Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Sacrifice ❯ Kuroi Ryuu ( Chapter 86 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

By: MellyN

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Sacrifice

By: Melissa Norvell

Chapter 86: Kuroi Ryuu

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"If you manage to defeat me, then I will vacate the angel's body, but if you are not able to defeat me, then I will push forward on the curse and his death will come at an even quicker rate. I've been with him for eleven years, and over those years he's sucked in many spirits, taking them and breaking them down to contribute them to my being. The last soul I consume will be his," Kuroi Ryuu promised darkly. It had always been planned just like that. Hiroshima didn't have a problem with it at the time, accepting their contract for the use of power. The angel figured that his life was lead in a painful existence so dying would simply mean a reincarnation of something that would hopefully lead a less painful life.

"What?" Keiji's eyes widened at the true horror of the situation. He had never realized that it could possibly come to that conclusion. The dragon had inhabited Hiroshima's body, lying dormant at times, and he had previously thought that perhaps the spirit relied helplessly on a host. Keiji had no idea that he could absorb Hiroshima's soul as easily as he had all of the others. Perhaps that was why the angel had slowly been dying. His soul was possibly degenerated by the spirit's hold on him.

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Fife walked up the street from his stroll and noticed that the sky had become an eerie black in coloration. The vampire stopped and glanced towards the direction of the source, which had been located near the Toxic Ivy Pub. Sure enough, it was Kuroi Ryuu. It was just as he suspected. 'So…the time has come to face off against the spirit.' The blue-haired vampire knew that a situation like this couldn't be avoided, and now they were forced to fight the monstrous spirit whether they wanted to or not.

Fife bolted off to the scene of the incident and saw the angel, passed out on the ground, his body in disarray from crashing in an odd position. "He'll be of no use to us in this battle. This is one we must fight alone."

The vampire turned to see his donor, standing there before the mighty spirit. Their eyes met as the noticed each other's presence. Keiji called out his name in surprise. Perhaps he had forgotten that he stepped out for a walk.

"I only took a short walk," the vampire reminded him with his ever charismatic smile.

"What about the others?" The green-haired drummer could have definitely needed some help and with the others around, he would at least have back-up, even if he wasn't too keen on the idea of fighting against Kuroi Ryuu and possibly killing off Hiroshima in the process.

"I'm sure they're about to find out, if I know Tsurugi well enough,” if Fife didn't know better, he could swear by it. Tsurugi would undoubtedly rush to everyone's aid, not just because he was worried about his mate, but because he was indebted to them as their guardian angel.

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Tsurugi shot up from the table, the wine in his glass tumbled over and washed out across the decorative plastic table cloth as a look of shock and horror etched itself on his young features. Everyone who had been seated at the table stared at him in confusion.

Ko asked him what was wrong. Usually the even-tempered angel didn't just shoot up out of nowhere unless something was gravely wrong with the current situation at hand.

"Yeah Tsurugi, you're kind of spazzing out on me," Chichiri agreed. It wasn't every day that Tsurugi bolted up like a mad man, especially since the angel had always been so careful and dainty when he moved. To do something careless like that was cause for concern.

"We have to get outside…This…This isn't good…" His tone was enough to bring Ko out of her chair in a similar matter.

"What? What isn't good?" She was worried about whatever he was going on about. If Tsurugi mentioned that it wasn't good, it was usually a dire situation.

"What's going on?" Zangetsu glanced over to the two. He didn't want vague sentences, he wanted real answers. It would be nice if someone assessed the situation instead of simply stating that something was wrong.

"It's Hiro-kun…the dragon spirit inside of his body…It knows that we want to fight it, and now it's initiating the battle," Tsurugi's voice trembled in fear. It was his greatest horror, and one of the few things that he himself was completely powerless against.

The blue-eyed ninja questioned 'what' in an equally stunned tone as he too, arose from his seat and stared in distress and realization at the members of his team before him.

Zangetsu had known that the dragon spirit would eventually show itself to do battle against all of them, but for it to appear so early, when they had no plan of attack or even how to possibly beat the entity was an unexpected happening all in itself. It left the group scrounging for straws as of what to do.

