Hello darkness, my old friend

I've come to talk to you again.

The world outside was cold and dead. To Yang Xiao Long, it seemed like she had done nothing but stare out through her window for months. The days had blurred together, and the autumn trees had shed their leaves, blanketing the ground outside the Xiao Long House in red and gold, before those too had been covered by a layer of winter's first snow.

Yang wondered how long that would go on. Would she see winter turn to spring, then to summer? She felt that sitting in her bed for the rest of her life wouldn't be so bad. It wasn't as if she was good for anything else. Even before she had lost her arm, she had been completely unable to protect the people she loved. And now...and now those people had all left her.

No. Better to wait and let the world pass her by.

Useless. You've always been useless.

She'd always gone through life without thinking. Even when she'd had her first real defeat at the hands of Torchwick's sidekick, she hadn't changed her ways. And then, when Adam hurt one of the people she cared about most...she'd charged right in like always.

And suffered for it.

Weak. You've always been weak.

And then Blake had left her. Just like her mother had. Just like Ruby. She was alone now. Well, not truly alone. Her father had stayed with her, but she felt like she would have preferred to be alone. She was only causing him more pain, he didn't deserve that.

Now I'm just a burden.

Yang felt something. Even in her current state, her trained fighter's instincts had detected someone's presence. She sat upright.

It couldn't have been her dad, he and Zwei had gone into town to get groceries. She thought it could have been Uncle Qrow, maybe even Ruby...

"Hello? Is someone there?"

Movement. She heard very faint footsteps, only now recognizable due to the brief pause her voice had caused. Whoever it was, they were very stealthy.

/

Neo moved almost soundlessly through the hallway of the Xiao Long House, her Semblance making her invisible to any prying eyes. It hadn't been easy, tracking down Little Red's home without the CCT, but she still knew people from when she and Roman had been running their operation. People who specialized at finding other people. She'd set up a safe house nearby and staked out the house, waiting for the father to leave before moving in.

Her fist clenched around the handle of her misericorde. One swift stab from behind, and it would all be over. Roman would be avenged.

But as she checked every room, her heart sank. Little Red was nowhere to be found. She couldn't have left, Neo had been watching the place for almost a week...so where was she? Definitely not at home.

There was one other person in the house, Neo soon found. The voice had given her away. In the guest room, her old rival, Yang Xiao Long, lay in bed. Neo's breath caught as she laid eyes on her for the first time since the tournament.

The blonde's gaze was fixed on the doorway intently, but it was obvious she hadn't detected Neo's presence. Neo let out her breath as she saw a stump where Yang's right arm had once been. What had happened? Clearly it had affected her - she looked haggard, her once beautiful mane of hair tangled and dirty. Neo quickly assessed her, her fighter's instincts coming to the fore. There was no way she could fight with one arm. She even looked weaker than before. Neo had to find out where Little Red was. It was the only way she could move forward. And the only way to get information was from Yang.

She had to reveal herself. She had to know. Even if she had to use force.

Neo's heart quickened.

/

Yang's breathing grew erratic. She kept her eyes fixed on the doorway, waiting for whoever it was to show themselves. She had no idea who it could be.

Probably the last person she expected was Roman Torchwick's sidekick, the one she'd fought on the train. Neo, that's what Ruby had said her name was.

She appeared suddenly in the doorway, staring levelly at Yang. For a second, Yang wasn't sure she was really there. She certainly looked different from the last time they'd seen each other, back on the train: she wore a heavy winter coat over her usual clothes, though those looked more tattered and dirty than Yang remembered. She had Roman's bowler hat perched on her head at a jaunty angle. Where once her pink and brown hair had been tied back in ponytail, now it hung loose around her shoulders. Her parasol was folded and tucked under her arm. More than that, her face had a gaunt look to it, and her clothes hung loosely around her already slender frame.

"You," Yang growled. The girl nodded her head. Her mismatched eyes were hard, her face determined. "Why are you here?" Yang asked.

Neo stalked forward. She pointed up at her hat and tilted her head at Yang, as if expecting an answer. Yang stared back at her.

"Roman? He's dead. Ruby told me. He was eaten by a Griffon."

Neo swallowed and her face briefly flickered with - sadness? Acceptance? Either way, Neo quickly composed herself.

"Is that why you're here? To get revenge?"

Neo shrugged noncommittally.

"Well, you're too late. Ruby's gone. I don't know where, she's just...gone."

Yang thought it was a good thing Ruby was gone. Neo couldn't hurt her. And it wasn't like Yang could do anything to help her anyway...

I don't care what happens to me. Not anymore. I'm just glad you can't find Ruby.

Neo looked at Yang closely. Yang wondered why she was allowing Neo to stand there, in front of her. Either Neo would walk away, leaving Yang alone again, or she would kill Yang, in which case...well, Yang couldn't stop her even if she wanted to.

