Chapter Two
6:45. A dark day.
Naruto and I made our way to the frozen lake, hand in hand. We were both feeling cheerful, although healthfully worried about our destination. Jackal is just as dangerous as Onagi Oda. Hopefully, he'll be more predictable or at least slightly less insane.
Agh. I decided to stop thinking about it. What was the point worrying about this snake or that snake and whether or not he'll bite? I'll do what I have to do to provide for Naruto. And if anyone tries to hurt him, I'll be there to protect him, even if I have to fight off an entire army. Hell. I've done it before.
Instead of worrying about things I can't avoid or control, I scanned the area. There was one stone road, leading straight to the frozen lake. A sparse forest surrounded it and lonely mountains loomed in the distance. The bark on the trees looked black against the blankets of snow. The sky was cloudless and dull blue, as if frozen over with the crystal frost. Kurama was once uninhabitable, before Jackal came and tamed the land. At least, he thinks he's tamed it. I could still smell the musk of the wild faintly in the cutting breeze. Maybe this wild, unforgiving land is what Jackal prefers. I know I'd rather this than the polluted cities of Amaris. The only place not smothered in smog is the capital city. The rest of Amaris is left to suffocate and die, while Oda and his followers live in their gold-coated fortresses.
My wandering mind was suddenly brought to attention when a loud boom echoed across the land. I turned on my heels to look behind. A trail of black smoke slithered into the sky.
"Kyuubi, that was a bomb, wasn't it?" I looked back to see Naruto's blue eyes filled with worry. His body leaned back, ready to run or fight if anything came over the hills of white behind us.
"Yes, I think so—" suddenly another explosion crackled in the air. Kurama's border was being attacked, but nothing was out here except—"The apartment…" My eyes widened.
I looked down at Naruto. My lips flatted into a hard line. "The granny," Naruto realized it too. Without even a second thought he started to run back towards the apartment, but my clasping hand stopped him from going any further. He glanced at me and yelled, "We have to go back! She's in danger!" My teeth clenched as my ears shot back. "We have to!"
"Damn it," I growled and threw Naruto on my back. He knew the drill and held on as I began to sprint toward the rising chaos ahead. The stone road cracked under my feet as the forest shot past us. The road curved around a patch of thick trees that I assumed where too much trouble to knock down, so I cut through the forest and made a bee line for the apartment building. The smell of gun powder and burning wood filled my nostrils in the most uncomfortable and sickeningly familiar way. Another bomb came crashing down. The explosion sent shock waves in my bones. My ears stung with the intensity.
I came rushing out of the forest and saw the apartment literally shattered in half. Red, hungry flames devoured the broken side, making their way across the rest of the building. Even the frozen woods surrounding the area caught fire.
"Naruto," I said quickly as I snatched him off my back, "Stay here and don't move." I placed him down on the ground and squeezed his shoulders. "I'm going to save the old lady and stop the bombers, ok?"
"Ok," Naruto said as his entire body began to quiver. I didn't want to leave him, but he'd surely get burned if I took him with me. I reluctantly turned away and ran towards the flames. I could hear Naruto begin to cry as I disappeared into battle. Once again, we had to be apart.
My heart filled with rage. "We won't be apart for long," I whispered between clenched teeth. "I swear."
I rounded the building now engulfed in flames and came before the first tank. It was an Alpha Six, one of the older tank models of Amaris, coated in steel and flame proof protectant. Its revolving top is equipped with three massive, automatic machine guns and a single bomb launcher. The tank moved atop thick, spiked treads that strode a steady pace of fourteen miles per hour. It wasn't fast, but it could withstand practically anything. Well. Anything but me.
I rushed in on the tank and leaped on top of the bomb launcher's barrel, balancing carefully as I used both hands to crush the opening shut. If they shot off another bomb, they'd taste fire and steel instead of victory. With a wicked smile, I hopped next to the two smaller machine guns that continuously spat round after round of shells. I pressed my fingers together into a knife hand and stabbed straight into the barrels. I felt several bullets hit the back of my hand as they tried to escape. Hah. It felt like little bee stings. The driver and his gunmen began yelling inside, wondering what the hell was going on with their guns. Another one of the tank's weaknesses is low visibility. I crammed my claws underneath the rim of the tank's lid and ripped the top off, revealing the four Amaris troops inside.
"A demon!" One screamed and reached for his gun. I jumped in the tank with the troops. Two shots were fired and I jumped back out of the tank, my shirt stained in fresh blood as a small platoon of Amaris foot soldiers came marching over the snowy horizon.
My eyes quickly scanned the platoon back and forth.
"Fifty soldiers, armed with Axals 0.1, led by an un-ranked officer," my mouth prattled off as I surveyed their strength. Axals are a line of sub-machine guns. Axals 0.1 are equipped with a small, but powerful flamethrower under the barrel. They're given to the lowest ranking foot soldiers. Oda must have sent these guys as scouts, but they decided to play and test out their fire power on an unprotected apartment building.
