I'm glad that at least a few people are reviewing. It's nice to know people have an opinion about my work.

Before I begin this chapter, let me reiterate that eight chapters have been written before the release of RWBY volume 4 and I have not watched anything past episode 1. Please keep that in mind when any inconsistencies arise between the world building of this story and the world building in canon.

Now that I said that, here is chapter 4. Enjoy if you can - if not I apologize.

Evening, Atlas Hospital Ward…

When Sayaka came to, she was lying in bed with the familiar smell of sterilized air assaulting her nose. She was well aware of where she was. The only question was why?

Right then, the memory hit her. "Kyousuke!" she said, sitting up.

"He survived," a woman said, calming her down somewhat.

Sayaka blinked and turned to the woman sitting quietly next to her bed while reading a book. She had long black hair and wore a black and white dress. The only color visible on her was the deep purple of her stoic eyes and the bright red of the ribbon in her hair and the thick-rimmed glasses on her face. She seemed so familiar…

The woman looked up from her book. "The Kamijou boy - he survived," she repeated.

Sayaka slowly sank back into her bed, a sudden urge to laugh welling up inside her. She soon did so, relief washing over her. "Oh man, that has got to be the most stressed I have ever been. Not even a Grimm attack could do that to me."

"You saved his life. Thanks to your help, he was able to recover most of the blood he lost." The woman returned her attention to her book. "You, on the other hand used up most of your aura trying to keep him alive. You have not recovered yet."

With a frown, Sayaka nodded. Sure, trying to recover her aura would be a pain but a day or two confined to a hospital bed is a small price to pay for saving a life.

"Say, lady," Sayaka began. "Not to sound too rude, but who are you? You don't look like a nurse and I don't think I know you."

The woman turned a page on her book. "We've met fairly recently. Don't you remember?"

Sayaka thought back to the previous week. First, she received a special mission to aid in relief efforts at a small village recently taken over by the White Fang which was then summarily attacked by Grimm due to the chaos and confusion caused by the hostile takeover - not the most well thought out coup. She was one of the medics tending to the wounded. Then, when she returned to Atlas, she ran into one of her old teachers, Mami Tomoe, who had been assigned with two others to sentry duty for two days. The other two huntresses she was with were that obnoxious lancer lady she met that one time in Vacuo and an archer lady from Vale.

Sayaka went wide eyed. "You're that archer lady who had that mission with Mami! You talked with me and my teammates at the shuttle bay before you made your departure!" Then she smiled wryly. "I still don't remember your name, though."

"Don't be sad about that," the woman in black said, "because I never gave it. I'd be much more concerned if you did know my name." With an odd smile, the woman turned to Sayaka. "I am Homura Akemi. You may call me Homura."

A few hours ago, Atlas Shopping District…

"You know, went you said 'lunch', I expected something a little more… filling…"

"I'm sorry, was that a complaint just now?"

Mami had brought them to a cafe that served tea and cake near the western edge of the shopping district. It had a weird name: Tea and Cake (or Death). Much to Kyouko's disappointment, none of the food would satisfy her - not unless she ate a lot. Then again, she wasn't the one paying so it might not be that bad.

Kyouko took a look at the menu and frowned, unsure whether to be annoyed or impressed. "I don't know what half these items say but all the pictures look delicious."

"I've tried everything and I'm telling you right now, they are all delicious."

Kyouko involuntarily made a high pitched whine. "Maaaamiiii~! You're not making it any easier to choose!"

As amusing Kyouko's indecision was to Mami, eventually the lancer was able to make her order. It was a relatively simple one to read and one that Mami actually recommended she try first. That is to say, she ordered a slice of cheesecake.

"You know, dessert normally comes after lunch and dinner."

Mami giggled. "I am aware. There's nothing wrong with a little indulgence now and then."

Kyouko gave her a sly smile. "'Now and then' must be pretty often considering you've tried everything on the menu."

