Ruby fired Crescent Rose again, the recent addition silencing the previous loud bangs of the high caliber shots while maintaining the momentum they created.  Her shots were calculated, rapid, shifting her across the winterized fields near Vale's Agricultural district.  If what they'd heard was true, Team RWBY would be able to take down Cinder's second-in-command, cutting the head of the proverbial snake.  Roman Torchwick had eluded them years before when they were young and lacked experience and stepped up his game after the team became more experienced, maintaining an incredible track record of successful hits on smaller lieutenants of Cinder's. 

As she got closer to the farmhouse which they would be housed in, a small flame was seen in the distance, flickering on and off in a set pattern.  Yang had made it to the rendezvous point, hopefully being done with the immobilization of the vehicles of Roman's henchman.  Ruby smiled to herself, finding it remarkable how good her sister had become at using her semblance and actually controlling it, being able to turn into a warm blaze or a raging inferno at will.  Ruby slowed down by hooking Crescent Rose into the snowy ground, decreasing her momentum until she was able to comfortably switch to walking.  She pulled her white cloak, a gift of her.. 'graduation', as Ozpin had called it, closer to shield herself from the cold.  As she came closer to Yang, she couldn't help but smile at the attire the blonde wore.  A simple black fireproof jacket, embroidered with the emblem, together with a shirt much similar to the design she wore to Beacon, but black primarily with again her logo.  The blonde had instead opted for long, black and tight fitting fireproof pants.  In the heat of combat, she'd ignite and come out without a scuff on her clothing. 

"The Bullheads are beyond repair.  Roman won't be going anywhere." 

Yang said, showing a smirk. " We might actually be able to take down that bastard today.". 

Ruby smiled at her gently, a happy look in her eyes.  It had been thirteen years since team RWBY's supposed deaths, only Weiss being the survivor of the carnage Roman and Cinder had wrought on them.  As the team faded into the shadows, they were trained in secret, becoming the best assassins Remnant had ever seen.  Taking down Roman would be a massive step in finally quelling the warmongering of the White Fang. " I hope so Yang.  It's time he should pay for the blood on his hands."  Ruby said, feeling a tinge of sadness in her heart.  Deep inside, she hated killing and despised herself for doing it.  The first time she took a life, she had become near catatonic, unable to process what she had done.  The hypocrisy of her statement was not lost to her as she couldn't even recall how many successful assassinations she was part of.  As much blood as there was on Roman's hands, there was just as much on her own.. I'm doing the right thing.  I am stopping him from creating more casualties.  Ruby reminded herself.  She had to kill in order to stop the killing, whether she liked it or not. 

"And the complete and utter destruction of many towns, cities and a giant waste of my company's assets." 

the ice queen chimed in.  Weiss' dress had stayed mostly the same, switching to a more elegant white and black dress, the longer attire replacing the battle skirt she used to wear.  In the snow, she would barely be seen by anyone.  Her ponytail had been replaced by her hair flowing freely halfway to her shoulders before forming into a single braid that snaked its way down her back, giving off an air of regality in how carefully it fell.  Myrtenaster had been given an upgrade, being mostly enhanced with a Dust layer of choice, it elongated the blade at will, the Dust giving the ice creeping along the rapier enhanced properties.  Ruby had to smile at the ice queen, still with her company in mind.  She knew it wasn't the reason why Weiss was doing it, but using it as an excuse to hide her true feelings on the matter. 

"Thank you for joining us Weiss.  I presume that the meeting was utterly boring?"  Ruby asked her, the same gentle smile and happy look in her eyes given to Weiss, repelling the eternal scowl on the queen's face. 

"Yes.  However this mission on the horizon got me through it just fine."  Weiss said, smiling at her partner. 

"Still would like for you to sometimes join me, you know.  Partner and all.  It is a family business.".  Ruby hated the meetings.  They were dull and meaningless to her, but Weiss did have a point. 

"Fine.. I'll be there next time, I promise okay?"  Ruby said, giving the queen a quick peck on the cheek. 

"You better be."  was the response, Weiss's icy demeanour thawing Ruby's presence. 

"Hello."  in a blur, Blake had appeared from the shadows, immediately beginning on her report. 

