NOTE: I do not own either RWBY, RWBY Chibi or Kill la Kill. RWBY and RWBY Chibi belongs to the late Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth, and Kill la Kill belongs to studio TRIGGER and Hiroyuki Imaishi…
This was probably the latest that Ruby Rose had ever stayed up before. Back at Beacon, the school had a routine curfew that kept students from staying up and out in the city for too long, and making sure they were still able to have class without falling asleep. It was a generous curfew, to be sure, but still a curfew. And even before she started attending Beacon, Ruby always had a set bedtime so that she was properly up and ready for the world when she awoke.
This became less lenient as she grew up, but she still followed it well enough. By that time, the only nights where she stayed up past her bedtime were if she really had to cram the homework in-something which continued even as she transferred from Signal to Beacon.
During that time, her general bedtime was around ten thirty to eleven. Tonight, she had stayed up until one thirty.
There was a very good reason for this. After all, Ruby found that the extra time was great for stretching in some well needed practice. She remembered the various times before she found herself in Honnoji-the near death experience she had with the Nevermore and the Death Stalker, the sneak attack by Roman at the pier, the accident with the White Fang after falling into Mount Glenn…
Man...that was embarrassing.
Getting in some extra practice would work in her favor in the long run, she thought. So here she was, swinging and spinning Crescent Rose around at invisible enemies she tried to envision as Grimm. It was working well, in all honesty.
I wonder...would Ryuko like to have some training? She did have that devastating loss against the Mohawk man from before.
As if to answer her question, a nearby trash can promptly flew in her general direction and, with one swift movement, Ruby cut it in half. And as she started to feel glad about how it wasn't filled with trash like she thought it'd be, she also heard a distinct and familiar voice call her name.
Ruby looked up. Ryuko Matoi was standing in front of her-her scissor blade drawn out, a confused expression on her face, and her leg risen up as if to kick something…"something" in this case likely being the trash can that flew at her. The two of them stared at each other, before Ruby's face turned red and she started hiding Crescent Rose behind her as she started flustering her words, "Ryuko! Hi! H-How'd you get here...Wait, how long have you been out?!"
Ryuko blinked, "First, hi! Second, I walked here, like I usually do. I just took a detour this time. And three, I've been out since school this morning, and I've been wandering or talking with people ever since."
"Ah! I see! Well welcome back! I-I'm afraid you missed dinner tonight. Sukuyo made...mystery croquettes, like usual!" Ruby spoke excitedly, trying her best to keep Crescent Rose out of Ryuko's sight as much as humanly possible.
In response Ryuko, though still confused, kept a rather blank look as she looked at Ruby. "What are you doing with Crescent Rose at one thirty in the morning?"
"Oh, just…" she sighed, "...I'm just training myself in case the people at Honnoji have something up their sleeves, you know?"
"I see…" Ryuko said with a slight smile and a sigh. She walked over to the nearest wall and leaned her back against it, before she slid down and sat on the ground. "Well...don't let me stop you. I'd like to talk about a few things though if you don't mind."
Ruby looked over at Ryuko, wondering what would be so important that she'd put off bedtime to talk this late at night. Ryuko looked up at Ruby, and soon Ruby noticed something about Ryuko's eyes that she hadn't seen before: a look of worry.
...No, it wasn't the kind of worry like it would've been when Ryuko came close to dying at certain times, or from the possibility that she may lose the chance to discover what happened to her father. Those moments were often far flung and uncommon-certainly there, but not as often. No, that worry was often centered around herself...this worry she saw in her eyes was another thing entirely…
"Ryuko...is something the matter?" She asked, her voice softer than usual.
Ryuko stared at her as her eyes narrowed, and her hands tightened into balls. "Ruby...first I want to know...is Kazuya still going to attack us?"
A cloud of spite immediately entered Ruby's mind as she remembered the events from before. Kazuya had tried to play everyone for fools, and it would almost certainly have worked had she not realized it sooner. She bit her bottom lip and furrowed her brow as she groaned in frustration, "No...I was approached by one of the Elite Four yesterday as I was leaving school...he told me not to worry and accept the academy's most gracious apology for his actions. When I asked if that meant they killed Kazuya, he told me that he was expelled instead-stripped of his rank and officially let go by the school...he shouldn't be a threat any longer…"
Ryuko breathed a sigh of relief as Ruby finished, "He said that Kazuya's poisoning of Mako is against their policies toward students-that only those with a an actual wrong can receive punishment. Kazuya's poisoning of Mako was towards someone who technically did nothing wrong beyond being our friend. As a result, Satsuki had him expelled…"
"I see, then good riddance to that bastard...which one came and apologized?" Ryuko asked curiously. Ruby blinked, as her memory jumped back in time to the point that she met him.
"Let's see...It's the guy with the blue hair? Who wears glasses and opens the neckline of his coat to talk...yeah, it's that one."
"Oh, yeah. His name was...Inumuta? Yeah, Inumuta. He's the smug guy who handles information."
"That's him. Where'd you learn about the information handling though?"
"Come on, Ruby. Don't you walk around the halls and listen to people talk or just speed around like you do to and from home?"
"You got me there." Ruby said with a flustered grin-her hand rubbing the back of her head. She had been here for more than a few weeks, and yet she had never taken the time to stop and figure out who her opposition was beyond Satsuki Kiryuin, the Elite Four, the One-Stars and Two-Stars, and...Kazuya Ichiro.
God, can't I just get that name out of my darn head!
The sound of a cough brought her back to the world, and Ruby looked down at Ryuko as she looked at her with a much more serious-though still worried-look on her face. "There's another thing I want to talk about...it's something that I've discussed with Senketsu here as well…" She glanced down at her uniform, whose single eye looked up back at her. Confused, Ruby remained quiet as Ryuko began to explain what was going on.
"-You see, I've begun to notice a trend here...it's probably been around since we first started school here, but I've seen it more and more with each passing day. When we first started out, I was rather confident taking on Fukuroda and Hakodate, maybe even smug about it. I thought I could go through everything from the bottom of the barrel and have everything sorted out with Senketsu here within a few weeks since I found him...then I actually 'fought' Satsuki."
Ruby's brow furrowed while Ryuko's hand clenched into a fist, "I tried to fight her solo, and practically got flattened for the first few minutes until you stepped in. Then, a few days later, I meet Mohawk man for the first time and get into a fight with him that nearly cost me Senketsu, not to mention my own life when I made it clear I wasn't backing down. Both times I've been beaten regardless of whether or not I have Senketsu to rely on here. And even with Fukuroda and Hakodate, I've had to rely on Senketsu to fight them properly...Fukuroda demonstrated that clearly enough when he kicked my ass on our first day here."
Ruby didn't know exactly where this conversation was going, but she was starting to get worried regardless. She blinked, "What is it you're trying to say, Ryuko?"
Ryuko looked up at her, "Throughout each and every one of those conflicts, you've been there to help or save me. You held off the academy thugs on the first day for me, you rescued Mako and made it easier for me to fight Fukuroda one-on-one. When Hakodate was winning in our game of tennis, you recommended I use the scissor blade instead, and it won us the game. Satsuki nearly had me, and you barreled in and rescued me, then helped me fight her to a standstill. And even with Mohawk-when that Kazuya bastard was giving you trouble-you managed to rescue us in the end. Every time, I've gotten into trouble, and you've had to help me…"
"...So that's what's going on." Ruby thought. She walked over and kneeled in front of her, "...And I'm happy to help, Ryuko. That's what friends are for."
