The space between... [Private]

[Kei]

The nights in Iwagakure were so different from Maruishi despite their close proximity to each other. The atmosphere was completely different here. kei didn't really get any of the city vibes here. It was quieter and felt more isolated, but not necessarily in a bad way. Kei rather liked it and he got a better view of the stars here than in the city. Lately he'd been looking at the sky more often, no, that wasn't quite true. He'd been looking at everything more. The sky, the sea, the earth, himself, and others. He felt like before his "incident" he hadn't really been looking at anything. Now the world felt so large, there were other countries full of other people all thinking and having lives. It was a hard concept to wrap his young mind around. Now when he looked at things he couldn't help getting this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that there was more than he could see. There was something about the world he'd been closing himself off to before.

At the same time he felt like if he looked to hard he'd slip right through the cracks...

That thought scared him. Because really, at that point, what was there to bring him back or to stop him from being lost forever? They may have not been the most rational ideas to ever cross Kei's thoughts but to his young mind it seemed a valid concern. There was still a lot he didn't understand about the world, but the desire was there. He didn't want to blindly accept things as they were. Sure, he knew he had to follow orders as a shinobi; that didn't mean he couldn't think for himself too right? He'd always wanted to be strong, from a very young age he and his brother had been taught that it was their duty to become powerful shinobi. That they were to defend their family and be a powerful asset of Earth Country's military. Kei still was uncertain where that career would take him and uncertain if he'd really make a good shinobi. His marks and performance in class should indicate that he would, but he was still uncertain.

He shrugged, uncomfortable with the weight of his thoughts. He still couldn't shake the feeling that things weren't as simple as he'd been lead to believe all his life. He wasn't about to ponder the meaning of life, but he could certainly see the appeal when one's gaze drifted to the sky on a night such as this. There were a few cloud but all that managed to do was intensify the feeling of awe as one stood on the ground. One could find that they were fixated as they watched the dark masses slide past the stars, moon, and even each other. Yeah, there was something to that...

[MFT]

 

[Keigo Oen]

In the dark of the night, Souji would work himself into the shadows allowing himself to be incased with the shadows, he was one with them and everything with them would make him know more about the secrets they hid within them. Souji needed to find Kei, he was tracking the kid down to personally invite him to a group he wanted to present to Lightning within the branch, and with that he would be able to manage himself with a smaller group of newbies to help with branch work and missions. So, descending from no where, Souji wold surge chakra into Kei's back if he was able to blasting him with Souji's spiritual essence and strengthening his ability of speed and action.

"There is an exam soon... be there... so you may know more about this power I've given you..."<i></i>, and with that if it happened as Souji wished Kei would see Souji dip into the ground and out of the area.

[Topic Entered/Left]
[Scribed Astral Seal]

 

[Kei]

Lately, it was rare for Kei not to feel the need to run. He was always running lately, from people, from his problems, from himself. But tonight was different, it was a good night for reflection. He certainly wasn't expecting anyone to intrude on his thoughts. Kei felt the presence a moment too late, stupid. A shinobi should never be caught off his guard. There was a jolt on the exposed flesh by Kei's shoulder blade, an intense surge of foreign chakra that felt somehow familiar. It was the same feeling he'd gotten around Souji, the tournament referee and teacher of Guardian class he'd taken. The contact was brief, just enough time for Souji to speak the words in Kei's ear, then his presence vanished.

For an instant Kei wondered if he was imagining things. Souji had disappeared so quickly, then the world seemed to invert as the skin around the point of contact contracted painfully. A cold shock coursed through his body as his charka coils lit up like cold fire. His skin itched and burning, writhing as if it were alive. Kei's mind was flooded with a rush of horror as his heart pounded in his chest. His mouth worked to scream but his throat was too tight to emit a sound. Afterimages appeared arround him as the pain caused him to lose control of his abilities and he fell to his knees on the grass.

His spine arched as Kei felt the pain in his back intensify. For a moment, staring wide-eyed at the sky, he thought he could see the space between the stars increase as the pain narrowed to a single point in his back and the fire in his chakra coils receded. He kneeled there in the damp grass panting for a moment before his vision went dark...

He woke sometime later, unsure of how much time had passed... It was still dark so he must not have been out that long. His shoulder throbbed before receding to a dull ache, reminding him of what had occurred. He looked around no sign of Souji, not that he was expecting him to be there to explain. That just didn't seem his style, which was a little irritating. Souji's parting words, however, echoed in Kei's mind. It looked like if Kei wanted his explanation he'd have to show up for some exam... Did he mean the upcoming Guardian exam? Either way Kei didn't feel any more powerful than he was before, just cold from laying on the grass. He should have brought a sweatshirt. He got to his feet and stretched, getting some of the ache out of his cramped muscles. Felt like he was in one piece... Time for him to get home before anything else happened.

[Topic Left/finished]
[MFT]