Song on the side is called Alone Wolf (It's a mood setter, so I'll advise a good time to start playing it :)
Pic of Ace <3 --->
Third Person's POV
An eerie silence settles over the Village Hidden in the Leaves, the air polluted with a thick, dusty cloud, as Pain silently watches on from above. He turns his head and glances around emotionlessly, taking in the horrible devastation he had created with one powerful attack.
The Village below, usually filled with merry chatter and colourful buildings, had been utterly destroyed, with half of it seeming to have simply vanished from existence. A large crater, right in the middle of Konoha, sits empty and ominous, its vast space void of any life whatsoever.
With one Almighty Push, Pain had managed to force the middle of the Village away in a circular radius, even the earth itself having been too weak to resist the attack. Debris, remains and earth spill through the entrance gates, even tumbling over the high walls around the Village, the wreckage piled high towards the clouds.
Narrowing his eyes a little as something appears down in the crater in a puff of smoke, Pain slowly falls back towards the earth, disappearing into the dusty mess below him.
Down amongst the debris, something suddenly explodes up from below a cracked plaster wall, drilling up through the air and landing in the dirt. Kuromaru, shaking dirt and dust from his fur, turns back to look over his shoulder, relieved to see Tsume climbing up out of the debris behind him.
“Good work Kuromaru” the brown haired woman praises, smirking at her large Ninken. Moving to place a hand on the canine's head, Tsume suddenly pauses, before catching her son's scent and whirling around. Her eyes widen a little as she spots Kiba only a few metres ahead, stuck lying on his back with a heavy, stone pillar on top of him.
An anime vein appears on the side of the boy's head as he lets out a sharp grunt, knees bent and feet placed against the underside of the pillar, trying to push it away.
“Hang on Kiba!” Tsume orders, jumping down from the broken building she's standing on. Before the woman can reach him however, Kiba focuses a more chakra into his legs and releases a shout, powerfully shoving the concrete pillar away and sitting up.
“Heh, that was nothing...” he sighs tiredly, raising one hand to rub the back of his head. He grins as Akamaru trots over, seemingly unharmed despite the amount of dirt in his white fur. Kiba gently ruffles the quietly whimpering animal's fur, face turning serious as he slowly looks around.
Smoke rises from different parts of the ruined Village, a wasteland of what was earlier one of the greatest places around spanning beyond Kiba's view. He begins to shake his head, brows furrowing.
“What happened?” the brunette questions rhetorically, to which Tsume shrugs a shoulder. Realisation suddenly dawns on Kiba and his eyes widen, the boy now looking around in a panic. Where was Ashley?! She hadn't been too far behind him earlier, so he could only hope that meant she was nearby!
Kiba bites his lip, carefully pushing himself to his feet and praying that the Minami had made it out of the chaos unhurt......Or at the very least, alive....
Kiba, Tsume and their Ninken all look over as, about a hundred metres away, a large pile of rubble begins to rise into the air. Dust, ash and shattered glass rain down, as the transformed Tsumetai shakes his fur free of it, revealing a small number of people and animals below him.
As Tsumetai carefully steps out of the way, making sure not to crush anyone below him, Atsui sits up and groans, rubbing his head. He blinks his eyes a few times, before looking over at the others. Fang, coughing due to the dirty air, lies beside a still unconscious Saffire, one paw resting on the girl's shoulder. Shimei lays beside them, eyes closed and body unmoving. No doubt after his scuffle with the Chameleon, at least one or two of the Minami's bones had been broken. Fang hadn't been able to heal the male properly, and he would be needing to visit the hospital to get fixed......Assuming the Leaf Village still had a hospital.
Seeing that his friends are all still alive, Atsui sighs with relief and tilts his head back, sending Tsumetai a weary grin.
“Good job buddy” the green haired male says, to which the enormous Guardian leans down and nudges Atsui's cheek with his nose.