"Yeah. But everytime I've tried to see something through myself, it's always fallen apart. Every time I've taken the fight to someone myself, I've gotten my ass kicked. Everytime someone close to me is in trouble, I'm late for the party. I just...I feel like I don't contribute in the slightest. You have to at least feel the same way, don't you?"
Ruby stood. Her expression was dead serious, and for a minute Ryuko thought she said something wrong. Before she could say anything else however, Ruby slammed the bottom end of Crescent Rose's shaft on the ground-embedding it in the earth-and inhaled before she said one, simple word.
"Nope!"
"...Nope?"
"Nope."
"Not even a little?"
"Nope!"
"Nope…"
Ruby smiled, "Nope." She bent down again, looking Ryuko in the eyes, "I don't believe in the slightest that you're weighing anyone or anything down. And it's true, maybe you've had a few unlucky fights here and there...so what! I've been ambushed before I even got to fight, got...got knocked out when I tried to fight-" She groaned as she finished the last of her sentence, before she immediately went back to normal, "-and once got snagged with my cape after screwing up in a fight. I've even lost to my sister at fighting games since we were children. I've been where you've been before...do I look like I've been dragging anyone down?"
Ryuko was looking at her intently-her interest piqued as she listened more and more to Ruby. Ruby reached out and placed her hand on Ryuko's shoulders, "Ryuko, you're one of the most amazing people I've met-next to my uncle, a friend of mine named Pyrrha, and another friend named Penny. You always face your opposition head on without a trace of fear or worry, and you've always come out on top-an occasional hiccup notwithstanding."
Ryuko stared at the girl in front of her as the words resonated in her head. Several times, she had doubted Ruby, thinking that all of the stuff that Ruby said or thought about her was just made to keep her spirits up, regardless of whether she really did believe them. Yet at every single moment like this, where she was doubting herself, Ruby was there to encourage her.
Ryuko couldn't help as her cheeks started turning red. She looked down, too embarrassed to look her in the eye directly. Ruby blinked, but paid little heed as she finished up what she was saying, "You shouldn't feel like you're useless, Ryuko. You're nothing of the sort. If you weren't around, I wouldn't have a clue what to do or where to go or what to do. I'd just be lost in this world with no one to show me back home. Mako wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you!"
Ryuko's mind took a pause-thinking about what Ruby told her. It was clear that while Ruby did help her multiple times in their previous fights with Honnoji, Ruby likely wouldn't be around to help if they didn't meet in the first place. Ruby would likely be far off on the other side of Japan, not even knowing what was going on...or worse, ending up as one of Satsuki's lackey's. She almost wanted to shudder at the thought of that last one.
Ryuko looked up at Ruby, and saw that she was still smiling. She began to open her mouth to speak, when she heard a rather masculine cough echo from downward. The two of them looked down at Senketsu, who blinked at the two of them with its singular eye. {If I could have a small word in, you are also the one who found me, Ryuko. We wouldn't be able to get this far if not for that moment, wouldn't you think so?}
Ryuko's mind went back to that day. It was one of the most embarrassing days of her life, in all truth. But he was right: this would've ended long ago if she didn't meet the two of them that day.
Ryuko smiled. She felt a sort of fluttering in her chest, like as if someone had taken a light from somewhere and planted it within her. Ruby's smile grew bigger, and she quietly furled Crescent Rose back into it's carry form before taking a seat right next to her.
"Thank you."
"No problem. That's what friends are for...whether their right beside you, or...or far away."
Ryuko looked over at Ruby, and saw that she was looking up towards the stars. The moonlight was lighting up her face, showing a genuine, if saddened expression. Ryuko paused, before she looked up at the stars too, and realized just how beautiful the night sky looked.
"Wow."
A cough interrupted her thought, and she heard Ruby speak, "Of course, if you're so upset about losing...you could train with me if you wanted to?"
Ryuko couldn't help but chuckle at the statement. With a smile she responded, "Alright then, I guess I could learn a thing or two more. Who knows, maybe I'll learn a few new things about my scissor blade...or you Senketsu! What do you think about that."
{I think it's a wonderful idea.} The uniform said-it's tone showing a clear approval for her words.
"-Alright! Then it's a deal. You can help me train for future fights, whenever you want to. In return, I-no, we-will help you in finding your way home. Me, Senketsu, the Mankanshoku's. Hell, I'll even rope in that perverted teacher too if I have to! Whaddya say." Ryuko said, holding out her hand to shake.
Ruby laughed, and took her hand with her own as they shook on the promise made. "I'll take that deal...as long as we can start tomorrow. I am super tired right now." Ruby said with a hint of humor in her voice.
Ryuko nodded, "First thing tomorrow, then?"
"First thing tomorrow."
The two smiled and got up, heading inside to avoid a sudden cold and to go to bed. As the two of them got into their futons and began to fall asleep, Ryuko went to bed with happy thoughts that she believed were lost long ago. And as she started to doze, she took a particular moment to think on the last thing she remembered from the conversation: the barely visible, but clear aura that emanated from their handshake. It's color a distinct shade of bright crimson.
He looked back up from the bridge on the outskirts of town to the academy high above.
It had been several hours since his expulsion was officially recognized by the academy. Since then, he had been packing his bags-taking the clothes he had, as well as any smaller things that he needed or wanted.
Most students, when stripped of their status as One-Stars or Two-Stars, were typically moved back to the lowest sections of the city and left to either try and persevere or rot. It wasn't the same case, however, for expelled students, who either needed to evacuate their designated home and leave the city, stay as a beggar in the slums...or face extreme punishments if they tried to keep their place of living.
Kazuya had chosen the former option. For one last moment, he looked up at the very top of the academy and smiled, before he turned and started walking away…
I hope you enjoy that spot at the top for as long as you'll have it, Lady Satsuki...Because the show has finally started, and you have a front row seat to the spectacle...The last one you'll ever see from up there…
Quietly, Kazuya disappeared into the fog and darkness-a darkness so thick that not even the light from the moon above could cut through it. And as the shadows surrounded him, the air throughout Honnoji Academy and the city below it silently began to grow colder with each passing minute…
Crimson Incandescence.
Chapter 9:Flight of Icarus.
The truck pulled in quietly, with only the hum of the engine to herald its arrival. Several One-Stars dressed in hazmat suits stood off to the side as the vehicle's backend edged closer to the drop off point before stopping completely. Shiro Iori, Houka Inumuta, and Uzu Sanageyama watched as they inched closer to the back of the truck and placed a platform under the tail end of the vehicle. As they backed away from the platform, the back end of the truck proceeded to expunge a series of containers from inside, which all came to rest on the platform with barely a sound.
Shiro walked up to the approaching driver carrying a clipboard, took the pen offered to him, and signed his name onto the order parchment. With that finished, he stood up straight and turned to address the One-Star worker's, "Right. Take the Life-Fibers to the vault, we'll continue our work from there."
With a salute, every One-Star marched up to the back of the case and pushed it straight into the elevator. Then, following the large case, the two members of the Elite Four present and Iori all stepped in. Inumuta took to a corner, resting himself against the wall, while Sanageyama walked to the very back wall and leaned on the surface-his hands in his pockets. Iori, meanwhile, simply took to the front, pressing a few buttons for the floors to stop at as the doors slid shut behind him.
Sanageyama looked over the top of the case to the inside, where a massive knot of Life-Fibers sat inside. "I wonder what Lady Satsuki is going to do with all of these Life-Fibers?"
"Mass Production of our Goku Uniforms. Did you think they'd be used for something else?" Iori responded.
"No. It's just that whenever we've proposed increasing the number of Two-Star Goku Uniforms for our ranks, she's shot it down."