"Confirmed Roman is in the farmhouse, He's preparing something big.  I heard talk about Mistral.  It sounded bad, greater proportions than the Vacuo overtake."  Blake had remained true to her attire mostly, but integrated Gambol Shroud into her getup even more, the increased ribbons giving her an increased reach with the weapon than before.  Her signature bow was still there, and her clothes hadn't changed much.  A blouse and form fitting pants together with the longer pieces of fabric adorning her arms, the blouse opening up near the end of the sleeves, revealing even more ribbon material.  It protected her and served her weapon well. " A sneak attack might not be possible.  The place is overrun with Faunus and is fairly cramped."  she continued, Ruby putting a finger to her lips, tapping against it in thought.  A full frontal attack might work, but would leave complications with the White Fang.  A distraction would be needed in order to pull Roman out, then take him down.  The bullheads down already, it could be a good trap.  All that was needed was a distraction, but it would need to be alarming enough to cause for immediate retreat.  Ruby snapped her fingers at the thought. 

"Hey Yang, think you could pull that fire dragon thing off again?"  she asked, aiming hopeful eyes at Yang. 

"Sure I can.  Need me to burn the place down?"  Yang replied, crossing her arms and smirking. 

Ruby nodded, "Yes.  If Roman is inside, burning the place would mean he has to come out.  If he doesn't, we might only need to ID him for the kill."  she explained. 

"Blake and Weiss, you go focus on Roman when he gets out of the house.  Weiss, you take the north side, Blake, you take the south side.  When he exits the house, try to detain him instead of kill him.  We might be able to extract some more information from him.  If he's making it tough, then bring him down."  Ruby said, Weiss and Blake both nodding after the explanation. 

"I'll provide long range support, trying to keep off reinforcements and picking off stragglers who are foolish enough to engage us.  We go in hard, blind them, then grab the package.  When we have Roman, we'll call in for the stealth Bullhead to take us to base."  she explained, the team nodding to her. 

"Let's do this."  she finished, the team getting into their respective positions. 

Ruby laid down in the snow, adjusting the scope to accurately show the farmhouse.  She saw Yang creeping around to the side of the house, Ember Celica already burning in her hands, keeping the flame low.  Weiss was on the north side, her white blue glyphs being set into place as mines, ready to encase anyone who triggered them in a block of ice.  Blake had used a great deal of her ribbons to rig the entire south side as a giant noose, making quick work of anyone caught in the cat faunus' trap.  Ruby clicked the button on her sleeve, giving her a clear line of communications to the others. " Okay Yang, light them up.".  As she gave the command, a whirling storm of fire was created at Yang's position, taking the hinted form of a dragon and raging at the house.  The simple wooden structure quickly surrendered to the blonde's fiery inferno, timber cracking and spitting under the flames. 

The White Fang was quickly alarmed by Yang's flames, escaping the burning house quickly.  Ruby looking down her scope as they were caught in the traps laid by Blake and Weiss.  Ruby grew impatient as the White Fang was thinned out, the house nearly buckling under the flames, but showing no sign of Roman.  Dust damnit, where is that bastard.  Ruby thought to herself, switching between the north and the south side often with her scope.  Her senses kicked into overdrive as she saw the white suit and orange hair of Roman Torchwick, seemingly coughing because of the smoke. " I've got him in my sights!"  Ruby spoke through the earpiece, using her semblance increase her speed, effectively slowing time for her.  She aimed down the scope, placing the crosshair over Roman's knee, exhaled once and fired. 

Ruby's heart beat in her throat.  Would this be it?  Would they finally capture Roman?  As the shot connected, Roman's knee shattered, as though made of glass, followed by the rest of him shattering in the same way.  Ruby's eyes widened as what happened became clear to her, whipping Crescent Rose around and firing herself clear of the small woman behind her.  The mute woman shot her an annoyed look, angered that her opportunity to kill had been snatched away. 

"It's a set up!  Neo is here!  Need backup!"  Ruby spoke through the earpiece in a panicked voice, The smaller woman being beyond what she could handle.  Ruby tried to take the offensive, using the agility Crescent Rose gave her to try and repel Neo.  The woman's response came in the form of a smile, anger giving way to amusement as she easily deflected Ruby's attacks. 

