Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within
By Jolly
A Naruto/Type-Moon story
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Welcome to Chapter 7! The very first chapter to be written in Africa! (applause! applause!) In celebration, I've written an extra long chapter that gives a whole lot of the back story for all three arcs. I'm starting to wrap up the back story parts of this story, so if you're going to give some feedback about my OC, now is the time to do so. After next chapter, I'm either going to just roll with the story as is, or leave him on the cutting room floor (so to speak) based on my own opinion. I So without further ado, I bring you Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within: Chapter 7.
Enjoy!
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Shinjuku – 2 weeks prior
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Sayuri looked up at the giant of an American walking next to her with curiosity. While walking home from her school together the day before, Ryan had asked her if she knew of any martial arts dojo in the area around her apartment. She had told him that there was one a few blocks away, but asked to know the reason why he wanted to know. His reply had been, "I want to test my style against other styles while I'm traveling."
Sayuri had never seen him fight, but knew that he was strong simply by how he carried himself and by how he had dealt with that groper the first time they met. Even while always wearing that long trench coat of his, he didn't walk like a normal person would; he stalked. His gait reminded her of some of the nature shows she had watched on TV about jaguar and tigers. Also, his eyes were always tracking from side to side as he walked down the street. If she hadn't known that he was a kind person at heart, she would have been terrified of him.
"Ne, Ryan-kun... What fighting style do you use? I've never seen you actually fight before, and I didn't think you would spar with me if I asked because you would be afraid of hurting me."
"Well... It's hard to explain Sayuri-san. Mainly, my style focuses on debilitating my opponents as quickly as possible. I know that sounds like most other martial arts out there, but my style focuses on attacking joints with maximum force applied to the strikes," he said while continuing to scan the crowds.
"You're right, that does sound like most styles of martial arts... Is there any better way to explain it?"
"No, not really... I guess it'll make more sense once you see it. By the way, what style of fighting do they practice at this dojo we're going to?"
"Oh, just karate. Why?"
"No reason. I was just curious about what I'd be up against. Is this the place here?" he asked turning to the building they were about to pass.
"Oh! Yes this is the place. Let's go in."
Inside, Rito removed his boots and weapons before stepping inside the main dojo to find the master. In the training area was a class of beginners learning katas from a senior member of the dojo, while the intermediate and expert students were off to the side either watching or meditating. Rito couldn't be sure of who the master was just by looking, but figured he was the older looking man sitting directly behind the beginners while simultaneously watching them and talking to the slightly younger man next to him.
A young intermediate student spotted the two of them by the door and came to greet them. "Konnichiwa. Welcome to the Hatake Dojo. How might I help you today?"
"My name is Ryan Rito, and I'd like to test my style against the style of this dojo in a full contact match. No weapons, though I do wear wooden wrist guards for your protection, and I'd prefer to fight against one or more senior members or the master to avoid seriously injuring anyone," Rito declared loudly so that everyone in the dojo could hear.
The younger man that Rito had pegged as a senior student stood from behind the beginners and walked toward them. The class in progress had dispersed towards the walls as soon as the man stood up. The man stopped 10 feet away and addressed Rito. "My name is Hatake Kakashi, and I am the master and founder of this dojo. I must warn you that my style of karate is unique, though the unique parts aren't taught until the advanced classes," he said with a slight grin. "If I might ask, why is it for our protection that you wear wrist guards?"
Rito smiled back as all eyes turned back to him. "Because my wrists would hurt you more than wood will. Trust me."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but nodded his head. "As master of this dojo, I accept your challenge and your terms. You did say more than one opponent, correct? How many do you think you could handle?"
"As many as you want. Honestly, I've taken on six before and came out unscathed, but feel free to test my limits. That's the main reason I made this challenge. Also, if I best your students, I'd like to fight you, though I do not want to take your sign if I win," he said, still smiling.
"That's fine with me. Would you like to put on a gi before we start?"
"This is my gi," he said indicating his trench coat.
"Very well. Starting positions?"
"I'll stand there and your students can start from wherever they want to. We'll begin at your command."
Rito walked out to the center of the dojo and waited there in a relaxed stance. Kakashi noticed his walk and stance and reevaluated his original opinion of the man. He was definitely an opponent worthy of respect. He pointed at his 6 most senior students and told them to position themselves as they saw fit.
