Private Learning the Ropes

[Sazuki Tsuki]

Tsuki looked around the huge place, rubbing his shoulder subconsciously as he felt extremely nervous. He tried to keep himself calm, not wanting to lose control of his consciousness this time; he saw what had happened the last time his dark side had taken over, and he didn't want it to happen ever again. It was a miracle he had been accepted into this little clan, that both the mercenary and Sazuki Nao had taken pity on him enough to aid him in his hiding.

The mercenary made his way out after Nao agreed to take Tsuki in, and despite the short time Tsuki had known the person, he felt sad to see them go. They were a safety he hadn't felt since he was young.

"I...I apologize for being tossed at you," he spoke quietly. His throat felt a bit raw, for reasons he couldn't place. It felt like it had been ages since he last heard his voice; he rarely spoke up in the cult, and most of his memories were fleeting. "I promise I'll learn how to help around here, and I won't get in your way."

Tsuki was practically shaking, terrified of angering Nao in any way. He didn't know what kind of person Nao was; they had only just met, after all. Anyone could paint on a smile for the public; it was when no one was around that the true person would appear. That was the right time to be afraid.

He just needed to keep quiet, be respectful, and do his job. That would keep him safe, right?

Tsuki speech
WC: 265

[MFT]
[Private thread with Sazuki Nao]

 

[Sazuki Nao]

The day was starting with him having a regular day off from his work as a Sennin. But that wasn't just all, the morning he started to cook fresh-made soup, but by the knocking on his door. It was the Kami, displaying with dark hairs and dark wings, to open the door and call Nao. Nao invited them in after stopping prepping the soup so the scent would be around in the room. As he offered them something to drink, they would sit together by the couch and listen to them. "Aha..." he would then talk things through with the merc. And in the end, he would agree on the fact that they would be taking him in.
As he would be looking towards the child, he would smile softly.

His eyes went towards the kid and he noticed the other was shaking. "Please do not worry, I made this clan, Sakurako, to be a safe place for those who are in need of such. " Nao eyes the Kami who would nod and start working further on the soup. The sennin would walk along offering the other a hand if he wished to have the need for it. "Welcome to your new home... We will start with a little tour, by beginning the dressing room. Feel free to try something on which is a bit warmer." Inside the dressing room would be multiple closets with even sizes on them labeled on each shelf inside the closet. "Later today, we can check the Oak streets for clothing if there isn't anything that suits you here..." He would wait for the kid to dress or even get out of the room to give them privacy. Getting hauled over on the first day could be quite scary, especially since he didn't know the full background. He knew this child wasn't shivering out of cold, but he pretended to play that way.

After that they would move throughout the house, giving them a tour with eventually Tsuki's own room inside the main clan house. "This is one of the three bedrooms here... Sorry if it isn't much. But feel free to make this more your own. But please do not damage the furniture..." Inside the room would be a larger size single bed, a desk with pencils and papers near them, a bookshelf, and a closet. There was still room left inside but this would have to do for now. "Feel free to settle in... I will be in the living room if you need me, the shared bathroom with these 3 rooms are at the end of the hall. Lunch will be in 30 minutes.. Please be there in the kitchen to eat something, if you have any questions, you can ask them then." With that being said, he would give the kid a bit of room.

 

[Sazuki Tsuki]

Tsuki looked up as a hand was offered to him, thinking over the way Nao explained this being a safe place. Could it really be such a place for him if the true danger lied within? Obviously danger existed outside of himself too, but he could never truly be safe at this point. Tsuki took the hand offered to him, surprised by the kind warmth he felt from the gentle gesture. He hadn't really had someone care like this before, and he wasn't sure how to feel.

Tsuki walked alongside Nao in silence, taking a moment when he was offered to change. He slipped into a cream sweater just a little too big for him, loving how soft the fabric was on his skin. A small smile formed on his lips as he rejoined Nao in the hall, taking his hand again and continuing the tour. He enjoyed the sights of the house, growing used to the size of it. It actually wasn't much larger than the cult building now that he had a proper sense of it.

