K so here's the next chapter. For those wondering we'll be moving through another small story arc. Then we'll be moving on to Riley and Daphne's wedding, then we'll be starting events from the Shippuden story arc. For the most part, we'll be moving away from Britain and returning to the elemental nations. Should be fun.
Broken Angel
Chapter 64
Content, happiness. That's what Riley felt as she followed behind her lovers, and Elizabeth as they wandered the streets of London. Elizabeth wore the biggest grin imaginable as she enjoyed the sights. It had been a little more then a week since she had awoken and already she was happier then she had ever been.
At first things were a bit awkward, having to explain the whole situation to Remus, Sirius and Kushina. But after meeting Elizabeth and learning a bit about her, it wasn't hard to see her as Riley and Luna's child. Elizabeth had the curious nature of Riley, along with her confidence, while possessing Luna's mind. Elizabeth was definitely a Ravenclaw by heart.
Kushina found her simply adorable, as did Remus. Sirius spent his time making her laugh or blush with his brand of humor. Riley also introduced Elizabeth to Hashirama and Madara, of course Madara was his typical aloof self, offering her simple greetings, while Hashirama on the other hand, fawned over her, like he did with all of the other children he took care of.
It was Luna whom introduced Elizabeth to Naruko and Hinata when they came to visit. Hinata was only a few months away from giving birth so she could no longer train. So her and Naruko just spent their time sightseeing and enjoying themselves. They were no longer shy with one another and seemed to have accepted being in a relationship with each other. Of course that meant that Naruko acted a lot like Riley would, and was often fawning over Hinata ensuring she was comfortable.
The two were shocked to learn about Elizabeth but were quick to accept the girl. It wasn't hard for Elizabeth to pick up on the animosity between Riley and Naruko. Eventually Katie pulled her aside and offered a quick explanation. Elizabeth for her part merely accepted it. She hadn't a clue how one worked through the trouble that had plagued those two since birth, so she chose to simply look past it. Riley never spoke out and actively attacked her sister, merely gave her aloof looks or she would smirk whenever Naruko would fret over Hinata.
In her time here, Elizabeth had learned a great deal about Britain and her new family. Riley had expanded the house making it larger, and offering more room for everyone, and she had built a large side room that she filled with all sort of things that she knew Elizabeth enjoyed. They already had a library, so instead Riley added this quiet room for music, or for painting, or singing. It was just a simple place that Elizabeth or any member of the family could use. Elizabeth spent a great deal of time reading and learning about magic, and what it could do. She also spent a great deal of time at Hashirama's orphanage. One day she had wandered down there and had seen Hashirama taking care of the children. Out of curiosity she had asked him about them and why they all looked alike. After hearing about their tragic history, she became dedicated to making their lives just a bit better. At first the girls were nervous around Elizabeth but after the first few times of visiting and singing to them or reading them books, they started to enjoy her presence.
Elizabeth had also noted in her time there, another Diclonius, she had spotted Lucy more then a few times watching them from the forest. She had asked Hashirama about it, whom pointed out one of the children was her little brother. This was a bit surprising to Elizabeth since they all looked alike and she hadn't realized that one of the children was a boy. Hashirama never approached Lucy, and her little brother was the only member of the orphans who would actively approach her if he saw her watching. Elizabeth had also spotted Lucy speaking, on a few occasions, with Riley, it was only during those moments when Elizabeth noticed that Lucy would smile.
That same day, Elizabeth had asked Luna what the deal was with Riley and Lucy. Luna had simply smiled and said she was number five. Luckily Fleur was nearby and offered to explain that statement by saying they were pretty sure Riley was attracted to Lucy and wanted her as another mate.
"Does it ever bother you?" Elizabeth inquired as she sat with Fleur and Luna.
"Bother me?" Fleur replied curiously.
"That she's out looking for another lover. Does it bother you?" Elizabeth clarified. Even in the week that she had been there, Elizabeth didn't know what to think of Riley. She was utterly terrifying in her true form and even when she hid those traits, it was hard for Elizabeth to not see those demonic features whenever she looked at her. It's not that the two didn't like each other, in fact Riley was always kind whenever they spoke, it was just unnerving for Elizabeth. Riley had the eyes of a killer. It was utterly terrifying to be near someone who could quite literally kill you with a look.
"Hm… no… It actually does not." Fleur answered after a moment before glancing at Luna.
