Chapter 5
"Lady Hinata! Slow down! You're going to fall!" called the Branch house member, her warning going unheeded as the Main House heiress ran giggling into the vast Hyuuga gardens.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," the two year old called over her shoulder. "I'm just going to tell Mom that dinner's ready! She's been working so hard, she must be hungry!"
The Hyuuga gardens were truly magnificent, a sprawling vista of green grass, resplendent sakura trees and smooth koi ponds. It was a place whose aura of untarnished tranquility was famous across the Elemental Nations, and the Hyuuga were incredibly proud of it. Unfortunately, due to a mixture of the clan's standoffish reputation and an unconfirmed rumor that their sakura were kept vibrant thanks to being fed on the bleeding carcasses of their enemies, the gardens were rarely visited by the general public.
Though the stoic clansmen would never admit it, it really hurt their feelings.
As Hinata ran as fast as her short little legs could carry her, she arrived at the hill which sat in the center of the grounds. At its peak stood an enormous tree (sakura of course) that was the largest and oldest in the village. But it was the woman kneeling at its base who drew the girl's attention.
"Hm? You're out of breath, child. Did you run all the way here?"
Hinata's mother was a beautiful, beautiful woman. Of course she would be, since she looked just like her daughter would in twenty years time. The only real difference was her eyes. A Hyuuga through marriage rather than birth, her eyes were a radiant forest green. She had also valiantly resisted the Hyuuga fashion code, and rather than the stately, egg shell colored clothes of her family opted to wear a long, buttoned up green trenchcoatand leather combat boots.
And yet she was gardening as Hinata approached. Let it be said that no matter what she wore and no matter how many fistfights she got into, Yuri Hyuuga was as girly as they came.
"Heh," grinned Hinata. "Dad says dinner's ready."
"Oh well, I could use a break." Roughly brushing her muddied hands on her coat, Yuri rose to her feet. Her offspring looked on at the many flowerbeds yet unplanted.
"There's still so many left, can you really plant them all by winter?"
"Sure. Winter here is nowhere near as harsh as it is where I was born." Yuri smiled at her daughter's attentive, adoring face. "First we all work hard to plant the bulbs, then everyone in the clan can admire them after winter. If we all work hard and help eachother out, we can make this the most beautiful garden on earth. Understand?"
Her daughter gave an adorable, pouty frown. "But isn't it already the most beautiful garden on earth?" Yuri chuckled and ruffled her daughter's hair before setting off on the trail back to the compound. "Hey, Mom?"
"Yeah?"
"Will you have to go away again in the winter? To work?" Hinata was young, but she wasn't stupid. She knew the answer from her mother's silence. "For how long? Will you be back soon?" At her mother's expression, she hurriedly clarified, "It's okay Mom, I can wait for you! Cause I'm brave! But, Dad's different. He's a wimp, so he misses you. He tries to hide it, but..." There was a long silence, then, "But I can see how sad he is."
"I know," said Yuri finally. "I feel terrible about doing this to you and your father. So Hinata, you have to look after dad while I'm away, alright. I'll try to come back before winter."
"Okay," sighed Hinata, knowing it was better than nothing. "I promise. Come back soon, okay."
"Of course. I promise too." Yuri waited a few seconds, then pinched her daughter on the cheek when she didn't perk up. "C'mon. Dad's waiting."
As her child took off running, the last thing Yuri saw as she faded from view was the fragile white fox mask on the back of her head.
…
…
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...as the yo...ng se...rches...he...mo...her's...
...you fa...e de...tiny...
...Hid...n Mis...
"Uh... Unh..." groaned Hinata eloquently, roused from her dream by the invasive voice.
"Hinata! Wake up! Move your ass!"
"Mnnh... Huh?" Groggily, Hinata sat up from her uncomfortable sleeping position. She was sitting in the rear cockpit of the battered plane they had hijacked. The Saint of Killers was presumably still driving from the front seat, but it was hard to see him clearly with all the smoke that was gushing out of the engine.
...Wait, smoke?
"Whoa! What's goin' on!" shouted Hinata, now wide awake.
"Is something 'goin' on?' The hell it is! How can you possibly sleep at a time like this?"
"Hey, I don't wanna hear that from you!" The Saint didn't immediately reply. What he really wanted to ask was why she was mumbling "Mom, Mom, they're coming to kill Hanabi, help," in her sleep. However, spiraling to earth in a blazing aircraft probably wasn't the best time.
"This is no time for casual discourse on somniloquy. We're going to crash! CRASH I tell you!"
While this little discussion was going on, something far more interesting was happening on solid ground.
Kurenai Yuuhi stood ready for battle, facing her most deadly opponent to date. He was a big man, his shirtlessness allowing his bulging muscles to be bared for the world to see. Most of his face was concealed by bandages, while his hair was short and black. In his hand he held a sword made of black metal, as long as his body and with a sharp hole in one end which the owner infamously used to decapitate his victims.
The man had with him an androgynous apprentice, who hid their face with a more conventional white mask. The apprentice had access to the allegedly extinct power of Hyouton, the ability to control ice. Currently what appeared to be several huge ice mirrors were circling two of her own students, giving the apprentice the home field advantage. Her third and final student stood a ways behind her defending their client, an old drunk named Tazuna. It was very serious, very tense and very dramatic.
Right up until a plane nosedived into the ground about ten meters from where she was standing.
Everyone present could only stand and stare at the burning wreck. Even the floating mirrors disappeared so the occupants could get a better look at what was going on. Seriously though, when did this even happen? An airplane falls out of the sky and almost crushes you while you're in the middle of an epic ninja battle. It was just so random.
But nowhere near as random as things got when two figures rose from the wreckage.
"Okay then," said Hinata, brushing the embers from her coat. "We have now traveled through cemeteries, forests, plains, swamps and sewers. We've fought off missing-nin, mutant wolves, giant spiders, zombies, hellcats, demons, policemen and taoistically possessed puppies. Not ten seconds ago we fell from cloud level to ground level in a flaming cardboard box, and yet STILL your hat won't fall off."
"I'm afraid it's permanently stuck to my head." said the Saint with a straight face.
Hinata narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Take it off."
"No."
"Take it off."
"No."
"Take it off!"
"No!"
"TAKE IT OFF!"
"NO!"
The pair were interrupted from their bickering as cliche sinister laughter echoed from the mist surrounding them. An ugly old dude in sunglasses and a business suit was standing in front of a hoard of henchmen, looking pleased with himself. "I know I was going to kill you off anyway Zabuza, but if you can't take on a woman and three children on your own then there must be something severely exaggerated in your reputation. Demon of the Hidden Mist? Hah, more like baby demon if you ask me!"
"That's such a stupid thing to say." said the Saint.
"Forget him," said Hinata dismissively. "What was with that landing? I thought we were done for!"
"Don't ignore me!" blustered the ugly guy angrily.
"I never dreamed we'd crash," said the Saint defensively. "But to be fair, it was my first time flying a prototype aircraft with purely theoretical knowledge that I had acquired only minutes earlier. And besides, it was a pretty gutless plane if it couldn't even make it past Wave."
"Uh," said Kurenai hesitantly. "Excuse me?"
"Forget Wave," shouted Hinata. "You almost bought us a one-way ticket to hell!"
"Oi!" shouted the swordsman, who was presumably Zabuza. "You're in the way here, so why don't you just-"
Hinata's fist smashed straight through the weapon and into his chest, sending the man and his shattered sword skidding across the ground to crumple at the edge of the riverbed. "You!" she shouted, pointing at Zabuza. "You!" she pointed at Kurenai. "You!" she finally pointed to the ugly guy. "SHUT UP!" The enraged Harmonixer turned back to her partner, not caring as the apprentice made off with their master.
"Don't glare at me like that," groused the Saint, starting to get a little angry himself. "That's not very nice. C'mon, look at the bright side..." He thought for a moment. "We're all still here! Right?"
"Listen, you idiots," called a particularly stupid thug. "You'd better-" Once again the heckler was cut off, this time by a bullet to the forehead.