"That's because prioritizing the quantity of club presidents runs the risk of lowering the quality. Lady Satsuki was always worried about that kind of problem."
Sanageyama nodded in understanding just as Inumuta cut in, "Regardless, she's decided that increasing the number of club presidents be effective immediately. My understanding would be that the arrival of Ryuko Matoi and Ruby Rose have pushed Lady Satsuki's plans up further than anticipated."
"Yeah-" Sanageyama said, "-Even that Anti-Uniform Guerilla fighter showed up a day or two ago, right?"
Iori started first, "Correct, and to take things even further, Lady Satsuki herself has donned a Goku Uniform."
"There are two people that can wear a Goku Uniform made from a hundred percent Life-Fibers and work without any problems. I personally find it hard to believe."
With a raised eyebrow, Sanageyama turned his head to Inumuta in surprise, "Oh! So even Information Chair Inumuta can find something he doesn't believe in? I would've thought little Red Riding Hood would do that for you?"
Inumuta sighed, "Indeed she has. The girl can move at speeds that would only be possible for high-end cars or fighter jets. She uses a weapon with no real apparent ability to combat Life-Fibers, yet can do just that with no problem-not to mention having a gun built into the damn thing. And, to rub salt into the wounds, she's dressed like a character from a fairy tale everywhere she goes…" He shrugged, expounding his exasperation, "It's all just one unbelievable thing after another around here...that's why Honnoji Academy's so interesting."
"...I see-" Sanageyama grinned and his brow furrowed as he felt a fire light up inside, "Personally, I'm here because I was told I could cut loose...and both that Matoi and Red Riding Hood are worthy of my full attention."
The elevator lurched to a stop almost instantly, and the doors slid open smoothly. With a grin still on his face, Sanageyama sauntered for the exit. Inumuta looked after him and narrowed his eyes in his direction, "Sanageyama...Have you forgotten that Lady Satsuki's order were for the Elite Four to wait and watch?"
"Oh, she really said that? Well then…" Sanageyama said-his tone of voice etched with mild sarcasm-before the doors closed behind him. Taking the time to smell the air, Sanageyama turned and began to walk towards his new destination: Lady Satsuki's mansion…
The Next Morning...
The roar that echoed up from the bottom of the front stairway to Honnoji made a few heads turn as they looked down to see what all the commotion was about...and then promptly started rushing themselves back up the stairs as what seemed like a fight between Ryuko Matoi and Ruby Rose slowly made it's way to the front gate.
Ryuko charged, yelling at the top of her lungs as she took a swing at Ruby, only to miss easily as the girl dodged and stepped a foot away from her. Undeterred, Ryuko pushed herself up into the air, sending another swing towards her with a spin. Ruby, with a rather content smile on her face, simply ducked under the blade and took a few more steps back-further up towards the gate to Honnoji.
Ruby looked at Ryuko-her silver eyes alight with more levity than usual. Her hands rested calmly at her sides as she moved and weaved through each attack that Ryuko used. A simple swing was met with a slight shift in the angle of her body, while a jab toward her head was responded with simple cock of the head.
This went on for a fair length of time longer, before Ryuko caught Ruby off guard. Not by attacking with her scissor blade, but by grabbing her by the wrist. Blinking in surprise, Ruby smirked-impressed-before she looked up to see Ryuko raising her scissor blade above her head. With a quick motion, Ruby simply sidestepped the blade as it came down over her head, before she used the blade as a way to step up higher and onto Ryuko's shoulder. Confused at the action, Ryuko didn't figure it out until she found her arm wrap itself around her neck and some pain began to spasm out from her wrist. Distracted, she lost her footing and spun around on the stair, letting go of Ruby as the girl jumped away.
With Ruby landing no more than a few feet away, and her own self falling down dizzily, Ryuko tossed her scissor blade straight towards the girl. Turning around just in time to see the weapon spinning straight at her, Ruby jumped to the other side of the stairway. With a quick shake of her head, Ryuko leaped toward her scissor blade, then at Ruby as she swung the weapon at her, which was dodged easily once again. Ruby moved further away from her, causing Ryuko to give chase.
Ruby's feet planted themselves onto the final step before the gate and looked at Ryuko as she charged at her and, with one final roar, swinged her scissor blade at Ruby diagonally. The blade cut through the air, inching closer to Ruby...before she disappeared in a cloud of rose petals. Ryuko couldn't tell what was going on then, until she looked above herself just enough to see the imprint of her boots flying over her head. Then, with only a small, notable feeling against her head, she felt Ruby springboard off of her while Ryuko went forward, rolling on the ground. Ryuko's body flailed as she was flung forward, until she was finally stopped by a wooden post in her way-knocking her head against the pole as she stopped.
With a gasp of air, Ryuko rubbed the back of her head with grit teeth while Senketsu took time to shake off the dirt that was covering his front. With a few blinks of his single eye, he looked up, {If this is how training is going to be every time, then I wonder if it's even worth the trouble…}
"Me too-" Ryuko said, "-Though, if I'm not mistaken, this is just for her to get a real handle on my skills out of Life-Fiber Synchronization...right?" Ryuko looked up towards the red cloaked girl as she walked up the stairs once more and straight towards her.
Ruby's smile was still spread across her lips as she walked over, "Yep! While it's almost certain you won't fight out of your transformed state, you're still far more powered up in that state than with what your body can accomplish naturally. So to start with training, I have to figure out what you can do, and how you fight without it in a basic format. Then we get to the same thing with your transformed state before we finally get to proper training. Do you understand now, Senketsu?"
{Basically, this is an introductory test to the real training. I see now.}
Ruby reached out a hand to help Ryuko up, "Sorry. We haven't even gotten to the basics of Aura, so I'm guessing that last move kinda hurt, didn't it?"
Ryuko smirked, "Please, I got beaten senseless when I first arrived here. A simple smack against the head won't do jack against me here."
The two of them chuckled as Ruby pulled Ryuko up onto her feet and helped to dust her off. With a smile, the two fistbumped before Ruby tilted her body to the side and looked past Ryuko towards the wooden post. It stood behind Ryuko with a massive sign at the top, "Speaking of which, when did that get here? I don't remember any signs being placed down yesterday…"
Ryuko scoffed, "-It's probably some kind of new law or order that Kiryuin wants everyone to follow to the letter-" She said in a mocking tone, raising two fingers in each hand and making a quotation motion, "-Why don't we see if this stump can make for great...firewood?"
Ryuko paused in silence, trailing off as she read the sign with inaudible mutters. Ruby watched, unnerved, before Ryuko's eyes narrowed and she turned to walk off towards the college, "Finally…"
"Ryuko?" Ruby asked, before her eyes turned to look at the sign as well. What she read on there made her stomach flip…
"CHALLENGE TO A DUEL! Ryuko Matoi of Second Year Class K. I will be waiting in the Kendo club dojo after school."
"-Sanageyama."
Sanageyama...as in Uzu Sanageyama, one of the Elite Four. Ruby stared at the sign with her jaw slack-her eyes wide at the realization of just who called for a duel. She turned around to look at Ryuko, and saw that she was already halfway across the courtyard.
"Ryuko, wait!" She called out to her, as she rushed to catch up with her-a distinct feeling of wariness flooding her mind...
The long hours of waiting had attracted quite a crowd to the dojo. Multitudes of students from all grades and levels-be they No-Stars or Two-Stars-all crowded into the main court to watch what was sure to be a major spectacle…
Among the crowd, Mako Mankanshoku jumped and popped out from the crowd in multiple places, looking in awe at the sole member of the Elite Four standing alone in the middle of the room. Off in the very back, Aikurou Mikisugi looked on in the full disguise he always wore to school-watching with an expression of pure boredom, and retreading the very thoughts of his mind with the exact opposite. And in a massive balcony above, where they could watch on without any interruptions, were the remaining members of the Elite Four: Ira Gamagoori, Houka Inumuta, and Nonon Jakuzure.
