Tail 3: Romancing Ruby

SWAT!

"KYAA!" Ruby cried as she received another slap to the ass. She was stark naked, her wrists bound by chains and bent forward with her legs spread as her ass was turning red.

SWAT!

"HARDER!"

"Who owns you...?"

She couldn't reply when...

SWAT!

"AAAAHH!"

"WHO OWNS YOU!"

SWAT! SWAT! SWAT!

She received continuous hits as the pain and pleasure slowly overtook her.

"HAAAH!" she screamed as she awoke, sweating profusely as she panted erratically. She looked at the clock, reading 4:00 AM. "Goodness, it's so early," she sighed. She blinked and looked under the covers, blushing heavily as she found her hand in her panties, the fabric almost completely soaked with her fluids. Pulling her hand out, she noted how soaked her fingers were. "Yuji-san..."

"You OK, Ruby?" Yuji asked curiously. It was the next morning and Yuji was hard at work, performing maintenance on White Blaze.

Ruby shifted her eyes quickly, "What...makes you say that?"

"Your face is red," he pointed. "You're not getting sick are you?"

"Of course not…!" she denied quickly, "I'm perfectly fine! Ehehehe…!"

Yuji stared at her, nodding slowly, "O…K, well when do you wanna head out?"

"Oh, anytime is fine with me," she smiled, "I'm in no rush." She backed away before retreating up the stairs."

"What a strange girl," he mused as he went back to work.

Getting into the season of fall, the weather grew slightly colder with citizens bundling up for the chilly winds. Ruby was dressed warmly as she wore a long red skirt, blouse and jacket. Yuji was dressed in black jeans and coat with the hood and cuffs lined with black fur, much like Yuki's own coat.

"An occult shop?" Ruby blinked. She and Yuji stood before a store front with occult decorations, runes and circles. The sign read 'The Lunar Witch's Lair'.

"A friend of mine owns it," Yuji explained, "Come on, let's go meet her."

Ruby saw everything inside and felt an aura surrounding her. It felt magical, so familiar.

"Welcome to my shop."

Ruby cried out in shock and spun around to see a young lady dressed in a dark, Victorian Era dress with a hair ribbon, pale makeup and dark eye shadow.

"Hey, Tomoko," Yuji waved.

"Greeting, Fudo-san," she nodded.

"Hey, first name basis, remember? We're friends."

Tomoko blushed a bit and apologized, "Sorry, Yuji-san."

"Who's this, Yuji?" Ruby inquired.

"This is Tomoko," he introduced, "We both graduated together and she's pretty smart. As you can see, she's pretty much a hard core occultist."

"I'm also a witch, like you are," Tomoko added.

Ruby gasped, "What?"

"I sense it in your aura. You are also connected to ravens, am I right?"

Ruby couldn't believe that another witch also lived here in the city. How could her Master not tell her about Tomoko? "How long have you lived in this city?"

"I opened my business a year ago," she answered.

"I never knew another witch lived here," Ruby marveled, "My Master never told me."

"The one from the sunflower hill? Well, she thought I was tainted," she shrugged.

"Tainted?"

"My father's human," she clarified. Ruby gasps in response. "I'm a half-blood witch."

"I think she's part ninja too," Yuji joked, "She has a habit of hiding behind corners and shows up without anyone's notice. I was surprised to find her when I moved here."

"Well, I was surprised to find out your secret, Kamen Rider," Tomoko smirked.

"Oh yeah," he chuckled, "I forgot I never really told anyone..."

"Well, I only found out from chance through my crystal ball. Powerful and majestic," she described, "The armor fits you."

"Aw, stop," Yuji laughed with a blush.

Ruby frowned slightly and latched onto Yuji's arm.

"I see you've started dating again since...the incident," she continued.

"Yeah..." he smiled sadly.

"You're welcome to look around," she offered, "Everything you see is for sale. Please, make yourself at home.

"Thank you, Tomoko-san," Ruby bowed, "Oh, I didn't introduce myself, I'm Ruby Toujo."

Tomoko nodded, "Tomoko Nozama, nice to meet you."

