Yo, peoples! :D
Yes, yes, I'm well aware of the fact that I haven't uploaded for AGES and you all probably think I'm dead. I know, I know. And I'm very, very sorry.
Allow me to explain? Or do you even care?
Well, as always, rping has got me addicted. I'm working on a MASSIVE rp in gaiaonline, so if you guys want to friend me and take part in it when it finally opens, my username is LovetoCauseMayhem. I hope to hear from you all. :D
And school has just been hectic. Between my Honors classes and Gaia and the theater I don't have the ability to get myself off my butt (or on. O.o) and post something for you guys. I really am a bad authoress. :hits self:
So, I am directing a play for the school I'm in – a piece that I wrote that I am very happy with. There are three student directors, and I am the only Junior. The other two are Seniors. I also have more people in my cast then they do, and a more complex set with more light cues. Opening night is January 29th, and I am so effing excited! XD
Yes, life is a little busy, but I feel I owe it to you guys to at least wish you all a belated Thanksgiving, and a Merry Christmas. :) My apologies – again – for neglecting all of you. Please know that, though I'm not here nearly as often as you'd like me to be or as often as I should be, I really appreciate all of you for keeping faith and checking your emails every day. Thank you so much.
Oh, and by the way, in case you all haven't realized it yet, I'M NOT DEAD!!!!!! XD
Well, that's it in a nutshell. I hope you all like this next chapter. :3
Creation of Bloodlust
Chapter Eight – Gateway of Greatness
Naruto could only stare at him.
"WHAT?!" He exclaimed. "DEAD?! WHADDYA MEAN DEAD?!"
Shadow's face was blank, his eyes expressionless.
"In order to manifest in Calypso's realms, you had to have died," he stated. "That was the only way the Sword of Saving would appear. That was the only way my little sister and Mila could see who was worthy and who wasn't."
Naruto remembered the little creature and growled under his breath.
"Yes… about Mila…" he breathed. "Who exactly is she?"
Shadow blinked at him.
"She is the guardian of what you call Davy Jones' Locker," he replied. "She makes sure no one comes in who isn't allowed in, and that no one who isn't allowed to come out… comes out. She was watching you the entire time – watching to see if you were worthy of the Sword of Saving."
"So she's the guard dog of Davy Jones' place?" Kiba muttered to himself. Naruto glanced at his first mate before turning back to Shadow.
"That still doesn't explain it though," the blonde stated. "If we're DEAD, how come we didn't know it?"
"You are – for the time being – spirits. You feel like you are in your physical body because you weren't aware of dying. Basically, your mind and soul were tricked into thinking your physical body is still intact."
Kiba and Naruto stared at him.
"WHAT?!" They exclaimed. "YOU MEAN OUR BODIES AREN'T INTACT?!"
Shadow snorted disdainfully.
"What do you think you're dealing with – humans?" He huffed. "We were in the land of the dead, surrounded by saltwater – where Mila has control over all that happens and Calypso is aware of all. If neither of them wanted your bodies to be destroyed, they weren't. That's why you didn't realize you were dead – nothing happened to your physical body to alert you of death. Both of your bodies are intact, rest assured."
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, but Kiba wasn't finished yet.
"I still don't understand," he stated. "If we right now are just spirits – if we're DEAD, then how are we going to get back to the land of the living?"
Shadow rolled his eyes at the ignorance of the two.
"That's what this ship and the Sholafi are for," he responded, trying his best to be patient. "We are now in the Sea of Souls, heading towards the land of the living. In order to GET to the land of the living, we must pass through the Gateway of Greatness. There you will be tried."
Naruto stared at him.
"Tried?" He asked. "Like, with a judge?"
Shadow nodded his head.
"Yes. Except the judge will be your Davy Jones."
Kiba and Naruto's eyes went wide.
"WHAT?!" They roared, making Shadow roll his eyes, arms having been crossed this entire time. "DAVY JONES IS JUDGING US?!"
"Calm down," Shadow snapped, none too gently. "He will make the final decision out in the Sea of Souls. He will decide if you are allowed rite of passage through the Gateway of Greatness."
"And how does he decide?" Naruto demanded. "What do we have to do?"
"There is nothing you CAN do, human," Shadow replied. "He will look at you and he will judge. But there is ONE important thing that will sway his decision."
