An involuntary shiver travelled down Hayate's spine at the mention of the creatures. Looking back at Kiyomi he wasn't sure whether or not he should ask the question he had on his mind. Seeing as he was probably in enough trouble already, Hayate decided to go ahead with it.
"Is this what you meant by the experiments?" He felt like the question was probably unnecessary, but it would at least help explain some things.
She still stared to the stairs above. She could sense some small things. Probably some of those weird creatures. Slowly she glanced at Hayate.
''Most likely. Though I get the idea that this was just the top of the iceberg.'' Turning her head to look at the stairs that would lead deeper down, Kiyomi narrowed her eyes. It was something she wouldn't need to say, but she still did so.
''And I get the feeling something far worse is waiting for us. Best is if we finish it and erase it before Team 7 decides to come down. I am not sure if it is possible, but Ken-senpai has this ability to track killing intent. With all those nasty buggers, I hope he doesn't decide to check it out.''Realization dawning on him, Hayate nodded. They would need to move quickly if that was the case. Turning back to face the way down, Hayate hesitated and then reached down, picking up Samehada and gently placing the sword on his back again. Giving the sentient blade a few quick pats, he looked back to Kiyomi.
"So uh... shall we walk, or...?"Again, Kiyomi shot a glare in his direction.
''Do you even need to ask?'' She said, with a serious tone as she would walk down the stairs. Sighing, she glanced in his direction once more.
''Next time, I want a fair warning. I don't like surprises like trying to escape a horde of weird savage creatures that try to maim at us, while you try to slide us down into what ever awaits us.'' Kiyomi turned her head back and then came to a halt. There was something that caused her to feel very wary. In the distance, there was some light. Very weak, but it was there.
''I guess we are being expected.'' Kiyomi mumbled as she stared at the faint light. It probably meant they were almost down. Still, she somehow had the feeling she would rather head back up and kill those weird creatures one by one than to go down and see what was waiting for them.
Thankful for the mask that hid his grin, Hayate tried not to chuckle as Kiyomi brought up their sudden slide down the stairs. Following her down, he almost didn't notice her stop. Holding himself back from running into her, Hayate tried to see what had made her stop. In the distance, he thought he could make out a very dim source of light. His eyes weren't as good as Kiyomi's and so he couldn't be certain, but Hayate felt another small shiver run down his spine. In response, he could feel Samehada shift ever so slightly on his back.
"Well... shall we get this over with then?" His voice was quiet, and held a twinge of nervousness.
''I actually want you to wait here, but right now it seems we have little choice. You're kind of not that great in the dark. Not without any help.'' Kiyomi bluntly stated as she shared her thoughts. With the appearance of the light, she however kept her voice low.
''Though I can use more destructive techniques without an ally at my side, I can't have it that you get overwhelmed in the dark by those creatures we encountered earlier. Certainly not when your teamwork with Sharky is weak. Though that isn't really your fault.'' She became silent as she pondered on their choices. With the steel stairs, he couldn't use his earth release to move through the ground. And for some reason she suspected that it was made on purpose to counter Earth Release users. Not to mention lightning. Though it was conductive as she had noticed earlier, it also grounded the lighnting that a wide range attack was reduced in effectiveness. Analyzing further how everything had been, Kiyomi sighed.
''Though I really am trying to figure out how we can do this without doing what they want us to do, I think there is no escaping this. Are you ready?'' Kiyomi asked, looking briefly with a worried look in his direction.
"Sheesh... Make a guy feel useful." Hayate said, crossing his arms and pouting slightly. Though he was slightly bothered at Kiyomi's remarks, he also understood that she was correct. Didn't mean he had to like it though. Letting out a loud sigh, Hayate pondered what to do.
"If we want to avoid doing what they want us to do, then we're gonna have to do the unexpected." Pausing for a moment as he realized just how stupidly obivous what he'd just said was, Hayate looked out over the staircase.
"What I mean is that we should find a way to use what we can do to our advantage. Something that they couldn't possibly have forseen."Patting his shoulder, Kiyomi shook her head lightly.
''You're quite useful. I will know who to call when I want to make a slide.'' She told him, but became serious a second later. Though she understood what Hayate meant, she wasn't so sure about that. She already had made a name for herself. Often that meant people were aware of some of her abilities, which was a pain when she had to face a strong opponent.
''I really doubt they will be able to predict anything, but even though they must have some intel on me, I think you're pretty safe.'' She paused. Giggling, she softly bumped his shoulder.
''You can even see yourself as my secret weapon. How about that?''Muttering under his breath, Hayate pretended to still be upset, but he couldn't hide his growing smile.
"If you say so Kiyomi-sama, I will do whatever I can." He hoped that they were ready to face whatever lay ahead. As they continued down the stairs, his thoughts briefly flashed back to that mission from before. They had gone up against some serious odds then and prevailed. Hopefully this worked out too.
Placing her foot on the ground, Kiyomi almost wanted to curse out loud. Steel, again. This was starting to get on her nerves. Then again, it could work in their advantage. Walking towards the wall, Kiyomi placed her left hand against it. It wasn't as rough as earth would be, so she was sure it was also from steel. That would give Hayate some more playground. Finding that thought quite amusing, she also figured it would allow her some advantage. Only problem she could think off was Hayate. If there was one person she didn't want to see her using Matatabi's chakra, it was him. It made her feel weird and distant from him whenever she used it.
