Author's Note: Alright, here's the first chapter to Hollow Black Shadows, the sequel to Fallen Blue Sky. Honestly, I needed that break, but when it came down to working on a new story, well, I gotta work on it. Also, I decided to go on a different method for chapter titles that I started around the end of FBS, using song titles for the chapters. Anyways, please enjoy the chapter.
Black Rock Shooter and co. belongs to Huke.
"Silent Shades" - Nothing's Carved In Stone
Fifteen months ago...
Geshumaru looked down at the small pool if water that filled the fountain, her reflection appearing on the clear liquid. She couldn't understand everything that happened within the past several hours, there was too much to think about. Looking down at the rags she wore, there was a sense that they had a certain meaning, but it was lost to her as her thoughts went back to the fight for survival. She was running on pure instinct, trying to kill off any wild beast that wanted to kill her, but feeling emotions and having them fuel her was unusual. It's like two sides of her are at war with each other, unable to settle down or come to terms.
"Stop over-thinking, it doesn't help an Anomaly..." Geshumaru heard behind her.
Turning around, Geshumaru noticed the heterochromatic eyes, "Dragon Slayer... correct?"
"At least you remember my name before passing out, "Dragon Slayer told her, her boots clacking against the tiles as she headed towards the fountain, "Believe me, if you over think, you will only get a headache..."
"A headache..?" Geshumaru wondered out-loud.
"I'm not surprised," Dragon Slayer mumbled, "I already told you that Anomalies are different from other selves, we're more like a bridge between being an other self and a real self, if that makes any sense"
Geshumaru nodded slightly, "I see..."
"Anyways, the reason you should take it easy is because you'll disrupt the 'balance' within you," Dragon Slayer told her.
"Disrupt it..?" Geshumaru inquired.
Dragon Slayer looked down at the fountain, her eyes looking at her reflection, "We all have a reason for existing, and that reason stems from our real selves, but we Anomalies have our own raison d'etre that drives us"
"What..?" Geshumaru said, confused by the word.
"It means 'reason to exist', it's a phrase my real self told me long ago," Dragon Slayer told her, "It isn't part of her language, mind you"
Geshumaru couldn't get what Dragon Slayer was telling her, even the part with her talking about their reason for existing since it isn't something she understood. What exactly is her existence and what is its connection to everything Dragon Slayer is telling her. All she knew is that she woke up laying on the ground and started fending for herself, avoiding herself getting killed for whatever reason any other self had for their actions. Looking at the older woman, Geshumaru noticed the distant gaze that was a part of Dragon Slayer's eyes now, a subtle hint behind her past reflecting in the mismatched colored eyes. Granted, she may not know much about her savior, but there's something about her that tells the young Anomaly that something must have happened to Dragon Slayer to cause that expression.
"You know, our existence is also composed of two parts, the light and darkness within us all, whether we are real selves or other selves," Dragon Slayer stated, her eyes directed at Geshumaru, "I seen both, but it's essential that you know this too"
"Know what exactly?" Geshumaru inquired, her rags rustling as a slight breeze blew through.
Dragon Slayer looked towards the water, "Our real selves' emotions drives our power, but can also damage it and our minds if they fall into despair, which I consider is our darkness"
"Is the darkness such a bad thing?" Geshumaru wondered.
"Yes, it's like poison and other selves can't resist it," Dragon Slayer explained, "Anomalies can to a degree if their will is stronger than their real selves' emotions, but it's a theoretical 'if'"
"So it isn't a problem," Geshumaru said, noticing Dragon Slayer's eyes narrow.
"Well, if things go right for your real self, which is impossible," Dragon Slayer stated, "The darkness in everyone will grow with every wrong turn, but it can get balanced out by the positives, unless you lost yourself before it could happen"
Geshumaru looked down at the water in the fountain, "Did it happen to you?"
