Poor Unfortunate Souls [Private - Requesting Yume]

[Mikaboshi]

[col]The hospital ward of the Omni Prime Medical Facility has been a busy place since the Cabal attacks but in a building so large there were always empty rooms someplace in the building. It was in such a room that the blackness of the room yawned wide and disgorged a mass of ashen shades along with the forms of both the felled Inuzuka Elder named Urufu and his murderer the enigmatic lord of the ANBU branch Mikaboshi. The room itself was locked with the lights off but there being a bed had been enough for Mikaboshi's needs. He didn't need the man to last long... only long enough for the person he wished to use Urufu against to arrive on the spot. The condensed shadows deposited Urufu gently onto the cot in the center of the room and Mikaboshi at the mouth of the room, still crouching as he had been when he'd invoked the transportation.

Standing to his full height, Mikaboshi considered for a moment finishing the job and taking Sanban for himself while leaving Urufu's battered corpse for Yume to find. It would be an instructive lesson for her that when you play games of information with beings like Mikaboshi it almost always tended to end with the death of someone. But to do that would be to discard the emphatic warning that Ropentaar had fought so hard to get through to him. He believed that he could simply lay hands upon Sanban and resist whatever cursed effects that it might be tempted to inflict upon him... but what if he were the one underestimating the book? If the action of operating on his own spirit had gained him anything it had been the realization that his pride was his largest weakness. Was this such a time where his pride was blinding him to a course of action that would prove to be a blunder?

It was a strange feeling. Mikaboshi had never before felt so conflicted. Indecisiveness was not a trait that he was known for as it had not been a part of who he was. The prideful lord of the Deep Court had always made his own path for good or ill and rarely was ever made to regret his actions. It was fair to say however that the actions he did regret were among some of the most important decisions he'd ever made. Resolving to execute the plan that he'd conjured while reflecting upon Ropentaar's warning, Mikaboshi turned to the door of the medical room and pushed on it, shoving past the resistance that the physical lock offered and throwing the door open before stepping out onto the busy hospital floor. Nurses ran to and fro, giving Mikaboshi a worried and wide breadth as they passed. Waiting for a moment, Mikaboshi reached out suddenly and grabbed one by the arm, pulling her close enough to shiver in his frigid presence.

"Find Sagasu Yume. Tell her that her uncle is wounded and needs her attention. Tell her now."

It seemed like, for a moment, the young nurse was considering arguing with Mikaboshi's directive but after a moment of wise reconsideration she meekly nodded her ascent to his demand and then ran off into the hospital, presumably to carry out the command that he had given. Turning, Mikaboshi returned to the darkness of the room he'd appeared in to lay in wait for Yume. He found himself excited to engage with her once more, if only to see how she responded to the game that he'd set for her to play with him.|[legend="[[b][u]OOC Notes[/u][/b]] - [[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-MY9rIltwU]SCENE BGM[/url]]"]

Mikaboshi - Sand ANBU Sennin

Time for play.

Requesting Yume.​

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[Sand Council]

Urufu
Cabal Member
Bearer of Sanban​

The broken form of Urufu entered with the Deep Court Lord. He looked closer to a corpse than a man at this point, his life draining from him but perhaps kept in a temporary stasis due to the terrible chill that emanated from the Deep Court Lord's physical form. Frost has started to form on his lips and his fingertips. He was still alive, somehow but only barely. He was far from the prime of his youth and now at this point of gradual decline, a feat in and of itself considering the fact that most men of his vocation never survive to full maturity, he was likely not going to heal on his own. The voracious tome continued to consume its fill -- the sights, the sounds, the sensations via this human proxy. Such life and thought learned and experienced in some forty years, what would an existence that spanned the centuries have to offer? The book salivated metaphorically so for a taste of the Ancient Lord.

