"At the end, we will not remember the rhetoric our foes used against us, but the silence of our friends who we held so dear."

- Ghira Belladona, White Fang Rally on Menagerie, 73 A.G.W.

Ch 2: Severing Ties

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He was going to strangle this boy, Tukson thought to himself as he flipped his open sign to closed.

Kiba was an acquired taste of a person, he knew that from the first time Ghira had him train him in some basic self-defense techniques. He was loud, energetic, rowdy, rough, brash, rude, and had the attention span of a fruit fly when it came to anything and everything he deemed 'grown-up' back then, which was everything that didn't include any of the aforementioned traits.

"And then wham! I punched that fucker right in his throat! Eh, Tukson? Impressive right? Lemme tell you about this other time in Vacuo when…,"

Okay, maybe he was being a little too nice. Kiba was a pain in his ass and when he retired to his nice, quant bookstore he thought the next time he'd see him, Kiba would be a little different.

"Tukson what book is this? It says 'Ninjas of Love'...eh Tukson, you wouldn't happen to be the closest pervert would you?"

Oum preserve him.

With that last thought, Tukson snatched the book out of his student's hands, pointedly ignoring the smug 'I knew it' and put it back on its shelf. Tukson rubbed his temples in an attempt to stave off the headache he could already feel coming.

"Meh, Tukson," Kiba called from his position behind the cash register in TUKSON'S seat. "You gettin' those headaches again, man? You should really go to the doctor about those. Older Faunus like you ought to stay on top of their health," he said matter-of-factly.

Tukson took a deep breath and counted to five before releasing it.

"Ah, the five-second breathing technique," Kiba said in realization. "I forgot you're where Sienna got it from. Speaking of our High Leader," He got up from the chair he was lounging in and jammed his hands in his pockets and immediately took them back out.

"Sorry," Kiba chuckled weakly. "Force of habit. You know the deal."

Tukson knew the deal. After years of trying to hide his claws from people, it seemed like the habit still hadn't fully left.

"Sienna sent me here to pick up Blake and Adam," He began and Tukson's heart dropped through the floor. Oh, no. He didn't know?

"She says we need all hands on deck cause Mistral is about to seem some real...radical change if you catch my drift," He joked and Tukson winced at it. Kiba caught the wince and pouted slightly.

"Oh, c'mon Tukson. The play on words wasn't that bad. We're a 'radical' group, so it makes sense" Kiba countered with an easy roll of his eyes. He walked around to the front of the counter and leaned against it and crossed his arms. Kiba sniffed the air once, and Tukson knew the jig was up.

"You smell uneasy, Tukson," Kiba began hesitatingly. "What's going on, old man? This got something to do with Adam and Blake?" he asked forcefully. If something was up with them, he needed to know. Why didn't they contact him or Sienna?

Tukson sighed and turned to regard his previous ward with a sad look and shook his head.

"Blake is out of the game, kid," He revealed gruffly. Better to rip the bandage off instead of trying to be nice about it.

Kiba recoiled in shock with his eyes wide. "What do you mean she is out of the game? She hasn't talked to me nor Sienna about this," he answered back heatedly. This was news to him!

Tukson sighed and rubbed the back of his head. Might as well get this over with. "Blake and Adam had a falling out that resulted in her leaving the White Fang. Last I heard from the both of them was that Blake was off doing her own thing and Adam," here Tukson sighed even heavier. "Adam has turned the White Fang into a bunch of thieves that are working under a human."

Tukson waited a few seconds for the explosion he was sure to come from his previous student.

"What?!"

There it was.

Kiba paced around the bookstore cursing up a storm as if he was trying to fill up the bookstore with curses and angry words. Tukson could understand what Kiba was feeling at the moment. It was how he felt when he found out from his buddies still involved with the White Fang out here.

Kiba was scowling hard now. He stopped dead and belted out another swear word to the roof as if he was trying to make this one stick. He rounded on Tukson with almost rabid fervor.

