Chapter 7: A Simple Lesson
Raynare was simmering.
You know, a nice simmer. The type of simmering you do when making a nice soy-ginger soup with dim sims and bok choy. The good human food. Not the trash she was forced to eat ever since arriving at this town.
Raynare could quite literally simmer that soup on her head given the fact that she was just on the edge of boiling over and deciding that she could just kill everyone who decided it would be a good idea to look at her.
Her fellow Fallen that she had gathered, the group she had grown to tolerate, the people who were willing to follow her lead, the ones who shared her ideals…
…Are all. Fucking. USELESS!
Never, and I mean, never in her life has there been a more massive fuck-up than what has happened ever since she killed that red-themed troglodyte.
Kalawarna was missing an arm somehow, because, for whatever reason, the Devils managed to revive the little red-riding brat. Somehow, she didn't bleed out and managed to make it back, but she was out of commission until she regained her strength and dealt with the whole missing arm thing.
Mittlet sucked slightly less. She got kidnapped by those humans, but she managed to kill one of them… only for God to step in, screw them over again, and have the same brat revive her, making all that effort pointless! She even managed to lose one of her wings and was running on half her damn power. How she came back, she wouldn't say, but she was sure it was because she either ate someone's muffin or sucked someone's weiner.
And Dohnaseek!? He did the worst out of all! He was killed by a human. She was downright happy to dump his body in a dump as far away as possible. Don't want the Devils realizing that they are using the abandoned church as their base. For all she cared, the stray dogs could feed on his worthless corpse.
And Raynare herself? She still needed Twilight Healing because it really damn hurts to move.
This was supposed to be a simple mission, but somehow the incompetence of her teammates managed to fuck it up so royally that she would've been better off fighting God Himself with nothing but a JUICE BOX STRAW!
Now, at this point, the most logical thing to do was to cut her losses and run. No, not run, but rather perform a strategic retreat. Live to fight another day and all that.
Yeah. Sadly, that was not happening.
Oh, don't get her wrong, she would love to skip town, find some other place where she could host the ritual and become one of the greatest Fallen since Satanael, but that wasn't an option! The only place where those stupid demons didn't have their eyes on at all times was the crumbling wreck of a holy place they were residing in and the amount of work put into the ritual was already past the point of no return.
Twilight Healing's bearer was already on her way to this stupid town, and if she didn't get the ritual ready in time, the Devils would surely find her and take her into their own ranks. She was abandoned by everyone she knew and is desperate for any sort of affection after all, and she probably would've been a mafioso's plaything by now if Raynare hadn't come into her life.
Raynare wanted that Sacred Gear. The Fallen Angels needed that Sacred Gear.
Still, they had hope.
Near miraculously, this wasn't a total, complete, utterly ruined situation just yet. Mittelt was still better than most humans, Kalawarna could fight with one hand, and they had the support of several exorcists (read: cannon fodder) to assist them and…
Freed.
Freed would have to replace Dohnaseek, should the need to defend the ritual arrive. He was better than most former exorcists, even if he really liked kids, killing, and corpses (likely all at the same time). Raynare didn't care, as long as he did what she ordered him to do, although she would rather not interact with the psycho for more than strictly necessary to her plan.
All they needed to do until the ritual was complete was lay low, let Twilight Healing do her thing, and then yank what was rightfully hers out of that stupid girl as quickly as they could, then get out of this worthless town.
Preferably, Raynare would like to be alone at that last part.
After that, everything would be fine. She would go back to her superiors, proudly show what she has done, and go back to her loyal servitude, likely in a much better, higher position. She was thinking… Vice Governor General.
Or SUPER Vice Governor General! Maybe even FxF Ultra Super Vice Governor General Plus Plus Plus Omega First Class! They should make an entire new position just for her!
And all of this hinged on the death of a few lowly humans.
Well… now that included a certain lowly devil now.
Raynare knew what she had to do before she left this town.
At the first opportunity, at the first sign of the red-cloaked bitch…
She was going to make her second life a living hell. She was going to enjoy seeing her suffer.
Ruby Rose was suffering.
The start of the first day of school was always something she considered a low point. Her very first day going to school was bad (she cried when a boy called her eyes weird), Signal supported her affirmation (she embarrassed herself by messing up her own name), and Beacon…
Well, barely anything needed to be said about that. The memory was so fresh that it still made her want to scream.
Of course, things often got better as the day went on and once she managed to get some friends, things would get better but… it always felt like everything resets every year. Friends move to other classes, relationships fade, and she has to meet new people who might not like her.
But doing all of that, except this time in another world, where her introduction was basically mumbling her way through a speech, and being very aware of how everyone saw her? That had to be worse than getting blown up.
Melting into the nearest crack and staying there for the rest of the day felt better than this.
"We're in an entirely different world, one without Grimm, one full of beaches, parks (and isn't the idea of walking around nature for pleasure, without worrying about Grimm just amazing), and who knows how many other world attractions and we still have to go to school." Yang sighed while propping her head on her hand.
"After everything that's happened over the last couple of days, I think school is just what we need." Weiss sighed while adjusting her new school uniform for about the dozenth time this morning. "Just some nice, orderly normalcy and… Couldn't they make the skirt, like, two inches longer? I feel like it'll remain standing when I sit down!"
Provided last night before their first day, they all received winter and summer sets and pins to indicate they were part of the Beacon program. While Kuoh did have a stricter uniform policy than Beacon Academy, they were allowed to add accessories as long as they were appropriate, so they just went with what they added when they went to Beacon.
"Just bear with it." Blake spoke up, her cat ears covered comfortably by a new black bow. "Despite everything, we still need to bring back as much information as we can about this world. It might even give us better prospects, back in Remnant. We… still need to live our lives when we get back, no matter how complicated our situation right now."
