Hi Everyone! My name is The Broken Way and I hope you enjoy my story!
It's off to a rough start, but oh well.
Warnings for this chapter include: an sort of suicide attempt and very very very light gore.
Dominance
至上
By: The Broken Way
Prologue: Jumper
"Amaya, where are you going this late? It's rainy and cold. Amaya? Amaya!"
Said girl continued her breakneck pace, keeping her eyes down and never making eye contact with anyone. The population of her small town on the foresty coast at the southwestern edge of California knew better than to go out at this time of night during the bad weather. A storm was on its way, brewing just above the thick clouds covering the entire sky. Not a single star shone through the black clouds that imitated a moonless, starless night. It was quiet but for the soft pattering of heavy drizzle, lightly caressing the small buildings that were huddled in a close, small circle around the center of the village. It didn't take long to lose James, one of the townsmen who had a slightly cute but very annoying crush on her. He had started following her, but when she entered the woods surrounding the village, he seemed to have stop.
Amaya walked soundlessly, her footsteps silent and her invisibility rivaling that of one of the fabled ninja of old. She kept her face blank, knowing that if she showed any sign of weakness, she would break and this would all be for nothing. Fear ebbed and flowed through her mind, regressing when she remembered the pain, progressing when she thought about the finality of her decision. But she knew it was the right decision to make.
"Amaya! What are you doing? It's dangerous out here! There are wild animals!"
She didn't stop at James's voice, but she could hear his clumsy walking nearing as he saw her. He came from the right, cornering her and trying to stand in front of her.
At the sight of her friend, she felt her heart soften and beg her mind for a chance to keep going, keep trying. Amaya inwardly shook her head. No. This was how it had to be.
"James, step aside," she said emotionlessly.
"Amaya! What are you doing? This is foolish!"
More foolish than you will ever know, her mind supplied, but she said nothing.
"James, move. I will not repeat myself."
"Amaya, I don't know what you're doing, but you need to stop."
Amaya made a move to walk around him, ignoring him pointedly, but he grabbed her arm in a tight grip. "Release me, James," she growled coldly, deliberately being rude. She wanted him to be angry at her for the way she treated him, not sad that she would be gone.
"No, Amaya," he dropped the tone of his voice, but to sadness. "You've been different lately. People are worried about you."
Amaya's heart ached and bled for those who had come to care for her in her short time in the small town. But only she could decide her fate. They might be upset for a while, but everyone moved on from the loss of their loved ones. Amaya had only stayed there for a few months, after…the incident.
"I know, James," she said softly. She looked up at him, the last emotion he would ever see from her shining in her bright green eyes.
It was sadness.
He took an affectionate step forward to hug her and that was when Amaya struck. She lifted her hand to his neck and pinched the pressure point there to knock him out. Guiltily, she lowered him to the ground and then continued on to her destination. They would find him, and then probably soon after find her, in the morning.
She was a figure of nothingness in the dark forest. Her hair came barely past her chin, a dark midnight black, and her light olive skin garnering no light in the inky black night that was a thick as tar. She was of short stature, only about 5'3 or 5'4, and her body was petite and small, with very few curves to it. She felt ugly, but the boys around the town seemed to think otherwise. She paid them no mind, for they did not know the plagues of her mind.
To say that she wanted to die was wrong.
All she wanted was an end to the pain.
She had been trying for so long to face her demons, to put the past in the past, to trudge through her grief, to accept that things would never be different and acknowledge that her future could be bright, all to no avail, that she could find no other reprieve than to end it.
Amaya gazed down at her arms unseeingly but knew what was beneath the long sleeves. She had tried, for so long, to take away the pain. Anything to ease it had been done. She had taken a knife to her own skin, slicing through the flesh quickly and deeply. The momentary rush of pain soon turned to pleasure and she would continue, eventually not feeling the sharp blade, only the soothing presence of peace. The warmth of blood rolling down her arm tickled and her wounds would throb, bringing her to ecstasy. Some would say she was crazy.
