Haven Academy was barren.

"I've been here a couple times," Summer said, kicking a rock across the quad. "On business at least once, Vytal Festival at least once. Never this empty. Still, apparently it's been more than ten years."

"I was about to ask about that," Qrow said. "Did you age?"

"It's something about the Realm of Darkness," Summer said. "Making it out here from Traverse Town didn't take three months. You've aged, Qrow."

"I've aged just fine," Qrow grumbled, clearly miffed. He nodded at Neo. "What about her?"

Summer spun. "Eh?"

"How long was she in the darkness?"

Neo signed out a long series of gestures.

"She went past two castles, a tropical island, uh, a forest or two, may have been the same forest, several stretches of barren rocky terrain, and then the beach," Summer translated out. "She didn't ever need to sleep or eat, and there weren't days. There were a lot of monsters." She looked around. "Why is it so empty, anyway?"

Qrow grumbled, fingering the lid of his flask. "Lionheart, with all his wisdom, decided to send everyone out on missions. Region was 'unstable.' As if leaving the Relic near-unguarded wasn't exactly what Salem wanted."

"We have another member of the party, by the way," Summer said, glancing at her Scroll. "He'll be arriving shortly."

At once, a large ship soared into view, emerging from a distant forest. It accelerated at a rapid clip, before coming to a rest above the quad and descending. Its engines wound down and a ramp descended.

"You sure took your time," a young man dressed in a dark cloak called out. His hair was silvery, but as he emerged from the underbelly of the ship the light gave it a bluer hue.

"Qrow Branwen, may I introduce Riku," Summer said plainly. "Riku here is, well, he's one of our allies. Even for his age, he's a skilled swordsman, and he's got a couple of other tricks up his sleeve."

"Nice to meet you, kid," Qrow said gruffly. He extended his hand out for a handshake.

Riku took it and shook it wordlessly. "Summer. This is the man you wanted to find?"

"It is," Summer said. "Qrow here isn't exactly the best socialite, but he's an expert in covert reconnaissance and he's good in a fight, too."

"I'm not just good," Qrow said, giving her a tiny shove.

"He's alright," Summer said in a faux-whisper. She reverted to a standard tone. "Anyway. Riku's...I want to say, 'on-loan.' It's not completely accurate, but the deal are that, while DiZ is handling Sora, Riku is with us."

"Wonderful," Qrow said.

"Neo," Summer said. "Take the Blackjack, park it under the cover of trees — but keep it nearby. I'd like to have it on hand. Less than three minutes, if possible."

Neo nodded, disappearing into the ship.

"So, as for the other thing," Summer said. "She's around here, right?"

"Yeah," Qrow sighed. "We've got a couple rooms in the eastern dorms. Listen, if you don't want to do this—"

"It's fine," Summer said. "We can't exactly keep this up, so may as well...get it over with."

The eastern dorm building was as barren of people as the quad had been, and they also looked hastily abandoned and it seemed like the cleaning crew was on leave, too. Qrow lead them up to the second floor and knocked thrice at a particular door.

After a moment, a young man with blonde hair emerged, first poking his head and shoulders out before shuffling out into the hallway. "Hey, Qrow," he said softly in the silence of the dorms. "How goes, uh...things? You didn't exactly leave a note, or whatever."

"I had to meet an old friend," Qrow said, his own voice low to match Jaune. "This is her and one of her friends. Uh, this is Jaune Arc."

"Hey," Jaune said, extending a hand for a handshake that didn't quite know where to go.

Riku took it and shook. "I'm Riku."

Summer took it, and Jaune finally took a good look at her. At his widening eyes, she silently pressed a finger to her lips.

"Y-you're..."

"Hush up," Qrow said. "Is everyone in there?"

"Yeah," Jaune said. "Uh, we're playing a card game, just the four of us."

"I'd hate to ruin the fun," Summer said quietly. She squared her shoulders. "Okay, let's do this."

Qrow opened the door, and Jaune strode in in front of him.