Not too far from the Ninja from the Land of Ambience, Jet also rises to his feet, pushing against some debris with his back and shoving it out of the way. Chi, curled up below Jet in a quivering ball, sneezes as the small space he is in is flooded with sunlight and dust particles.
Jet tosses his head as he stands amongst the wreckage, looking around through hooded eyes, a disturbed look on his face. He didn't know what exactly had just happened, but it clearly hadn't been good.
Looking back down at the sound of a faint whimper from Chi, Jet lays his ears back and gently nudges the young Wolf, causing him to open his eyes.
“You alright kid?” Jet asks deeply, to which Chi gulps and looks up, eyes wavering.
“Wh-What just happened Jet-chan?” the caramel Wolf asks timidly, not wanting to climb out of the debris for fear of what could be up there. “I....I thought we were g-gonna die.......It was so loud........”
“I wouldn't let you die kid......” Jet assures Chi, only now noticing a slash mark across his own leg. Ah well, it didn't hurt too much, so he'd worry about it later. Chi was more important right now.
“..........Thank you for protecting me Jet-chan...” Chi says softly, carefully sitting up and snuggling into Jet's chest, closing his eyes.
The ebony coloured Wolf freezes, his golden eyes widening in surprise. He awkwardly looks down at the now silent Chi, unsure of how to react to this affection. He remains still for a few more moments, before clearing his throat and turning his head, eyes half lidded again.
“Uhhh....We should uh, go and see what's happening with the Village” the large Wolf suggests, causing Chi to sigh heavily and lean back, a troubled look on his face.
“.....Okay” he eventually agrees, rising to his feet, “But you gotta promise to not leave me by myself Jet-chan.....Okay?”
“Of course I won't leave you kid” Jet scoffs, rolling his eyes as he helps Chi climb up out of the wreckage.
“Woah!” Chi cries in horror, surveying the area. “What.....What did those bad guys do?!......Hey look, there's Tai-chan! And Fang-chan! And Atsui-cha-”
“I get it kid” Jet mutters, cutting his young friend off. “They all made it.”
“But........” Chi trails off, beginning to look worried again, “Where is Lady Ashley-chan? And the rest of the Pack? Do you.....Do you think they-”
“They're alive” Jet responds seriously, not even wanting to consider the other possibility. “We just need to find them. They'll be around here somewhere.”
Ears drooping a little, Chi follows after Jet as he raises his nose to the air, trying to find the familiar scents of his pack members amongst all of the other smells floating around. As Chi lowers his head to begin looking for a scent as well, a bright flash of electricity suddenly shoots up out of the ground right in front of him, causing the pup to yelp in fright.
“Pardon me Chi dear” a voice apologises, riddled with static. “I didn't realise you were right above me.”
The electricity, formed into the shape of a Wolf lands back on the ground and quickly solidifies, revealing a dusty, yet unharmed Rei. She sends Chi a closed eye smile, to which the younger Wolf's tail begins to wag.
“Aiti!” Chi barks excitedly, bouncing up and down. “I'm so glad you're okay! Me and Jet-chan were just looking for everyone and-”
“I'll be happy to talk dear” Rei interrupts, sweat dropping despite her smile, “But for now we had better move out of the way.”
“Out of the way of what?” Jet asks suspiciously as Rei turns around, with Chi skipping after her.
“Well, Kai is caught a few metres below all of the rubble” the white Wolf explains, opening her lavender eyes. “He was quite mad about getting trapped, so I'm expecting him to explode out of there any seco-”
Rei is cut of by a powerful blast of chakra suddenly ripping up through the ground, right where she and Chi had just been standing, debris shooting high into the ground. A second later, Kai climbs out of the dirt, growling madly as he digs his large claws in and heaves himself up. He shakes him muscular body violently, turning his head to glare at Rei.
“I win our bet dear” Rei smiles pleasantly as the larger Wolf stalks over. “I got out first.”
“Well, too bad we didn't discuss a prize” Kai scoffs, lowering his head as he sits back on his haunches, “So you don't get anything.......Where are the others?”
