Sasuke came back to the snake's office where the entirety of the Eidolons' organization had gathered together; there weren't very many of them left, and the younger Uchiha couldn't help feeling a faint sense of satisfaction at that. Itachi had very nearly won this game: practically all of Orochimaru's pawns had been eliminated-except for three.
When Orochimaru looked up at him, he quickly ensured his victorious expression looked it wad for a mission accomplished and placed the middle part of the ceremonial staff on top of their leader's polished desk, a smile curving his pale lips.
Orochimaru mirrored his expression when he saw that.
"Well done, Sasuke," the snake commended him in his usual sinister hiss, lifting the curved metal rod off the wooden surface and examining it with slightly widened eyes He turned it over in his hands carefully. "I can sense the power in it."
"What is that, my lord?" the only female member of the ghosts left questioned in bemusement, her brown eyes widening as well-but for a different reason.
The snake let out a quiet chuckle.
"This, my dear Tea, is part of a very special weapon," he answered silkily. He held it out so that she could see it better. "Our enemies believe that it, combined with the rest of its pieces and the Reaper's powers, will be able to destroy all of us and win them our little game"
"But now they won't be able to put it together because we have this bit," Tea surmised effectively, also smiling now as she came to understand what Sasuke's mission had been about.
Or part of it, anyways.
"More than that," Sasuke stated, tipping his head in the direction of the weapon, something unidentifiable in his onyx eyes. "With it now infused with the blood of Raymond Kon, we can turn their plan around and use it to take all of them out instead."
"And I think it's time we put that plan into action," their master added pointedly, tucking the metal rod into the belt of his parchment-coloured robes. He turned his gaze back to the younger Uchiha. "Do you know where your brother and his pawns need to complete the final part of their ritual?"
Sasuke wasn't immediately forthcoming with a response, this time because he didn't really want to give one. Itachi had only just told him this information-it was part of his plan that Sasuke be there with the rest of the Eidolons-but Sasuke didn't know if their plan was really that great an idea now. Itachi may have seen how this all ended, but they all knew the future could be changed at any moment.
And now that Kanda had run away-however temporary that might be-that happening seemed all too likely.
Unfortunately, he couldn't divert for very long, so he exhaled soundlessly before nodding. "It has to happen somewhere critical to one of the key's pasts, and Itachi has chosen the place where this all started: Yu Kanda's childhood home."
Orochimaru tilted his head to the side as if considering.
"He's chosen that place for the symmetry, I imagine. I can appreciate that," he commented, sounding as if he were speaking more to himself than to anyone else in the room, licking his lips as he continued to form his scheme. Then, appearing to come to a conclusion, he added, "And it works out perfectly. We will wait for them there and, before they complete the ceremony, we will do to them what they were going to do to us."
The other three members of the Eidolons shared twin looks of anticipation while Sasuke only feigned a similar reaction: his actual feelings on the matter were quite different, however. He wasn't looking forward to this-but he did know that Itachi would have a contingency in place for this. He would find a way to get Kanda back on his side or find another way to get rid of the Eidolons; Sasuke had every confidence.
"When do we leave?" Tea queried eagerly, apparently impatient to continue.
Orochimaru cast a glance over at Sasuke again, and the younger Uchiha gave him the barest trace of a nod.
"In the morning," he told his other subordinates, eyes glinting excitedly. "The final day of their ritual begins in just a few hours, and that is when we will end it."
Sasuke took another silent breath; that was it, then. In a few hours, all of their fates would be decided-one way or another.
Itachi didn't need to talk to Tekla to know what had transpired between her and Kanda; he didn't even need to go back to the compound. He'd seen it all as it happened and tracked the apnther as soon as he'd left. He couldn't let him just walk away-not now.
He didn't waste any time when he found him, immediately shooting out a tendril of darkness to knock Kanda off his feet and onto the muddy ground.
"I warned you what would happen if you tried my faith, panther," he declared as he loped out into the rain, voice soft yet carrying and more frightening than if he had yelled.
But Kanda forced himself not to flinch.
"Your friend murdered my parents! How the hell was I supposed to keep having faith in you after that?" he snapped defiantly, struggling to break free of the black vine that was holding him down. "And you knew all along, didn't you?"
Just like during his previous discussion with Tekla, Itachi's reaction was not at all what he expected; instead of looking even the slightest bit surprised, the elder merely shook his head.
