Kami's Fallen Angel
Chapter 1
Ishgar. The heavenly Kingdom of Angels. A vast land of golden clouds and magnificent fortresses. The home of Kami. With this she could watch upon the world of the living. A land she built with her twin brothers the Shinigami and Yami.
Ishgar was split into three realms. The first was the Saibankan (Judge) realm. Here Yami would judge the souls of the dead and decide upon where they go. If they lived good and pure lives they were immediately allowed entry into Ishgar. There were rare and very few in numbers, but every decade or so there was one. The second realm was the Hensai (Repayment) realm. Here those that lived average lives, filled with both wrong and good deeds would repay the debts they owed for those wrong deeds. The worker the deed the more time you spent here. Ishgar was the final realm.
There were those that lived truly despicable lives. These select few were sent into a second world of their creation. The Andāwārudo (Underworld). This realm was ruled by Kami's younger brother. Satan. The most despicable of all her siblings. He, in a jealous rage of her, the Shinigami and Yami declared war upon the living world. With him an army of Demons. Creations made of his own intense negative emotions.
The human world was unable to protect themselves from the threat and Kami had no way to protect her creation. Her brothers refused to help as they did not create the humans and so were not involved with the matter of Satan and herself.
So she created her own creations. Using the powers of every good feeling in the world she empowered those she trusted most with the abilities similar to her own. They became known as Angels. They fought against the Demons in a war that lasted for over a century. By that point the human race was all but extinct.
Yet will the Demons were gaining more and more Demons to their cause. Kami was not and so in desperation, turned to her brothers once more.
They conceded to help this time and with their help she managed to seal the demons and her brother in the Andāwārudo (Underworld) for eternity. Yet the rift between the Andāwārudo (Underworld) and the human world was still up, allowing the odd number of Demons to get through.
After this war only twelve Angels remained. Twelve Angels with Twelve wings. In honour of their sacrifice Kami named them the most elite of all Angels. The Spriggans.
Through the course of the centuries many things happened in Ishgar. The Angel force never fully recovered due to many of the souls not wanting to involved in the struggle against the Demons. So instead the Spriggans and Kami turned to over means. They manufactured Angels.
Kami quickly realised her mistake as the four manufactured Angels were abominations.
The first was named the Shinju due to his love of fruits and nature. Even though he had a massive amount of power, squalling that of the twelve Spriggans even with a single pair of wings. He was not interested in training. No he preferred to be something much worse. He visited the human world regularly and forced himself upon women.
In anger Kami cast him out and forced him to become the very thing Shinju loved most.
Nature. He became a tree, a tree so large that it almost reached the barrier separating the human world from the Saibankan (Judge) realm.
The second and third were also extremely powerful, but nowhere near as powerful as Shinju. Also unlike Shinju they preferred to gain more power. In fact they had unhealthy desire for becoming the strongest and would do anything to achieve it. To stop them from ruining the peace in Ishgar Kami cast them out.
The final one was female Angel unlike the last three. She was a gentle soul, and Kami finally believed she was the one. Alas it was not to be as the girl had no feelings. She felt no empathy, no love, no happiness. She was empty.
Kami cast her out also and it proved to be the biggest mistake she ever made as the girl became one with Shinju and she became mad with power.
So after manufacturing Angels did not work. Kami once again began thinking of a new way to stop the Demons. So she created another creature. Gargoyles. Stone statues empowered with the fallen souls of Angels. They were nowhere near as powerful as the Spriggans or not high-class Demons. But they were enough to deal with the lower-class and mid-class Demons.
And so peace reined in Ishgar and the human world.
Demon activity was at an all time low and Ishgar was once again back at full working strength. Sure not many Angels existed anymore, but there was the odd one or two new human souls that wanted to continue fighting.
One such Angle she watched from her golden fortresses.
The boy was young. Incredibly so. He had died at the ripe old age of five and even though he suffered the scorn of his entire village he never once wavered. She was proud to say that at the age of seven the boy was easily becoming the most powerful Angel in the entire history of Ishgar.
Sure he was nowhere near the level of most six winged Angels or four winged Angels. But he was easily the most powerful two winged Angel. Even stronger than boys and girls twice his age.
The boy in question was named Naruto and at the age of seven he was average sized with golden blonde hair making a shaggy mop on top of his head. From beneath his bangs were two striking blue orbs that resembled the clear blue sky of Ishgar above him.
