"Focus."

Summer Rose breathed in as deeply as she could. The young woman kept her eyes closed as she focused upon her professor's soothingly calm voice. She could feel her palms flat upon her thighs, and hear her ivory cape rustling gently behind her in the wind. The whistling sound of air shuffling through the leaves high above her made focusing quite difficult, but nevertheless, she tried her best to let her consciousness zero in on her goal. She knew what the headmaster wanted from her. It was a command he had given her time and time again, and one that Summer had achieved with inconsistent success.

"Focus upon an image of the world as it should be," the man would tell her. "Visualize a Remnant at peace- a Remnant free of suffering- free of hate. A stillness; a nothingness where the antithesis of life that we know as 'grimm' is nonexistent. An empty field. An empty ocean. A desert where only the sand moves and shifts, riding the wind. Wipe all else away in your mind."

Every time that they practiced and refined her technique, he would tell her something similar. The first time they had ever trained together, she had asked him a simple question in response to his advice.

"Empty? What about… us? Humans? Faunus? Animals? Where do we belong in this stillness you want me to envision?"

Never before had she seen Professor Ozpin look so tired. There was a weariness in the expression he gave her in response that chilled her to the core, though she couldn't explain just why. It was a face she would never forget, and his reply was one that had stuck with her throughout all of their sessions.

"That is not where your mind should be right now, Miss Rose. Say nothing more of it."

She had tried. She had really tried to follow the man's advice, and yet… she simply couldn't do it. The thought that perhaps that was why she couldn't manage to use her eyes to the degree described in legends had crossed her mind and kept her up for many a night. In truth, the only reason she had chosen to continue trying had nothing to do with Professor Ozpin's encouragement at all. If his words were her only guidance, she would have abandoned the quest to master her eyes.

"C'mon, Summer," Taiyang's voice interrupted out of nowhere.

"Mr. Xiao Long…" Professor Ozpin said in an annoyed tone. "Please."

"I know, I know, but she's trying. She needs more active support!" Taiyang insisted. "You've got this!"

"Maybe you should actually listen to the headmaster for once?" Qrow griped from somewhere on Summer's left. "Let her meditate, or whatever. This is exactly why we're usually not allowed to sit in on these sessions."

"Both of you, shut up," Raven added impatiently. The annoyance in her tone brought a slight smile to Summer's lips, and the field of 'nothing' within her mind suddenly had a red-eyed woman with folded arms and a scowl standing within the middle of it. "You're going to get us all kicked out of the forest."

"Entirely possible," Professor Ozpin mused. "Give her space. She can learn to harness this power. It isn't too late for me to help her control it. I simply wish it had manifested before your last year at school…"

"We aren't going anywhere, Professor," Summer cut in as she slowly opened her eyes. "I know, I'm supposed to be practicing, but… well… we actually talked last night, and came to a decision. We want to stay at and around Beacon, after we graduate."

"Is that so?" the headmaster asked with a soft smile. The man looked up to the canopy of leaves blocking out the sun above him and let out a sigh of relief. "What changed your mind?"

"The seriousness of the situation," Raven answered. "I… was the holdout."

"Surprise," Qrow quipped with a knowing smirk.

"…shut up," Raven said coldly. "But… they convinced me. If you really think we can fight back against her… and that Summer can live up to this whole 'silver eyed warrior' legend… then I'm in. You took a risk telling us about Salem. I feel compelled to return the favor and help you stand against her. I'm not about to turn my back on someone putting their faith in me."

"You have my utmost thanks, Miss Branwen," Professor Ozpin said as he looked downward and met his student's eyes. His expression had shifted to one of sincere gratitude, and Raven quickly became uncomfortable enough with holding his gaze that she looked away. "If at any point you feel the need to walk away…"

"We won't," Taiyang reassured. "Qrow and I are still planning on getting our teaching degrees, but we'll be full-time secret agents for you along the way. Raven and Summer will be your superstars, though."

"We'll all contribute as best we can," Summer agreed. "I know that… well, once I master this power, I'll be the vanguard, but I need my team for support. Always have, always will."

"And that is one of many things that sets you all apart," the headmaster encouraged. "So few teams make it to Year Four intact… and I am both proud and relieved to see you all here. Each of you has done so much in your short time at this school. Carry forth that knowledge with pride. For now, though… Miss Rose, if you would?"

Summer nodded and closed her eyes once again, working to banish her imagined figure of Raven from the field of nothingness she tried to conjure. Her teammates fell silent, leaving only the noises of the Emerald Forest around her as a soundtrack to her thoughts. Slowly but surely, a familiar sensation rose within her chest. It was alien and always surprising, no matter how many times she had felt it.

It burned.

Summer's entire body felt as though it was on fire. The uncomfortable warmth spread through her with great speed, creeping over every inch of her person. She knew what she had to do, but actually doing it was still a challenge. Even the sounds of the rustling leaves and calling birds fell away from her perception as the young woman focused intently, doing her best to redirect her inner fire. Slowly but surely, the familiar painful, tingling pulse began to seep through her, traveling toward her eyes. The entire process took almost a full minute to accomplish, and Summer held her breath for the majority of the effort. Finally, she felt the last of the restrained power pool within her eyes, and she prepared herself for the inevitable. Summer tried to hold in the powerful magic for as long as she could, but eventually, it came bursting forth in an uncontrollable wave.