"We've got to get out there!" Ko exclaimed. Who knew what kind of havoc the dragon had been wreaking and what unsuspecting people were getting involved, injured and possibly killed because of that monster.

"I'm not ready for this.=," Chichiri whined as he took a sip of his drink and frowned. "Can I finish my drink?" His question was soon answered as everyone fled the table and quickly ran outside, leaving the blonde sitting there by himself. "Okay, I'm coming!" He shouted, then whined 'damn it' under his breath before he pulled himself out of the chair and ran unenthusiastically towards the door, dreading every moment of going out there.

When the group finally stepped outside of the Toxic Ivy, they stopped dead in their tracks to see the massive spirit looming overhead like an ominous promise of death. Many of the people outside who happened to witness the event by sheer accident either stared and pointed with shocked expressions or ran off screaming in a panic.

Iva had strolled outside to see what all of the commotion was and stared at the spirit with slight question. Being one of a generally calm nature, she wasn't one to freak out at every little thing. "What on earth is that thing?" The Pub owner asked to no one in particular, but she had a feeling that her new band knew exactly what the strange monster was.

"Crap! You're out here?" Chichiri slid to a dead halt as horror washed across him like the plague. The last thing the blond wanted to find was the woman who constantly questioned their mission. Iva was not stupid by any means, and the fact that she didn't run and hide like everyone else made him feel very intimidated by her.

"Wouldn't you be if some strange entity was right outside of your place? What the hell is that thing?" Iva wanted answers and she knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that Chichiri knew at least some of them.

"Long story," he tried to brush it off, but Iva would have none of that.

"There's no time like the present," the goth crossed her arms over her chest and leveled him with a stare.

"I guess it would be wrong to hide it now."

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"What do we do?" Zangetsu looked to his team mates to see if they had any idea of how to approach the situation.

Tsurugi glanced around before he gave them some advice. "There are too many people around. We can't risk hurting anyone. Unlike Shaffon, these people don't hate us and mean us no harm. We must do what we can to keep them from getting hurt."

Fife glanced over towards Keiji and decided to offer his services. "I think Keiji can do that."

"What?" The teen seemed a little surprised at his master's words.

Fife smiled reassuringly. "Take the offer. It benefits you. All you have to do is get the area cleared." Didn't Keiji see that he was trying to let him accomplish his ideals? If the boy cleared the area, then he wouldn't have to worry about confronting Kuroi Ryuu and his dream possibly becoming a reality.

It was the perfect way for him to avoid the light and dark Hiroshima issue and put his fears at least, at least somewhat.

"You're giving me an excuse to be a coward?" Usually Fife was against such things, but now he was giving him an excuse to run away. This befuddled the boy. Why would Fife do that for him? Everyone else would have simply told him to suck it up and face off against the spirit…Well, everyone except Hiroshima.

"You really don't want to fight Kuroi Ryuu. This way, you'll get your wish."

"I just don't think him dying is worth it." It wasn't so much that Keiji was a coward as he was scared out of his mind for the angel's safety. After all, he'd never been put in a situation as massive as this one and the thought of making the ultimate sacrifice based on a mere gamble seemed too risky.

Keiji didn't know what he would do if he was ever the cause of the angel's demise. It was something that shook his core and made him fall apart emotionally at the very thought. That constant flash of vivid memory that ran through his head and skipped in time like a broken record reminded him of the grim possibility.

"We think that it is, but there are times that you have to make yourself happy, so go and save them. We can handle this." In many ways, Fife could not comprehend why Keiji wouldn't be all for saving Hiroshima, but when he looked at the situation from a different angel, he knew how Keiji felt and he knew why the boy didn't want to risk it.

"Don't die on me," Keiji knew that the vampire king was simply trying to save his ass, but he hated abandoning his team when they needed him the most. It was a guilt that he would carry throughout his life.

"I don't plan on it. There is still much to do," Fife couldn't die, not yet. There would be no way that he would allow himself to be picked off by the soul-composed dragon.

"What do you mean?" The vampire's statement confused Keiji. With his tone of voice, Fife seemed to imply that he possessed motives that were unspoken. His tone was always cryptic and to Keiji, he was a conundrum wrapped in a riddle. Nothing Fife ever did flowed together. It was as if he drifted in the wind like a leaf, changing direction when he saw fit.

