Quick Note: Since I don't wanna translate every line of dialogue into Nihongo, just pretend I did. Once Ruby learns the language, she'll be talking like everyone else anyway. So, unless otherwise specified, all speech in this chapter is actually Nihongo (aka, Japanese).
…
… … …
… … … … …
The land of Nippon was in turmoil.
Four years ago, the Emperor and all three of his wives were killed in a tragic accident involving a carriage going off the side of the road and wrecking. It was said that something spooked the horses, causing the entire caravan to leave the road and fall off a nearby cliff.
In the wake of their deaths, all of their sons and daughters suddenly vanished. Kasai-dono, the highest-ranking noblewoman of the courts, declared herself Regent and began the process of naming herself the new Empress.
More than half the court fought back against her. Unfortunately, she was expecting this: Kasai already had a large mercenary force, the Haiena, ready to suppress any and all voices of dissent.
The Loyalists, as they soon came to be known, took heavy losses in the beginning. Their sheer numbers and determination allowed them to recover and reform, setting up a proper military response. Their aim: unseat the Regent and restore the Yukimura Dynasty to power. Without a proper heir, however, they would have a hard fight ahead of them.
It was truly a civil war.
…
… … …
… … … … …
Chapter 27:
Beyond The Horizon (part 2)
… … … … …
… … …
…
Six months after fleeing the city, Ruby hadn't seen any fighting.
As soon as the armies reached the city, and Ginryu's estate, both Ruby and Shiro were quickly whisked away in the night. Things happened so fast that Ruby's eyes were still spinning by the time the sun rose the next morning… and they were already several miles away.
Of all places, they soon found themselves back at the farm.
But they weren't there to work.
Along with the two of them, Ginryu also sent a large contingent of soldiers and a few loyal nobles. The former quickly got to work transforming the humble stretch of land into a defensible position – including a perimeter of wooden posts and armed guards – while the latter had another job.
They had to …train Ruby. Another word would be tutor.
Oh, goody.
…
The first two months were devoted to setting up the land. The farmhouse was modified (some would call it remodeled) to be a bit more comfortable for the various nobles who now had to call it home. Ruby's first job was to finish her education on the language of Nihongo.
With the help of proper teachers, Ruby learned the language rapidly. She could hold basic conversations within the first month. By the end of the second month, all of her tutors declared her language training complete.
After that came other schooling. Ruby learned the history of the country, the systems of nobility that ran the place, and loads of other things that was supposed to be necessary for a 'proper lady.'
Ruby enjoyed the schooling to a point, but found herself pining for some freedom.
On the other hand, Shiro seemed ready to jump out of a window.
Kuro was also there, but she only appeared every so often to make sure Ruby remembered she was there. Otherwise she was simply a shadow. As far as Ruby could piece together, Kuro had sworn herself to Ruby as some sort of bodyguard – what she could remember of that oath translated as such.
All over the farm there was a feeling of tension. Of holding your breath and waiting for the other shoe to drop. No one knew quite what to expect in the coming months – would Ginryu-san return victorious? Would she return at all?
Ruby had other things on her mind. After spending close to a full year in this world, she had finally gotten to see herself in a mirror. Turns out such things were luxuries only allowed to the rich or well-connected in society. One of her teachers lent her one so she could practice styling her own hair. Up until this point, she had seen no reflective surfaces at all.
The face that looked back at her from that mirror… belonged to someone else.
Her entire face was the wrong shape, her chin too short, her nose too small… other than her eye color, Ruby could see almost nothing of her own face. Even her hair was fully black, rather than her normal dark-red color. It was also a totally different style.
She was still Ruby… right?
Suddenly she wasn't so sure…
The time she spent at Beacon, and her life on Patch with Dad and Yang… was growing more and more faint with each passing week. Even the more recent events of meeting all those alternate-world versions of herself was turning into a vivid dream, rather than true memories.
Was she Aki-chan? Or Ruby Rose?
By this point, did it still matter?