"Shut. The hell. Up." Compared to Hinata's loud anger, the cold fury of the Saint of Killers was far more frightening to the assembled minions. By this time the ugly businessman had cut his losses and gone home, though none of his employees noticed it. "Now look here you. We were stranded in unfamiliar territory with Mist-nins coming at us from the front and Rain-nins coming at us from the back. That plane wasn't meant to take us far, just take us away, and that was damn well what it did. GET OVER IT!"
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT!"
"THEN WHY ARE YOU SO ANGRY!"
"BECAUSE EVERY TIME WE TRY TO TALK THESE DICKS KEEP INTERRUPTING US! IT PISSES ME OFF!"
"YOU KNOW WHAT? IT PISSES ME OFF TOO!"
"WANT TO KILL THEM!"
"SURE!"
With that, the Saint of Killers drew his pistols from his belt and strode purposefully towards the awaiting army, firing wildly. His guns never jammed and never had to be reloaded. Each bullet shot hit its mark, each bullet hit was fatal. When he came within range the thugs attacked him with everything they had, to no avail. His skin, even his clothes were impervious to any damage they might inflict. Those that tried to escape found the rear covered by a demon with black hide and red wings. The lucky ones had their bodies rotted away in an instant by the darkness that spewed from the thing's mouth, while the unlucky ones were ripped limb from limb by cruel, hooked claws.
And as for Kurenai and her students?
They could only stand and watch.
"Well?" said Hinata, once they were done. "Now what?"
"I don't know, maybe we shou- hey, look at that!" The Saint was pointing towards a huge bridge that spanned the river towards the mainland. Though unfinished, it was still very impressive. "Helluva bridge."
"Like it?" said Tazuna, deciding that if they were going to kill the people who tried to bump him off he may as well be nice to them. "I've been working on it for months."
"It's magnificent!" beamed the Saint, seeming oddly enthusiastic. "Reminds me of the Great Arch connecting the First and Second Spheres."
"Connecting the what?"
"Not important," said the Saint dismissively. "What's your name?"
"Tazuna."
"What are you going to call it?"
"Well, I haven't quite come up with a-"
"Why not just call it 'The Awesome Bridge That Tazuna Built'." suggested Hinata, and the old man immediately broke into a grin.
"See! See!" he shouted to the four he had hired to protect him. "She gets it!" They didn't answer, as they were all still wondering what was going on. "So anyway, as thanks to you guys for helping me out back there how about I help you find a place to stay?"
"Sure." And so, leaving the baffled ninja to their own devices, the trio set off into the desiccated town of Wave.
The place was the polar opposite of Rain. While one was thriving and technologically advanced the other was poor and rural. As Tazuna explained, the ugly guy - whose name turned out to be Gato - owned a shipping company that had taken up residence in the area. As Gato slowly took control of the small country's trade he ruthlessly sucked the life out of it until they had so little money that neither buying nor selling nor stealing were profitable. Hence Tazuna built the bridge, hoping to allow trade independent of the tycoon. Gato had then put a hit out on him, forcing him to hire ninja bodyguards. Gato then hired his own ninja, blah blah happened and a plane fell out of the sky. The rest, as they say, is history.
"This guy sounds like a jackass." said Hinata bluntly. "Lets kill him."
"Tomorrow maybe," murmured the Saint distractedly. "I'm tired. Let's find a place to sleep first."
"You're always tired."
"Am not." They were still bickering as they arrived in front of the inn.
"A word to the wise," said Tazuna seriously. "Don't bother the Sea Mother. She's the only one we can depend on now." The pair looked at each other as the old bridge-builder walked off, not bothering to ask who the Sea Mother was.
The inn was very small and consisted of one room that took up the entire building. A few beds arranged against the wall were the highlight of the accommodations; in one of them lay a sleeping man. Sweat poured off him as he twitched feverishly in his sleep, and a man who looked very similar to him - probably a brother - knelt by his side, holding his hand. Above them stood an old woman in grey robes, her hands clasped in front of her in prayer. Just a few feet from where they had entered stood a final man (possibly the proprietor) watching the proceedings anxiously.
"Another victim of the curse," he muttered to himself. "It's so awful, I can't bear to watch."
"Oi," whispered Hinata. "D'you think that old woman is..."
"Yeah," the Saint whispered back. "Looks like it. She's..."
"Oh almighty God," the old woman mumbled. "I beseech you, prolong this boy's life. I beg of you."
"An idiot." they said in unison, and were shushed by the innkeeper.
"Aah... Uugh..." groaned the dying man. "I... It hurts, brother... Please... ask... Sea Mother... to..."
"Hang in there," his brother replied desperately. "Don't give up! You're gonna be alright! Please Sea Mother! You've got to do something! He's the only family I have!"
The Sea Mother was quiet for a very long time. "...I can't help you." The look of betrayal on the man's face caused physical pain in the chests of those who saw it. "You fought very hard. You're a brave, brave young man."
"You can't say that! Oh God, I-"
"I'm sure it was very difficult, but it'll soon be over. I do not possess the power to eliminate Li Li's curse... Forgive me, child."
The man began to cough uncontrollably, blood frothing and gurgling out over his front. As his brother screamed in anguish, the Sea Mother turned away.
She turned to the north. "Spirits in the heavens." She turned to the south. "Spirits in the heavens." She turned back to her spasming patient. "Our proud fisherman will be coming under your care. Please be good to him."
"Screw this!" snorted the Saint, and pushed her aside. "You there, get away from him."
"W-what, who are-"
"Sorenius." he intoned, holding his hands of the writhing fisherman's body. Small orbs of blue light appeared all over the room, illuminating everything in a soft glow. "Sorenius!" The floating orbs began to gather between the Saint of Killers' hands, forming a single ball of light the size of a basketball. "SORENIUS!" The light blasted from his hands, smashing brutally into the man's body. He screamed, his eyes rolled back as the Saint's spell forcefully regenerated his body from the ground up. His agony lasted a thousand years, and then it was over. He slumped back on the bed, unconscious but no longer on the verge of death.
"He's cured?" whispered the man's brother. "He's cured! Oh thank God Almighty, he's cu-"
He was interrupted as the Saint whacked him hard in the back of the head. "He's not cured, you idiot. I've only prolonged the inevitable."
"So there's really no saving him?"
"Don't be pathetic, of course there is. I just don't have the necessary equipment is all."
"Tell me what you need! Whether it's the eye of a dragon or the teeth of a tengu, I promise you I'll-"
"Bring me a bucket of dirt."
"Excuse me?"
Hinata waved the innkeeper over, having lost interest in the conversation. "Hello, we would like two beds for the night."
"I'm sorry, but what do you need a bucket of dirt for?"
"Dirt loves death, death loves dirt. That's the way it works."
"Thank you," nodded Hinata, ending the transaction with what was, for her, an unusually gracious note. "Also, you wouldn't know where I could find a good bar would you?"
"Uh, I thought the idea was that he didn't die."
"Not necessarily," shrugged the Saint. "The curse is feeding on his life force, take it away and the curse starves."
"But he'll be dead."
"Hence the dirt."
"Really? None at all?" said Hinata in disappointment. "Damn you Gato... Fine, is there anywhere we can at least get food?"
"Hey, I'm back," said the Sea Mother, getting annoyed when she realized no-one had noticed her leave. "I brought your dirt."
"Ah, splendid."
"Okay then," said Hinata, tuning back in to what everyone else was doing. "There's a place called the Flying Turtle restaurant a few blocks from here. Let's go there for a bite to eat."
"Sure. Let me just kill this guy and we'll go." The Saint of Killers scraped some dirt into his hand and wiped it on the sleeping man's cheeks and forehead. Removing his shirt, he went on to daub the earthy substance on his chest, stomach and throat. When he was done he laid the bucket to one side and placed his left hand on the man's arm, drawing one gun with his right.
"I probably should have mentioned this," he said casually. "But I have no idea whether or not this is going to work." Almost negligently, he shot the man in the head.
"Ah," sighed the Saint five minutes later. "It feels nice to do a good deed."
"Right," murmured Hinata distractedly, leafing through the menu in her hands. "What're you going to order?"
"Ramen. Absolutely no contest."
"Your first cooked meal in fifteen years, and you order noodles."