“We're happy to see you too Kai” Jet replies sarcastically, earning himself a nasty look from the furry Wolf.
“Glad you're not dead Jet” Kai replies just as sarcastically, “Now where are the others?”
“We're still trying to find them Kai-chan” Chi speaks up, one ear flopping cutely as he too receives a withering look. “We don't know where they are yet.”
“I can see Kiba from here” Rei adds, leaning back to look around Jet. “Perhaps he knows where Lady Ashley and my Ace are?”
“Plus we still needa find Tiez and that poodle Aki too” Kai mutters, rising to his feet. “Let's go speak to the Dog guy.”
Kiba looks up as the four Pack members approach, hope fluttering in his chest. Maybe they'd found Ashley, or at least knew where she was!
“Kiba, I'm glad to see that you and Akamaru are alright dear” Rei greets pleasantly, rubbing the boy's shoulder.
“Same to you guys” Kiba responds, smiling sheepishly at the Wolf. Out of all six Pack members, Rei was probably Kiba's favourite. She was always friendly and didn't drive him insane like the others. While Ace wasn't annoying, he was very over protective and could occasionally be incredibly passive aggressive, a humour that often went over Kiba's head. Chi and Tiez, well, as cute as they were, the two pups were the most irritating of the bunch, though Kai and his bad attitude came in very close behind. Kiba didn't really have a problem with Jet, seeing as he was generally the most quiet of the Pack. And then there was Aki. Kiba just couldn't relate to the black and white Wolf, from his vain attitude to his blatant disregard for anyone he deemed unnattractive......Which was pretty much everyone.
That, and Aki had once called Kiba an unkempt mutt. He didn't like that.
“We were curious to know if you'd come across Lady Ashley or any of the other Pack members yet?” Rei asks, to which Kiba's shoulders slump and he laughs sadly.
“I was hoping you guys had” he replies, causing Rei's face to drop and Chi to whimper softly. Kai sighs irritably, with Jet glancing around again. Surely she couldn't be too far away from here.......
“C'mon kid, we're gonna keep looking” Jet tells Chi, turning around. “We'll go this way.”
“.....Can we check on Tai-chan while we're over there?” the young Wolf asks, snivelling a little.
“We can keep searching over here Kai” Rei decides, to which the larger Wolfs nods in agreement. He would never admit it out loud, but he was worried for Ashley. She'd taken him in as a young child, and he'd been loyal to her ever since. Ashley was the only human who'd ever considered him valuable, and he'd never forget that. She was important to Kai. The most important.
“Wait......” Kai pauses, his red eyes widening a little as he suddenly sniffs at the air and turns around, bounding over a broken wall. “I can......I can smell Ace!.......Yeah, he's definitely down here! Help me get him out!”
“Ace dear.....” Rei whispers, running over to Kai and helping as he hurriedly begins shoving debris out of the way.
A metre or two below the rubble, Ashley pushes against the heavy pillar above her, knees shaking from the effort. Her teeth gritted together and eyes squeezed closed, Ashley can't help exhaling sharply, sweat dripping down her face.
Kohana, lying on the ground between Ashley's feet, looks up at the girl with concern, dirt smeared across her cheek. Ashley's knees were so bent and the blonde was so hunched over from holding up the immense weight, Kohana could have reached up and touched her face.
The blonde was the only thing stopping herself and Kohana from being crushed and without the help of her Katsuryoku, it would have happened awhile ago. It didn't seem as though she'd be able to keep this up for much longer though.
“Y.....You can do it Ashley” Kohana whispers hoarsely, willing the Minami to succeed in her efforts. Ashley, despite hearing Kohana, ignores the girl, too busy struggling against gravity to reply. She focuses more chakra into her arms and legs, internally shouting at herself to throw the rubble off.
'….C....Come on!' Ashley encourages herself fiercely. 'You have to do this! Y-You can do this!'
“Ah!” Ashley cries as one of her legs buckles, forcing the girl down onto one knee. Kohana lets out a gasp as the wreckage comes down closer, heart thudding against her chest. The young girl wished she could help, but what could she do?.....
