Not quite what I intended when I started out writing this chapter, but I think it came out ok. Let me know. Originally the title was going to be Memories, but that didnÆt seem to fit once I reached the end of the chap, so here it is.
Blood Moon 3
Becoming
________________________________________________________________
The first night in his new home was uncomfortable for Naruto, the unfamiliar surroundings making it hard for him to relax. The small apartment was located under a bridge in one of the more run down parts of the village. Thin walls meant the sound of revellers taking part in the annual festival crossing over the bridge passed through barely lessened at all. Eventually however, the young boy drifted into a fitful sleep.
________________________________________________________________
"IÆm bored.ö
Within the darkness of the chamber, Dracula gazed at the large door to his cage, the unusual seal that bound him to the boy shaping a large part of the cage design.
Usually the Nosferatou would occupy himself with reading the minds of those around his vessel, learning about the village that Little Flame protected with his life and seeing what the villagers thought about his vessel.
Suffice to say what he had learned reinforced his intense disgust at the human race. The murder of his first wife, beautiful Janna, born of his Romany people and beloved by the people of Wallachia had been what first unleashed his fury and hatred upon humanity.
Death, destruction, bloodshed and fear followed in his wake as he had visited his pain upon humanity, searching for one who could end his suffering. And then his defeat at the hands of Van Hellsing, submitting to the control arts binding him to the Hellsing line, as his honour demanded.
Integra, his second love, and Seras his third. How he missed them. They had been betrayed by the Round Table, the fools deciding that the Hellsing Organization was too ôdangerousö to allow its existence. They sent their operatives at noon, calling on the Iscariot Organization and their regenerator, Alexander Anderson, to raze the building to the ground. He had felt them die, his bond to them both stronger than any other. His rage would have been unleashed then, vengeance ingrained deep in his Romany heart, save for the betrayal of the Angel of Death Walter. In the instant of his loves death, waking Dracula, then named Alucard from his slumber, Walter had activated the flamethrowers he had built into AlucardÆs coffin in secret, rendering his body into ash, to remain dormant until blood was shed onto the remains.
He had no idea how long he had been asleep. Upon his awakening the desire for vengeance, bloodshed, was as fresh as it had been on that day. He could not remember what had awakened him, blinded by his emotions until he came upon a village, slaughtering them and consuming their blood to regain his strength. It was then that he stripped himself of the name Alucard, returning once more to the name Dracula, Prince of Wallachia, Romany.
Unfortunately he could not alleviate his current boredom with the usual means since the villagers were momentarily beyond the currently limited reach of his powers.
ôI wonder what Fishcake is thinkingàö
Directing his powers out through the bars of his cage, Dracula reached out and touched the mind of the fitfully sleeping Naruto.
ôWho the hell are you?ö
Dracula smiled as he found himself looking at Naruto, somehow not surprised the boy had appeared in front of his cage the moment their minds made contact.
ôMy name is Dracula.ö
________________________________________________________________
The morning sun streaming in through his window awoke Naruto, a thoughtful expression on his face as he listened to the birdsong drifting in the air whilst making himself breakfast.
æI need to go see Ojii-san.Æ
With that decision made, Naruto cleaned up the mess from breakfast and set off to the Hokage Tower.
______________________________________________________________
ôDaddy look! ItÆs that boy again! Can I go play with him now? Please?ö
Looking in the direction his daughter was pointing, Teuchi saw a strangely thoughtful Naruto walking through the crowded street. Smiling at Ayame, he nodded his head. At her beaming smile he quickly added on a condition.
ôBut only for a while ok? I want you home in time for dinner.ö
ôOk Otoo-san, I promise.ö
With that his little girl skipped happily over to meet her, hopefully, new friend.
________________________________________________________________
ôHello! My name is Ayame, whatÆs yours?ö
Naruto was startled out of his thoughts by the cheerful voice addressing him, unused to having people speak to him in such a way, let alone a stranger.
ôUm, my name is Naruto.ö
The smile on AyameÆs face was contagious as she rocked back and forwards on her feet, hands behind her back and head tilted slightly to the side. A picture of cute childish innocence.
ôDo you want to be my friend?ö
Naruto blinked twice as his mind processed her words. His smile turned into a full fledged grin as he nodded happily, completely forgetting his earlier destination.
ôThat sounds great Ayame-chan!ö
The two shortly found themselves in one of KonohaÆs parks, playing tag, hide and seek (which Naruto always won) and generally just being carefree kids, laughing, playing and learning about their new friend until it was time for Ayame to go home for dinner.