Yuji and Ruby looked away at the merchandise as he said, "You got a lot of stuff, Tomoko." There was no response. "Tomoko?" He paused, "She's gone, isn't she?"

"Yes," she nodded

"She does that a lot."

"So, she's an old school friend," she noted.

"Yeah, and a bit of an outcast until I befriended her," he nodded, "I introduced her to my mom too. God, my uncles thought Tomoko was my girlfriend! Seriously, just because I brought home a girl doesn't mean she's my girlfriend."

"She seems fond on you," Ruby mentioned.

"Well, she plays for the same team."

"Same team? Oh, so she's..."

"She's not attracted to me, and never will," he nodded, "She hit on Yuki a lot and stalked her throughout high school."

"Well...let's go see what she has for sale, OK?"

"Lead the way," he smiled.

After their quick shopping, Yuji decided to take Ruby skating. The skating rink wasn't too crowded today and Yuji managed to score some blades.

"I bet you don't know how to skate," he grinned as he strapped his blades on.

"I've never tried before," she admitted.

"Don't worry, I'm here, and I'll teach you," he assured.

Whenever Ruby was about to fall, he'd catch her. There's also music too. Ruby saw couples, skating together, and was envious that they could be so happy.

"Something wrong?" Yuji asked, "You're gonna trip if you space out." He was pulling her along as he was skating backwards.

"Just thinking," she muttered, low enough for only Yuji to hear, "Not too long ago I was dedicated to the destruction of this city and now I'm calling it home. It's just weird."

"I wasn't exactly at home when I first came here either," he admitted.

"But your sister helped you, didn't she?"

"Oh yeah, definitely," he admitted, "So we buckled down, set everything up and set out to make connections. We're friends with pretty much everyone in town, even the cops!"

"And you've even made friends with girls who tried to kill you," she added.

"Well, yeah. That was a bit of a shock to be honest. I first thought they were robbers before my eyes adjusted and my night vision kicked in."

"Weren't you afraid they might betray you?"

He blinked, "Hm, that didn't occur to me much. I was so busy with work and helping them get settled in. Guess I need to pay more attention."

"You're too trusting," she criticized, "That can get you killed."

"Alright, you got me there," he sighed, "I'll be careful from now on. But..."

"You're also very kind," she smiled.

"Thanks," he returned. They hugged in the center of the rink as others passed by.

The two decided to go to Café La Salle and the place looked brand new.

"Looks like they fixed up the place," he noted. There was a banner hanging across the entrance "GRAND REOPENING"

"Welcome to Cafe La Salle," Kat greeted, "Everything in the menu is half-priced for anyone who brought in a flier."

Yuji waved his own flier, "Hey, Kat, you renovated?"

"Yeah, we did," she nodded," Seriously, you can't imagine how much work it is getting all those bullets out of the walls and floor. So...you on a date? Who's this lovely lady?

Yuji held her close, making her blush brightly, "This is Ruby, from the birthday dinner that time."

"Oh, right. Well, let me take you to your table then," she offered.

They now have waiters and waitresses as well. Kat manages the place and handles the money, so it was pretty easy.

Ruby and Yuji open the menus. "What would you like to have?" he asked.

"Could you decide for me?" she asked cutely.

"Sure thing, sweetheart," he winked. Ruby blushed.

A waitress came to take their order. "Are you ready to order?" asked the waitress.

"6" BLT for the lady with a set of fries and a chicken and bacon ranch sub with a pair of sodas, please," Yuji requested, "Double the meat on mine."

"All right," she smiled as she took the menus, "Please, enjoy your time here at Café La Salle."

"So, has this Cafe La Salle been here long?" Ruby asked.

"I guess so," he shrugged, "I mean it was already here when I first moved to this city."

"When was the first time you ate here?"

"I think it was the day after we finished unpacking," he estimated.

The food came and they enjoyed it. They were also given forms to rate the service by Kat.

"Since you love nature so much, I thought I should bring you here," Yuji smiled as Ruby was brought to a botanical garden. The temperature was perfect for the flora and was comfortable to for guests as they passed through.

