The Ancient Claymore...
Rating: M for gore, blood, language, and death
Author: Soul Teller
A/N: The Slayers arc is probably going to be the longest arc apart from the Northern War Arc actually this arc is called the Slashers Arc but I decided Slayers is a more fitting title. Please Review...
Chapter 5, Part 1
Slayers
A young girl was running from a town as she looked back she saw the shadowy figure chasing her. "Hey wait for me! There's no need to run from me is there?" It was then that shadowy leaped forward over the girl and in front. She gave a scream while the monster cackled. Then a sword appeared in it's head and split the monster's head in two. The girl stared at the body as it fell then looked up to see three women standing behind the yoma. All three had silver hair, wore armor, and had piercing silver eye's. One of the women, the one who was still holding her claymore in hand and had slightly long spiked hair, stepped forward. "You're from Toriro Village. What happened there?" She questioned. The girl who was still in a slight state of shock gasped.
"P-Please help. Yoma... L-Lot's of them about five!" She gasped as tears glistened on her eye's.
"Five? Then it's not a Voracious Eater... but a group of Yoma." The Claymore said now understanding the job they were given.
"A-And one of your kind is fighting them alone!" The girl gasped out. This caught the attention of the Claymore. They turned to each other as Claymore sheathed her sword then they ran forward past the girl, heading straight for the village. As they ran the Claymores talked with each other.
"The orders were for four of us to search the town. Could she be the fourth?"
"I think so,"
"Against five Yoma she's defenseless. But odds are one of them is a Voracious Eater."
"We were supposed to move when all four of us were together" The claymore then gave into silence as they neared to edge of the town. They heard nothing they walked into the village to see a woman, a boy, and a fox standing in the town center yoma body parts where everywhere. The fox was sniffing an arm that lay a few inches away from the boy's feet. While the woman stood perfectly straight her large claymore in hand purple blood dripping off of it. The boy turned and saw the Claymore.
"Clare... it's your comrades." The boy said to the woman. The woman turned her eye's a gold slit reverting back to silver.
"I see" Said the woman with the spiked hair. "You took care of the other four. but you missed one. It almost killed a girl just now. Want to explain that?" Clare looked at the woman. She seemed to be the leader of this small bunch. Clare turned her head away from the woman.
"It was heading in your direction, I thought you'd make it in time if you weren't slow." The woman was about to reply when she noted the fox staring at her with it's piercing blue eye's. She stared back and the fox gave a snort then it stretched and walked over to the woman called Clare and the it sat itself next to her feet.
"You're pretty confident to take on all four of them!" One of the Claymore spat out. "Looking for glory?" Clare turned away from them.
"Not really. I just came here early and decided to proceed." Clare said.
"You ignored our orders and charged in on our own!" A Claymore shouted taking a step forward but she was held back by the leader.
"One of them could have been a voracious eater. Didn't that occur to you?" The leader said, Clare didn't respond but Raki looked at the woman. The fox gave snort and shook it's head, The woman lowered her head. "Oh well... Well report this to the higher ups they'll decide what to do." And with that the three warriors left. Raki watched them leave then he turned his head to Clare.
"Clare what's a voracious eater?" He quested.
"It's an older yoma with an increased appetite, they're very cunning too." Clare answered. "They're hard to defeat." Raki blinked.
"Then they're dangerous! That's bad Clare! Next time be careful!" He said, this followed with a yip from Naruto. Clare smiled and she gave her Claymore a quick flick to throw off the blood then she sheathed her sword.
"You're right I'll be careful next time." She said, and with that Raki felt more at ease.
Later that night
In the ruins of some houses a fire was alight. Clare stood next to the fire her armor gone and only the tight cotton clothes on her body. "You never change. Always doing things the hard way. What would you have done if one of them was a voracious eater. Or could it be...?" A calm silky voice said. "You were hoping for that?" Rubel quested. Clare did not anwser, it was then that Rubel smiled. "The yoma in the cathedral was just a normal one it just needed alot of energy to eat in order to transform. 'Voracious Eater' is a nickname meant for the general public. It's a substitute for 'Awakened Being' a term not meant for normal people's ears."
In the forest
Naruto leaned against a tree staring at Rubel talking to Clare, he then turned in time to see the black armored shadow of Oswald. "Oswald... Don't sneak up on me like that..." Naruto said lamely. Oswald stared at him then he put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"I'm sorry about Gaara. He was a good man." A this Naruto gave a snort. Oswald knew why, "He was becoming a good man... you should be proud that you helped him." It could've been Oswalds imagination at the time but he could have sworn that he saw a tear fall to the ground. Naruto looked at Oswald then gave a large grin.
"Thanks Oswald. By the way what are you doing here? Surely not just to comfort me." Oswald frowned.
"You're right I didn't... I came to give you a report on the girl the one that Isley has chosen for a lover." Naruto's interest was piqued.
"Indeed? Tell me what you know." Oswald nodded and knelt down to one knee his arm bent across his chest.
"She is powerful, but at the same time she is weak. She acts, appears, and thinks like a child and yet there is so much more to her that I struggle to comprehend what she is exactly. Is she a monster or just a little girl?" Oswald said.
"And what do you think we should do about this girl?" Naruto questioned.
"I think we should kill her now. However Isley is not stupid he realizes that this is going to be your most likely action and has set up his strongest guards around her. Right now is not the best time to attack her." Oswald said. Naruto put a hand on his chin, closing his eye's then he turned his head to Rubel and Clare, Rubel was standing up.
"Very well... Now leave me... I have some important matters to discuss with an old friend." Oswald stood up still bowing and rapidly exited back eventually dissappearing into the shadows.
