A/N

Oh baby, we're getting there folks. Still setting up, but man I'm excited. I hope you are too! Enjoy

I often wonder why I keep writing these logs. This diary is nothing but a childish relic from a past I left behind in ash. Yet, I can't help but be drawn back to this old habit.

Is it a distraction from the constant violence and bloodshed? Initially, maybe. I've dulled to that now.

To remind myself that I'm not a monster that the world so much enjoys painting me as? Listening to that talk is pointless. I don't care for their opinions. Not anymore.

To retain the youth that I lost as soon as I entered the path to become a huntress? Innocence lost, but when did I truly have it to start with?

Any of these would be suitable answers, I suppose. No matter. None of that is important now.

The atmosphere leading up to the Vytal Festival finals was something that I won't forget. Not only for the intense competition that happened, but the overwhelming sense of comradery in the audience. People across Remnant came to watch their best compete against one another for the glory of being crowned champion, in place of a war long done. Even I was swept up in the excitement of the event. My hope of Yang winning outweighed my own selfish desires to be in the arena. I wanted a Vale champion. I wanted my sister to be victorious. I cheered with every ounce I had. It seemed like I had no choice but to cheer. She was my friend too, but that is no longer true.

I miss her. I miss all of them.

So many things happened in those days. I felt every emotion in that short span of time: elation, disbelief, anger, sadness, brokenness, isolation, betrayal. The entire range in such a short span. I never even thought that was possible.

I guess that's what kick started where I am now, as my master's right hand. She was the only one who believed in me. Everyone waited for me to fall, expected me to fall. Even Ozpin, who set me up to succeed, watched my progress with sad remorseful eyes. He thought I would go the way of my mother, a pointless death in a long line of tragedy. Another rose crushed under the weight of the world.

Cinder strolled down a boulevard in Vale, a light autumn breeze at her back. The sun dipped below the horizon as twilight approached. Shadows from alleyways stretched all around her, no longer pushed back by the sunlight, as if they were trying to engulf her in darkness. Cinder found comfort in their embrace, turning down one of these dim alleys. She lived in the shadows long enough, what did she have to fear from them?

No longer in the commercial district, Cinder continued to the residential area of Vale. In the city proper, there weren't many traditional single family homes. Those were farther out on the outskirts or small settlements, like Patch. Here, red bricked apartment buildings a couple of stories high lined the streets. Although, on the corner where Cinder stood, there was a rundown building that fell to neglect over the years. Many of the windows were boarded up and graffiti tattooed the cracked stone. Only a few tenants remained here; poor souls down on their luck with nowhere else to turn. A desolate bunch of folks that society turned a blind eye to. Drug addicts, thieves, and vagabonds were all abound here and left to their own devices. However, there was an exception.

The lock on the security door no longer worked as Cinder briskly entered the building. Constant break-ins rendered the secureness obsolete until finally the city council decided it wasn't worth the funds to keep in tact. A revolving door might have been a better option, in Cinder's mind, had it not been for the fact that glass had a mysterious habit of shattering in the complex.

Wilted, potted plants drooped in the corners of the lobby, failing to receive sufficient light or water. A sad reflection of life in this part of town. An "Out of Service" sign hung slanted in front of the elevator directly across the entryway as Cinder stepped toward it. She scoffed at the inconvenience, moving toward the stairs. Not that she thought it would be in functioning order.

But a girl can dream, right? She smirked to herself. At least it's only six flights. But I'm having her fix that elevator for next time.

The stairway was dark, as it seemed everything was here. The few lights that were placed on the walls flickered and faded, never holding a constant glow. As with the outer walls, the inner walls were sprayed with more graffiti and profanities that climbed as Cinder ascended the stairs. In the corner on the fourth floor, a man lay passed out with an empty bottle next to him. Whether he was dead or alive was no concern to Cinder; he could deal with his own demons. There were more important matters that required her attention.

The sixth floor of the building drastically changed from the previous ones. The decay of the building suddenly stopped as though this floor was reverted back to as it was when it was first built. Bright new light fixtures were installed and the brick of stairway was restored to it's former red hue. A security camera traced her path as she made her way into the anomaly.

The hallway leading into where the apartments would have been was blocked by a new security door. After travelling through such a rundown building, the door seemed peculiar, if not completely misplaced. Cinder had been here before, though, and walked up to the keypad just to the right of the door, with numbers glowing bright white. Keying a combination, deadbolts and locks mechanically clicked and grinded behind the steel signalling success. The door swung open on it's own as Cinder strode through the doorway.