'…....You aren't strong enough' a deep voice states. 'Even with your Kekkei Genkai, there is too much debris for you to physically hold up.'
'I can do it!' Ashley internally hisses back, breathing hard. 'I-I have to do it or....Or Kohana will die!'
Hakuba stares at Ashley for a few moments through hooded eyes, before smirking with amusement and looking away in thought.
' You say I am more than a source of power....' Hakuba murmurs, repeating the words Ashley had said to Kiba earlier, 'However......'
Ashley's eyes pop open, as a sudden energy begins to flow through her, increasing the girl's strength and allowing her to rise to her feet. Her arms and legs cease their shaking, despite the heavy weight Ashley is supporting.
'H-Hakuba?' the Minami asks incredulously, shocked by her sudden chakra increase, to which the Demon Wolf bares his teeth in a devilish grin.
'I am not just a source of power' Hakuba reiterates, 'However I am an incredible source of it, amongst other things.......Perhaps when this is over, you can tell me what those other things are.'
“Get back Rei!” Kai orders protectively. “Someone must be under here, the ground's moving!”
“Perhaps it's my Ace” Rei says hopefully, watching as the debris before them slowly begins rising into the air, shards of brick and splintered wood tumbling to the ground. “He must be okay, if he's moving all of this.”
“I can't pinpoint exactly where he is down there” Kai mutters unhappily, “So it could be him.”
Kai, Rei, Kiba, Tsume, Akamaru and Kuromaru all watch with bated breath as the debris rises higher and higher, until they all spot some familiar blonde hair.
“Ashley!” Kiba cries, running over and crashing to his knees beside the rising rubble. “Ashley, are you okay?!”
“Lady Ashley!” Rei gasps, before she and Kai also bound over, wanting to help their beloved partner.
Slowly turning her head, teeth still gritted together, Ashley glances over at the faces peeking below the rubble at her, only a small amount of light entering the space. She sucks in a sharp breath through her teeth and drops her eyes back down to Kohana.
“K-Kohana” Ashley addresses tightly, “You need to c-climb out. They'll help y-you...”
“But Ashley....” Kohana trails off, biting her lower lip. She didn't want to leave her only friend behind. What if she got squashed?
“....Hurry up!” Ashley commands, to which Kohana scrambles to her feet.
Kiba blinks as a small face appears right in front of him, not having expected anyone else to be stuck under the wreckage with Ashley. He looks back at the blonde, only to see her watching him through one eye, sweat still dripping down her face.
“Kohana!” Rei cries, recognising the young girl immediately. “Come here dear, we'll help you up!”
“G-Get her out safely” Ashley requests, to which Kiba nods, not waiting to ask any questions. He and Rei reach into the small space and help Kohana climb out, as Kai squeezes his way in, landing beside Ashley.
“I'm impressed” he teases, motioning towards the large amount of debris above him. “That looks pretty damn heavy!”
“It is” Ashley exhales, sending Kai a pointed look, “But Hakuba helped me out. He gave me some of his chakra.”
“Pfffft” Kai scoffs, rolling his eyes. “I can do better than that. Just you watch Demon!”
Stepping back and lowering himself into a sturdier stance, Kai focuses a large amount of chakra into the back of his throat, before opening his jaws and tilting his head back, releasing a ferocious roar. He releases the pent up chakra as he roars, sending out a powerful sonic boom that easily blasts the heavy rubble pile high into the air.
Chuckling to himself proudly, Kai glances over at Ashley, only to see her staring up at the sky tiredly, her legs shaking a little. Not wanting her to get hit with any of the debris when it falls, the Wolf slides under Ashley and leaps up out of the cavity she'd been caught in, carrying the girl over to the others.
“Ashley.....” Kiba murmurs, standing up as Ashley slides down from Kai's back, before enveloping her in a tight, relieved hug. Though she doesn't hug him back, Ashley closes her eyes and rests the side of her face against his chest, happy that Kohana is safe and glad that Kiba is okay. She'd been worried about him.
