Earthbound Family
(Second Arc)
Weeell. This is completely awkward for me. It has been...a long time since I last update, right? Hehehe. I can picture many of my viewers leaving and the ones that are still loyal are waiting with torches and pitch forks...and AK 47s...and tanks...and bombs. God, I'm a failure. I gotten so lazy it's not even funny. Sorry, I promise next chapter will be long. Any who, to those who are still reading this...well here you go.
( Earth Temple: part 1)
This definitely wasn't a good day for Ikaru who was running down hill on a rocky path being closely followed by a giant rolling boulder. Oh, did he forget to mention that it was on fire. Many questions passed through his head as he ran, one in particular being 'Why him?'. Ah, now he remembered, his psychotic partner thought it would be a hoot to prank him, with one of the many death traps inside the temple, which by the way was inside a volcano in the middle of a desert. Odd, wasn't it suppose to be an earth element not a fire? But he didn't question it. Now he could've jump out of the pathway if below him wasn't waiting a river of boiling wild lava.
Luckily he spotted a rocky platform that strayed from the pathway and quickly jump there and watch the boulder, that was inches away from him, pass by before falling and hitting the sea of lava. He sighed heavily, sweat dripping from his bangs. His temporary relief was interrupted by a loud booming voice.
" Gyahahahahaha. Now wasn't that fun kid!"
Ikaru glared at the sealing, which had rocky spikes coming out of it. " No, no it wasn't. I would appreciate that you don't lead me into any more death traps for the rest of the stay." he said as he stood and brushed his now dirt covered pants.
" Hmp. You are no fun Ikaru. Bleh, anyways what your are looking for is at the top of the pathway you nearly got flatten a few seconds ago. Now move it or loose it, I'm getting restless."
The redhead sighed. " Why couldn't the trial be something like meditate for four weeks or something like that."
There was silence before Taiyou responded. " Meditate. Are you serious kid? Do you want me to die from extreme boredom? Talk about lame."
The young fighter marked one simply ignored his partners and cautiously, because he really didn't want another boulder rolling down and squashing him, moved up the pathway. He sighed in relief when he reached the top. He saw the large gaping hole the boulder came from above him and a door a little farther away. The redhead frowned, relaxing his body in case he needed it to move the way he wanted.
With great wariness, he opened the door and walked inside the room. Inside the room was an odd site for it was filled with statues from different forms and sizes. Stone soldiers, weird fat looking devil creatures, and at the very top of the room laying on an arc like stone was a bird with very long stony tail feathers and a long beak while bellow was a sandy floor. Words were written on the arc the bird stood, spelling ' Aslla'.
Red eyes scanned the room feeling suddenly weary. With careful steps, he began to move toward the center of the room. Eyes looking at every direction and everything. Everything seem to be calm, too calm. From the corner of his eyes he saw movement and quickly turned his head to the source only to find one fat devil standing still in place. Once again his eyes caught movement and quickly turned with a fighting pose only to meet another statue.
Another movement made him move in a defensive stance toward the left corner of the room, his back facing one of the stone soldiers holding a spear. He was staring intently at the corner, trying to locate the source, that he didn't notice the head of the state behind him move. The statue raised it's stone spear high in the air, wanting to pierce the marked one and cleave his head off. However the movement cause a sound and the red head immediately ducked avoiding the sharp spear that was aim for the base of his neck before he quickly side step as a large foot stomped the ground he was standing a few seconds ago.
The stone warrior stepped out of it's pedestal, pulling a heavy looking long shield. The statue itself stood at least seven feet easily. The marked one of the sun stood ready to fight when he notice that all of the statues began to move, all from different sizes and shape. He gulped not liking the odds. A loud screech echo in the room making the redhead look up. The bird statue, Aslla, began to move and flap its stony wings as it continue to screech and began to fly around the room.
" This is not good." he stilled his body before he flipped into the air, avoiding a claw from one of the devils before spinning in the air and kicking the beast straight in the head, making the beast crumble.
