RWBY S

by J.S. Everest

After a night of complete despair, Ruby Rose was given the opportunity to enter Beacon Academy so that she could turn her life around. But her decision to accept had slowly put her into something much bigger than anything she could have ever imagined. Now she and her ragtag allies are pursued by spies, the kingdoms, the world's secrets, and her own painful past.

14. To The North

"…Cale?"

Stirring from the deepest sleep she had in a long time, Ruby moved to hold Cale closer to her. But she soon realized that he wasn't there, and she found that the thing she had in her arms was a pillow; any lingering sleepiness she still had simply vanished at that moment.

Ruby's heart quickened. Where was he? Could he be somewhere in this inn, maybe getting some food? That had to be it. The morning light was piercing through the room's window, so Cale must be looking for breakfast. Yes, that had to be it, and so Ruby got up from bed to find him.

She then noticed that there was a note placed right where her clothes were.

I'm sorry that I left without telling you, Ruby. But you were so tired, and with you being a sleepyhead, I found myself just looking at you while you slept, even though there's a lot that I wanted to talk to you about. But that's ok. One thing led to another last night, and both of us needed it.

I saw that your phone was broken, so here I am writing a letter instead. Good thing there's pen and paper in this room. Heh, my handwriting's not that bad, right? I mean, no one needs to write anymore other than sign signatures or fill up paperwork in triplicate nowadays, but I wanted you to read what I have to say without getting a headache.

Basically something happened, and I need to take care of it right now. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you about it, much less bring you along with me, and I don't think I have much time either. I'll be long gone by the time you're reading this, so please don't go looking out for me too. But don't worry, I survived a Grimm invasion before, so I'll be just fine.

I saw your Hunter's license while I took care of your wounds last night. Nice, you finally made it to Beacon. I'm so proud of you, Ruby. I've always known that you could do it. I'm sure graduating made you really happy, and I want to celebrate that with you someday. And I'm sure you've got great teammates that support you, because you've always been the kind of girl that can bring people together. Just be careful, alright? I don't know how you got separated from your team, and I don't know where they are, but I'm sure they'll find you soon enough. So rest as much as you can. I already paid for the inn plus an extra day's stay for you, just in case.

For the meantime, please wait for me. I swear I won't lose you again. You have my word that I'll be back, you know I always keep my promises. And don't beat yourself up about what happened back in Patch. I understand why things happened the way they did, but that's all in the past. Don't ask for forgiveness, because there's nothing for me to forgive.

I'll see you soon. Just think of this as if I was taking care of an errand. I'll return to you no matter what, so keep my pendant for the time being, as proof that I'll be back. Hey, I have to fix it too, you know? Can't keep it in my pocket all the time. Besides, we didn't have the time to say goodbye anyways, so let's not call this that.

Don't cry anymore, Ruby. I love you so much. Your smile means more to me than anything else.

"Cale…" Ruby wiped away her tears; they were falling and staining his note. "…but why did you leave? And where did you go?" Ruby's voice weakened as she spoke, and her hands began to tremble. Even if she deserved being punished for what she did to him… Why did it have to be like this? Didn't he say that he would always be with her? So why did he go away? And it was right when she felt happiness after such a long time too…

Ruby thought she would fall to the floor and become a crying wreck right then and there.

But upon remembering how she spent the night with Cale, and still reading his note… She didn't.

There was a hopeful tone in Cale's writing, if Ruby was reading it right – no, she was definitely reading his letter right – and that in turn gave hope to her, a ray of light that she held on to for dear life. Hope… Ruby took a deep breath. When was the last time she felt this? While her heart still ached, there was no heaviness along with it, no despair that she carried ever since she abandoned him, which she knew had to be a good sign. It meant that her hope was in the right place, and that he really would return to her. Cale gave her his word, so it was only right that she gave him all the faith she had.

Ruby then noticed Cale's wolf pendant that he always wore around his neck, also right beside her clothes. Its chain was broken, but its wolf head was still as good as she remembered it.

"Cale…" Ruby sat on the bed, and cried until her tears ran out; she was sure she spent an hour doing that.

It still hurt her so much to not be with him, even as she calmed down. But she knew Cale meant well, so she took to heart his request for her not to beat herself up about the past anymore, and not to cry anymore about it. So she would try her best to do just that, as difficult as it was.

Ruby went silent for what seemed an hour more, taking it all in, and eventually the ache in her heart subsided; a small smile formed on her lips.

"Then I'll wait for you,"Ruby finally whispered, kissing his note softly, making sure she didn't crumple it, then folded it and put it inside her wallet. Cale left nothing else behind in the room, but his note and pendant would suffice as a reminder that he would come back. And why would she doubt his promise? After going through long periods of despair, from thinking that she would just do her Hunter duties for the rest of her working years upon graduation, she now felt she had a new reason for living; there was no way she would ever let that go. She would wait for him for as long as it was needed. She would never waver in her faith in him ever again."I'll wait for you even if this world breaks apart."

Ruby then had the idea of tying Cale's pendant as a bracelet of sorts for the meantime. That sounded good to her – she would wear it like that until she had its chain replaced – so she went ahead and tied it comfortably around her right wrist.

Someone then came knocking on her door, and Ruby turned her head towards the sounds.

"Hey, Ruby! Are you ok there? Can you hear me?!"

"Quiet, you! Stop shouting! We just got here, and you're already waking up the other guests! Ruby herself might still be sleeping, and you're disturbing her!"

"Or she could be dying right now in her bed! And don't give me that look! Going here was your idea, so I'm just following through with it!"

"It'll help us a lot more if you can just calm down for a second!"

"Tch! Alright, that's it! We're making our way in right now!"

A powerful force opened Ruby's door, almost breaking it off from its hinges, and Ruby's eyes widened.

The voices were familiar enough, but seeing the three girls enter her room still gave her a shock; it was Weiss, Blake, and Yang!

"Ruby!" Weiss and Yang both cried out, though they quickly showed surprise, their cheeks turning red.

"Guys!" Ruby smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. Then she realized what her friends were looking at, and that made her cheeks go red too, as she grabbed her clothes and hid under the bedsheets. "…guys!"

"Now this wasn't something we expected to see," Blake said. "But we'll take this over the alternative in a heartbeat."

"I told you not to barge in, Yang…" Weiss grumbled.

"Hey, I had to do what I had to do," Yang shot back. "And it's not something we haven't seen before either, let's be real here… Ow! What's the elbow for?!"

"Um, excuse me… Housekeeping here."

Peeking from her sheets as she dressed, Ruby saw a member of the inn staff looking at the broken door, and that was enough for Weiss to show an apologetic bow. "Sorry about what happened here. I'll be paying for all the damages once we check out." And with the housekeeper walking away, seemingly satisfied with that answer, Weiss then gave Yang a look, and the blonde girl shrugged.

"Anyways, nice to see you again Ruby," Yang said to her, waving her right hand and showing a wide smile along with it; the relief she had in her face was palpable. "Sorry it took us a while. Finding you was difficult…" The blonde then glanced at Ruby's broken phone. "Well, there's the reason why."

"We're just glad that we even found you." Weiss went to sit on the bed, waiting for Ruby to finish getting dressed while under the sheets. "It could have been much worse. You could have blinked to somewhere a lot more dangerous…"

"I'm sorry for giving you all a hard time," Ruby finished dressing up soon after, and she emerged from the sheets to give her friends a bow of her head and a warm look. "But thanks for searching for me, I appreciate it. And I'm happy that you guys are doing ok too… How did you even start looking for me?"

"We began from where the train last stopped, then we spread out in all directions with the help of drones… Jaune and his team are doing fine too, they're currently searching the opposite side from us. But to be honest, finding you had a lot more prayer involved too… It just so happened that we found beowolf tracks yesterday, and I made the call to follow it first."

"…you saw beowolf tracks?" Ruby gulped, remembering a bluish beowolf grabbing her, but nothing after that.

"Pawprints that began from nowhere, and led to nowhere," Weiss said, with a tone that sounded like she had a hard time believing it herself. "But they did end at a spot that's not far away from Patch, so we decided to spend the night here in the village at another inn, and start again our search by looking around Patch by daybreak. This was actually the first building we went to… And after we found out that the front desk remembered what you looked like, that's how we found you here."

"I see…" Ruby bowed her head again. "Thank you so much…"

"I'm happy you're with us now… Now rest up as much as you can, we can talk about details later." Weiss then picked up her phone and made a call. "Jaune, good news, we've found Ruby. She's in Patch resting in an inn. She's doing ok, don't worry. Yeah, it couldn't have come soon enough, and I know you guys are exhausted searching the other side. Ok, we'll wait here for you guys. It's best for Ruby to get some more rest in the meantime, we'll report to Ozpin once all of us are ready to go back to Beacon. Alright, I'll give you our exact location…"

As Weiss continued with her call with Jaune, Blake then sat down on the bed opposite Weiss, while Yang leaned on a nearby wall with her arms crossed.

"Sorry for barging into your room and catching you off guard, you must have just finished applying your bandages right when we entered. I imagine you didn't have a comfortable landing when you blinked." Blake then looked at Ruby's wrist. "Hm, nice bracelet."

