-1Chapter 2 of The Legend of The Twilight Warrior
Awakenings and the Choosing of the Path
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Kingdom Hearts. Any unrecognizable elements are mine however.
A/N: OK, the last few months have plainly sucked. First my teachers are driving me nuts with Regents everyday to prepare for the State Tests. I wish I could sue them for making me wait outside the HS for an hour in the cold before the regents. GrowlsWell then lets see, I have had my grandparents come to meet me and stay the past two months, so when I spend time with them I get very little left over to type. They have come for the first time to the U.S.A. and most likely the last time for my grandma who probably won't be healthy enough to make the journey again. Then you have the fact that getting this chapter written out was tough, for the sheer complexity of portraying the reasons why Naruto goes down the path he does was difficult and I know I'll have to answer many reviews about that. Finally, you have the fact that my dad has to f&$# wipe the computer after I spent a whole many hours typing up the chapter, so I got pissed and angry so I didn't feel like retyping it until recently. Then my computer just happened to crash and we had to reformat it so I was back to square one again. This time I have been taking precautions and have a saved copy in my e-mail. During the time it crashed I had played several games, Tales of Symphonia (Gamecube) and Dot.hack GU volume One: Rebirth, which was awesome. After that my dad is working from home past two months since his office is remodeling. Therefore I have no privacy at all, and he is very how should I say, discouraging about fan fiction. Therefore I had to type when he goes to the gym.
Future updates should come faster now as School is coming, so I'll have time 2.5 hours a day of which I will give an hour a day to chapters.
Now guys let me explain things so you guys understand why Naruto seems so much more mature than others do for a five-year-old. (It was supposed to be five but I accidentally wrote four it seems) In the anime, you see his body is affected by the Kyuubi's youki, mainly seen by his whiskers, his unbelievable large chakra reserves, and his freakish stamina. Now in my fic, I basically placed the same concept only mentally as well, so he became more intelligent. The presence altered his mind to be more mature and intelligent and capable of greater thinking. He is mentally three times his age, meaning he is able to think as much as a twelve-year-old. Then factor in villagers presence, glares, mental abuse daily, and you have one pissed off Naruto, although he still doesn't understand what hate is, and he doesn't mean necessarily killing/torturing when it comes to revenge on Konoha. Maybe in the future though…
I will now be posting status on my fics on my profile. It will give the stats and all that, but more importantly, it will have info on how much the chapter has been completed, both written and typed out. This will give you guys an idea of how much longer.
A few more things, I seriously need some ideas for names for his keyblades, a name for a male dark OC and a name for a female light OC ok, otherwise you get random Japanese names, or a Latin name.
Finally, I have found one-two translators that seem good, but if you know any then do tell, as there is always use for more. As for KH info then I'll use fan sites or wikipedia. Also thanks JackOfBladesX for the Japanese translator.
Wow I already have like a 725 word A/N. One last thing, I need you guys to tell me what abilities you want Sasuke to have. Yes he will be an important character, and he won't follow the usual path where he is an ass.
Now I may do a Bleach world in this fic but it will be minor role, but I need help and ideas on how it would work considering Olympus Coliseum, with the underworld, and Hades.
Now on with the story,
Dragonlord562
P.S. I may do some PhotoShop fan art of the keyblades and future drive forms, if I can buy 7.0 for my computer.
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Man's purpose is what he makes it to be. Scientists can argue over the facts all they want, but it's always your choice on what you want your purpose to be, at one point or another in your life.
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Naruto groaned and blearily opened his eyes. Everything he saw was blurred, but even so it surprised him. Darkness, pitch-black darkness was all that he could see. He rubbed his eyes with his hands, but he still saw only darkness.
After getting up from the soft ground he looked around him and stared, and stared, and stared. He gaped as his eyes took in everything around him, or more importantly, the lack of anything around him. He stood on a circular platform which, believe it or not, floated in space. Around the platform was nothing, but empty black space. The only light came from the platform itself, which glowed with an ethereal light.
The platform was like a disc, and had tiny chips of stone placed in a pattern. With shock, Naruto realized it was a mosaic, one big giant mosaic. It was made from angular chips of stone; masterfully placed together to form a picture of what would be a glorious battle.
The mosaic depicted a battle between a black dragon, with gleaming green eyes, and had its giant maw open, as it shot searing balls of flames towards a black clad warrior who wielded two blades similar to what he earlier used …in the alleyway.
The sight of the blades jumpstarted his memory and he remembered the tragic events that occurred in the alleyway. He gasped and fell to his knees as he connected the blades and artwork to the strange alleyway events.
He felt small traces of remorse for the people in the mob and their loved ones. Many widows and orphans would be mourning for those vile people. He quickly squashed all pity and thought, 'It's not my fault. They deserved it anyway. They didn't plan to show me any mercy, so why should I feel any sorrow over their deaths. I fought in self-defense, if I didn't I'd be dead. They deserved a much more painful death for attacking a young child like that, those monsters.'
Even though he put to rest his worry, a voice in the back of his head seemed to whisper to him, 'But then again you are also a monster. Remember the way you killed them all. You felt great happiness over their death and wanted them to painfully be tortured. Does that not make you a monster?'
Naruto was about to respond to the voice in his head, when he heard a deep baritone voice come to him from behind, yet in front. It spoke condescendingly to him, as if he was mere trash in comparison to it. It was a deep voice, which seemed as if it was that of an old person.
