General Badaxe- Megaolix, nice thought. A clone of Lufia. As for him lacking emotion, he, above anyone else, knows how harsh the world can be. He is willing to help people, however, he won't shed a tear if they die. He will bring the killer to justice, however, how many of you, if I may ask, look in a paper and cry over the loss of someone you didn't know? I'm willing to bet not one of you do. So, why do you ask the same of Naruto? XxExX, I notice you say "So was that thing acting like it was Lufia, and doing something to Naruto while he was watching the fight in front of him?" I notice that you didn't even let it be mentioned that it might actually be Lufia. The Fifth Rider of Armageddon, Interesting name, not many people have a biblical name. Anyone who doesn't understand, if you want to, read the book of revelations in the hen you will understand. What is there to figure out? If you are trying to figure out what is, in Kakashi's own words, "Underneath the underneath" good luck with that. You will need it. denzenB Your suggestion with Hokara, trust me, I have already thought of that. As for what happens, I won't spoil anything. As for if Lufia was a fake or not, once again, read to find out. Sleepyreader, nice to see you are thinking, the black blood will remain a very important role in this story. Let us see how it evolves with the story, shall we? EvilFang, of course I love cliff hangers. How else am I supposed to get you people to come back begging for more? Rasengan-up-your-ass, maybe you need to re-read the story, I didn't give him the Sharingan. Also, I have thought about it, and thought about it and the applications, and I have come to the conclusion to not include Hinata in this fic. After all, this is to show how he would act around a bunch of people he hasn't known his entire life. It also keeps people from yelling at me on how I haven't portrayed a character correctly in a situation, because other people are apparently better at knowing how a certain character, Kiba for instance, would act in a given situation. In fact, I'm not sure I will have Naruto return to Konoha, but I will decide that bit if information at a later date. Also, when did Lufia get such a…powerful fan-base? I'm a little amazed at how many people have left messages praying that the "Lufia" that Karell killed was a fake. Also, I also had about three or four PM to my E-Mail not to kill her off. Maybe it is because you people want to see a relationship, or maybe it is some women who are happy to see a rather powerful female person among the group. Whatever the reason, you people must remember: I'm the one writing this fic. Try not to get too attached to a character. I love all of the characters I create, with all my soul. Even the monsters and villains, I don't create them to be a disgusting thing, symbolizing an obstacle the heroes must overcome, I also see them as my own children. I know that people die, and it is bound to happen to the family I love in real life. In fact, I put a little bit of a personality in everyone and everything I create. Even cities, towns, and who knows what else. I'm no fool, however. Death is a part of life, without death, what spurs us to do what we can with life? We want to be accomplished before I short life span is over, and as such, we strive to be better people. Even villains strive to be remembered, after all, the only people that truly die are the ones that are forgotten. As such, every time I kill a villain, monster, hero, I am effectively preparing myself for the death of a loved one, even if it is only little by little. I even kill myself in these things, trying to prepare myself for my own death. I know I will die, eventually. However, I plan to do something with my life, instead of just being another victim. Even if that difference is to a group of people I will never know, if I help just one person, I will be remembered. Well, now that that is over, let us see what happens, shall we?
I could only stare at the body, arms hacked off, legs cut into little thin slices of salami, and the torso sprinkled around the rest of the body like some sick seasoning, with the head, cut cleanly in two, standing upright with a giant gash down the center, a look of surprise and pain on the face. Red blood was surrounding the corpse, slowly sliding away from it as though it was also scared of the ghastly scene. Shock had rendered my body numb, making me drop to my knees. I could feel my mouth staying wide open, despite attempts to close it. I was quivering, my entire body was quivering. I was unable to tell if I was quivering because of shock or rage. My hands were clenched into fists; I couldn't do anything else with them. I couldn't flex the fingers; I couldn't move my thumb it was locked into a fist by some mystical force.
I regained a little strength, and I let instinct take over. I rushed at Karell, roaring at the top of my lungs, as I went to cut him down. Karell gave me an ice cold glare, a killer's glare. I stopped rushing at him, fear gripping my heart. Rage and fear took a hold of me, twisting my brain around their fingers, forcing me to serve them. I glared at Karell, at least, I was staring at him in anger, so I assume it was a glare. "Karell, Why did you kill her?!" I yelled at him, fury enveloping my voice.
"Isn't it obvious?" I heard a loud voice say, a voice I remember well. "He was doing his part as part for the race of humanity, killing that demon."
I. Was. Pissed. "Shut the Hell up!" I cried out, twisting my body violently, and launching a fireball at him. It traveled fast enough hat it was making a whistling sound, it bore all the fury I ha din myself at the moment. I saw the bald man get up rather quickly, and slash my fireball in half with his sword, before pointing his sword at me. I felt energy gather at the tip of the blade, and I saw a light explode from the tip. I jumped into the air, and forced myself to cover my face as the light burst into the ground, sending fragments of the ground up at me.
"Boy!" He cried at me, eyes glaring menacingly at me. "Don't test me. If I have to come down there, you know that we won't be living long, don't we?" He asked with fury etched into his voice.
Frankly, if he knew that attack, I doubt he was coming down here at all. And if that was only a warning shot…well, maybe I should bite my tongue a little. Oh screw it. "Burn in Hell old man! Come down here and I will personally bust your ass all the way across this field, do I make myself clear?!" I roared at him, filling my hand with a fireball.
I whipped my entire body around, and launched the fireball at the creature just staring at us. I'm guessing it took fencing lessons from that man up there, because it just slashed my fireball in half with a flick of the wrist, not even appearing to work hard to do it. It might be easy, but personally, I have never slashed a fireball with a sword, so what do I know?
