Private Hot Cocoa and a talk

[Keiji]

[Continuation from this moment: https://ninpocho.com/threads/vanishing-act.67688/#post-378865 ]

They arrived by the back door. The lights were still on presumably because Nao left in a hurry. Putting down Keiyaku he directed him along into the house. Hurrying along behind him, he makes his way to the Kitchen. His mask fades off as he grabs a pot, finds a brown liquid and pours it in. He turns briefly to Keiyaku and tells him "Have a seat here. Relax." While directing him to sit in their living room. The home was well-lit, warm, cozy, pictures of Keiji and Nao together, and pictures of Toshi, Hoshi, Shishiwakamaru. Some where they're practicing Kunai throws and with smiles of glee, pictures of them holding up their Academy diplomas proudly. "Best Kunai throw", "fastest speed on running competition", "Exemplary Copy Jutsu utilization" awards for different children, with "Best hugger of the year" one might assume the last one was awarded within the household. Keiyaku may notice it was Keiji that won that one possibly from Nao.

Keiji left him there in that room for a few minutes to process everything. And after a bit he'd come back with a steaming hot cup of a sugary chocolate drink. The warm soothing smell and taste eases the throat, calms the belly and the head. The sweet dark tones of chocolate helps too. He placed a cup in front of Keiyaku, and one in front of himself. Settling in front of him, he let the silence between them linger for a brief minute as he just took a sip and leaned back in the chair. He left it all hanging in the air, the tension slowly intensifying as Keiji calmly took another sip.

Leaning forward slightly, adjusting his seating, and with a concerned look upon his face. "Take a deep breathe, take another sip. And then proceed to tell me what happened. From the start."

As Keiyaku would start talking, if he ever stuttered or struggled with anything Keiji would reach out and indicate for him to breathe, and take another sip. And then allow him to slowly start again.
"Relax, breathe, take another sip...*After sipping* Go on."

[Thread with Keiyaku]
[Nao welcome after a few rounds]

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

It made so much of a difference to have been removed from that whole situation. The next thing Keiyaku was aware of after falling on his butt at the gates, was standing in the middle of a living room, with Moru on the chair beside him, snoozing away. The shell-shock had worn off now and the Inuzuka's brain had finally started to properly process things again. The scent of his teacher in this room was comforting, and the vibe was definitely that of a loving family. It felt a lot like being back in the Inuzuka clanhouse, with Kiiromaru, the old wolf-dog comforting him after a mission. His eyes traced the room, across all the family photos. Was that Dove? Huh, so Dove was Corvus-sensei's kid? Toshi had been a great partner on their last mission, and he'd hoped he would see a lot more of him soon.

Best Hugger of the Year Award. Yeah, he could say that about Corvus-sensei; after he'd essentially been turned into a werewolf on that other mission, his teacher had been the first to wrap arms around him. It was a strange feeling, being held by human arms, when for his whole life, affection had been shown by leaning against someone, given that his dad was a dog and had no arms.

A cup of some strong smelling liquid was placed in his hand.

"Thanks, sensei. I-I'm fine now, really," said Keiyaku as he sat down, Moru crawling sleepily into his lap with a little whine, snuggling his head beneath his big brother's shirt for warmth. Keiyaku did indeed look a bit better now; some colour was coming back into his first and he seemed alert and focused. His voice was steady again, but oddly lacking in emotion, like the whole experience had left him pretty numb. It was time to explain.

"Sorry for... well... going to bits there. I mean, I've seen people die before, so I have no idea what happened to me. It was like... my ears started ringing, and I couldn't see, or tell where I was."

Taking a sip of the liquid, he recoiled slightly at how sweet it was, not having had hot chocolate before. He privately thought he would've preferred a bottle of Soju, but he wasn't able to tell his boss that. He set the hot chocolate aside. When he next spoke, it was with his usual martial bearing.

"Sir, I am sure you have been informed of the gate incident. The foreigner who came, asking for entry, and we turned him away. After being a bit mouthy, Ishi wanted to arrest him. The kid refused, tried to walk away, and Ishi cut him down. We reported together to Sennin Keniwa's office and made our report, where I laid on record my disapproval for Captain Ishi's actions, and the Sennin saw fit to demote him to Jounin. There was a threat that he was going to sever ties with Leaf after Keniwa ordered him to return the boy's body to Sunagakure, but I noticed Ishi had shown up to the gate empty handed. What's more, he saw fit to slit the throat of a fellow ANBU officer at the gate. I confronted Ishi myself, I pronounced him under arrest. Once again, he insisted to me that he did the right thing, at which point, he turned his weapon on himself and shot himself right through the chest. That's when I called you, sir."