"Where are they?" He all but growled out. When he received no answer from his teacher, he moved closer and got in Tukson's face. Tukson could feel the heat of his breath smack across his nose and cheeks. Kiba was just as tall if not taller than him now.

Lowly with just a hint of menace, he spoke through gritted teeth. "Tukson, I know you know where they are. If Blake wanted to disappear, you'd be the only one she'd trust to do the job right and I know you still have contacts in the White Fang. So, I am asking you as your student, your friend, where are they?"

In the face of fangs and barely contained aggression, most men, Faunus or not, would have capitulated in a heartbeat out of fear for their lives, but Tukson knew Kiba. He narrowed his eyes at Kiba's wild ones and really looked at the young man before him. It didn't take long for him to make up his decision.

Tukson was the first to break eye contact and move past Kiba to the front counter of the store. He reached in one of the drawers for his scroll, opened it up, and began tapping on it. Kiba was confused until he felt his own scroll buzz with a notification.

Tukson started speaking as Kiba pulled his scroll out in confusion.

"I don't know where their base is," Tukson admitted freely and he wasn't too torn up about it. "I didn't want to know so they didn't tell me, but I do know where they're going to be tonight. I sent the details to your scroll. You find the White Fang, you find Adam," he explained.

Kiba nodded, already looking at the scroll and the info. This was perfect but he needed more than just one outta the two. He looked up from it and quirked an eyebrow. "And Blake?"

Tukson shook his head negative and before Kiba could say anything he continued. "I made a promise to her that I wouldn't tell a soul where she went, even you and Sienna," he explained, and in the face of the hurt Kiba showed on his face he added softly but seriously, "I keep my promises."

Kiba sucked his teeth and groaned out loud in exasperation. "I know, I know. So, how am I supposed to find her then? If she...left then she'd get as far away from the White Fang as possible," Kiba said with confusion written all over his face.

Tukson shook his head at the irony and chuckled slightly. "You would think that, wouldn't you? Nah, instead of ditching town, she's trying to put a stop to the operations out here, and I don't blame her," Tukson leaned in a little as if he was telling Kiba the biggest secret that wasn't meant for anybody to hear. "Look, Kiba, what Adam started doing out here goes against a lot of what the White Fand stood for. Stealing from regular shops and working with a known human criminal to name the big ones. Something is brewing in this city, Kiba, and you best watch your step," he warned him in a matter-of-fact kind of tone.

Kiba digested all of that for a moment. He could hear the warning in Tukson's voice, it was blanketed over each of his words, but he couldn't just leave. He had a mission, and he was going to see it through no matter what!

"Sienna tasked me with bringing them both back and that's what I'm going to do, Tukson. If it takes me beating some sense into both of their heads then so be it. And anyone who gets in my way is going down. Hard," he emphasized at the end with a smack of his fist into his other hand.

Tukson let a small smile grow on his face at Kiba's words and the glowing sensation of pride filled him to the brim. "Loyal to your own, huh kid?"

Kiba smiled proudly and nodded. "You know it, old man. It's one of the Tenants we swore by after all," he chirped before he started tapping a few buttons on his scroll before addressing Tukson again. "I'm going to call Sienna and let her know what's been going on out here. You want to say something to her Tukson? You know she appreciates your wisdom much more than I ever did," he joked with a smile.

Tukson barked out a laugh. "You got that right. Hmm, the shop is closed and I don't have anywhere to be. Sure, kid, call her and let's chat for a bit. Like old times," he grinned.

Kiba whooped for joy and called Sienna. After a single ring, she picked up and her face appeared on the screen.

"What'd you do?" She asked immediately.

Kiba balked at the question as if he had heard the most ludicrous thing in the world. "Why you assume I got into something already? I haven't even been here a whole day."

"Because you're you and trouble follows you wherever you go," she answered right back mercilessly.

"Not true."