In the midst of her personal crisis, Ginryu returned to the farm. And she brought more than one piece of startling news.
…
The farmhouse was once the center of the whole farmstead – now it was a small castle, while the fields were its moat. At the center of the house was a wide open space, once used for sit-down meals among the farm workers. It now held a massive table with a map laid out over it. A war room.
Ginryu was there, her violet eyes glaring over every inch of the map as she studied the layout of the small tokens and chips – items that indicated troops and strongholds, if Ruby guessed right. The Yang look-alike was dressed for battle – her various armor pieces gleamed in the dim light of the candles all around the room.
Shiro was also present, but in simpler attire. Even though she wore robes and things more tailored to the region, Ruby was struck by how similar she ended up looking to Weiss, both in color and attitude. Her ice-blue eyes alternated between the map and her friend.
Ginryu had dismissed all of her other advisors and officers. This was a private meeting between the three of them… though why Ruby was there was still a mystery.
"Aki-san," the blonde woman interrupted her thoughts, "How has your language training progressed? Can you speak naturally now?"
"That's what they tell me," she replied.
Ginryu nodded, seemingly satisfied, "Good. I need to get you both up to speed on our situation."
"It must be pretty bad if you came all the way out here," Shiro added, her tone sour.
"Actually, it's quite good. The Loyalists have routed most of the Haiena, and the only forces left under Kasai-dono's authority are holed up in the capital. If we mount a large enough force, we can end this in a matter of weeks," Ginryu said with no small amount of pride in her voice.
"…Unless they're waiting to ambush you," Ruby added somberly.
"Aki-san!" Shiro bristled.
Ginryu raised a hand, "No, she's right. I suspected the same thing when I heard the news. It's likely she has the place laden with all manner of traps. That's the kind of woman she is. Still, with good enough knowledge of the terrain, we can still come out on top."
"A siege?"
"Only if no other option looks good. I'd rather not devote our soldiers to a prolonged campaign. Most of them are ready to go home now."
"So… if you have everything in hand… then why come here? What help could we give?" Ruby asked with genuine curiosity.
The blonde woman didn't answer right away, and when Ruby looked she was treated to the sight of Ginryu and Shiro locked in a staring contest.
"…No…" Shiro breathed.
"…Yes…" Ginryu answered.
"Ginryu-san, I told you already that it won't happen! I… can't… be what you want me to be!"
"There is no one else. Once this is over, we need someone to take the throne…"
"NO!"
"Everyone else in your family is gone, Shiro-san… You are the last of the Yukimura line…"
"THAT'S BECAUSE I KILLED THEM! !"
Shiro was in tears as she shrieked that last line. Ginryu looked like she wanted to dart around the war table and embrace her friend in a hug. Ruby just hung back, staring at the exchange with wide eyes. And trying desperately to keep up.
Shiro was a …princess? A real princess?
"Shiro-ojou… no one is blaming you for the accident…"
"But you know what happened! I spooked those horses… I caused the carriage to run off the road… I… I…"
"ENOUGH!" Ginryu cut off Shiro's wailing with a sharp slap to the tabletop. "There is no one else. I will serve no other Empress, do you hear me?!"
Shiro had moved quickly at the interruption. She was almost hiding behind Ruby, now. Ginryu ignored that as she slowly moved around the table and knelt down before Shiro in total reverence.
"I am Kojima Ginryu, head of the family Ginryu, and I pledge my sword to Your Eminence. By my life, and my death, I will protect you. Upon my honor, I pledge my blood to the Yukimura Dynasty."
Shiro looked like she wanted to slap the woman silly, but she held back. As Ruby watched, the girl who had only been a farmhand up until now suddenly changed – her stance, her poise, her entire person took on a noble flavor.
"In the name of the Yukimura Dynasty, I accept your vow. Rise. … … …You'll pay for this Ginryu-san…"
In that moment, Ruby felt like a filthy commoner who had been allowed to witness a moment of high-living. She had a strong sense that she didn't belong in the room with them.
