Naruto and its characters © Masashi Kishimoto
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you… the last chapter of "Ashes and Dust".
I recommend that you all visit darkness333 on deviantArt and check out her piece, "Ghost Container" if you haven't done so already. You will find that I drew a scene from her work. =)
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ASHES AND DUST
- 0
"What are you doing?"
Lee tried to pull a carefree smile though he knew it wouldn't do much against Tsunade's angry look. She had both of her hands on her hips and leaned forward with her upper body that made her look like a mother ready to scold her unruly son. She had the wrath of Ares descended from the high clouds to punish foolish mortals. She walked toward Lee and looked over his shoulder at the ruined sandbox. She furrowed her perfectly shaped brows and glared at Lee, throwing her arms over her large bosoms. Lee took a step back, shadowing the sandbox with his height.
"If you got something to get rid, there is a dumpster," Tsunade said.
"This is not what you think." Lee paused. He contemplated on telling Tsunade about the bodies scattered across her complex. From the look on her face and her behavior, Lee figured that she did know something that she wasn't willing to share. He groaned inwardly; the whole apartment was in on the murders. "I am sorry to have made a mess. I will clean it up."
"No, no, let me see what you're hiding."
"I am not hiding anything." Lee stopped Tsunade from approaching the sandbox. His landlord narrowed her eyes and pushed Lee aside. He was never a good liar and couldn't bring himself to hurt a lady.
"Oh my god… Is that… Oh god…" Tsunade stumbled away from the exposed hole with a hand over her mouth. She looked at Lee and looked at the hole. She looked like she was about to vomit out her inside. She turned away and walked toward the gate, but stopped halfway. She walked back next toward Lee and grabbed him hard by his elbows. "Y-you…"
"We need to call the police," Lee said.
"The police? What? No, no, we can't call them." Tsunade threw her hand off Lee's elbow and shook her head. She turned her body at an angle and pressed her fingers against her temples. She turned back around and grabbed Lee tighter. She shook her head while she said, "We can't call the cops."
"There have been at least three murders committed here… We have to call the authority." Lee wasn't entirely surprised at Tsunade's reluctance to alert the authority. He knew she was aware. "I hope… you are not responsible."
"No, you don't understand, Lee. If the cops get here and find these bodies, it's going to be a huge deal. The news will be here and you know what's going to happen next? People are going to know and no one ever wants to live in a place where people got killed!"
"I understand your concern… but that is a very horrible thing for you to say," Lee said, furrowing his thick brows at Tsunade's lack of ethic.
"I-I need this place, Lee, I need to keep this place running. I need the money. Do you have any idea how much debt I am in? I can't lose this place. You call the cops and I'll be ruined."
Lee winced at how hard Tsunade was holding his arms. Her manicured nails were digging deep into his flesh. He shrugged her off, shaking his head in disapproval. Tsunade launched forward and grabbed a hold of him again. He never thought a lady of her age could be so strong. He fought against her but found that Tsunade was, somehow, overpowering him.
"Please let me go," Lee said, batting Tsunade's hand.
"Look, look, Lee, I-I'll make you a deal. I will… what do you want? I will give you two months free of rent, how's that? You like that?"
"You are mad!" Lee pushed Tsunade off of him. He didn't mean to send her landing on the playground floor but he did. He felt a little remorse for hurting her but justice needed to be done. "Forgive me, but I have to do what is right."
"Yeah… sure… then… hey…" Tsunade got herself off the ground. She groaned, holding her hand behind her back. "Ugh, forgive me for doing this."
Lee saw it coming but he didn't see it coming. Tsunade tackled him to the ground with the strength of a titan. He couldn't even catch her before he plummeted to the ground. He hit the back of his head against the wooden border of the sandbox. A fast numbness tickled down his spine. He twitched a little before he regained his composure and looked up at Tsunade just in time to see her hitting the side of his head with a rock. He moved his head along with the motion of Tsunade's blow. He let out a quiet gasp of pain before Tsunade stuck him again. He brought his head up to hold his head. He felt Tsunade's weight leaving his body and took a sharp breath. He stared up at the sky and only saw flashes of white. Then darkness came over.
