The Valley of The End {Yami vs Lunar Knights}

[Natas/Alvaro]

"Don't think you're getting any help, Kurai Horo... Nothing can protect you now. We designed this early. This is your end..." Alvaro's voice came from all over the ground. He had literally become the shadow that overtook the ground.

"I wonder if your precious... Lunar Spirit... can protect you from me... Let us see. But Alvaro didn't go for him. Instead, he grabbed Shin by his throat, suddenly leaping from the ground, halfway submerged. The bottom half of him seemed ethereal, and he grinned madly. "Ohohohoo..... This one means something to you, Kurai... Kill him." He begins slithering in front of Kurai, about twenty feet, holding Shin there, constricted in shadows. "Kill him! Kill him and then... then I'll continue fighting you! End him! Or I will!"

[Kodoku Itami]

The corpses were suddenly stood around Rin, in all their bloodied glory. Each had the elliptical red eyes of Itami, all stared down at the kneeling girl. Then they all spoke.

"We are the Kodoku. We are dead. We must be avenged"

They started to fade, but the eyes remained, hovering around Rin like vultures, the voices still didn't cease, they continued incessantly, pleading.

"We must be avenged. Blood for blood. They took our lives. We must repay them in kind.

Suddenly, the eyes converged, forming one huge Mangekyou Sharingan before Rin, which spoke in a booming voice that surrounded the girl.

"KNOW THE PAIN OF THE KODOKU."

Itami slammed his right eye shut for a number of reasons. One, Tsukuyomi was consuming far too much energy for him to keep fighting, two, he dare not risk showing the girl the rest, that was his secret, his burden to bear.. He'd buried it deep for a reason. Right Mangekyou bleeding now alongside the left, his breathing was heavy.

"Now you know..." He said, voice choked. "Now you know what I've lost!"

[Rin Tezuka]

I pant as I come to. My arms were still here... Nothing had changed. Was that an illusion? It... It still hurt... my chest was heavy. Heavy as lead. "It.... it doesn't... matter, Trench Coat." I dip my face in the water to cool down, and raise it quick, gasping for air. I slunch forward, forcing myself to a stand, clutching my knee for balance, then standing up perfectly straight. I turn and look at him with a piercing lazy green. "I've never had anyone. Except... one person. And he was forced out of my life when I was a child... I'm the same as you, Itami! I finally understand it!"

I smile big now, using some energy to repair my fist. The faint glow covers my chest as I point to my chest with my thumb. "But I'm not giving up! Look! I'm not consumed by revenge... I don't feel hate to those who took my parents, or my beloved. And I am strong! Stronger than you, Itami! Please, I've seen your past... Feel mine!" I begin running on the water at him and jump high, water splashing my body.

"If great warriors can read each other's thoughts through strikes... Read mine, Itami!" I close my eyes as I approach him, landing a perfectly good blow to his chest.
Please... realize what true strength is, Kodoku Itami. Revenge isn't the way to go...

[Kato Shin]

Suddenly, my throat was constricted, and I was drowning, drowning in a substance I had no words for or means to describe. Then air, but I still couldn't breathe, because of whatever it was around my neck. I felt something, something I couldn't name, burst inside me. My brand burned hot. It felt like I was about to lose control, but I was conscious this time as fire burst from me to eat at the person who held me captive.

You won't be taken so easily! the fire called to me, but it wasn't my fire. It was... that other fire. The fire burning in the midst of great cold.

Let the flames flow through your veins, it told me. They are your blood - as I am your heart.

I'd heard the voice before, in dreams, but never so vividly. For once, I didn't fight the feeling - it burst and ran out of me, guided by an invisible hand, laid across my soul. I took it from there, threw it backwards at my attacker, surrounded in flickering flames and concentrating every ounce of them on getting free.

I won't die like this!

[Natas/Alvaro]

"Keke... Haha... Ohohoohoo! Oh man! That hurt!" The ethereal being sunk into the ground. The fire died down quick.
"Please... forgive that. I do not like playing dirty. Alvaro likes to play too much."
"Oh, shut up, you! It would have worked! That kid is a Knight! We just didn't take that into consideration!"
"You mean that you didn--"
"Oh, whatever! I'll get you you later, Hot Head. Just let me annihilate your teacher!" He pops back up, bandanna falling off his mouth, revealing the sick fangs that thirsted for the ripping.. "Alright, Kurai! Let's continue where we left off." He sinks into the ground, throwing four knives his way, immediately reappearing at the other side, throwing more, and from the other two angles.

