Colour coding :
- The Abysswalker
-Asuka
-The doctor
The morning sun was shining brightly over the beautiful waters, which surrounded the entire island. Pink and red clouds drifted overhead and formed a large array of breathtaking images on the large blue pane that was the sky. The wind gently played its' song in the leaves of the nearby trees. A lone figure was sitting on the roof of a small house, which overlooked the lake. The only thing that disturbed the serenity of the scene was the birdsong, which was carried by the wind along its path. But why was it that on such a beautiful morning Asuka could not enjoy it? Lately no matter what happened her mood just seemed to plummet more and more. Was it that time was flying away faster than she could have imagined or was it ''that scene''? The one which kept haunting her ever since it happened. Be it a dream or when she was awake the memory never left her mind. Not even for a single second.
Flashback
The doctor stared quietly at the results of her final tests. Lately all Asuka had been doing was spending time at the hospital. Blood tests, x-rays, chemical analysis - She had been though it all, but the doctor never said anything apart from send her off for another test. Even now Matsuoka only expected him to give her the needed documents to go have another test done. It wouldn't surprise her at all if he did that at this point, but the silence, which had taken over the room, told her this might not be the case. Why did he want all those tests and why didn't he tell her anything?
The doctor suddenly slammed his notebook shut and looked at Asuka from underneath his thick glasses. He let out a very long sigh, stood up and quietly walked over to her.”You may not enjoy hearing this, but you need to know. The results all conclude that your inability to control your own abilities is killing you. At this rate you won't live for too long.” The man said without taking his eyes off her even for a second, his expression cold and distant. ” Though there is a unexplained factor in your results. Your cell regeneration takes place at a highly increased rate. Nothing in your profile suggest why this would be happening, but in a sense the only thing keeping you alive so far is that unnatural regeneration, yet even it is sapping your life away. If your body is continuously damaged and repaired at such rates it just grows tired. This reduces the life span of an individual greatly as has been seen with some medical techniques, which can save someone from wounds that would surely kill them, but reduce their actual lifespan as a result.”<i></i>
He sighed once more and placed his hand on her shoulder. ”I am sorry but there is nothing we can do about this. The only thing you could really do is spend what time you have to live your life its' fullest.<i></i>She was speechless. After all who wouldn't be after hearing they would die soon? Be it an adult or a child it wasn't hard to understand the meaning of his words. Matsuoka was no exception. She just didn't know what to do or say. Sure she had been expecting something bad, but this was even beyond anything she had imagined.
A few minutes passed in silence and it was Asuka that broke it first. ”Ccould you not tell my parents about this please? I ..i want to tell them myself.”<i></i> [coor=#BF0000]”I won't tell anyone unless you want me to. Again I am sorry, but there might be something which could extend your lifespan even if by a little bit.”[/color] He stopped for a second and looked straight into her eyes.”Quit being a shinobi. If you do that and avoid straining your body you may even live to have children, but if you continue being a ninja it is doubtful you will live for more than another few years at most.”<i></i> His suggestion made sense but for someone whose life revolved around being a shinobi it was quite unthinkable. It hadn't been that long that she was considered a shinobi in training, but still for her it was a lot of time. The shock which had overcome her wasn't leaving her and at this rate it wouldn't for a while. She needed to go get some fresh air. Yes, yes that would help. ”I need to go out for a bit.”</I><i></i> Asuka said and gently pushed his hand away. A single tear ran down her cheek as she walked out of the room into the white web of corridors...
End of flashback
After all that she had still been unable to tell her parents about it. Even the thought of telling them felt as if someone had stabbed her through the heart. At first she had lost her hearing. Sure you can live without it, but without it you feel shut off, something just feels empty. Then her sight had deteriorated heavily. Even the thought of losing something like that after relying on it for so many years is always painful, far too painful. After that she had began coughing out blood. Yet it was absolutely nothing compared to knowing you will die in a few years time, even if she always knew her occupation could result in her death at any time. If only it were that easy to accept you might die at any time. A sigh escaped her lips as her eyes wandered up to the clouds once more.
<B>'Hahahaha! Why the long face there, dearie? Afraid? HAHAHAHA.' The familiar voice rang in her head. Notes of laughter and sarcasm filled it and she couldn't help but resent it. 'Don't tell me little miss goodie, goodie two-shoes is afraid! hahahaha Weren't you going to use your power to save people? Hah now you see everyone gives up at some point! hahahahaha!'<i></i> If there was one thing she hated in this world, and the only thing she wouldn't mind disappearing of the face of the world. But there was always something which interested her about this voice. No matter how much she resented it the questions - ''Who is it?'' ''What is it?'' always came up in her mind, but they weren't the only ones. Why was it every time she was feeling down the voice provoked her? Why was it helping her? Those were the real things that intrigued her.
