Ibuki: Disclaimer! The author does not own any of the material appearing in the story. The OC's belong to their respective owners!
BGM: Hades' Infernal Theme (Kid Icarus: Uprising)
"Time! Space! Reality! It's more than just a boring ol' linear path! It's a prism of boundless entertainment! A single choice can branch out into infinite realities and infinite amusement from yours truly! Alternate universes created from the ones that we know and love! I am Lord Hades, your handsome guide to these wonderful and boundless fun of opportunities! Follow me, if you dare… and bask in the neverending torturous question of:"
SUPER RWBY: WHAT IF?
"What If!"
End BGM
"Now that one was pretty fun. Who knew the SA-X had a bit of a soft spot? Heh, and then it turned into Sahlia and helped Blake out with a bunch of her problems. Who knew saving Seryu a bit earlier would be enough to make Dimentio meet his end? He truly is the entire circus!"
He chuckled and then looked through the universes. "Let's see here, what should we do-" A phone went off. "Hmm? Oh excuse me a sec!"
He answered the phone. "Hello? Oh hey Nanny Boy, what's up? …Uh-huh. Oh really? Ooooh, I'll see what I can find. This will more than likely make her special day… even more special! Heheh, alright, see you then!"
He hung up. "Sorry about that folks. I just received word that it's someone's special day today! And I think I know just the right universe to make it special for her."
He looked through the universes. "Eenie meenie miney… this one!" He said, looking into it and grinning.
He looked at the screen. "We all know that the Novoselic Princess made her way into the Fog and came back out unscathed, and then helped out a bratty Koopa Kid on his quest to defeat the Blorbs to make his father proud… but let's say that someone else went into the Fog instead. Someone… with a knack for music. Someone… whose name rhymes with Tilbuki Slyoda!"
What If… Ibuki Went Into the Fog Instead of Sonia?
"Happy birthday, metal head!"
At Jabberwock Island, stars shined brightly in the night sky with the moon highlighting the island. Over on the third island in particular was the music venue, the Titty Typhoon. However, things look different from how it normally looked. Black sludge-like splotches were covering the ground around the building as neon lights flickered in a dilapidated state on both the inside and outside, where the inside possessing an expanded backstage area. The bar area having stools that were either turned over or broken entirely. However, the one thing that remained in tip top shape was the stage, remaining in pristine condition with no sludge covering it. Stage lights flickered overhead.
"In a time where talent was seen as the fast track to success, one woman's quest for carnal pleasure carved a path of destruction across their world. Two students from Hope's Peak Academy in the same class had different paths during this reign of terror, originally for the enrichment of humanity with their exceptional talents. An Ultimate Gamer who sought to protect her classmates and press on with hope in her heart, even in the face of death. And an Ultimate Musician who fell to despair's clutches and was part of a bloody rampage as a member of Ultimate Despair."
"A chart topping musician in her home country and skilled songwriter, The Remnant is a killer who puts her musical mastery to lethal application in the trials. Her power, Tuned to Destruction, takes advantage of her enhanced hearing and heavy metal focus. When her Power Gauge is full, The Remnant can listen for survivors, exposing their Auras for a short time if they are not crouched still or hiding in a locker. Skilled hunters can find even hiding survivors if they know where to look."
In the storage room, which had a wall partially busted down leading into a side area connecting to the backstage, an Exit Gate shaped like Monokuma's head could be seen in the distance. Inside the storage room had a partially repaired generator, a few lockers, and Ibuki casually walking inside, wearing the same black and red that she wore as Ultimate Despair, complete with additional piercings and a spiked collar around her neck. She had her guitar strapped to her back as she looked around the room.
"Hoh?" Ibuki raised an eyebrow. "This genny has made more progress than she remembers…" Closing her eyes and putting her hands to her temples, she started to listen closely for any sort of survivors nearby, but nothing was showing up. This could really only mean one thing as her eyes fell on the closest locker to said generator.
"Wah!" Sure enough, when she went to check it, there was Dwight hiding in the locker!
"Hi hi hi!" Ibuki waved, reaching inside and grabbing him around the waist, hoisting him over her shoulder.
"The Remnant is also capable of generating a short ranged soundwave with her guitar. When fully charged, it will damage any survivors caught within the blast, or shred any breakable walls or dropped pallets in front of her."
