Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and Highschool DxD is owned by Ichiei Ishibumi. Please support the official release.
"Speaking"
"Higher Volume/Being Dialog"
[Ddraig/Albion]
'Thoughts'
"Alternate Speech"
Chapter 34: Sword of Shinto
Everything FUCKING hurt!
That's the first thought firing in Ruby's head when she comes to consciousness. Her entire body felt incredibly sore as if Ddraig kept on stomping on her. Then came the realization of her heavy eyelids that greeted Ruby's vision with nothing but utter blackness. It was a trial to get her eyes open, and she had to resist closing them back down from the blinding light that greeted her. Her eyes adjusted in a second, staring up at a bamboo ceiling. With her vision granted back, more of Ruby's senses came back to her, allowing the dragoness to feel the comforting cushion of a mattress that she was lying down on.
'Why am I in a bed?' Ruby thought. 'Where exactly am I?'
Then it came back to her. The fight with Fatalis, and how every attack she knew to dish out was shrugged off by the Elder Dragon. How she was left at Fatalis' minuscule mercy and tortured to near death in front of an audience. She remembered encroaching darkness on her psyche beyond that pain till she felt something in her push back. Then it was too fuzzy to remember, right up to the point of Fatalis fully engulfing Ruby in crimson plasma blasting her away into the forests of Kyoto. Her body was vividly reminded of dragon lightning scorching onto her flesh till it charred black. After that, it was a losing battle of staying awake just long enough to see Kurama and Yang appear before her fading vision.
'Well, at least I'm not dead.' Thought Ruby as she stood up, only to immediately drop down when white-hot agony raced up from the right side of her body. 'Ow, ow, ow, ow, okay no getting up. Hey, Ddraig, status report!'
[I am not your goddamn bridge officer from one of your sci-fi shows.] Ddraig exclaimed. [Why would you ask me about the damage you sustained? I am connected to your soul, not the body. It's not like I can take a peek out here and see what's wrong.]
"That sounds like bullshit, but I can't argue against that." Ruby mentally huffed. "Not enough brain cells in you to understand."
[...You know what, fuck this.] Ddraig grumbled. [I'll deal with this another time. You go wallow in your pain yourself.]
"Dick," Ruby muttered under her breath.
"Oh my, you start spewing such filth the moment you wake up." A voice of mirth responded.
Ruby's eyes snapped to the direction of the voice, finding the source to be Yasaka herself in her supernatural seductive splendor. A foxy grin that was also pasted with a mother's warmth blessed her face as the kitsune looked down upon the young woman. She had her left hand on her hip while another balanced a tray where Ruby could smell a warm broth made from medicinal herbs and chicken stock - a remedy Ruby had the pleasure to have after training sessions with Kurama.
"Good to see you are awake, Ruby-chan." Yasaka greeted kindly, kneeling down to the dragoness' level on the ground and placing the tray of broth next to her head.
"Hey, Yasaka," Ruby said, her voice sounding weaker than she meant it to be. "How long was I out?"
"About two hours," Yasaka answered, picking up the bow of broth. "As for the tournament, it hasn't continued with my husband trying to get everyone to calm down with the appearance of one of the Elder Dragons and that new stunt you pulled. Honestly, all of this drama on my little girl's birthday."
Ruby grimaced realizing throughout the fiasco that she forgot it was Kunou's birthday. This whole thing was supposed to be a little (by supernatural standards) celebration for the youngest daughter's entertainment. It wasn't supposed to turn into this near deathmatch with an ancient dragon, and Ruby couldn't help but feel it was her fault.
By the look on Yasaka's face, she seems to notice Ruby's thoughts. "No one's blaming you for what happened. If it's any consolation, Kunou is fine and still in high spirits. She's just worried her precious dragon nee-chan is going to be okay or not. Now then, say 'aah'!"
Ruby's mood turned to a deadpan as she stared at the offered bowl of broth brought to her lips. She stared blankly between the broth and Yasaka who had a smile that was smugger than warmly. Her left brow gave a reflexive twitch.
"No." Ruby flatly denied.
"Not like that, you say 'Aaah!'" Yasaka insisted, pressing the broth closer.
