Moons: I swear to heck, Rachel's half the reason I'm getting this chapter out. I have a feeling that once school starts, it's going to be hell getting these chapters out. I don't like that feeling...
"'Do you believe in God?'
Written on the bullet.
Say yes to pull the trigger."
~Cassie, Flyleaf
Sora was roughly thrown into a cell with no windows. "Chain him to the wall. He's dangerous."
"Hehe, dangerous. You have no idea..." Sora smirked as they chained his wrists to the wall.
The shinobi in charge ignored his comments and continued to order. "We'll leave him here and check on him in twenty-four hours. He'd probably have regained his sanity by then, if we're lucky."
They closed the door and locked him in. "Sir," a female shinobi spoke up, "Why'd he go insane in the first place?"
"Hmm..." The leader thought, "I'll have to guess that he had only two important thing before now. One: His brother, because he was the only family he had. Two: His religion, because he must have cared about it a lot to kill all those people. His brother rejected his twisted, evil religion and he was crushed. So he forgot about him and fully cared about his deity above anything else. He leaned on it for support.
The devil wouldn't help him, but he thinks he will. So his mind, expecting help, snaps and decides to be happy. Next thing you know, he's insane."
"So..." The girl took the information and analyzed it in her head, "He's driven insane from the loss of his brother and the false joy his deity has given him."
"He expects the evil being to come and help him. His mind is a mixture of hope and anger and joy and hatred. It has given him a thirst for revenge he will never get and it has driven him mad."
"Where am I?" Sora walked around in the middle of nowhere- literally. There was nothing anywhere except the ground. The ground itself was nothing but dirt. Everything else was a blank white.
"Where yah think?" A voice said. It sounded a lot like his own, except a little bit... darker.
The owner of the voice dropped down in front of Sora, appearing out of nowhere. He looked just like him too, except he seemed to have a more evil aura surrounding him. His face was harder and his skin paler. His lips, thinner. His hair, messier. Both of his ears were pointed and very long, reaching out to the sides. Finally, his eyes were heavily bloodshot with bags under them, like he hadn't slept in days.
Sora stared at the being in disbelieve. After a moment he looked skeptically at the person and said, "Ether I'm dreaming or I'm insane."
The copy grinned widely relieving fang-like teeth. "Congratulations smart ass. You're both."
Sora tilted his head in confusion. "Eh?"
The kid sighed, "Okay, you were insane-out there- but yah wore your ass out and fell asleep. So now you're in here, your mind. Your dreamland. You could even say you're subconscious I guess."
"Oh...kay?" Sora said, "... Wait! I was insane!?"
"Yep."
"I don't remember..."
"S'okay. Some people simply don't remember times they were insane. It's, uh, kinda like a blackout after you get stoned."
"Understandable, but who are you exactly?"
The boy never seemed to stop smiling as he talked, "I don't really have a name. Only other person I've met calls me Sora, 'cause I'm you, but I'm the other you so...ack! Okay I got it! Screw having a name! If yah want ta know who I am, I guess, I'm your conscience."
"Conscience?"
"Yah know what that is right?"
"You tell what's wrong and make me do good stuff?"
"Agh! I can tell yah that's wrong." The 'conscience' moaned, "My job is to keep yah on the right path doing the thing that you should be doin', not the thing that are just good." He spat out the last word like a nasty taboo.
"Alright, I think I get it Twin."
"Twin?"
"Well, you're like my evil twin in a way." Sora explained, "So I guess I'll name you Twin, 'cause we both can't be Sora."
"That's lame." 'Twin' told him, smile still forced on his face.
"Yeah, well it's lame that I'm stuck here asleep so you'll just have to live with it, Twin." Sora stretched out the name to rub it in.
Twin's smile was now very forced. Through gritted teeth he spat, "Way to mess with a guy. Why don't you go fuck yourself! That'll make me happy."
Sora's eyes became wide, white circles. "Uh, Twin? You told me...and you are me- in a way..."
Twin's face mirrored Sora's and his jaw fell to the ground. No longer anywhere near smiling he screamed to the heavens, "OH FUCK!!" He fell to the ground and wrapped his hands around his hair as though about to tear it out. "Ididntmeanitlikethat! Ididntmeanitlikethat! AH! Baka! Baka! Baka! Grr....Goddammit! I need to watch my words!"
"Twin! Get a hold of yourself! Knock it off!" Sora yelled. He pulled his alter-ego up off the ground. Twin regained some self control breathing in and out slowly. "S-sorry."
The pointed ears on Twin's head twitched a bit. "Ah, shit!"
"What's up?" Sora asked.
"I got the feeling. You're gonna be wakin' up soon. I gotta wrap this up quick.
"Anyhow, Jashin wants yah to know he's proud of yah."
