Chapter 1: you look exactly like my father
Summary:
After Jeanne’s death, Bayonetta finally confronts the Lumen Sage.
Notes:
Wow, I'm finally writing this. Basically just what it says in the summary. If you want to read the outline of the AU in full, here's a link (https://celestial-vapidity.tumblr.com/post/634979690149543936/110-so-at-the-end-of-the-first-game-when). Just be warned that it will spoil the fic completely. Hopefully, I'll be quicker writing and updating this fic since I have a written outline for it. Title of the fic is taken from This Ain't No Hymn by Saint Saviour. Title of the first chapter is taken from The Wolf Song by Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley. Also, most of the first half of the first chapter's dialogue is taken mostly verbatim from the game, just so y'all know. Hope y'all enjoy! WARNING: This chapter contains graphic blood, gore, and violence.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“...There is much you have forgotten. It has been 500 years since we last met. If your memories were still intact, this would have been a much more emotional reconciliation.”
Oh, it’s emotional enough, you fucking bastard. Bayonetta didn’t know how to feel. The only emotion running through her was anger. Anger at all the suffering she and everyone else had had to go through to lead to this. Jeanne’s death, even if she had been an enemy, had been hard to witness as a fellow witch. There was also anger at the man before her holding little Cereza. Balder was obviously up to no good, and there was no telling what his plans were with either of them.
“How did you get the girl?” She managed, through gritted teeth.
If Balder noticed her anger, he did not acknowledge it. Only stood, and continued to speak, still holding Cereza in his arms. She seemed to be asleep.
“We, the Lumen Sages, and your Umbra Witches, have long been the overseers of history, each bearing witness with their own Eye. This is how our universe’s existence was preserved. However, for 500 years, you have been exiled from the world’s affairs. You are the Left Eye of the Eyes of the World.”
Bayonetta took a few steps forward and growled out “Could you dispense with the riddles and just tell me what these sodding Eyes actually are?!”
The Lumen Sage seemed amused. “Your years of slumber have caused you to forget many things, even as we stand on the verge of the resurrection of the Creator...The resurrection of Jubileus. There is but one way to return your epoch of forgotten memories and open your Eye of the overseer. Your uncorrupted Eye had to be exposed to the history it could not see.”
As he spoke, he took a flower from the small tree on his desk, caused it to bloom, and stuck it behind Cereza’s ear as she slept on.
“Your battles...Your struggles...Everything you’ve experienced in this town has been a stepping stone for your enlightenment. It has all been done for the Left Eye.”
The dark-haired witch felt her temper getting the best of her. She pointed her gun at Balder. “I’ve had enough of your philosophical pretensions. I won’t ask again. Where did you get the girl?”
Balder merely raised a hand in surrender to her questioning. “Your question has been answered. All this has been done to awaken the Left Eye. For that you had to see yourself once more.”
Bayonetta’s eyes widened and she lowered her gun, as she realized what it was that he was telling her. Cereza is me from the past. “You are truly beyond salvation, Sage”, she said coldly.
“Ahh, ‘salvation’. Such a curious word. I marked the path to salvation with light. However, no matter how brilliant that light grows, the darkness within the human heart grows even darker. Light, Dark, and Chaos between...Three realities once split shall be brought together to create a new universe in the image of the old. To these ends, leading up to the Festival of Resurrection, 500 years ago. I fanned the flames of terror, spurring on the witch hunts. However, despite the people’s belief in the return of Jubileus, the Creator, the Left Eye was out of reach. Since then, I have devoted myself to this town’s prosperity, and now it is time for my preparations to bear fruit. Jublieus will be resurrected, we will become the Eyes of the World, and a new universe will take hold!”
Bayonetta was suddenly filled with grief on top of her rage, as a memory returned to her. She was holding her mother’s body, as the people of Vigrid raged beyond the gates.
“I could never call the man behind this nightmare ‘father’!” She cried, lunging forward and transforming into her panther form.
Looking back, she would never know if it was from sheer surprise or from something else that Balder never fought back when she killed him. He only dropped Cereza, so she would avoid the attack, and let the panther that was his daughter maul him to death.
