The Final Stand Or Last Straw [Cabal]

[Kouin]

He would either be standing tall, and begin his approach to the Palace, or he would be on his back being dragged there forcefully. He had no clue what to expect, or what was going to happen, but one thing was certain; nothing that would happen in the Palace of the Glorious Immortal would be good.

[Placeholder Topic.]

 

[Kouin]

As Shi dragged a casket housing his body, he could feel the bump of every rock that he knew she purposefully hit. Kouin had regained consciousness some time ago, but made no move to try and speak though the casket, the only thing he could do was plot in the confines of the casket, and await for when he could make his next move. He couldn't visualize the time of day, nor how much distance they had travelled, but what he did know was he was in for a terrible time, with someone far worse than Shi he was sure of it.

Time would go on, and they would continue on, he tested the restraints on his wrists, and let out a short sigh as they didn't budge an inch. Not even and inch of leeway it seems. Taking in a deep breath, he finally spoke up, Where are we going? It was a question that wouldn't help him much in anything, if she didn't answer he would continue to simply be there in silence. Regardless of the answer that she decides to give, another important question must be asked, What fate awaits me at our destination? Information was power in the shinobi world; if you couldn't get your hands on top secret government information and use it to your advantage you just weren't playing the game correctly, and it's obvious that she was playing the game better than he was.

As time continued to pass, he could feel all his wounds over his body; even though he heals at a slightly higher rate, the pain was still apperent, and the aches and pains didn't simply just disappear.

 

[Michi]

He was dead. Well, not entirely dead. Not yet.

Shi was driving a wagon through the countryside. The desert turned to dry fields that eventually turned to temperate climates with rockier earth. The wagon was long and covered in the back, drawn by a pair of sandstriders. It was the equivalent of a hearse. It was some time before she first heard him stir and quite some time more that she heard him call out to her. By then they had already made it to the cobblestone streets of Sora, a bustling mecca of commerce. He would hear the chatter of people on either side, muffled and abundant. He could call out to them, perhaps there would be a good Samaritan and hero among them. Something he could count upon, unlike his friends and family. If he did, she would stop the wagon and peel away the lid in a back alleyway. She would slap him across the face before she stuffed his mouth with a cloth. Nobody was going to save him and if someone tried, she had no qualms ending that curious person's life a few years early. But intervention was rare, the hearse donned the symbol of the Soverign. People had a healthy respect and trepidation of the organization turned militia. There were rumors, all unsubstantiated of course of people disappearing in the dead of night never to be heard from again. The rumor was true but not worth extinguishing, there was always that maddened conspiracy theorist in every city. These consistent rumors only added to their hold on the community as the people left her and her carriage a wide breadth on an otherwise pedestrian-filled street. They probably could not hear him anyways.

If he did not call out for help, but rather to her.

Where are we going?

What fate awaits me at our destination?

She would be quiet as the sandstriders made their way to the Palace. When they arrived he would know, not only because the carriage stopped but because he could hear the rattle of chains. Clips being opened and heavy metal being shifted. He could feel his casket shift unevenly, as if the box was being lifted manually. He would hear the grunt of a pair of men and he could hear Shi's muffled voice laughing and chatting as if this was just another day in the office. It would feel as if he was being carried up the stairs feet first. They would stop after a short time, the box being laid on a flat surface. Perhaps a table. Perhaps a floor. Nobody would address the madman in the box. He would be left in that dark, cramped confined space for hours still. Alone. He could call out but there would be nobody there to answer. That is until he heard the sound of a metal door opening and closing. It was faint but in comparison to the noting he had heard for the past few hours the noise was jarring.

Jū ichi a gentle, almost effeminate voice would announce. He would hear the sound of coffin fasteners being opened one at a time. When the final was opened, the lip was pulled off and a blast of cool air replaced the stale, hot, moist hair that the resident within had likely grown accustomed to. The room was bright also, blindingly so in comparison. He would not be able to see his captor, walls closely hugged his sides but he would see the white ceiling with recessed lighting overhead. The unknown figure was still opening clasps oddly enough. Two would be opened and then the right side would be free. If he looked to the side, all he would see is a large mirror-like wall and the reflection of possibly man. His head was half shaved, but the crown was left full. He had a number of piercings as well as dark, runic tattoos. His clothes were befitting a teenage gothic - tight leather pants and a pair of calf-high heels. An array of colorful plastic bracelets, a loose fitting pair of white tanks that said something in a foreign language in large, bold black letters. He was wearing make-up as well, eye liner, perhaps a bit of lipstick. His nails were painted black. His heels clicked on the tile floor and he unlatched the third, removing the wall beneath his feet.. There would be another wall of mirror if he looked down and past. The quiet gothic would then reach the fourth on Kouin's left and as he did so the wall above his head and left side would fall over. As this happened he would learn four things:

1.) He was in a room with mirrors on every side.
2.) He was on a table of some sort that made him about waist height in comparison to this unknown.
3.) He was bound, not with rope but with chakra suppressing shackles. Shi had certainly planned this kidnapping. There was a short length of chain that united his wrists, no more than three inches. The same could be said of his ankles, similar shackles were found around his ankles and finally there was something around his neck.
4.) He was not wearing his clothes. He was also not naked, this was not that sort of encounter. Still, he was wearing clothes that were not his own. Nor where they in his style. It was a pair of white cotton paints with a draw sting at the waist and a white shirt. Even his hair was combed back, away from his face as if Shi used a comb covered in hairgel to give him a slicked back hairdo.

The woman path would be left in the box still in another room adjacent but a similar experience would follow for her soon after.

If gagged, the cloth would be removed.

Kouin would feel long fingernails brush up against him. Sparks would not erupt from his flesh on contact with male Sennin path, his chakra was sealed for the time being. "Lovely," he commented as he circled the table. Kouin could sit up if he chose to, there was nothing stopping him. "Do you know why you are here Jū ichi?" he did not use Kouin's actual name, he knew it, he just did not care. Here he had the identity he was given. The clothes he was given. The life he was given. "Your friend, Shi was very worried about you. You made quite the impression on her and while she might look strong, you wounded her deeply." The man let out a sigh. Yes, he referred to that woman as his friend. "I am going to help you. I am going to set your life back on the straight and narrow." He promised with an almost kind smile regardless of what Kouin was stating.

If Kouin was struggling, attempting to lash out at his 'savior' he would only tsk him. He knew he was in no danger here next to an unarmed, restrained man whose chakra was sealed away.

