Ladies and gentleman, the moment is upon us. Neo has finally returned to the show. And with that fateful return I can work wonders at moving this story into an even more interesting direction. Are you ready to see where things go from here? I hope you enjoy this newest update!

Without further delay, let's begin. Shall we?

Retribution

How many months had it been since Roman's death? Six? Seven? More? Neo was losing count at this point. For so long now she'd fought to find answers. She'd looked herself in the mirror time and again. More than that, she'd stared into her soul. For a time she'd been weak and overly emotional. That ended today. It was time to stand tall.

The answer stood before her. It was clearer than daylight. All she had to do now was see Jaune again. She'd passed countless dozens of people on her recent travels. Most of them were nobody's, hardly worthy of a passing glance. But Jaune? She couldn't let him slip from her thoughts. Much like Roman. That blond fool had given her reason to smile, helped her fight against the pain that (on many occasions) filled her bruised heart to overflowing.

So it was only natural that she tell Arc the truth - let him see how she really felt.

The good.

The bad.

The ugly.

Especially since Jaune had helped her find the way forward. He'd told her to let her feelings go, even warned against her letting the overwhelming bitterness consume her. It was good advice, yes. And she'd take it. In the only way she knew. In the underworld of Mistral (where she'd spent so much of her childhood with Roman) there was one singular rule. A code of honor, so to speak.

Kill for kill. An Eye for an eye. Blood for blood.

Why hunt Ruby when she's merely a pawn in a much bigger game?

In order to kill a Hydra Grim, you cut off its heads. The woman responsible for dragging both her and Roman into this whole sorry mess. Miss Rose was far from a threat in the here and now. She was worthless, in fact.

Neo smiled contentedly as she walked the hotel's halls with cold assurance.

She had to thank her lovable idiot for showing her the right path. He was starting to grow on her, in that sickeningly sweet puppy dog kind of way. Neo had always wanted a dog when she lived on the farm as a little girl. And now she had one, kind of.

There was nary a peep of sound throughout the hotel at this time of night. A tipsy patron or two on the way back from the bar was the most she encountered. Almost everyone had gone to bed. The only person still around was the Valkyrie girl, and she'd already passed out in front of the vending machine in the hall. She lay there, muttering in her sleep, face covered in chocolate.

Neo scoffed at such a grotesque sight. Some women had not an ounce of class.

She kept on her way, stopping outside of an unassuming room at the end of the winding maze of bedrooms and suites. According to her sources, this was Jaune's room. Number twelve. Neo pushed down the flutters in her stomach as far as she could.

First things first? She had to deal with the door lock.

A piece of cake. The security in these sorts of places was nothing compared to industrial Dust vaults. It was open in a flash, with little more than a few tweaks to the protective settings using her scroll. Green lights beeped across the bottom strip of the scanner. Open sesame.

The door's hinges creaked, opening wide to the sight of a bland brown walls. A plain single bed with a backpack tossed beside it. An oaken desk and a creaky looking wooden wardrobe. Not to mention he curtains were pulled shut. The whole dull ensemble was illuminated by a flickering bedside lamp, propped up on the ugliest cream painted nightstand this side of Mistral. And much to Neo's surprise, no Jaune in-

"Who's there? If this a prank Nora then it's not funny."

A sliding panel door to Neo's left came wide, filling the dimly lit abode with streams of bright white light and pools of warm steam. Out from the obscuring wall of misty condensation came Jaune, his hair wet from what Neo could only assume was the shower. Her lovable fool wore that same hoodie she'd seen him in countless times during their meetings, and a pair of creased black shorts with navy trim. He slung a soaked bath towel onto the edge of his bed and sighed deeply.

"N-Neo?" Arc stalled as he finally caught sight of his visitor. Oh how adorable he looked. Eyes wide as though he'd been caught by a grim with his pants down. "W-What are you doing here?" He snapped up his scroll from the desk beside the door; made sure to kick it shut, too. "You could've told me you were coming. When you sent your message earlier I didn't think you'd... well... come in here like this."

So innocent. Jaune clearly didn't understand how their agreement worked. Neo always kept an eye open, even if it was a distant eye at best. There were plenty of less reputable folks out there ready to keep watch over a group of travellers, providing they were given a few hundred Lien, of course.

Neo placed her finger over Jaune's lips. She popped out her scroll with her free hand and began typing away after backing up a little. She'd missed these little chit-chats of theirs. It had been far too long. Not to mention there was nothing more fun than catching someone off guard like this.

'I said I'd be seeing you soon. And what do I find? You're cosying up to the heiress. It doesn't matter... I forgive you. Because there's something far more important I need to do, Jaune. I've been thinking about you.'

Neo sauntered on over to the edge of the bed. Jaune's face lit up like a firework festival on New Year's.

"I erm," he stammered, barely able to keep the scroll in his hands without dropping it. "If you're thinking of something like that then I- Maybe we shouldn't. I have a train to Argus and if anyone came in here and saw you then-"

Neo held up her hand to pause Jaune's hopeless stammering. He was silly if he thought she'd offer herself on a platter like this. While they were close, it took far more for a man to earn a lady's embrace. Jaune was getting warmer... but he was far from ready for all that Neo could give.

'Cool your heels there, even if your beet-red face is terribly precious.'

Neo reached over and took Jaune's hand in her own, pulling him down beside her at the foot of the bed. If his cheeks glowered any harder he'd probably faint, by the look of him.

"I missed you," Jaune spoke softly. "More than that, I was worried. It's good to see you're okay."

He'd missed her, had he? Neo tilted her head and gave a soundless, chuckle, sure to keep her mouth covered.