All Bayonetta knew was that when she finally released his throat from her jaws, and removed her claws from his flesh, he was unrecognizable. His throat was torn out, one of his eyes was missing, and both his clothing and the floor around them were soaked with blood. She panted, red liquid spilling out of her mouth, and retracted her claws. It was done.
“Mummy?” Came the quiet whimper from a few yards away.
No. The dark-haired witch quickly shifted back into her human form.
“What happened to Daddy?!” Cereza shrieked out, tears running down her face.
Bayonetta had no idea what she could do, other than magic away the corpse, magic Cereza to sleep, and leave. She couldn’t take the girl with her. But she couldn’t leave her alone either. All she could do was run.
As soon as she was out of the building, she shot a quick text to Luka, telling him to take Cereza away from there. With that done, she tossed her phone to the ground and crushed it beneath her heel, walking off into the night.
Luka was running as fast as he could. Bayonetta’s text simply reading ‘ get cereza. top room of ithavoll tower’ had him concerned, to put it mildly. Just as he opened the door to the room in question, he stopped.
On the floor, holding a sleeping Cereza, was an unfamiliar woman, with short silver hair. She was wearing red, and appeared to have a crow’s feather tucked into a cowlick of hair. She was humming quietly to the sleeping girl in her arms.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” Luka said, keeping his voice low so as not to wake the sleeping child.
The woman looked up, a sad smile on her face. “I’m sorry I was never able to introduce myself to you properly before. My name is Jeanne. I’m a...Friend of Bayonetta’s. From a long time ago. Even though I haven’t seemed like it lately, I’m sure.”
“I’m Luka. I just got a text from her to come here and get little Cerezita. Although, I’m not really sure what I’m meant to do with a magical child after that. You sure you’re not gonna try to kill us again?” he chuckled.
Jeanne stood and moved toward him, depositing Cereza into his arms. “No. I have a lot to explain to Bayonetta. But first, we need to take care of the little one.”
“Maybe you could explain a thing or two to me first? After all, you did try to murder me,” he grumbled.
“Of course. In short, Cereza is Bayonetta from the past. We grew up together. We were friends...and more. But something happened with her father, a Lumen Sage called Balder. He was kind up until he wasn’t. And once he wasn’t, he decided he wanted an end to the Umbra Witches. I managed to save Cereza, but not her mother. I sealed her away for 500 years, to protect her from Balder. Meanwhile, he only kept me alive and under magic mind-control in the hopes that I would eventually reveal where Cereza was. I never did, but once she awoke, I didn’t have to. It looks like she confronted Balder, and killed him. There was a lot of blood when I got here, and no sign of either of them.”
Sadness filled the silver-haired witch’s eyes as she spoke, and Luka realized that he believed her.
“Ok. So what do we do now?”
“Well, we have to send Cereza back to her time first. After that, we should probably look for Bayonetta. I have so much to say to her, now that I can,” Jeanne said.
As Luka and Jeanne entered Cereza’s time, through the portal Jeanne had conjured, they set the little girl in her bed and tucked her in.
“Mummy?” Came the little girl’s sleepy voice. “I had a nightmare.”
“It’s ok now, little one.” Jeanne said soothingly.
“You’re not Mummy. Who are you?” Cereza said.
“I’m a friend. Now go back to sleep. Little girls need their rest to grow up. You’re a strong little one. There is nothing you cannot do. Now close your eyes.”
The little girl did just that. Jeanne turned to Luka and motioned toward the portal. His heart warmed at the witch’s words to the child, he stepped through it, the witch in question not far behind.
As soon as they were out of the portal and back in their own time, standing still in Ithavoll Tower, the witch turned to the man, a fierce look in her gray eyes.
“Now, let’s find Cereza.”
Notes:
Don't worry about Cereza. She only remembers a little of what happened, and what she does remember, she thinks was just a nightmare. So she's good.
Chapter 2: running with my roots pulled up
Summary:
Six months after Luka and Jeane team up to find Bayonetta, there's still no sign of her. Until they hear about a rise in angel activity in Noatun, that is.
