The Illustrious Rose

{Yin's POV}

As I sat on my aura platform, looking on as the Demi-Titan Feilong started turning to ash, I couldn't help but say what was on my mind. "You know... I kinda feel bad." I was just talking to the air, but that was my thought about the whole situation. With my Summon Swords skill, it being able to make 30 at a time, and my mana regen filling up the mp I used for it in a minute or two, the Grimm were like fish in a barrel. That's not even counting the fact I was sending out slashes of Remnant empowered Werewolf aura at them.

[For a brawler, you haven't punched something in a while.]

(Ok. And?) I had no idea where system was going with that. I mean, it was right, but again, I had magic and aura powers. Those were the shit.

[Just an observation. Not like you're being boring or anything.]

(Well excuse me for using the tools I have at my disposal.) Technically, I wasn't. I had other physical abilities from my Brawler class to use, but again.

Magic and aura powers.

[Uhuh. You're a Werewolf. Stop being a pussy and go claw and bite stuff.]

(Technically, I'm a bitch. Thank you very much. And why? I've fucked up the big guy, the rest of the swarm is just annoying, and I'll deal with it in a few more minutes.) Which was true. Though my buff was almost gone, so I'd start dealing less damage to the Grimm with my aura slashes. I'd probably still one shot them, but still. (And again, I don't need too. Any stragglers get dealt with by the huntsmen below me, most of the swarm is being drawn to me from the Grimm Lure I used, and I'm doing great. I literally have NO reason to go closer.)

My system's response to that was a 'ding' that told me I had a quest. I blinked, still sent out aura slashes and all that, but just mentally paused. (There's no fucking way you're THAT petty.)

[I don't know what you're talking about.]

I felt a tick mark grow on my head. (Breath. Let's... Let's just check the quest. Maybe its something completely unrelated.)

[Pride of the pack

A Werewolf fears no combat. A werewolf tears their enemies apart and sinks their fangs into the throats of anyone that dares challenge them. But what about you? Are you too chicken to fight like a real Werewolf?

Slay 0/1,000 Grimm in melee combat without using long range attacks.

Rewards - 50k EXP, 100k Lien, +5 rep with the system, 1 Rare gacha ticket.

Failure - I call you a little bitch for the rest of our continued existence, -5 rep with the system.

Accept [Y/N]

(... You petty son of a bitch... You're on.) I accepted the quest, not that I could've declined it, and transformed. I immediately coated Head Hunter in aura. When I was sure it was fully coated, I made sure to increase the sharpness and size of its edge, and grinned. "LET'S HAVE SOME FUN!" And I charged off of my platform. I felt the grin on my face, and just thought about it.

Now I wasn't a battle maniac. That was Yang, Maccillian's, and Saeko's thing. But maybe some Werewolf Instinct's influenced it. Because for some reason, I was excited to run headfirst into a Grimm swarm.

But something I DID like was beating the shit out of things. It was cathartic. Though I think Yang was the reason I liked it as much as I did. So even as I wielded Head Hunter in one hand, and let my Werewolf claws out with the other, I was grinning the whole time. A flock... Murder? "What did we call a flock of Nevermore again?" I had no clue, but zoned back in when they got closer. I charged at them as I spun Head Hunter, and tore a Nevermore apart.

My Aura Constructs skill was still in its early 10's, but the upkeep was dependent on what I used it for. And for me, platforms were the simplest and most cost effective constructs I could manage. It still ate stamina instead of mana, but oh well.

I ended up surrounded by Nevermore and Griffin's, but again, I didn't care. I was a Werewolf, and like system said, we tear our enemies part. And tear I did. It didn't matter how many of them there were.

If I was surrounded? Spin Head Hunter, in the way it goes real fucking fast, and kill em all when they got too close. If there were a bunch of Grimm charging at me? Charge right back, and tear them apart with my claws and weapon. I was pretty much a tier above all these Grimm, even the Sea Feilongs.

After a bit of fighting, I felt my buff disappear, but kept going anyway. The Grimm kept on falling to me, and after who knew how long, I cut into the last Grimm that was attracted to my Grimm Lure. Hardly any of them made it off to the mainland, but the few that did were dealt with.

