K, so here's the next chapter for you guys. Hope you all enjoy it. :)
Broken Angel
Chapter 74
Riley lay in bed next to Luna, and Kaede, the rest of her mates had awoken and departed for early morning exercises or to handle other tasks already, leaving just those three to continue resting.
It had been two days since Riley had returned from rescuing the Kazekage, and once again, things were going pretty smoothly. In response to what she had learned from Zetsu, Riley had dispatched Loki with an important task, to track down and locate the remaining Jinchuriki.
She hadn't heard back from him yet, but she knew her familiar would not fail her. Over the last few days, Riley had taken the time to get to know the Darkness and understand her newest child better. She had seen it's life already, and thus knew it's story, but with her acting as it's host, she wanted to work on working in tandem with it, in order to increase their effectiveness in battle.
With it inside of her, Riley now had access to a number of powerful abilities. She could now manifest darkness tentacles and serpents from anywhere around her, increasing her attack range by nearly twenty meters. She had access to certain dark based abilities, and her powers in the dark arts swelled to new levels. With the Darkness by her side, she no longer had a time frame for magical regeneration, the Darkness drew power from all of the darkness of the Earth, and was constantly drawing in power, almost like it's own form of sage mode.
This, Darkness Sage mode, was always active, meaning her reserves were always full. Even unleashing powerful magics like Chibaku Tensei, or Bijuu Dama, wouldn't leave her drained for more then a second or two.
She also now held power to destroy light.
How does one destroy light?
By swallowing it into a dark void of nothingness. Yep, with the power of the Darkness, Riley could now manifest Black Holes. They weren't immensely powerful right now, as she was still learning how their creation worked, but with the aid of her child, she could collapse gravity so intensely on a single point, that it created a mini black hole.
The ability to manifest Black holes, was something Riley was keen on learning, as more powerful ones could theoretically be used to devour the magical energy of almost any attack. Meaning, in theory, Riley could launch a black hole at an oncoming Bijuu Dama, and it would be absorbed into nothingness.
It was definitely an interesting ability that she wished to learn, but she could only really try it out in Kamui since she had no clue what creating Black Holes of that power would do to the Earth's gravitational fields.
Learning to use these interesting new abilities had led her to having an eye opening conversation with Kurama.
-Flashback-
"What do you mean?" Riley asked the great beast.
"I don't know how I could be any clearer. You're stronger then me now." Kurama stated.
"How am I stronger then you?" Riley inquired, as she made a face.
"Look, I've been studying the Darkness and it's magical core. It may only have the power of a devil at any given moment, but it's tied to all of the Darkness of our world. It can draw power from over half the world at any given moment. The reason why the Darkness corrupts it's hosts isn't just to control them, but to also allow them to channel more of it's power. It's like one of the Bijuu, without a host, it's control is shit. With a host, it can unleash more of it's power, and with a host like you, an Archdemon, who just so happens to be it's mother, through you it can unleash all of it's power." Kurama explained to her.
"You said when we first met it, that you thought it could be as strong as you. Possibly stronger." Riley noted, as she nodded in understanding at what Kurama was getting at.
"Yeah, and I was right. If the Darkness filled it's core to the max, through you it would be able to unleash just a bit more power than I could. You're at eight tails worth of power, and from your ascension to the Eight tails, you've gained a taste of just how strong you'll truly be. Once you reach your full power, you plus the Darkness, will double me in raw strength. Together, you'll be stronger than even the Ten Tails." Kurama stated, earning another nod of understanding from Riley whom was looking thoughtful.
After a few moments Riley locked eyes with Kurama. "Why is this important?" She asked, curious as to why he felt the need to talk to her about this.
"Because… once you reach your full power, I intend to have you bind our chakra's together. When we do this, you'll have access to three times the power that I do. You'll be the strongest thing to ever live in this world. Possibly stronger than even the Shinju tree." Kurama explained, his statement earning a surprised look from Riley.
"Y- you intend for me to bind our chakra's together? But what about your freedom? If we bind our chakra, you'll be stuck with me until I die, and as an immortal, I wont die." Riley stated, surprised by this revelation, though not at all upset by it. She'd always wondered what would happen when that day would come and her century long deal would end. With the use of Kamui, Riley was approaching ninety years of age. Her deal with Kurama would end soon, and by magical oath, she had to let him leave if he wanted too. She didn't want to see him go, but that was ultimately his decision. To hear that he was willing to stay with her, made her smile brighter, than she had in a long while.
"I know that. Still though, I've grown to care about you. You're my friend Riley. More than that, you're my family. I've pushed away my family too many times before and it always ends in me feeling alone and angry. I don't want to be alone anymore. I'd rather spend the rest of eternity going on adventures with you, than sitting alone in a cave somewhere, waiting for some stupid mortal to wander in and pick a fight. I'd rather stick with you than deal with that, or risk getting sealed away again." Kurama explained, bringing a smile to Riley's face.
"You honor me, my friend. We've been together for a long time. You've taught me a great deal and helped me through some of the most difficult times of my life. Because of you, I've come to embrace what I am. Because of you, I'm free to be whoever and whatever I want. If you're offering to stick with me, now and always, then I'll be there for you, now and always." Riley replied, grinning from ear to ear.
"Aw, don't get all mushy on me. This kinda stuff makes me gag." Kurama replied, though Riley could tell from the Fox's grin, that he was happy she had accepted him as well.
