[Episode 17: In the Den of the Warboys.]

OP 4: This Is War by 30 Seconds to Mars.

Kazuma and Satsuki stand together against Ragyo, standing on a chessboard, pieces fall around them as they fight her, tears stream down Kazuma's face as good memories blaze into flame, burning away as he fights on, no matter how wounded he gets, he still walks by Satsuki's side, always there and always fighting. The end of the OP sees Kazuma finally standing before Ragyo...

And he charges in, blazing bright with Ryuken active.


Y'know, in movies, they make plane crashes look easy. Of course, it looks so easy! All I felt was that my good arm went numb, the soft burning of Gray Fibers thrummed through it. Nonon and Satsuki were squished together in my Gray Fiber arm. I felt the bright sunlight pierce my eye. Ow. That hurt.

"Wait... we're okay?" Nonon wondered.

"Yeah... ow..." I grunted, letting them go. Satsuki swept towards me, her horns tall again, her eyes wide with alarm. She saw my good arm being cradled close to my chest, her eyes widened and her horns lengthened. She swept me into her arms and held me gently, my head was against her chest. Nonon rolled her eyes, then saw my normal flesh arm.

"Holy shit..." she breathed. Nonon tried to take a look, but Satsuki held me closer and away from her. In the days following the brainwashing, Satsuki became hyper-protective of me. Going so far as to carry me and hold me tightly like now. It wasn't soothing for her, it was just for me to know that I belong to her. She was much more primal, much more... paranoid.

"Satsuki, look at me, Nonon is just gonna look at it, okay?" I assured.

"Mm," she grunted, relenting. She was quieter nowadays, too. I hated it. I hated not seeing her smile as often as I used to. The area around us was choked out with sand, and Nonon was desperately trying to radio for help, but due to REVOCS, all networks were cut off... My gray fibers were numbing my arm, so I couldn't feel the pain.

All I felt was Satsuki's worry. Nonon sighed and sat next to us under one of the wings.

"All we can hope is that we come across one of Ryuko's War Vehicles, damn! This is the first time I was ever late for a shipment!" she yelled.

"Nonon. Is your family..." I segued.

"Gone? Yeah, just like you and Nui, I'm an orphan..." she huffed.

"The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb," Satsuki quoted, with a small smile. Nonon buried her face into her knees, crying. We all had hurt. We all had pain. I sighed. In the distance, we heard the opening chords of... Welcome to the Jungle? Nonon shot up, her eyes wide.

"Shit!" she cursed.

"What?" Satsuki asked.

"She's coming herself?!" Nonon gasped, and there, among the sands, we saw them. To the dulcet tunes of Guns n' Roses, the Warboys roared over the dunes, all of them in mish-mashes of different vehicles, screaming, whooping men and women in Apocalypse leather mixed with military fatigues were hanging out the windows and having a grand old time.

They all surrounded Valkyrie One and stopped, all of their engines going quiet. We heard rumbling in the distance, and cresting over the dunes was nothing short of a monster. Huge, metallic, monstrously crawling on huge legs was a city. The legs were easily taller than the main spire of Hannouji Academy, this was the last city of humanity, built by Ryuko and her Life Fibers...

It looked like a giant crab, rising high above us, the dust-covered steel glinted dully.

{The City of the Last Bastion.}

{The Den of the Warboy Battalions.}

Welcome to the Jungle stopped playing as the city lowered itself, shining a spotlight down onto us. I hissed and Nonon started to get nervous. The light was red. A staircase extended from on high, we heard huge footsteps come down the metal steps, with each booming step, we saw who it was. It was Ira! He towered over everyone with stoic determination.

He wore hard-boiled leather armor and old car pieces as armor, his stomach armor from his family was proudly displayed, he smiled down at us.

"Lady Satsuki, Lord Kazuma, Pilot Nonon... welcome to the Last Bastion, Commander Matoi has been quite anxious for your arrival," he said, his reverence clear in his tone. The city proper was high above the ground, crawling strongly towards the coast. The people all looked at us with such... wariness. As if they weren't used to new people.

If it wasn't the apocalypse, I'd be a little offended. Everything was packed together, but people seemed happy. They seemed so happy to be here. Not out there with the death and destruction. I noticed my dragon was on the flag alongside a crossed together Bakuzan and Scissor Blade, I looked up at it and started to cry. Satsuki held me to her shoulder, her eyes closed as she soothed me with soft kisses.