"Riley isn't a human. There are no restrictions when it comes to her ability to love. She follows her heart, and even after gathering four mates, there are still empty spaces in her heart that she wants to fill. I think Lucy can fill one of those spaces." Luna replied.
"Oh… uh… I guess that makes sense. Kinda." Elizabeth replied, not looking like she fully understood.
"I understand your confusion, but understand zis… when it was just me… Riley loved me with all of her heart. When she started dating Katie, she still loved me with all of her heart. She did not split her heart evenly between us. She loved me ze same amount she did before she started to date Katie. Then when she started dating Daphne, it was ze same zing. And it was ze same when she started with Luna. Riley has never allowed her love for us to wane. Even as she falls in love with ozers, she still gives us all of her heart. She isn't like a normal person. Any normal person would have difficulty making time for so many lovers, any normal person would find it difficult to contend with ze needs of four woman, but Riley does. When we hurt she focuses on us, when we fight she turns our attention to her, and when we fail or accomplish zings, she is there." Fleur explained. Luna smiled at her explanation and offered a nod of agreement. Meanwhile Elizabeth nodded in understanding as it started to make a bit more sense in her mind. She had no experience in this area, only books and the stories they contained so their explanation was more then enough to answer her question.
"So… What happens when Riley starts courting a new… 'mate'?" Elizabeth inquired.
"Well… in most cases, she goes on a few dates with zem, and then we meet with zem and welcome zem to the group." Fleur answered.
"You didn't do that with me." Luna noted.
"Yes, but we knew you and Riley liked each ozer. Neither one of you made a move until Riley's ascension, but at the very least, I could tell. So when you two got togezer, I felt no need to make a show of our unity." Fleur replied, earning a nod of understanding from Luna.
"What do you mean by that?" Elizabeth inquired.
"When we meet with the new girl Riley is dating, it isn't to intimidate zem or put zem in zeir place, we are simply showing zem that while she may be the new girl, ze rest of us are still united and zat new or old, we all matter to Riley. We are extending an invitation to join us." Fleur clarified.
"True… I do know Daphne was quite nervous when you and Katie confronted her." Luna noted.
"Hm… indeed she was. Daphne is so cute when she is flustered." Fleur replied with a giggle earning one from Luna while Elizabeth merely smiled.
"When do you think Riley and Lucy will start dating?" Luna inquired to Fleur.
"Hm… I am not sure. But… zey have been talking more often. I zink it will be soon." Fleur replied after a moment of thought.
"I think you're right." Luna agreed with a nod.
The conversation continued, and was only one of many that had occurred over the week. Now Riley was traveling with her mates and daughter as they enjoyed London, all the while wondering what she was going to do next.
Riley hadn't used any of the other time turners yet, but they sat, almost like a beacon on her dresser back home. She was almost drawn to them and would often stare at the box at night. She was tempted to use another, but her mates had agreed, that they wanted to help get Elizabeth settled in first. They thought it was wiser to focus their attention on one child at a time to help them acclimate before moving on to another. Still, it wouldn't be long before they used them again, maybe tomorrow.
"Oh I wonder what's in here." Riley heard Katie say as she pointed at a nearby store. The girls all chuckled and followed after her, meanwhile Riley took pause. The store looked to sell female products like purses, handbags, and other female accessories. She knew that her mates would summon her into the store to garner her opinion on their various choices, but she found herself stalling.
She thought back to her trip to Columbia, to see how it had changed in over eighty years. To say she was surprised would be an understatement. Riley was someone whom was fully aware of human depravity and stupidity. She was sure that by the time she returned to Columbia, the place would have self destructed or been back to it's old ways, but no. Instead what she found was three million people living in harmony.
The clones she had left behind delivered a very interesting progress report for the city. It seems that for the first twenty years or so, fighting continued throughout Columbia. Uprisings would occur and riots would break out, but the situations were almost always handled quickly by the Vox. Only on three occasions did Riley's clones need to intervene. It was their appearances during the worst of times that led to something strange and incredibly thought provoking happening. It seems a religion had sprouted up surrounding Ralael. This was major news to Riley as she hadn't ever thought of something like that happening.