"I like ramen. It holds many a warm memory within my heart. What're you ordering?"
"Beef chow mein."
"Boring. You should have ramen."
"I don't want ramen. I want beef-"
"Ramen."
"No, I want-"
"Ramen."
"I-"
"Ramen."
"Sto-"
"Ramen."
"WILL YOU CUT THAT OUT!"
A few tables away, Kurenai and her team eyed the pair warily, wondering what had happened to the ruthless murderers they had met at the bridge.
"So," said Hinata after they'd ordered. "How did you you cure that guy back there."
The Saint shrugged, as if it really wasn't anything special. "Well, that thing I did to stabilize the guy was just standard white magic. For a Saint such as myself, it's child's play. The actual cure, however, is a bit more complicated." The four ninja eavesdropping on their conversation quietly edged their seats closer. "It's something of a special ability of mine. If I touch a dead person, that person returns to life for as long as I maintain skin contact."
"And you covered him in dirt why?"
"Dirt loves death, death loves dirt. That's the way it works." grunted the Saint, repeating his earlier words. "When dragged from the afterlife for too long a person's body begins to burn with hellfire unless fresh earth is administered. The process occurs faster the fresher the corpse."
"That," said Hinata. "Is pretty cool. But it still doesn't explain-"
"I was getting to that," said the Saint testily. "Since I was touching him when he died neither heaven nor hell could claim him. In a sense, death's door was closed. For a split second he wasn't alive, but neither was he truly dead. In that moment, the curse was starved of lifeforce to a sufficient extent that it had utterly ceased to exist by the time he came back to life."
"That makes no sense. If all that's true, why didn't the hole in his head just reopen after you took your hand away."
"Life is a very passive-aggressive thing," the Saint shrugged. "The only thing that can actually stop it is death. Since he technically didn't die the little details were glossed over and it carried on as if nothing happened."
At this point all conversation stopped, as their orders had arrived. The restaurant was then treated to the sight of the Saint of Killers Eating Ramen. Yeah, with capitals.
It was... awesome.
"That was... awesome." said Hinata, staring at the thirty-odd empty bowls piled around the Saint's elbows, almost completely obscuring him from sight. "I haven't even finished my chow mein yet."
"It's a gift." said the Saint, trailing a toothpick between his incisors. He sighed happily. "Aah, bliss."
"Uh, excuse m-" Kurenai stopped with a squeak as she suddenly found herself staring down the business end of one of the Saint's colts.
"And you are?"
"Ah, I'm-"
"A ninja." said the Saint darkly. "Who sent you?"
"Nobody sent me! Well, yes, someone did send me, but not because of-"
"So someone did send you." growled the Saint. "Your headbands say you're from the Hidden Leaf... but they think I'm dead."
Hinata sighed at the melodrama. "They were at the bridge, you idiot. They were probably just hired to protect Tazuna."
The Saint eyed his hostage suspiciously. "Is this true?"
"Yes! Yes it is!" gabbled Kurenai in relief. The Saint holstered his weapon with a grunt.
"Oh, sorry." He turned his attention to her three students, who consisted of two boys and a girl. One of the boys was wearing a long trenchcoat with a drawn up hood. Combined with his high collar and sunglasses it almost completely hid his face from view. The other boy was wearing a fur-lined jacket with the hood down and had a white dog the size of a horse sitting at his side. This second boy also had a set of red tattoos resembling fangs on each cheek, along with oddly feral features and a mane of brown hair.
"I may well be mistaken," said the Saint mildly. "But the two of you wouldn't be from the Aburame and Inuzuka clans would you?"
"That is correct." said the first boy softly. "My name is Shino Aburame, and my teammate here is Kiba Inuzuka. We are both chuunin of the Hidden Leaf."
Surprising everyone the Saint bowed low to the boys in typical samurai fashion, his left fist clasped in his right palm. "I have not had the privilege of meeting with members of your esteemed clans in many years. It is an honor."
"Oh, well," grinned Kiba, rubbing the back of his head in an embarrassed way. "I wouldn't say that we're-"
"Wouldn't you?" interrupted the Saint. "The symbiotic bond between the Aburame and their insects and the emotional bond between the Inuzuka and their hounds are truly a marvelous thing. Which reminds me, you have yet to introduce me to your partner."
"Ah, right!" said Kiba, rubbing his dog's head affectionately. "This is my best friend in the whole world, Akamaru!"
"I am the Saint of Killers."
"Hinata."
The Saint gave Akamaru a very stern, very serious nod. "I hope keeping your partner alive up until now hasn't been too much trouble."
"Hey!"
As the Saint chatted with Kiba and Shino, Hinata turned her attention to the final student. The girl was of a slim build, and was wearing a red dress. Her eyes were emerald green and her hair was an astonishing bubblegum pink. "My name is Sakura Haruno," the girl said politely, pleased that someone had noticed her. "Pleased to meet you."
"Hey! Sakura!" cheered the little blonde boy. "D'you wanna have lunch with me?"
The girl smacked him hard. "Get away from me, worthless. Your stupidity'll rub off on me."
"Your hair looks stupid." said Hinata severely.
"What!" screeched Sakura.
"It does doesn't it." said the Saint, who had also remembered her. "It's like someone popped their bubblegum on your head and no-one bothered to clean it off."
"It's especially ridiculous considering we're ninja," added Kiba. "It's just far too visible."
"And that dress of yours doesn't help." joined in Shino. Unable to cope with this betrayal, Sakura could only gape like a fish. She turned to her sensei for aid.
"I've been wondering this Sakura," said Kurenai. "But is that really your natural hair color?" The pinkette ran, sobbing, from the restaurant, her sensei calling after her apologetically.
"Right," said the Saint, pouring a drink each for Hinata and himself. "I didn't finish telling that story in Rain, did I?"
"What sto- Ohhh, that one."
"Where was I?"
"The Yondaime sealed the Nine Tailed Fox into a little boy, little boy is abused his whole life, meets Cap'n Tsuji and gets taught to use firearms."
"What was that about the Fo-" began Kiba, but was shushed by Shino, who had loved being told bedtime stories as a child.
"Ah," nodded the Saint, and took a swig of his drink only to spit it back into the glass. "Well, Captain Tsuji spent a year teaching the boy everything he knew: not just about shooting but also such things as survival skills and hand to hand combat. However all good things must come to an end, and eventually Captain Tsuji had to leave, though he promised he would come back to finish the boy's training."
Tsuji stood at the village gates, already missing his young protege. The boy was wearing sandals in the hot climate, along with tan shorts and a black t-shirt with a red spiral on the front. He had put on weight since Tsuji had first met him, and no longer had the emaciated look he once had. Under his clothes were lean muscles forged from Tsuji's brutal training regimen. He was like a different person.
"Do you really have to go?" asked the boy. Tsuji was genuinely surprised by how reluctant he was to leave. He had devoted the last year of his life to this boy, and had become quite attached to him.
"I am afraid so. It is about time I met with my family, back in Rain. I have other responsibilities than just here." The boy looked up at him silently for a long moment, then stepped forward to wrap his arms around his father figure's waist.
"I miss you already."
Tsuji patted his apprentice on the shoulder, his voice embarrassingly thick. "There there. I'll come back, eventually. I promise."
"But-"
"Boy, what did I tell you the day we met?"
"...No matter what happens, there's always tomorrow."
Tsuji reached in to his backpack, withdrawing a wooden case he had prepared several months previously. "Take this," he whispered softly. "But only use it in the most severe of emergencies. Goodbye." With his last farewells said Tsuji walked to his waiting regiment, to start the long journey home. The boy waved until long after they had marched out of sight, and only then did he open the box in his hands.
Inside was a single, loaded pistol.
"That's not right," said Hinata suddenly, making all the other listeners jump. "You have two guns, not one."
"Give the woman a prize," drawled the Saint sarcastically. "The truth is Tsuji left on the first of October, meaning the boy's birthday - the festival of the Nine-Tailed Fox - was only nine days away. The day the boy turned nine years old an angry mob attacked his apartment, drunk on cheap alcohol and the sorrows of loved ones lost. In hindsight, it was quite similar to the incident which had resulted in his previous dwelling being burnt down the year before, which in turn lead to his first meeting with Captain Tsuji."
