The Shinobi Visitor

Chapter 45 - Progress...

Patronus stood out as he observed the faraway radio tower while extending his Kitsune Sense's range as best he could for now. However, his current action was disturbed when his reluctant companion asked him a peculiar question.

"Why?"

He did not turn around to answer her. "Why what?"

"Why aren't you admonishing me?" Lara asked her question.

Patronus turned around and faced her after a little while. "For what?"

"I killed those men on our way here and the same goes for you." Lara clarified as her body trembled, still shaken by her experience. "You killed them too." She went for the kill.

"No, I didn't." Patronus answered plainly, much to Lara's confusion. "I threw those shuriken hard enough to knock them out, plus they were dipped in a sleeping toxin. They're just sleeping… for about six hours."

Downtrodden at this explanation, Lara stared at the fire in front of her as she felt her clothes about to be fully dried. Unknown to her, Patronus dried his clothes with his fire chakra as little streams of steam rolled off his shoulders.

"I see." Lara answered as she tried to calm her shaking hands but finally managed to do so.

"Was that your first time?" A nod came from the archer as Patronus nodded too. "Yeah, the first time sticks with you." Lara looked at the hooded ninja with widened eyes. "Anyway, are you ready?"

Nodding with her shoulders popped from exhaustion, Lara stood up and stretched her arms as she took the lead with Naruto covering the rear. "He's…He's not the same."

In front of them was another large metal tunnel that seemed to fit any less of a battleship. They began their trek through the tunnel just as another round of voices reverberated through the acoustics and reached their ears.

"It's cold out here!"

"Shush. You'll get used to it. It's even colder up by the radio tower."

"The weather on this island is crazy." The man complained liked a child.

"Everything about this island is crazy, brother."

Patronus and Lara trekked to the middle of the tunnel where they took cover an old car that looked to be from early 1900s as a bright light shined from the other end of the tunnel where Naruto saw enemies there via Kitsune Sense.

"Hey! Get that damned gun off me!"

Ignoring that outcry, Patronus motioned Lara to do it as she soon drew her bow and arrow before aiming it at the nearest man, releasing her grip to fire the arrow at the man's back of the neck. The target fell forward without a sound as one of his companions continued to talk like nothing happened.

"Gonna go check in. Need anything?"

"Nah, I'm good."

Lara fired another shot that took the life of another before she fired another arrow at her next target. However, that arrow veered off its trajectory and hit the wall, alerting their enemies as the one near the light fired multiple rounds at them in rapid-fire.

If that was not bad enough, there were more of them entering the tunnel and approaching their location.

"So much for easygoing." Patronus grunted as he expertly threw several shuriken at the men while Lara fired her arrows at the man with the vantage point.

Their streak ended when Patronus clocked in two men coming up from behind them and he threw a smoke ball at the end of the tunnel to blind the vantage man. "Behind us." He whispered to Lara who nodded as they engaged the men.

Lara shoved against one of them, knocking him off-guard as he fell to the ground after she kicked him in the legs. She finished him off with a rock she picked off the ground and hit his head as he fell to the ground. The archer looked to the side and saw Patronus grapple his man's arm before he snapped it at the joint.

The man screamed before he was kicked in the head by an axe kick.

Seeing the smoke was still obscuring the tunnel's other side, the duo reached the other side and ducked behind a manmade cover just as the vantage point-man open fired at them with a hail of bullets. Pulling out another smoke bomb, Patronus threw it at the building as the smoke clouded the man's eyesight yet he still fired at them albeit blindly.

"I can't see him." Lara complained as she tried to find him but the smoke blinded her as well.

Seeing this as another challenge for her, Lara focused on her gift and saw the environment change colors as everything was light blue in general while the fires being yellow and the gunman red. When she took a quick glance at Patronus, she suppressed a gasp as his aura was a bright sun-like color.

As for Naruto, he sensed something about the girl ever since he laid eyes on her. If he did not have observant eyes, the ninja would not have noticed the subtle glint of green within her usually brown eyes.

Lara turned her attention back to the building of the gunman and saw his aura as clear as day before she fired an arrow at his head, ending the rain of bullets on them. The hero and archer ran towards the stone building as they traversed the hallways as they heard new voices ahead of them.

"How many are there?"

"Shh…only two…from the new wreck…"

With cautious approach, Lara held her bow at the ready while Patronus extended his Hidden Blades from the sleeves. As they silently climbed the stairs, lightning had flashed briefly and revealed two shadows signifying their positions on the top roof before they reached the second floor.

A scream alerted them as a bowman prepared an arrow but Lara was faster and put one through the heart. She looted the body for more arrows as her quiver was close to zero before they continued their trek. Two more men jumped to their level from an adjacent building as they soon exchanged blows.

Well Naruto handled them as he slashed their legs with his blades, bringing them down to their knees and stabbing them at the shoulders before kicking them in the heads simultaneously. Flicking the blood of the blades, Patronus led the way as he jumped across a broken metal bridge followed by Lara to the adjacent building.

"This bunker…World War II era…" Lara said observingly as she took the lead and jump-kicked the wall in front of them and hoisted herself atop the second floor. Patronus followed her as she led the way to the peak. "Probably Japanese."

"Hey, look at that." Patronus said with a pointed finger.

Lara saw him pointing at the rope near them that connected to the mid/rear section of the first building in front of them. She used her bow to descend the zipline followed by Patronus who used his rope dart as well as they dropped down once entering the building.

Doing so however landed in a very wet environment.

"*Exhale* Ah…It's freezing."

"Over here!" Another voice called out from the other side of the hallway.

"All right, let's get these lines hooked up." Both Lara and Naruto used their senses and determined it was an enemy as they reached the dry floor. "These brothers need power."

"Ow…fuck!" A younger voice called out through the hallways as Patronus and Lara walked ahead until the latter saw a document atop the nearby boxes and lantern.

"What's that, Lara?" Patronus asked the archer who read its content before she looked at him.

"Someone who follows this Father Mathias. Apparently, this man was the first Solarii." Lara looked at the direction where she heard the voices. "All of them are Solarii."

Shrugging his shoulders, Patronus remarked, "At least they have a name now. Otherwise I would've called them 'Men in jungle-ass outfits' or 'tree men'." A deadpan look came from Lara. "Solarii sounds better."

"Oh Lord…" Lara thought internally with a roll of her eyes.

The duo made it to the door when they heard more discussion from the nearby Solarii. "How many came in from the new wreck?"

"A couple dozen… and some women." The young Solarii said with some excitement. "Father Mathis brought one in himself."

"For the ritual?" the other Solarii asked curiously.

"Probably. We'll find out tonight."

Lara noticed the hole in the wall on the left but there was gas of sorts filling it. Patronus saw it as well and pointed at the valve which Lara disabled it with her axe, dispelling the gas as the hole was now clear of the airborne substance. They crouched through the small and narrow holes into a new room where the Solarii could be heard once more.

"Careful, careful…it's loaded with fuel." A Solarii warned nearby outside the room.

"Yeah…" The Solarii who vocally strained himself. "No shit! What do they need it for?"

"Generator, probably…for the tower."

Lara dashed out of the room and fired her arrows at the two Solarii at the end of the hallway before they found a set of stairs just as another Solarii ran down with his bow in hand. Before she could fire an arrow, Patronus dashed towards the Solarii and punched him in the solar plex that knocked the air out of his lungs before he finished him off with an uppercut.

After making sure the bodies were hidden in the bathroom, the duo walked up the stairs and encountered another Solarii but he too was taken care of with proficiency. They climbed through the small ventilation shaft on the left wall where they entered a large metal room.