"Now was that really nessecary?" Rubel said as he walked up to Naruto, Naruto turned grinning.
"Yep. I can't have you knowing who my allies are, you'll know once we get initiated back in." Naruto said. Rubel put a hand on his bowler hat and smiled bowing his head slightly.
"You truly are an interesting person... I guess that's why Rimuto is considering fulfilling you're little request." Naruto just grinned.
"Really? Well that's good... Everyone... come out." It was then that rustling was heard and Rubel's smile widened.
"Well now... Here are some people I didn't expect to see. Oswald... Gwendolyn, Inuyasha, Hiruma, Sena, and... if my eye's aren't mistaking me Sesshomaru?" Sesshomaru, a tall man with white hair wearing a white robe and a white fur pelt gave a nod.
"So you did find your brother." Naruto said to Inuyasha who gave a low growl. "Well then you know who it is that needs they're old stuff back."
"Very well... Naruto, you're currently traveling with that girl Clare correct?" Naruto folded his arms over his chest.
"Yes... as a fox..." Naruto said Rubel didn't say anything except lowered his bowler hat slightly.
"Would you mind assisting Clare with something?" Naruto thought about it then he gave a nod. "I'm sending Clare on a team that's actively set to hunt Awakened Beings. I know that she's strong and getting stronger but this one might be too much for her... If you could..." Naruto narrowed his eye's.
"Why are you so concerned for her? Is it because you think that she might die? Ha fat chance. That girl has inherited the body of one the most powerful beings in the HIstory of Claymores." Rubel smiled.
"You mean Teresa? You know of her?" Rubel quested.
"I tried to make her mine. But it didn't turn out too good." Naruto said. Rubel gave a laugh.
"No I imagine that it didn't, and yet Teresa was killed." Naruto looked somber at this.
"Yes... truly a great woman... she didn't have to die... not to some crazy little girl either." Rubel smiled at this.
"I wonder whose head will she take next?" He said rather enigmatically. Naruto didn't respond but he smiled.
"Well... will see about that sometime soon eh? Any way's where's this hunter team going to meet and when should I arrive?" Rubel smiled.
The next day
Clare and Raki walked dozens of chattering people, what surprised Raki about the place was it's seemingly non-existent interest or hostility that usually came whenever a Claymore entered their midst. Raki was also a little disheartened, Naruto had disappeared the night before and he didn't show up in the morning either which was unusual. Clare had suggested that fox was probably hunting for some food and the hunt was taking longer than expected but that didn't cheer Raki up much. He looked around as he walked.
"They don't seem surprised to see us." Raki said Clare gave a nod, noting this behavior also it was then a man garbed in black robes covering nearly every inch of his body stepped forward.
"This way." the man hissed. Clare and Raki followed him down a narrow passage way to a shack. He opened the door and stepped forward.
"Wait here, there's one more coming." He said and he walked past the two closing the door. In the darkness Clare could see 2 women sitting one with their legs crossed another sitting normally both of their faces hidden in shadow. Then someone stepped forward, another woman with large bangs and a rather cocky smirk on her face who was wearing a rather unique arm guard.
"Oh... you brought a child? It can't be your own. So you picked up a stray off the road huh? Is he going to fight with us?" She asked.
"He'll stay in the town. I'm going to find him an inn." Clare said. The woman stared at Raki and Raki shifted nercously under the glare.
"Heh... I see..." Clare stared at her confused by this statement. "So he's your... plaything." It happened in flash that Clare's sword connected with the womans. Clare stared at the sword anger blazing in her eye's at this statement. "Ha ha ha! It makes you mad that I'm right doesn't it!? How pathetic." It was then that the door opened again. The robed man was back and this time he was bowing.
"This way," He said, the loud clanking of boots was the steps were extremely heavy, too heavy for a normal Claymore. All eye's turned to see... a man, wearing heavy shoulder pads, large armored boots and carrying 2 large swords on his back. "Oh my what's this..." A calm yet cheerful voice said. "Fighting amongst each other? You guys wont' survive long if you do that." Raki gawked at the man's size he was huge! Just as big or even bigger than Galk. Also there was something unusual about the man, it was then that Raki found it, the man's hair was blonde, and his eye's... they were blue, not silver. The man then looked at Raki and his blank face split in a toothy grin. "Hello there! And you are?"
"This girl's plaything!" The woman who had crossed swords with Clare said. It was then that she felt her image blur as the man had punched her hard in the gut.
"I think that he can answer for himself." It was then that a sword was held up to his face.
"That's rather big talk from someone who made us wait for a week." The man gave a snort and then he reached out forward with a hand and grabbed the sword by it's very tip.
"Listen here... miss... I just got back into the game, if you knew who I was I would think four times about ever pointing anything at me..." The man growled. The woman stared at him, then all of a sudden the man at the door straightened up.
"Enough," The woman in the back said the giant turned his head then stood up releasing his grip on the sword..
"Sir, Miria... I leave the rest to you." The man said and with that he left, Raki was still gawking at the giant. The giant released his grip on the sword and stood up and turned back to Raki.
"Your name please?" he said.
"R-R-Raki." Raki breathed.
"A pleasure indeed Raki! And you miss...?" The giant quested to Clare.
"Clare." She said, staring at him.
"Raki and Clare... and you must be Miria." He said turning to the woman that had said 'Enough.' Woman bowed her head in acknowledgment.
"And you good sir are?" Miria quested politely.
"The names Naruto..." Naruto said grinning broadly.
Here's Part one of Chapter 5... I finally bring Naruto back into the game for real, there's going to be a surprise from Raki in the next chapter. What it is...? Well that dear readers is for you to come up with. Please review, Reviews good or bad invigorate me into wrting better and faster.