"Alright then, for the foreseeable future, you're gonna work on channeling the Darkness's power and mine. I'll need you to create a seal, that we can use to bind ourselves together. Once that's done, we'll mesh our chakra in such a way, that it'll be indistinguishable. I must say… I have no idea what'll happen when you, me, and the Darkness fully synchronize. The amount of power we release will be unlike anything this world has ever seen." Kurama informed her.
"Alright. It'll be ten years until our deal will come to it's end, and you'll be free to make your choice. I've got ten years to learn how to control your youki and the Darkness's power. Well… with that and these two new Rinne-Sharingan paths, I'll sure be busy. Guess it's best to get to work." Riley stated with a grin, earning one from Kurama as well.
-End Flashback-
From there, Riley began her training. Learning to harness the new powers of the Rinne-Sharingan was difficult. No, scratch that. Difficult was too simple a word. Ball-busting was a bit closer to what it actually felt like. Magic always came easy to Riley, even immensely difficult abilities, came quickly to her. She was a natural prodigy. But all those times, she had, had a tutor, someone to guide her.
Now, all she had to go off of, was the things that Zetsu had told her about Kaguya. Now Riley had to work to replicate those abilities, and in many cases she didn't have a clue where to start.
Channeling Kurama's and the Darkness's power was a much easier endeavor, though channeling them together was much more trying, as Kurama wasn't nearly as compatible with the Darkness as she was. The Darkness itself seemed intrigued and excited at the prospect of being part of this trinity. With the three of them working together, with Riley as the host and conduit, their power would be unlike any the world had ever known. It wouldn't just be the power of a lower tier Archdemon, but of a true Archdemon. They would have access to levels of power, beyond any of their imaginations. Each one alone had enough raw power to eradicate the entirety of their solar system. Working in tandem, they'd have a power even greater than that.
While her training in Kamui was occurring, the brutal torture and corruption of Sasori, continued. This wasn't the first time Riley had dominated and taken control of a human's soul, she had done so with Voldemort, when he was little more then a soul. With Sasori however, it was much more difficult. Magic was all about intent a lot of the time, and where Tom had willingly given himself to Riley, Sasori struggled to maintain himself at each passing moment. It was because of his valiant defiance that Riley hadn't had as easy a time as she had with Voldemort.
Did this bother Riley at all?
Nope.
Sasori's staunch refusal to give in to Riley's power and submit himself to her cruel rule, only further provoked her and fed into her desire to see him suffer more. She hated the man, but she hated his partner Deidara more. But Deidara had managed to escape, reverse summoned by another Akatsuki member. So even though he wasn't the one she was really pissed at, he suffered her wrath as an object of her rage, that she projected Deidara onto.
Her plans for Sasori formed more coherently in her mind with each passing second. It had started out so simple. Corrupt him into one of her servants then unleash him onto her enemies and watch with glee as he gave his life for her goals. She'd strain him through physical pain, something he wasn't as accustomed to as say, other members of the Akatsuki, and then once he was at his weakest, she'd strike him mentally and break him. Then he'd truly be nothing more than a puppet.
Riley definitely had plans for the puppet master. His screams often filled the background as she trained, his torture at the hands of her demonic servant Skorge, continued at all hours of the eternity that was Kamui.
Riley knew he was close to breaking, in Kamui it had been near two months since she was thrown Sasori into a wooden body capable of feeling and left it to the demented designs of her psychopathic familiar. She knew Sasori would submit sooner rather than later. He was a prideful man, but all that time tortured at the hands of a demon? No human, not even someone like Hashirama Senju, could be expected to hold up to something like that for very long, and Sasori was no Hashirama Senju.
So that's what Riley spent the last two days doing, spending a month in her own pocket dimension each day, to work on her training. She fitted her duties to the war and Legion around that.
The sudden stirring of Luna, pulled Riley from her thoughts. She grinned as her eyes drifted down across Luna's lithe frame. She was tucked up next to her, cuddling up close to Riley, one arm tucked underneath Riley's near weightless frame, the other draped across her chest, just below her breasts. She held Riley close, clinging to her as if to chase the nightmares away. Kaede lay on the opposite side of Riley, a small amount of space separating the two. She was laying on her stomach with her head turned away from Riley.
Riley allowed her eyes to gaze along Kaede's feminine features, admiring the pale skin of her back, along with her well endowed womanly curves. She enjoyed the sight of her half demon lover, and felt tempted to reach out and run her nails along Kaede's back. She was drawn out of her revelry when she felt Luna nuzzle into her again and let out a small noise, Riley turned her attention back to her youngest mate and studied her for a scant moment.
Even after all the time they'd spent together, Luna hadn't filled out much. She still had a tiny frame, and Riley knew that deep down, Luna was embarrassed that she was the only one of Riley's lovers that wasn't much to look at. It didn't take Occlumency for Riley to know that Luna was jealous of her fellow mates, in that regard. She didn't have a body like them. Fleur was perfectly designed, her breasts, hips, thighs, and butt, were all perfectly proportioned as they were with all Veela to give her a slender yet succulent form. Katie, had an athletic build, being fit, with toned abs and well trimmed muscle on her arms and legs. Her breasts and butt were a descent size, fitting with her athletic build quite nicely. Daphne was much closer to Fleur than Katie in terms of body size. Not as flawless as the Veela, but the prime example of proper noble breeding and a well groomed family line. The typical pureblood princess. Then there was Kaede.
