Ninpocho Chronicles is a fantasy-ish setting storyline, set in an alternate universe World of Ninjas, where the Naruto and Boruto series take place. This means that none of the canon characters exists, or existed here.
Each ninja starts from the bottom and start their training as an Academy Student. From there they develop abilities akin to that of demigods as they grow in age and experience.
Along the way they gain new friends (or enemies), take on jobs and complete contracts and missions for their respective villages where their training and skill will be tested to their limits.
The sky is the limit as the blank page you see before you can be filled with countless of adventures with your character in the game.
Where once time moved at a stand still behind thick walls of steel, time stood still again among sheer white enclosures. The room was small, it's occupant one very tiny red haired girl who had been admitted for quite some time. She was very pale and her breathing shallow. They had moved her from room to room throughout the hospital, doing tests and evaluations and various other procedures. She was never very fond of the poking and prodding. They did that to her in the labs. How long ago was that? Too long. She never received any visitors either. At first she thought her visit would be short and simple. She had an immunity to nearly everything. She was a genetic perfection, imbued with the power of a fierce warrior of the sea. Well, turns out even those things are vulnerable. It started off simple. A plant-like substance, created of chakra overtook her body. It poisoned her , inside and out. Nobody understood how this plant looking dark energy could not be removed even by the most extreme of tactics. The source stemmed from deep within Kasen, at the very essence of her core. Nobody knew what was wrong, or how long it would take to get a diagnosis let alone start treatment. Her conditioned worsened. She was moved to a single, private room that was in the back of the hospital. Away from lurking eyes.
*beep*
*beep*
*beep*
The sound of the monitors became one of the only sounds she heard anymore. Time finally passed and the small redhead slipped into a coma. Doctors didn't give her long to live. By some will, this seed of corruption kept her alive. Feeding off her energy. She was nothing but skin and bone at this point. Some people still made the rounds, updating her condition and treating her with what could only be assumed to be the basics. Deep inside her mind though it was dark. It was quiet. Oblivious to the outside world around her. The corrupted chakra had taken her mind too. Locked her away from the workings of the world. All without her knowledge. Still, in both realities, the subconscious of her mind, and the waking world, she still could sense the impact of how lonely she truly was. She had wondered, how long would her suffering continue? She hoped it would not be much longer. For who could truly save her from this condition?
Today was another day as I headed into the Hospital and was informed that one of our patients, and a good friend of mine named Kasen, was still in a comatose-like state in her bed. She had been in this state for quite awhile now and her body had practically turned to skin and bones at this point according to the nurses and medics-in-training who kept checking on her hourly to ensure that she was still alive. In a sense, I felt like I was partly to blame for her current state as I had failed to protect and watch over her like I had promised her when we first met years ago. But, I had to continually be reassured that it was not my fault at all and that I did what I could for her before she vanished after Barynx attacked us and only resurfaced recently.
As I had grown accustomed to doing since my accident, I closed my door to my office and began to do paperwork and reviewing records of clients that were anticipated to come, had come, or were here today. However, my mind decided that I would think about Kasen and her current condition that she was supposedly in. Truthfully, I would continue to try to push the thoughts out of my head as I did paperwork, but they kept creeping back into my mind. This would continue for a good fifteen to thirty minutes until I had enough of these thoughts as I slammed my hands on my desk loud enough to apparently prompt the secretary at the front of the Hospital to come back and check on me. She would ask me if I was okay which it was clear as day that I was not and I would tell her to leave me alone for now as a lot was on my mind. She would simply nod and close my door again as I knew that I had to do this even if I was scared to do so and feel the wrath of her family in the process.
See, I would pull a piece of blank paper from my desk and write a little message on it to her brother, Shinku Kaen. Once this was finished, I would summon one of the felines that I signed a oath with in front of Lord Byakko and tell them a description of the redheaded individual and what to expect from him. I actually would also transform into him briefly to allow the feline to have a visual representation of him before sending the little creature away to do his duty for me. While he was gone, I would inform our secretary to kept a Mister Kaen to walk through the doors and to escort him to the room where his sister was currently at as that is where I would be. Again, she would nod and I would be on my way. The note that I wrote to her brother read as followed:
Dear Kaen,
I request that you meet me at the Hospital immediately as this is an urge matter related to you. I can fill you in with the details when you get here, but please let the secretary know that you are here to meet me and she will escort you to the proper room.
Sincerely,
Byakko Kyuji
It would not take me long to find the room of my good friend where I could see her body lying almost motionless on the bed with the beeping of her machines to indicate that she was still alive. It truly pained me to see her in this state, but I knew that I had to be strong as her friend and sensei in the medical field so I opened her door after letting out a heavy sigh. As I entered, she would not react at all nor even show any signs that she was still with us in this world. However, her vitals were still stable and she was still with us as I would simply sit beside her grabbing one of her lifeless hands and putting it into my own. Even though, I knew that she likely couldn't hear me, I decided to speak to her in a solemn-like tone: "Kasen, do you remember me? It's Byakko Kyuji, your friend and sensei. I know that we haven't seen one another in such a long time, but I am glad to know that you are still alive. Please, stay strong, as you are going to make it through this and I am not giving up on you!"
If and when her brother decided to make his way to the Hospital, he would be escorted to the room as I asked and would see a blonde-haired woman sitting beside his sister dressed in complete black almost like I was attending a funeral service over working in the Hospital. The truth of the matter was I hadn't been wearing my medical robes in quite some time since I returned after my incident that turned me into a female. There was no exact reason for my choice to not wear the white-colored robes that all medics were supposed to wear, but it definitely would look strange for him at the very least if my assumption was correct.
The day had started much like any other day really. Sun rose early, sending vibrant rays of radioactive waves we like to think are helpful and warm. Not a cloud in the sky and the early birds were getting their worms. Kaen would fit the bill to a T this morning as he had an early start himself. The Shinku residence was devoid of other life aside from himself. Another note left on the fridge informing him that Kasen would be away, YET again on some long and convoluted mission. By now he was getting used to it, not exactly happy about it but honestly though, he wasn't her keeper. She would do as she wished and it would be wrong of him to try and impose his rules on a blossoming young lady. And so he continued on with his morning, cooking up some plain jane breakfast, eggs, ham and toast with a side of orange juice for that morning boost.
After breakfast he would do his rigorous workout routine, you didn't think he was just naturally this good looking did you? Keeping up with this morning theme he took a quick shower and was on his way out the door to retrieve Teke for their mission. Just as he turned from closing and locking the door, a stray cat stepped in front of his path. Kaen looked around for a moment, seeing nobody else was around. Coast was clear for cuteness! Kaen knelt down close to the furry companion and tried to scratch under its chin. "D'awww, you're a cute little fella aren't y-" He would quickly cut off as the cat raised a paw and kept Kaen's hand away from his face. "If you value your hand I suggest you kindly stand down, sir..." Now normally you might think one would jump, run or scream in this scenario. But this was the ninja world and talking animals weren't all the rare. Kaen stood back up and crossed his arms, raising a single brow in response. Oh, you're on of 'those' cats. What do you want?" He decided to be short with the cat, he had wasted his day's worth of 'aww' on a damn contract animal. "Wow, he was right about you and more, you really are just ball of fluff, aren't you..." Kaen just stared in silence, gaze unwavering. He really wasn't in the mood for this crap. "Ok well, I was just sent here to give you this. Hckk Hckk Cauggghh" Oh holy Mother of Suna, this cat literally just hacked up a scroll imbedded in a damn hairball! "Oh... That's not right." Kaen's face was one of disgust as he sifted through the nasty pile of barf to retrieve the scroll. Gagging a few times he finally managed to pry it open and read it.
"So I gotta go, like right meow. Later!" Surely he felt a little dumber after that... Anyway, It went on to say that his presence was required at the Omni Prime Hospital. Kyuji... that sounded familiar... OH, the guy he briefly met last year before his extended stay in Lightning Country. Ok yeah, that guy was alright, as far as Byakko worshiping cat people go. If he recalled correctly, he was the head of the medical department, or at least high up there. He had been Kasen's mentor. "Fuck..." His emotions ran over, instantly lightning the damp note, reducing it to ashes almost immediately. If he was calling for him, it only meant that Kasen had been injured on one of her damn missions. He quickly turned his radio on, hoping Teke was already ready and listening. 'Hey Bee, something came up. I think my sister is in the hospital. Need to cancel play time. Sorry...' He then wasted no time rushing to the hospital, trying his best to contain the fires within from erupting outwards.
"Yes, I'm here to see Mr. Byakko. It's urgent!" His feelings were clearly getting the better of him with worry. With the note being so vague it could literally be anything. The nurse gave him a strange look before setting her things to the side and replying. "Yes, 'Mr.' Byakko has been expecting you. Right this way Mr. Shinku" She ushered the worrying redhead down a long, white corridor. This place was a lot bigger than he first anticipated. It almost felt as if he had reached Fire Country with how far they walked down the twisting maze of halls that was the Omni Prime Facility. "Here we are, sir. Kyuji is right inside." A dark room laid before him, his heart pounding heavy within his chest, threatening at any moment to explode right out of it. With a shaky hand he pulled back the curtain to bear witness to his worst nightmare.
