Naruto Fan Fiction!
Adventure! Mystery! SI-OC!
(Title)
"Myths, Monsters and a Man"
DISCLAIMER: I do not own 'Naruto' or any of the canon characters!
WARNING! RATED M! Violence, Blood, bit of Gore. Language. Traditional stuff, yanno? Also some disturbing imagery. Sorry!
Book of Mysteries
Chapter Three: "Rose, Black"
"Black Rose: Death, hatred, farewell, rejuvenation or rebirth"
They trekked into the forests of the Niigata mountain range for well over an hour after their departure from Rusutsu, long enough for the last rays of sunlight to die away and allow the full moon to hang high in the star-laden sky above their heads.
Oak, already having gathered information on possible locations for a vampire den before arriving, had suggested they scout a valley deep within the mountain range for their quarry. Their destination was home to a system of interconnected caves, renown in these parts for their mineral rich springs and the abundance of wildlife that frequent the area, drawn in by the luscious plant life. Making it a desired hunting ground by the natives. Though the brothers did not have any expectations of encountering any creatures of the night they had agreed that they should at least rule out the group their new companion was tracking before searching for another lead on their missing bride.
It was when they were deep within the forest that Oak had stopped walking, drawing the brother's attention as he kneeled down to the earth suddenly. He reached out a hand and touched one of the plants, his fingers gently examining the dark violet flowers. Amber irises scrutinized the leaves of the plant, he began to mutter softly under his breath as he did.
"...widdershins go when Moon doth wane, An the werewolves howl by the dread wolfsbane." he whispered reverently.
"What did you say?" Madara asked sharply, onyx eyes narrowing at the other man. Oak blinked rapidly, glancing up at Madara with a confused expression as if he hadn't realized he'd just spoken.
"Huh? Oh, nothin' important—but I did find this!" he exclaimed excitedly, gesturing towards the plant. "It's Monkshood, a fairly poisonous plant an' really bad all ground up but it has it's other uses. Now, what's interesting is while the plant is indigenous to the area, it's..." he trailed off mid-explanation, tilting his head at the plant as it took up all of his attention again, much to the elder Uchiha's annoyance. Madara was seriously wondering why this had stopped them. Poisonous or not, what was the significance of it to their task? There were poisons to be found in most plants if one knew what to look for. His irritation only grew when his younger brother crouched down beside Oak to inspect the plant himself.
Privately, Izuna reckoned that his Nii-sama was probably hoping to engage in a brawl at some point soon. He could tell by the rigid line of his shoulders that Madara was anxious. Tense about something. He idly wondered if it had anything to do with their near-encounter with the Senju dogs from earlier? His Nii-sama always did tend to get distracted by the prospect of fighting against that Hashirama at every chance. The younger Uchiha just hoped they could find the woman and complete their contract before anything too exciting happened.
Then again, he thought as he took another glance around the darkened forest, feeling a certain unearthliness to their surroundings that had the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. I wouldn't be too opposed to some excitement. Maybe even a skirmish with a mythical creature of the night that feasts on human lifeblood?
The thought nearly made Izuna chuckle. That would surely be a interesting change from the usual bandits and shinobi they often encountered during a contract. He was almost tempted to hope for it. Almost.
"And?" Madara asked abruptly when Oak had not continued his rambling, dark eyes flickering to and from the many ivy-covered trees that surrounded them on all sides. He was impatient to get a move on already. Madara did not like dense forests. Too many times have the Senju taken advantage of the terrain and ended the lives of many his clansmen. Then there was the fact that looking at too many trees reminded him of Hashirama, and when his thoughts turned to Hashirama he felt the need to burn or cut something.
"Annnnd..." Oak drawled, flicking his eyes up to meet the elder Uchiha's and looking far too delighted for Madara's thinning patience. "This is much too cultured for it 'ta be a wild one. Means someone's been tending to it. To all of 'em, in fact. Really well, too." he said with a hint of admiration.
"All of them?" Izuna repeated curiously, dark eyes scanning around them.
