ϟ—Chapter Eight — Hell—ϟ
Smoke and ash shrouded the sky. Mountains above were blackened by shadows. Yakedo nearly glowed with the hue of hell. "I sure am cutting it close," murmured Bee.
Yowui shielded his eyes from the falling ash, lagging behind his sensei. "You said it'll take you an hour?"
"Yeah," It'll be fine, was what he wanted to say next. He knew better…
They trudged up the mountain, and the ash only fell thicker. Bee wiped his shades clean and the moment he took away his hand, they would be useless again. He wiped the dust away and formed a small cloak of the Hachibi's chakra around his head. His vision stayed unobstructed.
Yowui didn't have his sensei's ability. He dealt with the constant ash shrouding his vision. He forced each leg up as it became hotter and hotter with each step forward. That didn't stop him. The burning of his muscles, of his eyes, it would not stop him.
The volcanic crater pushed out waves of heat like a hurricane's wind. Only Bee could stand fully. Bee's body erupted with the Hachibi's ethereal purple chakra. With a deep breath, he stuck out his hand. The heatwaves immediately stifled. Yowui could stand. The lava at the center boiled less and slowly started toward stillness.
The ground below erupted with metallic wires and tendrils. Bee's body was wrapped. Yowui screamed as wires dug into his neck. Bee snapped his restraints and freed his student. The heatwaves blew with unbridled intensity and even Bee was thrown down the mountain.
Brimstone below erupted with flames. A burst of chakra vanquished them. Yakedo quaked. Earth and rock collapsed from the summit. Bee wrapped Yowui and himself with the Hachibi's tentacles. Rock made contact with Bee's defense, but they burned into brimstone. They tore through and Bee leapt into the air.
Even through the ash, he spied two figures. One wielded—Bee's eyes widened—"The Jigoku Scythe!"
"What's that?!" yelled Yowui as they fell alongside the ash.
They reached the ground, and Bee released Yowui. He looked back at his student. Despite the heat, Yowui was cold to his core.
"Kay and Ka'rai are approaching from the southwest."
Yowui nodded and Bee's look turned dire.
"Run."
And run, Yowui did.
Bee looked forward to his two assailants. They approached. The scythe wielder was cackling. The taller man beside him wielded metallic wire. It dug through all of Yakedo. Bee's eyes narrowed. It can't be…
"Killer Bee," stated the man as he approached.
"Kakuzu," greeted Bee in kind.
"Oh, so you know him but not me?!" screamed the scythe wielder, slamming the blades into the brimstone he created.
"Then what's your name, fool?" Bee drew his six blades. The seventh was shattered.
He grinned manically. "HIDAN! BITCH!"
Hellflame growled.
"Wind Style: Homicidal Pressure Wave."
The hellflame screamed. Blazing orange morphed to white. Bee was engulfed by the roar. He weaved hand seals. "Ink Style: Artisan Shield." A dome of ink seeped from his skin. It swirled into a dome around him. The supercharged hellflame burned through it.
Bee leapt into the air. A mask connected to Kakuzu's tendrils bellowed like a hollow soul. Lightning spewed from its mouth. Bee slashed the lightning away. He flickered down toward Kakuzu. He dodged a strike from Hidan. Kakuzu's tendrils nearly pierced Bee.
A burst of purple chakra shot the two into the ground. Kakuzu's body erupted with tendrils. A conglomerate with two masks charged like an undead serpent. An electrically charged fireball erupted with wind. It careened toward Bee. His arm grew into a massive tentacle and blocked it. He leapt over a slash from Hidan. The scythe changed orientation and struck upward.
The red blade burned with hellflame. Bee's tentacle was sliced off. No blood was spilled. Hidan cursed. Bee kicked Hidan's chest. It caved in with shattered ribs as he flew into the ashen horizon.
Dammit, cursed Bee. I can't waste time fighting these two!
Eight tentacles sprouted from Bee's back. His hands morphed into those of the Hachibi's. Dense purple chakra formed between his hands, with the interception of his tentacles aiding.
"BIJUU BOMB!" screamed Bee as he launched the attack. Bee snapped his fingers and it split into two. One half for Kakuzu; one half for Hidan. A purple streak flashed up the mountain. Those attacks should be small enough not to upset Yakedo too much.
Bee struck out his oxen hands with his tentacles over the volcanic crater. The mountain's rage subsided. The eruption slowed. Bee's tentacles were sliced by electric wire. Brimstone struck up in spikes below him. He was forced to leap above. Then he blocked another tri-elemental attack of fire, wind, and lightning.
