Chapter 14

Re-Assembly Required

A/N: Hey... so... we had a lemon the chapter before last... and now Munsell's missing an arm... don't worry. The lemons in 'Amiable Times' involving Munsell won't always involve... well, a replacement appendage. It just depends on what I want to do for that chapter. So... music. JubyPhonic's covers of Kikuo's work have just been passing through and through my mind over and over, so check it out.

So... without further ado... the newest chapter.

I wake up at some point later in a hospital bed. Virtually everyone I know is there: Team RWBY, Team JNPR, my brother, and surprisingly, Ozpin, Professor Chroma, and Shiko's parents accompanied by her little sister. Sheena comes and hugs my right arm while Nadeshiko hugs me around the neck.

I try to hug her back, expecting to feel the warmth of her back against my left arm but am instead am met by a strange sensation of only a portion of my arm grazing her shoulder. I look at my nub, because that's what it is: a nub.

It's wrapped in bandaging that's a little pink where my arm's been severed. I draw my crippled appendage in front of me, looking at it and squeeze Sheena's hand a little when I hear Jaune say weakly, "You'll be alright... nothing's stopped you yet."

I try to keep my anger in check and tell him, "Yeah, Jaune... I'll be fine because I haven't just received a life-altering surgery." He goes silent at that and I ask, "How... grr... how was the decision to sever my arm made, by the way?"

Ruby tells me, apology an undertone in her voice, "The doctors said that all of your skin tissue and muscles were... dead. They had no choice... but to... amputate..."

I sigh and tell her, "There's no need to be so down... Ruby. It's not like it's your fault."

Yang gives a very light chuckle, "Technically... it was..."

I take and deep breath through my nose, a little irritated and tell her team, "I'll... I'll hear it later, alright? Mister Mila, Misses Mila. It's a pleasure to meet you. I wish the circumstances were... better."

Nadeshiko's mother tells me, "Jade Mila. I'm extremely thankful for what you did to protect my daughter. She's very shy so she hasn't said a thing since we saw you two."

That throws me for a loop, "So none of you know?"

Ozpin shakes his head, "We've been hoping that you could 'fill us in' on the details of... your treatment."

I close my eyes and try to recall what happened, "I was clearing the area in front of the hotel. Was fighting a pack of Beowolves eventually. Killed some until..." I swallow deeply at remembering how Sheena's scream of sheer terror sounded, "I heard the little one scream... Killed the Red Hood chasing her and the rest of the Betas... but I couldn't stop... the Alpha."

I elaborate on my abilities, "My Semblance allows me to take and convert all kinds of energy. I can heal myself and others and give myself a boost. If I try to boost anything else, it microwaves. I can even sense how someone's body feels if I'm touching them. I don't know how, but I somehow took Sheena's wound for her. It wouldn't have hurt me this bad if I was the one the blow was coming to, but I guess this new 'ability' works in proportion to the damage being prevented. Simply put, Sheena would've lost her arm if I didn't do it."

My brother speaks his piece, "That's interesting. Munsell, I always wondered why the last name 'Mila' always sounded familiar. Do you know who Akamuro Mila is?"

I shake my head, "Besides him being Nadeshiko's father, no."

Akamuro speaks up, "Young man, I cannot express to you enough how thankful I am for your actions. I covered your surgery costs, but I still owe you. I'm the CEO of a personal defense service, 'Black Orchid', and my wife's company 'Helixcentric' is a large research and development department that rivals any company in the same field of work. I want to offer you a custom-made prosthetic with as much input as you want to place in the project."

I nod understanding and tell him, "It's an offer of incredible value, but can I make my decision later? I need... some time to think about it..."

He nods, "Of course. Maybe we'll have the opportunity to have dinner together by then; get to know our daughter's boyfriend a little more."

Her mother comes over to bring Sheena with them, leaving me two business cards: hers and Akamuro's. They exit and I address Ozpin, "Professor Ozpin, what's my situation?"

He sighs, "You're still allowed to continue attending the Academy if you feel capable of training, with or without modification."

I nod and he continues, "Munsell, just please take the proper time to consider how to proceed. you know that you have two weeks for the semester break so I don't need to hear your response until the end."

He walks out and I divert my attention to Professor Chroma, clenching my right hand at the prospect of what he has to say in relation to prosthetics, "Yes, Professor? What do I need to know?"