Ikaru had no time to relax before every one of the statue attacked, or jump him, at the same time. " Damn, gotta defend fast." he began to rotate his body at a very high speed. " Heaven's Sphere!" a sphere of concentrating air surrounded his body as he continue to spin without stopping.
The statues that touched the sphere began to crumble slowly, like wood passing by multiples chain saws. The rest of the statue halted for a second before some of them grabbed another statue creature beside them and throw them at a fast speed toward the sphere. The creatures collided with the sphere but were not destroy fast enough, obligating the marked one to crouch on the ground and halting his moves, watching the hurled creatures pass over his head and crumble on impact.
" These things are clever too? Whoever said stone beast where brainless never faced these guys before." he punched the ground making several stone spikes pop up and encase him in a barrier of sharp stones.
That, however, didn't deteriorate the creatures advances as the began to pound the rock formation with their claws, fists, or stone weapons, not really caring that some of their body pieces fell from their body by said action. Soon enough the beasts manage to break the formation in no time, only to find the spot empty. They retreated slowly from the spot and looked around the empty room. The ground shortly tremble beneath one of the stone soldiers feet, making it look down, only to be sucked into the ground before a crushing sound was heard.
The rest of them began to back away from the spot, but one of the stone devils was sucked in next and the same sound was heard. Then another one, then another, and then another before slowly their numbers began to diminish. Now, the small numbers of stone creatures rallied close together to the center, carefully looking at the ground below.
Suddenly, the red head burst from the ground and into the air until he was above the small group of stone creatures. " I got you! Noble Style: Budda's Absolute Power...!" before he could finish the sentence a screech reached his ears. ' Crap! I forgot about the bird!' he though with panic before he felt the stony talon of the creature grabbing him and slamming him into the ground with tremendous force.
Ikaru coughed a little bit of blood and his eyes almost went completely white from the pain before he gather himself quickly after the bird let him go and flew over the rest of stone creatures. The redhead, painfully got up and put up a stance.
Aslla opened his enormous peak and a sound came out of it without clothing and opening it's peak. " Obey." a scratchy and deep sound came of it.
The redhead was startled before he frowned. " What?" he asked, not sure if he heard right.
" Obey." it spoked again with the same tone. " You must obey the laws of the order."
Ikaru's entire being froze. Something about what the bird said seemed far too familiar. " W-What did you say!" he asked in a panicked way.
Aslla spoked again. " Obey the laws of the order..." it said ominously. "...the Order of the Seed."
The boy's eyes widen and his pupils dilated at that. " NO!" he shouted as he used the Budda's Absolute power force on the remaining creatures and Aslla quickly disposing of them and leaving nothing but their rubble and a hand print in the near wall.
Ikaru was panting and staring at nothing in particular. He flinched when deep orange flames burst from the hand print on the wall and scene, all too familiar to him, appeared.
A slightly younger Ikaru was training in a strange and empty room. The only thing that decorated the four walls was an image of a tree that had sprouted from a tiny seed that could be seen at the bottom of it. The image decorated the four walls. The younger redhead was training with a dummy that was left for him to practice on and the atmosphere was cold, despite the room having no windows.
Ikaru was panting hard but continue to hit the wooden puppet relentlessly, the great one told him to do so until a certain amount of time. That is until the sound of the room's door opening caught his attention. There, a man wearing long white and green robes stood, a hood covering his face. The redhead glared.
" The great one, wishes to see you now pawn." he said in a monotone yet quiet voice.
A sigh escaped the boy before nodding. " Very well." he took a towel that was place close to him and swiped the sweat away from his body before leaving to take a bath, for no one was aloud to see the great one in such a down right dirty state.
After the quick bath, the redhead move through the dark corridors that were lighted by glowing mushrooms and small trees that grew inside the corridors. He stopped when he stood face to face with a door with the same image that were inside his room but with an eye in the center of the tree and opened the door to step inside before closing it behind him.
" You called for me oh great one?" he bowed respectfully.
