Xander was kissing his way across Anko's shoulder when his lips encountered something foul. Instinctively he sucked at it, drawing out some sort of parasite that wriggled in his mouth. He crushed it between his teeth, turning and nearly retching a second later as his mouth filled with filth and he spat it on the tile roof.
"What the hell was that?!" Anko demanded, a hand covering her curse seal.
"I'm not sure," Xander said after spitting half a dozen more times, "but it tasted like poison and... a trace of a soul."
Anko looked down at where Xander had spit out whatever he'd sucked out of her curse seal. A mangled white serpent the size of her pinky, covered in black goo was slowly dissolving as the tile around it melted. She rotated her shoulder a little as she rubbed at her seal and tried to get a feel for it. "The pain's gone," she noted. "Just feels kinda... empty."
"Did I screw something up?" Xander asked timidly, afraid he'd hurt her.
"More like the opposite," Anko said, smiling as the ever-present ache from the seal couldn't be felt any longer. "Can you check to make sure you got it all?"
"Not sure what I did, but sure," Xander said in relief as she uncovered the seal and leaned forward.
Xander eyed the seal, but it looked like nothing more than a funky tattoo at the moment. He cautiously ran his tongue across it, making Anko purr and grind down against him. Forgetting about the tattoo as they returned to what they were doing, he brought his mouth down on it once more, letting his instincts guide his actions.
Anko's scream echoed for miles.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
"Report!" Sarutobi snapped out before doing a double take as he looked at Jiraiya.
The Toad Sage's outfit was barely more than wisps of decayed and tattered fabric, his headband more rust than metal. His body however was in perfect shape, all signs of age or injury wiped clean.
"The tower where we hold the Chuunin exam is a faded memory and the Forest of Death has expanded its boundaries," Jiraiya reported with a pleased grin.
A dog masked ANBU appeared in front of the Hokage. "Initial reports are of a positive nature, plants blooming, minor healing effects, amorous couples."
Sarutobi turned to Jiraiya for answers.
"Xander discovered the Curse Seal in his explorations of Anko. He removed all traces of my traitorous teammate from it and... most likely decided to remove it with brute force. All the effects we're seeing is simply spillover from his use of Green, or Nature Chakra," Jiraiya explained.
"And you?" Sarutobi asked curiously.
"I was taking notes close by," the prolific porn artist said with a grin. "Man made objects decayed and fell apart while I, for instance, was rejuvenated. I feel like I'm in my prime again!"
"You didn't look that good in your prime," Sarutobi disagreed.
"This is how good I would have been in my prime had I taken my physical conditioning as serious as Gai does," Jiraiya explained. "Xander said Green Mana was best for healing and from the results I think we can see why."
Sarutobi nodded. "Any new data on the healing he did with White Mana?"
"Inoichi reported several effects in addition to healing them to the fittest they have ever been, rather than what they could have been," Jiraiya replied, pointing out the difference between healing with White Mana rather than Green. "Existing loyalties are reinforced, they've shown a greater inclination to follow the rules and co-operate with others, greater determination and pride in their accomplishments as well as group accomplishments. The only downside seems to be a decrease in creativity, but that is mirrored by an increase in cognitive skills requiring logic."
"That seems a fair trade off," Sarutobi agreed. "Are the mental effects permanent?"
"Too early to tell," Jiraiya replied. "My gut says no, but it'll be months before I've got the data to back it up."
"Have you noted a change in your own thought processes?" Sarutobi asked Jiraiya.
"Easily," he replied. "My libido is through the roof and I have an excess of physical energy. Even though I know better, part of me is saying that if you can't fight it or fuck it, it's probably not important."
"All of which is in line with what Xander's shared in regards to the effects of various colors of Mana and their nature," Sarutobi said, before lighting his pipe.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
"Oops!" Xander said from underneath Anko as they laid in the wreckage of the tower.
"Oops me like that again and I may have to marry you," Anko replied, slumped on top of him. "What was that?!"
"Your seal was like a half finished unholy strength with the missing bits filled in with regeneration," Xander explained. "Well, once I removed the bastardized control bits anyway."
"And?" she prodded.
"And I think this entire forest here is one big wild growth seal which I may have accidentally activated," he admitted. "Why is it all this stuff only makes sense after I've been hit with it?"
"No idea," Anko replied, "but if I were you I'd just be glad it all makes sense now and you don't have to study it forever to figure it all out."
"I am very glad of that," Xander agreed, "I just like complaining afterwards about being blindsided."
"Are you smaller?" Anko asked.
"You're bigger," Xander replied. "Not a lot, but maybe half a foot."
