This chapter was due in December 2020. It's been two years, two months, and four weeks since the last update.

Everyone, please welcome back everyone's favourite Summer Rose pretender. Special thanks to Pain for bringing the inspiration back. Check out "An Unwinnable War" as thanks to him. If you like milsperg and Vietnam War references, he's your man.


Chapter Six: "Family Moments: Part Two"

6 A.M came far too fast for both of them.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

"Summer… Wake up, it's six"

"Too sore, not moving" She said with her face buried on the pillow after breaking away from his grasp. "Turn off the alarm please…"

"White Rose…" He chided as he moved to sit on the edge of the bed before yawning and looking at her one more time. "Sweetie, come on. It's Tuesday. The girls-"

"I'm not moving if you don't move me…" She took the sheets away and cocooned herself with them. "This bed is so comfy… And warm… Come back here… Gotta be warmer"

He moved to turn off the alarm, and Summer replied with a 'Thank you' muted by both the covers and her pillow-stuffed face. Little did she know, Taiyang Xiao-Long had a plan. As quickly as he could, he scooped the Summer-shaped cocoon of bedsheets and covers in his arms.

"What're you doing… Lemme sleep…" She sniffed the air. "Brush your teeth, it stinks"

"Hey there kettle, pot called – it says you're black" He snapped. "Also, I'm carrying you to the kitchen"

"I'm naked under this, y'know?"

"I know…" He started taking a few steps toward the door. "So, either you get up and get ready, or everyone who strolls by the kitchen is going to get an eyeful of your beautiful body in the nude, your choice"

"I'm sore!"

He kept on walking, and he was already doing gymnastics of sorts to reach the door handle. "And we both know that's no excuse. We've got Aura to mute the pain"

The cocoon he was holding shone the telltale pale red of her Aura, and after the glow faded, she poked her head out.

"Alright, I'm less sore and wide awake now, put me down so I can freshen up a little"

He did as requested, and they both sauntered over to the bathroom. After cleaning and gearing up to face the day, they moved over to the kitchen to make a nutritious breakfast for the lot of them.

However, as Summer grabbed a pot and a wooden spoon, she had a different thing in mind.

"Y'know Tai? I know you've been dying for my cooking, but looks like today you'll be handling the kitchen"

"Dear, cooked breakfast and dinner yesterday, I don't mind if we alternate" He glanced at her. "Still, if you're not cooking, what's that for?"

"You could say Ruby and Yang are in for a classic STRQ awakening"

"Please, don't. Yang's quite insistent on her beauty sleep"

She grinned mischievously. "More the reason for me to do this! Beauty sleep is for the weekends! And if she's so insistent on getting it on weekdays, she can go to sleep at ten like her little sister"

He shook his head at her. "Well, it's your funeral"

"I did have one of those before, didn't I?" She joked. "And I survived through it! So I'll be fine!"

With those words, she left him to wake up their girls. A minute later, what could only be described as pandemonium was heard from upstairs.

Yet, for Taiyang Xiao-Long it was nothing short of perfect.


A few days later...

"Mommy... What are we doing?" Asked a bewildered Ruby Rose to her mommy, who had intercepted her before she could embark on a quest to snatch a few chocolate cookies. But it was for the best that she didn't know about that.

"Ruby... A little birdie told me that you've been having trouble designing your own weapon. And given that you're in your second year at Signal that worries me"

"Mom! It's not trouble! I'm great at designing stuff! It's just... Life not doing what I want! Yeah!"

Her mother gave her a playful shake of the head. "Well, you just have to work with whatever life gives you. Besides, you have a Supermom right here willing to help you in every step of the way!"

"Mommy, you... Want to help me design my weapon...?"

"Yes...? Why? Shouldn't I offer my help?"

It was at that moment where she couldn't contain it any longer and started jumping in place while brimming with excitement. "YESYESYESTHANKYOUSOMUCHMOMMYYOU'RETHEGREATESTEVER!"

Her mommy offered her a smile before hugging her tight. "It's the least I can do, I owe you as much" Letting go of her, her silver eyes bore into her mommy's own. "Now, get the schematics and blueprints you've made 'till now and take them to the basement. I'll show you a few tricks to get you out of your designing funk"

"And then we'll make the bestest weapon ever!" She exclaimed.

"Sorry Petal, but there's only one spot for the best weapon in the whole wide world, and that's mine"

"Oh, you'll see mom! When it's done, my weapon will kick names and take ass!"

It was only when her mother started laughing her butt off that she realized her slip-up.


That same week's Friday...

"Hi! I'm Ruby Rose! And I present to you: Crescent Rose!" Proudly announced Ruby as she unfurled the weapon onto its fully deployed Scythe form, the blade embedding itself into the grass of the yard - Much to the applause of those present.

It was Weapon Exposition Day at Signal Academy, a day where students who had just created their very own tools of death would present them upon their instructors, fellow students and parents alike.

While the majority of weapons presented thus far in the expo had been impressive on their own way, none could quite match the level of sheer complexity and quality that Ruby was offering with her very own weapon.