She would agree.
Quirking her lips into a darkly amused smirk, she continued towards the cliff. Soon, the trees began to thin and she found herself overlooking the dark blue sea, at least two hundred feet below her. There were no ships insane enough to be out in this weather, much less people. Except for her.
She walked to the edge of the cliff, hesitating for a second. There was no return from this decision. She peering down at the rocks below her, which the sea was tumultuously crashing against. She steadied herself, taking a deep breath. On the count of three.
One…
…Two…
…and-
Suddenly, there was a tugging on the hem of the loose white gown she wore.
Amaya froze, and turned. The tugging was weak, feeble, but she could feel claws scrabbling against her bare heel. What the…
At her feet was a small fuzzy animal. It was undernourished and obviously starving, if its boney body and the weak protests it had against what she was doing were any indication. It was a bright shade of orange, with a tuft of black fur at the crest of its head. Careful not to trip over it, she stepped back, completely confused. What on earth?
She had always had a soft spot for animals, especially dogs, but the apartment she lived in wouldn't permit them, so she had never been able to have any. Looking down at its weak state, she backed further from the edge and sat down, beckoning the puppy towards her. All she wanted to do was help it, feed it, give it a warm place to sleep. She looked into its bright but oddly black eyes and felt her heart warm when it looked so very happy and excited.
However, it would come too very near her; maybe it had been abused? It looked so young, but it seemed it was a possibility. She frowned when it began to tug at her gown again, as though motioning her to follow it. Maybe it wasn't alone? Maybe its owner was hurt? She scowled but knew that she couldn't leave this poor thing to starve. Perhaps she would have to delay her plans.
Standing up, she motioned for the puppy to show her the way. It quickly took off, weaving its way through the trees. She followed as fast as she could in bare feet, and when the puppy realized she was lagging behind, it backtracked and moved more slowly so that she wouldn't lose her way.
It was beginning to rain now, the cold rain plummeting to the earth mercilessly. Amaya shivered in cold but continued on, not caring for herself as she did this poor puppy.
Suddenly, they reached a clearing. A man was leaned against a tree that offered some shelter from the rain, but not much.
He wore odd clothing, which was what she noticed first. He wore strange black armor, almost straight out of a ninja movie. He had had sandaled feet, much like those ninja wore, according to the National Geographic show on the ninja of Japan.
The next thing she noticed was that he was very pale, and not just because his skin was already basically white. He looked sickly, which concerned her. His eyes were closed, as though he was asleep, although she couldn't fathom how he'd been able to fall asleep in this weather. He had long black hair, matted down by the rain, but it seemed to have a natural volume, giving it a kind of spikiness that was only seen in anime movies.
"What have you brought me, Tobi?" he asked suddenly, perfectly pale lips moving without his eyes opening. Despite his sickly pallor, it seemed his voice was healthy. His voice was a rich baritone; deep enough to send shivers down Amaya's back.
The dog yipped and the man's eyes snapped open in annoyance. They flitted from the puppy, obviously named Tobi, to Amaya.
She watched him observe her, not sure what to make of this stranger. She would help if she could, but when she saw him open up his black, soulless eyes, the same color as Tobi's except lacking emotion, she felt a distinct feeling of danger. What if he killed her?
No one was going to murder her. She would die by her own hand or not at all.
When his eyes met hers, Amaya hardened her eyes and blocked any emotion out. This man would not intimidate her.
Then his stoic face morphed and a smirk found his lips. He abruptly stood with a fluid grace she had never seen before. Amaya stiffened when he took a step towards her, but did not deign it appropriate to move just yet.
"You are afraid of me," he said in that deep voice. It wasn't a question; it was a statement.
Amaya bristled at his arrogance. "Yes. But I am also here to help you. Your dog found me and brought me here."
The dog yipped excitedly and the man looked back up at her with interest.