Riley knew at least three of her mates felt a bit of envy towards Kaede. She had a succulent body type, that they wished theirs mirrored, if only a little. She was well endowed in all areas and it was enough to draw the attention of many men. Their envy wasn't enough to drive a wedge between them or anything, it was a minor thing, but one that existed, none the less. The only one out of the four that didn't envy Kaede's appearance, or at least her womanly assets was Fleur. This was mostly due to her own confidence in her looks and the fact that Fleur knew that as a Veela, her body proportions were perfect. It was like a numbers game for them, everything just complimented the rest. If Fleur had bigger breasts or a bigger butt, it would throw off her natural, almost otherworldly beauty. What made a Veela much more beautiful than most humans was this magical perfection, that was then complimented by their allure.
Riley knew the while Katie and Daphne were a bit envious of Kaede's figure, Luna was envious of all of her fellow mates figures. Riley knew that Luna didn't exactly enjoy being as bony as she was. Though in truth, she looked a lot better than she did when Riley had first started dating her. She had put on plenty of weight, and was turning into quite the beauty, if you were to ask Riley.
Riley found herself making a face as she thought about Luna's own self-confidence. It wasn't that Luna doubted that Riley liked her, but Riley suspected that deep down Luna didn't think she was as attractive as the others.
Unlike her fellow mates, Luna never tried to dress sexy. Riley had always thought it was just part of her personality, but now she was beginning to wonder if maybe Luna just didn't find herself sexy.
Riley had seen her fellow mates in sexy outfits before. Katie wouldn't wear panties under her robes at times, Daphne had some very interesting lacy underwear that brought out her womanly features, and even Fleur wasn't above showing off a bit of cleavage in some low cut dresses, whenever Riley would take her out on the town.
Luna never did that.
It was a quiet moment, when Riley suddenly felt Luna whine, her body vibrating from the noise, and she felt Luna take in a breath.
Fear flooded into her mate's body and Riley knew immediately that Luna was having a nightmare. In response, Riley positioned her arm to pull Luna tighter into her side and brought up her opposite hand to caress Luna's face.
Her actions had the desired effect, and Riley smiled as she felt her lover settle.
This hadn't been the first time this had happened. Luna didn't get nightmares often, but when she did they were almost always the same. She dreamt of her mother's death. Luna never spoke of it, but Riley had heard from others as well as from Luna's father, that Luna was there the day her mother had accidentally killed herself while trying to create a new spell.
Luna's father Xeno had told Riley that Pandora Lovegood had disappeared in a burst of starlight. Actual reports from that day, revealed that the backfiring of Pandora's spell had caused a reaction in her magical core, that caused it to absorb her body, and then her magical core erupted.
It wasn't a very large explosion but it was enough to knock a young Luna, unconscious and ingrain the horrible moment into her mind forever. Riley had heard a few stories here and there, all horrible, as most people didn't know what exactly happened to Pandora when her magical core devoured her. Though Riley suspected, due to Luna's nightmares that it was brutal, and not nearly as mystical as her father claimed.
It took a few seconds, but like always, Luna stirred and her eyes fluttered open. She never slept long after having a nightmare, even with Riley there to sooth her. Her eyes opened and the first thing they focused on was Riley's face.
A sleepy, lazy, smile spread across Luna's face. The sight of that smile made Riley's heart soar.
Riley was very open with her mates. When they all banded together, they could get her to reveal pretty much anything. There was one thing though that Riley would never admit to them, simply because it was so mushy and sappy that it made Riley herself blush, when she tried to imagine explaining it to someone.
That thing she would never speak of, was that when her mates awoke from sleep and smiled at her like that, it made Riley happier than almost any other occasion. The reasons behind it were quite deep and complex, but to simplify it, for Riley, in those first few seconds after a person wakes up from a deep and restful slumber, they aren't actually all there. They're still tired, subconscious and conscious minds are still working at the forefront of the mind, and they aren't really focused. It's in those moments, when Riley's mates are still hazy and truly waking up, when they smile at her, that Riley knows without a shadow of a doubt, that they love her.
To Riley, it's in those moments, that all inhibitions are removed, and what is seen, is the true self. They're not fully awake yet, but they see her and smile. Those moments, brighten Riley's day like no other. She absolutely loved experiencing those moments, but it was probably the most sappy of her romantic ideals. And it was definitely one she wouldn't reveal unless absolutely necessary.
"Good morning." Riley heard from Luna's dreamy voice.
"Good morning to you too. Bad dreams?" Riley inquired as Luna shifted to better look into Riley's eyes.
"Yeah… but then I felt warm, and safe, and I knew you were there." Luna replied with a small smile, earning one from Riley as well.
Riley stared at her for a moment, before recalling what she had been wondering earlier. She allowed her grin to spread a bit further as she reached out a caressed Luna's cheek.
Luna nuzzled into Riley's hand, appreciating the affectionate gesture.
"So beautiful..." Riley cooed as she lovingly held the blonde's cheek.
Her words made Luna smile, which in turn brightened Riley's own smile.
The two stared into each others eyes for several long moments before Riley's smile turned predatory and she rolled over, so that she was now on top of Luna. She stared down at her lover, as lust flooded her features, and quickly her lips met Luna's in a searingly passionate kiss.
The two held the kiss for nearly a minute their tongues intertwining, Luna moaning into the kiss as Riley's demonic Youki filled her body with pleasure.
Once the two separated, Riley began trailing kisses down Luna's body, starting at her neck, then working her way to her collar bone. When she reached Luna's breasts, she halted her advance and focused on the two sensitive teats, taking one into her mouth while teasing at the other with her fingers.
Luna's moans grew in intensity as she felt Riley sucking on her nipples, her hand found it's way to Riley's hair, running it through that thick mane, of blackish-red locks.
Riley continued to tease Luna's breasts for a minute or two more before continuing her way down her body, leaving a trail of kisses from Luna's chest, all the way to her ultimate goal.
