Kobeni chapter. Alright, I'm gonna warn you guys right now: this chapter gets pretty mean. Like Kobeni's entire role in Chainsaw Man is to suffer and this chapter is no different. It's a pretty big departure from the romantic comedy feel of the previous chapters so just take that into account.

Also, I put up the romance poll on my fanfiction profile up again. Go vote if you want someone specific to end up with Dennis.

Kobeni Higashiyama really hated her life.

One might've thought that was an exagerration, but she really did. Ever since she turned sixteen her parents put her to work to make sure that her older brother wanted for nothing in life. He was the smart one, he was the one mom and dad put all their hopes in while she and the rest of her sisters were just...there. The rest of her sisters were lucky in that regard; at least they had the benefit of being ignored.

That was why when she ended up getting transported to this place she never really thought about it much. Sure, she missed the rest of her family, but devil hunting was a dangerous business and she'd already cut off contact when Miss. Makima went after her as a loose end. Being transported to another world just took the choice off her hands, or so she told herself.

This place was weird. No devils, but they had monsters called Grimm that were also drawn by negative feelings. Their moon was shattered, but apart from looking different it didn't really seem to do much of anything for the tides. Oh, and there were people with animal features called Faunus.

...That she was now also one of.

It was another weird thing on top of the whole 'taken to another world' thing. She woke up with what were apparently coyote ears on top of her head. It made her hear better, but apart from that they didn't really help. She still remembered people giving her dirty looks and a shop she tried to go to for help calling her an animal and kicking her out, though it probably didn't help that yen didn't work in this place.

She would've died on the street if not for Tukson. He was another Faunus, a puma one, and he'd taken pity on her. She owed him so, so much. He gave her a job, a roof over her head, and didn't pry into her past. He said he knew what it was like to have a history you didn't want to remember. Kobeni kept quiet, mostly out of fear that she'd sound crazy if she talked about other worlds and how she wasn't a Faunus up until a few days ago.

He'd also done something to 'awaken' something he called Aura. Apparently it was something all living things had in this world and that apparently included her now. It helped her injuries heal faster and made sure she wasn't crippled for life.

Things went great after that. Tukson was a good boss and a good person. He didn't treat her badly, he paid her well, and even treated her to food sometimes after her shift! She felt like she was spending time with Galgali. She still missed him. Even now she still missed some of her coworkers. Himeno, Galgali, Aki, sometimes even Denji despite all the problems he'd caused her.

It all ended on a day like any other. Kobeni had done some shopping for them both and was unpacking them in the back room when she heard scuffles outside. She'd peeked her head out to check just in time to see Tukson jump the counter towards a pale, silver haired man and a dark skinned, green haired woman when...

No, even thinking about was too much.

She screamed and cryied in both fear and grief, which drew the attention of the two murderers. At that moment she thought that it was the end, that she'd survived devils, Miss. Makima, being taken to another world, and being made some kind of animal hybrid only to be murdered at a bookstore.

"Should we kill her?" The silver haired man asked his partner.

"Might as well. She said not to leave witnesses." The woman shrugged.

"P-Please...!" Kobeni tried to beg, but she could barely even breath.

"I guess we should...wait." He stopped and looked her up and down, "I think we should take her with us."

"What? Why?" The green haired woman scowled.

"Cause Cinder's been whining about how there's no one to do the bitch work. You know, mopping up the place, doing the laundry, cleaning up the dead bodies." He gestured to Tukson's still bleeding corpse. Kobeni squeaked, "And I know you'd do it cause you have a stupid crush on her, but I ain't gonna wait around just cause you want her to let you lick her feet. Got better things to do with my time."

"First of all: fuck you." He just laughed, "Second...you've got a point." She sighed, "Hey, girl, if you wanna survive take this guy's buddy and dump it out in the trash. If you don't just...sit there and pee yourself, I guess."

She did the first thing. It was pathetic and she hated herself for it, but she couldn't just wait to die.

The two of them congratulated her mockingly on a 'job well done' and took her with them. They said they'd kill her on the spot if she tried to scream for help, so she didn't. They ended up taking her to an apartment on the other side of town they called their safehouse and told her they'd make her die slowly if she tried to run, so again, she didn't and just cried herself to sleep that night.

Cinder Fall craved power, whether it was physical or metaphorical. Years under the Madame and her monstrous daughters had taught her to never ever be weak again. The world was a cruel place and the only way to survive and thrive in it was to stomp everyone else under your heel.