"So, you're that type." He chuckled mirthlessly.
"I'm not sure what you mean," she replied with a frown. He was mocking her, and all she'd done was come to help!
The man stopped laughing abruptly. "I have seen your world." Amaya raised an eyebrow at the way he phrased it, calling it her world. "The people here are arrogant and naïve with no honor to speak of." His words were sharp and cold, making Amaya tremble in fear. "You have obviously seen this too. If I were not here by choice, I would take my life as well, living with these fools."
Amaya's eyes widened in indignation and shock before she said, "And how would you know my intention?"
The man rolled his eyes, as if amused. "My subordinate saved your life."
"Subordinate? He's your dog!" she replied hotly. "They are pets, but they are not subordinates!"
At this Tobi growled, before sneezing.
The entire party seemed unworried about the rain pouring around them. Amaya was trembling, but she couldn't tell if it was the cold or fear. It occurred to her that unless he'd been watching—which she supposed was possible, but he seemed to have been in the same place for a long time—that there was still no way he could have known that his dog had saved her.
Frowning, the man motioned for Tobi to go near him. The dog obediently complied, standing slightly behind the man's feet.
The man stared up at the sky and Amaya watched him, frozen. He really was beautiful. She had to admit that to herself. It was almost in an…ethereal kind of way.
At the same time, danger still radiated from him and she was started to feel queasy from all the tension her body felt just being around him. She waited a few more minutes, and when the man made no motion towards her—even the dog was not paying attention anymore—she turned on her heel. She thought to go back to the cliff to finish her final deed, when the man spoke.
"Do not presume that you can return to your escape attempt," the man said, stopping her right in her tracks.
"That is of no concern to you," she spat, angry that he was trying to stop her from what she wanted to—no, needed to do.
"Oh, really? And did you not come here intending to help me?" His voice was smug.
Amaya stiffened. "You obviously do not need help."
"Ah, but that is where you are gravely mistaken," the man said softly, but there was a hard glint to his voice. "And what if…what if I said I wanted to help you?"
"Then that would be a lie," Amaya retorted calmly, turning to face him. "You are not the kind of man who concerns himself with others." She could tell that just by being next to him; he radiated selfishness.
"That may be true," he conceded, but somehow he sounded pleased with what she had said. "However, I believe we can have a…hmm…symbiotic relationship."
"I'm not interested." Amaya stated coldly. She turned to leave and began to stalk away. She heard the man mutter several unidentifiable words and suddenly, there was a much deeper, louder growling from behind her.
Amaya froze in her steps immediately. She turned to face him when she her heart stopped.
Tobi had grown immensely, turning from a small puppy that was harmless to a large, limber wolf whose withers reached the man's hip. The man was tall, reaching over six foot, so Tobi was now over half her size and probably weighed twice as much as she did.
She swallowed a scream, but a whimper still made it past her lips. This…this was impossible! What the hell was going on here?
"What is your name, dear?" the man asked, a triumphant smirk on his face.
Amaya hesitated for a moment and Tobi gave another menacing growl. Swallowing her fear with great difficulty and broadening her shoulders, she decided that she would play along…for now. She was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Tobi was no longer a puppy and now a bloodthirsty wolf.
"How did you do that?" she asked weakly. "He's-he's-"
"Your name, girl," the man said coldly. Apparently he was done being 'nice.'
"Amaya," she said without thinking. She hadn't even made up a pretend name! She was an idiot!
"Thank you for telling the truth," the man said, still rather coldly. "Come here." He beckoned her.
"No way in hell am I-"
Suddenly Tobi was growling from behind her. She whirled around and let out a piercing shriek when he snapped at her. She backed away from him as quickly as possible, with him matching every step until she was suddenly gripped by the man.
Certain that she was going to die a bloody instead of painless death, Amaya fought vehemently. The man's arms tightened around her waist and throat with literally inhuman strength and soon, she could no longer move and could barely breathe comfortably.
