Hey, everyone! Welcome to what's more than likely going to be the last update of the summer. It's been…quite eventfully, I think that's the best way to put it. Last chapter was a cooldown one with some family fluff that everyone seemed to enjoy. This one…well…let's just say this one really sets things in motion.
I do not own anything.
Fox Tails and Whirlpools
Chapter 19 - Nameless Angel and Fallen Angel Pt.2
"Next up, I think we should head to the book store."
His wife looked at him with surprise on her face. His son, not so much.
"Ah, come on, dad! Anywhere but there!"
Playfully crossing his arms, the brown-haired teen raised his eyebrow in mock thought. "I seem to remember hearing some muttering at the dinner table about how you wanted the next couple of volumes of that little comic, One-Punch something. Not to mention I recall someone else eyeing this really weird book, which I'm ninety-percent sure was a romance novel or something."
"It was a work of prized literature!"
"It's an awesome comic! One day, I wanna learn how to do that punch to take someone out in a single blow!"
Chuckling, he decided to get a further rise out of his loved ones. "I don't think I need your head getting filled up with any more ideas, Tamamo. As for you Naruto-"
"No, it won't!" Shouted the pink-haired Servant, her tail briefly manifesting right there in front of the store.
"You said you'd help me get stronger! W-W-Well, buying me the next volume will help me do that!" Declared the whisker-faced boy, waving his arms about. "Please, come on, dad!? I promise I'll be good! And patient!"
Hakuno threw up his hands in mock surrender, an act that drew several fits of laughter from those around them. It went without saying they'd caused a bit of a spectacle, this time with him being the main cause of it. The teenager actually felt a bit happy at that; usually, Tamamo was the one at the center of such things, not that he ever blamed her for that. Here he was, egging on not just his wife but also his son on. He supposed he'd had his fun, for now anyway. "Alright then, the book store it is."
The two foxes pumped their fists in excitement, nearly dropping the clothes they'd been carrying for the last half hour. Summer clothes shopping, he could hardly remember the last time he'd done such a thing. Which wasn't all that surprising given that on the Moon Cell, new clothes could be "downloaded" in an instant, and without the need to go into anything resembling a store. Everything was online, digital. Everything could be done at the snap of a finger.
"Thinking about how good it feels to be flesh and blood again?" Came the whimsical voice of his Servant-wife. Hakuno blinked, looking into her vibrant eyes for what felt like the first time. She smiled as she held up a floral-pattern Hawaiian shirt against his chest. "I can see it on your face."
"I do make it rather obvious, don't I?" Meekly defended the brown-haired teen. "Planning a beach vacation already? Last I checked, it was still spring."
"Mikon, you can never be too careful. Besides, we both know by the time June rolls around, all the cute swimwear will be gone." Replied the Servant. She looked up and saw her husband's smirk.
"Last I checked, that's not a problem for a woman who can conjure up swimwear with a snap of her fingers."
Excitement bubbled within her seeing the daring smile on her Master's face. The time when he was unsure of himself and hesitant around her seemed like little more than a distant memory. Yet she still held onto those times likely because they made for such a good contrast to the present. They showed just how far her shy and wide-eyed Master had come, as both a Wizard and as a man. Tamamo herself liked to think that she'd changed a little bit too. After all, she wasn't jumping his bones right then and there, or trying to whisk him away to some private place for just the two of them.
The pair looked to their right and found Naruto quietly but quickly speeding through the aisles. They weren't blind to the side glares he was shot, but Hakuno and Tamamo were willing to let them go on account of the fact that's all they were - empty glares. Upon seeing him, some shoppers wisely moved out of his way, either out of courtesy or because they didn't want to run the risk of bumping into him. It wasn't as good as it could be, but it was good enough.
Not to mention, Naruto was actually able to look at clothes that caught his interest and be able to buy them without having to worry about complications.
"I see that you got dragged out too, huh?"
Recognizing the voice, Naruto looked to his right and found himself face to face with the future heir of the Nara Clan. As expected, he looked quite bored with the whole thing. "My family's going out for the day. It's actually pretty great! Next up, we're going to the book store where I can check out the comics section!"
"Which book store? Is it the one on the west end of the village? I hear they just finished installing a second level with an open café." A heavy sigh left the black-haired boy's lips as he laced both hands behind his head. "Find a nice quiet place, lay back and enjoy watching the clouds. It's a beautiful day."
"Uh, yeah, I know that much - it's why my family's out and about." Responded the blond. "Ya' know, there are other things you can do besides watching the clouds. Like training! Or playing! Or-"
"Chatting away with the neighbors? As you can see, Naruto, our parents are pretty good at it, no way I ever want to end up doing something like that." Both children looked across the store and low and behold, there stood their parents. Naturally, it was their mothers who'd thrown themselves into the conversation. What they were discussing neither of the young boys could hear, nor did they care. Speaking of not caring, their fathers were standing off to the side, whispering amongst themselves. What immediately stood out to both boys was the fact that their arms were loaded with clothes, dresses, skirts, and whatnot. Shikamaru threw his arms up. "It's stuff like that which is why I never wanna get married, or have a girlfriend."
"I don't know." Responded the young Uzumaki with a warm smile. "It's nice, being able to talk to people and have them talk back, and by that, I mean not scream at you or tell you to go away." His blue eyes were locked on his parents and the Naras. Naruto couldn't understand it, but he felt something warm and comforting in seeing his adoptive parents interacting so openly with others. A part of him wanted that to be him one day. He hoped such a future would come to pass. Before that though, he had to make it through childhood. "Hey, Shikamaru, what's a girlfriend?"
Immediately, Nara's face dropped. "Trouble, or that's what my dad told me. And if you keep one, a girlfriend will turn into-"
"The most wonderful and precious thing in one's life." Came a sugary sweet and innocently intimidating voice that caused both young boys to jump. "Isn't that right, Miss Yoshino?"
"Quite so, Tamamo. Shikamaru, as your mother, I'm disappointed. Naruto," In a heartbeat, her expression turned much softer. "Don't listen to anything my sour puss of a son, or husband, tell you. One day when you're older, you'll understand the finer points of social interaction, especially once there's a woman in your life. Simply look at your parents for inspiration and guidance."
"Yes, ma'am!" Affirmatively answered the young jinchūriki, much to the amusement of his adoptive parents. A second later and his face became one of puzzlement. "Seriously though, what's a girlfriend?"
Shikaku looked at Hakuno, who merely returned his gaze with a smile. Both men completely and utterly ignored the threatening smiles of their respective wives.
"A very special female friend, odds are you'll have one when you're older, Naruto." Answered the teenage father.
"Or several if you're anything like him." Muttered the Nara Clan head beneath his breath. It was just low enough only the adults, or rather the parents, could hear it.
So, Minato Namikaze was something of a chick magnet as well. Thought the human-holder of the Moon Cell's Regalia and its "crown". Briefly, he let his eyes wander over to Tamamo, who herself seemed to be doing some minor fantasizing before snapping back to reality and quietly bidding farewell to the Naras. Like them, it seemed they too were doing some early summer shopping. If Hakuno had to venture a guess, they were also likely seeking out potential clothing for the summer festivals and holidays. Admittedly, Hakuno himself was somewhat giddy with anticipation for the summer. Provided he lived long enough to see it.
Of course, he made sure to hide such thoughts from his wife and son, maintain a smiling face and happy demeanor as they finished their clothes shopping and left the store. Normally, their arms would have been heavy with bags, a sight that was quite common on a busy weekend such as this with couples and singles enjoying the spring weather. Instead, each shopping bag was quietly deposited into Tamamo's own personally crafted bag. It was something every woman, and their respective men, would have killed for - a magical bag capable of storing anything up to an SUV in a safe and completely accessible pocket dimension until further notice. Naruto himself had gotten a short glimpse at the void that existed within the fox-marked bag, an experience he'd taken surprisingly well. He'd asked for one himself, and Tamamo had created one such bag for him, which now hung around his shoulders and at his hip as he speeds along the street.
At the other end, he spotted a familiar face. "Hey! Miss Oigimi!"
Without missing a beat, the young Uzumaki took off running, his face brimming with joy at the sight of the dark-haired winery owner that had frequented his parent's shop. Of all the people the Master-Servant pair had met in the village, perhaps one of the ones who stood out the most was the bun-haired brunette that owned one of the village's most well-run wineries.