I heard the 'ding' of a quest completion, and blinked. (What... That was it?) I zoned out at some point, and I had no idea when. Though, I had a quest to turn in. So that took priority. That and rubbing it into my systems non existent face.

[Pride of the pack - complete. Rewards distributed to inventory.

Reputation - system - 20/100]

I didn't level up, but I didn't mind it. I had another reward I REALLY wanted to use. I was a gacha addict, I knew that, but I didn't care. I had a VERY good reason to use my tickets as soon as I got them. The last Rare ticket gave me one of Vergil's skills, there was no way in hell I would let another rare ticket stay in my inventory for longer then it needed to be there.

[Use Rare gacha ticket?]

[Y/N]

I clicked yes, and heard the gacha roll in my head. I had started putting my points into luck, since almost everything else got a boost from me becoming a Werewolf, and it seemed like a good idea. Hell, I doubted I'd EVER need to raise my physical stats with points ever again. Being a Werewolf gave me +10 to all my physical stats per level. Sure I needed twice the EXP to level up now, but who cared bout that?

Not I.

Anyway, back to the rolling. (Gimme something good. For the lo...- Oh. Oh gods.) As soon as I saw what I got, my breath hitched. I stopped listening to the world around me, and focused on what was in front of me. I read it once, twice, three times, and I felt something shake inside of me.

For what felt like hours, I just kept going over the screen in front of me.

Then I laughed. This was it. This was what I needed to finally clean off the black mark on my time as a Gamer. And it was all because my system was being petty.

[Resurrection magic (Kono Subarashii Sekai Ni Shukufuku Wo!) Level 1/10

The magic of an Arch Priest. Death has no hold over those blessed to have an Arch Priest by their side. Now that power flows to you.

Once per person, you are able to revive them from death.

Mana cost depends on time since death, condition of the body, skill level, and whether the soul would wish to return.]

This was it. I could bring my mom back.

[Huh... Well that's convenient.]

(Just... Just let me have this please.)

[Sure.]

I could feel my system go silent, and I was able to think again. I was able to take in the fact I had the power to bring our mom back. Years of having the quest to bring her back. Years of feeling like I didn't try hard enough. Years of feeling guilty whenever Ruby asked about mom. It would all end after today.

But then I stopped.

'Time since death.' 'Condition of the body.' 'Skill level.' 'Whether the soul would wish to return.' Those conditions made me focus in on them, and I was worried. (System. Can I bring her back as I am?)

[As YOU are, no.]

I blinked. (Why are you specifying ME?) It was weird, I knew it, so I HAD to see what my system's angle was.

[Probably SHOULDN'T tell you, but since you have the skill, I'd might as well before you kill yourself.

Aura CAN be used to substitute mana, considering mana comes from the soul and all that crap.

But as YOU are, you won't be able to bear the cost of using it on Summer Rose.

And don't think about getting your sisters and other people to help. It won't work for them.

Even if it did, they'd deal with near fatal consequences since they don't have Gamer's Body to offset said consequences.

The only way for you to successfully use that skill on Summer Rose would be getting the help of that dog.]

My system was NEVER this talkative. I was used to one or two sentence answers, so when I got more then that, I just had to blink and take it in. Then I fully took in what it just said. (Macky? But how? Why? Why would it work for him and not anyone else?)

[It's simple. His aura reserves eclipse those of everyone on this planet.

If you were to use that skill on Summer Rose, the MINIMUM cost would be in the million range.

None of the humans or Faunus you know could take that cost.

And speaking of the cost.

Without Gamer's Body, the strain of having aura SIPHONED from them would leave them comatose at best.

But the dog is different.

His regeneration would keep him from keeling over.

Though I doubt it would come to that point. His reserves are more then enough to bring back Summer Rose.]

I couldn't help it. I paled at the cost, and knew system was right. If I tried it, then I'd fail. I'd miss the ONE chance I currently had to bring my mom back. But with the rest of that, I felt hope. (I... I can just ask Macky for help. He won't say no. He has no reason to say no. This.) "I can do it."

"Do what?"

"WHOA SHIT!" Hearing that voice right by my ear scared the shit out of me. And I will NEVER admit I almost dropped my aura platform out of surprise. I heard the cackling while I made sure I didn't fall, and saw the subject of my thoughts, laying upside down on an aura platform of his own. "Don't laugh at me asshole!" That just made him laugh some more, and I was a second away from poking him with Head Hunter, then I paused.

