One Hell Of A Time![Miroku Akkuma/Sctator Thread]

[Midori Futotta]

The stadium was packed, full of shinobi who had been waiting for the day that they'll be able to see a real fight. The ninja's ranged from ANBU from other villages, to medical ninja's, and even some notorious criminals decided to come here to show off their abilities for a chance to win big or be defeated in front of an audience. Within the crowd there had been people both rich and poor, from the dark side and the one who dwell within the light, all gathered here to put their money in who do they think would win to gain some big money. Some people went for people of their own village, some went for their allies, and some people like Maru went for people who he liked. Maru dropped 10k on Mikasa his mentor to wine while putting 20k on a guy by the name of Akkuma…

Being a half demon he had heavily relied upon his demonic parentage to prove that the darkness is a strong enough force to make you unstoppable, Maru's favorite fighting style being to use his demonic abilities to curse his puppets to make them even more scarier than they already are. Then he'd use the shadows to call upon fiends from the nightmare realm and to cloak himself in darkness to pull off a surprise attack. Hopefully when he was in the same rank he'll be able to join a tournament like this to go for a chance to win that beautiful metal that would look well on his beautiful dolls. But of course he might end up getting kicked out, mostly because when he was a academy student he attempted to kill his opponent and if he would've continued he would try to kill each student there… But on the bright side was that if he tried that here, everyone would not want to make Maru an enemy. Hence why he needed to get stronger.

Sitting among the crowd, MARU watched the fight from above to study the abilities Akkuma and Hoshi. On his lap was one of his favorite dolls from his collection, his Kawaii puppet. The doll wearing a chilling blood red dress, decorated with a matching burgundy corset along with a white shoulderless feminine dress shirt that covered her small chest giving her a sort of classy look to her. The girl Doll had long pigtails with a lavender rose on her wavy locks that are as soft as silk, big blue marble eyes that gave her a adorable look especially when looking up. The plastic diva looked to be the same height as maru, she looked almost human if not for her mechanical arms with ball jointed shoulders. Maru place one arm around her back to hold the doll close while resting one hand on her leg, she was sitting sideways for Maru to get a good view of the battle while her head was turned so her glassy eyes stared blankly into the battle to observe the spectacle. Although the Hyuuga was strong, the man had a demon that could heal him up. The corners of Maru's mouth curled up into a smirk, it seems that the Hyuuga was running low on health and if Akkuma was able to heal up then it's looking dark for the Hyuuga.

"The Hyuuga may have the power of youth, but the sun must go down at some point giving room to the darkness. “ maru said, looking at his doll who looked rather comfortable on his lap.
"DARKNESS!” the doll cheered in a adorable shrill voice as the two sat and watched.

 

[Michi]

The densely packed stadium was no place for her. She stood out, but that was hardly the issue. She had left Wind Country for the first time in centuries and she was hungry. Hunger was different for an Ancient than it was for a man, there was no rumble in the depths of her belly. Just pure desire. Little was truly understood about Ancients despite their lengthy existence as a sentient race. Science was not a driving force for them, law and order however was. You consume to thrive. You live to eat. A simple cycle that truly defined the issue at hand, this roiling hunger inside of her that had not quite reached a crescendo but she knew it soon would. Perhaps that is why she chose the seat she had, she could have chosen another but... there was a young man, obviously socially awkward with a sex doll as a date. She tried to avoid regarding the doll, her near life-like features but she did notice the care he took in her upkeep. She wondered if he had named her yet. Humans loved to name things, it made them feel like they were in control, that something was theirs.

She she took a seat alongside the strange Kohonan. She was not dressed to spectate a fight but that was a purposeful choice on her part. The white leather attire was not particularly revealing but it was form-fitting. Her long blond hair was left down, it looked like she had been to the salon earlier that day for a blow out. Truthfully it was a little bit of hairspray and wind ninjutsu. Her make-up perfectly done. She looked better than everyone else there, most of them dressed 'casually' omitting this chance to be noticed. She was here for three things now:

1. To be seen.
2. To watch Akkuma fight.
3. To find some lunch.

She had to watch. She just needed to know. She did not consider Akkuma to be a rival of any sort, he was not worthy of such recognition. It was a shame that she learned of his existence in front of others. Humans were annoying with their contextual laws and after all he was simply a demon. They were worse than dogs in her day, 'vermin' would be a better word. They mocked the natural laws of the world with their perversions. Had demons done anything to her in particular? No, they would not dare. After all, vermin are rarely seen in the light of day unless they are about to die. She had encountered Akkuma before, she had known of his existence even longer than that of course. He was a demon that was to marry into the Toraono demon family, his wife was to be Toraono Kuro's sister Seika. The concept of the union sickened her, it was as if they thought themselves to be civilized. Of course, the demon was nothing more than a local deviant and man-whore. The more she researched him, the more she learned. His sexual partners by her assumption at this point has exceeded the number of hot meals the average person has enjoyed in the last year. While his sexual adventures were of no concern to her, the prospect that -it- might multiply was converning. Yet he was protected by Sunagakure. She did not understand why, but they granted the transient criminal his freedom ending her games with him prematurely.

She was one to finish what she had started.

Tea Country might be her chance.

She did not want to kill him oddly enough. She just wanted to hurt him for a protracted period of time. She had a lot of pent up frustration that had no outlet for release. Not since Sousuke betrayed her love and trust. Since she declared war on the tribes of man in Wind Country. Since the Deep Court sided again with those filthy humans. Since there were rumors that Ancients empowered the Soverign. Since there were rumors of ties between Sound and Diamyo Ishii Shiro. Perhaps it was not Roku's best move announcing the truth as broadly as he had, it drew truth seekers and fiends such as herself to the same country.

She would smile pleasantly at Maru. She was likely the only one that would give him the time of day. She counted on that. "Lovely..." sex doll was not the right word to use here. What was the common word for a humanoid representation of a female. "Effigy?" No, that was not the right word. That was something that was used back in her youth to perform crude life magics. "Mannequin?" Closer. Close enough in fact because she really did not care. She was here to see the fight and get a little bit of take out. He looked about right. "My name is Shiori," she would extend her bare hand to shake his. It was a custom in a few countries, she was uncertain if it was one here or wherever he was from but again she did not care. It was merely an oppertunity to assess his movement and mannerisms. "I am super excited to watch this fight, nothing interesting ever happens in this town." She was lying of course and insinuating that she was a local. That was purposeful of course.

The fight had started.

Eeww...

Bugs.

Akkuma was gross.

She covered her eyes with her left hand, it made no difference. Her keen sense of sound granted her sight even when the colors ran dry. Why did demons have to be so gross? She hoped that the Kohonan broke him, well his body. Sunagakure was far too lenient on him. "WOOO! GO LEAFY!" Yes, she was supporting Kohonagakure in this battle. She had no vested interest in Sunagakure's success. In fact, she hoped they all lost. She was a prideful woman but she also knew the difference between working harder and working smarter. If they were broken beyond repair here, that would mean that Sunagakure's 'best' would be incapacitated during the Civil War in progress in Sunagakure. In fact, this seemed like a foolish move of Sand, to participate that was. Three of their 'best' pitted against the best from other stretches. Even if Sunagakure came out victorious, there would be broken bones and organs. It would just make it easier for the Dimayo to win. Easier for her to sweep up what little is left. "Punch him harder!" WATCH OUT FOR THE BUGS!" It was like watching a horror movie, the main character rarely did what you told them to. It did not change what she said of course. "Beat that demon's ass!"