"Bastards," I growled. Suddenly, a soft voice quivered for help. My ears twitched, confused where the voice came from. Again the voice cried out, shrouded by the sound of the crackling flames and collapsing building. "Granny!" I yelled, "Where are you?" Suddenly, a bullet ricocheted of the tank, missing my foot by an inch. The officer leading the foot soldiers had spotted me. My lips curled back, baring my fangs as more bullets began to shower from the platoon. I leapt off the tank and came barreling towards the soldiers, their eyes filled with shock soon to be replaced with fear. My mouth opened, letting loose an explosive roar that echoed throughout the landscape.
I bent back my right arm as my claws elongated into sharped knifes. Bullets rained down on me, but the few that actually hit me barely scratched the surface of my thick skin. I could feel my body quivering with the wicked delight of battle as I slashed my first deep cut into the platoon's front lines. The fools were so startled that they fell out of their formation. I drilled myself into the middle of the platoon, drawing the outer soldiers to shot inward, inadvertently running down the inner soldiers with their misfire. This platoon was extremely untrained. Oda must be getting cocky.
My claws, now dripping crimson, grew longer and longer as my growls deepened into furious cries. I was slipping into old and dangerous habits. The bullets started to make my muscles feel sore. It was time to end it. I slashed and plowed through the troops. Some dropped their guns and began to run. They didn't make it far before my claws found their backs. My mind started to fade into the red that splayed across the tainted snow. I didn't realize I lost myself until the last man fell. Everything became clear as I pulled my hand out of his chest. He gurgled painfully and collapsed to the ground. I looked away just before the frost glazed over his eyes.
"Damn it," I hissed. I looked around to see the slaughter I had created. "Why do I always make such a mess?" Slowly, one by one, their souls materialize just above their hearts. Only demons can see souls. It's orbs of energy that every living creature possesses and gives up in death. Some were bright and golden like the sun, others were dark and gave off a coolness around them that prickled the skin. Everywhere around me I saw their souls. Fifty. Some gray. Some bright. Some black as a raven's wing.
Most demons devour souls and absorb the energy within them. As for me…
I reached down to grab the closest soul, a dull gray orb that quivered like a frightened child. It felt just as cold as the stones beneath my feet. I stared until it disappeared like a snow flake melting in the palm of my hand.
I can't eat souls. Not anymore.
I sighed and walked through the field of butchered corpses, tapping each soul with my pointing finger. Demons eat souls and in return become stronger. What happens to the souls demons eat? Well, no one knows, but I'm sure it's not pleasant. That's why, Naruto made me promise to never eat another soul again. He said it was bad enough I had to kill people for us to survive. Hmp. In the end, he was right and despite how much I use to enjoy the taste of freshly picked souls, I kicked the stuff. For him.
"Kyuubi!" Naruto's terrified voice shattered the silence of death and my thoughts along with it. I didn't even need to think. My body ran to him as fast as I could.
"Naruto!" I bellowed, terror filling me. I was away too long. I rounded the apartment, still consumed in flames and saw Naruto hunched over something lying in the snow. I was relieved, until I realized who he was with. "Granny…" I murmured as I came to Naruto's side.
The old woman was lying limp on the snow, her chest barely rising with each struggling breath. The smoke must have gotten to her lungs.
"Kyuubi," Naruto said through suppressed sobs, "What do we do?" I could hear the old woman's heart fighting.
"Naruto, there's a shed on the side of the apartment. Go and see if there is a blanket in it," I said calmly. "Be careful not to get too close to the flames."
"Ok," Naruto shot up and began to run to the shed. I bit my lip.
"I'm sorry, Granny. We came too late." I murmured. "I'm so sorry." I bowed, feeling unbearably defeated even after obliterating the platoon.
Then I felt her soft, wrinkled hand touch my arm. I looked up and saw her eyes looking back at me, so warm and at peace. I clasped her hand and smiled.
"That boy is strong," she whispered between quiet gasps. "Don't let—J-Jackal take him."
My eyes widened. "Wait. I don't understand—Ah," a smile caressed her lips as her eyes fluttered shut. Her arm lost all its strength and her grip went limp. I held on to her hand till I heard her heart beat for the last time. I screwed my eyes shut as my teeth clenched together.
I looked up to find Naruto running back, his little arms carrying a huge blanket. He kept stumbling. "Damn it," I hissed.
"How's she doing?" Naruto breathed. He was panting from his hard run in the deep snow. "I got the blanket and I found a heater. It's too big for me to carry but we could take her to the shed and warm up. And—" Naruto stopped when he looked down at the woman's face. He knew death when he saw it.
Before he could start to scream, I grabbed his arm and pulled him into a deep embrace.
"You did good, Naruto. You tried so damn hard. Granny said thank you for doing your best, so don't be sad. Please, don't be sad." I crooned in his ear. No matter the sweet words, lie or not, he'd cry. His sobs wracked his frail body as the tears began to soak into my clothes. Sometimes I would forget he's only six. It's times like these that I wish we could run away from the war and the killing.