---

In the next room, there would be a woman in a box. Her experience identical to the other path's. The only difference, Shi was in there. The latches would open one by one. As they did she would see mirrors on each side. She would also find herself dressed in simple, white linen clothes. The only difference between the pair was the person who unlocked the casket. Shi was a rather pretty woman despite her simple attire, a blue sweater and a pair of bluejeans. She wore no jewelry and her long pale hair was pulled back from her face. She looked normal, like the sort of woman you would pass on the street and never notice. The bound woman would find her legs and wrists bound, much like her other path. If she was gagged, the cloth would be removed. The same heavy collar was around her neck. She had the same limited sense of freedom and the same almost distorted view of herself in clothes that were not hers or even a testament to her style and her hair pulled back into a simple high ponytail.

"Hello Jū ichi," Shi announced as her hand rested on her shoulder. "I have never met a Rikudou Sennin before," she commented as she leaned down and smelled her hair. "You remind me of him, your smell that is." She would give the path a chance to sit up even attempt to strike her, the efforts would be futile without access to her chakra-enhanced abilities. "You are very beautiful," she would reach out and touch her hair. "I want us to be friends... but I am afraid that you are both very very sick," she pouted as she paced around the table. She did not make the same clicking sound that the man in the next room did. She was actually wearing something more sensible. "You realize that I will always be there for you," she added in a soft whisper near her ear. "That I really care."

 

[Kouin]

His questions were only answered with more silence; he didn't expect much out of her, that's how these situations usually go. The anbu classes in mist had taught him trying to speak to your captors is generally useless if they have any sort of intelligence. He immediately knew that this organization wasn't made up of buffoons, aside from Taro. Speaking to her, for now, would be futile, all he could do was close his eyes and try to rest his mind for he knew he had an ordeal ahead of him, and he would every ounce of will to come out alive. He tried to embed who he was deep within the confines of his own mind, he refused to forget who he was; what made him, him.

It was then he felt a shift in movement; his eyes sprung open with a startled awareness. He could hear the shifting and clanking of chains, and the laborious grunts of men hoisting a casket, Did she really chain the casket too? This bitch is cautious. He ignored her chatting and laughter, today would mark his beginning of hell, it would set the tone for the days to come. Darkness consumed him in the casket as they just left him in a room alone for hours. This would break any normal man, but not one of his caliber, he had trained with the best of Kiri, he could handle darkness. He would simply close his eyes once more and wait for the next phase to begin.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the sennin's ears; they twitched with a sense of alertness. Ju Ichi called out to him; this took him particularly off guard, they knew his name, but this was part of their method; Shi was four... Ju Ichi would make him the eleventh, Perculiar number, eleven. What does it signify? It was a simple baseline question, yet it wouldn't give him any hardcore information. He assumed he was ignored as the metal clasp began to be unbuckled; like a creature of habit who had a mother who would rip the blankets off to let the sun's rays burn his corneas, he closed his eyes on instinct alone. He remained silent as he let the man continue unfastening his coffin. An overhead lights ray would eventually burn straight down, even when closed he could still feel the sting of the light, but eventually they adjusted.

His emerald eyes would flutter open; they would sparkle gently under the recessed lights. Sitting up he was met with a man, he thought. Using what movement he did have, he worked his way from out of the casket to stand eye to eye with his captor. A deep shiver went down his spine as a long fingernail trailed over his skin, yet nothing sparked, nothing shocked; his eyes gazed down at the shackles and it dawned on him. He could feel a suppressing force emanating from them, something suppressing his chakra. It's only lovely if you don't like sparks to fly. The repetition of Ju Ichi was becoming a common occurrence. Moving both his arms up to his temples and he made effort to rub them, I know your compatriot kidnapped my brother to get to me. His tone was definite, Then a fight ensued. The last thing I remember is just letting Shi's final barrage just hit me. There was no point in lying, he neither lost or gained anything from withholding that.

When the man called Shi his he let out the most audible laugh he possibly could, he'd be sure if someone was in the next room they could hear his laughter. That women, if you want to call her that, is no friend. His eyes were visibly seething with hate for what the women had done. Sorry, I was hoping I wouldn't let her get away this time. It was an empty hearted retort; he had lost his chance the first time to kill her, and then he was felled this time. Maybe she was just toying with him the whole time...

What could you do for me? My home is frozen, and I'm indentured to a village that uses me as a tool rather than a prospect. How would this be different? How do I know you're not just like them? His voice trailed off with a sense of depression and deep forlorn. He knew he couldn't trust the man; he just had that look of someone you shouldn't trust, but his smile had this sort of "airy trust" to it.

---

A very similar pattern of uncovering happened to his other path, though instead of a gothic teen it was a bitch named Shi. As with his male path, she too was referred to as Ju Ichi. She only produced a scoff. Even if it was a different path, she was still him, and he hated her to his core. Take a picture, it might last longer. She instinctively flinched as her face grew close to hers. She could see her nostrils flare as Shi took a smell of her. He pondered if she would be treating his male counterpart any different, or if she is taking it easy since it's a "girl".

She finally sat up from the coffin We are one in the same person, don't forget that; I am still him She instinctively flinched again as Shi reached out to touch her hair and comment on her beauty. Friends don't kidnap their friend's siblings... Even if he ran off. I'm the big brother... Shaking her head away from any doubt that might have been brewing, Sick of what? Constant lies and betrayal? The utter bullshit spewing from every mouth? He wasn't having her shit. She continued to hear her almost melodic words flow from her mouth, I've known you for little under a month and have seen little "caring". She would shift her head to the side and look away .

 

[Sand Council]

"...Eleven? It is your name. It hs always been your name."

Shh... Listen... He cannot hear me..."
No. Don't look.​

"Take a look, Jū ichi." He instructed, a look at the man in the room with his interrogator... mentor... friend? Kouin would see a young man with this gothic fellow, and while the face seemed familiar little else seemed 'right.' He was not wearing his own clothes, rather the clothes given to him. His hair was not combed in the matter he was accustomed; it was slicked back from his face. Still his features were the same, his cheeks and his eyes belonged to him. He knew those, perhaps if he focused on them he would be able to keep hold of who he was when this was finally over. Keep looking. Keep watching. "What do you see?" He asked. "Your name is Jū ichi," he reminded Kouin gently as he started to wrest away the Kumo Sennin's identity.

Jū ichi! Jū ichi! Jū ichi!"​

In the next room, almost in cadence.

Shi took a seat next to lady-Jū ichi. "You are not a fool but I bet that you are treated one," she commented. "In fact, it is usually the other face I see in the papers," she observed as Shi reached out to brush her fingers through her newest lady friend's hair. "Pity, you have a less hated face," she added. She was well aware of Kouin's entry into Kumogakure, his fight with the ANBU Sennin, how he went from a death row inmate to one of the most powerful men in his community whilst simultaneously being surrounded by those who hated him.

"So true. They really do hate you."​

"You could have lied. Made some friends," Shi leaned close to her and placed a hand on the chain that united her wrists. Free of the chakra sapping debility of those manacles Shi was significantly stronger than the woman next to her and she gave Jū ichi a thin, mocking smile. "But even with only a fraction of your secrets known, they don't give a shit about you."