Ruby glanced at Cale's pendant, now a bracelet on her wrist. She didn't think it would attract attention so quickly, but it certainly caught Blake's, and her noticing it also brought back memories of Cale. Memories that she would quickly hide from others without a second thought. But now Ruby felt an urge to tell her friends about him, given that he was actually alive, and that he saved her once more, this time from a likely death last night…

"That's the first time I saw it. Did you get it here in Patch?"

Ruby paused, looking again at the pendant. In her happiness at seeing her friends again, she realized that she still needed to tell them about the beowolf she saw, the one that took her but disappeared and left her exposed to the elements. But that also meant talking about Cale, and soon Ruby found herself unsure of what to say next, as old hesitations resurfaced.

"Jaune's team will be here in an hour or so," Weiss said to them right after she ended her phone call; a sigh came right after that. "…at least we succeeded in one thing, after that night at the train."

That made Ruby recall the mission they failed at last night; it was disheartening to think about. With Leon killed and with them being defeated, their clients safely getting off the train seemed to be their only saving grace.

"By the way, we found out that those Looney brothers were actually Dust smugglers." Weiss shook her head. "…awkward, I know. But those bastards hid their cargo well, I'll give them that."

Well, so much for their saving grace.

Ruby then noticed that Blake just gave her a brief stare, gone as quickly as it went.

"I guess your intuition was right after all," Weiss said to Blake.

"I did feel that something was weird about the mission," Blake replied. "Though I didn't think it would be like this."

"I wouldn't have guessed anything close to what happened myself." Weiss then looked back at Ruby. "But don't worry about them. They were caught some hours after are now under police custody, so at least we have two less things to worry about." Weiss shook her head again. "Still not very assuring, huh? But I want to think that the whole thing was a learning experience." Weiss's tone suddenly weakened; she quickly cleared her throat. "I know I gave you a hard time for saving Yang during the Hunter trials, but after what happened last night… I found myself wishing that I could have done the same thing you did, Ruby. So that you wouldn't have blinked because of that woman… That's what I learned."

"And I got reminded again that what matters in the end…" A hurt look began to form on Yang's face. "…is strength."

"Guys…" Ruby saw that Weiss had a hurt expression on her too, while Blake on the other hand looked down on the floor. "It was my choice to blink, I took the risk, it was my fault."

"That woman did something to you, don't hide it. I saw that face you had when you looked at her, right before you blinked." Weiss paused for a moment. "You wanted to kill her, didn't you?"

"…" Weiss was right about that, as much as Ruby didn't want to think back on it.

"Yeah…" Weiss sighed. "So can you blame us for feeling this way?"

Ruby listened as Weiss and Yang talked more about their feelings, keeping quiet along with Blake as they aired out their pains along with it. So this was what they thought about since she vanished. Their guilt was much like what they felt when she got herself in the hospital after the Hunter trials, and Ruby wondered if they got in a fight with each other too… She didn't dare ask.

Would they always feel this way whenever she got herself into trouble?

No, she couldn't afford to blunder like this again. She had to get better too. Especially when someone like Cinder was on the loose…

But then a torrent of painful memories came next to mind – memories that she suppressed since last night – and Ruby clenched her fists.

"I can only imagine what that woman said to you to make you blink," Weiss continued. "She–"

"…Cinder killed my mom."

Ruby said it so bitterly that the room instantly went silent; Weiss tried to say something, but nothing came out.

"…I'm sorry," Weiss whispered.

Blake didn't say anything, but her amber eyes softened upon hearing it.

"I'm sorry, Ruby. We're here for you." Yang said. "I swear, I'll beat Cinder to the ground for what she did to you. I swear I will."

Ruby absently entertained the thought in her head. She never considered herself a vengeful person, but if revenge was for her, then time would give her Cinder. Once she was done with that woman…

No, she shouldn't be thinking like this; Ruby did her best not to dwell on it. She didn't want her resentment to make her lose sight of her mistakes, among other things.

Ruby turned to Blake and Yang. "My mom Summer was a Hunter who graduated in Beacon along with my dad… They both worked on special missions that they couldn't tell me about. Then my mom died a few months ago…" Ruby gulped at that last part. "…I mentioned this to Weiss a while back. I thought that she sacrificed herself to save her teammates from a Grimm ambush, because that's what I've been told in the official report. But it never crossed my mind that my mom was actually a victim, and Cinder made it a point to rub that on my face." Ruby then made a quick, deep bow. "But still, I'm sorry for letting my emotions get the better of me. No matter what Cinder said, I shouldn't have been so reckless."

"…it's ok," Weiss said. "…I would've done the same thing too, if she told me something like that."

"Weiss…"

"That's why we need to take her down together with Jaune and the others the next time we meet her, because we need all the help we can get. Because us four isn't enough for Cinder, that's for sure."

The awkwardness of what Weiss said made them go silent. A single Hunter shouldn't be able to escape a Hunter team, much less win, but there was no denying what happened, and Ruby wondered if Cinder was cackling right now about that, wherever she was.

"Cinder also made it a point to tell me how weak and naïve I was…" Ruby said, breaking the silence. "She even gloated that Ozpin hid the truth from me on purpose, and that he led a group of spies, my mom among them."

That seemingly took Weiss by surprise. "Wait, Ozpin knew about this too?"

"I heard Cinder mention him by name," Yang added, "but I didn't think it would go to this extent."

"He's the headmaster, so I guess he's in a good position to be involved in any undercover work the kingdom might require him to do." Ruby didn't want to hold a grudge against Ozpin, she really didn't. She understood why some things had to be done in secret – she wasn't that naïve like Cinder claimed – so surely he had a good reason. And if Cale could understand why the death of his parents was hidden by Signal because of the nature of their jobs, then she should too, right? But thoughts of her mom's death came back, so Ruby once again did her best not to think about it, even as she recalled the first time she met Ozpin, and him not telling her anything about the truth.

"Damnit, Ozpin…" Weiss muttered.

Ruby shook her head. "Weiss, it's ok. I'm not mad at him… I don't want to be mad at him." She paused for a few moments; would she regret saying that in the future? Shaking off the thought, she then added, "Please don't ask him about this when we meet him later, there'll be another time for that. And if anyone should bring it up, it should be me."

"I know that, Ruby. It's just that they're not giving us anything, right when we needed it most." Weiss seemed to recall something, as her hand gripped the bedsheets. "Ozpin and Glynda never told us anything about what to do against Cinder and her minions, and they never said anything about that guy Leon either. Not even a brief background or anything. It was like they didn't even want to talk about what happened. They gave us the barest of mission briefings…" Weiss's eyes narrowed. "Not a single hint or clue, even when that woman's…"

"A hybrid," Blake said, finishing Weiss's sentence.

"…I remember you telling me that." Yang raised an eyebrow. "What's a hybrid anyways? And why did you say that Cinder's one?"

"There's a rumor I once heard in a tavern in Menagerie… About the idea of human and Grimm being fused together, to form a being that's more than the sum of its parts."

A hybrid? Ruby had never heard of that word being used in that way, or anything regarding human and Grimm experimentation, and it looked like Weiss and Yang didn't know anything either. But Ruby felt a shiver run down her spine upon imagining what these 'hybrids' implied.

"Not heard of it before, I see…" Blake slowly nodded. "It sounded ridiculous at the time, but the idea stuck with me ever since I heard of it. And after seeing Cinder, I now understand why." Blake let her words linger for a while before continuing. "And if I have heard of these wild stories, then why not someone like Ozpin? Jaune was quick to calm you down that time, but trust me, you aren't the only one with problems about that meeting."

"I kept quiet, but they better tell us something after we report back with Ruby." Yang's lilac eyes narrowed. "We did what they told us to do, and it's not like we're in some kind of special mission either, so they should stop it with their secrets."

"We're not in a secret mission for sure," Blake replied. "But maybe they are."

"You really think they're hiding something from us?" Weiss asked.

"It's all circumstantial, I'll admit. They could've just been blindsided by what happened like we were. Maybe they really didn't know anything about Cinder or Leon, or hybrids, or anything of the sort… Or maybe not."

"Is this your intuition talking again? Like back in the train?"

"That's one way of putting it." Blake shrugged. "But I've been wrong before."

Another brief silence.

"In any case, it's best we prepare as much as we can against Cinder, with or without Ozpin's help," Blake continued. "We don't know when she'll appear again, much less what her plans are, but we can't afford not to be ready for her, especially with her strength. We just got lucky last night, let's not mince words about it."

"We'll get better," Yang muttered, and looked at her bandaged right hand, opening and closing it into a fist. "We'll become even stronger, and I'll personally face Cinder head on."

"Don't push yourself," Blake said. "Your Semblance may not be the first of its kind, but not everyone gets to have a mutated Semblance like yours that acts as if its alive, much less master it."

"I'll be fine." Yang then made a stern face, and Ruby remembered how the blonde often acted. Always looking for duels back in Beacon, and solely focused on getting stronger through training, it was as if she always had something to prove, even though she had a flaming dragon hidden in her right arm. But whatever her reasons were, Yang never made any mention of them. "I won't fail a third time."

