Chapter 22

Pyrrha's day had been trying.

Pyrrha's week had been taxing.

Pyrrha's month had been draining.

And there was only so much Pyrrha could take before she began to break.

Pyrrha's life had never been simple, yet it had always seemed structured. Her childhood was spent training to fight and competing in tournaments. Her teenage years were spent training to be a Huntress, turning away from vain titles to a more noble cause, to protect the weak from the monstrous. When that ended in tragedy, it had taken time for Pyrrha to compose herself, mourning the loss of her friends, setting aside her spear and shield. She had turned to witchcraft, to serve people in other ways, hoping, selfishly, to right her wrongs through the power of magic.

No, never simple, yet always a routine. Wake, eat, study and train, sleep. Attend to duties as mentors saw fit, assist and protect the people.

And then Ruby came about, whether a genuine accident, or some divine price to be paid for her hubris, she had panicked, but composed herself, taking responsibility for her crime against nature. And she did not regret it, not one single bit. Ruby brought a light into her life that had been missing for years - companionship. A constant positive presence in her life. Ruby was there as she worked, smoothing the bumps in her process. She was there as she ran errands, filling her ears with enthusiasm and newfound knowledge. And Ruby was there as she slept, her small body curled into her arms. Pyrrha never truly realized how much she craved such a constant in her life, but Ruby had opened her eyes.

Only to be scared of what she saw.

The potential for loss once more burned like a brand in the back of Pyrrha's mind, images of the past haunting her, taunting her - Weiss' lifeless body, gaunt and pale, Yang frozen and shivering on the floor, Coral cradling Helia...Jaune's lifeless, glassy gaze...Ruby…

"Pyrrha?" Ruby's voice cut in, jerking Pyrrha from the restless doze she had managed. Ruby had come home later than expected, showing off her new cloak, and Weiss' broach, which Port had re-inscribed for her. After a day trapped in her own mind, Ruby's enthusiasm and joy was a sorely needed distraction for Pyrrha. It had lasted throughout dinner, and until they retired. Ruby had been delving into more and more books as time went on, hungry for knowledge, but unwilling to inconvenience Pyrrha, she donned a pair of enchanted glasses, and read in the dark. It seemed that in spite of this distraction, Ruby had noticed Pyrrha's restless mind. "Pyrrha, what's wrong?"

Pyrrha felt Ruby shift, the sound of the book shutting, and the weight of a hand upon her shoulder. "Just a bad dream, I'm okay Ruby." She lied, rolling over to face her summon. Not that she could see well in the dark. At least Ruby could look at her, plastered smile and all.

"Pyrrha…" Ruby started quietly. Pyrrha flinched as fingers made contact with her cheeks. They felt wet. "Human emotions can be overwhelming...we cry when we feel pain, sometimes physical, sometimes emotional...Pyrrha, you're in pain." Pyrrha felt a lump grow in her throat, she struggled to swallow it, but when Ruby snuggled closer, it burst forth as a strangled sob. "It's okay to be sad Pyrrha...but seeing you sad makes me sad too. I wanna' make you happy, I wanna' help." Ruby whispered shakily.

Pyrrha felt a surge of guilt within her being. She did not want Ruby to suffer this, she wanted Ruby to be carefree. It was bad enough that she had trained her to fight. The image of Ruby squaring off against a Beowolf terrified her, the thought of an Ursa chilled her to the bone. Reaching out, Pyrrha wrapped her arms tightly around Ruby's form, pulling her ever closer, her fit perfect in her arms, the feel of her heartbeat calming, however slight. "I'm afraid." She admitted.

"Of what?" Ruby asked.

"Of losing you...of losing all of you...because I can't protect you." Pyrrha replied.

"But you're an amazing fighter." Ruby countered.

"I'm a human Ruby." Pyrrha took a shaky breath. "For all my prowess with a sword, Weiss swatted me aside like a child. A Beowolf I can handle, and an Ursa if I am prepared and lucky, but if I have to face Cinder I won't stand a chance, yet I feel compelled to do so, to protect you, to protect all of you, because if I don't try, and Cinder harms any of you…" Pyrrha swallowed. "...I will never be able to forgive myself."

"You don't have to protect us Pyrrha." Ruby soothed. "Weiss is strong, and growing stronger. Yang is a goddess of fire, you've taught me to protect myself!"

"I know, I know, and I have taught you...to the best of my ability, and I am so proud of how far you have come." Pyrrha smiled, planting a kiss on Ruby's hair. "But there will come a day when you face something you cannot defend against...and the thought of that day horrifies me...I-I don't want to bury another one of my friends." She choked, shaking.

"If that day ever comes, I promise Pyrrha, I promise I'll run." Ruby insisted. "But I won't leave you, and I'll make the others run too!"

"You can't promise that Ruby, it's not your choice." Pyrrha bit. "We humans are stubborn. We swear our lives away for the safety of others. We do not falter, we do not back down until we cannot stand any longer...you can't tell me you could drag Weiss away from battle."

"I could try." Ruby suggested.

"I know, but you would fail...we all fail someday...I just hope that isn't any time soon." Pyrrha planted another kiss on Ruby's forehead. "You give my life color Ruby." She admired, voice slurring. "I want to admire it for as long as possible."'

