The Haunting at Jade Temple

[Yume]

Back again at Jade Temple.

It's been a while since she last came here. It was amazing how little ill effect it had on her. Other temples and shrines made her feel itchy.

"How are you doing, brother?" she asked. Within the back of the temple grounds, along the rows and rows of gravestones, Yume stood before the only one unmarked under the late afternoon sun. How long had it been since she discovered the corpse of her demon brother within the Hokage Mountain? It felt like aeons before the assassination attempt. Surely, it had only been perhaps a few months?

The girl was greeted with silence. Of course, she didn't expect anything different. The brother she had never met--he was long gone, without a semblance of soul left behind. She wondered how it'd be like on the day she died. Can her spirit remain here wandering forever, or will she simply cease to wholly exist? Eh. Doesn't matter. She wasn't scared about it.

According to that priestess, she wasn't supposed to exist in the first place, after all.

At times, Yume could feel and see her body fade away. It took quite a bit of effort to stay corporeal, like a real person. Time like these though, when she was feeling tired, she let it go. Looking down at her hand, it was already substantially transparent. The rest of her body would be too--her hair, her face, her clothes even.

Many instances, she had to ask herself: was she a devil, or a ghost?

She continued to stand by the grave of her dead sibling, as still and transparent as an apparition.

 

[Keigo Oen]

Subtle, the steps of the man seemed to embark upon a series of clicks and clocks. As if he was a small galloping stallion. There was very much to say about the life this man of shadows was living. He seemed to have alot in the stake of this Jade Temple... a Yume that seemed to have a meeting with this man would happen. Her family. Wealthy. Strong. And very persuasive, they 'paid' him to watch over the young woman. As if she needed it... she was the Sennin of this village for something that he didnt understand but, it was something he would grow to know. As time seemed to waver on, the creepy masked figure seemed to creepily creep with as a spider in its own thread seemingly poised to strike a prey. The Web of deceit. Despair. Disarray. And many more disgusting features you could give to a black widow's web. To those who looked for the footsteps and where they came from would find nothing... nothing but... a looming shadow that seemed to stand still. Almost as if the Shadow in the corner of your room as a child was actually the monster you feared the most... gripped with such fear as an adolescence one could not even scream for fear of what would happen if you were not saved from the clutches of this beast in time.

Twas... Tamashii. The man who brought death and sacrificed the weak for the rituals of Jashin. Or at least thats who he once was. The man who looked for the killing blow. And now... outside amongst the muck and grime... would he stand in the shadow of this woman that he was sent to protect. This feeble young woman. Who was she? Was she even worth the space of air she took? Was she worth enough to become Sennin? Maybe... but that was to be seen. Alas, he stood for moments even allowing the spiders around his cloak to loosen him to reality... allowing that clear webbing to make his presence visible to the world around him.

"Yamaguchi Kiseki." He'd whisper only audible enough for her to hear as he'd lean in close... This was going to be something of a mistake if he happened to figure this thing out. . . . Though with that he would take a moment. Before she would have a chance to respond as he would roll his shoulders, making a loud crackling sound of his bones. He was... quite alarmed to say the least, but his features were hidden behind his mask. So she wouldnt be able to read him if she was one for doing that... at any pace, it would be time for the የ ደፋር to act. One day though... one day.

 

[Yume]

Her body gradually reverted back to full opacity when the air changed. Someone was there, that much she knew. But he was quiet, as if sneaking up on her to scare her. She'd have to pretend again. Whatever it is he'd do, Yume would jump with a slight yelp of fright, not too loud, but not too restrained either. Then she'd say something the along the lines of "oh, you scared me!" and smile abashedly. The conversation would flow from there, be it her being shy of her identity or enthusiastic of who she met.

That was usually the case in situations like these.

Yume prepared herself for that initial jump then, when Tama slid up close behind her. She just had to time it, the moment he did or said anything noticeable. Too early and she'd blow her cover. Too late and it'd feel inorganic. Her finger twitched minutely in anticipation.

But then he called her name. For the first time, she was genuinely caught off guard like a normal human should. Her genuinely surprised reaction however, remained to be abnormal.

The jolt of fright became a very swift turnaround. Instead of having wide blue eyes of shock, they narrowed in green; with pure and unadulterated anger. Her hand shot out towards Tama's neck, stopping bare inches away from the cloth surrounding his skin. If he took a step back to assess her stance, he'd notice that her fingernails weren't the cute rounded and polished nails she normally would sport in her day to day appearance. They were more pointed and sharp, akin to claws like the demon she descended from.

The girl didn't think much of his masked appearance at this point, or the eerie cracking of his bones. Creepy looking creatures and figures were par for the course in her childhood; her mother went along strange adventures, and Yume's untrained eyes met with stranger things. The netherworld, and the things that emulated it, didn't surprise her anymore.

"How do you know that name?" she interrogated him, taking one step closer in menace. Her voice was uncharacteristically low and monotone. "You shouldn't. Who told you, stranger? Hm?"

