AN: Well, figured I couldn't wait a full year before updating this. Sorry for the long hiatus, I've been working hard on getting my own original stories furthered along so that I may eventually be published. Plus, with what I've been hearing about Volume 4 through the grapevine...

So, I have decided to go with my more original premise, since canon RWBY has completely deviated from my fanon world of Remnant. Winter is Weiss's only sister, and is younger than her. Adam Taurus, Roman Torchwick, and Cinder Fall had their master plans fall through when Pyrrha didn't do what they expected during her fight with Penny.

Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. You'll see points of view from both Weiss and Ruby, and we'll explore how Ruby's psyche has been effected by her injuries. It does get fairly emotional. 7,001 words, so I made it extra long to make up for how long this has taken. Read, enjoy, and please review!

What Changes You

Weiss stared out the limousine's window, her chin resting on her palm as she idly watched the cityscape rolled by. It had been two days since Yang had confronted her in the hospital, and the storm had only gotten worse, preventing Yang from getting Bumblebee yesterday. Now, the sun was shining, and Yang was seated next to her, staring blankly at her scroll, likely hoping against hope that Blake would get in contact with her. Though Weiss knew that her attention and concern should be focused on their erstwhile friend, she instead found her thoughts drifting again and again to Ruby. She had called Ruby yesterday, apologizing about not being able to see her in person because of company business (no use in worrying her about Blake…) but Ruby had said she understood.

Today was Ruby's second physical therapy session, and she wondered how it was going. Ruby had likely been chafing at the delay, and had reported success yesterday. Weiss remembered the doctor saying that he wanted to wait until her burns had a chance to heal just a bit more after Ruby had first mentioned that she wanted to go through therapy. He had said that he wanted her scars to heal enough so that they wouldn't tear with excessive movement, but not so long that the skin would be 'frozen' in place, losing too much of its natural elasticity because of the scar tissue. She remembered him mentioning that the antibiotic ointment specifically made for burn victims they used to treat her wounds while she was in a coma had helped keep her skin supple, but now she'd have to start stretching the burned areas in order to keep her former range of motion. Weiss knew that it would likely have to hurt a great deal, but Ruby was one of the most determined people that Weiss knew…if anyone could get through this, it was Ruby. She gave a soft smile at the thought of Ruby bouncing back and returning to her old, happy, excitable self.

Then Yang's explosive sigh broke her out of her thoughts, and she turned towards her, arching an elegant brow. "What's wrong?"

Yang grimaced angrily as she tossed her scroll onto the seats sitting opposite them. "I just don't get it, where could she have gone?!" She smacked her fist into her palm, red flickering in the depth of her eyes. "The cops haven't heard anything, your employees haven't seen her, and my underground contacts don't know anything! Where could she have gone?" She huffed angrily, and ran a hand through her golden mane. "It's like someone freakin' told her to disappear!"

Weiss blinked, Yang's words sparking her memory. Wait, don't tell me that…she thought as she grabbed her own scroll. She went to her contacts, selected Winter's picture, and hit send before bringing the scroll to her ear. "Weiss?" Yang asked, but Weiss just held up a finger as she listened to the scroll ring, and ring, and ring.

Finally, just as she was about to hang up and try texting her, the call connected, and she heard her sister's voice. "Oh, sister dearest, I wondered when you were going to call!"

Her overly cheerful, sarcastic tone of voice rankled her, and she frowned. "Winter! Good grief, what took you so long?"

"I was in a board meeting, and had to excuse myself, so, you know, thanks for that. I'm guessing this isn't a social call?" she asked, and you could just hear the smirk in her voice.

Annoying little twerp! And just like that, Weiss felt her face grow warm with anger. How dare she act like she was outraged at her interruption? She opened her mouth to shoot back a scathing reply, but stopped before she said anything. This wasn't going to help. It might feel good for a second to snap back at her, but it would hamper her attempts to find out where Blake was. She took a few deep breaths, composing herself. "My apologies, and I will call soon to get a full debriefing on the goings on of my company, Winter, but right now I've actually got an issue that I need your help with."

Winter didn't immediately answer, and instead Weiss heard the crisp sound of high heels over the normal background bustle of an office, a quiet murmur of greeting from a voice that Weiss recognized as Hana's, and then the sound of a door closing. "Do go on," she drawled.

