Hello, Ladies and gentlemen. Hello, hello, hello.
How are you guys? Good? Good. That's good. :3
So, yeah. Life. And Life. And Gaia. And Life again. And double-life. And… yeah, SO not about to explain everything, lol.
But yeah, sorry you always have to wait so long. Thank you so much for keeping tabs on my stories, even though you know that I probably won't update for a very, VERY long time.
But I do try. I'm sorry.
I hope life for all of you is impeccable. :)
Creation of Bloodlust
Chapter Nine – Trail of Time
Gasping, the two fell to the deck of the ship, entangled in each other's limbs.
It took a few moments before they both realized that the light shining on their faces and the wood beneath them was the sun.
Gasping in awe and amazement this time, they forced themselves from each other and leaped up, staring around in awe.
The ocean surrounded them on all sides.
"Oh my God…" Kiba breathed. "Naruto, we did it!" He turned to the blond, who was still staring out in shock at the calm waters. "Naruto! NARUTO!" The brunette grasped his captain's shoulders, grinning from ear to ear and shaking him. "NARUTO! WE'RE ALIVE!"
THAT seemed to knock sense into the blonde, and the other stared at his first mate.
"Oh my God…" he breathed. "Kiba, we…" his hands immediately went to his body, feeling his torso and face and throat. Gasping in amazement, he stared at Kiba from between his fingers. "We…" They merely stared at each other for a moment before leaping into each other's arms, screaming in joy. "OH MY GOD WE'RE ALIVE!"
They began to dance around the deck, shouting senseless things in joy as they ran down the stairs and danced with each other, screaming and yelling in pure bliss.
Naruto came out from a spin to see Shadow still on the lower deck, surveying them with blank eyes.
The blonde's enthusiasm slumped slightly as he stared at the other.
Oh yeah. HE'S still with us.
"Hey Naruto!" Kiba leaped down from the upper deck to be next to his captain. "Naruto, where's the sword?"
The blonde blinked when he realized the Sword of Saving was gone.
What the –?
"It wasn't needed anymore."
The two looked at Shadow in question. The other merely stared at them as his mind voice tickled their skull.
"The Sword of Saving was a spiritual entity – composed of the power used to seal me away. Only an equally powerful soul could hope to wield it and release me. Now that I am free and you are in the land you belong in, the sword has dissolved into nothing except energy in the sea. It will never return."
Kiba and Naruto gawked at him.
"WHAT?!" Naruto roared. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?! THAT THING WAS GOLD! THAT THING WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SWORD I'VE EVER SEEN! WHADDYA MEAN IT'S GONE?!"
"Oh, calm down," Shadow snapped. "If you look in the Captain's Hold, I think you'll see something an eternity better than the Sword of Saving."
Glancing at each other, Kiba and Naruto stood still for a moment before simultaneously bolting for the back of the ship, pushing and shoving at each other as they raced up the stairs.
"Oh, come ON Naruto!"
"No! I'm the captain so I'M going to the Captain's Hold first! Move over!"
"NARUTO!"
Simultaneously slamming into the heavy door of the Captain's Hold, one of them managed to open the door and they stumbled inside, yelling nonsense at each other. Shadow rolled his eyes as he leaned against the starboard railing.
"Oye, Calypso…" he listened as the two screamed at each other, the obscenities worthy of their sailor blood. "What has Fate gotten me into?"
The two stood in the center of the room, looking around the magnificent Captain's Hold, as they searched for the other thing that had replaced the brilliant purple sword.
A flash of blue caught Naruto's eye. Letting out a gasp of triumph, he launched himself upon it.
"I GOTCHA!"
He slammed into something hard and long and metallic, wrapping his arms around it as Kiba bolted to his side.
"What is it?" He gasped, as excited as Naruto was. Straightening up, Naruto took the object in one hand and held it out at arm's length, opening his eyes.
He gasped.
It was a sword's scabbard, shining brilliant silver and gleaming in the light streaming in through the windows. The beautiful hilt was lined with shimmering gold, sparkling in the sun's rays. Toping the hilt was a pure gold dragon head, the mouth wide open and holding a perfectly round crystal in its jaws. In the center of the hilt was a gorgeous black jewel, glowing with an intensity that reminded Naruto strangely of Shadow.
