Author's Note: I feel like a lazy bum for not updating the past week, but school life was catching up to me and in the end, it ended in a draw. But I'm back and with that, I'm going to say this before I posted it again. The Life of B RS is going to be on a hiatus until summer vacation since Fallen Blue Sky has taken up my head and it seems like the only story that I'll be able to focus on right now. Don't worry, no time skip or anything for the story, I'll resume where I left off ( TheDataScouter, you're an idiot for thinking about a time skip). The arc will finish properly with nothing lost, but right now, Fallen Blue Sky is my top priority (Which is sad, but I got a one-track mind).
Black Rock Shooter and co. belongs to Huke.
Gold Saw walked through her home, her battlefield, as she contemplates what happened in the past few days, wondering if there was more into what's going on right now. B RS's death and sudden revival was a question that was buzzing around the Otherworld, and the fact that she's hard to track down is something unusual as they aren't sure of what she's doing or aiming for. Plus, Gold Saw had to know whether it was the same B RS or not as there are noticeable differences, the primary one being her actions. The unanswered questions are whats keeping her from telling Saya anything, but she has little doubt about Saya not knowing as she could easily learn from other sources. Gold Saw knew that she was pissing off her real self, but she has to be sure that whatever is going on that it won't affect the Otherworld in anyway or change anyone residing in their homes.
"Damn, this is becoming too complicated..." Gold Saw thought as she leaned against one of the stone pillars.
"Gold Saw," Gold Saw looked to her left and noticed STR rushing towards her, "Why are you acting like this?"
Gold Saw looked away, "I need time alone to figure out some problems"
"You mean figuring out B RS?" STR pointed out.
"Yeah, the technical aspects of the Otherworld doesn't allow easy revivals, it wasn't made to be," Gold Saw stated, "Dead Master and Chariot came back because their real selves remembered their lost memories, but Mato is different..."
STR arched an eyebrow in confusion, "Why is that?"
"There was no body found, no trace except for that scene we saw in that strange castle, and her appearance changed, not only in color, but a scar crossing her heart," Gold Saw told STR, "What happened when Mato remembered B RS is completely unnatural and unethical, I just don't like it..!"
"I get it, things aren't making sense, but right now, we just got to make her remember by fighting," STR said to Gold Saw, eliciting a sigh from her as she continued, "We just have to do what we can and hope for the best, or else, we would up losing the B RS we originally known"
Gold Saw pushed away from the pillar, "Doesn't change my feelings about it one bit, but you're right, we just got to wait until the time is right"
[Pitiful...]
Gold Saw and STR's eyes widened a bit in shock before they slanting in focused anger, looking around the area for anything that may appear unnatural to them. They went back to back as Gold Saw steadied her King Saw while STR pulled down her hood, flexing her Ogre Arms in case of a sudden attack. The two of them felt a tremor before they noticed the ground cracking, splitting open as magma started coming out, forcing them to jump up to higher ground for protection. Several skeletal arms came out from the cracks, the magma not even affecting them as they aim towards the two other selves, their hands ready to pierce through the bodies of their enemies. STR cocked her Ogre Arms before firing, damaging the arms as they tried to reach her while Gold Saw jumped on them, chopping off the fingers so she couldn't suffer any damage if the skeletal arms were to gain the advantage.
Gold Saw grimaced, "Great, catch me on the one day I'm actually not in the mood..!"
As Gold Saw and STR resumed their attack, they heard a sound coming not too far from where they were, a eerie violin resounding throughout the entire area. They looked towards the sound and noticed a girl standing on an icicle pillar, playing a black mechanical violin with a black bow, her red-orange eyes narrowed in concentration. Her sleeveless sweatshirt covered the most of her body, the neck being a tad wide with a scarf protruding from it. She also wore black stockings along with black armored boots and a strange red armor plate on her left shoulder. Gold Saw wasn't sure on what she was feeling but she was sure on one thing, whoever this person is, she is proving to be very troublesome right now.
"Black smoke rises from the fire, encasing its enemies as the fire consumes all," The girl muttered, slowly ending the piece of eerie music as she pointed towards the magma with her bow, "Rise..."
The arms stopped their attacks as they latched on the pillars and platforms, bending as if they were pulling something up. From the magma came three skeleton creatures, not like the mechanical beast that Gold Saw and STR had to fight a few days ago. The creatures' skulls were cracked as a dark red glow emanated from inside, the jaws opening their mouths a bit as a low, gruff groan escaped from them along with a slight red haze. Gold Saw and STR covered their mouths and noses as the haze passed through the area, heating it and affecting them while the haze had no affect on the mysterious girl manipulating the giant skeletons. The moment Gold Saw and STR uncovered their mouths and noses, they could smell and taste the ashes of the ground and something they didn't expect, corpses.
