Blurred Lines
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Warning: There are some minor character deaths in this chapter. I wanted to make it realistic. No one from any of the main pairings will be killed though. You may wish to skip this one, if you are sensitive to that sort of thing.
Chapter 17
Sasuke licks his lips nervously, a few hours later. Thankfully, he had once again spent the night in Naruto's arms. That meant that he would be there for what would hopefully be the final battle with the Goblin Kingdom.
It had taken some time, but they were now ready to launch their assault. The gravity of the situation was now beginning to fully hit Sasuke. There was a very real chance that at least some, if not all of them could die. It was one thing to talk about going to war. It was quite another to actually do it.
"It's not too late to change your mind." Naruto whispers as he flies Sasuke into the air.
The elf was currently riding on the back of the golden dragon. He wasn't the only one though. The rest of Taka was riding with him.
"Eh. We aren't babies! We can take care of ourselves. Besides, I doubt Sasuke wants to miss all the fun either!" Suigetsu says with a cocky smile.
Sasuke snorts in amusement. Suigetsu was still Suigetsu. The fact that he was in another realm now, apparently made no difference and Sasuke wouldn't have it any other way.
"You heard the man. Well merman." The Traveler informs Naruto.
"Alright. Let's go kick some goblin hindquarters then!" Naruto replies cheerfully as he flies them towards the castle.
Down below, Sasuke could see the Chinese, Egyptian, Viking, and Leprechauns were all ready. The Goblin Kingdom was large, but they had a strategy. Their diverse army were placed strategically all across the capital city's roof tops, in their trenches, or by the gates.
"This is crazy. I still can't believe we're attacking freaking goblins." Karin mutters.
"Oh don't be scared. Once you open that big mouth of yours, they'll go screaming in the other direction." Suigetsu informs her.
Sasuke shakes his head as Karin launches into a tirade against Suigetsu. He could see that Jugo was watching the scene with no small amount of bemusement. Well at least the fairy was entertained.
Down on the ground, Gaara was in one of Egypt's many chariots with his Queen by his side. It was a grand chariot. One that was made out of gold and silver with expensive gems here and there. Not surprisingly, that design had been at Mei's requests. She was really fond of luxury.
"Are you ready for this, My Love? The Chinese are going to try to break down some of the walls with their catapults, any minute now." The red head tells her.
"Of course, I am. These goblins have had this coming to them for many years. I'm overjoyed at the prospect of slaying some of these foul beasts." She tells him cheerfully.
"Good. I'm glad that you feel that way. ATTACK!" He calls out.
Suddenly thousands of chariots, leprechauns, Vikings, and Chinese people rushed towards the walls that showed the boundary between the Goblin Kingdom and the Viking one.
"That's our signal." Mikoto says from her position behind the charging armies.
She, Fugaku, and many of their people were currently in some trenches dug only the night before. For now, their goal was to break down the walls by hurling boulders at them with the catapults. That would make it easier for the foot soldiers to storm the place.
"Oh this is going to be fun!" Kisame says as Itachi shows him how to operate the catapult.
"My love, this isn't supposed to be an enjoyable experience. This is war." Itachi informs with him a sigh as he forms a large Susanoo around himself and the people closest to him.
"Pft. Please. I'm going to enjoy finishing the job you started. Danzo deserves to die for what he put you through." The merman states as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
BAM! CRACK! CRUNCH! BOOM! The boulders were being launched at the walls in rapid succession. The force of the massive rocks colliding into the walls was nothing short of terrifying (or in Kisame's case exhilarating).
"Art is an explosion!" Deidara calls out excitedly as he flies around on a giant bird made of clay and hurls his various grenades into the city.
Sasuke blinks as he watches the eccentric blonde cause complete chaos. He had met more of his family's friends only on the night before. Deidara was a rather eccentric Viking that even Naruto thought was nuts. Still Sasuke couldn't argue with the results.
"Susanoo!" He calls out as he wraps himself, Naruto, and his friends in a purple creature made of a strange energy that he knew would protect them.
"I gotta admit. This is pretty badass, Sasuke. I guess it doesn't really matter that the color is girly." Suigetsu teases him.
Sasuke rolls his eyes at his friend's response. Whatever. It was so not girly and it was still an awesome bit of magic, if he did say so himself.
"You're such an idiot. Did you get any cool powers that came with being a merman?" Sasuke asks.
"Oh yeah. I got a few tricks up my sleeve too. Don't worry." The white haired college student assures him.
BOOM! That's when a section of the City Wall's falls down. It was enough space to allow the rainbow coalition of supernatural beings to charge through. Starting with the Egyptian Chariots.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" A goblin screams in terror.