When everyone was in position, Sayuri went to sit along the wall to watch the match. Kakashi went and sat next to her. "So, out of curiosity, what is his style like?" he asked her.
Sayuri was surprised to be addressed by him, but didn't hesitate in her answer. "I don't know. I've never seen him fight or practice before. It looks like this will be an enlightening experience for everyone here."
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Rito was more than ready. This was his element. He hadn't had a good fight in years and he was planning on enjoying this one as much as possible. Six highly trained fighters with him in the most disadvantageous position? Absolute heaven!
"Remember, full contact everyone. I'll pay for any hospital bills. Come at me with the intent to kill, otherwise this will be over too quickly," he said with excitement in his eyes and voice.
"Begin!" Kakashi said, starting the match.
Rito sensed the roundhouse kick coming at his head from the enemy that was directly behind him as the five enemies in front of him rushed towards him in an obviously well coordinated attack. He knew the main threat was the enemy behind him.
He fluidly ducked below the kick as he turned around and brought his right elbow down onto the side of the man's knee, sending a sickening 'pop' through the entire dojo. The man, being no longer able to stand, started to fall as he screamed. Rito wasn't having any of that. He quickly grabbed the falling man and flung him at two of advancing men, knocking them both down in a heap.
The two attackers furthest from him paused in astonishment at the brutality of the challenger. They hadn't truly taken his advice seriously until right then. They glanced at each other briefly before going opposite directions to flank their deadly opponent.
Rito swiftly dealt with the one attacker that hadn't been knocked down and wasn't trying to flank him by using an arm bar takedown and kneeing him in the chest on the way down, cracking 2 ribs in the process. Continuing with the backward momentum caused by the knee strike, he spun the now useless fighter into the flanker that was coming in from his right, knocking him down as well.
The left flanker, seeing his opponents back, saw his perfect opportunity to attack and tried to take out Rito's legs with a low roundhouse kick. Once again, Rito sensed the attack from the rear and dealt with it in a less brutal fashion than the first man he had taken out. Still spinning from the throw, he used his momentum to bring his wrist down to block the kick as he started his own roundhouse kick to the man's jaw. The man crumpled where he stood, unconscious before he hit the floor.
"Stop!" Kakashi called out, standing up and signaling for others to help the fallen students.
Rito stood up out of his fighting stance and bowed to his opponents before turning to Kakashi. "I told them to attack me with the intent to kill..."
"Yes, but did you have to injure them so severely?!" Kakashi asked with fury.
"First off, I told you full contact and you accepted those terms. Secondly, none of your students are severely injured. The knee can be popped back into the joint, and he should be able to resume training in 3 weeks with bed rest. The cracked ribs will take longer to heal, but I'll point out that I could have easily caved in his chest by adding an elbow strike to his back. As for the unconscious one... well, he'll wake up in a few minutes. I must ask, are you still willing to fight me after seeing what I am capable of?"
By the end of Rito's response, Kakashi had managed to calm down and grudgingly admitted that the man was right. He had accepted the terms given, but he had made a grave error in underestimating him, even a little, because of his earlier assumption. His students had paid the price, but Rito-san had already told them he'd pay for the hospital bill. He shook his head at his mistake and looked Rito in his eyes.
"As you said, I accepted your challenge and terms, therefore I will fight you, but I wish to change the terms slightly."
"How so?"
"I'd like for you to remove you jacket before we fight."
Rito bowed and smiled slightly. "I'm sorry, but I cannot comply with your request. The jacket is an integral part of my style. However I might be able to comply if you can guess why that is so."
"After seeing you in action, I'm fine with that, but I must first ask you if there is some trick to your jacket that gives you an advantage over a third degree black belt in karate?"
"I wouldn't call it a trick. It's more a function of the jacket itself."
Kakashi looked him over from head to toe before he nodded his head and grinned with understanding. "I get it. So that's why you called it your gi. Your opponents can't tell what you're going to strike at them with. They can't even see any of your major joints with your jacket on, let alone if you might have any weapons on you. Ingenious... What do you call your style?"
He smiled with amusement. "I call it the Phantom Joint style."
"An apt name. So you will remove your jacket for our match?"
"I always keep my word. Now you'll see why it's absolutely imperative that I have my jacket when I use this style. If I'm right, you should wipe the floor with me. Feel free to get a little pay back for your students if you want. I don't think there's a lot I can do to stop you at this point," he said with a grin while removing his jacket and handing it to Sayuri to hold.
