DISCLAIMER: I do not own Black Rock Shooter nor any concepts related to Black Rock Shooter. All rights, permissions, and characters are reserved and owned by Huke, Ryo and Ordet.
In a world of black and white, a hero is born...
Let us return to the beginning! These are the chronicles of Black Rock Shooter!
Black Rock Shooter Chronicles, Act Ten: Organism
"Sorry for making you wait." Mato and Black Rock Shooter echoed in unison. Silence fell upon them all as they stared in awe and terror at the power of Black Rock Shooter. Nothing could be heard save for the fierce crackling of blue flames over her left eye.
"Hmph. Took ya long enough lil' sis." Black Twin Blades mused with a large grin. Since when did the little girl become so darn strong? She shuddered to think just what had happened between then and now. Just how much did fighting Dead Master make her grow..?
"Welcome back, Black Rock Shooter." Black Death Cutter echoed, though her eyes continued to lay fixed on their opponent, the unknown girl with the harpoon. She continued to hold her axe in an offensive position, ready for any incoming attack.
The unknown girl remained impassive, seemingly transfixed by the appearance of Black Rock Shooter. She surveyed the scene and calmly analyzed the situation.
"Hmph. That's no fun. I wanted to have a go at just Black Rock Shooter and the rest of you had to go spoil the party!" She whined. She then turned around to leave...
... But came face to face with Black Gold Saw. Her eyes widened.
"How'd you get behind me so quickly..?" She remarked in surprise. Black Gold Saw merely smirked.
"Black Rock Shooter isn't the only one who's had a bit of a power-up." Came the reply. Black Gold Saw raised her enormous blade.
"... And you're not getting away that easily!"
She swung the sword with great force, and the unknown girl managed to leap away just in the nick of time. She landed a short distance away, and the mere force of the shock wave made small tears in her clothes.
"... Looks like this will turn out to be fun after all!" She exclaimed delightfully before readying her spear.
"I will tell you my name now, but after you hear it, I shall be no mercy for you!"
However, before she could utter another word, there came a massive aura that seemed to overwhelm everything in the area. The girl froze in her spot, and everyone else felt a shudder down their spine.
Black Twin Blades looked around frantically, trying to trace the source of the power. It seemed to come from everywhere.
Suddenly, a great Voice resounded.
"Enchantress... I don't remember ever giving you any instructions to... Pay Black Rock Shooter a visit..."
The unknown girl, whose name was Enchantress, immediately went down on her knees, begging for forgiveness.
"Master! I-I-I did not do it on purpose! I was just thinking that it would further your plans! I did not -"
"SILENCE!" Interrupted the Voice in a manic, high pitched tone. The Enchantress fell silent immediately.
Black Rock Shooter looked into the sky. She sensed great evil, an evil far beyond that of even Dead Master. No, Dead Master was never evil. Dead Master had merely wanted to survive. This new being though... She could feel it. The aura was malicious. It was ready to engulf everything and bring it to nothingness.
"Who are you?" Black Rock Shooter asked the Voice. She was replied with more laughter.
"Me? I am that which will destroy you, Black Rock Shooter. I am that which manipulated Dead Master. I am that which has planned to take over reality since the very beginning!"
Black Rock Shooter gritted her teeth. So her destiny wasn't finished yet. Was that why she did not disappear right after defeating Dead Master..? Or perhaps... No that couldn't be... But nothing else made sense...
"You! You are the real Dead Master are you not..?" Black Rock Shooter concluded, much to the surprise of everyone else. This time, the Voice did not reply immediately. Just as she had feared, Black Rock Shooter had hit the nail on the head.
"Quite the sharp one, aren't you..? You all know me as such, yet I go by another name, one I shall reveal in time to come. Soon, all will be as it should be... Very soon..." The Voice answered.
Suddenly, there was a great white flash, and when it subsided, Enchantress was gone, along with any sign that a battle had ever taken place. Black Gold Saw lowered her blade, and Black Rock Shooter could see she was shaken.
"So... Dead Master... The Dead Master we had tried so hard to defeat... That we had sacrificed so much for... Was a fake..?" Black Gold Saw exclaimed in disbelief, her voice wavering.
"Seems that way... Now everything seems to make a little less sense..." Black Death Cutter answered grimly, before slinging her axe across her back.
"Sigh... Here I was ready to fight too..." Black Twin Blade muttered before sheathing her curved daggers.