''Here we go then.'' Kiyomi whispered as she would walk towards the corner. Walking around the corner, she noticed that the hall would lead to a room where the room was lightened by several torches.
''And of course, the person who designed this couldn't make it less spooky. A window would be great.'' Kiyomi muttered underneath her breath, something Hayate would be able to pick up through the earphone communicator.
The fact that there was so much steel around actually filled Hayate with a strange feeling. He couldn't move through it the same as he could through earth, that much was true, but he could definitely use his surroundings to their advantage. Running one hand along the wall as they walked, Hayate let a little of his chakra flow into it, 'tasting' the metal.
Interesting... He thought to himself, pulling his hand away. Hearing Kiyomi's comment, he turned towards her, smiling behind his mask.
"Hey, at least we finally have some better light." ''And... the smell is gone.'' Kiyomi noticed. The stench from before was completely gone. Whatever was done here, kept those creatures from before away. Something she found worrying. Walking into the room, it also seemed more clean. Little to no dust and no broken furniture or piles of bones. Somebody or something was here. Or at least close by. She was sure of it. Yet, she couldn't pick up any signal or sense of anything or anybody. That was what made her anxious. Continue to walk further into the room, Kiyomi looked around. Nothing special to be seen. Only that they had two routes they could take. Either continue straight forward or head to the left.
''Seems we need to pick a route.'' Thinking of something, she glanced at Hayate.
''Seeing you don't want to be useless, I suggest you decide a direction.''Regretting his decision to speak earlier, Hayate hesitated. Reaching behind his back he withdrew Samehada. Holding the sentient blade out in front of him, Hayate decided to use the blade as an easy way out of choosing. Aiming Samehada toward the route straight ahead first, Hayate waited for a response. After a few moments of nothing, he slowly moved the blade to the left. Almost instantly he could feel Samehada shifting, almost as if the blade was searching for somthing, sniffing... Hayate could feel the bandaged weapon began shivering eagerly, and so he glanced over at Kiyomi, one eyebrow raised.
"I guess we should go this way." ''See. You can use something useful.~'' Kiyomi said as she would walk a bit faster in order to stay in front. While she tried to look relaxed and calm, she felt out of place. And yet, not. It was hard to explain, but the best word was probably weird. She just felt weird being here. As she and Hayate would continue to walk left, the ground started to tremble. Turning around, Kiyomi saw how the path behind them closed. A wall of steel made it clear that somebody or something caused them to be unable to turn around. Quite stubborn, Kiyomi decided to walk back.
''Like if... Keep your distance.'' She instructed Hayate as she would clench her right hand into a fist. Lightning started to create the familiar menacing sound as Kiyomi would use her Sparkle to enhance her punch. But as her fist slammed against the wall, no damage was done. Not even a dent. Surprised by this, Kiyomi quickly made a short leap backwards.
''That is really odd.'' The wall hadn't even trembled or showed any sign that she had done something, while her technique was classified as an A ranked technique. One that she had perfected.
''Guess I am now the one that is being useless.'' Kiyomi sighed. Turning to Hayate, she frowned.
''Before we move on, lets make one deal. Like that time, if something happens to me. Find a way out. No questions or buts, just that.'' She looked at the room that was at the end of the hallway they were in. There were still torches that illuminated the place.
''In return, no limits.''Waiting as Kiyomi took her turn trying to destroy the wall that blocked them off, Hayate was curious. As she moved backwards, he walked past her, towards the wall. Reaching out with one hand, Hayate placed it against the wall. Letting his chakra flow into the metal he attempted to create an opening. After a moment he stepped back, puzzled. He had felt the area beneath his hand moving, doing what he had wanted, but... something about the structure of the wall was blocking him from manipulating the whole thing. Turning back to Kiyomi, he shrugged. Wanting to interrupt her and refuse when she told him to leave if anything happened, he realized that it would be pointless to argue. If it came down to it, he wasn't going to leave her side regardless of what was said, so instead he simply nodded his temporary agreement. Cracking his knuckles as she mentioned that they would have no limits this time, Hayate smiled behind the mask.
"I like the sound of that."While they had their facemasks still up, a slight grin was appearing on Kiyomi's lips. Turning around she would continue to walk out of the hallway.
''I know that. Just don't steal all the glory from me.'' She said, trying to keep the light mood in it. Normally she wouldn't want one of them to joke around, but it was clear that this was a mission like never before. There were factors known to them and so many unkown that she wasn't sure if this was a true village mission or more a Dragon Lotus operation that used Konohagakure as a cover. Not that it made a difference for her. Walking into the room, it was quite huge. Yet there was enough light to see that it was really empty. Except for one big kanji in the center.
''What to make of that..'' Kiyomi mumbled, but not moving towards it.
The meaning of the kanji was a bit weird in her opinion. But it made sense with the wall that kept them from moving back. So Kiyomi was suspecting more things like that. Taking a step, she looked above them. But nothing was there. Yet, she could sense something. It wasn't smell or anything with her heightened senses.
