Volume 2 Chapter 8: A Major Hiccup

AN: A Tuesday, what's this? Yeah, sorry for not uploading recently, stuff's been cranked up to eleven lately. RWKY is again on hiatus until finals are over next Friday. Sorry.

For those of you who are interested, I put up a second story lately. I've been dropping the ball lately on this story's uploads, so consider the first chapter of Into the Jungle an apology from me. It's not going to be updated regularly – the remaining bit that I have written needs some serious rewriting – but it's a project I've given some thought to and I figured it'd be appreciated by those who are into that sort of stuff.

In this Ruby-centric edition of RWKY, everyone finds out that they've been lied to by Kassidy. Well, gee, that can't possibly end poorly. If only, if only Kassidy had some semblance of a reason for doing all of this.

(Perspective: Ruby)

Ruby wasn't sure what was making her feel worse: the fact that her sister was upset, the fact that one of her teammates could be really, really hurt right now, the fact that she'd apparently been lied to, or the rut that Yang seemed determined to carve into their dorm floor as she continued to storm back and forth. The source of their current situation was none other than Bob. Well, alright, he wasn't the source, but he was the one that let them know what was going on.

Kassidy had disappeared after lunch. First, it was to work out. Then it was to train with JNPR. Then she's been studying in the library all day. By the time dinner had come, the conflicting stories had been replaced with silence. With nothing else to turn to, it was the obvious decision to get answers from Bob. Of course, the computer had refused at first. Whether because Kassidy had told him not to say anything, or Bob just didn't believe it to be in Kassidy's best interest to be talking, nobody could tell for sure. But for several hours, the dorm room had been witness to Yang first yelling at it, then pleading with it, and finally it took Weiss having a philosophical debate with a black box sitting on a desk to convince the computer that yes, telling them about what Kassidy's been up to is indeed in her best interest.

As it turns out, Uncle Qrow had told Kassidy not to worry about the White Fang, a very reasonable request that she had promptly ignored after some rumor-mongering from a couple of the transfer students. Then she'd lied to Yang's face about not being interested in going after the group. A week and a half later brought them to today, where she'd been asked again about the White Fang, and she'd again lied to each of them about staying safe. That, in turn, brought them to right now.

It was difficult to figure out who was more infuriated at the situation. Firstly, there was herself, the team leader who had been repeatedly lied to and told that everything was all fine with her team. Then there was Weiss, who was all but frothing at the mouth that the White Fang had dared laid a finger on Atlas tech that her company had doubtlessly had some measure of making. Last, but certainly not least, Yang continued to pace the floor, muttering about how she could be so stupid as to not see it earlier.

"Ugh, I can't believe this!" Yang seethed. She stopped, took a breath, and then opened her eyes again. Uh oh. If her eyes are already red… that can't be good. "It's eleven thirty, I'm tired, I'd really have loved to take tomorrow off and spend it with my girlfriend, but no, now we've got to wait and stay up because my idiot partner just had to stick her nose into the White Fang's business the instant I turn my back."

While Weiss took the opportunity to go on her own tirade about the 'ignoble mutts in the White Fang', Ruby had tuned out the conversation and went digging for her Scroll. Maybe there would be something on the news that could give them some idea as to how Kassidy's doing? Right now, she wasn't even talking to Bob, leaving her computer as in the dark as the three of them were. If she could just find something, maybe she could…

Ruby gasped and dropped her Scroll. Fortunately, it didn't break on contact with the floor, and Weiss picked it up. Suddenly, the device had the attention of the entire room, and as Weiss began to read what was on its screen it was little wonder why. "'Disaster averted in waterfront industrial district'? Well, gee, if this doesn't have Kassidy written all over it."

