Psycho Fruit [Open]

[Toraono Michino]

He was ignoring it or at least trying to. There was a continuing little thump in the back of his mind ticking yet another darker opinion as he looked around the Bazaar. The small teenager was only here to look for a very common fruit and yet the task was turning into one of unprecedented difficulty. 

The morning started out well enough, as any day he didn't start screaming in terror was a success in itself. That problem had gotten to a point that he was starting to be sequestered to the part of the dojo used for training. A small storage room had been transformed by fitting a cot and a clothes rack inside of it but even still he had heard some whispered complaints. Yet this morning he had awoken to simple natural light drifting through the small window closer to his room's ceiling. It was a weekend day so the training that normally woke him was replaced with forgiving silence. Throwing off the covers the teenager rolled out of the bed, went through the morning routine, and stepped outside to the cool warmth of the early desert morning. It was during that time of silence that roared through him for the first time in what felt like years that one of his smaller cousins bounded up to him asking for a certain fruit in the market. Without thinking of his own stomach the Toraono gladly accepted and strolled into town. He was always most gracious of his own family for accepting him despite his weaknesses and at least strived to repay that wherever he could. Feeding a fellow child so that they may grow stronger than he seemed a noble goal.
Yet here he was in the market now, surrounded by the voices and faces of too many strangers, losing his mind over a citrus fruit. 
Michino's eyes darted from one face to the next, the dark thoughts slowly starting to rise to a boil. Stress sweat was beading up on his forehead. It wouldn't be much longer before it would start to show up. Desperately he slid through the crowds looking for the spherical orange colored fruit when someone shouldered past him harder than was really needed. The motion spilled over the darkness and his arm was reaching up to grab the man who bumped him before he could stop himself.
"Hey!" his lips said without a command, "Walk with a more respect why don't you?"
This guy was already in a sour mood over something. To have a kid half his age grab his shoulder in such a familiar manner and insult his timetables brought some red to his face. Bringing an arm he swatted away Michi's hand and rose his voice just over the bustle of the crowd,
"Touch me again and you'll be spending your damn money on hospital bills." The message was quick, commanding, and power resonated from his voice. This man was a shinobi who was probably late getting started on his mission, and while it was not usual for the Suna ninja to fight each other this guy was clearly in no mood. Immediatly the kid switched additudes and bowed to his elder in apology

"I am so sorry, I have no idea what came over me!" You are so weak.
"It's fine...fine. Just don't let it happen again, you have no idea what someone is going through when you decide to throw testosterone around." You have no clue what I go through.
"Shut up," Michino said to the annoyance in his head. There was no trying to talk to it without using his own voice; otherwise he'd be dealing with a splitting migraine.
"The hell did you just say," spoke the large man whom had not yet left. Michino tried looked up apologetically but it was already too late. A heavy fist crashed into his face. Pain flared to his lips and blood flew into the air with the body it belonged to. As his feet lifted from the blow everything seemed like it was moving in slow motion. The teen looked down past his pain to see that the other side already had a hand darting towards the pocket knife he carried on his right. he had long since stopped carrying regular weapons for this very reason. At least with the pocket knife it had to be unfolded first.
With a sheer force of will he froze that arm. Time seemed to revert back to normal as he stumbled back into some trash plus their overfilled cans in an ally. He had hoped the adult would be happy with just teaching a simple lesson, but unfortunately as he raised his head up to look down he saw the man advancing.
"Late. I'm going to be late again because you had to grab me. Ungrateful little brats, do you even have any idea how much we shinobi go through to make sure your not being eaten by cannibals and wurms? This is going to dock my pay, again. How am I supposed to explain this to my wife?!"
The man seemed as if he was going to walk by him but Michino felt thick fingers in his hair and suddenly he was being lifted and tossed. 
Let me kill him. Just real fast I promise this time, fast.
"No," he hoarsely whispered as the air was knocked from him. The man continued advancing with the obvious look of someone who didn't know when to stop. 

