"What's your name,' Coraline asked the cat.' Look, I'm Coraline. Okay?'
'Cats don't have names,' it said.
'No?' said Coraline.
'No,' said the cat. 'Now you people have names. That's because you don't know who you are. We know who we are, so we don't need names."
-Neil Gaiman, Coraline
I was completely cried out. I had no more tears to shed and to put it mildly I was embarrassed by the whole ordeal. I did not cry. My parents had even said that I never cried as a baby. But here I was wrapped up in Boss's arms like a newborn babe exhausted from crying. I moved slightly away from Boss and he released me. My eyes hurt and I was going to rub them with my sleeve, but remembered I was still in my blood-soaked kimono.
"Umm, Boss?" I asked, embarrassed with my previous actions. I looked up to see that Boss had also gotten some blood on his toga. Boss's expression was one filled with love and I nearly started crying again. I looked down and twiddled my thumbs nervously.
"Pup, there is no need to be embarrassed. A terrible loss has occurred to you. I am quite proud that you have held up so far" Soubi said in the back of my mind. His voice sounded like what Boss's face looked like. I mentally thanked Soubi, returning my gaze to Boss.
"Boss, I was wondering, do you have any place I could clean up. These clothes are filthy and though I wouldn't want to take them off, I know I have to change" I said quietly meeting his eyes. Internally I didn't want to leave the only thing connecting me to my parents, but life had to go on.
"Of course child. You could come this way. This world has many paths." Boss gestured at an empty space of white and suddenly a golden door appeared. I stared with wide eyes at the door and returned them to Boss. He seemed to have an expression of slight amusement on his face. I rose shakily to my feet and walked to the door. Putting my hand on the cold crystal knob, I pushed. What I saw was one of the most beautiful bathrooms ever.
Everything was white, as is everything in this world, but it seemed to glitter and glow. The sink was on a pedestal to the right with gold fixtures. The toilet was lined with gold across from it. But what truly caught my attention was the shower. The head of the shower was suspended at the top of the ceiling and was huge and golden. There was frosted crystal doors that showed intricate designs of roses and their thorny stems. The room, like the room I was just in seemed to have no walls and was just space.
I realized I was gaping when Boss chuckled at me. Standing in the doorway, I turned to him. He looked happy, and he handed me a pile of clothing. Then pushing me into the bathroom, he closed the door. I gaped at the space once again, before looking at the clothing Boss just handed me.
The pile wasn't traditional like I expected, but was rather foreign looking. There was a shirt of soft material, and dyed a dark red with foreign writing on it. I looked at the writing and all of a sudden the words made sense. The shirt red read, "Everyone deserves some happiness" in black flowing lettering. The pants were a different story altogether. They were a dark blue with yellow stitching. They had a large buckle and a zipper. Jeans. These are jeans. I looked at the shoes. Vans. That's what the black shoes were called.
"How come I know them, without having been told Soubi?" I hoped my demon resident could fill me in, because I again was a little lost.
"You're a Shinigami now, and they know everything they need to know to get by in the world. I assume you won't know everything, but common knowledge would be instantaneous. I'll know everything you will know. Just like I know that the t-shirt is made out of cotton." Soubi will know the things I know? Well that will certainly be helpful.
I piled the clothes on the toilet and began to undress. The kimono sticking to me in a rather disgusting fashion. The kimono fell to the floor with a plop and I kicked it towards the door. Pity that was my favorite kimono and now it was ruined forever. I opened the glass door and stepped into the shower. In front there were two valves. Not knowing which was which I turned both to the middle and settled on a hot shower. Water poured on me from above. There was shampoo, conditioner and soap thankfully and I washed till my skin was red from the scalding temperature.
While I was showering I noticed something strange. My nails, normally free of polish and color, were a dead black. I shrugged this off and figured that it was a side effect of either dying or becoming a Shinigami. I dressed in the clothes, finding underwear in between the shirt and jeans, but not without drying myself with a plush towel. Having finished the routine I turned to look at myself at the mirror that appeared at the top of the sink. I was startled with what I saw.
My normal ebony locks had turned a stark white. The shoulder length hair was nearly dry, but still clung to my skin. But what really scared me were my eyes. They were a golden color. A little more yellow than an adult wolf, but indeed feral looking. I looked away. My bone features were the same, so was my skin tone. My body had even remained scarred and burned, the five point star on my left cheek red from the scalding water. Turning to the mirror again I gave a slight yelp. The girl who was me but with white hair, star scarred into her face and yellow eyes stared back.