At first glance he had not seen anything other than wild plant life only to become rooted in place once he'd saw it. To the untrained eye there was nothing too unordinary about the plantation at their feet but a closer inspection of the ground revealed roughly seeded rows of flowers and herbs lining the surrounding area, plants the Uchiha could recognize from the many times they've visited the apothecary for healing. Ginseng, Yarrow, Lavender, Ginger, Sumac and many more species that they could not name were sprawled out across the forest floor in each direction.
They were standing in the middle of someone's garden.
"Someone lives nearby then? Perhaps this is the base that you were looking for after all, Oak-san." Izuna said pleasantly, even as his eyes began to scrutinize their surroundings for any sign of enemy presence. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Oak with an oddly grave expression on his face. "Oak-san?" he prodded, frowning at their companion's silence.
The man glanced up at the call of his name and grimaced, raking a hand through his unkempt hair. He looked torn about something. He stood to his feet suddenly and both brothers watched the odd man carefully as he seemed to be having an internal struggle with himself.
"Uhm... So—aw, jeez. How do I ask this? Ahhh—fuck it." he cursed under his breath. Eventually he faced them again with an awkward and pinched expression. "Neither of 'ya would happen to know... to know if your girl's a virgin, would 'ya?"
The Uchiha stared at Oak in silence, two pairs of onyx eyes boring into amber. It was a heavy silence... and more than a little awkward.
"You have one chance to explain yourself. I suggest you do so quickly." Madara said lowly, his voice taking on a threatening edge. Oak's hands raised in surrender, a strained yet apologetic smile on his lips. Izuna said nothing, knowing that his brother was long past tolerating Oak's odd ways. He was honestly surprised at how patient his Nii-sama had been up to this point.
"O-Okay, I'll admit, that sounded bad. Not my greatest moment, I know—but! ...I do have a good reason for asking." Oak quickly attempted to explain with a flail of his hands, though he ended up babbling instead. His face steadily heating up despite himself. "It's just... these herbs 'ere, I recognize 'em all and the way they're arranged—in the Nonagram around us—and it's giving me some really bad ideas that I really hope is just me bein' paranoid, but it's just that I'm pretty damn sure that we've stumbled into a—"
His voice died in his throat, amber eyes sharpening suddenly as dread pooled in his gut.
All three men stilled, sensing a new presence amongst them. They all turned to see a small child peeking out from behind one of the trees. A girl, with pale golden curls who could not have been more than six summers old watched them with a pair of wide green eyes. Izuna was the first to react, lifting his hand in a gentle wave to her as his eyes scanned the trees. She seemed to be alone, but that couldn't be right. They were well into the wilderness now, too far for her to have come from Rusutsu. Unless...
"Hello there, little one." he called out, a charming smile on his lips. She did not respond, still securely hidden behind the base of the large tree. Izuna was not deterred by her silence and continued to speak in a kind and gentle voice. "It seems we have gotten a bit lost out here—hahah, we are not from around these parts, you see. We have traveled from a Village far out west to meet someone; a man by the name of Ryūga. Do you know him, child?"
The child let out a small gasp, green eyes widening even further. It was as if he'd said a secret passphrase. The child's entire demeanor changed as she stepped out from her hiding place, revealing the small basket of herbs she had in her arms and the plain blue kimono she wore. There was now a sweet smile on her lips as she nodded her head, the silken curls on her head bouncing with the force of it.
"Ryūga-ojichan is back at camp with all the rest!" she said excitedly, green eyes alight with childish enthusiasm. "You are late! The others all arrived days ago!"
Izuna chuckled, still smiling in that deceptively gentle way. "Our apologies little miss, we encountered a few more difficulties than we had anticipated."
The girl giggled light-heartedly, turning on her heel and picking up something from behind the tree she'd hidden herself behind. Pulling the cloth from the item revealed a soft glow of green light, from the rope in her hand dangled a small glass jar filled with fireflies. Her sweet smile became wider as her green eyes reflected the light, nearly glowing themselves.
"It's okay! You both are here now so that's all that matters!" she told them happily, turning on her heel and motioning them to follow. "But we shouldn't keep them waiting any longer than they have, or you might not be able to join the feast!"
While Izuna became mildly alarmed the little girl's mention of a 'feast' as his mind unwillingly brought forth an illustration of a life-stealing creature with rows of jagged teeth, his elder brother's discerning ears had caught onto the word 'both' and wondered why she would—
Madara looked over his shoulder.
