The Western Book of the Dead [private]

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke was checking in on Uri. It was time for a schedule visit. The visit this time was different though. Sousuke was in a more hulking design of armour. It took about the same height as Kuro. The armour was silver with gold tatoos that if one looked hard enough they would see that they were moving. The helmet had a series of antlers that had expanded horizontally. It was quite probable that Sousuke could seriously injure someone with a headbutt. A curious thing to test out for another time.

Sousuke was curiously sitting on a black box of sorts. Twin blades were rammed into the box. The box seemed to be sealed shut. There were surprises to be had though. This was why he was visiting Uri today. It was to confirm something he had heard. Homura and Fuujin were back, and sometime sooner or later Sousuke was going to have to challenge the two of them. Unlike Primus he would not be able to engage them simultaneously. Mikaboshi on the other hand thought it was a good laugh. Yet Sousuke would not deny what he had seen. New Kirishii and not a descendant of Prime Diamond's line. Would he be even able to duel one of the two? Most likely not. Yet like Mother Suna they were more than likely still weakened and not in a position of their full power.

Sousuke looked up and down the tower that Uri had invented... no constructed. This was something. Give a man a small plot of land and he would indeed do wonders. "I've coming looking for bird seed, but there are no birds in the south."<i></i> It was his way of saying that he was here. Code it was. Perhaps far too lengthy, but Uri knew that things were never that simple with Sousuke. Things were far too ... long.

 

[Uri]

In the previous year, after his escaping the jailors and scientists that had turned him into the yet-to-be-understood monster he was, he spent much time in isolation contemplating everything that had happened and attempting to find answers for himself. Unfortunately the couple of months had proved fruitless and much of his new found talent remained unstable and dangerous, but in his new isolation his situation was different. From atop the craggy hill he's able to watch as the newly founded Sunagakure builds itself back up, a dream he hadn't ever imagined would come true in his life time. While still a threat to himself and others around him, there was a glorious, bright vision of hope that he was able to wake up to each day and that in itself did much to help him keep the volatile powers coursing through him in check.

His first meeting had gone not as planned, but it had given him new purpose. Now he had a job that allowed him to work slowly towards the redemption he so sorely sought.

Build a tower, watch from it, protect those below.

And build he had. Being a stone worker was in his blood, it was what his real father, Akio's name sake was known for; forever tainted by the madman alter-ego that had taken over the village. Shinobi power did make creating large structures easily, as with the hospital after its last destruction, but there was something satisfying and honing to working with one's bare hands. It was a chance for the broken chuunin to return to his roots, to remember who he was before everything had changed him and make a structure that hopefully would remind those who look upon it that they're protected. Every block was created from the sands swirling about them, condensed into impossibly dense bricks by Uri's chakra, shaped by his hands, and placed carefully, lovingly. It took him a few rests, but soon his watch tower would be complete, and the ranger on the hill would begin his watch.

He kept a journal, writing down and making observations like he did when he traveled the world--what had been false memories created to build up the identity of an assassin. A useful skill all the same as it allowed him to bring clarity to his otherwise chaos-riddled brain and mark down anything of interest. Being on the surface meant there was a lot of traffic passing in and out of the village, but there was another stirring, one that wasn't an obvious physical presence strolling about, but a palpable energy in the air that whispered of ancient secrets and a convergence of great powers. It was concerning to say the least, not even The Cabal agents had carried such an aura despite all their strengths.

Stirred from his musings by a papercraft bird, he gaze out the window to see an approaching armor-clad man. While this would normally be regarded as hostile, the master craftwork was that only one individual could achieve. Grabbing the sand-colored cloak from the hook next to the door, he jogged down to meet the man. Uri since his return still looked ragged, like he was getting adequate sleep and his eating habits were less than substantial. Dark circles pulled at his eyes, but there was a familiar exuberant energy lingering in the azure orbs yet, like the Uri of old.

Passing through the open portal and crunching out onto the rocky earth outside, he smiles and waves to the battle-ready Kage who was resting on a box. Still a friend, Uri was a bit trepidatious of the circumstances all the same.

"Oi, Kazekage-sama, new model? The runes are an intriguing bit. I'd love to give them a quick once over, but if you're here it's gotta be on business."<i></i> Straightening up and clasping his hands behind his back, he stares intently, "What can this Ranger do for you?"<i></i>

 

[Takahashi Aki]

"A reinterpretation of what my ancestor built for Primus."<i></i> Sousuke would answer. He slapped his hand on the black box. The box did not move it merely sat there. "My original theory of end-game is unfortunately beginning to unravel."<i></i> He began grimly. The eyes glowed red as it was indeed a most disturbing thought."The surface is far more expansive than the underground and harder to protect. I ran afoul of ... ... ... a starved creature of antiquity that was causing issues for people in a resettled farm."<i></i> What Sousuke did not say was that the creature was an Ancient, or a Demon. It may have been a half bred for all he knew. Something had been woken up. It took form. It attacked people. Sousuke intercepted it and fought it to the bitter end. He was hesitant to trust that the monstrosity was truly dead. He sighed. This was the business of Rangers, and so here he was to consult one. "From your perch have you noticed any wildfires or tornadoes forming in the surrounding areas?"<i></i>

Fuujin and Homura had returned. The two of them had yet to strike at Suna. It meant that they were out there looming in the background. A threat that was growing. What Sousuke hoped was that the answer to his question was Uri saw nothing. Would it be of comfort? No. It only meant that they had eluded his grasp and were hiding well. Hiding and feasting. Devouring human souls. While the argument for Ancients and their need to be sustained through human souls was akin to humans eating animals and the like for their own sustenance, there was something crueler about what Ancients did. Maybe it was the fact that Ancients lived alot longer and they had more ... blood, violence on their hands than a single human ever would. Curiously though the Daimyo had reverse engineered the nature somehow. Humans were now draining or devouring the spiritual essence of Ancients. A sickening thought. Upon a time Sousuke had used Mikaboshi's powerset by accident, or perhaps it was out of desperation. He had to cut down Kaito. He had to cut him down and prevent the collapse of Sungakure.