"It was funny, wasn't it!"
Oh wait... No! Not it was not!
She hurt you. Oh wait, no... not you!
It was him."​

In the next room, as if on cue.

"I can give you a place in this world. A place where you are not reviled. A place among peers. Among friends. I heard about what happened to you. About that misunderstanding in Soons Haven," he continued. He placed his hand on Kouin's in a comforting manner. "How they laughed at your distress. At your humiliation. I know it is hard. That it hurts to be betrayed. To be loathed rather than loved. To be misunderstood." His released his hand and stood up and walked a few paces away. He was studying himself in the full length mirror and watching Jū ichi's responses. "I know a thing or two about being misunderstood." He was certainly an oddity. An enigma wrapped in a riddle, his red eyes looking back at Jū ichi through the reflection in the mirror. "This is a place for the misunderstood. For misfits such as us."

"Don't listen to him. Listen to us."<i></i>​

He started to knock on the door, or at least the wall. No door can be seen. "No need to see me out. I can find my way." The door would open, or rather slide. If Kouin made a break for the door, he would find a pair of guards waiting on the other side who would not-so-gently return the kidnap victim to this mirrored space.

In the next room, Shi stood up without warning.

She would walk towards the door and as she did she would knock as Nao did. The door would open and she would step outside. Much like the room adjacent, there would be a pair of guards waiting if Jū ichi tried to break free. They would not be gentle, nor kind. Before the door closed, as it was she would pull out a silver watch when only a sliver of an opening remained. She did not say anything. She did not need to, (s)he knew exactly what that was. She had it on them during their first meeting. Again during the second. It meant something to him, it was unique. It was a perfect trigger.

"Just you and me now.
That was a nifty timepiece.
Family heirloom?
C'mon, she is gone now.
It is just you and me.
Talk to us!"<i></i>​

Both Nao and Shi left the room leaving the two of them alone and isolated from each other. The voices would continue incessantly into the night. It was mostly white noise chatter under bright lights that did not cease or fade with the passing of the day, or perhaps days. Without a timepiece, much like the one Shi had in her possession, it was impossible to maintain a grasp on the passage of time. The room would be hot, too hot for the clothes they were wearing and then it was cold. Too cold to stand truly as fingertips would go numb and lips would turn blue. The room, less the cold metal exam table and the remnants of the coffin were the only adornments. Occasionally the room would be loud, as if someone was screaming into their ears. sometimes deathly quiet for hours at a time. He would not be able to sleep, even in the quiet. If he started to drift, chatter would start. Someone would whisper a sweet nothing into his ear or scream his new name.

[A significant amount of time would pass -- Weeks]​

 

[Kouin]

I've gone by many names, but Ju Ichi isn't one I've been known to use. His voice was sure and resolute, his name was Kouin. A disembodied voice slipped though his drums; his head twisted and turned and tried to find the location of where the voice originated from. In a hushed whisper Why shouldn't I look? It's just my reflection..

His eyes gazed into the mirror infront of him. His emerald ripples reflected back at him, his face was the same face he had been born with, yet his hair was slicked back; he groaned quietly. His normal attire was taken from him, and his was left with simple clothes bearing no personality. I see.... He paused for a moment, I see a man who as been taken advantage of for far too long. His face turned sour as he ragelled the events in Soons, how his supposed allies blamed and ridiculed him, and made him out to be the villian rather than the victim.

The disembodied voice kept speaking, and yet he still couldn't pick out where it was coming from. His head was starting to ring from all the simultaneous voices speaking in cadence, Kouin... My name is Kouin. He spoke in a low whisper as he attempted to rub his temples to clear his head.

---

He shook his head unwittingly, I'm a fool for think they would treat me like an equal... Both of them would look down at their hands and clasp them into fists; they would mutter quietly, I could've beat them all. His face would contort as the mention of the papers, they were the start of all of this, they were the reason he was approached by Shi in the first place. His gaze casted downward, It is only less hated cause it is not my own. Only one person knows of my appearence. I'm a nobody just as much as they treat him as one.

The voices were back again. Unknowingly, he had begun responding verbally, whether it was from the verbal beating, or the sense of self doubt being casted on him, No... It wasn't funny... Pain... Yes Shi hurt him, both of them; We are the same person... We are both Kouin... She did hurt him, she was the catalyst for all of this wretched and terrible things happening. How could he trust anyone anymore? Wouldn't they eventually turn on him when he was deemed useless? Am I.. Useless? He sounded almost pitiful asking this women that of all peope, but he was getting desperate.

---

A Place in this world...? The last time there was a place he wasn't reviled would've been mist. He was among friends, allies, peers, and most importantly family.... He brought up the events in Soons, his hand instinctively clenched into a tight fist; he had never undergone such humiliation and tribulation from people he was suppose to call allies and rely on. All he was starting to see was red, but he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. His rage settled down and looked to the side to see his captor. He was caught by suprise and was momentarily stunned at the act of humanity. Why do you and Shi have such a vested interest in me? I'm just a nobody who is the butt of everyones joke.

He ignored the voices this time as he watched a door slide open, he raced to the opening, but was smart enough to try not to leave. Can I at least know your name friend? The word rolled off his tongue, he was surprised with out easily it rolled out of his mouth. A place for the misunderstood... A place for misfits.....

---

As if rehersed, Shi too stood at the same time as Nao; the same door slid open, but something was different. Shi pulled out an object that would've set him into a fury if he knew it wasn't futile; he watched his silver pocket watch dangle in Shi's delicate hands, holding it out as if to mock him. He could only muster a few words before Shi left, Don't break it please...

He was left alone with the disembodied voice. No one. It was given to me by my father... It was the last thing he gave me before he sent us away to defend Kirigakure. Why he was telling the voice tidbits of his life were beyond him, but any interaction as to forgo insanity seemed like an option at this point.

---

Days went by with no one coming to see him. They both stood and stared into the mirrors. They both were wearing plain clothings, her hair was fixed simply, and his was slicked back away from his face. The style wasn't his own nor was he too keen on it. He could still hear the disembodied voices speak the name he was given, Ju Ichi, Ju Ichi, Ju Ichi. They spoke the loudest when he was close to falling into slumber, then they would shout into his ears.

The only thing he had heard since they left wa Ju Ichi. It had begun sounding so familiar... He sat down on the cold floor, knees close to his face, and hands on his head. My name is. Ju..... Kouin... Kouin... His breathing was rugged, and the passage of time was nonexistent in this room. He could slowly feel mind getting away from him. How much longer till he wasn't him anymore?

