The Dirge of Ryuu Tama <Private|Sousuke>

[Toraono Michino]

The Grand Palais was as dank and in horrible shape as usual. The clouds brought about by the battle some distance away covered the home for the denizens of the Sunan population. A black liquid-like shadow darted over rooftops without a sound. It wasn't large enough to be noticed by anyone not really paying attention and anyone who did promptly turned their head down and walked faster to the nearest shelter. The creature known as Tama used the powers he was blessed with to dive himself through the inkiest parts of the Palais until he started slinking through the part that was most destroyed by the debris from above. Few knew how to live in this desolated part of Sunagaukre and even fewer had the nerve to face the shadowy being that lived among them. 

The liquid mass of black slammed into the middle of an old courtyard for a hotel in the form of a pool. From those shadows white hair and head rose followed by his body and the struggling teenager that fought against the arm holding her neck. A tendril of shadow rose up and stroked across her forehead without him looking. A voice whispered, 
"Sleep...<i></i>" and instantly her body fell limp. The poor girl at least had some technique with Genjustu, he could tell, and by all means normally would be able to dispell the rather simple techniques Tama was using. Unfortunately his attacks were being made with a power that stood on a higher level than chakra. The energy that fueled those of the Sky Courts had a natural ability to subjugate humans, thus, even with her ghostly powers the goth was no match for she was currently still mortal. 
As Tama finished exiting his pool of shadow the liquid mass rose up and turned into a purple mist that slowly dissipated as he continued forward into the hotel's lobby. Three roguish men appeared behind the Ancient in the way that super-powered servants do and waited for the demi-god before them to give out instructions. It was rare for the Beast to make himself known to the part of the Underground he resided in. 

"The Steward will be attacking soon. I suspect he's bringing the Sunan ANBU with him but I doubt it..he's likely to find whatever it is between us personal. Prepare the courtyard and gather what gangs you can that want a piece of the ex-Kazekage. Iziang," the man directly behind Tama raised his head a little. He was a pale man in his late twenties with short cropped white hair. His build and clothing said "royal assassin" though it was obvious he was nowhere near the 'royal' part anymore,
"My liege,"
"I want you to take this girl," he would simply toss her back over his shoulder to which Iziang caught without challenge, "and place her on the third floor, I don't care which room. You are to stay with her and make sure that as soon as the fight starts falling out of my favor to kill her. Don't threaten. Don't expose yourself. The very moment Sousuke looks as if he can overtake me I want you slice open her throat. After that you are released from my service. Your brother lives on the outskirts of Soon."
The assassin's eyes opened up suddenly. They were pit black with golden irises and inside of them held a brief moment of joy. There was no telling how long the man had been forced to work for this incarnation of evil but the idea of being free and able to find his brother again after so many years was obviously thrilling. Without a word the assassin stepped away from the group as they moved past the service desk and into the broken down offices that remained behind.

The old hotel had been one of the first things opened up down here to promote some much needed revenue for the Palais. However it only stayed a hotel for all of about three years before a smart gang lord had the idea to use it as his base of operations. This man was, and had long been, dead but the hotel he had funneled a fortune into turning it into a base of operations still remained through the fallout. After walking past the doors the other two men following him went off in separate directions. The old Ryuu walked into the middle of a large apartment like complex's courtyard. The inside of the hotel had been gutted save the two upper floors. The hotel rooms remaining inside of the hotel stored all of the weapons, drugs, and other things that made the Grand Palais move and keep moving even after Suna had resurfaced. As the Ancient began to cross the inner courtyard and up a ramp that lead to his own private quarters on the second floor the denizens of Suna started filling the corridors and looting the rooms for the upcoming battle. Tama's hand gripped the handle of his room's door and slid it open.

The Ancient didn't organize the men and women here through anything but fear and revenge. Vengeance against the man who previously held the title of Kazekage for their own selfish reasons and Terror of what came from failing the Ancient after a person made a pact with him. Having lived among the humans for most of his life before becoming a specter of death allowed him to manipulate the mortals easily. They wanted little selfish things and few asked of anything that was hard to acquire. The whereabouts of Iziang's brother was tedious but not hard.The most terrifying part of Tama, as far as his rag-tag crew cared for, was his willingness to fill the role he did out of sheer boredom. The creature literally now accidentally had a small army of ex-ninjas and assassins because he had fun playing the devil for a little while; at least he finally had a use for them. Gang leaders and sub-leaders started to gather their own personal members from the streets and before long some of the hardest hitting men and women in the Grand Palais were missing. By the time Michino arrived at where Tama's trail suddenly ended the worst parts of the city looked half empty. From the reputation he had heard of even the Other was confused by the lack of hookers trying to petition him or shady men trying to shank his side. Of course it probably didn't help that when the Toraono ninja landed he did so with a small explosive force that leveled what was left of one of the entrances into the wicked side of Suna.
"Oops...oh well," the Id muttered to himself as dusted off his shoulders and arms. With a cat like leap he stalked into the dirty streets, his eyes looking around for any signs of the trail he had been tracking. After a moment his nose caught something brief for a second on the roofs and with a hop landed on top of a building. It suddenly occured to him why it was so hard to find the evil energy he had been tracking; it was hard to catch anything up here but the stink of the city below. Normally he'd have no problems tracking evil energy because it fell under his sense of taste more than smell however all he tasted right now was butt. He called out to the Steward if he was still near by as his eyes kept a trace for a sign of his partner,
"Hey-yo Steward guy! Can you still trace the bad guy? I can't taste anything out here but nasty meat salt! It sucks!"

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Masashi Mako was smoking and stood watching Michino and Sousuke join her. Mako's apartment was in the Grand Palasis, and she refused moving. The Veteran looked up and down at Michino who landed unceremoniously. The Veteran looked at him with her sharinghan active and then back to their target. She wasn't told what was going, but she noticed movements. The older woman was used to this. Sometimes gangs moved, and moved together. Oddly this movement was not over something such as a territorial dispute. "You look like your old man... I honestly hope to something out there, in twenty years time I'm not still doing this shit, and having to take you down."<i></i> She spoke which was more of a growl. "There isn't a need to trace them, they've all congregated into this ... hive of villainy."<i></i>

Sousuke would emerge. "Michino, this is my grandmother, Masashi Mako, she proctored your father's exam and takes it personally when her students take the wrong path in life."<i></i> The Steward looked at the surroundings. This was going to be bad. Why did Tama have to a set up here? His eyes glowed white from the lenses as he began making several observations. "This area is occupied by no more than three or four gangs. It's almost remarkable he was able to get them all here and working together and not having a gang war break out."<i></i> He spoke lowly. He would not yet draw his swords but he would step out into the open. "This is the Steward of Sungakure. All of those allied by force or by their own volition who are aiding the criminal known as Ryuu Tama, I will state this once and only once. If you leave now you will leave peacefully. You can drop your arms and walk out. I am giving you this option because, let's be honest most of you would tear each other apart."<i></i> He called out, "I'll even give you three and a half minutes to leave peacefully. Otherwise when I walk in there, and you raise arms against me ... well ... you've made your own choice and I suspect you would all be fully aware of the consequences of them."<i></i> Sousuke was not throwing down a threat, he was giving them a choice. He half expected most or maybe eighty-percent of them would not be moving out and walking away from this. Humans were and would always be the worst animal. This place was unfortunate proof of that. Sousuke again would begin to take a few steps forward. His eyes looking for the slightest of movements. He would begin his count down, and after that? Well it was time to move in.

 

[Toraono Michino]

The boy twitched his nose at the elderly woman who appeared near by without a single sound. Somehow the woman's natural silence and deadly aura put the demonic Id on edge but her following sentence put and honest grin on the tan teenager's face.
"You know this guy has been looking for his dad for awhile now and I already hate it when people say I look like this mook we gotta go smack around, but you know what? I like that attitude," the teenager looked forward into the deeper parts of the town, "Though I don't think you'll have to worry about Michi. He's kind of a cinnamon bun really. Hates violence..."
Sousuke revealed himself and explained his relation to the deadly quite old woman who materialized near him. With a quick nod of understanding the trio moved down to the task at hand and switched from roofs to a street that lead directly to the entrance to a hotel. There where crowds of nasty looking people were gathering inconspicuously. 
Like heroes out of a fantasy story the ex-leader of the Village, a demonic fueled cat ninja, and a very angry old lady marched towards the hideout that the Ancient hybrid Tama had turned into his personal fortress. Sousuke held up a hand and the two behind him stopped as he spoke out loudly to the punks that had gathered; and the most amazing thing happened.

Michino had read in textbooks about the grand Steward's achievements in his life and the power of his voice. Even though it was written down how terrifying he could be in combat what always drew the boy's attention was the fact that Sousuke had also won some of his fights with that voice alone. When he heard it a chill went down the demon's spine. It reminded him of stories about old kings of the north who always fought with the armies they commanded. Stupefied, the teenager stood there and watched as almost two-thirds of the men and women gathered there saw that their opponents were more than they bargained for. The sound of weapons dropping, people rushing out, and a little screaming filled the air.
"Dude..." was all the Other could say with his first taste in respect towards Michino's general pacifistic ways.
However not all of the people rushing by them were there to escape. In an instant the fight begun when a single kunai with a paper bomb tag tied to it came flying at them while one of the bandits screamed something about traitorous dogs. The ground underneath Michino's bare feet cracked and his image blurred out and reappeared in the air before the weapon to catch it by its loop, flip it, and reverse the momentum back at the attackers and their mangy barricade they had set up. It was nothing more really than some hurdles with long steel pipes nailed to them. The seal on the tag lit up and exploded into a giant fireball of force. It blew away the small hurdles and anyone who thought fighting near them would be a good idea. As soon as his feet touched the ground the boy darted forward with those insurmountable speeds and went on full offensive. His battle razor appeared in his left hand and with a push hopped into the air towards a small crowd of three or four baddies. As he was in the air the purple aura that surrounded him suddenly rushed off in a powerful wave of pure terror at them. He screamed as loud as his throat could handle,
"YOU READY TO GET NUTS!?"

As the Toraono tore into the opposition as his clan is want to do, the moment the Steward would start to move a dark voice would speak into his mind and his mind only,
"I await you, old friend, as far back as you can reach. However I also offer the same old choice to you once more; do you sacrifice that which you love and fight for your people or do you finally lay to rest the Nightmare?" A powerful image would appear in Sousuke's mind of the unconscious goth girl Tama had kidnapped. Holding her in his arms with a knife to her throat was a dark-eyed assassin. His eyes were focused intently on a screen in his room.
"Save her or kill me. Should you choose your people over your own needs again I will simply vanish from this spot and strike you again even harder and where you least expect it. Tell me, do you still even have anyone left that you love I can kill...?""

