Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY nor the characters within, I'm merely playing around in the sandbox Rooster Teeth has provided us with.

Note: This takes place sometime after volume six. No specific time, really.

Was this right?

The girl knelt on the ground, weeping, one hand palm-flat on the ground for stability, the other clutching her face. The blood was red, like ink. It leaked from between her fingers, vivid against her pale skin and the snow. It dripped from her blade too, drawn from the depths of her parasol to deal that final, desperate blow.

Neopolitan knew there would be consequences for her actions. The girl had friends – powerful friends – who would come after her with all the wrath of the gods. They would hunt her like a rabid beast and make her suffer.

She stared at the girl. She couldn't find it within herself to care. She would flee, and they would never find her should she wish to avoid being caught. She could shatter away from any ambush, and her skill and subterfuge were second to none, now.

Roman was gone, his criminal empire in tatters. She could probably pick up the pieces and weld them into something stronger, now. She'd never have the charisma Roman did, but she could turn it into a profit. Go through the rest of her life in style, end it on some Vacuoan beach or a villa in the Mistral highlands…

Or she could keep fighting. Fight for the thrill of it like she had for so long. Seek out skilled enemies, beat them. Flee from those so obviously superior to her. Little Red wasn't half bad this time – if she weren't hampered by guilt and fear and that unwieldy scythe, she might have even beaten Neo at her own game. She was a huntress made for fighting Grimm, not people like Neo. She'd taken ruthless advantage of that.

And now her vengeance was complete. Roman's fury at Red's interference in his plans, and her role in his death, were avenged. She would never pose a threat to his memory again, might not even continue to be a huntress at this point. Whatever the case, Neo could wash her hands of the girl and move on with her life.

So why wasn't she leaving?

Like an echo beneath the howling wind Neo heard the shouts. She wiped the scarlet off of her blade and sheathed it. Her vendetta was complete, she'd run soon enough. She just wanted to watch. That was it.

They came as a group. Sunshine leading the way, her mane of blonde hair flyaway in the winds as she skidded to a halt before the girl. Red tried to calm the brawler, but her bloody tears gave lie to her condition. Sunshine trembled and knelt in front of her sister, weak and impotent. Was she feeling anger? Horror? Defeat? Neo wondered.

Ice Queen cupped Red's cheeks, gently prying away her hand to reveal those eyes. No longer silver. Red. To fit her name. Destroyed. Her own icy clue went wide with disbelief, denying the reality. She was mirrored by the faunus girl.

Oh, that was ironic. They were speechless. Perhaps she'd teach them a few lessons on how to deal with that.

Mm… No. That was impulsive. Neo scolded herself for feeling tempted for just a few seconds – to see their expressions as she stepped out of the shadows to claim responsibility…

'Bad Neo, you know better than that.'

Her earlier question returned with a vengeance as Sunshine pulled the girl close, clutching her to her chest like she was trying to protect her from the world itself. Was this right? Ice Queen pressed her cheek to Red's, her arms joining Sunshine and Kitty Cat's in the embrace, desperate to comfort their crippled friend.

She'd avenged Roman. She knew Red hadn't struck the killing blow that night, but the girl had thrown her from the battle. She couldn't defend Roman. She'd known the instant her parasol carried her away he'd not survive the encounter – even if he won, the Grimm would never allow the ship to land, nor any escape vessels.

Red had killed him as surely as the Grimm. Neo never found his corpse. Never had the chance to say goodbye.

The girls reared back slightly. Red was saying something.

Heads craned, eyes whipping across the clearing, searching. Something in Neo shuddered at the sheer fury she saw in their eyes. Kitty Cat's ears pinned back, teeth bared. Ice Queen's deadly calm mixed with furious tears. Sunshine's bloody scarlet irises. And then they saw her. Kitty Cat's superior vision pulling through, piercing the shadows. She hissed.

As one their heads turned to look directly at her.

She should have felt afraid, but Neo pulled her lips up in an arrogant smirk. She had her vengeance. She'd killed the two responsible for his death.

