Author's Note: If you have any thoughts about this story, please leave a comment. One of the main reasons I write fanfics it to become a better writer, and any feedback you can give would be helpful and appreciated.

Chapter 3

Ruby spent the rest of the day sitting on a stool before the canvas, painting. She only emerged from her studio to use the bathroom or quickly grab something to eat. For Yang it was just as well. Ruby had always tended to become absorbed in her art and that she was again seemed to bring some normalcy. Yang just spent the time watching television. It reminded her of when she babysat Ruby when they were kids. Ruby would usually do her own thing while Yang just hung around to make sure everything was alright. It was nice to think of those days, happier days.

Pyrrha did not make it home for lunch but she did bring food with her for dinner. As usual for Pyrrha and Yang it was healthy, high in carbs and protein. This time they had grilled chicken and pasta. Ruby's diet tended to be a bit more varied as she did not have to be in peak physical condition, but she was happy to have the meal. Anything was better than hospital food. The trio had a rather relaxing time as Pyrrha talked about her day. Her training was going well apparently. She was scheduled to defend her title at the next Pay-Per-View event. Pyrrha had great respect for her opponent but no one thought there was a realistic chance the title would change hands.

Ruby started talking about her painting. Naturally the topic of her 'nightmare' came up, and though Pyrrha was concerned, Ruby brushed it off. She seemed entirely absorbed in the art project and as excited about it as she had been about any of her previous works. After the trio finished eating Ruby wanted to get right back to work, but both Pyrrha and Yang suggested she get to sleep early. Ruby was just over a day removed from the hospital and rest would only help her recovery. She was reluctant but accepted their advice and after a little over an hour of chatting and watching television, she went to sleep.

When Ruby woke up Pyrrha had already gone to the gym. Somehow her getting up and getting ready had not woken Ruby, and the heavy curtains blocked the sunlight. She sat up on the edge of the bed and felt some dizziness but it quickly passed. She stood, still a bit unsteady, and walked slowly into the living room. Yang was already there, on the couch and watching TV. Today she had brought some weights with her and was casually working out as she sat there. "Morning." Yang said as she heard Ruby approach. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah, I slept alright." Ruby said. She yawned. "I guess Pyrrha's already at the gym."

"You know her." Yang said. "She said she wouldn't make it home for lunch and that she might be late for dinner too."

"I'm not surprised." Ruby said. "She's fighting in like two weeks."

"Yeah, she'll be busy for sure." Yang said. "Forget training, she's got a whole bunch of promotional stuff to do soon."

"I guess I won't be seeing her much." Ruby sighed.

"Cheer up, once her fight's over you'll be able to spend all the time together you want." Yang encouraged. "At least for a little while. I'm sure she won't stay away from the gym for long."

"I should probably start going to work on my PT." Ruby said. "Maybe on Monday."

"Just have Pyrrha ask Doc when's a good time." Yang suggested. "I'm sure she'll want to have a program prepared for you."

"I feel like painting is as good as any program she'll come up with." Ruby said.

"Oh yeah?" Yang laughed. "Then hand me that 50." She pointed to one of her weights. It sat just out of her reach.

"I don't think I can." Ruby admitted.

"Then you probably need to do some physical therapy." Yang said.

"Good point." Ruby said. "Did you bring breakfast today?"

"Nope." Yang replied. "But Ren sent over some of his famous pancakes."

"Really?!" Ruby exclaimed. "And Nora didn't eat them all before they got to me!"

"Well, he brought them over at like 5 am, so I don't think Nora was awake yet." Yang said. "They're in the container on the counter. Pyrrha and I didn't have any, they're all yours."

"You guys are too nice." Ruby said. "You could have had some."

"No, no." Yang said. "Ren made them special for you. That said, if you don't finish them…"

"Okay, you can have whatever I don't." Ruby said. She made her way to the kitchen and opened the container to reveal a stack of beautiful golden pancakes. From a technical standpoint, there was nothing special about them, just plain buttermilk pancakes, but when Ren made them they somehow came out amazing. Ruby liked to joke that if the whole MMA thing did not work out, Ren could be a professional chef. In the end Ruby ate about half the stack. They were delicious and she wanted to eat more, but her stomach was having none of it. Yang quickly finished off what remained and went back to watching TV and working out while Ruby returned to painting.

In the afternoon Ruby heard a knock at the apartment door. She could hear muffled voices as Yang answered it. Then a knock at her studio door. "Ruby, there are some detectives from Atlas here to talk to you." Yang said.

"I'll be right out." Ruby said. She got to a point where she felt comfortable stopping and packed up her supplies. When she emerged Yang was chatting with the detectives. Apparently she had already made them coffee. "Sorry to keep you waiting." Ruby said. "What do you want with me?"

"Ah, Ms. Rose." One of the detectives, a shorter man with a beard, said. He stood and shook Ruby's hand. "We just wanted to ask you a few questions."

The other detective, a tall and skinny man, shook Ruby's hand next. "We've been trying to identify your attacker and we were hoping you might be able to help us." He said.

"I don't think I'll be much help." Ruby admitted. "I don't remember anything about the attack."

