Chapter 43: Alone No Longer

AN: Well, here we are. It took 43 chapters, but we're finally at the end of Volume One. As can probably be expected, the second part of the author's note is going to be a long one. For right now, though, let me get the horribly corny stuff out of the way. I'd like to thank kaiju62 first and foremost for proofreading for me these past few chapters. AndJrew76, the man, the myth, the Kindle-breaking legend (insert other bad jokes here) who's been here since day one and been such a great shower of support. Everyone who reviews, keeping me honest and giving suggestions for making this fic as good as I can possibly make it. And of course, thanks to all of you for making this fic such a huge success. For all you stats nerds out there, stats will be provided at the end for your analytical pleasure.

Alright, enough of that stuff. Let's wrap Volume 1 up right about… now!

(Perspective: Kassidy)

Kassidy woke up to the sound of steady beeping, which told her a couple things. One, that despite her best efforts she had succumbed to unconsciousness. Two, that despite that she had managed to survive. Three, that she was in a medical facility of some kind. Which finally led to four, that she was currently at the mercy of people who may or may not be trying to kill her. And given how her secret's now out, it wouldn't do to take risks. She had to assume that the next person she met would try to kill her.

"Well, I suppose this is good morning. Or, good afternoon, rather." Lucky me, the only other entity in the room is the one that literally cannot hurt me.

"How long was I out this time, Bob?" Kassidy tried to get up, but her body refused to obey her and she shuddered in pain. At least I can use my Southern accent here without tearing my throat a new one.

"Sixteen hours. And try not to move, Narud's using some different medical procedures this time. You're significantly weaker than you're used to being at this point."

"All the easier to kill me, I suppose."

Bob sighed heavily. "Kassidy, you're an intelligent person. Don't you think if they wanted you dead, you wouldn't be in a hospital recovering from your ridiculous injuries?"

"What's probable is that they still want me dead, but they want somethin' from me before they off me."

"That being?"

"You."

"Kassidy, they've had me for the past forty eight hours. If you wanted to keep me out of their hands for whatever reason, you're a bit late for that." She huffed and closed her eye to think for a moment, but her computer interrupted her again. "There's something I need to tell you…"

"I already know it was you that rigged the simulator."

The fact that it took Bob ten seconds to calculate a reasonable answer spoke of the magnitude of his surprise. "I didn't realize I was so obvious about it."

Kassidy rolled her eye. "Please, once I gave it a few minutes of thought it was painfully obvious. There ain't a soul alive here that knows about Baton Rouge, or Matthew, or Benjamin."

Another extended silence filled the air for a few seconds. "I seem to have made a miscalculation, I'll need to keep that in mind should a similar scenario arise. Although, in a related issue, you seem to be taking this surprisingly well."

She barked out a harsh laugh, before replying, "Bob, you have no idea how badly I want to be absolutely furious with you. But it's kinda hard when I know why you did it, hell you haven't shut up about it for a month."

"Maybe because you haven't given me a satisfactory answer as to why you refuse to trust those around you, when they've given you no reason to distrust them and every reason to trust them."

Kassidy's face fell, and she rolled over to face away from her computer. "You wouldn't understand, Bob. I don't think I've programmed you enough to comprehend my reasons."

"Then humor me. If nothing else, it should be easier for me to identify what of my code needs to be updated to fix this flaw in my programming."

Her brow scrunched in thought for a solid minute, considering if she wanted to talk and how she wanted to put it. "The gang scares me."

"You're afraid they're not your friends anymore?"

"I'm afraid they still want to be my friends."

"That's… a fear I wasn't expecting. I feel the need to request that you elaborate."

A humorless chuckle escaped from her lips, before she sighed and explained, "When Dad died… when Matt died… it broke me. Those I cared about died, and I had to figure out how to deal with it. Except I couldn't deal with it, I couldn't deal with the pain, so I ran and hid from it. Tried to bury my emotions and not think about it. Even with that, I still broke. But that was fine, it took a few years but I put myself back together. I ain't a pretty person or a pretty persona no more, but I got myself put back together. As long as it was just me, and a computer that I couldn't lose, I'd be fine.

"But then the girls got into my life by only God knows what process. And they've been so damned determined to make themselves important to me, to make me care about them. And damn them to hell, it worked. Didn't realize it 'til I woke up in the alley and hurtin' so damn much from not havin' to deal with the three of them."