When Luna felt Riley's burning hot breath on her sensitive opening, she shuddered. Without needing to be told or directed she moved her legs open to give Riley access to what she desired.
Within a moment, Luna felt Riley's tongue invade her sensitive nether region, she had to bite her own hand to stop the cry of pleasure she would have let out at that moment. Eventually Riley rested her hand on Luna's pelvis and used her thumb to begin rubbing at her clit.
Luna merely laid there, trying her hardest to remain quiet and not wake Kaede from her restful slumber. The pleasure she felt, was just as enjoyable and intense as it always was, though in the back of her mind, she wondered what had set Riley off like this? It was usually Fleur, or Katie, that got the early morning attention from the Demoness, Kaede now too, so Luna had to wonder, why she was chosen this time around.
An answer didn't immediately appear, and to be quite honest she was enjoying the feeling of Riley's tongue, and her burning hot breath, to much to get her mind to ponder anything else.
Riley continued for several minutes until she suddenly stopped, and climbed up Luna's body. Luna let out a mewl of dissatisfaction, since she felt herself closing in on her release.
Riley merely smiled as she stopped at Luna's breasts, wrapped her lips around one of her nipples, and inserted her middle and ring fingers into Luna's pussy.
It happened quickly after that. Riley's masterful maneuvers, drove Luna to orgasm in less then thirty seconds.
Luna stared up at the ceiling for several long minutes as her whole body shook from the aftershocks of the climax she had just had. Finally she felt Riley settle in next to her, and she turned her attention to her demonic lover.
"What… was that for?" Luna let out, in a breathy gasp.
"Because you're just to sexy to lay there naked, and not get special treatment for it." Riley replied as she gave Luna a kiss on the lips, and then sat up in bed.
Luna stared at her for a moment, before smiling and sitting up as well. The two locked eyes for several long moments before Luna tilted her head, and asked, "Were you reading my mind?"
"No. I just got to thinking and arrived at a troubling possibility that I decided to immediately rectify." Riley answered. Luna's eyes diverted at that, staring off into space as a small smile crept onto her face.
"I appreciate that Riley, really I do. But you don't have to pretend. I know I'm not the prettiest thing in the world..." Luna began only to be cut off when when Riley placed a finger to her lips, silencing her.
"Luna Lovegood, you are just like my other mates. Each of you is unique and beautiful in your own way. I didn't fall in love with you for your beauty. I fell for you because, well… you're you." Riley stated.
Luna smiled at that, so Riley added. "The fact that you're so beautiful is just a bonus for me."
Luna blushed at that, but her eyes finally returned to Riley's, and Riley could tell through their bond that she had made Luna very happy by saying those things.
"You mean it?" Luna inquired.
"Yes. If anyone, even the eccentric Ms. Lovegood herself, makes you think you aren't pretty, you let me know, and I'll set them straight." Riley answered earning a nod and smile from Luna.
"So I'm eccentric, am I?" Luna inquired with a giggle.
"You can be quite odd at times." Riley noted playfully, earning another giggle from Luna.
"It makes me more endearing." Luna explained causing Riley to grin and nod in agreement.
"Luna, you are adorable." Riley stated with a chuckle as she reached out and caressed Luna's face.
Luna tilted her head into Riley's hand and the two locked eyes with one another, both smiling, both happy.
"..." The two both felt eyes on them and glanced to the side, where they found Kaede watching them. She gave the two an inquisitive look, causing both to giggle.
"You know who else I find adorable?" Riley inquired.
"Is it Kaede?" Luna asked.
"How'd you guess?" Riley asked, while Kaede made a face at the two, sensing some form of shenanigans.
"Well, she is quite adorable. It's cute the way she stairs at you with those big red eyes, and with her horns, whenever she tilts her head, she reminds me of a puppy." Luna stated.
In that moment Kaede knew they were teasing her. She rolled her eyes and moved to settle back into the comfort of her bed, trying her hardest not to overthink anything they were saying. She knew they were both being playful, and it didn't bother her at being called cute like a puppy, but she was getting a few flashbacks to another time when people said her horns made her look like an animal.
"Hmm… a puppy… you know… puppies like their bellies scratched." Riley noted, and Luna nodded in agreement.
Hearing this, Kaede shot a look at the two, now uncertain as to where this line of thought was taking them.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Luna inquired.
"If you're thinking about whether or not, Kaede is ticklish, then the answer is yes." Riley replied, and Kaede's eyes widened in fear as the two looked at her and grinned.
"Stay away from me." Kaede warned as she tried to crawl away from them, but Riley was too quick. Within moments she had pinned Kaede down to the bed with her tails and was tickling her ribs.
Kaede led out peels of laughter as she struggled under Riley's weight.
Luna quickly joined in, tickling the Diclonius Queen's hips and thighs.
"STOP IT!" Kaede howled, unable to focus enough to throw them off with her vectors.
"Do you yield?" Riley inquired with a grin.
"Yes… Stop please..." Kaede whined, her breathing ragged, as she tried to glare up at Riley whom still had her pinned.
Riley and Luna both shared a grin, and Riley quickly removed herself from on top of Kaede. She was quick to lean down though and lock lips with the Diclonius, earning a loud, throaty moan as she passed her pleasurable Youki into Kaede's body, through the joining of their lips.
"Don't tease me Riley, you keep this up, and I won't let you out of this bed today." Kaede warned as the two parted. Riley merely grinned as she pulled back.
"As tempting an offer as that is, I'm afraid I've got work to do today." Riley replied earning a bit of a pout from Kaede. Riley merely chuckled and slid out of bed.
