SHIONxxxxxMORI Shion nodded, removing the mask from her face. Under the light of the eternally full moon, Takao would be able to see it all written on her face. All the pain, anger, and the weird feelings she didn't really even know the words for were right there in the dark circles that clung to her eyes. "Of course im coming for you, you damn idiot." Shion took a step forward, her hand lifting ever-so-slightly to embrace the projection of her boyfriend. She knew she wouldn't be able to touch him, but she didn't care. She needed to be there for him now.
Suddenly, she'd pull back as a new emotion pushed out all the others. Who was he talking to? A stranger? Had he been found out? "Stay put, Takao. I'm on my way." And with that, she began running off the way she came. Shion didn't have much to go off of; the land of iron wasn't exactly the smallest place in the world, but she'd search every nook and cranny if it meant bringing him home. Just hold on, Shion is on her way... and there is no force in this world that can stop her.
__ There it was, that all too familiar voice calling out to her, like the heavy draw of a blanket wrapping tight around her. Her body moved without any need of direction but was just as quickly shocked into paralysis when her blue eyes were set with the almost alien appearing girl that now gripped her. Hair change or not, there was no mistaking that scent that filled her nose. Like the softest lavender, it was always something that she had been jealous of. How did someone work so hard, move the way she did, always find the time to perfect even the smallest details in their appearance? Comparing herself to it now made it feel like she didn’t deserve such devotion from someone so pristine. Not that she would ever let that get in her way...
With all the ferocity of a glutton, Nohea dug the point of her nose into Aurelia’s neck, so much so that her affection nearly toppled them both over. Through a tear bringing nervous laughter, the shark girl mumbled back her deflection. “H-hey, you know I couldn’t just let anyone hurt you. Besides, I’m invincible dontcha know? Just ahh… don’t squeeze that rib right there please.” A gasp sharp enough to pop a balloon made Nohea wish for her mom to be here with that gentle touch of hers, she always knew how to take the pain right out of anything.
Following soon after their reunion, a blink of blue hair popped into her vision. Under normal circumstances that fluffy voice probably would have caused Nohea to scowl, but here? Here she was just grateful to throw herself into any interruption from what Nohea was certain to be a berating for being as reckless as she had been. “A... growing darkness…? And Utu…” This was all a mess, one that Nohea didn’t quite understand her place in. What could she even do in a war meant for deities? And Utu... being dead. The name of the god of the sun meant nothing to her, at least not on its own. But with every second that she was awake, came the steady flow of remembrance. Utu was dead, which meant that her father was gone forever. She could only hope that this gone was the only the kind of gone where he was just secretly watching over them somehow, as the new god of the sun.
Tears were put on hold until she could mourn alone. Right now Nohea needed to be strong for Aure, to keep on pushing through. With a steady gaze, the shark girl locked eyes with the sun princess. “Should we find mom? She wasn’t here at the... well, yeah. It just seems weird I guess, I’m worried something might have happened to her.”
He should have felt in his element as an Uchiha, right? Instead, a weirdly suffocating sense of dread surrounded him like a shroud. It wasn't intentionally, but his eyes had lit up, third-tomoe spinning as he took in the sight. He hadn't known entirely what to expect, since he never asked Sumika about what the summoning lands were like. His gaze dissected the woods around him, but he couldn't locate the jolting sound of a murder of crows taking off behind him. It happened again and again, regardless of where he turned in the woods. His eyes couldn't see any birds in motion, only those that stood stone-still on branches and watched unblinking.
It set a chill down his spine.
He used a body flicker to move faster through the realm, though it only served to disorient him. He was surrounded in darkness. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. "Hello?" He hoped this wasn't a genjutsu. Despite his recent promotion to Jonin, he felt unprepared. He moved blindly through the darkness. "I'm here to speak to Ya- uh, Yatagarasu?"
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Ephemeral Ozymandias
Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 7:46 pm
As the young Uchiha walked through the forest he would see a massive sharingan in the sky. It was a crimson moon with a blaring hue that illuminated the black forest. The moon closed quickly and reopened as if blinking. The forest was completely dark for the brief moment that Yatagarasu's third eye closed. Kai would not be able to see his hand right in front of his face for that moment. The Uchiha would likely feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as the eye fixated on him. "I've known of your arrival for thousands of years. It's in the sacred texts." An ancient voice croaked over the forest with no discernable source. It sounded otherworldly. "That is I, the king of these lands. Join me in the Grand Roost where I hold court. Follow Uta." Yatagarasu gave Kai brief instructions in response to saying that Kai wanted to speak to him. Out of the dark sky, a small crow descended on Kai's location. The ungainly fowl landed on the ground in front of him as he flittered his wings. "I've been waiting for you, Kai. I'm Uta. As an Uchiha, I'm your guide through these forests, assigned at your birth. Long before you knew that you needed me!" The bird sounded friendly and chipper. "When an Uchiha is born, a new crow or raven is hatched and they are bound by the soul. As Yogen is for Sage Satoshi." Uta made a brief reference to the sage before taking flight again. "Follow me!" The crow began flying and the way would become much clearer for Kai. The road opened up and there was now a trail through the forest where there was none before. Kai would become far more well-oriented to the lands if he followed behind Uta. If he continued following then he would reach the Grand Roost in the center of the forest with Yatagarasu perched on a dead tree.
