Requiem for the Hollow Rose

by sreshtiyer

After witnessing the death of Pyrrha, white fills her vision and the Rose huntress finds herself in a desolate and bleak place. Confused, lost and still grieving the loss of her friend and her own helplessness, little does Ruby realize that was just the beginning of her arduous journey. Innocent to Mature Ruby. Rated M for psychologically disturbing themes (non-sexual).

47. Chapter 47: Erosion

Chapter 47: Erosion

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I just want to put a small disclaimer that like I did with Bleach canon, I will be adjusting certain canon events from RWBY, even some past events. I won't be making VERY major changes however, just a few smaller adjustments here and there. Just thought I'd put it out here in advance so that you don't feel some events seem 'out of place' or are 'incorrect to canon events'. Seeing as how this is a fic, I think the whole point of an AU is to write a different version of things and not repeat things from canon all the way through, so I thought I'd do what I did with Bleach canon here as well.

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"M…mom..?!"

The words seemed to lag behind the million things her mind was trying to catch up to. Suddenly, the woman in front of her was all that mattered and everything else around her seemed to disappear into oblivion. The very same woman whom she remembered so fondly from her memories from her earlier days. Memories that were drenched in black and grey after that fateful day when her normally cheerful dad announced the news, which was only accompanied by more and more people in outfits covered in black paying their respects to her grave upon that lonely spot in the hill where her grave lay. And yet, here she was, covered from head to toe in the same black as her memories, with an expression filled with more life than Yang could ever remember her having, her eyes lucid and yet manic.

And then, she was gone.

And Yang found her entire body firmly pressed against a soft, warm object, giving off a scent that brought so many memories buried in her mind. Neither of which were illusions, nor was the warmth seeping throughout her body.

"Gotcha" she whispered once more, softy into her ears as she held her daughter against her body in a tight embrace.

"T..this is…this is real….right….?!" the blonde girl stammered, her hands automatically reaching around her.

"You tell me" giggled the woman, grabbing both of her cheeks and pinching them and shaking them lightly. "If I wasn't real, would I still be able to do this to my little sunshine?"

Yang's eyes went wide, and then she firmly grabbed Summer, completely burying her face into Summer's chest.

"Fu fu fu…it seems you do get it after all" replied Summer gently, while the two stayed that way for a few seconds. Yang then pulled herself away from her mother's embrace, looking her straight in the eye with a million questions to ask. Soon Qrow, Taiyang, Glynda, Winter, Ozpin and the general caught up to her, some of them with faces just as surprised while others had questioning looks.

"S..summer….how…you…this….?" stammered Qrow, his eyes wide.

"I…I was certain you were…." Said Ozpin, downcast.

"In the end, nobody could even find out what happened to you, no matter how far or wide we looked….you just seemed to have vanished overnight. And after many years, we simply had to accept that you were likely dead….so then how….?" Asked Glynda.

"Oh that? That's because Jimmy boya here turned me into one of his super duper secret robots of course!" she replied with an innocent, goofy smile, putting out her tongue, mimicking a pose and then continuing with a robotic voice. "Super Fighting Robot Summer-chan at your service! With the power of the Summer maiden and my amazing silver-eyes, I can turn Grimm into ash! I am also equipped with state-of-the-art cooking and baking programs, as well as the ability to turn my hands into any tool necessary for a warm household. From fighting the forces of darkness to baking cookies for your loved ones, Super Mom Fighting Robot Summer-chan will drive all of your troubles away! Order one now at Atlas Military's Research and Development! It may cost you your kidneys, but in return, you'll have your own super fighting cutesy robot waifu! Tee-hee!"

The silence that followed could deafen even the loudest of explosions. Saying that their faces mirrored bewilderment was a gross understatement as Yang, Qrow, Glynda, Winter, Ozpin and even Ironwood himself blinked upon witnessing Summer. Taiyang himself was quite surprised, despite knowing about his wife being alive. So taken aback they were that they had no idea where to start. Whether the things she was saying or whether to start with her demeanor itself.

"M…mom…?!"

Qrow did a double take, glancing between Summer and Ironwood. "Wh…what…?! He did what now…?! And the Summer Maiden?!…..what the fuck….?!"

"James! Is that true…?!" demanded Glynda, shocked.

"I know nothing about this!" he defended himself. "Th..this makes no sense!"

"We haven't been involved with anything of the sort!" added Winter.

"Please, let us calm down and assess the situation first" suggested Ozpin, still trying to put his thoughts into words.

Tensions were instantly rising even for the enigmatic soul reaper. But in her case, it was due to an immense effort from her side to keep herself from bursting out laughing.

"Honey….I don't think you should tease them any more than this. They really look like they're ready to lash out at each other…" sighed Taiyang with a smile on his face. "And that includes me too…"

The enigmatic soul reaper doubled over, and then burst out laughing, wrapping her hands over her stomach and catching their attention once more.

"Khahahahahahaha! Gotcha once more! Oh man, you should've seen the look on your faces! Sorry sorry, that was mean James, but I just couldn't resist! I just thought I had to brighten the mood a little, but I never thought you'd take it so seriously! Come on people, obviously that doesn't make sense! I know I don't dress like everyone else, but obviously I'm not a robot! And just because my name is Summer doesn't mean I'm the Summer maiden you know! I don't even know where she is right now!" she cackled away.

"…" Glynda was having trouble believing that the person in front of her really was the same meek and reserved leader of team STRQ from all those years ago. In fact, her words be damned, she didn't even know what kind of face was the most appropriate one to wear for the woman standing in front of her bearing a striking resemblance to Summer Rose.

"You…..are you really her…?" asked Qrow, skeptical. "I may be drunk but the Summer Rose I know wasn't this….nuts. And coming from me, that's sayin' something…"

"Oh come on Karasu-chan, now you doubted my honey bun first and now you're going to doubt me?" she pouted, closing in on Qrow's face. "How could you doubt the face of your own team member?! Just how much DID you drink to make you forget about me?"

Qrow took a few steps back, obviously confused and disoriented. "Ok, you need to simmer down for a bit. And yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm not the weird one for asking that question. I mean, did you look at yourself? Or is this like some secret double personality that you've been hidin' all this while or something? And what the heck's a 'Karasu..?"

"I know you're all a bit….confused" pitched in Taiyang. "Trust me, I was too when I first spoke to her, especially how…different she seemed from the person we all knew her to be. But she is Summer. There's no doubt about that"

"And you're sure about this…how exactly Tai?" asked Winter skeptically.

"Hold on, you KNEW she was alive Taiyang?!" called out Glynda, adjusting her glasses.

"Not really. I only came to know when Ruby visited me before going back to the academy" he answered. "I figured she would tell you herself later at school so I didn't think I needed to inform anyone. Although….I only met her while she was occupying Ruby's body"

"Wait…what? Ruby's body? What's that supposed to mean?" questioned Yang.

"Exactly what it means, my little sunshine. I was watching you from within your sister. But I really wanted to surprise you myself, that's why I didn't say anything" said Summer. "But that's nothing new for you lot, now is it?"

"Wait….you don't mean…..like Oz….you too..?!" began Qrow.

Ironwood too joined in on his subordinate's train of thought "That….how is that possible…? Are you insinuating that you're….that after you disappeared you…like Ozpin…."

"But…but that's impossible….because….from what Ruby told earlier…..the professor is only like that because of the Gods…then…" theorized Glynda.

"But didn't Ruby Rose mention that the 'Gods' abandoned our world in favor of this supposed second world?" questioned Winter. "We still know nothing about how it was that she even got the opportunity to travel back to the past. Perhaps she met the Gods at some point?"

While the rest of the adults discussed amongst themselves, Ozpin did nothing but watch at the enigmatic soul reaper who was simply observing them all. True, he was taken aback by her entire demeanor as well as her presence, and her goofy responses did nothing to answer the many questions they all had.

However, he soon began to see something beyond her silliness and aloof behavior. Perhaps it was those eyes. Or perhaps it was her body language and how she was observing them. Beyond those manic eyes, there was a different kind of presence as opposed to Ruby Rose. Not that of a seasoned warrior or that of a naïve woman. Something truly otherworldly and incomprehensible. She merely seemed to be able to 'see'. Past the people around her, past her surroundings and past the world itself. It was as if she was looking far beyond anything within their sight while also intently observing each of them. However, while she could see everyone around her, those bright yet mysterious silver orbs belied nothing of what or who she was. And Ozpin was convinced that no matter how hard he tried to understand Summer Rose as she was now, he would never succeed. And yet, it was as if she could see things and had seen things far beyond the comprehension of any human mind. As if she looked at everything and everyone around her with a completely different light compared to anybody else in the world.

He would often wonder if he himself wore that look on his own face at times, because he recognized that feeling of looking at things that others around him could not really see all too well. After all, it was one of the perks of having lived through so many different lives for millennia, something that nobody could ever understand. Perhaps Salem was no different as well.

"You've changed" remarked Ozpin, unsure of how else to express his thoughts. "I can't even possibly imagine the things that you have gone through and seen for you to have changed so much so….and for you to look like that"

"That's a very astute observation professor" remarked Glynda, her voice laden with sarcasm.

"Oh no no, I don't just mean her physical appearance or her….unique new personality" he chuckled. "I just never imagined I would ever see the meek and quiet Summer Rose sporting that look. In fact, it rather unshackles me thinking about what could truly be going on in your mind"

Glynda and Ironwood looked at Ozpin in a questioning manner, not understanding what he spoke of.

"Hmm….Ozzy boy it's not nice to talk to a lady like that you know!" chimed Summer. "But well….I'm not sure I'm that different you know. Anyways, I don't want to tease everyone too much in one day. Instead, why don't we all go some place where we can sit and talk comfortably? After all, that IS why we're here, aren't we?" suggested Summer.

Meanwhile, Weiss, Blake, and Team JNPR had some of their own questions and lucky for them Ruby was more than content to let her mother do her own thing while she waited for the adults to finish.

"….so that's your mother…." Wondered Ren with doubting looks. "I see the resemblance but…..I'd equally believe you if you told me that she was actually Nora's long lost parent…."

"Wut?! No way! Even I'm not that loony you know! If you're comparing her to me, maybe something's wrong with my personality...although, I definitely wouldn't mind her being my mom! That lady's AWESOME!" Nora squealed in excitement.

"Um…shouldn't we be asking about Ruby first?" questioned Pyrrha. "I mean…..she looks…."

Wiess, however, would cut in before the red head did. Looking at Ruby, she asked "You look like you're…..in your late twenties…..just how far into the future did you come back from? So what…are you an adult or-"

"Ruby!" exclaimed Blake in a frantic manner, cutting in and leaving Weiss with a sour look on her face. "My ears…..they've…they've disappeared! I don't feel any pain but…..…your tail and ears have gone away too…Ruby…what's?!"

"Calm down Blake" assured the 5th Espada calmly, placing an arm on her shoulder. "As I said, when you make it to this world, you'll be subjected to the way things work here. And in this world, there are no 'Faunus'. Only humans. Sure, there are some that have the skill to transform themselves into animals. And from what Ichi told me, there are even soul reapers who are essentially like beastmen. And well, Yoruichi does have that stage in her form where she has cat ears and a tail. Behaves like a total cat too. She really hates to show that form to anyone"

"Beastmen…? Cat ears and tail..?! Are you saying that this 'Yoruichi' is a….is a faunus…?" gulped Blake. "No wait…you said this world has no 'Faunus'….what do you mean by that…?!"

"I meant that the very concept of 'faunus' is absent in this world. And Yoruichi is a soul reaper, meaning she's not 'living'. She's a soul. But she can turn herself into a normal cat, kinda like how uncle Qrow can turn herself into a crow. I think if uncle Qrow's soul was out, he could probably do the same in his soul form. But anyways, the main idea is that there are some things possible when you are a 'soul'. But you're still alive with a living body. That's why you've become a human being. But once we go back to Remnant, you'll get them back, don't worry" she answered.

"I…that's….!"

"So does that mean that….there are only humans living in this world?" asked Pyrrha, throwing Blake an empathetic look.

"Well….not quite. You have other races too. Like the Quincies. And they're living beings too, just like humans. They're more or less human in fact" Ruby answered. "Don't worry about those details too much now. I'll make everything clear soon" she added, seeing her mother approached her with the rest of the group, signaling at her.

"Alright, in here" she called out, moving ahead first while Teams WBY, JNPR and the adults slowly made their way inside the cosy cavern that was once home to the 5th Espada. They all sat down in a circle on the sandy ground, some shifting uncomfortably while others tried their best not to get their outfits dirty. Weiss and Winter in particular looked the most displeased with the whole thing. Ruby and Summer on the other hand were sporting the complete opposite expressions, that of extreme comfort and content. Ruby chose to sit beside Weiss and Blake, while Summer was sitting beside Yang, Taiyang and Qrow.

"Right. Before I….we're able to explain anything, I think we need to get a few things out of the way first" started Ruby, explaining about Earth itself, and how it was formed after departure of the brother gods, the Soul King, the four realms such as Hell, the Wandenreich, Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, as well as the World of the Living, the nature of the different races and their individual roles. Naturally this meant she had to explain a lot of the basics, such as Spiritual Pressure, reishi, the cycle of reincarnation and death, Zanpakutos, kido and the fact that souls did exist separately from the body in an afterlife. Using the sand below, she drew several figures that assisted in the explanation.

"Soul Society…..Hueco Mundo…..Soul Reapers…..Hollows….." Yang repeated, as if checking if she heard everything right. "That sounds like so much bull-"

"It's….I'm sorry, but it's just so much to take in…." Weiss remarked in disbelief. "So the Grimm here are….actually dead people that became 'corrupted' and are called Hollows? And people are still 'alive' as souls even after they die..? Then they're not really dead are they? And I thought that Hell was just something that religious groups and other myths spoke about as a depiction of a place where sinners go without any actual evidence that it exists….you're telling me that here Hell really does exist..?!"

