Chapter 5: Repercussions

"There we go. I'm all done." Summer sat in Yang's bedroom as she cut her burned hair. Yang hadn't said a word since she had come back in. She just stared at her fist that still clutching the hair that Cinder had burned off.

Summer understood her sadness and frustration. This was the first time when someone had so easily overpowered her and taken something dear to her. The first time losing had really stung her, along with her now damaged hair.

"Don't worry dear." Summer said, gently stroking her daughter's head. "It'll grow back. And when it does, it'll be even more beautiful." Yang still said nothing. Summer grow more concerned. She had never seen Yang distraught like this.

A knock on the door drew Summer's attention away from her daughter to see Tai waving to her. As much as she would have liked to stay with Yang, Summer needed to know if Ruby was okay.

She pulled Yang into another hug and kissed the top of her head. "Mommy's got to go check on your sister. I'll be right back, if you need anything at all, just call me, okay?" Yang didn't respond at first, but after a few seconds, she gave a weak nod.

Summer kissed her again before gathering the burned hair and leaving the room. Once the door closed, Summer heard restrained sobbing from inside. She had half a mind to open the door, but remember that when Raven was sad, she'd always go somewhere to be alone. Some people just didn't want others around when upset, and she just had to accept that.

Turning to Tai, Summer fought back a yelp as she saw a bloody cloth in his hands.

"Don't worry." He said immediately. "Ruby's fine. She just insisted on giving Cinder her blades back before putting a bandage on. The cut wasn't bad, so I didn't see much harm in allowing it."

Summer let out a sigh of relief. Ruby was okay. And that's what mattered.

"So, how's our sunny dragon doing?" Tai asked. Summer could only shake her head sadly. "Physically, she's fine. Only has a few scrapes and bruises, but that's nothing new." Summer paused a second before continuing. "Mentally thought? She very upset about her hair. She's so upset she's not even mad anymore, which I've never seen before." Summer let out a sigh as she leads Tai down stairs.

"It's normally never this bad. She fought people who've hurt Ruby before and lost, but she never had her hair cut like that until now. I'm not sure how long she'll be unresponsive with others. Especially after being attacked with the kind of ferocity Cinder is capable of." Summer throws the burned strands in the trash before turning back to the stairs.

"Actually." Tai said stopping Summer. "I'm not sure if that's what happened."

Summer turned and stared at Tai. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I'm sorry, what?" She asked in complete disbelief. "You can't be serious right now, can you? Cinder's blades were right next to her and you saw her burning Yang's hair. How much more-!"

"Summer listen." Tai cut in. "You're the one who's always saying, give people the benefit of the doubt. Back when we found out why Raven and Qrow entered Beacon, I was ready to go straight to Ozpin, but you stopped me then and said to give them a chance." Summer opened her mouth to retort, but closed it when she couldn't come up with a logical argument.

"For the past month Cinder's been living with us, you've always vouched for her, now you've convinced me not to jump to conclusions and I'm asking you to do the same." Summer frowned, then took a deep breath and waited for Tai to continue.

"I believed the same as you, that Cinder was provoked into attacking Yang, then Ruby got in the way and got hurt in the crossfire." Summer nodded. Not quite the way she thought things had happened, but close enough.

"But when I was treating Ruby, she kept asking what was going to happen to Cinder, and saying things like it wasn't her fault or that Yang had done, and I quote, a really, really bad thing that Cinder had attacked her for." Tai paused for a second, for some reason he looked a little hurt. "She won't tell me what happened. Says I'll blame Cinder anyway. Do you think…?"

Summer nodded immediately. "Of course." She said. "Could you go be with Yang? So if she needs anything…"

"Yeah, of course." With that, Tai headed upstairs while Summer went to Cinder's room.

As she approached, she could hear Ruby's voice as the little girl tried to talk to the older girl through the door. "Cinder? Please? I finished cleaning your swords. I want to give them back. Please open the door."

Sure enough, as Summer turned the corner to Cinder's room, she saw Ruby tapping on the door with Cinder's swords laying next to her. Summer felt bad for her, no matter who was at fault Ruby had just been caught in the middle.