"Ruby!  Heavy enemy movement, cloaked by the illusion!  We can't come to help!  Run!"  Weiss's voice came through the earpiece, a note of panic accompanying the message.  Ruby knew that staying to fight was a lost cause, but any attempt to retreat would cause her opponent to give chase.  As Neo noticed the lull in their fight, she seized the opportunity to go on the offensive.  Ruby shifted Crescent Rose again, the scythe retracting and the armored plating on the side coming out to form a shield.  She intercepted each of the blows, but her defenses slowly faltered as Neo increased her pace. 

In a single movement, Ruby deflected Neo, interrupting her barrage of attacks.  Bringing Crescent Rose around and shifting it to it's scythe form again, she charged at Neo, using her semblance and her white cloak in conjunction to the snowy field to hide herself from the short woman's sight.  Ruby brought Crescent Rose around, approaching on Neo to strike her as she passed the woman.  However fear struck her as something unexpected happened, Neo smiling at her.  Her umbrella swung around, blocking Crescent Rose's blade and Ruby felt a sharp pain, the estoc being driven through her abdomen.  The momentum of her semblance and the charge leaving Ruby tumble to a stop, her stomach bleeding profusely from the wound.  A small pool of crimson was forming under her, mingling with the pure white of the snow.  Slowly Ruby climbed to her feet, scolding herself for her overconfidence and carelessness.  She focused her aura on the wound, hoping it would heal quickly enough to respond to any follow up attack. 

Grabbing Crescent Rose, Ruby fired at the ground, launching herself to run away as fast as she could, hoping to make it to Vale's Residential Area in order to shake Neo off her trail.  The illusionist had no great trouble following the red drops of blood, figuring out already the direction the crimson woman had tried to flee to.  Frantically Ruby fired, increasing her momentum with each shot. 

"White fang.. -static- dispatched.. -static- Ruby?..  -static- Whe.. are yo.. -static-" came across the communications, noticing the earpiece damaged by the tumble she had taken. 

"I'm moving towards the Residential Area, Neo is right behind me!"  she yelled into the earpiece, launching herself quickly over the river separating the agricultural area and the residential area of Vale. 

In the reflection of the windows of the apartments in front of her she could see her pursuer with a bloodthirsty look, the estoc dried with her blood.  As Ruby noticed the reflection disappearing and reappearing much closer, she fired upwards, diving down and quickly diving inside of an abandoned house.  Confident that she had gained at least a little time with her diversion, she looked at the wound.  It barely healed, the wound still oozing slightly.  She aimed at the window she had burst through, expecting the psychopath any second. 

A few seconds went by as no one came through the window.  Quickly, Ruby reloaded her gun, swinging around to face the other way to get a kick in the center of her chest by Neo.  Neo quickly grabbed her left hand and kicked her hard again, pulling her left arm out of its socket.  Ruby screamed as her arm fell limply to her side.  Unable to fully wield Crescent Rose anymore, she quickly shifted the weapon to the shield, holding off the attacks as Neo also became more visibly exhausted. 

The front door was slammed down, a fiery inferno barreling its way towards Neo, whose eyes went white with fear.  Neo teleported, bolting outside and running away.  Yang's red eyes illuminated the empty living room. 

"Are you okay?"  she asked, her concern barely noticeable by the sheer amount of rage. 

Ruby nodded, "I'll be fine, just take that bitch down.".  Yang nodded in return, bolting outside again, leaving little embers in her wake.  Ruby walked outside, gritting her teeth as each move hurt.  She sheathed Crescent Rose, using the button on her sleeve to speak. 

"I'm going to get some aid, you take down that Neopolitan bitch, see if Cinder or her precious Roman come for her.  Weiss, you're in charge for now."  she spoke, making her way towards the middle to upper class part of the district. 

"Understo.. -static- " Weiss' voice sounded, a bit fearful but determined through the static of the damaged earpiece. 

Ruby sat down on a bench, feeling her dislocated arm.  Slowly but surely she put it into position, pushing hard to relocate the arm.  She grit her teeth at the action, the pain burning through her.  Using her cloak, she made a makeshift sling for her arm.  She stood up again, following the road.  As she entered the middle class district, she noticed most houses void of light.  Everyone is probably sleeping.. Dust be damned.  Ruby thought to herself.  As she rounded the corner of the street, she noticed a house at the beginning of the street still having it's living room illuminated.  Hoping to get some aid and a place to stay for the night, she walked up the driveway, hoping her disheveled appearance and Crescent Rose wouldn't scare off the inhabitants. 