ghostfinch
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Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 8:18 pm
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KAI UCHIHA
The disembodied voice did nothing for Kai's nerves and had him nearly jumping out of his skin, though he soon settled as a bird appeared before him. Uta seemed more excited than the rest of the droll summoning lands, so Kai was inclined to like him already. "I didn't know that could even happen. I thought the bond was just blood."I thought it was going to be easy to sign with another contract. Maybe the connection between crows and Uchiha is too strong to break. But he didn't know if he had any harmony with the bird contract, yet. It was too difficult to tell, and far too early. Unless he should have known already - was he screwing this all up?
It didn't take long for the two to arrive at the Grand Roost, but Kai still hadn't made his mind up while traveling if he was going to ask about the bond of the contract or about Satoshi. The latter was of more interest to his village, but the former held a lot of importance to him. He began with neither.
"Um. Hi. So, like, you guys totally know who I am?" He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, not used to being a known variable. He usually got to make an electric introduction as the only Jonin-rapper in the Leaf. "Does momma have a crow too, then?" He didn't mention his late brother Taurin, the hurt memory of him buried beneath his consciousness. -
Chakra Pool: 2,225/2,225 Stamina Pool: 1,900/1,900
Ephemeral Ozymandias
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Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 3:53 pm
Uta landed on the ground before Yatagarasu who leered over the Grand Roost. The small crow bowed twice and presented Kai to the court. "King Yatagarasu, I present to you, Kai Uchiha." Uta had now done his job and leapt up only to land Kai's shoulder. The happy-go-lucky crow rested there as Kai approached the king and began to speak. "She does. Taurin Uchiha did as well, but they both passed on at the same time. So is the fate of all who are soul bound." Yatagarasu towered over Kai and spoke with a bored tone. It was as if he was reading some ancient script in his mind. The crow king supposed that his knowledge about Kai would answer his question without directly addressing it but his pride would not allow it. "I know more than any being you've ever met." The ancient crow asserted as he looked to the sky. Yatagarasu had three legs that were cracked and degraded but still functioning. His beak was just as old and the appearance of the massive crow's body was gaunt. His ebony feathers were frayed by the centuries. Suddenly, Kai would feel intense heat wash over him as a massive pyre of Amaterasu flame appeared in the center of the Grand Roost. The black fire had passing visions within it of Kai walking through the forest and of his journey, indicating that Yatagarasu was watching him. "Are you familiar with fate, destiny, and prophecy?" Yatagarasu asked as the flames revealed these otherworldly images to Kai.
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Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 4:04 pm
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KAI UCHIHA
Kai's stomach flipped as Yatagarasu mentioned Taurin. He didn't want to think about it or the bird that perished along with him. Kai turned his head to look at Uta, worried about the fate of the crow he had never met before. He didn't want Uta to die when Kai finally passed.
"I know what those are," Kai answered after gathering his thoughts. "But they don't restrict me. I'm not defined by anything or anyone other than myself. I don't believe that my life is decided for me. And I refuse to believe it was destiny that took- that took Taurin from me." His voice cracked, raw about the death he'd spent so many years avoiding, but he wasn't ready to hear some speech about how it was meant to be. He could take anything but that. "No one would plan for Taurin to get hurt. He was the best of us."
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Chakra Pool: 2,225/2,225 Stamina Pool: 1,900/1,900
Ephemeral Ozymandias
Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2021 11:29 am
The crow king stared down upon Kai with the utmost condescension. The arrogance to think that one's own decisions were the sole determining factor to existence. It was almost comical to Yatagarasu. "In a world where gods blatantly interfere in the mortal planes, how can you not believe in destiny?" Yatagarasu questioned Kai as the pyre of Amaterasu grew with more violent flickers. The flames were hypnotic as they grew in heat and intensity with even more visions in its center. "On the contrary, wouldn't you have wanted to know what was going to happen to him? You could've more thoroughly cherished your time with him before his inevitable end. Ignorance in selfish in this respect. Isn't it?" The crow asked his rhetorical question before continuing. Scrolls of crow lore took flight before unraveling in the air above the fire. The letters of crow scribbles shined with an incandescent violet glow. "You also would've been better prepared mentally for his passing. The knowledge that we cannot change what will come to pass is indeed painful. But no one makes these plans, they just are. When the world was born it was put on a clock with events passing one after another." Yatagarasu explained in an attempt to persuade Kai. Crow lore continued to soar and fill the area. "I thought as you did once. A long time ago, I was a pure and undyed white bird. I didn't know that one day I would be burned and then when I learned the truth after the fact, I resented its inevitability. But then when I learned that fate would also reward me with my vengeance, I realized the truth and I became far more powerful. The same can happen for you, Kai Uchiha." Yatagarasu awaited to see what Kai would do next. Kai would begin to see passing images of his brother in the fire. Sympathetic memories of them playing together as children and other positive associations were displayed.
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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2021 4:34 pm
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KAI UCHIHA
Kai wasn't going to let Yatagarasu convince him. "Fate has nothing to do with that!" But his determined gaze fell on the flames which sucked him in, showing him scenes of Taurin that he had long since repressed. The treehouse, the birthday cake, the festival. "If I had known," Kai said as he did his best to resist the spell being woven, "I'd have done everything to stop it. I couldn't have made peace with something like that. He didn't deserve it, and Momma didn't either. You... you want me to find resolve in being some pawn for a game I can't understand, yo." The visions of Taurin brought his guilt out farther, reminding him of just how much he hated himself for failing his older brother all those years ago. No, no he couldn't give in to it...
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Ephemeral Ozymandias
Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2021 3:14 pm
Yatagarasu stared down at Kai as he expressed being a pawn in someone else's game. "By that logic then we're all pawns. Even Evergreen, even Jashin." The crow king's old voice rattled through his cracked beak. Suddenly, one of his gigantic talons would slam into the ground of the roost. It sounded almost like a gavel as the king gathered more ebony flames to feed the pyre. Thousands of crows and ravens took to the skies above as the visions became more intense. Kai would feel his body beginning to stiffen like a board as natural energy moved in flux over the area. "You'll see now how futile your efforts would've been..." The crow squawked as the flames presented Kai with images of Taurin right before his death. The genjutsu was potent and would cause Kai to believe that he was living in the past. He would feel like he could reach out and stop this from ever happening. However, right before he could intervene he would find himself unable to effect any meaningful change. "You cannot change what hath already been decided. That is the meaning of fate." Yatagarasu explained during his sadistic illusions. His voice would accompany the visions within the flames that were forcibly consuming Kai's mind. "Accept the truth of absolute destiny. Your efforts to resist it are futile. Take the natural energy within yourself. Achieve true power." Kai would hear the voice just as Taurin took his last breath. He would see his mother first hearing the news and have to live through the realization himself as if it were the first time. Suddenly, the flames would begin to spread over his body. "You've blasphemed the fates, be baptized!" Kai would feel intense pain although no true damage would come to his skin as the pyre would consume his body. The natural energy protected his body while also forcing him to feel the torturous sensation of being burned alive while the images of Taurin kept playing over and over again. "Accept the truth, take the natural energy, and be strong!" Yatagarasu commanded with a squawk as his wings spread while he lorded over Kai during this brutal torment.
ghostfinch
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Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2021 9:55 pm
Quote:
KAI UCHIHA
The flames were growing intense around him as natural energy attacked his body. He felt like it was difficult to move, and it took a long minute for it to occur to him that this was the petrification Sumika had warned him about. He didn't want to hear Yatagarasu's words, but he was a hostage audience. The flames licked up his body as memories, guilt, and resentment flooded his mind. He screamed as everything invaded him and his senses. His own essence seemed to fade. In his own mind, he was floating in an abyss. No, he could almost see a flicker of movement. It flickered around him like fire. Black flames, then. He was consumed in them, though the lack of sensory input left him reeling. His mind played tricks on him from within itself, showing him more snapshots of Taurin. Inevitable. It was inevitable. Why did he keep fighting that? Wouldn't things be easier if they were meant to be that way. It wasn't his fault if it was fate. He could be absolved. No longer the ********, no longer the second son who failed the heir, but just Kai. Kai who lived his life as he was destined to. It was too easy, he thought. But he deserved easy, didn't he? He went limp in his mind's eye, no longer fighting the harassment of the flames and the spell Yatagarasu had weaved. There was nothing he could do. He was a pawn to a game he couldn't comprehend. That was okay. It wasn't his fault if anything went poorly. The nature energy filled him just as he let go of all of his anger and fear, though filling the new emptiness with the nature energy just allowed his mind to wander without the limitations of emotions. He breathed in the darkness and felt the possibilities buzzing at his fingertips. He wanted to revisit his poisons. He could be strong like Yatagarasu wanted. He just needed to revisit his poisons, to perfect them.
He came to at a bird's caw.
[exit]
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Chakra Pool: 2,225/2,225 Stamina Pool: 1,900/1,900