"Ruby." She called as she approached. The little girl jumped, then spun around like a deer in the headlights, or like Ruby when she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Which happened a surprising amount.

"Ruby, Cinder doesn't want to talk right now. Let's get you all patched up, okay." Ruby shifted on her feet, glancing down at the blades. "But her swords." Ruby said quietly.

Summer smiled at her child, she had such a kind heart.

"I'm sure she'll appreciate all the hard word you put into cleaning them. But right now, she needs some alone time. So let's focus on-."

"No."

Summer did a double take. What was Ruby talking about?

"Ruby." She tried again. "Cinder's very upset. I'm sure tomor-."

"No!" Ruby yelled, this time balling her hands into fists and stomping her foot angrily. "No! No! No! No! No! No! NO!" Ruby stomped her foot with each word, growing more aggravated with every second.

"Cinder doesn't want to be alone! You want her to be alone! You just want her away from me and Yang! You're planning to send her away to the bad places! I've heard dad talking about some kind of orphanage in Minstrel!" Ruby's accusatory tone caused Summer to take a step back in surprise. She had never heard Ruby yell like this.

"You want to get rid of her! But I don't want her gone! She's nice! She puts up with my weirdness! She's like the first person other than you, dad, and Yang to put up with me! And you want her gone! Your- Your mean!" With that final yell, Ruby turned back to the door, fighting back tears, and began pounding on it, yelling with all the might her small lungs could manage.

"Cinder! Open the door! Please! I yelled at mom and now she'll probably send me to the bad place too! Let me in! Please! Cinder! Open the door! I don't want mom to send me to the bad place! Cinder! CINDER!" Ruby's attempts were met with silence, causing Ruby to become more desperate. She began throwing her entire weight against the door, but she only bounced off the solid wood door.

"Ruby. Stop that!" Summer cried as she rushed forward and picked up the small girl, who began flailing in her mother's arms. "No! I don't want to go to the bad place! Cinder! Help me!" She screamed as she fought desperately to escape.

"Ruby! Enough! Nobody's going to the bad place! I promise! You've reopened your injury!"

Ruby stopped fighting to look down at her knee. Sure enough, she had reopened the injury and it was bleeding again.

"No! I don't want to die! Mommy! Save me!" Ruby clung to Summer like she was a lifeline. The older woman smiled and stroked Ruby's hair. "Don't worry dear." She said as she continued to sooth her daughter. "Mommy isn't going to let you die. Let go to the kitchen and get you cleaned up, okay?"

Summer carried Ruby back towards the kitchen. She was certain Cinder would come out to retrieve her swords once she knew there was nobody outside her room.

Once in the kitchen, Summer sat Ruby down and took the first ad kit Tai had left there. Then she began treating Ruby's knee.

"I don't want Cinder to be sent to the bad place." Ruby said as soon as Summer began working. "She had a reason for hurting Yang."

Summer bit her lip. She had told Tai about Cinder's criminal background and her suspicion about the event, but both had obviously kept that from their daughters.

"Ruby." She began slowly. "Not everyone is as good-hearted as you. Some people enjoy hurting others. And sometimes those people need special help to stop. Help that not everyone can offer."

"Well, Cinder's not one of them!" Ruby said with a huff. "She's not! She's not! She's not!" Ruby was starting to squirm, making it hard for Summer to properly stop the bleeding.

"She doesn't mean to be." Summer said as she gripped Ruby's leg a little tighter. "And if she is, it's not her fault. She's had a hard upbringing. And she's still learning what she can and can't do. But sometimes a hard upbringing is something that can change a person into someone who needs that special help. But I assure you that if she does need special help, we'll find someone or somewhere that isn't a bad place. Somewhere where she can be happy."

Ruby stared at Summer with big eyes that were starting to fill with tears.

"So you are sending her away." Ruby's voice sounded hollow, her eyes burned with tears. Sadness and betrayal filled her face, and she looked like she was close to breaking down again.

"It's an option. One I'm not in favor of, but after tonight I'm not sure how many families would be willing to take Cinder in. She already has some problems she's sorting out. And we will sport her as best we can, but-"

"That's not fair." Ruby was looking at Summer like she was a complete stranger. It hurt her, but Summer took a deep breath and tried again. "But sometimes, there are things that are just outside our control. Even if-"

"That's not fair! You can't send her away! You can't! She's…she's." Ruby lowered her head, unable to continue.