"Honestly, I can't help but ask, how do you do it?" Questioned the five-foot-four brunette, looking at the approaching couple, a smile on her face. "It's a little past noon so I know that you've spent well over six-hundred ryō on something, yet all I see are those cute little bags you're always carrying around."
Tamamo winked at her. "Magic, let's call it down. What about you? What brings you out today? We're just on our way to the book store?"
Hakuno caught the momentary shadow that fell over her face. There was a chance that Tamamo saw it too. "I was…well, if you must know, I was actually on my way to the furniture store. On the other side of town. My…husband and son are coming home."
"Coming home, from where? Were they on a trip somewhere?" questioned the young blond.
"Yes," Answered the cobalt-eyed woman. "You could…say that. They're coming back from a mission and I'd like to have the house looking better than it does now."
"Then it's a good thing you ran into us!" Proclaimed the pink-haired Servant. "It just so happens that when it comes to home decoration, I am a certified expert!"
"More like your sister is, but luckily you got some of the smarts too." Chirped the brown-haired human, causing his Servant-wife to shoot him a playful sideways glare. "Just speaking the honest truth. Anyways, we do know a bit about home decoration, and we could use some help in spicing up our own home too. Like…maybe adding a little extra something to the backyard?" Naruto caught his sideways glance and understood what he was saying in an instant. Practically bursting with energy, he latched onto Tamamo's leg, his blue eyes wide and pleading. One look and the Caster yielded defeat, lacing her arm around Hakuno's. "I guess I'll be doing most of the heavy lifting."
"It's not like it'll be a strain on you. We both know beneath that fine little shirt of yours, you've got a well-earned body and muscles. All of which I plan sure get a very thorough work out today." Giggled the gold-eyed Anti-Hero to which Oigimi and Hakuno laughed at.
Only the latter knew just how right Tamamo's words would be.
"Ah, so you've decided to save us the trouble of stepping into that deprived hellhole that you've called home for these few months. How very generous of you, Hakuno." Cackled the Englishman with his hands behind his back, his black cowl billowing about behind him as a spring wind blew through the forest clearing.
In spite of the plainly worded jab, the seventeen-year-old maintained his friendly demeanor. "Well, I know you're a busy man, and so am I. I decided to come out here and get things settled quickly. This is between us, so there's no need for anyone else to get involved."
"Correction," Sniped the gray-haired Englishman, holding his stony chin up, an arrogant frown on his cold face. Like the unyielding stone he was compared to, the ninja world had done little to change Haine Comstock's outward appearance, or his less than amicable personality. "This is between us and that beasty-whore that you've come to call your wife. She is missing from this equation thus I don't believe we'll be able to do business as you intended. Be a good boy and call her here, that way we can end this cleanly and I'll be one step closer to being able to leave this pathetic hellhole of a planet."
Generally speaking, most people would have emoted hearing the person they loved referred to in such a disrespectful manner; they also would have reacted to having their home verbally defiled.
Admittedly, a part of Hakuno did want to lash out, he always did. One thing that he'd had to learn though was to reign in his temper and his emotions at large. Having accepted the being that was Tamamo-no-Mae, he'd realized such harsh insults were going to be the norm more often than not. If he spent all his time reacting to each and every one of them, he wouldn't last long. There was that, and he found sometimes not reacting got a reaction out of his enemies, quite amusing ones.
Comstock never failed to give him such reactions; Hakuno actually found the Templar's reactions amusing in spite of the very real threat he posed.
His face contorted in anger as his green eyes once again turned into daggers leveled solely at him. Shoulders shook with barely repressed anger that threatened to burst at any possible second. Hakuno could see as clearly as the clouds in the sky - the pitch-black aura of malice and raged that seethed like a flame wanting to ravage the surrounding forest. Some would have said that such a thing was out of place for a holy man such as Comstock, one who wore the clothes and cross of a priest and dutiful believed in the word of the Lord.
But Comstock wasn't just a priest, or at least not the sort that normally came to mind.
He was a member of the Order of Templars, a faction so extreme even the Holy Church only maintained loose ties with them due to their near diabolical methods of operation. Comstock himself was a perfect representation of why that tie was so loosely maintained.
"Haine, please, a moment of calmness if you will. Hakuno was willing to come all the way out here to meet us and attempt to settle this peacefully. We must honor his efforts." Came the Servant who'd sworn loyalty to the heretic hunter. Though he continued to seethe in rage, the British Master quieted down so his Servant could speak. "Ah, Hakuno, you look well. I had a feeling you'd adapt quickly to this world, I imagine the fox has as well."
"Pretty sure you already know the answer to that, Kabaiel. After all, you were spying on us." Laughed the human, crossing his arms.
The fallen angel returned his chuckle. "Guilty. Apologies, I simply couldn't help myself." His expression grew grave as his face fell, as did Hakuno's. By his command, his blackened wings unfurled, the darkened feathers just as tainted as they'd been the last time Hakuno had seen them. He wasn't all that surprised. As he'd learned, when an angel fell, that taint stayed with them for eternity unless another heavenly power intervened. Not even becoming a Counter Guardian could change that. "Please, give us the Regalia. We will leave you and Tamamo in peace once we have it."
Dead-faced, the Japanese teen looked from the Counter Guardian to his fellow Master. "What will you really do if I give you my portion of the Regalia?"
Comstock smirked at the cold glint in the formerly warm and courteous youth. "What will I do? I believe that's rather obvious. I will do as I originally set out to do," A scarred right hand was held up, fingers out and the palm facing the sky. "I will find that infernal she-devil and kill her. Sever every tail and pry the other half of the Regalia from her twisted finger. Afterwards, I will reunite with the other Cross Bearers and we will continue our mission to find and exterminate the Tamamo Nine, which might I remind you were unleashed by you. Bring an end to the chaos and misery that you unleashed. We shall do what you failed to do on the Moon Cell and end the threat possessed by those abominations once and for all. Finally…we will return to our world and restore peace and order to the Moon Cell and Earth. Oh, as for your little Fox Catchers, should they get in our way, we will deal with them as we deal with all heretics, pure and simple."
Hakuno's shoulders sagged, his face relaxed and his eyes went from cold to dull and uninterested.
"Now then," Continued the British Templar, holding out his hands, a wicked smile on his face. "Be a good little boy and head over the Regalia. If you do, you have my word I shall give your whore of a wife a quick and painless death, far more than what she deserves. Sounds like a fair deal, huh?'
Countless leaves were torn from the branches of the surrounding trees via the passing wind. Before they could hit the ground, the Japanese teenager closed the distance between himself and his hated enemy. His face was flat and his body shimmering with silver light.
"You know, I think I'll break ninety-percent of the bones in your body instead of eighty-eight, just to be sure~" Hakuno spoke in a sing-song voice.
Comstock just saw the silvery-white blur, a fist, coming directly for his jawline. He didn't panic as his faithful Servant, though a fallen angel he was, quickly moved in to protect him.
The Templar jumped back as the ground in front of him exploded into a burst of light and dirt courtesy of Kabaiel's empowered fist slamming into the earth. Ordinarily, a normal human shouldn't have been able to dodge such a high-speed blow; even some Servants would have had difficulty in doing so. Hakuno had not only dodged the attack, but was already going on the counterattack. Kabaiel's eyes widened as he saw the flying side kick coming in at speeds not possible for ordinary humans. Out of reflex, he threw his arms up. He felt the pressure hit his left arm like a baton swing.
A smile rose along his youthful face. "Hakuno, you've become stronger! Much stronger!"
Grinning back, the Japanese teen responded, "New world, new me! Sort of looks like we're going to be doing this again."
"For the last time!" Screeched Comstock, a trio of Black Keys held between his fingers. "I'm ending this rivalry here and now!"
Hakuno's left arm was stretched out, silver light emitting from his palm. "Silver Shrapnel." He whispered. The approaching Templar's eyes widened as he saw the hundreds of shards of silvery ice coming directly at him. For a split second, he debated rather or not it was worth it to brace the storm. He decided it was, and paid the price for it. Switching his eyes back to Kabaiel, he gathered energy into his right hand. "Silver Arms!" In a flash, a long sword manifested and was swung directly at the fallen angel's neck. Expectedly, he hit nothing but air. Keeping his eyes focused, he waited, and when the time came, he reacted. Hakuno threw himself forward, going into a roll as the Counter Guardian came down from above, his hands crackling with stellar energy that destroyed the ground he'd been standing on. Coming up in a crouch, he aimed his crystalline sword at the Servant and commanded the weapon to extend itself.
