NOTE: I do not own either RWBY or Kill la Kill. RWBY belongs to the late Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth, and Kill la Kill belongs to studio TRIGGER…

NOTE 2: Apparently, the chapter title is too fucking big to put in, so sorry if it says "The Chase is Better than...

The slums were in an uproar of cheers and chants. Many passerby would look over at the source to see what was going on, wondering what was cause for celebration. A few of these would stare in dead silence before quickly making their way. Others watched intently, wondering why they would be here with furrowed brows. And others more, with a passing interest, approached hesitantly. Wondering if they may be punished for even wanting to talk to them.

The members of the Honnoji Baseball team were gathered around the front courtyard of Fushigi Ramen. One of the biggest food stops in Honnoji, and praised even outside of the city for it's excellent service (even among the slums), spacious seating and atmosphere, and most of all...good food.

Multiple members cheered loudly, pumping their fists into the air in celebration as several waiters and waitresses rushed back and forth. Bowls of ramen being set down, eaten, and promptly sent back for cleaning at a dizzying rate. Other members mingled with the crowds and No-Star students. Their approachable behavior and lighthearted atmosphere well known among several members of the community. And even more members were chanting, calling out passionately the name of their captain. "KAZ-U-YA, ICH-I-RO! KAZ-U-YA, ICH-I-RO!-"

Sitting at the center table, surrounded by the best of the Baseball team. Kazuya Ichiro sat, his legs propped up on the table while he slumped in his chair. His eyes were closed, as if he was napping, and a serene smile was on his face as the chanting repeated through his mind. The only ones staying silent being those around his table, those working, and those that were simply passing by.

He heard two high pitched squeals from behind him. He bent himself back a little bit more in his chair and bended his head back to see two No-Star students looking directly at him. Both of them female. He felt himself internally crack up as the two of them started to speak.

"Oh my god! You're Kazuya Ichiro!"

"-Captain of the Honnoji Academy Baseball team!"

"Can I...Can I get your autograph!?"

Both girls pulled out notebooks and a pen, and closely clutched it to themselves as they eyed him with wide-opened mouths. However, before either of them could speak some more…

"HEY! GIVE THE CAPTAIN SOME SPACE, ALRIGHT!-"

...The One-Star to his right turned around and started to yell at them. A natural response, considering the immense status difference between No-Stars and One-Stars. It still didn't stop the girls from flinching, however, and Kazuya quickly held out his hand to silence his club member. "That's enough, Sox."

Sox stopped, turned, and instantly bowed as he offered his deepest apologies. Without uttering a word himself, Kazuya ignored him and focused back on the girls. He held out both hands with open palms, and for a minute the two were too nervous and confused. Until they realized what he was asking for, and they quickly handed him the pen and notepads.

The autographs were done so quickly that the girls didn't even realize he was done before he handed them back just as quickly as he took them. The girls remained silent as they both took their notepads and looked inside…

"...Oh. My. God. WE GOT HIS AUTOGRAPH!"

The two started squeeing some more, jumping up and down in utter joy, before another of his teammates stood up, walked over them, and politely guided them away from the party. Kazuya smiled as he sat his chair back down normally. One of his teammates started chuckling as he loomed closer to him. "Man, boss! Share in the fangirls, why don't ya!"

"Well, it's not my fault they find me attractive. Hell, all I do is play baseball twenty-four seven."

"And yet...all the ladies still seem to fawn all over you." Another member said with a deflated tone. He shrugged

"...Maybe it's the blonde hair, hazel eyes?"

"...How about we go with silver eyes...or dark, red tipped hair."

Everyone went silent as they turned to the member farthest from the captain. His expression was far more stoic and serious, with his arms crossed together. He looked over at him, his mind clearly about the elephant in the room. "Why did we attack Ruby Rose and not Ryuko Matoi? Only one of them has that weird Goku Uniform...so why go after the one with super speed and a crazy gun scythe instead?"

Everybody was paused, the question sinking into the air around them as their minds took it all in. Why did they attack Ruby Rose? Wouldn't Matoi be a more valuable target? Soon everyone turned to Kazuya, asking about what they were doing, or if they were even doing the right thing. All of them kept asking, until Kazuya held his hand up, silencing them.

Kazuya smirked. "You're right, Yankee. Why would we-the Honnoji Academy Baseball Club-not target a target of seemingly more worth and instead go after the other one? It will certainly raise a few eyebrows here and there, throw a few questions too. But you see, there is one thing about it that certainly makes one wonder...What's so valuable about a girl in a red cloak, fancy gothic outfit, and wielding a wicked cool scythe-slash-sniper rifle? And when I thought back to it...I remember "That" day."

Everyone gulped down air. They all knew what he was talking about, that battle more than a few days ago. And they all remembered what came of it all…

Kazuya continued as he started climbing up onto the table. "Of course, Matoi is still a dangerous foe. Heck, she could possibly end up even more dangerous than Ruby Rose...and there may even be a day when we have to go up against her...and that's when I saw "It."" His empathization of the last word drew several quieted breathes. Surely he wasn't meaning…

He smiled, as everyone came to the same conclusion instantly. He sat on the table with his legs crossed, picked up a bowl of ramen, and quickly sucked up a group of noodles. "This may come back to bite me in the ass...but regardless, confidence is something I'm far from lacking."

He looked around. Everyone was stark silent, their gazes almost lifeless. He chuckled softly. "Since the day you all became members of the Baseball Club, every single one of you have put your trust in me. You've told me secrets, doubts in your minds, and hardships in your lives. All of you have believed in me, regardless of how strange my actions or choices may be. So now I'll ask you this...would you still believe in me. Will you still trust me!?"