"So this is the latest candidate to be the keybearer. It's been 200 years since the last candidate was chosen. Hmmm, you look a little short, I mean, not what you'd expect from a warrior," he emphasized.
Angrily, Naruto retorted," I'm only a five-year-old, what did you expect a five year old to be, seven feet tall? Another thing, what do you mean by candidate for being a ki-burer?"
The voice responded this time surprised," Its keybearer, not ki-burer. Wait, you're only five! How'd you even get selected? And you are telling me you don't know what a keybearer is. Man I need to check for the Mark. This one seems like a mistake."
Suddenly, a gust of wind somehow held up Naruto's shirt enough, so that his chest was exposed. A second later, a heart tattoo with dragons around it was visible.
Naruto gasped before speaking," What the hell is that? How'd that get there? I've never seen it before. Why is it there? -Looking up around him-Did you do this to me?"
The voice once again spoke up, this time serious," Well, well, well, it looks like you are a real candidate, and not just a mistake. This will be very annoying though to explain everything to you, as it seems your world has no idea of the keyblade or the bearer.
Look, this will hurt and your head will feel like something is being forced into it ok, but try to relax, it helps lower the pain of the process. What I am going to do is called assimilation, where I place all of the info into your mind, and you will sort it out and ask any questions that you have, ok?"
Before Naruto could answer, a spontaneous pain erupted inside Naruto's head. It felt as if his head was having a super hot needle thrust into it and hot lava was flowing through it. There was no burning sensation, merely the pain of it. Naruto fell to his knees and grasped his head with his hands trying to squeeze it to somehow alleviate the pain. After a minute or so, it stopped suddenly, and Naruto fell over on his back as he sorted through the information.
He learned the tattoo was a mark of the keybearer candidate. It measured the power the candidate had in its brightness, and in future times, when the candidate became a keybearer; it would measure his strength again, but this time of his heart. He learned that there were Trials he had to pass to become a keybearer. He would be tested for one week in various aspects on whether he was worthy of being a keybearer. He however didn't know what a keybearer was, why he was chosen, or what their purpose was.
"You will probably be wondering what a keybearer is. I purposely left out certain key details that I wanted to explain so you don't get the wrong idea," spoke the voice.
Naruto nodded and asked," Yes, but can I get your name. Speaking to a stranger on a big weird platform like this is feeling strange."
The voice answered," My name is Opherus. Now a keybearer is a warrior who wields the keyblade and restores balance to the universe, as well as order. They go to worlds and depending on their alignment do various things. They can be aligned with the Light and the Darkness. Usually when they come to the Trials they are already aligned with their path and they simply go on to take the Trials instantly. Other times it doesn't work out that way as they may be aligned with neither or both, as the latter is true in your case.
If they pass they become a keybearer and if they are Dark, then they seek to gain power, kill people on massive scales, rule the worlds, seek revenge, mindlessly fight, etc. etc. If they are light, then they seek to protect others, defend the weak, defeat evil, and fight for what they believe is right, etc. etc. The ultimate goal of both Light and Dark opposes each other, as Light wishes to protect the worlds and maintain order, while Dark wishes to plunge the worlds into darkness, cause chaos etc."
Naruto asked," What do you mean go to worlds?"
Opherus responded," I mean just that. There are more worlds than just your world. There are many worlds that all are spread out and using various forms of transportation, entities can travel between worlds. They can traverse the universe, and scour out worlds."
Naruto queried," What do you mean I am aligned with both Light and Dark? I never aligned myself with anyone."
"Well, from what I got from your mind when I assimilated the info to you, when you wanted to make the villagers pay, the Darkness in you awoke. Then when you wanted to protect the weak, and defend them from people like the villagers, the Light in you awoke. Now enough questions. The others can answer any questions that you have, after the Awakening," said the mysterious entity.
Naruto asked another question quickly," What's the Awakening and does it hurt?"
Opherus laughed a loud booming laugh, which did little to rid Naruto of his worries.
"Oh it will hurt all right. It is the awakening of your darkness or light abilities. For you it will hurt a lot more than others, as you are younger, and have both light and darkness in you. Usual candidates have one alignment and are at least over 13 years of age.
You'll have to learn how to use your darkness or light abilities, whichever you choose, by yourself, and quick. The Trials do involve fighting a lot. Are you read because-"
He was cut off by Naruto," What if I don't want to be a keybearer. Besides, I don't have a week. After the villagers attacked me, Jii-san will be really worried for me. I have to get back to him and talk to him and tell him I'm fine, so lemme outta this place."
Opherus seemed shocked as he spoke," Boy, in all of the millennia the Awakening has occurred, I have never met someone who would refute the privilege of becoming a keybearer. I understand you are undereducated about it, but even so it is a great honor to be a candidate, not to mention all the power the person gets."
Naruto's interest seemed piqued now. The power he had in the alleyway made him feel secure. No one could hurt him when he had that power. Never again would he be weak. He could protect himself with that power, and then kill his foes. He had liked the feeling.
"That power… I could fulfill my dreams with it." he whispered.
Opherus pressed on seeing a point he could exploit to persuade the child to become a keybearer.
"Yes, imagine all the power; you could use it to protect you and your precious people from harm, as well as other innocents. You could gain vengeance on the village for mistreating you. Not to mention seeing amazing worlds. Imagine all of the hot girls that you would meet as well as all of the adventures you would have. Imagine all of the cool attacks and abilities that you would have as a keybearer. Plus, think about all that you would learn and fight. Finally, don't forget the respect you would command for being the keybearer. Just imagine it."