CRACK!
"Strong," Whispered the gold-eyed Counter Guardian as shards of the sword scattered about, broken by his stellar-charged fist. "But need I remind you that am I a Servant, most importantly, I am still an angel, albeit a fallen one."
Hakuno's right hand lay stretched out, the stump and hilt of his crystalline sword reshaping itself into a curved boomerang. The weapon glowed with azure light seconds before Hakuno threw it, but not at Kabaiel, but at his Master, who was struggling to remove the countless shards of lunar ice that had embedded themselves in him. Realizing how helpless his Master was, he raised his right hand and fired off a bolt of stellar energy to intercept the attack.
As he did, Hakuno dashed straight for him, silver sparkles trailing his body.
Kabaiel saw him coming and quickly responded. Wings completely unfurled, their dark color blazing with golden and orange light. Above his head, his blackened halo flashed. Twisting his body so slightly, he sent his right-wing out, no longer a limb for flying but a razor blade that could split through stone, steel, and flesh alike as if they were all butter. They cut through nothing. Gazing upward, he saw the silvery trail moving above him. Spacing his feet apart, he swung his body around, his wings slicing through the air. He knew that the human boy was behind him, going in for an attack. Kabaiel turned out to be right, again, his wings didn't slice through human flesh like he'd hoped.
The human held strong behind his icy shield that held back the glowing wing. Normal shields would have broken in an instant, yet this one held strong. The mere sight made the Grigori's jaw dropped. He'd only ever seen such a shield with such luminous one place, from one person. That light, that cold radiance! There's no mistaking it! This boy is…is…!
Seconds before he could finish the thought, the icy shield exploded outward releasing a wave of azure and white light. Kabaiel did not experience coldness in the same way normal humans did, he was a fallen angel, more specifically an angel who governed the stars and their light. For him to feel anything resembling coldness would take a monumental effort. Lacking any visible effort, Hakuno achieved just that, his energy surging outward and flashing freezing his left-wing. Kabaiel's lips curled back and shock and fear raced up his spine. It would take him a few seconds at best to thaw out his wing, but in that window of time Hakuno would have launched his next attack. As he'd seen, his attacks weren't just fast, they were effective.
It was at that moment Comstock came back into the fray, roaring and barking in bestial fury. His Black Keys were plunged into the ground. The tips came back up from the ground, in greater number and humming with energy. The Japanese teen evaded the attack by jumping upward, his face grimaced as the ground beneath him erupted into a sea of blades. Quickly, his eyes moved to Kabaiel, whose body glowed bright like a star seconds before he launched himself directly at him. Rather than a shield, he simply reinforced his body, his arms across. It still felt like getting hit by a rhino.
His back screamed in agony when he finally hit the barrier, arcs of yellow lightning shooting out in all directions. Still, through the pain, he saw his opponent's arms moving. He moved his own to counter them, locking them by the wrists, then locking their hands together in a deadlock. While he struggled to keep Kabaiel at bay, his eyes glanced around, following the surge of energy that illuminated the Bounded Field he'd walked into. It was one hundred and twenty meters in diameter, little over the length of two American football fields put together. It was just big enough for Kabaiel and Comstock to have it out with him. A quarter-mile layout the Hidden Leaf Village, the populace including his own Servant and adoptive son blissfully unaware of the life-or-death struggle currently ensuing.
"Kabaiel," Hakuno began, his honey-colored eyes softened even as his muscles remained rigid and locked. "Thank you, for the warning."
"I expected you to bring that…fox with you." Spat the fallen angel before his face brightened as he looked to human teen. "I'm happy that you chose to come alone, though I'm saddened it's led to us having to do this again."
"I'm sorry."
Passionately, the Caster shook his head. "Don't apologize, fate is a-"
The teen's grin told him that something was off. "I'm talking about for that."
"Water Style-Tearing Torrent!"
On the ground, Comstock's voice was drowned out by the sudden explosive burst of water that shot upward from the ground. It was as sudden as it was powerful, azure and white-tipped waves twisting themselves into a skyward spiral that smashed against the "ceiling" of the Bounded Field. Kabaiel looked back in shock, giving Hakuno the chance he needed. First, he rammed his left knee forward, the sheer force knocking the wind out of the Servant's lungs, the follow up to the first attack came in the form of a hard jab from his right hand, silver and blue lines racing across his arm. Fittingly, the blow sent Kabaiel soaring backwards, his body twitching like a swatted fly. Hakuno's hands wove a series of hand signs that ended with his right and left index and thumbs pressed together, a triangle-shaped hole between them.
"Lunar Style-Mons Pico!" First, there was a brief white flash, then it came. A massive structure resembling a mountain with the sharpen peak pointed directly at Kabaiel. In spite of the crystalline construct's massive size, it moved with startling speed. Cutting through the air and slamming into the Counter Guardian at the chest. Through his empowered eyes, Hakuno could see the spurts of blood that were quickly lost to the wind.
Trapped and struggling in the towering spiral of water, Comstock briefly saw his Servant coming towards him at the business end of an icy mountain. He cursed, his mouth moving the water. Kabaiel's hands were pressing against the icy surface, divine energy pouring through his palms in an attempt to break the ice, but it wasn't working fast enough. His back slammed into the water sprout.
The second it did, the shadow clone on the ground acted. His right arm flew, the Japanese talisman crackling with purple lightning. Upon hitting the water, the arcs exploded outward, racing up the water sprout like a pack of hungry snakes. They reached Comstock with force, who cried out in pain as his body became wracked with electrical shocks. His Servant followed after him as he was still being plowed into the water by the crystal mountain. But only for a moment.
Hakuno's hand sealed shut once at least twenty-percent of his projectile attack was submerged in the water spout. Instantly, the entire thing became a massive crystalline structure, its silvery exterior glistening in the light of the mid-day sun. He continued to hover in the air, a thin line of silver light extending about his entire body.
"There's no way it was that easy." Sighed the Japanese teen. His right arm was held out, the silvery energy he commanded amassing in his palm. His hand tightened again; a glimmering long sword of blue and white light manifested. He relaxed his shoulders for a split second before swinging his sword about in a wide horizontal arc.
Seconds before the sword could hit, the ice pillar exploded, the epicenter being a star-like radiance. Hakuno's sword bounced off it as if he'd hit marble, but he knew better. Shorting the weapon, he held up it up in a guarding position. A heartbeat later and half a dozen gold and orange-colored masses of energy came shooting out at him. He could count them all, their speed, trajectory, and power. As if a flip had been switched, his hands began to move about, deflecting each energy blast as if it were second nature to him. In some ways, it was. He'd been in such situations before, but his body had never quite been able to respond in the way he wanted it to. Now, thanks to the Luna Corona, it could and he had every intention of pushing his body's responses to their limit.
In doing so, he was able to track Kabaiel's movements, he's going above him and readying a massive "energy bomb" that came down a second later. His light sword dispersed, the particles reforming into a silvery barrier around him. It took the brunt of the blast, but Hakuno was forced downward. On the way down, he sensed the destruction of his second clone. Comstock was coming at him, not with his Black Keys but with his personal lance raised and ready. Hakuno hit the ground in a crouch, his right arm held out as he dashed forward. Out of the tree line he came, his focused honey eyes meeting Comstock's blazing emerald. He looked surprised to see him coming in so fast, but he was ready none the less.
CLANG!
"I see you've taken to learning this world's witchery, why am I not surprised!" Sneered the older Master, bearing down on Hakuno with his steel lance.
