Byakko sat along the roof of his church as he smoked a cigarette. The tiger was off hunting some deer, which meant that he could have a moment to himself. Well, not really to himself, but at least it wasn’t as obvious as it normally was. Byakko stared at the rising sun with a bizarre sense of fascination. Three years ago he never thought that he would be so accumulated into village life. This was supposed to be a simple mission without any strings. Who would have thought it would have become so much more? He decided that he wanted to share this moment with someone.“You can come out you know. There’s space for two to sit.” Byakko said as he discarded the finished cigarette and lit up a new one. “Or all eight of you. However many you have outside my range of sensory.” Byakko added. “So it is sensory that you use to find me. I always wondered if you just had the same sense of smell as your cat.” The masked man said as he suddenly appeared next to Byakko. His head was looking at the rising sun as well.
“Toboe. Always a pleasure.” Byakko said with a faint smile. He offered a cigarette to the man, who refused the offer politely. Although ANBU were not supposed to reveal their names, especially to the people whom they were tailing, Byakko and Toboe had a different relationship than most parole guard and parolee. Initially Toboe played bad cop and assumed Byakko’s intentions were more malicious than his charitable church man façade appeared. However, once the man got to know Byakko, and understand the truth behind the mask, he too lowered his own disguise.
“Pleasure’s all mine. I’m actually not here on assignment, so I can take this off.” Toboe said as he raised his mask so that it rested on top of his head. When he raised his mask Toboe’s face was radiated by the morning sun, and Byakko took in a moment to absorb the beauty of the man. His face was as gentle as the finest silk, and his eyes shimmered with amber blaze. He was slightly younger than the age Byakko appeared, which meant that he was a lot younger than Byakko’s true age. Still, the man did not look out of place next to Byakko, and he enjoyed the anbu’s presence quite a bit.
“Don’t tell me you came all of the way here to hear one of my sermons. My delicate heart may not be able to take such a revelation.” Byakko said in a pious tone. Toboe gave him a friendly push against his shoulder. “Don’t bring that tone up with me Kazuto! I’m one of the few people who know the real you.” He said with a warm but feisty grin. The name Kazuto caused Byakko to sink softly, but only internally. Externally he appeared as playful as the man who sat next to him.
“I’m actually here because I have some big news. Your probationary period has been lifted.” Toboe said. The news hit Byakko with enough shock that his cigarette nearly fell from his lips. “No s**t?” He said as his lips recovered his cancer stick and balanced it once more. “None. You have done nothing but good for the service of the village. You have ventured with the kage for the negotiations between our nation and Arashi. You even housed the eight tailed demon urn in the church to ensure that our enemies do not steal its power. There is no more reason to doubt your motives. As from this day, I am no longer assigned to monitor you.”
Toboe’s words sunk within Byakko in a profound way. The man was nothing more than a liar, and yet he somehow managed to win his village’s trust. “I was also instructed to bring you this.” Toboe said as he reached into his back pocket. He then pulled out for Byakko an official Konoha headband. The symbol of leaf was bound by red cloth which matched the color of the dead god’s hair. “I’m… I’m speechless.” He said with a chuckle. “That’s a laugh. Who ever thought I wouldn’t have something to say?”
“Right? You usually never know when to shut up.” Toboe said in a trolling manner. Byakko merely rolled his eyes as he wrapped the headband around his forehead. He nervously lowered his hands and looked at his former ANBU agent. “Do I look ridiculous?” He asked nervously. “You look like a Konoha ninja.” Toboe said, as genuine as the sun rise which enveloped them both. “And a cute one at that.” He said with a slight blush.
“Toboe Shinimura! I am a pious man.” Byakko said with a wide smirk. This caused laughter to erupt from Toboe. “Well, if you ever decide not to be, we could always have dinner. There’s a new restaurant in town, and I’m sure you can steal enough from the donation bin to spot the bill for us.” Toboe said as he rose to his feet. This caused confusion from Byakko. “Where are you going?” He asked surprised.