"We've been in contact with the doctors who treated you, so we already know that." The shorter man said.

"Then why bother coming all the way here?" Ruby asked.

"We have something that might help you remember." The taller detective replied. "Surveillance video of the attack."

"Are you sure it's a good idea for her to see it?" Yang asked. "She's only just out of the hospital and it'll be pretty traumatic…"

"Ms. Rose, the choice is yours." The shorter man said. "We want to catch Mr. Arc's killer. Please, help us."

In truth Ruby did not want to see the video. She knew how painful it would be. Having forgotten again, the detective saying Jaune had been killed was a shock in itself. What the video displayed would surely be even more shocking. But a part of her wanted to see. The gap in her memory nagged at her. And she wanted to help, for Jaune if no one else. "Alright...I'll...I'll watch it." Ruby finally decided.

"Thank you Ms. Rose." The taller man said. "If it's too much we can stop at any time." He pulled a laptop from his bag. It was already on and the video was ready to play. Yang got off the couch to allow Ruby and the detectives to sit there. Ruby sat between them as the taller one placed the laptop on the table and hit play. Yang did not really want to see it either, but she walked behind the couch and forced herself to watch.

There he was, the attacker, with his long coat, hat pulled down blocking the view of his face, and...the gun. Ruby handed over her purse. Jaune lunged for the gun. They struggled briefly. Ruby was knocked over. There was no sound but Ruby shuddered at the very moment when Jaune went limp and fell to the floor. The mugger stood over Jaune and shot him again. Ruby pushed herself away until she backed up against the wall. Then the attacker turned the gun on Ruby and fired. She fell to the floor with blood streaming from the side of her head. The gunman quickly searched Jaune's pockets and took his wallet. Then he ran off screen.

"Do you remember anything?" The short detective said. "Anything at all?"

Ruby had tears in her eyes. "I...I...no." She choked, struggling not to cry.

"Are you sure?" The other detective asked. "Nothing about his face, anything he said?"

"I...I…" Ruby stammered. "No witnesses. That's what he said before he shot me. I don't remember anything else."

"Is there anyone who would have wanted to harm you or Mr. Arc?" The shorter man asked. "Any enemies?"

"No." Ruby replied. "He was the nicest guy, and I'm just an artist."

"Well, thank you for your help." The taller detective said. "I'm sure this must have been difficult. If you remember anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to call." He handed Ruby a business card.

The detectives thanked Yang for the coffee and left. As soon as they were out the door Ruby started sobbing. She could hold it back no longer. Yang sat on the couch beside her, crying as well. Yang pulled Ruby over and hugged her. "I'm so sorry." Yang said. She could think of nothing else to say. They sat there and cried together for a long time.

After a while Ruby was able to sufficiently compose herself and went back to painting. Yang put on a brave face but the images she had seen were burned into her mind. The gunman executing Jaune. Ruby in terror as a gun was pointed at her. Ruby dropping to her side as an ever-growing pool of blood formed around her head. Before seeing the video Yang had thought that her imagination had to have come up with something far worse than what actually happened. Now that she had seen it she found the opposite to be true. It was too much.

Pyrrha came home late and the three talked for a while. Yang remained mostly silent. She handed off caring for Ruby to Pyrrha for the time being and headed home to try to care for herself. She tried watching TV, playing a videogame or two, even reading, but nothing could push the images away. Whenever she closed her eyes she saw it. She got almost no sleep that night, a combination of guilt and sadness keeping her awake. In the morning she headed back to Ruby and Pyrrha's place. She managed to fall asleep on the couch but woke in a cold sweat soon after. The pattern repeated over and over. Luckily Ruby was alright on her own, happily painting away in her studio.

Something had to give. Pyrrha got home early and Yang left, but she did not head home. She called her girlfriend Coco. "Busy tonight?" She asked.

"No, what's up?" Coco replied.

"Nothing really." Yang lied. "I just really need a drink. Want to meet me at Junior's?"

"Sure." Coco said. "See you there."

Yang and Coco had met by chance at a party. Coco was a fashion designer with little interest in MMA, but a party put on by one of Yang's sponsors attracted them both. They immediately hit it off. No one could keep up with them in terms of partying. It started as a purely sexual thing, each thought the other was hot and both were looking for a good time. They lived conveniently close to each other in an exclusive part of Vale, close enough that they could meet and do their thing just about whenever they pleased. It had slowly started to develop into something more. Maybe. They were not really sure. They started hanging out in a friendly rather than exclusively sexual context. They did legitimately enjoy spending time together. Then when Ruby was shot Coco was there to support Yang. Now Yang was hoping the support would continue.

"Seeing that must have been rough." Coco said, putting a hand on Yang's shoulder to comfort her.

"You have no idea." Yang groaned. She finished off her drink, her seventh, and motioned for the bartender to bring another. "I just...I feel like it's my fault. You know, like I should have been there to protect her."

"You shouldn't blame yourself." Coco said. She finished off her drink, also her seventh and motioned for another. The pace was fast but she was determined to match Yang. "You can't be there every moment of her life."

"It's just...whenever I close my eyes I see it." Yang continued. Junior brought over another round. "I can't think about anything else. I can't sleep."

