Chapter Text
"okay if your going to be traveling with me; there's a few ground rules I need to lay", ruby said as her and hanamaru were leaving the restaurant. "Yes zura!?". "Rule 1 stay out of my way, if something goes down you go hide or something". "2, never touch my sword". "And 3, never call me cute again", ruby grunted. Maru then jotted the rules into her notebook and giggled a bit.
"You got all that", ruby asked sarcastically. "Yeah...but I have a question zura". "What is it", ruby replied. "Where are we staying tonight". "Well there's an inn down the road but..." "But what", maru asked. "(Sigh) I'm broke...so I guess we're sleeping in the woods", ruby said blushing in embarrassment. Hanamaru then held up her full wallet again. "You do know I have enough money to cover us both right", the girl giggled. "I couldn't ask you to do that", ruby sighed. "Don't worry about it...that's what friends are for zura". "Hmph friend...never had one of those before", ruby smirked.
The two girls then continued to walk to the small inn; with the full moon shining brightly above them. Once they arrived they were greeted by the old couple that ran the place.
"Good evening girls, what can I do for you", the old man smiled. "We'd like a room zura", Maru said holding up some cash. Of course, here you go", the man said taking the money and handing her a key. "And we have very nice hot springs out back", the old woman smiled. "Ooooh, you wanna take a dip ruby-chan". "Why not...it's been a couple of days", ruby said sniffing herself. "A COUPLE OF DAYS ZURA!!?". "Yeah...is that a problem", ruby frowned. "Not at all!!".
The girls then unloaded some things and headed to the hot springs. As they entered, the water was steaming hot and crystal clear. In short...it was perfect. "ZZUUUUUURRRAAA", Maru squeled as she lowered her body into the water. She then looked over at ruby and saw something that shocked her. Ruby's small loli body was covered in multiple scars. Seeing this had one question pop into the girls head. "Why".
She then gave ruby a nervous look and reluctantly asked. "Why does a cute girl like you...want to be something as violent as a samurai". Ruby was caught off guard by this personal question; making her snap back at her new friend. "Why don't you mind your own freaking business!!!". "I'm so sorry...I didn't mean to overstep my bounds", maru cried.
Ruby then stared deeply into the natural spring water. She could tell she had hurt the girls feeling's. Hanamaru was a really nice girl; but Ruby's origins weren't something that she wanted to advertise. However one look into maru's calming eyes made her feel a since of relief. She felt like this was someone that she could trust with her life. "What the heck", she thought to herself. "It all happened about two years ago", the girl sighed.
"I was a happy little kid, I didn't have a care in the world". "My days were filled with being spoiled and playing with my onee-chan dia". "We had everything we could ever want, butlers, gaurds, the like". "But one day...that all changed", ruby said sadly. (Flashback begins)
A tall beautiful girl with a dark kimono and a beauty mark by her chin was walking excitedly to her sisters room. "Ruuuuuubbbbyyyy...I have a surprise for you", the girl smiled. She then slid her younger sisters door open to reveal a much more innocent and happier ruby. "Hey onee-chan, what were you saying", the happier and less deadly ruby asked. "I have a present for you", the older girl said hiding something behind her back. "Awwww, but my birthday isn't till next week". "I know that; but I just couldn't wait till then", the girl smiled.
"That beautiful dark haired girl was my older sister dia...I loved her more than anything else in the world", the current ruby said sinking deeper into the water.
"Okay now close your eyes ruby", dia asked. "Right!!", The small loli said following the orders of her onee-chan. Dia then held up a beautiful flowery pink kimono; custom made to fit her younger sister. "Okay...now open up". "(Pigi)... IT'S SO PRETTY!!!", Ruby said losing her breath over the beautiful piece of clothing. "Yes, and it's all yours...happy birthday ruby", dia said hugging her sister. "Thank you Dia...thank you, thank you, thank you!!!", Ruby cried. "Heh, it was my pleasure ruby". "Now go put it on; father and mother are waiting to see you in it", dia stated. "Oh okay!!", Ruby said running behind a curtain to change.
Ruby happily took her old kimono off and donned the new one. The beautiful flowers decorated on it brought out the color of her hair; and every part of it fit her perfectly. She then put a pink flower in her hair and took one last look. "WOW...I look so pretty", ruby smiled.
Ruby then skipped down the stairs happily ready to show her new look. Dia and the rest of the family were patiently waiting for her. "How do I look everyone!!", Ruby cheered. "Awwww ruby, you look so precious", her mother complimented. "Yes...both of our little angels do", Ruby's father said as dia stood next to her sister. Just then a knock was heard at the door. "shall I answer it sir", a Butler asked. "Yes... please", their father replied.