"What?! Give me that!" Yang ripped the Scroll out of Weiss' hands, much to the latter's complaints, and began reading aloud herself. "Police and Atlesian forces responded to an industrial fire in a warehouse that had stored seventy five tons of Dust. The cause of the blaze appears to be complications during a White Fang robbery, which ignited a drum of red Dust. Signs of a struggle are evident in the warehouse. Three White Fang members were arrested, and an additional body was found. Roughly three tons of Dust of varying types are missing, not including the red Dust that detonated. Officers on the scene were, and I quote, 'greatly relieved,' that none of the remaining Dust stored in the warehouse had detonated as well. No evidence has been found as to who the White Fang had been struggling with, but spokespeople from both the Vale Police Department and the Atlesian military have denied involvement prior to their arrival on the scene."

Ruby leaned over the edge of her bunk, and saw that Weiss looked as if she had been slapped. Her partner quivered as she sat on the ledge of her bed, before she finally spat out, "Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. And Kassidy's just throwing herself headlong into this? What was she thinking?! Was she even thinking?"

"Probably not," Yang seethed. Letting her voice rise in pitch slightly, she mocked, "Oh, look at me, I don't have an Aura and can get hurt really easy. Let me go solve every problem under the sun because I don't trust anyone around me." Suddenly, Yang collapsed on Kassidy's empty bed, buried her face in her hands, and let out a sob. "How many times? How many times do we have to go through this? She promised that she'd leave this alone. I mean… I've tried to support her, I've tried to be her friend; Dust, we all have. I thought we've been doing so well, too. I thought she could trust me, but then she goes and does this…"

A pang shot through Ruby; at first, she was a little surprised and confused at the way her gut twisted. But then she looked back at her sister, sitting on Kassidy's bed on the verge of tears, and recognized it: anger. She was angry. Angry that Kassidy didn't trust her. Angry that she didn't trust any of them. Angry that she lied to them. Angry that Yang was upset because of her. Ruby took a deep breath. She could deal with Kassidy whenever she got back. Right now, she jumped from her bed and crossed the room to her sister. Ruby tried to remember how Yang always made her cheer up, and put her arm across her sister's shoulders. "Kassidy's gonna be fine, Yang. She'll get here just fine, and then…" Deciding that a lighter mood would do them well, she added, "Well, she might not be fine after we're through with her, but we'll get through this."

Yang chuckled and returned the hug, before answering, "Yeah, we will. Now, I guess we just need to –"

Footsteps outside the room made them all stop what they were doing and listen. The footsteps stopped outside their door, and their doorknob jiggled a bit before a voice they'd all been both waiting for and dreading to hear cursed. "Alright, Smith, just need to get Bob to open the door. Okay, you're okay. Been over this. Get some stitches done super fast, just gotta make sure you disappear before they wake up, and hopefully everything will be fixed up alright by the time you meet everyone for breakfast. Just… ugh. Alright, things are starting to get out of hand. Don't think this is a solo job anymore. Now, where did I put my…"

The three of them shared glances, and Weiss stood up and opened the door for Kassidy. Their fourth teammate paused from digging around in her pockets to look up at what made the door open of its own accord; if the way the blood drained from Kassidy's face was any indication, Weiss must have been wearing quite the glare.

Not that Ruby blamed Weiss, obviously. Crossing the room and drawing Kassidy's attention to herself, Ruby pointed at the bed Yang was currently sitting on before barking out, "Sit. We need to talk."

Kassidy winced, before sighing and asking, "Can it wait a few minutes? My shoulder's been a bit of a bother late-"

"Stitches," Yang interrupted. "We heard you in the hallway." Ruby couldn't miss another wince that Kassidy let slip as Yang leaned over to grab Kassidy's medical supplies – calling what that girl had stockpiled a first aid kit didn't do it justice – before her sister beckoned her over to the bed. "Alright, shirt off. Which shoulder?"

If it had been any other time, any or all of the four would have had something to say about Yang ordering her partner to basically strip; as things were, however, it was necessary. Kassidy didn't answer at first, though, as she started unbuckling what there was to unbuckle of her cuirass before beginning to lift it off. She had to stop and hiss in pain when it brushed against her shoulder. Yang took notice immediately, and shot over to her. The second pair of hands didn't seem like they would do anything to lessen the pain, but Kassidy seemed grateful enough for them regardless.