Patronus founded another ventilation shaft and climbed to a hallway that connected to two separate rooms. Lara climbed in after him and inspected the glass wall of the other room. "That glass looks weak."

"I can punch through it." The hooded ninja nonchalantly replied after his own inspection.

Lara shook her head while Patronus analyzed the glass wall with his hand as the latter noticed a nearby valve and forcefully turned it with her axe. A Solarii man just burst in through the other room and ran towards them while shouting "You're dead, outsiders!"

"What the hell?!" Lara exclaimed with surprise as gas began to fill the hallway, coughing after inhaling some.

"Back to the other room! Go, go, go!" Patronus shouted with vigor as Lara and he went back to the previous room.

"Where you going? There's no way out for you two!" The Solarii cried out in a crazed tone.

Both Patronus and Lara searched around the room for a way out until the latter noticed a lantern on the ground. She put two and two together before the archer grabbed it and threw it through the ventilation shaft into the gas-filled room.

"Hey… what do you think you're doing?!" The Solarii shouted with fear as Patronus pulled Lara in for cover with his back turned to the explosion.

After the brief explosion, the two disentangled from each other and walked to the other destroyed room where the Solarii was pinned against the wall near the door by a huge debris. Lara noticed a submachine gun near the man and grabbed it to inspect its functioning.

"I'd say that suits you but I'm sure you wouldn't like that." Patronus joked as the Solarii tried to get out but ceased afterwards.

"Just end it…Please." The Solarii begged, hoping to be put out of his misery.

Staring at the archer, Patronus watched her aim the machine gun's barrel at Solarii's head. "Go to hell." Lara decreed coldly as she fired one into him.

"I don't want to be on her bad side." Naruto pointed out.

"You're already on her bad side. Why avoid it?"

"Shut it, fox."

Lara looked at the hooded hero. "What?"

"Hm? Nothing." Patronus lied as Lara went through the room and out of it.

"Now! Light her up!"

"Oh no!" Patronus dashed to Lara's side just as they were blindsided by several spotlights in the large room.

Several Solarii men ran towards them and Lara and Patronus defended themselves. The archer fired her gun at two of them while Patronus threw a barrel at one of the Solarii in the back before he jumped onto the other side and mercilessly punched him repeatedly.

"She has a machine gun! Watch out!"

Smirking that Lara has them hiding now, Patronus continued to finish them off one by one while the markswoman mowed the remaining men. After checking the rooms for more men, the duo placed the bodies in a faraway of the room before they inspected it for supplies or clues.

Lara reached the second floor and entered a what looked to be supply room where she found scribbling of a Solarii. "Father Mathis will set us free? From what…this island?" She mused as she took extra clips for her guns from a nearby table.

"Find anything?" Patronus called out from the lower floor as Lara regrouped with him.

"Scribbles about Mathias setting them free."

With a title of his head, Patronus asked the obvious. "From what? The island or something else?"

"I don't know…not yet at least."

"Hopefully you do soon." Patronus answered hopefully as he took the lead this time, going through the large doors on the ground level.

Lara followed him as they walked the stairs before another Solarii fell from the ceiling through a metal vent. Naruto grabbed the man before he could react and choke-slammed him into the ground, knocking the Solarii out in the process.

Lara looted the body for more ammo while Patronus forcefully opened the metal door easily when she was not looking. When she heard the door open, Lara looked and saw Patronus enter the room as she soon followed him and realized that they were inside it.

"We're in the radio tower." Lara said with relief, much to Patronus's surprise.

"Really? Wow, go us."

The dup approached the leaf-covered control console before Lara jiggled with a part that broke afterwards. With a disappointed sigh, Lara spoke through her radio. "Alex, are you there?"

-"Yeah."-

"Yo, Alex. You okay, man?" Patronus spoke after taking out his arm-bound communicator. "You sound out of breath."

-"Just fine, Patronus. Out of shape is all."- Alex joked after inhaling air.

Lara took her turn and discussed the problem. "The console's a wreck."

="Patronus, is this true?"= Captain America asked for proof.

"Sadly yes, C.A."

-"Damn it!"- Alex cursed through the radio. –"Well, unless you two find a Radio Shack around, you're going to have to patch in manually through the maintenance panel."-

"Okay, sounds simple enough." Lara replied, hoping that it will be an easy task.

Patronus shook his head once she said that and Lara looked at him. "Never say that, Lara."

"Uh, why?"

-"Yeah, well uh"- Alex hesitatingly spoke, catching the duo's attention through their respective radio.-"…You're going to have to find it first."-

"And where is this panel we need to find, Alex?" Patronus asked even though he knew the answer.

-"On those old towers they installed the panels high up, I mean way high up."-

"Oh, I see it." Patronus mentioned after finding a massive hole in the room as snow began to fall in while the sun was breaking through the clouds.

Lara followed his gaze and saw the silhouette of the tower they needed as its red blinking light showed its location. "Oh shit." She sighed once more as she looked down. "Climbing again. Great."

"Hooray for us." Patronus drawled out sarcastically. He then noticed a narrow opening in the wall and nudged Lara. "Over there. A way out." He squeezed himself through it as did Lara as they avoided the steam bursts from the pipes.

"That tower better work after all this." Lara bitterly remarked as she and Patronus crouched under a steady stream of steam.

"You mean we'll get paid?"

Lara shook her head at the bad joke from the hooded hero. "Why me?"

TTIIPMxTTIIPMxTTIIPM

Base Exterior

They finally made it out of the base and stood on a stone balcony as an odd sight captured their attention. Across the massive gap between their location and the mountain on the other side was the radio tower they needed to get to as well as what looked to be an abandoned complex surrounding said structure.

Fortunately for them, there was a large metal suspension bridge of sorts to cross without any worry…for now at least.

"All righty, let's get going." Patronus said as he dropped from the balcony and onto the lower floor.

Lara noticed white droplets falling from the sky and voiced out her opinions. "Snow? This isn't normal. Don't you think so?" She asked the hero who turned to face as Lara dropped to the floor. "What?"

"You're asking for my opinion?" Patronus asked with mock awe as he raised his arms in surprise. "Yay! I'm not an outsider!"

"*sigh* Never mind." Lara muttered as she brushed past him, much to Patronus's chagrin. She reached the middle of the broken bridge and crossed the lone beam that was the only one connected to the other side.

That is until a Solarii jumped out from the back of an abandoned truck and grabbed her. "I got one! Come here!"

"Lara!" Patronus dashed towards her as Lara grabbed onto the truck to avoid being taken by the Solarii.

The archer managed to wriggle out of his embrace enough for her legs to bend on his chest. "Get off! Let…GO!" She demanded as her legs kicked him in the chest, knocking the Solarii off the bridge after he lost his balance while Patronus reached her location.

The hooded ninja looked down at the spot where the Solarii landed and whistled appreciatively at the drop. "Pretty deep." His eyes glanced at Lara who pulled out her pistol. "Nice kick."

"…Thanks." She breathed in a little heavy after the confrontation as her pistol was aimed ahead. "Damn! How many are there?"

Patronus shrugged his shoulders as he stood side by side with her. "Let's assume an entire army for now, okay. Don't get your hopes up for lesser numbers. Always be aware of your surroundings even if it was calm and quiet."

Another set of voices echoed in the valley as they heard their words. "Damn it, they must've killed everyone in the base!"

"We need some help out here!" Another Solarii shouted over the snowy wind.

The duo took cover as the Solarii, taking cover at an old building far away from the bridge, opened fire with their guns while some of them threw flaming bottles at their location. Patronus reacted and jumped in the air as he caught the bottles and returned them back to them.

