Well, oh loyal readers, I have decided (after lengthy deliberations) to change the plot. Something will happen in a future chapter that will shock you down to the cells in your eyes. As a word of caution for everyone who is reading this; This fanfiction is rated M and will fully live up to this in certain parts of future chapters.
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Three Days After the Kuyou Incident
Kurumu woke with a start, sweating and breathing heavily. She looked around frantically, then once she noticed she was in the hospital, calmed down significantly. To her left was Yukari and Mizore, each in their own beds, some bandages still covering their bodies. Groaning softly, Kurumu pushed herself into a sitting position. The sheets of the bed resisted moving, and when she looked down, she saw Moka next to her bed, her head resting on the sheets. Her hair fell over her face, obscuring it, but Kurumu could tell it was the Outer Moka due to her pink hair. Sadly, Kurumu looked out the window and wondered what was going to happen to her Destined One and their group of friends.
In The Special Room
Tsukune sat underneath a waterfall cross legged. He stared out over the landscape, marvelling at the sight of the sunlight stretching out over the horizon, illuminating everything, with the planets floating through the sky. The water drummed on his shoulders and back, flowing down his chest over the scars on his body. He still had surges of rage whenever his mind would wander back to what Kuyou did to Moka. But, there was something wrong with how he reacted. Eyes closed, he tilted his head back and let the warmth of the sun mingle with the chill of the water flowing over him, trying to sort out exactly what he felt that day. He did kill Kuyou out of rage, and that rage was born from the threats to Moka, but it wasn't clear why the rage started. Something was off, misplaced. Or rather, mislabelled.
As Tsukune pondered this, his mind eventually fell into a state of quiet complacency and tranquility, until he was thinking about nothing and just meditated beneath the waterfall. Slowly, his youki expanded and grew. It filled him up inside and soon spread beyond his physical body. With increasing speed, it flowed outwards and raced faster and faster over the landscape. Tsukune's subconscious and conscious mind melded on a level he was never able to achieve before and his power slowly accepted him as its master and slowed down its expansion until it stopped altogether, creating a sphere of power of gargantuan proportions.
Had anyone happened to walk into that alternate dimension at that time, they would have been witness to a miraculous and extraordinary event that had never been seen before.
Tsukune sat at the center of an enormous sphere of lightly tinged purple energy. His eyes were closed, his hair waving slightly and shining sterling silver. The water in the waterfall stopped flowing downwards, and instead defied gravity, coalescing into smaller spheres and flowing shapes around him. Rocks and dirt similarly floated within the giant sphere, meandering slowly in whichever way seemed to take their fancy, while blades of grass and leaves flitted here and there. The air began to hum, vibrating at a very low frequency, creating a sound that was more felt than heard.
Inside Tsukune's Mind
Tsukune opened his eyes and looked around. He was in another area, one that he recognized as his own mind. He had been here once before. But something was different. Trying to figure out what it was, Tsukune looked around at the room he was in closely. It appeared to be a large colosseum, with eight pillars stretching up into the darkness that consumed the sky above. Something caught the corner of his eye as he looked around the room. Focusing on it, he realized his hands were no longer his hands; they were completely encased in some kind of shell, colored such a dark purple that his arms appeared black. His fingers had taken on the appearance of claws, sharp with pointed tips. He stretched his arms out in front of him, marvelling at their appearance. Tsukune flexed and stretched his fingers and rotated his wrists to their fullest. The 'shell' that encompassed his flexed and acted like skin, just hardened to the utmost degree. He tapped his forearm with a finger, hearing a tink tink sound when he did so. He laughed, thinking to himself, These could probably stop bullets.
"They probably could buddy." A voice says from out of the darkness.
Tsukune jumped at the voice, quickly falling into a defensive stance, wondering who was there and how they were there. He was in his mind wasn't he?
A lone figure stepped out from the darkness, raising his hand in greeting. Tsukune immediately relaxed.
"Hello sensei." He said, bowing to the person before him.