Sayuri took it without saying a word. At this point, she wasn't sure she could say anything after that display of strength! She finally came to her senses and hugged his jacket close as the two men faced off in the center of the room, taking in the scent that she'd grown accustomed to in the last week. After seeing him like this, she wasn't sure she would be able to let him go without a fight when he left next week.
And wait until she told her friends! It was a good thing she was recording the whole thing on her cell phone, or they'd never believe her!
"One moment Kakashi-sama, I need to take care of something real quick."
Rito dropped his stance and walked back over to Sayuri and knelt down so he was face to face with her. "Sayuri-san, if you wouldn't mind turning off the camera in your phone, I'd rather that everyone on the Internet not see my fighting style with my jacket off," he said smiling at her.
"Ano... sure Ryan-kun," she said as she blushed. She hadn't realized that he'd noticed, but when she thought about it, he was always looking everywhere when they were out. She turned her phone off and watched Rito as he stood up and walked back to his position with a smirk on his face. She loved that smirk of his. He almost always had it on his face. No matter what happened to him or what anybody said to or about him, it was a constant fixture.
The only time she'd seen him without it was when he was walking down the street looking around and when someone threatened or talked bad about her or one of his friends. Then his face turned cold and emotionless. That face scared her, but at the same time made her feel safe knowing that he wore it in her defense. She pulled the jacket close once again and watched the sparring match over the top of it with her nose buried in it.
Rito proceeded to get tossed around the dojo for the next 5 minutes, yet still got up again and again (even after a full force kick to the jaw), until the judge called the match over with Rito the loser. They both bowed once more before grinning at one another.
"Damn Kakashi-sama, you've got one hell of a kick! You even broke one of my wrist guards!"
"It's simply a matter of training. I must admit that you were telling the truth about your wrists though. I'm pretty sure you caused a bone bruise on my shin when you blocked the kick after that! Why are your wrists so hard?"
Rito shrugged, a very large bruise blossoming on his left cheek. "You know, I've never actually looked into that. I've just worked around it my whole life. Maybe I'll do some research now that you brought it up." Even beaten and limping, he had that smirk plastered to his face. "So did you get all the mad out of your system?"
"Actually, yes. Thank you for the excellent fight Rito-kun. Consider yourself welcome in this dojo at any time. Did you want to learn the style yourself?"
"If you don't mind, I'd like to watch your classes and incorporate what I can into my own style. The Phantom Joint is a 'living' style; I've created it from the ground up to make a style that works for me. If I can ever find a student that can handle the rigors of training, I may yet pass it down. When that happens, I will want to have added as much as I can to my style before then."
"Not at all. We practice daily at 10 AM and 7 PM, feel free to stop by anytime and watch. Now let us retire to the hospital and see how my students are fairing, shall we?"
"Sounds like a plan. Sayuri-san, are you ready to go?" he asked turning to the girl buried in his coat.
"Hai!" She jumped to her feet and moved quickly over to Rito, then touched his left cheek softly with her hand. "Does it hurt?"
"Only a little. It'll hurt more later. It's a good thing we're already on the way to the hospital, ne?" he asked coyly as he took his trench coat from her and put it on. The three of them walked out of the dojo together and Kakashi went to put on his street clothes while Sayuri and Rito put their shoes and boots and weapons back on respectively.
Rito put his earbud back into his right ear and leaned against the wall to wait. Sayuri leaned on the wall next to him watching him as he hummed softly. His face now had that slightly intense expression she had seen sometimes while he listened to his music. However since she didn't know much English, she couldn't always understand what the songs he sang along with meant. His favorite songs seemed to have deeper meanings than the words let on at first, and she was dying to know why.
She did catch one phrase that kept repeating that she understood, but she was curious as to why it was in one of his favorite songs and finally gathered the courage to ask him.
"Ne, Ryan-kun? Why do most of your favorite songs seem to depress you so much?"
"Ara? Hmm... I guess because they just have more meaning to me than other songs do. Why do you ask?"
"Eto... that song had one stanza that kept repeating, and it made you look even more sad than normal. I think it went:
'How can I be lost, if I've got nowhere to go?
Search for seas of gold, how come it's got so cold?
How can I be lost, in remembrance I relive?
So how can I blame you, when it's me I can't forgive?'"
"Heh... you understood that, huh?" he asked with a wry grin.