It felt good to get everything out there, like every word leached a little bit more venom out of a wound. He seemed to sigh contentedly, his shoulders relaxing. It was best for Corvus-sensei to know all this, since Leaf had just narrowly avoided adding another ANBU-trained S-Rank criminal to its Bingo Book.

"Thanks for your concern, sir. I swear, I'm made of tougher stuff than this - I really don't know why that happened to me; it's never happened before."

Maybe he was scared his prospects of progression in the ANBU would be dashed if he didn't show a little more grit, which was why this whole situation was so incredibly frustrating. If he had to be honest with himself, after everything that had happened, he was privately glad Ishi was dead.

 

[Keiji]

He nodded silently as Keiyaku proceeded to report his whole experience leading up to this point. He allowed him to continue denouncing his previous way of acting. "I know you are." He simply stated blankly as a slight smile encroached on his lips. "That's why I allowed you to become an ANBU in the first place.." He took another sip of his chocolate. "I've never been a perfect student myself, life never dealt me the best hand and I had to struggle and build myself up to where I could finally settle down. When I first entered Leaf I thought to myself 'Maybe here' And thankfully life finally sort of, gave me a break." His eyes rested on his cup, his eyes unfazed and stared at the smoke emenating from the warm liquid. The words that came out lastly were quiet, might be diffucult to hear fully, but to him it was sort of a regretful admission of his true feelings about his current job. "And then he had to make me a Sennin" A deep sigh escaped his mouth. A deep breath and then he looked back up to Keiyaku.

"You may have heard this saying before, but I hope from me at least it might hold more true." He pointed to Keiyaku, "What's important when we fall down, be it physically, or mentally is always that we are still ablet to get back up in the end. Every hurdle you've had so far, every loss, every win, every blows you've had, but you still get back up. That's what makes you a powerful adversary and ally. And you've done great so far. That's what's truly important here in our society."

He smiled warmly, and his eyes stared into Keiyaku's eyes proudly, like a father seeing his son win a perfect score in a ball game. "I am proud of you." Breaking the eye contact he straightened his back slightly and pulled out his dreadlocks from the black cloth that covered the back of his hair, letting loose the Kraken-like hair that sat attached to his head. The dreads had gotten a little longer these past few months and he's had to sit and re-do the core of them every few weeks to make sure they wouldn't untangle themselves or be too free-flowing, or start tangling up at the bottom.
They fell to the sides of his head as he began scratching his scalp slightly, his face contorted like a dog receiving the best scritches in the world, then eased off and his face relaxed again. "I've been out all night so far. Hair needed a little breather..." Keiyaku had already seen Keiji's face, he knew little of his life. But he'd never seen Keiji so relaxed. Possibly realising this fact he pointed to the still-partway full cup of chocolate. "Drink, seriously, I know the sugar can be a little intense, but you'll feel better in the end, Chocolate has the ability to ease your muscles and soothe your mind, why do you think we always give a chocolate bar when ANBU goes out on longer missions?"

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

It was strange how Corvus-sensei seemed so familiar, and yet, typical in the way of the secrecy of ANBU life, he realised how little he actually did know him. He didn't even know the guy's name. And to already feel such a kinship with the Sennin, seeing him like a role model, even something as a father figure at times like this.

"Oh, right, you're not from Leaf originally, are you?" Keiyaku asked. He had a vague memory of Corvus-sensei mentioning something about that. Was it Kumo that he came from? He couldn't quite be sure.

And you've done great so far. I am proud of you.

Keiyaku could feel his cheeks burning a little, his chest beginning to swell with emotion, though his faced remained quite impassive as he tried to hide his embarrassment. Even Kiiromaru struggled to heap praise on him like that; on the occasion the old dog did, it usually had to be after some life or death deed. This felt so much more genuine. The ANBU cadet looked down at the drink, heaving a sigh and taking a few more sips. Overwhelming sweetness. But still, as it got the liquid down, he did feel a pleasant kind of warmth spreading to each of his extremities, restoring feeling to his cold, shaky hands.

