CHAPTER LIII: BOUND FOR REALITY

WARNING: This chapter includes crude humor and possible offensive material. Read at your own discretion as the content is (apparently) famous since the Anime was reviewed as such.

DISCLAIMER: I claim NO OWNERSHIP to ANY of the characters in this story except (for in this chapter) Tojiro "Neo" Ankoku, Orion and Yumi Amaya, otherwise known as Kuro Senso. They are my original characters and thus owned by me. All other characters/material and locations belong to their creators/owners.

Chapter 53! I can only fathom what is to come from the ongoing Nightmare Wars as they rage on to the Nine Circles with Tojiro beginning his one-man war against the Blind World itself! It shall be a fantastic Arc to witness but for now "The Last Days" Arc is building some momentum. Near the end you can comprehend Tojiro's mettle as to berate whether his merciless attitude is good or far too much of a burden. Is it even possible for a being to be too heartless? Find out and draw those conclusions! All reviews and feedback are most welcome!


Revenge was in the air. As thick as the school's rubble, the hate was thick amongst the six combatants. "Ironic, yes? I should be standing on the side of the Angels…and you should belong here; with your own kind. A demon you shall forever be: Cloakmaster Ankoku!" ruptured Orion with every form of despise, unsheathing Silver Wind; his blade of unpredictability.

"So you are a demon? How come we didn't notice?" wondered Panty out loud.

"Hahahaha! Without the slightest idea, you don't know who stands before you? He's nearly as worse as Satan himself!" Scanty exclaimed, laughing at first.

"Damn. Can that even be possible?" voiced out Stocking, looking at Tojiro.

"Lucifer's been dead for years. There's a new lord in that pit of crap now." Tojiro responded in a ruthless yet, controlled tone.

"How…dreadful of you. Such news shouldn't even be spoken to US!" roared Kneesocks in offense.

"Now, now Kneesocks-san. Your face is turning red like a beetroot." Scanty advised with a nervous expression.

"My apologies. I just…blush easily." Kneesocks included, staring her head the other way.

"Regardless of how you see this situation, those Angels shouldn't be so clueless to side with you." Orion spoke in a dreadful form of enlightenment.

"There's no point of confining it any longer, Orion. They're just that pathetic." Scanty motivated with a devilish smile.

"Their opinions mean nothing." Tojiro voiced out.

The two Demons and Bounty Hunter silenced and were left shocked.

"Whether I'm a pest and a foe or an ally and partner; their factual opinions are not of my concern. No one's concern…can alter who I am." Tojiro continued, pointing the Blade of Darkness forward.

The two Angels looked from Tojiro at each other. Orion's chuckle sent a message to the two Angels to send their glares back forward.

"Truly surprising I must say. Anyway, I suppose I should have expected you to say so much….yet, it means no more." responded the renegade, his Silver Wind blade becoming surrounded with a riveting azure aura.

"Stocking?" Panty said, holding her left hand out.

Stocking smiled and nodded in assurance. Stocking slipped off both her panties and her other stocking with one hand. She tossed Panty her underwear, changing it into another Backlace. Stocking stood ready with both Stripes I and II. The Cloakmaster of Darkness readily prepared the Blade of Darkness with a crimson red aura, while removing Black Death from its holster using his left hand.

Together, a demented Demigod with two Angels against a vengeance obsessed bounty hunter and two Demons. Quaint? No. Spectacular. The smoke of hesitation drifted across the scene. However, darkness encompassed all. It was as if the world's regrets gave birth to this darkness. Tojiro turned around, seeing both Panty and Stocking; dead on the ground. Bullet holes in Panty's body, and the demon weapon of Kneesocks impaled through Stocking. Tojiro turned forward, a gigantic black dragon hand grabbed him. He was lifted up, facing his Dragon in the eyes. A mist of red mixed with actual fire steamed out from the Dragon's mouth.

"Friendship? You…don't deserve such a luxury! All that awaits you dear Cloakmaster…IS DARKNESS!" his demonic voice thundered, pulling Tojiro into its mouth.

In the world of a dreadful reality, Tojiro sat up in a large bed, grabbing the neck of Panty. He was in his human form. Tojiro looked at Panty, having Xs on her eyes. He quickly retracted his arm in panic.

