Chapter 19 Part 1
The Beast roars. It's so close! Inexorable. Merciless. Bloodthirsty.
Hungry.
"Naruko!" I scream, trying to reach the girl. "NARUKO!!!"
But she doesn't answer me.
Gone is the sweet smile — now there's the Beast's snarl.
Gone is the sky-blue of her eyes — only red flashes of terror and fury remain.
I can't stop her. I'm powerless. My hands are torn; they water the cold earth with blood.
"GRRRRAAAAARRRHHH!"
PAINFUL! IT HURTS!!!
I look up at her from below. Terrible. Repulsive. Her body's warped and distorted, twisted by the Fox's demonic traits. She lustfully licks her clawed fingers with a long tongue, savoring the taste of blood.
I can't call to her; I can't scream. Only gurgling wheezes tear from my throat; my mouth's filled with the taste of iron and salt. My chest's pierced; my lungs are shredded.
Yet I keep living. As if cursed, I keep living in this agony.
Naruko... no! The DEMON grins gluttonously, ramming a hand into my belly. Relishing it, IT slowly pulls my entrails from the wound.
It devours them with a guttural snarl of pleasure. The bloodied maw opens disproportionately wide... and it sinks its fangs into me!
And that's the end.
***
"GAAAAAH!!!" I screamed in pain and terror. My heart pounded frantically against my ribs, trying to beat its way out. My hands! My whole hands scrabbled feverishly over my body — only to find nothing.
A dream.
"It's a dream! Kami-sama..." I whisper, wiping cold sweat from my face with a trembling hand.
"Bmmmffhh-mmmff..." A strange rustling makes me flinch — and jerk my gaze up to see large, mystical eyes right before me!!!
"Ah!!" I cried out, recoiling. But then — forcing myself to focus — I saw just as much fright in them as I probably had in mine. And then, recognizing the owner of those eyes, I let out a weary sigh. "Ah... It's you. Please, don't frighten me like that!"
"Bmmff-bmff fmmff..." The creature murmured good-naturedly, waving its short proboscis. Its intelligent eyes looked questioning — almost beseeching.
"Oh! Yes, of course." I spoke, quickly grasping the request. Because I'd woken up, this little guy hadn't finished his work — so I'll have to use the "folk" method. Clapping my hands, I quickly recited: "Baku kurae, baku kurae, baku kurae!"
The tapir-like creature — the Baku — extended its trunk toward me and powerfully inhaled. A light breeze stirred my hair, and a black haze swirled around my body. That haze stretched straight toward the proboscis and began to gather into a matte-black sphere — troubled emanations radiating from it.
"Mfaffh!" The spirit snorted contentedly as the last wisp of black smoke was drawn into the sphere. Licking its chops, the Baku tossed the sphere into its mouth with an elephantine motion and, with a satisfied rumble, began working its jaws.
"Um — bon appétit," I wished wholeheartedly. Once the spirit had finished gathering the smoke, I immediately felt better — the nightmare stopped evoking that irrational horror. "And thank you for this, Baku-san."
"Fmmmf." Stretching its tiger-like paws and waving its ox-like tail in farewell, the Dream Eater drifted unhurriedly through the wall of my dwelling to the outside.
"Kami — that was unpleasant." I muttered, sticking my head under a stream of cold water. My heart kept beating anxiously, as if still not believing it'd only been a dream. "Or is it an ominous portent?"
Glancing at the clock, I realized there were still several hours until dawn. Just as I realized I wouldn't be able to fall asleep after all that.
A Tailed Beast of a nightmare!
I settled into meditation, finally calmed myself, and started thinking slowly. What's the cause? Probably anxiety. Naturally — that's it! I can't help worrying. I don't have infinite carefreeness. No perfectly clear path.
And I worry about Naruko. A lot. The Tailed Beast sealed inside her — its aggression makes my hair stand on end. It's aggressive. Full of hatred for everyone — including its own jailer. Given all that — trying to talk to a knot of hatred like that? Doesn't seem smart. Or safe. It's dangerous. Frankly idiotic!
But whatever I want — Naruko's destined to do this someday. To survive. To beat her enemies. She'll need the Fox's power. Sooner or later — it'll happen. Just inevitable. I understood that. Naruko understood it too. Even if she wasn't exactly thrilled.