"Not all of it. Mostly just the last line. I started to try understanding English better when I kept hearing you sing. I wanted to know what was making you look so unhappy! I'm used to seeing you with a smile on your face! Ryan-kun isn't Ryan-kun unless he's smiling!" she said, getting louder as she continued and starting to tear up a bit from the emotion she put into it.
He reached out with his hand to wipe the tears that were forming in her eyes. "And Sayuri-san isn't Sayuri-san when she's crying over a guy like me. Even after seeing my ugly side in there, you still like me?"
"Of course! I know you only use that 'ugly' side when you're trying to protect someone! Think of how we met! The glare you gave that pervert terrified me! But when you smiled and asked if I wanted for you to stand behind me to stop it from happening again, I wasn't scared anymore. I felt like I was in the safest place in the world! You make me feel safe!"
Rito and Sayuri both knew that everybody in the dojo could probably hear them, but neither cared. This conversation would be a defining point in whatever relationship the two of them had in the future.
"Well, what if one day I wasn't there to protect you from something really dangerous? Then what? I'm not strong enough to go through that again!"
Again? So that's what it is! she thought to herself. "Ha! I'll just do the same thing I did before you showed up! I'm not helpless you know! You've taught me a lot in the last week and I learned a lot just by watching your fights in there! You won't have to worry about me when you go," she retorted, smoothly avoiding mentioning his slip-up. Her expression softened. "Just know that the spare bedroom is always open to you if you stop here again when you're leaving Japan."
Rito was ready to fight Sayuri on the matter, but stopped cold as her determined expression dissolved into one of plain acceptance. It was a look that brought back more memories than any of his songs did, and he looked away from her quickly. He took a couple of steadying breathes before returning his gaze to meet hers again.
"Fine... I won't push you away anymore, but it's going to take awhile before I'm ready to let myself fall in love again. Are you willing to wait around for me, even if that never happens? You may miss out on a lot of really great guys."
"Who I wait around for is none of your business Ryan Rito. So if it takes you twenty or thirty years to finally let yourself fall in love again, I may just be waiting here in Shinjuku for you to come sweep me off my feet. Or I might not. You'll just have to come back and see for yourself when that time comes, now won't you?" she asked tartly.
Rito couldn't help himself, he started laughing and just couldn't stop. Her imperious tone and attitude just cracked him up to no end. He looked up when he heard Sayuri laughing right along with him, not knowing that his laughter was infectious to her, and they both shared a good laugh after the harrowing ordeal.
Once they had finally calmed down, Rito had his normal smirk in place as he called out. "Alright Kakashi-sama, you can come out from around the corner now. We're done fighting loud enough for people on the street to hear."
Kakashi stepped out from around the corner where he had been listening in on their conversation. "Well it was very enlightening for me. I thought your form was different somehow, and now it makes sense. The Phantom Joint style wasn't created to defend yourself. It was created to defend others, wasn't it? Why else would it be so effective against such skilled attackers in such numbers? Not to mention brutal and heartless. If you think about it with the mindset of 'they're going to hurt the one I need to protect', it's the only thing that fits ."
Sayuri looked up at Rito in surprise. "Is that true Ryan-kun?"
Rito looked from Sayuri to Kakashi, then sighed as he shrugged before answering them. "Yes; the Phantom Joint style was created in order to defend others. And the more I want to defend a person, the more brutal the style becomes. I've got a lot of hate and anger that I've focused into creating this style, and it shines through in my fights when I concentrate on the memories that caused those emotions. I'll tell you both a secret. The ones responsible for the feelings that were the basis of this style are dead and gone, but their ilk still roam freely. That's why I created it."
"I see. In that case, you not only have my respect, but my condolences as well," he said as he bowed deeply to Rito. "I thank you for not killing my students, Rito-kun. I'm sure that if you were to truly concentrate on those memories, you could easily kill every one of my students and myself without even using the weapons you now carry in your holster and boot. It must have took great control to hold back as much as you did."
Rito returned the bow just as deeply as Kakashi had given. "No, I apologize for injuring them as much as I did. I'll pay for all of their medical expenses until they're completely recovered. Let's go see them now so that I can apologize in person."
Kakashi nodded and motioned for them to proceed him. His past affects him this deeply, even today. I just hope that Sayuri-san doesn't get heartbroken if he never recovers from what happened in his past. They both deserve happiness, but the question is 'will they find it with each other'?
