I'm so sorry that it took so long to get this thing out! I was having so much trouble with this one. However, I already have an outline down for the next one, so that should get out sooner than this one.
LoneHowl: (Hugs back)
Akuma Ronso: Well, I guess you can call it materia. And no shrimp al-fredo just yet. Soon though.
Sparky: If you have an idea as to who the other princesses are, tell me. I want to make sure I'm original, and not too obvious, k? And no, the villians won't hurt her, just imprison and mentally torture her.
Disclaimer: I'm neither male, nor old. I therefor, don't own these shows, movies, or characters. Takeda-sama is mine though.
Recommended music: Lust For Blood (Gackt) and The Battle Drums from the Mononoke Hime Soundtrack.
Mononoke-Tachi Dake...
Slowly, Daisuke groaned as he came to, pressing a hand to his forehead. "What the heck happened?" he groaned, forcing his eyes open. His vision slowly came into focus as he looked around. He was in the middle of a forest again, surrounded by tall, ageless trees that seemed to scrape the sky. The area seemed almost mystic, like he had just walked into a church, or a shrine. Carefully, the teen sat up, and noticed that he was surrounded by multiple pools of clear water, so clean that he could see the bottom as if it was glass. Multiple insects were flitting around, dragonflies, butterflies, and some species that he'd never seen before.
"Where am I?" he wondered as he rested back on his side. "The last thing I remember, we were on our way back to Traverse Town," he muttered. Images flickered before his minds eye as he tried to remember what had happened. Something about turbulence again, then spinning, then finally, nothing.
'Daisuke?' Dark whispered. The spirit was obviously affected by the obvious magic of the area as well. 'Daisuke, look to the right! Quickly!'
Hearing the urgency in the spirit's voice, Daisuke turned to look through a gap in the trees. A herd of large deer were passing by, lit by the sun that was setting behind them. Daisuke's eyes went wide as he watched them pass. Having grown up in the city, he'd never seen a deer before. One stopped and looked in his direction before continuing on. For some reason, that one looked strange to the city boy, but he dismissed it as the creature left.
Daisuke smiled as he sat back on his rear, glad that the thief had told him about the deer. A sudden 'Kyuu!' alerted him to a friend. "Wiz!" he called as he stood up, looking for his friend. After a few minutes of looking, he finally found the little spirit floundering in the water. "Wiz, are you ok?" he asked as he fished the rabbit out of the water. Recovering, the rabbit squeaked up at him happily.
A heavy breathing sound behind him alerted Daisuke, who stiffened in fear. Slowly, he turned around. A pair of large amber eyes greeted him, eyes belonging to a large, white wolf!
With a scream, Daisuke jumped away, his training as a thief kicking in. Like a chipmunk, the teen sped away before streaking up into a tree. From the safety of his leafy perch, the boy was able to safely look down at the wolf. It was large, at least as tall as he was, with intelligent amber eyes that laughed up at him.
'Come down from there little squirrel, so that I can bite your head off!' a voice called up in a young male voice.
'Was that the wolf?' Daisuke wondered as he clung to the branch. In his head, Dark nodded emphatically. Eyes wide, Daisuke wrapped his arms around the branch he was on before yelling down at the canine. "No way! I like my life, thank you very much!"
A grin stretched across the wolf's face as it reared up, placing his paws on the tree trunk. 'But you can't stay up there forever. Someone will get to you eventually,' it said with an evil smirk to his voice.
"Yeah! And it won't be you!" Daisuke squeaked.
The wolf seemed to nod. 'You're right, I won't get you,' he said as he backed off. 'I'll just have to get you down another way,' he said before padding off. 'San! Get over here, and flush this squirrel out of here!' he called to someone farther out in the lake area.
'San? Three?' Daisuke wondered, translating the name.
Mentally, Dark shrugged, curious about who this 'San' person could be. 'Whoever it is, you may not wish to be here when it comes after us!' Dark insisted.
"Don't need to tell me twice!" Daisuke muttered as he vaulted through the branches, imagining that they were part of another obstacle course of his mother's. Ducking, weaving and flying through the branches, Daisuke was so into his escape that he missed the sight of another human-a human wearing a white fur, crouched next to a patch of blue.
……………………………
"What have you gotten us into this time!?" Duzell hissed angrily.
"It wasn't my fault!" Gourry wailed pathetically. The two of them were tied up and being held at spear point by a group of angry-looking Samurai. Luckily, the only one who stood out was the blond Gourry, as Duzell had shifted into his black-haired form. The vampire was strikingly beautiful in this form, wearing an off-color blue yukata, and because he looked like a woman, was being guarded more heavily than Gourry.
Even as he thought of how strange this logic was-why be more wary of a woman than an obvious foreigner?- a tall man in red armor strutted up to them. He was very ordinary looking, if not for the distinctive helmet he had under his arm, a helmet with a familiar pair of antlers jutting from the forehead. Gaping, Duzell stared up at the familiar man. "Takeda-san?" he muttered lowly.
It was the man from the previous world! A little scruffier and thinner, but undeniably him. Glaring, he spat to the side as he barked at them. "What is a woman from Tataraba and a foreigner doing outside of your fortress?"
Gourry tilted his head. "Tataraba? What's that?" he asked.