"I am not a baby." Ruby bit back. "I can feed myself."
"You may as well be a baby with the condition you are in." Yasaka retorted.
"Yasaka-UUNGH!"
Ruby was promptly silenced by a light chop to the head, wincing from the momentary sharp pain. Reopening her eyes, Ruby saw Yasaka much closer still with that grin on her face, but now there was an obvious dangerous edge to it that made her pause. The only kind of foreboding look only a mother could direct.
"Ruby-chan," Yasaka spoke with finality, "how about you make this easy for both of us and let me pamper you like the daughter you are to me?"
"...Okay." Ruby relented and parted her lips.
While smiling in satisfaction, Yasaka tipped the bowl closer as it made contact. It was with practiced ease that allowed Yasaka not to spill a drop as Ruby had her fill. The dragoness felt her pride take a nasty dent, but she at least relished the taste of the broth flowing over her tongue. Shirou's cooking was always superior, yet there was always something unique in anything only a mother like Yasaka could make. As a result, Ruby found herself relaxing and her annoyance simply washed away to simply enjoying the moment.
"There, there." Cooed Yasaka as she continued to feed Ruby.
'This... This is nice.' Ruby thought, and if she had her tail out it would be wagging all around.
This moment of pampering bliss was not to last. With her enhanced hearing, she picked out the hardly contained snickers coming from the wall behind Yasaka. It was enough to break Ruby out of her trance and glare at the particular section of the wall, only to find nothing out of the ordinary. Or at least nothing that seemed so to the mundane eye.
"I know you're there, you chuckling peepers," Ruby growled out.
"Ah, so you finally noticed," Yasaka said.
The golden kitsune stood up and with a snap of her fingers, a section of the wall dispersed like a fading mirage revealing all of JNPR and the rest of RWBY. It soon clicked in Ruby's head that this was all a part of Yasaka's little scheme of mischief by hiding them away with Yojutsu so as to let them watch Ruby being babied. She may have noticed them now, but it was too late to save her from the shame. Yang especially looked all so smug with her cheeky grin and along with Nora had her Scroll out recording everything.
"...and archive that away." Yang mused as with a press of her finger saved the recording to her Scroll's databanks for future use.
"Delete that!" Snarled Ruby, but was very much muted by her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
"No, I don't think I will," Yang replied all too calmly. "Imagine if I sent this to your lovely Vali. What do you think of the face he'd make?"
She was definitely savoring this moment of one-upping Ruby for all it was worth. It served to rile up Ruby evermore, yet the dragoness could do nothing in her current state. Yasaka quirked a brow in interest at the last tidbit Yang had let slip.
"Oh, what's this I hear about a boyfriend?" Yasaka said, giving a pointed look to Ruby. "Please do elaborate, Ruby-chan. It escapes who this soul to be able to capture your heart when so, so many have failed with broken bones."
"I-I don't want to." Ruby denied it with a small stutter.
"Look at you, flustered like a maiden." Yasaka giggled. "Reminds me in my younger days when I was captivated by my Ku-kun. How I would watch while he practiced his katas without his shirt-"
"I don't need to hear your stalker stories!" Interrupted Ruby.
"I bet you've done the same." Yasaka teased.
"...Wait, have you actually, Rubes?" Yang asked curiously. "You know, peeking on Vali?"
"I would if I knew when or where Vali trains." Mumbled Ruby until she realized what she said. "I mean - You didn't hear shit!"
Yet they all bawled in laughter while Ruby was helpless to stop them. The veins on her head continued to throb till there was a visible tick mark and her teeth morphed into fangs barring like an animal. But with how injured her body was, she was no different than a puppy in a temper tantrum.
Her eloquent response to her embarrassment went as. "You guys suck!"
That only served to make her tormentors laugh harder. In light of this, Ruby resorted to her last line of defense by pulling the sheets of the bedspread over her face.
"Now, that's enough teasing the poor thing," Yasaka called, her natural allure silencing everyone as she pulled down the covers to reveal Ruby. "I still need to get Ruby properly healed to full strength. She's lucky she has developed such a constitution to have recovered so well so soon."
"How long was I out for?" Ruby inquired.
