Epilogue

Pyrrha watched her breath mist in front of her as the cold Atlas air whipped past as she gazed over the bustle below from a balcony, lost in memories of Jaune that the ceremony today had brought up. Despite the situation, she was looking forward to seeing Jaune again, even if it was a lifeless body. After the combined forces of all nations had crushed the largest Grimm horde ever recorded, it had taken far too long for this to happen, various issues within the Atlas military slowed things down considerably.

A soft knocking on the window behind Pyrrha drew her attention. Turning around she saw Ironwood who slowly nodded. Entering the room she saw the amassed friends of Jaune gathered, all under strict instructions to be dressed as he would of remembered them, each and every one in their battle attire. Teams RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, even Qrow and Glynda attended. Jaune's large family sat around a table to one side, each with a sad look on their faces, staring at the table and saying very little.

Ironwood stood at the far end and solemnly addressed the gathered huntsmen. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we're ready to begin. If you'll follow me and take seats either side of the hall."

The huntsmen nervously chatted to each other as they filed out the room, quite some time had passed but still feelings and memories were fresh in the minds of those attending. Pyrrha lead the huntsmen into the hall, her step slightly faltering as she saw the casket in the middle of the room, soft wisps of mist cascading out and down the sides giving it an eerie appearance.

Ruby squeezed Pyrrha's shoulder as she passed. "Just a little longer Pyrrha, it's nearly over." The scarlet haired huntress nodded her thanks.

Penny hovered over the casket, eagerly looking inside. "I've never seen this done before, it's very interesting!" Unfortunately her excitement drowned out any sense of decorum but her smile was a welcome break among the nervous looks among the gathered.

Ironwood slowly strode down the hall until he reached the casket. "Penny, please take a seat."

"Ok Dad!" Penny brightly smiled as she took a seat next to the impassive Yatsuhashi.

Once everyone was seated and the hall doors swung shut, Ironwood's deep methodical voice resonated through the room. "Today we are here to celebrate the life of Jaune Arc, a son, a brother, a partner and a Huntsman." Ironwood pressed a button on the side of the casket and it slowly angled forward revealing Jaune's body within, stopping slightly short of being vertical. There were several gasps and moans around the room as Jaune came into view.

Jaune's mother Vanilla broke down in tears, shortly followed by his sisters. His father sat without moving a muscle, his face as still as marble. Pyrrha felt a flush of anger at his actions until she saw a single tear run down his face that he refused to acknowledge. The Atlas specialists had done well, he looked close to how he was when he was in Beacon. They'd made sure they put his usual attire of jeans and a hoody on.

Even Nora's exuberance was muted but still she tried to lift the mood. "Even now he still looks good!" As he no longer had Crocea Mors, the greatsword he had taken from the Grimm Knight was behind him, the pommel just above his head with the massive blade showing either side.

Ironwood turned to face Pyrrha. "Pyrrha, I believe you have something you want to give back to Jaune? I will ask you one final time. Are you sure you want to do this?"

She unclasped the necklace that hung slightly below her gorget and held it in her open palm. Looking around the room, a few huntsmen give her a solemn nod or a reassuring smile. "Yes, I'm sure." Ironwood accepted the necklace and placed it within a small armoured alcove in the casket.

Pyrrha took a few hesitant steps forward and placed a hand on Jaune's chest, the cold biting into her hand even though his clothes. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and begun to talk, slowly, yet with confidence. "For it is in p-passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by d-death, I rel... I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee." As Pyrrha said the final words she swayed slightly as her legs threatened to fail her, her emotions robbing much of her strength as tears ran down her face.

"The time has come to consign his body and free his soul, so that he may continue to watch over those he holds dear." Ironwood reached down and pressed another button on the casket, this time a lid slowly swung out from the side, a soft hissing escaped as the lid locked into place. Ironwood stood back as the casket began to hum, suddenly the small window in the lid blazed with light as a roaring sound within rang out. Every face in the room locked on the little window, watching the raging light show within.

A few minutes later the roaring died down and the machine slowly quietened. Two Atlas military personnel slowly walked out, each with a datapad and an impeccable suit. With a few, quickly tapped keys, the men nodded to each other and the one nearest Ironwood spoke up. "It's complete."

Ironwood stood next to the casket and pressed a button, the lid slowly opened. Everybody watched with grim fascination, Ruby peeked out between fingers as she tried unsuccessfully to cover her eyes. A massive amount of steam issued from the casket once it cracked open, spilling out into the hall, obscuring it from view momentarily. The room was deathly quiet as the steam subsided until the casket was clear of obstruction.

Nobody in the room moved except for Penny who slowly walked up and stood in front of the casket. "It's ok, you're like me now."

Jaune's sapphire eyes fluttered open to a collective gasp around the room, the only thing different about them was the faint outlines of focusing lenses within. He flexed his hands tentatively and watched as they followed his will without issue, he did however note that there was only a vague feeling of touch. His eyes looked around until he saw his scarlet haired girlfriend and a smile crossed his face. He knocked on his chest with a fist twice, hearing the dull thud of metal beneath some sort of synthetic flesh and skin. "Guess you can't keep a good Arc down."

A/N: Well it's been a hell of a ride for me! This was an outlet for me over breaking my ankle and the shocking end of volume three of RWBY, it's certainly kept me sane when I've been unable to walk around much! Hope you guys enjoyed my mad ramblings and I might have a side story or two in the future. ~Peace~

Edit - 27/07/2016: A guest pointed out that CCT communication was down and I hadn't discussed it at all. I've updated chapters 1,2,4 to explain how Jaune "hopes" the tower is back up and later that a basic CCT has been rebuilt in Beacon. Thanks for pointing it out!