"Need I remind you of the time you somehow stumbled upon a pack of Beowolves and then proceeded to run into a pack of Ursa which then caused the flock of Nevermore to come out? I've never seen Tukson more done with life than in that moment."

"I remember that with less fondness than you seem to, Sienna," Tukson chimed in from off-screen, a sappy smile on his face as he listened to one of former protege giggling at the expense of the other.

Sienna stopped her giggling and Kiba grew a sly grin on his face. He moved to Tukson and flipped the scroll around so she could see his face. He handed the scroll to Tukson to hold.

"Tukson?" She asked softly, almost as if she spoke too loudly he would crack and crumble away into dust.

Tukson felt his old heart soar at seeing her. Today was just full of pleasant surprises it seemed. He cleared his throat and tried to keep his voice steady

"It's me, Sienna," he answered. Something warm and soft bloomed in his chest. "You've grown up so much, just look at you. This lug still driving you crazy?" He asked and jutted a thumb out at Kiba who took with as much grace as you'd expect.

He flipped Tukson the middle finger.

Sienna's yellow eyes softened as she answered. "Still driving me crazy, but I wouldn't have it any other way," she said sincerely with a bucketful of care and fondness. Kiba's "Damn, right" caused them both to chuckle.

After the laughter died down, Sienna smiled sadly. "I miss you, Tukson. You should call more. Oum knows I could use your counsel sometimes out here. The spot is still available if you ever want it," she offered almost immediately.

Tukson shook his head negatively. "You know I'm out of the game, Sienna. I'm just a humble bookstore owner now. All that violence is behind me now. After I lost Coby, I just couldn't do it anymore," he told her sadly. His baby boy. At this point, the memories had become a dull ache than an overwhelming tidal wave. It didn't mean he didn't miss him every single day.

"I know, Tukson, I know," she consoled with just as much grief in her tone. Kiba threw a comforting hand onto Tukson's shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze before letting go.

It was an old kind of grief that took a moment from them. The familiar, aching silence lasted a few moments before Tukson broke it with all the skill of a bruised father.

"I'm proud of you, of all of you," he admitted with an overflowing sense of sincerity-enough to build a bridge to Mistral and back. Both Kiba and Sienna's eyes were locked onto Tukson as he spoke. "Your paths may be winding in different directions than mine, but I am proud and happy all the same. This old man's adventures are done, but yours are really just beginning. Don't lose sight of what you're fighting for."

They could only nod and if one of them sniffled once, he wasn't going to mention it. Even if it was Kiba.

"Good," Tukson nodded, pleased they took his words to heart. It took a while to get them to do that after all. "Now, your partner here has some news for you, Sienna, and you need to hear it," He told her seriously.

Fuck, he was sooooo late.

The ringing sounds of explosions and grunts of fighting reached his sensitive ears, and Kiba leaped and ran across the rooves even faster. He didn't want to mess up these people's rooves, but he needed to get to the pier before it was all over. Tukson's info was good, as it always is, and the pier was to be the stage where everything went down.

At this point, Kiba said screw it and went on all fours for even more speed. He wouldn't have had to if he wasn't late, but y'know how those mid-day naps are. You intend to nap for a few minutes and it turns into eight hours. Not his fault honesty.

Besides, he thought as he leaped to a stop on the roof of an empty shipping container overlooking the pier, I'd say I'm right on time.

Below him was a scene he quickly surveyed with his keen eyesight. He noticed a large group of Fangs on the ground in various stages of pain and distress, there was a shipping container in the middle of the pier turned battlegrounds, a Faunus he was unfamiliar with getting to his feet slowly, a little girl in red with a giant scythe sprawled out on the floor, a shady looking guy in a suit and a hat and an orange-haired girl swatting Bullheads out of the sky with her swords.

Huh, don't see that every day.

Kiba wasn't sure how she was doing it, but she was using a bunch of floating blades to knock the Bullheads down and onto the ground where they landed with a metallic crunch and grinding to a slow, smoky stop away from everyone there. He tore his eyes away from the crashed Bullheads and finished his surveying. There! He knew that figure anywhere.