Her clones informed her of a large religious movement that had sprung up around ten years after her first appearance there. This religion seemed to follow a few simple codes. Be kind, treat others equally and fight corruption wherever it festers. The religion itself encompassed about fifty percent of the cities population to the point where it now held more followers then any other religion in the city. This, of course, made Riley very nervous, as religious fanatics could cause a lot of problems for her, if they weren't properly controlled. But again, to her surprise this religion seemed to be in good hands. It's founder had been a man whom had come to Columbia shortly after Riley's attack. He claimed to know about Riley and that he was a prophet of sorts. When she heard this, Riley found herself curious and a bit disbelieving.
However, when her clones informed her of what the man claimed to know of her, it left Riley dumbfounded. The man, whom was known throughout the religion as Kane, spoke of her as a tired goddess. One that watched in displeasure as man destroyed the world around him. He spoke of a being of such power she could shatter the moon, and reshape the earth. And most importantly, he spoke of how she was amongst them. How this goddess lived amongst humanity as a person. This was the part that really intrigued Riley. Hell, the guy even knew her fake name as Ralael, which she had never given to the people of Columbia.
It was Madara that hypothesized when he heard this, that this man might have been someone she had met during one of her time traveling escapades and now he was spreading a religion about her.
This religion's name was, 'The path of Unification'. And from what Riley could gather about their ideals, they were a very open yet very closed of community. Basically, they accepted newcomers all the time but they watched the newcomers closely, this was a group that didn't just accept you because you claimed to follow their ideals, you had to show it through your actions. The group was alright with self service so long as it didn't destroy others, and they also didn't mind fighting, so long as the person you fought could defend themselves, and you had a reason for fighting. Basically, they were alright with a person defending themselves, up to and including taking someones life in defense of their own.
When it came to charity, the group had very interesting ideals on it. If someone had done something to earn such a reward, even if they weren't a part of the organization, they got it. Meaning if you were a good person and you spent your free time helping people, then suddenly got into financial trouble, there was a good chance that this religion would step in and help you. The group was about raising yourself up and looking out for those that tried. When it came to the homeless, instead of offering them charity the group helped them get jobs, and offered housing for them while they got on their feet. This ensured that people got off the streets and helped to keep Columbia's homeless population to under one percent.
One of the groups biggest tenets was hard work, and when it came down to it, their whole code was a synch to live by. It especially emphasized family, in whatever form that took. To those who followed this religion, they protected their families and those they viewed as family with fierce determination. The tenets of this religion reminded Riley, Hashirama, and Madara of Hashirama's Will of Fire, as it included many of the fundamental facets of the belief. None of them knew if that was coincidence or not but it brought a smile to Hashirama's face to see the Will of Fire taking shape in people once again. The belief that those you loved were family, and that so long as you believed in each other, you would stand as such.
When it came to worship, they kowtowed to a wrathful goddess. The people revered the goddess's power. They worshiped her strength, and depictions of angelic statues now littered Columbia. Kane claimed that Ralael was a being of infinite wrath and unimaginable compassion. To those the goddess loved, she would defend them with all of her might. To those she despised well… one only needed to look at what had happened in Columbia to understand the wrath of the goddess.
Luckily those that followed the path of Unification, never tried to force their beliefs on others, as that went against one of their major tenets. They believed that one must choose to dedicate themselves to this path, and at it's end, those that lived good and decent lives, would find paradise.
It was learning all of this that nearly confirmed Madara's suspicious in Riley's mind. Seeing the way that Columbia was now, Riley didn't necessarily think this religion was a bad thing. It was very obvious that Kane had met Riley before, as he knew her identity as Ralael and urged people to follow many of her beliefs. She had asked her clones what had happened to Kane and apparently he had left Columbia five years after arriving, and they had no clue where he had gone. Since they were only clones, and thus didn't have her Rinne Sharingan, that meant Riley couldn't have them track him, and because they were wood clones in particular, she wouldn't receive their memories when they dissipated, so she couldn't just familiarize herself with Kane's magic, and track him from their memories.
Nowadays the city was run by Daisy Fitzroy's grandson, Mathew Fitzroy. He was in his thirties and had a definite eye for politics. Columbia, it seems, was doing fine. With that knowledge Riley left her clones in the city and returned home. She decided to leave Columbia be for now, as she was more interested in trying to track Kane and see if he had started any other religions in the muggle world that she was unaware of.