Lee tried to count how many times he had passed out over the course of the week. He sat up, rubbing the side of his throbbing head. He didn't need to look around to know that he was back inside his apartment. He was becoming more familiar with his carpet than he liked to be. He stood – or tried to – and decided that he needed to stay low for a little longer. The apartment was dark because his curtains were drawn. He got on his knees and crawled his way to the window seat. He pushed himself up and leaned against the hard wall. He hadn't even had a chance to enjoy the window seat once since he moved in. He steadied his breath, feeling a little disoriented. He held his head while he used his free hand to yank open his newly installed curtain. He closed his eyes, expecting the afternoon light to wash over him. Darkness still lingered. He turned toward the window and blinked. His window was blocked by a metal plate from the outside. He reached for the lock and pushed open the window; the glass hit the plate in about an inch. He slipped his fingers through the gap and tapped the plate. He concluded that he wasn't seeing thing and that there was indeed something blocking his window. He stepped down from the window seat and staggered his way toward the front door. He worked the locks and dragged open the door to be greeted by a metal fence, like the one that stores used in the shopping mall. He clanked on the fence; it echoed through his apartment. He fell on his bottom to the floor. He pulled his head between his legs. A horrible pain ached from the back of his neck. He was fairly certain that he was trapped inside his apartment. No doubt it was the handy work of Tsunade. He couldn't believe how far she would go to protect her business. He blamed himself for underestimating her.
Lee made his way to the sofa and rested on it. He needed to gain back his strength before he could do anything. He could hardly even think properly at the moment. He rubbed his head and a crust of dried blood fell from his hair. He put his head down and sighed; even breathing was painful to his head. He glanced over at the dining table and saw that his cell phone was missing. He might have suffered from head injury but Lee always remembered where he left his belongings. He would swear on his life that he had left his phone on the table and he had a good idea what happened to it. He didn't even want to think what Tsunade was planning to do by putting him in house arrest. He had some food and water that could keep him alive for a few days. He did wonder how long he could last without seeing sunlight. He remembered Naruto and how disturbed he was facing the blocked out window. Lee rolled on to his side and faced the backseat of the sofa. He pushed himself up and saw that the hole was gone. He really doubted that Tsunade could find concrete and filled up the wall like there had never been a hole there. He knocked on the wall and heard how solid it was. He shuddered. He had been scared and frightened a few times already, but it was really the first time he had ever been crept out by the apartment. He sat on the sofa, not knowing what to do. If there was even anything he could do to save himself. He wanted to smack himself for not leaving the place when he had the chance. He was now stuck here with no way out.
The doorbell startled him out of his mind. He stumbled over to the front door that he had left open. The fence rattled ferociously. It looked like something was trying to get in through the other side. Lee kept his distance.
"Hello? Is someone out there?" Lee shouted through the loud rattling. "I-I am trapped in here. Please help me."
The rattling stopped. The fence stood still. Silence stifled the atmosphere. Lee held his breath, waiting for something to answer him. He heard a light footstep.
"I-I… am… am sorry." It was Hinata. "I…I di-didn't know…"
"Hinata? Can you help me?"
"I… No… Um… I-I d-don't think so…"
"What is wrong with this place? You must know. Please, Hinata, please tell me." Lee leaned on the fence. He kneeled down to see if he could pull it up but it was bolted to the ground. He stayed down and rested against the door. His head still hurt.
"A… really bad… um… person used to… l-live here," Hinata stammered. He could hear that she had settled down to his level on the other side. "His n-name w-was… Y-Yashamaru and h-he… um… took his ni-niece and nephews here and um…"
"He killed them?"
"Y-yes…"
"Why? I found some kind of prayers around here. Do you know what he was trying to do?"
"N-no… I-I don't… When I came here… th-they were already…"
"I see," Lee said. He squeezed his eyes and cleared his thought. "What happened to you, Hinata?"
"M-My dad k-kicked me out… and I was looking for… um… a place to live… That's when… I saw his ads… in the paper… He said he needed… someone to… help with his r-rent… and I thought it would be p-perfect b-because I n-needed s-somewhere cheap…"
"He lured you in…"
"He s-seemed… like… a really nice m-man when I m-met him…"
"I am… very sorry."
"W-When I c-came to… I was… not… myself anymore… I c-couldn't leave… here…"
"Is there something I can do to help you?" Lee turned toward the fence. Though he couldn't see it, he felt Hinata looking back at him.
"I… I don't know… J-Jiraiya tried to h-help… he said that I was… um… cursed… and that…"
"I need to find a way to break the curse in order to free you," Lee finished the sentence for her. He held his chin with his fingers and tried to think.