It was fairly lavish, by dorm standards — there was a psudeo-living room that was separated from a tiny kitchen with a bar with seats for three. To the left was a bathroom and a closet, and to the right, two doors led to bedrooms. True to Jaune's word, Ruby and what must have been two of her friends, one a dark-haired boy and the other a redheaded girl, were sitting at a coffee table with cards strewn about it.

"Good news, everyone," Qrow said, stepping through the door. "Last night I received a message from an old friend who's been away for a long time — and for good reason, according to what she's said. I told her about the situation here, and she's willing to help out, with a couple of friends of hers." Summer could her him deflate, a deep sigh coming from his lungs. "Don't be shocked."

Ruby chimed in, "Why would we be shocked?"

Qrow grumbled, "You'll see."

Summer drew in a deep breath, blinked past tears, and strode into the room.

It was dead silent. Ruby slowly and shakily rose to her feet.

"M-mom?"

Summer attempted to smile gently and then began to cry. Ruby mirrored her in terms of the crying, and stumbled forward. Summer quickly stepped forth and embraced her daughter "I'm home," she said.

"Welcome home," Qrow said.

Summer wrapped Ruby in her billowing white cloak and pulled her over to sit on the couch together. "Hello," she said. "You must be Ruby's friends. I'm Summer Rose."

"I'm Ren, and this is Nora," the boy said. "Uh, it's good to meet you, Miss Rose."

"It's good to meet you, too," Summer replied. "Ah, that's Riku," she said, nodding toward the boy in the dark cloak who was standing at the bar.

"So wait," Nora said. "I thought you were dead."

"It's a long story." Summer looked to the crying mess of a girl in her arms. "How are you doing, hon?"

"I'm fine," Ruby said, wiping tears from her eyes. "I just...never thought..."

"Mhm," Summer mumbled, drawing her daughter closer. "I heard you got into Beacon."

"I did," Ruby gushed. "A-and I'm on a team, and we're great, and Yang's on it too, and a couple of other girls who are also amazing."

"You'll have to tell me about all your adventures," Summer said, a playful tone in her voice.

"Hold on," Ruby said, peering over at Riku. "What kind of sword is that?"

Riku looked bashfully at the sword poking out from underneath his cloak. He drew it in the fluorescent light and presented it out to Ruby, who slinked away to look in awe at the dark blade. "It's called the Soul Eater."

"Whoa," Ruby said. "...it's not really sharp, unless you count this other end of the blade, though."

"It's magic," Riku said, smiling.

"Ooooh," Ruby said, lifting the sword out of Riku's hand. "I took Longsword Proficiency at Signal for a year, but I traded it out for my scythe when I began training with them."

"You should see a Keyblade," Riku said.

Ruby's eyes widened and she yelled, "Is that...a blade that looks like a key?"

"As a matter of fact, it is," Summer said from the couch. "We've had a run-in before."

"Oh please tell me all about it," Ruby said, stepping forward with twice accelerated speed. "Can it unlock things? Does it make cool sounds?"

"Yes, it can unlock things," Riku said darkly.

"Ruby," Summer said gently. "I have something I need to show you." She shifted around and slipped her revolver out of its holster, presenting it to Ruby. "I...didn't ever get to give you this."

Ruby gasped gently. "Incredible," she said, taking it and examining it over and over. "It's old, but well-maintained. The cylinder is a custom design, because the center chamber fires a different caliber of round, activated by the second trigger. If I had to guess, you'd have something like a shotgun shell in this center chamber?" At Summer's nod, Ruby continued. "The hammer has been redesigned for easier working. The handle is high-quality wood, and it's not a standard grip, either. Every part of this gun has been expertly crafted and customized." Ruby looked up. "What's her name?"

"It's the Thorn," Summer said. "And one day it'll be yours."

"Wow," Ruby said, starstruck. "Family heirloom." She paused, turning over the revolver in her hand. "But it's...too old, you must have inherited it too."

