Chapter 1

Ruby had a stack of clothes draped over her arm as she looked at accessories. She was leaving for college in just a few days and in the process of packing, she realized how limited her wardrobe was. A day of shopping would solve that little problem. She walked up to a rack of scarves. One immediately caught her eye, as it had a similar design to her sister Yang's, though this one was black with a rose on it. Perfect. It could be cold in Atlas so a scarf would certainly come in handy. Ruby grabbed the scarf and tossed it on the pile of other clothes. With that she had everything she needed, which was good given that she was pretty much out of money.

Ruby's scroll rang. Damn, it was in her pocketbook...under all the clothes. She pushed her free arm through the pile, eventually fighting her way in to grab her scroll. She held it in front of her, 'Mom' flashing on the screen as the ringtone continued. She tapped the button to accept the call and put it to her ear. "Hey mom, I was just finishing up." She said. "I'll be home soon."

"Ruby it's...Yang…" Summer sobbed on the other end of the line. "I...she…"

"Mom, what's wrong?" Ruby asked. "What happened?"

"Yang had...an accident." Summer cried. "We're at the hospital."

"Oh my God!" Ruby gasped. "Is Yang alright?"

"I don't know." Summer replied. "She's in surgery. They won't tell me anything."

"Which hospital?" Ruby asked.

"Patch-Signal." Summer answered.

"I'll be right there." Ruby declared. She dropped the clothes and rushed out of the store, hopped in the car she was borrowing from Yang, and sped towards the hospital.

Ruby caught up with Summer in the waiting room. Summer's face was streaked with tears and a garbage can full of used tissues sat at her feet. Ruby sat beside her and leaned into her as her mother put an arm around her. They did their best not to cry but the floodgates opened when a doctor came out to see them. Yang was still in surgery but her confirmed that her injuries were severe and life-threatening. Cryptically, he said the even if she survived her life was not going to be the same.

After an hour of waiting, a collection of Yang's coworkers arrived. Ruby had sent a panicked text to Yang's long-time friend Pyrrha, and she in turn had informed Ren and Nora who decided to come along. A little later Raven, Yang's biological mother, arrived. She was more an aunt to Yang than a mother in terms of their relationship, but cared for her just as much all the same. All the group could do was wait and hope.

After a few hours in the waiting room, a doctor arrived and all instantly focused on him. "Family of Yang Xiao-Long?" He asked.

"We are." Summer replied.

"She's out of surgery." The doctor explained. "The surgery was successful but Yang is still unconscious. We'll need to run more tests later to come up with a proper prognosis, but personally speaking, I expect she'll survive." There was a chorus of relieved sighs and Nora only just restrained herself from cheering. "You should temper your expectations." The doctor continued. "We still have no idea what kind of shape she'll be in. Head injuries can be unpredictable, and hers was severe."

"Can we see her?" Ruby asked.

"Family only for now." The doctor answered. "And I must warn you. Her appearance may...shock you."

"I have to see her." Summer said as she stood and pressed forward.

"Very well." The doctor said. "Any family members...follow me." Summer, Raven and Ruby followed the doctor. They headed into intensive care, a sad and silent procession among the beeping monitors and rushing nurses. Finally they arrived at her room. The doctor poked his head in briefly to make sure things were in order, then waved them in.

The first in, Raven, froze in place at the sight of Yang, absolutely shellshocked. Summer slipped around her and collapsed to her knees, sobbing. Ruby pushed past the other two, rushing straight to Yang's beside. Struggling to hold back tears she grabbed Yang's hand. "Thank God you're alive."

When the doctor said Yang's appearance might be shocking, he was not wrong. Her skin was a ghostly pale, at least where it was not brutally bruised. Around her left eye it was almost black as the result of a broken orbital, just below a bloody bandage that hid a jagged but stitched wound. The entire left side of her face was swollen, to the point that she was nearly unrecognizable. It was impossible to see but a large incision had been made in her torso, access for the doctors to work on her badly damaged organs, the most dangerous a lacerated liver, but also including a burst spleen and some cracked ribs. But none of that was nearly as shocking as her right arm. It's absence was stark, only a bandaged stump remaining.

Ruby knew what the doctor had meant when he said Yang's life would not be the same. Even if she woke up and her brain was okay, her arm was not coming back. Yang was a personal trainer. It was her dream job and had been for a long time. Now that dream was over. Ruby did not care so much though. She was just happy her sister was still alive. As long as that was the case there was hope, however slim. It would be a long, difficult journey, and one Yang may never be healthy enough to embark upon, but it was something, and Ruby was determined to help her sister in any way she could.

Earlier

"Hey Pyrrha, got a minute?" Yang called.

"Sure, what's up?" Pyrrha asked. She was just doing some scheduling. She and Yang were both personal trainers at the gym and had been friends since childhood.

Yang slipped behind the counter to stand beside Pyrrha. "I hate to bother you, but could you cover my appointments on Tuesday?" Yang requested. "Ruby's flying out and I want to see her off."

Pyrrha flipped the schedule to the day in question and scanned their appointments to look for conflicts. "I can do that." Pyrrha replied. "I'll just have to make a few adjustments." She closed the book and slid it aside. "So Ruby's going away to college?"