Once again, they found themselves facing a great evil beyond their imaginations.
"So... What you're saying is that... Dead Master had merely been a name in legend, used to refer to a great evil that would threaten us all..?" Black Gold Saw reiterated, confused.
The four were resting after the battle, discussing the latest developments that had been presented to them.
"Yes... I've been around longer than any of you, so this I know. It seems we had simply tagged the Dead Master we knew as such because she had been the most powerful evil we could think of." Black Death Cutter explained, though now she doubted if she had known anything at all.
"None of could imagine an evil which resided in both our world as well as in reality, with such great control over both realms. It was easy to see why we would think of our Dead Master as being the most powerful. Yet... It seems even she was manipulated along with the rest of us by the true Dead Master." She continued grimly.
Black Rock Shooter thought back to the conversation she had once had with Black Gold Saw. She had mentioned that those whom had completed their destiny would disappear. Why then were they all still here, alive? Had everything been just a lie?
"Black Gold Saw, you once told me that completing your destiny meant that we would all disappear. How then have you managed to come back, along with Black Death Cutter and Black Twin Blades..?"
Black Gold Saw looked at Black Death Cutter, who decided that it was more in her ability to explain just what had happened after Black Rock Shooter had defeated Dead Master.
"In order to make you understand... Let's just say that... Everything we did and followed were based on rules layed down in our world. The other world. However, those rules were defined by the existence of Dead Master and you. Everything was centered around the both of you, the pinnacle entities which created a link between all of us. However, once you defeated Dead Master... Those rules became void. The imbalance was what destroyed our world... Or what we thought was our world..." Black Death Cutter explained.
"What do you mean by that..?" Black Rock Shooter asked, still unconvinced.
"I mean... We all thought that the other world was our world... But it never was. Reality is our true world. We are one with the beings here and thus any prophecy made by Dread Seer referred to this world. When she said you would defeat Dead Master she meant defeating the real Dead Master in this world. When she said you would rip our world asunder, she also meant this world. Everything centers upon reality. We are merely illusions. Our world was merely an illusion, an illusion I believe was created by the real Dead Master, whom has just revealed her presence to us..." Black Death Cutter continued.
"So... All of you are still here because none of the people we are connected to in reality passed on." Black Rock Shooter concluded as she slowly gained understanding.
"Yes... Just like you are still here because Kuroi Mato is still alive. All of us remain alive because none of the beings in reality we share connections with are dead. Even if you are killed over and over, as long as Kuroi Mato is unharmed, you will return." Finished Black Death Cutter.
Black Rock Shooter pondered over what she had just learnt. Suddenly, a grim thought hit her.
"If what you're saying is true... Then we have a complicated problem on our hands..."
Another week had passed since the incident. Mato was sitting in class, still thinking of how unbelievable a situation she had gotten herself into. She could not believe she was somebody else! Or rather... She never knew somebody else resided within her. As she looked around class, she mentally noted that any one of her classmates could have such a being within them. Most importantly, she looked at Yuu, for she knew for sure that Yuu too had someone else inside of her. Yuu's story about a black and white world was too coincidental. Then of course, there was the most pressing of problems.
"Yomi..." Mato thought worriedly.
As Black Rock Shooter, Mato had thought of something rather disturbing. If none of them could die as long as their real counterparts were alive, then what had happened to the Dead Master which was Yomi? Was that evil still alive? Did Black Rock Shooter defeat an evil which could never die? Mato could only ponder. She knew that she would never be able to explain this to Yomi. It was too far-fetched and complicated beyond her understanding. As Black Rock Shooter she knew what was going on, but as Kuroi Mato... She was grasping at straws.
The school bell rang, signalling the end of the day... And the coming of night.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Came Yomi's voice, startling Mato out of her thoughts.
"It's nothing. Just a little tired that's all." Mato reassured her friend. They were walking back home together along the usual route, and the usually animated Mato had not uttered a word along the entire journey. Naturally, Yomi grew worried.
"I don't believe you. It's the same as Yuu isn't it. You've been having recollections of that world." Yomi stated straightforwardly. Mato's reaction immediately gave her away. Yomi sighed.
"Is there something you're not sharing with me?" She asked worriedly. Mato knew that she could not keep it secret for much longer. After all, Yomi too knew of the other world. She just could not remember it as well.
"Yes, I've had the same experience as Yuu. The only thing is... I remember it clear as day." Mato admitted. Yomi's expression turned serious.
