So, here yea go. I've decided to pick up The Demon's Fangs, but because it was so long ago that I first updated it I've decided to rewrite it. Don't worry! I'm going to stick true to the story line. Each chapter will have the same content, maybe slightly different. I hope you enjoy it just as much—please review; let me know how this "1st chapter" is. THANKS
Ch 1: Birth of the Demon
Moments like this didn't bother him. In fact, he rather enjoyed them. The pirate Zoro was having much more fun here than he ever would at that party. Sure, he could be considered antisocial, but when did he ever concern himself with the thoughts of others? Never.
Zoro admired Wado Ichimonji beneath the faded moonlight. He grinned to himself watching the light reflect off the pure blade. The way the crimson still clung to its metal—the moon's glow making the liquid look soft.
He stepped over the body of the black creature which now was nothing more than sludge. Upon its defeat the body of the animal-like thing began to decay and melt away into nothing more than black mud. Zoro took pride in slaying the thing under the circumstances that the creature had the element of surprise on its side—didn't seem to do a whole lot for it, however. With a flick of his wrist the katana spun and the blood of the animal flung off to the cobble ground.
Zoro stood in the middle of a circular courtyard. In the dead-center was a fountain foaming with royal blue water witch glistened in the moon's luminescence. The water was silent to Zoro, his mind too in thought. He paced slowly around the concrete side of the fountain; eyes glued a few feet in front. Around the border of the courtyard were black-iron lampposts—their light was a dusty yellow against the brown stone on the ground.
Finally sheathing his sword, he looked up to the full moon. Why had this thing come here; and why after him? No theories were formed. Zoro sat on the edge of the fountain. The water gained sound to him and he listened composedly. Somewhere, possibly just a few blocks down, the rest of the crew was partying at a pub which welcomed all newcomers to the island. He had refused to join them and still held no regrets toward his decision. Zoro enjoyed the loneliness that wrapped itself around him; he welcomed it just as the people of the island had welcomed them—despite being pirates. He put his hands out next to him and leaned back, straining his neck to look up at the moon once more.
Then, he felt a presence. Two—to be exact. Zoro acted as if he never sensed them—they seemed like a child and his dog. At first he ignored them as they walked closer to the center of the courtyard, but then Zoro glanced down as the ooze pile that once was his enemy. He could tell the kid stopped once in eye sight of the pile of black.
"Uh—listen…" Zoro twisted to look at them and attempt to explain when all words got caught in his throat. Indeed the presences were of a child and dog—but in no way did they look remotely human. The child was small; his skin a sheen, inky black. Nothing of the likes of facial features or clothes could be seen on him through the blackness. The only other color was his pulsating red eyes and silver fangs that showed when he smiled. Zoro jumped up and started to back away.
The 'dog' next to him—hardly—was bigger than any fucking wolf Zoro's ever seen. It too had the same ebony skin as the boy, the same crimson eyes, and the same teeth when it smiled. The swordsman held no remorse for what he was about to do to those things. Without a moment's hesitation he ripped out Shuusui and Kitetsu, both enjoying the vivacious energy their master was radiating. The boy laughed and stretched out his talon fingers. The wolf then pounced and Zoro just managed to punch the thing away with his fists as he side-stepped. It was heavier than it looked, apparently—so was the boy.
The child clung to his ankle out of nowhere and he was so dense that Zoro had trouble lifting his leg. As the 'weight' stayed tenacious, the wolf attacked once again and Zoro was forced to block as it came down on top of him. The boy was snickering the entire time as his pet clawed and snapped at Zoro with his jaws. The swordsman held the keen points back with his two swords—eventually managing to kick the damn thing off; then he took a swing at the kid. Suddenly that party's starting to sound fucking great! He thought with a sigh, finally free from the two.
He warily stepped back; eyes constantly keeping contact between the two things in front of him. He soon neared the edge of the courtyard; the limits of the lamp's glow were growing closer from behind. Now that he thought about it, these things, the blackness that engulfed them, they looked a whole lot like the animal Zoro had just slain prior to their arrival. Zoro stopped retreated when he reached the edge of the lamps' light. For some reason the moon's radiance couldn't even penetrate the shadows just over his shoulder.