"Yeah." Ruby let out in a quiet tone. "But… Do we tell them about… the supernatural stuff? Like… how it's a thing over here? I'm not saying I should reveal what I… what we're going to become, but they have to know about all this supernatural stuff, right?"
"...We'll get there when we get there, Rubes." Yang said, along with her teammates nodding silently. "Let's just focus on surviving our first day at Kuoh."
The leader before letting out a breath.
Soon enough, the door opened as a student walked in that they didn't quite recognise. She was quite pretty, with shoulder-length, reddish-brown hair tied into twintails and brown eyes.
"Hello, everyone. I'll be your teacher for today's class!" The girl cheerfully announced as she quickly wrote her name on the chalkboard both in Japanese and English: Tomoe Meguri. "Call me sensei in class, please."
"Yes, sensei." Team RWBY replied.
"Now, I assume you've been drilled on basic reading comprehension and writing, correct?"
"A little…" Blake answered.
"That will be enough for this lesson." Tomoe responded as she pulled out a book. "Now, please take out your textbooks and turn to page 10. We'll be starting off with wordplay. You'll often see it used, and I'd like to ensure that you understand it, unless you might commit a faux pas."
"Word- what?" Blake got out, suddenly feeling a sense of dread.
"Oh no…" Weiss let out as Yang grin grew wider and wider.
Ruby Rose was suffering.
And it was only the first day.
Finally, enough time had passed for a lunch break…and apparently it was too long as most of Team RWBY trudged to the cafeteria, looking utterly exhausted. The only person to actually look no worse for wear is…
"Japanese has so many puns! Like, I never knew that even their numbers could make freaking sentences." Yang, for once in a very long time, came out of a theory class more energetic than she was coming into it. "Do they know what power they have given me?"
"Too much?" Blake assumed in a flat tone, looking over at her partner with an unamused expression.
"Yes!" Yang cheered.
"Coming to Japan was a mistake." Weiss deadpanned. "Australia is starting to sound more tempting by the day."
"Don't be like that, Weiss." Ruby said while comforting her partner with a pat on the back, just as they arrived at the cafeteria. "We'll be back home before you know it. After all, it's–"
Suddenly Ruby stopped in her tracks, tracking someone from across the room.
It was Issei. He was here.
Instantly, her teammates knew something was up with their leader. "...Ruby?" Blake spoke up.
"That's him." Ruby whispered, sounding a combination of relieved and scared.
"That boy over there with the odious face?" Weiss guessed, spotting three boys at a table eating their lunch while on their phones. She couldn't see what they were looking at given the angle, but it was causing them to… drool and giggle.
Huh.
"That's Issei. He's the one I…" Ruby got out before trailing off, already trying to hide behind her teammates.
Her sister rolled her eyes. Here we go again. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go and talk to him."
"I… I don't know…" Their leader mumbled. "At this point, it would be awkward and…"
"Hey! You there!" Yang suddenly shouted out, causing everyone in the room to follow the direction of the shout over to…
Them.
"Ack!" Issei suddenly began to choke on his onigiri before managing to swallow it down with some juice. "Huh!?"
"Come over here! We need to talk to you!" Yang said, causing several gasps to fill the room.
"Wh-What?" Issei was in disbelief himself. He was pretty sure he had done nothing to wrong this foreign blonde chick yet. However, he then spotted a familiar red cloak just behind the girl. "Wait… isn't that…?"
"Wow, man, already?" Motohama suddenly got out, proudly patting Issei's back.
Issei looked at his friends with a baffled expression. "Huh?"
"You gotta tell us all the deets at the infirmary. Please tell me you got photos too." Matsuda practically begged their de-facto leader.
"What!?"
"We're praying for you." His supposed best friends soon said while bowing to him, as if he was about to be led off by the police.
The recently reincarnated boy's eye twitched. "I-I don't… Screw you guys!" Issei groaned before getting up from his seat.
Meanwhile, Ruby was horrified as she turned to her sister. "Yang, why-"
There was no one there, just a suspiciously Yang, Weiss and Blake-shaped clouds of dust. "Not again!" Ruby thought in a panic.
She didn't want to explode like last time!
"H-Hey, Rose-san."
Ruby stifled a yelp before turning to the boy, who looked just as scared as her. "I-Issei… san? Good to see you again, finally. U-Um, sorry about that." She said with a stammer.
Issei quickly blushed. "U-Uh, call me Issei."
"Issei? O-Okay. But… do you mind ju-just calling me Ruby? I heard that's less formal or… something." Ruby mumbled. Huh, this was actually going quite well. "Are you okay?" She then asked in concern.
"Yeah, I'm uh… I'm fine. Better than fine, in fact."
"That's good to hear. I-It's good to finally understand you."
"Huh? Oh, right. That."
The conversation settled into an awkward silence for a bit. Seeing that everyone was looking at them, they decided to head into the hallway for a slightly more private conversation.
"...It has been a while since that day." Issei muttered as they walked.
"It has." The red cloaked girl responded, looking more out the window than at the boy.
Another bout of quiet. It was loud, deafening, a weight that pressed down on their throats. Finding the willpower to lift it off should've been easy but… it just wasn't in them until one of them lifted it for them.
Issei soon swallowed some saliva. No matter how scared he was, he needed to be the one to do it. "...Ruby, I… I really can't tell you how much I'm thankful for–"
"Issei, it's nothing. Really." Ruby quickly interjected, looking him straight in the eyes.
Issei began to shiver and shake, holding back a few tears. "But you… I couldn't… I was–"
"Stop." Ruby interrupted once again. "I'm… I'm still dealing with it myself. I can't… that feeling is still floating around in my brain and it scares me to death."
"Ruby…"
"But… If I spend all my time wallowing in that, I'm not going to get better. However, don't think I will ever regret saving you."
Issei stopped, looking at the red cloaked girl in disbelief. "Huh?"