Sora gasped, "Jashin-sama!? You serious!?"
Twin nodded, a sly half smile on his face again. The ears twitched more, moving up and down.
Thunder boomed as red clouds came in out of nowhere. Sora jumped at the noise. "Is this becoming a nightmare or something!?"
"Nah." Twin told him. Red rain fell from the sky and Twin stuck out his long tongue to catch. "This is a good dream getting better. I love a good rain of blood." The blood continued to drizzle down on them.
Sora caught some of the ruby-colored liquid in his hand. "Don't be a wimp. Drink up. You did spill all this blood in the last four years anyway."
Sora licked some of the stuff off his hand. Salty, yet strangely tasty.
"Jashin is proud of you for spilling all this blood," Twin told him, " Killing all those people. All for him. He's glad that you took those lives in his name, praying after each kill. He will be watching you closely. Now wake up to a surprise. It's a new day, Sora-chan."
Sora's eyes blinked open. He was chained up in a dark room with only a single light hovering above him. Why the hell was he chained up!?
Then he remembered Twin from the dream and his words. It was like a blackout. He must have lost his sanity earlier. Why he did, he didn't know yet. Sora was just relieved he could think clearly again.
'But... Twin's words. How the hell do I know Twin even exists. He doesn't exist. I dreamed of him. Dreams aren't real.
'So...everything he said wasn't true. I really don't think Jashin is that proud of me. I know he's watching over me, but to be proud enough to invade dreams or send messengers into my dreams!? And the messenger just happens to be a creepy, badass version of me!? Get real, Sora!
... Nothing to do but wait I guess. Someone has to come eventually.'
He waited in that cell for exactly ten hours, snoozing off every now and then. Then they came.
A brown-haired, dark-skinned, young man with a cloud forehead protector showing he was from Kumogakure no Sato (Village Hidden in the Clouds) entered the cell followed by three others that were like clones. Kage bushin (Shadow clones) perhaps?
"About time." Sora told them.
"I apologize," The shinobi replied, "but we weren't sure how long it would take for you to regain some of your sanity back."
"Some?"
"You are still insane, Sora-kun," The shinobi said, "for worshiping an evil god."
Sora sighed and hung his head. So now they were going to give him some brotherly, religious crap!? "For the love of Jashin-" he exclaimed under his breath. It was just loud enough for a kage bashin to hear. Sora felt a hard punch in the back of his head.
"Don't you ever say that!" The clone yelled, "Your deity isn't real!"
Sora looked up at the four again, "What!? Of course he's real!"
"He's not!" The young shinobi in the center- the real one- shouted. He regained control of his temper and said, "We need to ask you some questions."
Sora didn't reply. He did as he did when avoiding conversation he hated: stared at the floor making no eye contact.
"Where did you learn about Jashin?"
No answer.
"Answer me!" The man shouted. He grabbed Sora's almost undone ponytail and yanked it."Gah! I-it's none of your business!"
"Tell me!" His hair was yanked more. "I can keep going forever Sora!"
He switched to other questions as they went on. Were there any other Jashinists that he knew of? How long has he been worshiping this deity? Were there any areas where Jashinist gathered? How many people has he killed? Did he ever have any help? Did he have a supply of weapons?
Sora refused to give answers. His hair had become undone. His face wasn't anywhere near pretty. His left eye and bottom lip were starting to swell. He was bleeding and bruised all over.
"Alright here's the deal." The real shinobi said. "We're just trying to get you into heaven." said the one on Sora's right. "But you need redemption." Said the one on his left. The third clone next to the real one said, "It's very simple." The real shinobi finished for them.
"All you need to do is admit your deity isn't real."
Sora's eyes snapped open. He struggled to keep them down on the floor, away from the man's glare.
"I'm a very religious man actually." The shinobi admitted, "I can help you onto the right path. You can come to me to Kumogakure. Please, Sora-kun. Please accept my offer and abandon your Jashin." Sora felt a hand on his cheek. The shinobi pulled his head up so that they could see each others' faces clearly.
The man was only a few years older than Ichigo. He had noticeably, dark brown skin. His hair was a lighter brown and grew out in spikes in the back of his head. His eyes were the same shade of brown. They were small and had no pupils.
Admit Jashin wasn't real? Could he do that? He cursed himself and his miserable luck. He felt like a child in a fight against a big powerful adult. Hell, he still was a child! Still as stupid as an eight year old.
"Can you tell me more about Jashin, please?"
Those words popped into his head. They had come out of his mouth four years ago. His soft voice continued.
"Can you show me how we know he exists?"
He smiled a little and mouthed Brom's words.
"You've seen the proof yourself."
And it was true, but now he hadn't just seen the truth. He had felt it! It was truly his nature to kill. Why reject it?