"You almost unwrapped your arm against Cinder even though you haven't controlled your Semblance yet. I even had to stop you from doing that… Did you already forget what we talked about?"

"Thanks for being there to help me out with my Semblance, Blake. But I can't keep my promise anymore to not use my dragon on my own terms." Yang once again opened and closed her right hand. "…I would never unleash it if I could help it, believe me. I know I still have a lot to work on if I want to really control it. But it's different this time, now that I know that someone like Cinder is out there. Things won't end the same way from here on out. With our Semblances and with Ruby's teleport to back us up, I'll make sure I even the score."

"…alright," Blake said simply, seemingly not bothering to debate it. "And yes, we do have Ruby's blink, but…" Blake looked at Ruby. "Will you be ok with blinking again, even though you've overshot your teleports twice now?"

"It's ok, I'll be fine. I've been training my Semblance these past few days, so I'm getting better at it. I just have to remember not to push myself." Ruby gave her friends an assuring nod. "Like Yang said, this won't happen to me a third time. I promise it won't."

"Alright." Blake then looked at Ruby, particularly at her bandages. "…by the way, do you remember where exactly you blinked here in Patch?"

Ruby realized that she had yet to tell them about the beowolf, but telling her friends about it meant bringing up Cale too, and she once again found herself hesitating. It seemed that she had kept him hidden in her heart for so long that even her body didn't want to reveal him to others. But her friends needed to know the truth… Ruby fidgeted her bracelet, trying her best to start. "No… I blinked to a patch of trees somewhere, and…"

"Wait, so you didn't actually teleport to Patch directly?"

"…"

"So was it a forest? Or maybe a bunch of trees near Patch's farmlands?

"…"

"Did you get help? Do you know who brought you here?"

"Blake, try not to interrogate her," Weiss said.

"I was just asking," Blake replied coolly. "We were so caught up in seeing Ruby again that we just assumed she blinked right here in Patch, but apparently that's not the case."

"Details aside, what's important is that she's ok," Yang said. "And if Ruby needed to tell us something important, she would have told us by now."

"Maybe." Blake crossed her arms. "Or maybe she's relying on us to bring the issue up so that she can talk about it."

"Oh c'mon…" Yang sighed. "She probably just got picked up by someone from the village. I mean, what else could it be?"

But Blake didn't seem to be satisfied with just that. "Is that true, Ruby?"

"…"

"I get what you're saying," Weiss said. "But I didn't even plan on asking her details until we got back. Remember, Ruby just got out of a tight spot. Her memory might not be–"

"Why don't the two of you even care about what happened to her?" Blake's words clearly stung Weiss. "Or is it only ok if Ozpin asks it instead of me?"

Yang frowned. "Hey, don't say it like that."

"Why shouldn't I?"

The three girls exchanged looks with each other, and Ruby knew where this was headed; the last thing she wanted was for them to fight just because she kept secrets. Didn't she just promise herself that she wouldn't let her friends fight just because of her? Ruby gulped upon feeling a pang in her heart, knowing what she needed to do…

"Or would you two prefer that Glynda ask it?" Blake continued. "Because she's not going to hold back–"

"Yes, I was brought here by someone," Ruby said, finally gathering the strength to speak, all while making sure she met each of her friend's gazes, looking at them straight in the eye. "I was picked up by someone who used to live here, actually… He found me unconscious near Patch, right after a beowolf with a greatsword grabbed me in the forest where I blinked into… A bluish beowolf that somehow didn't kill me right then and there."

"…what? A beowolf?!" Weiss couldn't hide her shock. "…the same one that left the tracks we followed? Why didn't you tell us this earlier?!"

"I don't know anything more about that beowolf, but the guy that found me just left this morning…"

"…huh?"

"Sorry, but I have a lot to tell you guys…" It was hard to continue, but Ruby knew she had to do this; it was for the best for all of them. Besides, she had already said this much… Ruby recalled how Weiss was brave enough to talk about her own past.

"…Ruby?"

"…I should've mentioned to you back during graduation, Weiss. But I didn't want to, because I was scared, and I'm sorry I snapped at you back then. But I was scared because I didn't want to admit to myself that I had to move on, forget about him, and change into someone else." That last part was something Ruby never thought she could tell herself, much less to anyone else; her heart hurt so much. But she still smiled through it, even as she wiped a tear away. "Ever since I got in Beacon, all I thought of was to keep my promise to him that I would graduate in Beacon… Because I didn't want to change, I didn't want to let go… I wanted to be the same girl who loved him very much, even if it hurt every day." Ruby paused briefly, feeling her emotions breaking free in her heart; she stifled a sob. "But now he's back… He's alive."

Weiss said nothing, but her eyes widened in such a way as if she knew who Ruby meant, while Blake kept quiet too, though her eyes showed surprise.

"…who're you talking about?" Yang asked, also surprised at what she just heard.

"His name's Caelus Steel, my boyfriend… He's more than just my boyfriend." Ruby slowly nodded to herself; she could do this. She could tell her friends the truth. "He saved my life a few times already, including last night, and it's about time I told you guys about him. I'll tell Jaune and the others too, but you three first."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Weiss opened the door, and teams RWBY and JNPR made their way inside Ozpin's office, located at the top part of Beacon's old lighthouse.

"Welcome back," Ozpin said, sitting at his desk; Glynda was nowhere to be found. "Good job to all of you for finding Ruby so quickly. I'm sure everyone did their part." So saying, Ozpin turned to Ruby. "Nice to have you with us again. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing ok," Ruby said, bowing. "I apologize for the trouble I've caused. It won't happen again."

"It's alright, Ruby. You have the first Semblance of your kind in the world, after all. We're just happy that you're ok." There was a warmth in Ozpin's tone that Weiss quickly noticed. "Your reputation here in Beacon is starting to precede you, by the way. It's inevitable that news of your powers will leak out to others. But it's how you handle what you've been given that matters. And I'm sure you're getting better with it with each passing day."

"Yes, Ozpin." Ruby nodded, then made another bow. "I'll do better next time, and thank you for the kind words."

Ozpin smiled softly. "So tell me, where did you teleport to? How did you make do with your situation? And how did the others find you?"

Ruby explained to Ozpin what happened, as detailed as she could without it being a formal statement in writing. But that was alright; even without any paperwork, now that Ruby presented the pictures Weiss gave her as evidence, it should be clear that those pawprints could be nothing else but from a beowolf, and Weiss waited for Ozpin's response.

"Yes, it's because of Weiss's decision that helped them find me so quickly," Ruby said, finishing her report. "But for what it's worth, I don't think it's a coincidence that she found these tracks right after we fought a woman with grafted Grimm parts."

"Indeed," Ozpin said levelly. "This is a serious situation, more than just coincidence. A bluish beowolf right inside Vale, holding a weapon that defies all known logic… Regardless of why it didn't hurt you, there's no telling what it'll do next. Not to mention that Cinder woman too… Whatever she's called."

"Do you know what's going on?" Ruby asked. "…would you have any idea how Cinder knew about you?"

"Honestly, I have no idea."

There was something with how Ozpin said this that caught Weiss's attention, though she couldn't quite pinpoint what.

Looking at Ruby, Weiss wondered what she would say next. Was she going to bring up everything Cinder told Ruby about, including killing her mother Summer? Weiss felt that Ruby was about to, but in the end, she kept quiet.

"I understand your concerns, Ruby. It's not every day you see someone like Cinder running around, along with Grimm prowling inside Vale. But leave those issues to me." Ozpin then looked at the rest. "Once again, I thank you all for bringing Ruby back, your efforts are commendable. You've done all that can be expected of fresh Hunter graduates, plus more. So please, allow me to do my job as well. The royalty will need to be informed of this anyways, all while making sure that this news is controlled to avoid a widespread panic. But ultimately Cinder and her group will answer for killing Leon, I can assure you all of that." There was something else in Ozpin's words this time – a deadlier tone, Weiss realized – but only for a moment, as Ozpin was back to his calm voice, looking at Ruby once again. "Can I expect a detailed report from you later today?"

"…yes, of course." Ruby quickly nodded. "Right after this meeting, yes."

"Alright, very good." Ozpin then looked at his phone. "Because now I that I have all eight of you here, there's something I need to talk about."

Weiss looked at Ruby again, who appeared to be mulling Ozpin's words; the others meanwhile said nothing, as if waiting for Ruby to respond. But was this it? Was this the extent of what Ozpin wished to talk about regarding what happened? This time there was something Weiss wanted to say about it, because they were being kept in the dark again, and there was no way she was going to stand for it. So she said, "Ozpin, with all due respect…"

Ozpin was about to reach for his phone when she said that; he stopped halfway. "Yes, Weiss?"

Weiss decided to say her thoughts straight. "Cinder's a criminal and some sort of human and Grimm hybrid, able to wield four Semblances at the same time to boot. Can't we give her special attention? Because we can't afford to wait for the royalty's response. There's no telling when someone of her power will strike next… She must be captured as soon as possible. And since we've already fought her, we believe we can add valuable experience if we're involved in searching for her, instead of us going back to regular missions."

Ozpin simply nodded, then turned to Ruby. "Do you feel the same way?"