“I still have a job to do. Not everyone can laze around all day and claim to serve the goddess.” Toboe said as he rolled down his dog mask to cover his face. “I’ll make the reservation for seven though. Make sure you’re not late!” Toboe said as he leaped off the roof. Byakko watched until he was out of side and then turned his head back to the sun. A village ninja huh? That was definitely not part of the plan. He should find such a thing trivial in the grand scheme of gods and power. Still, why did he have such pride in having one? Why did the weight pressed against his forehead cause him to want to find his tiger and hug him in a burst of wildly positive emotions? Perhaps that was a mysterious not meant to be answered.
“He seems like a good boy.” A voice said behind him which completely poisoned his good mood. Byakko stood and faced the Goddess Evergreen. “Your Grace.” He said with a formal bow. Evergreen bowed back formally, and the tiger leaped on top of the roof to roar defiantly at the goddess. “Hasn’t he learned anything from the past hundred times he’s tried this?” Evergreen said dismissively. “You know Gods. Stubborn to a fault.” Byakko said as he tossed his dead cigarette away. “You’re different, of course.” He added hastily.
“Of course.” Evergreen said with a slight leer. She then shrugged off the comment as she placed the base of her staff onto the roof. “While I am happy that you seemed to have found a home among these humans, do not forget your purpose. You are here to spread my will, and to perform my deeds.” She said in an authoritative tone. Byakko nodded politely, but internally he rolled his eyes. He hated his service to the goddess, but knew that there was no way to defy her. If he tried in any metric then he would become stone once more.
“What does your divinity demand?” He asked civilly. Evergreen smiled as she pointed toward the sky with her free hand. “Tonight is the night of the blood moon. The ancient magic will be strongest then, which means that I will finally have the power to destroy that damned demon.” Evergreen said triumphantly. Byakko clapped appropriately. “Well done. I’m sure you’ll have much pride once you get that done.” He said.
“Oh I will. And I need you to seal it into yourself.”
“Come again?” Byakko said, losing his composure for a brief moment. Evergreen laughed snidely. “Careful. A comment like that could be seen as insubordination.” She said with a snide grin. “But yes. You are an envoy of my chakra. Once the demon is inside you, I should be able to channel my power to kill it. That will once and for all purge the demon from the world.” She said. Byakko looked to the floor and then back at the goddess.
“But this body… there’s no way that it could avoid that trauma.” He said mortified. “Oh I am aware. You will die, but that is a risk I am willing to take.” Evergreen said casually. This of course triggered the tiger into making a lunge at the woman. Evergreen merely sighed as the tiger turned to stone before he even reached her. His statue was suspended in the air by Evergreen’s power of the rinnegan. “One of these days I am just going to shatter you.” She said as she pushed the slab of stone away from her. Byakko watched his tiger half slide against the rooftop while Evergreen merely sighed.
“The ritual will be at midnight. Failure to comply will of course result in your death. I shall await you tonight.” She said as she disappeared into a swirl of flower petals. The tiger returned to flesh and fur once again as Byakko the human was still in a state of shock. He was going to die. He either runs away and get molded into stone by Evergreen, or he becomes this vessel and dies with the demon. There was no situation where he got away with his life. He needed a drink. He needed ALL of the drinks.
The next four hours were devoted solely to alcoholism. Byakko found every stash of liquor in his church and consumed it all. The doors to the churched were locked, as there was no need for service today. He already was going to die, so it wasn’t like not hosting a sermon was going to have Evergreen knocking down his door. It was so surreal to think that he would die once again. He spent his whole life trying to avoid it, and once again it found him. The tiger seemed to be in a similar state of shock as he watched his human side drink himself into a slump. The two continued on in silence until Byakko sobered from his drinking binge.
“What do you think? Want to go out in a blaze of glory?” Byakko asked his tiger half. The tiger roared in approval, which caused Byakko to smirk. “Of course you do. And maybe morphing to stone is a better alternative to having that woman get one last thing from us.” He said as the tiger brushed against him and Byakko instinctively pet his companion. His eyes were staring at something seemingly miles away as he thought of the future this day began with. He was a ninja of Konoha, one who could have become something. Maybe he could have become an advisor of Lalhil? Maybe he could have finally had that training session with Karuto? Maybe he could have taught at that Saegahara Academy? There were so many options for him, but all of them were gone. He could have gone out for a date with Toboe.
