Chapter 3
Battle of the Wills
The quiet of Las Noches was shattered by a massive explosion, sending thick white smoke and debris into the air, huge chunks of rock slamming into the surrounding sand dunes, into other buildings, some even reaching high enough to leave craters on the ceiling of the great fortress. The blast unleashed was powerful enough to blow an entire wall away, and if his calculations were accurate that wall was most likely over three meters thick.
Naruto flashed back into existence twenty meters in the air, masked face looking down on the remains of the chamber they had been using. Other forms flashed into existence, scattered across the air and the dunes below, watching in awe as the cyclone of azure energy rose from the wreckage, slowly increasing its reach to the ceiling above.
Yugito was in the middle of that cyclone. She was in pain, agony, screaming for help. Questions flew through his mind, but forward of them all was just one; what the hell just happened? He knew for a fact that Yugito was just like him. Could he have the same negative reaction? Was there something like this inside him?
Balancing itself on the open topped floor, claws' digging into the timber and concrete was a fox. But it was different than any fox he had ever seen. Instead of crimson fur his body seemed to be covered in a white carapace, with the only other color being the black claws, snout and ear tips. Nine long tails, bushy in appearance twirled around him, some wrapping themselves around the mansion, others lying limp, others still just swaying back and forth. But his eyes got Naruto's attention, because unlike the rest of the world they held color which was not in blacks, whites or grays. The eyes were crimson, and they were focused on him with a murderous hunger.
A throaty growl assaulted his senses, distorted and nightmarish "So we meet again, Gaki!"
He shook his head to dispel the memory. A question for another time, for now his course of action was simple. He needed to help her, but how?
He felt a gust of wind, followed by a low level boom and a shadow towering over him. Naruto turned to see the green haired Arrancar woman floating beside him, her hazel eyes surveying the destruction below. She spoke, her voice calm yet he saw a slight glint of worry in her eyes "What is going on?"
"How should I know" he replied.
"You are both Jinchuriki. You should know what is going on"
"Kind of difficult, what with a lack of memories" Naruto shot back lightly, before he surveyed the scene below for a few more seconds, finally he spoke "I need to help her…she's in pain, I can feel it"
"How do you know this?" Nelliel asked, mildly curious.
"I don't know how I can sense it, I just do" he ground back, before vanishing in a Sonido. He reappeared several meters below, soaring through the air towards the whirlwind of wayward spiritual energy.
Nel watched him dart towards the anomaly with reckless abandon, and sighed "If I let you get yourself killed Aizen-sama will be disappointed"
With those words spoken she used a Sonido, taking off after the blonde at breakneck speed. Her eyes narrowed as she went into a steep dive after the Vizard, watching as he released a midlevel cero, the beam of crimson piercing through the tornado, allowing him to break through to the eye of the storm. The hole closed up as he entered, like a huge maw slamming down.
Nelliel opened her mouth, drawing energy to the tip of her tongue, her own light green cero forming. With a release of breath she fired, watching as the beam slammed into the cyclone, allowing an opening. With a Sonido she made it through the gap before it closed, and surveyed her new surroundings.
It was really like a tornado, right down to the eye of calm in the middle. She watched the swirling energy around her, knowing that she was as good as dead if she even touched it. Looking down she saw two figures, one in a kneeling position, the other lying prone on the ground. Nelliel descended, her feet touching the concrete floor silently as she observed the duo.
She recognised Naruto immediately, his torn Shinigami robes, his spiked blonde hair and his fox mask covering all of his face but the brilliant, vibrant oceanic eyes. The other she could not place. The figure, who she knew was a woman, had long blonde hair; pooled on the floor behind her head like a halo, pale skin, her eyes tightly shut. She was naked, but Naruto had placed a cloak over her to cover her form.
This had to be Yugito.