In the blink of an eye, Shiro had transformed… into royalty.
"Aki-sama…" Ginryu said as she stood, turning to Ruby, "I hope you will help us, too. Your presence would give both of us some comfort."
Her presence? Not her skills? "I… um… I suppose. If I don't, I'll be stuck here. Not fun. Not even a few cows to milk…"
Rambling had become a defense mechanism. Ruby had so many issues with this situation that it would give Yang joke material for weeks on end.
Yang… or was that Ginryu? Was there a difference anymore…?
Ginryu gave Ruby a firm handshake, wearing that knowing smirk of hers. "Good to have you onboard, Aki-sama. I'll have my smiths get you fitted for some armor before we head out. We'll be heading into the final fight of this war, but it never hurts to be prepared."
Ruby… or Aki, as they called her… gave a nervous chuckle.
Would she be alright?
…
… … …
… … … … …
One month later, the final battle of the war loomed.
Just as Ginryu-san predicted, all remaining soldiers of the Haiena had barricaded themselves within the walls of the capital. Kasai-dono herself seemed ready to force the issue, having been seen by most of the scouts as being in the city. All possible exits had been blocked. No one was getting in or out without Ginryu-san knowing about it.
The city itself was vast, but walled on all sides – even taking into account possible 'secret' escape routes, it was relatively easy to keep an eye on the entire perimeter. No mountains stood close by, nor rivers. Just broad, flat land that stretched for miles. Water was supplied by underground reservoirs, all of which were closely guarded.
An unnamed hill stood closest to the main gates, so Ginryu-san had her main headquarters set up on top of it. From that vantage point, the blonde woman could issue orders in response to any enemy movement. It was a wonderful advantage.
Aki didn't care, though. She was still pissed about not getting a weapon.
"But you know I can fight! Why bother bringing me at all if you were just going to pen me up in your tent like a hound?!"
"Aki-sama, we've been over this a dozen times!" the commander retorted. "You are important to Her Eminence as a lady of the court, not as a soldier!" She emphasized her point by smacking the war table once again. It was starting to buckle under the constant impacts.
"Gods take me before I become somebody's dress-up doll…!" the girl growled in response. She stalked out of the tent before Ginryu-san could protest.
Glaring out over the distant capital city, Aki thought back to her memories of the girl called Ruby Rose. She could fight, of that there was no question. But was she really that girl? Had she ever been? She had been certain, once… until she saw her own face. Everything changed after that.
She was Aki-san, with no family name. In her head were memories from another life.
She had been bought as a slave to work at Ginryu's farm, then bumped her head when she fell from the wagon. That was all.
Or was it?
Why was it so hard to concentrate on such things?
Why did she feel like she didn't know herself… at all?
"Aki-chan!"
Shiro-sama's voice pulled her out of her reverie. She turned to regard her friend and savior – the one who rescued her from her own confused head almost a year ago. The regal woman now wore the finest set of armor in the whole camp, with white plates that gleamed in the late evening sun.
"If you are quite finished riling up my commander, you should get some rest. We all have a big day ahead of us tomorrow," she said kindly.
Aki crossed her arms sourly, "…Not all of us…"
"Aki… you have an important job, too…" she tried to convince the younger girl, but Aki would have none of it. Even dropping the honorifics did nothing to lighten the mood. Sensing a good moment during a pause, Shiro-sama added, "If you behave… I'll let you have a present…"
One eyebrow lifted. "I'm listening…"
The would-be Empress chuckled, "Some of our scouts found a strange black metal in the wilderness last week. I know of your curiosity with new things, so I had them bring it in… for you to play with."
Aki was most certainly curious, but she stubbornly refused to give her old friend the satisfaction of being right. "It might serve to pass the time while you and Ginryu-san go out and have all the fun. Good Evening to you, Your Eminence," she emphasized each word with a snarl.
Her feet were too small to make the stomping very effective as Aki made her way to her tent. She clearly heard Shiro-sama sighing behind her.