The date…
“Oh s**t!” Byakko said as he rushed toward a shower. He only had twenty minutes until it was time for his date. The restaurant was on the other side of town, but if he rushed then maybe he could make himself look presentable. Byakko did his best to kill the horrendous odor of booze from his clothing and his breath. He swapped to a new pair of clothing and washed his body hastily. He then rushed out of the church as Byakko the tiger gave him an assist. Through their combined speed, the two able to be only fashionably late.
Toboe waited for them outside the restaurant. He was dressed in a suit which made Byakko feel underdressed. Despite that, the man did not seem to show any disgust on his face. In fact, he appeared relieved. “I was afraid I was going to get stood up.” He said with a smile. Toboe then moved over to the tiger and scratched behind the ears. “Hey there cat.” He said casually. Despite his ego, Byakko did not mind the man’s manner of speech. It didn’t hurt that Toboe gave the best ear scratches ever. Byakko the human got off the tiger as he wanted to make some excuse for being late. When he saw Toboe’s face, however, he knew that such an excuse was not needed, and the two walked into the restaurant hand in hand.
“And that’s when the man threw all of his kunai into the air! The ryo went everywhere, and Ms. Sanzaki still does not know where her stockings went.” Toboe said animated as he recounted the latest mission to Byakko. Byakko listened intently, and nodded when appropriately. His mind was still lost to the dilemma of his mortality, but having someone so nice to be with did make things slightly more tolerable. When the story was over Byakko made sure to comment on how obscene the whole thing was. While it should have been enough, Toboe gave Byakko a nervous stare.
“Hey Kazuto. Are you… happy being here?” He asked timidly. “What?! Of course I’m happy.” Byakko said feigning excitement. “You don’t seem like yourself. I mean, more so than when you’re usually not being yourself.” He added. Byakko sunk into his seat as he heard this. Even with his best ditch efforts he couldn’t mask the turmoil in his heart. He took a breath to speak, but no words came. He tried again, but nothing manifested. In the end, Byakko could only sigh.
“We could leave if you want to. Our food hasn’t even come yet and…” Toboe paused. “Also, if you don’t want to be with me, I understand that.” Byakko would not tolerate this any further. He reached across the table and grabbed Toboe’s warm hands and enclosed them in his own. Toboe blushed like a rose wine. “There is nowhere in this world I would rather be with you. I need you to know that without a shadow of a doubt.” Byakko said with vibrant, raw emotion. It was far more than Toboe was used to, and it disarmed him. When Byakko released his hands, he looked down at his empty plate.
“Toboe, I want to engage in a hypothetical with you.” Byakko said. Toboe focused himself onto Byakko to let him know that he had his full attention. “If you knew that you were going to die, and you knew when you were going to die, what would you do?” He asked. Toboe thought about it for a moment. “Hmmm. Probably go to Arashi. I heard that Magic ★ is going to go on tour soon, and I have been dying to see her in person.” Toboe responded. “Why do you ask?”
“What if it was sooner than expected? What if it was tonight?” Byakko asked abruptly. Toboe’s eyes reflected deep concern. “Kazuto, you’re scaring me.” He said with a nervous chuckle. “Is everything alright?” He added. Byakko wanted to lie. He wanted to give an answer which would make everything better. However, his head just shook slightly, and he felt the beginnings of tears form in his eyes.
“I should go.” Byakko said suddenly. He rose from the table as Toboe did as well. “Byakko wait!” Toboe called out as his date ran out of the restaurant. Before he could stop him, however, Byakko was gone with the wind, as was his tiger. The distraught man sat back in his seat as he tried to process what just happened. Byakko, meanwhile, gripped onto the fur of his tiger as the beast rode him away from the town. He ran away from the village, his church, everything. When he arrived at the waterfall, Byakko set out a bloody scream.
“It’s not fair!” Byakko screamed. “It’s not fair! It’s not! I shouldn’t have to die! I don’t want to die!” He shouted at the raging water. The tiger watched with a pained expression as his human side completely lost his composure. Ninjutsu flew from his fingers as bolts of lightning crashed into the water. After five balls of black lightning made massive splashes in the water, Byakko fell backward and breathed heavily. It wasn’t fair. Nothing about this was fair. And yet, he had to go through with it. He had to die for the sake of someone else. He had no choice. Byakko let out all of his emotions in a massive sob. For a long hour he did nothing but cry. Once there were no more tears left to cry, he got on the back of his tiger once more. He directed the animal back to the church. It was time.
