Disclaimer: Own this anime, I do not. Own this story, I must.
A/N: Man. I've been listening to Indestructible by Disturbed a for awhile, trying to come up with some interesting fight scenes for the future. Hopefully I have a few good ones that will at least be semi-decent. Anyway, yeah. So, on with the chapter. Tallyho!
X--X--X--X
Endless Darkness
Chapter 11 - The Mark of the Kishe
X--X--X--X
"So, what exactly am I to do? I'm being held hostage by some man and his lackeys and I don't even get a phone call or something?" Nao said as she leaned against the back of the couch. "No. Like I said, you're not a hostage. We're simply keeping you out of the sights of the Hierarchs." Nakamura said as he walked over to the kitchen part of the living area.
"Okay. So, since I'm being held in "witness protection", what exactly am I to do? I have this powerful magic, yet I have no idea how to use it." Nao said as she waved her right hand in Nakamura's direction. "Oh… Heh, about that. Yeah, you see, the host of the absolution can't actually 'use' the absolutions power. You just… Hold it, till It's ready to be used." Nakamura smiled and scratched his head.
"Oh… Well, I guess it's no biggie since I have you guys to protect me." Nao said and crossed her arms. Nakamura made a loud hissing noise by breathing through his teeth, then looked back at Nao. "About that… Umm, we're not actually here to "protect you", just to monitor your movements and make sure the Hierarchs don't tail you twenty-four seven… Heh." There was a quick pause, followed by Nao's yelling.
"WHAT! What do you mean you won't protect me!? I mean… You said it yourself. Those Hierarch guys are trying to capture me right!?" Nao said, clenching her fists. "Well, I said that we were her to make sure they didn't capture you. Meaning you would still be alive. But we can't just keep you here of course. You have your own life to tend to and making our existence known to the public would make everything worse." Nakamura pulled a bottle of beer out of the fridge and walked back into the living area.
"Wha-… But… That doesn't make any sense. I mean, if they capture me-…" Nao was cut off by a hissing noise. Nakamura pulled out a two way radio from his vest pocket. "Oi, I'm here." Nakamura said. There was a silence on the other end of the line. "Hey… I said I'm here, Flynn!" Nakamura said with an aggravated tone.
"You forgot to say over, over." A girly voice with a masculine tone said over the radio. "Tch…" Nakamura's grip tightened on the object as he gritted his teeth in anger. "God… I'm here. OVER!" Nakamura screamed into the radio. "Ow… Honey. You don't have to be so rude about it." The girly voice replied.
"You have the package?… Over." Nakamura asked. "Hey, I'm not-…" Nao heard someone say on the other side of the radio, but it was to faint for her to tell who it was. "Yeah, it's here, over."
"Good. Meet you there…" Nakamura said and got off the couch. "Hey, you forgot to sa-…" The voice was cut off as Nakamura killed the radio. "What was that about?" Nao asked. "That… That was about your "protection"." Nakamura smiled as grabbed Nao's hand. "Hey, wait! Hold up a minute." Nao said in protest. "Sorry. No time!" Nakamura said and pulled out a circular object from his pants pocket. In a flash, they vanished.
X--X--X--X
Natsuki sat on a rock, bound by ropes, and bandages on her head and a few of her other wounds. "So, what exactly am I doing in this place?" Natsuki asked as she examined the really large room. It looked like a rodeo ring, only five times the size. There was a lake in the center of the place. Most of the are was covered in green, while the rest seemed to be that of a rocky wasteland.
"Well, were here waiting for your "client"." The man said in a light voice as he through what seemed to be a radio over into a pit. "My "client"? What? Your selling me as some slab of meat to some pervert!?" Natsuki yelled in rage as she clenched her teeth. "Oh please, honey. As if. I probably wouldn't even make a cent off of you with the people I know."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!? You callin' me ugly!? You're no looker yourself, pal…" Natsuki retaliated, the averted her eyes. "No. It's just that all the people I know are women." The man said as he gave Natsuki a big toothy grin. "If only you knew…" Natsuki thought as she chuckled.