It was Blake!

Immediately, a large smile stretched across his face and he felt a surge of warmth enter his system. He couldn't stop smiling even if he wanted to. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime he sees her. There she was, still in all black it seemed too! He had to talk to her; get her to come back with him to Mistral! Well, he couldn't do much of anything on this roof. Luckily enough, there seemed to be a bit of a lull in the fighting after that girl took down those Bullheads. Good. it was time for him to make his move.

"Ora, Ora," He called out and everyone stopped to look up at him. He held firm and bared his fangs in a smile. "Mind if I cut in?"

He jumped down from his spot on the roof and landed in a crouch in front of the recovering White Fang group. The smell of smoke from the crashed Bullheads and gunfire made him wrinkle his nose. Ugh, how he hated the smell of smoke. It got all up in his nose and he couldn't smell anything other than it.

"All of you," He began, addressing the White Fang group, "fall back and regroup back at base! Your job tonight is done! No more Faunus need to get hurt tonight or arrested; you're done," he told them forcefully. They'd get the message or not. He moved forward and hoisted up one of his brothers-in-arms from the ground like one would a child. Kiba patted his fellow Faunus on the shoulder and angled his head down to speak with him.

"Are you alright?" he asked him in a low volume.

The guy kind of looked at him and shakily raised the mask from his face. Kiba saw amazement written all over the young one's face. It wasn't an adult after all but a youngling. A current of anger climbed its way up his spine, but Kiba didn't let it show on his face. He did make a mental note to talk to Adam about this.

"Y-you're the 'Red Wolf'," he stuttered out clumsily just loud enough for those close enough to hear him say it.

Kiba rubbed the back of his head in slight embarrassment but couldn't deny the slight fluttering feeling of pride that surged through his gut. Seemed his name really had reached all the way to Vale.

"I am," He confirmed proudly. He took pride in who he was. "But that isn't important. What is important is that you gather up your brothers and sisters and go," He smiled warmly at the young one. "You don't need to get hurt anymore," he told him.

He patted the young one, ignoring the slight twinge of anger at that fact, and urged him forward into the rest of the group.

"Holy shit," a voice whispered in what seemed like shock and disbelief. Kiba looked to the voice and saw it was another Fang that whispered it. He could hardly read their faces from behind their masks, and couldn't smell much with all the smoke in the air, but they seemed to be in a similar state as the one he helped up.

"That is the Red Wolf," another one whispered.

"Who is the Red Wolf?" another asked at

Before anyone could answer that question the sounds of yet another Bullhead reached all of their ears. Everyone looked up and there it was speeding closer with its guns angled right for them!

Kiba's eyes widened. How many more of these were there?!

"Get down and cover your ears!" He yelled and grabbed the youngling next to him and threw him to ground, quickly following suit. He covered his ears and brought his Aura up.

The guns of the Bullhead came to life and spit its rounds out with explosive cracks of fire that still left his ears ringing even when they were covered.

"I'd love to stay and chat!" A voice hollered over the sounds of the Bullhead. Kiba risked looking up but had to squint through the heavy wind kicked up by the hovering Bullhead. The voice belonged to the hat and suit guy! "But this is my ride!" he yelled and stepped onto the Bullhead.

With a tip of his hat, the man and the Bullhead flew off into the night. Kiba made sure the sound of the Bullhead's engine was fully committed to leaving before getting up and helping the one he threw to the ground up as well.

The ground was cracked and smoldering from the strafing run the Bullhead just inflicted upon it. Fist sized bullet holes were carved out of the ground and broken pieces of concrete were all over the place. Even the shipping container off to the side had bullet holes shot through it.

"Make sure your insides are where they are supposed to be and go!" He yelled at the White Fang. Without much more prompting, the Fangs began to scatter and leave. That strafing run from the Bullhead was enough to have them wanting to bolt anyways.