"Give or take an hour," Yasaka answered. "With Senjutsu, I was able to rejuvenate your recovery from what would have amounted to a day or two after more meager treatments. The more immediate problem was healing the damage you sustained from Fatalis, being the reason why I highly recommend not to move your right arm for now."
"Yeah, I can definitely feel that," Ruby noted, still reeling from sharp pricks of pain from her right arm. "What's happened while I was out? What about the tournament and Fatalis?"
"Well, in light of the Fatalis in a tournament for what was supposed to be my girl's birthday has caused a bit of a panic." Yasaka explained. "Ku-kun has been trying to calm everyone down while keeping Fatalis from going berserk from the conclusion of your match. He could have simply left, but doing so would mean he automatically loses the final match to the one remaining contestant: Saber. His pride as a dragon will not allow him to run from any sort of challenge, no matter how menial."
Ruby frowned remembering her loss. Even though she knew the odds were stacked against her, her defeat still stung her pride. But she reminded herself that she may have lost but in the end, she had the last laugh.
"Doesn't that leave the contestant known as Saber to go up against Fatalis?" Ruby wondered.
"Well, with Yang forfeiting her match, that is indeed true," Yasaka answered, a complicated expression on her face. "And yet Saber has not forfeited his match and intends to contend with the dragon. It's the reason Fatalis is still here."
Ruby chuckled. "What a brave guy."
"Indeed." Yasaka agreed. "Ku-kun was tempted to ask the fellow why he wished to challenge Fatalis. After that, well, Kurama had a knowing grin about something he hasn't told me about yet."
"Now I want to see this fight," Ruby said.
"You might in a few minutes with some more Senjutsu treatment," Yasaka replied. "In fact, focus your own Senjutsu, and I'll take over from there."
It hit Ruby with the epiphany of her own usage of Senjutsu as it brings in natural energy with its passive healing effects. Closing her eyes, Ruby focused her internal senses and opened them to the world itself. Just as she practiced many times before, she let the energy of the world flow naturally into her body. Compared to Remnant, it was much more tedious work with Ruby making sure to filter away the malignant taint borne from the world's pain. Soon, her body sported tattooing signifying the Senjutsu running through her body and she could instantly feel more vitalized by the second.
Meanwhile, Yasaka had already gathered enough energy for Senjutsu. Compared to Ruby, Yasaka's use of Senjutsu was as easy as breathing for the kitsune due to her long life and her supernatural species being more inclined to the arts. Only slight tattooing appeared over her with cheeks sporting six jagged whisker-like marks and her eyes taking addition of eyeliner colored orange bordered by black. In her palms, the natural energy condensed to a visible form of pale blue flames. They did not emit heat and, in fact, they gave off an aura that made everyone in the room feel more alive to put it in words.
Yasaka held her hands over Ruby's body, focusing her own Senjutsu to manipulate Ruby's own enhanced vitality to speed up her recovery. Like time moved forward, Ruby's injuries faded away in seconds to what would have been hours or even days. Beneath the skin, damaged muscles and broken bones were mended back together into stronger forms. Thirty seconds later Ruby found proper feeling in her right arm and managed to wiggle it without any pain.
"Ha-ha, I'm back in action," Ruby exclaimed, failing to contain her excitement as she jumped out of her covers back to her feet. "Thank you, Yasaka. Always the best from getting me back on my feet after a harsh scrap. Now I can see what this Saber can do against Fatalis."
"You're free to do so if you're okay going out like that," Yasaka said with a coy smile, pointing at Ruby's choice of garments.
Or rather her lack of garments once Ruby looked only to find that she was stripped of her top right down to her skin revealing her patches of scales. Of course, Ruby had to be stripped in order to treat her wounds directly. The bandages wrapped across her chest and shoulder were her only means of modesty. Yet it was enough to make heads of the only males in the room forcefully turn the other way so as to not get a peek, not while Yang was in the same room.
"Right." Ruby deadpanned.
"I believe we should give Ruby-chan her much-needed privacy," Yasaka said, ushering everyone out of the room.