I continued to sob. She remembered us. She remembered that we were fighting too. Now that we were all coming together... I hoped that everything was going to be alright. I didn't want to ever let go of my friends. They became my family. Ira, Uzu, Kaneo, Satsuki... all of them, even Nonon, Inumuta, and Iori. Nui and I were the only ones left of the Kaguya family.

With the death of Ragyo, Satsuki and Ryuko would be the last of the Kiryuins... I didn't feel bad. All I felt was anticipation. Ira led us up higher, up to the main room. My fibers were still dulling the pain and slowly mending my arm. Bone took way longer than muscle and ligaments. Satsuki still held me tightly enough to make me a little uncomfortable.

We were in a throne room, not in the conventional sense, it was dominated by a holographic map of the world, with only small divots of resistance. The largest ones were here and Russia. Looking over the map was Ryuko, Senketsu reinforced with leather armor and Junketsu wrapped around her shoulders like a cape. She looked up, her blue eyes softened.

"No way! No fucking way! If it ain't my big sis!" she gasped.

"Ryuko," Satsuki growled, cuddling me closer.

"Can ya stop holdin' yer boy-toy?" she asked.

"My boy-toy?" Satsuki asked, her voice low.

"Oh boy, she pulled the Kazuma Card..." Nonon sighed. Satsuki passed me to Ira, who started to blush. He looked down at me.

"Lord Kazuma, please, allow me to cover your ears," he requested.

"Sure," I scoffed.

He couldn't, and the tirade began.

"Boy-toy? Boy-toy? You don't know half the things he's been through for me! How much pain he took... how much he loves me... you're a lonely, apathetic delinquent with no idea how much the odds are stacked against you! Ragyo... she's... inhuman!" Satsuki roared, her horns lengthening and her eyes aflame.

"Oh yeah?! So am I! So are you and your boyfriend!" Ryuko objected.

"You don't understand what we went through day by day just to live! Look at my body! Hell, look at Kazuma's body and you'll see a goddamn tapestry of scars!" Satsuki yelled she was toe-to-toe with Ryuko.

"Well, you weren't the one with such a trash dad! At least Ragyo cared enough to keep you around instead of dumping me through a fucking GARBAGE CHUTE!" Ryuko roared.

"You think she cared?! She never cared about me! She only kept me around to appease our father! The only one she ever cared about was him!" Satsuki screamed like a banshee. Her horns were like daggers now, her eyes blazing with hellfire, she was pointing at me.

"Every second. Every time. Every second I thought I could impress her... it went to Kazuma. All the affection, all the attention... it was torture..." Satsuki sighed, coming back over to Ira and taking me into her arms. Or tried to, I slid out of Ira's hand to stand on the floor to be equal.

"But I fought back. I fought for him and won him. Something you'll never understand bec-" I cut her off.

"You two shut the hell up! You both need to cool it! The last thing we need is infighting... you think I wanted this? You think that I wanted to come from Hannouji, dodging REVOCS, dodging COVERS, dodging Hunter Killers, and surviving on garbage to finally get to Howl's Moving Hellhole to just hear the woman I love and her sister bitch at each other? No! I didn't! Now both of you either sit down and talk or we're hashin' this shit out!" I snarled. I turned with a snap of my boots and a flip of my coat.

"Ira, with me!" I ordered.

"Sir!" Ira enthusiastically barked. I wouldn't tolerate their stupid rivalry anymore. I felt... hurt. As if she was blaming me, the five-year-old who attached himself to Ragyo, for all of her problems. Yes, I will admit that I might've had some hand in them, but... I wasn't at fault for some of it. It hurt. It hurt so much... did she hate me?

Did Satsuki hate me all that time? For monopolizing her mother? The thing is... she threw herself at me. Ragyo always wanted to know what I was doing. I sat down on a balcony overlooking the city, "Ira, is there anyone you can contact?" I asked.

"Uzu and Kaneo haven't been answering their devices, seeing as the Russian Front is holding its own, I find no reason to worry," Ira reported. He was always loyal, all my men were. Uzu and Taka were my friends.

"That's what I was afraid of... find a way to contact those idiots and have them meet us... my arm is almost done healing. I just... need time," I huffed, sitting down. The night was warm, loud. I wanted things to be cold and quiet, where Satsuki would just come up and cuddle, where I could kiss her and tell her I'm sorry. I ruined her childhood. I ruined her.