Where multiple apartments once resided, a single penthouse now had taken over the entire floor. Expansive and unnecessarily large, Cinder passed through the doorway into the room, a light pink painted on the walls. Nearly taking a step onto the white carpet, Cinder remembered the last time didn't remove her shoes. Not wanting another unpleasant experience, she slipped her heels off and placed them next to the doormat. After all, the owner of this luxury suite was a bit obsessive when it came to tidiness. And who was Cinder to disrespect those wishes?

"My darling Neo? Are you here?" Cinder called out to the apparently empty room. "I've got a job of interest for you."

Still, the apartment remained silent as Cinder walked to the far side of the room where a large picture window opened up to the view behind the building. From six stories up the entire town of Vale could be seen. People scattered below on the sidewalks like insects scuttling about their business. None the wiser to those who preyed above, happy in their blissful ignorance. To Cinder, such foolishness was disgusting.

Out of the corner of her eye, a reflection of a brown and pink hair split down the middle appeared in the glass.

"You know you really mustn't sneak up on people like that. You can never be sure of their reaction," Cinder said turning toward the girl, unfazed at the sudden appearance. Cinder's right eye glowed red before returning to it's normal amber. "You could get burned."

Neo had her way of being unnoticed, a trait Cinder grew accustomed to over the years since she found the girl on the streets. Heterochromic eyes, one pink and one brown, stared back at Cinder, swapping between the colors every few blinks. Even after their time together, not that Cinder would admit to anyone, there was something within those eyes that unnerved her. Perhaps related to the false smile that always remained on Neo's face. The girl was no danger to Cinder. There was just an unsettling feeling as she stared into a somewhat unknown in her plan. It was a feeling Cinder did not appreciate.

Neo gave a short bow in apology at Cinder's words followed by a quizzical raise of her eyebrow. Clearly, the news of a job had grabbed her attention.

"I required two things of you," said Cinder, motioned to a small black dining table to their left. The two sat across from one another as Cinder slid a disc to Neo. "First. This contains very important documents that weren't meant for public viewing. Thanks to the kindness of General Ironwood, we can now do as we please with them. I believe I know someone who would like to see them."

Neo examined the disc, twirling it in her fingers. Content, she motioned her hand for Cinder to continue her instructions.

"The recipient is Ruby Rose. I'm more than confident that you can find her by tonight." An amused smile crossed Neo's lips as she thought about a potential confrontation with Ruby's older sister. "And because I can see you're already thinking about it, there will be no confrontation between you and Ms. Xiao Long." The smile faded into a disapproving huff as Neo crossed her arms. "She's still required to our plan. Alive. Are we clear?"

Neo, still upset, took the disc and placed it into her white blazer. Patting the pocket to confirm it's safety, she nodded, looking back up to Cinder as expectant eyes waited for further instruction.

"Good. Second. I need you to shadow me tomorrow during the finals match." Again, Neo was confused at Cinder's instructions, scratching her head. In the past, she was told to shadow and guard Roman to make sure he stayed in line with Cinder's plan but never had she been asked to follow Cinder herself.

"Don't worry. I won't be in any sort of danger. I simply require your talents. I don't expect you to disappoint me." Neo shrugged at the comment, but nodded again in compliance. "That will be all." Cinder pushed back from the table and Neo followed suit, both walking to the door. "I take it you are leaving now to find our Rose?"

Pulling her umbrella off of the coat rack by the door, Neo giggled and smiled innocently back. With another bow, a high pitch sound cut through the laughter as a white flash flared where Neo once stood, leaving Cinder alone in the doorway.

Ruby sat alone on the dorm room floor, pieces of Crescent Rose scattered about in front of her. While she normally would take her precious scythe down to the workshop to make adjustments, Ruby didn't want to go out in public today. Taking a page out of Blake's book, she wanted to be by herself in silence of the room away from everything.

Blake and Yang had gone to the sparring room to go through some last minute drills for Yang before the finals tomorrow. Weiss had gone to see Winter one last time, even though Winter had returned to her ship. She muttered something about thanking her, but Ruby didn't quite catch the statement as Weiss ran out the room. Even Qrow had to go attend business with Ozpin and Ironwood, which left Ruby with no one to turn for company.

So here she sat, in her pajamas, tinkering with Crescent Rose. She had noticed a balance issue in her blade's weight in her recent sparring Ember along with the bolt of her rifle jamming after extended use. A new, lighter model had been released which she planned on getting as soon as it hit the market as a treat for herself.

A much needed upgrade, she thought. A weapon is never finished, that's what dad always told me! I wonder though. She stared down at the blade of her scythe, lifting the steel in her hands. The metal was cool to the touch, almost uncomfortably cold. How many Grimm had she slain with this? How many more to come? After the breach incident, she feared that number would never end.

