[X] ...She'd caused this. She'd messed up. It was on her to try and start making things better. Comfort her.
When you fall, you get back up. When you fail, you try again. A failure's only a failure when you let it stand unanswered, and every time you fail is a chance to improve. Come back stronger. Keep moving forward.
That should be simple enough, shouldn't it? Learn from your mistakes, and don't make them again. Move past them. Don't let them happen again. It can't be that hard, doing that. If you just don't make the same mistakes again, then eventually you stop making mistakes.
Ruby was crying.
When Five had stepped in, Yang was powerless. Nobody had been able to stop her from taking Ruby, nobody had known what was happening to her. It seemed like everything used to try and find Five ended in another show of Five's power. Going to the Fight Club had left Yang at Melanie's mercy until her father had stepped in. Trying to ambush her at Mountain Glenn resulted in Qrow's capture, torture and loss of limb. Trying to rush to save Qrow resulting in Yang nearly dying, and being completely powerless against Dito.
Yang couldn't just forget it. Even if she wanted to. Ever since that day, just about everything seemed to remind her of it.
The scar on her leg which refused to heal. The pain in her stomach which returned again and again. The feeling of her shortened hair ending at the base of her neck, much shorter than it once was even if it had grown since the fight with Dito.
Her own body just kept reminding her of her weakness, of her failure, with every step she took. Every time her hair shuffled enough to brush against her neck, every time her Aura fell low enough for the pain to return, the reminders were with her constantly.
So she had to get stronger, right? After Ruby had watched her nearly die, Yang couldn't be weak for her. She needed to get stronger, so she could protect her sister and ensure she'd never have a reason to cry again.
Ruby was crying.
She had to get stronger, didn't she? Who cared about anything else as long as she got stronger, right? She couldn't stand it if she made people worry about her because she was too weak, that's not how it was supposed to be. She was supposed to be stronger than that. She was supposed to be the one worrying about people, not the other way around.
How would it be the wrong thing, to try and overcome failure? And she'd been failing so much recently, so she had to overcome all of that. Push herself harder, get stronger, go beyond this weak self and get strong enough that she'd stop failing. How else was she supposed to protect Ruby?
There wasn't anything wrong about that, was there? About getting stronger now, determining what she needs to do to succeed in the future, right? It wasn't hurting anyone, right?
Ruby was crying, and Yang realised she'd never been more wrong about anything in her life.
What she was doing, trying to get stronger, ignoring everything else, that was the biggest threat to Ruby right now. Not to her life, sure, but how can Yang consider that a good thing when she was the one who had made Ruby like this?
She was pathetic. Too blind to notice what she was doing, too stupid to even stop to think about it. It was bad enough she wasn't strong enough for Ruby, but now she was actively making things worse by pushing herself too far.
Stepping around the table, Yang rushed to Ruby's side, and wrapped her arms around her little sister.
Ruby's breath stopped for a moment in shock, before Yang started speaking.
"I'm such an idiot..." She muttered, her head near Ruby's ear. "I... Damn it, I'm sorry, I..."
"Yang?" Ruby asked, returning the hug. "I... Are you-"
Yang nearly responded, before she stopped herself. What was she even going to say? What could she say? How was she supposed to make up for this?
...She had to try something, though. She couldn't afford to just sit and let Ruby think the worse, not now.
"I didn't want to hurt you." Yang whispered, feeling her own eyes dampen in the process. "I just... I'm not good enough. I can't..."
"I don't care." Ruby replied, holding Yang tighter. "I d-don't care if you're good enough or anything. I just want you to be you. I don't want a protector, I want my sister. I don't want the stranger who disappears to get in fights she can't win, I want the sister who'll enjoy a day out with friends and pretend the whole cookie thing matters more than it does and..."
She sobs a bit, and Yang starts trying to reassure her. "It's okay, Ruby. I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't want this. I just wanted you to be okay too."
"H-How am I supposed to be okay when you're doing this to yourself?" Ruby whimpered.
Yang didn't have an answer to that.
She should have seen this. How blind could she have been to miss it? Ruby's a kind person, a simple soul, someone who doesn't want much. She just wants people to be happy. How could she possibly be happy if Yang was hurting herself?
How was that worth it?
She wasn't strong enough. She knew that well enough. And she needed to get stronger. But this wasn't the right way to go about it. Not if it was making Ruby cry. Not if it was hurting her as much as anything else.
What was she supposed to do?
She didn't know. She just didn't know. She had to get stronger so Ruby wouldn't have to worry, but if she did that then she'd make Ruby worry. She couldn't just pretend that nothing had happened, but how was she supposed to make sure Ruby kept smiling if she couldn't forget?
She didn't know.
But she did know one thing. She'd been the person who'd hurt Ruby the most, since Five had taken her. She couldn't let that continue. She'd...
She'd figure something out. She didn't know what yet, but she'd figure it out.