Jakuzure was laying down on a rather luxurious seat adorned with various animal plushes and candies-her head resting on one hand as she watched with a very irate look. Gamagoori and Inumuta, meanwhile, flanked the girl at both sides of what could only be considered a very extravagant couch with their arms crossed.
A barely heard growl escaped Jakuzure as she sullenly began to speak, "The monkey beat us to the punch...If I had gotten permission from Satsuki to move on either of them, I would've taken her out first!"
Jakuzure looked down as her thoughts went back to the announcement earlier today, and immediately she felt an instantaneous desire to bash her head against a wall for a few minutes. From that little moment, she also wondered why-if Sanageyama could at least take on-and excusing her own french here for a moment-the scissor-bitch, then why not the fairy tale wannabe that often flanked her? Both were clearly a threat to her-with the former actively attacking their forces, and the latter either jumping in after it becomes too much for Matoi or countering anyone sent after her. Yet it was stated that Sanageyama could fight Matoi and Matoi only. There was to be no one touching Ruby Rose in the slightest!
She could almost cook it up to a sort of special plan that Satsuki had in mind, but she hadn't heard anything from her about such a thing...which increasingly made her believe in a distinct possibility: Satsuki is scared of Ruby Rose.
Just how would that be possible...Satsuki doesn't fear anyone. How could one girl make Satsuki afraid?
As Jakuzure's thoughts trailed on, thinking about the many possibilities for what was going on, Inumuta looked over toward Gamagoori, "Where's Lady Satsuki?"
Gamagoori raised his head, "She's opted out of this one-says this battle isn't worth watching."
Jakuzure paused for a moment, before the realization of what Gamagoori said finally hit her. She looked up at him, "What's that supposed to mean!?"
Before any of them could say anything more. The crowd started to part, and the Elite Four's attention immediately turned, "They're here…"
"So you've come, Matoi."
The voice of Sanageyama echoed throughout the room as the crowd parted for the two of them. Ruby stopped at Ryuko's side and looked forward, with Sanageyama standing alone at the center of the room. Looking up, she could see a large balcony-nearly empty, if not for the three figures sitting alone and watching from above. With a slight gulp she looked over at Ryuko-whose smile was much, much bigger than usual…
"I was called out by name from one of the Elite Four, how in the hell could I run away from a golden opportunity like that...isn't that right Sat...suki?" She looked up, then looked around to see where the queen bee was.
Ruby sighed as she looked over at Ryuko, "She's not here...it's likely she doesn't have time for it today."
"Well damn, and here I thought we were going to have a big audience today…"
Sanageyama smirked, "I wouldn't fret, Matoi-you already have an audience right here. The No-Stars all the way to the Three-Stars!" He pointed up toward the balcony, where the other three members of the Elite Four were sitting, "-Isn't that enough of an audience, Ryuko Matoi!?"
Ryuko glanced around at the people surrounding them. There were hundreds of people here today, ready to watch either Sanageyama or herself get beaten down. She smiled as she pulled her scissor blade out from the pouch around her waist, "Well, when you put it that way. I guess this crowd will be enough to see me kick your ass!"
Sanageyama watched as the scissor blade grew to it's normal size. With a toothy grin he let out a soft chuckle before he spoke up, "I like your spirit...So let's pass on the pleasantries and get right to it!"
Three flashes from the neck of his coat caught Ruby's attention, and she could barely make note of the three stars stitched into the fabric before a bright flash of green light caused nearly everyone in the room-save Ryuko and the rest of the Elite Four-to cover their eyes. When the light finally died down and everyone could have a good look at Sanageyama, nearly everyone's jaw dropped at the sight.
Ruby blinked in confusion as she looked at him. The first thing she noticed was that he was gigantic-a lot like Gamagoori's average size on a good day. His entire body was covered in heavy armor strong enough to withstand a blast from a cannon or, in her own experience, a punch from her own raging sister. On his back were two large, rotary packs sticking out of each shoulder that seemed built to fire some form of ammunition. And at the head sat a uniquely shaped helm reaching out from both sides of his head and far upward, while his face hid behind a faceguard with multiple holes to see through. Ruby nearly fell foward at the sight of it, and could only mutter one thing from under her breath, "It's...like a Kamui?"
"Yes…" Sanageyama's voice was muffled by the suit, but still perfectly audible enough to hear, "...It's not just your Kamui or weapons that can transform!"
A massive grin spread out over Ryuko's face as she saw the massive suit of armor in front of her, "I'm impressed! I guess I'll do the same then…" Ryuko brought her gloved arm up and started reaching for the pin attached to it, when another hand grabbed her wrist and stopped her. Ryuko looked over at Ruby, who held her wrist to stop her, and noticed that her expression was far more worried, "Ruby?"
Sanageyama inched forward slightly, "Ruby Rose. I am not to fight you under order from Lady Satsuki. However, I also demand that you do not interfere with this duel...or someone may have to remove you from the premises," Sanageyama said. And as he finished his sentence, the overwhelming presence of Gamagoori started radiating from above.
Both Ruby and Ryuko turned their heads to Sanageyama as they retracted what they just heard. Satsuki ordered Sanageyama to fight Ryuko, but not Ruby? Why was that the case?
Ruby, pausing to retrace herself, raised a hand up and grinned meekly, "Sorry! Can me and Ryuko just have a minute before you start?" Sanageyama stared at them for awhile, before he sighed and relented.
Ruby turned to Ryuko, who looked at her confused, "Ruby? Do you know about this?"
"No, and that's not what we should be focusing on right now. What we should be worried about is Sanageyama over there-" She pointed toward Sanageyama, "-Aren't you a little bit worried about how this might go down?"
"Not really...I'll just keep going until I finally beat him."
"I don't think that's a good idea, Ryuko. You don't even know what he's capable of."
"I don't need to, I'll power through his sorry ass and knock him out cold…"
{Ryuko, I'm gonna have to agree with Ruby on this one. We'll likely get ourselves killed if we throw caution to the wind…} Senketsu spoke up, his singular eye looking up at his wearer with a wary stare.
Ryuko contemplated the situation. It's true that she didn't know anything about any of the Elite Four or how they fought. It was clear to her that just charging in and taking him head-on was probably the stupidest move she could pull. But at the same time she couldn't help but have this intense desire to finish this as fast as possible, get one obstacle in her way, and move on to the main course. Was that really so bad to have?
With a sigh she looked Ruby directly in the eyes, "Then what kind of idea do you have in mind?"
Ruby scratched the back of her head, glancing at Sanageyama as he stood a few feet away, before returning to her, "At least play it cautiously...take the first few moments slow and try to find an opening...or, at least, keep the 'finding an opening' your top priority. Anything that you can find and exploit: use it. Alright?"
Ryuko nodded her head, and Ruby stepped back to let Ryuko do her thing, "Now, where were we?" She pulled on the pin of her Seki Tekko and immediately became bathed in red light. And as she reemerged from it, a familiar phrase flooded the room immediately…
Life Fiber Synchronize: Kamui Senketsu!
...The light died away, and the room was once more filled with raucous swooning as the student body looked upon Ryuko's transformed state. Ruby stepped at the edge of the crowd with a soft groan as she heard the voices of hundreds. She had almost forgotten that Senketsu transformed into...that instead of a normal, cool looking kind of battlegear. Well, it's cool...but, seriously, does it really have to show that much skin?