"God! What in the world is up with you! And I just got you in here too!" Panty acknowledged with annoyance.

Tojiro leaped out of Panty's bed, landing in front of the door, forcing it open, running down the left hall. He jumped off the top step, landing on the floor of another hall. He sprinted down it, skidding to a halt at the entrance to the kitchen. Stocking looked with a pair of curious eyes. A table full of sweets sat in front of her.

"Good lord. Just what happened?" asked the desperate Tojiro.

"You freaking IDIOT!" shouted Panty, smashing Tojiro in the back of the head with Chuck, causing the insignificant pet to fling towards the table of sweets.

He conveniently opened his mouth, but Stocking sent a barrage of ten fist punches with her left hand then, used her left foot to kick Chuck into the garbage can.

"You just dropped onto the ground back at the beach. Were you drunk or something?" Panty questioned annoyingly, her hands on her hips.

"Nothing but a bad nightmare, huh?" perceived the relieved Cloakmaster, taking in a desperate breath of oxygen.

"Eh? So he's finally awake?" Stocking interceded, getting up from her table.

"Duh! Are those heavy emo eyes of yours making you blind? And if you haven't noticed, he's damn near hot!" Panty motioned over to Stocking, whispering in her last sentence.

"You really are a troublesome angel, Panty." whispered back her sister.

"Excuse me." spoke up the Demigod.

"Yes, honey? I mean! What do you need?" stumbled Panty, assuming her flattery needed a shorter leash.

"Which one of you dragged me back here?" he asked with a glazed stare.

"That would be me." said Garterbelt, suddenly appearing behind Tojiro.

In response of his reflexes, Tojiro flexed his right arm and punched Garterbelt in the face, launching him through a window that led outside.

"Amazing! I never thought of being able to do that. Hey, you should try it sometime, right Stocking?" said Stocking's villain of a sister.

Stocking kept her interested eyes interestingly set on the Cloakmaster. Tojiro tilted his head at the table of sweets. He walked around the left, staring down at some chocolate and vanilla flavored pudding cakes. Tojiro sighed, reaching his right hand down. Stocking readied Stripes I immediately, charging at Tojiro. The Cloakmaster grabbed the angelic blade by the side with his right hand, giving both Panty and Stocking a surprised look at his cybernetic arm and hand.

"You have a guest at the table…Miss Stocking." Tojiro grumbled, pulling up Chuck from under the table, one of the pudding cakes in his mouth.

He dropped the indecent little mongrel, letting it scurry out of the kitchen, believing luck has finally shined down upon him; at least just for this moment in his lifetime.

Tojiro exited the house for a brief, much indebted breath of air. His nightmares have shown many diabolical and horrific things but, after going through such a battle at the beach, and finding out it was nothing but a hallucination brought the Demigod of Death a tiresome feeling. Even by the moment he crashed down and interrupted the volleyball match between the Angel and Demon Sisters, everything afterwards was nothing but fake. Hapless was the perfect label, but unorthodox suits it more comfortably. Tojiro stood out on the patch of grass alone. No wind breezed by. The Cloakmaster took a look at his left arm, feeling a numb sensation stampeding its way down to his fingertips. A tightened glare formed on his face.

"HEY! Are you leaving?" cried out Panty, strolling over to the Cloakmaster.

Bothersome. That's what he felt when he slowly turned around to face the Fallen Angel.

"I'm merely catching a breath. I don't have a heart to assist the workings of my lungs. Not like you would understand." answered the bothered demon.

"Ahhh, so that's what your problem is. You're just a very lonely guy, eh? You should come back inside." Panty persuaded in a pestering voice, coiling her right arm around his left.

Tojiro flashed with Chaos Control, appearing ten feet ahead of her in response.

"What the?! H-he-hey! How in the hell did you that," she called out, noticing Tojiro was walking to the left.

"Stop already you deaf ass emo kid!" Panty added with great acknowledgements, running after him.

After approaching him with only a few feet more between them, Tojiro tiredly let out a dull sigh.

"Halt! Before you breath another word, what is making you so persistent to even stop me? Huh?" he persistently motivated himself to ask.

