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Atum-Coma: The City Hidden in the Nexus
By Demonabyss
Chapter 11: Agatha Heterodyne and the Snake Skinned Woman
Anko ran through the forest with her team behind her. The Jonin ran through the forest towards Wave. It was nearly a month after the rumors of monsters had begun. Since they had started they had grown. At first there were just a few unrelated rumors of monsters and the mysterious attacks here and there, but now they were starting to become more detailed and started to go together. Even stranger was the disappearance of several encampments from various villages. They had been raided with nothing be debris left. It had been on one of these raids that Hinata Hyuuga had gone missing. Whether she had been killed or captured was still open to debate. In any case, the rumors and instances had grown to a point where the Hokage couldn't ignore them any more. So he sent special Jonin Anko and a team of Chunin to investigate and report back. The group was heading towards the Great Twilight Bridge which had been recently built, connecting Wave to the mainland. It was the only land based way to get to Wave as all water based was met with failure. Other teams from other villages had attempted to scout Wave by either getting a boat or simply running on the water. According to reports, they never made it even halfway before something happened. What happened exactly, no one was sure as they didn't come back … at all.
Anko ran with the few Chunin she had been assigned behind her. They were almost at the bridge and already she could tell something was … off about this area. For one, the foliage was much thicker in this area around the bridge end and extended to exactly a mile in diameter around the end. It was thick and lush, much more like a jungle then a temperate forest that Fire country was known for. The sadistic young woman also noticed a number of strange flowers and plants in the area, many of which she had never seen the likes before. There was also the feeling of being watched by something. Anko just couldn't shake the feeling despite there being nothing to indicate they were being watched. No strange smells, no odd sounds, no chakra signatures, nothing at all. Yet the feeling just wouldn't go away and she could tell her whole team could feel it. However, the feeling got worse the closer they got to the bridge. It was about then that they could see someone sitting on the bridge. It looked like a young woman, except she was dressed very strangely.
The woman was dressed in a strange outfit. She wore boots that went up to her thighs that had spikes on her knees and knees and heels. Her torso was in a strange dress that flared into leaf like extensions. Her shoulders were covered with large pads with three spikes each, two small and one larger one. She also wore gloves extending from a spike on her elbow and ending and flaring at her wrists. The whole outfit was colored dark purple with dark red blotches near the ends and outlined in a light golden yellow. The woman looked to be in her mid twenties and was well shaped with her tight suit showing off her body nicely. However, there were a few things that made it apparent that she wasn't human. She had pointed elfin ears, soft pale green skin, hair the looked like a bushel of leaves with a strange large flower behind it all the same color scheme as her outfit, and her eyes. Her eyes were just blank black orbs that seemed to look everywhere and nowhere. The group of ninja stopped as the woman turned towards them with a blank look.
"More humans?" she asked in a raspy voice. She then seemed to notice their headbands. "From the Leaf this time; that is interesting." she said as she stood up and walked towards them. Anko and the Chunin she was with all took defensive positions. This woman just tilted her as if seeing something curious. "You," she said while pointing to the young woman in front of the group. "You are … different, altered. Interesting. Wulfenbach will wish to see you," she said calmly as all of a sudden, massive vines and trees erupted out of the area. Before they could react, the woman spread her arms and a weird yellow mist started to shoot out in small geysers from her wrists, shoulders, and knees. With nowhere to go, the mist quickly filled up the wooden enclosure.
"Everyone cover your mouths!" Anko cried out, but it was too late. They had all breathed in the strange mist. One by one, they all dropped like flies, out cold. Anko was the last to go down as the strange plant like woman concentrated the mist onto her. As the young woman started to drift off, she could still see the blank eyes of the plant woman looking down at her in curiosity.