Kassidy failed to hold back a sigh, however, when Yang started helping her with peeling her shirt off. Her annoyance was confirmed when she said, "Seriously, Yang, I know how to do stitches. It's not like this is rocket science or anything."

"Shut up." Kassidy's annoyance didn't hold a candle to the annoyance that Yang – or any of them, for that matter – had towards her. Almost as an afterthought, Yang added, "Besides, I'll be able to put stitches on your body better than you can put stitches on your body."

As much as it looked like she wanted to, Kassidy couldn't find anything to refute that logic. Not that they would have noticed if she had; they were all focused on the grisly hole in her shoulder. The dark stain on her shirt didn't do justice to the wound beneath the fabric. It looked like something had tried to claw her arm out of its socket, and rent flesh hung limply from where what looked like a blade had been viciously torn out. The injury stretched from almost the end of her shoulder to nearly cutting through her bra strap. Yang swore softly, before adding in an equally quiet voice, "Stitches aren't gonna be enough for this."

"Gee, I totally didn't notice that," Kassidy spat back. "But it's really the best I can do at nearly midnight." She hissed as Yang got to work cleaning the wound, but managed to append, "If it makes you feel any better, it doesn't feel like it got any tendons. Got lucky there."

"What happened?" Ruby demanded. Yang was busy tending to the injury, and Weiss was even paler than usual, so the team leader took it upon herself to begin the inquiry. "How did that happen?"

Kassidy was about to answer, but jumped when Yang was about to begin her work. Yang shot an unamused look at her partner, who was eyeing the needle and thread warily. In a few seconds, though, Kassidy seemed to get over her fear of needles long enough to screw her eyes shut and look away. Even with wincing every time the needle pierced her flesh and carried the thread with it, Kassidy managed to reply, "Blake had backup this time."

"That Faunus girl from the docks?" Yang asked. When Kassidy nodded, Yang snarled. "Well why the hell were you fighting her to begin with?"

"The White Fang's getting out of control. They need to be stopped."

"Oh, and who's going to stop them? You?"

"Yes! Maybe?" Kassidy muttered to herself as she mulled over her words, before shaking her head and adding, "Worst case scenario, I slow them down enough for Ironwood's cronies to find their misplaced competence."

"Worst case scenario?" Yang parroted back. She laughed almost hysterically, then accused, "You seriously think that is the worst case scenario?"

"Guys!" Ruby snapped, ending the argument there. Sighing, she said, "One thing at a time. Let's start with simplest: what happened down there?"

Kassidy winced again as the sutures did their best to try and pull her flesh back together, then answered, "Blake had a friend this time. Armed with a twelve gauge shotgun and a suicidal streak a mile wide."

"Why are you convinced –"

Kassidy interrupted Ruby with a groan. "I'm convinced he's suicidal because he fired incendiary rounds at containers filled to the brim with Dust, while standing in a veritable puddle of Dust that leaked out from another damaged container." She chuckled sardonically when the three of them gasped and looked at her with wide eyes and agape mouths. "Yeah, about my reaction too. Damn near turned the industrial sector into Vale's latest oceanfront property."

By this point, Yang had finished with wrapping her shoulder in gauze and bandages. It was the best that could be done in short notice; Kassidy would still need to head to the infirmary first thing tomorrow morning, regardless. Forcing down another growl, Ruby tried to force down the anger she felt from one of her closest friends almost getting so horribly killed. Instead, she decided to focus on what she could fix. Like getting Kassidy to stop with all of this. "Alright. That's that for the White Fang. That still doesn't explain what you were doing there, though."

Kassidy sighed, "Ugh, I said it already. The White Fang are getting out of control."

"And that's not your problem," Yang shot at her. "For Dust's sake, it's barely Weiss' problem, and it's her family that's getting robbed."

"It is my problem!" was the equally fierce answer. "It's everyone's damn problem!"

"How?!" Yang demanded. "How is…" She trailed off for a few seconds, before more sedately saying, "You promised me that you'd leave them alone. That you wouldn't go fighting them."