"Y-yes…"
"Do you think it is related to the three people he killed? If I help them, can I help you too?"
"It may just work."
Lee stood up straight. He frowned at the new voice that joined the conversation. The fence made it a little difficult to hear but he knew for sure that it was Iruka's voice. He heard shuffling and sensed that Iruka had sat down as well. He heard a faint shuddering from Hinata. At the moment, he couldn't determine if Iruka was a friend or a foe.
"How are you, Lee? Are you comfortable?"
Foe, definitely a foe. Lee clutched his jeans and calmed himself. He wanted to find out how Iruka was involved; it was hard to believe it, he seemed like such a nice person. Then again, Hinata said the same about the murderer.
"Let me fill you in on what happened," Iruka said softly, like he was about to tell a bedtime story. "Yashamaru lost his sister a long time ago and he never got over her death. He learned from somewhere that there was a way to bring her back. What he needed to do was to trade for her life back. They had to be related to her by blood. Seeing as how he was her only brother, he needed someone else to fill the role. Lucky for him, his sister had three children before she died. He took them here and offered them one by one from the oldest to the youngest. He was so set on the thought that it would work." He chuckled and sighed with pity.
"What happened…? It did not work?"
"It worked… but whatever he brought back to life wasn't his sister anymore. It was a monster… a demon from the depth of hell. The demon needed a host to live," Iruka paused. Lee could sense him gesturing at Hinata, "and that is where Hinata came in. Yashamaru sealed the soul inside Hinata's body. Poor Hinata is now forced to wander. He hid her real body somewhere, waiting for his sister to wake. He dumped the siblings' bodies around Leaf Village… as you are aware."
"This is insane," Lee muttered.
"The siblings have been haunting the apartment ever since and you've been helping them by finding their bodies… a very, very bad move."
"Why? I only wanted to help them."
"The demon will wake up. In a way, they have been keeping their mother under control. Now that you've set them free, who knows what will happen? That's why Tsunade and I have decided to lock you in."
"I knew she was part of it!" Lee stood up. He banged on the fence with his fists. It left some dents but he wasn't close to breaking free. "Why are you doing this to me!"
"My speculation is that we will need someone new to keep the demon under control. You're strong, Lee, you will do very well against it."
"What are you saying!?"
"I'm sorry to tell you that we had to… sacrifice… your blonde friend. I promise you she didn't go through any pain," Iruka said.
"You bastard!" Lee shouted. He couldn't remember the last time he had used a curse word. It was probably when Neji beat him for ten consecutive times at Street Fighters in fourth grade. He hardened his fist and punched as hard at the metal as he could. It stung and he let out a frustrated and pained cry.
"Your other friend, the brunette, will also be joining you."
"If you lay a finger on Tenten, I will kill you!" Lee punched it again, throwing his whole weight in. "I will kill you!"
"I'm really sorry. If we had a choice, we wouldn't want to hurt you," Iruka said sincerely. Lee was too angry to hear his apology. He could hear Iruka standing up. "I'm sorry… but please die for all of our sake, Lee."
"Iruka! Where is Tenten! Let her go! Let her go!" He pounded with as much force as he could. The fence clanked under his strikes but it didn't budge. He heard Iruka walking away. "Hinata? Are you still here? Please help me, Hinata."
"I-I… d-don't know… wh-what to do…"
"Please… please help me. I need you, Hinata," Lee said, his voice breaking. "I cannot let him do anything to Tenten…"
"I… I…"
"Please…. Please…" Two hot trails of tears cascaded down his cheeks. He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his forehead against the cold metal. He could never forgive him for what he put Tenten through. He was already hating himself beyond words. "Hinata, please help me…"
"I-I… Ah! I-I will… ask Naruto… he… can help."
"Yes! Yes, please do. Thank you, thank you!"
"W-wait for me."
Lee sniffled and wiped his face clear of tears. If Tenten saw him crying, she would surely make fun of him. He steadied his pace around the living room. According to Iruka, he had set the siblings free. There was a possibility that the demon he had mentioned would burst out of the wall and eat him. He needed something to defend himself though he could hardly imagine what would be useful against demons. He looked through the knives in the drawer just in case. It probably wouldn't do much against creatures from another realm but he could use it to stab the heck out of Iruka and Tsunade. He clutched his hands and suppressed the urge to shout out a long string of profanity. Lee generally liked everyone; but he was definitely putting Iruka and Tsunade on his blacklist.