The teenage stared back at him with calm apathy in his eyes. Holding the Templar's weapon at bay was his knife, a trusty and well-worn combat knife that he valued almost as much as life itself. Seeing it caused Comstock's hatred to further ignite. "Might as well learn the lingo while we're here, but I imagine that's been a little hard for you. Tell me, what have you been eating since we all got here? I know how you feel about sushi, but I've heard of some wonderful-"
"Shut up! Shut your mouth, you filthy Asian monkey!" Thundered the holy man, breaking off then going in for an overhead swing, but it was easily parried. "Do you have any idea what I've had to endure since getting here?! Since being dropped into this putrid hellhole?! It's a hundred times worse than Nakatsu-Kuni! And I have you to blame for it!" He tried a sideways swing, but it too was parried, and again, easily. "Every town, every face, every damn facet of life! All of it reminds me of that shithole continent that you and the rest of your kind call a home! I've been forced to experience all of it! All…because of you, you piece of shit!"
CLANG!
It was quiet, subtle, like the waves before a storm. Eventually, the burst would come, but before it did one would have to endure the icy calm that served as the prelude.
Hakuno was aware of Kabaiel is above him, waiting for the chance to come down and attack him while his Master was out of the way. He could have pressed forward and pressed his attack preventing him from interfering, but that wouldn't have been fair to the fallen angel Servant.
Look at me, talking about fair in a fight to the death where my life is on the line. Guess some things change while others don't. His hands came together to form a hand sign. "Wind Style-Pressure Damage!" The wind quickly swirled around him, compressing in such a way that it was obvious what was going to come next. Kabaiel was of sound mind and could see, his Master was not thus he rushed forward, magical energy swirling about at the tip of his lance as he aimed it directly at Hakuno's face. Of course, the tip never reached him as he released the pent-up blast of air as soon as it reached a desirable level of compression. Directly above him, Kabaiel dashed, not for him but to save his enraged Master.
His wings spread out, protecting him from the intense air blast that Hakuno released. Trees, bushes, and the upper layer of the ground was blown away from the low-level omnidirectional air blast. The teenager didn't waste time stowing over his failed attack, he had to dodge the coming counterattack of his adversaries.
They emerged together, one brimming with fury and the other maintaining the calm dignity that one would expect of a heavenly being. Comstock's lance extended, red and blue lines lining the metal surface as the tip sped towards him. Sliding his foot back, Hakuno threw up his right arm, his combat knife deflecting the approaching weapon in a shower of sparks and a chorus of horrific grinding. Watching to his left, he saw Kabaiel coming at him, his right fist reared back. Bracing himself, Hakuno met his punch with one of his own. Now both of his arms were occupied, a fact that the enemy Caster took advantage of. First, he struck out with his free left arm, the tips glowing with radiant energy that would tear through his flesh in a heartbeat.
Comstock's hope that his foe's chest would be split wide open were dashed as he saw a silver flash. He and his Servant were fighting standing in front of nothing but air. Or at least, he was. Kabaiel was already moving, racing towards the Japanese Master. Though he couldn't see them directly, he saw the flashes of light their clashes emitted as well as heard the sound of the air exploding. His teeth gnashed as he realized with horror and rage of the three combatants, he was the weakest one.
"Break him, Kabaiel! As your Master, I order you to rip the maggot's body limb from limb! Even if it costs you your arms, legs, and wings, destroy him! Him and that precious little knife of his!" Stabbing his personal lance into the ground, he held his arms out, his lips moving in the required chant to call forth and empower the strongest weapon in his arsenal. His concentration was maintained, even as his combat instincts flared up when a potential attack was aimed at him. He trusted his Servant to protect him, and protect him Kabaiel did. Above his head, a golden-colored halo appeared, radiant feathers falling about only to dissolve into specks of light. "And in thy Lord's Name, I ask ye, grant me thy arms to cleanse your Creation of this blight." Finished the English Templar, holding his arms out. His neutral expression finally fell as the halo moved over his hands, the light shooting down and fading to reveal a sparkling and glistening silver and gold-lace lance of near inhuman design and craftmanship. Comstock took hold of it and felt the surge of power fill his hurt body. "Kishinami, I'm sure you remember this - holy judgment! The thing you've had coming since you entered the Holy Grail War!"
Hakuno had just barely dodged a star-forged halberd swing that would have bisected him at the shoulder when he saw the new yet familiar weapon wielded by his human enemy. Great! So the Lance of Kamael works here too! Briefly, he wondered how many of the other Cross Bearers had retained access to their Scriptures as well. Now he knew that if they still possessed them, then they also held the same monstrous divine power they did on the Moon Cell, maybe more since this world was a real one instead of one of zeroes and ones.
Kabaiel had seemingly been empowered by the appearance of the divine lance, a weapon that he himself recognized as it'd come from the same place as him - the Biblical heavens.
As he found himself on the defensive, Hakuno couldn't help but find himself laughing. "What the hell's the matter with you?!" Barked Comstock, his lance leaving streaks of golden light in its wake just like Kabaiel's attacks. "You're facing down imminent death and all you can do is laugh like a jester? Be silent, be silent and die like the pathetic worm that you are!"
CLANG!
They had attempted to attack together, Comstock's spear and Kabaiel's stellar energy shaped into a penetrating lance. Both of them were deflected by Hakuno's knife, itself ablaze with silver and blue energy that extended the blade several feet. Azure particles of stardust were left in the weapons wake.
"I'm laughing because I realized the saying is true," answered the teenager, amassing his strength around his weapon. The knife became completely encased in a raging aura of moonlight that shaped itself into a long single-edged blade, a katana. "The more some things change, the more they stay the same. Here I am, new world…but the same old problems!" Hakuno felt his sandals break the ground beneath him as he swung, bringing his moonlight blade with him in a horizontal arc.
Comstock's nostrils flared. "Shut the hell up, you filth-GAH!" He hadn't been expecting such an attack, even with his Scripture deployed and humming with power. To the Templar's horror, he found his feet sliding to the side, his entire body feeling an unearthly chill that had his pumping blood slowing to a near crawl. No! No! NO! Even in this shithole of a realm, God must be on my side! The lance's shine is proof of that! "Kabaiel!" Barked the Englishman.
It was just as he'd hoped. Hakuno let the power he'd gathered in his light sword explode, a shock wave of cold and light momentarily stunning Comstock so he could turn his direct attention towards the approaching Caster. Hakuno saw him coming at him, two orbs of crackling stellar energy in his hands and ready to knock him flat on his ass. Hakuno tossed his knife into his left hand and readied himself. I've been meaning to test this out, it's now or never, so don't blow it! Yelled the teenager with sweat and blood pouring down his brow.
Kabaiel saw the silver flash, a straight beeline directly at him. In the blink of an eye, the human was in front of him, his body humming with a blue aura save for his right arm. Sparing the limb a glance, his eyes widened as he realized that's where the energy buildup had been centered.
"Lunar Style-Argent Shock!"
"Aaaarrggh!"
The scream of his Servant was enough to force his senses back into working order. Comstock looked to where he'd heard the scream and struggled to make sense of what it was he was seeing. On his knees, wings bent over, was his Servant, a fallen angel, a Counter Guardian. Arcs of blue lightning were racing across his body, his arms clenching at his sides and his mouth open as he gasped for breath. Standing over him, arm raised, was the person that Comstock hated the most in two worlds.
"What…what…what in the hell did you do my Servant?!" Screeched the Templar.
"I used him as a testing dummy, ya' know, the same way you used those two hundred innocent people as testing dummies for that shiny little lance of yours." Replied the Japanese teenager, looking at him. By holding up his right hand, the Templar was able to see the silver glow that enveloped the limb, a shining light that reminded him of moonlight. No, wide-eyed, he realized it was moonlight. Concentrated moonlight condensed around a human fist. "Even here, in this world where everything's real, Servants are still spiritual entities, just like Kabaiel here. The moonlight I'm able to produce reacts with the spiritron particles that they're made of, but they can do some more interesting things. Wanna see?"
Putting both hands on his lance, he mentally recited the hymn needed to call out the divine lance's inner power. Hakuno saw it and responded with an attack of his own.
"Lunar Style-Mare Mariginis!" Flaring up around him was an aura of silver and blue. The air cooled and froze, shaping itself into a set of razor-bladed discs that were all launched directly at the British Templar with blinding speed. Red-faced, the older man held up his lance, golden energy outlining the weapon so it could stand up to the numerous saw discs. Hakuno held back his right arm, the light energy surging from his palm then confirming into an even larger saw disc. He threw it forward, launching the light-energy saw disc directly toward the Templar. "I was planning on enjoying a nice day out with my loved ones, but instead…the real me is here. Fighting you." Stretching out his right hand, he put more pressure on the giant disc, which was now bearing down on the older man.
