Chapter 6: Kuro, the Shapeshifter

~* ~

While walking down the steps of the huge outdoor corridors, Soma, Bleu and Damien had yet encountered fewer enemies as they killed them off before proceeding to the next area. Damien managed to catch a Dead Samurai's, Devil's and a Skull Pillar's soul along the way, figuring that with the number of souls he collected from the areas he's been in and this one, the youth would be getting closer to his answers. Unfortunatly, the american felt more like he was abit farther from Soma and knowing the spaniard, he's been around this castle before than Damien.

The moon shone as they got to the next big corridor where they came across a skeleton trying to pull something from the ground. Curious, Damien was about to walk toward it when Soma pulled him back. "Don't! That's a Mandegora."

"A what?" Before Soma could answer, the skeleton slowly brought up, what appeared to be a rag face from the ground as he shouted, "Take cover!"

"Oh shit, he's gonna blow!"

Both boys and Bleu lunged over the stairs behind them as the trio covered their ears before the creature cried out loud and BANG! the skeleton went to pieces. They got up to see the remains on the ground as Damien shooked his head. "Damn, that bone-head turned out to be a nut-case. Killing himself with his own--screaming...??"

"The Mandegora was said to have died of suffering, hearing the cries of tortured victims, over and over again until he gone crazy. Therefore, he appears using his own cries to ward off enemies. Anyone who hears his cry will make his victims go insane till the day they die. One thing for sure, he's not too difficult to catch, unless you attack before he screams."

"Er, right. I won't forget that tip."

"Let's keep going."

"Hm."

The trio continued upward to the stairs when they jump on the ledge and leap from one block to another as they hopped their way to next room. A Kicker Skeleton was found as it leaps from the ground and did a High Kick at Damien who moved aside as he uses the cockatrice's attack with his sword and the skeleton turn to stone in midair. The statue fell on the ground as it shattered into tiny pieces, a gray soul came out and went inside Damien who touched his chest as he looks at Soma. "I thought the abilty souls can be obtain only in those statues."

"Monsters can possess these kind of abilties, too. There might be more of them."

"Is that another resting point?"

"Yes. Let's recover before going further." Said Soma as he, Bleu and Damien went inside, touching the light as it healed any wounds they got from the monsters and recovered their (well except Soma's) magic before leaving the small room and taking the path below them. Soma recognized this area since it was the path leading to the Chaotic Realm and where he fought Julius Belmont in. Tugging from that memory, Soma went in as Damien and Bleu followed, turning back as a blue door closed behind them. "Uhoh..." Said Bleu.

"This, is not good." Said Damien as the trio heard evil laughter coming from the dark spot above them. "How interesting that you made it this far. Tis a shame I have to kill you all. Ha,ha,ha...." Said the figure who landed on the ground infront of them and man, was he an eerie-looking sight. He looked short when he crouched, but was taller as Soma when he stood. His face was gray while his body was covered in black and eyes with tiny pupils had the color of yellow. His hair was long and ravenblack as it hunged like a cape. On his chest, was a blood red crest of some kind and his claws resembled a crow's.

As he stood snickering, he glanced at Bleu who trembled violently, as she hid underneath her master's ponytail. "Bleu?"

"There's something creepy about that guy, he's giving me the willies." Said the elf. "One thing for sure, he's not kidding about killing us. But is it just that, or is he after something?" Asked Damien. Soma shooked his head.

"I don't know. Who are you?" He asked. The creature spoke in a tone that can be describe 'high pitch' and 'venomous'. "Ah..My name is Kuro, the Shapeshifter and I was given this territory by Lady Carmilla to watch out for those who trespassed the castle. I figured that there would be four of you, but since there is three only, this seems to make my job alittle easier..Enough talk, Let's begin!" With a shriek, Kuro lunged toward them as they moved out of the way and the creature turned around with a smirk before he changed into a black mane lion. It roared and charged into Damien as the american uses the Arachne's web attack and the lion fell onto the ground, struggling until it manage to break free.

Changing back to his original form, Kuro snickered as he crouched again, taking form of a black wolf as he shot flames from his mouth and howled as he duplicate more of him. Kuro's clones surrounded the group as they dared not make a fatal mistake or find themselves shredded up.