Naruto flew through the air quickly. The wind whipping past his face as his hair flapped waved madly in the air. His eyes looked left and right for any sight of his pursuers. Yet he could not make hide nor hair of them. He wore a golden kimono that matched his blonde hair. Covering his lower body were black cargo pants that cut off into a pair of boots that revealed his heel and toes. Coming from his back were two golden wings that flapped every so often to make him go faster.
The boys face was split into an ear splitting grin as the wind collided with his face. He loved this feeling, the exhilaration of flying. It was amazing, indescribable. Nothing could match the feeling he felt every time he took to the air. Even when a stone statue appeared in front of him. It's menacingly large body was hulled over like a beast. It's face snarling as two stone wings flapped to keep it in the air. In one hand it gripped a stone axe and in the other was a sword.
Laughing Naruto allowed his wings to come into his body and began a descent into the ground. His speed if possible increased tenfold as the ground rushed closer and closer to greet him like an old friend.
Soaring one glance over his shoulder he so the same Gargoyle flying towards him albeit at a slower pace. It was soon joined by three more. Each were the same shape but carried different weapons.
One carried a large double-bladed axe; another carried a spear; finally the fourth one carried two swords in each hand.
If possible his grin widened and Naruto turned back to face the rapidly closing ground. At the last second he pulled up and began flying close to the ground. He could hear the sound of a crash indicating that one or more of the Gargoyles had been destroyed.
Looking over his shoulder he so three Gargoyles burst from the dust cloud and carry on their charge.
Swerving upwards in an arc he did a three-sixty degree spin and began flying towards the Gargoyles. Thrusting one arm out a spear of light formed in it and Naruto sped up his charge.
He met them head first and with one quick slash brought the dual sword wielder down. It's body falling to the ground into pieces from a quick and precise slice from Naruto. Flipping in the air Naruto followed after the Gargoyles only for them two swerve upwards in opposite directions to try and confuse him.
Smirking Naruto followed after the one that went left while throwing his spear at the one that went right.
He didn't even need to look to know that the Gargoyle had been slayed so he continued his chase.
Channeling the same energy he used to produce the spear into his wings he increased his speed and quickly caught up to the Gargoyle. A second spear of light had been produced in his right hand and he quickly brought it down through the head of the Gargoyle.
Slowly Naruto descended to the ground to face an elderly man.
The man had a cane used to help prop his old form up and rested both hands on top of the rounded top. He had a bladed head with a star like shaped scar, beading red eyes that seemed to stare into your very soul and a long white beard. On his left breast was a blue ribbon with a silver star and on his right breast was the number four. Overall he looked like your average old man, when Naruto had brought this up. Well it's safe to say that 'old' man beat Naruto into the ground before he could blink.
It was then Naruto learned that this man was Genryusai Yamamoto. A member of the twelve Spriggan. The twelve Spriggan were sorted into twelve seats which indicated who was stronger.
Genryusai was a fourth seat member and was originally the first seat, but his old age made him weaker than the younger Spriggans. In terms of magical output, Genryusai was unmatched by any Spriggan, but his body was not as strong as it once was so it could not withstand the full power of his magical energy like it used to.
It was safe to say though that if Genryusai wanted to,he could defeat even the first seat, but he would have to use his full power in a single hit due to his body not able to withstand it for a long period of time.
"Yamamoto-sensei." Naruto spoke politely while bowing. Yes Genryusai one of the most feared Spriggan's, was Naruto's sensei.
"Uzumaki. It seems you have improved greatly since our last multi-combat training simulation." Genryusai had taught Naruto a multitude of things. The first being manners and how to control his emotions. After this it was unlocking his magical energy then learning to control it. Then it was combat training, including both weapons and hand to hand. Then it was magical training, such as learning techniques and creating weapons made of magic.
At the end of every month Naruto would fight against four Gargoyles and would have to defeat them all. It had started out at an easy difficulty, but the Gargoyles became progressively harder.
"You have surpassed even my expectations and hVe proven yourself to many of the Angels. I have received numerous requests from several of the Angels and even a few Spriggans to allow you entry into the intimation ceremony." Naruto stared in shock at his sensei. Not only did some of the Spriggans want him the initiation ceremony, but Genryusai had not given him a backhanded compliment at all. "I of course don't believe your ready as you're are brash and immature." That caused Naruto to deadpan at his sensei. Trust the man to find a way to insult him.
Naruto could not dwell in his sensei's lack of ability to give a compliment without an insult involved as a sword in a sheath was thrown to him.
