Okay, back again with all the KnivesXRuby. Today we reenact the tragic battle of Nora's Peak, that bloody day where we saw friends become enemies, food become weapons, and Neptune covered in People Like Grapes Soda. It will be a horrific day once again, but Caradin shall lead his team to victory, FOR FREEDOM! READ!

RWBY: The Darkness Within

Season 2- Chapter 3

Food and Freedom

Leaders become Great, not because of their Power, but Because of their Power to Empower Others.

"My friends," Caradin started as he stood on the table overseeing his team as they ate lunch with JNPR, RWBY, and PFCN. "It is my solemn vow as BRCT's new leader to treat my members with just fairness; every man shall get better hours, lower homework, and an apple pie every Friday!" He said as he stood triumphantly to the applause of JNPR, Newt, Yang, Pyron, Luxus, and Carlos. Blake continued to oversee her notebook to Caradin's dismay as Weiss and David ignored him as they simply didn't care.

"Get off the table!" Deverou screamed at his teammate quietly.

"Just let him go," Knives said eyeing Ruby as she approached with quite possibly the world's biggest binder, "It'll be over soon." He added with a smirk.

"And my first order of business is," The binder slammed on the table throwing off his balance, "Hey!"

"Teammates, Friends, Weiss!" Ruby started with a declaration of disapproval from Weiss.

Caradin jumped off the table into his bench with a thud, "Man! I was getting to the best part!" He declared angrily to Carlos, whose coconut cream pie he was eyeing, "You gonna eat that?"

Carlos was about to hand it over when Knives stopped him, "You've had plenty, and you almost broke the bench there tubby." He said before Caradin could respond, "Give it to Nora or something." Carlos slid it down to her, just as Yang lobbed an apple past the girl's head. Knives leaned back as Ren caught the apple and tossed it his way, Knives caught the green fruit without skipping a beat and began to savor its sour flesh.

"As your leader I demand an apology!" Caradin declared, "I work out every day to keep this fine specimen of man you see before you."

"Sun's hotter." The apple lover said blankly.

"I-you-what!?" Caradin stammered in a stupor before a turkey whizzed past his head. The team looked up to see the whole cafeteria stirring towards complete anarchy. "Well team, are you ready?"

Deverou looked up and shook his head as he went to take a sip of his tea before a carrot shot through the cup, loosed from a bow Ragnar's team had made from pasta and garlic bread. He threw the shattered porcelain to the ground in rage, "I will follow you to hell commander!"

"Luxus, Card Tricks!" Caradin called as the young man quickly gathered plates and shuffled them into a large stack. "Knives, Walk the Dog!" He cried to the former leader who slammed his book shut placing it in his bag as he threw the satchel over his shoulder drawing out a yo-yo and tossed the toy to Deverou. A cantaloupe collided with their leader as they turned to see Newt with a malicious grin.

"E tu Newt?" Caradin gasped.

"Even war will turn lovers into enemies." Luxus declared as he wiped away a single tear, "If this is how it must be!" He said in an exaggerated seriousness.

She tossed the fruit to Carlos who lobbed them at Deverou; the boy sliced cleanly through them, but did not foresee David's surprise attack as he leapt across the table and threw slushy in Deverou's mouth all at once, "Brain freeze!" Deverou cried as he staggered about. Luxus whirled the plates rapidly at the two assailants who were dispatched in a hail of porcelain. Pyron leapt into action using the hot sauce for his sandwich to attack Luxus' eyes. He staggered back, clasping forearms with Knives who whirled his partner about as Luxus kicked his assailant away, along with the other students who were now trying to join the fray. Newt threw a bench into the two boys bringing them down, as Caradin regained himself. Jaune came flying through the air towards Caradin, now doubt hurled by Yang, as Caradin tossed the boy at Newt; she hurled him back, unfortunately as the blonde youth collided with the window. Caradin grabbed his tray of picked clean buffalo wings, and threw them at Newt, who squirmed from being covered in chicken bones. He turned to Knives who had risen and grabbed a pie and leapt across the table, slamming it in her face and taking her to the ground.

"Requiescat in pace." He said as the red hood fell over his face and he rose like some kind of assassin. Caradin turned to Knives with a thumbs-up before the stampede of students tore their way past them, as the team turned to see the fort Nora had built from the benches and tables.

"Shit man." Caradin said as he and the rest of the team joined their former leader.

"How do you want to handle it?" Knives said turning to his friend.

"No mercy." Caradin said with a wicked grin, as he spotted Edan and his team across the way. "I'll take Mary."