"Ahh!"

"Watch out!"

The Solarii ran away from their covers to escape the shattered bottles as flames spread out on the ground. While Patronus was in the air, he sent a gesture at Lara as she nodded and fired several rounds at the exposed Solarii. When that was done, the ninja threw a smoke bomb at the front of the building as it quickly blocked the remaining enemies' sight.

With a hand gesture, Patronus led the way to the building while Lara switched to her bow for silent takedowns as they made it to the building. That was when they noticed another section of buildings on their right side on the uphill where another wave of Solarii attacked them.

By now, Patronus and Lara realized their roles on their journey. The hooded and disguised ninja was the hand-to-hand combatant to handle the Solarii grunts who prefer the hands-on approach while Lara was the long-range fighter to take the ones who were too far for Patronus to reach without endangering himself.

After the men were taken care of in the square as Lara finished off the last one with a rock to the head, Patronus ran to the nearest building and once he was out of Lara's sight, he Shunshined behind a Solarii who aimed at his companion's head.

"I don't think so." Patronus grabbed the man's head and stabbed his shoulders with the right Hidden Blade before he slammed his head against the stone wall.

Once she saw the all clear from Patronus, Lara ran into the same building and reached the first floor when she jumped across to a stone foundation.

"Defend the tower, brothers!"

"Great, more coming." Lara groaned as she held her bow while Patronus had landed next to her after a roll jump from the roof.

A Solarii had climbed to their position and swung his axe at Lara who barely dodged it. She shoved her body against his own, stunning him as the archer soon fired an arrow at his leg which brought him down. Grabbing a nearby box, Lara smashed it against his head and brought him to unwanted sleep.

"Come on! Get down there!"

"Keep them away from the tower!"

Patronus took out another smoke bomb and threw it in the middle of the new square center, once more blinding them as he entered it. With his Kitsune Sense, Naruto can see the Solarii's aura as clear as day and took them out one by one with several Jujitsu moves he observed from Akisame of Ryozapaku.

"Come on! Get some fire out there!"

Lara's ears had picked that up but she could not see where the flaming bottles would emerge from. Focusing in on her gift, the environment changed colors as the respective auras of the Solarii and Patronus became clear to her…along with the flaming bottles.

Taking aim with her honed vision, Lara fired her arrows at the Solarii and watched as the shattered bottles spewed the flames on the men before they screamed in burning agony.

As the duo regrouped in the center of the square, the doors opened as a huge man in armor of sorts and carrying a riot rectangular shield in one hand and a machete in the other came into their vision. "Out of the way. They're mine!"

"Okay then…" Patronus looked blankly at his female partner. "You want to take this one?"

"Excuse me!" Lara barked back indignantly. "Why me?! How about you? You afraid you can't take him down?!"

Waving his finger side-to-side, Patronus assumed a thinking pose. "I know I can beat him, there's no doubt about that. But I'm more worried about you."

"Huh?" Lara asked as the machete-wielding man charged at them albeit slowly.

"Men his size do tend to be slow especially with armor like his, so dodge his attack and hit him in his back." Patronus whispered before he and Lara dodged to separate sides to avoid being hit.

Unfortunately for one of them, the armored man turned to the opposite gender.

"Shit." Lara pulled out her machine gun and fired at him but he raised his shield to block the bullets while his approach was steady towards her. Looking behind the man, the archer could not believe to see Patronus just standing there with crossed arms. "Unbelievable! What kind of hero is he?!"

While she fired the gun until the need to reload was apparent, Lara stumbled on a rock and fell on her behind her gun fell out of her grip as the man took the chance to increase his approach. Seeing this, Lara rolled out of the way just as he swung his machete at him.

"Lara now!"

Hearing his voice, Lara looked and saw what Patronus meant about the man's size. His right side was exposed as the machete's blade was stuck in the earth. She took this chance and grabbed a bottle before she commenced her counterattack, digging her axe into the man's leg while simultaneously hitting his head with the bottle.

Now the man was dazed, Lara finished him off with the butt of her machine gun after picking it up as he soon fell to the ground. She saw the man's fingers moved slightly and Lara was about to fire a round at him until Patronus appeared next to her and smashed his fist against the helmet, ceasing his movements.

"Oh shit…They're still alive?! Run!"

Smirking at their fear, Patronus turned around and shouted, "That's right! You better run!" He grunted after Lara elbowed him in the gut. "What? They should be scared. You totally brought him down."

"You could've help, you know." Lara replied bitterly, obviously angry about his action.

Patronus shrugged his shoulders. "I could have, but I knew you could do it. Besides it's better learning how to dodge bigger enemies now than later." He glanced at the huge man's body and saw something as his hand grabbed it. "Huh…looks like a bow part."

Lara, seeing the tossed object, caught it and stared at it for a moment before she pocketed the it as she and Patronus entered the building and proceeded to fight the remaining Solarii inside the first floor. "I'm starting to run low on ammo."

"Luckily it's ammo shopping center here." Patronus joked as he gestured to the floor. There were several small ammo boxes and quivers of arrows. "Take as much as you can." He left Lara in favor to check if there were remaining Solarii in the upper floors and upon reaching the roof, there were none. "Lara, up here!"

The archer met up with him at the roof where he stood near the edge where the object of their mission stood tall in front of them. "The radio tower…"

"We made it." Patronus said with relief before he noticed the rope connected to their building to the tower. "I assume you know how to traverse on rope?" He asked before Lara grabbed the rope and hung herself down in the inverted position as she proceeded to cross to the tower. "I'll take that as a yes."

He could jump across the gap easily but his main objective was to keep his true capabilities hidden as much as he can. Patronus sighed heavily before following Lara's example although it was difficult to do so since his hood was dangerously close to being undone the whole time.

Once they reached the tower, Lara took the lead and climbed the ladder after saying, "Okay, here goes."

"I'll let Cap know." Patronus advised as Lara nodded before continuing her trek upwards. "C.A. come in. This is Patronus, come in." He said after rolling up his sleeve and activating the touch screen.

="Patronus…It's been a little while. Everything okay?"=

"Yeah. Lara and I made it to the radio tower and she's climbing it as we speak."

="Excellent. Once she's patched in the panel, I'll send an alert to S.H.I.E.L.D."=

"All right although I prefer they wait outside the storm."

="Why…Ah, I see…To avoid more casualties in the island."=

"Exactly." Patronus answered before he began his trek up the tower while Lara was almost to the very top. "Lara, how are we doing up there?"

Once she made it, Lara sat against the railing that provided her safety before she took out her radio. "Peachy, Patronus." She answered before calling the name of the expert. "Alex?"

-"Lara."- Alex answered through both Patronus' and Lara radios.

"I'm at the panel." Lara informed after opening said panel, seeing the inside with buttons and meters while Patronus easily climbed up to the last stable flooring where he could see her.

-"Okay…The tower should boost the signal from the transmitter"- Alex said. –"Captain America, you should be ready to send your SOS."-

="Affirmative, Alex. Lara, let me know when the transmitter's working."=

"Okay." Lara answered back before she placed the bulky transmitter into the panel. "Now what?"

-"Now find the emergency channel and get a clear signal on your radio before you broadcast the SOS."-

Lara tuned the panel to get a clear signal while Patronus waited below as he kept a close eye on her in case anything happened. "Hey Alex…" He called to the techno-expert.

-"Patronus, right? What is it?"-

"If Captain America is going to send an SOS via my radio, shouldn't I be close to the panel as well for the boost?" Naruto asked, hoping that it was not the case.