Duzell sighed in relief at this. The blond obviously didn't recognize the Samurai. The only reason he knew was the fact that he saw Dark talking to him during the fight with the Heartless. Pitching his voice a little higher, Duzell bashed Gourry in the side with a tied arm. "Gourryu-san! Please be quiet!" he simpered, adopting the accent the other Samurai were using. Taken off guard, Gourry stared at Duzell as the vampire bowed awkwardly to Takeda. "Forgive us good Samurai, but we are only simple travelers passing through the country," he explained, trying to reassure the man. "Please tell us, why have you captured us?" he asked, dark eyes wide and doe-like for the innocent affect. Mentally, Duzell gagged violently. 'There's no way he's going to fall for this,' he thought.
"Hmpth," Takeda snorted as he placed he hand on his sword. "Release them, they are not from Tataraba," he ordered. Eyes wide, Duzell and Gourry stood as the Samurai cut them free. "The women of Tataraba are too proud to act like simple country women. They would rail and rave against us if we had captured one of them," Takeda muttered. Sighing slightly, his stance relaxed as he looked at the two. "So tell me, what are you both doing here? It is a long way from any of the cities," he asked in a kinder tone of voice.
Demurely, Duzell held his hands behind his back, trying to act as simple and feminine as possible. Mentally, he was gagging his immortal head off. "Gourryu-sama is escorting me to another village. My husband-to-be is waiting for me there," he answered. 'Gourry, PLEASE don't screw this up!' he thought furiously. Luckily for him, the blond seemed to have gotten the idea, and was standing up straight, hand resting on his belt as he thrust out his chest importantly.
Nodding, Takeda shifted his stance as he looked away for someone. "If you do not mind then, I will send a Samurai with you as an escort through the forest." His gaze wandered to the tree line on the other side of the lake. He shuddered slightly. "The Gods in there are jealous of their homes. They will not hesitate to kill you," he told them.
Duzell looked up at him. "I'm grateful that you wish to help us, but do not waste your men on us, please," he pleaded, trying to get out of the proposition of a guard. If one was sent with them, then he would only get in their way.
Takeda waved his hand. "Nonsense, I insist! Besides, my motives are not wholly innocent. A Samurai could help us find another way to surround Tataraba." He turned to look at one of his attendants behind him. "Send for Watanuki-taicho," he ordered. Bowing, the two men jogged off, armor clanging noisily as they ran.
………………………………...
A few minutes later, the resigned Duzell and perpetually confused Gourry were on the road again, having been joined by the Lieutenant Watanuki. The young man was all leg and arm, tall and gangely, but with an air of confidence about him that was only acquired through years of fighting. Soft brown eyes were hard as they scanned the path before them, searching for anything that may come after them. Unlike most of the other Samurai, he had cut his hair short so that it was above his ears. Looking back at the two, he called to them. "Hurry up, we don't know what's in this forest."
Stifling a sigh, Duzell loped after the young warrior, Gourry right behind him. Carefully, Gourry leaned over to whisper to the vampire. "Why are we following him? Can't we go by ourselves?" he asked.
Duzell shook his head. "Takeda had a point when he said that something lives in here. I can sense it, old magic, it fills this forest. Plus, we still need to find Daisuke and the twins before we can get off of this world." His eyes flickered back to Watanuki, who was peeking around a corner. "This man may be of some help if we are to get to the other side of the forest," he finished.
Gourry sighed. "All right, all right, you have a point," he conceded. "But, do we have to ju-"
The blond was cut off by a pair of howls. Watanuki flinched as a pair of bodies flung themselves out of the trees, pouncing on the Samurai. A second later, the young man was unconscious, and the twins straightening up in triumph as they sauntered over to the pair before them. "It's about time we found you!" Kaoru exclaimed.
Hikaru nodded. "We've been looking for you since the crash," he explained. "The ship is only a little ways into the forest." He jerked his thumb behind him, pointing into the trees.
"Have you guys seen Daisuke?" Gourry asked as the group of four started for the trees.
"Nope, not yet," the twins chorused. "But we know he's got to be close," Kaoru finished as they pushed a branch out of the way, revealing the ship.
They weren't alone with the relic though. Something was sniffing at the metal, something large and white. Hand on his sword, Gourry stared at the wolf, Duzell mentally preparing a spell. Hearing them, the wolf snarled as it twirled around, fur bristling around the scruff of its neck as it prepared to attack them. It was stopped by an echoing howl that drifted through the trees. The wolf howled back, then reluctantly, turned and padded back into the trees.
"Well, that was strange," Gourry said after a minute, standing back up straight.
The twins shook their heads as they opened the ship's hatch, Hikaru ducking in to grab the tool box. "They've been sniffing around for a while now," Kaoru said as his brother passed him a wrench. He sighed as he looked at the damage to the ship, tapping the wrench against his thigh. "We've retrieved most of the parts we lost, and we have spares for the ones we missed," he told them as he started to work on a loose panel.
"Repairs shouldn't take more than a few days, as long as Kaoru doesn't botch up his work," Hikaru said jokingly.
"Hikaru!" Kaoru exclaimed. Knowing where the twins were about to go, Duzell turned away in annoyance, flipping his still-black hair over his shoulder. "Why must you be so mean to me brother, when you know that I always try my best!" he asked sadly, hunching up his shoulders, the wrench held to his chin like a demented teddy bear.
"Why do you do that?" Gourry asked as the twins came together in a passionate embrace.
Both redheads grinned evilly as they looked at the blond. "We need to stay in practice for when we get back to our world!" they chirped.
Shaking his head, not getting the idea as to WHY they needed to do that in their own world, Gourry padded off, following Duzell into the trees.