As the Tres came closer she saw that the woman's sleep was anything but peaceful, seeing the telltale signs of her eyes darting from right to left under her eyelids. Yugitos body was tossing and turning, convulsing, the dull roaring of the cyclone joined by a tense, pained whimper from the woman's lips. Naruto was holding her down by her shoulders, his eyes showing his worry.
"What's wrong with her?" the Espada asked as she kneeled beside Naruto, her own eyes settling on the woman.
"I'm not sure" he replied "But I'm guessing that whatever Aizen was planning didn't have the desired effect. Her rietsu is out of control, its unstable…almost like it has a mind of its own" Nelliel thought for a moment, before reaching out with her hand, which was stopped by a vicelike grip. Naruto starred right into her eyes "What are you doing?"
"I need to check to see if the signs of the change are still there" Nelliel replied "It could give us clues"
The blonde was silent for a moment, before releasing her wrist and giving his consent with a nod. Grabbing a fistful of the cloak she pulled it aside, inspecting Yugitos body for any sign of the Shinigamification process. After a moment she started to frown. There was no hollow hole, no mask fragments, not even a tiny piece. It was almost like she was never a hollow to begin with, like all signs of that fact were purged. She almost looked like a regular soul.
The woman suddenly shot up in a sitting position, eyes and mouth wide open in an agonised scream, which slowly became a gurgle, like she was about to throw up. White liquid exploded from her mouth, eyes, ears, through her nose, seemingly on a collision course with Nel until the substance stopped in midair and flew back, covering the blondes face. Yugito fell back, struggling violently against whatever was invading her body.
The white liquid slowly took a form, a round nose, tipped ears, slanted holes for eyes, azure whisker markings on the cheeks. It looked like a hollow mask, and as the mask finished its transformation Nelliel saw a pair of eyes pierce through the darkness, looking straight at her with a ravenous hunger. The eyes were an unnatural cerulean, with slit midnight blue pupils.
------
A two year old girl screaming in agony, lying on her back in the centre of a huge circle of runes. Her small body covered in black glyphs and seals. Men and women standing on the edges of the complex hexagon, whispering an incantation she could not hear nor understand. Azure chakra exploded forth, forcefully entering her body through her mouth and eyes.
Cerulean chakra, dense and evil encompassed her. Every nerve ending was on fire, every centimetre of skin felt like it was being cut into by hundreds of microscopic knives. Then a pair of glowing cat-like eyes was starring down upon her, angry, mocking and hateful.
A six year old girl curled up in a corner, watching with tear filled eyes as her Jonin mother was murdered, trying to protect her from a group of villagers. She awoke to find herself in a mountain of corpses, her hands covered in blood.
An eight year old girl lay in a corner, legs drawn up to her chest, crying out her uselessness to an uncaring world.
"Hey kid" looked up she saw a young man, just out of his teens, form muscular, his body the colour of night, his hair white with a slight yellowy tint "You alright?"
A ten year old girl starring down the baleful eyes of a huge demonic entity, safely protected by a barrier of steel bars "Alright you dirty bitch" the child growled "Whether you like it or not you are in my body, your rent is overdue and I want it with interest!!!"
A twelve year old girl looking down at a Cloud headband, hands carefully tracing the symbols etched into the metal "Yugito Nii, from this day forward you are a Genin"
A thirteen year old girl, hands holding a blood drenched kunai, driving it into the neck of an enemy Ninja again and again. Blood splattered across her face as tears flooded from her eyes.
"From this day forward you are a Jonin" a sixteen year old girl looked at the metallic grey flak vest in her hands with wonder. She had finally done it, she was accepted.
A twenty year old woman starring at her best friend as they prepared to spar "Come on Yu-chan" Kirabi whispered with a smirk "Hit me if you can!"
She was twenty nine, starring down two agents dressed in pure black cloaks, clouds the colour of spilled blood etched into the fabric.
She was slammed against a wall, her own kunai digging into her hands, crucifying her against the hard, unbending stone, blonde mane bursting from its confines and covering her bloodied face.