"Now, Amaya, I have no intention of harming you unless you do not cooperate," the man whispered into her ear. It almost sounded…seductive, but she somehow knew that wasn't what he was after. She was flush against him and there was nothing that would outwardly show arousal. However, his body was as hard as a rock and she almost wondering how he could have looked so emaciated when she met him and then be this strong and seemingly healthy. "Now, are you going to listen to me?"
Amaya stared at the sky, not unlike how he had done earlier, and prayed that she would make it out of this alright. She had no belief in anything divine, because it was safer that way, but at that moment she prayed to any god who might be there, who might listen. Her tears mingled with the rain and she nodded her head slowly, not trusting herself to speak.
He set her down, almost gently, and she turned and faced him. Tobi was back at his master's side, looking up at her with big, approving eyes. It occurred to her that maybe the wolf could actually understand what was going on, and that scared her.
The man looked at her hard for a few moments, his eyes boring into her soul. She looked back at him, but tried to appear as unthreatening as possible, keeping everything about her soft, even when she knew she should be hardened, cold, and running as fast as she fucking could out of that goddamned clearing.
"Give me your hand, Amaya," the man said softly, holding out his own.
Shakily and with much trepidation, she put her shaking left hand out to him.
"Are you right-handed?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Right hand, then, please," he all but demanded and she withdrew her left hand and replaced it with her right.
He laid her right hand flat against his own, palm towards the sky. Giving her a look, he lowered himself to the ground, pressing his palm face-up, flat against the ground. Terrified but also confused, she followed him. She placed her hand above his in the same position.
His left hand, which had been on the ground not two seconds ago, had disappeared behind his back. Amaya was afraid he was going to pull out a gun and attack her or something, as she was very vulnerable at this moment, but he did not of the sort.
They stayed there like that for a long time, and Amaya's heart was finally slowing just a bit. He was looking away, and seemed very unthreatening, despite what had just happened. She waited, knowing that Tobi was watching her every move.
Before she could bring herself to ask him what they were doing, he turned to her. "Stay very still." His words weren't warm, but they weren't cold either. She noticed Tobi walking over to her left side. Because of her positioning, her neck was bared and almost moved to defend herself when he opened his mouth wide and lightly placed it around her throat. "Stay still, Amaya. He won't hurt you unless you move. Otherwise, I will let him eat you for dinner. Alive. Do you understand me?"
Shivering, Amaya nodded ever so slightly. More tears mixed with the droplets falling from the heavens.
"Close your eyes."
When she hesitated, Tobi's sharp teeth dug into her slightly, and she closed them hurriedly. Suddenly, there was the sound of slicing through the air and then-
"AHHHHH!"
No longer caring for her life, her eyes shot open as sharp metal sliced straight through her hand. The rain, which had intensified, dispersed the blood that poured from her wound. Fully crying now, she let out sob after sob of terror and agony.
"Kessai no Jutsu," she heard the man whisper. His voice was very slightly strained. It was then she realized that he had also stabbed straight through his own hand. The weapon—a kunai, she realized—had sliced through both of their hands and was buried to the hilt, pinning them both to the ground, but particularly her, as she was on top. If he didn't move, she wasn't going anywhere.
Sobbing and crying and gasping for air to fight the terrible pain, she dug the nails of her left hand into her thigh, trying to somehow combat the pain. The man said nothing; not even his eyes would tell her if he was in any pain.
Maybe he isn't, she thought, grinding her teeth. She couldn't take it anymore.
"Please! Please take it out!" she half-screamed, half-begged.
"Wait," he told her calmly. "It will heal soon."
"No it won't, you psycho!" she shrieked at him.
He gave her a cold look, silently telling her to shut up, but she continued on.
"You fucking psycho! Let the fucking wolf kill me, I don't care! Fuck you! Fuck you, you fucking—ahhh!"