"I still fail to see how that's a bad thing."

"Because if I start carin', then I start feelin'. And if I start feelin', then I start hurtin'. Bob, everyone I've ever cared about has a zero percent survival rate. And bein' a Huntress ain't exactly a job with a long life expectancy. I can't lose anyone else, Bob. I ain't strong enough to handle it. The last time I lost someone I cared about, I went damn near insane. I can only break so many times before the pieces don't fit back together anymore."

"If that's what you're afraid of, then perhaps it's time to try a new approach." The door opened, and the man she'd been dreading meeting again strolled in with his trademark cane and mug. Just like that damn interrogation room again. Except this time, there's no chance of an out. I can't even think about fighting in the sorry state I'm in. Ozpin pulled over a chair and sat down next to her bed. "I know how much you value directness, so allow me to be direct: why are you so afraid of us?"

Despite the situation, Kassidy laughed in his face before switching back to a Valean accent. "That's a joke, right? I'm a goddamn test tube monster. It's literally in your job description to kill people like me."

Ozpin gave a hum. "That's odd. Last I checked, my job description was to defend the people from the evils that threaten them. Also from last I checked, you are neither evil nor do you threaten them." She opened her mouth to rebut him, but he cut her off. "Kassidy, would an evil person risk her life to prevent a renowned criminal from stealing hundreds of thousands of Lien worth of Dust? How about running through a Grimm-infested forest to find a little Faunus girl that had gotten herself lost? Or going to a school that had a decent chance of getting her killed just to better herself and how she can help others? When we first met, you told me you weren't a good person. So far, however, you've done a very poor job of convincing me of that."

She considered his words, but huffed and gruffly replied, "Tell that to all the families I ruined saving my own sorry hide."

"Ah, I was wondering how quickly I would need to make you use that particular excuse." Ozpin sat up and sipped from his mug with the slightest hint of mirth in his eyes. "And I cannot lie, it is a great excuse. If it were many people, the public would be quick and probably right to demand their head. I will not deny that you owe a debt to society, and I will ask you to pay that debt." And here we go… "However, you tell me: is it easier to collect a debt when you throw the debtor in jail, or give him a job?"

The surprise couldn't be hidden. Whipping her head up so quickly her neck screamed in agony, Kassidy asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I know how badly you feel. The first sign that you are not evil is that you feel true remorse for every life you've ever taken. You seek to atone for your past sins, a worthy goal. And the potential for the amount of good you can do is great. I would be a fool to pass such an opportunity."

"So… so you're not going to kill me?"

Ozpin actually laughed at that one. "Kassidy, even if I were to decide you were beyond redemption, we have better and more humane ways of dealing with such a situation as yours than execution. But the fact remains that you are not beyond redemption. Or, at least, I believe you are not beyond it. Am I wrong?"

Kassidy looked at where she guessed her feet were. "I don't know. I'd like to think so, I want to think so."

"Then for now, that will have to do. For what it's worth, I still believe you to be capable of becoming a great Huntress in time." Suddenly standing up, he seemed like he remembered something. "Speaking of Huntsmen and Huntresses, your friends are worried about you. They wait outside, if you'd like to speak with them."

Lovely, those people again. Because tonight hasn't been gut-wrenching enough. Still, I feel the need to talk to her… she's a good person. She deserves an explanation if nothing else. "Can you send Yang in? Just her? I… I don't think I'm ready to face everyone else."

A small smile graced Ozpin's visage. "Of course. I have some matters to attend to, so allow me to wish you a good night and a speedy recovery." He left the room, and for a few agonizing seconds Kassidy waited in the room alone. Fuck, why did I think that was a good idea? Yang has to hate my guts right now. Lying to her face these past few months. Making her put up with my crap. Being… being me. Being a killer.

The door opened again, and her partner walked into the room. Yang looked like she hadn't slept in ages. Dragging the chair closer to the bed, she crashed in it and looked at her closely before giving a half-smirk. "That's a cool looking eye patch, partner. Gotta admit, it's definitely better than the other view I got."

"Yeah… sorry about that." A tense silence filled the air for a bit. "Look, Yang, I can explain-"

"Don't." Yang raised a hand and her voice slightly, and cut her off. "Just don't. I don't want an explanation. I don't care. All I care about is that my partner is safe and sound back at Beacon with us, and I don't have to worry anymore. Dust, K, forget sleeping, do you have any idea when the last time I ate was? I've been a complete wreck ever since you passed out, wondering if you were gonna make it."