"So, most of Crescent Rose is made out of Aluminum, with the black parts being made out of Carbon Fiber. The blade is laced with ceramic on the edges, so it's very sharp and cuts through most stuff like butter, not to mention there's sharp stainless steel under the ceramic so if the ceramic breaks, the blade isn't rendered useless. Also, the choice in materials makes it light enough to me to carry without issue, so I can do stuff like this with him!" The words were followed by Ruby making various twirls and tricks with the weapon before firing a round (That was thankfully a blank because she had suggested it) at the air. "Oopsie! I forgot to say: It's also a gun! A High Caliber Sniper Rifle to be precise - he uses .50 cal rounds by the way - So Grimm won't stand a chance at either close or long range...!"

She smiled as Ruby continued her presentation. To be fair, the weapon was almost complete when Ruby presented the schematics to her, the only thing missing were the intricacies of the complex mechashift system Ruby was gunning for, which she helped her sort out.

"So, what inspired you to pick up such a dangerous weapon?" Asked one teacher.

"Well, my Uncle Qrow uses a Scythe, and he's pretty cool ("Damn right!") - so I wanted to be just like him, y'know?" She then looked at the blade, specifically the ceramic-laced edges. "But the ceramic-laced blade... My mommy uses the same thing on her weapon - it's a double-edged-sword-slash-rifle by the way - And, uh... I just want to be like her in some way, even if I didn't pick the same weapon type she did"

At that moment, she didn't know how to feel upon hearing that. On one hand, she felt proud that Ruby wanted to incorporate an idea of hers to follow her in her footsteps...

On the other, that idea was credited to Summer Rose, not her - Because that's who everyone thought she was. And the fallout of voluntarily dropping her cover in front of everyone for the sake of recognition would be massive, not to mention that doing it would be utterly stupid - especially for that reason.

So, the only thing left to do, would be sucking it up and smile. Just like always, making the smile look sincere and proud, much like that part of her felt right now.

With her presentation finished, Ruby went back to the spot her and Yang were sat at with an electrifying smile and a spring on her step.

Upon arrival, she looked at them expectantly and fidgeted. "So... What do you think?"

"Well, sis - You're officially armed and dangerous! And with that thing those dumb Grimm'll never know what hit 'em!" Yang cheered while elbowing her sister "Am I right?"

"Yeah, you're right! Criminals and Grimm, beware of this Rose right here!" Ruby excitedly claimed while doing a few mock martial arts moves at the air. "And what do you think, mommy?"

Without waiting for another prompt, she scooped both in a hug.

"I think that couldn't have gone any better. You should've seen the look on their faces when you deployed the Scythe. It was priceless"

"And when you 'accidentally' fired the round at the air? Professor Gris looked like she was gonna ruin her pants!" Added Yang. "All while dad was rubbing his temples and Uncle Qrow was just smugly chugging his flask. He was so proud that you picked that kind of weapon, and when you said he was cool? He looked elated!"

"Do you even know what that word means, Yang?" The young Rose laid her bait, and the Little Sun Dragon rose to it.

"Hey! I'm two years older than you, of course I know!"

She giggled at their sisterly antics while letting go of them. "Remember me to confiscate that flask of his next chance I get because I always forget. If it weren't for Aura, his liver would be full of holes by now"

"Well, now that we all have weapons, we can all train together, right?" Ruby asked.

"Hey, just because mom taught you some fancy tricks for the expo doesn't mean you're already a pro with that thing, sis. You're just starting"

"Your sister is right, Ruby. You're going to need plenty of training to catch up to her" She agreed with Yang's assessment of the situation. "Thankfully, you've got two Scythe wielders in the family to help you learn"

"Hold up, I know Uncle Qrow, but who's the other one?"

"You're both being serious? Because..." She motioned to herself. "You're looking at it"

Silence ensured for a second.

"... Mommy, your weapon is a curved sword. That doesn't make it a Scythe"

"I'll have to agree with Rubes on this one, mom"

She huffed and crossed her arms. "First off, you both wound me. And second: All the time I was in Mistral I didn't have a weapon of my own. So, I became a Jack of all Trades regarding combat. If you threw my way any kind of weapon, and I mean any kind - chances are I know how to use it" She uncrossed her arms and assumed a boxer stance while sitting. "Not to mention, I can also fight without a weapon. Just ask your dear Uncle who found out firsthand"

"Really? I can't wait 'till we train together, then! I really want to see what kind of tricks you've got!" Yang exclaimed, suddenly excited by the idea of training with her.

"Word of advice, all of my tricks are dirty. I spent twelve years dealing with scumbags in Anima, and all of that stuff is muscle memory at this point" She pointed out, before glancing at Ruby. "And this goes for you too, Petal. You'll be learning hand-to-hand by my hand soon too"

Ruby instantly deflated upon hearing that. "Whyyyyyy?! I have Crescent Rose now! Why do I have to learn hand-to-hand?"

She wanted to explain, but Yang beat her to it.

"Because - Rubes - you heard mom, right? She spent a lot of time without her weapon, so she had to resort to fisticuffs to get by at times. Picture that happening to you and then it turns out that you don't know how to throw a punch because you never bothered to learn?"

"Noooooo! That's never going to happen! Crescent Rose will always be with me!"

"Hey, I thought the same about Sun's Light, and look what ended up happening. It never hurts to be prepared, Petal"

Neither Yang nor herself noticed, but they'd just given Ruby an opening to change the subject.

"Say, mommy - What's the name of your weapon?"

"Ummmm, Sun's Light? Didn't I just say it?"

"No no no, not the old one! I meant the new one! The one you're carrying!"

"Oh" She reached for the rifle/sword hybrid leaning against her chair between her legs. And hefted it for both of them to see. "You mean her?"