"I'm more surprised by the fact that there's a whole different life after death, with those in this 'Soul Society' living their own lives different from their life when they were alive. Not to mention, the very notion that these 'Soul Reapers' use weapons which form a part of their own soul. Now that I think about it…..I think we had a similar concept like that in our hometown when our elders used to talk about such beliefs…..'Everything has spirits. The houses. The woods. Forests. Mountains. People. Insects. Plants. Weapons. That's why we respect everything, living or non-living as if they were no different than human lives'. What you say sounds so similar to that…..but of course, I could be wrong" Ren remarked, his hand on his chin.

"A land with four..five different races and yet…..I find it so hard to believe that such a place doesn't have nearly the same amount of conflict and wars as back home…" added Blake. "And that was with just the Faunus and Humans"

"Yeah, like Yang said just moments ago…it all sounds like some fantasy game world…" said Jaune.

"Well I dunno about you guys, but Blakey's ears did disappear here and this one here aged like 10-15 years or something in the blink of an eye. I'd say if that can happen, the idea that we're here in this new world doesn't sound too off…" argued Nora.

"And the people here don't have semblances or aura? No, that's not right, you said humans aren't normally born with high amount of spirit energy, which is technically like Aura. That's…" trailed off Pyrrha.

"And yet, this is a planet where humanity was given the opportunity to flourish in such large numbers, even being able to develop their own different races despite the obvious number of these 'hollows', which are akin to the Grimm we have back in Remnant. And the Soul Reapers are like our own huntsmen, except that they are the souls of the dead, trained in the art of fighting the hollows and helping them turn back into 'pure' souls and find their place in the afterlife…." Repeated Ozpin, lost in thought. "Interesting…."

"Spiritual pressure is akin to aura, which can also be called reishi. And spirit particles are akin to dust, the same material that makes up anything not in the world of humans. IE to say, all of the four realms surrounding them and their inhabitants" noted Glynda, opening her scroll and taking notes, her passion for education and her role as a teacher in Beacon taking over and showing. It was surprising however that scrolls did indeed work, though from the lack of any signal bars she could indeed tell they weren't in a place that was within the CCT's network, which in itself was surprising as well.

"And you're tellin' me we're now in this 'Hueco Mundo', right? The same place which is basically the homeworld of the Grimm of this world….and that all of these things here are spirit matter. Basically the same thing as dust" said Qrow, running his hand through the sands. "But the dust here doesn't just 'explode' and seems to be no different than ordinary sand…."

"Then…this pressure I sense from all of you….that's Aura I'm sensing?" asked Winter, looking from side to side. "No, you called it 'spiritual pressure' correct?" Ruby nodded her head.

"I know it sounds like a bedtime story, so here, why don't I give you a small demonstration" chirped Summer, reaching inside her Shinigami robes and putting on a red glove with a fiery blue, flame design embroidered on it. With no warning, she punched straight through Taiyang, and in that instant, something truly strange seemed to happen. It was as if Summer passed right through her husband, pushing out what appeared to be another identical copy of him. But this Tai had a chain connected to his chest, with the other end of the chain connecting to the other Taiyang, who now appeared to be unconscious.

"Wh..wh..what just..?" he stammered, looking at his hands. He couldn't explain why, but the chain on his chest was beginning to hurt, if only slightly. He felt the urge to yank it out, and that feeling was growing stronger slowly.

"The…dad…you've…! Mom just..!" exclaimed Yang.

"Woah there's two Ruby's dad's!" chirped Nora.

"That looks like when I use my semblance…" observed Blake.

"Wait are we just going to ignore the fact that crazy mom lady totally punched him like it was nothing…?' asked Jaune.

"Right now, what you're seeing is his soul. That chain is the chain of fate, that connects your living body to your soul. Right now, because they're connected you're not dead yet. You could say you're in a coma of sorts. But when you die, that chain is severed and it starts corroding with time" explained Ruby, taking out her Zanpakuto. "But using a Zanpakuto, also called a 'Soul Cutter', I can perform a ritual to send you off peacefully to the afterlife. But if that chain fully corrodes, you'll be left with a hole there, one that represents your regrets and unfulfilled wishes. And as I explained before, that's what a hollow is. That hole represents that emptiness of your soul and you also get a mask, which represents the fact that you've 'closed off' all of your emotions and anything that made you human, leaving only your bare instincts. So in that sense, unlike the Grimm, Hollows DO have souls" explained Ruby. Then, Summer helped Taiyang go back into his own body.

"Whoa…..I don't think I'm ever forgetting that again….that was…so weird…" he admitted, clutching his own body protectively. "Honey, next time give me a little warning will you…" he smiled awkwardly, rubbing his head.

"Actually, I stand corrected. There ARE some humans with special abilities that are drawn from their own soul. And each one is unique to themselves. Kinda like a semblance. My little Tsuki has one, as do Orihime and Chad. It could be anything like materializing a suit that allows you to create flaming projectiles and punches, or something that allows you to heal and reverse things. In fact, I think if you tried to use your semblance, something similar might happen" explained Ruby. "Pyrrha…..why don't you try?"

"You mean…use my semblance…?" asked the red head, to which Ruby nodded. Hesitantly, she then tried calling upon the same sensation as she did when using her semblance on her weapons. Surprisingly, her entire outfit was glowing with an amber-red hue, as were her weapons that were now levitating, earning her raised eyes and 'oohs' from her friends.

"So I was right. In that sense, humans of Remnant are 'blessed'. We are born with semblances, unlike humans here who are not always born with high spiritual abilities. Though I suspect one would still need to unlock their semblance before being able to use it here" said Ruby.

Nobody said anything more, and were merely taking the time to either digest everything she told them before or accept that whatever she told them was indeed true, and that they really were in another world, as unbelievable as it was.

"Hold on, you said that this was the world of the 'Hollows' right? Then is it really alright just stay here? What if we are attacked?" questioned Ironwood with caution.

"Don't worry Jimmy boya. We're safe here. You don't know this yet, but this is where my honey bun spent a good deal of her life. And she's one of the most powerful beings present here. No hollow would dare just waltz in" assured Summer with a smile.

"Spent a good deal of your life here….?" Asked Yang, raising her eyes. Ruby sighed.

"One of the most powerful people present..?" wondered Pyrrha.

"Well, now that you know some of the basics, I can get stated I suppose" started Ruby, going over all of the things that took place after finding herself on Earth, a tale, the same way she did to her siblings nearly 2 years ago and once more to her siblings, Rukia, Unohana and the rest soon after. Beginning with her arrival, roaming around after her encounter with Cinder at the tower, complete exhaustion following her failure to save Pyrrha and then finding herself in the desert of Hueco Mundo. She then got up, asking the rest to follow after. They exited the cave, walking around it until they reached a small opening around the cave entrance to another hidden chamber. And within it, as if nothing had changed in several years lay the solitary grave illuminated by the moonlight flittering from above. Tier Harribel's sword arm from her Vasto Lorde state formed the headstone, around which was wrapped a ragged and fading familiar looking red cloak.

"…and after that, we did eventually get around to giving my body a proper burial. I remember how grateful I was that big-sis took off her own sword arm for me. It still maintains a special place in my heart. But you know, now it feels really weird. I'm right here after all. And…..it's not normal to be looking on your own grave, is it ahahaha!" she chuckled weakly, hoping to keep things on a positive note.

There were few things she said without any apprehension. Such as the fact that while she as a Plus soul was devoured by a Gillian, which she explained was similar to an Elder Grimm, and that the Menos were made up of three classes, namely Gillians, Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde, with each one being more powerful than the last.

There were, however, a lot of things Ruby skipped. The fact that Menos were essentially hollows consisting of hundreds of human souls and that each adjuchas had to eat adjuchas level hollows on a daily basis to sustain themselves were things Ruby left out completely. She knew of just how much her friends and family had to digest in just one day, and so she hoped not to sour the mood even further by including things she felt were not really necessary.

But the mood was anything but lighthearted. Yang for one, looked as if there was but a single sliver of reason holding her back from breaking down completely. She reached out for the headstone, specifically at the faded read cloak wrapped around it, caressing it slowly.

"B….but that…that can't be…" Weiss muttered weekly. "You're…you're right here..! You even said that your 'adult' form was your soul and that this was your body! So then how is your body buried there?!"

"And….you said….you said you became a hollow….does that mean….that you became a Gr…Gri….Grimm..?" Blake asked her, finding it hard to actually complete her sentence.

"…..th…that can't…..my Ruby can't be….." whispered Yang in a small voice. "Hey…..sis…please tell me that's not…you're not Grimm are you…..?" she asked with pleading eyes.

"Sweetheart…." Called out Tai with a downcast expression, trying to console his eldest(?) daughter.

Ruby sighed with a solemn expression. "Everyone…I know it sounds bad. But Hollows are NOT Grimm, no matter the similarities between them. I cannot stress just how different the two are. The Grimm are just mindless creatures created from Remnant's spirit particles, without souls or emotions. But Hollows ARE made up of souls. And they ARE fundamentally different from the Grimm. While most hollows are slaves to their instincts, higher level hollows such as Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde are anything but mindless. They're all just as human as you and me, atleast as far as certain things are concerned. And…." She said, reaching for her Espada uniform and slowly unzipping her shirt.

"Hey now…what're you…yo..you can't just..!" called out Jaune, flustered. But the 5th Espada continued on unabated. And once her hand was a little below her stomach, she parted her half open shirt sideways, allowing them to see the one thing that stood out most clearly compared to the rest. Many of their mouths went agape in shock and horror, while some cringed in unease.

"A…a…a…a…hole…..!" stammered Weiss, covering her gaping, horrified mouth with her hands.

"….! R…Ru..Ruby…..is…wh..what is that…hole…!" stammered Yang, falling down flat on her legs.

"I am…..a hollow. No matter what form I have, or how I look like, I will always be a hollow. And it is something very dear to me. But…..I am also a human. I have a human body now. But even without one, I still think of myself as a human being, with a family, friends and things to protect" said Ruby.

A stunned wave of silence passed through them. Some narrowed their eyes at Ruby in unease and discomfort, as well as caution. Such as Ironwood. Winter and Glynda. But some did so in sympathy. Such as Taiyang, Qrow, Blake and Pyrrha. And some others simply in bafflement. Such as Weiss and Yang.

"You said….hollows were corrupted souls, souls that were slaves to their instincts to hunt and devour other normal souls. And you just confirmed that you considered yourself a hollow first and foremost. If so…." Started Ironwood cautiously.

"You can lower your guard, general. I am a hollow, but I am a very different kind of hollow. For one, I still possess all of my reasoning and am not bound by them. And no, I have no interest in 'devouring any souls'. So, you can be rest assured" she retorted back. "If you will allow me to continue, you'll understand"

Though still shocked and surprised, Yang did feel a slight twinge of relief.

"Question! Say…that…uh..it looks painful….it doesn't hurt, does it?" asked Jaune.

"?. No, it doesn't .I don't feel anything actually. In fact, I can even enjoy eating and drinking food or drinks, despite having a hole in my stomach. Even I don't know how that's possible but hey, technically having a hole in my body is strange in itself" answered Ruby casually.

"How's that even make any sens-"

"Can I touch it?" asked Nora excitedly.

"Sure, go ahead" gave Ruby her approval, following which the orange haired girl wasted no time in trying to feel around Ruby's stomach, passing her hands through and trying to feel the corners.

"How weird…! It IS a hole but around the corner, it feels just like skin!" she chimed.

"What..?! Hold on, let me see as well!" said Weiss, coming over along with the rest of her friends who took their time feeling around Ruby's hollow hole as the adults watched surprised.

Eventually, Ozpin, Glynda, Tai, Qrow and even Winter came forward to do the same. It did help in lowering the tension in the air, with how casual Ruby was about it. Qrow even made a joke about how he never thought he'd find a woman with an extra 'hole', causing many to go bright red while Winter and Glynda were on his tail.

"Anyways, I didn't have the same form as I do now. As a hollow, I looked more similar to a grimm in shape. I had a mask like this one" she said, pointing to her head. "And a hole too. I took on the form of a cheetah as an adjuchas. But the most important thing was, at that point, I had company for the first time. They were my real family when I had no memory of myself or who I was. There were good times, there were bad times. Time passed by and I thought these days would stay forever. But then….one day, I was captured by a scientist. He was an arrancar, a being that is born when a soul reaper and a hollow, two opposite beings merge together. Similar to if you can imagine a Grimm and a human or faunus merging together. They have characteristics of both races. A half broken mask to indicate their hollow nature and a hole, as well as a zanpakuto which is the signature weapon of a soul reaper. But their power is another story altogether. Stronger than even the strongest of hollows or soul reapers. So you can see why at the time, even as an adjuchas, there was nothing I could do" she said.

"A half broken mask….a hole….and a zanpakuto…but almost sounds like…" started Pyrrha, observing Ruby. "Like you look right now….."

"…" Ruby merely acknowledged Pyrrha's question by sparing her a glance, before continuing on with her explanation. She then spoke of her time with Szayelaporro, her transformation into a vasto lorde and her time in hell with Reiji, all the way up until meeting Summer. And as before, there were a lot of things Ruby kept from mentioning. Such as all of the times she'd been tortured and all of the times she'd died and any and all of the suffering she went through, merely summarizing it all as 'a period of constant fighting and struggles'.

"…I think that was by far the toughest duration of my life, not to mention the training from master himself. It's where I learnt how to use swords for one. I would find out much, much later with the help of a trusted friend that I stayed in Hell for nearly 4-5 years. But at the end of it, I was ready to move on and leave. And that was no joke either. Constant and nonstop fighting, with almost no allies and no rest, you can't imagine how much I tried to make it through and how determined I was to get back. And in the end, I did succeed. I was finally at the last layer. I still wasn't sure how I'd leave, but at that point, I didn't care. And then…..I found mom" she finished.

All eyes were now on Summer, who was looking sheepishly at them. Perhaps it was how much was going on with Ruby herself that the thought never occurred to them to ask about how Summer fit in all of what was happening.