Heat boiled over as Bee fell into Yakedo's crater. He caught himself and landed on the lava, just as he would a body of water. Hidan was the only one to follow. His skin popped, burned and smoldered.
Hidan grinned.
Bee grimaced.
An electric fireball shot down into the volcano. Bee dodged—it hit the lava pool and it jolted in a mini eruption. They're gonna accelerate the eruption!
The lava roared with hellflame. The surrounding rock hardened into brimstone. Hidan cackled and charged Bee. He blocked the scythe strike, but his blades did not. Six shattered to four. Bee leapt over and stabbed Hidan in the skull. Then the neck—next the torso.
Hidan only cackled and sliced at Bee. He used his remaining blade to block. It shattered. Quickly, it was stopped by a horn. Bee rammed Hidan in the chest. He pulled out his blade and he was forced to leap back.
Countless tri-elemental fireballs poured down like a meteor shower. Bee roared, summoning a full sized tail of the Hachibi to blow all of them away. His hand caught the largest blade of the Jigoku Scythe. It was still the hand of the Hachibi. No blood was drawn.
"FUCK YOU AND YOUR BULLSHIT BIJUU POWERS!" screamed Hidan. The brimstone melted into more lava. The hellflame erupted. Up above, Kakuzu elevated himself above the crater. He waved a lengthy sequence of hand seals, merged with a mask of his.
Bee leapt up to cease it. A magmic spike of brimstone and shot toward him. Bee broke it. That split second proved to be his downfall.
"Wind Style: Gigantic Homicidal Pressure Wave."
An inhuman sphere of wind hurled directly into the crater. The hellflame screamed. Yakedo shook. Bee was barely able to defend himself against the onslaught of supercharged hellflame. Lava spewed and churned. The grip Bee had over his chakra slipped.
He couldn't stay above the lava for much longer—no not in this hellstorm. Bee inhaled.
Help me out here, Gyuki.
Purple and black chakra erupted through the hellstorm. It whirled around like a tornado. Lightning in the ash thundered. The eruption of Yakedo subsided. Strength fueled him. Tentacles conglomerated around Bee and he was seemingly absorbed.
Kakuzu pulled Hidan out of the crater. He was once again, a cackling, smoldering corpse. Hidan summoned the King of Hell and crawled in its mouth. Kakuzu spasmed and bulged with his tendrils, weaving hand seals.
"Five Elemental Golems."
The bellow of an Ox shook Yakedo more than any tremor below. From the lava and hellflame rose the Hachibi. Similarly, from the rock and brimstone of Yakedo's summit rose five gigantic golems of tendrils.
One was alight with flame. One churned with water. One sparked with lightning. One whirled with wind. Kakuzu himself stood upon an earthen statue. Each of which were vastly outsized by the Bijuu.
Below, Hidan cackled. He dug into the rock and morphed it into brimstone.
"This battle will end with you and the Nibi coming with us," declared Kakuzu. "I fought the man who battled seven Bijuu. What makes you think one has a chance?"
Bee's tremendous fist clenched and pounded Kakuzu's earth. It turned to dust. The other elements wrapped themselves around the Hachibi's form. The earth golem reformed as the Hachibi was held back by the tendrils. A bellow and a burst of strength threw them off of him.
How much longer until we're at full strength?
I've been holding back on you… You know you can't handle it, Bee.
I'll need to, eight-o.
We can't afford to draw out this battle, or else Yakedo is going to blow.
I was going to ask that next. Just give me the answers I need.
I can give you up to seventy-five percent right now. It'll take ten more minutes until you're at full power. At this rate… Yakedo will erupt in five.
Give me everything.
A flood of power and chakra erupted out of Bee. The muscles and tentacles of the Hachibi flexed and tensed. Ink seeped from the hide.
Kakuzu's eyes narrowed. "You better hurry up, Hidan…"
⁑ —ϟ— ⁑
Yowui didn't stop running. It didn't matter how far he got; the ash was still determined to bury him. The explosions in the distance rang his ears. The smell of smoke was suffocating. The taste of ash in his mouth was bitter. The burn of his tired muscles brought him to his knees.
Tears broke the ashen stain on his face, leaving clear trails. If he tried to wipe them away, ash would get into his eyes. The ash was sharp, like mini pieces of broken glass. He'd blind himself.
