Disclaimer: No I do not own Naruto.

Wings of the White Angel

Chapter 18: Aura of the Desert's traveler

Kin's body was standing…and as its head tilted up a pair of molten red eyes glimmered in the night. "Oh really? Well, I personally would prefer not to be used by a bunch of stupid humans…so I think it's time to shut you up personally." The demon, through Kin's body, began to form a set of seals. "Kurohakai Sabaku!" An explosive black aura sprang up around him. "Now then…what does your blood taste like?"

Yurei, Ayumi, and Kai all froze, unable to move.

Pride shrugged off the strange heaviness that was being inflicted by this strange aura of black chakra. "Now what exactly is this?"

"You stand in the prescense of the desert's traveler…the coyote that has walked across the black sands and bathed in their hatred." The demon sneered, revealing a pair of fangs. "Though I suppose I'll treat you respectfully, since your damage to the boy's body allowed me to break the seal of the jewel to ten percent." Brushing back a few locks of green hair, he revealed a now pointed ear-tip. "Human…do you know who you face?"

Pride knew all too well, and deep down inside it scared him. ("Death wouldn't fight this thing…so I know it is beyond my level. However, the seal is at ten percent, so I'm only fighting ten percent of its power.")

The demon stood in the center of the massive pillar of black chakra, its eyes shimmering the night. "You think you can stand against me? For such disrespect, I'll kill you."

"Is that so?" Pride formed two shadow katana.

"You're not much older than the body I inhabit…that's pitiful." The demon bared its claws, which were at the end of Kin's fingers. "Do you really want to try? Do you really want to try me?"

"I want you so that I can present you to my master…" Pride started to walk forwards. "Are you ready for that?"

The demon started to snicker, the sound growing louder and louder. "You…you…." His head tilted so that his face could be seen. It was an amused face. "You're my toy." The aura vanished as he disappeared.

Pride turned on his heel, but was stopped in mid-slash as the demon grabbed his wrist. It held a finger a few inches from his face and tsked a couple of times. And then he was flying away, an indent in his chest where the demon had punched.

As the aura disappeared, Ayumi gasped and clutched at her chest. "I…I couldn't breathe…"

Pride swung his sword, but had the blade snapped when it got close to the demon's body. Then he was pushed through wall after wall, as the demon shoved him through each one consecutively.

Kai stumbled to his feet. "Is…is that really Kin?"

Aiko coughed up a little bit of blood. "No…not by a long shot…it's the demon that we are supposed to stop the Seven Sins from getting."

Yurei winced as the demon delivered a trio of bone-crushing haymakers to Pride's head in the time it took Aiko to say this. "It needs our protection?" An explosion shook the surrounding area as the demon struck full-force into Pride's chest, sending him into a wall and bringing it down around both of them. "It's kicking his…"

"No…" Aiko shuddered and placed a hand over her newest wound. "He's…"

As the dust cloud cleared, it revealed the demon holding Pride in a sleeper hold. "Now…let's get our taste?" Opening its jaws, it bit down onto his neck. And then it withdrew its head and arms, spitting out a lightly glowing green liquid. Its whole body started to shudder, and it felt cold all over.

"The death's seal poison…" Pride turned to face the rapidly weakening demon. "It will kill anything mortal…but the technique to change my blood into it protects me from such a fate."

The demon had no choice but to withdraw into the jewel again, leaving Kin to deal with this deadly threat. ("I can't stop it, so he can deal with the consequences.") The aura of the Black Destruction Desert disappeared and Kin's body dropped to its knees, clutching at its throat. "What…what happened?"

Pride looked down at the boy who held his target. ("So you cannot protect yourself from poison? Interesting weakness…")

Kin stood up, stumbling towards his team. "What happened…why am…" Halfway there he collapsed face-first into the ground, unmoving.

"Kin!" Ayumi and Yurei ran over to their fallen comrade. Yurei stood between them and Pride, while Ayumi checked Kin's health.

A few moments later she gasped and started to pound his chest. "His heart is slowing…we have to…" She went silent as a blade pressed against her neck.

"You'll do nothing." Pride spoke calmly, while Yurei started to turn around as he realized the Sin had moved. "Actually, you're the most troublesome, aren't you?"

Aiko heard this… "No…Pride!"

