A/N: Woo, finally finished the chapter for this week.

So, for those that didn't pay attention last week, my release date has been moved by a day or two, so expect updates around this time from now on.

So quick bit on this chapter, I'm finishing setting up for the end of volume 1, as well as events throughout the story and possibly into the sequel. So to clarify that, I've put a lot of important plot points into this one chapter. So pay attention.

I also threw some feels in because of Remnant7.

That's all for my pre-chapter notes.

Please enjoy!

I don't own RT or RWBY.

Guilty Rose Chapter 18

Salem sat in her throne and contemplating her options for punishing her once prized pawn, Cinder. Of course, Cinder's underlings would also have to suffer the same punishment.

A sigh escaped her lips when she once again bristled at the betrayal.

"I should have seen this coming years ago when the ambition in her eyes died. That insatiable thirst for power that I wanted to use."

The doors to her throne room opened and the queen's three remaining trusted subordinates entered. She had requested their presence to assist her in deciding a fitting punishment for Cinder.

"You called for us, my queen?"

Tyrian was the first to greet Salem as was more than often the occurrence.

"Yes, I want your opinion on what I should do about Cinder. I have deemed it that she has either betrayed us, or is too incompetent with that silver eye around."

Watts smiled viciously at this news while Tyrian began to cackle maniacally.

"At least Hazel is level headed."

"We should kill her, my queen, but only after we make her watch the silver eye die. Slowly."

Salem rolled her eyes. She expected nothing more of her pet psycho.

"While I would like nothing more than to let you loose on her and her pet, they are currently attending Beacon Academy and trying to recall her would tip our hand."

Tyrian's insane grin deflated.

"I think I'm going to have to send him out to play, he's getting a bit stir crazy."

Watts cleared his throat to gain the attention of the room.

"We could expose her as a criminal publicly, some falsified information to the right people should be more than enough. Or even the truth to a certain Atlasien general."

Salem cocked an eyebrow at this suggestion. This would put some plans at risk, but it would do something more cruel. It would pit Cinder against her little pet. Additionally it would likely force Cinder somewhere less protected by Ozpin. Then she could let Tyrian loose.

"I see, inform the general. If we inform the public or Ozpin, it will tip our hand too much. Tyrian, be ready to deal with Cinder."

"And what about her pet, my queen?"

"We will bide our time and deal with her when she graduates. Understood?"

"Yes, my queen."

….

James was beyond furious as he marched into Ozpin's office. The man himself was sitting behind his desk watching him enter with that same damned expression.

"What do I owe the pleasure of this visit to, general?"

It took everything James had to calm himself. If he yelled, Glynda would be in the office before he could so much as blink.

"You know why I'm here That monster needs to be put in a cell for the rest of her life, not allowed to walk around freely. Especially not in CCT tower."

"I hope you're not referring to Miss Rose."

"Yes, I am."

"I already explained her identity to you."

"You told me that girl was being groomed to be you next spymaster. So, I decided to do some digging. Guess what I found out?"

"A past that's covered in blood. I'm well aware James."

"No, you are not. If it wasn't for my trust in you and the memory of my wife-"

"Do not finish that statement James. Don't you dare finish it"

James mind almost could comprehend what it just heard. Ozpin's voice was laced with enough venom that the general's voice died in his throat.

"Now you listen to me. I am keenly aware of all the deaths at Rose's hand, including your wife's."

"So you admit-"

"HOWEVER, what I would like for you to know is that Rose committed these crimes under severe duress."

"You're telling me that she was forced to kill all those people, that she was forced to kill my wife in front of my daughter? And you honestly expect me to believe that?"

"If you don't believe me, I could give you her medical records."

"Records can be fabricated easily. I want proof."

There was a pregnant pause between the two men.

"Do you know how old Miss Rose is, James?"

James cocked his completely organic eyebrow at the headmaster. This was quite the change of subject.

"No, and frankly I don't care."

"You will. She's fifteen. Now how long ago did your wife pass away?"

James didn't answer as the point that Ozpin was making started to hit home.

A child had killed his wife.

"No, a child was forced to kill my wife."

A sigh left his mouth as years of chasing the phantom murderer caught up to him.

It wasn't hard for him to realize a mere child couldn't pull off the precision attack that took his wife from him. Especially not alone. This wasn't even considering plausible motives that a child could have for murdering someone in cold blood.

Finally, the general raised his head to meet his old friend's gaze with an uncharacteristically old and tired one.

"I concede your point, but how do you expect me to give up on the killer I've been chasing for the better part of a decade?"

"Simple, I don't. I expect you to now chase down the ones truly responsible for your wife's murder and not the poor unfortunate soul forced kill her."