-"Fortunately no. From what Captain told me, the latest S.H.I.E.L.D. technology doesn't need to be in the panel's close range. Just within its proximity or general area would do it."-

"So if I'm…" He gauged the distance between him and Lara as best he could. "60 feet from Lara and the panel, would that work?"

-"Yes…give or take."- Alex answered hesitatingly.

"That's reassuring." Patronus answered back.

Ignoring the side conversation, Lara continued to tune the panel until she heard a voice.

-(You're tuned to the international Emergency Broadcast Response System.)- Lara gasped as she tuned the panel even more to get a clearer message. –(Please identify your situation and location coordinates and stand by for a response)-

"I got it!" Lara called out to Patronus who relayed the message to Captain. "Mayday, mayday. This is Lara Croft of the Endurance. We are stranded on an island in the Dragon's Triangle. We need help and medical supplies. Please respond."

Meanwhile Patronus was listening to Captain America's own SOS to Osaka S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. ="Osaka S.H.I.E.L.D., this is Captain America. I am stranded on an island in Forbidden Zone 300 Beta along with hero Patronus who is assisting me. There are civilians from the Endurance shipwreck. There are in total of less than 10 members not including myself and Patronus. One man is in need of medical attention. I initiate Blue Code 134 of Section 129."=

Back to the archer above the highest point of the tower, Lara grabbed the radio when no answer came from the transmission. "Mayday, mayday. This is Lara Croft of the Endurance."

-'This is aircraft N177A.'-Great relief washed over Lara as she finally reached someone. -'Searching for you since the distress call from your vessel. Almost given up hope!'—

"So had we!" Lara admitted honestly while Patronus smiled at her from below.

-'We've got your approximate position, but we could sure use a visual.'—

"I'll figure something out." Lara said hastily, hoping to be done with the nightmare she was in.

-'We'll be heading your way soon. Out.'-

Lara sighed with relief once more while Alex's laughter could be heard from the radio. –'Lara Croft, you are my hero!'- Alex paused briefly before he spoke once more. –'Hey, you know, Reyes actually just cracked a smile.'-

Patronus chuckled at that piece of information while Lara contemplated for the signal to aid the plane. "Patronus!" She called out below as the hooded hero looked up at her. "You have anything for a signal?!"

The ninja contemplated on what to use for the signal. They could use one of his explosion tags but the force could cause an avalanche and he does not want that. Shaking his head, Patronus answered as Lara climbed back to his level, "Nope. What are you thinking?"

"Follow me." Lara said absolute before she used her bow to descend a zipline that steeply led to a different valley away from the radio tower as Patronus followed her with his rope dart in the same approach. "That's one way to get down."

Patronus chuckled mirthfully as he looked at the fence and saw the tower complex. "No kidding." He and Lara walked through a small passageway that led to a clearing with a building and something that was recognizable to them both.

"Fuel tanks." They both said at the same time.

Lara went inside the abandoned building for something to start the fire while Patronus opened a valve with his strength, releasing the fuming liquid on the ground. The archer returned with a burning rag and threw it at the liquid, setting it aflame that traced back to the fuel tanks.

The duo took cover in the abandoned building as the tanks burst into a mess of flames and waited for any sign of the aircraft. Lara caught a visage in the corner of her eye and waved her arms as Patronus looked at her direction. "There it is!"

The ninja looked at the sky as well and followed Lara's current action to catch the plane pilot's attention. However, a wave of dread washed over the two as a lone lightning bolt struck the airborne vehicle's engines along with three words.

"No one leaves!"

Dread filled within Lara even more when the plane was struck by another lightning bolt, setting the vehicle in flames as it descended rapidly. And worse of all…it was heading straight for them.

"Oh crap! Run!" Patronus screamed as he and Lara ran to the other side and slid down a steep hill.

The plane broke into several debris that rolled over them as they continued to slide uncontrollably until a lone engine exploded behind them, sending them briefly in the air. Patronus, seeing the opportunity, reached for Lara and pulled her in close to his body as he used his body like a human sled down the hill.

Lara wanted to protest but instead she held onto Patronus's body tightly as the latter navigated past dangerous debris and obstacles that threatened to skew them into pieces. Their unwanted sliding adventure ended as they reached the bottom which was a cliff and their bodies couldn't control themselves in time.

With one option left, Patronus drew Tenkaichi and stabbed its blade into the ground to slow down themselves. He and Lara soon found themselves hanging by the edge of the cliff, saved by his sword. "Are you okay?" The ninja asked as he looked down at Lara.

"…Yeah." Lara panted out as Patronus pulled himself and her up to the cliff's edge and solid ground. Their respite was limited as another crash caught their attention and they saw a rolling engine heading towards them. "Jump!"

The Croft and Uzumaki jumped to the right where there was a wooden old building just as the engine rolled past them and fell off the ledge and down the cliff. Lara coughed as she tried to get up while trying to ignore the pain all over her body before a canteen was held in front of her, grabbing it and drinking the refreshing contents within.

"Rest for now, Lara." Patronus told her as he rolled his shoulders and stretched out his back.

"…Are you okay?" Lara asked with concern. After all he took the brunt of their recent sliding activity and protected her for the most of it.

Silently chuckling at her concern for him, Patronus raised a thumbs-up without looking at her. What she didn't know was that his blue undershirt of his robes was a tight bodysuit as it was the form Naruto desired for extra protection.

That's right. It is the Nemean Lion's pelt he got from defeating said creature in the Soul Universe and perhaps one of his valuable equipment he has on him along with his Hidden and Pivot Blades and Tenkaichi. It along with another being that he brought with him as well but it was at home, enjoying the cove's waters right now.

"I better tell Cap the bad news." Patronus raised his right arm, his fingers activating the touch screen moments later.

TTIIPMxTTIIPMxTTIIPM

(Minutes Before)

Between Mountain Village and Cliffside Village

Captain America had gently placed Roth against the boulder after redressing his wounds once more. The veteran soldier decided to assist Patronus and Lara via an alternative route. He could see the great wash of relief passed over the visible old man's face after his own SOS was sent along with Lara's mayday. However, their hopes were slightly dashed when they heard a loud boom followed by an even louder crash high in the mountains.

"We'll be out of here, Roth. Just hang in there." Steve calmly said as he assumed watch to their perimeter.

"Sure…I can take it easy…for now at least." Captain America looked back at him after the pause. "You know I heard stories about you when I was growing up. They called you many names after the war."

Steve turned around fully to give his undivided attention. "Your father served?"

"Grandfather. He came from a Navy family but enlisted in the Army instead." Roth chuckled roughly after saying the story. "His father wasn't happy about that at all."

"Let me guess: Navy-Army rivalry."

"Nope! For a woman in the army…my grandmother." Roth chuckled once more as the memories of his father telling him the story in his youth flashed to him. "I'm glad he did 'cause I wouldn't be here now."

Steve chuckled back as he remembered about a certain woman who caught his attention during the war. They had promised a dance at the climax of the war but then he turned into a human popsicle for the next 70 years.

"The things we do for a woman who catches our attention." Roth shared another chuckle with the legendary war hero until they heard a loud crash in the sky, causing them to look up and seeing the undisputed outline of a plane crashing in the upper mountains.

Dread filled within Roth as his worry for Lara magnified times 100 since she was up there. His breath was trapped within his throat when Cap's communicator beeped loudly.

"Patronus…I hope you're calling to wave the plane down." Cap asked through the touch screen, hoping what he saw was an illusion his eyes were playing on him. Although he knew that wasn't the case.

="…Would you believe me if I say that right now?"=

The remnants of playfulness was thrown aside as Cap's expression turned serious.