He tells me, "I'm coming to visit your home to discuss it. The one your brother owns."

That gets me excited and actually happy, my focus on Sterling, "Wait, we're heading to Ivokana!?"

Sterling nods, "Yes, little bro. After you get anything you need from your dorm."

I nod and tell him and Chroma, "Alright... Just wait out on the other side... I want to talk to the crew."

They leave me with my friends and I ask, "So how was losing my arm technically Ruby's fault?"

I'll spare the details. Team RWBY was doing their mission in Mountain Glenn with Professor Oobleck. It's an abandoned settlement that's infested with Grimm. There was a train tunnel connecting Vale to Mountain Glenn. The White Fang set up a train filled with bombs to destroy the tunnel as it barreled to the city, releasing Grimm with each explosion that followed the train. The final point was the sealed exit within the city.

Once the train broke through, hell was unleashed. Ruby felt it was her fault because of her 'lack of care'. I tell them, "It's... just fate. No one's at fault. I'm sorry that I got a little angry... it's... just..." I hold up my left arm, my voice threatening to crack, "It's just... that this... is the norm now..."

Yang tells me before leaving, "Stay strong, Munsell. I hope you get a badass new arm."

Blake follows suit, "Don't let it keep you down. I know it'll hurt at first, but get a good idea to keep pushing. Get over the past... and keep moving forward."

I thank her with a sincere nod and smile before team JNPR gives their wellwishes and leave me with Ruby, Weiss, and my team. I make a joking jab at Weiss, "Ice Queen... I'm honored by your remaining presence."

She jeers back, "Quiet, you, before I sever your other arm."

Everyone's dead silent but I break it when my face curls into a smile. I chuckle letting them know it's fine to laugh. Weiss tells me after we calm down, "Munsell... I thought... when we first interacted, that you would turn out to be a tool. When I heard that you were unconscious here, I thought I would lose an extremely valuable friend... because that's what you are to me, Munsell. A valuable friend. If you ever need support, I'm here for you."

Ruby has her own input, "You were one of the first people I met here. You and your entire team. But you're also a fellow leader. I can't count how many times both yours and Jaune's advice has helped me out with my team. I just want to return the favor by being a shoulder you can lean on."

I nod and my brother comes back in with a brown paper bag, "This is the stuff we're gonna need for your arm. Let's go. You're cleared to leave."

He tosses me my jacket and I struggle awkwardly to get it on my torso properly. My friends offer me help, but I shake my head, "I've got it."

He tells us, "We can go to your dorm to get your stuff. You guys can join the ride."

Everyone nods and my brother tells me, "You know the drill."

I pull out my Scroll and find a picture of my team's dorm. My brother slams his hand on the ground and an alchemy circle appears around us. He opens his left hand and makes a circling motion with his right hand over it, making a smaller circle form on his palm, "You kids ready?"

We give confirmation, everyone else excited to see what he's going to do next. He claps together his hands and we teleport in a bright flash of light into my team's dorm. They're amazed by Sterling's trick and he tells them, "You'll learn some useful stuff like that if you're lucky."

Carmine and my brother help me pack my things. I see my weapons and batteries on the cabinet next to my bed and holster Amber King to my lower back, Gold Omen to my right hip, the batteries on the left. My reflection in the standing mirror looks normal, but that's only how the left sleeve is hanging. Guess I must've been staring too long because Sterling asks, "You okay?"

I give him a nod and a wave at the air with my only hand, "Nah, yeah... I'm good, I'm fine. It's nothing."

I know he doesn't buy it but he avoids pressing, "Alright. I believe we have everything. You ready?"

I tell my team, "Peace. I'll see you guys after the break."

Nadeshiko comes up to me and we kiss. Her hands on the front of my shoulders, my right around her lower back. She tells me, "Don't get too involved with my parents. They're very... ambitious. There's usually some 'extra features' that come with any of their contracts or creations."

I nod and tussle her hair, "I'll try not to."

My squadmates and Ruby and Weiss give their goodbyes and my brother teleports us to our family home. The one with all the memories. The one that was home until it all fell apart. The one... where Mom and Dad's ashes were scattered.

