Phantom

[Kari]

Sleep. That's what she had done. A hibernative state that she had absolutely no need for, yet underwent anyways. Something of a desperate last attempt at waiting for Kazuhiko to return to his own home -- how long had it been? A month now? Longer? She had slept in durations nearing a week each, each time finding the house desolate. She did nothing to maintain it: dust was becoming visible upon some surfaces, the whole building was dark with the lights off on the upper floors. The only power Kari was confident was still live was that within the basement: Kazuhiko's personal medical lab and the resting place of Isaki Karurosu, the boy who killed a nation.

Kari had given up on the notion of revenge against the Isaki; Karurosu had not. She had set her mind weeks before that she would reclaim the body were Kazuhiko to not return; as apparent as it was growing, she had no choice. A letter had been sent to the hospital, more like than not, she'd be stopped and jailed. Possibly killed given blatant announcement of attempt of reviving someone. She hadn't given the name of who, but she had stated where. It was a reckless move, to be sure; in retrospect, she ought to have been more nervous about the entire situation. She hadn't anything to gain beyond becoming a criminal -- wasn't she already though? That she took upon a false identity for a hidden village she didn't belong? -- and had the entire life that had been built for her to lose.

Nerves steeled, she walked down the unlit stairs, only the sound of the evening rain with her now.

WC: 277​

 

[Keigo Oen]

</FONTFACE><FONTFACE fontface="sans-serif">The rain was quiet. . . as quiet as rain could be. Though to the outside mind it was ever loud. Tamashii followed the chakra of this letter that he held in his hand. . .after his lovely night with the children of the ward in the hospital. He read them stories and gave them candy. . . until he met this one charming little girl. He favored her, and once she fell asleep, he. . . tucked her in before leaving. . . Did you expect something else? You nasty person, its not like he did things and mutilated their bodies before defiling them. . . THEN turned time back to before he did that and did the right thing. He could get his fill anytime he wanted. . . it was bad. He was getting increasingly worse with this, but the voices. . . They grew louder.

'You want to find who made this letter~ You want to do things~ Kiss that child~ Cut her head off~'
'Inugami Emirii~ Find her~ You must~ Taste her ski-. . . Who is that~?',

Then from behind the mask spiraled to natural eye much like the Former Medical Sennin of Mist used to do. In almost, if not directly the same fashion. Tamashii would be looking from afar, at the young delicate lady that seemed to be connected to this letter. He could feel it in his loins. Maybe that was something else but then again, everything was in his loins. So before she'd see him he'd shift to a position high above her. . . watching her. . . licking his lips. 'Taste her~ She doesnt want it~ she'd never expect it~ Taste her for my glory~', Tamashii could hear the ringing in his ear, smirking to himself he'd flash to the bottom of the stairs before he'd put a hand out to her shoulder, appearing to her right side, "Hmph. . . seems I found whom I was looking for~" smirking a bit more behind the mask he'd lean in. . . before giving alittle chuckle, "Kekekekeke~", alittle bit of Koroki's laughter getting out for a moment. But it wasnt too much to say. . .

This was going to be QUITE fun tonight~

". . .Hello Karurosu~", and Koroki had taken control for the moment revealing this outwardly to the girl.

 

[Kari]

Perhaps she had wanted to be stopped; why else would she have left a letter? At the hospital, no less; it was an obvious place shinobi went. It was guaranteed that, at the very least, medical shinobi would go there, which meant Hissori or Kazuhiko might've found it. Hours had passed since she gave the letter and still nothing; they weren't coming.

It was a short moment from where she was until she reached the corpse: where Karurosu had been kept this entire time. The skin was dry; areas that had been cut and bruised prior to his death were the focal points of decay: deep red and black matter, specks of grey -- presumably mold or some dust, not that it mattered. No doubt there was some stench that lingered in the air now that the body wasn't confined; perhaps that was the one good thing about this body, that she wouldn't have to suffer those smells. His body faced upwards, from the neck downwards covered by a white sheet. His eyes were missing and no effort to cover them with the still in-tact eyelids; was any effort made to not mistreat the body?