 

[Sagasu Yume]

The nurse found Yume struggling with a patient experiencing rigours brought on by a reaction to a bad transfusion. She had almost caught an elbow to her face a few times from him and her colleagues that were helping keep him still as they layered on warm blankets. Looking over her shoulder for the nurse with the opioid to help ease the quaking she sees one enter empty handed and looking quite terrified. Too quiet for most to hear, the Inuzuka picks up on the pleading whisper of her name as the nurse calls her over. The words weren't necessary though; the look of horror was enough to cause concern for the attending physician. Passing off her position to another, she pushes dishevelled bangs from her sweat clad face and steps out of the room.

What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost.

A concerned hand reached up to touch her arm and pressed to the same spot the Darkness had. Her flesh was still icy, causing alarms to ring within the mednin's mind. She had to be wrong. Why would he be here. Placing her hand on the nurse's forearm, she confirms that the temperature on her bicep was an anomaly and rubs over it, futilely trying to bring warmth to the spot. Whimpers of noise would push out from her lips without coherency, adding the fear of being mute to the terror of failing in her mission. Attempting to sooth the woman with gentle hushes, Yume urges her to lead the way instead of trying to speak. With a nod, she turns and starts to walk away at a speed that requires Yume to jog to keep up. She had hoped the nurse had simply experienced something traumatic but as they draw closer to the point of origin, the temperature begins to drop and the vixen prepares herself for what is to come.

Stopping at the end of the hall, the orderly refuses to go any further opting instead to indicate which door with a point of her finger. The emanations from the room were enough to single it out regardless of the fact that all who passed by gave it a wide berth. Taking a moment to fix her hair and straighten her uniform, Yume holds her head high and marches forward with an air of fearlessness. Deep down she was ready to loose her stomach. Expecting him to be alone, she steps into the room with defiance, ready to ask to what she owed the pleasure of the personal visit but the sight of her uncle stopped the words. All facade was gone and she was to his side in an instant.

Ojisan! What's wrong. What happened? WHAT HAPPENED?

For a moment Yume forgot who she was talking to as her second repetition demanded answers from the wraith. Looking up from her uncle's prone form, her furrowed brow quickly smooths in fear as she ducks her head in submission. He had every right to rip out her soul for such insubordination. While no one ever confirmed Mikaboshi was other worldly to her, he matched the descriptions of monsters she had read about and had treated his prisoners with less than humane care. There was something dark about him that was both alluring and repulsive at the same time. With her gaze mostly down, only able to see him on her peripheral, she speaks again.

Many apologies, sir. Your presence surprises me. If I may, what business have you here? How may Omni Prime be of assistance to you?

There was no Sennin in their facility who could cast the ANBU head out if needed. Her words were out of process more than anything; if he wanted something he could simply take it. With hand seals to stabilize, she slowly tries to feed her chakra into her ancestor's form.

Live, Ojisan.... please live.

 

[Mikaboshi]

[col]Mikaboshi was sitting at the corner of the room, untouched by the light filtering in from the well-lit hallway. He sat quietly and waited for Yume's outburst to come to an end before speaking. Yume was understandably distraught at the sight of her brutalized uncle and the director of the ANBU simply sat unmoving while she composed herself. Under normal circumstances Mikaboshi would not have the time to indulge her emotional outburst but it could easily be said that his entire reason for having come here with the broken body of Urufu was solely for this purpose. For this reaction. For her part the young medic found herself quickly amidst the panic of discovering her uncle in such a state and addressed Mikaboshi properly as befit his station the second time that she spoke which earned her a response this time.

"Your uncle is dying." Mikaboshi stated, obvious to anyone with a proper set of eyes in their head. Curiously, he did not explain that he had been the one to cause the injuries but truly it was not a far jump in logic. "Soon he will be in a state that no medical science will be capable of saving him."

Urufu's injuries were not simply mundane cuts and bruises. The attacks that Mikaboshi had brought to bear upon the rogue Inuzuka had coursed with fel energy of the darkest sort and it likely lingered within his system and much of the damage done was not physical in nature but also spiritual. Urufu's very core being had come under assault during their battle and Mikaboshi had shown no mercy to his opponent even if by the end of it Urufu had earned his professional respect. Perhaps that was the reason the wolf man still lived. Mikaboshi still had not ascertained the reason why his sword would not allow him to slay his opponent at the end of their battle.