Byakko unlocked the doors and nearly dropped to his feet when he saw Toboe inside his chapel. The man stood in front of the Urn of the Eight tails with his weapon drawn. Byakko was astonished that he did not sense his chakra from outside the door. “Did you learn a new trick? I guess I shouldn’t have told you after all that it was sensory.” Byakko said in a side smile. Toboe did not look to be jesting mood, however. He was in his anbu uniform, but his mask was attached to his belt. This meant that his beautiful amber eyes were fixated on Byakko.
“Whatever you’re thinking Kazuto, you can stop it.” Toboe said nervously. His grip on his blade shook slightly as he pointed it at the approaching Byakko. “I wish I could. I REALLY wish I could.” Byakko pleaded as he proceeded forward. Toboe shook in place as he could not find the strength to strike down the man in front of him. That was when another idea crossed his mind. Toboe lowered his blade to the urn which caused Byakko to stop in his tracks. “Take one more step and I’ll break the seal. The demon will run off to Gods knows where, and you’ll never see it again.” He said sharply.
“Toboe. You don’t want to do that.” Byakko said as calmly as he could. His hands were raised to show his compliance as Byakko tried to sneak behind the pews to make a sneak attack. “Tell your tiger to stand down!” He shouted as he tightened his grip on his sword. Byakko nodded and commanded the tiger away from his strike. Once the animal stopped Byakko continued his focus on Toboe. “I know this is a lot to process, but there are things going on way beyond either of our control. You need to let me have that demon, Toboe.”
“If you take this demon, you will become a rogue of the village.” Toboe pleaded. Tears fell from his eyes as he looked desperately at the man whom he fell in love with years ago. “You won’t be able to stay. Whatever trouble you’re in, we can solve. Don’t do this though.” He begged. “I don’t want to do this! God there is nothing less I want to do then this.” Byakko retorted back. His anxiety radiated from his body in a way which showed Toboe that there was someone else in control of the strings.
“Kazuto, just tell me what’s going on.” Toboe begged. Byakko shook his head as he felt his tongue slip to the back of his neck. “Kazuto, please.” Toboe chanted. Byakko remained silent as he looked away. “Kazuto!” Toboe shouted. “My name’s Byakko!” Byakko shouted in a manner which mentally disarmed Toboe. “That’s my real name. I’m not some traveling preacher. I am, I was, a god. And I was killed by Evergreen. Now she’s going to do that again if I don’t put that demon into me, and allow her to use me to kill it, and me in the process. Knowing her she’ll kill anyone who gets in the way. So please, run. Get out of here, don’t look back, and whatever you do, don’t ever let anyone know you know me. Please let me keep you safe.”
Toboe stood silent as he dropped his blade. One step after the next moved him in front of Byakko, and the slightly shorter man looked Byakko deeply into the eyes. He saw that there was not an ounce of lie behind the eyes which he loved desperately to get lost in. It was at that moment that Toboe’s arms wrapped around Byakko, and the two embraced in a deeply deserved and richly spiritual embrace. The two kissed with the force of two waves colliding against one another. Their kiss became more intimate, and soon the two thought of nothing more than the other. After a deep five minute embrace, Toboe pulled himself back and looked at Byakko.
“Kaz… Byakko.” He said softly. “I am not afraid of Evergreen. I will stand with you until my final moment. I love you, Byakko. My only regret is that I did not say it sooner.” He said with tears of joy streaming down his face. Byakko was stunned at the display of courage in front of him. Every part of him wanted to get Toboe out of here so that he could complete his mission. Well, every part aside from the very selfish, and vulnerable fragment within him which wanted this moment to last forever. He wanted to hold this man until his final breath left his body. Maybe that was worth dying for. The love which he didn’t deserve, but coveted anyway. Yeah, that was worth dying for.
That was when it happened.