Everyone remained silent as he raised his bowl into the air, closing his eyes in the process. For an extended amount of time, he heard nothing, no one speaking up as if in agreement. Then he heard it...the words he wanted to hear.

"The captain is right. Of course we will still trust you! Who could never trust Captain Ichiro!"

The chanting began immediately afterward. First yelled out by one voice...then another, and another, and another. Until the entire room echoed throughout. A constant repetition of his title and his name, yelled out for the surrounding area to hear loudly. "CAPTAIN ICHIRO, CAPTAIN ICHIRO, CAPTAIN ICHIRO, CAPTAIN ICHIRO!"

Kazuya Ichiro smiled, bringing the bowl down to his lips and sucking up the broth inside. As he sucked down the last of his food, he opened his eyes, looking at the cheer around him...and mentally cracking up.

Seems my plans are coming together...both of them.

Satsuki Kiryuin watched the screen intently as she watched the Baseball team celebrate. Her eyes in particular focused on the lone figure sitting on the table silently. His name being chanted by the One-Stars around him.

Silently she called up Inumuta on the intercom, and soon the blue haired member of the Elite Four appeared on the screen. You called me, Lady Satsuki?"

"Yes Inumuta. I have a request for you…"

"Yes, M'lady."

"...I want you to investigate Baseball Club Captain Kazuya Ichiro...I'm getting a gut feeling that Ichiro is more than he seems."

"A gut feeling...somewhat of a rarity from you, M'lady." He quickly typed something on his side before looking up at her once more. "Nonetheless, your wish is my command...Kazuya Ichiro coming right up."

Inumuta's face disappeared, turning back to the celebration. Satsuki continued to focus on Ichiro, watching as the captain remained still, his eyes completely closed. Sighing, she got up and started to walk away. As she did though, a disturbing feeling entered the back of her mind and she reluctantly turned back to the screen...then felt her heart skip a beat as Ichiro opened his eyes, looked directly towards the camera, and cracked a smile. Raising his bowl toward the screen.

He knew...he's being watched?

Kazuya looked away, bringing the bowl to his mouth once more. Before the screen fizzed out and left her completely in darkness.

Crimson Incandescence

Chapter 7: The Chase is Better than the Catch.

I don't have any appetite…

Ryuko Matoi sat at the table, chopsticks and a bowl of rice in each hand, and her mind deep in thought. It had been well over five hours since the events earlier today. Events which were weighing heavily on her mind throughout the day since then. The Mankanshoku's were wolfing down food wildly as Mako held a conversation with her family, the girl herself "full of vim and vigor" like the Mohawk said earlier. The only one missing was Ruby…

Ryuko remembered it vividly enough. She ran to Ruby's aid immediately after chasing that Two-Star bastard away from them. She only had a second to be glad before Ruby got to her feet and started marching off toward the gate…

"He-Hey! Where are you going? Hey…"

...That was all she was sure she got out before Ruby disappeared in a blur of red and rose petals, going at speed Ryuko couldn't hold a candle to. Since then, she's waited and waited for her to return...and was growing more disappointed as the minutes ticked by. And so Ryuko sat there at the table...as Guts started chowing down on her plate of food.

...Wait, what?

"Earth to Ryuko!" She flinched as Mako suddenly appeared in her face, food sputtering out as she spoke. "Guts is gonna eat all your food again!"

It was true, the hoodie-wearing dog was chewing into her food voraciously. A large T-bone steak flapping between his maw as food flew from him in all directions…

...I don't have any appetite.

Senketsu was, for lack of a better choice of words, spazzing out. {Stop it, mutt! Don't climb on me, or dig your claws into me! Don't drool, or FART, OR SHIT, OR PUKE! RYUKO! DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS MUTT! PLEASE!}

...I don't have any fucking appetite.

"I'm done."

The words made both Senketsu and Guts pause as Ryuko put the bowl and chopsticks down, got up, and started for the door. Mako watched her as she exited the room, shutting the door behind her, with a slight hint of worry in the back of her mind. It was only after Guts turned back to the food and started eating again that she shrugged and went back to her own food.

She rapidly ate up the bowl of rice, and noticed something different in the taste. Is rice usually as sweet as candy?

She stepped outside, the starry night sky welcoming her as she did. She looked up at them with a furrowed brow, her thoughts muddled and all over the place as the events over the last few hours ate away at her.

Just what the hell was going on? She had expected herself to be facing nothing more than idiots in Goku Uniforms, Satsuki, and the Elite Four. Not some guy with a mohawk and a weird sewing gun. Not to mention someone was now targeting Ruby instead of her. And who even was that guy anyway! He was way too coordinated to be a Two-Star. Was he some kind of extra Elite Four member that avoided the attention or something?

She looked down at the ground, not paying enough attention to notice Senketsu trying to speak to her until he was practically yelping her name. {...Ryuko. Ryuko!}

She looked down at the uniform, not uttering a single word. The uniform was staring directly into her eyes. {Your blood has cooled somewhat from this morning...could I talk to you for a moment?} He said, his tone somewhat solemn.

She sighed as she walked to the nearest wall and leaned her back onto it. "What is there to talk about?"

The uniform blinked, before it continued. {...Considering the events of the past twenty-four hours. I believe it would be best if you didn't wear me tomorrow.}

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

{Recall the demands that man made earlier today. "Take off your clothes-" and any others.} The uniform looked away before locking it's singular eye with her own, {-From what I can deduce, this man is after me. A sort of hunter towards Life-Fibers, with skills and weaponry capable of neutralizing-possibly even destroying Life-Fiber infused clothing.} He squinted, his tone turning serious. {If my idea is correct, then this means I am a danger to you and to anyone else around you...which is why-}

"I'll still be wearing you."

The uniform flinched and called out to her, while she remained silent. Her thoughts working through everything that Senketsu told her just now.