"I can see you have a troubled mind." The man continued, unaware of Sora's thoughts. "Join me and we'll help you. I'll help you-"
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Sora screeched at the top of his lungs. He pulled his head away from the man's hand. "First the lady, then the mean boss, then everyone who got in my way!" His eyes were shaking as he stared back at his torturer. "I spilled their blood and killed them all in Jashin's name! And it felt so damn good! I'll never admit he doesn't exist! Never!"
The shinobi stared, speechless. Then he sighed and made his kage bushin disappear. To his relief, Sora was still sane. He flung his hand out and slapped the boy. He drew a knife and jammed it into Sora's right shoulder. Sora screamed out in pain. Blood poured out of the wound.
"Admit it!" The shinobi yelled, "Admit that you're wrong! You felt nothing!" He pulled the knife along the skin down his arm, deepening the cut.
"Grr..." Sora squeezed his eyes shut trying to keep from crying out, "Damn you bastard!"
The shinobi slashed at helpless Sora. Sora stayed true to his deity, but that didn't stop the pain. His entire right arm was covered in blood! There was a large puddle of it growing beneath him.
Sora couldn't take much more! He was now crying because of the pain. The torturer swung his blade across Sora's left wrist. His left arm was free of chains, but not of this new pain!
His left hand had come clean off!
Sora screamed out loud. The man didn't stop. He swung again.
He entire right arm came off!
The useless limb fell down, reduced to a load of dead flesh and blood.
Sora screamed again. 'I can't do this!' He shouted in his mind. 'No one else is here to see me cry! No one can here me scream! No one except that son of a bitch! I'm damned to die here!'
"You can still save yourself." The shinobi told him. He put his hand back on the bruised cheek.
'Stay away from me...'
"This is your last chance though." He warned, pulling Sora's head up. "If you don't take my offer, I'll kill you here and now."
'Stay away from me!'
Sora felt so... helpless! His left hand and his right arm: gone! He couldn't think.
Then someone or something thought him. There was no voice in his head. The words just came to him as though they were out of a book.
I can see you're suffering through much pain. You were warned about this when you made your vows.
"I know." Sora whispered.
You believe that you deity can help you still?
Sora nodded. The torturer looked at him curiously and let his hand fall, expecting that he was finally broken.
Why?
"I've seen the proof with my own eyes." Sora whispered so softly only he could hear. "Humans are evil, all of them. Even the kind monks allow people like this to do their dirty work. Jashin knows that. He knows the limits and rules that should be set for that, but still supports it. He wants to spread death and chaos. No, we want to spread death and chaos."
So you are willing to kill anyone for him?
"And more."
Sora realized just then that the tables had turned. The chains had been attached to his wrists and now that they were cut that chains had fallen with the flesh. He was free!
Without warning he tackled the shinobi. The shinobi reacted quickly, taking the knife and driving it into his attacker's chest.
It hit the heart!
Sora fell to the ground. His breathing slowed until it couldn't go on. The shinobi left the body there. Before leaving, he told Sora the last words he heard. "Burn in hell!"
The words in the Jashinist's head continued.
Your loyalty highly impresses me. I have very few supporters now, so I need your kind of help. You are very special Sora. You are blessed.
The shinobi went up to the nearest man in religious uniform. "I failed to convert him and he choose death. Get rid of the body for me, please?"
"I'm on it." The man replied in a gruff voice. As he left, the shinobi turned around for a second look at him. This guy was huge! He had to duck down to keep his head from reaching the ceiling! The shinobi had never seen someone so big and weird. Then he decided he was being judgmental and he should be more respectful. After all, the man was a monk.
The 'monk' looked down in sorrow at Sora's body. He easily lifted Sora up and slung him over his shoulder. He brought him outside the monk's temple, then outside the city.
It was there that he lifted Sora's body up and felt around his neck. His eyes widened.
In a hurry, he cut his palm and pressed it against the ground.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu! (summoning technique)"
An armored animal appeared before him. The animal stripped off his metal so that he only wore a steal helmet that covered all of his head except for the eyes and mussel. The leftover armor disappeared in a poof of smoke.
The man laid Sora down on the golden-brown fur. Together the three left the Stone country.
"I'm sorry, Ichigo-san. There was nothing we could do."
Tears stung Ichigo's eyes. "I know that." he said to the cloud shinobi with him. "Sora looked impossible to control. Su-suicide would have been very easy." his throat was dry and his words came out in a hurry. "It's just hard to believe he's gone..."
Moons: ... I'm a cruel person. But if this didn't happen, majority of the story won't happen and the title won't exist for future reasons.
So, liked it? Didn't like it? Think Flyleaf rocks? Review and get a soda pop!