"More like half a cup," she replied. "Thanks for whatever you did to the seal. What's unholy strength anyway?"
"Taps black mana to increase strength and toughness," Xander replied. "It's tied to your regeneration, so it's temporary. Tap the seal and you instantly regenerate, but the Unholy Strength boost only lasts... I'm actually not sure how long, more than an hour, less than half a day. Anyway, you can only tap it once a day."
"No negative effects?" Anko asked intently.
"Just the normal mental effects from using Black and Green," Xander replied. "Black wants to dominate or destroy, Green wants to fight or fuck, so depending on the situation... it'll take time to learn to control it properly and not let it influence you, but it all depends on will power and if you were ignoring the seal with that filth in it, I don't think that's going to be a problem for you."
"As long as it doesn't make me baby crazy, I think I can handle it," Anko said with a smirk.
"Think they'll make me pay for a new tower?" Xander asked, trying to sound casual and failing.
"That is a good question," Anko admitted. "I don't suppose you have some magic to instantly regenerate buildings?" she joked.
"Hmm," Xander murmured as he racked his brain, feeling out all his mana taps, and trying to figure out a way to do something that didn't involve getting hit with spells first.
"You're joking," Anko said, taking his thoughtful look for him knowing a way.
"Maybe," Xander said as he felt his connection to magic girl Tokyo and the Leaf Village. His connection to MGT provided colorless mana which was the mana that fueled most artificers works and the building that was destroyed was a soldier's fortification, so the combination of white and colorless should be exactly what was needed.
"I have the power," Xander said as he climbed to his feet and set Anko down, "I just have to figure out how to apply it."
"Buildings generally don't heal like people do," Anko pointed out.
"I could shape it using the memory of itself left in the local mana," Xander decided. "I'll use the colorless mana for rebuilding, which means I'll have to include the white from tapping it, but it's soldier mana and this was a training area, so that should be fine."
"I understood none of that," Anko said, "but will it help us get our clothes back?"
"Maybe," Xander said firmly as he took a deep breath and called on his connection to his lands.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
"Again?" Sarutobi asked, shaking his head.
"I'll go take care of it," Jiraiya promised, vanishing in a swirl of leaves.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
"This doesn't look like the tower," Anko said, before examining the green dress she was wearing.
"Turns out that trying to use my abilities in the middle of a wild growth seal... sets off the seal," Xander explained as he leaned on the rampart of the emerald castle. "Also, that colorless mana already had a memory attached to it. I think I'll need to create something to make colorless mana if I want to use it to create things."
"Too bad it didn't create some weapons," Anko said, tearing off the bottom of her dress and ripping the seams from the sides.
"Why?" Xander asked distractedly.
"Because we've got at least half a dozen people heading our way and they feel hostile," Anko replied.
Xander drew his emerald longsword and offered it to Anko. "I think you'll do better with this than I will."
Anko immediately tested the edge and gave it a few practice swings. "It'll probably shatter, but every little bit helps."
"If you get injured or need the power, remember you can tap your seal," Xander pointed out.
"Hopefully I won't need it," Anko said, before turning and deflecting a brace of kunai.
Five ninja came over the ramparts dressed like ANBU and were quickly engaged by Anko, who was a blur as she did her best to keep them away from Xander.
"Lightning Capture technique!" cried out the nin who had used his comrades attack as a distraction to sneak around behind the pair to get at Xander.
A lightning covered palm crackled as it slammed into Xander's armored green breastplate.
Xander grabbed the hand and flung its owner off the rampart. "Let one of them through at a time," Xander suggested. "I can handle one."
"Hope you're right," Anko grunted out as she allowed one to slip past. She was good, but five on one odds with skilled opponents while protecting a target was almost beyond her capabilities, especially while adapting to recent physical changes.
"Hell Viewing technique!" the white masked figure called out, reaching into her pouch for some wire to restrain the target while he was under her genjutsu.
Xander waited until she stepped close before slamming a fist into her chest and sending her flying off the castle as well. "Next!" he called out.
The remaining four enemy nin tried out a desperation move, sacrificing one of their own on Anko's sword to allow another a free strike. With her blade lodged inside the chest of one of them she was unable to block a quick stab by one of the others. Anko twisted to allow the blade to pierce her lung rather than her heart, only to have the blade shatter, cutting her dress, but not even scratching her skin.
As Anko flicked the dying nin off the ramparts, Xander laughed. "I can't believe I forgot the protective properties of the castle."
"Protective properties?" Anko asked, keeping her eyes on the three remaining nin.
"Yeah," Xander agreed. "As long as we're in the castle we can ignore a certain amount of damage from each attack. Anything less than upper Jonin won't even cause the slightest damage."