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Mountain Mansion - Present day
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"You're eyes... They're red? How...?"
"This is my secret. I didn't even know about it until I was twelve."
"Didn't know about what exactly?" Shiki asked.
"About what was sealed inside of me at birth. For the first twelve years of my life, almost everyone in my village shunned me or just flat out ignored me and I never could figure out why. I had no parents, and the orphanage kicked me out when I was two years old and told me I was 'old enough to take care of myself'. The leader of our village, the Hokage, gave me a one bedroom apartment in the civilian section of the village so that I might be able to lead a vaguely normal life. He even assigned a covert guard unit to watch over me that he thought I wouldn't notice.
"As I got older, shops would either refuse me service or jack up the prices of their items to almost triple the normal price. The only exception was Ichiraku Ramen. That was my one safe haven away from home that I could go to and they would accept me for who I was. Then when I was old enough, I enrolled myself into the Academy. My dream is to become the greatest Hokage ever, so that I can protect everyone and everyone will acknowledge me for who I am. But that'll have to wait until we get back and rebuild the village."
The Tohno family stood there in shock as he told them about his past, hypnotized by both his story and his eyes. Even Hinata looked pale as he retold his grim past. Nanaya's curiosity got the better of her and she couldn't help but ask the question they were all dying to know. "Naruto-san, what exactly was sealed inside of you?"
Naruto looked her in the eye and gave her a grim smile. "I'm almost to that part Nanaya-san, but you need to hear the story first."
"The night I was born, my village was attacked. Hundreds of people were killed before the Yondaime Hokage arrived and defeated the enemy, sacrificing his own life in the process. It was said that the Yondaime had killed the enemy, and most of the people in the village went through their lives believing that story. However the soldiers of the village, the ninja, knew what really happened and were forbidden to talk about it in public."
"Wait, did you say ninja? As in the stealthy, assassin ninja of legend?" Shiki asked.
"Uhhh... Oh ya! I knew I forgot to tell you something! Both Hinata and myself are ninja. Assassinations are only a very tiny portion of what we do and they're mostly reserved for the higher ranking ninja. Mostly it's just stuff like escorting diplomats or being a courier for important documents."
Nanaya had been holding back her squeel of excitement, but when Naruto confirmed it, she let loose. "OMG! YOU'REAREALNINJA?! CANYOUREALLYRUNUPWALLSANDWALKONWATER?! CANYOUTEACHMEHOW?! PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE?!"
Everyone laughed at her enthusiasm once again. "Yes, I'm a real ninja, and I would love to teach you the basics, but right now you're not ready for it since you haven't even learned how to mold chakra. I'd give it a while before I tried to teach you anything like walking on water."
"Okay, Naruto-san... I'll be patient..." Nanaya said repentantly.
"Hahaha! It's okay Nanaya-san. Don't worry about it. So where was I? Oh ya! What really happened the night of the attack!"
"So you see, the Yondaime Hokage couldn't kill the enemy that attacked Konohagakure that night. No mortal can really kill an entity of pure chakra. So instead he sealed the entity inside of a newborn child, its umbilical cord freshly cut. It was the only way to keep the demon sealed away. If someone with a chakra network were to receive such a large concentration of chakra, it would overload their system and kill them, thus releasing the chakra. With a newborn, though, there is no network in place, so the body can easily accept the foreign chakra and adapt its developing chakra network to handle it.
"So when the Sandaime Hokage returned to his position as village leader, he decreed that no one could speak of what really happened that night, and that no one could tell anybody that didn't already know about it, including the child, under penalty of death. He tried to give the child a chance to grow up with peers who didn't see him as a monster.
"I grew up with cold stares and people calling me all sorts of names. At the time I thought nobody cared. I couldn't understand why people would call me the 'fox-brat' or the 'demon', I only understood that I wasn't wanted. When I attended the Ninja Academy, I thought that I might be able to make new friends, and I was able to, but a lot of the kids had learned to avoid me from the way their parents acted towards me. So to gain attention, I ended up turning into the class clown and the village prankster. I failed the final exams three times in a row because of one stupid jutsu.
"After that third failure, a lot of things happened, but I'll just give you the short version. I found out what was sealed inside me that night, and earned the right to be called a ninja from my teacher, Iruka-sensei. Over time the demon and I came to an understanding, and now we fight as one," he started to make the hand signs for the Mini-Kyuubi jutsu as his tale came to an end. "So without further ado, I give you my very own Demon Within: the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Mini-Kyuubi no jutsu!"