"Patronus, tell me."

="The plane got shot down."=

"I know. Roth and I saw it." Cap and Roth shared shocked looks with each other. "By what though?"

="A lightning bolt. It struck their engines twice."=

"I guess lightning does strike the same place twice." Roth joked weakly to hide his uneasiness.

="Lara and I managed to escape the rolling debris of death that tried to squish us. We…"= Patronus paused through the line. ="Well, that's something you don't see every day."=

"What?"

="The pilot in a parachute just floated down the valley, shouting for help. Lara and I are going to try to help him."=

"Affirmative. Roth and I will meet you halfway. Be careful."

="You too."=

TTIIPMxTTIIPMxTTIIPM

Cliffside Village

Patronus and Lara followed the pilot's trajectory and found a wooden platform followed by a series of wooden old houses built onto the cliffside in a descending formation.

"You ready?" Patronus asked his companion who nodded before he used the hanging banner to swing forward to the suspended building as Lara did the same.

The building however shook slightly after they landed before it shook violently, causing them to run towards and jumped several of the other buildings that shook and crumpled after each time they climbed or jumped onto them.

On the second last building, the floor gave way in a tilting formation and caused them to slide down to the last building, landing harshly on the new wooden floor.

At least for one of them.

Lara groaned as she rolled onto her back before getting up with Patronus's help just as they heard gunshots.

"What? What the hell? Go away!"

Patronus and Lara cautiously approached the scene as they turned the corner and saw the downed pilot shooting down two Solarii armed with shields and machetes. He managed to kill one of the Solarii but received a machete to the chest by the other.

-"Lara, are you there?"- Both Patronus and Lara's radio blared with Roth's voice, attracting the Solarii's attention. He charged at them only for Patronus to meet him head on and clothesline him with his arm as the latter finished him off with a punch to the head.

"Piece of trash." Patronus kicked the Solarii aside as he approached the deceased pilot and removed his helmet, closing his eyelids while saying the famous words of a legendary Assassin. "Requiescat in pace." He said with some difficulty.

"You know Italian." Lara said with a bit of surprise. "Also, Japanese." She recalled from earlier when Patronus saved her from the wolf. "I'm guessing you heard the voice, right?"

Nodding, Patronus repeated the words of the storm. "'No one leaves.' Someone's controlling the storms. It's obviously the head honcho around here." He discretely placed a tag on the body before moving forward with Lara behind.

It was only until then that the body disappeared from the spot it once laid and had teleported to the cave in the beach.

The duo jumped across a gap to a wooden bridge and came across a small clearing and stone stairs to the left as they heard Roth's voice once more.

-"Lara?! What the hell happened?"- Lara repeated what happened with the plane despite Patronus's report from earlier. The archer knew that he wanted to hear her voice and make sure she was still alive. -"Listen, I saw the crash so you and Patronus are not that far from our position. Be careful you two."-

"If you want to know about the pilot, Roth, he's dead." Patronus snapped lowly, much to Lara's chagrin.

-"Oh…What happened?"-

"The Solarii happened. The crazed nuts with machetes and shields on this island. They got to him first before we could help." Patronus ended the transmission as he and Lara walked through the small tunnel while the sun burned brightly.

Holding a fist up, Patronus halted with Lara behind him as the former searched ahead with his Kitsune Sense and found three Solarii in front of a building. He also spotted a pulley near with rope hidden in a bunch of leaves.

"Wait here."

Expertly approaching the tree and climbing it without a single noise, Patronus hid himself into the foliage before he cut the rope trap with his Pivot Blade.

"What the hell?!" One of the Solarii cried out after the trap clattered.

"Go check it out!"

Patronus waited until the lone Solarii cautiously approached the tree while his companions huddled together in the middle of the clearing of the building. "Showtime."

And it happened. The takedown unlike Lara had ever seen before. She watched Patronus land on the Solarii and punched his head before he transitioned to kick a box at the two Solarii who charged at him. One of them dodged it while the other was not as fortunate.

Then she saw a rope with a dart as its tip dug at the last Solarii's shoulder before it was pulled taunt by Patronus, bringing the islander to him as he tripped the latter and lashed out with a hand chop to the neck. He was unconscious before his body made contact on the ground.

"W-Wow…" Lara whispered with genuine awe.

Seeing the 'okay' gesture from Patronus, Lara came out from her hiding spot and ran towards him. Upon doing so, she saw the pulley trap but squinted at the rather large bundle of rope and contemplated whether if it would be useful for them.

"Take it." Lara looked at Patronus who stared at her. "We'd never know when we might need it." He watched the archer stuffed the rope bundle alongside her quiver of arrows.

"Kill 'em!"

Both Lara and Patronus looked back at the hanging houses attached to the cliffside as more Solarii ran towards cover and fired at them with machine guns. The archer and ninja hid themselves behind a couple of stacked boxes.

Lara looked at the houses and noticed one of them had rope-covered beams and she decided to use her newly-acquired tool. Grabbing and wrapping the rope around an arrow, the Croft aimed at the stable beam and fired the projectile before she pulled it taunt with all her strenght.

The end-result was that the house's stable beam gave way by the strength pulled from the action, causing the floor to become uneven as the Solarii within fell to their doom. Meanwhile Patronus had taken care of the other two Solarii with a few kunai to their chests before he threw a shuriken at the last one.

"Did that shuriken just curve?" Lara had to ask after seeing said projectile performed an impossible action. She looked at Patronus who stood up. "Who are you?" She asked with great intrigue.

"Hey, snap out of it." Patronus snapped his fingers in front of the Croft's face, bringing her back to reality. "We need to get going."

Slamming her hands on her face to bring back her focus, Lara noticed the suspended box wrapped in layers of rope and thought of an idea. Bringing the newly rope arrow into her hands and readying it for another shot, Lara fired it at the box and heaved it with a couple of pulls before she jumped forward and grabbed onto it.

"Smart." Patronus observed as Lara jumped to the cliffside house. He followed her example and used his rope dart to catch up to her.

The Uzumaki-Croft team cautiously traversed through the path beyond until they came across a large river. On the other side of the back was an old wooden Shinto torii with layered rope in the center of its design while on their side was an anchor post. Repeating what the action did earlier, Lara cut the appropriate amount of rope before she fired another rope arrow and used it as a rope bridge as she climbed across it.

As for Patronus, he used his footing to cross horizontally like a normal ninja in his dimension would without Lara seeing it. They reached a dead end in the form of a wall on three sides until Lara noticed a door with layered rope.

"You don't have do it all time, you know." Patronus added his input as Lara forcefully opened the door with a heave of another rope arrow. He noticed the sheepish look on her face. "But then again, it does look cool when you do it."

Lara silently chuckled as they entered the dark tunnel until the archer ignited her torch once more.

TTIIPMxTTIIPMxTTIIPM

Village Outlook

After a quick slide down an unexpected hill, they reached the end of the tunnel and saw two familiar faces.

"Roth!/Cap!" Lara and Patronus called out to the veterans. "I'm glad you moved." The archer hugged her mentor who returned while Patronus and C.A. shook hands.

"You and me both, girl."

"They were fine a minute…then this storm came out and blasted them out of the sky." Lara said, admitting her guilt over the plane's pilots' current situation.

Roth soothed her with a hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault, Lara. Know that."

"I agree with Roth here." Captain inputted his opinion. "These situations can be unpredictable. All we can do is adapt to it." Lara blushed slightly at the comment while Roth sent the veteran soldier a look.

Fortunately for them, a voice blared through their communication links.