It reminded Michino of that part of himself.

"No matter what happens, you're not allowed to hurt him. I won't let it happen again." His right arm began to shake, a movement that followed painfully up into his body to where it was starting to jolt. The other side was trying to force a seizer, he could feel it rising up through his body like the urge to vomit. If he did seize up and out it would be cake for the it to take over and then there was no telling what would happen to not just this man but anyone else in the market. The darkness was starting to frame the corners of his vision and he strained to watch the violent adult continuing his advance.
All the care he had taken to hide his condition from his friends, family, and job...and it was all about to be undone by a simple movement while on a quest for fruit. Yet fortunately for Michino he was nothing if not lucky. Despite having a mental condition that was actively trying to force the control of his body to be split between two egos, when he really needed something to work out it often did. Two Chunnin level shinobi appeared in the air above the violent adult; one spun and threw a kick into the side of his head while the other darted past to check on the whooped teenager.

"Oh damn, that was almost bad. Hey Gegetsu how is the kid?"
The darkness was almost complete when he felt hands forcing his mouth open and something bitter under his tongue. Instantly light flared back into his conscious mind and he sat up with a start. The shakes and twitches were calming down and he started to get his breathing under control again.
"Fine now, prevented a seizer looks like. You take care of jack-ass back there, I'll handle him."
An hour later and Michino was walking out of the Obsidan Palace's entrance having done a full report. It was about three hours almost since he was tasked to go get some fruit. Sure that the kid had well eaten breakfast and gotten into their day the Toraono decided to go back home and start of his training for the day since the dojo would be empty. His stomach began to growl again, pangs of hunger smacking his insides around as he began the long track back home.

[Topic Entered]

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Sharingan Kuro had noted Michino's chakra fluctuations when he was much younger. According to reports they were becoming more and more frequent. Perhaps it was time to help his young cousin find a better grasp upon his mind and by extension his body. Michino was a bit of a mystery as far as the main bloodline was concerned as no one could confirm whom his father was due to the nature of his birth and his mother's passing. With Brother Kazuki around they could ask the dead a question if Michino was willing to allow it. Kuro knew he could perform psychic surgery as well but that was always a danger when dealing with demon blooded. It was certain that he did carry dark blood but whether it was from his mother or his father was the main question. Considering so many options was always a considerable weight on his shoulders but it was a weight he gladly bared for his family and above all else Michino was family.

"Young lord, I have read some upsetting reports about your medical condition and some run ins. Before I act as an elder and a concerned family member I would like to know what you would like to do. Better yet what is going on with you? I have had some extensive issues myself and serious growing pains that only those of demon blood might endure. Are you able to TALK about it?or would you prefer to speak mind to mind?"

Kuro knew better than to throw his weight around, it had not turned out as expected for his baby brother Sousuke so he would not act heavy handed with Michino.
Sharingan Kuro stood at six feet, two inches, weighing in at two hundred and sixty pounds. Sharingan Kuro’s silver gray hair hung in a normal pony tail to the middle of his back. With a twenty one inch neck Kuro’s hair couldn’t conceal very much even as it cascaded to the center of his upper back. Violet eyes with gold slits peered from a chocolate brow with large ebony horns growing from where a normal man’s temples would be. He wore a reinforced leather stupport belt around his thirty six inch waist. The belt allowed Sharingan Kuro to carry his honor blade in a specialized fire resistant sheath. Adjacent his special blade this avatar wore a pair of collapsed fuuma shuriken. Sharingan Kuro also wore his leg sheath on his right thigh with normal throwing blades and a basic med kit inside. Kuro's ANBU gear was well tended and polished; his anbu arm guards and leggings were covered by the runic terran markings of his hand and leg wraps. His tail swished back and forth with its tiger stripes faintly surging with chakra. His black gi top opened to show his overly muscular upper body.

