Title; Fading
Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.
A/N; I thought I should point out that this story isn't about heroes and is very much a grey and grey morality affair. Sasuke in particular is a Byronic hero and will at times border on being a villain protagonist in his actions. Keep that in mind with every chapter.
Chapter - 29;
Wraiths went into near extinction after the second War on Heaven over seven hundred years ago. They were hunted and executed en mass as the Divine reclaimed the continent as theirs and theirs alone to rule.
Although originally heralded as possessing more potential than the last failed attempt the front of humanity quickly fell apart under the Divines plotting. Mystics and Wraiths had been fighting and subjecting one another for far too long for the bad blood to simply be laid to rest but in the end it was human greed that foiled the attempt.
Some believe it was then that the Mystics gained the rite of ancestry, the ability for their Gifts to be passed down through family lines. As many others though believe it had always been there and the Gods had only confirmed its existence contorting the truth of the fact into the guise of an offering instead.
The Mystics turned on the Wraiths crippling their offense.
As had been discovered during the first War on Heaven that enough practised Mages could expand the gap in dimensions when a Summoner called their minion and create a passage way to the corresponding Divine world. It had also been discover however that the passageways and perhaps the worlds themselves were filled with Divine magicks that would utterly destroy any that thought to pass through. Unless of course you were part Divinity yourself.
It had been the rather simple plan, for the Mystics to create the passage and allow the Wraiths through to dispose of the long mad and tyrannical Gods. But without the Mystics to create the passage the Wraiths found themselves rather lacking in an avenue of attack.
Wraith strong holds fell as they found themselves cut off from the old guard they'd turned against and left out in the cold by those they'd allied with. Some historians highlight the sad irony that as the Wraiths gained a conscience the Mystics had lost their own.
Most though claimed it a fitting punishment.
The eerie silence's breaking had brought another change it seemed drawing thick heavy clouds over head to further darken the already overcast skies.
I didn't like that.
I could hear the shifting of earth and the moving of stones but could see none of it as thick coils of fog wrapped all around us swallowing the graveyard in a pale embrace. Low ancient sighs and groans joined the air as the low scratch of iron being dragged along the gravelled paths and its clanking against stones in a broken rhythm rent the air in all directions.
I gathered flame in my hands heedless now of the old string it brought but it did precious little to aid clearing little more than a few feet of the dense fog. I reached for my blade and threw a glance at the Uchiha to see he'd already silently drew his own weapons. The blades gleamed bright even through the fog and his scarlet gaze burned through the mist sweeping the horizon.
"You can see?" I forced a sharp whisper, the fiery eyes swung our way to lie on me for a second before the Uchiha bit out a low hissed curse, I could only just make out Hinata's dark dressed presence in the pale cloud and drew her near. He was acting far too much like he had in the old days, silent communication and instincts.
This encounter actually held too similar a feeling as my first nights Raid had, the near blindness in an unfamiliar environment, the unknown enemy and something in Sasuke's behaviour.
"How many?" my sister had strung her bow quicker than I thought her capable of and had an arrow at the ready.
"Too many. Draw your damn knife." I answered. I could hear the creaking of iron armour and the scratch of blades drawing closer but the noise was still off, too light to be flesh and blood men. The first broke through the mist and I had my answer as a rusted blade thrust forward barely parried by my own and a yellowed skull with precious few shreds of decaying skin still clinging to it pressed through the mist.
The ring of echoing steel and the crash of bones giving way to force met my ears far before I smashed the enemy before me apart with a swing of my black blade, and the din continued long after. I could barely glimpse the small flicker of Sasuke's Wraith eyes darting amongst the fog as he tore through enemies.
"We need to get inside some cover." I hissed to Hinata as she glanced desperately around her, two more of the creatures came into the low light of the flames and I was forced on the defensive catching a curved blade with my shield and activating the Titan's arm to deflect a war axes swing. A midlevel swing with the enhanced strength tore through both opponents before I deactivated it, I'd built myself up to about ten minutes a day using it and if this became a battle of attrition then each second would be valuable.