Ruby just gave him a smile. "It's going to be my job in the future. Sure, maybe something like this isn't normal here, but being a hero will be just part of the daily routine once I've graduated."
"A hero…?" Issei repeated.
"Well, I'm not ready to call myself a hero yet, but I can still do a lot of heroic stuff." Ruby replied. "I just… wish I was better at it, you know." She then added under her breath, that made Issei's chest tighten.
He couldn't let this continue. "Hey, how about we–"
"Helllllloooo~ Little Miss Red Riding Hood!"
"Oh no, not now!" Issei mentally groaned as a familiar thorn in his side began to approach them. He didn't even need to see who it was.
"Why is everyone calling me that?" Ruby mumbled in confusion, before seeing who was calling out to her. "It's you. Uh… Kiryuu, right?"
"Yep! Glad to have you enroll, although not in the way I was thinking." Aika said with a grin that unsettled the only boy. "How lucky are you to join the Beacon Program."
"Pr-Pretty lucky." Ruby stammered. There was no way she was going to say that the program was made just for her, her teammates, and any future peerage members (and she did not want to think about adding more people into this messed up situation).
Aika giggled at seeing Ruby's reactions. So innocent, so cute. She's a perfect target. "So, pray tell, what is the leader of the Perverted Trio doing with an innocent maiden like Ruby Rose-san."
Issei looked like he had been physically struck. "Hey, I'm not the leader! They just tend to throw me to the wolves! Those big… sexy… bouncy wolves…"
"Perverted what?" Ruby repeated, causing the boy to snap out of his fantasies.
Issei soon let out a horrified gasp. "Dammit, Kiryuu! I was trying to have a nice, wholesome conversation!" He then raged at the perverted girl.
"Ah, I see. Since this girl is so new, you're trying to finally lose your virginity. Can't say I blame you. She's as cute as they come." Aika responded in a playful tone. "Although, I should warn you about her older sister…"
"Yang?" Ruby let out, giving the odd girl an equally odd look.
"Yep, a couple of–" Aika began to explain only for the boy to jump in front of her.
"I'm not doing anything funny!" Issei soon snapped before looking over to the first girl to talk to him in a non-disgusted manner in several years. "R-Ruby, please don't listen to her. That's just a bunch of… um… st-stuff! Yeah, I'm not-"
"YOU!"
"AH!" Issei screamed, which reminded Ruby of that one time when Jaune found a cockroach on his bed.
However, instead of a really disgusting bug that needed Pyrrha to trap and release outside, it was a very angry-looking Yang stomping her way over to the little group. "Why did I just get warned by every girl I came across about letting you get close to my little sister!?" The brawler questioned.
"H-H-Hi, R-R-Rose-san." Issei nervously greeted, already drenched with worried sweat (although that could just be Yang radiating heat again). "I-I didn't know you had a sister! You don't look anything alike…"
"My name is Yang Xiao Long." The blonde corrected, causing the boy to clam up. "Now, do you mind explaining to me why you're being treated like… like…?"
"The devil?" Aika assumed.
The others flinched. "Yeah, that." Ruby awkwardly agreed.
"U-Uh… well, erm, you know how rumors are and how they… uh… exaggerate stuff! Heheheheheh… heh… heh…"
Wow, even Issei himself didn't look convinced.
Yang let out a flat stare. "...You don't really peep in the girls' locker rooms along those two bozos?"
"Yeeeeaaaahhhh…" Issei replied, defeated, looking down in shame… only for his expression to turn lecherous as soon as his eyes found Yang's chest.
"...I'mma punch you now."
"That kinda feels fair." At least it wasn't a shinai to the nuts.
"Yang, no!" Ruby suddenly called out, zipping in front of the boy. "Please, let me talk to him!"
Yang stared at her sister in disbelief. "But he's… he's…"
"Yang." Ruby insisted while giving her a serious look.
Yang stood there silently before sighing. "...Grr… okay, fine. But only because you're my sister's friend. But I swear, this guy will lose his eyes if he tries peeking in on you." she stated. The sun is hot, water is wet, and Issei will lose his eyes if he peeps on Yang's little sister.
"I-I-I promise!" Issei yelped, saluting the older girl for some reason.
"Aw…" Aika got out as she put away her phone.
"Ruby? Don't let your guard down around him, understood?" Yang let out before heading off, but not before doing that threatening 'I'm watching you' thing.
After watching the most dangerous girl (outside of the Devils) on campus walk away, the pervert slumped. "Sorry, I'll leave you alone forever now." Issei sighed as he began walking away from Aika and Ruby.
The perverted girl shook her head before seeing Ruby was completely frozen on the spot. "...What are you doing standing there? Aren't you gonna go after him?"
"I… But he…"
"Yes, he's a perv, but there are definitely worse people out there." Aika interrupted as she rolled her eyes. "Like me! Ah, I'm so glad to have been born a woman, hehehe~ the things I get away with…"
Ruby could only think but to chuckle nervously as she sweatdropped. Was everyone on Earth some brand of weird? "Uhh… I'm gonna go." She soon got out as she began to head in Issei's direction.
"Hey, ask him why he grew an inch! I need to know! Is it drugs!? Did he finally fall for those spam porn ads in his email!?" Aika soon shouted out.
The Leader of Team RWBY decided to ignore the odd girl before chasing after the retreating Pawn, catching up to him a few seconds later.
"Hold on!" Ruby said as she grabbed the boy's arm.
Issei winced. Even with his new demonic body, he could feel his wrist strain under her grip. "Ruby, you really don't need to-"
"No. We haven't finished talking." Ruby insisted, her silver eyes glimmering with determination.
"Huh?"
"I… I didn't forget what you tried to do on that day." Ruby continued. "You're a good guy, Isse. Just… erm, if it's really true, that's really not good but..." She then started mumbling, blushing red and unconsciously positioning her hands to hide her "fun parts" (as Yang would put it) from Issei's sight.