The kyuketsuki, or vampire, was leaning against a tree, hands resting on the bark near his face. His eyes were closed, and a light halo of magic was flowing around him, playing with his long hair. "This forest is very old," the man muttered as Gourry came up to him. The blond didn't touch him though-he'd learned that lesson a long time ago. "Full of magic, memories, and pain," he whispered, green eyes slowly opening.
"How can a tree have memories?" Gourry asked, seeing the vampire open his eyes. That was normally the sign that the man was starting to release his spell.
Duzell ignored Gourry as the forest whispered to him in voices that seemed to flow on the wind like falling leaves. They spoke of pain, of people cutting down the trees, of children dying as their mother trees were being destroyed, of sharp hooves tearing into their roots, of a family of protectors gravitating around a pool…
…of a strange child in white fur chasing a human from the direction of the springs.
Snapping back into awareness, Duzell looked into the trees, magic forming at his fingertips as he snapped at the blond behind him. "Something's coming," he barked, raising his hands, blue flames dancing around them.
Taking the hint, Gourry unsheathed his sword, facing the same direction as the vampire. "How far away?" he asked, settling into a ready stance.
Closing his eyes again, Duzell listened to the whispers on the wind. Seconds later, those stunning emerald eyes snapped open, and he twirled around to his left. "There!" he barked, releasing the magic at his fingertips. Blue fire streaked through the trees, seeking their target.
With a yelp, a familiar red-head burst out of the foliage. The flames missed him, but hit the figure that appeared after him.
The white-and-blue-clad figure yelped like a wolf at the flames hit its cape, forming a thick layer of ice. Abandoning its chase, it swatted at the ice, trying to shake it loose, only to yip in fear as it continued to spread up towards the rest of the fur. Scared now, the creature quickly shed the cape, forced to throw away the red and yellow mask as well, as it was connected to the fur. Its face uncovered, the creature snarled at the trio as it raised it's dagger.
Gourry was the first one to react. "You're a girl?!" he exclaimed. Duzell and the newly-recovered Daisuke gave him an exasperated look, but were unable to do anything else. Just as those words popped out of Gourry's mouth, the girl lunged at the blond with a growl, aiming for his ribs.
An idiot he may be, but Gourry was no slouch when it came to swordplay. That dumb-struck look still on his, face he disarmed the teen with a few simple moves, then held her off the ground by the back of her shirt and dress. "Now now, that's not the way for a young lady to act," he told her gently, sounding like an uncle scolding his niece.
The girl ignored him, and swung a fist at him, snarling and spitting furiously as she tried to get free. It was like trying to hold a fully grown wolf in place.
Duzell frowned at the youngster. "Do you want us to kill you? Because you're lucky my magic didn't do just that!" he exclaimed to the wolf-girl.
Sneering, the girl turned to look at the mage/vampire. "I'm not afraid to die, human," she spat. "I'd do anything to get you filthy creatures out of my forest!"
The others were surprised that the girl could talk, but Duzell and Daisuke recovered quickly from their surprise. "Why were you chasing me? I was leaving anyway!" Daisuke exclaimed, standing next to Duzell. On his shoulder, Wiz growled lightly at the girl.
The wolf-girl snarled as she flailed in Gourry's grasp again, twisting and bending in ways that were starting to stretch her clothes. She stopped after a moment, and glared balefully at the boy. "You were in my home, it was my right to do so!" she barked. She twisted again, violently throwing her weight into the movement. With a rip, her shirt suddenly tore, leaving Gourry with a handful of white scraps, and her feet on the ground! With a roar, she launched herself at the boy, teeth bared and fingers curled into claws.
Yelping, Daisuke rolled away, the Keyblade coming to his side instinctively. The girl managed to catch her nails in his side, ripping part of his vest. The red stone from the previous world rolled out of a destroyed pocket, and Daisuke snatched it up as he rolled past. Mentally, Dark yelled at the boy, 'Try to use it!'
'How?!' Daisuke wailed back, blocking another attack. Even as he mentally asked, he started concentrating on the stone, focusing his strength and will on it. Without his consent, his mouth opened, and he yelled as he pumped the stone into the air. "Come to my aid, Fawkes!!"
With a trill of heart-filling song, the stone glowed red, signaling the arrival of the creature. It was a red bird that had flames trailing from its wings, a phoenix! The trio looked at it in awe as it harried the girl away, beating at her with its beautiful wings. Snarling, the wolf-girl finally retreated, racing back into the forest. Howling echoed through the trees a few minutes later, to be answered by three other wolf voices.
Calmly, the bird landed on the ground, hopping a little closer to Daisuke. Regally, it bowed its head, before looking at Daisuke's side. Alerted to the damage now, Daisuke finally registered the pain in his side. The girl had managed to land a good blow, and blood was oozing from the slashes. Burbling, the phoenix rested its head on Daisuke's side, blinking rapidly. Silvery tears trickled down, splashing onto the wounds.
Looking over Daisuke's shoulder, Duzell took a sharp breath as he recognized what the bird was doing. "I know this creature from my own world. It's said that the tears of a phoenix can heal any wound," he said in awe of the creature.
It was true. As the bird finished, Daisuke rubbed his side, and flakes of dried blood gently fell to the ground. Grinning, the boy patted the bird gently, scratching the feathers at its crest. "Thank you," he chirped. With a final whistle, Fawkes dissipated in a flurry of red sparks, rejoining with the summon stone.
"Well, now what?" Gourry asked.
It was a valid question as the trio drifted back towards the ship. "Well, I don't sense any Heartless here," Daisuke contemplated.