Naruto was still a child, no matter what his mind was like and no matter what he underwent. Therefore, power beyond words, seeing mystical new worlds, and what he craved for the most, respect, all appealed to him. Not to mention that revenge was sweet.
Naruto said," Ok, I'll undergo the Awakening, the Trials, and become a keyblade master, but I don't have the time for it! I need to-"
Opherus, now thoroughly annoyed with his latest acquaintance, cut him off," Boy, time is at a standstill here and will also be at a standstill where you will undergo the Trials, kay? Don't ask how or why or any other meaningless question or I will personally hurt you ok. We're wasting time and off schedule, so prepare for the Awakening."
By the end of his response, his voice had gotten menacing as Opherus got angry at being off schedule.
Naruto was about to ask how anyway when he felt something happen to him. He didn't know what had happened but through out his entire body he could feel small tingling sensations run through him. The feeling started at his fingertips and slowly it moved up his arms. He hadn't realized it, but he started to levitate in midair and he was glowing, almost like the platform. A wind kicked up around him as the feeling increased in intensity.
Naruto started to relax to the feeling. Despite the warning of intense pain from Opherus, who he now felt was joking; he started to relax and was slowly being lulled to sleep.
Suddenly, our blond haired protagonist screamed in pain," Argggh!!!"
The tingling feeling was gone and now, there was a burning sensation in his skin. It felt like his bones were being melted and reshaped. The hairs on his body all stood up as the sensations continued and heat gathered inside his skin. The temperature of his blood soared until his blood itself was boiling and the structure of his body was changing.
Naruto continued screaming, his voice growing hoarse, for the next twenty minutes. Throughout it all, all Naruto felt was pain unlike anything he could imagine. It saturated his body and surged through his blood. He couldn't think of anything or feel any part of his body. His brain was hurting a lot as his skull felt as if it was changing.
Then came the prickly sensation. At first it was a light prickly feeling, but then it grew and felt like one thousand ice cold needles were slowly piercing his body. His muscles started to feel a numbness flow through them as the burning sensation was gone. The prickly ice cold sensation was replacing the burning feeling.
Around him, a powerful enthralling aura came into existence. Purple and silver swirled flashing every now and then, but slowly a jet black leaked into it. This black was more malevolent than anything that Opherus had ever felt.
Opherus thought panicking,' This black energy…it's so… strong and dark. Its almost like…no, no, no, that's not possible. That beast was sealed off in some child, last I heard. The odds of that child and this being the same are one out of as many stars in the sky! The energy though, whatever it is, is affecting the Awakening.'
In front of him the energies were all affecting Naruto and allowing him to adapt to any transformations he made in the future or any usage of Dark Energy or Light Energy. (from now on D.E. means dark energy and L.E. means light energy). The black malevolent energy however was making Naruto's body adapt in confusing ways.
Screams of pain and anger came from Naruto as the black energy reshaped his entire body. His mind thirsted for blood in those moments and it would be this moment that would change his whole life forever.
His body arched over several times as he let out howls of rage and his eyes dilated many times before the pupil became small again then it once again dilated. His face structure changed very little although his teeth grew longer and sharper. His jaws grew stronger and his eyes became slightly slitted. His normally cerulean blue eyes became a darker blue color and his eyes became more powerful. His nose structure changed to identify distinct scents better. He grew a little taller and grew to a height of about four feet. His hands and feet grew their nails to become claws, that retracted, able to be called out using chakra. His body became stronger, not all that more muscular, or durable but stronger overall. His meager muscles that were there grew slightly, but mainly they became more toned and able to handle greater stress. Thus they could perform feats that an ordinary body couldn't.
The greatest change however came in his mind. The black energy affected his mind the most. The Awakening itself along with the black energy there caused one of the most fundamental changes in Naruto's life, a change that would impact not only him, but everyone on the battlefields he fought in. His mind gained a lot more bloodlust. He grew a dormant love for fighting and it would impact him as he would dictate a lot of his life by it. His mind however also unlocked long hidden battle instincts. Instincts on fighting, danger, and even instincts on using the D.E./L.E.
The energy continued flowing and flowing and flowing, and soon an hour had passed, with Naruto's screams which died down. Not from the pain being gone, but from losing the energy to scream.
Opherus was now in a full blown panic,' Just what is going on? A normal candidate usually takes not more than fifteen minutes and we usually perform the Awakening while they are unconscious. It's been over an hour, but the energy keeps on flowing. There is more and more potential to Awaken, so the energy continues to do its job. Not to mention that messed up black energy that is flowing strongly. In another half hour I will be forced to end it, or he'll die. This child…just what is he? To have so much potential and energy to Awaken, the worlds will have to watch out for this one.'
After a while, twenty minutes had passed, and Opherus decided to check where the black energy was coming from.
Opherus pondered, 'Hmm let's see. Where is the black energy source? I must find it, as it is greatly altering the Awakening's effects. I may not be able to change the Awakening, but I can investigate the energy source.'
Opherus focused on the energy and its source. After going around in a cursory check of Naruto's body, the old entity saw the source. Black sickening energy was oozing out of a seal on the boys stomach. It was never ending, and seemed as if many times more energy would come.
The sight confused the wizened entity.
It pondered,' A big intricate seal, from which limitless amounts of vile energy spew forth. Hmmm. Lets see, it seems that that seal houses some vast reserve of this energy, or a creature with the vast amounts of that energy.