"I understand what you mean, Ozpin. I really do. But Weiss also has a point… It's something that has bothered us ever since we fought Cinder. We only graduated recently, but we're still Hunters, and it doesn't set well with us to be sidelined, especially when we know what Cinder's capable of."

"I see." Ozpin looked at everyone again, seemingly assessing their faces. "So, it seems that everyone agrees to this? You and your team too, Jaune?"

"We've talked about this with them earlier," Jaune replied. "We get what you're saying, Ozpin. Please don't misunderstand. But we believe being involved is for the best. And Team JNPR would also like to redeem ourselves too, given that we were taken out of the battle right from the beginning." There were hints of shame in Jaune's voice when he said that last part. "We want to be involved in looking for Cinder. We don't want any more victims, like Leon was."

"Yes, I can relate to feeling helpless over what happened, your desire to fix what went wrong is admirable. But trust me when I say that these kinds of things are best left to the people who've dealt with them before. Hybrid or not, Cinder's not the first threat I've encountered in my Hunter career, and I know how to deal with people like her."

Weiss suppressed a frown. "But Ozpin–"

Ozpin gave Weiss a knowing look. "Not only that, as much as I understand that everyone here wants to look for Cinder, something else just happened to come up, and you all arrived just in time for it. Please hear it out first, because this isn't exactly something to be rejected outright."

Huh? What did Ozpin mean by that? Weiss raised her eyebrows. "…just in time for what?"

Ozpin finally picked up his phone. "Yes, Mrs. Schnee, I'm back. Thank you for holding. Yes, all of them are here, including Weiss. Yes, two teams, eight Hunters total. And yes, we will get the job done once we confirm the mission terms and conditions, you have my word on that. Yes, Mrs. Schnee. You wish to speak to her now? Alright, hold on, I'll pass the phone."

Ozpin tried to pass the phone to Weiss, his arm outstretched; Ozpin gave her a firm look. "Take it, Weiss."

Wait, what? Contract? Job? And Willow wanted to talk to her? A hundred questions went to Weiss's head at once.

"What are you waiting for? It's your mother Willow on the line."

Weiss's mind was in a haze. Didn't her father tell her mother not to reach out anymore? Not to mention that she herself asked Willow not to call her again, because she was starting a new life in Vale? But even with a good reason, why not just call her directly? Why did Willow have to do it like this through Beacon? Because that could only mean that it was for a mission, and if that was the case, then why ask for help through Beacon, rather than through Laran or Soteria? And while Weiss thought of all this, she couldn't look at Ozpin in the eye, much less muster the strength to grab the phone…

"I'll get it." Ruby said, taking the phone from Ozpin, and tried to give it to Weiss. "Hey… you ok? Weiss?"

The whole room was silent, and when Weiss looked around, she realized that everyone else was looking at her, waiting for something to happen.

"Weiss, your mom…" Ruby whispered. "Pick up the phone, she's waiting on the line."

Weiss nodded weakly, and took the phone from Ruby. "…hello?"

"Hello Weiss, it's me... How are you doing there?"

"Mother…" Weiss realized that she was rooted in place; she couldn't even move herself to a more private location, away from other people's ears. But all she could think about now was to talk to her, because while Weiss still had no answers to the questions in her head, her mother's tone didn't help things, because that clued Weiss in on what her mother was doing… She felt a pang hit her heart. "Please, calm down. Why are you calling me through Beacon? Are you hiring them for something? Please tell me, what's going on over there?"

"…I'm glad to hear that you're doing ok," Willow said, with a cheerless chuckle to go along with it, and what sounded like a sniffle. "I'm sorry for bothering you with this… I know what we talked about last time. But your father's been missing for five days now, and I need you and your team to find him…"

"Wait… Father's missing?!" Weiss couldn't stop the shock from coming out of her voice.

"No one knows where he is, Weiss. He just disappeared without telling anyone or leaving a message. He's been missing for five days now, and he just can't be reached. I've already talked to everyone he could've been in contact with, filed a missing person case to the police, and even hired Hunters here in Atlas to find him, but we still haven't found a sign or clue. That's why I want you to find him…" Willow then stopped to drink something, sobbing as she did; Weiss had a few guesses as to what her mother was chugging down. "I don't care how much I have to spend to find him, I'll spend our entire fortune if I have to. I want Jacques back as soon as possible, do you understand, my dear Weiss? Because I already lost you and your sister… Am I just going to stand here and lose my husband too?!"

"Mother, please calm down…" Weiss tried her best to sound strong for Willow, but her mother's words stung too much; her own voice was faltering. "The Hunters there in Atlas are more than enough to look for him. I'm sure they're doing their best…"

"Please, Weiss. I don't want to be alone…" Willow sobbed again, harder this time. "I'm afraid that your brother Whitley will be next… He'll be taken by someone, I'm sure of it, and then I'll be all alone… So please help me, Weiss… I really miss you, and I need to see you again… I know you left Atlas, but just this once…" Willow cried and wailed at her own words; Weiss felt the pang in her heart tighten. "Please humor this old mother of yours, at least this one time…"

Weiss opened her mouth, but no words came out; she realized she had nothing else to say, even while her mother Willow rambled on. So she looked at Ozpin, and he gave her a look back. "Now you see what I mean."

Weiss had to put down her phone, leaving her mother crying on the other line; she could no longer bear hearing any more of it. How could she? Willow was still her mother, and ignoring her in the state she was in was simply out of the question. But Weiss knew she couldn't ask the others for help to find her father – she couldn't even bring herself to face them – because doing so would mean that they wouldn't be going after Cinder… No, they had to find Cinder. They couldn't just leave that woman running free. She would just have to do this mission on her own. After everything she said to Ozpin, and after what she talked about with the others before going here, it didn't feel right to just–

"It's ok," Ruby said, cutting off Weiss's train of thought. "We all heard your mom crying. But everything's going to be alright. We'll take the mission, all eight of us."

"Huh? But…" Weiss was surprised by what Ruby just told her – enough to give the strength to face her and the others – and Weiss soon found herself at a loss for words.

"We might as well join," Jaune replied. "We'll have more luck finding your dad instead of wondering where to start looking for Cinder, so we should prioritize this first."

Pyrrha nodded. "And we can also use this as teamwork practice for the real deal, when we see Cinder again."

"It's a good way of looking at things," Blake said. "I wouldn't go against it."

"As if we're just going to abandon you," Yang added, putting her hands on her waist. "C'mon, be real, there's no way we can turn a blind eye after hearing all that."

"We're with you on this." Nora and Ren happened to say that at the same time, much to their disbelief, and both exchanged looks.

"Well, you've heard everyone," Ruby said. "Your mother should come first, Weiss. It wouldn't feel right if we ignored it… Cinder can wait."

"Guys…" Weiss had to wipe something from her eyes. "None of you need to go along just because of my mother, ok? I can look for Father on my own…" She shook her head. "Cinder's more important, more dangerous…"

"It's ok, Weiss. We're good with this."

"But Ruby–"

"I'm glad you still have a mom."

That caught Weiss completely off guard. Yes, she still had a mother, while Ruby… Knowing just how hard Willow cried on the phone took on a whole new meaning, and Weiss went silent for a few good moments.

"It's alright." Ruby smiled softly. "It's going to be ok. Go on, tell her… She's been crying and waiting long enough."

"…thank you." There was a swirling mix of emotions in Weiss's heart, feelings that she never thought she would have to face once more; slowly nodding back to the others, she took a deep breath before picking up her phone again. "Mother, it's ok, it's going to be alright. We'll take the mission, ok? So please, don't cry anymore…"

"Really? Oh my dear Weiss… Thank you… I'll finally see you again…" Willow continued to sob hard, even as she made efforts to control herself. "I was starting to think that you wouldn't accept…"

"Of course I'll accept, Mother…" Weiss wiped her eyes again upon hearing her mother's elated words of thanks. "Yes, we'll be there as soon as possible. We'll find Father, don't worry…" Weiss bit her lip, remembering what Ruby just told her. "…I love you."

"I love you too, dear."

Hearing that caused a sharp ache in Weiss's heart.

They talked a bit more, before her mother finally asked to speak to Ozpin to finalize the mission, which Weiss did, passing the phone back to Ruby so that she could give it to the headmaster. But Weiss could only so with shaking hands, and only then did she realize that a few tears were falling down her cheeks.

"Weiss…"

Looking at Ruby's worried eyes, Weiss had enough.

"I'm sorry, please excuse me…" With emotions running wild in her heart, Weiss bowed deeply and walked out of the room, unable to take another second standing there, well before the rest could react.

"I figured you'd be here."

That snapped Weiss out of her thoughts.

Weiss turned to look at Ruby, who walked towards her while carrying what looked to be a takeout bag and a cupholder, with Blake and Yang not that far behind.

"…hey guys." Weiss thought this was a quiet place to think. She was in one of Beacon's gardens, located near the dorm buildings; the same exact place she and Ruby went to during graduation night. This place was the first thing she thought of once their meeting with Ozpin ended. But while almost an hour had passed since then, the surprise call she got from her mother was still fresh on her mind.