A burst of white light rendered the forest featureless for almost a full second as Summer opened her eyes. Taiyang, Raven, and Qrow all shielded their eyes, while Professor Ozpin simply remained standing before Summer as though he was entirely unaffected by the dazzling display. Just as quickly as it had come, the flash dissipated, and the forest once again became a gorgeous, verdant tableau of life.

"Hell yeah!" Taiyang called out as he pumped a fist into the air. "That was awesome! Way stronger than the other blasts you've managed so far!"

"You think so?" Summer asked as she transitioned to sit on her bottom and looked back at the blond boy.

"Quite clearly," Professor Ozpin agreed. "You're improving, and at a much faster pace than I expected. Well done, Miss Rose."

"What changed?" Raven asked as she circled around to stand before Summer. "You were struggling for almost half an hour, and then suddenly, you just… did it, and did it better."

"I'm not entirely sure, to be honest," Summer admitted with a shrug. "But if I had to guess… it was all of you being here, and the fact that we stopped for a moment to discuss other things. Sometimes, it's important to just take a break, and get your mind off of the bigger things. Too much pressure for too long isn't good."

"Mm," Professor Ozpin added thoughtfully. "Perhaps that is true."

Raven merely kept her eyes on Summer, looking very much as though she wanted to say something.

She didn't.

"It isn't that simple," Raven insisted with conviction. "It has never been that simple…"

"You don't know that," Taiyang said softly as he scooted closer atop the hood of the truck. "Maybe it was, back then. Maybe it still is, now. You remember that day, though… right?"

"Yes, I remember," Raven grumbled as she hugged her bent legs into her chest. She rested her forehead against her knees and closed her eyes, blocking out the view of the cliff before them. "It's a conversation that's been burned into my mind for years. One of the few clear memories I have left of her."

"And why do you think that is?" Taiyang asked in a hushed tone.

Raven fell silent and simply focused on her breathing. An errant bark from Zwei nearly caused her to jump out of her skin, and for some unknown reason, almost brought her to tears. As Taiyang gently laid a hand upon her shoulder, she tensed up and gave him a melancholy glower.

"…you're fried, Raves," Taiyang explained. "You're at the end of your rope, and I think you think you can't let yourself just relax and refocus. Keeping on like this, jumping at shadows and grabbing for anything to save yourself is going to get you killed. Summer always had the best advice… and it's stuck with you for a reason. You need a break. We both do."

Raven wanted so very badly to rebuke the notion- to tell him again that it wasn't that easy, that with Salem approaching, there could be no rest. That she had dug her own grave with Vernal, that some roads were one-way, and that she couldn't bring herself to face Yang again. She wanted to speak from the heart and confide in him once again.

And so, she did.

"…we do."

Zwei barked again as if to punctuate her statement. Raven had no idea where the simple words had come from, nor had she consciously elected to say them. She did know, however, that they felt right, and that Summer would have had her back had she still been alive and around to hear the conversation.

"Good," Taiyang praised as he leaned back and cupped his hands behind his head. He slowly lowered himself to lay atop the hood of the track, looking up at the afternoon sky. "We should really get some sleep. The resort is still quite a ways away, especially since we're only moving at night. We'll spend a day, maybe two, just… getting our shit together. Then, we can think this through with clear heads."

Raven stared down at her former husband for a moment before lowering herself to lie beside him, her eyes on the clouds.

"I don't know how much relaxing we'll manage to actually get done… but if I want to clear my head, I'm going to have to unload on you. There's just so much that's gone on that you still don't know about…"

"I know," Taiyang replied. "I mean… I figured. Besides, we might need to do a bit of training of our own. I've been out of the fight for a while now, and your maiden powers are still new."

"They are," Raven agreed. "However, I'm not helpless. I know how to use them. It comes naturally. It's not like what y-"

"It's not like Summer's eyes," Taiyang interrupted. Raven abruptly stopped talking, and Taiyang shook his head. "She had them mastered before she left on that mission from Ozpin. You didn't see what she was capable of by that time, Raven. It still wasn't enough. You're going to need to practice."

Raven sucked in a breath and blew it out harshly before reaching up and brushing a few strands of hair out of her face.

"…you've gotten more… authoritative, over the years."

"Advice and encouragement has always been my role within the team," Taiyang replied with a shrug. "As time went on, I realized that I couldn't always be so positive with it in every situation. I had to change. Adapt."

"You're doing a good job of it," Raven admitted. "I take it that's the 'focus' part of getting things done."

"It is," Taiyang confirmed. "What do you think your role is within our team?"

Raven knew that Taiyang was looking at her, but she kept her eyes upon the sky. She didn't blink. She didn't breathe.

She didn't know.

Author's Note:

There will be more STRQ flashbacks, as time goes on. Nothing too intrusive, but with Taiyang and Raven on a collision course with Ruby and Hazel's crews? Expect big things for the old guard.

Next week- back to Sun!

-RD