Ruby nodded her head. "So, what's her name?"

She started going over her memory, recalling every life as a huntress she had lived thus far, particularly the weapons she has hefted and their names, yet none of them fit either Summer Rose or the weapon in her hands, so she decided to go for the truth. "I... I... She doesn't have one"

"What? That's weird! Every weapon should have a name! They're extensions of ourselves! Of our souls! Much like Aura is the manifestation of it!"

"I know... It's just... My head's so scrambled I literally forgot to name her after I finished working on her at Beacon" She dropped the weapon on her lap and brought her hands to her face. "Good Oum, what an idiot!"

She was frustrated beyond her wildest dreams, two years researching the role only for her to forget the one of the most crucial details about Summer Rose's personality: Her obsession over weapons and her tendency to humanize them.

"Hey" She turned to see Yang putting a hand on her back. "Mom, you do know it's never too late to name... Her, right?"

"Right, right. You're right, Dragon" She brought her hands back to the weapon and started running a finger over it, making it look like she was both caressing and analyzing it. "Alright, alright... What's in a name for you, sweetheart"

She appreciated the highly reflective finish she gave to the metal of the weapon during its conception and ran her finger through all the appropriately colored Rose Thorn engravings she made on it, along with the recently made engravings of Summer's white burning rose emblem on the rifle stock and the barrel/flat part of the sword. Noting that the reflections of her face on the weapon were distorted by both the shape of the surface and the engravings made on it, names started to run amok on her head.

Mirror... Distorted... Thorn... Rose... Mirrored is synonymous with imitation, this weapon tries to imitate Sun's Light in some aspects, and image distortion is common when mirroring an image... Got it.

"Mirrored Thorn" She mumbled.

"Huh?" She heard from the two girls.

"Mirrored Thorn, that's her name" She simply and clearly stated.

"Well, that was quick, and why's that?" Asked Yang.

"Well, her surface is highly reflective, doubling as a mirror, and she has plenty of Rose Thorn engravings running through her. It's simple, really"

"Aww, I thought you were going to come up with something more awesome..." Pouted Ruby while fiddling with Crescent Rose in compact mode.

"Says my daughter who also named her own weapon with the color scheme in mind" She teased.

"It-it-it's different! Crescent Rose is more awesome!"

"I beg to differ, Mirrored Thorn has more of an oomph to it"

"Yang, back me up!"

The blonde just responded with deploying the left gauntlet of her own weapons.

"Nah, I think Ember Celica is more badass"

"YANG!"

She lightly pulled a bit of Yang's hair. "Oh-ho! So, you think you're smart, huh?"

"MOM! NOT THE HAIR! FOR ALL THAT'S HOLY-PLEASE DON'T!"

She let go. "Alright alright! But I didn't mean anything by it"

The young blonde harrumphed. "Right! Whatever you say, please - just don't do it again"

"Hey hey hey! Mommy! That boy's got a collapsible Assault Rifle!"

She had to keep her character up. "What? WHERE? Point him out will you, Petal? I need to see if I can make Mirrored Thorn more compact or fit a pistol in her!"

With that, they all sat right back to keep watching the expositions, though she wasn't really paying attention. Her mind kept wandering to the alternate name which she had ideated for her weapon.

Distorted Rose... That's more fitting for me. Since I'm a distorted imitation of Summer Rose as of now.


Some weeks later...

"Agh!" Grunted a defeated Yang Xiao-Long as she hit the ground for the umpteenth time, this occasion courtesy of a hit on the back of the head.

"Dragon... You know this isn't healthy, right?" She said, dropping her combat stance.

"No, I... Let's keep going! I can do this! C'mon mom!" The stubborn young Dragon bemoaned, demanding the spar to keep going.

"No, Yang. This is enough for today" She sighed, finally holstering her weapon. "It's the same points I keep raising week after week: You need to dodge more, use your legs more, and stop using your semblance as a crutch. Having a kinetic-based semblance is no excuse to tank hits like there's no tomorrow"

Yang just continued panting, looking at the ground. "... I'm sure I can take it"

"And I'm sure you're going to get killed with that mindset" She said frankly with a straight face. "And I'd rather not have you die before I do. I'll just say this once more: Dodge, not tank. You might have plenty of Aura like your father, but it's not infinite. And you need to ration it to outlast your opponents"

Yang's arms and legs gave out, the hothead blonde faceplanting into the grass and mumbling. "Thanks for the feedback... That's it? Mom?"

"For now, yes..." She then glanced at the expecting Ruby sitting on the porch. "Ruby! Enter the ring!"

The young Rose for her part hid in her hood. "No! Don't wanna!"

"Oh no Petal, get over here" She sauntered over to the reluctant Rose, and pulled her by the cloak. "We agreed Wednesday would be CQC Wednesdays from now on, now giddy up my Rubaby!"

"Noooooooooooo~!" The young child bemoaned. "I don't wanna learn how to punch! I'll never lose Crescent Rose!"

"I said the same about losing Sun's Light and look where I am now, better safe than sorry"


"Ooof!" She reeled from a punch in the chest.

"Block it. You have two forearms Ruby, not to mention a speed-based semblance. If you can't dodge - block!" Her mom advised while delivering another punch, this time to the gut, Ruby made a slight effort to dodge. "Alright! You're trying! Let's keep going!"