Even still, the constant welling of tears blocked his vision. Yowui choked in ash with a sob. He coughed it out with cries and a searing throat. He could barely even breathe. He forced himself to stop sobbing but that only meant he couldn't breathe at all. He let out a breath—another sharp inhale and ash invaded his throat again.
It burned and Yowui screamed. He gasped for air but once again he received a mouthful of ash. The world was a black shroud with the tears in his eyes. Each unwilling grasp for life was met with a mouthful of death.
His head pounded. Even on his hands and knees, he lost the strength to stay upright. He collapsed onto the ashen floor. Tears poured. The world faded to black…
An orange sunset glowed in his vision. It was warm. He was dirtied with mud, cows mooed and pigs oinked. His stomach was full, and the brown farmhouse in front of him stood tall like a protective shadow.
Yowui smiled.
He was home…
He was home.
Finally, he was happy.
⁑ —ϟ— ⁑
"Kay," began Suberi. "This ash is heavily obstructing my senses. I won't be of much use for longer.
Ka'rai wiped his nose—his eyes were green and yellow stars in the midnight ash. "Yeah… all I smell is smoke. I can barely see in front of me…"
"Do you two still think you can fight?" asked Kay. Her hands shielded her eyes and nose.
"Hell yeah!"
"I can, but I won't be effective. Same goes for you, Ka'rai," said Suberi.
He huffed and flame blued the ash. "Hey! Don't go underestimating me now!"
"Be realistic, Ka'rai," urged Kay. "How well do you think you can fight? Truly?"
"Just fine." A toothy smirk split his face crooked.
The hair on Ka'rai's neck rose with chills. Suberi rose onto her hind legs and blocked an attack—one of pure energy—not even chakra. Her palms burned. Ka'rai roared into his one-tailed cloak. He bared his canines and shouted.
Through the ash, another energetic crescent cut toward them. Kay summoned an earth wall. It was sliced in two by the crescent. Kay summoned three more. The attack only stopped on the third. Over the remaining wall, a cobalt blue fireball reigned toward Kinbo.
With his pitch-black Katana, he cut the fireball and he was unharmed. Kinbo's fist clenched and his blade shimmered with the color of the damned. In a flicker of lighting, Kay's mace sparked in front of Kinbo's skull. She was kicked into the ashen ground. A guttural growl cut the ash. Ka'rai blazed toward him. All it took was another slice to subdue him. Another crescent cut at the charging Suberi. The armadillo popped into smoke on contact.
That energy… growled the Nibi. He's weaponizing the souls inside of his blade. Turning their essence into attacks.
The Nibi's anger burned Ka'rai's cloak. One tail roared with flame. A split second's hesitation held Ka'rai back. A clang shot into his ears. Kay was barely holding back Kinbo's assault. The blade struck the mace time and time again.
Ka'rai's hesitation shattered. "GET AWAY FROM HER!" he screamed alongside his cloak. Instinctively, Jinsei flames bled from his palm. A Tri-pointed spear formed from the fire and he hurled it at Kinbo. He leapt above the attack. Frustration flared and so did the Jinsei. They burned brighter and turned back at Kinbo.
He blocked it but Kay struck at him. With his free hand he grabbed the mace's handle. Kay kicked his face. With a stumble, he redirected the Jinsei's rage onto her. Kay's arm and shoulder was pierced. She screamed and so did Ka'rai.
"YOU BASTARD!" Blue and Green shot through the ash. Flames grew from the ground. The Jinsei flames only grew hotter. Kay screamed louder. Ka'rai didn't hear her. All he heard was the roar of fire in his ears. The whisper of the Nibi.
Give me control.
Ka'rai charged toward Kinbo on all fours. A crescent strike of anguished souls cried through the ash. With an outstretched hand Ka'rai caught it. The Nibi's fire burned hotter. It clicked in Ka'rai's head.
The death in Kinbo's Katana…
Ka'rai clenched his fist over the energy and it dispersed. The power remained.
Give me more power Nibi. As much Chakra as you can.
Cobalt Blue roared. Kinbo shouted forward with his Katana ready to strike. Ka'rai looked toward him with a daring glare. He sliced down. A second tail of chakra caught the blade. He applied more force and it was cut through. Ka'rai pounced on Kinbo—predatory claws dug into his gut. Muscles tensed and fire burned. Ka'rai lost the chance to bisect him.
Blood spewed from the cut on his face. Even more from his cut shoulder—then the one that ripped down his back. Ka'rai screamed. With a hand he called for Jinsei—it never came.
Grab his blade.