Before I can even run off to my bedroom, my brother grabs my shoulder and turns me around, pulling me into a hug, "You don't need to act tough, Munse." Childhood nickname. He only ever uses it now when he wants to make me feel sentimental, "You can let it all out."

I'm confused and try to shove off his joke, "I'm not acting tough. I'm fine."

He shakes his head, "Nope. You're lying to everyone, including yourself. I know plenty of people who've lost less than you and are/where worse that you are now. You can't lie to me, little brother."

I try to struggle out of his grip but he tells me, "Remember what Dad used to say about being a Huntsman?"

I start to quiver at that. He'd come back from hunts and enter the house, setting down his axe and grab himself a cola from the fridge, "Boys, you work hard to take care of other and part of that is taking care of yourself. Don't kill yourself by NOT taking care."

My shoulders start to do that 'shrug' motion that comes with crying because of how you're breathing. I wrap my arm around my brother and start to sob badly. He asks calmly, "What's wrong?"

I cry into his shoulder, "Everything is wrong! I l-lost... an arm! To what!? A fucking Beowolf's attack! It didn't even attack ME! It was meant for Sheena! Why was she even there!? How did she get separated from her parents!? Fucking... why did I choose a job so far from the center of Vale!? If only... if only Nadeshiko came back or something! I could've chosen to take that... that... fucking junior detective job! Everything! Everything that could've gone wrong... everything that could have ended badly, did... That's what's wrong, Sterling!"

He lets me empty my soul into his shoulder (along with my tear ducts) and he lets me go when he's satisfied with the wet mark I leave on his shoulder. He gives me a pat on the back and tells me, "Don't be afraid to ask your friends for support. They'll be there for you."

I nod, "Yeah... of course... Thanks, Sterling."

I take my stuff to my room one bag at a time and organize but crank down immediately on designing a new arm. It's as much a distraction from the pain as it is my entertainment.

I'm woken up a few hours later by my brother accompanied by Professor Chroma, "Yo, bro... we have a guest... Make a coherent greeting."

I get past the initial grasp of sleep and stretch and yawn, offering my hand to Professor Chroma, "Good... whatever, sir. How are you?"

He takes my hand with his prosthetic one and tells me, "It's evening. I see you've been hard at work."

I look down at my workbench/pillow and my brother knows what I have planned with a quick glance, "So that's the internal system you want in there... One of your batteries inside to power up a palm blaster and forearm energy blade?"

I nod but wag a finger, "Not just that. The palm emitter also creates an energy shield, but I also plan on making Amon part of the hand."

I pull out the brass knuckle and both of them are amazed. Professor Chroma chuckles, "Man... you kids with your out of the box ideas and innovations. I'm a little jealous. All I got was this boring old thing..."

He reaches his left arm to his right and I hear the sound of a pump-action. His right hand bends at the wrist and reveals a gun barrel. I let out an 'ooo' at how I never knew it was a weapon and he tells us as he returns his arm to safe, "Munsell has a lot of benefit. You guys grew up with an inventor and even lived in Ixmus for a time. I came to see how you were handling it, Munsell, but it seems you're doing a good job of getting past the grief."

Not true... I'm only distracting myself from it.

He goes to leave and my brother speaks as he follows, "I'll see you out, Professor. Don't forget to change your wrapping and take your pills, Munsell."

When they leave, no one else disturbs me for the rest of the night. When I remove my jacket and struggle with removing my shirt, I look in the mirror at the remnants of my left arm after removing the wrapping. It's been severed at a little above the elbow and the skin's been cleaned. The flesh has been stitched in a way to where it's a rounded end around the bone, the black material of stitching denoting the damage that was done. I wash off my nub and the minor blood splotches along the line comes off. I apply a salve along the line and rewrap it with fresh bandaging.

I look in the mirror and feel at my arm, the feeling reduced by the combination of medicine and wrapping. I close my eyes and can still feel the muscles of my left hand contracting, just clasping and opening over and over again. I start to sob. Not because it hurts, but because I'm afraid of what happens now.

Can I really replace this?

Is it wrong? Is it right?

How will this affect my training?

Lastly, a final thought crosses my mind, me saying it out loud to further validate its importance, "What will Nadeshiko think...?"

