A/N: This chapter hits hard and fast. Hope you're prepared.

Writing stories feels like a job sometimes. Fanfiction used to be more fun than this. I still enjoy it, but lately, it feels like somethings missing. I can't remember the last time updating didn't feel like an obligation. Sometimes I find myself wondering who I am without it. Will anyone remember me when I'm gone? Have I left a mark on the world? Truth be told, its mildly concerning.

*coughs*

Sick + Surgery does not a happy Neon make! More like an exhausted Neon. So tired...T_T

If I had my way, this particular chapter would have been well over ten thousand words. UNFORTUNATELY! I lost a lot of data when the grid went down over here. *sighs* and had to recreate this from scratch. Doesn't help that I'm coughing up a lung over here. Thankfully, I've started keeping physical notes again, so I was able to recover most of what I lost.

Team's down with the sickness too, so its just little 'ol me writing by my lonesome.

Most, but not all. So here we are, three quick questions.

Q: Canon's gone out the window, eh?

A: Very much so. No one has plot armor anymore. Who knows what might happen?

Q: Did...did you break Cinder?

A: More the fear that broke her, that. I may be kind to her in some stories, but the fact remains that unless someone gets to her early, she's a vicious person. Case in point here. There's no bringing her back in this tale, no redemption arc, no comeback story. She's unrepentant and moreover, wicked.

Q: Salem's oddly keen on Naruto, isn't she?

A: Naturally. She's invested a lot into him. She doesn't want to lose that investment. Moreover, she wants him -and Kurama!- by her side; if only because she knows nothing could possibly

As ever, I own no references, quotes, memes or themes. Not a wit or one.

Minor verbatim from the show here and there.

And awaaaay we go!

"You've broken the wheel. Shattered everything beyond repair. This world is changed, because of you.

What will happen now, I wonder? Will you live? Will you die?

It matters not. We will be watching."

~The Gods.

Killing Fall

Failure.

One would think someone like Salem would be inured to it by now.

Immortality has a way of leaving you numb after awhile; washing away the good with the bad.

But this? It burned. Oh, how it burned. To know that she'd come so close to victory, only to fall short in the end. Not through her own actions, but the meddling of her own minion's pawn! Wretched fool of a girl! If only she'd stayed put! If only she'd listened! Naruto would have been corrupted in time, made him see sense, slowly drawn over to their side as time went on. Her plan had been foolproof. Downright airtight, even. With her whispers ever in his ear, the boy would've seen the light -or darkness in this case- and joined her willingly. After all, Ozma was naught but a lord of lies. She dealt only in truth. Terrible, painful truth.

Yes. It was a grand plan. Until that stupid little twit set it on fire.

Emerald Sustrai died for her misdeeds. That was a mercy. Were she still live, Salem would've flayed the flesh from her bones. Strip by agonizing strip. Cinder would suffer a worse fate. Not only did she failed to control her assets, but if their connection was to be believed, her apprentice had lost herself. Her mind was broken, her very soul fractured by fear. Half the power of the Fall Maiden, trapped with a lunatic. One who would no doubt soon be interrogated by Ozma. Unacceptable.

Failures, all of them. Time to start afresh.

Tyrian was long dead. Hazel, still on life support. Watts was less than useless, his experiments a failure. And now Cinder had gone mad. The circle was complete. They all failed her when she needed them most. Enough. No more. She had grown weary of their failures. Their excuses. Now her hands dripped with their blood. Their lives would serve her in death, one last time. Cinder was worse than dead. No doubt her power would return to that Amber girl when someone inevitably cottoned onto her actions and killed her. It mattered not. She was at death's door and could be retrieved at her leisure.

Nay. None of them mattered. But this? This mattered.

"Useless." the word tore itself from her lips in a seething snarl. "Useless, useless, useless! Everyone single one! Why did I ever bother with them?!"