Agatha Heterodyne Wulfenbach looked over her new patient. A young woman with long black hair, dressed in a fishnet shirt and jacket while bearing a Leaf headband. She and her team had been brought in by the leader of the Netherleafs, Vee. The other members of the group were now sleeping off the effects of Vee's Dream Dust while this girl had been brought to her and her husband for analysis. Apparently Vee had detected something strange in the woman. After examining her, Agatha confirmed it. This woman had definitely been experimented on, specifically her skin. However, whoever did the job didn't do it as well as they should've done. In any case, it was Agatha's job to repair the damage and give this woman a new lease on life despite protests from Krosp and the Jägermonster Generals. This woman was from the Leaf and thus a potential ally once things were properly set up. 'Besides, Naruto might be interested in meeting someone from his old home town,' she thought as she connected a couple of wires, finishing her current project to help the unconscious kunoichi.
Anko Mitarashi woke up slowly. Her head felt like one of Gai's training dummies after one his more grueling sessions. She squinted as her eyes started to become used to the light and was surprised at what she saw. The young woman was in a laboratory but a far different one then Orochimaru's. While his had been dark, dank, with grotesque parts all around, and the stench of toxins, chemicals, and decay this was brightly lit and much bigger. It had large pieces of machinery and tools and smelled more of oil and other chemicals, though only lightly as this place seemed much cleaner. As her vision and mind cleared, she noticed she was on an operating table buck naked with a sheet draped over her. She also noticed that she wasn't alone. Nearby at a workbench was a young blonde haired woman with green eyes and glasses who looked a littler older then her dressed in a lab coat with gloves. The woman turned around and smiled when she saw Anko awake and staring at her. "Good to see you awake. How do you feel?" the woman asked kindly.
Anko wasn't sure how to respond. Usually after being gassed like that a ninja would be someone's prisoner for interrogation, not a patient of some type. She decided to answer honestly after a moment. "Well, other then a massive headache and the fact that my clothes are missing, I feel fine." After a moment she spoke again. "Actually, I feel really good," she stated more as an after thought then anything else. Now that she noticed it, she did feel a lot better then she had in a long time but also different somehow, the ninja couldn't explain it.
The woman just smiled. "Well, then it looks like it was a success. As for your clothes, they're right here along with your weapons. I had them all cleaned and as for your headache I have some aspirin if you like. I know that Dream Dust can leave a head pounding for some time," she said simply as she handed the Anko her clothes, all folded neatly along with her weapons and scrolls, all in perfect condition. Now the Leaf ninja was really confused, she should be getting tortured by now not being treated as a guest at a hotel.
"Um this is nice and all but what the hell is going on? Where am I, who are you, and where's my team?" She then remembered what the blonde had said earlier. "And what did you mean it was a success? What did you do to me?" she said a little more threateningly as she put her clothes back on. After being Orochimaru's guinea pig, the idea of someone else experimenting on her was not something she'd like to consider.
The woman smiled calmly as the threat in her voice wasn't there. "My name is Agatha Heterodyne Wulfenbach, your team is just fine, sleeping off the effects of the dust. They won't be harmed I assure you. As for where you are, you're in the City Hidden in the Nexus, Atum-Coma," Agatha explained as she poured a cup of a tea for herself and Anko.
The dark haired woman raised an eyebrow at the information. "Hidden Nexus? Never heard of it," she said evenly, hoping to get more information. Then at least her mission wouldn't be a total loss assuming she could get out of here.
The spark chuckled. "No I don't think you would've. It used to be called Wave country until recently. As for what I did to you, I corrected your problem," she said simply.
"What problem?" Anko said not sure if she wanted to find out.
"Your skin, it was incomplete. Whoever experimented on you did a half baked job of it. While your skin would've kept you young and healthy for a few decades it would've eventually failed and you would've died since it would be unable to renew itself. So I correct the problem by splicing some naga DNA into you. It allows you to shed your skin whenever you want, healing you and renewing your youth. Though there were a few unintended side effects," Agatha explained calmly.