There was no way she found in herself to be the bubbly idol she was known for. Not after this. That name--the name that should be under lock and key with the Hokage--was uttered out into the world by this perceived nobody. And this nobody now had a lot of questions to answer to.

She was in a terrible mood now, if she wasn't already before.

 

[Keigo Oen]

As she would grasp his neck he would chuckle, his body heat would raise almost making his skin steam... but only for a moment as she would find out quickly as she took her hand away from him. He was sure that this would be hard for her to comprehend... being as young as she was... though this was an ordeal that needed to be explained, "Right. I have your attention." nodding he would find it within himself to step back to bow his head. He had been through alot of trouble to get here to stand before her and to protect her like he would be set out to do. He could feel the heat from her... the disdain as he spoke her true name. The name she held away from the public... Maybe he would question that part first... but the silence he kept whilst standing there would be quite intriguing. It allowed the air to grow with tense natures... as if it was the crackling of lightning before the thunder.

"Why is it you wish not to use your name? I need to know that before continuing...." speaking through his voice changer it rattled and his breathing was light but strained. "...But rest assured... I've been sent here to you for... reasons." his voice sounded like he was beginning to smile behind that mask but what couldnt be seen was just that smile. He was quite amused by all of this... the Singer... Cool collected... now flustered and unnerved. It was a secret art of Tamashii that allowed him to do that with some people. "...Once you finish I'll tell you why I'm here..." nodding and awaiting her response he would wonder how this would to about.... Would she attack him? Could she risk that? If he knew her name what else did he know about her? Did he tell anyone else? Could he be trusted? Who knew in all honesty... But Yume was about to find out all these questions on the next episode of Yume Chronicles: The Order of the Fearless...

 

[Yume]

The girl stared blankly at the masked man, in the sense that she was not impressed in the slightest. He spoke, demanding things from her when it should honestly be the other way around. Who was the one that spoke of a locked name? If anything, she was in the right to ask questions, and had no obligation to answer to his ridiculously inappropriate tones.

"Ahh... kure yo...?" she drawled slowly. Why did she speak so formally, when there was no reason to--and in an uncommon language, no less? The world may never fully comprehend the mind of the Yamaguchi-Akegata. Her green eyes finally broke free from the glare at Tama, and wandered off to the side in a half-gaze towards a gravestone as if she was thinking.

They darted back quickly, this time with a bright and dazzling smile to the man. Those green eyes that smiled with her though, didn't seem to fit in as well when they were blue.

"I'm sorry?" she replied. "My name is Yume, see?"

Her hands brought themselves together in a heart shape as she peered her eye through the space, before breaking it apart to drop her hands to her sides. Though the fact that this stranger knew of her birth name was a point of concern to the girl, it was not enough to even think of disclosing her secrets to him just because he asked for it.

In other words: I don't have to tell you anything. I don't need to hear what you have to say.

She glanced down at her thin wristwatch and looked so surprised. "Omo, it's this late already? Ajumma is gonna wonder where I am."

No, she won't. The old lady at the estate could barely remember what day it was.

With a quick and shallow bow, Yume stepped past the looming figure. "Have a good evening," she said, patting him on the shoulder. Her sharpened claws receded into her normal nails by that time and if Tama blinked, she'd be gone. Though if his eyes were still trained on her, he'd see the girl fade out quickly into near invisibility. She was still there, because she found teleportation was a trick too hard for someone like her. So the girl cheated; using that ghostly nature of hers she actually resented, Yume did her best to quietly slip away into the temple.

When she arrived in the main prayer room of Jade Temple, in front of the statue of their rendition of the Fire Goddess, Yume willed her body back into the physical plane with a sigh. "Stop looking at me like that, Ou."

One quick glance up at the statue behind her, the girl turned her back to it, clicking through the discreet earpiece on her for a certain radio frequency to a certain someone. She always does this, when things deviate from the norm in the slightest.

 

[Keigo Oen]

Tsk tsk. This wouldnt do, as she would calm herself putting on the front of 'Yume'. . . Though she'd effectively provoked the black widows bite if she'd told him everything he wanted to hear... everything he'd asked of her. She passed his test though, she didnt give the man what he asked. Which it would be something quite wonderful that the family might be well off knowing. She could keep her face, and keep up the bravado in the eyes of someone as imposing as he. Then again, he'd expected nothing less from anyone born of that Yamaguchi blood. He'd disperse into a slew of spiders following in her shadow. It was something he was good at especially being an ANBU. Following Chakra and such was apart of his lifestyle.

Approaching the Temple seeing the girl reappear, using Chakra to cushion his feet on the ceiling as he watched her get into this room of divine prayer he couldnt help but watch... and as she spoke to the idle statue he'd find that he'd have to drop an EMP to prevent her slew of backup to come and stop this from happening. It would seem that she would need a better way of communication than an earpiece... as discreet as it seemed to the trained eye who looked for things like this, this was a giant target. He needed to prevent her from communicating fromt he outside world. Thus, he'd click his EMP Grenade tossing it a few feet behind her making an audible 'Clank' sound before it sent out a low level shockwave that knocked out all Communications to the outside world. For a bit, but just enough time that he would be able to drop down...