I was the catalyst. The cause of her pain. If I just ran away, If I just listened to Dad... she wouldn't have those scars or those horns. She'd be normal... and somewhere down the line, we would've met and become close. I clenched my hands into fists, my arm healed. I heard the door open, and shoes clicking on the wood floor. I stared up at the stars, wishing I could be one of them.

They didn't have to feel like the weight of the world was on their shoulders. Because for me it is. Satsuki, Ryuko, and I were the only ones with Kamuis able to stop Ragyo. I stood, bringing out my blades, jabbing them down, Kibonochi billowing in the wind like a mighty cloak. I felt something in my heart. and around my middle.

The warmth of Satsuki's breath against my neck broke me out of my doldrums. Her arms were around me, her mouth so close to my neck, breathing.

"Hey, what are ya doing?" I asked.

She leaned in, nibbling at my neck, sending small jolts through my body. Her eyes told me all I wanted to hear. I'm sorry, too. I pulled her into my arms, my eye closing. I felt her hand move my eyepatch off my face and her soft lips against my scar. I leaned back, feeling her arms tighten around me and she buried her face into my shoulder, sending me back into the room, I felt growing wetness on my shoulder.

Her shoulders shook and I held her. She was in tears again.

"I... I'm sorry..." she admitted.

"Don't be. It's my fault after all..." I sighed.

"If it weren't for me, I think you'd be better off," I muttered.

Satsuki kissed me passionately, tears running down her cheeks, her need clear. She needed me to assuage her pain. She wore it like the iron heart she wore on her sleeve.

"Kazuma, never say that again! I was wrong. I was so wrong... I never meant to hurt you. I just... blurted out what came to my mind..." she sighed, I dried her tears.

"You got that from me!" I laughed, hugging her tightly. I smiled and closed my eye, kissing her neck, I loved her more than anything. Then, here comes the bombshell, the thing that made me freeze and start to worry.

"I'm going to fight Matoi and finish our rivalry... one last battle, right?" she asked.

"Careful, okay?" I sighed, "I don't want you to get hurt,"

She smirked confidently, "Oh please, we know it'll be a landslide victory..." she scoffed.

"Don't let your confidence be your undoing, darling..." I chided. She pecked me on the cheek and pulled away. She was wearing Junketsu again, I was relieved that it seemed that she was okay. Kibonochi's been silent lately...


[REVOCS BASE ATLANTIS: REVOCS'S ULTIMATE BASE OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL OCEAN'S POINT OF ORIGIN.]

I hated humanity. I hated them for tearing apart the untouched beauty we had around us. The ocean... one of the least explored regions of Earth... dyed red by the blood of rebels and COVERS alike. I mourned for the COVERS for they were my children... I heard them scream for me. I heard them crying and begging. I am the punishment of God.

I am the punishment for the usurper that denied my love. That evil boy and his Kamui. So it begins... the end of it all. Me or him, win or lose. I fully intend to win.

"Hoomaru, stop the COVERS from attacking the Last City of Bastion... let them come," I commanded with a deft wave of my hand.

"Ragyo, my son is gonna have one hell of a time dealin' with you..." Shinra whispered.

"Shh... sweet Shinra..." I sighed, caressing him.

He was my instrument of destruction, no one made it far without being subjected to his power. He's a dream. The bliss and sorrow I felt were just emotions I needed to kill. Yet, the still small voice of my humanity kept recalling all the human moments I felt.

Why didn't I feel anything?

Seeing my best friend's son crying, sobbing and trying his hardest to kill me?

"YOU KILLED MY DAD!"

You betrayed him. You, Ragyo Kiryuin.

You betrayed your best friend, she loved you like a sister, supported you through it all. You murdered her.

"That's... the difference between us... you... never... loved your children enough to sacrifice yourself... for them,"

You abandoned your daughters, you killed your husband. Yet, I'm still here. Your humanity is never dead. You carved a bloody scar in the skin of history, you broke the boy who loved you unconditionally. You broke your daughter who just wanted a chance to have you smile at her and be proud! So much blood is on your hands, and changing now won't absolve you.

I renounce your humanity, I renounce you, shameful...

I smiled at the other me, the one still clinging on to the past. She faded and Goro appeared.

"So that's it, huh?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Well then, I guess I can't stop you... CONGRATULATIONS! You did it! Wow! Good job! Now go and slaughter my son and your daughters... you win!" he snarled. That's what I wanted to hear out of him...