It was during this time that Kurama came to a conclusion, he informed Riley of the power of belief, and that by having followers, people who worshiped her, it would make her stronger. That's how the Sage of Six Paths had overpowered Kaguya. He had the power of belief on his side. The people worshipped him and it made him strong enough to contend with the Rabbit Goddess and the Ten Tails. Riley could gain strength from belief as well, hell anyone could. Kurama believed he had found the source of Riley's strength when she was just a child. Sure she was a prodigy and sure she had Madara, but she managed to activate her Rinnegan at a day old, that was something incredible, as it took Madara losing his whole family and having his life shattered to activate his. Kurama believed that it was because of the belief's of the people of Columbia and probably others that granted her power when she was younger. It made her grow stronger, faster.
Riley actually found herself agreeing with Kurama. I mean by the time she was ten, she was probably as strong as a Sannin and in the same breath she had a lot more chakra then them. The worship of these people had finally answered the question as to why Riley was so powerful when she was younger, and it also explained why she grew in power so quickly now. While Kurama had always believed that the Rinne Sharingan was to blame for Riley's rapid growth in power, now he wasn't so sure. Now he believed it was a combination of the two, the belief of people, and her eyes.
Regardless, now Riley wanted to locate Kane or his descendants. She wanted to know who he was. He claimed to be a prophet, meaning that, in his mind at least, Ralael spoke through him, or delivered messages to him. Riley was curious about this so once returning home she began to search for other religions or cults sprouting up about her.
Nothing major had come up, but she kept searching. The only other interesting thing that had occurred recently was that Riley released Songbird from Kamui and he now hid in Hashirama's forest, waiting on Elizabeth to call on him for something.
"Hey Riley, come look at this." Katie called her over. Riley broke from her reflection of the past few days and glanced over to Katie whom was waiving her into the store. With a sigh, Riley smiled and headed over.
Later that night, Riley was awoken from her bed by a rush of memories. One of her clones had just found something she had been searching for, for a while. Riley quickly dressed and headed down to Lucy's house. She stood outside for several moments before knocking on the door.
Loud barking greeted her as she heard Lucy's puppy begin to yap in response to the noise. A few moments passed and the door opened revealing a disgruntled looking Lucy, whom seemed upset with being woken at such an hour.
"Hello, Lucy. I'm sorry to bother you so early but… I wanted to inform that… I found him." Riley told her. Lucy was quiet for a second as she processed Riley's words. Finally, after a few moments the sleepiness drained from her face and she locked eyes with Riley.
"Really?" She asked.
"Yes. He's back in Kamakura." Riley informed her.
"Kamakura? What is he doing there?" Lucy asked, confused by that notion. Kamakura was where his family had died, why would he ever return to such a place?
"He's going to school at the local university. He's also running an inn of sorts with his cousin." Riley replied.
"His cousin…? Yes… that girl. … … … How did he look? Was he alright? Did he seem happy?" Lucy began to pry for information.
"I only have what my clones saw to go off of, but… he looked fine. He seemed well kept, well nourished. He seemed like a healthy teenage boy. He's living with his cousin and two other girls at the inn. He seemed happy from what my clone saw." Riley replied.
Lucy had a distant look about her as she ran Riley's words through her mind. After a few moments she glanced at Riley, she looked like she wanted to ask her something but she couldn't find the words.
"You want to see him yourself?" Riley guessed when she noticed the look.
"Yes. Could you… take me to see him. I have to see… see if he remembers..." Lucy stated after a moment of silence. Riley nodded in reply and Lucy quickly stepped back inside and got dressed, after stepping out, she took Riley's hand and Riley drew the two of them into Kamui.
-Kamakura-
Lucy had to shield her eyes for a few moments. It was night time in Britain but daytime in Kamakura. The two were standing on a street in town overlooking the ocean. Lucy stared out at the ocean for several moments. She never thought she would come back to this place, in fact, she never 'wanted' to come back. A few moments passed before she felt Riley tap her shoulder and point down the street.
Lucy followed her direction and it led her to seeing him. Her eyes fell on her old friend sitting down the street outside some store. He was sitting with a brown haired woman whom Lucy recognized as Kouta's cousin. Nearby was a younger girl with dark hair, whom was playing with a small puppy, and sitting nearby watching the two was another young woman with long dark hair whom was smiling at the two and giggling at their antics.
"That seems to be his new family. Those he lives with. The older girl is a friend of his cousin. The younger is a street urchin he offered his home too. He seems like a kind young man." Riley stated. Meanwhile, Lucy was transfixed on her old friend.
