WS7: Surprise!
RB: Lo and behold! We present to you the next chapter!
Hidan: Well that's a fucking miracle.
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12. Releasing the Demons
A crackle of static electricity jumped between the raindrops as a gloved, clawed fingers closed around the hilt of Hotaka's sword like a vice, trapping his hand and stopping the swing intended to decapitate the immobilised albino.
"If I could, I wouldn't have shown this form…" Eyes like narrow pools of blood, faintly glowing, regarded the swordsman from an ashen face crowned with silver hair reaching towards the sky, tips of sharp fangs peeking beneath dark lips.
The ninja tried to react despite the initial scare of Abel's sudden apparition but soon realised to his shock that the clawed grip was inescapable. With only one hand the creature had completely immobilised both his katana and his dominant arm.
The leader of the team dashed forward, aiming an attack with lightning speed at the tall priest's legs. Barely a fraction of a second before the blow should've connected the red-eyed man jumped, dodging the attack with ease and turning his attention to the team leader. Meanwhile the swordsman caught up to the situation and drew a tanto with his free hand, slashing at the arm constricting him.
Hissing, the priest drew back his wounded arm, releasing the ninja from his grasp. He took a step back, careful to not leave the side of his companion, keeping an eye on the enemy. The deep gash the tanto had left had already all but disappeared. The swordsman, now released, backed away quickly, and suddenly the Akatsuki members were surrounded by a cloud of bugs again. The swarm buzzed all around the two, but quickly learned to keep some distance from the red-eyed one as every attempt by the insects to attach to the ash-coloured skin only brought them death.
Abel started towards the enemy ninjas with slow, purposeful steps. The insects did little more than obstruct his view slightly and were subsequently ignored, as red eyes fixed on the group's leader.
"Lay down your weapons and leave." His deep voice had little trace of emotion, save calm. "I will not pursue you."
The team of three was in a loose formation, prepared to fight for their lives. The weapons user swallowed, wiping the rain from his eyes with a sleeve.
"Sensei, what technique is that?"
"My kikaichuu bugs can't establish even his chakra type." The furthest ninja, insects circling him, stated. "Coming in contact with it is fatal to them."
The leader gestured the other two to silence, his eyes never leaving the slowly approaching man. The other one should be taken care of while he was still trapped in the ground and could be crushed.
Abel sprung to action at the first hand sign, a gleaming scythe springing to his hands as if from empty air. He swept the blade at a wide, low arc, forcing both the enemy leader who had been forming the third and last seal, and the swordsman, to dodge. The leader jumped back, forming a new set of seals as the sky rumbled. Lightning shot forth from the ninja's hands, striking the tall priest in the middle of the chest with the smell of burning air. However, the bolt seemed to almost dissipate, forming an intricate web of arcs across his skin for an instant before vanishing entirely.
The team leader grimaced, realising that the longer this fight continued, the less chance they had of surviving, let alone winning against these criminals.
The crackle of the raiton made Hidan stop his so far relatively successful attempts at freeing his scythe arm from the earth bindings and follow the fight. He'd been glancing over every once in a while, surprised that that usually clumsy air-head managed to single-handedly keep a leaf ninja squad at bay. Technically he was even kicking their asses and hadn't clearly tried to land a single blow! Even now that the enemy weapons expert was trying to catch Abel with a binding wire he just elegantly shoved it off with his scythe, not bothering to counterattack.
"Fall back! No arguing." The ninja team leader ordered, countering before the loud-mouthed swordsman had a chance to voice his complaints. "Your lives are much more important at this point."
A huge dome of solid rock burst forth from the earth, completely encasing both Abel and Hidan in a room of stone and darkness. The dome wall was thick and solid, withstanding several cleaves of the tall priest's scythe before a hole could be struck through and it was confirmed that the ninjas had indeed left. Scythe dissolving, Abel turned around and pushed his glasses up, blue eyes tired but calm.
"It seems they're gone."
"What!? And I didn't even get to pay back for this shit!" The jashinist struggled in his bonds, almost managing to get his arm free. "Let's fucking go after them! Don't just stand there, help me get out of this thing!"
"It's no use chasing them now. The sun will set soon and the rain isn't letting up either. We wouldn't catch them." Abel walked over to the trapped albino, trying to assess the best way to help him. The stone bindings looked tight but there were some gaps at least.