 

[Midori Futotta]

As the fight went on, Maru's attention was drawn to an interesting looking woman. She was dressed in form fitting leather and had well kept blonde hair with makeup that made her look flawless. Adjusting his rectangular glasses, the young shinobi decided to focus his chakra into his eyes to take mental snapshots of the woman in case he decided to wants to make her into one of his finest dolls within his collection, a little skill taught by the Anbu to gather information. Maru himself was dressed in his usual attire. A white dress shirt with the collar sticking up, gray waistcoat and a long blue coat that he leaves open and whose sleeves are rolled up below the elbow, showing purplish red wrist bands. She must have been wanting to watch Akkuma’s battle against the Hyuuga too, Maru looking away when the woman got too close and sat next to him…

Of course, upon hearing the term of Mannequin and Effigy being compared to his cute plastic blondie, the doll twisted its neck towards the the woman. "I HAPPEN TO BE A BEAUTIFUL MAIDEN OF SIXTEEN THANK YOU VERY MUCH,” the doll said through a speaker within her stomach, twisting her head back to the fighting. There was a bit of annoyance in the plastic diva’s voice at being compared to a dummy or a simple object. But obviously the doll couldn't be alive, it was just Maru using his ventriloquism to make the doll speak by attaching chakra threads to her voice box and make her say whatever he thought she would say. Clearly the dark marionette master had a bit of an obsession with these dolls of his. When he was a Genin his mentor, whom just so happen to be a woman, was a human puppet who introduced the little devil to the art of puppetry. Jill was the first of his dolls, then Shi, then Kawaii, then Chibi who was alive and walking around the leaf working as a medical ninja with other dolls she created on her own. He even had one made from a coffin who was now haunted thanks to his little game of hide and seek alone. Kawaii being his favorite doll, he carried her everywhere he went however despite having the knowledge to bring puppets to life he doubted that anyone would be able to fit the already made personality that Maru had for the her. But of course he was working on making her move on her own as well.

The young woman introduced herself as Shiori, offering her hand to Maru the young shinobi reaches out to grasp her hand, his thumb pressed against the back of her hand. “Dokuso Maru, but you can call me Maru.” he said before letting go of her hand to place his hand back on his doll’s lap, the corners of Maru's mouth curled up into a smile. “My money's on the demon winning this fight, I'm pretty confident that he'll be getting me some money to by my Kawaii some more clothes. “ Maru said with a chuckle and began to proceed in watching the fight, as the fight ranged in Maru saw the bugs eating at the Hyuuga which was hilarious. Then the demon who Akkuma summoned got him with a move that Maru knew well, the heart seeker! The glowing spear going straight into the man's chest and disappearing, Maru wondered if the man was cursed now. After all the gates are messing the Hyuuga up, he looked too broken to even continue the fight. And the Youkai healing Akkuma isn't helping much.

MAKE THE HYUUGA SWIM IN HIS OWN SUFFERING DEMON. Maru said, a bit of himself slipping away for just a moment.

 

[Michi]

She would not see the hidden action performed by the ANBU hopeful. Snapshot was a rather clever surveillance tool few consider. Eyes often lie, make false assertions and in some cases premature reassurances. Eyes often see what they want to see and rarely does sight dig beneath the porcelain-perfect surface many, including this 'woman' endeavor to perfect. Beneath her pristine surface was a truth that only special eyes could see, the Hyuuga's remarkable sight being an obvious example. Everyone has a particular or in her case peculiar chakra signature. That one thing that truly defines someone as a person, or in her case as something else entirely. Maru did not have legendary vision, however he just recorded her chakra signature which means he saw something he was not intended to see.

She was nothing more than a hollow shell, the form that he saw. The form that everyone saw. The tall, slender blonde was without flaw because she could not scar because she was not made of flesh and bone. Inside, her chakra was a storm of activity, a wild wind that was rushing about. There was no chakra coil system, there was simply wind and earth and sand shifting about in a manner that would deny the possibility of organic substance. She was not, she could not be human, or demon for that matter. She defied organic biology in a way that was unique to Sunagakure. Yes, there were creatures in Wind Country called Ancients, primordial elementals that predated the first men of Wind Country. Nearly extinct, she was one such creature. One of the last truebloods. The shell, a mechanism for survival that she did not develop in error. Look at her again with human eyes and perhaps this time you could see it. Women do not generally look like that -- she was a walking stereotype from the ample bosom to the long blonde tresses, large blue eyes and plump lips. Not a pock mark or a scar, not a blemish or discoloration, her skin looked like porcelain because it was. She was hiding in plain sight, the one place they would never look. The one place they would never find her.

"I HAPPEN TO BE A BEAUTIFUL MAIDEN OF SIXTEEN THANK YOU VERY MUCH,”

The puppet would answer, well the marionette manipulator did. His voice became 'hers' in a way. Where she lacked sight, sound was a place she would never falter. She had an uncanny awareness of sound, her auditory capacity made vision a secondary method to confirm what she 'saw' through her ears. The teen was a wack job, even by her standards and they were exceptionally low. After all she was in love with the former Kazekage -- a man child at best, a sociopath at worst. Of course that was in the past tense, she had every intention of killing him eventually. Sousuke had too many friends, somehow he earned them and maintained them although she hardly understood how because he was the dumbest genius she had ever seen. "My mistake she lied ash she glanced forward towards the fight between the demon and the human. His fighting style had changed, there was a utilization of insects and he seemed to be focusing on crippling his opponent more than damaging him. His fighting style favored him in this fight, it would not in theirs for a plethora of reasons. She leaned forward to watch the fight, his clones were utterly useless. The brawler was more than a meat-head.

“Dokuso Maru, but you can call me Maru.”

The socially awkward adolescent seemed fully capable of greeting her. The handshake was a simple verification of a basic matter. Her hand was warm, almost human to the touch. She was of course not a puppet, but she was curious if he was. If looking for a meal here would be a wasted effort. Her voracious hunger had become blinding these past few days, without the natural energies her kind would passively consume from the environment she had found herself lacking. It was as if a human had not eaten in three days, she was unwilling to make that four and he looked like a satisfactory meal. She did not eat meat, she found the experience of carnivorous consumption lacking. A human soul, on the other hand satisfied beyond compare. The unbridled potential, the depth of even a characterless dimwit was remarkable. Did she know that Maru was a demon, of course not. If she had, she had other uses for his remains.

“My money's on the demon winning this fight, I'm pretty confident that he'll be getting me some money to by my Kawaii some more clothes. “

She shook her head. Nobody was going to miss this one except perhaps his mother. Good/ "I have seen Miroku fight, he is useless in battle," she claimed. He in fact was pretty useless from what she saw, it was astonishing that he was a consideration. He did almost nothing in the Obsidian until he turned on her and the ginger. He did nearly get them killed, but that had less to do with his skill and more to do with the fact that demons cannot be trusted. The second incident involved some personal time in a jail cell. Their time together then was fleeting, one of the few times she was disappointed in having her contact with a demon limited. That was of course why she was here, he was on of the headliners somehow and they were outside of Sunan borders. Whatever terrible happenstances befell the nitwit here would be Tea's problem, not Sunagakure's. That is IF they ever find out. She needed a new pet and with those ears he would make an excellent dog. "Should have bet on the other one, whatever he is," she waved dismissively in the direction of the other combatant. "Demons lack in most things," she reasoned. It was more a prejudice than an actual fact.

MAKE THE HYUUGA SWIM IN HIS OWN SUFFERING DEMON.

"Punch him harder other guy!" Indeed, she had no idea what Hoshi was or where he came from, she did not even bother remembering his name. he was grossly irrelevant to her in all things except for the fact that he was pummeling the demon. She was not one for sports but she would make an exception in this case. "Go..." she looked around for a name. "HOSHI!" Victory, a name! He better not be useless, after all he was only fighting a demon.

 

[Midori Futotta]

“Oh?...” Maru said abruptly, at this point the woman would be a bit confused but the boy was able to see through the hidden action of his snapshot justu that the lady was nothing but a hollow shell. Inside of her was a strange wind storm of chakra which gave Maru the thought that she was not human, giving the young shinobi the thought that she maybe a human puppet. However the texture of her skin was rather real for a person like her, she wasn't human but yet even being hollow she wasn't artificial neither. He began to wonder if Shiori had any organs, that if she would be cut would she bleed out but that would be rather rude and unexpected to try to scoop out the woman just for satisfy his curiosity. If she didn't have organs it would be so much easier to make her into a beautiful puppet, and fill her hollow body with traps and weapons. Also he'd make her wear a nice devil lady costume since she looked down upon demons, he remembered buying a costume like that made from spandex material.