He seemed to be listening to his cousin talk about something, his focus entirely on whatever she was asking him about. Lucy felt her chest tighten, he looked much like he did, all those year ago. She could still remember when he had found her in the forest and befriended her. She could still remember him spending time with her and filling her life with happiness in ways she had never known. And she most certainly remembered when her jealousy consumed all of that. She remembered how she had killed dozens of people in a violent rage, and how she had tracked him down and murdered his sister and father.
She needed to know now. She needed to know if he remembered, if he did, then she would allow him his revenge. If he didn't, then Riley was right, it would be best to simply let him forget and move on.
With her head covered by a snow cap Lucy headed towards him, she was followed distantly by Riley whom was watching the scene with a keen interest.
Just as Lucy got within fifteen feet of her old friend, she paused. She looked unsure, nervous. Like she didn't know how to approach the situation.
Seeing her stall, Riley gave a glance at the small group then looked down at the small puppy. It glanced in her direction and she quickly cast a genjutsu on it. With a loud bark it dashed over to Kouta's school bag which sat near where he was siting. The dog buried it's head in the bag and pulled out a piece of paper and made a dash for it. The girls started to laugh as Kouta shot to his feet to chase the little dog, when he noticed it stealing his homework.
"Hey! Bring that back!" He called after the pup as it dashed over to Lucy. Riley meanwhile, disappeared under a genjutsu and sat back and watched.
Lucy knelt down as the pup ran up to her and took the paper from it's mouth. Lucy patted the small dog on it's head as Kouta finally got up to him.
"What's gotten into you today Wanta?" Kouta asked as Lucy rose to her feet and offered the piece of paper back to him.
"Sorry about that. Oh, thanks." He said with a grateful smile, as he reached out and took hold of the paper. He paused though when he got a look at Lucy's face. For a moment, Lucy thought he recognized her and it was obvious that he remembered something, but after blinking a few times and shaking his head he took the piece of paper and knelt down to pick up the small dog that was now barking at Lucy.
"It was no problem." Lucy stated, still waiting to see if he would remember anything.
"Thanks again." Kouta said with a smile as he turned and headed back to his group, whom were watching him and giggling, all the while the pup continued to bark. Lucy stared after him for several moments as he made it back to his group before turning and walking off. Riley kept an eye on Kouta as Lucy walked past her, and she noticed him glance in Lucy's direction a few times. It was obvious that he remembered something, but it was too buried. It would take something traumatic to reawaken those memories. With a nod, Riley turned and followed after Lucy.
The two walked for several moments until Lucy stepped into a back alley and let out a loud sigh.
"He remembered something." She noted as she stared off into space.
"Not remembered. He recalled something. A fragment of a memory. A glimpse of something buried. His mind has locked away the painful memories in order to protect itself. What you saw was recall. Even if you had spent time talking to him I doubt he would remember you. If seeing you, and hearing your voice didn't break through the wall, then I doubt he'd be able to remember on his own. Something immense would be needed to unlock those memories." Riley replied. From under her genjutsu, Riley was able to use Legilimency to peak into Kouta's mind. The recall he had was just a flicker of an image. Nothing more.
The two stood in silence for a long time as Lucy looked to be deep in thought. After about five minutes had passed, Riley finally spoke. "What are you gonna do?"
Lucy looked at her, and Riley saw a profound sadness enter into Lucy's eyes. "I'm going to do what's right. He's happy. That's all I ever wanted for him. If he doesn't remember me… or what I did. Then it's best I let him forget. I loved him… and I still love him… but… I can't hurt him again. If he can't remember me, then there's no reason for me to be around him. I don't want to cause him more pain. I'm gonna do what you said. I'll carry this with me, for the rest of my life… but at least I know."
Lucy's reply was accentuated by deep seated sadness and regret. Riley stared at her, knowing that there was nothing that could ever forgive the horrible things she had done, but the regret in Lucy's eyes… it was pure.
"The pain… it'll subside one day. All you can do is move on. Keep living." Riley told her.
"No… there's one more thing I can do." Lucy stated as she turned and headed off. Riley followed after her.
Lucy led her through the town and up into the forest, eventually they found there way to a clearing where Lucy knelt before a tree.
"What is this place?" Riley inquired.
"This is where I buried my first friend." Lucy replied as she knelt before the grave of the puppy she had befriended during her time in the orphanage. The puppy that had been killed because of her.
Riley approached her and knelt next to her. She offered the grave a silent nod before glancing at Lucy.
"This is where I became her. This is where I embraced the person that killed Kouta's family and killed so many people." Lucy explained, her eyes transfixed on the grave.