If this guy is a hunter of Life-Fibers like Senketsu is saying, then that means he could potentially hold the advantage over me here. I'd be left with having to surprise him, or try to hit him from long range which is impossible in my case. The only other thing I could possibly rely on otherwise would be...Ruby. Dammit, that's right, where is she?

As if to answer her question, she heard something skid a few feet in front of her, and as she looked up she could see the familiar form of a red hooded cloak. Both she and Senketsu paused, before Ryuko started rushing towards the girl leaning against her knees and heaving deep breaths. "Ruby!"

Ruby Rose looked up as she saw Ryuko rushing towards her with Senketsu, both wide-eyed from the sight of her. With a small huff she waved her hand at them with a grin on her face, before letting out another large breath. As Ryuko reached her, she grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her over. "Are you alright!?"

"Yeah, just fine! Just...give me a minute...whew!" Ryuko stared at her, wondering if she had been running all day or something. She looked down at Ruby's boots and saw how caked with dirt they were, leading her to assume that 'Yes, she had been running for the entirety of the day!'

She swallowed as the girl's breathing started to calm down. "Where have you been? You ran off like a bolt of lightning back at the school!"

Ruby looked up at her, her silver eyes as mirthful as usual. "Oh, you know! You get ambushed suddenly without expecting it...you tend to panic for a moment-" She stood up straight, then stretched her back out. And for a moment, Ryuko could swear she heard a crack come from it. "-Ahh...that feels good. Anyway, yeah! I sorta had a panic attack back there, ran for miles! I think I was on the outskirts of the city before I finally stopped…"

"Ruby...you got nailed by a baseball traveling at high velocity."

"Yeah...and man, my Aura is in need of a recharge!" She wiped her brow with her sleeve and stared at her arm, as if she had never seen sweat for the first time in ages. A quick snort escaped her afterward as her eyes turned back to her. "So...what happened."

Ryuko's stomach churned, and her expression of relief turned to a frown. She turned away from Ruby and started back towards the Mankanshoku's house. "What happened? We both got ambushed."

Ruby blinked. She had been heading to the bathroom when the attack began, so she wouldn't have known about the attack until she had got back...if not for that Two-Star from before. Ryuko leaned against the wall of the Mankanshoku family clinic, before sliding down and dropping down into a sitting position and looking up at Ruby. "While you were taking a leak, the guy with a mohawk and Life-Fiber combative weaponry attacked me and Senketsu. We were held at gunpoint and couldn't do anything about it."

Ruby stood frozen, realizing that if she had stayed for more than a few minutes, the result would've ended up completely different. She then remembered Mako, and felt her heart stop. "What about Mako-"

"Mako's fine, she got shot up by needles, but he said she'd wake up "full of vim and vigor." Me and Senketsu, on the other hand, would've been killed…"

"And you weren't?"

"The guy got a needle in his hand...guessing that the teacher saved us or something. But either way, we were dead to rights."

There was an oppressive silence in the air. Neither girls nor the uniform worn by Ryuko said anything, instead having one stand awkwardly in front of the other while they sat, bitter about the entire situation.

It was only after the silence kept up for longer than was thought comfortable that Ruby finally spoke up. "Is there a reason why he attacked you?"

{It is because of me.}

Ruby looked at the uniform, noticing it's single eye was narrowed. {When he had us captured, he told Ryuko to "take off her clothes." And while that could be construed in certain directions, I believe he meant for Ryuko to remove me as a means of separating us-}

Ruby took in all of the information quietly as her mind worked through it all. If this guy had weapons related to taking down Life-Fibers, then it's likely he was trained to hunt down and exterminate Life-Fibers. It all made perfect enough sense, so why did it sound like he was targeting Senketsu specifically? Her memory returned to that small moment between exiting the bathroom and getting attacked, when that one student was being taken to the nurse's office. Was that one of his victims?

Senketsu looked back up towards Ryuko, a hint of concern in his eye. {-Which is why I don't want Ryuko to wear me to school tomorrow. If my presence is what calls this stranger to us, then that means I am the immediate danger right now. Meaning that if Ryuko were to not wear me, then everyone would be safer…}

Ryuko sighed, her expression one of slight annoyance at the proposal. "And as I said, I'm going to wear you regardless."

{Ryuko!} The uniform narrowed it's eye toward her, before it looked back at Ruby. {Ruby, please. Make Ryuko see reason!}

Ruby was quiet. It seemed right that the mohawk man would be after Senketsu if one looks at all the evidence. And if one were to give it some deep thought, then it could be possible that the...no. No it wouldn't.

She sighed, approaching the pair as she spoke. "To be honest Senketsu, I think Ryuko's right to wear you on this one…" She said, making the uniform's single eye burst open wide enough that she could almost see some seams. "While the idea of leaving you behind sounds good on paper, I think that doing so would more or less put the Mankanshoku's in danger. That, or the man would arrive and try to beat the location out from us instead. Add to that the fact that we're essentially at war with the entire school and I'm sure you can see why it'd probably make no difference."

The uniform seemed keen to protest, before he realized he couldn't win the argument and slumped back onto Ryuko's form. Ruby's heart skipped a beat, but smiled as she tried to console him back to life. "Now, don't be so down Senketsu. This guy simply ambushed you and Ryuko in civilian form-not in your Kamui mode right? I'm sure that you and Ryuko can take him down without a problem if you were transformed!"

The uniform looked at her, seemingly reluctant to accept that answer. Ruby pointed her thumb up at herself, a spark flashing in her eyes. "-And besides, this time I'll know to back you guys up! So turn that frown-uh, is that a frown-ah-uh-upside down! We can do anything together if we put our mind to it!"