Ruby sat near Weiss, putting down what she carried beside her – boxes of food and four drinks – while Blake and Yang leaned on nearby separate columns.

"We bought food from the cafeteria for the four of us," Ruby said. "We still have time to eat lunch and prepare stuff before we leave. We haven't eaten anything yet, not even one bite."

"…thanks." Weiss didn't feel hungry, and she didn't think she was in the right frame of mind to talk, especially when she didn't think that her friends would find her so soon. Then again, she didn't want to drive them away either; she appreciated them looking out for her. She just never thought that things would suddenly focus on her past life, even when she had already taken steps to start anew here in Vale. She didn't think she would have anything to do with Atlas ever again…

"You didn't do anything wrong to deserve this. You couldn't have known what was going on in Atlas."

Weiss recalled every word her father Jacques hurled at her when Winter was put in a vegetative state, and her promise to never return home. She could have seen herself refusing this mission, she really did. But after hearing how distraught her mother was? There was no way she could have stomached denying her. And as much as she didn't want to admit it, even after everything that happened, a small part of her still cared for him, and she yearned for the much simpler times with him. Back when they both dreamed of space, and a worldwide network of information, spanning all the kingdoms…

Weiss recalled Ozpin's orders. He still hadn't told them anything about what was really going on, but for now, teams RWBY and JNPR were to fly to Atlas by nightfall, coordinate with the police, and find Jacques.

"…I'll be ok, if that's what you're thinking," Weiss said. "I won't back out of this… And I don't have anything to say other than that."

"I know you won't leave us hanging," Ruby replied. "But you also walked out after taking your mom's mission, and I understand why."

Weiss fell silent. She knew that leaving so abruptly wasn't the right thing to do, but she couldn't help it.

"Ozpin didn't make a fuss about it, in case you're wondering," Yang added. "Not that he has any right to do so if you ask me, but he still didn't, so at least he's doing something right."

"…"

"It's hard, I know." Ruby then paused, as if trying to find the right words; Ruby looked at the midday sky. "…it's frustrating, right? Trying to express the hurt in your heart. It's like you're ripping it clean off your chest. You either keep it to yourself, or you just walk away from it, hoping things would just sort themselves out with time, even though it never does."

"…"

"But I couldn't have done anything close to what I said about my past if we hadn't talked at the graduation ball, right here at this spot…" Ruby paused again. "…and I can't thank you enough for that."

The midday sun seemed to shine brighter at that moment.

"…I just kept my promise to you back then, Ruby." Weiss could never have thought that Ruby had something so traumatic happen to her, and she now understood why the girl had so much difficulty talking about her past. But Ruby finally opening up to them was all on her; Weiss didn't think she had much of an impact.

"And now I've finally kept mine, even it took me a while."

"…"

"It's ok, Weiss. I know how painful guilt can be, and I'm sorry for what happened."

"But if you're ok now with getting things off your chest, then we're here to listen," Blake said. "Don't worry, Ruby didn't tell us anything. Yang and I already had an idea of what could have caused you to walk off like that… Because what else could it be, right?"

"Yeah, it wasn't that hard to guess," Yang added. "I happen to know a whole lot about these kinds of family problems, believe me."

"…"

"Hey, you're talking to a belligerent delinquent here, so what do you think?" Yang then pointed at Ruby with her thumb. "This was her idea, by the way."

"I think it's the right thing to do," Ruby said. "After fighting Cinder, we need to be more honest with each other. It'll help us work better as a team, and stop our emotions from getting the better of us… I don't want something like what I did last time to happen again." Ruby spared a glance at Yang; the blonde said nothing. "…it's part of why I told you guys the truth about me. I know it's hard to start, and I'll understand if you can't right now… But I think it's really for the best."

"Ruby…" Weiss knew that Ruby meant well – and Weiss agreed that it was for the best moving forward – but it still wasn't easy for Weiss to tell Blake and Yang about her past, simply because of her guilt over what happened to Winter. There was no going back from what she did, what she failed to do. The only thing that could help was if Winter could come back, if that was even possible…

"Why don't we eat first?" Ruby said, tapping the box of food she brought. "We got the fishbuns you love so much."

Weiss's stomach suddenly growled; her hunger had finally caught up, much to her surprise.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." So saying, Ruby gave Weiss her fishbuns, all in a box. "Having an appetite is a good sign, you know. So c'mon, let's eat, it'll help."

Weiss gingerly opened the box she was given, and inside it was indeed her favorite fishbuns. The taste of herring and horseradish sauce quickly entered her senses upon taking a bite; she was much hungrier than she thought.

She looked at what her friends had. Yang had spring rolls, Blake had chicken skewers, while Ruby had pulled pork sandwiches.

"You still eat so poorly…" Weiss said to Ruby. "I mean, you have four of them."

"I haven't eaten in a while, so I can't help it," Ruby said. "And don't talk down on my pulled pork, the barbecue sauce makes it great."

"I'll be honest, I have no idea how you keep thin while taking in all those calories every day," Yang said. "I'm probably wrong on this, but you might still want to check on your weight anyways. We don't want you to become a whale once your boyfriend comes back, you know. Or maybe he wouldn't mind a few love handles?"

"…eh? No way, no chance I'm going to get fat, ok?!" Ruby immediately blushed at that. "I've been eating these things for years now… My body's just built different, and he knows that too!"

"Just kidding." Yang chuckled. "I just never thought that you'd be the lovey dovey type, it's so endearing. It's like I'm seeing a new side of you, Ruby. And I've never seen you smile so much like today. He must be a great guy to make you so happy like that."

"Stop teasing me…" A small pout formed on Ruby's lips, but there was a glimmer in Ruby's eyes, one that Weiss hadn't seen before herself. "I've never even thought that I'd ever get fat, so stop making me think otherwise…"

"Given how in love you two are with each other, I don't think you have anything to worry about." That made Ruby blush even more, and Yang's chuckle became a laugh. "Nah, it's alright, Ruby. I'm just happy that you're happy. C'mon, I'm not even trying to tease you… I swear, I haven't seen you like this ever since we met. It's nice to see…" Yang then looked like she was wistful about something, if only briefly. "Really, it is."

Yang then looked at Weiss, with Blake following suit.

"…I've never had a boyfriend before, ok?" Weiss said. "If that's what you two are thinking."

"Oh? That's a surprise." Blake showed a small smile. "Being a Schnee, I thought you'd have had someone approach you at least."

"Pfft, none of them were my type." Weiss briefly recalled the many suitors she had to endure when she was still an heiress. She never seriously entertained any of them, because none of them were serious about her. "They all just wanted my money and status."

"But Cale doesn't sound like that kind of guy, based on what Ruby said about him."

"Well, I'm happy for her…" Blake and Yang were right about that; it really was nice to see Ruby like this. "…it's not easy to find something like that."

"Sorry your past suitors didn't work out," Yang said. "I'm sure the right one will find you eventually. Don't you think so?"

"Hmph, maybe." Weiss then realized something. "…hey, wait a minute. Why are you changing the subject to me?"

"Why not?"

"Well, that's because Ruby's the one with the boyfriend, and–"

"At least we got you talking normally now," Blake said. "You were starting to give me a run for my money."

"She really was, huh?" Yang then looked into the distance. "And just in time too, because look who's joining."

Weiss turned, and saw that Jaune and the rest of his team were approaching them.

"They just had to do something first, but Jaune did tell me they'd catch up… They figured you'd be somewhere around this place too." Ruby showed a small smile. "They're like an extended part of our team at this point."

Weiss smiled softly; looking back at Ruby, there really was a nice glimmer in the girl's eyes. "You told them about your past, so I guess it's my turn now… Can't let myself blow up like last time due to pent up emotions, right?"

"We're here for you, Weiss. Just like you guys were here for me."

Weiss slowly nodded. As painful as it was, telling her past to everyone was for the best, now that they were heading to Atlas.

"Anything we need to know about your family before we fly out?" Yang asked. "Any vengeful or homicidal elder we need to be aware of?"

"No, it's nothing like that." Finishing her fishbuns, Weiss took a gulp of her fruit juice, as she watched Jaune and Pyrrha wave their hands at them. "…it's nothing like that at all."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ozpin sat silently at his desk, not really doing anything on his computer despite having to report to the royalty tomorrow. He glanced at the clock; a few minutes past eight in the evening. He was also expecting something to happen anytime now, and he would have wanted to be more productive while waiting. But even with Ruby's formal report on his screen, he couldn't bring himself to make use of it, and he wasn't even close to halfway finished.

But then his thoughts went back to a list of people he kept hidden in his mind, and for the first time in a long while, Ozpin chose to read it again; a tally of those who died while being involved with him. Summer Rose. Leonardo Lionheart. Ella Perrault. Castor Pollux. Iris Marilla. Xanthe Rumpole. Thumbelina Peach. Mossius Berbere. Olive Gashley. Harold Mulberry. Theodore Jondoe. Tayet Aldhahab. Most were Hunters he worked with in black ops missions – unfortunate casualties of the job – during his rise through the ranks in his 15 years of active duty, as he followed the career laid out for him by his Levert family lineage. But others on his list were only innocent civilians, made into victims by his old friend…

And with that, that man's words began to linger again in his head, even though he did his best to shake them off these past few days, despite having killed his old friend himself.