With a poof of smoke, a four foot tall, red-furred, nine-tailed fox appeared next to Naruto in the dining room. The maids were frozen, not knowing what to expect, while Shiki and Akiha stood up and backed away from the table and the Hinata jumped into the Gentle Fist stance.
"Relax you guys, he won't hurt any of you. We made a blood pact with each other. He's also Team Kakashi's emergency fourth member. Come on, Hinata-chan, do you really think I'd let Kyuubi out if he was a danger to you?" he said exasperated.
She dropped her stance and eyed the Kyuubi warily before relaxing and smiling at Naruto. "No you wouldn't Naruto-kun. I'm sorry I reacted the way I did. I apologize for my behavior, Kyuubi-sama," she said while bowing towards the Kyuubi.
"Looks like the Hyuuga aren't all as stuck-up and hidebound as I remember them being. Don't worry about it Hinata-chan. I've already told the brat that if he let you go, I'd break our pact and kill him myself to make sure his stupidity didn't carry on to the next generation. Oh and feel free to drop the title. I'm sure we'll get to know each other very well in the future, what with you being the brat's mate and all," he said with wry humor plain in his voice and expression.
Hinata couldn't help herself; she burst out laughing while blushing like crazy. Shiki and Akiha exchanged a glance and shrugged at each other before sitting down at the table once again. Once Hinata had control of herself again, she smiled at the Kyuubi. "I'd like that very much Kyuubi. Though I'm curious as to whether you assist Team Kakashi in that form? You'd seem more like a summon than an actual team member looking like that and I don't believe that you would stand to let anyone mistake you for a mere summon."
Kyuubi looked over at Naruto with a foxy grin. "I told you she was sharp. You're right Hinata-chan, I don't normally help Team Kakashi in this form. Kit?"
Naruto had already started to make the abbreviated hand signs that were needed to change the Mini-Kyuubi into the Kyuubi Clone and finished as Kyuubi turned it's head to him the second time. "Coming right up! Kyuubi bushin no jutsu!"
Another cloud of smoke appeared in the room and when it cleared there was a six foot tall, orange-haired, red-eyed, trim and muscular male wearing an identical outfit to Naruto's normal outfit, but with a crimson red shirt instead of a black one.
"Is this better?"
"Whoa... How long can you stay in that form?"
Kyuubi chuckled. "I can only stay in this form for as long as the Kit lets me. If his chakra that was molded into the clone runs out, my erratic chakra will destroy the clone very quickly. So the more of his chakra he puts into the clone, the longer I'm able to walk about in the world like this."
"Right now, he should stick around for a half hour or so. So does this answer your original question, Akiha-san?"
Akiha tore her attention from the giant of a man sitting down at the table and stared at Naruto. "In spades, Uzumaki-san. This may actually explain a few other things I've been wondering about since you got here."
"So I guess you'll be staying for tea?" Shiki asked Kyuubi with a grin. "Nanaya? Could you please bring another cup of tea for Kyuubi-sama?"
"Sure thing Shiki-san!" Nanaya quipped with a smile as she left the dining room to go fulfill the request.
"To be honest I'm very curious about you, young lady. It feels as if you have my power within you like the Kit does, just to a lesser extent. Why is that?"
"Yes, I felt much the same way when I first met Uzumaki-san; I couldn't figure out why he emanated such a similar aura to those with Tohno blood. My power may very well have something to do with you if indeed you were the one responsible for that portal that these two came out of."
"What do you mean?"
"The aura you emanate feels exactly the same as the one I give off when I use my powers. I think the 'cursed' blood of the Tohno family may originate from you somehow."
"That seems unlikely. I have never met anyone with the surname of Tohno either time I visited this dimension."
"Wait! You mean you've been here before? Why didn't you say anything to me?!" Naruto yelled.
"I did tell you. You were just so intent on getting to your mate that you blew me off."
Naruto was absolutely stunned. He vaguely remembered Kyuubi telling him about traveling to other dimensions or worlds, but he thought that Kyuubi was just screwing with him.
"Close you mouth before flies take advantage, Kit."
Naruto's mouth 'clomped' shut and he gave Kyuubi a dirty look and stuck out his tongue.