"Edan is mine." Knives said bluntly, grabbing two loaves of bread.

"I'll take Sammy." Luxus added as he shuffled together more plates.

"Then that leaves me with Teena." Deverou said as he picked up a link of sausages in addition to the yo-yo.

"Hangman's Noose, go!" Caradin said as they all took off, Caradin grabbing a nearby flagpole and leaping into the air. "Freeeeeedom!" He cried diving on Mary who had a salmon she twirled with grace and malice.

"En Garde!" She cried as they danced the deadly dance of death.

Luxus flipped through the air and threw his plates quickly slicing the stray melons thrown by Nora, as Sammy closed the distance, spinning his pretzels like chakrams as he engaged the larger boy in close ranged combat, his body flying around him like a gnat. Luxus drew back to punch before Sammy stopped and spun, his eyes snapping open as he asserted his will over Luxus, "Stop!" Luxus immediately ceased, unable to move as the smaller youth prepared to strike him.

Knives flipped over, clubbing Sammy with the bread, "Don't let him get up!" He cried before he and Edan engaged in a life or death duel of baguettes. Deverou ran towards Teena at the same time, swinging the sausages at her as she wrapped them up in the pole she had found, and tossed them away, where they landed near Blake. She lunged forward, and Deverou flipped overhead ensnaring her in the spider web of thin string leftover from the yo-yo.

Edan and Knives clashed furiously, either refusing to give an inch, before their bread was carved down to nothing and they began to trade blows. Edan lost focus only when Caradin knocked Mary down and stood on top of her triumphantly waving his flag, "They may take away our lunch, but they will never take, our freedom!" He cried before Edan rushed over, a ball of blue fire, and punched Caradin through five tables, "Ow, my freedom!" He cried as Knives hopped in and continued to spar with Edan.

"You can't win, little red!" He cried coldly as he used his boosted powers to burn Knives with each blow.

"No," Knives said as he stumbled back, "But I can destroy you, and give back the lunch you stole through your evil power!"

"What!?" Edan cried in confusion as Knives grabbed anything and everything nearby and hit Edan with it, one after the other beating the other boy back, until he grabbed hold of a bench and clubbed the other boy over to Caradin who dispatched him with a lariat.

"Nice." Caradin said with a grin, before Deverou flew past him zeroed in only on Weiss as she plummeted to the ground with a stone pillar behind her. He arrived too late as Ruby tore through and saved her, but he ran to her side to see if she was okay. Caradin dodged a volley of apples from Ragnar as he focused on the boy and his team, and ran in grabbing a bench ready for the worst of it. Knives turned as Mary got up, enraged with how Edan was treated and ran in to hit him with her fish, but not before Yang let loose a deafening attack, which left everyone's ears ringing.

Luxus knocked out Mary with a well tossed plate, "You're welcome." He said, as his pocket watch began to float away, "Hey!" He said exerting his Kinesis over Pyrrha's polarity. He held it steady, but Knives saw Ruby getting ready to run, and dashed forward to tackle his teammate, as he clenched the watch tightly.

"Down!" He cried as he grabbed a shard of porcelain and sliced his palm, letting the blood form a clawed gauntlet that he dug into the ground to hold them against the torrent of materials. When the storm cleared, Knives was caked in loose food and debris, as Caradin stood triumphantly over Ragnar's team, and Deverou waved to them from afar. Professor Goodwitch then burst through the doors.

"Five-Oh!" Knives called out.

"Cheese it!" Luxus cried as he tried to run, before being hit by a flying table as she rearranged the room.

"Children, please don't play with your food." She said, as Knives and his team slowly made their way out of the cafeteria.

A Good Book, is like a Feast, it's better with Friends.

Knives approached the bookstore, with high hopes of getting more books for Ruby and himself, when he saw the caution tape.

"What's going on here?" He asked the closest officer.

"Stay back, this is under investigation." The officer replied.

"I was friends with the owner, was he robbed?" Knives asked.

"If only he was so lucky." The officer replied as he took notes.

The knowledge hit Knives like a freight train, as he rushed in, tearing his way through the men. "Tukson!" He cried as the officers tried to pull him away from the scene. "Let go of me you sons of bitches! Tukson!"

"Sir if you don't calm down we will charge you with obstruction of justice!" An officer cried before meeting a fist in his face.

"Officer's been assaulted, take him down!" They cried as they piled on and he fought like a madman. Swinging and kicking, biting and clawing, doing whatever he could to make it through that door. He burst through and saw the blood at the back, and collapsed in a rain of tears and the police tackled him to the ground and cuffed him, the tears just wouldn't stop.