As the weeks pass, the maddening only increased. He could still be found in the same curled position on the floor, but instead of muttering Kouin, he was muttering something else. Ju... Ichi... A low laugh erupted from him, Of course... The maniac laughter only increased in volume, It all makes sense now. My name has never been Kouin... That was just a cover... It has to be. Kouin makes no sense, has no ring... Who would be named kouin. He started pacing around the room much like a mad man would, The only reasonable answer is my name is Ju Ichi...

 

[Sand Council]

I've gone by many names, but Ju Ichi isn't one I've been known to use.

"I am sure that you have not used the monkier. But there is not a man alive who picks his own name. You name and your lot has been given to you and circumstance has torn your life as intended apart. You became a refuge and I am sure you did a number of things you were not proud of to survive." He stopped and took a sighing breath. He understood Kouin perhaps better than Kouin understood himself. He understood what it was like to be the underdog. To be something worthy of only ridicule. To be hated, covertly and overtly. He told Kouin to look, to really look into the mirror.

He is going to look isn't he?
Yeah. Look-look!</COLOR><i></i>​

Why shouldn't I look? It's just my reflection..

What if it is a trap. Oh no!
It might be a trap!​

Nothing terrible would happen despite the screaming warnings of something only Kouin responded to. His reflection would be different because he would not be looking at the Kouin he knew, he would look at a man he vaguely recognized. A man with features he knew but clothes he did not own, hair he did not comb and a gaze he could not escape. "Sometimes you need to ask the right question or so I have been told. Why did I place you in a mirrored room? That is the right question... Look at yourself. Really look. Without the trappings. The preening. The monkiers. Then think about the burden. The burden of who you were. The burden of your name. You could not help it, you were born with that name much like you were born with that face. You were expected to live up to expectations that you would never meet... that you would match... that you would exceed."

Hahahahahaha!​

I see....

Jū ichi! Jū ichi! Jū ichi!
No that other guy.
Jū ichi! Jū ichi! Jū ichi!
No, that other... Jū ichi!</COLOR><i></i>​

I see a man who as been taken advantage of for far too long.

Poor Jū ichi...​

"You are nothing. A nobody. A joke."</B><i></i> Nao echoed but after he said this he shook his head sadly. "That is what they want you to think, isn't it? ...That you are not worthy. That you are lucky to be their dog. But that is not true is it?" He would let Kouin look at himself, at the barest imitation of himself. "Look in that mirror -- not at the man they made you think you were. Without the trappings. Without the name. Without preconceived notions of what you can and will do." They had taken everything away from him except for the core, or so that was what he was being told. He was being told that this was who he was, that he had been living a lie. That the reality he knew was the false one. That he could no longer trust his sense of reality, which was also true. After all, a nice man such as Nao has no reason to lie...

---

I'm a fool for think they would treat me like an equal...
"Mmm... you did not think they would forgive you did you?" Shi replied. "Maybe forget... sometimes... maybe... uh no." They would never forget. Never really be his friend. They would never forget his intrusion. The controversial decision by the former Raikage to pull a man off of Death Row and make him one of the most powerful men in the country. Whatever enemies he did not have before, he made just then. But that was the point wasn't it? That was a part of his plan. in death, it is over. The suffering. The pain. The regret. but when you have to live in a world surrounded by those that hate you. You can never turn your back. Never truly feel safe. Never trust any friendships made. Everything they say is a lie. All scammers and schemers. He saw it when they 'rescued' him. When they saw him in that ridiculous situation, humiliated and assaulted. They also seen him get angry. They saw his raw brutality. There were some images they could not unsee.

How mean!"​

It is only less hated cause it is not my own. Only one person knows of my appearance. I'm a nobody just as much as they treat him as one.

What a dirty crying shame.​

"Some friends..." She muttered. "Bet you would not have done what they did to you unless it was someone you hated."

Kill-killkill!​

No... It wasn't funny...

You'd have killed the bitch if she did that to them.
But what'd they do. They laughed and laughed and <B>laughed!​

We are the same person... We are both Kouin...
"Actually, you are not." Shi pointed up at her eyes. "You did not always have those eyes did you?

Jeepers! CREEPERS! Get a load of them PEEPERS!</I><i></i>​

"You're dead. Probably have been for some time," Shi announced. Yeah, she knew about Rikudou Sennins. She knew about their dirty little habit of harvesting corpses. "Who knows if the 'Kouin' as you called him in the other room is really a Kouin either. For all you know, you're both dead. You're entire life has been a lie." She knew that the man in the next room was not a corpse, that 'Kouin' was the seed creature in this hive but did Kouin know that? Could Kouin be absolutely sure. "Did any of your siblings have those eyes?" Of course they did not, it was a recessive trait however giving a one in four chance of it popping up. With his big family the fact that he was the only one traceable was like giving birth the the first ginger in a family line in a century. Nobody quite believes that the kid was not adopted but everyone is too polite to say it. Well, everyone except for Shi. Of course she was digging, messing around with his memories. Tugging at the things he knew and making them come lose.

<COLOR color="steelblue">And little bro ran off.
Some big bro.
You try to save him and what does he do?
He RUNS away.<i></i>​

Am I.. Useless?

D'awww​

"Yes," she answered coldly. She was a bitch. "But only because they made you that way," but she was turning it around. "I mean, what sort of Sennin is alone in a bar. Anyone could have run off with you, someone a lot worse than me."

They wanted something to happen to you.​

"They left you in this state of woe, and that is truly the cruelest thing."

---

A Place in this world...?

It's a small world!​

The useless chatter would continue, disembodied in both rooms. "Yes, I realize that you have been displaced. Mist has been a frozen tundra for years. It has to be... a decade... no I would have to think even more." He was giving a concrete sense of time, only to shatter it. "And I am certain that you think you belonged there Jū ichi." He gave Kouin a pout. "I am sure you had friends, family, peers, mentors, and even influences there. But tell me this, Jū ichi... when the world you once knew became a frozen wasteland, what did they do?" He was going to let Kouin mull over it for a moment, but the voices would cry out: Scatter! They all scattered! Skitter-scatter! "A people so well trained that they could summon a pillar of flame, call upon storms, create a forest with the force of their will alone... Do you honestly believe that they simply left because it got cold?"[/b] Nao honestly had no notion of what actually happened in Mist and frankly he did not care. Questioning reality and relieving Kouin or rather Jū ichi of his grasp on his was all that truly mattered.

Ice-ice baby!​

Why do you and Shi have such a vested interest in me? I'm just a nobody who is the butt of everyones joke.

Hahahahahahaha!​

"Because you have value. Because you could be quite lovely," his gaze lingered on Kouin perhaps a few seconds to long as Nao not so discretely licked his lips. "Because you are only a joke because they fear what you could be if you were anything more."