She asked me to help her. For days now, I'd been preparing a special place — to contain any surges of demonic chakra and, if needed, pacify the jinchuriki.
Today's the day. And apparently — my suppressed anxieties poured out into that nightmare. That's not good. I've gotta be composed. Confident. For Naruko.
Meditation — done. Kata and breathing exercises followed. The fluid, measured movements and steady breathing brought me back to normal. I greeted the dawn with a calm heart and some confidence in the day ahead.
That's better.
"So... I'll make something to eat," I decided.
***
"Ummm... Is it time yet?" Naruko asked timidly, sitting in the center of a five-pointed star.
"You've asked the exact same thing five times in the last ten minutes, Naruko. Yes — it's almost time." I barely held back a heavy sigh. Right now Naruko's like a kid in the back seat of a car — pestering her parents with "Are we there yet? How about now? How about now?!" Still — she's not quite THAT insistent. Small blessing.
I meticulously inspected the walls of the small cavern at the base of the Hokage Monument. I'd spent a long time setting it up: paper seals covered the walls so densely they could be mistaken for exotic wallpaper. The floor was perfectly level, with precisely carved channels forming a massive barrier seal. In the center — the Circle of Elements. The girl sat inside it.
"If not perfect — then close." I finally decided. You can't prepare forever. But that dream wouldn't leave my head — so I pushed myself to anticipate every possible problem. The wall barrier will keep the Tailed Beast's malevolent emanations contained. The floor constructs provide protection — and hold the Fox IF it TRIES to break loose. IF — IF! — things go wrong and the Beast bolts, I'll have enough strength to drive it back into its cage and keep it from hurting Naruko. Right now — this place is My Territory. I've prepared it accordingly. Every advantage in my hands.
Alright — I'm already catching myself stalling.
Hah.
Watch over us with one eye, Amaterasu-sama.
"Alright, Naruko — we're starting!" I announced, clapping my hands. Instantly, the taut ropes with dangling seals blocked the exit and dropped from the ceiling in a seemingly random pattern.
"FINALLY! I got so tired of sitting on these stones!" The girl complained, fidgeting her rear against the stone floor. Oh — I should've brought a mat! I knew I was forgetting something... "Mmoouu!.. My poor butt."
"Focus, Naruko." I said it a little more sternly. "You can start anytime — I'll watch over everything else. But remember!.."
"Yeah, yeah... Don't open the cage, don't touch anything weird, don't listen to sweet talk, don't fall for persuasion. I remember, I remember! You don't need to repeat it a hundred times an hour, dattebayo!" The girl grumbled, settling into a meditative pose. "I remember everything, Koru-chan. Don't worry: Uzumaki Naruko won't lose to some stupid furry rug!!! I'll show it!"
After that self-assured speech, Naruko's face went focused. She froze — completely surrendered to her senses. Now everything depends on her. All I can do is watch.
***
It was dark. Damp. In the dim corridors, water stood knee-deep, and the air was disgustingly musty.
"Vooohhaaa! What a hole!" Naruko exclaimed, generating a long echo. "Mheh — and where's all this water from?! So lame..."
Loudly complaining, Uzumaki moved along the flooded tunnel. The possibility of getting lost didn't even cross her mind: Kaoru had explained that in her own "inner world," she'd reach her goal no matter what — or just return to reality. And Naruko believed Kaoru. "Koru-chan" knows everything — he simply can't be wrong! For Naruko, this was practically a law of nature: Sun rises in the morning. Water is wet. Uchiha is a Hedgehog. And she — Uzumaki Naruko — will become Hokage!
"Dismal." Uzumaki studied the endless rows of pipes that hid the ceiling completely and kept threatening to drip icy water down her collar. "Ohoooo?!"
Naruko couldn't hold back an awestruck gasp: rounding another corner, she suddenly found herself in a gigantic chamber. No ceiling here — it vanished somewhere in the impenetrable blackness swallowing the upper space. But what really grabbed her eye — colossal gates set into the far wall.
"Hmm... 'S'-'e'-'a'-'l'..." Squinting, Naruko managed to read the inscription on the tiny scrap of paper covering the gap between the doors. Compared to the Gates' massive scale, the paper itself was so small and shabby it seemed almost laughable.