Just then, a flash appeared behind the man. Both people looked over at the area. "Oh, you made it. Goodie!" The man said and jumped for joy. Natsuki looked as a man stood from where the flash struck. Her had short, strait dirty blonde hair and pretty blue eyes. He was wearing a brown vest with a black shirt and camouflage pants.
The person next to him was a redheaded girl… "N-Nao! What the hell?" Natsuki cocked her eyebrow. Nao looked over and saw Natsuki tied up, sitting on a rock. "What the hell?! What's she doing here?" Nao demanded as she directed her attention to Nakamura. Nakamura only stuck his tongue out playfully at the girl. "You'll find out shortly."
"Ah. So this is the legendary host of the absolution. I guess Kenji finally showed up." Flynn said as he smiled playfully. "Yeah. I should have never given him that vacation in the first place. Not only do I have bill out the ass, I'm now a proud owner of a time share." Nakamura grunted as he tapped his foot on the floor.
"Umm… Hello. You old people can chat about your lives in a little bit. First, tell me what the hell's going on!" Nao demanded as she stomped her foot on the ground. "Ooh. I've never seen this much spunk since Akemi… Like mother like daughter I suppose." Flynn giggled and turned away.
"Hey… What about me!?" Natsuki said as she began kicking the very rock she was sitting on. "Untie me damn it!"
After Flynn, finished uniting the girl, Natsuki delivered a power punch to the man's face. "Ow! What was that for!?" He asked as he rubbed his nose. "That was for making me feel like some two bit hostage." Natsuki said as she rubbed her hand. The man had a surprisingly hard nose.
"Now. Onto bigger matters." Nakamura said. "Nao, I would now like you to meet your new bodyguard."
"What? Bodyguard. Wait, hold up." Natsuki said, raising her hands in objection. "I don't do baby sitting."
"Hey, who you calling a baby! And what is this. You're saying this pathetic excuse for a mutt is going to be my bodyguard?" Nao said as she crossed her arms. "Pathetic!? Come here and say that to my face you little-…" A strange force crushed the two girls. "Silence… You noisy brats!"
The two girls looked over at Nakamura and noticed his cold glare. Their bodies froze. "Y-yes… Sir…" They both said in sync. "Good, now that I have your attention…" Nakamura said as he walked in between two large rock. He took a deep breathe, then kicked the rock to his side, smashing it to bits.
Natsuki and Nao both stood in awe. Nakamura turned to Natsuki and smiled. "Natsuki-san, you are now the official bodyguard of the absolution." He said and approached the two girls. "What?" Natsuki had a puzzled look on her face. Nakamura took her right hand. "This symbol. It's a seal." Nakamura let go of the girls hand. "The seal of the Kiche."
"…I'm not following you…" Natsuki's face was as blank as a fresh piece of paper. Nakamura sighed. "Of course you wouldn't. Now sit down and let me explain."
After about fifteen minutes of explaining, Natsuki's face was still as blank as a piece of paper. "I… I'm… Wow…" Natsuki looked down at the ground. "So you see, Nao is the holder of the absolution, and the Hangyakusha chose you as her protector."
"So… That means that what Nao said…" Natsuki looked over at Nao and noticed she was averting her eyes. "Nao…" Natsuki thought as she put her head down.
"Now then. Let's begin." Nakamura said as he clapped once. "Begin what?" Natsuki asked. "Why, your training, of course." Nakamura said and gave her a smile.
X--X--X--X
Mai laid down on her bed, staring at her ceiling. "Is she dead? I should have never let her go alone." The girl thought as she buried her face inside of her pillow.
Mikoto was fast asleep on her bed. Mai could hear her light snores. She couldn't help but chuckle. Mai got off of her bed and walked into her small kitchenette. The girl pulled a glass out of one of the cabinets and put some ice in it from the freezer. She put the glass under some running water and filled it up.
After it was finished filling, she took a few good sips and then set the glass into the sink. "What's happening. First Nao starts acting strange, now it's Aoi. Plus, Natsuki…." Mai thought as she looked back at the sleeping Mikoto.
