"You've done a lot of dumb shit in your lives," Taiyang muttered. "You, Ozpin, and you too, Qrow. You're both as dumb as bricks. But for some reason, I never thought you'd be stupid enough to put my baby daughter at the frontlines of a deadly battle."

The headmaster just accepted the insult silently. He was glad to do it. If hating him took Taiyang's mind off of Ruby's unknown status, it was worth it – no father should have to endure such a dire situation.

But, at the back of his head, Ozpin knew Taiyang was right. The headmaster had a terrible habit of handling missions as if they were chess matches, almost, and that led to casualties when he made a wrong move. He should have known better than to turn his own students into pawns.

"Damnit, Qrow, she's your niece!" Taiyang yelled furiously, turning to stare at the scythe-wielding Huntsman, who was standing by the window of the office. "I know she's Summer's, but… She loves you like an uncle."

"I know that," Qrow said gravely. "Don't accuse me of not caring. My left arm is near useless because I tried to save her. If I were in a better condition, I'd be searching for her day and night."

He wasn't exaggerating the severity of his injury. When his arm had been examined, they'd discovered that it wasn't just a simple burn – it seemed to have somehow spread beneath his skin, like a disease, until more than half of the member was fragile and sluggish. The doctor had warned him not to put strain on it until they could find a proper cure or treatment.

"Yeah. Sorry," Taiyang crossed his arms. "You should have called me when it all started. I would have made a difference. If I had been there, Ruby would have never been caught."

"You're just a teacher, Tai." Qrow noted somberly.

"I'm also a father."

The two shared a significant look, knowing the depth of each other's pain as their own. Ozpin sat in silence, staring at his untouched coffee mug, with a helpless expression that did not fit him at all.

"Put your two brick brains together. Form a plan. When you're done, tell me," Taiyang ordered. "I'm going to find my other daughter and her mother."

He turned and stormed off the office. Ozpin waited a moment before looking at Qrow.

"I'll think of something. Meanwhile, we have a bomb planted under our roof," he said. "Keep a careful eye on Cinder. Don't let her know you're there, but if she goes crazy…"

"Yep," Qrow nodded unhappily, tapping his scythe at his hip. "I can aim half-well with one arm."

"Too bad," the headmaster sighed. "You'd need four arms for the task."

Weiss woke up beside Blake, hugging her like a child hugged her favorite doll at night. For a moment, the heiress smiled, feeling safe in the warmth of her girlfriend. And then she remembered why they were like this.

They hadn't been planning to sleep together, and when they did, it wasn't for the obvious reasons that would have Jaune faint with blood trickling down his nose. No. They had been feeling distressed and helpless, and the only way they could close their eyes was by staying close together.

Weiss looked up at the underside of Ruby's hanging bed. She could practically feel the emptiness of the room, the silence left behind by her partner. There was a time Weiss would have rejoiced in it – how sweet it would be to spend one day without being constantly poked, dragged around, and yelled excitedly at by her! – but now she had tears in her eyes. She mournfully realized she had never appreciated Ruby enough, or at all.

"Hey, Weiss," Blake spoke softly at her ear. "Did you sleep?"

"Yes." The heiress said, feeling slightly guilty about the answer.

"I didn't."

Weiss turned and buried her head between Blake's shoulder and her neck, letting the tears spill free from her eyes.

"I could have done something – I should have!" She cried. "It's my fault! She was right there, and I couldn't, I couldn't-"

"You tried, and that was all you could do. Mira would have killed her," Blake said. "I wanted to try too, but I was too scared. At least you had the courage to do something."

"I almost got her killed. S-shit, she might already be-"

"Don't."

Blake gripped the back of Weiss's head and closed her eyes.

"Just… don't."

Ruby swung her left hand weakly. The chain binding her to Mira's desk rattled, but the attempt was as futile as all the ones before.

Her vision was swirling and filled with black dots. She hadn't been able to sleep at all, kept awake by the screams coming from the nearby bedroom. At first, they had been screams of pleasure, but then they morphed into terrifying screeches. Ruby didn't know which ones were worse.

She had promised herself she wouldn't think about the outside world, that she would keep a level head throughout the ordeal, like a true Huntress would. It worked for the first hours, but as the terror settled in, she couldn't help but wonder how long it would take for her to be rescued, or if she would be rescued at all.

In the back of her head, though, she was hoping no one came to her rescue. She had seen little of Mira's power, but it had been enough to know that no one she knew could defeat her… except Cinder, perhaps, and that was exactly the last person Ruby wanted to be her rescuer – not out of bitterness or pride, but because she was absolutely certain nothing good would come of the mother and daughter reunion.

