Blurred Lines
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy the Goblin King Battle Chapter.
Chapter 18
His father was right, Sasuke observes as they rush into the medical wing. They had found the Goblin King. Well perhaps Sasuke should say Goblin Kings. There were technically three men inside that room who could lay claim to that prestigious title.
"Uchihas. Can't your family leave well enough alone?! Why do you have to darken our doors?!" Kabuto hisses at them.
"Oh believe me, we would love nothing more than to ignore your existence. Unfortunately, we know that an unstable Goblin Kingdom means an unstable Eien No Yume. That's something that we can naught allow." Itachi tells the current Goblin King.
Hearing the voice of his almost assassin was apparently too much for the former King. Danzo rolls towards Itachi in a blind rage, swinging his sword at him. That didn't end well for the Monarch though.
Before Sasuke had any time to react, Kisame had smashed his trident into the wheelchair sending it flying against the wall. Apparently, mermen made for VERY protective boyfriends.
"You're a no good sea slug! You tricked Itachi and kidnapped him. You should be grateful that he didn't try to kill you in a more horrific way. I would have slashed your goblinhood instead of slitting your throat!" The blue skinned man roars at him.
A groan of pain and a frantic Danzo trying to upright his chair was the only response. Sasuke winces as he saw that the goblin's head had likely collided directly with the wall. There was a gruesome looking bloodstain upon the gray stone and Danzo's hair was now matted with the crimson red liquid.
"B-Beasts! The lot of you! You tried to kill me, Itachi! You'll regret that decision. I'll ensure tha-t you die screaming! Your lover won't be able to protect you from me for long!" Danzo seethes.
"I think that we reach a mutually beneficial agreement. Fugaku, your family hates Danzo and Orochimaru and doesn't want to be here. I want to be King and I don't want you to be here. I'd say that our interests align rather nicely at the moment, wouldn't you?" The King inquires slyly.
Mikoto's eyes narrow and Sasuke knew what his mother was planning to do in an instant. He quickly covers Naruto's ears, hoping to shield the Dragoon from further pain and then the dark beauty lets out her banshee shriek. It was so intense that windows shattered and enemies fall to their knees
"Don't you ever insult my husband's honor in such a way again! Our family will never work with the likes of you!" She hisses at him.
Sasuke didn't fail to notice that there was some blood sliding from Kabuto's ears. The Goblin King had been subjected to the full force of a banshee wail. The youngest Uchiha was once more glad that he had earplugs.
"AHHH! Mikoto, I'm on your side!" Orochimaru snarls at her.
"Don't snarl at my mother or I'll slit your throat just as easily as I did Danzo's. Oh and this time, you'll all die." Itachi warns him.
Naruto mouths a thank you at Sasuke, before lunging at Kabuto. After all, he was the greatest threat. Danzo was already injured and Orochimaru was supposedly on their side. That meant that the silver haired goblin was their main target.
"You're a fool. You're going to bleed to death long before you can land a blow." Kabuto states as he thrusts his own blade at Naruto.
"You're the fool, if you think these scratches will stop a Viking!" Naruto retorts.
"Father! Do something! Throw a fireball at him!" Sasuke pleads.
That's when Sasuke sees his father shake his head. Damn it. A fireball wouldn't work. The Fae would be just as likely to hit Naruto as Danzo.
"TAKE THIS!" Danzo snarls as he rights himself up and manages to hurl his chair at Jugo.
The giant fairy falls over with a sickening thud. Sasuke wasn't entirely certain, but the thought he heard the sound of bones being crushed from the force of impact. Apparently, no examination was required though.
That was all it took for Kimimaro to hurl himself at Danzo. The fairy suddenly resembled a monster far more than he had only moments before. His teeth were longer and his eyes were glowing with an inhuman light. That and his bones were now forming an armor and a spear.
"Jugo! You alright?!" Suigetsu asks as he rushes over to help his friend.
"D-Damn it. Help me up. I want to help!" The college student replies.