“Thanks for the help guys” Ashley says as Kiba releases her, running an arm across her face and wiping away the dirt. “You too Hakuba.”
Nobody responds as Ashley thanks her Demon out loud, though Kohana stumbles over and hugs Ashley's leg, looking very different from her usual self as the little girl's eyes fill with tears.
“We're alright Kohana” Ashley tells the girl, placing a gentle hand on her head. “We got out of there just fine, and don't worry, we're all here to protect you if anything happens.”
“But.....But what happened to my Mom and Dad?” she asks in a trembling voice, to which Ashley pauses, looking to the others.
“I......I don't know” the blonde admits with a sigh, “But we'll find them.”
“Are all of you okay?” a high, feminine voice asks, catching everyone by surprise. As they all turn around, they find themselves looking at a tiny version of Katsuya, Lady Tsunade's Slug Summon.
“Sakura was worried about you Ashley” the blue and white creature explains, “So she asked me to come and find you.”
“Sakura's okay then?” Ashley asks, smiling to herself. “That's great, but I'm fine.....Just a little tired.”
“What's going on around here?” Kai demands to know, his fierce demeanour causing Katsuya to sweat drop.
“Lady Tsunade sent me out to heal and protect as many people in the Village as possible during the chaos from earlier” the Slug explains kindly. “She concentrated her chakra through me, so there would be enough to heal Ninja and civilian alike.”
“Wow, Lady Tsunade must have a massive chakra reserve to do that” Kiba states, impressed.
“She's the Hokage for a reason” Tsume speaks up, crossing her arms. “What happened to the Village? And what's going on right now?”
“Pain used a powerful Jutsu to destroy the Leaf Village” Katsuya informs everyone, grim looks now on their faces. “The crater before you covers most of the Village now, and in the middle of that crater.......Naruto is fighting Pain.....Actually, he's fighting all six of them.”
“What?!” Ashley exclaims frantically, looking towards the crater. “Is he crazy?! We have to help him, right now!”
“I'm afraid not Ashley” Katsuya says, making the blonde stop in her tracks. “While he has a few of his Toad Summons fighting alongside him, Naruto has requested that no one intervenes with the battle. He doesn't want anyone else to die.”
“....That idiot” Ashley seethes, hands balling into fists. “How am I just supposed to just sit here, while he fights all six of those monsters? They killed one of the Sannin!”
“Have there been many casualties?” Tsume asks, sounding slightly hesitant to know.
“Many” Katsuya confirms. “Um, this is unpleasant news, but I am sure you would like to know Ashley..........Kakashi Hatake was one of the casualties of this attack....”
“What?” Kiba asks rhetorically, eyes widening in shock. It didn't seem possible that someone as skilled as Kakashi could possibly be......
Kohana immediately bursts into tears at this news, with Rei quickly snuggling up to the girl comfortingly, though her ears droop with sadness. Tsume turns away and sighs heavily, Kai glancing over at Ashley, only to find her frozen in place. The blonde crosses her arms over her chest, fingers digging into her skin, a wide eyed scowl on her face. She begins to chew her lower lip, remaining silent.
“Lady Ashley?” Rei asks carefully, taking a step towards the girl. “Are you alr-”
“I don't believe you” Ashley interrupts sharply, whirling around. “There's no way Kakashi Sensei is.........Ace?”
Ashley suddenly raises her head at the familiar scent, though her hair begins to stand on end. The warm breeze wasn't just carrying Ace's scent.......It smelled like..........His blood.....
“Where's Ace?!” Ashley demands to know, spinning back around to face Kiba, Rei and Kai. They shake their heads and, before any of them can answer, Ashley growls loudly, raising her arms into the air.
Her Katsuryoku activated, Ashley begins lifting debris into the air again, tossing it aside in irritation as she desperately searches for her Guardian. If he was hurt.......The blonde needed to find him quickly.