I've already said all I can about what I've uncovered, Ozpin. It's up to you if you wish to believe it or not. But I trust that you will eventually make the right choice. You're too smart not to. As for the rest? They will not survive the judgment by fire to come. As it should be, in the Day of Wrath…

You're dead, Ozpin replied as if the voice in his head was actually alive. But he felt that he needed to, even if it meant bringing up awful memories. Memories of how a friendship went so terribly wrong, and what he had to do about it. You're nothing but a ghost now, and so are your prophecies.

His old friend's voice then went away, only to be replaced by the names of those who died under his group while acting as Beacon headmaster; the remaining few on his list. Despite differences, they ultimately still shared his vision to protect Vale beyond what its royalty could do, and having known them personally, their deaths were the ones that hurt Ozpin the most.

Forgive me, Leon. You argued the least with me on things, but I still sent you to your death. Ozpin sighed, rubbing his temples. I know you had a good reason as to why you couldn't contact me when you arrived here, I know you did. And I also know that you did your best to protect Vale, thank you for that. But this won't end like what happened to Summer. I promise, Cinder will pay for what she did.

Ozpin frowned. He was certain that Cinder was a product of Atlas's wretched research that Leon was spying on, and he could still remember how cold his blood became when he heard Weiss's report on what happened to them during their train mission. This was it. This was what Leon had been searching for – what he sacrificed his life for – and Ozpin could only curse to himself when Leon's body had nothing for them to use. Because it only meant that Cinder took the data Leon had with him, he was sure of it, all so that Vale had nothing to justify acting on the threat of Atlas… What a mess they were in. If only the royalty had the foresight, then none of this would have happened…

He drank some hot black coffee from his mug. There was no use pining for what could have been. The truth was that Vale failed to properly assess the state of the world for too long, and Ozpin was starting to see what the enemy could put on the battlefield. Even if he could forgive the royalty for neglecting the threat of recent Grimm activity – Ozpin would just have to worry about that at another time – they still should have done more to obtain hegemony of the world. There was so much they could have done to prevent this. But now their fumbling around had returned to haunt them, and he had records of every budget cut that instead funded all of Vale's failed projects to prove it.

In their post Dust Revolution world, a kingdom's army has swelled to such an extent that Hunters could be readily fielded by the hundreds – and armed soldiers exponentially more than that – and that came with the risk that disputes with another kingdom that couldn't be handled by the old treaties could lead into a hypothetical Hunter war that would prove costly and protracted, with no winner for years. Of course no kingdom in their right mind would want that if it could be avoided. So why not make such a scenario obsolete by creating a new kind of weapon, one that would go beyond Dust's limitations, and assert your power over all others at the same time? Alternate sources of energy that have better weapon potential, innovative ways on how to deliver such weapons, new forms of communication that could give a kingdom a massive advantage… An arms race had begun the moment the Grimm were pushed back, so the five kingdoms went ahead with their secret research, and along with it sprung a great game of espionage and counterintelligence that had yet to cease.

Yet for whatever reason, Atlas's insane efforts were giving them results – Ozpin still had no idea how they could even make their experiments work – and that could only embolden them to take more radical actions. A horrible situation to be in; only equally drastic action could counter it, and Ozpin wasn't about to wait for Vale to twiddle its thumbs until a hundred Cinders were at its doorstep.

He stared at his report. He would deal with the royalty tomorrow, one way or another, once he got this taken care of. But for the meantime, he did what he could, which was to take a calculated risk. Taking advantage of a small stroke of luck, he could only hope that something substantial would fall on their laps.

Ozpin's door suddenly opened from an incredible force.

"You lied to me!" Glynda entered Ozpin's office with her backsword drawn and her Semblance embraced, a purple aura enveloping her. "You promised that you'd never let Ruby get involved!"

Ozpin stood up, and moved so that his desk was behind him. It took Glynda long enough to arrive. Too bad he couldn't get any work done while waiting. But as expected, she looked very much aware of the mission he gave teams RWBY and JNPR, and her reaction was just about how he imagined it in his head. "I take it you're not going to bed just yet?"

"Damn you! How could you do this behind my back, right when I was too busy to see what you were doing? Why did you send them to Atlas? We just talked about this yesterday!"

"We've been through a lot over the years, Glynda." Well, he would at least take care of this one for the night. Ozpin knew what would happen when he made his decision, and he was going to own it. "Yes, I'm aware of what I promised you, and you're right, we did talk about this yesterday. But if you want, we can talk about why I changed my mind."

A purple bolt of telekinetic energy suddenly went straight for Ozpin, no doubt meant to lift him high in the air to disable him. So naturally he parried with his swordstick, drawing it with lightning speed; a green blur that went and in out of one's vision was the only hint that he had seized his Semblance. He then returned Glynda the exact same bolt – except green now due to his own Semblance – which she dispelled upon contact with her backsword.

"I try my best to remember the Semblances I've seen through the years, Glynda." That was the secret of his power; a very rare arcane type that could copy nearly any kind of Semblance so long as he could see how it was used – how the 'thread' of their abilities was 'woven' in other words – by the Hunter wielding it. But if a Semblance was basic enough, he could even do it from memory; speed boosts and certain other utility types were the easiest to do by far. "But copying yours is still not easy, let me tell you."

"Was sending Ruby to Atlas easier?"

"Ruby's a Hunter, just like every other person that graduates from Beacon, and she knows the risks of the job." Ozpin remembered what he felt when he first saw Ruby. Her teleportation, the very first recorded case in all the world, was in fact the void he felt at that time. And whether he saw her Semblance through video or real time made no difference; he knew he could never copy it. But looking back at it, maybe fate had something in store for the girl – for her to be blessed with such an incredible power – now that things have turned out like this. Maybe… Ozpin could only hope. "Ruby will be safe so long as she sticks with her teammates and to her training, which I'm confident she will. Because she became a Hunter willingly, Glynda. So it's about time we treated her like one."

"No remorse at all…" Glynda shook her head in disgust. "Why did you have to entertain Willow like that? You could've brushed her off, told her that Beacon was busy, anything! You could've offered other missions here in Vale for them to take instead!"

"And if she made a private call to Weiss in her desperation?" Ozpin replied. "Contact was bound to happen the moment I heard the woman speak, and the last thing I want now is to give Ruby and the others a good reason to be suspicious of us. You should have seen for yourself how they were barely hiding their frustrations regarding Cinder. And since they were attacked on the job as Hunters, they could have launched an investigation about it if they wanted to, and made it a mission of their own." Ozpin considered himself lucky that Weiss didn't press the issue harder when she had the chance. "If they truly had their mind set on it, we would be forced to give them resources to aid their search, and that would put them in more danger than they would be in Atlas."

"Tch! You're just making excuses for yourself!"

"They chose to take Willow's mission willingly. I only told them that she was requesting help. I never once insinuated to them that they should get it. And how could I even start to discourage them, when it was Weiss's own mother asking for help? But since they're all going to Atlas anyways, I simply asked them to report on anything unusual there, because why not? Vale's intelligence had been gutted by budget cuts for a long time already…" Ozpin suppressed a frown. "Believe me, if only I could go there myself, I would. But we don't have any other options that don't involve the royalty knowing, and you know how much of a pain they are to handle. They will only change their minds if they see irrefutable evidence… Evidence that Leon got killed for trying to get. But if Ruby and the others do find something there, then we can use that as proof to get the royalty moving…"

"You sent Ruby to Atlas, knowing full well the danger, just so you could–"

"I did what had to be done," Ozpin said, cutting Glynda off. "Even the other kingdoms aren't showing signs of suspecting Atlas… It seems that only the gods know what's happening in Atlas right now. But are we just going to let them continue with what they're doing, even while knowing what they're capable of?" Thoughts of his old friend's insane ramblings came to mind, foretelling an awful end for humanity; Ozpin shook them off. "After spending 15 years of my life doing Hunter work and black ops, I then spent my first five years as Beacon headmaster realizing just how weak and neglectful Vale is. That's why I formed our group, hoping that we could turn things around by taking things into our own hands, and we've all done our part to ensure that we could do something for Vale despite its shortcomings. That's why I can't let Leon's death be in vain. After what he tried to tell us about Atlas, this is the least we can do for him."

"No! Don't you dare use Leon's death as another excuse! He wouldn't have wanted you to do this, and you know that!"

"If it's any consolation, Ruby being in Atlas might just give Qrow to us…" Ozpin noticed Glynda's widening eyes, but he continued on nonetheless. "Not only do we need him now with Leon gone, I also can't cover for him much longer, Glynda. He's been missing for too long, and his few reports keep having mistakes. Whatever depression he's wallowing in right now, the royalty won't care about it one bit the moment they realize the truth. Then what? Keep in mind that unlike the rest of us, he's still officially part of Vale's black ops. I don't think Ruby would appreciate it if we abandoned her father to his fate… I'm sure you know the punishment for willful disobedience and deceptive conduct."