Why wouldn't they just give her a chance? She knew she could do it…
No… Ruby Rose could do it. But she was just Aki-san.
Wasn't she?
So distracted by these thoughts was Aki that she stubbed her toe on an ornate box sitting in the center of her tent. It was large enough that she could have crawled inside it, but that was about it. Not to mention that it had been carved and gilded to within an inch of its life.
Without opening it, Aki knew it must be the 'present' Shiro mentioned. Yet despite the woman's description of it, Aki found her curiosity already dying off. Instead she changed out of her robes and slipped into her futon.
Of course, sleep came slowly. Even fingering her charm did nothing to help her relax. The thing had been with her ever since the day Ginryu-san gave it to her, and Aki never slept without it.
But… she was having trouble remembering why. It had something to do with pain… a headache? …but she couldn't be sure anymore.
Had her memory always been this bad? Was that why she forgot how to speak in the first place?
The memory of Ruby Rose faded just a little bit more as she fell asleep once again. Tomorrow would be a noisy day, but she wasn't looking forward to it.
…
… … …
… … … … …
The next morning, Ginryu-san's forces attacked the gates. In contrast to what was expected, however, they didn't have to smash them down and run a gauntlet of traps – instead, something opened them from the inside and came out to meet the advancing soldiers.
Something large, black, and dangerous-looking. Something that charged out in waves upon waves of numbers.
Something… really familiar to Aki.
Even from her high vantage point on the hill, Aki could easily tell that the presence of these new demons had a very negative effect on morale. The troops that didn't run at first sight found themselves at a severe disadvantage. Those that did wound up sacrificing hard-won ground, which the monsters took without any issue. It was rapidly turning into a rout.
And it had barely been 10 minutes. The Creatures of Grimm worked fast.
Creatures of… Grimm? Why did she know that name? What was a Grimm?
Ignoring the distant screaming, Aki turned to go back into her tent. Her head was starting to hurt again, and she wanted something to ease it. Her mind warred with itself as she fumbled through her things, looking for her oils. Or her powders. Whatever she could find.
Powders… Dust… High-Impact Sniper Rifle…
Wait, what? What was a 'sniper rifle?'
Ginryu-san… Yang Xiao Long… Shiro-sama… Weiss Schnee… Kuro… Blake Belladonna…
Who were these people in her head?!
Who was SHE?! Aki or Ruby Rose?
Crescent Rose… Taiyang Xiao Long… Qrow Branwen… Names and faces she knew… from another life… as Ruby Rose… and one more…
…Summer Rose.
A sudden jolt of pain caused Aki to stumble backwards, hitting her heel on the box and knocking the lid off. She looked in and saw… something black.
A new word floated to the forefront of her mind. A word from her memories. A word that should have meant nothing to her, yet… the substance before her looked too familiar to be dismissed.
"…Omega…?" she whispered.
The blackness within the box rippled at her word, almost as though it …heard her. Was it alive?
Aki watched as her right hand lifted on it's own, coming up to face level. The fingers took a familiar shape, and… she snapped her fingers. Hard.
The blackness came alive, flowing like living water up and into the air in numerous thin tendrils. Aki wanted to scream, but her mind was once again rebelling against itself. The substance flowed into her open hand, and all she could think of was how beautiful it was.
Before she knew what was happening, it was all over. The black metal, the living substance, had formed the shape of a weapon in her hand. A weapon she knew well.
Crescent Rose. The weapon of Ruby Rose.
HER weapon.
_/_/_/_/_/
"So what you're telling me…" Ruby started warily, "…is that this thing somehow bonded to me?"
Carmine nodded somberly. "That's how it looks. No matter what I try, I can't get into his programming and reset anything. I can't get him to come back to me, his creator! So sad… but Omega Rose now answers to you alone."
"It's not… like… gonna cover me and corrupt my mind or anything, right? I don't think Yang would like it if she came in the room one day and heard me say 'We are Venom!'… or anything like that."