"No, Kanda: she was merely the one assigned to kill your family," he corrected flatly, the rain dripping off the rim of his hood reflecting in his fathomless obsidian eyes. "I was the one to actually carry it out."
Kanda stopped writhing at that, mind spinning with a mix of shock, disbelief and horror. How could that be possible? The sorceress couldn't have lied to him; he would have been able to tell. But, as far as his powers could tell, Itachi was also telling the truth; what was going on here?
"What?" he asked in a growl, brows furrowing.
"It was her mission, but when Orochimaru ordered her to kill your brother, she couldn't do it. Unlike the rest of the Eidolons, she had an actual code against who she would kill, and killing a child went against that. But she knew she couldn't just leave them all alive, so she came to me and I did the deed for her," the Reaper explained matter-of-factly, advancing further on the former Exorcist and kneeling down so they were nearly nose-to-nose. "Unfortunately, they discovered her failure after she'd left and put out the hit on her, anyways. That's why she chose to help us: so she could earn her freedom, just like you."
The panther stared at him, his electric powers roiling as his emotions did the same in response to all of the conflicting information he was receiving. He had no idea what to say to all of this; he hadn't wanted to believe that Tekla had killed his family, but the mere fact that she had confessed had given him pause. However, now Itachi was doing the same thing and his powers were still telling him he was being honest.
As he contemplated that, he realized something: Tekla had never actually said she'd killed his family. She'd only said she'd been the one assigned to do it-which was exactly what Itachi had said.
He inhaled sharply, resuming his attempts to get to his feet. They were both just playing with words, trying to push him; they were going to regret it.
"How-?" he started to make another demand, but Itachi cut him off.
"How come Walker didn't tell you that when he told you all those things about my past?" he finished dully, ivory features unreadable. He answered in the same detached tone. "Because he thought what he'd already told you would be enough to get you to betray me. When that didn't work, Orochimaru instructed him and his partner to change tactics."
His-former-ally huffed out an indignant breath, features contorting into obvious offense. They'd all been playing him for a fool, his enemies and those he'd been calling his allies, keeping this secret from him just so they could reveal it when it would do the most damage. He couldn't believe he'd let them string him along for so long; why couldn't his powers have seen through all these lies?
He'd thought he could trust Itachi and the others; but he'd been wrong.
"So that whole thing about sending your brother into the Eidolons to find out who killed my family, that was a lie?" Kanda all but snarled, gaze narrowing with suspicion, actually managing to get into a sitting position as he did so. "I should kill you for that."
Itachi, predictably, was utterly unfazed by that unbridled threat. He even retracted the black tendrils that were keeping Kanda bound, finally allowing him free to stand-which he immediately did, drawing his sword with a soft hissing noise.
Before he could lunge, however, the Reaper held up a hand.
"Allow me to offer you an alternative: come with me now and complete the ceremony to defeat the Eidolons, and when they are gone, you may kill me if you wish," Itachi proposed, an uncharacteristically pleading note in his usually emotionless tone.
If that was meant to placate Kanda, it did quite the opposite; it only served to make his frown deepen. He didn't want to let Itachi off the hook so easily. But he wasn't the only one who'd lied to him-and while Itachi may have been the one to engineer the murder of his family, the Eidolons had obviously been the driving force behind it.
"Answer me one more question first," he insisted after a long pause, raising his katana higher, making it clear Itachi didn't have a choice. When Itachi didn't interrupt, he continued. "Why? What made you send the ghosts after me in the first place?"
The blacknette exhaled quietly, allowing a modicum of remorse to creep into his voice as he replied honestly. "Because I needed you to be brought to this point. I needed you to become an Eidolon, and your parents never would have allowed that to happen. Orochimaru already wanted them dead when I told him about your exceptionalness; he figured it was killing two birds with one stone."
Kanda let out another huff; he got it now. It was all part of Itachi's plan from the start-for him to join the Eidolons and then discover their part in his family's death and drive him to leave and later seek his revenge.
He should have been furious; he had been manipulated his entire life.
Yet that wasn't what he was feeling; at least not toward Itachi. Not just toward Itachi; he still wanted his revenge on the Eidolons.
And this was how he got it.
"Fine," he submitted, sheathing his sword in a grudging gesture of surrender. "I'll see this through; but then, you and I are done."
Itachi inclined his head in acceptance and Kanda reluctantly fell into step behind him as he lead them to the place where this needed to end.
Back to the place where it all began.
They came from the other side of the street, the Panther and the Reaper, striding toward the abandoned house where their remaining comrades were waiting.