There she was, shriveled down to almost nothing as if some monster had sucked the life right out of her. He wanted to throw up, he placed a hand over his mouth to keep it from happening. He slowly entered the dark room, slow and methodical in nature. "W-w.." He tried to speak, but the words just wouldn't come out. It was then that he noticed the blonde woman clad in ebony attire. Where was Kyuji? "Who the hell are you and where the hell is Kyuji?!" He was extremely ill mannered and had a volatile temper when he was upset. Nothing was more upsetting than Kasen being hurt. Someone was going to pay for this! Quite frankly Kaen was losing his grip on his humanity as it is, the upsetting event was quickly sending him towards the 'redline' zone. He needed to calm down, honestly, but there was no calming vibes anywhere in sight. How could he when she was like this? How the hell does something like this even happen to a person on a mission, she looked like she had been bed ridden for months and months, as if her body was decaying on the spot. There was malcontent in Kaen's eyes, he was ready to hunt down whoever the hell did this...
Teke was excited about another night of ANBU mischief, though saying it like that made it sound cuter than it ever would be with her involved. She'd started learning a lot more about useful tools and equipment and had been quite eager to stock up on them just so she'd be ready whenever. It wasn't as if she was looking to show off however, it was simply her wanting to show that she was learning and, in her opinion, she was doing that quite well. When the call came through that the night's antics were to be postponed due to his sister being in the hospital, Teke couldn't help but be a little curious and in fact a little suspicious. "This could just be some sort of test... to see if I follow him..." She pondered to herself, only slowing down in the middle of getting ready to grab a more casual set of clothes and simply replying quickly to the message with. "Affirmative, Ruin." Of course, she had every intention to head straight for the hospital.
Having got herself set up nicely, she exited her room via the window and made her way directly to the hospital, not her favorite place in the world but it was tolerable at the very least. She stopped just across the way from the hospital building, keeping low to the roof she was perched upon and simply watching and waiting for her teacher to turn up. That wouldn't take too long because thankfully neither of them really lived that far away from the hospital. He too didn't seem dressed for anything other than a visit to the hospital so Teke was second-guessing her whims but again only a thorough investigation would determine the truth. She hopped down as he entered the doors and moved on up, watching him inside, where he'd gotten a nurse to take him somewhere.
She moved inside once he was out of sight and waited to see if the nurse came back, which she of course eventually did. Teke was upon her in an instant, glaring with her piercing, gold eyes. "The redhead, where'd you take him?" She asked, probably more intensely that she even realized. "E-ermm, this way?" She said, motioning for her to follow along, a little reluctantly but Teke started to move along so she proceeded. They walked in silence before arriving at the door. "He should be inside..." She said with a bow and power walked the hell away from the tiny terror. "Maybe stories of my exploits still haunt these halls." she thought with a shrug.
With little hesitation she would open the door and push her way in, pretty confident in the fact that this indeed was just a hospital visit and thus no traps would be waiting. "Room service~" She cooed out as she took in the current room's occupants. "Huh... Not exactly what I expected but..." She would take note of the girl laying on the bed and stare hard for a moment. "You know, I thought I recognized the name when you said it back then, quite interesting." That said she invited herself inside and found the nearest seat to park herself on, waiting in silence for whatever was about to happen, very rude but the fact that she recognized Kasen interested her just enough to keep her here. It had been some time since back then, one of her last days in the Asylum in fact that they'd come into contact and Teke had wondered about where she'd vanished off too.
[Sorry I know this was an absurdly long wait, but I have had a series of medical issues I've had to get addressed and dealt with. Primarily regarding vision. Hoping we can proceed fairly normally. Thank you all for your patience.]
While it is interesting to note that some coma patients can hear the voices of those nearby, the same could almost be said of Kasen but it seems that whatever was feeding off her chakra used outside resources that would typically bring comfort or awareness against the host. As voices filled the room, inside Kasen's mind a manifestation would form that would fit a comforting tone to her. It was as if she could see for the first time again. She was younger, probably 8 or so. The first voice she heard was that of a woman. For some reason the voice manifested in the shape of a cat inside her mind. It was a fluffy orange kitten, one that brought Kasen much joy. She picked up the kitten and held it closer to her body, snuggling it. All around her was light. She walked down the bright brick path that was designed before her and saw a small home. Inside she saw, to her surprise, what she immediately recognized as her mother and father. A bright grin plastered on her face, she ran inside, carrying the kitten with her. She felt immense amounts of happiness being surrounded by so much warm and love. It was comforting. Almost like she could just....let go if she wanted to.
Suddenly another voice cut through the air, like a knife in her heart, their was a sharp intense feeling of pain. The world darkened. The kitten in her arms turned into a rat, her mother and father mere puppets with deformed figures. The home collapsed into shambles. She could feel her feet sinking as if pulling her into the ever growing darkness. It was familiar, but it was different. It shattered through the glowing warm that wanted to coax her into a place of complacency. It exposed the falseness of the lies. What was that? Who was that? A name stuck out in Kasen's mind, for only one person was missing from this vision that her mind had created. Kaen. Kaen had come for her.
___________________________
Within the hospital, unaware of what would be occurring in the dream, a shrill garbled scream would leave Kasen's body. To any onlooker it would appear that the plant like chakra tendrils were binding her, forcing her ever weakening body into a more subdued state of nourishment and decay. It appeared that the tendrils were prone to external stimuli. If it felt like it was in danger, it would kill the host quickly. Were it not, it would try to feed off the host for as long as possible. After a few agonizing minutes the tendrils loosened once more, seemingly taunting those in the room. Daring them to try to separate the two. This was a game of life and death and Kasen was loosing to an unknown parasite.
Still, as if wanting to convey that she was indeed aware, Kasen managed to move her hand in the direction of Kaen's voice, weakly grasping at air before falling limp over the side of the bed. Her brother would save her. Like he always did. A tear leaked from one of her eyes. While she remained unaware and unconscious, it appeared that even her body still fought for it's salvation from it's protector. Her family. The only person that has ever stood by and meant something to her. She wished she could see him, say his name. But all that remained was the still body on the medical bed, waiting for someone to make a move.
Shinku Kasen, the fiery redhead in the Medical Branch, who was so full of life and bright eyed when she came to the Hospital to do her work or offer assistance to the trainees or nurses that roamed the facility. It had been so long since I had seen this young woman and now, it was quite painful to see her in this state where she was practically nothing more than skin and bones. The fact that she was still alive was a miracle considering she was a part of the group that took on Barynx with me and had been practically impaled right through her chest; the sheer fact that she was still here today was amazing to say the least, but I had to wonder where she had wandered off to after fighting that sandworm since she never once showed up at the Hospital after that fateful day. That would have to be a question for another day as the doors behind me would open and someone was making their entrance which I assumed was likely her brother.
After a moment to allow the individual to enter, I would hear someone with a temper flaring up and asking who I was and what exactly happened to Byakko Kyuji. As I turned around to look and confirm it was Kaen, the thought crossed my mind that I forgot to leave out an important detail when he was contacted. That detail was I had somehow awoken after my fateful encounter with Aikayume Azusa in my bedroom and I was now a woman with every attribute that one would expect from one. This likely was going to cause him even more confusion when I would explain this to him, but before I could actually speak to him at all, the doors would swing open wildly and another individual would enter the room plumping herself down in another chair in the room making me look over at her with curiosity before my mind could comprehend that this was Teke, the Cannibal of the Hidden Sand, who was allowed to become a shinobi and was residing with the 9th Kazekage, Takahashi Sousuke. The fact that anyone allowed her out of the Asylum and into the streets where everyday citizens ventured was beyond my understanding, but it was quite possible that all hands that were available were being called on to help the village in a time of need like this. Still, I had a sinking feeling that Teke was still likely consuming human beings, but if she was disposing of the trash of the Hidden Sand, I couldn't necessarily fault her for it even if it was quite odd to a normal villager.
But before I could really let my mind wander and think more, the free hand of Kasen would begin to move on its own in what appeared to be the direction of Kaen's voice after the female would emit a shrill garbled scream meaning that she at least appeared to not have slipped entirely into a comatose state or she was coming in and out of it. Regardless, this situation that we were being put into was certainly not something that the Hospital had ever seen before nor did they know what to do after seeing the foreign body through x-rays. Yes, they did try to remove it but it would only resist and start to harm Kasen in the process, but it also had begun to grow from within her so they were stuck on what exactly to do unless they wanted to kill Kasen in the process which her brother certainly would not allow and would be forever pissed off if we did that.
However, it was important to inform Teke and him of what was going on so they at least could discuss what would be the best and optimal choice in this situation. "Mister Shinku Kaen, Miss Takahashi Teke, thank you for coming today. As you can see here, Miss Kasen is severely ill and we have found the culprit to be a black entity within her that is acting as some sort of parasite that is feeding off of her in order to survive. Now, we do not know exactly where the parasite came from, but I have a feeling that it might have been possibly from when she was fighting Barynx and the creature pierced her chest" I would explain as I put her hand to her side and stood up to allow her brother to sit if he wanted to do so. I would then continue: "What we do know so far is the parasite is not being cooperative at all as anytime that we try a process to remove it, it starts to put more strain and pain on Kasen which we fear that it would not stop until it killed her during the process. Now, we do have advanced medical technology to revive her if she would die, but I highly doubt the parasite would just give up after its host died as long as it can continue to feast on its prey until it drained her completely of everything that she could give. The issue with not removing it would be that we are letting it grow inside of her and it likely would take over more of her body and quickly spread to more of her organs and possibly be capable of taking over the brain and rewiring it. In other words, the parasite might take over your sister completely, Kaen, and put the village in danger."
I would then pause a moment to allow them to digest everything so far. It would not be too long however before I finished my spiel by simply saying: "I am Byakko Kyuji by the way. I am aware that you both saw me before when I was a male, but do to circumstances that were not of my control, I am now a woman. I do not know how nor who or what did this to me, but I just recall fighting someone in the Red Light District and being knocked out in the process. When I woke up, I noticed I was now a woman and that unfortunately is all I am aware of at this time." I would then lean against one of the nearby walls in the room and close my eyes waiting to hear their reactions to everything and seeing if Kaen was going to ease himself down or if he was going to need to be restrained by the medical staff or myself. I also was curious why little Teke was here and I am sure she would have something to say as well shortly.