"Hm. Some people in this world dont need to know who or why I'm here. Except you. Not your manager. Not anyone, as they already sent me here to speak to you... 'Yume'. . .", He stood next to the statue she seemed to be talking to. Inspecting it as he spoke out to Kiseki, "I know this maybe strange to you... but I'm not here to harm you or your name. I am here as per instruction. The Family has sent me to speak to you... It may not be desirable to you... but I am an ally to you. And I'm here to help your career, just as your manager does... just differently." nodding he would smile behind his mask. Moving his body to her, inching closer... He seemed quite creepy. However, she could her his real voice for this short amount of time. Before he returned to using his voice synthesizer. "I am known as... Strider. And I am apart of the Fearless.", bowing finally he would submit himself before her allowing her to get the drop on him if she wanted to. Though this was a show of true loyalty, it was lost on some people... but to bow yourself low with both hands outspread was almost asking for death. So... he'd do this for three seconds... before bringing his head back to standing position.

 

[Yume]

The fine hairs of the back of her neck reacted before the earpiece fizzled out of commission, leaving the girl with her eyes closed in irritation more than surprise. When they reopened, Yume saw the Strider loom ever closer to her. His larger stature was meant to intimidate and terrify, but all it did was annoy her. Those green eyes soon narrowed suspiciously. Instructions? Family? How can he be an ally to her, considering the situation was like this?

She doesn't have a family. As far as she can recall, Yume was the only one living in the abandoned Yamaguchi estate.

So they still lurk around in the shadows of Leaf, do they?

Wonder if Manager was ever aware of this, she pondered. Before Yume knew it, his voice changed away from artificial to real, giving the slightest glimpse into perhaps who this masked man really was. It felt like time slowed when he knelt down onto his knees, and then move lower into a kowtow. Immediately uncomfortable, Yume found herself taking a step back away from him. Ironic, how the creepy looking man standing at full length barely got a reaction out of her, but a gesture of deep respect got her retreating. The knee of the Fire Goddess statue pressed against her back, and soon the girl felt a pair of cooled hands upon her shoulders. A low voice, non-discernible of gender, teased in her ear.

"If you really hate it, then you should just cut his head off now."

"Aish, hush!" Yume hissed, whirling around to glare at the intruding spirit. She swatted the laughing ghost away, though it'd probably appear to Tama when he stood up to look at her that she was glaring at nothing but air. The moment passed by as quickly as it came though. Now Yume was messing the back of her long hair in vexation, sneaking glares to the side at the unseen ghost.

To Yume, this was not uncommon. Not many people knew this--about her eyes and the things she sees, but it was rarer to catch her talking to them. This instance was an exception; she was already high strung and in a bad mood. It was easy to slip. Tama, the one who witnessed this, could be considered either very lucky or cursed.

She was her mother's daughter after all.

"Is that all you're here to tell me today?" In neither acceptance or rejection of him, that's all she asked simply.

 

[Keigo Oen]

It didnt bother him at all Coming to grips with the reality that this might not've been the time to do this. Especially coming through as he did. Thinking back on everything he'd gone through to get here. Being presented with the possibilities by the family... to provide his family with a better life. To secure a position within the walls of this village to better supply this village and these people with a safe life. He just had to play ball... go for what was morally right in the eyes of the family. And now that presented him with the idea of this girl. Yume. Kiseki. The one he would protect and elevate to a new level of star power as well as something else. "It can be arranged that I be your Shadow... And it will be.", ominous words he spoke as he would take a step back.

"Understand I am here as a prospect for The Family. They are... good people and wish to do good for Konoha. And especially for you... But it can only be a working relationship if you're onboard... Thus what has brought me to you. Alas, I will take my leave with that simple notion on your mind. You will see me again..." nodding again he would dissipate in the shadows slowly... She would be able to stop him with her voice if she needed him... but if she let him go he would be gone. Even his chakra essence seemingly leaving the area.

[Topic Left Unless stopped]

 

[Yume]

His words were not reassuring. Yume visibly frowned at the man, who now seemed to be slowly fading out into inky shadows. Not dissimilar to how her wanted to run away. When he fully disappeared and not even a trace of chakra of his could be smelt, Yume turned to look at the once was laughing ghost beside her. It looked back with a sneer.

"Lucky you, princess."

She sighed, ignoring the apparition and brought her hand back up to her ear to dial her manager's radio frequency. As that happened, she too started to leave the temple--only in a more human-like way. Walking. She waited desperately for Jun to pick up, so she could unload all of the questions she had bubbling up in her after that encounter.

There was no way the Yamaguchi were here for altruistic good. Not with the stories her mother told her?

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