She felt hollow, just like she had since the Fall, but she'd done what she set out for. Matchstick too lay bleeding out in the cold snow where Neo'd left her, even her precious maiden powers insufficient to save her from severed arteries.

So arrogant she'd never expected the dagger slipping between her ribs. Pathetic.

The clearing grew hot with the force of Sunshine's rage. Glyphs sprang into being around Ice Queen. Kitty Cat pulled her lips back, eyes slitted. She stood guard over Little Red, furious but not about to let Neo take advantage of the girl's vulnerability.

The others would join them soon. Neo could probably fight these three until then. They were angry and not thinking clearly. Emotional in a way she could easily exploit. The other three novices would make it a challenge if she didn't cripple or outright kill someone. Branwen would kill her, though, regardless.

Neo held her parasol in a loose grip. The cool ivory hilt felt distant. Like she held it with someone else's numb, leaden hand. Everything felt distant, really.

The glares levelled her way were fearsome, but Neo's gaze was drawn to the girl once more. To the snow steaming away around the dripping blood. To her shoulders, slumped and trembling with pain and defeat.

Vindication never felt so hollow.

Sunshine flew at her, hair alight with fury. Neo spun away by simple instinct, lazily avoiding each and every strike, even as her eyes lingered on the girl.

Was this right?

Sunshine was more skilled than when last Neo'd fought her. Her style melded with Ice Queen's beautifully. The rapier darted in and out of Neo's guard, just barely missing her flesh each time Neo ducked or twisted away. She batted away haymakers and jabs and each and every punch thrown at her. She punished mistakes and overextensions, exploited flaws in Sunshine's guard and redirected her attacks so they'd fly wide or at her ally. All with the same, empty smirk.

There was no thrill to it.

For years Neo had found satisfaction in defeating powerful opponents. Showcasing her skill, taunting them into a frothing rage and then putting them in the ground. She slipped behind guards and robbed the secure. She challenged the strong and left them dead or humiliated. She was untouchable, and she loved that feeling.

Now she felt hollow. She couldn't stop looking back to the girl. To Ruby.

She had fought well, but it wasn't enough. Neo's blade found those silver eyes, just like Matchstick had often fantasized over in lurid detail. Those eyes had shone with guilt and resolve, had pleaded with Neo to understand.

She did understand. Ruby hadn't killed Roman. Probably never intended to kill Roman. She was too naïve, too noble to stoop to Neo's level. And she'd hunted the girl anyways, because there was nothing else for her to live for, any more.

The thrill had vanished with Roman. He'd been the one to take her in and hone her to a fine edge – she'd grown beyond even her mentor within years of him taking her on. But with his demise, nothing was right. Everything was wrong. She felt… nothing.

Right now, she felt nothing. It was another person's hands who slammed the heavy shaft of her parasol into Sunshine's temple, dazing the brawler. It was another duelist's arm who unsheathed her blade and dashed over to engage Ice Queen. It was someone else entirely who drew that thin line of red across the heiress's cheek, having long since destroyed their aura.

Sunshine leapt on her, but she was already away, shattering to the other side of the clearing.

Neo stared at Ruby. Her smirk had long since faded, replaced by nothing. She was empty. Her face was blank. There were no words to express how she felt, even if she could have done so anyways…

Was this right?

Neo didn't know. She felt drained. Tired.

They rushed her, and suddenly Neo realized she didn't want to fight. There was no thrill to it, no satisfaction to be derived from victory, and without that she had no real reason to stay. They would hunt her after this. To the ends of the earth.

She shattered. The smirk she projected onto the illusion was as false as the illusion itself, but Neo was far away, and they would never know.

They would hunt her… maybe evading their fury would bring her some echo of feeling again… Silver eyes stared at her remorsefully in her memory.

They told her she would not.

Poor Neo. Poor Ruby. I'm mean to my characters sometimes. Please leave a review if you enjoyed, I'd love to hear your feedback :)

-V