Kiba blinked.
"And what is that?" He asked. Shadow glanced down at Naruto's hand.
"The sword."
All three of them looked at the sword and Naruto blinked and raised it up, the black blade glinting maliciously in the light made from the crackling sphere.
Staring at the blade, something strange flashing in his eyes, Shadow continued.
"That sword is the key to your release. It's the ticket out of Davy Jones' realm. It symbolizes the fact that you were taken prematurely from your body, and thus must be returned to it. It is essential to your escape."
Naruto gulped.
"So… if I didn't have the sword…" Slowly, he ran a shaking hand along the broad side of the blade. He raised his eyes to stare into Shadow's own. "We wouldn't be able to leave."
Not a question. A statement. However, Shadow treated it like the former, closing his eyes.
"Yes," he replied. "If the possibility existed that you lost the sword and then DID, the very Sholafi that protect you would turn on you at Davy Jones' word, and then they would drop the shield and take your souls, drilling them into the masses that they have now. There would be no escape for you."
"And what about you?" Kiba asked. "What would happen to you?"
Shadow merely blinked at him.
"Nothing," he finally replied. "After all, I am not human."
Gulping, Naruto and Kiba glance at each other, fear flashing through their eyes. Instinctively, the blonde's grip tightened on the sword.
I'm not letting go of this – no matter what!
"My lord."
Shadow looked upwards to one of the Sholafi, whose face was turned his way.
"Yes?"
"We near the gateway. Please have the two humans go to the front of the ship," the servant stated. "The Lord of the Locker will judge them there."
Naruto and Kiba's gazes instantly met and they simultaneously gulped.
"Davy Jones!" They hissed to each other, their voice shaking.
Shadow nodded to the Sholafi, and then turned to the other two.
"Well, you know what you need to do," he stated. "Go to the front."
After a fearful glance at each other, Kiba and Naruto turned to the front and began to move forward, side by side.
"We'll get through this, Naruto," Kiba stated, turning his head to look at the blonde. "Shadow basically said so – you have the sword."
Naruto fingered the hilt as he looked to the brunette, the weight warm and heavy in his hands. He nodded as he thought about what Kiba had said.
"Yeah," he stated, allowing the courage he felt when the ship first sets sail to flow through him. A grin breaking open his face, he shouldered Kiba in a friendly gesture. "You bet!" He raised his fist to the front. "What're we doing cowering like guppies? We're seamen! We LIVE on the sea! We THRIVE off it! Let Davy Jones come! Nothing we can't handle! We'll get out alive, and we'll be hardy, righteous men!"
Kiba thrust his own fist into the air as Naruto's courageous aura became contagious.
"Yeah! We'll show him!"
Cheering and clapping each other on the back, they made their way up the stairs to the front of the ship with newly found vigor. Shadow smirked – amused – as he watched, crossing his arms.
"Aye, Mila…" he breathed. Raising his eyes, he watched the two clasp hands, grinning from ear to ear as they faced each other. "What humans you chose to release me."
"We near the Gateway of Greatness, my lord," one of the Sholafi called to him. "The Lord of the Locker will be appearing momentarily."
Shadow nodded.
"Very well then," he said, closing his eyes and dismissing the subject. "Commence as planned."
As Kiba and Naruto faced the front, lips set in a stone line with feet squared up, a whirlpool of water appeared in front of the ship, enormous in its height. The two had seen many a waterspout, had battled many a storm, but they had NEVER seen a twister of this size.
Especially underwater.
Suddenly, the ship stopped – stopped so suddenly as if an invisible foot had slammed onto the brakes, making Naruto and Kiba jerk forward and slam into the railing with gasps equal in surprise and pain as the gentle hum of the Sholafi's song vanished.
Then, as suddenly as it stopped, the ship continued forward again, merely a snail's pace compared to what it had been traveling. Gently, it floated towards the twister – as if being pulled in by the violent rotations. Naruto and Kiba gasped as they came back to, hands on their stomachs as their breathing recovered.
"What the fuck was THAT?" Kiba hissed. Naruto shook his head; turning his face to see Shadow unfazed by the sudden stop and making him glare in envy at the other. At a small gasp from Kiba, Naruto turned back to the front.
He gasped too.