Oak was no longer there.
Neither of the brothers had felt nor noticed his presence leave their sides. Confirming Madara's suspicion that 'Oak' was not all that he appeared to be. He scowled in vexation at the fact that Oak had slipped away without his notice.
The elder Uchiha decided then that he would kill that annoying man should he ever get the chance to cross paths with him again. It would not be a pleasant death either. It would involve being severed at the waist, or by fire perhaps? He continued to indulge himself in imagining in the different ways which he would kill that fool as they followed the girl through the trees, soon leaving the forest behind as they came across a rocky trail that led up into the mountain range.
The child began to ascend the steep path without hesitation, even humming a song under her breath as she did. By the light of the yellow moon and the small lantern she carried, the brothers had no issue navigating through the rocks. They kept themselves on constant alert for any sign of a threat, be it from behind or from the cliffs above. Even the shadows of the rock face poised a threat that they could not ignore.
Dueom—Tek-ka! Dueom—Tek-ka! Dueom—Tek-ka!
Echoing off the mountains, they heard the beating of drums travel through the night air. A harsh, aromatic smell filling their senses the further they walked along the path. It wasn't until they had reached the crest of the mountain trail that they found the source of the animated beating. Stepping onto a narrow plateau that had a view of the entire green valley that stretched out beneath the starry horizon, they saw the camp.
Dueom—Tek-ka-ka! Tek-ka! Dueom—Tek-ka-ka! Tek-ka! Dueom—Tek-ka-ka! Tek—
Illuminated by the light of a large bonfire the brothers could see a group of a few dozen people dancing wildly, the heavy rhythmic percussion of the drums dictating the speed of their careless movements as their shadows were cast against the rock wall behind them, shifting and stretching along its craggy surface.
Dueom—Tek-ka-ka! Dueom—Dueom—Tek-tek-ka!
Madara and Izuna stood transfixed in place as they watched the men and women throw their arms above their heads and arch their bodies back, lifting their chests to the sky above. Others clung to each other in their wild movements, hands draped across their partners as they pulled at clothing and exposed themselves. The flagrant indecency of their behavior should've caused some sort of alarm, but for a reason he couldn't quite explain Madara felt a sort of calmness wash over him and a profound lethargy settle deep within his bones.
Something in the back of his mind was telling him that this situation was wrong but...—Dueom-Tek-ka-ka—Dueom-Tek-ka-ka—The young girl smiled at them, her green eyes glowing against the bright orange flames behind her, beckoning the brothers closer as drums beat louder. Echoing inside their skulls—Tek-ka-ka! Tek-ka-ka! Tek-ka-ka! Doum—Tek-ka-ka—The girl took her basket and threw it on to the bonfire, setting the herbs she'd collected alight and causing a dark smoke to rise up from the flames—Dueom-Tek-ka-ka! Tek-ka-ka!—she lifted her eyes towards the sky as her grin widened across her face unnaturally.
The drums stopped.
The girl raised her hand and their bodies reacted, moving forward as if drawn in without conscious thought. Through a sort of haze, Madara noticed that the others had stopped in their celebrations and also moved toward the girl. There was something wrong here, he could realize that. His every instinct was telling him so, even as his legs moved him closer to the roaring fire he found no desire to refuse. From the shadows at the base of the rock wall he could see the forms of a man and woman dressed in white clothing exiting an old thatched hut, being pulled forward by the others before being held in front of the bonfire.
How had he not noticed that hutch before now?
On the opposite side of the fire Madara could see the two clearly now. There was a young man that could not have been older than Izuna, his face was young and unscarred and his hair was fair and light. He looked neither like a Shinobi nor a son of a Lord or merchant, a peasant from some city then. Most interestingly was that his face was vacant of any expression, his dark eyes reflecting the light of the fire in front of him as if he was entranced in the Genjutsu.
Standing beside him, Madara could tell from one glance that the woman was unmistakably born in a higher class even if she were dressed in simple clothing. Her long black hair fell around her shoulders like a shroud that framed her face. Lips colored a shade of rose and a pair of glassy almond eyes stared vacantly into the fire. Her skin was fair but her body was thin and muscle-tone was nonexistent, signs that the woman had never had to lift a finger before. She had wanted for nothing in her life as everything was taken care of for her.
