Chapter 6

Vision

Rose sat comfortably in the plush leather chair facing Ozpin's desk. She could feel both the headmaster and the deputy headmistress eyeing her like hawks. Ozpin had regained his composure admirably, ushering the entire group inside at Rose's quiet entreaty. Ozpin slowly sank into the chair opposite her, his eyes incredibly intense. The entire room sat in silence as the Rose and Ozpin looked at one another, silently appraising. Ozpin breathes out slowly, weariness creeping into his frame.

"You cannot be." He says simply, expression slightly troubled but voice level. "Summer passed years ago, may she rest in peace."

"Yes, she did." Rose says softly. "I am not Summer Rose." Blake and Weiss share a glance at the name, pieces of a sad truth starting to form in their minds. Rose and Yang both hang their heads slightly, uncharacteristically silent and still.

"Who are you? You are too old to be her child. A younger sister, a cousin perhaps?" Ozpin questions as some of the tension eases out of his form and is replaced by curiosity.

"Not completely true, I am the child of Summer Rose." Rose says, Ozpins brow furrows minutely.

"Not possible, she would not have been able to hide a pregnancy whilst on active duty, birth a child and then resume her duties without anyone noticing, it's preposterous." Ozpin disputes. Rose clears her throat, reaching for an object she had secreted on her person. A black and gold metal card, with various numbers and details imprinted on its surface. Glynda reels in shock at the sight of it, Ozpin eyebrows shoot to his hairline and Blake runs a hand through her hair, shaking her head at it. Weiss, Ruby and Yang looked confused at the importance of the small metal I.D.

"Ruby Rose: designation Alpha-Nine-Nine-Eight-Four. Rank: Hotel-Kilo level one. Situation 'Reelection' period seven years, four months. Confirmation code: 'Clipped wings, further flight.'" Rose says robotically. Ozpin's eyes widen but he replies without pause.

"Confirmed. Level two confirmation code: 'Ice burns underfoot.'" Ozpin says.

"Level two confirmation: 'Sky burns overhead.'" Rose says. The entire room stares at the two in utter confusion. Ozpin lets out a shaky breath.

"Confirmed. My god." He rubs a hand over his forehead. Glynda clears her throat, looking pointedly at Ozpin, prompting him to explain.

"Glynda, it seems our companion has done the impossible." He says, shaking his head and taking a bracing sip of the refreshed beverage in his mug. Unsatisfied, he reaches into the desk and unstoppers a metal flask, fortifying his drink with a shot of dark amber alcohol. Glynda looks at him reproachfully, but he carries on regardless. "It seems Ruby Rose has somehow travelled over seven years into the past."

Glynda snaps her head to stare at Rose with a slack jaw. Rose smirks at her, propping her head lazily on the desk with one hand, looking Glynda up and down. "You'll be happy to know you age incredibly well; you looked just as ravishing then as you do right now." She purrs. Ruby and Weiss make chocking noises behind her. Yang bites onto her arm to stop from laughing out loud at Glynda's wide eyes and flushing cheeks. Blake thins her lips and looks at her hands in her lap, trying to contain her mirth at Rose's boldness.

Ozpin has no such compunctions and laughs softly outright.

Glynda clears her throat, trying to regain her usual equanimity. "Yes, well, be that as it may Ms. Rose, could you please tell us how you came to be here?" Rose sighs theatrically.

"I would never deny such a gorgeous woman." She says suggestively. Yang's bark of laughter is heard even with her face buried in the crook of her elbow. Ruby covers her face in mortification.

"Kill me." She says lowly. Weiss tries to force down her blush, but glares at the back of Rose's chair.

"Which one of you?" She mutters acerbically.

Blake is doing an admirable job of not laughing, biting her lip in an effort to keep the smile threatening to burst through subdued. Rose ignores the various reactions, save for the satisfying flush to Glynda's features. She leans back into her chair.

