haha 69
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"You can't move, can you? You've already suffered enough, so you should just lay down and die already!" You were far, far away from the actual battlefield. So far, the important news that spread around in seconds could never reach you. It was coming to your realization that they must've been simply distracting you and fending you off all this time so you couldn't provide the support that you had been that entire time.
Though, no matter how far you were--you felt the horrible rumble from an unknown source. His walking back toward you was wobbly provided the shaking, but he managed to have big talk. "Scared yet? I bet you are!" He cackled, "Yeah, yeah! I bet he was too. Could you tell me how it went? The last words my best friend said... Before you killed him?"
"Him?" You repeated, "Like a boy?" You asked, or maybe you were assuming? "I've killed plenty of boys in my life," You admitted. Although you only actually killed one, and the others were all attempted. "Was he dear to you? Sorry." You said.
"Dear to me? Are you mocking me?!" Sting scoffed. It wasn't meant to be a jab, but it was easy for him to take it as one. After all, he was under the impression that you were the one to take the life of his best friend. He only knew that you had a Lacrima put in you, but not which one of the two it was. So his bitterness made him assume it was the one close to him that you had killed--considering you had the 'Poltigan' to his knowledge.
" The guy from the forest of death, maybe? I barely remember him. The crazy guy from the Akatsuki? To be fair, I only roughed him up, the real killer isn't me."
The image of your sister's face crossed you by as you looked back at him, letting out a sigh. "Those are the only people I've killed." From a logistic standpoint, it was true... Your sister, in the eyes of everyone else, never existed.
"But... That's no one near the greatest sin I've committed." You felt a hand placed on your back, no doubt he was placing another seal--or just amplifying the first one to work faster. It was painful, far more painful than getting something placed in you instead.
"..." Sting was speechless at whatever you were spouting out. "An Akatsuki freak? Forest of death?!" He nearly sounded offended at what you were saying. "Rogue! Rogue Cheney! The one you killed for his power of the Black Dragon?!"
"Rogue Cheney?" You repeated back. "Ah, my brother..."
Brother...?! He thought to himself. It made even more sense now--although he didn't believe for a second you were actually his sister, on the off chance it was true, you just had to have murdered him in cold blood for your Poltigan.
"I didn't kill him. I got his power through a Lacrima placed in me. Of course, I did take it willingly." You admitted. What was this?! A confessional?! "Maybe, in your eyes, that's the same as murder?"
His cheeks went red in anger, as he clenched his jaw. "Is lying on the dead something all [Lastname]s do?!" He yelled angrily. He dug his nails into your skin, he must've taken off his glove to cast a seal on you. "He's not a part of that rancid clan! Even suggesting him having been a part of those... Freaks... Is a horrible insult on the dead!"
"You're right," You didn't deny, "I got that bloodline from my mother. Our dad... To put it bluntly... Was a whore. I'd like to blame him for the way I turned out, but I feel it's entirely my fault... I bet, if Rogue knew him too, he would've hated him, too." You informed.
"... I don't care about your whore father! If you hardly knew the guy, there was no way you could unlock your Poltigan through killing him... So no matter who you killed, you're just some sick freak! So don't speak on him so lightly!" His reason for hating you so much was starting to make some sense now.
He thought you killed his best friend, and even though you debunked it--you still gave yourself a nasty look by, in other words, admitting you had killed someone close to you in order to get the eyes you had now. Which wasn't wrong, because despite them not actually being a result of your hard work--you had gotten them by killing your own sister.
Which was something you never wanted to admit. It left a bad taste on your tongue and you couldn't live with your own guilt--and even if you admitted that you killed your sister, there were no records of her. They'd probably think that it was Wendy you killed, considering you had her powers.
Though, now it felt like Wendy's power wasn't yours anymore. At least not after getting a seal placed on you with the intent of taking them away.
"Diaval, are you there?" You asked in a small whisper--trying to reach out for the one that had been there your entire life. He got on your nerves, he took advantage of your childhood naivety, and had made a fool out of you so many more times than you could count. When you were by yourself, sitting in the darkness of your bedroom in your small apartment--drowning in your own melancholy loneliness.
You always thought back to mistakes and things you could've or should've done--and there was no one there to help. But you were never alone.
Diaval was always there for you.
"I need your help." You tried again. You couldn't even hear yourself, which meant Rogue couldn't. But you really, really hoped Diaval was still there. The other two were strong, but their strength was never yours. Never truly connected or helped you out like Diaval had, even if he was a little shit back when you were younger.
'I'm here,' He replied to you. He felt distant when his voice was usually so grating and close--he felt distant now. 'You're finally asking me for something this time, huh?' He chuckled. It was a direct jab of the words he had told you your entire life. 'You never asked', and it was true. You kind of just expected it from the old fart dragon, but now felt like a good time for gratitude.