Save me.
Someone save me
No one came.
A twenty nine year old girl screaming in agony, lying on her back in the centre of a huge circle of runes. Her body covered in black glyphs and seals. Men and women standing on the tips of stone fingers, whispering an incantation she could not hear nor understand, azure chakra exploding from her mouth and eyes, being devoured by a nightmarish stone statue.
Silence
She awoke in a nightmare, a forest of dead trees and cursed earth surrounding her.
She stood, confused and disoriented, staggering to a pool of clear water.
She looked at her own reflection, seeing the monstrous visage starring back at her.
She screamed.
------
The last pieces of white liquid seeped across her exposed flesh, covering her face. The last of her screams morphing into a nightmarish snarl. Then she was still, and silent. Naruto and Nelliel looked at each other for a second, before the blonde pressed his fingers against her neck, searching for a pulse of spiritual pressure. Sure enough there it was.
"Nelliel" he said, gaining the Espada's attention "Go to Aizen, tell him to place a ten layered barrier around this area"
"What do you mean?" she asked, perturbed.
"Trust me" he replied, his eyes not leaving the masked visage which had overtaken his partner. He didn't know why he was asking for the shield, he just had a sinking feeling that it would be needed "Go and tell him, now!"
The green haired woman hesitated, before nodding and rising to her feet, vanishing with a quick Sonido. As she blurred away Naruto rose to his feet and took several steps back, his eyes not leaving the prone figure. The truth was he felt the spiritual pressure fall upon the entire area, like a heavy blanket which made it hard to breathe. This wasn't Yugitos rietsu, it felt older, it felt larger, it felt unnatural.
It felt evil.
He didn't notice it at first, but small bubbles of dark blue began to appear on her form, slowly expanding until it covered her entire body. Naruto tensed, falling into a defensive stance, watching as the bubbling liquid took a shape, like it had a life of its own. Yugitos hands were overtaken by large clawed paws, a single long tail grew from the small of her back, long ears formed over her head. Her body rose, like she was on an invisible rising table. When she was finally upright she fell forward on her hands and feet, that nightmarish mask fully formed, cerulean eyes with slit pupils glowing through the dark eye holes.
Yugito threw her head back, as if looking up to the sky, and screamed an unnatural, terrifyingly hollow cry which seemed to echo through the vast space of the fortress interior. Then those cerulean eyes settled on him, took in his masked face and tattered robes.
"Come on Yu-chan" he whispered, as she prowled towards him like a hungry predator "Snap out of it"
She swiped her paw, which confused him considering she was too far away. Then he saw it, the rietsu around her hand extended, a long paw of spiritual pressure shooting out towards him. He jumped back, vanishing in a Sonido just as the paw slammed into the ground where he once stood, sending a mass of white smoke and debris into the air. The Shinigami reappeared above the carnage, and whistled as he saw the great crater where he once stood.
"Sorry Yu-chan" he whispered, crimson rietsu seeping through his pores, beginning to overtake him "But it looks like I have no choice, I'll force you to snap out of it"
Slowly his crimson rietsu took a form, long pointed ears, a single long swishing tail and clawed hands. The crimson bubbled and swirled around him, as if it was an entity completely independent of his own will. Naruto gritted his teeth behind his mask, feeling the liquid cover his body, feeling like his skin was being coated by molten liquid. Even when the transformation completed itself he still felt it, although thankfully it had become a dull ache.
Naruto looked up to see Yugito's half masked face starring openly at him. The left side of her face contorted in a beastly snarl, mouth curled up, teeth bared, eyes twinkling with glee at the promise of violence. Naruto saw red, a voice in his mind crying out for the chance to hurt, to maim, and to kill. He grit his teeth again, and willed the dark voices away.