"I can't say it did, because I was born from the desire of revenge, and that in itself is borderline on the plane of darkness," Dragon Slayer told the girl, "If anything, consider my existence like poison to anyone who crosses me"
The last bit of information drilled itself into Geshumaru, but she didn't know how important the information would become in the future. An other self turned Anomaly, born from revenge is something unheard of, but for it occur went against what Geshumaru thought was logical. In fact, anything that happened in the past several hours is too much of a blue that it doesn't make any sense. She knew she was different from everyone else sans Dragon Slayer, but learning all this and struggling to understand what it all means, it's too much for even an other self to take in. Looking up, Geshumaru couldn't help but wonder if her existence as it is would benefit her or damn her in the end, but the full effects of her existence and the events that follow it wouldn't occur until months later.
Even so, between the times, she would learn the value behind Dragon Slayer's words.
Present time...
Geshumaru held back a yawn as she looked to her left, staring at the hooded person, "Are you sure about this Shooter..?"
"Yes, can you do it?" B RS inquired.
It wasn't a matter of whether Geshumaru could do what B RS asked her to, but the simple request came at a bad time. Given how she now resides in Naomi's body, she actually has to sleep, and the experience is still unusual to her, but Geshumaru is slowly getting used to it. Her schedule requires her to live both lives, part of it as Kimura Naomi and the other as Geshumaru, which seems easy, but it's taking a toll on her since her schedule needed changes so she can handle the double life. Between school, Naomi's family, homework, and work in the Otherwolrd, she was slowly running herself ragged slowly and she truly wants to feel the comfort of the bed waiting for her in the real world. Still, helping B RS is the least she could do, after everything she put her, Mato, and the others through, up until the Spirit Eater got out and started wreaking havoc around her area before dropping, B RS chasing after it.
"I can, but destroying an area is more of Dragon Slayer's ability," Geshumaru stated, arching an eyebrow, "Why not ask her?"
B RS looked at Geshumaru, her blue eyes shimmering slightly in the dark, "She's hard to track down, not to mention no one can enter her area unless she allows it"
"Figures, guess she's secluding herself after all that," Geshumaru sighed before chuckling a bit, "Maybe her pride got damaged from getting her gut drilled through..?"
Getting no response from B RS, Geshumaru looked around the area B RS asked her to destroy, the blue hue around the desolate place unsettling her a bit. She could feel the twisted aura around it, signifying the bloodshed brought upon the area when B RS first went insane. It was an odd request, asking to destroy her area since it's her home and she wouldn't give her reason for wanting it gone, but perhaps it was better that way. Geshumaru thought that there was some unpleasant memories here, so she didn't ask about the reasoning behind B RS wanting this place to get destroyed. Besides, if she even asked for B RS's reason, she would lose more time trying to get back to the real world and sleep till the morning, and she knows better than any other self besides STR that sleep is necessary when you live in your real self's body.
Geshumaru took her katana out of its sheath and gripped it in her left hand, "Last chance, are you sure about this?"
"I wouldn't have asked you if I wasn't," B RS told her, her eyes unwavering.
"Fair enough," Geshumaru said, twirling the katana between her fingers.
Geshumaru let her power flow through her body and let it traverse to her left arm, blue fire trailing up the blade as she stopped twirling the sword. Holding it upside-down, Geshumaru stabbed into the ground and let her power flow from the sword, straight into the ground below them as they felt the ground shaking a bit. Pulling her katana out of the ground, Geshumaru dashed away along with B RS, watching the area slowly break apart as a bleak whiteness started appearing through the cracks. The ground broke apart, pieces of earth rising up or falling into the void as the area fell into pieces of nothing, collapsing upon itself. B RS and Geshumaru reached higher elevation, away from the destruction site as B RS's home became nothing, an empty crater as the white light sank within the cracks, the earth sealing itself.
"When a new other self is born, they might take this area," Geshumaru commented, "So, no regrets..?"
B RS closed her eyes and turned around, walking away as she spoke, "None..."
"What's gotten into her..?" Geshumaru wondered before opening a rift.
Entering through the rift, Geshumaru's clothes changed to accommodate the real world, turning back into a black and blue top with white sweat-pants. Her eyes readjusted themselves, losing the unique shine as she exited the rift, only to collide into Kanna. They fell back to the bed, Geshumaru rubbing her forehead slightly as she looked at Kanna, watching her expression shift from shocked, to confusion, and into complete exasperation. A few days ago, Kanna wouldn't think twice about her or the Otherworld, but that was because she didn't know what happened or what the Otherworld was. Nowadays, when Geshumaru happens to disappear on the family, and she comes back after several hours or so, Kanna would wait for her in her room, ready to give her an earful.