'Well it just so happens that I feel the same way. So... I thought I'd swing by and see you again. I have a long road ahead of me... and I need to thank you for that.'

It felt wonderful to have direction again. It felt even nicer to be motivated after such a long time of aimless drifting. Neo's blood burned hot. She'd settle the score. Not just for herself, but for Jaune as well.

"What do you have to thank me for?" Jaune held Neo close for a moment. She'd let him get close and personal - just this once. He was too soft for his own good. Still fighting the good fight. "You've done far more for me than I have for you..."

Neo grabbed for her scroll when they parted. A wicked smirk curved her lips. Her heart thundered as she stared into Jaune's deep blue eyes.

'I'll let Ruby go... for now. You and I are after the same person here, Jaune. Who's the one who killed your friend? Who dragged Roman and me into a fight at Beacon without giving us the full picture?'

A deep sigh from Jaune. He shook his head, shuddering with emotion at the mention of the girl he'd lost. Pyrrha, if Neo remembered her name rightly.

"Cinder. If it weren't for her then none of this would've happened. Everything would still be alright. We wouldn't be on this quest for maidens or relics and... Well, whatever else Professor Ozpin wants."

'Exactly', Neo typed in reply. 'Cinder was the one who took everything from us. So I think it's about time I find out where she is. I'll pay her back for you, and for myself.'

Jaune grabbed for Neo's shoulders, causing her to flinch. "No... I wouldn't do that if I were you. C'mon, Neo. Think it over. We all know how strong she is. And besides... Ruby's sister told us she vanished after Mistral. Nobody knows where she is."

Neo frowned, her hands balled into fists. Was Jaune doubting her? Oh no. She couldn't have that - not from somebody so idealistic. She was more than capable of dealing with Cinder, powerful or not. All she needed were the right contacts... and time. Mistral was filled to the brim with spiders. In fact, the whole of the Lower City was a web of information just waiting to unravelled.

And the queen of those very spiders was always helpful, given the right amount of persuasion.

Jaune would regret doubting her. And Neo would show it through her actions. Not words. A playful slap on the cheek was his gift for being so concerned. He should've known better at this point in their... friendship. Yes, that was a decent name for what they shared - at least for now.

'You're an idiot to fret over me. Just you watch. I have a contact in Mistral. And as soon as I find her... I'll find Cinder.'

There was no way Neo would come all this way without reminding Jaune of what was most important. She leaned in and stole his lips by force. The blond froze up at first, eventually easing into their embrace of the lips, if a little clumsily. Strange. He tasted like alcohol. Unexpected but not unwelcome. Neo leaned in deeper, taking him all for herself, stealing his taste for good luck on the long road ahead.

When she finally let up, Jaune was wide-eyed, speechless. "Wow... I've erm- Wow. That was even better than the last time."

It better have been. Neo winked and swept up her scroll.

'Looks as though we're parting ways again, doesn't it? You're going to Argus while I'll be heading to the Lower City. But there's no reason to be sad. As soon as Cinder's dead I'll be sure to snap a picture. Well... as soon as I've tossed her in a shallow grave.'

With all said and done, there was no reason to stay here longer than needed. Neo jumped to her feet and began on her merry way, "Neo, wait!" But Jaune stopped her just short of the door by way of gripping her wrist.

"Did anything I said in the woods mean a thing to you?" Jaune asked. A lonesome tear leaked from his eye, its silvery shine twinkling in the light's reflection. He was frantic, desperate even. His voice was cracking. "If you go out there and fight Cinder you'll die, like Pyrrha. I don't think I could cope with that. Not again."

Neo froze. So Jaune's feelings for her ran this deeply, did they? Well, in that case, she'd have make sure stayed in one piece. It didn't take her a second to slip free of Jaune's hold. She'd leave him with something to remember her by until her return. A message as proof of just how important he'd been in helping her on her feet after Roman's death.

'The last thing is you should be doing is crying, idiot. If it weren't for you I wouldn't have come to my senses. It's like you said. I shouldn't allow the pain to control me. I'm dealing with Cinder, because it's my way of letting it go. I'll rest when she's dead. Then maybe... just maybe, I'll come back and see you.'

Neo gave a devilish wink. She had to keep Jaune on his toes.

'So long as you don't go running away with the Schnee girl.'

"Neo..." Jaune stood in the doorway to his hotel suite with trembling hands. His breaths were shaky. His eyes quivered. "Alright," he smiled and wiped away his tears. "I trust you... but you should still be careful. You've been a great help to me. I care about-"

Neo shook her head sternly.

There was no reason for Jaune to say anything else.

She placed her finger on his lips. Of course, he was still too sweet for his own good. If he wasn't going to change then Neo would have to fight to keep him safe instead. If it were anybody else she wouldn't have given a damn. Only the strong survived Remnant's darker places. But Jaune?

She'd make a stand for him.

'I'll see you around, maybe. Have fun in Atlas.'

Neo crumbled and shattered like glass upon the hallway carpet - a mirror unbound from the weight of her once heavy heart.

Roman's memory would be honored. And the young lady knew just where to begin looking in her quest for retribution.

A flick of the finger across the screen of her scroll brought up a list of noteworthy contacts.

It was time to pay Little Miss Malachite a visit.

A visit that was long overdue.

To be continued...

There we have it. I thought I'd put my own original flare to things. It's going to be fun writing Jaune's reaction to Neo's visit. Did you enjoy this chapter? Would you like to see more in future? Feel free to leave some feedback and share your thoughts.

Oh, and you're more than welcome to pass this story to fellow RWBY fans as well. This show has a great deal potential, but from a fandom and fanon perspective. Anyway, keep on supporting RWBY and I'll see you in the next chapter. Thanks again folks!