Reacting quickly he caught the blade and looked over it. It was a simple katana with a beautifully crafted black handle with a swirl pattern at the top. Unsheathing it, his eyes wondered over the blade. A black obsidian metal was crafted into a quite thin blade with a silvery paint on the sharpened edge. This seemed to make the blade seem even sharper.
"The blade was crafted by Daichi-dono." Daichi Mashimoto. A blacksmith of unmatched skill. He was known for infusing his blades with the magic of its wielder. This made it impossible for anyone but the user or those with permission to use it. That wasn't the only reason his blades were famous for. No, the main reason they were famous was because the blade evolved along with the user.
There was the original stage, or the sealed state which was the stage the blade was in currently. Then there was Shikai, which caused the blade to have few abilities special to that blade only. Along with this the user had increased strength, speed or both in some cases. Finally was Bankai. The final stage increased the users speed, strength or both to greater levels than the Shikai. Along with this the ability also gained more techniques and abilities specific to that blade.
"I'm giving you this because from now on I will no longer be your sensei. You have proven yourself to be a great warrior even though you are immature. Everything you learn from now on will be because you learned it yourself. I expect great things from you, but I doubt that will happen any time soon." Genryusai spoke causing Naruto to deadpan once more.
"Thank you sen…Genryusai-sama." Naruto bowed earning a nod from Genryusai.
"Come, we are to head to the citadel. The initiation ceremony is about to begin." With that twelve golden wings sprouted from Genryusai's back. The man launched himself into the air followed by Naruto.
The initiation ceremony was a series of three tests which determined if the newly minted Angels are ready to gain their second pair of wings. Each test were progressively harder and each yer were different making it impossible for those taking it to know about the tests.
Only those deemed worthy by their teachers could take part in the initiation ceremony.
Of course this wasn't the only way to gain a new pair of wings as some Angels have naturally grown a new pair of wings due to their power ascending. This was rare, but had happened.
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Naruto and Genryusai had been flying for a few moments when they came above an arena. The arena itself was filled to the brim with people cheering in the stands, but in the actual arena ground were nine Angels, each had their golden wings touched into their bodies closely as they stared up at the main box. In it stood three people.
The first was a young male with long blonde hair and golden armour. On the front of his armour was a blue ribbon with a silver star dangling from his left breast while on his right was the number one. The second was a woman with curly blonde hair that reached her ankles, covering her body was a golden kimono matching her hair. She two had the blue ribbon and star on her left breast, but on her right was the number two. Beside her was a small young girl, she barely looked ten years old. She two had long curly blonde hair and wore a long, frilly, blonde dress. She two had the blue ribbon and star, but on her right breast was the number three. One thing in common that all three shared were the shining blue eyes.
Naruto easily recognised them as he landed beside the nine other Angels in the arena.
The Golden Triplets. Kami's first Angel creations. The first was Michael Vermillion, leader of the Spriggan and the strongest Angel. The older woman was Gabriel Vermillion, the strongest female Angel. The younger woman was Mavis Vermillion, the third strongest Spriggan.
They were well known for the excellent teamwork and were rumoured to be able to telepathically speak between the three of them. The three siblings were the three strongest Spriggans.
Naruto watched as Genryusai landed in the box and moved to stand beside Michael before speaking in the mans ear. Michael looked down at him along with Gabriel and Mavis.
Michael moved forwards and raised his arms effectively silencing the entire stadium.
"Welcome everyone to the annual seven hundredth initiation ceremony." His voice was smooth like silk. Cheers sounded throughout the arena at his announcement and Michael only gave an easy goi smile in response. Slowly but surely the cheers died down and once they did Michael spoke again. "These young Angels are here to prove their worth and become even stronger to protect you and Kami-sama. So let the intimation ceremony, begin." A gong sounded and with it Mavis flew down into the arena, her twelve wings spread out majestically.
She moved forwards to the young Angels.
"I will take a small sliver of your magic and the magic of Ishgar shall decide what position you shall compete." No one voiced their opinions and simply stood their calm and collected. She thrust out her hands and Naruto could feel a small pull from his navel before a golden whisp shot towards her.
Ten slivers of golden energy varying in shade swirled upwards and spread out. In a flash of light names and numbers appeared in the air above Mavis.
Tokou Shima – 1st.
Kokou Shima – 2nd.
Shokumo Dumo – 3rd.
Guan Hamo – 4th.
Toushiro Hitsugaya – 5th.