Both of them were speechless.
"It's beautiful," Kiba breathed. After a moment, Naruto grinned, shifting to hold the sword in both hands, the scabbard flat against his palms.
"Yeah, and that's just the scabbard!" He gave the brunette a leering grin. "Let's find out what it looks like!"
Gripping the sword by the gorgeous hilt, he easily pulled it out, and it came smoothly with a soft sliding sound.
Naruto nearly dropped the sword.
The blade – like the Sword of Saving – was black. But this black wasn't from stone or jewel or steel – this one had been made of seemingly solid shadow, a striking difference from the gold and silver hilt. No light was reflected off the blade – all of it was absorbed like water to sponge, and the blade was monstrous – five feet long from base to tip. It left Naruto gawking like someone had chopped off his tongue as tendrils of smoky blackness rose from the blade.
"This sword…" he breathed in awe. After a moment of simply staring, he tossed the sword effortlessly into the air, watching it whirl in a graceful arch before easily catching it by the hilt – almost as if the hilt had been attracted to the warmth of his hand. "It's…"
"Gorgeous," Kiba filled in for him, as entranced as he was. "Man, I wish I had a sword like –"
His teeth snapped shut as the ship suddenly lurched forward, throwing both sailors off balance as they scrambled to keep their footing. Sword in hand with scabbard forgotten on the floor, Naruto rushed out of the Captain's Hold back onto the deck, Kiba right at his heels as the ship continued to press forward.
"SHADOW!" Naruto yelled as he leaped off the back deck onto the lower level, running to the other. "WHAT'S GOING ON?!"
"Relax, human," the other replied easily. "Now that we are safely in the land of the living, my father has sent orders to the Sholafi to relinquish their hold on us. Now his own power has us in his grasp, and his will is guiding us to his stronghold. We'll be there in a few days."
"A few DAYS?!" Naruto exclaimed. "A few days on a ship with no crew, no supplies, and no ammunition? You HAVE to be fucking KIDDING me!"
Shadow scowled at him.
"Silence human," he snapped. "You forget in whose element you rest in. Calypso won't let you starve, and she will protect you if the need arises. My strength is coming back even as we speak, and – if worst comes to worst – I will protect you. Stop worrying so much."
Naruto glared at him, the sword flashing in his hand.
"It's my job as CAPTAIN to worry about the well-being of my ship and the people aboard it!" He snapped. "Don't you DARE tell me not to worry!"
Shadow rolled his eyes and didn't grace him with an answer. Instead, he turned his back on the blonde and headed to the front of the ship, standing at the head with Naruto glaring at his back.
After a moment, Kiba shook his head, crossing his arms.
"Man, you two fight like a MARRIED couple," he stated a matter-of-factly, making the blonde glare at him next.
"Shut up, Kiba," he snarled, pushing past the brunette to go to the port side railing. "Go find out in what direction we're heading."
Kiba looked at his back for a moment before grinning and saluting to him.
"Aye, eye – Capt'n!" Grinning to himself, he leaped to the upper back deck and disappeared into the room next to the Captain's Hold.
After a moment of staring out at the calm sea, Naruto looked back down to the sword in his hand, which still refused to reflect light.
What a strange weapon…
He merely stared at the blade for a moment before turning to the front of the ship and walking to the one standing stiffly, arms crossed and hair gently waving in the soft breeze.
"Shadow."
The entity turned to the blonde.
"Yes human?"
The other glared at him.
"NARUTO, dammit! 'Human' is NOT my name!"
Shadow gave him an even stare.
"Whatever… NARUTO." He added a lace of disgust to the word, making Naruto grind his teeth. "What is it?"
Shaking his head, Naruto drew his attention back to the sword.
"The sword I found in my stronghold…" he raised the blade up for Shadow to see. "What exactly is it?"
Blinking at the black blade, Shadow merely stared at it for a moment before smirking and closing his eyes.
"That is the Elements Sword. Consider yourself lucky, human – none of your kind has ever been graced with that blade before in the history of time."
Naruto blinked and brought the sword to his chest, looking down at it for a moment before shifting his gaze to Shadow once more.
"Elements Sword…?" He repeated. "What do you mean?"
Shadow gazed at him, his black, black eyes identical to the blade.