"Three days ago, Blake approached me with an issue you confronted her about. I wasn't able to look into the matter directly, but can you get me the phone number of any of the employees stationed at the site? It's really important," she pleaded, hoping against hope that she'd cooperate rather than continue to be a little brat.

There was a short pause on the other end of the line, and when she spoke again, her voice was markedly more polite. "Give me a moment." The sounds of her sister's fingers tapping against the keyboard. A thoughtful hum, and then more typing. "There, I have one. Are you ready?"

"Just a moment," she murmured as she pulled a pen from her purse and grabbed a napkin from the limo's bar. "Okay, go ahead." Winter read off the number, and Weiss carefully copied it down and read it back, just to make sure. When Winter replied that that was indeed the number with a hint of snark returning to his voice, Weiss had to take in a deep breath to quell her excitement. "Thanks, Winter. I'll get in touch with you soon, so that we can talk about the company."

"Remind me to not get overly excited for that," she said with a drawn out sigh. Then she gave a shorter, more amused huff. "Perhaps over lunch or tea."

Weiss blinked as she realized with a jolt that she just might be extending a branch of peace. "Yes, I'd like that," she told her, and was surprised that she actually really meant it. "Again, thank you, Winter." The call disconnected, and she turned to face Yang, who was impatiently jiggling her leg while she was staring intently at her. "I think I might have found Blake," she said as she held up the napkin.

"Yeah? Well, come on, call the number!"

"Alright, alright," she said as she rolled her eyes before dialing the number. As with Winter, the scroll rang and rang, and the nervousness in Weiss's chest increased with each passing ring. But then, there was a click as the call connected.

"Indigo Cloud, Schnee Dust Company, how can I help you, sir or ma'am?" the deep male voice on the other end said, caution evident in his tone.

"Mister Cloud, this is Weiss Schnee," she said in her most business-like voice, and an odd sound crackled through the speaker, something between a gasp and a cough. "Mister Cloud? Are you okay?"

"Ah! Hmm! Miss Schnee, ma'am!" he said a little bit too loudly, and Weiss noticed that the background noise, though barely noticeable, suddenly completely ceased. "Sorry, ma'am, I wasn't expecting a call from you…ever. My department is fairly remote and, ah…yeah. May I help you with something?"

"Yes, I need you to answer a question. Is Miss Belladonna, head of security at your location right now?" And now there was absolutely no noise on the other end, not even breathing. Frowning, she checked her scroll's display, but she hadn't been disconnected. Bringing her scroll back to her ear, she let a little steel creep into her voice. "Mister Cloud. I have asked you a direct question. I ask that question because I am concerned about Miss Belladonna's well-being. If she…if she doesn't want to talk, that's fine, but I just want, no, I need to know that she's safe. I don't need to know exactly where you are, I don't need to know exactly what you're doing, especially if you are following the orders that I gave Miss Belladonna, but please…we're concerned for her."

Again, silence reigned, but then a soft sigh that Weiss recognized from countless hours spent with her friend, a sigh that had her heart lurch with hope. "I'm doing what you wanted me to, Miss Schnee," Blake replied, voice echoing slightly, letting Weiss know that she was likely on speakerphone.

"Blake!" Weiss blurted, unable and frankly unwilling to hide the relief in her voice. She pulled her scroll away, fumbled with it for a second in her haste, but then got the call on speakerphone. "Blake, we were so worried!"

"We?" The question was asked in a dull, tired voice.

"You're damn right, 'we!'" Yang snapped. "I've been worried sick about you, Blake! Couldn't you have at least left a note?"

"I'm sorry, Yang, I was preoccupied. I should be home in a few days, once I'm done with my current…task. Speaking thereof, Miss Schnee, are there any other directives you have for me?"

Weiss winced at the cold professionalism in Blake's voice. But really, didn't she deserve it? Hadn't she fallen back on that same professionalism the last time they had spoken? "No, Miss Belladonna," she replied, but she was careful to keep her tone soft and non-critical.

"Very well then, I'll get back to it."

Blinking at how quickly the conversation was ending, Weiss reflexively flung out a hand in protest, even though Blake couldn't see her. "Blake, wait!" No answer, but she could just barely hear soft breathing on the other end. She hadn't hung up. "This? This is only temporary, and won't last as long as you might fear. I just…I just need a little more time to process everything, okay? I still care about you. You're still one of my few true friends. I still need you, now more than ever. Trust…trust may take a while to be rebuilt, but it can be. We just need to give it a chance!"

