Hey guys, back with the opening chapter of another story I began a while back. Well, I planned it out, and re-watching the Strike the Blood anime got me hyped for it again. That said, do any of you know where I can read the Light Novel at? Baka Tsuki doesn't have it sadly and NovelPlanet only has up to volume 4.
Anyway, moving on. I feel like this chapter feels a bit rushed, the opening was decent enough I guess, but the fight scene was just terrible. Mostly, I blame that on Kojou's name, it feels really awkward for me to write, I might just start calling him Akatsuki, it's longer but I find it easier to type out. Writing Kojou makes me lose my typing rhythm if you know what I mean.
That said, I think things will be smoother after this first chapter. I wrote this really early in the morning, when I couldn't sleep, yet was incredibly tired at the same time, as if that makes any sense and found it hard to piece together the fight scene, especially because I wasn't sure how to go about using Himeragi in that scene.
Anyway, that's all really guys. I think I'm gonna try and get some sleep now. Later!
It was the sound of a harsh, and very loud rampant banging on his front door that awoke Naruto.
Groaning, the blonde rolled over, his face landing on his pillow. One blue eye glanced over towards his window, passing over the left over debris of the smashed alarm clock on his night stand and narrowing into a glare towards the small streams of sunlight peaking in through the gaps at the sides of his all black blinds.
"Ugh," he grunted, "I forgot to shut the curtains before I went to sleep."
He let out a deep sigh as the banging on his door continued. Then, abruptly he pushed himself up into a sitting position, silk quilt falling from around his shoulders and pooling around his waist. He stood up, allowing a near jaw breaking yawn to escape his throat before smacking his lips tiredly.
"Yeah yeah, I'm coming," he murmured.
Clad in only a pair of black silk boxers, exposing his toned torso to the world, the blonde with a head of shaggy and spiky hair made his way out of his room, through the living room and towards the door.
Finally, the knocking came to an end as he turned the key and pulled the door open. The annoyance who woke him up with their incessant knocking was revealed to be a girl around the same age as him. She was a couple of inches shorter than him, with ebony black hair pulled up into a high ponytail and tied with a blue ribbon. She was clad in the Saikai Academy uniform for girls, wearing a blue and white checkered, pleated skirt, a white blouse and a blue ribbon tied at the neck signifying her as a Junior High School student.
Red eyes were narrowed into a glare, "You skipped school, again!" she shouted at him as soon as the door was opened. Not even pausing for a second, she barged by him and into his apartment.
Closing the door behind her, Naruto let loose another yawn, idly scratching his blonde hair with one hand while he did so, training his sleepy blue eyes on the girl as she stopped in his living room and then spun to face him, her eyes gliding over his rigid torso for a moment before settling on his own eyes, "Are you just out of bed?" she growled.
Naruto didn't even blink as he lowered his arm, "Yeah," he replied, "It can't be helped Nagisa, I was out late last night looking for a D-type that's been preying on young girls lately, and I was just too tired to have to deal with that annoying ball of gas today with what I am." he explained to her, idly lifting his right arm and showing the silver band around his wrist to compound his story.
Nagisa sighed, the glare leaving her eyes, "The Island Guard really need to get their ranks up to snuff," she said in reply, "Vampire or not, you're still only fourteen, you can't be expected to make up for their slack all the time."
The grogginess finally clearing up, Naruto let loose a small chuckle, "Well there are some benefits to helping them out," he replied, walking over to the smaller girl and ruffling her black hair fondly.
Nagisa puffed her cheeks up slightly, but didn't react otherwise. A marked difference to how things were just a few short months ago when he met her, "Like what?" she asked, "The payments you get for taking out demons isn't that much, not for risking your life like that, especially not when you've got plenty of money on your own."
True, Naruto did concede. But the money he had in the first place wasn't his own and that left a bit of a bad taste in his mouth, saving the bounties he got for defeating rogue demons in a separate bank account was atleast money he could take a little bit of pride in, having earned it himself. But that side, wasn't the reason he helped the Island Guard out in the first place. "Well, since I'm basically protecting lives, I do get a little bit of extra credit on my grades," he replied. And he did need that, his grades were pretty much average across the board except for Physical Ed. His extra credit had him marked at around a B-average, instead of the usual C he was prone to getting.
Nagisa eyed him dubiously, "How is a little bit of extra credit in any way a benefit?" she asked skeptically.
Naruto chuckled, "It's a minor little benefit," he conceded, "The true benefit is that I'm legally allowed to go after demons that are causing havoc, and that means Vampires as well." the blonde vampire continued.