'There may be no Heartless, but there is plenty of magic here,' Dark muttered. The magic that permeated the very air was making the spirit simultaneously antsy and relaxed.
"I think it would be best if we left as soon as the ship is repaired," Duzell suggested. Liking this idea, Daisuke nodded. A few seconds later, Gourry shrugged, not caring enough either way.
………………………………...
Days passed in relative peace. Gourry helped Daisuke train with the Keyblade more, Duzell spent much of his time perched in a tree, listening to the forest, and the twins work hard on finding and repairing the rest of the ancient ship. Seeing how useful the summon was, Daisuke rigged a key chain for it using spare wire. The red stone now hung from the handle of the Keyblade, tightly wrapped in the silver wire.
The entire time though, Dark remained restless within Daisuke's mind. Like Duzell, the spirit had a connection to the magic of the forest, just not as intimate as the vampire's was. He sensed that something was coming. He just couldn't say what it was.
It was on the third day that the spirit had finally had enough.
'Daisuke, if you don't let me take over now, I'll make sure that we never fly again!' he threatened.
The red-head snorted as he played with Wiz, playfully wrestling with the little rabbit. 'Like that's a big threat, Dark,' he dismissed.
The dark spirit growled. 'I'm serious here Daisuke! I need to get out!' he insisted.
Daisuke sighed as he sat up, Wiz rolling over again to beg for a belly rub. 'Why? What are you planning to do?' he asked.
'Something's going on in that forest. Wouldn't you rather learn about it yourself instead of having it land on us?'
'…I'll admit, I've been wanting to go and see that pool we woke up by again,' the younger male admitted, giving in to the thief. Shaking his head, knowing that he was probably making a big mistake, the teen stood up, walking out of the ship, Wiz jumping up on his shoulder.
Seeing Duzell in the tree again, the youngster grinned and waved at the vampire, who was resting comfortably in his own form. "I'll see you in a little while Duzell," he called as he walked by.
"Wait, where are you going?" the vampire called, leaning down to look at the boy a bit more comfortably. All around the vampire were the little tree sprites that seemed to find him very interesting.
"Just for a walk. I'll be back later tonight, I promise," he said. The vampire frowned, not sure if he should let the boy go, but he figured that he could take care of himself. After all, he had the Keyblade with him, and no way off the planet. Negligently, he waved at the teen, who grinned as he raced into the forest.
Out of sight from the camp, the teen allowed Dark to take over, his body melting into the taller, thinner version of the thief. Laughing, the man jumped into the trees and out of the canopy, Wiz transforming into the wings as he headed up.
Immediately, he could see the reason he'd been so antsy. Not too far from the ship, smoke was rising from the hills. Dark's nose wrinkled, and he covered it with a sleeve as he flew closer. Luckily for Wiz, he didn't have a nose in this form.
'What is that stink Dark?' Daisuke asked.
Dark growled as he drew closer. "It's the smell of burning animal flesh, hair, and bone," he muttered, knowing the teen would hear him. With a lean to the side, he started to glide in closer.
'Wait, Dark, what are you doing?' Daisuke asked.
"Don't you want to know what happened?" Dark asked, soaring just above the trees, heading towards the open field. Grumbling, Daisuke nodded, in a metaphysical sense, of course.
Suddenly, a yelling voice reached Dark's ears, and he barrel-rolled to the side in time for an arrow to streak by. Looking down, he saw a young man riding an elk of all things, yards ahead of a pack of Samurai on horseback. It was the Samurai that were shooting at the thief. Growling, Dark angled towards the young man, trying to get out of range.
"Leave me alone!!" he bellowed, Wiz flapping hard to stay in the air.
It didn't work. He could hear the Samurai yelling, calling him a demon, and he barely managed to dodge in time to miss another arrow. The teen in front of him wasn't so lucky. The arrow managed to hit the hindquarters of the elk, and the poor animal hit the ground hard, whimpering in pain.
'Dark, help him!' Daisuke urged.
"Don't need to tell me twice!" the spirit retorted, landing in front of the young warrior, summoning the Keyblade to his hand. Behind him, he could hear the teen gasp at his appearance, but he didn't have time to reassure the boy as the first Samurai came up on them. With a roar, Dark knocked the man from the saddle, smacking him over the head with the Keyblade. Luckily for the warrior, he didn't kill him.
Behind him, the young man roared for the Samurai to leave him be. When the warriors didn't listen, he loosed an arrow, hitting one of the men in the neck. Dark was surprised to see the man's head pop off at impact! Outnumbered now, the final man turned his horse and galloped away.
Taking a breath, Dark banished the Keyblade before turning to the teen behind him. Nervously, the blue-clad warrior backed away from him, holding his bow ready to fire. "Who are you?" he asked.
Dark smiled winningly at the young man, holding his hands out. "Me? I'm out of here!" he answered, jumping into the air before the younger man could fire. In the air again, he grinned before turning towards the burning field again, all humor gone from his face.
It was only the work of a few minutes to reach the fields. The sight that greeted them was very sobering. Carcasses of over-sized boars were lying everywhere, burning, smoldering, and some missing their skin. Quietly, the thief padded towards an outcropping of rock, looking for the reason for such destruction.
He found it. Bodies of men were lying on the ground, covered by straw mats. Quietly, Daisuke whispered to his taller counterpart. 'Dark, let me take over, I'm less conspicuous,' he requested. With a nod, the thief relaxed, letting the teen take over again, Wiz transforming back into his normal self. Sadly, the teen walked into the rocky depression, placing his hand on the shoulder of a man who was sitting in the corner, obviously traumatized.