Maccillian noticed that, and I heard him stop laughing. "You good kid?" I just looked at him, and breathed. All I had to do was ask.

"Maccillian. I need a favor." He raised a brow, changed position and his platform into a chair, and rolled his wrist. "Help me revive my mom." He could tell I was serious, and he just hummed.

"Ok." That was it. That was all that I needed to hear. I launched myself at him, and just gave him the biggest hug I could. He hugged me back and chuckled as he did, but I didn't mind. I had the means to bring back our mom, and I wasn't going to wait. Grimm invasion be damned. I knew Ruby and Yang were fine, I saw their health and other bars in the party, and they never went below half.

I was going to bring mom back right this instant. "By the way. How?" Oh yeah. I just sprung that on him without explaining.

I broke off the hug, and made an aura platform of my own to sit on. I just asked him that out of nowhere, and he still went with it. "Ok. So did you watch Konosuba?" He nodded. Thank gods.

"Darkness best girl. Wiz comes second." I paused... Then I looked at him. I didn't need to know that, but I'd question it anyway.

"Is that because of Shizuka?" He rolled his eyes at my question, and I just kept looking at him. When you thought about it, Darkness and Shizuka were similar in a few ways.

Blond? Check. Massive chest? Check. Masochists? Check.

"Darkness wishes she could be like Shizuka. And no. That was my opinion before I met Shizuka. Aqua's a spoiled brat. Megumin is jail bait. Yunyun is just awkward and social anxiety with tiddy. Darkness might be a masochist, but that's fun. I would know, I'm in love with two of em. And I noticed how you said nothing about Wiz." I shrugged.

"Because she's hot. I'm no...- OFF TOPIC!" He just laughed at that. "Anyway. You know how Aqua revives Kazuma whenever he dies?" Another nod, then he blinked. That's when I realized he understood what I was getting at.

"Where do I come in?" That... Actually. That was a GREAT question.

(How is he supposed to help again?)

[Just have him flare his aura around you.

After you run out, the skill will search for the next source to fuel itself.

And since he's in your party, it will default to him.

The rest will happen naturally.]

I told that to him, and he nodded. "Alright. Let's go bring back Ruby prime." I couldn't help but smile at that.

We ran from our platforms, and as we did, I was able to get a good look at the rest of the island. The rest of Patch looked to be fine, so I didn't need to feel guilty about prioritizing Summer.

Then I checked to where Ruby and Yang were, saw there were still some Grimm flying around, and hummed. (They don't seem to be having any issues. And they still haven't gone below half. Their aura's are half though, but everything else seems fine.) But just to make sure.

[You two doing ok?] Maccillian raised a brow at me, but didn't say anything.

~Yep! What about you Yin?~

[Good. I just finished off my side.]

"You finished them off a while ago. You were just standing around for like... Ten minutes afterwards though." Oh. Well that made sense.

~Bullshit! How?!~ We both laughed at that.

[I'm just that much better Yang.]

~I hate you.~

[Sure.]

"Not going to tell them?" I shook my head. I COULD, but I didn't want to get their hopes up. Even though system said Maccillian's reserves should power my skill, I still wanted to only let them know AFTER I brought mom back.

"Let's bring her back first."

"Ok." We kept running after that, Ruby, Yang and I made small talk, Maccillian would add something sometimes, and it helped my nerves. Despite Gamer's Mind doing its thing, I still got worried about this.

A few minutes later, we were at moms grave. It was the moment of truth. I walked up to moms grave, and started digging. "Want me to help with that?"

"No... I need to do this myself." I didn't see it, but I was pretty sure he nodded.

I kept digging, and when I reached her casket, I had to stop. It was never mentioned in RWBY, I think, but we had Summer's body. I'd need to thank Raven for this, since it was thanks to her that we did.

When she felt the link to Summer grow weaker, she said she dropped everything, and used her semblance to go to her. But it was still too late. Mom had been poisoned, and it wasn't something she could've been saved from.

It was one of the things that Raven hated herself over, and something I could sympathize with. Raven had the power to save her, it was one of the core aspects of her semblance, but she failed. I didn't blame her for it. I was inconsolable when I saw my quest fail. When I realized Summer, my mother, died.