They never received their answer as one of the chariots bowls them over. Sasuke wasn't sure if that particular goblin survived or not. His best guess was that they didn't.
The chariots were now forging ahead at full speed. The Egyptians were trying to run people over or kill whatever unfortunate goblin they could spear with their swords.
"IN THE NAME OF THOR, VICTORY SHALL BE OURS!" A Viking bellows out and with that, the Vikings storm onto the scene.
Sasuke winces at the carnage down below. The goblins had finally figured out what was going on and some blow horns were being used to call for aid. It was now complete chaos as more and more goblins rushed to help their comrades and defend their homes from the onslaught.
That's when things got even more chaotic. The Chinese were now charging head first into the fray, eager to help their allies. Not to be outdone, the leprechauns were now launching arrows from the roof tops.
"Oh yeah! Now it's party!" Sasuke hears someone from down below yell.
It was Hidan. He was an Egyptian. The man worshipped some bloodthirsty God and was constantly droning on about making sacrifices to it. As far as Sasuke could tell, the fact that he was now in the middle of a battle meant that he was having the time of his life.
The man was psychotic, but at least he was on their side. That's when Hidan drove a spear through the skull of some Goblin. His friends didn't like that very much and hurl themselves at Hidan's Chariot, toppling it over.
"Oh God! He's going to be crushed to death by the horses!" Karin calls out in horror.
Sadly, she was proven correct. Though Hidan did die with a smile on his face and laughing madly as he witnesses the deaths of his attackers.
"SAND COFFIN!" Sasuke hears Gaara seethe as a giant ball of sand wraps itself around several goblins and squeezes them to death.
Their bloody remains splattered everywhere. Gaara's wife looked less than thrilled by that and yells something rather unflattering at the red head. Sasuke blinks as he notices that the Pharaoh was suddenly looking rather sheepish.
"LAVA RELEASE!" Mei screams as a torrent of something emits from her mouth.
Whatever it was, it made short work of a few nearby goblins. Unfortunately, it didn't get all of them. The goblins were now rushing at their chariot and Gaara formed a ball of sand around them to protect them as they continue on.
"Holy shit! It's an earthquake!" Suigetsu exclaims as Naruto flies them closer to the castle.
It wasn't an Earthquake though. It was a Chinese man named Choji. Choji was a giant and with every step, the earth shook underneath him. He was currently ripping up trees and throwing them at the goblins down below.
"AHHH! MY FOOT!" He screams as some goblins fight back and show their swords into his foot.
The giant topples over in pain and well the goblins sealed his fate rather quickly. Sasuke winces. It was over so fast, they never had a chance to lend him aid.
"We need to get on the ground and fight." Karin says.
There were too many people getting killed. Sasuke wanted to help their comrades, but he also knew that it'd be a foolish move. Once they were on the ground, they were vulnerable and their odds of arriving at the castle were far lower.
"We can't. We need to get to the castle. Naruto can fly us there and we can sneak in through a window or something. The fastest way to help them is to kill Danzo and Kabuto." Sasuke says.
The sounds of screams filled air and the formerly green grass was now turning another color. Red. Blood red. The sounds of dying and agony where everywhere, mingled with war cries.
Sasuke doubted that he'd ever be able to forget this day. He had read about war. He had seen it in the movies, but this was something else entirely. This was real. People were actually dying and in sometimes horrible ways.
"Let's see if they can swim. Eh, Itachi?" Kisame asks.
Itachi could only shake his head in amusement as he pulls back his arrows and fires them off. Swoosh! Crunch! Swoosh Crunch. Every arrow hit its mark of course, but he was distracted by his lover.
That was never a good thing. Getting distracted in battle. He hisses in pain when a goblin thrusts its sword into his back.
"GET AWAY FROM MY ITACHI!" Kisame roars in outrage as he slams his trident into the goblin, tearing them in half.
"That was smidge overdramatic. Don't you think, my love?" Itachi asks as he grins through the pain.
"Not really. I should have aimed lower." Kisame says though it was the most natural thing in the world.
At that same moment, Mikoto looks around as she and her husband were rushing towards the castle. It was complete mayhem. There was so much blood and so many bodies piling up, that she honestly couldn't tell which side was winning.
"Ino! Summon your vines. We need to get to the castle." Mikoto tells the young Viking woman.
She was an enchantress. She could create and control plants. Most of the time it was used for beautifying or medicinal purposes, but it could also be useful in battle.
"Yes, My Lady!" Ino says as she summons several long vines and attaches them to a nearby buildings.
