As the warp faded around the group, Ryuko glanced around at her surroundings. As far as a 'Familiar Forest' for Devils, it about met her expectations. Dark red skies, twisted trees with crimson leaves, and fell lights in shadows too deep for what cast them. She was a little put out that Mako and the others couldn't come with, but aside from the forest only being accessible via warp - which could only take those with the Gremory crest, which Ryuko's family lacked - the Familiar Master was apparently very strict about 'only one family per visit', and allied families didn't count even with shared members.
"So this is the Familiar Forest?" she asked, deciding to break the silence.
"Yes," Rias confirmed. "This is where Familiars are spawned and can be bound to Devils in service, if they agree."
"We all acquired our familiars here," Kiba confirmed calmly.
"It looks like...anything might come out here," Asia observed nervously, moving slightly towards Ryuko.
"I know!" Ryuko replied energetically. "Exciting!"
"That's the proper attitude!" an energetic, reedy voice declared from above.
Looking up, Ryuko spotted a somewhat old man dressed in a white muscle shirt, black shorts, hiking boots, a yellow backpack, and a backwards baseball cap. "You the Familiar Master?" she called out.
"Yes!" the man greeted excitedly. "I am the Familiar Master, Zatouji!" He then looked upward. "Ah...beautiful full moon tonight! The perfect night for familiar hunting!" He looked back down at the group with a wide grin. "With me at your side, you can get any familiar you want!"
"He is a professional in regards to familiars," Akeno reassured Ryuko, seeing how her expression had shifted.
"Oh, I don't doubt that," Ryuko muttered in amusement. "I'm just trying hard not to ask about his Pikachu from when he was 10." Akeno tilted her head in confusion, but Koneko concealed a smirk.
"Now what kind of pet do you wish for?" Zatouji called out as he continued to gesticulate from atop the tree. "A strong one? A fast one? Perhaps a poisonous one?"
Ryuko decided to step up, since Asia was having trouble adapting to the intense energy. "Asia here," she said, jerking a thumb towards her, "needs something small and cute enough she can cuddle, but magically powerful enough to act as both a protector and magic amplifier. She's support, so she needs a watchdog type."
"Hmm! Hmm!" Zatouji responded approvingly as he nodded his head. "While I don't have much to say about cute, I see you know what you're doing in type matching, and the appearance of weakness is not always the truth and sometimes useful! So what type of familiar do you want, smart lady?"
"One strong enough and tough enough to not run in fear at the sight of me cutting loose," Ryuko responded with a smirk as she loosened her stance.
Zatouji snorted derisively. "You doubt the toughness of Familiars! They are braver than you give them credit-"
Ryuko relaxed the tension in her spirit, letting her Fibers waver through the air around her. The forest around them went dead silent as most of the critters ran from the sudden demonic pressure.
Zatouji blinked several times. "Right...looks like you need one at least level 50 then, preferably Brave or Adamant..." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. As he thought, a flash of lightning seemed to solidify onto his shoulder in a somewhat rodent-like form. He idly pet it as he thought. "Got it! Pretty sure only the stronger Elementals can handle you. We'll see if they'll come out!"
Ryuko hid her chuckles. "Lead the way."
Ryuko stared down into the lake Zatouji had brought them to. He'd claimed there were Undine within the lake, but none had shown themselves in the time they'd been there. There'd been a brief moment of movement...but the moment Ryuko relaxed even a little, the movement had fled.
"Hmm..." she mused thoughtfully. "Guess they're a little gun shy..."
"They aren't normally," Zatouji mused thoughtfully. "Then again, most of them are Bold or Rash..."
A rustling in the leaves caught attention. "Hmm?" Ryuko spun towards it.
"Ohoh!" Zatouji declared excitedly, though somehow quietly. "It looks like a Dryad has been drawn! Incredibly rare!"
The trees shifted...and a breathtaking beauty stepped out. Her skin shifted in the light between green and brown, and wood-like mottling along her thin limbs showed the strength of a mighty oak within. Her hair was the orange and gold of autumn leaves, her body full and curved with autumn ripeness, and her eyes a brilliant green with flecks of gold. She gazed hesitantly towards Ryuko.
"Now that's a rare sight..." Zatouji whispered. "A familiar like that-"
"Sorry, no can do," Ryuko allowed. "Mako would get way too jealous if I came home with a girl like that."
"Mako?" Zatouji asked curiously.
"My girlfriend."