"Wait!" A higher-pitched voice yelled. Kiba turned and saw a girl with big yellow hair and red eyes yell at them. Next to her stood a girl in all white and another in black and red. "You're not getting away that easy!"

Kiba turned back and patted the young one that was close to him on the back and pushed him away.

"Go," he told him. "I'll handle this. Tell Adam that I need to talk to him when you get back, okay?"

The youngling nodded shakily and scampered away with the others. Kiba turned his attention back to the group of colorful girls and barely paid them any attention. His eyes locked onto Blake who stood slightly behind the yellow, white, and red girls with the Faunus next to her. From the looks of the tail, he was some type of monkey Faunus, and from the looks of three girls, they were not. Weird how those three girls were so close to Blake. They shouldn't be. Almost as if they knew her...

"This ain't none of your business, blondie," He retorted back, and he let some of his building anger from the night into his voice. "I am here for Blake."

The blonde scoffed at his answer which irritated him even more. "Like we'll let a creep like you anywhere near Blake. Why don't you turn around and run off like your little flunkies," the blonde shook her arms down and her gauntlets turned into some kind of bright, yellow weapons. "Or else. Either is fine with me really. I'm itching for a good fight after missing all of the action," she said with a slight smile on her face.

Kiba kept the snarl off his own face but couldn't keep from glaring. He felt the familiar sensation of fire curling and dancing in his gut, but he couldn't let it go. He had to focus on the mission. So, he had to try again. His sensitive ears could also pick up the sound of sirens in the distance. Luckily, it was the middle of the night and the pier was so far away from the police station.

He was on a timer now too. Just great.

He yanked his eyes from the blonde to look at Blake whose eyes were locked onto the ground. "Blake!" He tried to get her attention, but her eyes were seemingly glued to the asphalt. "Blake, I'm here to take you back! She wants-she needs you back, Blake! We need you to be there!" He beseeched trying to get through to her. "Look, I know something happened between you and Adam, but we can fix it! Together!" He assured her. "Like old times!"

Again, he was interrupted by another one from the peanut gallery.

"Blake is not going anywhere with you. You're a part of the White Fang!" The little one in red stepped forward and claimed boldly.

Kiba pressed his lips into a firm line to keep the growl in his throat. He didn't very much appreciate how she said 'White Fang'. Like it was a bad thing; like the White Fang left a bad taste in her mouth. He scowled heavily at her. He couldn't jump at it. The sirens were getting closer. He didn't have time for this! He took a step closer but stopped as the three girls brandished their weapons at him.

He was getting sick of this.

"Who are you anyway?!" He snapped furiously. "You act like-like you know her! You don't! I know her! The White Fang knows her! So, stop interrupting me! Blake!" He barked this time, unable to keep the anger out his voice. Again. She stared at the ground, ears folded down like when she used to get sad.

Why was she sad? What was she doing? Why won't she look at him? Just look at him!

"Blake!" He yelled again and took another step forward, neck stiffening from what he was feeling. This time, a round was fired right at his feet that caused him to jump back on reflex or risk his toes. He looked up, furious, and saw the three girls standing protectively in front of Blake.

It was then the dots started to connect.

"No," he muttered under his breath as he plugged in all the facts. "No, no, no, no, no! No!" He snapped in a white-hot fury. He began to breathe heavily and swallowed back the fire brewing inside for a moment. The mission!

"Blake, don't tell me you're siding with them! Tell me you're not! You can't just-just leave us like this!" He argued with all he had. She still wouldn't look at him!

His ears twitched and he was reminded of the incoming sirens.

"Blake is with us!" The little red one declared and it felt like a stab in the heart.

Blake was with them?! What?! She was supposed to be with him and Sienna and-

To his dismay, the blonde one stepped forward as well. "She is a part of team RWBY now! She's no longer a part of the White Fang! So you can take your little sad boyfriend act and shove it up your ass!" She claimed confidently and Kiba physically recoiled.