"Well, I wouldn't say no to anything stronger, mind," he said cracking a fanged smile up at his teacher, more or less back to his old goofy self by now, "yeah, I do feel a lot better now though. Pretty magical, this stuff, actually."

"I really do appreciate how much faith you've got in me, sensei. Moru and I both do," he explained, watching the man before him pulling his dreads out from his cloak and tidying them up. Privately, he wondered how long it must've taken to grow them; there were a few of his clansmen, cousins, who had dreadlocks kind of like that, and they guarded them fiercely. Keiyaku wondered from time to time if he should try to grow his hair out long enough to sport them, but then, he didn't know if it would even suit him. He didn't ask his teacher though, it somehow felt a little too personal.

As they discussed the sorts of things needed for ANBU life, a slightly strained expression crept onto Keiyaku's face, as though he were having his doubts about something. Truth be told, he sometimes felt like a ticking time bomb. Absent-mindedly, he placed his hand over his stomach, where the Senju sealing spell's evidence was hidden beneath his clothes as a circular tattoo. When he was facing Ishi, with the adrenaline, and the anger, he could feel the thing inside him rearing its head, pacing its cage, drooling. This thing was really getting in the way of his duties, and there was always the fear of it getting loose while arresting someone, or alone with someone in an interrogation cell.

"Sensei, do you... think...well," he stammered, really not wanting to say it at the risk of putting the final nail in his career's coffin, "with Ishi, I mean, I could feel him starting to... wake up. I mean... I haven't, you know, transformed since I had this incident with Keni... When there's a full moon, he can make me hurt people, and the agony of feeling my body changing like that..."

It was still clear that the agony of growing a snout and feeling his entire skeleton and muscular structure changing was still very vivid in his mind.

"Do you think... me having this thing, and me... being an ANBU agent can co-exist? What do I do when the next full moon comes around?"

He said a silent prayer. It was clear he had been burning to ask this question for a very long time.

 

[Keiji]

He listened intently, with a calm demeanor. He didn't like answering questions related to his past too much. Within the entire land of Fire, only Nao knew the most. And even he didn't know of the Harvesters, or truth of Hitomi. Yeah she was his contract Yokai, but the fact that she was a Yokai in human form was unknown to most, she never revealed true form. That of the demon hounds from another world entirely separate from their own. Most spiritual and contract beasts originate like this. But her world is one that was invaded by Blood Demons, intelligent beasts that has made attempts at invading the human worlds several times. Once a long time ago, and another time only a mere decade or so ago. It had gone unnoticed and Keiji, thanks to Hitomi had found out about their attempts and managed to prevent it. The blade that binds them a Demon blade he's able to summon at any time is one especially made for hurting Demons. Just the sight of it could cause a lesser Demon to lose all sanity. The smell of it bound to him might be what could put the Demon within Keiyaku to feel unease and go quiet, in hiding potentially.

He sighed to himself in a self-defeated tone as Keiyaku started describing his emotions and then came the question. If he could still remain an ANBU as a Jinchuuriki.

Lifting his arms and leaning onto his elbows rested his chin into the palm of his hand, like he was in deep thought. After a few seconds he leaned back in his chair like he was mulling over the thought process. In truth he was considering how much he should really tell Keiyaku about his experiences with Jinchuuriki. Should he tell him he's killed Jinchuuriki that's gone off the deep end himself? That he's had to put them down like beasts, that he's seen them devour human meat, seen one go insane right next to their own sister and proceed to brutally tear them apart like it was paper, then the next second cry in agony in the realisation of what they've done. Or how he's had a subject cry his heart out to have Keiji kill him just to get rid of the guilt... Or the fact that he's assisted and led experiments in creating Jinchuuriki before.. He wracked his brain for what seemed like an eternity, but in truth was only in the span of a few seconds.