Yugito's howl shook him from his internal conflict, and with a quick crouch she rocketed forward, paws outstretched. Naruto broke out into a run, rushing towards her with an extended claw. The two met, and explosion of cerulean and scarlet demolishing the surrounding structure, kicking up a massive cloud of dust, debris, and half expended spiritual pressure.
------
"Now that is impressive" Aizen said to himself as he watched the scene, the surrounding structure had been eviscerated. The debris and remnants of rietsu smashing against the kido barriers erected around the battlezone, flashing yellow as they struck and ricocheted.
The dust cleared and Aizen looked on with widened eyes as the two figures became visible once again, two darkened silhouettes, covered in bubbling masses of crimson and azure, both seemingly crafted to look like the outlines of a fox and a big cat. The two were locked together like a couple of duelling bison.
He heard a muffled bang, and turned to see Dordonii standing before him, kneeling and head bowed in respect "Report"
"The barriers havebeen successfully erected my lord" the fourth Espada intoned "The collateral damage will be contained"
"Excellent, thank you Dordonii" Aizen said with a nod "Gather all available Arrancar and place them around the perimeter. They are to keep the barriers from cracking. If the shields break then all of Las Noches will be in jeopardy"
"These Jinchuriki are that strong my lord?"
"Not at the moment" Aizen replied, eyeing the battle as the two disengaged and jumped back "But it will become a problem if more tails begin to form"
"Tails?"
He nodded "You see Dordonii the power of a Jinchuriki is judged by the number of tails he or she possesses. The woman possessed the Nibi no Nekomata when she was alive, meaning that two tails is her limit, and while she is powerful Starrk or even Barragan could subdue her. Naruto on the other hand has the potential to call upon the tails of the Kyubi no Yoko; nine tails altogether" Aizen paused for a moment "If he calls upon all tails, and if he loses control then it would take all ten Espada to stop him"
The Cuatro Espada looked down at the scene with wide eyes "Should I gather the Espada, Aizen-sama?"
"Please do"
------
"Can you hear me?"
She opened her eyes to be met with a sky coloured in shades of gray and white, clouds lazily following a course. She sat up a little too quickly, and immediately regretted it as her head began to pound like a drum, drawing a hiss of pain and a hand shooting up to massage her temple.
Squinting her eyes she looked around, seeing that she was lying on the peak of a small mountain, looking around she saw others, a circle of mountains surrounding a large lake of crystal blue water. Low level clouds were scattered between ten meters above the water surface to the middle of the cliffs. It seemed more like a valley than a circle of mountains. Immediately she recognised it as the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, an ancient range which was once located in the heart of the Land of Lightning.
Yugito frowned as she looked across the landscape, one moment she was in the Arrancar fortress of Las Noches, the next she was laying on the top of one of the mid level peak of the Valley of Clouds and Lightning. She stood up, staggering slightly when she stood up straight, and walked to the edge of the cliff.
She looked down to see that she was wearing the exact clothes she remembered wearing in her dreams; or nightmares. Baggy dark purple trousers, Shinobi sandals, a long sleeved shirt, lower half purple, top half black, black sleeveless gloves, white bandages wrapped around her arms, forearms and around her ankles. She touched her hair to see that her long blonde mane was tied in the same white cloth she always remembered.
"Can you hear me?"
Her ears perked up, and with a start she turned, expecting someone behind her. There was no one. Bewildered she took a few steps from the edge, her eyes darting across the flat mountain top. Suddenly she felt a presence tugging at her mind, and after a moment of hesitation she allowed it to guide her.
"Find me"
With a deep breath she took a step over the edge, somersaulting in midair and landing on the steep slope. She skidded down the incline, ignoring the fine mass of dust which followed her wake. Yugito looked down to see a carved flat of rock. With a well timed jump and somersault she landed in a crouch. Standing up she turned to see stairs crafted from the rock, leading up to a large cave entrance.