For one reason or another, Teke made an appearance within the room, but Kaen was far too absorbed in the situation to really try and rationalize why she had come after he told her that their little play date had been canceled. Truth be told Kaen didn't really care about a lot right now, Teke's presence included. What mattered here and now was the person laying in that bed. There wasn't much time to process things or even recieve an explanation as to the current situation, things quickly turned from bad to worse as Kasen's body let out a horrifyingly disturbing scream that sounded as if she were under water. Immediately Kaen's anger subsided, possibly to Kyuji's surprise, and he covered his mouth once more to try and contain the sickly feeling that resulted in seeing and hearing his sister in such a condition. Kaen rushed to the bathroom and let loose today's breakfast as he clutched the sides of the porcelain sink. Washing it down as best he could he slowly stumbled out just in time to witness his sister feebly raise her hands towards him as if she were still conscious and present here in the room. Kaen, completely overwhelmed with the grief of seeing his only living family member in such a state of disarray, fell to his knees beside her bed, clutching her cold hands. She felt lifeless in his grasp, had it not been for the machines beeping and whirring, telling him she was still here, surely he would be convinced she was gone.
It's a sad thing to see such a proud and powerful person be completely destroyed by such a simple notion. It's strange to see these sides of people, often times they go to great and unfathomable lengths to be sure nobody ever sees them in such a way. But Kaen had not the time or patience to try and hide and was breaking down inside. Years of fortitude and stead fast training to make him tougher, harder and more discipline all fell to the waste side in this moment. Tears began to stream down the sides of his cheeks, his fiery nature calming to almost nothing, it was as if the love he had for Kasen made him more human than Ancient. He would listen to Kyuji as best he could, his own sniffling may have drowned out a few words along the way. Kaen would shake his head in disagreement as he interjected for a moment. "No I don't think this had anything to do with Barynx. I carried her away from that place and took care of her myself. I watched as she recovered with almost miraculous speed. This is far more complicated than a simple sandwyrm, shit just look at her Kyuji!" His animosity flared back to life as he defended his sister, rising to his feet once more. He gestured towards the ebony vines that pulsated with glowing lights as if this thing had its very own heartbeat.
Kaen began to pace the room as he thought. He wondered what all they had even tried. Forcefully removing it was clearly not an option and letting it stay was even worse. There had to be a way to trick it somehow, it felt alive, clearly it wanted something that Kasen had. "Well have you tried everything? Did you consult the Anbu, the Sennin, hell even the Kazekage? Surely SOMEBODY knows what the fuck this is." Kaen once more approached Kasen's bedside, taking a seat at the edge of the bed and pulled a lock of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "You don't know Kasen like I do, she's a fighter and won't soon be defeated by some alien plant." Kaen turned to Kyuji with fire in his eyes. What was the point of EVERYTHING he did if he simply sat by and watched Kasen rot away before him? No, he couldn't stand idly by, there must be something he could do, anything at all. "There has to be something you overlooked, perhaps there is some way I can help? And don't give me that 'we're doing everything we can bullshit. There is always some experimental procedure or out of the box idea that can be done. Have you tried to communicate with the thing, it clearly seems to be feeding off of her, perhaps it's sentient and can be reasoned with..." At this point Kaen was rambling and beginning to panic, he needed answers and he needed action. If these people couldn't help him then he would find a way himself.
Kyuji took a subtle step forward with an outreached hand as Kaen broke down inside and shed his tears. She wanted to comfort him, but they barely knew each other and right now just wasn't the time to test boundaries. Kyuji's hand recoiled with a concerned look upon her face and instead placed it over her chest while giving Kaen a moment of silence and reprieve. Unsure of what to say, Kyuji cautiously made her way to the window. Through it she could see most of Sunagakure, a room with a view, how quaint. She listened to all Kaen had to say and ask about, but still Kyuji stared through the window, unwilling to look him in the eye. "Kaen, don't you think we would have looked into every avenue, every article of information. We've even gone so far as to commission the Oracles for guidance." Kaen stopped pacing and faced Kyuji, Teke still quiet in the corner seemingly watching while eating popcorn inside her head. "No, it's not good enough, there has to be--" Kyuji quickly spun around to look Kaen in the eye and interjected with emphasis and emotion. "Don't you dare think i'm not doing everything within my power to help Kasen, she might be your sister but she was my friend too!" Kyuji's eyes begin to well up before a single tear attempted to escape the large pools of sea that were Kyuji's new womanly eyes. She was quick about it and wiped it away before it reached half way down her face.
Kaen receded his accusations for the moment and Kyuji turned back to gaze out into the village they called home. "To answer your earlier question, no. We haven't tried to communicate with the thing. We know next to nothing about it and I won't risk more lives poking and prodding just to see if it can talk. Kaen..." Kyuji turned to face him once more, a solemn look stricken across her face. "Perhaps you should sit down for this..." Kaen raised a single brow he knew full well what kind of sentence would follow this and he hated every once of it. Instantly the temperature around him began to rise as his heartbeat quickened. Faster and faster it went, his eyes growing wider as the tension and anticipation grew. "I.. I... I think I would rather stand..." Kyuji would give a respectful nod before continuing with his harrowing news. The real reason I asked you here today isn’t because I wanted you to know Kasen was sick, no. The fact of the matter is exactly as I have tried to explain and hammer into your thick head. We... we can't save her, you are here to say goodbye." Kyuji herself had already mentally prepared and grieved over this fact as he had been here the majority of the time Kasen was sick. And so he maintained a relatively straight face, her eyes somewhat red from barring the emotions back.
Kaen was silent, eerily so. The area around him darkened like an inverted candle whose flame grew out of control and casted darkness instead of light. To their surprise the room grew rapidly colder as if the life, cheer and pleasant vibes in the place where sucked dry and wilted to nothingness. Teke shrunk into her chair as she witnessed her master, and possibly friend, exude such grim and sullen energy. And then like the contrast from a pitch black room instantly being illuminated by a torch, Kaen broke the silence in a quiet and monotone voice. "I understand..." Kyuji's vision narrowed in confusion, something was off about him and his voice. She would need to proceed with caution. "I'm not sure you are fully grasping the situation, Kaen. I said it's time to say goodbye, Kasen IS going to die. Please don't make this any harder than it needs to be." Kaen's eyes shot up to meet Kyuji's, malcontent filled to the brim. "Bee, order Kyuji here a drink." The confusion multiplied within Kyuji's mind, perhaps Kaen was having a mental breakdown over the stress of the situation. Quick enough, she would feel a tap tap tap on her shoulder, when Kyuji spun around he would meet the petite figure that was Teke. "Do you take one sugar or two, sugar?" Teke gave a playful wink and then darkness fell, Kyuji was out cold.
There are many pros and cons to a relationship such as the one Kaen had been fostering between himself and Teke. With that comes certain perks, like perhaps coded requests such as this. Ordering someone a drink was merely Kaen and Teke's personal way of saying;
'Run a distraction' in which Teke followed out beautifully. Be a dear and help Kyuji outside, I think she needs some fresh air." Teke would agree with a nod and hauled Kyuji over her shoulder with ease. For a young and small thing, she was surprisingly strong. She would stop at the door to look back at Kaen. "What are you gonna do?" Kaen would remain facing forward in the dark, a low and solemn voice pierced through. "The same thing I do every day, Bee. Whatever I have to..." Teke gave a reassuring nod as she closed the door behind her and took Kyuji for a short walk.
Kaen was no scholar, that was to be sure. He preferred to learn the old fashion way, through experience, blood, sweat and tears. Thanks to his stint in Lightning country, Kaen picked up a rather peculiar interest in genjutsu and the mind, he had Yuii to thank for that. His way was clearly not going to be as clean, simple or superior to the method that she has used that day, but it will get the job done just fine, if only through sheer willpower. Immediately Kaen pulled the bed away from the wall and centered it within the room. And there he stood, at the foot of Kasen’s bed, he began to clench his fists. Tighter and tighter until finally the skin broke and scalding hot droplets of blood fell and hissed as they made contact with the normothermic floor. Without hesitation he began the process of drawing out the depictions and symbols required for the ritual, in his own blood of course. Blood holds much more than just cells and oxygen, they hold the very things that binds us together, life. And what better catalyst then the blood of blood, or rather the blood of her own brother. This would cement the connection and ensure safe passage inside.
When the process was complete, Kaen would gently prop Kasen up against the headboard of her hospital bed and then climb onto the bed himself and write some symbols on both of their hands with his blood. Finding a comfortable position, he placed his hands atop of hers and closes his eyes and began the ritual. Focusing his chakra into her body, he sought to make their minds one. He concentrated more and more until finally the tipping moment occurred and then darkness overtook him as he entered her mind…
There was a haunting silence in the darkness. Everything had gone still and quiet again. The only sound was a small thump every so often. Kasen recognized it as her heartbeat. It was slow, as if barely hanging on. How long had she been here, swallowed in cold darkness. The dream from before was a small reprieve that gave her some peace, but it was shattered when she had heard Kaen's voice. The horrific visions disappeared, leaving her alone. Kasen still had no idea what was going on. It was times like these she missed the comfort of Samebizu. She almost wondered if her beloved shark companion was even still part of her. Ever since the sandworm attack, she hadn't heard a single word out of her.