James regarded Ozpin for a long moment, letting the words sink in. He was a man of justice, if unable to grant it in all cases. However, now he could grant justice for not only his wife's murder, but also the child that was forced to kill her. Maybe then, his and his wife's souls could find some semblance of peace.

"I want everything you have on these people that are supposedly responsible."

Ozpin tapped his scroll once. James was almost surprised as he didn't even notice the silver haired man pull it out.

What did surprise James was the look in Ozpin's eyes. For the first time in a very long time, they wholeheartedly agreed on a course of action.

"Done. They call themselves the Oni Tribe. They are a bandit tribe from Mistral, and I've sent you all the information Miss Rose has given me, as well as what I've gathered. For both yours and Rose's sake, good hunting."

James stood silent for a moment before his faced steeled with renewed righteous fury.

"I'll let you know when they are in custody."

….

Raven Branwen hated shopping in any form. And the only reason she went shopping that day was because Summer got too into maintenance on her old weapon and they needed a few extra ingredients for supper.

"How the hell can a grown woman wield puppy eyes like that?"

Raven finally made it back to Summer's apartment. Upon entering, Raven found the woman sitting at the table with her back to the entrance, staring at her phone. The table was covered in the disassembled parts that made up her original weapon, Blossoming Rose, and Summer appeared to have been working on it.

"Hey Sum, what's up?"

The faunuas didn't respond immediately, which was highly unusual considering she almost never failed to tackle Raven when she entered the apartment. So the bandit leader decided to walk up behind the woman.

Once she was a few feet away, Raven heard very quiet, but unmistakable, sobs. The taller woman closed the distance between them instantly.

What she found made her blood boil.

Tears puddled on the table and several extremely hateful and threatening messages showing on the device.

"I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"

Right as she turned around, a hand caught hers.

"Don't leave me."

Summer's voice was so small that Raven almost missed it.

"I don't want to be alone right now."

The taller went from seething mad to only wanting to comfort the shivering woman.

Raven couldn't fault the woman, she saw the messages. She forgot about that side of her ex-husband.

Tai was a sweet and caring man, most of the time, but he had a temper. A very violent temper. It was one of the reasons she left him and Yang when she went back to the tribe.

"Okay."

Raven spoke softly as she pulled the faunus to her feet, making sure that the scroll was left on the table, and walked her to the couch. She sat down first and pulled Summer into her lap. The smaller woman immediately balled up into the embrace and quietly cried.

Raven stroked Summer's hair and hummed soothingly. It took a while, but eventually the only sounds the faunus made were soft snores.

"I should have never let you marry him Summer. I knew what he was like, but I said nothing. How could I not say anything."

Raven tightened her embrace and buried her face in the faunus' hair. She let the soft scent of roses, cookies, and gun grease fill her nose.

"How long has this been my favorite smell?"

Raven smiled softy into the woman's hair.

"I'm so glad that you are the mother of my second child, even if we didn't get much time with time with her."

Raven paused for a moment when Summer stirred and whined in her sleep at the mention of Ruby.

"We'll find her one day Sum, I promise."

Summer settled back down when Raven made her that promise. Feeling fatigue finally hit her, Raven let her memories take her as she drifted into sleep.

….

"WHY WON'T SHE COME OUT ALREADY!"

Adam screamed for the dozenth time in the last hour by Marron's count.

"How do you put up with him, I mean seriously?"

She sighed and glanced over at the man standing next to her. Roman Torchwick, the master thief hired by Adam to supply with the White Fang.

"Probably the only decision he made that wasn't insane or obsession-driven."

"I don't put up with him, not since he literally threw me out of his office during his tantrum."

"Yeouch! he did that to you? I know he's been more unhinged these last few weeks."

Marron growled and her ears twitched.

"Ever since that little girl showed up. The Guilty Rose, she's changed everything around here."

"Ugh, don't remind me of her, I've only just stopped having nightmares with her trying to kill me."

"Wait, you met her?"

"Yeah, a few weeks ago, I was scoring you guys some dust and there she was. Just reading a magazine in the store we were knocking over. She gutted to of the guys I brought just like that."

"And you somehow managed to live. What, you turn tail and run?"

"Damn straight I ran! That girl's a monster!"

Marron bared her fangs at the man. She couldn't blame the man, but she still wanted to call him out for being a coward.

"Look, I know it was the coward's way out, but I'm definitely not ashamed of my actions. I chose life."

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT1"

Another scream and body flew out of Adam's office. Marron thanked whatever deities there were that she stopped working under Adam, unofficially as it was.

"Gotta say, I'm kinda shocked that you're sticking around here. Seeing as you're not fanatically following the nut job."

