Down The Road
is a Kill La Kill fanfic written by Aguagi, dedicated to h0Saki.
The basic premise is that Ragyo and Nui make Ryuko one of their own and restitch her into Junketsu, rewriting her memories so that she thinks she has been raised lovingly by Ragyo all her life. Over time, she effectively becomes a loyal servant of the life fibers, in mind, body, and soul.
And that's just the first few chapters.
Tropes for Down The Road:
- Action Girl: Satsuki becomes this throughout the story while wearing Senketsu, later being able to fully hear him.
- A God Is You: The Primordial Life Fiber thinks of Ryuko as such, and wants her to become the new guardian of the life fibers since her body is more advanced in nature than Ragyo's.
- Alas, Poor Villain: When Ryuko breaks free from Shinra Koketsu and bites Ragyo's heart.
Her death is explained in rather graphic detail to say the least.- In the epilogue, it's revealed that the memories made by Ragyo are still in Ryuko's brain, which makes Ryuko start to feel sorry for her demise.
- Alpha Bitch: While still believing Ragyo's brainwashing, Ryuko is this to Satsuki.
- Axe-Crazy: Ryuko is this with her scisssor-blade and Bakuzan Koryu.
- Body Horror: Happens to Ryuko in Chapter 15 after absorbing Shinra Koketsu and Ragyo, which results in her briefly becoming a horridly misshapen Junketsu-Koketsu mix with bones sticking out of her skin.
- Also happens to Ragyo (or rather, the soul of Ragyo in Ryuko's mind) in chapter 17.
- The human-form COVERS in chapter 16 aren't pretty to look at either.
- Bond Villain Stupidity: The Primordial Life Fiber thinks of Ragyo this way.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Junketsu Ryuko, just like in canon, and it get much bigger as the story progresses on.
- Brought Down to Badass: While Satsuki wearing Senketsu starts out as flawed, she eventually learns to use him just as well as Ryuko.
- Burning with Anger: Happens on several occasions to Ryuko, mainly when her actual memories start clashing with the ones made by Ragyo and Junketsu
- Chest Burster: Ryuko does this to Ragyo in Chapter 15, even though Ragyo said she had disinigrated her after entering Shinra Koketsu.
- Contrived Coincidence: A number of plot points serve as such.
- Crapsack World: Thanks to the onslaught of COVERS. It doesn't help that Ryuko and Nui further kept their consumption growing in between her battles with Satsuki.
- Cycle of Revenge: The Primordial Life Fiber is using Ryuko to make her the new keeper of the life fibers.
- Darker and Edgier: The entire story is basically a darker AU of the last few episodes of the show.
- Deus ex Machina: Ryuko's death in chapter 16, which is retconned the following chapter through a [1]
- Demoted to Extra: Mako becomes this for much of the story, until chapter 12, when she accidentally gets Ryuko overdosed on Benadryl. She later manages to be the one to save Ryuko from the burning Kiryuin Mansion.
- Designated Victim: Satsuki is this to Ryuko.
- Disney Death: Happens twice to Ryuko, first after absorbing Ragyo and Shinra Koketsu in chapter 15. Then in the next chapter when she asks Satsuki to brutally shoot her dead using life fiber infused bullets to free herself from being Ryuuketsu. But thanks to the events of chapter 17, she comes back to life without a single bullet wound on her.
- Doppelgänger Attack: Like in the OVA, Satsuki and the Elite 4 fight the inverse Satsuki/Akiko and Elite 4 in chapter 15.
- Double-Meaning Title: Obvious, from the intials of the story.
- Dragon Ascendant: Junketsu does this in Chapter 16, when Ryuko murdered Ragyo and absorbed her life fibers, allowing it to fully take over Ryuko's body and turn her into her own kamui, named Ryuuetsu. Heck, the chapter where these occurs is even named such!