After a few more attempts and a severe battering, Ruby was making decent progress, and had started to get the hang of dodging and blocking, sometimes aided by her semblance, others were pure instincts and spontaneous dodges. She was absolutely focused on dodging and dodging as much as her mom was focused on dishing out. Summer wasn't really focused on hurting her, as it was obvious. But rapid-fire hits were the only way of keeping the younger Rose on guard. Thank Oum for Aura, and its borderline made up defensive properties.

At some point, Ruby had enough. She'd seen the move in a Spruce Willis movie once, grab the arm, twist it, and then use that momentum to deliver a counterpunch in the middle of the enemy's face.

And so, she tried! With a little help of her semblance, she intercepted her mom's left hook at the elbow. Summer was pleasantly surprised and lowered her guard for a few seconds with a smile - and thanks to this she was able to twist her mom's arm and punch her in the nose! Sending her reeling!

With a gaping smile, she looked at her sister, who had the brightest smile she'd ever seen her sport during their training sessions.

And of course, all of that was over in less than three seconds. Thanks to her sparring partner delivering a right hook to her 14-year-old jaw. "Good try Petal! It just needs a little more oomph to it - as in, strength when it comes to twisting the arm - where did you see that?"

She picked herself up, resuming her hand-to-hand fighting position. "Saw it in a movie..."

"Well, glad you got the gist of it only from a film, buuuuut~" Ominous pause as she spread her arms and pointed her chin up. "Punch me, I'll show you how it's done. Like how I did to you just now, hook to the face"

Ruby swallowed the biggest gob of saliva she ever created since she was trying to smuggle cookies in her cheeks like a squirrel smuggled nuts. "Do I have to?" She nervously asked.

"Petal, does it look like we have all day?"

Ruby pursed her lips and nervously raised her fist, using her semblance to enhance the punch's speed.

Yet, it was all for naught. Long story short - after that Ruby Rose started thinking Summer Rose was a brutalist. Because she nearly broke her arm while describing how to best neutralize an opponent with just excruciating pain in the arm.


A month later...

Two small sources of light descended a stairwell. A thick layer of dust permeated the air, as well as the smell of old, rusting metal.

One of those light sources was herself, and the other was Taiyang, having asked for the day off at Signal, where the girls were off to class. He thought it was the best for them to go down memory lane, by going down to the basement.

"When was the last time anyone ever was here?" She pondered while pointing her scroll around, looking around for a light switch. It was quite useless thanks to the Faunus night vision she was replicating, but appearances were important.

"Four weeks ago, I came down to fix the heater" He succinctly said. Before adding "And before that I came to take some tools up to the garage"

"Fair" She continued to look around. "Geez, this place is quite big"

"Hey, it was your idea"

She shone her own scroll up in her face, flashing him the cockiest smug smirk she could provide. "Really?"

He sincerely assented. "Yes, it was" He walked past her with purpose. "You designed this place when we first started building the house. You said you wanted a mixture between a doomsday shelter and a workshop" He started fiddling with a breaker panel she saw when they were coming down in the far end. "So, we built a massive room the size of the first floor - with mostly no walls. Just pillars to keep the rest of the house up"

With a flick of a breaker switch, the incandescent bulbs in the basement lit up. Revealing a room of massive proportions in its full colored glory... As well as the weapon maintenance and creation equipment peppered around it, as well as everything contained within it which would work well in case of a rainy day.

"I-I... I did this?" She looked around in awe.

"You specced it, but we all did our share of share when it came to bringing it from the design board"

She looked at him, a quizzing look in her eyes. "Even Raven?"

With a cross of his arms, he answered. "Even her" A mournful pause. "We started this whole 'cabin in the woods base' project when we were about to graduate, remember? I'd just gotten hitched; she was pregnant with Yang"

She looked at the weapon racks adorning parts of the walls, many were empty, others were holding bits and pieces of what looked like Sun's Light - Summer's Weapon, and a few were holding other kinds of weapons and tools.

She reached for a simple, heavy dark pistol with a round barrel, steel sights, and an emblem half-way engraved into the grip in a rack past Taiyang. She felt the heft of the weapon on her hand, it was loaded. It had to be either a .44 or a .50. It could deal some severe damage. "Now I remember, thank you" She pulled the old magazine from the receiver. Filled with blanks - .44 MG.

"Dimios..." She whispered as she slotted the 8 round cartridge back into place. Classic Mistrali executioner pistols looked similar to this weapon, she noted mentally.

That put Taiyang at attention. "Ye-yeah! That's the name of that one!"

"It is?" She couldn't believe it. That was one massive coincidence. "Guess my memory's growing stronger by the day"

"It's the name you chose. I remember when you were building that one. It was the first weapon you made after we finished setting everything up here" Taiyang sauntered up behind her, putting his hands on her forearms, slowly drifting towards her wrists, helping her point the weapon into the depths of the basement. Some of the light bulbs were burnt, giving way to darkness. "You were going to give it to Qrow, but he said it clashed with his fighting style. What did you name it for anyway?"