"Oh, spare me your useless whining!" He hadn't finished the complete hymn thus he was only able to access the first level of the Lance of Kamael's power. Regardless, it was enough for him to dispel the light energy sawblade. Unfortunately, not a second after he'd done just that, he found himself eye-to-eye with Victor of the Moon.
The storm finally came.
"I'm standing here, listening to you whine about a situation you got yourself into!" His side kick broke two ribs, he could feel it. Blood escaped from Comstock's clenched lips as he found himself skidding to the side. Moments after he'd come to a stop, he attempted to right himself, but it was a futile effort as he found his right arm caught in a vice grip. "I'm standing here listening to you threaten thousands of people who've done absolutely nothing to you!"
CRACK!
Hakuno had no idea how he kept his rage limited to simply breaking Comstock's right arm. What he wanted to do was flash-freeze the limb then break it off entirely.
"I'm here listening to you insult my friends, my family! My mentor!" A straight jab to the gut knocked the air out of him. Hakuno patiently waited for him to catch a single breath before readying himself for another blow. The light surrounding his left arm condensed itself into his flesh, silvery-blue lines racing from his knuckles to the center of his chest. Beneath his shirt, the Luna Corona burned with light that was reflected in his eyes. "And lastly, I'm standing here listening to you insult the woman I love! Fuck you!"
Teeth flew from the Englishman's jaw as his uppercut sent him skyward, blood and tooth fragments trailing his face. He could have stopped there, but Hakuno didn't feel like stopping. Now that he'd begun to let the anger out, there was no stopping it. He'd already set a quota, and he was determined to meet it.
SLUN-CH!
"Forgive me, Hakuno, I hate using these tactics against you, but I'm sure you can understand, I can't allow you to brutalize my Master, no matter how much his behavior may detest me." Came the voice of the Biblical Caster.
Blood trickled from the human's lips as he stared down at the concentrated mass of stellar energy that was now protruding from his right side.
"I'm afraid I'm going to need you to…cool down for a bit. If your power is anything like Gabriel's, then I imagine that healing this wound will be child's play for you."
The plasma shaped itself into a hook blade. Hakuno cursed.
Tamamo, I'm so sorry.
Every bodily function in her stopped as the scream echoed in her ears. Immediately, her eyes enlarged, her breath coming to a complete and total halt, as did her heart, but only for a moment.
"Mommy? Is something wrong?" Questioned Naruto, clearly seeing that something was off with his adoptive mother.
Tamamo didn't look at him, she looked to her Master and husband, or what she had believed for most of the morning was her husband. There was a shimmer across his form, then he was gone, a paper doll floating to the ground. Quickly, she moved to catch it, examining it in the palm of her hand. Her heart skipped yet another beat as she saw that what she held was a shikigami, one tightly wrapped in several strands of her Master's hair and heavy with his chakra signature. Admittedly, it was a well-put together decoy. But now the decoy was no more, the connection between it and the real thing disrupted. Pain was an excellent way to disrupt the connection between a controller and their puppet. Her eyes saw the trail of azure energy leaving the doll and leaving the book store.
"Mommy?" Naruto repeated again, growing visibly concerned. "Where's dad? I-I thought he was here just a second ago?"
She knew what she had to do, and wasted no time in acting.
"Naruto," began the pink-haired woman, lowering herself and placing a comforting hand on his cheek. "Your father had to go run some errands, and it looks like I'm going to have to help him. We'll be back in no time, but in the meantime, I'm going to need you to stay with Mister Iruka. Okay?"
Though her voice was calm and level, it was the look in her golden eyes that told Naruto that there was more to it than that. It was for that reason he nervously nodded his. "O…Okay."
And that was it, one minute the young jinchūriki was standing on his feet, and the next he was held tight in his mother's arms. Tamamo literally zipped through the book store, her fox ears and tail manifesting themselves as her solar-charged body moved as a golden-orange blur that zoomed through the village. Some could catch a short glance of her while others merely felt the intense solar wind that rode with her as her feet moved at godlike speeds. Tamamo didn't care, she didn't care about the ice-cream cones that were melted or the clothes that suddenly caught fire due to the intense heat. All that mattered was safety, the safety of the child in her arms, and the man she loved.
The first of those things was secured as she came to a stop at the home of the Ninja Academy's scar-nosed teacher. Her fist pounded against the door twice, loud enough that even if buried in the throes of work he could probably hear her.
A second later and the door opened. "M-M-M-Mrs. Kishinami? Naruto? What's-!?"
"Please, Mister Iruka, I need you to look after Naruto until my husband and I return!" She answered, pushing the frightened boy into the tan-skinned chunin's arms. "Whatever happens, guard him with your life! Better yet, do not leave this area!" Turning on her heel, she readied herself to move, her animal instincts rearing up until a lone voice stopped her.
"Mommy!"
She was paralyzed. Glancing down, her mounting rage cooled as she stared into the fearful and watery eyes of the little one-tail she and her Master-turned-husband had chosen to adopt.
Tamamo dropped to her knees and once more embraced the young Uzumaki. "I promise, daddy and I will come back, we will be together. Naruto, you have my word on that, and remember, when a fox gives their word, they keep it."
The tears had already begun to fall, but there was a glimmer of hope in the boy's blue eyes. "A-A-Alright, y-you promise?"
A chaste kiss was placed on his forehead. "Of course, as I said, when a fox gives their word, they keep it." Her gold eyes turned sharp as they looked at the tan-skinned teacher, who'd watched the emotional scene in silence. "Mister Iruka, please, look after him, and do not leave the village if you can help it."
While there's confusion still coloring his face, there came a determined seriousness mixed with it."I-I promise." He knew nothing about the situation, but he knew that the situation was grave and now wasn't the time for asking questions. "I will look after him, just make sure you and your husband come back to him, come back to all of us."
His words weren't what she was expecting to hear, but they made her heart flutter with joy and encouragement. Because of them, she singed the ground when she dashed off, leaving a nice-sized burn hole in the lawn of the academy teacher.
It's them.
Her nose now had the scent, or shall she say, scents. The putrid holy odor of the Church's bastard dogs and the stench of the angels that had been cast down by God and made into Counter Guardians. She was their target, yet they had not gone after her. They'd gone after the man she loved, her Master, her Hakuno.
Kill them. Seethed the voice from within her.
She followed the trail, her golden eyes spying the giant dome to the village's far west side.
Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!
Her Master was in pain. He was fighting, a battle of two against one, one of them being a Servant, a Caster like her. A divine being fallen from grace just like her.
KILL THEM! KILL THEM! KILL THEM! KILL THEM!
With every sound, the aura around her grew brighter. Spring turned to summer around her, summer rode with her as her body became a flaming blur that sped through the forest, burning every piece of greenery she passed. By the end, she was leaving a solid trail of fire and ash in her wake. Tamamo didn't care about any of it, all she cared about was getting to her Master.
KILL THEM! BURN THEIR FLESH BONES TO ASHES! NAY, BURN IT ALL UNTIL NOTHING REMAINS! BURN THEM, BURN THEM, BURN THEM!
She saw the barrier, a massive gold-lighted construct constructed out of holy scriptures that covered a massive area. It would have been impressive had it not stood between her and her beloved. That meant it had to go.
The maelstrom of solar flames that she'd accumulated on the run over were poured through her fist into the holy barrier before her. Instantly, the first and second layers burnt away, unable to withstand the level of power that the Japanese Caster had thrown at it. Shooting upward and sideways was a massive burst of flames, the likes of which surely would catch attention from the village lookouts as well as anyone else in the area. It was a stupidly risky move, but Tamamo didn't care. Three more protective layers separated her and her husband. She pounded away at the third barrier. Her fist struck the magical shield and what she got was pain. The thousands upon thousands of sheets of holy scripture activated themselves and pushed against her. She didn't care and began to pound away at the barrier again and again, bursts of lightning shooting out, some of it striking her.
Tamamo didn't care for she kept on striking at the barrier. Eventually, it would give away. She didn't care when her actions finally drew attention. Only when she heard the familiar voice of the village's Hokage, her and her Master's patron, did Tamamo stop. Her head turned halfway to look back.