A sudden crunching of gravel alerted him to the presence of a new person. Looking up, Daisuke was surprised to see the same young man he and Dark had helped to rescue. He gave him a sad look as he moved away from the villager. "It looks to me that they've gone through Hell and back," he murmured, approaching the teen.
Before the young warrior could say anything, another man came over the hill, growling that he would kill them if they were Samurai. As soon as he saw the young warrior though, his face broke out in a grin. "Ashitaka-san, you're alive!" he exclaimed.
The now-named Ashitaka nodded as the villager came down towards him. "It looks like you men have had a worse time then I did!" he said, obviously glad to see the man.
The man nodded as over villager men joined him. "We've been burying our friends all day," he said sadly.
"Where's Eboshi-sama?" Ashitaka asked. "I've an important message for her."
Before the man could say anything, a new man dressed like a monk came over the hill. "Who are you two? You are not welcome here!" he barked.
Daisuke raised his hands in surrender. "I was only here to try an help," he said pathetically. Mentally, Dark gave the boy a nod of approval. He'd been teaching the boy how to use the cute and pathetic look to his advantage.
"And I've a message from Tataraba for Eboshi-sama," Ashitaka announced. "Asano and his men have attacked the town, as she needs to return to help!"
At the news, the village men erupted in a flurry of yelling and arguing, trying to get the monks to call Eboshi back. The first man started shaking when Ashitaka asked about the wolf-girl.
"She was there," he said in a tiny voice. "She was there, I was in the front lines, I saw everything!"
"Do you know what happened to her?" Daisuke asked, curious as to what had happened to the feral child.
"I, I'm not sure, everything starting happening so fast!" he whimpered, starting to cry into his arms. The older villager explained that the monk named Jigo had placed them in the front to lure the boars in, but had failed to mention the bombs under their feet, or the grenades they were going to throw down over their heads.
Ashitaka and Daisuke were silent for a moment, contemplating the physical and mental damage something like that could cause to a person. After a second, Ashitaka looked up, and started for a pile of carcasses. Curious, Daisuke followed, and was surprised to see one of the wolves, pinned under a boar carcass!
At once, he joined Ashitaka in trying to get the heavy body off the wolf, Ashitaka saying that the wolf would help him find Eboshi. When a monk started firing darts at the pair, they lost their concentration, and started to collapse under the weight of the heavy creature.
Daisuke panicked. Trapped under the heavy body, he wasn't able to move, and was so scared that he couldn't concentrate enough to call on Dark, or even understand the spirit, who was trying to calm the boy.
After was seemed to be forever, Daisuke felt the pressure ease off, and he pushed with all of his might, desperately wanting to get out. As soon as he was clear, he jumped away from the pile of dead boars, breathing heavily. 'Daisuke, are you ok?' Dark asked frantically.
Calmer now, the teen nodded. 'Yeah, yeah, I'm alright,' he answered. Looking at Ashitaka, he saw that the young warrior was getting ready to leave. "Wait!" he called, jogging towards the boy. When the other fighter looked up at him, he looked him straight in the eye. "I want to come with you," he declared.
Ashitaka grinned wryly. "I'm sorry, but I doubt you can keep up," he answered. "I'm headed for the pool of the Shikakami, and I need to get there now."
"You mean the spring out in the middle of the forest?" Daisuke asked. When Ashitaka nodded, the young thief gave him a confident look. "I promise that I can keep up."
With a sigh, Ashitaka nodded. "Alright, but if you fall behind, then I'm not waiting for you," he warned.
Daisuke smiled, using the same smile that Dark had given him. Ashitaka did a double take at the familiar look. "I'll meet you there!" he declared before racing off into the forest, Ashitaka and the wolf right behind him. With a grin, Daisuke patted Wiz, signaling him to transform. With a flurry of feathers, the teen launched into the air, heading for the pool.
It took the work of many minutes, and it was near twilight by the time he found the pool. He flew down through the opening in the canopy, and landed on the shore near a large, unmoving object, Wiz immediately transforming and ducking into his shirt. He was surprised; it was a giant white wolf with two tails!
A second later, Ashitaka came panting up, looking at the teen with wary eyes. "What are you?" he asked.
Daisuke grinned. "I'm a friend. Isn't that all that matters?" he asked.
Ashitaka finally nodded. Noticing the wolf, he gasped. "Moro, what happened to you?!" he asked. Getting no answer, he turned to the forest. "San! Can you hear me? It's me, Ashitaka!" he bellowed. Faintly, Daisuke could hear a strange roar. "San!!"
There was silence, then a returning cry. "…ashitaka!!"
A second later, that strange roar sounded again, and Daisuke gasped as a large boar covered in blood-red tentacles appeared out of the trees. "What is that?!" he asked, eyes wide.
'Besides a bad porno vid come to life, you mean?' Dark joked, just as freaked out as Daisuke.
"Okotto, turned into a demon," Ashitaka answered faintly. He looked back at the teen, holding up his hand to show purple and red markings. "Don't let him touch you, or you'll be cursed," he warned.
There was a rustling sound, then strange boar-like creatures showed up, surrounding the boys. One raised up, and a man's voice growled at them, a bamboo tube coming out of one of the empty eyes. "Leave, boys," it ordered.
Smartly, Ashitaka looked at them. "Fight me, and the Shikakami will never come," he threatened before walking forward. Standing in front of the demonic boar, he spread his arms, blocking the way to the pool. "Okotto-sama! Calm your fury!" Behind him, Daisuke was barely able to see the fact that Ashitaka was trembling just slightly from fear. "Oh mighty Okotto, let me have the girl, I beg it of you!" he asked. "San! Are you there! It's Ashitaka!"