"Don't try and make me look like an idiot! You're the one who got your idiotic ass knocked unconscious right in front of us!" protested the Angel vigorously.

"It wasn't a responsibility of yours to help me anyway. You're one of too many who helped me out…and now you'll pay for it." Tojiro instigated with a harsh voice.

Panty was left obscenely confused by Tojiro's words. They were spoke to her with his back turned to her, making him even more incoherent than he was when he first arrived.

"If you are so desperate to keep me here, then I will drop you here and now with one swing of my sword. No regrets. No ill fates." he progressed violently.

"Me and my sister helped you out dammit! And besides, I wasn't suppose to tell you this but-"

"Panty!" called out Stocking's voice from behind. Panty was quick to turn around, but Tojiro was hesitant, only turning around half way, staring at Panty's sister with negligence.

"If you're so smart Panty, just make a deal with him. You damn bonehead." calmly advised the goth.

"A deal? I see! I get it; so here's the plan! You and I are going to spar! You win, you can do whatever the hell you want! If I win, you're going to stay here! With me!" Panty declared with a smirking face throughout the entire proposal. Tojiro unsheathed the Blade of Darkness with his right hand, turning to face Panty immediately.

"If such a thing is offered…I'll accept it…with honor and respect." answered the Cloakmaster of Darkness.

Both Panty and Tojiro stood fifteen foot apart from each other. They were far enough from the house, and where Stocking stood to simply observe. Tojiro stood with the Blade of Darkness impaled into the ground, using it to lean to the left. Panty stood, readying herself in a sprinting stance.

"Tell me, is it really easy to satisfy someone like you?" Tojiro wondered in question.

"He already has her figured out? I'm…surprised? Or? Forget it." Stocking observed in thought.

Panty shot forward with tremendous speed. Tojiro kicked the heel of his right foot on the ground. A large wall of earth rose up in front of Panty at the last second, causing her to smash right into it.

"Wow. Nice one…bitchy." side-noted Anarchy Stocking.

Tojiro lowered the wall, charging forward with haste. He kept the Blade of Darkness impaled into the ground, tearing through the ground as he ran. Panty, already prepared with Backlace, fired ten rounds with an intense firing rate. Tojiro heavily swung the Blade of Darkness out of the earth, causing a humongous tidal wave of glowing red earth to swarm out of the ground. Its shadow towered to an over imagined degree. Panty performed a massive leap backwards.

A spin dashing hedgehog transformed Tojiro broke through the center of the earth wall, causing the entire mass to splinter into hundreds of pieces. Panty fired several shots, however, they only bounced off. Noticing that the Blade of Darkness was sticking forward and being continuously spun forward and under, Panty took to the air. Tojiro smashed into the ground, carving through the earth with a loud ringing shriek. Panty released fifteen more shots.

Seven of the fifteen hit Tojiro on spot, but still he rose to his feet, acting like he was never even hit. Tojiro stuck the Blade of Darkness into the ground, leaving it behind to rocket himself into the air. Panty kicked Tojiro in the face, quickly raising up both her arms to block a fierce counterattack by Tojiro with both of his Chaos energized fists. Panty soared down to the ground, luckily being able to land on her feet.

"Holy shit!" she panted, looking at the burns on her arms.

Tojiro landed on the ground far away from Panty. He pointed both his arms into the sky, then began swinging them forward in fierce intervals of speed. Panty leaped to the left, rolling to a halt, firing five rounds from Backlace. Tojiro took two shots in the chest, and three in his left arm. His orange pupils quenched themselves in agony, causing him to grab it in response.

With his head lowered, the Fallen Angel leaped forward into action. Tojiro stunningly stood up, smashing a Giant Rasengan directly into Panty's stomach. Panty was sent shooting straight backwards through the air, directly at Stocking. Tojiro pointed his right hand forward, shooting a stream of wind to curve out to the right, approaching Stocking from her left. The gust of wind halted in front of Stocking, forming into what acted like a glove, catching Panty in time.

