WARNING: This chapter is just…wrapping things up. NOT THE STORY. Credits, and a few interesting tidbits, but if you clicked on this chapter expecting more Hinata and Deidara goodness, boy you sure just got gypped. A lot of this is my rambling, too, so feel free to ignore this chapter completely.
Ending Notes: Well, this is the last official chapter of Dark Knight. That's right. After this, there won't be any more updates, no more waiting for me to get back from one of my trips, no more arguments over which Hinata pairing is better. (Because that question has already been answered at this point, of course.)
This is the ending chapter. Not the epilogue; you guys have already gotten one of those. If Dark Knight was a DVD, think of this as the 'bonus' section. The soundtrack used for the story, each character or pairing's theme song, little tidbits, and possibly more. You'll just have to keep reading.
But, of course, you have to get through the entire movie first.
That involves the credits.
(and don't forget about the sequel, but first choke through this if you're so inclined)
-.-.-
CREDITS
Writer: Digital Skitty
Official Betas: Centurious The Azure, IcePrincessWinter, & Pencil-chan-sama
Unofficial Betas: Eithy, DeschiZap (who regrettably does not have a account), & everyone else who has ever helped me with ideas.
(Official?) Illustrations: Digital Skitty (DarkKnightnojutsu on deviantArt)
Fanart (Unofficial Illustrations?): Everyone who has ever drawn DK-related arts. :D;; Which is a surprising amount of you… All of them that were uploaded to deviantArt can be viewed in DarkKnightnojutsu's favorites.
Contestants: All art in the contest for the final stretch belongs to their respective owners. X3 They are as follows:
Tsuuseki
Sassy-hime (both entries)
Justine-bowder
Vallin55amaya (both entries)
Greenpanic6 (both entries)
DISCLAIMERS
I, Digital Skitty, do not own the following, and shamefully use all of the following without permission but do not make any money off of:
-the Naruto manga, anime, universe, and canon characters. This includes Deidara, Hinata, Neji, Sasori, the Akatsuki, the Bijuu, Konohagakure, Amegakure, and any other characters unless specifically mentioned otherwise.
-the music used in the Musical Chapter, and the music used below in the Soundtrack. They belong to their respective owners.
-the concept of the Houtteoko Onore jutsu, the 'ignore me' jutsu. This is owned by who was DameWren on this site, though her account was deleted for unknown reasons. (In her story, it was called the 'Gliding Eyes jutsu'.)
-Sanada (or Ikari) Daisuke. He is owned by Centurious The Azure. (Well okay I used this one with permission…)
-and probably many other things that I'm forgetting…
THANKS
I would sincerely like to thank each and every single one of you.
For reading, reviewing, adding to your favorites, making fanart, entering into the lame contest, anything and everything. I really can't believe that so many people like this story.
By name, however, I would like to thank my three wonderful, youthful and supporting betas. Centurious, FirePrincess, and Pencil-chan. (yosh!)
And Eithne, for always supporting me in my writing and drawing and everything. (seriously I love you, love. And there is SO MUCH you've helped me with XD) It really is impossible to show everyone how much she helped me. (And she's like my bff, too. XD)
All of you who made me fanart, especially Hatakegirlz, Dragononic, Eithne, DangerousEmotions101, Nyship, vallin55amaya, sassy-hime, and greenpanic6 for making more than one.
More thanks for Nyaa-Neko, for supporting me in my drawing and Japanese. Somewhat unwittingly, but nonetheless. (and for choking through my 'Naruto' phase.)
For Black55widow, the good Samaritan, and who decided to review every single chapter (during the fifties, too, I think) just to boost my review count.
For Bishieluver01, who I think reviewed pretty much every chapter, and spammed my page lovingly with our arguments about Sasuke. (who is better than Itachi.)
For Teslyn and Fefisgbf13 and Subakukyuu and Katreda and Adelaide 'Adell' Peirce and Wryter4-hire and ShadowOwl (long list!), who have also spammed my inbox lovingly (I hope) with their many many reviews for pretty much every chapter.
For Art is A Bang, since she started impossibly late in the game and still managed to both catch up and review every chapter.
And also for Syphma, since she also started impossibly late in the game and left me amazingly long (mature) reviews.
Kerii-tan, who I think very possibly first got me seeing another side of Deidara. (I still admire your writing, even if you've stopped it.)
For Hali-chan and Kawaiiitahina123, who made me fall out of my chair laughing with their remarks on Deidara and Sasori.
