Chapter 40
Her eyes opened suddenly as she tried to sit up from her bed, doing so however caused her agony within her ribs. She clenched her teeth, not wanting to scream in pain and wake the others in the room. She winced as slowly she tried to lay herself back down, a light sweat having formed over her body.
"Bad dream...?" came a weak voice. Yang had expected Blake, her eyes widening at the realization as they darted towards the source of the voice.
"W- Winter?" replied Yang, keeping her voice to a level where she hopefully wouldn't wake the rest.
The woman did in fact appear to be awake, her left arm casually resting over Weiss' shoulders who had once more fallen asleep with her head on her bed. Her fingers gently stroked her as she spoke in response, "Yes, it is me" replied Winter softly.
"When did you... When did you wake up?" asked Yang, eyes returning towards the ceiling.
"Hard to tell... I do not know what time it is... I would wager an hour at most..." replied Winter, her voice sounding weak and struggled.
"You sound... Rough... How are you feeling?" asked Yang once more.
A soft chuckle came from Winter's lips before she spoke, "Like I have been run through with a sword..." she answered.
"Well... Yeah I guess that makes sense..." replied Yang.
"What did you dream about? I heard you thrashing before you awakened" asked Winter, her eyes idly glancing down towards her little sister who slept soundly.
Yang sighed quietly to herself. "Neo" she answered.
"Ah. Enough to wake even the bravest from their sleep" responded Winter. "How long has it been since I ended up here by the way?" she asked.
"Dunno... About a day or two? Maybe three? My mind is a bit messed up" admitted Yang as she brought her hand to her head.
The eyes of both Winter and Yang darted towards the middle bed between them as Neo sat up straight, she didn't appear to be looking at either of them and just stared on ahead. "Here she goes again..." muttered Winter.
"Wait what? Neo what are you doing?" asked Yang in confusion, she didn't receive a response as Neo sluggishly pushed herself out from her bed, standing in a dazed fashion.
"Oh, you have not seen it before? She sleepwalks... I first noticed it back when we were camped just outside of the mountains. Had to push her back into her tent before she walked off into the dark..." answered Winter calmly.
Yang narrowed her gaze at the girl as she started shuffling around the room like a zombie. Now and then she'd just stop and stand still for a while. "Just when I thought she couldn't get any weirder..." commented Yang.
"She's harmless... Ended up in my bed when we were staying at the hotel though. Likely mistook it for her own, or at least I like to think that she was mistaken..." said Winter, icy gaze tracking Neo's movements as she started making her way towards the door. "Is that locked?" she asked, glancing once more over towards Yang.
"Uh... No..." answered Yang as she watched Neo's hand fumbling around for the door handle.
The two watched as she successfully opened the door and pushed it open, almost falling through in the process. "Well... We are both bed-ridden so there is not much we can do about it... I presume this hospital is well staffed?" asked Winter.
"Well... I think it is..." replied Yang. She paused as she stared at Neo leaving the room. The light from the hall now shined in through the door, dimly lighting what it could. "The... General is here by the way, he offered me an arm..." said Yang, deciding now would be the best time to talk to Winter about such matters.
"The General? That would explain why I am not dead... And let me guess, it was at a cost?" she asked.
Yang nodded, but quickly realizing Winter couldn't see her. "He wants me to either join the military or... Pay for it" she said.
"And which did you choose?" asked Winter once more.
"That's the thing, I didn't choose either. I don't want to join the military and I don't have the money to pay for it... So I guess I'm kinda stuck with just how I am now" replied Yang, she wasn't sure wherever she was being deceitful in steering the conversation to subtly question if Winter would pay for it herself.
A pause of silence passed over the room before Winter spoke, "What made you decide not to join the military?" she asked.
It wasn't the question Yang was expecting to receive. "It's just not for me you know? I don't know how you do it" she answered.
"I suppose I see your point. But I guess it is not all bad, you have after all learnt to deal with your disadvantage, have you not?" asked Winter.
"Well... Yeah I guess but-" her voice was cut off by Winter's.
"And obtaining an arm that is not truly yours will never give you back what you have lost. For example, you will never be able to feel with that arm, no matter how impressive or expensive it is" continued Winter. As Yang tried to speak however she only resumed her words. "Not to mention that it would take weeks to adjust to it, to learn to control it. And then you have the maintenance. Relying upon such a device could eventually leave you open to an attack, imagine if you would that your arm suddenly stops working when you were prepared to rely so heavily upon it. You would never have such issues in your current form, at least now you know and understand your limits" she finished.
Yang took in her words, it felt like Winter was trying to dissuade her from asking. After she remained in silence she heard the woman speak again.