So pretty! So nice!
I think he likes you.
I think he likes-you likes-you.
No, he does not seem the sort.
Just getting paranoid now old boy!<i></i>​

Can I at least know your name friend?
"Nao."

---

Shi would depart, the watch in hand she would tease Kouin from the other side of the door. She wanted to test his will. To see how far she would have to go to break him. How far she would have to hurt him. Imagine her disappointment when all she got was a request:

<COLOR color="steelblue">What's that!
Is it special?
Is it old?
It is pretteh.​

Don't break it please...

What's that!
Is it special?
Is it old?
It is pretteh.​

"You should know by now Jū ichi... everything that you are... everything that you have is safe in my care. It might be a little scuffed. A little scratched, but it is always good for the wear." She would smile in a way only that cruel bitch could, the sort of smirk most would try to punch off if they only could. The door would slam closed on both sides and Kouin or rather Jū ichi would be left alone.

---

The days would pass without meaning. The hours would drone on, the voices a source of company. They would never directly answer a question but they would speak words of vague relevance. sometimes rhymes. Sometimes songs. Sometimes the voices would simply scream his name: Jū ichi! The lights would never dim, although sometimes they would flicker. The mirrors never changed, from every side they would always see one person with them -- themselves. That tired, haggred person with nothing left to lose except perhaps his life which he likely never valued that highly to begin with considering his chosen vocation. The voices he heard were real, however it was possible he was hearing a few of his own creation. Here is the thing about isolation and delirium, a lack of sleep and constant over... or under stimulation can cause a fragile mental state. The inability to monitor the passage of time and days. Even meals were uneven, sometimes a tray would come through a small sliding door on the floor and that would be the last he would see for some time (two days at one point) and then on other days he would have tray after tray slide into the room barely more than an hour apart.

Had he been in there for a few days?

A few weeks?

Months?

It was a weeks. A week of isolation. Not a word from Shi or Nao. There was a complete absence of human touch of human contact of human interaction. Of course he was not free from all sources of contact.

"We were born this way…

'Born' <I>how?

You through some wretched womb and I from the carnal instinct that pervades, precludes and perseverates.

But not is not the 'birth' to which I prefer but rather your... our shared nature.

We were born with the inherent want to see the villain win.

Born with the need to watch and study predatory behavior, the deviant mind and all the dark behavioral patterns that go along with it.

Born with the desire uncover something ugly; the devils behind the perfectly cultivated lives of your neighbors and your peers.

To see the things you always knew were there.

You know, just as I... that monsters are not found in caves or haunted houses.

They walk among us. You see one each and every time to look in the mirror and you are terrible at hiding it.

They seem to hide it better. Their secret passions. Their revulsion. The false sense of security they have fostered in you.

Hunt them. Kill them all.​

Eventually the door would open to both of their rooms. Who entered? Irrelevant. The weary and shackled, sleep-deprived pair would be dragged from their mirrored cells and strapped to chairs. The tired pair would remain restrained as they had for weeks, but also locked into a pair of chairs with their eyes forced open mechanically. Scenes would start to play out before them, all of them genjutsu. Many of them depicting recognized figures: various foreign and domestic leaders, idols, random various citizens that donned the regalia of their region or shinobi community, the ANBU and Medics. These figures were being ripped and torn apart, beaten and humiliated. The same strange voice was laughing the whole time. The scenes would have been enough to turn the stomachs of most, even particularly solid ones but there was little fear of that as both the lady and her male counterpart were dosed with euphorium ad nasium. Then there would be another series of scenes that would follow once the euphorium faded. These scenes were of various allies of the Diamyo - fellow Soverign, allies of Otogakure and various Merchant Lords still in Ishii Shiro's good graces. Similar terrible scenes would come to pass, but as these scenes would flicker like a movie reel caustic brews would enter their veins. They would feel as if their body was on fire. In revolt.

This would go on, a cyclical rotation for a few hours before the pair would be dragged off. Back to their separate spaces. Alone. The passage of time still inconsistent as like meals they were dragged from their 'safe space' daily, sometimes multiple times in a single day and sometimes after a few days of lonesome isolation. The Pavlovian condition each day would always be the same, not the images but the spirit of the encounter. Sometimes they would be hurt - burned, made cold, poisoned, electrocuted, bled or bludgeoned when the 'bad' scenes played. When the 'good scenes' played there would be a sense of comfort, a sense of release be it pleasant music, a tender touch or a sweet scent. The men and women who did this were masked, they would never see faces and they never said a word.

But eventually, weeks later everything would end. The voice that seemed to follow them from their cell to the conditioning room would fade away. Kouin or rather Jū ichi's voice as well as the voice from the pit of their stomach was all they would hear until the third or perhaps the fourth week. It was time to test them. Just like every day before, except one of them (your choice) would be dragged into the media room. (S)he would be placed in the chair but never strapped in. Shi would enter the room through an open door and take a seat in a chair across from him and she would give Kouin a wry smile. "Been a long time, Jū ichi..."

 

[Kouin]

The man had a point; everything a person had was given to them by their parents. Their face, hair color, name, all of it. He casted a downward gaze when he mentioned doing things to survive, To keep my family alive, I had to do whatever I could. His hands clenched into a fist; it wasn't fair him, an early adult to take up all the responsibilities a father is suppose to have. He was still so young when it happened... It was never known but he had held the grudge of his circumstance on his father; everything he was doing for him was because of him...He wasn't always the underdog. He used to be a respected member, a prolific member of a well established society. Kouin was never a bad person... He did what he did for his village and his family, but just how many other people use that same excuse to justify a means to an end? He surely wouldn't have been the first to weave a tale to help him sleep at night. Though his words were right, he had never met or exceeded anyone’s expectations, but he would never admit it to himself, he always tried to surpass his father, be better than him, to be better than everyone; but in the end he only became a caged dog.

You are nothing.. A nobody. A joke. Anger always boiled hottest when the truth you refused to believe is spoken aloud, and thats exactly how he felt. He took another look into the mirror; he ignored his ties with Kumo, forgot everything he was ever obligated to do for them. He ignored the fact that he was some villages lap dog waiting for a taste of freedom, most importantly he ignored the man they made him. He was far from the man he was when he left Kiri with his three siblings.
I see someone who is done being taken for granted.