"Jugo, stay down. You likely have a concussion or even some broken bones." Sasuke insists.
Just like that chaos broke out. Jugo stumbles to his feet and tries his best to aid Kimimaro in vanquishing Danzo. Mikoto and Fugaku were looking for an opening to attack Kabuto with Naruto. Sasuke, Karin, and Suigetsu meanwhile decide to focus on the witch.
"I don't know why you're helping him, but you should get the Hell out of here. Look lady, we don't want to have to kill you." Suigetsu informs Sakura.
"My reasons are none of your business!" Sakura screams at him as she charges at the white hared man.
BAM. The pink haired woman's fist collides with Suigetsu's face, sending him flying back into the wall. Sasuke couldn't help, but wince. That sounded painful.
"HEY! You stupid witch! I'm the only one who is allowed to smack him around!" Karin yells at her as she begins singing.
Sasuke watches in awe as the red head attempts to put Sakura in a daze. Unfortunately for Karin, it looked like the witch was at least somewhat naturally resistant. Sasuke figures it was probably because she was a woman.
Well it worked well enough, he supposed. In any case, it gives Sasuke the opening that he needs to fire off some arrows. He was still getting the hang of the whole magic thing, but archery was something that came naturally to him.
"DAMN YOU!" Sakura hisses in pain as one of the arrows lodges in her shoulder, pinning her to the wall.
"Thanks, Sasuke! That witch is crazy!" Suigetsu groans as he gets up and advances towards Sakura.
Sasuke could tell by the look on the merman's face that he was ready for some payback. The young Traveler couldn't blame him, but he also wasn't stupid. The witch could be an asset.
"Suigetsu, don't kill her. We can question her later, if she's alive!" The Uchiha calls out.
"Awe man! Why do you have to go and take all the fun out of it!" His friend whines as he raises his fist to knock the witch out.
Sasuke shrugs and turns his attention back to Naruto and Kabuto. Naruto was clearly the better swordsmen, but the goblin wasn't fighting with an injured stomach. Naruto was clearly still bleeding and had to tread gingerly.
That meant that Kabuto's erratic thrusts were actually making an impact. When Sasuke saw that the silver haired goblin had slammed his sword into the blonde's side. He saw red.
"CHIDORI!" He snarls at the top of his lungs as he goes rushing at the King.
He had no idea what Chidori meant. Nor did he know what the blue lights in his hands were really, but instinctively Sasuke realizes it was some kind of weapon. The most important thing at the moment was not what he was doing, but how badly could he make Kabuto pay for hurting his Viking?!
"You wield lightning." Kabuto whispers, but it was too late.
He hadn't even managed to fully turn around, when the lightning slams into his back. The destructive force of nature fulfilled its purpose by electrocuting Kabuto.
The scent of burnt and melting flesh suddenly filled the room. Naruto smirks and decides to take advantage of the fact that Kabuto's back was towards Sasuke and his chest was towards him. He thrusts his sword straight into Kabuto's treacherous heart, killing him instantly.
"Thanks, My Elf!" Naruto says cheerfully.
"You're welcome. You have goblin blood all over you though. That's kinda gross." Sasuke says as he makes a disgusted face.
Kimimaro was still hurtling towards Danzo. Itachi and Orochimaru notice this and quickly rush to offer aid. Though Sasuke suspected that the other former Goblin King and Itachi just wanted to extract their own vengeance.
Danzo screams like a man possessed as he tries to defend himself. It did no good though. Itachi's dagger, Kimimaro's spear, and Orochimaru's sword were all coming at him.
"YOU COWARDS! ALL THREE OF YOU AGAINST ONE OLD MAN?!" He demands as he tries desperately to avoid all the weapons coming at him and to launch a counter attack.
Unfortunately for Danzo, all he had were his fists, legs, and teeth. He punched, kicked, and bit. The old man managed to draw blood when he bites onto one of Itachi's pointed ears though.