"You can't be serious…" Hidan groaned, finally succeeding in freeing his arm. "This is just my luck."
"Well, at least nothing bad happened." The tall priest smiled, helping the jashinist out of the rest of his bindings.
"Finally! What the hell took you so long?" Hidan stood up, shaking some of the mud and dirt off his coat.
"Sorry, sorry. It's good that you're all right." Abel beamed. The albino looked perplexed, both surprised and a little affronted at the words.
"…Huh!?" The jashinist hit the other man's head with the back of his scythe. "What the fuck are you talking about? It's not like I'd have died if they'd beheaded me. It just hurts like hell and I can't move. Do you have any idea how annoying that is?"
The lanky priest rubbed the back of his head, hoping that a bump wouldn't appear. There hadn't been much force behind the blow but that didn't stop it from hurting. "Ah, I see… I didn't know you could have made it so I reacted on instinct." He smiled apologetically.
Hidan sighed, unimpressed, and scratched the back of his neck. "Seriously, you've got to be the second lamest person I've ever met."
Letting out a little embarrassed laugh, Abel looked outside again. There was no end to the rain.
"Should we just camp in here? I think I lost my hat at some point, too."
Hidan was clearly conflicted about the decision. To leave and have to travel in the never-ending downpour, or to stay and get bothered by every asshole trying to pass by? With their luck there'd be an entire battalion of elite ninjas trying to kill them.
"Is it just me or have there been a lot more annoyances and enemies ever since I was forced to start dragging you along?"
"I couldn't say." The tall priest shook his head, looking like he remembered something bad. "It's been a lot like this for me all the time. Though I usually find out afterwards that it was all organised by my boss…"
"Tell me about it…" Hidan muttered. "Speaking of which, what the hell is the deal with your technique?
Abel blinked, alarmed. "Eh? What do you mean?"
"Stop with the bullshit. The Leader recruited you and that alone is saying something. Your wounds heal instantly, you seem to be immune to poison and lightning, and you've got some kind of another form with a weird name. Oh yeah, not to mention that scythe that appeared out of fucking nowhere. Where are you keeping it anyway?"
"Well… I'm not really keeping it anywhere, not exactly." The bespectacled man almost squirmed under the scrutiny. "It's just the weapon of choice, I suppose."
"That's not even a fucking answer! …Augh, forget it. I'm too tired for this shit. Let's go." The jashinist put his scythe away and walked outside, looking around for his hat, which was nowhere to be seen. "Oh come on!"
"I guess it did happen then. What you said about the hats." Abel exited the dome behind Hidan, trying to shield his glasses from the raindrops as he looked around. "I think mine is somewhere in that field over there."
"Shut up, featherbrain."
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"There's still nothing, sensei. I don't think they're pursuing us." The kikaichuu bugs gathered to Yoichi, an occasional one scattering every once in a while to scout behind and to the sides. The group of ninjas was still on the move, making quick ground now that the forest sheltered them from the rain.
"I'm sorry I wasn't of any help this time…" Kuniko leaned against Hotaka's back, the swordsman largely supporting her weight to spare the kunoichi from straining her wound. "I got caught off-guard."
"You're alive. That's the important thing." The sensei, holding the front, stated.
"You wouldn't have made much difference anyway." Hotaka grinned. "You didn't get to see it but that tall guy was crazy."
"Well aren't you enjoying the situation." Yoichi stated drily.
The kunoichi sighed. "Boys, boys. You're both pretty, no need to make this a bigger deal than it is."
"Save your strength." The sensei spoke up. "We're heading straight for the village."
Hotaka perked up. "Are we going to go back with reinforcements to get those criminals?"
"Don't be so eager. That's for the Hokage to decide. We only met them by chance anyway. But I do have a bad feeling about this."
The tone of the words made the team obey the sensei's unspoken order of silence, and soon the ninjas were no more noticeable than the animals of the forest. What little trace of their passing was left behind the still falling rain wiped away.
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Abel: Let's hope nothing gets in the way of the next chapter and it'll come out soon.
H: With these two? Dream on.
RB: Hey! We're working on it.
WS7: Well, the next chapter is called Unholy Confessions. That should be interesting.
Rb: You guys have No. Idea. *evil grin*
A: Oh dear…