"I've seen Jinchuuriki a few times before.." He paused for another breath thinking it over again. "I've seen them go from perfectly capable Shinobi, skilled and great to snarling, writhing, wild beasts, not worth anything besides unleashing them and hoping they don't turn around seeing their allies as targets..." He leaned forward and lowered his arms intensifying his stare towards Keiyaku. "But I've also seen those that managed to pull past their affliction. I've seen people grow beyond their normal limits, seen how they're able to maintain sane and lucid and still grow claws, spikes, tails and still be able to sit down and have a cup of coffee.." He paused and pulled his arm back and pulled out of his pocket a coin, as he flipped it in the air he continued. "Being possessed can be both a boon and a curse.." Upon the word "curse" he lifted his hand and caught the coin in mid-air, while still with a closed fist "The side of the coin you land on is all about determination, not chance." He opened his palm to reveal the "heads" side of the coin. "This isn't simply a matter of want or need though, it's about finding the right angle" His other hand opened in a palm as well revealing a second coin, but this on the side of "tails"

Closing up both hands and pocketing the coins he sat back again "The method I've seen people go beyond and utilizing their abilities has differed greatly, but the main pointers I've been told were they found the identity of the being inside, then they either utilised them like a weapon, or befriend them and work together for a common goal." He shrugged and reached forth and took another sip of his cocoa. As he swallowed, the corner of his lips grew into a hint of a smile "How you reach that end point is completely up to you." He pointed forth towards Keiyaku with an index finger towards his belly where the mark was "Best advice I can give is meditation, maybe guided meditation, but definitely meditation, the mindscape of yours must be littered with info about him as it's been corrupting every emotion and thought process that it's been able to grasp on, be it recalling memories or going through a tumultous moment like the one just now at the gates."

He sighed again "This is why I kept telling you in the hospital to relax. And focus on yourself, and try not to get distracted by everything else. You need to YOU time, if you get me." He took another sip of cocoa to let Keiyaku process all of that information, which he was sure must be overloading in Keiyaku's mind at this point.. "To answer your question though." his smile grew slightly again. "Yes, you can. But you have to get onto the other side of this hurdle then you can truly start growing.."

He was just hoping this "distraction" could potentially avoid a PTSD moment, like one Keiji himself has had to process with the death of his parents and little brother. A memory he'd rather not delve too deep into if he could avoid it.. Seeing their still burning bodies almost turned to charcoal and seeing the ropes the villagers in their district had used lying on the ground burnt almost to a crisp. The chairs they had been bound to barely holding the weight of the bodies sitting ontop of them. The people he killed that night.. And the cries he screamed into the void as he ran to the only friends he had at the time. Admittedly he might miss some of them, but he'd never admit it. Not nowadays at least.

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

"Jinchuuriki..."

Keiyaku absently echoed the word. Was that the term for it? It seemed fitting; 'power of human sacrifice'. It certainly described how he'd come to be with this monster; he'd sacrificed himself to save his teammates, albeit unwillingly and without being given the choice to weigh up the consequences. He didn't know how to feel about the things Corvus was telling him; on one hand, he seemed to be trying to give him some hope that his career or his life wasn't going to be completely dominated by this thing, on the other, he was trying to manage his expectations, letting him know what could happen if he didn't get a handle on it. The Inuzuka's eyes followed the coin, his hands absent-mindedly holding onto Morutobu in his lap who was still snoozing peacefully. The mental image Corvus was conjuring up was pretty absurd; he tried to imagine himself like that, clad in a shaggy layer of fur, looking like some sort of rejected medical experiment, sipping peacefully from a tiny mug.

"So, I've just gotta... deal with it? Try and learn more about him, and hope he behaves one day?" Keiyaku said, his voice getting a little heated as he watched his teacher reveal both coins, one with heads, the other with tails. Why was the answer to everything always 'find inner peace', or 'the answer is within you'? Corvus was smiling as he was telling him that his career wouldn't be over, that he could still grow as a shinobi once this problem was in-hand. A grotty, murky wellspring of emotion swelled inside Keiyaku's chest. Hatred. Ever since that day in the hospital, when he looked his teacher in the eyes, some sort of container of overflowing, bottled-up contempt seemed to spill over a little. Any semblance of fear the boy was feeling was swallowed by anger. When the man pointed at his belly, at the sealing spell branded on his skin, something seemed to burst.