"I was engaged in combat with Roman Torchwick and Cinder Fall." She starts, gaining the entire rooms undivided attention, humour slipping away. "Torchwick attempted to sneak up on me but was unsuccessful. Fall attempted to incapacitate me with a variety of fire spells. When that failed Roman bought her time by engaging me in close range single combat. A short moment later he fell, two previous blows depleted his aura and he was unable to deflect the strike that severed his carotid arteries. I didn't check, but I believe he bled out before the end of the fight." Rose repeats dutifully.

Ruby pales, staring at Rose in horror at the revelation that she had killed someone. "Cinder then unleashed a large scale fire spell that I was able to avoid with minor first degree burns through use of my semblance. Believing me dead, she was enthused by her 'victory'. I capitalised on her pre-emptive celebration, delivering a fatal blow through her back and abdomen." Rose continues.

Ruby's hands are covering her mouth, shocked that she could describe taking two lives so calmly. "After that, I am not ashamed to say I confronted her verbally in my emotional state. Using that moment she readied a large scale suicide spell. She exploded and I ran as fast as I could. I have never really pushed my semblance to the limits, as the shakiness it induces makes such high speed movement dangerous and clumsy. Eventually I reached such a speed that the landscape visibly warped around me. The explosion however managed to catch up with me. Hoping for the best I jumped. The explosion, oddly enough, didn't harm me, but rather I remember feeling distinctly energised. The best way I can describe what happens next is it was as if I pulled the plug on my world, it vanished, the image of everything around me shifting like paint being sucked down a drain. Then it was like I was being pushed and pulled in every direction all at once in some sort of void, and suddenly I was thrown into my old dorm, with the current team RWBY." She concludes.

"When?" He questions.

"Last night."

A few moments pass and Ozpin looks pensive. "I know of Torchwick, but who is this Cinder Fall?" He mutters. Ruby stares into his eyes.

"The opposing queen you are currently searching for." She tells him. His eyes widen.

"You are certain of this?" He questions sharply. Rose nods.

"More than certain. I can accurately identify the major pieces she brings to the board." Ruby informs him. Ozpin leans back n his chair, a light smirk on his face.

"That could prove incredibly helpful." He gazes at Ruby. "You plan to assassinate Cinder?" He questions. Ruby grimaces, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

"No." Rose replies evenly. Ruby sighs in relief. "Not yet." She clarifies and Ruby's relived sigh hitches.

"Why? This," He gestures toward the black and gold card. "Indicates complete anarchy or war. If she is the driving force, why not remove her now and any threat she poses?" He asks. Rose sighs, running a hand through her hair.

"It is complicated. Make no mistake, she lost the war by my hand once and she lost it once more as soon as I set foot in this time. Her plan is a brilliant, and it is the only one that has a remote chance of success. There is no other possible way for her to achieve what she wants, especially if we foil her first and uncover her as a threat and a madwoman." Rose says.

Ozpin glances at the young hunters in the room, questioning Rose slightly. 'Do you want them here?' His eyes ask. Rose nods almost imperceptibly. "What is her plan?" He queries, taking a sip of his drink.

"Cinder Fall desires to be queen of Vale." Rose says simply. Glynda scoffs and Rose glares at her sharply. Glynda looks slightly abashed, inclining her head apologetically. "As I was saying. In order to achieve this she will spend the next few years gathering supplies. Dust, money, weapons and manpower. Roman Torchwick is a her right hand, he steals most of what she needs when it comes to materials. For manpower she has her own source. Cinder Fall, unknown to most, is the leader of the White Fang. She committed a coup d'état, killing the previous leader and taking his place a few years ago. The violent direction the White Fang has taken is her doing." Rose explains.

"Utter scum." Weiss says viciously. Blake looks ready to burn Weiss to ashes with her glare.

"She weakens the hunters over the next few years by releasing Grimm into towns and the city over and over again." Rose says with a grimace. "This gets the civilians nice and scared as well. Faith in hunters decreases sharply. Work becomes scarce and the hunters are further weakened. With that done, she hires many of the remaining hunters herself with one objective; kill any opposing hunters." Rose says grimly. Yang gasps.

"What the fuck? What about the Grimm and all those people? We need hunters!" Yang says loudly. She looks instantly chargrined when she realises she might have spoken out of turn but Rose answers her questions.

