Bethany moaned as she slept. The girl had a high fever, and was very restless. Kaguya had gotten her two children back home as soon as she'd found them. Whatever creature it was that put them in that situation hadn't been present at the scene, though she had felt the presence of a demonic entity all around the area. There had seemed to have been a battle in that forest, but there was no demon or monster nearby that she could find. This confused the woman, for if there had been a demon attacking her children, where had it gone? It's presence was too strong for it to have gotten very far, but there was nothing around- only it's presence. Kaguya sighed, sometimes she hated being the Rabbit Goddess more than anything else. Hamura seemed to be fine, simply exhausted, so she'd let him sleep.
The symptoms that Hagromo-Chan were showing however, had her worried. It appeared to be a high fever, and nothing she did seemed to be able to help it break. The goddess sighed again, before getting up and deciding to let her children get some rest. Besides, she could do with a walk to calm her mind. As she left, the presence that had appeared in the clearing where Bethany and Hamura had fought that demon materialised once again. He stared at the girl with an indescribable expression on his face, before merging with her body.
ĤŎ
The being that was now within Bethany's mind opened his Rinnegan eyes, and looked around the mindscape. The place was a huge library, with scrolls upon scrolls stacked neatly on shelves. This confused the man slightly, the 'new him' had only been alive for so long, how was it that she possessed so many memories and experiences? He shrugged, he supposed it didn't matter. And if it were really bothering him that much, he could always ask the girl himself when he found her. Walking through the library, the person felt around for the girl's chakra, finding it coming from a room of her mind not too far from him. As he walked, he thought about the child who now lived his life. He was able to pick up bits and pieces from her subconscious abstract thoughts. So Bethany was her name, or former name.
She seemed to know a lot about his world and the future of it. But she also seemed very worried by that future, very unsure of herself. Well, he thought, he would just have to change that, wouldn't he? Slowly, he came upon a huge room, a little smaller than the rest of the library, but still enormous in size. The whole place was orange, which he thought was a little odd, but this was her mind after all, and she could choose the colouring as she wished. He found her curled up in the middle of the room and he slowly approached her. Suddenly the girl stiffened and slowly uncurled herself. The being stopped and waited as she turned around and looked at him. Rinnegan eyes met Rinnegan eyes and she gasped. The being, who was a man, smiled softly, "hello, young one, you're name is Bethany, is it not?" he asked gently. Bethany nodded with wide eyes and slowly sat up, "you- you are, Sennin-Sama, right?" she asked breathlessly. The man, now identified as the original, male Sage of the Six Paths nodded, "yes, I am- it appears that we have much to discus, young one" he replied.
ĤŎ
The girl had just finished explaining to the sage about her life so far, and her worries. The sage, who had asked her to call him Hagromo, since she was Bethany within her own mind, agreed to help train her and her brother, and also to teach her about Ninshu so that she could teach the world when it was time. "Hagromo-Sama, do you really believe that I can do it? that I can live up to your legend?" she asked softly. Hagromo nodded, "of course I do, I know that you will be just as strong as me in time" he replied equally as soft. Bethany stared at him, "but that's the problem!" she exclaimed, worried Rinnegan eyes never leaving his face, not bothering to use correct grammar, "I'm not you- I'm just- I'm just me- so how could I ever be as great as you were" she said softly, tears welling up in her eyes, "I want to help people, really I do- but how can I do that if I can't even- if I can't-" she burst into tears, collapsing to the ground and sobbing uncontrollably.
The man knelt next to her and held her while she cried, feeling her body shaking in his arms. Well, technically it was her mental representation of herself, but that didn't matter. "I am sorry," he whispered, "I do not know how this happened, but the fact that, even now you want help people, to do as I did, despite everything you might lose- you are a truly kind and loving child, Bethany, and you will not have to save this world alone" Hagromo said softly, causing Bethany to look up at him, "I will teach you everything I know, and do not forget, Hamura is here to help you as well- so do not fear- for you can do it" he told her with a smile. Bethany also allowed a small grateful smile to light her face as she wiped her eyes, "arigato, Hagromo-Sama" she replied equally as softly. Hagromo nodded, "now, I think it is time for you to wake up, before your mother starts to lose her self-control".
