What happens to a dream deferred?
Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock . . . the clock on the wall clearly indicated the time of night that normally predisposed most individuals to sleeping. Umashi wasn’t normal however and unfortunately or fortunately (depending upon what side of the table that you sat on) before him sat a certain sort of merchant of invaluable wares. It was the same merchant as before that had promised Umashi that he had started down the road of getting rid of the Kami unit that he currently held within him. What hadn’t been explained to him before was that this particular decision required more than one attempt and could very well not end up ever being taken from him.
The scientist had said that it was defective, that it was wild, and that it held too many liabilities and for that, Umashi was most certain that they were correct. On the reverse side though, Umashi wasn’t sure about how he felt concerning the fact that to give up the unit, that he’d have to in some respects completely depower himself. “And you’re sure that there’s no quicker way to complete this process and still stay useful to the village?” The man could only assure him of so much, and Umashi wasn’t the epitome of the typical soldier. Leaning back in his chair he didn’t like the shrug that the man gave him. Perhaps he was just tired but continually draining his reserves in order to get rid of the O-Kami unit via kinjutsu means just wasn’t his idea of good business practices. Sadly though, he had to remind himself that the entire reason that he’d received it was based upon the necessity for raw power quickly and that’s the reason why a prototype even entered the battlefield untested.
His mind rolled back to the war. It had been long and arduous and the casualties had been heavy on both sides. Did he at some point believe that they might not make it? Sure. He’d also said the same thing about the alliance with Iwa at one point. Some things just took a little bit more convincing than other things. It was the battle at what would eventually become the “Red Line”, he and Inu Endo had their backs to the wall and were a part of a battle unit that was quickly falling apart. The Fire country Daimyo was pecking at their numbers and the morale of the team was diminishing. It was then that he had been approached by the Kami Corporation scientist trying to push their wares. Considering the differing sides of the war it was a wonder how they managed to play both sides of the conflict and still be accepted by all but they did as most scientist commonly were known for. The process had been somewhat simple in nature. The O-Kami unit came in a simple wooden suitcase of a box and the unit itself was housed within a chakra infused stone. Mined from the most top secret of mineshafts, the chakra stones had proven to be the only material that could properly house an O-Kami unit.
Umashi himself didn’t think much of it then but looking back now, the eerily cooling sensation that occurred when then the entity weaved itself through his chakra network should have clued him in to what sort of partnership that it would have been. What Umashi would never been able to block out though was the carnage that he had wrought. The history books rarely if ever spoke about the grittiness of war, and for all of the blood that he had spilled; Umashi never had a night where his dreams did not turn into nightmares. A sweat soaked bed was his reality now and all because he chose might over morality. Looking at the box before him now, it was more than simply, the decision was all too easy, but that was the danger with hindsight; it was always 20/20. Of course it would be easy now to give up the power because he had already accomplished what he had set out to do. Would he embrace a few precious weeks of a good night’s worth of sleep for the possibility of greater control over his power in the future?
The more that he thought about trading up the O-Kami unit, the more that he realized that he really did not want the power of the O-Kami unit at all. It simply was not worth the sacrifice and had never been. True, it had allowed him and a lot of others to avoid a rather terrible fate but like most soldiers who had truly seen the rawest aspects of war, he could say that he was not proud of what he had done. If there was some good that Kami had instilled in him all those years ago, it was that he taught a pirate how to value more than just the glory and the accolades. Umashi could genuinely say that he actually gave a darn about more than just those willing to blindly follow him to the ends of the earth. Perhaps that was what was missing from Umashi when he had so quickly accepted that the O-Kami unit was the only way to right the wrongs of the past. His decision made, he mouthed a sly reply to the merchant sitting across from him as he placed a hand on the chakra stone. “Suppose that I decided to forgo my upgrade and go with a different carrier?” Poking fun at the Konoha based telecommunication companies and their gimmicky sales pitches, Umashi stopped laughing when he was sucked into a “Dream Dive” rather forcefully.
As irony would have it, this particular dive sequence picked up much where his first dive sequence had left off in terms of choices. He was in a rather nice kitchen flipping pancakes for breakfast, making a rather mundane meal if ever he could call it that. He heard the stirring from the floor above and soon he was joined by the oh so happy family that he wanted. A kiss on the cheek of his wife and a playful word game with his children and he was back to being the best father in the world, Chef Umashi! Much like a tug of war, only with his consciousness, Umashi fought for control against the O-Kami unit that surely sensed the betrayal that was in Umashi’s heart today. So much a tool as it was a living being, the entity fought back by means of the imagined wife and kids. “Is everything alright dear? You seem a bit sad.” True, Umashi was mentally in turmoil but he didn’t believe that he expressed it as much as implied. Would the units sentience allow it to outright attack him in his own dream? Normally things weren’t quite that extreme but this wasn’t like most other times.