Hoshigaki Mami – 6th.
Hachiro Daichi – 7th.
Renji Arashi – 8th.
Rukia Kuchki – 9th.
Naruto Uzumaki – 10th.
"Shima-kun please stay. Everyone else please move to the waiting area." Mavis said cheerfully in her childish voice.
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Naruto didn't know how long he had stayed in the waiting area. Three hours an hour? He had lost track of time. With each passing second he felt his nerves increase. What if he didn't pass? What if he died? What if he disappointed Genryusai? These were the common thoughts passing through his mind in a raging storm.
It was like his mind refused to calm down. It would run through thousands of what if scenarios, yet they all ended up leaving him a failure. These thoughts only made his growing nerves greater. His fears more prominent.
It was times like these that he remembered he is actually seven years old. Seven years old! A seven year old about to face off against challenges meant for fourteen year olds and older! It was the stuff of legends and for that reason he couldn't keep calm. His façade had dropped showing the child beneath. His mental defences crumbling under his fear.
"Naruto Uzumaki." A male voice made his head whip up quickly. He came face to face with a normal looking Angel. He had two pairs of wings and wore the usual Angel outfit which consisted of a golden kimono, golden shoulder pads an breastplate. "It's is your turn." Nodding his head Naruto took a deep breath hoping to calm his nerves, but it did nothing. In fact it seemed to fan the burning inferno of fear and doubt in his mind.
Walking after the Angel he came to a stop to the entrance of the arena. The angel had stepped to one side and was waiting for Naruto to start walking towards the metal gate.
Taking one last deep gulp of air he took a stead step forwards towards the gate. The Angel upon seeing this pulled a wooden leaver on the wall and with it the gate opened allowing Naruto to see into the arena.
What had once been a pristine clean arena, now had multiple holes and craters formed from the battles that had token place. He could see pieces of Gargoyles scattered around the arena. As soon as he stepped into the arena the entire ground had been replaced back to its pristine condition.
"Naruto Uzumaki you are the last competitor to go through the first stage." Michael said making Naruto look up at the box. "For the first stage you must do one simple task." Gargoyles dropped into the arena, but they didn't number in the single digits. No, they numbered in the double digits. Over sixty Gargoyles were flapping in the air and stood on the ground. Each carrying a multitude of weapons of all shapes and sizes. "Defeat the Gargoyles as quickly as possible."
The task itself sounded simple, but the sheer number of Gargoyles made the task harder than it actually was. Sure he had fought multiple Gargoyles at once, but never a number as large as this. The most he had fought at once was ten and that had been last month.
He looked towards Genryusai to see the man staring at him calmly. His eyes gave away nothing. No hidden message for him to read. Nothing. For the first time in his life in heaven he felt alone. He could count on no one to help him.
"There will be times when you are alone. It is them times you will feel alone, but think about those you trust; those you care for, and fight for them. Fight for them and you never feel alone, no matter how much you are."
It had been the first lesson Genryusai had given to him when he was learning to fight multiple opponents at once. It had been a lesson he took to heart.
Taking a shaky breath he steadied his nerves and began thinking about those that had helped him in his life. There were few, but it was enough to help him steady his raging nerves. Opening his eyes he gazed coolly at the army of Gargoyles before him.
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Up in the main box Genryusai saw Naruto's shoulders slump slightly as he calmed himself down. Slowly his lips tugged upwards in a smirk as he saw Naruto's eyes shine with determination. 'It seems you have finally figure it out Uzumaki. Show them what a maelstrom can do… Naruto.' Genryusai thought with small hint of pride coursing through his veins at the look in his students eyes.
"What are you smiling at Genryusai-dono?" Asked Gabriel her voice was similar to Mavis's, however it was more feminine and womanly.
"You will see Gabriel-dono. You will see."
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Naruto outstretch his wings and flapped them causing a small gust of wind to send dust sprawling across the ground. Along with this his body began rising steadily off the ground. Outstretching both hands he summoned two spears of light and stared hard at the Gargoyles.
"Come." With that single word the Gargoyles charged forward. All sixty of them shooting forwards fro,pm the ground and air converging on their target.
Naruto smiled slightly before charging forwards to meet them head on. His hands tightened around the spears. All fear had left his body, all sense of doubt was gone. All that remained was a sense of determination.
A determination to win.
A determination to succeed despite the odds.
A determination to prove himself worthy.
Thrusting the spears forwards he met the Gargoyles head on