"Oh don't worry, …I disabled that feature last year," the Mad Scientist chuckled.
Ruby sweat-dropped at her tone.
"I'm kidding! Goodness…"
"Oh, by the way… why do you refer to it as a 'he' …?"
Carmine's face took on that chesire grin as she replied, "…I'll tell you when you're older, kiddo. :3"
_/_/_/_/_/
Omega Rose. Product of Carmine the Mad Scientist.
Bonded to Ruby Rose. To her.
Even with a different face, Omega knew exactly who his master was. He knew her better than she knew herself, it seemed.
Aki simply stared at the black weapon before her, letting the thoughts and memories collide in her mind. She also wondered if her head would explode before or after she let out a bloodcurdling scream.
A single tendril of black snaked out of Omega's form, reaching under Aki's robes and taking hold of her charm. Aki was angry at first, but that anger vanished as she noticed the charm glowing like an open flame.
Omega yanked… and the charm came free. The glow instantly went out.
All of a sudden, Aki felt like two completely different people occupying the same space. She felt very …disconnected from reality.
A voice, ancient and immense, returned to her memory like a flood.
_/_/_/_/_/
THE SHADOW SEEKS A PLACE IN THE LIGHT
_/_/_/_/_/
There must have been more to the message, but the voice quickly grew quiet. That she remembered even that part was a miracle – the message had come to her before she even arrived in this world. Before waking up as Aki… but after being pulled from her own world of Remnant. From her family. From the truth.
Aki closed her eyes… and Ruby Rose opened them.
There was no more confusion. No more pain, no more foggy memories.
There was only Grimm to kill.
And she had Omega with her.
Focusing her aura for the first time in forever, Ruby Rose drew deep on the power within her… and found the light once again.
…
… … …
… … … … …
If you asked 20 different people what happened at the final battle of the war, you would get 20 different answers. Most of them agreed on the general flow of events, though.
Kojima Ginryu, commander of the Loyalist forces, had been on the field personally (which she always preferred). The black monsters were a surprise, but not impossible to kill. She would have been overwhelmed by numbers, if not for the timely arrival of Aki-sama – though she was like a completely different person. She wielded a massive scythe weapon with the speed of the God of Lighting himself, cutting down scores of the beasts in little to no time at all. Maybe it was a trick of the morning light, but her eyes almost looked to be glowing…
Yukimura Shiro was not on the field, but she was close to it. The plan was to cut a path for her to charge into the city and attempt to take the throne by force. She was no warrior, but she could hold her own with a shorter sword. The beast that attacked her, however, didn't care about that. But then it lost it's head in the blink of an eye… and there was Aki-san, moving with the speed and grace of a kamaitachi. She was a whirlwind of death. Shiro found herself enraptured.
Kuro saw almost nothing. All she knew was that her master was not acting like herself, but then the girl simply… vanished. The fighting outside suddenly escalated as the black monsters were harvested like ripe wheat. Did that strange black substance have something to do with it? She would have to investigate. She would protect her master, no matter what.
The black monsters had nearly wiped out the Loyalists.
Aki-sama had single-handedly wiped them out in return.
…
The throne room sat before them, vast and empty. At the far end stood the throne itself, a regal-looking chair that gave it's occupant the best view in the room. As Ginryu, Shiro and Ruby made their way down the center of the space, two figures could be seen next to it.
The first person of note stood tall, taller than even Ginryu, and wore a full suit of plate armor that covered everything. No details of who was within the armor could be seen, but the person was most certainly tall. The armor itself was painted a lovely shade of red with black trim. The imposing figure stood to one side of the chair, arms crossed.
The second person sat on the throne, and even from a distance Ruby could recognize the hair and face of Cinder Fall. No doubt that was the one called Kasai-dono. She was slightly slumped in the seat, but otherwise identical to the Cinder that Ruby remembered.
Neither person made any move to welcome the trio. No other person was present.
Once they were close enough, Ruby gasped as she realized a startling fact – Kasai-dono would not be getting up on her own ever again.