A soft grunt. "Any longer, and we might be traced, should anyone be listening. I need to go. But…Weiss? Thank you." There was a slight click, and the call ended. Weiss slumped against her seat, suddenly exhausted. But there was still so much left to do…including visit Ruby, she reminded herself. Now that they knew that Blake was okay and her responsibilities as CEO were taken care of for a while, she could finally go and see her.

Suddenly, Yang stiffened next to her, her head whipping around to look out the window. "Oh, hey, that's…hey, stop the car!" she called through the open window divider to the driver, and he complied, smoothly pulling over before putting the car in park.

"Yang, what are you-?" Weiss started to ask, but then Yang was out of the car, jumping up and down and waving her arm.

"Melody! Hey, Melody, over here! You wanna lift?"

Quirking a brow, Weiss looked around, noticing their surroundings. They had been driving through one of the most upscale shopping districts in Vale, and really wasn't one of the places that she expected Yang to have an acquaintance, or at least, not one that Weiss didn't know already. Yang's friends were generally more down to earth. But, sure enough, three people were approaching the limo, and Weiss instantly recognized the minimum necessary entourage for those of the social elite. A handler (though perhaps this stern looking woman would prefer the term matron) in a skirt suit that Weiss could bet cost at least as much as some people paid for their mortgage, a guard in a functional but stylish three piece suit, complete with sunglasses and a curly ear piece (and that bulge under his shoulder most likely wasn't a cell phone…), and in between them was their charge, dressed very trendily, but not as over the top as some of the other socialites that Weiss knew. In fact, she'd be willing to bet that the matron had the more expensive clothes on.

And then Weiss blinked. Wait, was that? Her eyes widened as her eyebrows shot up as she recognized the face beneath the very distinctive blue and pink hair. How does Yang know her?! She was the CEO of one of the largest companies in the entire world and she still hadn't managed a face-to-face with the young woman striding towards them. She watched, slightly shocked, as the three of them reached her car. They exchanged a few words with Yang, and then Yang was stepping back, holding the door open for them so the three of them could slide in to the bench seat opposite of Weiss. With a wide grin, Yang sat down next to Weiss, shutting the door behind her. "Hey, Alfred, you can continue now." They all shifted slightly as the car smoothly accelerated, and Weiss could barely keep her jaw from hitting the floor as she stared at the celebrity sitting across from her. "What's the matter, Weiss, surprised?"

Weiss took that moment to gather herself as she scoffed and rolled her eyes before leaning forward and offering her hand. "Melody Derevo, I'm a major fan of yours." The hand that gripped hers was smooth, but had a hint of iron strength, and were those callouses buried beneath that careful manicure?

"Really?" Yang asked, her grin going from delighted to teasing. "You never told me that."

"Yes, Yang, really," she answered, though her own grin was likely a bit strained. "Call it a guilty pleasure," she explained as she turned back towards Miss Derevo. "I have all of your albums, and though I haven't told my friends about this evidently key facet to my personality," she snipped as she gave a brief glare at Yang, "I really am a big fan." Her grin turned softer, more fond. "I absolutely love how you take the many facets of the violin's personality and match them with current styles. My favorite album is Autumn Memories. How you took classical melodies and reintroduced them with modern methods, all centered around your playing…" she sighed wistfully. "Absolutely beautiful." And then she noticed the grin that Yang was giving. "Yang, don't you-!"

"You might say that she went through an awful lot of treble to make classical music popular again!"

"Oh my God, Yang, really?!" Weiss snapped, but to her surprise, Melody grinned, eyes dancing with mirth for a second, though the other two sitting next to her didn't react, other than the older woman's lips tightening slightly, deepening her stern countenance. "Please ignore her, she thinks that puns are the wittiest form of entertainment. Anyway, how did you two meet? I know for a fact that Yang's bar doesn't make nearly enough money to cover your fees, and if you tried to be charitable, your friend here would have a heart attack," she said with a nod towards the woman in the suit.

"Ah, right, introductions. The gentleman is Ramadi, my chief bodyguard."

Yang snorted, and Weiss glanced at her, brow raised. "Nah, nothing, it's just when you visited the bar, I bet he was right outside the door, wasn't he?"