"Hey… Shiori right?” Maru said, raising his hand from his beloved dolls lap to go in his coat searching for something before finally pulling out a flat head screwdriver. “Wanna see my head come off?” A weird question to ask as if she had any choice in the matter. Maru put the screwdriver inside of the line that allows his head to twist, jiggling it a bit so it could get under the plastic neck and head. Once the tool was underneath the line almost separating the head from the body, Maru popped his head off of his body! His head falling in behind his seat and rolls off at some random woman sitting a couple seats behind him. Purposely Maru rolled his eyes in in the back of his head so only the whites show… and slowly turning to the innocent woman…. AND SCREAMED!!!! Of course this caused the woman to leap out of her seat and run for the hills.

Satisfied, Maru's disembodied head began to float eerily… slowly but surely his head reattached to his body unit on backwards before twisting his head back to the fight. “Well that just made my day, that's one if the benefits of being a living doll Shiori. The limitations of the flesh doesn't apply to you.” Clearly, Maru was one of those puppet masters who had gave in to their dark desires for puppetry. Becoming a doll himself so he could master all of the puppet arts by becoming a puppet himself. He could thank a certain Uchiha who helped him to get his dream body, plus he made this body with his own skin that he had drained the blood out of, inject a serum to keep the flesh from rotting and mix his own skin with plastic so he could be nice and smooth. He did have another doll body he wears on occasion but this body was how he looked back when he was of the flesh. Now he was a walking shell of darkness and the final product of terror.

Of course after fooling around a bit Maru began to watch the fight between the Hyuuga and Akkuma much more carefully now. The Hyuuga didn't have any medical kits left, when Akkuma was beaten down he was healed right back, his chakra seemed to be almost endless and those bugs were still on the Hyuuga. Akkuma turned to the crowd giving a dramatic bow, and Maru along with the crowd cheered on the demon! Once the excitement settled down, the doll on Maru's lap twisted her head towards Shiori to taunt her. “WELL IT LOOKS LIKE YOUR GUY IS GONNA BE OUT LIKE A LIGHT SOON.” the doll said in her overly cheery voice that came from her master, her head twisting to look back at Maru. “MARU DEAR, CAN YOU BUY ME A BLACK DRESS WITH THE OUR MONEY? ALSO SOME UPGRADES SO I CAN BE FAB WHEN I BATTLE NEXT TIME.” The Doll almost seemed to be alive Maru was caught up in this fantasy of believing that the doll was actually alive that he actually responded to her, it was like he was legit talking to himself and the young puppet master didn't have too much of a problem with it. “Well Kawaii I planned on spoiling you with that anyway, after all you gave me a shopping list of the items you want.” Maru gave a glance at Shiori, then tilted his head to one side. "Its fine hon, everyone has a problem with demons. I personally like them because of the darkness they have within themselves. Not to mention they get their powers from negative emotions... So you beings a hater is helping him." Maru flips his hair sassily.

 

[Michi]

She was far from hollow, there was a storm of earth and wind inside of what most perceived as her. She was the storm, not the feminine shell she donned. She could break, like a piece of fine china she had many times before. She would not die, surly she could but it was not an easy thing to do. She was quite long lived, she had seen the dawn of mankind and hopefully she would see them fade into the night.

"Hey… Shiori right?”

She glanced away from the fight. "Hmmm?" She saw him withdraw a screwdriver, her mouth cocked to the side. A weapon? REALLY? Here? He would not get too far if he tried, her body tensed as she watched his movements.

“Wanna see my head come off?”

"What?" Her brow furrowed. "Maybe? ...No." She shook her head. "You cannot do that." Humans cannot do that, can they? Well, he could. With minor manipulation his head fell off and rolled away. She turned around and watched it roll off. No blood. Well, there was screaming. How did he do that? Human biology does not work that way. Or... No, she was a Medic for years and she knew that the breathing tube was next to the eating tube and the voice maker was inside the breathing tube. She was a god-awful Medic.

The startled woman screamed and ran off, Shiori's face widened into an almost childish grin. She would applaud the spectacle. It was dam hilarious. Her humans could never do that. She wanted to shout AGAIN!AGAIN!AGAIN! But that would draw more attention than she wanted or needed when coupled with her shenanigans. "That is a neat trick," her eyes sparkled. "Is that just a you-thing or... something you can do to others?"</B><i></i> She was curious for purely academic reasons. After all, there was something lacking in taxidermy. <B>"Would you..." she paused as she tried to find a delicate way to phrase this. "Be able to do this to someone?" She gestured nonchalantly towards Akkuma in a non-committal way. She had so many questions, but he was distracted by his sex doll.

She would have a better use for her Akkuma doll.

“WELL IT LOOKS LIKE YOUR GUY IS GONNA BE OUT LIKE A LIGHT SOON.”

Kawaii and Maru would converse. Apparently the doll wore the pants in the relationship. Awkward. "Give him time... Give him time..." Shiori replied forgetting also that Maru's puppet was an inanimate object. as she replied to Kawaii. "Fighters have a distinct advantage over casters in terms of chakra economy and longevity," she explained as she turned her attention back to the battle. The Leafy (yes, she really was not paying attention to where he was from) was going to start to break soon. He was exceeding his physical limits and Akkuma was looking to break his body, an effective strategy against anyone who lacks endurance. Akkuma's strength was finite, that much was witnessed at the Intervillage Examination a few years ago. However, she had seen gates break before. Seen humans do exceptional things, things that reminded her that she should never take a human lightly. "Humans are exceptional creatures when left to their own devices, unparalleled in destructive and invasive behaviors." She sounded like she was describing termites or cockroaches, she might as well have been, the similarities were striking.

"Exceptional predators if you think about it, where most beasts of land, air or sea hunt for sustenance humans also hunt for sport. They can live in regions ranging from arid deserts, to deep jungle terrain to snowy mountaintops with arctic weather." There was a begrudged sense of respect in her words. "They have the ability to think, learn and emulate during their brief spans at an incredible rate," making man in a way the true apex predator. Yes, Sunagakure had Sandworms and Carnasaurs but if the tribes united against the lone threat they would overcome it. "Don't think it is over just because someone like you or me would pass out," she continued. "That chaos demon" was that what he was, she was not even sure "has to beat through the punchy one's stamina, the ones the break the gates like him tend to be better punching bags than you'd think... the fight is not lost yet," she laughed. "That demon might have resources, but he can't last forever."

"Did it hurt?" She changed the subject back to what he was... what he did. "Does it hurt?" She hoped it did. "Can you hurt?" yes, she had several questions. "How long would what you are live?" Preferably protracted because she had all the time in the world. "Would it work on a demon?"

 

[Midori Futotta]

At first, Maru expected the lady to be a bit uncomfortable with Maru just popping his head off his shoulders like that, but after studying the woman she rather enjoyed the rather humorous scene. But then again it wasn't much of a surprise because Shiori had a bit of evil within her which was hard to come by living within the leaf, honestly everyone he's seen were goodie two shoes and with the exception of a few ANBU members that seemed to have the evil within themselves. A small stain of darkness but still there. Of course he only caught a few questions that the woman had which was could he take someone else's head off like he did, this made the boy who was made from wood and plastic chuckle to himself. Well, I could take off someone else's head– but it'll be a lot messier than I would like and I probably won't make it out of here to keep the body as a prize.” Maru said, halfway disappointed. “If some people didn't have blood, then I guess I could work my magic.”

What interested Maru the most from when Shiori addressed human beings was how she spoke of them as if they were a rare insect that she had been studying, speaking of how mankind would hunt for sheer sport and how they adapted to the elements. It was a rather interesting way to think of man, they were capable of achieving a lot but of course they so many limitations. “A rather wise way to look at humans, but you do see that Hoshi is crumbling before right now, do you?” Maru gestured his hand at the ring so he can use this man as an example. "Hoshi looks pretty broken if you asked me, those gates of his are tearing his body apart and pretty soon he'll be too damaged to even fight.” Pausing for a moment, maru leaned back, shrugging his shoulders as he continued.
His hand finding its way back on his beloved doll's lap. "Even if he was to somehow pull a victory out of his ass, I'm sure he won't even be able to even continue the tournament. “

For a moment, Maru paused as he took in each question that Shiori asked, of course it was obvious that she wanted to know what he was. "Did getting this body only hurts for a moment, it was rather a quick kill the other body, rip out my soul from my corpse, then place it into a cylinder so I can possess the doll.” Maru began to think for a moment. “Now I don't feel pain at all, and I believe in my case it would depend because I am cursed– very cursed." Maru said as if he was implying something however he wanted to keep the lady guessing. But the real question was what was the woman, Maru's curiosity got the better of him. “You're not really human are you? You seem pretty empty on the inside, physically mind you. Which begs the question… “

Maru twisted his neck slowly to cast his marble like eyes onto the woman. “What did you have to give up to be what you are? Have you always been like this or did you make yourself into whatever you are? I have to say you are one fascinating creature."