Backstage, Ibuki was chasing another survivor, the quiet artist Jeff, around a pallet and loop made from speakers, drums, and other stage props as if they had been all thrown into a pile haphazardly. Ibuki strummed her guitar rapidly, and by the time Jeff dropped the pallet, Ibuki strummed once more in a windmill fashion, letting loose a soundwave blast that shredded the pallet into splinters. It was enough to horrify Jeff as he kept running while Ibuki had a neverending dorky smile on her face.
"Sound isn't the only tool in The Remnant's kit, possessing three new perks focused on keeping up the chase, punishing the survivors' altruism, and causing confusion among the opposition."
"Attuned to the bright lights of the stage and performance halls, The Remnant's first perk is Stage Presence. Your connection to your listeners empowers your resolve, but you are keen on making sure they don't get too close. Whenever a Survivor blinds you with a flashlight or flash grenade, they suffer from the Hindered status effect and have their Aura revealed for a short time."
On the stage, Dwight shined a flashlight at Ibuki, blinding her for a moment. "Ack! Oh, big mistake~!" She said in a sing-songy voice as she picked up the pace and struck him with her guitar to knock him down. She put her foot on his back as she took the time to retune her guitar. Once she did, she picked him up and headed over to a hook.
"Crushing the hopes of others only came second nature to Ultimate Despair, and even if she's here to protect others close to her, The Remnant's second perk is Driven to Despair. A terrible tragedy broke your psyche and gave birth to you wanting to inflict pain and chaos to others. as others discovered. Anytime a Survivor heals or unhooks the Obsession, they become the new Obsession. The Obsession of the trial is inflicted with a penalty to generator repairs, hook sabotages, totem cleansing/blessing, and opening the exit gate."
At the bar, a certain Ultimate Gamer ran toward a different survivor hanging off of one of the hooks in the music venue, Kate. The hook itself was fashioned in the style of a tower of guitar amplifiers, with different adornations such as broken fret boards, guitar picks, frayed guitar strings, and black cherry decals. "This might sting a bit…" Chiaki said, releasing Kate from the hook. At the same time, she heard a noise that she knew all too well. The Obsession changed focus on her. Not that it mattered to her, she was more focused on patching up Kate.
"Welp…time to focus on being the healer I guess." Chiaki mused to herself.
"The Remnant's heavy metal catches those not used to it by surprise, with her third perk being Reverberation. Your talent and twisted mind echoes across the world and leaves survivors quaking in fear. After starting a chase with a Survivor, every other Survivor on the map hears an illusionary Terror Radius for a few seconds. You also hear the sounds of Totem interactions from 8 meters further away. Reverberation then goes on cooldown for a short amount of time."
At the storage room generator, Chiaki heard the fake Terror Radius. Her heart pounded as she stayed still, a bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. She shifted her eyes, hoping Ibuki was nowhere to be seen. Luckily for her, or unluckily for the poor sucker that was Jeff running away from Ibuki.
"Phew…" Chiaki breathed a sigh of relief as she got back to repairing the generator.
"A usually calm and quiet individual, Chiaki Nanami possesses both the title of Ultimate Gamer and a strong sense of protecting those close to her. This desire led to her demise at the hands of the mastermind of the Tragedy, and led her to being claimed by The Entity. The only one who knows what truly happened to her was her dearest friend, Izuru Kamakura, otherwise known as Hajime Hinata. His concerns fell on deaf ears, for Junko didn't care about if Chiaki's body had disappeared."
"Like her killer classmate, Chiaki possesses three new perks geared towards taking the chase from other survivors, and making it harder for the killer to catch her and allies."
"Believing her talent to be nothing more than a formality, she was proven wrong here in the Fog. Chiaki's first perk is Cheat Code. Your expertise in gaming surprisingly provides its benefits in the realm. You start the trial with three Tokens. Whenever put into the Injured state by any means, consume one Token. For the next thirty seconds, your Aura is hidden from the Killer, and the Killer's Aura is revealed to you for five seconds."
In a different trial at the same music venue, Chiaki was working on a generator in the front parking lot. The humming she was hearing was making her a bit paranoid but she willed herself to focus on the generator. She heard the sound of a woman yelling "Hah!" and then a hatchet struck her in the back. It came from the front doors… and the hatched belonged to the Huntress herself.