A sigh escaped her lips once more as she jumped off of the roof and walked along the endless road, surrounded by the houses which formed the Housing district. 'Who are you?' How many times had she asked this already? She didn't know anymore. No matter how many timed she asked the answer was the same - mocking laughter. By now she was used to it. At a point she had believed that this was the voice of chakra, but as time went on her idea of that changed drastically.
It had been so long ago that she heard the voice for the first time. She didn't even remember when it had started, but she knew it had only gotten louder and louder as she lost her senses. At first it had been nothing more than a buzzing noise, then it was a whisper and now it sometimes even screamed in her mind. The largest change had occurred when she had lost the hearing in her right ear completely. Sadness had overcome her mind then and her thoughts had became dark and eerie, but the voice provoked her, it made her want to prove him wrong. To show him that he was wrong. Since then whenever something happened to her it was this voice that got her back on her feet. It just knew how to push her buttons far, far too well. No matter what it was about.
'You really won't answer my question will you?' Asuka asked once again. 'What is the fun in telling you? Do you really want to know that much?......... I can show you if you want.'<i></i> A sigh escaped her lips once more as she took a seat on a nearby bench. 'You always refuse to.........wait what? 'I said do you want me to show you. Don't make me repeat myself stupid girl. I might consider it if you beg me! Now lets hear it!'<i></i> Oh how he annoyed her sometimes. How arrogant could he be? Did he seriously expect her to beg him? She would teach him a lesson when he saw him. A lesson he would never forget and then we will see whether he'll continue to be the same way. 'Stop being so arrogant! Who are you really? And what are you doing in my head?' The girl insisted. 'Heh no luck eh? Okay I guess you might be ready. I'll show you.'<i></i> The voice said with a tone slightly different than usual. There was not even a note of sarcasm or laughter in his voice. Something was strange. What was he thinking?
Without any sort of warning the scenery around her suddenly changed. The houses disappeared, there was no sign of the trees, which had surrounded the bench and the sky became pitch-black. There was nothing, absolutely nothing around her. It was all absolute nothingness. ”Welcome to my humble abode!”<i></i> A voice came from all around her. It was as if it was coming from everywhere and yet nowhere.
Suddenly the surroundings lit up and she fell on her backside. The more her eyes adjusted to the light the more she noticed how ancient her new surroundings looked. Asuka couldn't help but gasp at her surroundings She was sitting in the middle of large, stone, circular building. The first floor of which was made of uncut stone which rose about five meters up, where columns replaced it for another twenty or so meters. Some of them were broken, others seemed as if time had not affected them at all. The sky above was a very gentle blue and a multitude of clouds were sailing along it. Vines covered a lot of the stone and along with moss gave the entire structure a feeling as if it had been abandoned long ago. Behind her there was a huge open archway with purple mist covering the opening. Huge green trees and a few more buildings similar to the one she was in could be seen through the halls in between the columns. She couldn't help but gasp at the beauty of it, forgetting her worries even if just for a second.
”You may call me the Abysswalker or Mr. Voice. It's your choice. You kept wanting to see me so here I am!”<i></i> The voice said once more, yet she still couldn't determine from where it was coming. Suddenly the world came alive around her. The sound of the wind blowing in the leafs of trees and of birds singing filled her ears. Asuka jumped up and looked around once more. It had been so many months since she had last heard these sounds so clearly. It was it was...nostalgic.
As suddenly as everything had started cold silence settled over the place once more. A figure fell down from the sky just a fell meters in front of her, near the stone wall. Dust and pebbles were seny flying in every direction. Through the smoke she could see the shape of what resembeled a man, but his body was hunched and his left arm seemed as if it had been completely shattered beyond repair and was hanging down his side. As soon as the dust cloud cleared up Asuka managed to get a better look at him. He wore heavily decayed black and blue armor, which covered his entire body and held a large greatsword in his right hand. A purple mist was slowly coming out from the cracks in his armor and a purple aura radiated from him. It seemed as if the aura was kind, warm and gentle, but she soon felt her chakra slowly but surely depleting with every passing second.
The girl jumped backwards as soon as she felt that and couldn't help but be weary. What was that thing? What was happening to her chakra? How had she ended up here? Questions filled her mind, but there was no answers for either of them. She extended her right hand and felt the familiar sensation of the Sword of Oblivion in her hand as it slowly formed out of a purple lightning. Much to her surprise the colour of it was actually very similar to that of the mist which was coming off of the man in front of her, but now was not the time to ponder about small things like that.