Suddenly Kasen felt a shift within the darkness. In the distance, she saw a single spotlight. Inside the blinding light she could see something moving. Was it another trick? She walked towards it slowly. Her footsteps echoing off the ground as if she were in some sort of metal room. As she drew closer, she saw the thing that was moving. It grew still as she got close enough to make out the details. She stopped, frozen in place as recognition finally hit her. It was a small sparrow, sitting in the center of the light, it's head tilting lightly back and forth. Kasen's breath caught in her throat as tears formed in her eyes. She almost couldn't speak, but when she did, her voice was nothing but a small whisper, almost swallowed by the surrounding void. "B....Beaker?" The sparrow made a little chirp. Kasen stepped towards it, she was still seemingly in her 8 year old body, the only part of the dream that had yet to shatter. Kasen knelt down, lowing her hand and letting the small bird hop onto it. Suddenly the darkness faded. It was so bright, she felt as if she were blinded for a moment. But that's when she heard it. The ocean.
Her heart pounded out of her chest. She could smell the salt and the brine of the waters that felt so much like home. A grin spread out on her face as joy flooded her. But...something felt....wrong. Her eyes finally adjusted as the brightness faded. For what she had mistaken for sunlight was indeed lightning, and the oceans were in fact not her oceans; the ones that were always so calm and the purest shades of blue. The water was pitch black, as dark as night can be and the sky poured rain and hail with a vengeance as wind felt like it could cut into your skin. The waves were monstrous. She found herself on a small raft in the middle of the sea, now appearing as her current age. She stood up, holding onto the small mast, and looked towards the horizon. A giant beast could be seen in the distance. For a moment she thought it was Same and almost called out, until she noticed it was something far more dangerous and sinister than her beloved shark. Kasen's eyes grew wide. For coming out a giant whirlpool in the distance was a giant, creature with what appeared to be several tendrils coming from within the body of water. It hard large fangs, and bright glowing red eyes. It could be seen as far as the eyes could see. Kasen gripped the mast tightly as the monster looked her way. As if it knew of her presence, it's gaze pierced her soul, shaking her to the core. A moment later it let out a loud shriek. Kasen could feel a painful sensation running through her. No earthly being could let out something that horrific. She covered her ears but could not find reprieve. Somehow Kasen knew that thing was coming for her. The tides were pulling the raft closer and closer to the whirlpool , towards that demon. Where before it appeared that she had been living in a world of fantasy and dreams, now she was living in a nightmare. What had caused such a violent shift?
Kasen looked out, hoping in desperation that she would see a fin sticking out of the ocean like she had so many times before. Anything that would give her a sign she was not alone, she could fight this. There had to be some hope. Kasen considered jumping into the black waters. She was a good swimmer. She couldn't just wait around to be pulled into the whirlpool or devoured by that monster. She moved closer to the edge of the raft. Not even with her face next to it could she see into the depths of the water. She put her hands into it, testing it out. However instead of feeling the fluidity, the water had almost the consistency of tar. She struggled to pull her hand out, the waters almost wanting to tug her violently in. She used all her strength to rip her arm from it's grip, noticing that once pulled from within it fell away like water would. Kasen's breathing increased. What in gods name was this hell? Having the realization it was probably no good, Kasen did the one thing she knew always worked when she was in danger. She knew what she was about to do would probably anger the beast off in the distance even more, but she had to try. He had to hear her. Taking a deep breath, she let out the loudest yell she could. "ONIIIII-CHAN! I NEED HELP!"
Suddenly something poked into her consciousness. Not only was she in here with that thing, there was something else. Was it....was it another monster? Had she brought an even greater wrath down upon her? She turned her head, sensing where the presence was forning. A short distance away from her, an island had appeared. It was a simple sandy beach, no trees, not much of anything, just a sandy mound in the middle of the black sea. Kasen couldn't believe her eyes when through the wind and rain and hail and the waters tossing her small raft from side to side, there he was. He brother, standing on the beach. Whether it be a figment of her imagination or the real thing, he had come for her. He always came for her. More tears came to her eyes as momentarily relief she did not know she so dearly needed washed over her. "Kaen."
This time was different than before, with Yuii. Last time he felt the plunge and the icy waters that followed, this time was gentler, less cautious and drug induced. There would be no limbo world in which for him to edge himself deeper within her mind, he simply was in one place and then instantly in another. As his eyes slowly opened to greet the new scenery, the smell hit him like a ton of bricks. It was so surreal how the mind works and the capabilities that follow. If he hadn't known for a fact that he was still sitting in bed with Kasen, he would have been just as fooled as the last time he entered the dreamscape of a mind. Like a eternal cascade, reaching far beyond what the horizon showed, the ocean stood before him in all its salty glory. No description could ever hope to truly capture it's mysterious majesty, even fewer words can express it's beauty.
Sadly beauty was not the highlight of this scene, no, chaos reign supreme in this world as a viscous lightning storm gripped the torrential sea. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the low light, light barely penetrating the dense clouds above. Something twinged in the back of his mind, like someone or something was calling out to him. He felt a presence, two in fact. Kaen scanned the dark and wild sea for life as the small island he appeared on was devoid of any signs of Kasen. A pit began to form in his stomach as his eyes grew wide in response to what he saw out in the ocean. Consisting of many vile looking tendrils, eyes redder and more fiercer than he had ever seen before, this beast claimed possession of these waters and somehow was forming a whirlpool of sorts. This couldn't be the 'Same' that Kasen had spoke of, could it? Surely something as sweet as her wouldn't be so with such a creature residing within her. Kaen was quick to cover his ears as it let loose a terrible shriek that shook the very ground he stood upon. It was going to be difficult to find Kasen in all this mess, or so he thought...
A small hue of crimson colors glimmered in the sea like a petite spotlight. Perhaps he was just preconditioned to easily point out his kin, either way she was there. It was hard to clearly make her out from this distance, but it appeared she was along and clinging tightly to the mast of a small boat. His stomach turned over as he realized she was in trouble, he had to do something. Why the hell did her subconscious have to construct a damn ocean?! Cupping his hands together he tried to call out to her hoping the high winds wouldn't muffle his voice. "KASEN!" Surely she could hear him, more so considering he caught the attention of the beast. Like a moth to the flame, he felt the gaze of this creature weighing him down. Such monstrous pressure from just a look, how did his own sister keep such a power in check and not even bat an eye? Truth be told, deep down he knew she was tougher than a lot of people gave her credit for. She survived the same place that he did and she wasn't worse for it. Kaen however clung to the stigma of that place, fed on that hatred and let it fuel his desire for power to fend off places like that. Kasen, for the most part, appeared to shrug it off and see the silver lining in things, he admired her spirit and courage to carry on unscathed. But this was not a moment she could just power through or find the better side to it all, no. She appeared to clearly be in danger, hell even he would be swallowed up by this thing if he wasn't careful.
Kaen looked around for some sort of boat only to realize this island was slowly being consumed as the waters drew closer and closer, rising ever higher. The tide was coming in and he was quickly running out of time. There were few choices left, so here went plan A. Shaking off any doubt, Kaen trudged headstrong into the icy waters towards his sister, or at least this was the plan. What first appeared to be a normal, unrestricted flowing water, quickly became tenacious and viscous. He didn't get any further than his knees before he nearly slowed to a stop as the water almost seemed alive, attempted to pull him down into the pitch black abyss. The ground beneath him turning to quicksand, the water gripping him tighter and tighter, the pressure weighing heavily on his body. "What the hell?!" He attempted to wriggle himself free only to make the situation worse, any normal man would surely started to panic. Struggle as he might, he was helpless against the strange and corrupted waters that seized him. Further down and downward more he went as time passed, each second feeling like a minute. To Kasen it would appear that he brother was going to be consumed entirely by the wrath of her mind. And then that suspicion would turn to reality as the waters had now reached his neckline, a outreached arm stretching out towards her location as his head finally submerged and a single bubble 'blooped' to on the surface signifying his defeat.
But Kaen was no ordinary man, hardly a man at all really. Though his body was small in comparison to this ocean, that monumental creature out there seemed to have no issue wading through these waters. It could have simply been because he ruled supreme here, but that wasn't the idea Kaen had in mind. It wasn't but mere seconds after he disappeared under the surface of these tarry waters that the ground below began to shake and the ocean responded in kind by causing a massive disturbance in the waves. Suddenly, centered in the location in which Kasen would have seen her brother sink into, a violent hissing noise would erupt from the water. A mighty plume of water and steam spewed forth in all directions, a mountainous figure arose from the ebony depths, water cascading off of it as it rose higher and higher, rivaling that of the sea monster in the whirlpool. As it finally stood fully erect, a pair of equally crimson eyes to match the sea creature gleamed to life, its gaze locked onto Kasen's boat. With a thunderous step it would move through the waters towards Kasen.
As it drew closer and closer, it's visage would become clearer and more terrifying. Each new step brought more steam as it's fiery body continually kept up with the cooling of its body. The lower portion darker with outlines of magmatic red veins flowing over its body, it's upper half wreathed in vibrant flames that illuminated the surrounding waters. Finally it was upon her, the end seemed near, the entity would stop suddenly and extend its arm downward as if it were going to crush and submerge her boat. And then it would come to a halt just a few feet away from the surface of her vessel, atop it's colossal hand was her brother, unharmed. He would waste no time in un-boarding his creation, a heavy thump would resound outward as he made contact with the saturated wooden deck, his face still oriented downward. With a devilish grin he would run his fingers back through his damp, red hair and raise his head to see her. "No Deja-vu please... I Don’t want to go through that again."