The man walked up to Tsukune, stopping about ten feet in front of him. The man was wearing a hooded cloak that came down to his ankles and had a trim of dark purple around the edges with sleeves that came down a little past his wrists. He was about as tall as Tsukune was, who had grown a little taller in his time at Yokai Academy and was now brushing 6'2", the hood covering the top half of his face, leaving only his mouth visible, which was split in a large, demented grin.
"How's your life been so far?" the man asked.
Tsukune shrugged. "I lost control once. Couple of days ago. I think I killed him in my rage..."
The man sighed in resignation, then suddenly seemed to teleport next to Tsukune and backhanded him into one of the colosseum walls, leaving him in a crater, coughing amid the smoke and debris.
"YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" The man raged, yelling at Tsukune. "I specifically told you to keep a reign on that temper! That was the one thing I said you had to do more than anything else. God you are such an emotional idiot. Fuck." He said, rubbing his face with a hand, his mouth breaking into a large grin. "Then again, that's what makes you so like me."
Coughing, Tsukune picked himself up out of the wall, brushing bits of dust off his pants. "Why are you so goddamn pushy about that? What is going to happen if I get mad? He was threatening to hurt Moka-san!"
The man shook his head. "You've only just become an Elemental. I wanted to be sure of what you were before I told you. But after your little incident, it's been verified. That's why I'm going to tell you what you are."
"Yeah you better start te-wait what?"
The man looked at Tsukune. "You are an Elemental boy, but you aren't just any Elemental." He sighed, shaking his head. "This is really hard for me to explain on my own. OI, UVEN."
He yelled up at the dark sky. Tsukune looked up sharply, knowing someone or something was about to come down.
Tsukune was surprised when a shadow simply rose from the floor and dusted itself off. It turned towards the cloaked man as its figures slowly took shape.
"What do you need me for now?" he asked, boredom plain in his voice.
The cloaked person simply pointed at Tsukune.
Turning, the shadow person looked at him, examining him intently. "Well I can see that he already has the abilities and has no clue what I'm talking about either. Hmmm, it took control once didn't it? I can see the guilt in his eyes." Tsukune quickly angled his eyes downwards. He hadn't meant to do that. It was just the thought of someone hurting his friend that made him do it. He didn't even remember it much. The shadows formed more distinct features, making the same cloak on him that the original person was wearing, except the bottom half of it was tattered and torn, with no purple anywhere on it. He made his way over to Tsukune, moving his head slightly to get a better look at him occasionally. Reaching him, the new man stood in front of Tsukune and lifted his head by the chin, twisting his head side to side to look straight into his eyes. Releasing him, he turned to the original cloaked person. "Good decision. Better than the one He made choosing you originally."
"Oi, you really think that was my fault?" The first man said, putting his hands on his hips.
"I didn't say it was. Just that he's better than you were when you first gained the power"
"You're telling me. Still, that was such an amazing feeling. Nothing like it."
"What about her?"
The first person looked over at the second sharply. "I thought we agreed to never talk about her again." he growled menacingly.
The second person's hands raised up apologetically. "My apologies. I didn't know it was still so strong."
Looking up into the darkness, the first replied softly, his voice barely a whisper, "Always."
Tsukune stood there, watching the exchange, one eyebrow cocked upwards as he tried to understand what they could possibly be talking about. "Uh, sensei?"
"Oh, right." Shaking his head, the first person walked over next to the second person, both standing in front of Tsukune, nearly shoulder to shoulder. "Are you prepared to know exactly what you have become? Along with all the responsibilities that come with it? With this knowledge we will unlock your power in it's entirety. We will also teach you in here for a time, then we will come into the world you are in and you shall learn with your body"
Tsukune hesitated for a second. Did he really want to know what he was? It took him only a couple of seconds before he knew his answer.
"Yes."
The first person smiled, insanity showing slightly through the grin. "Then kneel before us."
Tsukune kneeled before the two of them, back straight, looking at both of them.
"From what you've told me, you are already aware of the original Eight Elementals, what they are and what they can do, do a degree."