"Nnngh!" Chiaki winces, looking around to see the Huntress trying to line up another shot before the aura faded away. Not one to get sniped easily, she hurries to a nearby car, ducking to avoid another hatchet whizzing over her head.
"A mole in another life to protect the others, she possesses the same altruistic attitude here. Chiaki's second perk is Mole's Gambit. You gave your life to protect those you care about, and you'll do it again. When a Survivor is hit by the Killer within 32 meters of you, for the next several seconds, their Scratch Marks, pools of blood, and grunts of pain are hidden, and your Aura is revealed to the killer. This perk goes on cooldown every after the perk's duration."
In one of the trials, Ibuki, having taken center stage as the killer again, she hit Jeff as she was chasing him through the storage room. Nearby, she spotted a familiar aura that made her freeze in shock. It was enough for Jeff to make his escape.
"Chiaki-chan?" Ibuki gasped, hurrying off towards the aura.
Backstage, Chiaki would hear Ibuki approaching, knowing that it was her turn to take chase. "I'm right here! Better come get me!" She called, making noise as she ran off the nearly finished generator, getting into a chase with Ibuki.
"Chiaki-chan! What the heck are you doing here, girlfriend?"
"The Entity dragged me down the moment I died. I've been in this place for a while now. I'm actually surprised you didn't notice right away."
"Aheheh… Ibuki admits that she saw you, but she thought she was just seeing things. You're not an illusion."
"No, I'm not." Chiaki smiled. "As much as I want to give you a hug, I know you gotta do what you gotta do. I've escaped plenty of killers down here. Pinhead, Michael, Pyramid Head, Freddy… no matter how hard they tried, I managed to escape them every time. And I plan on doing the same to you, Ibuki."
Ibuki smiled, flashing a toothy grin. "Alright then, Chiaki-chan! Give her a hell of a show!"
"Oh, I plan on it." She smirked.
"Even in the face of death, Chiaki isn't one to give up easily. Chiaki's third perk is Please Insert Coin. Hey, that sounds familiar! Determination fills your soul on the cusp of escape, no matter how grim things look. Please Insert Coin activates when the Exit Gates are powered. Whenever you stun or blind the Killer, gain a small Haste status effect for a few seconds."
With all the generators done, Chiaki gave her fellow survivors plenty of time while Ibuki was chasing her. Unlike other killers where she had a frown, she actually had a smile on her face considering it was a close friend. It actually gave her motivation to keep going. In the midst of the chase that took them to the bar, Chiaki dropped a pallet on Ibuki.
"Gotta go!" Chiaki ran for it while Ibuki was recovering from the hit, but not before the former winking at her before running away.
"Whew, that's a rush…" Ibuki giggled, unstrapping her guitar for a moment and smashing the pallet to bits in one hit.
"Whenever there is despair, there is always the hope to overcome it. Both of these are exemplified in both killer and survivor from Hope's Peak Academy, destined to do battle in an era of endless fog, one where talents across many souls clash against others in a war of attrition for salvation and slaughter…in Dead by Daylight."
"So, here we are, Ibuki. Just the two of us." Chiaki said, getting in a stance. "You managed to sacrifice everyone else to the Entity in this trial, but i'm the only one standing."
Ibuki readied her guitar, ready to let loose a soundwave with a smile on her face. "You're having a lot of fun. 'Fraid this is game over for you, Chiaki-chan."
"I'll admit, I've had a lot of fun with you. If I'm sacrificed to the Entity, I won't hold it against you… because at least I know I've had fun with an old friend."
Ibuki forcibly held back her tears, raising her hand up in the air. "Love you, Chiaki-chan." Her voice cracked.
"Love you too, Ibuki." Chiaki smiled, a single tear was shed.
"ROCK AND ROOOOOLL!" Ibuki swung her hand down, unleashing a powerful soundwave that forced Chiaki to roll out of the way. Chiaki shifted her eyes, seeing that Ibuki blocked off every possible exit in the room. She was curious as to why she did such a thing.
Sudden death… I like these odds. She thought as she quickly made a beeline behind a wall, dodging a soundwave. She quickly made her way to the generator, but with Ibuki making it difficult for her, it wasn't going to be easy. Just the way she liked it.