Geshumaru sighed, "Why are you here, Kanna?"
"Oops, sorry, I guess lying about my 'sister' being asleep was enough to get mom and Takeshi off your back during dinner," Kanna said, frowning.
"Sorry Kanna, but I have to manage two lives, remember?" Geshumaru told her.
"I know, and that's what irritates me," Kanna said, looking up at the ceiling, "I hate lying to my family, can't you tell and show them the same thing you did for me?"
"Sorry, but I rather avoid being put in a psych ward, thank you," Geshumaru deadpanned.
"Maybe I should get sent to a psych ward, since all or this seems to realistic to actually be real," Kanna half-joked.
Geshumaru scoffed, "I bet you would get along with Dragon Slayer, if you let yourself be an experiment for her..."
"Look, if living in denial and a lie would mean avoiding this, then I would take it," Kanna told Geshumaru, raking through her hair, "But I can't change my decision, and I can't say I hate this entirely, it's just... lying to my family about all this is a bit unsettling..."
Geshumaru couldn't deny Kanna's claim, even she felt a bit disgusted with lying to them, but it's better to have them happy than thinking that 'Naomi' was crazy. Even so, trusting Kanna with the truth was a bit of a stretch, but it's certainly better than nothing given how she does need to balance out her life. Getting off Kanna, the older woman pulled up and got off the bed, looking more tired than before when Geshumaru got back from the Otherworld. Things would have been smoother if her time wasn't wasted needlessly, but what could she do, the Otherworld is a priority in her life, as well as the real world. Kanna walked towards the door, appearing fine, but Geshumaru knew Kanna enough to see when she has thoughts that she doesn't want her to know.
"Geshumaru..." Kanna started, biting her lip for a moment before opening the door, "Good night..."
"Good night..." Geshumaru said, watching the door close slowly as Kanna left the room.
Lying back on her bed, Geshumaru looked up at the ceiling as her thoughts came out though her mouth, "Ah, fuck..."
Dragon Slayer laid out her tools before turning around, staring at the body that rested on the table, "Now, let's see what I can do..."
It wasn't the first time Dragon Slayer experimented on the body, but Dragon Slayer likes to start it off with it appearing as so. Grabbing a scalpel, she moved towards the body and rested the blade on top of the chest, her right hand still. She pushed the blade into the body and slid her hand down from the chest to the body's waist, purple tinted black blood flowing out a bit on the table. Ignoring the falling blood, Dragon Slayer opened up the body and looked inside, digging through the anatomy of the dead other self. It wasn't like she could do anything, the body was too old for anything to effect the real world, and in turn, the real self was most likely dead, Dragon Slayer thought silently.
Her fingers brushed through any replicated organ, moving deeper into the corpse as she trailed one of her fingers against the black spine. Dragon Slayer mentally recorded the length of the spine in her head, reminding herself to write it down when she gets the chance. Before she could move any further in her study, the door was hit softly three times, forcing Dragon Slayer to halt herself. It wasn't hard to guess it was Maid Gunner who knocked on the door, but the fact she did so while she was dissecting a corpse is irritating enough for Dragon Slayer, so she better have a good reason for doing so. Removing her hands from the corpse, Dragon Slayer took a rag and walked to the door, opening it slowly as she got a good view of Maid Gunner's pink eyes looking through the opening.
"What is it..?" Dragon Slayer inquired.
Maid Gunner didn't react as she spoke, "You have a guest mistress"
Dragon Slayer frowned instantly at the response, "I don't have guests, did you manage to forget that?"
"She bypassed the security spell you set up by entering through the forest," Maid Gunner explained, not missing a beat, "Do you want me to get her out?"
"No... I'll meet her," Dragon Slayer sighed, "No point in kicking out a 'guest', so, is it Shooter by any chance?"