"Ahahahah well….I…uh…might have forgotten to mention that I was actually the first one here. You know, you remember that mission I said I was going to? Before I…uh…'died'? Yeeaaah….I may have actually….gone to Salem….to put an end to things back then….but it's cool, it's cool! She spent a good deal of time telling me all of the things about Ozzy boy and herself. I even felt bad for poor mommy Salami….but then she totally became mean! She started attacking me and I had no choice but to fight back! And I was so nice to her! I even had to use my silver eyes to make my escape, and I was thinking 'Aah~~that's it, it's a mother's life for me, screw everything else~~'. I thought I would just be back at Patch with my adorable husband and cute little daughters but instead I find myself in the Soul Society!" she chimed, waving her hands enthusiastically, pouting and chirping all the way through her explanation while making dramatic, exaggerated actions.

There was a moment of pent up silence, before half the audience erupted in a mixed bag of emotions summarized in just one sentence.

"YOU WHAT…?!"

Qrow closed in on Summer, almost pushing her to the wall. "You WENT to Salem after ALL of us specifically told you NOT to do something STUPID? For FUCKS sake, the FUCK were you thinking dumbass!"

"Jeez, Q-kun, you needn't shout you know! And for the record, I was quite alright! I could've handled her you know….I think. If not for her fancy magic, I'd say as far as weapons and swords go, she's definitely not a fighter. And well, she seems to have some fetish for silver eyed people, she wouldn't stop asking me to join her!" Summer pouted, pushing Qrow back gently.

"Stop treatin' this like this some sort of game…!" scolded Qrow, whacking her in the head.

"Honey….h…how…could you just go without even telling me…?" asked Taiyang.

"Ow ow ow…I mean…I didn't want to involve anyone else in Ozzy boy's and Mommy Salami's divorce falling out you know…..so sorry if all I wanted was to keep my kids safe…" she whimpered in a fake manner, making crocodile tears and then grabbing Yang. "Daaaarrlliiing, your uncle and papa are bullying mama, save me~~!"

"M..mom I…I'm..!" Yang tried to back away, but met unusual resistance from her mother who kept her close to her and started caressing and rubbing her face against Yang's. The blonde never thought the day would come when she would be so overwhelmed by everything that was going on in front of her that she would voluntarily try to get away from her mother, the same person who meant the world to her.

Right now, with everything that Ruby was telling them and everything Summer was telling them, not to mention just how MUCH her mother had changed, Yang wanted nothing more than to get as far away as possible from everyone, bury underground and go into hibernation until she could calm down, organize her thoughts and come to terms with everything. Because right now, she was simply out of emotions and energy to react to anything more. And she could tell it was the same with everyone else. There was simply too much going on for them to continue acting surprised or taken aback.

"That's not…..Summer….I have to tell you that I'm rather….ahem…..unsure with you phrasing it that way. Not to mention calling nicknames at our most detested and dangerous enemy…" Ozpin mentioned deadpanned, clearing his throat.

"I'm just telling you what I felt back then. I don't think that way now you know. I rather feel bad for you now. Both you and Salem have my sympathy. But you know, whatever the case, I ended up in the Soul Society thanks to an unfortunate set of circumstances. Talk about the plot thickening! And I'm thrown in the middle of a war between the Soul Reapers and the Quincy! You can see how messed up that was, I mean I was just an innocent young girl seeking out her true love and her daughters. Instead I end up becoming a Soul Reaper without much of a choice and end up helping them fight the Quincy. Not to mention ending up with a murderous, battle crazy maniac for a best friend. I mean, seriously! She was unhinged, that woman! She used to heal people up just so that she could hack away at them again! But well, ta-da! A few months with super fighting robot Summer-chan and Yachi became my best friend ever! She even turned down her crazy meter, so you could say she was definitely moving into the 'danger zone' part of the 'Crazy-hot' matrix from the 'No-Go' zone, which in itself is a big improvement if you ask me. Still, don't be hitting on her anytime soon if you still want to keep your feathers, you hear me Q-kun? Well anyway, I was fighting that war and I got a lot stronger as a Soul Reaper. I thought I'd get to take Yachi with me to look for my cozy little home after the war. And then, the final boss appeared! Well, he was atleast for me. Arturo the arse-…arrogant! Yeah, Arturo the arrogant, let's go with that! Now doesn't that sound like a villain right out of Lord of the Rings or something! But alas, Summer-chan isnt the main protagonist of this story, so obviously I ended up using my silver eyes to escape again and this time, I got isekaied again and found myself in Hell. Sigh….at this point, I can only say just how underwhelming it is that my silver eyes were reduced to nothing more than a replacement for truck-kun. But sadly, I didn't get any mad powerup like Isekai protags do. Instead, I had to stay there for a really loooooong time until to my surprise, I found my honey bun there!" she jumped with a fake 'O' face, her hands on her chin and her eyes wide.

A vein popped in Ruby's head after she pulled her eccentric mother away by the ear, away from the rest while she continued to sport a lopsided expression on her face as she did.

"Mom, you're going to make them even more confused! Look at them, dad looks like he's never seen you before and is having second thoughts about you hanging on to Yang! And uncle Qrow has this expression I never thought I'd ever see on him! The professor looks like he's going to call the asylum on us both and Glynda looks as if we're a bunch of deranged maniacs who're as high as kites!" she scolded, albeit in a deadpanned manner.

"Anyways, what mom told you did indeed happen, even if she phrased it that way. I never thought I'd find mom there. But the final guardian of the realm of Hell wasn't having it. And I was having a rough time to say the least. After he attacked, I…..ahem, 'used my silver eyes' once more, which was one of the few things that could resist the powers of those in Hell. It helped me in my broken state to finally leave Hell, but as a side effect, I found myself becoming an arrancar after fusing with mom and Crescent Rose. Mom was a soul reaper and I was a hollow. So I became an arrancar" Ruby then continued to talk elaborately about her time in the World of the Living, including her time bonding with the Kurosaki family and how over time, they all became just as close to her real family.

"I couldn't see mom despite knowing she was a part of me. But they were always with me despite all the trauma I had to go through. Heh…it's funny. It was my first time going through what it meant to be a big sister. I would always wonder if this is how you'd have felt, Yang" she told her fondly.

"…."

"But soon enough, it was second nature. They were…my family. We stayed that way for a whole year. Just in time for Urahara-san to help me get back here. But….one day…just before Ichigo's birthday…..Masaki died…..and…..I couldn't do anything to save her, despite all of the power I had. It…it was too much. She as the one person I'd have given anything to save. But….it simply wasn't meant to be. Unable to stand being in that place that reminded me of my own failure and also because of my inability to face my siblings, I left for Hueco Mundo without telling my siblings who knew nothing. I promised I would take care of the time. Back here….when I thought I would never be able to form another bond again, that was when I was finally able to talk to mom" mentioned Ruby.

"Ah…."

"….."

"Things were relatively calmer after that in my opinion, although my struggles were hardly done" Ruby then went on in a continuous spree, talking about her reunion with her friends, finding her once dear home taken over by Soul Reapers and all of her time, thoughts and days under Aizen's rule of Hueco Mundo, all the way up to finally reuniting with her siblings 6 years later and their combined struggles that finally led to their fateful tale concluding with Aizen's defeat.

"Aah~it feels like it was just yesterday even though that happened almost 2 years ago. A time span that was so short to me, big-sis and everyone else but was more priceless than any time we'd ever spent in all of our lives. I lived with Ichi, Kari and Yuzu, while big-sis and everyone else found pleasure in doing other things and finally getting to experience what it was to be human. A feeling that they'd lost many centuries ago. I was just glad I could let them experience that again. And then, I found myself being summoned by the entity who brought me and mom here in the first place. Well, you can only imagine both of our surprises when we find out that it was actually the God of Darkness" Ruby finished, breathing out slowly.

"Th…The God of Darkness…..?!" exclaimed Ozpin. "That….how is that…why would he…?!"

"…in his own way, the God of Darkness wanted to give both of the worlds the brothers had created a chance to be something they could not together. And to that intent, he chose mom and me as 'players' on the board he created. Atleast that's how I see it. Our silver eyes and all of the people we met eventually led to a conclusion that averted one immediate crisis. As well as the inevitable doom of Remnant from Salem's hands. But the God of Darkness is all about Karma, about balance. For us to be where we were with our abilities, he wanted us to earn it ourselves through out struggles. Pay a price, so as to say. But in the end, it paid off" she explained, "And he showed us just how much we changed the fate of Remnant. In one future, with me gone, things collapse around us, for each one of us, only to spiral into an inevitable doom. And even in the future where I did not come to Earth, the same thing happens. Eventually, Salem is responsible for summoning the gods, who after seeing all of the strife and conflict still present, decide to destroy Remnant anyways, leaving Salem in the empty void of space for all eternity. That's how I know about some of the things that happens in the future, in addition to the things that already happened before I came back in time. But thanks to our efforts, the God of Darkness decided to give us the opportunity to go back in time and inhabit my own body, with all of my memories and experiences intact, so that I could do what I couldn't before. The rest…..you already know" she ultimately finished, her throat dry from talking for so long, thirst and fatigue creeping in.

There was an utterly heavy, suffocating silence. Some were hanging their heads, their expressions unreadable. Some others were simply clutching themselves. Her own teammates refused to look at each other or even at Ruby for that matter, merely opting to look down. All of the things they'd seen earlier and felt made so much more sense now. Such as how Summer was still alive within Ruby. Or why Ruby was as strong as she was. And all of her abilities they'd witnessed her make use of. And even her current appearance and why she turned into a faunus, which by itself was a whole new topic for debate. And yet, nobody was willing to speak a word. But Ruby and Summer both could sense them all, their emotions and feelings, and it told them more than enough.

"I will…go and return with my body.." said Ruby, slowly getting up and going towards the cave entrance. "She was inhabiting it temporarily, so it might be a while before I'm able to find her and come back. Please…..take your time until I do.."

"…..I'll go along, it'll be easier to look for her that way.." added Summer.

Before actually exiting, Ruby stopped and without turning her head she said, "I know…..it sounds like a lot has happened. And that it has. But before I go….I just want to say that….despite all of the things I've had to go through, it was not all that bad. I still think I was quite fortunate. No matter where I was, there was always someone there for me. And in the later parts of my life, I was never alone. I had a family, friends and other allies to count on. I don't think of myself as someone deserving pity, empathy or sympathy. Because I gained a lot more than I lost. So….all that I ask is that you not dwell on what I said too much. I've already crossed those paths in my life and I'm over them. There's no reason that you need to dwell on something that I myself don't. Because I didn't tell you all this just so that you could feel sorry for me. I told you this so that you don't feel left out of my life. Because you are and always will be dear to me" and then, the two left.

Nobody even bothered to ask who 'she' was who was inhabiting Ruby's 'body'. There were far too many things for them to process already so the thought of it didn't even occur. After the longest of pauses, Nora finally broke the silence.

"….so…..um…..what now…?" she asked.

Jaune spared a silence glance at Nora. "….where….do we even start with this…"

"….in the end, you were right, Pyrrha…" grimaced Ren. "We….there's truly no way we could have….ever understood her….."

"…it's too cruel…..to be forced to follow such a path in one's life…..without having any choice….even if she says she had a fruitful end…it still won't erase everything else she had to live through…" muttered the red head sadly.

"Why….?! Why her…..!" scowled Weiss, clenching her teeth, tears almost leaking from her face due to frustration and sadness. "….this is….it's just unfair….I wish….I wish I was there to….!"

"There to what…?" asked Blake blankly, staring at Weiss. "What could you have possibly done..? I doubt ANY of us could have EVER persisted as she did…..she may have been naïve, childish and at times inexperienced…but there was a reason why she was our leader…."

"Then you're telling me that I should just ACCEPT all of this?! That it was completely FINE for Ruby to go through all that and I shouldn't try to do anything about my own friend?!" shouted the white haired girl. "Just how selfish can you be-"

"No…I just said that not you, I or anyone else are eligible to put ourselves in her shoes. I won't do something as hypocritical as try and show myself as someone who knows her for who she is, even after everything she told us. What I WILL try to accept is the fact that she is….no, that WE are simply too different from her. There is no way….that we can ever see things the same way ever again. Ever. But even so, what I WILL do is be by her side regardless of her feelings and my own. THAT is how I intend to respect everything she's had to go through. I…may have run away from my problems before. I may have been such a coward that I've never tried to face my problems head on as she did. But I've NEVER done so in an attempt to involve those I care about. And I don't ever plan to. But what would a sheltered princess like you ever know about the hardships of what people like us have to go through?" she commented with a blank look in her eyes.

"How dare you...you dont get to judge me considering what the likes of you and what your kind back there did to my family" retorted Weiss. "After all, you were part of them, werent you?"

"Oh you pampered little bitch!" within seconds, there was a flash of black as the faunus girl lunged at the younger Schnee sibling, her hands roughly grabbing the girl by her shoulders as the rolled around.

"That's ENOUGH! Cease this at once!" roared Glynda. Pyrrha and Nora then tried to separate the two, with Pyrrha grabbing the white haired girl and Nora grabbing the other.

"Whoa whoa whoa, calm down guys! Please….let's not fight!" pleaded Nora, holding back Blake as much as she could. Neither Blake and Weiss were stronger than Nora or Pyrrha in terms of pure power, so it didn't take too much effort for the two to restrain the two girls of team RWBY. But even under their hold, Blake and Weiss were glaring daggers and hissing at each other.

"Miss Belladonna, that's ENOUGH!" snapped Glynda, appearing in front of Blake. "There is no doubt that what you have heard today about your companion is unsettling, disturbing and beyond cruel! And I understand that you have your own thoughts and own way to cope with your sorrows! However, blaming others for having different views and how they tackle their own sorrows regarding Miss Rose's life is a rather low thing to do yourself, especially after stating that you have no desire to step into Miss Rose's shoes to understand her. Calm yourself!"