It was why she'd let the sniveling woman - this Kobeni - last so long. She was barely competent and cried constantly, but she was also appropriately contrite and Cinder relished in the fear she showed with every single gesture she did. She'd shiver when Cinder raised a brow and freeze when she tapped her feet to imply she was even remotely displeased. Cinder had to admit there was a degree of amusement in seeing the younger woman lock up in absolute dread every time.

But even then amusement would eventually give way to boredom and she would've disposed of the woman, if only to test out her nascent Maiden abilities, when they found out about her Semblance. The woman was a bad luck magnet, and she meant that a bit more literally than normal. Provided one stayed within twenty feet of her, any single thing that could go wrong would subvert itself to target her instead. Mercury's slipped on a banana peel? She'd trip. Emerald stubbed here toe in the middle of the night? Kobeni would suddenly howl in pain on her little corner box.

It gave her a few more weeks, at least. Taking her along everywhere was impractical - the woman was more a bundle of nerves on legs than a person - but it gave them an edge when needed; especially when Cinder had loaned her out to Roman and the thief had actually managed to get away from that nuisance of a team that was trying to track him down for one reason or another.

And she had to admit, it was also funny watching the girl's reaction,

"Oh my, it seems like I'm going to be fall under this bucket of ice cold water. Whatever shall I do," Cinder said with a slight smirk as she looked up at the preciously placed bucket over the door. Kobeni shivered but said nothing, "Oh well, I guess there's nothing for it but grit my teeth and bear it."

Cinder slowly pushed the door open and laughed under her breath when the bucket somehow switched angles and fell over the woman, slathering her head to toe in the freezing cold liquid. Kobeni cried, and for a second it looked as if she'd protest her treatment before, of course, she bit her tongue and kept silent. A peon who knew her place. Better than Mercury in that regard.

Alas, all good things came to an end and eventually Cinder decided that her plaything had reached the end of her usefulness. She would have to infilitrate Beacon in order to take the powers of the Fall Maiden and she couldn't very well drag around a sniveling pet; especially to a place full of do-gooders who'd jump at the chance to save a damsel in distress. So, she decided to have the woman killed.

It was at a cloudy night when Emerald drove them to the docks with Cinder, Mercury and their pet in the backseat. She'd asked what was going on with obvious fear, perhaps realizing what was about to happen, but none of them said a word. Her shivering only got worse as they left the crowded streets and buildings to a barren corner devoid of life. It was perfect.

"Out." Mercury shoved the whimpering woman out of the car and perp walked her to a a wider area. It was a wide-open space with them on one side and crates on the other, It wouldn't be fun if she just killed her right off the bat, would it? No, she'd give her a chance to run around like the mouse she was. Shame she wasn't a mouse Faunus; that would've been the cherry on top.

"You know what's going to happen now, right?" Cinder drawled, her voice sickly sweet.

"N-N-No!" Oh, she would miss her cries. A shame, "B-But I did everything you asked! I-"

"Sometimes pets have to be put down," Cinder said, dripping with false sympathy. Mercury laughed next to her, "I do hope that you know how to run. Don't disappoint me now."

Cinder snapped her fingers and a plume of fire shot up from under her pet's foot. Cinder smirked and kept snapping her fingers, shooting out more and more fire that she deliberately avoided hitting her with. This was the last time so why not have her fun when she could? Mercury got it all on recording while Emerald, the naive girl, looked somewhat uncomfortable watching their pet dance.

Five minutes passed before Cinder eventually grew bored. Her pet stood near one of the crates, face dripping with snot, sweat and tears as she blubbered and begged for her life. Soon the whole of Remnant would be just like her.

With one last gesture, Cinder conjured a fireball and aimed it straight at her pet's entire body. Even if it didn't take out all of her Aura, it would leave her even more helpless than she already was.

"AHHHH!"

Eyes widening, Cinder looked to her left and found screaming in agony on the ground. His mechanicals legs had been blown clean off, leaving him to struggle helplessly as his body was consumed by the flames. How? His Aura should've been full, there was no way he could fall in one hit.

"What in the-"

Their pet took the chance to try and slip past them. Cinder moved on instinct and snapped her fingers again, aiming a blast of fire straight at the woman's face, "AHHHH!" Emerald shrieked and stumbled back as her face sizzled and charred black, "Cinder, make it stop!" She clawed at her eyes, though Cinder could tell they were already damaged beyond repair.

Her blubbering victim finally ran past her and Cinder growled in frustration. It was her doing, it had to be. Cinder gave chase, ignoring the screams and cries of her peons, and caught up to the woman before she could get back to the car.