All of the sudden, Mai heard screaming in the distance, followed by sirens. "Hmm…?" Mai walked out onto her balcony and took a look. What she saw was a cloud of smoke. The girl also heard gunshots. "What's going on over there?" Mai thought to herself.
"Mai…" The orange headed girl looked over her shoulder and saw Mikoto behind her, rubbing her eyes. "Oh, Mikoto. You're up." Mai said and turned to the girl. "What's that?" Mikoto asked pointing at the cloud of smoke coming from one of the streets. Only the area was hidden by some trees so they couldn't see.
"I'm not sure." Mai said as she looked back over to the smoky are. They heard gunshots once more. This time, Mikoto jumped and latched onto Mai. The girl just smiled. Still, it was strange. Mai kept wondering about what was happening. She turned around to Mikoto and rested her hands on the girls shoulders.
"Listen, Mikoto. I'm going to go see what all the commotion is alright." Mai said. "I'm going to." Mikoto protested, worrying about her friend. "No, Mikoto. You need to stay here. Don't worry, I can handle myself." Mai said with a reassuring smile. Both the girls walked back into the apartment. Mai didn't know why, but she felt as though some of her questions could be answered if she checked the situation out. Even though it seemed really dangerous.
"Mai…" Mikoto said and grabbed the girls shirt. The orange headed girl could only pat Mikoto on the head and smile. "I'll be back. I promise." Mai said and walked out the door. Mikoto stood there, with a heaving feeling in her got. "I'm hungry…"
X--X--X--X
Nakamura took Natsuki into a pretty clear area of the desert where there were very little rocks. "Alright. Here's the deal." Nakamura started. "I'm going to summon some creatures, and you're going to show me how good you are at controlling your powers."
Natsuki only nodded in response. The girl was fairly new to her powers, but she was always confident in her ability. "Alright, her we go." Nakamura said and pulled out an amulet from his pocket. There was a flash behind Nakamura, making Natsuki ready herself for the worst. "Okay, here we go." Nakamura said and cleared the way.
Natsuki looked at the creature with a blank stare. "Bahahhaha…"
"A… Billy goat?" Natsuki let her guard down, and glared at Nakamura. "What do I look like, some kind of-…" Natsuki was cut off by a crushing force to her gut. The goat had unpredictable speeds and head butted her in the gut, sending Natsuki a few yards away on her back. The girl coughed uncontrollably.
"Damn… Goat!" She struggled to say. "Yep. This is Billy. The last thing you want to do is turn your back on him, if you catch me drift." Nakamura said with a chuckle. "I figured he would be a good candidate for your first training session." Nakamura said, putting the amulet back in his pants pocket.
"What!? I have to fight this irritating little meat factory!?" Natsuki yelled as she got up to her feet. Nakamura pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it with his Zippo, and exhaled some smoke through his nose. "Well, If you want to learn how to use your powers correctly, then you'll need to learn how to focus them on Billy here." Nakamura said pointing at the Billy goat.
"He has a nicely balanced offence and defense. So I figured, why not use him. He's not really a Kishe pet, so he should be a simple task to overcome." Nakamura sat down on a nearby rock and began puffing on his cig. Natsuki looked at Nakamura then back at Billy.
"I can't believe I'm doing this." Natsuki said to herself. The girl prepared herself as she stared at her opponent. "Alright, goat. Let's see what you've got." Natsuki charged the goat and leaped into the air. She delivered a kick to his head. Both Natsuki and the goat stood there. Natsuki and the goat stood there for a second.
Natsuki then grunted in pain and fell to her back, holding her foot in pain. Nao, who was a good fifty yard away from the training area, couldn't believe what she was seeing. Natsuki was fighting a goat. "If only I had my cell phone…" The girl thought, laughing.
Natsuki could hear Nao laughing in the distance. The girl growled and looked over her shoulder at the other girl. "Yeah, I would recommended not actually kicking his head next time. Since it is harder then human bone." Nakamura said chuckling.
