Hi! DarkNutDestroyer here with a new chapter. Last chapter was a bit disappointed so I hope this one will redeem myself to you readers. Thank you again for your amazing support! You are the reason why I work as hard as possible to make this story as enjoyable as possible.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Rosario Vampire, who would've thought?
The Blood Runs Deep into the Ground
Lady Oyakata rubbed her tired eyes as she continued her task. Her rough and calloused hands carefully cut the beetle in exactly seven parts before crushing them into fine dust with a mortar and pestle that she had specially crafted for this occasion. She continued in her task in silence until she was distracted by the screeching sound of the wooden door opening. She turned around and raised an eyebrow in annoyance.
"Ruby? Haven't I given you orders to not interrupt me while I'm working?" she asked but paused in her scolding when she saw the panicked look in the face of her apprentice.
"My Lady, a stranger is approaching the house!" she blurted out and Oyakata finally noticed that her face was red and flushed, like she had run here as quickly as she could to come tell her the news, which she most likely did.
The venerable witch groaned in annoyance and stood up before grabbing her tome and staff. She then motioned Ruby to the back of the shack. "I'll deal with the threat, hide in the house until I come back. Don't let anyone in except me, understood?"
The girl nodded quickly before she retreated to the back of the dark shack. She still looked scared but the reassuring tone in her voice seemed to have lessened her fear. Oyakata stretched her sore limbs and felt the burden of centuries of years weighing her down. She then draped herself with her combat clothes that consisted with a protective cloak, leather protective gear and boots.
After leaving the house and activated the protective wards, she slowly walked down the barren path. She smiled lightly while she paused to gaze at the endless prairies of sunflowers that glowed in the sunlight like golden jewels. Her face hardened as her grip on her staff tightened until her knuckles turned white.
She wouldn't let those despicable humans or anyone destroy everything she treasured.
She continued on her trek before she eventually encountered the intruder. "So, what is Mikogami's dog doing here?"
Nurari looked like he had gotten through hell. His clothes were dirty and torn. However, his clothing wasn't the only thing that was in poor shape. He looked exhausted, showed by his sluggish movements and the dark shade under his eyes.
"I was sent by the Headmaster to retrieve someone-" However, Oyakata quickly cut him off.
"Forget it. I'm not Mikogami's dog and never will. Leave, you are not welcome here."
However, Nurari didn't seem to mind her refusal. In fact, he was… smiling?
"I think you misunderstood me, Oyakata. It is not you that I seek, but your pupil." He quickly had to dodge when vines sprouted from the ground and attempted to grab him. He flipped back and landed on the ground, only to jump again when several other vines grabbed the empty space he once occupied. Nurari frowned when he saw dozens of those plants following him as he ran. However, they were still connected to the ground and couldn't follow him on the fields of sunflowers.
"YOU WON'T TOUCH A SINGLE HAIR OF HER!" The witch screamed as she opened the tome. The pages flipped in front of her eyes before eventually stopping after reaching a certain point. 'I haven't tested them yet. This will be a good opportunity to observe their combat skills.' She thought as she started to chant complex incantations and performing intricate patterns in the air with her staff. The purple gem incrusted in the elder wood shinned brightly and Nurari had to shield his eyes to avoid turning blind.
Finally, the light diminished until it became a faint glow. Oyakata was breathing heavily, the spell having drained an enormous amount of energy from her reserves. However, her enemy, despite being only a shell of his former power, had still been the most powerful creature of the world and she couldn't afford to lose.
Nurari was observing his surroundings cautiously. He hated dealing with witches as they were as unpredictable as their magic. He felt a faint tremor from his feet and realized that the ground was shaking. His eyes widened when he realized with horror that the sunflowers were transforming. He tried to run but it was too late. He fell when his ankles were suddenly grabbed by powerful hands. He looked behind and saw the arms coming from the soil. Other arms emerged from the ground and grabbed him, immobilizing him.
The figures, which had previously stayed hidden in the ground, rose like fallen soldiers and roared to the skies. They were anthropomorphic as they had arms and were standing on their legs, but their resemblances with humans stopped there. Their skin was green and fleshy, similar to a plant. They were very muscular and the sunflowers had closed and become their tails. Their heads were reptilian-like and red globes that connected to their flesh seemed to serve as their eyes. Their mouths opened, revealing rows of jagged teeth that could probably rip a human into shreds in a few seconds.