A giant face had appeared in place of the twister, monstrous in size and capable of easily engulfing the ship. Translucent blue jellyfish tentacles waved along the strong face, long and fluid in the water. Heavy iron anchors hung from both ears and a large golden ring pierced a nostril as swarms of fish gathered around the chin and lips, making a thick mustache and a large, living beard. A tattoo of a mermaid – Naruto recognized the creature as Calypso – covered the left side of the face, stretching across the nose and eyelid. Striking eyes – the color of the sea surrounding them – stared out, ever searching and ever judging. They reminded Naruto strongly of Shadow.
"Well," he breathed gently, making Kiba give him a small glance. "Here we go."
His grip on the sword tightened.
"WHO DARES COME BEFORE ME IN HOPES OF RECOMPENSE?" The mouth moved, displaying wicked rows of sharp teeth. The voice was booming and intense, and it made Naruto inwardly wince.
Gulping, the blonde responded.
"I am Naruto Uzumaki!" He replied as loud as he could. "And he is Kiba Inuzuka! We seek passage back to the land of the living!"
The face of Davy Jones laughed, thick black smoke issuing out of his mouth.
"THE LAND OF THE LIVING, YOU SAY?" He asked in disbelief. "AND WITH WHAT WEAPON DO YOU HOPE TO USE TO CONVINCE ME OF SUCH?"
His heart beating wildly, Naruto raised the Sword of Saving as high as he could, staring at the face.
"THE SWORD OF SAVING!" He roared, the sword flashing black and purple.
Davy Jones' eyes went wide, so wide that they stretched to cover his entire face. Then, with a vicious spray of bubbles, the face was ripped asunder, the fish splitting their ranks to swarm past the ship in an array of colors as a hollow roar echoed through the sea.
Suddenly, the ship was seized by something invisible but monstrous, and it was yanked forward, speeding through the remains of the face as the speed only continued to increase. However, this speed wasn't the graceful pace of the Sholafi. This pace took its toll on the two at the front of the ship, and they were pressed against the back rail of the deck, clinging to it to brace themselves against the crushing force as the ship rocketed recklessly forward.
"SHADOW!" Naruto bit out to the other on the lower deck, who seemed physically unfazed by the sudden speed. "SHADOW – WHAT'S HAPPENING?!"
Shadow's eyes narrowed as he stared at the waters that rushed by.
"This isn't the Sholafi's doing!" He replied – apparently not having expected this. "It's taking all of their concentration to keep the protective barrier in place! Your Davy Jones is pulling us even further down now that he's seen the sword!"
"SO IS THAT GOOD OR BAD?!" Kiba roared down at him. Naruto glared at the entity.
"PULLING US DOWN?"Naruto demanded. Kiba glanced back to the front of the ship and gasped.
"NARUTO!" He cried, drawing the other's attention.
The blonde gasped as well.
In front of them was a swirling vortex of blue. It was like a whirlpool, except merely one layer deep. It rotated unbelievably fast, and was absolutely monstrous. It took up the entire sea in front of them.
"WHAT IS THAT?!" Kiba cried.
Shadow could see it too.
"It's the Gateway!" He replied. "It's the Gateway of Greatness!"
The ship – if possible – went even faster, careening forward with wild abandon towards the gateway.
"NARUTO!" Kiba cried.
"KIBA!" The blonde yelled, embracing the other tightly – just as he had done before the maelstrom had collapsed upon them.
Shadow only stared at the vortex.
So it begins… he thought calmly as the ship neared the swirling wall.
The two friends closed their eyes, huddling closer together as they were crushed against the railing.
A powerful tingling sensation filled Naruto's body, and he felt himself slowly floating upwards along with Kiba.
What the –?
With a mighty burst of water and spray, the Serpent Mage broke through the gateway.
End Chapter Eight – Gateway of Greatness
So there is the new chapter. I sincerely hope you aren't all mad and out for my blood right now, but real life – and gaia, sadly enough, -.- – seem to take precedence in my mind.
Dammit.
And I also have a myspace now. (.com/xkissofshadowsx) Look me up and send me an add, if you like. :3
So, thank you all for reading and – though I probably don't deserve it – reviewing. I love you all so much.
I'm going to go tackle my inbox now.
With so much love, ja ne!
DDB: Alive and Well.
For those who still care.