For Pantsofdeath, for making my night with her review for chapter 64, and yet still reading the story after my bitchy reply.
For Hina-chancares8 who had to relay eight other people's reactions in her review, and was kind enough to tell me that I ought to take over the Naruto series. (Seriously, that review will always make me giggle and blush so happily.)
For Nyship Lymen, who repeatedly made me spazz whenever I'd get the email alerts for the next portion of our conversation. Not to mention all of the fanart.
For the five contestants for Dark Knight's first and only contest, and for their wonderfully awesome entries. I had a beast of a time judging them, let me tell you. (I honestly ended up with a five-way tie for first place the first time I tried.)
And of course, for Masashi Kishimoto, though he will never read this (hopefully), for creating such a lovely, if over hyped, series.
And honestly. ALL OF YOU GUYS who are sitting here reading this thinking 'finally, she's done with this infernal story'. Thanks for choking through it. (And that amazingly long 'thanks' section. XD; It's over now, though…)
-.-.-
EXTRAS
DID YOU KNOW
(yes, now the credits are over so you can start reading here again)
Did You Know?
This story came from a dream. I started this story with just the scene of the Konoha attack and the ending where Neji tells Hinata he loves her (albeit both came out a bit differently due to scene constraints), and spawned this entire novel from that.
Dark Knight was originally supposed to be a Sasuke and Hinata pairing. But the pairing doesn't work out without direct interaction between them, so it sort of flopped. Neji just took over from there on his own. (My first art EVAR of Dark Knight showed the attempted SasuHina.)
In his own story, Daisuke is closer to Sasuke, and is Suigetsu's adoptive little brother. Due to plot restraints, I couldn't fit those in really, but the thought of Suigetsu being called 'niichan' warms my heart to this day.
Sasori was always going to live in my story. He wasn't, however, supposed to go into the cave with Chiyo and Sakura; originally he was meant to fight his grandmother in Sunagakure and 'die' trying to kill her there.
Eithne (Eithy) is considered the Kabuto goddess (in my eyes, at least). Whenever I write a serious Kabuto scene or had a question about him, I always turned to her for help. (Kakashi, too.) Needless to say, during the Konoha invasion arc (or the beginning of it--primarily chapters 69 and 70), I IMed her a lot.
'Midori' means 'green'. She became the Rain Lord on a whim--and not only Pein's whim. Originally I wasn't exactly sure where she was going, though it had to do something with the Iwa ANBU. Needless to say, the idea was scrapped.
Midori is an actual character from the Naruto series--granted, Midori was male and died soon after his introduction, and no one knows who he was anyway (haha). But not only that--I actually (accidentally!) used the same name for two characters! (Props to who noticed this. And if you did--why didn't you notify me?!)
I honestly hadn't known that DeiHina was a pairing until I got the reviews about it.
This was also supposed to be a sort of study on the Stockholm Syndrome (which is my favorite form of trauma, I think). And it still kind of turned out that way, which was fun.
Originally, Sukeru and Takamaru were supposed to have a slightly romantic, very angsty scene to themselves before they died. Sukeru would have been begging Takamaru to stay, just because she "had a bad feeling about him leaving her". And Takamaru, of course, would still go.
Also originally, Hinata was going to go into the battle with the Bijuu. But she would have been in there at the start, and she would have been ordered to go after Kisame's death.
Dark Knight (minus the epilogue) was finished on August 1st, 2008, at 4.23pm (ish). Then I realized that I forgot a crucial scene and went back to fix it. It (with the epilogue) was really completed on August 10th, some time in the evening. XD; Four days short of a year and a half, neh.
-.-.-
SOUNDTRACK
Themes
Hinata's Themes: Big Girls Don't Cry (Fergie); Let Go (Frou Frou)
Deidara's Themes: It's My Life (Bon Jovi); Everything Is Alright (Motion City Soundtrack)
Neji's Themes: Kryptonite (3 Doors Down); In Between (Linkin Park)
Sasori's Themes: Somewhere I Belong (Linkin Park); How To Save A Life (The Fray)
Itachi's Theme: Let You Down (Three Days Grace)
Sasuke's Theme: Until The End (Breaking Benjamin)
Kabuto's Theme: Doctor Jones (Aqua)
Pein's Themes: This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race (Fall-Out Boy); Never Too Late (Three Days Grace)
Konan's Theme: Blue (Yoko Kanno)
(Daisuke's Theme: I Wear My Sunglasses At Night (Corey Hart))
Pein & Konan's Theme: Pictures Of You (The Last Goodnight)
Deidara & Hinata's Themes: Friend or Foe (t.A.T.u.)
