Hmm... a little shorter than I'd like, but there's plot points to be given before I can get to the action. So enjoy.
The usual disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Pity, isn't it?
As morning dawned in the cold room, Hinata awoke to the dull light of the sun peeking through the caged glass window. She squinted as the dim rays of the sun shined directly into her slumber-ridden eyes. Her stomach growled to indicate its desire for sustenance, yet failed to rouse the blonde red-eye holding her loosely in his arms.
She sat up in the soft bed without waking her companion and dressed for the coming day. The vampires had been kind enough to wash their clothes the previous evening before the duo retired, although how they managed to return the garments to the room without waking them frightened the Hyuuga a bit.
She opened the sturdy door and exited the room, closing it off as quietly as possible before starting towards the richly embellished dining hall she and Uzi frequented last night. On her way there, she met an unexpected familiar face.
"Oh, Master Sünden!" She recognized the elder red-eye. "Good morning. I didn't expect to see you here."
"Hinata Hyuuga," he replied with his warm smile, "As am I. Care to accompany an old man to his breakfast?"
"Sure," she nodded.
As they sat down and ordered their food- without blood- she struck a conversation with the progenitor red-eye. The talking didn't die down even when their hot meals were served or when Sünden twitched occasionally from the pain of his failing seal. The elder man's demeanor and warmness reminded Hinata of a stereotypical kindly grandfather.
"I… have something to ask you." She began to address a sensitive issue in her mind.
"What is it?"
"It's about Naruto…"
He smiled at the mention of one of his successor's name. "What about him worries you?" He seemed to read people rather well.
"Well… you know about his… tenant… right?" She asked nervously.
"The beast demon? Yes, of course."
"Right. Well, at night when I'm sleeping, I see the fox in his cell."
Sünden leaned forward, eyes becoming more attentive.
"And the last few times I saw it, it wasn't alone…" She recalled the frightening conversation between the shadowed voices.
He nodded in understanding. "I see. What else was there?"
She swallowed hard. "I saw… these yellow eyes; thousands of them. And there were voices too; sounded like thousands of them all speaking in tandem. They said they were there to keep the demon fox in line. Do you know what they are?"
"Oh, them?" He relaxed again with a smirk on his face. "That's me."
"I'm sorry?" She was baffled by the strange answer.
"Well, let me start from the top." He folded his hands together on the table and eased into a quick history lesson. "When Naruto first became a red-eye, he had access to the demon beast's energy, but he was always subject to its influence. Since I was the only other person with a similar situation, I offered to help keep the beast under control but still keep its power available to him."
The Hyuuga woman nodded as she listened carefully.
"Through the telepathic powers of the crimson eyes, I am able to… instill my powers into Naruto without them becoming a part of him. What you saw was no more than an extension of myself."
"I see," she said, still mildly confused by it all.
Sünden easily saw through her bewilderment and tried to explain further. "It appears you don't quite understand, so allow me to…" His explanation was rudely interrupted by a bout of extreme pain emanating from his dying seal.
Hinata was frightened by the spastic movements of the red-eyed leader. She leapt out of her seat when black inky smoke flowed from his pores and engulfed his head in a flaming plume of ebony mist. Yellow eyes and an outline of a black smile emerged from the depths of the cloudy fog.
"You again!" spoke a familiar chorus of voices. "So I see you've met our prison!"
The Hyuuga woman couldn't speak; she was frozen with the fear of seeing a physical manifestation of the voices.
"It's such a shame too," another acquainted ensemble added. It carried a tone of absolute lust and perversion. "That we must be confined to such a boring man. The things I'd do to you if I were free…"
The white-eyed easterner finally commanded her feet to move back, albeit slower than she preferred. Her lavender eyes were locked on the seemingly nonexistent pitch black cloud.
"Kiiiillll!!" the furious chorus screamed before Sünden's hand snapped itself over his face. The inky mist's mouth opened as if to devour the extremity, but as soon as it bit down it dissipated into nothingness.
Hinata sank to her knees as Sünden struggled to retain consciousness. Many vampiric attendants rushed to his side to comfort him, including Vahre Blus, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"This was the worst outbreak so far," he muttered to himself before he took notice of the shellshocked Hyuuga. "Are you okay?" He directed his concern toward her.