"You got it quickly," Summer said. "As a matter of fact, I got it from my mother."

Summer Rose heard the balcony door open and shut gently. She imagined that standing there, leaning against the railing, she looked pretty moody.

"Tomorrow's the big day."

"Yeah," Summer said. "Beacon Academy. I'm gonna be gone a while, mom. You gonna be able to handle things here?"

The elder Rose laughed. "That's not what I'm worried about. I've got...something for you."

Summer took the package her mother presented her with. It was wrapped in brown paper and tied with twine. As she unwrapped it, a layer of cloth revealed itself, and beneath that was a gun in a holster.

"A revolver," Summer said, drawing it.

"This was my revolver." Summer's mother smiled. "And it was my father's revolver. This gun has seen thousands of battles. And it's your birthright. In carrying this revolver, you carry with it all the Rose family's pride."

"Wow," Ruby said.

"In time, it will be yours," Summer said. "But I have unfinished business."

Ruby frowned. "With who? Salem?"

"Ah," Summer said. "I'll tell you soon enough." At once, her scroll dinged. "Ah, the other member of our party is here." At once, they heard the sound of the nearby stairwell door closing.

Neo opened the door suddenly, waving hello.

Ruby's eyes widened, leaping into action and plucking her scythe from the breakfast bar. "You!" she yelled, her weapon extending into rifle mode.

Neo's eyes widened and she spun her umbrella to face Ruby, extending the shield just as Crescent Rose fired. Ruby yelled incoherently and sped forward with her Semblance, shoving Neo back into the hall.

Summer stood tall as the rest of Ruby's group from Beacon looked around. "Riku," she said. "On my mark, grab Neo, bring her back to this room."

In the hallway, Neo had been put on defense as a berserk Ruby slashed repeatedly at her.

Summer slid forward just behind Ruby.

"Now!"

At once, inky darkness and a black cloak enveloped Neo, just as Summer delivered a series of strikes to disarm Ruby and pin her against the floor.

"What are you doing?"

"She helped Roman Torchwick," Ruby yelled. "She helped destroy Beacon!"

"Over the last few months, she's helped me innumerable times," Summer grunted out. "She's an ally now. Calm down!"

Ruby writhed as Summer brought more weight down on her. After a moment, she ceased, breathing roughly. "Fine," Ruby said, scowling. "I don't trust her."

"Save it," Summer said, rising. "From what Qrow's told me, she's the least of your issues."

Neo awkwardly emerged from the room, offering a hand to help Ruby up. Ruby reluctantly took it and rose to her feet.

Neo looked at Ruby and then Summer and then signed out a long sentence.

"What did she say?"

"It's all in the past. She doesn't remember you," Summer said finally.

"Listen," Qrow said as the trio returned to the room. "I have a couple of contacts I need to talk to. They're gonna lead us to where Raven has been encamped over the winter. Now, knowing them, and trust me, I know them, they'll be packing up for the warmer months, but it'll take a few more weeks before they start moving."

"You've said they're a tribe," Ren said, "how hard would they be to track once they start moving?"

"Shockingly hard," Qrow said. He grabbed his sword and clipped it into place. "Summer, you're in charge." He shut the door behind him.

"Right," Summer said. "What do you kids wanna do?"

Nora raised a hand. "Does asking what happened to you count as doing something?"

"Well," Summer said. "I suppose. It all starts, well, about ten years ago now..."

The knock sounded in the dead of night.

Summer was laying on the bed, Scroll in hand, flicking through the local Haven Academy webpages.

The most bizarre part was her still-somehow-functioning Scroll was once again receiving local network signal from the nearby CCT. It was groaning at her to update every bit of software, too, but she pondered if the hardware needed to be revamped, too.

Summer sighed as a second round of knocks sounded.

Jaune poked his head into the smaller bedroom. "Hey, there's someone at the—"

"You can open it, it's probably Qrow," Summer said. "I'm gonna sleep. Keep it down."