Itachi retaliated by drawing a huge gash across the former Goblin King's forehead. It bleed profusely and Sasuke was disturbed by how delighted Itachi looked at that fact. Was this really his beloved older brother?
"DAMN YOU TO HELL!" Danzo hisses at his attackers.
"You first!" Kimimaro seethes at him as he stabs the other man in the rib with his spear.
Danzo thrashes around in agony. He manages to punch the fairy, completely darkening his eye. Kimimaro was now fighting with only one eye open. The second was already rapidly swelling shut.
"No, after you! I inisist!" He screeches.
"The only one who is going to die in this castle today is you." Orochimaru informs Danzo as he brings his sword down, aiming for the elderly man's throat.
The former Goblin King was hard to kill though. He manages to mostly dodge the other goblin's attack at the last second. For his efforts, he receives a shallow, bleeding cut to his throat as he lets out another howl of pain.
Sasuke couldn't help but think he sounded more like a wild animal than a man. Well more like a wild animal than a goblin, if he wanted to be technical. He was soon distracted from his musings though.
"I just want to return to my home! I don't care about the Goblin Kingdom or any of you people!" Sakura hisses as she yanks herself free from the wall.
The wound from where she yanked the arrow from was bleeding heavily. Sasuke frowns. He wasn't entirely sure if he believed her, but maybe the witch was telling the truth.
In that case, could they really kill her in good conscience? She might just be an innocent bystander who had gotten caught up in things she didn't understand. How would killing such a person make them any better than Danzo, Kabuto, or even Orochimaru? They were supposed to be the good guys.
"Mother! Knock her out!" He calls out desperately.
"What are you planning, My Elf?" Naruto asks as he clutches his still bleeding side and stomach.
"You'll see!" The Traveler replies.
Mikoto nods and does as she was bidden. She releases the full brunt of her shriek at the witch. Sakura screams and sinks to the ground.
The witch had been rendered unconscious by the sheer force of the other woman's banshee powers. It was impressive, really. With that in mind, Sasuke makes a mental note never to make his mother angry, ever again.
"I want to be the one to kill him! I deserve the right to kill him! This traitor took everything from me! He took my Kingdom and thanks to him, I was banished to the mortal realm for years!" Orochimaru hisses in righteous fury.
Itachi's and Kimimaro's eyes narrow. Clearly, both of them also wanted Danzo's head on the platter. The two seem to debate the matter internally for a moment or two, before moving out of the way. The former Goblin King did technically have the right to reclaim his throne.
"Naruto, sit. The battle is essentially over. You shouldn't move with those injuries." Sasuke tells his beloved as he helps him sit down.
"Vikings do not sit during battles!" The blonde tries to protest, but Sasuke wasn't having any of it.
"You've already done so much. You are more than worthy of being admitted to your people's paradise, but that is not going to happen today. Let me take care of you." The raven haired man pleads with him.
Naruto sighs. He clearly wasn't pleased by the prospect of sitting out part of the battle, but the blonde was also in no condition to seriously protest either. With a heavy heart, he nods his head in resignation.
"Now you will die!" Orochmaru growls at Danzo as he lunges at the older goblin.
Danzo could walk, it just wasn't advised this point. The King does his best to meet Orochimaru blow for blow. Sasuke had to admire the man's will to live, but this was a fight that he simply wasn't going to win.
"Heavy lies the head that wears the crown!" The college professor snaps at Danzo venomously.
At the moment, Orochimaru reminded Sasuke of a Cobra. He was hissing, spitting, and ready to strike. The other goblin was a goner.
"Then you should be glad that I have relieved you of your duties!" Danzo says as he bites down hard on Orochimaru's neck.
"Holy shit! He's trying tear his throat out!" Suigetsu observes.
"Yeah. He really is!" Karin observes in horror as she hides behind the merman.
Blood splashed onto Orochimaru's neck. Danzo's teeth were apparently sharper than they looked. The usurped King wasn't going to give up that easily though. He slams his knee into Danzo's gut, sending him flying back.