"Dimios is a north-eastern Mistrali word for executioner" She answered truthfully as she looked down at the weapon on her hand, aiming down the sights. Her finger gracing the trigger before retracting it, remembering trigger discipline. If you're not going to shoot, then don't put your finger anywhere near it. "It is styled after an executioner's pistol. Considering Qrow's Mistrali, and his main weapon is called Harbinger..." She was running out of material to make up stories. "... Well, I suppose you can figure the rest. I guess I... Wasn't, that great of a team leader to know what meshed well with my teammates' fighting styles and what didn't"

"Nah, Qrow's just an idiot" Tai joked. "If my style were anything like his, I'd probably have a backup sidearm. You'll never know"

"You'll never know..." She parroted. "Maybe I should use it"

That made Taiyang do a double take. "Are you sure? Wouldn't it interfere with Mirrored Thorn?"

"I think he would complement her" She looked at the bottom of the magazine receiver. If she made the grip wider, perhaps she could fit a hidden blade, or a switchblade. "Mirrored Thorn is all about medium and long-range firepower. Sometimes you need to get up close and personal... And hidden under my cloak, it could come across quite as a surprise to anyone who thinks they've disarmed me. Which is exactly what I need these days"

"More options are welcome, especially after using Sun's Light. Got it" He conceded.

She looked at a few dust particles littering the air as they floated down in front of a lightbulb. "I guess we could put this place back into service. Clean it up, introduce it to Ruby and Yang"

"Not a bad idea" He let go of her. "I'll go get the vacuum, some wet wipes, and lots of filters"

She dropped the pistol in a nearby maintenance workstation and turned to Tai. "I'll come along, I think we'll need plenty of wipes and filters. Plus, some lightbulbs to replace the burnt ones"

"Fair point, it's been a decade since we last cleaned it. Let alone used it regularly. Some light would do it well too"

"Things are about to change around here" She started walking up with him. "A lot"

He looked around as he put a foot on the stairwell. "For the best, I hope" He started going back into surface with those words.

She followed behind him, but not without looking at the pistol that had caught her attention one more time. "We'll see..." She mumbled to herself.


Several months after...

At the top of Beacon Academy's CCT tower, two of the best hunters to have ever graduated from the academy stood in front of the most mischievous Headmaster to have ever graced that penis-looking chair. Gears grinding above them.

Ozpin leaned back in the aforementioned chair, interlacing his fingers, and putting his right ankle atop of his left knee. "I have a mission for the both of you. Usually I'd send Qrow alone" He gestured to him "But I think it's a mighty time for you to return to the field as well - Summer"

"Glad to be of service, Headmaster" Shortstack replied while sitting down on one of the other chairs in front of the desk. "Plus, if my help means Qrow and I will be back on Patch by the time Ruby gets to try out Crescent Rose in a school spar?" She glanced at him as he made a beeline for his pillar. "I'm even more willing to keep his birdbrain out of the nearest dive bar - speaking of which - Qrow, flask"

"I don't have it" He blankly replied as he continued walking.

"Reaaaaalllyyy~?"

He quickly walked back to her and gave her the flask he kept in its usual place while making a mad dash to his corner, where he crossed his arms with a 'harrumph'. With a smug smile, she uncorked it and had a smell of the contents. "Cognac. Really Qrow?"

"That's from last week. I've been good"

She still emptied the contents on Ozpin's trash can, to the seasoned huntsman's dismay. "Never hurts to make sure. I gave you this to keep up your hydration on a survival situation, not for you to wreck your liver with it"

Oz cut in. "As much as I enjoy the banter, we don't have much time. Your bullhead leaves in forty-five minutes. We're getting reports of increased Grimm activity in Bienville, the northern village's leadership is complaining we didn't do enough the last time to keep them away, so it's up to you to clean up the outskirts of the village once again"

That sounded a bit small time for him. He shared a glance with Shortstack, whom from the incredulous look seemed to share the same reservations. "Seems too simple Ozpin, there has got to be another reason why you're sending the both of us. Otherwise, you would send a few trainees and a teacher" She objected.

Oz for his part assented with a smirk. "There has been a sudden change of leadership within the village recently. Bienville being a small village news don't make quite the splash they would otherwise here in Vale, but one thing did catch my attention" He leaned forward to them. "Tell me how often it is for a village with a human population majority to suddenly have faunus leadership in the lapse of eight months?"

"Not very often" He cut in. "Even here in Vale, and considering how it's deep in the sticks it's even less common"

"You want us to ascertain how that came to be, I suppose. Because perhaps it may have something to do with the increased Grimm activity"

"Maybe" He reached towards his favorite cup and took a sip before addressing them again. "Maybe it's just a coincidence. But who knows? Leave no stone unturned. In these days of uncertainty goodness knows what's happening in the world"

"Then I guess it's up to us to find out. We'll report back when we find something interesting" She stood up and motioned him to follow, flashing the now emptied flask to him. "And I'm washing this and filling it up with water"

He laid off the pillar which by this point had his general shape marked on it, following her. "Whatever you want. But I'll find the biggest bar in Bienville and dry it up"

"I need your head in the game Qrow, this is my first mission in a while" She said seriously, pocketing his flask and taking out her (New) scroll as she pressed the button to call the elevator. "The last thing I need is to not return home again. I'm in a spell and I don't want it to end"

"Y'know, a wise man said that all good things come to an end" The elevator arrived, and both stepped in. Him pressing the ground floor button. "But I'm with you. We're finally healing after all this time. Tai, Ruby, Yang, you, and me. If this ever ends, here's hoping we're at least ready to face what's next"

"In the meantime? It's you and me against the world. With you and I kicking butts - what could possibly go wrong?" She playfully said.