"You, uh, have a good night," Jaune said with a half-hearted wave. He softly shut the door and Summer could hear him shuffle off. There was the unfamiliar voice of someone — she suspected it was whoever had gotten Qrow home after a long night of drinking. Then there was Qrow, sounding too silly and stupid for his own good.

Summer silently slipped small earbuds into her ears and set her Scroll to make its way through her entire music library. She slipped under the covers and shut her eyes too-tightly.

"Hey," Jaune's voice floated through a crack in the door. "Uh, sorry to wake you, but, uh, you'd better come out here."

"Urgh," Summer responded, tossing aside her covers. She stumbled out into the light of the central room.

"Hello, Mrs. Rose," an all-too-familiar voice sounded. It was coming from a shorter boy with tanned skin and rough hands, but she suspected there was something else underneath his plain farm boy exterior.

"Hello, stranger," Summer said, roughly sitting on one of the couches. "And who might you be?"

"I am Professor Ozpin," the boy said.

"I thought I recognized your eyes," Summer said. "So, you're looking younger."

"I see your time away hasn't dulled your wit," Ozpin said. "Has it dulled your skill?"

"Not at all," Summer said. "Has Qrow filled you in?"

"Very roughly, but yes," Ozpin said. "You seek to gather Huntsmen to combat a malignant group whose goals involve the destruction of life across the universe, or so Qrow said."

"I was drunk, it was a rough summary," Qrow called out.

"Very rough, but yes," Summer said. "If at all possible, I would like to organize a team. Specifically, I would like to organize my old team, STRQ."

The Ozpin-boy frowned. "I'm afraid with the situation here in Mistral so unstable—"

"I understand," Summer said, cutting him off. "We have a year until the Keyblade wielder awakens, and if possible, I'd be willing to aid in the stabilization of this region and then put my team together."

Ozpin quirked one of the boy's eyebrows. "The Keyblade?"

"Indeed," Summer said.

"Very dangerous forces are at work, if a Keyblade is involved," Ozpin said. "But it's good to have you back, Miss— er, Mrs. Rose. While Qrow will be out recruiting local Huntsmen, I was wondering if you could help me get everyone else into fighting shape." The boy gestured to himself. "Including Oscar here, of course."

"I don't see why not," Summer said. "I'm not exactly a licensed teacher, though."

"Better than nothing," Qrow said from the kitchen, refilling a glass of water. The instant it was mostly full, he chugged it down in a matter of seconds and began to fill it again. "We need as many trained Huntsmen as we can muster. And, well, you're a great deal better than 'trained.'"

"That I am," Summer said, smirking. "Riku and Neo aren't slouches in a fight, either, but I'll get everyone up to spec." She gave a thumbs up. "How much time do we have?"

"Not much." Ozpin rose to his feet. "Normal classes are scheduled to resume in a matter of weeks — just over four weeks, to be precise."

"We have another problem," Riku said from the corner. Summer hadn't noticed him enter, but his face was set in a deep grimace. "Someone else just arrived."

Summer tensed up. "Who?"

Riku folded his arms and shut his eyes. "An Organization member," he concluded.

"Right," she said, rushing into her room and throwing her bag onto the bed. She called out, "Riku, can you make one of those portals?"

"I can, but they're not that stable," he said, moving to the entrance of her room.

"Ah-ha," Summer said, pulling out a black longcoat to match Riku's. She tossed her white cloak aside and put the coat on.

"Why the coat?" Jaune asked.

"Exposure to darkness isn't very good for the heart," Riku said, opening a dark portal. "These coats are designed to protect us from it."

"Ready," Summer said, loading a large cartridge into her revolver.

The pair stepped through.

Summer found bile rising in her throat as she trudged through the darkness.

"Only a little further," Riku said, the sound of his voice off from mouth movements by a fraction of a second. She could see his eyes burning, and he blinked away tears. They continued on for a few moments before Riku raised his hand and a gleaming portal materialized, and they stepped through.