While unusual things were happening in the room where Kasen had been housed, I would awake from a slumber on the floor in my room with light emitting from the hallway as the only source of light. As I lied there in my room, I would ponder how exactly I had gotten to the floor since I was just doing paperwork an hour or so ago. Perhaps, I had passed out from exhaustion since I continually worked myself like a dog as the saying went or maybe something had knocked me out as I felt a sharp pain in my head, but yet did not recall exactly what happened to me at the time. The last thing that I did remember was I was in my friend's room talking to her brother and then the next moment, I passed out or was knocked out and likely left here.
There were many questions that I wanted to ask at the time, but whenever I tried to get up, the sharp pains in my head would return which left me absolutely useless to help anyone else. The remainder of that day consisted of trying to get up and needing the assistance of other medics and nurses to help me back to my home where I could rest and try to alleviate the pain that I was feeling and the signs of weakness that clearly were on display allegedly. Yes, the medics that worked in the Byakko Infirmary did come and check on me from time to time, but they could not find anything that indicated that something externally had impacted me aside from a bruise on the back of the skull likely from a strong smack or poke that caused me to collapse. Nevertheless, I didn't recall much from that day aside from seeing Kaen quite upset and his sister in a comatose state.
Hopefully, he paid his respects and allowed her to move on from this world peacefully without much of a struggle. As for me, I just rested the rest of my day and that was my story.
Hearing her brother call out for her, her heart leaped into her chest as she desperately continued to cling to the mast. He was right there and still so far away. Kasen knew she couldn't risk the waters considering it didn't appear to actually be water. She supposed she could break the mast somehow and use it as somewhat of a paddle but the chances of that destroying the boat in the process or throwing her overboard given the waves was too much to risk. It seemed an alternate plan would need to be devised. But before she could say more on the matter, Kaen in all his brashness decided to make the decision first. She noticed his island was sinking and feared the worst. It appeared the situation increased in risk when Kaen also thought that braving the waters would be a smart idea. Before she could warn him otherwise, he was already far too consumed in the water. Was he going to be swallowed up. Kasen hopelessly watched as her brother seemingly became aware of his situation, unable to offer any aid in her current state as well. Was this going to be the last she would see of Kaen? As all that was left of him was his head, fighting to stay above the dark black waves, tears started to flow from Kasen's eyes. She got down on her knees and reached as far as she could with her hand. "Come on, you can make it, try to come this way!" she knew her cries were in vain though as the wind swallowed them whole and they were vastly too far apart for anything to really be effective. It appeared all was going to bed lost.
The situation turned bleak when Kaen disappeared under the water. Kasen turned away from the scene, tears falling violently and her chest shaking. She couldn't do anything. She couldn't even save herself and now her brother was lost as well. Suddenly a violent shaking started to occur, nearly lurching her from the raft. A bright light appeared under the dark waters, a warm orange glow, the emerged from the depths. It towered over the creature in the whirlpool, taking on the shape of some kind of monstrous golem made of rock and flame. It moved through the murky waters like butter. As more of it's body emerged, it moved closer and closer to Kasen. She feared this was how she was going to inevitably go out; if not swallowed by the black tendril monster, then by this other thing. She sighed, almost resounding in her fate as she stood and wiped the tears from her face. Her brother would not want her to go down in fear, but brave and facing whatever came at her with confidence. The hand quickly approached her, palm out as if to grasp her. She raised in chin in defiance, only to be shocked when it stopped short of the raft and Kaen hopped lightly on to it with a smart smirk on his face and that same cocky attitude she was used to. It was almost a warm welcome. However....
Kasen immediately smacked her brother on the shoulder, then proceeded to flail her arms around' "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING YOU COULD HAVE DIED! IS THIS WHAT YOU DO WHEN I'M NOT AROUND. THIS IS A RAFT NOT A SHOWBOAT, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU, DON'T YOU DARE SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!" Kasen let out a sigh and then tightly hugged her brother in the toughest hug she could imagine "But thank you, I don't know what I would do without you, Onii-chan." Unfortunately the Shinku siblings reunion was cut short as black tendrils shot up from around the edge of the boat, latching onto Kasen's leg and the mast, as more continued to pop up. It seemed the monster was trying to expedite the process of pulling Kasen into the depths. The raft was starting to split apart bit by bit as the tendrils snapped the logs of the raft like toothpicks. Splinters flew in every direction. Kasen grabbed Kaen's hand and scrambled into the palm of the flame creature with Kaen. The monster seemed to be the only safe harbor in this ocean. The beast raised it's hand into the air, putting a good distance between the waters and the monster. Kasen let out a sigh of relief.
It appeared that the safety they found would not last forever though. The monster let out another shrill screech in anger, it's plans having been spoiled by Kaen's unforeseen intervention. Kasen looked down at it, as the waters around it swirled ever more quickly. In retaliation, the monster lashed out with two of it's thickest tendrils, wrapping them around the flame creature's legs. It could not damage them, but it held them in place like cement and refused to budge. If the monster could not have it's prey, it would ensure it's prey could not go anywhere until it could devise a plan to otherwise acquire it. Kasen held tightly to Kaen's hand. "What are we going to do?" The monster appeared to have already devised a plan to get what it wanted. It was clever, Kasen gave it that much credit. It's ability to adapt and understand the host was it's most dangerous feature. For even though it was it's own being, it still was absorbing so many details that were fragmented in Kasen's mind and emotions. Suddenly within the waters, the waters opened up and a large mass allowed to float to the top. The mass was only a short distance from the monster. It was the floating body of Samebizu. She was limp and unconscious. Same, the shark, whom was nearly the same size as the monster that was controlling this place and was taking up refuge that rightfully belonged to Kasen and Same as a shared unit, was still as the waters crashed against her body.
Suddenly a rage like no other filled Kasen to the brim. A rage so dark and twisted, years of pent up anger from the loss of her friend and this had been the real reason? Same was taken from her? By this monster? An almost inhuman scream ripped from Kasen's throat. "YOU'LL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO HER. GIVE HER BACK!" Without thinking, Kasen ran and jumped from the hand, diving right for where Same's body lay floating in the black waters. Kasen didn't care what happened to her, she wouldn't let anything hurt Same ever again. This monster took everything from her, broke her spirit, broke her bond, and now it was trying to kill her and force her out of her body? No, now it was personal. She could endure the pain, but Same had no right to suffer anymore. Kaen didn't deserve to suffer anymore. And it was all because of this beast. "IF YOU WANT ME YOU CAN HAVE ME BUT YOU WILL NOT HAVE THEM!" Kasen landed in the water with a loud, almost sickening splash. She grabbed onto Same's large fin on her back as the waters closed around her, dragging them both back into the depths. The monster appeared pleased with it's actions. The tendrils released the flame monster, as the whirlpool closed and the monster disappeared under the waters to hunt it's prey. An interesting feature though was that, where the monster previously was, there were faint black glowing tendrils of energy leading deep into the waters below that indicated that more was there than originally met the eye. While the monster was free to go and move as it pleased, creating the world of Kasen's mind as it saw fit, it appeared that it was tethered to a single location within her mind. Deep below the surface, there lay what looked to be a shark cage, one typically used for diving. The tendrils appeared to be hooked into and wrapped around the entire cage, one deep black aura consuming the whole thing. Now while not a source, it was manifesting as the central location of the monster's power. This made sense because this was the "manifested" wall separating Kasen and Same's integrated systems. It was a gateway between the two of them. It appeared the key to stopping this beast would be to force the beast to let go of the cage, killing it entirely and freeing Kasen, or finding an alternative way of making the beast drop the connection with the host, ultimately freeing her. Or perhaps there was a third option that he may come up with.
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Before disappearing from view, Kasen managed to place a large aqua dome around her and Same with what remaining chakra she had left. It was more than likely the only thing that saved her from being consumed by the waters. She could not see anything around her. Everything just looked black. From the outside of the dome, she could see what looked like remnants of a sunken ship and several sharks that appeared to be little but rotted flesh and bone. Dark tendrils shot out, violently smashing against the dome, but it held it's own. Kasen clenched her jaw, trying to maintain the water barrier around her and the enormous shark. "Even if I die, I will not let them take you from me again. I swear it." The monster had yet to make an appearance. But she had a feeling it was coming. She at least hoped Kaen was able to remain safe. "I'm sorry, Onii-chan."
All seemed to be going well enough, Kaen made his grandeur entrance and apparently was there to save the day. And then the surreal moment was shattered as his beloved sister erupted into a frenzy. All he could do was take it, attempting to interject at times only for her relentless verbal assault to overpower him with ease. "I... well... I thought... You see..." And then at last everything had subsided and there was peace. She plunged herself deep into his arms, obviously thankful that he had arrived at all. "There's no need to thank me, Kasen. I'm always going to be here when it counts. You can bet on --" Suddenly Kaen was cut off as the black fiend wrapped his ebony tendrils around the boat and his sister's leg. This thing was hungry, it seemed, and would not accept Kaen's valiant move as it meant it would not get to finish the job. Kaen's eyes narrowed as his mind went to work, quickly grabbing his sister's hand. "Quick, get on. My creation is stronger here and it won't easily fell us while it remains." Kaen's harbinger would then recede from the boat as it crumbled under the monster's strength like a house made of toothpicks.
And yet the creature still prevailed and pressed onward with its raging, assaultive hunger. With an ear piercing cry it let loosed a plethora of tendrils that anchored his fiery harbinger in place. "UUuuughhhhrrrrrrr" Kaen's massive creature cried out with protest as it attempted to pull itself free with its free hand, to no avail. Kasen, the poor thing, was frightened and worried. The grip she had on his hand tightened as the tension and worry was increasingly growing. "I have a few ideas, but we need to make distance between this thing and us. Surely there is some sort of land mass in here..." Kaen gazed upon the horizon for any sign of land. And then the entire progression changed, this was no ordinary entity that simply hungered. It was sentient and vile in nature and would use whatever means it needed to ensure it captured and consumed its prey. The surface of the water opened up with a tremendous rumble of bubbles and air as something was released and rose to the surface. A monstrously sized mass of something was revealed and float there, dead in the water. Kaen peered over the edge in confusion, attempting to figure out just what the hell it was. And then he knew...