"So this day I have brought you two boons, should you choose to accept them." Mikaboshi explained as he sat forward, his hands clasped and fingers steepled in front of him. "The first is the opportunity to save his life. In his last moments I have brought you to his side so that you may earn the life he so carelessly gambled away back for him. It will not be easy and it will ask of you more than you have ever given before but I suspect you will not fail."

Standing from his sitting position, Mikaboshi glided to his feet and lifted his right hand causing the shadows of the room to coil and slither to life as they moved underneath Urufu's arms and pulled at the item clutched close in his grip. Even while unconscious Urufu's body refused to let go of the book -- which was within expectation given that Mikaboshi was given to understand that the artifact known only as Sanban typically took the life of anyone that dared to try and part ways with the book. Still, much as Urufu's might had not been enough to prevent Mikaboshi from laying him out on the floor, it would not be enough to prevent the sennin from taking the book off of Urufu's person... but as he did he was careful not to touch it. At this point... he had other plans for the book.

"The second boon I have to offer is the means to save his life. You recognize this book, do you not?"

Many in Sunagakure would not recognize it but to anyone who studied history or, as was the case for Mikaboshi, lived through that very history the sight of Sanban was unmistakable. It was a tome of great power but also of terrifying maliciousness. A spiritual parasite which drew in the unwary using their thirst for knowledge and then clung to them by keeping the things which they wanted right outside their reach. In his hubris Mikaboshi had thought himself beyond the predations of the book but if anything Ropentaar's hesitation to slay Urufu and allow him to claim the book had given him pause just long enough to realize that he was playing into the book's game just as so many had done before in the past. He was diistkin certainly and that made him superior to humanity but it had been an artifact just like Sanban which had obliterated his brothers Fuujin and Homura not only physically but so utterly destroyed them as to tear them from the very rhythm of the natural order.

The mistake he had been about to make had been the same one that Fuujin and Homura had made. They'd believed that a single human and an artifact could not spell the end for them and their superiority and that had been their downfall. Mikaboshi had no intention of repeating that mistake.|[legend="[[b][u]OOC Notes[/u][/b]] - [[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3AuawbnJ_E]SCENE BGM[/url]]"]

Mikaboshi - Sand ANBU Sennin

 

TRYING SOME NEW CODING YAYCommentaryWORDS WORDS WORDSActionsMORE WORDS WORDS WORDSMini-Profile X

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[Sand Council]

OC: Just realized that one might expect a word from Urufu's perspective. Did not intend to post until he was directly referred to because he is KO'd. But in any case, I will give you guys something. Please skip me in the post order because I am unconscious until I have been revived or killed. Skype is the best way to do this, I very rarely look in my PM box and would hate to leave anyone waiting.

Urufu
Cabal Member
Bearer of Sanban​

His status was essentially unchaged after the seconds that passed before Yume got the messaged and hurried to the former Cabal member's side. YHe was badly beating, his brow was covered in a cold sweat. This breaths were ragged and shallow. His expression was one of pain but he was unconscious so it could only be hoped that he was not presently experiencing the anguish that put him in this state. Mikaboshi had defeated him summarily, his claws could barely scratch the Dark Sennin's form as he dangerously glided about their public battle arena. His final moments would be the chill that froze his sluggishly bleeding wounds and the pain of his wrecked body as he struggled to survive. His greatest and longest ally had betrayed him and was calling to another. Yet he was alive still, the massive and antediluvian book tethered to him for the rest of his existence. He would not be alive, however, much longer. His pulse was thready and weak and his flesh resembled a pale sheet rather than tanned leather. His wounds were fresh, some bleeding still but many of his injuries were internal. This was the form of a man literally beaten to death.

 

[Sagasu Yume]

While the presence of Mikaboshi brought danger, it took a surprising amount of willpower not to remark on the obviousness of his statement. She knew her uncle was dying. Her questions was what had happened. With wary eyes, she gives him her focus for a moment as he takes on a business stance. Glancing back down, she continues to give what aid she can without knowing the full extent of his injuries. As he stands, she does what only a fool would do.