"Naruto, calm down." Karell said, his voice one of control, despite being very pissed off a moment ago. "It won't do us any good to fight each other right now. Right now, we have to contend with this sucker." He told me, indicating the fleshy creature near us, still staring at us, that gaping mouth just hanging there. This creature was infuriating me, just looking at us, not even deeming us a threat, as though it already had this in the bag.
"Don't worry Naruto; I will explain why I had to kill our companion after this. You may not like me for it, but it was for the better, trust me on this." Karell said, in that calm voice of his. That voice drove me to the brink of anger, almost tipping me into madness. It wasn't because I thought he was lying, quite the opposite, it angered me because I believed he had a good reason for doing that despicable deed of his. I didn't want there to be a good reason, I just wanted something to take my anger out on. I guess that grotesque creature will have to do. I just wish that I had more than a single kunai for a weapon. Well, my fists should work nicely then.
Centering all of my anger into my chest, I let out a loud roar, and dashed after that soon to be carcass. It took a single slash at me, which I easily ducked under. However, I wasn't able to dodge the second blade, and the only thing that saved me was that I was hit with the flat part of the blade, and I was only sent sprawling along the ground. I jumped onto my feet, and shook my head. I was slightly dizzy, but it didn't last long. I heard the sound of metal clashing on a hard object, the creature must be engaging with Karell, only reason I can think of for the sound.
I heard the sound multiple times; I saw that Karell was on the offensive. I'll admit, that was a real good thing. Karell on defense means that there is a problem. Well, I wasn't staying out of the action. I put my hands to the ground, and focused some of the earth into my fingers. I forced enough dirt to completely coat the tips of my fingers, and then I lifted them and pointed them at the creature. Energy exploded inside of the clay, sending them forward like projectiles, at an incredibly fast pace. They smacked the creature in the back, and forced it to go off balance. Karell didn't miss this opportunity. He smashed the creature with his shoulder, and then kicked it slightly into the air. He then slid right under it, and twisted his body. He slashed upward, sending the creature into the air. Then he jumped after it. He kicked it even higher, then did a backwards flip and cut it even higher into the air. He then landed on the ground, and flipped backwards three times, while sheathing his sword in the middle of all that! He burst forward, running at the perfect pace to catch the creature as it was landing. He cut forward with such speed; I saw the wall on the other side receive a cut mark from the sonic boom!
Karell turned around, and looked at me while sheathing his sword. He walked over to me, and I looked over at the corpse of the creature. It was, pretty much, reduced to body parts. The arms were cut off, rolling a little on the ground. Whatever was on top of the neck, the head or the ass, it could pass for either, rolled to the gate it had come out of. The torso was cut into four clean parts, making it impossible to regenerate from that, it looked like each section contained a part of its heart. Blood was flowing along the ground, it was a strong stench, and it was blue. I thought it would be purple in all honesty, but I was wrong.
I heard a pair of hands clapping. I looked over, and saw the bald man clapping, and laughing as well. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Applause for our guests please! They were kind enough to take care of a demon for us! That is one less we have to kill! Now then, let us see how good they really are, what say you?!"
The crows exploded in life and color, in ways I didn't think possible! There was whistling, I even heard some catcalls from some women. It worried me a little; I pray they were looking at Karell. The only person I didn't see clapping, laughing, or cheering was Hokara. In fact, she looked a little sick at everything that was going on. I saw her eyeing Lufia's corpse as well, she tried to stop, but her eyes kept drifting back to it. If I didn't know better, I would say I saw a tear in her eye. However, if it was there, it disappeared in the next instant, so I was unable to verify this claim.
I didn't have time to think for very long, I heard the metal gates opening again; I'm guessing that another creature was coming through. I pulled out my only kunai, preparing myself for whatever would come through. I double checked my surroundings, the only things here beside Karell and myself would be Lufia's corpse, and that creature's corpse. Karell, if we lived through all of this, you and I are going to have a long talk with one another. I just hope I get an explanation out of all of this. I…felt some sort of signature coming through the door, and I felt it coming closer. There was only one reason I could feel it, Prelait must be slipping me a tiny bit of her own demonic chakra. I was grateful; it helped me with my perception, and gave me a sort of demonic radar. Who knows how or when something like that will come in handy in this place?
No time to think however, the other demon came through the door…it was…a little girl? I'll admit, I dropped my kunai in shock. The 'demon' that came out of the door was a petit thing. It stood, at full height, to about the center of my waist, and I wasn't a very tall person. She had on a pair of green pants, which were decorated with golden swirls. She was also wearing a bright yellow shirt, which had a red flame adorning the center of the shirt. She was carrying a scythe over her shoulder, which on a little girl, was extremely creepy. Her face appeared soft, as though it hadn't lost all of its baby fat yet. The nose was bent slightly to the right, as though it had been broken before. Her mouth was bent into a grimace, as though she has seen more than she wished to. Extremely short fangs could be seen protruding from her mouth, as though they themselves were shy to the world. Her hair was a slick purple color, put into two pony tails sliding to her shoulders. Her eyes…they were the most terrifying thing about her. One was as red as the blood in my own veins. The other was as black as the soul of the damned. Two different eye colors.
"Karell…" I said trailing his name off, looking at this…fragile looking creature. "You take this one; I don't think I could…bring myself to strike this one."
"Naruto, don't make me into such a twisted person!" He exclaimed, a little appalled at what I told him to do. "I can't bring myself to kill a child! What kind of person do you take me for?!" He was just a little offended by my comment.
"Sorry, but I don't want to hurt her. She looks so…innocent and fragile. I don't care if she is a demon or not, she is still a child." I told him, picking up the kunai I dropped, and tucking it into my clothes. I need to get a new kunai pouch. Just as well, my old one was starting to get a hole in it. However, we need to go bounty hunting; we need money as we are getting low on that precious item. "Karell, just what do we do in this situation?"