"Let me guess," said Hinata darkly. "His used the emergency gun."
"What else could he do? He could die, or he could fight. Though it should be said, the number of bullets in the boy's possession equaled slightly less than the sum of his enemies."
"Wait a minute," said Kurenai. "Are you trying to said that an eight year old boy killed-"
"I'm not trying to say anything, I'm outright telling you." said the Saint seriously. "But Tsuji taught the boy more than just how to aim. Several bullets would go right through their targets only to kill those standing behind them, or ricocheted off walls to hit an enemy. By the time he was done there was only one member of the mob left, and only one bullet in the gun." Here he leaned forward and grinned demonically, as if what he said next either gave him some deep, personal pleasure or angered him to the point of genocide. "The gun jammed."
The silence was deafening. "What happened next?" asked Kiba, fearing the answer.
"The last guy killed him," shrugged the Saint, as though it was no big deal. "To be exact, he rammed the blade of a shovel between his ribs and used to lever his chest open. And as the boy died, the weight of the Demon Fox's evil karma dragged him with it on the long road to Hell. Normally, when a soul gets to hell the horror of their condition blasts away everything that ever made them human. All love, fear and hate evaporated in the inferno. Nothing human has ever, ever survived the approach to the Gates."
"Until he got there." guessed Hinata, and was rewarded with a nod.
"His hate remained intact, his desire for revenge and death was undiminished and his cold heart was enough to freeze the very fires of Hell itself. The gates were sealed shut, the fires went out and The Devil himself came out of his palace to find out what the hell was going on. The Devil and the Angel of Death found the source of the problem, the cold soul of a dead child, the very one in whose gut the Angel had sealed a demon lord all those years ago. The Devil tried to beat the hate out of him - he was whipped to the bone - but his hate remained, cold and untouchable and absolute. The Devil begged him to give it up, and asked what it was he wanted, why he hated so hard. The child said that, after getting one good thing in a bad, bad life he had had everything taken away. All the hopes, the dreams, the possibilities he had only just discovered were gone, gone, gone. All that remained was the desire for revenge, the desire to kill."
The Saint of Killers took a moment to lean back and stretch, allowing his listeners to release the breath they hadn't realized they'd been holding. "I would now like to take a moment to talk about the Angel of Death. The thing is, he probably wouldn't have minded his job if he'd had it in the beginning. In the beginning, of course, there was no death. Only God and the Angelic Host. But then God made humans, and humans were born to die. They did it quite well, actually, almost from the moment they were created. Also someone had to go around and collect their souls, bringing them to either Heaven or Hell. God sure wasn't going to do it, so he chose one of his angels. The Angel of Death did his job, the way a good angel would. But he didn't like it. Man's inhumanity to man got to him after a while, and every century seemed to get worse. In fact he'd seen the plans for the 21st century, and he knew it was all going to get much worse indeed."
"How much worse?" asked Shino.
"Don't ask questions you don't want answered," came the gruff response. "The point is, when the boy's soul entered Hell the Angel jumped at the chance. A deal was struck, and The Devil melted down the Angel of Death's sword in Hell's last burning fire. The weapon was then recast as a pair of Divine Colts, incredible weapons that would not misfire, nor would their hammers fall on empty chambers. No shot they fired would miss its mark, no wound they delivered would be anything but fatal. The Devil then sewed the flesh back onto his bones..." Here the Saint paused to lift the edge of his coat, revealing a line of messy, puckered stitches going up his side. "Inexpertly," he said dryly, and noted with amusement the green faces of the gathered ninja. "Dressed him in the garb of God's Bounty Hunter and strapped his new weapons to his hips. He then gave him his new title, which he would carry forever more into eternity: The Saint of Killers, patron of murder and assassination. And as the Saint finally stepped over the threshold of perdition the fires of Hell started up again, and The Devil shouted out with joy, 'Good riddance, you cold-hearted son of a bitch!' The Saint heard his insult, and put the first shot of his new guns through the Devil's skull."
There was long silence as the other occupants of the table stared in disbelief at the blonde storyteller, until finally Hinata said, "That is so cool!"
"Indeed," nodded the Saint. "This next bit, however, not so much. For you see, the first thing the Saint of Killers did after returning to the physical world was hunt down the one who killed him. He eventually cornered him in the Hidden Grass, in a huge mess hall he had rented for a get-together with his whole, huge family. When the Saint first kicked down the doors and began slaughtering everything inside the murderer did not initially recognize his victim, as the new body he had been granted was that of a full grown man. It was only seconds before his death, when he saw the faded whiskers marks on his killer's cheeks, that he knew who had brought him his end. But the Saint didn't stop there. He was the bringer of death, and he didn't much care whose. Nothing could harm him, and nothing could stop him. In the end, every man, woman and child in that hall died to the thunder of his guns."
The restaurant was dead silent. As in Rain every person in the room had been listening to the story, and every one had heard his admission. The gathered crowd, including the team of ninja, began to back away. Only Hinata stayed where she was. "My story doesn't disgust you?" he asked wryly, mouth quirked in a humorless smirk.
Hinata looked him dead in the eye. "When I first discovered my powers I spent months roving the world, switching in and out of fusion without control. On good days I'd wake up next to the butchered carcass of an animal. Most days, I'd wake up next to a person. Until that damn voice showed up and taught me some semblance of sanity, of control, I survived almost exclusively on human flesh. Age, gender, species, I devoured them indiscriminately."
"That's different," said the Saint bitterly. "You were under the influence of the demonic soul, while I was perfectly aware of-"
"Not always," said Hinata quietly. "The first time I gained control - true, perfect control - a group of villagers found me, pelting me with rocks and weapons. It all caught up with me, the hate, the rage, the frustration. In the end, every man, woman and child in that town died to the thunder of my wings."
There was a long silence. It wasn't the same as the Saint's life story, but it held the same weight. As he had bared his soul to her, so she had bared hers to him. In the dark, rickety hovel in Wave, a bond was forged.
"Well," said the Saint finally. "What a fine pair of sinners we are." He punctuated the sentence by taking a swig of his drink, which he again spat back into his glass.
"I'm a sinner," corrected Hinata. "You're a saint. Now finish the story."
"There's not much left to tell, to be perfectly honest." Swig. Spit. "Long story short, God didn't want an emo for a hitman, so he directed me to the tomb in Rain. As I slept my immortal soul was transported to Heaven, where the Angelic Host attempted to teach me the difference between right and wrong over a period of fifteen years. I suppose they succeeded."
"You mean to say you spent your adolescent years in heaven?" said Shino in wonder. "What was it li-"
"More importantly," interrupted Hinata. "Why do you keep spitting out your booze?"
"I am a saint in name, but an angel in status," the Saint shrugged. "And angels are strictly prohibited from imbibing in alcohol."
This revelation sparked the bulk of conversation, right up until the terrifying pair decided to leave for the night.
"...So Lucifer storms on into Elysium, epically drunk," the Saint was saying as they left the building. "Declares that he won't be doing Heaven's dirty work anymore and gives God the finger."
"The Devil was cast from grace for public inebriation?"
"That's right."
"Wow. So alcohol is the root cause of all evil in the universe."
"Makes you think, doesn't it." The Saint of Killers stopped where he was, looking around curiously. "Are you at all getting the feeling that something absolutely hideous is about to happen?"
Hinata looked around, taking in the cloudy night sky, the slowly encroaching white fog and the sounds of chittering horrors at the edge of hearing. "Vaguely."
A person shambled from the fog, wearing immaculate white trousers and a white dress shirt, which was baggy enough that they couldn't tell if it was male or female. Its feet were bare, allowing the soft loam to seep between its toes, and its hair was long, lank and black, shielding its eyes from view. Its skin was a pale, pale white, and its lips were a dark, dark black.
"This is going to be horribly cliche, isn't it?" sighed the Saint.
"Zhaoyang all over again." nodded Hinata.
"Everyone's so scared of me," croaked the apparition, and its voice was hoarse and guttural, like a person choking on blood. "They won't open their doors."