Ruby lay silent in Pyrrha's embrace, listening to her heartbeat calm and slow, the turmoil soothing from her being. It pained her to hear such fears from her mistress, to know nothing could be done to truly halt them, that her past might ail her forever, a constant terror clinging to her every waking moment. Pyrrha was right, it would happen someday. And all they could do was hope for the best, and prepare for the worst. Ruby could only hope that whatever happened, they could survive it. That whatever happened, she would make Pyrrha happy again.

Weiss never liked to dwell upon her pain. And yet she had a tendency to sit on a feeling, mulling it over in her mind, what had caused it, why it was stuck there, what could be done to make it go away. The answers were never clear. She did not know why her father treated her so, she did not know how to stop it, and after years of bearing the weight of his disapproving gaze, bowing to his every whim, running herself ragged keeping up with his expected workload, she simply learned to swallow her agony, holding her head high no matter how torturous it may seem. It was easier after all, to simply pretend nothing was wrong, than to admit everything was, and be unable to do anything about it.

"Hey, you don't have a block of chocolate but...oh, experimenting are we?" Yang queried as she walked into the bedroom, a mug of cocoa in hand.

Weiss had been lazing on her bed, distracting herself with attempts to summon a steady flame. Winter had, on occasion, effortlessly flung fire as Weiss did ice. It was awe-inspiring. Once she could manage a small one, enough to light a candle perhaps, before flickering out. Now her grasp of the element seemed even more erratic and unstable than ever. It was a frustrating challenge, one she welcomed.

"Just...trying." Weiss sighed. "I'm either out of practice or perhaps my soul really is struggling." She groused, letting her hands drop. She sighed as the bed dipped down beside her. "I just...it's always frustrated me. Winter can conjure flames in her sleep. I can be angry, everyone says I get angry too easily!" Yang huffed a chuckle, and Weiss opened her eyes to glare up at the smirking aspect.

"It's not just anger that draws the flame Weiss, hell, it's not purely emotion at all, it's...mindset." Yang held out the cup of cocoa, and Weiss relented, pushing herself up on one arm to take it.

"Thank you." Weiss murmured, taking a sip, and savoring the heat as it journeyed down into her stomach. "What do you mean, mindset?"

"It's as you said, a temperament thing, but not literally temper." Yang grimaced, looking away. "Weiss...you're depressed." She sighed.

Weiss blinked. Instinctually, her reaction would be to scoff. Weiss, are you okay? Weiss, did something happen? Weiss, why don't you smile anymore? The questions differed, but they all had the same accusation to her. She was unhappy, day in and day out, with occasional brief reprieves when Winter's letters would arrive, or she practiced with Myrtenaster, or lost herself in a book. And when she was learning magic, that was the happiest time in her life, in memory at least...all the old happy memories had become tainted by death and abandonment. The implication, the answer to it had followed her all these years. Yang was just the first to come right out and say it, and she did not know how to handle that.

"I know." Weiss whispered, taking another sip of cocoa. "I don't know what to do about it." She lamented, meeting Yang's gaze. The aspect's smile, tinged with sadness though it was, still warmed Weiss' heart, which leapt when Yang reached out to cup her cheek.

"It has no cure, like any sickness, it breeds in certain conditions, and wanes in others." With her free hand, Yang gestured for the cup. Weiss took a larger gulp before obeying, watching as Yang placed it on her bedside table. "You've spent your life struggling, blow after blow raining down, and yet you kept moving forward. That is why ice comes so naturally, it fits your temperament, you live it, so it bends to your will...fire demands...something...more violent. Winter? She's driven by vengeance. She took the grief of your mother's passing and turned it into a passion for justice. That fire burned within her, breeding an attraction to the flame. Ask her how she feels when she embraces it. I bet she'll turn bright red, and not with anger." She smirked, allowing Weiss to clutch her hand with both her own.

"So what, I need to be more like Winter?" Weiss snarked. "It's not like I have any other inspirations in life…"

"No, you need to be yourself." Yang groaned, pulling Weiss into her lap with a yelp. "Winter is Winter, you'll never be her, and you shouldn't try." Taking Weiss' hands in her own, she turned her palms upward. "I didn't fall in love with Winter. I fell in love with Weiss, newborn vampire, Huntress, cosmetic manufacturer." She ended with a peck beneath the ear.

Weiss felt her heart swell, and her eyes sting. "You're going to make me cry." She whimpered.

Yang chuckled. "Hey, wanna' know a secret?" She whispered.

"I don't know." Weiss murmured. "Is it a happy secret or a sad secret?"

"It'll help with your fire." Yang promised.

"Oh?" Weiss quirked her brow.

"Hmm." Yang traced circles on the back of Weiss' hand. "Remember when you had the nightmare, and I stepped in?"

Weiss shivered at the thought, reminding herself that the pressure at her back was warm and soft, not cold and hard. "I do."

"Well, to do that, I had to...piggyback, on your soul, to follow you to the dreaming realm." Yang admitted.

"That's...understandable, and I'm thankful you did so." Weiss said.

