It was a lovely day. The sun shone brightly on the ignorant villagers of Konoha. Life was as carefree as the clouds that swam through the azure sky. Birds chirped, and squirrels chattered.
The individual took all this in as he trotted down the path, following his friend's scent. She had disappeared, and although everyone was in an uproar back at home, he knew she had her reasons. He knew she wouldn't return on petty words alone. And he half supported her. No one would want to return to such a hell. But then again, she also carried a duty upon her back. The other half of him wanted to chastise her immaturity and selfishness.
It was then the gates came into view, and the creature drew in a long breath at the sight. The architecture was satisfyingly unique, but the grandeur paled in comparison to his homeland. However, he had to give the humans props for such a feat. The walls were enormous and the designs foreign. Each little detail had him smiling.
Of course, he should've known such walls were in place for a reason, and as he waltzed right up to them, he was stopped by lightning fast humans. Their speed made him take a step back. Elvinia really had flown ways away.
"State your business. . . uh-" The first one to speak immediately stopped, his jaw slack as his widening eyes stared at the individual's lower half. The others mimicked his actions as they too scrutinized this newcomer's appearance. The man sighed, rolling his eyes and stomping his. . . hoof.
He was a satyr, and by all means, staring was rude. He cleared his throat, gaining the three humans' gazes.
"Do not be frightened, humans. I'm here to see Elvinia. Her scent travels through this gate. Might you be so kind as to take me to her?" The man- or satyr- spoke, smiling kindly at the three, gawking individuals. Watching as they glanced at each other in disbelief and question, the satyr threw in a please as a last attempt, becoming slightly desperate. He really missed the elf.
"We'll take you to the Hokage. Come with us." The one from before took ahold of the satyr's arm, staring at the hide that coated most of it. His curiosity was seen as understandable in the satyr's eyes, and the latter could do nothing but chuckle in amusement as he was led away. He assumed this Hokage was the leader. Their suspicion was also understandable. The satyr thought it only prudent to cooperate. He'd see Elvinia soon.
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"Pacing in my office isn't going to bring them back any faster." Tsunade grumbled from her chair behind the Hokage desk, holding her head in a hand as she sifted through piles of documents. The Jonin paid her no heed, continuing a pensive walk back and forth in front of the woman's desk. She sighed, resuming to ignore him. A knock sounded on the door, making the woman groan and give up on her work. Giving the intruders permission to enter, she sat back and watched as the doors swung open to reveal something that made her question if she was drunk or not.
The Jonin ceased his pacing, staring sternly at the creature in the doorway. With a jovial smile and skip in his step, the latter trotted into the office behind his ninja escorts. Tsunade waved the three men off, nodding to them in thanks as her eyes remained fixed on the creature. He wasn't a hallucination, it seemed, for the Jonin's obvious confusion matched her own.
"Hello, M'Lady." The abnormality wrapped his fur-lined arm around his back and performed a small bow. "I am Thiavar of Tehlmar. I've come to see Elvinia. I am right in thinking this is her current location, no?" He then perked a pair of goat ears up, seemingly sniffing the air. It seemed his nose was leading him toward the Jonin, and when he made it up to the man, the creature ceased his movements and opened his eyes. In confusion, he commented, "that's odd. You smell most like her. Do you, perhaps, know where she is?" He asked politely, smiling cheerfully.
The Jonin averted his gaze as Tsunade giggled, scratching his head most awkwardly. Clearing his throat, he ran his eyes over the creature once more before answering.
"She's on a mission right now. I'm sure she'll be back soon." The Jonin answered nonchalantly, all former unease gone. The satyr rose his brows in surprise, his goat-like ears rising in a similar fashion. He hadn't in a million years expected Elvinia to help humans, especially foreign ones. Yet she was gone on a mission for them. Red flags ignited in his mind.
"A mission? Is that so? And who coerced her into helping humans? Don't think me wicked, but she's never liked your kind." The creature knitted his brows in suspicion for the first time, his turquoise eyes darkening slightly. Tsunade stiffened visibly as her countenance shifted. This was a matter of foreign affairs.
"She's in debt to our village. I planned on freeing her after this mission." Tsunade answered professionally, relaxing her muscles as the creature visibly calmed. He then chuckled, shaking his head back and forth in amusement.
"That's Elvinia for you. Mind if I wait for her here? You see, she disappeared from home a while back. I've traced her scent here from worlds away. I'd rather not pass up the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of my labor." The satyr explained as he shifted nervously, a short, stout tail swinging out behind him. Tsunade rose a brow, glancing at the Jonin as he too glanced at her. The woman then shrugged, gesticulating for the creature to take a seat by the bookshelf. If she could keep an eye on him, she didn't see a reason to turn him down. Not to mention, if she let something as questionable as a half-goat humanoid walk around the village, her decision making skills would be thrown to speculation. Her peace was disturbed all too soon as Thiavar suddenly spoke, seemingly infatuated with the sound of his voice.
