Chapter 11

Pyrrha and Ruby went to dinner after shopping then headed home. After recent events Pyrrha was a bit hesitant but Ruby wanted to make love, so they did. It was all part of pretending things were normal. Pyrrha was almost able to convince herself that everything was alright. She even managed to sleep relatively well that night. When she woke up in the morning Ruby was still asleep. Pyrrha gazed at her. The hair on the side of her head was growing back well and her scar was barely visible. Maybe things were getting back to normal. Maybe Ruby's freakout was just an isolated incident and nothing like it would ever happen again.

Pyrrha started making breakfast and by the time it was done, Ruby was awake. After eating Ruby did some painting, though her work was cut short by pain in her shoulder and she went on to watching television. Pyrrha ran on the treadmill. Weiss had sent her a text to expect news on her next opponent and Pyrrha knew training for her next fight would be starting soon. That would pose a problem. After all that had happened, recently in particular, Pyrrha did not think it a good idea to leave Ruby by herself, and at the same time just hanging around the gym would be painfully boring for her. Yang's next fight was coming up but afterwards she could look after Ruby again. Until then Pyrrha would need to find a stopgap measure.

Ruby's lounging and Pyrrha's workout were interrupted by the delivery of the furniture they had purchased the day before. The movers brought up the tables and placed them where Ruby instructed. They then took the old tables out and put them on the curb. Ruby placed the new lamps on the new end tables and stood back to take it all in. With the new wallpaper it would be perfect. She could already see it in her head. Ruby had always thought the apartment a little plain, but soon it would be an artistic paradise. Pyrrha sat on the couch - one so comfortable Ruby could not bear to replace it - with Ruby and they watched TV together for a while. Then Pyrrha made dinner, they watched a little more television, and went to bed.

Pyrrha woke up to the feeling of pressure on her chest. Opening her eyes she saw Ruby kneeling on her. "Oh, Ruby, you're eager." Pyrrha laughed. "But I think we'll have more fun if we're both awake." Ruby just stared at her. "Ruby?" There was something wrong. It was her eyes. There was none of the love or mischievousness Pyrrha had grown to expect. It was just fear and rage. "Ruby are you…"

Ruby screamed and began throttling Pyrrha. "No no no no no no no!" She shouted as her hands clamped tighter around Pyrrha's neck, crushing her windpipe.

"Ruby...please…" Pyrrha choked. "It's me...Pyrrha…" Ruby just screamed louder and squeezed harder. Pyrrha had to act. She grabbed Ruby's wrists and pulled her arms away. Ruby screamed, in agony rather than fear. The rage and fear on her face contorted to a look of pain. Pyrrha could feel crunching in Ruby's arms. She was hurting her. Pyrrha let go. Immediately Ruby clamped her hands around Pyrrha's neck again, the anger and fear returning. Pyrrha's vision narrowed. Again she grabbed Ruby's wrists and forced her hands away, again accompanied by the agonizing shriek and the crunching of her bones.

Pyrrha let go again. She simply could not bring herself to continue hurting Ruby, no matter the situation. For a third time Ruby's hands clamped around her neck. Pyrrha could force no air through. Her vision narrowed again and started to fade to black and white. Then it started to darken. She was dying and she knew it. Ruby was killing her. But stopping it would mean putting Ruby through agony, and Pyrrha could not do that to her. Pyrrha gazed into Ruby's eyes, those mad, unfocused eyes. "I love you." Pyrrha mouthed as her world went black.

Pyrrha woke up staring at the ceiling. She was hyperventilating and soaked in sweat. She reached up to her neck. It felt normal. She looked to her side. Ruby was sleeping peacefully. She had no marks on her arms. A dream? But it had been so real, so visceral. He could it possibly have been a dream? It was just 3:30 AM but Pyrrha knew she would not be getting any further sleep that night. She got out of bed as quietly as she could and went to sit on the couch. She briefly considered turning the TV on but instead just sat there in silence, thinking.

"Hey Pyrrha, what's up?" Ruby asked as she plopped down on the couch beside her.