---

He knew deep down he would never be forgiven. No one would ever fully forget; he would be a rumor that is talked about in a hush tone as if to avoid Kouin from hearing them. They would speak his name to scare the children straight so they wouldn't step out of line. No, he would never be forgiven for what he did.But then they had to see a side of him; a side he had hidden away for far too long, a beast that had been sleeping for far too long. They poked and prodded him until he finally snapped in a visceral rage. His mind flashed to the very moment. Arm twisting... Arm snapping... One more quick jerk, oops lost an arm... His hand begun to shake with the recounted memories. Stab, stab stab, stab away your hearts. He was completely zoned out until Shi started speaking again. I would've killed you if that happened to one of them. But now...
She looked at her reflection in the mirror, he could only hear their insistent laughter at his pain. His misery, they refused to believe it wasn't his fault.
She was right; they weren't necessarily the same person. Kouin did simply take the corpse from the morgue and reanimate it, that much was true. She begun speculating that both of them were dead, which he knew to be an impossibility. Like you said, I didn't always have these eyes. Neither did any of my siblings, or close ancestors. He was different, but he wasn't adopted, or was he? Was Raiden really his father? Were Mori, Ronin and Kaori really his siblings? Had he been risking his life this whole time for family that wasn't even his own? No... All I tried to do was save him... And he just.... runs.... away...

He expected her to reply as so, but it was still devastating to hear aloud, They made me that way? He was confused; how did they make him something else? Sure he was essentially a glorified lap dog with the threat of execution looming close by, but what else? As she brought up that night one again, he regaled in the emotions he felt as he was tearing off her arm ever so violently; how he shattered the bones in her other arm, and how he gouged her hearts out one by one, but unfortunately leaving one unattended. A short awestruck smile graced her face as the endorphins slowly released from the memory,
It could've been worse...... Yes. They wanted to watch me snap, they wanted to see me burst like a balloon. He had never been as humiliated or vexed as he was, They showed me their true nature... And I in turn mine...

---

It is a small world...

He knew how long mist had been frozen, he was there. He witnessed it all fall and freeze; the eldritch horrors slowly picking off the people too slow to evacuate, or shredding anyone dumb enough to try and defend the village, much like his father tried. I don't... I don't even remember how long... He couldn't have been sure of himself anymore, were all his memories just lies planted by two different hidden villages? Were they both just trying to use him?
Kiri was a heavily fortified village, with some of the strongest shinobi he had seen, yet all they could do was run in fear of what was becoming instead of taking charge and amassing the forces needed to push back the horrors, but no matter how resilient they were. They scattered like cowards... His words had a bite them that would be almost unexpected. He had great pride for his village, but everyone, himself included just scattered at the first sign of danger. They, him were weak.

Kouin watched Nao intently, the way his gaze lingered on him a few moments longer than most would be comfortable with, and a not so subtle lick of his lips, something about it seemed so wrong, but he wasn't looking away? Why was he affixed on his gaze so intently? Lovely? The disembodied voices echoed in his voice, they were confusing, and made no sense, were they assuring him Nao was his friend? Or did these voices know more than they were letting on? What do you think I can become?
He breathed a sigh of relief, he found solace in knowing the name of the man in front of him; the man that called him friend, and the man who said he can give him a place in the world where a misfit could fit in. Thank you, Nao.

---

He would hear the voice of Orochi sound through his head, though through his shattered state he wasn't sure if he was merely hallucinating or if it was really him. He could barely focus on staying awake let alone his words, yet his words seemed all too familiar; monsters walk among us everywhere we go, some hide better than others. The ugly must be hunted, and must be ended.

Shortly after the voice faded into the ether, the door swung open. Thier eyes lit open at the first sign of human contact in what seemed like an eternity. They weren't all too keen on talking. They were strapped into chairs, eyes clamped open so he couldn't avert their gaze. Thats when the images started flashing before; the images were horrifying at first, much like when Shi did to him. Diplomats, kages, sennin, various high ranking and foreign diplomats flashed on the screen. They were being beaten and mauled, torn asunder by ravenous winds and struck down dead by raining bolts of lightning. Thier bodies were mutilated, arms torn off and used an improvised bludgeoning weapon. A maniac laughter cackled the whole time as the images were flashing before him. They would feel the prick of needles puncture their arms as a liquid was forced into his veins repititively. They would have an intense feeling of joy and pleasure as these violent images flashed before his eyes.

Their tired, sleep deprieved bodies just sat there, limp, wide eyed and riding a train of euphorium as the images twisted his mind. As the euphorium died down as did the violent imagery. Suddenly images of soveriegn he had encountered and some new flashed before the screen; merchanteers of high class were scarce, but not nonexistent. Even visages of shinobi from Otogakure flashed across the screen. Then the terrible scenes would begin flashing again, but instead of euphorium being injected in them, it was a much more volatile concoction. Their bodies would thrash in the chair, violently and desperately trying to free himself from the vile chair, yet their eyes never left the screen in front of him, and they could never budge an inch to safety.

The human interaction started to become more experimenting, but he didn't know any better; he had been isolated from human interaction for god knows how long. He didn't care about what they did, how they did it, when they did it. Every time he heard the door slide open was a somewhat joyous moment. He was free from his isolation, he had another human interacting with him, touching him. They would beat him senseless, burned him, then made him frigid. Poison, electrocuted, bled and bludgeoned when the violent scenes played. Though all the scenes weren't bad, when the 'good' scenes played he didn't feel a brand singe his skin or frost burn. No, a pleasant tone would play, and a tender touch would rest on him with a pleasurable fragance. Though their identities never revealed, it was the spirit of the encounter that mattered. Physical people interacting with him instead of just his own delirium.


Like clockwork the doors opened again, but this time they only wanted one. But... They've always taken both... Why is this different? Did I do something wrong? He shook his head; no, impossible. The male counterpart pulled himself up with an abashed expression; he would be dragged to a room and placed in a chair, but never strapped in. He peered behind him at the door.

A familiar voice a figure entered the room. It was the less preferred one, but he knew Shi, he recognized her. She was definitely real.

"Been a long time, Ju ichi..."

The name never even phased him, it sounded rather natural penetrating his drums. He managed a nod and got captured in thought over what he could remember from his time here. He let out a sigh of relief, That is my name... He looked up from his lap, and met Shi's mischievous and intoxicating gaze and wry smile. Something about her had changed, where he once had intense rage was dutifully replaced with a calming sensation. He wasn't afraid.

He looked around him and recognized it as the media room, How can I help you today, Shi? His had an altruistic tone behind it, but also a heavy dose of lethergy.

 

[Sand Council]

This interaction would be different from the others, almost civilized. Almost being the key word, Shi was not a nice person. Perhaps she could have been under different circumstances. If she held a different sort of life but that would be to say that she was a product of nothing more than her dreary and dreadful environment and perhaps that she was. It was of course untrue, she might have been less of a bitch but she would have been a bitch regardless of her upbringing and her life up until this point. People are born bad, circumstances only make them worse.