''Can you sense that too?'' She asked, though knowing better than to ask if Hayate could sense something. But she also wasn't a sensory type with chakra, yet it felt as something or somebody was watching them.
Something did indeed feel 'off' in this room, but Hayate couldn't place it. He could feel Samehada still shivering on his back as he looked around the large chamber.
"I'm not quite sure what I sense to be honest.... But something doesn't feel right." He kept his guard up, if they were going to be attacked, he hoped that they would at least have some form of warning. Otherwise things could get ugly fast.
''And here I thought we could become friends.~'' Coming to an abrupt halt, Kiyomi quickly turned around. In her right hand she had already a kunai ready to either slash or throw at who ever spoke to them. But there was nothing behind them. Quickly her head looked to the right and whiped to the left to see where somebody was who could be source of the voice.
''My my, already hostile. You sure are a rude little girl.''' This caused a twitch at Kiyomi's right eye, but she didn't say anything in return. It was evident that they weren't alone. Turning back to see if she could find somebody there, a person stood in the hallway. But without any torches nearby the said person, she couldn't see any detailed features. Just that the person was a bit taller than Hayate.
''I hope you both are nice to talk with. It is kind of lonely if you spend quite some time here.~'' The annoying voice made Kiyomi want to make a sneerful comment back, until she realized something. The voice didn't talk to them as it seemed that it was inside her mind. Flipping her kunai to hold it in an icepick (reversed) manner, Kiyomi took a light fighting stance. Walking into the light, the person was a middle aged man with short chessnut brown hair. A polite smile and rather thick eyebrows were the most noticable features of his face. But as the man walked forward, a steel wall appeared behind him. Closing them three together in the room. Instantly, Kiyomi wasn't worried only about their opponent. But also about the amount of air. Though the room was quite large, she wondered if air would become a problem.
Hearing the voice, Hayate had reached into his jacket, ready to pull out several kunai, but something made him hesitate. Turning, he saw nothing. Withdrawing his hand from his coat, Hayate looked around instead, finally spotting the figure in the hall. Everytime the man spoke, Hayate felt a small chill run through him. He realized, upon seeing the man's face, that the voice was coming from inside their heads, rather than the man actually speaking. The thought confusing him for a moment, Hayate stepped forwards.
"Who are you?" He asked, his tone remaining neutral. The room was now sealed off, and Hayate realized that they were in a potentially, very dangerous situation.
The man tilted his head to the right.
''See, he has manners. My name is however not that great. I hope you don't-'' The sentence wouldn't be finished as the man had to dive to the right. Several shuriken slammed against the wall behind the man. Her left arm still swept to the side, Kiyomi glared in the man's direction. She was trying to find out how they could just beat him. Not really interested in making some iddle banter with the strange figure.
''How very rude! It is not polite to attack without any warning. I haven't even shown you two who I really am. Buuuut.'' The man turned his attention to Hayate. The smile quickly changed into a more wicked version as the man slowly leaned a bit forewards.
''My name is Change. This is my space. And it has been ages since I had some real visitors!'' The voice wasn't calm and friendly anymore, but sounded more like an aggresive and very excited one.
''Defensive tactic.'' Kiyomi instructed as she would try to watch what was going on. It was strange enough that the man's lips didn't move, yet they could hear him inside their mind. By now the eerie feeling that something bad was going to happen started to grow.
''I get the feeling that this will be a bit familiar with.... another weapon. How delightful to meet somebody like me!'' This caused Kiyomi's eyes to widen as she had a hunch what the man meant.
''What the..''Moving back quickly, Hayate still hadn't drawn a weapon. His eyes never left the strange man's face.
"Then why don't you show us Change-san?" Hayate asked, his tone still neutral, but his entire body alert. One hand stayed at his side, next to the pouch that carried his clan's alloy, while the other hand was held a little out in front of himself. He knew that Kiyomi would probably chastize him for talking later, but for now he was hoping to distract the man long enough for them to find a weakness.
''Ah ah! Such a nice boy. I am going to ask him if I may keep you alive! Yes! For some time. My appetite is sometimes a bit dangerous, but I like you! I do like you.'' The person's wicked grin grew even wider. For some reason, Kiyomi started to resent the person already before the fight had really started. Then she noticed that there were cracks showing up. His skin was crumbling, but why? Before she could say something to warn Hayate, it somehow started to speed up. Quickly the body of the man started to take a shift in form, becoming larger and not something one could call human. It had the body of a lion, but there were some other parts that made no sense to Kiyomi. The tail was a snake and there was a goat head on the back of the beast.
''See? We are the same! I smell it. You're not human either, are you?'' The big creature stared in Kiyomi's direction. Lowering her stance, Kiyomi narrowed her eyes as she decided to talk back.
''You can smell it?'' She asked, though her tone was soft. The beast growled, producing a very low and threatening sound.
''Oh yes, I can smell it. Something quite... sinister. Makes me wonder, what is your true form?''Normally a question like that was enough for Kiyomi to either sneer or lung at the person who would even dare to ask her such a thing. Instead, Kiyomi's left hand went up to her face mask. Lowering down the piece of cloth, she revealed the curled down lips of hers.
''My true form?'' Without a warning, she threw the kunai as fast as she could towards the right eye of the beast.
