To everyone confused, we're only a few years away from the start of the canon DxD story right now (though I'll be deviating greatly, as you all know. This is where the big stuff starts to happen). Hope you enjoy! Review and tell me how good (or terrible) I've been!
Chapter 11: Those That Seek Refuge (And Those Who Usurp It)
Sasuke blocked the kick that was aimed at his head with his only arm. The sheer force behind it caused a powerful gust of wind and pressure to sail past him and dent a wall of the training area. Behind him, a sweep was aimed at his feet, which he dodged by activating the power of his eye and switching places with his first attacker. The sweep caught her and caused her to collapse to the ground, falling on top of the second offender. He smirked, satisfied with the outcome of the skirmish. He covered his rinnegan again and deactivated his sharingan.
"Alright, that's enough for today", he announced. His two travel companions got up from their tumble, each with differing expressions. Ophis looked stoic as always, but if you looked closely, you could see the tiniest bit of irritation present as she tried to hide a frown. Akasha, on the other hand, sported a smile that could bring most people to their knees. The three of them had settled down back in Kyoto and decided to spar in their portable base. Sasuke had planned on visiting Naruto first, but the other two insisted.
"I still can't land a clean blow on you, Sasuke-Sama."
"I still can't lead a blow on you at all." Ophis' sour disposition was becoming more apparent as the seconds ticked by.
"There's a reason for that", Sasuke spoke out. "Unlike our vampire over there, you've just been using your brute strength and magical abilities the entire time we've been traveling. You never bothered to train your body in physical combat unless I made you." The frown on Ophis' face dug itself deeper, her displeasure evident.
"I just don't see the point of it", she countered. "There's not a being alive or dead that I cannot subjugate with my own power. It is simply easier to just use 'brute force' as you put it. Why would I not resort to my powers?" Sasuke's smirk turned into a knowing, almost smug grin.
"Last I recall, there were three beings you couldn't quite subjugate. One of them is the reason you're even following me around." Ophis' face almost twisted into a grimace, reminded of her hubris. "The other two should be obvious as well, if our spar didn't indicate such. You're falling behind in your training." The dejected Dragon God simply sighed, turning around and leaving the training area.
"Very well. I will partake in the martial arts if it will further my training." With that, she vanished, no doubt to go let off some steam in whatever confusing way she knew how. That left the two of Sasuke and Akasha in the area together. Sasuke turned his attention to the vampire, who was already staring at him. Her pupils were dilated, and she looked to almost be salivating. As quick as the ravenous expression had adorned her face, it vanished, and was replaced with her normal, angelic look.
"Is something wrong, Sasuke-sama?" She asked him, but nothing could fool Sasuke's eyes.
"No. Good work today, your abilities have improved. You weren't weak to begin with, but now, you could probably beat that beast who controlled you by yourself." Sasuke wasn't one for pussyfooting around sensitive topics, he said what needed to be said. Her combat ability had improved, that was true, but another change had taken place within her as well.
She smiled, her mood improving even more because of his compliments. "Thank you very much, Sasuke-sama. Was there anything else you wanted to do today?" Sasuke pondered it. He did want to go see what his doofus of a best friend had been up to, but at the same time, he felt that she deserved some downtime after the spar (his training regimens were admittedly not easy, even for himself). Leaving her to her own devices would also give him a chance to observe her more efficiently, as she only ever beamed and followed orders around him. He needed her to act natural.
"No, that's all. If you have anywhere you'd like to go, do so. I have my own business to take care of." To his priestess' bewilderment, he vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving no traces behind once it cleared. Akasha always wondered how he was able to pull of just vanishing in front of someone like that. Was it magic? Pure speed? She'd find out one of these years. Turning around, she began to walk in the direction of the base's shower, intending on going out and sightseeing after showering. This was the first time they had visited this place in their many travels, and something about the atmosphere just felt so… serene to her, as if the very air in the place was filled with some type of soothing, mystical energy.