"You do know who's tagging along in this mission with you, right?"

Shortstack granted him a playful punch in the elbow. "My bestie and partner. Nobody else. We'll be fine"

He for his part stared blankly into space as she called back home to explain her absence for the next few days.

'Maybe she's right. We need to liven up a little' He took a deep breath. 'Alright Qrow, let her positivity fuel you. Ignore your semblance for two minutes and who knows? This'll be over and done with in two days'


Five days later...

"This is NOT how I saw this mission going!" Summer yelled as she ducked behind cover - using an upturned box truck for protection. Her white cloak now covered in mud and rainwater. She had her hair tied in a utilitarian ponytail rather than her usual hairstyle. "Well, Plan B!"

An explosion rocked the town, something toppling down and making a ruckus on impact.

"Did by any chance the plan involve that CCT repeater!?" He said after the noise ceased.

"Alright!" She replied after looking around. "Plan C!"

"Which is?"

"They're all gathered on that fortified town hall!" She gestured with her head towards the building in question. "Just sneak around and break them up, then we barge in, and we end this! We give it all we've got if our backup isn't coming!" She laid flat on the floor as she tried to avoid a volley from hitting her anywhere, as it was penetrating the thin metal of the truck's panelling, he tanked a few hits. His aura wasn't any worn from the initial contact a few minutes ago. "I need you to make a distraction while I sneak around and give you and opening so we can continue moving inside the compound!"

"Sounds as good of a plan as any" Harbinger came off swiftly and readied in longsword form.

"Move it Qrow! It's only a matter of seconds before they hit the fuel tank!"

"I got it!"

With desire to get this finished and head home, Qrow sprinted out into the field, or in this case the rainfall of bullets. After a quick 'There he is!', the focus of the fire shifted upon his as fast as humanely possible. Using assorted obstacles (And Harbinger) to catch bullets for him as he ran around the main street.

How did they end up in this situation? Well, it turns out The White Fang had taken over the town a while back, a few weeks before their arrival, actually. They began terrorizing the local humans while the few local fauni looked on in complete confusion, before just making a run for it. Forcing the human-owned businesses to pay arbitrary taxes such as a 'racism tax' regardless of whether they really refused to serve faunus or not. Those who did not pay were never heard from again, and from their investigation they found a large mass grave where those business owners and their families ended up executed and disrespectfully buried.

Summer seemed uncannily solemn and composed when they found that mass grave. The Summer he knew from back in the day would've fallen to her knees and cried on behalf of those who could not mourn or did not know they had to mourn. That time, however, with her fists balled and a face devoid of expression, she gave him only a few words which will stick with him forever.

'Two wrongs don't make a right. But let's see whether we can start to make this right, stop this madness. And if we do muck it up even further... The road to hell has always been paved with good intentions'

After that they had been planning to cull the Grimm and face the White Fang-imposed Mayor with their findings, but a sentinel caught them snooping - and so - they were now regarded as a liability.

'Oh, how right they are' He thought for himself as he dodged another barrage of bullets and slid into cover, shifting his weapon to shotgun mode. 'Now to show em' just how right they are'

Leaping out from his hiding place, he shot two slugs in the general direction of the target while racing for his next covering spot, when another explosion made him lose his footing. Looking back, the truck in which Summer was hiding behind had finally gone up in flames. He stopped running for a second as he frantically looked around for his partner. Eventually, he saw her scattering around the rooftops, and with a sigh of relief, he went back to running interference.

Smoothly transitioning between human to crow, he continued blind firing ever so often when out of sight to play with his enemies' heads. Once they were all distracted enough, he swoop in and began picking them off, one by one. Knocking them out, grabbing them from behind and suffocating them until they passed out.

Eventually the battlefield grew increasingly silent, up until there was only one person firing their weapon at nothing as he flew above.

"What the FUCK!?" They screamed as they reloaded their rifle. "Where is EVERYONE?"

Qrow reformed into a human right behind him. "I can take ya to them if you want"

"The FU-"

A quick whip to the back of the head solved matters quickly. And soon enough he was rounding and tying up the unconscious grunts and letting them marinade in the filthy, rain-soaked gravel and mud.

And then he realized something important. "Shit, Shortstack headed for the town hall!".

With that he unceremoniously dropped the last grunt he was carrying and sprinted in the direction of the mentioned building. The mud getting on his slacks and severely weighing him down, but it didn't matter.

'Gotta make sure Summer gets home this time. I've gotta, I'm here for a reason, FUCK!'

He breached the perimeter of the fortified town hall, surprisingly there weren't any people shooting or lunging at him.

Gunshots and screaming could be heard from within the building, and with aura-enhanced strength he barged in, making a Qrow-shaped hole in the doors.

"SUMMER! SUMMER! WHERE ARE YOU?!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing and booming around the structure, which was shrouded in darkness as they'd blown up the power generators to prevent them from calling reinforcements.

A ruckus from upstairs, a window breaking, and a body hitting the ground behind him told him everything he needed to know. He rushed up and started overhearing things more clearly as he ran up the stairs.

"YOU DISGUSTING PIECE OF SHIT!" That was Shortstack. "WE KNOW. EVERY-THING! THE BODIES, THE EXTORTION, WHO YOU'RE WORKING WITH. TERRORIST SCUMBAG!"

"Fuck off, human wench" And that sounded like the leader of these assholes. "We did what was necessary, for equality! Your kind has treated us worse!"