"Let's not read too deep into things, shall we?"

There weren't that many people in the cafe so their orders arrived fairly quickly. Unfortunately Kyouko finished eating in a quarter of that time and had to place another order.

"I may regret bringing you here," Mami admitted after witnessing Kyouko devour a large slice of cheesecake in less than five minutes.

Kyouko chuckled. "You know, when I said I wanted something more filling, it was as much for your benefit as it was for mine."

"I'll keep that in mind next time…"

Thus, Kyouko was left waiting, watching Mami eat. She seemed to savor every bite as if it were the most delicious food she had ever eaten. Kyouko concluded that Mami must have a sweet tooth for cake, and possibly pastries considering what else was on the menu.

Kyouko recalled a topic they were discussing earlier. "So, you don't use your guns to shoot?"

Mami shook her head. "What Homura said is, while not incorrect, a little inaccurate." She sighed. "It's not that I don't shoot targets with them but rather they are not my weapon of choice."

Kyouko leaned forward on the table, propping her head up with her elbows.

"As you know, my semblance allows me to control ribbons. Thus, it only makes sense that my weapons also take advantage of that." Mami pulled her sleeves back and showed two arm guards, each with two rolls of ribbons encased inside. "Seamstress and Tailor," she said, two strips of dust-woven metal extending out of her wrist. "I have four shotgun-batons I use in conjunction with them. I tend to use ammunition that have a large spread so accuracy is less of a concern of mine. Besides, there's a limit to how accurate they can be at long range, even with shots that have low spread."

Kyouko nodded slowly. "That's cool… Hey, uh, this is just hearsay but…" She gestured for Mami to come closer. When she did, the lancer whispered into her ear. "I was wandering the academy and I hear some things about an android that fights with a bunch of laser blades and wires - a bit like you, right? Ring any bells?"

Mami frowned. "That's classified. You're not allowed to know that."

"Wasn't my fault. If they didn't want anyone to know then they shouldn't have been talking about it where other people could hear them."

Mami leaned back into her chair. "Honestly, Kyouko. You pick a fight with Direwolves in a blizzard with no idea what Direwolves are and eavesdrop on discussions about a top secret project by complete accident. You are both very stupid and very unlucky."

Kyouko winced. "I've been called both of those before, but never at the same time…"

"Suffice it to say, I know about it and they have my blessing. You're not getting anything more than that."

Kyouko waved at her dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I just remembered it because what you were talking about sounded familiar, what with the many weapons and ribbon-wire thing."

"Stop talking about it."

"Right, right. Sorry… Wait, if you use shotgun-batons, what about your-"

"If you're talking about the Tiro Barrage Cannons, yes they are my weapons as well. Unlike the shotgun-batons, they aren't disposable. They're also not light or small enough to use in actual combat so they're strictly for long range bombardment only. I will admit that they're more convenient than traditional artillery weapons, however."

"Don't you have a more mobile version of them?"

Mami winced. "I'm working on one." She looked away. "I still don't know how to retain most of the firepower without it blowing up in my hands."

Kyouko held in a snigger. "Wait, you made a prototype that blew up in your hands?"

"It was not a fun night in the Atlas Machine Shops."

The laugh that the lancer was keeping down suddenly exploded from her lips. "Oh man! You gotta tell me more of this." The waiter arrived with her second round of cake. "Perfect timing."

Mami sighed. "After this, you're the one telling the embarrassing stories. In any case, the weapon was to be roughly four feet in length…"

Present evening, Atlas Hospital Ward…

"Wow. That sounds really boring."

Homura turned another page on her book. "That's exactly what Sakura said."

Homura was just recounting to Sayaka what her mission with Mami was like. Aside from one incident at the very end, the story was far from interesting. Kyouko was quite vocal about it and it seemed that Sayaka agreed.

"Tell me, Miss Akemi. Have you worked with Mami before?"