It was unwearable, but still usable. She only needed the husk to make the Isaki corpse a puppet.

There was a noise: behind her; on the stairs, he stood. A masked man, one of the the local ANBU, no doubt; the fact that only a single unit was dispatched to handle what was a threat of terrorism, by any definition, was strange. Did they not care? Was their trust in this single unit that great? It wasn't him appearing that surprised her: it was what he said.

There was no way he could have known who she really was; the closest thing to it would be recognition of the corpse ahead of him and behind her; perhaps Kazuhiko had told him. Her body was organic; there was no semblance of chakra between her and the corpse; there was nothing to link the two together. There were no obvious clues. But how?

She stared at the masked man: black and within the shadow. There wasn't much that she could make out of him. Kari let silence fill the room. No answer. No movement. No breath. She studied what she could of the man. It was a standoff of sorts; she was waiting for any kind of hostile reaction from the man. She was familiar with how ANBU, at least of Mist, acted; they worked fast, doing what they could to disable their target before any agent was endangered. They used lies, some more obvious than others, to hide what they knew.

"I was wondering when someone would come," she'd finally start, though not turning her back to the ANBU yet. "Tak poznáte mrtvolu," she continued in the man's language, "kion vi faros pri ĝi?" She knew both languages well enough to mix the phrases. If this man knew who Karurosu was, he was either from the islands, or was educated by someone who was; the short-lived medical sennin didn't have much achievements to his name that he'd be well known by non-medical professionals of other countries.

"I'm rather disappointed there's only one of you. I thought your kind didn't take kindly to necromancy and the likes?" she grinned. "Are you okay with threats like these?" Light blue tethers made themselves visible from the girl's left hand, slowly growing in length, stopping after roughly a foot and attaching themselves to nothing yet.

"Tak mi řekni, kiu vi estas?" Who are you?

 

[Keigo Oen]

</FONTFACE><FONTFACE fontface="sans-serif">Chuckling a bit, it seemed he'd taken he by storm but it was something he was quite used to. . . Koroki that is. There was definitely something to be said about this that changed from day to day his mood, his ideals, all being placed on the hot seat. Nothing subject to stay as it was, everything questioned and tilted to one way or another. This evening, would be no different, well that is to say a person could possibly predict a thing Koroki, The voice, or Tamashii would do at this point. They were vastly unpredictable. . . something was going on within this body and he didnt quite know what it could be just yet but there were glyphs along the skin now that tainted the body to the wills and testaments of Jashinism. . . which could be a turn around the corner. . .

"I havent come yet Karurosu. . . but, I assume I will be before the night is over.", chuckling in that voice again he'd hold tightly to the girl before responding in their language. . . maybe this would throw her foe a loop. "Mi estas kiu vi kredas ke mi estas. . . Mi estas koŝmaro~", nodding he'd smirk at the idea that it was going to be very interesting as he'd now appear with her at the next to the body that she was looking to revive. The lightblue tethers didnt matter to the man, he was crazy beyond belief, "If you're going to kill me. . . Do it. It'll get my body ready to ravage this little cute body of your's. . .", and with that he'd smile from behind the mask.

"My name is. . . Nokugara Koroki, former Medical Sennin of Kirigakure, the one who gave you your job. . .", nodding he'd begin to try and push the 'girl' back against a near wall, maybe he could get something out of this. . . soon, his body was shivering for a fix, and maybe this would be everything he wanted. . . everything he desired. . . then again. . . it would be everything he demanded and thought he'd have. Damn right, it was his Jashin given right to ravage anyone he wanted. Had he not sacrificed enough to the great lord below? Maybe not. . . but he'd be damn sure he'd take this piece of ass.

 

[Kari]

He hadn't com-- what? The hell was that supposed to mean? She gave no response. Whoever -- no, this couldn't be a person -- whatever this thing was, she had to be careful. He answered in Mizugo. It was then that it hit her...

No.

