Chapter Twelve: A Guardian
~Amaya's POV~
The mission hadn't been as hard as the Guardian had made it out to be. In fact, to me, it was easy. Well of course it was, I just went into my 'dragon mode' and fried those suckers. What surprised me was that my fellow Guardians seemed surprised that I was even there!
"Hey Belikova!" I yelled catching up to the leader of this mission. He turned around.
"Nice going out there Black Night. I didn't know you could turn into a dragon." I waved off his praise.
"Whatever. What was that though? You could have managed this clean up easily without me." Belikova frowned. I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach at that frown.
"What do you mean Black Night? I thought you were just in the area?" I blinked.
"What are you talking about? The Council asked me to come and do this for you. Said you weren't fully prepared or some sh*t like that." Now Belikova looked really confused.
"Fully prepared? We've been preparing for this mission for months." Hi face twisted. "Did they send you to do this? What, did they think we couldn't oversee this? I have two Umbra and a Pyri on this team. We were more than capable of handling this."
"I've got to go." I said already running. "I'm going to need to borrow a car. I'll have it back soon." I didn't wait for his answer as I opened the door to, mostly likely a demon's, Camaro. I revved the engine before squealing out of the parking lot.
Due to this being a Disturi (1) raid, I was in the center of the Red-Light District. Right now, it was prime time as cars and people walked around. I whipped out my cellphone and pressed '2' before hitting call.
The ringing was the only sound as I drove through the city at breakneck speeds.
'Hello?' Ariel asked sounding annoyed.
"Ariel."
'I'm in the middle of something.' She huffed. I ignored the sounds of a guy in the background.
"Details later. The kids and the portal are in trouble."
'Sh*t. I'm on my way.' I ended the call before pressing '3' and calling.
'This better be good. I've never seen this movie before.' Analia grumbled. I swerved to avoid a collision. Not that the people behind me were luckier.
"Short version then. Someone came by the house yesterday got me out of the house. The kids and the portal are in trouble."
'I'm on my way.' I ended the call grateful for my friends and their fast response time.
A wave of fear hit me hard. I gasped and moved, avoiding another collision. My familiars were in trouble. While they couldn't feel my emotions this clearly yet, it was my job to take care of them and know if they were in trouble.
Scarecrow was full of fear. He was seeing something that should have been impossible. (Rin, Obito and Minato... Kakashi?) They were dying in front of him again. I'm going to save that little detail for later. For now, I needed to concentrate.
"Move… It's only fear… Don't let it do this to you Kakashi." I murmured avoiding the minivan full of children. He was still hesitating. "Fight Kakashi... It's not your time to die." I managed to flip the car around dangerous curves that I had no idea I knew how to manage.
His fear evaporated into anger when he saw his students die. Thankfully, Dark Knight and Cutie were all right.
When I saw the two semis' in front of me I chose to forget everything. I pulled on my magic, feeling the same 'magic' that my familiars had. I really had no time to go around and wait for these things, so I did the next best thing. I went right through them at a hundred mph.
"Oh good goddess." I breathed when I reached the other side. I was not doing that ever again! The feeling of passing through something was just... wrong and very disturbing. Thankfully, my exit was right here.
As I was driving down the long driveway to the house I vaguely wondered if all our cats were suicidal. Cutie and Dark Knight were experiencing the worse pain. Only Dark Knight, Itachi I realized, was worse. I focused on him since Nagato seemed to be managing his own fears quite well.
"It's not real Itachi." I spoke. "It's only fear. Don't let it get to you. Fear is nothing." His fear lessened but only for a few seconds. I came to a dangerous stop. I was out of the car in seconds with my knives ready to kill.
'Help me.' Itachi pleaded. 'I don't want to see this again.' Thankfully, the door was already open.
The Disturi was crouched over (we are going to talk about this when I'm done) Nagato, draining his life force.
"HEY!" I shouted. The Disturi dropped Nagato. My eyes narrowed as it turned around. Naturally fear filled me at seeing it's face. But unlike my 'familiars' I was trained to work against it.