"Come on child"
She ascended the steps and walked to the entrance, stopping for a moment before taking a deep breath and stepping into the abyss. Yugito walked down the corridor, lit up by dim torches. She ran a hand along the rough rocky walls, a surge of memories of her training here with Kirabi.
There were good times and bad times within these walls, but here she had been the happiest she had ever been in her life, training, eating, staying up all night and talking about nonsense. Her time training with the Hachibi Jinchuriki was some of the happiest of her life, and she wouldn't trade it for the world.
Finally the corridor widened into a cavern, its walls held up by a wooden frame, adding extra support to the hollowed out chamber. She saw the futons laid out on the ground to the far right, the pots and vases used for bringing in water, the table with a leg warmer for the snowy winters. It was exactly as she remembered it, sparse yet homey. Looking forward she saw yet another set of wide steps carved into the rock, leading up to another room, a sparse training chamber of solid rock walls, perfect for trying to control your Biju.
She climbed the steps with ease, acknowledging the pull and allowing it to lead her to where it wanted to go, where she needed to go. Yugito came to a stop at the opening between living chambers and training grounds, took a deep breath and entered.
She was surprised that someone else was in the chamber, a woman sitting on a tatami mat in the very centre. Legs crossed, eyes closed as if in meditation. The first thing Yugito noticed about her was her long flowing black hair, stretching down her back and pooling onto the mat. Her face was serene, skin the colour of cream. She wore a kimono, crimson in colour, laced with yellow and black, the fabric pooling on the floor just like her hair.
The woman opened her eyes, looking straight at Yugito for a handful of heartbeats, and then smiled "You came, you finally came"
There was such joy laced in her words that it gave Yugito pause. She frowned at the woman, not interrupting her as she rose to her feet and walked over to her with an unnatural grace in her movements; it was almost as if she was floating. Finally the former Kumo-nin regained her voice, and asked "Who are you?"
The woman stopped, looking at her, head tilted in curiosity "Don't you recognise me? It's me…" her mouth moved, yet Yugito could not hear, it was almost like she had become deaf for the second it took the stranger to speak.
Upon seeing her bewildered expression the woman's face fell, and a sigh escaped her lips "I see, so my voice still can't reach you"
Yugito remained silent, bewildered, confused and not trusting her voice to speak, finally she decided to change the subject by asking another question which haunted her "What is this place?"
"This is your mindscape, your inner world" the woman replied "It is here where a Zanpakuto spirit resides" she placed a hand to her chest "I am your Zanpakuto, Yugito"
"Impossible" she rebuked firmly "Only Shinigami have Zanpakuto! I am not a Shinigami!"
"So they do" the woman replied "But you are no longer a Hollow, so you must be a Shinigami"
"How is that possible?"
"It is because you were once a Jinchuriki" her Zanpakuto replied "You became a Hollow not because you were meant to be, but because of the demon which was nestled inside you. Your death was a traumatic and terrible fate, and the agony you went through made you lose control after death, the Nekomata took over and in its death throes turned you into a Hollow" she took a step forward, and Yugito took a step back. She wasn't going to lie to herself, she was afraid "You have been given a chance. Throw off this fate, defeat the demon inside you once and for all, and become a Shinigami…or fail, let the demon take you and remain as a Hollow"
The woman's emerald eyes focused on something behind Yugito, and seemed to harden "The choice is yours"
Then she felt it, a familiar presence, an ominous presence, a malevolent presence. One she recognised all too well. Yugito took a dry gulp, and turned to see the creature which had haunted her nightmares for years. Standing on the other side of the chamber, starring at her with feral cerulean eyes was a giant cat. Its skin seemed to be made of white carapace, clawed paws digging into the asphalt, two long tails swishing behind her. The creature's eyes focused on her, jaws peeling back into a snarl.
"Hello Kitten"
"Yugito!"