Anko was now a bit calmer as she was able to tell that this woman wasn't lying to her. This woman obviously wasn't a ninja, but she did move with a certainty of someone who had seen their share of action. "What side effects?" Agatha simply held up a mirror and Anko was shocked to see that she had changed. Her skin had become only slightly paler, no where near Orochimaru's color to which she was grateful. Anko's eyes had become golden with the irises becoming black slits. On a whim she opened her mouth to find she had fangs now that were dripping slightly with venom. She also noted that her tongue was now more pointed at the end. Overall it wasn't a big change, nothing a slight Genjutsu couldn't fix. After she was done looking at herself she turned to the strange and apparently brilliant woman who had helped her. "What's this all about?" she asked curiously.
Being a Jonin, Anko had seen her share of strange things, but nothing in her career, with the possible exception of the Kyuubi attack, could've prepared her for what she was seeing. The woman was in castle, on a ship, several thousand feet up in the air! The craft she was in resembled large oval shaped balloon with a castle and other structures situated on top of it. This was beyond anything Anko had ever dreamed of. Even stranger was the story behind it. She could not believe all these creatures had come from another realm. She listened intently as the spark explained what had happened.
"When we first arrived, many people were downright afraid of us. Of course who could blame them? Having just gotten rid of Gato, they feared they were trading one hell for another. It certainly didn't help that a few darkstalkers were planning to go on a feeding frenzy as soon as they got here. Ho boy was that mess," the blonde woman said shaking her head as the two walked down the hall. "A decent number of the locals started to protest and unfortunately had to be … dealt with. We were able to smooth things out though there are a few who still wish to see us gone. In any case, what's your story?" the spark asked kindly.
Anko sighed and decided she had nothing to lose at this point. She didn't know where her squad was, where she was exactly other then being several thousand feet in the air, and with a woman who had an intelligence that obviously dwarfed her own. The snake woman also had no clue as to where she was being led. However she got her answer as she was led to the control room of the blimp. Standing there was what looked like a white furred and blue haired catwoman and a boy she almost didn't recognize. He was dressed in baggy black shorts and a baggy black shirt with dark orange markings on both. He had a pair of fox ears, a single fox tail, fire fur colored fox feet and claws, and bright blue animal like eyes. "Naruto?" she spoke softly as if she wasn't sure what she was seeing. She definitely remembered this boy as he was one of the few people in Konoha who had been just as hated as her. True she hadn't done much if anything to help him, but she certainly didn't do anything against the boy.
The kitsune looked up at the snake like woman. He tensed as he recognized her scent as being snake-like and as being from Konoha. However he relaxed a little as she kneeled down to his level, just looking at him in an odd combination of astonishment and relief. "Who are you? Are you from Konoha?" he asked carefully. The woman nodded and began asking questions about what had happened to him and where he had been. Agatha stood back silently as she watched the two converses catching up and comparing notes. Naruto answered as best he could before he asked a question of his own. "Why did they hate you?" he asked sadly. Anko's eyes widened for a moment as the room went silent.
The now half-naga sighed before speaking. "I made a mistake and chose a bad teacher. As a result as far as most of the village is concerned, I bear his treason," she said simply in a tone that signaled she didn't want to elaborate. The memories of Orochimaru, both what he had shown her and done her danced in her mind. The far away look in her eyes as well as the slight shiver didn't escape the spark watching or the kitsune.
"Then why go back?" the fox boy asked innocently.
Anko broke out of her thoughts as she stared at the boy. It took her a moment before answering. "To be able to live with myself," she said simply.
It was then Felicia, who had been silent this whole time decided to speak up. "Then why don't you live with yourself here?" the catwoman asked kindly. Anko looked up confused. "Nexus is taking in as many nuke-Nins as possible and you'd be more then welcome here. We can always use ninja with skills like yours. Besides, the best revenge is to live well, is it not?" she said with a smile.