For the next few minutes, Ashley continues sifting through debris and rubble, with Rei, Kai and Akamaru all trying to pinpoint the navy Wolf's exact location.
Working her way down into a large pile of debris, Ashley suddenly freezes in place again, eyes locked onto the cracked concrete wall before her, half of it still buried below fallen buildings.
“A.....Ace.....” Ashley whispers, dropping to her knees.
Ashley's POV
(I'd start playing that music now)
I feel the blood in my veins go cold, my heart seeming to stop beating. I swallow thickly as I fall to my knees, not noticing when everyone runs over or as a small nail scratches my leg.
I stare at Ace through wide eyes, only his front half visible, with the rest buried beneath the broken concrete wall and other rubble. That.....That was the wall he'd protected me from....
I look down at my Guardian's beautiful face, his eye patch nowhere to be seen. Both eyes, one scarred with two long scratches, are closed, his mouth slightly open. I feel myself begin to tremble at the sight of blood dripping from his mouth, pooling below his head.
“Lady Ashley, did you-” Rei cuts herself off with a loud, horrified gasp at the sight of her mate lying in front of me. “A....Ace dear........No.....He isn't.....He can't be....”
Rei doesn't descend down to us, turning away and hiding her face in the fur of Kai's chest, her tears already falling. I hear her sporadic breath as she sobs, with even Kai remaining silent. I feel him turn to look down at Ace, his ears laying back.
He swallows and tilts his head down, leaning his chin comfortingly on top of Rei's. Kiba appears beside the two Wolves, eyes widening when he sees me kneeling before my wonderful Guardian.
“O-Oh man....” he says in a hushed tone, knowing better than to come near me at the moment.
Struggling to control my own breathing, I slowly reach out to Ace, my hand shaking so much, I can barely control it. I place my hand down on Ace's cheek and gently glide it over his fur, patting him lovingly.
I feel tears beginning to well up in my eyes, able to sense that my life long partner has no more heartbeat......No more life in him....
Quickly pulling back and rising to my feet, I throw up my arms, sniffing and scowling at the wreckage on top of Ace. I'm not going to have him buried like this, I'll free him!
Focusing my Katsuryoku with great difficulty, I slowly drag all of the wreckage away from my Guardian, including the cement wall, only to drop my arms hopelessly. I feel what seems to be my heart breaking for a second time, seeing a thick, broken pole made of steel poking up through Ace's ribs. Blood seeps from the wound, staining his beautiful fur and dripping to the ground. The tears start escaping as I fall heavily to my knees again and begin to sob miserably. I throw myself over the top of Ace, hugging his head to my cheek and crying desperately, wishing I could have saved him.
“Why Ace?!” I sob, as Kiba, Rei and Kai all climb down towards me. “You sh-should have saved yourself!”
“He......He loved you Milady” Rei tells me quietly, tears still sliding down her face as she smiles sadly at her fallen mate. “He would gladly give up his life for yours......”
“I should have saved him!” I shout, raising my head and performing a set of hand signs. “I will save him! A-Ace isn't going to die....No I....I can fix this!”
Kiba sighs quietly as my hands light up with a pale green aura, before I place them on Ace's side, despairingly trying to undo the damage done to my Guardian. My breathing grows quicker and quicker as I watch Ace hopefully, praying that he'll move, though after a few minutes of healing, I can't see any difference.
“Ashley....” Kiba addresses softly, stepping forwards when I don't respond. “Ashley.......Come on, don't do this...”
“Shut up!” I snap back, my eyes filling with warm tears again. “I can....I can fix him!”
“Angel...” Kiba tries again, placing a hand on my shoulder, “It's.....It's too late.”
“It is not too late!” I cry, squeezing my eyes closed and focusing as much chakra into my healing as I can. “H-He'll be alright, you'll see!”
“C'mon Milady” Kai speaks up, nudging my arm with his nose and sitting beside me. “Ace was a powerful comrade but.......He has fulfilled his duty now.........We need to...We n-need to let him join the o-others, in the stars....”