The man had ever so slightly twisted the kunai while it was still in their hands. She started screaming again, unable to bear the pain. This was nothing like when she harmed herself and enjoyed it. This had been done to her and she had no control over when the pain stopped. "Calm yourself, Amaya. When you do, it will be over."
For some reason, she trusted him. Perhaps it was the fact that the pain was so great that she would do anything in hopes of it ending. She began to take deep, steadying breaths, trying to ignore the pool of blood that had gathered around his hand. Suddenly, the man used his left hand to shove the kunai into the ground further, pressing his hand into the squishy earth and suddenly her palm was gathering their mixed blood. She let out a small, pained whimper but she could feel the world fading. She was going to lose consciousness, right in front of this man who was so obviously dangerous. It was pain, but it was possibly also blood loss.
The man seemed satisfied, now that her hand, which was covering his, was entire covered by a mixture of mud, rain, and blood. He smirked and looked up at her, no trace of pain, regret, or remorse in his eyes.
"Repeat after me and the pain will go away."
She just stared dully into his eyes, before slightly nodding. She felt dizzy and nauseated.
"Kessai no Jutsu."
"Kessai…no Jutsu…" she said weakly, her voice barely audible. Nothing happened.
"Louder. Say it like you mean it," he commanded.
In a last ditch attempt to stay conscious, she shouted with all her might, "Kessai no Jutsu!"
Suddenly their hands began to glow, his a dark crimson red, hers a light periwinkle blue. Amaya couldn't believe that or the fact that he pain was rapidly diminishing and she couldn't feel anything but warmth. Before her very eyes, he slid the kunai out of both of their hands and she felt nothing, especially not pain. When the kunai was removed, he caught her hand and inspected it. Amaya shivered at the coolness of the touch of his left hand, which was still soaked with rain water. Her hand no longer glowed after the kunai was taken out.
If she was surprised that the pain was gone, she was even more surprised when he said, "Good," and released her hand. She inspected it for damage and was speechless when all that was there was the smooth skin of her palm and the back of her hand. It was like nothing had ever happened.
"What…what did you do?" she asked fearfully.
"Do you know what 'kessai' means?" he asked, standing up.
She looked up at him. "No."
"It means blood bond. All that is relevant about it at the moment is that you are bonded to me."
Still feeling sick, although not as much after the glowing blue light that had surrounded her hand, she asked, "What does being bonded entail?"
The man sighed in exasperation, as though this was a chore.
'It means this.'
Amaya turned her head wildly, searching for the voice. The man's lips had not moved and nothing had come out of his mouth.
'I am in your mind, dear Amaya.'
Her stomach rolled and she looked up at him. He was smirking, and she did not like the glint in his eye.
This is not happening, this is not happening… She repeated it as a mantra in her mind.
'Yes, my dear, it is.'
"Stop! Stop doing that! Why are you doing this?" she begged. "Please, what did I do to deserve this?"
'There are other perks to our bond,' he spoke into her mind. 'When the time becomes relevant I will tell you. At the moment, however, you need to know one thing: you belong to me.'
'No. I do not,' she thought back to him. 'No one owns me. I own myself.'
'And you may continue to think that, my dear, but you will be wrong,' he replied smugly. 'A blood bond is eternal. Once our blood has mingled and the jutsu is complete, you are forever mine.'
Angrily, she spat, "Well, I guess now I just have one more reason to kill myself, huh?"
He exited her mind and spoke aloud, "That will be impossible."
Fear froze her insides but she continued anyways, "Really, now? And how do you suppose that is?"
"You cannot die unless I die, as the initiator of the Kessai no Jutsu, and I am immortal. I was immortal on my plane, and unfortunately for you, I am nothing less than a god here."
Amaya tried to sort out the things she had just heard. His plane, her plane? As in, differentt worlds?
"You're not from here," she breathed weakly.
"No, but you are. My benefit is that now that I share your blood, I may come and go as much as I please. And you may, as well, but you do not know how to travel through time and space as I do, so there is no way for you to run from me."