"I don't know. I'm reluctant to even consider drawing my blade. However, something tells me that this is going to be a lot different than we anticipate. I don't want to; however, if she attacks me, I will draw my blade on her, make no mistake about that. I still believe in self-defense." He told me, still looking at the small demon. I couldn't consider it glaring; he held no hostile intentions or promises in his gaze. "Damn it, I didn't expect a child to be the one to stop me in my tracks." He said, a little bitterly.
I could sympathize with him. Never once did I think a little girl would be the one to halt me in my tracks. Then, she…giggled? It was true, she was giggling now. One of her hands was over her mouth as well, and it looked rather cute. Her eyes were closed, sort of enjoying the mirth. I looked at Karell, and he was on edge. His hand was gripping the hilt of his katana, and I noticed that his left hand was holding his Wakizashi. He pulled that out? He was nervous all right. Then the little girl opened her eyes. My heart froze in fear, her eyes were of pure malice and hatred. It seemed like they were telling me that she would be the one to kill me, and honestly, I believed them! She said something to me, something that chilled me to the bone, especially because it was the voice of a little girl that said it to me: "If you want to get out alive, run for your life!" She said to us, pulling the scythe off of her back.
She held it so that it sat on her hands like a precious child, still grinning at us, like a twisted little ghost. She creped me out, making me clench my hands into fists, trying to reassure myself that I could fight this petit little creature. I'll admit, I was terrified of this little girl. It was the eyes. Having them look at me like I was nothing but some play toy made me nervous. "Fools." She said, her voice cracking the silence as sternly as a whip would have. I took a step back because of her voice, such terror it instilled in me, I couldn't believe it; nothing has terrified me nearly as much as this little girl has! "I offered you life, and you remain. If you would prefer death, I would gladly grant you this wish." She told us, hefting the scythe onto her shoulder. That thing was intimidating, from this little shadow of death.
"In case you haven't noticed, the door behind us is sealed, exactly how do you propose we run away?" I asked, and unfortunately, I heard my voice shaking slightly. It was easy to tell I was afraid.
Hearing the shaking in my voice, she giggled again. "Well, I suppose that does present a problem. I suppose I could let you go through the door behind me to safety." She said, standing aside, and pointing the scythe in the direction of the door she came out of.
"And head into an infestation of demons?!" I said, rather suddenly. "No thank you!"
Her eyes narrowed, both of them glaring at me. Who was this girl?! Those eyes were scaring me even more, as both of them appeared to pierce into my soul, wrenching any secret I had into the open, leaving me naked in the middle of this little coliseum. "And how did you know that there was a mass of demons inside of this structure?" She asked me, her voice icy cold, as though I had just embarrassed her in front of a crowd.
'Prelait? Isn't she able to sense you?' I asked her, feeling a little guarded now.
'No kit, she is too young. Radar doesn't come until, oh, I got mine when I was around…900? Or was it 1000 years old? Anyways, I don't think she is nearly that old. I estimate her to be about…oh 600 or 700 years old.' Prelait thought to me, in a very serious tone.
'Prelait, what's wrong? You sound rather serious. I don't like it, go back to being a joker about everything, please.' I said, sounding desperate in my mind as well. Why have I fallen apart from this little girl? Could it be the buildup? Lufia dying, trusting her killer, as well as the fear instilled in me by this terrifying little girl.
'I wish I could kit, but this is a serious situation. Tell me kit, just how many demons do you think you will have to kill in order to 'win' this little battle? I have a feeling that it is all of the demons inside of that door. Why are the people here not surprised by such monstrosities? Well, I don't really consider them monstrosities; I'm saying that because most humans would be fleeing for their life. These ones are too calm for me to understand. It's as if they knew about them, but why would they? They seem to be kept in secret? This is too confusing. Something deep is at work here, I know it. Kit, we need answers. We need them now. That bald man, I bet he is at the heart of this case. However, he is a warrior at heart, he didn't think of all of this on his own. There is someone else, someone who gave him instruction on how to do all of this. We need to find out who is the mastermind, then we can figure out who to pursue.'
'And just how are you planning to do all of that?' I asked her, letting the information seep into my mind. I hate it when there is more below the surface; however, life is always like that, there is always a deeper meaning to everything. Figuring out that meaning is one of the challenges. 'We have to go to the source, don't we?' I asked her, letting calm emotions start to flows through my body, thicker than the blood in my veins. I didn't feel scared anymore, I felt at peace with where I was.
'You would be correct kit. And do you know where we will probably find the source of this mayhem?' She asked me, as though I should be able to figure out the answer myself. I had a pretty good hunch where the answers would be.
'Knowledge is a powerful tool. So powerful that it can destroy people, save people, and in some cases, decide between life and death. As such, some knowledge is under lock and key.' I thought to Prelait, feeling a sort of warmth wash over me. I could feel the demonic energy from Prelait sending itself through my body. It was a comforting feeling, as though being embraced by someone who loved me. It was comforting, and it erased all fear in my mind, doubt was being disintegrated piece by piece, and worry was thrown out. Why was I afraid? If worse came to worse, I still have the powers of a demon to call upon. 'The answer is behind the doors over there, where the demons are coming out of.' I thought to Prelait.
I felt something strange, like a kiss at my cheek, but there was nothing there. 'Good job kit.' She said to me, and I was a little embarrassed from her complimenting me. 'Now that you know where to attain the knowledge, what are you going to do? Some people would go look for it; others would turn away, telling themselves that 'ignorance is bliss' and forgetting it existed. What say you kit?' She asked me, expecting an answer.