Daisuke was the first to see the leg kicking amongst the tentacles, but Ashitaka saw it a second later as Okotto screamed at him. "San!" Ashitaka yelled, jumping towards the demon, pushing the men out of the way.
"Kill him! He'll ruin everything!" someone yelled. Hearing this, Daisuke quickly summoned the Keyblade and started knocking heads, revealing monks and hunters underneath the boar skins. With a squeak, Wiz clung to the inside of Daisuke's shirt. Grabbing the Keyblade by the chain that was with it from the start, Daisuke twirled the blade, spinning it as hard as he could. The windmill slammed into heads and stomachs, knocking men out. From the corner of his eye, Daisuke suddenly noticed the two smaller wolves had joined the fight. Carefully, the boy edged his way towards the pool, wanting to get the water to his back for safety, and was splashed when Ashitaka was flung into the water.
"Ashitaka!" Daisuke yelped, but was distracted when the larger wolf opened it's eyes. In a distinctively feminine voice, she muttered, 'And here I was, saving the last of my strength to bite off that damn woman's head. But, I must save my daughter.'
Seconds later, after a series of blasts from grenades, the other two wolves joined their mother as Okotto approached the pool. Levering herself up, the larger wolf cautioned them. 'Don't touch him, or his curse will be upon you too.'
Angrily, the boar marched up to her, red ooze dripping from his wounds and mouth. She seemed to grin when the boar roared at her. 'You can't even speak anymore, can you?' She stood there steady, as if daring the boar to attack her, and when Okotto rammed her, she snarled, 'Give me back my daughter, demon!'
She bit down into the tentacles, ignoring them as they wrapped around her muzzle. Suddenly, Okotto froze, blind eyes staring out across the pool. Curious, Daisuke turned, as froze himself at the sight before him.
A large red deer with branch-like antlers and a human-esque face was approaching them, walking over the water. Ashitaka suddenly burst out of the water, gasping for air, but he stared in awe as well, whispering, "The Shikakami!"
A loud bang. A shot of iron drove straight through the neck of the poor creature. Ashitaka and Daisuke gasped as the god began to sink, losing his ability to stay above the water. Mentally, Dark reassured the boy. 'He's a god, it'll take more than that to kill him off.'
True to his word, the Shikakami seemed to smile as he regained his footing, trotting to the shore. Mesmerized, Daisuke could only watch, the Keyblade down at his side.
Okotto had backed away from the god, the red tentacles dissolving into a gray ooze. Unnoticed by the teen, Moro had retrieved San, and Ashitaka took her from the wolf. Wrapping her in his arms, he dived into the pool again.
Gently, the Shikakami smiled at Okotto, before stretching out his neck, and kissing him on the tip of his snout. Okotto wavered, cataractic eyes pinned on the god, before they finally closed, and his body fell to the side, finally at peace. To Daisuke's surprise, Moro bowed her head before falling over in death as well.
"I don't get it Dark. Why'd he take both of their lives?" Daisuke whispered.
'The wolf, Moro, was suffering, that god just ended her pain,' Dark answered, equally stunned.
Turning from the bodies, the Shikakami looked up through the hole in the canopy. Curious, Daisuke looked up as well. The stars had been out for a while now. Slowly, the creature's neck began to stretch, becoming inky dark, with sparks of light dancing through him. They looked like the light of hundreds of the tree sprites dancing through him. He stretched, higher and closer to the sky. Daisuke would have watched the entire time, but his attention was pulled away by a splash. Ashitaka and San had resurfaced. Turning to look at the shore, the teen yelped, "No, Stop!" before throwing his sword. It thunked solidly into the wooden stock of a woman's rifle!
Daisuke was astonished to see the woman, dressed for hunting. With a smirk, she ignored the teens and took aim at the spirit again. Gracefully, the god turned around, staring at the woman. Plants started to grow out of her rifle. With a scream of furious annoyance, she forced the rifle to shoot, jamming the flint into the weapon.
The boom came at the same time as a hole formed in the spirit's neck. With a sick wet pop, the head of the poor beast sprang up into the air. Down in the water, San screamed in anguish at the sight of the creature dying.
Daisuke suddenly winced as something shot through his senses. He shuddered, wrapping his arms around his shoulders, as he stared at the remains of the Shikakami. The deer god seemed to be bubbling, like it was trying to explode.
'Daisuke, get us out of here, now!' Dark urged. Shaking his head, the teen urged Wiz to transform, only for the spirit to scream, 'GET IN THE AIR!! NOW!!!'
Seconds later, Daisuke hovered over the glade, watching in horror as the remains of the Shikakami exploded outwards, killing everything it touched. Trees withered, the tree sprites falling like autumn leaves. The globs reformed slowly, forming a vaguely humanoid form, one without a head.
Something white caught his eye. Moro's head, which had been coated with the goo of the Shikakami, was wriggling through the destruction, to leap and snap at the woman. With a cry, the huntress leaned back into the arms of a man, holding the bleeding stump of her right arm.
Daisuke flinched as he looked away, focusing on the newly-formed death god. As he focused, his eyes adjusting to the dark, he was surprised to see a familiar symbol on it's chest. "Dark, that thing's a Heartless!" he exclaimed.
'That's what we were sensing,' Dark muttered. 'This world was innocent until the death of that creature. That Heartless is the first one in this world,' he figured.