"WEISS! BELLADONNA!" roared Winter in a similar manner, approaching and stepping in front of her sister. "Is that truly how you plan to show yourself to her? She persevered through a heinous journey spanning many years all by herself just so that her friends and family could live, and yet, this is how you plan to repay her? By fighting with each other over your conflicted beliefs and your need to disprove the other over her behalf, something that she asked you NOT to do? Have neither of you taken away anything from what she has said? Even if her life has been incomprehensible to you, there should be no doubt that all of her suffering was so that she never had to see her friends bicker and fight over her! Weiss, where was the composure and clarity you had whenever we've had to face difficult situations because of our family? Or when members of the Schnee family were hunted down and assassinated by countless others? Because THAT would certainly help here! I never thought you would sink so low as to insult your own teammate for what they are. You are in pain, in grief and in a helpless state over not being there for those you hold dear to you. Pray do not let a momentary lapse in judgement push yourself away from her ever further than she already is" finished Winter softly, a subtle gentleness in her ice-cold demeanor, her brows arching upwards in a sympathetic expression.

The two looked away in shame and in distress. Their words stung, especially since each of them had gone against their own words and lashed out in an ugly manner, in a time when they were supposed to be there for each other. But they were soon distracted when they heard the silent sobbing coming from another corner of the room. Sitting and clutching herself protectively, unaware of everything else happening around her was Yang, sobbing silently to herself. Her fingers were digging into her skin, and her eyes were red, irises or otherwise. There was so much pain, frustration and helplessness that it was painful to look at Yang reduced to such a state. She was muttering to herself constantly, without paying any heed to what was happening around her.

Qrow and Taiyang tried reaching out to her, with Taiyang's arms reaching out first. But before his arms could wrap themselves around the blonde, two other sets did so first. Yang gave a silent gasp, looking up to the two faces pressed against her own.

"Sorry I was gone for so long…" breathed Ruby, comforting Yang. "But please….dont be sad. I don't want to see you that way ever. I know….you're upset that I've had to go through a lot. But I'm really fine now. We'll all be fine. And I'm not leaving you ever again. So don't cry Yang….dry your tears….here…don't cry….it's alright"

But that in itself appeared to be a trigger for the blonde, who just bawled, burying her head further into Ruby's chest.

"But….but….it's not….I didn't want to…..you're my sister….I was supposed to be there…..but you had to…and….I…I always thought I would watch you grow, right by your side….doing things and going on missions with Weiss, Blake and everyone else…..I thought I'd get to watch you grow up, graduate, find someone to…to..love….marry, have kids….and…..and….but now…..it's not….." she sobbed, pain and frustration evident with each word.

"You're wrong Yang…." said the 5th Espada slowly, vigorously nodding. "You were there…..all of you…you didn't leave my thoughts for one moment. I was always thinking back about you and how I'd finally get to go home one day. Because of that, I could survive torture, survive Hell itself. So thank YOU for being there for me" she said, looking at everyone in the room.

"Ruby….."

"That's….."

"That….you're just saying that to console me.." argued Yang tearfully. "That's not really true…..I wasn't there….we couldn't be there…"

"Mhm mhm.." Ruby shook her head. "This wasn't your fault. This was nobody's fault. Just having you in my mind and in my memories gave me the reason to keep going. And I'm only saying the truth. In fact….I'm just happy that I can do something for you, take care of you after everything you've done for me since mom left us" Ruby then softly planted a kiss on Yang's forehead. "So thank you…for listening to me today and being there in my thoughts always. If anything…..I'm sorry that I went ahead and became an old lady before you did…"

With that last sentence, the finality of the situation in front of Yang truly sunk in, and like a dam bursting open, Yang Xiao Long's composure broke completely as she let out a primal wail, tears dripping down her face. The sister she knew was gone. Just like that. There was no changing that fact. That young, carefree, shy and reserved little girl would never, ever come back. She couldn't even remember the last thing she spoke with her before she ended up this way. She would never watch her become an adult, take her first steps into the outside world, watch her go on her first date or ever get the opportunity to simply sit back one day and look back at their years at the academy. But more importantly, she would never, ever get to play the part of a big sister ever again, the one thing that made it possible for her to persevere through any difficult situation in life.

"…..sorry….." muttered Blake towards Weiss.

"…as am I….." came her reply, as she witnessed the scene between the two sisters with a bitter expression. They felt stupid and thoughtless when they recalled the fight that broke out between them. In the end, in that moment, neither had truly cared for anyone but their own feelings and their own pain.

"…..'But right now they're still children, so why not let them play the part? After all, it isn't a role they'll have forever'….headmaster…..You said those words to me when I thought they were being too playful and not taking things seriously. I never thought I would get to witness the meaning behind those words in such a way….." questioned the disciplinarian as she watched the scene with difficult eyes.

Ozpin eyed his assistant with a sympathetic look. "….when you live as long as I do, the years seem to pass by ever so quickly with each passing moment. To someone who has lived for millennia, even the lifespan of a human being is but a small, small fraction of their entire life. And as such, to such people, the entirety of someone's life appears to come and go in the blink of an instant. What you're seeing now is a truth I've spent many years accepting but children like them should never have to do the same at their age…."

"It is why we fight and we put our lives on the line for….so that those after us will never have to live in a world where children can no longer be children…" commented Ironwood.

"…..whenever Winter used to go away on missions, it used to be months…at times more than a whole year before I could see her…..even though I had Klein to support me and the other Schnee family servants….she was….the only real family I had…..and every time she would be a lot different than I remembered her. Older, at times colder, at times distant, at times a lot wearier and even a lot more caring at times as well. But she would never be the same person compared to the last time I would see her…..and this was when she used to be away for just a few months to an year…..I can't…imagine just how much she's going through right now…." Commented Weiss, her head down and her eyes glancing at Ruby and Yang.

Winter came round, putting her arm around Weiss protectively. "Yes….and though what she had gone through doesn't compare to my own situation….the feeling of wanting to fight on for your family and for your sister…that much I do understand….and it is one that I can truly commend her for.."

Yang didn't know how long she stayed that way. All in all, she could only remember being in her sister and mother's embraces for a long time, with her teammates just as teary eyed. Perhaps it was half an hour. Or perhaps it had been longer than that. But finally, she simply didn't have the strength to cry any more, and had no more tears to spare.

"Let it all out sis and don't ever think about what happened to me ever again. Because look on the bright side" smiled Ruby "Mom is finally home, after so many years. And we'll all be a real family again. Isn't that great? And lucky for you, I still have a younger body. Meaning you haven't totally missed out everything. See? Isn't that nice? So go on, smile for me" she urged her, giving her a soft fistbump on the shoulder.

"*sniff* Y..yeah.." The blonde returned a small, teary smile of her own. Ruby wiped away the remaining tears on her face with her sleeves.

"Ge..get off, I'm still the elder one…I wont let my baby sister console me even if she's older than me…" scoffed Yang playfully, giving Ruby a playful and defiant shove. Though her voice did choke a bit from all the crying and Yang still calming down, there was no doubt that she was starting to feel a little better. Ruby watched her sister with a look of mild surprise, and then vigorously rubbed her head with a wide grin on her face.

"Ahh~ahh you two are shooo cuuutee!" cooed Summer, rubbing her head against both of them.

"Hey what's this? You're gonna leave out your poor uncle out of all this? You know, I had it pretty rough too with my shitty sister acting all pompous and this oaf becoming a shut-in and you two girls away under ol' Oz" waved Qrow casually, pointing to Taiyang. "When all I got was getting thrown from one secret mission to another with no idea when I'd-whoa!" Before he could finish his sentence, the blonde-haired girl yanked him down, hugging him tight.

"Well….now isnt that nice" commented Tai with a small smile in his face as he watched the two girls now share their moment with their uncle.

"It sure is, my shut-in adorable dear hubby! Come here, you!" yelled Summer, leaving the girls with their uncle, going up to Taiyang, grabbing him and locking her lips with his. The ex-huntsman's eyes went wide as his brain tried to process what just happened, but soon found himself returning her kiss. But the wholesome looks the others had on their faces would soon turn completely red when Summer felt the need to show just a little more enthusiasm behind her kiss with a ravenous look on her face.

Blake had her eyes covered with her fingers but made sure to create a small opening to sneak a peek. Winter sported an embarrassed blush of her own and covered Weiss's eyes, much to the latter's disappointment. Jaune was a bumbling mess, and Pyrrha was having trouble separating the scene in front of her from her own fantasies wherein Summer and Taiyang were replaced with herself and Jaune. Ren had a smirk on his face, while Glynda facepalmed to herself with an annoyed blush on her own face. The general remained stone faced and Ozpin could do nothing but chuckle.

"It is said that the meek always hide the strongest of punches.." he mused to himself.

"Oh for god's sake, get a room! There are children here!" scolded Glynda exasperated. Summer let go of her husband, who was still in a daze and looked up at the ceiling as if his brain had given up trying to understand what happened.

"I see little miss dominatrix still has trouble finding herself a man…" smirked Summer, playfully teasing and jabbing Glynda. "You know…..if you'd like, I can show you the ropes" she winked, making a symbol with her fingers. The disciplinarian fiercely blushed, pushing her away.

"Oh the brother gods be praised, cleanse my ears and eyes, that was the worst joke I've ever heard..!" she shrieked in embarrassment, causing a ring of laughter around them. Yang in particular since she never expected that her mother would take up on her and her father's habit of making puns.

"That reminds me...how old ARE you exactly?" asked Weiss. "You were atleast here for a few years if not more so then..."

"Ah you're right...well, there were some parts when I was unsure how much time had passed since places like here and Hell dont really have a way to tell time but with Urahara-san's help I was able to find out. I turned 30 not too long ago" replied Ruby. As before there was a stunned silence, mostly from the teens. The girls had their mouths agape while the boys, albeit were surprised, didn't react as much as the girls did.

"THIRTY?!" they cried out in unison.

"No way...! You've been here...for almost 15 years then!" exclaimed Weiss. "That's..." she said slowly, when the revelations of such a thing finally hit her.

"30...that's...that means you're almost...twice as old as us..." repeated Yang slowly, her voice going down slowly.

"...wow...I just..." Blake muttered "...it's odd to think that my teammate and my friend is someone who's closer to my parents in age than I am to her..."

Nora as before felt the need to come to the rescue and raise their spirits. "Wowser...30 huh...that IS old...still, you dont look a day over 25! I have a hard time believing you've been here that long"

"Oh that? Well, since I'm in soul form, I pretty much won't age...atleast not normally. I'm still not sure though. Souls have a very different criteria for 'aging' but it seems to do with 'spiritual growth'. In my case, I've pretty much been this way for almost 9 years or so" answered Ruby, causing the girls to go wide eyed with awe and surprise.

"EEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"You...don't age as a soul...!?"

"Wait really?! That means...you'll look that young even when you're an old hag...?! Now I'm jealous!" chimed the orange haired girl.

"Is...is that true Miss Rose..?!" questioned Glynda with a sudden burst of interest. Ruby nodded. "Then...hmm...perhaps I should remain in soul form as well..." she thought to herself, causing a whole new discussion amongst the women, while Jaune and Ren watched the scene deadpanned.

Once the situation was somewhat relaxed and relatively calmer, Ruby had one last surprise for them.

"There's just one more thing I need to show.." she said. "I was talking about her before, but I thought it would be better for me to wait for things to calm down a little. But now is as good a time as any to bring her out.."

"Her…?" asked Yang, curious. Ruby held out her zanpakuto, and a misty light manifested in front of her, and standing there, with a dull cloak covering her, big round golden eyes, rosy cheeks, appearing to be 8-9 years old with dark red hair tied in twin braids was a young girl who immediately hid behind Ruby, sneaking a peek from behind her.

"Guys….meet my daughter, Crescent" Ruby introduced her with a smile. "Come on sweetie, go on! Don't be shy!"

Collective gasps rang out from around her as the shy, mute girl slowly crept out of her hiding spot, urged by her mother, eyeing them slowly, keeping her head tucked into her cloak.

"D..d…da….daughter…?!" exclaimed Yang, completely surprised.

"Oh my gosh…" began Pyrrha in a silent whisper, placing her hands over her mouth.

"She's your what now…?!" began Qrow softly and in surprise.

"Hold on….did she just appear out of thin air from a magical mist…?" questioned Jaune.

"She's. So. SQUISHY!" screamed Nora excitedly, immediately cutting everyone off and diving towards Crescent, her two hands closing in on her like a pair of claws. Disappointment immediately welled up within her when she realized her hands were grabbing each other and not the squishy, rosy cheeks of the hooded girl.

"Hah….? Where'd she…?" Nora looked around, only to see the girl eyeing her cautiously from behind Summer. "Found ya….come here you!" The orange haired girl charged once more, missing yet again and falling flat behind Summer.

"Keep going!" Summer egged the girl, patting her. This time Crescent was hugging the legs of Glynda, who was watching the young girl with a flustered and confused expression. Her hands were itching to grab the girl for herself, but she would soon lose her chance when Nora dove again in a vain attempt to catch the girl.

"Alright you two, that's enough" called out Ruby sighing, picking up Nora in one hand and Crescent in the other, who was dangling from her mother's hand with an unchanged expression. "Ahahaha I'm happy you want to play with her Nora, but you might want to approach her with a little less enthusiasm, she's a bit shy around people" she advised, dropping Nora next to her team. She then picked up Crescent, placing her in the ground in front of her.

"You said….she was….your daughter...You have a daughter….?!" Gasped Weiss with her mouth agape, a small blush forming on her cheeks.

"How….when…I need details!" demanded a stuttering Blake wildly, blushing as well.

"Whoa kiddo…when the hell did…..you never sent me the invitation to your wedding…who….whom did you hook up with…?" asked Qrow.