So she spent her time in silent terror, desperately trying to find a way out, but still remembering the strength she knew she had. She might not have her scythe, or her speed, but she hadn't lost who she was, and who she wanted to be.

When the door to the bedroom opened and Mira stepped out, she met with a defiant look from Ruby. The woman seemed surprised at first, then she smiled.

"Hello, dear," Mira winked at her. "Hope we didn't keep you awake."

Ruby just stared at her, not wishing to give her any satisfaction. Mira shrugged and showed her a bottle of water.

"Maybe you'll talk when your throat's been parched." She said, opening the lid and leaning down to put it near Ruby's lips.

The redhead expected some kind of trick, but the sight of water made her throw all caution to the wind, at least for a while. She drank up, fuming silently as Mira's smile widened.

"That's enough, I believe. Wouldn't want you to drown, now would I?" Mira said, withdrawing the bottle. "Now that that's done, how about a little chat?"

"Eat… poop!" Ruby exclaimed suddenly.

"Oh my. How vicious," the pyromancer chuckled. "Do you use that language around your mother, Ruby?"

Ruby's lips straightened, her eyes glaring at her captor bitterly. Mira crouched in front of her, then laid a hand on her chin and started to examine her face from different angles. Ruby tried to yank her head back to its original position, but Mira's hold was unbelievably firm.

"You look very much like her, indeed…" Mira said wonderingly. "Summer Rose, Summer Rose… Now that was a Huntress to behold. How did she die again? Grimm? What a sad way to go out. You're turning the world into a better place, step by step, saving lives, and then comes a pack of wolves and eats you up."

"She died a hero!" Ruby protested, unable to hold her anger back.

"I never said otherwise. Why, I, of all people, should know best about her demise."

"What do you mean?"

Mira just smiled at her before getting up and walking towards the bedroom. After one last wave, she closed the door, leaving Ruby alone with nothing but confusion and helplessness.

Raven's sleep was filled with nightmares. Faces of the people that she killed, those she had chosen not to help. In her dreams, the sky was red like blood and there was no sound except for the screams of her victims. In the corner of her vision, she could see a lonely woman in a white cloak staring at her, but every time she turned to look at her, she disappeared.

She woke up periodically for very brief bouts of time. The first time, she was being carried into the infirmary. Next, she came to the sight of a team of doctors examining the hole near her stomach. The last one must have been hours after that, because the wound was then wrapped in bandages, though it still hurt immeasurably, and her daughter was sitting beside her on a wooden chair, sleeping with a restless look on her face.

When she finally woke up fully, Yang was gone. She laid a hand on her stomach and winced, then slowly started to get up. A hand flew to her shoulder and forced her back down gently.

"No way," Taiyang said roughly. "You're not getting up anytime soon."

She just looked up at him, not knowing that to say, but she needed to find something, or he would hear how loud her heart was beating.

"It's… nice to see you." Raven said hesitantly.

"Very smooth," he replied humorlessly. "It's almost like you haven't been gone for seventeen years."

"I-I… I'm… I'm so sorry!"

She felt unreal, like she was seventeen again and they had just met each other. In one moment, the burden she had been carrying for so long seemed to fade away, and she just broke down in tears.

Taiyang's serious expression faltered and he hugged her, trying to contain his own tears.

"Damnit… I was supposed to be yelling at you for being the worst person ever… But it's nice to see you too!" He laughed weakly.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" She repeated quietly. "Just hold me."

He did so for a full minute, then slowly retreated. Raven grabbed his hand and looked at it, smiling. There was a single ring on his middle finger, decorated with a beautiful gemstone. The sight of it almost made her burst out laughing.

"Is that a ruby?" She wiped the tears from her eyes. "You're so cheesy."

"It was Summer's idea," Taiyang defend himself awkwardly. "And the ring came after the daughter, anyway."

"What? You married only after the pregnancy…?"

"No. We just waited a while before I… substituted the ring."

Raven nodded. There was so much to say about the topic, but she was glad they weren't discussing it so soon. But it did make her remember something very important, and that just drained all her happiness away.

"They took her," she whispered. "I couldn't stop them from taking your daughter."

"Hey, you… You had a pretty severe stab wound, so I forgive you for not trying," he said, looking away. "It'll be fine, by the way. As long as you recover properly, in your bed, there will be no permanent damage."