That was all she could do, wasn't it? Just try to figure out an answer. And...
Well, she'd just need to not make this mistake again. The mistake of getting so obsessed over avoiding a mistake that she made new ones. There had to be a balance, and even if she didn't know what it was, she'd find it.
She had to. For Ruby's sake.
Just standing over the chair, hugging her little sister and crying into her shoulder, Yang made that resolution. She'd make things better. Somehow.
What kind of big sister would she be if she didn't try?
The morning after was a quiet affair. Yang's father had left while the girls were still asleep, having to deal with work, and that left Yang and Ruby alone in the house.
And as she wandered around the building, making breakfast while the television droned on with the latest in news, Yang tried to think about what to do when Ruby woke up.
...She was going to stay here today, Yang decided. After yesterday, Yang couldn't just leave. She didn't know what to do, but she had to start trying. And first on the list of things to start working better, was to try and be there for her sister more.
Yang...
Yang really needed to have a talk with her dad, when he came back from work. In hindsight, when she was a kid, she might have been unfair to him. She hadn't noticed anything herself until Ruby had pointed it out, so she shouldn't have judging him as much for being unable to move past her mothers death.
Maybe he'd be able to help Yang figure out what to do to start moving forward again. He actually seemed to be holding it together better than anyone after Five's whole thing, so maybe he'd be able to give Yang some hints and tips.
"...And in other news, reports from Atlas indicate something happening behind the scenes. Correspondents monitoring the political situation in Atlas report a sudden commotion from the Schnee family, who are scrambling to alert certain people of something in private while preparing a news briefing. We'll have more in..."
Yang turned out the news, as she continued on with making some food. While she was at it, she pulled out a second bowl and started making some more cereal, for when Ruby woke up. She... Might appreciate it? It might help?
It should make her feel better, at least. Pumpkin Pete's wasn't the healthiest brand in the world, but the ChoCublate Flavour was at least delicious. A little bit of sugar in the morning might help Ruby feel a bit better after last night. And the last few months in general, but last night specifically had Ruby bawling her eyes out because Yang was being too much of a stubborn idiot.
Well, even if the cereal itself didn't work, the gesture itself might. Show she wasn't focusing on herself as much.
"...Press meeting in a few minutes, with a representative of the Schnee Dust Corporation and Family, to discuss whatever news could have lead to such an sudden shift in the stock market, on this scale..."
There were footsteps from above Yang, down the stairs, as she poured some milk in the two bowls of cereal. As Yang danced around the kitchen, putting the milk back in the fridge, before dropping by the draws and pulling out a pair of spoons.
The two bowls of cereal made, Yang turned towards the entrance of the kitchen as Ruby stepped in.
"Hey, Rubes." Yang greeted, holding out a bowl in her direction. "Hungry?"
Ruby blinked, as she looked at the bowl. "...Did you make breakfast?"
"No, I made dinner, the sky just fell behind." Yang joked.
Ruby smiled for a moment, before taking the bowl. "Thanks, Yang."
"So, are you doing anything today?" Yang asked. "We've got the day off, so if you want to do something, we can."
Ruby thought on it for a moment.
"...I was thinking about working on my scythework today." Ruby mused. "But... Do you think we could just spend the day at home today? Just sitting around? I just want to relax today. Not do anything. Unwind a bit."
"...Yeah, okay." Yang agreed. Sitting around and doing nothing would be...
Well, it didn't sit right with her, but it's what Ruby wanted.
An idea occurred to her suddenly. "Hey, do you mind if I make a call real fast? I'll join you for breakfast in a moment, just want to let someone in real fast."
Ruby looked at her for a moment, then nodded. "...Yeah, okay. I'll just watch the news for a bit, okay?"
"Sure." Yang nodded. "Be there in a moment."
Ruby nodded, took her bowl, and stepped out of the room. Reaching into her pocket, Yang moved to pull out her scroll, before realising that she had left it to charge in her room.
A minute later, she'd wandered up the stairs and gotten to her scroll. It took a moment to dial up a number, and the other party woke up before long.
"Hello?" The voice on the other side asked. "What is it?"
"Hey, Four." Yang waved. "How're you?"
"I'm fine." Four sighed. "I was in the middle of working over Haseltii. I've got something working, just need to give it some more time, before I know what we're working with. She let something slip that I'm looking into, so it won't take too much time if I research as well. More importantly, what did you want?"
"...Just wanted to let you know." Yang admitted. "I... Well, sorry if I'm being unfair to you here, but I'm not sure if I'm gonna be able to be much more help with the whole White Fang hunt thing."
It occurred to Yang that using the word hunt actually sounded a bit racist. It might not have been, man hunt was an actual term used to describe an organised search for a criminal, but getting into details would take time if she used it in future and someone took it the wrong way. Probably best to not use that wording again.