As the butler attempted to answer the door though; a sword slashed through the thin paper and stabbed through the man. "Wha...what's the meaning of". But before the Kurosawa's father could say anything else; kunai ripped through the air pearcing all of the lanterns used to light the room. "Father what's going on!!", dia cried. "I don't know...but take your sister and get upstairs", he demanded.
As the sisters ran they could hear the blood curdling screams of their parents echoing through the manor. "Onee-chan...what's going on...why did mom and dad just scream", ruby asked with tears streaming down her face. "I don't know; we just have to get to our room and hide", dia stated sternly. As the girls entered dias room she placed an old chair under the door and ran over to her closet. "Okay ruby...get in here and hide". "But onee-chan, what about you", ruby sobbed.
"I'll be fine...I just want to protect you". "But onee-chan!!!". "Ruby...GET IN THAT CLOSET!!!!!", Dia screamed at the top of her lungs. "O-okay onee-chan", ruby said reluctantly walking in. Dia then closed the door; and sealed it by sliding an old chest in front of it. What seemed like minutes had passed when the door to dias room was violently kicked open. Dia stood in front of the closet ready to gaurd ruby with her life; as a girl dressed from head to toe in ninja gear walked in. The girl's face was hidden, and she wore different weapons all over her body. She had kunai, shurikin, and an already bloody katana by her side.
"What do you want", dia yelled with tears filling her eyes. The teenage ninja then lowered her mask; revealing a very familiar face. "Your family owed a lot of money to the O'Hara's; and you haven't paid up". "We told the ohara's that we were going to pay!!", Dia yelled. "That was about six months ago...now I've come to settle your dept's", the girl said inching closer to dai with her bloody blade drawn. "You stay away from us...STAY AWAY!!!".
The young ninja then put the blade through dia's chest; making her cough up blood as she hit the floor. The killer then walked to the closet and kicked the chest out of the way. As she opened the door, she saw a petrified ruby holding on to one of dia's old kimono's. She looked at ruby with pity in her eyes and said. "Get out of here kid". Ruby then looked past her to see dia's bloody lifeless body on the floor. "Why did you kill my onee-chan...WHY!!", Ruby sqeualed. "I SAID GO!!", The ninja said snatching her out of the closet.
Not wanting to be killed; and knowing she couldn't fight, ruby began to run. As she ran out of the manor, she saw the dead bodies of her entire family and some of the staff on the floor. Running past these bodies without doing anything was the hardest thing she ever had to do. But she knew that the killer wouldn't be so merciful next time. She then ran out of the house and collapsed onto the ground. "(SOB)... onee-chan!!!", ruby cried.
After a few more minutes of helplessly weeping; she watched as the ninja set the Kurosawa mansion ablaze from the inside. The home that ruby was born and raised in, was now burning to Ash before her. It seemed like it only took seconds for the fire to spread throughout the whole house.
Seeing as their wasn't anything that she could do; ruby began to wander aimlessly into the nearest town. Meanwhile a golden carriage with four horses arrived outside of what was left of the Kurosawa mansion. The young shinobi then walked up to it and bowed down on one knee. "It's done ms.ohara", she announced. "Ooooh, good job kanan...you really are the best", the happy voice from inside replied. "Thank you...I'm happy to serve you". "And you got everyone right?". "Yes...I did...there all dead", kanan replied. "Great job... you'll be rewarded handsomly for this one", the unidentified girl said. "Thank you ma'am; but serving you is the only reward I need", kanan smiled.
Elsewhere an exhausted ruby made it to the town; and her first stop was at a gaurds station. She told the men there what had happened to her. But once she mentioned the name ohara; they kicked her out. Simply telling her to "go play". The O'Hara's were the richest family in all of the land; they made money through many evil ways. And the last thing someone wanted to do was fail to pay a dept to them. Something that Ruby's father had failed to pay up.
Now homeless and nowhere to go, ruby just went and crouched down into an alleyway. Because of what she had just went through she didn't care about eating or drinking. She just sat, not moving an inch or saying anything.
It stayed like this for about two days, then one evening she was approached by someone who was about to change everything for her. An old samurai was visiting the town to stock up on supplies when he saw the poor girl. Her eyes were heavy from having no sleep; and her once beautiful pink kimono was now covered in dust and grime. He crouched down to Ruby's level; and put a hand on her shoulder.
"You look like you've been through a lot dear", he said. Ruby however was to exhausted to reply to him. "You must be hungry...how about you let me feed you", the old warrior smiled. Knowing she would probably die if she didn't; ruby shook her head, and went with the old man. He then brought the helpless girl back to his small house by the country side.
See chapter 3 for what happens next.