'We are able to think for a reason. It is so that we can attain even more knowledge, so that we are able to think for ourselves. Only fools live in ignorance, using it as a shield from the rest of the world. I'm going to find out the answer to all of this. We need to go through that door.' I told her, feeling my confidence rise.
"On second thought, I think that I will take your offer, and go through that door." I said to the little girl, is an extremely confident voice. No fear, nothing to slow me down. I was just going to get through this entire adventure; I was going to see the end. "Now then, if you will please excuse me." I said, bowing at the little girl.
I stood upright, and started to walk to the door. She stood there, looking at me, a look of puzzlement on her face. "Why? Why do you choose to go through a door you know to be full of demons? Are you crazy?" She asked me, wonder filling her voice. I looked over, and I noticed that her head was tilted to the side slightly, in puzzlement.
"Simple." I told her, looking her directly in the eyes. "I want answers, and that is the only place to get them. So, I must risk losing my life for knowledge. If it must be so, then it will be so." I told her, resuming my trek to the door. I felt something weird, it felt a little like all the air was sucked out of the stadium; I know it got harder for me to breathe. I looked over, and the scythe was glowing. Hatred was etched into her eyes, I have no idea why.
"I want you to die!" She yelled out, swinging her scythe at me, and I saw the ground itself rip apart, and I saw a glowing blade get flung at me. I looked around, and the sides of the walls of this coliseum were getting cut as well! The force of that move must be intense; I could feel it start to push me back. I had to brace myself against the ground, to keep from flying from the pressure of the move, let alone dodging the blade! Damn…
I heard the sound of metal clashing on metal, and I looked up. I must have instinctively looked down. Karell was standing above me, his blades crossed, holding that glowing blade at bay. I looked around, and I saw that the kunai I had dropped was shredded. I must have been pushed back a little ways, but if that was the case, why wasn't the kunai pushed back? I had no time to think, as I felt the air get sucked in again. "I want all of you to just die!" She yelled again, swinging that scythe of hers.
I got up, and ran to the wall, and I noticed that Karell got away. I ran up the wall, high up it, and then I flipped backwards, and I saw the glowing blade smash into the wall, only a couple rock fragments hit me, and they didn't do any damage. So, it only has the damage in a straight line? That or it was meant to hit below it as well, it would explain why the kunai was annihilated. I had to stop that scythe; it was the only way to win this fight! However, hoe was I supposed to get to her?
She hefted the scythe, and this time, I felt it get hot, really hot. Then she slammed her scythe into the ground, and I saw a pillar of fire heading in my direction. I ran to the side, easily evading the pillar. I looked at the girl, and she was in my face, along with that scythe. "I want you to suffer!" She hollered at me, taking a giant swing, encircling everywhere I had to run. I jumped into the air, and managed to pull myself above the scythe.
I landed, and grabbed her by the front of her shirt with my left hand, and pulled back my right fist, ready to strike her all the way back to Hell! Then I saw that she was looking at me, with such…innocent eyes. I couldn't follow through with the strike; I couldn't strike her while she looked like that. I loosened my grip on her shirt, and then I saw her smile in gratitude at me. it made me feel a little foolish in all honesty. I smiled back at her, and then she twisted her smile into a smirk. I shoved us away, as a pillar of fire enveloped her, surrounding her with such a heat that I was forced to cover my face the heat was so intense!
Then I saw the flames transform into a giant ball into the sky, it was big all right. She was looking at Karell. She threw her arms down, and the Ball smashed into where it looked like Karell was. I was amazed; I didn't think something that big could travel so fast! Ok, I needed help, and badly! I felt my chakra disappear quickly, as I formed a bunch of shadow clones to help me in my endeavor. Hopefully, this will even out the odds. We formed a crescent around this little girl, all of us in a different defensive position. I would go about naming them, but that would take too long for me to think, and I needed to focus on this little girl. She seemed to regain her composure, as she just looked around, an impassive look on her face, as her eyes bore into every one of us. As her eyes passed me over, I felt my pulse quicken in fear. Why was I so afraid?! It was annoying me, what, does she inspire fear in everyone she meets or something?! Whatever it was doing, I could feel the effect thundering through my body, making me quiver slightly.
I didn't know what to do, a child so small, even though she was trying to kill me, I couldn't bring myself to try to kill her. The little girl…who was she? To inspire such fear in me…I don't think it is her presence, could it be a type of aura about her? Something emanating from her, causing me to fear her? I would have to ask her, but I doubt she will give me the answer. However, as I saw from her display of power, she wasn't someone to be trifled with. No, I would have to take this battle seriously in order to survive it. However, I don't want to use demonic energy, not yet. I want to save that for a special occasion.
"Ok brat, someone is paying now!" I heard someone holler, Karell to be specific. Saw him on the opposite side of the girl, his face a mask of stone, his eyes glaring now. He was ready to kill. I saw that his clothes were slightly singed; however, he appeared to be fine. I was happy to see a familiar face, I didn't know if he was consumed by that ball of fire. However, I still had to talk to him about…well; I would worry about it later. "You know, I'm burning on the inside now." Karell told her, his voice a calm storm. You couldn't hear the storm; however, I couldn't mistake it for what it was. It was going to become a powerful storm. "My pride in this blade has been shattered by you. You came closer to killing me than anyone else has ever had the privilege to say. The scars on my body are nothing; I just misjudged the length of a blade. However, never have I come so close to losing a battle of speed. My pride in my legs is destroyed. And finally, my pride in judging an opponent is destroyed. You…you will die." He said, putting his Wakizashi away, and only holding out his katana.
