The One Demon Night Parade

Chapter Eleven - Greed

There was a murmur of voices, and I felt arms lift me up. I could feel my human transformation shatter in their arms, and a gasp of surprise at the softness of my fur. A man said something. A woman replied. I struggled to remember where I was, and I managed to open my eyes for a moment to see a shock of red and blue hair before my eyes fell shut again. It all hurt.

And a rush of memories was the cause of it. A name. A goddess. I dared not say her name. I was quaking in fear.

Chakra, the origin, Yokai, and a goddess.

I floated in and out of consciousness. I think I screamed at one point. I think I thanked the Sage while sobbing. It was minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, all rolled together. It was as if I drifted for eons, but only minutes. Time was a diluted concept, space nonexistent. Physics destroyed while I floated in my own memories.

And then there was a cold hand, grasping my paw. I was yanked out, and I was staring into the blurred image of Satsuki. I cried out something unintelligible to her, but her expression was grim. It took me a while to calm down.

"I haven't heard from you in three weeks," she starts off. "So I came to see you writhing on a pile of blankets." I examined my surroundings. I was in a dark room, indeed atop a pile of blankets. To their credit, they were soft blankets.

"I remembered the origin of chakra and the true genocide," I tell her flatly. "And I remember the goddess." She looked at me curiously.

"I don't. Nagato briefed me on what happened. You just started screaming. No, don't sit up," she stopped me. "You're weak. I'll go hunt for you. What do you eat?"

I sighed. "Fish and sake. I don't care what kind." I did feel weak. She left with a swirl of snow and I curled into myself. The blue haired woman entered the room afterwards and watched me.

"Konan, isn't it?" I called out to her. She seemed startled.

"You're sane again?" She asked. "Nagato will be pleased." I stared up at the ceiling as she left to report. My loyalties seemed to be shifting as the world began to make more sense. Things had to be done, things had to be restored. But what could I do? I was simply one Yokai. I had Satsuki, but our power had a limit. Now that I remembered how chakra originated, I was beginning to fear it more than I already had.

Satsuki soon returned with fresh fish. Without sake. I gave her a look, but she shrugged with a grin. I let it pass while I ate, eventually restoring enough strength to return to my human illusion.

One of Nagato's corpses entered as I was mid fish, its fresh blood dripping from my mouth. Satsuki was watching me with amusement as I watched Pein stare at me.

"So you are awake. What happened?" He asked me. I smirked at him, showing my bloody teeth.

"Our contract does not involve me disclosing information concerning my past," I tell him simply. Suddenly, I yawn. "It appears I'm still tired."

"M'lord, you weren't exactly sleeping," Satsuki tells me.

"Small details. Nagato, I refuse to inform you of what exactly happened. Disclosing such information is not included in the contract," I smile sunnily. "Ren is better now, though! Ren can resume active duty!"

He watches me, as if mulling over the proper words to use. "How will I know this won't happen again?"

My face turns blank. "It won't. It was a reaction to the removal of a memory block. That is all I will tell you. I must warn you, though. I now have my own agenda. Though I am not in a position to harm you in anyway, nor can I compromise your actions," I lie completely, and Satsuki muffles her giggles, "I cannot promise complete loyalty."