A/N: As ever, the "Embers" rule still remains.

If folks don't like this, POOF! Away it goes. Deleted Reviews are the fire that keeps me writing. Without them, I cannot put pen to paper. Simple as that. Every bit of feedback matters, large or small~! Your voice matters! Speak up!

Make yourself heard!

Sorry if this seems short, writing this while in pain, so please excuse any spelling errors. This was MEANT to be a triple update day, with "Never Travel Alone" and "Not My Doctor" but that blasted dentist kept me in the chair for hours, and I'm still recovering. Had a lot of teeth done today, my gums cut into, and all sorts of unpleasant crap.

Believe it or not, this story's nearly over.

Hell, I could end it right now, if I really wanted to.

Doing so would feel anticlimactic, however, and we still have a few loose ends to wrap up, so...

No questions this time! I'll let the story do the talking for me.

Chapter titles are still based on the lyrics of "One Thing" aka Neo's song.

As ever I don't own any references, quotes, themes or mes. Not a wit or one. That should be obvious by now.

"Vengeance begets vengeance.

Eye for an eye. Tooth for a tooth. Evil for evil.

Y'see, the trick is knowing when to stop. But the question is...when?

~?

Time to Die (Making a Plan)

Victory~!

Truly, Neo felt it bore repeating.

Silken sheets tickled her naked form as she sprawled out among the covers, reveling in the warm body pressed against hers. She didn't mind being the little spoon. It wasn't half bad, really. Naruto's arms were warm and strong around her; this close she could hear his heartbeat. Here and now, it was all she needed.

Lazy days were always the best, and she'd had an entire lazy month to herself since they'd buried Cinder's body. Heh. Just thinking of her -worm food, now!- put a smile on her face. She had taken everything from Cinder in the end. Her power, her partner, her life. Her body was rotting in the ground, while Neo was was alive, reveling in her triumph. Killing that wretched woman had brought her more relief than a thousand crimes.

Was it enough? She wondered about that sometimes.

Didn't she have those two brats with her? She barely remembered their names. Emma and Mark? No, that wasn't it. Bah! If they were that important she'd remember. Would they seek revenge? Maybe. The green-haired one had seemed devoted enough...for all the good it would do her. She'd had the measure of the little illusionist long before the fall of Beacon.

Her powers had doubled since they'd last met.

Preening at her triumph, the new Maiden raised her free hand and focused; calling upon her new power. After a month, she'd learned to summon it, albeit sporadically. Her eyes flashed with fire. An ethereal flame sprang to life in her palm. Blue embers blossomed there, hotter than anything Cinder could ever hope to conjure. Her mind gave it a nudge, pushing it into a new shape. Sapphire became scarlet, red as blood.

And from those hellish flames, a flower was born. Red like roses. There was a certain irony to be had there.

Neo scowled at it, turning it over in her fingers as she considered her next move. Revenge was a dish best served cold, but hers had been white hot by the end. And yet she felt unfulfilled. That girl, little red...she was not entirely blameless, but neither could she called wholly at fault, either. Besides, Cinder had put that idea in her head and she'd resolved to ignore it if only to spite her spirit.

Still, she wanted to look her in the eye, if only to ask why.

Her fingers flexed and the rose bloomed into a lovely phoenix, spreading its wings-

"Hey, what're you doing?"

Neo's concentration faltered, causing the bird to fall about in her grasp. It became little more than embers in her grasp. She scowled up past it.

At him.

"Sorry, didn't mean to spook you." Naruto smiled down at her, very much awake, his sightless eyes looking past her. "You were being awfully still there for a bit."

She smacked his chest for good measure.

"Use your words, Neo."

Her lips pursed in a frown. Right, she had a voice now. She'd need to use it more often if she wanted to strengthen her vocal chords. And yet she liked silence. Words were wonderful to be sure, but give her body language any day. She wasn't used to talking! She'd gone her entire life living in silence, and to suddenly be granted a reprieve from that...!

This time, she chose to show her affections in a more...physical manner.

Writhing in his arms, Neo turned and kissed his chin, followed by his ear, her lips planting trailing kisses across his skin.

"Again?" Naruto must've felt the weight of her regard, because he laughed. "You're insatiable...