"Ruby, you can just tell it to me straight. I won't blame you, you aren't the first girl to hate me." Issei groaned as he pulled away his hand and started rubbing the soreness out of it.
The red cloaked girl shook her head at that. "I wouldn't, because I know you're more than that. You tried your best to help, so... As long as you can move past hyperfocusing on my body, I'm sure it'll be fine. I… I really do want to be your friend."
Issei blinked, stunned. Was… Was a girl really asking to be his friend despite knowing who he is? It felt… strange. Rias liked him as a servant, Akeno liked him as a toy, his mom had long given up on grandchildren, and Koneko…
Yeah, girls weren't usually his greatest ally, much less willing to die for his sake.
"...You're really nice. I didn't think I'd get a second chance." Issei admitted, a little flattered and a little nervous.
"Everyone deserves one, but you have to make it count. I won't stop Yang the next time you're caught peeking, you know?" Ruby replied with a kind smile. "Now, come on, I wanna introduce you to my team."
Instantly, Issei's flight-or-fight response kicked in. If Ruby's sister knew, she'd definitely tell her team if they didn't know already! "...Hold on!" the boy yelped, scrambling for an excuse to delay his death. "I-I have to admit something. Ruby, I became a Devil because of you."
Ruby immediately stopped in her tracks. "...Y-You what?"
Well, that came out of his mouth before he realized what he was even saying, but he was going to talk about it before Aika and Yang interrupted their conversation, so he decided to just roll with it.
"S-Seeing you hurt, seeing you suffer like that while I barely did anything… it felt like I was being speared myself." Issei continued, rubbing his chest. "I wasn't strong enough to save you back then, so… I'm going to be stronger. I want to make sure none of that ever happens to you or anyone else ever again."
Ruby couldn't believe what she was hearing. Who sacrifices their humanity for someone they've barely met!? "Wha– you… you did it for…?" She stammered and sputtered.
Issei ignored the girl as he kept going, standing firm, his chest puffed out as he bared his soul. "I'm… I don't want to be weak anymore. Ruby, I want to be your friend, and I'm not gonna lie! I want to have a harem full of cute girls! I-I have a massive porn collection, and one day, I'm going to be your hero!"
"...!?" Ruby only stared, frozen as she struggled to understand Issei's words. It was so shocking, she had to wonder if her Devil's power of language was actually working for a couple of moments.
"..." Issei was mentally punching himself in the face for making such a crappy speech.
"..." Aika smiled deviously from around the corner, silently and utterly enjoying every moment of this. She had followed Ruby, and although she had only heard the tail-end of that conversation (conveniently missing out on any mentions of the supernatural and other worlds), it was more than enough info for her.
She was totally going to corrupt this girl. And Issei was going to help, intentionally or not.
Ruby, meanwhile, finally managed to recover from Issei's heartfelt declaration. An openly perverted hero. She had never heard of such a thing before. "Erm… I just… I just wanted you to stop peeping on girls."
"...Y-Yeah, I'm definitely gonna stop that. I think your sister will put me in the ICU if she catches me in the act. Or the morgue." Issei agreed, a little nervous. Sure, he'll miss the sight of Murayama's tasty body, but giving it up is infinitely better than dying a virgin. He'll just have to satiate his desires with extra-long hentai marathons from now on. "Bu-But I'm still going to be your hero one day. I swear!"
"I-I don't need such a hero! I-I mean, I'm supposed to be the hero! You don't have to go so far for me." Ruby mumbled.
"Nope! Called dibs already! I'm gonna do it!" Issei insisted before remembering something. Right, his Sacred Gear thingy! "Besides, I got this awesome thing–"
"Ah, Issei-kun, you shouldn't show your awesome thing on the first date. That's indecent exposure." Aika decided to enter the scene with a teasing smile, surprising the two devils. "Even if my scouter says your power is over twelve inches! Nice dragon!" She said, licking her lips and giving him a thumbs up.
"K-Kiryuu!? Again!?" Issei exclaimed. "Why do you keep following us!? Wait, how much did you hear, and that's definitely invasion of priv-!? Oh so that's how it feels…" Issei was quite troubled upon having the feelings of every girl he ever peeped on shoved into his face.
"Meh, only the important stuff, Mr. Twelve-inches. Hero-grade indeed!" Aika replied, causing the boy to groan in despair. "Now, why don't we celebrate Rose-san's first day at Kuoh Academy? Maybe at my house? I'd like to introduce her to my personal hentai collection~ "
"Ummm…" Ruby fidgeted in place, unsure on how to respond.
"Aika, nevermind the fact that we have plans today, I am never gonna hang out with you again! Not after how much you've taken from me!" Issei called out, seriously not wanting to deal with this girl right now… or ever again.
"What? Your dignity? I didn't think you had any to begin with." Aika pointed out with a smirk. "If it's your pride, well, you have plenty of that and then some, mister foot-long, mister naughty dragon, sir. Although, I wonder what made you schedule in extra dragon-milking time?"
"Pride? Foot? Milk?" Ruby repeated, looking totally lost.
"D-D-D-Curse you, Kiryuu!" Issei cried out, his voice echoing down the halls.
They didn't know it yet, but this was the start of the strangest trio of friends to ever grace the school.
The day was long, especially when you're a newly reincarnated Devil and having to endure being out in daylight, but time ticked on regardless, until the bell signaled the end of the regular classes and the start of club activities.
It was also the start of Issei and Team RWBY's lives as Devils coming into full swing.
Issei, for one, was actually excited. As much as he hated the horrific circumstances that led him to deciding to abandon his humanity, it was every boy's dream to become like the shonen protagonists he watched and read about while growing up. Being a Devil and serving under the beautiful bombshell that is the president of the ORC was just the first of many steps into becoming one of those very heroes. Dramatic attack names, awesome action shots and gorgeous, fanservice-ready girls! This was his chance to finally be somebody, someone that wasn't just known for openly reading hentai in class (before, during, after).