When they ended at a bedroom, Tsuki stepped inside slowly. He saw the large bed, the desk, all of it seemingly fit for royalty in his eyes. The only rooms he saw like this in the past were for the elders. Nao said that he could make it more his own, which shocked Tsuki. He turned to look up at Nao, eyes wide in wonder, but it seemed that Nao had left to give him some time to settle in as he had said.

Tsuki stepped into the room, closing the door and letting out a soft sigh. He walked over to the bed and sat down on the mattress, amazed at how soft it was. He laid back on it, careful not to get his bare feet on it since they weren't clean from wandering around in nature the past few days. With a small hum, he sat up again and decided to head to the bathroom to clean up a little before lunch.

Tsuki washed his feet in the tub and dried off quickly, making sure his hands and face were also clean before venturing down the hall towards the kitchen. He hugged his arms close to his body out of warmth, the small smile still present on his face from how comfortable he suddenly felt here. Taking in the smell of the soup once again, he let out a pleased hum before taking one of the empty seats at the table. "It's a very lovely place, sir," he spoke kindly, tucking a bit of his hair behind his ear. "I do want to be helpful though. I can't cook very well, but I would love to learn...I can clean if I need to, and I can learn other chores too."

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Nao kept working on the soup as he would have been in his room. "I know Sai..." He said softly as he would be pouring the soup in bowls. "Could you please get them to the table?" Sai would nod and bring both soup bowls to the table and Nao would be finishing of the bread. "I cannot keep full bowls in my hand at the current moment... But I at least have you for that." Nao gave an awkward chuckle on that, Sai simply sighed. "You sure that what you have isn't cure-able?" "Given the fact I have yet to find anything about it... I do not even know what it is... Not sure." He would sigh and walk to the table as he saw the kid.

"Hmm..? Thank you, trying to make it as homey as possible..." He would comment in truth and move towards the table. "Soup is here... It's freshly made leak chicken soup... Shouldn't be too affecting if you have any allergic. It's a leak, chicken and thick broth... Union... I think that is it..." he would think and look to sai who just nodded. "Just... Let's settle in for the first few days, after that we will do chores together. How does that sound?" It wouldn't be fair that he would have to do chores on day one... He would wait till a day or two were passed before he would give him simple chores... Clean the table once a week, clean his room once a week at least, help out with cooking if he felt like it. All in all, nao was feeling a bit guilty he couldn't be around the day in and day out with his job as a sennin.

"I would love to teach you, but first... let's eat and just chatter around. I bet you have a lot of questions." He would sit down and start to eat looking to the kid from time to time.

 

[Sazuki Tsuki]

Tsuki looked down at the bowl placed in front of him, giving a quiet thanks to Nao's aid. He took a small taste of it, a pleased smile lighting up his face as he savored the flavor. His eyes drifted back to the summon that didn't exactly seem like something he had seen before. "Who is this?" he questioned, feeling a little rude in the way he worded it but hoping it wouldn't come across that way. He was genuinely curious.

He thought quietly for a moment on what other questions he might have aside from helping out around the house, eventually deciding he should ask a little about the ways of the village he now lived in. "I don't know anything about Leaf...I would love to learn more in the library sometime if you show me where it is, but what is it like here? I only know the cult life."

He took another sip of his soup, loving the warmth it filled him with. Everything here was so warm, and he couldn't help but appreciate everything Nao was doing for him. It was making him a little emotional, a few tears settling in his eyes that he tried not to shed. Part of him felt a sudden bond to Nao in the little time he had known the man, and it really did scare him a little.

"I don't really have a lot of questions but...there is one more. This...darker half of me...is there a way to cure it? I don't want to hurt anyone, but I can't control what it does. I don't remember anything that happens when it is in control."

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Who is he… those were the words that did trigger Nao that he forgot to introduce his contract. “Ahh- sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner… Sai..?” Sai already gained the idea and snickered for a moment. “I am Excursai, Nao’s Kami Contract, nice to meet you. Along with me, you might see a female, cross-eyed and angel-like wings… Do not trust her, that is Nao’s Yokai contract, he only has one of us out each time…” “Sai… Jibril isn’t that bad…” He would sigh and the Kami simply crossed his arms and looked away.