"As well they should." nodded Hinata. "You're very, very creepy."
"Oh!" exclaimed the Saint, bringing his right fist down into his left palm. "You must be Li Li, the girl(?) who cursed that fisherman from before."
"That's right," cackled the girl(?) fiendishly. "Heh, such a pretty voice."
"Me or her?"
"Her." she(?) nodded, momentarily breaking character. "My voice used to be like that too. Even prettier, maybe..."
Neither backed down as Li Li took a few shambling steps towards them. "So this is it, then." grunted the Saint. "You're the evil spirit that comes out when the sun goes down."
"Thought I smelled a monster," added Hinata, putting up her fists. "Right, let's see what you've got!"
"What's the point?" snickered Li Li. "My business will be done here soon. So, my sacrifice for tonight..." Her(?) head suddenly whipped around with an echoing CRACK, to glare with malevolent glee at the Saint of Killers. "YOU!" Taking him completely by surprise, a bolt of purple lightning flashed down from the sky to crash mercilessly into his body. A strike of phantasm rather than energy, his body and clothes were left untouched by the blow.
Yet still he fell - as if in slow motion - to the ground.
As Hinata ran to his downed form, Li Li disappeared and reappeared atop a nearby building. "At sunset tomorrow, that man will die. All you can do is sit by and watch," she(?) grinned cruelly. "How glorious... He'll be in agony until the very moment of his death. The same agony I tasted..."
"Stop!" shouted Hinata, dashing towards the specter even as she(?) faded from view. "Wait, you little-" But it was too late. She(?) was gone.
And the Saint, the invincible Saint of Killers, had been taken down.
"God damn it all to HELL!" Hinata roared impotently, cursing herself for underestimating the enemy. Anxiously, she crouched by her partner's side. "Saint! Wake up! Saint!" Light shone across the empty street, momentarily blinding her. The door of the building Li Li had been standing on had opened, allowing a familiar old woman to step out onto the street. "S-Sea Mother! Help us! Please!"
A look of indescribable guilt came over the old woman's face. "You... you saw Li Li, didn't you? Your friend is in grave danger, bring him inside. Hurry!" Hinata grabbed her comatose companion by the feet and unceremoniously dragged him into the building, heaving him onto the only available bed. The Sea Mother bent over him and made a show of checking him over. "It's just like all the others, Li Li's curse has pierced deeply into his body."
Hinata punched the wall furiously, and the whole building shook. "But what can we DO Sea Mama? There's gotta be something-"
"Calm yourself!" the old woman barked. She didn't take kindly to being called 'Sea Mama'. Sounded like some sort of weird... She sat down heavily. "Fate is cruel," she sighed. "This man seems to bear a destiny similar to Li Li's." She reached out one wrinkled hand and smoothed the Saint's hair away from his face. He looked so peaceful, but then they all did at first. "You lost your beloved father, didn't you? In a foreign land, far, far away. Poor child..."
Slightly calmer, Hinata frowned pensively. Presumably, she was talking about Cap'n Tsuji. "Did Li Li loose her father too?"
"Yes, but under different circumstances. Fate has dealt them both a terrible hand indeed."
"So... who is this Li Li?" said Hinata finally. "Why did she(?) turn into a ghost, and why is she(?) menacing this town?"
The Sea Mother favored her with a wry smile. "Curious, are you? About her(?) tragic tale?"
"Not especially-" Hinata began, but was interrupted.
"Yes, I suppose you should hear this," the old woman nodded, and Hinata knew there would be no escape. "Indeed, it seems to me that Li Li may have drawn you here."
"I'm sorry, but I'm really in a hurry here-"
"SIT!" commanded the Sea Mother, and like a chastened grandchild Hinata fell into her seat. The older woman faced the window, a look of studious contemplation on her face. "Li Li... her(?) fate was cursed."
Hinata sighed. She wasn't nearly as good a storyteller as she seemed to think she was.
"Fifteen years ago, there was there was a sudden tornado that sank many ships, and Li Li's father was on one of them. He was her only blood relative. She stood on the docks, praying fervently for his homecoming. She waited and waited, but still her father would not return, so she called out to the stormy sea, 'Blue Dragon! God of fishermen! Anyone! Please save my father's life! I will do anything!' At that moment a massive bolt of lightening struck the water, and the ocean suddenly became calm. Her father's ship had returned safely, but the gods were cruel. They had taken away her voice. But that was not all. Her voice became switched with her father's, his rough fisherman's voice. The father now spoke in Li Li's sweet, dulcet tones: from that day on, he refused to ever speak again."
"I can imagine why."
"That year, a travelling theatrical troupe visited the village. Such bad timing it was. Li Li fell in love with one of the actors... I tried everything to get her voice back, to no avail. The only way was to kill her father."
"Of course... wait, what!"
"One fateful night Li Li came to me, speaking in her father's voice, 'Sea Mother, give me that dagger, the one you use in your rituals. I've made a decision.' It was shameful, but one look into her eyes and I froze completely."
Hinata was beginning to have serious doubts about the Sea Mother's competence as a doctor.
"That's right. 'Give me the sharpest knife so that my father will not suffer for too long.' Horrible, isn't it? Brrr, just thinking about it gives me the shivers. I still remember the horror, as Li Li's pretty lips spoke those terrible words in the voice of an old fisherman. She didn't kill her father right away though. She couldn't. Every night, she would go to her father's bedroom and stand by his bed. She would lay the dagger on her father's bearded throat, but still, still she could not commit the final act. She would just stand there in silence for a while, and then she would leave the room with tears in her eyes. Every night the same routine. But actually, her father was not asleep. He was ready to die, if it meant that his daughter could have her beautiful voice back.
"The daughter, standing at her father's bedside.
"The father, pretending to be asleep as his daughter places a dagger to his throat.
"It makes my heart ache every time I picture it.
"Finally, the troupe was ready to move out of the village the next day. Li Li made up her mind, and entered her father's bedroom again. But the bedroom was empty. Her father knew she would leave with the troupe, so he thought, 'I'll send her off with a little something.' So he went out to sea in the middle of the night, in search of a kind of fish it was rumored you could only catch on the night of the new moon. But irony of ironies a storm rolled in, and the seas raged wildly. The next day the sun reappeared and rose high overhead, but there was no sign of Li Li's father. And as it sank once more below the horizon, the remains of a fishing boat washed ashore from the crimson ocean. Everyone knew her father was dead.
"Li Li cried and cried in despair, Now neither her voice nor her father would ever return. Her cries echoed all over town like a wounded beast. 'Ohh ohh ohhh ohh ohh.' The young man from the theater troupe went to Li Li's house to console her, but she would not let him in. Of course, he never knew that the hideous cries coming from the other side of the wall were Li Li's own. Late that evening, after the sun went down, the cries came again. 'Ohhh ohhh ohhhh.' Li Li's voice had grown hoarse from her endless wailing, making it sound even more fearsome.
"But then another, very strange sound joined in. 'Shlooop, shloooop, splat. Shloooop, shlooop, splat.' It was like a wet, sloppy piece of meat, slithering across the ground. The sound was coming from the harbor, and it was getting closer and closer. 'Shlooop, shlooop, shlOOOp, splat.'
"'Shlooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooop...'
"And then the gulls started to screech too, perhaps because they wanted that appetizing piece of meat. 'Shloooop, skree skree, shlooop, shlooop, splat. Shloooop, skree skree, shlooop, splat. Shlooop. Shlooop.' The sound stopped right in front of Li Li's house. Soon, the door began to open.
"'Crea-a-a-crea-a-ak..."
"You use way too much onomatopoeia, old lady." Both women jumped out of their skins as the Saint sat up, yawning drowsily and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looked around blearily. "What?"
"I... you..." blustered Hinata, not quite able to make the words come out. "I TOTALLY WASN'T WORRIED AT ALL!"
"Right," grunted the Saint. "Where are we?"
"Sea Mama's house."
"Who?"
"You know, the quack oracle."
"Oh, her."
"I am not a quack," hissed the Sea Mother. "How did you survive Li Li's curse?"
"The curse feeds on life force," shrugged the Saint. "And technically, I'm already dead."