The Awakening is a process where the Mark of the Keybearer, releases large amounts of dark or light energy that would adapt the candidate's body to uses of the energies and any transformations that come with them.
It seems that the Awakening also weakened this seal and thereby caused the energy to leak out of it and enter the Awakening. Guided by the magic of the Awakening ritual, it affected the boy's body in various ways to adapt and unlocked the boy's instincts, as well as instilled a great amount of bloodlust in him.
This is a very powerful seal, to be only slightly weakened by the Awakening and still hold strong, this must have been devised by a genius. I wonder if the boy knows about this seal? I'll have to tell him then as it's my duty to give any and all info I have to the candidates.-sigh-sometimes I hate my job.'
After ten more minutes, and no sign of the endless energy about to end, the ancient being started to finish the Awakening by releasing all of the excess energy. He sealed the energies into Naruto's eyes. There it would be stored and kept safe until he can undergo a second Awakening safely ten years later or use alternatives, as several had in the past. One alternative was a doujutsu, another was to seal the energy in the bodies for various uses, and there were many more.
A big flash occurred and Naruto fell down. Unable to scream or even speak after an hour and a half of the pain and screaming his throat hoarse, he merely spasmed greatly. Around him, the energies suddenly formed two vortexes, one of the dark energy, the other of light energy. The vortexes formed a tornado that had its tip each in one eye and the energies all went inside the eyes, each eye glowed either purple or silver for a few moments.
After the Awakening, there were many changes in Naruto. Overall, here they were; His eyes were slitted and like a kitsune's. His teeth had elongated and sharpened into fangs. His whisker marks grew a shade darker and more pronounced. His hair was longer and rather than sun-kissed blonde, it was a darker shade, one that would cause confusion to people in recognizing the young boy. His eyes were not only slitted, but a violet hue. They seemed as if they were more advanced and had evolved, with smaller pupils. His hands and feet had retractable claws in place of the toenails. They could be nails, and then the claws could grow out using chakra. His shoes were ripped by the protrusion of the claws. His body would be standing on the balls of its feet, if it wasn't tired by so much pain. His body was stronger and Naruto felt a secure feeling of power around him.
His aura had also changed. Whereas it used to be one of untapped potential, it was now one of power and danger. Not power as in 'I can blow the world up', but power as in 'it's not a good idea to mess with me'. It would strike fear into the hearts of many people in future times. It was something most ninja would notice and be wary of him for.
Opherus examined the perplexing seal. Even after the Awakening, the seal was leaking the energy. The damage was done, it was weakened. It would have to be strengthened, which was a pain in the neck to do.
Just when the ancient was about to put a strengthening seal on the intricate design of the previous seal, it stopped leaking energy.
Opherus mused,' It would seem that someone has already strengthened the seal on the boy's actual body. That's a relief, I'd rather not strengthen this seal, I'm no seal master, and I'd more than likely mess up the seal's actual purpose.'
Opherus spoke up, for the first time in the past one and a half hours," The pain will go away and you will get used to the changes. The changes and wounds you may have will have to heal naturally. Any healing technique from outside influences could mess up the effects and cause your body to undergo harmful changes. The Path Choosing is next and then you will face the Trials. Until then the Awakened energy will heal you."
Opherus sighed before speaking once more," Boy I don't know how to say this. When the Awakening occurs, it unseals all seals on the body. The candidates have a seal on the Mark of the Keybearer, which stores all of the D.E. or L.E. or both. During your Awakening, a huge amount of some unidentifiable energy was released from a seal on your stomach.
What this means is that either you have some vast energy reserve stored in that seal, which I doubt, or some creature of immense power. I believe it is the latter and that the creature is some sort of demon, based on the feelings of bloodlust the energy emitted. What this adds up to is…you have a demon sealed within you. A quite powerful one at that."
Naruto went wide eyed when he heard the information and the conclusion. It made him rethink a lot of what he has learned, while he healed. Questions whirled in his mind.
The Keybearer candidate thought,' If I have a demon inside me….does that make me a demon? Is that why the village hates me, because I'm a demon? They did always call me 'demon brat' and other words that were similar to demon. If that's true then why does Jii-san be my friend? Does that mean I'm not a demon then? Demons don't have friends, but Jii-san is my friend, so does that make me not a demon?
I don't think I'm a demon… and Opherus said the demon was sealed within me….. so that means…. I'm not the demon!
Now I'll have to think about who the demon is now. Well, what are possible reasons for sealing demons in children? Well the only reasons I can come up with are to save the village from an attacking demon, or to make the village stronger because they have a demon vessel. Well let's see, any demon attacks in past few years?
Well, there was the Kyuubi no Kitsune, and that's about it. That's the only possible demon that could've been sealed in me. There were not many other demons that Konoha had ever fought, especially not in the last few years. Any other weaker demon would probably been defeated by Yondaime, as long as it wasn't a Great Tailed Beast. Jii-san however said that Yondaime died killing Kyuubi, but a mortal man killing the greatest of the demons, that's a little hard to believe. He also never said how he killed the Kyuubi; he never said anything about exploiting a weakness or anything. All he said was that he sacrificed himself to kill the Kyuubi. That in itself is fishy; I mean a mortal man killing a near-god. Couldn't the Kyuubi regenerate itself or something?
Could it be that we were lied to? Could it be that the Kyuubi wasn't killed by the Fourth? Could it be that he merely sealed it into something, maybe a child? He was a seals expert and so he could have done it.