Once alone, Ruby could only really sigh as went to get properly dressed. At the very least, she was thankful for the bandages still tight on her form at that moment; wouldn't want accidentally flash Jaune with Pyrrha in the room. Now that would have spelled as much of a disaster as Fatalis. And speaking off...
Her thoughts were caught off when her gaze passed over a nearby mirror and froze at one peculiar detail. Ruby looked back in the mirror till she was fully staring at herself. She ignored the bandages that showed the extent of her injuries, and was instead caught in a trance inching a hand up to her face to where her eyes are. Instead of the glimmering emerald that she had known for years ever since awakening the Boosted Gear was a pair of silver eyes as pure as treasured silver and the shining moon.
"My... My eyes," Ruby muttered in disbelief, "They're silver again? How - What - I-"
"Rubes, hurry up!" Yang called from outside the room. "The fight's gonna start any second now. You gotta hurry up."
"R-Right!" Ruby called back before beginning to change, making a mental note to explore the new phenomenon of her eyes.
(Time-Skip; 'Saber' vs Fatalis)
There was no roaring cheer of the crowd or the clink of plates of fine dining. Even among the gathered supernatural beings ranging to deities were silent by caution. Some would not admit the fear they held directed at the central plaza. It was there Fatalis was sprawled in his full draconic form, his very presence sending an unnatural terror in the air. From the full crimson eyes of the dragon, they could see the impatience within the dragon as he waited for his last foe to make his appearance.
It was the scent of dragons that took his attention. Old yet malignant eyes gave their attention to the returning natives of Remnant, and his gaze locked on the familiar form of Ruby. Rage bubbled within at the affront of this lowborn infant daring to deny him his rightful dominance. Even now as his stare made the dragons in human skin lock in fear, it was she that still stood defiant by returning a glare at Fatalis. The act itself brought a sharp growl from the dragon's lips, making some onlookers jump in fright.
His attention was fixated on the front where his next opponent stood just outside the arena. Saber as he was termed was still in his black robes that concealed most of his features. He could not even pick up his scent to identify what sort of being he or she may be. Beside Saber was the kitsune Kurama, who Fatalis loathed to admit surpasses him in strength. It would be a grand fight if he and the Yokai came to blows, but one that would end in Fatalis' defeat. There was some brief conversation between the two before Saber made his way into the arena, and thus Fatalis raised himself for battle. He entered this contest, so he shall see it through even if he had to deal with this rabble.
The Otsutsuki family took their seats on their elevated platform, making sure to have his youngest daughter close to his side. Just below were Ruby and her cohorts, with the Red Dragon Empress still defiant before the Elder Dragon. The look he sent Fatalis was a warning that anything that would harm Kunou would be met with Kurama's fury. A black rod formed in the kitsune hands and was tapped down on the ground with a deep boom to get everyone's attention.
"Let's get this shit over with," Kurama grumbled under his breath before announcing. "Here we are with the final match. Two come into the arena, but only one can win the prize only. Are fighters ready? Then, begin!"
With another tap of his staff, sealing scripture lined the perimeter of the arena to enclose it in a magical barrier. Fatalis started it off with a roar and made a charge that revealed a speed far faster than what was expected from what his body produced. In a second, he already lunged his head forward to bash Saber with his horns. The mysterious warrior defended in time positioning his tanto to deflect one of the horns from goring him and then flowing through the motion to move to Fatalis' left flank. There, Saber held out his left hand in an open palm and thrust it forward.
Not one expected the thundering blow when the palm made contact. For a split second, the shape of a hand was imprinted upon the almost invincible hide of Fatalis before the dragon found himself throttled to the side by the blow. He lost his footing and his massive weight collapsed on his left side. It was only a moment before Fatalis would right himself, but more than enough of a window for Saber to capitalize. The swordsman leaped into the air with the black daito held over his head.
Ruby felt it in the air how the chakra suddenly quaked like the flow of a river suddenly changing course; so much chakra in the air was being directed into Saber. To the onlookers, they had their sights directed to the blade now brimming with a shroud of black and red. With it came familiar malice only much more potent, sending those sensitive to chakra reeling back including a bewildered Ruby.