ôBye Naruto-kun, IÆll see you later æk?ö
ôHai Ayame-chan!ö
Waving to his new friend with a huge grin on his face as she left the park, Naruto suddenly remembered why he had been going to see his Ojii-san.
æI better get going!Æ
With that thought he quickly set off to the Hokage Tower, a thoughtful look once again settling on his face.
__________________________________________________________
ôNaruto? Is something wrong?ö
Raising his contemplative gaze from the floor of the Hokage Office, Naruto blinked a few times, taking in his surroundings. He had been so deep in thought he hadnÆt even realised that he had reached his destination.
ôOjii-san, I had something strange happen last night. This guy in a red hat and coat in a cage that had bars that looked like the marks on my hands told me his name was Dracula and that he was sealed inside me and told me about attacking the village and why he did it and how I reminded him of when he was a kid and said I should tell you that he was going to teach me stuff because IÆm interesting and heÆs bored.ö
Naruto took a deep breath after having spoken such a long sentence with no breaks, holding it in as the Sandaime looked at him emotionlessly exhaling a large cloud of smoke after drawing from his pipe.
ôThen you have met the No Life Kingà I should have expected this to happen sooner or later.ö
NarutoÆs eyes filled with tears as he looked at the man he called Grandfather.
ôWhy didnÆt you tell me?! Why didnÆt you tell me why they all hate me?!ö
It broke Sarutobi's heart to see his grandson like this, to see the look of betrayal in those sad eyes.
ôI am sorry Naruto, I thought that, if I told you before you were old enough to understand, then you would think that you were Nosferatou, a re-incarnation of Dracula, instead of his vessel, a separate person.ö
Naruto sniffled as he wiped away his tears, his sadness replaced with hope when he heard the old manÆs explanation. It took several weeks of explanation before Naruto fully grasped the concept of what he was and accepted it. He made a promise to Sandaime to keep it secret unless he felt it was important for someone to know.
One month later, the first year of his training at the Shinobi Academy began.
__________________________________________________________________
NarutoÆs first year of the Academy was uneventful. With his unique style of learning it took him much more time and effort than other students to master the simple shinobi skills being taught however, once he had learned them they became his, NarutoÆs ability to utilise them in an unexpected and effective manner causing teachers to call him the most ôsurprisingö student in the Academy. This however did not shift him from his position as the dead last of the class since by the time he mastered a skill, the time limit to do so had long since past. There were of course exceptions, rope tying for example. It was during this time that he began to pull pranks.
Once the Hokage found out he decided to give Naruto a few pointers on evasion tactics for when he was being chased, as well as telling him trap skills were important for a shinobi. This spurned him into creating prank traps to get more practice, as well as have some fun. Naruto wasnÆt very good at it however, as nine times out of ten they would backfire on him.
Dracula had also begun to talk to Naruto telepathically, teaching him little things about observing people, giving hints every now and then as well as making seemingly random statements that when thought back on later turned out to be very insightful. In this manner NarutoÆs mind was continuously exercising itself as he tried to figure out the meaning behind his tenantÆs mysterious words and peoples interactions, gradually learning to ôread between the lines,ö as what was not spoken or done was often as important as what was. It also served to improve his memory incrementally as he tried to remember as much as he could so he wouldnÆt miss any hidden meanings. By observing people and following DraculaÆs other instructions his awareness of people and his surroundings gradually improved. It was slow going and due to his limited social interaction, stifled by the villagerÆs hatred, he was only slightly more adept than an average seven year old, but in a decade or so he would be a master at it, thanks to DraculaÆs centuries of experience.
Whenever Naruto got a day off from the academy or training he would visit his friend Ayame or her dad who ran a ramen stall called IchirakuÆs. Only one event sullied the memory of his fifth year of life.
_________________________________________________________________
The apartment was shrouded in darkness as Naruto returned to his humble abode after a long day of ôtrainingö aka pranks. Not bothering to turn on the lights the young boy stumbled tiredly over to his bed, easily finding it in the darkness and falling into an exhausted, dreamless sleep the instant his head hit the pillow.
Or at least, that is what would have happened, if it werenÆt for the fact that as soon as he opened the door someone grabbed his vest, hauling him up from the floor and slamming him against the wall, knocking the breath from him as the door was slammed shut.
ôYou will never learn our secrets, Alucard. Your father tried to destroy us, and now you die for his crimes.ö
It had become a common sentiment over the years, to address Naruto as the son of Dracula, coming up with the name Alucard in order to tell the two monsters apart. It was using this premise that allowed them to still despise him and treat him as though he were the No Life King himself, despite his obvious human level of strength and development, passing it off as he had not yet grown into his Nosferatou powers.