After a long, silent moment, Neo blinked, and her eyes switched colors. She pulled out a Scroll and turned it over in her hands, nervously, it seemed to Yang.

"I thought those didn't work anymore," she said. Neo tapped away at it, then held it out so Yang could see it.

[I need it. Can't talk.]

"Can't? Or won't"

Neo shrugged. Yang supposed the answer didn't matter. Neo stared at Yang for a moment before tapping at her Scroll again.

[What happened to your arm?]

Yang felt a surge of shame. She remembered Blake's scream of pain, a flash of red, searing pain...

Why should I tell you? she wanted to say, but she hardly had the energy in her to be defiant. Instead, she looked down at the blankets, at her remaining hand gripping them tightly.

"Adam Taurus happened."

Neo blinked again, and stared at Yang for a moment. Yang thought she saw Neo's breath catch in her throat. The smaller girl tapped at her Scroll.

[Would you like to get your revenge?]

/

Neo held her breath as Yang read the text on her Scroll. Depending on her answer, Neo could have a path forward. Revenge could be hers, if only Yang would accept...

Instead, Yang's face contorted with anger.

"How!? I was too weak to beat him before, and that was with my arm! Now...now I'm nothing."

She shut her eyes and covered her face with her hand. Neo felt a stab of pity.

This is pathetic. You were supposed to be my rival.

She'd felt the same, right after Roman died. For days she had lain on a bare mattress in a safehouse, consumed by grief. Then, slowly, the grief was replaced by rage. An all-consuming hatred for Cinder Fall, who had pulled her and Roman into her schemes, who had taken Roman from her. Neo was willing to do anything to get revenge, even ally with her one-time rival. And as for fending for herself, she'd been alone before, being alone again was...well, she could handle it.

She'd come here for revenge. To find Little Red and kill her, like Yang thought. But Little Red was nowhere to be found, and instead Neo only found her old rival. And when she'd heard that Ruby was gone without a trace, for a moment it seemed like the trail had gone cold. It seemed like her quest was done, and she had nothing left.

I have to keep going, though. For Roman.

Neo hadn't expected to discover the details of Roman's death so easily. She was sure Yang was telling the truth. The poor girl had no reason to lie. She had no reason to do anything. So, Little Red wasn't to blame for Roman's death. Not entirely. Cinder held most of the blame. Maybe Little Red...Ruby...would have her reckoning one day. Neo thought about hunting her down, but without any leads she'd be completely lost. No, better to wait until their paths crossed by chance. Until then...

This isn't over. I still have to find Cinder. But I can't do it alone...

Once her instincts would have prevented her from putting her trust in someone she hardly knew, but her need for revenge overruled that. Neo tapped out a message on her Scroll and sat on the bed next to Yang. She nudged her shoulder gently, and when the blonde looked up hesitantly, she held up her Scroll for Yang to see.

[I could help.]

Yang stared at her blankly.

"Why?"

[Because Cinder took Roman from me. And she took a lot of things from you, too.]

Neo couldn't fight Cinder by herself. She needed allies. She knew firsthand how strong Yang was, as well as the raw potential she had to be a great fighter. Yang could be useful to her.

Yang stared at her for a moment. Neo hoped she was considering her offer. However, when she finally spoke, it was to ask a question.

"Who was Roman to you?"

Neo's smirk faltered again. Roman was everything to her. Home. Safety. Food. Warmth. A father. A friend. A protector. Cinder had taken that away. She had taken everything from Neo.

She tapped at her Scroll, then showed it to Yang.

[He was like my father. He was the only person who ever cared for me.]

While Yang digested that, Neo tapped out another message.

[Cinder forced us to work for her. It's her fault he was on that airship in the first place. And if Ruby didn't kill him, then she holds the most blame.]

Tap tap tap.

[She needs to pay. We both want that. So let me help you train. You might be weak now, but I know how to make you strong again. We can find Cinder and make her pay for what she's done.]

To be honest, Neo didn't even know if Cinder was still alive. She'd need to track down Emerald and Mercury first, and find out what they know, if they even knew anything. And she couldn't do it alone. Neo felt like she was chasing shadows, but it was all she had. Deep down, she had to admit that she was desperate for any reason to keep moving forward.

I can't believe this...but I need your help, Yang.

Neo let Yang read the message, then put down her Scroll and looked at Yang expectantly. Neo hoped that she would say yes. That they could start down the road to getting Yang to full strength. That they could work together to make Cinder pay. Yang quietly returned Neo's gaze for a moment, then turned to look out the window.

"Get out of my house."

Neo's face fell. She took a deep breath, stood up, and left without making a sound.

Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine?