Happy New Year! And Belated Merry Christmas! This chapter took forever and I don't blame you for being frustrated with me. I never understood why authors always took so long, now I do. I had the chapter finished and as I was ending it my computer crashed so I had to retype a large portion of the chapter. I'm sorry but it's up now so enjoy!
(raindrops on roses)
"Man if we don't start this show soon I don't know what is going to happen…" Kiba poked his head around the curtain and looked at the restless crowd.
"I'll *crunch* tell you what's *crunch* going to happen *gulp* the people will leave and we won't get paid. There's goes my snack fund." Choji stared down at his now empty chip bag.
"Choji now's not the time to be thinking about food!" Kiba yelled at the sad clown.
"Now's not the time for hysterics either Kiba." Shikamaru walked up to the duo.
Kiba narrowed his eyes at the spiky haired genius.
"Well exactly when am I supposed to start freaking out? When the people stampede across the rings and form an angry mob? How about when they try to burn or stab me to death with their torches and pitchforks!" The angry animal tamer was frantic.
"Kiba *sigh* you're so troublesome" Shikamaru shook his head and looked toward entrance of the tent.
Though Kiba is overreacting he is right. Sasuke where are you?
"CHICKEN MUMPS! That's it we all call in sick with the chicken mumps! They can't riot if they know we are sick." Kiba gave toothy grin that looked a tad ferocious seeing as his canines were abnormally sharp for a human.
Shikamaru and Choji both partook in an awkward silence based off of Kiba's comment. Each of the two men looked at each other with a face saying should you say something or should I?
"Kiba it's either Chicken pox or The Mumps not a mixture of the two but in your case it might be fleas rather than an actual disease." Sasuke walked up to the trio in his ringmaster outfit.
"Sasuke! I told you he'd come gosh Choji you need to have more faith in our leader." Kiba swung his arm around Shikamaru and grinned at the Uchiha.
"Didn't you just say we were all going to die a grotesque death involving pitchforks, torches and an angry mob?" Shikamaru's eye twitched as Kiba tightened his grip on the brunette's shoulders.
"Mob schmob, it doesn't matter Sasuke will protect us from the angry audience!" Kiba pointed toward the stoic raven.
"Right, Sas…uke?" Kiba stared at the empty spaced where their leader one stood.
(can you see with eyes unopened)
Neji ran through the tent at Sasuke's request but the flaw arose when he could not find Kakashi or Shikamaru.
Dammit the one time I need that pervert and he doesn't have the nerve to show his face around me!
"Odd words for such an aristocratic young man such as yourself Neji." Kakashi walked slowly towards Neji.
"Well first off reading someone's mind is an invasion of privacy and secondly where are you crutches?" Neji arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at the man.
"Well to answer your statement and question, yes it is an invasion but rather fun and two"
"You didn't say one how can there be a two?" Neji snapped back.
"One, two" Kakashi winked as Neji rolled his eyes. "Did you forget why we even went to the hospital?"
"No how could I, you're the one who forced me to find it in the first place." Neji remembered their secret conversation in the earlier hours of the morning.
"But what I haven't figured out is how you go the tiger to bite you and how you stopped your body from healing the wound." Neji glanced over at the table next to him, attempting to take away some of the intensity from the situation.
"Neither of those events is significant but I do believe you have something to tell me; unless you run around looking for 26 year old men on a daily basis?" Kakashi winked at the brunette.
"Sorry Kakashi I'm taken."
"By a vessel nonetheless, tisk tisk Hyuga what would your father say?" Kakashi walked over to the table that Neji was staring at.
Neji rolled his eyes and spoke. "I don't interfere with your attempts at a sex life, so let's not talk about mine the only thing I have for you are two runes."
Kakashi's eyebrows rose at the sentence. "Runes? As in a lost language?"
"Runes, as in the emblems of i morti." (1)
Kakashi stared intently at Neji and nodded. He then turned around and opened a chest from behind him and grabbed paper and a quill.
"This paper and quill will neutralize any effect the markings have." He handed them to Neji who nodded.
"The paper is infused with the aura of the underworld and the quill is from the wings of an angel."
Neji stared at the items. Wow…
"Don't I need ink?"
"No, the purity of the quill burns the aura right off the page; in essence it purifies the paper wherever you write. It's an ancient method discovered in Old Kingdom, Egypt."
Neji nodded at this yet the worry on Kakashi's face was evident.
Egyptian magic is as powerful as it is unstable; no wonder Kakashi looks so hesitant.
"Kakashi, what happens if the runes are two powerful for the paper to control?" Neji tilted the quill on his finger tips.
Kakashi looked at the paper and the quill moving fluidly throughout Neji's fingers. He said nothing and within that one look Neji knew it all. Neji grasped the quill firmly and touched the tip to the paper.
Steam rose slowly from the paper as Neji meticulously copied the emblems as seen on Sasuke's hands. Screams were muffled and rose at barely a whisper yet to Neji they were piercing.
"Keep writing the screaming is normal and so is the pain."
Neji nodded and continued each line was perfect running right into the next with precision. There was no eraser when it came to magic both Neji and Kakashi knew this yet the brunette never stopped.