'But that's unfiltered nature chakra!?' Ruby exclaimed in shock. 'How can someone channel so much malice like a weapon? He should be going insane!'
Just as Ruby wrangled away from her thoughts did Saber come down with the blow. Yet right before black steel could dig in, the white scales of Fatalis suddenly gained a noticeable red shine. Everyone had to shield their eyes from a bright flash of crimson light clashing with raging black, followed by an ever-deepening boom that all could feel shake at their guts. Once the light receded, the crowd returned their sights to the fight.
As of now, Fatalis was back on his feet leering over Saber as crimson lightning crackled all over his body. Eyes trailed to the dragon's chest where the scales that adorned his chest was glowing a menacing deep red with veins trailing away across his body. It was a testament to the dragon's control that he wasn't actively melting the very ground he stood on. In comparison, Saber had taken the brunt of the thundering pulse and his sword was anchored to the floor. Much of his cloak had been burned away, now revealing dark orange locks and crimson eyes.
"He's actually hanging in there," Ruby said in praise. "But I think that last attack took much out of him."
"At least he stood his ground." Yang complimented.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Kurama piped in with a knowing smile. "Saber is far from done. Just watch the show."
Ruby didn't say anything back or rather he couldn't. Kurama was not the type to easily put his confidence in others, especially strangers. It stunned Ruby how much confidence Kurama had in the unknown swordsman. Her thoughts on the matter were put on hold when she felt the air vibrate from a sudden rise of electricity.
Fatalis at his head raised high and bellowed out pure crimson plasma fed by pure dragon energy. Saber made his stand coating his blade in the same malicious natural chakra and brought it forth to meet the plasma. The result was nothing short of spectacular as the sword held against the wave of plasma and cut in two. That did not save Saber from being washed over and obscuring him from the crowd.
For those with enhanced hearing, they heard the sound of ripping cloth before Fatalis finished his breath with a literal bang where Saber stood. A cloud of dust continued to obscure the spectators' vision of Saber, and some believed the unfortunate soul had perished. There were a few more moments of silence with Fatalis leering over the previous spot of his foe before a voice broke the tension.
"Oh great, that was a good hood you ruined," A masculine voice spoke from the cloud of dust, "Do you have any idea how much that cost?"
There was a sudden pressure that blew away the dust cloud and revealed the person under the hood now that it was blasted away. The first that was noticed was the now bare torso and arms revealing a body sculpted with muscle complete with abs and solid pectorals. Then there was the long mane of orange hair that went down his back that at the edges faded into separate strands of gold and crimson. He had piercing crimson eyes exactly that of Kurama along with handsome features of a strong jaw. Some could claim that the man before them was like looking at a younger Kurama, and they would not be far off when the one known as 'Saber' sported an array of nine tails and fox ears of a kitsune Yokai.
Which meant that...
"Sochi!?" Yasaka exclaimed in shock.
"Ichigo-nii-san!?" Shouted Naruto, Kurahime, Shirou, and Kushina.
"Wait, if that guy has those tails and ears," Yang wondered, "doesn't that mean-"
"IT'S BIG BROTHER ICHIGO!" Kunou hollered the loudest in her excitement at the sight of the eldest son of Kurama and Yasaka.
"I don't believe it," Ruby said. "I never met Ichigo ever in person, yet all the things said about him paint him as the next Shin Yokai. And I can't blame them."
Shocked yet excited murmurs came from the gathered Yokai. It was their crowned and beloved prince facing off against the vicious dragon like it was a play from a fairy tale. Fear was turned away with the appearance of the son of Kurama as they gave their faith in his famed strength.
With the pressure of power Ichigo was now exerting, it was clear to see why so many in Kyoto gave him such praise. It was like a dam had broken to unleash a flood of might that made Ruby stock still. She hadn't felt this much raw power since Karna, and that was when the demigod was still a resurrected revenant. Ruby doubted even with Balance Breaker she could win.
"I think it's time I'm done playing around and finish this," Ichigo said, posing his daito to attack. "After all, you almost ruined my little sister's birthday. Mess with my family, you mess with me, and you don't want to do that."
"Kril rot." Snarled Fatalis in the ancient tongue. "Hi los sahlo us zu'u."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," Ichigo replied. "Doesn't change the fact that I am going to literally blast you out of my home."