With a deep breath she tried to focus on the duel as best as possible without getting embarrassed. Before she could, though, she heard a familiar face echoing out through the crowd and looked around to see Mako Mankanshoku approaching her,
"Mako! You're finally back up and at em' huh?" She said with a smile. Mako turned to her with an absolutely ecstatic expression.
"Ruby! Did you know that Ryuko's been called out to a duel by one of the Elite Four!? This is insane! I only just figured this out earlier after being out sick for the last few days!"
"Yeah, I know. I was there."
"You were!? I was really out of it so I didn't know anything major was going down today until I arrived earlier today! I thought for a moment that you and Ryuko were part of my imaginary friends, so I went to school before you two! But then I realized after I asked a One-Star if you actually existed and told me so!"
"Yeah...that sounds like you're alright!"
"Uh-huh! So I found the sign at the front of the gate and came here, where I've been waiting for Ryuko to fight an Elite Four! Speaking of which, where is Ryuko? You two are usually always together…"
Ruby chuckled as she walked up to Mako and turned her head towards the center of the room. With Ryuko front and center, Mako smiled and cheered out to her, "Ah! Ryuko! There you are! Go and beat him at his own game! You can do it-definitely!"
Ruby sighed, "Yep...classic Mako."
The staredown between them left the entire room in silence. With each student in the room-from poverty stricken No Stars to the right hand Three-Stars above-watching intently, waiting for the first move to be made. Ruby and Mako watched with entirely opposite looks in their eyes as they held their breath. Mako's was filled with the uncompromising kindness and optimism she always had. Ruby's eyes, however, had fear and worry plaguing them incessantly.
The smallest sounds were deafening. The whispers of the occasional student heard from all across the room. But no one moved from where they stood...all of them had their eyes on the scene: awaiting what would happen.
When it began, no one surrounding the fight could see it happen, beyond the Elite Four and Ruby. Ryuko charged, pushing off from the floor, launching herself forward so fast that Ruby herself was caught off guard with her speed. In a millisecond Ryuko was likely a foot away from Sanageyama when she forcefully brought her scissor blade down in a vertical motion, cutting Sanageyama in half…
...At least, that's what it looked like. Until Sanageyama's form split in half and dissipated right in front of Ryuko-a look of disbelief on her face as her opponent appeared right behind her. Ruby looked on wide eyed as she realized that Sanageyama could move fast-bulky armor regardless.
Skidding to a stop, Ryuko turned around, just in time to react fast and bring her scissor blade up to block her side as Sanageyama took a swat at her with a large shinai, sending her flying right towards Mako and Ruby in the crowds. Thinking fast, Ruby turned, grabbed Mako, and blasted the two of them out of the way. With neither of her friends in her way, Ryuko slammed into the crowd, which immediately went flying in multiple directions from the impact.
Ruby didn't know where to fly to, and simply decided that "upward" was a perfect enough choice. Trying to stop her flight, she reached out to grab something that could stop her, and managed to yank onto something: Ira Gamagoori's outstretched arm.
Both Mako and Ruby looked at him in surprise, "Gamagoori?"
"Disciplinary Committee Chair Ira Gamagoori." He responded with both bombast and composure. Ruby stared in shock, wondering if she should let go and drop back into the crowd with Mako. Until Gamagoori pulled the both of them into the balcony and dropped them into a row of seats...right between him, Inumuta, and Jakuzure.
Still in shock, Ruby repeatedly shifted between the three of them as Inumuta greeted the two of them, "Hello Miss Rose. Mankanshoku. You officially have some of the best seats in the house now."
"Huh!?" Ruby uttered, dumbfounded, "B-B-But aren't you guys the highest order in the school? Shouldn't you be kicking us out of here to have it for yourselves!?"
Gamagoori scoffed at the notion, "These balconies are free for anyone to use. They simply choose not to because they both rightfully fear us and because we do so before them.
"That, and the lack of our Lady Satsuki works in your favor...unfortunately." Jakuzure finished-her eyes rolling as the last word was spoken with a tinge of malice in it. Ruby glanced down at her, then both at Gamagoori and Inumuta, who were instead focusing on the match below instead of her. With a gulp of air, Ruby swallowed in her dread and looked back down at the duel as it continued.
Dragging her scissor blade against the wood floor, Ryuko walked out from the mess of a crowd that stood or lay around her with grit teeth. Her eyes focused on Sanageyama, she strafed to the left and leapt upward with a yell as she aimed to bring her blade down on him. As it was about to hit him, however, his entire upper half dodged to the left...then to the right as she took another swing...then a quick duck, another right, a left!
Then Ryuko felt the air leave her lungs, as she saw the butt end of a massive shinai smash into her abdomen. Gasping for breath, she slammed her foot down to gain traction and stopped herself just in time to have another shinai barreling at her. With a quick dodge, she was barely grazed before another one was aimed straight towards her head, and with a reflexive raise of her blade, she managed to half-assedly block it in time. Unfortunately, she also flew back, disorientated from the blow-just enough for Sanageyama to capitalize on.
He took aim with his arm, planning to shoot Ryuko...and immediately lowered it down to her feet. With a quick smash from the shinai, the ground underneath her blew upward, causing her to flip up into the air just a foot from the attack. With her senses completely thrown for a loop, Ryuko could only react by raising her arm up before she was smacked against a shinai and sent flying backwards.
Rolling to a stop as she landed onto the floor, Ryuko quickly got up as fast as she could, trying to keep up with everything that was going on in front of her. As she raised her head up, she instinctively moved to the side-just as another shinai flew right by her side. Her thoughts working on overdrive, she immediately started to swing her scissor blade...and slashed right into another of the larger shinai, stopping halfway through it as it split in half.
Her eyes widening in surprise at her handiwork, Ryuko looked back at Sanageyama-who stood a fair distance away-with a sly grin as she pushed her blade through the rest of the shinai and began to bring it back around for a counterattack...only to be smashed in the face with a shinai.
Flying backwards, she slammed into the wall behind her with another gasp before she started to fall to the ground...before Sanageyama fired another one right into her face and plastered her against the wall.
Grabbing the end of the shinai that pressed her face into the wall, Ryuko glared at Sanageyama as he looked at her with narrowed eyes, "I can see all your moves!" Then, with his other arm, he pulled out another one and swinged into her side, before spinning around and shooting her to the other end of the room. With a crack, she smashed into the wall-concrete wall flying outward before it sputtered to the ground or bonked a few students on the head.
"RYUKO!?" Both Ruby and Mako called out, their eyes growing wide with worry. Meanwhile, on their side, Gamagoori looked at the place where Ryuko smashed into with a stern look of anger, before he turned to Sanageyama…
"Your mission is taking out Matoi, NOT DESTROYING SCHOOL PROPERTY-SANAGEYAMA!"
Sanageyama looked up and retorted back, "WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOING, JACKASS! WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU EVEN ON HERE!"
"LADY SATSUKI, YOU INGRATE!"
"OH, OF COu-of course you are. Why am I even asking-"
Just as Sanageyama finished his sentence, he reacted with ease as Ryuko suddenly flew out from the dust and smashed into him with her scissor blade. With a single block of the attack, he sent her flying, only to land a few feet away from him before she motioned to move to his side...and immediately disappeared in a blur of speed. Ruby and Mako looked on from the balcony with their jaws slack, before Mako grinned vividly and turned to Ruby, "RUBY! LOOK! SHE'S DOING WHAT YOU DO!"