Gold Saw glared at the mysterious girl, "Who the hell are you?"
"Why would I answer that?" The girl inquired, gripping her violin and bow.
Gold Saw grunted and dashed for the girl, but the skeletons preventing her from progressing further as they swatted her away, straight into a wall. Gold Saw pulled herself out as she felt the heat intensify around her, as if the temperature was aiming to burn her completely. She planted King Saw into the ground before taking off her jacket, lowering the burden of becoming a scorched other self as she pulled out King Saw and went after the girl again. The skulls tried to bat her away again, but she managed to fend for herself, stabbing at them and slicing their arms apart as she jumped towards the girl. Gold Saw was about to reach the girl when a skeleton got in her way, but this was taken care of by STR firing at the skeleton directing its attention towards her.
"Thanks!" Gold Saw shouted.
STR nodded, "Just focus on that girl!"
Gold Saw nodded and resumed her pursuit, jumping into the air before she reached the still frozen icicle, stabbing her King Saw into it as she clawed her way up. The girl's left eye twitched before the violin and bow turned into a long mechanical katana and a regular katana respectively, both weapons gripped in her hands tightly. The moment Gold Saw reached the top, she started clashing blades with the girl, trying to parry either katana in order to gain an opening. There was no possible way to gain an advantage when there was only enough room for one person, and the fact that the girl was on the tip wasn't making things any easier. Before the girl could attack again, she jumped away to avoid a volley of bullets sent by STR, who managed to get some space for Gold Saw in order for her even the playing field.
"How annoying," The girl stated.
"Sorry I haven't heard anything about us having a fair fight," Gold Saw stated dryly, "You started this, I'll end it!"
As the two of them continued their fight, STR continued fighting against the skeletons, making sure they didn't intervene while breaking them apart with the volley of bullets and breaking their bodies. It may seem easy, but with three giant skeletons attacking you, there was a lot more to it than just basic attacking. She had to alternate her Ogre Arms between gun mode and fist mode so she can keep it balanced out and deal a variety of damage. As a skeleton tried flattening her, STR stopped it before punching the hand, causing the skeleton to stumble back a bit, allowing STR to escape her current position. She jumped up with an added push from her Ogre Arms and landed on the middle skeleton's shoulder, sneaking up behind it's head as she tried crushing the skull.
"Just... break..!" STR grunted out as the skull cracked in half.
The moment the skull was flattened was the moment the rest of its body started falling to the magma, forcing STR to jump onto the other skeleton as its other companion was coming back. STR latched onto the ribs and sneaked inside, climbing up before she was a couple of feet from the jaw. Hanging onto one of the top ribs with one hand, she reached out with the other and grabbed the jaw, pulling down as she let go of the rib. The jaw cracked and it was finished when the other remaining skeleton tried to punch STR, breaking its ally's ribcage and giving STR a chance to land and deal some damage in the process. With one last tug, the jaw broke and the skeleton fell into the magma while STR landed on the arm, still holding onto the jaw that she managed to remove.
"Alright, two down," STR thought as she rushed towards the skull, "One more to go..."
Meanwhile, Gold Saw kept on her attack, ignoring the few cuts the girl managed to land on her as adrenaline rushed through her body like a human. It wasn't as if Gold Saw was losing the battle, she managed to get several attacks in that left some damage, but the progression of the fight was just dragging on. Not to mention, the temperature was starting to become unbearable and if it keeps up, Gold Saw and STR were bound to be cooked. The girl raised her long katana, a mass of black gas surrounding it as she prepared to finish Gold Saw once and for all. Before she could bring down her katana, she jumped into the air, avoiding the jaw that STR sent her way.
The girl glared at STR but didn't expect the next attack which came out of nowhere as blood oozed from her mouth. Gold Saw took advantage of the distraction and manipulated reality in order to get close and stab the girl through the gut, ending the fight right then and there. Gold Saw flipped herself before she removed her King Saw and land on the rocky terrain, STR rushing towards her to see if everything was alright. Before STR could start her checkup, the area started changing, reverting back to its original form, the magma flowing back into the cracks which sealed up by themselves. The skeletons vanished in thin air, but STR was sure that they are truly dead as she gain no response from them.
Gold Saw and STR noticed the girl falling from the sky, her eyes boring holes into them, "Underworld Icicle, the Great Black Sword, is my name..."
"Hold it, just why did you pick a fight with me?" Gold Saw shouted.
Icicle narrowed her eyes, "I look forward to seeing what you're capable of next time..."