But Raven? Raven had to bring her back. She had to carry a dying Summer back home.

Which she didn't even make it too. Summer died in Raven's arms, and it broke her. Raven gained an even greater obsession for power, and that made her the Raven I recognized from the series.

But now I could make it right.

I could make it ALL right.

I brought Summer's casket out, and gently laid it on the ground. I looked at it, had to take a few seconds to breath, and opened the lid. Hearing the 'hiss' from the casket, I backed away from the freezing air.

Ozpin felt guilty for giving Summer the mission she died on, and paid for a custom made casket. It preserved her, and I got a look at my mother. She looked peaceful, and I felt my heart ache. She died to some souped up kind of Death Stalker's poison, which was probably a Demi-Titan now that I knew of them, but her skin looked just as it did as she was alive. I looked at the rest of her, and I could feel my new childhood memories flow through me.

It was agreed to have her buried in her cloak. The cloak she would always wear when we played 'huntsmen and huntresses.' It was in pristine condition, and I just kept looking at her. Summer was definitely the 'super mom' Yang said she was. And the memories of her loving us despite not being her own kids made my heart ache even more.

Eventually, I saw her weapon, Crescent Moon, in its smallest configuration on her chest. It wasn't in the best conditions when Raven brought her back, but they fixed her up for her funeral.

I took it all in, and I just froze again. It was alot.

I just couldn't stop looking at her. Even without my magic, she looked like she would just wake up. Just open her eyes and get back into being the 'super mom' she was.

Then I felt a hand on my shoulder, and saw Maccillian right by my side. "You sure you don't want your sisters here? I could go grab em right now." I shook my head.

"No... No. I... I need to make sure we can do this. If I brought their hopes up, and failed... I don't think I could ever look at them ever again." Maccillian looked at me, and I thought I saw something flash through his eyes, but I didn't know what.

"Ok. But Yin." I could tell he wanted my undivided attention, so I gave it to him. "Trust yourself. You're a Gamer. You're a badass. You're a Werewolf. Believe in yourself, and nothing will ever stop you. Not even yourself."

It was the corniest shit I think I've ever heard in both lives. But at the same time, it resonated with me. And even without his buff, I felt like I had more power coursing through me.

[Placebo.]

(Shush you!) I felt my system give me an eye roll, somehow, and looked back to Summer. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath in, and let it out as I opened my eyes again. I could tell my doubts were still in my mind, but they were far away, tossed into a corner I'd have to search for to notice.

I looked back at Maccillian, and smiled. He gave me one back, and we both turned to Summer. It was now or never.

We walked up to her, I knelt to get on her level, and I put my hands onto hers. Ignoring the biting chill of her freezing skin, I held on, and activated my new skill.

"RESURRECTION!"

Then I just felt this massive PULL. And holy fuck. It was like someone yoinked my spine, and were just playing with it. I had that feeling for a few seconds, then I felt Maccillian's aura SPIKE. I even heard the wind come to life as he did, and it was like a scene out of Dragon Ball Z or something. His aura extended to me, and I saw it start flowing to Summer.

"Huh. Kinda tickles." This fucker. I wanted to say something, but then I froze.

My hands felt warm.

Correction. My hands were WARMING up. My head snapped to Summer, and my breath hitched again.

I could see the subtle movements of blood going to her cheeks.

I could feel her heart slowly starting back up again.

I could HEAR her heart starting to beat again.

It was working. And I just stared as it did. I watched as her complexion started to subtly improve, and then it happened.

Her finger twitched. And I just kept staring.

"Mhm..." She groaned, and she was starting to move. Maccillian's aura was still going towards her, and then HER aura flashed. That moon white of her aura, the aura of my mother, it flashed to life, and I just kept staring.

I ignored the 'ding' because something more important came up. She opened her eyes.

{Summer's POV}

"I'm sorry Rae... I'm sorry Tai... Girls... But it looks like I won't be coming home today." Those were my last words as I heard Raven's portal open behind me. I knew she would hear it, and I even felt her catch me as I fell. I couldn't even hear her response, if she even spoke at all.

It was all fading. My hearing was already shot. Everything I touched and felt was cold. Just so cold.