Summer had finished stopping the bleeding and was now bandaging her daughter when she caught Ruby's tone. She remembered Tai had said Ruby knew something she wouldn't tell him.

"Ruby, is there more that happened outside that you're not telling?" Ruby looked away quickly, confirming her suspension. Although Summer couldn't think of any possible reason she was so reluctant to tell them.

"Ruby, what happened outside, really." Still no response, so Summer continued. "I want to believe that Cinder had a good reason for blowing up like that, but if you can't tell me then I'm going to have to go with the obvious conclusion. Ruby, don't worry, if you're somehow involved I promise I won't be angry."

"What about Yang? You won't send her to the bad place?" Summer raised an eyebrow. She wasn't sure what Ruby even meant. Of course she had assumed Yang had started it, but why would Ruby be afraid for Yang?

"Why would I send Yang to the bad place? I haven't sent her even after she tried to get her hands on alcohol. And I'm sure you remember how mad I was then." Despite her reassurance, Ruby still seemed hesitant to open up to Summer.

"Ruby, please tell me why you think I'll-?"

"Because Yang isn't your real child." Ruby blurted out so fast Summer had to do a double take. What did she just say?

"Ruby Rose! You know Yang is my child, same as you. Why on Remnant would you think I don't consider her my child?" Summer didn't mean to sound so harsh, but she had never heard Ruby talk like that about her sister.

"Because you brought Cinder home to replace her." Ruby said quickly. "You don't love Yang anymore and so you found Cinder to replace her. That because Cinder looks more like you, she'll get special treatment." As she spoke, Ruby's voice began getting faster and faster until Summer could barely understand a word she said. "Then once Yang's old enough, you'll send her to a boarding school and then move so she can get back, and then you'll change our name to ensure she won't find us and then tell me that Yang died so I don't try to contact her and then once I met her again at Beacon I'll be a completely person so she won't recognize my and then will go a full two years of knowing each other before she becomes a huntress and then you'll hire and Hitman to kill her anddisposeofthebodytoensureyoursecretissafeandthen-!"

"Wow! Breath Ruby. Who told you all this?" Despite the situation, Summer couldn't help but be amazed by her daughter's talking speed. Even at her age, Summer couldn't speak anywhere near their fast.

"Yang did." Ruby admitted. "Cinder had gone to the trees to punch them. She had left her swords on the ground and I went over to look at them. That's when Yang came out. She said something about picking up my toys. When I told her I'd do it after Cinder finished training she told me that if I wasn't careful I'd end up like her. When I asked what she meant she told me all that. I told her it wasn't true and she called me a baby for not believing it. I started crying and Cinder came over. She said the only reason you wanted to get rid of Yang was because she was a female dog. I don't understand. Is Yang somehow related to Zwei?" Summer was both annoyed and a little humored at what Cinder had called Yang, and by Ruby's childish innocence.

"Anyway, then Yang said Cinder was a home wrecker, and she threw a rock at her. Cinder couldn't activate her aura in time and it hit her eyebrow!" Summer gave a start. She had known Yang could be temperamental, but she had never done something like that before.

"Then Cinder got angry! She said she was going to teach Yang a lesson and she grabbed her and pushed her face first into a muddy puddle! I tried to break them up and then! And then!" Ruby looked like she was about to start crying again. Summer quickly pulled her into a hug.

"Shhh." She said softly. "I can guess what happened next. You don't need to continue." It didn't take much imagination to assume what Cinder would do to someone who got in her way.

But Ruby shook her head and squirmed up to look her mother in the eyes. "It was Yang." She said. "She- I got Cinder off her and tried to help her and then her eyes turned red and she told me I shouldn't have interfered! She said she didn't need my help and that I was always getting in her way! Then she shoved me and I got knocked away and tripped over Cinder's swords and hit my knee on a rock! Yang looked confused and scared! I don't think she meant to do that! But before she could say anything, Cinder blew up! She attacked Yang and grabbed her hair! She broke Yang's aura so fast! Then you and dad came out and-!"

