Author's Note: As great as it is for my ego to see the view numbers go up, it doesn't really mean anything without feedback. If you have any opinion of this story, please let me know. If you don't have an opinion let me know. "I have no strong feelings one way or the other" is a perfectly acceptable review. It means the writing is mediocre and that's important to know. I'm not necessarily looking for expert analysis either. Simply "this or that line was funny/sad/weird" or "I liked/didn't like when this character did that" or "she was really in/out of character here" are more than enough. I'm writing this stuff to improve my skills and feedback is critical. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 2

Pyrrha and Yang spent the rest of the day together. There was not much in the way of conversation. They just sat side-by-side, leaning against one another. It was enough that they were together. Come dinner time Yang refused to leave her room. She claimed illness. Pyrrha knew a lie when she heard one but did not think it was the right time to push Yang. Instead she decided to take the meal in Yang's room so that she would not be alone. Even if that was not what Yang wanted, Pyrrha felt it was what Yang needed.

The reason behind Yang's desire to eat alone was immediately apparent. Without her dominant arm she struggled to even eat. Cutting anything was out of the question but Taiyang had helpfully pre-cut Yang's meat. It was some sort of fish Pyrrha was not familiar with. That was the easy part. Using chopsticks to eat the rice that accompanied it was far more difficult for Yang. She had apparently never learned to use them left-handed. Her form was awkward and she kept dropping food and occasionally the sticks themselves. Each time she did her face twisted into a look of frustration and despair. By the time she was done she was crying. Pyrrha was crying too. It was painful to watch Yang struggle like that.

After eating Yang asked Pyrrha to leave. There was no dancing around it. Yang stated that she was sad and just wanted to sleep. Pyrrha wanted to stay. She did not know what she could do to help, but she wanted to do something, anything. But Yang was insistent.

"Please...just leave for now." Yang requested. "I...maybe I'll feel better tomorrow." She and Pyrrha both knew she probably would not.

"If that's what you really want." Pyrrha sighed.

"It is." Yang said. "I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize." Pyrrha said. "I understand." She hugged Yang and kissed her on the forehead. "Just know that I love you, no matter what."

"I know." Yang said. "I love you too." There was a lack of feeling to Yang's voice. Pyrrha did not think it meant she was lying, just that it was an indication of how depressed Yang was.

Pyrrha took up her crutches and headed for the door. She stopped in the doorway and took a look back at Yang. She had already laid down and rolled to face away, toward the window. Pyrrha returned to her own bed. Without Yang there was no reason for her to stay awake. The day had been exhausting emotionally and physically. Still, Pyrrha was not sure she would be able to sleep. Her mind raced, filled with guilt, regret, anger and sadness.

The next day was a hectic one from the start. At dawn there was a knock at the door. When Taiyang opened it, it seemed he was facing down half of the Atlesian army. They were looking for Weiss. Taiyang allowed them to search the house, and search it they did. They only just stopped short of ransacking the place. Taiyang gave their commander an earful and so did Qrow when he arrived in the middle of their search. An actual fight was only stopped by the sudden arrival of a messenger. Whatever the message said, it got the commander to end the search and hurry off.

As with dinner the night before, Yang took breakfast in her room. It was only toast so the struggle was not repeated, but Taiyang had had to do all the preparation for her. "I hate it." Yang said.

"Hate what?" Pyrrha asked.

"Needing help." Yang replied.

"We all need help sometimes." Pyrrha said. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"But I need help with everything." Yang complained. "How am I supposed to live like this?" In moments Yang had gone from strong and independent to being completely reliant on others. It was a dramatic and no doubt painful reversal of fortune.

"You'll adjust." Pyrrha said. "I'm sure you'll be just as self-sufficient as you ever were."

"But what if I never am?" Yang said. She was starting to cry.

"We made a deal." Pyrrha said. "You said you wouldn't give up."

"I know...I just…" Yang sobbed.