"But getting Qrow to appear doesn't justify what you did to Ruby! Neither does avenging Leon, nor the hope that Ruby going to Atlas would give you the evidence you want! None of them do!" Scowling, Glynda pointed her backsword at Ozpin. "I should have known you'd do something like this… You changed ever since you went to black ops. This is too much… There had to be a better way!"

"I knew you'd react like this." Ozpin didn't think that he had changed at all since he first met Glynda, but that was neither here nor there. "I see that you still have much to say. You can insult me however you want, and however long you wish, I won't take it against you. We've worked together for too long for me to do that. All I ask is that you don't underestimate the severity of our situation, and that we don't fight…"

Glynda hurled more telekinetic bolts, but Ozpin parried them all, though this time he didn't fight back. He didn't have the heart to. And Glynda stopped her attacks soon enough.

"What the hell's wrong with you?!" Glynda shouted. "Ruby was supposed to live her life as normal as we could make it. But you didn't even have the decency of telling me right away that you sent them to Atlas. I had to know on my own after I finished work! On my own, Ozpin!" For a moment, she looked like she wanted to attack again, but she didn't follow through it; she instead wiped something from her eye. "You just said that you're tired of how Vale handles things. But these secrets, these excuses… Why did you create our group if you're just going to think like the royalty anyways? Did you suddenly forget that Ruby is Summer's daughter? Did Summer's death even mean anything to you?!"

Glynda's words wounded Ozpin deeply, because she herself had changed much ever since Summer was killed. But he did the best he could at the time with the information he had. Not that it could ever soften the guilt; it was painful to remember how Summer was ambushed and killed in a mission gone horribly awry. But not by the Grimm, as was officially reported, but by enemy agents, signs of weapons and Semblances being used were all over the site where Summer died. But to this day Ozpin still didn't know which kingdom those people belonged to, and without any clues that he could use avenge her, it was no surprise that Qrow vanished, and why Glynda transferred her guilt whole, protecting Ruby as if she was her own child.

Another thought struck him. Did he really think like the royalty? He didn't think so, but the way Glynda said it... No, that couldn't be true, because he knew best how to protect Vale, and he had the experience to prove it. He wasn't some bumbling bureaucrat. He couldn't have gotten this far otherwise. And while Summer's death was painful in many ways, Leon's death on the other hand didn't even allow him to mourn; the fact that Atlas needed to be taken care of immediately superseded it. So what else could he do but move forward? It was the only thing he could do. As a Hunter who took his oaths seriously, duty was heavy, and death light.

"You have nothing to say now? That's funny, because I bet you've told me more than what you ever told her!"

"Ruby doesn't need to know anything," Ozpin said bluntly. "Because even if she knew, she's the kind of girl who understands that hard decisions need to be made, even at great personal cost."

If Glynda's stare at that moment could kill, Ozpin would've been dead five times over. "How could you be such a–"

"Holy hell, if it isn't you two fighting again."

That voice immediately put Ozpin and Glynda to a halt.

Glynda turned, and the sight of who was at the door made her release her Semblance right then and there; with surprise etched on her face, she slowly sheathed her backsword. And Ozpin followed suit, letting go of his own Semblance and putting his swordstick back into its cane. He made an effort to hide his own surprise, though. Because he also knew who the person swaggering at his door was, smoking a cigarette while he was at it.

"You really take things to heart, don't you Glynda?" The man blew smoke from his cigarette, which somehow made Glynda take a few steps aside, leaving a clear path for Ozpin and the man to make eye contact. And make eye contact they did. "Then again, that beats being such a righteous prick any day of the week. Isn't that right, Ozpin?"

"Nice of you to visit." Ozpin could recognize that unkempt, unshaven face anywhere, along with his gravelly voice, his graying spiky hair, and his faded red eyes. The man wore a gray dress shirt with a long tail, black dress pants, black dress shoes, a tattered red cloak, and a necklace with a crooked cross-shaped pendant; his dustmetal weapon was tucked behind his waist. Yes, he looked very much the same as the last time Ozpin saw him. How appropriate that the man would appear right now, right when they needed help, and Ozpin being at the end of his rope defending him from the royalty. "How are you doing, Qrow? It's been a while, about time you showed up. What took you so long?"

"You missed me that badly?"

"That's one way of putting it."

"I guess I did keep you guys waiting, huh?" Puffing out smoke one more time, the man dropped his cigarette and stomped it out with his foot. "I've been busy. Had to check on a lot of things, you know? Ever since my wife died…"

"How much time did you spend?"

"Not long enough." Qrow's eyes narrowed, still staring at Ozpin. "But then I heard something very interesting, so I decided to drop by. And I wasn't surprised with what I just saw… Sure brings up old memories."

"I'm sure you reminisced fondly," Ozpin said. "And I'm also sure you have a lot to say about your personal investigations." So Qrow really had been looking for Summer's killer all this time; the look on his face all but proved it. "But before you tell me all about that… How's your assignment in Menagerie? They've been under civil unrest for so long that they've forgotten about a real threat up north."

"Don't worry, I'll tell you what I've found later… And I'll handle those fogeys in the royalty myself." Having said that, Qrow gave Glynda a look. "What's with the frown, Glynda? Still cranky as always? Lighten up, it won't hurt you as much as you think."

"Qrow…"

"…but thank you for looking after Ruby, I appreciate it."

"Glynda and I just had a misunderstanding, that's all." Ozpin spared a glanced at Glynda, who went quiet, and was now looking at them carefully; the fury she showed him earlier had simply vanished. Or perhaps just subdued… Qrow being here surely had something to do with it. But no matter. Just like earlier, Ozpin wasn't about to shy away from his decisions. "I take it you're aware about Ruby?"

"I've heard enough," Qrow replied. "You sure were quick to put her into Beacon, weren't you? Just to make me show myself to those old royalty bastards?"

"You're part of Vale's black ops, so it's only expected that the kingdom wants their investment's worth from you." Spying, assassinations, sabotage, influencing public opinion… Leon really only did one of them, but Ozpin and Qrow were the whole package. "And you've been missing for too long, so I had no choice. But Ruby took my offer willingly, in case you were wondering. You know I'm never one to force an issue."

"We've told you many times that Summer and I didn't want Ruby to become a Hunter."

"I know. But inviting Ruby to attend Beacon was for the best, given her state of mind at the time… It was clear that she had a traumatic experience. But she proved to be a good student, doing well for herself in the trials. And her Semblance… Well, you must know about it by now, don't you? How else could she have bypassed Vale's walls that night, among other things." Ozpin ignored Qrow's scowl and narrowing red eyes; after a brief pause, Ozpin added, "I take it you also know that Leon's dead."

"…I'm sorry about Leon, he was a good man. I'm sure he died doing what he could for Vale." Qrow paused for a moment himself, as if trying to find the right words. "And I knew that Ruby wasn't doing well before I left. After the Grimm attack in Patch, I thought putting her in a condo was enough to keep her safe until I got back. I see now that I was wrong, and I owe her an explanation for why it took me so long to come back."

"I think you owe her more than just that."

"But I never forgot what happened a few months ago, Ozpin." Qrow then popped his knuckles; it was a habit of his, but Ozpin knew what Qrow meant with it. "And I don't recall using any of your family members as bait, much less as goddamned test subjects."

"I only observed Ruby, nothing more." Ozpin didn't flinch despite Qrow's provocations. "Her Semblance evolving was an act of the gods… I had nothing to do with it."

"Do I look like I'm in the mood for your excuses?"

"But that never stopped you from arguing with me, especially when it's about Summer." Ozpin shook his head, recalling a painful memory. "Tell me, Qrow. If our positions were switched that night, could you have done better than me? Could you have done things differently?"

"Shut the hell up," Qrow snapped. "I'm just going to beat you up instead. Because now you've done two things to piss me off."

"So I have…" Ozpin then hooked his glasses onto his vest. "I guess I'll just put what I did for you on your tab, then? Covering you from the royalty, while you indulged yourself in your adventures… Even when you've become so hellbent on revenge that you've forgotten your duties?"

"Thank you very much," Qrow said dryly. "But I'm still going to break your face."

"Always taking the violent road, I see. You haven't changed one bit."

"What's so funny?"

Ozpin realized he was chuckling, but he wasn't surprised that he was; he simply shrugged. "If you want to beat me senseless over Summer and Ruby, then go right ahead." And right after saying that, the man threw his swordstick to the side, leaving himself defenseless, and put his hands in his pockets. "Not that I didn't see this coming, to be honest. Just tell me when you've had enough, so we can get back to doing what's best for Vale. With Leon no longer with us, we need your help, more than ever."

Qrow smirked, chuckling a bit himself. "Now that's funny, hearing you say that…"

With his fists clenched and at the ready, Qrow took a few steps forward.

"Stop it, both of you! Now!"

Glynda stepped in right between the two with outstretched arms to keep them separated; Qrow was stopped in his tracks.

"Hmph." Ozpin didn't bother removing Glynda's hand from his chest. "When Qrow gets rowdy you respond to him."

"Getting mad at you won't change anything," Glynda muttered through clenched teeth, glaring at Ozpin. "I realize that now, as much as I hate to admit it. What's done is done, so I'll just have to accept that. Even though I particularly don't like you right now, Ozpin. I won't let go of what you did."