"I see." Riley said with a nod. For several moments the two were silent before Riley glanced at Lucy with a quizzical look.
"This is where I became Lucy. And this is where Lucy stays. There is no way for me to apologize to Kouta for what I've done. But at the very least… I can make sure, she never hurts any innocent people ever again. Lucy was born here… and this is where she stays. She'll always be a part of me… but… I can't live with myself, being her. I want to be the person I was when Kouta and I were friends. I want to be happy. So she'll stay here… and I'll hope… every day, that I never have reason to call on her. I'll protect what I care about now. I'll keep myself, and that which I cherish safe." Lucy stated as she placed a hand on the grave. A single tear streaked down her cheek as she did, and she let out a loud sigh as she finished speaking.
"If you'll no longer be Lucy… then what should I call you?" Riley inquired, as she glanced at her friend.
"Lucy was the name the scientists gave me. I kept it, because it was the name of a monster. I don't want to be that monster anymore. For so long I've been afraid of the voice inside. It always spoke of their betrayal of how people would hurt me. And it was right, and because of it, I did terrible things. But ever since I met you… the voice is silent. It's quiet, only ever whispering for me to stay close to you." Lucy explained.
"You're a half demon. That voice you are hearing is probably the dark magic within your soul. Demons are dark creatures. They are violent and vicious. That voice in your head is probably the manifestation of your demonic instincts." Riley suggested.
"And yet… for some reason… it tells me to spend time with you. It's never done that before… and I don't know why it thinks I can trust you. Why it constantly tells me to seek you out… every time I listen to the voice in my head… someone gets hurt, or dies. Now it's telling me to do something I actually want to do… and I'm afraid. Afraid because I don't want to hurt you. Or the people you love. I see you with them… those girls… and I can't help but feel jealous. All I've ever wanted in my life is someone to look at me, the way you look at them. Only now do I realize… I can never have that, so long as I am Lucy." Lucy replied as she rose to her feet and turned to stare at Riley whom did the same.
"I wont be Lucy anymore. She stays here. Where she was born. My name is Kaede. It's the name I was born with. And it's who I want to be." The now named Kaede revealed.
"Kaede huh? It's a beautiful name. I know it was hard for you to come here today. I know you must have spent the last several weeks thinking about today… I'm happy I could help you. And… I want you to know something as well." Riley stated with a kind smile.
"What?" Lucy inquired curiously. She was then quickly surprised as Riley wrapped her in a warm hug.
"You have me Kaede. You have a friend who loves you. If you need me as a friend, I'll be there for you. If you want me as something more, then I want you to know that I've thought about it as well. I want to know you, to see into your heart. All you have to do, is open the door, and I'll be there. Come hell or high water, I'm your friend." Riley whispered into her friends ear. After a moment she heard Kaede let out a light whimper and wrap her arms around Riley. The two held each other in an embrace for another thirty seconds before separating. Riley sported a kind smile, while Kaede now wore a light blush and a small smile.
"Let's go home." Riley stated, earning a nod of agreement from her friend.
Using Kamui Riley quickly returned them to Britain, and back to Kaede's home. Riley left her friend whom sported a happy smile as she knelt and played with her puppy upon their return. Riley didn't know what it would lead to, but she was sure that a wall had been broken between her and Kaede.
Riley returned to her room after saying goodbye to Kaede. She found her mate's awake and waiting for her when she walked in.
"Where were you?" Katie inquired with a grin.
"Helping a friend." Riley replied as she crawled into bed with them.
The ladies shared looks but quickly settled in with their lover, they all quickly fell into a peaceful sleep.
-The next day-
"Are you ready?" Riley asked Katie. The two stood close to each other, ready to finally use one of the time turners with their names on it.
"Yeah." Katie said with a nod.
"Good luck you two." Fleur told them.
"Stay safe." Luna added.
"Yeah, stay safe." Daphne agreed.
Elizabeth sat nearby watching with keen interest as Riley and Katie prepared to depart.
"Let's do this." Riley stated as she activated the time turner and once again the world descended into blackness.
Just like before Riley awoke to the sound of the ocean. She opened her eyes and found herself sitting near Katie. Both of them were in a boat that was drifting closer to a lighthouse.
"This is the exact same as the last time." Riley noted while Katie let out a shiver and cast a warming charm on herself. It was freezing here. It must have below twenty degrees out here.