From the look on his face, the Third Hokage could tell what the situation was. He alone seemed to be keeping a calm face while the dozens of Anbu and jonin behind him stared in visible awe and worry at the massive dome in front of them. "I take it Hakuno's behind that barrier?"
"Yes, he is." Came her short and tight response. Golden flames swelled about around her arms. She turned back to the barrier, her golden eyes shining, and not just from the light of her flames. Not one but two of her tails swayed about behind her in clear view of the assembled Leaf Ninja. Tamamo cared not for their pointed fingers and shocked expressions. "Now then, if you don't want any of your ninja getting hurt, I'd advise you to move them back. I am rescuing my husband, now!"
"All forces, begin looking for a crack or entryway through the barrier, now!" ordered the veteran ninja, throwing his arm out. Not a second later and every man and woman obeyed the command.
"How in God's name can you still fight?! How in God's name can you keep resisting us like this?! Do yourself a favor, lie down a die already!" Yelled the gray-haired Englishman, launching yet another barrage of thrusts with his divine lance; each attack normally would have been enough to punch through a vault door, more than enough power to skewer a human being several times over.
Hakuno saw each thrust coming and deflected them all with singular swings of his combat knife. "Nope! I tried dying once before! Not really a fan of it!" Charging energy into his weapon, he swung it at just the right time, parrying a chest-targeted thrust that also threw off his human opponent. Putting both hands on the hilt of his knife, he raised it just in time to meet the oncoming blade of the Caster Servant. The silver light of his knife contrasted to the bright yellow of his energy sword. Hakuno saw the countless openings in Kabaiel's form and acted on it, shrugging him off and delivering an Argent Shock directly into his gut, again. Using the temporary paralysis, he landed three kicks, the last of which knocked away the fallen angel. "Lunar Style-Khonsu!"
Kabaiel was utterly amazed at what he saw, which was nothing but a silver blur. He was no slouch in speed, he was an angel of the stars for cryin' out loud! But Hakuno possessed speed as well, the speed of light, the speed of moonlight. The human could not only see his highspeed movements, but he could keep up with them as well. Combine that with his ability to paralyze Servants, Hakuno Kishinami went from being "just a strong Master" to being perhaps the most desirable Master in the entire loot.
It made Kabaiel hate the Anti-Hero that was Tamamo-no-Mae all the more, even as he was dealt blow after blow, blood bursting from countless wounds left by the boy's knife. He was being dominated and he was in complete and total awe of the dominator.
Such a fine Master, such a fine human…Kabaiel would have given anything for the warm-eyed human, but instead of him, his fate had been tied to that of a fox creature, a sun goddess. It made his divine blood boil.
His right fist came forward, white lightning crackling around the glowing knuckles. Clenching his teeth, Kabiael brought his darkened wings forward. Powerful an attack as the Argent Shock was, it had to directly hit the main body to have any effect, his wings would hurt, but he'd be able to counter-attack. Or that's what he thought.
Rather than a fist, Hakuno's hand was open, the palm slamming hard against the feathered appendages. His honey-colored eyes flashed bright silver, then came the shock.
"Gaaaahhhh!" Screeched the fallen angel, feeling like his wings were being zapped by lightning then super-cooled in rapid succession. H-H-H-He r-r-read my moves! H-He read my moves! It was then that it dawned on Kabaiel that though he was a Servant, he was not a warrior. His Class was Caster, Heroic Spirit of Sorcery. While he wielded the power of the stars and could wipe out anything he was directed at, he was not a fighter like some of his fellow Watchers, not like Gadreel or Azazel, who'd been swayed to the Japanese teen's side. He envied them for being able to stand alongside this fine specimen of humanity.
"Lunar Style-Mikazuki!"
SLISH! SLASH! SLISH!
Comstock's vision exploded into red as the saw the darkened feathers of his Servant scatter about in all directions as a result of the triple-slash. "Kishinami!"
His silvery eyes were cold and malicious, worthy rivals to the burning and hateful eyes of the Templar. The latter was coming at him, his hand cranking the handle of his divine spear. Golden flames swirled about as the lance began to light up from the bottom down. Hakuno knew the charge time of the Lance of Kamael, and he knew that Comstock was in nowhere near the right mind to bring out the lance's full power.
That didn't mean he was going to hold back.
CLANG!
Though capable of fighting with both hands, the Templar was primarily right-handed, and his right hand was no longer operable. His left hand was shaky thus when Hakuno parried his attack the effects were far-reaching. He was off-balance, stumbling for a moment before regaining his balance. Turning around, the Englishman aimed his charged up lance at the teen now in-midair. He spotted him, but the minute he did, the battle between the two Masters reached its final conclusion.
THUNK!
"W-W-W-What the hell is this?! I can't move!" It felt like his entire body had been coated in a thick layer of cement. Immediately, the Templar knew the cause of the paralysis was the translucent silvery cone of light hovering directly in front of his chest. "K-K-Kishinami! Release me, now! If you don't so help me, I will-!"
"Lunar Style," Came the teenager's cold voice. Green eyes looked up and were met with a sight of complete horror. Honey-colored eyes were rimmed with glowing silver, there were little to no signs of the teenager's trademark compassion or empathy in his eyes. Looking back into Comstock's eyes, they held nothing but scorn, like a lion glaring down upon an ant. "Silver Point Smash!" And like a sling, the brown-haired youth's body was launched downward, right foot first, perfectly aligned with the silver cone of energy. In a second, the spinning cone of energy and Hakuno's leg connected and combined.
"DAMN-!"
Silver light and azure flames exploded outward as the energy from the kick. The Englishman's voice was drowned out by the resulting explosion, itself scorching the ground below. As if in tandem, an array of golden flames spread across the sacred barrier that surrounded the three combatants. An explosion below and an explosion above, both caused by two people whose fates had been tied to each other through the power of the Holy Grail.
Kabaiel unsteadily rose to his feet, his entire body aching with pain the likes of which he'd hadn't experienced in a while. None of the other Servants he'd encountered had been able to injure him this badly; no, instead, the one to do so was a Master. A human who'd died and returned to life at least two times. A human who'd cheated death and had survived countless trials that would have broken lesser men.
He was living proof that in spite of their punishment, he and his brethren were right to rebel. They were right and their Father had been wrong.
Hakuno's breathing was hard. Without a doubt, he knew he was running on his last reserves of strength. The Silver Point Smash had gone off without a hitch, the twelve-meter-long burn line and crater at the end serving as proof of that. Still, running that much energy through his leg for the first time in battle had come at a cost. He could feel himself wobbling, but tried to remain steady and focused.
"Thank you for sparing Haine's life." Came the voice of the enemy Caster.
"Believe me, this was a one-time thing." Hakuno shot back, turning to face him. Blood dripped from his right side and his left arm, both of which had taken near direct hits from Kabaiel's star attacks. He was in no shape for more, but then again, neither was his opponent, not to mention he was running short on time. "You know how this is going to end. I'm not going to give up the Regalia or the Corona, Kabaiel. We both know what Comstock will do if I hand them over to him."
"Yes, we do." Sorrow laced the fallen angel's voice. A shiver ran up his spine as he felt himself the recipient of a scorching hot wave of murderous intent from behind the wall. "But I am his Servant, and by my oath, by my contract, I must follow him as his Servant. Not to mention, I cannot in good faith allow your…Servant to continue on."
Hakuno gave him a sad smile. "Then we both know what's going to happen next."
A pair of laser-like blades extended from the Caster's hands. "You deserve better than that fox. So much better."
He didn't say anything at that statement, only readying himself for the inevitable charge attack that was about to come. It came, impossibly straight-forward and full of openings. Easy didn't even begin to describe it.
Hakuno held up his right hand, a small black and purple cube in between his fingers. He tossed it then waited to see what would happen next. At heart, he knew the outcome wouldn't change much in the long run. Above them, the barrier finally shattered, the sky ablaze with golden flames that twisted and coiled in rage. Keeping his eyes on the cube, he watched it glow deep purple then expand outward, as it did, a number of black wrappings shot out. Kabaiel didn't so much become trapped as allow himself to fly headlong into the magical prison. At least there he would have nothing but darkness, something he was used to instead of suffering through the pain of incineration that Tamamo would inflict upon him.