I decided I would have to live with the change, though I was a little startled. There was no way to make me the way I was. I would never be who I was then, and I have to go on living as who I am now. I picked up my blood soaked kimono and put it in the sink. I then proceeded to light it aflame with blue fire. I am never going back.
Once everything was burned, I exited the space, closing my small hand around the crystal knob. When I opened the door, I saw Boss in a clean toga. He looked up at me from the small couch, scroll in his hand. Immediately he smiled and gestured for me to come to him.
"I see the clothes fit you. Now we just need to give you your weapon." Boss moved take something out of a bag I had not noticed at the other side of the couch. From the bag he pulled a black tube. It looked to be made out of metal and appeared to be very heavy.
"My weapon? I thought that I would not need a weapon because I am a Shinigami." What was the use of being able to live in a world without worlds if I couldn't just force people to do my will?
"A weapon is owned by every Shinigami. Each weapon is unique in its own way. The weapon chooses its master, and because we are all unique, not one weapon could ever be owned by another Shinigami. You will need your weapon because everyone will fight death when it is their time to come. No one goes easily." Boss explained while moving the black tube into my hand. It was warm to the touch, but not necessarily unpleasant. The tube began to hum gently and turned a little heavier. I continued to hold it reminiscing on Boss's words.
"What weapon do you have Boss?" childlike curiosity getting the better of me. Boss held his arm to the right of his body and a silver spear came into the air. The spear looked to be made out of silver and was double-edged.
"This is my weapon, Roland. When a weapon chooses you, it will you tell you its name." the spear then disappeared once again.
I looked down at the black tube and saw it begin to distort. I grew frightened but when I looked to Boss he nodded reassuringly. The tube began humming faster and faster, grow almost burning hot. I closed my eyes for a mere second and when I reopened them I was holding a scythe.
"Oh my goodness," I whispered. Boss heard me, a puzzled look on his face.
"I was sure it would be a katana or ninja tool" he said to me.
"No," I replied to him. "It is beautiful."
The scythe was indeed beautiful. It was black as night and shone like ebony in the white space. It was probably around six feet tall and towered over me. The staff was round and embellished with blood-red stones. The bottom of the staff had a pointed blade with what appeared to be three spikes. The blade had a great red jewel that strangely resembled an eye. The blade at the top went two and a half feet out from the staff and curved ever so slightly at the tip. Where the staff ended was another blade, but this time rounded into a point.
I stood there admiring the weapon when I heard a voice in my head. I thought it was Soubi, but it was less paternal and smoother. The voice was like water rushing over stones or a blade ripping easily into flesh.
"What is the name of my master?" the voice asked, my head began to spin.
"My name is Keiko Marusame" I replied. I felt the scythe grow angry.
"That is not a proper name for my master. From here on your name shall be Morrigan, the Goddess of War and Death, the Queen of Phantoms." The voice seemed oddly happy at giving me such a dramatic title.
"And who may I thank for giving me such a name?" I figured this voice liked theatrics. Might as well give it what it technically wanted.
"I am Arawn, God of the Underworld as well as Revenge." The voice boomed in my small head. I can feel the headache starting already. Sometimes I feel as if there are too many voices in my head.
"It is a pleasure to hold one so strong. I thank you for allowing me to become your master." I was truly thankful. I knew that I had to have a powerful weapon if I ever wanted to return home.
"You were worthy of me, Morrigan. You will do me well, and together we shall cut down the lives of many." The scythe hummed as if it was laughing. I rested the weapon against my shoulder, blade pointing away from my sight.
I turned to Boss, who returned to the couch. He was again reading the scroll, but a pack lay at his feet. When he saw that I was no longer communicating with my weapon he smiled.
"So what is you weapon's name?"
"Arawn and he says my name shall now be Morrigan." I said happily. Even though I had gotten myself killed, I was happy to here now.
"Arawn, the God of the Underworld, and Morrigan the Supreme War Goddess. Such fitting names for a Shinigami who is going to become a balancer. Your weapon is also quite powerful. Because its name is that of a God, it holds extra power. I believe by it giving you a name of a Goddess, Arawn is saying you also hold extra power." Boss mused over this new information delighted with both me and my weapon.