Maid Gunner shook her head slightly and walked away, probably to take care of anything else that required her attention. Dragon Slayer briefly watched her walk away as her last response got the amber-eyes Anomaly's thinking about who could it be that's in her home now. If it wasn't B RS, then the next person on her list is Geshumaru, but that's unrealistic since she has a schedule she needs to keep up for both identities she has. Walking out of the room, Dragon Slayer walked through the halls as she cleaned her hands, removing the cold blood that stained them. As she reached her study, Dragon Slayer stopped thinking and put up her guise, since it isn't as fun to mess with other selves who can't react like Anomalies if she just appears as she did with Maid Gunner.
Opening the double doors, Dragon Slayer walked inside as a small smirk appeared on her face, "Alright, care to show me who you are?"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to waste your time..." Dragon Slayer heard as she noticed two green horns.
"Well, I'm honestly surprised you're the one here Dead Master," Dragon Slayer said, a slight hint of surprise in her voice, "Then again, I guess you are catching up on some events, like killing a chimera with Yomi..?"
"Partially, I want to understand you, or rather, I want to learn about the truth behind you," Dead Master told her, "You obviously have knowledge about these Anomalies and their capabilities, but there's something about you that you keep hiding from everyone"
"Hmm, are you really that curious, because the answer isn't something I'll give under normal circumstances," Dragon Slayer responded.
Dead Master stared at her, "I didn't expect you to, but trying to understand how you can become this, then turn into someone filled with hatred is puzzling without some answers from the being herself"
"I'm no fool, if you want those answers, you have to find them yourself," Dragon Slayer told her, "Try to find ruins from ninety years ago, they're virtually nonexistent, so your chances of getting answers are slim"
It's true, the chances of finding anything from the past ninety years in the Otherworld is practically impossible, and Dragon Slayer knew this just from time passing by. Every ruin is now buried within the ground, lost to time as she just continued living, leaving herself as the only relic remaining from around that time. While she views it as a gift, it's also a curse in its own right, but she won't say it in front of anyone. Anything related to her and her past should stay buried with the ruins, eliminated from her life, just like the Spirit Eater's destruction. Clapping her hands together, Dragon Slayer moved towards her desk, leaning back against it as she looked into Dead Master's green orbs.
"Look, any answers you want, you won't get," Dragon Slayer told her, "So, why don't you leave and pretend that this never happened, okay?"
Dead Master got up from her seat, "You can wish for your past being eliminated, but in the end, you'll be haunted by it, no matter what you do..."
"What makes you think I'm haunted by something I don't care about?" Dragon Slayer inquired.
"Because no other self would have that much anger within themselves," Dead Master told her as she headed towards the door, "It feels like you already went insane, and you know which one I'm talking about"
Dragon Slayer didn't say anything as she watched Dead Master open both doors and leave the study, her words leaving an impact on the amber-eyes woman. She couldn't deny what Dead Master told her, but that she said it to her without hesitation means that something is bothering her, and it isn't just about her. After what everyone went through, there;s no doubt that Dead Master is one of those who was hit the hardest, aside from B RS and Gold Saw to an extent. Raking through her hair with her left hand, Dragon Slayer pushed off the desk and moved towards the double doors, her aura slowly leaking out as her thoughts sank deeper. Despite everything she did, everyone still holds a skeptical eye on her, and she couldn't blame them, but she won't let them get the best of her.
"Anyone can think that their past can haunt them, but it's my past that drives me," Dragon Slayer mumbled as she headed back to the room she was in before, intent to continue where she left off.
"Mato... Mato..."
Yuu stared at her friend, wondering what was going through her head now as she doesn't always zone out like she is now. They just reached lunch time, but it seems Mato isn't registering that fact, or anything else for that matter. The odd thing about that is Mato started acting like this a couple of days ago, and when she or Yomi tried to get any answers, she would sputter, then laugh before apologizing. Her actions are reaching the point where Kagari is contemplating smacking her around so Mato could get her head out of the gutter, Yomi didn't approve, of course. So, that left Yuu with no other options to snap Mato out of her thoughts, which is for the best if she wants to meet Saya today, and who know how that will end for her.
Yuu sighed, reached towards Mato, and pinched her, "Mato..!"
"Ow!" Mato yelled; Yuu let out a small smile.
"Welcome back to the world of the living," Yuu told her, "I hope you enjoyed your trip to la la land; really, what's with you, and don't try to dodge it..?"