"A cult..." He repeated soft and ould nod. "Sure, we have a library inside the house, but also one in the academy grounds. The one in the academy is obviously bigger than what I have around here."

Nao would listen to the child's words. ' what does he mean.. another half..?' Nao eyed his contract and in that split moment they were having this telepathic connection and thoughts. One that Tsuki wouldn't be able to hear. 'What do you think Sai? Twins?' 'Could be anything.. but those who referred to another half, sometimes come with a split personality.' 'That would explain why he wouldn't be able to remember when he does that... let's be careful for now.' They would nod softly and Nao placed down the spoon.

"We can always work on that, but then I would need to know what we are dealing with exactly. May I ask who this dark half of yours is..?" He also thought it could be a twin, but that wouldn't explain the memory loss after.

 

[Sazuki Tsuki]

Tsuki smiled weakly, shrugging a little. "Thing is, I barely know what it is. I only know it exists...that it killed an elder of the cult and I had to run. So I ended up with the mercenary...and then here with you." He took another sip of the soup, looking over at Sai. "It's like...in my body? My mind? I don't really know how to explain it."

Tsuki took a moment to think about his past, all the times he lost time and what happened just before. "I think...it comes out when I'm injured? Well no, because I hit my knee this morning at the mercenary's house and nothing happened...it must be blood then?"

Tsuki lifted his wrist, looking at the needle fixed into the fabric there where he always kept it. It was habit now, after all the years he spent pricking his own finger to avoid having too many rough scars. "I pricked my finger when the elders would start my training, and I always blacked out." He realized he should probably explain why he pricked his finger at that point. "I'm a Chigokai...they wanted to train me to be a guard dog or something, if I remember some of the things I heard them say as they would take me to the training grounds."

 

[Sazuki Nao]

"You... barely know it exists..?" He questioned the other and would tilt his head if only just a bit. "I am not sure at first glance what it is... But it does sound like a split personality..." He would mutter and hold his own chin between a few fingers. He thought for a moment as he would look towards Tsuki.

"well... No matter what happens, I will take care of you. You and the other you that is. But... I think something happened at those training grounds... as to why you got the other part.. wasn't it..?" He asked softly as he tried to not trigger it right of the bat... but he was worried he would by just asking. At this point, it was just getting to know the other.

 

[Sazuki Tsuki]

Tsuki hummed, lowering his wrist as he listened to Nao speak. "I don't know what happened on the training grounds...I wasn't present for it." He sighed, sipping a little more on the soup despite his slowly disappearing appetite; he wasn't used to having a lot to eat, but he didn't want to be rude by pushing the bowl away.

"I can only assume it's the blood that triggers it." He felt touched that Nao would protect him and the darker side, but Tsuki wasn't even worried about himself being protected. "I fear for you and Sai more than myself," he admitted. "I don't want either of you to get hurt because of it, especially since I have no idea if I can even control it."

Tsuki let the idea of a split personality sink in, not exactly knowing what it was just yet. He would have to do some reading on it. "Is there anyone you knjow that has had a split personality? Or if there are some books on it, maybe I could learn a bit more about it."

 

[Sazuki Nao]

"I see..." He said softly as he was thinking things over, his gaze would go over to the kid, trying to find multiple ways in order to help him. "If you don't like it, or have enough. Please stop then..." He never knew how big someone's stomach was, so he never minded if they were full to stop eating. If they didn't like it, he preferred them to say, so he would next time take mind with it.

"Blood..? I know people can faint from it... but I never would imagine it as a trigger..." He would think of a few things, but he then would think it was more saver for him, to not trigger to see if it were true. Time would tell another side. "Please don't worry," Sai said quickly as he said of fear. "We are both capable fighters, despite how we look. Nao is actually a Sennin in this village. A medical one on top of that." Nao could almost smack the Kami, he was being too into this... but it was true. "What Excursai said, is true..." Sai knew he done goofed as his full name wasn't... used that much. And he would hide behind glass. "I am a Medical Sennin, so please do not worry. We will be able to protect you, others, and ourselves." And... that kinda stung in the back of his head. He never forgot the fact he let an academy student lose an arm... but he would make sure that wouldn't happen again on his watch. "Whenever I am into battle, my main strategy is fighting defensive and supportive. But I am also good as an offensive user..." 'When I do think clear about my actions... Unlike the battle with the rabbit and smacking my own barrier...' That memory wanted him to sigh, but he refrained from doing so.