-'Mayday! Mayday! This is copilot Jessop of aircraft N177A…'—

"Another pilot?" Lara asked with surprise before she responded first. "Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?"

-'I got badly hurt when I landed and need urgent aid! Is anyone there?'—Jessop frantically added.

Patronus tilted his head while Lara continued to talk with the pilot in the radio. "Captain Jessop? Do you read?" Lara repeated.

-'I've deployed a smoke signal. Please respond.'-

"We can hear him but he can't hear you apparently." Captain America said, stating the obvious for the group.

Patronus noticed something at the corner of his eyes and turned his face to see a blue smoke in the distance. "Guys, look." He pointed their attention at the smoke. "He's over there. Let's get him."

"We've got our own people to worry about." Roth warned him, trying to persuade the hooded hero of the others of the Endurance. "We need to regroup as soon as they find Sam."

"I can't leave the pilot there alone. I'm not going to let another civilian die because of these Solarii assholes." Patronus informed harshly as he began his trek towards the pilot's destination.

Staring down at his retreating figure, Lara looked at Roth and Patronus several times before she stepped forward. That was until her arm was caught by Roth's grip. "Sometimes you've got to make sacrifices, Lara. You or he can't save everyone."

"I know all about sacrifices." Lara sternly replied as she pulled her arm out of his grip.

Roth shook his head otherwise. "You know about loss. Sacrifice is a choice you make, loss is a choice made for you."

"Well, that's something Patronus and I have in common: neither he nor I can choose to let him die, Roth." Lara said before leaving as Roth and Captain America stood behind until they decided to meet them on the other side of the valley via an alternate route.

Lara had only managed to reach the cliff when she saw Patronus already on the ground level, which perturbed her. "How did he…?" She shook her head in favor for firing a rope arrow at the Shinto torii below and attaching the end to the anchor post, descending the new zipline she created with her bow as she soon dropped to the ground next to Patronus.

"You're here still." Lara looked at him although she had a feeling that it was not in a harsh tone. Rather it was more of the appreciative, even praising nature. "Good." Patronus said honestly as they crossed the bridge just before they heard voices once more.

A Solarii said casually. "This hut looks clear."

"We ain't gonna find anyone up here." The second Solarii responded back while Patronus and Lara approached with weapons ready.

The first Solarii then answered, "You're probably right. But we got orders." He added in at the last moment.

Both Patronus and Lara used their respective senses to check the huts near them as they clocked three Solarii with weapons. The hooded ninja whispered to Lara about a plan, which the latter nodded, and went through the hut just as the Solarii exited.

"We should head back the ruins."

The third Solarii, obviously the commander of the trio, finally spoke in a rough voice. "I'm gonna head down and join the others at the plan. You keep checking these ruins."

"And where is this plane I wonder?" An unknown voice asked behind them as they turned around to see the dreaded hooded figure with his hands on the hips. The one who took out many of their brothers along with the female survivor.

"Kill him!" The Solarii commander cried out as he lifted his gun to obliterate the enemy. The action he wanted did not commence since his gun's barrel was cut in half by Patronus's golden blade. "Kill him you idiots!" He looked back when he didn't hear anything from before turning around, his eyes widening as the bodies laid on the ground with a single arrow dug into their chest cavity.

"*Whistle* Over here…"

Patronus punched the man when he turned his head towards him. He looked at Lara and nodded appreciatively before they moved the bodies out of sight and into one of the huts. Patronus also destroyed their radios in case the lone Solarii wakes up and warns his brethren.

After Lara inspected the huts and found another part of a bow to upgrade it, they walked up the hill when their radios blared with Reyes' voice.

-"Anyone out there? Roth"- The female voice asked with some static.

-"I'm here, Reyes, with Captain America. What's your situation?"-

Patronus and Lara stopped in the middle of the scattered concrete tiled pathway as Reyes reported her latest discovery, -"We followed a group of men to some kind of… city. This place is insane, Roth. What the hell are they doing here?"-

-"I don't know and I don't think I want to know."- Roth answered back with honesty. –"Any sign of Sam or Whitman?"-

-"Nothing yet. Are you with Lara?"-

-"No… We met up for a little but we soon separated. Lara went to go help one of the pilots who survived the crash. Patronus is with her though."-

Alex's voice entered the fray albeit worried. –"What crash? What are you talking about? You mean Patronus wasn't kidding about that at all?"-

"I'm afraid not, Alex." Patronus finally answered through the touch screen. "Listen, Lara and I will head down the mountain soon to meet up with you and Reyes."

"Roth and I will rendezvous with you two on your way there. Everyone keep your eyes and ears sharp." Captain said firmly to all parties in the channel.

A chorus of 'Yes sir' echoed through the static link until it went silent as all parties went their separate ways for the rendezvous point. Patronus and Lara reached the peak of the mountainside they walked on as the latter soon said his mind.

"Did we just walk in a big circle?" The ninja pointed at the familiar bridge they used earlier. "That's the plane!" His finger darted to a certain sight. "And that's where we left Cap and Roth when we went for the radio tower."

Shrugging her throbbing shoulders, Lara chuckled humorlessly. "That's the way it goes I guess." She used her bow to slide the rope down to one of the house on the lower level as did Patronus with his rope dart as they both landed with a roll.

They looked ahead and saw the blue smoke signal was closer than ever, so the pilot was not that far from them. Patronus nudged Lara to point her attention the torii gate on a level above them and watched as she fired another rope arrow for them to use as a bridge.

The ninja and archer ran towards a craggy wall before they climbed it to the ledge just as they heard more voices.

"Come on, we've gotta get back."

"Shut up and let me finish." The second Solarii responded impatiently. Lara and Patronus peeked over the edge and saw two Solarii standing…with one of them taking a piss. "All right, let's go."

His Solarii partner soon started a conversation when he was done. "So, what's the first thing you're gonna do if you ever get off this rock?"

With a laugh, the refreshed Solarii responded, "Eat a good meal."

"Goddamn…yes." The other Solarii answered with great relief as it was the greatest answer he ever heard. "What's it going to be?"

"A burger. Some greasy fries. And a cold beer."

When they were gone into the cave and hearing enough of their chatter, Patronus and Lara hoisted themselves up and contemplated whether to go into the cave after the Solarii. "Let's take the less popular route." Patronus said as he pointed at another torii gate on the other side of a gap.

After crossing it with Lara's rope arrow, the duo quietly jogged the rugged pathway until they reached a small plaza of sorts where a sight of three separate mountain pillars with anchor posts on each of them stood before beneath their current location. There was a fourth one in the back of the three mountain that had their objective in sight.

The blue smoke distress signal.

Lara was about to grab another rope arrow when Patronus stopped her. "We need to save your arrows and rope. Let me do this one." The ninja/Assassin pulled out his rope dart…a very long rope dart that he was saving for a larger opponent just in case. "Here goes."

Without so much as a grunt, Lara watched as Patronus threw the dart at one of the anchor posts with strength she'd never seen. At first, she thought it wouldn't reach it but her eyes were in shock when it did the exact opposite.

After Patronus let her go first, Lara grunted when she landed and narrowly avoided the post as she turned around to see her hero companion untied the end of the rope. Instead of descending, he was swinging towards her…well more like beneath her.

"I meant to do that." Patronus pointed in a sheepish voice. "I seriously did." He climbed the mountain and untied the rope dart from the post before holstering it into his pouch.

Lara chuckled as she shook her head. "Sure, you did."

With that in the back of their minds, the duo traversed the sneaky and tricky mountains using either Lara's rope arrows or Naruto's rope darts. The last leg of their journey was near as they crossed to the last mountain where the pilot and apparently a large statue was.