If I shine my flashlight at her, she'll just shrug it off. Chiaki took a running start and slid behind a toolbox, where a soundwave barely grazed her, causing her ears to ring as she quickly crawled underneath the generator as Ibuki had given chase. She quickly worked on the generator and then moved away when Ibuki got close. Ibuki swung her guitar at the generator to destroy any progress Chiaki had made.
She definitely chose hard mode. Perfect! Chiaki opened up a tool box and threw a wrench, where it hit the ground as it hoped to distract Ibuki. However, she wasn't fooled as Chiaki got close to a corner near a wall… and an electric guitar smacked her in the face. "Gah!" She yelped as she fell flat on her back.
She shook her head. Lucky shot. She thought as she crawled away, pulling out one of her tokens to get her back into shape, but suddenly Ibuki tackled her and pried the tokens out of her hand and tossed them away. Crap!
"After all this time, Ibuki finally has you~!"
Chiaki tried to kick her off, but Ibuki pulled out some wiring and wrapped up Chiaki's legs and arms, then she picked her up and put her over her shoulder. "Game over, Chiaki-chan."
Chiaki sighed in defeat, but had a smile on her face. "I guess this is it… good game." She said, closing her eyes and accepting her fate… but Ibuki wasn't having it.
She instead walked toward the exit gate. "Hey Chiaki-chan… what was the Konami Code again?"
"Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start. …Why?"
"Shhh, don't worry about it~" Ibuki smiled. "This is just… a special way to get to a hook with your name on it."
Chiaki closed her eyes again, a smile reforming on her face. "Very well…" She said. "...Wait, you already know the Konami Code."
"Yeah, well, sometimes she gets a bit mixed up."
Chiaki giggled. "Fair enough."
Once Ibuki punched in a code, the exit gate opened up as a portal opened up in front of them. Ibuki could hear the sound of the Entity roaring, seeming to discourage this behavior. Ibuki simply looked at the sky and flipped the Entity off and walked into the portal.
On the other side of the portal…
"I'm sure papa will be fine! Now, let's get that stuff and make papa proud!"
"Sigh… there he goes again." Ludwig mumbled, unaware of a portal opening up behind him.
"Uh… guys?" Marnie spoke up, catching their attention as they stared at the portal as Ibuki walked out with Chiaki over her shoulder.
"...Birds chirping?" Chiaki wondered as she opened her eyes as Ibuki set her down and took the wiring off of her. Chiaki got up and stared at the open world before her. "The… Koopalings?" She asked as her eyes widened. "Ibuki…"
"Ibuki couldn't bring herself to sacrifice ya. Welcome home, Chiaki-chan~!"
Tears swelled in Chiaki's eyes. "Ibuki…" She immediately hugged Ibuki tightly, crying into her chest as Ibuki rubbed her back as the portal closed behind the two.
"Hey!" Roy walked up to them. "Who the hell are you?"
Ibuki grinned. "This right here is Chiaki Nanami-chan! And as for her…" She grinned, unstrapping her guitar and proceeded to strum it loudly. "Give her an I! Give her a B! Give her an U-K-I! I-B-U-K-I M-I-O-D-A! Ibuki Mioda! Woo!"
"Gah! You couldn't have played that any louder!" Roy complained, covering his non-existent ears.
Ibuki giggled. "So Chiaki-chan… wanna have some fun here?"
Chiaki smiled. "Oh, you bet! Game on!"
She felt something in her pocket, pulling out a Vic Viper Gradius Charm. She smiled at it, putting it around her neck as, together with Ibuki, the two of them went off with Junior's group.
"Well, that was fun narrating all of that fun stuff. Hope the metal head gets to enjoy it for her birthday! ...And before anyone tries to correct me here, this is What If, and fellow deities play by MY rules. That means you too, Girl Sprout! Until next time, Hades out!"
Ibuki: Okay, can she open her eyes now?
Aaaaaand... open 'em!
Ibuki: *opens her eyes, sees the whole chapter* Whoa!
Happy birthday, metal head! Flash came up with the idea last week or so and he wrote most of it while I did some fine tuning and added in that last part!
Ibuki: *hugs me tightly* Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!
Heh, you're welcome.
Ibuki: Oh Flash-chan~! Come here! Ibuki wants to give ya a hug too!