"Hopefully that doesn't include me too," Qrow said as Glynda's left hand grabbed tightly on his shirt. "I wouldn't want that."

"I know there's bad blood between the two of you, but punching each other senseless won't change the past. It can't go on like this." Glynda stared at Qrow, then back at Ozpin. "We need to work together so that we can fix the situation we're in with Atlas, so both of you calm down right now. I mean it. Otherwise I'll leave you both dangling high in the air for days, or bring this whole building down trying."

Glynda looked deathly serious – it was the first time Ozpin saw her like that – and it was enough for Qrow to mellow out; that was quite wise of him. Glynda had never really shown anyone the whole extent of her powers. And Ozpin knew better than to dare, in the sense that there was no need to get his entire office involved just to gauge their power levels.

"We promise we'll talk," Ozpin said, then looked at the man in front of him. "We just got carried away for a moment, that's all. No harm done. Isn't that right, Qrow?"

"Hmph, right…"

And with that, Glynda let both men go, and Ozpin slowly went back to sit at his desk, though not letting Qrow off his sight; Qrow meanwhile took his time just standing there – and a long silence fell in the room – but he eventually took one of the chairs nearest Ozpin's desk, and Glynda followed by taking the other one. "Everything will be alright, Glynda." Ozpin wore his glasses again. "I may have a meeting with the royalty tomorrow, but l can stay up the whole night for Qrow just to take care of things. We have a lot to talk about, after all."

"I guess we do, since I can't put my fist straight to your face." Qrow was about to take out a cigarette from a pack he had in his pocket, but was stopped by glares from both Ozpin and Glynda. "What, I can't do this either? Tch…"

"You can do better than make my office smell bad." Ozpin took a sip of his coffee; not warm enough anymore. So he just drank it all in one gulp simply for the caffeine, then stood up, planning to get more. "Do you want some black coffee?"

"I'd like a brandy, now that you mentioned it." This time Qrow returned Glynda's disapproving look. "Hey, if we're all going to pretend to be clean and diplomatic here, you guys might as well treat me like a guest the whole way, so don't skimp out." So saying, Qrow smirked at Ozpin. "You still haven't finished the 25 year old one, have you?"

Ozpin smirked back at Qrow. "No, I haven't."

"Then what the hell are you waiting for?"

"…I'll be right back." Ozpin certainly didn't expect Qrow to appear at his doorstep so soon; he had thought it would take at least a week before the man showed himself. But still, he was now one less headache to worry about, which was better than the alternative. And at least they weren't punching each other, right? Yes, that seemed to be the right way of thinking about it. He just needed more coffee… Yes, definitely more coffee. Because with Qrow looking like he had multiple months' worth of stories to tell, it looked to be a very long night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the middle of the night, the shattered moon unobscured by clouds, a black sedan stopped near some abandoned buildings in Pharos, and out came Sienna from the driver's seat; her dustmetal whip Creoboros Lash in hand, and her russet Semblance embraced. Her car headlights serving as a source of illumination, she didn't bother locking her car door; she would be done here soon enough.

Sienna had always figured that something was up during that fateful night at the coast, and she didn't have to wait long for signs to appear that validated her suspicions. But things had their way of not going the way one would want. The signs she saw had become too much for her to control, so she had no choice but to seek assistance on what to do next.

There was a long, dark alley in front of her, with headlights from another car up ahead, and so Sienna walked towards it, all while remembering the conversation she had.

Sienna paced around her room upon finishing her report, waiting for the one on the other line to speak.

"It's remarkable that you found this amnesiac boy the way you did," he finally said. "One that somehow washed up on the beach, but possesses incredible strength, with the scar to match."

"I've never seen anyone like him, Kensei." Sienna gripped her phone tight; she recalled that moment when she thought she was about to kill the kid, but was quickly proven otherwise, much to her shock. "But with how he looked at me at the time, and how he gazed at the night sky… He was confused but dangerous, and I knew then that I had to handle him in a different way, so that's why I brought him to my place. I only planned to keep him around for a few days at most, while trying to extract as much info from him as I could."

"I'm sure that you planned to kill him in his sleep at the earliest convenience."

"Absolutely," Sienna replied without hesitation. Unfortunately the kid had nothing for her to use, other than bringing along a case that she felt he would kill her the moment she touched it. "But he…"

"Yes, I know. You described it to me quite clearly earlier. And there were more… Isn't that right, Sienna? Because he's clearly one of 'them'…"

"…yes, Kensei. And I don't think he'll be wiser any time soon, if he even will. All he thinks about is protecting the metal case he carried, and going to Patch…"

"Fair enough." There was another pause, and then he said, "Have you uncovered new information about Vale?"

"None as of right now… My investigations haven't been as productive as I hoped."

Silence, a longer one this time, and Sienna gulped. She knew there were rules that they needed to follow. One of them being that reporting to him, with her all the way from Vale, was of the last resort, as calling always ran the risk of being detected, even with every precaution. She also knew that they needed info regarding Vale back at home, and a lack of it wasn't really what their group needed to hear, but surely he of all people would understand. "I know this isn't related to our mission here, but I seek your guidance. Should I take more drastic steps, even if it deviates from my mission? I know I'm not strong enough…"

"Have you told anyone else about this?"

"No, just you. I didn't see the need for the others to be involved."

"Is that so…"

The man's voice trailed off, then he went quiet, which made Sienna stop pacing around her room. "I apologize for bothering you with this, Kensei."

"…"

"I know this is coming out of the blue, and I don't mean to waste your time…"

"…"

Silence once again. "Forgive me for having no new intel. But what I can say is that Vale is still not a threat to us, just like our last report, and nothing has changed about that. They continue to be behind on their projects, all while being busy with something else." Of course, part of her job was to verify what exactly Vale focused on, but for all the time she spent here – being swamped in Pharos for much longer than she expected, all while maintaining appearances as a Vale agent – Sienna still had nothing to show for it. "I know we haven't had anything substantial since our arrival here, but–"

"Ah, but you haven't, Sienna. In fact, you've given me much more info than you think."

It didn't take long for Sienna to reach the car she walked towards, which was parked near a wall, and she saw a large metal case on the car's back seat, left wide open, with something awkwardly placed inside of it. But only one look at that item was enough proof that it was the true content of the case… Sienna could never have guessed in a million years.

A few steps later, and she was a few feet away from someone sprawled on the asphalt, seemingly unconscious, too far away from the car's headlights to be identified by normal eyes. But Sienna's night vision – her tiger faunus trait – could see all too well who that person was.

"…Kensei?" Sienna gulped again. "…I don't understand. Should I just leave him, even if it means abandoning my work? I could always start over in another part of Vale, and–"

"There's no need for any of that."

"…huh?"

"The boy wants to go to Patch, correct? Then give him exactly what he wants, let him go there, and make sure he has more than enough resources for the trip. But he'll be back sooner than you think."

"…wait, what? But–" Then it hit her; that period of silence from him? Of course! Damnit, how did she not realize this sooner? Sienna felt so foolish; was she here in Vale that long for her to completely forget what his powers could do? It was why he almost always had one hand on his aurastone weapon, just so he had access to his Semblance. His visions, mysterious and fickle, known only by a select few in their circle, with none like it ever recorded anywhere in the world, were nevertheless…

"Despite not having anything about Vale, it seems that your report has given us unexpected fruit… Our plans move forward. You were wise to tell me this the way you did, Sienna." There was a hint of a chuckle in his cold tone. "He seems to hold something interesting in him that I can't ignore… It's still unclear as to what that is, but I plan to uncover the truth of that in due time, my Semblance willing."

"What do you mean?" Sienna couldn't hide her surprise. Resolving the issue was one thing, but the way he talked about that kid… "You make it sound like he's important–"

"Are you doubting me, Sienna?"

"No…" Sienna quickly backtracked on that, cursing herself for overstepping with her tongue; his visions would always clash with anyone's intuitions, her own included, but she should have known better. "…of course not, Kensei."

"Very good." Another hint of a laugh; more amused this time. "Now listen carefully. He will be there for you, but it will only happen if you go alone, in the dead of night…"

Sienna remembered what Kensei told her. She had still wondered though, on her way going here, if things would turn out differently this time around. But like every other vision he had that she knew of, everything unfolded just like how he told her it would, right down to the time and place, and who she would find.

Her master's powers truly had no equal anywhere in the world.

And neither did Cale's.

Sienna picked up her phone. "Kensei, I found him." She spared a long look at the shattered moon. "He's asleep, just like you said he would."

Kensei then told her more about the new visions he experienced, and Sienna acknowledged them accordingly. Eliminating Cale was out of the question; it seemed that the kid truly was a pivotal key to their success. Which apparently also meant that she was to drop everything she was doing here in Vale, particularly due to new developments up north. So be it, then. She accepted her new directives without question, and her call with Kensei ended soon enough.

Looking now at Cale, Sienna thought of how best to put him in her car. But at the same time, she couldn't help but wonder about what truly happened to the poor kid in the first place; Kensei gave her no answers. But more than just his origins, Sienna then found herself wondering if Cale found what he was looking for in Patch, and if he did, why he decided to leave…