This was the bride they've been searching for.
Behind him, the girl had begun humming again. She sang the childish song airily, her young voice floating through the otherwise silent night air. Madara sensed her moving, outside of his field of vision, but that lethargic feeling persisted and he remained still. Above their heads the clouds had moved to mask the light of the moon, cloaking the plateau in a fog of darkness.
"Kagome kagome... The bird in the cage... When, oh when will it come out~?" she sang eerily, slowly circling all those gathered around the fire. "In the night of dawn, the crane and turtle slipped..."
Across the bonfire the girl stood between the young man and the bride, her blonde hair now a shade of molten gold against the blazing light of the fire. Madara met her green eyes from across the distance, seeing the unnaturally wide smile on her young face. She lifted her hand and revealed a long, curved blade. It's polished edge flashed as she leveled it at Madara cold gaze.
"Who is behind you now~?"
With a swift flick of her wrist, the young man's neck was carved open.
Izuna made a sound of alarm after the blade was drawn across the man's throat, that being the only indication Madara had that his brother was still of his own mind. Unlike the other glossy-eyed imbeciles surrounding them who had not even glanced towards the exaggerated display of murder.
The man's jaw fell open soundlessly as his lifeblood sprayed out from the laceration and into the roaring fire, feeding the flames to rise even higher and spit violently as they began to burn a shocking blue. The girl stood behind him and took in the sight with wide eyes and her grin growing ever larger. The blood flow began to slow, spilling down the front of his white clothing until his lifeless body collapsed to the ground where he remained motionless. Slowly, with her disorientated eyes, the Bride looked down on the body and blood pooling at her bare feet...
And she screamed.
In the moments following, all hell had broken loose. The girl had made a move towards the Bride and at the same time the heady smoke was dispersed by a sudden howl of wind, the acrid scent of blood filled their senses, pulling all out of their dazed states. Madara felt his head clear completely for the first time since arriving in this damned camp and readied to subdue the bloodthirsty child when she reared back suddenly, stumbling away from the Bride. She held the blade out for attack just before a pair of hands wrapped around her thin neck and twisted it with an all too familiar sounding CRACK!
The moment slowed as Madara stared at the familiar figure of Oak standing across from him, the girl's limp body in his arms. The man's bright amber eyes were cold as he met the Uchiha's own stony gaze. The strange cobalt light of the fire casted dark shadows on the stranger's grim expression, stealing any of the cheer that had seemed to be perpetually present on the fool's face.
A heartbeat passed.
Then time resumed as the rest of the cultists—and Madara was referring to them as cultists, because he had already decided that Oak was responsible for this debacle—all began to scream in fury because the girl was now dead. Some lunged towards Oak, who swept the girl's body up into his arms and easily stepped out of their reach. Others snatching up branches from the fire and trying to reclaim the frightened Bride who had bolted away and into the dark at the first chance, Izuna following closely behind them. Madara stalked toward Oak, his expression one that alarmingly resembled murderous intent. An expression that Oak, regretfully, had been intimately familiar with and recognized instantly.
Which, is why he ran away.
By the time Izuna had cut down the raving lunatics and forcibly dragged the Bride back in to the firelight, he had returned to the scene of Oak evading his Nii-san's half-hearted attempts to sever him in two. He was also still carrying the girl's body in his arms. The Bride whimpered and tried to flee farther from the body in her panic but the hand around her arm was unrelenting. Izuna just stared at the two men as they ran around the fire like two little boys, completely ignoring the cultists that were dumb enough to get in the way of either of them.
"Listen, I tried to tell 'ya—" Oak was in the middle of saying before having to duck to the ground and roll away from the leg that nearly cracked his skull open. He made an annoyed face at being so rudely interrupted.
"—Die." was all that Madara seethed in response.
Izuna allowed his head to hang, lifting a hand to rub his temple to ward off the incoming headache. He could scarcely believe that his Nii-sama was acting this way—It was totally unprofessional! The Bride began to pound her small fists against his shoulder and he swiftly brought the blunted end of his weapon to the back of her head, catching her unconscious body in his arms and gently setting her on the ground. He was pleased to note that at least the rest of the cultists seemed to have been taken care of while Oak and Madara were playing with each other.