At this, Ryuko's head lurched up toward her. Skepticism written over her face, "Are you sure? And what about that Baseball club bastard who attacked you? Aren't you worried about him ambushing you again?"

Ruby snorted, waving her hand toward her. "Silly. I'm gonna watch your back and you'll watch mine! We're friends, aren't we?"

Ryuko was silent for a moment. Now that she thought about it, Ruby always did stick her neck out for her. From the moment she arrived, to the fight with Satsuki, Ruby had always been there ready to fight at a moment's notice. Yet, at no specific point was there a moment that Ryuko had to stick her own neck out for her, save for earlier today with the small save. It made her, in all honesty, feel bad-like she had been using Ruby to further her own goals while she sat back and watched.

Friends...I'm certainly feel like a terrible friend right now...maybe it's time to fix that.

She smiled, raising her hand toward her to grab onto. "You're too trusting of people sometimes, you know that?"

Ruby smiled back, taking the hand with her own. "Well, a friend of mine's mom always said "strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

"That's terrible advice."

"Eh, couldn't think of anything better."

Ruby pulled Ryuko up until both were eye level with each other. Watching this all, Senketsu sighed as he saw that the two of them had made up their mind. {Seems nothing I'll do will stop you from fighting that man...fine. I'll believe in the two of you.}

The both of them nodded in agreement, and with that the matter seemed settled. Ruby looked towards the Mankanshoku household clinic. Now that she was outside, she realized she had never payed attention to it at night...or at all, for that matter. She always saw it as a second home away from home. You know, other than Beacon Academy. She looked at Ryuko, remembering one specific line from earlier. "On another topic? What was this about Mako being full of 'Vim and Vigor?'"

"Hmm? Oh! The mohawk guy from earlier ended up shooting Mako with his gun. But instead of killing her it only made her fall unconscious for the fight, and afterward she woke up more energized than beforehand. Kinda funny, don't you think, that Mako would be more energetic than usual?"

"Well...If we get into trouble, we can always rely on Mako to save us!"

That earned a small chuckle from the both of them, even though they both accepted it as true in certain respects. This chuckle immediately died in their throat, however, as the front door of the house shot open to reveal a panicking Sukuyo Mankanshoku. Both were immediately at attention as soon as she appeared, and she began to speak in rapid tones. "Ryuko! And Ruby, good! Come quick...Mako, she's…"

Both Ryuko and Ruby's blood ran cold. The two rushed into the house, with Sukuyo following suit. All of them wondering what was happening with Mako Mankanshoku as they bolted for the living room.

Several Hours Later…

The two of them were silent upon awakening the next morning. The both of them got up, brushed their teeth, and got dressed for the day. Ryuko decided to wear the coat she had arrived in town with this time, while Ruby checked her backpack to make sure she had everything she needed. Afterwards, they quietly made their way to the front door, only stopping to look into the main room quickly…

Mako Mankanshoku laid in her futon with a thermometer in her mouth and an icepack sitting over a towel on her head. Her hair was all over the place, and her body was caked with sweat. She was surprisingly quiet for once, with only a small amount of mumbling escaping her, most of it being gibberish…

"It...must be the work...uhh...of an enemy...mhmm...believe...it…pirate...platin-ugh...um…"

The two exited the building, and silently made their way to the nearest tram car. When they reached it, they jumped on and waited for it to move before they'd speak. And as soon as it started to lurch upwards toward the academy, Ryuko pulled a small wrapper from her coat pocket and glared at it…

...Barazo explained it to them last night that Mako was suffering from a mild case of food poisoning-a Campylobacter infection, as he called it. Though the entire family, save Ryuko and Ruby, had eaten the meal Sukuyo had made, only Mako had gotten sick. That's when she spilled the beans about a "weird street vendor and his good luck candy" while shopping earlier that day…

Ryuko's hand clamped down on the wrapper. "She was poisoned...the bastards."

She looked over at Ruby. The girl had remained silent for most of the time since then, with only a blank stare telling her that she was in need of some space. And now that she thought about it, she hasn't had a good look at her since they left. Nervously, she spoke out to her, "Hey...you alright?"

She didn't say anything, remaining completely quiet as she asked the question. However, as Ryuko looked she could see Ruby's hands tightening, and for an instant she seemed to be shaking…

...Then she seemingly returned to normal. The two rode on the tram for several more minutes before one of them spoke again. Ryuko looked over as Ruby called her name. "Ryuko…"

"Yeah?"

For a minute, Ruby stood still, with almost every single muscle in her body completely relaxed. Her head turned slowly toward her, and she spoke in a tone that seemed comparable to a blade scratching stone. "Let's make this quick...with both of them."

There was a blazing fury in her eyes. She was giving off the most heated look she had ever seen from the girl, and her presence alone was radiating with rage. For once in her life, Ryuko Matoi was slightly taken aback. Was this really the same bubbly Ruby Rose who had introduced herself just a few days ago?

She felt a lurch, and she turned to see that the tram had finally arrived at Honnoji. With a shake of her head she swallowed, deciding to focus back on the problem at hand. The both of them stepped off of the car and stood there, until the tram started up once more and proceeded back down the city.

Ruby looked over, her expression now softer than before. "I'll go find a good vantage point to watch over from."

Ryuko nodded her head, and watched as Ruby disappeared in a blur of red and rose petals. Leaving her there alone...which was really getting to her for some reason.

I'm getting a bad feeling here…

Reluctantly, she took in a deep breath and started walking forward. The feeling of dread slowly growing deep in her stomach…

The sun had been beating down on them for nearly the entirety of the morning.

They had all arrived earlier than usual. The Honnoji Baseball team had all been asked to come at the time, regardless of any personal problems at the time. None of them were late either, especially considering the last time a few had been late…

...They all remembered that day. And while they all respected and admired Kazuya in many ways, none of them wanted to be on the receiving end whenever he decided to do some "batting practice."