Ruby, meanwhile, wasn't exactly feeling as enthusiastic as her new friend(?) as she walked beside him to the ORC clubroom, clutching onto her chess set like a lifeline in a storm. And that didn't sit right with him.
"Ruby-san?" Issei spoke up, getting the girl's attention.
"Huh?"
"Are you feeling okay there?"
"I just… I have a lot on my mind." Ruby mumbled. "And I told you to call me Ruby."
"Scared?" The boy assumed.
"Terrified." Ruby replied with a sigh.
"I understand that. To be honest, as much as this whole Devil thing excites me, a lot of that excitement is fear, too.." Issei admitted as he walked with his hands behind his head. "Coming here now, it just makes it all too real. The fact I got you killed, the fact I refuse to go back to who I was before, even if I could. There's no helping it, so we gotta give it our all."
"Y-You didn't get me killed! But yeah… everything else checks out." Ruby breathed out while looking down at her free hand, feeling the weight of her King piece despite nothing being there. "No coming back. Just… let's try our best." She muttered under her breath.
That phrase… that terrified her the most.
"Hey, we're here." Issei got out as they arrived at the ORC's clubroom before stepping aside. "Ladies first."
Gulping, the red cloaked girl opened the door to see the president of the club on the couch reading a book. "Rias, I'm here." Ruby announced while entering the clubroom.
"Good afternoon, buchou!" Issei dutifully said as he stood next to her, bowing to her presence. "Your newest servant is here, fit for duty!"
"Welcome, both of you." Rias greeted as she used a bookmark (funnily enough, one of those with her own summoning circle on it) to mark her progress before placing the book down.
Issei soon noticed how empty the room was. "Where is everyone?"
"On their assignments." Rias answered while standing up from her seat and smoothing down her skirt. "And I should say the same to you, Rose-san. Where is the rest of your team?"
"Well, um, Yang found some guys looking through a hole in the kendo club dressing room and she's erm… dealing with them." Ruby answered while looking over at Issei, who had just slapped his forehead hard enough to startle her.
"Goddammit, I told them to stop that!" Issei grumbled before all three Devils grimaced and clutched their heads. "Ow!"
"Isse-kun!" Rias called out in a chiding tone.
"S-Sorry, that's gonna take some getting used to… urgh…" Issei apologized before groaning in pain.
"Oh Brothers…" Ruby whispered before another headache hit her, completely different from the other headache she had. Great, being a Devil could make her stack headaches…
"I-It's fine, you'll learn eventually." Rias breathed out while rubbing her forehead to soothe the pain. "Issei, are you ready to act as an extension of my will and power?"
"Yes, buchou!" Issei responded with a salute.
"I love the enthusiasm. Okay, your first task as a servant of the Gremory peerage is…" Rias began before summoning… a pile of boxes in front of them. "Handing all these out."
"...Huh?" Ruby got out as Rias opened one of the boxes and handed the boy a small stack of papers that looked vaguely familiar to Issei.
"What!? I have to hand out all these flyers?" Issei exclaimed.
"They're more than flyers. Look closely." Rias informed as the two newly reincarnated devils did as she told them.
Issei suddenly gasped. "...Wait, these are-"
"The same as the contract that reacted to your desire to save Ruby-san." Rias finished for her servant while Ruby's jaw dropped.
"W-Why do I have to do that?" Issei had to ask.
"Because, if you want to get stronger and raise your standing, you'll need to fulfill contracts with humans." Rias answered, holding her right elbow with her left hand and poking at the side of her head with her right hand, already in lecture mode. "Currently, you – and Ruby, please pay attention – are considered a Low-Class Devil, the absolute bottom in our hierarchy. It's where all reincarnated Devils start. By fulfilling the wishes of humans, your demonic power will increase, allowing you to ascend onto our higher ranks. There are other methods, but this is the safest option."
"And I have to do this to become a Harem King?" Issei said while looking at the flyer box with a mix of excitement and disbelief.
"A ha-whuh?" Ruby got out, with a lot more disbelief than excitement.
Rias giggled. "Not exactly a glamorous start to your harem king journey, I know."
"I mean… yeah…" Issei admitted with a blush. He thought it was going to involve more cool stuff like… like… whatever the occult research club normally does.
"Everyone starts from somewhere, and right now you are completely at the bottom." Rias stated before stepping closer to her servant, close enough the tip of her breasts were barely touching his chest as both motivation and a tease of what's in his future. "Come on, Isse-kun, do it for your buchou~"
No! Perfect boobs and a pretty face! His only weakness (apart from attacks to his crotch, holy stuff, a lack of tissues or a shortage of lotion, his parents' disappointment and… okay, he might have a few weaknesses…)!
"Y-Yes, buchou! Right away!" Issei declared, grabbing a box before heading out of the room.
"Hehehe, so precious." Rias giggled, amused by her newest servant and his antics.
Meanwhile, Ruby could only just stare at where the boy was a second ago. "...What's a harem?" She then wondered out loud. "He keeps bringing that up, and I keep forgetting to ask him about it."
"...Don't worry about it." said Rias as she airly waved it off, before heading back to the couch.
"Do I have to hand out flyers too?" Ruby nervously asked, terrible memories of selling candy for fundraisers starting to come up from the dark depths of her mind.
"No, you don't have to unless you want to. Although, it's rather strange to have a Low-Class King around…"
"Um, I'd rather not get involved in that whole thing yet." Ruby responded with an awkward chuckle. "I don't think I can handle it anyways…"
Rias let out a sigh. "You aren't the most gregarious of persons, are you?"
"Yeah, um… it took me a while to make friends back home." Ruby admitted with a blush.