The two remaining women shared a look with one another, Luna carrying her same dreamy smile, and Kaede with a glare, due to Luna's part in tickling her.
After a few moments, Luna giggled and darted out of bed, Kaede made a face then looked thoughtful, then immediately gave chase, following Luna into the bathroom, where giggling and laughter could then be heard, as Keade got her revenge.
"You two've got patrol today. Try not to spend all day in there." Riley called out as her clothes materialized over her nude form, and she made for the exit to her tent.
Riley strolled through the camp, her mind flitting here or there. She thought on many things, barely taking notice of the nods of acknowledgment from the various Legionaries that she passed.
Riley's thoughts drifted back towards Luna's insecurities as Riley found herself reaching the edge of town and leaning on a wooden fence that lined the main road way leading through it. Various people took note of her presence, her reputation among the people who lived in Sinnon was quite legendary.
Riley wondered to herself what other insecurities her mates held, and what she could do to make them feel better. This led her to wondering about something troubling. Something that she had never thought of before.
In all her time, Riley had often pondered what her life would be like without her friends, without her family, without her lovers, and in all those times she came to the same conclusion that her life would've been worse without them.
She had rarely, if ever pondered on what their lives would be like without her.
She found herself thinking about her mates. She could literally see it in her mind, her brain playing out each scenario like a movie for her.
Kaede came first.
She'd still be locked in those damn laboratories. She be poked and prodded with needles. Studied like a rat in a cage. She'd still feel unloved, and unwanted, her rage towards humanity unabated. She'd still be living with the guilt of what she did to her first true friend so long ago. Thinking about it, seeing it in her mind, suddenly made Riley very thankful for that single fit of fancy that had seen her sending Deimos far out over the world to find the darkest evil he could for her to destroy. It was because of that single moment of laziness, to not go looking for herself, that led her to finding Kaede, a woman she was quickly coming to love as much as any of her other mates.
Then her mind turned to Luna.
Riley found herself recalling how Luna was bullied when she first started at Hogwarts and how she was treated during her second year. She found herself wondering how long it would have taken Professor Flitwick to notice the bullying and stop it, or if he ever would. She started to wonder if anyone would ever have stood up for Luna if Riley had not taken the younger girl into her care. The only person that seemed to look out for Luna at first had been Hermione, and even then, Hermione had suffered at the hands of bullies as well, and it did little for her confidence. Riley seriously doubted that Hermione would have had the courage to stand up for Luna, if she had also been alone. Riley found herself wondering, who would be there to tell Luna she was beautiful, as beautiful as a Veela. Who would be there to comfort her when her mother's death came back to plague her. Through all of her thoughts, Riley found that no one came to mind for the dreamy eyed Ravenclaw and it made Riley's heart fill with sadness.
After her came Daphne.
Still scheming, still planning. Riley could see her in a loveless marriage, Daphne taking pride in her work, standing up for herself and being a strong woman. But she also saw her not being happy, because she couldn't be herself. Daphne would have lived the life of a lot of pureblood woman, she would have been a dutiful wife, probably been spoken highly of by the envious socialites she surrounded herself with. She'd have Tracy to offer some respite, and later her children, but Riley found herself wondering if Daphne would be smiling as often, or as genuinely. Was it always something that Daphne could achieve? True Happiness? Or was it Riley that opened that doorway for Daphne to have everything she wanted in life. Someone to love her unconditionally and support her as she pushed forward. Riley didn't have an answer, and it saddened her that she didn't know. She loved Daphne more than life itself, but she found herself morbidly curious, what would Daphne's life have been like without Riley? Would she have been happy?
Then came Katie.
Riley smiled, it was a small smile, but it was there. Riley knew Katie would have been fine. She would still be playing for the Quidditch team at Hogwarts, she'd still probably be hanging out with those girls she used to spend time with before meeting Riley. She'd probably have found a nice boy or girl and started a relationship. Maybe made it through a few before setting off into the world. Katie was determined and strong willed. She'd have been happy and content. Riley didn't know why, but it made her both happy and sad to know that Katie would have done fine without her. The thought lingered, even as Riley's heart and pride screamed that it was because of Riley that Katie was so happy, and that if the two had never met, Katie wouldn't have been as courageous, but Riley knew that wasn't true. Katie was a Gryffindor, always had been. Noble and Strong. The end of her thought came at the remembrance of what she had cost her lover. Her mother. The woman that had died because of Riley. It made her cringe and she knew that at least in that respect, Katie would have been better off.
Finally her mind came to her first love, Fleur.
Would Fleur have lived a good life? Yes. Did it cause every ounce of Riley's being to shudder when she pictured all those people leering at her, or lusting after her? Yes. Did it suddenly fill Riley with jealousy and rage, when her mind played images of Fleur in bed with random men, some treating her fairly, some, little more then mindless fuck dolls, and some, smiling arrogantly as they took the Veela like a prize? Abso-fucking-lutely. Fleur had a better chance then most Veela, being born to the Delacour's, but still, Veela were reviled in many places, and Fleur did not live far from those places.
For several long moments, Riley thought on this, as her mind flipped through a vast cycle of emotions. It was suddenly cut off, when a voice tore through her mind ending that train of thought.
This voice screamed at her to cease with the doubts. No one, not even the almighty him/herself, could give those five women the lives they deserve. No one, but Riley.
Was it arrogant to believe such a thing? Most definitely. But it was oddly comforting as Riley found herself agreeing with the voice. Only Riley could make them truly happy. Could others give them good lives? Sure. Could they forge their own way in the world? Yes.