'There's got to be a way to seek the real one, but how? All of them are the same and if we kill the wrong one, we'll be sitting ducks! C'mon, Cruz think!' Closing his eyes, Soma began to focus while one of the wolves lunged at Damien who slashed through the wolf which disappeared into thin air. "Well, it wasn't that one!"

"Damn! We're in a tight spot!" Exclaimed Damien as he killed off another fake and Soma reopened his eyes; the target had red eyes while the others had blue. "Damien! Over to your right!"

"Cover me, just in case!" With a quick turn, Damien aimed his sword at the red eyed wolf as he cast Sonic Wave at the beast who fell on his back. His clones vanquished as Kuro slowly got up, glaring at the group with murderous eyes. "Give up?" Asked Damien.

"Not so fast, those were not the only attacks I have."

"What?"

"You see, they were the appetizers...I was waiting for my speciality. Prepare to be sucked in!" His body outstretched as he became longer, a strange black universe swirled inside and began to swallow up anything that got in it's way. Soma was about to use Black Panther and grab the others, but it was too late as the trio were sucked inside the blackness.

Soma found himself walking through an endless dark area as he began to call out to the others. There was no reply, except the sound of his voice echoing throughout the empty spot. Then he sought out a figure heading toward him. Soma smiles as he recognizes the person. "Damien!"

The american awoken by Bleu's magic as he got up when the elf lunged at him. "Master! You're alright! Oh master!"

"Okay Bleu, okay! I'm glad to see you too." He laughed. Then he noticed everything was black and looked around. "Where are we?"

"I am not sure. But I wonder where is Soma-sama? He's not here or that strange man."

"Soma? Where are you? Come out, come out, wherever you are! Called Damien, but received no response as he began to walk, only to trip on a hump and fell flat on his face as he gritted his teeth. "For crying out loud! Damn it, we don't have time for your games! Soma!" He shouted as he got up, then saw a figure coming toward him and it was spaniard, in his white fur coat and hair as the expression on his face was calm.

"Why didn't you answer? I've been calling you twice already, I'm just glad you're alright. Huh?" Damien saw Soma outstretched his arm from his side as he summoned the Claimh Solias and charged at the american. "What the hell are you doing?!" Asked the american in shock, as he took out his blade to avoid Soma's attack.

"Master!"

Soma moved out of the way from Damien who casted the Earth Demon's attack as he jumped over the peaks and shields himself with the Final Gaurd soul. "....Damien, why are you doing this?"

"..........."

"Answer me!"

The american managed to break through the barrier as he almost struck Soma when the spaniard dodges and punched him in the face as Damien fell on his back. "I know why....You're not Damien! You're an imposter created by Kuro to fool me!" The fake Damien got up as he looked at Soma with an evil grin.

Damien stood face to face with Soma, as he held his sword and stared through those ice blue depths. "Looks like I don't have to hold anything back then. You're pretty good at shapeshifting Kuro, but when it comes to disguising as someone I know, you do a godawful job at it. You expect me to believe that I'm going to hold back to a fake?!"

He charged toward the fake Soma and made quick slashes before the other youth was about to fight back. The dark spaniard drop the sword which disappeared as he turned to smoke, leaving behind a torn piece of black cloth on the ground as Damien looks at it.

After the silence, Damien placed his sword back in his sheath as Bleu asked, "How did you know that wasn't Soma?"

"Knowing Soma, he would be alot quicker than that and I was able to sense his aura and within those eyes, I know Soma wouldn't go against his friends or his will."

Soma casts Lightening doll at the fake Damien who dodges it, but as he turned, the spaniard came from behind and slashed through him as the dark american cried out before he vanquished. "Nice try, Kuro. But I think you lack of personality while disguising yourself."

There was a flash as both boys and Bleu found themselves inside the dark chambers. A purple smoke hovered in the air, as red eyes appeared and began to speak. "You may have defeated my clones, but that does not mean you've succeeded. I still have more tricks up my sleeves. Ha,ha,ha!"