"Thank you." Mikoto says with as she snuggles into her husband's side and the couple proceed to start swinging from the vines, rushing towards the castle.
The vines allowed them to be out of reach of most of the goblins. It was also low enough so it was unlikely the leprechaun's arrows would hit them without the other supernatural beings aiming at them. Really, it was the perfect plan.
"My love, it's time for you to sing for them. Our people all have taken the proper precautions." Fugaku says as he beings breathing fire from his mouth at every goblin within his range.
"Right!" Mikoto says as she opens her mouth and lets out a wail.
Thankfully, their people had all put earplugs in. That made her wails bearable. The goblins didn't have that advantage though.
On the roof tops, Guy fires off more arrows and frowns as he sees all the bloodshed. This was most unyouthful. Sadly, there was no other choice.
"Friend Lee, friend Zetsu needs your aid." The Leprechaun King says.
Lee nods and fires off his arrows at the goblins surrounding the vegetation man. He wasn't really sure what Zetsu was exactly. Perhaps some kind of nymph?
The arrows do their job though. Well except one that slices into his hand, but their ally fights bravely on and slams his sword into the remaining goblins.
That's when Guy smiles. Some Viking, Chinese, and Egyptian Angels or their cultures equivalent were now taking to the air. These winged beings dove down and were engaging the goblins in mortal combat.
"Hinata!" Neji calls out in horror when he saw his cousin get slashed across the neck with a sword.
"It's alright, Neji!" She says as she slams her foot into the side of one of the goblin's face, sending it flying back.
Just then Naruto roars in pain. Sasuke's Susanoo had flickered for only a moment and dozens of arrows lodged themselves in his belly. Of course, his dragon scales were thick. Blood might be spilling from the wounds, but his scales had protected his vital organs.
"Naruto!" Sasuke cries out in horror.
"It's okay. I can make it. Just try to yank the arrows out." He says as he continues flying.
The members of Taka proceed to do exactly that. It was tough going. Those arrows were lodged in deeply, but the Dragoon didn't protest. Sasuke pulls out yet another arrow and manages to get the protective spell in place once more.
"Hey, Jugo. What the Hell is your boyfriend doing down there?" Suigetsu asks in an utterly baffled voice.
"I think he's using his bones to attack somehow." The other fairy replies in shock.
It was true. Somehow Kimimaro was using his bones both as armor and for weapons. Jugo had never seen anything like it and apparently, neither had the goblins.
He winces as he sees his silver haired man's face. He had a swollen black eye and a few gashes on his cheek. Clearly, Kimimaro had been fighting hard for a Goblin King that he didn't even believe in.
Meanwhile Kabuto panics as he looks down the balcony. Chaos was reigning supreme at the moment. He had never seen such savagery in all his life. It was likely hundreds had already perished.
"Sakura, get Danzo. We need to get evacuate immediately." Kabuto says. ' He had no way of knowing, if they were actually going to win this battle. If the Goblin Kingdom fell though, he wasn't going to be around to witness what happened afterwards. His survival was his first priority. Power was his second.
"Yes. Of course!" The pink haired woman says as she rushes towards the hospital wing to find Danzo.
Kabuto nods approvingly as he followed her. They needed to act quickly. It wouldn't be long until someone was able to storm the castle and he didn't want to be around when that happened.
"Kabuto, what on Earth is going on? I can hear such horrible screams." Danzo informs him in a confused voice.
"Our Kingdom is under attack. We must get you to safety." The silver haired goblin informs him.
Danzo's eyes widen. Who would dare to attack them? Their walls were sound and their numbers were even sounder. Goblins were a physically powerful race and a cunning one. Any other era that dared to attack them would have one Hell of a fight on their hands.
"We must stand and fight then." He states simply.
"Are you crazy?! You're in a wheelchair!" Sakura points out.
"I am the King of this Kingdom and as such, I will give my life to protect it. That is what it means to be a ruler." Danzo says.
At that precise moment, Orochimaru and Kimimaro were fighting their way into the castle. Both of them knew what they had to do. Their only goal was to kill Danzo and Kabuto.
"I can't believe that it has come to this. I have to fight alongside a fairy." Orochimaru mutters in disgust.
"Funny. I was thinking the same thing about fighting alongside a goblin. Danzo is injured, but can you defeat Kabuto?" He demands.
Orochimaru glances at the fairy. His bones were now serving as armor and weapons. Hmm. That was a most useful ability, but he hadn't escaped the conflict outside unscathed. Then again, neither had he.
"Danzo shouldn't be an issue as long as the witch's magic doesn't get in the way. Kabuto may present a challenge. I trained him myself. I will kill him though. It will bring me no joy, but I will have my crown back." The former college professor vows.