 

[Michi]

"Well, I could take off someone else's head– but it'll be a lot messier than I would like and I probably won't make it out of here to keep the body as a prize.” Maru said, halfway disappointed. “If some people didn't have blood, then I guess I could work my magic.”

Is blood the key? Well, the lack of? She eyed Akkuma, it was likely that he only had a few pints in him. For some odd reason she always thought that exsanguination would have killed him.

“A rather wise way to look at humans, but you do see that Hoshi is crumbling before right now, do you?”

She scoffed, of course she saw the broken Kohonan (still not paying attention). Almost every part of him was broken, the pain had to be exquisite. "Look," she was pointing at his legs. They were obviously broken but they were still holding his weight, he was still avoiding Akkuma's attacks. "He refuses to give up," she observed. A lesser man would have ended it before his body was completely wrecked. "That disgusting demon might overtake him, but this fight is far from over, the human resolve is something...exceptional." She had seen it before in Primus, humans were capable of exceeding their physical limitations in ways she found nonsensical.

"Hoshi looks pretty broken if you asked me, those gates of his are tearing his body apart and pretty soon he'll be too damaged to even fight.”

"Sunagakure has beings like him, those that 'break' their gates... he will be a dead man standing and still punching, you'll see," she replied with a confidence as she inched closer to the edge of her seat.

"Even if he was to somehow pull a victory out of his ass, I'm sure he won't even be able to even continue the tournament. “

"Fair," she conceded. It was unlikely that Hoshi would make it to the next round even if he did somehow pull through. She let out a sigh, she did nit care if he got to the end as long as he defeated Akkuma early on. In fact, if Hoshi did poorly in his next bought that would only compound the shame of loss where if he went all the way... he could always boast that h would have done better had h not been placed against the champion so early on. "But I am OK with that," she admitted as her fingers curled around the edge of her handrest.

"Did getting this body only hurts for a moment, it was rather a quick kill the other body, rip out my soul from my corpse, then place it into a cylinder so I can possess the doll.”

"Oh" disappointing. She frowned. She usually ate those, but she had no intent of trying to stomach a demon soul. Some might consider it a superstition, but she knew better -- you certainly are what you eat.

“Now I don't feel pain at all, and I believe in my case it would depend because I am cursed– very cursed."

Her face fell further. More disappointment. "I see." Interesting all the same, apparently the human soul can live outside of a biological host.

“You're not really human are you? You seem pretty empty on the inside, physically mind you. Which begs the question… “

Her eyes broke away from the fight but her ears watched on.

“What did you have to give up to be what you are? Have you always been like this or did you make yourself into whatever you are? I have to say you are one fascinating creature."

She was too proud to lie, arrogant enough to think she could survive the fight. She was of course not wrong. "I was never human," she answered. The porcelain would break away from her fingertips silently, revealing a throbbing nexus of sand beneath. As the tiny bits of pristine porcelain would break away, revealing her hidden digits, similar in shape to that of a humans but certainly not those of a woman. This would continue as she drummed her right hand on the armrest, fragments breaking away. There was also a noise and a breeze that was once contained. Every Ancient had an aura and a Lord was no different. The sound was almost lyrical but faint, the breeze was warm. She was, after all, well-fed. But the playful demonstration over, the porcelain would recreate the former framework she had abandoned, pale sand coursing through her body taking residence on the surface. "It is more a burden to be like them," she was referring to humans of course. She had to play by their games still, for awhile at least. She was tired and weak but she was gaining momentum.

"But I am more interested in you, Maru," she crooned. "No pain... Nothing?" Her eyes sparkled. "Does that include the good?" she was getting at something very specific. Akkuma in particular seemed to be a particularly physical creature. In fact he enjoyed his pain, his excess, sin, gluttony and of course sex. "You are an inanimate object possessed?" Her eyes narrowed, she wanted to make certain she understood what he had claimed he was. She reached out towards Maru with a single finger and attempted to run it down the side of his face. "Nothing?" She confirmed. She wanted confirmation that there was nothing, that was even worse than something. The HELL Maru must be living in. Well, he seemed to be faring well enough and she did not care about his well-being enough to consider it further.

A rather obvious plan was coming to life. She wondered if it was possible to preserve some sensation. If there could be a switch.

 

[Midori Futotta]

Maru looked down, at the fight he saw what Shiori was talking about in terms of why human beings are fascinating to her at least. Hoshi was clearly had a lot of broken limbs but despite being so badly injured he was still able to stand up and avoid Akkuma’s attacks. However now Hoshi was silent, giving everything he had within this fight which did call for just a bit of respect. Maybe there was just a small glimmer of hope for the Hyuuga, but it'll take more than running on pure determination alone. “You maybe onto something there lady,” Maru had to admit but however that wasn't what he wanted to know. What he wanted to know was if this woman wasn't human, what exactly was she?

She revealed to that she was never human at all, before Maru's glassy eyes, he watched as the woman revealed that behind the porcelain that she was… what looked to be sand. ‘So that's what I saw in my snapshot.’ Maru thought to himself, clearly making the woman into a doll.was out of the question now, not that he ever could to begin with. A smirk appeared on Maru's face, he chuckles to himself. "So that's what you are.” Maru said, being careful as to not draw too much attention to them at the moment. Of course he'd have more questions for the lady like does she melt in water, but it would seem that she was much more interesting in knowing if he felt pain, moreover did he feel any sensation at all which to someone it would seem to be a bad thing. Then she reached out to touch the side if his face, his skin looked similar to human skin but upon touching it it felt just as you would expect a doll to feel like. Cold, smooth, and made from the finest plastic money could buy.

“Well the only thing actually persevered when I took on this body was my emotions, but as for actual sensation I don't think that it applies to me now. Whether it is good or bad” Maru gave a careless shrug. "But unfortunately the only time I actually can feel something is when the soul core in my chest. I still need a small essence of being a human within this body, that one elements being a soul.”

Maru reached his hand up to the him of his dress shirt to pull it down so Shiori could get a small glimpse of the only thing that Maru had left that was human of his, countless veins all around this cylinder. The body that sat across from the woman could survive having every limb being torn to ribbons or if he didn't like the body he was in he could replace this body with another doll from his collection. “I think of this as the next big step into understanding what it means to be a puppet so I can bring my dolls to life without having to steal a soul… after all Kawaii wants to pull her own strings and wouldn't it be fun to have a doll that can actually play back?... Exactly the way you imagine it.”

Maru might would have seemed a bit delusional, it seems that the doll on his lap was becoming more human while Maru sacrificed himself to become more like the dolls that he controlled. Moving his head back to the fight he noticed that Akkuma seemed to be more determined in this battle now, and upon closer inspection he seemingly noticed the woman and him. Maru's Kawaii doll raised both arms and shouted. “BREAK EVERY BONE IN THAT GUYS BODY HE-HE-HE.” the doll said, throwing her head back to giggle which made Maru smile just a bit. Then the doll turned her head to look at Shiori, this time she was about to clear the air about Hoshi. “By the by you do realize that Hoshi isn't from the leaf, he's one of those people from the sky…” maru decided to correct his doll. “No he's from the cloud. The hidden cloud village or whatever.”

 

[Michi]

“You maybe onto something there lady,”

He would comment just before Hoshi broke down. His legs would spontaneously twist and snap. The cracking of his bones was audible from her seat. Pop! Snap! Crack! She crossed her legs a little tighter as she winced and looked away despite the fact that her ears continued to paint a full picture. "Eeehhhh...." That was going to keep her up tonight.