''You will get that answer soon enough.'' She sneered. Though the kunai was coming at a fast speed towards the head of the beast, it moved with a surprising grace as it dodged the projectile.
Watching the man shift forms, Hayate's only outward sign that he noticed the change was the raising of a single eyebrow.
Fitting name... He thought to himself, dipping one hand into his pouch. Allowing the metal to flow across his body, Hayate pulled Samehada from his back. He could feel the sentient blade shivering excitedly. He sent a single glance in Kiyomi's direction as the man mentioned her true form. Hayate had a brief idea of what the man was talking about, but he shook the thought from his mind. Kiyomi wasn't like this... this thing. She wasn't a monster, no matter how much she sometimes thought she was.
"Who made you like this Change-san?" He suddenly called out, turning his attention back towards the strange creature in front of him. Though Change's new form was disturbing, Hayate's tone showed no sign of his distaste for the creature.
''Don't let yourself be distracted.'' Kiyomi told Hayate. She had still her focus on the beast that lowered its front as the big eyes stared in their direction. The weird creature didn't blink and that made Kiyomi believe that the most part was really of a lion, a bit cat. Meaning that it had also some good eyesight, probably able to match hers when she would use a bit of Mata-sama's chakra. She was only wondering if the serpent snake and goat head were capable off.
''He made me. Or rather us. We are happy though. We serve a purpose. Like all weapons do.'' Kiyomi slightly lowered her head.
''You're really pissing me off right now.'' She whispered. A flicker of lightning flashed around her right hand. Looking up, she glared at the beast with a very angry look in her eyes.
''Imply that one more time and I am going to crush your neck and shove that tail inside you.'' Threatening the beast, her tone was however calm.
''Angry? He says that weapons shouldn't have emotions. Emotions are bad. Weapons should be things that are there to serve. Or are you a weapon that isn't a good one?'' The question seemed to only anger Kiyomi more. It was also frustrating her to no end that the voice of the creature kept sounding inside their mind. That and apparently it had some sensory abilities. Weaving several handsignals, Kiyomi would prepare for her first attack.
All this talk about 'weapons' was beginning to frustrate Hayate. He hated that they lived in a world where it was viewed as a necessity to have the strongest 'weapon.' the best soldier... Allowing more of his chakra to flow into the steel around his feet, Hayate had a plan. But it was going to take a bit of time...
"If emotions are bad Change-san, how can you allow yourself to feel happiness? Excitement? Doesn't that contradict what you've been told?" He continued trying to get the creatures attention. So far it seemed more interested in Kiyomi, and it was obviously aware that she could do more damage. If Hayate could just get it to focus on him for long enough...
At first Kiyomi wanted to test the beast out with using one of her two fire techniques, but just before she would blow out the fire in the direction of the beast, she halted her movements. Hearing Hayate, she decided to change the course of actions. Calming down her chakra, she would crouch and place her right hand at the floor. Though she really wasn't a big fan that Hayate was talking with that thing, she realized something. The question of Hayate caused the beast to grin. The big teeth and cannines were revealed as Change did so.
''That is normal for a weapon. Excitment is something that is natural for those who are born for fighting and killing. I don't however get angry like some other weapons.'' The tone took a more mocking form, clearly meant towards Kiyomi.
''Can you feel fear?'' The question was suddenly asked and Kiyomi sounded even more calm than before.
''What do you mean?''The question seemed to surprise and confuse the big creature. Or maybe it was that it hadn't expected Kiyomi to be so calm.
''If you can feel fear. That is all I need to know.'' There was a brief second of silence before they both would hear a laugh inside their mind. Now that the beast understood what Kiyomi meant, the eyes of the creature narrowed in delight as they kept staring towards the two.
''A weapon that fears isn't worth to be used.'' The answer caused Kiyomi to lower her head.
''Good.' She muttered.
"Do you not wish for more though?" Hayate asked quietly. Cocking his head to the side, he observed Change for a long moment.
"You are clearly a powerful, impressive being. Have you never wanted to feel anything more than just excitement?" The question made Kiyomi to glance at Hayate, but she stayed put. Though the beast didn't seem to be surprised or confused now. The serpent head seemed to narrow its eyes as it focused on Hayate.
''Feel more? Wish?'' The creature stayed quiet for a bit.
''Such talk. You're truly a human. Why would one wish for more? The continoues craving and desiring for more would only bring discord in one's life. I am made for a purpose and a purpose I will serve. Why would I wish for more than I was made for? It is useless to desire for things when you're life is already complete.'' The grin was wiped away from the creature's muzzle. It lowered its body again.
Nodding his head slowly, Hayate looked up, trying to meet the beast's gaze.
"How long have you been down here Change-san? You mentioned before that you haven't had visitors in a long time. You seemed like you wished to talk before." His tone was curious. He didn't need much longer...
''He doesn't let me go outside, but that is fine. I am made to guard this place, I am an important weapon.'' The beast replied back as the grin was now completely gone. It stomped his left claw at the ground. With the ground trembling a bit, it was evident that the creature possesed quite some physical strength.
''Are you stupid? You're even ruder than she is. Do you think you can be a match for me? Worse, do you intend to use such dirty tactics while I was genuinely interested in our talk? Rude, you are.'' The snake head seemed to have something in its mouth as the cheeks expanded a bit. Kiyomi narrowed her eyes, until she realized what was bound to happen. Turning towards Hayate, she quickly started to rapidly weave a streak of handseals.