Jaune furrowed his brow, working his way through the immense stack of paper on his desk.  Requests for Grimm extermination coming in daily from most of the kingdoms.  Vacuo was still the one requesting the most aid, after having their military mostly wiped out after an attack by the White Fang.  Jaune rested his head in his hand, reading over the requests once more.  Small villages, large cities, it didn't matter.  All of the people needed help.  Being the leader of one of the best teams wasn't always easy, but his team had done exceptionally well these last years. 

The wooden door of the study opened slowly, revealing his partner, a modest smile on her face and a tray with tea in her hands, causing Jaune to look up and smile at her. " Rose back to sleep again?"  he asked, Pyrrha nodding at him. 

"Yes, she heard the commotion outside and had a nightmare.  She's okay now.".  She took a seat on the opposite side of the desk, pouring the both of them a cup. 

"I presume the requests haven't stopped?"  Pyrrha questioned and putting the cup in front of Jaune. 

"Afraid not.  World is still in need of us heroes."  he spoke, grinning at his partner, his previous stress completely dissolving near her presence.  He had much to thank her for and was still kicking himself for not noticing Pyrrha's feelings for him sooner. 

"Well.  Nora and Ren are still out on their mission to help bolster the defenses of their village.  I don't think passing a few of these missions off to Ozpin or Atlas would be a problem."  Pyrrha said. " Besides, I'd like to spend more time with Rose.". 

Jaune agreed, Rose's upbringing becoming more important for the two than most of the missions.  They didn't like leaving their child, especially not to get into life threatening situations. " I think we could take a bit of a break.. I'll call Ozpin in the morning."  he said, Pyrrha smiling in return.  Her smile hid a tinge of sadness.  Jaune was always steadfast, preventing his work getting into the way of his personal life, no matter how much aid Pyrrha would offer.  He took a sip of the tea as he put the requests aside and disconnected the scroll from the screen before closing it, the warm liquid soothing his worries as he disconnected himself from work. 

"Come."  Pyrrha said, putting her empty cup on the tray and moving out of the study, Jaune in tow.  Jaune took his last sip and placed his empty cup it on the kitchen counter.  The both of them moved to the house's living room, plopping down on the couch.  Pyrrha quickly snaked her way into Jaune's arms and held onto him tightly, feeling the warmth of his embrace.  Jaune held her and smiled, taking solace into the quiet moment with his wife.  He gave a kiss on the top of Pyrrha's head, causing her to stir and nuzzle in closer.  They sat like that for a moment, the both of them dozing off slowly. 

A dull ringing woke Jaune, stirring from his position on the couch.  It had been a couple of hours since the couple had fallen asleep.  Pyrrha hesitantly moved as well, standing up, straightening out her clothes. 

"I'll see who it is."  she said, smiling as she turned towards the hallway.  Jaune stretched and yawned, his body recovering from the sleep.  He heard Pyrrha gasp, his senses kicking into overdrive and vaulting off the couch quickly towards the hallway.  It looked like a ghost was standing right before him as his heart started beating in his throat. 

Ruby rang the bell, hoping for an answer.  It took a while before she heard some mumbling and saw a shadow enter the hallway.  She put on her brightest smile and her most begging eyes as the door opened, but both giving away as she recognized the person in the doorway.  As Pyrrha looked at Ruby, a small gasp escaped her, drawing Jaune out from the living room.  As he looked at Ruby, his eyes grew wide.  Ruby stood silently in the doorway, stared at in disbelief by the couple. 

Ruby hesitantly spoke,"Hi.. could I come in?  I'll explain.".  Her voice stammered slightly, unsure of their reaction.  The both of them moved out of the way without a word.  Ruby smiling at them awkwardly as she entered their home.  The walls were adorned with pictures of the both of them in various places or at various events.  Some of them involving the same little girl, sporting Pyrrha's looks but Jaune's hair.  She smiled to herself, happy to know that her former friends had started a family but sad she had missed these events.  Ruby walked into the living room and sat down in one of the lounge chairs, the stunned couple following behind her, sitting down on the couch. 