Sousuke shook his head. He snapped out of his daze. All what mattered was that Sungakure endured, and that humanity too would endure. The Ancients would have to be stopped. Sealed away. Eradicated. The best case scenario? Having their natures changed. The later of all the situations though was like trying to change the colour of the sky. A seemingly impossible task. "I've learned to expand my horizons. Trying to make amends for the past. A seemingly endless job, but one has to start small first."<i></i>

 

[Uri]

There was something to be said about how being wrapped up in one's own problems that it was easy to forget exactly how old the country they resided in was. Beneath the swirling sparkle of golden sand were the fragmented bones of societies long since forgotten by this generation and many before it. The Ancients had been a great threat to the human race and had been beaten back at great cost. Floods of memories rushed Uri's psyche as the implanted information on the subject came to the forefront. Akio had been the one responsible for creating the explosives for holding the siege, that was true, but his dangerously unstable powers were also created to combat creatures such as the Ancients. Mikaboshi had been his target. Contingencies upon contingencies piled up to deal with the shadowy beast and even then it hadn't been enough since the tenacious resistance of the village had prevented such actions from taking place. Uri remembered his confrontation with the Sennin, the overwhelming fear that clutched at his heart and how he used it to fuel the urge to survive, to battle back with every fiber of his being no matter the cost; in that particular case the cost had been a whole city block leveled by a massive explosion. That event was also the same one that helped Uri break the thrall that had been forcing him to attack his own people.

Bitterness filled his mouth and he smacked away the taste, keeping a stern face as he listened to Sousuke speak, offering up the due respect that was afforded to the Kazekage and not someone who had been a friend. Old beasts of this land were things of horrors, the living nightmares of some god that's ability to create ran away from it. There was so much lying in wait beneath the ocean of grains that the ancients were probably just what was on the surface. Uri prayed that whatever issues plagued Sousuke that it was just ancients or demons.

"No, Kazekage-sama, nothing of any alarming irregularity, and honestly nothing of worth to note has occurred since our last meeting. I'm still torn between being content with the calm or concerned by it; by your questions I am now leaning towards the latter."<i></i> There was a fine line between what the old, casual Uri had been and what he had become now. Rigid and disciplined, but cynical to much of the world and its happenings around him. So just seemed to be so much bad that any of the good people attempted to bring into it seemed to be snuffed out by tsunamis of misfortune.

"Aye, it is an occupation that will never cease, and is a burden we share."<i></i> Vivid blues stared at the armor-encased Kage, watching all the unusually Sousuke-esque body language of someone who so commonly existed inside of armor than out of it. He was distracted, overwhelmed, and was being pulled in nearly every direction. Where in specific Uri couldn't tell by his simple observation, but he could only continue to serve and hope to lighten the load.

"Am I incorrect to assume the change of armor, the weather inquiry, and the box are all related to a larger scenario?"<i></i>

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke would finally sit up. This armour allowed him to tower over most people. Horns included, he may even give Kuro a good stare down. His gaze shifted skyward. It seemed as if he was attempting to pierce something with his gaze, to force something hidden from sight to come out. "Yes."<i></i> He answered. He would look down then and at Uri, unblinkingly. "Fire and Death, Wind and Terror are lurking out there. Homura and Fuujin have returned. They are out there. Somewhere. Lurking and haunting the landscape."<i></i> Sousuke spoke in a ragged and tired whisper of sorts. He turned to the box and pulled out both the Twin Swords. The Silver Edge had been reforged, it was once upon a time the Black Blade. The weapon from the fire court that Mikaboshi had taken from a fire noble who tried to expand his territory. The Black Blade was used to seal Mikaboshi, which later came unto Sousuke. The weapon was now being used by Sousuke to cut down threats to the realm. Demons. Men. Women. Monsters. Ancients.

"Events have been put into motion. The more powerful ancients are returning."<i></i> He spoke normally now. "Humanity needs to endure and live on. Some smaller outposts and villages have just disappeared. I've gone out there to figure it out."<i></i> He paused again. Maybe Uri and actions of the Cabal caused something to awaken in Shiori. He could pin the blame on them for doing this. Shiori... no Suna was infatuated with him. It-- no. This was fate. This was going to happen sometime. Sousuke was merely just going to owe up to it. He sighed. "Extreme case scenario requires extreme answers. I asked about what was going on with the weather because I'm trying to pinpoint a ... domain being claimed, or being declared. It's not like either of those two can go and hide in the opening. Someone is going to notice something, and someone is going to react to it. It'll boil down to it being either Suna or Sora first."<i></i>