After The Battle (ch3)

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Thanks as always to all my readers!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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														Chapter 3. Step By Step

Waking the next morning was strange for Yang.

Before she even opened her eyes, her mind was clogged by the reality she never wanted to acknowledge – that Ruby was still gone.

She continued lying there for several minutes, hoping her mind would shake off the reality as some kind of nightmare. She wanted to go downstairs for breakfast and see her little sister sitting there. She wanted to hug her with both arms.

But this reality never faded. It stayed, stubborn and bitter, and Yang couldn't wake up from it.

It took her a while to finally accept it, or at least begin to.

Ruby was still gone.

But at least Pyrrha had kept her promise.

When Yang opened her eyes, she found Pyrrha lying next to her, still in slumber. She was breathing peacefully, her hair loose and in a charming disarray, her hand still reaching out in Yang's direction.

If Yang's losing her arm had been real, and if Ruby's leaving had been real, there was one other memory Yang actually hoped was real as well.

Last night hadn't been just a dream. She and Pyrrha had established something neither had ever established before with anyone else.

Yang could easily still remember the warmth of Pyrrha's body pressed close to hers, the tickle of her lips, the unspoken promise of her actions. The flutter Yang felt in her stomach when she gazed at Pyrrha's sleeping expression spoke volumes about what had happened last night.

With her arm, sister, and teammates gone now, there was absolutely no reason for Yang to be feeling so unnaturally giddy. She almost felt guilty on top of it all – it didn't feel right to be almost content enough to smile after everything that had happened.

But she just... couldn't help it.

Her love for Pyrrha was real, and there was certainly no denying that.

But she didn't know how she should handle things this morning once Pyrrha woke. She didn't know what to say, what kind of expression to make. She didn't know if she'd be able to look her in the eye.

Intimidated by her own misgivings, Yang pushed herself up from her pillow and slowly moved her legs off the side of the bed. She didn't get up, but merely sat there, staring.

Her mind was as empty as her stomach after a day of grief and fasting. She didn't think, didn't reflect, didn't consider. She just stared. Stared and felt all she could manage to feel, which was close to nothing.

White noise seemed to silently pierce her ears straight through her skull. Blinking felt heavy, like she was about to cry again. She almost wished she would.

But for whatever reason, she couldn't. She didn't know if she was beyond the point of needing to cry anymore, or if she'd cried all her body could manage, or if she just wasn't upset enough to cry because of what she'd found in Pyrrha.

She didn't know. She just sat in the silence of the room, her peripheral vision vaguely noticing the shadows moving across the wall, cast in by the morning light.

Time meant nothing to her until Pyrrha stirred.

Yang heard her sit up, mumble softly to herself, then clear her throat. Yang braced herself for questions about last night, for words of resentment or regret as she called it all a mistake. Yang wouldn't blame Pyrrha if she simply left the room without saying so much as a word to her, and forgot about it all, pretended it never happened.

She waited for it to happen, for Pyrrha to leave her, accuse her, play it off as a joke – anything.

Anything that would hurt Yang, anything that would make her feel the pain and sorrow she knew she was supposed to be feeling right now, instead of feeling almost happy.

Some part of her hated Pyrrha for not doing that. Instead, with her voice soft and raspy with the remnants of slumber, she asked her.

"Shall we go to breakfast?"

That was all.

She didn't rescind the feelings she'd claimed to have last night.

She didn't pity Yang for her sorry, confused state.

She didn't even demand Yang try to look at the bright side of things.

She simply made an offer that confirmed everything Yang had ever known and loved about her.

Pyrrha offered a hand, and Yang accepted, then followed her out of the room.

Yang hated herself for it, but she smiled, just a little.

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They didn't tell Tai anything about what had happened between them. It was still surreal to them, to some degree, and they wanted to figure things out together before presenting this information to anyone else, especially Yang's father.

He was just glad to see his eldest daughter out of her room and at the table again. He knew she wouldn't have come out of her own volition so soon, therefore he attributed her more favorable behavior to Pyrrha's influence.

He didn't want to push her though, so he didn't bring up Ruby or any other concerning matters that morning. He simply told them he had errands to run in town today, and told them to relax before he stepped out the door.

Pyrrha and Yang found themselves in a silent house once he was gone, but the silence didn't last very long. Thankfully, Zwei had stayed behind and was more than willing to make noise.

As Pyrrha, still wearing her borrowed nightgown, was putting her dishes into the sink, the corgi rushed over to start jumping up around her ankles, yipping excitedly. Pyrrha chuckled.

"My, my! Someone's energetic this morning!"

He was definitely the only one unaffected by Ruby's absence. Yang knew it was because he was used to it, unlike herself. She stood and carried her own dishes to the sink as well.

"Some of his toys are in the living room," she said softly. "You should play with him if you want."

Yang thought Pyrrha might become anxious or nervous at some point, since she probably didn't know how to be acting around Yang right now. But if she was feeling nervous, she didn't let it show at all.

"Oh, really? Then I think you'll have to show me how it's done, Yang."

Pyrrha offered her a small smile, her eyes calm. Yang knew then and there that Pyrrha wouldn't be upset if she refused. Pyrrha was a positive person by nature. Therefore, she was going with that trademark positivity, even on such a solemn day.

Part of Yang almost found it annoying, how both her father and Pyrrha were trying to act as though nothing was wrong.