The wind vanished to safely drop Panty on the ground. Tojiro stared up into the sky, watching a red flash shine through the clouds. His eyes flashed as well. Tojiro stomped his hands on the ground, then rose them up, pointing his hands at Panty and Stocking's house. Immediately, a large dome of rock sprang out of the ground, protecting Panty and Stocking on the inside. While remaining outside, Tojiro ran up the dome, reaching the very top. He used the earth from the center of his footing to grow around his feet, keeping him locked. Tojiro lifted his head to the sky, releasing two streams of purple Chaos Lightning out of the palms of his hands. The red beam rammed down into the lightning streams, causing multiple bolts of electricity to spit out in all directions.

The force between the two Chaos energized beams resulted in an explosion of smoke in mid-air. Tojiro quickly leaped off in a back flip, dodging a single sharpened beam of purple Chaos energy. He dug his clawed right hand into the rock, slowly halting on the side of the earth dome. His crinkled eyes looked up at the center at the top of the dome, he saw one of the Nine Hell Gods. Silver hair. Blood red eyes that were as cold as the North Wind. With her hood lowered stood Kuro Senso; the Hell God that rules over the Eighth Circle of Hell, Fraud.


Tojiro was forced to jump back, landing on the ground away from the house. Kuro tapped her right foot on the ground, causing the entire earth barrier to vanish in a multitude of small yellow lights. Kuro stormed down through the air, down at the Cloakmaster of Darkness. Tojiro took a single step forward, immediately turning sideways to jump to the left. Kuro was grabbed by the throat and tossed into the earth after Tojiro swung himself back around. Kuro was quick to wave her right hand to block a Chaos Punch by Tojiro.

She waved her left hand, then her right three times, and her left hand once more to block over fifteen of swift Chaos Punches Tojiro sent at her. After that last single punch, Kuro did a handstand using only her right hand. In this position she kicked Tojiro directly across the right side of his face to toss him directly across the ground, carving through the earth to create a mound of deep brown dirt once he halted. Tojiro rose out of the earth, shaking his head to remove the dirt from the top of his head.

"You gonna' be all right?!" shouted out Stocking with concern.

"Never mind me! Head inside the house, and stay inside!" he demanded, jumping off the ground to turn around and fire a humongous fire ball of orange and crimson from his mouth.

Kuro slapped her hands together, pointing them forward to slice the fire ball completely in half. Tojiro lunged forward, smashing his right knee into the ground. The earth beneath Kuro catapulted her over the house, and far towards Daten City. Preparing himself in his hedgehog form, Tojiro reached back for the Nightmare Scythe. Wielding it in his right hand, Tojiro released surges of fire from underneath his feet to fire himself across the sky.

With Kuro far up ahead, Tojiro pointed the Nightmare Scythe. The blade curved forward to appear in the shape of a spear, immediately releasing tendrils of dark red Chaos energy. Kuro swung herself around in an elegant fashion, releasing missile sized blue Chaos Spears to fire out from her simple motions. The black red tendrils combated with the Chaos Spears in a flurry of shining flames and smoke, however, by it's end the streams of tendrils still moved on.

Kuro's eyebrows slightly raised. There were seven that impaled Kuro, forcing her to be shunned down from the skies. Her body was forced to crash onto a building roof, snapping through the structure to create a series of cracks. Tojiro charged down with the Nightmare Scythe held off to the right. He landed with both his feet to Kuro's left and right, but she was able to halt Tojiro forcing the blade into her chest. With his orange pupils gone, they were filled with glowing bright red hatred. Kuro suddenly warped away with Chaos Control. She reappeared at the other end of the building charging towards the Cloakmaster. Tojiro heinously swung the Nightmare Scythe from the right and all the way to the left, releasing a huge swath of bright red Chaos energy from the slash.

Kuro was forced to keep moving. She simply took a forceful stance with her left foot forward, waving both her hands to skewer the blast in half. Tojiro was already behind her, kicking her in the back of the head, also releasing a monstrous stream of flames from under his foot. The blast echoed down through the earth, forcing Kuro to crash down three floors until bouncing off the floor and being tossed out the closest window. Descent was her position now.

Her eyes caught sight of Tojiro who was already charging down the building by simply running down it with super speed. Kuro turned herself towards the ground, flapping her arms once to cause herself to shoot straight up. Tojiro was able to leap forward at the precise time to jab the Nightmare Scythe forward with deadly intent. Kuro surprisingly caught wind of his desperate attack, having to create an orb shaped barrier in front of her belly. The blade of the Nightmare Scythe was still able to cut through her shield and impaled her in the stomach.