As they were crossing, the post was weakening, urging them speed their pace lest they fall to their deaths… well one of them anyway.

Feeling the sensation of the weakening worsen, Patronus grabbed Lara's leg just as the anchor fell, sending them falling to the ground. Naruto saw this coming and lashed out with his Pivot Blade against a craggy wall and his chakra-covered feet, saving them—Lara in particular—from death.

"You good?" Patronus asked the upside-down Croft.

"Other than a headache coming right now, I'm fine. Next time a little warning would be appreciated."

"*chuckle* My bad."

After pulling themselves up to the ledge of the mountain, they took a breather for a moment before continuing their mission. Patronus and Lara looked over the edge where the parachute was but no pilot. "He should be nearby."

Lara nodded as she walked besides Patronus. "Let's go." She and Patronus ran towards the pathway, slid down a steep hill.

TTIIPMxTTIIPMxTTIIPM

Arid Canyon

-"Lara, Patronus…are you there?"- Alex asked, catching their attention as Patronus used his touch screen for him and Lara both.

"We're here, Alex. Any sign of Sam?" Lara asked hopefully.

-"We tracked her to some old Japanese palace."-

"I don't like the sound of that." Lara admitted with necessary worry.

Patronus nodded with her statement. "With that voice we heard, the plane crash and add in the Solarii bastards, I wouldn't like the sound of that as well."

-"Hey, don't worry, she's probably…Just…sightseeing."- Alex lied miserably, much to Patronus's amusement.

"You're a terrible liar, Alex." She glared at her right when Patronus snorted loudly for her and Alex to hear. "Anyway, you have to be careful in there. Good luck." She entered another cave ahead of them where there was stubble of wood and lit it up with a match before scorching her torch.

Patronus bowed to her as his right arm was gestured to the innards of the cave. "After you, my lady."

"What a gentleman." Lara answered sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. She led the way through the dark caverns all the way to a decent sized room with a bit of light from outside as the Croft let out a gasp of awe once she saw them.

Ruins.

"Um, Lara? Why'd you stop?" Patronus stood in front of her and waved his hand at her a few times. "Hello?"

"These ruins predate the Kofun period." Lara answered, still in awe of her latest discovery as she inspected it.

With a tilt of his head, Patronus said the only words he could think of at the moment. "The what? Hey wait!" He followed the girl when she walked through another hallway where there were more of the statues and images on the walls on both sides.

"A pilgrimage…" Lara said aloud of her observation as they had reached the end of the hallway. Until she noticed another statue but this one was larger than the rest. "A queen…Himiko?"

Patronus's head snapped to her when she said the name. "Himiko?" Lara turned around to face him. "Did you just say Himiko?" A hesitant nod came from her. "So, this is where she is…Good."

"What?" Lara asked him since she couldn't hear him.

Patronus waved her off instead. "Nothing, nothing." He looked past her and saw the pilot on the other side of the stone bridge. "Is that… it is! It's the pilot!"

"Captain Jessop!" Lara cried out as she ran out towards him, only to stop when the sight of blood stopped her.

His senses blaring, Naruto looked at the building above the pilot and saw a Solarii archer throw a couple of wrapped explosives at the bridge. "Lara, get back!" He dashed at Lara, grabbing her body in a tight brace as he jumped backwards when the archer fired a flaming arrow.

The force of the explosion blew them farther away from the bridge as Patronus grunted against the impact. "You okay?" He asked the girl who nodded as they both got up and looked at the other side of bridge again where they saw a man in hooded rags.

"You two caused me a lot of trouble, but both of you are naïve and predictable!" The man taunted before shouting, "Kill them!"

Suddenly Solarii surrounded the duo and charged at them. Lara dodged one attack and fired one shot at the Solarii but that was all she could get as another one punched her to the brink of unconsciousness.

Meanwhile Patronus stood there, his head hung lowered as the remaining Solarii prepared to charge him. "Father Mathis! What should we do with this one?" One of the Solarii asked their leader.

"Rip him to shreds!"

"…The ones who are going to be ripped to shreds…" Patronus lifted his head to face Mathis, his red eyes glaring straight at the hooded man.

Mathis shivered once he saw the red eyes and knew that he was not normal. "Kill him already!"

"With pleasure!" The Solarii responded before he charged with his machete ready.

Suddenly, Patronus lashed out with Tenkaichi, his blade severing the surrounded Solarii's heads as they fell from their bodies and said objects did the same a second later.

Seeing this happen before, Mathis ran back inside the building as its stone doors closed behind him.

With a growl, Patronus flicked his blade to rid the blood before sheathing it as he tried to wake Lara up. "Lara, get up. Come on!" He shook her vigorously but she wouldn't wake up. "Guess I'm gonna have to carry you."

Whether it was his overconfidence or his guard being down for the moment, Naruto could only blame himself as he was sent flying by something that had the strength to do so. Grunting after wedging himself out of the wall, the ninja looked for the one who sent him packing as he walked towards the hole his body made.

He was on the other side and into the stone building, so that explained his whereabouts. Patronus walked to the other side and saw on the other side where he once was that were a multitude of creatures standing there, all snarling at him when he appeared.

There were two sections of them as they were completely different from each other. On the left side of his vision were mummified-like dead soldiers adorned in the traditional and medieval Japanese samurai armor he recognized after spending an afternoon at Tokyo's National Museum with Saeko back in the Soul Universe.

As for the right section were an array of hulking creatures who reminded him of the Onryoki he battled in Manhattan except their stature and the horns on their forehead was smaller but still bigger than the average man. Katanas were in their right hands along with a lone black armor for the chest and legs for protection.

The biggest one was the most likely perpetrator who knocked him into the building he's in and boy was it ugly. It stood two heads taller than the smaller Onryoki juniors behind it as its huge muscular frame and arms slightly swayed to side while its eyes bulged out of its sockets. Crack-like veins adorned its smoking hands all the way to its forearms while skulls of its victims hung around its monk-like ropes like prayer beads.

But the biggest characteristic was its tongue…its unnaturally long tongue that looked to measure around 15 feet long.

"Ugh…you are one ugly motherfucker…" Patronus referenced the hit classic 'Predator' as he gagged loudly. "I met a lot of baddies but these guys take the cake."

"And that's not the worse of them for now…" Ashura spoke through their link, confusing Naruto.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked before he raised his left arm, using the metal plate hidden in his sleeves to block an arrow. "Okay then. Time to teach these guys who's boss around here!"

With a casual yet mighty leap, Patronus crossed the massive gap and in one swift move, unsheathed Tenkaichi and slashed at the Onryoki junior, cutting him in half. When the creatures saw what happened, they all took a step backwards, bringing a smile to Patronus's hidden face.

As he went to work, Naruto was getting new information from his ancestor. "Those creatures are not the Onryoki but they can evolve into one if given more time. They're called Yoki and they're ferocious in their own right, so be careful." So, the one he killed at the start of his spree was a Yoki? Good to know. "Also, the big guy with the tongue, he's an Onyudo: a type of Yokai who takes shape of an gigantic monk who failed to let go of their earthly desires and broke their temple's rules."

Patronus and Kurama praised the ghostly son of Hagoromo for the information. Ever since the Onryoki battle and learning about its nature as a Yokai, Naruto researched all he could about the various types of Yokai he could find from Japan's folklore and legends over the years. He even read manga to help fill in the gaps even though they were fiction.

That also helped him identified the floating heads that attacked him, Lara, Captain America and Roth earlier at the Mountain Village. They were Oni-bi; fiery floating demonic heads who take the color of the element they were exposed whether it be water, earth, fire, wind and lightning.