Anko looked at the feline then at the blonde spark who was also smiling at her. Why did she want to go back? Sure there were people there she knew but they all regarded her with caution all the time, as if she were going to snap at them and kill them all. Then there were the villagers. Sure they didn't treat her as bad as they had Naruto but that was only because they knew she had authority and could fight back. She saw the looks and sneers that were supposed to be hidden and heard the taunts that they thought she couldn't hear. Truthfully it was becoming a battle to not simply explode at all of them. She looked at the two darkstalkers and then at the Spark thinking carefully about what she wanted before she got an idea. 'If this works I can get away from those assholes and do the Hokage a favor,' she thought wickedly.
Sarutobi sighed as he read the report the spy team had brought back with them along with the letter Anko had sent. It seemed Wave, or rather Nexus, wanted to be their ally but at the moment didn't want to reveal themselves. As a gesture of good will they had sent back the spy team unharmed if not a little confused. 'Though I'm never going to understand how in the world they were dropped off at our front gates sleeping like babies,' the old man mused. The letter had been from Anko explaining what had happened though he was pretty sure she was leaving something out. It also said that she'd be staying to act as a liaison/diplomat for the Leaf, though again Sarutobi suspected there was more to it. In any case, there was no doubt the letter was from Anko considering it had been delivered by one of her snakes with her signature and the signature of one "Baroness Agatha Clay Heterodyne Wulfenbach: Resident Co-Monarch of Clockworks" with two small stamped symbols next to it, one which looked like a small whirlpool to the left of the signature and the other a small gear to the right. The Hokage sighed tiredly, 'Why do I get the feeling that all this weirdness is going to come back and bite me in the ass?' he thought as he looked at the recently redone map, where Wave had been replaced by Nexus.
DARK TOME: Creatures
Main Type: Plant
Sub Type: Humanoid morph (meaning they can shape change into lots of things rather then a limited number of specific forms like Humanoid Shifter types)
Netherleafs: A type of intelligent plant found in the deepest jungles of both Makai and more recently the Human world. Netherleafs come in an extremely wide variety of subspecies, each with their own quirks and abilities. As a result they can grow in just about any environment that provides them with enough nutrition. However they tend to be found in areas that are densely populated by other non-plant species due to the fact that they are carnivorous. Despite this, Netherleafs tend to all share similar characteristics.
Netherleafs tend to mimic any humanoids in the area in order to better manipulate the environment around them and confront, capture, and consume prey. Netherleafs are voracious and will eat just about anything living but there are specific insects they love to eat and others that they will avoid eating as they are necessary for pollination and that they think they're cute for some reason. They can also receive nutrition from soil, water, sunlight, and especially moonlight and starlight hence they tend to be most active at night. Intelligence wise they vary from plant to plant. Some plant's intelligence is barely that of a drone while others, usually the Bloom, are more then capable of human level thought. Personality wise they are usually very calm, patient, and easy going but will not pass up a chance to devour something (or someone) if they can help it. They tend to live in groups called Patches and lead by a single powerful Netherleaf, usually called a Bloom.
These intelligent plants are deadly and are able to take down things many times their size and power. Netherleafs can alter their bodies into a number of weapons such as leaf like blades or long whips with thorns in them. They can also alter themselves to look like a normal plant and thus simply wait for prey to get too close. One of the few ways you can tell the difference is the smell of meat or flesh that they tend to have in such forms. Netherleafs also have the ability to generate various toxins in their bodies and release them such as Dream Dust which is a powerful paralyzing agent. Also, they're able to manipulate local flora to be their weapon such as crushing trees, poisonous flowers, etc. It should be noted that each of these abilities varies between species of Netherleafs. A desert Netherleaf would be most apt to manipulating desert plants and creating sharp spines while not being that good at making poisons. On the other hand, a jungle Netherleaf would be an expert at poisons but would not have the same spine making ability as the desert one. In any case, Netherleafs are extremely dangerous and at the moment only exist in Hidden Nexus, allied with those in Atum-Coma.
AN: Sorry for the long wait. Writer's block. I know not the best chapter but trust me, it will get better later. I'm just setting up for all the hell that'll be raised later.