A fresh pulse of fury seared through her crimson veins, burning with every step as the Queen stalked through the blighted wastelands. Grimm fled before her approach; to attract her ire now meant certain doom for the lot of the. Salem ignored them. Her gaze was set upon a single point in the distance, a singular pool of darkness larger than all the rest. As she approached it, she allowed her thoughts to wander. Perhaps it was time to clear the board and start anew. She would gladly trade Cinder for this boy. His potential was limitless, while hers...had proven negligible at best.

He was so much more than the maidens. More than the relics. She needed him alive. If she was to bring everything to its end, he had to be alive.

Even in this failure, there was a specter of opportunity. A faint one perhaps, but opportunity nevertheless. What was lost could be found. What had been stolen could be returned. An eye for an eye. A life for a life. Evil for evil. Even now, a faint tether still connected the two of them. What was the saying the mortals used these days? The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak? Ah. Yes. That was the one.

Naruto's flesh may have failed him, but his spirit was was not yet gone from this world. Not yet.

At last, she reached her destination.

Bare feet padded against rock soil until they could go no further. A cliff yawned before and below the quiet queen; a world of inky shadow strewn out as far as the eye could see. Salem knew this place well. This was where she had been reborn...before. It felt like a lifetime ago. Perhaps it was. How long had it been. Decades? Centuries? Millennia? Eons? She no longer remembered. Hmm. It didn't matter, she supposed.

Here, one would be born again.

"If you want something done right." she all but hissed the words, "Do it yourself."

Pale fingers pulled the strings from her hair, allowing it to cascade down her back in a silver curtain. She cast them and crystals binding them into the dark waters below. They plunged into the abyss with nary a sound. A beat of silence passed. One pallid arm rose, and the wind with it to whip her now-glowing tresses about her face like a ghastly halo. The air crackled with tension, ready to be unleashed at her command. Salem paid it no mind. Scarlet slits fixed firmly on the dark waters below.

"Rise, my prince." she intoned, voice rising. "Rise and be reborn anew."

Calling upon the blackest of her magics, Salem flung a bolt of dark light into the pool.

Followed by another.

Another still.

Another.

Power crackled at her fingertips, eons of restrained power now called forth in a singular, monumental effort. She felt his soul resist. Of course it would. Death was easy; living was hard. Who would not want to rest after an ordeal such as his? His soul had suffered greatly. She envied him. Empathized with him. It didn't stop her from calling to him. His soul stretched, torn between two focal points. No. Three now. Something else was tugging at it, trying to draw it out of her grasp.

Ozma. Insufferable fool. Even now he sought to meddle. Two could play that game.

"Do you not wish to return?" Rather than appeal to his honor, Salem preyed upon the soul's doubts, his lingering regrets, all that he had left behind in the wake of his demise. "Your friends miss you. They mourn you. They weep for you. Will you shun them?"

Nothing. Not a word. The wind began to die.

"Or is it vengeance you seek?" she spoke to the air. "Cinder yet lives." Her smile grew in the silence that followed. "Moreover, what do you think will happen when General Ironwood learns of your actions? He will question your friends. Interrogate them. Perhaps even imprison them." A pulse of confusion followed. "And if Cinder gets her hands on them...they will die, Naruto. All of them will die."

That got a reaction.

A keening gale swept up out of nowhere, the already dark skies darkening still further. Clouds swept in. Rain began to fall. Lightning crackled through the grief stricken sky, followed by a roaring peal of thunder. Far below, the Pool of Darkness began to bubble and broil beneath her unholy toil. The earth splintered underfoot, threatening to send her spilling into the blackness below. Salem did not relent. Even as an unseen weight pressed on her shoulders, she did not back down.

Below her, something began to break the surface.

Red eyes saw it-him!-and pulsed with triumph. "There you are."

Salem tore her gown away, leaped from her perch, and dove down into the dark waters to embrace him.

(.0.0.0.)

Ozpin rose from his chair. Glynda followed him.

"Sir? What are you doing?"

...what I must."

(.0.0.0.)

Ruby couldn't think.

She couldn't blink, couldn't move, couldn't breathe.