One final scream arose as Neji connected the last lines of the second emblem. His hands were burning as he placed the quill on the table, glancing down to his own palms that were glowing with the cuts of where the feathers stroked his skin.
Kakashi grabbed the paper and stared at the signs.
"These are sets."
"Sets?" Neji knew about common magic and the physical aspect of it but when it came to magic from centuries past only scholars could really understand the stuff. The mortal's inferences of the underworld were truly complex and created translation problems for average individuals, only high level thinking could decipher all the details the ancient scribes had placed into the emblems.
"Sets are multiple emblems that must be placed together for the actual magic to take place. There are four here but only two of these runes are part of a set. Where they overlapped?" Kakashi waved his hand over the drawings as they separated into the four distinct markings they created.
"Yes, the two previous ones were these." Neji pointed to the first set and "These second ones appeared around 30 minutes ago." Neji's fingers moved to the second pair.
"They're Sasuke's." Kakashi said.
"Yes his hands began to bleed and I prayed asking for a vision of what the message was."
"Did you get anything?"
"I only felt extremely cold, as if I was outside, and also I saw trees, thousands of trees were around me." Kakashi sighed at the message.
"These new markings are archaic I'm glad I used this paper anything else would have allowed them to escape easily."
Neji's eyes widened at the statement.
"So it's true then, the magic from antiquity really was that dangerous."
"Yes it was and sadly not many remember it as well as they should. But runes like these I have never seen yet the stylistic characteristics date to an era before the pyramids and ziggurats." (2)
"Before…" Neji trembled at this statement.
"Then that means that…"
"Yes before the time of the divisions of the three worlds; before the drawings and markings of the lands, before the great battles of the heavens and hell, before the dawn of mankind. If we discover the meaning of these runes it could destroy us." Neji's eyes were opened past their breaking point, before everything there stood power, only power.
"Exactly, the meanings of these emblems are either pure evil or pure good but I do know this, this set actually contains four runes."
"Four?" Neji inquired.
"Yes, rare as they are they do show up once in a while."
"But that means." Neji shook even more violently.
"It means that another being received two runes at the same time as Sasuke did, that another is carrying danger within the palm of their hands. Which parts of the set Sasuke received I do not know but these four runes must each balance each other thoroughly. Whoever placed it on top of two others made it that much more difficult for Sasuke, interference is not easy on the body or mind."
Kakashi sighed and sat down on top of the trunk.
"What can we do?" Neji swallowed the lump in his throat and stood at attention, though the technicality of his living was debatable was a Hyuga and he forever stood as one.
"Give Shikamaru the paper, tell him to memorize the runes then to purify and torch the whole paper. Next find the marked associate of Sasuke, there is another and he or she must be within the city, quad runes only activate once in close proximity with the other. They must have remained dormant but Sasuke had to have come in contact with another today outside of the circus folk. Once located bring him here, we'll cross the next bridge when it arises."
Neji nodded and turned toward the door, faltering he looked over his shoulder to Kakashi.
"What will you do?"
"I need to see someone about this, elders of course but not the pompous representatives for the three worlds; I need to visit a pure spirit along with and demonic one. Four days is all that I need." Kakashi began rummaging throughout the trunk he had used as a chair.
Neji turned away and began his search for Shikamaru.
I don't even know my own markings and now I'm dealt with this burden as well, Sasuke just who is the missing piece of your puzzle?
Neji opened up to the cool night air once more and stepped into the freshly packed snow.
(Ashes ashes we all fall down)
Naruto walked home at least he thought he was walking home. If he was then the entire layout of the town had changed because this was not Konoha.
Am I dreaming? Maybe I just hit my head when I fell.
This was a maze, a maze of what was the question. Naruto walked further into the labyrinth obvious to even him that turning around wasn't an option. The color drained out of the walls as Naruto continued, the cracks in the sides went all the way to the top of the wall, at least Naruto assumed that's how high it went he himself could not see the end of them.
Naruto's footsteps resonated in the narrow walkway but Naruto wasn't scared maybe his body was so engulfed I fear that it moved on its own accord or maybe Naruto's curious nature was taking prevalence over his higher reasoning once again.
The maze became narrower, so tight in fact that Naruto couldn't fit through the final spaces. If the blonde could see himself from another person's perspective then maybe he wouldn't have screamed as loud as he did when a hand was placed on his shoulder.
"AAHHH" The hand was cold and clammy it felt like ice running down Naruto's side.
The blonde whipped his head around and was surprised. In place of the monster, who Naruto was suspecting, stood a small boy no older than 12. His pout looked misplaced on his perfect face.
Naruto stared into the coal colored eyes of the boy, where had he seen him before? The blue hair of the child shimmered as he moved and the large clothes swallowed his delicate frame. The shoeless child walked over to Naruto.
"Mister" The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once yet it matched the movements of the boy's lips. "Have you seen my family?"
"No." Naruto answered.
"Really they look a lot like me. Dark hair, white skin, black eyes, all I have left of them is this fan." The boy continued stepping towards Naruto.