The message and images would enter and leave fast. Tama had given his decree of battle though it was starting to feel rather morbid how much the Ancient kept expecting his own death. Such a creature of power and pride surely would have used the words 'fight' instead of 'kill'. Yet it was still obvious he had no intentions of stopping any of his horrible designs.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Something different happened. Sousuke's numbers were in fact wrong, to much of Sousuke's surprise, he was wrong in the numbers. Sixty-six percent of the gang members just up and left. Sousuke suspected only twenty would leave, the number here was practically multiplied by three. It was a curious thing. Sousuke never did think highly of himself, he underestimated himself at each turn he could. His surprise was hidden by his faceplate, which was a general confused look. Sousuke simply watched as they all vacated. Most likely they were very grateful to be leaving with their lives now. Someone made a shout and an action to attack the fleeing gang members, to which a prime explosive note attached to a kunai was thrown. Sousuke watched as it was turned back and thrown at those who remained. Then Michino threw himself into the fray. This was something that ... he was somewhat expectant of, as the boy was someone who had Toraono aspects flowing through his very being. Just how much was the boy in question a Ryuu or a Toraono? It seemed more likely that now he was a Toraono.

Before Sousuke could begin his own advance he was hit by a psionic message coming from the very antagonist himself. Sousuke's mind went into an overdrive, and began to rapidly record everything it could. Sousuke's mind fully copied the location unto which Sayuri was being held. He was paying attention to the size of the room, the contents of the room, who he was dealing with in the room, and their physical details. The person in question was watching a screen, a television screen. It meant that the person was in a room that had electricity and was relying on a recording. That was something worth knowing. As Tama was trying to pierce Sousuke's mind, the half-bred Ancient would be met with something curious. At first white noise would be heard, and then perhaps the most worthwhile answer would come, Tama would hear the unsheathing of Thunder Talon. Unknown to Sousuke what Tama would hear next was the sound of thunder rolling, and the screaming of something unknown, it was a death scream of something dead for ages upon ages. Was Thunder Talon in fact one of the feared Screaming Blades? It was virtually an unknown. The blade along with its twin was pulled from Inferno. Pulled from what? Unknown. What was known was that the blades contained two long dead entities.

Sousuke unsheathed both Thunder Talon and Perdition's Arrival. The former of the two blades crackled with lightning, and the second blade was set aflame. Sousuke's eyes narrowed and his gaze shifted from building to building. He was trying to trace the electricity. There were four buildings. One was dead of all power. One had some power to it, but not nearly enough. The third building had activity on the top floor. So did the final one which was located further away. What Tama had said, being that the build was as far back as he could reach it was most likely he was in this one. Sousuke would turn to his grandmother. "We have a hostage situation."<i></i> He started unto which Mako rolled her eyes. She hated hostage situations. "Tama is having the girl held at knife point, and the assassain is watching a television. I am going to head towards the building, but you head to the left one before it. It's going to take some time, so the plan is to have you ... successfully end the hostage situation first."<i></i> Did Sousuke trust his grandmother? Well, he brought her to this situation so that must have meant something.

Mako would step forward. She would exhale the smoke and drop the cigarette stomping it. She would proceed to unbutton her military coat to pull out a drink. She drained the contents of it. "I hope this guy is afraid of ghosts."<i></i> She spoke as her features seemed to catch fire. Mako had a high proficiency in fire and illusions. The older woman made a fist and began to focus and conjure his chakra. Her skull was set a flame and her hair burned off. In a blaze of fiery chakra she set out to go deal with the assassin.

Sousuke gripped both of his own blades and began his own way.

(MFT 300+)

 

[Toraono Michino]

In the distance an unearthly howl of laughter would fill the air. Sousuke's powerful swords tickled the air around the hotel. So, between that, the old lady spontaneously combusting like it was just another Tuesday, and the furry rolling around the courtyard spraying more blood than a Bram Stroker film; the remaining bad guys weren't doing well. 
Michino's Id was showing exactly what the demonic powers of the Toraono clan were capable of in a good host. The boy's body showed little signs of wear or tear despite the near impossible speeds the kid was able to move at. His razor blade flipped in and out of his hand like he was some kind of damn carny. Blood sprayed and was flung from his blade to blind his attackers as they tried multiple methods of trying to close in and land even a single attack. Within two minutes of blowing up the gate the boy had managed to either kill or disable the entirety of their lesser forces like he was eating breakfast. 
In the end only six men were left but they had surrounded him in a corner of the courtyard. His tail flicked back and forth as his, now golden, eyes darted between enemies. His body was drawn in a crouched position like a cat ready to spring. His hand kept flipping the razor blade around to keep the enemy from guessing where his next attack might come from. The six men gathering up on him looked like they were trying to take on an angry panther bare handed; which wasn't too far from the truth. A sharp whistle, however, caught their attention and immediately they jumped back. Before the Other had a chance to register what was happening a man appeared before him and started laying into his face hard. Each blow felt like a blacksmith's hammer and the man got four off before the Toraono was able to realize what the hell was even going on. The demon caught the man's wrist, twisted, and shoved his body close to the other guy's before pulling hard on that wrist and rolling the bad guy's body of his left shoulder. The sudden force he put into the throw sent the guy flying across the courtyard and through a brick wall. Michino let out a long exhale before readying himself into another combat stance. From thin air his weapon appeared and he caught it, flipped it opened, and dashed towards the hole where he threw the guy. However the six baddies that were called off Michino were now closing in on the ex-Kazekage. The least he could do was make sure the man was at full power to face Tama and turned his course off to counter the six idiots.
Another smith hammer blow to his temple rocked the Id's world and sent his body flying. The Other crashed into the wall and dropped down to the ground as it slid into unconsciousness which forced Michino to step back into his own body in the middle of the demon's fight. The seal on the teenager's chest stopped glowing causing all of his feline like appearances to disappear off of him in a purple mist. He slowly opened his eyes to the pounding headache and saw before him the brute with the power to send him flying mid-air; after being sent through a wall himself. The boy quickly realized through the pain that he was in charge of his suddenly sore body and there was a guy here with enough power to turn his head into pudding. His stomach spasmed a warning and with everything he had he pushed off the ground and rolled. He moved out of the way just in time for his opponent to bury his fist into the ground where he had been laying. Michi quickly got his feet under him and into a defensive stance and finally got a good look at the man attacking him. He found a thrity-something bodybuilder with steel plated knuckles staring him back down. Covering his mouth was a ridiculously large mustache. Of course that didn't really seem to matter as he was a man a few words and obviously not very happy about being thrown through a wall. It was then that he remembered Sousuke and looked away from his opponent just for a single second to see that his friend had not only taken care of his six opponents but was already moving inside of the hotel. When he turned his eyes back he saw a fist flying mere inches away from his face. With the godly reflexes trained into his body day after day the boy manage to turn his face and body away from the thick of the blow as the edge of the enemy's metal knuckle cut open his right cheek. A strong push of his left leg added in with some chakra the boy darted towards the clearest part of the courtyard where he'd have a little room to move around free of debris. His opponent didn't miss a single step and moved into the same ring with the same speed. In fact the man nearly caught Michino again when they both stepped into the clearing as he was able to get off a swing. The boy ducked under the fist and stumbled in, slipping on some blood and rolling through it before he was able to get back up to his feet and look around.

It was in that moment as he rolled through the blood of all the men that he had fell that he realized just how nasty the Other had been. Blood poured out of bodies of the still and those turning still from multiple wounds. Necks, arms, wrists, Achilles tendon, there was even two guys who had been straight disemboweled. Nausea rose up into his throat as tears began to flood the boys eyes. He had done all of this? Was this really how the ninja world worked? Was all of this violence and gore really necessary? A straight blow to his face as he pondered on the moral rights of his action returned his attention to the present. He was thrown back by the force of the punch again, his neck snapping backwards as his feet left the ground. His opponent was already stepping in for a follow up attack that drove deep into his stomach to force his body through the concrete. A deep painful snap in his back ripped a silent scream out of his chest as cracks appeared all around him. Michino laid there now with a broken back. 
He coughed a little of his own blood as the life force of the men and women he had killed started to pour into the cracks that had been formed. His voice was a whimper as his hands flailed around trying to reach out for help or to continue fighting - it wasn't sure by the look of panic on his face.
"Not...like...this..." he muttered to himself. Without the demonic powers of his Id he was just no good in combat. The death he had caused was too much for him to focus on the fight...and yet unless he got himself back up the brute walking away from him towards Sousuke would be able to get in at least a sneak attack. It was his job to clear the way. He forced his this man to trust him so he could find his father. The Toraono's spirt refused to give up and be yet just another black mark on the Steward's soul. 
Time then suddenly seemed like it was slowing down as the brute fighter's steps became slower and slower. The world around him shifted into grey and for a moment all he could think of was,
"Oh great, now I'm dying," but this was not the case. A black shadow started to form on the edge of his vision. He tried to turn his head to look but found that his back had broken in a place that kept him from moving period. The black image slowly began to move in front of him and his eyes widened at the sight of what he was witnessing. There standing, or floating more like, was a man wreathed in a robe made of black flames. His face was covered except for two white piercing orbs. This wasn't the boy's Id or his demonic powers speaking to him...this was something else. The thing moved towards him but stayed where it was at the same time. It asked a simple question,
"Do you want to continue struggling?"
"Y-es!," Michino said without a second thought.
The creature materialized a hand out of it's sleeve. It was long and bony but the fire followed wherever it went. Its index finger reached out and touched the boy's chest just above the seal Kuro placed on him. A searing pain like one being branded with a white-hot tattoo gun started to stab into his chest. He couldn't move, couldn't scream, couldn't do anything because of his broken back except feel pain that he shouldn't be feeling. The creature finished burning onto his chest runic symbols of a language long lost to the winds.
"You must learn. Become One where you are Two. Draw your Sword. Learn your real Name. Only then will I allow you to approach me again. For now, for this battle, I give to thee my Boon. Rise to your true form son of Homura!"

Blood from the dead around Michino began to slither like a living being towards the still and growing cold body of the boy. A fire on his chest would burn the words of a court of a time long ago and blood of the slain would pour into that new wound. The chakra from the fallen blood rushed into his bloodstream as the clotted life fluid filtered back out of the same wound it went into. Power unlike anything either side of the Toraono's mind could ever imagine was at his fingertips now. The boxer made it all the way to the door Sousuke had just walked through as his senses picked up on the multiple layers of evil happening behind him. Large and as intimidating as the man was even his eyes was filled with fear when the boy stood back up. Blood of his dead comrades flowed around him in rivery arcs. He took a single step forward and the black flames from his visions began to wrap around him. A simple adventure's cloak appeared around his shoulders in the form of the black fire. The energy that pulsed from it reminded the boxer instantly of the master that controlled them.
"T-there is more than one of you? What are you things!?"
"To be real honest with you right now, the only thing I know is that I'm a Toraono, but if I can't at the very least muster up the strength to overcome you right now then I don't deserve to call myself a ninja, let alone the name given to me by my clan!"
As if realizing exactly what kind of tenacity he was facing the boxer started to turn and run back towards the door where Sousuke was going. That was the direction of the Boss, the kind of guy who could shut down these insanely powered idiots. This kid was like, what, fourteen? Fifteen? It took him twice that to learn and fine hone the technique he had to bust down someone so fast. Yet this child behind him was wreathed in black fire and walking around with a broken back. There was no way he was prepared to face that by himself. Tama's generals were waiting for Souske; he was safer inside.
"Shread! OWARI!"