Just no. She couldn't accept what he was saying; there wasn't any way it could have been him: he had died! Him, along with all the others of Mist died between the monsters and the freeze! She had seen the limited few who managed to make it out; she had seen the many who had failed and were frozen in their resting places; she had seen the anguish and pain left on their face after they died. So few had survived that, not even Karurosu had. There wasn't any way!

Nokugara Koroki? There was no way; regardless that he vanished amidst the battle against those creatures; regardless that there was a large enough window for him to escape before the freeze; regardless that the man had seemed damn near immortal while he was on the isles. She was frozen there; though she couldn't show fear without actively attempting to do so, it was there nevertheless. With whatever this thing was, there was no doubt it knew; Koroki seemed to thrive on it.

It was trying to provoke her. Forcing herself into a dangerous situation, whatever it was. As long as she kept what she could do from being obvious, it seemed it wasn't going to make the first move, not yet, anyways.

Despite knowledge of the dead language and the obvious knowledge it had, she couldn't accept it. She couldn't believe that it was the former Sennin. There was so much danger with that man; she didn't want to believe it was him -- how would he have found her? How could he even know with this form?!

"Vi mensogas. Kio estas vi?" she'd ask, hiding her composure behind the aggressive stance she was maintaining towards the shade of the former medical Sennin. "Kial vi estas ĉi tie? Kion vi volas?"

She hadn't even noticed the changed voices. There was too much else to consider.

 

[Keigo Oen]

</FONTFACE><FONTFACE fontface="sans-serif">"Karurosu. . . Just deal with it. Believe in it. I am Koroki. Your former Sennin. I am. . . Immortal. Omnipresent. . . and I came for you. I want you. Always have, and I will now take what is mine, whether you are alive or dead. Male or female. Hiding or in the open. You have always been marked. . . and you will now begin the ample motions of submission to me. . . and to our lord Jashin.", his tone growing cold and dark, his hold giving a shiver to the touch. Though he was within Tamashii's body, he was still who he said he was. Though Tamashii's body type and Koroki's were similar there was a difference. Tamashii was physically stronger than Koroki was, but Koroki could push his body to a limit that went further through death and back. Now adding both of those factors together, to be able to ignore death as you wished. . . would make Tamashii one of the strongest beings in Stone, to think of.

"I am your future. . . as well as your past. . . Submit, and I'll make it worth your while. . .", tugging at Karurosu's clothing and pressing his body closer into the 'female' he would wonder how things would transpire. If she'd resist... things would get vastly interesting with how the power of the mind could take hold of anyone. . . Tamashii's forte. Genjutsu, to submit was to literally break the will of another unto your means. To bend. . . and ultimately break their will, was something that Tamashii had long since wanted to do. Jashin found favor over this and Koroki was the guide to the promise land.

"I am also. . . The Strider. . . Able to control time at my own whim. . .", or so he'd like to think, "Yumoto Tamashii if you want to know the true identity of the man that will be taking full advantage of this fine body that I have stumbled upon. Listen to me. . . and I make this clear, You have only one choice. Submit. And it will happen one of two ways. . . I can force you. . . or you do things willingly. . . though, the end will be in my favor. . .", nodding he would chuckle a bit behind the mask gripping tighter unto Kari. . . wanting something delicious. . . like a bagel. . . yup. Bagels had holes. Giggity. Kari Bagels~

 

[Kari]

She could do nothing but glare in defiance; he was trying to scare her, weaken her psyche, or something along those lines. Strange as he was back in Kirigakure, he wasn't some sociopathic nymphomaniac. If he wanted to fuck every hole in sight, he had more than enough time back on the islands; he hadn't any interest in the Isaki then. Hell, he had only interacted the man perhaps thrice before he appointed Karu to be Sennin.

"The hell is all of that supposed to mean?" she spat back. "Submit to you and you'll make it worth my while? If you're as omnipotent as you're saying you are, Koroki, you'd know I'm dead." She finally said it; she knew what she was. Her corpse was behind her, even; she was going to reanimate it after this, but as a weapon, not something she could wear. Karurosu was dead; Kari was the thing Kazuhiko brought into this world. "If you want some fuck toy of the boy you're oh so infatuated with," she exaggerated the "oh so" in some sing-songy taunt, "take him. The body honestly means nothing to me, anymore." A lie, but it if would get rid of whatever the hell this thing was, it was a price she could accept.