The stadium was huge, carved out of a mountain and easily bigger than the rest of the city, with seats reaching toward the summit. I came in support of Satsuki, yet... I felt something in my chest. Something resembling pride as she marched out of her side, Junketsu synced and ready to go. She was up on a souped-up jumbotron as the other members of the audience jeered and booed.

Her expression was focused, hardened. Her eyes piercing. The face that many an opponent saw before the sword came down and killed them. I tensed in my seat, seeing Matoi arrive at her walk-up music of some blaring dubstep number that I'm not gonna lie... it's something Takarada would LOVE.

"Alright, everyone! We've got one hell of a fight ahead! In one corner is the Iron Maiden of Hannouji: Lady Satsuki KIRYUIN!" Oh wow, Mankanshoku is alive. Go figure... Also, more jeers and boos.

"In the other corner, we know 'er! We love 'er! IT'S RYUUUUUUUUUUUKKKKKKKKOOOOOOOOOOO MATTTTTTTTTTTTTOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIII!" Mankanshoku screamed, sending the crowd into a frenzy the likes of which I've never seen. Ira shielded me from the brunt of the attacks. He held me much like a child.

"Ira? Why?" I asked.

"Lady Satsuki gets to hold you all the time," he sighed.

"Do you have a crush on me?" I asked.

Ira grew beet red, and he coughed into his free hand.

"No! Absolutely not, I just respect you as a fighter and as my Lord! And we're in hostile territory, please don't tell Takarada or Uzu!" He begged. I sighed and just smiled up at him.

"I won't, and I don't care if you like me or not, it's okay," I assured, Ira, smirked looking back up to watch the fight. There were times when I reciprocated his feelings a little bit. Yet, I was too head-over-heels for Satsuki and he was head-over-heels for Mako. I could tell. The way he ran himself ragged in those early days trying to find her reminded me of me in those days, trying to find Satsuki.

I guess we just realized that we loved someone even more...


Satsuki and Ryuko's duel was nothing short of bombastic. Both of them were fighting with something resembling grace and poise, but Satsuki's savagery was coming in spades. The force behind her strikes was palpable. All of it was felt. All of her determination, all of her bravery. All of her RAGE. All of it came out in an ugly storm, her horns were tall, her eyes burning and blazing.

Bakuzan was a blur, and Ryuko was trying to rebound and regain the advantage. She didn't let her. Relentlessly raging through all the hits and slashes. I realized that she was about to be consumed by the power the Life Fibers were feeding into her, or she was externalizing her rage into a palpable second wind. It scared me, knowing what my girlfriend was capable of and thanking my lucky stars that I wasn't often on the receiving end of most of it.

Ryuko was keeping up, blue and red energy started to spark as they changed to other modes, flashing from bladed ones to shielded ones, and back again. They clashed, sending a shockwave ripping through the stadium.

"MAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIII!"

"KIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYUUUUUUUUINNNNNNNNN!" They both roared, breaking the area around them with force enough to send a windstorm blitzing through the seats. I clenched my hands into fists, standing up and running to the edge, wondering who'd emerge from the dust and smoke victorious. The cloud cleared and they were still standing, gasping and huffing, desynced, Satsuki lurched forward, intent on ending it.

So did Ryuko, and I was preparing to step in. I could hold them apart long enough for them to tire out. Satsuki, tattered and haggard, raised her blade.

"I... will finish... this!" she roared, throwing her blade to the side, it skittered on the hard metal, and I picked it up. She ended up falling onto Ryuko. Ryuko instinctively caught her.

"I understand now that our goals align, I understand that we're all not cut from the same cloth... and that duel wasn't a draw... you won, Ryuko," Satsuki sighed, I smirked and turned away, knowing that things would get better.

"Wow, even when apologizin' you get all flowery with the language... sometimes I'm not sure how Kazuma understands you," Ryuko drawled. The rest of the stadium erupted into raucous cheers and jostling. I found Bakuzan's sheath and sheathed it. Satsuki held out her hand for it and I tossed it over. She belted it on.

"Kazuma, Ryuko and I have much to discuss, so please just wait in our room," she informed. I nodded, walking out of the arena, I wondered what they wanted to talk about. But then again, it wasn't my place to pry.