The Free Man is he who does not Fear to go to the End of his Thought.

(Listen to Heart of Courage by Two Steps From Hell)

Knives sat there curled up in his cell, as the familiar buzz of the door's mechanics as it slid open with a clack. He looked up and was greeted by a familiar face, "I told you this is where you would end up if you didn't stop fighting." Goodwitch declared.

"I don't need your lecture right now." He sniffled, wiping the tears from his eyes, and fixing her with his usual glare.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, "Let's go." He followed her as she walked him out of the station. "So the man who owned the shop was your friend?"

"He kept me on the straight and narrow for a while, taught me how to read, and inspired my love of books." Knives listed as his eyes dropped and his voice quivered, "He was a good man."

She took pity on him, as she patted him on the back. "He sounds like a wonderful man."

"Why do you care." He said increasing his pace to get past her.

"Because I'm your teacher." She said bluntly, "It's my privilege to care when no one else will. So please stop being so oppositional and come to Ozpin and me when you need help."

"I'm not some useless weakling." He said defiantly.

"No, but you are human. And everyone hurts from now and then, it's best to just let it out." She said, as she patted him on the shoulder. He left the station and cried harder and louder than he ever had.

Friends can Free you from Pain

While the rest of their day had been full of more fun, and Ruby and the others had washed the food out of their hair and clothes, the night came quickly and everyone slept dreading the start of school in the morning. She was about to sleep herself when she heard the knock on her door, part of her felt she should just ignore it and sleep, but she wanted to see who came this late to talk. She opened the door and saw no other than Alex, leaning against her door frame with a goofy grin and lazy eyes, "Shup Ruby~!" He slurred out as he took a drink from his water bottle that smelled like a medicine cabinet.

"Um, hey?" She inquired as she stepped out into the hallway with her scroll and closed the door behind her. "What are you doing here?"

"Jus wanting to see my faaaaaavorite book buddy, and have a fun cshat!" He slurred once more as his eyes seemed to float around his skull as they shifted from the door, to her, then to his reflection in the doorknob. "I'm jush havin a rough tyme." He blurted out suddenly taking another drink as his eyes grew sadder.

"Okay, well talk to me about it." She asked as she sat down against the wall and motioned for him to sit next to her.

He slumped unevenly against the wall and got comfortable before talking, "Tukson is dead." He stated solemnly taking another drink, "He was just dead, someone came and killed him and I don't know why." He started tearing up and before her eyes he broke down completely bawling, "Why did this have to happen? So he made some mistakes, he wanted to get away from his old life, is that so bad!?" He screamed as she tried to quiet him down, "I just don't know why, why did someone so good have to die?"

"Look, Alex." She started as he dried his eyes, "Sometimes terrible things happen and we can't do anything, and it hurts, I mean it really hurts." She said thinking back to her mom but quickly shaking free of it, "But you need to move on for their sake, I mean wouldn't Tukson want you to focus on becoming a Huntsman? So you can make a difference? I think you should focus on what's in front of you and make him proud." She said beaming as he looked up at her.

"Thanksh Ruby, you're a good friend." He said as she went to get up and he stopped her by grabbing her hand, "A really good friend. Ruby," He asked pausing for a good minute before turning to his left, "Shut up, I'm doing it." He returned his attention to her, "Do you like me?"

"Um, I'm not really sure now is a good time to." She started before he cut her off.

"Yes or no question, do you like me?" He blurted out angrily.

She thought about it for a second and sighed, "Yes Alex, I like you," He started to smile, "As a friend." And with that his smile faded, "Look, I'm here to fight monsters, protect the people, and save the day. I'm not here looking for romance or a soul mate, I'm here to find comrades and become a Huntress. I'm sorry if that's not the answer you wanted, but it's the truth."

"No it's fine." He said solemnly, "Then be my comrade!" He blurted out quickly which startled her, "Fight with me and be my friend and I will always protect you when you need me." His eyes seemed less cloudy as it took all of his concentration to focus on her.

She smiled and clasped his hand with both of hers and helped him to his feet, "I'd love to be your friend and comrade, now go to bed. You need rest and so do I."

"Kay!" He cried as he stumbled down the hallway singing to himself as she sighed and giggled before returning to her room.

Yeah, so sorry if that killed your dreams of KnivesXRuby. But don't let it, because I have plans. Much plans, very win. Please review if you would.