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Yang cracked her eyes open and closed them at the harsh bright light assailing her eyes.
“Yang?”
It was a weirdly familiar voice. “Dad?” Yang opened her eyes again and squinted to see her father with a too-serious look on his face.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Where am I?”
“A hospital outside of Vale.”
“What happened?”
Her father paused. “What do you remember?”
Yang thought back. “I remember the Vytal festival...then the Grimm attack...and…” Yang sat up quickly and cursed at the suddenly sharp pain which shot through her right arm.
Her father pushed her to lay back down. “Easy. You’re...hurt.”
Yang breathed through the pain. Why the hell did her arm hurt so much? Did she break it? She reached over to her right arm, but Tai stopped her.
“Wait…”
Yang refocused on her last thought. “Blake. Where’s Blake? Is she okay?”
“She’s…”
A voice sounded from the doorway. “I’m here.” The woman of her dreams stepped into the room, looking sad and nervous.
“Blake! Are you okay? He...he hurt you.”
Blake moved closer and took the chair at Yang’s left side. Tai leaned down to whisper in Blake’s ear, and Yang strained to hear, but couldn’t make out anything.
“Yang, I’m going to go check on your sister down the hall.”
“Is Ruby okay?”
“She will be. She’s been unconscious since...well she’ll be alright. Don’t worry Yang. Blake, I’ll be close by in case…”
Blake nodded. “Thanks Tai.”
Yang smiled. “You and my Dad getting close?”
Blake nodded. “With Weiss being taken back to Atlas by her father…”
Yang sat up abruptly, her right arm causing her that weird pain again. “Shoot, that hurts.” Yang started to turn to look at her arm when suddenly Blake’s hands were on her face.
“Don’t look. Look at me, Yang.”
Yang was confused, but felt warm by this new comforting touch. “Is Weiss okay?”
Blake nodded, still holding Yang’s face. “She is.”
“Is everyone else okay?”
Blake shook her head. “Many people were killed. Pyrrha...was killed by Cinder.”
“Pyrrha…”
Blake nodded, her eyes sad.
Yang released a shuddering breath, and felt the tears in her eyes. She reached up with her right hand to wipe her eyes, but the pain stopped her, and Yang winced.
“Yang?”
“Why does my right arm hurt so much?”
Blake closed her eyes and took a breath. Yang could tell Blake was holding something back.
“Blake. Why does it hurt so much?”
“Maybe I should get Tai…”
“Tell me Blake. Now.”
Blake kept her hands on Yang’s face and wiped the tears which fell. “Do you remember seeing that man, who hurt me?”
“The one with the sword? Yeah. I was so angry when I saw him hurting you.”
Blake nodded. “You were trying to protect me. You tried to attack him, Adam. But Adam was too fast. He cut you down.”
“He cut my arm?”
Blake took a deep breath. “Yang, he...he cut off your arm.”
Yang’s eyes widened and she shook her head. “No. That’s...no.”
Blake sighed and moved her hands to hold Yang’s left hand as she allowed Yang to look over...and see the bandaged stump where her arm used to be. Yang was fixated on it. She didn’t understand. How could she not have an arm? Yang moved the stump and felt that same sharp pain. She was missing an arm, she dumbly thought.
Warm hands were forcing her to look away from it, and she gazed back into Blake’s teary amber eyes. Blake was wiping the tears that Yang now realized were streaming down her face.
“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault.”
Yang was numb with shock, and now confusion. “But it’s not. You didn’t do this. That guy did.”
“Adam. He’s with the White Fang. He...he hurt you because of me!” Blake released Yang’s face and curled up on herself in the chair as she cried.
Yang tried to move to comfort Blake, but her arm hurt too much. Yang growled. “Blake, come here.”
Blake looked up.
Yang gestured with her left arm. “Come here. It’s not your fault. It’s not.”
Blake allowed Yang to hold her with her left arm as Blake cried into Yang’s neck, her tears soaked up by her partner’s thin hospital gown.
When Blake had calmed, she pulled back and wiped at her red, puffy eyes. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Blake, you deserve everything. I...I’ll be okay. I will. You’ll see. As long as you’re here, that’s all I need. That’s it.”
What looked like a flash of guilt passed over Blake’s face, but she said resolutely, “I’m not leaving. I promise.”
Yang pulled Blake to press her forehead against hers.
“I’m not going to break my promise, I swear,” said Blake with such conviction that Yang knew without a doubt Blake wouldn’t.
Yang smiled sadly, but looked straight into amber eyes and said, “I know you won’t.”