Soon, he was covered in a shadow as he turned to see the blond dark angel hovering in the air above him, his black, chained wings outstretched to either side. "You must get out of here if you wish to live. It's too dangerous," Tsurugi told the onlookers who flooded out from the Pub.

"Iva, can you use the Toxic Ivy Pub to hold the people who need shelter?" Ko asked. It was the closest place and from what she saw, everyone had pretty much desperately tried to flood into the large building.

"I don't mind, but I expect an explanation after this is over. I want to know exactly what you people are." As someone who was kind enough to take them in on that rainy, fateful night, an explanation was the least that she could provide. The gothic woman then ran over to a group of onlookers and waved in their direction. "Come on everyone! Come in here until it's safe to go back outside."

"Why? What's going on?" A concerned woman asked.

"I don't know but it's dangerous outside-" Iva began to explain before Keiji cut her off.

"I'll explain it when you all get inside. Please, come in here," he urged the citizens of Particle Proxy to take shelter.

Tsurugi landed by Hiroshima and swung the fallen angel's arm over his shoulder. Blue eyes gazed at his mate with sympathy. "Come on, Hiro-kun. Let's get inside," he told the unconscious one gently as he stared intently into his face. 'I hope Ko, Zangetsu, Chichiri and Fife can do this.'

The dark angel threw out his hands in front of himself in an attempt to cast a powerful wind spell, but as the gales picked up the dragon's eyes glowed a terrible red color. As a result, the angel's chains loosened and swirled around him, like fast paced chainsaw chains, then, with the force of a vacuum press, tried to crush him to death.

Tsurugi yelled out in pain and coughed up a bit of blood as the unbearable pain of the day that he had once tried to save Hiroshima from the spirit played through his senses.

'I had once tried to help Hiro-kun…but it got me nothing. I was drug to hell and I had to make a sacrifice just to get back out. I can't let that happen now.' Tsurugi thought to himself as a look of determination crossed his face. 'I will do what I can to protect those I care about…However, Keiji is right.'

"I truly wonder sometimes, if all of this is worth it, even if the future will change…for all of us," the angel flew towards Keiji and Iva, who were waiving people into the Toxic Ivy's doorway and telling them to hurry and that they would be safe inside of the building.

Pale blue eyes glanced at the dragon as Iva thought to herself over the giant paranormal figure. 'What in the hell is that thing? I've never seen anything like that in my life.' Before she had an opportunity to think any more on the subject, she was quickly pulled in by the green-haired boy.

"Come on." He instructed as he led her into the main concert area. Green eyes, filled with sorrow and regret closed painfully. 'Forgive me, Hiroshima.'

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"Alright, how do we fight this thing?" Ko glanced at everyone for some kind of hint at least. Surely someone knew something about fighting against spirits.

"This must be like Serenande, right? It's a spirit so we can't physically beat it. Man, I'm useless again," Chichiri remarked. The blonde knew that unless it had a physical body, his strength meant nothing. After all, he didn't have any magical ability and that was definitely a weakness.

"I'll have to try my hand at magic on it. I'm not accustomed to using soul spells but I'll have to do my best," Fife noted. Anything that involved paranormal magic was his weak spot as well. The dead wasn't something that the vampire fought on a normal basis, so he was unprepared as well.

"It will be you and I against the spirit," Zangetsu's voice was emotionless. He had always been like that, however. The ninja kept a cool composure when he fought and was more detached and mechanical when he faced off against foes. Zangetsu had always been a very focused person when he fought and concentrated on his soul goal of beating his enemy.

Fife glanced at him. Usually Zangetsu wasn't this forward. He simply hung in the shadows and nodded, being more of the yes man then anything. Perhaps his eternal hell with Serenande taught him a few things about spirits. It was an educated guess on Fife's behalf, but he was sure that he couldn't be that far off.

"I know a few spells that may be able to help. Being with Serenande all of this time has taught me a few things about the soul and dealing with it," the ninja stated and Fife's theory was proven correct.

"Well, what can we do? I'm over here, ready to go and you guys aren't even including me," Ko was ready to give it her all. Ever since she had learned of Hiroshima's terminal illness, she wanted nothing else to do but help him. Were they insinuating that she couldn't pull it off?