Before him was a large and glowing willow tree that stood tall and proud inside the overly large room. The air around the room seemed much more thicker than the rest of the underground temple they were currently hiding. The tree seemed to glow even more as it recognize the presence.
" Ikaru." the willow said in an echoing paused voice. " How is the training progressing?"
The redhead boy raised it's posture to look at the tree. " It's going according to your wish great one."
" Good." the tree replied. " Soon you will be ready for the task at hand."
Ikaru frowned. " Yeah, I will be ready when the time comes." he said with a hint of bitterness in his tone.
Said tone did not go unnoticed by the tree. " Ikaru...I sense bitterness and hesitation within you. You must remember to guard your emotion when you go to collect his soul, otherwise all these years of training will be for nothing."
The redhead bow, hiding his glare. " Of course great one. After all, said emotions could only get in my way." he return to a neutral expression before bending back to his original state. " Now, if you excuse me, great one, I will resume my training." with that he bowed once more and move toward the door.
As he reach it, the door open by itself and in came the same person that went to get him in the first place. Ikaru said nothing and simply passed him before closing the door behind him.
The male bowed at the tree before speaking. " Are you sure this is a positive idea, oh great one? Ikaru does not have his emotion under control and his loyalty is to be question. Not to mention that fact that he could be unstable for said mission."
" Perhaps." the willow tree replied. " But I cannot simply let this opportunity go to waste. What were the odds that a child arrived at the order baring the marked of the sun dragon. He is the only one that is capable of capturing the soul of the individual who has eluded us for too long. That soul will empower me beyond recognition and I will be able to spread my roots to the surface were we may further continue our harvest in the surfaces world."
" What about Ikaru?"
" He will do as Instruct him. After all..." the tree paused for a moment. "...this is the only place where he can return to since he has nothing else. This is his life, this is his home."
Unbeknown to the two a certain redhead listen outside the door. His hands turned into fist and shook violently as he gritted his teeth, knowing that what the tree said was true. He had nowhere to go and this was his life, but one thing is for sure...this place was not his home.
The rare looking flames vanished leaving an anxious redhead behind. He was breathing deeply, trying to calm himself somewhat. That was definitely a memory of his, from times he wished desperately to forget. A chuckle startle him out of his state.
" My, my. I wonder what's that about, hmm?" Taiyou said in amusement, hinting that he might know something that the other was trying to hide. " Come on kid, keep that perseverance up and clear the rest of the temple. The flames will show you the way, and I'm dying to know what happens next." he chuckled as his voice disappeared.
Ikaru glared at the door that suddenly came from within the walls of the room. " Just what do you know Taiyou?" he sighed as he moved out.
As he walked trough corridors he started to notice the temperature in the area gradually getting hotter as he move deeper into the temple. He was now sweating bullets and his cloths were starting to get uncomfortable so he took his shirt off. The heat, however, continue to rise as he progressed. Soon enough he reach a corridor with two doors. One at the end and another one to the left side of the corridor and right next to the other one. Walking closer to the door at the end, he was ready to open it when Taiyou booming voice stopped him.
" Hold it brat! Open that door an you will be burn into a crispy chicken nugget."
Ikaru's hand retreat from the door and looked at the ceiling in confusion. " But it's obvious I have to go to that room. What do I do then?"
" Sheesh! And you criticize your illusion making friend for being stupid." Ikaru's eyes twitched. " There's a reason why there's a door right beside you, you know? Now, inside the door there are specially made cloths that will aloud you to withstand the heat of the room. Now move it redhead!"
Said redhead sighed before moving to the door beside the one he was about go in and open it. He saw said magical item and put them on, however there was something familiar about said clothing. A little too familiar. He was wearing a long white shirt with long sleeved and a red over shirt over it that reach to his thighs and a belt holding the vest in place. He was also wearing long white leggings with brown boots that covered his feet and brown fingerless gloves that covered his hands. To top it all off, he had a long pointy hat on top of his head.
