Eldritch
By
Remediation Anent Anechoic
Once every decade, the Thunder God would betroth one of his daughters to the people of the earth, as a gift of good will. The bride's powers would be bound, to keep them safe (and others!) from harm, and at that time, was no problem.
When the bride came, good fortune came to the land as well, and all would benefit, including the daughters of heaven. At the end of their chosen beloveds life span, they would return to the cloud palaces they came from, and came down another woman from above.
Then there came a day, a dark day in all of history, when the powers of the brides of heaven were heavily misused, and began one of the worst shinobi wars mankind ever had to face. As for the brides, they had held them captive by royal clan bloodlines, for obvious reasons one wishes not to even breathe about, never allowing them to be free.
When the Thunder God saw what had happened to his beloved daughters, he undid their bound powers, and said to them, "Free your self's from purgatory, my endearing ones, do not remain captive to those who choose to abuse you".
The daughters rebelled against the men that enslaved them, fighting for their freedom, reaching for the key to getting home, fleeing the burning world, ever consumed in its nightmares.
The brides of heaven still come despite the chaos, hoping to undo the evil that has gripped humanity so. Some have been fortunate, some have not, and some…. remain.
(Scripts of the Ancients, Iwakagure's Temple of Lighting)
Chapter One: Collision
Lost… again.
Far from Iwakagure's sheltering mountain range, she had no other choice but to run. The stone chains that her captors kept her bound to the bedpost with were still around her ankles, but she left her collar behind with a bloody cadaver who tried his best to keep his "Bitch".
Now the remnants of the group that had trapped her, tricked me, she thought to herself as she stopped long enough to bludgeon her anklets with a rather jagged-looking rock, was searching, and seeking revenge for what she had done. They knew she was missing by now, and most likely had a search party out looking for her.
She knew they would never stop looking, and they knew that eventually she would exhaust herself from running so long that she could no longer hold them off.
She looked towards the horizon as she stood, and inwardly prayed that one day, she could make it home.
Blood; it was everywhere.
Burning resolution flowed around him in a cascade of fire, the village that he chose to "reform" turned from stone to smoldering ashes before his eternal eyes, a smile forming on his lips...
It was sight he saw flash in his mind as his body fell, far below the depths in the great valley, far away from that village, wanting to escape, letting his dream consume him more.
Just a dream, he thought, seeing his enemy soon following his footsteps to death's door. Let him go to hell alone, I must live on! The man thought. On to see my dream!
No…no, no, no…
He then choked, water filling his lungs until he could breathe no more.
Tobi woke in a start, quickly ripping his mask from his face, trying to tell his body it wasn't drowning. Unable to fall back asleep, Tobi sat up and looked in partner's direction, who just happened to be the multi-mouthed Deidara, well known for being a demolitions expert and for his foul temper.
Tobi was sure to listen carefully to the sounds his partner would make in the morning; often telltale signs of what mood swing would start the day.
That's when Tobi heard a grumble lined with future cuss-words, followed by the usual crack, snap and pop! of Deidara's back (or knuckles), and Tobi could cross his heart and bet on his grave that he would hear his partner's entire dictionary of verbal insults before the day was done, if he didn't get moving soon.
Suddenly terrified of what mood his easily irritated partner was in that morning, Tobi decided to skip the search for breakfast in hopes to improve his kunai-throwing skills, attempting to avoid Deidara's possibly unwarranted disgust.
The mission they had taken on was a success, though quite simple, depending on perspective. To a normal ninja, stealing a forbidden scroll from a Satoosa was better off left with a couple of ANBU squads and a god-given blessing. For an Akatsuki….
It is rather uncommon business for us, I suppose, Tobi mused thoughtfully on events of the past few days.
Now is the time to continue scouting out the landscape, Madara said, throwing out Tobi's morning of personal bliss.
Can it wait? We did fight a Kage and we won, but you still treat it as if it was easy, when it totally was not! Tobi interjected, flustered.
Perhaps not for you, Tobi. Now go out, investigate the surrounding area. Adhering to the climate will do the both of us good.