Mato looked at Yuu, rubbing her right arm, "I just... have things to think about, that's all"
"Really, what kind of things?" Yuu inquired.
Mato laughed and scratched her head, which caused Yuu's left eyebrow to twitch, "It's really nothing..."
"That's bull and you know it," Yuu deadpanned before grabbing Mato by the collar, pulling her out of her seat, "Come on, we all need to talk..!"
Mato couldn't say anything as Yuu put all of her strength to drag Mato through the corridors of their school, causing some students to stare at them like they were crazy. They would think even more about that if any one of them talked about the Otherworld out in the open, which is more problematic to cover than anything. The few times they talked about it, they had to cover it up and make it seem like it's an anime or something, which is easy to pull off, but harder to make it seem what they're telling is the truth. Yuu kept on dragging Mato until they reached the consultation room, which forced Yuu to let go of Mato so she could slide the door open, which bought Mato enough time to get up and start running. This failed, however, as Kagari moved past Yuu the moment she opened the door and got Mato into a hold, dragging her inside with their classmates watching.
Just another day at their school, they thought to themselves.
Mato struggled to get out of Kagari's hold, "Let go..!"
"Alright," Kagari grunted, letting go of Mato, until she got pushed to the sofa.
Mato looked around the room, watching the curious eyes of Yomi and Yuu watch her as Saya took another sip out of her cup. The aura around the room was suffocating, like she's being interrogated without anyone saying anything. She could say that Kagari was trying to burn holes into the back of her head, and she can't blame the blonde, she has acted a bit weirder than normal. B RS's statement about herself and her wish to follow her own route against Mato's wishes hit her hard, making her wonder if Anomalies really have this much free will. Geshumaru looks like a prime example of that, but Mato couldn't figure out how it works or what makes it so unique.
"Mato, care to explain your side to things..?" Saya asked her, staring at her with half-lidded eyes.
Mato stopped thinking and looked at Saya, feeling the tension rise a bit, "I... can't really explain it..."
"Like hell you can't, what going on in that head of yours?" Kagari inquired while poking Mato's head a couple of times.
"Really, nothing," Mato rebuked.
Yomi frowned, her green eyes staring critically at her friend, "Mato, ever since you and Mato beat the Spirit Eater, you've been acting like this... what's going on?"
Mato tried to explain to her friends that everything is alright, but Saya was the one who put the nail into the coffin, "Mato, did anything happen between you and B RS, because the way I'm seeing things, that's the onl;y one that could cause you problems..."
Mato flinching was all Saya needed for an answer, "Look, you and B RS have problems that can't get sorted out easily, she's not the same like before, but that doesn't mean she's any different from what she became now"
"She's the one with problems..." Mato mumbled.
"I'm not saying whatever happened between you two should become our problem, but understand that B RS isn't an other self like Dead Master, or Black Gold Saw... or anyone else," Saya told the girl, "She's like Geshumaru, so anything that she does is up to her"
"But what she does is wrong..!" Mato shot back.
Saya raised an eyebrow, "Are we any better..?"
Mato frowned, but she didn't say anything about that because Saya is right, they aren't any better than other selves. The difference between them both is that one got a conscience, while the other doesn't, and that alone tells everything. B RS doesn't want to change herself based on Mato's wishes, and since she's an Anomaly, that gives her free reign over her own choice. Balling her hands, Mato struggled to keep her emotions in check as she remembered what B RS told her before she started shooting the earth that was coming down on them. They struck a hard chord inside her, which made her wish that B RS never even existed, but Saya's words came back to her head, and that forces her to shoot that wish down.
Mato got up from the sofa, her hair covering her eyes, "None of you would understand..."
"And that's what we're trying to get," Yomi told her.
"But you don't get it, she isn't..." Mato stopped before walking towards the door, sliding it open.
"Mato, understand this, what you want from B RS isn't what you will get," Saya told her, "Other selves are born for a specific reason, but B RS has a new one that goes against what you want from her, so don't act like a little child and grow up, we all can't get what we want..!"
Mato didn't say anything, she just left the room, sliding the door close as she did so.