I thought of my beloved siblings and what I would do for them. Of course, I feared for them but the desire to make sure they were all right overpowered my fear.
The Disturi growled sensing my magical core. (I vaguely wondered what I tasted like). My eyes landed on Nagato, Itachi and Kakashi. Bianca was already drained with only some magic left in her. Kit, Darknado, and Pinky were unconscious leaving Itachi as the only one still semi-conscious.
"You should've let me know you were coming." I muttered darkly dropping my knives. They wouldn't do much in this situation. "I would've been here to greet you properly." The Disturi shrieked as fear increased. I shifted into a panther.
It was a little-known fact that while animals felt fear, they didn't really let emotions overpower them. They went with their instincts. And my panther instincts were screaming at me to get this thing out of our home and check on my brats. I screeched at the Disturi before I launched myself at it.
It screamed as my powerful jaws latched onto it. Of course, I couldn't do anything in this form other than to weaken it, but at least it would give me some time to recharge my dragon mode. Since it was such a rare creature, I couldn't go dragon more than twice in a day and if my smelling was right then I'd need to stay dragon for a while.
My back claws caught the Disturi's robe as my jaws crunched something. Vile liquid entered my mouth. I barely managed to stop myself from letting go and retching. The demon screamed and scratched at my back, trying to make me let go of it. I reluctantly let it go. It was starting to tear into my muscles. Unfortunately, I couldn't heal that well. I landed with a heavy thud but managed to start upright. I growled.
The Disturi's eyes narrowed as it increased the fear again. I was almost tempted to run away but the sounds of thuds from upstairs stopped me. My other cats were in trouble. And so were the kids.
I launched myself at the Disturi again only to have it backhand me across the floor. My claws dig into the wooden floor leaving a very visible trail. When I came to a stop I roared again.
The Disturi looked like hell.
He felt like it to since he started to reach for Itachi. I took the chance and tackled the demon making us fall forward. I clamped down on its 'neck' again before shaking roughly, hoping to dislodge it's neck. It would heal but at least it would give me some time to kill it.
I let go once a loud crack filled the air. That was my mistake. I had thought the crack was the neck bones or the vertebra, but the Disturi had instead broken another part of its body.
It threw me off it by arching it's back. I fell backwards not expecting the Disturi to get up and pin me to the floor with one hand. I hissed as one clawed hand slashed my side. I roared in fury when I wiggled and struggled but it held me firm.
'Stupid witch…' My eyes widened at the voice. 'You didn't think you could take me on? Did you?' He grinned. Fear, in its purest form, filled me.
I saw myself when I was sixteen. My magic was so low I couldn't even feel it. It had been drained and by someone I had trusted with everything in me. Nothing would ever compare to the feeling of having my magic taken away and without my knowledge. It felt… horrible. Like my soul was being ripped out of me.
I would have cried if I were in human form. As it was the only thing I could do was shudder and whimper.
'I am fear. Fear is always around.' The Demon hissed. I felt my magic being absorbed.
"Amaterasu!" Fire, blazing hot fire burst into being. My eyes caught the red tinted eyes of Itachi. (Well, this proves he's real). The Disturi shrieked in pain, letting me go. I didn't waste any time in getting up. Well, trying too anyway. I fell over in exhaustion. Or I would have if someone hadn't steadied me.
"Get up." My ears twitched as I caught Itachi's voice. "Keira and Memphis need your help. The other demon went upstairs." I nodded.
Well, I had always wondered what dying felt like. My magic wasn't ready, but I was. I forced my next transformation. My bones cracked as the warmth filled me. Only this time the warmth wasn't comfortable. Even the feeling of having my bones broken, reshaped, and lengthened didn't feel good. Turning into something that was my body mass, like my panther or wolf form was okay, hell even turning into a falcon or eagle was all right. But turning into something that was supposed to be outside my body mass? It was like being stretched to the max.
