I don't own Naruto but I DO own this fanfiction and all the OCs.
A/N: This was originally going to be split into two chapters but I felt it was better as a whole so you guys can still read it as two parts.
Chapter 44: The Mistress, The Library and a Dilemma
Upon entering the door at the top of the staircase, it became dark. Extremely dark. Walking carefully, wary of the possibility of traps Kakuzu and Sasori made their way down a dark hallway. Along the spans of the hallway, there were about two windows in all. The sounds of scurrying spiders, slithering snakes and numerous unidentifiable creatures was the only thing to be heard besides their own footsteps. At the end of this disgusting, foreboding hall was a wooden double door. Gothic engravings decorated the dark, mahogany wood. They opened the doors and saw a room filled hues of purple, forest green, midnight blue and black. It was a rather open, lavish room. Quite Gothic but overall comfortable with it's expensive furniture and decorations. Sitting on the midnight blue and black sofa was a woman with dark hair tied into a messy bun and dark blueish-green eyes. Her black dress came past her knees; she wore lace-up boots and lots of jewelry. She was drinking something out of a fancy glass.
"Well, well," she said. "I finally get to meet you both face to face."
Kakuzu and Sasori didn't move a muscle. Who knew what she was planning.
"Would you like a drink?" she asked.
She twirled her finger and a tray with two glasses on it floated over to Kakuzu and Sasori. The liquid in the cups were green with pink swirls in it and smelled like freshly cut grass.
Kakuzu and Sasori declined.
"You obviously don't want to talk this over," the Mistress crossed her legs. "Or, so I'm assuming, since you didn't bring the boy. We could've made a deal. I can give your whatever you want, you know."
"You really think after all this fighting we'd stike up a deal with you?" Kakuzu asked.
The woman smirked. "I was hoping you'd say that. Honestly, ever since I saw you three for the first time in my crystal ball, I've wanted to spill your guts. I'm sure you have such vibrant, red blood. Not to mention you need to pay for causing Fuji to knock over that vase. You know it contained the concentrated essence of one thousand Gothic fairies?"
Sasori smirked. "Don't disappointed when we kill you, Mistress."
"My real name is Rin. I've been called 'The Mistress' for as long as I can remember for everyone is my servant. You should be happy to have been told the truth before your death. You're quite lucky."
A green aura glowed around her hands then she smashed her hand into the floor. The floor didn't give at all but vibration pushed Kakuzu and Sasori back.
What a huge burst of energy! The aura surrounding this woman was darker than night itself.
"Let me ask you a question," Kakuzu said.
"Go ahead," she replied. "It doesn't mean I'll answer though."
"Why would you want to strike a deal with us?"
Rin laughed lightly. "Because I'm so impatient."
"Impatient?"
"Yes, if you were to hand over the boy and leave I could get right to the 'dissecting' and whatnot but here you've brought backup and-"
"'Dissecting?'"
"Well yes, you could call it that. I want the power from the mahoko, you see. I mean sure, my 'specimen' may die and the mahoko too but I'd still get the power due to my skillful magic abilities. So what better way to get to it than by the most enjoyable way possible?"
"That's inhumane."
"Your point?"
She smirked and then came after them, throwing the table directly at them. Sasori and Kakuzu dodged. That's was it. No one deserved to fall into this woman's hands.
Sasori used his two new puppets to attack her with poison darts and screech waves. Nonetheless, this woman was fast. Quickly, she flipped backwards, suspending the table in midair with her foot and then kicking towards Kakuzu and Sasori. The two of them split up, Sasori using his Akemi puppet to break the table. Kakuzu came from behind with a punch ready but Rin met him hand to hand. Before he might have been surprised by her strength but he recalled his fight with Kaori. Kakuzu twisted her arm; Rin retaliated by turning and actually throwing him. Now this surprised both Sasori and Kakuzu.
"You're good," Kakuzu brushed himself off.
"I've had 75 years of experience, not counting the years before my twelfth birthday," she grinned.
"How unfortunate. I've had more experience than you."
Meanwhile, Hareta and the others were searching in the library located in the maze of a basement the witches had for something that could be of use to everyone. The library was extremely elaborate excluding it's plain stone floors. It was lit by elaborate candelabras that illuminated the intricate wisteria, rose and thorn engravings in the wooden bookshelves. All sorts of books on the Witches' Realm, spell books and journals from witches that had passed away long ago filled the shelves. It was really a gold mine in this particular situation. Or so one would think. Frankly, it's almost impossible to understand if you're not a being from one of the magical realms talked about in these books. This frustrated Hareta to no end. Then, her phone rang. The caller was Mari who Hareta recalled to be the determined little girl who found out their secret. Seemingly, Mari had called Hidan. He had told her that Hareta and the others were in the witches' library. Mari was eager to tell her a rather helpful piece of news.
"Witches are vulnerable to select spells including certain ones that they themselves cast," Mari explained. "You said there are spell books there, right? See if you can find one that specifies it's dangerous to witches and then pass it on to Kakuzu-san."
Hareta grinned. This was exactly what she needed to make this work.
At the same time, Erena and Taemi were busy trying to destroy another glob monster similar to the ones from before. This one was a pinkish color and was not vulnerable to fire, making the fire setting on Erena's bazooka useless.
Thankfully, these fire-retardant glob monsters were very weak. A couple of blasts of air or water from Erena's bazooka or a few skillful slices of Taemi's blade and the creature was dead. The problem was the multitude of these things. Also, a few small creatures were attempting to make their way by. Erena and Taemi were able to keep them back, but it wasn't easy.
