A kitsune and an ryū were enjoying their time together in peace, both basking in each other's soothing presence. For them just being together was bliss, but it wasn't to last. Hagoromo's barrier had separated them, leaving them heartbroken. Kurama had attempted many things to break it along with his siblings, even to the point of attacking it with the Bijūdama. Yet the barrier held strong as if mocking them. They cursed their creator from the depths of their hearts, having tasted happiness only to have it torn off from them abruptly.
Red eyes opened to an endless void that went well beyond the flare of the torches, a lone tear running down to meet stone. "Are you still waiting for me?" Clawed hands tested the chains restraining the limbs by the umpteenth time. Kurama heaved a deep sigh, his wife had received his heart, her absence left him hollow. "Hagoromo... why did you put up that damn seal?" At the very least, the Rikudō could have left him and his siblings with the monsters. "But who's the true monster...?" The monsters could have been a chaotic existence, but mankind was greedy and twisted.
His large ears picked up the sound of footsteps coming in his direction. The stone he was impaled on moved slowly until he faced down to a human female. "Greetings to my jailor." He bit back a grunt of pain as the stakes embedded in his flesh thickened and the chains tightened. "I didn't come here to hear sarcasm." Purple eyes glared at him. "Fine, what do you want?" Kushina glanced over the contraption holding the Kyūbi, ascertaining that everything worked. "I will need to use your chakra, so hand it over without fuss when I ask for it."
A loud snort could be heard. "As if I had a choice." His fangs gleamed under the glow of the fire. "Do as you wish, I would rather be left with my memories." She let out a snarky laugh. "Keep distracting yourself with your past kills because I won't ever let you repeat them." The chains rattled and the stakes groaned as he rolled the stone to face her closely. "Have you ever wondered if us Bijū have people important to us?" At her lack of response, he rolled the stone back. "Of course not... To you lot, my kin is just another source of power."
Kushina fought to control her breathing, having honestly felt fear when the Kyūbi got so close to her. "You lie, monsters like you are unable to love." Red eyes pinned her to the spot, a hidden fury brewing within. "Are we? Then how would we be able to hate? Unlike your idealistic vision, hate depends on love to have a definition. Both are sides to the same coin." His eyes became steely. "Likewise, happiness depends on sadness to be cherished." The Kyūbi turned his expression blank. "Go, I tire of your presence."
Once his jailor was gone, his face contorted in sadness. "I miss you..." Just by closing his eyes he could picture her smile. His claws still remembered the feel of her scales. Her scent was branded in his mind. "I... want... death..." He had lived long enough without her. His mind was frayed, even his brother Shukaku was borderline insane the last time they met. Kurama opened his eyes again and saw himself in an ocean of red spider lilies. "The flower of death..." Maybe wishes did become reality, even one as morbid as his.
He followed a beaten trail until a riverside where a lone boat awaited him, with a woman standing beside it. "Are you a shinigami?" Eerie crimson eyes examined him. "It was about time one of you came by. I'll make this one trip for free." He noticed that his own body shrunk to the size of a horse. "Get on, the Enma awaits on the other side." He climbed on the boat, surprised at its sturdiness despite looking like a simple dinghy. "I can sense your regrets. The trip is long and boring. If you want I will listen to your story."
He had a question. "What about my body?" The shinigami thought for a moment. "Your old self is currently a soulless husk." She rowed a few times before continuing. "A lump of instincts and stagnant chakra waiting to be spent." He mulled over this fact. "Your soul and core were the only things to cross over this land." He hoped that it would provide a distraction for the humans once he was back to the living world. For now, he would enjoy the peace, even if he ended up in hell to serve his sentence.
Kurama had honestly expected the Enma to look frightening, but before he stood a greenhead male in black clothing. "Your life and of your kin was full of suffering, all because of a single man." The man held a kind of mirror and watched it intently. "Usually I would send you to receive your judgment, but I will let you and her go through a rebirth. Try to live better this time." The fox turned his head sharply, catching sight of someone he would never forget, his wife. She was also looking at him, surprise filling that lovely face.
The Enma watched the star-crossed lovers interact, giving time to them. "I'm sorry for abandoning you!" She was wiping his tears, unable to hold hers as well. "You aren't the one to blame." They shared a tight hug. "I missed you..." Their eyes met and both could see the love their half held within. "I also missed you... so much..." A cough from the greenhead indicated that the time was up. "Let's meet again... Kurama." She smiled at him. "We will... Hinata." They separated reluctantly, hoping wholeheartedly that they would meet soon.
In a distant land stood a forgotten rock arch. "How curious, these readings accuse something powerful." A group of witches and mages were examining it, registering every engraving they could find. "The other groups found similar ones all over the continent." A blonde witch was snickering with glee, hands-on research had always interested her. "If the elders are to be believed, these gates will transport us beyond the sea." The sea folk had already departed to explore the unknown lands, having the advantage on the ocean.
A tanuki was looking over the expenses directed to the research of the gates, calculating ways to maximize efficiency with minimal cost. A bell rang and he looked up to his superior, who looked annoyed. "How long will you take with the accounting?" He sweated at the accusing glare, every second had value. "Didn't I tell you that the expenses aren't to be spared in this project?" She took off the pince-nez and cleaned it, her ear twitching in anger. "B-but-" She punched the table. "I and the others are using our own treasury to pay for it. We want results, not penny-pinching."
One of the nine strongest monsters, an ryū, had taken down the barrier at the cost of her life, unable to keep living without her husband. The remaining seven had decided to encourage restoring the gates, harnessing the thirst for knowledge of the scholars, desiring an easy mean to get to the Elemental Nations. One had already gone through the ocean, being the wife of the Sanbi. They still yearned for their spouses, holding this desire across rebirths, keeping aflame an undying love. They wouldn't wait anymore.
If you want to know the monsters mentioned, go to mgewiki, but be warned that its NSFW. In other words, it contains monster girl porn.