The strike was too fast for sight. Toboe’s eyes went white as blood coughed up from his mouth. Byakko felt the weight of the man sink as his face contorted with fear. The tiger was a moment too slow as Toboe’s life force left his body. As the body slugged backward Byakko gripped it tighter. He shook his arms furiously in a desperate attempt to awaken the dead man. “Children. They love more than they fear.” Evergreen said from behind Byakko. Her voice sounded annoyed as her arms were folded in front of her. “We’re behind schedule. Take that damned demon or you’re next.” She said annoyed. Byakko sobbed as he lowered Toboe to the ground. He rose to look at Evergreen, but turned his body to the urn instead. The tiger was ready to pounce, but Byakko rose his hand to stop him. This was no longer the time for childish games. Now was the time for action.
Byakko placed his hands onto the urn. With knowledge of the ancient magic he released a spell which defused the seal on the urn and replaced it onto himself. This caused the demon sealed away to merged itself into Byakko. Suddenly Byakko was brought into his internal world as his feet were submerged in eight inches of water. He looked up and saw a massive prison cell where two glowing red eyes resonated within the shadows. The bars of the gates were laced with powerful seals to repel the power of the demon.
“You are my new host? Be aware that my power was grand enough that two twins struggled to contain me.” The demon roared from the shadows. Byakko wiped his tears away as he lit a cigarette. He placed it in his mouth and let out a massive puff. “Not to worry. I’m not exactly of one mind myself.” He said with a smirk. Just then the tiger side of him appeared within the cell alongside him. The demon scoffed at the tiger’s sudden entrance.
“No matter. One day I will wrestle control from you, and then I will tear this world asunder from the trauma I have been put through.” The Hachibi roared. Byakko broke into laughter as he took his cigarette out of his mouth to not accidentally drop it. “What about this is so funny?” The demon demanded. “Oh you have you no idea what comes next, do you?” Byakko said snidely. It was then that the entire mental world started to shake as though it was the victim of an earthquake. The upsurge of power felt like a burning sensation all across both Byakko’s skin. The human imagined that the demon was feeling the same horrible sensation.
“What in the world is happening?” The demon shouted. Byakko placed his cigarette back into his mouth as he tried his best to mask his pain. “Ever hear of Evergreen? Goddess of Nature, Mother of All?” Byakko asked. When there was no answer from the demon, Byakko rolled his eyes. “Well, the abridge version of events is that she really hates tailed beast. Like, absolutely despises them. So she had you sealed within me so that she could pump my body with enough nature chakra into my divine body to kill you.” He said nonchalantly.
“Nuisance of a Goddess. A demon can never really die.” The eight tails sneered. It was then that another wave of burning overwhelmed the two of them, causing Byakko to nearly fall to his knees. “Well she thinks she can do it. And unless you’re really confident she’s just blowing smoke, I suggest we work together to piss in her cereal at least once before we kick the bucket.” There was silence from the cell for a few moments as the pain amplified.
“What… do you have in mind?” The demon asked.
Meanwhile, on the outside, Evergreen was continuing her incantation. She stood above Byakko as her hand hovered inches above his head. Threads of nature chakra wrapped around Byakko’s body as she continued to chant. “I call upon my ancient name. Powers of riches I am to claim. Dispel this demon from my realm and shore. Let him leave forevermo-“ Her spell was canceled suddenly when a hand reached out to grab her. Evergreen looked down and saw Byakko’s hand covered in a demonic aura. The aura channeled throughout his body and coated the man. Byakko’s head suddenly raised as his eyes opened with the determination ready to severe the very heavens.
“Whatever you’re thinking, you will not succeed-“ Evergreen said before she was suddenly thrown violently into the side of the church. The force of Byakko combined with the demon’s cloak caused the side of the building to explode and for the goddess to fly through the debris. Byakko never felt such power before, not even as a god. It did not take long for Evergreen to float right back through the hole of the church, however. “Do you REALLY think that one demon is enough power to subdue me-“ Evergreen shouted before Byakko lunged at her and tackled her right back through the hole. This time she went flying way further beyond the range of sight.
“Huh. That time it finally worked.” Byakko said under his breath. “Don’t be coy. I can still sense her power.” The demon said telepathically. One of the agreements Byakko made with the eight tails was that the demon would be able to speak freely to him and the tiger through the demon’s telepathic abilities. He also promised not to intervene on any communications between the demon and other demons the three came into contact with. There were more agreements, but he couldn’t remember them at this point.