"Yes sensei."
The second person shook his head. "He is no longer your sensei. Him and I both are now your masters. Soon enough, you will realize that to be true in more than one way."
Tsukune nodded. "My apologies, master."
"Brace yourself, our disciple."
With that, they both unleashed their full power in Tsukune's mind. The explosion of their full youki rocketed out in a shockwave, decimating the walls and pillars in the colosseum. The darkness in the sky was blown away with the walls and pillars, leaving them in their respective positions in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by stars and galaxies that had no conceivable reason to be there in Tsukune's consciousness. The youki the two people in front of him were emitting was suffocating. Tsukune could feel it surrounding him, pressing down on him. It was all around him, so much so that it had entered the visible spectrum. The first person's youki was a dark purple, wild and untamed while the second's was black, giving off the feeling of death and decay. The force of unleashing their youki had ripped apart the first person's cloak. He stood there in front of Tsukune, wearing a sleeveless white shirt and pitch black cargo pants. Black military style boots covered his feet and a silver chain was around his neck and the fanged skull hanging on it nestled on his chest. His hair was a chocolate brown, waving wildly in the youki he was emitting. Yet it still managed to hide his eyes, covering them in an impenetrable shadow. The second person was completely unaffected by the release. They spoke together in unison, their voice saturated with untold power.
"We are two of the Eight. Throughout the annals of time, we have watched over this planet. We, along with our brothers, shed our earthly selves and ascended to the realm of the gods to take our place commanding the elements. But war is soon upon us, and our laws prevent us from overly interfering in the affairs of mortals. You have been chosen as the champion of our most powerful and unstable element, Chaos."
With that last statement, they placed their hands on Tsukune's forehead. His mouth opened in a soundless scream as fire and electricity seemed to flash through every fiber of his being. Memories mixed with strong emotions flashed through his mind, jumbling together.
War. Death.
Rage.
Blood.
ANGER.
Loss.
Love.
Lust. Fight.
And an overwhelming sense of power. Filling him up from the deepest parts of his very being. Memories flashed into his mind.
Power coming from the depths of my being. Its filling me up. I have to use it. I can crush any who challenge me. I can challenge any and win. I am power. I AM CHAOS. AH HA HA HA HA
Tsukune was frozen in place as something awoke within him.
Blood splashing onto my face. Its so warm, so soothing.
It unfurled itself, slowly waking.
The exhilaration of battle, a joy unlike any other.
It filled him up, threatening to consume his mind.
I want to fight. I WANT TO KILL.
The power took him over. Smothering his consciousness.
I WANT TO DESTROY.
Everything was fading. His memories were receding into darkness.
SHOW ME BLOOD. GIVE ME BATTLE.
Life was just a pinpoint of light. So small. So insignificant.
KILL.
Tsukune wanted this power. But why did he want it?
CONQUER.
He wanted it for a simple reason. As he fell into the dark feeling of power, he tried to remember why.
DIE.
Oh, he thought to himself, that's why I wanted it. To protect my friends.
The power stopped consuming him. He stopped falling.
FRIEND...
Another memory came to the surface.
A woman, with short silver hair reaching just to her shoulders. Her smile as she twirled around in a forest of darkness, her laughter light and lilting, ringing like a chorus of angels in my ears.
The power slowly pulled back, receding and allowing Tsukune to float back to himself.
Agonizing sadness filling him when his eyes came to rest upon her unmoving figure, traces of water on the ground and her burnt corpse laying before him. Falling to his knees and screaming in rage and loss and sadness to the heavens, tears pouring from his eyes as he reached out towards her body. The comforting hand of his partner and friend upon his shoulder, gently pulling him away, murmuring words of comfort and retribution.
Tsukune came back to himself, the power residing within him, whispering to itself.
protect.
Tsukune blinked.
defend.
He looked down at the ground, then up at his masters.
guardian...
They looked down at him, one grinning, the other staring neutrally.