"You're the strongest person I know." Pyrrha said. "If anyone can overcome this, it's you." She could hear a bit of a commotion in another part of the house but ignored it for the time being.

"I'm not that strong." Yang said. She looked at what remained of her right arm. "One strike and it was all over. I didn't even land a single punch. I was useless."

"You can't let one defeat destroy you." Pyrrha said. "You're a student. He's an experienced killer. With that kind of mismatch…"

"And yet you rushed straight after Cinder." Yang cut her off. "When I attacked Adam, I was enraged, I wasn't thinking. But you...you had time to think." Pyrrha did not like where Yang was going. She was no longer beating herself up, but Pyrrha did not necessarily want to be the new target. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking I had to try to stop her." Pyrrha said. "It's my duty as a Huntress to protect people."

"You knew you would lose." Yang accused.

"I knew my chances were slim." Pyrrha admitted.

"You expected to die, didn't you?" Yang pressed. "Even though it wouldn't make the slightest difference in what was happening." Pyrrha wanted to protest, to say anything to defend herself, but Yang was right. "I'm right, aren't I? I can see it in your face."

"My life isn't that important." Pyrrha said, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"And you're accusing me of giving up?!" Yang shouted. "You could have walked away but you ran headlong toward your death!"

"It's true." Pyrrha wept. "After everything that had happened, I saw no alternative. I was the cause behind the whole thing. The least I could do was give my life trying to fix it."

"Do you have any idea how your death would have made your friends feel?" Yang said. "How much it would have hurt me?"

"I'm sorry." Pyrrha cried.

Yang realized what she was doing. "No don't...I didn't mean…I…" She stammered.

"No, you're right." Pyrrha said. "What I did was idiotic and selfish. And look how everything turned out. I know just how bad I screwed things up. No matter what I do for the rest of my life, I'll never forget and I'll never forgive myself."

"No, please." Yang said. "I shouldn't have said those things. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I wish I could believe that." Pyrrha said.

Taiyang appeared in the doorway looking happier than Pyrrha had ever seen him. "Ruby's awake!" He announced.

"That's great." Pyrrha said. "I should go talk to her."

"Well Qrow's talking to her right now." Taiyang said. "It's a conversation he didn't want me in on, so you should probably wait." Taiyang looked at Pyrrha and Yang. "Hold on, you've both been crying."

"It's alright." Yang said. "We both just have...regrets."

"Don't we all." Taiyang sighed. "You may not want my advice, but I'm going to give it. Don't let regrets control you. It's no way to live. I know from experience…" He looked at the floor. "Just...I want you all to be happy. Don't end up like me, please."

Pyrrha did not want to say it, but she felt like it might already be too late, for herself at least. "After everything that happened, how am I supposed to be happy?" Yang asked.

"That's a question only you can answer." Taiyang replied. "I wish there was more I could do, and I really hope you could help each other find the answer. Just don't give up. Okay?"

"Alright." Pyrrha said. It felt like a lie.

"Yeah, I know." Yang said. "I won't." It felt like a lie.

After his conversation with Ruby, Qrow abruptly left. Yang decided she did not want to leave her room, so Pyrrha went to see Ruby. "Pyrrha, what are you doing here?" Ruby asked.

"Qrow found both of us and brought me here too." Pyrrha replied.

"I'm really glad you're alright." Ruby said.

"I'm very happy to see you're awake." Pyrrha said. "I was terribly worried. Everyone was."

"I'm sorry about that." Ruby said.

"You shouldn't be the one apologizing." Pyrrha sighed. "I'm the one who needs to say I'm sorry."

"For what?" Ruby asked.

"For everything." Pyrrha said, tears welling in her eyes. "For Penny, for Beacon, for...Jaune. It's...it's all my fault."

"No." Ruby said. "It isn't your fault. None of it is. It's Cinder and Mercury and Emerald and Torchwick and the White Fang. You can't blame yourself for any of it. They just used you like they used Yang."

