Continued after Beyond Our League | Mission.[u said:
"I think the little fucker's deaf or something Reishi-" The voice was annoying and carried a seriously nasal tone. It came from behind Makeinu as he stumbled across the desert apparently ignoring every word. The child's body would sway from left to right, a clear sign that he barely had enough energy to keep on walking. The setting sun left an orange sky that blazed against the dark shroud that covered his small frame. There was a hole in his shoulder, barely covered by the blood-stained ebony material, and nobody really knew how much blood he'd lost. "I'm talking to you kid, stop right there so we can run your pockets and be on our way. Don't make us get rough now." The voice from behind called, and the boy would only look over his shoulder with a single crimson eye before continuing his fumbling gait without any true expression on his face. He was too exhausted for his facial muscles to even do that much, and the amount of failure that weighed on his soul would break a lesser willed individual. Instead of being broken by his loss, he was driven by it. To understand his errors and to never repeat the same mistakes.The assholes following him were irritating, a trio of what appeared to be bandits or something. The two men and their single female companion had begun trailing him about five minutes ago, apparently sneaking out from behind some large rocks and long awaiting some easy prey. Their leader, the one with the nasal voice, had a body that matched. He was tall and lanky, with a long nose that hooked forward like he was some sort of witch's son. Goggles sat atop his blonde hair, and his blue eyes were a vivid electric blue. The woman on his left was a rather attractive blonde, who wore some of the most revealing garbs she could find. There was no doubt in Makeinu's mind that she used her physical appearance as distraction for the other two. The third and final man was short and stout, with a round pot belly and carrying what Makeinu would assume to be their loot. Their leader was obviously not too bright, or he'd have tried to pick off the boy sooner instead of teasing and taunting him out of boredom.
For the most part, they went unheard. He was too busy thinking back to that storage room, about the things he'd said and how it all ended up. Karasuba had absolutely no faith in him and his antics, and was better off for it, unlike Riyota who ended up wounded and elsewhere. Nothing was accomplished, and only disaster awaited them as soon as they entered the city. What was the use in dragging Riyota out and coming all the way back out if he was going to run away without having gained a thing? Pain in his shoulder caused him to wince slightly, his body visibly trembling and his followers laughing behind him. Nothing had happened that brought him any closer towards understanding the situation with the Cabal, the Daimyo, or Shiori's capture. Ultimately, he was living up to his namesake and performing exactly like a loser. All he'd managed to do essentially was get beaten up several times and knocked unconscious a couple. He was straining his brain for something, anything in his recently gathered memories that would point him in some kind of direction. Yet, nothing came.
Suddenly, something hard connected with the back of his head and he found himself face first in the sand. The feeling of cold wet liquid running down the back of his skull and neck made him consider what exactly had happened. It must have been a rock or something, flung by one of those bastards because rampant laughter followed soon after. Rolling over onto his hands and knees, then staggering back up to full height he faced them as he saw the leader bouncing a few small rocks in his hand. "Did you see the little fucker nose-dive?!" He asked his compatriots, to which they snickered while Makeinu's eyes searched the ground in a daze. With a small smirk and a quick dip he found the stone marked with his own blood, and flung it back. The stone would hit the slimmest one dead in the center of his face, causing blood to spurt from his nose and a pained yell to echoed into the desert. "Get that little punk!" He practically screeched and soon the girl sprinted forward, drawing a knife while the short fat one set his parcels on the ground.
As the woman neared him, Makeinu stepped towards her instead of away. The unexpected action would allow for the woman to step passed him, just as his right leg kicked out to sweep her remaining leg. Once her face hit the sand much like his own had done, he would simply fall back and drop an elbow on the back of her head. Due to the level of his exhaustion, his body fell like a boulder and he felt the wind slightly get knocked out of his chest as his back hit the ground. Groaning and kicking his legs up and over his head, he rolled backwards panting hard and crouched to look at the two men. "What the fuck?!" Screamed the long-nosed ring-leader, slapping the fat one on the back of the head to send him towards the injured boy. "I ain't dyin' here." Makeinu's raspy little voice would announce confidently through ragged breaths.
"Bubun Baika no Jutsu!" Shouted the round robber as he barreled towards Makeinu. Reeling his wobbly round arm backwards it quickly swelled five times its size before slamming huge knuckles in the child's face. Blood leaked from his mask as he hit the ground once again, sand kicking up in small clouds while he rolled on his sides. Somehow finding the strength to push his arms out and dig his fingers into the sand, he'd gain a sliding halt. Leaping backwards and away from the melee combatant, he reached into his shroud and flung a stun grenade that bounced off his opponent's forehead. The small projectile would flip rapidly in the air before ringing with a low vibration that made the big guy's ears bleed. With the stun grenade hitting the sands, Makeinu was already in the air with a knee aimed at the chubby one's face- But, his collar grew tight and choked him before his bottom hit the grounds again. Looking over his shoulder he saw that the woman had gotten up, bruise-faced and angry. In her hand was a fistful of Makeinu's shroud from when she snatched him out of the air. "Brat." Was all she said indignantly before kicking him in his small chest, and send him reeling back.