The smoke took form, changing into a huge black dragon which shot flames from its mouth and Soma uses the Final Gaurd to protect him and the others from harm. "Damien, I'm not sure if this would hold much longer! There must be way to stop him and avoid his attack!"

"I know." Said Damien as he tooked out his sword and looked at Soma who was puzzled. "What are you going to do?"

"I'll distract him long enough for you to get out of the barrier and attack from behind!" The american broke free from the barrier as he ran toward the dragon. The spaniard became stunned as Bleu was. "Are you nuts?! Get your ass back here! Damien!" But Damien was too far to hear Soma's cry as he watches him clashed his sword against Kuro's scaled body, only to discover no effect. Kuro screeched as he swunged his tail at the american who flew backwards as he hit his head on the ground. "Damien!!"

The youth slowly awoke, only to see the dragon going toward him as he was about to stumped his foot when Damien moved out of the way. Meanwhile, Soma removes the shield, then changes into a white bat as Bleu went on his back and flew toward the dragon, shooting flames at Kuro to take him away from Damien. The american looked up to see Soma and Bleu fighting Kuro as he changed into the Devil and with his black claw, tear half of Kuro's flesh. The dragon cried out as he was about to attack when Damien and Soma changed back to their human forms before they thrusted their swords into the creature as electrical surges entered Kuro, causing the dragon to screeched in pain. His insides completey burst, as the surges went straight up to his throat and Bang!

The trio fell back, looking back in amazement as the dragon exploded. In it's place, laid Kuro in his original form burn to a crisp as he glared at them with one eye opened. "...How could....mere mortals such as yourselves..can possess such power...as both...both...!!" Before he was about to say more, Kuro turned to ashes as his soul appeared and Damien's weapon absorbs it. All was left of Kuro, was an outline of his form, as both Soma and Damien looked at eachother. "What do you think he meant by 'posessing such power as both?" Asked the american.

'That guy didn't know I had the power of the Count until now, but what did he meant by 'both'? Could Damien posess the power of a reincarnated soul as I do??' "................"

"Hello? Earth to Soma! Come in!" Exclaimed Damien who began to shake Soma alittle when the spaniard snapped out of his thoughts and looked at his friend. "You're sure you okay?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking about something. I don't have a clue what he meant, though." He half lied. 'I'm not used to lying to people, but I usaully don't tell the full truth. I must find out about this before I tell him...Cruz, you sure can't figure a way to get out of a situation like this.' He thought.

"Hm. Well at least, that creep has been delt with. Let's see where that room leads to."

As the door open, the trio went inside it, as they found another soul in the statue before Damien hits it and it enters him. "Its yellow this time." He said. Soma explained. "It must be one of the enchanted souls that allows you to walk either on water or underwater. This is good though, you might need it for later use while we're here."

"Yeah. Speaking of which, we're going to have to take the path we came from. There's no other path in this room." Said Damien as he, Bleu and Soma turned back, heading toward the beginning of the Floating Gardens when they found something below them. They jumped down and found a water path leading to a straight area as they proceeded without hesitation.

~*~

'That boy, I sensed a more stronger power within him...Its alot similer to Soma's, but...his abilty to capture souls is quicker, how could he obtain such a huge amount of souls in one minute? There's only one being in particular that can do that...One whom I was introduced by father when I was living in the castle...'

"Genya? What's wrong?" Asked Yoko in concern, as Fairy sat on her master's shoulder, playing with his dark hair. "Its nothing." He said lastly. Yoko just shrugged as she, Fairy and Arikado continued onward, entering the door which led to the clocktower. 'I only hope that it was just a hunch.'

To be Continued.....

AN: Finally, this chapter is completed until the next one. This was obviously the second half of the last chapter. Ooh, it seems that both Soma and Arikado may be onto something which will unravel about Damien... One thing's for sure its getting close, however, there's bosses in the way so I'll try not to make the next chapters in two parts. Well, I only got 3 more areas with bosses before I get to the UndergroundReserviour/Clocktower chapter, in which you'll find some...answers. You know, Bleu's and Fairy's odd bonding in the last chapter was sort of cute. Till next time. Say, sama means 'master' in japanese, right? I just need to make sure. Please review. ^_^