"I'm sorry I haven't seen your family maybe you should look..." Naruto gazed around the dark abyss. "elsewhere"
"No mister they were right here, how could they leave don't you see the monsters?"
Naruto searched for the 'monsters' the boy was speaking of yet he saw nothing, nothing but a small boy.
"Well mister they did leave me something else." Naruto glanced towards the kid.
"My eyes mister mom always said they were special, look how pretty they are shinning bright red and black for everyone to see." Naruto cringed at the swirling shapes, it wasn't normal, this wasn't real.
"The best part mister is that I see special things with these eyes. Like you hands." Naruto glanced down and his palms and snapped his head up to the met the child's gaze.
"How did you… do you know? I just scrapped them when I was running." Naruto looked at his red covered palms, the blood had dried into a hard outer shell cracking away as Naruto bent and flexed his hands.
"That's an awful lot of blood for just scrapping your hands. You're lucky it wasn't worse, much worse." Naruto stared at the child awe struck by his fluidity and ominous presence.
"Mine was more painful, like knives digging into my hands." The child placed his palms onto Naruto's matching his corresponding hands with the blondes.
"ssshhhh" Naruto hissed as the tender flesh was irritated by the pressure of the child's hands.
"Do you hear them?" The boy looked at Naruto, eyes of innocence and menace stared at him.
"Hear who?" Naruto asked.
"The voices of the i morti. They scream loudly mister it hurts my ears." Naruto looked at his palms the blood was now gone and all that remained were symbols.
Naruto stared at them expecting this to all be a joke but the symbols remained carved into his flesh and now glowed with a devilish aura.
"What are these?" Naruto begged the child for an answer. His voice falter as a lump got stuck in his throat.
"I don't know why you they were given to such a dobe(3) like you, Naruto."
Naruto's head snapped up, that voice…
I know that voice, I heard it earlier. Like silk running through your fingers tips. No one had ever said Naruto's name like that before it was clean and crisp yet drug out and enunciated perfectly.
"Who are you?" Naruto screamed at nothing… Nothing was there, not the boy, the maze with the cracks in the wall, not the dark abyss, nothing.
Okay that was beyond weird but I think the boy was telling me something, voices of some kind, and my hands. Naruto glanced down at his inflamed palms the markings hadn't faded in the least. So I didn't make up ALL of it.
But that voice "I don't know why you they were given to such a dobe(3) like you, Naruto."
I know that voice, I heard it earlier. That boy that saw the injured man he insulted me! Gosh what was his name! Ugh, okay maybe something Tsunade said earlier would help me to find him.
"tiger injured the man… What do you need brat… They're circus folk…"
"That's it!" Naruto screamed.
"Circus folk, the kid was the ring maestro (4) or something like that… Okay so I find this circus and that kid who will explain to me why this is happening." Naruto smiled at his brilliance.
"Now to find the circus…" Naruto looked all around him at nothing but forest.
I could have sworn I was in the city…
"Come on!" The cheers pierced through the silence as Naruto covered his ears in an attempt to stop his jarring headache.
What in the world?
Naruto followed the voices which lead him through a bush. Once on the other side he saw it, the gigantic red tent glowing in the night time. Trailers and cages lined the surrounding area each advertising a different aspect of the show.
"The circus" Naruto whispered to himself and he stared at the area.
"Well this was easier than I thought."
"COME ONE,COME ALL, TO THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH!" Naruto snapped back to reality and jogged over to the ticket booth.
"Welcome to the Circo di Foglie, that will be 7 dollars." The ticket taker smiled sweetly at the boy.
"Oh." Naruto rummaged through his pockets and pulled out the tickets he received earlier from the injured man.
"Oh, you must have met Kakashi. These are special tickets be sure to go backstage after the show okay." The lady smiled once again, to sweet for Naruto's liking.
"Sure." Naruto took his punched ticket and entered into the tent.
Seating was difficult as many of the places were filled by boisterous families ordering food and candy for their child, each member screaming about the show which was delayed.
Naruto squeezed into a solitary seat in the front row. Many people came to the circus in pairs not by themselves. As Naruto sat down the lights dimmed.
"YES! WHOOOO! ALL RIGHT!" the crowd screamed as shadowed figures moved throughout the center and adjacent rings.
Naruto's eyes glimmered as the center ring was encased in a beam of light. There stood the poised ringmaster, his striking presence sent a calming hush over the crowd, and with the tilt of his hat accompanied by a sly smirk he quietly spoke "Welcome to the greatest show on earth."
(Houston we have lift off)
Whoop! Oh dear I can't say how sorry I am that this chapter took years to write. I had a lot of unseen problems arise and we all can't be perfect. Also I wrote another fic so that took up time too.
(1)- the dead people (souls of the underworld)
(2)- before the Egyptains and the Babylonians (basically before the civilization of man)
(3)- idiot
(4)- Naruto's natural forgetfulness
Forgive the minor errors, I have no beta.
Enjoy and please comment but I know I took way to long for this chapter I'm sorry again. Also I'm making up all of this magic stuff as how I see fit but I will allude to mythology or ancient mystical ideas.