"This way." I backed up following the noise of Hinata's breathing as I retreated. Another form, this one much…fresher came into view. I shifted my grip to a double handed one and struck up to deflect its bastard sword's path, there was a screech as the blades slid against one another and a second as I angled my weapon and thrust forward stabbing through the corpses throat. A heavy footed kick threw it off the dark blade and I flicked the black blood away ready for the next attack.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and almost lopped it off as I swung around to face Hinata, she led the way into a dusty crumbling tomb. I didn't hesitate to bar the gates sliding the rusted bolt into place ignorant of Hinata's shouts of protest, it was barred just in time as twin ancient blades poked through the fog and the iron bars aiming to take our heads off.
"Sasuke's still out there." My sister whispered her worries again but I shushed her backwards away from the opening. That the Uchiha was still out there was a worry for those creatures, not us.
"He's fine, but neither of us can see out there. We'd just be liabilities." The crypt was larger than I'd suspected leading deeper into the earth. The fog didn't seem to seep in here and if Sasuke wanted to play the role of rear guard slash butcher then we could take point. When I stretched out my sixth sense I could still feel some force deeper in this tomb. I heard the rustle of the elder woman readying her bow and paused for a second.
I was in two minds about how to proceed. Objectively I knew Sasuke would be fine outside, up against enemies that were likely purely magical. In that fog though I'd be useless, better I push forward against a more suitable opponent. Then again maybe whatever was snapping Sasuke back to Raider mode was doing the same to me, I didn't do anything in the early days without the Uchiha by my side and that habit risked resurfacing.
Guess I'll fight through that.
"Keep a little behind me." I spoke with a gesture. I'd rather dump Hinata somewhere safe and continue on my own, for all her progress my sister would still slow me down and I'd much prefer finding and finishing this necromancer as quickly as possible.
Twin shuffling corpses came from the shadows brandishing blades with the sloppy technique of long too stiff amateurs, I allowed Hinata to pick off the slower more fleshy one as I bisected its brother.
"What's wrong with him Hanabi?" I bit out once I was reasonably sure we were safe to talk.
The Sasuke I'd seen out there hadn't been the one I'd grown to know. The powerful soul that stood between me and every danger and horror that crawled out of hell, and yet was kind and gentle with me, the one that seemed to focus on me and only me when we spoke.
Rather the warrior out there was the same one they told whispered stories about in Naru, the Wyvern Slayer. That was last in the line of mystical warriors known only for their ruthlessness and prowess in combat. The one I'd seen battling the Fair Folk, devil may care to the point it seemed insane.
"I think it's the magic." Muttered my sister more concerned about her surroundings than Sasuke's behaviour. It made sense I supposed, she'd been going on Raids with him for months before we'd met.
"Isn't he immune to magic?" or at least he seemed to be, I'd seen fire and lightning pass right through him doing light more than damaging his clothing and armour.
"It can't hurt him, but whenever he's around magic, large amounts. He gets like this. I used to think it was just the way he was, when he got excited or nervous." Explained Hanabi adjusting her grip on the heavy black blade. It wasn't hard to tell that she found it unwieldy without her enhanced strength.
"How do you know that's not just him coping then." It seemed a reasonable thing, in fact I saw it in Hanabi at times. When she fought she became a different person, more animalistic and vicious than the playful if daring sister I'd known. It just wasn't as drastic a change as Sasuke seemed to go through.
"I've seen him excited, and nervous too actually." She answered little more than a light blush dusting her cheeks. That was more information then I really needed even if it was only implied.
"An instinct to destroy magicks. It makes sense given what Wraiths were intended for." I chimed in. I'd heard the tales of the ancient Wraiths that hunted Mystics down relentlessly and ruthlessly…sort of made or relation with him a bit more complex I suppose. We'd finally hit a dead end and Hanabi began searching the coffins and urns of the room for something, apparently under the impression that there must be some secret passage to be revealed.
I gave her a look.
"I can pick out different magicks up ahead, but lower. I think there's a way down." Muttered Hanabi jamming her blade under the lid of one of the coffins. I wasn't surprised when her first action as the lid slid from its resting place was to stab into the dark depths. A fair precaution given all the walking murderous corpses and all.