"What are you two doing?!" he hissed, stepping over the unconscious woman and towards the two men. Madara made lunge forward in an attempt to break Oak's legs, one that he has avoided narrowly, and Izuna rolled his eyes.
Oak made an annoyed groan and put Izuna between himself and the irked Uchiha, he then spoke quickly and without taking a breath. "Okay! Okay! I'm sorry for ditchin' yah like that but I had to find out if we really did find a coven and once I realized that she was burnin' narcotics, I acted! My reaction wasn't fast enough to save the kid, I know and I'll kick myself about that later, but for right now we need'ta burn the body before—hrnggk!"
Time had wound down to a stop again.
He choked on the words on his tongue, amber eyes widening as all the color drained from his face and turned to an ashy-grey. Madara's anger had been extinguished like a candle as he watched dark blood spill over Oak's lips, staining his haori. Standing with his back against the firelight, the Uchiha brothers could see a bony arm skewered through the center of Oak's chest.
A low, unworldly growl carried through the night air.
"...Hell." Izuna breathed, staring in disbelief.
Before any of them could have reacted, the sound of bones snapping rattled inside their heads and Oak was lifted into the air, impaled by an elongated arm. He spat up thick, sticky blood as he dangled above the head of the monster. Izuna could barely hear him mutter something with groan. With a flick of the twisted limb, Oak's body was sent flying past the firelight before becoming engulfed by the darkness of the night. Madara's eyes had never left the creature's writhing form. It's body had grown three times in size, stretching the skin taught and displaying the inhuman skeleton it harbored. It reared it's head and the entirety of the creature eyes were as black as night, the pallor of it's face now a sickly grey color as it opened it's maw to reveal rows of jagged teeth. It let out a shrill scream as it lunged towards him.
After shoving Izuna from out of it's reach, Madara braced his arms in front of his body and took the brunt of the beast's attack. He felt the jagged claws sink into the flesh of his forearms, a shudder of his bones from the sheer force of the blow before he was lifted off his feet and sent careening towards the rock wall with a crash!
The creature howled to the skies, sounding like it thought itself victorious.
From beneath a layer of dust and rubble he lowered his arms and Madara grinned, tasting the blood on his teeth and whetting his tongue. Inside his chest, his heart began to beat wildly. He reached his hand up and wrapped his fingers firmly around the hilt of his Gunbai, a fire sparking to life in his veins as he took several strides forward.
"So..." he murmured smoothly, leveling his War Fan at the hellish creature who merely hissed at him.
His black eyes held in them an emotion that was nearly feverish with the prospect of a good fight. Madara had not been expecting to encounter any sort of excitement on this mission, he was pleased to find he'd been mistaken.
"Would you like to dance...?"
Book of Mysteries
Chapter Three: "Rose, Black"
END
A/N: Haaah, did I say that this was only going to be three chapters to finish up the arc? Hehehehh… uhm. Yeah. Sorry about that. And to leave you on a cliffhanger now! God, I am a horrible person and I will still love you even if you hate me now. I am so sorry about such the long wait in between this chapter and the last! Jeez, it was nearly an entire year! And still, you guys showed such amazing support for this story even though it's only got a few chapters and you guys are so amazing! I love that you guys love Oak and I'm happy to write him, he's so kookie and fun.
As for the next chapter after this horrible cliffhanger (I am so sorry) I will not put a date on a posting even though this chapter was originally all together, but then it was twice as long as it was supposed to be and I could not handle it anymore. I've got most of the next chapter written but I cannot say when it'll be done. As some of you know I've been besieged with One Piece ideas so I've been very distracted outside of the Narutoverse, slowing the updates for those stories sadly. All I can promise is to make sure and write something worth waiting for.
Thank you all for reading and a big, lovely thank you to all that took the time out of your day to leave a review and encourage me. More than once over the last few months I have reread them anytime I needed inspiration and you guys are the ones that fueled this chapter. So, thank you. Also thank you to ClosetCase for being such a wonderful friend and helping me out with the chapter! I appreciated all your feedback and was able to write something I was happy with!
Alright then, remember, I love you all!
-Nanami