Chapter 2: March of Mephisto

Hungry....so...hungry....

A howl ripped from my throat, echoing across the black sands, reverbrating through the air. Was this what I have become? This...ravenous beast, feeding only on those like myself? I have been trapped here for so long...soo long... I scarcely remember the outside world. That life is behind me now. All I can focus on is this hunger, this raving madness struggling within my soul...

How long has it been? I can't tell now. My reverie is shattered by another resounding howl. My challenge is answered, perhaps I will finally satisfy this damned hunger, this damned body. Madara-teme, I will never forgive you...


An echoing laugh, this time within myself answers my thought. Oh how I hate that voice. It mocks me, mocks my fate. I snap back to reality as my body jumps back out of instinct. A monsterous fist crashes down where I had been mere moments earlier. No doubt he considers me easy prey. Compared to the average hollow, I suppose an ordinary wolf wouldn't be too intimidating. Well as ordinary as a small, bone white, nine tailed wolf could be anyway.

I cannot weigh the advantages my form has, I cannot tell that I was lucky to have such a lightweight form. No, all I can focus on is sating my hunger. My tails whip around me as the hollow charges me, believing me to be no challenge. It is his last mistake. My greater speed allows me to surprise him and eat him while he is still dazed. Even now, in this...form, my speed is great.

A cacophony of sounds erupts in my mind. Voices, oh the maddening voices... They drive me insane. I lose track of myself. My mind is just one in a sea of others. It is one of the few times I am thankful to Madara-teme. Thanks to his presence, it is not long before my ears and eyes take in the outside world. More than likely, I am the fastest evolving hollow in Hueco Mundo. The hunger is somewhat dwindled, I can finally think somewhat clearly. Yet...despite it all...my only thought is...I am alone..

...

The sense of loneliness never fades, no matter how many hollows I devour, while the hunger of my body may be sated, the hunger of my soul still racks my body. Why is it always me who is alone? Am I doomed to be fates bitch, led around on a chain and performing tricks? I cannot accept such a thing, yet, all evidence points to the contrary. How long has it been? I do not know.

My life is monotonous. I move on from one meal to the next, walking blindly, hoping against hope that something will happen. My hope is answered at last, when I meet you Lilinette. I'm sure you remember our journey to Vasto Lorde...I have only this to say. Thank you for being there with me.

A small hand trembles as she listened raptly to the tale spun by Naruto. 'No, not Naruto, not anymore. He is Stark now...'. It was a difficult thing for Lilinette to accept. Unlike Stark, who had only regained his memories upon his transformation into an Arrancar, she retained her memories from the start. She was an enigma in that regard. Typically, if you die, your memories die with you, yet...hers hadn't. She had always had a crush on him, although she acted arrogant to cover it up, to drive him away. As a human, it was all she could do. She was far too young for him, he would have been thought of as a pervert had she acted on her impulse. So she stayed away. At the time of her death she was married in a loveless marraige to a clan jerk. She had tried, really, she had, yet always his image stayed in her mind. Her sister had a crush on him too, and she had tried to find her sister, yet...she couldn't. Lilinette could only hope that she became a shinigami and was happy wherever she was.

She was thankful for this second chance. In life, it was impossible for them to be together, hell, he didn't even know she liked him! He probably thought she liked Konohamaru, and to some extent, she did like the Hachidaime Hokage. But in death, rules were different. Age was irrelevant, after all, what was the difference of a few years to beings who were older than the current civilization? Nothing, that's what.

So...why hadn't she confessed to him, why had she resisted her impulse to confess her feelings, to hold him and comfort him? Why should she? It was not like she had any chance in hell with him. No, she had to make due with watching him from afar, helping him to the best that she could while keeping up appearances. After all, she had no desire to be anything other than his fraccion, never mind the fact that she was as strong as he was. To hope that he would like her...that would be pushing her luck.

No, Hyuuga Hanabi was happy enough to be close to Naruto. It was all she wanted, all she needed. She would aid him in his time of need, and if the time came that their relationship escalated.... 'No, Don't get your hopes up Hanabi! He will never like you that way! Get over it girl!'

She would protect him, no matter what the cost.

"So boy, you think you can win!? Ha! Even now, as the greatest of the Arrancar, you still cannot defeat me. I will continue to make your life a living hell until you give in!"

The mans voice boomed throughout the city air, unnatural in it's volume and pitch. The city was not a modern one. It was surrounded on three of its sides by trees, while it's remaining side was that of a mountain, with five carved faces. The Hokage Monument did not look any different than when Stark was alive, but perhaps that was because he didn't know of any others. Perhaps it was because, the monument was long gone once he regained his sanity and memories, or maybe, he just didn't know where to look.

On top of the mountain, on the fourth head, Stark stood, his blade out in the ready position. This was business as usual. Almost every night, Madara brought him here to fight for control. These fights were often interrupted by Lilinette, for which Stark was grateful for. Many a time, he would have lost had he not been awakened in such a manner.

In the distance, a tower was visible. On top of this tower stood Madara Uchiha, his crimson eyes glaring balefully at the mountain where he stood. His long black hair blew in an invisible breeze, in his hand he held a shinigami's zanpakutou. Fate has a cruel sense of irony. The man who had given his life to stop a madman had become a demonic creature, much like the Kyuubi, while the madman himself became a shinigami. Madara was the reason that his shinigamification had made him as strong as it had. He already had a shinigami spirit within him.

No doubt, if Madara and Stark coexisted peacefully, Stark could even take down one such as Yammy, through considerable exertion, yet killing Madara meant killing most of his power, and if Madara lived, he would never be able to access the full force of his true strength because of their differing values. Despite this conundrum, he was still stronger than most of the Arrancar forces, but he had no illusions that he was unbeatable.

The one thing that worried him most was the absence of Kyuubi. He was not looking forward to a reunion.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of a thousand birds. He knew Madara just activated the famed Chidori. He himself held out his hand, and charged a Rasengan. And once more, the two men, more powerful than most, clashed with a roar.

)(A/N: And cut! Now, let's get to the most controversial issues first. Yes, Lilinette is Hanabi, and yes, Hinata will be in Starks harem, but who? Well, that's for me to know and you to find out. Now, I know that NaruHanabi is not a very popular pairing, and I understand why. In any other universe I agree, but come on people, they're DEAD, and are hundreds of years old. A few years would not be all that strange. Also, don't think that any pairing will happen instantly or even all that quickly. It makes things seem... I don't know, forced or just wrong. So no, that's not happening here. Now then, I hope you enjoyed and liked this new installment of Will of the Damned.)(