 

[Toraono Michino]

Michino's walk home had been rather uneventful, which of course he had been thankful for, but he couldn't help the cloud of emotions that was starting to gather over him. All he wanted to do was bring some service to his clan where he could but between his own inherited weakness and a broken mind even doing something like buying food was becoming impossible. 
His feet stepped off the hard packed dirt road that made up most of Suna's city roads. It had been starting to loosen up and into the desert proper as he walked the last few yards towards the gigantic dojo at their village gates. Hands in his pockets and head down the youth wasn't really focused on anything except getting back to his room where he could try to clear his mind with daily training; though it didn't seem to do much for him. The years it took to get him as strong as he was were filled with hard work and a exhausting physical training routine that would make most shinobi two ranks above look at him crazy. At first the workouts and sparring with fellow Genin helped out but as time wore on two things became very clear; the first was that his mental state was going to get worst. The second was he was never going to be any stronger than a handful of his fellow soldiers.
Because you hold back. You won't let out the full potential and keep trying to squash me down when you know all I speak is the truth. Worthless inherent.
"Shh..." was all Michi whispered to himself. The light of early afternoon began to beat down on his flesh. It was starting to get towards the cold months of the desert and that only meant that the nights were going to become extra dangerous; days felt about around the same.
He wanted so much to try and argue with himself and pep talk his way back into a stronger mental status; the throbbing pain of his lip the swelling on the left side of his face was sort of beating that idea into submission though. He had failed to even defend himself. It was shameful for a Genin to be so unable to even so much as dodge even if against a stronger shinobi; all he could do was apologize and try to defuse the situation before it became too much.

Dissapointing.

About mere feet from his door the unexpected happened. His unparliamented luck bubbled another pop in his direction when suddenly he heard the voice of his hero strike against his eardrum. The effect was jarring causing the small teen to let out a yelp and leap up over the door frame and attatch himself to the building with chakra. The surprise made him miss some of what Kuro was saying but it didn't take long for him to realize what it was he was talking about. With a heavy head and heavier eyes he released the chakra state and detached himself from the wall so he could slide down and make discussion; of course instead he just popped off the wall fell into the sand. Michi quickly gathered himself up and dusted off, trying to put on an optimistic look but his heart wouldn't allow him to make direct eye contact with the man he idolized.

"I...wow. I was trying so hard to hide everything and you all knew something was up this whole time? Man, ninja. Whatcha going to do eh?"
A sigh left his lips before he leaned against the building and put his hands in their respective pockets. His head kept hung low staring at the dirt he felt like in this moment,
"I can't really talk mind to mind...I have a...well thing that is constantly ever trying to prove it's the 'better me'. He's not nice. I've been trying to figure out for the last few months what this could be but I'm really not sure at all...nothing in our history that I've been studying - when I can study - that points back to this kind of ailment..."

A cool breeze from the season picked up into the heated waves of the desert and ran across the back of Michino's neck. It was as if Mother Suna herself was trying to relax one of her children. The chill made him send a prayer to at least not let his other side make him look like an ass in front of his hero.

[MFT]

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Sharingan Kuro nodded and warped a bench and some snacks for them as he sat down and offered a seat to Michino and some cool tea. "I am sorry to tell you that the Toraono Family medical histories for mental illness are either sealed or non existent. Most of our pregnancies are planned events specifically because our blood tends to lend great power to the dark side of nature. In my case I was a direct link to my Ancient Ancestor and it was HIS whispers and then later his words and instincts that brought about my full capacity as a Devil Sage. In your case it may simply be an 'Ego' and 'Id' thing but because you carry Toraono blood... blessed be thy mother... I am all but certain that another power dwells within you. As such I think it is high time you, me, and him had a face to face to face. I carry with me a second sacred blade that has yet to take on a soul of its own. As one of Toraono blood, despite not knowing your father's lineage... matrilineally you are capable of empowering this blade to become its own weapon with a portion of yourself. Through the use of cursed techniques stabilized by the studies of Dr. Daibatsu Toa we can actually separate the mental OR spiritual aspect from you and grant it an immortal form that only a demon or devil could truly appreciate so that it may satiate its bloodlust for all eternity. Dr. Daibatsu has called the empowering of the blade 'Hifu no keiryō-ka" Lightening of the Skin. It is also known amongst the women of our clan as Bihaku. There is an old proverb "iro no shiroi wa shichinan kakusu" (white skin covers the seven flaws). Through this proverb and my studies of chirality we of the Toraono Clan have created hundreds of Asauchi or nameless weapons that transform to suit their wielders. Originally it was a process to transfer beast powers or souls into the form of weapons. Through our studies over time and the significant achievements from knowledge imparted by the First Men and the lessons left over after war with the Ancients our clan can empower chosen weapons with select portions of our own souls due to our bestial or demon blood. I am explaining this process so that if you choose to we can create a zanpakuto and when you are ready you can empower it."<i></i>