"Are you leaving already?"
Lee looked down the hallway to the bedroom. He saw the redhead child holding Mr. Bear. He hid half of his body behind the doorframe. He looked shy and almost scared to show his face. Lee felt a pang in his chest. The child was so young; he didn't deserve to die. Lee walked toward the bedroom. The child retreated back inside the room. Lee followed him and found him sitting on his bed, playing with Mr. Bear's arms.
"Why are you still here?" Lee asked. It was hard to believe that the little boy in front of him was the same thing – person – that had caused him so much terror.
"I wanted to say good-bye," the redhead answered in a soft voice. He gazed at Lee for a few seconds before he looked away. He bounced the bear in his laps. "Can I have him?"
"Of course. Where are your sister and brother?"
"They left already. I am going soon too…" He lowered his head. Sorrow took over his young face.
"Hey…" Lee bolded his heart and kneeled in front of the boy. He smiled and said, "You are not alone."
The boy nodded and climbed off the bed. He clutched his new bear in his chest and walked toward the front door. Lee followed him out and watched him walk through the fence that confined him. Before the child disappeared, he turned his head and looked at Lee one last time.
"Bye," he said.
"Take care," Lee waved.
The air in the apartment felt lighter the second the ghost left. Lee breathed out of his mouth. He felt relieved that he at least helped three lives. He was quickly reminded by the fact that he had caused two to die in order to save the three. He also wanted to help Hinata even though he had little idea how to. Speaking of Hinata, she should've returned already. Lee paced about the door nervously. The calm and relief he had felt moments ago were boiling down to a panic. He ran his fingers through his matted hair. The air that was lighter was now becoming heavier and thicker. He gulped when he saw a dense fog forming around him. Its ash-like color obscured his view of the rest of the apartment. It filled up the space quickly. Lee could barely see in front of him. He felt his way around until he reached the cold metal fence. He silently prayed for Hinata to make haste. He kept a grip on the doorknob to anchor himself.
"L-Lee…" Hinata shouted on the other side of the fence. "S-stay back…!"
"Here we go…"
Lee recognized it to be Naruto's voice before a loud clang startled him. He waved the fog out of his face and saw that they had successfully made a dent in the fence. He heard Naruto grunt as he tried to pry the metal wide open. Lee saw the tip of an axe before Naruto pulled it out and hacked at the fence again. Meanwhile, the fog thickened around him. Lee wasn't sure why but he thought it was a good idea not to inhale the fog, which was gaining a light crimson hue. The fog expanded heavier and assumed a mist-like quality. Lee felt moisture in his nose when he breathed.
"Please hurry," Lee said.
"We are trying," Naruto responded with frustration. He did notice that Naruto sounded a little more energetic than last time. "He-yah!"
The three of them screamed at the same time. Mauve sparks of lightning exploded. From the slits that Naruto had made with the axe, black goo-like substance poured out. Lee stumbled back, holding an arm over his face. The thick fluid slobbered to the carpet. It came to life and slithered toward him like snakes. Lee took another step away to dodge the snakes. He heard Naruto hacking frantically at the metal. Naruto reached in his fingers, smothered with the black goo, and tried to use his hands to pry open the metal.
"Give me the axe," Lee shouted just as another spark of lightning crackled. "I will open it from my side."
"Alright, here you go." Naruto shoved the axe, barely, through one of the gaps he had made. The blade and the handle were swallowed in the black fluid. "Hurry up!"
Lee gripped the axe and readied himself for his swing. He had to wait for the purple electric sparks to die down. He didn't know what they were exactly, but he knew they weren't good. They weren't good at all. He took a deep breath when he saw his opening. He was ready to land his strike but never got to it. He forgot to breathe as a black snake launched toward him from the door. It opened its mouth. Its slender tongue danced as its red eyes flashed. Lee leaned toward the left to dodge out of the way. He didn't need. An ashy arm erupted from his chest and gripped the snake by its neck. The arm crushed the snake, rendering it back to black goo that splattered loudly as it hit the carpet. Lee didn't celebrate the defeat of the snake. He panted and looked down at his arm. Another arm, an equally ashy arm, was ripping through his flesh and welcoming itself to the world. He gasped in horror when he felt a third arm coming out of his back. He stopped breathing when the arms wiggled and moved out of their own wills. Lee loosened his grip on the axe and it fell to the floor. It hurt his insides when the arms moved.