Melody shrugged. "Just in case. Anyway, my manager's name is Marrione. I think it's good to all meet, since we're going to be partners."

"Yeah, I'm glad that I spotted you, wanted to introduce you directly to Weiss."

Weiss blinked, shook her head. "Wait, what? What do you mean by partners?"

Melody leaned back in her seat, and Weiss watched as all mirth fled from her face, replaced by something…else, and she fought the urge to swallow nervously at the look about the young woman sitting across from her. There was something…something deeply unsettling about Melody now, a grim cast to her face, eyes bleak and angry and determined all at once. "Yes, partners. I'm going to join in on your hunt against the Crimson Claw, and I think you'll find my services to be most helpful. I can do much more than merely entertain with my violin."

A shift of fabric next to her, and Weiss glanced over as Yang squirmed nervously, her face briefly troubled before it went neutral once more. Yang…was that fear I just saw? You're willing to face terrible odds and literal monsters on the battlefield, why would you be scared? "Well," she started slowly, gathering her thoughts about her. "I most certainly appreciate your help, but I must say that I'm rather surprised that one of the more famous musicians of Vale would want to join us on this hunt…Beacon training aside." Yes, Beacon trained, and three years her senior. She remembered being really disappointed at not having a chance to try and meet her that chaotic first year.

But at her words, Yang sat up straight next to her, expression guarded. "Weiss…" she murmured warningly as she glanced at Melody with worried eyes. But Melody raised a calming hand.

"No, it's okay, not many people knew about that…you're one of the few people I've told, outside of my family and my production team," she reassured Yang before turning back to Weiss. "The reason I want to fight with you so badly is because my sister was at the hospital when it was attacked, working as one of the guards provided by Beacon."

Weiss's heart plummeted. "Oh," she whispered softly. That's right, Iva Braun. She had had the chance to speak with the girl a few times, and had been impressed by her intelligence and tact, and had been planning on seeing if she was interested in working for her after her graduation. She had, of course, visited Iva's parents to express both her most heartfelt remorse at their daughter's death, but also her deepest gratitude…had it not been for her skill that had delayed the Crimson Claw, Ruby would have died before Weiss would have reached her. "I'm…I'm so terribly sorry. Iva had such a bright future in front of her, and I am proud to be able to say that I was able to make her acquaintance. Not many people are so lucky to meet someone as good as she was. If you are anything like her, we are very lucky indeed."

"Thank you, Miss Schnee. The rumors of your grace hardly do you justice. And given what I've read of your performance in the field, I am likewise lucky to work with a team as good as yours."

Oh, wow. She was actually going to work with the Melody Derevo. And yet, despite that being almost a dream come true, just one look at how Melody was holding herself, at the pain that she had buried deep but that talk of her sister had drawn closer to the surface…just one look and Weiss wished with all her heart that Melody would never have had the need to join with them, would never have lost her sister. Flowery words and impeccable manners aside, Melody was hurting, and badly. "Miss Derevo, if you need anything, just let us know, okay?"

A small, fleeting smile. "Well, you can start by calling me Melody."

Weiss nodded. "Very well, you can call me Weiss."

"And so, a beautiful romance was born!"

"Yang!" But even as Weiss reached out to swat at Yang with the back of her hand in an attempt to wipe the smarmy grin off of her face, she noticed the light blush that touched Melody's cheeks. Wait, don't tell me that she, too…

"Miss?" Alfred called back from the front, interrupting her thoughts. "We're at the hospital, miss."

"Oh, right, thank you. Melody, Alfred will take you wherever you need to go. Yang, shall we?"

Yang's smile grew wider. "We shall! Nice seeing you again, Melody, maybe you could play at my bar sometime…y'know, as a favor," she said with a playful wink.

Melody rolled her eyes. "Maybe." And then her eyes flicked towards the building looming over them, and her face darkened, grief shining through for a brief moment. "We'll talk about it later, we don't want your meeting with Miss Rose to be postponed at all due to us."

Yang's grin faltered, and then fell away, as she, too, glanced at the hospital. "Yeah, thanks. We'll catch you later." Giving a respectful nod to the other two, she opened the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk.

"Weiss, thank you for the ride. If you want anything, just let us know, okay? Here, Marrione, give her one of your cards. You're a singer, right? Maybe we can do a duet sometime."