"Whether or not you enjoy killing him is entirely irrelevant. I stuck my neck out for you, Orochimaru. I didn't like having to convince all these good people to fight for you. Don't make me regret it." Kimimaro warns him.
"You may you stuck your neck out to impress your boyfriend. Tell me, has he forgiven you for deceiving him?" Orochimaru mocks him.
Kimimaro shakes with rage. How dare the goblin speak of things that he didn't understand?! He had no right to judge his relationship with Jugo!
He was about to lunge at him, when he heard voices. Familiar voices. Danzo, Kabuto, and Sakura. They must be in the medical wing.
"Come on. I think I know where to find them. Most likely, Kabuto was going to attempt to escape with the witch and Danzo. We can't let that happen." Kimimaro says as he flits off towards the medical wing.
Orochimaru's eyes narrow. As much as he was loathed to admit it, the fairy was likely correct. That did seem like the type of decision Kabuto would make. A tactical retreat.
"I'm coming!" He states as he rushes off after the fairy.
A few minutes later, Sasuke, Naruto, and Taka had finally made their way into the castle. Unfortunately for them, by this time the guards had arrived. Sasuke sighs. This wasn't going to be pretty.
"If you give up now, we won't kill you." Sasuke says.
"I'd like to say that we were about to make you the same offer, but we weren't. We know that you helped the would be King Slayer to escape!" Stripes yells at him.
"That's right. I did. He's my brother." Sasuke growls at her.
That was all the goblins needed to hear to attack. The guards came at them fast and furious. One of them runs Suigetsu through with a sword, only to discover in shock that his blade wasn't touching flesh. He was touching water.
"See, Sassy? I told you that I had a few cool tricks up my sleeve too!" Suigetsu says as he reforms and slashes the goblin's head off with his sword.
"That was so gross!" Karin whines as she sees the head go rolling off the creature as the corpse falls to the floor.
"Oh stop being such a princess! This is war!" The merman scolds her.
Sasuke couldn't exactly disagree with either of them. It was gross, but it was also war. Whatever. He breaks out his sword and swings it at one of the goblins.
Unfortunately, he had to undo his Susanoo once they entered the castle. It simply wouldn't fit. That meant that he was fighting without his magic force shield and he wasn't particularly happy about that.
"Naruto, are you going to be alright for this?" Sasuke asks as he fights back to back with his boyfriend.
He had changed back into a man, but his clothes were stained red with blood on his stomach. He wasn't sure how bad the injuries really were in this form.
"I can fight! A Viking always fights!" He assures Sasuke as he swings his own sword at the goblins.
"Glad to hear it. I would be very upset, if you didn't protect my son while we were at war." Fugaku's voice booms out as he and Mikoto enter, swinging from a vine.
"Shit. That's like something right out of a movie." Suigetsu says.
Mikoto laughs quietly for a moment before unleashing another shriek, piercing the entire castle with the sounds of her deadly shrieks as Fugaku hurls another fireball at the goblins.
"Thank goodness for the earplugs." Kairn says as she winces and joins Mikoto in "song," luring the Goblins to their deaths.
More and more goblins began to fall as two more people entered the castle. This time it was Itachi and Kisame. Everyone sighs in relief at the knowledge the eldest Uchiha Prince was alive and so was his intended.
"Oh that was just bad manners. You could have at least saved me one or two." Kisame grumbles.
"Don't worry. We still have to deal with the Goblin Kings." Suigetsu points out.
Sasuke snorts in amusement when Kisame perks up at that knowledge. His brother had certainly landed himself a most interesting lover. Though right now, he had more important things to focus on than the Merman's obvious eccentricities.
"Does anyone know where the emergency escape exits are? Kabuto is probably going to try to flee." Jugo points out.
"No. I can't say that I do, but we should check the medical wing first. The new Goblin King will try to save Danzo. It will add further credibility towards him being a loyal subject. He doesn't want anyone to accuse him of being a usurper." Fugaku observes.
"Sasuke, your dad is really smart." Naruto says brightly.
Sasuke nods in agreement. Sadly, he couldn't share in Naruto's cheerful demeanor. He didn't like the look of all that blood on his boyfriend's clothes.
"Right. So let's go the medical wing. Father, lead the way." The youngest Traveler says.
Fugaku nods and the group make their way to the medical wing. That's when they realize they weren't the only ones looking for the Goblin Kings. Kimimaro had found them and apparently was fighting alongside Orochimaru.
"Now THIS is a party!" Kisame says with a smirk.