I don't own RWBY.

"Do you believe in destiny?"

"Yes."

An arrow flew.

A gasp of pain.

The feeling of being burned from the inside-out.

Then, nothing.

Her eyes shot open, and she sat up, gasping and grabbing at her chest. Where...was she? She looked around her. She was surrounded by dead trees and blackened patches of dirt and dead grass.

Looking up, all she could see was a black sky, with grey clouds slowly drifting by. There was no temperature, no wind, nothing. Despite this, she shivered. She didn't like this place, not one bit.

Slowly, she stood up, and examined herself. She was what appeared to be armor. The colours and design almost seemed somewhat familiar to her, but she couldn't remember it no matter how hard she tried. When she tried taking a step forward, she found that she limped, badly. No matter how much weight she put on her right foot, or how evenly she tried to walk, she couldn't walk properly. Her foot didn't hurt, and she could walk a little, but the limp was there to stay.

But what concerned her the most was the hole in her chest. It was a puncture wound, with cracks going outwards, and a faint red glow emitting from deep within it. What had happened to her? How did she get hurt? Where was she? Nothing was making sense to her!

PYRRHA NIKOS.

The girl spun around, falling to one knee as her foot gave out under her. What was that?! Who said that?!

PYRRHA NIKOS.

There! A tall figure, dressed in the blackest robes stood a little distance away from her. Its hood was up, so she couldn't see its face. But somehow, she knew who it was, WHAT it was, all the same.

"I-is that my name?" she asked, trembling. The being nodded once, slowly.

"P-Pyrrha...Nikos..." she repeated to herself, and suddenly, with those words being said by her, the memories came flooding back in a torrent.

Cinder drew back her bow.

Ruby had just arrived.

The arrow struck, ending her life.

Then the burning.

Pyrrha screamed and clutched her head in agony. She could barely register the sound of rustling, and suddenly the being was right in front of her. It reached one hand down, and gently touched her head. Immediately, the pain subsided, and she looked up at the being.

WALK WITH ME.

She hesitated. Was she afraid? Yes. Did she have an idea on what this thing was? Of course.

"M-my foot..." she stammered, pointing to it. The being simply held out its hand.

WALK WITH ME.

She gritted her teeth. She didn't WANT to walk with it. She was scared, uncertain. She didn't want this to happen! But she still reached out, her hand trembling, closed her eyes, and took the offered hand.

With a surprising show of strength, the being plucked her up with ease. It looped her arm through its own, and allowed her to lean on it for support. Other than that though, nothing happened. She was still there.

WALK WITH ME.

This time, Pyrrha nodded. She slowly put one foot forward, then another, still limping heavily. However, she was able to move all the same. The thing glided in place beside her, perfectly matching her pace.

She didn't know how much time had passed since they started walking. The landscape around them didn't seem to change. The sky was still black, the clouds grey, the trees and grass dead. However, the further they went, the more sure Pyrrha became of exactly where she was, and who she was in the company of.

She turned to look at her "companion". It was tall, taller than Ozpin. Maybe around Yatsuhashi's height. It wore clawed black and silver gauntlets over its hands, and there was nothing but an indescribable darkness filling its hood, making it impossible to see inside. Smoke and darkness trailed at the ends of its robe. Oh yes, there was no doubt to who this being was.

"You're Death...aren't you?" Pyrrha spoke up suddenly, looking at the being. It turned its hood towards her, and gave one single, slow nod. Sorrow filled her and threatened to overtake her. So, she had died after all. And in front of Ruby too!

Tears threatened to swell up in her eyes, and Death bent down, and wiped them away with its hand, startling her.

DON'T CRY, LITTLE ONE.

She sniffed, and looked down. She would never see her friends again never see her team again. She'd never see-

"Jaune!" she cried out suddenly, fresh tears spilling from her eyes. She collapsed to her knees, sobbing. She'd never see him again! The pain he must be going through! And Ruby! The girl was only fifteen! She was too young for this!

Death watched as its newest charge sobbed uncontrollably. It did nothing to comfort the girl, just continued to watch as she wailed. No one could say how long this continued for, as there was no concept of time in Death's domain. Eventually however, the sobbing quieted down, and the girl sat there, crying silently.

DO YOU WISH TO SAY GOODBYE?

Pyrrha jerked her head up sharply, staring at the figure standing there silently beside her. Did it really mean it? Say goodbye?