Ember had mentioned something about dust infusion within weapons. How much work could it be to tweak into Crescent? A bit of fire dust within the blade could prove extremely useful. What about interactions with my rounds? I don't want to explode like I did in the courtyard on day one. She giggled a bit at her first interaction with Weiss, finding the entire experience humorous in hindsight. Resigned that she didn't know enough, Ruby decided to ask Ember the next time she saw her about how to best do that.

A glint in the metal in front of her startled Ruby from her thoughts. The light was far too bright to be a simple reflection of the sun. She stood from her place on the floor to see what the source was, but turned around to find that nothing but empty beds and desk were behind her.

"Hello? Is there something there?" asked Ruby to the emptiness. No reply came back as she paced forward. "Heh. Must be imagini-hmpf?!"

Ruby suddenly, and terrifyingly so, realized she was not alone as a black glove hand reached from behind and covered her mouth. Eyes darted back and forth as she tried to gain a bearing on who the assailant could be, struggling against the pressure of now being held against her will. Ruby clawed behind her, trying to find purchase on anything to dissuade the attacker from holding her.

To her surprise, the assault against Ruby never came. Her struggling slowly stopped as the she came to the conclusion that the hold on her had no malice.

It's… gentle? What the hell is going on?

The hand remained firm as Ruby felt herself slowly spun around to face the stranger, but found herself looking down instead of up. Fear filled her being for a second time as she found herself looking into the eyes of the girl that nearly killed Yang, Neo.

Every instinct told her to continue fighting but Ruby couldn't move. She remained planted in place as her eyes glanced over to Crescent Rose, currently disassembled behind Neo. Even with her weapon, Ruby didn't like her chances. Without her weapon? Ruby knew there was no hope.

Of all the times. Ruby looked back at Neo, who had a wry smile on her face. If she wanted me dead, I would be. She knows it too. What does she want?

Neo raised a finger to her lips, paused briefly before tilting her head, then cut across her throat with her thumb. The message was loud and clear from the mute girl. Stay silent or die.

Ruby, unable to do anything else, gave the smallest nod. Happy with the response, Neo removed her gloved hand from Ruby's mouth and to her own blazer, digging through the pocket. And continued searching through the pocket for another minute. After being assaulted not long ago, Ruby couldn't help but be bemused when Neo stomped her foot in annoyance as she patted the rest of her jacket down.

Neo's hand stopped moving across her jacket as she found the item she was here to deliver, raising a small disc in the air in a triumphant display. Looking back up at Ruby, Neo's faced blushed as she handed the disc over. The next instant, a flash of white light filled the room as Neo disappeared leaving a confused Ruby alone once more.

"I.. what? What the hell was that?" muttered Ruby, looking down at the disc in her hand. "And what is this?"

If Neo had made such a bold appearance, on the campus of Beacon which was currently under the protection of a large portion of the Atlesian military, there must have been a reason.

She inhaled deeply, trying to calm her racing heart. Against her better judgment, Ruby left Crescent Rose apart on the floor. The chances of another unwanted visitor were slim.

On second consideration, Ruby wanted to avoid another scolding from Weiss and she moved the parts onto her desk before setting into her bunk. Grabbing her scroll that was off to the side, she inserted the disc and tapped at the screen to bring up the data. A swipe here, double tap there, and a folder appeared on the screen. The shock of the name caused Ruby to nearly drop her hold on the device, hands trembling at the words.

No. There's no way that's possible. This can't be real. Why… why didn't anyone tell me? No. No. It's a trick.

The scroll's screen glowed dimly as different file windows opened, but the top of the screen had one short name across it.

SUMMER ROSE.

Everything was here, as Ruby composed herself going through each file available to her. Childhood photos, school attendance, her academy transcripts, her Beacon graduation video. Anything that Ruby wanted to know, she could find out about her mother. All the questions that went unanswered for years, even with constant pestering, now lay at her fingertips.

Going through the files only brought about more questions. Each answer brought up another set of unknowns. One outweighed the rest.

Where did Neo get these files? Are these even real?

Ruby was skeptical of everything she looked at, but there were too many coincidences for this to simply be forgery. The time it would take to set up this convincing of a fake… Ruby couldn't fathom the work that would take.

Then what good does this do them? Why bring me these files?

