the ground. Nora comes up to his side. She sees the same mark and her eyes also widen in recognition. The two of them silently make eye contact.

Schnee mansion...

Weiss is standing outside her father's door and listening to the discussion inside. She hesitates to put her hand on the doorknob.

"I'm not talking about the good of my company; I'm talking about the good of Atlas, our entire Kingdom!" Jacques said, angrily.

"That is a load of garbage and you know it." Ironwood said.

Weiss opens the door and peers in.

"I beg your pardon?!" Jacques exclaimed.

James Ironwood is sitting in a chair in front of a bookcase, "Jacques, will you please, just hear me out?"

Jacques places his glass down on the table roughly, "You are a trusted friend and ally to this family, James, but what you're suggesting is absurd!"

"You are blowing it out of proportion." Ironwood said.

"The council will never agree to it!" Jacques said.

"You forget, I hold two seats on the council."

"Your Dust embargo has already cost me millions! I can promise you, I have not forgotten!"

"So this is about you."

Weiss has come into the room, and she watches to two men awkwardly while the door shuts behind her. She startles at the sound while James and Jacques turn and look at her.

"Miss Schnee! My apologies. I should have been gone by now." Ironwood said, bowing.

"It-it's okay." Weiss said.

"We'll continue this at another time." Ironwood said.

"Indeed. Klein can show you out." Jacques said.

"Don't worry, I know the way." Ironwood said.

Weiss steps aside so that Ironwood can reach the door. He turns and looks at her father.

"Until next time, Jacques." Ironwood said, as Jacques solemnly nods back at him, who turns to Weiss. "Please know, you'll always have a home at Atlas Academy, Miss Schnee. We'll be back in session before you know it."

Ironwood leaves. Behind Weiss and Jacques is a portrait of a younger black-haired Jacques hanging on the wall behind his desk.

"Did you forget your manners while you were away?" Jacques asked, turning and he walked to his desk, which is a few steps up from the chairs and tables where he and Ironwood were just sitting.

Weiss looks annoyed at the comment but calms down with a sigh, "No, Father. I'm sorry."

"Can you believe there are still people in the world that blame Atlas for what happened to Beacon? To Vale?" Jacques asked.

"Well, they weren't there." Weiss said, as she began walking across the room to stand before his desk.

"It's a wonder Ironwood wasn't stripped of his rank." Jacques said, while he finally sits down, swinging the seat so that his back is to Weiss. "I suppose the council trusts him, for better or worse."

"I trust him."

"Thanks to him, Atlas is forbidden from exporting Dust to other Kingdoms." Jacques said, sighing and turning toward his daughter. "'A precautionary measure', as he puts it, 'until we're certain no one is going to declare war'. How anyone could possibly find that to be sound logic is beyond me."

Weiss blinks at her father, clearly uncomfortable. There is one framed picture on the desk, and it's of Whitley.

"Which is why the Schnee Dust Company will be holding a charity concert in the coming weeks." Jacques said, as Weiss looks up at him in surprise. "We need to show the people of Remnant that we are on their side. That we are all victims of the fall of Beacon."

"That's...wonderful news." Weiss said.

"I know. And I think it would make a lot of people happy if you performed at the event."

"Excuse me?"

"Many forget that you were there. My own daughter, a Schnee, on the grounds, defending another Kingdom! We need to remind them! And we need to show them that the Schnee family is just as strong as ever!"

"Are you asking me if I'd like to sing, or telling me?"

Jacques leans forward and makes a tent with the fingers of his hand as he meaningfully gazes at Weiss, "I think it would make a lot of people happy."

"I'll start practicing." Weiss said, sighing.

"That's...my girl." Jacques said.

Hallway...

Weiss shuts the door to her father's office and turns to find the butler waiting for her with a tray.

"Hot coffee, Miss Schnee? I always find he keeps his study dreadfully cold." Klein said.

Weiss takes the mug off of the tray with a smile, "Thank you, Klein."

"You know what I think?" Klein asked, lifting the tray to cover his face before dropping it dramatically as he leans forward toward Weiss making a less-than-formal face, his brown eyes having turned red.

"I think it's to balance out all his hot air." Klein said, in an accent with a gruff voice.

Weiss' eyes widen in delight and she turns and looks over her shoulder at the closed office door. She turns back to Klein with a giggle, "Klein!"

The two giggle together before he fakes a sneeze, and his eyes turn blue.

"Uh, apologies, madam." Klein said, in a high-pitched accent.

Klein pretends to sneeze again. Weiss giggles merrily, hiding her smile behind her hand. Klein wiggles his mustache and looks up. His eyes turn yellow.

"Ah, there's my happy little snowflake." Klein said.

Weiss breathes a sigh that releases some weight off her shoulders, and she gives the butler a genuine grin, "Thank you, Klein."

Dream…

"Quite right, too. And I suppose, if it's one last chance to say it, Rose Tyler..." Holo-Doctor said, vanishing along with Jared.