'Thank you for everything', you managed to reply to him mentally. Without the need for Kokuju in the mix to send and deliver messages. 'Are the others.. Gone?'
'Not yet.' Diaval responded. 'I have to push them out so that he won't reach me, though. They'll definitely be gone soon. They can't say goodbye like you sound like you're planning too.'
'I guess I was planning that... I don't know.' You answered. 'If he takes you away, and even if I didn't die as a result, who would I be without you?'
'Someone's sentimental.' They chuckled. And truly, even now when you felt some sort of grief at the idea of losing them, they managed to piss you off. You were trying to be serious here! 'I already told you, things like this bother me, too.' You did recall Diavalsoffer.
'About killing them?'
'Something like that.' Diaval replied. 'Even if you don't let me, I've told you time and time again I won't just let you die.'
'You're a very sweet dragon.' You replied to him. 'Despite all the murder stuff.'
'Don't treat me like some sort of pet.' They scoffed. 'You don't have to fight anymore. Let me take it from here.'
You don't have to fight anymore. Those were words you never knew you wanted to hear.
You couldn't help but raise your head in curiosity when the dark night was suddenly blindingly bright--it nearly hurt your eyes to actually look. "When you said I became a ninja just because I could... You were right. I only wanted to live a good life." With how bright it was outside, you'd assume that Sting was at play here--after all, you were able to make it pitch black when it was this bright outside. Though, you probably didn't have the power to at the moment.
"All I ever wanted... Was to live a happy life with my family." Your lifelong dream was finally spoken into reality. "I know I can never live that reality now... But how did I lose my way so badly?"
"[Firstname], [Firstname], wake up!" There was a loud voice yelling in your ear, a voice you couldn't even recognize. Whatever was underneath you was comforting and warm--you didn't want to get up. "You'll be late for your mission today, you need to get up!"
Finally, you opened your eyes. Even though you didn't remember closing them, to begin with.
The woman at your right side was someone you didn't remember, but looked familiar. She had eyes just like yours--surely your eyes could've been as soft and caring had you been given the chance of a normal life.
"Your friends are even waiting outside! You don't want to keep them waiting, do you?" She chided, hands on her hips. You sat up, the killer pain on your back long forgotten--put the throbbing of your head remained. "...Mom?"
"[Firstname]," She repeated back, "Come on and get up, you can't keep your friends waiting forever!" She pushed on, grabbing the covers and ripping them off of you.
You groaned merely by instinct, rubbing your arms to make up for your sudden lack of warmth--something that you never had to do before. "It's cold! Why would you do that?!"
"Because you wouldn't get up! Now hurry before I make Diaval drag you out of bed!" As if on cue, there was a loud annoying bark. A familiar annoyance that for some reason, you couldn't find the source for.
"The dog? What's he gonna do?" You asked her. But he proved what he would do, tugging your arm roughly and dragging you out of bed.
"Damn it brat! What the hell are you doing?!" In your deep subconscious that you weren't able to reach, you were getting yelled at. One moment you had been actively responding to him, and the next you were completely silent. "Wake up you idiot! Dumb brat!" He continued spitting out some insults, because it was what usually got your attention. "If you don't wake up now, I'm gonna be the next one down, and you'll really be dead then!" He yelled at you, the room that had gradually grown bigger due to receiving more company had withered back down to its original size.
"Ugh, damn stupid good for nothing idiot brat!!" He raged. "You could've at least given me the go-ahead to take your place in the fight!" Without your permission, Diaval typically came out a lot weaker and slower. The first time he took over you in your human form, the two of you had made a contract that allowed him to come out, at least once, full power. The second time in his true dragon form, you had allowed him to do so. But now he had neither of those.
Needless to say, your dog had been able to wake you. Who greeted you eagerly in the living room was none other than Neji and Lee.
"Yo, [Firstname]!" Lee greeted. Yo? He didn't seem like the type to talk like that.
"You're always oversleeping. " Neji chided beside him, arms crossed. There was something different about him. Something you couldn't put your finger on. Everything looked natural about him, from his long hair to the white eyes--to the ninja band around his neck and his forehead without an imperfection. Or maybe it was the look on his face, lacking any bitterness at the world and instead held something content about it.
"Really?" You rubbed the back of your neck, smiling. "If anything I thought I didn't get enough." You said honestly. Thats really how you felt. No matter how many hours of sleep you could get, it could probably never be enough.
"Beauty sleep is very important!" Lee declared, balling his fist excitedly. "It is what gives you that youthful glow, you know!"
"Hmm," Neji crossed his arms, eyes closed. "It's true that selfcare is important. But what you're doing is more like self-spoiling." He rephrased, looking directly at you.