Natsuki got back up and gently rested her weight on her damaged foot. "Note to self, don't kick the goat." The girl thought as she glared at Billy. Just then, the goat took off toward Natsuki at full speed, horns at the ready. Natsuki saw as the goat approached with great speed. Before the goat made contact with the girl, she leaped over him.
"Ha!" Natsuki gloated as she fell to the ground. Natsuki turned to the direction of the goat and noticed he kept moving. "What the…?"
The goat made contact with a fairly large rock, smashing it to bit. The girl stood in awe of the goats power, as Billy directed his attention to Natsuki. "Yep. You're really going to need your powers to fight Billy. Or you'll end up like that rock." Nakamura chuckled and took another puff of his cigarette.
Nao sat in, her jaw practically on the floor. She couldn't believe what she just saw. That ordinary goat just smashed a rock five times his size.
Natsuki starred at the goat with widened eyes. The goat looked back at her with an intense glare. The girl gulped as the goat began stomping at the ground. "Bahahaha!" The goat charged, it's head at the ready. Natsuki prepared herself, ready to jump at the right time.
"You'll never make it." Nakamura commented as he watched the goat quickly approach the girl. The goat was just a few feet away, then Natsuki jumped into the air once again. Only this time, the goat changed his direction. He quickly leaped up along with Natsuki and collided with her gut.
The girl let out a grunt as the wind literally got knocked out of her. She was sent flying backwards. This time, further then before.
Natsuki hit the ground with great force, then began rolling backwards. "Told you." Nakamura smugly remarked. Natsuki steadily picked herself up onto her feet. "The force of that blow could have totaled a freight train." The girl thought as she struggled to breathe.
"Damn it…" Natsuki cursed as she fell to the ground unconscious.
"Hmm… Already?" Nakamura said as he cocked his eyebrow.
Nao watched as she saw Natsuki fall to the ground. The sight of her falling made Nao fell uneasy. Very uncomfortable. Like someone was picking at her stomach. The girl just looked away.
Nakamura approached Natsuki's unconscious body, then looked in the direction of the goat. "Sorry, buddy. Seems we have a little more work to do with her, eh?" The man said and chuckled. The goat nodded his head once in response.
Nakamura pulled out the amulet again and directed it toward the goat. There was a flash and the goat disappeared. Nakamura put the amulet back in his vest pocket and looked back down at the girl. "Man oh man." He lifted the girl onto his shoulder. "Just my luck. I get caught with a talent less weakling."
Nakamura made his way over to Nao and Flynn. "Alright, we're done for now. Lets go back." Flynn nodded in response as he pulled out an amulet just like Nakamura's. It was made out of rock that had the "Kishe" seal on it. Then, they flashed out of the field.
X--X--X--X
Mai approached the area. There was a fairly large fire coming from a small building. "Hmm?" Mai stopped in her tracks. She looked down and noticed she stepped on something. It was a person, a dead person. Mai's eyes widened in shock as she slowly walked backwards. "Wha-… What is this?" Mai thought as she looked over the horrible scene.
Blood covered the parking lot. Mai counted at least nineteen dead body's, along with some limbs. "Gah… Help… Someone please…" Mai heard a voice and directed her attention to the side of the building. A man in a police uniform came crawling from around the back. He was covered in scars. The man noticed Mai standing off to the side of the parking lot.
"Oh, thank god…" The man stretched his hand out towards Mai's direction. "Please… Help me… Before they-…" Just the, a giant hand appeared from around the building and dragged the man back behind it. "Noooooo!!…" The man's agonizing screams echoed through Mai's ears. She could also hear the crunching of bone and ripping of flesh.
"What… I don't." Mai stood there, horrified. She's never experienced something liked this. The creature walked out from around the building and directed itself towards Mai. It looked like a guerilla. It's forearms were almost bigger then it's body. The upper half of it's head had what seemed to be a bone helmet. It had no eyes, and it's entire lower jaw contained multiple razor sharp teeth. Along with a black, leather like skin.