"I…I would be honored, thank you!" Weiss stuttered as she gently took the card from Marrione's outstretched fingers, and she blushed at the slip. CEO of the SDC, and tongue-tied while talking to one of her stars. How mortifying! She took in a steadying breath, collecting herself. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Melody," she said smoothly, once more acting like a CEO should.

"And I yours, Weiss."

And then she was on the street, watching the limo pull away. Yang nudged her side with a grin. "So, did I make your day? Eh? Eh?"

Weiss sighed. "No. Seeing Ruby again after she's finally been out of bed will make my day. But that? That was a very pleasant surprise. Now-"

Yang's phone started to buzz in her pocket, and she frowned at it quizzically for a moment before answering it. "It's the bar," she whispered to Weiss, hand covering the microphone. "Hello? Yeah, hey Michelle, what's up? Uh-huh…wait…he did what? Well, no, tell him to put it out! What do you mean, he can't…? No…I don't care if he burns off his eyebrows, I've already had the fire department come out to the bar too many-!"

An odd, distant thump felt more through the feet than anything else, and they both turned, looking down the long road to the district where many of the bars and nightclubs were…including Yang's, and if Weiss wasn't mistaken, that small mushroom cloud rising up in the distance looked to be just about where the bar was. She glanced at her watch. Given the distance, the report should be reaching them just aboooout…

A faint, rippling roar, followed very shortly by the sound of fire engines in the distance. "Huh, they're getting faster," Weiss mused, and almost to prove her point, a pumper truck came around the corner, sirens blaring and lights flashing, and as the truck slowed down to take the turn towards the distant smoke plume, Weiss could have sworn that the firefighter sitting shotgun saw them, gave a small start, glared, and then did the 'I'm watching you' gesture towards Yang with his pointer and pinky fingers.

Yang, for her part, nervously laughed, and if this were one of those anime that Ruby liked so much, she probably would have a big sweat drop right now. "Yeeeah, Michelle, I'll be right there…uh-huh…yeah, you can see it from the hospital. Yeah…yeah…be there in a few." She ended the call, and gave a great, heaving sigh. "Weiss, could you give Ruby my love, and let her know that I won't be there because Onyx just did another one of his crazy culinary catastrophes?"

"Nice alliteration," Weiss said with a respectful nod.

Yang grinned. "Thanks! I've been practicing!"

xxxXXXxxx

Ruby looked up from her scroll as the windows rattled slightly, her stomach knotting in fear for a moment, distracting her momentarily from the pain. Is the Crimson Claw launching another attack? But then she saw precisely where the fireball was rising from, and a smile twitched briefly at her lips. Is Onyx up to his shenanigans again? She remembered the Red Dust infused jalapeno poppers he had created, which were surprisingly popular (and tasty, to boot!) once he had figured out how to get the Dust into an inert state. Before he had managed that, though…good thing Yang made extra money through Hunting and the occasional fighting tournament, or else she wouldn't have been able to afford the insurance payments. Which would be a shame, because the desserts at her bar were amazing! She grinned softly at those happy memories, especially since they helped drive the pain from. Nice thing about having a sister who owned a bar and grill, she knew exactly how you liked your food made.

Her bladder twinged uncomfortably, and she grimaced. At least now she was steady enough (or was it stubborn enough?) to get to the bathroom without calling for assistance, even if it took a long while. She sat up in her chair, grimace deepening as pain flared up all over her body. She didn't mind the pain from sore muscles so much, as that was a sign of progress, of strength gained. But…

She.

Was.

So.

TIRED of this other pain!

It hurt to move. It hurt to not move. It wasn't even consistent as to which hurt more…sometimes holding still helped, other times, moving helped relieve the intensity of the pain. Breathing too deeply hurt. Sleeping hurt.

Everything hurt.

And the worst part? She had been lying to her dad. The pain really wasn't getting better each day. It varied, yes, but for the most part stayed at the same, excruciating level. But when your arm, shoulder, neck, and face felt like it was on fire all the time, and according to the doctor, that pain was going to continue for at least a month longer, and that was taking her Aura into account…well, it was having telling effects on her mood.