Rias smiled. Well, guess it was time to break the ice. "You play chess, Ruby-san?" She asked while summoning a fully set-up chess board on the table.
"I've been playing since I was three years old." Ruby replied as she sat across from her fellow King, ignoring the fact she hadn't won a single game in her natural born life unless it was a 960 game.
Although, in some other part of her mind, she did wonder if the counter was reset because she was currently on her second life. Ah, semantics.
"May we have a match before your friends arrive, then?" Rias offered, sitting on the white side of the board.
"Sure." Ruby nodded as she looked down at the pitch black chess pieces on her side.
"Hm, I'm surprised that you have chess in your world, Ruby." Rias got out with a small frown. "I often imagine other worlds having incredibly different games, but… to have the exact same one, down to the name and pieces…"
"Maybe our worlds have been connected for a long time and we just never noticed before, or this isn't the first time." Ruby guessed with a shrug as she made her first move.
"Maybe." The crimson haired girl replied, smiling a little. Ruby had used a nice opener. She wasn't playing against an amateur. That also meant she could use a little more of her chess prowess to ensure the game lasted as long as she wanted. "How was your first day?"
"It went pretty well, I guess." Ruby muttered. Apart from English and Japanese lessons, everything seemed pretty much like back at Beacon. "I made a new friend. Um, Aika Kiryuu, I think." She informed.
Rias recognized the name. Aika was a normal human being, but it wasn't every day that there was someone who could contend with Issei and his friends in sheer libido, pervertedness, or depravity.
"You seem to draw in the most unique people." Rias got out.
"Yeah, I think that's been a running trend for me." Ruby mumbled sheepishly, already hearing Sa-lu-tations in her head. Befriending hormone-crazy teenagers was actually normal in comparison.
"It's a good quality to have as a King. You'll get better allies as a result." Rias complimented as she made her move.
Ruby grimaced. "I'm… I'm still not sure about this whole turning my friends and family into servants thing."
"You aren't being forced to treat them as such, Rose-san." Rias reminded in a comforting manner. "I certainly don't. To me, every member of my peerage is indistinguishable from family. Akeno is my sister in all but blood, Yuuto is my (and I will deny I said this if you repeat it) slightly angsty little brother, Koneko is my adorable little sister, and Issei is a goofball, but he's my goofball little brother I love to tease," she paused for a moment to look at Ruby in the eye. "Your peerage is what you make of it, and honestly, considering they may in time leave and choose to make peerages of their own, I think treating them poorly is a really, really dumb thing to do. "
"My uncle told me the same thing when I decided to become a huntress." Ruby said. Although, that time around she wasn't in a literal (absurdly extended) life or death situation.
"Speaking of hunting…" Rias began as she studied the state of the board. "We're still trying to find the Fallen. I will let you know as soon as we track them down."
Ruby let out a breath. "Thank you. You're doing a lot to help us."
"Well, we have to make a good first impression." Rias replied. "It's not every day you're part of first contact with people from other worlds."
"Yeah, better than the… first encounter…" The red cloaked girl mumbled, her eyes glazing over as she stared blankly at the gameboard.
Rias frowned. "...Ruby-san, are you okay? Be honest."
"I… I…" Ruby tried to say, but it was caught up in her throat for some reason.
"You're free to refuse. I like helping when I can, even if I don't like getting into others' personal matters uninvited," Rias assured. "Although, it's not like they would let me in to begin with." She mentally grumbled.
"I… I'm not sure." Ruby sighed while lazily moving a piece forward. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around all this. My whole world, my entire life was just… just…"
"Flipped?" Rias guessed before wincing. "...Ruined?"
"Just… got a lot more complicated." Ruby replied in a small voice. "I was training to become a huntress… that's a monster hunter, I guess. I just wanted to protect people."
"Life is like that. Just take it slow, Rose-san. There's still a lot you need to learn."
"I'm guessing this is going to be my first lesson about being a King?"
"Yes." Rias nodded as she lifted up her king chess piece. "Let me teach you about Evil Pieces."
Ruby blinked. "I thought we already spoke about that?"
"Yes, but only in passing. Now I'm going to be telling you exactly what each of them do to someone when you reincarnate them." Rias explains while setting her king down.
"What do you mean?"
"Like in chess, each piece has a particular role to play, excelling in some areas while faltering in others." Rias replied as she picked up her rook piece, taking out a pawn on Ruby's side from across the board. "Rooks are slow, but have great physical strength and defense."
Ruby frowned and countered by using her bishop to take Rias' rook.
"Meanwhile, Bishops gain great power over their magical energy, regardless of it being of a demonic origin or not, but must be more careful with it, or they will exhaust themselves." As she said that, Rias quickly fought back by taking out the enemy bishop with her knight.
"Knights become faster and more agile, at the cost of being more vulnerable to injury."
Ruby, without a hint of hesitation, took the knight with her queen.
"And Queens are the mightiest of all, gaining all the strengths of the other pieces, but must be saved for the most crucial of roles as you only get one."
Ruby soon looked down at the board again, eyeing the pieces she had left. Particularly, her pawn that was threatening Rias' queen piece. "...What about Pawns?"
"Pawns… are the weakest, only getting the barest essentials for becoming a Devil." Rias answered as she moved her pawn forward, reaching Ruby's side of the board, something the younger girl hadn't noticed until it was too late. "But they have a very special ability: Promotion. With permission or in enemy territory, they may become any piece they want as long as they have the strength for it." With that, Rias exchanged her pawn for a second queen, putting Ruby in check.
"Hmm… so that makes them adaptable…" Ruby muttered to herself as she quickly took out the new queen.
Rias furrowed her brows. Ruby was actually pretty good at chess. Sure, she lost a few pieces, but she was beginning to see several avenues for a checkmate in her opponent's favor. This would not do. Her pride would not allow it.