"So am I...but...I was a little rough when I did it." Yang noted. "You were calling out, so I did it as fast as possible, and in the process I kinda' left an...imprint. No, that's not right...I guess you could say I rubbed off on you. There's a little bit of my essence hanging around your soul, and it's not going away."

"Oh, why?" Weiss asked.

"Who knows?" Yang shrugged. "Maybe I'm infectious, maybe I'm slowly taking you over, or maybe your soul is just fond of me." She teased. "But the point is, you've got a little bit of me inside you, and it's probably manifested in a few subtle ways, like...candles flickering near you, some internal warmth, and your unstable connection to flame. Your soul is confused, it's reaching out, but it's not sure which direction to go, the plane of flame, or my essence."

Weiss nodded, staring at her hands. "So how do we fix that?"

"We teach your soul to use my essence as a conduit." Yang replied. "Instead of reaching out by itself, this'll help train your affinity with flame, and reduce the strain by relying on my little tumor."

"Tumor, now there's a word for you." Weiss smirked.

Yang laughed. "I totally grew on you."

"Quite...so how do we do this?" Weiss enquired.

"With your permission, I'll reach out to your soul and bridge the gap, then we'll practice some channelling." Yang explained.

"With my permission?" Weiss asked.

"It's not very polite to assume you can jump onto someone's soul." Yang grinned. "I know it was to help you, but your soul wasn't very happy about it last time...I think that's why the nightmare ended the way it did." Weiss flinched, a shudder running down her spine at yet another unpleasant memory. "I'm sorry."

"I forgive you...you were trying to help, and I'd rather suffer that than endure any more of...let's just do this." Weiss refocused. "You have my consent."

Yang strengthened her grip on Weiss' hands, threading their fingers together. "I love you, Weiss Schnee." She purred.

"And I love you, Yang…" Weiss responded, somewhat awkwardly.

Yang chuckled. "Right, I never told you my full name, did I?"

"I imagine only Ruby knows." Weiss suggested.

"For good reason...aspects like me can only be summoned by those who know our names...I don't know when or how mine was discovered, but it's been causing me pain for...a very long time."

"You don't have to tell me Yang." Weiss soothed.

"I know I don't." Yang declared. "It's my choice, for the first time in all my existence, I choose to give you my name Weiss Schnee, for I am Yang Xiao-Long, Daughter of Taiyang, Dragon God of Fire, and I trust you will keep it safe."

"Yang...Xiao-Long...beautiful-ah!" Weiss started, and with that, a wave of heat burst within her form. She gasped, convulsing.

"Shhhhh it's okay, it's just me, focus on my voice." Yang's distorted voice spoke. But Weiss felt her own jaw move, hot air vibrating her throat.

"It's hard not to, i-it's hot, really hot!" Weiss stammered in response, breathing heavily.

Weiss felt Yang laugh. "It's pretty cozy in here." She admired.

"Are you possessing me?" Weiss asked, an edge of fear on her tongue. She felt a pang of guilt that was not her own.

"Not exactly." Yang answered. "Possessing would overpower your soul entirely, I'm just...taking a stroll. You could force me out any time, and I would let you. It won't take offense if this is too much."

"No-no it's okay it's just...disorienting...it's...I think I can feel your emotions." Weiss struggled.

"Well, are we more than our souls?" Yang asked teasingly. "Hey...how does this feel…"

"What fe-oh!" Weiss gasped as a wave of tingles flowed through her body, leaving her reeling. She felt as if she were floating. "W-what was that?"

"Just a little taste...now, focus on your soul, and call forth the flame." Yang instructed.

Weiss' hands rose, whether of her own accord or Yang's she did not know or care, but she obeyed, slowing her breath, closing her eyes and focusing, envisioning the flame in her mind's eye, smirking back at her, crimson eyes glowing in the darkness. A wave of heat grew from her core, flowing through her body, circulating, pulsating, invigorating. She felt a laugh bubble from within her throat, distorted yet her own.

"Open your eyes Snowball." Yang giggled.

When Weiss did so the sight took her breath away. "My gods." A perfect ball of flame floated between her hands, larger and more vibrant than she had ever seen. It was so beautiful, swirling with power, little arcs flickering outward before being reabsorbed.

"I'd ask how it feels but I already know." Yang smugly stated.

Weiss laughed breathlessly, still staring at the summoned flame. It lit up the room intensely. It should have blinded her, as Winter's had on the occasion that she demonstrated it, but she could see it clear as day, orange and red and yellow, ringed in white. "It's euphoric." She shivered at the word as yet another wave of tingles swept through her form. Her focus slipped for but a moment, and the fireball escaped her grip, smashing into the carpet and setting it alight.

"Oh shit sorry!" Yang yelled.

With one of the most alien sensations Weiss had ever experienced, the aspect withdrew from her form. She shuddered at the feeling, as if she had been drained, but at the same time, a part was returned to her. "It's fine, it's fine!" Weiss shook herself, making a fist and calling forth the familiar feeling of cold until mist formed, and flung her hand outward, carpeting the flames in frost. Pausing for a moment, all was silent.

"Snnk!" Yang snickered. "Oops."