"Well, how do we kill it? We can't touch it without getting killed ourselves," Daisuke asked, looking at the bodies of the monks and hunters that had been touched by the ooze.
'It looks like it's searching for something.'
"It's head maybe?"
'If we return it, the thing might stabilize and give us a chance,' Dark reasoned.
Daisuke grinned as he looked towards the lake. "And judging by where the ooze is going, I have an idea where the head is," he muttered before soaring away, heading for Tataraba.
………………………………...
Back at camp, Duzell suddenly shuddered as he felt the forest die. Around him, the tree sprites clicked worriedly, unable to comprehend what was happening around them. Closing his eyes, he dived back into his magic, reconnecting to the forest.
Immediately, he began to get a clear mental image of what was happening. He saw a pair of teens, one of them the wolf-girl, as they rode through the forest, on the back of the two white wolves. He saw a dark headless creature with the Heartless symbol on it's chest. He saw a quartet of men running through the trees, carrying a metal box between them-
-He saw Daisuke flying towards the town, the Heartless right under him.
Red eyes snapping open, Duzell jumped down from the tree and smacked the dozing Gourry, awakening him. "Get up, we need to go," he snapped, stalking towards the road.
Groggily, the warrior followed the irate vampire. "Wha happened?" he asked thickly, yawning.
Duzell growled as he started jogging towards the lake. "Daisuke happened, that's what!" he snapped.
"But he can take care of himself, he has the Keyblade."
"But the Pharaoh told us to watch him, and we can't do that if he gets himself killed!" Duzell growled. "Now get moving, we need to reach the fort before the Heartless does."
………………………..
Daisuke yawned slightly as he soared over the banks of the lake, watching for the men with the head to arrive. He'd been in the air for the past three hours, and knew that the men should be close by now, judging by how close the Heartless was.
Suddenly, his sleepy mind had a flash of insight. 'Dark, those people in Tataraba don't know about the ooze. They're sitting ducks in there!' he thought furiously before angling towards the tall wooden walls.
'Daisuke, what are you doing?' Dark asked.
'What else can I do? I'm gonna warn them!' the boy answered.
In the fortress, the women looked up as a winged figure appeared over the water. Toki stared in awe as the teen swooped up over the wall, only to carefully perch on a spike near her. Reddish-colored eyes pierced the night as he asked, "Who's in charge here?"
Toki stepped forward, stepping over her husband and one of the leper women. "I am. What do you want?" she barked.
The teen grinned as he tilted his head to the side. "I'm just here to warn you that you need to get everyone out of here. The Shikakami has had it's head cut off, and now it's remains are out to kill everything they touch," he chirped. "I can sense him, he's about to come over the hill," he said, waving at the high rise behind him. "If that ooze touches you, then you're dead." He looked back, and noticing a pair of white streaks, he stood as he finished. "Water slows it down, so get to the lake." With a salute, he tumbled back, falling through the air.
Twirling around, he glided closer to the white apparitions, and was happy to see Ashitaka and the wolf-girl riding them. For some reason, Ashitaka was missing his shirt, revealing the red and purple scar-like markings that were wrapped around his torso. Even as he flapped closer, the girl pointed up the hill, yelling that she had spotted them. Looking, Dark mentally cursed. They were covered in mud, like they'd rolled through a ditch.
'That must be how they got away from us,' Dark growled.
'Well, they won't get away this time,' Daisuke chirped as he summoned the Keyblade. "I'll slow them down!" he called as he soared ahead, rising higher in order to pick up speed.
Right as they were about to confront the quartet, Dark mentally poked his host. Daisuke flinched. It always felt weird when Dark did that. 'Daisuke, let me take over, I'm scarier looking,' the spirit asked.
Nodding, Daisuke quickly let the spirit take control. At once, the thief grinned as he dive-bombed the men, Keyblade in front, and eyes glowing. With screams, the men ducked for cover, dropping the box. Dark laughed at the revelation that Jigo screamed like a little girl. Daisuke giggled. 'That was fun, do it again!' he chirped.
Dark smiled before looking towards the high rise. "Ok, but we only have a little more time before the Heartless gets here," he warned before diving at a monk. Seeing him, the man raised a dagger, only for Dark to coolly pluck it out of his hand. He landed a few feet away from the men, calmly tossing the dagger in the air. "My my, what are you thinking, playing with something so dangerous," he asked, throwing the weapon away. It soared for a few meters before getting lost on the hillside.
The spirit shuddered minutely as the Heartless came over the rise, entering the valley. 'Ok, time to get serious here,' he thought as he leveled the Keyblade at Jigo's scruffy throat."I suggest you open the box, Jigo," he said, looking the man straight in the eye. Behind the man, Dark could see San and Ashitaka approaching.
Even with the Keyblade at his throat, Jigo chuckle, albeit nervously. "What, now? When we've only a little more to wait for sunrise? Look!" he waved at the Heartless spirit, which was working it's way through the valley. Smoke was rising from Tataraba, which was thankfully already evacuated. "He's a brainless, life-sucking, swollen god of death! But at sunrise, he'll vanish! Like a bad dream!"
Dark shook his head with a smirk. "That's where you're wrong, Jigo. What you see is not the Shikakami, but a creature that will enjoy nothing more than destroying all of us. The only way to kill it safely is if we give it back it's head, now," he ordered.
Jigo's face twisted into a cool, calculating look. "Look, help me, and I'll give you anything you want. The reward for this thing will make us rich beyond our wildest dreams!" he offered.