All the world was a blur, every semblance of color stolen away by the limp corpse in her arms. She heard the howls of the Grimm in the distance, attracted by the chaos, or perhaps just drawn to Naruto's body. She didn't know. Didn't care. Oh gods. He was still warm in her arms. He couldn't be gone. He just couldn't be. She stroked his hair and patted his cheek, certain that he would wake at any moment. Surely this was a trick of some sort; yes, it had to be. Just another one of his pranks, right? Naruto was such a kidder.

"C-C'mon, big guy." she slapped his cheek just a little harder. "This is funny. Wake up. Please, wake up...

Behind her, Yang groaned. "Ruby...

She ignored her sister. "Please don't go...

Penny's remaining hand came down on her shoulder. "Friend Ruby, the Grimm are coming. We must-

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Ruby slapped her palm away with a sob. "This is all your fault! You were supposed to watch him! Why didn't you?!"

Penny recoiled as if she'd been stung. Guilt crashed down on Ruby a second later, and now it was her turn to flinch.

"Penny, no, I didn't mean-

Consumed by grief, didn't notice Ozpin until he was nearly on top of them.

"Hold him still, would you kindly?"

She certainly didn't hear him!

"What in the...where did you even come from?!"

Teary silver eyes widened as a familiar arm reached past her to find the still body in her arms. A firm palm pressed against Naruto's chest. Green sparks skittered down Ozpin's hand and incredibly, the blond's wounds began to close. His body twitched. A weak croak escaped his throat. His closed eyes fluttered once, but didn't open. Try as she might to suppress it, a hopeful spark sprang to life in Ruby's chest. A bit of color came back to the blond's whiskered cheeks and that was it; she couldn't help herself anymore.

She yelped. "He's alive...?!"

"Not for long." the action seemed to take something from the old man as he climbed back to his feet. "That's not a feat I'll be able to repeat for quite some time."Miss Xiao-Long, carry him if you would." Yang did as he asked, already trying to speak, but he silenced her with a wave. "The rest of you, come with me! Quickly! Before more Grimm arrive!"

"Where are-

"I'll explain shortly." There was no time to protest further. Ozpin didn't allow it.

He led them on a brisk trot back to the tower then through it and into the elevator. They all crammed in together -even Penny!- made all the more uncomfortable by the tension. Ozpin reached over her head and slapped a button, sending them rocketing downward. Ruby felt her heart leap into her throat for a moment before their ride stabilized; even then it did little to soothe her nerves. Blake said not a word. Penny had retreated back into herself once more, and Yang...

Ruby shied away from her sister's red eyes. She couldn't remember seeing her sister this angry. Never like this.

In a rare moment of solidarity, Weiss laid a hand on her shoulder. "He's going to be alright."

Once, she would have believed those words. Now? She wasn't so certain.

Would he? Even with Ozpin's "spell" he was was barely breathing. His heart had been restarted, but who could say how long that would last? She stole another glance at him, watching his chest rise and fall fitfully, forced to breath by whatever magics the headmaster had forced upon him. Was his body alive? Dead? Torn somewhere

The doors opened and she found herself staring not at a cellar,

It could only be called a vault; a towering grand space too large to think of as anything else.

Words tumbled out of her. "I..what...where is this place?"

"A vault." Ozpin marched past them, talking as he walked. They were forced to follow. "I'm afraid there's no time to explain anymore than this. In truth, I would have preferred miss Nikos for this burden." he spoke briskly as they walked. "But I see now that plan would be folly. You -and your team!- are best connected to this young man, and through you, we may yet have a chance."

Ruby looked past him. Saw the silent girl, lying in her tube. "Is she...alright?"

Sorrow flashed across the old man's face. "I'm afraid not. Do you trust me, Miss Rose?"

No, not really. Truth be told she barely understood Ozpin's motives; for all that he'd done to fast-track her to Beacon, help Team RWBY and allow them to fight the good fight, they really knew precious little about him. Trusting him with this might be the greatest mistake of her life. It might not. But if this could save Naruto...wasn't that worth the risk? She didn't understand magic. Didn't even know how to use it. But surely something was better than nothing. Wasn't it? She had to try. She couldn't not try. If he died because of inaction on her part...!

No. Ruby shook her head furiously, refusing to dwell on it any longer.