I slid my knife free and glanced around the room, there were about fifteen other coffins laying in the room.
"You've never told me what you think of him." Hanabi probed as I helped her slid the third lid free, still nothing. It was likely my imagination running wild but as I repeated the question in my mind it played back with disturbing undertones. Innocent curiosity, did she think I didn't like Sasuke or worse did she know of my feelings. Was she having doubts about the old Raider, maybe they were drifting apart, or he'd proposed marriage.
Unsurprisingly something in my expression showed as I went from exaggerated confusion to fear to hopeful to suspicion and went through half a dozen likely unnamed strange expressions as my mind did paranoid mental gymnastics. Hanabi looked concerned.
"Um do you need to sit down?" she tried, going for the 'she's nauseous from the necromancy' route. As opposed to the 'my sister's secretly in love with my partner and combing my last sentence over for any and all subtext or undertones it might contain' route. I took the offer realising I hadn't actually sat down since early this morning.
"He's kind of hard to pin down really, I guess. Very gentle and sort of sweet, I guess. He's severe sometimes but not flippantly. I guess in this world he's as close as you can get to a knight in shining armour, I guess." I spoke peppering my statement with perhaps a few too many muttered 'I guesses' in hopes of making it seem like I hadn't thought that much in detail about the Uchiha. I also omitted that I for one preferred this in so many ways broken man struggling to protect those he loved and keep them from danger than a flat knight from the stories.
I liked the idea that I could save him from something too, though it did seem he had Hanabi for that.
"He's made an impression on you anyway." Hanabi commented with a light laugh as she continued her work. Perhaps it was again my suspicions that added the wary gleam to her pale eyes.
"And you, things seemed rough for a while between you?" I questioned myself despite my better judgement telling me to avoid this topic like the plague.
"I was just a little slow in catching up. When we were Raiders he seemed to know everything, controlled everything. I sort of took for granted he'd always be like that." My sister spoke as she worked clearing each coffin in quick order. She'd really become quite strong, I could see the muscles in her thighs and arms flex visibly even hidden beneath the leather of her armour.
"Our escape was…messy." I admitted recalling Hanabi's hollow expression for days afterwards, and the looks she threw Sasuke's way. Even after Sasuke had admitted his own naiveté the experience had notably changed their dynamic.
"Sometimes it feels like he'd do anything, sacrifice whatever, on only a whim and that part scares me." She admitted. I could see how that might be disconcerting, but she might have been demonising him somewhat.
"It's not on a whim, he'd do anything for you, Hanabi." I distinctly hoped my tone didn't betray how bitter I felt about that fact either.
"And that's what worries me. One person's life is not worth that many bodies." Breathed the girl a heavy thump accompanying her words as another lid slid free, only one more remained now. The silence between us seemed to stretch out painfully as Hanabi's eyes widened in realisation of what she'd just said. She didn't think one person's life had been worth all that chaos, and it had been my life. Did Hanabi regret…
"I mean, there had to be a better way." She spoke hastily as we came back to ourselves, but the words lacked conviction. It was a saving throw.
"No, no you're right. One person's life isn't worth it." My words lacked conviction too. Questionable as it was I agreed with Sasuke. Those men had been soldiers who'd chosen that task, if I had to put them in danger to protect Orca, Saria, Hanabi or Sasuke then I wouldn't hesitate to do so.
The awkward silence continued as I joined Hanabi in moving the final tomb lid. This one was heavier though and it took my sister's enhanced strength to move it. It led down into complete darkness and it wasn't until Hanabi formed a makeshift torch with her magicks we could see the uneven grey granite steps descending down into the depths of the earth.
Hanabi moved first without hesitation leading the way down the path as I followed, an arrow notched. A voice in the back of my mind spoke up about it being a poor choice of weapon against these creatures but I quelled it, it's not as if I could go back and have the Uchiha train me in swordsmanship instead now.
"I hear something!" I heard Hanabi's hissed whisper a moment before a massive shadow covered us engulfing the younger woman and dragging her away. I groped blindly for a moment before my hand found a flare. Sasuke and Hanabi had apparently purchased them from some shadowy source, they were enchanted but each only had one use for all of a couple of minutes.
