Metallic Wings (Kakanaru)

Prologue: I feared this would happen...

Breathe. Take in long deep breaths and calm yourself, Naruto! Think of happy moment, like that time when...

The comforting thought ended there as this mind lingered on the word 'happy'. Naruto's life was anything but happy, his body shuddered violently as masses of shadows gathered around his mangled bloody body. His hair once spiking out, blessed with the colour of the radiant sun, was housing dirt and dried crumbling blood, which smelt like garbage bins located around his village. His bright crystalline sky blues, which rivalled the vastness of the heavens above, once holding boundless happiness which made anyone and everyone jealous, dulled to express deep melancholy. A sea of lit candles waved around him, like in a funeral, but every frightening shadow droned into a chant swaying their candle in a cleansing gesture. Angels cried innocent tears as the hymns, sung with an undertone of smug and triumph, made them screech at such a blasphemy performed in tribute to their holy one- God.

Naruto's eyes widened remotely to get used to the dots of light watching helplessly on the side lines, his tan unblemished skin was now littered carelessly with cuts ranging to stabs. Some bleeding profusely leaking beautiful warm crimson liquid while others only broke skin driving his neuro-matrix numb having to deal with such unmeasurable torment. Ragged clothes left him undesirably exposed but sweating hot not because of the summer night but of deadly fright which could cause imminent thankful death. He wanted to go. He wanted to leave. He had nothing here.

The crowd of overlapping shadows giggled and laughed with white grins stabbing spears of cold fear into the near-dead boy. A part of the masses pulled apart to reveal a priest in his usual clerical robes with a pensive look with his lips curled into a disgusting thin line. His hand reached into his satin half-buttoned cassock to expose a silver dagger, sharp enough to cut when applying little to not pressure, the man approached Naruto, immediately invading his personal space. Moving his hand in the air to outline a crucifix- similar to the blade handle- to bless his later actions. The holy man hovered the blade over the golden tan skin covering Naruto's neck. Strings of incoherent words in an unknown language were spoken swiftly like a race against time.

The metal plunged into Naruto's throat mercilessly, going as far to harm his vocal cords, trachea and oesophagus, the victims eyes widened enough to see the porcelain white of this eyeball and his pupils dilated to leave a small rim of blue of his iris. His mouth open letting out a choking gurgle of suffocation leaving blood to be hacked out in soundless coughs and the wound sprayed out flicks of red along his warm body and taint the holy man's clothes- decorating white with red. Uncaring the man continues to chant as the shadows gather even closer around him taking pleasure in Naruto's pain. The blade moving in a slow trail but at moments being promptly flexed into a different direction meandering smoothly over Naruto's skin. Seconds became minutes to hours. But to Naruto it felt like it would last for eternity; the pain being burnt into his memory- so painful.

"The boy has sinned but is now we have labelled him my devotees, let us rejoice with a prayer for God will now recognise this boy as a demon and not be deceived with this fake appearance. The demon will be rightfully punished and exiled to the pits of Hell." The holy man silenced the crowd the moment he opened his mouth but let excitement and accomplishment dawn on them.

A sudden scream erupted in the crowd as a tall figure dressed in a simple navy blue no-sleeved shirt and similar coloured cargo pants, bandaged to his skin above his feet and on his right upper-thigh to hold a shuriken holster, with a grey flak jacket to cover his chest and back while his arms (fingers to elbows) were guarded with plated titanium slates ran towards them. The mystery man's hand flashes in the silvery rays of the moon to unveil a simple tanto as another shriek identified the man.