He gulped when he realized the sheer amount of them that now filled the area. The situation seemed hopeless but he hadn't survived millennia's only to die to the hands of a bunch of overgrown flowers.
He managed to tear one arm from their grasp and reached inside his cloak. Just when theplants were about to pounce on him and devoure his body, his hand closed itself around the metallic Holy Lock and tore it free.
-X-
Ginei stared blankly at the first edition of the school newspaper before looking back up at the grinning face of the blond. His hands shook as he tried not to tear it all up to shreds. However, he knew that it would only make the situation worse. He was trapped and there was no escape.
"Y-You…" His voice was contorted with suppressed rage which only served to make the smile on the blond's face to widen.
"What? Did you expect me to simply let the matter drop?" the blond said as he shook a finger in front of his face. "You ruined my already shitty reputation and you expect to escape with the slap on the wrist? You are heavily mistaken."
The laughter that followed finally broke his restraints. He crumbled the paper into his fist and threw at the boy. Naruto simply caught it and folded it back open. "I admit I did a pretty good job, haven't I?" The blond asked as he showed the seething boy the pictures on the front page.
It showed the black haired youth pointing at the window of the girls' changing room. The next showed the blonde looking through it and Gin taking a picture. The photos were accompanied by a long article that proclaimed Naruto's innocence which, of course, was enough to convince the entire school.
"How exactly did you do it?" Gin asked. He was sure that no one was there when he had sprung his trap.
"Come on, did you really expect me to fall for such a stupid trick? I simply hired another student to watch from a hidden location to see if you would attempt anything. It seems like I was correct in my presumptions." He lied through his teeth. He had simply recreated the scene but with clones under henge but Gin didn't have to know this. "The newspaper had already been sold all around the school by now and everyone knows who the real pervert is."
Gin felt tempted to slug the stupidly grinning blonde in the face, but he knew that it was futile. He groaned and covered his face with his hands as he felt the beginning of a headache. "Well, I can't say that don't deserve this." He remained silent for a few more moments before Naruto talked again.
"So, how're you feeling after your rejection?" Gin gazed at the wall and answered. "Better, I guess. I rejected plenty of girls and broke more hearts than I could count. It's the first time one broke mine. I... I didn't really expect it to hurt so much." Naruto simply pat him on the back.
"Cheer up! I'm sure that you'll find someone else!" Gin looked skeptical before eventually sighing.
"Guess you're right… It's useless to delve in the past. I'll just have to kidnap another girl and force her to love me forever."
He cried out in pain when he felt Naruto smack him upside the head. "Hey! I was just joking!"
The former savior of the Elemental Nations and killer of a god simply rolled his eyes and pushed him out of the room.
-X-
Oyakata gasped as her hands grasped the pole currently lodged in her chest and pinning her to a tree. She coughed heavily and knew that she was going to die. She stared at the monster currently standing in front of her. His jacket had been ripped apart during the fight and he was covered in the blood of the thousand of man-eating plants he had slain a few moments ago. Never before had she felt such fear gripping her heart. As she felt her life slipping away to the afterlife, she managed to choke out a curse but Nurari simply shrugged the jinx off like it was nothing. She died with the knowledge that she had failed in her task and that her dear protégé would be taken by the monster standing in front of her slowly dimming eyes.
Nurari gazed at the woman as she died and felt nothing.
"It had been a long time since my last massacre." he thought as he gazed at his blood-stained hands. He looked up to the sky and felt droplets of rain fall on his cheeks and wash the blood away.
He made a short prayer for the witch's soul before he walked to the house. The once luxurious fields filled with life were now burning wastelands covered with the rotting corpses of his enemies.
He bended forward and picked up the Holy Lock he had discarded earlier. Fine cracks could be seen on its surface but it hadn't broken, which made him sigh in relief. It was covered with dried blood but he put it on without bothering to clean it.
Once the lock was safely attached to his wrist, he felt his power diminish and the intense bloodlust that had filled the area disappeared. He let out a weary sigh and continued on his way, leaving behind his trail of destruction.