"Not sure we have a lot of books specifically about them.. I will get some in the afternoon while we get some clothing. I do have a few medical books about... that subject. One of them is in a book called personality and the likes... IT's a very basic one.. If you want to I could grab it now for you?"

 

[Sazuki Tsuki]

Tsuki smiled a little, relieved by Sai's words. It was good to know that these two would be able to hold their own against his other side. He still wanted to be able to control it though, and he figured the best way to learn how was to learn more about what it was that caused this other half to appear. "I do want to learn as much as I can about it. I'll read the one you have a little later tonight, after we get a few more while we're out."

With that in mind, he looked back to his soup then up to both of them again. "This is very delicious, I'm just not used to having a lot to eat. I do love you're cooking though, and I hope to be able to eat more eventually." He figured it would take time to get accustomed to this new...more caring atmosphere. Hopefully his appetite would grow a bit more throughout his stay with Nao.

"I think I'm going to go back to my room for a little bit, but if you would like some help with the dishes once you finish up, I'll help," he offered.

 

[Sazuki Nao]

"That sounds like a plan to me..." He would smile as he heard about Tsuki going to read that book, he would make a mental note to grab the book for him so he didn't need to search the whole place for it. He would eat his own soup till there was nothing left and heard Tsuki about his food. "Ah- I see... Sorry that I didn't took that into consideration." He would chuckle a little awkward, after all, he was one of the firsts he really had to look after. So there would probably still some stumbling along the way.

He heard how Tsuki didn't stop about helping out a little, his shoulders raised just a little and he smiled gently. "Alright, let's do that then... You help me out." He would smile and after he was done, he would walk to the kitchen, explain what was where. Including where to get clean drying towels and hand towels.

 

[Sazuki Tsuki]

Tsuki grinned as Nao moved to the kitchen, and he jumped at the opportunity to prove himself useful somehow. He knew how to wash dishes at least, which was a start. All he had to do was learn the organization of Nao's kitchen. With a little bit of guidance, Tsuki was drying the dishes and putting them away after they were washed.

He accidentally dropped a bowl while he was reaching for an upper shelf, the dish falling to the floor and shattering into pieces. Tsuki rushed to pick it up, apologizing profusely while he gathered the shards into his hand. A small squeeze to his palm caused him to cry out in pain, and he looked down as blood began to spill from his skin.

It was almost as if a switch flipped. The boy's face split into a dark grin, and he ran his thumb over the cut, smearing the blood across his skin.

"Ah, it's good to be back," he spoke, his voice much more confident and smooth. It took him a moment to realize there were other people in the room, and he stood up, looking them up and down with a small chuckle. "And just where did he take me this time?"

Keiko could hear the blood pulsing through their veins, a sound that made him thirst for a taste, to feel the warmth of it on his skin. He tried to summon a weapon with the blood flowing from his hand, but it seemed like he didn't have enough strength to make anything sustainable. In fact, it seemed like the only strength he had was enough to hear the liquid he desired so strongly. His playful smile fell away rather quickly; he needed to get stronger so he could stay out longer.

It seemed like these two would just have to be his prey.

[Triggered by blood, Keiko has come to be in control]

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Nao allowed the small child to help him with the dishes and was happy to see that he was able to pick up the things he told very quickly. However, once he saw something fall downwards. Not even he was quick enough with a reaction to catch it. It shattered on the floor and he heard about him apologizing for it. "Please do not worry about that... Just please be careful with picking up the shards. Just... Keep standing still, I will get a broom to sweep it together..." He would say, but the child already started to collect them. He heard the cry of pain and held one eye closed. "I told y-" He stopped in his words as he looked towards him and tilted his head a little, just like his Kami was doing.