But in the end, Riley knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the life she gave them, was a life of unimaginable wonder, adventure, love, passion, and joy.
No one in the world, could make them feel the pleasure that she could. No one could understand them, like she did. No one could give them all that they wanted in life, or help them seize it for themselves, like she could. And no one, in all the world, could love the five of them, like she did.
Doubt. That's what it was. Doubt, in a moment of quiet pondering. She quickly pushed it away, as she remembered Luna's dreamy smile as she arose from slumber. Riley knew in her heart of hearts, that the life she gave them, would always be filled with happiness and love. To doubt in that, would be to weaken their lives together. So long as she fully believed that the life they lived was the best it could be, she would never doubt herself.
"My lady." Riley heard someone call out to her. She glanced up as a messenger made his way up to her. He offered her a scroll and gave a polite bow, before departing, obviously to deliver more messages.
Riley stared down at the scroll for a moment, before opening it. The scroll was plain and simplistic. Nothing about it was interesting or intricate, just a basic, cheep, unassuming piece of parchment.
Checking it for hidden seals and finding none, Riley opened the scroll and viewed it's contents.
'For your eyes only.'
The first letters read, which earned an intrigued look from Riley.
'Greetings, My Lady Uchiwa. I'll start off this letter by saying that I know you, but you don't know me. We've never officially met before, but I've been watching you for some time. Your exploits in recent years have been quite the tale to follow, and I find myself growing more and more interested with each passing day.
I like to consider myself a seeker of knowledge. I seek to learn all there is to learn, and when something interests me, I tend to gravitate, intensely around said subject. I've been studying you for quite some time, and I find that the more I learn, the more questions I have. Very recently, I began to develop a hypothesis that has the potential to open up a vast new world of discovery, and if I'm right, you are the key to this new world.
Through my study of your methods, and how they coincide with the actions of your greatest foe, I have come to the conclusion that you are both one in the same. I know, you know who I mean. If I am right, then we have much to discuss, and I wish to open a dialogue with you. I understand your hesitance to operate with an unknown, so I will simply reveal to you now, that I am a servant of your current adversary and am quite knowledgeable about his comings and goings.
I fully understand your reasons for doing the things that you have done, and it leads me to being even more intrigued about you. But before I begin unloading the vast number of questions I have, I know that I must first earn your trust. At the bottom of this letter, is a set of coordinates. At those coordinates you'll find a valley, within that valley you'll find a stone along the eastern cliff face, that will have no earthly reason to be there. Beneath the stone is another message, one that will inform you of what your enemy is planning and just why he is kidnapping so many people. I do hope you find the information useful.
I will contact you again, when I am able, until then.'
And the message just ended, in a set of coordinates that led to the Land of Rivers.
Riley stared at the message for a moment, pondering it, when suddenly Kurama piped in.
"I think someone knows about your time as Ralael." Kurama informed her, earning a nod of agreement from Riley.
"Most certainly. I'm curious how this person managed to figure it out. I won't say it's impossible, given that I wasn't as careful as I probably should have been, but I am still curious how someone managed to put the pieces together." Riley thought back as she reread the letter.
"Perhaps they've seen inside to meteor over Konoha, or maybe they're just a lot smarter than most people." Kurama suggested, earning another nod from Riley.
"It's possible. I mean the biggest factor to my disguise was the fact that, at the time of reveal, I was one of the people to fight against it, but also, that people want to believe what they want to believe. None of them wanted the angel to be real, but at the same time, when I destroyed it, they just wanted that to be the end of it. No one wanted to know the truth, or believe that there may be something more to it. Humans are predictable that way, when something is terrible or painful, they tend to just believe what is easiest and most convenient to believe. And at the time, that was that I defeated the Angel and it was sealed away. So… I'm not surprised someone pieced it together. I know Daphne wont be happy, this is exactly what she warned me about." Riley responded as she flashed through handsigns and summoned Loki.
She quickly ordered him to go to the coordinates and be weary of any possible traps. If he was ambushed, she told him to send her a mental signal so that she could reverse summon him. Her familiar agreed and quickly departed.
Riley stood in silence for several moments, before vanishing into Kamui. She was quick to approach a makeshift wooden structure. This structure was like a stage, and on top of it, chained to the floor was Sasori, whom had Skorge hovering over him. The look in Sasori's eyes told her all she needed to know, he was broken.
Skorge wordlessly tilted the puppet masters head back and forth, looking into the dull hew of his eyes. There was no life to him any longer, and he didn't say anything. For over two months, he had endured unspeakable pain. His body was wooden and regenerated near instantly, but he felt everything done to it. Every ounce of pain, registered in his mind. Skorge spent all that time, endlessly torturing. He never stopped, not once. Skorge did not need to sleep, or eat, or drink. So he just remained there, torturing the Akatsuki member, making him scream out in pain.
Riley came to a halt once she was in front of the puppet master. His dull eyes, no longer focused on anything, they just stared off into nothingness, and seemed to reflect the state of his mind. Riley stared down at him and smirked.
Sensing her command Scorge stepped up and drove his fist hard into the side of Sasori's face, sending wooden splinters spraying across the floor of the stage. Sasori didn't respond, nor did he react. The man had placed himself into an unfeeling puppet body around the time he was a teenager or just entering his twenties. He was around thirty-five now so that meant it had been around fifteen years since Sasori had actually felt any kind of physical pain.