Whiskers sprout from my face as my mouth and nose lengthened. My teeth were replaced with fangs. My neck and body stretched into the form of a strong, scaled serpent-like body. My skin falls off as scales replaced it. My arms and legs got stronger and more durable as antlers sprouted from my head above my longer ears. A plumage of hair stuck out from around my head and neck as my tail switched. (2)
A low growl erupted from my throat as I stood to my new height of nine feet tall and thirty feet long.
The Disturi froze when the purr left my throat. I glared down at it seeing its dark energies as a violent purple light.
Dragon vision was so much more than anyone thought. It was like seeing every single magical signature and a person's soul in one. At the same time, you saw the person in perfect detail. Although this Disturi was going to be dead in a second.
I roared.
The Disturi tried to run but I jumped on it. My claws did an impressive job of keeping it pinned while the fire stones in my chest sparked. I opened my mouth feeling the pressure build. Fire, blue fire shot out of my mouth and combined with the black flames of Amaterasu. The Disturi never stood a chance.
I left the Disturi to get the other one upstairs. Cats yowling let me know that it was in my room. Fear rushed me as I thought about the kids feeling the fear and panic Disturi usually brought.
My door was slammed open when I entered. Silence rang when I roared. The Disturi didn't have half a chance when I launched myself at it already ready with another mouthful of fire. It screamed when I barely managed to pin it down and torch it.
I huffed, wrinkling my nose as the smell of rotten meat filled the air. My body shuddered in pain as I shrunk back into my normal form. Dragon mode was going to leave a few marks. I thought as I felt a slight ridge in my cheekbones. No doubt my body was going to fall over in exhaustion soon.
"Meow?" I briefly looked over the cats. Oh goddess, their coloring made so much more sense now.
"Keira? Memphis?" I called looking around my destroyed room. Something told me I'd need to redecorate soon.
"Maya?" Memphis' muffled voice came from the closet. I gratefully walked over to it and threw open the door to see my siblings huddled on the floor. Sleepy, Sparkle and Beauty looked up at me.
"Hey babies..." I murmured getting on one knee. They scrambled up to me and hugged me. A sob escaped Keira as Memphis clung tighter to me.
"There's a monster outside." Keira cried. Memphis shuddered.
"Shhh, it's okay sweetie. There's no more monsters." Keira wasn't convinced. "I'm sorry you had to experience that. I'm so sorry babies." I whispered hugging them tighter knowing that the trauma from this would always be there for them. First Disturi experiences were always there.
"Amaya!" That sounded like Analia. I pulsed my magic before wondering if Itachi, Nagato and Kakashi were still down there.
"Come on babies. Let's see Ana." I encouraged. They didn't move. I tried to stand with them, but my side burned. I grunted feeling where the Disturi had cut me. Great, no more adrenaline to help block the pain.
"Meow?"
"Let me take them." My eyes darted up to see Itachi, looking like new.
"You should get Kakashi and Nagato somewhere safe." I suggested.
"I did." He held out his hand. "Your hurt. You can't hold both."
"Watch me." I growled somehow managing to pick both children up and get on my feet. "You should hide. It's not every day a ninja comes here. I can't help you if Analia and Ariel decide to kill you."
"Fine." He nodded. I blinked and he was gone.
"Show-off." I muttered.
"Who's a show-off?" Analia asked coming in. She took one look at me before holding out her arms. Keira went to her willingly. My heart ached at how empty her eyes looked.
"They were exposed." I reported as we left my room. "Not directly."
"It shouldn't be hard to wipe the memory then. Bianca's been taken by the Healers. Ariel brought them." She clarified the last statement when I tensed.
"I suppose I should get ready to file a report then." Then get everyone out so I could talk to my 'cats'.
Why did it have to be the Naruto ninjas? Why couldn't it have been Madara or Obito?
GM NASAI: (1) Disturi- Demon of Fear.
(2) Think Chinese dragon. There is a story but if you think you've gotten enough hints to figure out how Amaya can turn into a dragon then please don't ruin it for everyone.