As she made her way to the lavatory, a terrible headache sprung up. That was odd because she had never had a headache in the 900+ years she had been alive (or undead, depending on what mythology you were asking). Vampires didn't suffer from human diseases or ailments to her knowledge, so why was she suddenly coming down with one now? As she pondered, the headache got even worse, making her feel as if a drummer was pounding against the inside of her head with a drumstick.
"Kill them".
A malicious-sounding voice echoed in her head.
"Devour them".
Akasha grabbed hold of her head, trying to make sense of the voice and the pain and ward them off.
"Make them yours".
"What? Who are you!?" she nearly yelled, but kept her voice down to a whisper to avoid disturbing the others. This was no normal headache (headaches usually didn't come with demonic-sounding voices trying to coax you into killing and eating people from what she'd heard). The voice seemed to grow closer with every passing moment, and so did her panic. She hadn't felt like this since…
The voice answered her question.
"I am you, and you are me."
No.
"You've taken my blood, which means you've taken me as well."
No, no, no!
"I need not speak my name, for you are already aware of it."
NO! It couldn't possibly be him; she saw him die with her own eyes! The sword had run him through cleanly!
"Rejoice, for you are the vessel of your king, and will be used to reclaim the throne".
Her eyes turned a blood red, and her every thought was consumed by hateful vengeance and scorn. Yes, she'd kill them. She'd devour them. She would make them her own. Her one true mission, his one true mission that would never be forgotten.
The king had returned, and there was much to be done.
A hooded figure left the hallway Akasha was in, deactivating his eyes. Sasuke knew that all was not right. Truthfully, he had known so for years by this point. He'd caught her staring at him (particularly his neck) many times with that same expression plastered on her face. He needed to confirm what was going on before acting on it, as he didn't want to harm her if it was just something minor, but now he was certain.
He'd have to put that troublesome vampire king down again.
-Shrine-
She had gone and embarrassed herself. Fainting in front of an important guest, all because of his looks at that (he had even been the one to wake her up)! When she had come to, her Lady had filled her in on the fact that he was a god, which made it all the worse. A god, a literal deity, and she faints at the sight of him like a weak-minded schoolgirl! Even worse, her Lady had attempted to be cordial when informing her but could not hide the hint of laughter coming from her delicate maw. She was making fun of her!
Yasaka had never felt as mortified as she did today.
"So… nice to meet you?" Naruto greeted her a 2nd time, confused as to how to ignite the conversation. He was by no means a greenhorn in political talks and bargains, but something about this meeting felt more… personal. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. On top of that, there were very few people who would faint at the sight of someone. He only knew one, actually, and the memory of her left him all the more unable to piece together a coherent train of thought.
How did one tackle talking to a delicate person that would faint on command? He had never been any good with it when Hinata did it. They only started to hold real conversations after the War started and she stopped turning into a lovestruck puddle on the ground when she was near him. How do you talk to someone like that who's not romantically interested in you?
"Y-yes, nice to meet you too", Yasaka drawled out. She was so embarrassed, she could hardly breathe, let alone talk. How was she going to recover from this blunder? She couldn't just put on airs and forge ahead, as any dignity and grace she commanded was lost the moment she walked in and dropped like a stone. She silently prayed to the goddess beside her that this man would be the one carrying the conversation.
There wasn't much hope for either of the blondes.
"Ahem." Amaterasu cleared her throat, gathering the attention of everyone in the room. She was clearly amused at the state of disarray between her two associates but wished to move forward, nonetheless. As fun as it was watching her loyal priestess and an all-powerful deity greater than herself dawdle around like toddlers, she had a schedule to keep.
"We should probably start with introductions. Naruto-san, this is Yasaka, the only nine-tailed fox currently in existence, a practitioner of senjutsu, and my personal priestess. Yasaka, this is Naruto-san, chief deity of the newly created religion of Ninshu, senjutsu practitioner, and ramen enthusiast."