When push came to shove, Madara was always the stronger mind, and always had a purpose behind his actions, often for "their" own survival. Tobi never doubted him, not that he ever gave him a reason to. To enjoy some future solitude from the restless spirit, he obeyed him, and he packed what he deemed necessary, leaving a very groggy and confused Deidara to start the morning himself.
All she figured was that she didn't run far enough, fast enough.
"What an optimistic wench you are!" growled the man before her, while he was backing her into a niche in the sandstone cliff.
She was always the one to be cornered, but she knew that, somehow, that today is going to be different. I will be free.
She shifted slightly near the earth, readying her jutsu formation in front of her.
"You can come back, you know, and we won't hurt you anymore," The man said suddenly, recognizing the dangerous posture she was assuming.
"Bullshit!" she roared as she charged at him, raging towards him with killing intent with her wrists crossing in front of her, calling out her inner powers that traced her blood.
However, something almost faster then her eye could catch, making her stop dead in her tracks, still holding the charging stance.
The man was in shock, realization dawning on his face, looking down at the kunai piercing his gut, gouging and gutting him as if he was at a butcher. Finally, the man behind her former captor withdrew his weapon and let the man keel, hitting the ground with a dull thud.
The new man turned his masked face away from her to look at the corpse for an instant, then looked back at her, and did not move an inch. He stood frozen, in her direct path out of this situation, almost as if he was waiting for something.
This man was covered in armor head to toe; yet she could see he had quite a fair amount of muscles, with his mask an odd swirling orange-ish color, but the only thing she saw visibly natural was his spiky, bunch-up black hair at the top of everything.
She almost laughed in how silly this picture looked.
Almost.
Wait. He is still a man; men are like dogs to their instinct, never, ever, thoughtful. Just undeniably cruel and uncaring.
Just another one, she thought.
\
Yes, yes, yes. The men never stopped hunting her, even when she was free. Bound to another or keep trying to get home? No contest.
She began to rushed forward again, with her wrists crossed in front of her face while she was doubled over, preparing to strike, when, to her surprise, he shifted out of her way.
She paused when she was just past him, she stood her full height, and turned so that they would be so-called face-to-face, and debating her own self whether she should do this or not.
She did appreciate the "disposal" of one of her former captors; helping her out of the grave, and had no current reason to try to kill this one.
"Thank you" she said to the man in the mask, with less emotion than the stone beneath their feet.
Then she struck.
It was a chakra-charge straight to the face, electric ions flowing from her body and into her fingertips like a lighting rod; aiming for that particular point in the frontal lobe, it was so fast that it did not register until after it hit home.
Ion particle control was her bloodline-limit, and having mastered it to perfection, she knew how to give him a simple buzz, just to knock him out, not to kill him.
It shattered the mask, not the man. Orange shards fell to the ground, and the man, no, the boy backed away. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, with pale skin and odd crimson eyes, he was looking at her with a menaced surprise, and then the look was gone.
He then made his move, way too fast.
He had somehow gotten her by the elbow and twisted her arm behind her back, forcing her further to the earth below by pressing a hard hand to her back. She began to buck with all her physical might, distracting him while she readied her next ion strike.
"Please stop, miss!" the boy exclaimed. "Tobi thought that man was hurting you, Tobi had to help!"
She stopped fighting him, long enough to see what he would do, and sure enough, he let go of her.
"Is Miss ok? Tobi didn't hurt Miss, did he? Please answer Miss, Tobi is concerned!"
"Concerned?" She looked from her position on the ground, now that she pulled herself into a crouching stance. She saw the boy "Tobi" , who was now facing away from her, begin to pick up pieces of his mask, which was scattered all over the place.
"Why should you be concerned about me, dog?" she spat with much venom. No way in hell was she falling for these antics again. She tightened her hand into fists, preparing for a much-unpredicted strike.
"Tobi is sorry! Very, very sorry! Tobi was just trying to be a good boy!" "Tobi" exclaimed, still trying to pick up the remains of his mask, without turning his head her direction. Adamant about keeping his face from view, she crept closer in her crouching stance ever so quietly to see why, keeping ready for that strike.