B RS opened her eyes slowly as she watched the grey vastness of the valley down below, the area hollow, but torn as she noticed the craters and slash marks. The wind was blowing sand all around, causing B RS to grip her hood with both hands to keep it still as she trudge forward, trying to understand where she is now. It isn't like she wished to go somewhere instantly, but wounding up in a new area is unsettling, just like before. Bringing her ax out, she focused a small amount of her power into the weapon as she looked around, one hand keeping her hood still. Her blue eyes analyzed the are, trying to look beyond the sand as she felt the ground shift slightly, causing her to move from where she was standing.
"Great, what now..." B RS thought to herself as she heard the wind whistling.
She felt the wind pick up speed as something slashed at her cheek, causing a thin cut to open as blood leaked out, flowing slowly down her cheek to her chin. Turning around, B RS looked towards where the attack came from as the wind whistled again, causing her to start thinking about what exactly is going on. Before her instincts could react, her right calf got slashed at, causing the young Anomaly to drop to one knee. Her anger was rising a bit as something started clicking at the back of her head, just as the wind started whistling again. Not willing to risk anything, B RS focused her power to her legs and jumped up, a stream of fire bursting from where she was as her flame encircled her left eye.
"You aren't hiding from me," B RS said, her eyes narrowing as she let herself drop midair.
The wind started whistling again as she felt multiple things rushing at her from all sides, forcing her to slash away before swapping out her ax for her Rock Cannon. Pointing the weapon down, B RS started firing every way she wanted, the shots blasting through the sandstorm as she started getting a clearer image of what she's going up against. Seeing a gaping mouth and six eyes connected to what looks like a head being a part of the ground surprised her, but not enough as she watch razor-like tendrils rush at her. Spinning her body, she shot the tendrils down as she continued dropping in the air, shifting her body so she could stare down the creature. The beast roared in anger and pain from its tendrils being shot down like nothing, its advantage disappearing as B RS switched her Rock Cannon for her Black Blade, blue fire trailing along the blade.
"Die," B RS muttered as she neared the creature.
The beast roared as tendrils sprouted from the ground, rushing through the air to cut down B RS, six red eyes gleaming with pure malice. The tendrils cut through the air, but couldn't do anything as B RS spun, the Black Blade cutting the tendril down. The creature tried to open its mouth wide, but B RS landed on the top of its head, her sword pointed directly between its eyes. Before more tendrils could sprout, B RS stabbed into the creature, blood spraying out of the mortal wound that she caused. The glimmer in the creature's eyes slowly died as they glazed over, becoming hollow as B RS removed her sword from the beast's head, blood pooling out from the damage she caused.
"I'm all willing to kill beasts like those, but shouldn't you take it easy?" B RS heard from behind.
Looking behind her, B RS watched Dragon Slayer walk up to her, "Guess that means this isn't yours?"
"Please, I rather make chimeras than something like that," Dragon Slayer told her, grimacing a bit before looking bored, "Anyways, your friend came to me earlier today, inquiring about Anomalies..."
"Who?" B RS inquired.
"Why your damsel in distress, Dead Master," Dragon Slayer joked before returning to her bored expression, "She's really something, didn't expect her to find a way inside my home, Maid Gunner certainly didn't help"
B RS walked towards Dragon Slayer, "It not a problem, right?"
"I didn't do anything, but she go spouting things about how our pasts affect us or something like that," Dragon Slayer stated, "I rather not have my work interrupted by stuff like that, what I was doing before she appeared was important to my study"
"Not my problem," B RS told her, walking away.
"Shooter, it will become a problem," Dragon Slayer told her, causing the blue-eyed Anomaly to look at her, "About two days pasted since we managed to save this world, but even I know when problems still linger from the event, this is one of them..."
"What's the other?" B RS inquired.
"I'm still figuring that part out, but you'll know, I'll make sure of it," Dragon Slayer told her, walking away, "Just know that things aren't what they are when unmasked in the shadows"
B RS arched an eyebrow at the last sentence, wondering what Dragon Slayer meant as she watch her walk away.
Author's Note: Okay, that's the end for chapter 1. If you have any questions for me regarding the chapter, come on down to Tachibana Wish's forum, there's a link to it on my profile. Please review and I'll see you all next chapter.