Death nodded, and held out a hand. Darkness swirled around it and began to form and take shape, until in its hand was a massive scythe. Unlike Ruby's, which was red and black, Death's was black and a very dull silver. It also looked much more sinister, and it was clear that this tool was designed for one thing and only one thing; reaping the souls of the dead.

Death gripped its tool in both hands, and took a up a stance. Its cloaked billowed about, revealing its feet, encased in armor of the deepest black and the dullest silver. Pyrrha caught a glimpse of armor underneath the robes as they billowed about.

Darkness swirled around the scythe, and with a mighty cleave, Death tore open the space in front of them. It ripped apart like cloth, revealing nothing but black. Death took up its normal stance, scythe now held by its side, and pointed inside the void.

GO.

Pyrrha glanced inside, but couldn't make anything out. She turned to Death, who summoned a small silver pocket watch in mid-air. The watch then floated over her head and disappeared. She looked up at the empty air above her, then back at Death.

ONE HOUR.

Pyrrha blinked, unsure of what it meant. In response, Death simply pointed towards the void, which began to lighten up. Peering through it, Pyrrha realized it was a room. An ordinary room, filled with comic books, Grimm statuettes, and a very familiar sword and sheathe carelessly strewn on the ground.

But it was the figure huddled on the bed that drew her attention. Knees drawn up to him, eyes vacant, there sat Jaune Arc, looking like he had given up entirely on life.

Her eyes widened and she turned back to Death. It simply nodded and stepped back. She turned back to the rip, and walked through it.

Jaune Arc had truly given up. He didn't eat, he didn't sleep, he didn't speak. There was no point. His partner was dead. Ruby was unconscious. Beacon was lost to the Grimm. And all of it was his fault. If he had only been able to stop Pyrrha, if he had only been able to contact Glynda Goodwitch in time, she would never have gone back alone.

He was a failure as a partner, a leader, a Huntsman, and an Arc. There was nothing left for him.

"Jaune?" a voice said quietly, but he didn't register it.

Pyrrha looked at her partner, and it almost broke her heart. He looked terrible, worse than she had ever seen him. There was no life in those eyes. She truly believed that if he stayed like that any longer, he'd die from depression.

She limped over to his bed, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Jaune?" she said again. Still no reaction from the boy. She shook his shoulder.

"Jaune." she said louder. That did something. His eyes flickered, but he still didn't look up at her.

Pyrrha sat next to him and gripped both his shoulders, turning the boy towards her.

"Jaune!" she shouted, and finally, FINALLY, he raised his head. Half-lidded blue eyes met green ones, and slowly, ever so slowly, a small amount of life returned to them.

"Pyrrha?" he asked quietly, his voice rasping from the lack of use. She nodded, and tears begin to fill his eyes.

"Pyrrha?" he asked again, a little louder this time, hesitantly reaching one hand out to cup her face. She nodded, tears filling her own eyes.

"Yes Jaune, it's me."

It was in an instant. Jaune grabbed her and pulled her close, holding her in a tight embrace, sobbing loudly, burying his face in her neck. She held him tightly, her own tears falling freely from her face. They held each other for a while, letting their tears fall.

Finally they pulled apart and Jaune stared at her.

"H-how? I thought you...but you're here now! Does that mean...?"

Pyrrha sadly shook her head.

"No Jaune, I died. I was given a chance to say goodbye, but I won't be able to stay. I-I don't have much time left here."

Jaune shook his head, unwilling to hear, pulling her back into an embrace.

"No, no! I won't lose you again! I can't!"

"Jaune, I can't stay. I wish I could, I really do! But I can't. Jaune, I'm dead. There's no way I can come back."

"Then I'll join you!"

"NO!" Pyrrha shouted, holding Jaune at arm's length and staring him firmly in the eye.

"Jaune, I don't want you to die! You mean too much to me for that to happen! Besides, there are people who still need you. Our team still needs you!"

"But it's not worth it without you!"

They stared at each other panting heavily, and Pyrrha's eyes softened.

"Jaune, I know it hurts. It hurts me that I can never be with you again. But I don't want you giving up and wasting away. You said that the Pyrrha Nikos you knew would never back down from doing what's right. The Jaune Arc I know wouldn't do that either, especially when people need you. So please..."

Jaune shook his head.