Naruto felt the man press his body against the wall, his assailant leaning against him in an attempt to utilise superior strength and body mass to smother Naruto to death, as well as preventing him from fighting back. And it was working.
The villager, for no shinobi would kill in such a manner, leaned his head forward to whisper directly in NarutoÆs ear as the boyÆs body began to grow heavy, spots dancing before his eyes, a dull roar filling his ears, both individuals remaining faceless in the darkness of the apartment.
ôHow does it feel Nosferatou? To be helpless, feeling your body die around you as the Shinigami comes to drag your demonic essence to the abyss?ö
æNoà I wonÆt dieà not like thisà help meàÆ
NarutoÆs silent cry went unanswered, but he did not give in. Determination swelled up within him, the core of who he was coming out as his life began to fade. Even as his heartbeat slowed to a crawl, his vision cleared, the darkness suddenly clear as day, strength returning to his limbs slowly. With all his effort he barely managed to gasp out a whisper into his attackerÆs ear.
ôI wonÆt dieàö
With that Naruto, a mere child of five and a half years old, opened his mouth wide and bit down as hard as he could, his fangs sinking deeply into the assassinÆs neck, the force of the manÆs racing heartbeat sending blood gushing down his throat, filling his mouth with a sweet, coppery taste. Within moments the villager lay dead on the floor, the beating of his own heart leaving his body devoid of blood, not a single drop having touched the apartmentÆs floor.
Naruto fell forward limply to one knee, left fist planted on the floor, right forearm on raised knee, head bent forward, his hair obscuring his face from view as the sky outside let loose a torrent of rain, bolts of crimson lightning falling to earth in the distance in time to his slowly beating heart, the red light accompanying the crack of thunder illuminating NarutoÆs home a blood red with each strike from the heavens.
Looking up as another flash of red filled the room, the sound of thunder resonated through the room as crimson eyes the colour of blood looked up from under black streaked bangs.
ôI wonÆt dieàö
_______________________________________________
yeah I know, I probably shouldnÆt have done it, but I swear, it just happened! Still fits in with the overall way I want this story to go though, so no big. Chap once again written today, though no more for the next two days since I have work.
Edit: changed the "Kit" nickname to my original idea of "Fishcake".
Blood Moon 3
Becoming
________________________________________________________________
The first night in his new home was uncomfortable for Naruto, the unfamiliar surroundings making it hard for him to relax. The small apartment was located under a bridge in one of the more run down parts of the village. Thin walls meant the sound of revellers taking part in the annual festival crossing over the bridge passed through barely lessened at all. Eventually however, the young boy drifted into a fitful sleep.
________________________________________________________________
"IÆm bored.ö
Within the darkness of the chamber, Dracula gazed at the large door to his cage, the unusual seal that bound him to the boy shaping a large part of the cage design.
Usually the Nosferatou would occupy himself with reading the minds of those around his vessel, learning about the village that Little Flame protected with his life and seeing what the villagers thought about his vessel.
Suffice to say what he had learned reinforced his intense disgust at the human race. The murder of his first wife, beautiful Janna, born of his Romany people and beloved by the people of Wallachia had been what first unleashed his fury and hatred upon humanity.
Death, destruction, bloodshed and fear followed in his wake as he had visited his pain upon humanity, searching for one who could end his suffering. And then his defeat at the hands of Van Hellsing, submitting to the control arts binding him to the Hellsing line, as his honour demanded.
Integra, his second love, and Seras his third. How he missed them. They had been betrayed by the Round Table, the fools deciding that the Hellsing Organization was too ôdangerousö to allow its existence. They sent their operatives at noon, calling on the Iscariot Organization and their regenerator, Alexander Anderson, to raze the building to the ground. He had felt them die, his bond to them both stronger than any other. His rage would have been unleashed then, vengeance ingrained deep in his Romany heart, save for the betrayal of the Angel of Death Walter. In the instant of his loves death, waking Dracula, then named Alucard from his slumber, Walter had activated the flamethrowers he had built into AlucardÆs coffin in secret, rendering his body into ash, to remain dormant until blood was shed onto the remains.
He had no idea how long he had been asleep. Upon his awakening the desire for vengeance, bloodshed, was as fresh as it had been on that day. He could not remember what had awakened him, blinded by his emotions until he came upon a village, slaughtering them and consuming their blood to regain his strength. It was then that he stripped himself of the name Alucard, returning once more to the name Dracula, Prince of Wallachia, Romany.