"What about Ruby?" Raven insisted, realizing he was trying to escape from the topic by talking about more immediate situations. She recognized the method from long ago. "And our daughter? How is she?"

Taiyang gave her a significant look that told her he wasn't too happy about her choice of words.

"Yang left a while ago. She said she needed to talk with her team," he said. "She's really torn up about… All that happened."

"She's a tough girl. You raised her very well." Raven smiled slightly.

"You say that only because you didn't witness her punk years," Taiyang shuddered. "I should let you sleep."

Raven wanted to protest, but she didn't want to ruin the sweet, short moment they'd had.

She had a feeling the ones to follow would be nothing like it.

Screams.

Broken.

Burning.

Shards of glass.

Boiling water.

Hatred.

Vapor.

Injustice.

Reflection of amber.

Revenge.

Weiss and Blake didn't move from the way they'd woken up, choosing to spend the rest of the day in silence. They knew Ruby wouldn't have wanted this, but it was too early, too painful to leave their room and carry on with their normal lives.

A few hours before dusk, Yang entered the room. The two hadn't seen their blond teammate since their return to Beacon, and now they felt shame about not having searched for her. Of all people, she should be the one hurting the most.

"Listen to me. I'm only going to say this once," Yang said firmly. "I'm going to find my sister. I don't care what Ozpin or my father says about it. If I have to, I'll kick myself out of this school. Are you with me?"

"Absolutely." Weiss replied immediately, followed by a nod from Blake.

"Good. I knew I could count on you guys," the blonde said. "Out of us three, Blake's the one with the most experience of the outside world. Do you have any idea where to start searching?"

Blake bit her lower lip. She could list a few places, but she was certain they would lead nowhere. Raven had been infiltrated in the White Fang for more than a decade, and she couldn't learn the location of their main headquarters.

"I thought so," Yang shook her head. "So we have only one other option."

"Cinder," Weiss said. "Are you sure about this?"

"Look, I'll always be the first in line to punch that psychopath in the face. But I know she cares about Ruby. It's fucked up, but it's true. So I'm going to get her to help, and afterwards, I'll punch her in the face."

Weiss put a hand on her chin thoughtfully, then shrugged.

"That's fine with me."

They walked to Cinder's room in silence. Yang seemed resolute on following her plan, but Weiss and Blake weren't so sure. Cinder had plenty of reason to hate them, especially after what Weiss had let her feelings about her be known. They had no idea what to expect, but it was much more probable that something bad would happen.

Yang knocked on the door forcefully, then withdrew her hand with a curious expression on her face. The wood felt extremely hot to the touch, as if the room behind it was on fire. A few seconds passed before the door flew open.

Cinder was wearing a dress they had never seen before – a short red one with golden lines interlacing in its sleeves, which also left her shoulders and upper back bare. Her eyes set on each of them for several seconds, inexpressive, but somehow more terrifying than ever. Somehow, she had returned her hair to its natural dark color.

"We need your help." Yang said.

Cinder just stared at her for a long time, not saying anything. Then she leaned her head back and started to laugh loudly, as if Yang had just told the funniest joke she had ever heard.

Weiss and Blake were taken aback, while Yang's eyes narrowed angrily.

"Stop. Laughing!" She growled.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Cinder said, her voice resembling that of her mother's. "I couldn't help myself. It's just that for months now, you've nothing but hateful towards me. You never raised a finger to help me. What do you like to call me again? Ah, yes, a psychopath."

"We're sorry," Weiss spoke suddenly, trying to salvage the situation before Yang could respond. "We're sorry about how we treated you. But we need your help now, to find Ruby."

Cinder stepped out of her room, closing the space between her and Weiss, staring down at her eyes.

"You do need my help. But I don't need yours," she said. "Why would I bother to babysit three desperate little girls? You'd do nothing but get in the way."

"If you truly cared about Ruby, you'd accept our help." The heiress muttered accusatorily.

"No. Because I truly care about Ruby, I'll make sure you three stay right here," Cinder shook her head. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into if you come with me. I'm done playing by your headmaster's precious rules. I'm going to kill whoever stands in my path, until I find Ruby," she turned to look at Yang. "How do you think she would feel if she found you became murderers? I'm doing what is best for her, as I have always done."

Cinder and Yang stared at each other, both not willing to back down.

"She will hate you." Blake pointed out.

"Yes," Cinder agreed softly. "Yes, she will."

The pyromancer turned around and walked away, leaving them there, helpless.

When night fell – or so Ruby guessed, since she had no sure way to track time – Mira exited the bedroom again, stretching her arms leisurely. Ruby followed her silently with her eyes, wondering what she was planning on doing now.