That black aura around his blade grew to greater size and intensity, making the very air feel heavy. Those of the stronger sort like Jeanne, Sieg, and Ruby held their footing, but those like Jaune, Ren, Nora, and Yang fell to their knees unable to stand against it. Then Ichigo disappeared in a burst of speed and reappeared only for a moment in the middle of the swing under Fatalis' jaw. The dragon saw the coming blow, but the close proximity forced him to take it full force.
"Heaven Piercer."
The attack's name was spoken in a bare whisper, yet its effects were comparable to its namesake. Both Ichigo and Fatalis were drowned in the writhing black of the world's malice, which was kept at bay by Kurama's barrier. The massive form of Fatalis was revealed being flung in the air by the blow, and a noticeable gash at the base of his head. Wings of white splendor unfolded from the elder dragon's back keeping him aloft while crimson eyes searched fervently for his quarry. He expected him to find the kitsune on the ground, so imagine his surprise to find Ichigo barreling at hyper speeds to his level.
"You fly!?" Fatalis spoke in shock that he spoke in the more mundane tongue.
"No, I can just jump good," Ichigo replied with a smirk, pointing his daito forward. "You know, that attack gave Susanoo pause, but you took it like a champ. But are you tough enough to take this!?"
At the tip of daito, all of the amazing power coalesced till it was forced into a singular point. Chakra from himself and the natural energy in both its malicious and life-giving energies collected into a dense ball radiating power. It stopped till it was the size of Ichigo's head, but the pressure it gave off made Ruby stunned. From a singularity of chakra so small, it was one of the few things she did not want to be hit with, even in this powered-down state. Against Kurama, she remembered having to dodge them, and the effects they left in their wake were cataclysmic.
"Beast Bomb!"
The orb of condensed wild energy was launched forward by Ichigo's command. Fatalis met it with a breath of lightning, but it only served to slow it down till it destabilized. For a moment, all sound in the world was void and all light became white. Then came the deafening bang cracking the earth itself. Kurama was already ahead of the situation manipulating the barrier in order to protect not only the guests but also shield the whole palace while also lessening the blast zone. As a result, the sealing array contained the unleashed chakra bomb into an enclosed space in the air. That did not stop the shockwave that came out, putting everyone to their feet except the most powerful in the area Odin, Sirzechs, and Kurama.
"SONUVABITCH!" Cried Yang.
Followed by Blake. "SON OF A BITCH!"
Then Weiss. "SON OF A BITCH!"
And finally Jaune. "SON OF A BITCH! AGH, WHY IS EVERYTHING RINGING!?"
It was only a short moment later for everyone to get their bearings and see the result of such devastation. A massive black cloud of smoke hung in the air until Kurama eased the barrier, letting it dissipate. The first they saw was Ichigo himself coming back down to the ground. His sword was shattered and smoke coming off his body but he was mostly fine. Lines of tattooing in black went over his body and lined his eyes, showing that Ichigo drew in Senjutsu to reinforce his body.
As for Fatalis, they saw a hole in the barrier via a smoke trail going far away into the distance. Fatalis had taken the full brunt of the blast and was forced out of the barrier that was unable to hold him much like when he blasted Ruby out. However, the beat of wings drew their attention where the sky where the dragon returned crashing down on the arena with a furious look on his face. Across his body, his scales were blackened with soot and cracked, and there was blood coming from one corner of his maw. Even an attack as powerful as the Beast Bomb was not enough to fully defeat Fatalis, but enough to pull a win in a ring out.
"Enough of your whining, Fatalis." Roared Kurama, stepping into the arena before the dragon to protect his son. "You've lost Fatalis, fair and square. You went into this knowing the possibility, so get used to it and crawl back to wherever you came from. Or would you rather try your chance at me? Because of so, then there it is fair warning that I am not held back by rules and my mercy is minimal."
Fatalis' reply was a snarl as he held a stare against Kurama till he took to the skies, disappearing to wherever he called home. Once the roars of the dragon were nothing but a distant mutter, the fear that clung to the guests seemed to vanish. As for the gathered Yokai, it was a chance to welcome back their prince, especially for a young kitsune running towards Ichigo.