"Whattt?" You drawled out in mock disbelief, "I deserve to spoil myself at least a little bit." You defended yourself.
"Ugh," Diaval groaned. His gruff voice warped into yours, "Don't get mad me for doing this brat. I'm doing you a favor." He murmured to himself--his voice came out as yours, but far more deep and scratchy against your throat. "I'm expecting payback for this favor!" He yelled out, avoiding looking up at the sky.
He staggered up in your body--he felt the pain you felt, and it was definitely more than he expected. You had developed more as a ninja, he could feel the difference between now and the first time he had taken over your body. Of course, it's also what came with age.
"You've gained some weight." He commented, trying to provoke a reaction from you one more time. He couldn't help but grin when there was no response at all, it was like giving him the go ahead to do whatever he wanted.
"How the hell did you--" Sting intended on questioning how the hell you managed to get up after extracting not only one, but two entire dragons out of you, but was cut off when you--or Diaval, turned around so quickly that it felt more like you just teleported into that position.
There was a wary look on his face, a result of the sudden increase of your aura alone. A lot stronger, a lot more confident--and a lot more stable.
"A dumb question like that lets me know what level you're on," Diaval answered him, a cheeky grin on his face. There was a difference in your face, too. Your eyes were different, like a cats, maybe? And your canines were a lot sharper than he remembered them being. It looked like you, but it wasn't you. It was the same sight Temari had seen when you battled against Gaara.
His eyes trailed down toward the hand placed on his forearm. He would've hurried to get away, but it was like he was frozen. "If you extracted me from the brat, and she died... I wouldn't be my own person. Once the five of us combine into the Apocalypse Dragon King. But you know, I'm pretty content as things are. I don't need to be stronger."
His eyes trailed back up to your face, his jaw slack in slight disbelief. "But I'm already a king. Because in a fight between me, and the four inside of you..."
His grip on Stings arm tightened, and he only barely got the idea to re-harden his arm into steel once Diaval gave it a harsh pull--tearing it right off as if it were the easiest thing he'd ever done. "I would come out on top." And just like that, the confidence that he had been bearing the entire time was gone just like that. The only sound coming out of his mouth being a terrified whimper.
"Shisui!" You greeted your close friend who had been waiting for you outside. For some reason, seeing him filled you with some sort of inexplicable joy.
"Goodmorning, [Firstname]." He greeted you with a kind smile, holding up his hand and giving you a wave. "I'm surprised too see you awake so early, any special occasion?" He asked you, a curious look on his face. His kindness was familiar, but there was the blaring feeling of unbelonging and misplacement twisted at your gut.
"My mom woke me up to see you guys," You shrugged. "I'm not mad about it though. I'm glad we could all be here together.'
Shisui smiled, a hand on his hip. "Well, any day with you is bound to be a good one." He agreed.
"Hey!" A high pitched voice came from behind you. "[Firstname], you're going on a mission? I wanna come too!" She insisted. "You told me last time you would let me!" She complained.
You turned your head slowly, the heavy thumping of your heart nearly hurt. Your eyes settled on the younger girl that had approached from behind. With choppy hair, and eyes the same color as yours. The feeling of misplacement and unbelonging spiked.
"This mission is a bit too dangerous for someone so young." Neji replied for you. "Surely you can go play with Hanabi instead." Hanabi? She was about six years younger than Neji. You remembered your sister being only two years younger than you, but now that you looked at her.... She was a lot younger than you remember her being.
Just looking at her filled you with horror. "[Sister]," You said out loud. "I... Uh..."
"Sorry, little [Sister]!" Lee jumped in for you, a hand on your shoulder and a big grin on his face. "This mission is meant for Chunin and Jounin like us!" He declared, pointing a thumb at his chest. "Do not worry. Your sister is strong, she will make it back unscathed! Unless that is, someone really has it out for her! But even then, we will help her!" He said proudly.
"Yeah, that's about it." Shisui agreed. "Wendy will be there, too. If anything goes wrong, she'll heal us all full health!" He assured.
Your little sister eased up a bit, although still upset. "Fine... If Wendy's there I guess it's no problem..." Her melancholy attitude quickly faded away as she ran up to give you a hug. "Then I'll see you later, big sister! I love you!"
"Uhhh..." It was a very sweet moment without context, but with it--this was nothing short of terrifying. A Tsukuyomi dream was supposed to make you blind to the truth, yet you were sure you felt it so clearly.
"I... Uh, love you too, [Sister]."
this chapters song is things to do by alex g. i love that song! i don't really think it goes with either diavals or mcs sequence this chapter but whatever lololol. i really think diavals had some development throughout this book. the desc of this book was always abt them actually!
i still plan on the rewrite lolol. I've decided its literally gonna be like this one but i fill plot holes and correct mistakes and all that junk.