Ruby looked on in surprise-noticing earlier when Ryuko's lips had spoken. Despite her inability to lip read, she could immediately guess that she was telling Senketsu to move faster than normal. Regardless, Ruby looked on, impressed, with a smile on her face…
...A smile which slowly disappeared in the following moments. As Ryuko moved throughout the room-jumping through the ceiling and appearing in various areas of the court. She moved once more, skidded to a stop, and immediately felt a presence behind her. Unable to react, she immediately felt something bash into her head hard. Yelping in pain, Ryuko rolled forward, before raising her scissor blade up forward with grit teeth as Sanageyama appeared in front of her and laughed heartily, "No matter how fast you can move, you can't escape my sight! BEHOLD-"
Sanageyama's eyes went wide and he grinned maliciously under his faceguard, before he called outward, "Secret Weapon: HIGH TENGANTSU!" Within seconds, his eyes started moving rapidly, looking everywhere, before several flaps opened around his armor. Several lights began to flash from within-following the exact same, rapid motion that his own eyes were doing. Sanageyama grinned maliciously, "As long as I have these eyes, I can figure out the next movement my opponent makes before they even act!"
Both Ryuko and Ruby up above looked on with their jaws slack, "What!?"
"How is that possible!?" Ruby called out, her eyes wide with disbelief. Flinching at the sound of her voice, Jakuzure turned her head upward and glared at the girl for making her ears ring. Inumuta, meanwhile, cleared his throat and began to explain, "With every motion a human's body makes, there is a preparatory motion makes. They can be from the eyes, the muscles, or other sources. Sanageyama reads those preparatory motions, takes them all into account, and preempts himself to react for any move his opponent makes. That is the Tengantsu, which his Goku Uniform amplifies to incredible levels."
"Meaning Sanageyama can see everything around him without a single problem?" Jakuzure said, "My, Mr. Wild Monkey's managed to learn some new tricks. Isn't that right, Red Riding Hood?" Jakuzure finished the sentence with a tone of mockery towards Ruby, before pushing the end of her baton into Mako's cheek with a smug grin on her face.
Ruby looked down, saw what Jakuzure was doing, and-with a disapproving glare toward the girl-swatted the baton away from Mako's face. Jakuzure blinked in confusion at what happened, before she looked toward Ruby with a spiteful expression of her own. The two continued to stare afterwards, with Ruby's look pretty much saying exactly what she was thinking, "I don't care if you're a member of the Elite Four. Be nice, or you'll be the next one down there for a fight."
Gamagoori cleared his throat, grabbing everyone's attention, "Is that what Lady Satsuki meant when she said this fight was not worth watching? But-"
"That's not how I heard it at all." Inumuta responded, his voice as monotone as ever. Gamagoori sighed, before he returned to watching the bout with a stern frown. Jakuzure herself glanced back at Inumuta, before returning to the fight below-trying her best to ignore the two underachievers lingering just above her seat. Ruby, however, turned back to the three of them each as a thought entered her mind…
"Well, umm...I'm sure that my input probably amounts to nothing here-"
"-Obviously." Jakuzure said, deadpan.
Ruby ignored her and continued, "-But, you-Inumuta?-you said that Sanageyama needs to see the attack by 'seeing' it's preparatory-it is preparatory, right?-preparatory motion first?"
"Indeed." Inumuta said.
"So then...wouldn't you just have to blind him in order to win?"
...For a moment, the balcony was silent-everyone remaining the same as they were throughout the fight. Then, as the realization dawned on them the three remaining Elite Four reacted appropriately-with Jakuzure pulling the sucker out from her slackened mouth, Gamagoori raising his brow as he looked at Ruby impressed, and Inumuta facepalming as he muttered uncharacteristically under his breath, "Ah fuck."
Back down below, Ryuko was doing her best to block each and every attack thrown her way. Senketsu looked over at Ryuko with concern in his voice, {Keep it together, Ryuko.}
"I'm trying, but it's not easy deflecting all these strikes." Ryuko said through grit teeth, before she finally found an opening and attacked...only for her opponent to jump backwards and reach up towards his back…
"Not bad-" Sanageyama said, as his fingers each went into a single hole of the two packs sitting on each side of his back, "But let's see how you handle this!" He pulled out his hands, revealing several shinai attached to each of his fingers. Then, closing together his fingers, he slammed them together...just as his hand began to twist and spin like a drill. Sanageyama's head flinched upward before he charged Ryuko with a yell, "SHINSOKU-SENBONZUKI!"
As fast as Ryuko could react, she moved to block the incoming attack, only to feel something hit her shoulder hard. Then it struck her stomach, then her face, then her left leg, her arm, her face, her chest, her stomach again, her...everywhere. She was being hit everywhere, and she couldn't respond-couldn't block, or dodge, or parry and counter. She couldn't do anything except take each and every attack as they slammed into her.
Sanageyama called outward, "I've read all of your moves to block now! Even with your Scissor Blade-a weapon made to slice through a Goku Uniform like it was paper-is useless if it can't HIT IT'S TARGET!"
"RYUKO!" Mako and Ruby called out, just as the barrage of attacks finally stopped and Ryuko fell backwards, heaving out air from her lungs. Sanageyama looked down at the crumpled body of his opponent and smiled, "Hey, hey! Is it over already? I expected more…"
Ryuko groaned, muttering a near silent curse under her breath as she began to push herself upward. Every part of her was beginning to feel sore and painful, to the point that she really was finding it hard to even stand up properly. With a large gasp, she pushed herself upward and looked up at Sanageyama with an irate glare as she noticed his grin from under his faceguard, "That's more like it! Wouldn't want you to stop when it's just getting interesting…"
Ryuko stared at him as she took a moment to catch her breath, before she glanced down at her Kamui, "Senketsu...I have a request for you that I'd like you to hear about…" She whispered, before she told him her proposition as quietly as possible. Ruby looked down at this fight, noticing Senketsu's eye react to everything Ryuko said, before it looked off-apparently in agreement with her as they raised up their scissor blade.
Sanageyama looked on, sneering sinisterly, before he raised his arms up towards the scaffolding above. His fingers clamped together, and his hand began to spin again, "Time to end this."
He lunged forward, throwing both of his arms forward as he aimed to attack Ryuko. Ryuko stood still, holding her scissor blade forward as the attack barreled down toward her. However, just as the attack was close to hitting her, she shifted the angle of the blade and pushed it forward, making it connect with the shinai drill...and then immediately causing it to fly straight out of her grip. The scissor blade flew backward, straight towards Ryuko's head, who inched to the side just well enough that it missed her head...and cut through a small part of Senketsu.
Everyone looked on dumbstruck as they saw what happened. The Elite Four watched on with their eyes wide, as a realization came to them. Meanwhile, Ruby and Mako reacted in panic as they both jumped forward, yelling out their friend's name as she began to fall backwards. Sanageyama, however, moved forward, hoping to capitalize on the opening that he could see as clear as day. What he failed to take a real note of, however, was the small smirk on Ryuko's face as he fell right into her trap…
The piece that was cut off from Senketsu dispersed, turning into several small pieces of cloth that instantly started flying toward Sanageyama's faceguard. The green haired member of the Elite Four could only watch in shock as he failed to react in time, causing his vision to become veiled by Senketsu's remains and rendering him incapable of seeing.
Sanageyama pulled back, reaching up to scratch off the cloth from his faceguard, only to realize that his shinai were still attached to his fingers. Struggling to get them off, he removed the shinai from his fingers and began to scratch at the guard even more, only to find out that he couldn't get them off like this, "I-I can't get them off! My eyes!"