Someone was suffocating after that.

"THIS IS NOT EQUALITY, AND THAT IS NO EXCUSE! THIS IS BRUTALITY! DRIVEN BY SPITE! YOU'RE DIGGING YOUR OWN GRAVES NUMBSKULL! DRAGGING INNOCENT PEOPLE INTO YOUR SENSELESS VENDETTA! ACTING LIKE MONSTERS!? YOU THINK FEAR IS GOING TO GET PEOPLE TO TREAT YOU LIKE YOU THINK YOU DESERVE? NO! BECAUSE INSTEAD OF EQUALITY, I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT YOU FUCKING DESERVE FOR THESE STUNTS!"

That made him stop in his tracks. He slowed his pace, heard as a body hit the ground, and looked around as he did so.

"THIS. IS FOR EVERY LIFE YOU SNUFFED OUT HERE!" Gunshots from an automatic weapon started ringing out. Many gunshots, and a pained groan for each one. "This. For every child - I know of - that you buried in that mass grave" Again, shots were fired, and judging from the groans they all landed on target. But this time what sounded like a high-caliber pistol fired them. And then, a weapon mechashifting was heard. "And this? This one...?" A spiteful giggle - a giggle! "This one is for divine justice. Because Oum forbid if you deserve anything less than this"

And then a sword was driven through flesh, and someone was choking in their own blood.

"What the actual..."

Lightning struck, briefly revealing the scene of a massacre. Bodies strewn around, some had brutal injuries, some were even still alive, though they wouldn't be for much longer given how gravely wounded they were.

He heard as the door behind him opened, quickly turned around and pointed his weapon at the individual.

"Easy Slits! Easy! It's me!"

"Are you sure it's you? Look around you Summer! This is a bloodbath!"

"Yes! I know! But we didn't start this, they did! But it's over now!" She pleased, even as she held a remarkably familiar pistol while she put Mirrored Thorn on its custom hook. "It's over Qrow... This whole thing... It's all put to rest, we did it. We ended it. Justice, finally"

"There's several dozen bodies out there, and you call this justice?" He hollered at her. "We could've apprehended them, figure out how and where this whole thing went"

"We already know that Qrow" She curtly said. "They want to overrun towns and rule them by fear. Enslave humans like the Atlesians enslaved the faunus. We need to put a stop to this, and today, we did. And we did right by the people who died to this"

"And you call massacring MOST of the White Fang contingent here making it right for the dead?!"

"YES, I DO! THEY KILLED CHILDREN QROW! THEY COULD'VE TRIED THIS STUNT IN PATCH AND IT COULD'VE BEEN RUBY OR YANG NEXT!"

He threw up his hands. "Right, right! You have a point" He started pacing around. "But that doesn't excuse the extreme fucking violence, Summer" He pointed at the convalescent man with his head split in half downstairs. "A bullet to the head would've done it for self defense. But this? This is too much"

"But. It sends a message" His eyes went as massive as dinner plates as soon as she said that. "Scared terrorists tell their friends... They cower in fear... Sometimes they push through and try it again, but they'll be too scared to go about it efficiently... It worked in Mistral. As soon as they knew someone had paid me to go after their group... They went underground. They fled in fear. Suddenly, they valued their lives once more"

"There is no worse enemy than our own minds, Slits. And I'm willing to use that to keep people safe, and good people alive"

He had no words - Intelligent ones at least - that he could say. His mouth was gaping like a fish's. She grabbed him by the sleeve.

"C'mon Qrow... I know it's hard to understand now, especially with it being so fresh... But in a few days? You'll see we did good" She paused and looked away. "Come on Slits. Let's go, find somewhere to rest. Then let's get those people out of the mass grave tomorrow. Bienville has a small cemetery with mausoleums. We should get as many people as we can identify with their... You know..."

"Fine, let's go"

They moved along.


Three days after...

"After that, we slept the night in one of the town's inns. First thing in the morning when the rain stopped, Sums and I went to the mass grave. We started taking out each of the bodies, one by one... When I saw all those families, those kids... It made sense why she went so violent. There were kids in that pit that were Ruby's age. And she started to describe how each of them probably died like a professional mortician or something as we took them to the cemetery and put them in the family mausoleums... There was another one - eighteen, two years older than Yang - she said that from the ligature marks he resisted trying to defend his family all the way until the end... And these bastards tied him and slit his throat in exchange"

Ozpin sat silently behind his desk, slowly drinking his hot cocoa. "Anything else?"

"After that... Summer put the fear of God on the White Fang survivors. She and I gathered up the bodies of the dead terrorists, put them in front of the guys we'd apprehended... And then she set the pile alight with some burn dust. That's why they went so cooperative when the help arrived, they didn't want that happening to them... As for Bienville, the place is a ghost town now... I think it deserves it after all that. The civilians who escaped, the ones who survived? They deserve to start over, move on from that mess"

"Interesting, I see. I will see to it that the Bienville natives who were displaced by the White Fang are taken care of as soon as they are found" He laid down his mug and stood up. Making his way to Qrow and motioning for him to stand up. He put his hand on the drunkard's shoulder as they paced around the office for a moment. "And Qrow, thank you for this post-mortem. I know it must be hard to revisit this experience"

"This is the worst shit I've ever seen in decades Oz. You don't think that-"

"She has gotten a hold of the White Fang? No, I do not, but I also do not think we should eliminate the possibility. For fear-inducing stunts like this one drive up negativity, which gives her a chance to strike. I will share this with James as soon as possible" They stopped in front of the elevator. "Now move along, Qrow. I believe you have a birthday party today?"