'I guess we got to meet him...'
'That we did...'
'This just confirms for me, that we are dealing with a split personality... The trigger is indeed blood... But now we need to get to the root of it if we wish to help this kid..'
'Uhu.. That is going to be a tricky one.'

Nao was finally being noticed by the other side of this child, and he would cross his arms a little. "First off... You stay there, I do not care if you like blood... But patching up is going to be way more of a handful than dealing with you... especially if you die from bloodloss.." He would be blunt in the hope that the kid did remain standing there as he took the broom and would sweep around him to clear a path from the shards.

"Alright... now you can move around... To answer your question, just where did he take me... You are in your new home... You are in my clan Sakurako..." He would nod a few times and look towards him. "Now I know you only as Tsuki... But who might you be?" He wouldn't instantly grab his hand to tend to it... But Sai already got the first aid kit at the counter so they could tend to it in a little.

 

[Sazuki Tsuki]

Keiko was just starting to think of how he would approach taking out these two when one of them spoke up, speaking of patching him up. Really? Patch me up? He watched as this person decided to clean up the glass that had caused his initial injury. He was honestly a bit surprised. This was the first time someone wanted to take care of him rather than use him for his abilities.

Upon mention of the name the other person in this body went by, Keiko flared up a bit in anger. "I do not share a name with that coward." He crossed his arms, not caring about the blood that began to stain the shirt he was wearing. It could use a little red, in his opinion. "I am Keiko."

He paused for a moment to let the name sink in before speaking again. "You can save the kindness act for someone else. If you want to use me for my bloodline, just say the word. Otherwise, I don't take well to the emotional manipulation bullcrap like the little shit I share a body with. You can fool him all you want, but not me."

Everything seemed far too good to possibly be true. They escaped the cult, sure, but that didn't mean the very next person they found would be a safe place to relax. Even the best situations came with strings attached. Keiko preferred to know his situation fully than to get his hopes up; that had backfired on him many times in the cult.

WC: 258
[MFT]

 

[Sazuki Nao]

Nao had cleaned up all the glass that had been surrounding the kid and listened towards it. " Nice to meet you Keiko. My name is Sazuki Nao, this is my Kami contract Excursai..." his eyes darted to the shirt that had been stained with the blood and as he reached out his own hand to him, he listened further.

"I am sorry to break your bubble kid... But I ain't evil like you might think... Now you are talking about a bloodline, which might that be? I might be able to help you train into it for your own gain rather then someone's elses. For example, I am a Benevolent... We tend to take care for others first rather then ourselfs... Or... exactly quoted out of the books; A benevolent one lives not for themselves, but their precious friends. They think little of their own well being, and tend to take a more supportive role in battle. When pushed too far, however, they can use their normally restorative techniques in offensive ways." He would hold out his hand once more and pointed to the med kid. "If you let me tend to that hand... you can redress if you wish to. But... I am curious, what did you mean with use me for your bloodline?"

He would wait, but something else popped up in his mind. " And before you think about doing something, please don't.. I rather not use my medical skills offensive because of a kid going bazooka..." He would sigh and point to Sai, who knew that is Keiko would attempt anything, he would just pick him up.

 

[Sazuki Tsuki]

Keiko took in the names of the two that were trying to sell him this...caring act. He would remember them if he found it necessary. It did seem that they really didn't want him for his bloodline, which was surprising. "Did he really tell you nothing about who we are?" he huffed, looking away. "Then again, I shouldn't be surprised. Little shit likes to hide from conflict. S'Why I'm here."

Keiko straightened his shoulders when this Nao offered to tend to his cut again. As much as Keiko loved the way the red liquid felt against his skin, he felt that taking these two on would hurt him more than it helped him. Without someone else to drain, he would bleed out from this. He extended his hand abruptly, turning his face away. "Do whatever you gotta do."

He still didn't trust these two, but he supposed that with how clueless they were, they probably didn't mean any harm. At least, not yet.