"You're going nowhere!" She growled. If she'd cost her Emerald and Mercury, then she was at least going to make her pay for it.

The sniveling animal curled into a fetal position as Cinder prepared for a full blast at point blank range. Her Aura could take it, she was sure.

Cinder's next moments were utter agony. Instead of the pathetic weakling being burnt to ash, the power of the Fall Maiden fed back against her. Her entire left arm exploded and was destroyed in a burst of blood and gore, leaving her with just a cauterized stump. The rest of her fared no better with half of her face and most of her body burned into blackened char.

And, as if fate was mocking her, she felt the power she'd worked so hard to obtain slowly slip from her grasp even as she lay there alive and in agony, her wounds kept from bleeding by the flames of her last attack.

Elsewhere, one Amber Brown woke up underneath Beacon and looked around in utter confusion.

Kobeni waited for a few seconds before she mustered up the nerve to open her eyes again. Instead of being turned into a pile of charred meat, she was still alive and her tormentor was left gasping and croaking weakly on the ground, reaching out to her with her remaining arm. A part of her wanted to stay and kick the bitch while she was down, but survival won out over vindication and she stumbled her way to the car, leaving her three former slavers to their fate.

What none of them knew, not even Kobeni herself, was that her Semblance had saved her. Despite acting as a bad luck magnet, it also assured her that she would stay alive. After all, death would be both a mercy and an end to her suffering if it ever came to pass.

Kobeni drove back into town and broke down laughing and crying at the same time. Oh God, she'd been tormented by those monters for weeks, but she survived! She survived! She slammed the steering wheel and continued to drive all the way back to the place that had served as her home and prison. All she'd have to do was get the things and money there and she can leave this forsaken city! She'd try her luck out there with the Grimm!

She'd gathered up as much money and stuff she could and was about to leave when the door suddenly slammed shut, "Wh-Wha-" She was pushed back by a shorter woman that suddenly appeared in front of her. Her hair and eyes were colored pink and brown and she looked up at Kobeni with a smirk that didn't spell good things for her future.

"P-Please let me go..."

She typed something on her scroll, "So Cinder and the rest of her flunkies are screwed. Guess that means you're mine now. :D"

Kobeni's legs shook and she almost dropped her gathered items, "N-No, please..." She hook her head, tears in her eyes as the shorter woman continued to look up at her, "Please just let me go! I've gone through enough!"

The woman only typed one thing as she held up a leather collar.

":)"

Omake: Yoru continues to suffer

Yang took a deep breath and walked into team RWBY's dorm. She had to talk to Ruby about what happened between her and Denji. It didn't matter how much they treated it was as something casual, vivisecting people wasn't fucking normal! She was sure that was Denji's bad influence somehow. Her innocent and sweet little sister wouldn't have come up with something like that on her own.

"Hey, Ruby," she said as soon as she was inside. It was only her there fixing up a pile of weirdly designed weapons, "We need to talk about-"

Her little sister's head snapped up and Yang blinked at the circles inside her silver eyes, "You! You need to help me!" Ruby stumbled towards her and grabbed her arms in a vice grip so tight she felt it even through her Aura, "Please, get me out! My name is Yoru and I'm trapped in this monster's head! Get me out, get me out, get me-"

And then she suddenly stopped. Her head snapped back like she was punched and before Yang could check on her, Ruby stepped back and looked up at her with the same innocent smile as always, the circles in her eyes gone.

"...What the fuck was that?"

"What was what?"

"That! You going all 'you need to help me' like some kinda wacko!"

"Oh, that was just...someone being a bad girl even after she got grounded for a day. I think she deserves a week in the dark place." It could've been Yang's imagination, but she could've sworn that she heard screams of utter despair behind that smile.

"Right...you know what, I'm gonna go out for a run." She'd talk to her about Denji later. It was too freaky right now.

"Alright, I'll see you later!" Ruby waved happily, blissfully ignoring the devil's pleas for mercy as she was once more sentenced to the void.

Poor...poor Kobeni. Also poor Yoru, but again she pretty much deserves it while Kobeni does nothing and yet the universe rolls around to shit on her. At least she has titanium grade plot armor!

But yeah, Kobeni's segments pretty much have her bouncing around different antagonist groups and possibly causing karma to backfire terribly on them when they decide to kick the dog just a little too much.

This also means that if Cinder somehow wins the romance vote then I'll either have to ignore this chapter or have her be a character after she got depowered and had most of her body burned. Dennis wouldn't care much since the guy has pretty low standards for women anyway...