"Onii-chan!" Cried Kunou as she crashed into Ichigo's stomach making him falter before giving his little sister a one-handed hug.
"Hey, hey, take it easy," Ichigo said, looking up to see the rest of his family approaching him. "What's up? Thought I do a surprise for Kunou's birthday."
"You call disguising yourself as a contestant a 'surprise'," Kushina admonished. "Forget that, I thought you'd be with your family."
"Technically, I am," Ichigo answered. "My wife wanted to come along to see Kunou's birthday and even brought out a present. But when we got here, we found the venue to get into the palace was impossible with the crowd here."
"Let me take care of that," Kurama said, clearing his throat before announcing. "Tournament's over everyone, that means the party's done. That means all of you go home except for friends and family. I'd take it all of you would like to retire for the night after this mess."
There were some groans of protest, but none could fully defy Kurama's words. First went the foreign guests teleporting away through their home methods. Odin took a moment to give Kurama a look, smiling as he did with Rossweise by his side.
"Well, well, this has been an interesting night." Odin commented, shifting his one eye towards Ruby. "Yes, very interesting indeed."
Those were his last words before the brilliant light of the Bifrost engulfed the pair to return them to Asgard. The Yokai were then making their way out of the palace doors in an orderly fashion back to their homes within Kyoto. That left only Kurama's family, Ruby's pride, and Sirzechs' family remaining.
"So nice you think of us as friends, Kurama?" Joked Sirzechs since Yasaka allowed them to stay.
"Shut it, you bat," Kurama growled under his breath. "You only stay long enough for Kunou to say goodbye."
Their eyes trailed to the side where Kunou and Milicas were speaking. The young devil was holding a small red box in gold wrapping to Kunou, who took it in tentatively. There was a happy yet nervous expression on Millicas' face before Kunou glomped him in a hug spewing out repeated thanks that could not be heard by anyone else. She reluctantly pulled back and with some more goodbyes Milicas returned to Grayfia's side, who had finished speaking to Yasaka.
"Okay, now get the hell out of my house," Kurama said sternly.
"Dick," Sirzechs mumbled.
"Enough!" Both devil and kitsune stilled at the voice of their respective spouses.
Grayfia practically dragged Sirzechs away before they disappeared in a magic circle back to the Underworld.
"Ichigo, where are your wife and child right now?" Yasaka asked her son.
"They decided to stay over at a motel and see you all tomorrow," Ichigo answered.
"Now that simply won't do," Yasaka protested. "Go back to your family and let them stay here at the palace. They are family after all. After what has happened, I believe we all deserve some rest. What about you, Ku-kun?"
"Just a moment, Yasaka." Kurama said as he approached Ruby. "Ruby?"
"Yes, shishou?" Ruby replied.
"It seems you have crossed a new threshold," Kurama stated, "Among all the Boosted Gear users, none of them showed quite something like that. No, this was something unique to you and you alone. But you've only begun to tap into this new power."
"Ku-kun, what are you going on about?" Yasaka said in a warning tone.
"Sorry, but I think today's excitement isn't going to end," Kurama said, "Ruby, years ago I left you to your own devices as I was confident that I brought enough strength for you to grow at your own leisure. However, it seems I was too lax since I missed this amount of potential from you. And now that you have the attention of Sirzechs on you, I think it's about time I give you a proper examination."
Ruby's eyes widened in shock. "Noooo..."
Kurama grinned ferally. "Yasaka, bring me the Mirror Plane. Ruby Rose, it's time I put in the wringer against me yet again. How about it? You and me, nothing to hold us back while I force out as much power as I can from you."
"...I don't have a choice in this, don't I?" Ruby said.
Kurama scoffed. "Pfft, nope. But at least your friends get to have a free show of watching me throttle you like a ragdoll."
And I will leave it here.
To clarify, this Ichigo is not really that from Bleach. And besides that I finally got this out so I can move on to my other stories. The next chapters will see Ruby in her full glory.
Up next is Chapter 35: Time to Raise Some Hell
Stay in touch. Please, please leave a review.