“No....” I whisper, the chakra fading from my hands as I look down at Ace through my tears. “I don't want him to join the others.....H-He's my Guardian, his duty isn't fulfilled yet....I.....I need him.....”
Here I drop my head into my hands and sob loudly, with Rei pressing her cheek against my back and Kai leaning on my shoulder, trying to comfort me and deal with their own sorrow at the same time.
How am I supposed to go on without Ace, my beloved partner for life? We were dedicated to each other from the day I was born, and now I'm expected to live my life without him? Who else will stay by my side so loyally, and fight for me, even when they doubt me?
Who else would give their life so willingly, and love me enough to tell me off when I'm wrong?........Ace......He's been my best friend for sixteen years.....My Guardian and my greatest ally.....I don't......How do I go on now?...
'This is all the work of the Akatsuki Leader' Hakuba speaks up inside my head, regarding me solemnly. 'If humans like him weren't so greedy for the power of the Tailed Beasts, your partner would still be alive.'
'…...I don't have it in me to hate him yet' I reply miserably, not bothering to wipe my tears away. 'That will come....But right now..........'
'…..You have slowly learned over time, that love is the key to getting rid of hate' the Ten Tails continues, ruby eyes glowing in thought, his tails waving back and forth gracefully. 'However, love is a two edged knife......And while you are aware of that, you have still chosen to love. You've certainly changed over the years brat..........But, you are not the only one who has changed......This will not stand. I will not allow this pain to be inflicted without consequence.'
Unsure of what Hakuba is talking about, I raise my eyes to look at my Guardian again, only to be overcome by another wave of sorrow that causes me to burst into tears. As I lean down and rest my forehead against Ace's shoulder, my fingers curling into his fur, Hakuba bares his teeth inside my mind and growls madly. He soon disappears into the shadows of his prison, though his glowing eyes remain visible, as black chakra begins seeping through the bars.
“Wh.....What's going on?” Kiba asks hesitantly, staring at me as I cry. “Uh oh......This can't be good......I'm pretty sure I've seen that cloak before.........Ashley....”
Third Person's POV
Tiez coughs hoarsely, having accidentally breathed in some of the dust floating in the air. She shakes her head, trying to rid it of the dizziness, before carefully climbing to her feet and jumping on top of a nearby concrete pillar.
Her violet eyes widen in horror as she looks around, seeing injured Shinobi pulling their unconscious and dead comrades out of the surrounding wreckage. The smell of blood hits young Tiez like a wall, causing her to pull a face.
“.....Where are the others?” she wonders quietly, only for her ears to prick up at the sound of faint, rasping cough behind her.
“Aki!” Tiez cries, spotting the larger Wolf, half buried below a mountain of bricks and other debris. Struggling to not trip over the remains, Tiez runs towards her friend, skidding to a halt beside him. Her breathing begins to quicken as she frantically searches for a way to free Aki, only his head, torso and right side visible.
“D-Don't worry Aki” Tiez assures the Wolf with a shaking voice, “I'll....I'll get you out of there!”
Aki slowly cracks one sapphire eye open as Tiez rises up onto her hind legs, pressing her front paws against a large beam hanging over her best friend. She pushes her weight against it and grits her teeth, trying with all her might to move it out of the way.
“.....Tiez d-darling.......” Aki wheezes tiredly, making the younger Wolf pause and glance down, eyes wavering. “......I'm g-glad that you're alright.......”
“Don't talk you idiot!” Tiez barks, scared of Aki's weak tone. “Let me just......I just need to get this stuff off of you first!”
“D-Don't worry about that” Aki chuckles softly, tilting his head so that he can look at Tiez, cheek pressed against the ground. “....There's......No point...”
“You can't say that!” Tiez snaps back, throwing herself against the beam again, back legs now trembling. “Just g-gimme a sec!”
Aki briefly closes his eyes and chuckles again, before his laughter turns into a violent cough. Tiez watches through large eyes as blood drips from Aki's mouth, the Wolf drawing in a long, rough breath.