Everything was dead. His enemies were dead. His friends were dead. His family was dead. The trees were dead. The birds were dead. The water was dead. The air was dead. The grass was dead. The mountains were dead. The Gods were dead. His heart was dead. He was dead.
Yet, his spirit lived on. He was a revenant, a lesson destined to repeat.
After a few minutes, a house came into view. Multiple wards protected the perimeter from intruders but he broke through them like they were nothing. Once he passed the protections, nothing stood in his way. He kicked the wooden door open, making it explode in a shower of splinters. A surprised cry came from the inside as he stepped through the frame. His eyes scanned the area before falling on a girl.
She had long dark brown hair that was put up in twin ponytails on each side of her head while the rest fell naturally. She was wearing what seemed like gothic clothing which consisted of a pink corset, a long black shirt with frills at the end and high-heeled shoes.
She was glaring at him and was holding a tome similar to the one her master held. Intricate incantations were already coming from her mouth but he had already moved before she finished the first sentence. She gasped as he hit her upside the head, knocking her out instantly. He was already annoyed that he had been forced to unleash his true power by her master and he wouldn't repeat the same mystake with her apprentice.
He looked around the battlefield. The crows were already festering on the dead and the air was filled with the stench of burning flesh and drying blood. He gazed at his hands and saw that they were covered in blood. He quickly ran to a nearby stream and tried to wash off the crimson liquid. The water turned instantly red when he plunged his hands in it. He rubbed his hands erratically, desperate to wash the stains away.
Three hours later, the water still remained red.
He threw the limp form of the girl over his shoulder and left the shack. He groaned in annoyance when he saw the wasteland he had created. It seemed like he would need to get rid of the evidence of his presence.
He whispered a few words interlaced with magic as he walked down the dirt path. The cabin was engulfed in a torrent of fire that quickly burned the dry wood that made its walls. The field of corpses quickly followed.
He collapsed on his knees as he beheld the aftermath of the battle. Everyone he cherished… was dead. He couldn't even pay respect to their remains as their corpses had been burnt to ashes. He stood up and gazed at the sky as rain started to fall.
The drops of water washed the cinders and blood away and extinguished the still-glowing embers.
However, no amount of rain could make his sadness and regrets disappear.
After walking through the forest for a few hours, he finally found his bus, waiting patiently for his arrival. He opened the door and made sure that her head wouldn't hit anything. It wouldn't do well to deliver a comatose girl to Mikogami after all the trouble he went through to retrieve her.
He carefully deposited the unconscious girl on a bench and came back up front to sit on the driver seat. After making sure that everything was working properly, he started the engine and started to drive the bus to the nearest road. When the bus rolled at a satisfying speed, he pulled the lever and a tear in space opened in front of the speeding vehicle. He drove into the portal and sit back to regain his bearings. He closed his eyes and rested for a moment. He wasn't scared of falling asleep. He hadn't slept for millennia.
The ghosts of the past made sure of it.
-X-
Naruto frowned as he sat down next down to a clearly worried Moka. She was fidgeting with her hands and she seemed to be in deep thought. She jumped when she realized that he was here. She tried to stand up but stopped when he grabbed her arm and forced her to sit back down.
"Moka," he took a deep breath. "I know that a lot of things have happened between us. I just want to talk."
Moka looked away and he was scared for a second that she would leave but she stayed. He remained silent, knowing well that things would worsen if he forced her to talk. Finally, it seemed like she had calmed herself down and she opened her mouth to speak.
"It's just… so frustrating!" she let out. "I don't know what to think! I have feelings that I cannot comprehend and I just want to hit something!"
"You can hit me if you want." Naruto proposed. He was ready to do about anything if it would lessen her pain.
"It wouldn't change anything." She said as she shook her head. "You're just so… so stubborn! You don't listen and you decide things for me. You remind me of my dad. He would always shield me from the world. He refused to let me go to school and hired private tutors to teach me at home. He would never listen to me and every time I tried to make him understand this, he would always shake his head and tell me that it's for my own good. I'm sorry that I slapped you. It just hurt me deeply that you wouldn't trust me enough to let me make my own choices."
She paused to breathe and Naruto looked at her sadly. He hadn't realized how his actions affected her. She was just so delicate and beautiful that he had forgotten that there was a scared little girl beneath that perfect façade.