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"Oh god... Is that Same?" Kaen's inquiry was ignored, however, as the look upon Kasen's face drained and slowly twisted and contorted into something horrible and terrifying. He felt the guilt, the pain, the agonizing pain fill him up as Kasen's emotions literally permeated the air around them. This was Kasen's mind after all and her will brought much of this into existence and so he felt it too. It hurt so much to know this is what had become of Samebizu all these years and it made so much sense to him why Kasen would have shut herself away like she did. It was a viscous circle that was difficult to overcome. The pain of losing someone or something so close to you with little to no explanation. In time that pain would lead to fear, fear that you might forever be alone and they would never return. Fear that all of this thing you call life is meaningless so long as that thing is gone. As the pain and fear increases, it gets twisted with malice and malcontent and changes to anger. Nothing is ever fair in life and that's just aggravating to the point of rage. And then in the end, all that's left is a dry, bitter soul full of hate and darkness. All of this he saw within Kasen's eyes in this moment. Everything that had happened from childhood to now ceased to be and ceased to matter in this state of indignation and resentment.
What came next would forever haunt Kaen, not out of fear, but out of understanding and empathy for the feelings that she surely felt. She roared like never before in protest for what this black tendril monster had apparently done to Same. The grip on Kaen's hand was released before Kaen fully understood what was happening. Had he not been so absorbed and caught up in the dark aura that had been released, perhaps he could have caught her in time. Everything seemed to move in slow motion now, it was almost a surreal feeling as his perceptions slowed. It was as if his mind wanted him to forever remember this moment, the moment he would lose Kasen forever...
What only took a moment felt like it lasted minutes as he watched Kasen's body fling itself from atop their safe haven. All he could do was call out for her; "KASEN, NO!" But it was too late. Her body faded from view as it disappeared behind the large hand they had been standing upon. Kaen rushed to the side of the hand platform as he watched his only sibling slowly fall to her death. Time crawled to a stop as their eyes locked in an eternal moment of realization that they might never see each other again. Knowing full well that he would perish along side of her, Kaen seized this moment, raising his hand in a commanding motion, forcing his creation to copy his movements. He placed one of the hands just above the current hand he was standing upon, like a ceiling of sorts. With every ounce of energy he could muster he lifted off and used the upper hand like a brace and pushed off with enough force to level a building. But he wasn't quick enough, Kasen had already made contact with the surface. Kaen watched as his sister and her companion slowly melted below the surface. Kaen wasn't ready to give up yet and forced out a jet of fire from his hands and feet that sent him rocketing into the water. The impact stunned him from the sheer force he had outputted. In a daze he watched as Same and Kasen slowly sunk into the black depths below. He tried to move but the strange tar like waters were already hard at work to keep him from her. He reached out with his hand as if it might magically grab a hold of her, and then she was gone. The pain he felt mirrored that of the aura that had flooded the air up above within Kasen. He wanted to die in this moment, but his near sentient harbinger would not allow it and had already went after him. Kaen's body was limp as it pulled him from the water, a hand feebly outreached towards the general direction his sister had sunk. "I'm sorry, Imouto-chan..." Meanwhile in the physical world...
Two bodies lay limp in the hospital bed, shadowy tendrils pulsated with malicious hunger as it knew its final meal was soon to be at hand. The air surrounding the room seemed almost still and lifeless as if the oxygen in the air was being drained at a super natural rate. Even the levels of light seemed to fade as if some negative energy was building and compounding on itself. The scene within looked bleak with no hope of a good outcome. Kasen's body barely stirred as what little energy she had left was attempting to keep herself safe within, Kaen's body twitched with nervous feelings of dread. The sudden change in emotion for both parties sucked the very life out of the room to the point of ice forming along the window seals. The flowers that sat beside Kasen's bed began to wilt and turn black from the aura that filed the room, things were looking bad indeed... Back inside the the mind of Kasen...
The water cascaded off the harbinger's hand as it rose from the surface, plumes of steam rising from the surface of it's body as it hissed from the water mixing with the living fire that embodied its being. Kaen's body lay there limp with defeat, his eyes filled with nothing as if all hope was lost. Everything that ever truly mattered to him was lost to him forever, or so he thought. But somewhere deep inside his subconscious hope lingered and shined through his own creation, the fiery harbinger of his living will. "Uurgh, Oorgh arghhhrr" The fiery entity attempted to communicate with the forlorn Shinku sibling, barely breaching his feeling of dispirited gloom. Kaen lazily rose his head to meet the gaze of his creation; "What? She's gone, what the hell am I supposed to do now?!" He cried out in desperation, unsure of what plan of action to take now. In the past he always had a plan, always some backup idea to get him out of a sticky situation. But here and now he was lost without so much as a road sign to guide his way. "MMmmooorrgghh!" The massive body of fire cried out with protest as it cast its ardent gaze peered across the murky waters below. Kaen followed its motion and there he saw it...
His eyes suddenly came to life as his head put together the shattered pieces of action. The flames within sparked to life as a new hope flared to life, seemingly pulling Kaen from the depths of despair. Across the horizon was the answer to everything. He didnt notice it at first because this entire world was permeated with Kasen's chakra signature, he didn't even notice that there was a carrier aura, something using her own energy against her. Kaen clutched the massive thumb of the creature as he hung his head in shame. If only he had noticed it sooner, surely he could have ended this sooner and Kasen might not have been lost to him. Although his plan was madness, it was the only way to save her now, Kaen knew what he must do now... Meanwhile in the physical world...
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Me
Kasen's body still lay still, but Kaen's grip on his sister's hand tightened, his eyes twitching as his mind raced with a plan of action. His internal temperature quickly rising with anticipation and excitement. His body seemed to almost glow with fighting spirit as his ancient lineage seemed to awaken from a long and deep slumber. The hairs on his body rose, almost vibrating with sheer tension. Something was about to happen, but nobody could have ever guessed it would go down like it would... Back inside the the mind of Kasen...
Kaen, now fully standing and riding atop his creation's shoulder, commanded it onward and forward into the deathly waters of black. The opaque, ebony ocean below seemed to thicken in protest, attempting to defend against its only weakness. But Kaen fed his creature with indomitable energy, forcing it to trudge its way through, albeit at a slowed pace. "Don't give in now, this ends NOW! AARGGHHHHHHH!!!" The fury within quickly compounded and multiplied as Kaen willed his fiery beast to continue onward towards the goal at hand. A shrill shriek resounded throughout Kasen's mindscape, a flurry of tendrils exploded out of the water from behind the harbinger latching onto whatever it could grab. "HHHhhhuurrrrrgh!" Kaen's flaming creation grunted in protest and defiance, it would not be stopped so easily. But the ebony creature's grip was far too strong having absorbed too much of Kasen's nearly endless energy. Kaen gazed out towards the back, knowing what he had to do to overpower this vile fiend. Placing a single hand against his harbinger, he transmitted his next command, it was the only way. Taking a final leap of faith, Kaen closed his eyes and jumped, plummeting towards the watery depths below. As he fell, he performed an aerial maneuver that positioned him conveniently in front of the fiery harbinger's chest. Suddenly his eyes opened wide, his arms equally widening to greet the metamorphosis. A blinding light exploded into existence as their energies intertwined and complimented each other, blending together to form something better, stronger and more furious than before.
The visage remained relatively the same, but his harbinger's power increased tenfold as Kaen's very life force fueled its heart. In the very center of the creation was Kaen, feeding it his own energy to keep it going. Suddenly they were making headway again, heading for the cage. Another blood curdling shriek reverberated within his head as the black monster tried to hold on, failing as it tried. They were nearly there when the creature made a final attempt to halt their progress and focused all its energy at the base of Kaen's creation, literally squeezing the life from its legs to the point of dismemberment. "Urrghh, must... go on..." The strange fusion of Kaen and his harbinger cried out in protest, it couldn't end like this. And so they pressed onward, legs or not, crawling over the surface of the ocean floor, the water evaporating as quickly as the fusion could crawl.
Finally, they arrived. The cage floated in the middle of the ocean like a shining beacon of hope and life. This was the key to everything, the very essence and core that was his sister and her remarkable, extraordinary and yet strange relationship connection to Samebizu. Shadowy, ethereal tendrils seemed to have a firm grip on the outer layer of the cage, yet the interior remained untouched. Perhaps it could not enter fully without first stripping away everything on the outermost sections? The reason mattered not, what did matter was what he needed to do next. With another flash of light, Kaen re-emerged from within his harbinger and placed a weary hand upon its face, telling it how thankful he was that it got him this far. Some may claim that their creations are nothing more than tools, but Kaen's fire was different, special and thus some spark of sentience lingered within. And then even that was torn from him as a monumental tendril came crashing down upon the harbinger, pulling it back into the depths. Kaen's brows furrowed with malcontent and fury, this ends now.