"You know, I love this land. I've only ever been here once." He chuckled. "S'when I learned the language." He pointed to his mouth, shrugging as if that were obvious. For about an hour, he droned on about what he was, how he understood others' confusion, and how he couldn't wait to see Elvinia. Tsunade was about ready to melt Thiavar with her glare when the doors burst open and in walked a battered group of ninja.
It was Asuma's team- minus Asuma.
The absolutely morbid expressions on their faces said enough, and Tsunade was up and following them to the hospital in seconds time. Kakashi was not even a breath's behind, having all forgotten about the satyr left unspoken to in the office. But Thiavar wasn't slow. He could smell a tragedy even in the hearts of humans. Something told him the tragedy hadn't shown mercy to his friend, either. So he followed.
"We had the upper hand, but it turned out he was immortal. And Elvinia gave her life for nothing." Through gasping breath, a boy with black hair and eyes like that of a doe spoke despondently, keeping up his composure. Tear streaks had dried through the paths of dirt on the boy's face, and a girl with blonde hair sat sobbing by a large table. Upon that table was most definitely a person, but a white sheet laid draped over his body. His chest was still, and a cold aura emanated from his still body. Thiavar could guess what had happened. However, Elvinia had given her life?!
Thiavar had only walked in on the end of their conversation, and from the horrified expression on Tsunade's face, he couldn't help but fall to his furry knees. No one had really noticed him yet, for they were all drowning in sorrow, but the Jonin from the office spared a withered glance his way.
"She's gone?" The Jonin mumbled, his eyes finding the corpse of his dead friend. The boy from before let out a shaky sigh, glancing up at Tsunade.
"Let me give you a full report in your office." He spoke, almost tripping as he rose from his chair. The woman nodded, her eyes struggling to maintain composure.
They were now back in the office, Thiavar having followed behind. His mind was blank and body numb. Never had he imagined his friend would die this way. She was invincible in his eyes - stronger than the gods themselves. To die in such a place - in such a way - made him question what all had happened.
"Elvinia actually didn't help at first, and we thought she was just going to sit back and watch us get our assess kicked. She seemed to change her mind after a while, though. We had managed to cut off the freak's head, and she had taken it to feed it to her dragon." The boy explained, telling them the story of what had happened and how Elvinia had displayed monumental power. How Hidan was immortal and his partner had sold Chiriku before they'd intercepted the criminals.
He choked up, caressing his temples in attempts to recompose himself. Through hiccups and shaky gasps, the boy finished telling the occupants of the office what Elvina had done, what the male elf looked like, and how Hidan had caught up with them and killed Asuma anyway. Tsunade nodded with haunted eyes before dismissing the boy and banging her hands on the desks. She was livid and clearly terrified.
Thiavar could do nothing but shake. He knew the male elf. He knew what was bound to happen. Elvina wasn't dead, but she'd sure be better off that way. Consumed by rage, the satyr balled his fists and punched the wall, hastily apologizing and crumpling to the floor. His arm stayed helplessly pressed against the wall as he sunk his head in grief, mumbling of the horrors to come.
"Excuse me? Horrors to come?" Tsunade questioned Thiavar, making him freeze. The Jonin, stricken in a grief he knew was all too familiar, stared at the shaking satyr.
"Vipirus. The bastard. He's taken her!" Thiavar yelled in angst, not moving to look at Tsunade. He partially blamed her for what had happened, but he knew it'd be rude of him to display such immature emotions. Blaming her wasn't helping Elvinia. "He's the male elf. The male elf in conjunction with the criminals of your land. She may not be dead, but it would only be merciful to kill her now."
"What?!" Tsunade jumped from her seat, vacillating between anger and denial. The Jonin ran a shaky hand through his hair. He wondered back on the elf's drunken stupor the night prior. She had asked him if he would kill her should the need arise. He now questioned just what her meaning had truly been.
"It's as I say." The creature rose, a deadly seriousness in his normally gentle gaze that stole the breath of Tsunade. She immediately sat back down, wonderment in her eyes. "Might want to take a seat, human. This is going to be a long story, and I fear Elvinia has no time left." Thiavar looked to Kakashi, gesturing to the seat in front of Tsunade's desk. He complied, curious and slightly anxious.