She grimly grabbed onto her IV pole, getting ready for what was coming. But despite pausing for several deep breaths, it still came when she stood up, legs quivering slightly with pain and exertion. Both of those were expected, but the seething anger that followed her pain latched into her with cruel strength, and she almost lost the fight to not scream and curse. With each slow, staggering step, the roiling blackness grasping her heart lessened, and by the time she carefully lowered herself onto the toilet, it no longer threatened to take control, and a tear streaked down her cheek as she began voiding.

Honestly, that was the main reason why she didn't want any help getting to the bathroom. It was easier to hold in the pain-induced anger if she didn't have a living target to unleash it on. Her stomach rolled nauseously at the memory of snapping at the physical therapists not only yesterday, but today. She didn't want to, certainly didn't mean to, but the words came harsh and fast, even shocking her with their cruelty. Today had been even worse than yesterday, and Ruby knew she'd have to apologize tomorrow when she saw them again. But now she was scared, scared that this black anger was now a part of her, and something she'd be stuck with forever. It was one thing if she could avoid the triggers, and at least this level of pain would eventually go down, but that wasn't the only thing…

She turned her head, pushing past the flare of pain that ran up her neck as she did so, and looked down and to the right at her arm. This. This ugly little stump of a limb made the rage boil up like nothing else did, and she forced away the reflexive snarl that had seized her lips. She hated that stump more than she knew she could hate something. She hated it more than she had hated Torchwick, Fall, and Taurus, hated it even more than the Grimm that had taken her mother away. And with all this hatred and rage within her…how was she going to hunt, even if she did learn a new weapon? Her very presence would attract too much attention, the Grimm drawn to her darkness. And the real sad part? She could see the bouncy, optimistic, energetic young woman she had been before all this, but it was like she was a different person. She was still devoted to her friends, yes, but devotion was not joy, wasn't happiness. Merely remembering the good times also wasn't enough, either.

She sighed, running her hand through her hair, careful not to disturb the bandages that swathed her head, and her hand shook slightly as it rubbed past the hair that had been cut short both for her surgeries and to trim away the hair that had been damaged by the fire. Well. No sense just sitting here any longer, if she was done. She quickly wiped herself, stood again, and flushed the toilet. Now, time to figure out a new way to wash her hand. But before that…

She hesitated for a long moment before looking up into the mirror.

She looked like a mummy, with how many bandages were wrapped around her…half her face was hidden, and her neck was completely covered. Her arm…again, she fought the snarl down, forcing herself to look at it objectively, not emotionally. The lower half of what remained was well bandaged, and more of the white gauze was wrapped around her shoulder, with larger adhesive burn dressings covering her upper back, but that was hidden by her hospital gown, only a bulkiness beneath the fabric giving a clue as to what lay beneath. Oh, but wasn't she so glad that she had been in a coma when they had debrided her burns. From what she had read, that hurt more than anything else, and she wasn't sure how she'd react if she was introduced to pain that was greater than what she felt when moving around.

She glanced again at the face in the mirror, seeing the gauntness in her cheeks, the tired grey eye sunk in its socket, the thinness of her lips, and the ragged, uneven hair. And then she imagined the hollow socket hiding beneath the gauze, imagined that black hole staring emptily back at her, and her skin crawled. The rest of the skin…if the pictures she had found on the internet were true, the burnt areas would look a sickly brown after they healed, with streaks of yellow and red, the color of poorly cured hide. Shuddering, she turned the faucet on and waited for the water to grow warm. Now, to…

"Ruby?"

She froze before turning back to look out the bathroom door, looking back into her room. Weiss? Fear, followed by shock, followed by anger. Couldn't she have waited another thirty minutes? She was supposed to get her pain meds soon, and without the morphine to take the edge off the pain, she…

Weiss stuck her head around the side of the door. "Ah, there you are, you worried me for a second."

"Hi, Weiss," she croaked, lifting her hand in a brief wave before bringing it back down to the sink, steadying herself before her weak legs could fail her. Weiss glanced at her, at the sink, and at how tightly she was clutching the sink, and frowned. Without a word, she strode up to her and gently took her hand in one of her own as she grabbed her IV pole with the other. "W-Weiss, what are you doing?" she asked, surprise keeping her from doing much else but follow was her partner led her back out into her room and deposited her as gently as possible into her recliner. At that, her anger started to spark up. "Weiss, I was trying to wash my hand, why did you-?"

"Don't worry, Ruby, I've got it," Weiss cut her off a brief smile, before disappearing back into the bathroom. Ruby could hear her move around and mess with stuff before she reappeared, wet washcloth in her hands.