"If you want me to pay for it I will, but you need to think about your decision. Safe to assume that I will be very upset if you suddenly change your mind..." she said.
"But... Winter, isn't that like all of your money?" asked Yang.
"It would be a sizeable sum, yes. But I plan on parting with that money... It is the last link I have to my father, his wealth, and I would be happy to be rid of it. If I help a friend along the way, well, that is a plus is it not? From then on I will earn my own wage, build myself solely upon my own achievements. Completely this time..." answered Winter.
Yang now had the means to obtain what she had desired for a time now, but now she wasn't so sure. It was almost as if Winter was telling her not to but she was likely going to get a new hand herself. It prompted the question from her. "Blake said you're getting something similar" she said.
"Did she? I suppose I should have expected it from the General..." she answered. "A hand is a lot less than an arm however..." she added.
"Yeah but... doesn't everything you said to me apply to you as well?" asked Yang again.
Winter smirked softly, her right hand now idly stroking Weiss' hair as she slept. "Yes, maintenance will always be a thing. All I need from the hand is some wrist movements and the ability to grab something, there are far less things that can go wrong with that than an arm. And secondly I would be obtaining one for the sole purpose of work. You will be obtaining one to... feel whole again" she answered.
Yang knew deep down that Winter wasn't wrong. She wanted her arm for many more reasons than just to be able to fight. Her thoughts trailing back to the moment she spent with Blake in the car, when they discussed a mechanical arm together. Yang began to feel that her reasons for wanting an arm were selfish, where as Winter wanted one to do her job which also involved helping others. The blonde frowned, is this what Winter had been trying to tell her? That she was selfish? The fact she was willing to pay for her needs stung all the more. "I'll... Think on it..." spoke Yang in a weaker tone as her eyes glanced down to Blake who slept quietly.
"Please do..." replied Winter.
The next morning came as the beams of the rising sun shined in through the window. They just so happened to strike Weiss straight in the eyes as she squinted them shut tighter. It was no use however as she quietly sighed to herself and elected to wake up. As she moved to push herself up from Winter's bed she felt an arm over her shoulders. Her ice blue eyes widened as she looked to her sister but she was still asleep. Confused she gently moved Winter's arm off of herself, placing it back down upon the bed. She pondered if Winter had done that in her sleep or had in fact woken up at some point in the night.
Her back ached, likely from the awkward position she had slept in yet again as she glanced around the room. Everyone appeared to be where they should be. "You know that you do not need to lose a good nights rest on my behalf, right?" came a familiar voice. Weiss turned with a shocked expression to see blue eyes staring back at her.
"Winter!" exclaimed Weiss as she moved in to try and give her sister some form of hug, the positioning making it awkward as Winter winced.
"Easy, I am far from recovered" she groaned in response.
"I- I've been so worried, and upset- and worried!" replied Weiss as she smiled brightly before pulling herself away. "How are you? Do you need anything? Anything at all?" she asked.
Winter couldn't help but smile up at her sibling. "Weiss, I am fine for the time being. Just... happy to see you in such high spirits" she answered.
"I'm sorry, for what happened back at the mansion. I was-" her voice was cut off.
"You needn't explain yourself. I understand" spoke Winter, there was never anything Weiss could do to make her think less of her. She would always love her sister unconditionally. "And what of you? How are you feeling?" she asked.
Weiss leaned back in her chair slightly as she spoke with glee, "Better now that you're awake" she answered.
Winter sighed softly, "You do not need to inform me of my condition either, I am well aware" she said as her sister frowned slightly. Winter's gaze shifted to Neo who was asleep in the bed behind Weiss. "What of her? Did she do as I asked?" questioned Winter.
Turning her attention back to Neo, Weiss answered. "She did. The Paladin found us and she protected me, kept me safe to the point she wasn't able to stand any longer. If not for the General though..." she paused, looking back to Winter.
"Good..." nodded Winter. As if she had heard people talking about her, Neo woke up. She sat up and glanced around, eyes idly passing over Winter before looking elsewhere. She froze and quickly returned her gaze to Winter who smirked at her in response.
In an excited manner Neo lunged forward and out of her bed to stand besides her, not even taking the time to put on some proper clothes. Weiss averted her gaze from the woman as a result with a soft blush of embarrassment.
Winter on the other hand didn't seem to care, she was after all a professional. "Neo, you deserve some thanks for protecting my sister. So from the bottom of my heart... Thank you" she spoke.
Neo smiled widely as she nodded several times in response at her good deed being praised.