"You don't say," Anko said with an evil grin.
The three nin vanished, throwing out waves of fire to cover their escape.
Anko chuckled as they stood there, unharmed. "So does the damage show up when we leave or is it just negated?"
"Completely negated," Xander assured her. "It's just damage though, mind effecting spells work as usual."
"Who threw a dead nin at me?" Jiraiya demanded as he appeared on the ramparts.
"If it had a stab wound it was me," Anko replied before returning the sword to Xander. "Didn't even chip."
"Probably magical," Xander guessed as he sheathed it.
"Back to the dead nin," the Toad Sage suggested.
"We were attacked by half a dozen nin disguised as ANBU," Anko reported. "Thankfully, Xander created this castle and it provided some form of protection that allowed us to overcome them. We killed three of them and the remaining three fled just before you arrived."
"Technically I didn't kill them, the ground did," Xander pointed out, "it's not my fault they never bothered to learn to fly."
"that is a very unique way of looking at it," Jiraiya decided.
"So what happened to your clothes anyway?" Xander asked.
"Jutsu accident," Jiraiya replied.
"Fine, but I'm not paying for them," Xander said.
"Yeah, it was your own fault for getting too close while we were going at it," Anko agreed.
"What? How did you know?!" Jiraiya demanded.
"He can see through genjutsu and I can sense body heat," Anko replied, unconcerned.
"Most people complain when I do research," Jiraiya explained.
"I kinda like the idea of being one of the stars in a series of novels," Xander admitted. "Besides, it'd take a lot more than that to put me off my game with Anko in my lap."
"You sweet talker!" Anko said with a broad smile.
"Thankfully I can redo my notes from memory!" Jiraiya said cheerfully. "But back to the matter at hand. Please stop sending out waves of Green Mana. Sure the healing is nice, as is the help with the crops, but we're going to have a big enough baby boom in nine months without you adding even more to it and finally, what's with the castle?"
"Sorry about that," Xander apologized, "It was completely accidental. So was the castle, really. I was trying to rebuild the tower here... but it didn't quite work out that way."
"I doubt anyone will complain," Jiraiya said, shaking his head at the massive emerald fortress.
"Any ideas about the enemy nin?" Anko asked.
"Shouldn't take long to get to the ROOT of the problem," Jiraiya replied. "Someone's really over reached himself this time, probably because having Xander as a healer is too big a temptation. After all, even Princess herself can't regrow limbs or turn back the clock."
"So my healing spell is a success?" Xander asked.
"That's putting it mildly," Jiraiya said with a laugh.
"Looks like you'll need a bodyguard," Anko said with a purr. "Know of anyone who might be interested in keeping a close eye on your body?"
"I can think of one person," Xander agreed with a grin.
"Can you guys hold that thought while I get a pad and some paper?" Jiraiya begged.
"And some new clothes," Xander requested.
"Be right back," the Toad Sage promised, vanishing in a swirl of leaves.
"I'd learn how to do that, but I'm sure someone would make me sweep up all the leaves," Xander said.
"Those are illusions," Anko assured him. "Well, unless you're screwing with someone, then you drop actual leaves."
"Remind me to learn that then," Xander agreed.
"So... how much about the protective properties of the castle was bull?" Anko asked.
Xander shrugged. "It provides some extra protection, but I'm not sure how much. It was a great bluff though."
Anko grinned. "That it was. Wanna go find if you made beds in this place or do you need to talk about killing those nin?" She knew civilians often had problems dealing with life or death situations.
"If I'd killed an innocent person, I'd need some recovery time," Xander replied honestly, "but there are two things to keep in mind."
"And those are?" Anko asked.
"Faceless mooks trying to kill me don't register as people and the wild growth I set off has completely flooded my system with Green Mana," Xander replied. "With the amount of Mana I have in me, I can't even fake a sulk with a straight face."
"Works for me," Anko said cheerfully. "Let's go find some beds."
"Or tables, hot tubs, thrones-" Xander listed off.
"Thrones?" Anko interrupted him.
"It's a castle, should be a throne somewhere," he replied reasonably.
"Jiraiya is going to be pissed he missed this," she said with a smirk.
"Nah, he's already back and doing his see-through thing," Xander assured her.
"Can't sense him this time," she said with a shrug. "He better get my good side."
"That implies you have a bad one," Xander said, leading her inside, "and I can tell you that's a lie."
"You smooth talker," Anko said, throwing him over her shoulder and rushing down the stairs.
"Pure gold!" Jiraiya exclaimed, quickly hurrying after them.
Typing by: Abyssal Angel