They had all assembled on the roof today, and were currently practicing their swinging save for Sox, who was told to keep watch for them today. All of them were set up in rows, put farther apart from one another to make sure that they didn't hit one another in the process. The sole exception was, of course, Kazuya Ichiro, who stood in front of them and swinged. His bat whipping through the air, the sound it made as it flew through the air being audible even to those farthest away from him.

Kazuya's mind was quiet and serene. Any second now…

Sox was sitting down and watching the entrance to Honnoji Academy. To say he was bored would be an understatement in certain circles. He was rightfully considered the most loyal and hardworking of the team, as well as the most reliant of them. Unfortunately for him, this meant he would often have to do the tasks that everyone else looked up to him for, and it would often get in the way of his practice.

He sighed, rubbing his brow tiredly. Oh how I wish I could be practicing right now...where the heck are these two?

He had been watching the gate for at least several hours now. Neither were anywhere to be seen, and he was clearly getting impatient of having to wait. Would it have to be several more hours before either of them showed up? Could it end up being a few days? It's not like he would know…

...Wait. There's a girl. That coat get's in the way, but…

"Captain."

Everyone stopped immediately, their forms frozen mid-swing as Kazuya lowered his bat and looked over at Sox with a smile on his face. "They're here?"

"One of 'em." Kazuya walked over to the edge and spotted Ryuko Matoi easily standing in the center of the courtyard. However, only Ryuko could be seen, while Ruby was nowhere in sight. Sox looked up at him with a raised brow, "Looks like Red Riding Honey Bun's nowhere to be seen. What should we do?"

Kazuya grinned as his eyes scoured the school for any sign of a red blur or rose petals, his mind working through the possibilities behind her current absence. He pointed his bat and waved it across the surrounding area, "She's here...just hiding-waiting to pounce at the opportune moment. And the funny thing is that we are too…"

He turned to his team, all of them standing at attention. "Take up positions-you know where. And don't start anything until I give the order, alright-" They all nodded, "-Good, now move."

The team started rushing around, getting ready for the moment that Ruby Rose would finally appear. Kazuya, however, returned his attention to the lone girl alone and watched with a silent, smug expression. Ryuko was removing the jacket she was wearing today, revealing the Kamui hidden underneath.

He smiled, his excitement growing with each passing moment. "The show's about to begin…

{Are you afraid, Ryuko?}

"Shut up." She said, her hands resting on the grip of the scissor blade, and her eyes focused completely on the entrance to the academy. The uniform she wore was barely moving, only flowing in the wind, yet she could tell it was worrying for her at this moment.

She looked down at her hands and saw that they were shaking. Taking in a deep breath, she tried to curb this fear she found building in her, but found it to be more difficult than she realized and promptly gave up. Letting her hands shake as she waited…

{Can you fight properly in this mental state.}

"Yes, now stop nagging!" She couldn't help it, she snapped at him. Her breath became faster, and she gripped onto her blade tighter than before. Was this really happening right now?

The uniform went silent, it's singular eye only glancing up at her as the seconds ticked by. She, meanwhile, continued to breathe heavily as the thoughts of having to fight this guy started to get to her...not to mention the thoughts she was having of Ruby. It was only after the twelfth or thirteenth time she let out air that her thoughts started to calm down once more, and Senketsu spoke once more.

{We'll make it through this, Ryuko…} She looked into it's lone eye, {-But first, you need to calm yourself...and believe in Ruby for the time being.}

Believe in your friends...right.

She remained silent, but Senketsu noticed that Ryuko was no longer trembling, now being rather calm and collected. {Good, Ryuko...now, stay focused.}

Ryuko nodded, keeping a close eye on the gate as the seconds passed by…

It didn't take long, as a series of missiles started flying straight for her, all of them colored differently. Ryuko, however, doubted that there would be a difference in how they worked, and quickly reached for the pin on her Seki Tekko…

The surrounding area exploded, flinging dust and concrete into the air as the blast rocked the courtyard. In this small moment, the man with the mohawk started strafing to the side, a rocket launcher sitting over his shoulder, and his eyes focused on Ryuko's position.

In the cloud erected by the disturbed earth, Ryuko pulled the pin…

Life Fiber Synchronize: Kamui Senketsu!

...And the cloud dissipated with the swing of Ryuko's scissor blade, revealing her transformed state. The mohawk man, barely phased, dropped the rocket launcher and pulled out the gun he used the last time.

Gotta dodge that. She thought, moving instantly as he opened fire. She ran towards him, moving from side to side, and under and over the near endless stream of needles as she got closer to him. With each step, she felt a scrape or two somewhere on her body, and tried to focus on the man in front of her. When she was close enough, she raised her scissor blade over her head, "If I recall, someone said that he wouldn't let me TRANSFORM!"

Her blade connected with the butt of the man's gun, stopping the constant needle spam for a moment as the clash of metal ringed out through the entire courtyard. Ryuko glared at him directly in his eyes, noticing the small cut on his cheek. The man meanwhile began to speak, "...True, but victory isn't determined solely by the superior strength of one or the other."

Ryuko only spotted the trigger at the last minute, but it was too late before he pressed down on the button. A fair distance away, the rocket launcher he had tossed away proceeded to lock onto Ryuko and, with it's target acquired, fired out five more missiles straight toward Ryuko…

Shit, that's bad!

Ryuko prepared for the imminent impact, before a shot rang out, followed by the sound of an explosion…

A fair distance away, perched on a part of the Honnoji Academy building, Ruby quickly pulled on the bolt of Crescent Rose, before firing again and hitting another missile from afar. With a speed rarely seen, she repeated the action, destroying all of them, before doing it once more and firing straight toward the man with the mohawk...or more specifically, towards his hand.