"But I made everything worse." Pyrrha sobbed.

"It doesn't matter." Ruby said. "You just tried to do the right thing. I don't blame you. I'm sure Jaune wouldn't either. The only one who blames you is you. That's not right. You're one of the good guys. You're a hero."

"I don't feel like a hero." Pyrrha said.

"You're a hero to me." Ruby said.

"Thanks, that means a lot." Pyrrha said. She wiped the remaining tears from her face. "Maybe...maybe you're right." She took a deep breath. "I thought I was coming in here to help you, but I think you ended up helping me. You should go talk to Yang. She needs you more than I do."

"That's a good idea." Ruby said. "Are you sure you'll be alright?" Pyrrha nodded and Ruby headed off to her sister's room. She soon returned looking greatly disturbed.

"Is everything alright?" Pyrrha asked. It was a stupid question. She knew the answer was no.

"Yang's...Yang isn't herself." Ruby said. "It hurts to see her like that."

"I know." Pyrrha said. "I wish there was more we could do to help her."

"I'm sure you've already helped her a lot." Ruby said. "She just needs more time. Yeah. She'll be back to her old self soon."

Pyrrha wondered how much of Ruby's confidence was youthful naivete and how much was intentional self-deception. "I hope so." Pyrrha sighed. "What about you? Are you alright?"

"No." Ruby replied. "But I will be. You will be too. You, me, Yang, we'll all get through this together." Pyrrha so desperately wanted to believe her.

As Pyrrha was leaving Ruby's room there was another knock at the door. Pyrrha decided to have a look for herself. Taiyang opened the door. Ironwood was standing there holding a large box. "What do you want?" Taiyang demanded. "Here for another search? Haven't you Atlesian sons-of-bitches caused me enough trouble for one day?"

Ironwood bowed his head. "I'm actually here to apologize." He said. "And not just for this morning. I want to apologize for everything. I wish I could have done more to help."

"From what Qrow tells me, it sounds like you only made things worse." Taiyang said.

"That is a fair assessment." Ironwood admitted. "I am truly sorry for everything that's happened. I wish your daughters a speedy recovery."

"Thanks." Taiyang said, not sounding at all grateful.

"Is Qrow here?" Ironwood asked.

"No." Taiyang replied. "Before you ask, I have no idea where he went. He said he'd be back tomorrow."

"I'll leave this with you then." Ironwood said as he handed his box to Taiyang. "Be careful, it's heavy."

Taiyang effortlessly took the box and placed it on the floor beside the door. He was stronger than he looked. "What's in it?" Taiyang asked.

"Part of my apology." Ironwood said cryptically. "I should be going. And again, I'm sorry."

"Aren't we all?" Taiyang said. He closed the door before Ironwood even had the chance to turn away. Apparently a dislike of Atlas was something he shared with Qrow.

After witnessing the exchange, Pyrrha went to Yang's room. Yang was not in the mood to talk. Evidently her conversation with Ruby had gone very badly. She was lying on her bed facing the window. When Pyrrha asked if she could lay down beside her Yang just shrugged. Pyrrha sat on the edge of the bed and Yang slid herself over to give Pyrrha room. Even if she was not going to say it, she did want the company. Pyrrha laid down and the two remained there in silence for some time.

Pyrrha started rubbing Yang's back. "I know it hurts." Pyrrha said. "We're all hurting. It's okay. We'll get through this, I promise. Everything will work out."

"What if it doesn't?" Yang said.

Pyrrha did not have a good answer - she shared the same worry - but had to say something. "We just have to have hope."

Pyrrha and Yang remained together for hours. Eventually Yang fell asleep and so did Pyrrha soon after. They had not done much talking. Their previous attempts to cope through conversation had ended poorly so just being together would have to do for now. Yang was not a peaceful sleeper. Pyrrha was awoken several times by Yang's tossing and turning but she could not bring herself to leave. Even as dawn broke Pyrrha remained, reluctant to risk waking Yang and unwilling to pull herself away in any case.