Ka'rai attempted to do so but three fingers were severed from his hand. He hissed. Kinbo sliced his mouth. Crimson stained his face. His next attack was blocked by a mace. Kay panted as she dug a kunai into the gash on his stomach. Kinbo growled—then he screamed as lightning coursed through his body. She hurled the mace toward his chest but Kinbo's blade nearly pierced hers.
Kay leapt back, grabbing Ka'rai who grabbed his fingers. They disappeared into the ash. "Reattach your fingers," she commanded with a burning hand. She weaved hand seals and summoned another armadillo. "Kyoskei," she called him. "We need to escape, buy time."
"No, we need to kill him," growled Ka'rai, using the Jinsei to heal his hand. "He's trapped so many souls into his blade and he's using them as a weapon."
"That's none of our concern—"
"It's fucking mine," hissed Ka'rai. His glare melded with the Nibi's and Kay froze. "I won't let those souls be trapped another day. I SWEAR I WON'T!"
Ka'rai leapt off Kyoskei and charged back into battle. With a curse, Kay ordered her summon to follow. Another crescent moon strike met Ka'rai's path but he turned it into power.
Each one of those strikes has ten souls worth of essence. You've already freed the equivalent to twenty. Three more and I'll be at full power.
Alright, he responded. Ka'rai pounced toward Kinbo but was slashed across the chest. With a single hand seal, Ka'rai's own chakra seeped into his cloak. A blazing bang knocked Kinbo back. Even Ka'rai's ears rang, but that meant nothing. A tremble in each four-legged step. Ka'rai slashed at the downed Kinbo—it was predictably blocked by his Katana. He beamed and grabbed the blade. It glowed with freed souls but Kinbo threw Ka'rai off of him.
Fire roared from Ka'rai.
That was roughly twenty; I'm nearly at full power.
Ka'rai couldn't hold back his grin. Especially as Kyoskei pounced on Kinbo. Fire roared from his black hide as he attacked. An instant connection to the fire fueled Ka'rai. With a glare, he burned them blue and Kyoskei only attacked stronger.
With an inhale Ka'rai weaved hand seals. "Fire Style: Breath of a Thousand Suns!" Spherical balls of cobalt blue fire reigned on Kinbo. Kyoskei melded it with his own flame in a blazing claw that slashed Kinbo. He collapsed to the ashen dirt. Kay leapt off of Kyoskei into the ash. All three attackers converged onto Kinbo and he screamed. His Katana flashed and the trio stammered.
"Kurosa-Tamashi!" he shouted. The bright flash blackened and his blade trembled with the scream of the enslaved. Kinbo's sights narrowed on Kay. She barely had time to make a hand seal. In a cloud of smoke—it was Kyoskei that was hit with the attack. He collapsed into the ash bisected.
Rage burned into Ka'rai and he glared at Kay. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!"
"Would you rather it was me that died?" she bit back.
Ka'rai sucked his teeth and turned his glare to Kinbo. His blade still sparked and screamed. "Do it again—I fucking dare you."
Kinbo's eyes narrowed. He charged instead. Kay leapt forward to block but Ka'rai matched her. Her mace blocked and his claws slashed. Fire raged toward Kinbo—he leapt back and slashed. The inherit essence of the souls trailed behind. The Nibi's instinct drove Ka'rai to grab it. He did. Ka'rai pulled. An excess of souls were freed.
The Nibi roared in triumph. Ka'rai's cloak seared. Fire dripped off onto the ash. The power fueling his chakra was nothing but ecstasy. The burning heat, the unimaginable strength… pure flame—no pure death. Chills went down even Kay's spine as Ka'rai stared down Kinbo.
"You'll match the suffering of every soul you trapped in that blade," declared Ka'rai with green and yellow suns for eyes. A cobalt blue streak blurred past Kay and Kinbo could barely react. Blood poured from his chest. Next his legs. Finally, he burned all over. Jinsei flew from Ka'rai's hand and attacked Kinbo itself. He could barely slice the fire off before the Jinchuriki stepped on him. He forced the blade from his grip and Kinbo shouted.
"GIVE THAT BACK!" he demanded. Ka'rai simply used the blade to slice three of his fingers off. Kay quickly bolted over to Kinbo, holding him down. With a deep breath, the Nibi's instinct drove Ka'rai. With a gentle caress of the blade, countless souls were freed. The damned glow of the blade faded into nothing, and Kinbo shouted out.
"NO!" he cried, forcing himself up but Kay pressed the mace into his head. The sharpened spikes drew blood.