Kassidy corrected, "I promised that I wouldn't get in over my head."

Ruby felt her jaw drop when that was said. She was so angry that she couldn't even form words at the moment. Fortunately, if the way Kassidy cringed was any indication, even she knew how weak an excuse that was. It was Weiss' scoff, however, that drew everyone's attention. "Well, you're certainly in over your head now."

"Gee, thanks, Weiss, I totally didn't notice." Kassidy snarked. Sighing, she offered, "But yes, I need to take a step back now. Rushing in and busting up their heists isn't going to work anymore if this is the kind of shit they're willing to pull to get rid of me. I need… I need to go find Ozpin tomorrow, probably." Looking at her bandaged shoulder, she added, "Waiting for a functioning joint would probably help also."

"What you need," Yang ground out, "is to let this go."

"I can't let this go!" Kassidy shouted.

Yang replied just as fiercely, "Well why the hell not?!"

"Because this isn't the first time this kind of shit has happened!" Kassidy's chest trembled as it heaved. All three of them were taken aback at the fact that Kassidy just yelled at them; sure, she's argued with each of them in turn, but never had she ever risen her voice to that extent. Slumping and sighing, Kassidy spoke again. "This isn't the first time I've seen these things happen. That people decide they've finally had enough of their lot in life, and will do anything to change it, society be damned. You don't… you don't know what they'll do."

"And you do?" Ruby challenged. "Yeah, the White Fang are bad guys and they need to be stopped. That's what the police are doing. That's what Atlas is doing. That's what people like Uncle Qrow are doing – who, if I remember correctly, made you promise to not get involved in this." Leaping down from her bunk, Ruby crossed the room to Kassidy, grabbed her hands in her own, and thought nothing of the girl's modesty as she bored into the hazel eyes she stared into. She could only hope that the hurt, the pain, and the anger of having been betrayed had made their way into her expression. "You lied to us. You lied to me. You told Uncle Qrow that you'd leave this alone. You told Yang that you'd leave this alone. You told me that everything was alright. I thought… I thought you trusted us." Ruby stopped for a bit to choke back a sob, before she demanded, "Why? Why did you lie to us? Why did you do… this?"

Kassidy was barely keeping herself from crying at this point. She wasn't even able to meet her eyes. Still, she sniffled, wiped her eyes on her uninjured arm, and looked at her lap before muttering, "I just wanted to keep you guys safe. I didn't – I didn't want you to worry."

"Oh, we are so far beyond worrying," Weiss interjected. "How is any of this supposed to keep us safe?"

"Because I know what comes next," Kassidy began. She brushed a stray bang that had managed to escape her bun out of her face, then continued, "Back when I was on the run, back… home, things were falling apart. People hated other people for no reason at all. Depending where you lived, the authorities were either totalitarian or nearly nonexistent. Things got worse the longer time went on. First, common criminals and thugs became more numerous and more brazen. Then organized crime started popping up like mushrooms. Then… then…" Coughing a bit after her voice threatened to crack, Kassidy soldiered on.

"I don't know how they got their hands on military-grade equipment. I don't know what made them think that challenging the powers that be was a good idea. I don't even know who or what started the fighting. What I do know is that nearly every major city became a war zone. Tens of millions died in the fighting. And it all started with a particular group of people who decided they'd had enough with their lot in life. With people who became criminals. Then terrorists. Then… then armed soldiers roving the streets, shooting anyone and anything that wasn't on their side. I'm not an idiot, there was no way I could have stopped most of it or even some of it. But there were still people, here and there. Men, women, children, families that I could've helped. But I didn't. I was only worried about me. Dozens might not compare to tens of millions, but they were still people.