"Meditation? Are you serious, sensei?!" Keiyaku burst out, waving his hand with indignation. A framed photo of Corvus, bearing the legend 'Best Hugger of the Year' flew off the wall and was violently propelled across the room by some unseen force, causing the glass to smash. At once, the feeling of that hateful, venomous, tar-like substance welling in his chest and throat seemed to recede, as though he'd just been allowed to let out some steam. The boy relaxed but looked suddenly worried. Setting Morutobu to one side, he got up in a hurry to clean up the broken glass. The demon inside Keiyaku seemed to hate many things, but one thing was certain, it definitely did not like the ANBU Sennin; a wolf with its leg caught in a trap, its life in danger, will snarl and roar before it capitulates to helplessness.

"Shit... I'm so sorry," he said, heaving a sigh. He'd been inadvertently making things move like that when he got upset or annoyed for a while now, "I'll uh... pay for a new frame, s-sensei..."

It had probably been for the best that he was afforded a distraction; his teacher seemed to darken a little as he recounted his experiences with other Jinchuuriki - he had a strong feeling a lot more had happened than he let on. There was a lot his teacher held back. Now that the vicious surge of contempt had vanished, it gave way to a more appropriate reaction. Fear. He could feel his hands starting to shake again, but he quickly stilled them, trying to control his breathing. There was so much to try and swallow here, and the fact Corvus had so much hands-on experience in this area, well, he didn't know whether to find that comforting or terrifying.

"I uh... I guess I'm already starting to use it like a weapon. I've been making things move like that a lot... The demon we fought, it could control gravity too," explained Keiyaku, a slightly haunted look coming into his tired, sleepless eyes as he recalled the image of a great stone titan creating a miniature meteor out of rubble.

"Is there anything we can do to..." Keiyaku began, still feeling ridiculous at the words coming out of his mouth, "to prepare for the next full moon? The hatred I felt possess me that night... I don't feel any amount of meditation will fix that. Otherwise, I think my only choice is to lock myself in a big steel bunker and cross my fingers."

 

[Keiji]

He nodded silently in response to Keiyaku's outburst when he reacted so negatively to the concept of meditation.

He didn't react much to the outburst when the framed award flew off the wall, isn't the first time this home had seen some chaos.

He silently examined and judged Keiyaku's reactions as he decribed his recent abilities rearing its head.

As the question arose on something they could do about the full moon. He took hold of Keiyaku's shoulder and tightened his grip lightly. "If the Full Moon is when your possession comes forth, then that's when we should strike hardest.." releasing his hold he sighed deeply, he was admittedly feeling a little frustrated, but he didn't blame Keiyaku for his lack of understanding, perhaps the Academy in Leaf just didn't cover the subject, or Keiyaku skipped those lessons, sleeping in. How he'd get through Academy without knowing at least that is perplexing to him.

"Maybe the Academy didn't cover it, or Leaf's Academy just thinks they can skip that lesson, but let me teach you something fundamental.." He took another sip of cocoa, which had cooled down slightly at this point. "As you know we use hand signs, and different breathing techniques in order to manipulate our chakra to do very specific things, and we're also capable of innately pulling forth Chakra to do things, just like now with a Gravity effect." he nodded towards where the framed award fell. "But those are bound to our emotions, and our innate powers, if you didn't feel frustrated, and lashed out, it wouldn't have happened.. If you were however more in control with your emotions, you can call forth on it, without the need to lash it out, by being in control of our thoughts, and our mental state we can attain even greater heights than when we as Shinobi 'let loose' if you will." He paused for a second to let Keiyaku's mind process what he was saying. And then finally adding. "Some of the strongest Shinobi I have ever known all were in control of their emotions, their mind was still, quiet and calm, and it took them many years to get to that point. But that control meant their potential was near limitless."

Another pause he quietly examined the boy and his reactions."Jutsus that might have required hand seals can sometimes become innate and we can call upon them within the briefest of seconds." He lifted one hand and with the last word, and as he blinked with his eyes, a spark of lightning seemed to crawl from his torso and grow in size as it reached his hand and then finally release a small flash of light from the tip of his fingers. "The key to it is, you guessed it, meditation. Mind you, we're not talking about sitting in a lotus position in some far away temple in complete silence, it helps, sure, but meditation happens everywhere and anytime. Just sitting, breathing, focusing. That's all that's needed. Doing it often, and doing it with the right mentality can be all that's needed."

