Only using the Volume numbers for the chapter titles means I can make the titles in the actual chapter longer. I love that. Anyway, it's time to deal with Roman. And his Shadow has some new things to say. Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY, the Persona series, Five Nights at Freddy's, or Devil May Cry.

Volume 2-9: Send a Thief to Catch a Thief

Ruby had already seen the Velvet Room off to the side of her team's dorm. Weiss and Yang could see it, but Blake couldn't. Then again, she didn't have the same power. Inside, Igor greeted Ruby pleasantly. "It seems you're on the verge of reforming a very dangerous criminal. Plus, Roman might have some information for you regarding other criminal elements." Ruby nodded. "Alright, let's see what we can fuse this time." She started by fusing Regent with Mokoi, creating a skeletal figure in bullfighting gear. "I am Matador. This body of mine, born from the bloody throes of battle, shall be with you as a mask from now on."

Next Ruby used Hua Po and Pixie, creating a brilliant crimson bird with a golden plume on its head. "I am Suzaku. The burning light that illuminates the future is now your new mask..." Finally, Ruby fused Nue and Kodama to create a blue magatama, its wide part pointed downward and a pleasant smile on its face. "I am Nigi Mitama. Kindness is a blessing of repose. I shall become a mask and grant tranquility to your soul..." "That should be enough for now," Ruby said, "We're going to be dealing with Roman Torchwick now. Think there will be another parasite?" "Most likely," Igor said, "In fact, I fear this may become a common theme with your quest."

Roman took a puff of his cigar as he poured over the plans given to him. With him were several White Fang members. He didn't know where his new boss had gotten them, but they could be useful in their own way. Just then, he heard the distinctive sound of a bullhead flying over the city. He narrowed his eyes when he saw the Phantom Thieves' logo on the attached jumbotron. The image soon revealed Joker's image. 'Greetings citizens of Vale. Forgive the lack of a worldwide broadcast this time, but by now all of Remnant is aware of us, and we'd rather not antagonize the Atlas military anymore than we already have.'

"They already slipped past the Atlas security force to get to Jacques," Roman said, "What else could they have done?" 'You might be interested to know our next target is a far more notorious criminal,' Joker said, 'And one you've seen on the news plenty of times.' Roman narrowed his eyes when he saw his own mugshot on the screen. 'Yes, it's Roman Torchwick,' Joker said, 'This calling card is meant especially for you.' He slapped the card on the screen. "Roman Torchwick, you have been terrorizing businesses across Vale, climbing to the top for nothing more than greed. Tonight we shall take your distorted desires. Signed, the Phantom Thieves."

Roman stubbed out his cigar and turned to the White Fang soldiers. "I want every possible method of entry checked and double-checked. Don't overlook anything. These Phantom Thieves were skilled enough to infiltrate the Schnee Family Mansion without so much as setting off the smoke alarms." He got out another cigar. "And not a word of this to Cinder or Adam. They have enough to concentrate on without bringing these upstarts into it." As the soldiers left, Roman's Shadow appeared. "I will be on top again... That is all that matters in this world."

"Whoa!," Yang said when she checked the Meta-Nav, "Roman's Bastion just shot up in security level." "That's a sign the calling card did its work," Gabriel noted, "Now we just need to move in and target the Treasure." They traveled into the Bastion and rushed to where the Door of Origin was still wide open. Just like last time, Roman's real Shadow was being held up, this time by the mechanical effigy from the Poker table. And it was using thorny vines. "That looks painful," Fritz said. "One of us needs to cut the vines off," Ruby said, "Jackdaw, how sharp is your sword?" Fritz grinned. "Just give me a distraction, and I'll show you the true edge of Queen Anne."

As Fritz skated across a twisting water construct, the others pelted Shadow Roman with light versions of their skills. By the time the mechanical effigy could tell what was going on, Fritz was already in position. Readying himself in a launching position, he breathed deep. "Speed is key... Like always..." He fired himself off using a geyser he created on the wall. "YOLO WITCHES!" Queen Anne sliced through the vines, freeing Shadow Roman. Fritz then felt himself get hit by a blast of water. "Mother Ape-Ass, what was that!?" "This is my power as a Parasite of Envy," the parasite explained, "Your every Semblance is mine to copy."

It winced as Yang blasted it with Mary Read's electric shots. "Yeah, but I'm guessing you can't copy our Persona skills." Pyrrha then realized something. "Rook, if this Parasite is copying our Semblances, that includes your Semblance, which lets you absorb damage to get stronger. Does that power have any weaknesses?" "Well," Yang said, "There's a certain threshold an attack needs to have before I can absorb it. If the attack is too weak, it won't add to my strength. During sparring, Dad was always able to bring me down by just cherry-tapping. He's been trying to help me not rely on my Semblance."

The team nodded. "Agi!" "Bufu!" "Zio!" "Garu!" "Psy!" "Frei!" "Eiha!" "Cleave!" The Parasite found itself getting by small taps from Don Quixote, Catherine, Mary Read, Blackbeard, Scheherazade, Hippolyta, Medusa, and Barnum respectively. The Parasite tried to use the other Semblances it had copied to catch up, only to be completely overwhelmed before getting sliced in two. It gurgled black ooze as the two half started to fall apart. "MASTER BLACK!" Ruby looked confused. "Pierrot? Black? Just who are these parasites referring to?"