Wait a second, how the heck am I so intelligent and able to think about all of this? Could it be an effect pf the Awakening?
Man my head's starting to hurt thinking about all this. First and foremost, I need to survive these Trials that Opherus speaks of. Second thing, talk to Jii-san about all this demon business, Third thing, I must learn to use these Dark energies and Light energies, and also to control them. I wouldn't want to go berserk again on Konoha's damned villagers, no matter how tempting it is.'
As his thoughts continued onward of his powers and possible plans for the future, he started to fall asleep. With a sigh, he was swept off into the wonderful world of dreams.
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When Naruto awoke, he found himself all healed. No pains or aches afflicted him. AS he got up he suddenly noticed his surroundings.
He realized that….he was once more on a floating platform. Only this time this one was a huge one which spanned about the area of a large parking lot. There were places where it was mosaic tile floor, but there were places where this transparent rainbow colored floor was. It was opaque so you could see straight down, and it was all darkness.
He was out again in the black space, only now, Opherus wasn't there. The disc he stood on earlier had an artistic mosaic of a battle. This one however depicted the faces and heads of several girls that seemed dressed royally. It only depicted their head, the body wasn't visible. It spanned the whole platform. Around the seven girls, you could see a big white castle, which had many tall pointy towers. It gave off the image of royalty and importance. For some reason, it seemed familiar to Naruto, despite him never visiting there ever.
As he got off of the floor, he heard music. It was beautiful, tranquil music. It was a slow tempo song. It soothed the heart and made you feel… complete. Suddenly, the song's tempo went from slow to fast.
A grating sound came from around Naruto. The sound surprised Naruto, and he jumped up into the air over eight feet high!
He thought looking down at the ground,' What the fuck! I jumped eight feet high! Wait a minute, why does the ground look smaller?'
Naruto landed on the balls of his feet much like a predator would. After landing he noticed many things about himself that had changed. He looked himself over.
'Dam I grew tall! Wow, I also feel stronger. I can hear much better as well, the music is so clear. I can see much better too! I can even see the edges of the tiles.' He thought.
As he looked over his hands, he gasped.
'Sugoi!!! I have claws. This is so cool! Now I can tear people apart so easily, it'll be like ripping paper. Wait what the hell? The first thing I think of when I see my claws are ripping people to shreds. What's wrong with me?'
He closed his eyes to think over his situation. As he stood there however, he also felt more, how to say, aware, of his surroundings. He could tell where the stones were. He could tell where the giant rocks with things in them were.
'Hey wait a minute, when did those get here? I didn't see them when I woke up. Was that what the grating sound was, of the big rocks coming out of the ground?'
Naruto's deduction skills and overall mental abilities it seemed had also increased.
Naruto's attention returned to the rocks, and he opened his eyes.
Surrounding him were eight large pedestals, all in a circle formation around him. They shone three different colors. Two were a silver color, three were a dark obsidian black, and the last three were a dark blue color.
They were shaped like anvils and were large, about the size of a grown man in height and in length were a few feet long. On the front of them was a plaque. The plaques all had inscriptions on them, and they also had some sort of weapon or item in/on the pedestal.
Naruto walked forward to look at the items. He looked at the items on the dark blue pedestal first.
He looked at one that had a sword on it. It was small and meant for rapid stabs. It had a wooden handle which had a symbol on it. It had a symbol of three blue circles, one big, and two smaller ones on the top left and right corners, and there they overlapped. Its point was sharp and so sharp, you couldn't see it. Its edges weren't all that sharp, more meant for blocking enemy attacks, then slashing with.
The inscription under it, seemed ancient. The inscription was in some olden language Naruto didn't think he'd be able to read, but it cleared up and he could understand it. In his mind, instincts worked forcing his mind to develop and understand the words. They worked and helped him decipher what the words were. Although, he couldn't really understand what the words meant, he got the gist of it.
The plaque read, "The great sword Excalibur, used by the ancient King Arthur to slay his foes and liberate his kingdom. The sword is meant to be used for rapid stabs and to impale foes upon it, not to cut them to pieces by slashing them. The sword holds holy power and yet, is meant only to protect not kill or avenge. The sword however may only be wielded by those of pure intentions. Any one of evil intent who wields it, will corrupt the holy blade and deform it into a sickly blade of darkness."
'Ok, now that was a weird description. So the main point of that speech was that its some big, holy, and important sword that you stab people with. It sounds kind of boring.' Thought the blonde jinchuuriki.
Naruto moved on to the next pedestal and looked it over. It held a shield that was ornately decorated. It was shaped like a heart and it was a silver color, but it was also gilded. The gilded color was gold and it made the pattern of three circles once more, however a big heart was there on the top above the tri-circle symbol. There was a handle with which you would grip the shield on the back. There was also a structure on the back with which you could strap it to your arm for greater ease and to allow both hands to be able to fight with.
The plaque read," The Shield of Dreams. Created by Merlin to fight off a plague that affected people in their sleep, this shield is able to protect you from mental attacks. It can also defend against physical attacks as well, but too much damage can cause it to fragment. Once fragmented, mana must be poured into it to reform the shield, else it will remain as shards that are immensely powerful and can fuel greater magical weapons. The Shield of Dreams, it is said, has a connection to the fabled Kingdom Hearts, a world filled with hearts. The connection is unknown if even true, and seems to be nothing but a rumor."
The young five year-old thought,' Ok, that shield is so girly and who cares about some Kingdom of Hearts. Even that stupid sword was cooler than this garbage.'