The shock had worn off. Ruby dove deeper into her mother's memories, trying to piece together what growing up with her would have been. Summer's disappearance occurred when she was very young and Ruby remembered fragments, never a full picture. She could remember the soft smile, the fresh baked cookies in the afternoon, the quiet lullaby over the breeze. But she never truly knew her mother. Not like Yang. Not like…

Oh god. Dad. Should I tell him? Should I tell anyone? Ruby snapped her scroll shut, and ran to her desk. I have to tell someone right? But what do I say? Oh yes, Neo just dropped in for some milk and cookies and left me a gift. That's completely insane.

And what if I wasn't suppose to see these files? Would I get in trouble? With practiced hands, Ruby began piecing together the remaining parts of Crescent Rose. Finished, she went to her closet. I can't let people know I have these. Not yet. She slipped into one of her skirts. I need to finish looking through these-

"Hey Ruby! Where ya going?"

"Eep!" squeaked Ruby at the sudden surprise, losing her balance as she fell into the closet. Her large pile of laundry broke her fall, something she had put off that week. "Who's there?"

"Who else would be in our dorm sis?" chuckled Yang. "You alright? You sound like you saw a ghost."

You have no idea.

"Uhh. Yeah. Fine. I'm just... going to the library for a bit!" She pushed herself back up and turned to see an exhausted Yang and Blake. "I hope you didn't wear yourself out for tomorrow."

"Who me? Pssh. I'm more than good to go," said Yang, who thumbed over to her right. "It's this one who called it quits."

"I just thought it would be best if we actually got rest before tomorrow," calmly responded Blake.

"Oh. Well. Good! I… need to go," Ruby said, walking past her sister and teammate, but a hand caught her on the shoulder stopping her progress.

"Ruby, are you sure you're okay?" asked Yang. Ruby turned to see her sister's violet eyes filled with concern. "You've been acting strange lately. It's almost like you've been avoiding us."

Ruby shrugged off her sister, "Yeah. I'm fine. Really. Just need to take of some things."

"If you say-" Yang tried to say, but was cut off by closed door in her face. "So. Rude."

"Give her some space Yang," called Blake over her shoulder, already walking to her bunk. "She'll come to us when she's ready."

Yang just stared at the door, not responding. In her heart, she knew something wasn't right with the whole situation but Blake always knew what was best.

"Alright then."

In the hallway, Ruby sighed in relief at the avoidance of a confrontation. In her mind, the last thing she needed was a fight with her team.

"Not like anyone of them care anyway," whispered Ruby. Hands covered her mouth the next second as though someone had heard her.

Where did that come from? I… it's just . That it's. I'm okay, just stressed.

Or coming to a realization?

She couldn't deny the other voice in her head. There was the smallest bit of truth in the statement. Her team couldn't understand what was going on with her. No one could.

Ruby brought her scroll out again and began peering through the rest of the files on her way to the library.. There was so much she still had to learn.

Cinder sat atop the roof of the transfer dorm, legs dangling over the ledge. The crisp night air blew through her hair and would had left a chill, but she paid no attention to the cold. There were other topics on her mind, as she stared at the Amity Colosseum that lazily hung in the night sky. Lights sparkled as additional stars in the darkness above. With so much hope and cooperation that went into constructing the marvel, Cinder would what would happen if the object of Remnant's good intentions was swept away.

"I take it you two were successful?" Cinder called to behind her, not bothering to confirm the presence of Mercury and Emerald.

"How does she do that?" whispered Mercury, only to be met by a jab of Emerald's elbow in his side.

"Everything went smoothly. There were no complications, ma'am." answered Emerald.

"Come have a seat you two, it's a beautiful night." The two moved to sit, flanking Cinder. "What do you feel when you look at that?" said Cinder, pointing to the sky.

The question hung in the air, neither knowing how to answer. The pair shared a look of uncertainty before Mercury ended the silence.

"The arena? A joke."

Emerald nodded in agreement. "So many wasted resources that could have gone to other things. It's a meaningless show."

"There's still so much you don't understand. I didn't ask for your opinion. You do know why it was built, yes?"

"It was built for the Festival, as a way to show peace between the kingdoms after the war. All four helped contribute," responded Emerald, as if reciting from text.

Mercury chuckled. "Our resident history nerd, ladies and gentlemen."

Emerald glared at the grey haired boy as Cinder continued, "That's correct. A shining beacon of harmony and peace for all of Remnant. That was the intent. A modern wonder. Now, what about those?"

To the right of the stadium, Atlesian airships patrolled the skies like bees around a hive. Each day, it seemed as though more and more drifted in from Atlas.

"The warships? Ironwood's worked up. After our little breach incident, he's running scared," Mercury said, running his hand through his hair. "Flex a little muscle here, show that they're not weak willed. To regain trust in the common man."