Notes:
Hey y'all. This chapter is only about 1/3 as long as the first one, so sorry for that. I'm going through some pretty tough personal stuff right now. But, anyway. I'm tentatively planning on updates happening weekly, although that could change. Title of this chapter is taken from Rootless by MARINA. Also, Jeanne now has her Bayo 2 design, but Bayo still has her Bayo 1 design as of this chapter. It's not mentioned in this chapter, but it is relevant for symbolism reasons. I hope y'all enjoy! WARNINGS: Temporary character death, PTSD symptoms, violence.
Chapter Text
Six months had passed after Luka and Jeanne decided to find Bayonetta. So far, there had been no sign of her wherever they looked, even after enlisting the help of the dark-haired witch’s friends Rodin and Enzo. As time had passed, Jeanne had begun to gradually lose hope in finding her old friend.
However, today was different. Luka had finally found a clue. He was just arriving at the Gates of Hell that evening when he saw Jeanne sitting at the bar, the two men with her. The witch noticed him immediately.
“Luka, any luck today?”
“Surprisingly yes. There have been reports of increased angel activity in a city called Noatun. Maybe we should check there next.”
“It can’t hurt,” she sighed.
Luka frowned but said nothing.
“Enzo, you have a jet, don’t you?” Rodin commented, breaking the brief silence.
The short man sighed. “I do. Let’s head out.”
Bayonetta had been laying low on purpose for the past six months. She had wanted no one, especially her old friends, to come across her. The plan was to simply live out the rest of her days in solitude, killing the occasional angel, until one day she was defeated and dragged to Inferno. A very good plan. This way I can’t hurt anyone else.
The witch had been simply enjoying coffee at the local cafe that morning when of course , angels had decided to attack her. As she pulled her guns out of her summon-void, she smirked. Killing angels was one of the only things that brought her joy these days.
After killing a few Affinities, she saw a Belief closing in on her. She quickly summoned one of her favorite demonic beasts, Gomorrah. The huge, dragon-like creature made quick work of the Belief, chewing him into bits, before roaring.
However, instead of going back to Inferno through a portal like he usually would, Gomorrah struggled, eventually breaking free of his binds. Bayonetta stared, as he charged toward her, unable to move, her heart racing as time seemed to slow down. Was this what it was like for Balder when I charged at him and killed him? Why didn’t he fight me? WHY--?
“Cereza!” Came a voice from behind her, and suddenly she was pushed out of the way of the demon. She fell to the ground and barely whipped around in time to see Gomorrah strike Jeanne with his claws.
She’s dead though, isn’t she? I saw her die. She can’t be here. Why is she here? Bayonetta’s mind seemed to be working at half-speed.
However, as soon as the demon’s paw made contact with the silver-haired witch, her soul left her body, flung back onto the cobblestones below. Beneath her, a portal opened, and several black and red clawed hands began reaching up through it, trying to pull her down.
“Cereza! No...This isn’t how things end!” Jeanne cried as she struggled against the demonic hands trying to pull her down to Inferno. However, try as she might, it was not enough, and within seconds she was pulled down through the portal, and it quickly closed behind her.
“Jeanne!” Bayonetta screamed as the other witch was taken away. She turned to Gomorrah, rage filling her. She began to fight like she hadn’t since killing Balder. Jeanne had been dead, then alive, then dead again.
And it was all her fault.
Chapter 3: i'm yours, you know, and i'll love you still in hell
Summary:
Bayonetta and company come up with a plan to rescue Jeanne.
Notes:
Howdy y'all! Sorry for not having an update last week. I usually write and post the chapters Wednesday nights, but I had therapy last Wednesday so I didn't get around to it. But I hope this chapter makes up for it! Some of the dialogue is taken from Bayonetta 2. The title of the chapter is taken from Yo Ho Sebastian by Cosmo Jarvis. WARNINGS: Anxiety/Depression/PTSD and its symptoms, and talk of death and afterlives.
Chapter Text
Luka was running before he realized it. Not Jeanne. The thought kept repeating in his head. Not his best friend of the last six months. As he came up to Bayonetta, who was sitting on the ground next to Jeanne’s body after defeating Gomorrah, he heard her crying.
“Jeanne...No…”
“Bayonetta...Hey,” Was all he could manage at first.
She looked up at him, tears still streaming down her face. “She’s gone!”