"Moka, I'm sorry for what I've done. I promise that I'll do better next time. However, you must realize that this school is dangerous and that they are people here that wish you harm. If I don't protect you, you'll be hurt… or worse."
Moka seemed to think about this before she seemed to realize something. "Naruto, how about you teach me how to fight?"
Naruto recoiled in shock. He hadn't expected that! He didn't want to delve too deep in his relationships as he expected to leave by the end of the year. "Moka, you know I told you that chakra was dangerous and you wouldn't be able to use it anyway."
However, it seemed like Moka was deadly determined. "You don't need to teach me about this! You must have some kind of close-quarter combat knowledge. You can teach me basic stuff, things that would make me able to defend myself."
Naruto was still dubious but, as he saw Moka's hopeful expression, he conceded. "Fine…"
"Yay!" she shouted in joy as she pulled him into a hug. "Thank you so much!"
Naruto simply patted her on the back until she released him. However, he knew that she was far from fine. He ignored the effects of Gin's confession but he knew that he had no right to intervene in that matter. "Does that mean that I'm forgiven?"
Moka seemed to think for moment before she blew him a raspberry. "Maybe I'll think about it!" she taunted as she ran away.
Naruto quickly jumped up and ran after her. "Come back here!"
Kurumu gritted her teeth as she witnessed Naruto running playfully behind a laughing Moka. It seemed like they made up. She had hoped that Moka would abandon him and she would be there to soothe his sadness away.
Oh well, she didn't expect this plan to work as she made it on the spot. If she wanted to gain his love, her plan would require much more finesse, skill and planning.
She straightened her clothes and put on her mask before she came out from the shadows and followed them.
She was close. She knew it.
-X-
Nurari grunted as he gently lowered the body to the ground. Mikogami was watching from a few feet away, smiling smugly. An intricate seal had been drawn on the floor and he made sure to put her in the center. After finishing the task, he stepped out the seal and joined the Headmaster.
After arriving at the school, he had been greeted by Mikogami and took him with him to the underground of the school
"I really don't understand why I had to do all this." He asked as Mikogami started to prepare the ceremony. "What's so special about the girl?"
Mikogami didn't stop in his task and started to put black candles around the circle as he started talking. "Naruto holds an immeasurable power." Nurari flinched and the Headmaster noticed it. "Ah, I see you still remember how he played you like a fool."
He finished in placing the candles and proceeded to light them. "His abilities are unknown but, from what little information my agents have gathered, the power he used to neutralize you was only a fraction of his true power. He's much more powerful than anything we've ever encountered! This is the reason why I must find a way to obtain this power. If I can't, I'll force him to obey to my orders."
Nurari lifted an eyebrow. "If he's as powerful as you say he is, how do you exactly plan on doing that?"
Mikogami took out a book out of one of his concealed pockets. It was an ancient tome but it was in a fairly good state. Its cover was incrusted with precious gems and intricate ornaments that spoke of its value. "I did some research and I found something interesting. It seems like Oyakata had been hiding something from us. Do you remember the story she gave us?"
"She said that the girl's parents died in a car accident. The driver was drunk and ran them over. However, the girl survived and Oyakata took her in as her pupil when she realized that she was a witch." He said. "However, I don't see how this is relevant to my question."
"You were half-right. It is true that her parents died in a car crash but Ruby Tojo also died in that accident."
Nurari recoiled in shock and stumbled back from the unconscious girl laid on the ground. "She's a zombie?"
"Of course not, fool. Undead cannot use nature's energy since they are a direct violation of its rules. If she was, she wouldn't be able to use magic. Oyakata knew well of that and decided to use a different way to revive her. She used a forbidden dark ritual to summon a god and force it inside her body."
This time, the shock was too great and Nurari fell on the ground. "Which one did she call?" he asked shakely.
Mikogami opened the book and started to flip through its pages. Finally, he stopped at a particular one and showed it to Nurari. "She chose this one."
Nurari let out a choked gasp and fell unconscious.
Chapter end!
Yep, I did a cliffhanger. I already have an idea of the God I am going to choose but if someone gives me a better one, I will choose it instead. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed the chapter! I will write the next one as quickly as I can! ;)
Like it? Hate it? Please review!