Jared is still dreaming of losing Rose and Pyrrha in his sleep, and he is struggling to stay asleep, while there's blackness bordered by moving yellow circles.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha said, her voice echoing nearby.

There is the sound of a sword being drawn.

"Jaune! Jaune!" Pyrrha said, with increased urgency.

"Rose! Pyrrha!" Jared said, moving in his sleep. "I can save…"

Ruby opens her eyes slowly and just breathes, letting her eyelids drift shut. Jared is doing the same as Ruby, as the two are in sync due to suffering similar experience and they're suffering from PTSD.

Forest…

Ruby eyes open wide when, from nearby, she hears the same voice, speaking calmly, "Jared, did you hear that?"

"Yeah. It's, um, Pyrrha?" Jared asked, opening his eyes too. "But how?"

"Jaune." Pyrrha said.

"I don't know." Ruby said, sitting up, and she looks around. "Where is that coming from?"

"It's close." Jared said, looking up to see the little will-o-the-wisps floating around, looking very similar to the white circles in the dream. "Really close."

"The fire has gone out." Ruby said, as the campfire is still burning but has died down.

Ren and Nora are asleep while their weapons are once again at their sides. Jaune's sleeping bag, however, is empty.

"Where's Jaune?" Ruby asked.

Through the trees beyond Jaune's sleeping bag, Pyrrha's voice can still be heard, but it is muffled.

"I don't know." Jared said.

"Alright, Jaune, just like we practiced. Follow these instructions." Pyrrha said.

"Let's, um, see what's going on." Ruby said.

Two of the words are louder and echo like in Ruby's and Jared's dreams, making it sound like Pyrrha is saying 'Follow me'.

Ruby and Jared get up and walks toward the voice.

"Do you know if she's alive?" Ruby asked, as she takes a moment to play with one of the wisps as she looks around with Jared, uncertain. "Like, really alive."

"No, I think she died." Jared said, as he is walking forward with Ruby. "For good. But how could she…"

The two spot something and their mouths fall open. Gazing with concern, Ruby and Jared moves next to a tree and watches from there.

A slight distance in front of Ruby and Jared, but facing away, Jaune draws his sword. He poses with it and the shield, before dropping his shoulders and turning to his right. His Scroll is set up on a stump.

"Alright, Jaune, just like we practiced. Follow these instructions. Shield up." Pyrrha said, and Jaune lifts his shield so that only his eyes up are not protected. "Keep your grip tight." Jaune tightens his hand on Crocea Mors. "Don't forget to keep your front foot forward." Jaune hasn't forgotten and doesn't need to move. "Ready? Go." Jaune steps forward with the sword, cutting at the air and making a fighting cry. "Again!" Jaune moves forward with his other foot, again slashing the air and releasing a cry. "And again."

Jaune spins in a circle, putting a lot of feeling and effort into his next cry and slash. It has cost him a bit, and he pants.

"That's like Kirito teaching me how to fight with a sword." Jared said, looking back at Ruby. "But I forgot that Jaune went through this."

"Okay. Now…" Pyrrha said, with a slight giggle. "...assuming you aren't cheating, we can take a break."

Jaune stands upright and lets his head fall forward a bit, closing his eyes.

"I know this can be frustrating…" Pyrrha said, as Jaune turns toward her image on his Scroll. "...and it can feel like so much effort to progress such a small amount, but I want you to know that I'm proud of you. I've never met someone so determined to better themselves. You've grown so much since we started training."

"How did you forget this?" Ruby asked, looking at Pyrrha's recorded image on the Scroll. "The stuff Jaune went through."

"I only remembered today." Jared said, grabbing Ruby's hand. "I feel so bad."

The green lights of the once tall and unbroken Beacon Tower, the place where Pyrrha would later die, glow behind her.

"And I know this is just the beginning." Pyrrha said, turning her head, struggling with her thoughts for a moment. "Jaune, I-I…"

"I knew she was gonna say those three words, like the Doctor." Jared said, squeezing Ruby's hand. "Pyrrha was gonna say 'I love you' to Jaune. Like how the Doctor was gonna say it back to Rose. On Bad Wolf Bay."

A wide shot shows Jaune taking a step closer to his Scroll.

Pyrrha is finding the words and confidence, placing her hands over her heart as she speaks, "I want you to know that I'm just happy to be a part of your life. I'll always be here for you, Jaune."

The Scroll rewinds the video of Pyrrha without being touched. Jaune stands before it, holding Crocea Mors, his head bowed.

"Alright, Jaune, just like we practiced. Follow these instructions. Shield up." Pyrrha said, while Jaune sighs in pain before belatedly re-following the instructions. "Keep your grip tight. Don't forget to keep your front foot forward. Ready? Go."

Jaune resumes the exercise. Ruby and Jared watch with pained eyes before turning away.

"Again. And again." Pyrrha said.

Jaune makes one extra fighting cry and slash.