"In your case though.." He took a final sip and gulped the drink as he stood up and looked down to Keiyaku. "I feel we must go deep to force a confrontation in order to see a proper result. The beast within needs a cage, and it needs training. Are you up for it my Inuzuka apprentice?" He said the final bit with a smirk on his lips. If it wasn't for the fact that he was speaking the truth, he did say it in a slight mocking tone to instigate the child to gauge his reaction.

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

Maybe Keiyaku had slightly misunderstood what Corvus had originally meant; he jumped to the assumption that he was going to have to sit quietly in a silent room and clear his mind when in actual fact, all he meant was that he needed to get a handle on his emotions.

"It's not always as simple as that. It's kind of like... it's not my anger, it's his. It just flares up inside me and I can't control it. I keep getting angry at things that never used to anger me before. Whenever it happens, it's like I can feel him pacing around in his cage."

The Inuzuka felt the Sennin grip his shoulder, and when he did, he felt another wave of contempt flood his brain, his body physically tensing as it hit him like a train.

Sitting. Breathing. Focusing.

He breathed and closed his eyes, trying to keep his mind clear, trying to stamp out the foreign emotions clouding his brain. The feeling of anger didn't go away, but by concentrating, it was as though he could detach himself from it, as if he were watching a storm devastate on ocean from the safety of a nearby island. It took a deadlift to keep his mind separate from it, but it was something at least. He watched as Corvus produced a lightning jutsu, without the need for hand signs, nor focus.

"A confrontation...?"

Keiyaku wasn't a fan of that idea; it was already enough having to watch the thing leer at him, with glowing eyes looming out of the darkness from the ends of blackened hallways in his nightmares, hearing the thing taking long, rattling breaths.

The beast within needs a cage, and it needs training. Are you up for it my Inuzuka apprentice?

As he looked up at Corvus, he immediately wanted to say yes, but the words caught in his throat. Something seemed to be shifting, looking out at the Sennin from behind the boy's eyes.

"I'll do absolutely whatever it takes. If it gets loose again, and if something happened to Moru or... or to Keni, I couldn't..."

Why did he have to go red in the face now? It happened every time his mind wandered in Keniwa's general direction.

"Are you saying that... in my nightmares.. I should try talking to it?"

 

[Keiji]

The second Keiji heard the words [COLOR=rgb(251, 160, 38)"I'll do absolutely whatever it takes."[/COLOR] he began walking out of the room, crunching underfoot the glass of the framed award that he dropped, he walked slow enough for Keiyaku to finish his sentence in ear shot, stopping by the doorway leading further into the house "Come, follow" He ordered. Leading the way to a staircase leading down, the air below was musty, it smelled of books, of liquids, chemicals and blood. A strong sense of blood emenated from the only door below, an older wooden door with door that seemed to trick Keiji himself, needing to click it and adjust it's angle like it was stuck in its frame. He lifted and adjusted his stance for the briefest second, opening the door finally.

Within was a hallway, two doors on each side, one of them were possibly a storage for food like a natural fridge of sorts since it was below the ground level. But the others would have anyone with a strong sense of smell confused. Each door had something intense behind them, like a great beast had laid it's territory within each of them and one with animalistic tendencies would feel threatened like they were entering a strong enemy's territory where they dominated.

He lead the way through one door, within the stained wooden floor had a medical slab in the middle of it, illuminated by a single lamp above it. On the walls on shelves were liquids of different hues, several tables within the room were littered with tools of different uses varying from the mundane to the grotesque. Medieval in their nature, some were stained of old blood, others were rusted and ancient, within the corners of the room were locked cabinites with written notes on them, possibly dates or names. The central slab were of bare metal, looked like something that was imported from the Byoin but hadn't seen as much cleaning as the ones back at the hospital had between uses.

"Lay there." He walked up besides the slab and pointed to it with an objective and straightforward tone. All semblance of warmth and comfort had left his grim look on his face. He pulled up his sleeves as Keiyaku would lay on it. "I can remove it, y'know." He said with a tone that didn't hold back. Like it was just the most obvious statement. "But I have a feeling you want to see this through." He turned to stare at Keiyaku half expecting him to simply nod. "If it all goes haywire within, I won't hold back to excise him from you, however I cannot promise you'll remain.. Well.. You.."