"The sword of the elements," he stated. "That sword has the power to take on the attributes of many elements. Each one will become available to you once you have earned the respect or loyalty of the commander of each element."
"The commander of the element…?" Naruto repeated in thought.
"Yes. That sword has the capabilities of five elements – Darkness, Water, Fire, Light, and Earth."
Naruto scrunched up his nose in confusion.
"Darkness, water, fire, light, and earth?" He repeated. "What about wind? Or air?"
Shadow rolled his eyes but replied anyway, and Naruto dully wondered if the entity enjoyed listening to himself talk.
"The five elements that sword is capable of commanding are the first five elements that were created on this earth," Shadow explained. "First Darkness, and then its twin Light. Next was Earth, then Fire to cleanse it. Finally, water to quench it."
"Wow…" Naruto breathed. Then a thought passed his mind, and he looked up to the other. "Are there any others?"
Shadow smirked at the question, not looking at the other.
"Yes. Two others." Shadow closed his eyes and turned back to face the front of the ship. "The second Elements Sword – Super – controls such as Wind, Lightning, Sky, Ice, and Stone. The third – Casa – is the most powerful. It controls the elements of Gravity, Space, Time…" Naruto looked up at the other as he trailed off, his hand tightening on the blade. "Life… and Death."
Naruto's eyes went wide.
Life… and Death?
Dad, is this what you meant? These swords…?
"Where are the other two?" He asked, hoping that he managed to cover his eagerness well enough. Shadow let out a breath of laughter, and Naruto knew the other knew exactly where his mind was leading.
"Gone," he replied. "On the highest alter in the deepest cavern with the most powerful guardians – my parents."
Naruto's jaw dropped as Shadow chuckled.
"They are in the care of my parents," the entity stated. "Untouchable by humans and Elementals alike. No one can reach them now. They haven't been able to for millions of years. In fact…" He eyed the Elemental Sword in almost a death stare. "This is a first time a human has ever been graced with one. I'm shocked Calypso let you have it."
Naruto's eyes began to shimmer in adoration for the beautiful mermaid.
"Really?!" He exclaimed. "Lady Calypso REALLY gave it to me?"
"Don't be foolish human – not forever," Shadow immediately snapped. "Only temporarily. Apparently she thought it could be of use for a while."
Returning to his old self, Naruto gazed at the shadowy blade.
"So, you said I could use the elements that this sword carries if I gain the trust or loyalty of a… Elemental, I guess – right?" He asked. Shadow nodded, and the blond continued. "So… which elements can I use now?"
"Two," Shadow replied. "Darkness and Water. Apparently you got yourself on Calypso's good side when you called her by name."
"Are you kidding me?" Naruto breathed in awe, fingering the blade. "To us sailors, she's a goddess – ruler of the ocean and sea. Every wave is a breath, every tsunami a wave of her hand – every storm a flap of her fin. She is everything to us – we pray to her constantly. Only fellow sailors can possibly describe the reverence we have of her."
"Well, at least you sailors aren't as clueless as the rest of the world."
Naruto blinked at the deity.
"What do you mean?"
Before Shadow could answer, a huge dong – like a massive bell had just been struck – filled the air, making the ship's deck vibrate and Naruto cover his ears.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON NOW?" He roared.
At his words, the ship seemed to leap into the air with newfound speed, the ropes flapping in the wind.
Kiba appeared on the lower deck.
"Capt'n!" He roared as the waves crashed against the sides of the boat as it charged forward. "Our speed has doubled from nine knots to eighteen! And we're headed straight south!"
This information dully registered.
Eighteen knots… that's impossible for a ship this size. South…
"SHADOW!" He whirled to the other still next to him. "WHERE THE HELL ARE WE GOING?!"
Shadow snickered.
"We're going to my parents' realm," he replied simply. "It has begun. The trail…"
He smirked, a wicked, crooked thing that sent chills down the blonde's spine.
"The Trail of Time."
End Chapter Nine – Trail of Time
NOTES
So, yeah. They had to go DOWN to go UP. Crazy, huh? ;D
This is one of my favorite stories. Seriously. It's just so mythological it's amazing.
It really means a lot to me that you guys are keeping a look out for my stories, even after so long of no updates. That really warms my heart.
Thank you so much!
With all of my love!
Ja ne!
DDB