Yang began to pound away at her sister, half playfully and half in mild annoyance. "You jerk! You utter ass! How could you keep something like that away from me and wait this long to tell me about it?! Like did you seriously pick attending classes over telling me that you had a freaking daughter!? Who gave you permission to go ahead and make me an aunt?! You. Utter. Shameless. Unbelievable. Jerk. Of a Sister! How could you! You're the worst! Who's the father?! Tell me tell me! I wanna meet him and pound the crap out of him for making my sister into a woman! Arrghghg take this, and this! And this!"

"Ow..oww…ahahahahahaha! Oww….Sis stop it stop it! Kahahahaha! Sorry about that, but I think you're missing something fundamental here. Remember how I mentioned that when I left Hell I absorbed Crescent Rose as well? Actually, since I remade her using spirit material I found in Hell, you could say that she was more than compatible to become a part of my soul, especially as a medium for all of my hell reishi. So yeah, technically she's a part of my soul formed from Crescent Rose but she's my daughter none the less. My sweet little sugar bun. She's a lot like I was when I was younger. And quite the handful too! She loves to play all day long, eat nothing but sweets and most of all, prank everyone. See? In that short duration, she already snitched this from you" Ruby then pried a riding crop from her tiny hands.

"Ah that's mine! When did she..?!" exclaimed Glynda, reaching out for her lost weapon and finding it missing.

"Don't worry professor. She just loves to examine all kinds of different weapons. In fact, I'd even say that she's extra careful with them" assured Ruby. "Anyways, feel free to play with her for a while. I suspect you could use a little break"

Yang heaved a sigh of relief "Oh so that was it….just a part of your soul…for a sec there I thought you got married with some bozo and left you with your kid or something….."

Summer sweatdropped. "I'm…..really surprised you completely glossed over the whole 'Part of the Soul' part sweetie…ehehehe…"

"A…part of your soul….that's…" muttered Pyrrha, inching forward and offering her hand to Crescent, who tilted her head and followed Pyrrha's movements carefully, like a cat turning its head to observe something. Yang, Nora, Jaune, Ren, Weiss, Blake, Taiyang and Qrow came forward, hoping to see the girl as well.

"Awwww she's so cute…!" cooed Yang with heart eyes, pinching Crescent's cheeks. "You look just like my baby sister, don't you! Aunty Yang will be sure to play extra hard to make up for all the time your mom hid my cute little niece away from me~~!"

"She's adorable…." Pyrrha muttered, with a warm smile on her face and slowly picking up the girl. Crescent continued to watch the red head, slowly patting her with her meek, tiny hands.

"I…I don't know what to say Ruby…." Admitted Blake, reaching for the young girl with loving eyes. "I…I'm still digesting the fact that my own teammate is an adult and even has a daughter…..but….as Pyrrha mentioned, she really is a gem…" Crescent then hopped on to Blake's shoulders, who then carried her around piggyback style. "I've never had any siblings like the rest of you have and I did wonder what it would feel like. I can see why Yang simmers down instantly whenever you used to make kitten eyes at her.."

"Hey that's not fair, let me play see her too!" cut in Weiss, and the girl then jumped into Weiss's arms. "Aww~~you're so cute! Come to big-sis Weiss!" she called out with a huge smile that was very uncharacteristic of herself. The girl blinked once, twice with her big round eyes, and then-

*mlem*

The snow princes felt something wet graze her cheek. The girl had her tongue out slightly, her round eyes watching as before.

"She thinks you look like a vanilla softie cone" chuckled Ruby.

"Oh my gosh she's just too precious!" chimed Weiss in a high pitched voice, hugging the girl. And in that instance, the red haired girl pilfered Myrtenaster from her and hopped away.

"H..Hey! That's not nice! Give that back..!" she called out, but to no avail. Weiss considered chasing after her, but one look from her puppy dog eyes pushed any thoughts about pursuit straight from the snow princess's mind. With a victorious and satisfied smile, the girl continued to play with Mystenaster. She then came around, grabbed Weiss's hair ornament, unfurling her side ponytail and letting her hair loose. Weiss flailed around, trying to catch her but she nimbly dodged her, grabbing a part of Weiss's long hair as well as Blake's and Yang's, and then tried them together. She then put on the hair ornament on her own head before scurrying away.

"H..hey! Crescent…! Untie my hair this instant…!" complained the white haired girl, but the girl paid no heed. Instead, she jumped on top of Jaune, forcing him on all fours. And then, using her newly acquired weapon, she whacked the blond leader of team JNPR in the rear, pointing her weapon forward.

"She wants to play horsey Jaune!" grinned the 5th Espada.

"She's so mischievous!" thought Blake, Weiss, Pyrrha, Nora, Ren and Jaune in unison, deadpanned. Yang was the only one who was completely excited by the aspect.

"~~ala ala~~! Come over to grandpa Tai~~!" called Taiyang with a goofy face, extending his hands towards her. She then hopped away from Jaune, and then into Taiyang's hands who went baby faced and began to bring her close to him. The hooded girl then pulled out what appeared to be a marker from within her cloak, and before he knew it, half of his face was inked black with cartoonish scribbles. Satisfied, the girl hopped away once more.

"She…she's so creative….wahah..whahahah..!" he chuckled weakly, not even attempting to rub off his face.

"You're way too positive about this old man!" thought team JNRP and WBY in an internal comedic uproar.

Qrow was enjoying the whole scene as evident by his raspy laughter. "Quite the nimble little rascal isnt she, khahahahaha…huh…what the..? whoa..!" With a nimble hop, Crescent went behind Qrow, pulling his shirt back to take his balance and then jumped and kicked him gently, pushing him onto Winter.

"Hey! Off with the hands!" snapped the elder Schnee, angrily trying to get Qrow off of her.

"It's not like I wanted to fall on you, ice queen" he rasped back. "Whoa hold on, don't..!" In that momentary confusion, Crescent promptly took Qrow's cape, wrapping it around and trying it securely tie Winter's hands behind her back, leaving the duo clumsily tied up together.

"Expert huntsmen have just been reduced to nothing but play toys for this girl….!" thought Team JNPR and WBY deadpanned.

"You mischievous little brat! Come back here this instant and untie me this instant…! Weiss was so much more behaved for at her age…" she sighed, struggling to undo the bonds whilst trying to actively avoid rubbing against Qrow.

"Heh, you gotta give the little rascal credit for putting ice queen in her place…it's too bad your brat was nothing but a boring, well behaved kid with as much sense of humor as her sister" scoffed Qrow tauntingly.

"Child, that is quite enough" remarked Glynda in a soft but somewhat stern manner, coming up to Crescent who then looked up to her. "Causing trouble for your elders and your mother is hardly the kind of behavior that is expected from a girl of your age. If you want to draw, then do so on a paper, not on someone's face. Otherwise, there will be severe-"

*Skrit* *Skrit* *Skrit*

The disciplinarian's face was now adorned with whiskers and other markings making her face look like a cat's.

"Did she really just turn THAT Glynda into a catgirl?! Damn, this is really Ruby's daughter…?!" exclaimed teams JNPR and WBY internally, deadpanned.

"Has the mighty Glydna met her match? Who knew that the feared dominatrix would have a weakness with children?" snickered Summer, much to her annoyance as she tried to clean her face.

"Regardless of how she presents herself, Glynda does have a soft spot for children. That I can assure you" informed Ozpin with an amused smile.

"Nobody asked you to state unnecessary facts, headmaster" huffed Glynda in annoyance.

Patting her in a consoling manner, Summer winked. "Oh? That so? Well then, Tsun-Tsun Domi-chan, if you really want to get to that girl's heart, watch and learn"

The hooded girl was moving towards Ozpin, eying his cane when Summer called out "Sweetie! Look here! Grandma has your favorite treat!", fishing out what appeared to be a pack of gummy bears. The girl's eyes immediately sparkled, as she dove straight towards Summer's hands. But just before she could chomp down on them, Summer swiftly took her hands away, keeping it just out of reach. She kept it going for a few seconds, making the hooded girl hop around, chasing after the gummy bears.

"What is she, a puppy…?! And why the hell do you have gummy bear treats for your granddaughter tucked away in your robes?!" thought everyone deadpanned.

"Ahahahahahahahaha! Once she gets all riled up, there's almost no way to get her to pipe down! I did tell you she's quite a handful!" remarked Ruby as she watched Summer playfully scolding Crescent for the trouble she caused by slightly pinching her cheeks, following which the mute girl walked over to Glynda, Winter and Qrow and lowered her head apologetically. Qrow simply rubbed the girl's head with a grin while Winter huffed in annoyance at first, before her features softened and she hesitantly patted her as well, thinking about the similarities between her and Weiss whenever she needed to reprimand her in the past.

Some more time passed, with Crescent now spending time being fawned over by the others a lot more peacefully before Ozpin felt the need to ask the question.

"So what do you plan to do next, Miss Rose?" he questioned her. "You claimed earlier that Salem was someone we no longer have any need for concern. And judging from what you told us earlier, I find it a lot more believable that those weren't empty promises. Honestly, I'm in a bit of a shock myself, to think that someone of your level is sitting right in front of me"

"Obviously there would be no point in her continuing as a huntsman in training" Winter stated. "She's far too strong and experienced to need training. If anything, she's far beyond even the most veteran huntsman. Considering that Summer Rose is a part of her soul, someone who is already a veteran huntress, it is all the more reason that at the very least, we should make an exception and grant her a hunter's license as well"

"I'm not too sure about that" countered Glynda. "There are rules and regulations after all and there's a limit to just how much they can be bent. While what you said may be true, it also stands that Ruby Rose, as per the records is just fifteen. Not even old enough to drive or drink. If we did grant her a license, she would be the youngest to achieve that title in all of history. Not to mention, there is also the issue about reporting this to the council"

"It would be best suited if Miss Rose is in active line of duty, where her abilities would be much more beneficial in keeping peace and protecting the four kingdoms" added Ironwood. "And well, if you don't have something for her Ozpin, the Atlesian Military will be more than happy to welcome her in"

"Let's not jump to conclusions just yet, James. Hmm..well, rules are the last things to think about when you have exceptions to cases.." said Ozpin. "However, I suppose you do have a point. Having miss Rose be a part of team RWBY would have no point. It would be a waste of her time as well as theirs. As for the council, I'm sure we can do something about them"

"Wait….does that mean that Ruby wont be able to be with us?" asked Weiss, concerned.

"No way! I don't care what she is or how strong she is! She's still a part of our team!" argued Yang.

"Please calm down girls, nothing is set in stone just yet, we are merely discussing the possibilities" assured Ozpin. "But regardless of the possibilities, no one intends to prevent her from seeing her friends or family"

"It's fine Weiss, Yang" said Ruby, speaking up. "Because I don't plan to do anything of the sort just yet, Professor, General. I'm going to stay right with Yang and the others"

Ozpin raised his eyes. "Miss Rose….but….if I may, may I know your reasons? You said it yourself, back when you sparred with Miss Nikos, that there was nothing either of you would gain from that match. The same could be applied to any aspect of your curriculum. Wouldn't it be better for you to find something that is worth your skills, time and effort?"

Ruby took a long, deep breath and sighed. "….I'm tired, professor. Really, I just….ever since I came to this world, I've had to fight, struggle, experience hardship and put myself through a constant state of do-or-die for many, many years. Sometimes alone, many times with my allies, either to survive or protect my family. It's not that I despise conflict or fighting, professor. Not at all. But…..in those many years, I've learnt what it meant to simply lead a normal life with my family as well. Be it dropping off my siblings to school, playing football with them, or going shopping with my friends or just spending time with my daughter. If you ask me, a peaceful life is just as contagious as spontaneous conflict. Once you get a taste of it, it becomes infinitely harder to let it go. And right now, I want nothing more than to spend the time I couldn't spend with my family and friends here. And I'm afraid I'll have to decline your offer General. I've already been part of one army, I have no interest in pledging my allegiance to another ever again"

"Heh, good call kiddo. Too bad James, better luck next time.." scoffed Qrow sarcastically.

"….Of course, quite understandable Miss Rose" nodded Ozpin. "I never meant to pressurize you into doing anything. They were merely options I thought I would present considering your current situation"

"Aah, don't sweat it Ozzy boy!" crackled Summer, slapping away Ozpin's shoulder. "Though, I had another great idea! What if….you could have me or my honey bun teach them how to fight like us? You know, I've always wanted to try my hand at being a teacher! And my honey bun is a great mentor as well!"

"R..Ruby..? Teach us..?" asked Weiss, blinking her eyes.

"…Yes….yes, that would be amazing! Learning from someone of her level would be…!" added Pyrrha excitedly.

"I could work with that! It's be way better than whatever Porty's teaching in class!" chimed Nora.

"I think it would be rather fun as well" added Blake. "And much more productive"

"Heh, maybe this time Vomit boy would actually learn something from classes" smirked Yang.

"Hey come on, I'm not THAT bad you know….and you're still gonna hang onto that lame nickname for me…?" questioned Jaune deadpanned.

"Hmm…interesting…a teacher…." Thought Ozpin, his hand on his chin. "Quite an intriguing thought indeed"

"Well….it's very unorthodox for a student to become one of the staff…" cut in Glynda, clearing her throat. "But it would be a lot easier to have Miss Rose assist in teaching as say, a teaching assistant or an intern than have her become a huntress without the proper procedures without raising too much caution. Especially given her age on paper and the fact that she's still in her first year"

"Well in any case, these are things to discuss for later, for now why don't we head back and grab some dinner? I'm starving!" suggested Summer.

"Huh…? Dinner…? Is it that late already?" asked Taiyang, surprised, fishing out his scroll. "Holy smokes, it's 9 in the night! How LONG have we been here?!"

"9?! Oh for god's sake, my schedule will need a complete workaround" sighed Glynda.

"We need to be going as well, we've been away from our fleet for longer than is normal.." added Winter.

"Wait, already?!" protested Yang. "But I still haven't seen anything here! Like that places you've lived in, your family and your friends here! I want to see them!"

"Yeah me too!" added Nora, and the rest voiced their own desires to do the same.