"I was expecting something... more from you." Shi commented with a disappointed tone. There was no fun when there was no fight left in them. Of course her job was not to torment him if there was no fight left, as sad as that was. She relished the fight more than the victory, it was more about the journey than the destination for her. She did not believe he was broken, not yet. Perhaps that was because she did not want it to be so or perhaps she was merely a cautious woman. There was of course only one way to find out. She stood up and approached the Sennin, she would pace around him, slowing her gait as she reached his back before resuming her normal pace as she crossed his anterior before she would stop in front of him and attempt to climb onto his lap. She would snuggle in close with her restrained victim or perhaps former paramour and attempt to nuzzle his neck. "We have had a lot of fun, just you and me," if he did not shy away or push her off he would feel her lips and tongue on the nape of his neck.

She was checking for a reaction -- was it indifference, annoyance, anger or revulsion or was there desire. The later being hard to fake, there was mechanical evidence of his acquiescence. There was a difference between acceptance and homogenization. If he was laying low, his manhood would not lie. Well it would lie but in a manner not of a falsehood but rather remaining prostrate rather than erect. Why did it matter? Well, that would be the right question. Because she was a cue to demonstrate the success of their conditioning. From their first meeting, each of their interactions was carefully planned. The abuses he suffered to alienate him from his peers, to give him a sense of powerlessness and shame and to associate this anger and wrath with one person -- Shi. The Sovereign was meant to be reviled by the Sennin. And he indeed hated her, he ripped the woman limb from limb in front of his peers not only releasing but also revealing his wrath. She then reminded Kouin that not even his family was safe as she hunted down Kouin's brother Ronin who would have suffered a similar fate in all likelihood if the Sennin failed to intervene. He was brought to Sora defeated and full of hate, some directed at his peers, both latent and building as well as his overt grievances with Shi. For weeks he has endured scenes, many of them terrible and with them a sense of bliss. When scenes of peace, images of peers, friends and members of varied shinobi rank. When those images were put on display he would feel intense pain, nausea or searing heat or bitter cold. The Sovereign were there as well, none of the images were real but he would see himself with them. They appeared happy and this was the only time he heard human voices, the gentle touch of a hand. The only time he felt natural human contact that was not through latex gloves, needles in his veins and voiceless shadows instead of men.

Until his spirit was truly broken and his mind thoroughly laundered, it was likely he would remain flaccid. He had a fine sense of self preservation, it was likely he knew how to act so he would not push her away. This was still better than a lesson. This was still better than what the woman would do if she thought there was more work to do. And so, what would happen next would wholly be contingent on the responsiveness of Kouin's third leg that would get no action regardless of its response, however it would serve as a sign. After all just like the rest he was malleable.

OC: Sorry about the odd fixation -- trying to not be too inappropriate for you. Let me know if I overstep. Also, sorry for the brevity, I did this on a tablet mini and those are very hard to post from.

 

[Kouin]

He didn't believe people were born bad or malicious. They were made; forged through the fires of turmoil. Some make it through being the hero everyone adores, but those that don't make it through successfully; the ones less spoken about, or talked about in hushed tones. They are made evil and cruel; Kouin was both and neither at the same time. Two sides of the same coin. Everything in his head was hazy; nothing seemed wrong, but nothing seemed right. Why was he here?

He let out an impatient sigh. He could hear the disappointed in her voice. He could even tell from the look on her face, she wanted him to fight her a bit more, but what was the point? He had no idea how long he was been trapped here; weeks, months, years? He could keep a grasp on time at first, but session after session caused him to lose his grasp on the concept. But the location with neither the place nor the time for deep contemplation.

Shi had a cruel definition of fun, but he had accustomed, or maybe he always enjoyed the certain level of pain; who knew. He was tired of the fooling around, and wasn't in the "mood" for her seductive gait. Though even though he showed forward indifference, she didn't simply stop; no she had to make sure. Her hot breath tingled against his skin, it sent a shiver down his spine. He would bite his lip to try and replace the feeling with a sudden shock, but that only fed into it more. Her soft, tender skin rubbed against his neck began to make him get heated.

Then came the pecks and licks on his neck; his body would visible shudder at the sensation. He knew she was only teasing him, trying to get a reaction out of him, and he was rather sure that she knew she'd get one. He had been depraved of any meaningful interaction for an undefined amount of time; this one instance sent a flurry of sensations down his nerves. He'd lay his cuffed hands on her legs and felt her tender skin under his hands.

He had been so cold or so hot during the night, he was also depraved of sleep, at this point anything was bliss compared to the hell endured. At this point it would be painfully obvious that a reaction was obtained; he could feel a bulging in his pants, but there was a nagging feeling that nothing would being happening in the slightest, but a man could hope. He would bare his neck to her more in hopes to entice her to continue. With a heated voice he barely mutterd out his words What exactly did you have in mind Shi?

 

[Sand Council]

Shi​

She was not a nice woman, even if her life had been better she would not have been a paragon of virtue. She breathed in his scent, he smelled unclean and a part of her liked that as she climbed on top of the Sennin straddling him as she did so. She was teasing him of course, she had already gotten -that- from him once before and if she wanted more she would have taken it before she gave him to Nao. She could feel his responsiveness beneath her and the brush of his hand. "Good, you still like me," she whispered into his ear. Her hand would reach downward as she drew herself in for a kiss, it would only last a few seconds before it broke. "You are my favorite masochist, Jū ichi" she would breathe into him as she peeled herself away from him and pulled something from her pocket. It was a syringe filled with what appeared to be a raging storm, flashes of light would illuminate the glass and water seemed to batter the inner glass.

What exactly did you have in mind Shi?

"Sex," she admitted. "But he won't let me play," if Kouin did not know better he might have taken the tone of her voice as one of disappointment. There might have even been a moment of hesitation in her eyes, "today you graduate, Jū ichi." She let out a sigh as she shook the syringe, muttering at it as she did. "Quiet you," she scolded. She was not talking to Kouin but the syringe. She pulled a tourniquet from her pocket and wrapped it around Kouin's left arm. He would feel it draw tightly around his arm, his fingers would tingle and he would feel an ache. Shi's finger would then trace a line along his arm, stopping close to the crook of his arm. She was searching for a vein. "This will be unpleasant... do not move," she ordered with a firm tone that suggested she was warning him. The needle would push into his flesh and sparks would erupt as she did so and she would draw back on the plunger to see his blood mingle in the chamber. Yes, it was in the vein.

But then something curious happened. The blood that emptied into the chamber did not color the storm a faint shade of pink, it overtook the storm that she held in her hand. Shi's hand shook when she saw that, the needle still in Kouin's arm she stammered one word. "N-n-n-ao..." It came out as a hoarse whisper. "Naaaoo!" She would repeat with a stronger voice burdened with a sense of urgency. "NAO!" She would scream with panic setting in as she backed away from Kouin who was still tied to the chair with a needle hanging from his arm and a tourniquet around his bicep.