“I know. But...Maybe there’s a way we can get her back,” Luka finally said. Should I tell her about what Jeanne said happened between the two of them before? No. It’ll just upset her more right now. Besides, it’s not my story to tell.
The dark-haired witch quickly got up and wiped her eyes. “Let’s do it. Whatever it is.”
Enzo and Rodin gathered in the Gates of Hell as soon as they got Luka’s call explaining what had happened and that he and Bayonetta were on their way. Almost as soon as they arrived, the two in question burst through the doors. The witch’s eyes were red from crying, and she strode up to the bar with purpose, as Luka gently set Jeanne’s body on one of the many tables around the bar.
“How do we save her?” Bayonetta said immediately to Rodin.
“Good to see you too,” Rodin replied nonchalantly “As for your friend, dead witches get dragged to Hell. It is what it is. Jeanne’s gonna wander Inferno, suffering for eternity. Them’s the bricks.”
The witch’s expression contorted into a snarl, and she quickly pointed a gun at the bartender. “I didn’t ask you to tell me what I already know, Rodin! Especially if you’re going to be flip about it.”
Rodin simply looked at her, not intimidated. “You know better than that. You’re not the kind to let that sort of summon go out of control, Bayonetta. Somethin’s up. The balance of powers that keeps things in check don’t feel right, does it?”
“But she’s not fully dead yet, is she?” Luka piped up before the witch could answer.
“That’s right, Luka. You’re only really dead after your soul’s been completely absorbed into another realm of the trinity. But that’s just a matter of time, ‘cause I don’t see no way of savin’ a soul lost in Hell,” The bartender said.
“What about the Gates...The real Gates of Hell?” Bayonetta said desperately.
Rodin shrugged. “I can’t stop you from trying to use ‘em, but I don’t think you got a chance down there.” He turned to move toward the almost-corpse on the table. “I’ll see what I can do about puttin’ her on ice for a while.”
He reached down to grab Jeanne’s Umbran watch, and handed it to the dark-haired witch. “You’ll need this...The heart of an Umbra witch. The magic that keep your kind alive in this world for eternities. Should keep her body in this realm stable, but you’ll need to reunite this with her soul if you’re gonna try and bring her back. I figure you got about a day before it’s game over.”
Bayonetta opened the watch, and saw with slight relief that it was still completely lit up. She closed it, and magiced it into her summon void. Before anyone could stop her or say anything more, she opened a portal and disappeared from the bar. Time was of the essence now, and she had a fellow witch to rescue.
Chapter 4: tremble, little lion man
Summary:
Bayonetta meets Loki.
Notes:
Welcome back, everyone! Hope you've all had a good week. I have yet another chapter for you. The title of this chapter is taken from Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons. Hope y'all enjoy. WARNING: Slight violence.
Chapter Text
Soon enough, Bayonetta had journeyed back into Noatun. However, it seemed she could not have a moment of peace. As she stepped into the Cascade Foregrounds, a rush of angels launched themselves at her. Or so she thought.
Instead, they all seemed to be headed toward a small boy in a sleeveless hoodie. He seemed to take the attack quite well, fighting back easily, as she watched. The boy launched what appeared to be blue playing cards at the angels, causing them to explode into flashes of golden light.
Before the boy could get too cocky however, one of the remaining angels made to attack him with a spear. The boy leaped out of the way just in time.
“These punters don’t know when to quit? What’d I ever do to them?” He said, finishing off the rest of the flock.
“Shite,” the boy continued after the fight was over. “I’m never gonna reach Fimbulventr at this rate. Well, at least it won’t be a boring trip.”
“Well that was certainly impressive, for someone your age,” The witch said, in lieu of a ‘hello’.
The boy turned around. “Huh? You can see me?”
“We’re both in Purgatorio, little one. Now, what did you say about Fimbulventr?”
“Purgatorio…” The boy said slowly, bringing a hand to his head.
“Yes. Now tell me, why are you heading to Fimbulventr, little one?”
Suddenly the air around them turned cloudy, and the light above seemed golden. More angels were on their way.
“Damn it! They must have heard me,” The boy said, before pulling out yet another playing card and throwing it in the air. It formed a blue portal, and the boy made his way through it. Bayonetta sighed, as more angels appeared around her. Oh well. I’ve no time to waste anyhow.