Homura shook her head. "This is the first time. I've heard of Miss Tomoe before, however. It's hard not to know of the pioneer in mobile artillery weapons.

Sakaya laughed. "Oh yeah. I remember. It was all in the news when it was unveiled. 'Thanks to recent developments in technology, heavy artillery siege cannons can now be compacted into large suitcases, more applications being developed.' And then they showed footage of Mami blowing up building that was going to be demolished. Oh man that was so cool!"

Sayaka blinked and turned to Homura, who was giving her another one of those odd smiles. "What is it?"

"It's nothing to worry about. You just remind me of someone I met long ago."

As Homura returned to reading, Sayaka couldn't help but wonder why they were in a hospital room together. Mami, she'd understand. Kyouko would be a stretch but would still make sense. But Homura Akemi, a woman Sayaka had met once in the shuttle bays before her departure, someone she was barely associated to? Things didn't add up.

Just as she was going to ask, the door opened and in entered none other than Mami Tomoe.

"I've finished debriefing Miss Shizuki," Mami reported. She made eye contact with Sayaka and smiled. "I see she's awake. Good evening, Miss Sayaka Miki."

Homura glanced at the wall clock before raising an eyebrow at Mami. "Delays?"

"You can say that," Mami answered. "I'm sorry for being late. Mr. Kamijou awoke while I was speaking with Miss Shizuki and she insisted that she talk to him. Considering what she just went through, I decided to let her speak." She smiled sadly. "My heart got the better of me, it seems."

Homura closed her eyes just as she closed her book. "I don't mind." She stood and nodded at Sayaka. "It's been a good talk. If you'll both excuse me, I'll be taking my leave."

Sayaka tilted her head curiously as she watched the archer exit the room. It was quiet and understated. If she didn't announce she was leaving then no one would notice that she left. Why'd she even leave in the first place? It didn't look like she disliked the company. In fact, she looked like she was enjoying herself. Why'd she decide to leave? It's just so strange.

"She's an odd one, isn't she?" Mami suddenly said, as if thinking exactly what Sayaka was just thinking. "Well, perhaps odd is a little insulting," she added with a hint of embarrassment.

"Maybe she just doesn't like crowded rooms?" Sayaka suggested. "Three is a crowd, as the saying goes."

Mami nodded slowly. "Maybe…" She shook her head. "In any case, how are you, Miss Miki?"

"Eh, I'm mostly fine - just totally drained of aura. You know how it is when that happens, right?"

Of course, Sayaka knew that Mami knew. As her teacher back when she was still a huntress-in-training, Mami was the one who told her about it. Aura, once fully drained, takes a while to recharge. Depending on how fast it was drained, it could be anywhere between an hour and two days. Sayaka still remembered that lesson. Of course Mami would remember it as well.

"Ah. You healed Mr. Kamijou, yes?"

Sayaka smiled proudly. "Yeah. That Akemi lady said I saved his life."

Mami frowned. "Yes, you did… Did Miss Akemi tell you anything else?"

Sayaka blinked, not liking where the conversation was going. "No. No she didn't…"

"Oh dear…" Mami crossed her arms, looking conflicted.

The pause didn't sit well with Sayaka. A pause like that always meant there was some sort of follow up. Considering the topic that came before, the follow up could only be bad.

A heavy atmosphere seemed to blanket the room as Mami finally spoke. "Mr. Kamijou survived, but payed a heavy price. I know your powers allow you to heal injuries that can't normally be healed with aura, however…" Mami pursed her lips. "However, you may have been too late to save all of him…"

Sayaka flashed back to the large gash running along Kyousuke's entire arm. "His arm," she breathed. "He lost the use of his arm, didn't he?"

Mami winced, as if physically pained by what she was about to say. "He can still move his arm and his hand still retains some feeling, but all fine motor control has been lost… I'm sorry Sayaka. Unless he decides to amputate and use a prosthetic, Kyousuke Kamijou's life as a huntsman is over."