"No. That's kind of you to offer, but I think that I'll simply relieve you of your head instead." Orochimaru says with a smirk as he swings his sword and cleaves Danzo's head right off his shoulders.
"I could have lived without seeing that." Mikoto mutters as she adverts her eyes.
"I think I'm going to be sick." Karin adds for good measure.
Sasuke sees Orochimaru smirk as the man walks over to Kabuto's body and gives the other man's corpse the same treatment. He then finds two large pieces of wood and heads towards the balcony. From there, it was a very simple matter to deduce what the new (or old) Goblin King was planning.
"He's not actually going to do it, is he?" Jugo asks Kimimaro in a disgusted voice.
"He's going to do it. He's going to mount their heads for everyone to see. That way they will know the war is over and he has reclaimed his throne." The other fairy explains.
"Mikoto, would you kindly come here. I need something to get their attention. Most of them are still locked in combat." Orochimaru states.
Mikoto sighs and nods as she walks over to Orochimaru. She smiles when she sees Fugaku was ready to aim a fireball at the back of the goblin's head. She really did have such a wonderfully overprotective husband.
"If you try to harm my wife in any way, I will ensure that you are burned alive. Do you understand me?!" The Fae demands.
"I understand you perfectly. Do naught worry. I will naught harm one pretty little hair on your Queen's head. She's just going to make it a bit easier for me to get everyone's attention. All of you should really cover your ears though." Orochimaru says as he proceeds to follow his own advice.
All the combatants still standing, quickly cover their ears. While they had earplugs, it was never a pleasant thing to hear a banshee's shriek. That was truly the stuff of nightmares.
Once everyone was 'protected,' Mikoto lets out another shriek. It was a powerful one. One that got the attention of the entire capital and for a few precious moments the carnage stopped as everyone tried too figure out where that horrid sound was coming from or tried to cover their ears.
"Thank you. Itachi, if you would please amplify my voice with a little magic?" The Goblin King inquires in a sickly sweet voice.
"Very well." Itachi says and with a wave of his hand, Orochimaru's voice was amplified.
"GOOD CITIZENS OF THE GOBLIN KINGDOM! LEND ME YOUR EARS!" Orochimaru beings.
Sasuke raises an eyebrow as he tends to Naruto's injuries and their comrades do the same. Orochimaru was certainly dramatic. Then again, that might just be a goblin thing. Though the youngest Uchiha couldn't help but wonder, if such an observation was actually specieist.
Oh well. Who cared? These were his own private thoughts and he could think whatever the Hell he wanted to think.
"On this day there has been much bloodshed, but it was for a good cause. I had reclaimed my throne with the help of the Chinese, Viking, Egyptian, and Irish Kingdoms. The War is over. Let peace reign once more. The usurpers are all dead. We cut off their heads." The goblin continues.
He gestures to the pikes to as if to illustrate his point. Sasuke just shakes his head. It was likely that the freak had been waiting a long time to make this speech. He'd let him have it. Right now, his concern was for Naruto and his loved ones. Orochimaru could babble on as much as he liked.
There were stunned gasps and whispers at first. Sasuke couldn't blame the goblin populace for such a reaction. They had likely all thought Orochimaru was dead or at least never coming back. Naturally, his return must have come as a shock.
"LONG LIVE THE KING!" Someone shouts from down below.
Sasuke vaguely recognized the voice as being Gaara's. That was right. Gaara and Mei had never made it to the castle. They either couldn't get there in time or they had decided to stay on the front lines. Either way, that was really a blessing in disguise at the moment.
The goblins would have known if someone had shouted that from the balcony. Gaara was down on the battlefield though. So it worked like a charming.
"LONG LIVE THE KING!" A chorus of cries went out joyfully.
The youngest Uchiha could only shake his head a this. Apparently, goblins shared some qualities with sheep. They were essentially herd animals and Gaara had just given the flock an order.