She revealed herself. She was far enough away from Wind Country that nobody would know her and the few that did would fail to understand the significance. Presently Tea Country has become a Mecca for the strange, novel and diverse, she was no different. Well, she was 'different' as they both were. With the rushing sands came a noise, it was lyrical and faint. The shell hid what she was and her aura, her glory.

"So that's what you are.”

"Oh?" She raised her thin arched brow. He knew? She changed the subject, she was digging for information. She knew next to nothing about human puppets or similar mechanizations. Yes, she was looking to turn the demon possibly.

“Well the only thing actually persevered when I took on this body was my emotions, but as for actual sensation I don't think that it applies to me now. Whether it is good or bad”

She was disappointed. She wondered if there was a way to preserve his nerves, or... better yet a switch. Feeling nothing was in a way its own special sort of hell. She would know, that was what her death cycle felt like, it was hellish but it would be hilarious to see someone else experience. Truth be told she was projecting some of her anger on Akkuma, he had done nothing to insult her she just hated him. She hated what he was -- a demon, but that was all she truly knew about him. She did not know of his duplicity, nor of the crimes he had committed.
She would have the proportionate hate appropriate for him if she knew, it was ironic.

Apparently they were showing each other their insides and this was not even their first date. He revealed what he was made of. He was made of... a tin can with a soul.

“I think of this as the next big step into understanding what it means to be a puppet so I can bring my dolls to life without having to steal a soul… after all Kawaii wants to pull her own strings and wouldn't it be fun to have a doll that can actually play back?... Exactly the way you imagine it.”

She frowned at the doll. She found the re-purposing of souls a fascinating hobby. She shook her had. "A cognizant automaton? That sounds like a bad idea." What if puppets, like his became sentient? "What if they are not the... contrivance you had hoped for Maru?" She had made that mistake with humanity. No, she did not make them but she knew them when they were new. She should have snuffed them out when they wiggled from the mire but she found them a fascination. A novel happenstance. She was curious... entertained... bored. "Do you think I enjoy being surrounded by humans and even worse than that demons," she made a dismissive hand gesture. "With their touching and breeding," she shuddered. Humans were truly grotesque creatures. "You are somewhat tolerable, your lack of either is refreshing," she admitted. Shame he was nothing more than a soul in a box, he would make a better Ancient than Construct.

Then she saw it. Hoshi destroyed every last one of his limbs in a reckless attack that nearly shattered Akkuma's summon. "Oh, did you SEE that!" She pointed at Hoshi's assault, had he attacked the right one Akkuma might have been shattered and bloodied.

“BREAK EVERY BONE IN THAT GUYS BODY HE-HE-HE.”

"Get him LEAFY!" She roared.

“By the by you do realize that Hoshi isn't from the leaf, he's one of those people from the sky…”

"Yes, he is heaven-sent if he beats that demon down," Shiori agreed.

"Straighten out your crooked limbs!"

“No he's from the cloud. The hidden cloud village or whatever.”

"Really?" She shrugged. "He has those leafer eyes... those white ones. Probably from lack of decent sunlight," she reasoned. She had no idea what Fire Country looked like, never really cared. Hoshi was exhausting, she could tell.

 

[Midori Futotta]

Of course, when Maru said that the lady might've been on to something the sounds of bones breaking rung throughout the arena. Hoshi’s legs twisted with a sickening snap, from here it looked like this battle have left Hoshi broken and without hope. Now that all of his limbs are useless and he's bleeding like a stuffed pig, he was finished. The violent sight made Maru throw his head back, and then laugh at the Hyuuga's suffering. Kawaii began to giggle along with maru, raising both of her mechanical arms to wave at Akkuma. "THANK YOU MR. DEMON!” the doll said, satisfied that Akkuma actually did break every bone in that ninja's body. When Shiori gave Maru a talking to about how Hoshi might could win, she almost fooled him into believing that the man actually did have a chance against Akkuma but now he was as sure as ever that Hoshi is going to lose. Needless to say, the demon really put in some work in breaking the Hyuuga.

All jokes aside, it would seem that just sitting here watching the fight the ‘SandWoman’ and the doll master actually gotten to know a lot about each other. Or at least a lot about each others anatomy at least, but they didn't know too much about one another which was even greater. Truth be told, there was no need to spill that the beans that his soul was actually demonic but it was a bit hard to do since he used his demonic abilities on a regular basis. Namely his aura to intimidate, his natural weapon since the academy being his beautiful Kawaii puppet, and his cursed chakra…. And his very own Youkai who is teaching him the way of the demon. This lady seemingly have a thing against demons, but not against dolls so that's alright. "Pft, unlike actual humans dolls can be made to be completely perfect. Like for example, say you'd like to have a perfect girl that never ages, always smiles, doesn't argue with you and has personality that you approve of. Like all abilities, they can be improved given time.” Maru smirked a bit, seemingly not discouraged from bring his puppets to life.

But the strangest thing was that Shiori didn't like humans because they… touched and breed with each other. This of course made Maru chuckle. “Well you could have fooled me from how highly you talk about humans. But I can't complain because that's the first time I've heard that I'm tolerable.” Maru had to admit, and truth be told it was the first time that he was considered to be tolerable. Well his dolls considered Maru tolerable but everyone else wanted him to play good boy for him to be considered tolerable.

Looking back down, Maru saw that Hoshi with every bone in his body broken that he nearly shattered Akkuma's summon. However Akkuma himself looked just fine, honestly at this rate Hoshi WILL loose, but it was rather cute to keep hope alive even though Hoshi is most likely about to get knocked out. “Yeah he is a Hyuuga but he's apart of the cloud and thank god he is apart of the cloud because Akkuma is handing his ass to him. Better be ready to pay up lady.” Maru chuckled….

After a few moments past, Maru reached his hand from his dolls lap to grab a chunk of Shiori’s cheek and gave it a hard tug out of curiosity. Bored, he wanted to see if the lady felt pain either. A rather innocent way to find out, but it was better than his first thought to use a switchblade to poke her with. "Hey lady do you feel pain?"

 

[Michi]

OC: Sorry for the delay.

IC:

"Pft, unlike actual humans dolls can be made to be completely perfect. Like for example, say you'd like to have a perfect girl that never ages, always smiles, doesn't argue with you and has personality that you approve of. Like all abilities, they can be improved given time.”

"Seems dull and lonesome," she commented with a frown. "I have--" she was going to say 'done exactly that.' She had. She was what would correlate in human terms most similarly to a Dark Sage. She was able to raise the dead, at the very least the dad whom had been interred into her earth. Yes, she saw the desert as hers. It was an extension of her being. "No matter how perfect they are... there is something desirable about the lack of control." It was part of her fascination with humans. They were such interesting creatures. Everything was urgent for them Everything was a righteous victory, a passionate love, a mournful loss. They seemed to feel more, experience things differently. Perhaps it was because their lives were so fleeting. "I love myself enough, I do not need an avatar of my own making to proclaim it," she announced. It was why she had not killed him, despite truly wanting to know his taste. She thought it would taste like motor oil and clementines. She was referring to his soul of course, there was a part of her that could not help but think of him as food. She had practiced discipline for years, never touching him. Never touching any soul. She tried to pretend to be human and it hurt. It ached. But her dedication, loyalty and love was rewarded with indifference and ultimately violence against her kin. Sousuke violated Mikaboshi's autonomy for the crimes he might commit. Her pleas left him indifferent. There was a part of her that wished he was whatever Maru made, these dolls that were everything she ever wanted. She could have made Sousuke into the man she wanted him to be, But she did not want that, she would not chang what she had with him, despite its brief nature. She had felt something, something she had not felt in a long time. It was awful but it was better than feeling nothing.

“Well you could have fooled me from how highly you talk about humans. But I can't complain because that's the first time I've heard that I'm tolerable.”

"I don't think well of them... I am simply fascinated by them," she lied. In fact she envied them. "I have no idea what you are," she added. He was more inanimate than animate as far as she knew. Just a soul in a box. A ghost in a shell. "Maybe that is why you're all right. Either that or humans have poor taste, there is no accounting for that sadly."</B><i></i> She made a dismissive gesture but she wanted to raise a drink to that statement, part of her wished that she got that strange drink that they called a 'Slurpee.' Next time. Next time.