Sharingan Kuro offered Michino help in whatever way he could provide.
MFT
WC: 422

Spoiler

OOC: This is an offer by Kuro to help you attain Kensei status but whatever you decide on is how things will work. You need not follow this post and its wording as the end all and be all of RP. I made this post specifically so you could use old references and writing material that you are overly familiar with. So if you choose to do so we can invoke the rites and begin the rebirth of your Demonic Weapon. Who knows we might even be able to get Kazuki to come on board for an RP session or two and talk with your mother's soul on who your possible father could be.

 

[Toraono Michino]

Michino watched in total amazement as Kuro warped up a place to sit, and even food, before offering the boy a place to rest next to him. His heart felt like it was going to strangle him down; this very opportunity to be next to his hero felt nearly too good to be true. Before he could stop himself he was on the bench next to the Devil Sage and looking up at his imposing figure. A stab in the stomach reminded him of his lack of own food this morning and probably a reason for his Id being able to cause so much trouble today. The food gathered looked like the exact fruit he had been tasked to receive and with a firm appreciation for irony the young Toraono reached out and grabbed one of the oranges to peel as he listened to his idol.
The Demon Beast king told him more than he had hoped for. The last time that they had a conversation it had been more or less a pep talk but now he realized the reason for it; the same reason it had been that the entire clan looked after him. It had only occurred to him more recently to start trying to research on who his father was, however, there was a gigantic wall for him to climb over to even start that road. His biggest problem, besides just the lack of his own mother, but grandparents as well. They had were murdered during the Cabal attack, so the records showed, and his mother's parent's parents had died to old age before their daughter had been born. His entire linage, other than he was a late generation Toraono, was a mystery. Michino was a child that had to be looked after by the entire clan to make sure he didn't destroy everything by accident; just as he had naturally sequestered himself for training. He had always wondered why no one ever asked him why he lived the strange patterned life that he did.

Now he had a chance to change it all for the better. Kuro was offering him the chance to take away the evil that had been haunting him since that incident and in a way that could only benefit him...but was it right? Wasn't the whole point of being a shinobi to overcome the weaknesses they faced in their lifetime in defense of the nation? His bright eyes looked down at the orange in his hand having long been peeled and sitting. The groan in his stomach reminded him of the need to eat and he absently pulled a piece of the fruit away and popped it into his mouth as he searched for an answer to what sounded like a miracle.
"You're saying that inside of me," he spoke after a long swallow, "Might not even be a mental problem but an actual darkness threatening to take over?" His Id was oddly quiet despite the idea that it might be forced into a steel body and away from it's original host. Perhaps the entire psychotic break had actually been the demonic blood inside of him waking up as there was no telling how much of it flowed through his veins. 
"I think if it's what you think might be the best option then I'll...go for it. I have trepidations about you talking to my other...self, but if anyone can handle it's rudeness and violent antics it'd be you. If we can seal away whatever is plaguing me perhaps I can finally go about living a normal life..."

It was the dream.

