Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the canon characters. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto and any other owners of the Naruto series.
"Thoughts"
The Chimera: Pathway for Hope
"Help me! Please someone save me! Anyone!"
An older man with spiky brown hair quickly stood up from the fire he had created at the screams. His dark eyes pierced into the woods as he brushed off the few specks of dirt off of his light gray kimono.
"Hold on. I'm coming!"
The man dashed off into the darkness, following the shrieks of pain. He tapped into his chakra and powered it into his feet, increasing his speed. Without much time, the brown-haired man with a short goatee came across a terrifying sight.
"What in the world is that thing?" the man growled as he began to flash through hand signs. "And why is it attacking this innocent man?"
A large white creature had pinned a dark-haired man who was panting as the beast's tongue was wrapped around his throat. However, the trapped man hoarsely yelled, trying to do everything in his power to escape but failing due to the size of the beast. The newcomer could see that wisps of chakra flowing from the man to the beast and acted. A large fireball hit the creature on one of its wings. It created a sound that was a mixture between a cat's snarl and a bat's yip as it released the victim.
"That's right," the brown-haired man with stern features thought. "Come after me and forget the other person…"
The creature was muscular with very tight white skin with leathery bat wings. Its strange face, with a bat face and ears, insect mandibles on either side of its mouth, and a pair of ram's horn, shook as it stood up. Two mismatched eyes, one the eye of a predator and the other the eye of prey, glared as him as its attention fell on the new man. It roared as it used it tongue to lash out at him. The man that was trapped quickly got to his feet, grabbed the fallen logs, and dashed away.
"Now that he is safe," thought the man, known as Asura, "I can get rid of this thing!"
Asura created a swirling ball of chakra that hid several smaller balls within it as strong, brawny cat's paws struck at him, balancing on its horses' hoofs. He ducked claws as it turned to attack with its heavy scorpion tail. The man sent the chakra ball flying at the beast, hitting in the side it as it turned around to face him. However, the tongue wrapped around his arm, pulling him down as it falls. He quickly creates large branches that entrap the strange creature as it hissed and growled at him, biting down on the wood with long canines. It whimpered as Asura stepped over to it, ready to put it out of its misery.
"I'm sorry… whatever you are," Asura stated within his mind. "But you are too far gone, creature… You will hurt anyone else…"
However, something stopped him: a loud cry. Quickly glancing up, he saw that a falcon had caught a dove in midair, talons gripping it as it stuck down with its beak. After falling for a few seconds, the falcon rose up with the limp dove and began carrying it away. Asura watched the two birds before turning back to the trapped creature as it struggled again its bonds. Though muscular, the creature seemed thin, the muscles seeming to lean but smaller than what they first appeared. The long, thin tongue tried to reach out to the man, as its front claws dug in the dirt. He also saw that the glassy shine in the mismatched eyes as it whimpered as the branches jabbed into it. Asura stopped what he was doing and sighed.
"Would killing this creature do anything?" he wondered. "Like that falcon, isn't it just trying to live out its life? We kill other animals for food… Heck… There are people that have begun killing others just because we don't agree with each other… My brother was right… People have started using Ninshū for violence means… It's too bad that he changed; that he decided that power was worth more than family… No, get back on track! Do I kill this… thing or not?"
Looking down on it, he sighed before carefully stepping over to the large beast, ducking under the lashing tongue. Asura began to gather some chakra into his hand as he glanced down at the captured beast. Before he could do anything else, the tongue wrapped around his hand, absorbing the gathered chakra. However, it only absorbed that chakra before the tongue retreated as the beast began to cough. Asura slapped his forehead as he reflected on the nature of his chakra.
"Great job Asura," he hissed at his self. "You forgot that not everything can handle your chakra! Stupid, stupid! You just had to go and make things worse!"
As the beast struggled with his chakra it just ate, Asura released it from its bonds. He stood up and began walking away from it, leaving it in the clearing. However, the brown-haired man glanced back to see the beast also standing up, sightless eyes glaring in his direction.
"Listen here you," Asura spoke in a harsh tone, not knowing why he was speaking to this creature. "Stop attacking people. You are only going to get yourself killed! If you can understand me… Try and find a better way of life!"