The Japanese Caster came crashing down from the sky barely a heartbeat later. Radiant gold and orange and yellow flames swirled around her while two of her three usable tails swayed from side to side, resembling torches more than anything. Her eyes searched the broken battlefield before finally landing on him. Immediately, all the hatred and fear vanished from her body and soul.
"Hey, Tamamo. Eh, guess I've got some explaining to do, don't I?" Laughed the human.
Her arms were around his battered body in a second, her face pressed into the crane of his neck. "You most certainly do! B-But only after I've healed you! And we pick up Naruto! And you promise to never do that again!"
She was warm like the sun, like she always was. There were times Hakuno wondered what it really felt like to feel the sun on one's face, its warm rays energizing the soul and body. Even as he felt his consciousness beginning to slip away, he could feel his own soul and body bursting with energy. He wrapped on arm around his Servant, the love of his life. As she'd done to their son, he did to her, lightly kissing the top of her head. "I'll give it my best, but…you know how reckless I am." He shut his eyes, darkness gently pulling him away. In it, he felt something else, the continued warmth. Through the haze, his mental eye saw a giant figure, a familiar figure. Nine tails swished about behind her, worry and relief laced her eyes as she placed her fingers across his eyes.
You insufferable…
"Little dumbass, you always prove yourself oh so useful!" Cackled the Assassin, her brown-furred tail swaying back and forth in excitement. To say that she was happy would have been an understatement. Every part of her plan had gone off without a hitch, hell, a part of her was finding it hard to believe that it was all real. Then again, the foolish little human had promised to make all of "her" wishes come true. He'd kept his word.
The Leaf ninja naturally fanned out, checking the area for any other enemies. They were in luck as Comstock and Kabaiel had come alone, and it had been their downfall. The latter had been sealed away in a Penalty Box while the former was going to be out of the game for quite a while. Truthfully, she'd been hoping that Hakuno would just kill Comstock, but he hadn't. Truly, the brown-haired teen had the compassion of the Buddha.
Then again, so too had her previous Master until the cold reality of war had beaten it out of him. It was strange, how alike yet so different the two Victors of the Moon were. As a result of those similarities and differences they had perhaps been destined to fight. And so too would they fight again.
She'd done what she'd set out to do, all that was left was to wait for the next stage of the plan. Assassin knew she wouldn't have to wait long, not after what the Uchiha had seen regarding the power of "Mr. and Mrs. Kishinami". Fear would hasten their planning, and that hastening would invite such a lovely disaster.
Tamamo Vitch pushed up her glasses as she stood up, her foxy grin was both malicious and cruel in contrast to the relieved smile on her "sister's" face. "Keep playing house for a little while longer, sister dear. Eventually, it'll all come crashing down on you. Just like it did before, and when it does…I'll put you out of your misery."
Unlike her sibling's flames, the Assassin Fox vanished in a haze of black and gold flames, radiance that had been tainted by the darkness of mankind. In time, such flames would roll across the ninja world, leaving naught but ashes in their wake.
"So…you haven't changed all that much, I'm glad, Hakuno." Answered the man, pushing his glasses up. It'd been quite a fight, one whose outcome he'd predicted. In the end, his predictions had been right. If he had to give the battle a grade, he actually would have given his counterpart a B or perhaps even an A. He had handled himself well considering it was his first real battle using the Luna Corona's powers to their fullest. Naturally, he'd exhausted himself in the process, but by the end the threat had been neutralized and it could be said that victory was his.
He was happy, it meant that Hakuno was off to a good start. In the future, there would be more battles, battles with foes four and five times as strong as Team Comstock. He looked forward to seeing how his fellow victor handled them.
Meanwhile, he had his own struggles to confront, like what his purpose in this new world was. Short-term, it was quite clear-defending this tranquil little village that he'd come to call home for the last several weeks.
Something in his gut told him that it would be Ryma and Euryale that would find him first. Though much time had passed, he still had Tamamo's scent on him. It lingered like a phantom, an ever-present reminder. Some days he wanted to erase it, other days he couldn't bear the thought of letting it go.
He supposed in that way, he was still the same idealist that his younger counterpart was. He was told that was alright, while he still retained a shred of idealism, Hakuno had gained some noticeable cynicism such as what he displayed in fighting Comstock.
Truly, they were yin and yang.
Around him floated a number of clouds he was busy reshaping to his heart's content. They changed from moisture to glistening ice cold spires he dropped down directly upon his targets. Once they came within range, she, Euryale, responded immediately by whipping out her bow and letting loose several arrows that left dents in the icy spires, but could not crack them. Her baseline arrows were incapable of such a task as he'd mixed some of his own energy into the ice, giving it an extra-strong hardness. Realizing that, the pair were forced to evade them. With them off balance, he turned his attention to putting out the fires.
The once white and puffy mid-day clouds turned dark as the moisture in them built up then exploded into super cooled rain. As he'd infused his chakra into the water, they could douse even the hottest of flames. Ryma could have summoned her Ifrit and it wouldn't have made a difference. Fires were quelled and the injured looked up at the rain in awe as they felt life energy begin to surge through them. Once the blazes were quenched, the Victor of the Moon decided it was time to reveal himself, especially since his pupil was in the line of fire.
"Genjo, are you alright?"" Asked the black-haired wizard, turning around to look over his unlikely charge.
When he arrived in town, the young blue-haired orphan was the first person he had encountered. An attempted thief had resulted in him sitting the kid down and giving him a physical examination. Since then, the gray-eyed child had practically attached his hip. He didn't push him away, far from it actually. Seeing the various cuts and bruises the eight-year-old had sustained aroused something in him, something that he hadn't felt in a while.
"I-I-I'm fine, D-Doc! B-B-But they-"
Gently, he wrapped his hand around his pointed finger. "I know, I will handle them. For now, I want you to get to cover with the rest of the villagers. Don't worry, I won't get myself killed as I've faced far worse than either of these two." He didn't smile, but his voice brimmed with the quiet confidence that the boy had come to know well.
It was enough to bring a smile to his face. "A-Alright then! J-Just w-w-watch yourself, doc!"
His presence served as enough of a deterrent to the Master-Servant pair across from him. While they knew nothing of his power, they knew of his reputation and that was enough to keep them at bay.
"Those are some mighty big words, human. After we're finished with you, I'll make sure to hunt the boy down myself. I have his scent." Snapped the second-oldest of the Gorgon sisters. She was different from the Euryale of his world, far more dangerous and put together then the "idol goddess" that were recorded in his world's history.
"They are the words that I can back up quite easily."
"Without a Servant at your back? Great! I've been meaning to see what you're made of, Mister Seventy-Second Victor of the Moon Cell Holy Grail War!" Reaching behind her back, Ryma withdrew the red-wrapped metallic handle of her prized whip. Her tongue slipped through her mouth as she lit the steel chain ablaze, her face illuminated by the crackling flames. "You know, I'm not surprised you're the second owner of the Luna Corona. One thing I've noticed about you and Kishinami, you both have a tough time staying dead."
The air grew heavy with pressure and moisture as the Archer Servant beside the Algerian woman raised her clawed hands. "As it so happens, we specialize in curing that oh so pesky condition, life. What you and that rat-bastard of a mortal have is merely luck, luck that ends for you today! Now tell me, where that blasted fox and her pet mortal is now, while I'm still in the mood to show you an ounce of mercy!" An aura of malice and bloodshed flared up around Euryale, her sage green hair becoming animated and shaping itself into an array of hissing snakes.
He merely pushed his glasses up, his posture as calm and composed as ever. "Even if I did know where Tamamo was…I would never tell either of you."
"Still holding onto some loyalty for your old Servant, huh? I guess even warmongers can have hearts." Ryma remarked. "What, are you planning on killing off Kishinami so you can have Tamamo all for yourself? If so, just give us his corpse and we'll call it even."
"I'm afraid that isn't an option. I have some…things I would like to discuss with Hakuno, so I'm afraid I cannot allow you to kill him. Not that either of you could. Greater warriors than either of you have tried, and failed."
His words ignited the spark of anger within them, Euryale more so than Ryma. The goddess' aura of hate and violence exploded outward as a toxic cloud of red and green that carried with it the foul smell of seawater. It could be felt all throughout the village, all the way up to the lookout by the river. For the unfortunate souls in the area, the feeling was much like that of being in open water with a dangerous predator lurking about. Instead of a shark or octopus, it was a sea snake, one possessing a personal hatred for mortals and those who knew nothing of the "natural order of things".