"I don't enjoy that," Summer said, stumbling out of the portal into the forest. She caught herself against a tree and exhaled. It was nighttime, and the thick forest cover hindered the moonlight, rendering it particularly dark. Summer blinked a couple times to adjust to the darkness.

"I have no plan," she began. "We may have to kill him." Her Scroll chimed, and she checked it. "Also, there's a pack of Grimm in the area," she sighed.

"Is that bad?"

"Not for me," Summer said. "Probably not for you, and probably not for our friend. Still, stay cautious."

At once they heard the sound of Grimm snarling and growling, heavy footfalls moving to the east. "He's that way," Riku said.

"Right," Summer said.

They began to move through the dark woods.

At the edge of a clearing Summer stopped, holding a hand out for Riku to stop.

In the clearing were a half dozen Grimm corpses at varying states of decay, many of them hacked open or cleaved in half. Amidst the carnage was a lone figure in a dark cloak.

"The Keyblade," Riku said, pointing out his sword.

The figure turned, sighing.

"He's just a kid," Summer said in a hushed tone. "Okay, Riku, here's what you're gonna do. You're gonna go back and wait for my message on your — well, actually, you don't have one, so on Neo's Scroll. I'll tell you if I need bailing out. I'm gonna talk to him, see what he's up to."

"Your coat," Riku pointed out.

"Right," Summer said, taking it off and handing it to him. She stood tall, preparing herself as Riku slinked off into the darkness.

The boy in the cloak spun around as she audibly entered the clearing.

"Evening," Summer said, stepping forward. "This your handiwork?"

"Uh, yeah," the boy said, dispelling the Keyblade.

"Good work," Summer said, smiling and pulling out her Scroll. She flicked through various menus before putting it away. "You wanna grab a drink, maybe a bite to eat?"

"Uh, sure," the boy said hesitantly.

"I just called in an airlift back into the city," Summer said. "There's gotta be at least one diner open this late."

At once the distant sound of engines began to grow louder. A Bullhead with green and white markings flew into view and came to a stop above them, and Summer waved it in.

The two boarded the transport. Summer sat down and strapped herself in, and the boy followed suit.

Summer watched him carefully, her hand gently tapping the hilt of her sword as the Bullhead ascended and headed back into the city. He was busy looking at some comms equipment that the Bullhead was carrying.

They spent the trip in silence.

Summer glanced out the window. They were back in Mistral.

The Bullhead prepared to settle down at a small airport. It descended smoothly and the engines shut down. Summer unfastened her seatbelt and the boy followed as she disembarked.

The pilot waved at them from the refueling station he was preparing. Summer returned the wave.

The pair exited the airport, wandering the commercial district. Most everyone was shutting down for the night, but Summer found a small diner with a bright neon sign proclaiming it to be open.

"This way," Summer said, gesturing to the door.

Inside the diner, a scant few customers were eating at the central bar, and a lone man was stationed in a booth in the furthest corner.

A woman wearing a worn blue dress sighed and said, "Sit wherever you'd like."

Summer did so, selecting a tucked away booth. The boy slid in across from her, and the waitress followed shortly to take their drink orders.

"Decaf coffee," Summer said.

"Uh...the same," the boy said.

The waitress departed, leaving the two in silence.

"I'd recommend the pancakes," Summer said.

The boy quirked an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

Summer smiled and tilted her head. "I'm Summer Rose, fully licensed Huntress. You can just call me Summer, if you'd like. Yourself?"

"Roxas," the boy said.

"Right," Summer said. "I'll remember it. So, Roxas, what brings you to Mistral?"

"N-nothing especially," Roxas said.

Summer smirked and leaned forward. "Is it a girl?"

"No," Roxas loudly proclaimed.

The waitress returned, depositing two mugs with hot coffee along with a dish filled with tiny plastic canisters of cream on the table. "What would you like to order?"

"I'll have the breakfast sandwich deluxe," Summer said, passing the menus to the waitress. "He's having the pancake breakfast plate with bacon."