"Oh, hey Ruby." Pyrrha said. She had been so lost in thought that she had not noticed it was morning. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah, but you obviously didn't." Ruby replied. "What's wrong?"

"That obvious huh?" Pyrrha sighed. "I...had a bad dream."

"It must have been really bad if it has you like this." Ruby said.

"I lost a fight." Pyrrha said.

"That doesn't sound so bad." Ruby observed.

"My opponent choked me to death." Pyrrha continued.

"That is pretty bad." Ruby said. "But don't worry. Nothing like that would ever happen."

"Of course not." Pyrrha agreed. "It was just a dream." She forced a smile and gave Ruby a hug. "So, breakfast?"

"Sure." Ruby said.

The day seemed to go on as normal. Ruby painted, but again her work was cut short by shoulder pain. Pyrrha worked out. She threw herself into it. Faster speeds on the treadmill, lifting heavier weights, there was no gradual approach today. Still she could not get that nightmare out of her head. Questions filled her mind. "What would she do if Ruby had another hallucination? What if Ruby attacked her? What if Ruby hurt her? What if...what if she hurt Ruby...worse than she already had?" No matter how hard Pyrrha pushed herself in her workout the questions remained. There was just no getting around it.

Pyrrha ordered delivery for dinner and tried her best to enjoy the meal with Ruby. Ruby tried to go back to painting after they ate but was too tired to do much and soon went to bed. Pyrrha had been waiting for that. She needed to talk to someone, in person. Who could help her? The only name she could come up with was Yang. Once Pyrrha was sure Ruby was asleep Pyrrha slipped out and drove to Yang's apartment. She took the elevator up and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Yang called from inside.

"Pyrrha." She said. "I need to talk."

"Come on in." Yang said. "I'm in the kitchen."

Pyrrha had the key to Yang's apartment as Yang had the key to hers. She made her way toward the kitchen, but the state of the apartment was alarming. Clothes were scattered about. One of the floor lamps was on its side. There were liquor bottles everywhere. Pyrrha had never known Yang to be so messy. She could be a bit disorganized at times, but her apartment was usually in good shape. In the kitchen it was worse. Yang was hunched over the table, a half-empty bottle of whiskey in her hand. More empty bottles were scattered around. Dirty dishes were piled in the sink. Yang herself was visibly drunk.

"Sorry...I guess it's a bad time." Pyrrha said. She turned to leave.

"No, no, please stay." Yang implored. "Have a drink."

"I don't want a drink." Pyrrha said. "I just wanted to talk."

"So talk." Yang said. "What do you need?"

"Ruby...I...I'm afraid I'll hurt her...or she'll hurt me." Pyrrha admitted. "I'm terrified. Terrified of what she might do, terrified of what I might do. I just...I don't know…"

"I was supposed to protect her." Yang groaned. She took a big swig from the bottle.

"Yang, I don't know what to do." Pyrrha said. "What should I do?"

"I don't know." Yang sighed. "I couldn't help her. I'm useless. I can't even help you help her. The doctors couldn't help either. If you can't...maybe no one can." Yang took another drink and started crying. "I'm so sorry. I failed her. I failed my parents. I failed everyone."

"Yang…" Pyrrha started. She saw that her words would have no effect. Yang was too far gone. "I'm sorry too. Just...just take care of yourself okay."

"Yeah yeah." Yang wept. "Do what's best for Ruby."

"I...I will." Pyrrha said. "No matter what."

When Pyrrha got home she did not bother trying to sleep. She put the TV on and laid on the couch. She may have dozed off a bit here and there, but mostly she was awake and worrying. When Ruby woke up in the morning she seemed concerned but Pyrrha told her she was not feeling well, and Ruby left it at that. She went into her studio and painted, all day this time, only emerging for lunch and dinner. In the afternoon Pyrrha got a phone call, confirmation of her next opponent and the date of the fight. She would have three months to prepare. The little workouts she had been doing at home would help, but now that she knew who she was fighting she would need to start a proper training program at the gym.