Ikaru's left eye twitched. " Taiyou...isn't this the same outfit that the main character of the legend of Zelda wears?"
" What! How could you say that! This outfit was personally made with my flames to help you on your journey through this temple! I came up with it myself, not from that totally awesome game you are insinuating! Now put on the pointy elf ears!" the stone dragon said as some exclamation marks appeared on said set of ears.
" Why do I need those! You liar, you totally got this rigged from that game!"
" Did not! Besides, it goes great with your outfit. Hmm, maybe I should die your hair blond and put some blue contact lens."
Ikaru's entire body twitched. " Hell no! I won't be a frigging copy of a fictional character for your amusement! I'll accept these clothing because it will aloud me to withstand the heat, but no more!"
" Tch, party pooper. Fine, be that way! Just go to the next room already!" after he said this there was a clicking sound and a small flash.
The redhead blinked. " Did you just took a picture of me in these clothing?"
"...No. Now you are imagining things that aren't even there! For shame! Like I would do such a thing, especially to my partner."
The marked one of the sun frowned before he let a sigh go and walk toward the other door. Like his partner said, once he opened it there was a blast of intense heat coming out of the room. The redhead had to breath deeply for he nearly lost his breath at that moment and the sudden change of temperature was a little too sudden. Inside the room was a large pool of lava, flowing freely like a trapped river. There were some stone columns standing over it as a wooden bridge connected each an every one of them. Stone pillars also decor the place and some bats set on fire hanged over the ceiling...wait.
Ikaru did a double take and looked at the place again, despite the tremendous heat. This giant room looked a little too familiar. " Wait a second! You copied this from the Fire Temple in the Legend of Zelda, didn't you!" the red eyes boy shouted as he pointed an accusing finger at the ceiling.
" Le gasp...How could you accuse me of doing something so unoriginal! Who do you think I am? A fan boy of the game? Any who..." the stony dragon said, clearly changing the subject. " Behold! My master piece! I spent years, well maybe minutes, in creating this place to look exactly like...eh, I mean to look as intimidating as possible. Now tremble at the awesome puzzles that awaits for you, TREMBLE! It will probably takes you days, weeks or maybe even..."
" I'm already at the other side of the room Taiyou." the marked one shouted from the other side of the room.
" WHAT! That's impossible! How did you do it so fast!" the stone dragon asked incredulously.
The redhead sighed. "It's the same as in the game, plus you seem to forget that I could manipulate the earth to do my will making it far too easy to get to the other side. Also, your monsters are the same as in the game, I saw a freaking like-like on one of the rooms to the right. You are so unoriginal."
The dragon mutter moodily. " Well at least I gave you those cloths that protect you from the searing heat! Be grateful!"
Ikaru looked at his cloths and sighed. " These cloths don't do anything, do they? You just wanted to see me in them running around the temple, right?"
" We are sorry but the Awesome Supreme Lord Taiyou is unavailable right now. Please leave a message after the beep." the sound echoed around the room before... "Beep."
Sighing in annoyance Ikaru decided to move forward instead of dealing with his wonderful, crack head, dragon. He walked a few more steps before pushing open an iron door and into a room. What was inside made him gasped and almost wished that he could run out of the room. The decoration inside the room was an exact replica of that of the Order of the Seed. A hollow feeling began to fill his being at the reminder of his past but he took a breath and focused before he lost his mind. The room was huge, but it lacked life and decorations. Only the insignia of the orders decor the room as some branches moved from wall to wall. His head began to hurt, as if trying to remember something. Something important to him.
The redhead didn't notice he walked to the center of the room until he heard the sound of the door he just came through open again and closed. Footsteps could be heard from behind him making him tense. This temple was filled with Taiyou's monsters, so why did the sound of footsteps seem to be different?
" I see you have return to us pawn. What news do you bring of our target? Has he been claimed?" a monotone voice said from behind.