"So I hope you're prepared to face him properly. On your terms this time." This time his warm smile made another appearance, like a father standing ready behind their child's bike holding onto the support rod, ready to release them as they learn to balance the bike themselves. He placed a hand on the belly of Keiyaku where the seal was placed on him. "You have to close your eyes, breath deeply. And keep breathing. Try to focus in your mind on your nightmares, where do they keep going to? Try to imagine that place, try to imagine yourself back there. You should see me appear there as well." As he stated the final words his hand started to pour his chakra at the seal, the seal should start to heat up, like a soft warmth as if Keiyaku was in a bathub of hot water and a stream of slightly warmer water blowing onto his chest.

"Describe what you see."

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

He didn't like that look his teacher got. It set the ominous tone for what happened next. Keiyaku obeyed. Getting up, he decided to let Moru just sleep for now; he didn't want the poor little guy to be involved in what happened now - maybe Nao would come home and keep him company in the meantime. This was not good.

"Sensei...?" Keiyaku asked vaguely as they delved deeper into his house, and all sorts of strange scents caught on the air. He felt the scent of blood hit the back of his throat as they passed by several doors, others would, if he'd had the ears of a dog, make them pin back submissively, some sort of amorphous evil to them. Given his sensei's job, he couldn't say he was surprised to see what amounted to a grizzly laboratory in his own home, he just hoped he wasn't about to become some freakish test subject, an object for the mad Sennin's studies.

"Remove it?" Keiyaku repeated as they came to a room where a cold medical slab was eerily lit by a light hanging overhead. Somehow, he instinctively knew the ramifications of Corvus-sensei pulling a demon, kicking and screaming, out of his body. He knew it would kill him at best, and at worst, leave his brain so damaged he would spend the rest of his life in a padded cell, blowing spit bubbles and wearing a straitjacket, "sensei, there's nothing I'd like more for you to pull it out and get rid of it but.... I also don't wanna die. I don't know how I know it, but I know this thing is gonna be part of me forever..."

"...Aria made sure of that," he muttered bitterly.

Face him.
So it was going to come down to this. No more running in terror. No more denial. He was a Werewolf, and he had to accept that; the only thing he could do was get a handle on it just enough to stay one step ahead of the pestilential parasite that was sharing his soul with him. With an air of wanting to get this whole thing over with, he took off his shirt as he settled himself on the slab, giving Corvus easier access to the seal branded on his belly. As soon as chakra was applied to it, it began to glow, as though it had just been branded there by a metal cattle iron.

"Ah!" Keiyaku flinched, surprised at the sudden sensation, but the initial shock quickly gave way to a pleasant warmness. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on his teacher's voice, letting it permeate his brain, letting the rest of the world slip away into blissful oblivion. Nothing existed, except for this room.

He awoke.

It was night. An eerie, silvery glow permeated the Inuzuka clan complex as moonlight filtered in through the windows, illuminating the floor, and leaving everything else in shadow. It was too dark to even see from one end of the corridor down to the other. There was a strange tension in the air, and every now and then, something seemed to shift in the shadows down the hallway, just out of sight. It was so familiar to Keiyaku, not least of all because it was a twisted replica of his family home, but because he'd visited it every night since becoming infected with this curse. It was why he always looked so terrible these days, why he was terrified to put his head down on a pillow to fall asleep. Even now, in the real world, lying on that slab, his body was beginning to tremble slightly, in anticipation of what he knew was to come.

"It's... my clan house. It's hard to see. Every time I have this nightmare... I can never seem to get away, it always finds me. There's... so many more corridors than in real life... a-and the doors and windows.. he can take them away if he wants to, to keep me here..."

It was one of the reasons Keiyaku suspected the thing was enjoying its new host; the fact it didn't just prevent him from waking him, and render him comatose. As Keiyaku spoke in the dream, so did he speak in real life. The Inuzuka looked up, and sure enough, a ghostly facsimile of his teacher stood beside him. He wasn't 'there' exactly, but he could feel his presence. Warm and comforting, like a parent.

It was quiet. Very quiet.

ᵍʳʳʳʳʳʰʰʰʰʰ ᵍʳʳʳʳʳʰʰʰʰʰ

Something, far away, was taking long, wheezing breaths. Something was groaning, as though in pain.