Wait, don't tell me that she…

With a graceful swoop, Weiss sank down and gently took her hand between hers before scrubbing it with long, careful strokes of the washcloth, and Ruby felt her face light up with a blush. Oh, wow, that actually feels pretty good, she realized, flustered, but not even the warm pressure of the washcloth could stop the irrational anger from rising. "Weiss, I need to learn how to wash my own hand!" she snapped, and hated herself at Weiss's brief start and her quick glance up, surprise clear in her light blue eyes at the heat in Ruby's voice. But she didn't stop as she began to clean each finger.

"That's something we can work on later, after you've healed more," Weiss murmured, voice soothing, and Ruby's heart fluttered as some of the anger eased. "For now, I'd like to help you where I can." She held Ruby's hand, peering at it critically. "Tomorrow, I'll bring in my manicure kit. No reason to let your fingernails get this out of line."

"And hair clippers," Ruby blurted, and Weiss glanced back up at her, eyebrow quirked as her eyes flicked briefly up to her messy hair.

"Ruby, you know I don't have any skill at cutting hair," she said, amusement clear in her voice. "But, I think I can bring up a hairdresser. I wasn't going to say anything, but your hair looks like birds live up there."

Ruby smiled weakly at that. She knew exactly what her hair looked like, and didn't feel like joking about it. Maybe after it had been cut, but now?

A knock at the door, and Weiss straightened as Tedd and Doctor al-Tabeeb came in, Tedd pushing a cart piled high with bandages, dressings, and ointment tubes. "Miss Rose, good afternoon," Dr. al-Tabeeb said with a friendly nod before he turned to Weiss. "And you must be Miss Schnee. I had heard you were going to help Miss Rose here in her rehabilitation process. Very good! Having friends involved in the healing process can help her along." While he was talking, Tedd was fiddling with her IV machine, and Ruby felt a surge of eagerness. She couldn't wait for it to take effect. That was the one thing that made all this even remotely bearable. She couldn't help her dopey smile, nor stop the thrum of anticipation as he administered the drug. She was so eager that she almost missed what Dr. al-Tabeeb was saying to Weiss.

"…so, if you'd like, you can learn how to administer the burn ointment."

"What?" Ruby snapped, surprise and fear making the word come out in a low, gravelly growl.

"I was just telling Miss Schnee here that if she'd like, she can learn how to administer the burn ointment today. You'll need to have it administered even after you are discharged, and having someone help you with it will be very beneficial."

Ruby shook her head, panic beginning to eat away at her control. "No."

Tedd and Dr. al-Tabeeb exchanged worried glances, while Weiss quirked an eyebrow at her, concern visible in her eyes. "Miss Rose, given the location of some of your burns, you're going to need some help, and if Miss Schnee is-"

"I said no!" Ruby shouted…or, at least, tried to shout, her throat screaming in pain as the words came croaking out, and now Weiss frowned indignantly.

"Ruby, what he's saying is true, and I was hoping you'd come and stay with me after you discharged…I've much more room than Yang does, and it'll be a while before you'll be ready to live alone again, so-"

Her, live with Weiss? Her head swam at those implications. It had been rough enough sleeping above her at school, but now, living under the same roof after Weiss had gotten so beautiful and after she…after she…? "I don't want your help!" she ground out, and hated herself and the anger that spurred her to say that, especially at the sight of the hurt that shone briefly in Weiss's eyes before the silver-haired woman's anger rose to the challenge.

"You don't want my…Ruby, it's not about want, you need my help!"

Oh, what cruelty gripped them, that Ruby couldn't stop the words coming from her mouth, even as the truth bubbled closer to the surface, her reflection dancing in her mind's eye as she thought about what lay underneath…

"No, I need help, but I don't need or want your help!"

Dr. al-Tabeeb raised soothing hands. "Now, ladies, how about we-"

Weiss cut him off, faceas cold and fierce as a blizzard. "Ruby Rose, you take that back! After all we've been through-!"

Why couldn't Weiss just stop?! Why did she have to keep pushing, forcing this anger to rise higher and higher, forcing the truth closer and closer to the surface?! "For fuck's sake, Weiss, just leave me alone!"

"No, not until you tell me why! Why are you turning me away?"

"There's no reason, just-!"