The creature then beat it's chest and let out a mighty roar. Suddenly, a few monkey like creatures surrounded Mai. "What… Are these things?" Mai thought as the creatures closed in. The had no upper skull. It was exposed brain. They had only one green eyes in the middle of their faces. The had no fur, only rotten flesh. They had not flesh around their mouths, only exposed teeth that appeared to be as sharp as the guerillas.
"Wait a minute… Am I going to die here?" Mai thought as she quickly double-took back and forth between each creature. The monkey creatures elongated their claws from the fingers. They began chuckling.
One of them lunged for the girl. Mai quickly shielded herself with her arms. The monkey was then knocked back onto it's head. Mai looked to see what happened, and saw Mikoto wielding her Kendo blade.
"Mikoto! What are you doing?" Mai said in confusion. "I told you to wait." Mai said in a more furious tone. "I'm sorry Mai, but you're in trouble." Mikoto said, looking back at the girl. Mai just stared at the girl with a soft expression. "Mikoto…"
Just then, the was a sound of something being struck. Mai looked down at Mikoto's chest and noticed one of the monkeys ran it's claws through the poor girl.
"Mikoto!" Mai screamed as she caught the falling girl. "Mikoto… No! Not you to. Please, say something!" Mai cradled the girl in her arms, looking at the girls lifeless eyes. "No…"
Mai didn't even noticed the monkeys began to pounce in her direction. She looked up and saw one almost two feet away from her face. Then, all of the monkey creatures were knocked away by a couple black, wavy streams. "What the…?" Mai looked over her shoulder and noticed two people were standing behind her.
"Ooh. Seems we made it on time." One of the people behind her said. There was a man dressed up like a butler. He was wearing slim glasses and had grey hair that reached his shoulders. He seemed pretty old. Then the next person. He was wearing a black cloak over himself, and wore what seemed to be a festive red Japanese demon mask over his face.
"Now then, It seems we shall begin." The old man said and looked over at the other person. The man in the black cloak nodded then jumped over Mai towards the creatures.
The old man crouched next to Mai and held out his hand. "If you would please. We don't have much time left to save her." Mai looked over at the man and saw his reassuring smile. Tears were welding up in her eyes as she nodded.
Mai rested Mikoto onto the ground, and the old mans right hand began to glow. Meanwhile, the man in the black cloak spread his arms out from under his cloak and extended his fingers. Each finger had an identical ring on it. From these rings, black streams of light flew out of each one. They resembled Nao's red wire, only they were black.
The streams gallantly danced around on the ground, slashing anything in their path. Each of the monkey creature fell victim to their deadly beauty. Mai watched as the old man slowly began to heal Mikoto's wound. It was slowly disappearing.
The black cloaked man directed his attention towards the guerilla creature. He flung his fingers in it's direction, slicing the beast to bits. The man retracted his arms back into his cloak as the streams quickly dissipated.
"There. The hospital can handle the rest." The old man said and stood up. "Now then, I believe it's time for us to take our leave, don't you agree, Sin?" The old man said as he looked over his shoulder at the other man.
Sin just replied with a simple bow of his head. "Wait… Who are you people. What was that thing?" Mai asked. The old man looked at her and smiled. "That, is not a need to know basis, my dear."
Sin approached the old man. "Now then. Ta-Ta." The old man said, waving his hand. Sin extended his right arm and in a black flash, the vanished. "What… Was that?" Mai thought. She sat in awe of what just happened. Never had she ever imagined something so preposterous could happen.
"Hey you. This is FCPD! Put your hands behind your head and step away from the girl!" Mai looked over and noticed an entire line of police blocking the road where the parking lot exited to. "Huh." Mai was so busy thinking, she didn't notice the police that surrounded the area.
X--X--X--X
Natsuki slowly opened her eyes. She felt as though she was laying on a cloud. Such a cozy feeling. Natsuki looked around the room. It appeared to be a room that of a mansion. "Where am I?" She asked as she began to sit up. "Argn…" The girl grunted in pain and fell back onto the bed. "That's right. That damn goat…"
Natsuki looked to her left and saw a night stand, On it was an electric clock. It read '8:37 PM'. "That's why it's dark in this room."