Neji & Hinata's Themes: What Have You Done (Within Temptation); My Oh My (Aqua); With You (Jessica Simpson)
Neji & Sasuke's Theme: Hero's Come Back (Nobody Knows+)
Deidara & Neji's Theme: Parade (Chaba)
Sasori & Deidara's Themes: Stay (DDR Max 2); The Truth About Heaven (Armor For Sleep)
Kakashi & Kabuto's Theme: You Could Be Happy (Snow Patrol)
Takamaru & Sukeru's Theme: Always (Blink 182)
Akatsuki's Themes: Be Human (Scott Matthew); Dust (Bright Eyes); Start Wearing Purple (Gogol Bordello), Viva La Vida (Coldplay)
Soundtrack
To You All (Aluto)
Wind (Akeboshi)
Roses Are Red (Aqua)
Wouldn't It Be Nice (Beach Boys)
Happy Go Lucky (Steps)
Robot (t.A.T.u.)
Omna Magni (Makino Yui)
Goodbye (SR-17)
There She Goes (Sixpence None The Richer)
Two Worlds (Phil Collins)
The WORLD (Nightmare)
The Sweet Escape (Gwen Stefani)
It's Good To Be In Love (Frou Frou)
Sweet Dreams Are Made Of These (Eurythmics)
Bring It (Cobra Starship)
This Is A Song For The Lonely (Cher)
-.-.-
FAQ
(well, not so much FAQ, but more questions that you readers felt weren't answered by the story. Or even questions I got in reviews that made me laugh.)
Q: WHY NO DEIHINA?
A: BECAUSE IT IS SILLY.
Q: How did you do it?
A: With a lot of fangirling, chocolate, and research. But mostly it was just the support. :D
Q: Didn't everyone die?
A: JUST YOU WAIT kukuku.
Q: How many pages is this?
A: Can I use a lifeline? (I ran out of fingers and toes. D: )
Q: You're a she, right?
A: NO ACTUALLY I'M AN EIGHTY YEAR OLD GUY WHO LIVES IN HIS DEAD MOTHER'S CLOSET. (Don't ask. XD; ) Yes, I'm female.
Q: Is Tobi really gone?
A: And here's the million dollar question, folks. XD I don't feel like committing either way.
Q: Oh my god you're heartless! -cry-
A: -bottles tears for later- Just wait until you see White Knight. ;D
Q: So White Knight is the sequel or something?
A: No, I lied, it's a completely different story that I just happen to be using the same characters with a continued plot and a similar name and motifs.
Q: (For Sasuke and his group--because it was more fun to answer it in-character): What happened to you guys?!
A: Sasuke: …Che. How's that relevant to you? (-is hit-) We went off after killing Itachi, of course. Just wandered around for a little while… Suigetsu and Karin got a bit 'closer'… And we've settled in an area near the Konoha and Ame border. That's it.
Q: Did Sasori ever use the Kakashi puppet?
A: It's not stated explicitly, but I assume so. :D He definitely uses it a lot later on… (The first fight he's in in White Knight he uses it!)
Q: Where did Zetsu go?
A: Oh, he got the hell out of Dodge after Konan's order. After that, he stopped by Kusa for a bit (homesickness?), and after that, he mostly just traveled, keeping tabs on the Bijuu and other living Akatsuki members from a distance…
And waaaah, that's it! Only one person asked any of the characters questions. D: And here I could think of a few good ones off the top of my head…
-.-.-
Once upon a time…
There was a beautiful princess named Bya-chan…
Then, she met a dragon, Deidara, and the world went to hell because of it.
The end.
Now, the world just needs a white knight for a shot at redemption…
We all know that Neji is the supposed 'dark knight'. And we've seen both sides of the coin, both the dragons' world and their dreams, and the kingdom the princess left behind. We've met knights and dragons and princes and princesses and kings and queens and peasants and maybe a wizard or two. (Not to mention concubines, one mean ghost, a fangirl Rain Lord, and whatever the hell role Sasuke fills.)
The white knight died. Or rather, Uzumaki Naruto died. After all, what qualities of a knight did he possess? He was fodder for the Bijuu jutsu and the cause of a war.
But…if he's not the white knight…who is?