Granted, this was the first vampire he'd been allowed to hunt down since he started helping the Island Guard out – after he was recruited for his strength when he took out another vampire that was attacking innocents a few months ago. The day he became friends with Nagisa to be exact.
Her red eyes dimmed slightly, no doubt remembering the same memory as him, "Oh," she replied softly. "I'd actually forgotten you could do that."
They fell into a soft silence.
Vampires were as far as demons went, the cream of the crop. Their abilities were powerful all across the board, the only race to have basically have high stats in every category – they didn't have all the best stats as it were in each category, as far as the average vampire was concerned, but where as some demons were physically powerful but rather slow, vampires were physically powerful and fast.
And that wasn't even taking in to account their greatest advantage with familiars.
And unlike other creatures, vampires had multiple ways of growing stronger in comparison. Vampires grew stronger as they aged, and as an immortal race as far as longevity went, the older they got the stronger they became. They weren't rooted to just that either though, because like other races, vampires still had the ability to train and grow stronger.
And finally, there was the ability to devour other vampires. As far as strength went, they didn't get any real substantial gain. A small enhancement to all their basic abilities like strength, speed, durability, magic power and so on was what they gained as far as power went.
But, the real goal of devouring another vampire, was not to gain power, but lay in the fact that in devouring another vampire, they could take their familiars for their own. Gaining new powers, and that vampires latent potential.
Running his hand through his hair, Naruto allowed a sheepish chuckle to escape his lips, "I'm actually kind of disappointed," the blonde admitted, "This is actually the first vampire I've gotten to hunt down since they recruited me."
After all, Naruto only had two familiars at the moment.. Three technically, but that other one was far too unruly for him to control as he was currently. Naruto found it quite ironic that the two familiars that would listen to him were ones he'd gotten from other vampires, where as his own inborn familiar, born from his very soul wouldn't list to him at all.
It said a lot about whom he was as a person.
Nagisa sighed, "Well whatever," she said, "Since you're just up, I doubt you've eaten yet today, do you want me to make you something?" the black haired girl asked.
Naruto smiled, "You are a beautiful angel," he replied, "I'd love some of your amazing cooking."
A light flush blossomed on her cheeks and she looked slightly to the side, "For such a fight happy guy you sure know how to lay the compliments on a girl," she giggled.
Naruto merely continued to smile in reply as he then went off into his kitchen. Well, if that hedonist of a guy was good for anything, it was the flowery speech. He'd picked some of his ways of talking up when he wasn't kicking Naruto's ass around like a football.
It was two months previously that Naruto moved to the Demon District, otherwise known as Itogami Island. After being let loose he traveled the world for two years, honing his skills and strength before making his way to Itogami Island, the place where he could finally begin gathering the familiars he sought.
It had been rather annoying having to register as a vampire, but he'd hardly cared either way. And then, he was apparently required to attend school there since, despite being a vampire he was underage.
And with the money he got from him, that annoying adopted older brother of his he'd been able to afford the tuition fee for Saikai Academy without problem.
As a registered vampire, nobody really wanted anything to do with him. One girl, Nagisa to be exact was even outright terrified of him and refused to go anywhere near him. And since she was a popular girl, even without meaning to isolate him, she did when the cliques more or less followed her unintentional lead.
Everything changed though a few days later, when taking the monorail home, to his apartment that to his utmost surprise was right beside Nagisa's home. Everything changed, when a psychotic vampire began to lash out against the humans in the station, summoning his familiar and attempting to kill everyone there.
Nagisa just happened to be first in striking range.
But Naruto, ever with the heroic tendencies saved her, employing the abilities of one of his own familiars. Power over water. He'd shielded her and the rest of the humans from the ray of light energy that would have massacred them, before summoning his own familiar and easily defeating the other vampire, whom upon his defeat, Naruto had latched on to his neck with his fangs and drained all of his energy, devouring him.
Afterwards, the Island Guard had contacted him, looking to recruit him for his strength. As it turned out, that one vampire had been alluding them for months, and had already killed scores of them in each encounter they had with him. Naruto's ease with handling the psychotic vampire had impressed them and they desired his help in suppressing others of his ilk.
It had been a pleasant surprise. And even bigger surprise was Nagisa chapping on his door that night and apologizing to him for the way she acted around him. And since then, she'd practically been glued to his hip. When he wasn't out hunting rogue demons that was.
Things had not been going well for Akatsuki Kojou today.
First, he'd had to sit in the blazing hot sun, paying out most his cash for Asagi to eat on his dime while she tutored him. If that wasn't bad enough, he'd been studying for hours on end, seven freaking days a week, to go along with his seven day a week make up classes.