"Ah. Very good again. But you've heard the whispering too, I'm sure," Cinder said, looking to the street below. "While Ironwood's intent may have been that, people are worried. Why would they need such a large presence?"

"They wouldn't. Like Mercury said, they're scared."

"So what does that tell people, Emerald?" Cinder asked.

"That Ironwood knows something that they don't?" Emerald said back, unsure.

"Ah, the distrust in the authority. What a wonderful thing." Cinder stood from her roost, moving to the stairwell. "Two conflicting signs: peace and war. On display for the entire world to see." Cinder laughed. "And tomorrow, we'll get to see what truly wins out in the end."

The afternoon turned to night as Ruby stared at a monitor in the corner of the library. Dinner had passed by without her attendance and she flipped her scroll off after numerous messages from her friends.

Although, the voices in Ruby's head kept wondering if friends was the correct word. She thought it was, how could it not? Team RWBY went through hell and back again, bonds unbroken. Her discussions with Ember opened up the possibility that not all was at it seemed.

Then there was Neo's appearance. Now these files on her mother. This wasn't adding up.

The deeper she dug into the files, the less sense any of it made. On the surface, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing more than what she thought would be in a scrapbook or photo album. Those filled with happiness and a true sadness of never knowing what life could have been with Summer.

But then… these files… What do they mean?

Summer's mission logs confused Ruby the most. There were very straight forward culling missions, wall duty and other jobs similar to what Ruby had seen on the mission board. But the more recent ones? Ruby couldn't make sense of what they meant.

It wasn't as simple as kill Grimm, protect the people. In fact, there weren't orders as at all, just a mission codename.

Codename seasons. Ruby tapped through more logs. She was looking for something? Or someone? I can't tell. Her logs are so short and sporadic. She checked the dates. She worked on this a long time. Mom… what were you after?

There was one final file that Ruby had yet to open. An audio file.

This… no. The date was a few days after her disappearance. Oh god no.

Ruby was shaking. I need to hear this. Trembling hands plugged her headphones into the audio jack. She took a deep breathe. And another. I can handle this.

She pressed play.

Nothing came through. Ruby slumped back into her chair, relieved at the lack of sound and guilty for being relieved.

Maybe this is for the best. I-

The file abruptly came to life, as the low grumble of white noise hit her ears.

"Is this thing on? God, I hope so," said the sweet voice. It was light and vibrant, but also distressed. Something was wrong.

"Mom?" Ruby said, barely audible. The recording continued, unable to answer her question.

"This is Summer Rose, operating under Codename: Seasons. Time is nineteen hundred. I'm currently outside of Vale, exact coordinates unknown." There was a rumble as rocks fell in the background, followed by a growl. "Ah, screw the formalities. You know what I'm doing. And if you couldn't tell," Summer paused, more growls answered. "I'm in deep. If you're listening to this, we can assume I didn't make it back."

"It's so much worse than we thought. More than we could ever imagine. I… don't know how to explain it, and I don't have much time to try. Just know that we're in over our heads here. Anything and everything relating to Seasons needs to cease at this moment."

"Oz and James. You need to rethink things moving forward. The Grimm are a nuisance compared to this. Evil?" Summer laughed. "You have no idea. This… thing. Evil doesn't describe it. I don't know if anything can. But we can't deal with this. Not yet."

"Taiyang, I'm sorry. Sorry I didn't keep my promise this time. I never thought my time would be so soon. And to leave the girls to you? I'm more worried about them than I am you." She laughed again, softly. "I'm kidding. You're a wonderful father. To lose your second wife… I'm so sorry… Try to stay out of trouble, you lug. I love you. And always will."

There was a brief moment where Ruby heard her mother crying, ever so slightly.

"And lastly, my girls. Yang, I know I'm not your biological mother, but you were the best I could ask for in a daughter. Keep on eye your sister."

"Ruby, god I hope you never have to hear this. If you do, forgive me." Ruby choked on those words, eyes blurring with tears. "I don't expect you to, leaving you alone with so many questions. I thought I could balance both of these responsibilities. Heh, I was wrong. And now we're both paying the price."

"Don't believe anything they tell you. Question anything and find the answers for yourself. Trust your friends, but be wary of those around you. I don't want you to end up like me. I... I love you so much, and don't ever forget that."

There was a loud crash in the background followed by the clatter of what Ruby thought to be the recording device hit the ground. Then deafening quiet as the recording ended. Ruby sat in stunned silence, tears still falling from her eyes.

"I love you too, mom."

A/N

Tell me what you guys think! As always, Fav/follow/review and let me know what I can do to improve! Still trying to find an editor for this, so bear with me. Thanks for stopping by!