Akiha sighed as she brought her hand to cover her face. After a moment in that position, she lowered her hand and turned to Hisui, who was still standing along the wall. "Hisui, go to Father's office and bring me the book in the bottom drawer of his desk."
"Hai, Akiha-sama."
Hisui passed Nanaya in the doorway as she came back with another saucer with a cup of tea on it for Kyuubi. "Would you like any sugar or cream, Kyuubi-sama?"
"No, thank you," he said as he took a sip. "Mmm... the quality of tea has improved over the last several hundred years. I'm glad I had the opportunity to sample such a fine quality leaf."
Nanaya bowed to Kyuubi and blushed slightly at the praise. "Arigato, Kyuubi-sama. I'm glad that you enjoy my personal blend of tea leaves that much. If you ever want more, simply ask."
"This is your personal blend? Gir-... no, Nanaya-san... we must make time later to sit down and discuss how you came up with such a superb combination of flavors. However I believe we were originally discussing the genesis of your power were we not, young lady?"
Both Naruto and Akiha were slightly miffed by the fact that Kyuubi had addressed both Nanaya and Hinata by their names before either of them, but Naruto was forced to laugh at the fact that he still called Akiha 'young lady', much to the girl's chagrin. At least he knew it wasn't just because they were girls.
"We were, and we shall continue that discussion when Hisui returns with the book. Until then let's enjoy this wonderful tea, shall we?"
Nobody in the room was fooled by her expression. They all knew she was feeling slightly off-put from the incident with Nanaya and Kyuubi and was just using the time waiting for Hisui to regain her composure.
They didn't have to wait long as Hisui returned a couple of minutes later with a large threadbare book in her arms. She walked to Akiha and placed the book in front of her on the table. "Thank you, Hisui. Now, let's see what we have here." Akiha opened the book and started to turn the pages with great care. As she was browsing through the book, she began her explanation.
"When the Tohno clan was first formed during the Eto Period, they were just a simple clan of merchants composed of mainly small businessmen. As the Clan grew in power and wealth, they began seeking new means of revenue and formed a coalition composed of other large merchant clans.
"According to the books on our clan's history in Father's library, sometime between five and eight hundred years ago, the Tohno and Kouma clans came across a demon and managed to convince it to mix it's blood with theirs in order to gain even more power. This is the first and only reference to the demon in any of the texts I could get my hands on, and nothing ever mentions what payment was given to gain the demon's favor or what kept it from coming back."
Naruto noticed Kyuubi stiffen at the mention of the Kouma clan, and had been staring at Akiha with renewed interest ever since. Naruto knew that Kyuubi had just figured something out, but was keeping it to himself. Akiha continued her monologue, completely oblivious to her audience.
"From that point on, mixed blood children started to show up in most branches of both families, until finally the main houses of Tohno and Kouma were entirely of mixed blood. The main reason I say the main houses is because after the first couple of generations, almost all of the mixed blood members started to have Inversion Impulses. One day they would have complete control over whatever power they had, and the next they would become bloodthirsty monsters with no form of sanity whatsoever. Those members of the clans who were not of mixed blood or did not have any powers were shifted into branch families for their safety.
"The threat of Inverting is still alive to this day, but seeing as I am the last living blood Tohno, that threat will end with my death. The Kouma family fell off the face of the earth a few years back, so I have no idea what their situation is."
"It sounds to me as if those clans got what they deserved. Making deals with demons is risky business you know. So am I to understand that you do not plan to have offspring?"
Akiha looked up from the book in surprise at the unusual question. She held her gaze to Kyuubi's, trying to pick up any clues as to the reason from him through his body language, before answering. "That is correct. The only man I have ever cared about in that way is unavailable and I refuse to have a child with someone I do not love. The Tohno clan that was cursed those many hundreds of years ago will end with me. I hope that my Nii-san will change the Tohno clan into a clan that will be open and loving towards one another after I'm gone."
"Wait, back up a second. Shiki isn't your real brother?" Naruto asked looking back and forth between Shiki and Akiha.
"No, I was adopted by the Tohno clan about nine years ago after my birth family was massacred by them. I didn't find that particular bit of information out until a few months ago, but Akiha and I still consider each other the only family we have now. Well, Hisui and Nanaya, too," he said smiling at the maids. He took his sister's lead in not mentioning that he was the one Akiha was in love with or the fact that he and Hisui were an item. There were going to be enough personal details revealed tonight.