"I am Tamel," said the first person, the one who had approached Tsukune in the beginning, "I was the champion of Chaos, the Chaos Elemental before you. Eons ago, we fought to protect this world, and in doing so, achieved the impossible and overthrew the original gods and took their place."
"In doing so, we secured the future of this world." The second man said, folding his arms over his chest. "I am Uven, the previous Elemental of Death, currently the God of Death. Tamel and I were partners all those years ago. We went through many trials and tribulations together and protected all that is today."
Tsukune stood up shakily. Uven looked at him closely.
"What I would like to know is," he said, "how are you currently not going on a rampage from the power inside you."
Tsukune looked down at his hands which were still dark purple and clawed. "I honestly don't know. Should I be? Did something go wrong?" he asked, starting to panic.
Tamel sighed. "Shut up and lemme take a look." He walked up to Tsukune and placed his hands on either side of his head. He stood there, unmoving.
After a couple of minutes passed, Uven leaned forward. "Any progress?"
Tamel let go of Tsukune and leaned backwards. "Well, I'd say we have a natural born Elemental on our hands here pal."
Uven looked sideways at Tsukune. "Oh do we now? How so?"
"Remember when I changed from the bloodthirsty psychopath?"
"You never did as I recall."
Tamel took a swipe at Uven. "Smartass. When I slightly mellowed out then. Remember?"
Uven paused for a second before replying. "Oh right. I remember. That was when she came into the picture."
Tamel nodded. "Exactly. He's already reached that stage. Either because he's already syncing up with the energies, or because he just had friends that he cared enough about." He turned his head slightly to Tsukune who was staring at them in confusion, having no clue what they were talking about. "There is also a very high chance that he's already found his key."
Uven turned to look at Tsukune as well and in an excessively serious voice asked, "You're sure about that? Already?"
Tamel nodded. "Almost completely positive. She is a yokai, as mine was, and I think he has already interacted with her and the energies are already attached to her."
Tsukune interrupted, "Excuse me masters, but what are you talking about? My key? Key to what?"
"Your key is something very important and completely unique to the Chaos Elemental." Uven stated.
"Right," Tamel interjected. "The Chaos Elemental is highly unstable, due to the large amounts of power our bodies are trying to contain. That amount of energy tends to lead to psychopathic and homicidal tendencies, causing large amounts of destruction and death. I regulated my power by using it excessively during battles which I usually started. It was a time where I went on killing sprees for the fun of it." He sighed. "I caused a lot of sadness back then. But our keys are the, well, key to controlling ourselves."
"You Chaos Elementals lack something to control you and give you reason in our world it seems in my experience with dealing with this moron." Uven continued, hitting Tamel over the head. "Your key is a person that gives you a reason. This person provides direction to you, in the sense that you become attached and are willing to do anything for him or her as it may be."
Tamel sat up from where Uven's hit had knocked him into the ground, rubbing the back of his head. "But there's also a flip side to this. While being with our key may make us calmer and more controlled, if that key is hurt we will unleash a rage unlike any other. It can break you for years or decades. I ended up wandering for a while in a depressed state, killing anything that came close to me."
Tsukune shook his head. "But you still haven't explained what the key is!"
Standing up, Tamel said, "It's obvious isn't it? The key is the one person who means more to you than anyone else and is the most compatible with your personality. He or she compliments you and is always willing to be there for you. There is a way to certainly tell who it is, but that comes with a price. I'm willing to bet that your key is one of your close friends."
Tsukune stood there, stunned. The key is a person? And mine could be one of my friends?
His mind flashed between all of his dear friends. Yukari, Mizore, Ruby, Moka, and Kurumu. He simply stood there.
Who was his key?
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Well there is the most recent chapter. This one is a little longer than the others. I kinda got on a roll and just couldn't find a good stopping place! But I eventually did. So R&R people! I won't update for about 1-2 weeks cuz I'm leaving tomorrow morning at 4am for the Cayman Islands. So I will read all the comments you guys leave when I get back next Thursday! Until then, Have a good week and I hope you enjoy this!
ArbiterTheFirst