She shoved him down and fastened her mouth to his once more.

His body was warm against hers, her lips an inferno.

...you have the stamina for it, and you know it."

"Aha! She speaks!"

No, she decided as she climbed atop Naruto and mounted the bemused blond. It wasn't enough to kill Cinder. She wanted to destroy her legacy. Her plots, her schemes, all that she ever was and ever would be. Just as that bitch had ruined Roman's empire, so too would she ruin everyone in association with her. But there would be time for vengeance later, time once she'd mastered her new powers. Her hips began to move against him as he filled her; to which his hand settled on her hips. Together, they fell into a familiar rhythm.

She had a new partner, now. Hers. All hers.

And she wouldn't lose him.

Neo swore it.

(.0.0.0.)

"Well aren't you two adorable. Finally claimed him, have you?"

Naruto uttered a jaw popping yawn at Miss Malachite as he all but sprawled himself out on the couch. Neo plonked down on his chest, drawing a grunt from him. So much for sitting up. She seemed determined to leave a mark on him these days. He didn't even have it in him to push her way.

"You know what they say; love is blind."

"Speaking of which...

Neo and Naruto looked up as one.

"Look, I don't mean to get your hopes up, but...!" Beneath their gaze, Miss Malachite sighed and tented her fingers. "I...might be able to do something about that blindness of yours. Do you still have Cinder's eye? You said you sealed it away...

"I do and I did." Naruto's brow furrowed. "I don't like the sound of this...

Neo flicked a forehead and pressed a finger to his lips.

Naruto demurred with a sigh. "Fine, fine...

What she was suggesting stirred a strange feeling in him, one he'd not felt in a long time. He'd come to accept his blindness as both penance and punishment alike. If she was offering what he thought she was...well. Her semblance had always been a versatile one. A bit of surgery wasn't impossible. Not with her gift. Unlikely, but not impossible. He hadn't been able to take and implant an eye, if only because many of they were took weak to house his vision. But Cinder's eyes had been powerful, filled with the might of a Maiden before her untimely demise.

Little Miss Malachite preened beneath his gaze. "Don't fret, darlin'. I've never let you down.

A smile quirked at his scarred face. "Well, there was that one time in Vale...

She flung up her arms. "One time! And you never let me live it down!"

Laughter spilled through the spider's parlor. "So? Whaddya say?"

Naruto looked to Neo. The little minx nodded.

His shoulders slumped in a sigh.

"I better not regret this...

A/N: Remember, Embers rule. I'll delete this quite soon if folks don't like it. So by all means. Make yourselves heard.

So? Should this end soon? I'm fine with either at this point, really.

Well? What say you? Theoretically, this story COULD end next chapter; with the power of Fall squirreled away, Salem can never get that last Relic. Meanwhile, without Cinder and Neo in Atlas, Ironwood won't go crazy without Cinder to play on his paranoia. Ergo, Watts and Tyrian are handled quite much as they are in canon. RWBY doesn't rebel, and everyone reacts SENSIBLY when Salem comes knocking, without a Maiden candidate.

Sure, that leaves Emerald, but is she even sane after the last chapter?

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

Do tell me what you think of enjoy the previews.

Next time! Retribution Tastes so Sweet.

(POTENTIAL! Previews)

Vote on 'em~! Tell me what you want to see, lest we see nothing at all~!

"You took everything from me! Now...now I'm going to take everything from you!"

He turned a bland look on her. "I don't even know who you are."

"You will!"

Neo considered that thought for a long moment. A child. Family of her own. Yes, she rather liked the sound of that...

"Heh." Naruto looked up at the Grimm whale. Golden hands rose, brimming with light. His grin was nothing short of crazed. "Even a blind man couldn't miss a shot like this."

"You know...I always wondered about something...!" Neo drew Hush with a smile. It was not a nice smile." Just how strong are you...?"

Tyrian drew back. "Oh, dear...

Neo thrust her hand forward.

Ruby regarded it warily. "You're...not here to kill me?"

"That remains to be seen. Answer my questions. Or I get stabby."

Naruto shrugged and tipped a flask to his lips. "Best listen. There's no stopping her when she's like this."

R&R~!