Karell bolted forward, becoming hard to see, barely seeing any movement, I saw the ground erupt in a cloud of dust, it was getting so intense it was hard to see. The girl hefted her scythe, and then twisted her entire body, and smashed her scythe into the ground. The ground started to…fragment is the only word I can think of to describe it. Small fissures started opening up all around her, and then the ground started to shift, stalagmites bursting through the ground at diagonal angles, the Earth coming alive, and twisting itself to the dominion of this small child. However, anyone could see the purpose of this rock formation. The rocks were made in a way that no one could maintain a high speed and not break their neck. Unfortunately, she was standing high up, on top of one of the pillars. She could gaze all around the field; no one could escape those little eyes of her. I saw people in the crowd shivering. It didn't engulf the entire field, this rock formation. It only covered the center, and a radius of about one hundred yards outward. However, in order to get to her, you had to scale that rock formation. And it was a very intimidating rock formation.
I saw Karell scaling the formation, however, not once did he use his hands. He ran straight up, as though he was using chakra, however, I couldn't sense any being used. He jumped form rock to rock, and the little girl was focused on him. It was easy to tell he had slowed down: you could see him. He was, however, climbing the rock at an alarming pace, even for the little girl, she must be a little surprised. However, if she was, she wouldn't let it show on her face. She pulled her scythe back, and I felt air leave me. Karell must have felt the same, because suddenly, he looked directly at her, never taking his eyes off, his face a mask of fury. I saw blood dripping down the sides of his teeth, dropping into a dark chasm formed by this technique. Was that Karell's fate? To be buried under rock and stone? The very element he was most at home with?
Then I saw something strange…Karell seemed to split into three different versions of himself. Then she cast the scythe downward, a judge casting judgment on a murderer. The scythe blew the rocks apart, smashing into the are Karell was last seen, the energy blasting into the chasm, and causing an explosion of rocks to reveal themselves, as though dynamite had been planted, and was now set off. Four of my clones started to climb up the wall, and I wasn't about to let them do it in the same situation I had given to Karell. I was foolish not to aid him in any way, but I won't make that mistake again, not again.
I formed a fireball in each of my hands, and whipped them at the little girl. I saw a chorus of fireballs after me, my other clones catching on. It was a wave of fire launched at her, intending to consume her. However, they didn't follow orders. They stopped about twenty feet away from her, and I saw that she was holding her scythe, as though she was fending off an arrow volley. Then she pointed finger at the bunch of us down here. The fireballs didn't halt, they whipped at us. I formed an earth shield, and I heard a couple poofs, however, not enough to get rid of all of my clones. My shield melded back into the Earth, as though it had never existed.
I looked around, and saw that my number had been cut in half. I wasn't trying that stunt again. Well, I had only one choice, and that was to follow my clones up after her. I ran to the base of the rock, and started to climb. I was as quick as I could be, but not quick enough. I was like a duck, just swimming lazily through a stream I knew to be littered with hunters. I felt a little stupid. I kept climbing and I heard the occasional sound of one of my clones going back into nonexistence. I looked around, and saw the other clones traveling after me. I guess the best way to lead was by example after all. This brought me strength, and I noticed that I climbed a little faster.
I was amazed that she hadn't taken a shot at me, and I also notice that I no longer heard the sound of clones disappearing. This puzzled me, and I looked around. She had jumped down, onto a small rock opening, a little like an arena. She stood in the center, her scythe hefted. I slowly climbed onto it, watching her every move. I noticed my other clones did the same thing. She was smiling, an evil smile. "I have only proven I am better at far range to you. Standing on that little pillar just emphasized that. I want to see if I can take you on in close quarters. So please, come at me when you will." She said, bowing her head slightly, her confident grin never leaving her face.
I charged forward, Along with my other clones. She was closer to the clones behind her back, they would striker her first. However, how successful will we be? She seemed rather confident in her ability to fend me off at close quarters, and I had a feeling I was about to experience exactly what she said. She whipped around, bringing her scythe with an alarming speed into a clones head, and then whipped her body around, slashing downward into the skull of another clone. Four of them charged at once, and the turned her body into a full three hundred and sixty degree turn, cutting all of them down at once, and then I felt air leave me, as she cast her scythe downward, destroying another group of clones. She pulled something from inside of her shirt, and then threw something at me, and I looked down, as searing pain engulfed me, as needles protruded from my stomach. I ripped them out, to see little droplets of blood travel down my shirt.
"I found you!" She cried, bolting forwards, and hacking apart with such brutality as I have never witnessed before, any clone that tried to get in her way. I took a step backwards as she was on top of me, bringing her scythe downward. I lifted my hands in a defense, a weak one considering it was a scythe bearing down on me, but I had no choice. I don't know how I was going to live through this one. I shut my eyes, and looked away, as though that it would stop the scythe, by me not imagining it was there.
I heard the sound of metal breaking, the unmistakable sound of it shattering into thousands of pieces. I felt blood splash onto my arms, it was warm and sticky. It wasn't my blood. I looked up; I must have crouched, hoping to make my head a small target. I don't remember doing this, but it must have happened. I saw a giant blade, protruding from the back of a short, red sleeved shirt, verging on pink. Reddish-Brown hair was parted by that blade. I saw a katana blade cut in two, by his feet. "Karell!" I heard myself scream it out loud, as well as someone else. I saw Hokara, standing up, her face a mask of horror.
I saw the blade get ripped from his chest, and I heard the sound of tearing flesh, as it left him. He fell backwards, it would have been rude to drop him, and so I caught him, and looked down at him. "Heh. Looks like I finally met my match." He said, laughing a little, only to go into a fit of coughing, blood blasting from his mouth onto his clothes.