“Yeah he is a Hyuuga but he's apart of the cloud and thank god he is apart of the cloud because Akkuma is handing his ass to him. Better be ready to pay up lady.”

That is what he was. Neat. <B>"Oh boo," she replied. "I did not place any bets," she added. "A good thing I guess," she laughed. She would have had to extract her losses from Akkuma's bones. Hoshi appeared to give up after his bones broke. "YOU CAN DO IT CLOUDY!" Shiori shouted through cupped hands, her attention turned back to the arena. Her volume was impressive considering she was not a large woman. It was unlikely that she would remember that he was a Cloud shinobi for long, his existence was irrelevant to the Ancient Queen in every way less his ability to make Akkuma bleed. Hoshi did not raise his fists, she cringed as she watched Akkuma assail him. Akkuma's personal heal bitch was running dry. She could see Akkuma starting to slow. Akkuma was running out of resources but Hoshi was refusing to fight back. "What's wrong with you! FIGHT!" Despite the fact that Hoshi made no counter, he was still standing somehow. He was strong, that was for certain. She was impressed even if her faith in his success was beginning to wane. She would look over to Maru with a perturbed expression, Akkuma's successes were an annoyance.

"Hey lady do you feel pain?"

Maru would reach up and try to grab her face.

[Success contingent on if Akkuma's weapon hits Maru. If the weapon hits the hand would not grab her cheek. If it sails past then he would grab her cheek.]

Regardless of Maru's success Shiori would jump and back away. She would give him an expression equivalent to 'the hell you doing?' "Of course I can feel pain, what would make you think otherwise?"

OC: Would have preferred the switch blade! Yes, I am a sick woman.

 

[Midori Futotta]

Maru leaned in wondering if she was going to say that she had done the same thing that he was trying to do, maybe he could've gotten a few pointers but Shiori stopped herself. In all honesty, the woman rather her… companions? Friends? Whatever she wanted to not be of her creation, something that doesn't bend to her will which Maru didn't understand. Sure humans do have small benefits like but Maru saw many disadvantages in being a person of the flesh, hence why he left behind being a “Real Boy.” Maru didn’t have any physical weaknesses of an organic living body. This body doesn't need rest or sustenance nor did he feel pain. However he did miss being able to get poisoned, drinking low level poison was actually a strange hobby of his he developed so he would be immune to certain types of poison but that was a small price to pay in order to become a living puppet. The less physically weaknesses a person has, the more proficient that he'll be in combat. ”Seems like you like things that would kick and scream, which is fun when you're dealing with actual humans or people of the flesh.” Maru said, a plastic smile stretching across his face. ”It was the case when I've decided to give my first lesson to a few academy students. But I think I went a little overboard because I've caused a bit of mental damage to them, one of those students is suffering from split personality disorder. I would have to say humans are just fun to break, but dolls make better companions.” Maru gave a shrug.

He gave a glance at the woman again, letting her tell him why she seemed to “like” humans so much, but it was brushed off as sheer fascination with them and nothing more. There was no point in telling her what he was, for all she knew he was just some psychopath that got fed up with being human. Of course, when the drinks were being passed around all Maru could do was merely look because he didn't have a stomach nor any way to actually drink. Perhaps he should have done like most puppet users and just have removed an arm or two but who cares. Akkuma was winning! Hearing the sound of broken bones made Maru giggle, but of course Maru was still curious about the lady feeling pain so without hesitation he reached out to pinch her cheek

TOK

A kunai, seemingly coming from nowhere had impaled Maru's hand! Going from inside of Maru' plastic palm to sticking out at the back of his hand. There was no blood, no screams, just a surprise look as he brought his hand close to examine his ‘wound.’ Then he looked up realizing that this kunai came from none other than Akkuma himself! He now smiled, waving his hand in the air. HEY THANKS! I'LL ADD IT TO MY PUPPET BODY FOR YOU BUD! Maru shouted, realizing that this probably wasn't an accident and that this was Akkuma telling him not to touch Shiori, perhaps he mistook the gesture as him trying to make a move on his lady. Whoops…

Maru removed the blade from his hand that left a rather huge gaping hole in his hand. ”Well when you first came in, I got a look at what you looked like on the inside rather than what you looked like right now. “ Maru began, removing the damaged hand from its socket, he pressed a button for a diamond tipped saw to appear. ”You looked like a hollow shell, then you showed me you were pretty much made of sand….” the saw began to buzz eerily, beginning to cut the finger hole of the kunai off. ”I JUST ASSUMED THAT YOU DIDN’T FEEL PAIN NEITHER!” Maru yelled over the saw, when the job was complete the saw went down into the depths of Maru's body, leaving only an empty hole. Maru placed the bottom end of the kunai in and began to twist it in, making sure that it's really in there. ”So that means that you got most of the benefits of being of the flesh. Thought you might have been lacking.” with the new kunai in, Maru waved his new kunai hand at Shiori. The kunai also went into god knows where, Maru reached in his pockets to pull out a spare hand to reattach it to the ball joint with a click.

[Kunai Hit, Kunai added to weaponize form]

 

[Mikaboshi]

"Long time no see, Rioshi." Came a voice from Shiori as she backed away from Maru and nearly stumbled into the person who was standing directly behind her. He put some emphasis into calling her by the name that she'd masqueraded as the secretary of the Kazekage under.

Shortly after taking office and getting to know the staff of the Kazekage Tower, Katsuo had become aware of the stern secretary Rioshi that had formerly worked under Sousuke and had disappeared suddenly before Katsuo had come to office. Katsuo wasn't by any means an analytical genius but it had not taken very much for him to put two and two together that Rioshi was an anagram of Shiori-- the human name of the ancient Queen of the Desert, Suna. When he'd found out Katsuo had struggled to comprehend how it was that Sousuke had gone so long without figuring it out. Katsuo hadn't been sure it was her at first after spotting her in the crowd but as he'd come closer he'd become more and more certain of her identity. They hadn't seen each other since the confrontation where she'd nearly died battling him and Kazuki and he'd nearly died fixing her afterwards. The entire thing had been a cacophony of bad decisions all around, really. It was a surprising thing to find her here of all places given that he'd expected she'd be back in the Wind Country working on some elaborate revenge on the daimyo for his crimes against their kind as she'd said she would be. He, of course, had no way of knowing that they were ultimately at the arena that day for the same reason.

Miroku Akkuma.

She hated him and wanted him to suffer but Katsuo still wasn't entirely sure what to do with him. He'd broken very little in the ways of laws in Sunagakure that he could prove and it wasn't a good look on the part of the Sunagakurian government if Katsuo had Akkuma taken into custody and punished over what amounted to a memory that he only had because some ancient creature had taken up residence inside his skull for over a year. He could always challenge him to a duel and kill him fairly in the arena as was the way of the desert nomads that he'd grown up in the midst of but there was something about that which seemed like perhaps it would be a misjudgment on his part. Perhaps he was growing too used to being able to turn his enemies into assets against greater enemies but Akkuma had proven himself skilled at the very least and claimed to have a stake in wanting the Wind Daimyo's regime dismantled as well.

"I'm glad you're looking well."

Katsuo's appearance hadn't changed too much since the last time they'd seen each other-- mostly in the department of his hair style which was shorter now and dyed a reddish-orange color --though he was significantly less hurt than when she'd left him. He'd been a nearly burnt out husk which had been conscious only through an act of raw and incredible willpower and the fact he was up and walking around at all was nothing short of a miracle. Dressed in a black t-shirt that was taut over the muscles of his chest and shoulders and a pair of casual long hakama that were loose about his feet, his choice of dress certainly did not exude the image of a man who was the leader of a shinobi nation even if there was an undeniable spark of energy in the air around him and across the surface of his skin. Turning his head, Katsuo's attention was drawn to the arena for a moment as the sounds of a few incredible impacts thundered through the stands and a shockwave of wind rushed through the crowd from the force with which Akkuma was unleashing on the barely conscious Hoshi. The Cloud-nin had fought a good fight and Katsuo couldn't help but find himself respecting the hell out of the kid for his tenacity.

"Looks like this fight is about done. That Cloud kid has a lot of potential in him."

 

[Michi]

”Seems like you like things that would kick and scream, which is fun when you're dealing with actual humans or people of the flesh.”