I was worried. Worried about Satsuki, how much the fight tired her out, but... she hasn't come back ever since the end of the fight. Well, they had a lot to talk about I bet. So... here we are, laying in bed.

"Kazuma... how you feelin' kiddo?"

"I just... I feel so worried... what if Satsuki loses it again? What if she gets herself hurt and I'm not there to help? What if... What if she loses control of Junketsu?" I asked.

"She's strong, she'll be okay..."

"About Ira, did you two ever..."

"No, but I always liked him, he's my best friend... and if things were any different, I wouldn't mind. It's just clear that we're dedicated to our partners. An' that's okay," I sighed. Kibonochi looked up at me.

"That's true. So... what's up with you and Satsuki?"

"Well... I wanna... I dunno... I wanna marry her one day, maybe have a kid?" I mumbled, not realizing that Satsuki was here. She looked down at me with a small smile. Her eyes shined in the silver light streaming through the window, her soft footfalls whispered against the floor, her horns were tiny, and she opened her arms, pulling me into her warmth, her hands taking off Kibonochi.

"I'm so tired... and you say you want children, my dragon?" she asked.

"Uhm... eventually!" I spat.

Satsuki started to slowly rub my chest, "Eventually, eh? Are you sure we'll even see tomorrow? Let's go for it..." she whispered, tipping my face up and leaning forward. Her lips capturing mine in a soft, sweet, low heat kiss... the kiss of an angel. I grabbed hold of her shoulders, deepening it. Her breath was hot, her chest a soft furnace of contained rage.

Her hands slammed on either side of the headboard, she pulled sharply away, "I... I can't... I..." she stammered. I leaned up, cupping her cheek with my hand.

"I'm not gonna do it if you don't want to, but... I wanna know if you want to, just like you did for me last time... so, Satsuki... do you want me?" I asked.

She gathered herself, her hands clenching into fists, grinding against the headboard, "Of course! Of course, I want you! You're my boyfriend! You're... you're... everything to me... always there for me when mother would... she would..." Satsuki shook with rage and lust, smashing her lips into mine and me into the headboard.

"Oh fuck!" I snarled out, wrapping my arms tightly around her, keeping her back as she kissed and bit at me, the pain and passion making me melt into a puddle of jelly. God, Satsuki angry while trying to have sex with me is SUCH A FUCKING TURN ON! She bit my shoulder hard enough to leave a mark, her eyes burning as she wrestled with my pants.

Once she all but tore them off, she beheld my member. She smiled.

"Ah... there it is..." she cooed a little, kissing me and situating herself over me, pinning me down with her hands, her lips leaving trails of fire all over me. I was burning, and Satsuki was the fire. She smirked, readying herself.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Don't ask!" I snarled, grabbing her hips and thrusting strongly in. She let out a grunt, my other hand pulled her head down to my shoulder, hiding her face as I continued, her moans and cries like music. While I was growling, snarling, kissing her with as much fervor as a frenzied piranha. I closed my eye.

"I worship you, Satsuki... I hope you know that..." I whispered in her ear, I felt her start to match my rhythm, her hand shot up to my neck, grabbing hold and squeezing.

"Then I will show you what I do to sweet zealots like you!" she yelled, biting down on my neck again, the pain making me let out a loud yell. A haze of bliss colored my world as my heart raced like a bullet train. Her eyes were like azure searchlights. Her love was rough, uncompromising, but sweet. Everything culminated in a loud, screaming blast of us yelling, then bliss pooled between us.

I felt her lips against my bite marks and she kissed them, "I'm sorry... I know it hurts..." she muttered against my skin, I held her against my chest, her body tremored a little with the afterglow. Our bed was a mess of the comforter and sheets being tossed around and the heat between us was probably enough to cook a goddamn egg. It wasn't like the pain I felt after Ragyo's conquests.

"Don't apologize... it felt good..." I sighed. I smoothed her messy black hair, feeling its silky smooth tresses. I kissed her horns gently.

"Are these permanent, baby?" I asked.

"No..." she sighed, her lazy, gentle kisses lulled me into sleep. Earlier, there was chaos in the streets as Ryuko ordered all civilians and non-essential personnel out of the city, it was converted into a giant beast of war, with cannons on the front that were giant Gatling guns, that she claimed would be able to tear through COVERS. I only hoped Uzu and Takarada would arrive in time to see this all through.

Because I'm gonna win, no matter what it takes.


[Next Time: To Hell and Back!]