Erena wondered if her masters were having a better time.
Sasori's heart sunk as he heard the sickening smash of his new puppets being broken to bits. What exactly had happened? Well, to put it simply, Rin was extremely fast, efficient and strong when it came to physical attacks. She was about to physically assault them and rip them to shreds when Sasori used his Misaki and Akemi puppets to block it, but they had been crushed in the process.
"Nice block," Kakuzu said.
Sasori could only grit his teeth. "Do you know how long it took to figure out how to make those so that their powers were still intact?"
"No idea."
Sasori just rolled his eyes.
"Don't you think it's about time we even the odds?"
Sasori's smirked. "Fine." He took off his jacket, revealing his attack mode.
Rin studied him; Sasori got ready to fight her, but the words that came out of her mouth were not expected.
She smiled a bit. "Was that supposed to have an effect on me? Strip shows really aren't my thing."
Sasori twitched; Kakuzu stifled a laugh.
Sasori used his stinger to go after Rin. "Die, witch!"
Rin was able to dodge the poisonous tip of that weird coil in his body but was completely caught off guard by a powerful blast of water from the blasters installed in his hands. Before she could even get up she was bombarded with a blast of fire and then another blast of water.
Kakuzu then kicked her into the wall.
"I'm guessing she immortal," Kakuzu told Sasori.
"So are we," Sasori replied. "Let's find out how immortal she is."
Rin got up quickly. "Da'k Cuniansuun!"
Suddenly, everything was in a dark, haze and a horrible, consuming feeling over came Kakuzu and Sasori, like they were actually being eaten alive. They were unable to think straight or see clearly; it was even making it difficult to move. Kakuzu felt something slash him. He wanted to move but the haze was getting thicker and thicker. He heard Rin's laugh faintly, like it was far off. Sasori could slightly tell what was going on, maybe due to the fact that he wasn't exactly human. This darkness was driving him crazy. He hated it. He forced himself up a little and then made out Rin's figure in the haze. He came at her best as he could and stabbed her in the side, breaking the haze. Everything was back to normal.
Rin cursed. "I've had enough of you two."
Suddenly, Kakuzu's phone rang.
Kakuzu answered it, and no sooner than he had said "hello" Rin raised her hands. Her hands began to glow an eerie purple.
"Kakuzu-kun!" Hareta spoke quickly. "There is a spell that witches are completely vulnerable to regardless of what kind of witch they are. It's inescapable. The catch is: humans can't escape it either."
"Oh really?" Kakuzu asked, throwing the battered table at Rin, who dodged easily. "What spell is it?"
At that moment, the words that came out of Rin's mouth were the same as Hareta's: "Rift of Hopelessness!"
The Rift of Hopelessness was a huge, gaping portal of darkness exactly like the one that had consumed Jack and Fuji.
"Well this is great," Sasori said, sarcastically. "Just wonderful."
At this exact moment, Rin, once again succeeded in throwing Kakuzu.
This pissed Kakuzu off.
And so another attack-dodge cycle began.
Kakuzu and Sasori knew that the key to this was to simply push Rin into the Rift of Hopelessness.
That would be easier said than done.
Meanwhile, Genmaru, Katamaru and Hidan were waiting downstairs.
Apparently, Erena and Taemi had accidentally let a creature through. This thing was part scorpion and part spider and was the size of a small dog. Twice the poison and twice the creepiness. How wonderful.
Genmaru approached the creature carefully.
"If you get yourself killed it's your own fault," Katamaru said.
"Are you saying that because you're standing all the way over there with Hidan and aren't helping?" Genmaru asked.
Katamaru refused to reply.
The spider-scorpion hissed at Genmaru showing it's huge, poisonous fangs.
Katamaru and Hidan's eyes widened.
That was one huge bug.
Genmaru dodged a flick of its poisonous tail and hit it with his crowbar.
The spider-scorpion cried out in pain but retaliated but trying to bite Genmaru. Genmaru flipped backwards.
"This would be easier with two people," Genmaru looked at Katamaru.
"But Kakuzu told me to protect Hidan-kun," Katamaru smirked.
Genmaru rolled his eyes.
At that point a creature came from the side, this one being a falcon with glowing red eyes and abnormally sharp claws.
Katamaru pulled Hidan out the way as Genmaru crushed the falcon's skull, bringing his crowbar down on it's head right before it attacked. The falcon fell to the ground, not moving at all. At this moment, the spider-scorpion was close enough to stab all of them but Katamaru quickly pulled out a gun and shot it.
Genmaru and Hidan stared at Katamaru.
"You had a gun?" Genmaru asked. "And you didn't use it to help?"
Katamaru shrugged; Genmaru sighed.
"It seems like that's the last of 'em," Genmaru looked around. "I wonder where they came from."
"Don't ask me," Katamaru said. "Maybe Erena-san and Taemi-san missed them."
"Erena-chan's not one to miss anything."
Genmaru pondered this deeply.
At this moment, Katamaru felt Hidan pull on his shirt slightly.
Katamaru turned; Hidan looked like he was in pain.
"What?" Katamaru asked. "Is something wro-"
Then a realization hit Genmaru and Katamaru.
The only thing they could say was, "Oh crap."
A/N: As usual thanks for reading everyone! One thing people may wonder is, if that vase of souls was so important to Rin why would she put it in a place that it could so easily be destroyed? Well, put simply, she's just evil like that; she was partially hoping someone might knock it over one day so she could punish them. ^-^; I hope I lived up to your standards once again. Arigato! :)