The dryad frowned, shrugged her shoulders, bowed respectfully, and departed.
"Yeah, probably a good choice," Zatouji observed. "Shortly after bonding, Dryads get very territorial about their masters, as well as rather aggressive with their affection. Better match for someone single with a lot of stamina, not so good for someone in a committed relationship."
"Time for the next stop then, I suppose," Ryuko allowed ruefully.
For quite some time, no other familiars made an appearance, despite a thorough search. "Looks like word's spread about you," Zatouji murmured thoughtfully. "Familiars are probably worried-"
At that moment, a tiny blue and white dragon fluttered down and landed on Ryuko's shoulder. "Ku-pei?" it said inquiringly, tilting its head to look into her eyes.
"Oho!" Zatouji called in excitement. "A Sprite Dragon! A baby dragon that uses lightning. A very rare Familiar. About the only creature rarer to find available in the forest is a Phoenix, which will not bond to a Devil at all! This is one of the rarest and strongest familiars you can find!"
"And a good match for the Sekiryutei," Rias observed thoughtfully.
Not really, Ddraig told Ryuko in her mind. Right now, between your sex and my aura, he's mistaken you for his mother. If you bonded with him, you'd have a year before he got territorial and started actively fighting you.
Thinks I'm his Mom, huh? Ryuko thought quietly. She gently picked the little dragon up. "Small, cute, incredibly strong...perfect!" She plopped him into Asia's arms. "Look after Asia for me, okay little guy?"
The dragon looked up at Asia and let off a happy sound before nuzzling into her. Asia, for her part, smiled happily and held him close. He suddenly pulled back, turned, and sent a blast of lightning upward from its mouth, incinerating a falling slime creature.
"What was that?" Ryuko demanded angrily, drawing her scissor blades out of her magic.
"A pest," Zatouji spat angrily. "A slime that eats clothing-" He jerked back as a blast of raw, rage fueled magic erupted from Ryuko and incinerated several other such slimes that were hidden in the trees...along with the trees. "Err...I know I said it was a pest..."
"I'm half clothing!" Ryuko snapped out angrily.
"...eh?" Zatouji turned to Rias for an explanation.
Rias shook her head. "It would take far too long to explain." She turned to Asia. "Have you thought of a name for your familiar?"
Asia paused thoughtfully. "Umm...if Ryuko doesn't mind...I was thinking...Ketsu?"
Ryuko smiled ruefully. "It's...alright, Asia," she said softly. "A good way to remember-"
"Watch out!" Zatouji suddenly called out, yanking out what looked like an exorcist's staff. "Tsukugami!"
"Eh?" Ryuko asked in surprise as everyone save herself and Asia drew weapons or magic and got into a defensive stance. At the edge of the clearing they were in, a strange black cloud clung to the side of a tree. "What's a...Tsukugami?"
"It's a relative of the Osakubori!" Akeno responded immediately, lightning dancing between her hands. "It's a Yokai spirit that sometimes infests the Familiar Forest. It seeks a worn physical object to possess so it can control and consume the wearer!"
"Keep your distance!" Zatouji barked out. "It's strong against most magic, and very hostile!"
"So a non-magic counter's needed, then?" Ryuko asked, pushing past everyone and striding forward, flexing her wrists to loosen up her arms, cutting the air with her scissor blades. "Let me handle it."
"Ryuko, are you sure-" Rias began.
"I can handle something that lives in clothing and tries to control and eat people?" Ryuko called back, letting her Fibers flex anew.
As she did, the dark cloud seemed to lock onto her...and dove into her uniform.
"What the-?" Ryuko gasped out as her uniform began to writhe on her body. "What do you think you're doing?" Her fingers curled into claws as she began to get aggressive.
"Ryuko-san!" Asia called out in fear as Ketsu glowered and tensed.
Just as Rias was drawing in her power, Ryuko's uniform settled...and one of the x-ed out eye patterns opened, shaping a red and gold eye just over Ryuko's left breast. A powerful voice - unknown to the others, but far too familiar to Ryuko - spoke, echoing through the clearing. "And here I thought you outgrew your sailor uniform...Ryuko."
Ryuko's eyes widened as she gasped in shock. There was only one thing it could be, confirmed as she felt genuine life in her uniform's banshi. Dropping her scissor blades into her magic, she wrapped her arms around herself as she hugged her uniform, tears falling freely from her eyes. "Senketsu!"
A/N: For those who complained about me making Ryuko into a Devil...this is why.