The snake head suddenly spitted something green towards Hayate. It seemed like it was something nasty as it made a weird sound as it was heading towards Hayate. Before Hayate had a chance to move, he was being pulled a bit back. Just enough to not be hit by the venom that landed on the ground. Having her arm stretched out, Kiyomi was still in place.
Venom. That is why I dislike snakes. Nasty creatures. Kiyomi thought, relieved that her technique made it in time. Turning her attention back, Kiyomi realized that it was going to be difficult on tricking the beast. It could apparently sense, smell or see chakra. It even noticed Matatabi inside of her, so it made some sense. Only which part was able to do that?
Surprised at the sudden pull, Hayate glanced over his shoulder towards Kiyomi. His brows furrowed briefly before turning back to the creature in front of him. Gritting his teeth, he grew frustrated.
"You speak of being rude and yet it is you who attacked me first! Have I made a move against you?" Hayate knew that the beast likely had detected his manipulation of chakra, but without knowing exactly how potent its sensory abilities were, he couldn't be certain whether or not Change could discern if the manipulation was for an attack or simple defence.
"I said before that you were an impressive being Change-san, I have taken measures to keep myself safe, but I would not be fool enough to think I could be a match for you." It wasn't a lie, not exactly. Hayate still hoped that he could speak to the creature for at least a little longer, if this thing fell apart, he was going to have to change his plans rapidly.
''Telling somebody a lie and doing something sneaky is very rude! I merely do what I should do in the first place. He won't like it.'' The beast replied, sounding amused. The snake head's cheeks again expanded a bit, but the part of the beast didn't attack yet.
''And if you're not a match. Then lower your guard. I will keep you here for some time. A real human. I like the idea.'' However, before Hayate would be able to reply, Kiyomi spoke.
''Back off now, piece of shit.'' She was getting more and more irritated by the being in front of them. More because it seemed it wanted Hayate.
''Seems he is able to sense or perceive chakra in some manner. That and he is in our mind. However, that only happened once we were in this room. I imagine it has to do with sight. Lets just deal with him and continue to clear this place.'' Kiyomi told Hayate. She didn't bother with keeping her voice low as she suspected that it wouldn't really help against a foe that somehow was in their mind.
Without looking back at Kiyomi, he responded.
"Understood." Keeping his eyes on the beast in front of him, Hayate let out a loud sigh.
"I am sorry that I cannot take you up on that offer Change-san, but I too have a master that I am beholden to. I trust that you can understand." Taking a single step backwards, Hayate placed his hands together, forming single seal.
"Sorry Change-san. If only it were different circumstances..." With one smooth movement, Hayate slammed both of his hands onto the steel floor. A wave of his chakra surged through the metal and headed towards the lights on the wall. Concentrating heavily, Hayate manipulated the metal in the torches so that they suddenly sealed off, cutting off all light in the room.
With the lights out, both Kiyomi as Change were surprised. Kiyomi was surprised for a moment, but understood what Hayate had done. Though it was hard that they couldn't see the creature, she was sure they had the advantage now. The big size meant that it was an easier target for them. Running to the right, Kiyomi started to weave handsignals. Knowing that most of her techniques would illuminate the surroundings, she wanted to keep herself at a distance with Hayate. If she could keep the beast's attention at her, he could hopefully sneak upon the beast.
''Fire Style : Great Fireball Technique.'' Spitting out a large ball of fire, the blazing fire was heading towards the scent and sound she sensed. With the fire briefly lighten up what was on its path, she could see that the beast jumped left to dodge it.
A low and deep growl was produced from out of the throat of the creature, which seemed to confirm the theory that he couldn't speak or be present in their mind if he couldn't see them. However, Samehada would shiver as something was heading towards Hayate. The snake head spitted out another salvo of venom towards Hayate.
Feeling the sentient blade shiver, Hayate pulled it from his back in one smooth motion, holding it in front of himself to block what he assumed was an incoming attack. As the venom hit Samehada, the blade greedily absorbed the chakra, negating the attack. Moving from his position, Hayate remained as silent as he could. Using his metal manipulation, he pulled some of the steel from the floor until it covered part of his body. He could feel vibrations through the metal, sensing the rough whereabouts of both Kiyomi and Change. Holding Samehada in front of him, Hayate was prepared for any incoming attack. Sharky would warn him if Change used any techniques towards him, and he would be able to tell through the vibrations in the metal if the beast moved closer.
While Kiyomi wanted to attack, she had caught the scent of something else. Realizing that Change had spitted out venom towards Hayate, she was relieved to hear something that resembled Samehada. But it was worrying her. The lights were out, so how could that thing still attack and aim pinpoint? Though she suspected it had heightened senses, much like her, it wouldn't allow such pin point aiming.
''Seems he can still see us. I know for certain a lion and goat can't see in the dark, but does that count for snakes?'' Kiyomi whispered through the communicator. If it was true that snakes could see in the dark, it would be a bit problematic, cause then they were not longer the ones who had the advantage. Hearing and detecting something coming towards her, Kiyomi quickly made a few back flips. The creature had lashed out with one of his claws, trying to sweep her away.