[Kodoku Itami]

Itami brought the flat of his blade up and blocked Rin's punch, the sound of grinding metal rang out through the valley as the two clashed together. Small bolts of lightning started to jump off of Itami's body as he burrowed his eyebrows into a frown. "You think you can compare your pain... To mine..?" The smile on his face faltered as he locked eyes with Rin, a small trail of blood starting to well up in his other eye as well, his vision was becoming blurred through overuse of the Mangekyou Sharingan. "I assume your 'one person' is the drunk fighter..? The man you lost but gained back?!"

The smile had faded now, there was no remnants of it's existence upon his face anymore, he could veel his vocal chords constricting as he choked out his words. "The man you found by sailing across the ocean on a boat?!" He was raising his voice as he went, his anger welling up to a peak.

"I DON'T HAVE THAT LIBERTY!"

His cheeks were stained now, milky pink in colour as the blood around his eyes mixed with the salty tears flowing down his face. He leaned his face in close to Rin's. "This isn't one person, or two... This isn't just my mother, father and brother... This is my mother, father, brother, aunt's, uncles, cousins, grandparents, great-grandparents, all relatives! Close and distant! My entire family, Rin... Everyone who shares my last name... Dead."

He pushed Rin away and took a few steps back himself. "You know nothing of my pain, Rin Tezuka. But I refuse to do nothing. I won't let those who killed my family go free... They slaughtered everyone... Even the children, the babies..." He had a look of solid determination upon his face, the sort of expression that shows when one has reached a decisive point in their life. His arm started to squeak as energy gathered into his palm.

"I won't play the hero, here... I'm beyond that... That won't give me my vengeance..."

"I'll let none of them go free."

[Rin Tezuka]

I can only smile after his story. He had such drive, but the goal was so wrong. "You're such a hypocrite... I can't compare my pain to you, but you can to me? Sure... I don't know what it's like to see my family dead. But you don't know what it's like to not see your family. Always wondering... what could have been. What would have been different." My head starts pulsing. It wasn't used to such logical thinking and emotion. I grasp it with the sudden pain and sigh. I had to keep going.

"That look in your eyes... it tells me you've decided. But tell me, once you get your revenge... then what? What is next for Kodoku Itami? Revenge leads to more revenge. When you kill them, others are going to try and kill you. It just won't ever end.." I shake my head. I was feeling something... new. It made my stomach upset, and I was trembling.

What was this feeling? It was the opposite of glad, I knew that. I wasn't neutral, like alw--

No. "Anger... You actually made me angry, Trench Coat." Had I ever been angry before? I couldn't remember. But it didn't feel good. And this... he felt this all the time? "I have to change your mind..." The green of my eyes became pure silver. I could feel my connection with Ryn getting much stronger.
Ryn, would you--
You don't need to ask, Rin. My power is yours. I agree with your plight, so please, take what you need.

And I smile to Ryn, looking to the sky with my new eyes. "Right." Then my silver comes back to Itami's red. "I'm going to take you back! I'll break every bone in your body if I have to!" My voice never felt such emotion. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. But I'll withstand it. For my friend. We are friends. He proved it.

"Itami! You're my friend! We have a bond!" I sprint across the water with speed I've not shown before, and drop as soon as I approach him, arcing around to his back. With the same speed I came at him, I got up and swung my fist hard.

[Kodoku Itami]

Such speed!

Rin was already behind him before he even had a chance to turn to face her, the power behind the strike was completely unbelievable, and taking the blow hard in the shoulder, he was sent rolling across the water, skimming like a stone before colliding hard into the wall of the valley on the other side.

[Rin Tezuka]

[[Jor-chan gave me permission to bunny through this post. Feel free to verify with him. It's essentially to emphasize Rin's power boost.]]

I was actually faster than Itami. He was like lightning. Was Ryn doing this for me? But I'm using this to my advantage. If I could make him skip like a rock, I could do a lot more. "I'll make you see..." I sprint forwards as he's getting up, very quickly right in his face. "I'll make you see that you're wrong!" Another solid blow to his chest knocks him back, but I grab his ankle before he could fall completely down. He was really heavy, but I didn't care.

I start spinning him around, watching him slowly gain air from it. Somehow, balancing on the water wasn't an issue anymore. I release him, and he flies much farther than I'd even thought. He crashes into the rock edges of the cliff beside the waterfall. I suddenly notice how loud it is. Perhaps it was helping the headache get worse. Another mad sprint as I leap at him, grabbing him by the over-sized neckband of his coat. "I thought we were friends, Itami!"

A hard punch to his face nicks the skin, leaving some more blood trailing, just a little. It was gonna leave a mark. "Friends don't want to kill each other!" This fury was sickening me... I jump off of him and keep my grip on the coat, using this... berserk strength to skid him across the water again. Where was this power coming from, anyway?