But she also understood why they were acting that way. Acknowledging the bad things, and reminding Yang of them would only drag everyone's moods down even further into a depression.

Pyrrha was demonstrating a level of energy that wasn't exhausting, nor did it feel forced.

It just made things feel... normal.

And that was something Yang really appreciated.

So after she deposited her dishes into the sink, she followed Pyrrha into the living room. Zwei scampered after them both without a care in the world, eager and excited as ever.

Yang caught Pyrrha's eye for a second, then indicated a small basket filled with dog toys beneath a coffee table.

"There they are; his favorite things, other than people."

Zwei confirmed her statement with a bark, then ran over to the basket, his stump of a tail wagging rapidly. Pyrrha chuckled again.

"I can see why! They certainly look like fun toys."

She made an effort to crouch down, but froze when a sudden soreness shot through her bad ankle. Wincing, she staggered, and Yang quickly reached out to steady her by the shoulder.

"You okay?"

"Yes. Thank you."

Zwei tilted his head and pawed at the basket again. Pyrrha straightened herself up and frowned.

"I'm sorry, Zwei. I'm not sure if I'll be able to play with you after all..."

Not only was Pyrrha dejected by that possibility, but Zwei whimpered as well.

However, Yang wasn't about to let the promise of an easygoing day go to waste.

"Tell ya what..." Yang, in contrast to Pyrrha, crouched down with ease and scooped up the basket, tucking it under her arm. "I can do the crouching and you can do the throwing."

That time, she was the one to offer the smile.

Pyrrha's face brightened up instantly.

"That sounds wonderful!"

Zwei yipped in agreement.

So Yang and Pyrrha stepped into pairs of slippers, then headed outside with Zwei on their heels.

And that was how they spent their day – a day that anyone else might've wallowed through beneath a sulking cloud of regret.

Without her right arm, Yang couldn't throw.

And with her injured ankle, Pyrrha couldn't crouch.

Therefore, they made quite the perfect team.

Pyrrha would throw Zwei's toys across the yard, and once he had torn off to fetch them and bring them back, Yang would be the one to crouch down and retrieve them from his mouth.

They stood side by side, still in their sleep-clothes, as Zwei pelted across the yard to fetch each new toy Pyrrha threw for him.

It wasn't much of an activity for the girls since the dog was the one doing all the moving. But there was something to be said for just getting out of bed this morning, all things considered.

In addition to that, going outside and breathing in some fresh air was undoubtedly better than whittling away the hours indoors. Being outside took their minds off things, just for a while.

They'd chuckle whenever Zwei missed catching a ball, or stumbled over his own paws in his excitement. Yang would complain about the slobber on her palm, then threaten to wipe in on Pyrrha, who would shriek playfully.

By the time Zwei was too exhausted to play anymore, both girls were smiling.

"All right," Yang said at last. "I think that's enough for one day." She walked over to where Zwei had flopped down in the grass and scooped him up, cradling him against her chest. He wiggled happily and licked her chin. "Ugh, gross. I gotta shower."

As she brought Zwei back toward the house, Pyrrha reached out to scratch his head and coddle him a bit.

Once they were back inside, Pyrrha took a seat on the couch and Yang placed Zwei next to her. He crawled into Pyrrha's lap and cuddled up right away.

Yang went back outside to retrieve the toy basket, put that in its place under the coffee table, and then took her leave for a shower.

She still winced whenever she removed her shirt and actually had to look directly at what was left of her arm. It was an ugly reminder of reality, and she just wanted to focus on the kinder vibes she was still feeling.

It took her a little longer to undress, shower, wash her hair, and re-dress into clean sleepwear afterward.

There was so much she had to do differently now. Pulling on her shorts couldn't be done unless she was sitting down, and every time she put on a shirt, she had to wrestle her way through. She was going to need to start buying button-up shirts or shirts that zippered and came undone down the middle.

When she tried blow-drying her hair, she could only hold the hair dryer and move it around. She still found herself trying to move her right arm, wanting to run her fingers through her hair as she dried it. It was just another of many, many thing she'd have to get used to now.

When she finally finished, she came back into the living room to find Pyrrha cuddling Zwei on the couch. He gave a little yawn, then closed his eyes for a nap.

Pyrrha dipped her head to Yang in greeting as she took a seat beside her.

Yang didn't think or hesitate when she put her arm around Pyrrha's shoulders. She almost recoiled, but when Pyrrha snuggled in closer, Yang remembered this was all right now.

For a time, they simply sat in silence. What surprised Yang most of all was that it was a comfortable silence.

Thoughts of Ruby still plagued her mind every now and again, but for the most part, she tried to focus on the present.

Before long, she felt herself becoming languid. A sigh from Pyrrha told her she was feeling sleepy as well.

And so both girls closed their eyes and enjoyed a nap together on the couch.

When they woke a while later, Pyrrha pulled Yang in for a brief kiss. Yang kissed back with a subtle fervor.

They were still getting used to this.

But it was becoming easier and easier with each new kiss, each new embrace, each new reassurance – wordless or otherwise.

By the time Tai had returned, both girls were still smiling, and the three of them held calm, normal conversations during dinnertime.

But that night, when Pyrrha wished Yang goodnight and made a move to head down the hall to her guest room, Yang took her hand and stopped her.

Pyrrha happily followed her back to her bedroom instead.

There, they curled up together, and kissed until they fell asleep.

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A/N: It isn't much, but they are learning to recover in their own ways.