"It was enough to knock you on your ass though..." mumbled Hinata.
"That wasn't the curse. The Big Guy wanted to have a chat upstairs."
And just like that, he had Hinata's full attention. "The Big Guy? What-"
"He put a hit out on Gato," shrugged the Saint. "There are sins even God can't forgive."
"So... we're killing the gangster?"
"I'm killing the gangster. You can't come."
"What! Why not?"
"Because the curse hit me right before I was pulled upstairs. For an instant I felt everything she(?) was feeling, and let me tell you, she(?) deserves release."
"So I deal with the crazed gender-confused spirit while you pop off a fat shipping magnate. Seems as though you're just dumping all the grunt work on me."
"You're learning." Forgotten, the Sea Mother could only watch helplessly as the pair began to bicker, on who would slay the invincible monster while the other toppled a country.
All the while, a ferrety little man with a twitch above his left eye listened covertly at the door. There were many who would pay well to know the duo's location, and he knew just the person.
"So they are in Wave?" murmured Mei Terumi. "And Tsuji's apprentice plans to bring down Gato?" She was in her office, in a bunker between Rain and Wave. Her informant shifted nervously, his ugly face twitching sporadically.
"Yes, also the woman has set out to defeat an evil spirit that has been plaguing the area. At least, that's what they said." He fought to keep from drooling as she elegantly lifted herself from her seat, moving to stand near the only window in the room.
"Heh, it's him alright," Mei nodded to herself. "I'm surprised he stuck with that woman... very well. The beast is caught in its trap. Yes, we must proceed with caution..."
"E-excuse me-"
"Sending in brute strength may not be the best way, in which case... Perhaps I'd better do this one myself."
"E-excuse me, ma'am," interjected the informant hesitantly. "I was wondering, that is, if you don't need me anymore..."
"Yes, yes," Mei said dismissively. "You may go. Collect your money before you leave. Do not breathe a word of this to anyone, have you got that?"
"Huh?" the man grunted stupidly. "Oh, of course! Honestly, I've got a terrible memory. I've already forgotten the whole thing." After he had scurried, pathetically, from the room Mei began to pace in agitation, her lush lips pursed in thought. After several minutes she shouted for her guards, and three men stepped through the door.
"Hmm? I've never seen you before. Are you new?" The question was directed to the man on her right, a short, lanky young man with dark eyes and tufty blue hair. He wore square, black-rimmed glasses connected to ear-protectors, a blue pinstriped shirt and camouflage-patterned pants. On his back was a huge, misshapen sword, with a blade wrapped in bandages and a second hilt sticking up right next to the first.
"I-I'm Chojuro of the Seven Swordsmen, ma'am!" he blurted. "Reporting in from the Hidden Mist for my new post! My expertise is-"
"I'm sorry," interrupted Mei. "But could you leave the self-introductions for later? I don't have time for this right now." She turned to the other two. "I want you to dispose of the man who just left this room. Make it look like a traffic accident."
"Yes ma'am!" saluted the senior of the two, as Chojuro looked on in shock.
"Wha... wha..."
"Chojuro," ordered Mei crisply. "You're coming with me to Wave. Get a boat ready."
Chojuro's look of shock quickly turned to one of confusion. "A... boat, ma'am?"
"Yes, they're the big floaty things people use to get across water," said Mei impatiently. "I don't care what kind, any old thing will do. Do you understand? If so, we leave now." Mei strode brusquely from the room, and the alarmed Chojuro was forced to follow.
At that very moment, Gato was sitting down for a business meeting in his mansion. He sat at the head of a long table, lined with expensive leather seats. A middle-aged woman sat on his right, the three seats next to her filled with fat, rich old men. On Gato's left sat another three fat, rich old men. Straight across from Gato, at the end of the table, a huge window dominated the wall. Stretching from floor to ceiling, through it Gato could clearly see the lands of Wave sweeping out before him. This was his seat of power, the apex and epicenter of his kingdom. Those two freaks from the bridge had given him a bit of a scare, that he would freely admit. But when he was here?
No-one could touch him.
"Oh, how wrong you are." Gato froze in his seat as the tall shadow stepped out from behind him, coat swishing as he moved. "I don't believe I've introduced myself. I am the Saint of Killers."
The other members of Gato's board frowned as the strange man made a slow circuit of the table. "I'm sorry," said the man on Gato's left. "But what are you doing in our boardroom?"
"Why am I here?" smiled the Saint, coming to a stop by the man who had spoken. "I am afraid it is because God hates you. You see, not one of you passes for a decent human being. Your continued existence is a mockery of morality." The Saint smiled at their confused stares.
"Like you." He slapped the man who had spoken on the shoulder. "Last year you cheated on your wife of seventeen years eight times. You even had sex with her best friend while you were supposed to be at home watching the kids." The Saint smirked at his look of horror. "In the bed that you and your wife share no less."
"And you!" he turned to the next man. "You got your girlfriend drunk at last year's Christmas party and paid a guy from the mailroom to have sex with her while she was passed out, just so you could break up with her guilt free when she sobbingly confessed in the morning." He cast a conspiratorial look around the room. "She killed herself three months later."
"He disowned his gay son," he said over the third man in the row. "Very compassionate of you."
"This guy put his mother in a third-rate nursing home," continued the Saint, looping around the end of the table so he could reach the next man. "And used the profits from the sale of her house to buy an oriental rug for himself."
"You traveled to Grass Country on the company account to have sex with an eleven year old boy."
"You okayed the production of children's dolls from materials you knew to be toxic because they were cheaper than non-toxic materials."
"And you, on the other hand," Here the Saint paused in his tirade, eyeing the one woman in the room with an unreadable gaze. "Are an innocent. You lead a good life. Good for you!" He gave her a thumbs up, startling her with the sudden movement.
"But you, Mr Gato, have more skeletons in your closet than this assembled party. I cannot even mention them aloud." Leaning over, he whispered into Gato's for ten, long, uninterrupted seconds. Only one other person heard what he said.
"You're his father, you sick FUCK!" With this last, revolted cry the woman fled from the room. Gato sank his head into his hands and began to cry. The Saint of Killers straightened himself up and gave the now silent boardroom a dazzling grin.
"You know, with the exception of her there isn't a decent human being amongst you." Smoothly, the Saint stepped forward so he was standing between them and the door. "Not one. Do you know what makes a human being decent?" He pushed back his coat, and everyone saw the guns on his hips. "Fear. And therein lies the problem."
"None of you has anything left to fear anymore. You rest comfortably in seats of inscrutable power, hiding behind your money and your hired thugs. Safe from judgement. Lives shrouded in secrecy even from one another. But not from God. So tell me, you insolent human swine," The Saint drew his Divine Colts and pointed them at the gathered monsters. "Are you afraid?"
Thus, the Angel of Death did wreak vengeance great and terrible upon their sin-soaked souls.
The Saint of Killers stepped from Gato's mansion, wiping the gore from where it had splattered onto his cheek. "I wonder how Hinata's doing."
As a matter of fact, Hinata was doing quite well.
"...the hell is this supposed to be?" At the Saint's recommendation Hinata had gone searching along the coastline for clues, considering Li Li appeared to have an unusual affinity with the sea. About half an hour later, having searched most of the deserted beach, she found something that made her want to bang her head repeatedly against a wall.
Sitting in plain view at the edge of the water and glowing a dull, rusty red was a taoist spell circle, reminding Hinata strongly of the one that had barred their exit from the sewers back in Wave. If the residents of Wave were really so stupid that they didn't notice something so unhidden and obviously supernatural, then they probably deserved what was coming to them. "So this is what's binding Li Li to the mortal realm, huh?" Hinata muttered. "Alright, let me at it!"
After several minutes of standing around awkwardly, Hinata realized that a drawing on the ground wasn't exactly the easiest thing in the world to attack. Almost embarrassed, she scuffed out the edge of the circle with her shoe.