She turned just in time to catch an object, a fully sheathed sword thrown by her Zanpakuto. It was a katana, its hilt covered in white cloth, its golden guard circular and its sheath gleamed white with golden embroidering. Quickly she drew the sword from the scabbard, and watched the liquid silver blade, mesmerised at the craftsmanship.
It was perfect.
"Fight it!"
"So are you actually going to put up a fight this time, Kitten?" the Nibi no Nekomata asked, before crouching its fore legs and pouncing forward "I would hate for our last battle to end quickly!!!"
------
The cero came quickly and precisely, a ball of pure cerulean, a trail of light blue following in its wake like a comet. Naruto raised a hand and watched as the rietsu claw expanded to three times its original mass. The claw closed around the cero just as it impacted and exploded. Naruto pierced through the steam, his other clawed hand extending towards his opponent.
Yugito jumped to the side, missing the claw and with an inhuman cry of glee fired a series of blue tinted fireballs from her mouth. The torrents of flame soared through the air, destroying chunks of wreckage, ripping through the ground and exploding off Naruto's demon cloak as he darted left and right in a vain attempt to dodge. The shield of rietsu took the brunt of the hit, but he still felt the sting.
Naruto didn't know how to call upon these powers. It was instinctual, his body just knew the motions, his mind seemed to automatically fall into a state between human and beast. Fighting an internal battle to keep the voice in the back of his head at bay, the voice which demanded that this infernal fortress run red with blood, the voice which chided him to crush Yugito's head like a watermelon, to feel her blood flow from his hands.
He shook his head violently, dispelling the apparition and aiming his hand extended the claw, watching as the arm extended at breakneck speed. Yugito veered away with a chilling laugh which wasn't hers, and the claw slammed into the wrecked concrete floor, crushing it utterly.
But Naruto was already moving, coming towards her, a third tail forming behind him as he called upon more of this strange power, and with this power he felt his control wane even more. One more tail and he could lose his control entirely. Then whatever was goading and laughing at him in the back of his mind would be unleashed.
Yugito's face was completely covered by a white mask by now, much like his own. White porcelain frame, cat like ears with dark blue tips, slanted eyeholes, the glow of cerulean orbs noticeable in the dark shadows, three azure whisker marks etched into the cheeks. The entire left side of her body had been overtaken by the transformation. On the left hand side her body was covered by white carapace, slender arm and leg ending in long, deadly claws. But her right side was a human visage, her nudity covered by the white carapace as it slowly edged across her form.
He was in considerably better condition, for while he was also calling upon his cloak his body remained mostly human, still garbed in the black tattered robes he had worn since he could remember. Only his mask was in place, that demonic visage of a fox. He looked at his right hand, and concentrating rietsu into it created a swirling ball of energy. Using his enhanced abilities he surged forward, vanishing in a blur and reappearing before his opponent.
"Come on Yu-chan" he whispered, blocking a swipe with his left and lashing out with his right, the ball impacted against the demon cloak, but lacked the power to punch through "Wake up!!!"
"You appear to be having problems, Naruto"
Time seemed to stop, everything stopped. The flying debris, the howling wind, the swirling of the energy ball, Yugito's swiping claw, everything stopped. Slowly, eyes wide, Naruto turned to see a man, a man who he recognised as being eerily familiar. Black pants and jacket, dark green armoured vest, silver eyes, black hair, a headband tied to his forehead, a leaf symbol displayed proudly.
"Who are you?"
The man frowned "Must we do this again?"
I have a little dilemma I need your help with. I have been boggling my mind for a name for Yugito's Zanpakuto, I have gone through several dozen ideas, all of which I have classified as failures. Does anyone have an idea for a good name, a Zanpakuto idea…anything? Tell me your ideas either in the review panel or by sending a message to my Fanfiction mail box.
And for anyone who reads both this and Abyssal One of the Red Clouds I apologise for the chapter taking so long. So far I have written roughly six or seven pages, the progress is slow, then again it is an important chapter in my mind and I want to get it right. So have patience.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter, peace!