"And then… I think I was fourteen. By then, the government had relocated to Chicago, it had managed to avoid most of the fighting and none of the gangs had really managed to set up shop. Spent a few months without anyone trying to kill me, so I had a good thing going and wanted to keep it going. Was getting low on food and ammo, though, so I was understandably pleased when I came across a small outpost out in the Midwest. Small enough that I probably wouldn't need to kill anyone even; sneak in, steal what I need, sneak out. It wasn't until I had crept up that I noticed it. Even then, it was a big unmarked truck under guard, there wasn't much of a chance that what I needed was in there. I just waiting for it to leave before taking what I needed. It wasn't until…"

When Kassidy choked up and had to stop her story, Ruby almost let out a whine. While she was talking, Ruby had backed up to sit on Weiss' bed and had clasped her hands between her knees. Yeah, sure, Yang and Dad had always said she was a sucker for a good sob story, but this is different! This was terrible! This was something Kassidy should never have had to go through! She sniffled herself, she risked glances at her teammates. While they were obviously still cross with Kassidy if the furrowed brows were any indication, they were no less riveted by the story.

"It wasn't until the next day that I had found out that they had stolen a bomb. Like, a big bomb. They'd somehow raided a silo, pried the warhead off a Minuteman III missile, and drove a nuke right into the city. They must've decided that if they couldn't have it, nobody could…"

"What happened?" Weiss prompted.

Sniffling, Kassidy answered, "They leveled downtown Chicago. Millions died. And I could've stopped it! It was a small outpost, there weren't that many guards! I've fought more than that just getting through Tennessee! But I didn't…" Trailing off yet again, she descended into more sniffles. It took a few minutes, but she finally managed to calm herself down enough to speak up. "I know what's going to happen next, because I've seen it all. The White Fang… they're going for something big. They're not criminals. They're not even terrorists anymore, calling them terrorists implies that they aren't capable of fighting a war."

"And what makes you think they can fight a war?" Weiss asked.

"Is it safe to assume you know what a Paladin is?"

The way Weiss gasped and paled suggested that yes, she did. The two sisters, however, were equally confused. Yang was the one who voiced it, asking, "What's a Paladin?"

Weiss was about to answer, but Kassidy beat her to it. "Atlas' newest toy. A thirty-seven ton bipedal tank, equipped with plasma cannons, rocket pods, and protected by two and a half inches of Dust-infused armor plating."

Yang and Ruby shared Weiss in the 'gasping and paling in disbelief' act. Ruby managed to weakly get out, "Y-You think the White Fang have one?"

"One?" Kassidy laughed bitterly. "Try twenty three. Not to mention… how many thousands of tons of Dust is it, now? The White Fang are militarizing – wait, no, they have militarized, they can probably do at least as much damage as any of the gangs back home could. Ironwood's shown, if not incompetence, that he doesn't care enough to take this seriously. So if nobody else is doing anything…" Her voice still shaking but her eyes hardening, Kassidy finally managed to bring her head up and look them all in the eye. "I did nothing once – hell, I did nothing twice. I refuse to sit back and allow untold thousands to be slaughtered. I can't do nothing." Dipping her head back down, she whispered, "I can't."

Yang let out a deep breath, prompting both Ruby and Weiss to let out their own breaths that they hadn't realized they'd been holding. Gritting her teeth, Yang said, "I get why this means so much to you. I do. But you should have come to us. We would have helped you, no questions asked. Right, girls?" Ruby and Weiss both nodded.

Kassidy sighed, "I don't want you guys to get hurt."

"Seriously?!" Yang all but shouted. Her eyes flashed red, and she motioned at Kassidy's bandaged shoulder even as she stood up. "What the hell do you call that?"

"A scratch." When Yang looked like she was about to blow up again, Kassidy reasoned, "This about this logically. Think about the White Fang's perspective. They've shot me in the head, stabbed me in the gut, stabbed me in the shoulder, bludgeoned me how many dozens of times, and damn near blew me up. They don't care that I don't have Aura, because as far as they're concerned I might as well be unkillable. For fuck's sake, they've taken to calling me 'The Immortal'."

"But you aren't!" Yang argued.