"I don't think I can, Pyrrha. I'm not strong like you are."

Pyrrha smiled gently and cupped his face with her hand.

"You ARE strong, Jaune. Not in the physical sense, but in other ways. You're a good leader, and you have a good head for tactics. You're still needed Jaune. Please don't give up. For my sake."

Jaune looked into her eyes, and shook his head, chuckling weakly.

"When you say things like that, how can I refuse? I'd look horrible if I did."

They both shared a quiet laugh before falling silent, pressing their foreheads together, just enjoying each other's company.

If only this moment could last forever, Pyrrha thought sadly, even as she could hear the tolling of a bell in the far off distance. One Jaune didn't seem to hear.

Pyrrha enveloped Jaune in another hug, and the tears started up again, gently this time.

"P-Pyrrha?"

"Jaune, I have to go now."

"What?!" he asked in surprise, gripping her shoulders. She smiled sadly at him, and held one of his hands.

"I was only given an hour to be with you, to say goodbye. My time's up now. I-I have to go now."

Jaune was utterly crushed. He had just seen her again! He couldn't lose her now, not again! Even as he thought about what to do, Pyrrha took on a faintly glowing white outline. Jaune cried out and tried to grab her, but she stepped back, her sad smile still on her face.

"Looks like this is goodbye, Jaune. Please, don't give up. Tell Ruby she's not to blame for what happened. She's only fifteen, I don't want what happened to crush her."

"Pyrrha..." Jaune whispered, reaching out for her.

Pyrrha's body began to fade, but before she was gone, she mouthed three words to him that caused him to tear up. And then she was gone, and Jaune was left alone.

Tears spilled from his eyes and he choked back a sob. Pyrrha was gone, and she wouldn't be coming back. He wiped his eyes, and took a deep shaky breath, just as his scroll rang. The ringtone notified him that it was Ruby.

Pyrrha stared at the air in front of her as Death's domain materialized around her, and the rip closed, sealing her away from the world of the living, and Jaune, forever. Tears trailed down her cheeks as the realization hit her, but she stood firm.

"I'll wait for you, Jaune. Until the end of time. Until then, please be safe, and please find happiness. Please, keep moving forward."

She turned and saw Death standing there, as impassive as ever. She walked over to it, only to realize that her limp was gone. Looking down, she saw that the hole in her chest was gone too. She was also no longer in her armor, but in a white flowing dress.

Looking back up at Death, she tilted her head quizzically.

"What happens to me now?"

Death pointed in the distance, and Pyrrha turned to see a white grand staircase appear.

NOW YOU GO INTO ETERNITY, PYRRHA NIKOS.

She turned back to Death, and smiled, and bowed her head slightly.

"Thank you. I truly mean it. Thank you so much."

With that, she turned and walked away, and upon reaching the staircase, ascended it as Death watched her. As she went up, the staircase faded behind her, until she and the light were gone, leaving Death alone in its domain.

It turned and slightly opened the barrier between its world and the living, and viewed it. Jaune and his team were together, sobbing, but smiling, glad for their companionship, and remembering the life Pyrrha lived.

Ruby was crying softly in bed, and her sister, Yang, was sitting in another room in her father's bed, staring off into nothingness, all hope gone. Weiss sat nervously next to her father, unsure of the future and what happened to her friends. Blake ran across the rooftops near Beacon, alone once more.

It hurt Death to see them like this. Contrary to superstition, Death did not enjoy its job. Every life that ended it felt personally, even as it guided people onwards to eternity, wherever they were headed. Every cry of sorrow, every scream of despair hit Death hard.

Death gave one last look at the children, before closing the barrier, and turning to walk away, pausing as it did.

I'M SORRY.

Save our last goodbye
Embedded in my mind
Your face will never leave me
Save our last goodbye
It's killing me that I won't get to hear
Your laughter anymore

Author's Notes: Well, here's my piece contributed to Pyrrha's death. While I've been making bad jokes and memes about her all day today and yesterday, I wanted to do a serious piece about it, just to see if I could pull it off.

This fanfic was inspired by Disturbed's song, Save Our Last Goodbye. I listened to their cover of The Sound of Silence while writing it. It's also HEAVILY inspired by the comic called Thirty and a Half Minutes_, by Snippy MJ, which I'd like to highly recommend looking up and reading. It's very touching and what I inspired Death's personality off of.