"Some unseen master no doubt," Joker said as he took the Treasure, a moneybag filled with lien. Nearby, Jaune had finished healing Roman's Shadow. "We saw your history with Officer Gordan," Pyrrha said. Shadow Roman nodded. "He was the first person to ever catch me. And, embarrassingly, it was during my first heist. In my defense, I was just an amateur at the time. I had flunked out of Beacon, but learned enough to unlock my Aura and learn some combat skills. But good ol' Burnie, he saw some potential in me, potential not even Ozpin was able to find."

The group looked at each other in confusion. After all, Ozpin had been able to find potential in both Ruby and Jaune, despite the fact that Ruby was two years younger than everyone else and Jaune had only had private training. "Things were great in those days," Shadow Roman continued, "I was a regular gentleman thief, stealing only from criminals. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see where the real criminals were hiding. It started when I found my partner Neo. The poor girl... I don't know what horrors she suffered, but it damaged her brain to the point where she can't make a single sound, let alone properly speak."

"I think that's one mind we should stay out of," Pyrrha suggested, "But what happened after that?" "After that some of the criminals I was targeting used their money to take out Burnie," Shadow Roman replied, "I was there at his funeral. One of his family members offered me his old hat. Since then, I've found myself envious. Of the family Burnie had, of the Huntsman and Huntresses that were actually graduating from Beacon, of the forces that had the money needed to move mountains. One day, I was approached by a woman in a jester outfit wearing a pure black comedy mask. She put that... Thing inside me, and said I'd soon be approached by a woman needing my services."

Susie looked concerned. "Was this woman about twenty-one years old, black hair and amber eyes, possibly wearing red and using weapons made of glass?" Shadow Roman looked surprised. "Yes, word for word. She said her name was Cinder Fall. She was with two other associates. I think their names were Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai. I could tell immediately that they might kill me once my usefulness was at an end, but I went along anyway. Unfortunately I wasn't told everything about their plans, only that it involved Beacon Academy. The more I learned, the more it felt like my actions were being controlled, fueled by jealousy over the world around me."

He chuckled. "Well, she can stuff it all now. I'd be dead either way, but I might have a better chance if I'm hiding. Just do me a favor. Make sure she's also delivered a change of heart." Joker nodded, and Shadow Roman vanished. Ruby looked at Fritz, Gabriel, and Susie. "Are you gonna be okay?" "We'll be fine," Gabriel said, "But it's a bit of a shock." "What would make Cinder suddenly want to attack Beacon?," Fritz asked, "We have to find out." The Bastion started to crumble. "Let's save it for when we're out of here!," Ruby called out, "CHEESE IT!"

Strength (Gabriel Holmes) Rank 2: He has just learned that his old friend Cinder is somehow trying to attack Beacon. He decides to confer with his team.

Death (Fritz Holmes) Rank 3: Upon freeing Shadow Roman from the Parasite within him, Fritz learns that his old friend Cinder might have turned to evil...

Sun (Susie Holmes) Rank 2: After gaining a Persona and helping to free Shadow Roman, she is faced with the prospect that her big sister figure has become evil...

The Treasure in reality had transformed into a copy of Roman's hat. Meanwhile, Jeremy was a little thrown to hear about Cinder. "You're sure about this?" "Akira confirmed that Shadows can't lie," Susie assured him, "They may omit information due to not knowing the whole truth, but the are incapable of lying since they represent the subconscious." Jeremy's rabbit ears drooped. "Damn... Cinder... She was the one who first got me into music." "If we can find out where she is," Gabriel said, "We might be able to stop her. But Roman only had so much information." Jeremy nodded. "I need time to process this." He walked out of the dorm, spotting Ruby as he passed her.

Devil (Jeremy Holmes) Rank 3: Finding out about Cinder seemed too much for even Jeremy's cynicism. He'll need time to process what he's just learned...

Unfortunately for Jeremy, Roman hadn't been lying. Cinder was walking to a warehouse with the two individuals Roman mentioned. Mercury had gray eyes and matching hair that was slicked back and partially unkempt. He wore a slate gray jacket over black pants that hid his prosthetic legs. Emerald had darker skin and dark-red eyes, with light, mint-green hair in a straight fringe. She wore a white top with olive crop top, with brown chaps over white pants. Cinder's high heels clicked like tingling glass as she looked around. "Where is Roman?," she asked the nearest soldier.

The soldier cleared his throat. "He said he other business to attend, and deferred all operations to Adam until further notice." Cinder rolled her eyes. "If you see him, be sure to kill him, but right now our operations are too important to go hunting for him. I'll be sure to instruct Adam on the necessities of subtlety for this operation." She walked off with her two partners. "So what do you think happened?," Mercury asked. Cinder stopped when she saw signs of blood and ash against a corner of the warehouse. "Something worth being concerned over," she muttered, "Very concerned..."

This is basically meant to be foreshadowing of just what happens in reality when a Parasite gets killed in the Metaverse. Basically, the Phantoms are killing the Parasite's Shadow, so that should tell you how they can pull this off. Anyway, here's Ruby's current Personas:

Medusa Lv27/Koropokguru Lv14/Hua Po Lv15/Apsaras Lv16/Kodama Lv17/Kushi Mitama Lv18
Archangel Lv21/Matador Lv23/Nigi Mitama Lv24/Suzaku Lv24/Nue Lv26/Shiki-Ouji Lv27

Anyway, Roman's been taken out of the equation. Well sort of. He still offers information to the good guys. Either way, there's still the Mementos mission for this Volume. Read and review.