"It's because he's a nut job that I'm still here. He has too much influence and is now leading my brothers and sisters for his own selfish goals."

"Oh? So you don't think the little monster needs to be taken down?"

"I wouldn't say that exactly, but I found a message from Sienna Khan herself denouncing this crusade against her."

"Really, I'm surprised you didn't plaster it all over the walls."

"Like you said, my brothers and sisters are following him blindly, thus it will take more than paper to get through to them."

"It's good to know someone else has some brain cells around here."

Roman grinned infuriatingly. Marron really wanted to claw his face off, but she knew he could be an ally for taking Adam down.

Suddenly, the ginger looked like he realized something.

"Huh, I haven't been jabbed in the side since I called the Guilty Rose a monster."

Roman started looking around until he found his little henchwoman sitting against the wall a few yards away. Marron found her too, and was quite surprised to find the girl with an almost sickeningly happy grin on her face while enamored with her scroll.

"Neo, whatcha doin' over there?"

The multicolored girl looked up with a deer in the headlights look that screamed that she was doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing. Roman cocked an eyebrow and held out his hand. Neo responded by holding her scroll tightly to her chest and shaking her head vigorously.

Now Marron was curious, she had never seen the girl act defiant like this.

"Neo, show me what your looking at. Right now."

The girl held the scroll even tighter, miraculously not shattering it.

"Really, you know I don't normally care, but something has had you distracted from our job. I may be a thief, but I'm a professional. Now, fork it over."

Roman gave his hand a shake to emphasize the point.

The small girl looked like she was about to refuse, but then deflated in submission. She reluctantly got up and delivered the device to the waiting hand. Roman and Marron peered at the screen.

Rose Fan Club Group Chat

Neither were expecting the open app to be a messaging service, nor were they expecting the pictures currently being displayed. The picture were quite possibly the most adorable and terrifying things the two had ever seen

They were of a passed out and drooling girl that both knew to be the infamous killer they had just been talking about. The pictures were posted by somebody that used a snowflake as an icon.

"Really? This is what you've been staring at with that stupid grin on your face? Do you know how dangerous this thing is?"

There was a sudden crunch when Roman finished his question. He was desperately trying to keep from screaming in pain as the heel was removed from his foot and the scroll taken from his hand.

The short girl had an absolutely furious look on her face as she typed a message on her scroll.

I TOLD YOU NOT TO TALK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT!

She's not a monster!

"Oh, and I bet she hasn't killed hundreds of people for no reason."

Roman barely dodged a bladed umbrella to his manhood.

You don't know her.

That message came with an expression of both sorrow and anger, both not fully directed at the thief.

"Wait, you know the Guilty Rose and aren't, ya know-"

"RRRAAAAGGGHHH! I'LL GET YOU SOON!"

"Like that, or terrified out of your mind?"

If you ever meet her, you'll understand.

"Um, I have met her, and I am terrified out of my mind about her."

Neo glared at her employer.

You also tried to rob her.

"Okay, you have a point there."

Roman's scroll chimed before the conversation could continue. Upon checking the message, the master thief's face lit up wickedly.

"Finally, the break I've been looking for! A Schnee freighter is coming in two weeks to replace the dust I've stolen. If we hit it, I'll finish my contract with bull-head and wash my hands clean of this job."

A/N: And there we have it!

Yeah, that was a lot of stuff.

Salem is betraying Cinder. That's been planned for a long time now, and c'mon, who didn't see it coming.

Ironwood and Ozpin's talk was a new development. I went through old reviews and chapters and remembered that I planned to do something with the woman from the second prologue chapter. So here it is. She was Ironwood's wife. And before you guys get up in arms that it was all resolved too quickly, I have more plans for this storyline that will show up later.

Summer and Raven were supposed to get a nice fluffy scene, but Remnant7 gave me an idea. Blame him.

Finally, Roman and Marron, they are DONE with Adam and his shit, but what will they do about it. Marron seems to want allies to take the bastard down, while Roman just wants out.

And yes, there is a secret Rose Fan Club. Will it make any more appearances? Not likely, but if it's demand, maybe.

Now for the final announcements.

I think I want to do another Q&A at the end of volume 1 set of events, that was a lot of fun last time and it helped me out. Therefore, Top 5 questions of my choosing will be answered. However I will still provide answers to everyone's questions in PM even if they don't make it on my list.

For those wondering how much longer until volume 1 ends, 3 or 4 more chapters. I've still got some ground to cover but we're getting close.

Finally, please review, I like seeing reviews. They tell me if I need to work on something, if I don't need to, or, more often then not, I get ideas for the story.

That's it!

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!

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