"She doesn't care about the Grimm, the people or hunters. She wants power, and she is happy to murder thousands to achieve it." Rose says tiredly. "Pretty soon it devolves into a manhunt. Hunters on both sides are practically wiped out." She shakes her head lightly to clear it. Ozpin pulls out a glass and pours in a healthy measure of the auburn alcohol. Rose inclines her head gratefully, taking a large gulp of the burning liquid. It's smooth and incredibly strong, the distinctive taste of Everfall wood whiskey. Having fortified herself slightly she continues. "Then she starts the real war." Rose says. "The hunters are practically gone, the citizens are panicking, the Grimm are becoming increasingly bold and no one knows what to do. On the 18th of the seventh cycle 3005 AG a large gang of mercenaries disguised as civilians slaughter over a thousand faunus in 'retaliation' for the Grimm being unleashed on the cities. An entire town is burnt to the ground, not even the children survive." Rose says, her face shadowed and dark.

Blake gasps, hands going to her mouth in horror. Ruby blanches. Weiss looks disturbed, grimacing. Yang looks furious. Glynda and Ozpin both look grim, sharing an uneasy glance.

"Cinder rallies the White Fang in response, gathering the outraged faunus and many humans under banner, stating that she can't let such transgressions come to pass. She denounces the Vale council and declares war in the name of justice." Rose says, spitting out the last word as if it were poison. "She starts assassinating everyone who has possible ties to the throne at this point. Fortunately, she is caught out and people manage to put together her intentions. Those against the White Fang or against the idea of a monarchy itself are formed into an army against her. The hunters remaining that oppose Cinder petition for help outside of Vale. Unfortunately, Cinder anticipates this and cites it as civil war. This ties up everyone legally, civil wars are internal matters and any outside assistance could be seen as a declaration of war. Imagine Atlas chose a side, and then that side lost? The winning side would rule and demand reparations for engaging in combat despite the peace treaties." Rose says, sounding tired.

"Ingenious." Ozpin praises, but his face speaks of his distaste. Rose inclines her head, agreeing with him.

"Yeah. From there it's straight up war. She tries to move in the capital to declare herself queen and we fight to stop her. A lot of good people die, on both sides. We," Rose gestures to team RWBY. "Are heavily involved, having been hunted by Cinder since before we even graduated. We do a lot of damage but it's actually her mania that gets to her in the end. She spreads her forces too thin, obsessing over seeing us dead." Rose tells. Team RWBY looked disturbed at this information. "It's mostly guerilla warfare from there. We hit and run, and they always, always chase. All the constant fighting gives us some solid experience. We become a power of our own during the war. Both sides consist almost solely of militia, untrained civilians with a weapon thrust into their hands and at this point we are the last hunter team actively engaged in the war. The others are dead or gone to ground. Seeing that her plan isn't working, merely making us better warriors, she starts sending those with hunter training to take us out." Rose tells, taking another gulp of the burning liquid. "This is a mistake. Most of them are ranking officers in her army."

"Why is it a mistake? If sending the weaklings wasn't doing it, I'd send tougher guys too." Yang questions.

"Because we kill them all." Rose tells her direly.

"Oh." Yang says softly, shrinking in on herself.

Rose turns back to Ozpin. "With most of her officers gone her line collapses. The fight starts moving to her. Seeing her impending loss, she snaps. She lashes out indiscriminately, trying to destroy as much as she can. She opens up ancient caverns of Grimm, destroys crops, burns and loots towns. The damage is catastrophic. It becomes obvious that Vale as an international power will be no more. Our economy is dead, our defences crippled and our people slaughtered. Vale was to be annexed jointly by Mystral, Atlas and Vacuo at the end of the war. Honestly I was relieved, I thought between the Grimm and the war she was about to wipe all of Vale off the map." Rose says.

"Holy shit." Yang whispers at Rose's harrowing description of the future. Ozpin looks increasingly grim, his brow furrowing thunderously. Glynda's own features are drawn, sharp and harsh. Team RWBY look collectively terrified, sitting silent, unable and unwilling to voice anything.

