Neo sat in the room, constantly stroking the hat with her hand. Ever since they had returned to Solitas, she had stayed alone, her thoughts bouncing every which way.

Mostly, she thought of the past.

Mostly, she thought of Rowan.

Her mood swung wildly, one moment she wanted to laugh from some stupid thing he had done or said. Like how he had struggled to pick outfits before a party, or when they had laid on the grass overlooking the docking bays in their youth, joking about the airships came in and out.

Then she wanted to cry, and she gave in to that frequently, tears falling freely from her face and onto the bed.

It was during one such time that there was a knock on the door.

She hastily wiped away the tears on her face, just as the door opened to reveal Kuroi, his blind gaze roamed around the room, then he walked up to her and sat down cross-legged in front of her.

"You know, I've been thinking," He began.

Neo lifted an eyebrow in response.

He waved a hand, "A dangerous pastime, I am aware." He shrugged, "Still though, I have never been able to stop myself before… why try now?"

He made a show of sniffing the air, "For one, I don't think I've ever showered as much as I have since I lost my eyes. Probably because I smell more, now; all a part of going blind I think."

He shifted around, "It's probably because of that that I know: Something is coming."

He pulled out a scroll, "Something happened in Mistral. Or rather tried to happen, as it looks like the group that struck Vale tried something again."

Neo felt a pang and she almost averted her gaze, but barely managed to keep her eyes on Kuroi. Then immediately felt silly a moment later, as the man fiddled with the dirty strap of cloth that was covering his eyes.

"Of course, if I know anything, it's that it just means they'll try harder and smarter next time." Kuroi said, "They'll make what happened in Vale look like a house fire."

He put the scroll away, "Of course, it's taken longer than I thought it would to reach us here in Solitas. Maybe it doesn't know how to use trains or airships, but it's coming, make no mistake."

He let out a loud sigh, "Of course, the thing is that Ironwood has finally regained his confidence since Vale. He's taking control here because he knows it's coming too- and he's even been walking all over his buddy, Jacques Schnee."

Neo had to admit, it warmed her heart a little bit to hear Jacques Schnee was suffering… she had never liked him. Although strangely enough, that butler of his had seemed nice.

"Normally, I would be cheering to see that bastard as a footrest." Kuroi said, echoing her thoughts, "But the problem is he's eyeing us up too… and we don't stand a chance."

He held up a hand, and Neo couldn't help but roll her eyes, as if she was going to protest, "Don't get me wrong." He said, "Camille as a crime lord is perfectly fine, quite capable. She's managed to hold onto this band of rogues and rascals ever since Cola was offed." He shook his head, "But she's done it by backing down whenever Ironwood wanted something and started marching around with his robot clipper clompers."

He shrugged, "Cowardice is the prudent part of valor, but it means that we are fleas on a giant's back. When they come here to poke and prod, Ironwood is going to itch real hard and crush us beneath his fingers in an attempt to destroy them. In doing so, he'll destroy one of his greatest potential allies."

Neo frowned as she thought through what Kuroi was saying, and not for the first time, she wished that Rowan was here, as he understood this kind of stuff a lot better than she ever did.

Kuroi continued on, oblivious, "In order to survive the giant, the flea needs to get really ambitious and creative. Camille isn't that ambitious and she's honestly not the most creative. She's the Queen of the underworld, but she sees nothing beyond that. No… what we need is not a Queen or a King… and especially not a general. We need a hero."

Neo frowned, wondering just where the Faunus man was going with this. Was he suggesting that she take Camille's place? The very idea was preposterous.

"Now not all heroes wear capes and have knives that transform into scissors." Kuroi said as he began rummaging around in his kimono with one hand, "Just like not all wise men eat fortune cookies and shit wisdom. Sometimes they eat wisdom and shit fortune cookies, or in this case-"

He withdrew a fist from his kimono and held it out, "Something slightly more metallic." He opened his hand to reveal a bullet shell casing.

Even just looking at it, Neo felt a tingle on her spine as some unearthly power radiated from it.

Then it hit her.

It was a shell from the Monochrome.

It was what Bayard had used to bring Cola back… what Rowan had used to-

Her eyes snapped up to Kuroi, who was smiling.

"We need a hero, Neo." He whispered, "And you two are just the right scoundrels for the job." He reached out and put in her palm, "Don't worry about its price." He told her, "I've spoken with management; I'm footing the bill."