"It seems you have a good head for strategy." Rias remarked as they continued playing.
"You can thank Weiss for helping me with that." Ruby replied with a shrug, eyeing her rook pieces.
"That brings me to my next point." Rias said, confusing Ruby a little. "I could feel great magical potential from Schnee-san. She would make an excellent magic user."
"Wow, really? Weiss can use real magic?" Ruby gasped, sounding a little excited by the thought.
"Quite easily, with the right teacher. You can too, when the time comes." Rias answered. "However, I am concerned by one thing."
"What is it?" Ruby asked as she moved her rook forward.
Rias instantly responded by threatening it with her bishop. "Why did you use a Rook on Schnee-san?"
Ruby gave her fellow King a confused look. "Well, it was the first piece I grabbed when I needed one. I told you this."
"Time may have been of the essence at that moment, but a King should not simply choose on a whim." Rias said. "With the information I've given you now, what do you think your friends should be when you reincarnate them?"
"Well… I think Yang would want to be a Rook, like Weiss. Blake, I'm going to say she'll be a Knight." Ruby answered after a little bit of thought.
"But…" Rias soon pressed as she leaned forward, detecting there was more to this.
"...They're already good at those things. Yang already destroys people even without her gauntlets, and Blake can keep up with me when I'm using my Semblance and she isn't." Ruby continued while splitting her attention between their conversation and the game. "But… When I fight Yang, I can literally run circles around her. And Blake… Her elemental clones are amazing, but she just can't take full advantage of it because of how Dust heavy it is. If she had magic, she could stay on the offensive more."
Rias observed that Ruby had a rook, a bishop, and a knight threatening her king. "So… you wish to make Yang a Knight, and Blake a Bishop?"
"Yeah. And with Weiss as a Rook, it should pretty much cover our bases for now, other than having a Queen and a Pawn. It's a pretty good set-up, don't you think?"
"...I think it is a strategy." Rias responded as she made her move, using her queen to prevent going into check.
Ruby did not like the tone Rias had. "Is it good? Bad?"
"Every plan, every strategy has the capacity to succeed or fail. It is simply up to the leader to ensure the best outcome at any given moment." Rias said as she noticed Ruby was starting to play defensive now, causing her to frown. "But I think there's something more to this."
"More to… this?" Ruby repeated, clearly lost on what Rias meant by that. "I mean, I just don't want them to be hyper specialized one-trick horsies."
"Ruby." Rias got out in a more serious manner.
Ruby swallowed. "...I… I spent a lot of time thinking about it before today. I listened to my friends…" She said in a dour tone. "Weiss wasn't strong enough, Blake wasn't aggressive enough, and Yang wasn't fast enough."
"It's understandable that your reaction to such things is to cover for their weaknesses, but I think you're not seeing the bigger picture."
"The bigger picture?"
"Well sure, there are obvious benefits to increasing their parameters in the areas they are lacking at, but I need you to remember that this is not always the best solution." Rias explained as she began to launch her counteroffensive. "I would recommend playing to their strengths instead since it'll make the transition easier in the short term, even if your method will make them stronger (or at least better rounded) in the long term, and devils do tend to live for many thousands of years."
"I'm not forcing them into roles." Ruby insisted while moving her king piece behind some pawns. "Rook or not, Weiss is good. I just… I think the piece I used will help her more in the long term than what you're suggesting."
"And that is fine, but you may have stymied her full magical potential by not using a Bishop on her. Bishops have a much easier time growing in magical power."
Ruby winced. "Well… is it possible that I can change the Evil Piece she has?"
"I'm afraid not." Rias shook her head. "It's permanent. You will only get your piece back if your servant dies, and I'm sure you don't want that."
"Then there's no point in talking about this." Ruby sighed while moving her remaining rook piece up. "Weiss will be a great Rook who can also do magic."
"But there are advantages to playing to one's strengths." Rias said as she moved her bishop, threatening her rook.
Ruby furrowed her brows, either in thought or annoyance. "Rias, it sounds like you're trying to convince me to use my Rook on Yang and my Knight on Blake."
"I didn't intend that, I am simply pointing out you're thinking Evil Pieces are a patch over a problem." Rias responded. "I must remind you that in chess, pieces support one another, covering for each other, getting to places where they themselves cannot reach."
"I know this stuff already. I already had enough lectures on teamwork back in Remnant." Ruby groaned in annoyance. "This is about their individuality. We can win together but… we can't always be together."
"So that's your main concern." Rias muttered.
"I'm the leader of Team RWBY." Ruby said. "I have a responsibility to make sure all my friends make it out fine. I failed that last week. Yang, Weiss, Blake… they…"
"Ruby, your thought process is that of someone who is so afraid to lose, that you haven't thought of ways to win." Rias sighed before moving her piece. "Just like your performance in this game."
"Huh?" Ruby let out before checking the board once again.
Checkmate.
As Ruby stared at her loss, Rias continued. "I know your losses have deeply affected you, but that does not mean you should panic. The best chessmaster would think multiple steps ahead, use their pieces together, and take control of the board at the first opportunity. And when they lose, they are able to identify the problem and learn from those mistakes."
"But… we're talking about people. This isn't a game. Games have rules, real life doesn't." Ruby mumbled.
"And that I agree with. Chess isn't exactly a simulation for commanders ordering their troops. However, that's why we play these games. To learn and to grow without worrying about suffering, so when the real fight starts, we have all the tools we need to defeat our foes."
Ruby sniffled. "...I don't want to lose again…"
"Then use this time wisely, because second chances don't happen all that often." Rias said while packing away the chessboard.
"Hey, Rubes!" Yang greeted as she barged into the room, with an annoyed Weiss and an amused Blake following behind her. "Sorry, it took so long and- oh, hey. You lost again."