Ryuko grit her teeth, "Now!" before she began to extend her scissor blade out into it's extended decapitator mode. She leaped up-her eyes focused directly on Sanageyama-and roared, "Time to end you-
{Finishing Move: Sen-I-Soshitsu!}
Sanageyama practically exploded. His Goku Uniform blew up and dissipated in a bright flash of light before he was soon flying in the air, completely naked. As he began to fall to the ground, several small red fibers instantly floated toward Ryuko and slowly absorbed themselves into Senketsu's form as Ryuko looked on at the crowd around her with a stern, serious face.
As everyone watched in awe at the sight, the remaining members of the Elite Four looked down with disapproving looks on their faces. Jakuzure sighed, "Lookie, lookie, he blew it and lost-"
"It seems that this is what Lady Satsuki meant." Inumuta said, before he glanced to his side. Ruby and Mako looked down at the court with massive grins on their faces, before Ruby grabbed Mako and stepped onto the back of Jakuzure's seat and immediately shot herself forward-jumping out of the balcony and onto the ground below. Unable to keep their excitement, the two of them called out to Ryuko, who turned and looked at them with a small grin on her face.
Mako spoke up first, "You did it Ryuko! You beat one of the Elite Four already! You're amazing! And fast-and awesome! So AWESOME! YEAH!"
Ruby approached her, absolutely ecstatic, "That was completely crazy! Did you read my mind or something! That blinding trick was the best thing I've ever seen!"
Ryuko began to grin, when-
"MATOI!"
-The voice of her opponent called her, and she turned to face a still naked and bruised Sanageyama, wielding another shinai. He was gritting his teeth, and his eyes were absolutely wild with emotion, "This isn't over yet! I can still fight you, so come on-MATOI!" He declared, pointing his shinai at Ryuko.
Ryuko blinked with a raised eyebrow, Are you serious? I mean...I'm happy to oblige another brutal beatdown on you, but-
Before she could finish her thought however, a series of thorny whips shot out from above and, with a frightening callousness, began smacking themselves all over the back of Sanageyama's backside. The green haired fellow gasped, before he began to fall onto his knees, dropping his shinai as he descended. Ryuko and Ruby looked on in varying levels of shock-Ryuko holding mild surprise, while Ruby watched on in horror with her jaw dropped. Then, as they began to wonder what was going on, the thunderous voice of Ira Gamagoori resounded from the upper balcony.
"HOW DARE YOU BE PATHETIC, SANAGEYAMA!" Gamagoori roared out, his whip hanging out from his sleeve, "YOU HAVE DISGRACED THE ELITE FOUR! DO NOT HUMILIATE YOURSELF FURTHER!"
The entire building went silent, save for what seemed to be the sound of crying from Sanageyama. Ruby looked up at the upper balcony, seeing the face of Gamagoori, and immediately feeling a pang of anger. Was this really how Honnoji treats their people with failure!?
Ruby began to take a step forward, when she felt someone grab her arm. She turned to Ryuko-her expression rather neutral on the situation-and saw her shake her head. Ruby looked at her, before her brow began to furrow as she understood exactly what Ryuko was saying: Leave it be. We'll get him later.
For a minute, everyone simply stood around, keeping their eyes glued to the center of the room. Then, with a disappointed sigh, Gamagoori told everyone from up above that they were free to go, and the many students who had come to watch the fight began to leave one by one. Soon afterward, the remainder of the Elite Four-save Gamagoori-went off to do their everyday activities, not even paying any heed to their former comrade as they left. Ryuko and Mako watched everyone else leave, before they decided that it was time to head off as well and made for the exit. As they neared the door, Ryuko turned and glanced back at the court-only seeing Ruby and Sanageyama remain, before she grimaced and exited.
Ruby stared up at Gamagoori, who took notice of her and began to stare back-his eyes saying to her, This is the rule of Honnoji Academy. I will not apologize for my rightful actions.
Ruby's brow furled, before she turned and stared at Sanageyama. He didn't seem to be crying anymore, but his frame was still on it's knees-staring at the ground as he stayed there. With a gulp of air, Ruby approached him reluctantly, "Umm...Sanageyama. A-Are you gonna be alright? I Could...I could get you some help if you-"
"I'm fine. Now leave me." His tone was rather curt, and almost entirely inaudible.
Ruby held out a hand to him, "A-Are you sure. I'm offering to hel-"
She was immediately interrupted by Sanageyama holding his shinai straight to her face. He didn't look at her, but simply responded-his voice even more angry than before, "I'm fine. Leave. Me. Now."
Ruby paused, stared at him, and with some reluctance began to back away from him. She held her eyes to him for a little while longer before she finally turned to the door and disappeared in a red blur of rose petals. Now, all that was left was Sanageyama-still kneeling at the center of the room, and completely unresponsive to the world around him.
The walk to the Mankanshoku's was eerily quiet for once. Mako had run off ahead so that she could have an early snack before dinner, leaving only Ryuko and Ruby to make their way home. Ryuko herself didn't have much of a problem with that...it was Ruby's sudden depression that made her worry. With a small amount of reluctance, Ryuko tried to break the silence-looking directly at her friend, "Ruby...is something wrong?"
Ruby paused in-step, causing Ryuko to stop in her own tracks as well. As she looked at Ruby, she began to see her brow was low, and her lips were shaped into a rather sad frown. She looked up at Ryuko, her eyes filled with a minor amount of sadness, "Ryuko...how can someone treat their own friends and allies like that?"
"Huh?"
"When Gamagoori attacked Sanageyama and chastised him for being humiliating to them. How can someone do that and not feel horrible for their actions?"
Ryuko stared at her, "That's...That's a good question."
She began to shake the back of her head nervously. Most of the time she never really gave a damn about those people she faced, but now that she thought about it more clearly, it did make her feel somewhat bad for those she fought. She looked back again at Ruby, who had turned her head to look off into the sunset.
She couldn't help but stare at her as she stood in the sunlight. Ryuko had never really taken much notice of this before, but now that she got a good look, she realized something: Ruby was probably the most compassionate person she had ever met. Her father barely had anything to do with her life, and her mother was nowhere to be seen to begin with. Most of the people she had to deal with on a daily basis were delinquents or idiots of some kind, and not once did any of them treat her respectfully. Ruby was different...she was probably the first person she had ever met who actually gave a care in the world. It didn't matter who or what it was, be it an enemy or her friends. Just that she was fully willing to help others, regardless of whatever they did…
Ryuko sighed, "Ruby…"
She turned to look at her. Ryuko looked directly into her eyes and put on the best smile she could muster, "We're friends, right?" she said to Ruby. The girl blinked and stared at her, before answering with a nod.
Ryuko smiled, "...Then you have my word. I will never do anything that will hurt you. Mako won't do anything, the rest of the Mankanshoku's won't do anything to you. You can believe in us...just remember that, alright?"
Ruby looked at her with slightly wide eyes. Then, slowly, a smile spread across her lips, and her eyes went alight as she began to understand exactly what Ryuko meant, "A-Alright then...Thank you, Ryuko."
"...Don't mention it." She said with a smile. Quietly, they began to walk back down to the Mankanshoku's once more-their spirits brightened up significantly for the day. With a quick stretch of her arms, Ryuko looked over at Ruby as a question began to burn right through her, "While I still have a chance to ask, are we gonna continue training tonight?"
"We'll see. I'm still slightly tired from staying up last night…"
"Alright then. How about stopping for a bite to eat? We could get a snack-you get strawberries, I'll have a lemon or two?"
"That sounds nice! I still kinda want some croquettes from Sukuyo later, though."