...do you want me to get in the other pod?" she whispered.

The headmaster nodded tersely.

"And this will save him?"

"It is part and parcel to my plan, yes." Ozpin pinched the brow of his nose. "We'll be using the power of Fall to revive him." at her baffled look, he turned away. "Its a long shot at best, but the only one we have. I'm afraid I must ask you to hurry. My spell won't last long. Even now his soul is being torn apart by forces you cannot understand."

Penny looked up. "Naruto...if this fails...we he die?"

"If nothing is done?" Ozpin's face became most grim indeed. "Undoubtedly."

Ruby lunged forward. "I'll do it-

Yang set Naruto down and grabed her. "Just wait a second, will you?!"

Here at last, Blake found her voice. "Sir, isn't this a little much? You can't force Ruby to do what you say at the drop of a hat!"

Ozpin blinked. "I am forcing her to do nothing, miss Belladona. The choice here is hers, and hers alone. I only ask that she choose while there is yet time."

Weiss disagreed. "You cannot be serious. This is the very height of-

They were wasting time! Ruby wriggled out of her sister's grasp, leaped into the tube, slammed the lid shut behind her, and closed her eyes. Ozpin said more words, warned her of the danger, but she paid him no mind. Yang shouted at her. She did her best to shut out her cries. Why couldn't they understand? She wasn't doing this for Ozpin, or even Naruto, really. She'd chosen this for herself. Because she couldn't bear the thought of it ending this way. Maybe that was selfish of her. If she couldn't save him, then she'd have revenge. One way or another.

A faint humming filled her ears as the machine sprang to life, drawing a frown from the petite girl.

Huh. She'd thought their would be pain. Why wasn't there any-oh. There it was.

She tried not to scream. She really did. She just couldn't help it.

Ruby gasped as her world became light. Something coursed into her. Pain! Agony! Misery! Her body convulsed and she thrashed against them. Thoughts and sensations not her own pervaded her psyche. Her mind spun and her chest ached like her heart was trying to slam its way out of her ribbcage. She tried to speak, tried to cry out, tried to do something. Anything at all. And then she saw. Her reflection stared back at her within the glass. Silver Eyes burned with gray flames.

For a moment. Just a moment, she saw a face.

Amber's spirit smiled at her. "So you're the one, then? Good luck."

A fresh pang of pain struck Ruby in her very soul. She screamed again, a cry of pain. Power flooded her veins. Power like she'd never known. She tried to hold onto it; to harness it, but it slipped through her fingers even as she sought to direct its might. In vain she flung it outward. Past the glass. It shattered. Past Penny and her team. They dove for cover. It struck Naruto's body, causing him to jump and spasm where he lay. Ruby tried to stay awake. Tried to see what happened. It was not to be.

Here at last, Ruby's strength failed her. Her world went black and she pitched forward.

But before she did? She heard a familiar voice.

"Ruby...?"

A/N: Oh, dear.

Salem's trying to revive Naruto. Ozpin's trying the same, both through less than pleasant means.

Not like anything bad could come of this; when two powerful entities try to tug a soul in two different directions. Nooope. No way. Not at all. Tell me, what happens when you split a soul? What happens when you split light and dark? What occurs? Ponder those three questions for a moment, and you'll see where I'm going with this.

As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me and my team in these darkened times.

So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...Review, Would You Kindly?

And here, because folks cried for them:

Enjoy your previews.

SUR~PRISE~!

(Preview)

Naruto stirred to satin sheets and a warm, naked body twined with his.

Red eyes set in a pale face gazed back at him.

"Good morning."

A continent away, he woke to find burning silver eyes gazing back at him.

It felt like his very soul had been split in two.

"Ruby...?"

She squeezed him, sniffling and sobbing into his jacket.

Cinder screamed. "No, no, no! This isn't happening! She was mine!"

Ruby sat down.

"Eh?"

And promptly found herself floating.

Glowing silver eyes narrowed as she scowled at her boots.

"Hmm. Alright." her legs kicked uselessly in the air. "This is gonna take some getting used to...

Peace out~!

R&R~!