"They don't know that," Kassidy retorted, "and until they do, I'm no more likely to get an actually serious injury than you guys are. If one of us actually does get hurt, then I can heal from it faster than you guys even with your Aura. And last I checked, Aura isn't going to save you from a warehouse blowing up with you inside it." When Yang just growled, Kassidy actually begged, "Yang, please. You three are everything to me. I mean that literally. This team… you're my family now, guys. I – I don't think I could live with myself if you got hurt. No, scratch that, I know that I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you guys got hurt."

"That works both ways!" Yang surged back into the argument. "You think I enjoy watching you get the Dust-damned snot beat out of you? You think I like it when you come back to the dorm every day covered in bruises and more than a couple fresh cuts? Do you think I had any reaction other than absolute horror when I saw your shoulder? When I learned how you almost got blown up?!"

Kassidy's mouth opened, but no words came out. Her shoulders slumped as she failed of a way to continue the argument. Fortunately for all of the room's occupants, Ruby had enough time to make up her mind. Striding to the front of the room, she cleared her throat and leveled her best glare on Kassidy. "I know you think you're doing the right thing – and you are! But this isn't good. Yang's right. We're a team, Kassidy. You need to stop doing these things alone. Which is why, as your team leader, I hereby forbid you from continuing this on your own."

Hazel eyes shot up wide and pleading, and the girl that followed them up looked just as desperate. "But –"

"No buts!" Ruby declared. Sighing, she closed her eyes, let her glare drop, and then opened them again. "But you're also right. If this is as bad as you say it is… I can't ignore it either. I don't think any of us can." She looked around the room, to her teammates. Weiss gave her a curt nod, her face the spitting image of iron resolve. Yang didn't even need to do anything. The flash in her angry red eyes – red eyes that were no longer directed at Kassidy – told all. Having reached a consensus, Ruby made her decision. "Alright, Team Rookie. Together, we will be the youngest Huntresses to bring down a corrupt criminal organization conspiring against the Kingdom of Vale!" A quick glance at the digital clock showed that it was somehow past one in the morning, and Ruby stammered. "Starting tomorrow! For now, uh – Kassidy, get a shirt on or something, and then we all sleep! Yeah, sleep sounds good right now."

"You guys go on ahead," Yang said. "I need to go clear my head."

Kassidy stood up from the bed, and nearly chased Yang as she moved to head out the door, evidently not caring that she was still just in her bra. "Wait, Yang –"

"Just stay here, K," Yang told her. "I just… need to calm down a bit."

Yang threw on a pair of sandals and nearly slammed the door in Kassidy's face behind her. Kassidy, for her part, just continued to stare at the door without making any indication of moving. Ruby traded concerned looks with Weiss as they climbed into their respective beds – for that half of the room, at least, this conversation didn't seem to be over.

AN 2: I decided on the final time of past one in the morning because, well… it's past one in the morning for me right now. Reader reviews, proofread, upload, and hopefully bed, in that order. Damn insomnia.

The Crimson Commando: Yeah, I was trying to go for "Ironwood was only working out his biological arm", without outright saying that he was avoiding working out with his prosthetic. Sorry I made it confusing.

Tykene: Well, it's been damn near a month in the making, so hopefully the tongue lashing meets your expectations.

Dreiundzwanzig: Yeah, good Cinders are always a treat to read, and I can only hope mine joins the ranks of good Cinders. Dat Ironwood, though… he seemed a bit hard, if I do say so myself. Writing is still plenty of fun… it's just that there's currently a negative amount of time I can give to fun at the moment.

serioushugsies: Well, I mean… you can't really blame Ironwood, can you? Eh, you probably can actually, but he's just looking out for he and his, and is justifiably nervous when another AI comes up and starts chatting up the one he's currently running what's essentially a field test on. And, I mean, the White Fang have been a pretty hot topic ever since the docks, really. Not too far a leap of logic, if I do say so myself.

FloriteFlower: Munsell knew that the explosion wouldn't chain react. How? Not telling. Not for a while, anyway.

AndJrew76: Eh, second week of January for me. Glad to hear you enjoyed it, hope you like this one too. Sure as hell took me long enough.