"Yeah, to Atlas." Yang confirmed. "Atlas Academy actually."

"That's a really prestigious school." Pyrrha observed. "I'm jealous."

"At least you're going to college." Yang shrugged. "I'm really happy for Ruby, but I have to admit, I'm pretty nervous."

"Of course you are." Pyrrha said. "It's those motherly instincts of yours."

"Yeah...so how was your day?" Yang asked.

"Pretty good." Pyrrha said. "My appointments went well. I probably should have worn a different top though, this one's a little too tight."

"The girls want to be free!" Yang declared as she poked Pyrrha's breast. Pyrrha blushed and recoiled.

"Yang…" Pyrrha grumbled.

"Well, I'm done for the day." Yang said. "I'll see you Monday."

Pyrrha stood and hugged Yang. "See you then." Pyrrha said. "Oh! Uh...the break room is...occupied."

"Again?" Yang laughed. "At least I'll get a show when I go to grab my stuff." Yang strolled to the break room. As she opened the door her ears were greeted by a cacophony of grunts and moans. "Just getting my stuff."

"Hey Yang!" Nora exclaimed between labored breaths.

"Is that a new bra?" Yang asked as she changed into her street clothes.

"Yeah!" Nora said cheerfully. "Renny here bought it for me."

"Hello Yang." Ren said, struggling to catch his breath. "Tell Ruby we said hello."

"Can do." Yang said. "Play safe you two."

"Hah, as if!" Nora laughed. "We're ready for the next big step! Aren't we Renny?"

"Nora…" Ren gasped.

"Good luck with that!" Yang cheered. "Bye-bye."

Yang slipped on her riding jacket as she walked outside, putting on her helmet as she straddled her motorcycle. The yellow machine was a rocketship, stupidly fast. Yang did not necessarily ride it at its insane max, but the fact that she could if she wanted to was exhilarating on its own. The Friday evening traffic was light as Yang powered out of the city, heading for her rural family home. Yang could probably have afforded her own apartment, but with Ruby heading off to university money would be tight for the family, and living at home was a valuable savings.

Out in the suburbs the speed limit was higher and Yang was able to open it up a bit. She was doing about 40 mph as she approached an intersection with another main road. She had the light and thought nothing of it. A flash of color out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. A semi truck had run the light and she was on a collision course. There was no way she could turn or stop, not in time. If she tried she would either slam into the side of the truck or end up laying the bike down at high speed. Her only chance was to accelerate. She twisted the throttle and the engine responded with a scream. The bike leapt forward, gaining speed almost instantly.

It was not enough. Yang almost made it but the truck clipped the back end of her bike. In an instant the bike was going sideways and she was thrown off, sailing through the air at nearly 50 mph. She launched to the corner of the intersection, crashing through a metal fence and into a tree just behind.

Her world became dark.

The weekend was full of activity but no improvement in Yang's condition. Summer and Raven took turns at her side, with both of them there most of the time. Ruby spent most of her time at Yang's bedside too, and Pyrrha stopped by a few times. Yang and Ruby's estranged father, Taiyang, visited. Summer had divorced him after he developed a drinking problem, the final straw being a fist fight with the then teenage Yang. Payments resulting from the divorce settlement still made up most of the family's income. He did not get along with Raven or Summer, so he soon departed. Qrow, Raven's brother, also visited. He also soon left. Though they had once been the best of friends, Summer blamed him for Taiyang's alcoholism and Qrow left to avoid causing more tension than was necessary.

On Monday Ruby finished packing her things. Yang had still not regained consciousness and Ruby did not want to go. Unfortunately, the flight to Atlas was too expensive to reschedule, so she would have to leave as planned or miss the entire semester. On Tuesday morning she stopped at the hospital to say a tearful goodbye before heading to the airport. With a heavy heart she got on the plane and a few hours later she was on a new continent, alone. She arrived a day too early to move into the dorms and so spent the night in a cheap hotel.

Ruby lie awake that night thinking, worrying. Her new life was about to start in earnest. She would meet new people in a new place, and experience all sorts of new things. It was a day she had been looking forward to for months. But now she had not interest. She just wanted to be with her sister. If Yang woke up...no...when Yang woke up, she was going to need a lot of emotional support. Ruby desperately wanted to be there to provide it, but here she was, thousands of miles away. She cried, just as she had many times over the preceding few days, but this time there was no one there to console her.

Weiss arranged a few things on her new desk. Last out of the box was a picture of her sister Winter. She placed the frame in the corner and carefully adjusted the angle. It was going to be strange, not seeing her sister every day, not seeing that smile, not feeling the warmth...not tasting her cooking. Winter had basically been a mother to Weiss since their parents had died, and though she lived just fifteen minutes from the college, Weiss was already feeling the absence. No matter. Weiss had work to do. She still had several bags to move into the dorm, and they were not going to unpack themselves.

Slam!