I walk back into my room and lie there in bed, gazing out of the skylight at the shattered moon in the sky. I feel my breath catch in my throat and realize that I'm crying. I curl up under my sheets after covering myself entirely. I cry until I fall asleep...

I'm in a dark existence and I have my left arm once again. I can feel terror and dread coursing through my veins. I look around and see a gigantic Alpha Beowolf standing behind me. I turn to face it and am frozen by a scream in the distance. Sheena's amplified and resounding through the whole area, making everything shake and quiver. It raises its left arm and pins me down with its paw before raising its right. I watch, petrified as I can't move to stop it at all. It uses a single claw to slowly sever my left arm and picks it up with two claws, bringing it to its mouth and swallowing it down after dropping it in.

A black silhouette of a large Amber King presses against its chin and blasts its skull apart, the explosion splattering matter everywhere and that's when I wake up.

I'm sweating heavily and my breath is coming out in quick, short intervals. I wrap my grip around my left bicep and look around the room, making sure that I'm safe. The sun's up, so the day's already started. I sigh and calm down. This whole event's got me messed up.

I spend the next two days focused on finishing my arm's design, literally every possible moment being spent modeling it. When I finish the designs, I prepare one of my spare battery systems to give to Nadeshiko's parents. I give Akamuro a call and he picks up, "Yes, who am I speaking with?"

I reply, "It's Munsell. I finished the designs on the arm that I want to include when you make it. I'm ready to get started."

He sounds pleased and excited, "Oh, very well! Of course. We'll send someone over to pick up the resources and give you the base plate surgery."

I'm surprised, "Surgery?"

He responds, "Oh! Don't worry. It's done on the ship that they'll come in. Quick, easy, and you'll be asleep when they do it. You'll be fine. Just send my wife the blueprints so that they can begin modifying to accommodate your interests and improve on the design."

I send her the file through email and ask, "By when can I expect to have the... new arm?"

He gives me an immediate response, "Based on your prints, two days. We already had one of our newest models on standby for you. Adjusting your designs and actually incorporating what you want into its design. All we need is to acquire your battery system. They'll give you a new model basic arm immediately following the surgery today."

I'm surprised by how quickly I'll be able to have an arm once again, "Today!?"

Akamuro responds, "Are you not fine with it being today?"

I tell him, "No, no! I was just... surprised you guys would be capable of doing everything so quickly. I can't thank you enough."

He tells me, "No, I thank you. My daughter is safe and sane because of what you did. this is how I repay you."

He hangs up and my brother walks into the room, "Sorry. I was eavesdropping. Guess you'll want me to tell Oz that you'll be attending the Academy."

I nod, "Yeah... I'll be ready to go back."

A few hours later, a ship arrives in front of our home and lands on our lawn, a door opening, a ramp lowering to the ground. Two individuals in dark blue research lab coats with a helix in the shape of a circle is the emblem on their chests. I'm glad to meet them and they're the same, surprisingly. They allow me onto the ship and it looks like a scientist's dream vehicle. There're instruments everywhere, different dials and vials spread around, and several specimens hung all around on different display cases. There's a chair in the center with straps and I'm a little wary. My brother's behind me, ready for support, "What's with the chair? I thought he was going to be asleep?"

The woman nods, "Oh, yes. He'll be put to sleep in the chair."

Sterling is still not sure of the chair, "If he's going to be asleep, why the straps?"

The man responds, "It's a precaution. In case his body jolts while he's unconscious. Wouldn't want it to graze any of our instruments. First do no harm, right?"

We give confirmation and the woman makes sure the chair is wiped down, "Ready when you are, Munsell."

I nod and step up to the chair and sit down. They strap down my legs, my stomach, upper torso, head, and right arm. My left arm is the only thing free for them to have more liberality to operate. They hook me up to a drip that's slowly putting a relaxant into me, that way I'll slip into sleep and remain asleep during the procedure. The man prepares a large syringe with a blue liquid after unwrapping my arm and inserts it into my nub and I can feel the liquid coursing through my veins. It's an extreme numbing agent and my brother asks, "How're you holding up, bro?"

I give a thumbs up with my restrained arm and tell him, "I'm... feeling good... Pretty tired... right about... now, so... it's working..."

They all watch my eyes slowly lid and close before beginning any of the work.