Time felt like it stopped for the boxer. He was moving but at the same time he wasn't. He could only look forward. With his eyes facing forward he didn't even feel the blade cut through his body or rend his very soul in half. All he saw was the image of the Toraono kid appear before him with a long bladed weapon...except it wasn't. It was the black fire extending from the hilt of his razor forming the sword. It was shaped like a cricket bat but along the smooth edges were...fangs? It was the last thing the large man thought of as all turned black for eternity and his body burst into flames. The boy let out another long breath trying to calm himself as his blood pumped furiously. The fiery blade that materialized from the hilt of his battle razor remained there, flickering with ill-intent as Michino tried to absorb everything in. This power...it wasn't the Toraono...it must be from his father's side...
"My boon will only last for five minutes, Michino of the Toraono clan. Use it well."
The demon inside of him chuckled. The teenager looked down at his right arm where he heard the mirth coming from. It had turned black as obsidian and for some reason he suspected it was due to his demonic blood. Before he could even ask the demonic Id answered for him. Yes and no. Long story short I got lucky. Whatever the hell is in your blood starting stiring up because of all the death around you and I mistook it for adrenaline. When I got knocked out it was then I realized that it wasn't that at all because the feeling of rush, even as I slipped into darkness, was still there. I have no idea why but the thought to get inside the silver disc that absorbs evil inside of the hilt of your mother's weapon just sprang up. So I took all of the black energy I had and went diving into it. Looking up now at the flames surrounding you, I was glad I did. That is a fire that puts my fur on edge and I have, though, I have no idea why. I just know that if it touched me I would be a goner. Guess I'm living in your knife now buddy, you're gonna have to learn how to fight on your own from now on. The voice faded away but a final question went through his mind,
"Did you ever hear my name?"
"Yeah. Suteneko Owari."
Michino looked forward and went through the door to follow after Sousuke.

While Michino was out in the courtyard learning what he truly had the strength to do, Sousuke stepped forward from defeating his first six opponents and into the main lobby of the hotel. The desk had been broken away and the doors leading behind were shattered, torn apart. There was something different happening here than what anyone had intended. As the ex-Kazekage would pick through the wreckage of the struggle and head deeper into the large second courtyard he would see before him the arena that would either be the playgrounds of his next epic struggle or his unmarked grave. Two of the three generals waited there in the center. One was using the body of his fallen comrade to sit on while the other was picking the dirt out from underneath his nails with a knife. A large audible sigh came from the guy sitting on the corpse,
"Well I guess Aikan was a bust. Guess I owe you money Ruuyo. I thought he would of killed that Toraono kid for sure and get Sousuke-boy here a few rounds before he got to us. Shame that too, a spot in the top brass just opened up!" The gang leader laughed at his own joke a little too hard as he patted his dead ex-comrade's face and stood up. The guy with the knife flipped his grip on the handle and pulled out another one. Without getting into a combative stance or saying a word he simple took a step backwards and a rush of air leapt up to turn him invisible while his partner finished pulling on a set of brass knuckles that seemed way too simple looking at first. He took a few swings with his hands and the air around the brawler shook with energy. The knuckles began to boast more and more color as he continued to shadow box, pouring his energy into them so his first strike would hopefully be the last. If Sousuke tried to attack while he was charging up, Ruuyo the Wind Walker would step in and hinder the wielder of Ancients as much as a clever assassin could before making it to his partner. All Sousuke had to do was kill these two gang members and the path to Ryuu Tama would be opened up. Of course there was still the mess to deal with up stairs as well but no doubt the old lady had a handle on that assassin.

[Marked for Training|WC = 2814]

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke stood with six gang members around him. He stood there with both blades at the ready and took a moment to observe. Several of their weaknesses were appearing. He gripped the blades as several weak points to cause fatalities were becoming present. He paused for a moment. He stopped and re-evaluated their weak points to cause momentary paralysis or injury. Sousuke gave these people the chance to leave, and while they had made their choice Sousuke had decided that it was best to give them a second chance with their life. The blades died down in terms of the elemental power. The first attacker came forward and merely threw himself at the Steward. Sousuke merely sidestepped him and allowed him to crash into nearby debris. The next were a pair of twins. They attacked from both Sousuke's left and right with a pair of short swords each. The Steward countered with his own blades, his weaponry meter theirs, the force which Sousuke countered held enough force behind it to cause their blades to crack and splinter. He span around and hit both of them in the back of the heads with the pommel of his weaponry. Their bodies fell with a sudden thud. He then looked to the remaining three. He seemed to not be amused given his white glowing lenses. The final three then thought it would be best to go at him all at once. A mixture of weapons were brought, a flail, an axe, and a pair of sai. Sousuke was phasing moving avoiding attacks and then countering a sloppy slice or an attempt to bludgeon him in the case of the flail. Sousuke each disarmed them and set their weapons into the walls of the courtyard. He would tilt his head to the side. Did they want to give up? No. Not really. It was then they took to him with their fists, like with his prior foes he dispatched them. He slammed the pommel into a knee and clearly broke it disabling further movements. Another was felled by a sound head butt from his armoured head. The last person he tripped hard and had them land on their back which drove the air out of them.

Sousuke paused for a moment, to check on Michino - seemingly the boy was holding his own. He was fighting and fighting hard. No doubt the other side he was warned about was working and working hard. Something else was there too, what it was Sousuke did not know yet. It would have to be investigated at a later date and time. Unfortunately he did not have the time at this moment. He had to take out Tama before he would continue his rampage. Sousuke sheathed both of his blades, and he would enter the lobby of the hotel. There he find another two members of Tama's personal troop which were thugs from the gangs. He knew the speaker as Ruuyo the Wind Walker. He was a man who prided himself in his movement and his stealth. The other individual was a man named Yuuto, he made his name known from illegal fighting rings that Sousuke had been trying to shut down. Sousuke watched as Yuuto began to prime himself up, he was going to try and deliver a knockout punch. It would take him a moment to do this, he needed to work himself. Sousuke's lenses glowed red as he was going to try and stun him with a Reaper's Gaze. Sousuke needed to delay him from giving him the time he needed. His freezing glare needed only to catch eye sight for a moment, and judging from Yuuto's movements he would learn quickly whether or not he was able to give the man pause.

As for the other Ruuyo? Sousuke knew the man had vanished. Sousuke's mind ran through the data. The Wind Walker, it could simply be he was moving that fast that he wasn't able to detect his movements quickly enough. It could also be that he was deploying an illusion. Sousuke raised his hand and conjured a photonic orb. He was going to find out one way or the other how his stealth worked. Sousuke allowed the photonic orb to detonate. Sousuke was not targeting Yuuto, but more over he was targeting the immediate vicinity Sousuke was in. It wasn't high science to put together that the fact was the man was going to attack Sousuke. Once his enemy was revealed Sousuke would unsheathe his weaponry and begin with a flurry of slashes from both blades.

***

Mako moved through the darkness of the other building. Her burning features illuminated the area and gave her the slight she needed. The veteran was keeping her guard up. While Sousuke and Michino had dispatched most of the gang members there was still reason to believe that there were still enemies present. There was an old saying, if the enemy is in range, so are you. Mako was annoyed with Tama. She took it quite personally that one of her students had gone rogue. She took it as an insult, but more over she saw it as her duty to put them back on the path or to end their ambitions permanetly. The older woman walked silently and approached a set of stairs. She looked up and looked for any form of light from the screen that the assassin was watching. She saw nothing. She considered jumping up the stairs, but considered her landing might be a bit too loud for her liking. Evidently if she also went up the stairs there was the possibility of her making a sound as she walked up.

Mako shook her head. She was getting old, and never liked to admit it. Her daughter, who she had a bad relationship, could do this easily enough. Chiyoko was more of the assassin than she was, but Mako was a survivor. Chiyoko had been missing for years with Judori, and something sat in Mako's mind - that she had outlived her daughter and her son-in-law supposedly. The veteran approached the stairs and made her way up silently without making any unnecessary creeks. Her missing eye was replaced with a burning one. Her one good eye had its Sharinghan active.

 

[Toraono Michino]

Uzumoreru Iziang was a patient man. The moment he heard the explosion the assassin wasted no time in grabbing the sleeping girl, pull her close, and move into a corner of the room where he had a clear view of the door and the screen displaying the arena. He drew his favorite throwing knife out of his six and gently placed it between his index and middle finger. The blade itself appeared like nothing special but the metal it was made from had a special magnetic property to it that made it great for piercing past defenses. It was sharpened and treated to a point that it could be thrown through all but the strongest of metals making it the ideal weapon for a quick kill. Of course his orders were to kill the girl that was laying across his lap instead of self preservation, but as far as he was truly concerned the Beast could go fornicate with himself. 
It had been a little over a decade and a half since the Uzumoreru clan fell. Their history stretched all the way back to the First Men and they had survived the ages without struggle until, by sheer mistake, they angered Ryuu Tama. Even before he was able to wield the godly powers he possessed now he was a force to reckon with. By himself he was able to destroy Iziang's clan, home, and every last piece of their history in a single night. The assassin tried to chalk up the fact that they had been weakened by his brother's betrayal and the civil war that followed it...but deep down he knew that the clan was doomed the moment Toushin left; it was one of their prophecies. The only reason he had survived until now was having been on a job the night Tama attacked. By the time he returned there was nothing left. Not Uzu, a home, or even the entrance to the caverns that lead to the underground castle. The following ten years were the worst in his entire existence having to stoop to so many new lows just to be able to sleep. It only got even more horrible when the very creature that had ruined his life then took over the underground and forced his employment. Of course the Beast wasn't without mercy. In exchange for his service, if the assassin could survive, he would tell him the location of the very bastard who trigger the fall of their clan...and considering it was either work for Tama or die anyways, he took the route with a reward. 

Ten horrible years in the Beast's service and it was almost over. Iziang's black eyes darted back and forth between the tv and the door. It was by chance that his eyes happen to catch the girl in his lap and for some reason he felt compelled to look down. He did so, saw that she was still sleeping, and went to return his eyes to the door...but found himself compelled to look down again. The assassin was by no means a lady's man, but he wasn't shy of renting a whore either so there was no reason he should feel his heart quickening every time he looked back down at the girl. She was young too. Iziang never had an attraction for girls that were below the age of twenty-five but in his career for Tama the man had been forced to do some horrible things. His spare hand ran through his white hair nervously as he couldn't figure out what the hell was wrong with him. It must be the stress of the entire situation. 
"Yeah. That has to be it," he would mutter to himself.
He sheathed his knife and scooped the goth teenager up in his arms to lay her down on the ratty bed in the room. Quickly he crossed the room to the sink and turned it on to splash some water on his face and try to calm himself. It wasn't working. His heart still wouldn't stop racing. There was a sound from the bed and Iziang turned his head fast to see nothing going on. He took few steps forward towards the bed, carefully, and monitored the situation before approaching closer. Nothing was out of the miss, nothing at all except the girl's deep breathing. His eyes watched as her breasts moved with the motions of her breath and his heart began to quicken more. He felt his senses starting to give way to hormones. Things were starting to be quite...and no one could wake up from one of Tama's genjutsu by themselves. Before he could even truly realize what he was doing the assassin was already at the girl's bedside and leaning over. His lips touched hers and his heart felt exalted. It felt right. It's what he really wanted.
Until he felt teeth biting down into his bottom lip and a sharp pain in his side as the goth slammed one of the assassin's throwing knives into his rib cage.