Ka'rai dropped the blade with a clang. "Why not kill him?" he asked Kay.
"It would be smarter to keep him as a hostage… for interrogation," she explained with her left arm limp at her side.
Ka'rai simply nodded, not daring to deactivate his cloak. A cataclysmic boom brought Ka'rai and Kay to their knees. Their very cores were shaken. The ashen rock below hardened into brimstone. The brimstone expanded out far past even Ka'rai's line of sight. Slowly, the brimstone broke and lava spewed.
Both of them looked toward the summit. The Hachibi's silhouette was dwarfed by a nigh-fictional amount of lava. Smaller silhouettes flickered in front of the lava's orange glow like swarms of locusts. Demonic cries followed the eruption of Yakedo.
"What the hell…" murmured Kay.
"Nibi, what is this?!"
Hidan… he must have used the Jigoku Scythe in combination with the eruption…
To what?!
He's brought Hell itself to earth.
⁑ —ϟ— ⁑
Hidan's manic cackles overtook his body with convulsion after convulsion. It looked as if he was having a seizure from pure ecstasy. Soul Eaters flew from out of hellish spewing in swarming masses. The brimstone of Yakedo split open with lava spewing.
Bee's Hachibi form could barely look on, constricted in the grip of metallic tendrils. Dammit no! roared Bee—he collapsed down into a fault of lava. The Hachibi's hide was fine, that was until soul eaters swarmed the beast. Black humanoid monsters with tusks, horns, and reptilian wings—an Oni some might call them.
With a clenched fist, the Soul Eaters went limp. Their very strength was zapped—just as Bee did to the volcano before. The Hachibi bellowed. Yakedo only split and erupted violently. Ash spewed into the air—the atmosphere was entirely black.
Give me control, Bee.
Kakuzu's tendrils dug into the Hachibi's hide, drilling deep with elemental fury. The masks conglomerated into Kakuzu and he weaved hand seals.
Nah! I got this eight-o!
A beam of all five elements pierced the Hachibi's hide. Bee screamed as it tore through him. Another cataclysmic boom threw Kakuzu and Bee down the mountain. They tumbled through molten rock, ash, and brimstone. Hidan leapt from the crater after them, entirely charred and leading Hell toward wherever Bee was.
Hellflame roared and engulfed Bee. Brimstone rose above and held the Hachibi down. Swarms of Soul Eaters attacked him again and again—
—Hand over CONTROL BEE! Stop being a fool!
"Dammit…" cursed Bee. The Hachibi's wild lavender eyes shut. He went limp and Hidan bellowed out in laughter. As quickly as the laugh exited his mouth, Hidan himself went limp. He collapsed to the floor with every ounce of strength wrung from him like a rag.
Kakuzu was next. The tendrils lost their strength—they slid off of the Hachibi's hide. The so-called immortal slumped down into the fire, lava, and brimstone. The Soul Eaters screeched away from the Hachibi. The pure aura of strength surrounding him drove the monsters away.
"Damn," cursed the Hachibi. His eyes narrowed on Yakedo. It would blow in mere seconds—even if The Hachibi used all the strength he could muster. He did it anyway. "Sorry, Bee… you're gonna be out of it for a while after this."
The Hachibi roared and the very earth bowed in respect. The lava of hell lost its vigor, but the eruption stood defiant. His hands stretched out with open palms. With another bellow he fought the eruption, forcing the strength of it down as much as possible.
The tug of war delayed the inevitable for a few brief moments.
A boom so deafening it even shattered rock. Yakedo collapsed into itself. Lava and ash spewed high into the atmosphere—even the Hachibi was blown back. On his back, he fought against the pyroclastic flow.
Save my team! demanded Bee.
The Hachibi nodded in response. There were six presences of strength. One was undeniably Ka'rai, he reeked with the Nibi's presence. Two were beside, one was weakened more so than the other. However, they were quite far. A barely existent, faint presence was closer.
It had to have been Yowui.
The Hachibi blew back the pyroclastic flow and charged toward Yowui. He out-sped the eruption and reached him, absorbing Yowui into his tentacle before moving toward Ka'rai. He fought against the flow to reach the two, quickly absorbing them as well before collapsing onto the ash.
Bee! Your body is giving out!
Keep going!
I can't!
Dammit! Bee shouted as the Hachibi's form was enveloped by the ash and eruption. Shrouded in superheated ash with a belly of lava, the Hachibi was the only barrier between Team Bee and Hell.
ϟ—Chapter End—ϟ