I open my eyes once again and I'm the middle of a snowy field in a winter coat, my left arm back. I look around and in the distance, I see two figures sitting on the edge of a distant cliff several yards away, overlooking the ocean in front of them. I can only tell what they are from behind, also in weather appropriate clothes. One is a man with short black hair, the other a woman with long flowing red hair. I'm about to question what they could possibly be doing but all thoughts are shattered when I see their weapons sitting off to the side.

One's an axe that's leaning against a double-headed spear. The spear has a red banner flowing from it with a blue emblem. A double-sided spear with a spike and mirrored halberd head. I feel my voice rise up in my throat and I call out to them as I run their direction, "MOM! DAD!"

They turn their heads my direction and my heart is fixing to burst out of my chest at the sight of them. My father's scarred face (a slash across the bridge of his nose and another intersecting it along his right cheek), his red eyes passively burning into me, not to intimidate, but to empower. My mother's angelic face and mismatched green and blue eyes eliciting the warmest sensation within my chest, those eyes always wanting me to improve to satisfy her, even if she would've been fine with anything I could accomplish. She always had the most admiration for me and my brother, her eyes becoming the only thing I could forever associate as a symbol of true love.

Snow begins to fall and rapidly picks up the pace of falling until it's a thick blanket that I can't see through. My vision is blurred white but the sky above me begins to darken, making all around me slowly fade to black. It's strange, but I'm not afraid. As everything around me blots out of vision.

I wake up, unstrapped from the chair and they're all looking at me expectantly. My brother asks, "How do you feel?"

I tell him, "Fine. Nothing hurts."

The woman presents me with a sort of briefcase and I place it across my lap, the man telling me, "Please, do the honors."

I open the case up and am met by an appendage that's colored the same as my right arm. I grab it and see that my nub is now covered by several pieces of metal, fibers, and polymers that make a sort of base for the prosthetic limb. There's a slot in the center meant for a plug on the limb, and the base of both plates is covered with several small circuits. I plug the right arm into the slot and screw the arm slowly into the arm base until it's fully in.

The woman tells me, "Go ahead, just think about moving your fingers. The arm base plate is connected to your arm's nerves, so it transmits it to the prosthetic through the circuitry."

I look at my left arm and imagine feeling my hand curl and uncurl and the arm does exactly that. I'm mystified by how smooth it does the action and I laugh and so do my doctors. My brother has a light smile and says, "Well, there you go."

I laugh happily, tears streaming down my face and hug both of the surgeon's around the neck and thank them profusely. They tell me it's just their job and I tell them they must work in miracles. They take Amon and Barbados and my battery system (because they're going to use Amon with the arm and Akamuro offered to improve Barbados as well). We get off of the ship and it takes off. My brother raises a hand and tells me, "Hi five."

I smile lightly and clap my hand against his and he tells me, "Now we wait patiently for the next two days for what you've been promised."

I nod, excited, "It's... so cool! I never thought I'd be able to replace it until Shiko's dad offered. And even then... I never expected this. And it's only going to get better!"

My brother chuckles, "Yeah, you've got some good ideas going. Never thought I'd have a cyborg brother who could shoot lasers and energy shields when I was twelve, but here we are now."

I nod and chuckle, "Fascinating stuff, right?"

We both laugh at the thought and we walk through the house's front door. Sterling asks me, "So... when they were administering the surgery, you're body suddenly started to glow immensely. One of the doctors was touching you at the moment and she said that she just felt... total bliss. I went to read what was going through your mind but everything was blank. What happened?"

I chuckle lightly and look into the kitchen and imagine seeing Mom cooking a meal and Dad working on a project on the kitchen table, "I saw Mom and Dad."

That surprises Sterling and he asks, "W-Were they fine? Were they alright?"

I nod, "Yeah... they were... happy. Seeing them... made me really confident in what I'm going to do now."

He nods, glad to hear it, "Well... that's great, Munsell. I'm glad you saw them again."

I ask him, "Mom was beautiful, wasn't she?"

Sterling chuckles as he goes to take stuff out for dinner, "What are you asking me for? You saw her growing up too."

I shrug, "Well, I don't always remember her clearly. I didn't even know her for ten years."

Sterling tells me, "She was beautiful. She just did it naturally. Nothing could stop her from rocking the day."

I smile at that and head for my room, fixing to make more batteries.