I looked up and saw Granny's soul glisten above her heart. My eyes widened. Her soul glowed brighter than any I had ever seen before and suddenly the world didn't feel frozen anymore. I held onto Naruto tighter and watched Granny's soul till it faded away. Even with her gone, I could still feel the pulsating warmth. If only Naruto could have seen it. I'm sure if he did, his heart wouldn't feel so burdened right now.
And maybe, he wouldn't feel so cold.
7:40
After burying Granny, Naruto and I silently made our way back to the stone trail. Naruto held onto his coat with his free hand as icy tears continued to drip down his face. There was nothing I could say or do to help console him now. The wound was too fresh. He needed time for his young heart to even grasp the reality of what just happened. Granny was the first stranger to give either of us any sort of kindness for a very long time. Naruto has seen many people die. Good and bad. Yet, Granny was the first person, other than me, who had ever done anything for Naruto. A child that follows behind a demon like a duckling chasing after its mom is seen as an outcast to other humans. Granny looked at Naruto though and she smiled. There was no fear. Plenty of pity. But no fear.
I clasped Naruto's hand a little tighter and picked up the pace. I wanted to get as far away from this place as possible.
To think that I just entered Kurama and I've already done Jackal some good. Although, once Oda gets word that his scouts didn't come back, he'll send more. I sighed. This was turning out to be a huge mess that I know I will have to clean up later.
Finally, Naruto and I arrived at the frozen lake. My breath caught short at the beautiful sight. I looked over the lake seemingly coated in crystals, like one perfectly smooth stain glass master piece. The few sun rays that peeked out of the gray sky illuminated the stone water, creating a glistening light show. A hundred hues of blue. Sparkling, gleaming.
"Look, Naruto," I said. He raised his head sluggishly. His eyes met with the lake's shimmering blue and the dull shadow that invaded them started to fade.
"It's so pretty," he murmured. His voice sounded cracked from all the sobbing. I'm sure his throat was sore. I'd have to buy him some honey and milk when we got to the capital to soothe it just a little. I patted his head and grinned. He looked up and smiled back. Naruto's strength never ceased to impress me.
"I'm sure the ferry ride will be great!" I exclaimed and snatched Naruto up in my arms. He didn't protest or squeal like he'd usually do. He looked too tired for any of that. I frowned but still held him tight. Hell, I'd carry him for a while till he felt a little better.
Naruto leaned into my shoulder and hugged my neck like he use to when he was only a toddler. I smiled and tilted my head to rest on his. "Let's go," I said as cheerfully as I could. Me pulling of cheerful was never an easy task. I walked to the lake's edge and looked around for anything that looked like a port. There was nothing but tread marks across the ice. I guess we missed the ferry. I grumbled underneath my breath. "We'll have to wait till it comes back," I said with a sigh. With that, I sat down near the ice and held onto Naruto till I felt him fall asleep. I waited there for a good thirty minutes before seeing the sled materialize in the mist.
As it came closer and closer, I realized how big it was. And it was being pulled by a pack of dogs. It was my first time seeing a dog sled, especially one so large.
"Are those dogs big or what?" I asked aloud as the sled pulled up to the water's edge. An enormous white dog was haltered to a set of leather straps attached to the front of the sled by iron bolts, followed by its essential pack of equally large canines. A tall woman with strange red markings on her face sat atop the sled on a seat carved into the wood, reins and whip in hand. She was covered head to toe in thick furs. I walked closer, making sure to avoid the lead dog's space. I didn't need it looking at Naruto like an afternoon snack. "I need a ride across. Is this the ferry?" I asked quietly. I didn't want to wake Naruto. The woman's dark eyes gazed down at me, curious and filled with apprehension
"Yeah. This is it. You're that fox demon Jackal told me about?" The woman leaned down to get a closer look. She was intimidating despite being a normal human.
"Yes. I'm the new mercenary and this is my companion," I answered quickly. "There's been an attack on the border just past here. Jackal needs to station some troops here before Onagi Oda sends more of his—"
"Jackal knows about the attack already. Everyone saw the smoke. He's already sending in a few platoons to fence in the area." The woman replied curtly. "Now, get in. You'll be late for the meeting if we don't hurry."
I was surprised and a bit confused. He knew it was under attack, but hasn't sent anyone out? Did he know I was here to take care of the problem?
"Jackal knew exactly where I was the whole time?" I murmured to myself as I swiftly hopped into the sled. The sled looked like it was made out of one of the bigger trees in the forest. It was a trunk carved out, plated and given seats. Simple. Sturdy. And probably cheap. I could already see Jackal's simple touches.
"Jackal knows everything that goes on in his territory." The woman began suddenly. I sat down and stared at her back as she pulled up the reins. I guess she heard me talking to myself. "His little ghoul makes sure of that."
"Ghoul?" I tilted my head.
"You'll see." She huffed and yanked on the reins. The dogs twitched, barked and growled, but turned the sled around. With a light flick of the reins, the pack started to pull. The sled jerked with the sudden compulsion. Naruto didn't even flinch.
I considered waking Naruto, hoping the scenery would cheer him up. But he seemed so peaceful. I would have to take him back on the frozen lake another time. If everything goes smoothly with Jackal.
Please let everything go smoothly with Jackal.