Naruto moved on and looked at the next object of his attention. On this pedestal stood a staff that was about two feet and 5 inches long. It was a light gold color and was rather plain looking. Besides the familiar tri-circle mark, there was no distinguishing feature that it had. All in all it seemed just like a plain piece of wood.
The plaque read," The Staff of Yuu. The great warlock Yuu, once used this staff. In his battle against the demons of the underworld, he used this staff and used very powerful spells against the demons. The magic saturated the staff, and made it stronger. Any magic used with this staff will be easier to control, and you can draw mana from your surroundings. Said to be able to power up a spell from level 1 to level 2."
'Wow, what a rip off. A staff of magic, as if. Its not like magic is even real. Its all fake tricks and mirrors and light tricks. If magic was real then why aren't there any records of it. Its all a scam.' Thought the unbelieving young boy.
Moving on, Naruto decided to check out the obsidian pedestals. When he walked over he decided to look at the smallest one first.
On the pedestal was a scythe. It wasn't a small scythe, but a big scythe. The scythe had a black handle, made of some sort of sandalwood, coated by a dense substance. When Naruto reached up and touched it he got a feeling of untapped power. It was like hellfire was going through the handle. The scythe was unique as it had one blade, yet it held many seals on it. There were so many seals, all miniscule, that you couldn't tell if you were looking at the twentieth seal in a line, or the fortieth. All of the seals were in different colors and surrounded seven other seals. Three of the seals were similar depicting several scythe blades. The other four were mysterious as no picture was shown or any sort of idea on their use wasn't given. The blade currently present was a sharp curved blade that was two feet long. It had fifteen seals on it. Their purpose was unknown. It was like a crystal, transparent, yet blood-red. The handle was four feet and seven inches long. The bottom was flat although there seemed to be a slot for something to be inserted into it.
The plaque read, "Scythe of the Underworld: The blade once used by the Grim Reaper himself before he left it for his hellblade. It has curious characteristics as its blade can be shifted using various seals. It has many powers that can be unlocked in the right user's hands. Blood of the fallen can empower it in battle. Its time with the Grim Reaper has had various effects on it."
'Cool scythe. I'd love to swing that thing around and chop off the heads of a few of those dam villagers….Dam there I go, again with the violent thoughts. I really have to see what the hell is wrong with me. Why am I cursing so much? I didn't curse that much before. Man I'm not old enough for this shit.' Thought Naruto.
Our loved by all (a little too much by some people cough yaoi cough) protagonist moved on to the next black anvil shaped platform. On it he saw a familiar shape of a staff. This time however, it exuded a feeling of dark power. It was made of a red colored wood that had dark colored spots in various places. The staff stood tall and imposing, a good four feet long. At the stop stood the claw of what seemed to be a reptilian beast, possible a dragon. Clutched in the dragon claw, was an orb which contained a power that was palpable even a few feet away.
When Naruto climbed onto the pedestal and tried to touch its smooth surface he was amazed. The feeling of euphoria from so much power contained in there, it was like the drugs adults talked about. It gave such a feeling of being high. It was amazing!
The inscription read," The Legendary Staff of Jashin: Wielded by the ancient god of long ago, it contains His raw essence. Such power is held in the orb clutched by the dragon claw of Ra. Grants controls of the shadows, and black magic. Held in regard as the foundation of black magic. This staff was thought to be lost when Jashin threw it into the pits of hell to punish it for betraying Him."
Naruto exclaimed," You've gotta be kidding me! This rotten piece of wood is supposed to have been used by a god? What a lie. If it was then why is it lying here like some piece of has-been trash."
Naruto walked over to the final obsidian pedestal. On it he saw…nothing. There was nothing, well nothing except an orb of pure darkness.
The orb called out to him. Seductive whispers calling for him to touch it, to immerse himself in it, rang in his mind. He saw only it and felt an obsession overcome him to have the orb for himself. He walked forward hand stretched out, trying to reach it. Just as he was a foot away from it, a white light shone around it. The whispers suddenly stopped and Naruto felt himself go out of the trance he was in.
Naruto looked at the plaque for it and read," The Orb of Darkness: Made by the Dark Knight under the influence of his sorceress. In it is the seductive power to create the heartless and control the wings of the dark angel. The power is difficult to control. Its darkness calls out to those nearby, enticing them to be ensnared in its dark magic. Then it uses their bodies as puppets to resurrect creatures of darkness, eventually leading to the sorceress' power being unleashed. Its effects are only able to be stopped by pure light magic."
Naruto shook his head and thought,' Why do they keep talking about magic. Its not like its real. Seriously, but this is cool. Wings and the power to create the heartless. That is so cool!'
'Now lets see those last two pedestals. They look huge. Well lets see what this one is.'
He looked at the first pedestal that was silver and huge. It held a zanbatou. The zanbatou was five and a half feet long, excluding the handle. It seemed able to cleave through steel with ease. One side was sharp, while the other was sharp as well, however it was not meant for cutting. It was a black metallic color. On it was a hilt near the end, that was wrapped in bandages. The handle was long and seemed wooden. Above that was a metal cover, which could be soon through the bandages. The zanbatou was long and straight from the tip, but curved inwards near the hilt.(think Ichigo's Saputo when in shikai is released).