”Where am I?”<i></i> She asked the ''man''. The reply she got was not quite what she expected – laughter. The same laughter she heard in her head for so many years now. Could it possibly be that the thing standing in front of her was actually the source of the voice in her head? No that wasn't possible. ”Oh come now. You don't know who I am? Hahahahaha! You know me better than anyone else and I know you better than anyone else, dearie. We are inside your head.”<i></i> The mans' voice rang out and resonated off the walls and echoed through the other buildings. It was strange, but she could have sworn that she actually heard it, but Asuka was sure that she read his lips. ”And I …..am the only reason you are still alive, dearie. Hahahahaha!”<I> He laughed again before leaning forwards toward her as much as he could. [color=FF4000]” 'Your cell regeneration takes place at a highly increased rate. In a sense the only thing keeping you alive so far is that unnatural regeneration.' That was what he said wasn't it? I am right aren't I? Right? Hahahahahaha! ...Don't look at me as if you can't believe what I am saying, dearie! ”<I> He finished and burst out into a mocking laughter, which echoed and grew louder and louder before suddenly stopping.
There was only one person Asuka knew that called her ''dearie'' and that was the voice. She couldn't deny that this was the same self-centred tone and laughter,which she had heard in her head for so long was right in front of her eyes, but how could they possibly be inside her head? It just made no sense at all. Still that wasn't the most interesting thing. 'What does he mean he's the one ....'She thought as the figure stabbed his sword deep into the ground and began speaking with a serious tone.]”...Keeping me alive? How could we possibly be inside my head? There is no point in wondering. Just accept it. If I hadn't been keeping my host alive, by making you regenerate faster then normal you wouldn't be alive now, dearie. But I didn't bring you here for this. No, no I have an offer for you.” He began speaking as he waved his index finder at her. His voice trailed off towards the end of the sentence and he paused. Silence spread over the ruins one more.
”You know I can't have you die on me. If you do I will die as well. Damn the person who sealed me here! To keep the story short I have no choice but to do all I can to keep you alive and you....”<i></i> He stopped and she couldn't help but feel as if he was staring at her with anger in his eyes. ”....you are making things difficult for me here, brat.”<i></i> The figure finished and sat down on the ground with a loud metal ''Thump'' as his armoured body hit the dry soil. Another long pause followed. The wind began playing with the leaves of the trees and the birdsong resumed. The serenity of the place had once more returned even after the arrival of the armoured figure. It was almost as if he was meant to be there and he wasn't just an intruder in her mind. That is if what he said was true and they were honestly in her mind. ”What do you mean sealed you here?”<i></i> Asuka asked, but the man just raised his hand to stop her.
”Stay quiet and listen to me. Once I stop you can make your decision, because after all I can't do anything if you want to do something else. I can try to take over your body, but who wants a wreck like yours? Hehehe.”<i></i> The abysswalker burst into laughter, his head pointing up into the sky. A few long seconds passed before he stopped and his head pointed at her once more.
”Listen carefully, kiddo. This happened a long time ago when you were still a baby. I hail from a world very different to yours, but I forsake it and began travelling. Sure you can do that anytime, but mine was different – I travelled the Abyss. It is a place full of nothing but darkness and it is also the world in between worlds. Through it I ventured to all different sorts of worlds and I did so for a very long time. On one of those journeys I ended up in your world and I ended up in the middle of a battlefield or what must have been one before. For some reason shinobi decided I was the enemy and attacked me. I had no real choice but fight and sadly I ended up killing most of them. Your parents were among them. Your mother seemed to be gravely wounded and died not too long after and your father fought me and overpowered me, but he was also injured and sealed me away with some of your ninjutsu garbage before he also passed away. Quite stupid isn't it? Hhahahahaha <i></i> His laughter echoed off the walls yet again as the girl seemed to tense even more. Could she be scared of him?
Hah the sweet fear of humans smelled so sweet. Don't believe me? Just ask your current parents they will tell you. As time passed and I was stuck here I came along your mind so long story short I am stuck with you now. The bastard died just after he sealed me and just left me in your dying body to rot. I can't even get the satisfaction of getting revenge on him for the torment he put me through for no reason.<i></i> He sighed before continuing. ”Now I need to make sure a brat lives for as long as it can or I will just die without finishing what I started. Bah this is stupid.”<i></i> The man punched the ground and large cracks appeared on it. Purple mist began streaming from them into the blue sky above.
Asuka didn't budge from where she was standing, still holding the sword at ready, but now it seemed pointless. Even if this person had really killed so many people he wasn't showing any hostility at all towards her. All he did was sit there and talk. Nor would he do anything. Not yet at least. After all if what he said was true they would both die if he tried to. So I'll help you, dearie, but in exchange you need to visit me every so often. And in exchange I will grant you power, which will not only keep you alive, but help you do whatever you want. You know it gets awfully lonely in here. My only friend is good ol' faithful here.”<i></i> The man gently caressed the large blade next to him. Silence followed as he stared at the sword.