“She’s going to get attack soon. Whatever powers you gained from her are about to be taken back, so be cautious.” The demon stated. Byakko looked down as though he was trying to envision where the demon was. “Well, she gave me nature chakra, sensory, and…” His mind went cold when he knew what was coming next. The man leaped upward, as did his tiger, as the entire base of the church was devastated as a massive surge of storm chakra in the shape of a laser. The two user their demon auras to crash through the ceiling where they then landed on the roof. Now having their bloodline was going to impose limitations on both of them, but it was a fight they were going to need to perform.
“Got anything better to provide than tactical support? We’re not going to last long if we don’t throw something more than a punch at her.” Byakko said rushed. He suddenly looked at the stream of storm chakra bolts aimed for him. As someone who used storm chakra for the past three years, he knew that the techniques could not be dodged. Therefore, he conjured his own chakra and combined it with the demons. The Kaiser armor radiated and he crashed his arms down on the energy blast. His chakra radiated into a radiant shockwave which dissolved the strikes. Byakko the tigeropened his mouth and combined his chakra with that of the demons. A massive ball of lightning flew forward toward the direction of the attacks. The strike forced Evergreen to deflect it with her shield.
“Byakko! Don’t be stupid.” Evergreen shouted from across the now flame scarred battlefield. “I could turn you and your pet into stone with a snap of my fingers. Stop this now before I level this entire village.” She demanded. “Don’t believe her. If she had that power, then she would have used it already.” The demon stated factually. Byakko realized that he had to be right, as the amount of power she was throwing at the two of them was no where near the output the Goddess had when they fought all of those years ago. He started to ponder the situation.
“Maybe the ritual drained out more than she wants to let on. If we combine our power, then we may be able to survive this night.” Byakko said to the tiger. The demon nodded internally as Byakko’s body continued to morph with the power of the demon. A thick layer of black skin covered his body as his body became more of an ox. In the mental world Byakko stood in front of the gate as the demon revealed more of himself. The seals on the gate diminished one at a time as the demand for power caused the two of them to form an unlikely alliance.
“I think I’m going to take my chances. Besides who knows? Maybe I’ll win this fight.” Byakko said as he disappeared in a blur. Byakko suddenly appeared above Evergreen with his fist drawn back. Evergreen flew back as a massive punch crashed into the ground. The entire floor exploded within a hundred foot radius from the sheer force of the collision. Evergreen had to raise her shield just to negate the aftershocks of the strike. It was clear that the power of this demon was unmatched. Still, she wasn’t going to allow him to take her down.
Evergreen’s staff pointed toward him as bindings of wood emerged from the ground. Byakko moved to avoid it, but to no avail. Hundred tendrils of wood wrapped around him as from behind a thousand foot statue of Buddha emerged. The thousand arms rose as Evergreen’s staff did. “This is the end!” She shouted as she brought her staff down in front of her. The buddha’s arms fell down on Byakko as they all aimed to destroy him. There was silence for a while, and after a moment, Evergreen did not sense the demon’s chakra.
That was, until the tiger appeared. The animal radiated enough demon chakra to spike off any radar. Evergreen let out a disgruntled growl. “You stupid tiger!” She shouted as she readied her next attack. Before she could, however, she saw the demon chakra radiated from the initial source of power again. It was a last ditch effort, but it worked. The ability to channel the demon’s chakra from one point to the other allowed Byakko to stop the senju chakra from absorbing it. And because of that, the human side was able to allow the demon to unlock another transformation.
The wood on top of him rumbled as the host emerged as a full ox with eight octopus tails. He charged around the broken wood until he lunged horns first straight at Evergreen. Evergreen rose her shield, but the forced knocked her back. As Evergreen looked down, she saw that her shield was broken. She looked up at the bull abomination who looked ready for another tackle. For the first time in years, she felt fear.
“I will revive you as a God! I will make you shine through the very heavens.” She shouted at the man who used to be a tiger. Byakko growled to defy her, but the human demon beast listened anyway. “You are not this savage. You are a dignified God. If you stop now, and if you allow me to destroy that body, then I will restore your divinity. I will give you whatever you want. Just stop this attack, and you will have everything.” She pleaded.