The man's eyes went wide as the trigger in his hand disintegrated from the round. This instant left him open enough for Ryuko to smack away his gun and take several swings at him. "-Yeah, I get you. Victory isn't decided by muscle! It's decided. BY. FRIENDS!"

She swung upward, leaving the man barely enough time to block the blow with his gun before she sent him flying. However, as she started rushing him, her eyes could barely register a small, spool-like shape flying toward her before she could realize that he tossed it toward her...or that it was even there before it was blasted to pieces with a sniper round, leaving her free to charge.

The man rolled before standing once more, only to leap to the side and fire at her. She dodged as best as she could, rolling to the opposite side before charging him-spinning her scissor blade around her wrist like a fan blade. As he landed on the ground, he rolled back up, just in time to see Ryuko barreling down at him with her blade extended outward. With some fast thinking, he sidestepped the attack and leaped behind her, smacking her head with the palm of his hand to disorient her.

She fell and rolled forward. With a small smack to the ground with her blade, she flew upwards and skidded to a fair distance away on her feet. Her eyes managed to rise up just a second, however, before she could see several needles rocketing towards her. Reacting quickly, she started spinning the scissor blade in front of her, blocking or smacking away whatever needles were being fired at her.

The mohawk man kept it up for several seconds, having attached an ammunition belt to his gun. His eyes only managed to glance to his side quick enough to see the flash of light from Ruby's round barreling toward him, and he moved to dodge out of the way. It was only after he could see more clearly that the round was arcing towards the ground that he allowed himself a small breath of relief...and only afterward that he realized his folly a little too late.

The ground blew apart in an insane display of sheer force, sending him flying. He smacked the ground hard enough that it slightly cracked underneath him, and he skidded several feet away from the blast. Meanwhile, yards away on her perch, a hooded Ruby Rose looked towards her small moment of destruction with a stern face. "Dust ammunition. Specifically gravity Dust-typically used to improve the recoil for Crescent Rose. It's also capable of blowing up any area it hits: perfect for knocking him down for a moment."

The mohawk pushed himself off the ground and pointed it up, ready to fire, only to have it swatted out of his hands. His eyes darted toward the gun as it flew away, then down at the scissor blade resting itself just in front of his face. With a grimace, Ryuko stared down at him, ready for any funny moves the man may try. "Surrender...and get the hell out of town."

The mohawk man stared back at her, his eyes still steeled and ready for battle. He was gritting his teeth as he tried to work out a solution to the situation he found himself in right now. His eyes glanced back to the gun, while his hand felt around his abdomen.

Several spool grenades...a small knife built for Life-Fiber combat...the Kamui...the sniper several yards away...what to do now?

Watching from above, Kazuya watched the conflict below with little interest, his eyes instead focused on the red sniper yards away from the battle. His face was contorted into a sly grin, which only got bigger as he looked slightly to his left...and spotted them.

Well...seems like it's time to start the show.

He stood up and looked over to a teammate a fair distance away. With a nod, he confirmed the signal, and warned them all to get ready. Finished, he turned his attention back to Ruby Rose. The grip around the handle of his baseball bat tightening as he took up his stance.

Ruby Rose kept an eye through the scope of her weapon, closely watching the man currently on his knees with an intent that could only be seen in someone working well with their craft of choice.

Something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, and with a meticulous precision, she shifted her weapon several inches to see the source of this disturbance.

Her brow furrowed, "It seems like we have some unwanted guests...looks like it's time to go and help Ryuko more personally."

She made to get up from the knee she had taken...and felt her eyes go wide as she heard the sound of a small object soaring right for her…

Crap!

A loud boom made Ryuko turn her head...and preemptively caused her own eyes to go wide as she spotted the perch Ruby had taken, only now smashed in. The dust flying up toward the sky as a result of the attack.

"RUBY?!"

Forgetting about her current predicament, Ryuko started rushing towards the area, her mind in a panic. Just as she was running towards the area, she saw several more baseball's begin to pound the building into dust from around the entire school.

Dammit, dammit, dammit, damm-GAH!?

She felt something small repeatedly hit her in the shoulder, causing her to roll forward and regain her footing. Turning around, she spotted the mohawk man with his sewing gun at the ready.

She grit her teeth. "I don't have time for this you mohawk bast-"

She was cut off as a small gunsen fan flew in front of her face, landing a feet away. Shocked, she glanced at the fan, then jumped away as several more projectiles landed at where she previously was, including some more fans and...is that a pillow?

What the hell?

"In the early dawn…"

At the sound of these words, several cards started flying towards the mohawk, who proceeded to swat them all away single-handedly. Reluctantly, she looked off towards the edge of the school, and saw the masses of Two-Stars and One-Stars gathering. All of them dressed differently, indicating their differences in theme each.

A group of students, all dressed in kimonos rose three of their members up above them-the one in the center indicated by his green colored Two-Star uniform. "Presenting the Three Masters of the Honnoji Rakugo Club!"

Another group, this time all dressed in a wide-top kimono and lavender hakama, sat away from them, their identical appearance making it difficult to tell which was the captain. "100 Poems By 100 Poets Club! THE HORDE OF 100!"

The third group, and the only one to get a proper response out of mohawk, was a bunch of students all huddled close to one another and carrying all manner of garden tools. A clue that led Ryuko to guess that this one was…

"GARDENING!"

The small one in front of them, with two stars and headwear on, spoke up for the group, "Gardening Club Backyard General Manager, Squint-eyed Kusato Uwabami!" His head raised itself as he addressed the both of them. "Now we're going to have our revenge for what you did on the terrace."