"Well, we can always come back anytime so there's no need to do it immediately. And besides…..I told them that I'll be away to see everyone in Remnant just yesterday and told them that I would be away for a while. It's not that I don't mind going back but…well, it would be awkward if I showed up just the next day, wouldn't you say?" said Ruby with an awkward smile.

"….Well…I…I guess…" agreed Yang. Ruby placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry sis. You'll meet them. There's no way I won't introduce you to everyone I know. But I just want to stay with you for sometime, alright? The thing is, I'll need to come around eventually. Because mom can't manifest herself outside my body in Remnant. But she can here. And once she has a gigai, she can do that even in Remnant. So I'll need to be back here to get a gigai for mom and Crescent eventually"

"A gigai..?"

"An artificial body of sorts. Since mom has no physical body, she can use a gigai to 'live' as if she was alive. But you can still talk to her because both her and Crescent can change places with me at any point. Sure, it'll still be my body, but hey, it's what inside that matters, right?" she winked playfully, making the blonde snicker.

"Alright…fine…I'll hold on to your word then. I'll be really mad if you don't show me around everywhere" she agreed.

"Of course sis. Well, if you're all ready.." said Ruby, tapping her finger in the air once more, following which the familiar looking portal appeared. Winter and Ironwood were the first to leave, followed by Qrow, Taiyang, Glynda, Team JNPR and then Team WBY. Summer and Crescent then returned to Ruby, leaving only her and Ozpin behind.

"A word, Miss Rose" called out Ozpin, before moving on. "I couldn't find the right opportunity to ask you this before and I imagined you had a reason for doing it. There has been something nagging in my mind and if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you about it"

"What do you have in mind, professor?" asked Ruby, curious.

"Would I be right in assuming that whatever you told us today is nothing but the tip of the iceberg? There is a lot more to your tale, isn't there, Miss Rose? Many parts of your story were vague and lacked details of any sort. At one point, I was uncertain but as I heard more and more, I was certain that you were avoiding talking about things intentionally" he remarked. "Pardon me for putting it this way but….it's just that, I couldn't help but notice the similarities between you and me when it came to talking about things relating to ourselves" Ruby remained silent for a few seconds, following which she gave a small sigh accompanied by a small smile.

"I suppose it's only natural that you'd figure it out"

Ozpin raised his eyes. "So I was right"

"There are things they don't need to know right now. They've been given enough to digest in one day. But you have no reason to worry professor. I have not hidden anything big. I simply made sure that I didn't elaborate on unnecessary details that might cause them more stress and grief than they could handle. These were mostly things that related to how much I had to go through at certain points. They don't need to know how many times I've been tortured or what was done to me. That's what I meant. That's the only reason I didn't tell them. They don't really add anything more than grief, panic and negativity that shouldn't belong to them in the first place" she explained.

"Torture...?! What do you...…..Oh...I see...I see. Thank you for telling me that, as well as keeping it from them. Regardless of who they are, they are children and my students, first and foremost. I would not want them to face any more distress than they already have either" he answered.

"Thank you, professor. You know….I still haven't made up to you for telling your own past to them despite your wishes. I just want to say that downplaying you was never my intention. I was merely doing what I thought was necessary to make sure I avoided strife between ourselves. Strife that I know occurs because of your past that you hid from them during a time when our trust in each other was weak. I apologize…" she said, lowering her head slightly.

"….I was certainly conflicted at first, but after hearing your tale and the consequences and reasons for the same, I am willing to let bygones be bygones. And you've given me much more today in the form of a way to defeat Salem in return. Please, raise your head, in fact, I'm the one who is grateful to you, for helping me get a big load of my chest, as well as doing something that I couldn't do on my own" he stated."But instead...if you truly wish to make up for it, then perhaps you could introduce me to the exotic coffees of this world"

Ruby raised her eyes in surprise, clearly not expecting such a request.

Ozpin chuckled before Ruby could reply. "Of course, I jest. There is no compensation I require from you Miss Rose. However, I did not jest when I mentioned that I do want to try the different flavours of coffee from another world. But that is an undertaking for another time" Then, offering his hand, he said. "Instead, I would be happy if we could work together regardless of whatever endeavor comes our way"

"It would be my pleasure" smiled Ruby, taking his hand. "Which brings me to one other thing professor. It slipped my mind, but this is regarding your own abilities. If I remember correctly, with each reincarnation, you find yourself becoming weaker, right?"

"..that is correct. I am unsure of the reasons, but I have attempted to find the cause and try to fix it, but to no avail" he responded.

"I think I can do something to help you there, professor. I can only make assumptions, but….remember Kisuke Urahara? The man I spoke about who helped me throughout my life?" she asked, to which Ozpin nodded. "I think he would be more than happy to help you out as well professor. He's one of the most brilliant minds I've ever come across and given his curiosity for new things, I have no doubt that he'd be willing to help you out regardless of what I told him. And I have no doubt that he can fix your soul as well. I'm sure they can be, because you see, I have a knack for making out spiritual pressure. And yours is strong. Very strong. You have been reincarnating and merging with the souls of your host with each reincarnation after all. Although I can't really think of why you're becoming weaker instead of stronger, when I sense your spirit energy atleast, I can tell that yours is quite powerful"

"…I see…that is rather kind of you miss Rose, and if it does happen, I will be in an even deeper debt of gratitude. But very well. I will be more than happy to oblige and help you in whatever you need for such an undertaking, of course" he answered.

Ruby smiled back. "Excellent! Then that's one more thing for me to take care of when I'm back here. Then, if we're done here, how about we head back?"

The headmaster nodded, and the two then made their way back to Remnant, leaving the once populated lair of Tier Harribel in silence once more.

Back in Patch, Ruby and Ozpin saw the rest wrapping up their conversations and other leftover discussions. Blake for one, was rubbing and feeling her cat ears with an expression of extreme relief and contentment.

"I'll be staying here of course" said Taiyang. "I would offer dinner, but I don't have anything prepared for such a large group, it would be better if you ordered something or ate out"

"Ah don't sweat it dad, we'll take care of it" assured Ruby. "And I think they don't want to linger around here anyways. Plus….we still need to go back to Cinder"

"I would come and visit the prisoner myself, but duty calls. I've already been away from my men for longer than necessary. I'll leave it up to you to handle them" mentioned Ironwood, looking at Ozpin. "Of course, we can drop by to pay a visit to them ourselves once time permits"

"Of course, my friend. You can be sure I'll handle the matter as is appropriate. You have nothing to worry about" he assured.

"Then…..we'll be leaving, dad" said Ruby, giving him one last hug. Yang followed suit and Taiyang waved his daughters and everyone else goodbye before heading back.

Ruby then opened another portal, this time leading back to Beacon Academy instead of the headmaster's office. Ironwood and Winter took their leave once Winter and Weiss said their own goodbyes.

"Well, I don't think we can count on the academy canteen for dinner this late…" mentioned Jaune, looking at his scroll.

"Hey I know! There's that Atlesian restaurant that opens until 10 in the night! If we rush, we might make it there!" Nora chimed, and the rest nodded, turning tail to make their way there.

"Hey…what gives sis? Not coming along?" asked Yang, slowly stopping to a halt when she realized Ruby wasn't following. "And you guys too.."

"That's 'Miss Goodwich' or 'Professor' to you, Miss Xiao Long, need I remind you that you are no longer outside the confines of the academy?" replied Glynda sternly.

"Ah…oops, sorry about that prof!" Yang replied with a goofy and apologetic grin. "Anyways, are you not coming along as well?"

"Ahem…..I will have to decline that offer, Miss Xiao Long, though it is appreciated. I still need to wrap up for that day and accompany the headmaster to his office to take care of our students from Haven. There is much to be investigated and much work to be done. And I have food pre-cooked at my residence, so I shall be dining at home" she mentioned, faltering somewhat at the last statement.

"Uwaaah, so she's the kind of person who pre-cooks huge portions of food just to save time at work…." Thought Yang deadpanned, while Ozpin chuckled to himself.

"I'll be back once we've decided something about Cinder. Go on sis, I'll be with you soon" assured Ruby, and after a bit of deliberation, the blonde girl turned away, heading back towards the rest of her teammates. "Alright, if you say so Rubes. I'll save you a spot"

Glynda, Ozpin and Ruby then made their way towards the headmaster's chamber.

"Right…..headmaster, I'm sure you've already arrived at the same conclusion as I have but.." started Glynda, and Ozpin nodded.

"Indeed. Now that we have confirmation that Cinder Fall really is our missing Fall Maiden, we have a few things to look into. One is to look into Amber's condition and see if we can return the powers of the Fall Maiden back to her using the equipment we have"

"I can help you with that, professor" added Ruby. "I….know healing kido, although it takes a bit of time for me to heal. Still, I can try to assess her condition and see if I or someone else can do something about it without killing Cinder"

"Very well, that sounds reasonable. And the next of course, is to look into her connections. Infiltrating Beacon Academy with no one finding out anything about them is an impressive feat indeed. I don't believe they could have accomplished it without inside help. Therefore, I believe I have a few things to discuss with Leonardo" said Ozpin.

"…you don't think he could've turned traitor do you…?!" asked Glynda, surprised.

"…..hard to say. I think it's still too early to make assumptions. However, what IS certain is that regardless of whether he turned traitor or not, there is no doubt that Leonardo holds a few answers as to how Cinder Fall was able to infiltrate Beacon Academy undetected. Things to put in my agenda for tomorrow I suppose" answered the headmaster. "In any case, our first step now would be to ensure that the captured students are held securely for further questioning"

Through the deserted campus they walked, making their way all the way up to Ozpin's office. When they entered, their faces did a complete 180 after observing an office room devoid of people with no sign of the prisoners.

---

It was very rare that Neopolitan ever got annoyed with her partner in crime, Roman Torchwick. For one, there was hardly ever a time when the two were apart. Sure, it may not always be in her normal appearance, or literally next to each other for that matter, but there were very few things that they didn't do together, as far as work was concerned. And Neopolitan's mood was always sour whenever Roman was held up in something else. But as a sort of weird paradox, it also made her happy when she thought about that fact that Roman trusted her well enough to get things done, even in his absence.

This was one such time. Her task this time was actually a lot simpler than any other but also one that was of utmost importance. Cinder Fall was no doubt their employer. All of their orders came from her, and any and every thing that they needed to report would go either to Cinder or to Authur Watts in case Cinder was inaccessible. The ice cream girl was well aware, as was Roman that Cinder was not the top of the ladder. They were aware that her, Watts and the rest of their group were receiving orders from someone even higher up. Given how strong and capable Cinder was by herself, there was absolutely no reason that Neo or Roman ever needed to know anything more. However, in the offset that something unlikely DID happen to Cinder, such as it did now, Watts proposed to have one failsafe option just in case, much to Cinder's annoyance. At first Watts was skeptical himself in getting her and Roman associated deeper with their selves than was necessary, but later obliged later anyways. It was one that Cinder's superior had agreed upon and even Cinder Fall couldn't do anything in the face of that decision. Neo did think it was weird, that given how careful they were, they would allow her and Roman into their inner ranks, considering that they were a group who did what they were paid for and had no real loyalty towards anyone else but themselves and keeping themselves alive.

But that was before she met 'her'. The first time Neo was called to their hideout to be 'acquainted in full', she had no idea what she was getting herself into. But once the bullhead landed….no, even before that, the moment they had entered that domain, they immediately knew they had perhaps gotten themselves involved into something they could never truly escape from.

A land covered in dead rock held afloat by equally dark colored gravity dust crystals. A sky that was dark red which gave off the impression of a night that lasted forever. But what stood out the most were the enormous pools of deep black, bubbling with malice and a foreboding aura. Every once in a while, the creatures of darkness would surface from within the pools, to go and scatter to the realms outside.

"So that's where the uglies come from…how appropriate and repulsive…." She remembered Roman grimacing when they first saw it. But internally, she could tell that the whole thing had changed Roman's entire mindset for the visible future.

And in the middle of it all stood a single structure, a castle. Calling it that was a gross approximation. In reality, the huge, crystalline structure seemed to be part of the landscape itself, which they had merely made into their base of operations. Who the hell thought it was a good idea to set up base here anyways? She thought to herself. On one side, it was simply creepy and distasteful. But on the other, it was rather brilliant. After all, who'd ever think about coming all the way here?

Once inside, the entire atmosphere amongst Cinder Fall and her group was completely different. No longer was she haughty and dominating. Instead, to Roman and Neo's surprise, the fall maiden had gone completely meek and silent. The whole place was depressing and dark, both literally and figuratively. Lit only by weak candles with a dark sky eternally present on the outside, it didn't do much to uplift her mood.

But soon all of her worries would be for naught. Because right when they made their way towards the gigantic conference hall, which looked more ancient than anything she'd ever seen in all the four kingdoms, she was there.

Skin as pale as the bones of the dead and equally lifeless. Eyes as dark as the pits from whence the cursed Grimm crawled out from, with blood red iris and red, vein like markings on her arms and face. Deathly pale hair wrapped in a bun and wearing a long sleeved robe just as black as her eyes.

The instant she appeared in front of them, Neopolitan knew they'd possibly made the biggest mistake of their lives. They never would've ever associated themselves with the likes of Cinder Fall if Neo had only known this thing was the one controlling their strings.

The moment she turned to face them all, the room had gone instantly quiet and all of their expressions were submissive and obedient. Even her partner had taken the cue, and turned equally submissive.

"So you are the one who has been helping my dear daughter…." She spoke with a voice laden with longing, affection and an imposing, motherly presence. She had an eerie, warm smile on her face which portrayed genuine care and affection and yet there was something distinctly disturbing about it. "Of course, Arthur has told me all about you both. I always did tell him time and time again to bring him to me the moment he enlisted your services. No matter. I know that child is only doing what's best for everyone. I am so very glad to finally meet you, my dearies. Welcome home"

But Neo wanted nothing more than to turn tail and run as far away as possible from that place, especially from her. She approached the two of them slowly, leaning in very close and putting her ghostly arms around them. From the shaking in Roman's voice, Neo could tell she wasn't the only one who felt a twisting sense of unease.