"Grew up in a Jashin cult. When he couldn't handle the shit they put him through, I was shoved out. I took the brunt of it, learned what Jashin had in store for me, and trained to bend blood at my will. Had to kill a damn elder because he thought his personal vendetta was more important than the god we worship. Crazy bastard really thought that he could punish me because I refused to do his bidding." He laughed, shaking his head. "I had made a deal with the head of the cult to let them use me as their weapon so long as I was doing as Jashin commanded of me."

He shrugged. "Kinda sucks that little Tsuki was too chicken to take it. He could have been stronger, but he'd rather hide away from the world." It was humorous that he shared a body with someone like that. There was so much fun in watching his enemies bleed. It made Keiko laugh a little.

 

[Sazuki Nao]

"No... I am afraid not, we only met a few hours..." he would cross his arms at this point, but was glad that the other was allowing him to tend to the cut that he had gotten.

He took the hand soft and first started to clean out the wound, making sure even that there were no glass splinters "Thank you..." He would say, he was honest in that thanks as he hated seeing people hurt. "If you wish to keep talking.. please do so." He would continue on with the hand. Cleaning the wound was one thing, judging how the cut was... He was sure this would fix itself, all he did do, was place a few adhesive non-stitching bandaids first. After that, he placed a cotton layer on top and finished it off with a clean bandage.

"I see... so you are a Chigokai... That would explain a thing or two..." He would clean his hands and as he dried his hands, walk back to the place he just stood, leaning against the kitchen he would look towards him. "So what you are telling me... And this is just too long to read the story.. He is good and you are evil, to place it in a black and white perspective..." He would sigh a little, scratching the back of his neck. ' Now I never, ever, studied psychology... how am I going to handle this case...' He hated to see that they both were like this, even if it were the same body.

"So you are aware of him, yet he isn't aware of you...." He muttered out loud and Sai would nod a few times, he would have his guard up where Nao lowered his in an attempt to give the other a more relaxed feeling. "Something traumatic must have happened for him, to create you... Because the only reason you would come out... if there were pieces of training from the cult, but now that the cult is no more... how will you remain?" He questioned the other, assuming he knew he was the second character in Tsuki's story basically and attempt to assure them, that the cult was no more.

 

[Sazuki Tsuki]

Keiko shrugged his shoulders lightly. "I don't know, nor do I care, if he knows me. My existence to him is merely protection, even if I would rather leave him behind and continue my own path." With a sigh, he looked to the cut in his hand after it was bandaged. It didn't hurt much, given that his pain tolerance was pretty high after all the training he went through.

"I don't talk to him or anything. I only know 'bout him because of the elders. They praised my existence. I was an asset."

Upon the mention of his existence being evil, he hummed. "If you like black and white, sure. Tsuki is the innocent little baby and I'm the criminal mastermind." Keiko looked over to Nao, his eyes narrowing a bit. "I don't see things in black and white, though. It's too simple for this world." He closed his fist over the bandages, crossing his arms. "I serve a different kind of good than you. You want to heal people. I want to kill them. Either way, we both get something out of it. You get the euphoria of being a saviour, and I get the thrill of the kill while serving a higher power."

He smiled a bit as Nao mentioned the cult no longer existing. "You really think the cult disbanded after the death of a single corrupt elder?" Keiko shook his head. "No, they're still around. Probably looking for me too. They had some plan, but I didn't get to know about it 'til I grew strong enough." He bit the inside of his cheek, looking away angrily. "That is until the little mouse I share a body with thought he would get in trouble and ran away. Tsuki really needs to learn who's side we're on."

 

[Sazuki Nao]

"Then... if they are looking for you... then I will try my best to shield you from them... You have to see Keiko, that you aren't part of them anymore, but you are you... and you share the body with Tsuki, one way or the other. Why note makes yourself aware of each other by leaving notes... That is, if you know how to write..." He already saw, that his usual way of treating people, not just children, wouldn't cut it with Keiko.

"Maybe... Tsuki doesn't think as narrow-minded as you do Keiko..." He would just say and wait for the other to think or even react on that one. To tell the truth, he was a bit on a loss. He was no mind expert, he was a body expert. This was something that even he had little knowledge about, let alone treat someone who was mentally... odd..