Dark pursed his lips, pretending to think about it. Seeing Ashitaka and San in position, he told the monk, "How about…. No," before slamming the Keyblade into his skull, knocking him out. "Get the head!" he yelled as he waded into the ranks of the other three hunters, taking them out with quick blows to the heads and stomachs.
Seeing the opportunity, the pair raced up to the abandoned box, pulling it away from the fight. Carefully, Ashitaka undid the latches that held the thing closed, and pulled away the bar. Finished, Dark jogged over to the pair. By now, the Heartless was closing in on them, coming up onto the bank. Carefully, the teens pulled away the lid, revealing the head, which was swimming in a pool of green-tinted slime. Together, San and Ashitaka lifted the head, the slime dripping down their arms, leaving growing patches of curse scars on their skin.
"Shikakami!" Ashitaka bellowed, ignoring the marks growing on his face, "we give you back your head! Take it, and be at peace!!"
The creature slowed, as if understanding them. Dark backed away nervously as it seemed to lean over them. "Well, yeah, that seemed to have caught his attention," he muttered before launching himself into the air. The last thing he saw before the pair were engulfed by the creature, was Ashitaka wrapping his arm around San.
At once, the Heartless solidified, darkening as it stood up. On the ground, San and Ashitaka were out cold, but luckily still there. Daisuke and Dark breathed sighs of relief; the Heartless didn't take their hearts. At once, they were on alert though, as the Heartless swiped at them with clawed hands. It was shaped like a humanoid again, with devil horns and claws on it's hands and feet. The eyes glowed evilly as it targeted the flier, and Dark levered the Keyblade in a defensive position as it started to attack.
"NAUR!" A large fireball streaked towards the Heartless, slamming into it's chest.
Dark grinned. "I know that spell," he muttered before looking down in the direction the fireball had come from. Sure enough, there they were, Duzell preparing another spell and Gourry hacking at the Heartless' knees. As if sensing his eyes on him, Duzell looked up at the spirit with a pissed look. His eyes were literally telling him that there would be Hell to pay later.
'We're dead later, aren't we?' Daisuke asked as Dark slashed at the Heartless, aiming for the eyes.
"Yep, Duzie's gonna murder us," the spirit chirped, spinning the Keyblade in his hands. Another fireball splashed against the Heartless, burning through an arm.
'Well, it was nice knowing you while it lasted Dark,' Daisuke joked.
Dark chuckled as he dove under the final flailing arm, slashing into the armpit and drawing upwards along the shoulder. With a roar, the Heartless slumped, black gunk oozing out of the wound.
At the perfect angle, Dark twirled in midair, slicing the Keyblade through the creature's throat right as the sun rose. With a final roar, the Heartless dissolved, changing into a tall, graceful creature with thousands of stars flowing through him. With a start, Daisuke recognized the pattern as the creature that the Shikakami was turning into when this whole incident started.
Slowly, the Nightwalker, as Dark would later learn to be the creature's name, turned to stare at the rising sun, before toppling backwards, falling over Tataraba. With a low crash, it hit the charred remains of the fort, and a strong wind kicked up.
With a yell, Dark tumbled backwards, holding his arms up to protect his face.With a crash, he slammed into the ground face first, and was immediately knocked out.
…………………….
Hours later found the group ready to leave the planet. Daisuke, who had taken over after the crash, sealing the Keyhole in the Pool of the Shikakami, grinned as Duzell lectured him about rushing off into danger. The twins finally stopped him by announcing that they should buckle up, " as we didn't find that last piece of the navigation."
Seeing the panicked look on Duzell's face, Daisuke snickered as he strapped himself in. Mentally though, he hoped that this flight would be a little smoother than the last one.
…………………………..
"Well, they know how to use that useless chicken," snarked the purple-eyed man. He poked at the tall man with slitted eyes. "I hope you guys are happy, they have something to help them now!"
With a snarl, the offended man lunged at the skort-wearing teen, only for them to both find themselves levitating in mid air. The old man in the cloak tsked at them as he motioned to the side. As he did so, the pair flew into the wall. "Now now children, what have I said about playing nice?" he asked, acid yellow eyes glowing.
Groaning, the younger man rolled to his feet, shaking the stars from his eyes. "Mommy, make the room stop," he muttered lightly.
The old man with the moustache shook his head at the man in the cloak. "Nice work, you scrambled what brains he had left," he growled.
"Enough," commanded the red-eyed male in a rumbling voice. "Envy, don't you have work to do?" he asked.
The teen shook his head one final time before grinning. "Oh yeah, gotta go stir up the shrimp!" he chirped before summoning a sphere of darkness around him, disappearing.
The young man with the grill-like mask snorted at the antics of the 'youngest' member. "Naraku-sama, I do not understand why you keep that creature in your service," he intoned.
The newly named Naraku shrugged fluidly. "An annoyance he may be, but his skills more than make up for it," he countered. He turned to the mirror that the albino girl was holding, staring at the key bearer. "For now, we shall just keep an eye upon him, shall we?" he said.
Within the depths of the castle, a certain young man shuddered at the sound of evil laughter echoing off the walls.
Ok! I hope you enjoyed this! Longest chapter yet, with over 8000 words! Woot! I'm on a roll here!
Yes, Watanuki is from Xxxholic, before anyone asks. Yes, Takeda was from the last chapter as well. Anyone who has read Xxxholic will understand how he is able to be on multiple worlds.
Anyway, show your love people! Read and Review!!
All of my love, and may The Force be with ya!