"Y..yes well, that we have, my lady. Pardon me if I word this wrong, but I was not told that she was your daughter…." He said, lowering his head.

"Not at all, my child. That child is rather shy and reserved to herself. But in time, I am sure you will all come to understand one another. Because from now on, you belong to me as well, and as such, you will have everything you have ever wanted. I look forward to seeing you hard at work in supporting my child and all of us. From now on, we all are one big family. Isn't that wonderful?" she beamed at them with an unsettling and gentle looking smile.

"Yes….that is….indeed….exhilarating, my lady.." replied Torchwick, trying his best not to look straight up at Salem. She then turned to Neo, with looks of sympathy and pity. She leaned in closer to her, stroking her cheek softy.

"You poor, poor child. What horrors you must have endured to seal away your own lovely voice out of terror. You are indeed beautiful and while others may not see it, I can see it in your eyes. Yes…..oh you poor, poor thing. But your nightmares are for naught. From now on, you can leave everything to me. You are mine now. And I will never let you face your terrors by yourself ever again…"

"Stop…you….just stop….." Though her words were null, the thoughts inside Neo's mind were anything but silent.

Neo could then feel her hands around her as Salem brought her close to her in an embrace. "As of today, I have gained another daughter to call my own. And you may as such think of me as your mother, my dear daughter…."

"Stop….you are not…..my mother..."

Neopolitan couldn't remember how long that entire nightmare lasted. That solo exchange between alone seemed to last for several painful minutes. But when it was finally done and when both her and Torchwick finally thought they could leave, that was when they realized just how entangled they were in that demented thing's web.

"I would love to engage you both for a while longer, but I have my role to play as do you both. So off you go children, and remember, always be loyal to me and you will remain as dear to me as family" she said, with her ever present gentle, foreboding voice. "However…."

Suddenly, everything seemed to turn sour as the entire castle itself seemed to reverberate with her intent and her tone, and the surroundings seemed to go as dark as her own expression had turned.

"….fail to do so, and I will have no choice but to punish you. Now we don't want that, do we?"

A violent shiver passed through Neo, her entire being frozen from fear and terror. Her eyes were wide and her brows arched upwards. And then, that menacing feeling was gone, with the inhuman witch walking back to her chair at the far end of the room. Now they knew why. Why they didn't care about things like their betrayal and the fact that the two of them had no real loyalty to any one party. Because one would have to be utterly mad to try and cross her.

That day, neither Neo nor Roman got a wink of sleep.

And today was no different. No, it was probably going to be worse. Because she was returning with three of her 'children' in such a state. And Roman wasn't here to be there with her to face that thing. Roman was definitely going to pay for it when the time came but so was she today at her hands. In the whole time they travelled to her castle, even Arthur, who usually had snarky remarks to direct at her said nothing. Perhaps it was his way of acknowledging that even he was likely not safe from her outburst. The three still hadn't woken up from their sleep, and that damned dust seal hadn't disappeared either, no matter what methods they'd tried.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, they were finally in front of her, with the three right by her side. At the moment, it was just herself, Watts and the three who were unconscious. The demented witch stood there, just the same as usual. But that was only on the surface. Neopolitan had seen firsthand how quickly her true nature emerged when things were sour.

She gently leaned over them, her face lathered in worry and discontent.

"This is definitely my dear Ozma's magic" she muttered to herself, placing her arm over them. The three were enveloped in a dull glow that lasted for a second, following which the three stirred awake. Salem then placed her hands over the yellow bonds, narrowing her eyes when she examined them.

"How very quaint. This is not Ozma's doing. And yet….this magic is so very similar to mine and his. Yet I do not recognize this mana. How very queer indeed…" with a bit of effort, she tried to dispel the bonds, but to no avail. Frowning her brows once more, she seemed to be focusing and trying even harder than before. Finally, small cracks appeared in the bonds, a short while after which they shattered.

Cinder, Emerald and Mercury looked around in a daze, trying to understand their surroundings and where they were. However, the moment their eyes made contact with the witch of the castle, it told them more than enough they needed to know and nobody dared to speak a word. After they were free of their bonds, Salem leaned over them, caressing them as if they were prized possessions.

"M..madam…" started Cinder with a voice full of unease and fear.

"Shh….shh shh shh…" Shushed Salem gently, placing a deathly pale finger against her lips. "You are back with me now. You can rest assured. Now….tell me my dear daughter, who or what put you in such a state?" she inquired, her tone completely alien and masking her true emotions.

"I…I am very sorry for…"

"I did not ask you to apologize" she snapped, making Cinder shrink to herself. "Tell me who it was that was responsible for this"

"….it was R…Ruby Rose, madam…" she replied, making Salem raise her eyes.

"Ruby Rose…? The one with 'her' silver eyes?" inquired Salem.

"Y..yes…however, she was….different. The first time I met her…she was just a human who entered Beacon as a first year student….but now…she was something entirely different….somehow she had turned into a faunus, and was a lot older than before. She was able to bind us with strange magic and even with all of my power, I was helpless….I am really ashamed and fully prepared to.."

"Neopolitan tells me you were taken captive by him. I could also see his magic at work. So tell me, my dear daughter, what did my dear Ozma ask you?" she questioned, maintaining her gaze.

"I…my deepest apologies madam…but…I can't recollect anything beyond being taken to the headmaster's office along with Ruby Rose…" she stuttered. Salem narrowed her eyes once more.

"Neopolitan also tells me that you chose to stay behind despite knowing something was amiss. She even tells me that you chose to stay despite dear Mercury suggesting otherwise. Tell me my dear boy, is that true?" she asked Mercury.

"Madam..if…if I can just expl-"

"Silence. You are not to talk when he is the one I am asking. Now, tell me my dear boy, did you or did you not tell advise Cinder to retreat" she glowered over him.

"…y..yes my lady, I did…but there was-"

"I see. Then you my dear daughter, know nothing about what he discussed, or what transpired in his stronghold, despite being there right next to him and the one who did this to you. Not only have you lost the opportunity to reclaim the powers of the Fall Maiden, but Ozma no doubt knows your identity as the one he has been looking for. That is also not to mention that you didn't retreat and felt the need to inform me of any changes regarding Ruby Rose or any other silver eyed warrior you come across the moment you sensed something off. I specifically told you not to interact with the Silver eyed warriors in close, because Ozma would have his eyes on them as well. You allowed yourself to be captured by my dearest Ozma, making it near impossible now to claim the powers of the Fall Maiden without my interference"

"No! That's not what I…!"

"Silence"

That entire word seemed to snuff out any noise or light around them, her tone lethal and foreboding intent. Cinder's face was drained of any color within in, as were Mercury's and Emerald's. Salem them leaned in even closer to them, almost whispering to them in a deadly manner. "Oh my dear Cinderella….you have caused me much displeasure today, my daughter. But I understand….." she whispered, stroking her head. "Because you see, first and foremost, I am most pleased that you have returned to me, unharmed, despite being captured by my Ozma. I do not know what my dear Ozma was thinking after he captured you, but I am grateful that you have come back to me, despite your failure today…"

"Ma..madam.. I am not…" swallowed Cinder, choking on her words. "I am not….your daughter…..my name…is Cinder….not Cinderella…." She told herself bitterly within her thoughts.

"Shh shh shh…..You are nothing more than a child wanting to return the endless affection I gave you. After all, before this, you were nothing. But I gave you an identity, a home, power beyond compare and my own endless love. Without me, you are nothing. Its only natural that a child would do everything she can to return that love. You wanted to prove yourself to me. However, it would appear that I was spoiling you all along. 'Tis my fault to a certain degree. I blame myself for your incompetence" she nodded, a frown adorning her face. And then-

*SLAAAAAP*

Pain shot up Cinder's face as her cheek stung from her mistress's hit. Her senile, deluded smile was gone, replaced by a look of extreme annoyance and disappointment.

"No more pampering. Children need to be taught what happens when they try to do things they are not told" she a simple wave of her fingers, several black shadowy hands snared Cinder, immobilizing her again.

"Take her to the red room and lock her in there. I shall attend to her myself very shortly" she rasped. Cinder, Mercury and emerald's eyes went completely wide.

"M..madam….! Please….I beg of you….please don't…! I….I wont fail you again…! Please…!" she pleaded, getting to her knees and lowering her head, but to no avail. Emerald looked as if she was ready to burst into tears any second while Mercury looked away of Salem's seers appeared, their tentacles taking a hold of the bound Fall Maiden to take her away.

She then slowly made her way to Cinder, embracing her and stroking her head. "It hurts, my dear Cinderella, it really does. I am in more pain than you can imagine having to punish you. But….I must. I have to. If I only give you my love, you will grow complacent and pampered. You will only become overly sweet and rotten, like an overripe fruit. You will not become any better than you are. You will not learn discipline. You must learn. You must understand your mistakes and learn from them. And I will give it my all to make sure that you do. Now take her away"

At the distance, Neo was watching the whole scene with a look of utter bitterness and disbelief.

The old hag was not right in her mind, she thought to herself. She was a senile, delirious, delusional, insane, unstable witch. But Neo had known that ever since the first time they met. Treating every single girl she came across as her daughter and treating everyone else, even someone as old as Watts as her child told her enough about her mental state. But Neo was here only to collect her payment for their mission. Getting involved with the old hag in itself was one of the biggest mistakes of her life, and the least she could do was to stay as far away as possible from her.

Once he was back, Salem faced them once more. Specifically, this time, she was facing Watts.

"Now, tell me, what was it that you wished to show me?" she inquired him.

"Yes my lady….you see, as I was breaking into the headmaster's systems, I was able to acquire something rather interesting" he said, opening his scroll and showing her the security footage from the Emerald Forest as well as the footage from the sparring match between Ruby and Pyrrha. Salem's eyes lit up as she watched with interest and a new found enthusiasm.

"How very interesting…..she truly is as her mother was and yet…just as my dear Cinder I formed me, she does indeed look like a faunus and a lot older than she should be…and that magic….so that was her doing. But how….it escapes me. There should be no other human or faunus capable of performing the mystical arts apart from my dear Ozma and I. This magic is not that of the maidens, whose source is ultimately Ozma himself. How very fascinating….." she spoke to herself, walking around as she voiced her thoughts out aloud. Then, as if hit by a flash of inspiration, she returned Watts his scroll, going over to Neo, Emerald and Mercury.

"Now that my dear Ozma knows your true identities, there would be no point in sending you back to his stronghold. You can still enter" she said softy, looking at Neopolitan. "You were vigilant, and remained cautious. And you even brought back my children back from his stronghold safe and sound. You have done my proud, my dear daughter.." she continued with a smile, but to Neo, that smile was nothing short of disturbing and unsettling. Pretty much anything from the witch was unsettling. "Of course, your reward will be just as suitable as well. Arthur"

"Yes, my lady?"

"I want you to give her twice as much as what was promised, and do so immediately" she ordered. The Altesian scientist gave a slight bow. "And you have done me proud as well, my dear Arthur. I shall grant you your reward as well. Both of you have given me something to make up for the failure of my daughter. However, those with her are not to blame and do no deserve to share the consequences of her actions. But these two cannot go back to his lair without being apprehended. Which is why I would like you to assign them to suitable tasks"

"But of course, it will be done my lady. I am beyond belief to know that you have acknowledged my efforts. You have truly been very just and kind" replied the scientist, going over to Mercury and Emerald. Then, Salem walked over to Neopolitan, much to her dismay.

"My dear Neo….I would like for you to continue monitoring Ruby Rose for me. Keep your distance from her and Ozma and inform me of any developments. You are to retreat and come back to me immediately if you ever feel you are in danger. Is that understood?" she asked, to which Neo slowly nodded. With a pleased smile, Salem moved in, parting her hair and giving her a light kiss on her forehead. Neo had to try very hard not to move her head away and risk incurring her bad side. "Very good my child. Go now, I wish you well"

I need to take a shower, was her first thought as she was leaving the castle and rubbing her forehead where she'd kissed her. In fact, this whole day had been nothing but trouble. Somehow just being in that place made her feel absolutely dirty. Though things had gone way better than she expected, she still wasn't going to shy off from giving Roman a piece of her mind for ditching her alone to deal with Salem. She wondered if he did that intentionally.

But her thoughts were cut off when she noticed someone unfamiliar standing in front of her.

He was a tall man with a long face, broad chin and pronounced cheekbones. He had long black hair reaching up to his lower back, reddish brown eyes and thin eyebrows, as well as well-kept mutton chops and a connected, bushy mustache but was otherwise clean-shaven. He wore a white, double-breasted trench coat with a five pointed star emblem, large buttoned cuffs and lapels, white trousers and trench boots. But the majority of his outfit was covered by a tattered, ankle-length maroon-black cloak that had a red ribbon neat the neck and was fastened to the left by a single button.

"What an utterly repulsive and repugnant spirit energy...I never imagined I would encounter the likes of such evil reishi so soon after my arrival here. Though I can sense other, weaker stenches of evil throughout the land, none compares to the presence before me. But...the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And what better way to start off the annexation of our great race than by wiping clean the darkest stain of this stained land. And soon enough, this land shall be the cornerstone that leads to the prosperity of the Quincy. Consider yourself lucky kleine dame, for you have been granted the opportunity to witness the birth of a new age for your world"

---

"Wh…wha…?!"

The leader of the Branwen tribe took several steps back instinctually the moment her sword shattered upon his slightest touch.

"Wh..what was that…?!" exclaimed Vernal, the right hand woman of Raven ever by her side.

"Did that guy just..?!"

"He destroyed her blade with a single touch…!"

"But…that's our leader's sword…how…?!"