Don't be sad honey, weren't you the one that wanted to play?​

She had made her way to the door, her hands balled into fists she pounded on the frame. "LET ME OUT OF HERE!" She would scream as her hands battered the door. "LET ME OUT OF HERE!" She repeated, having reached a panicked frenzy. What had she seen that had distressed her so? It was his blood, his blood consumed that Ancient whole. Yes, that was a living Ancient trapped in that narrow vessel from one of the lesser known courts distantly associated and related to the Solar Court -- The Unbridled Storm. But whatever Kouin was, a few drops of his blood was all that was necessary to neutralize it. The vial now seemed to be full of a writhing darkness.

Put it in! Put it in! Put it in!​

Shi would not hear the voice in Kouin's head that was calling out, laughing the whole time. She would try to rattle the door open but it was locked from the outside. "You fucking bastards, LET ME OUT!"

Put it in! Put it in! Put it in!​

"What is the commotion in there Shi," a familiar voice crackled over the loudspeaker. "Inject him with the Ancient and hope he survives," the voice instructed.

Daddy is that you?
No, I have no daddy.
Maybe he can be YOUR daddy!​

"I am not touching him!" Shi shrieked.

But I wanna touch you.​

The formless, disembodied voice seemed particularly active on this day after days of silence. It was a shame Kouin was the only one in the audience. "Playtime is over Shi, I will be punishing you for your disobedience... but I am a patient man. Finish him."

"No way!"

A bang could be heard over the speaker.
</COLOR>

Uh-oh...​

<i></i>

<COLOR color="indigo">Nao​

The disembodied laughter was near deafening. The knob would start to turn and the door would crack and as the heavy, metallic door opened Shi would attempt to dash out to what she perceived to be safety only to he stopped before she could rush past a slender figure. His hand wrapped around her neck and with a singular outstretched arm he lifted her from the floor. "How I tire of your drama, Shi... Hurt." She tried to say something but she could not get the words out. His hands would loosen from around her neck, the early signs of a bruise could already be seen as she fell to the floor. She was screaming, writhing on the floor.

His eyes would fix on Kouin and he would smile. "Congratulations Jū ichi, this is either the day you leave this school one way or another"</B><i></i> be it dead or as a graduate. His words would be hard to hear over Shi's anguished screams but it was rather possible that was the highlight of the Sennin's day. Nao would nod his head in Shi's direction and add, <B>"...women. Can't live with them, cannot have heterosexual sex without them." His eyes would cast downward, not at Kouin's likely waning excitement but rather at the tourniquet that remained around his arm and the needle that had been so perilously placed in his vein already that was full of a viscous, writhing black goo. His eyes would widen and he would withdraw the needle allowing Kouin's own red-appearing blood sluggishly drip from his arm. "...In-teresting," he would announce as he freed Kouin's arm from the tourniquet. he would feel a painful rush of sensation and blood returning to his hand and fingers.

"Shi... stop hurting and tell me what you have done." The moment he commanded her to stop hurting her already hoarse screams would cease but she would be panting for pair on the floor. "Don't dawdle... and do not even think you can flee," he added "unless you want a seat next to him." There was no malice or even the sound ofg a threat in his words, it was as if he was stating a fact. A consequence that would come to pass if she defied him.

"Nao... Sir... please let me leave," she begged.

"What did you do to him?" Nao asked.

"Nothing," she insisted. "Just a little foreplay, I did not DO THAT." Her eyes seem to plead to him to let her go.

"What were you injecting him with?" Nao's patience seemed to be reaching a terminal point.

"The storm. The storm YOU told me to give him!"

"There are two things I hate in this world Shi. One... bluejeans. Two,,, liars. Now Shi, why do you have to be one of the two things I hate," There was a venom in his words that had not been seen before now as well as a look that Shi seemed to recognize. Her eyes were starting to water.

"I didn't! I wouldn't! It was the storm, I SWEAR IT!" She seemed to plead with him but her words seemed to fall in deaf ears.

"Shi... stand up and come over here."

She immediately stood upright and approached Nao but it did not seem to be something Shi controlled. She appeared to strain against his demand, begging him the entire time to realize her innocence in the matter. "It was the storm. It really was! It was his blood! His blood ATE the storm!" She stopped a foot from Nao, her arms at her sides in a relaxed pose that seemed to betray her distressed expression. "Please believe me!"

Nao shook his head, making a tsking sound as he did, his long, painted fingernails brushed her left arm and collar before he planted his palm over her sternum. "Shhh.... you're making so much noise," he scolded as his head bobbed in cadence to a rhythm only he could hear or in this case also feel -- her heart. "I hope that you have more than just this one Shi... be quiet," he announced as he withdrew his hand and if one did not know better one would have thought it became more like a spectral claw as it plunged into her breast cracking through her bones and ripping through her flesh. His hand, bloodied would withdraw with it a still beating heart. Shi's mouth agape, she could not scream although she desperately wanted to. Blood stained her blouse and splattered onto the floor. Her dark tendrils would peer from the gaping wound like curious cobras preparing to strike but they would not lash out at the Soverign.

Nao would bite into the beating heart like one does an apple, a spray of blood would squirt from the broken heart as if he had bitten into an overly ripe fruit and a smear of blood would be on his cheek. "Oh..." he announced as he dropped the half-eaten heart onto the floor. "Hmm... Sorry about that," he added with a shrug as if he caused her to suffer a minor inconvenience. "Try not to die, you have another heart or two don't you... Mmm... yes, you should," he concluded as he seemed to debate with himself over the potential need to assist or bury the Soverign woman still standing and bleeding out. "Oh yes, I almost forgot. Shi... as you were... as you will." Shi let out a gasp as her knees buckled and she crashed onto the floor, kneeling with her hands cupped over the gaping wound in her chest.

She could have gave him an angry rebuttal but she was practical enough as to know when that would be bad for her health. She let out a series of pained, hacking coughs. "My apologies sir."

Nao did not answer her, he was enamored by Kouin instead. "My-my-my... even after all of this time you still have some secrets. What a naughty boy." He seemed intent on inspecting Kouin. The pads of his fingers just below Kouin's eyes he pulled down. Mucus membranes appear normal. Forced his mouth open. Oral cavity within normal limits. His ears. Normal enough Nao would appear to be a bit handsy, perhaps a bit too handsy for even the Sennin's taste as he inspected every inch of him. Every part of his external anatomy appeared to be completely, disappointingly normal. "He's human," Nao announced disappointed.

Shi had gotten herself to her feet during this time and staggered out of the room, a trail of blood in her wake.

"But..." He leaned down to look Kouin directly in the eyes. "You and I both know that there is something about you that is not human. So I think it is time that you share with me a story. What are you?"

 

[Sand Council]

Been a few weeks. Ending for reason of: inactivity.

Assume they let him out through the front door. Door was locked behind him.