Ritsu is a monster

Okay guys, George D. Green's here. Huh, this was a wild year. I've been to the hell and back, more or less. It was a struggle with student loans, anxiety, trying to make something out of myself. I would've forgotten about this fanfiction... but people still ticked "watching" button, almost as if the story is really good.

And I'll be honest with you and with myself. It sucks. While generally good, story suffers from a bad case of passive voice and poor grammar. When people on Tumblr openly ridiculed my fanfiction, I knew I had to change myself. I don't blame any of you. Yet, in this year I really tried improving those things.

So... after a long hiatus, there it is. A new chapter.

Ritsu's tears formed clean pathways on dirt-stained cheeks. With messy hair and ragged clothes more akin to beggar, she took a step after step in darkness of a new room. Her vast feeling of sadness slowly paved way to the deep, ardent anger. Girl wasn't even fighting it anymore. Slowly but surely, feelings overwhelmed her. In the flicker of the far away torch, she saw a ghostly shadow of a collosal, an eight legged monster. As her eyes gradually got used to darkness, she realized that this was an empty room with one torch.

"So, what are you, another spider?! I will rip you apart with my own hands!" Ritsu's eyes harbored a lunatic stare.

"I'm indeed a gatekeeper of Tsuchi. Yet, you're but a snack for me. Come, test your mettle!"

Spider talked. Even to somebody as daft as Ritsu, it was obvious that this wasn't a usual beast. He was a Yokai, same as Tsuchi.

"You will not stop me from reaching Mio. Oh no. If needed, I will use my own fingers to tear you apart."

In that moment, Ritsu lost her mind. Her pupils widened, and all the goodness from eyes faded away. With a scary grin on face, and with dirty hair hanging all around since she lost a hair bandage, Ritsu looked like a psychotic killer.

"Oh, I like that look in your eyes. After all, a snack's best when it resists!""

Spider made a leap forward, starting a forward move with a clicking sound. In a matter of seconds, it pinched her down. As huge fangs went down on her face, Ritsu felt no fear. Maybe it was because of the adrenaline, but instead of pain there was this huge sense of bloodlust, hunger, she felt madness and anger inside of her very being! She would later describe it as a feeling of burning which came all the way from her toes to her head.

Yokai flinched, and jumped from her. Ritsu's whole body emanated flame as she stood in front of the beast. Girl was engulfed in embers which sparked and twinkled all around her, with emerald and ruby accent.

"What was that about snack, eh?!" she gasped. Spider looked weirdly scared, heading towards the corner without a sound.

"Give Mio back!" she screamed from the bottom of her lungs, instinctively pointing with both of her hands. Front of her fingers formed a huge fireball. Suddenly, it shrunk down to the size of a baseball and it hit the spider right between the eyes. Spider hissed and screamed, trying to remove the fire. But it turned into a flaming mole, which cut skin on its head and burrowed into brain. In the next moment, flickers of flame dug their way out of it's body, and as more of them appeared spider panicked more and more.

"What the hell are you?! Snack is not supposed to resist! Snack should be obedient, snack should.. GAH!"

With a gasp of pain, spider exploded in a huge fireball. Blood and internal organs flew all around the room, becoming an ash as they hit the ground. Next second doors opened in front of her and she took another step, finally reaching Mio's holding cell.

By the looks of it this was an illuminated bedroom. Black and white walls looked like something from Beetlejuice movie, with a same colored canopy bed. A thick pillar massed in one corner, with Mio's body tied in a spiderweb. Her naked body was unhurt and it looked like she was sleeping. Tsuchi sat on the bed, half hidden by canopy, wearing a black night gown that barely hid her body.

She was beautiful, but malicious, and Ritsu knew it.

"So, the prey finally reaches my web. What an utter disappointment, seeing that it doesn't realize her futile efforts. No matter. Prey is obviously stronger than Tsuchi anticipated. It's like a hand, like a bird tearing through the web, too big for a spider. So, Tsuchi proposes a deal."

"Why would I listen to anything you say, you damned bitch?!"

"A fool prey would be, trying to burn her way out in the realm of spiderwebs. One way or another, it wouldn't know how to go out. Tsuchi proposes a deal. Lay down on this canopy with her, take her key of Tsuchi. If not, a keeper of Fire will get both of you. Not a single one of you will survive that."

"Ri-chan… don't listen to her… she will eat you…" Mio gasped.

"Prey should learn her place!" Tsuchi got agitated , spitting the web out of her mouth, sealing Mio's.

"Eeeh?!" Ritsu just now realized what Tsuchi had planned.

"So, it looks like it will come down to the fight. No matter, when the need arises spider knows the ways of defense."

Tsuchi stood up, taking a battle stance, raising her hands. Soon, strong earthquake literally exploded around her. Ritsu barely stood on her legs, and Tsuchi spat. Her viscous spit became a web which trapped Ritsu's ankles, forcing her down on a chin.

"Mmhmm!" Mio panicked.

"Don't worry, Mio-chan! I'll save you! I promise!" Ritsu yelled, and she used her fire to burn the web down, standing up again.

"Prey's efforts are futile! Futile!" Tsuchi yelled, and soon enough piece of the wall came out, flying, hitting her right in a forehead. Ritsu felt the blood rushing from the open wound, all over her face but didn't relent. Her body became a fiery torch, launching a counter attack and Tsuchi hissed as it got her hair.

"Aaaaaghhh!" she yelled, trying to burn the fire out but her hair burned in a matter of second, making her bald.

"Hahah! Baldie! You look so damn ugly without a hair, bitch!" Ritsu yelled.

That made her really mad, and the earthquake became stronger.

"You will be crushed beneath the stone! Your fire shall become nullified without an air to breathe! You'll die! Die!" Tsuchi yelled, laughing maniacally as everything around them started falling apart.

"Mmhmmm!" Mio still yelled, and in the next moment, everything crashed under debris.

Impossibly, Ritsu came back to her senses. Although hurting, bliss warmed her heart as heartbeat reminded on life which still resided inside of a banged, broken body. Something kept her alive, and she didn't know what it was. Only when her eyes got used to the dim light, she saw somebody standing right next to her.

"Chica! You're alright! Don't worry; your pretty friend is safe!"

"Otoku!" Ritsu cried happy tears. Otoku stood, holding a huge stone which would've crushed her. It took both their efforts to move the stone out of the way . They slowly came to the ugly realization: those were remains of Tsuchi's home. Three of Nord stone warriors sheltered Mio's body from harm, and Tsuchi stood in front of her crushed mansion. As Ritsu turned around, she realized the sheer anxiety of facing the hundred spiders lying in wait.

"So, even trapped under the rocks, prey survives! How unfortunate, seeing how she struggles in vain! Nevermind, prey will learn its place! Obey me, my pets! Attack!"

All around, hissing of spiders became louder and clearer, as they started coming closer.

"Tis you, one who gave me my ale! I shall fight for you!" fat stone warrior yelled.

"I need blood. I feel countless heathen in front of me! They shall be torn apart!" Rolak yelled from the bottom of his lungs.

Third statuette stood voiceless, but she could see that it, also, wanted to participate in the fight.

"We also have something else in our disposal." Ritsu smirked, and whole of her body became a torch.

"Que chingados! Ritsu, you're mastered the way of fire!"

"Well, of course!"

And they faced each other in a final battle.

Next chapter: Final Battle

I'm actually surprised that I still remember how the story goes on. Also, sorry for the lack of shipping, smut scenes and other stuff. I had a story in mind, and I need to write it.

G. D. G.