Spoiler

I love the RP aspect of resurrecting Suteneko Yoen. Remember that guy? Going to be a great come back to NC old friend.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Sharingan Kuro nodded to Michino as they ate some fruit before explaining what he was offering further, "It may be something simple or it may be a darker power. In my case it was an Ancestor whose power I had called upon by pushing myself to the limit as an Anbu Captain when I was very young. My elder sister Shiro actually had a second ego that she was forced to place into a tiger cub and raise alongside her. So if you run across a talking white tiger with green eyes that is your cousin as well. Our powers manifest themselves in many different ways and from many different sources. So what I offer is not without a cost, you will have to confront the source of problem within you. YOU will have to come to terms with it and either find a balance, exorcise it from your persona, or devour it and make it serve you. As a Toraono, especially a male of our clan, nothing will come easy to you except the chances to use whatever power lies within you. When you are ready we can start examining your mind to find the source of your inner turmoil. We can also get assistance in contacting the departed spirit of your mother to find out if she knew who your father might have been. With any luck he may still be around... so if you are willing to try I am here to help. You can come to me at anytime for aid. If you cannot find me or one of my four bunshin, speak with the guardian Kyojin."<i></i>

 

[Toraono Michino]

Michi nodded slowly to everything he was being told. He could feel his heart sinking at the idea of actually facing the thing that was trying to take control of his body though, however, there was also some slight elation at the possibility of finally being able to meet his own mother. Spirit or not the young shinobi never would have guessed he would ever see or hear from her. The boy had long written it off as he had no idea they had abilities allowed them to commune with the dead. He was learning so much today. 
"I...understand. Please, allow me a couple of days to prepare myself and I will seek you out. I look forward to finally being in control of my own actions but...it's going to take a lot of preparation to face whatever lays inside of me." You really have no idea.
Michino jumped a little from hearing his inner monologue speak up for the first time since the Demonbeast King showed up. Something felt odd about the tone of the voice too; it sounded almost sympathetic. The boy wondered for a moment if the other voice in his head wasn't just the darkness but something far more complex. Either way before he could safely progress on with his life he would have to learn to take full control over whatever it was. It had apparently gotten to a point where he couldn't even walk down a crowded street without struggling to keep it from breaking out and killing everything; or at least he assumed that's what it would do.

Feeling like he had reached a good point in the conversation to leave, though he'd rather just bask in the presence of his hero, the boy stood up from the crafted bench. There was still his daily training that he needed to keep up with no matter what and also the time to fully process everything Kuro just laid down on him. Being able to talk to a dead mom, pushing the darkness into something he could tame and control, finally being able to live a normal life again...a lot of it sounded too good to be true. From experience the Genin knew that meant non of this was going to be easy. His eyes slowly steadied into a look of determination as he stared off towards the city in thought.
"Thank you ser. I...really don't know what else to say. You've given me a lot to work with when I didn't even have the slightest clue. Guess I should of just opened up and asked for help from the start huh? Silly pride..." the young Toraono trailed off for a moment in reflection of that last sentence before turning to Kuro, "I'm going to finish my routine training for the day. Thanks for the breakfast and, uh, I suppose I'll see you soon." Michino held out a hand to shake as he was really unaware of what to do here. He felt like bowing in the deepest thanks he could offer, but, standing in the shadow of the King he felt a kind of familiar comfort. Like a strong protective uncle you always knew you could rely on who couldn't stand formalities unless it was absolutely called for. That was the just the feel he got.

Spoiler

Marked for Training - 553WC/Topic Left Unless Stopped

I will be making a separate topic to tackle this dual aspect.

 

[Toraono Kuro]

Kuro would smile and wave. "There is nothing wrong with pride, just know you have to be humble sometimes too. My mother would beat me into the ground for letting you run around without so much as a check up now and then so please stop by whenever and as often as you need. Dr. Toa, Family Medic Sashi, Mom and Dad are all here for you. Now you must be careful around my sisters they have moments of evil and destruction that not even the Sovereign can measure up to."<i></i> Sharingan Kuro would warp the bench back to the cafeteria where some kids would promptly grab it and use it. After saying his due he would resume his patrol of the dojo.