Seeing Yang nearly breaking up into tears almost made Kassidy do the same. "But why? Why do you care? Literally the only reason we're even partners was because I fell out of a tree and broke my ankle on an Ursa's skull. I'm just some girl that you happened to get stuck with. And that's not even getting into how… I got turned into a monster. I'm not a person, I'm a weapon."

"Nope, stop right there." Yang cut her off again. "Why do I care? Because I got to know you. And whoever you were in the past, whatever you were forced to do, that's not the K I know. None of that is the K that I know."

"And who do you think the K you know is?"

Yang sighed and rubbed her hands across her face. "Well, for one, she's kind. At the drop of a hat, no matter what she's doing, she'd help Ruby study for a test coming up, or get people off Weiss' back so our favorite Ice Queen could enjoy some time to herself, or join me in the gym for a quick spar or two. She'd do anything for those she cares about, including going one on four with a bunch of birdbrains beating up my kid sister."

"Someone had to step in that situation. Not to mention… I give that pun a seven out of ten."

Yang snorted, then giggled, then failed to contain herself and just laughed uproariously. It took her a minute to get herself under control and wipe the tears from her eyes. "Dear Oum, K. You sure know how to cheer a girl up, you know that right?"

"Hey, Bob made me stop with the puns for a few years. I have a lot of catching up to do."

"That's more about the K I know. She's smart, and funny. And she's so strong. She has to be. Going through what she's been through, and still shoving it all into the corner to help other people."

"And that's the biggest thing you got wrong." Kassidy looked away and spoke softer. "I'm not strong. I don't shove it in the corner, I try to hide from it. And when I can't hide from it, I try to drink it away. I'm not strong enough to deal with it."

"Even the best of us are only so strong. We all need a helping hand from time to time."

"You guys deserve better than putting up with my crap."

"You deserve better than putting up with your crap on your own. K, I've been trying to tell you for a month now that we can help you, Dust we want to help you, but you refuse to let us help. Why won't you let us help you? Are you really that afraid of us, or are you really that afraid of losing us?"

Kassidy's eye widened, before she mumbled, "I can't lose anyone else. I can't handle it. I'm not strong enough. I don't think I can do this."

"K…"

"I'm scared, Yang." This wasn't Huntress Kassidy. This wasn't Survivor Kassidy. This wasn't Kassidy Smith, child prodigy or Kassidy Smith, domestic terrorist. This was Kassidy Smith, a terrified young woman in way over her head. She was broken, and she didn't know how to handle it. And she definitely didn't know how to handle the hug she found herself wrapped up in. "Wha…"

"You need a hug right now." Yang hated how hurt Kassidy was, how much pain she was in. She just wanted to make it go away, and as big sister to Ruby she knew a trick or two that generally worked for making the pain go away, for taking the sting off and dulling the edge. One of those tricks happened to be humming a relaxing tune. The two sat there for a few minutes, Kassidy slowly melting into her partner's embrace, and Yang hugging and humming. Eventually, the brawler pulled herself up and gave a soft smile. "How's this, K? You start coming to us with your problems. Don't try to hide from them, don't try to deal with them yourself, let us really help you. And we'll do our best to make you feel like you belong here. Because you do belong here. I promise, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. None of us are."

"She's right." The door opened again, and six teens took careful steps in with Jaune at the head. "You've been such a great friend to all of us all semester long. Just the little things that add up, y'know? Let us be friends for you for a change."

"All semester long, you've proven that you truly do have a heart of gold, Kassidy." Pyrrha stepped in and made her way to a corner to get out of everybody's way. "Your strength and your conviction are great examples to live up to."

"Believe it or not, your situation is not as unique as you may believe." Ren and Nora stood to Pyrrha's side, the latter far more somber and reserved than normal. "We too know what it takes to survive. If you need anyone to talk to, then by all means don't hesitate to ask myself or Nora."

Weiss walked in as well and took the adjacent corner. "If you're expecting sappiness from me, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed." A few snickers filled the room, and Weiss' face softened. "But still, you're a good friend. Even if your demented computer continues to be a pain in the neck for me. And a Schnee always remembers her friends."