Please, Mikaboshi-sama. What are the nature of his injuries? I have seen him survive worse than what is visible.

She expected her plea to be ignored by the monster in front of her but she had to try; all lives, even those gambled on, were sacred to her. She listened intently while threads of chakra wound into Urufu's body, seeking damages and trying to heal what she could. With a word, her attention was drawn to the book. Sanban. Of course she remembered it. They spoke, quite literally.

Yes. I am acquainted with that book. Oji-san let me read from it when he met me in Keystone Prime. It holds the darkness that my book of secrets from Al-Haqqish cannot.

She was careful not to tell him more than that. She couldn't understand why it was imperative to keep it a secret that Sanban had tasted her blood but it held in her throat and she couldn't bear to speak it. It didn't hold her quite the same as it had while she was mad, likely due to her desire to keep uncle alive keeping her from being obsessive. It was in the back of her mind but the will to have Urufu live was the greater goal at the moment. Wracking her brain, she considers using a jutsu with a little more kick but only ended up chewing a layer off her lip. She vehemently opposed the use of strong jutsu for the sake of a speedy recovery versus a healthy one. Despite her mouth being dry from stress, she swallows hard.

I make no promise to do as you ask but I am willing to hear the stipulations to saving my Uncle and the role Sanban plays in it.

This was her second time bargaining with the devil. By now she thought she would have known better.

 

[Mikaboshi]

[col]"The only stipulation is that you succeed." Stated Mikaboshi plainly, Sanban presented before him wrapped in tendrils of living shadow as the chain which bound the book to Urufu rattled in the air. "The role that Sanban plays is both prize and tribulation. Your uncle lay before you because he and I came to blows over it's stewardship. As he is the one laid out, it is clear to see who the victor and thus rightful owner of the book is."

Mikaboshi used no colorful innuendo or playful language to describe how he had brutalized Urufu. There was no other way to say it. They battled for the purpose of finding out which of them was the more worthy to be the one who carried Sanban and Mikaboshi had won.

"Soon I will sever Sanban from Urufu and he will die shortly thereafter." Again Mikaboshi's words held no double meaning. He intended to do just that regardless of what Yume chose to do. "That is the reality of things regardless of how you choose. But as you know, I am a generous creature and as such I am willing to loan you ownership of it on the condition that you use it first to save your uncle's life."

It was a strange offer. What did Mikaboshi possibly stand to gain by loaning ownership of such a powerful item to Yume so that she could use it to revive an enemy he had just defeated? What she could not possibly guess was the fact that Mikaboshi was no longer playing for the side of Sunagakure. Where once the dark one had held the protection of Sousuke and Sunagakure as first among his priorities due to the nature of the pact he'd entered into with the Steward, he now was playing the game for the opposite side and this was a move intended singularly to put strain on Sousuke. Sanban and Mikaboshi were alike in the most basic of senses that they both hungered for spirit energy to survive but the primary difference between them was the nature of their hunger. Mikaboshi was a proud predator that hunted and killed his prey in a rush of battle. Sanban however was a parasite that consumed it's host slowly and painfully as they attempted to access it's knowledge, often times to no success on their part if they lacked the power or cunning to wrestle what they wanted from the artifact which chewed on them from the inside out.

By giving the book to Yume he would ensure that she would die, eventually. If the legends were to be believed, that was. But at the same time, Mikaboshi knew that Yume had to at least be casually aware of the book's danger if Urufu had taught her of it which meant he would require a piece of bait so juicy that she would not be able to pass it up even for the danger that bonding with Sanban represented. No matter what she chose, Urufu would be plunged into even further mortal peril but if she chose to accept the damnation that Mikaboshi offered her then she would at least have an opportunity to save his life. If she declined then she would condemn her uncle to his death by consumption at the hands of Sanban. A true devil's bargin, if ever there was one. Within the darkness of the hospital room, Mikaboshi's eyes flashed a sickly green for a moment beneath the gold shimmer and the shadows that tangled around Sanban writhed before lashing out and rending asunder the chains that were attached to the book, making good on their master's statement that he would soon separate the book from it's host. He expected that the book would attempt to prevent itself from being taken from Urufu's possession by some means but the coiling appendages and mouthing teeth of Mikaboshi's shadowy aura were more than ready to oppose it.