A moment of silence passed again before Jaune regained his bearings, a shaky voice speaking up. " How..?". 

Even though Ruby expected the question, it still stung and she was unsure of how to answer it properly. 

"I mean, we even had a funeral for you.. How?"  Jaune continued, Ruby breathing in deep and sighing. 

"I'll start from the tournament onwards.  But know that this is very much classified.  No one knows that I am alive apart from my team, Ozpin and General Ironwood.  Well.  I guess I have to count you two now as well."  Ruby started, taking a brief moment to recollect herself and what she was going to say. 

"Our deaths were.. orchestrated.  Our team was the most versatile, able to handle every problem thrown at us, albeit not easily, but we were good.  Ozpin and Ironwood deemed us so good, we had to become shadows.  With Weiss being a public figure and heiress to the Schnee family, she couldn't follow."  Ruby said, digging deep inside herself for the answers. " We were trained in secret by the best Remnant has to offer.  We mastered our weapons and ourselves.  They trained us to become the best assassins this world has ever seen.". 

"We had to change as well.  Yang and Blake are often just hiding amongst the shadows of the lower districts.  I was given my mothers' cloak as a .. 'graduation' gift, so to speak."  she said. " We were on a mission close by when I was unfortunately attacked and.. well.  Now I'm here.  I needed a place to stay to mend my wounds and then go back to the HQ."  she said, looking up at the both of them again, a sad smile on her face.  Pyrrha looked at her with disbelief, Jaune with his brow furrowed, his lips taut as he processed what had been said. 

"What was your mission?"  Pyrrha asked quickly, realizing her words after she spoke them. 

"That's.. classified, I'm sorry."  Ruby quickly replied.  Jaune peered at her still, unsure of what to say.  Another moment of silence passed between them, Ruby rephrasing her question. 

"So.. even though as strange as this is.. Can I stay here for the night?  I'll be gone tomorrow as soon as I'm able.".  The couple looked at each other, Ruby looking at them as it seemed they were deciding by only looks to each other.  The both of them looked away again, Jaune breathing in deep and closing his eyes. 

He looked up at Ruby again, speaking softly "You can use the spare room, there's a bed you can use.  Don't worry about us telling anyone.  Even though it's been a long time, we're no strangers."  Jaune said, sporting a goofy grin, Pyrrha showing her a soft smile as well.  Ruby's heart swelled. " But.. please wait until you leave tomorrow.  There's someone we'd like you to meet."  Jaune continued, causing Ruby to give him a confused look. " You look like you need some rest though."  Pyrrha spoke, standing up. " Follow me, I'll show you the room.".  Ruby nodded and followed her as she led her to the small room up the stairs, the bed being illuminated through the window by the shattered moon of Remnant. 

"If you need anything, just ask.  There should be a few extra pillows and blankets in this cabinet, just grab them if you need them."  Pyrrha said, almost whispering.  Ruby put down Crescent Rose against the bed, turning to Pyrrha again and speaking softly, assuming the low voice was because of their daughter, "Thank you and Jaune again.. I'll explain more tomorrow morning, but I can't repay the trust you're giving me."  Ruby confided, surprised by the couple's generosity.  Pyrrha swatted the air, smiling genuinely before speaking "Don't worry.  We're just shaken up.  I think some rest might help all three of us to clear our heads.".  Ruby smiled at her. " Good night Pyrrha.  Thanks again.",  the redhead smiling and nodding before Ruby closed the door. 

Ruby plopped down at the bed, undoing her cloak revealing the simple garments underneath.  A simple black leather jacket combined with white and crimson accents, her emblem in a faded design on her shirt.  A straight black skirt with crimson accents and a pair of leggings finished up her outfit, the black leggings providing the rest of her skin protection from air.  Her boots more simple than before, more slick and lined to provide better protection from Crescent Rose's blade.  Usually the attire under her cloak seen by none, her semblance making her a white blur to her enemies. 

Ruby undressed, only leaving her shirt and undergarments on crawling in the soft bed.  She noticed her arm hurting a lot less, her aura healing the muscles around it gradually.  It would still be stiff and sore in the morning, but her makeshift sling would no longer be needed as her healing would speed up while asleep.  Soon, sleep overtook Ruby, the strangely safe feeling area granting her peace into her sleep.