Naruto bristled a bit at that last tidbit. It wasn't his fault ramen was so good!
"She's like myself, eh?" Kurama chimed in from Naruto's head. "We're technically not of the same race, as I am a tailed beast, but I suppose that you could say we are of the same classification, nonetheless. A senjutsu wielder as well, I wonder how strong she is…"
"Interested are we, nine tails?" the one-tailed Shukaku butted in. "Too bad you don't have a dick! Bahahahaha!"
"Sometimes I forget how vulgar you are, tanuki…" Gyuki the eight tails took his turn to speak.
"Insolent cretin. We should've left you back in the Elemental Nations."
'I don't need the peanut gallery, guys!' Naruto thought before cutting off his link to the tailed beasts entirely for the time being. He didn't need them making it worse than it already is. He spoke out loud this time, turning his attention back to the priestess.
"So, I'll just cut to the chase. I've got a problem and Granny Sunshine told me that you might be able to help me solve it." Yasaka adopted a puzzled expression, looking around the room.
Granny… Sunshine? Who was that?
She scanned the room until she came upon the subtly frowning face of her Lady. Did… did he mean Lady Amaterasu!? In all her years, she had never heard anyone address her Lady as familiarly or as casually as that. Even other gods addressed her with her proper title, and judging by her expression, she wasn't pleased. So, either this man had garnered a great deal of respect and leeway from her, or…
He's an idiot.
"I need to pass down my chakra".
She heavily considered the latter.
-Nearby-
Two individuals stood near a seemingly abandoned area of dead foliage and barren land. Both of them wore rags for clothes and had nothing on their feet. The taller of the two sported long, black hair, a budding, curvaceous body, and a tail that seemed to fork and split at the end into two smaller tails. She was covered in grime and filth, just as her cohort was.
The shorter one was very similar to the taller one except for a few key features. She had white hair, a somewhat paler complexion, and had only one white tail that continued on as normal tails do.
"Is this it, big sis?" the shorter one spoke first.
"That's right, Shirone. This is our future. We'll finally be able to stop running and hiding, and you can forget about everything you've been through."
"What about you, Kuroka-nee?" The now identified Kuroka smiled.
"As long as you're safe, there isn't anything that can bring my mood down." Kuroka brought her sister in and hugged her, feeling both a sisterly bond and her maternal instincts kicking in. She got up and turned back to the abandoned area, pressing her fingers together and concentrating.
"Kai!" Suddenly, a patch of the dead foliage and land disappeared, replaced by a descending stairway made of concrete.
A hidden underground passageway.
"You'd think one of the most spiritually-endowed places in the world would hide their illusions better, but a simple release command was all it took to dispel this one." Kuroka's ears perked up as she spoke, excited at whatever treasures she'd find in this place. After all, it was hidden for a reason. She had heard many tales of the treasures and regalia this land had to offer, and just one of them would guarantee her and her sister lived a glamorous life, away from all the… torture they had gone through at the hands of those demons.
"Alright, Shirone, grab my hand. We're going in together." Shirone moved towards her sister to do so. Kuroka felt her wrist get grabbed instead of her hand, but it wasn't Shirone's small hands. This hand was big and had an obscene grip strength. She whirled her head, snarling and preparing to kill whichever of those devil flunkies had caught up to them on the spot.
She wasn't expecting to see a tall, blonde-haired man with the eyes of a toad and a red cape adorned with black flames at the bottom.
-Shrine-
"Do you take me for some cheap floozy!?" Yasaka couldn't stop herself from yelling. This man, this god, had come here to ask her to procreate with him? He was so much better in her dreams/hallucinations. In there, he was handsome, caring, warm, and affectionate. Out here?
Just another man lusting after her body, apparently.