Mustering what little strength he still possessed, Kaen swam towards the cage, using his flames as a makeshift propulsion system. In the distance he heard the groan of a large underwater being heading his way. This monster knew what its weakness was and it was about to be utilized. And then he saw it, all of it. It's full form was larger than he ever could have imagined, easily dwarfing his own harbinger or Samebizu combined. It had clearly been feeding for a long time and was nearly unstoppable, or at least until now. With one last push he jettisoned himself within the cage, closing the door behind him. He immediately noticed a difference as the water in here almost felt pure and calm compared to that of the outside. He found that he could strangely breathe in here and felt his energy being restored as if a healing aura was aiding him. The tendrils crashed against the side of the cage to no avail. This soul cage was stronger than it could ever be hence why it chose to slowly drain its power, feeding off of Kasen and Same's life force. Kaen could feel the pressure, but no sound pierced the metal bars aside from the calm and soothing tone of a gentle ocean. Had he not had a critical task before him, he might have been able to stay here forever... Meanwhile in the physical world...
The room had now climbed to incredible temperatures, though the two bodies inside remained unchanged and unharmed. Somehow the increased temperatures avoided the Shinku siblings, not even so much as a drop of sweat forming on either of them. For Kaen this was normal, but somehow Kasen was shielded from the effects. Suddenly the edge of the bed turned dark and caught fire, quickly spreading to the rest. Still the pair of red headed siblings remained unscathed despite a raging fire growing ever more furious around them, threatening to consume the room. Alarms sounded as the flames reached the detectors, sprinkler systems were deployed. Yet Kaen's aura vaporized every drop of water that tried to pour down before it even made contact with anything in the room. The fire was quickly growing out of control... Back inside the the mind of Kasen...
Kaen's hands trembled as the slowly inched closer and closer to each respective side of the cage. He wasn't entirely sure what to expect but somehow he knew that this was the best course of action. Kaen had devoured souls in the past, he owed that much to his queen, Shiori, Mother of Suna. But this was different, he only wanted to temporarily take in the energy to starve the black monster that still pounded relentlessly against the side of the cage. Suddenly the bars groaned and began to bend against the might of the tendrils smashing against it, it was now or never...
Play
Me
Kaen held fast as the rampaging beast outside struggled to enter the soul cage, but it was too late. Kaen grasped the sides of the cage and the transference began. At first it was soothing, and then everything came rushing in all at once. Every ounce of their life force came flooding into Kaen's being at such an incredible rate that he couldn't help but let loose a scream that echoed outward throughout Kasen's entire mindscape. Had it only been the energy of his sister, perhaps he could have housed it all, but this was the life force and chakra of two beings, Kasen and Samebizu. His eyes opened wide but no pupil or iris could be seen, only pure light escaped, shining like a brilliant spotlight with the power of a sun. Rays of light shot out of his toothy maw as he continued to scream as the energy kept coming in, more and more and more. And then the memories came, every single moment, every feeling, every sensation came flooding into his mind. It was enough to make a normal man insane. It was as if he could see into the very meaning of life and how everything connected on a spiritual and molecular level. In this very moment they had truly become one.
Suddenly the cage began to tremble, massive meteors came crashing down into the oceans below. Massive volcanoes erupted and breached the surface of the watery world, spewing incredible amounts of lava, ash and smoke. This merging of two, no three souls was somehow allowing Kaen control of this place, as if more than just their energies were being shared. Kaen was now nearing the breaking point, his body teeming with vibrant life force of that of his sister Kasen and Samebizu. His skin began to crack under the pressure as beams of light escaped through the cracks and shined even brighter as the energy kept flowing into him. And then he fell unconscious, his hands fused to the sides of the cage from the overwhelming power that was flowing into him. The strain was too much, there was nowhere for it all to go, except out... Meanwhile in the physical world...
The flames had now entirely consumed the room, the doors and windows had all but deteriorated completely away. People outside most likely had already begun to evacuate in response to this strange anomaly. The vines that gripped Kasen's body were shrieking and contorting as the fires outside burned it away and the fires within as their souls merged together seared it away from within, it had nowhere to go except the gates of hell. Kaen's body was entirely enveloped in fire, as was Kasen's body. The two of them still unharmed aside from a ever increasing glow emanating from both of them. And then all at once, in tandem with the events taking place within, Kaen's body almost seemed to undergo a transformation, a radiant glow shined brighter and brighter until the critical moment that his body cracked under the pressure. It happened so suddenly, everything seemed to stand still for the briefest of moments. The raging fire seemed to be receding back into Kaen as if a vacuum had sucked it all back in. Then, as the last flicker of fire was absorbed into his body, it all came exploding back into existence, blowing the door off its hinges and the windows shattering outwards, everything in the room save him and his sister were vaporized instantly. Their own room plus that of both adjoining rooms were wiped out of existence in an instant. Although the process was complete and all signs of this plant like creature had vanished, Kaen remained unconscious from the overwhelming strain on his body.
As time went on, the overwhelming darkness was starting to feel like it was all consuming. Kasen was between a rock and a hard place as the tendrils violently kept smashing harder and harder against the dome. Each time the small red headed girl could feel herself growing weaker and weaker trying to hold back the beast. It wanted to wear her down. Even now it was eating on every last bit of her chakra that it could. Kasen felt herself slipping to her knees as she tried to hold the barrier. She was practically kneeling on top of Same at this point. "Just hold on, Same. We'll get out of this. I don't know how but we're strong. We can do this." Another strong smash rattled the small bubble of water that held the two beings. Kasen grit her teeth. "We need to hold on....Kaen....Kaen will...Kaen..." In half panicked breaths, Kasen realized the grave situation at hand. She had just let her emotion consume her when she saw Same. What choice did she have? It had been years since this thing had held her hostage from her, broke their bond. Kasen's mind finally caught up to her, realizing that she had no idea what would become of Kaen trapped within the violent aspects of her mind. She could die and Kaen....well Kaen had watched her practically do it. Tears started to trickle down from her ruby colored eyes. Once they started, the tears just kept falling like a waterfall. "Kaen I'm so sorry." In the distance, Kasen could feel the monster hunting her down. It's energy pulsed around her like a toxic festering wound. I wanted her. It was practically ready to finish her off for good.
Suddenly a dark face with red glowing eyes was seen quickly approaching her with unrealistic speed. Kasen took in a deep breath, bracing herself for what was sure to be a violent impact. She was unsure she was even going to survive it, this was it. But suddenly the monster stopped, letting out a loud scream and turned away. Kasen held her breath trying to listen for any possible sound. Why had it left? What was more important than it going in for the kill. This was checkmate, this was it's grand finale, what could possibly tear it's attention away? Kasen heard in the distance a mixing of muffled shrieks. One was definitely the monster, but the other...was something else entirely. Was...was it that thing her brother had summoned? What was the monster doing to it? Or vice versa? Kasen couldn't sense much of what was going on, despite this being her own mind. Much of that access had already been taken from her. But still, one of them sounded like they were in a grave amount of pain. Kasen felt hope drain from her as the time ran on and one of the sounds faded. It appeared the monster was victorious.
But then suddenly Kasen felt something. It was like a tickle in her chest, almost like a comfort had enveloped her. It was warm, it was familiar. Kasen gasped as she felt almost life breathed back into her for the first time in a long time. It felt like home. Suddenly she realized she was smiling. Tears continued to fall down her face, but she found the strength to stand again, her barrier becoming stronger. "Onii-chan....I knew you wouldn't give up. You can do it. I give you whatever strength I have left. Let's do this together. Like we always have." Kasen channeled her energy into herself, the waters of the ocean with all of their calmness and beauty and healing capabilities flowed through her. She could only hope Kaen could sense this link too. She closed her eyes, focused, and waited.
Whiteness consumed Kasen as everything suddenly felt like a supernova as it was exploding. It was searing hot and vibrant. It felt like the crashing of a thousand waves. She could hardly distinguish herself from anything else. Was this what death felt like? She was no longer Kasen, or Same, or anything else. She had become part of something different. Suddenly everything was clear. A massive blast of power shot out over the oceans. The black tendrils retreating, the ocean within her mind purifying as the blazing white energy consumed everything in it's sight, but with it came the combined effects that Kaen's mind had on her own as they mixed. Everything shook and flames and lava and ash sputtered around her. She could feel Kaen's energy and hers mingling and twisting like a welcome home. They were truly one being, one fluid motion, one conglomerate power. The monster was being starved out and burned alive under the sheer power of the Shinku siblings raw power combined. Suddenly with one final blast from the energy, everything grew silent.
Kaen was ejected from her mind, and the monster appeared to have no hold. The oceans cleared as the siblings were ripped apart once more. Kasen's eyes opened, they were blue like the ocean. The waters were clear and free, the sunny sky had returned. She was different. Something had awakened in her. Her genetic structure had altered. She felt like she had suddenly become one with the ocean, but even more than that. She felt more powerful than she had been prior. Kaen had awakened something. His genetic composition had bonded with her own. She was something new, something more. Before Kasen could process what was happening, her eyes returned to their normal red as she settled into the waters. The cage was slightly bent, indications that Kaen truly had succeeded. But beyond that cage, Kasen saw something that made her heart leap into her chest. "Same." The giant megalodon was swimming towards her at a leisurely pace, what looked like an almost smile on her face. Kasen propelled herself toward the enormous shark "SAME!" As Kasen reached her, she reached out with one hand, touching the large shark. Suddenly Same's power came rushing back to her. She had been cut off from it for so long that Same's power was almost as overwhelming as mingling with Kaen's. There was another bright light and then everything from there became unclear.