"So… You're awake." Natsuki heard a voice to her right. She turned her head and saw a figure sitting on the bed next to her. "Who's there?" She demanded to know.
The figure reached over and turned on a lamp on a nightstand in between the two beds. "Calm down. It's just me." Nao said with a strait face. There were only two beds in the entire bedroom. Now that there was some light, Natsuki could get a better look. There was a double door closet on the other side of the room, along with a bathroom off to the right of it. There was also a giant glass window with a balcony on the right. At her left, was a door that she assumed led out of the room.
Natsuki looked back over at Nao. "What are you doing here?: Natsuki asked as she slowly lift her self up. "Eh. I decided to check up on you. Just wanted to make sure you didn't kick the bucket in your sleep." Nao said with a smirk. "Haha. Funny." Natsuki replied.
Natsuki suddenly thought back to the time in her apartment. What she said to Nao. "Oi, Nao." Natsuki said as she directed her attention to the redhead. "About… About that time… At my apartment I mean." Nao's smirk fell and she averted her attention to the other side of the room. "Listen. I know I said some bad things but… I just thought-" "Just thought what?" Natsuki was cut off by Nao. "You didn't believe a word I said. You didn't even consider that I didn't do it. You just blew up at me. You…" Nao was now standing in a furious pose. Her emerald eyes gleaming.
"You hurt me…" Nao said and look at the ground with a sad expression. Natsuki was taken aback by Nao's behavior. She has never seen Nao like this. Well, maybe a few time in the past.
"Nao. I'm sorry." Natsuki said, looking down at her sheets. Nao looked back up with a surprised look on her face. "What did you say?"
"I said… I said I'm sorry, Nao. I didn't mean to hurt you. I should have believed you." Natsuki said and looked into Nao's eyes. Nao suddenly busted into laughter and fell back onto her bed. "Wha-… What's so funny!?" Natsuki yelled. "You… You just looked so pathetic when you said that… That I…!" Nao was gasping for air she was laughing so hard. Natsuki blushed and looked in the other direction.
Nao wiped a tear away and sat in the middle of her bed, holding her knees. Natsuki glanced over at her, then looked back over to the clock on the nightstand. "Something bothering you, isn't it?" Natsuki plainly said. Nao looked over at Natsuki and smiled. "Is it that obvious?" The girl chuckled.
"You make it seem like you want people to notice, it's that obvious." Natsuki said with a chuckle. "So, what is it?" The blunette asked with a questioning look.
"It's… About my mother. Her and all of this business. I really… I really wish…" Nao said as a tear streamed down her cheek. Natsuki noticed this and looked away. "I'm really sorry about your mother, Nao. If there's anything I could do…" Natsuki said and looked back over at Nao. Natsuki noticed that she was standing right next to her bedside, cradling herself and shivering.
"Please… Natsuki… I'm so scared. I haven't felt like this in a long time. My mothers gone… Now all of this. I-… I can't take it…" Nao said and let out a few sobs. Natsuki could only do one thing for the girl… She had to. Nao collapsed into Natsuki's arms and began crying heavier. Natsuki stroked the back of her head.
"To think… I'm being held by you again…" Nao said and took a deep breathe. "Well.. You're scared and alone right… So naturally, someone has to be there for you." Natsuki said. Nao let the warmth of Natsuki's body soak into her own. They both laid down onto the bed and drifted into a deep slumber.
Nao's thoughts kept racing. About what happened. How this all came to be. The last words her mother said to her. All of it. The last thing she saw was Natsuki's face in her mind. One final tear streamed down her eyes as she fell asleep.
X--X--X--X
A/N: Well, that about covers chapter eleven. I hoped you liked it. Well, anyway, I hoped you liked this chapter. I sure enjoyed writing it. Please remember to drop me a review. Thanks for reading.