The plaque read, "Dragonsbane: Wielded by Draconiz, the famed warrior of legend. He had lost his love to the deadly wyrms, and in his grief vowed to hunt them all down. Now the blade is extra strong, having been enchanted by the repeated use of magic through it. The blade can be empowered by all of the elements, even holy and dark. It can be empowered by chakra. Pump chakra into the various seals along its hilt, and it can become feather light and absorb chakra from the surroundings, but not people or animals"
Naruto moved on thinking of it,' Wow now that is something I'd like to have. A big-ass sword to cut heads off with. Wow I'm really getting violent again.'
Next he looked at….a big stalagmite? Naruto gawked at it, its huge height dwarfing anything he's ever seen, including the Hokage Tower. Not much to it. It was just big pointy, and shiny. However, it glowed with an ethereal light, and looking at it seemed to calm him.
The plaque read," The Seraphim Power: Holy power given from the very first angels. A bloodline of sorts, meant to confer advanced healing, angelic power, and wings upon those bestowed with it. Not much is known about it."
Naruto snorted, "Angels huh. As if angels are real. What is wrong with the guy who made all these plaques. Angels can't be real, otherwise a lot of bad stuff that happens wouldn't happen."
"You'd be surprised at what exists out there," called out a voice from behind Naruto.
Naruto turned around indignant, a retort ready, but he froze when he saw the person behind him.
A man about five feet, eleven inches stood behind Naruto. He had red hair and an angular face. His left cheek had a scar shaped in an X. His eyes were sharp and calculating. They were an unidentifiable blue color(I think his eyes are blue. They look blue in pics). Green flecks were in his eyes,. His hair fell slightly over his eyes, and he had the rest of it in a tail. He was wearing a red haori type thing(I think that's what it would be called). On the back of it was the kanji for 'Angel of Death'. He was muscular and intimidating. He wore wooden sandals. At his hips, was a belt for his sword. It was in a thin black sheath.
Naruto's eyes widened and he exclaimed, "Sugoi."
He suddenly all over the man and he was inspecting everything about him He appeared on his shoulder and legs examining everything that fascinated him. He was firing questions like a machine gun.
"Ooh whats this? Cool how'd you get the scar? Where did you get this sword from? Wow this coat looks awesome? Are you really an angel of death?" he asked rapidly.
The red-haired man's right eye started to twitch. It twitched and twitched, and his face grew red. You could almost imagine smoke billowing from his ears.
Finally, his hand darted to Naruto and picking him up slowly and in a controlled manner, he threw him to the floor.
"Never-Touch-Me-Again," he said with anger in his voice.
Then his face morphed into a grin and he said," Now lets get on to more serious matters. All of these pedestals around us fall into three categories: the Darkness, the Light, and the Neutral. You are to pick a path to follow. From that path, depending on the path, you will get the powers or weapons from the pedestals of that path. It is your job to choose the path and mine to explain the duties of that path, and all of the powers you would be bestowed with. Did you get all that, or should I repeat it, kid?"
By the end of his statement, his voice had gone into a bored tone.
Naruto responded," Yeah, I get that, but I want to hear specifically of each path's duties before I hear of their powers, ok?"
The man said," Ok, but first tell me your name. My name is Himura Kenshin, the guide to the paths.""
Naruto answered," My name is Uzumaki Naruto, future keybearer. Cool name."
Kenshin responded, "Arrogant aren't we. Do you think the Trials are that easy? Uzumaki there is a reason no keybearer has been seen in two hundred years. There have been candidates, but none have passed the Trials. The Trials are difficult, each designed to fit the person's past and to test him to the breaking point. They see if he is worthy of being a keybearer."
He continued," Now lets see, hmm. Well, the darkness has one supreme goal, and that is to pit all of the worlds into darkness. Usually, there are several other goals that they have, dealing with revenge, mass murder, world domination, and to gain massive amounts of power. There are many of the darkness that can control the heartless.
The heartless are creatures made from pure darkness. They are the manifestation of an entity's negative emotions. They are made from the tainting of a pure heart. They have only one goal, to obey their masters and to eat more hearts. They can take on many shapes, but are usually recognizable by their yellow eyes and their black skin. They can also usually enter the darkness realm. You'll meet them later on in the Trials."
Here he grinned darkly, and Naruto shivered in fear, and wrapped himself with his arms.
"Then there are the Nobodies. They can also be controlled by the Darkness. It is however, very difficult to control them, as few individuals possess the power, skill, and knowledge to do so.
They are usually white or silvery and have the symbol of the Nobodies. You'll know them when you see them in the Trials. They are created when an entity becomes a heartless, a Nobody is born, a creature without a heart and unable to feel emotions. They usually are in seek of a heart to become whole once more.
Then there is the Light. It is usually having one prime goal and that is to stop the Darkness in its endeavors of destroying the worlds. They believe that they are right and better than the Darkness. They usually have a duty in protecting a certain world or area. They also are very numerous and few are very powerful. However, the few that are, are usually famous throughout the cosmos. That sums up the Light.
Then you have the Neutral. The Neutral is one of the least populated paths, What their basic goal is, is one that they themselves make. It is populated by the Nobodies who are capable of advanced thoughts and intelligence. Those with strong wills are the ones that start on this path before going to their main path. A few powerful hermits are also part of it. Now, the reason the Neutral path is under populated compared to the Darkness or the Light is that they cannot interfere with the Dark's or the Light's matters. Since many think this boring, they do not join this path. Those who are on this path are recluses and cut off from civilization. Those on their path are usually powerful. There are the paths, now let me explain the following powers of each path.
