The first thing she noticed was her heartbeat, a rhythmic drumming in her ears that seemed to get louder as she focused on it. The sound was soothing in a way. It meant she was still alive.
After that came the smells. There was a faint sour aroma of cleaning fluids mixed with the airy smell of freshly washed sheets. Underneath that was a bit of body odor. The rest of the surrounding air was a sterilized no-smell that seemed to tone down everything else.
The sense of touch followed next. She was laying down flat on her back. She guessed it was a mattress underneath her, but she'd never felt one this hard and uncomfortable. There was an odd pressure around her head, both arms, and her ...uh, ...left foot. Yeah, left. It was hard to focus with that beeping noise next to her. It was rather loud in the otherwise quiet space.
She slowly pried her eyes open to find herself in a narrow, darkened room. Next to her was a large machine with numerous glowing lights and a line that spiked and jumped each time her heart gave a beat. So that was the source of the beeping. Well, one mystery solved. On the other side of the bed was a tall metal pole with a plastic bag slung over one arm. That was a... uh, IV drip... or something. Okay, this was getting weird. All signs pointed to her being in a hospital room.
But she didn't remember getting here.
She tried to lift one arm, then the other, but found them both encumbered by heavy casts. She could barely turn her head to get a look at them before laying back against the pillow in defeat. Gods, had she ever felt this tired before? This ...defeated? She honestly had no idea. In fact, she didn't remember much of ...well, anything. It was all kind of ...hazy. She could remember vague images, like shadows against a wall, but even those faded the longer she tried to reach them.
Hoping sleep would clear the fog, she tried to return to the darkness... but was only able to lay in it, staring absently at the ceiling. She wondered how long it would be until someone came for her. And whether or not she'd actually remember her own name...
[ A FEW HOURS LATER... ]
The lights were on now. A doctor had come in a few minutes earlier to check the machines and write some stuff down on a clipboard, but he didn't stay. A nurse came in at the same time to change a few things out; among them the wide bandage that was wrapped around the girl's head. Must've gotten a bump or something... maybe that's why I'm still in a fuzz. There was no pain, just a dull throbbing that kept rhythm with her heartbeat.
Now that she was almost alone in the room, finally able to look around thanks to the bed's lift getting adjusted, she had a better view of the room's new occupant. It was a young girl, mid-teens at most, with short, dark red hair and a really worried expression on her face. She wore a black outfit with various red pieces and a bright red cape... or was it a cloak? Hard to tell from here. The girl had been sitting there for almost ten minutes without a word. She just stared at the girl, fidgeting every so often. Any hope that this visitor might speak... or at least give the girl her name... was beginning to fade.
"So... how ya feeling, sis?"
Dammit. She was sure 'sis' wasn't a name. Just wait it out, no response. Listen.
"You were out for two days, but the doctor said you'd be good to go soon!" The girl tried to smile, but it was clear she was still worried.
Well, that gives me a time frame at least. Laying here for two days? No wonder I can barely move.
"Yeah, so... um..." The girl in red was getting antsy, looking around for something, anything to talk about. The silence seemed to be an effective weapon against any attempt at smiling. Then she perked up, "Oh yeah, Blake said she'd be here in a few minutes! And she's bringing treats!"
Okay, so look for someone to walk in with some things... most likely it'll be this 'Blake.'
Less than five minutes passed before her next intruder came in. This girl was a few years older than the red girl, and stood at least a foot taller by first guess. Her long, curly black hair reached the middle of her back and had a large ribbon tied into it at the top. She wore mostly black and white clothes. Her amber-colored eyes were set in an expression of boredom. In her arms were two shopping bags with multicolored packages inside. There was a faintly sweet smell. Ah, this must be the 'Blake.'
"So how's our patient?" The girl in black set her things down and asked the girl in red softly.
A shrug, "Well I know she's awake, but she hasn't said a word yet."
Blake looked over at the bed and it's occupant. "Probably still high on painkillers. Maybe she can't hear us?"
Oh, for the love of... someone better start saying names here! I'm getting pissed! Anger began to bubble up from deep within, but the machine noticed and began beeping faster, alerting the other two occupants of the room. She quickly settled herself down, hoping she hadn't raised a panic alarm of some kind. Oh great, anger is a no-no. Fine, I'll just stay calm and keep listening. She had to keep herself from crossing her arms in annoyance.
"I think she heard that," the girl in red noted to the one called Blake.
The doctor came back in then to re-check the machines and the girl in the bed. Apparently her increased heart rate did set off a buzzer, so they had to come in and make sure she was okay. Just as they finished, yet another guest came into the room. This one arrived like a phantom; all white. White hair, white jacket, white skirt, white boots, ...all of it, white. The girl had to fight the urge to squint when she looked at the newcomer. The sunlight coming in from the window caused her to glow very brightly.
"Honestly, just how hard do you think your head is? I could understand if you were taking a blow for Blake or something, but that was just showing off," she chided. Her voice carried the air of high living and a snotty attitude. Both caused the girl's stomach to churn. There was also the fact that, despite saying so much, she gave away nothing new.