"That was mildly disappointing," Mira said in a friendly tone. "He didn't last very long. Wasn't too good either. Young men are always so sure of themselves…" She smiled. "Not that you would know anything about that."

"Where's Mercury?" Ruby asked. "What did you do to him?"

"Well, when two people love each other very much…" The pyromancer rolled her eyes. "I used him for sexual pleasure then burned his insides. It's a Fall family trait."

Ruby's covered her mouth with her free hand, feeling her stomach doing turns at the thought that Mercury had just been killed so near her.

"When two people love each other very much…" Mira repeated slowly. "That reminds me of something. Didn't your father marry your mother just a year after Raven Branwen disappeared? Either he is Remnant's greater womanizer, or he never really loved Raven."

"Shut up," Ruby spat. "You don't know anything about my father!"

"True," Mira conceded. "But I know everything about your mother. I killed her, and that sometimes leads to a great degree of mutual understanding."

"My mother was killed by Grimm." The redhead refuted stubbornly.

"You think I'm trying to trick you? That's very wise of you, to be so cautious," Mira said. "It's sad, though. You'll never allow me to tell you the specifics…"

The older woman walked around her desk, retrieving an object from it, then crouched in front of Ruby. She raised her right hand, revealing a sharp, shimmering knife.

"One thing I really admired about Summer is that she refused to yell, not even when I started to tear her skin off with my bare hands…" Mira said. "Do you take after her?"

"Please… Don't…" Ruby whispered, eyes fixed on the knife's wicked blade.

"Relax. I'm just playing with you," the pyromancer chuckled. "You see, a good torturer relies not on the physical, but the emotional and mental side of things. So I'm not going to stab you, I'll just let you think I'm going to stab you," she tilted her head to the side. "Did my daughter not teach you any of this?"

"Cinder would never-"

Suddenly, Mira swung with her hand, burying the knife on Ruby's left thigh. The redhead yelled in pain as tears formed in her eyes. Mira clucked her tongue and pulled the knife back, letting blood flow from the wound.

"Your mother would be disappointed," Mira noted sadly. "Don't worry about the wound. You're an excellent Huntress-in-training, so your Aura should be enough to get you by."

Ruby looked away from the wound, trying to ignore the pain and the blood. Mira yawned and sat beside her, leaning against the table of the leg to which Ruby was chained.

"Killing Mercury and talking with you has drained my energies very quickly," she said. "Normally, I would sleep in my bed, but there's a charred corpse there currently, and I can't be bothered to get rid of it yet. Do you mind if I stay here?"

Ruby just stared at her in disbelief. Mira smiled and closed her eyes, silently laying the knife between herself and her prisoner.

The young girl looked at the deadly object, her heart beating fast in her chest. Half of her wanted to pick it up and stab Mira in the heart as she laid to rest, while the other half was revolted by the idea.

After a minute of consideration, she took the knife and threw it across the room, preferring to be rid of it than having to struggle mentally all night long. Mira shook her head slowly, her eyes still closed.

"Disappointing. I kill your mother, keep you prisoner, stab you in the leg… And you still don't have the guts to kill me," she muttered. "I can't fathom why Cinder ever fell in love with you."

Slowly, Mira leaned to the side, until her head rested on Ruby's shoulder.

"Or why you fell in love with her."

Ruby didn't fall asleep for a single second that night, and she wasn't sure Mira did too.

Who doesn't like mindgames? By the way, for the people worried about Ruby's predicament... Just stay tuned. I won't dissapoint you, pinky promise. Well, except when she dies at the last chapter. Oops.

Congratulations to the people who figured out the chapter titles are the lyrics from Sacrifice. You all get virtual cookies. I am also gonna pretend Sonax3005 was right. I am totally that smart. Two virtual cookies to you, sir/lady/dog sir/dog lady.

[Sea Diary; Day 4.

The bigger ship's name was S.S. Bumblebee. It engaged S. S. Monochrome in battle, and for a moment, it looked like it would win. But miracuously, the S. S. Monochrome emerged victorious, and Captain Yang of the Bumblebee sunk screaming about author favoritism. I believe she was mad.

I spy a motorboat on the horizon. But it is fifty meters tall. Oum help us all.

Zeroan, proud captain of the S. S. Falling Petals.]

(The author notes have practically turned into a fanfic of its own. I'm insane.)

Eat-poop-sized thansk to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited Falling Roses Burn Brighter!

-Zeroan