================================================

Yuuto's fists kept flying through the air and a force of chakra started to build up slowly around him. He wasn't looking directly at Sosuke, per say, but the moment he saw a flash his eyes naturally wondered up and was caught full in the face by the genjutsu. He felt the world kind of tilt sideways and he couldn't figure out why. This made him stop moving completely but chakra was still being absorbed into the knuckle. 
Ruuyo on the other hand was more the professional fighter. The moment the he stepped into the shadows the assassin moved into the far corner of the room and braced his feet against a pillar. The reason these two gang bosses were able to work so well together was because of their one-hit one-kill philosophy in fighting. The faster a fight could end the better. The Steward summoned an orb made of his one of his specialties in chakra that exploded. It threw poor Yuuto back some but with the assassin far across the room all it did was shift the mirage of his active camo. Without wasting another second he pushed off the wall to dart towards the ex-Kazekage. At the last second he would stop, create a clone, and move behind him making it appear as if he was attacking on one side. Whichever side Sousuke decided to attack would be wrong as Ruuyo was a master of the Body Switch technique and slight of hand in general. 
However the moment his foot landed and he readied his chakra to create the clone Murphy's Law decided to kick in and it was in the form of an angry Toraono wielding the powers with a similar feel to the Beast's. Michino had walked in through the door the very moment the assassin pushed off the pillar and caught the force of the movement from a small crack left on the stone. Without wasting time he used the power he was granted to move forward as fast as he could. To his own surprise he was able to use all of the muscle strength in his legs to propel him forward which made him appear right in front of the invisible assassin. Michi's black flame sword was raised and then lowered. To everyone else it looked like a normal slash but for Ruuyo time slowed down. Just as it had been with the boxer, whenever the black sword found a target their perception of time was altered into a maddening slowness. The invisible killer tried to move but couldn't. His hands and arms wouldn't even so much as twitch. All he could do was mentally scream in terror as the blade slowly cleaved into his head and through his skull. Everything for the man went into a comforting black. There was no blood or brain matter, just a man who became visible suddenly and plowed unceremoniously into the ground before Sousuke's feet.

During this fast exchange the other fist fighter had managed to finally regain his footing and smirked. He had a charged knuckle now and all he needed to do was land a single blow. Looking at the two warriors before him, despite their strength, neither looked like anyone good at hand-to-hand as they both wielded weapons. He liked his chances. Yuuto got a single step towards the two combatants before he died, though, as a bolt of lighting cracked through the sky and descended on the fighter. It a single half-second strike the bolt burnt the man to a crisp and he dropped to the ground as the smell of burning flesh filled the air. The entire arena seemed to darken and a powerful pressure filled it.

Michino, even with the mysterious boon granted to him, felt like he could barely stand. At the top of the staircase that lead into the room where Tama resided stood the very terror himself. His hands were raised and his face hidden by the cloak's hood he had placed on himself already.
"Forgive me old friend," a haunting voice echoed through the arena as the Ryuu floated down the stairs towards the pair, "It seems this was all a moot point and not a single soldier could muster up the strength to even stand up against you or...oh, what have we here..."
The Beast would change his tone a little as he looked upon the powers Michino was showing. A familiar warmth came from them. His fight was with Sousuke, not with this creature that he brought him.
"Oh, Sousuke, you really shouldn't have. I do enjoy when a get presents...but it'll have to wait. We have a date already..." Tama raised up a hand and with a flick a bolt of lightning struck Michino and send him flying back towards the entrance and through the door. With a turn of that hand three bolts slammed into the stone above the entrance and caused it to cave the door with the boy on the other side.
"Now, shall we?"

Tama's image flickered off the stairs and reappeared at the bottom as his feet touched the stone ground. Like a pissed off Sith Lord the Ancient started throwing lightning bolts from his hands and from the clouds above at Sousuke with little to no mercy. The moment the ex-Kazekage got close he would switch his elemental attacks to those of wind to recreate his distance with the two swords the man wielded. The hybrid couldn't say why, but the moment those weapons were drawn he could feel that old mortal tickle in the back of his mind. 

 

[Takahashi Aki]

(For the record most of what's going down here is agreed by myself and Tama)

Theme​

Sousuke's intentions were to let Yuuto and Ruuyo to walk away from this. Both of them were dead. Sousuke's head twitched at this. Petty thugs and gangs were all present because of feuds that were present in this thing called the human condition. The human condition. Humanity. It wasn't that long ago Sousuke was talking about it to Toizume. It was this celebrated thing in Sungakure. It was this thing that defined humans as a thing. Again Sousuke mechanically twitched. A sickly blue chakra conjured itself up.

The Kazekage? Sousuke? You know the ultimate truth is that he's machine behind human flesh? Heh. He's just a machine really programmed to do what is in the best interest of the village. He's pretty good at it. The village joke. Takahashi Sousuke the third of his name. A machine born through human means. He just keeps going doesn't he? It's sort of inhuman isn't it? You hold yourself to unattainable standards, to goals that we mortal humans are incapable of reaching no matter how wide our grasp. You pursue them with a fervor and determination that leaves you little room for things you consider frivolous such as humanity. Spoken by a woman who Sousuke had started having sessions with. This was her professional assessment. This was the words of a woman who knew alot more than others did. I sentence you to live and fight for your people. Be without fear in the face of danger. Use your strength to safe guard those weaker than you. Use your voice to tell only the truth, even when it may lead to your death. And for as you live suffer no evil to stand. That is your charge, just as it is mine." The words of Sunahoshi Katuso, the first of his name, the Sunahoshian Kazekage this village was owed.

Sousuke stepped forward. His sickly blue chakra radiating steadily. Was it because he was a machine that was caused his chakra to have this sickly blue glow to it? Was it because Sousuke was unhealthy? Metallic pieces would flow and stand in the pathway of the Steward. The pieces of metal were merging with his present armour. Stacking and increasing his size. Sousuke's armour gained antlers and spikes. This was his power given to him by his family, the power of the first men. Creation. Sousuke could create things at -will- and it was more than just physical things. He would indeed create one of two things. A way to kill Ryuu Tama, or a way to stop him. "Some that die deserve life, and some that live deserve death." The harsh metallic sound in his voice hurt to be heard. It was a message for both Michino and Tama. Sousuke allowed the first set of thugs to attack him to walk away. Sousuke stood in this on the spot armour creation in equal height to Ryuu Tama. Sickly blue chakra mist steamed from the eye sockets. Tama fired lightning bolt at him. Sousuke's mind raced and stopped them mid air. He was fighting them with his mind. Those lightning bolts twitched. They were then being moved one hundred and eight-degrees precisely and hurled back at him. Sousuke with Perdition's Arrival and Thundertalon in hand watched as the wind jutsu was coming for him. Sousuke with Perdition's Arrival attempted to overpower the attack ,the flames crackled and grew larger as he seemingly enhanced his own weapon. Some of the blades of wind got through and cut his armour. Sousuke shook it off. He turned his head to the rubble that buried Michino, again with his mind he removed the rubble and threw it off to the side.

More chakra steam rolled out from beneath the eye sockets. "I may not be the best example of humanity. I do, however, try to be many things. You've left Aki. You've now tried to harm your own flesh and blood. I've never had children of my own breeding. I perhaps never will. I do though try very hard to be the best I can for children of all shapes and sizes."<i></i> He spoke calmly, his voice still resonating metallically. He looked to Michino and then to Tama. He took a step back and then launched himself at impressive speeds with both blades crackling to bring them both down on Tama.

***

Perhaps to Iziang's surprise, his vision would find itself glitching out. He would look across the room to find Sayuri lying on the floor. If she was over there? Who was it that just stabbed him as he was trying to kiss. Iziang was kissing a skeleton in a military outfit. He would feel his lips burn as he was kissing the skull's lips. The eyes seemed to spark and he was starting into a sharinghan and a burning eye. [colour=purple]"Hello Handsome."[/color] The voice came out of the skeleton as the legs kicked up and kicked Tama's dog into the wall. The knife was still stuck in him.

The old switcharoo. Mako knew genjutsu quite well. While Iziang had his back to Mako was upon him with genjutsu. She was quick enough to move Sayuri withinout making the room creek and she was able to set herself up for the kiss. The whole situation of young kids as hostages made Mako's skin crawl. The sound he had heard was real, it was Mako getting herself into position. The burning skull died down revealing Mako back to her normal self. The woman was called Viper. She was venomous and she was glaring daggers at Iziang. She was trapping him a stunning illusion, much like Sousuke had down earlier. She chewed her lip. "Not the worst kiss I've had, but I've had better."<i></i> She spat. The old woman tapped her coat looking for something. She was looking for her cigarettes. Her eyes shifted over to the screen. [colour=purple]"Your boss just pissed off my grandson. Better him than me, but I'm already pissed."[/color] The woman smiled. "Good assassins don't die. They just faaaaade awaaaay."<i></i> She spoke mocking the man clearly.

 

[Toraono Michino]

The sheer carnage from the impact of Tama's bolts being reflected back upwards shook the hotels foundations. The Ancient's face was hidden by his hood but a look of glee stretched from ear to ear; he was so happy to see Sousuke fighting back.The Beast raised his hands back to the sky and began to throw more bolts that got reflected away as the Steward began to pull metal from everywhere to create himself an appearance that would equal up to Tama's height. The sickening blue aura only excited the being further.
Two old gods of Sunagakure readied to clash. Their raw energy send off waves of chakra that would bring attention to anyone near Suna who was chakra sensitive. With a brush of his hand the psionic powers and sickly blue light that was Sousuke's chakra removed the rocks that was blocking the path for the boy. Almost as if on cue Michino burst through the opening with his black sword bringing yet another powerful energy source into the mix. The three powers pulsed out of rhythm as the ex-Kazekage spoke and opened his heart to unleash all his reasons for his anger at the Ancient. The creature's hands raised up, seemingly ignoring him, and a strong gust of powerful wind rushed at the two in response but the attacks only seemed to be making one sword more powerful and the black flames rise stronger.

For a moment the three powers pulsed in sync and in those few seconds were real blows exchanged.