The drunkard scoffed. "Right, Yang's birthday is today. First one with Summer in ages"

He nodded in understanding. "You should celebrate life, instead of wallowing in death, if just for a bit"

"Right, right. See you soon Oz? Might stop by?"

He shrugged noncommittally. "I can try, but I might arrive when the party is over"

Qrow gave him the side-eye. "I think Summer would appreciate it"

"I will try, but no promises"

With that, the bird man retreated into the tower's elevator. Leaving Ozma alone.

"Now, Summer. What happened to you out there in Mistral to have such views and pull the psychological trauma card?" He mused as he made his way back to his desk, with all the disposition to call Ironwood.


That same day, in the Xiao-Long-Rose home

"Happy birthday - we wish" A clap in rhythm. "For you to be happ-y, Yang dear!" More clapping. "Happy birthday! Yang Xiao-Long! Happy birthday - my dear!"

Everyone who was singing cheered, the joy palpable in the air.

Yang Xiao-Long had just turned 17.

Graduation from Signal was just around the corner.

She would be going to Beacon in November.

The candles were blown.

The party was on.

And her mom gave a bear hug.

"Happy birthday my little Sun Dragon..."

She returned the hug. "Mom! I'm not little anymore!"

She hugged tighter. "Until you're 21, you'll still be little to me"

SNAP!

The one holding the camera was Ruby. "Hey! Can I join in?"

"There's always room for my little sis!" She said.

Rubes passed the camera over to her dad and joined them in the hug, the man, in turn, snapped another picture and then put the camera on the table after putting the timer on, joining them for a picture.

It was at that moment that Uncle Qrow decided to walk in and slam the door open, rattling the camera off the table, much to their disappointment.

"I'll serve a cake slice to Qrow, you guys check on the camera" Said mom as she skipped over to our Drunkle.

She was the first to get to the downed device, picked it up, analyzed it, and said... "The lens is broken"

"Does the screen still work?" Asked her dad.

She turned on the camera again, and it booted up. "Yeah, it does. We can still salvage the pictures"

At that point Qrow walked into the living room, where they were picking up the pieces, as he ate a slice of cake her mom had served. "Don't tell me, the camera fell off?"

"Yeah, it did" Answered her dad. "Sad it did, but at least the screen still works so we can get the pictures back"

"Plus" Her mom added. "Scrolls are all the rage these days. I took a picture with my new scroll yesterday and I was surprised at how good it turned out. This might as well be a walking fossil. Or well, been a walking fossil"

"Speaking of scrolls, Qrow - take mine. How 'bout you take a picture of all of us celebrating?" He handed Drunkle Qrow his scroll. "Y'know like the day Summer came home"

He set aside his slice of cake in the table. "Man, and I was just enjoying this cake" He said sarcastically.

Everyone gathered up, and Qrow set his arm with the scroll as far as he could.

"Everyone say cheese!"

"Holy schmucks - fire!"

"Not fire Ruby, cheese!"

"No dad, fire! The kitchen!"

"Ah crap - my meat pie!"


One day before Yang's graduation ceremony...

The storm is quite strong. The lightning is quite loud.

But she is big and strong! For she drinks her milk!

CRACK!

'OK no, I'm scawwed and Yang went out with her friends'

"Mommyyyyyyyy!"

Mommy was there in seconds, the door opening quicker than ever. "Everything alright Petal?"

"I know I'm too big for this... But I can't sleep with all the lightning"

"Trust me Petal, me either. Your dad is the only one who can sleep well in weather like this" Mommy said as she entered the room and then kneeled next to her bed. "So? What do you need me to do? Maybe lay in bed with you for a few minutes?"

"I'd like that" She admitted.

"Okay then, make some room for me big girl"

And so, she finally got a dream come true. Having mommy fend off all the mean lightning from the bed they were now sharing. Sure, the twin bed was a bit small for both, even with their smaller frames. But... It was worth it.

Truth to be told she was overreacting a bit, but she'd be damned if she said she'd never been curious about how this would feel.

"Mommy"

"Yes, Ruby?"

"Ummm, can you like... Sing a song? Or something?"

"Well, I'm surprised. I thought your dad, your sister, and you said I was a horrible singer-songwriter"

"Uh... I was joking?"

"Well, joking or not. I'm about to prove everyone wrong. So, listen up"

"You've got to learn... How to cry..."

"Before you learn... How to fall..."

"You've got to turn... From the darkness"

"And go... Through it all~"

"Just remember"

"That it's all right'

"It's all right to be true~!"

"And that the sun will shine... On you"

"You've got to try..."

"To remember..."

"The promises, you've made~"

"You've got to hold... On to yourself..."

"And never be afraid~"

"Foolish notions... Try to get you..."

"No matter what you do~"

"And the sun will shine... On you"

The silence permeated the room for a bit. Until someone spoke up in a whisper.

"Ruby... Are you asleep?"

She got no answer.

"Ruby... You are so precious... You're everything I've ever wanted... Both you, and Yang" A little sniffle. "Oum above... I don't deserve you... I don't deserve this family..."

"But I'll hold on to this dream for as long as I can"


Sorry.