Skorge, had spent all this time inflicting the worst kind of physical torture imaginable, so as to break Sasori's mind and make him susceptible to Riley's influence. It worked. Sasori was a prideful man, but he was still just a man. In that wooden body, he didn't need to sleep, so he was kept awake by Skorge. Two whole months of never ending pain to every part of his body. Sixty days, one thousand-four hundred-and forty hours of non-stop torture. Each second stretched out to a lifetime of pain.
And now he was broken, and Riley was easily able to force her way into his mind, and consciousness. All of his walls had collapsed, his sense of self, destroyed.
Seeing the broken pieces, Riley felt secure in her plan. She quickly called forth The Gravemind. Large tentacles rose from a great chasm nearby and quickly slithered forward to rap Sasori in their embrace.
Riley grinned as Sasori was pulled into the darkened hole, disappearing from sight.
Within it, Sasori found himself in darkness, his sense of self shattered. He wasn't really there anymore.
The Gravemind quickly dove into his mind, into the depths of his very soul and began to take the pieces and put them back together. Some… not all.
Within hours, a man resembling Sasori when he was aged around ten was rebuilt, his mind barely there, but it was returning. Only barely held in place by raw emotions like pain, and fear, a young boy emerged in the body of a thirty-five year old man.
"Sasori..." A melodic voice whispered out to him.
For a moment, nothing happened and Sasori remained lifeless and motionless.
"Sasori… wake up sleepy head." The gentle, musical voice rang out. This time Sasori reacted, his eyes twitching and moving, focusing on something settling before his vision.
Sasori found himself focusing, and to his utter delight, he found the face of his mother staring back at him.
"Mother..." Sasori whispered as he reached out to her.
"Hello my beautiful child. I've missed you." His mother replied, her figure sparkling and radiant, she looked like she had just descended from the heavens.
"Mother… I knew you were alive. I knew it. Grandma Chiyo said you were dead. She said you and father had perished fighting Konoha, but I knew you weren't dead." Sasori stated with a bright smile as he reached out for her. The woman smiled back and closed in on him, gently taking his face in her hands.
"My brave little boy. I've missed you so much..." Her voice sang as she pulled him into an embrace and Sasori started to cry.
From high above, Riley and Skorge stared down at the barely visible form of Sasori, encased in a mass of tentacles.
"Hope… False Hope." The Darkness growled in delight, from within Riley's soul.
Riley stared at the scene and smiled.
"I give it two days before he's ready." Kurama noted.
"I agree. I guess it's time to get to work." Riley stated as she turned and headed away from the chasm. She made her way over to a small meadow nearby, where she began to set her plans into action.
Using what she and the Gravemind had learned from Sasori's memories, she began to reconstruct Sasori's human puppet body.
Within thirty hours within Kamui Sasori was enraptured by the Gravemind. It had the man fully believing that his mother was alive.
Once Riley had finished reconstructing Sasori's puppet body from his memory she enacted her plan.
"Sasori… he's coming for me." His mother whispered, as she began to drift away from him.
"Mother? Where are you going?" Sasori called out to her as she pulled further away, beyond his reach.
"He's coming for me. He's going to take me away again." She cried as she drew further and further away from her grasp, and the darkened outline of a city began to appear behind her.
"Who Mother? Who's trying to take you away?!" Sasori cried out at her. All of the loneliness of his childhood was bubbling back up, he was going to be alone again.
"I'm sorry Sasori. I can't stop him. I'm sorry." The visage of his mother cried as she was drawn into the darkened city.
Sasori quickly recognized the city. It was Amegakure. He felt his jaw drop open as the visage of Pain appeared before him.
"She's mine!" His voice bellowed. At those words, a gut-wrenching woman's scream tore through the air.
"NOO!" Sasori screamed out, his arms outstretched towards the darkened city as it began to fade from view.
"Give her back to me! Give her back!" Sasori screamed. He wasn't a man any longer. No… these were the screams of a child.
Riley grinned evilly as she placed Sasori's core into the puppet body she had built. She then exited Kamui near the edge of the Land of Rivers.
She brought Sasori with her, grinning with satisfaction as he screamed and struggled, desperately trying to chase after the form of his mother. Riley stared at him for a moment before transforming into the form of Sasori's father.
"Sasori." She stated, the voice of his father drawing his attention.
"Fa-father?" Sasori sputtered out in surprise.
"We have to save your mother Sasori. The man with the ringed eyes has her. We need to save her." Riley stated.
"Yes… we must save her." Sasori stated as he rose to his feet.
"We'll kill every single person in our way, Sasori. We will save her." Riley stated as she hit Sasori with an overpowered Compulsion Charm.
"I wont lose you again mother. I wont." Sasori said as he quickly dashed off towards the Land of Rain. The compulsion Charm would force Sasori to kill every single adult he came across once he passed into the Land of Rain. A seal matrix, on his body, would be the trap. This seal was tied to a rune, this rune would detect the area around it, and when a chakra signature of a certain density entered into the sensing radius of the Rune cluster, it would activate the seal matrix, convert Sasori's magical core into a bomb and detonate it, killing everyone within a dozen meters.
The Rune's detection range was five meters, and only a member of the Akatsuki had a dense enough chakra signature to activate it. So with any amount of luck, one of the Akatsuki would be injured in the blast. If not, the Rune was set to activate the seal in twenty-four hours so if Pain didn't go to fight Sasori, Sasori would still be dead within a day.
Sasori had once used his power to destroy a small nation. He was now about to unleash that power onto Ame, and with a little luck, he'd take down one of the Akatsuki as well.
Could Riley have turned him into a servant like Voldemort? Sure.
But that wouldn't have sent as clear a message to her enemies. The message itself was simple. She hated Sasori for his part in hurting Gaia, but he wasn't one of the people to really piss her off. This is what she did to those that irritated her. Now imagine what she would do to someone she truly hated.