Finally, when he'd finished up and was making his way home, some girl had started tailing him. Then outright near shouted his identity as the 4th Progenitor. That was officially the worst case scenario. Only two people knew of his sacred identity, so how did this girl find him out?
Thankfully, he'd managed to throw her off a bit by acting like an Italian tourist, but just as he was leaving the mall, she turned up with two older guys, demons at that trying and failing to hit on her, and when she didn't they attempted to get a bit violent.
The anthropomorth was taken down easily with one blow form the girl surprisingly – they were quite a durable race after all, but the other one was a different story altogether. Especially when his teeth grew into fangs and his eyes turned red.
Then he pulled out a freaking familiar of all things and everything went to shit. The street they were in was already empty, every person besides him and the girl had evacuated the moment the familiar had shown up.
Which led to now – the very street was ablaze with ebony black flames, and the vampire, a long haired blonde in a gaudy purple suit laughed maniacally. Standing in front of the D-type vampire, was a massive ebony black horse with glowing red eyes and a tail and mane made up entirely of black flames.
It had nothing on his own familiars, or at the very least, the one he had a small semblance of control over. But it was a good ten feet tall and positively towered over the girl who stood before it, some form of spear held in her grasp towards the beast.
With a grunt, the horse reared its head back then threw it forward, spewing forth a wave of black flames towards the girl. She jumped evaded backwards, jumping nimbly once, twice then a third time – higher into the air and landing on top of a parked truck. As soon as she landed, she had to swing her spear at her right side and cleave through a ball of black flames thrown at her by the vampire himself who stood safely behind his familiar.
They were stalemated, had been for a few minutes now. She was too nimble for the familiar or the vampire to land an attack, but at the same time, she lacked the range to defeat them herself, she couldn't get close when they kept bombarding her with balls and waves of black flame.
Kojou standing quite a bit off to the side clenched his fists, "What should I do?" the teen growled to himself. He couldn't beat the familiar with just his physical abilities, his base abilities might have far outclassed the average vampires, but he had little fighting experience himself, and he couldn't defeat that familiar without using his own. His own familiar whom he could barely control.
And that wasn't even taking in to the account that she knew who he was and was following him. She could be his enemy for all he knew. And then, if he revealed his power, right here in the middle of the street to defeat the familiar, the fact that he was at the very least a vampire would be found out and he could kill his comfortable, normal life away.
Thankfully, someone else stepped in before he had to.
The older blonde vampire snarled, black flame bursting into an orb within his palm, "Let's go Shakti!" he shouted, "We'll just beat this little bitch down then I'll drag her off t-"
He never got the chance to finish. From above, appearing as if out of nowhere a pillar of water crashed down atop him and the massive flame horse beside him. He gave a gargled shout of surprise, and then he familiar were carried away from each other by the water surging outwards in a small wave across the street when it hit the ground.
The black flames were smothered by the wave of water, and both Kojou and the girl looked up. In the sky above them, beating its massive wings was an eagle. A midnight black eagle, bigger than a house, its face covered by a silver helmet and its wings alight with a bright golden light.
"What!?" he heard the girl whisper in surprise.
Kojou himself marveled at the size of the avian beast. It was much bigger than it used to be, he noted. Much bigger than when he saw it on the news, when his young neighbour defeated the original master of it. "Naruto," he let loose a sigh of relief.
He never thought he'd be relieved to have the boy his little sister was crushing on show up. But beggars couldn't be choosers, and despite that one annoying tid bit of his sister having a crush on the younger vampire, they atleast got along well enough.
Still, he was surprised at just how much more powerful Hikarishi, the massive eagle above them was in comparison to how it was before. It had at least doubled in size since he saw in on the news, nearly the same size as Regulus he guessed, from the very few times he'd managed to summon the beast without problem.
At that moment, Hikarishi faded into little orbs of light. Then, a figure free fell from where the familiar previously was, landing nimbly on the ground of the street with enough force to create a slight crater.
Now in view, the vampire was revealed to be a young spiky haired blonde teenager with tan skin, cerulean blue eyes and a trio of whisker like marks on each cheek. He was clad in a pair of black boots, black cargo pants and a white, sleeveless high collar shirt.
"Kojuo?" Naruto said in surprise almost as soon as he landed, his eyes falling on his friends older brother.
Before Kojuo could reply, there was a snarl to the side as the older vampire got back to his feet, absolutely drenched, his gaudy suit clinging to him messily, "You little shit!" he shouted angrily, "Who do you think you are?" A burst of flame at his side punctuated his statement, his familiar Shakti bursting back into existence by his side.