He stepped out of that shadow; he approached her. He wore a skintight form which covered his entire body; there was nothing that could be used to identify who he really was. What he really was. He grabbed at Kari's shirt; she didn't stop it. "Tamashii?" So then he wasn't immortal; he was hinging onto this man's form.

"So this is how you would stop me from making a puppet out of that boy you seem to love?" She couldn't feel; this body wasn't her own, but she wouldn't make that known. "Rape?"

 

[Keigo Oen]

</FONTFACE><FONTFACE fontface="sans-serif">Defiance was such a silly thing, there were many things to consider regarding the defiance of a child. An adult. And various other things. If things didnt end up being a particular way then the ritual would not be complete, "I am that I am, and I am someone who is present within us all to a degree. The side of you that denies the truth but knows the morbidity of your values. The reason you inhabit a female body is the same I inhabit anything I want. Within the mind you are one with insanity, but it is up to a fool to deny their own sense of it.", brushing his hand across the crimson hair he looked down upon he'd roll his shoulders and step back looking at the body.

"You offer me something you were wanting to raise as a puppet for your own want. You want to raise your own body yet you so easily give it up to me? Something's fishy~ and its not between your legs.", crossing his arms he'd shake a bit. This was getting a bit aggravating. Oh wells, he'd lean against a post close by and would await before speaking once again, "Tamashii is a nice young man. He'd take you out to dinners, and date you. Make you feel special. Though Jashin has him now, and with every passing moment he will slowly dive into the cesspool that is his own inner wants and desires. What he wants to do to you. Knowing who you are. . . not carinfg, its quite endearing.", nodding once more. It did not concern him if it was rape or consensual.

"I am simply implying that you have no way out. . . if anyone got ahold of your information, the letter, the disguise you are using, knowing that you are under a false persona. . . but I am that I am. And I am within Tamashii, who has a life and the inner workings of this village to a point of authority. You wouldnt believe how much power a man has. . . how much they could control.", another snicker before huffing outwardly, it was very silent aside from the ever present rain but there was still alot more to dig into. Karurosu needed to be broken in. Hard. Koroki would do such a thing. And it was well within a point to prove that he'd do anything in his power to have his way. . . then again this was for Jashin's liking.

So who was to say that Koroki too wasnt being a puppet against his will. . . he did want love at one point in his life. . . where did that go? No one knows.

[MFT]

 

[Kari]

Again, a pointless vague comment from the thing -- claiming itself to be a concept, it was almost laughable; perhaps it would have been, had it not shown itself to have knowledge of what Kari was -- annoying. Insane? hardly; she was very much in control of her mind. She wasn't suffering from whatever it was that this Tamashii was that allowed for...whatever the hell had happened between him and Koroki, if that was even true.

"I hadn't a choice in this body; the man who found me outside of the gates chose this one rather than let me die," she gave the honest answer. Kari had come to adapt to it; the thought of being the dimensions of Karu were ghosts in her mind, she found she couldn't even remember exactly how it felt any longer. "Frankly, I'd rather be alive -- as alive as I am -- so I'm not bothered by the form."

He retorted the offer for the corpse and removed himself from the girl, no doubt some smug grin behind that mask. "Its a tool, nothing more; if you're really you, perhaps you'd have something more...interesting to do with it." She didn't know about what this Jashin bestowed as far as power went beyond that strange ability to heal via blood as Koroki had done for Karu some ten years ago. "Socializing and dates are the least of my concern," was the only thing she could conclude to respond with.

"Information? Disguise? You think you're in a better position than myself? To my understanding, these people don't take kindly to possession either," she grinned. It was but a matter of taking a snapshot -- so easy, so simple. It wasn't her word against his; her word didn't matter. She could easily leave this place, and she might. "You took the letter? Shame, I was hoping for something a bit more. No matter, I couldn't care less how much power this boy you have has."