A ruby? A team? What was going on?! This wasn't supposed to be happening!

Finally, the one in white stepped forward. "Blake has turned her back on the White Fang and their terrorist ways! She is now an exemplary future Huntress and, like was mentioned before, a part of team RWBY," here the girl looked over her shoulder right at Blake and softly said, "a team I am proud to be a part of," before turning back to him. "So, I would advise you to be prepared to be apprehended. The police are on their way and we are more than enough to take you down!" She proclaimed and brandished her odd-looking sword at him.

"Yeah!" the blonde one cheered in support and pointed one of her fists at him. "You're going down!"

"To the ground!" The little red one added. Her addition caused the other two to hesitate and facepalm.

"I think he got the point," the blonde one told her to the disappointment of the little red one.

The final dot connected and Kiba couldn't believe it. All of his anger was replaced by a cold realization that made it feel like his heart had dropped into his feet. It was an unfamiliar, sickly-bitter feeling that ran its way throughout his chest and made his stomach swirl in unease. He felt betrayed.

He felt ready to crumble into pieces right there on the spot and-no. No. Swiftly, the sickly, bitter feeling mixed with one he was much more comfortable with. A bitter, white-hot rage swept over him like a tidal wave. She would turn her back on the Pack like this? Betray them like this?

"You're going to turn your back on everything, EVERYTHING, just like that?!" He raged at her. She still wouldn't even look at him. "To be with them! You can't even look me in the eye!"

At the tone of his voice, the other got ready to attack but were stopped by Blake moving forward in front of them. She stepped up and looked at him, and he looked at her and got all the truth he could stomach. Her amber eyes spoke of grief and pain but they didn't waver nor shake as she stood there amongst the colorful girls.

"I'm sorry!" she croaked out, and, for a heartbeat, Kiba almost believed it.

He wouldn't believe her. Not when she stood with those humans as if they were Pack; as if they were there for all those years! Kiba shook his head in unrestrained disgust and disbelief. "No, you're not," he replied bitterly.

The sounds of sirens were closer now. If he were to hazard a guess, he'd say they were a few blocks away and getting into a fight right now would be the opposite of productive. He had no reason to stick around any longer anyways.

"You get this one, Belladonna," he venomously addressed her by her last name and her flinch didn't bring him any pleasure like he thought it would've. "Next time, you're an enemy of the Fang and 'all enemies of the Fang must fall'," he quoted with a heavy heart and turned away. He couldn't look at her, any of them, any more without doing something he might regret.

"Don't think you're getting away!" the blonde one yelled and caused him to pause. Did they want a fight still? He didn't have time for this. He growled and turned to tell them off but was cut off by the red one.

"Weiss, Yang, Combo Attack: Ice Rose now!" The little red one commanded. The one in all white and yellow, Weiss(why did that name sound familiar?) and Yang nodded and, to his surprise, an oddly familiar white circle with all different types of details in it spawned underneath the little red one's feet.

Wait a minute…

"Go!" the all-white one, who he guessed was Weiss(it was on the tip of his tongue) yelled. The yellow one, Yang probably, blasted the ground and catapulted herself his way.

He knew that ability.

The rune underneath the little red one's feet glowed white and Kiba's eyes widened as the little red one disappeared in a speedy whirlwind of roses. She moved fast. Almost faster than he could react to. Almost.

It all happened in a few seconds.

The girl reappeared behind him in a gust of rose petals with her scythe ready to swing at him.

"Gotcha!" She boasted. A little early in Kiba's opinion.

She swung the scythe at him, but it was child's play to duck it.

"Huh?" the little girl let out a genuinely confused noise, and Kiba almost felt sorry for her. She had overextended her swing thinking it would connect. She was wide open now.

He pivoted as he rose up and swung an uppercut at her chin. It connected with a loud thump and loud clack of her teeth as the punch forcefully shut her mouth. The force of the punch was enough to send the girl's whole body in the upward arc of the uppercut. She would've flown back, but that was mercy, and Kiba wasn't in a merciful mood.