After easily defeating the Valiance, Bayonetta made her way into the old building Madama Butterfly had punched a hole in. That had been odd though. What did it say about a ‘remembrance of time’?
She found the boy yet again, trapped in a pile of debris.
“So, they’re after you too then,” She said.
“Hey, since this is your mess, do you mind hurrying the fuck up and getting rid of this thing?!” He cried, struggling against his entrapment.
“I suppose so. But I’m in an awful hurry.”
“You’ve already been following me, so let’s make a deal. You save me, I’ll show you around this joint. Heading to Fimbulventr aren’t we? That makes two of us. And it’ll take two of us, won’t it, love?”
Bayonetta was skeptical. She had finite time. How could this boy possibly help me? Then again, I can’t very well leave him here alone, can I? Ugh, why do mysterious magical children always come to me?!
“Fine. But we need to hurry,” She said, before using her guns to quickly blow the debris the boy was trapped in, to pieces, allowing him to free himself.
“That works, I suppose.”
“I don’t have time to give a shit about who you are, or why you’re going to the mountain. Take me there, and make it quick. You stay with me, and I promise you’ll end up in one piece. Got it, little one?”
“Don’t call me ‘little one’! The name’s Loki. And what should I call you?”
“Bayonetta. For now.”
“For now?” Loki questioned.
“It’s quite a long story. I’ll explain on the way.”
Chapter 5: hung pictures of patron saints up on my wall to remind me that I am a fool
Summary:
Bayonetta and Loki continue their journey, while unbeknownst to them, others plan for their downfall.
Notes:
Hey everybody. Sorry, it's been...holy shit like 2 years??? I promise, I never intended to abandon this fic. I fully intend on finishing it eventually. However, I cannot give you a time frame on when that might be. I especially was feeling like I had to do something positive in this fandom after Bayonetta 3 came out and was kinda (very) garbage. I cannot stand what they did in that game. It makes my blood boil how they did everyone so goddamn dirty, from Bayonetta to Jeanne to Rodin to even fucking Enzo. But that's an essay for another day. In the meantime, please enjoy this update! Sorry, it's kinda short tho. WARNINGS: Trauma, survivor's guilt, PTSD.
Chapter Text
“And you still don’t want to tell me why you’re so intent on going to Fimbulventr?”
“Nope.”
“Fair enough, I suppose.”
Bayonetta turned her head away from his question, and slightly sarcastic response to her answer. It was not that she did not want him to know, but rather that telling him was sure to be an agonizing and oversharing experience. She had lost her old friend twice, and both times had been undeniably her own fault. She wouldn’t want to put the burden of her guilt on anyone else. Besides, he was just a child. He’s much too young to be hearing about my problems, anyhow.
“ I’m going to try to find out more about myself,” Loki said, unprompted.
“Oh really? And what exactly are you hoping to find, little one?”
He rolled his eyes at her nickname and did not answer.
The witch managed a shaky smirk at his irritation, despite her own dark thoughts, and the pair continued onward through the streets of Noatun toward the mountain that had better help them somehow, or else Bayonetta was going to destroy it stone by stone , so help her Sheba.
“All is going according to plan, I assume?”
“Of course, Loptr.”
The Lumen Sage stood across from his ally, both of them in Purgatorio, on the roofs of Noatun.
“The witch should be here right about…”
As the two of them gazed down into the streets, they saw the pair; the Umbra witch and her godlike companion.
Balder’s eyes narrowed. “ Now. ”
Aurora_Lua on Chapter 1 Thu 01 Apr 2021 08:18AM UTC
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CelestialVapidity on Chapter 1 Sat 24 Jul 2021 12:20AM UTC
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Ladnah on Chapter 5 Sat 01 Jul 2023 03:50AM UTC
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CelestialVapidity on Chapter 5 Wed 05 Jul 2023 11:38PM UTC
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Aurora_Lua on Chapter 5 Sat 01 Jul 2023 09:09PM UTC
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CelestialVapidity on Chapter 5 Wed 05 Jul 2023 11:38PM UTC
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Aurora_Lua on Chapter 5 Thu 06 Jul 2023 08:29PM UTC
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