Summer was sure Ruby was still talking, but her mind was reeling. She was completely shocked that Yang had hurt Ruby, unintentionally or not, she had always restrained herself to avoid that from ever happening. Even in her angriest moment, she had never gone that far.

"Please don't send either of them to the bad place. Please mommy." Summar snapped out of her thoughts as Ruby grabbed her shirt and practically begged on behalf of the other two stubborn girls.

"Oh Ruby." Summer said as she pulled her back into a hug. "I'm not sending anyone to the bad place. Not you, not Yang, and not Cinder. I want all of you to be happy. Tonight has been trying for all of us. So how about we get you to bed and all of us, Cinder and Yang included, talk about this in the morning. We can all air our grievances over some pancakes."

Ruby looked up at her mother. "You're not sending anyone to the bad place? You promise?" Summer smiled. "I promise." She assumed.

"Pinky swear?" Summer couldn't help but laugh as Ruby held up her tiny hand. "I promise not to send Cinder or Yang anywhere they don't want to go." She said as she wrapped her pinky around Ruby's.

That seemed to put Ruby's mind at ease. She allowed herself to be taken up to her room and tucked into bed.

"Goodnight Ruby." Summer kissed the crown of her head, then made her way to the door and closed it behind her. Ruby was asleep before it clicked shut.

Summer made her way across the hall to Yang's room. As she approached, the door opened and Tai stepped out.

"How is she?" Summer asked. Tai just shifted uncomfortably. "Okay, I think." He seemed unable to look Summer in the eyes. "She told me what happened tonight. And it put her in a negative light. You see-"

"I know." Summer cut in, feeling just as awkward. "Ruby told me what happened. I think I owe an apology to Cinder. But first I want to speak with Yang. In private, if that's okay." Tai just nodded. "I think she's expecting that." He said as he stood back to let her in. "I'll check on Cinder. So don't worry about her." With that, he turned to go down stairs, but was stopped by Summer gently taking his wrist.

"Actually, could you let me talk to her? I'm the one who brought her here. I should take responsibility for her presence and any misconceptions between us and her. Besides, I want to apologize before anything else." Tai stared at her, expression unreadable.

"Alright." He said after a long silence. "I'll be down stairs if you need me." Summer smiled in appreciation. She turned back to Yang's door and prepared herself for a hard talk.

"Summer." Tai called from the stairs causing said woman to turn and look over. "You don't need to shoulder everything by yourself. Remember, if you ever need me, I'll be right beside you."

Summer felt her heartbeat pick up as Tai's kindness seemed to radiate from him like the heat of the sun. Warming her to her core. Back at Beacon, Qrow had said she was the reason he and Raven gave up their mission, but she knew it was Tai who had opened their hearts to that possibility. Even after all these years, he hadn't changed.

"Of course. Thank you, Tai." He gave her an encouraging smile, then vanished from sight down the stairs. Taking a deep breath, Summer knocked on Yang's door before letting herself in.

Yang sat on her bed, not moving. In fact, she hadn't moved since she had been in earlier.

"Yang?" She called, but got no response.

"Yang, Ruby told me what happened tonight. And I have to talk to you about your behavior." Still no response. As much as she loved her daughter, Summer wasn't going to let this go with just the silent treatment.

"I'm guessing you didn't mean to hurt Ruby, but before you could apologize Cinder jumped you. I think she thought you did that intentionally. She's become more protective of Ruby than I expected. She jumped to conclusions, no doubt, but you're hardly blameless either." Summer gave Yang a chance to tell her side, but when the girl stayed silent she pressed on.

"I want you to apologize to both Ruby and Cinder tomorrow. And before you complain, I'm going to tell Cinder the same thing. I know this isn't just one person's fault. You and Cinder both need to learn to control your emotions, otherwise you'll both end up making life a lot harder on yourselves. You can't just punch-."

"It's not fair."

Summer stopped as Yang finally spoke. Immediately, all of Yang's actions the past month made sense. It was so obvious, but somehow Summer hadn't seen it until now. All the insecurities Yang had kept bottled up were finally ready to explode.