"How about I give you something else to think about?" Coco asked with a wink.

"I like the way you think." Yang said with a smile. She downed her drink then slapped some cash down on the bar. "This'll cover it." She said. Junior nodded.

Yang had come to the bar on her motorcycle but was way too drunk to ride it away. Luckily Coco's place was in easy walking distance, or stumbling distance as was the case. They headed inside expecting a night of passion but it never materialized. After sloppily making out for a few minutes Yang passed out. Coco followed her into unconsciousness soon after. On the plus side, Yang slept great. She woke in the morning feeling refreshed. Coco woke a little hung over but none the worse for wear. Unfortunately there was no time to finish what they had started the night before as both had somewhere to be. Yang had to go keep an eye on Ruby and even though it was Saturday Coco had to go to work. They would just have to take a rain check and meet up another time.

Yang got to Pyrrha and Ruby's apartment just after Pyrrha had gone. Her fight was just a week away and she had some promotional commitments to deal with. Ruby told Yang that she would be starting physical therapy at the gym on Monday, then she headed to her studio to paint. She was almost done and Yang was eager to see the finished product. She was tempted to sneak a peek but Ruby did not like for anyone to see her unfinished art. Yang decided to be patient. If it made Ruby happy it made her happy too.

Yang was actually feeling pretty great. There was nothing quite like getting blackout drunk to clear her head. There was nothing on TV so she fired up her laptop and started watching her previous MMA fights. She skipped the early clumsy ones, be they wins or losses. She was too embarrassed at how sloppy she had been early in her career. The problem was her later fights were all very short. Only one of her current winning streak got past the first round. She quickly exhausted her own matches and so started watching Pyrrha's. Those she could learn from. Yang felt like she was the best fighter in the world, but if anyone might be better it was definitely Pyrrha. Her fights were very short too, mostly one-round demolitions of opponents who were entirely out of their depth.

Yang considered watching Blake or Ren's fights next but decided to do some research. She knew little about the fighter she would be up against for the title, whenever that match happened. She watched a few of her opponent's fights looking for weaknesses. There were few. Her opponent Arslan Atlan was a bit smaller than Yang but very quick. She could hit pretty hard too. Yang managed to identify a few weaknesses though. Yang could overpower Arslan if the opportunity presented itself, and Yang's ground game was better.

Yang had just started up the video of Arslan's latest match when she heard a blood-curdling scream from the studio. Something was wrong with Ruby! Yang sprung to her feet, dumping the laptop on the floor. She burst through the door and into the studio. In the center the easel had been had been knocked over and so had Ruby's stool. Paint was splattered on the floor and paintbrushes were scattered about. Luckily the painting seemed to have landed paint-up and not been damaged. Yang frantically looked around and spotted Ruby. She was curled up in the corner in the fetal position, crying her eyes out.

"Ruby, what's wrong?!" Yang asked, rushing to her sister's side. She knelt beside Ruby. "What happened?"

Ruby opened her eyes, terrified eyes. They darted around, scanning the room as she hyperventilated. Then Ruby focused on Yang and her breathing began to slow. "Oh...Yang…" Ruby managed.

"What's going on?" Yang asked. "Are you alright?"

"I just...I...yeah, I'm fine." Ruby stammered. "I just had a really bad headache."

"Bullshit!" Yang shouted. "You're way too scared for this to be just a headache. What happened?"

"I...I…" Ruby continued to struggle.

"You looked just like this the other day with your 'nightmare.'" Yang said. "What's really going on?"

"I saw things." Ruby admitted. "Monsters. At first it was just weird shadows on the floor, then they rose up and...the claws and teeth...I was so scared."

"Ruby, there's nothing here." Yang said. "We're the only ones in the apartment."

"I know, but I saw them." Ruby said. "I swear I did."

"You hallucinated, like in the hospital." Yang said. "You were awake and hallucinating your 'nightmare' the other day too, weren't you?"

"Maybe." Ruby said.

"Maybe nothing." Yang said. "This isn't good. I should take you to the hospital."

"No, I'm not going back to the hospital." Ruby declared.

"I know you hate hospitals." Yang said. "I do too. But you need to get well."

"The doctors said they can't do anything about it." Ruby said. "They said I'll get better or I won't."

"Ruby, let me help you." Yang pleaded. "Please let me take you to the hospital."

"No." Ruby said. She was not going to budge. "Just let me finish my painting. And please, don't tell Pyrrha. I don't want her to worry."

"Ruby I…" Yang started but cut herself off. She knew there was no use arguing. "Fine." She helped Ruby to her feet and walked toward the center of the room to help clean up.

"No, let me fix it." Ruby said. "Just...I want to be alone."

"If that's what you really want." Yang sighed. She walked to the door and took one look back. Ruby was just standing the easel up and putting her unfinished painting back on it. Then Yang left the room. She picked up her laptop - which had somehow survived being tossed to the floor - and went back to watching fights, but she could not focus. Yang so very much wanted to help her sister. She just wanted Ruby to be back to normal. But there was nothing she could do. Maybe there was nothing anyone could do.