The furious white light revealed the corridor, brick walls half collapsed and lined with old bones. I didn't waste time on taking in the horrifying state of my surroundings through, deep groves that seemed the work of a gargantuan claw were carved into the stone floor and I raced along their crooked path in search of Hanabi.
I burst into an open area and all my fear seemed to catch up with me at once as I stared at the titanic body of the creature, a creature that seemed to be a hundred broken bodies patched together. It's flesh was moulted and grey intersected in places where chipped broken bones burst from ragged wounds. Tentacles or what might have been arms burst from odd spots as distorted and unnatural as the rest of it.
A hundred pairs of human eyes crammed onto one massive skull blinked at me torchlight before a gapping maul with broken femurs and old blades for teeth opened wide in an enraged battle cry.
I pressed the iron torch handle between my teeth and notched a fire imbued arrow and let in fly circling to the left. For all my instincts cried to me to escape back through the tunnel I'd come from I knew that way would have led to certain a death. I sunk another arrow into its parody of a face burning away more of its stolen eyes before I was forced to dodge sprinting to my right for all I was worth as a massive limb hammered the cave floor. Even with the distance though the force of the impact threw me into the air and I came down hard on my right shoulder.
I ignored the pain and lifted myself to renew the attack sinking two more arrows into the massive target drawing a quivering howl of pain the seemed exaggerated given how it had shrugged off the others.
It hadn't been the arrows though that effected the monster so much, in the dim light I saw chunks of the beast falling away as a dark flame lit figure fell from one of its limbs a living shadow darting around it and hacking apart anything in range.
I got the slight impression Hanabi was pissed.
I met my sister halfway as she began to make her way to me, I stopped only long enough to plant an arrow in two of its limbs hoping for a distraction. My theory on Hanabi was correct as she didn't waste time with words on reaching me. Instead she quickly unhooked the leather wine skin from my belt and tied it to her own.
"Shoot these!" she hissed hurling the alcohol at the beast her enhanced strength sending the light weight careening into its face, bursting on the jagged surface as it impacted. I fired three shots into the small target and watched as the twisted monstrosity was lit up revealing the ugly protrusions and the horrifying dead faces that made up its skin, the low light had spared us before but now nothing concealed the creature's otherworldly form.
I glanced to Hanabi surprised to see her still standing at my side a look of intense concentration creasing her brows. With the new found light I could see the hilt of her enchanted weapon gripped in both hands, absent it's blade. Turning back to the beast I saw the weapon at work, through the flames and the boiling pink skin something moved, a dark spike here, a horned spine erupting from the dead flesh there, the shadow blade had taken a form of its own and now ran rampant wreaking havoc through the monsters foreign veins.
I was forced to take action wrapping an arm around my sisters stomach and pulling her to the right quickly as a frantic limb thrashed the ground we'd been standing on, weaker though than it had been earlier though and we remained on our feet. A grumbling roar almost threatened to take us from our feet and the creature came apart splitting into the corpses and remains that formed it.
"Damn Undead golem had a heart buried in there, hard to find but pretty delicate." Remarked the woman as the shadow slid over the jagged footing to draw back up into her blades hilt.
"And I thought the Uchiha was the dangerous one." I remarked jokingly hoping to draw a smile out of the girl as I clapped a hand on her bicep, instead I earned a pained hiss. I quickly spluttered an apology only now noticing the bright pink burn that coated the bare patches of skin on her right arm.
"It's alright. Chaos magicks have prices, not really any getting used to it though." Remarked the other Hyuuga tightly. It put a more pleasant spin on my own migraines certainly.
"Let's keep moving." Grunted Hanabi finally releasing her Titan strength. No doubt she'd need all the time she had left to combat whatever else awaited us down here.
Chapter 29 up and finished after pleasant pleasant bouts of writers block and lots of time spent too busy with office hours and work to overcome it.
Other stories are being worked on don't kill me, times just in short demand and stopping and starting so often makes establishing a rhythm as but impossible.
R&R