"Tell me about it." She said plainly. Mato knew that it was not an order, but she also knew Yomi would not take no for an answer. Mato let out a small sigh and re-told everything that had happened a week ago.
Yomi had just come out of the shower, clad in only her towel. She had spent a far longer time than she usually did in there, for she was worried. Dreadfully worried. What Mato had told her just hours ago now seemed terrifying in its prospects and Yomi wondered if she would be able to sleep well at all that night.
There was someone within her.
Yomi got dressed for bed and sat in front of her mirror to do her hair. She looked at her reflection and her reflection stared back. Somebody who looked exactly like her... Just different...
Mato had told her that she had been a great evil in the other world. A being known as Dead Master. Normally Yomi could pass off stories as jokes but not this time. She remembered bits and pieces of forgotten memories from the time she had disappeared. Everything fit. She remembered herself not being herself. Fighting. Sadness. Death. Fear.
Now what made things worse was that, Yomi was alive. That meant that the Dead Master was still alive too. Mato had told Yomi it was only a conjecture and that the Dead Master could very well still be dead but Yomi knew better. After all, her memories of the other world were coming back to her as the days went by.
Yomi glanced at her reflection in the mirror again, almost afraid that there would be somebody else looking back at her. Yet, Yomi wanted to know. She wanted to know the truth. She wanted to know whom she truly was.
She closed her eyes and counted to three, willing for her other self to appear with all her might. As she opened her eyes...
... Nothing had changed. She was still sitting at her table, looking at the same face in the mirror she had seen all her life. Yomi let out a long sigh.
"Mato..." She whispered.
The alleyway was abandoned save for a few stray cats lazing around. However, the cats soon sensed something was amiss, and they creeped off into the shadows of safety. A girl had just set foot there.
"Master... I am terribly sorry..." The girl apologized to nobody in particular. There was no reply. The girl merely stood there and waited for an answer.
"Enchantress... You disappoint me." Came a voice from somewhere within the darkness of the alleyway. Upon closer observation, one could see the faint presence of a girl, her tiny frame obscured by shadows.
The Enchantress merely hung her head, and spoke no further.
"Where are the rest of them..?" Came the question.
"I-I have no idea, Master." Enchantress replied honestly, her voice shaking. The Master made no response.
Without warning, more girls arrived. The first came, her schoolbag slung over her shoulder. Then the second, who looked like she had just run a great distance. Then the third, dressed in what looked like her pyjamas. Finally, the last, a small girl with messy brown hair. Yuu.
"You're all late." The Master said simply. Some of the girls immediately uttered apologies, others just stood there without a word. A car could be heard driving up along the road a short distance away.
"How are you all getting used to your new bodies..?" Came the next question, demanding answers.
"It's fine, but I only have control about an hour each time, so we're going to have to be quick here." Answered the girl with the schoolbag.
"This new body's weak... But it'll have to suffice." Answered the girl in pyjamas. The rest made no response.
"Hmph. No matter. I will make this short." The Master replied. The girls awaited their instructions.
"Enchantress here had taken it upon herself to hunt down Black Rock Shooter, despite my previous instructions for her not to do so. Black Rock Shooter is mine to kill and mine alone. It is my destiny, after all."
Enchantress shuddered. The rest of the girls looked at each other uncomfortably.
"I know that I had once told all of you that Black Rock Shooter was our main goal. That which we must defeat. However, did I not explain adequately how circumstances have changed since..? It is Black Rock Shooter's destiny to destroy me and me to destroy her. If any of you were to go against her, your defeat would be certain."
Yuu let out a loud yawn, and the rest of the girls shot ugly looks at her. The Master continued on, unfazed, well used to Strength's attitude.
"However, that is not to mean that you have nothing to do. Oh no. In fact, there is much to accomplish now that Black Rock Shooter's allies have returned from the grave. In the end, even if I were to go against Black Rock Shooter, if she has her allies around her, I shall stand no chance against them." The Master concluded.
"So what will you have us do now then? The last I remember, my job was to help kill Black Rock Shooter." Yuu voiced out. The rest of the girls agreed in unison. The Master smiled.
"Simple. We pick off Black Rock Shooter's allies. One by one."
Wow what a huge jump in the number of reviews between Chapter 8 and 9! Well, the plot continues to thicken so read on!
Please review this FanFic! Arigato!
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