Tojiro released shots of fire from the jets under his feet to shoot across the sky. Tojiro roared at the top of his lungs with undying anger. He wasn't even aware of where he was traveling. At the final point in time, they crashed straight through a large billboard sign on the top of a building, causing both to tumble and roll across the concrete roof. Kuro unnecessarily found herself slamming against a small water tower, but soon that pain accelerated once Tojiro sprinted forward to pin Kuro against it by impaling the Cloakmaster of War in the chest one more time. Only wearing a steel hardened face of hate, Tojiro's grit remained clear as to how disturbed he was by Kuro's sudden appearance.

Kuro remained with a cold glare, forgetting that the large blade of the Nightmare Scythe was dug neatly through her body. The spilling water from the water container was mixing with Kuro's spilling blood, hugging around Tojiro's feet, rippling in affect.

"What idiocy has brought your presence to confront mine? You best not harm those two Angels back there, they have nothing to do with your, OR Akuma's motives!" barked the furious demon.

"You misunderstand," she voiced in a cold tone, vanishing in a white mist.

Tojiro pulled the Nightmare Scythe back, looking behind himself; nothing. He turned to the right, taking into account to look up in a diagonal direction. He saw Kuro's cloak covered body wander away. Tojiro growled in anger, leaping up from the ground to land on the building roof. Tojiro widened his eyes. He swung the Nightmare Scythe like a windmill in one spin to block a stray stream of purple Chaos energy. Kuro stood on the other side of the building rooftop.

"Yumi! Do not-" his outrage was silenced when he had to spin the Nightmare Scythe one more time to deflect three more streams of lightning quick Chaos energy.

Kuro walked forward, stretching her right hand out, as well as her legs bent to steady her stance, releasing a large black beam with a red core running through the middle. Tojiro pointed the Nightmare Scythe outward, consuming all the Chaos energy into the godly weapon. Kuro stood back into a normal stance, frankly surprised by such an action.

Tojiro lowered the unfathomable scythe of death, allowing Kuro an upper hand. She swung her arms left and right, releasing slashes of purple Chaos energy with every swing. With each swing, she put a foot forward to get closer. Tojiro angrily swung the Nightmare Scythe left and right, and any other direction that would slice the vicious attacks Kuro stubbornly delivered. At one final point, she only stood three feet away with Tojiro still in the middle of spinning the Nightmare Scythe. She covered her hands in purple Chaos energy, and stuck them forward to keep her fingers together. Tojiro prepared to strike.

Kuro moved forward, and from there it diverted into slow motion. The Chaos energy that was of a poison Chaos energy, she made it vanish. In surprise and shock, the Cloakmaster of War kneeled down to embrace the Cloakmaster of Darkness in a warming grip. Tojiro readied the Nightmare Scythe, but her grip tightened to hold him closer. Tojiro grunted, staring to the left. Her head laid past his. Her cold eyes were reverted to a gaze of concern. Her eyebrows were slightly raised and her eyes were hardly even open, showing a warming side of her character. Tojiro pointlessly lowered the glowing Nightmare Scythe.

"I…only came to speak with you. Odd…is it not?" her tender voice spoke.

Tojiro remained with an anxious glare. The flowing red that shined in his empty eyes vanished, giving back his orange pupils in the white of his regular vision. Kuro pulled away from the hug, her hands grasped onto the cloaked hedgehog's shoulders. A smile…and tears of blood was present on her face.

"I've came to tell you…of a desperate warning." spoke the female Cloakmaster with honesty.

"Warning? W-w-why would you come to-" he spoke, only to halt his words once Kuro stood up and walked past him.

Tojiro turned around with a slow effort, keeping the Nightmare Scythe lowered. Kuro wiped her face, surprisingly keeping her stagnant emotions strong.

"Earth. Please return there." spoke the lonesome Cloakmaster.

Tojiro reverted to his human form immediately, not taking a single thought of regret to hold within himself.

"Akuma is settling his own disputes amongst myself and the other Hell Gods. They're all waiting…for you." Kuro revealed in an unsightly mood, turning around with a determined look on her face.