That was true in a way, not necessarily because she wanted to see them scream but they were interesting because they had passions, fears and ambitions that were painted on their face, laced through their biology. Simply put, in the absence of life and biology people would be incredibly dull. At the same time being human was far from desirable in terms of peers. She could never see a man as her peer. It was a strange dynamic. Her fellow Ancients were far from interesting in many cases intolerable brutes but their inert nature and aberrant biology represented not only what she was, something better than mankind certainly, but also her kin. Perhaps that was what she saw tolerable about this obviously touched madman, he reminded her of her brothers.

”It was the case when I've decided to give my first lesson to a few academy students. But I think I went a little overboard because I've caused a bit of mental damage to them, one of those students is suffering from split personality disorder. I would have to say humans are just fun to break, but dolls make better companions.”

"A single lesson?" She scoffed but had to verify. "It sounds more like they wanted to be broken and used you as an excuse." What could he have possibly don in as short of a span as a lesson that could have changed their psyche at its very core." Nothing. That was the answer.She would turn her attention back to the fight. Hoshi and Akkuma's fight was coming to an end, the fight was certainly favoring Akkuma as much as she loathed to admit it.

Maru would reach out for her, his hand never reached her cheek, she would start to pull away as she saw his hand move in her periphery. It was a thoughtless self-preserving instinct. As she did so she would see a flash of silver and the sound of metal slicing through plastic. The blade stopped when it reached the hilt with a sharp, sudden thud. A kunai had impaled Maru's hand and this would cause her to jump further, she would crash into the newly appointed Kazekage Katsuo. She was aware of his recent ascension of course, it was heavily publicized after he took the diamond throne and declared civil war against Diamyo Ishii Shiro. He was indeed the progeny of the One, the Last King. She remembered when Primus made a similar declaration. The Diamyo would be a fool to ignore the challenge but history has a habit of repeating itself.

"What were you trying to do?" Her tone accusatory towards the puppeteer. Of course Maru was too busy being star stuck that his... what sempai, crush, celebrity aspirant had bestowed upon him the gift of violence so randomly and recklessly. Actually wait, was that aimed at Maru or at her face? It was a brazen assault regardless of the target and done in front of thousands of witnesses -- the hell was he thinking!

"HEY THANKS! I'LL ADD IT TO MY PUPPET BODY FOR YOU BUD!"

"Long time no see, Rioshi."

Katsuo announced from behind her. She did crash into someone and of all people it had to be him. They had not crossed paths since the part of the portfolio the Sunahoshi Clan boasted was relinquished and ultimately returned. She would let out a sigh, her body tense. "Indeed son of Primus," she replied in a low, almost indescribable voice over the saw Maru had conveniently brought with him. Sh wondered what else he kept in there but she was mildly distracted by the threat of the Sunan prince. The cat was out of the bag, he knew who she was. She wondered if he figured it out himself or if Sennin Senju had shard this truth with him. She never trusted Kazuki despite the fact that he too had Ancient blood, it was far from enough to be one of them. He wanted to take the best from both words and make them his own. "I was that obvious eh?" She added cooly as she pulled herself away. There was no use denying it, if he had put the the pieces together.

"I'm glad you're looking well."

"My gratitude Kazekage," she replied. Yes, she reads the paper. "You forgot your oversized hat," she commented as she appraised his casual attire. He hardly looked the part. "Primus always looked the part," she added. "Use your assets," which could include his ass one could suppose. Rumor had it he was quite popular with the women as well as some of the men in Sunagakure despite the fact that he takes the same traitor to bed each and very day. She had few qualms with the Cabal, despite the fact that their anarchy cost the Ancient her first human masquerade. She disliked most of them individually for their trespasses but Katsuo's rumored lover was not among those she recognized.

She was somewhat uncomfortable now, if Maru was a sociopath it would be unlikely that he would recognize this change in her. How her statements had shortened. How her posture became stiffer, more erect. There was a good reason that she felt this way, she knew Katsuo's potential even if he failed to fully understand his heritage. She knew the first of their line and hopefully he would be the last.

Meanwhile Maru was making small-talk still over the buzz of his saw.

”Well when you first came in, I got a look at what you looked like on the inside rather than what you looked like right now. “

He did what?

”You looked like a hollow shell, then you showed me you were pretty much made of sand….”

Not really the time to be bringing this up.

”I JUST ASSUMED THAT YOU DIDN’T FEEL PAIN NEITHER!”

Why are you yelling this in the middle of a crowd you dolt!

”So that means that you got most of the benefits of being of the flesh. Thought you might have been lacking.”

"I lack for nothing," she replied bluntly as her eyes scanned the crowd, those seated near them. Did they notice him loudly making attachments or announce her lack of humanity. Discretion is not something he seems to consider.

"Looks like this fight is about done. That Cloud kid has a lot of potential in him."

She nodded, "he is indeed exceptional." She sounded disappointing, she was rooting for the kid. She planned to seek him out after this fight not that she would verbalize that. She was rooting for anyone really as long as they pummeled the demon. "Akkuma is going to be problematic for Sunagakure." She was shameless in inserting doubt and sentiments against the demon. She simply did not want him to win, she was disgusted. "The attempt on the Tsuchikage's life would have terminated the freedom most enjoyed. Never mind his questionable dealings," she actually did not know about most of Akkuma's treachery. She was making the blanket statement against him.

 

[Midori Futotta]

As Shiori withdrew from Maru, he saw that she backed right into some man that had been standing right behind her. The man seemed to already know who the lady already was, probably another person from the land of sand he thought. With one hand wrapped around his doll, he reached up to grab the top of his head and removed it as if he was taking his hat off for the man. Howdy, there. Came to see Akkuma win I see.” he said with a plastic smile spreading across his cheeks like a disease while his head was unattached to his body unit. Then he placed his head back on, looking back to the fight that was clearly over there was no way that Hoshi could come back from this, the cloud kid put up a real good fight however but it seemed that his twilight was approaching.

Maru smirked, and waited for Akkuma to finally finish the Hyuuga off so he could get his winnings. But the boy was pretty stubborn, he wouldn't go down for nothing for what it seemed even though he didn't have a chance in hell of beating Akkuma. Every limb was broken, he was bleeding like a stuffed pig, and the insects feasted on his flesh. Akkuma was landing some good blows but all he really needed was one strong attack to finish the crippled bastard. "ALRIGHT HE'S RIGHT WHERE YA WANT HIM! FINISH HIM OFF ALREADY!” Maru shouted towards Akkuma, knowing that probably in the next round Hoshi was going down. Of course, Shiori was already telling the man who just so happened to be the Kazekage that the demon was a problem within their village. He honestly didn't know of the man's crimes, and if he did know he'd probably would have shook the demon’s hand on a job well done.

It's a shame that she was rooting for a losing cloud villager. But now back at the topic at hand and what he had been curious about. "Really, you don't lack anything?” A plastic smile came to his face, then he reached up again. Only this time he decided to put his hand on top of her head as if he was petting her. A innocent gesture, but it'll soon take a dramatic turn…

"So you feel this, correct?” Maru said, then he began to channeling dark energy and evil will into her mind. Filling her head with random flashes that only she was able to see.

Blood spray….
Shiori melting….
Red flames….
Dead faces that came from the wall….
Eyeless children….
Hundreds of corpses….
ebony hands shooting at her...
A dolls head falling to the ground….

Then Maru finally realized her head, Shiori was still feeling the constant mental pain that the evil chakra had given her. But Maru acted as if he didn't do anything, removing his hand from her head wasn't too sure how her mind would take his darkness. "Hmn…. Guess you're more fleshy than I would have guessed. “ he gave the woman a wicked smile, then winked.