Unfortunately he could not alleviate his current boredom with the usual means since the villagers were momentarily beyond the currently limited reach of his powers.
ôI wonder what Fishcake is thinkingàö
Directing his powers out through the bars of his cage, Dracula reached out and touched the mind of the fitfully sleeping Naruto.
ôWho the hell are you?ö
Dracula smiled as he found himself looking at Naruto, somehow not surprised the boy had appeared in front of his cage the moment their minds made contact.
ôMy name is Dracula.ö
________________________________________________________________
The morning sun streaming in through his window awoke Naruto, a thoughtful expression on his face as he listened to the birdsong drifting in the air whilst making himself breakfast.
æI need to go see Ojii-san.Æ
With that decision made, Naruto cleaned up the mess from breakfast and set off to the Hokage Tower.
______________________________________________________________
ôDaddy look! ItÆs that boy again! Can I go play with him now? Please?ö
Looking in the direction his daughter was pointing, Teuchi saw a strangely thoughtful Naruto walking through the crowded street. Smiling at Ayame, he nodded his head. At her beaming smile he quickly added on a condition.
ôBut only for a while ok? I want you home in time for dinner.ö
ôOk Otoo-san, I promise.ö
With that his little girl skipped happily over to meet her, hopefully, new friend.
________________________________________________________________
ôHello! My name is Ayame, whatÆs yours?ö
Naruto was startled out of his thoughts by the cheerful voice addressing him, unused to having people speak to him in such a way, let alone a stranger.
ôUm, my name is Naruto.ö
The smile on AyameÆs face was contagious as she rocked back and forwards on her feet, hands behind her back and head tilted slightly to the side. A picture of cute childish innocence.
ôDo you want to be my friend?ö
Naruto blinked twice as his mind processed her words. His smile turned into a full fledged grin as he nodded happily, completely forgetting his earlier destination.
ôThat sounds great Ayame-chan!ö
The two shortly found themselves in one of KonohaÆs parks, playing tag, hide and seek (which Naruto always won) and generally just being carefree kids, laughing, playing and learning about their new friend until it was time for Ayame to go home for dinner.
ôBye Naruto-kun, IÆll see you later æk?ö
ôHai Ayame-chan!ö
Waving to his new friend with a huge grin on his face as she left the park, Naruto suddenly remembered why he had been going to see his Ojii-san.
æI better get going!Æ
With that thought he quickly set off to the Hokage Tower, a thoughtful look once again settling on his face.
__________________________________________________________
ôNaruto? Is something wrong?ö
Raising his contemplative gaze from the floor of the Hokage Office, Naruto blinked a few times, taking in his surroundings. He had been so deep in thought he hadnÆt even realised that he had reached his destination.
ôOjii-san, I had something strange happen last night. This guy in a red hat and coat in a cage that had bars that looked like the marks on my hands told me his name was Dracula and that he was sealed inside me and told me about attacking the village and why he did it and how I reminded him of when he was a kid and said I should tell you that he was going to teach me stuff because IÆm interesting and heÆs bored.ö
Naruto took a deep breath after having spoken such a long sentence with no breaks, holding it in as the Sandaime looked at him emotionlessly exhaling a large cloud of smoke after drawing from his pipe.
ôThen you have met the No Life Kingà I should have expected this to happen sooner or later.ö
NarutoÆs eyes filled with tears as he looked at the man he called Grandfather.
ôWhy didnÆt you tell me?! Why didnÆt you tell me why they all hate me?!ö
It broke Sarutobi's heart to see his grandson like this, to see the look of betrayal in those sad eyes.
ôI am sorry Naruto, I thought that, if I told you before you were old enough to understand, then you would think that you were Nosferatou, a re-incarnation of Dracula, instead of his vessel, a separate person.ö
Naruto sniffled as he wiped away his tears, his sadness replaced with hope when he heard the old manÆs explanation. It took several weeks of explanation before Naruto fully grasped the concept of what he was and accepted it. He made a promise to Sandaime to keep it secret unless he felt it was important for someone to know.
One month later, the first year of his training at the Shinobi Academy began.
__________________________________________________________________
NarutoÆs first year of the Academy was uneventful. With his unique style of learning it took him much more time and effort than other students to master the simple shinobi skills being taught however, once he had learned them they became his, NarutoÆs ability to utilise them in an unexpected and effective manner causing teachers to call him the most ôsurprisingö student in the Academy. This however did not shift him from his position as the dead last of the class since by the time he mastered a skill, the time limit to do so had long since past. There were of course exceptions, rope tying for example. It was during this time that he began to pull pranks.