"Kiel facile estus montri al la mondo ke li kaj la resto de la vilaĝo mortigitaj Karu. What's stronger with your boy's inner wants and desires," Kari turned a full 360, glancing slowly around the room, "your influences or protecting his village, hmm?"

 

[Keigo Oen]

It was just too easy. She was giving him the information he dared her to give, it was like she was an open book and nothing could be done to stop him from turning her pages. Though something stung him a bit. He hadnt felt this angry in quite some time. Clenching his fist as she spoke, and her tone and retort sending him into a spiraling hatred, his visible eye flashing red with rage for the moment and suddenly he would fins his hand reaching to the girl's neck. He wanted her to feel pain. To know the anguish of her words into a physical form.

"Heed my words kindly, I shall not say it again. I -will- kill you. Take your life and their will not even be ashes to remember you by. So it would behoove you to not question the admirable authority that stands before you.", even if his hands were not around her neck he'd be saying these words. Even then he'd be tugging at her clothing, wanting nothing more than to take away everything that made her who she was. . . Karurosu. . . How dare you, for this shall be a defilement upon your house and home. "
Kiel facile estus, por min pereigi ajnan evidenteco ke vi iam ekzistis por komenci kun. . . kaj ne ĉi tiu korpo, mi volas diri Karu aj jaroj.", he spoke with such vile venom, though now there was something crawling up the wall behind Kari. . . a small black widow.

". . .I do apologize, I am in control miss, but I want you. My desire is your body. . . and maybe more, so could you oblige. . just one night?", Tamashii swooning outwards, he was in control for now, and Koroki's chakra presence pulled back to change strategies.

 

[Kari]

Finally, a reaction out of him. Anger and frustration and the related feelings showed themselves finally from the masked man; the tone of his voice, the twitch from his arms -- he was wanting to do something, he was restraining himself. Why, though? Was she not instigating well enough for him? It was curious.

His threat? Entirely laughable; a kiddish giggle emanated from the puppet girl. "Whose authority is that, I wonder," the body's, or the spirit's. Supposedly, if Koroki -- whatever was left of him -- was to be believed, the man had power and was an authority in the village; what that meant, she wasn't entirely sure. Given him being here, he was no doubt a shinobi; perhaps some councilman? Sennin or lieutenant leader?

"Might have in the past, look how well it worked out for the most recent attempts," Kari lifted her arms to make an example of herself, "killing me is a bit harder than it seems. Besides, like I said, I'm already dead, or as dead as I intend to become; I'm a bit like you in that regard, I'll give you that much," her arms fell; the strings of chakra from her fingers were still slowly growing.

"Kiamaniere senmorteco sen via propra formo?" she smirked before Tamashii's swoon. Tone change was instantly noticeable; he was trying for a more subtle approach: Kari would buy into it for now. She was curious about what her former teacher could even do. Perhaps there was more than one puppet master here.

"Control, hmm? Just what does that mean?" If this man did have some level of control over himself, it still wasn't completely him: he was falling into Koroki's habits and apparent desires, at the top of that list being herself. "Sex? Find a crack in one of your rocks and have at it; I'd be no different." How much would it take to get a reaction out of this one? What would Tamashii do?

 

[Keigo Oen]

A pause, he didnt know where he wanted this to go anymore because of what was just said nothing else seemed relevant anymore, "Are you implying that you're rough to have sex with?", he didnt quite get it. Was she not moist at all? Not that it mattered there were natural moisturizers that he could use to get the business done but it still seemed quite odd that he'd say that about himself. Sitting down with his back to the stairs he'd just look at Karurosu.

"I dont get it... You're a cute girl... do you not want relations at all with anything? Or is that why you're trying to revive your decrepit old body to a point where you could potentially re-inhabit it? Are you missing home? Or have you not yet been acquainted to a female body. Then again there could be something else you--are not saying. Do tell Miss. . .Karu?", he'd not respond to her snarky retorts right now. It'd play into her hand. . . though he was still internally very angry there were many faces to this deviant of many different arts and crafts.

It just depended upon the style he wished to pick up on any given day. . .