With that, Asura quickly turned away, not noticing the intelligence that bloomed in the creature's eyes as the tongue snaked back to the creature. It gave off a short hiss of laughter before moving.
"When I meant go find a better way of life," thought Asura as he walked down the path a few days later, "I didn't mean stalk me, you stupid creature!"
The strange white-skinned creature had followed him since that day. Asura continued with his work of helping who he could in a land torn by his grandmother. However, the creature seemed to hover near him, waiting on the outside of the town. Once, the villagers had caught it trying to break into the house he had been staying in and chased it out of the town. The next day, though, the creature was waiting outside the town, hidden within the woods. It was never far off, always waiting, though Asura had to question how a giant, mix-matched animal was staying in the shadows. However, it seemed to have no interest in the other people of the village.
"Why is it following me?" wondered Asura, alone for the first time in days. "Is it hunting me? I know that it feeds off of chakra… I won't be another victim, if that is the case!"
Asura leaped back as the creature tried to pounce on him, tongue waving in the low breeze. He had to curse himself for not paying attention to his surroundings as the beast's wings flapped in order to keep itself in the air.
"This thing can fly?!" he thought, ducking the cat's paws that attempted to knock him to the ground. "I thought that it would be too heavy to use those wings! Now, I have to pin it…!"
Before he could flash through the needed hand signs, the tongue enveloped his hands and pulled him towards the creature. Too stunned to do anything, Asura ended up pinned under the creature's claws. However, what the beast did next took him completely by surprise.
It licked his face, leaving a trail of drool across his stern features. The tongue traced his face, seeming to want to know the shape of his face despite being blind. He also observed that the animal wasn't taking his chakra nor causing any harm to him.
"If it doesn't want to drain my chakra," he asked himself as the tongue moved on downwards to his chest, "then what does it want with me? And I wonder… Did my chakra do something to this beast? I mean… I do have a part of grandmother's chakra within me… Wait a moment… Is this creature a former victim of the God Trees? Is this what happened to anyone that loses their chakra? My grandmother… She was evil… The people and animals have a right to life, not just as tools..."
Asura was pulled out of his thoughts when the creature gently grabbed his arm and tried to get him on his feet. That was when he noticed that he was covered from head to toes with drool. He glared at the creature as it created a sound that was a mixture of a chirp and hiss of laughter.
It had seemed that the beast had gained a personality when it ate Asura's chakra.
"Well, this has been a strange day… A strange fusion of beast has licked me up." He sighed as he wiped the drool off of his face. "But now… I think that it's time that I saw my family again. They must be worried…"
Asura sighed as he glanced up at the sky. He turned and began walking, just wanting to start his travels home. However, the creature's tongue wrapped around him, stopping him and dragged him back. Asura felt its breath against the back of his neck as it softly growled, displeased with his actions.
"Hey, you!" he spoke with just a hint of frustration. "Put me down! I just want to go home!"
It just growled at him as let go of him before nosing him, strangely purring as it placed its head under his hand. Asura sighed again as it continued to purr, wanting his attention.
"Alright!" he finally stated, as it licked his face again. "You can come with me, you overgrown beast!"
With a happy yip, the creature covered Asura with drool. He, in turn, wiped the dribble off his face, a frown on his face.
"Great… Well, I guess that we will now have that pet the children were wanting when they were younger…" Asura thought. "But now… how do I explain the fact that I more than likely going to end up covered in drool? Oh well… At least I will have a faster way to get home.. Wait a moment… If transferring my chakra saved this creature… Could I create a seal that would save the Tailed Beasts? Save them from humanity's hateful actions? It's worth a shot…"
"Thank you, you strange beast… You might have given me the key to save us all…"
"Now… let's go home… together!"
Author Notes: Now, this is an idea that is tied to my Land of the Beast story… How Asura helped the first of his Chimera 'friends'… and would end up on the path to try and save his 'siblings'… The Nine Tailed Beasts…
Now, I do believe that the Sage of the Six Paths did tell his sons about their grandmother... And Asura wants to protect the peace of humans... and the Tailed Beasts...
Both of these character will have their roles within the Land of the Beast… How? Well, you will have to see…