The Darkness as I said, can summon the heartless. They also can use the D.E. to use their own powerful attacks. They can also control the Nobodies.
Now the Light, can use L.E. for their respective attacks. They can also, use holy attacks to a greater extent than any other creature.
Now the Neutral, their magic power is unknown, but what is known, is that the greatest of sorcerers and magi were in the Neutral. This is a testament to how strong their magic is.
Now there you have the paths, their duties, and their powers. Now you have five minutes to choose."
Naruto sat down and thought about his choices. His face scrunched up in thought, 'Well, if I were to take the Darkness, I would be able to get revenge on the village. I would also be very powerful, I could become a legend. However, I would be forced to destroy worlds for no reason, and be unable to protect the weak. I'd be bound to that.
If I chose the Light, I could protect the weak and also become strong. I could also be a legend in the Light. I would however have to protect all of the damned villagers and help them. I couldn't get any vengeance either. I'd be bound in fighting the Darkness for my entire life as well.
Now the Neutral, that doesn't appeal in any way. I will be unable to intervene in the interesting affairs of the Light and the Darkness. I also can't have much power, unless I become an outcast or a hermit. Nope that's out for sure.
I'm surrounded by unappealing paths, each one binding me to a different lifestyle. I would be unable to make my own decisions, always bound by a predetermined path. Hmmm……unless……..yes, that could work.'
Naruto stood up and said," I have made my decision. I have chosen….to follow the paths of the Darkness and the Light. I shall walk by these paths."
Kenshin burst out laughing before calming down and saying," Boy, you think this is a joke. You pick only one path. Do you know what happens when you mix Darkness and Light. Every single moment will be like hell as each action will clash with the Darkness or the Light. You'd go insane."
Naruto said simply," No, I refuse to. I shall abide by my choice."
Kenshin raised his voice," Boy, you are annoying me. Just pick a damn path already."
Naruto responded," I told you, I refuse to be bound by a predetermined path! I shall follow only my own decisions, I will not be controlled! As for the agonizing conflicting thoughts, if I protect the weak, then I fulfill the Light's duties, and if I get revenge, gain power, and cause murder regularly, then that covers the darkness, does it not?"
Kenshin stared into Naruto's determined eyes, before waving his hands, saying," Fine, whatever. When you go insane, it won't be my fault. Besides, its not like you will ever pass the Trials. Now, you will get the powers of the five pedestals. You will be healed, and you shall be sent to the Trials' briefing quarters. After that you will undergo the Trials. Goodbye, I hope I never have to see you again."
Naruto was about to say his good-byes, when he felt as if he was going through a wormhole of some sorts and he was being squeezed through a very thin tube. The sensation left him and he found himself in a courtyard that was empty.(think Lord of the Rings Minas Tirith courtyard)
He looked around until he heard a feminine voice speak up.
"So you are the latest-yawn-candidate. Pardon me, but I have just woken from a two hundred year sleep. We sleep until we must test a new candidate. Now as for your bodies' wounds."
She said," Curaga." and a bunch of green lights went around his body, healing any scars as they circled him. They went from top to bottom a before they disappeared, and Naruto felt revitalized.
Amazed Naruto looked down and saw that the scars and wounds he had from the Awakening had been perfectly healed.
Bewildered, Naruto asked," What was that? How did you do that?"
The voice spoke up," That was magic. It can be used to heal, protect, and kill. You can use the elements, pure magic, and much more. Simply say a word to cast a spell, for example saying fire while using a little mana and concentrating on fire appearing around your target, will make it appear. Say cure to heal, silence to deafen, blind to blind, etc. Understand. You can also make your own spells, but that's advanced."
Naruto said," I think I get it, Now when do I get the powers of the Light and the Darkness?"
The voice answered," Right now."
Two beams of light came at him hitting him and passing through his body. One was sickly black, and the other was bright silver.
Naruto said in disbelief," That's it? I don't feel any different. I thought I would get a lot stronger or something."
The voice chuckled," I know what you mean, but they are currently dormant in you. After you pass the Trials, you will have them unsealed. You will be unable to use them during the Trials as that is unfair.
Now as for the Trials, they are basically tests that are designed to see if you are worthy of the keyblades. They will test your battle prowess, adaptability, morals, mental astuteness, how fast can you learn, your instincts, and if you can face the Darkness/Light inside you. For one whole week you will try to survive. You need not worry about food, thirst, or sleep. Those will be taken out of your body's needs for the duration of the test. You'll have constantly ready energy reserves. Now any questions before you go?"
Naruto said," Can I die? Also, do I have to keep this a secret?"
The voice sighed before answering," You won't die in the Trials, nope, you'll just turn into a heartless or a nobody. There will be a guide to help you out on your journeys, and it could be anybody. You don't have to keep it secret, but its advisable that you do, because few would believe you. Also, some may believe you and try to control you or use you for your power. Finally, the cosmos will know someone became a keybearer. Not the mundane people, but those powerful in the Darkness, Light, or the Neutral. I doubt anyone from your world though. Goodbye."
Naruto felt himself be once more compressed and he found himself on a series of platforms connected by a rainbow-colored pathway, like the one he woke up on during the Awakening.
He heard a voice yell," Let the Trials begin. Day one of seven starts now!"
Next time:
Naruto has to face the first task. Can he handle the L.E./D.E. he has been given? Can he learn to control it, and save himself from dieing? Can he defeat the protector of the first task, Jack? Next time, Fights and New Techniques