"Karell…Why?" I asked him, unable to ask an intelligent question. I was still trying to deny this, even though I had his blood on me. I also saw it pooling around us, as he was losing it fast.
"Why?" He asked me, laughing a little more, before hacking up more of life's gift to him. "Simple. You are younger than me. I have experienced more than you, and thought you deserved a fair shot as well. You know, I didn't expect to be…this painful." He said, laughing a small laugh, before I saw him vomit blood up.
"Karell come on, quit this sick joke." I told him, forcing a painful smile on my face. "We still have adventure to find, don't we? Wasn't that the reason you joined me, to have an adventure? Come on, we still have a lot more to do." I said, my smile trying to grow brighter.
"Naruto…Kind of…you to…include me." He, his breath coming in slow gasps. Talking was getting harder, and more energy consuming for him. "However…I am finished. I have lived…through much…however…a blade…through…my…body? I'm…not…that…good." He said. Forcing more blood onto himself, trying to clear his lungs. "It…was fun…while…it lasted…" He said, closing his eyes.
"Come on Karell, don't fall asleep. We still have a few bounties to hunt, women to save, at boast at taverns." I told him, shaking him a little.
Karell laughed out loud, a long joyous laugh. "What is so funny?" I asked him, trying to think about what I said.
"Sorry…" He said, opening his eyes a crack. "I…was imagining…you….boasting…at a…tavern…with a…couple…wench's…on…your…lap…" He said, until his eyes closed completely. I doubted that they would be opening again. His hand went limp, and I saw his Wakizashi clatter onto the rock. The blade was pointing at his heart. Then the blade cracked, and shattered onto the ground. I picked up the hilt, and felt a tear sliding down the side of my cheek. I looked at Hokara, and saw tears streaking down her cheek as well. We weren't best friends…well…I suppose I would count that as a lie. He gave his life for mine. I won't waste it. At the very least, he is an honored friend, if not my best friend. His blades were shattered; I couldn't put them on top of his grave. However, what else did he prize as much as his blades? His legs, but I wasn't about to put that on top of a gravestone.
"Well, touching moment and all, but you will be joining him soon, so don't feel too bad." I heard the little girl say to me. My sadness was replaced. It was so abrupt, that I don't exactly remember being sad. Rage. Rage. Rage. This was coursing through me. I never knew such rage, an ever consuming blaze, feasting on all of my anger and sorrow. The pain I was feeling right now, I wanted revenge. I wanted this bitch to suffer as Karell had suffered. I stood up, dropping Karell's body. I couldn't think of it as a corpse. Corpses never live on; however, Karell would live on. In my memories, if nothing more. I was covered in Karell's blood. The only thing that hadn't been drenched was my head, and upper torso. Everything else was dripping blood, even my hand. I wiped the blood off my hands across my mouth, a little falling into my mouth, as the metallic taste brought even more rage to me. It was Karell's blood. Not some random person's blood. Karell's. Rage. Rage. Rage. These thoughts beat through my skull, as though at the whim of some hidden drum, pulsing strongly, growing faint, and then bursting forward again.
I couldn't hold it to my thoughts, I couldn't. The blood rage I was in wouldn't let me. I must have looked like a lunatic. I know it. "Prelait! Give me your power!" I screamed, at the top of my lungs, letting everyone in the stands know. I felt it well up inside of me, threatening to break through my fragile skin. I felt it burst upon me…I didn't even know how much, I didn't care. I was killing this bitch; she would suffer even more than Karell, if I had my way. Red chakra erupted form the rocks around us, centering themselves all on me, I felt the power roaring through my body. The rocks were breaking apart, falling into their old slumber, before this…demon interrupted them.
"Who…Who are you?" The little girl asked me, taking a step backwards. The rock arena under us suddenly shattered apart, crumbling under the weight of the chakra infusing with me. I looked at her, this demon. "A better question!" She said suddenly, putting her scythe into a defensive position. "What are you?!" She cried out, in fear and rage.
I didn't tell her. There was no point. "There is no need for you to know." I told her, preparing myself to rush at her. "Somebody needs a spanking!" I howled out rushing forward, at such a blinding speed; I didn't think it could be my own. I smashed my fist into the ground where she stood, but she managed to get out of the way. I ripped my hand up, bringing with me a giant rock, which I threw ate her. She slashed it in half with her scythe, but I had expected that. The rock split in two, and I was on top of her, my fist pulled back. She was looking at me, with such cute puppy dog eyes. It had worked before. Before she had murdered Karell. Rage. Rage. Rage. I smashed my fist into her tiny frame, as she was sent backwards, flying at a pace I thought that the force alone would kill her. Her body smashed into the wall, leaving a deep imprint. As though she had made a rock angel.
I formed a giant fireball in my hands, big enough to engulf my entire body if I mishandled it. The ball itself was seething. Fire was rolling across of the ball, as though it was made of a liquid. This was liquid fire, the only fire hotter than it was that of a white flame. The heat made the oils on my skin dry, causing my skin to crack and bleed, especially at my hands. Blood was hardening on my skin, and it was even beginning ti turn into a gas, a red vapor slowly freeing itself from my own body. I looked at it, it was majestic in its own deadly presence. Then I threw it at the little demon child, watching as the ground itself melted a little as the fire ball passed over it. I saw everyone in the crowd sweating profusely, and not from excitement, all of them shielding themselves with their hands from the extreme heat.
I never blinked, I didn't look away. I wanted to see her burn in the fires of Hell. My burns were already healed. I wasn't surprised, considering when I looked back, I had two tails. My power was much greater than when I had it shut behind the doors, it was intoxicating. I suppose that is why I fear it; I don't want to rely on it. I saw the fireball engulf the little girl, however, I was surprised that I didn't hear her scream out in terror or pain. What's wrong here? Most people would be scared if a giant ball of liquid fire was about to burn them to cinders and ashes.