The two continued on their way, holding a conversation with one another as they finally made their way to the Mankanshoku household-the one place that they could call a home in this crazy, crazy world…
...So, the monkey's been devoured like the rest of the fodder, has he?
...Indeed, This'll be interesting to see as it progresses. How will the monkey return to the playing field? Will the two little heroines push this advantage while they still have the chance? I can't wait to see what unfolds.
Yes, she won't be leaving for now. The plan still moves forward: The girl is implanted within this universe, and the dominos consequently fall. She'll remain...I mean, it's not like I'm gonna pull her out while the going is still good...after all, I'm the one that brought her here...and I'm not gonna leave a show as good as this one so, so early.
What happens next? It's simple: Just sit back and enjoy the show...things will work themselves out from there. That, I am sure of…
Title Reference: Flight of Icarus by Iron Maiden
...Hiiiaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...ooooooorrrrrrrrrreeeEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH….FFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCK!
*ahem* PLEASE ACCEPT MY MOST SINCERE AND SAD APOLOGIES! GODDAMMIT, SHIT, SON OF A-
*CrazeStasis exe. Has stopped working...again. Rebooting.*
...mmmmm...Hi?
Okay, for those of you who have been waiting for me to finally get this chapter out to the public, I am really sorry this took longer than what I thought. I had gotten to work writing it up when I had finally made it to Spring Break for my College year, and was probably halfway through it when it ended. Then, well...the last month of my college year got INCREDIBLY busy, and it was all I could focus on for most of the month alongside work. So as a result, I didn't start to work on this again until my college classes finally finished, hence why it's getting released now.
For those that have had the patience for the last three months, thank you for waiting. I'm really sorry, and I hope that you really enjoy this chapter. With that being said now...YYYEEEESSSS! WE'VE GOT THE SANAGEYAMA FIGHT GOING ON NOW!
So, let me start with what I thought was a little weak here. Again, I'm a little worried about some of the dialogue here and there, especially in the beginning. I'm really hoping that I didn't move everything at a faster pace than usual. And as always, I'm hoping that most of the characterizations for everyone is still spot on. I did try to reintroduce the friendlier, more compassionate side of Ruby here after all of the chaos that was the last story arc, but even then I feel nervous about how well that goes.
But MAN, WAS THAT A MEATY CHAPTER! Okay, so first, Ruby and Ryuko are trying to regain some energy after all of the crazy stuff that happened beforehand. Kazuya Ichiro is kicked out of school, and free to do whatever he damn well pleases. Everything seems to be settling down (or at least, whatever amounts to "settling down" in Honnoji Academy), and Ryuko and Ruby have decided to start training together. Everything seems hunky-dory right...right?
I can already see some of you calling bullshit, I just know.
So yep, Sanageyama's gotten a shot at smacking around Ryuko for a bit. Most will likely ask "Where's the meeting between Sanageyama and Satsuki?" That I've decided to hold off until the next chapter, but everything else is fair game...and WHAT A FAIR GAME IT WAS! YEAH!
I tried to expand the Ryuko VS Sanageyama fight significantly than from how it goes in the anime, and I feel that I did that and then some. I wanted to show Sanageyama a lot more as the threat he is, which I feel I did a tremendous job at portraying. Plus I wanted to show the fight as more of a struggle for Ryuko than the anime really did. True, she did struggle in the anime, but it just didn't feel as tough in the first bout as it does in the second one later in that episode.
It's really meant to show how much of a threat Sanageyama (as well as the rest of the Elite Four) is in comparison to the rest of the Honnoji fodder that crosses our main characters path's. And-if you've watched Kill la Kill-then you'll likely know just how much more dangerous he gets after this story arc is finished...does this mean he'll actually be a challenge for Ruby? Hmmm…
Speaking of Ruby. Yes, I did just put her into the same room as the rest of the Elite Four. I kinda wanted to introduce a fair bit of humor between them, even if most of the EF's interactions are similar to those in the anime. For this part, I feel I did a good enough job, particularly when setting up the part where Ruby spots the one major problem with Sanageyama's Tengantsu in comparison to the others.
Really, the only part where I feel I truly failed was with Mako here. Granted, she's barely featured in the episode this chapter follows as is, but I do feel that she's not really added in well in comparison to previous chapters. Even the previous story arc had a good idea with her by contrast, and she doesn't even appear for the rest of it after her little "accident." I know that this chapter is stuffed to begin with, but I still feel I could've done more with here regardless.
Now, for the one thing I've been wanting to mention...A RYUKO-CENTRIC CHAPTER! Yes, I've been wanting to make a Ryuko centric chapter-hell, a Ryuko centric story arc-for the last few chapters. The last story arc I feel pushed her fight with Tsumugu aside in favor of the conflict with Kazuya, so I felt that I should fix that and finally give a part where Ryuko is the center of the story instead of Ruby. Hopefully, I'll be able to balance the two on the "who's the main heroine for this arc" scale after this.
Overall, a really good chapter I feel. Not a perfect chapter, granted, but then again...nothing is rarely perfect.
So, with all of that discussed, I'm gonna move on to what's been happening to me in the last few months. For starters, I'm out of college until near the end of August, so I'm hoping to get back to work for the rest of the story. I'm hoping to keep with that "one or more a month" thing like I tried to do beforehand, but honestly, I'd stay wary folks. Beyond that, Me and my family have also been planning on going on vacation in the middle of August before I head back to college (no, that won't get in the way of writing...hopefully).
As for what else has been happening, I've gotten myself a new computer (the last one was honestly coughing up it's motherboard as far as I'm concerned). I should be getting back to gaming in my free time without any real technical problems, which makes me happy. Plus I feel that writing will go around much more smoother with it too.
As for my own original work...I don't really know. I feel like restarting it and trying again, or maybe trying my hand at another story idea I have. Again, I don't know, I'll have to think about it until then. I'm also wondering if I should start a series online discussing my experiences with various video games...again, some food for thought for now.
And finally, I've been thinking...I've really been wanting to play a tabletop RPG (Dungeons & Dragons, Call of Cthulhu, etc.) for awhile now. It's just that I don't really have anybody to play with, beyond a few people nearby that I've never really met before. So I've been thinking about if anybody would want to play a game of D&D at all. If anyone's really interested in that idea, then just send me a private message and I'll talk to you about it (that said, it would be nice if someone could be the DM/GM in this case. I'm technically a total newb at D&D, and the idea of running a game scares the hell out of me considerably).
Ah, so with all that done, I do believe I'm finished for the day. Before I do go, however, I would like to send out a thank you to sentinall prime for reading through the story and proofreading the chapters, as well as checking up to see if I'm still around. He done an awesome job and I do believe that he deserves a round of applause for his work. As for his proofreading, I'm going to make an effort to make some corrections to the previous chapters based on the suggestions he's made regarding them. Again, thank you!
Now, you probably know the drill by now. REVIEW, and if you've loved the story so far, then feel free to favorite and follow if you want to. As always, you don't have to, but it's always appreciated.
Now...what was the title tease for this time. I can't seem to rememb...wait? Do you hear that...is that...my patron of metal...MY PATRON OF METAL! THE GOD HIMSELF!? AHHHHHHHHH- *CrazeStasis exe. Has stopped working...for the hundredth time. Goddammit…*
Chapter 10: I'll be there where fire makes you dance, I'm gonna give you the look that opens up THE SKIES! I'VE GOT EVIL EYES-EVIL EYES-EVIL EYES-EVIL EYEES!
*-Rebooting.*
For Fun, Fedora's, and Insanity-Peace!
-CrazeStasis