"You said your weapon's name was Roland? What power does your name hold?" I was curious because Boss seemed like a very powerful man. He looked upon me with eyes I couldn't read.
"Sadly my weapon isn't as powerful as yours. Roland was merely a hero in medieval England." He said with a casual tone. "Well, I think it is time to teach you the second most important thing about Shinigamis. Transportation and the life energy."
I sat on the floor once again. Careful of where I placed Arawn, I laid him across my lap.
"We Shinigami live off of live energy. In a way it is like chakra, but in a way that not everyone has it. In your world chakra is given off of all living and even non-living things. Life energy is the energy we absorb from the worlds as a whole. Can you feel your life energy? You merely need to think of nothing and feel."
I closed my eyes and felt. At first I could feel nothing but my chakra. It was cold and if I focused too much on it, I often became numb. But then I felt it. Behind the chakra was some heat. It was almost like a warm embrace. The energy flowed through me and almost sizzled at the places of contact. When I felt it, I nodded my head to tell Boss I found it and he could continue.
"That life energy is the reason for our existence. It also what supports our abilities. The ability to summon your weapon comes from that. You see you could will away Arawn, but you must have life energy to make the connection and bring him back. Transportation for us is done by teleportation. You must first have seen a place to teleport there. But once you know where you want to go, merely wish for your life energy to be there and you will be. Wish you were in the bathroom earlier and then wish back here." Boss folded his arms and signified he would wait.
So all I have to do is wish for myself to be there. I wonder if I didn't hold Arawn, would he go with me if I wished both of us. I closed my eyes and tried concentrating.
"Yes. If you wish me with you, I will follow. Regardless if you hold me or not, I will follow you to the ends of the heavens," Arawn said smoothly. I was oddly touched by his statement.
I then visualized the bathroom and literally wished for myself to be there. I opened my eyes to see myself sitting on floor of the bathroom. I then wished for myself to be in front of Boss. This time I kept my eyes open, but I saw nothing more than white. The feeling of teleportation was like being yanked then falling out of the hold a second later. My life energy also became more obvious to me, sizzling at the core of my being.
"Very good. You are a natural learner Kei—I mean Morrigan. I am going to have to remember that," Boss said more to himself than to me. "Now if you have no life energy you will also not be to teleport. I suspect because you died, you won't be able to enter the Nether or even heal as quickly as a regular Shinigami. But you won't need to be in the Nether as a balancer and having a Demon in you will heal you quickly, so no worries." Boss then smiled at me and came to me. I noticed I was still clutching Arawn and loosened my grip slightly.
"I am going to send you home Arawn." I thought that not telling him would be quite inconsiderate of me.
"Until you call upon me again Morrigan." I smiled at his words and wished him away. My hands were left empty the next second. Boss was above me and bent down to hold me in his arms. I felt like a child, but I wasn't going to ask him to put me down. His grip was somehow soothing and I thought back to my parents. I decided in that moment to get revenge on the Okinawa clan heir. I would avenge my parents. But I would never let the revenge eat at me. Life was much more than only killing the one who brought you pain.
"I am going to take us to World C. There are some balancers in the Oregon area that I think you would like. They are also the least crazy of all the balancers I know. So hold on tight and close your eyes." Boss said this looking onwards. I heeded his words and shut my eyes. I felt the rush of being transported, but this time more heavily.
"Okay you can open them."
I opened my eyes and saw a place that only I could dream of seeing, a place which was so foreign even in the Valley none knew what it was, and a place which took my breath away in mere paintings. I opened my eyes and saw the ocean.
Hi there guys. New Chappie, New Chappie, New Chappie! Totally liking where this story is going. Think I am going to do a time skip in the next two chapters. The skip will take place in Morrigan's time on Earth. I think I am going to have her stay there for five years. Remember to fav, follow, comment. No one has commented yet, so I am kinda thinking you guys hat it. Do you? Please tell me. (begs) Pleeeeeaaaassssseee.
So yah, ummmm I don't own Naruto (sigh) but I do kinda own the valley of shadows, village of death, the Okinawa clan, the Marusame clan, the Shinigami world between worlds, boss, Soubi the Okamiyasha and my fav Morrigan/Keiko and my new fav Arawn the Scythe.