Before Gold Saw could even stop her, Icicle vanished, escaping the area and retreating back from where she came from as she did what she wanted to do. Gold saw felt her wounds heal themselves and went over to her fallen jacket, putting it on as she went over the fight. The girl - Icicle - was bent on fighting them, even to the point of killing, but why did she go so quickly and let the area restore itself. It was as if she was assessing their skills and how long they could fight, but it just doesn't make any sense. STR looked at Gold Saw and wondered what was going through her head now since a pile of new problems just came out from nowhere. Gold Saw looked back at STR, clutching her head as she hoisted her King Saw over her left shoulder, trying to get rid of the upcoming headache.
"STR, tell Yuu about what happened here," Gold Saw told her as she started walking away, "I have to figure out how I'm going to explain this to Saya..."
B RS walked through the wasteland until she reached an opening in the ground, noticing a hidden area that she wasn't aware of. She jumped into the hole and hopped down from platform to platform, noticing the area for the first time, despite the sense of deja vu. She landed on the ground and looked around, noticing how barren the place was and she couldn't help but wonder who this place belonged to. She started walking around, taking in the blue ting of the area and the nostalgia started coming back, even though she doesn't know why. As she looked around, she noticed some blood splatters, causing her to clutch her head as a jolt of pain passed through it, catching her off guard.
[Why did you forget..?]
B RS looked around, since she wasn't hearing the voice in her head, "What the- where are you?"
[I am where you are...]
"What do you mean by..." B RS said as she turned around.
B RS knew never to let her guard down in any instance, but this was a different cause as she was staring at someone that she didn't expect to see. Just like in her dream, she was looking at herself face to face, or rather, someone that looks like her was noticeable differences. Black eyes stared into the blue eyes of her twin in a mix of shock and confusion, the image still refusing to connect with her brain despite the familiarity. She felt as if she has been down this road before but she couldn't piece it together with the memory that she has right now, it just wouldn't work. B RS's twin stared at her apathetically, not caring about the look she was receiving.
[Why won't you remember..?]
Despite hearing the voice, the fact that B RS's twin wasn't speaking with her mouth unnerved her a bit, "I can't remember..."
[Have you forgotten who you are?]
"I know who I am," B RS said, confidence leaking into her voice, "I'm Black Rock Shooter"
[You are a fake existence, you are not Black Rock Shooter; never was, never will be...]
"What do you know?" B RS inquired, gripping her twin by the jacket's collar.
[You are suppose to be dead, I'm suppose to be dead... and yet, Mato created you, a false existence that deserves no role in the Otherworld...]
"Screw you and your thoughts, Mato brought me here because she wants no more suffering befalling her friends and I intend to keep that request," B RS growled out, "Go ahead, call me a 'false existence', it's better than yours..!"
[You're not me, and you'll never be me... not even if you regain those memories..!]
The apparition disappeared in reverse of how it appeared, the body fading away before the voice, leaving the illusion that B RS was just imagining it all. B RS narrowed her eyes before she slammed her ax into a wall, shattering it completely as she tried to calm herself. Hearing that voice, a voice similar but different to hers, was unreal but she rather ignore it in favor of the words she heard. If she really was a fake existence of who she is, then what would be the point of going through this mission to regain the memories that she lost. No amount of trickery will convince her otherwise, she is who she is and that's all that matters as a fake existence of an individual doesn't mean that person isn't real, just different.
"Anyone can say what they want about me, but I am me," B RS thought to herself before making her way out of the area.
Even if the place gave her a sense of nostalgia, it holds no meaning to her, a fact that was proven in her previous life...
Yomi sighed, scratching her head as she tried to do her homework, "Geez..."
She couldn't focus since her mind always wanders back to the topic of B RS's revival and Mato being secretive about it, despite the news being revealed anyways. She could make sense of the majority of information, but some fact just didn't add up. B RS was strong, so getting beaten like that was something of a surprise, but couldn't she escape when possible? Also, while it's not a true proven theory, the fact that other selves can suffer amnesia was a great surprise, one that pretty much threw her into a loop. Plus, whoever Geshumaru is, she is out for B RS - and in turn, Mato - so complications are going to rise and there will be another epidemic, one unlike the last.
"Ugh, why did this have to happen, and to Mato of all people?" Yomi wondered, irritably.
'It's probably has something to do about that girl you're wondering about?' Dead Master said within Yomi's head, surprising her.
"Ah!" Yomi shouted before she started calming down, "Don't... don't do that, please..?"
'I'm sorry, but that girl... Geshumaru, it seems she is an anomaly as she so puts it,' Dead Master said, 'I don't like this, and I know you don't like this, so what does it all mean?'
"I'm still not sure on that, but I hope it get's resolved soon," Yomi hoped.