Tama was more than a capable fighter as he had proven in his career multiple times. Science was more of a hobby and an excuse to give his mind something to chew on other than fighting. Once it was his purpose of being but as time went on and he grew stronger it just became something he could use to enhance his weak points. In this aspect the Ancient started to combine science and ninjutsu and through that study learned much about the chakra flows and waves that people felt when ninjutsu or powerful weapons were being used. The black sword made of legendary flames and Sousuke's Perdition were growing stronger from his wind attacks, but the cunning man turned to the laws of nature to use that power against them. As the heat from the fire weapons grew to a pitch the evil before them would suddenly cross his arms and force the air around the weapons die out and rebuild behind them to force the flames' heat behind them. Taking a calm step forward Tama ducked under Michino's fiery blade and side stepped to keep Perdition from biting into his side. His hands shifted again and a bolt of lightning would flash behind them to ignite the air and heat coming off the blades into an explosion. Michino, for all his power, was still but a child.
The sudden force behind him caught the teenager off guard as it happened so fast he felt his body being thrown to his left and back towards the entrance of the door. Right as the fire rushed to meet him the black flames of his cloak raised up like a shield and protected him from the searing heat but he thumped hard into one of the pillars hard enough to crack it and fell back to the floor. True to his heritage the boy shook the attack off, rolled and stood back up on his feet wobbling.
"Did you even see that attack?! he asked the Id inside of his weapon,
"Barely. That thing isn't using chakra, he's literally manipulating the very air we're breathing. I assume the only reason he hasn't just sucked out all the air is he's either not capable, it would kill him too, or he's just crazy enough to think he can fight us both...of course we're not exactly doing that great.
"Yeah, but Sousuke..."

As if on cue he watched the ex-Kazekage move from dodging the explosion and continuing to fight the Ancient as if he was in a field picking flowers. Battle was second nature for the man, Michino witnessed, and it was easy for him to believe this man once ruled over them all. 
Tama danced around the blades as they came inches from inflicting wounds, firing bolts of lightning that were more often reflected back than they were allowed to strike. When they did it wasn't able to hit the furious metal giant that was standing toe to toe with the ex-scientist's tactics. To the Toraono witnessing the battle between two god-like shinobi as twenty to thirty different attacks flowed between the two of them effortlessly. In the two minutes that passed he stood there dumbstruck. Witnessing such majesty his courage in believing he could be of any help faltered for a brief moment, and so did his sword. The Beast's eyes caught this moment of weakness and appeared right before the boy to strike the child and remove him from the fight. The lightning bolt wouldn't be enough to kill him, just stun for a bit, so that he could later study the oddity of that black fire a little better. All Michino could do was raise his flickering black sword to block as much of the lightning as possible. He closed his eyes and braced himself.
Nothing came.
He squinted to see Thundertalon piercing through where Tama's stomach would be. Red blood spilled out of the wound. Crimson red droplets of life water tapped against the stone floor and even though five seconds passed before the Beast made his next move it felt like an eternity. The thing that had proposed itself as a god, and nearly had one of his two opponents believing it, could still be injured. It could still bleed. Michino's courage roared back to life as his chakra pulsed against the dark being before him. Curling a hand into a fist the boy braced his feet and raised it to uppercut the being on the jaw.

Tama, impaled on the blade of his friend, was feeling something else for the first time in over a decade. Words that were shouted at him before, ones so easily dismissed, they were flying around his head now.
"I may not be the best example of humanity. I do, however, try to be many things," the words resounded, "You left Aki," they pierced, "You've now tried to harm your own flesh and blood," they burrowed. 
Tama turned his colored eyes down to the boy who was curling his hand into a fist and felt his heart actually beat. Aside from the skin tones he could see the mirror reflection of his younger self...a Tama with a loving family, friends, and people who believed in him. Memories flooded back into his head of a lifetime long gone. Joyous emotions with a over-enthusiastic woman he had been head over heels for. The need to protect. The two becoming lovers and binding together as one. Could this child be...theirs?
A pale cold hand caught the fist before it could even move into the darkness of the Ancient's hood. With a flick he threw the boy across the room but as he did the Toraono blood roared inside of Michino one more time and with all he could muster he swung that sword despite the force of air fighting against him from the throw. The black flames came into contact with the hood and it burned away the darkness to reveal the man's features again. Tears streamed down his cheeks.
The Beast reached behind him with one hand and removed the sword causing the red blood of his mortality to spill faster. Painful bolts of lightning rushed up the Ancient's arm as he turned to reveal his tear streaked face Sousuke,
"You. Left. Us. First," the creature growled as he tried to find justifications for his actions up till now. The blade piercing his body that he thought immortal, the words spoken by his friend echoing in his head like a maddening sonnet...if there was any anger still left to hang on to, this was it. Tama's spare hand reached up as fast as it could to grab Sousuke by the head as his foe screamed with fury. Lightning exploded from his palm that arced back and forth from the Steward's helmet and his sword that could absorb and reflect it. 

An explosion from the building force of electricity sent both of the combatants flying away from each other. The Beast thudded against the ground rather human like and a trail of blood smeared across the tiles as he was thrown. Still, ever tenacious, the being smashed his fist into the ground and picked himself back up to scream at Sousuke again,
"YOU! LEFT! US! FIRST!"
Tama raised his hands to the sky as blood continued to pour out of his wound and lightning began to strike all around inside and outside the hotel as the scream turned into a haunting howl. Tama's feet left the ground before he rushed towards the Steward with a giant claw of lightning replacing the mans fist.

============

Iziang's entire world became nothing but screams of terror that no one else could hear. His bad choices in life and the yearning for the life he felt he deserved had brought him to this. The terror when he opened his eyes to a flaming skeleton was so real he could taste it; it was in the form of bile. Even as he came to the realization that he was possibly under a genjutsu and that a knife was in his side the assassin still couldn't muster up the strength to fight. The strength of the chakra holding his mind in paralysis was far too strong. The strong kick to his chest sent him flying away and crashing like a rag doll, unable to stop any of the force.
In some ways he realized this was the gods finally catching up to him for all the horrible things he had done. The entire reason he was looking for his older brother was to try and hunt him down anyways...there was no other goal in his life at all. After that? If he survived? The assassin had planned on killing himself; a thought that was rocking his mentality hard as Mako trapped his mind inside of her genjutsu. Her searing words, like daggers of truth, pierced his soul as they played through his mind over and over again.
This was his end. Even should his mentality survive through long enough to be sent to prison the man would be in no shape to do much else in life but breathe.

[MFT|1779]

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke's word found a profound effect on Tama. One could match another in martial prowess, but it was possible to distract one. Sousuke battled with his blades, and made an error. Tama made him pay for that as he grabbed his head and blasted his right side with lightning. The metal cracked and broke apart. Even the Takahashi Fire-Forged steel was cracking. Impact in five, four, three, two, one. Right eye damaged. Lightning pierced the helmet and fried Sousuke's systems, and did internal damage. Blood or oil oozed out from the hole in the helmet. Counter. Counter now. As the two were being pushed back a distance, Sousuke's fired a plasma blast from his chest at Tama to push him back all the way further. Sousuke landed unceremoniously with a thug. He rolled four times and hit the wall.

All Sousuke knew for a moment was darkness. His left eye opened up. He was in pain, but he was fighting it. An old lesson his grandmother taught him was never to let the enemy know you're in pain or that you are bleeding. Sousuke pushed himself up. He staggered but he was able to return to his full height once more. Tama had his blade stuck in him, Sousuke reached out and at will pulled it harshfully and painfully to him at will. Thundertalon travelled quickly back to Sousuke's hand. His shoulders slouched for a moment as he focused. All of Tama's new vital statistics were being seen by Sousuke. Tama was hurting from that, but Sousuke was working from one eye now. That was going to make the data flawed. He "You forget yourself. I made a show of theatrics to distract Shouki and you guys were able to sneak in. I joined up and before we made our move -- Okibi. She stopped walking. She -- She was done with the whole operation before we began."<i></i> There was a tiredness in his voice. There was a hole in Sousuke's faceplate, but the one good eye was glowing white and glowing brightly. "I can't take it anymore. I won't die for this village. I won't die for a village who has shown an ungratefulness towards you. I'm not going to bury you, and I'm not going to watch you die for a village that you love more than it loves you." Okibi's voice came out loud and clear from the helmet. "You're incapable. Incapable of loving anything more than Sungakure. This village deserved its fate and you're fighting to do the impossible. This city is dead and cold, and you love it more than me. ... ... Why am I even surprised? Sogay was always a machine masking himself as a human." It was a recording. Sousuke never played it unless he was truly alone. "I'm leaving. I'm not picking up Aki either. He's not my responsibility. I'm done with him, you, this entire village." The recording crackled. It ended. Sousuke said nothing. Tama was not entirely correct. "If I had left Sungakure none of this would be here. Everything my family sought and worked to maintain. Undone."<i></i> His voice resonating with a metallic ring to it. That was what he had to fire back at Tama. He would not do so again. It was insanity to continually do the same thing over and over expecting a different answer.

Tama was throwing a temper tantrum inside with lightning. Sousuke held up Perdition's Arrival and conjured two flame shields, one for himself and the other for Michino. The shields were destroyed by Tama's lightning. More importantly was now that Tama had acquired a limb made from purest lightning. Sousuke gripped his blades. Peredition's Arrival and Thunder Talon both did something curious. The fire and the lightning seemed to thin out and fade for a moment, before both blades turned their elements into something different. Pure plasma. He took a step forward, and phase shifted before tama catching his limb in a cross technique. He was not trying to cut off Tama's arm persay, but he was basically trying to force Tama to run out of power. He held both blades steady. He was not weakening, but neither was Sousuke. For a flickering moment he faltered. Tama's arm ran across and severed Sousuke's arm. The metallic arm fell to the floor. Sousuke would knee Tama in return and then bring his blade down this time with a different intention. The plasma burning blade was brought down hard on Tama, and what seemed to be a singular slash was in fact five in the span of a second.

***

Mako's good eye shifted over to the screen. The camera on the other end got fried when Tama had his little outburst of lightning. Mako found her cigarettes finally. Her humanly features came back up as the fires died down. She frowned as she placed the cigarette between her lips. Sousuke better not be dead from that. She turned back to Iziang who would see the lack of eye for Mako. He would see a dark abyss in her eye socket. She rolled down the eye patch to cover it. She would flick him in the forehead to release him from the genjutsus that held him back. "Get out of my sight. Get out of here. Go hide yourself in a dumpster in Soon's Sanctuary or something."<i></i> She spoke lowly to him. She lit up her cigarette. "I've had enough death in my lifetime, so I'm going to exit this room with one less death on my ledger."<i></i> She spoke more so growling than anything else. "Do this shit again to another of my gender, I will kill you. I will kill you slow."
<i></i> She threatened him. The smoke rising from her cigarette.

"Good assassins don't die. They just faaaade. Faaaade away."<i></i> She repeated again. Her grand-nephew Katuso was known for sparing people. She never liked the idea of it. Just letting some scum walk away, but the chances were here that this kid had got himself tied into a bad debt. This was just Tama playing him.