"It's so beautiful," she marveled as they walked.

"Yeah, it's the only place in the city with real nature," he nodded.

As they go in deeper, Ruby gasped as she found that the trees ahead of them were covered in crystal. Looking back, they saw that more trees were covered by the same crystal substance. The trees had become like bars for a cage and they were caught right in the center.

Then a voice was heard: "Do you love my 'Eternal Diamond Garden'?"

"Aw, crap," Yuji face-palmed.

#06, Jin, aka Kamen Rider Petrifier, stepped out from behind a tree.

"YOU!" Ruby glared.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? Nothing lasts forever like a diamond and if you cover things in diamond, they last forever and ever," Jin sighed.

"...Oddly enough, that makes some sense," Yuji grimaced. He then ignited his fists, "But your ass is gonna be grass now!"

Music – "A Bet on this Bout" (Tales of Vesperia)

He shoots fireballs but the flames hit a wall of crystal that rose up in front of Jin. Jin then shattered the wall and the fragments shot towards Ruby and Yuji like missiles.

Ruby acted instantly, covering her and Yuji in a tornado of dark feathers and the crystal projectiles flew through, and hitting nothing as the feathers fell to reveal nothing.

"I know you're still here," he grinned, "I'll find you."

Ruby and Yuji had moved, teleported, across the gardens. "That was close," she sighed.

"I could've handled it," he grunted.

"I know, sorry," she apologized, "I panicked."

"No worries, but we can't exactly get out of here since the place is sealed in crystal," Yuji frowned as he looked up, the greenhouse windows being encased in crystal, "Same goes for the windows. Gonna have to kick his ass if we wanna make out here..."

"What?" she blinked.

"Out! Out of here!" he panicked with a bright blush, "We're gonna have to kick his ass if we wanna get out of here...! That's what I said, yeah!"

"You do realize I can hear you, right?" Jin's voice echoed around them, "I don't know where you are, yet, but I will find you."

"OK, what do you want?" Yuji called out as he looked around, trying to spot Jin through the tree line.

"I'm a collector," Jin answered.

Ruby whispered to Yuji, "What are you doing?"

"Keeping him talking," Yuji whispered back, "A collector?"

"Of rare, hard-to-get, artifacts," he clarified, "and stuff. And I do so through less than legal methods."

"So, you're a thief," he dead-panned.

"I'm a treasure hunter," he corrected, "The problem is someone already owns the treasure so I decide to take it for myself."

"You know, the girls talk about you," Yuji added, "You're not really much of a people person. And you're very materialistic."

"Like I care what those treacherous bitches think," he scoffed, "I mean they had a good deal with GIN-SHOCKER, and they gave it all up. And for what? Love? Heck, I got so much money I can buy love from any woman."

"You would think that," he frowned.

"Oh, and you should be careful where you stand." Crystal spikes shot out from the ground. "Hello," Jin greeted with a grin as he appeared in front of Yuji, ready about to attack.

"And goodbye!" Yuji roared as he grabbed Jin by the head and delivered a punishing headbutt. Jin was sent flying and tumbling. "That should take care of him," he grinned. Jin got back up, and shook his head back and forth. "Or not…"

"Yokoshima's not the only one with a thick head," Jin boasted, "Henshin." His armor formed over his body and his eyes flashed. The Jewel Beetle Rider constructed two crystal swords, covered in spikes along their lengths as similar swords were poised, floating behind him. "I don't need you in my collection," he sneered before eyeing Ruby, "I prefer pretty things."

"Then how's about two pretty black eyes!" Yuji slammed his fists together, igniting them as he dashed ahead. "Karyuu no Tekken!" he called as he threw a punch.

Petrifier raised his forearm, encasing it in crystal as her blocked the punch. He smirked as he encased his left leg in diamond and went for a roundhouse kick. Yuji blocked the kick and fought the urge to scream as he felt the bones in his right arm shatter.

"Oh, that sounded like it hurt," Petrifier sneered.

"Yuji-san!" Ruby panicked. She raised her staff and the orb in it glowed as giant roots burst from underneath, pulling Yuji back as Petrifier was entangled in the enchanted weeds. "Are you alright, Yuji-san" she asked as she ran to him.