Tojiro magnetized the Nightmare Scythe onto his back, turning his gaze back to Kuro, and with his arms crossed it was obvious he stood fearless.

"It's nothing of someone like you to worry over…but nevertheless, you must return to Earth. You know what shall happen afterwards. Right? Tojiro-kun?" Kuro continued with heart and virtue.

"Even so…why did you hardly even put up a fight? Why Yumi?" Tojiro questioned with low validity.

"Because…no matter this world has thrown at you…you've never gave up. And…I've always admired that about you." spoke Tojiro's dear past love.

Stubbornly, Tojiro remained with a distrustful look. Either Kuro's words meant nothing to him…or he truly didn't care to begin with. Kuro removed her smile, turning full way towards the Cloakmaster of Darkness ahead of her.

"You know what shall happen once I make it to Charon's vessel. It's a one way trip. And you better know for sure that I will not turn back." he warned in a heavy tone.

"You think I don't know that? I knew that ever since you first confronted Akuma." she noted, walking towards the Cloakmaster.

"Yumi…you and I both know what will happen when I reach the Eighth Circle. No matter what, I shall k-" he was cut off after Yumi approached him to entice his thoughts and erase them with a voluptuous kiss.

She pressed her lips hard against his. She tenderly grabbed his face with both her hands, her head alternating slowly left to right and so on. Finally she split from the Cloakmaster of Darkness who was left with a deathly glare. Yumi vanished out of Chaos Control, avoiding a Rasengan he already had prepared in his right hand. With quickness did he spin around to see Yumi standing with her back turned to him.

"Yumi!" he barked, vanishing the Rasengan from his hand. Slowly did she look over her shoulder, her eyes turned into a solemn grimace.

"Then I'll just have to put up a worth while fight for you. Sayonara…Tojiro-kun. I'll see you in the Eighth Circle…if you can make it of course." Yumi spoke in dread, vanishing in a small cyclone of violet Chaos energy.

Tojiro was left with a demented feeling. Except this one completely varied in every shape, way and form. A woman he had fell in love with in the past; would fall by his hands. She's one of the Hell Gods…would it even matter to the Cloakmaster? Left with his spirit in shrewd tatters, he created a red Chaos Portal by waving his right hand. In seconds did he step forth into its spinning confusion, heading back to our dear planet. Did he truly care? Did his purpose and motivation really matter more than his own disputed feelings? Before he stepped into the portal, his expression had the answer; and it was a yes.

つづく

To be continued

NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW

-Tojiro sits on a bed alone inside the Yokohama Landmark Tower. "A message sent," -Haruhi Suzumiya arrives in the room wearing her eponymous black bunny girl outfit. "A message of war burning," -Tojiro looks to the side of his bed. A wrapped up tuxedo awaits.- "Tojiro's grandest night is here."

"With the claiming of the Nightmare Scythe and this so-called Hope, Tojiro is honored at a party for his courageous defense of North High School." -A whimpering Mikuru in a red bunny girl outfit stands in embarrassment as Haruhi chuckles.- -Tojiro, dressed in his suit while in Hedgehog Form looks up at a smirking Tsuruya whilst amongst a group of guests in formal regalia.-

"The burning hope: His greatest wisdom has yet to be contemplated." -Amongst the guests the group splits in two awaiting one final guest for the evening.- "Tojiro is heartfelt...in a heartless body by one last commendable act."

-A beautifully dressed Kasumi Moriko bows in response to Tojiro's very own bow.- "One last day is all the Cloakmaster ever needed, all he needs is one last dance..."

-In shock, Tojiro witnesses Yoko Littner in a wonderfully fitting black dress that tightly reaches down to her knees, along with a golden ring around her wrists.-

"Tojiro must not only extend his hand, but his will: As he prepares for a war unlike any other." -Yoko's hair is let free, curling down are her crimson bangs.-

"A night to remember is this day: A knight in a Nightshade. This is the final day:"

-In the rapture of the sunset from afar, with an enticing orchestra playing in the background, the silhouettes of Tojiro and Yoko begin to dance.-

"The night where the end begins..."

NEXT TIME!

The Nightmare Wars

CHAPTER LIV: BOUND FOR CELEBRATION