''Damnit.'' Muttering, she tried to analyze the situation in order to come up with a way how they could drive the creature back.
Cursing to himself, Hayate came to a brief realization... Something that he should have known from before.
"Snakes can see heat sources. We will need to take care of that head if we hope to use the advantage of darkness... Sorry Kiyomi-sama, I should have remembered that before turning out the lights..." Replying through the communicator, Hayate realized that it was too late now to make any changes to what he had done. They would just have to find another way to take the beast out.
''Snakes are stupid. That you even... Tch.'' She said, irritated. More of the fact that she felt a bit useless. Hayate could manipulate the surrounding and all she could do was using techniques that would give the creature the ability to see them with his other eyes. That he hadn't spoken to them yet meant that probably the eyes of the lion head or goat was the one who caused the speech inside their mind. Placing her left hand over her face, Kiyomi realized that in order to draw the attention of their opponent and getting close by, meant that she would need to use Matatabi's chakra. Quite frustrated, she tried to quickly consider other options. Though she had no trouble when somebody would see her using his chakra, it made her feel strange and alienated when Hayate was nearby.
''If there is one who is sorry, I think it is me.'' The left eye of Kiyomi started to shift from color, going from green to yellow. The change in color alone made the scales of Samehada starting to shiver. Running towards the creature, Kiyomi pulled out a kunai as she would try to be cautious of what the beast would do.
Growling the creature lashed out again with a claw, trying to crush Kiyomi with a quick pound. Dodging the move with a quick dodge roll to the right, Kiyomi tried to keep moving forward in order to get close and preventing it from attacking Hayate.
Feeling the sentient blade shiver, Hayate at first thought that there was another attack incoming, it felt different however and after a few moments of nothing, Hayate realized that something else must have happened to get the blade excited. He could feel the vibrations through the metal as the beast clashed with Kiyomi. Reaching out with one hand, Hayate made contact with the steel from the floor, sending more of his chakra flowing through it. He tried to focus on the area around the large creature, if he could get it in one position he might be able to bind it using the metal... Furrowing his brow, Hayate had to concentrate hard. Neither the beast, nor Kiyomi, were staying in one position for long. Focusing on the area around Change, Hayate began manipulating the metal, shifting it into a more liquid-like state. Slowly, the metal would begin moving up the creature's legs, becoming solid as it continued to make its way up the creature.
With the move of Hayate, the beast kept trying to keep itself free from getting restrained. However, it was also trying to keep driving Kiyomi back who was closing in on him. Dodging another attack, Kiyomi made a quick slash with her kunai. The weapon sliced through the skin and flesh of the beast, causing it to focus again on Kiyomi as it couldn't focus on both the manipulated metal as the girl who kept using fast movement and agility to attack him.
''And do you feel it? Well? Do you?'' Asking the question out loud with a mocking tone, Kiyomi hoped to keep the attention of the beast on her. Now that the movements were slowly getting restrained, the beast wouldn't likely dodge her next move. Skidding to a halt, Kiyomi flicked her left wrist, causing a stream of lightning to appear at a high speed.
''Nice, ain't it? Fear.'' She hissed, trying to lift her arm in order to slash the beast with her lightning. Only before she could make the move, she was blown backwards by a rather strange sound. One that was deafening and released a pressure of air that pushed her back. The sound seemed to be a rather high pitched one that could be compared to when one would hear an explosion from nearby. Sliding on her back, over the ground, Kiyomi flinched as she trembled.
''Bastard...''Hearing the strange sound, Hayate felt a sudden wave of pressure that would have pushed him back further had he not been rooted to the ground with the steel. He could feel the vibrations of Kiyomi hitting the floor some distance away. His eyes narrowing in anger, Hayate raised a portion of the floor in front of Kiyomi, creating a temporary steel shield that would block against the creature's attack. Cursing to himself again, Hayate renewed his efforts to spread more of the metal across the beast's body. Struggling slightly, Hayate could feel the strain of concentrating. This was going to take some time... He only hoped that it would buy Kiyomi enough time to take this creature out.
With Kiyomi being driven away, the beast focused again on trying to keep itself freed from Hayate's technique. Struggling against the metal, the beast growled as the body kept struggling. The snake head spitted out another salvo in Hayate's direction, trying to drive the boy back so that he couldn't focus anymore on trying to restrain the beast. Kiyomi was trying to get up, but she quite surprised by the sudden strange sound and air gust that it had produced. It wasn't something she could link with a sound that lion made. So it was probably the abilty of the goat head. Now Kiyomi was starting to develop a dislike for goats too if they really made such an annoying sound. Getting up, she felt a bit dizy and still couldn't hear proper. Struggling to keep standing, she almost fell forwards, causing her to lift her arms. Feeling the wall Hayate made, it costed her a second to realize what probably happened. Slowly the iris in both her eyes became slitted as she realized that her student was protecting her.
''I am so going to shove both those parts down his throat.'' She whispered angry, trying to wait until she would get her hearing back.