Taiyang woke up Yang and Pyrrha for breakfast. If he had a problem with them sharing a bed he did not show it. This time breakfast was eggs and pancakes. Taiyang was making a conscious effort to make meals Yang could easily eat. Yang noticed and it seemed to only make her mood darken. Taiyang was trying to help her feel independent, but the fact that he had to go out of his way to do so brought the situation into sharp focus. Something needed to change if Yang was to ever be herself again. Luckily, something had already arrived. They just did not yet know it.

There was a knock at the door and Taiyang answered it. It was Qrow. "Hey." Taiyang said. His daughter's depression was hitting him hard too. "Come in." He started to walk away then turned back. "General Ironwood dropped off a package for you." He pointed to the box by the door.

"This ought to be good." Qrow said. He closed the door and crouched down to take a look at the box. There was a letter attached:

Qrow Branwen,

I wish to apologize. I know you do not want to hear it, and I know I am not good at this. I'm sure nothing I can say here will make things right between us, but actions speak louder than words. Enclosed is a top-of-the-line prosthetic arm. It has been sized to fit your niece, based upon the measurements taken during her hospital visit. It should allow her the dexterity and sense of touch of a natural arm, along with strength and durability that exceeds normal human limits. Also enclosed are instructions for its installation and use. I hope this goes some way to repairing the damage I have caused.

General James Ironwood

Pyrrha rested beside Yang. She wanted to encourage Yang to do something, anything. Yang had only been out of bed to use the bathroom and shower. Whatever she was feeling, just sitting in bed was only going to make it worse. But Pyrrha did not want to push too hard. They were both in a fragile state and a miscalculation could lead to emotional disaster.

"I've got one heck of a surprise for you." Qrow announced. He backed into the room carrying one end of a table. Ruby carried the other. Scattered across it were tools, various electronic devices and an arm. The exterior of the arm was smooth and matte black. The joints were clearly mechanical but with an elegant simplicity to them. The exterior was not entirely hard like metal - harder than skin for sure - but more of a flexible composite. "It's a little gift, courtesy of my old pal Jimmy."

"I don't want a prosthetic arm." Yang sighed. "I want my arm."

"Well kid, you'll have to make due." Qrow said. "You wouldn't want to disappoint my assistant would you?" He gestured toward Ruby who busied herself arranging the various bits and pieces that had shifted while they were carrying the table.

"Come on Yang, I've already thought up some really cool upgrades!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Fine." Yang conceded.

"Good, let's get started." Qrow said.

"Shouldn't this be done by doctors, in a hospital?" Pyrrha asked.

"Probably." Qrow shrugged. "But I'm sure Yang isn't interested in waiting months. Besides, it's more a job for a mechanic than anything." He looked at the instructions. "First we need to knock down her aura." He looked around the table and located a small device. "Ruby, I need Crystal 2." Ruby picked up a yellow dust crystal and handed it to Qrow. He slipped it into the device and tossed it to Pyrrha. "Put it on her stomach and hit the button."

Yang lifted her shirt a bit and Pyrrha placed the device just above her navel. Pyrrha pushed the one button and pulled her hand away but nothing happened. For a few seconds she wondered if it was working. Then Yang convulsed as electricity coursed through her. For a few seconds she writhed until her aura shimmered and failed, and the device shut off automatically. "That was surprising." Pyrrha said.

Yang took a few deep breaths. "Yeah, positively shocking." She said. Everyone stared at her for a moment before all four burst into laughter. It was a terrible, stupid joke, but it was a joke. It was the happiest Yang had been since losing her arm. Maybe she was actually excited about the prosthetic. Pyrrha was certainly excited for her. This might be just what Yang needed to start feeling whole again.