The resident sun and dragon goddesses were about to burst at the seams with laughter, and from Naruto's head grew a question mark. Had he done something wrong? Sakura would yell at him like this when he couldn't read the mood or said something that could be taken out of context, so he guessed that was what he did. He thought about it some more, and then felt the urge to facepalm.
"No, that's not what I meant!" he exclaimed while waiving his arms frantically about. "I want to pass my chakra down to my disciples, my current and existing disciples, but I don't know how. It's too powerful for most to take and too different for those who can stand it. I just need a way to safely share it." Naruto huffed as he finished his explanation, silently cursing himself for his lack of tact.
"… Oh, that's… much more reasonable. I apologize for my outburst", Yasaka retorted.
'You're two for two on idiotic, embarrassing moments today, woman. Pull yourself together!' After thinking such to herself and gathering her composure, she bowed formally. It wouldn't do to disrespect a guest, even if he wasn't the best with rhetoric and phrasing. Unfortunately, due to her earlier shock, her yukata was disheveled, and her ample bust was mere centimeters away from spilling out. Everyone in the room noticed this, but made no mention of it.
Least of all Naruto.
'Seriously, what the hell do they feed people here? I've seen more people the size of grandma Tsunade or bigger here than I care to count!' Offhandedly, he remembered the other busty kage that was part of the five before his generation came into power, Mei Terumi. She had this weird situation of never being able to find a husband despite how good-looking she was. Tsunade never had that problem (Jiraiya was ever-constant proof that she could get it if she wanted it), but she was a hard-ass of biblical proportions about romance, and…
He was getting off-topic.
"Raise your head. I'm not good with the traditions, dattebayo." His verbal tic came out unconsciously. Yasaka raised her head, still unaware that her bust was about to be on display for everyone. "So, do you know of any way to help me transfer my chakra to others safely?"
Yasaka thought about it for a moment, then came up with a solution. "Well, if you can't transfer it in it's original, divine state, why not try to dilute it? Several liquids are dangerous in their original form, but safer when diluted with something like water. Adding a buffer of sorts between your chakra and whatever life essence your followers possess might work, particularly something from this plane of existence so your followers can accept it."
Naruto stood there contemplating the idea. It made sense with the way she explained it (he's pretty sure they had tried to teach something similar to this way back in the academy). Even if it didn't, he wasn't in any situation to turn away potential ideas anyway. She had taken time out of her busy schedule to hear him out, so there wasn't any harm in it. He'd need to conduct some trial and error.
"Worth a try. Thanks, Yasaka-chan!" He flashed her a grin of gratitude.
"W-what?" A light dusting of pink covered her cheeks. Was he so informal with everybody he met? And that grin, it was so inviting and familiar… she was falling into that same trap she did when she passed out, except this time, she was wide awake, and he was actually there.
"Y-you're welcome, itwasnicemeetingyoubye!" Her words ran on together as she all but ran out of the shrine, the laughter from her Lady and the Dragon God growing more distant by the second.
Why, why, WHY was she like this around him? She had never met this man and knew nothing about him, but she felt like she had known him her entire life, like the memory of him had always been there in her psyche. She had been having these visions of him for a long time, but that was only after she had been an adult for a while. His goofy disposition, that weird verbal tic, his smile… she found herself adoring all of it somehow. Her, the vixen that was almost universally desired by men around the world (and some females), reduced to a blushing child around a total stranger.
She'd need to get to the bottom of this.
Suddenly, two waves of very distinct energy hit her. As she was connected to the environment here, any energies that entered her domain and weren't masked were easily detectable. Especially the brand of energy she was feeling right now.
There were two people nearby, possibly fighting, using senjutsu.
So yeah, I took the idea of Orochimaru implanting pieces of his consciousness into each curse-mark he gave out and applied it here to Alucard and Akasha, basically. Sasuke's sharp eye and Naruto's goofball antics continue! Also, I don't remember if Yasaka in canon can use senjutsu, but for the purposes of this story, she can and will.