"It would be side to stay back on this one," Fife advised. Ko had no experience on fighting paranormal entities, and she barely managed to live with Serenande. Granted, she had improved over the course of time, but she, like Chichiri and Keiji, only knew physical attacks and that would not work on a being such as Kuroi Ryuu.

"Alright, besides, to be honest, I don't know how I could help anyway," the white-haired woman was disappointed but she knew it was for the best. Fife and Zangetsu at least had some knowledge of the subject and she had none.

"Then you have spoken, and I shall fight the two of you," the dragon's voice boomed through the heavens above.

"Could we at least move away from here?" Zangetsu asked. "Innocent people will be killed if we don't," he already had enough death on his shoulders and if he could avoid it, the ninja didn't want to take any more lives.

"Why should I care about humans? Such creatures that destroy themselves and each other so easily? All of you have more errors then anything. You mistake kindness for weakness and you take advantage of people so now reap what you sow," the dragon remarked as the ground rumbled and shook violently below everyone's feet. Pebbles and large rocks alike were lifted into the air and floated, as if there was no sense of gravity.

"What…What's going on?" Ko's blue eyes darted around every which way as panic filled her soul.

"It's starting," the vampire noted in a serious tone, as he focused on Kuroi Ryuu. His navy hair swayed in the wind as the air moved around him.

"There is no one here who is worthy of life. You killed innocent people in Shaffon and went against your own kind in Sumeria. You let everyone die in Hikari Country for the sake of material items," the dragon continued to condone them for their mistakes in pervious missions.

"Hey, the humans started the war in Sumeria," Chichiri argued. It was the Catholics who attacked the vampires, not the other way around. When a war is present, there was only one side to be on. The humans hated the vampires because of who they were, because they were a misconstrued legend. As far as that went, they were innocent.

"And the people in Shaffon were trying to kill us. We didn't have a choice- it was either kill of be killed and as we were trying to keep from killing so many of them, we nearly got killed," Ko agreed. The people of Shaffon hated them because angels were with them. They were blind to their false beliefs that angels were evil and demolished their town. That wasn't even true, but the people could not see the light. The group tried not to kill but if they had to, then they would in order to save their own lives. Like everyone else in the world, they too had goals that they were to accomplish.

"We were trying to help free Shaffon. We wanted to save them and we tried not to kill them. Most of them were just knocked out or had minor injuries. They were trying to kill us and nearly did, but at the same time, we freed them of more oppression and possible prejudice from Ten Sao Tami," Zangetsu defended their prior mission. He thought that what they did was a good thing. In the end, the people of Shaffon could rebuild and hopefully learn to be less prejudice over time.

"I grow weary of this-" Kuroi Ryuu was not amused with their petty explanations.

"Wait a minute! You possess Hiroshima and make him kill people, you absorb their souls and then you plan on killing him as well. I hardly think we're anything compared to you," Ko let him have a piece of her mind. There was no bigger monster on earth then that dragon. Sure, they may not have made the best choices in their earlier missions, but they didn't wipe people's existence out completely, nor did they force anyone to do what they didn't want to do and use them for a host.

"Somehow, I don't think he wanted to die as a result," Fife noted. He had remembered when Hiroshima spoke of the subject. The angel seemed like he had not accomplished all of his goals. Normally, when someone was ready to die, they accepted it with open arms and at times, seemed happy but Hiroshima wasn't. His eyes were full of dread.

"You've tortured him long enough. He should have to pay for your sins," Zangetsu stated.

"It benefits him to keep me around. Half of his strength is me. I made him what he was, from the time he was twelve onward. His body and soul belong to me. Through him, I accomplish my goal and destroy the human race, who had dared to curse me over the years," Kuroi Ryuu stated. It was because of people like them that he had to resort to using a host in the first place.

The reason that Hiroshima was dying was their fault, so why should they speak so proudly of themselves now?

"Curse? What curse?" Chichiri thought that it was Hiroshima who had the curse, but now he was beginning to think otherwise.

