Going Missing It was never the same..

[Sotashi Kani]

Kani stood at the gate, her heart filled with worry. Her father was out there, her friend was out there, and now.. She too was going to be out there. She adjusted her bag, the single arm making it a little difficult to do so, but she managed. It was time for her to say goodbye and find out what her life was meant to be. She took off toward the gate trying with all her might to escape this place.

[going missing]
[runtime 1 hour]

 

[Midori Futotta]

But she didn't make it that far... The moment she had went for the gates the massive vampire would quickly grab the young mortal by the throat and fling her backwards. "Now we've been getting a lot of runners lately. No passport, no request to exit I doubt that you are trying to get out of here legal." the vampire said, lumbering over to the young mortal allowing them to recover. After all the mortal posed no real threat, yet and still she was more than willing to show the creature just how weak it was. "Best turn back now because you have no chance of getting out of here... At least with your still beating heart and I'm starving."

 

[Sotashi Kani]

In a moment of panic, Kani through sand into the face of the woman who stood before her. There was zero reason it should have worked, but it created enough of a distraction she was able to sprint through the gate and make it out of sight before long. The threat sat in her mind as she made her way through the low brush in a scramble, but she did make her way nonetheless.

[Topic Left]
[Village Left]
[Left because no [caught] ]

 

[Orochi Sakura]

The village appeared significantly busier during my absence. A girl, determined to escape, nearly succeeded in her endeavor. Her preparations were meticulous, navigating the blind spots of the watch towers with precision. However, she failed to account for my presence, the embodiment of every dark shadow, the lingering sense of dread.

Clad in all black, my face concealed by dark bangs, I allowed her to make some progress before intervening. A sharp knife pressed against her throat marked the limit of her journey. With a sense of calculated menace, I made my intentions clear.

"Not on my watch, girl," I asserted, emphasizing the futility of her escape, a testament to the convergence of her meticulous planning and my lurking, shadowy vigilance.

[Sentinel 1+45]
[Caught]

 

[Sotashi Kani]

Kani just starts crying unable to really do much else, the effort was futile from the start. A one armed thirteen year old was not exactly the type to manage an impressive escape. "I'm.. I'm sorry" she sobbed out. She put her arms up surrendering to those watching and guarding the gate. One guard sure, but two was simply too much for her.

[Not even mad]

 

[Orochi Sakura]

In the aftermath of this unexpected spectacle, I grappled with a mixture of disdain and disappointment. The one armed girl, a pawn in this twisted game, had surrendered with a theatrical flair. Her arms… arm, sprung to the air like a morbid offering to the gods of defeat. And then, as if on cue, the sobbing commenced. Her cries, echoed through the desolate landscape like a haunting requiem for Kumogakure's faded glory.

Kumogakure was once a bastion of strength and martial prowess. But now, it seemed like a dilapidated relic of its former self. The very essence of this once great shinobi village had been eroded. It had been replaced by a culture that nurtured fragility and weakness. The shinobi academy… instead of forging warriors of indomitable spirit, had transformed into cradles for the feeble. They sheltered their students from the harsh realities of the ninja world.

My voice cut through the sobbing like a blade through flesh, hissing commands that carried the weight of my disdain, "Put your arm down," I demanded, my words laced with a venomous intensity. My eyes were like shards of ice reflecting the darkness of long nights of Kirigakure. This confrontation was a clash of ideologies, a damning indictment of the village's decay.

A bitter taste lingered in the air as I confronted the one armed surrenderer. "Would you rather weep and plead for mercy than stand and fight for your beliefs?" I questioned, my tone dripping with sarcasm. "Where is your grit, your resolve? If you crumble so easily, (points finger towards the gate’s exit) what good are you out there in the merciless world? And what good are you to Kumogakure, once a proud shinobi powerhouse, if this feeble display is all you have to offer?"

As my words hung in the air, I couldn't help but feel an eerie sense of mourning for a village that lost its way. The unraveling of this scene was not just about one individual's lack of resilience, it was a symptom of a deeper malaise infecting Kumogakure's very core. The foundations of strength and honor had crumbled and was replaced by a culture of submission and fragility. It disgusted me to no end and the echoes of my disdain reverberated through the desolate landscape. It was a grim requiem for a village that had forsaken its former greatness.

[mft]

 

[Sotashi Kani]

Kani's sobs faltered as she attempted to muster any and all strength to respond to the woman who caught her. She was shaking as she lowered her arm, not in fear but in absolute emotional exhaustion. She had been through so much in such a short amount of time her entire code and way of understanding were shaken down to their very core. But now she was faced with an impossible question for her to answer, her own self worth.

"I.. I am not.. I am not good, it's why I was leaving. I failed this village over and over, failed my friends, my family, my name. I'm not.." she sniffled attempting to breath, "I wanted to go and leave to not besmirch the village any longer, I'm not worthy of a headband or to be called a Shinobi.. I know that.."


Her words were cold, so matter of fact for an opinion. Because in reality Kani believed everything she was spewing in this tear filled rant. She was leaving to not fall any further than she had, to make herself be forgotten by those she called dear, but most of all to forget the series of mistakes she had made up to this point. The horrible choices that lead her to the hospital, to her friend leaving without even a word, to betraying Hisako's trust, all of it was the weight on her shoulders to bare and she was cracking under its pressure.