"So… you think our child is also from Columbia?" Katie inquired as their boat made it to some steps and the two stepped off of it.
"Hm… maybe. This lighthouse looks a bit different. But this is exactly how the last trip started. Taking a boat to a lighthouse." Riley stated as they walked up the steps. It was the middle of the night, but the moon was full. The two quickly found a door and stepped inside. When they did, a light came on revealing a wide open room with a massive statue of a man. This statue bore a tattered banner that red, 'No Gods or Kings, only Men.'.
The statue itself was defiled with red paint, and written over the banner in said paint was the word 'liar'. Around the room, spray painted on the walls were words like, 'The lamb will guide us', 'paradise reborn', and 'Big Sister is always watching'.
"This is different." Riley noted.
"Wow… I think someone disagreed with that sentiment." Katie noted as she looked at the statue. She then glanced at Riley and had to stop herself from laughing. Hearing her laughter Riley glanced at her and noticed Katie pointing at her. She glanced down and made a face as she realized the reason for Katie's laughter. Riley was wearing some god awful pink dress, that looked like it was pulled straight from the seventies. Riley quickly transfigured it and her shoes into more sensible clothes and then checked to make sure her hair wasn't up in some strange honey bee style like it have been before. Katie was also transfiguring her clothes as well, the two were quickly in jeans, t-shirts and tennis shoes.
"Well… now that that's outta the way, let's see where this leads." Riley stated as she pointed at stairs that led down.
Katie nodded and the two proceeded down. They quickly found themselves standing before what looked like a large open sphere. The two shared a glance before stepping, into the sphere.
"I'm guessing we're going down?" Katie inquired. Riley nodded in agreement with her assessment and pulled a lever within the sphere. The door to the sphere closed and sealed, and the sphere lowered into the water.
"This is interesting." Kurama noted from within Riley's mind.
"Must be some sort of underwater base." Riley theorized as they lowered deeper into the water. Katie meanwhile was staring out the open window that was the door, in amazement. After a few moments a screen fell over the window blocking her view and a projector on the ceiling turned on.
It was old school, definitely from the sixties or seventies, after a few moments of running, a picture lit up the screen and a voice filled the submersible.
"I'm Andrew Ryan… and I'm here to ask you a question. Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? No says the man in Washington, it belongs to the poor. No says the man in the Vatican, it belongs to god. No says the man in Moscow, it belongs to everyone. I rejected those answers… instead, I chose something different. I chose, the impossible… I chose… Rapture!" And as the voice said that, the screen rolled up, revealing a massive city before them.
Riley and Katie felt their jaws drop open. This city was huge. At least as big as Columbia if not larger. How in the fuck did anyone manage this? Was the thought that surged through both of their minds. Then, for Riley at least… it clicked. Fink had been watching a group of people through one of Elizabeth's tears. People who lived underwater. These were those people. Riley felt a massive grin tear across her face. Just from what she knew from Fink's memories… the things she would find in this city, would definitely serve her well in the future.
"A city, where the artist would not fear the sensor. Where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality. Where the great, would not be constrained by the small. And with the sweat of your brow… rapture can become your city as well." The voice finished saying. As it did, Riley spotted something heading towards them. She stared at it for a moment before activating a portion of her intangibility and pushing her hand through submersible's wall. She released a blasting curse that detonated the incoming object, which she now recognized as a torpedo.
"It seems someone doesn't want us here." Katie noted as Riley pulled her hand from the wall. Luckily by that point the sub had made it to it's docking point in one of the buildings and began to rise.
"Get ready love. I think this is gonna get fun, real fast." Riley noted with a grin. Katie nodded and drew her wand. The two prepared themselves for their adventure, now that they had reached their destination. Rapture.
-To be continued-
Alright guys, sorry for the wait. Shorter chapter then normal but I didn't want this chapter to be half about Lucy, half about Rapture, so I decided to end it here. Next chapter will be up in a few days. Hope you like the character building with Lucy, or Kaede now, and no I didn't just make that name up, Kaede is Lucy's real name if you've read the manga for Elfen Lied. I hope you all enjoy, and yes, this is bioshock 2, we'll be dealing with, not bioshock 1. I think you can guess who the child is. Also, hinted at a new religion popping up about Riley, figured it was time people started to worship her, plus if lends reasonable credit to how she grew so strong as a child before becoming a full blooded demon. Also, Kane is a crossover character from another universe, I'll leave it to you, which it is.
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