Ayumi looked right into those yellow eyes, and felt primal fear from deep within her body. ("He's going to kill me. He's going to…")

Pride stabbed his other katana into the ground and used it to perform a spin kick that caught Yurei in the head and sent him flying away. "Therefore, you must die." The blade against her throat lifted up into the air. "I'll kill you in a way that makes sure you won't live through it. Kage Mangetsu…" The blade of his sword started to glow white.

Ayumi couldn't even flinch away. ("This…is where I die? But…I…I…I want to live…")

Then the weapon fell….and was stopped as it dug into Kai's hand.

Pride narrowed his eyes at the now sunglass-wearing boy. "You again? You already tried…and it didn't work."

Kai slapped the sword away, ignoring the blood dripping down his wrist. "I won't let you do whatever you want…I'll stop you."

"And how do you propose to do that?" Pride dissipated the bloodied sword and hefted the single remaining one. "Do you really want to fight to your own death?"

"I owe Watanabe a debt for sharing the training methods of his family with me…I won't let you kill his only chance to live." Kai slowly drew a kunai. "I will stop you right here."

"You are insane…aren't you?" Pride disappeared.

"No…" Kai did the same. Then the air around the town was echoing the noises of blades clashing over and over again. "But I am determined to stop you!" Suddenly they were in the air above their starting positions, and Kai was forming a new set of seals. "Katon; Honoo Bunshin no Jutsu!" Exhaling a burst of fire, he disappeared. The flame formed into a vaguely humanoid shape and leapt at Pride, only to be slashed apart.

"You can't expect to defeat me with such a low level of skill, do you?" The Sin tilted his head slightly, finding it strange he couldn't locate the boy. Right up until the point that he felt a foot crash into the side of his head. ("That damned speed? It's still that strong.") Looking over where he had been hit, he saw only a few embers in the air. "Hm?" Then he was hit roughly in the back. Looking there, he saw only embers too. ("He's using the fire replications to attack me? Interesting, since I can't sense their approach like I can other replications.") He snapped up his sword. "Kage Tsuki no uta!" The air around him started to shimmer, and suddenly he was surrounded by a storm of embers. ("As I thought, he believed he could use an army of the replications to attack me. How…") He retracted that thought as Kai appeared right in front of him. ("I'm slashing too fast…he couldn't have…")

"Katon; Honoo Takira no Jutsu!" Kai slapped his hands to the ground, and both of them disappeared in a raging blast of flames.

Pride snarled and appeared on top of a nearby building. ("This is so very annoying…")

"Too slow!" Kai appeared next to Pride and started to kick, but disappeared at the last moment. That Pride disappeared in a puff of black smoke, while in a nearby alley the real Pride just got a strong kick to the side of the head.

("He's predicting what I am doing?") Pride slashed, but his blow revealed the kicker to be only a flame replication.

Kai was standing at the end of the alley. "Katon; Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" The explosion shook the two buildings that made the alley.

Pride had leapt upwards to avoid it, and was tens of feet in the air now. ("What is this? How is he…") A screech caught his attention, right before a bird-shaped blast of fire slammed into his back and sent him towards the ground. ("Impossible…how could he know…even if he had that ability…") Right before he hit the ground a blow was landed to his ribs that nearly crushed them. ("Impossible!")

As Kai moved, he felt different with every step. ("It's…incredible. So much more different than the other times…what is this power surging through my mind and body?")

Pride rolled away, but found Kai's foot waiting to punt him through the air like a ball. ("He's predicting my moves? No…it's more than that…he sees…") Trying to straighten himself out in the air, the Sin realized the blow had been too damaging. ("I can't understand…he…he…")

Kai appeared face to face with him, both still in the air. "You think we're done?" Locking the other boy's neck in a hold, he suplexed his opponent headfirst through the ground below them. Then both of them disappeared in a burst of smoke and flame, revealing that both were replications. Seconds later they appeared in the air again, this time the real ones. And Kai was still one step ahead of Pride at all times.

Yurei stared at the two combatants in awe. ("Kai…what are you? Your insight…it's impossible…")

Pride had managed to break away, but was now left stumbling near another wall. ("I…I'm too dizzy…") His sword started to glow white. "Kage Mangetsu…."