I could hardly see anything. I overused my eyes during my fight with the 'Demi-Titan' Death Stalker and its horde. But even then, it probably would've been just as bad as my hearing was from the poison coursing through my veins.

Raven was carrying me, that was all I knew. I tried looking up to her, to see my bestfriend, but it felt so hard. Moving felt impossible, but I tried it anyway. I didn't want the last thing I saw to be a crazy Death Stalker. So even through the pain, I forced myself to look at Raven. And I managed to do it.

The look on her face made me feel worse then I already was. Raven. The cold, stone faced, no nonsense stick in the mud. My bestfriend, Partner and teammate. Was crying. I felt my heart break at the sight, and tried to raise my hand.

I tried to tell her not to cry.

I tried anything. But I couldn't move.

Then I did what I always do. I smiled.

I hated seeing Raven cry.

She was so strong. It didn't fit her.

So I smiled at her.

And her tears flowed down even more. I had no idea what she was saying. My hearing was gone. I couldn't read lips. So I didn't know what it was she was repeating. And I doubted I ever would.

Then I felt my heart stop. And everything else went with it.

After that, all I knew was silence.

A cold, all encompassing silence. There was no light. No sound. No heat.

Nothing.

I... Floated? I think that's what it was. I floated in the silence, and I accepted it. I had no idea how long I just floated around, but I just did.

But then something changed. I felt something warm.

Then I heard it.

"RESURRECTION!" It sounded like Raven. And then I felt a tug. I didn't know what was going on, but I let it happen. Something told me this was a good thing. And another thing told me that I could see them all again.

So I let it happen.

Then I thought of seeing everyone again.

Seeing Tai. My husband and father of my children.

Raven. My bestfriend, partner and teammate.

Qrow. The drunk bird and party animal.

Yin. Raven's little mini me and my niece/daughter.

Yang. Yin's twin sister and another little Raven but blonde and hyper active.

Ruby. My little bundle of joy and mini me of my own.

I wanted to see them again. And after I followed the tug, I could feel something new. I could feel someones hand on mine. And that made me hope. (I can feel again. I... I can feel cold... And warmth.) I tried moving around, but I felt so stiff. It didn't help that I was confined in something.

"Mhm..." It took so much effort to grumble that out, but it was the fact that I could even do that, that gave me even more hope. There was NOTHING in the void, and now I was feeling again. and hearing again.

Then my hearing sharpened, and I could feel my aura spring back to life. And with it, the rest of my senses.

The soreness melted away.

My ears picked up the sound of the wind whipping around me.

I could smell the familiar scent of Patch's woods.

I felt the hand holding mine tighten.

And I opened my eyes.

Then I saw her. "Rae?" My voice felt hoarse, but I could tell she heard me. And the tears coming down from her eyes made me sad again. But it let me focus in on her.

She looked like she did back in our Beacon days. She had her hair in a ponytail, which I told her always looked good on her. She had on an outfit that looked a little TOO out there... And... Wait a minute... "Were they... Always that big?" 'Raven' choked, and then started laughing. Even while she was laughing, her tears never stopped flowing.

"N...No mo-mom. The-they weren't." She never let go of my hand, and as I tried to move, I froze. I heard what she said, but it was only starting to settle in now.

(Mom? But I... Oh gods.) I stared at Ra...- No. I looked at her. REALLY looked. And came to the only conclusion that my mind COULD come too. "Y-Yin?" When I said her name, I saw the pure and unadulterated joy and love fill her eyes. And I knew I was right. Then I thought.

Yin. The 5 year old I... The 5 year old I left without a mother... Again. Was standing in front of me. She was crying in front of me. And I reacted. I didn't care that I somehow came back from the dead. My instincts as a mother took priority.

I sat up, with difficulty, and wrapped my arms around her back and head, as she put it on my shoulder and wrapped her arms around me. Then I did what I usually did when one of my girls cried. I softly rubbed her back, ran my fingers through her hair, and gently spoke to her. "It's ok baby. I'm here. Mama's here." My throat was still a little sore, but I didn't care. My eldest was here, crying her eyes out, and I was here to do something about it.

She cried even more as I spoke, but I felt her relax. She still hugged me like I would disappear, and I couldn't fault her for it. Because I DID disappear. I held her as tight as I could, and kept speaking to her. "Let me get a good look at you my little chick." I heard her sniffle, and saw her move. And I got a GOOD look at her. (She looks so grown up. Gods. How much did I miss?)