Ryuko was visibly shaking with anger now. Turning violently, she addressed them personally, "Shove off! If you're going to get between me and Ruby here, then I'LL KICK ALL OF YOUR SORRY ASSES!" She started charging towards them all, completely ignoring the man from before as he started pointing his gun towards her. "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!"

Meanwhile, several miles down in the slums, Gamagoori stood stern as he looked down at the Mankanshoku's surrounding her daughter. Despite the obvious conflict going on at the school right now, Gamagoori himself was usually tasked with making sure that students were coming into class properly. And it was during one of his routine checks that he realized the one missing number that day…

...And now that he stood in the Mankanshoku household, looking down at a sick Mako Mankanshoku, he understood why. The question now was "how did she get sick?"

He turned his head to the mother of the household. "Is this a natural cold?"

The mother looked at him nervously-obviously scared of the fact that a member of the Elite Four was in her house. Mustering up whatever courage she could, she spoke. "N-no sir. I actually ended up...giving her food poisoning…"

Giving her food poisoning?

His eyes narrowed as he demanded she explain further. Reluctantly, she continued on, telling him of the run-in with a "weird street vendor and his good luck candy," followed by feeding Mako the candy in her food. Though he pressured her further for anymore answers, the woman could only sputter out a repeat of her explanation before he finally accepted it as the truth. With a bow, and an apology for his sudden barging in, he also reprimanded the Mankanshoku's for not calling in sick, before he quietly made his way to the front door.

As he exited, Gamagoori could only think to himself about who would want to poison Mankanshoku? She wasn't of particularly high value in Honnoji Academy, as the status of her own family could attest to. And, if one were to add the fact that Ryuko Matoi and Ruby Rose lived with them, then it would either give out two possibilities: someone was attracting attention to themselves in an idiotic attempt to fight against the two, or Mankanshoku's mother was lying through her teeth.

He seriously doubted the latter, considering how sincere the mother was. So if it was the first, then who in their right mind would want to catch the attention of our enemies? The only ones after both is simply the entirety of Honnoji Academy, as per Lady Satsuki's will. And while he has known Satsuki to use any means at her disposal to fight an enemy for a greater goal, he doubted she would try to hurt her own students purposely for the sake of hurting another. It was always if they stood in the way of her goals, or were to be punished for open defiance of her will and law-a proper way, specifically.

Next came that agent with the mohawk. And while it was clear he was willing to use underhanded tactics, he didn't think that the man would do such a thing to Mankanshoku. At worst, he simply took her out of the fight non-lethally, and is simply so focused on Matoi that he probably couldn't care less for the girl.

With all of that in mind, it only left one other person: the one assigned to hunt down Ruby Rose…

Gamagoori's head turned toward Honnoji, as a slight hint of rage started to build up inside-only noted by the gritting of his teeth, and the name running through his head making him want to spit on his enemies graves. Quietly he pulled out a small cell phone-dwarfed entirely by the palm of his hand-and called the one person he knew needed to know this...

"Yes, Inumuta...I have some information for you regarding your investigation of Kazuya Ichiro."

Title Reference: The is Better than the Catch.

…...ooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! DAMMITFUCKSONOFABITCHSHITASSMUTHAFU-

* has stopped responding, rebooting*

*sigh* Hello ladies and gentlemen! How are you, has it been nice here at ? I hope so, I really do.

Anyway, it's time to WELCOME BACK CRIMSON INCANDESCENCE...once again...dammit.

Well, getting into the nitty gritty, it's been far too long since I updated CI-far longer than the last chapter-that I feel like I've gotten a little rusty here. On one hand, this chapter has a couple of good spots. I feel in particular that the beginning is good, and Ruby's conversation with Ryuko is also good. While other parts are rather lacking...the way I write third-person in particular has been losing it's luster to me (With that in mind, please tell me what you guys think, that would be really appreciated).

Now, going into the smaller details of the chapter. First and foremost, I didn't write the small falling out between Ryuko and Senketsu to be as bad as it was in the anime. There's a good reason, of course, because I believe that with Ruby around to watch Ryuko, her personality becomes a lot more softer and kinder far earlier than it does in the anime. Now, don't get me wrong, this is still Ryuko Matoi we're talking about here. And considering how the anime gets the more down the road it gets, and well...you know-anything can happen.

The conversation between Ryuko and Ruby I wrote in a way that I hoped would show that Ruby wasn't as badly affected by the attacks as Ryuko was. I highly believe that, since Ruby has had to deal with some shit back home (NOTE: this all takes place before volume 3, in case you get confused that this is about...that...or that...as well as that...and, dear god, that.), that Ruby could essentially pick herself back up easier from a small scrape than from what happens in volume 3. After all, her friends are still alive and kicking, so what does she have to worry about.

In addition, since Ruby would still be Ruby. I also believe that she would try to encourage Ryuko no matter what. Because it's Ruby: that girl tries to stay positive no matter what!...well, at least until her friends are hurt...

...Talking about the moment in the tram between Ruby and Ryuko. I also wanted to make it seem that Ruby is fiercely protective of her friends, and that hurting her friends is a big no-no. That said, I really do hope I didn't just make Ruby have an out-of-character moment here. Ruby does change as the story goes along (particularly around the end of this part of the story), but I don't want it to be seen as so sudden. I want to build this up over the course of this part, and I'm hoping that this will be the jumping off point for that...not the diving part.

Kazuya Ichiro...so, how is he? I wanted to write a character-specifically Two-Star-that was a lot more characterized than most of the others in the show, and I think I did a good job of doing that. On one hand, he plays a hand of sympathy and respect with his peers, yet if you look more closely, you start to notice something…"off" about him. A clear lack of fear towards those supposedly higher than him in status or power. Not to mention the feeling that he's more aware of what's going on than most other characters so far. It's almost like he's playing a game… (and like I feel I said too much.)