"The war goes on and eventually I get into a fight with her and Torchwick. And you know how that turns out. That's about the gist of things." Rose says sardonically.

"This is most disturbing." Ozpin says softly. Rose laughs darkly.

"Yeah, it is."

"Do you have a plan?" He says immediately. Rose inclines her head.

"Guaranteed to succeed before things escalate to above a level that is even mildly alarming." Rose states. Ozpin looks at her pointedly.

"Guaranteed?" He questions, sounding disbelieving. "And this situation sounds more than mildly alarming already, Ms. Rose."

"Assassinating Cinder right now wouldn't work best. She has a few fanatically loyal followers and they'd cause untold havoc in her name. I don't know how much damage they could do, but it could be very, very bad." She declares macabrely. "We take out them out, I know exactly who they are. We work our way up, and return just enough caches of dust or money to stall her plans. She is patient, she will be willing to delay for at least three months. Lucky for us, we know exactly where she will be for those months." Rose says.

"Oh?" Ozpin inquires.

"She will be right here, at Beacon, under the guise of a student participating in the tournament roughly three months from now." Rose says with a grin.

"What?" Glynda questions sharply. "Why?" Rose shrugs.

"My best guess is that she needs information found here at Beacon, but I do know that she will be here for that entire period. Even despite nearly being caught multiple times she never once made any indication of leaving." Rose tells them. "No one but those we have to get rid of anyway know of her plan to be queen, so we cut the rug from under her by getting rid of her true support, there aren't many of them. Once we have that done, we kill her. The White Fang will continue to be violent but they won't go to war for no reason and without her galvanising them into a cohesive military force I don't know how long their aggressiveness will last." Rose says. "I know exactly who and where to target as well. I know everything about her plans, her hideouts and her caches. She's been planning this for at least 10 years already. If we undo even some of that progress we can cripple her enough to stop the war before it even becomes a possibility."

"Hm. This sounds like a valid idea. How will you achieve it?" Ozpin asks.

"I need Qrow." Rose tells him. "I've got all the information you could possibly need on her, Qrow doesn't need to be spy anymore."

Ozpin hums. "Why Qrow?"

"This is going to be a lot of knife work. In and out, stealthy strikes on single targets. You and I both know he's the best man for the job." Rose says and Ozpin inclines his head. "I also need a heavy close combat specialist and long range support, preferably a dust mage. It's a team composition that I know and can lead. Any ideas?"

Ozpin hums. "Some." He steeples his fingers. "I will make a few calls and we can talk again tonight. For now, I need some time to digest what you have told me." He looks at the nearly catatonic team RWBY. "As do they. I think it best if team RWBY were to take some time away from this." He says, a hint of command in his voice.

Rose inclines her head. "Sure, sounds like a good idea." She turns to RWBY. "Come on, guys. Let's go grab some lunch, relax for a bit and then we can have that spar." She tells them. Yang shakes out of her funk, trying to lighten up.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan. Come on sis." She grabs Ruby in a side hug and walks out the door with her. Ruby gives her an uneasy smile, still shocked at the story of her older self. Weiss walks out silently, looking both stressed and anticipatory, probably because of the spar. Blake mostly looks grim, with a slightly depressed air around her. Rose sighs as she watches them walk out.

"I wonder if I hit them hard enough they'll stop being sad. It always worked for Yang..." She mutters, following her 'sisters' and her team out the door.

Ozpin watches her leave, his face contemplative.

"Ruby Rose..." He says softly.

The solution to a puzzle he didn't know he was solving.

FAVOURITE~REVIEW~FOLLOW!

Cinder is evil! And insane! Rawr! Seriously though, this is some hardcore exposition. Luckily, this is basically the complete overview of old events and I won't be doing another, instead we are going to follow Rose in her crusade against Cinder. Woo!

Also there will be NO LEMONS. None. Some mild sexual situations, but if you want to read anything more saucy than fondling some boobs, you're in the wrong place.

RWBY IS OWNED BY MONTY OUM AND ROOSTER TEETH.