That posed a bit of a problem but Pyrrha had come to a solution. She called Ren to discuss their training and mentioned that she did not want to leave Ruby alone. Ren said Nora often got lonely while he was training and suggested she hang out with Ruby while they were at the gym. Nora was probably not the best choice to take care of Ruby, but for now she was the only choice. At least Pyrrha could be reasonably sure Nora would not do anything to hurt Ruby, at least not intentionally.

So in the morning Ren and Nora showed up at the apartment. They brought with them a container filled with Ren's pancakes for Ruby and Nora to enjoy for breakfast. Ren was Ren, but Nora seemed exceptionally excited. "I'm taking care of Ruby today!" Nora exclaimed. She hugged Ruby, far too tightly, then backed off. She shifted her weight back and forth, unable to keep still. "I had a girl who took care of me once. What was her name?" Ren seemed about to interject but Nora continued. "She was super nice, had everything in her bag you could ever need! Except fireworks, I was really bummed about that. Now Ren takes care of me! Still no fireworks, except in bed!" Nora laughed hysterically for a moment before bouncing off into the kitchen to start on the pancakes. Ruby followed.

"You ready?" Ren asked Pyrrha.

"Yep." Pyrrha replied. "Have fun you two!"

Ren and Pyrrha headed down into the parking garage and slid into Pyrrha's sports car. They left Ren's car there in case Ruby and Nora needed it in an emergency, his sedan being easier to drive for the two novices. Pyrrha fired the engine and drove out, heading for the gym. "So, what's wrong?" Ren asked.

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked.

"I can tell you're not yourself." Ren replied.

Pyrrha thought she had done a good job of putting on a happy facade. "How did you…" She started.

"People think just because I don't show it, I don't feel normal emotions." Ren explained. "I do. My reactions are just...subtle. The one good thing about it is that I've become very good at noticing small changes in other people. It's important with Nora because even though she always seems manic, she's mostly that way to hide what she's really feeling. It takes a keen eye to see past that. Anyway, the fake smile, the forced enthusiasm, you're not happy. I don't think it's just because you're leaving for the day either."

"God, you read me like a book." Pyrrha sighed. "It's a shame you haven't found a way to profit from that talent."

"So what's wrong?" Ren pressed.

"It's...Ruby." Pyrrha replied. "Don't tell anyone, but...she's been having hallucinations. When we came in with the dislocated shoulder...I did that to her. She attacked me, seeing me as the person who shot her, and I tried to restrain her but…" Tears rolled down Pyrrha's cheeks.

"You're afraid you'll hurt her again." Ren finished for Pyrrha.

"She's a danger to me and I'm a danger to her." Pyrrha said. "I just...I don't know what to do."

"Living with someone who has an unpredictable mental state can be...tricky." Ren said.

"How do you do it with Nora?" Pyrrha asked. It was common knowledge around the gym that Nora occasionally had psychotic episodes that were sometimes destructive.

"For one, I don't have to worry about hurting her." Ren said. "I only have to worry about her hurting me, and I can live with that."

"That can't be it." Pyrrha said.

"Well, early in our relationship…" Ren started.

That night Ren and Pyrrha came home with dinner. They ate with Ruby and Nora before Ren and Nora headed home for the night. "So how was your day with Nora?" Pyrrha asked.

"It was pretty good." Ruby replied. "She insisted on watching me paint. I hate having people watch me. It makes me feel self-conscious. But it seemed like she was amazed the whole time, so I guess that was a bit of a boost. Then we watched some TV. We were watching this game show and she got really annoyed when the contestants did dumb stuff. I've never seen someone yell at the TV so much. It was fun though. I painted a bit more and she lifted some weights, so I guess it wasn't too different from how it's been lately."

"That's good." Pyrrha said.

"Is everything alright?" Ruby asked. "You seem a bit down."

"Oh, training wasn't great today." Pyrrha lied. "I guess I'm a little rusty."

"You're probably better rusty than most fighters are in peak condition." Ruby laughed.

"How are you feeling?" Pyrrha asked.