She looked like she was in her late teens, a splitting image of Raven when we first met. But even despite the tears, I could tell my little girl was just as beautiful. I took my arms off her head and back, and cupped her cheeks. "My little chick looks all grown up. Heh... Even better then Rae when we just started out." She laughed again, despite the way she was crying, she laughed.

And then she smiled. And I could just FEEL what I thought was YEARS of guilt, wash off of her. And I felt my heart ache all over again. (What did I do to them? Do th...-) Then I heard it.

Raven's portal. I wouldn't mistake that sound anywhere.

Raven's portal opened up next to us, and we both turned to it. And then a Raven flew out of it, and she practically froze in the air as I met her gaze. Even through those beady little eyes, I could see the emotions flashing through them.

Disbelief.

Guilt.

Grief.

Pain.

Self loathing.

Joy.

Relief.

Happiness.

Love.

I saw it all. And I watched as she slowly flew over to us, and changed back as she got up to my... Coffin? "So that's why my legs are stuck." I didn't notice it considering I saw my daughter crying, but now I realized I was in a coffin. (Well... It makes sense. I died after all.) I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Yin sniff again, and looked up to see both Yin and Raven, who was crying just like Yin was.

They were both crying.

And I hated it.

I held out my hand, and reached for Raven's face. She looked ready to move. To just disappear.

But she didn't.

My hand reached her cheek, and I did the same thing as... Earlier? (Think later.)

I smiled at her. And this time, I told her what I wanted to say before. "Don't cry Rae. You're stronger then that." And it was like a dam burst. Raven, the strongest woman I knew, fell to her knees, grabbed my hand with hers, and wailed. The sound of her cry was nothing I'd ever heard before. And I felt so guilty.

Yin knelt by her side, held Raven, and cried with her. They both held my hands, and I just couldn't help but feel my heart breaking down. The guilt and consequences of my actions had caught up to me. And I took it in. It was my fault, I needed to see what my actions caused.

(I never should've taken my mission... Gods... I have so much to make up for.) Seeing both Raven and Yin breaking down in front of me finally let it set in.

I died.

I left my bestfriend. My partner.

My husband.

Qrow.

My daughters.

I left them behind and died.

I told my daughters I would always be there for them. I told myself I'd see them grow up in a better world. I told Tai and Qrow I'd see them when I came home. I even told both myself and them that I'd make Raven come back to her girls.

And I wasn't.

I wasn't there for them.

I missed out on a decade at MINIMUM.

I didn't come home.

I only managed to get her here because I died.

And I finally felt it all crash into me.

And I cried. "I'm sorry... I'm so so sorry." They both broke even more, and I joined them. The three of us turned into a mess of tears, wails, apologies, and everything in-between.

I had no idea how long we cried for, but then I heard something at the edge of my hearing. Yin and Raven didn't react, still sobbing their hearts out, but I looked up. And I felt my heart break even more. There, a little ways away, were even more people I hurt. And I could see their faces.

Tai. My husband. He was frozen. Staring at me. Disbelief all over his face.

Yang. Our little dragon, was staring at both me and Raven. And there was more pain then I knew how to handle.

Then there was Ruby. My little mini-me. She had her little cape, a red version of mine, and I felt so much when I saw her. She dropped her weapon, a scythe similar to mine, from where I was sitting. And I saw her freeze as she met my gaze.

"Tai. Yang... Ruby." That was all they needed. They started inching closer to me. And I watched it happen. Step by step. I watched as the tears built up, and my already aching heart was being crushed even more.

And then Ruby turned into a blur of petals... (Just like me. She's so much like me...) She landed by her sisters side, and I could see the tears in her eyes. She hugged me, and started crying as she did. She was only 3 when I last saw her. (And now she looks just like I did when I was a teen... What have I done?)

Next was Yang, who probably ran in after Ruby, and knelt by Raven. She flinched when Yang wrapped an arm around her, and the other to me, but I could figure out why later.

And finally. Tai came up to me. And he knelt down between Yin and Raven, wrapped his arms around them, and they all huddled up closer to the other as we just cried our hearts out. Qrow wasn't here, but that could come later.

I didn't know how long we cried for, but after a bit, someone else came over.