Now, the ending. I feel I rushed it a bit. Sure, I feel like the end fight is rather good on it's own, but one can't help and feel that the way it shifts to the end is a little too fast here. Though, with that said, the next part is going to be practically nothing but a big fight scene, so who knows, maybe it's fine as it is. Oh, and yes, I'm leaving it on a cliffhanger for now. I believed that putting the entire fight into one chapter would be enough, but when you get to writing, it flows in a way that makes itself, I'm afraid. So the climax will be in the next chapter...and god! Hopefully it's worth it.

All in all, a mixed chapter, I feel. Though in no way a really bad one. I also wrote the ending with the idea that Satsuki-getting suspicious of Kazuya-sent Gamagoori to check on the Mankanshoku's purposely, just so make sure Ichiro isn't trying to get in on the whole "take over the world" kinda thing, ya' know. Still, some context will definitely be needed so we might as well add it in the future if we can!

Now...on the subject of the next chapter...or on the way this story will be updated in the future, specifically. From now on, I'm going to see if I can update this story at least once a month. I know this sounds bad, but I have some reasons here that I can explain…

...First, when I started writing this story, I had a ball with it. I absolutely wanted to finally write a fanfic that I could stick to and share my ideas with people, and it seemed like this was the one that could jumpstart that. So I started writing this, updating frequently with several chapters coming in about maybe twice a month...and then I promptly burned myself out, leading to the whole unwarranted hiatus situation I've made in the past year or so. I don't want to do that all the time, so what I'm planning to do is try to keep myself consistent without driving me dry with a monthly schedule to do so. Hopefully, with that in mind, I'll be able to keep writing this story without any major problems, save for proper, well-warranted hiatuses or breaks from now on.

Of course, I'm only going to try this out for now. If I fail to live up to that solution, then good god, I hope I come back to a screaming mass of people telling me to get my shit together when I visit the next time. With that being said, however, please don't expect an immediate chapter up at the beginning of next month. I'm going on vacation within the middle of the month with family, and I probably won't have much time to write during that time, not to mention Christmas on the horizon. Still, please expect a chapter around the next month in 2017...along with something else.

...You see, I've been thinking. And now that I've thunked and all, I've kinda been...working on something else for the last month or so. Not another fanfic, no, but something more originally made. As in, not based on an actual IP from someone else like most fanfiction (though certainly taking inspiration from them, that much is certain). I've been having this idea run around in my head for awhile now, and I believe I should capitalize on it and make it something worthwhile. So with that in mind, I'm planning to write an original work and post it up on the internet.

Now, it won't be here, and I don't think I'm going to post it to FictionPress, though I could think about it in the future. Instead, I'm thinking of setting up two sites for Wordpress and using that as the place to find this story. I don't have them up right now, but it'll be soon-the first one within the next week or so, and the next after I get back from vacation. If you want to know more, then keep to my personal Tumblr for more details in the future. Just look it up on Google or Tumblr, it'll be "CrazeStasis's Page of HORRORS (and insanity, hi!)"

As for that "idea" of mine, I can't spoil much. What I can tell you is that it'll be updated on a bi-weekly basis each month (unlike CI, I'm planning on making the chapters smaller, at least around 10 pages in comparison to CI's full 15 to 20 page chapters on Google Drive). It'll begin out as a sort of superhero story, before it begins to branch out and show a world much bigger. The story in question will be insanely long! And finally...it's associated most with the number three…

So there you have it, information on what I'm planning for the future. Like I said, keep an eye on my Tumblr for info. I'll tell you guys more over the course of the month. Oh, and the first site from Wordpress will be a personal sort of blog, while the second will be the "idea" of mine. Almost forgot to mention that!

Ahh...so, with that out of the way. Yes, I've been keeping up on RWBY Vol. 4, and the episode today was AMAZING! I won't spoil much, you guys just gotta see it when it releases for everyone tomorrow, or if you have a FIRST account on Rooster Teeth. I've also been watching several movies over the course of the year. Warcraft was fucking awesome (FUCK THE CRITICS!), Doctor Strange was awesome (FUCK YEAH, THIS MOVIE WAS AWESOME!), and Fantastic Beasts was also awesome (FUCK YEAH, WE'RE ACTUALLY GETTING OUT OF FUCKING HOGWARTS AND SEEING THE REST OF THE WIZARDING WORLD, YEAH!) and...well, I'm still waiting for Assassin's Creed (FUCK YEAH, IT ACTUALLY HAD A FAR BETTER SECOND TRAILER THAN THE FUCKING K-WEST "I am a God" HORSESHIT TEASER TRAILER!).

In terms of video games, I've been getting into Tyranny. I've been revisiting Dishonored (it's sequel has been released, so I might as well get it for consoles, considering the PC version apparently has problems) and Skyrim (I ended up getting the special edition for free thanks to owning the original). And I've been getting real into Cities: Skylines...yeah, I know, it's weird. I'm actually using it to map out the main city for that "idea" of mine, so there's also that.

And of course so much more that I can't think about right now! I've got so much planned for the next year right now that I'm almost worried if I could run dry discussing about it all. So for now, I'll leave it all at that for now.

With that in mind, remember to REVIEW-as feedback is always appereciated-and if you want, you can favorite or follow me or Crimson Incandescence. You don't have to, it's all up to you, but it does make me feel all fuzzy inside...in a good way...not that way. (god...not that way.)

Now, where's that chapter title clue...hmm...ahhh! There we go:

Chapter 8: Well fast as lightning anda gun, your shadow's got you onthe run! You're such a fight I said you're the one, and I will only tell you once...You're in trouble!

For Fun, Fedora's, and Insanity...PEACE!

-CrazeStasis.