He suddenly stopped moving, as did she. When "Tobi" looked up at the sky, it was just enough for her to catch full view of his face, seeing his curved jaw harden, his eyes pressed shut. She realized he must be in great pain, to grit his teeth in such a manner.
She stared on, watching him slip in and out of the pain, the tensing and relaxing of his facial muscles, eyes still shut tight, then finally, his shoulders slumped as he sat cross-legged on the ground in her general direction, still blocking her way to freedom.
He opened his eyes, giving her a strange pleading look laced with something she couldn't identify, finding it hard to look into his diluted-crimson eyes.
She doubted she would ever change her opinion about men; but she could complement them. To her most private and untrustworthy thoughts would have instantly said something like "handsome" or more on the kiddish side of her, "cute"
"Tobi" spoke first, in a deeper tone than she expected. "What is your name, Miss?"
She was still in a crouching position, with absolute confusion plastered on her face.
"What? Have you never met a gentleman before?" he asked in the same tone. "Don't you know", he added," That it is polite to introduce yourself to others?"
Her eyes simply blinked at him with a flux of emotions, looking him up and down, while he stared back at her, silent curiosity weighing in like an avalanche.
Slowly, she knelt a few feet away from him, seating herself in a disconcerting huff.
"For what reason?" she replied, caution mocked in her voice and body language.
"My name is Tobi," he answered anyway without replying, his voice never wavering from that deep, rich tone.
She sucked in a breath that could have taken every oxygen molecule in the hemisphere.
"My name is none of your business," she said sternly, her ferocity returning to her. "Please let me be; I'm just a girl trying to get home!" she said bitterly, feeling a bunch of emotions she didn't feel like dealing with.
As she tried to scoop up what she felt she had left of her emotional dignity, Tobi had close his eyes softly, slipping into a mediative state.
Occasionally, he would cock his head to one side or the other just slightly, as if he was trying to talk to and understand another person.
He didn't know she bolted soon after he settled down, while neither privy to the fact of being watched.
After a quite a bit of this, he opened his eyes to stare on into nothing, finding she had already left him to his own devices.
We must find her, Tobi. She has seen our face; she will become your undoing if you do not find her!
Madara was already starting his negative rant, making Tobi desperately wish he just stayed and put up with his daily verbal beatings.
His mind sifted through the descriptive material, an image floating to the surface. Tattered beige robe, eyes as blue as the sky, her hair the color of the clouds on a clear day, black tiger brands near the ankles, wrists, naval and eyes, thin and a slight tan, with such a strange talent, how….. Unique.
Yes, I will find her. I never got her name, did I? Tobi thought, giving a smile that most would cringe at if they saw it.
Find her… yes… let me do that, my boy….
That devilish grin faded to a more serious, more dangerous look, sharingan eyes piercing the land he stood on. "She went that way, did she? "
In truth, Tobi had forfeited all rights to his body at this point, retreating back to the deep recesses of his mind, getting the coveted sleep he so desired.
Therefore, in the end, Tobi fell, and Madara came.
A/N: RAA here! Just typing away while listening Korn's Throw Me Away and Emotive's To the Rhythm of the War Drums. I'm starting to think I need a change in music….
I know I write poetry, but I wanted to try my digital hand at Fan Fiction. Rate and review, please. As for flamers, either be nice and give me some HELP or kiss my virtual ss! Anyways, I don't like long footnotes, and if I put anything in them, they are purely educational for those who don't know any better. Here are the meanings to unfamiliar words or terms:
Eldritch: Strange or unearthly; eerie.
Ion Matter: You all should know this one, as almost every organism made contains ion matter. An Ion itself is an atom or a group of atoms that has acquired an electric net charge by gaining or losing one or more electrons.
Tiger Brands: A set of two stripes that start where the bone or muscles are most visible, each set going the opposite of the other if they started at the same location, also ending in spear-points and never touching the other set. It is now a very rare gene, which the now-extinct Japanese mountain wolf had in abundance. In this story, the woman has them on her ankles, starting at the spine reaching for the navel and eyes, shoulders, wrists, knees and hips.