Naruto almost casually turned his attention to the other blonde, "Adrian Dulac," Naruto began, "You are wanted for known molestation of underage girls, three of which that are now missing, presumed dead, you have once chance to surrender, if not I'm under orders to terminate you." he replied tonelessly, his blue eyes glacial.
Kojou almost shivered at his tone. It was easy to forget sometimes, with his lazy and easy going attitude and the kindness he showed Nagisa - that Naruto was a vampire, and one that would put down his enemies in the blink of an eye, utterly without mercy.
The vampire, now known as Adrian snarled again, "Like hell you little shit!" he shouted. Punching a closed fist forward he continued, "Trample him underfoot, Shakti!" he ordered his familiar.
Naruto sighed, closing his blue eyes.
With a loud neigh, The horse familiar's entire body was set ablaze with black flames and it shot forward, running on the very air.
When the familiar was just about to bore down on him. Naruto's eyes snapped open, blue replaced with a burning crimson red, shining much more vibrant in colour than Adrian's own red eyes. "Come, Sagara!" Naruto declared.
A titanic form exploded into existence around Naruto. A massive black serpent, coiled around his form, so big than it towered even above the buildings while it was still coiled, and thicker than a car was wide.
The horse familiar, Shakti gave a neigh and pushed forward. But, Kojou knew it was useless. Powerful as it was, Naruto's Sagara was much stronger, added on to the fact that Sagara was a water familiar and had an elemental advantage over a fire familiar like Shaki, even with its amazing black flames.
It was no contest really.
Like lightning, Sagara shot forth from around Naruto's form, wrapping its massive tail around the horse familiar and slamming it into the ground with enough force to crater the street.
"Shak-!" Adrian shouted, but trailed off into a loud spittle filled gag as a fist found purchase in his stomach. Kojou blinked, he'd barely even seen that movement even with his own powerful eyes. Naruto stood within the other vampires guard, his fist buried in his stomach.
Kojou looked away, he knew what was coming now. The girl he noticed was making her way over to him warily, staring at the scene with wide eyes. He heard Adrian let loose a loud scream, and saw her flinch backwards.
"What is going on here?" she demanded, golden-brown eyes wide.
The 4th progenitor sighed as Adrian's screams cut off, it seemed to be almost done, "His name is Naruto Uzumaki," he replied, "He works for the Island Guard, hunting down demons who've been scheduled for execution for their crimes."
"He's devouring him," the girl said, her voice aghast, "Is this normal here?"
He shook his head, "I don't know," he replied, "I just know they recruited him for his strength, and really the stronger he gets from devouring guys like this, the better able he is to take out threats to the city."
Naruto pulled back from the neck his fangs were buried in. He relished in the feeling resonating in his chest, a flaming hot energy welling up inside of him.
He allowed the body of Adrian to fall from his arms, barely paying attention is it began to crumble into dust before his eyes. Then he stood to his full height, allowing his fangs to recede and his eyes to fade back to a cerulean blue.
"That makes four." he mused with a small laugh. Shakti was his now. Lifting an arm up, Naruto calling upon the new power he felt resonating within and laughed a little harder in delight as black flames burst into existence along his arm. He marveled at the flames atop his arm, taking in the way the flames churned, so dark they actually seemed to glitter with a silvery light in the middle of the flames.
Water with Sagara. Light with Hikarishi and now black fire with Shakti. He'd gained quite the little collection of powers now hadn't he? He couldn't wait to find out what abilities his own inborn familiar had.
The burning energy in his chest spread throughout his body and Naruto found himself vibrating in his spot. The desire to fight raged within him, it took a great deal of effort to stop from throwing himself at the silver haired vampire that stood a little ways off behind him.
The 4th progenitor, as he'd been told by his adopted brother. The desire to do battle with the legendary strongest vampire and prove his might was almost too tempting. But he swallowed the desire, because for one, he knew Kojou had little control over his powers as he was now, meaning it'd be hardly satisfying to defeat him as he was.
And more importantly, Nagisa would get mad at him if he beat up her brother, especially for such a stupid reason. No, he'd best get out of here and blow some steam off in some abandoned area before he did something he'd regret.
Mind made up, he didn't even bother talking to his sisters older brother, the temptation was too great. Bending at the legs, Naruto jumped as high as he could, the force behind his lift off cratering the ground beneath him and rocketed up into the air.
He pointed below him, "Come Hikarishi!" he declared. And below him, his eagle familiar was summoned into existence, coming alive with a loud piercing cry. Naruto landed nimbly on the avian beasts back, "Let's go buddy!" he said, urging the familiar to fly off.