Weiss' attention was drawn to the door. "What on Remnant…" She said. A petite girl with short black and red hair lie flat on her back, one of Weiss' suitcases toppled over beside her. "Watch where you're walking! Clumsy dunce…" Weiss got up and walked to the door, picking up the suitcase. The girl just groaned and remained there on the floor. "Well don't just lie there, get up." The girl rolled over and pushed herself to her feet before running a hand through her messy hair. "You had best hope nothing is broken."

"Sorry...I'll pay." The girl said meekly.

"Money isn't an issue." Weiss said. "You should know that."

"Huh?" The girl said.

"You don't know who I am...do you?" Weiss asked.

"No...I'm sorry." The girl sighed. "I'm just trying to find my room."

"Well, unless your room is 316, be on your way." Weiss said, turning on her heel and taking another bag into the room. "And try not to trip over anything or anyone else." The girl did not leave, looking back and forth between her key and the door. "What are you nosing around for?"

"I uh...I think I'm your roommate." The girl said.

"Oh God…" Weiss said under her breath. "Come in then. Keep to your side of the room and we won't have any issues."

"Okay...I'm Ruby." The girl said. She dragged two small-ish bags into the room with her.

"Weiss Schnee." She said.

"Good to meet you." Ruby said.

"I wish I could say the same." Weiss sneered.

"I'm sorry." Ruby groaned.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to unpack?" Weiss asked. Ruby sighed and hefted her bags onto the bed before starting to silently unpack. I hope I won't have to baby-proof everything. Weiss thought to herself. How could she be so careless? She could hurt herself. Or others, like me.

"...and then she unpacked her things and barely said a word to me all day." Weiss said. "It was weird. She barely made a noise. I was dreading what would happen when I saw the console she unpacked, but she didn't even set it up. She just put on headphones and listened to music."

"You tell her to cause no issues, and then when she doesn't cause you any issues you think it's weird?" Blake laughed. The best friends sat side-by-side in the dining hall.

"There's not causing issues and there's not doing anything." Weiss explained. "She just stared at the ceiling, fell asleep and...it didn't feel right."

"Maybe she had something on her mind." Blake suggested. "It sounds kind of like she was out of it."

"I don't know, but when I woke up last night to go to the bathroom, I think I heard her crying." Weiss said.

"Crying?" Blake asked.

"Yes, some sniffling." Weiss replied. "Something that sounded like a sob. I...I'm worried."

"You're worried?" Blake asked skeptically.

"I have to live with her." Weiss said. "What if she gets worse? What if she's depressed? What if she...hurts herself?"

"Weiss, you're making an awful lot of assumptions." Blake said. "You don't even know what's going on yet."

"I know." Weiss sighed. "People just usually fight with me when I'm…"

"Abrasive?" Blake finished for her. That was about the nicest way to put it.

"Difficult, yes, and I didn't mean to." Weiss confirmed. "But I was kind of distracted and just snapped at her and she just...folded. No...she would have to be standing to fold. She had no fight in her at all. I hope I didn't hurt her."

Blake pulled Weiss into a hug, and Weiss took a deep breath and hugged back. "You want me to try and talk to her?" Blake suggested.

"You won't bite her head off?" Weiss asked.

"You wouldn't either, you softy." Blake laughed. "Look at you, caring for others like a normal person."

"I'm having second thoughts about a certain someone." Weiss grumbled.

"Sure you are." Blake smiled. "Do you know where Ruby is?"

"She mentioned she would be in the library if I needed her." Weiss replied.

"Fitting." Blake said.

"Thank you, Blake." Weiss said.

"Anything for you, Weiss." Blake said.

"So, how's your roommate?" Weiss asked.

"Another Faunus." Blake replied. "I have to say, I'm a little offended. It feels like segregation."

"Most people don't even know you're a Faunus." Weiss observed. "Did you even put it on your application?"

"I...maybe I didn't." Blake admitted. "She's not hiding anything though. Even if she were a fan of fashionable hats those bunny ears would be hard to hide."

"So what's she like?" Weiss asked.

"Terrifyingly shy." Blake answered. "You know when neighbors talk about the serial killer discovered next door they always say he was super quiet? Yeah, she's that quiet. Nice though. She said she's studying photography, which pairs up nicely with my journalism. Got to say though, she took some pictures yesterday and they...well...they were interesting."

"I don't even know what Ruby's studying." Weiss sighed. "I told her I was in accounting expecting her to tell me what she was doing, but she didn't say a word." She shook her head. "We probably should have roomed together."

"You were the one who thought we should meet new people." Blake shrugged. "Being apart for awhile will be good for both of us. Like you said, 'we need to expand our horizons.'"

"Me and my stupid ideas." Weiss laughed. "At least we might be able to help her. That would make all the inconvenience worth it."

After lunch Blake headed to the library. It was a win-win for her. If Ruby was there, great. If not, she would just find a nice quiet spot and do some reading. Ruby did not seem to be in any of the usual spaces. She was not at the tables where some students were already congregated, nor was she using any of the computers. She had probably already found what she was looking for and departed. Blake decided to find her quiet place. Unfortunately the library was busy with new students, and they were being rather loud. Blake wandered to the back, expecting to find silence. Instead she heard a faint weeping, just barely audible. She rounded a shelf of books to find a short black-and-red-haired girl curled up in the corner, crying.