"Thank you! Thank you! I can't tell you how good it is to be back home! Things will be different now. Of that much, I can assure you." Orochimaru promises.
"Orochimaru, we have some injured people here. We need medics." Kisame interjects.
"Oh right. Right. One moment." The smug supernatural being replies as he pauses and takes a deep breath.
"I REQUIRE SOME MEDICS TO COME TO THE MEDICAL WING OF THE CASTLE IMMEDIATELY! Some of our comrades were injured in our noble fight to unseat the usurpers." He tells the enormous crowd.
That's when Sasuke really looks down below and winces. The grass was more red than green. Blood red. There were also hundreds, probably thousands of corpses littering the capital streets. It had been nothing short of a bloodbath.
Almost immediately, some goblins charge into the castle. After that, it didn't take them long to begin treating the wounded. Sasuke had never been so relieved in his entire life.
"Naruto, we won." He whispers as he watches his Viking receive the treatment that his injuries so desperately needed.
"I know. I knew that we would. You really shouldn't worry so much, my beautiful elf." He informs with a grin.
Sasuke wasn't fooled though. He knew that the proud Dragoon was in a low of pain. Who wouldn't be, after everything that he had gone through?
"Well it seems as though Orochimaru is now the King again." Mei says, a few minutes later.
At some point, the Egyptians must have gotten into the castle. Sasuke wasn't sure when, but it didn't really matter. What mattered is that they were there.
"Yes, I am. I shall never again lose control of my throne." Orochimaru says smugly.
"I suppose the heads on the pikes do send a rather strong message. That should dissuade anyone from making another attempt to steal your crown for awhile. I do hope that you won't make us regret this. Remember, Orochimaru. We defeated your Kingdom once with our collective might. We can do so again, if need be." The red head informs him.
Sasuke smirks. It wasn't hard to read between the lines. Gaara was threatening the Goblin King, but doing it in a rather classy way.
"I shall remember that. Truly, it is my intention for our Kingdoms to all start anew. Let this day be the beginning of a new series of powerful friendships and alliances." The former college professor states happily.
"Friendship is going a bit far. I still don't like you." Kisame says bluntly.
The youngest Traveler hears his brother snort in amusement at that statement. Well Kisame was Kisame. He was kinda like Suigetsu in that way. Maybe bluntness was just a common trait in mermen, Sasuke muses to himself.
He decides to ponder that matter for another day though. Right now, they had to focus on healing their injured. After that, they would have another important question to address.
"What are we going to do with her?" Karin asks as she points to the unconscious witch.
"Hmm. That is a good question. I suppose first we will have to determine, if she was sincere. One can not blame the poor girl for wanting to go home, if she was telling the truth." Mikoto says.
Sasuke sighs. Assuming that the witch was being honest, he couldn't help her. He couldn't even figure out how to go back and forth himself anymore, let alone take someone else.
"Don't feel guilty, My Elf. It's not your fault. Your heart decided to stay here. You don't owe the witch anything. If anything, she is the one who is in your debt. You saved her life." Naruto says.
The raven haired man smiles in response and kisses the Dragoon's forehead. That was Naruto. The man had been turned into a human pincushion and still found time to comfort him.
"I guess you're right." Sasuke whispers.
"Of course, I'm right. So now that we know you are here for good and that we have won the battle, will you consent to sharing my furs and allowing me to steal your virtue?" The blue eyed Viking asks sneakily, making sure that no one else could hear them.
"You're kidding me. Naruto, you're half dead and THAT'S what's on your mind? Hey, wait a minute. What makes you think that I still have my virtue, anyway?!" Sasuke demands in an equally quiet voice.
Naruto smirks. His elf was truly adorable. He didn't think that it was possible to love him more, but every day proved him wrong.
"If you weren't chaste, you wouldn't be so shy. It's alright though. I don't mind teaching you everything that you need to know and then some about the carnal arts." Naruto says smugly.