"Sensei... I think it knows I'm not alone this time... And he.... he really doesn't like you..."

 

[Keiji]

"Naturally. Wouldn't you fear if your greatest threat stood right above you looming like a hawk looking for a mice?" His words were meant in partial jest, but also an attempt at upseting the beast that lurked within. He focused on the seal as the warmth continued to spread out throughout Keiyaku's small body. Heat helped soothe the body and calm the nerves, heat was also a tool to bring forth the beast within, if only to garner a reaction however small.

"Focus on my voice. You are in no danger here. I can yank you out the second it gets too difficult. Remember this." He let the moment sit there for a brief moment, letting Keiyaku calm his nerves. "When you're ready. Go through any of the doors, and tell me what you see within. Take particular notice of anything amiss, anything that doesn't fit."

He knew of course that all Jinchuuriki experiences their possession differently. Their minds as different as their DNA strands that makes them unique. The fact that the mindscape was that of his own corrupted home tells Keiji that the Beast is trying to corrupt his memories, and through it his identity. Traces of this tampering should be visible. Clues to its name. Although it might take a long time, the process the beast is taking is a thorough one, as by the end all signs of who Keiyaku is, and his being would become null and void, all that would remain is the beast and its complete and utter control.

Keiji sighed to himself quietly, thankful that they had decided to take charge on this matter now, and not later down the line.. Keiyaku could have risked losing emotional bonds, friendships or even lose all semblance of sympathy. Slowly crumbling and losing any and all human traits.

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

"You don't understand what this thing's like," said Keiyaku, trying to keep the quiver out of his voice, trying to let his Sensei's presence in his mind reassure him. No matter how many demons Corvus had faced in his life, the fact this one had a razor-thin trigger points, and its claws wrapped tightly around its host's soul, it made the situation feel so much more precarious to the Inuzuka.

"The fact that it's probably scared of you, isn't good. This thing doesn't cower in fear; it's like a cornered coyote. It'll snarl, and bite, and lash out before it lets itself come to harm."

Nonetheless, Corvus was right, and he needed to follow his instructions and proceed through one of the doors. Just like in his nightmares, he could feel the thing's eyes on him, even if he couldn't see it yet. He could still hear the thing's rattling, laboured breath, like a lion salivating as it contemplated a fresh deer carcass. Keiyaku blinked. Suddenly, all the doors lining the corridor, and all the windows, completely vanished, replaced by blank stretches of all. The oppressive darkness made the Inuzuka think he had suddenly gone blind. Two dull yellow orbs, parted down the center by slitted pupils leering at out of the darkness at him, unblinking. Whatever this thing really looked like when it wasn't cloaked in darkness, Keiyaku found he really didn't want to find out. Shutting his eyes tight, he banged on the wall fiercely with his fist, as if trying to break though.

'This is my mind. MY soul. The only one I'll share my soul with is Moru. Grrrhh... I'll decide how this place works!'

A sudden burst of fury broke over Keiyaku, indignant that this thing wasn't trying to worm tendrils into his brain and control it. Finally, the wall morphed back into a door, and he fell inside, shutting it hard behind him as the beast began to charge. He felt the strangest sensation as he looked around the empty room. It was a pang, somewhere in the back of his mind, something akin to hurt. The caged animal inside his brain was whining in a mixture of shock and confusion, like an abused animal that had love lavished on it for once, only to be quickly discard again.

'I'm not that gullible,' Keiyaku told it in his mind, and at once, the feeling of hurt turned to anger. The demon was finding new ways to disgust him on a minute-by-minute basis.

'I'll make you a deal... tell me you're name, and I'll let you out.'

"There's... a bedroom," Keiyaku said, in answer to his teacher's question, trying to pretend as though the confrontation and subsequent conversation with the creature hadn't happened. The room had been empty, but as soon as he concentrated, furniture and household items invented themselves in the low light of the moon, "Kegawa...."

He recognised the place as Kegawa's bedroom; the boy currently sitting in an ANBU prison cell for committing mass murder. As he watched the boy, or at least, some facsimilie of him sitting on the bed, gazing out of the window, he stepped cautiously closer.

"It's... the boy who.... the suspect we have in custody relating to the Inuzuka arson. Is this my brain inventing this, or is this the demon?"