He grabbed the scythe, idly wondering how the girl was still hanging onto it and pulled her down into a savage elbow that thudded against her nose and face. He let go of the scythe, where it finally fell and clanked on the ground, and grabbed hold of the girl's cloak. He pivoted hard and swung the girl away into the incoming yellow girl. The dazed, and very clearly in pain, girl whooshed through the air from the force of his throw. The yellow girl's eyes widened, and she was sent skidding back as she caught the one he threw at her.

The little red one lay there in the yellow one's arms groaning in pain. The blonde one's eyes, her name started with a Y, widened in shock and worry.

"Ruby!" Yellow(that wasn't her name, right?) screamed in worry at the state of the red one, Ruby. "You bastard!" she raged at him and Kiba rolled his eyes.

As Yellow(he's just going to go with that since he can't remember her name) stood there with the little red one in her arms, he shook his head and jumped away. He landed on top of one of an old shipping container and felt the eyes on his back. He knew she was looking at him, but he wasn't going to warrant her another look.

Not when she was in the company of a Schnee.

He was done here. Kiba took off back to where he was crashing for the night. He did not look forward to letting Sienna know what just happened.

End Chapter.

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(End Credits)

"...with one teammate in the infirmary! What do you ladies have to say for yourselves?" Glynda demanded of the three girls. Yang, Weiss, and Blake all felt various degrees of embarrassment and shame. They had been getting a very thorough chastisement from Ms. Goodwitch for the last 30 minutes!

Glynda felt her eyebrow twitch in agitation at the lack of an answer. Just as she was about to lay into them again, a warm hand on her arm stopped her. She glanced at Ozpin who shook his head and indicated for her to stop.

"I'll take it from here, Glynda. Don't want you to lose your voice before classes tomorrow," he said, lightly teasing her. The woman in question just humphed but listened and let him have the floor, though she didn't let up in her glare on the girls.

Ozpin laced his fingers together on his desk and got straight to the point. "What you girls have done was in blatant violation of not only the rules here at Beacon but the laws of Vale. Property damage in the thousands, tens of thousands maybe, and you all at the scene of the crime," he let his words sit with them for a moment, let them really feel the reprimand before going in for the real stuff. "That is why for the remainder of the semester, you all shall be restricted to your dorms with probationary restrictions placed on any and all requests into the city," he added the nail in the coffin so to speak.

And cue outburst.

"What?!" Yang burst out.

Ozpin took a smug sip of his coffee. He really was good at his job.

"We didn't even do half that stuff!" Yang argued. "It was all Roman and the White Fang. I didn't even throw a punch!" She insisted. "Not even at that Red Wolf guy that showed up," she added as an afterthought and crossed her arms as if she was wronged.

Ozpin almost choked on his coffee and Glynda almost broke her clipboard. Quickly, though, he composed himself.

"Are you sure that it was the Red Wolf?" He pressed. How could it be? Last Ozpin heard from Leonardo was supposed that the Red Wolf was in Mistral. Why was he in Vale? He let his eyes quickly flash to Blake and flashed them back to Yang before anyone could notice.

Yang cocked a hip and blew a bang out of her face. "Yeah, that's what the other Fang flunkies were calling him at least. As if he was some big wig or something," she answered.

Weiss nodded at that. "Yes, sir. I heard it too. He even held enough sway with the White Fang that were there to get them to listen and retreat," she added hoping it would help answer the question.

"All I know," Yang continued. "Is that the next time I see him, I'm going to shove my fist right down his-,"

"You will do nothing of the sort, Miss Xiao Long," Glynda reprimanded sharply, perhaps sharper than usual by the startled looks of the girls. Glynda cleared her throat, "I apologize for my tone, but the statement still stands."

"But why?" Yang followed up. "What's so dangerous about this one guy?" She asked. She didn't see the seriousness in the situation. It was just a single dude.