_________________ [in the real world]
As the hospital room remain on fire and the sprinklers sprayed what little was left. It appeared all traces of the plant had shriveled away and died. Kaen, having expelled all his energy saving Kasen and protecting them from the blast that the overwhelming backlash their combined chakra caused, lay unconscious on the ground. Kasen began to stir. But when her eyes opened, they were no longer red. No, Kasen's eyes were pure black, darker than the waters that had invaded her mind previously. A blast of white encased her as suddenly her body began to undergo it's own transformation. Her body twisted into odd shapes as it proceeded to shift and grow new and longer limbs. Her skin turning a light grey and developing an almost rubbery rough texture. A tail sprouted from her, her hair turned blue and fins grew alongside her arms and legs. Kasen was feeling the full force of having Same back and in a weakened state it was consuming her. She transformed into what looked like a full shark humanoid of sorts. Her jaws were especially impressive, as her shark like teeth became even longer and more defined. Kasen dug herself out of the rubble of the room, and what came out was her in this new form. Her instincts encased her, enveloped in the confusion of what was happening and all the power that was now surging through her body, quickly rejuvenating her. This was her and Same reuniting and acting as one, unbridled use of Same's power that was gifted to Kasen. She let out a menacing roar, her jaws snapping open and shut with vigorous flair. She smashed some of the rubble and what was left of the room as she turned and moved, trying to understand what was going on. Kasen's eyes locked onto Kaen's form on the ground. Some of her wits were still about her but everything felt so overwhelming. She could practiclaly feel water flowing through her veins, this new awoken power charging her and driving her to action. The rooms they were in had already been blown to bits but flames still encased part of the hospital. With a blast of water from her mouth, Kasen put out the surrounding fire, preventing any more damage from consuming the rest of the room or her unconscious brother with it. A pained whine almost left her mouth as she wondered what to do. Everything in her told her to run though, she couldn't quite process what all was happening but she had to run, get away. She needed to get to the ocean. Something in her told her that the answers she needed would be in the ocean. With a burst of speed and an animal like instinct, Kasen launched herself from the open wall from the hospital room and sprinted off towards her beaches.
[Topic Left, we can do a follow up if you would like]
Teke had successfully removed Kyuji from the room, leaving Kaen sometime with his sister. She was unsure just what he was planning to do but it was probably nothing safe if she had to hazard a guess. She was somewhat concerned about the whole ordeal after hearing the things said in the room, Kaen wasn't the type to give up certainly but as a none medical ninja what could he do other than give in to the inevitable and say his goodbyes in private. She'd have liked a moment to say the same given that the realization of exactly who his sister was came as somewhat of a shock and yet no shock at all if she took their looks into consideration, they were near enough twins after all. Teke decided to hang around in one of the waiting rooms nearby, where she could still see the door to the room, just to keep an eye on anyone entering or exiting in case she needed to intervene or even help.
Time went by pretty slowly, mostly because of boredom as Teke hated hanging around in the hospital, her only entertainment coming from the occasional nurse or doctor who recognized her and having a mini freak out all to themselves. The girl wouldn't need to wait too much longer however as the very door she was keeping an eye on blew off of its hinges along with most of the wall connected to the room they were in. "Well, there goes the chance of a quiet day, at least this could be fun." She said to herself as she stood up and moved toward the area of the blast, ignoring any and all protests of that onlookers had feared for her safety. As she approached she was smart enough to take care of the fire quickly, casting her Rain Dance jutsu to cause a downpour over the affected area, it was far better than the sprinklers thankfully.
As she got into eyeshot of the room she saw one figure standing amongst the rain and smoke, though it didn't look like Kaen or Kasen the longer she looked at it. In fact it didn't even resemble a human outside of the fact that it was Bipedal, before she could really investigate further the thing bolted out of the now open-air patients room and into the city, though she didn't detect a lust for blood from it she was worried that it looked shark-like and knows they're hardly pacifists. She moved further into the room, now realizing the bed was covered in rubble and quickly, using what little earth jutsu she had at her disposal managed to Mud Slide it away safely, to her dismay however on one of the siblings lay beneath. "Fucking damn it..." She cursed out loud, as the penny dropped on just who that shark looking person was. She quickly grabbed her ANBU tutor by his collar and slapped him across the face. "Wake up! I think Kasen is on the run!" She would continue to slap him until he was awake enough to stop her from doing so, once he was conscious for certain she would explain again about the shark looking human and the fact that Kasen was not here to him and leave with him in pursuit once it came to that.
Stone, wood and mortar alike all steamed and sizzled in the aftermath of recent events. The room and the two rooms on either side of it lay decimated from the explosion. Staff, patients and curious on lookers scrambled about as they attempted to make sense as to what exactly had transpired. Teke on the other hand appeared to already guessed as to what the cause was and begrudgingly stepped into the frying pan to sort out the mess the Shinku siblings had made. A transformed Kasen had fled the scene just moments after Teke had spotted her among the smoke and steam, Kaen had been found buried among the rubble. His body was bruised, cut and scraped from the resulting cave in and being buried alive, he was fortunate Teke had found him so soon.
Unfortunately, however, Teke began to lay a literal smack down upon her mentor in a vicious attempt to bring him back to consciousness. One smack, nothing. Two more smacks, Kaen flinched a little, but still did not rise. It wouldn't be until the 7th good and hard smack, long after a clearly visible hand print had begun to welt up, did Kaen open his eyes. "Ugh, my head is killing me. Holy shit my face, what the hell happened?" Kaen clutched the entirety of his head as the surge of power gave him a headache like no other and the welt upon his face was still fresh and stinging. He sluggishly sat up, bits of dirt and pebbles cascading off his body. Teke began to fill him in with everything she knew as Kaen attempted to follow as best as he could. "Explosion? ... Kasen is a what? ... Wait, which way did it go?" With a grunt and a shaky footing, Kaen pulled himself up out of the pile of debris, dusting himself off to no avail. "Mmmk..." Kaen stretched out as best he could and cracked his neck left and right, loosening his body up after such a tense moment. "We need to be the first ones there, I doubt the other Anbu will be as understanding as we are, given the situation." Kaen spoke as he approached the open hole in the wall that overlooked the city. With a deep breathe, Kaen gave his orders. "Masks on, it's time to go fishing." And with that and a poof of smoke, Kaen donned his Anbu attired and rushed out the open hole in the wall in pursuit of his sister with Teke only a stride behind him.
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Today was another day as I headed into the Hospital and was informed that one of our patients, and a good friend of mine named Kasen, was still in a comatose-like state in her bed. She had been in this state for quite awhile now and her body had practically turned to skin and bones at this point according to the nurses and medics-in-training who kept checking on her hourly to ensure that she was still alive. In a sense, I felt like I was partly to blame for her current state as I had failed to protect and watch over her like I had promised her when we first met years ago. But, I had to continually be reassured that it was not my fault at all and that I did what I could for her before she vanished after Barynx attacked us and only resurfaced recently.
It's a sad thing to see such a proud and powerful person be completely destroyed by such a simple notion. It's strange to see these sides of people, often times they go to great and unfathomable lengths to be sure nobody ever sees them in such a way. But Kaen had not the time or patience to try and hide and was breaking down inside. Years of fortitude and stead fast training to make him tougher, harder and more discipline all fell to the waste side in this moment. Tears began to stream down the sides of his cheeks, his fiery nature calming to almost nothing, it was as if the love he had for Kasen made him more human than Ancient. He would listen to Kyuji as best he could, his own sniffling may have drowned out a few words along the way. Kaen would shake his head in disagreement as he interjected for a moment. 
There was a haunting silence in the darkness. Everything had gone still and quiet again. The only sound was a small thump every so often. Kasen recognized it as her heartbeat. It was slow, as if barely hanging on. How long had she been here, swallowed in cold darkness. The dream from before was a small reprieve that gave her some peace, but it was shattered when she had heard Kaen's voice. The horrific visions disappeared, leaving her alone. Kasen still had no idea what was going on. It was times like these she missed the comfort of Samebizu. She almost wondered if her beloved shark companion was even still part of her. Ever since the sandworm attack, she hadn't heard a single word out of her. 
Kasen's eyes grew wide. For coming out a giant whirlpool in the distance was a giant, creature with what appeared to be several tendrils coming from within the body of water. It hard large fangs, and bright glowing red eyes. It could be seen as far as the eyes could see. Kasen gripped the mast tightly as the monster looked her way. As if it knew of her presence, it's gaze pierced her soul, shaking her to the core. A moment later it let out a loud shriek. Kasen could feel a painful sensation running through her. No earthly being could let out something that horrific. She covered her ears but could not find reprieve. Somehow Kasen knew that thing was coming for her. The tides were pulling the raft closer and closer to the whirlpool , towards that demon. Where before it appeared that she had been living in a world of fantasy and dreams, now she was living in a nightmare. What had caused such a violent shift?
She transformed into what looked like a full shark humanoid of sorts. Her jaws were especially impressive, as her shark like teeth became even longer and more defined. Kasen dug herself out of the rubble of the room, and what came out was her in this new form. Her instincts encased her, enveloped in the confusion of what was happening and all the power that was now surging through her body, quickly rejuvenating her. This was her and Same reuniting and acting as one, unbridled use of Same's power that was gifted to Kasen. She let out a menacing roar, her jaws snapping open and shut with vigorous flair. She smashed some of the rubble and what was left of the room as she turned and moved, trying to understand what was going on. Kasen's eyes locked onto Kaen's form on the ground. Some of her wits were still about her but everything felt so overwhelming. She could practiclaly feel water flowing through her veins, this new awoken power charging her and driving her to action. The rooms they were in had already been blown to bits but flames still encased part of the hospital. With a blast of water from her mouth, Kasen put out the surrounding fire, preventing any more damage from consuming the rest of the room or her unconscious brother with it. A pained whine almost left her mouth as she wondered what to do. Everything in her told her to run though, she couldn't quite process what all was happening but she had to run, get away. She needed to get to the ocean. Something in her told her that the answers she needed would be in the ocean. With a burst of speed and an animal like instinct, Kasen launched herself from the open wall from the hospital room and sprinted off towards her beaches.