 

[Toraono Michino]

So much blood and violence probably would have been saved had only Sousuke played that little echo of Okibi to her lover sooner. Even as the blade was pulled from his body and blood poured from his wounds harder, hearing her voice for the first time in so long made the hybrid's heart beat again; the second time today. Yet his body was already furious, his mind was set, and he was already moving. It would all stop here. One more attack, one more push...one more death.
He pushed his feet against the floor, sliding in his own blood for a moment, and then began to pick up his stumbling pace into a run. Lightning struck down all around the room as he lost the stability of his powers from the wounds both physical and mental. If he couldn't call the power given to him, he'd use his own. Drawing up from his own pools of chakra for the first time that fight did he create the lightning around his hand the way he had once long ago. The technique was familiar and his hands formed the seals from habit to call out the screeching energy into his palm. He shoved off the floor with his right foot to make him dart forward suddenly. His aim was for Sousuke's heart. The blades that had been his undoing coated themselves in plasma and moved up to intercept him. All it would take is one of them to make a single slight and it would be over. Surprisingly, it wasn't the villain that slipped at the last second but the hero of this debacle. Rather it be due to his own weakness of being unable to strike down the man he once called friend, or if he truly just miscalculated, the Steward flinched in his parry. Tama's hand missed the Steward's heart but took one of his arms instead. 

In that moment, that single second where the killing stroke happens, the old scientist saw it. The opening that could end Sousuke's life and achieve everything that the madman had sought out since he re awoke with bitter memories well over a decade ago. All he'd need to do is call the lightning from above them to strike through the hole that was already in the man's helmet. The bolt of electricity could easily fry the rest of his brain and systems. From there all he'd have to do is deal with the child, as he was still unaware of Sousuke's third, and he would of won. Battle lust was drawing everything Tama had as he started to call up the reserves in energy, trying to rush ahead with his attack as fast as he could; trying to draw the final strike.
Michino had seen enough. What started out as a search for his father turned into chasing a villain, which turned to two friends destroying each other. As soon as the boy heard the words of Tama's lover echoing through Sousuke's helmet he knew that those two fought over a bitter excuse of stupidity, all the Ancient's fault. The young Toraono couldn't say that the ex-Kazekage may not have dealt with the situation as well as perhaps he should have, but from where the boy stood, the suddenly one-eye hero was exactly that; a Kami-damned hero. The teenager could feel the boon of darkness wearing off. There was only a few seconds of power left before he returned to the state he was in before being granted the privilege to struggle again. With tears pouring down his face he ran back into the fray between the two one more time. His eyes widened in horror as Sosuke lost his arm and panic struck his heart as he watched Tama ready his follow up. Michi dove at the madman, chakra pushing from his feet and reaching from his hand to try and catch the wrist that was about to follow up. 
A small ball of energy formed in Tama's hand. He began to grasp towards the metallic helmet again in attack when he felt something grab his wrist and pull back.
"Don't hurt Sogay any more, Tami. Please?" The boy had not said a word.
Tama's attack stopped completely. He turned his head and saw Michino there where had expected to see Okibi. The boy was holding the hybrid's wrist. He wasn't sure how the boy had managed to move so fast and hard enough to stop the scientist's attack, but it was enough. In that moment when Sosuke's enemy turned to look behind him the blade fell upon his body. Five powerful strikes. One cut through his chest across the two wounds that had already scarred there. One removed the hand that Michino had not grasped, a third went right up that same arm, and he last scored across his abdomen. The fifth attack missed but the force of it's speed pushed the creature back to slam into and through the pillar nearest them. Everything went black for the hybrid.

It was over. The last attack by the Steward, no matter how injured he was, surely was enough to drop the creature. There was so much blood everywhere that it was hard to believe that either one of the combatants was standing. At the very least with Sousuke, Tama's electrical attack cauterized the wound and kept the ex-Kazekage from bleeding out; granted he didn't go into shock. 
Those black flames that made the boy's blade flickered away along with the cloak on his shoulders. The very moment the last flame left his body Michino seized up and dropped to the ground unable to breath.
Oh yeah, his Id quipped from the hilt of his weapon, Your back is broken.
The stone floor was cold and hard but he felt no pain as his body slammed against it. His eyes became suddenly dull and darkness began to flood from the corner of his eyes into his full vision. This was not how the teenager thought he'd die or get the injury that would ruin his shinobi career. He knew, from study, that his chances of living where slim but they were there. All he had to do was focus and just try to stay conscious long enough to...make it to the hospital...
Yeah...we're not going to make this one...

The sound of a wet slap followed by something be dragged filled Michino's limited hearing. Something was painfully dragging itself closer and closer and the boy had no doubt that it was the Kazekage dragging the corpse of his friend. They would be two bodies that would have to be bagged, tagged, and sent the morgue. He was actually wondering how the man was getting along with missing an arm.
Sudden warmth filled Michi's body and instinctively his lungs dragged in the dusty, copper tasting air and he coughed. The darkness surrounding his vision began to peel back as feeling returned to his limbs. He felt a blood soaked hand touching his back. His head turned a little to look behind him with his peripherals and saw an image he was not prepared for; the Ancient hybrid was healing him.
Tears flowed from the creature's eyes and blood from his mouth. Yet a strange golden aura was being held at Michino's back where his spine had been broken. The scientist, using the knowledge as it was supposed to be used, was repairing and even reinforcing the boy's spinal structure. If it was the last thing he did in this world he vowed not lose anything related to her. Painfully, she was the reason he even continued to exist after they had left from the desert. If Sousuke tried to move towards them the broken man would try to speak through his injuries,
"H-his back...is broken...fixing...let me do...<i></i>" Tama's body spasmed and the golden light faded. His voice didn't have that 'godly' tone to it anymore and he sounded just as he had all those years ago. He hocked blood from his internal bleeding that poured into Michino's hair but the man braced himself and the light returned, working it's miracles on what could possibly be his son's body, "I-I d-didn't know...d-didn't....he could be...Okibi's other...child...our...child...<i></i>" 

The Ancient's pale face turned ever lighter in color. His own life continued to pour out and his own death was immanent, but, if he could stop his own stupid actions from bringing on yet another tragedy, then he would gladly give his misguided life to save this child. He would only hope that Sousuke wouldn't think of him doing something against him still, but the power that Tama was using would possibly give away his intentions without having to explain. The light was he was using to heal Michino was full of life energy as opposed to chakra. It wasn't taking from the boy's lifespan but from what little remained in Tama's shell. 

His light faded so that his possible son's could burn brighter.

==========================

Iziang wasn't expecting mercy. In fact the assassin believed that if he died now it would only be justice. Yet instead Mako flicked his forehead and everything returned back into view. The assassin looked up at the woman who had outdone him so quickly without even trying it seemed like. Fear filled his eyes as the idea of seeing his death coming became the only thing he could think about. Her genjutsu was already terrifying, he could only begin to imagine what she could really do. It wasn't until after he was on the verge of soiling himself did she say he could leave and gave him a warning.
Iziang had never moved so fast in his life and he was of the Seikon bloodline.
As his image disappeared and reappeared further and further away from the fight and, more importantly Mako, the assassin decided that his life being spared like this was a sign from Kami. He chose right then and there to resolve to move as far away from the Wind Country as he could and become a monk somewhere high in the mountains of Lightning. 

Far away from Mako as he could get.

 

[Mikaboshi]

NPC: Mikaboshi, Lord of the Deep Court
BMG: LINK

"You lied to me, my foolish apprentice."

It was perhaps the last voice that anyone wanted to hear while they were bleeding out on the ground. Mikaboshi was not well known for his bedside manner nor his forgiving nature towards those that violated the terms of agreements with him in such a direct manner. He could appreciate situations where those he'd made pacts with had out-foxed him by finding a manner to achieve what they wanted without violating the terms of the deal but in this there could be no mistake. In exchange for giving Tama the uplifting to hybrid-status that the young man had craved, Mikaboshi had made Tama forswear his grudge against Sousuke. It had been a steep price for it was that very pursuit of Sousuke which had driven Tama to seek the power that he'd wanted from Mikaboshi but in the end Tama had relented and agreed to Mikaboshi's terms.

"We had a deal, you and I. I gave you this power that you have squandered in exchange for forsaking your claim on the life of Takahashi Sousuke."

When had Mikaboshi appeared on the scene? It was hard to say. The Ancient Lord of Deep and Shadow had always been possessed of a slippery nature and now that he was free from his prison of the Black Blade that was even more so the case. Even though Sousuke stood over Tama and Michino, Mikaboshi had managed to come close to them... close enough for his words to be easily heard. He did not acknowledge Sousuke at first, his sights set entirely on Tama-- his apprentice turned... what? Tama had not been a Deep Court hybrid but rather something more akin to the Solar Court. They were not fronzii but there was still a connection between them that Mikaboshi could not quantify.

"I saved you from your own foolishness. I gave you power and wisdom. I forged you into what you are now. And this is how you repay me?"

Mikaboshi was hovering close to where Tama was pouring his life energy into Michino now... and in an act of spiteful cruelty that was remarkable even for a creature like Mikaboshi which was known for his spiteful and petty nature he reached out and formed a new link from Michino to Tama causing the life energy to flow in a never-ending circle between them so long as Mikaboshi was concentrating on it. They would be trapped in an un-ending cycle of life transfer which would keep them all exactly as they were until one of them finally gave out entirely or managed to break the cycle somehow. Kneeling beside him, the masked face of Mikaboshi would turn sideways towards Tama.

"I also once told you that if you disobey or betray me that I would consume you without hesitation. That day has come today. But that leaves the matter of this one, doesn't it? That you suffer as such to save his life tells me that he is important to you and as always I am nothing if not generous so I will give you a chance to save his life. Confess in honesty to me why he is so important to you and I will spare his life." Then, as if suddenly realizing that Sousuke were present Mikaboshi would look up at his former master. Even though his face was hidden behind a mask, there was no lingering hatred or spite towards him in his eyes the way there had been in the past. If anything, he regarded Sousuke with surprise as he casually threatened to torture and kill both Michino and Tama. "Hello, Sousuke."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke hit the mark. It was that dangerous speed and power that he had with one plasma charged blade. The blades lost their plasma glow as that was about it. Sousuke had been fighting and fighting hard as he usually did. Power comes at a cost. He had lost his metallic arm, for ... a second time now? The first time he lost his arm to a Sandworm. The second time Barnyx ate his replacement arm. Now Tama had cut the same blasted arm again, and got him by the eye. The metallic giant fell to his knees with a resounding crash. He had always been telling Tama the truth, and he didn't accept it. It was only when he played one of the single most reviled memories he had in his mind. He hated that moment with his very being. He could not and would not forget Sungakure in its moment of need. The armour fell apart and revealed a damaged and broken version of Sousuke's first layer of armour. He worked himself back up to his feet and made his way across to Tama. He was doing something to Michino but what it was, he couldn't tell.