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Satsuki trying to free Ryuko from Junketsu, and Ryuko once she's free from Junketsu
- Evil Twin: Akiko and the inverse Elite 4.
- Evolving Weapon: Junketsu evolves after Ryuko becomes one with the Primordial Life fiber. Then when Ryuko kills Ragyo and absorbs the fibers of her and Shinra Koketsu, Junketsu fully takes over Ryuko's body, and uses it as a kamui, named Ryuuketsu.
- Faux Affably Evil: Nui and Ragyo, as in canon.
- Fetal Position Rebirth: Ryuko when she's captured by the Primordial Life Fiber in chapter 18
- Fighting Down Memory Lane: Chapter 17 is very much this, with Satsuki and Mako seeing first hand the Fake Memories Ragyo had made for Ryuko
- For Want Of A Nail: Thanks to Nudist Beach failing to free Ryuko from Junketsu, much of the the canon's climax changes to make Junketsu and to a lesser extent, the Primordial Life Fiber, the main villian.
- Friendly Enemy: Despite Junketsu wanting Ryuko to kill Satsuki, Ryuko is still nice enough to keep her alive all the way to the final battle.
- Horned Humanoid: Ryuko has white horns when wearing Junketsu, like in canon. But by the end of the fic they become part of her skull, and cannot be removed.
- I'm a Humanitarian: Ryuko is forced to do so thanks to being starved (nearly) to death by Ragyo and Junketsu
- Implausible Boarding Skills Ryuko literally uses Satsuki as a surfboard in chapter 4.
- In Medias Res: Much of the events of the story takes place after Episode 20.
- Journey to the Center of the Mind: Satsuki and Mako are thrust into this in chapter 17, which was done by Ryuko's life fibers as last ditch attempt to defeat them following her death.
- Laughing Mad: Ryuko in chapter 12, after Mako shoved mulitple bottles of Benadryl into her in an attempt to sedate her.
- Matricide: The Primordial Life Fiber convinces Ryuko to do this to Ragyo once Shinra Koketsu was completed.
- A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read: Satsuki experiences this in chapter 17 by experiencing Ryuko's memories, both her real ones and those created by Ragyo and Junketsu.
- Mind Probe The Primoridal Life Fiber does this to Ryuko in chapter 19.
- Mind Rape: Ragyo does this to Ryuko, as in canon. It's later revealed that after Ragyo's memories were exposed, Junketsu took this up a notch by creating new harsher memories to keep Ryuko under its control.
- Mirror Match: Like in the OVA, Rei created evil clones of Satsuki (which Ryuko names Akiko) and the Elite 4 with their personalities based on the haunting memories of No-Star students.
- More than Mind Control: Junketsu does this to Ryuko, especially after her "perfect childhood" is exposed as a fraud.
- No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine: Ryuko and Satsuki do this during a four-day truce between their parties.
- Phlebotinum Overdose: Happens in Chapter 15 when Ryuko absorbs Shinra Koketsu and Ragyo, and again in chapter 19 when she absorbs the Primordial Life Fiber.
- Plot Armor: Junketsu has been upgraded to this, eventually becoming the true villian of the story
- Post-Final Boss: Ryuuketsu and the Primordial Life Fiber.
- Tell Me About My Father: What Satsuki does to break Ragyo's fake memories.
- The Power of Friendship: Mako tries this on Ryuko in chapter 14, even though she says she doesn't remember her.
- Turned Against Their Masters: Ragyo spends most of the story thinking Ryuko will help her with her goals no matter what, only to get brutally stabbed by her in the end.
- Unexplained Recovery: Again, debatable, seeing as Satsuki literally shot part of Ryuko's brain out and half of Ryuko isn't human.
- Unstoppable Rage: Ryuko, especially after finding out her supposed "perfect childhood" with Ragyo was a lie.
- Would Hurt a Child: Subverted, as neither of the two are children, Ryuko threatens to do this to Mako in Chapter 12.