"Now, choose."|[legend="[[b][u]OOC Notes[/u][/b]] - [[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3AuawbnJ_E]SCENE BGM[/url]]"]

Mikaboshi - Sand ANBU Sennin

 

TRYING SOME NEW CODING YAYCommentaryWORDS WORDS WORDSActionsMORE WORDS WORDS WORDSMini-Profile X

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[Sand Council]

Urufu
Cabal Member
Bearer of Sanban​

He was deteriorating slowly, his life was dripping away. His brow was drenched in a cold sweat. There were brief periods of apnea now as he started to Cheyne–Stoke. The creases in his face seemed deep, his expression contorted with his brow furrowed and his mouth down-turned and agape. Yet he was alive still but just barely, the massive antediluvian book was still tethered to him for the rest of his life. He would not be alive, however, much longer. His pulse was thready and weak and his flesh resembled a pale sheet rather than tanned leather. His wounds were fresh, some bleeding still but many of his injuries were internal. The book started to laugh, it was a low undulating sound that seemed to reverberate through the small space. The time was nigh, soon Urufu's end would come and another would become his host.

 

[Sagasu Yume]

It wasn't wise for Yume to give away that she knew more about the book than she claimed but at this point wise was not something that mattered. She was deeper into deal with Mikaboshi than any sane person would be. It infuriated her that he spoke of Sanban with such irreverence. Her voice was low but her displeasure could be heard in every deliberate word. Only Sanban chooses who Sanban serves. It will likely choose the most powerful, such as yourself, as it furthers its end but you cannot take claim on it. I have seen what happens to those who try and interfere. It's not pretty. The image of the eviscerated nurse in the ER when her uncle was first admitted many months ago was acid etched into her mind and she doubted very much that even one as powerful as the ANBU Sennin was exempt from that wrath. Have you asked Sanban who it desires its master to be?

The threat wasn't lost on the woman who was becoming too familiar with the shadow for her liking. The offer was everything she had desired from the moment she had met Urufu and Sanban in Keystone Prime. She licked her lips instinctively as her gaze settling on the tome. Ludicrous thoughts of striking a deal with Sanban to keep the book for herself crossed her mind but ultimately she understood the consequence of that action. If Urufu had fared so terribly then she didn't stand a chance in a head to head with the wraith. Sanban was a complete version of her book of shadows she so lovingly studied and she was aware of a partial life swap technique that could help save her Uncle. She could drain part of her life into him and take on his wounds but it came with a price; She wouldn't get the life back. The wrestling continued for what felt like an eternity with the Mednin's mind. Looking down lovingly at the broken man, she brushes his mane with her fingers before leaning down and kissing his forehead. His skin was cold, his flesh sticky with sweat as shock was setting in. She could heal him on her own but that was not a choice that had been given to her. I will, on a couple of conditions. Without the book, Urufu is powerless. He is no longer a threat to you, he never was. Let him live and he will be my responsibility. The second condition is that I may have the opportunity to speak to Sanban first.

Her free hand reached out to touch the book and trace it's cover while her mind was already attempting to communicate with the sentient item. Sanban. The Third. I petition you to speak with me.

 

[Sand Council]

I assume Mikaboshi has forgotten this thread because it has been over a month since it was his turn last. So... BUMP.

 

[Sand Council]

OC: Not much for me to say but it has been a long time guys.

IC:

Urufu
Cabal Member
Bearer of Sanban​

Urufu's breathing became ragged, just stifled gasps for air. Unconscious and failing... dying. While they bartered and conversed, he continued to deteriorate. Time was not on their side and while only moments had passed, it seemed like months in limbo.

The book called out, it agreed with Yume's wise assessment. "This vessel is spent, it is the Deep Lord is the object of intent." The book sounded jovial, there would be no mourning the passing of his previous host. It was time for the parasite to move on.