"Lee!" Hinata screamed. It was the loudest Lee had ever heard her spoke. "It… it-it is… here!"
Lee didn't need to ask what 'it' was. He kept his eyes wide open and swallowed the odd pain of having extra appendages. The sparks hissed. A monstrous, animal-like arm with claws pushed through one of the gaps. It broke wide open the hole. Its other arm appeared. Lee wanted to move away but his legs weren't responding. He stared at the demon with a blank face. The demon snarled and made a sound that resembled a chuckling. It crawled into Lee's apartment on its hands and knees. Lee didn't quite know how to describe his uninvited guest. He understood now what Iruka meant when he said 'it wasn't his sister anymore'. The creature in front of him was drenched in black goo and had a human-like heads. Its disproportionally large limbs weren't in the right places, and its head was on upside down. Its tongue, freakishly long, licked at the dead snake goo on the floor. When it stood up straight, it stood on its hand and a foot that bent at an awkward angle. Its hair dripped constantly. Its eyes were amber that flicked on and off like the damn hallway light. It crackled. Lee shivered. It took a step toward Lee. With its arm and leg at different height, it leaned toward its left as it walked.
Lee staggered backward. His foot hit the axe. He bent down to pick it up but the ashy arm on his arm got to it first. It clutched the axe and threw it toward the demon. The axe hit it in the side of its head but it didn't stop it from advancing. The arm in his chest pulled Lee toward the demon. Lee yelped as the arm swapped at the demon like it was an obnoxious fly. The demon brought its hand up and gripped the ashy arm. It ripped it clean out of Lee's chest. Lee twitched; he felt like it was his own arm that had been ripped off. He gagged and clutched his chest. There was really an empty hole there. He looked down and could see his part of his exposed ribcage. He even saw the corner of his heart pumping blood to the rest of his body. He bent forward; the arm on his back was trying to attack. It suffered the same fate.
"Ahhhhhggahh!" Lee cried. He fell on his knees. He held his chest to stop the blood flow. He felt his back damped with blood. He lifted his glance up at the demon. It showed its white fangs. Lee followed its hand to his arm. The extra limb struggled frantically but hopelessly. The demon amputated the ashy arm with one pull. Lee tossed his head up and screamed, "AAAAAAHHHH!"
He fell flat on the floor. The goo snakes slithered toward him. He could tell they were hungry by the look in their fiery eyes. The snakes climbed all around him. They tickled Lee with their saliva-filled tongues. He lied in a puddle of his own blood. One snake drilled itself into the wound on his back. He squelched when he felt the snake slipped inside him. His fingers twitched erratically as he felt the snaked moved beneath his skin. A few other snakes followed the lead and entered Lee's body through his wounds. Black goo oozed from his mouth. He felt something coming out of his eyes and thought it was tears. It was tears, only that it was black and gooey. He couldn't see anymore as the black goo obscured his sight. He let out a muffled yelp when the demon dug its claws into his flesh and lifted him off the ground. He blinked and managed to get some of the goo out of his eye socket. He saw the demon face-to-face. It widened its mouth. Its tongue ruffled through his hair. Lee didn't want to be eaten and he was, in a way, glad that he wasn't. He barely made a sound when the demon clawed open his stomach. He could feel his intestines spilling out and hitting the floor in a bloody pile. He felt it tugged at his stomach and his lungs. He was thankful that the pain didn't last too long. The demon reached up and slashed his throat in one clean move. Lee went limp. Blood purged itself from his body. He tasted blood and goo. His sight went white and all sensations left his mind. The demon dropped him and he felt himself hitting the carpet hard.
"I am sorry," Lee wordlessly said. "I am sorry…"
The End.
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Boyue's Note: And voila! This story is over. Do you all hate me for what I did to Lee? It's okay. I hate me too. Is this the ending? No, I wouldn't say so. I think I've left it open-ended. Is Lee really gone? What happened to Tenten? Is the demon on the loose now? What's the deal with Naruto? What's Iruka's problem? What's up with all of your plotholes? These are questions that you will ponder… or not. If I get reviews that want me to expand on the ending… I just might… :coughcough: … or not. O.o;;
Otherwise, thank you very much for reading this story! I appreciate each and every of your reviews. They filled with fluffy joy. I hope you will read more of my works in the future. Thank you again! =)
01.16.09
6:45 PM