[Maru petted Shiori with Mind Ripper]

 

[Mikaboshi]

Katsuo took note of Maru as the young Leaf shinobi removed his own head and gestured with it as though it were a hat. The Kazekage was no stranger to puppet technology and perhaps that was the reason why he didn't seem surprised or perturbed by Maru's display. Shinobi were interesting people in that each and every one of them were their own list of quirks and weirdness that made them unique. Unlike Maru, Katsuo's quirks were not quite so obvious as having a modular head but he had them just the same and Shiori was familiar with more than a few of them. The last scion of two clans which could trace their lineage clearly back to before recorded history in Wind Country and heir to a dynasty once thought broken by the death of his father, Katsuo represented a threat to Shiori and her kind in that the people he was descended from were most well known for their ability and skill in destroying the supernatural. The Masashi had been one of the first clans to adopt the ways of the Ranger Order and in many ways helped define those ways as they scoured the desert putting wrong things right and of course the Sunahoshi were directly related to perhaps the closest thing to a central deific figure that Sunagakure could be said to have even if Primus had not actually been a god.

"To be honest, I don't really have a horse in this race. I just like a good fight." Katsuo responded to Maru's question about Akkuma winning. He didn't really care one way or another who won, all that mattered to him was that the fight was exciting and it was plenty exciting enough. Despite the fact that Hoshi had been pushed to the brink and beyond, he was still standing and still fighting.

Shiori, for her part, seemed to be rooting against Akkuma but that didn't surprise Katsuo. Through Mikaboshi he'd learned how much their kind despised demons and demon-kin and so it followed that Shiori would have a natural dislike towards Akkuma given that he was the patriarch of a clan of half-demons similar to the Toraono Clan. Still though, her words were heavy with criticism. Focused. This seemed less like a broad dislike of him for his heritage and more something of a personal matter. Katsuo arched his eyebrow as Shiori mentioned that Akkuma had made an attempt on the Tsuchikage's life. He hadn't known that.

"I agree with you but for now he's playing his part in the war. He'll almost certainly betray us but we lack for options right now." Katsuo remarked as he once more looked out to the battlefield. "If your intent is to swing me against him, you'll have to make a better offer than what he is currently giving us."

Those weren't words that Shiori would likely expect to hear from Katsuo. They sounded much more like Mikaboshi than the good-natured prodigal prince. He was alluding to the fact that he'd offered for her to join forces with Sunagakure and declined previously when they needed her. Together they were stronger and he still held that opinion despite the fact that she seemed determined to distance herself from humanity as a friend even after everything that had happened. As he watched the fight, Katsuo caught what Maru was saying but missed the way he reached for Shiori's head to touch her and likely wouldn't have done anything about it to begin with. Shiori was her own person and perfectly capable of looking out for herself.

 

[Michi]

She did not see the Sunahoshi bloodline in a favorable light, his line represented the end of an era. While he was not the one that slew the greatest of their kind, he shared the Sunahoshi's generational blame and the years did nothing to quell the bitterness. His very existence was a threat to her and what was hers. She felt a seething sense of hatred, the antithesis of her enduring Court. Her kind were in nothing else lawful creatures bound by natural and universal laws that had existed before these primordial creatures earned sentience. There was no law against feeling rage, sentiments are often opposed to their actions and constraints. She would stiffen, her eyes would twitch as she monitored the occasionally errant Kazekage. She did not need to view him with her eyes to see him. The thump of his heart, the swish of the fibers from his simple, casual garments. The crackle of the strands of his hair would like the rumblings of thunder as he moved and as the breeze that passed over them in this open stadium traced his form and screamed out to hear his movements. It was as if they were in the middle of a raging storm, at least from her perspective. The roar of the crowd, their screams, and shouts of encouragement for the two combatants was not an elementary task to ignore but she had learned to focus on the targets of greater interest despite the fact that the noise at these decibels would make everything seem aberrant.

Katsuo claimed that he had no favored victor, how foolish in her perspective when the known patriarch of a large Sunan demon clan was in the arena as they spoke. Well, Sunan Demon Clan was a strong distinction, she was well aware that the Demon had no blood ties to Wind Country he just chose this dessert as his roosting grounds. He should find another. Apparently, he had bound himself to the Toraono Clan, to some demon whore. Demons were agents of chaos and little more, beyond that they bred and perpetuated their repulsive kind over and over again.

"I agree with you but for now he's playing his part in the war. He'll almost certainly betray us but we lack for options right now."

"His part?" She echoed, a low guffaw escaped her lips. "A demon assisting man... and I thought that I had seen it all," sarcasm dripped from her as she watched Hoshi push past the normal limits of human endurance. "Has working with a demon ever worked out well for your kind? I cannot recall a single incident where it has. I know I have never had a dealing with a demon that has ended well." She commented with hardly a shrug.

"If your intent is to swing me against him, you'll have to make a better offer than what he is currently giving us."

"No," she shook her head. "No need." She let out a sigh, "you seem to be handling yourself well-enough it would seem." She was referring to the fact that they had been warring against the Daimyo for years now, the Daimyo did not dare attack them outright despite the fact that they had been in an over decade-long Civil War that the average citizen was unaware of. "The neighbor nations won't care, not that much at the very least, about the internal scuffles you are having with what they would see as your landlord unless he reaches out to them... even then, the world is a big place. The other Hidden Nations allied against you would be a fool's errand as they lack a vested interest beyond gold." She did not want to join with Sunagakure, it went beyond her trepidation regarding the Sunahoshi bloodline. She was getting stronger, far from her aspect of grace, but further than most of these shinobis. They do not make people like they made the first men. There were a limited number of people in Sunagakure that she felt could be a suitable challenge for her at this point, most of them she had already made an effort to bind to her kin. The Sunahoshi were once among them, a 'blessing' according to some but in truth, it was a curse more than a boon. The Sunahoshi were never meant to be seneschal of the desert, a protector against the storm. Their greatness was found in their hands, in their firsts and most of all in their determination and their blade. Katsuo had relinquished the nature gifted him, expelling with those boons the hybrid nature that had silently tainted their line.

As for turning the Kazekage against Akkuma... She had no intention. She had every intention of having her fun with the demon on her terms, not Katsuo's.

She was well aware of Wind Country politics. She had spent years at Sousuke's side. There was a time where she felt quite differently about humans. Her time in isolation had left her yearning for something, call it companionship or simply friendship, she wanted something from mankind. Sousuke had made it apparent that such was impossible. They would always assume that Ancients would wrong them so they tethered them like dogs. What Sousuke had brazenly done to Mikaboshi was a trespass that she refused to forgive. "But you must understand, my trust for your kind is quite limited. I am well aware of the arrangements made against brother Mikaboshi." Katsuo would be of course more aware than even she, after all, they shared a form for a time. The bitterness and distrust she felt towards mankind resurfaced upon Sousuke's perceived betrayal.

"Oh look at that," she pointed at Hoshi as he started to 'power up' once again. Hoshi was an impressive human specimen.

As she did so Maru would reach up and plant his hand on her head. It was a rough gesture that lacked tenderness, dexterity or perhaps finesse. What could one expect with mechanical phalanges.

"Really, you don't lack anything?”

He asked as a current would awaken something in her brain. She would know what the cheeky bastard was doing (refer to rolls below). She would let the visions run their course, knowing that what she was was untrue. The array of dark images intended to traumatize her what ... pure and virginal mind? Oh please Maru, you were not even a consideration of your great grandfather's acorns when she was ruling this desert and raging wars.


A splash of crimson would cross her line of vision.
</B>

I do not bleed.​

<i></i>

Shiori melting.
</B>

I do not melt, I crumble.​

<i></i>

Red flames.

Reminds me of my firebug.​

<i></i>

Dead faces that came from the wall.

What wall?​

<i></i>

Eyeless children.

Can they hear me?​

<i></i>

Hundreds of corpses.

Now you are just teasing me with a good meal.​

<i></i>

Ebony hands shooting at her.

Oh a first date? I am not that kind of girl.​

<i></i>

A dolls head falling to the ground.

You had to self insert somehow didn't you?​

<i></i>

She would reach up and attempt to grip Maru's wrist. <B>"Do not make dismantle you whatever you are..." she would announce with an audible tone of dissatisfaction. <B>"Being a novelty will not take you very far."

Spoiler

 

[Michi]

It has been nine days since Maru's last post, so I suppose I just storm off with my announcement that Maru is a novelty.

My OC apology if I have made you uncomfortable.

Topic Left

 

[Midori Futotta]

[O-O uhh you didn't make me uncomfortable just had a lot of posting and forgot about this one. ^^' My bad and you were fun to rp with.]