"I don't believe that, not for a second, now you need-"

"Don't you dare tell me what I need to do, Weiss, you're not my boss!"

"It's not…Ruby, of course I'm not your boss, I'm your friend, and friends care about each-"

"Weiss Schnee, get the fuck out of my room!" The words that she was so scared of were now beating at the back of her mouth, and if Weiss didn't leave, then she'd say them, and Weiss would confirm it, and then everything would be lost, and-

"I refuse to leave until you tell me why, and I swear by my name, if you try to call security, nurse, I'll make you regret it!"

"Weiss, just go!"

"Why?!"

"Because I'm hideous!" Ruby screeched, voice cracking, and she coughed in the shocked silence that followed, throat in agony. But, she said it, said what she was scared of, and she took advantage of the silence that still reigned. "I'm fucking ugly! Weiss, I don't want you to see what I've become, what remains of my ruined body," she croaked, tears gathering at the corner of her eye. "This arm," she hissed, gesturing angrily with the stump, "my face, my eye…I don't want you to see that…you shouldn't have to be subjected to that disgustingness." A wracking sob tore itself free. "Anyone but you, please!"

"Oh, Ruby," Weiss breathed as she sank down to sit on her bed, tears shining at the corners of her eyes. "Ruby, you could never be ugly to me."

"Oh, really?" Ruby ground out, anger squashing what little hope that had come up at her words. But words were words, Weiss hadn't seen what lay under the bandages. "We'll see. Fine, then, doctor. If she wants to help, then let her help."

Dr. al-Tabeeb hesitated for just a moment, looking between the two of them before nodding. "Very well then." He washed his hands, put on a pair of gloves, and stepped behind her chair. Ruby stared directly into Weiss's eyes as he began to unwrap the bandages around her head. She wanted to see the moment that Weiss saw exactly what lay beneath. Weiss managed to hold her gaze right up until the very end, but as the burn dressing was lifted away from her empty eye socket and the burns that surrounded it, she flinched and closed her eyes, the tears that had been gathering running down her cheeks. And as those tears slid down her cheeks, Ruby felt a cruel, anguished triumph. I knew you would be disgusted…why didn't you just listen to me?! she wailed as her own eye squeezed shut.

The bed creaked slightly as Weiss got up, and Ruby kept her eye closed, not wanting to see her friend leave in disgust…but then the chair rocked slightly as weight was put on it, and her eye snapped open in shock to see Weiss leaning over her, her eyes impossibly tender. "Oh, my sweet, poor Ruby Rose," she breathed softly, and Ruby flinched at Weiss's claim to her. And then she flinched still further as Weiss brought her hand up towards her face, but when she brushed her thumb against her ruined cheek, she did it so tenderly that it didn't hurt. Her hand reached around to the back of her head, threading carefully into her hair, and then she was leaning in and oh my God what was she going to do she wasn't supposed to react like this what do I-?

Smooth, soft, and cool lips pressed against her forehead, soothing against the burnt skin there, and there had been no hesitation, not even at the presence of the ointment that had been administered at the last dressing change, hours ago. Then she pulled away slightly, and Ruby wondered just how red her face was, and was Weiss blushing, too? She didn't have time to ponder just what that meant, too lost in the euphoria of having Weiss finally kiss her, platonic though the gesture probably had been, and Weiss had continued to move, resting her forehead against Ruby's, staring into her eye. "Ruby," she whispered, voice all the more intense for the lack of volume. "I am your best teammate. No matter what injuries you suffer, no matter what wounds you carry, I will be there for you."

Nothing, not even the heat death of the universe, could have stopped the sobbing tears that erupted, nor could anything stop her from throwing her arm over Weiss's shoulder, not the presence of Tedd or the doctor, nor even the pain that snarled in protest at her movements as she buried her face in the crook of Weiss's neck.

Pain may change people for the worst, and she knew that she would need help beating that demon. But friendship…true friendship and help freely given by dear companions could change you for the better, and she could think of no one better than Weiss who could help her surmount her trials. Guilt gnawed at her briefly for doubting Weiss, but then Weiss wrapped her arms around her, and Ruby basked in the warmth of her friend's arms. She knew, without being told, that Weiss forgave her for her anger and her words. It's not what changes you, she told herself, but what you let change you. Weiss…thank you.

Thank you, for being my friend…