As they made their approach. Kanda realized that he recognized their surroundings-this street, the houses on it: this was where he'd been born-and where he'd lost his parents and brother.
He halted in his tracks, breath catching in his throat as he took in the familiar buildings and fixtures. It had been more than ten years since he'd last been here, he'd never thought he would see it again.
"What are we doing here?" he questioned lowly, clenching his hands into fists to keep them from trembling.
"This is where the final battle between us and the Eidolons must occur-and where the weapon to destroy them must be completed," the Reaper replied, continuing to march forward until they had joined up with their allies and were close enough for the others to hear his word.
"Yeah, you still haven't explained how we're going to do that when the second part of the kinyaex is currently in our enemies' hands, thanks to your brother," Tekla pointed out, eyebrows lifting a fraction when she caught sight of Kanda at the Reaper's back. No doubt she'd expected him to want to have nothing to do with them after what she'd revealed.
Fortunately, it looked like she'd been wrong.
The panther raised one of his own eyebrows in Itachi's direction as he came to a stop next to him. "You still haven't told them the truth yet," he observed in a faintly bemused tone. He shouldn't have been surprised, really; he knew he wasn't the only one Itachi kept secrets from.
Tekla's eyes narrowed, returning to Itachi abruptly.
"What truth is that, Itachi? And why does Kanda know it before I do?" she demanded, folding her arms over her chest.
Itachi wasn't ruffled by the accusatory tone in her voice or by the shift in topics; he'd been planning on telling everyone this particular secret now, anyways.
"Sasuke didn't really betray us," he revealed to his companions. "Him stealing the center of the staff was part of my plan-and when we begin assembling the final piece, the Eidolons will arrive to stop us, with Sasuke who will return it to us. As for why Kanda knows it before you did, he simply discovered it before I had a chance to tell everyone together."
The sorceress didn't look at all mollified, eyes sliding back to Kanda again with unconcealed suspicion. "And why are you here? I didn't think you'd want to have anything to do with us after what I told you."
Kanda darted a resentful glance toward Itachi before responding.
"He told me the truth-and I still don't want to have anything to do with you, but I want the Eidolons to get away with their crimes even less. So, I'm sticking around to see what's left of them destroyed, and then I'm done."
Tekla opened her mouth to make another comment, but Itachi held up a gloved hand to forestall her. "I can sense them; they're nearly here." He turned to the other four keys. "We should begin."
In a very Kanda-like reaction, the sorceress let out an irritated huff, but nodded. "Fine. Let's go, then. I assume we all know what to do?"
By way of an answer, they all followed her as she moved further into the derelict house, Itachi conjuring the gleaming onyx bowl from the air and withdrawing the first part of the staff from within his cloak to hold out to Kanda.
Kanda took it from him while Kai drew the wavy-bladed ceremonial dagger from his belt and Tekla summoned up her magic, tendrils of green light beginning to coil tight around her gloved fingers and race through her eyes.
They began.
The ebony-singed petals scattered across the snow, forming a design akin to that of a checkerboard-among the white flurry materialized a procession of cloaked figures, clashing impressively against their ivory backdrop.
(Okay no what should have happened is Tekla should have formed the center with Ray's and Kanda's blood and then the third part should already exist OR Itachi should have created it alone and then Kai's powers should seal it all together I lost track of that let's pretend that happened and then I can fix it later)
The thing was Itachi was actually the only one needed to form the third and final part of the kinyaex, so he was the one to place his hand in the center of the stone basin and move his lips to soundlessly form the words of an old chant-the chant of the Reaper.
The one who will take all their souls
The air inside quivered and began to take a shape similar to the one clutched in Kanda's hands. Prompted by that, Kanda stepped forward and held the piece of the staff he had above the basin, electric currents running around it as he joined in with his own incantation.
Before either of them could finish, however, they were, just as Itachi had predicted, interrupted.
An unearthly gust of wind shot through the ruined residence and then Orochimaru appeared out of the wall, Kabuto on his right, Sasuke on his left and the remaining two members of the Eidolons positioned directly behind him. His yellow eyes gleamed in the unlit chamber as they fell on the black-haired ninja.
"Well, well, well, Itachi, it looks like your brother was right: you did return here to complete the final stage of that pesky annihilation ritual-but I'm afraid you won't be getting any further with it," Orochimaru drawled in a deceptively calm tone. He snapped his fingers. "Stop them."