"Pretty good." Ruby replied. "My head hasn't been hurting as much and my shoulder's feeling pretty good. No hallucinations or anything."

"That's a relief." Pyrrha said. "So, would you like to make love tonight?"

"Of course!" Ruby exclaimed. She found it a bit strange that Pyrrha would be the one to initiate, particularly given her recent reluctance, but Ruby was not about to turn her down. Better, Pyrrha seemed even more into it than usual, going above and beyond to make sure both fully enjoyed themselves.

It was all part of Pyrrha's plan. She was going to do what was best for Ruby, no matter how personally painful it was. Ruby slept like a rock after sex. Once she was asleep Pyrrha slipped out of bed and went to work.

Ruby woke up fairly early, just after dawn, as sunlight streamed in through the windows. Pyrrha was not beside her. She was usually up earlier anyway. Ruby let her eyes adjust to the light for a few moments before slowly getting to her feet. Her balance was slow in coming but after a few seconds she was alright, stumbling a bit as she groggily headed for the bedroom door. She pushed it open and stepped into the main room. Pyrrha was there seated on the couch, but she was not alone. Something was off.

"Pyrrha?" Ruby said, still trying to break out of her early-morning haze.

Pyrrha stood, taking a bag in her hand. "Good morning Ruby." She said. "Did you sleep well?"

"The bed was a bit cold." Ruby replied. "Who's this?"

"I'm Penny." The ginger-haired woman answered. "I'm a nurse. I'll be your caretaker."

"Caretaker…" Ruby said. "Pyrrha, what's going on?" Ruby looked around. In addition to the bag in Pyrrha's hand there were two pieces of her luggage beside the door. "Why are your bags packed? Your fight isn't for a while."

"I...I…Ruby I'm…" Pyrrha stammered. "I have to go Ruby."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked. "Go where?"

Pyrrha was struggling not to cry, but it was a losing battle and tears were filling her eyes. "Away…" She replied. "I can't stay."

"Can't?" Ruby gasped. "What, why?!"

"If I stay...if I stay I might…" Pyrrha struggled. "I hurt you Ruby!"

"You're leaving me?" Ruby asked, tears filling her eyes as well.

"No!" Pyrrha exclaimed. She looked down at the floor, unable to look Ruby in the face. "No, it's not like that! I just...I have to go. I tried...I tried to help but I can't. Ruby, I don't know how. I just don't want to hurt you again!"

"Please don't go." Ruby sobbed, the tears now flowing freely.

"Penny is a good person." Pyrrha said. "She's trained to help. I trust her."

Ruby took a step towards Pyrrha but she backed away.

"I don't want Penny, I want you!" Ruby cried, choking on her tears. "Please don't go. I love you! I can't do this alone!"

"You...you won't be alone." Pyrrha said. A tear rolled down her cheek but she dragged her sleeve across her face to clear it away. "Penny will never leave. She's stronger than I am. She's better than I am. She can help." Pyrrha sighed. "I'll only hurt you again."

"Pyrrha, please don't go, please." Ruby begged.

Pyrrha walked to the door, opened it, and took hold of the other pieces of luggage. "I have to go Ruby." She said, choking back her tears. "Because I love you, and that means doing what's best for you, even if it hurts." She paused and forced herself to look Ruby in the eyes. Those silver, pleading, tear-filled eyes. "Goodbye Ruby." Pyrrha rushed out the door, closing it behind her as quickly as possible.

"Pyrrha!" Ruby called. "Pyrrha, no! Stop! Please! Don't go!" Ruby dropped to her knees, covering her face with her hands. "Pyrrha…" She sobbed.

Pyrrha was standing just outside. She wanted to turn around, wanted to go back. She was so close to changing her mind. She dropped her bags and was ready to head back inside. No, she had to be strong, for Ruby. This was for the best. It would hurt Ruby now, but in the long term it would help her, protect her. Pyrrha placed a hand on the door and leaned her forehead against it. "I'm sorry Ruby." She whispered. "I'm so sorry."