Ruby darted up next to her sister and gave a goofy grin. "Well, I mean, who else can I count on to help me keep Yang in line? But she is right, that is kind of a cool eye patch. Makes you look like a pirate."

Nora chirped, "And isn't she an alien? Kinda sneaky like a ninja… oh my Oum!" Everyone jumped and looked at her for her outburst. Nora was quivering with excitement. "Kassidy's an alien pirate ninja!" They were all done at that point. Not even Weiss or Ren could resist guffawing at the ridiculous statement. For her part, Kassidy couldn't believe it. These people still wanted to be her friends. She couldn't decide whether to laugh or to cry, so she did both.

All good things must come to an end, though. And as per usual, it was Weiss to end them. Forgetting her laughter, she stood up straight and looked Kassidy in the eye. "But we are going to have some serious changes around here, you hear me? If you think you can pull a stunt like that and expect things to go back to how they used to be, then you're even dumber than I thought you were."

"Ugh, Weiss! We were having a moment!" Ruby whined at her partner, but then suddenly remembered something and her face fell. "Oh, right…"

"What's wrong, sis?"

"It's… we found your rifle, Kass." Oh, right… "I looked at it a bit, I tried to see if I could fix it, but as old as it is…"

"It's done for, isn't it?" Ruby nodded, and Kassidy sighed. "Well, I guess ninety three years is as good a run as anyone can expect a rifle to make. Was hoping there'd be something worth salvaging of it, though. That gun's been a part of my family for generations."

"I'm sure we'll be able to figure something out, K." Yang rubbed her chin in thought, before snapping her fingers. "Hey, I know a guy! Yeah, I just figured out your birthday present! When's your birthday?"

"That's… actually a good question."

Jaune did a double take. "Wait, you don't actually know when your birthday is, Kass?"

"Good thing I calculated it recently, then. Her sixteenth birthday will be on July the thirty first."

Kassidy's eye tried to fly out of its socket at Bob's statement. "Wait, what?! Alright, do that calculation again. I'm definitely more than fifteen years old. Heck, I have to have a year on Ruby at least."

"Nope. Only a couple months' age difference."

"This is some kind of joke, right?" Weiss was having as hard a time believing it as everyone else.

A knock on the door jolted everyone out of it. "Children, as much as I'd love to allow you to continue your reunion, I'm afraid I must meet with my patient now." Everyone left reluctantly, and Narud entered the room. Sighing, he said, "Before you ask, yes, I did keep your bed just the way you like it."

"Pfft, you're acting like I'm here every week or something."

"You pretty much are here every week."

"Oh."

"Anyway… I've been reviewing some of the Project Colossus notes. We're doing something different with your treatments this time around."

"I don't think I like where this is going."

Narud grinned at her. "Short term, no you're not. But it's for the best. Now that I know that you can handle far more intensive treatments than I've been putting you on, I'm going to finally get around to a problem of yours I've been wondering how to fix for a while now."

Kassidy was confused by that statement. "What kind of long-term problem would I have? I should have been healing from everything up 'til now, right?"

"Yes and no." The doctor sighed and turned his Scroll around to show her some data. "As good as your healing processes are, they're not perfect. Years of overuse has led to it generating scar tissue instead of healthy tissue for a good while now. Many of your internal organs are severely hampered by this. So I'm doing something a bit radical here. Basically, I'm going to use surgery to cut out the scar tissue, then an incredibly potent round of medication to let you heal for good."

"Uh, you could just give me a ten course meal and I can fix it up myself."

"Did you not listen to the part where your 'fixing it up yourself' is causing you problems? In fact, for the duration of your stay here, you're going to be on a minimalistic diet to ensure you can't heal."

"What?!"

"I don't care how much you hate needles, or how much you curse my name for the immediate future. So help me, you are staying in that bed for the next week, and you are properly healing this time around. No more patchwork solutions. Not to mention, if this works perfectly, this would complete a fine piece of research I've been working on."

Left in this damn thing for a week?! I change my mind. I think I prefer the witch trials to this. Narud left the room, and she was left wondering what of her sanity would remain after a week of immobility. Her thoughts quickly returned to her friends, however. The people who didn't care what she'd done. The people who said they'd be there for her. The people who cared about her.

You won't regret this. I swear it.

(Perspective: Ozpin)

"Ozpin!"