Why, she thought to herself. Why won't her instincts stop screaming at her, asking her to get away? She couldn't sense any obvious bloodlust from the two in front of her, nor did their expressions or mannerisms particularly indicate aggressive behavior. In fact, their words about wanting to resolve things 'peacefully' sounded fully genuine. And that feeling remained the same when the blond man had casually shattered her sword. Was is a semblance that allowed him to do something like that? Maybe it was one that disrupted dust itself. Farfetched, but not outside the realm of possibility. And then there was the other man with the mohawk. She could still see the injured man from her tribe, his stump of a hand being bandaged by those around him.

"Very well. Let's have it your way. What…..do you want…?" she asked finally, keeping her voice as calm as possible, not showing any of her internal doubts, fears or feelings both to her tribe and to these two men. "You said….you came under the orders of 'His Majesty'. Your attire looks like military, though I cant seem to recognize it. That begs the question; who ARE you really? And why have you come here?"

"I just told you. We are not of this world. We arrived here after His Majesty provided us with the means to travel to this one. Admittedly, His Majesty himself did not find the means to travel to this world until recently. However, we of the Quincy are on a quest that will involve war against our mortal enemies. And a war needs soldiers, rations and land to house said soldiers and rations, as well as equipment. Which is why a select few of us have been chosen to scout this world for said resources. Our comrades are already out in search of high sources of spiritual energy. And I can sense that you have far greater spiritual pressure than those around you. Granted, while it is still weak, your foundation by itself is not. Nothing that cannot be solved. There is no doubt that you will make a valuable addition to our forces. And I believe that this will be beneficial to you as well. I apologize that things got out of hand before we could explain ourselves, however, we truly do not mean you any harm" explained the blond man called Haschwalth.

"That's a load of bull if I ever heard any" scowled Vernal in defiance. "And I'd watch your tongue if I were you. I don't care who the fuck you think you are, but I won't stand by while you prattle on about our leader. You think you're hot shit just because you broke her sword? Well think again! You'll both bite the dust after I have my way with you before you can even think about taking another step towards her!"

"Vernal I didn't ask you to..!" stopped Raven, but the girl was not having it.

"But…but..how could you just!" she argued.

Bazz-B shrugged. "Whoa there, you got a pretty face but you're quite feisty, fräulein. I'm pretty sure we already told you who we were and we sure as hell weren't insulting your boss lady. She's weak, so I don't see what's wrong with calling her weak. Calling an ant and ant isnt insulting it. If anything, you should be happy we aren't simply killing you off the moment we got here. You really should be thankful to His Majesty. If not for him, we wouldn't bother wasting time negotiating and recruiting people instead of just taking what we need. But thanks to him, you even get to join his Majesty's grand cause, and it ain't something your everyday joe gets. You really should just calm down and think about what we told you"

"Yeah right, you want us, of the Branwen tribe and our leader to just 'surrender' and go fight a war that has nothing to do with us?! And in return you want to take our land, our resources and our men?! Is this a fucking joke? Not to mention, you're just two people against an entire tribe of warriors who measure up to the best of huntsmen in the land. Nice try bozo, but next time, maybe try not to be this outnumbered. Isn't that right, men?" she cried out, and several cheers rang out from around her. Bazz-B and Haschwalth sighed.

"Vernal, shut up! That's enough..!" thundered Raven.

"I'm sorry Raven, but you cant just tell me to sit by silently when they go on insulting you and our tribe!" proclaimed Vernal angrily and confidently. "So yeah, if you're looking for an answer, that's a hard pass" she said. Several of the men drew their weapons, sporting wild, grinned looks.

"I really would implore you to ask your men to keep their emotions under control and allow us to continue without any need for bloodshed. Our Majesty does not wish for us to cause any conflict unless absolutely necessary" sighed Haschwalth, looking at Raven.

"You're still going on about that? You'll die right here before you even get the change to ever insult our leader again! You think you're all high and mighty just because you're part of some noble military or some something? Well, fuck you and your Majesty!"

*BAAAANG*

Whatever words Vernal might have had never left her mouth. Raven didn't even make out what cut out her voice completely in the next second. All that she felt was a slight blur passing right next to her, feeling something hot as the blur passed her. Any and all sounds from around her drowned out completely. With a look of dread, Raven turned to face her right-hand woman.

The tension in the air was the only thing keeping her from screaming out.

Because in place of a face, all that remained in Vernal's head was a gaping hole that was seared on the insides, with the smell of burning flesh and hair filling the air.

"Primitive behavior is one thing" came Haschwalth's voice once more, but it was no longer polite and refined. Instead, it was oozing malice and dread. "But an insult to our Majesty is a sin nigh unforgivable". The man next to him had one of his fingers pointed straight at Vernal, with a light wisp of glowing smoke coming from his fingertip.

Raven Branwen could barely focus on what else happened around her. Everything that followed seemed to happen so quickly that her brain couldn't even register the scene, despite her looking at it.

Fire. Death. Destruction.

Bodies eviscerated and corpses lining the once lively Branwen Tribe. They had been slaughtered before they could even react. Some had their bodies split apart by something they couldn't even see. While others had several holes in their bodies, each one in the same state as the one in Vernal's head. The whole tribe was filled with the foul smell of burning flesh, hair, bone, blood, death and destruction.

Raven herself couldn't more an inch. She even doubted whether she was alive or dead. She could feel tears leaking from her eyes. Her entire body stung and hurt, with intense, searing pain pulsating throughout her entire body. Her weapons and gear were in utter shambles. There were many lacerations throughout her body, and she could feel burns at many places. She knew her entire tribe was dead. And she was fully aware of her complete inability to do nothing. She could feel a chain on her neck, along with a heavy metal collar. Her hands had been bound as well.

"Y…yo…pa….wi…ba….". As hard as she tried, she only found herself choking, her throat refusing to make any semblance of noise.

"You brought this upon yourself" said Haschwalth with a tone of finality. "You drew the first blood. And thus, you paid the price. How very unfortunate, if only you had listened, things would not have needed to come to this. As you were willing to co-operate and lend us your ear, your life has been spared. However, as their leader, you will pay for tribe's transgression of insulting His Majesty by aiding him in his conquest, whether you do it willingly or not. After all, the scales must remain balanced"

"Tch.." scoffed Bazz-B. "I don't understand why His Majesty expects such primates to be like us. They may look like us, but they sure as hell aint anything like us Quincy. What's the point of going around negotiating when they're going to be serving our Majesty anyways? I say we simply just take who we need and bring them to Wandenreich"

"Patience, Bazz-B. You know his Majesty has his reasons for things we cannot see. All that matters is that we do as we are expected. For now, I will call our men through a Sun gate. Once we set up one on this side, we can go back and forth as we wish between our worlds" replied Haschwalth, and then taking out something from within his coat, he placed it on the ground. The object began to glow, following which several symbols began appearing on the ground enclosed in circles. And then, a group of people materialized, all of whom were in the same type of white military attire as them.

"Soldaten, prepare to secure this area and hold your position until further orders. You may begin by clearing out the corpses and the debris and transferring the necessary equipment from the Wandenreich now that I have created a Sun Gate at this location. Send out some men to scout the nearby locations for intel and resources. Do NOT harm or engage in combat unless attacked first" ordered the blond Quincy.

"Jawohl!"

Once the men began their work, Bazz-B yanked the chain, making Raven jolt forward to the ground like a rag doll tied by strings. "Well, with that done, shall we regroup with the others?"

With a single nod from Haschwalth confirming the same, the two along with a beaten and battered Raven then headed away from the now occupied camp of the Branwen Tribe.

---

So this marks the last of the expositions left in this fic. Honestly I'm glad this is the last time Ruby's past has to be 'explained' to another group, because it doesn't feel right wasting words explaining the same things again. But I did get some other plot events done as well, so I don't think it was all that bad.

---

Response to reviews:

Plebers: They will, just not yet. As Ruby said, it would be too 'awkward' if she returned to her family just a day after her dramatic exit and that she wanted to spend more time with her own friends first.

Monster King: Thanks!

ExploerTM: Hey there! Thanks for the review and pointing out somethings that were off. I am thankful you did and have fixed them in my previous chapters, such as the details regarding Ren's semblance and the part where Qrow recognizes Cinder, as well as Raven's stance towards Ozpin. As for the rest, I would like to politely put forward my points as to why I have them the way I do, and hope that it makes sense to you and anyone else that might think the same.

-Ruby having more than one animal trait may not be the norm for a faunus, but the point here is that her becoming a faunus is itself strange. So its 'normal' that to 'exceptions' like Ruby, the normal rules don't apply. And why would her friends call someone who looks like a faunus and moves like a faunus anything else but a faunus? After all, if someone is born with 6 fingers on each hand instead of 5, we don't call them not human, do we? Pretty much the same logic.

-I was certain I didn't do a very bad job portraying Ironwood. I thought I was keeping him quite in character. But if you do think I didn't do him justice, I would love to know what I did wrong and how I can fix it.

-True, the danger with the Maidens is in how they are keys to unlocking the relics and also because they're quite strong themselves, as well as the fact that an enemy could easily steal the maiden powers thanks to how absurd it is to transfer them. But the idea here is that this is being narrated by Ruby, a person who's seen so much more 'concerning' things than the likes of the Maidens. She herself is much stronger than any single maiden. And she wanted to tell them in an assuring way that there was nothing to really worry about. That was the idea here. Compared to the bleach verse and the threat of the Quincy, I really do believe that the likes of the Maidens are seriously no threat. Not even Salem is. So the question of morale is indeed a valid one, but again, its in how she put it.

I'm glad you like the story and hope that I can continue writing it better. I will try my best not to make mistakes from now on as far as canon facts go.

rama alif: Thanks a lot! Haha yeah, there were a lot of emotions this chapter!

Black_Horus: Hey there! Thanks for the review and since I've replied to you with a longer explanation via PM, I'll refrain from posting the same here. But I just want to shortly mention that this is not an Oz bashing fic or any other character for that matter, as is clear from this chapter. I wont and don't plan to takes pro or anti sides for any character since that would not make for an objective story.

AnimeA55Kicker: Well, she's had the tables turned on her now.

cassnova5424: Haha me too!

Salamandra134: They will, just not yet but soon!

Lucian Naruto: That discussion did come up so yeah, it will happen for sure.

Vedahzii: It was something alright.

firewyrm2: Yeah that she does. True, and some of their semblances could be very advantageous against some other types of fighters in bleach verse. Like Qrow's semblance as you mentioned. Maybe. I use powerlisting wiki as my reference to see if a character can or cannot best another by comparing their feats and stats. That's pretty much all there is to it I suppose, because I think those guys do their research quite well. As for the story idea, I think it's pretty neat. It could work but there are also risks to consider of course. Such as how would this earth Ruby be different from the real Ruby Rose. The way I see it, one direction could be that this Isekaied Ruby will have the mindset of an Earthling, while being given Ruby's semblance of super speed as an Isekai powerup. Interesting premise for sure.

The 13: Oh yes he will, and Tai already got a taste of it.

Mobian: Thank you for pointing it out, I was thinking the same! Indeed, Ruby having animal ears instead of human ears isnt all that strange at all. Haha now that was quite the shocker for Yang! The same could be said for everyone. Yeah, I think Nel and Yang would get along quite well as well. Well, there's just so much going on that her becoming a human was kinda dampened by the other things around her. Thanks!

Rairi Valelira: Well, I think Yang would find it harder to call Raven 'mom' as opposed to Summer. Time will tell I suppose.

L4 of the WEST: Yeah I agree it was a bit disorienting. Of course, the whole thing about things translating to the rules of bleach verse also shows with Pyrrha when she used her semblance. In essence, semblances are kinda like fullbrings after all. It would make sense when translating their abilities from one world to another. Thanks for reading!

Robbie2413: Yeah they will, real soon. Haha there was a galore of reactions in this chapter for sure!

MaxHD2490: Oh yeah. And trust me, there's more to that. Yang and co will truly learn that Ruby is indeed not human at all.

HollowLament: Thanks for the review! Indeed, as far as Ozpin's part went, I pretty much took stuff as they happened in canon, albeit in a way that suited the situation better. Well, since we already did have a discussion via PM, I'll avoid repeating myself here as well.

PoofyOhio: I see what you mean, and I promise this chapter marks the last bits of the exposition bits that were left over. Honestly, I'm glad I don't have to bring up Ruby's past again since it's been talked about many times.

Fregreg: Thanks as usual for the support! Well, things went completely differently didn't they? Haha Crescent sure did a number on them and she isnt done pranking them just yet!

whirlpoolartist: Thanks a lot!

RandomName3064: Thanks! I promise this is the last bit of exposition left! Thanks for pointing it out, I've fixed it!

Zifryt: Thanks! Well, Luckily Salem was there for her. Yeah that's true. But it was more so hinting at the fact that when in duress, you can say things you've kept in mind and might not always mean what you said. And there's also the fact that Tai obviously would have a softer spot for Raven as opposed to Ozpin. And that they did! Maybe. Salem's curse was given to her by the gods themselves. Not sure if a power she obtained from the Soul King, a lesser being will do much there.

CrimsonRed1337: Thanks a lot! I do have a schedule, usually I release chapters once every 2 weeks. This time I was late because of how big this chapter is!

Xeno01: Haha true! Yeah, Ironwood's character really is like old man Yama in many instances. I think many sternritters in general will be insanely hard for Ruby. Considering that the Sternritter made short work of Tier Harribel in the beginning of TYBW arc. And Ruby is not stronger than Harribel. Oh yeah that's true. But well, Anime is pretty much popular everywhere. And it was more or less a 'joke' segment, so I didn't think too much about it. No, it will be some time before Ruby's friends meet her Remnant friends. Ah I see! Well, it was actually there, an R18 scene. That part where Ruby is with Grimmjow at Kukaku's party. It's implied what happened between the two, but yeah. Haha you would be right! Thanks a lot!

Kitsune Obsessed Freak: Thank you so much for reading and all the reviews!

NEGATARO: Well, here we are, hope you liked it! Thanks a lot!