"Bastard busted my arm," he grunted as it went limp.

Petrifier cut through the weeds with his swords as he glared at the witch. "DIE!" he roared as launched the swords shot towards Yuji and Ruby.

Yuji caught the blades, cutting his hands before inhaling and breathing a stream of fire at Petrifier. More kept coming as the crystal blades kept flying and one of them cut Ruby's arm.

"Ruby!" Yuji cried.

"It's just a shallow cut!" she assured, "I'm fine!"

Yuji growled like an animal, glaring daggers at Jin as he cried out, his roar reverberating through the crystalized garden as he was engulfed in his own flames.

"Let me see your armor!" Petrifier challenged. What he got instead was Yuji lowering his body, his head aimed forward as he shot straight at him like a rocket, his flaming body ramming into Petrifier's gut. "GACK!"

"KARYUU NO...KENKAKKU (Sword Horn of the Fire Dragon)!" Yuji roared as he flailed and tossed Petrifier around on his head like a raging bull before tossing his head around to release Petrifier. He smashed into the diamonds, hard, and grunted in pain.

Petrifier found himself facing something much scarier than BLACK 13. "You're a lot like #13," he grinned.

Yuji was on one knee, panting as flames escaped from his mouth. "You don't say," he growled.

"Yes, you both care!" He concentrated and Ruby screamed.

"Ruby!" he turned to her, seeing crystal covering her arm.

"She'll be dead when that crystal envelops her, cutting off her oxygen," Petrifier smirked,"Let me go, she lives. I die, she dies."

"Then get the hell out of my sight before I melt your face," Yuji threatened, his sclera slowly turning black.

"Very well," Petrifer agreed as he got onto his feet, limping away from the battlefield.

End Music

Yuji rushed to Ruby as the crystal slowly started to flake off. "My arm...it's...it's numb..." she whimpered, "I can't feel it."

"It'll be OK," he assured, "It has to be." Closing his eyes, Yuji generated heat that transferred steadily into Ruby's arm.

"GIN-SHOCKER made real monsters when they created cyborgs, didn't they?" she frowned.

"Maybe..." he trailed off.

"He said you and #13 were alike," she recalled, "That you and he cared."

"The girls said that when Shinichi was with GS he may not have expressed emotions, but he cared in his own way," Yuji explained, "I guess he was trying to say that it was a weakness. How's your arm?"

"Better," she smiled.

"Wish I could say the same for me," he frowned as he looked down at his broken arm, "Let's go home. You're going to need some rest." He collapsed to his knees, breathing hard from exhaustion.

There was one last stop for Ruby to make and Yuji followed. They were heading back to Witch's Knoll to do something important. Reaching the spot, Ruby knelt down in front of the grave.

"Hello, Master," Ruby greeted. "I'm just here to tell you that I'm living my life happily instead of focusing on my anger and revenge. You were good, you had good intentions. All you wanted was to protect our kind. I thank you for raising me." She added, "Oh, and I brought Yuji-san. He's done a magnificent job of helping me adapt to life in the human world. It's not as scary as I thought it would be and there are good people who still exist, even if they are human. I know humans can be monsters. They are capable of that, I won't deny it, but they can also be good. Very good." She addressed Yuji, "Would you care to say something?"

Yuji nodded and dropped to one knee, placing a hand on the grave mound and spoke. "I'm sure there could've been a lot I could've learned from you. I've even looked forward to meeting you when Ruby first mentioned you. I'm sorry the circumstances were not in our favor, but rest assured that everything will be fine. He looked to Ruby intently, "I'll be with Ruby…forever."

Ruby smiled with tears in her eyes, "Yuji… Thank you."

A bouquet of sunflowers was left at the grave. These were enchanted and would never wither and die. The couple walked closely, returning to the Dragon's Den as their date had come to an end.

To Be Continued…

KAMEN RIDER BUSHIDO: And there's date #3. Yuji's left with a grievous wound after his battle with Petrifier! What else is there to come?