A dagger handle was sticking out of the center of her chest. She was dead.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Shiro barked, drawing her weapon.
The armored stranger lifted one hand, the spoke a single word that echoed within the helmet, "Freeze."
The word was spoken in English. Not Nihongo.
Ruby's eyes went wide as she stared at the armored stranger, unable to believe her ears.
"Don't worry," the voice came again, "I only wish to talk without interruption. You have done well to smash your way to victory this day. I was sure my Grimm would finish the job, but I didn't count on a Silver-eyed warrior showing up…"
"What…" Ruby replied in English automatically, "Who are you…?"
A light moaning came from either side of her, and Ruby turned to find both Ginryu and Shiro frozen in place. Not with actual ice, but they appeared to be paralyzed. Both looked to be breathing and their eyes could still move, but nothing else.
"Have no fear… they are unharmed. And they cannot understand us now."
The stranger finally removed the helmet… and Ruby was suddenly looking at a fully-grown version of herself. The only true difference was the eyepatch covering the woman's right eye – beyond that, the woman was the spitting image of Ruby Rose.
"You may call me General Vermillion, if you wish," the woman said, now unmuffled by the helmet. Her voice was deep, but still feminine enough to tell she was a woman. The face bore quite a few hard lines that gave it a masculine quality.
"Why are you doing this? You're not from this world at all, are you?" Ruby demanded.
"Ooh… a smart one at last. This 'Kasai' woman was too gullible for her own good. Spicy little thing, though…" the General licked her lips as she mused, "Good between the sheets…"
"Stay on topic! Tell me why you're here!"
"Heh, you'll learn soon enough, kid…" The woman calling herself Vermillion looked over at the still form of Kasai-dono with a look that was almost regret. "In truth, I was never much invested in this world. Believe it or not, my goal was simply to get a working government running again. Kasai here was the best candidate for that…"
"You expect me to believe that you treated this war as a personal game?!"
"Believe whatever you like. Just know that 'order' is always my end goal. Now that you've brought her here…" that lone silver eye glanced at Shiro, "Maybe you can succeed where Kasai failed."
"Wait…" Ruby rubbed her head wearily, "You're just gonna walk away?"
"I've got much bigger fish to fry, you know. Lots of worlds out there on the brink of chaos. Lots of worlds ready to destroy themselves if left alone. Who better to get them out of that than yours truly?"
Ruby had no more words to say. Her jaw was left gaping.
Suddenly there was a beeping noise somewhere in the room, and the General glanced down at her arm. She clicked her teeth and muttered, "Perfect timing, as usual… Well Miss Silver-Eyes, I'm off. Do take care of your new Empress for a while, would you? I'd hate to have to come back and fix another corrupt government… Oh, before I forget, I left a few scrolls in my quarters that should come in handy for later."
And then, in a strange moment, the woman's eyepatch opened like the cover of a pocket watch. A second silver eye stared at them for a moment as she said, "Once I leave, you two will forget about me. And you will not follow." That last part was aimed at Ruby.
The woman turned and casually walked out of the room. Ruby couldn't have followed if she wanted to. Her feet felt like they were welded to the floor.
The shift back to Nihongo was rapid once the freezing wore off. Both Ginryu and Shiro were perplexed at the state of the room, and neither one of them had any memory of a second woman in plate armor.
With any luck, Ruby would never see that woman again. There was something dangerous about her.
Using Omega's shaft as support, Ruby sunk to the floor and gave a deep sigh of relief. The war was over.
And yet… what else was she in for? When would it actually end?
…
[ Concluded in Next Chapter ]
… … … … …
… … …
…
Author's Note: Sorry… I just can't bear to stuff everything that's left into one chapter. Part 3 will be the last one here, I promise! :) And then the story (finally) continues…
On another note, the General Ruby finally has a name. And for those of you who are wondering (and I know some of you are), she was loosely inspired by the main character from Code Geass (whose name I cannot spell).
Later!
=^w^=