Bethany frowned, "um, about mother- I think it is going to happen soon, there is something off about her, and she is getting worse every day that we see her- that is one of the reasons that I am so worried, worried that we will not be strong enough when the time comes, worried that it will happen too early, and everyone will-" she paused and bit her lip, looking down at the ground. Suddenly she felt the sage's gentle hand on her shoulder, "everything will be fine, you must have faith in yourself- I promise you, you will become as strong as you need to, young Bethany- because it is not only yourself that you are fighting for, it is the world" he said as she looked up at him once again. Bethany gained a determined look in her eyes, "hai, I understand" she replied. The Sage nodded, "now, it is time to wake up" he said, as they faded from her mindscape.
ĤŎ
Bethany slowly opened her eyes, flinching slightly at the bright light, before opening them fully and looking around. When she saw the still form of Hamura lying in his bed across from her, the girl gasped, and shot out of bed, her exhaustion vanishing completely as if it had never been there at all. She walked up to him hurriedly, "brother?" she asked softly, panic quickly taking hold of her when she saw how still he was. The girl remembered using the Rinne Rebirth jutsu to bring her brother back to life, but she'd collapsed into unconsciousness before finding out if he'd truly been revived. Seeing him so still caused her to remember Hamura's death and her heart rate sped up. Reaching out, she took hold of his arm and gave him a light shake, "Hamura?" she asked, unable to stop that last scene from playing in her mind. Steeling herself, she gave him a stronger shove, "Hamura!" she cried, desperate.
The boy flinched, his pure white eyes snapping open, and gasping as he did so. He then closed his eyes and groaned, "Hagromo- ah, what-" he paused, his foggy mind trying to remember what had happened. Suddenly, the boy shot up into a sitting position, "Hagromo! That thing- that, that- demon!" he flinched again, holding his head, "be calm brother, the demon is gone, I killed it" Bethany explained, helping Hamura to sit up in a more comfortable manner. He looked confused, "you killed it? but how, the demon was so strong that we could not even defeat it together?" he asked. Bethany frowned, searching for their mother's chakra signature. Not sensing her anywhere nearby, the girl turned to face her twin again, a look of complete seriousness on her face. Seeing it made Hamura unconsciously sit up straighter, and give his full attention to his sister. "What I am about to tell and show you, you must not say a word about to mother, understood?" she asked, staring straight into her brothers white featureless orbs.
The boy nodded. Bethany took a deep breath and closed her eyes, sending chakra to them to activate her Dojutsu. Upon opening them, Hamura gasped. "your eyes, they are like mothers, but different" he said. Bethany nodded, "they appear to be new ones, I do not know what they are yet, but I have used them once already to banish the demon who killed you- and to bring you back to life" she explained, with sadness present in her voice. She didn't think that she would ever be able to get over Hamura's death, or her guilt over the event either. Her brother's eyes widened only a fraction, but Bethany could tell that he was incredibly shocked- well, being an 82 year old woman in spirit with more knowledge about their world than most people did have its advantages. "I-" he whispered, "really died? And then-" he gulped, "you were really able to bring me back to life?" he asked shakily.
Bethany frowned, "brother, calm yourself, panicking now would only cause you more problems" she said sternly, yet softly. The white-haired boy closed his eyes and breathed deeply for a few moments. When he opened his eyes again, he was back to his regular calm self, "forgive me sister, it is just-" he sighed softly, "the thought that I died is a frightening one, though I will say that I would not hesitate to do so again," silently prompting her brother to continue, Hamura shuffled slightly in an attempt to get comfortable on the bed, "the reason for this is a very simple one," he stared right into her yet-to-be legendary eyes, "you are my sister, and though I regret causing you so much pain in the wake of my death, I am sure I would not have been able to live with myself if I had allowed you to die instead- you are as precious to me as I am to you, and I want nothing more than to help you and make you happy," Bethany blinked and realised that she was crying, "so I would gladly die a thousand deaths if it meant that I could save you from the same fate," Hamura smiled, a gentle smile that he only ever gave to his sister, "because I love you too much to let you die" he whispered.
At this, Bethany broke down completely, and held her brother in her arms as she cried in joy, love and thanks. Her brother really did mean everything to her in this new life of hers, and she swore that no matter what, she would always keep him safe, just as much as he would for her. From the depths of her mindscape, Hagromo watched the two fondly. He had loved his brother as well, and he swore that he would help Bethany to keep hers safe from now on.
To Be Continued