There was that knock at the door, and for a split second, Umashi swore that his vision doubled as he saw a path where he actually went to the door despite standing still this time. Shaking his head clear he reassured his wife with a smile. “No, everything is alright love, I just have a lot on my mind.” No sooner had he finished his statement then the knock on the door came once more. What was it again, was the O-Kami unit playing the part of his wife or the mysterious visitor at the door? He desperately wanted to remember but the tug at his heart over his mind was quickly making itself apparent in this world. The world shook, and with it the whole of the house but only he seemed to notice as he balanced plates of food to the table. Strangely his wife did not seem to notice this but on he played the part. The knocking at the door and indeed the whole of this mental world went on and on as he played the role of the good father like he had been born for it. After a while it almost seemed to be that he barely noticed the knocking indeed the quality time with the meal and his family made his heart beam with pride.
Could he say that he deserved this? Most might argue that he absolutely did but did he really? As he stood washing the dishes later on and his wife sat reading the children a story, he fought to remember what all he needed to accomplish for the day. Where did he need to go, what did he need to do? To try and think of it all caused his mind to instantly scatter. It seemed like all he had to do today was stay in and enjoy the bonding time with his family. Something though . . . there was something that he was definitely missing and he thought that he had managed to think of it when his son turned to him rather innocently and asked, “Daddy, what part did you play in the war?” Wait . . . what kind of book was his wife reading? Had it not been about a cat with a funky hat? Something about his sons peculiar question jogged something in his memory and that was when he remembered that he was supposed to meet Hissori today. Hissori . . . Hissori . . . Hissori most certainly was not a Konohagakurian shinobi. No, he represented Iwa . . . only Umashi had not been to Iwa. So how exactly did he know Hissori?
That was when the knocking started again, only this time it was far more violent. The very foundation of the reality was altered as the house seemed to turn on its ear and the windows blew out from a deafening storm. Putting his hands to his ears, from the kitchen he saw the front door blow open as that same teenager from before beckoned him with a gift, a box with a most dazzling surprise inside. Umashi knew all about that surprise though, and wanted no part of it. Despite the chaos of the realm around him he still heard as clear as ever the thought provoking question asked of him. “Are you ready to give up the fight?” Was he? The truth of the matter was that Umashi was a warrior. To have the sort of life that this dream was offering was not what he expected at the end of the day though it would be a most welcome blessing. To live with the O-Kami unit was to accept that raw unbridled power was the key to success. However, to stay in this quiet and small world was to believe that there were no more wars to be fought and that the world was a peaceful place.
Whereas before Umashi had opted to close the door behind him and leave his family behind, he had learned and was still learning now that to do so was to close the door on all those that wanted to help. He did not have to make these sorts of decisions alone anymore and he did not have to even worry about heaping all of his burdens onto others as well. Sometimes the decisions in life were not the black and white issues of the day but the grey lines of balance in-between. To stay with his family or to leave and be the slayer the dragons outside, the choice seemed almost too easy now. Instead of choosing one or the other, why not choose both? He laughed to himself as he saw both the young merchant at the door and his son before him. “Your father was everything that he needed to be and more.” While his son did not seem to understand his answer, his wife did and her smile was the last thing that he embraced as his vision faded to darkness and he woke up with his back to the floor and the curious eyes of the merchant staring at him. “Normally people don’t have as violent a reaction to the process. Sure there’s some fainting and maybe the occasional seizure but you straight up were possessed. Fortunately you stayed connected to the crystal long enough for the physical transfer to be complete.”
Umashi blinked once, then tice, then a third time as he recognized that his dignity was compromised in this position. Picking himself up and dusting off his clothes, he inquired as to the conclusion of their business but the merchant had other points on his mind to consider. “So, we’ll have the modifications done shortly. We’re actually considering coming out with other model types instead of the basic neutral version. What say you, ready for the red or blue variant?” Umashi shook his head held up a hand for relief. “I think that for now, I’ll focus on building up the next generation for now. I’ll call you when I need you.” The answer seemed to suffice because the merchant left in much the same way as he came, in the shadows. Sitting back down at his desk, Umashi reflected on what lessons he had been taught. Flexing the hand that had transferred the O-Kami unit back into the chakra stoned, he noted the chakra burn mark across his hand as he wore it with a measure of pride. In time it would heal but much like he’d told the O-Kami unit in the “Dream Dive” he would have to be whatever he was needed to be and more. Umashi had a dream, and although his dream was a ways off, unlike most other people’s dreams, his could soon become a reality.
OOC: S rank, topic entered and left in 30 minutes / MFT