Everything went white for a moment, and his chest tightened up. It felt like a ghost had dug into his chest and grabbed his lungs as tight as they could. Gasping for air behind his mask seemed ineffective, his solar plexus having been hit by the woman's heel. Reaching up and grabbing at his neck he finally forced himself to take a deep breath. his vision wobbled for a moment, and then began to spin and roll as a solid boot found his ribs again. He wasn't even sure where it came from. Rolling along the desert floor he left trails behind himself. It seemed like there was nothing but open space for miles, and that means nowhere for him to run. Finding himself flat on his back, he could do nothing as the scantily clad woman descended upon him from apparently the heavens, straddling the youth and strangling his throat at the same time. The white in his exposed eye would start to grow red as tiny blood vessels burst one after another.
Remembering back to his fight with Azusa, and how she'd pinned him, an idea broke through the pain. Reaching up and grabbing her wrists, he'd push upwards fast, making her arms go up over both their heads while her face crashed into his forehead. Quickly throwing her off and gasping for air, he started kicking her sides as she'd done to him. After the first three or four, the heel of his boot would find her chin. No less than a second after that passed before he heard it again "Bubun Baika no Jutsu!" followed by an enlarged leg to the side of his head. Blood was dripping profusely from the back of Makeinu's skull, easily seen through his ashen colored thin hair. The wound in his shoulder from being shot earlier in the day had opened up, and leaked just as must. Laying there on the ground he watched as thick legs marched towards him, cursing under his breath as he considered his options. Yet, nothing came.
By the time the round one who he assumed was Reishi reached him, a swift boot found itself in his gut. He could feel his guts shift as they were practically punted into his spine. No sound escaped his covered mouth even though his lips parted in agony. Another boot to the back of his head caused half of his face to sink into the sand more, and soon after he was being beat from all angles. He couldn't see a thing as they picked up the pace, causing him to roll back and forth between the trio with only glimpses of their face as his blood soaked the sand and made grains stick to his garments. At some point he shoved his hand into the sands again, preventing himself from being rolled to the slim leader once again. "Enma, the little shit's still-"<i></i> Started the woman, glaring in irritation as she rubbed her forehead. It was clear that Makeinu has gotten the best of her with the little he'd done, at least in the sense that he'd left marks that couldn't be hidden for a while. However; what stopped her mid-speech was the sudden chuckle that came from the boy's hunched over position.
He was on his knees, with left hand holding him up and right arm around his own waist holding the pain in. "Rori just dig thr-"<i></i> Enma, the slimmest and tallest among them began to question the child's sound until the boy burst out in full blown laughter. "It must take a ton a guts...To gang up on a kid." The boy's raspy and pained voiced managed, followed by more laughter as still hunched forward he struggled to his feet. "I thought I was a failure, but- You guys are less than trash." A voice coated in bitter amusement came from unseen lips, causing all three of the would-be bandits to fall eerily silent. It was at that moment Rori stepped forward, slapping her hands together it a sequence of seals before shouting "Cripple technique!". There was no physical change that anyone could see as she chose to use a Genjutsu, feeling it best to incapacitate the child before going any further...However; that would be her most fatal mistake.
As the unseen energies tried to seep into Makeinu's body, Rori's chakra would awaken the dark energy Kuro had bestowed upon him. His head lifted, showing that his mask had changed completely and suddenly. A malicious grin zipped closed met both Rori and Reishi dauntlessly as Enma remained oblivious behind him. The boy's skin had reverted to being completely devoid of all color, and his exposed left eye had then widened to disturbing levels, revealing a totally black sclera surrounding his crimson eye. He was still sporting his bruises and fresh wounds, but somehow seemed to no longer display any signs of fatigue as thin wispy ribbons of ebony chakra floated away from his body. Taking several steps forward, apparently ignoring Enma behind him, and raised a middle finger at both Reishi and Rori before letting the same hand fall limp. "You cheeky little- Bubun Bai-!!!"<i></i> Hand opposite the one used to display the obscene gesture had already reached into a belt pouch, and having moved swiftly Makeinu jammed a signal flare in the fat man's mouth. "Shut the fuck up already." Before the device even had a chance to go off, the boy had already changed targets and slammed a brutal kick into Rori's thigh. Sparks flew from Reishi's mouth as he flailed about, and when Rori fell to her knees from the surprisingly powerful kick, Makeinu met her nose with a savage knee that sent the sound of shattering bone into the evening sky. The woman's eyes rolled in the back of her head with a fading scream before the diminutive teen's toes even touched the sand, but when they did he'd quickly lean out of the way of a kunai that came from behind him. Spinning around quickly, he'd perhaps incidentally use his foot to draw a half circle in the sand around himself. The haunting grin and wild gaze remained as he stepped backwards, jamming his heel into the unconscious Rori's throat and crushing it completely. "Rori!!!"<i></i> Screamed Enma, charging forward and clearly filled with both grief and rage.
"Oops.." All that Makeinu had to offer for the man's loss. Having suddenly become much stronger and faster, Enma's movements were easy to predict and counter. On the inside, Makeinu felt his organs heating up and being filled with what could only be described as a negative energy steeped in apathy and cruelty. It was painful, in a way that transcended physicality and threatened to eat away at his very soul. The sick thing about it all, was that he wanted to feel it more.
OC: K, see I almost finished this crap and then I lost my post. I'm just voiding this and not finishing it. Stupid thing. I'm not re-typing a single thing. I'd delete it but I'm keeping it for paper-trail/OCD reasons.