After cutting down a good number of the Yoki, Patronus looked around for more enemies in coming until he remembered the one who was with him. "Lara!" He shouted as his eyes searched her, cutting down approaching enemies while reaching for the spot he last saw her.

There was no sign of her.

"No…These…bastards…" Patronus ceased his offense as he stood there with his blade frozen in his grip. The Yokai and samurai warriors saw their chance as they came charging at him with either their weapons, hands or demonic powers they had at their disposal.

What they didn't see nor feel was the intense rage Patronus exuded as his body shook while his eyes turned red like the fox within him. He failed to save the first pilot, then the second, Jessop; both of whom probably had loved ones waiting for them at home.

"Not her. Not this time…I won't allow it…" Patronus raised his head, revealing his red eyes to his monster enemies as his signature technique burst to creation in his left hand. "I won't allow it! Rasengan!" He slammed the swirling chakra sphere into the closest Yoki's head, grinding through it like a knife to butter. "Who's next?!" He demanded his next victim to step forward yet none of them did except the Onyudo.

"Good…I have a bone to pick with you." Patronus pointed his blade at the giant Yokai before stabbing its blade into the ground next to him, cracking his knuckles afterwards as he raised his hands. In the space between them was a Rasengan with four white jagged protrusions. "Meet your end…Futon: Rasengan!"

TTIIPMxTTIIPMxTTIIPM

Below the Mountain Village

Turning his head, Captain America stared at the direction where he felt a foreboding presence deep into the mountains. The same direction where he last saw Patronus and Lara took to save the pilot. He could only hope that they were safe but then again…

"Patronus, come in…Patronus do you copy?"

*Static crackle*

"Either he's deep underground or they're in trouble." Captain pondered as he glanced over to Roth who was standing with his makeshift crotch. "Hopefully it's not the latter."

"Thanks for not making me worry." Roth said sarcastically as Cap slightly chuckled nervously.

It was only they reached a small clearing with a small waterfall and buildings that the Living Legend's senses blared within his head big time. With his superhuman reflexes, Captain America pushed Roth rather forcefully to the side as he dodged to the opposite.

The source that caused his senses to blare blurred past the spot they stood as it flew high into the air. Captain America prepared himself for battle but he was caught off-guard when the sun was being blocked by clouds that came out of nowhere.

His eyes were glued to the sky when a figure slowly descended from the clouds, its bat-like wings flapping slowly out of her back. Yep, it was a female and she looked deadly. Especially the way her extremely pale skin slightly glowed in the semi-darkness as her yellow eyes in black irises stared at him with unquenchable thirst. Her black robe-like and torn attire fluttered with the wind as her black hood covered her head while in the back was an object of sorts.

"Is she..." Roth tried to find the next words, only to find nothing else.

"Stay there." Captain said, whispering loudly to him as the old man was hiding behind a tree near the bank.

"My darling, you're finally here." The lady-like creature spoke in a sultry tone, confusing the two men below. "Come to me!"

Captain America, upon seeing her diving at him, leaped to a nearby tree and hoisted himself on a branch while the lady creature missed him by a mile. "She's fast! I must stay vigilant." His eyes caught her doing a turnabout towards him and he made it to the top of the tree with three swift acrobatic jumps.

The enemy had already seen this coming and floated at the spot that her 'darling' she predicted would land on. She lashed out with her arm, intending to grab him with her hidden strength and drinking his blood once they return to her cave.

Cap saw this coming and blocked her grabbing hand with his shield, hearing a loud 'pang' sound as he quickly jumped off the peak to another tree and three more after that with fluid movements that could only be obtained from training with his enemy in tow.

"Patronus, Patronus…Do you read me?!" No answer came from the Bostonian hero. "Patronus, come in!" No answer came once again. He was about to call him again when he saw a huge branch ahead of him and a plan came to mind. "Hopefully this works."

When he came in range, Captain America grabbed hold of the huge branch and easily winded it back like a catapult as he waited for his opponent be in range and luckily there was a small mist to cover his movements. The bad news was that he couldn't see her as well.

As he waited, Cap turned his head slightly when his enhanced hearing picked the familiar sound of flapped wings…coming from behind him. Reacting quickly, he flipped over the branch while bringing it to the other side before releasing just as the creature revealed herself with several flared crimson red tongues with her arms stretched out like she was ready to grab him.

Captain waited for a bit before attempting to contact Patronus and Lara this time, hoping to get a response this time.

This time he did from a slightly panting Patronus.

="Cap *pant* *pant* You rang?"=

"I called you three times. Why haven't you responded?" Captain asked, a little ire about the lack of response earlier.

="I was taking care of the multiple Yokai and undead samurai warriors that was about to skewer me."= Cue the ire gone as Cap turned sheepish. "These Yokai are no joke."

"Yokai?" Steve repeated as he was somewhat familiar with the word.

Luckily Patronus gave him the full information. ="Creatures from Japanese folklore and legends. Apparently there are some here on the island."=

"On the island?" Cap turned back to the direction where he last saw his enemy before she took one in the head by the branch. "Could it be…" He spoke to the comms once more while staying alert. "Patronus, is there a Yokai who are female?"

="There are plenty, why? Give the specifics about her."=

"Pale skin, black bat-like wings, red tongue and lips and…" Captain paused a moment, trying to remember the last description he observed. "And tattoos." He heard Patronus repeat the descriptions and hoped that he would be faster since the flapping was heard once more, indicating that she was in flight once more.

="Oooh…I know what it is you're facing."= Patronus answered in a hesitating and perturbed tone. ="You're facing the embodiment of jealousy of women after death. An Hino-enma."=

"Hino-enma?"

="She's basically a vampire. She feeds off the blood of young men whom she claims to be her lost darling or something. If she's after you, keep your eyes open, Cap 'cause she really wants your blood."=

A sweat-drop fell on Cap's head after Patronus's emphasis about his blood. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks and keep Ms. Croft safe."

="…Will do. I swear it… Patronus out…"=

A raised brow etched his face as Cap tried to figure out his hero companion's unusual tone in his last transmission.

"AAAHHHH!"

That will have to wait as Cap ran back to the area where he left Roth for cover while fighting the Hino-enma. Fortunately, the mist had cleared up enough that he could see again. The bad news was also that the Hino-enma could see as she stared at Roth who seemed to be frozen in place despite the relative term.

Except there was no ice anywhere on his body.

"Is he paralyzed?" Cap shook his head as he chucked his shield at the vulnerable Hino-enma's back. It missed his target but instead found a new target. "Sorry about that!"

After reeling back his head from the impact, Roth with a new bump on his head glared at the sheepish shield-bearer. "Watch where you're aiming that thing!"

It was a lucky throw however as the shield ricocheted against a tree and found its way back to him. And just in time as well. Captain America braced himself when he heard a shriek-like yell all around him, struggling to pinpoint her position.

"Move! Cap, you must move!"

It was too late as Captain was already hit by a shockwave before Roth finished his warning. It was worse for Rogers himself as he couldn't move an inch with his arms, legs or even his fingers. His face scrounged in massive strain as he tried to shake off the poison from his body. Even with his superhuman resistance, it was taking him an awful lot of his strength to even try to shake off the poison.

"My darling…" Cap could only watch as the Hino-enma descended in front of him, her hands slowly rubbing his shoulders to his neck. "You. Are. Finally. Mine!" She declared ecstatic of having her beloved in her grasp, licking her lips in anticipation of sucking his blood.

Unbeknownst to Cap himself as the Hino-enma's face slowly closed the distance between them, he said the words of his hooded companion's childhood friend. "What a drag!"