“......Come here” Aki orders gently, to which Tiez drops down on all fours and timidly steps closer, “I need.......To tell y-you something before....”
“You're gonna be okay Aki” Tiez whispers urgently, crouching down as Aki sends her a closed eye smile. He doesn't reply to that, though he does open his eyes and regard Tiez seriously.
“Tiez my d-darling.....” the black and white Wolf begins, before coughing again. “Being y-your friend all these years.......Has been my greatest honour....”
“A-Aki......” Tiez says softly, sniffing as Aki moves his only visible paw and carefully places it on top of Tiez's smaller one.
“You.....You h-have been the light of my l-life” Aki continues, his eyelids beginning to droop. “And I h-have never had the......The courage to say this but....”
“Wh-What are you doing?” Tiez asks, her eyes filling with tears. “D-Don't fall asleep Aki....Don't fall asleep!”
“I l-love you my darling” Aki finishes with a weary, closed eye smile, before he rests his head on the ground and falls silent. Tiez's eyes widen at this declaration and she begins to shake her head.
“A....Aki?” she whispers, afraid. “Aki?.....Aki?!.................No.....No, this isn't happening.”
Tiez's heart rate increases, her fast breaths almost causing her to hyperventilate. She carefully removes her paw from underneath Aki's, stepping forwards to nudge his cheek. A tear slides down the purple Wolf's cheek when Aki's head merely rolls to the side, lifeless.
“Aki you bastard.....” Tiez growls to herself, sitting down and hanging her head. She squeezes her eyes closed, tears now streaming down her face.
“Y-You can't just tell me something like that” she cries miserably, “And then leave me all alone!.......Come back Aki!........I...I love you as well........”
Here Tiez throws her head back and lets out a long howl, allowing the beautiful language of her ancestors tell everyone of her pain and sorrow at losing her dearest friend, Aki. Words couldn't describe the hurt in Tiez's very soul, and so she wouldn't use words.
Lowering her head, tears still flowing, Tiez crawls in close to Aki and lies next to him, her head resting against his shoulder. The young Wolf closes her eyes and sniffs, trying to block out the faint sounds of battle coming from the crater.
Aki had never left Tiez's side over the years, and now......She would remain by his.
Kiba bites his lip and exchanges a worried, uncertain look with his Mother. Ashley, still bent over Ace's body and crying helplessly, had been enshrouded by a black, foreboding chakra.
Kiba had seen this happen to her twice before, and the ending results of it were never good. If it kept up, Ashley was going to lose control of her mind and body to her Demon. If only Kiba knew how to stop it from happening, but it didn't seem possible.
While Kiba knew the Ten Tails was sealed securely inside Ashley's psyche, it was apparent to him that she could lose control of the Demon when she was highly emotional. The death of her Sensei and Guardian was certainly not going to help the situation any......
Kai and Rei suddenly freeze at the sound of a long, sorrowful howl, their ears pricking up and their eyes widening. They turn to each other, with tears filling Rei's eyes again. The two Wolves recognised Tiez's howl and the meaning behind it stung them both terribly, though Kai was trying not to show it.
“How......How can we have lost two pack members?” Rei sobs quietly, shaking her head. Kai goes to reply, when he notices that Ashley is now sitting boltright up, her eyes very wide. The blonde remains perfectly still for a few moments, listening, when she suddenly throws her hands into her hair and screams.
“Nooooooo!” she cries out desperately, once again hunching over Ace's body, eyes shut tightly closed. As her tears increase, the chakra surrounding Ashley's body flares up, flowing around her erratically and swiftly growing darker.
“No!” Ashley continues to scream, shaking her head, fingers curled tightly into her hair. “No, no no!”
“A-Ashley!” Kiba exclaims, watching on as a tail begins to form behind Ashley, the black chakra beginning to bubble. “You have to calm down!”
'This pain.......' Hakuba drawls sinisterly in Ashley's mind, eyes flashing. 'There will be dire consequences.......'