“Don’t believe her.” The demon pleaded within Evergreen’s mind. Byakko was tempted, however, there was only one thing on his mind. “I… I want…” Byakko began. “I want… TOBOE!” He shouted as demonic chakra radiated from his body. The Kaiser armor covered him once again as he charged again at the goddess. Evergreen rose her shield once more, but the collision completely destroyed the piece of divine protection. The shockwave knocked her back hundreds of feet. There were burn marks and electric surges all throughout her body. She looked on her eloquent design and saw blood. She was wounded.
“BRING BACK TOBOE!” Byakko shouted. Evergreen was confused who the hell Toboe even was. Did he mean that boy? She could revive him, but that messed with time, and to deal with Zelel was a confrontation she did not want to have. Before she could think, however, Byakko charged another tackle at her. This time Evergreen growled as she placed both hands on her staff.
“I’ve had enough!” She shouted as she swung the staff and collided with Byakko. The force radiated in a hundred force shockwave. Both Byakko and Evergreen were sent back flying. Despite this, however, Evergreen caught herself and floated in the air. The demon flew straight back into the burning building. As he crashed into a plethora of pews, he looked over and saw the deceased body of Toboe. His eyes were still open and his body was still unburied. He deserved more. Byakko would give him more.
“Demon. Give me everything.” Byakko demanded. He reached for the final seal within the mental realm and pulled it off. The prison bars rolled up as the Hachibi, in all of its sized stood directly in front of him. He looked down at the man who had tears streaming down his face. “Do it! Whatever it takes! Take control of me, burn this village, I don’t care! Don’t let her win. Don’t let…” His voice trailed off. “Don’t let his death be for nothing.”
“You loved him, didn’t you?” The demon asked softly. Byakko scoffed initially, but then breathed into a sigh. “I don’t think I know what love is, to tell you the truth.” He said honestly. “But, I know Toboe loved me. And I… I wanted him. I wanted to see that future with him. He’s gone now, and only I can see that future for the two of us. So please, end this. End her so that I can live on for the two of us. That is all I can ask for. Please.” Byakko pleaded. The demon nodded as the two fused into a white light.
Evergreen watched from the outskirts for movement from within the church. Her eyes widened, however, when the entire church began to crumble at the manifestation of a massive demon. The eight tailed demon, in all of his splendor, had manifested once more. The monster let out a massive roar of chakra which disarmed Evergreen before she could even try anything. “Goddess of Nature. You stop here.” The demon demanded. His mouth then opened as ying and yang chakra started to swirl in his open mouth.
“I refuse to die here!” Evergreen shouted as she summoned forth all of the nature chakra from the land. Trees and flowers wilted away as a massive sphere of nature chakra manifested above her. Evergreen raised her staff to better take control of the energy. She charged the chakra with all of the power she could. Then, when she gathered enough, she thrusted her spear toward the demon. The sphere became a cohesive beam of nature chakra over a thousand feet in diameter. The beam was easily a large enough size to swallow the demon whole.
Just before it made contact, the demon released its own blast. The strike collided with the beam, and the two energy forces struggled for dominance. Within the inner mental realm Byakko put everything he had into the strike. He stood with both hands extended and rose to counter the eternal might of Evergreen. Still, he could feel himself losing. He fell to one knee as the residual sparks from the blast were burning his shoulders. Still, he felt himself be raised. His tiger appeared below him and helped him to his feet. Byakko smiled as he and the tiger locked eyes. The two let out a wild roar as their beam overwhelmed the stream of nature chakra, and completely dissolved the position where Evergreen stood. The beam shot straight through, and decimated a subsection of the village. As the demon finished he powered down and returned to Byakko’s form. When the man was fully materialized, he had the tiger by his side, and Toboe’s dead body in his arms.
“Toboe…” Byakko said softly. He looked down at the man who he was responsible for the death of. He was sure his actions caused countless more deaths, but he only cared for Toboe. It took several hours, but Byakko dug a proper hole for his lover. He laid the man ever so gently as he said a prayer for his soul. Not to Evergreen, but to someone, anyone. Any God who had mercy in their heart to take the soul of a man who deserved so much more than a tragic end. After his prayed Byakko buried the body. He and the tiger then left the village. On the grave was a single headband. It was the only gift he got from Toboe, and it was the only thing to mark the grave.