She hoped the message was well received.
Once that was done she returned to Sinnon, and met up with Itachi and Tom. She informed them about them about the possible turncoat in what she assumed to be, Orochimaru's ranks.
Both men were curious as they read the letter she had received, and openly wondered whom it could come from.
Riley had two main suspects. It was either the Crystal wielder, Guren, or it was the spy, Kabuto Yakushi. Both people she knew of from Kimimaro's memories. After absorbing his soul, she got a decent look into Orochimaru's operations as well as the location of several major facilities.
Sadly, she also learned that Orochimaru made Moody look trusting by comparison. The man had several powerful Earth Style specialists on hand and with him at all times, to construct new bases almost weekly. Old ones were destroyed and new ones built at random intervals, so Kimimaro's knowledge of base information was almost certainly obsolete.
Riley was curious about if she was right or not, her and her fellow commanders pondered this information for several hours before Loki returned with a scroll.
It's retrieval had gone off without a hitch and the man hadn't sensed anyone watching, nor was he followed.
Once receiving it, Riley quickly read it's contents. Her fellow commanders sat patiently as she read through it.
After a few moments, Itachi finally asked, "What does it say?"
"Inferi. Orochimaru is experimenting with Inferi. He's got nearly a dozen dark wizards working with him and he's built an army. They've desecrated over thirty massive burial sights and gathered thousands of corpses. Orochimaru is trying to combine the Inferi with his curse mark, to create powerful, monsters. The message says he's sent them out to aid Iwa in a massive offensive they're about to launch." Riley replied.
Tom let out a curse, at the mention of Inferi. A topic of discussion often brought up by some of the Darker members of the Legion but often struck down because it was a little to dark for there purposes and painted the Legion itself more as monsters then as bloodthirsty warriors.
"Where are they going to attack?" Itachi asked.
Riley stared at the coordinates on the scroll for several moments before locking eyes with Itachi.
"Gather the Legion. We make for the Wind capital in one hour." Riley ordered. Itachi and Tom shared a look and were quickly out the door.
"Iwa and an army of enhanced Inferi, what the fuck is the world coming too?" Kurama wondered.
Riley didn't reply, instead she focused on getting things ready. She quickly flashed to Suna, and made for the Kazekage tower. She didn't wait for an invitation, and used Kamui to jump up to the Kazekage's office and enter it.
"Gaia." Riley stated as she passed through the out wall of the office. A team of Anbu instantly appeared and Gaia spun around defensively, at the sudden intrusion.
Her sand rushed to protect her, but was quickly stopped when Gaia recognized Riley.
"Riley… what are you doing here?" Gaia asked as she rose to her feet and motioned for her Anbu to stand down.
"Iwa's about to hit the Wind capital. The Four Tails is leading a strike to take the city and capture the Daimyo." Riley explained.
Gaia's eyes widened at that. Iwa had been on the defensive these last few days, and Suna had been preparing for another assault soon. She never would have expected them to go so far out of their way to attack the Wind capitol.
"When?" Gaia asked.
"Now." Riley answered.
-Meanwhile-
Roshi stood staring over the massive force he had gathered. His agents had finished setting up a summoning field right outside of the wind capital's walls.
He knew this battle would likely draw him into conflict with the Kazekage, and the Hero of the Burning Leaf.
From what his information told him, the Kazekage had been attacked by their allies in the Akatsuki, so she might still be recovering. As for the commander of the Legion… he had a plan for her.
"Lord Tsuchikage… we're ready to begin." One of his top men stated as he approached him.
"And Han?" Roshi inquired.
"Ready to launch the assault on your orders." The man replied.
"Good." Roshi replied as he took one last glance out over her forces. His eyes settled on the dozens of massive black crates, gardened by an even greater number of demented looking individuals. Each one baring the sigil of Orochimaru.
Roshi suppressed a scowl. He didn't trust the snake. He didn't trust him at all. But he needed his help. If everything went according to plan, this war would be over by morning.
So with that in mind, Roshi headed down towards his forces. This would be the first time since the war started that he would take an active roll in the fighting. He had been named Tsuchikage, before it began, and ever since then he had been stuck in one command tent or another. He hadn't seen Iwa in years, and he desperately wanted to return home. The council ran the village now, and they would continued to do so, so that he could lead Iwa from the battle lines.
He hoped, he truly hoped, that his plan worked. Otherwise, this may suddenly turn in a terrible direction for Iwa.
With a final sigh of resignation, he took his position at the front of his army. Several teams stood at set intervals around the massive force, which consisted of ten thousand ninja. One hundred thousand soldiers of the land of Earth, twenty thousand bandits, hundreds of pieces of siege equipment, along with their three remaining war golems.
In an instant, the boundary teams began to act. A massive cloud of smoke consumed the army, and they all felt themselves pulled a great distance. When the smoke cleared they were standing less then two hundred meters from the walls surrounding the massive Wind Capitol.
"For Iwa! For the Land of Earth! For all our friends and family! Come with me and take this city!" Roshi shouted. And like that, the largest battle of the fourth great ninja war, began.
-To be continued-
K, kept up my time frame. Or at least got close to it. Massive battle next chapter, Someone within Orochimaru's ranks is interested in Riley, and knows the truth about her. How they learned that truth will be revealed in depth later. Orochimaru is experimenting with dark magic, and he's made some alterations to an army of Inferi, and Roshi has a plan for Riley… Stay tuned for the follow-up chapter. It's gonna be a massive battle. Ja Ne!
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