The suddenness with which the creature burst from the ground was almost more frightening than the monster itself. It stood several meters taller than her, and was humanoid in proportions. Its torso was merely a length of spine covered in fetid brown skin. Though it had a ribcage the lower half was missing, replaced by a duo of dangling skulls. The arms and legs were just long, thin, brittle shafts of bone, and out of the four limbs no two were the same length. On its back sat two wings, tattered, black, protruding from its back at such ridiculous angles that it seemed impossible the creature could ever fly. Finally its head, which sat on the end of a long, crooked neck, was covered in white cloth. The only indication of its facial features was a long, pink, tongue-like appendage dangling from the front of it's face, swinging revoltingly through the air.
"Whoot!" cheered Hinata. "Now this I know how to deal with!" Lunging forward, she brought her fist forward in her signature right straight, slamming with crushing force into the creature's abdomen. As soon as her fist made contact her whole body froze in place. It didn't feel forced or anything, it was more like all the momentum in her body disappeared the moment they touched. Taking advantage of her surprise the demon backhanded her; despite the ungainly movement it held enough force to send her flying backwards, her body digging a long trench in the ground.
With shocking speed the monster jumped forward and stomped the ground where she had been lying seconds before. Rolling out the way Hinata leapt into the air. Using the flying pieces of rubble as stepping stones she jumped higher and higher, until she was soaring hundreds of meters above the ground. For a split second the creature seemed to be looking at her, before a violent gust of wind tore at the beach surrounding it. An immense tunnel of sand howled into the sky, and Hinata, at gravity's mercy, could only cross her arms in front of her face as the blast of quartz hit her.
After several moments the barrier hiding the Harmonixer from view vanished, blown away by the light that burst from her body. Her arms were now huge wings, her legs were scaled and tipped with cruel talons. Her whole body was covered in thick brown feathers and a small hooked beak sat in the middle of her face, which now strongly resembled some sort of enormous owl.
The demon created a second sand tunnel to attack her, but this time she was ready. The bird-woman flew directly towards the oncoming fury, dodging to the side at the last possible moment. At dizzying speeds she swooped erratically and unpredictably around the maelstrom, until finally she landed with a foot on each of the monster's shoulders. Gripping with her feet, she flapped her wings, jerked her hips and, in a stunning mid-air backflip, hurled the monster straight up into the air. Her aim was perfect and the sand tunnel crashed directly into its master's body, sending the ugly creature hurtling into the ocean. Hinata remained hovering over the beach, refusing to let her guard down.
Sure enough the demon erupted once more from the surf, its ridiculous wings defying logic and somehow managing to keep it aloft.
Hinata was ready.
She spread her wings, floating unsupported above the ground. A circle of wind blew softly beneath her, gaining in intensity as her powers built. As the monster approached she swung her wings forward, the action more of a slash than a flap. Two blades of wind scythed outwards in an X shape, spinning with an ear piercing shriek through the air. Unprepared, her enemy barreled straight into the attack. Though its body received minimal injuries its wings were eviscerated, throwing it into an undignified tumble from the sky. The monster managed a last, agonized squeal as it hit the ground, where it lay in a twitching, mangled heap.
Hinata landed carefully on the ground, tucking her wings comfortably into her sides. Her body shone softly as she returned to her natural shape. "Well, that's that then," she beamed happily. She swiveled on the spot, looking for the glowing taoist symbol she had originally been investigating. "Now, to take care of the-"
She was cut off as the creature's hand slammed into her back, tossing her head over heels. Bruised but alive, she forced her battered body to its feet even as the demon loomed over her once more, furious at the loss of its wings. In an instant, two things happened. Her attacker's arm was severed at the elbow and the Saint of Killers appeared, scooping her up into his arms and jumping out of range of the creature's attacks. Roughly, he set her on her feet. "You alright?"
"Y-yeah," she answered shakily. "Where did you get that?" She was referring to the weapon he had used to cut the monster. It was an ordinary katana, a working sword. It was totally out of character.
"Have you not looked around you recently?" The beach was scattered with corpses, dozens of them, and most them had weapons of some kind sticking up next to them. "These are the people who found the beast before you did," the Saint grunted. "While they were previously buried, they were unearthed by all the flashy sand manipulation going on." He pulled a huge great sword out from where it was embedded in its owners back, then proffered it to his companion. "Here, you'll need this." She lifted the huge weapon in one hand, its weight unfamiliar but comforting.
The duo faced the thrashing monster, which had still not calmed down from its latest injury. "Oh dear," said the Saint dryly. "It really is Zhaoyang all over again."
"What do you mean?" asked Hinata, her head cocked curiously to one side. The Saint smirked wryly, and for the umpteenth time wished she would get rid of those stupid contacts.
"It seems Yamaraja wasn't the demon's name, it was the name of the demon's species."
"Which also means that what happened here, and what happened there," frowned Hinata. "Were probably caused by the same person."
"Correct," nodded the Saint. "Shall we slay the hideous monster?"
"Meh, I'm too pretty to die." The Saint of Killers laughed; they charged, looted swords in hand. They circled around it at incredible speeds, slashing at it from every conceivable angle. Each cut was small in individuality, but together they were crippling in their magnitude. The Yamaraja was helpless against their omnidirectional assault, and could only flail helplessly in retaliation.
With its remaining arm, the creature swung at them desperately in a wide arc. They hopped backwards to avoid it, each throwing their sword in the same instant. Each weapon flew on either side of the monster's spine, missing bifurcating the creature by a hair's breadth. Instead they only cut free the skulls hanging below its ribcage, before each was caught by the opposite party.
The severed skulls came to life and flew through the air, one in a mass of blue flames, the other in red. The red skull attacked Hinata, who used the Saint's smaller and more versatile katana to deflect its furious lunges. The blue skull on the other hand targeted the Saint, who fended it off with Hinata's greatsword even as he fumbled for his gun with his other hand. The bullet pierced through the apparition then curved through the air to strike its twin, shattering both into a thousand tiny pieces.
With its familiars dead the Yamaraja began to paw at its face with its remaining hand, until finally the veil was removed. A thousand tentacles, sinuous pink siblings to the one Hinata had initially assumed was its tongue, erupted like a nest of maggots from its neck. Multiplying by the second in length, thickness and number their weight quickly outmatched the strength of its spine, crushing its frail body beneath the writhing mass.
"Ew," frowned the Saint in disgust. "That is just friggin' nasty!"
"Urgh," grimaced Hinata, covering her mouth with her hand. "Somebody please kill it!"
"On it." replied the Saint, having already dropped the greatsword to draw his second gun from his belt. As he raised the firearms in front of him, however, one of the creature's tentacles snatched the Divine Colt from his left hand. Jumping into the air, Hinata sliced off the tip of the appendage with her sword and caught the falling gun in her left hand. As she landed with catlike grace on the ground, the Saint of Killers stepped up to her left. Side by side, they pointed the unbeatable weapons at their doomed, doomed adversary.
"In the name of the people who died here," began the Saint.
"Even the ones who worked for Gato," added Hinata.
"LET THE COUNTRY OF WAVE BE CLEANSED!" they shouted, and squeezed their fingers on the triggers. In a moment Hinata would never forget, the bullets soared through the air. As they flew they arced around one another, like a pair of mating swallows in flight, and such was their beauty it was almost a shame when they pierced the Yamaraja to its core. Starting at its center a red glow began swell within, spreading through its body to its extremities until, with a sound like thunder, the creature exploded. The flying flecks of charred red flesh were outshone by the glorious blaze of demonic energy, an eruption of blue fire that bloomed upwards like some radiant flower, reaching towards the night sky in a brief instant of perfect beauty before it collapsed, spent, to the grim gravel floor.
"And that takes care that," Hinata sighed, her relief almost palpable. She negligently tossed her weapons aside, and the Saint smoothly plucked his wayward gun from the air. "But I wonder who would target a place like this in the first place."
The Saint of Killers shrugged, then began to pick his way towards the taoist circle at the water's edge. "For generations, the people here have worshiped the Blue Dragon at an undersea shrine just off shore. According to the Big Guy, a bolt of lightning struck the shrine about a month ago and the Blue Dragon was sealed away. After that, Li Li became a ghost." As he reached the circle, the Saint pointed his fingers and mumbled something under his breath. A stream of soft golden light issued from his fingertips, washing away the evil markings as if they had never existed.