He stood up and Neo grabbed his wrist. He stopped and she looked down at Kyoko's sword, then returned her gaze to him.

Kuroi's face turned solemn, "Kyoko gave her life to protect you two." He told her, "If I had given up a chance to bring him back for her, she would kill me herself." He shook his head, "No. We had our time… had our chance." He looked down at the blade, "Just do us a favor, don't waste yours."

Neo let go of his arm, looked down at the casing, then nodded.

Kuroi smiled softly, "Groovy." He walked to the door, "See you two around, say hi to him for me."

He closed the door behind him, leaving Neo to stare at the gift that she had been given.

If anything her thoughts were more wild now, but it was because there was a very simple choice before her.

Finally, she closed a fist around the small object and made up her mind.

Everything was void, everything was blackness. It was so deep and total, that the only way he knew it was there, was that he emerged from it.

He opened his eyes and was nearly blinded as the harsh light hit him like a physical blow.

He felt a hand grab his and squeeze tight, and he kept blinking until shapes began to resolve themselves.

He was laying down on a bed in a small room, gray paint lined the walls, and beside him.

"Neo." He rasped, "Where am I? What happened?"

Or he thought he did, but no sound came out of his mouth.

Neo placed a hand on his chest and said something, or at least mouthed something. Damn it, she was beautiful, her soft, silken hair, her bright eyes- it felt like an eternity since he had last seen that radiance. Her face was twisted up in that expression she had when she was saying something she was passionate about.

Slowly his eyes drifted to her throat and he blinked. Right there was the metal grating of a newly installed voice box.

So great was his shock and confusion that he didn't register that Neo was done talking until he looked up and saw that her face was a painful mixture of hope and sincerity.

Rowan eyes had been huge as they had fixated on her, but otherwise he hadn't reacted at all. Finally he gave a sheepish grin.

"So uh... from your face I'm guessing you just said something really important… but my lip reading is a little rusty…"

For a moment, she was confused, the voice box was working, she at least thought she had heard everything she had said. Then a horrible suspicion seized her and she snapped her fingers.

Rowan frowned and then the smile slowly faded from his face. He lifted his own hand to one of his ears and snapped a few times.

Slowly he took the hand away and looked down at it. "Ah…" He looked up at her, "So it looks like I didn't escape entirely unscathed."

He was deaf. Neo felt deflated, there were prosthetics that could be acquired for him; so long term it wasn't an issue.

But still… it had taken so much of her to say what she had said, it had felt like flinging herself off a cliff.

He looked around, "I'm sure there's a scroll we can use real quick so that-"

Kuroi's words rang clearly in her mind, 'We had our chance. Don't waste yours.'

A fierce recklessness seized her and she grabbed his head with both hands, forcing him to look at her. Then she slowly mouthed the words, making sure there could be no misunderstanding.

He frowned, "What do you mean, 'Tell me in a way that I can understan-.'"

She lunged forward and kissed him.

Salem turned as there was a knock at the door, "Enter." She said coldly.

The doors opened and Hazel entered, "We caught the intruder, he says that he seeks an audience with you on behalf of a, 'mutual acquaintance.'

Salem frowned, "Very well, send him in."

Hazel gestured and a man with black hair and a disheveled kimono walked into the room, at his side were two sheathed katanas; across his eyes was a strap of cloth that was wound haphazardly around his head. His feet were bare, revealing a pair of canine feet with black fur.

Despite the cloth, the Faunus man's gaze unerringly turned directly to her.

"So, you would be the head honcho around these parts?" He asked nonchalantly.

Salem lifted an imperious eyebrow at the man, "I am Salem." She replied simply, "Who are you?"

The man walked a few paces forward and Salem could see Hazel tense up as the man got within striking distance. The man's caution was unwarranted, although this intruder had done well to slay the Grimm in between him and the castle; she had faced far more formidable enemies.

Then the man sank to one knee, "I am Kuroi Akita." The Faunus man replied, and he unlatched one of the sheathed katanas and held it up to her on open palms, "And I am here to serve."

AN: Well, it's hard to believe, but that's it. The story is finally done. Thank you to everyone who read it. It has been fun, it's been hard, but in the end I hope

that I've been able to do it justice. Thanks again!