Sousuke would upon his approach observed healing chakra. "He is described as a bastard of the Toraono clan. I do not know the full details."<i></i> He spoke. He considered for a time that this could have been a child Tama had with another woman, but he seemed to be adamant on the thought that he was. A chill, followed by a head twitch occurred as Mikaboshi made his appearance. He had not seen the Black Wolf in a long time. Not since he had co-freed Mikaboshi from the pack of the Black Blade. Tama was trying to heal Michino but then Mikaboshi had created a link between the two of them. Sousuke watched with one eye as the two were now linked. Oddly enough Mikaboshi had not even acknowledged him. He revealed how Tama had the powerset he had now, which apparently had come at a cost that he not fight Sousuke. So Tama was now in fact ... part Ancient? Sousuke's eye widened in horror. Ancients fed on human souls. It was not the most ... pleasant diet. Mikaboshi compared to several other Ancients, that Sousuke had known of, was different. He did not have a slave court, but he was still silver tongued. He threatened to kill Tama, but also Michino as well. Mikaboshi always drove a hard bargain, and should one go back on it there was always a price to pay.

"Lord Mentor. You seem to be operating at high levels of capacity."<i></i> He spoke as he paid him the courtesy as he bowed deeply with some difficulty. Sousuke grunted as he returned back to his height. Sousuke quietly made some considerations in his mind. Curiously Mikaboshi held no ill will against him in his gaze. Sousuke sighed. "If it's the same to you as it is to me... which I am not sure if it is."<i></i> He paused for a moment. Time to do as Katuso bid him to do. Defend those who could not defend themselves. He was not going to fight Mikaboshi but he was willing to make a trade. In all honesty, Sousuke knew he had a time and place to die. This may as well be it. "I am willing to make a trade. Myself for Tama. Michino is..."<i></i> He paused for a moment. Mikaboshi knew who Okibi was. "Remember my ward? Okibi? You met her during the time I was suffering from my engagement with an Outsider. Michino is their child. He is precious to ... to myself and Tama."<i></i> He explained. "I'm not looking to start any new conflicts, merely to put them to bed."<i></i> There was a tiredness and a wariness in dealing with Ancients. Sousuke had known both the love and hatred of an Ancient. He knew how tired Mikaboshi was in dealing with humans, considering Kazuki's actions in the past. Sousuke was a fraction of Mikaboshi's age, but human time passed too quickly for an Ancient.

 

[Toraono Michino]

The Ryuu didn't get a lot of time to ponder on the words Sosuke imparted on to him. Aside from the fact that he hovered at the edge of death's door a familiar chill filled his spine. Why?!</COLOR><i></i> he would quietly lament to himself as the words of his master filled his ears. In a panic, as Mikaboshi spoke slowly in his gentle walk up to the pair, Tama would try to speed up the process of healing, even as going as far to pull on Michino's own life force for just a moment.
Of course it didn't really mean anything. 
The creature simply touched them and a seal formed over the two connecting their lifeforce. Michino, who was nearing better health, now coughed a splash of blood at Mikaboshi's feet. His darkened skin began to take on an ashen look as now the boy too neared death. Frantic, Tama tried to think of any way out of this situation. Old habits of a man that had been a ghost to these parts started to kick in. His mind cooled itself into as much of a calm as he could, and his eyes closed for a moment. This was the death he had been expecting the very moment he revealed himself to Sousuke. The situation had changed but the ending didn't have to. His eyes opened half way to look down at the suffering boy with pity. How sad it had to be he was dragged into the cursed fate of his latent clan. It would of been so much kinder to let him live his life out believing he was fully a part of the Toraono. Still, the less the Beast knew about his son, the better. He decided to be as honest as possible without giving it all away, gambling his luck, even in this situation. Before he could speak, Sousuke spoke for him.

A wave of cold terror rushed over Tama's flesh. He turned his eyes up in horror at the proclamations his friend made as he laid down the entire truth, as they knew it, about Toraono Michino before offering his own life in a trade for the father and son.
"No! No you don't! That's not right! You don't deserve to de-<i></i>," a sharp pain in his chest made the man sputter another mess of blood into the hair of his child. The boy looked on with indifference to the entire situation. It wasn't that he didn't understand what was going on but he definitely got the feeling that his presence was egging on events that should have unfolded differently. As far as he was concerned, Michio felt insulted that his life was being raised to that much concern. A death in battle was the ultimate for a member of his clan as far as he was cared. Without a smidgen of fear that seemed to soak the words of the two elders, he turned those indifferent eyes towards Mikaboshi,
"Why the hell does anyone have to die?" his voice picking up amongst the two mortals pleading for their ends to spare the other,
"Why can't I just carry my father's burden instead? Not death, but service. Spare them and I pledge by my bond as a Toraono to be of your use."
"<COLOR color="orange">NO!," the boy's father screamed, his life force spilling in redundancy, "You don't know what you offer boy! Don't do the same stupid thi-" a wracking cough cut off his sentence. 

Michino would only look on, waiting.
Well, I guess working for this guy would swing more my way, the voice in his razor spoke up, unsure of its place now that he was trapped there, Too bad you can't close your eyes anymore, eh?
As usual the Other chose the worst times to remind him he couldn't let the demonic Id take over his body anymore. Anything he did in service to the dark being he was pledging himself to he would have to take on with his own two hands. It was, in his mind, the most pacifist route in which no one died, Suna didn't have a tragedy leading up to a war, and he could finally get some damn answers from his Dad; granted the Deep Ancient would allow it.

 

[Mikaboshi]

NPC: Mikaboshi, Lord of the Deep Court
BMG: LINK

Mikaboshi listened silently as each of them plead their case. Sousuke offered his own life to spare those of Tama and Michino. Then Michino did the same but instead of offering his life he offered an oath of service to Mikaboshi in exchange for saving his father's life. Both offers were tempting. Sousuke had willingly offered his death to rescue Tama and Michino and the Mikaboshi of a year ago would have taken that deal without a second thought. He could have his revenge on both Tama and Sousuke at the same time; first by taking the object of Tama's revenge fixation away from him and robbing him of whatever sense of closure he sought to tear from Sousuke's suffering and demise.

And the revenge upon Sousuke would have been obvious to any who knew their history.

But this was not the Mikaboshi that either Sousuke or Tama were used to dealing with. He remained the Lord of the Deep Court but was perhaps changed irrevocably by his experiences in the last year of his existence. The way that Katsuo had forgiven him his wrongs without reservation and then set him free from the tyranny of the Black Blade without condition or terms had moved the Black Wolf in an unexpected manner. He had never experienced such generosity before and certainly not from a human being. Tama's reneging upon the deal they'd made kindled the embers of old hatreds and anger but Mikaboshi found curiously that he had lost his taste for them somewhat.

As each of the three humans in the group before him fell over themselves to offer their own suffering in trade for rescuing the other two from oblivion, Mikaboshi was reminded of what Katsuo had said to him in the moments after he'd been defeated. In his frustration, Mikaboshi had demanded of Katsuo why the mortal would-be king could not be destroyed and Katsuo's answer had been... less than satisfying at the time. He claimed it was the love and devotion of those that depended on him and believed in him that caused his spirit to keep reigniting. To keep fighting. And even though Mikaboshi had scoffed at him at the time, it had been he that was laid out on the ground in defeat once all things were said and done. Without saying a word, Mikaboshi reached out and gently placed his hand upon Tama's back... and suddenly Tama would feel the current of the link that was between the three of them shift away from being an endless circle and become more of an open valve. In that moment Tama would find the whole of Mikaboshi's vast reservoir of spiritual energy open to him to access in order to save both his own and his son's life, if he chose. There seemed to be no obvious strings attached to his act, no deal accepted, no terms given. It seemed as though for the first time in his long and storied existence, Mikaboshi were doing something purely for the benefit of someone else in spite of the anger that he felt.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke was very much ready to breath his last. He certainly did not look healthy and all the battles he had been recently engaging in each had a consistent cost be it something physical or something mental. Yet Sousuke did what the Takahashi were known best for, enduring. Both Tama and Michino were not pleased but what Sousuke had said, but to Sousuke? Well, humans always did have lower life expectancies than Ancients, and more so the fact that Sousuke knew what he was, and that was he was human. As he had stated earlier he was not the best example of humanity or what good characteristics one had, it was the concept of self-superiority that drove the Steward. He had to find the strength to push past his own weaknesses and become something of a higher quality.

Sousuke stood and waited, he awaited Mikaboshi's choice. He was going to stand by his choice, and yet something strange occurred. Mikaboshi did not choose anyone. He released Tama of his sorcery and left his hand on his shoulder. Mikaboshi was not one for physicality. Mikaboshi was a sound swordsman in his own right, and Sousuke had witnessed time and time again Mikaboshi shred people with his talon like fingers, but he seemingly just left his hand on Tama's shoulder. Mikaboshi and Katuso had shared a head space for some time. Usually if one person was with another for a long enough time they would take on their qualities in some way or another. Perhaps Mikaboshi had imparted some wisdom unto Katuso, and perhaps Katuso had instilled some sense of mercy or forgiveness in Mikaboshi? Sousuke gave it some serious consideration. Life was full of various little mysteries. He would turn his gaze from Tama back to Mikaboshi. He would incline his head. "Thank-you."<i></i> Sousuke once beheld in a vision that Mikaboshi was very different from most Ancients, and here he was doing so once more. It would seem that Mikaboshi had grown generous or merciful in his free time. "I have said it often, but I will say it again. Should your armours, weaponry, or being is in need of repairs. You need only ask."<i></i> Mikaboshi was indeed a prideful creature, but this was the ongoing agreement he had with Sousuke. He paused for a moment, "Even those in your court need only ask."<i></i> He spoke expanding their agreement, one generosity deserved another in equal share. It was respect. Roku might have called Sousuke a fool for expanding the offer to one such as Michi, but she was indeed a member of the Deep Court. Roku had wanted him to call for her capture, but Sousuke did not.

Some sparks flew from Sousuke's form as he was indeed injured himself. This battle had been taxing, and if would have more taxing if he did not allow so many people to walk away from it. It still bothered him that Tama and Michino had killed those two leaders. There was nothing he could do now about that. If Tama was indeed part Ancient, then what did that make Michino? The boy was part Toraono, and had access to a power set more befitting of that line. Yet ... Mikaboshi had given him that power set after Michino was born. Ityt was a curious thing.

 

[Toraono Michino]

All was panic in the mind of Ryuu Tama. Long had he watched Aki from a distance, absently, witnessing how the boy connected to Okibi. He saw little bits of the child that triggered little sparks in his memory, but, he also saw a lot of the people who put their time into raising him as well. In the time the hybrid spent searching for a purpose, the black thoughts that had been sown into his mind by another Ancient festered until the little absurd seed of hatred had finally blossomed. In a single night he reached a point where he rather die than continue just sitting on the sidelines amassing power. So he had struck hoping that Sosuke was strong enough to just end all of this before Mikaboshi could learn of his betrayal and he could move onto the next life peacefully where, hopefully, she was waiting. Yet, as per the normal, the Ryuu's plans went completely awry and the ex-Kazekage brought with him the one thing that would make him want to continue on; a son.
Tama had no idea how the boy was a Toraono. Michino looked like a half and half mix of himself and a female Toraono with only little notes from Okibi resonating in there; yet the old scientist knew that chakra the moment the boy's hand touched him. The child was an enigma but he was certain that Michino had to be his and Okibi's. No one else had that special tone to their life energy except for this boy and the woman he loved. Now there was a chance that the creature that Tama thought of as the incarnation of evil was going to take that away from him; he'd rather die trying to prevent that. If it would be the end case the scientist was willing to struggle as hard as he could to save the boy dying in front of him. Mikaboshi began to move - Tama's eyes followed.

