A/N: This scene diverges very slightly from the canon story. Gramps will not be present, and Rex is the same height as Pyra. There will be spoilers for Chapters three and four of Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Read at your own discretion.

Pyra was worried. For several reasons. For one, Rex was locked up in his room; she feared as much. From the moment they had returned from Vandham's funeral, she could sense that something was off about him. Whether it was because of their bond, or because she had been around him for some time by now she did not know, but she couldn't help but think that this was partly due to her. After all, it was her blind obedience to Malos' demands that had inadvertently caused Vandham's death, and Mythra had been quite harsh with him at the funeral. After her sister had finished giving him a piece of her mind, she swapped immediately, leaving Pyra to deal with damage control alone. Maybe that had caused Rex's sudden desire to be alone. She would have to apologize when she had the chance.

Her chance came rather quickly. Rex's door opened, and a frustrated Gramps huffed out of his room. "That boy is hopeless. He thinks he'll always be able to save everyone. Maybe you can talk some sense into him," he muttered as he passed Pyra. What was that all about? Cautiously, she peeked her head into the room. Rex was staring out the window, seemingly lost in thought. He wouldn't mind, would he? Pyra quietly entered the room and approached him. Rex turned around to see his fiery haired Blade, her hands clasped together in front of him. "Hey, Pyra."

Deciding that talking about Vandham would be too sensitive a topic to discuss at the moment, Pyra concluded that apologizing for her sister would be the best course of action.

"Rex... I'm very sorry about Mythra. She didn't mean all that." She watched as Rex's eyes shifted their focus to the room's floor. "You have to understand, she came out because she wanted to protect you. She does care about you. She just has an…odd way of showing it."

Rex returned her gaze for a brief moment, then turned back to face the window, ashamed. "Don't worry about it. She was right. I did refuse to run. I did put everyone in danger. This was all my fault," he said quietly.

"Rex…"

"I've gotten over it though. There's no need to worry. I'm just glad…"

"Huh?" This certainly was unexpected. He could still be optimistic after all that had happened?
Rex turned around, a faint smile forming on his face. "That you've finally managed to open up a little! Also, thank you! For protecting us, I mean. If Mythra didn't step in when she did, I doubt we would have made it out alive."

Pyra looked away. She was the one who caused all of this! It was Vandham who had protected them, even giving his life to save them. "Protecting? Me?"

"Your powers kept protected us when we were beaten. You defeated both Malos and Ahkos by yourself! It was incredible!"

"I'm sorry…I…"

"You apologize a lot, you know that? I guess…you still feel guilty about the hiding the true nature of the Aegis from us, right? But I…don't want you to have to apologize any more. I hope I can help you move past that…No…I know I can!"

"Rex…I…"

Rex continued to speak, unaware that a single tear had slipped down the Aegis's cheek. "A good Driver always protects his Blade... That's what Vandham said. I…I won't let his sacrifice go to waste. He told me to fight my war, and I will. I'm gonna become stronger. For both our sakes. As of now, it's always been you who's protected me, but I promise to become the kind of Driver who can protect you in turn."

Pyra glanced up at her Driver and smiled sadly. "Rex…" Here he was, vowing to protect her, a girl who had caused him nothing but pain. She did not deserve to be his Blade, with all the troubles she had put him through. But he still cared for her, and instead of blaming her, he blamed himself.

"H-huh? Pyra?" Rex exclaimed. In an instant, the Aegis had wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight in a warm embrace, her head buried in his chest.
"I haven't protected anyone. If anyone did, it was Vandham. He…He died protecting us. And it was because of my reckless actions. I thought I was sparing you the trouble, going to deal with Torna on my own. I didn't want to get you harmed, but in the end…I..." By now, she was unable to stop the tears from flowing. "All I've done is cause trouble for you."

The salvager went silent for a moment, contemplating his next move. Actions speak louder than words, he thought. Slowly, he brought his arms around her, pulling her close. "Pyra…were you even listening?" he asked gently. "What matters the most is that he saved all our lives. I don't think he'd want you to blame yourself for what happened. Just…next time, know that we're all here for you. You don't have to do it alone."

"Rex…I—thank you…" she sniffed.

The two remained in their comfortable embrace for what felt like an eternity. Pyra had since stopped her crying, but the comfort Rex's hug gave her was enough for her to stay put. Her growing feelings for him may have had something to do with it, but she decided that now was not the time to bring it up. Making things awkward between them was the last thing she wanted. Rex had taken to rubbing her back soothingly, noting her positive reaction to it. After a while, Pyra lifted her head and noticed a slight wetness on Rex's shirt, courtesy of her previous tears. "Sorry about your shirt," she mumbled.

"Did I mention that you apologize a lot?" Rex chuckled. His stomach wanted to join in the conversation apparently, and it let out a low growl. "By the way, um…what's for dinner?" He asked sheepishly.

Pyra smiled and let go of him. "How does Meatball Pot-au-Feu sound?"

"Delicious! Mm, I can't wait!"

His response caused her to giggle lightly. Taking notice of this, Rex decided to poke a bit more fun at her, now that she was feeling a bit better. "I guess I passed the trial, didn't I?" he asked, grinning.

Pyra smiled. "Thank you, Rex."

"No worries. All right, I promised to help Tora tune up Poppi. She took quite the beating back when we were fighting yesterday. I'll see you at dinner?"

Pyra nodded. She watched as he disappeared down the hallway.
(He doesn't seem half-bad after all.)

"Mythra…Rex is a kind person. He may be naïve, but his heart is pure," she replied, slightly aggravated at what her sister pulled at the funeral.

(Oh? Getting defensive, aren't we? Does someone have a little crush?) Pyra could feel her sister smirk as the words left her mouth.

She huffed. "You don't have to be like that, you know. But thank you. For keeping him safe, I mean."

(Don't mention it. We need him alive anyway. It's not like you gave him half your core crystal or anything.)

"Don't act as if you weren't opposed to it!"

(I kid, I kid. Rex is a good guy from what I can tell, and you've taken a liking to him. That's enough reason to protect him.)

Pyra blushed. "Next time you go apologize to him yourself then."

(Hey!)


Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed this second, albeit shorter chapter of A Life Entwined. I know I said that this story would be updated weekly, but the amount of support I received really motivated me. I still have a ton of tests and work to finish, so I may not be able to upload consistently. If that becomes the case, then I apologize in advance. Chapter three of A Life Entwined should come in a few days. From that point onward, the story will diverge from canon. I decided that I may take story suggestions, so if any of you have some, feel free to let me know. Thank you, and I'll see you next time!