His remaining subordinates sprung into action, lunging toward the three around the basin, but the others-Seto and Zane and the Vampire Lords-stepped into their path, blocking them from interfering.
"Keep going. We'll handle them," the white dragon instructed out of the corner of his mouth, summoning a staff of his own-this one gold and with an eye at the top-into his gloved hand, while Zane called upon his ice powers, frost pooling out around his boots as he took a step toward the ghosts, and the Vampire Lords each prepared to wield their own unique powers.
They spread out as the Eidolons attacked, blocking their powers and parrying with their own while their companions returned to their spell. Itachi and Kanda completed their incantation and from the blood already staining the basin, the third and final part of the staff appeared beneath Itachi's fingers.
The panther immediately picked it up, holding it in one and the top in the other; the bowl vanished, and Kai slashed open his palm, pressing it to one third so fire burst into the metal, melting and then re-solidifying it so it now possessed an angry reddish tinge.
Knocked to the floor by Seto, Orochimaru caught sight of the two parts of the staff being brandished by the former Exorcist and he affected his usual unimpressed sneer, calling out without fear, "You can't defeat me with only two parts-but I can with one. "He reached into his belt, pulled out the center of the kinyaex and tossed it to the younger Uchiha. "Sasuke-how would you like the honours of taking your brother's soul?"
Sasuke caught the curved metal rod, and a slow smile crept over his lips as he sauntered over to his brother. Contrary to Orochimaru's instructions-and expectations-though, instead of using it to swallow his brother's soul, he held it out for Itachi to take.
"I have a better idea," he called back, much to the snake's surprise and dismay. "How about I help him and the others rip away yours-and your servants-instead?"
The snake's expression slackened at the unexpected betrayal, his sneer turning into a snarl; but he could do nothing to stop what happened next, still caught in the fight against the brown-haired crime lord. All he could do was watch as Itachi raised his part of the staff above his head and, when Kanda did the same with his, Kai shot out a spout of flames that caught on all three, taking them from their wielders' hands and fusing them all together in Kanda's.
This is the end
"I told you once before, Hebi," Itachi uttered as Kanda trudged past him, Seto, Zane and the Vampire Lords to extend the weapon towards its intended victims. "Everything you've done and made others do has consequences-and now here they are." He lifted his chin in Kanda's direction. "Finish it."
Kanda took his cue, spinning the now fully-formed staff at his side while shifting it gradually further in front of him. As it whipped through the air, claps of thunder filled the sky and the wind grew ferocious, dislodging a mass of debris from the ruined floors.
The faster the staff moved, the brighter the beams of light running through it grew, spiraling out of the curved top and hitting the Eidolons like darts, knocking them to the floor.
With a nod from Itachi, the Vampire Lords retreated from the fight and joined him, Tekla, and Kai in forming a ring around the Panther where they each shot bolts of their powers into the staff, making the illumination from it intensify more and more until it was so bright the metal could no longer contain it.
Kanda then plunged the staff into the leftover plasterboard and it exploded out into the night, consuming everything in sight.
Another distinctive, high-pitched giggle penetrated the wall of white-although it sounded uncharacteristically forced.
"You can't think a little light show will be enough to win our game, Itachi!" the snake shouted over the now howling wind, trying to sound like his usual confident, smarmy self; but his voice betrayed his uneasiness. Clearly, he didn't really know what was happening, and therefore couldn't know whether or not it would be able to get Itachi and his companions a victory.
Itachi didn't make a retort, choosing to simply let his actions speak for him: he redoubled the amount of dark power he was transferring into the kinyaex, causing the illumination to sharpen, gaining edges like a great shimmering net.
A timely bolt of lightning ripped through the crumbling roof and struck the top of the staff, sending the net hurtling forward into the ghosts just as they'd begun running to stop whatever would happen next-but they were too late.
They were thrown to the floor again, pinned in place so they couldn't do anything but lie there as lightning hit again, this time sending currents of electricity through the net-just as the edges came into contact with Orochimaru and his lackeys' bodies.
Their screams pierced the oncoming storm, and with their enhanced vision, Itachi and his allies were able to watch as they writhed and thrashed in obvious agony.
Fortunately, their agony didn't last long; when the light faded a moment later, they were all gone-reduced to nothing but ashes.
Kanda stepped back, releasing his grip on the staff and sharing a look what could almost be described as triumph with his companions.
That was it; they'd finally won this dastardly game of Orochimaru's and could go back to their lives.
It was over.
Okay this last chapter kind of failed but I'm done. I'll go back and edit later.