"Why would it matter if I ran from you?" she demanded. "You already have what you need! Now leave me alone!" She looked over her shoulder, planning to run, when she found that Tobi was staring at her, his eyes excited. He barked happily, still not returned to his puppy state. She heaved a deep, calming breath that honestly did nothing to calm her.
"But that is not all I need, dear Amaya." The man looked at her, his eyes gleaming. The rain had let up, the storm apparently passing before it started. Now, she could see a few stray moonbeams hitting their bodies and making them glisten. "I have plans for this world, great ones. And with you helping me, my elites will conquer it. The world I come from is lost; there is no reason to return. But this one…there is much to be reaped from this place."
"And how am I going to help them? I am not doing the kessai thing again." Amaya spoke to distract him; she was only partially paying attention to the conversation. She realized that he did not stand directly in front of her, so it she could just get away fast enough, she would lose him and this would be over.
"You have no need to. I have your blood, and in sharing my blood with them, they will be able to stay here."
Amaya slowly stood, but kept her eyes on the man to show him she wasn't running…or so he would think. "Then how will I be helping you?"
"You will-"
Just as he began to answer she took off, running as fast as she could. She never remembered being able to run this fast before. She cleared halfway through the woods in was could have not been longer than a minute. She kept running, however, not feeling tired at all. It was a great feeling, and she suddenly realized that she felt better than she ever had before. Now that she was not in that terrible man's presence, she felt free, strong, and independent. She was moving so fast she felt that she was flying, and experimentally, she pushed both feet off the ground. She knew she had lost them; she couldn't hear them running, and she would have been able to because people were so clumsy through the woods. She had always had a quiet step, and with her bare feet, she might as well have not been there for all the noise she made.
When she neared Imperial Beach she slowed. She made her way to her apartment, slowing herself because there was no need to run anymore. Just in case, remembering that the man was probably somehow magical, she took the long way a couple of times just in case he was somehow following her.
Approaching the staircase to her door, she suddenly felt relieved. She had survived the night. The man would never find her, and even if he harassed her in her mind—she had no idea if there were distance limitations and such—she had a strong mind and it could take anything. Her mind was an iron strongbox and could not be breached.
Except by that jutsu, or whatever, but that was unimportant.
As she climbed the steps, a sort of denial took over her. She looked down at her untouched hand and knew that what had just happened, couldn't have really happened. So when she went to pick up the key under the mat—she'd figured they'd need it after she died, so she put it somewhere obvious—and found it wasn't there, she stopped. Had James somehow woken up and come and got it back?
She knew now that since she was still alive she was going to have a lot of explaining to do to him, but for some reason, she wasn't worried. It really couldn't be that big of a deal. She would obviously never tell him the truth, but she would come up with a viable excuse.
Sighing, she knew it was too late to call the office, so she hopefully went to try the door to see if she might have accidentally left it unlocked. It seemed that she had, so she walked in and went straight to her room, leaving the lights off.
Amaya stripped down until she was completely naked and then, wrapping a robe around herself, went to take a hot shower. When she had finished with that, she put the robe back on and went to the kitchen. It'd been a long night and she was hungry.
What she did not expect was to find the man from the forest sitting at her small dining table and eating one of the apples off the centerpiece.
"Don't scream," he said with frown. She settled for staring at him in shock. "You should have expected this. I can't just communicate with your mind, I can see into it. Of course your home would be at the forefront of your mind when trying to escape."
"You…no…"
"Go to sleep, Amaya. We will speak in the morning."
"You're not staying here! I don't even know your name!" she said furiously.
"Madara Uchiha. Now go to bed."
She glared at him and suddenly, his eyes turned from black to glowing red, with three spinning tomoes. It was terrifying, but beautiful…
And those were the last thoughts before she fell into a deep sleep.
I hope you all enjoyed! Please review, I really want to know what you all think of it!
Have a beautiful evening...
~The Broken Way