I looked at the walls; they were black, and partially melted. The ground was nothing but a small cave in, and pools of lava were formed in them, the rock itself had melted. I saw in the coat of ashes, to the side of the small cave in, was a scythe. I didn't see anything else, just the scythe. I was amazed even that survived. However, I never saw the little girl cast the scythe away. I was also wondering a bit, never once did I see the scythe leave the girl, as though it was a part of her. This puzzled me greatly. However, I had a more pressing matter.
I walked away, and arrived at Karell's body. I looked at it, and blood all around it. Hard to believe, he was rally gone. There was just something…I couldn't describe, as though you expected him to wake you up every day, if only to tackle a day you know you will hate. He would always encourage, poke bits of fun. He was the most mature, I realize. He only acted like a child because he was mature. He understood, better than I did, that life is only lived once, and you should have the most fun you can while you are alive. That was why he acted extremely immature, children do have the most fun after all. I guess…I never understood you very well, did I?
'Kit, as thoughtful as this is. You know, there is a chance you can save him.' Prelait thought to me. Well, needless to say, I jumped on this.
'Well?! How do I save him?!" I asked her, in a hurried rush. I don't really care if I was being rude.
'Well kit, I kind of have to leave your body, and go to his. I will mend the body, as long as he isn't cold, the soul won't leave his body. However, even if I repair his body, there is no guarantee that he will come back to life. It is his choice, and you must respect that. I will repair his bones, his flesh, and his organs, but it will be will that determines if he lives.' Prelait said. 'However, you have to remain conscious when I leave, I can't have anything happen to you, or else…' She let it trail off a sad sound in her voice, and curiosity took the better of me.
'Or else what?' I asked her, wondering what it could be.
'Well kit, you die, then I have to find another form of entertainment. Also, you don't charge me rent for living here, and I get free food. So, try not to die ok? I would hate to actually have to get a job.' She thought to me, in a rather cheery voice.
I'm willing to bet that she was part of the reason I ate so much, I have to feed two people here. 'Well…I suppose I will try not to die, even though I was looking forward to it.' I thought to her, sarcastically.
'Nice. Give me the brunt of your tongue when I am going to help your friend. Thanks a lot.' She said, in a rather lame voice. 'Well, I'll be going now. Try to hold it together, alright? We don't need you to appear weak right now.'
I felt the energy gather around me, and I felt her slipping away. I saw her shoot away, and land in Karell's body. Emptiness filled me, and it was all I could do to keep from crying out. I wanted to slump over, I wanted to fill myself with something. However, I couldn't let it get to me. I felt my strength diminish to nothing, at least, nothing compared to the power that had flowed through my body a little bit ago. Ok, I can do this. Don't worry about the void in your soul right now, worry about keeping a good image until Prelait is done, and returns to you.
I stood tall, trying to keep my face from showing the pain I was feeling. I heard a strange sound then…as though something had exploded. I looked at the direction of the sound, it had emanated from the scythe. I looked over, and saw the scythe…transforming. It started to grow something, and then it came to me, it was forming into the little girl. She looked unscathed, holding that scythe, she looked me over. "Where?" She asked me, still glaring at me.
"Where?" I asked her, trying to make sense of that one word sentence. I couldn't come up with anything. "Where is what?" I asked her, getting into a defensive position. I felt a little sluggish for some reason.
"Where did your power go?" She asked me, a cold voice emanating from that vessel. She sounded…different. Older…more mature. I don't know why I thought this, but it was unmistakable in my feelings, I felt that she was stronger than when we had fought each other a little bit ago. "You…you're hiding it from me." She said, her voice growing colder, as though I was hiding her favorite possession from her.
"Look, I don't know what your problem is, but I'm not exactly hiding anything from you right now." I told her, searching around for anything I could use as a weapon. So far, the only thing that looks like it might be passable for a weapon was a couple rock shards. Frankly, against her scythe, things weren't looking too good for me. Let me see, weaponless, friendless, and demonless. Ah crap.
"Liar!" She shouted at me, pointing her scythe in my direction, her eyes growing darker. The black one becoming a void to the light, her red one going crimson. Fear constricted me, making me freeze where I stood. I don't know what I was going to do now, I felt a little…strange…as well. I don't know how to describe it; I felt I could…be faster than I was being. I didn't understand this feeling; I know that right now, I was as fast as my body could take me, at least, at the observing level. "You are hiding it from me! That power! Why do you refuse to show it to me?! Am I too weak?! Is that what you are telling me?!" She screamed, in her little voice.
"No no no!" I yelled at her, putting my hands up, as though to catch any sense that she threw at me. "Well, it is complicated. However, I am only able to call upon that power for a short while, see?" I asked her, feeling sweat drip down my face. "I would be a little too powerful if I could just use it whenever I want, right?" I asked her, trying to put reason into my voice. "As such, I am only able to use it in dire need. So, I won't be able to use it, see?"
"I see. So, I am too weak. Or else, this would be considered a dire situation. I'm not weak." She told me, hanging her head, her scythe starting to quiver. Her entire body began to quiver as well. "I'm not weak. I'm not weak." She began to say, as though to encourage herself that it was the truth. "I'm not weak, damn it!" She hollered, thrusting her head upwards, while simultaneously throwing her scythe into the sky. I saw tears in her eyes, as she glared at me. Tears of rage.