Samehada shivered as the beast launched more venom towards Hayate. Cursing out loud, he swung the blade around with one hand, getting it in front of himself just in time to block the incoming attack. With an excited twitch, Samehada devoured the chakra and shivered again, clearly pleased. Hayate's concentration had been temporarily broken and the technique was weakened. Raising a small steel wall in front of himself, Hayate tried to refocus on covering the beast. He had to keep it away from Kiyomi...
As the creature noticed that the metal wasn't being manipulated, it quickly broke free as it charged towards Hayate. Producing a low growl, it tried to lung towards Hayate, wanting to finish him first off. Samehada started to stop shivered as it would move his scales go from a defensive to a more offensive stance, so that it would shave the enemy better. But while the beast managed to close in to Hayate, lightning started to crackle through the air as it moved fast over the metal ground towards the beast. This caused the creature to quickly halt its advancement as the lightning created a straight line between Hayate and Change. Glaring, Kiyomi sat crounched while having both her hands at the ground. Gathering more lightning, she was about to launch another attack towards their foe.
Hearing the beast charging towards him, Hayate cursed. This was bad. Preparing to defend himself, the sudden surge of lightning surprised him. His eyes widening, Hayate glanced over to Kiyomi, catching her in the glare of the lightning. Pulling out several shuriken, Hayate overcharged them and sent them flying towards Change, causing them to explode as they neared the creature. As the explosions went off, Hayate moved backwards quickly, keeping Samehada held in front of himself.
The lightning and the shuriken. Change roared when the shuriken exploded as the dust would take the sight of the beast. Squinting her eyes to try to see any movement, Kiyomi moved her hands together to weave some handsignals.
''Hayate, move to my back. I want you to prepare some unstable projectiles.'' She told him as she caught the scent of the strange beast. He was on the other half of the field. The growling, his claws scratching against the metal ground and the stench were all that gave him away. Moulding her chakra, Kiyomi was planning to finish him in a rather unpleasant way.
Without hesitating, Hayate moved into position behind Kiyomi. He sheathed Samehada on his back and reached into his jacket, grabbing several projectiles. Flowing his chakra into the weapons, Hayate moulded the alloy into an unstable mixture. A slight shift in his stance, with the projectiles held at the ready, was the only indication that he needed to give to Kiyomi.
Holding the last handsignal, the Tiger, Kiyomi thought she had seen the beast.
''Now.'' After that, she would take a deep breath. Already feeling the wild and strong chakra at the ready, she would not hold back any longer. Though she was a bit afraid of what would be the effect, she wanted to be done with Change. Spitting out a big column of blue fire towards the other end of the room, she kept the fire going, hoping that the explosions of Hayate's projectiles would expand the deadly inferno to incinerate that annoying creature to death.
Launching the projectiles the instant Kiyomi gave the order, Hayate watched them sail towards their destination. The streaming blue fire was impressive, and Hayate found himself in awe of Kiyomi's skill yet again. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he bent to the floor, placing his hands against the steel. The blue flames had illuminated their target, and so Hayate simply had to flow his chakra in the right direction. Using the steel of the floor, Hayate pooled a large amount of it around the massive creature. As the blue fire surged forwards, Hayate sent spikes of metal through the ground at Change's feet. Purposely keeping the spikes in a more liquid state, Hayate intended for the metal to become superheated by the blue flames, causing the metal to become molten hot. The sheer amount of concentration required meant that Hayate could not keep up the attack for long, and he only managed to send forth a few of his liquid metal spikes. He hoped that they would at least slow the beast down.
It worked. The explosions caused the fire to expand and she had caught a glimps of their foe. The big creature tried to stay out of the reach of the deadly flames, as the heat was something one couldn't ignore. With the explosions, the fire wasn't being pushed back. The heat and gust made the blue fire expand towards it, thus growing broader and easier to cover the other side of the field. A pitched scream was produced, but Kiyomi couldn't see if the creature was being hit or if it was mere out of fear. Staring at the scene in front of them, she clenched her left hand in a fist. The fire kept going for some time before it would go down. As it slowly faded, she could see the burnt remains of Change. Spikes had penetrated some parts of his body as the blue flames had done the rest. The stench of burnt hair and flesh was quite noticable. That and the air. Trying not to breath too much, Kiyomi figured out that the blue fire would use a lot more oxygen than normal fire. Looking around, she had an idea again. Pulling out several shuriken, she aimed them at the sealed entrance on Change's side. The metal would be probably hot and even with being reinforced by some seal, near melting. Pouring lightning chakra on the shuriken, she threw them towards the door. Like normal, they went through the sealed metal wall that had sealed them from going on. With a new supply of oxygen.
''Hey... how are you?'' Kiyomi asked, but her eyes still at the crumbling sealed part. It was high unlikely that somebody didn't hear that noise. At least, those who were close by.
Standing back to his full height, Hayate was thankful for the mask that covered the lower half of his face. It managed to filter out some of the stentch, but even it was only capable of so much. Staring at he carnage in front of them for a long moment, Hayate remained silent. A part of him pitied the creature. It had only done what it was instructed, something Hayate understood all to well. Realizing that he had not yet responded to Kiyomi, he turned his head to face her.
"I am okay Kiyomi-sama. Your blue fire... it... it is strangely beautiful..." Hayate realized that his statement probably sounded a little odd, especially considering the damage it had just wreaked, but he found himself mesmerized with the unique flames.