Once the Hokage found out he decided to give Naruto a few pointers on evasion tactics for when he was being chased, as well as telling him trap skills were important for a shinobi. This spurned him into creating prank traps to get more practice, as well as have some fun. Naruto wasnÆt very good at it however, as nine times out of ten they would backfire on him.
Dracula had also begun to talk to Naruto telepathically, teaching him little things about observing people, giving hints every now and then as well as making seemingly random statements that when thought back on later turned out to be very insightful. In this manner NarutoÆs mind was continuously exercising itself as he tried to figure out the meaning behind his tenantÆs mysterious words and peoples interactions, gradually learning to ôread between the lines,ö as what was not spoken or done was often as important as what was. It also served to improve his memory incrementally as he tried to remember as much as he could so he wouldnÆt miss any hidden meanings. By observing people and following DraculaÆs other instructions his awareness of people and his surroundings gradually improved. It was slow going and due to his limited social interaction, stifled by the villagerÆs hatred, he was only slightly more adept than an average seven year old, but in a decade or so he would be a master at it, thanks to DraculaÆs centuries of experience.
Whenever Naruto got a day off from the academy or training he would visit his friend Ayame or her dad who ran a ramen stall called IchirakuÆs. Only one event sullied the memory of his fifth year of life.
_________________________________________________________________
The apartment was shrouded in darkness as Naruto returned to his humble abode after a long day of ôtrainingö aka pranks. Not bothering to turn on the lights the young boy stumbled tiredly over to his bed, easily finding it in the darkness and falling into an exhausted, dreamless sleep the instant his head hit the pillow.
Or at least, that is what would have happened, if it werenÆt for the fact that as soon as he opened the door someone grabbed his vest, hauling him up from the floor and slamming him against the wall, knocking the breath from him as the door was slammed shut.
ôYou will never learn our secrets, Alucard. Your father tried to destroy us, and now you die for his crimes.ö
It had become a common sentiment over the years, to address Naruto as the son of Dracula, coming up with the name Alucard in order to tell the two monsters apart. It was using this premise that allowed them to still despise him and treat him as though he were the No Life King himself, despite his obvious human level of strength and development, passing it off as he had not yet grown into his Nosferatou powers.
Naruto felt the man press his body against the wall, his assailant leaning against him in an attempt to utilise superior strength and body mass to smother Naruto to death, as well as preventing him from fighting back. And it was working.
The villager, for no shinobi would kill in such a manner, leaned his head forward to whisper directly in NarutoÆs ear as the boyÆs body began to grow heavy, spots dancing before his eyes, a dull roar filling his ears, both individuals remaining faceless in the darkness of the apartment.
ôHow does it feel Nosferatou? To be helpless, feeling your body die around you as the Shinigami comes to drag your demonic essence to the abyss?ö
æNoà I wonÆt dieà not like thisà help meàÆ
NarutoÆs silent cry went unanswered, but he did not give in. Determination swelled up within him, the core of who he was coming out as his life began to fade. Even as his heartbeat slowed to a crawl, his vision cleared, the darkness suddenly clear as day, strength returning to his limbs slowly. With all his effort he barely managed to gasp out a whisper into his attackerÆs ear.
ôI wonÆt dieàö
With that Naruto, a mere child of five and a half years old, opened his mouth wide and bit down as hard as he could, his fangs sinking deeply into the assassinÆs neck, the force of the manÆs racing heartbeat sending blood gushing down his throat, filling his mouth with a sweet, coppery taste. Within moments the villager lay dead on the floor, the beating of his own heart leaving his body devoid of blood, not a single drop having touched the apartmentÆs floor.
Naruto fell forward limply to one knee, left fist planted on the floor, right forearm on raised knee, head bent forward, his hair obscuring his face from view as the sky outside let loose a torrent of rain, bolts of crimson lightning falling to earth in the distance in time to his slowly beating heart, the red light accompanying the crack of thunder illuminating NarutoÆs home a blood red with each strike from the heavens.
Looking up as another flash of red filled the room, the sound of thunder resonated through the room as crimson eyes the colour of blood looked up from under black streaked bangs.
ôI wonÆt dieàö
_______________________________________________
yeah I know, I probably shouldnÆt have done it, but I swear, it just happened! Still fits in with the overall way I want this story to go though, so no big. Chap once again written today, though no more for the next two days since I have work.
Edit: changed the "Kit" nickname to my original idea of "Fishcake".