A light broke through the surface of the sky, shining down on the little girl. I looked up, to see the scythe illuminating the girl, it a light flowing from it. Also, the scythe appeared to be…disintegrating, as though the light itself was eating it alive. Then, the light turned black as pitch, and descended onto the little girl, completely enveloping her, to the point where I was unable to see her. The blackness just swarmed into the ground suddenly, surrounding where the girl was, and then slowly, it seemed to be sucked into one spot: where the little girl was standing. Then I saw it disappear, so suddenly, I thought maybe I blinked and had missed something. There was no longer a little girl there.
She had the quickest maturation I have ever seen in my life. She stood at a good five and a half feet tall, in fact, she looked older than I did. Her purple hair was no longer braided; instead, it hung loosely to her shoulders, covering her black eye. I was pleased with that, her black one was the creepy one. Her outfit no longer hung loosely around her; in fact, it has become as black as the shadow that had consumed her. It clung to her tightly, as though holding a long lost lover. I found this odd, I never could think of clothes with emotions, but it is the only way I can describe this. Her stomach wasn't concealed; in fact, it seemed the outfit emphasized it. She now had a tail as well, completely black, and it looked well muscled. She also had a pair of wings, black, and they were covered in feathers. She was attractive like this, very attractive. Never mind her red eye, along with the hair covering her other eye, it gave an aura or mystery about her. I should also mention, she now had claws. Claws that looked like they could shred me to bits. In fact, she was flexing them, while looking at me. "I'm not weak." She said, he voice deeper and more feminine now.
Well, she didn't look weak at all, I was going to give her that much. In fact, she looks a lot stronger than she did when I was fighting her. A lot stronger. Things were not looking good. At all. I formed an fireball in my right hand, and a little shield made of earth in my left. "I'm not weak!" She yelled at me, rushing forward, her claws looking sharper than they did a couple minutes ago. I threw my fireball at her, watching as her tail came around and whipped it away from her. Memo to self, need a better move than that fireball. Swords and the like seem to render it ineffective. I threw up my shield, as her claw came bearing down. It smashed into my shield, making my arm feel numb, but her claw got stuck inside of it as well.
Her other claw ripped up, however, and cut my shield of stone in half. I jumped backwards, as she rushed forward, her claws catching on fire as they came toward me! I flipped onto my hands, as she took a swing at me, then I flipped onto my feet, as she took another wide slash at me. I formed a spear of ice, and took a quick jab at her with it, but she just caught it, and intensified the flames, so that the spear I was holding melted. Her tail whipped around her body, catching me at the throat, twisting itself around my neck, and pulling tightly. Instinct made me grab her tail, as thought that would make it loosen her grip. I felt myself lifted into the air, my feet no longer touching the ground. I heard a peculiar sound at that point, the sound of something big and heavy smashing into a door. Specifically, the door I and the rest of my group had come out of.
"Tell e, is this situation dire enough for you?!" This demon asked me, her tail starting to constrict my neck a little tighter. "Or do I have to up it a little bit?!" She asked, as her tail whipped upwards, and threw me into the air. Her wings spread out, and I'll admit, the wings looked beautiful. Then she took up after me, and I was envious of her ability to fly. It looked like something fun to do in your free time.
I heard the sound of something heavy hitting the door again, and I was wondering what on Earth could be making that noise. What was strong enough to shatter through solid steel? I could, but only when calling upon the demonic energy inside of me. Well, inside of Karell actually. Maybe that was why I felt sluggish; I didn't exactly travel at the same speed I was when I was calling upon Prelait's power.
However, the demon I was facing caught up to me, and her tail constricted itself around my neck. Then I was wrenched to a still, as she slowly flapped her wings to keep the altitude. "Is this 'dire' enough for you?!" She yelled at me, her claws flexing. I heard something hit the metal door again, except this time; I also heard one of the hinges groan in agony as well. What could be making that noise? Whatever it was, it was starting to touch a nerve. Oh yeah, for the record, this situation was 'dire enough' for me. I felt her tail flex, and suddenly, I was thrown at the ground, at such a speed, I could feel my body starting to stretch! This was going to hurt, especially without Prelait's healing powers.
I heard the two metal doors smash open, and I know someone or something entered the room. I looked over, and saw a blur heading straight for me, unfortunate, the speed was playing tricks on my eyes, because I couldn't distinguish one color from another, they were blurred together like some canvas of a sundown thrown onto one with a sunset. It looked really cool, except that I was hitting the ground at a speed that would probably kill me.
I stopped suddenly, and I realize that someone had caught me. I closed my eyes, and shook my head, to gain back my proper eyesight again. I looked up, and looking at me, was a pair of crimson eyes. I looked up and down…wondering if my eyes were still playing tricks on me. Lufia was holding onto me, but how was that possible? I looked over, and saw her corpse a little over by the door. I looked up again, and she looked a little confused. However, that didn't stop her form greeting me with a cheery voice. "Good evening Master! How are you this fine day?"
General Badaxe- Well, this chapter is complete. Wow, never thought I would get around to updating with everything I am doing, but I managed to scrape some time out. Well, I was planning on killing Lufia, but due to popular demand, I'll keep her for at least a little while. As for Karell, he is up in the air right now. Well, I'll also explain my decision about Hinata, I figure, I'll make a story with mostly OC's, and so, I don't think I will include any original, excluding Naruto. So, I'll keep it that way. And before anyone tells me this is a filler…sorry that I enjoy detail. In all honesty, I was going to have them fight about two or three more demons, but I know I'll have people complaining at that point. So, I'll limit it. You'll find out more in a couple chapters. Until then, good day. Also, I wanted to make this a more…serious chapter, considering everything that has happened. However, no matter how I try, I am unable to keep from laughing every time I re-read the part where Naruto is in demon form, and having him howl out 'somebody needs a spanking' I can't keep from laughing. Am I the only one who had this problem? Also, could anyone point out any problems they had while reading this, so that I can fix it please?