The redhead slowly turned his head, not daring to take a breath. Before him stood an all to familiar figure, wearing a long white and green coat and a hood covering his head, preventing anyone to see his face. He was wearing a leather white under shirt and leather white pants while his hands were covered in white and green gloves.
Ikaru's eyes widen in disbelief. " You...it can't be..." the redhead said in a whisper.
" You seem to be in a rather state of disbelief pawn. Have you gotten our target's soul already?" the figure said in a monotone voice before continuing. " Or, perhaps you failed? Tell me pawn, which one is it?"
The marked one snapped out of his daze and his eyes narrowed. " No. I don't have his soul and I won't get it for you and the Order." he took a stance, extending his right palm forward while keeping his left close and his legs parted. " And I won't allow anyone of the Order to harm him anymore. You guys are dead! I don't know how you survived, but I will not be part of you anymore! I follow my own path with my friends!"
The figure stared at him before shaking his head. " It appears that our greatest weapon turned out to be defected. Such a shame really, the great one had high hopes for you." he said as he adjusted his gloves and stared at the marked one. From under the hood two glowing orbs stared back at him with no expression what so ever making Ikaru tense. " The rules are absolute within the Order, there's no room for imperfection. Okami Ikaru, I shall erase your existence myself. Your fate has been set." he began to walk calmly toward the other.
" I choose my own fate!" he stomp the ground. A chunk of earth popped out of the ground in front of the red head. Ikaru began to furiously hit the piece sending sharp pieces of stone toward the thread. " Earth Bullets!"
The figure dodge with inhuman speed from left to right while continue to walk toward the redhead. " Futile." he said. Once the stone where the pieces where coming from was used he crouched to the ground and ran inhumanly toward the marked one. Ikaru barely knew what hit him when a gloved hand grabbed him by the neck and raised him from the ground. " Is that all you got pawn?" the man said not impressed.
The redhead grunted. " Not...even close!" he kicked the head of hooded figure making him slack on his hold. The sun marked one forcefully detached himself, but kept his hold on the arm. He then pulled the figure and began to spin around rapidly with the hooded man on his hold before letting go and sending the man sailing through the air only for the man to land on the wall with his feet. Ikaru was stunned but only for a second. " Buddha's Absolute Power Force!"
The figure simply dodge by moving along the wall. It looked as if he was crawling rapidly as the redhead continue to fire his pressure attack continuously. " Keep that up and you will end without energy before I even warm up." the figure replied. He then jumped from the wall and landed on the ground before he extended his hand. One of the attacks collided with the palm but the figure didn't even flinch. " Disappointing pawn. Is this all you had to offer for the Order?" he then crushed the attacked with his own fists.
Ikaru took a step back. " H-How is that possible?" he asked stunned.
" Reaper Style..." the hooded man suddenly spoke before he used his speed to vanish and appeared on the roof above the stunned redhead. He then pushed himself down and aimed for the mark one's head. " Gigano Bade." he said as he pushed his right hand forward. The ground below the victim turned black before four blades burst from the ground and curved toward the center before impaling the stunned redhead. Once the blades pierce the flesh they glowed before an explosion of engulfed the center. The hooded man landed on the center of it all, not affected at all by the explosion.
Looking up he notice that what he pierced was not the marked one but a stone replica of himself. " Interesting. You dodge that with so little time. However..." he said as he stood up and turned around to face the redhead. "...you were seconds too late to dodge it unharmed."
Ikaru was clutching his left arm, using his sun flames to heal the gash left on his shoulder. Panting the red eye boy looked toward the hooded man. " I guess I was lucky it didn't pierce my heart then."
" A minor miscalculation. Either way you will die here on this day. Your disobedience must be punished." he jumped and moved rapidly into the air, while spinning his body around and launching a devastating kick to the redhead.
Red eyes widen before his body moved on it's own and jump away as the kick landed on the ground, leaving a hole with flying debris behind. Once his feet touched ground he took another stance. " Silent Strike of the wind!" he charged forward with his speed trying to catch his opponent off guard only for said opponent to pull back his fisted hand and punched the redhead straight in the face sending him crashing to a nearby wall.