 

[Orochi Sakura]

Never have I graced the dullness of a party, and yet here I stood, a welling participant to this girl’s pity party. But, what better excuse for indulging in cake and ice cream? Our little soirée blended self loathing with the glint of knives, a lethal combination. The pit of despair echoed with melancholy as I turned the hilt of my blade towards her, balancing the steel by its edge. A soulless glare penetrates her eyes, "In that case," I murmured in a deadpan tone, "Did you know that in certain older civilized cultures, when individuals failed as entirely as you have, they'd throw themselves on their blade to reclaim honor?"

My invitation to introspection continued with an icy gaze. "If you truly believe you're worthless to this village, a failure in every facet of your existence," With a gesture, I presented the blade as an opportunity to reclaim honor. "Perhaps, in this moment, you've discovered something. Feel the weight of your life in your hands. Mend the disgrace you've brought upon yourself, your family, your village, and your country. Answer with a blade, not this obsessive whining."

My eyes intensified, deadpan expression taking on an eerie depth. I had played truth or dare with my own life, but this was a macabre backseat to another's potential demise. Whether at the edge of a blade or through her own realization, one way or another, this girl would find her value.

As the shadows of the room deepened, I continued, "Your predicament mirrors the twisted dance of existence. Life, like our gathering, can be a macabre affair. Yet, in the face of despair, we grasp onto any semblance of meaning, even if it's found in the cold steel of a blade."

I maintained my unsettling gaze, probing her soul with an uncanny ability to evoke discomfort. "You see, value is subjective. The very act of contemplating this blade, of deciding its purpose, unveils a peculiar form of power. It's a confrontation with your demons, a rebellion against the imposed narratives of failure."

A subtle smirk adorned my lips, mirroring dark amusement. "So, what will it be? Will you succumb to the shadows, or will you carve your own path? The choice is yours. A silent rebellion against the pity party or a plunge into the abyss. Just quit quivering and choose!"

[mft]

 

[Sotashi Kani]

Kani's eyes went wide as the blade was offered to her, she looked between it and this dark figure a few times while they spoke. Her pupils eventually pinned on the blade, they danced as the panicked thoughts flooded her mind. She reached up slowly with a shaking hand and took the blade out of Sakura's hand, holding it in front of herself with a conflicting energy about her. She was being presented a choice one that was heavy enough on her mind for her to pause and only think of it. On one hand she was being offered a quick and easy option, one that was most likely a second hand result of her fleeing but now was in her own hands. On the other she was offered the chance to prove to herself, to everyone, she was not useless or broken, that she held worth to herself, and that she could for her village.

She chose the option of strength in the end, though the debate lasted far longer than one thought it might. She squeezed the blade in her hand and stared at it as blood trickled down from the cut. "I am not.. I am not going to let it break me, I will prove my worth.." It was lulled, quiet and softly spoken at first, but then she looked up and held the blade out. "I am and will be a Shinobi, I have purpose, and I will prove myself!" A declaration as matter of fact as her previous, but this time a fire burned behind it. This was he accepting herself, her fuck ups, her past, and being willing to push forward to prove that she was able. This was her declaration of hope.

 

[Orochi Sakura]

In an unexpected twist, a revelation unfolded. The girl, rising from her own abyss, now driven by newfound purpose. My preference leaned towards an Edgar Allan Poe-esque conclusion, yet life took its peculiar turns. My piercing gaze softened but remained fixed, "The blade is now yours, a symbol of your proclamation. Let it be a constant reminder, Life and death, Choices we wield."

The atmosphere seemed to linger with an air of profound transformation. It wasn't a metamorphosis that adhered to societal norms but rather it was a divergence into the unconventional and the unexpected. The girl, once cloaked in the shadows of despair, had emerged with an audacious declaration, leaving observers like myself grappling with the unexpected shift.

As she stood there, inheriting the blade that had witnessed the gravity of choices, my contemplation journeyed into the intricate tapestry of her evolution. It was disconcerting in a way to witness someone transcending their own darkness and stepping into a newfound purpose. Life often teetered on the edge of unpredictability, and this girl's journey mirrored that delicate dance.

In that moment, the intensity of my glare waned, revealing a curiosity beneath the stoic facade. It was as though I, too, was navigating the uncharted waters of understanding this girl’s transformation. The girl, now entrusted with the totem of choice between life and death, carried a weighty symbol of her profound declaration.

With a measured nod, I directed her towards the inner village, acknowledging the significance of the path she had chosen. "Go forth," I urged, the words carrying a blend of encouragement and caution. "As you embark on this unconventional journey, make a detour to the local flower shop. There, procure a bonsai tree. It’s a symbol of resilience and growth in constrained conditions. Carry it with you, not merely as a physical memento but as a metaphorical offering to replace the air that you've wasted today."

Hopefully for her, the local flower shop, which is nestled at the heart of the village, becomes a waypoint in her transformative pilgrimage. A bonsai, carefully chosen, would serve as a silent companion, a living testament to the choices made and the air of redemption breathed into a life once veiled in shadows.

[mft]
[Topic Left unless stopped]

 

[Sotashi Kani]

Kani took every word to heart, this was not what was expected but.. a welcomed change. She'd now have a job, a small thing to keep her in line with what she had for a goal. She'd thank the woman and do as instructed.
[Topic left]
[Thanks for catching her]