"What'd Koru-chan say? Ah — right! This is exactly what I'm NOT supposed to touch!" Naruko recalled, nodding to herself. "But it's... it's so TINY?! What the hell — this scrap of toilet paper is supposed to hold the Fox?!"
Indignant, Uzumaki squinted at the paper seal with deep distrust. She had very little faith in this... "lock." It looked way too flimsy. Not like the way her friend did things — THAT was done right! She'd verified that personally. Just look at how Kaoru set up that cavern — paper, strings, all those incomprehensible squiggles — almost made your eyes ripple. Naruko thought it was awesome. Incomprehensible — but awesome. Her faith in THAT array? Immeasurably higher than in this shabby little dangly thing.
For a moment, Naruko wondered how to get the Tailed Beast's attention. Then she decided on the most effective, efficient, repeatedly tested method: her voice.
"HEY! YOU!!" The girl shouted into the darkness beyond the bars with everything she had. "Show yourself!"
The echo of her ringing voice traveled deep — wandering through the dark. No answer. Naruko got ready to shout again — but the words jammed in her throat as a huge red eye opened right in front of her. Narrowing, the Eye stared at Naruko — and that scorching gaze made her deeply uneasy.
"Came herself, little human girl." A second eye appeared beside the first — and below them, out of the blackness, giant fangs emerged. "Well then — come closer. COME CLOSER AND LET ME DEVOUR YOU!!!"
The locked gates groaned, buckling under the fanged muzzle's impact. Naruko leapt back in fear, watching the Tailed Beast — expecting it to burst free and lunge at any second. But the seal held. The Fox stayed locked.
"Y-you... You stupid doormat!!!" The girl shouted angrily — pumping up her courage. Uzumaki felt a stab of shame for being scared — and anger at the Fox, the source of that fear. "I came here to get your chakra!!!"
"WhAt?!" The Fox snarled — genuinely stunned by her nerve.
"You just sit inside me being completely useless!" Naruko was working herself up — some innate stubbornness driving her to sound even louder than the Fox. "No — WORSE! Because of you, my life's one total drag, dattebayo!!! Stop growing yourself a fat tailed backside and DO something useful already!!!!!! Kzhh!" Her voice cracked — she choked on air and started coughing. Catching her breath, Naruko took a deep inhale, calming down. And remembered some of Kaoru's advice. "Uff... Fooox!!!.. Ahem! Fox! If... Umm. It's normal that you're a big angry furball. Listen — I get that. But enough already with hating everyone around you! I think it wouldn't be so bad to live together without all that crap? Maybe — if we got to know each other — we could even be friends!"
Naruko smiled wide. Kaoru'd warned her not to trust the Fox and not to free it. But he'd also said she could try to build a relationship with her Tailed Beast. Sure — right now it's just an angry furball with nine tails and a nasty personality. But things could change!
"Ghe... Heh-heh-heh-heeh..."
"What's so funny?!" Naruko demanded.
"Silly little human. Did you... ge-heh-heh... How did that thought even get into your primitive little head — that I — ME!!!! — need some kind of 'friends'?! Gheh... What exquisite stupidity!"
"HEY!!!"
"How amusing! That's the funniest thing I've heard in a very long time." The Fox's red eyes squinted with mockery. "Geh-heh-heheee..."
"Heeey — wht?" Naruko started glancing around nervously as the water around her began to churn.
"Little monkey — you wanted my power?!" The Tailed Beast's voice rasped from behind the bars. A whirlpool began twisting around Naruko — squeezing her in a rigid embrace. "Then TAKE it!"
"Ghh! Stop it!!" Naruko strained — fighting to break free. But she wasn't strong enough: the orange vortex swallowed her head, drowning her in liquefied Tailed Beast chakra. Panicking, she tried to flee outward — wake up in reality — but something held her back. "Aaaarrrhh!"
The Fox's snarling laughter drilled into her ears — drowning everything. Even her thoughts.
"Help!" The girl screamed inside — desperate — feeling her consciousness flood with darkness.
"Help me!"
"Save me!..."
"K..."
"Kao..."
....
"ru..."