"Why is Ruby so attached to her? It's not fair! I'm her sister! And she just replaced me! Why is she not the one being replaced!? Why am I the one who's replaceable one!? It's not fair! I- I don't want to be left alone! It's not- it's not fair! Wwwwaaaahhh!" Yang was finally releasing all her pent up fear and anger. She had been so insecure ever since she found out about Raven. And now she felt like she couldn't even turn to her own family.

Immediately, Summer wrapped her arms around Yang. "Yang, don't be ridiculous, we could never replace you. You're an invaluable member of this family. We love you. And no matter who we help, you'll always have a spot in our hearts." She could hear Yang's sobs change as she tried to speak.

"B-but then why doesn't Ruby love me anymore? One new girl shows up and suddenly everything's about her! It's not fair!" Yang was regaining a bit of her fiery temper, so Summer decided to quell it quickly.

"She does love you, Yang. But Cinder was a potential new friend for Ruby. And after your fight, she wasn't sure how to approach you." As she spoke, Summer stroked Yang's soft hair. "Yang, if you want things to go back to normal, then maybe you should apologize to Ruby." Immediately, Yang's head shot up.

"But she started it!" Yang protested. "She said my harmless pranks made me mean! She should apologize!"

Summer gently sat Yang on her knee, while still letting her arms stay slightly wrapped around the girl. "Yang, sometimes it doesn't matter who started the fight. Sometimes you have to apologize for things that aren't your fault. But if you show kindness to someone, they'll normally show it back. Just remember, sometimes you have to take the first step."

Yang looked at Summer, then after several seconds, her gaze drifted down to her hands. "Alright. I'm a big girl, so I'll take the first step." She said quietly. "I need to apologize for pushing her anyway." Summer smiled at her daughter. She knew how hard it was to admit you were wrong as a kid. Hell, it's sometimes hard when you're an adult. And Yang was normally so hard headed that she rarely could compromise. She had taken a big step towards a bright future.

"That's my girl." Summer said lovingly as she pulled Yang deeper into her hug.

It was later than Summer would have liked. She had stayed with Yang going over all the cool hairdos she could try while waiting for it to grow back. Normally everyone was asleep by now, but Summer had noticed how Cinder seemed more comfortable at night and would normally stay up much later than anyone else in the house.

As she approached Cinder's room, she saw a light from under the door and the swords were missing from the floor where Ruby had left them.

Summer gave the door a good knock and waited for a response from the girl within. But when no answer came, she guessed Cinder didn't want to see her now.

"Cinder, I know you're still up." She called gently. "Please just hear me out. I want to apologize to you for not listening to your side of the story. Can I please come in?" Still no response. Was this how kids dealt with their feelings in this day and age?

Seeing that she wasn't going to be let in, Summer decided to just try and talk through the door."Well, I guess first and most importantly, I'm sorry for not listening to you. Or giving you a chance. I was a horrible person who put her daughter above the truth. You have every right to be angry, but I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive Yang. She doesn't have the same level of control as you do."

When she still got no reply, Summer began wondering if Cinder had fallen asleep with a light on. But that didn't make any sense. She never forgot the light. Curious, Summer tested the knob and found the door unlocked.

"Cinder? Are you okay in there? If you want me to leave, I'll leave, but can I at least come in and make sure you're okay. Getting hit by a rock isn't something you should leave unchecked, even if aura can heal it instantly." Curiosity turned to concern as Summer still got no response. Deciding it was a fair trade to apologize again, Summer turned the knob and let herself in.

She blinked in the dim light. She was aware that the window was opened, but she had no idea why. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw Cinder's bed was untouched and the spot where she kept her swords was empty. In fact, Cinder wasn't inside at all. Her desk lamp was left lit, but there were no other signs she had ever been here.

"Cinder?" She called, but was still answered with silence. Maybe she had gone to the bathroom? But then where were her swords?

Summer wasn't sure where the girl was, but figured she'd be happier if she returned to her room without the floor covered in water. She made her way over to the window to close it when something outside caught her eye.

Then Summer felt her breath catch in her throat. Outside the opened window she saw footprints in the mud. Footprints leading from the window into the forest.