”I don't care for your power. You murdered people and you even admitted to it! Why shouldn't I just let you rot here alone and die with me? I will just be ridding the world from a murderer like you!”<i></i> Asuka shouted at him, her cheeks flushing red with anger.
The figures' shoulders dropped and soon his whole body began to shake with laughter. It echoed off of the walls and grew louder and louder. Interesting, very interesting! I was just going to try and unseal myself using your body, but now I will really help you. Why? You interest me kid. As long as you interest me I will not let you die. Say you miss your hearing don't you? I can give you something like it, but don't forget who gave it to you. So what do you say? Do you want to have access to my power and to get your hearing back? It's a great offer isn't it? The only cost is coming to talk to me. In a few years time you may actually be worth looking at, but now - you are still a kid, but all that can change if you accept my offer. Do you want your hearing back? Do you want the power to protect those who can't protect themselves? Didn't you yourself say that true strength is being able to protect those who can't do so themselves a while back? How can you do that if you rot away and die? I can slow down your death and give you back that which you have lost. And I want so little in return. So what do you say? ”<i></i> He finished his story with what seemed to be a smile. Even if his face was hidden by a mask you could tell. Temptation was the strongest enemy of any human being and the man knew how to use it well. No human could resist getting that which they have lost back. Absolutely nobody. Not even miss goddie goodie two-shoes could reject an offer such as this. Even if she knew what the real catch was the girl wanted her hearing back. She wanted to be able to help others and that, that would be her downfall.
”Okay I'll accept. …But I will make sure you never end up killing anyone ever again.”<i></i> The girls' voice wavered heavily as she answered his questions. Now it was too late. No matter what she said or thought she had signed a deal with the devil himself. Once that happens you cannot go back. You are marked by him and you shall remain forever so. The Absswalker stood up slowly, using his right hand to push himself up.
”Perfect, absolutely perfect! It was a pleasure! Now it's time to seal the deal! ”<i></i> Just as he began laughing he disappeared from sight just as he had appeared. Asuka let her sword disappear and looked around carefully, dropping her guard for one vital second. That was a big mistake. Suddenly she felt some warm liquid running down her leg and her entire lower body had gone numb. Her head slowly turned only to reveal the demon standing right in front of her with his sword more than halfway through her stomach. The girl coughed out blood and a small stream of it started flowing from the corner of her mouth. Her chakra seemed to be draining from her rather quickly as if disappearing somewhere. What had just happened? Why had he done that, when it would supposedly kill them both? Could it be that she had released him from his prison? If it were so she had made a great mistake.
”Oh don't worry, dearie. I can't leave this easily Hahahaha! I don't want to leave now. This is becoming far too interesting. I am just fulfilling my end of the bargain. Hahahahaha!”<i></i> As soon as he said that the purple mist that flowed through him slowly began entering her wound. A warm, gentle sensation filled her entire being as the sword slowly began to fade into thin air. The wound slowly began to close as Asuka slowly but surely started to lose conscience. ”Now sleep. And don't forget to visit me, …............my love.”<i></i>
Those were the last words she heard for what seemed for an eternity. She had a lot of time to think about things then. If she didn't know any better she could have sworn that The abysswalker sounded as if he was crying and had called her ''my love'' at the end,but there was no way he could have possibly said anything like that. Or so she thought. Time passed by in the pitch blackness where she found herself. It became her new home of sorts. The serenity was not so bad once you got used to it. It was actually quite a nice thing to have.
Wait what is that over there? A tiny speck in the midst of the darkness somewhere far, far away. She headed towards it out of curiosity. What could it be? What was disturbing her peace and quiet, her home.
Asuka woke up with a start and quickly sat up in the bed. Her entire body was in agony and some loud beeping noise was absolutely annoying her. She slowly opened her eyes to reveal a white room with a small window and a large machine to her left, which was connected to her left hand. Somehow she had ended up in a hospital room or so it seemed at least, but how? The last place she was was on that bench in the Housing district and then she fell asleep and had that dream. Wait what if it wasn't actually a dream? What if that had actually happened? ”Doctor! Doctor! She's awake!” A female voice came from the door followed by heavy footsteps of someone running towards the room from further down the corridor. ”What do you mean she's awake? Her mind didn't show any signs of her waking up. Move!” Said a familiar male voice as a hand pushed the nurse which was staring at Asuka to one side. A large male figure dressed in white quickly entered the room and his jaw dropped to what seemed like the floor. ”Ehm Hello.”<i></i> Matsuoka said, but somehow something was different about her voice. It sounded a lot more developed and was a lot softer than her old squeaky voice. What was going on?.....