Calling upon our bond, I form a blade that mimicked the appearance of his. "Get up, Itami! I'll show you our bond!"

[Kodoku Itami]

Itami lay floating in the water on his back, staring up at the sky his mouth was parted slightly as he slipped towards unconsciousness. Since when had she gotten so fast..? So strong..? It was that Lunar Spirit, that was surely it, the fact that she was a Lunar Knight had driven her to this strength and speed, her anger and rage. Itami's eyes drifted closed as he smiled.

He was still laid within the water, but as his eyes flashed open, he noted that he wasn't back in the valley. He was in a giant dark hallway, and he could barely see the space in front of him. Sitting up, he looked around with a curious expression on his face as it dawned on him that he was more than likely unconscious... Was this his own mind?

"Kodoku Itami..."

Itami's eyed widened as he turned around to find a giant purple figure stood above him, it's pure white eyes and open mouth grinned down at him. Itami frowned as he looked across at the huge figure, wondering what it possibly could be, as soon as he even gave the thought, the huge being replied.

"I am you. I am your spirit and deity. And I... Am... ANGRY!"

Despite the huge grin spread across it's face, it's voice shook Itami's very mind as the guardian spirit rested on it's hands and leaned in close to Itami's face. Looking deep into his onyx black eyes with it's own bright white.

"You are losing. You are being beaten by a girl. By a Lunar Knight, no less! Well... I refuse to allow it. You are Kodoku. You must succeed! You are to take some of my power. Use it to your own advantage. But do. Not. Lose."

A huge gasp.

Itami was underwater, bubbles formed out of his mouth as he awoke, but he felt stronger, faster... Was this real power? Was this his potential? He started swimming from the surface, moving faster than he honestly thought possible, it was more like flying than swimming. Exploding out of the water, he stopped moving as soon as he broke free. Water showered around him as he glared across at Rin, he had his normal Sharingan activated, no longer using the Mangekyou, which was proving to be too detrimental to his vision.

Using Genjutsu, he projected the image of his spirit upon the vision of Rin.

"Rin Tezuka..." He growled through gritted teeth. "This is not over."

[Rin Tezuka]

"Of course it's not! You still haven't opened your eyes. You're still just being an idiot!" I yelled to him, annoyed. Beyond it... He was so terribly stubborn. I make another dash directly at him, screaming, "Why are you being so dumb?! Revenge will get you nothing!" And as I get to him, I hold out a reinforced arm, hitting him in the chest in a powerful LARIAT. Once again, he skids across the water, until a sudden bounce crashed him into the opposite wall as before. It just confused me... He apparently has the best eyes in the world, according to Blindfold. Why was he so blind?

[Kodoku Itami]

The dust gathered around the crater in which Itami had been forcefully placed, and then a sound suddenly burst around the valley, it was the sound of laughter... Not that of someone who was having fun, but the chuckle of someone who had just come to a stark realization. As the dust cleared, Itami was covered in tribal markings and his red Sharingan eyes seemed brighter. So, this was the power that he was capable of...

And then he was gone.

Re-appearing directly in front of Rin, he smiled. He felt so much stronger, so much faster...

"Don't you see..? Anger is power..." With that, he brought his forehead forwards in a headbutt.

[Rin Tezuka]

I would have shook my head, had it not just been smacked by Itami's. I fall backwards and sink just a bit below the water. At about chest level, I recovered and climbed back up. "Itami..." Those marks that coated his body were beautiful. If it were literally any other situation, I'd have wanted to paint it. But these were the embodiment of his rage. "Anger.. isn't power. It's a weakness." I grasp my head, no longer attacking. The silver in my eyes shined just a bit brighter than before.

"Just stop it now..." I know saying it was pointless. I begin stepping back and shaking my head. "I don't want to kill you. I know you want to kill me... but killing you is pointless! After all I've said, and all I want to do... I won't do it!" And with my speed, I almost flicker out of sight for the normal eye, and deliver a swift, powerful roundhouse kick to him.

[Kodoku Itami]

Everything was so clear now! All the movements that he couldn't track only minutes before were now right there before him, he could see them as they came! Leaning back slightly, the kick flew right past his face, billowing his hair out to the side, he smirked. His left hand shot up and pushed her leg away by the ankle, whilst his right hand clenched into a fist and came shooting up towards her unprotected flank, aiming to slam her away from him.

[Rin Tezuka]

His fist came into a metal fist. I whipped my body around to meet his fist, my left fist slamming into his. My legs, still whipping around, meet his chest, and I pounce off it. I land on the water, and immediately rebound, dashing at him with the blade I had yet to use. I slam down on him with it, immediately creating another replica in my other hand and swinging that one as well.