"What's wrong?" Four asked. "If your dad's getting in the way, I could abduct you for a bit so you can-"
"No, nothing like that." Yang replied. "It's just... I've been really unfair on Ruby, recently. She's been worried sick about me and I've been an idiot and not noticed. I... I want her to feel better, and one of the thing she said specifically was I was pushing myself too much. So... I'm trying to take it easy with her for a bit, if that makes sense?"
"...I get it." Four said, before noticing how frosty her tone was. "Oh, sorry, didn't mean to sound upset. But you've been a great help, Yang. It's sad to see you doing your own thing. Justice could use someone like you."
"Sorry." Yang apologised sheepishly. "But... Well, she's my sister. I can't just ignore her."
"I understand." Four assured her. "Oh, speaking of sisters, are you watching the news?"
"It's on downstairs." Yang replied. "Why?"
"Go and have a look, One's about to do a thing. Ooh, it's nearly on. Talk to you later, Yang."
Four hung up before Yang could say goodbye, and as Yang put her scroll back on charge, she wondered for a moment.
...Yeah, she definitely wanted to see what One was about to do that was going to be news worthy.
Bolting out of her room and down the stairs, Yang quickly got to the lounge room, just as the news speaker started talking.
The camera had cut to some sort of press briefing with the Schnee snowflake symbol in the background, and before Ruby could ask who Yang had been talking to, the murmuring of the reporters on camera died down, reduced to barely audible, as two figures walked in.
The one in the back, smaller and less focused, was a face Yang recognised. That was a Schnee. Not one she knew well, but the Heiress of the company was famous enough to turn up on television every once and a while. She was a singer, apparently. But the sad looking Weiss Schnee wasn't exactly the priority on Yang's mind.
Not when One was the one leading Weiss on stage.
"Thank you for meeting me here today." One said, as she spoke into the mic. "And I'm afraid I have tragic news. I regret to inform you that, late last night, the Schnee Dust Corporation CEO, Jacques Schnee, lost his life in a hunting accident."
The barely audible murmuring from a moment ago fell into silence completely, and a moment after the silence died down, One continued.
"The source of Mister Schnee's injuries wasn't identified at the time, but he was rushed back to Atlas for medical treatment immediately. However, his wounds refused to heal, and he died before he could be treated at a proper facility. He died within walking distance of the site of his wife's death."
...Shit, that was pretty poor luck. That Weiss girl seemed to be unfocused as she stared ahead, there for show more than anything. How much must she be hurting, losing two parents in so short a time?
"With the death of Jacques, there are people who must be wondering about the future of the company. Already, investors have considered pulling out with the loss of the man who managed this company so well, while other people are offering new deals to the girl who inherited the company. However, all should rest assured, the Schnee Dust Corporation will not simply be weakened with the loss of it's management."
"In the words of Nicholas Schnee, 'The importance of our work lies in the legacy left behind.' Though his legacy will be controversial, Mister Schnee understood the wisdom of his words. The company has not been weakened in his absence. His pride would allow nothing less than to live up to the words of his father in law and predecessor. Even in his absence, the Schnee Dust Corporation stands firm. People have gathered to guide the new owner of the corporation until she can do it herself. Our profits have not dropped."
"In his lifetime, Jacques Schnee expanded the rate of growth of the SDC, increased profits in thousands of different areas, and has funded military and humanitarian projects which have changed the shape of Atlas. Most important, to assume that his death is a crippling blow is to underestimate his greatest legacy. The daughter of Jacques, Weiss Schnee, is prepared to do what she must to continue her father's legacy."
Closing her eyes, One continued even more onwards. "The legacy most important is how the world is shaped when you leave it, compared to when you entered. The removal of flaws in the world, and the ability to counter new ones. While the White Fang primarily blame their existence on Mister Schnee, as several other protest groups claim, but the Kingdoms have never been safer, thanks to his management of the Dust mining projects."
"The world is changing, and is no longer the world that it was when Jacques Schnee married into the company and took it over several decades ago. Thanks to his effort, we are a more prosperous people. Death rates from Grimm have dropped to an all time low, the funding for Atlas Specialists has increased dramatically, and the technology he funded the research of have made it so much simpler to accomplish the objectives they have been made for. Defence automata are at a new peak of quality, mining machines have made it so much easier to mine Dust without disrupting the conditions which create it."
"Under the guidance of Jacques Schnee, the Schnee Dust Corporation has changed the world at an immense pace in these last few years..."
One's eyes opened, and they shone a brilliant red as she smiled.
"...And in the years to come, we hope to write a legacy that puts that pace to shame."
Looks like it's time for another Gaiden Arc! You have a choice between-
Oh, nevermind, Blake's is kinda important and literally unskippable.
Or we can have an outside look at Blake, alternatively?
[X] Blake Gaiden: Candle Burns From Both Ends
[X] Ilia Gaiden: Burnt Children Dread the Flame