Kai appeared ten feet in front of him. Bending at the knees he charged, sunglasses glittering in the night.

Pride slammed his weapon into the ground, but the wave of white fire didn't touch Kai at all. The boy actually spun in mid-run around it and kept going, driving his knee, fist, and head into the forehead, stomach and heart of Pride. With one loud crack and then an explosion, the wall behind Pride collapsed down around the Sin as he was sent through it instantly.

Kai brushed back a few locks of his hair. "Well Sin?"

The dust cleared to reveal Pride kneeling and clutching at his chest. ("Impossible…impossible!")

Cracking his knuckles, Kai smirked. "Come."

Pride didn't move, his hand clenching the broken hilt of his shadow katana tightly. ("How is he doing this?")

Kai's smirk vanished into a cold look. "If you've lost your nerve, then let me save you the trouble of moving!" He charged three feet forward and then disappeared.

Pride formed another katana. "You insolent…" The weapon shattered. ("How?")

Kai elbowed his target right in the head and sent him flying away. "I'm stronger…and I can see your demise…" Removing his sunglasses, he revealed a pair of shimmering silver irises. "I can see your future, and it is bleak." Then he was moving again, striking like a mad-man.

Pride couldn't form thoughts now, each blow blindingly painful. He knew every spot to hit that would leave the Sin stunned. It wasn't a matter of strengths now…it was a matter of skill. And at the moment Pride's skill might as well have been considered nothing.

Yurei watched this incredulously. ("It's incredible…I guess we all have some secrets. Which leads me to wonder, what does Kin have now?")

Pride, his body bloodied and battered, tried to stand up weakly. Kai responded by striking him in a nerve that left his left leg dead. "You've lost." No matter how hard the Sin tried, the damage had been done. He could no longer fight. ("This isn't humanly possible…")

Kai's lips lifted very slightly. "It's over…this is the end for you."

"Kin! Hang in there…please!"

Kai froze…and slowly turned. "Ayumi…what's…"

Ayumi continued to pound Kin's chest, tears sliding down her cheeks. "Live!"

Yurei stared… "It…can't be…"

Pride smiled weakly and stood up, whispering gently into Kai's ear. "You see?"

"Shut up!" The boy turned full speed, his eyes back to normal brown. Whatever strike he had planned was stopped by a haymaker across the face.

Pride looked at three standing members of Team Eight. "I can't believe I have to do this. I can't believe that I have to really do it." His hands started to move.

"No." Yurei lifted Shadow Goddess, the blade bright white. "I'll stop you!"

Pride smiled slightly as he watched the boy's approach. "Stop me? Oh no…it will never happen. Tenth Seal…" Yurei's blade fell and slashed deep into his shoulder. Kai appeared in front of the Sin and stabbed two kunai deeply into his lungs. "Open." An explosion of chakra sent both of them and their weapons flying away.

Ayumi stared at Pride, her entire body shaking. ("This is his full power.") She had completely forgotten about the fact that Kin's heart had stopped beating.

Pride brushed off his shoulder. "You children have been troublesome…" His eyes met Yurei's first, and the boy felt his entire body freeze up in fear. He felt like a rabbit in the sights of a wolf. "…and now the trouble ends here. You can unleash all of the special gifts you want at any time…" At no point did the idea of a sneak attack cross any of their minds. They somehow knew he could see all of them, regardless of their position. "In the end, I simply open the final seal and I surpass you. I am one of the Seven Sins, stupid fools. Did you think a group of hatchlings could hope to stop us?" The last sentence was so forceful that all three of them actually flinched in fear.

Aiko struggled to stand, his power not affecting her. ("His mere prescense is preventing them from fighting…it's as I feared. I only have one method left to stop him…")

Pride appeared right behind her, a sword pressed against her throat roughly. "Don't move, or you will die Aiko-chan." She knew it was a replication, but she was too injured to dispel it without risking death.

The real Pride walked towards Ayumi. "You're first, because I don't feel like…"

"No…not her…" Kai tried to move. Then he went silent as Pride's hand was suddenly around his throat, squeezing.

"You wish to die? Stupid…I won't let you die until I've tortured you…" The Sin sneered. "Now scream nice and loud for me…" He squeezed and Kai began to make pained gasping noises as he tried to gather air.

To be continued…