"What's so dangerous is none of your concern," Ozpin answered back firmly. He needed to make some calls. "Miss Xiao Long, Miss Schnee, and Miss Belladonna, I recommend you check up on your leader, who is probably wondering where you all are, and then head to bed. Please do remind her of your collective punishment and allow us to handle everything from here," he added and dismissed them.

The three files out of the door, and as their backs were turned, he shared a worried look with Glynda. The Red Wolf in Vale? How troublesome.

"Ugh, I can't believe them!" Yang complained as they walked down the empty halls to the infirmary. Her irritation was clear in every word she spoke. "None of your concern? What kind of sense does that make? None! That asshole almost broke Ruby's nose and he just wants me to let it go? No way!" She affirmed with a shake of her head. She wouldn't be letting this go anytime soon.

Weiss, as per usual, shook her head in disagreement. "I believe the Headmaster has his reasons. We are out of our jurisdiction with this, and I do not wish to get in any more trouble," she argued back.

Yang scoffed and waved her argument off. "Yeah, right, Ice Queen," she jabbed lightly, "I know you're just as curious about it as I am. I mean the guy just shows up outta nowhere, tells the White Fang to take a hike, they listen, and then starts screaming for Blake as if she jilted him at the altar," she listed and threw a thumb back at the silent Blake. Her silence did not go unnoticed by either of them.

Yang, the ever so reliable nosy gal that she was, addressed it. "What was that all about, Blake?" She nudged her partner in the side teasingly. "Some love interest you left heartbroken? Some whackjob with a hard-on for you?" She questioned jokingly but the undercurrent of seriousness was there.

Weiss nodded. "Language aside, I would like to know as well. He seemed to know you, intimately at that Blake, and you seemed to know him too. Was this from your days in the White Fang? Recall that I am over it, and we promised no more secrets amongst each other. But I do not wish to push like some people so you may tell us when you are ready," She added with a look at Yang who responded by sticking her tongue out at her.

Blake sighed heavily and rubbed her arm absentmindedly. She knew all of that. Which was why this was so hard. She couldn't lie, wouldn't lie, but she had to be...careful about how much of the truth she told them. They couldn't know everything. Not all at once. It would be too much for them and they'd treat her too differently. Today was enough of a close call.

"He...his name is Kiba," she hesitatingly began in a sad almost-whisper. Her eyes dropped to the floor as memories flashed in her head. "He is-was one of my best friends," she answered in a voice near tears. Blake sniffles and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.

She felt a pair of warm arms wrap her up in a hug and she looked up to see a smiling Yang. "Hey, we're here for you, Blake. Right, Weiss?"

Weiss nodded and after what looked like a moment of internal deliberations, she wrapped her arms around in a hug as well.

"That is correct, Blake. We are a team and teams stick together," she reaffirmed with a nod of her head.

Before anyone could say anything else they heard a door swing open and another thinner but surprisingly strong pair of arms encircle them.

"Group hug!" Ruby cheered as she squeezed all of them together.

It was at that moment Blake let the tears go and sobbed in the arms of her teammates.

Ruby cocked her head in confusion. "Was it me?" She asked innocently to the group as Blake cried.

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AN: Second chapter and we get some more set up, some interesting interactions between characters both major and minor. Also, some questions that need answered. What was Tukson to them so long ago? What is Sienna's plans in Mistral? How will Sienna react to the news of Blake turning over a new leaf? Why is Ozpin so worried about the Red Wolf? How is the conversation with Adam about to go down? How will the events of the Vytal Festival proceed? Stay tuned to find out!

Question: Would it be helpful to list what episodes I'm writing the events in? For example, this was written based on the events in the season finale, Black and White. This fic is going to be skipping around and some episodes/events won't be shown at all because Kiba nor Sienna barely have reason to interact with the canon crew now. Plus, the RWBY timeline is all kinds of wonky, but I have found sources that help me make sense out of it so I will be working off of that.

I'm outta here, though. Wash your hands and be safe. Peace!