Yomi really does hope it ends soon as it was proving that it's going to be the biggest headache that anyone has suffered from. Mato, Kagari, herself, anyone who was a part of the disaster several months ago didn't deserve to be treated like this after everything was fixed but that's why like is such a pain in the ass. No one can really expect everything to be peaceful, it's just impossible and given how life is going right now, that peace is broken. This time though, Yomi isn't naive about the Otherworld and she knows the dangers involving the knowledge of its existence, so she's ready for whatever happens, even if it means she goes through another emotional breakdown. Several months ago, she would probably be frightened by this but after all that happened, everything changed and she's more than willing to help Mato fix what's going on.
"Looks like we got our hands full..." Yomi thought, laughing a bit.
'I did my part,' Dead Master stated, surprising Yomi, 'I fought against B RS to the point I almost lost my life, but she's starting to remember'
"C-congratulations," Yomi thought, relieved, "At least that's a step in the right direction..."
'It seems so and Yomi, your... thing is ringing...' Dead Master pointed out.
Yomi snapped back to reality and noticed her cell phone is ringing, her caller ID showing that Mato was calling her. Yomi picked up her cell phone and answered it, figuring that Mato might be apologizing for keeping B RS's status a secret. It wasn't surprising that Mato would be apologizing since she might be thinking she caused her friends to worry for her, and while that's true, it's alright for friends to worry. It's one of the things that makes their friendship unique in a way, but even Yomi knows that it can get a bit chaotic, which causes it to either be funny or troublesome. Yomi snapped out of her thoughts and reprimanded herself for being absent-minded when she's suppose to stay in reality.
'Hello, Yomi?' Mato said over the line.
"Ah, sorry about that Mato, just focusing too much on this and that," Yomi said, laughing a bit, "So Mato, why are you calling?"
There was a bit of silence before Mato answered, 'I know I should say sorry, and I really am, but this was something I didn't want known...'
"Mato, you got friends that will help you no matter what, so don't keep things hidden," Yomi told her.
'I know that, so...' Mato left off.
Yomi blinked, "So what?"
'So, can we hang out together with Yuu and Kagari, just to get my thoughts away from what's going on?' Mato asked.
Yomi smiled, "Yeah, we can go out this weekend, but we'll have to tell them first, alright?"
'Yeah, thanks,' Mato cheered, 'I guess things are starting to look up, hun?'
Despite being on separate planes, Yomi and Dead Master had the same thoughts at the same time, "It really is..."
Geshumaru inhaled through her nose before she exhaled through her mouth, listening to the waterfall as she gripped the katana in both hands as if she was about to fight against an opponent. She opened her eyes and started making precise slashes, cutting through the air as she focused her eyes to look dead straight. She twirled around as she continued staring straight, imagining an enemy that was right before her, struggling to bring her down. She switched the positioning of her hands on the handle of the katana, having her left hand be dominant. Her attacks became more focused and just as dangerous, leaving traces of faint cuts on the ground before she walked towards a tree, piercing it just like she would pierce her enemy's heart.
"At least I'm not rusty..." Geshumaru mumbled.
The machine walked out of the forest and stared at its partner, "It seems B RS isn't just having turmoil in her memories"
"The conflict between her former self and the her of now isn't a major problem," Geshumaru stated, "It's obvious that she's the original, but there isn't enough solid proof for it to be proven"
"B RS seems to be something of a problem, but I have something that might interest you," The machine told her.
"It's probably not important..." Geshumaru brushed off.
If the machine was human, it would be frowning at Geshumaru right now, "Icicle is forming her army"
"Is that so?" Geshumaru mused.
"I looked at the fountain while you were training here, she engaged in combat with Black Gold Saw and STR, both who shares a certain affiliation with the young Shooter," The machine stated, "However, it appears she just gaining information and by the time she's ready, this problem will already be solved..."
"I don't doubt the young girl's power, she is something but the fact that she's forming an army could be a problem," Geshumaru noted, "But like you said, it won't be until this issue with B RS is resolved, and I expect this to be done with as we did last time?"
"Consider it done," The machine said.
Even so, the machine knew that there was going to be a different outcome, what it is remains to be seen...
Author's Note: I hope this was enough to satisfy your hunger, despite a two week split from this story. I think that two on four fight scene in the beginning was enough for this chapter for now, and I'm rather pleased with it. My original idea for it is to have Geshumaru intervene and send Icicle away near the end of the segment, but as I was typing it out, the idea got scrapped and you get what's shown here. Either way, I'm happy with this chapter and if anything, I'm definitely increasing the suspense and tossing in a bit of mystery into it as well. So, as usual, please review and I'll see you all later.