There was a moment of mixed fear and relief when he felt the monster's hand touch his shoulder. The tears that streaking across his face with his blood poured harder now but a sad smile crossed his face.
"Just let me-" the Ryuu gasped suddenly and arched his back. In his inner mind Tama stood robed in white and young again. Behind him was a gigantic ocean of power, swirling endlessly. His heart felt like it was going to stop at the generosity that Mikaboshi just offered him yet he wasn't going to hesitate taking it either. Lifting his hand, not caring if there was to be a price, he called to the energy before him and it rose willingly to his hand. A tidal wave of power washed over Tama.
The small golden glow on Michino's back suddenly radiated life energy with light bright enough to chase shadows out of even the darkest corner in that hotel arena. The boy coughed and breathed again, his hands reaching out as feeling returned to every part of his body. Within seconds he was able to roll away from his father and stand up, hopping a little, as if he had just got there.
"Whoo! Damn! What the hell!?" was all he could say for a moment as more energy that he knew what to do with coursed through him for a moment. Eventually it settled and he turned to look at Tama. The energy he had used from Mikaboshi had mostly gone to the child before him. Only his most grave of wounds had been healed but resonating inside of him was still more than enough of his master's energy left to remove all of his injuries. Instead he turned on his back and grasped Mikaboshi's hand for a moment. He stared deep at that mask with eyes that spoke of nothing but thanks and apologies before removing it from his shoulder.

The scientist groaned a little as he gathered himself up and stood. His insane height still remained a daunting feature but now that wasn't cloaked with Ancient energy his true mortal form showed. Between the rapid aging curse had dealt with his entire life on and off and being transformation into another being had taken a toll on the mortal shell. Easily the man looked to be in his mid seventies. He hobbled a few steps towards his broken friend, knelt down on a knee and bowed his head,
"I cannot even begin to offer my apologies. I dragged you here to bring an end to a foolish hatred that had no place in this world and you brought me a reason to continue living. The things I have done against Suna and her people are unforgivable and I won't even try to beg for mercy on that. I will, however, ask that you let me live. Even if it's from a cell, even if it means taking away all of my power and any access to it...let me live. Let me be a father that I wanted to be with Aki but couldn't because of my misguided views..."

Tama lifted his palms up towards Sousoke and a golden orb appeared in his hand. It was the left over energy from Mikaboshi he had taken to heal his son and himself. It wasn't a lot, probably enough just to ease the pain until the Steward could get himself to a hospital, but it wasn't the healing that Tama offered. It was the gesture, and it was one of peace. The little golden orb was everything the man had to offer to Sosuke and Mikaboshi, the two people he had crossed. In the end they would choose how he lived out his punishment, but, at the very least Michino could have a chance at finally having a father.

[MFT|968]

 

[Mikaboshi]

NPC: Mikaboshi, Lord of the Deep Court
BMG: LINK

The decision was made and the act given freely without another word on Mikaboshi's part until Tama turned and grabbed his hand. It was perhaps the closest thing to a normal teacher-student relationship moment that they would ever have for in that moment the generosity behind the gift that Mikaboshi had given dissolved behind a newly erected wall of dissonance. His eyes hardened and he said nothing in response as his former student released him and Mikaboshi stood and turned as if to disappear into the night, only to be stopped by Sousuke's earnest thanks. Once more the former Kazekage reinforced his offer of succor if Mikaboshi or his court ever required it of him and still the Deep Lord did not respond, though his egress had come to a stop for the moment.

"I cannot even begin to offer my apologies. I dragged you here to bring an end to a foolish hatred that had no place in this world and you brought me a reason to continue living. The things I have done against Suna and her people are unforgivable and I won't even try to beg for mercy on that. I will, however, ask that you let me live. Even if it's from a cell, even if it means taking away all of my power and any access to it... let me live. Let me be a father that I wanted to be with Aki but couldn't because of my misguided views..."

Over his shoulder he could hear Tama offer whatever remained of the energy that he'd given to Tama to heal his own broken body and save his son's life and as that energy was shared among them to bring them all healing, Mikaboshi could not help but wonder if he had made the right choice. None of them were aware of it but in that moment Mikaboshi had betrayed perhaps what could be considered his most core principle. The First Law dictated that the strong survived and the weak died. In that simple but crystal clear world view, Michino was not strong enough to survive his wounds and therefore did not deserve to live. Tama was not strong enough to carry his son from the jaws of death and therefore did not deserve to achieve that feat. They had both relied on the strength of Mikaboshi to survive their ordeal and that made them apostates to the very virtue of the First Law. Once upon a time, Mikaboshi would never have even considered saving the life of two creatures who failed to meet the standards set forth by the First Law unless he saw potential gain in it. In this moment... Mikaboshi stood nothing to gain from saving their lives. In fact, he had come here to end one of them.

He knew that Katsuo would have approved of what he'd done. The human king had told Mikaboshi that the source of his seemingly irrepressible spirit was the power he drew from the hope and faith of his friends and family. Their strength was his strength and vice versa.

He'd changed much since coming to possess the body of Sunahoshi Katsuo and in so doing severing himself from the shackles that bound him to his nature and by extension the First Law. Often since being set free from the Black Blade and bereft of the connection to his nature he'd found himself consumed by questions that had never plagued him before.

"Where am I going?"

"What am I doing?

"Why?"

Questions such as those had never occurred to the Deep Lord when he had been so ruled by the nature of a Deep Ancient. The answers had run like a river through the very core of his being and as a result those questions were always answered long before he even had the opportunity to ask them.

It didn't matter where he was going; he simply was.

It didn't matter what he was doing; he simply was.

Why? Because he was Mikaboshi.

Now it seemed as though that definition no longer held meaning. What did it truly mean to be Mikaboshi? Questions about the nature of such things as "fate" and "destiny" swirled about in the tumult of his heart and it was maddening. Still, appearances had to be upheld. Though doubt ran like a current through his very being, Mikaboshi would not allow it to show through to others. Even freed as he was, Mikaboshi was very much still a vain creature at heart.

"Tell your king that I have honored our pact." Mikaboshi replied simply without turning back to them. "That is all I require."

And then he continued his soundless steps into the darkness of the cavern to parts unknown.

[Leaving Topic.]

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke would nod his head. Indeed Katuso would have to informed of what had transpired here. Sousuke would watch as Mikaboshi would fade from view. Soundless even. It was a skill he had, but then again Mikaboshi was of the darkness itself. Sousuke had his own view of how the world came to be, and it was somewhat concerning that the 'Deep Court' as it were was of a lower level. "I will inform my King."<i></i> It didn't matter if Mikaboshi did not see him or not, but he bowed. Mikaboshi was a prideful being like any Ancient, and they all lived by one rule. Survival of the fittest. Mikaboshi had virtually and undermined himself but so much as an ideal he had that was fundamental. An Ancient had changed in ideology, were they all capable of that ultimately? Could Suna herself have a change in heart?

Sousuke would turn back to Tama. Tama was offering something. Some form of healing. Yet it was more than just that it was a peace offering. Sousuke stared at it for a moment, and replayed the words Tama had said in his head. He quietly was considering the situation here. He looked over to Michino. The boy had a father, and now he knew who the father was. "You will serve out a sentence in the Obsidian Palace."<i></i> He answered. Tama could be facing multiple life sentences there. He could be left to rot, but then he remembered something. He remembered what Katuso had done with Kaito. Sousuke sighed. With the one hand he did have he rubbed the back of his neck. "You don't do this ever again. You never again terrorize the people of Sungakure ever again."<i></i> He spoke. He did not seem to overly enjoy laying down the law, but Sousuke was still not happy with this situation as a whole. He knew that there would a time would come where all of this could possibly come to haunt him for whatever reason it was.

Sousuke eyed the golden orb, he did not partake of it yet. Sousuke was hurting, and yet ... yet he did reach out to take what little there was to offer himself a reprieve from his current state of suffering.

 

[Toraono Michino]

The old scientist knew it wasn't enough to heal any of the injuries that he had laid on his oldest friend, yet a small smile moved across the better half of his face.
"O-of course...I really am ashamed I let myself come to all this..." he replied agreeing to the Steward's terms.
He slowly began to stand up from his kneeling, but his large frame was suddenly far too much for his legs to keep up. The tall hybrid wobbled for a moment before pitching forward. He felt his chest land against something hard that nearly took the wind out of him, but noted that at least it hadn't been the ground.
"Oof," Michino grunted as he let his father lean on him. It was something of a comical sight to see the young, far smaller, Toraono holding up the old giant of a man but at the very least it didn't seem to be bothering the boy. He turned his head up towards Sousuke and looked on with pride. The last half year of his life had been really crazy. From meeting the White Wolf in Tea to meeting the Black Wolf in Suna this passing of time really pushed hard on the boy's will and mentality to stay firm when the heat of battle pushed back. Even in a fight where he gained the knowledge he had been seeking for so long he had done so at the loss of Owari. The demon entity that had harbored in his mind and body was now shoved deep inside the silvery steel prison of his battle razor. Knowing that he could no longer use the demon to fight his battles he needed a role model to look up to. Someone he could think of whenever the person he fought was overpowering him.
There was Sosuke. A man who had fought alongside Michino purely just to keep a single girl safe. A man who had lost his own body parts so he could try to save a friend. A man who was willing to throw his very life away just to make sure a young boy could grow up with a father. If there was ever a role model to look up to for bravery, this man was the pinnacle. 
"Thank you, Sousuke," Michino spoke as he looked up at the Steward, "If you ever need a helping hand in anything, please let me know. I can't swear on my clan, but I can promise on my own pride, that I will be there if you have ever need of me. This..." he looked to the shoulder where his father was looking pale and silent, "...is more than I could have ever hoped for when I met you earlier today.
A sheepish look crossed his features, "Also...um, really sorry you had to...you know, lose an arm and such..."

Michino felt a tap on his chest. The boy turned to look at the absolute face of terror smeared across his father's old features,
"Heeey, boy...sooner we get to the hospital, the better, yah? I sense...a familiar and sinister presence..."

The boy wasn't sure what the man was talking about but hoisted him a little better on his shoulder. As Michi looked on towards the distance he could see the features of two females heading their direction. The teenager was also pretty sure he could feel his father burst out into a cold sweat. While it's true that the young Toraono was very happy that he could finally say he had a close blooded relative, he was also very disappointed in the kind of man Tama turned out to be. Instead of rushing along to the hospital the Toraono waited there for just a little longer so the old man could get at least a little of what was coming to him.

[Topic Left after Tama gets a good smack]