The girl was close to pulling her own hair. AARGH! I'm really gonna... no. I can't. Breath, girl. No reactions. Wait it out.
Blake spoke up next, "Hard to believe she hasn't said anything for this long."
Followed by the red girl, "I know. It's kinda creepy."
Then the white girl, "Hmph. I like it. I'd rather have the quiet Yang than the loud Yang." This earned a disapproving glare from the red girl.
Finally. Okay, so apparently I'm a ...loud person. Well, used to be. And my name is Yang. At least I hope she was talking about me and not someone else...
Blake hid a chuckle before leaning towards the red girl to say, "I think Weiss just said she liked Yang..."
"I most certainly did not!" The girl called Weiss stomped one boot in anger, ice-blue eyes wide. "I simply gave my opinion on her current state of ...silence." The last word came out much quieter than the others.
The talking stopped again, all eyes on the girl in the bed. The girl called Yang. Silence reigned for several more minutes as the treats were divided among the four girls. Four cookies and a few assorted pastries were given to Yang. The girl in red offered to ...feed her, since both of Yang's hands were fully bound in casts. The girl in the bed gave a short nod, not feeling like starting any sort of argument. Still no words were said.
She ate one whole cookie, but refused the second. The girl in red sat back down, looking dejected. Yang's chest hurt a little at the sight, but she wasn't sure why. Once she realized that no more information would be freely given out for her to catch, the girl called Yang finally spoke.
"What happened to me?"
She didn't recognize her own voice.
[ THAT NIGHT... ]
The clock across the room read 8:12. The three girls had left Yang for the night, but promised to come visit her every day until the casts came off. It would be about a week. The blonde (she had finally seen her reflection and was shocked at how bright her hair actually was) lay still in the bed, thinking on what she had seen and heard today.
According to them, there had been an accident during a training battle of some kind. Yang had taken a heavy blow to the head and had been knocked clean out. Something about misjudging her ...aura? ...The heck was an aura? Anyway, they brought her here right away where she'd undergone major surgery to repair two broken arms, one broken wrist and a fractured leg. She'd only woken up two days after that.
The most upsetting part was that she didn't remember any of it; the fight, the injuries, the three girls... nothing. Not even what led up to the fight. It was all gone. On the plus side, she at least knew that something was missing. The steady beeping of the machine nearby reminded her that no matter how upset it may make her, she was not allowed to get angry. No emotions. Just sleep and wait it out. Surely there would be more answers once she got out of here.
[ LATER... ]
The girl called Yang was finally being released from the hospital.
It was a bright, clear day with a gentle breeze blowing down the sidewalk. A perfect day, one might be inclined to notice. At least, it would be great if you had some clue as to where you were. As the blonde carefully walked out the doors and squinted in the sunshine, relief gave way to mild panic as she took in her surroundings. It was a city, that she could tell, but she certainly had no idea which one. The three girls from the other day - Blake, Weiss and the red girl whose name Yang still hadn't heard - were making their way deeper into the city. The blonde had no choice but to follow them, trusting that they weren't leading her into some kind of trap... or prank. Hard to tell which would be worse at this point.
Yang had made a goal to do two things both now and for the foreseeable future: keep quiet and keep calm. Her anger seemed to set things off around her, so she made sure to keep a lid on it. The silence allowed her a greater chance to learn more about her surroundings and her companions. Try as she might, she still couldn't remember who they were. It was obvious they considered her a good friend, but...
"Are you sure you're okay, Yang?" The red girl was as worried as ever. "You've never been this quiet before. Does your head hurt? Should we be quiet?" The smaller girl began waving her arms frantically. Yang could only smile. She was kinda cute.
Weiss inclined her head, "Maybe it's you who should be quiet, Ruby."
Ah, there it is! Ruby ...I like it. Fits, too.
"But but but -" more arm waving, "it's just not the same with a quiet Yang. It's too weird."
Blake put a hand on Ruby's head, "Relax, fearless leader. She'll be fine."
Yang's brow furrowed briefly. Wait, leader? Her?! What's she lead, the children's parade?
That seemed to lift the younger girls' spirit. She cheered, "Okay! Now we just have to make it to the airship and get Yang home! Team RWBY, move out!"
They were near a coffee shop, so Weiss piped up, "Coffee first."
Ruby didn't miss a beat, "Coffee first!"
Blake muttered, "They better have some tea over there."
The group casually made their way to the coffee shop on the corner, with Yang trailing behind a few feet. The blonde's head was down and her lavender eyes were glued to the sidewalk. Her thoughts were on many things; the doctor had ordered (very sternly) that she avoid any fighting for several weeks, the clothes she had been given to change into were unfamiliar (and she was sure she had put something on the wrong way), and now she somehow found herself under the ...leadership of a 15-year-old kid. She crossed her arms with a frown.
This is going to be harder than I thought...
Okay, so I just wrote this up quickly after coming up with the idea during work - I knew if I didn't get it down, I'd likely lose it.
The idea was to follow an amnesiac Yang as she tries to reconstruct herself with no friggin clue who anyone is... including herself. This opens up a lot of possibilities to pair her up with somebody... but I think we all know who it'll be.