Thiavar proceeded to spill the story. He commented on how Elvinia would kill him for telling others, let alone humans. But he spoke nonetheless on how Elvinia was once feared throughout the land of elves - and to some degree still is - as the war demon. Thiavar told them of how someone had tapped into her reservoir all those years ago and had taken hold of her stores of magic, being able to control her. No one knew who, but Thiavar believed it was her father, Sativola. As did many other elves. She had gone on a rampage during the War of Lands Era, killing anyone and everyone, including her own people.
"War of Lands Era?" Tsunade interrupted, furrowing her brows in intrigue. Thiavar sighed, having guessed she'd want to know more.
"The elves rule the land of our entire continent, dividing it up in kingdoms. I'm from Tehlmar, as is Elvinia. It is the kingdom of fire, located in the southern region. About a century ago, Sativola seemed to lose his mind and vowed to possess every kingdom of the elves. He claimed it would unite us, subsequently creating peace." Thiavar rolled his eyes, hissing in reproach.
"From what I have heard from Elvinia, she's not too fond of this Sativola." Kakashi commented dryly, remembering how Elvinia had called him a prick in her language. Thiavar scoffed, clicking his hoof frustratedly on the floor.
"He was all right until that time, a great father and loving ruler-"
"Ruler?" Tsunade rose her voice in surprise. Thiavar sighed.
"Yes, he was the king. And unfortunately, still is. Without Elvinia, however, his power has declined significantly. I'm sure that was her reason for leaving. She was escaping a fate much worse than having to simply marry that disgusting snake." Thiavar chuckled cynically, his shoulders shaking in anger. Kakashi rose a brow.
"A snake?" He questioned scrupulously. She had mentioned nothing of being engaged.
"Vipirus - the very elf that has captured her. He's been evil ever since childhood, and he was always after Elvinia. I'm sure it was for the crown. You see, his kind are from a kingdom in the west - the Kingdom of Illusion. The land there is infertile and dreary, being a natural quagmire of poison. They specialize in healing magic and poison magic - a dangerous sword indeed." The satyr explained with a grave look on his face. The way he said it, it seemed elves from those lands were always questionable.
"What does he have to do with the horrors sure to come?" Tsunade inquired, wanting to get to the point. Thiavar knew she needed to be left alone, for he could see the grief in her eyes.
Thiavar took a deep breath before continuing to recant the story of how shortly after Elvinia's mother had died, Elvinia turned for the worse. That's when she appeared as the war demon, going on a rampage and winning numerous wars for her father. However, it had become common knowledge that someone had taken ahold of her magic reservoir, controlling her and forcing her to do those things. Eventually, she returned to normal and disappeared into the castle for a while. Not even Thiavar had been able to see her, and he was a childhood friend. Then, the announcement was made that she had run away, and a reward was posted for her capture and return.
"That still doesn't answer my question." Tsunade commented, getting frustrated. Thiavar narrowed his eyes at the woman. She was the cause for this. The least she could do was sit back and listen. He understood her grief, but she seemed uncaring for a tragedy she had caused.
"It still remains unknown who turned Elvinia into that demon, but to be able to take ahold of someone's reservoir and morph it into something completely different, that elf must be a phenomenal user of healing magic. And the demon Elvinia became is synonymous with the dark elves of the Illusion Kingdom. Sativola was a close acquaintance of Vipirus' back then. One would be a fool to ignore the signs." Thiavar explained, nodding as realization dawned on the two humans' faces.
"And this demon side of Elvinia. . . is it-"
"Dangerous?" Thiavar chortled with a dangerous tone. "You better hope your strongest are like that of gods." Thiavar sneered, feeling slightly satisfied at Tsunade's horrified expression. He felt it was almost like a tiny hint of revenge. The woman dismissed the two in her office, telling them to leave so she could think of her next move. When in reality, she needed to grieve. Once they were finally gone, her tears melted from her eyes.
Asuma was gone, and he never got to see his child. Elvinia was forced into a hell she had come here to escape from, and Tsunade was responsible. However, she wondered just why Elvinia had even gone on that mission. Tsunade hadn't asked her to, but she had received word Elvinia had gone. Just who had instructed her to leave? Had she done it of her own volition? However, that didn't corroborate with Shikamaru's story. He had said she was reluctant to help. Something didn't add up.
And Kakashi. Tsunade wasn't blind to the way Kakashi worried for the elf. She knew Kakashi would never admit it. He was stubborn and slightly guilty for past tragedies. He was quick to blame himself for things he had no control over, and she knew this was no different. But it wasn't his fault. It was completely hers.
And now not only did her village's safety lie in the balance, but Elvinia's life was also in danger. Which would she take action for first?
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