Later, outside the Hospital Ward…

Kyouko nudged Homura in the shoulder. "Hey, there she is." She waved. "Oi, Mami!"

Kyouko raised her eyebrows as she watched Mami approach. She had a notable heaviness in her steps - almost like she was stom-

Kyouko wasn't able to finish that thought as Mami's voice pierced the night. "Why didn't you tell her!?"

This earned a blink of confusion from Kyouko. "Wha-"

"Not you." Mami pushed Kyouko aside. She then looked Homura Akemi dead in the eyes. Respect to Homura, she didn't even flinch. "Homura Akemi, you were there the entire time. Why didn't you tell her?"

"I didn't need to," she answered simply.

Mami grabbed her shoulders. "Sayaka Miki needed to know what happened! You had to tell her!"

In reply to Mami's outburst, Homura gave her the coldest glare any of them had ever seen. "No. I didn't need to. You did." Mami seemed to falter at those words. "To me, Sayaka Miki is just a girl I met - a stranger. You, on the other hand, are her teacher. She knows you and looks up to you. Furthermore, Kyousuke Kamijou knows you as well. You are the one most qualified to tell her. Why, then, do you pin this responsibility on me?" She swatted Mami's hands off her shoulders, giving one last soul penetrating look before walking away. "It is your duty to bear, Mami Tomoe. Stop being selfish and accept it."

Mami could only look back, wide eyed. "I… I…"

Kyouko rushed to Mami's side right as her knees gave in. She turned to Homura who was slowly increasing the distance between them. "What's wrong with you!? Do you have any idea how hard it must've been for her to tell Miki about that boy!?"

Homura stopped, but didn't turn back to look at them. With a voice as clear as day, she answered. "Yes. I understand how difficult it is. Don't you dare imply that I don't."

Kyouko's voice died in her mouth. After hearing that, what could she have replied with? Sure, she could have told Homura that she didn't have to be so mean about it, but what would that achieve? Consider everything that the archer said in the past five minutes. No amount of words from Kyouko would make a difference.

And it seemed that she wasn't the only one who came to that conclusion.

"She's right…" Even while in Kyouko's arms, Mami's voice was small and weak. "I just didn't want the burden of telling her. It was too much for me…"

Kyouko frowned. "Hey…"

"It makes me wonder what I'll do when the time comes where I have to inform a hunter's friends and family about their death… Will I even be able to look them in the eyes…? It tears me up inside just thinking about it…"

Kyouko was surprised when it happened but, deep inside, she knew that Mami would inevitably start sobbing.

To think they'd met for the first time less than a week ago and already she was having an emotional breakdown in Kyouko's arms. And they had something like a date just a few hours ago too. Maybe it was her maternal instincts kicking in but everything about the situation made Kyouko want to pull Mami in even closer and tell her everything would be alright. She wanted - no, needed to protect Mami. And when she realized what that meant…

Kyouko smiled ruefully. "I really am stupid and unlucky," she muttered to herself. She then pulled Mami to her feet. "Alright, up you go. Let's get you back to your quarters."

End of chapter…

Much of this chapter is filler. However, the parts that are not filler are up to you to figure out.

What I imagine Atlas looks like is something with a layout similar to Honouji Academy from Kill La Kill with the aesthetic of Mitakihara City from the Madoka Magica anime. If you haven't seen Kill La Kill yet and can't see what I'm talking about, let me paint the picture for you. Think of a giant fortress in the middle of a landlocked sea spanning several miles in all directions, surrounded by snowy mountains. That is what I imagine Atlas to be like.

Of course, I'd probably decrease the size of the slums, seeing as a militarize country would prevent most people from becoming homeless bums that make no contribution to society.

In any case, I don't have as much to discuss this chapter as I did in the previous ones. I'll stop this author's note here. Leave a review if you are so inclined. Until next chapter.