"I was born into a clan of demon slaying assassins. My clan members all had superhuman strength and speed when it came to fighting inhuman creatures. The only reason my blood didn't take over when the Kyuubi appeared is because I was expecting something unusual to happen when you told your I was able to keep myself in check. Otherwise, Kyuubi would probably be dead right now."
"Impossible. There's no way to kill a being of pure chakra."
"Kyuubi, I'd keep my assumptions to myself for the time being if I were you. You don't know anything about my powers yet. Especially since my powers don't originate from demons like my sister's do."
Kyuubi growled slightly at what he thought was impertinence from Shiki. Naruto reached over and put a hand on Kyuubi's shoulder. "Cool it Kyuubi. The fact that they didn't seem too surprised about you showing up out of nowhere says to me that they've got some interesting powers themselves." Kyuubi glared at Naruto briefly before nodding sharply and returned his attention to Akiha. "You were saying, young lady?"
"Continuing with the original subject..." Akiha said, breaking the tension in the room, "the reason I had Hisui retrieve the family tree was because I wanted to see if Hyuuga-san might be able to read under the scribble covering the name of the original mixed blood family member. It's quite obvious after your earlier display that your eyes see much more detail than those of us with normal eyes, Hyuuga-san," she said with a grin.
"Yes that's true. My eyes might be able to see the original text, but I won't promise you that they will. Any number of things might prevent me from being able to read it. Where is the name at?"
Akiha turned the book towards Hinata and pointed to a scribble off to the side under the heading for one of the smaller, less wealthy families that made up the original Tohno clan and had married into the Kouma clan.
Hinata closed her eyes and concentrated her chakra into her eyes to activate her bloodline as she opened them. "Byakugan!"
Kyuubi was staring at Hinatalike like she was the most important thing in the world yet looked like he wanted to kill somebody at the same time. Naruto tightened his grip slightly on Kyuubi's shoulder. "You know something don't you?" he asked in a whisper.
Kyuubi shook his head slightly, eyes never leaving Hinata's face. "It's just a hunch, but if your mate speaks the name I hope she doesn't then this situation will become very interesting," he answered just as quitely. Naruto nodded and loosened his grip again.
"It's hard to make out, but I can still read it," Hinata finally said.
"What's the name, Hyuuga-san?" Akiha asked with barely contained excitement. Everyone was on the edge of their figurative seats waiting for the answer.
"It says 'Kou- To-... The last two characters are illegible. From what you told us, the surname is most likely Kouma, but the given name could be anything. It says she was the eldest daughter of Haruka Touma and Shishio Touma, and that she 'mysteriously disappeared' at age seventeen soon after giving birth to triplets. Two of those babies were adopted into the Tohno clan while the last was raised by the girl's parents. They were the first three family members with mixed blood. Their names are so scratched out that I can't even tell their gender let alone their names.
Akiha sighed deeply and settled back into her chair looking deflated. "So I guess the only thing we really learned is that given name of the first person to spawn mixed blood children starts with 'To'."
"You may have only learned that much, but I learned a great deal more," Kyuubi said with a harrowed expression.
"So your hunch...?" Naruto asked.
"It appears so, Kit. It was her parent's names that proved my hunch to be true," Kyuubi said as he glanced at the boy before turning his attention to Akiha. "Akiha, it appears that your first impressions were correct."
"Wait, you mean...? The Tohno curse...? It... YOU?! I thought you said you never met anyone named Tohno!" Akiha screeched, completely shocked.
"It's true. I've never met a 'Tohno' in my entire existence before meeting you. My mate, however, was named Tomoyo Kouma: Your ancestor from seven hundred years ago. Which would make me-"
"MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER?!"
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Author's Notes
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Sorry for the abrupt end, but I finally went back and did some proofreading of the chapter and realized how LONG it was. So I found a point to close out the chapter! Once again, thanks to those who have commented and added this story to their alert list. It's been slow going finding time to sit down and get some writing done here in Africa, but I've going to make time so you're not waiting 2+ weeks for an update!!! Jet lag is killing me, but I will make the time!
Also, I've found that what author authors say is true: lot's of comments make you feel great! The more comments I get, the more inspiration and backing I feel when I'm writing! So if you like Mystic Eyes and the Demon Within, please comment and let me know how I'm doing and what you do and don't like about my story.
Looking forward to writing the next chapter! Ja-ne!