The headmaster in question turned around from finishing his tenth cup of coffee this evening. When the Vale Council was involved, he needed every last drop to survive the blasted meetings. "I understand your concerns, councilman-"

"I'm not convinced you do. Despite all evidence as to who this girl is and what she's capable of, despite the clear and present danger she presents to our Kingdom, you're planning to do…"

"Exactly nothing," Ozpin finished.

A woman spoke up next. "Surely you understand why this has us… concerned, to say the least?"

The third voice ranted, "This Kassidy character is beyond dangerous! She belongs in a cell! Or better yet, in a grave!"

Ozpin cleared his throat. "With all due respect, thinking like that is what caused Miss Smith to become such a dangerous individual to begin with. If those in power at her home did not deem it necessary to… contain her, let's say, then she would have never needed to learn how to be such a threat. Any and every attempt to control or kill her in the past has been a resounding failure. I think it might be time to pursue a new strategy, and especially with such a valuable potential ally."

The first councilman was not impressed. "We tolerate your idealism where we can, Ozpin, but this is no place for such matters! Do not believe yourself omnipotent in your station at Beacon."

"This council is decided." The woman conveyed the verdict. "We will not allow this Smith girl to remain such a threat to the Kingdom. If you do not find a way to ensure our people's safety, then we will."

The call terminated, and Ozpin was left with a sour mood and an empty cup. Glynda sat a short ways away, looking more than concerned herself. "Do you have an opinion on the matter, Glynda?"

She sighed, and turned from her desk. "While I can't help but feel a good amount of trepidation about the whole situation, I think keeping Kassidy is the right move. She's a good person, even if she doesn't believe it."

"She's been alone for a long time. Without bonds to draw strength from, a soul quickly grows weary. Now that she no longer sees a hindrance towards truly embracing her friendships, with any luck she should begin finding herself quickly."

AN 2:

[stats nerd data incoming]

125 days. 44 chapters. 110 follows, 81 favorites, 164 reviews, and 25,217 views. That's 0.88 follows, 0.648 favorites, 1.312 reviews, and 201.736 views every day.

[/stats nerd data outgoing]

I mean… holy shit. This story got so much bigger than I thought it would. Once again, thank you. Thank each and every single one of you. What was first a hobby to help me not play video games so much has quickly become one of my favorite activities to do.

So, where does Team Rookie go from here? Well, we still have two more volumes to go, as well as the time period between those volumes. Next chapter starts Volume 1.5. Or should it be Interlude 1? If you have a preference, let me know. Those will all be added to this story; I have no plans to open a new RWKY story for a good while now.

I did have plans to launch another story at this time, but kaiju's beta reading made me see that I perhaps hadn't thought the idea out as well as I could have. Nevertheless, I'm still working on it. Just don't know when I'm going to get as good a time to put it out. Into the Jungle release date: TBD.

Speaking of kaiju62, another round of thanks for our beta reader, who's been keeping me honest for the past few chapters now and helping me improve the quality of my writing.

Well, without further delay, the final Reviewer Responses of Volume One!

Akshka: It's over indeed. Kassidy didn't grab her rifle, as it turns out missing an eye, bleeding everywhere, and being unconscious doesn't bode well for remembering to pick up one's weapon. Good thing she's got some pretty awesome friends.

Matt Cyr: Unfortunately, yes the Garand. And yeah, being near a 'roid-raged Kassidy is not conducive to one's continued health. Blake never left the White Fang in the first place.

Baconlord53: Well, hopefully no more cliffhangers for a little bit now. We're done with that part of the story for a few weeks at least.

James: Glad to hear you think so. One volume down, two more to go! Hopefully I can keep up the quality you're expecting of me.

Slenderbrine: [meme] If you're going to shoot Kassidy but don't actually know how to go about killing her, you're going to have a bad time. [/meme]

AndJrew76: Hurting Kassidy is easy. It's finishing the job that's the hard part if you don't know what you're doing. Glad to hear you're still enjoying after all this time, and if I have anything to say about it I'll keep doing this for a while longer.

FloriteFlower: Volume 2 will happen. Not for a while though, turns out we have some filler content. Don't worry, with kaiju keeping me on the straight and narrow (and the fact that he has a ton of experience with this kind of content) I'm certain it'll be at least as good as what I've been putting up.