"You two are gonna regret ever coming out here. I don't know if yea noticed," He pointed to the black pile with the tip of his sword. "But that's your little buddy over there!" He cocked an eyebrow along with a sneer. The boy giggled and blinked his crimson eyes. Zoro blew him off and raised Shuusui over his head. Swinging it down with force the slash became airborne and cut the boy in half before he even knew what hit him. Blood flew out in all directions, splattering the cobble stone like spider legs reaching outwards. When the two halves hit the ground they immediately started to dissolve into the sludge. Tch—just another monster… Zoro grunted, but that's when he noticed the wolf's absence.
Panic started to roll around in his gut and he spun in all directions searching for the blasted animal. God Damnit where is the fucking thing? Zoro was just about through with its games when it appeared—from behind. The swordsman was able to look around just as the beast leapt from the darkness behind him. However, it was too late to do anything and the thing had already pounced onto his back; the wolf sunk its jagged teeth into the warm flesh on Zoro's right shoulder. Before he could even let out a scream of pain the jaws clamped tighter and he could hear—feel the bones shattering like glass.
The weight of the animal now forced the pirate to his hands and knees; it kept its claws gripping both his arms. Sickly warm blood seeped down Zoro's shoulder blade, over his white T. The crimson meandered through the demon's fangs like rivulets—the only thing it tasted was iron; so much of that gagging iron—the wolf loved it. It growled; its lips shivering with a snarl. Zoro surmounted the pain for a split moment and reached out to Kitetsu, which had clattered a few feet away.
The wolf's body was beginning to bear down even harder on the weakening body of the swordsman, but he wasn't going to give in just yet. He desperately took hold of the cursed blade and put it in such a position that he could attack the thing on his back. His back felt soaked from the blood and already his right arm was going numb.
"You freakn leech…get off!" Zoro spat blood on the ground and used all his remaining strength to swing the blade around just so—like an arrow it pierced through the side of the wolf's head. The beast's jaws didn't release immediately, but eventually when it did Zoro heaved the heavy body off of him where it hit the ground and morphed into black mud. Each breath that forced his body to move caused the wound to scorch like fire. He clenched his teeth and his face became corrupt with pain. Using his left hand Zoro gripped the wound, his hand slipping from all the blood. On his knees he bent over himself and grunted—anything to avoid screaming. He could feel the tatters of his muscle and skin with his fingers; the bones felt like broken remains beneath it all. "Shit…" He seethed, collapsing onto his left side.
Zoro curled into a ball and tried to usurp the pain, but it felt as if someone put corrosive acid over it all. Like flames were dancing over the raw flesh—soon the burning pain began to seep through his whole body. Damn—this is not good… With a grunt he got up into a hunched over stance before he began scurrying over to the fountain and its cool waters. The pirate passed by the other two remains of the monsters and when he got to the concrete edge of the pool he had to rest—struggling to gasp for each breath.
He dove in. Blood immediately began to disperse into the rest of the fountain, but he didn't care. The cool water numbed his body, though not forever. After a while it did little to help with the fire within his body. Zoro stayed there, floating on his back in a pool of his own blood. The edges of his vision were blurred along with his ability to think. All that was left was the pain—and the desperate need to fight that pain. Soon the water felt like it was boiling along with him. He stood up, by now all of his clothes looked soaked to the brim with crimson. Still clutching his shoulder he looked up to the moon and wanted to scream—but Roronoa Zoro doesn't scream; it's just not part of his being to really do such a thing.
The moon above him seemed to glisten with laughter. The darkness that surrounded the courtyard felt as if it were growing tighter. Half aware of it all, Zoro watched with panting breaths, glaring at the air before him from under his brow. One light went out—then another and another. The darkness was growing. Soon the whole courtyard was lost of all light. Only the moon remained. Its soft, white glow dropped silently onto the fountain which now circulated only red blood. Zoro stood there next to the claret falls; his shoulders were hunched over like an animal. His silhouette was faint beneath the curtain of the moon. He continued to glare at nothing in particular. Red tears dripped from his eyes—red was seeping in from the corners of his vision.
With the back of his forearm Zoro tried to wipe the color out of his eyes. From a distance one might mistake him for a sniveling kid. Blood smeared on his skin, he still saw red. Something inside of him was growing—paranoia caused his fingers to twitch. His heart thundered in his ears and once again the fountain was silent to him. Even the stench of blood was no longer smelt. Zoro's arms dropped and hung by his sides. He took in a deep breath and wanted to scream—for help—but he couldn't. His throat was constricted. With bloodshot eyes he stared up at the moon. It still seemed like it was snickering at him from above the courtyard. Zoro unconsciously grinned right back at it. For some reason he felt like the things he had just slain—demon.