"It'll be right out," the waitress said, jotting the order down and walking away.

"So, it's not a girl," Summer said, looking back at Roxas, who was eyeing his coffee suspiciously. Summer passed him a couple packets of sugar and a canister of cream. "Put these in there and give it a stir."

"Right," Roxas said. He tore open the sugar packets and spilled a fair bit on the table, getting most of it in his drink, before pouring the cream and stirring it with a spoon. He sipped it, almost immediately drawing back. "It's bitter."

"It's supposed to be," Summer said, pouring cream into her own coffee. "How old are you?"

Roxas shuffled awkwardly. "I'm not really sure," he admitted. "I don't have any memories before about sixty days ago."

"You've been keeping track, huh?"

"It's all I've got," Roxas said.

The waitress came back, a pair of plates in her hands. On Roxas's plate was a neatly stacked pile of pancakes, a dab of butter sitting atop them, with a few strips of bacon on the side along with hash browns. On Summer's was a large sandwich with scrambled eggs, a heap of ham, and at least two slices of melted cheese all pressed together underneath two slices of sourdough bread and sliced cleanly in half diagonally, another heap of hash browns sitting beside it. Between the both of their dishes, it smelled like home.

"So," Summer said, picking up half of her sandwich and taking a large bite, chewing for a while. "This is a tasty sandwich. How's the pancakes?"

"Two seconds," Roxas said, pouring a bit too much maple syrup onto the stack. He cut off a chunk and took a bite. "It's good."

"Let's talk about your employment," Summer said.

"Employment?"

"The Organization."

Roxas's eyes widened. His entire body tensed slightly.

Summer smiled gently at him and put both her hands on the table. "Listen," she began. "First off, relax. I'm not gonna hurt you, you're not gonna hurt me, we're gonna sit here and eat and talk."

"Yeah," Roxas said, hesitantly returning to his pancakes.

"Now," Summer said. "You're employed with the Organization, I happen to represent those opposing the Organization. I'd like to extend an offer."

Roxas's frown deepened. "Offer?"

"Employment," Summer said. "And security. Remnant is a large place, it would be hard to find you, and someone with your skills is never in want of a job here. You could be licensed as a Hunter in a matter of months, to be frank." She took another bite of her sandwich, swallowing it and taking another. "What is keeping you with the Organization?"

"I have friends," Roxas said.

Summer took a deep breath. "If you can persuade them, I can offer them the same amenities," she offered. She pulled a small notebook from her pouch and tore out a page, scrawling on it. "Listen, okay? Take some time and think it over. Here's my number. You can find a public phone or ask for someone's Scroll anywhere on the continent and you'll hopefully be able to reach me."

Roxas sighed and took the note. "I just don't know," he began.

"The Organization isn't your ally," Summer warned, picking up the second half of her sandwich. "What happens when they're done with you?"

"I don't know," Roxas said.

Summer sighed, taking a large bite. "You're not in a situation with a lot of certainty here, buddy." She sighed. "Just keep this off your mission report and keep that number. You're a good kid, okay?"

Summer sighed as she strode through the streets.

"Did it go well?"

She looked up at Riku, who was leaning against a lamppost. Neo had accompanied him, and she was seemingly dressed in traditional Mistralian garb.

"Not really," Summer said. "I tried to convince him to join us, but he has friends." Summer paused. "Hold up."

"Something wrong?"

"DiZ said Nobodies are incapable of having feelings," Summer began. "Can a Nobody feel friendship?"

"Not sure," Riku said. "Most of the ones I met wanted to kill me."

"And that was before you stole their laundry," Summer joked. The grin slid off her face. "There's something strange going on here. Things aren't adding up."

Neo signed something out quickly.

"Yes, and the Organization has their own plans for Remnant," Summer said, smiling again despite the situation. "Issue is, we already have an overlord working from the shadows to destroy all of us. I'm just not sure we could take two."