"Ah, seems you've gotten tired of living. We'll fix that right up." Declared Ryma, slamming her flaming whip across the ground, leaving a singe mark. "It's a shame though, Stavrod could have used someone like you. Granted, we've already got enough eggheads, but you would have been a good addition to the bunch."
"I'm very aware of that little organization of yours, you've proven quite useful in the past."
Only the mortal half of the duo took heed of his words, her eyes widening as a thought had been placed in her head. The other half of the pair, not so much.
"You will tell us where Kishinami and the fox bitch are! I squeeze the information out of you!" Thundered Euryale, her divine aura condensing around her as she shot forward, her sharpened claws out and ready to rip the glasses-wearing human to pieces.
Recovering herself, Ryma looked at their target and saw it. Her heart came to a sudden and complete halt as she recognized the shape behind the legendary doctor and programmer. She knew it well from having seen the files. At the time, she'd merely laughed it off, but the shape behind him confirmed that it was indeed real. And by some cosmic joke, the Seventy-second Victor of the Moon Cell had entered this new world carrying with him the Servant he'd bonded with.
"EURYALE, STOP! FALL BACK!"
The golden light overpowered Euryale's in a heartbeat. How could it not, for the power behind it was a thousand times greater than what a "minor" goddess like her could achieve. Its splendor even surpassed that of the King of Olympus. Euryale's snake hair receded as a first indicator that she was out of her depth, a fact she realized too late. The shadow fell over her, blocking out the sun as if to tell her that this was where her road would end.
She cursed them.
She cursed the bastard spawn of Zeus that had killed her sister the first time. The same spawn she and her older sister had sought revenge against only to be slain themselves.
She cursed that fox bitch who denied her own divinity for the sake of parlaying with these insects called mortals.
She cursed the human bastard who'd stolen the heart of her sister's alternate world duplicate. She cursed him and the fox-bitch who'd gotten her killed, just like the Medusa she'd known.
She cursed all three with a passion that burned as hot as the planet's core.
But in that moment, she cursed herself. Her brashness had gotten her into a mess that there was no escaping from, and worst of all - she'd dragged the only mortal she'd carried about into it. That mortal threw herself in front of her, bracing herself.
The light came in the form of a fist, then all went black.
He removed his glasses to clear his eyes. His first time summoning Savior in battle and he had him holding back. Personally, he blamed it on Hakuno, his thoughts and feelings had bled into him.
Savior told him that wasn't a bad thing.
Perhaps it wasn't, after all, now he too was human. Both he and Hakuno were human. Digital ghosts turned humans. What purpose did they now serve? Were they to live on as the people they were when they were "alive"? He didn't know, but he hoped that the answer was out there. That was the reason why he was going to meet him, or that's what he told himself.
"You'll stay alive until we meet again, won't you, Hakuno?" He asked, looking to the sky. It was foolish to think his opposite could hear him, but the seventy-second victor was in a whimsical mood. "Isn't that what humans do, keep themselves alive? Well, I'm going to keep myself alive until I see you again, Hakuno. We have a lot to talk about…you…me…and Tamamo."
He re-positioned his glasses, his gaze now focused and directed at the gaping path of destruction his Servant had left in its wake. Before he got to meeting his "old friends", he still had some work to do in this quiet little village. Quite a number of people had been hurt in the wake of Team Halimi's rampage and he couldn't find it in himself to leave them.
Maybe that told him that he was the man once known as Twice H. Pieceman, or maybe it was merely the influence of the other Luna Corona wielder.
Savior told him it didn't matter so long as it was what his heart wished for.
It was…so Twice decided to follow through on it. For now.
Quite a way to end the summer, huh? Hakuno fighting a Master AND a Servant, and actually winning? Yes, yes, he did do those things. Is he going to be getting into more messes like that? I don't know, he's a Nasuverse protagonist, I think that speaks enough regarding what's in store for his future.
His fight with team Comstock, who were name-dropped as far back as the prologue, was what I'd been building up to for a while. It's the domino that triggers the Uchiha Massacre, which I can tell you all, is the next big event in this story. Naturally, it's going to be quite different from canon given that there's some new players on the scene. One of them being Tamamo Vitch, who yes, set this whole thing up. What are her motives and will Tamamo catch on in time to stop her? Oh, you all will have to be patient for that.
On the subject of the pair that Hakuno fought, Haine Comstock and his Caster Servant, Kabaiel. Kabaiel is an alternate spelling of Kokabiel, a member of the Grigori, a group of 200 fallen angels that God struck down for the sin of mating and teaching humanity various arts and skills. Or, if you're fans of Highschool DxD, the main antagonist of Volume 3 whose backstory is quite similar to the source material. His name literally means "Star of God" thus his star-based powers. As you've probably read, he is a Counter Guardian like EMIYA/Nameless; the other fallen angel Servants in this story are Counter Guardians as well. They were all summoned to stop one threat; here's a hint, said threat comes in nine has pink hair and one of them has a severe case of animal identity-crisis.
His Master, Haine Comstock, I won't lie, originally started out an expy of Kirei Kotomine…but then I decided that was too boring and made him an expy of Sancraid Phahn of Fate/Prototype down to the Order of Templars and racism. For those of you unaware, Prototype was the pre-conceived set-up of Fate Stay Night featuring (Male!) King Arthur, young Cu, and Perseus as Rider. He's going to be something of a recurring antagonist for the Kishinami Clan because in case you couldn't tell…he and Hakuno do not like each other. At all.
On the subject of Hakuno, this chapter showed a fuller demonstration of his powers. As I said, they primarily revolve around manipulating aspects of the moon such as light and "lunar ice", a crystalline material with the toughness surpassing diamonds. First up, the Argent Shock.
Think of it as being like a taser shock. Like Hakuno said, the moonlight he generates reacts in interesting ways to Servants, whose bodies are still made of spiritual particles. Argent Shock delivers a shockwave that disrupts those particles those causing the Servant in question considerable pain and temporarily paralyzes them. At stronger levels, Hakuno can do more than just "shock" a Servant, he can outright one-hit-kill them by directly destabilizing their spiritual core. That said, the stronger the Servant the harder it is to do this. Case in-point, to take down a Servant of say, Artoria's caliber he'd pretty much have to megaton punch her, which is easier said than done.
Mons Pico is Spanish for "peak", it is also the name of one of the mountains on the moon. This is another running theme of Hakuno's Lunar Style, some jutsu are named after geological features of the moon, primarily the lunar mares and so forth.
Mare Marginis means "Sea of the Edge".
Khonsu is the Egyptian moon god, specifically he represents the way the moon travels across the night sky as his name literally meaning "traveler". Fittingly, this move is just Hakuno moving at light speeds, a basic but very useful ability.
Mikazuki can be read as meaning "third day's moon", it's actually meant to be a sword attack, but can be performed with any bladed weapon really.
Silver Point Smash is…*takes a deep breath* an unapologetic Kamen Rider reference. Yep, I'm a KR fan and in this story, I plan on sneaking in as many Kamen Rider references as I can. Of note, every member of the Kishinami Clan is going to have their own "Rider Kick", which is based off of a kick from one of a series entries. I Hakuno's case, his is based off of the Exceed Charge, the finishing move of the Riders of Kamen Rider Faiz, specifically the titular Rider's Crimson Smash.
Lastly…be honest, how many of you were expecting Twice to make an appearance? I mean he was the original final boss of Extra and the perfect evil foil to Hakuno, and he has a pretty personal connection with Tamamo. With his reveal, I'm pretty sure the title of this chapter and the last one come full. Starting out a blank-slate protagonist, Hakuno's the "nameless angel" while Twice is the "fallen angel" because…well, if you start out hating war but eventually decide its necessary and begin pulling strings from the shadows to in an effort to create a forever war to push humanity forward then I'm sorry, but you've really fallen off the straight and narrow path. Two victors, two men that died then came back as digital ghosts and now have a second chance at life, and at the center a sun goddess with quite a few skeletons in her closet, think the reunion's going to be a happy one?
Next chapter sees the ball rolling closer towards the Uchiha Massacre and shows how things are going to be very different so until then!