Hayate's words didn't get a reply at first. Kiyomi stared at the entrance, but then she slowly looked at the dead creature. She wanted to get closer, but the metal on the other side of the field was still hot. Stepping on some hot metal wasn't something she found a fun thing to do.
''It isn't mine.'' She calmly replied. Yes, she had moulded the chakra and used it, but she didn't consider it hers. The left eye started to show signs again, as the pupils became normal and both her eyes became green again. Though even with the light, created by some remains of the blue fire, Kiyomi looked with a dark stare at the body of the creature.
''How is your chakra reserve?'' Turning her attention away from their dead opponent, she threw a worried glance in Hayate's direction.
Hearing her words, Hayate simply nodded to himself. He understood what she was saying, but it didn't change his opinion. When Kiyomi asked him about his reserves, he took a moment to check himself. Surprisingly he still felt quite good. He had been using as little chakra as possible when manipulating the metal in the floor, and although he had used a fair bit up, his reserves were still holding up quite well. Looking back at Kiyomi, Hayate met her eyes, speaking calmly.
"I am good to continue for quite some time. So far I have not used as much as I thought I would need to, even with the... stairs incident... I don't foresee it becoming a problem unless we encounter something far worse than what we have so far..." Realizing that that was entirely possible, Hayate was still comfortable that he held enough reserves to handle himself without putting Kiyomi at risk.
Keeping her eyes locked on his, there was clearly some doubt to be seen in the eyes of Kiyomi. But she decided to trust him on his words, looking back to the corpse of Change. Walking slowly to the edge of the field, where the metal was hot, Kiyomi stared at the body. She wanted to be sure that it was dead. Though it looked and smelled dead, she wanted to be certain. Too many times, she had experienced opponents who faked their death and then became more problematic.
''I have never seen such a thing. What is it?'' She whispered through her communicator. It looked like one crazy mix of creatures together. At least, now it didn't. But before she had decided to cremate it the current state.
Stepping up beside Kiyomi, Hayate flowed a little bit of chakra into the metal around their feet, allowing the metal to cool enough so that it was no longer uncomfortable.
"I wish I could say... it looks like somebody wanted to take the best parts of too many powerful things and tried to glue them together..." He let his words trail off, unsure of what to say. He found the creature to be equal parts disturbing as it was interesting. Looking down at what was left, all he felt was pity.
Waiting till Hayate was done, Kiyomi kept staring at the corpse.
''Yes, that is what I was thinking too. Now I get it why this was kept in the dark. Just like those little creatures back then. They also had something human, yet..'' Kiyomi stopped. So this was what they were trying to make? Humanoid weapons? Were they like this or maybe they were designed to look like mere humans or something humanoid? Pondering on the questions, Kiyomi shrugged them mentally away. Little did it matter. They had to go further and make sure that who ever was still there, would be dead at the end of the day.
''I want to examine his.. its body. Can you cool down the metal up till there?''Nodding, Hayate moved forwards, continuously allowing a small amount of his chakra to flow out around him, cooling the metal surrounding him. As he grew close to the corpse, Hayate knelt down and placed his hands on the metal floor. Spreading his chakra out a little faster this way, he allowed the metal surrounding the creature to cool back to a comfortable temperature.
"It is done." He said, standing once again and stepping back to allow Kiyomi room. Crossing his arms, Hayate observed with a strange sense of fascination.
Moving closer to the corpse, Kiyomi stayed silent as she kept staring at it. It was really weird. Even though it was burnt, she could see the difference between the different body parts. Lightning crackled through air as she raised slowly her right hand. Striking the body with her hand, Kiyomi expanded the lightning in order to break the body down as the lightning would do its work. After a minute it could be seen that more parts were slowly starting to break down into dust. After five minutes, there was a pile of ash left. Dusting off her hand, Kiyomi glanced at the only way that was open. The way where Change had came from.
''Lets continue..''Watching Kiyomi's lightning break down what was left of Change's corpse, Hayate marveled at the lightning's power. It didn't take long for everything to break down into dust and ash, and then they were left alone in the room. Nodding his head in response to Kiyomi, Hayate began making his way towards the exit.
"Kiyomi... Change kept mentioning his master. But I thought this place had been decommissioned for a long time? So does that mean that someone has been working here all this time without doing it for the Leaf?"The question made Kiyomi look back at Hayate. They had their own briefing before they had met the team.
''Yes. And seeing what the result is, I suspect that the person is still trying to make more. Or now that we are this deep in his or her den, tries to protect the work from us.'' Kiyomi calmly answered the question as she turned around. Slowly she placed her left hand at the top of her head, feeling Hiron's bandanna. Moving her hand back to her neck, Kiyomi sighed.
''I wonder how many had suffered to create such a thing.'' She mumbled, starting to walk.
"I was afraid of that," Hayate said quietly, placing both hands in his pockets. It wasn't really fear that was bothering him now though. Hayate still wasn't sure how he felt about the fact that the Leaf had not only known about these experiments, but they had actually wanted them done. He understood the reason, but still... All that pain... all that suffering, was it really worth it? Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Hayate set his sights on the path ahead. They would cleanse this place and maybe then, after everything settled, the poor souls that had been trapped inside for far too long, would finally get to rest.