" Gah!" the redhead cough some blood before he screamed in pain. The man had stomped him with his boots and had him pinned down.
" You fight with palms instead of fists. Do you really believe that will work against me?" the figure sighed. " You showed so much promise back in the days, you were the great one's favorite. Even I envy you because not only you had his favor, but you could also get out into the world above."
The young teen gritted his teeth. " What's point in that if I had to kill someone to do so? I wanted to be free but not like that...guh!" he cried as the pressure in his chest intensified.
" Have you forgotten what we are, Ikaru? We are soul takers. We take the souls of strong willed individuals to ensure our survival. We steal to survive, that is our fate." The figure's eyes glowed ominously.
The redhead growled. " That...is not mine!" he shouted before he twisted his body to move his legs and kicked the figure in a circular motion. He then stood upside down, using his hands as feet, and continue to kick the figure in the chest furiously before flipping over. Pulling back his right arm, he charged his palm with yellow flames before thrusting it forward to the chest.
The figure recoiled back slightly, but notice his body was shaking. " I see, you hit the same spot over and over and cause my body's muscle and systems to shake from the vibrations it sent. My body is not responding as it should. However, you still can't escape your destiny."
" I make my own destiny!" he shouted as a yellow dragon mark appeared on his arm making the figure take a step back. Ikaru rush forward and with much force he thrust his arm forward. The palm went right through the body making the teen gasp in shock and fear. " N-No...this wasn't...I didn't mean to...huh?" he notice no blood came from the mortal wound. In fact, the inside felt like... " Y-You...you're made of stone." he whispered softly.
The hooded man chuckled weakly. " Surprise? You shouldn't be, after all you knew we were all dead from the beginning."
" W-Why did you..." the redhead started to ask with uncertainty but the figure cut him off.
" Does it matter? I wanted to see your will for myself. My soul was then trapped in this body of stone so I made use of it." the figure chuckled again. " It's surprising that you were able to escape a fate that was supposedly written in stone." cracking sound could be heard before slowly pieces of stones began to detached themselves from the body. " To think that you were able to accomplish what most of us only dare to dream. I envy you Ikaru." with a final attempt the man raised his right hand and placed it on the redheads shoulder in approval. " Keep walking the path you believe in...for all of us who weren't able to do so. Farewell young one." with that the body completely crumbled, leaving nothing but pieces of stone and dust.
The marked one stared sadly at the pile laid on the ground. " I guess...I wasn't the only one who wanted to escape the fate established."
Just then, flames burst from the spot before a glowing orb rise in the air and showed the redhead what it held inside.
The younger looking Ikaru stood before the glowing tree since he was summoned by said object of authority. He had been training none stop, but he dreaded what was to come.
" Ikaru." the willow spoke in its paused tone. " You have been training for years and now the time has come. Your training will come in handy when you go and retrieve this target's soul. Many soul takers had tried countless times to retrieve his soul and all have failed. Though they had return from their encounter alive, we punished them severely. His soul is of utmost importance, do you understand child?"
The teen redhead nodded. " Yes. I do. Where do I have to go and who is this famous target that no one is able to defeat."
The hooded man that stood near a tree answer tensely. " You shall go to japan, to a place know as Nanimori where the target is currently located. His name..." he paused looking at a clipboard he held within his hands then turning to look at the expecting redhead. "...is Yagami Tsukuyomi."
Nodding in understanding the redhead bowed in respect, or what he feign to give. " I shall depart immediately and come back with the target's soul."
The flames died down leaving a silent redhead looking at the ground. A chuckle echoed in the room, but the redhead paid no attention but he could feel amused eyes. " It's always the quiet ones, isn't Ikaru-kun."taunted the stone dragon.
Well to those who are still reading this fic, I hope you enjoy this chapter. As I said before, the next one will be a little longer as a way of saying " I'm sowwy Q_Q". So...mercy, please?