"I understand you likely want to talk, but maybe you could put something more appropriate on first?" asked Winter, Neo nodded again before turning to start clothing herself.
An hour or so later and Yang finally stirred from her sleep, waking up to see Blake leaning against her bed, facing the direction of Winter. It appeared everyone (asides from Neo of course) was talking, even laughing. It was a sight to wake up to, finally here they all were once more, awake and alive. She smiled to see Blake do the same without noticing that she was conscious. The conversation currently taking place was something about Winter's motorcycle.
"I had never seen someone so embarrassed about the notion of wrapping their arms around your waist before" chuckled Winter's voice.
Yang's expression turned into suspicion as she listened in.
"But she used to ride a bike all the time, I would have never assumed she would have had so much issue with the matter" laughed Weiss.
Yang made a sour expression, they were talking about her. "I was just being respectful and stuff!" she protested. Her voice caught Blake by surprise who looked down at her, only to then start chuckling herself. "Ugh, you are the worst" smirked Yang.
"Blake, does she get embarrassed when you hold her hand?" asked Weiss from across the room.
"She gets embarrassed when I look at her" smirked Blake in response.
Yang's face grew a slight shade of red as she was made fun of, but she herself found it funny. "Oh, you're right!" said Weiss as she glanced over at Yang who's eyes peered over to her.
"You're hardly one to talk princess, you always get flustered!" replied Yang as she smiled. It was certainly a pleasant morning, herself and her friends simply laughing and enjoying themselves.
"I- I don't get flustered, my skin is really pale so it looks red sometimes!" answered Weiss in an embarrassed fashion, her own cheeks turning pink once more.
Blake peered over to Winter, "Winter has the same shade of skin and she doesn't blush at all" she answered.
"That's because she's ice cold" answered Yang. She glanced around at the others, "Get it? Because her name's Winter? Yeah?" she grinned, amused by her own pun.
After a brief silence both Weiss and Blake started to laugh, Winter herself managing a soft chuckle in the state that she was in. It was to believed that Neo would also be laughing if she could, instead she simply smiled all throughout the jokes and stories she heard.
Winter gave out a sigh, "That is enough comedy for me, ladies. My chest is starting to pain me", her voice began to fade slightly.
After the mood had settled Weiss looked to her sister. "I'm going to find something to drink, do you need anything?" she asked.
"A... glass of water if you would" answered Winter. Weiss nodded in response as she stood up from her chair, preparing to leave the room. Winter took note that Neo seemed rather keen to follow her, was she still staying by her side as Winter had ordered her? Her eyes narrowed suspiciously before gently closing to get some further rest.
Meanwhile Blake turned her gaze back to Yang as the two began to converse. The first to speak was Yang, "Blakey, I heard from my dad by the way" she spoke.
"How is he?" asked Blake in return.
"Out of prison now, said he's heading to Patch to start looking for Ruby. With any luck most of our work will be done for us before we get out of here" she answered. The idea that the task of reuniting the team was still under-way even while she stayed in bed was a comforting one. Especially considering that it was Taiyang looking for her, a pro Huntsman.
Blake smirked, "You sound like you're getting lazy in here" she answered.
"Not like I can help it" smiled Yang in response.
The expression of the Faunus dipped slightly, "That reminds me..." she began as Yang raised a brow at her. "Remember when Neo saved you when he accidentally shot at you back in Vale?" she asked.
"Yeah, what about it?" replied Yang curiously.
"The expression she made back then, the one that looked like she was about to try and tear him apart. I saw it again recently... At the mansion" answered Blake.
Winter's voice intervened in the conversation, "When my father shot at Weiss, correct?" she asked.
Blake and Yang looked over to her in surprise. "How did you know?" asked Blake.
"I pieced it together myself. Neo likely had a difficult upbringing, probably relating to her own father. So when she sees a parent mistreating their child... She responds" she answered.
"I guess we all assumed she must have had something go wrong growing up to end up the way she did..." muttered Blake as her golden eyes idly gazed upon Neo's empty bed.
Winter glanced outside of the window on her right. "Of course, anyone could tell you that. The way she behaves, her lack of social skills. It seemed to me she never had an upbringing at all, why do you think I try to help her so often? Whatever she has become is no fault of her own, but the fault of those who influenced her. I think that I have caught glimpses of who she really is at some points along our journey but... Much has yet to be done to salvage what is left" she answered.
"You think she can actually become a normal person?" asked Blake, choosing not to believe in such words.
"Completely? Hard to tell. Help would not be wasted though..." replied Winter, eyes still watching upon the bright blue sky outside. A few clouds dotted around, the sun beaming down upon the buildings. She sighed to herself once more.