"The humans confined me to a cave because I absorbed the souls of all who resided in that village. I even took that damned elder who sealed me away. Then he showed up, a savior to me in his own right. He welcomed me into his body and accepted the perms of our pact. I made him forget his past and start over as an assassin, but he lost control of that power and his wings burst from his back and exposed him as an angel to his team mates. It reopened his memories and he became a killer once more. He became aware of my control on him and wanted to break free, thinking that he made a mistake by saving me. You all…You have changed him. Before now he's had no regard for his own life. You made him constantly defy my orders and think of me as nothing more than a damaging parasite. Now, he only wishes to rise above my commands. I'll kill you and consume your souls," the dragon's rage only grew as he got more in depth with his story. His master plans had crumbled apart when Hiroshima's angelic memories resurfaced and his true nature as a sadistic killer came shining through.

"What!?" Chichiri's didn't want to die because Hiroshima found out what was going on with himself! That was hardly fair!

"I can't really let you do that," Fife closed his eyes.

Ko said nothing, she frowned and her hair covered her eyes as she tried desperately to think of something- anything to do in order to rise above the dragon and defeat him. Chichiri glanced to his friend and asked her what they should do and if they had a chance.

"I might."

"What do you mean?" Chichiri was severely confused. "You don't know any magic…Do you?" If she did, it was news to me. To him, Ko had always been a normal girl who sang with the band, but ever since they had first started their mission, he had learned a great deal about his team mates that he didn't know before.

The girl was silent.

"Ko?"

"A long time ago, when I stopped being a ninja, I had given up the forbidden arts that I had been practicing." A sorrowful expression crossed her face as the blue in her eyes quivered with emotion. "I think that perhaps it's time for a change," she knew that she would be breaking her own personal vow, but she could no longer hide her true self from the others.

The white-haired girl walked slowly over to Fife and Zangetsu as she readied herself for battle. It had been a long time since she had let her ninjutsu do the talking in battle, but this was a do or die situation and she couldn't hide herself anymore. Ko knew that someone's life rode on her shoulders, and she would not allow herself to be beaten and that life disappeared forever.

"Huh? What do you mean? Does that mean you know magic? Hey, wait!" She could hear Chichiri calling to her from where she had been, but she ignored his cries as she stopped and looked Fife and Zangetsu in the eyes.

"Ko?" The black-haired ninja was a little confused. He had thought that Ko was going to stay back out of the way.

"What are you doing here? You should get back with Chichiri," Fife advised. It wasn't safe for someone like her to even be there.

"Not this time. This time, you're going to see my skills," her voice was full of determination and pride. Even if she was rusty, as Hiroshima had said earlier, she knew that she at least had a chance with ninjutsu on her side.

Zangetsu asked if she thought that she could handle something like Kuroi Ryuu. Ko didn't really know, but she did know that the very least that she could do was make a difference. It was such an important part of their mission, and she didn't want to stand back and watch.

The vampire asked her what she was planning on doing. Fife always seemed amused when someone acted out of the ordinary. Things like that, no doubt, entertained him.

Red lips curved into a smile. "That will be my secret."

Fife smiled back to the girl. "Of course, Hiroshima did say that you were rusty. It seems he knew what you were hiding." The legend was never wrong and it paid to listen closely to the meaning of his obscure phrases.

"I had vowed not to use these techniques but I have no choice," Ko was sure that she would hate herself for what she was about to do, but the outcome would be worth it to her.

Zangetsu wonder if that meant that she was back to assuming her job as a ninja. Ko simply told him that she would do what she had to do, to protect those she cared about.

Then, the both of them heard the dragon shout that they should feel his wrath as the air itself busted around them with such force that it ripped the ground. The invisible blast headed for the ground. Zangetsu and Fife managed to jump out of the way of the oncoming blast and avoided it completely, but Ko stood her ground. She heard Fife call out to her, but she didn't listen to him.

"Now, you'll see the full extent of my power," the strong-voiced ninja held the promise to her tone as she allowed the blast to hit her head on as Fife and Zangetsu stared helplessly and wide-eyed at the contact the attack made with the girl.

Dust and debris was kicked up and everything was hazy. The two struggled to see if she was even alive after being hit with such a forceful blast but they couldn't see anything. Both of them wondered if she could have even lived from something like that.

…To Be Continued