She looked up at him with fear in her eyes. "Wh-wh-what w-was tha-that?" She stuttered.
"Master Sünden's curse," he gave her a grim look. "This is what will happen when his seal finally gives, except it'll be permanent." He noted that her gaze showed no comfort. "Come on," he lifted her to her feet. "Let's get you back to Naruto."
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As Sünden came to his proper senses, he felt ashamed that a non-red-eye visitor had witnessed such a breakdown in his condition. He glanced to the side to catch sight of his apprentice Vahre Blus leading Hinata out of the mess hall.
"Now that I think about it," his thoughts suddenly shifted, "How is it that she can see Naruto's inner world?" He smiled when he came to his conclusion. "You're a lucky kid, Uzumaki. Luckier than you think…"
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It took Uzi two hours to console his white-eyed friend out of her intense fear. She initially seemed to calm down when he held her close, so at least that helped. After whispering some sense into her, she finally peered into his crimson and azure eyes with some life in her own.
"Naruto," she said shakily, "Is… is that what you're going to be inheriting?"
"Yeah," he replied softly. "It is."
"But… but it's…" she couldn't think of how to speak her words.
"Evil?"
She nodded.
"Yeah, I know."
"So why? Why accept it?" She seemed to be stressed by the idea.
"Because I can handle it."
"But you already have the fox to deal with. If you suddenly had these… things too, you might…" She cut herself off as her train of thought ventured into unpleasant territory.
"That won't happen," he reassured. "Sünden has the manifestation of one hundred thousand people's sins within him, and he successfully held them off for a long time. He's splitting his power four ways, so it won't be quite as strong. Besides," his whispering took a slightly cheerier note, "With that power at a fourth of its strength, the fox'll be able to keep it in check as well."
"But doesn't it keep the demon from taking over?"
He smiled lightly. "They'll be of equal power and at odds with each other; neither will take control without the other interfering."
Hinata didn't respond to this. She stared into space and then buried her face into Naruto's chest. She didn't trust her voice to say it, but she was more worried than ever for the blonde's safety.
Uzi responded by simply rubbing his hands up and down her arm. "It'll be okay," he said softly, "Nothing to worry about."
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Silba strode through the crowded cafeteria on the main zeppelin. The rows of benches and tables were crammed with food and soldiers dressed similarly to her wolfing down their meals and exchanging small talk about their current assignment and the invasion of the southern country. The female colonel ignored most of the dribble from her silver-haired, golden-eyed subordinates. No amount of talking about their mission outside of planning would ever get the job done, and the preparation phase had been worked out long ago.
She took the service elevator down to the windy open-aired flight deck. She preferred the howling of the cold wind as it blew in her face as opposed to the warmer levels above where she was guaranteed safety from the elements, if such things could ever adversely affect her.
Walking up to the very edge of the dead-end platform, she pulled out her fraying photo with an iron fist so as not to accidentally release it. Had anyone been present, they might have noticed the glistening of a tear as it rolled off her smooth cheek into the violent breeze.
After a few minutes of staring into the cloudy sky, she pocketed the photo and turned on her heel. It would be another day before she and her soldiers arrived at their target.
As she boarded the maintenance elevator, she felt a slight pang of nausea. "Strange," she thought, as the harsh weather and elevation never affected her. The sick feeling passed after another moment and the lift ascended back into the extensive airborne structure.
Well there you have it: the source and identity of the yellow eyes and voices. Did I surprise anyone out there, or did ya'll see it coming a mile away?
On another note, if you guys want to see something absolutely hilarious, go to youtube and type in "crazy indian video... buffalaxed" and watch the first choice. I haven't laughed so hard at a video like that in a looooong time!
Oh, and I'm noticing a drop in reviews. This might just be my paranoia talking (and believe me, it's there), but I'm taking this as a sign that this is gettin' boring and you guys are just leaving it to die. Is this right, or am I just a raving lunatic?
If I'm right, and this is becoming a snoozefest, please let me know. I'll try to do something about it (I say try because success doesn't neccessarily come on the first try).
Catch ya'll later.