"That sounds familiar," sighed Hinata, running her hands through her hair. "Blue Dragon, Black Tortoise - this is just like Zhaoyang. And we were attacked in Rain too... that guy, Danzo, do you think he could be behind this?"
"Danzo..." murmured the Saint, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "While he is the most likely puppet-master, there is still the possibility that him and the Yamaraja are unrelated. Orochimaru, perhaps?"
"Possibly," frowned Hinata. "But what do they want from us."
"Danzo wants me, apparently. I don't know what Orochimaru wants."
"Oh, he wants you too. He was trying to whisk you away princess-style when I got there." The Saint gave her a look of pure, unadulterated revulsion... before his eyes rolled up into his head and he keeled over in a dead faint.
Hinata palmed her face. "Okay, now this is getting irritating."
When the Saint came too he was lying in the Sea Mother's shack, as she and Hinata spoke in hushed tones by the fireplace.
"...so you won't be having any more ghost trouble," Hinata was saying. "Though I'm surprised Li Li didn't show up personally..."
"Nevertheless, we are indebted to you," the other woman nodded. "On behalf of my countrymen, I thank you."
"Don't mention it," grunted the Saint, heaving himself upright. The women reacted better this time, but were still startled. "Well, I know who's working behind the Yamaraja. Would you like to hear what I have to say?"
"Don't get all formal on us now," said Hinata crankily. "Just spill the beans already."
The Saint put his hand on top of his hat and tilted it forwards so it was partially shading his eyes from view. "Well, to start with, we've got the Black Tortoise of the north and the Blue Dragon of the east. That's two of the four gods of directions. Someone is trying to seal them away to further his own ends. Danzo. And as has already been established, Danzo is after me."
"But why is he after you?" asked Hinata. "I mean, are blondes just his thing or..."
"Now now," said the Saint, annoyed. "I'd never heard of this Danzo before the attack in Rain, though the Big Guy gave me a few hints. He said, 'Danzo wishes to bring about the Valorization, and wishes for you to be his Key'."
"A Key," frowned Hinata. "You?"
"You are no ordinary priest, young man." murmured the Sea Mother. "The star within you shines far brighter than that."
"Priest?" smiled the Saint. "Me?"
"It is as fitting term as any for what you are," she chuckled wryly. "Li Li's power was nothing compared to yours. I'm not surprised there are warlocks seeking to abuse it."
"Yes, and they will pursue me to the ends of the earth."
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!" barked Hinata suddenly. "What, so you're gunna keep running forever and ever? I say we take the fight to him!"
"That may not be the best idea," said the Sea Mother worriedly. "I have heard of Danzo before, and this wouldn't be the first Valorization. If it meant a repeat performance of the nightmare of twenty three years ago, then maybe-"
"Hang on a second," interrupted Hinata. "Twenty three years? You mean when the Nine Tails attacked?"
"That's right. The Valorization is, in essence, a restructuring of the world's natural order. That requires an incredible amount of raw power to activate. Danzo had intended to utilize the incredible power of the Nine Tails, but lost control of it. I have only heard rumors, but apparently a certain woman stood in his way; though from all accounts she lost her life. She did however manage to take half of Danzo's body with her, forcing him to go underground to recuperate. And now he is plotting his comeback."
"The only ritual capable of summoning a demon on the level of the Nine Tails would be the Demon's Gate Invocation," frowned the Saint. "Which would explain why he's targeting the gods of directions. Their power would naturally block the rite."
"So just to clarify, the Big Guy did put a hit out on this guy, right?" As soon as she received her answering nod, Hinata jumped to her feet. "I like it! Let's hunt this sunnuva bitch down and kick his ass! Where do we go next!"
"Danzo's base of operations, where he plans to carry out the Valorization. The Hidden Mist."
"The Hidden..." suddenly Hinata seemed much less enthusiastic. "But how are we going to get there? If we go overland their army'll catch us for sure. And... I've... had enough of flying."
"You can use my boat." Mei Terumi stepped into the building, heavily disguised to look like a common smuggler and absolutely confident in her anonymity. The Saint recognized her instantly. "Evening everybody."
"Hey!" glared Hinata. "Were you eavesdropping on us!"
"I didn't mean to," smiled Mei dishonestly. "I just happened to overhear. I didn't expect to get into port this late you see, with all that fuss going on about ghosts. It was all I could do to protect my goods!"
"Oh?" murmured the Saint, finding the woman's act highly amusing. "And what business are you in, pray tell? It does seem rather late for honest traders to be out and about."
"The same could be said of you, no?" she smirked. "At any rate, I am a courier. Of course, 'courier' is a bit euphemistic. To put it bluntly, I am a smuggler. Based on what I heard you're looking for a way into the Hidden Mist, which means sneaking past the Mist's armies, right?"
"No need for explanations then," nodded Hinata warily. "So, you got a boat?"
"Yes, but it's old. The Mist think it's a fishing boat, and they let it right through the checkpoints. They never guess there might be contraband under the floorboards, even if it's human."
"I don't know how comfortable I am with this," said the Saint thoughtfully. "But... what would you ask in return?"
"You tell me," purred Mei, making an idle inspection of her nails. "You could say I'm a little short on cash..." There was a pregnant pause, before the Saint nodded in acquiescence.
"Alright, it's a deal."
"Excellent. I'll go ahead to the boat, make your preparations and meet me there at first light." Hardly able to contain herself at the ease of her success, Mei almost skipped from the room.
"I don't like this," Hinata growled. "I don't like her, either."
"You shouldn't," said the Saint of Killers casually. "She's a Mist flunky."
The Harmonixer made an odd noise in the back of her throat, which the Saint vaguely suspected was the sound of her choking on her own tongue. "What did you just-"
"Oh, relax," he chuckled. "If she betrays us, we'll kill her. Nothing to get stressed about."
The here-to forgotten Sea Mother shifted nervously at their casual talk of murder. "The two of you should probably get back to the inn. You will need your rest."
"Yeah, good call Sea Mama." And with that, the duo left. They were right not to fear Mei, for she was but a human, consumed by her petty, material concerns. They were overwhelmingly powerful, and completely convinced of their invincibility.
What did they have to fear?
At that moment, many miles away in the Village Hidden in the Rain, a funeral was taking place. It was the funeral of Captain Tsuji, of the Tsuji Artillery Company.
The funeral passed with much weeping and consolation, but with very little real empathy on the part of the mourners for the fate of the one interred. In fact only Tsuji's tiny granddaughter, Kanade, was true and sincere in her grief. She stayed until long after the other mourners had grown bored and gone home, allowing the twin streams of tears to fall, neverending, from her cheeks.
Would the blonde man who claimed to be her grandfather's apprentice really bring his killer to justice? She hoped so.
For hours after his grandchild left, Tsuji's grave remained undisturbed. Grey clouds gathered overhead, and a cold mist rose up from the ground. A grim, ethereal figure began to materialize.
It wore a long, tattered grey robe that fluttered soundlessly on the windless air. Myriad prayer beads rattled softly against skin withered and grey. Its hair was a wild, tangled white, its nails were black talons and its eyes were cold and empty.
"Rissse fallen warrior."
And then Tsuji was there, as if he had never died.
"You ssshall ssserve my will."
He was wearing long pants under a long duster, a broad brimmed cowboy hat atop his head. He was wearing no shirt under his coat, and a pair of sturdy walking boots adorned his feet. The whole ensemble was red, but so dark it seemed almost black.
"Unto you, I bequeath the lassst burning ssspark of hellfire."
Orange flames licked up from the base of his feet, curling upwards in the darkness. Though his clothes remained untouched his flesh evaporated in the heat, the skeletal remains burning with internal hellfire.
"Asss your enemy isss the right hand of Heaven, ssso too ssshall you be the vengeful fissst of Hell."
A single, black horse trotted out of the mist, saddle already strapped to its back. The beautiful animal came to a stop by his side, unafraid of his ghastly appearance.
"Your enemy'sss name isss the Sssaint of Killersss, while your name isss..."
He heaved himself onto the horse's back, and it too was consumed in the inferno. Two skeletons. Two fires. A terrifying silhouette.
"Ghossst Rider."