A man with wild gray hair, hetero-chromatic Silver and Black eyes, an open sweater that showed off the claw scars on his chest, with pants and eastern sandals. And he had a scroll in his hand. "Say anything. He thinks he's drunk, which he is, and that I'm fucking with him, which I'm not." The dots connected in an instant.

"Anything." And I heard something fall to the ground.

~...Summer?~ Qrow. We were all here now... It was close enough.

I had so much to make up for. So much to find out about.

How my girls grew up.

What they were doing now.

Were they all doing ok.

I had so much to make up for, and I would make sure I did so this time.

{Yin's POV}

We were all here.

Mom. Who was crying her heart out, and apologizing to all of us.

Dad. Who was just crying and taking in the scene of mom being alive.

Raven. Who was the most broken I think I've ever seen.

Yang. Who wasn't letting Raven out of her hold, and holding onto mom at the same time.

Ruby. Who was crying the happy cry, and burying herself into mom.

Even uncle Qrow. Who I could hear crying over Maccillian's scroll, and probably ignoring the flask he dropped.

(I need to make this up to Maccillian later.) I did. I REALLY did. I could hear Maccillian silently walking away, giving us our time. And I thanked everything for it.

But for now. Now we cried. Now we let everything out.

And later, we'd be a family again. A WHOLE, family again.

The Grimm, Ozpin, and Salem could come later. Nothing else mattered now.

Salem had already lost

[Omake - A cowardly lion. Qrow's POV two days earlier]

(This sucks.) Oz sent me after Leo, based on some Intel we got from those kids with Cinder, and now I was flying over to his office. I always disliked Mistral, it smelled too much like fish, it had a port and I knew it did, but I still hated it. Not the booze though. The booze was great. Leo and I didn't exactly get along the best. But I was on a mission, so it was what it was.

I kept on flying over buildings, and eventually, made it to Leo's office. He didn't know I was coming, so the window wasn't cracked open enough for me to slip in. Though I COULD look through and just watch.

And I wasn't really ready for what I was seeing.

Leo was at his desk, looking way too nervous. He was muttering something, I wasn't sure what since it was too low for me to pick up. Though there WAS something I could pick up on.

And it was the really small Seer floating in a corner of his office, just staring at Leo. (He hasn't done anything about it... Were they right?) It wasn't something we wanted to accept. But with what I was seeing, I was starting to worry.

Those kids were annoying to track down, but the Emerald girl wasn't much of an issue the moment I found them. She was pretty much going all the way in the depressed deep end. Turned out she pretty much idolized Cinder. With her dead, the girl was pretty much a normal person without their aura awakened. A non threat.

The mercury kid was the issue. He had his contacts, which would help him cover his tracks, and was actively evading us. Though he slipped up, and it got them caught for it. We interrogated them, and that lead to why I was here in the first place.

Leo and I might not see eye to eye, but I didn't want the guy to be a traitor.

But this wasn't looking good for him.

I kept on watching, making sure Leo didn't see me, and just kept on observing him. Leo was muttering a storm, constantly sending glances to the Seer, which wasn't really doing much now that I looked at it. It was kind of just... Floating there... Menacingly. (Leo could've probably killed it by now... The only reason he wouldn't is if he was with Salem... Dammit Leo...) This was bad.

After another hour, I was sure.

Leo was working with Salem. He had too many opportunities to kill the thing and be done with it. But he didn't. (I've got to tell Oz.) I flew off of my perch, and onto the roof of Haven. I changed back, brought out my scroll, and called Oz.

~Ah, Qrow. What've you found?~ The sigh I let out after that must've told him it wasn't good. ~Ah... So it's true then?~

"Yeah... What's the plan Oz?" He was quiet for a bit, but eventually answered.

~I'll inform my contacts in the Mistralian police. We'll need to make sure the council doesn't get word of this, or else we may lose Leonardo. But for now, just keep your eye on him. Ideally, we will have him in custody by the end of the day. Tomorrow afternoon at the latest.~ Oz didn't like it, I knew it, but we had to do this.

"Gotcha. I'll check in again later. See ya Oz."

~Very well. Keep yourself safe Qrow.~ And we hung up. I just sat on the roof for a bit, then sighed.

(I'm too sober for this.)