Ruby glanced back down at the board, her king surrounded. "Yeah. I did."
Rias then cleared her throat. "Rose-san, are you ready to reincarnate your teammates and officially make them part of your peerage?"
Ruby nodded. "...I am."
"So, who's going first?" Weiss asked.
Yang silently stepped forward.
"Very well. Lay down on the floor and close your eyes. Relax and try not to move. It may feel a bit odd but I've been told that every time so it's part of the process." Rias instructed. "Remember, Ruby: Be decisive." She then whispered to the reincarnated King.
Ruby nodded before grabbing her chess set and opening it, seeing the shimmering red pieces within.
To enhance their strengths or cover their weaknesses. To specialize or to generalize. Immediate gains or long term growth. What would be best for them?
"Be decisive." Ruby muttered to herself before taking two Evil Pieces before putting away her chest set. Pocketing one of them, she kneeled down next to Yang. "Do you trust me?"
"With my life." Her older sister responded without hesitation.
Ruby let out a breath before placing the piece she had chosen on Yang's… cleavage? Boob window? (there wasn't anywhere else, okay). The reincarnated King then stood up and held her arms out, red sparks of her demonic energy beginning to flow through her once more as a symbol appeared underneath Yang.
No turning back.
"I, Ruby Rose, command you, Yang Xiao Long to ret- wait, no, erm… you're not– um, c-command you to leave your humanity behind and live a new life as a Devil by my side. A-As my newest Ro- Knight, may you burn half as long but twice as bright!"
SHINE!
Ruby suddenly felt the familiar pain of her oveflowing energy wreaking havoc through her body, the burning pain behind, no, within her eyes as she poured everything she could into the ritual.
Eventually, the Knight piece sank into Yang's body, causing her to shudder as it transformed her from within. Soon enough, the light show faded as Ruby was left… well, smoking, but not about to collapse like last time.
"Yang, are you okay?" Ruby managed to say.
Yang opened her eyes, which were red for some reason before turning back into its usual lavender color. "I… I'm fine. B-Better than fine. Whoa." She got out as she stood up faster than she thought she would be moving.
"Th-That's great." Ruby gave her sister a thumbs-up before moaning as more sparks came off her, which made everyone in the room wince. "Urgh…"
"Ruby?"
"Yang, I'm okay just…let me catch my breath."
Rias, meanwhile, looked worried. "Ruby."
"I… I was decisive… Rias-senpai." Ruby breathed out.
"That took a lot out of you. I thought your issues with your demonic power had been mitigated." Rias said.
"So… it's not supposed to feel like I'm being run over by a truck when I reincarnate someone?" Ruby groaned.
"Not at all." Rias shook her head before standing up and walking over to Ruby. Quickly, she began fussing over the younger girl, checking for any physical damage, taking a close look and... "Huh?"
"Rias?"
Rias blinked before shaking her head. "It's nothing. Do you wish to reincarnate Belladonna-san tomorrow and allow yourself some rest?"
"No, I… I think I'm getting a handle of this." Ruby assured as she flexed her fingers.
Rias frowned before nodding, relenting to the red cloaked girl's request. For a second there, she swore Ruby's eyes were tinted red. Maybe it was a trick of the light?
"Okay, I'm good. Blake?"
"I'm ready." The faunus nodded as she laid down on the floor. "Make me a Devil."
Ruby nodded before placing the Bishop piece on the cat faunus's chest. "Here we go. I, Ruby Rose, command you, Blake Belladonna, into leaving your hu- no, wait, faunus heritage behind and live a new life as a Devil. Be my Bishop and help me conquer this dangerous world!"
SHINE!
Like before, as Ruby endured the pain of reincarnation, the Bishop piece was absorbed by Blake. After that, Blake opened her eyes and sat up to get a feel of her changed form.
"How are you feeling?" Rias asked as she helped the black clad girl to her feet.
"Like new but also like… like I haven't changed at all." The faunus-turned-Devil answered.
"That's great… I think that's it from me though…" Ruby did a sharp intake, flinching as several jolts of power sparked from her overtaxed body. "I… I have to do this… thi-thirteen more times?"
"Fewer, if the individual requires more than one piece." Rias informed. "Like Isse-kun. I had to use eight Pawns on him."
"...Wait, isn't that all of them?" Weiss realized, clearly in disbelief.
"Even the most unassuming of people have their secrets." Rias replied in a playful manner. Meanwhile, the heiress groaned. What could possibly make him require all that when she heard he had a dumb plan to try and steal all the panties in school?
"So, what's next?" Yang asked as she stretched her newly enhanced muscles.
Rias smirked. "Now… the real lessons begin–" She began, only to stop dead as she started staring at something… or rather, someone.
"...Rias, why did you pause?" Ruby asked.
Rias blinked before grabbing Ruby's shoulders and turning her around. "Look."
After a brief wave of confusion, they all followed Rias' gaze over to an oblivious Blake.
It was at that moment they realized why the crimson haired King looked so surprised.
"...What?" The cat faunus asked, beginning to worry a little.
Yang was the only one who had the sense to ask. "Blake, did you always have a tail?"
"...Nyo." Blake let out before covering her mouth, her tail wiggling frantically behind her.
Wait, what was happening to her body!?
"Well," Rias said as she gave the subtly panicking girl a comforting smile. "I think we are due a simple training session."
Hey, UknownHero here. Sorry this took so long but with several other fics I wanna write, I just couldn't divide my attention properly. It really sucks knowing that you have a plan and knowing how things will go, but completely being too lazy to write it all out.
Anyways, yeah, going a different route by making Yang into a Knight and Blake into a Bishop. I based Ruby and Rias' discussion about it from… myself, wondering if this a good idea or not, but through a combination of ideas from my betas and wanting to do something unexpected, I decided to go with it.
Next time, whenever that may come, will be showing off what the new demonic RWBYs can do!