A soft breeze blew through the grass, carrying with it the scent of a distant rain. At the edge of an expansive lake, laying on his side and propping his head up with a palm on his cheek, Shinji’s expression was out of place with the peaceful scenery he had surrounded himself with. Annoyance. He had been trying to meditate, trying to delve deep into his mental world. However, something was stopping him. The process of entering the meditative state was normally easy for him. It was a common practice in his life, and after a while it became almost second nature. But today, the moment he felt the waves of deep reflection and focus wrap around him, old memories broke through the calm and flooded his thoughts. Events he had nearly forgotten, conversations that faded in the background with time. Memories of a past that shaped him into who he is now. With those memories he could feel a slight fluctuation in his chakra. A pushing and pulling he was unaccustomed to. It wasn’t very strong, but after spending so much time attuning himself to his own body, it was easy to notice.
“Hey!” His sudden bark cut through the quiet air. “I know you can hear me. Stop that,” he continued, jabbing a finger at his abdomen. The following silence was met with a few moments where the pull of his chakra had stopped. Then, it resumed at a slower pace. “Seriously?” Shinji shifted to a sitting position and opened his eyes. “Ya’ sure you want to do this? We could just talk it out. I don’t like having my chakra tugged on like that.” The sensation he was feeling was strange. It was as if certain emotions were being forced to the surface and magnified, but not in a way that felt natural. And with each emotion tearing away from his control, his annoyance with his new friend was growing. “Alright, Eight Tails. If you’re not going to listen, then I’m going to have to fight back.”
Shinji’s eyes shifted from their normal gold-grey palette to a bright blue hue as he entered the state of intense focus that characterized the first of the Reiken virtue states. With it, the memories and emotions that were being toyed with were silenced. The tug-of-war being played with his chakra halted, and Shinji displayed the control he had regained with a swift tug of his own. He could feel the demon’s chakra straining against him, refusing to give in to his demand, but before it could retreat, he closed his eyes and dove into his mind.
The space he found himself in was dimly lit. He could tell that there was an expanse of water beneath his feet, but he didn’t need to use chakra to keep himself standing on the surface. The sky was covered in a large, singular storm cloud with streaks of violet lightning racing through it. Oddly enough, none of the bolts touched the ground, and instead just swam about the sky like schools of fish. The drumming of thunder rolled, but its volume suggested either distance or muting through some other means. Most of the light providing visibility in this space came from beneath the water, but it had no discernable source to it.
“So this is where you’ve been, huh? It’s not bad. Not really my style, but not bad.” Shinji commented, turning around to direct his attention to the beast behind him. “It’s nice to see you again, Eight Tails.”
A long moment of tense silence passed before the demon finally spoke. “What did you do?”
“So you do talk! Why’ve you been so quiet all this time then? We’ve been together for a couple of weeks now. You could have said ‘hello’ at any point,” Shinji replied, dodging the question.
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“Really? So then you’re fighting for control for….. What?”
“Freedom.”
“I wouldn’t say this is pleasant for me either.”
“Then release me.”
“Can’t do that. Not yet, at least,” Shinji said. He sat on the surface of the water and flashed an amused smirk at the large Ox-Octopus being. “Even now that I’m right in front of you, you’re going to try and grab my chakra?” Overhead, above the dark storming sky, a faint gradient danced, fading from white above Shinji’s head to a deep purple over the demon’s. The purple side was slightly larger and pushed its way closer to where Shinji sat, but then was pushed back until both sides were even again. “Are you really that eager to be out and about?”
“Yes.”
“Well, if I let you out, the Jashinists can have their way with you.” The low rumble of thunder grew louder at Shinji’s statement. Prompting him to look around. “I take it that pissed you off. See, it’s not so bad in here, right? Anyway. What do I call you? I don’t want to have to keep referring to you as ‘Eight Tails,’ that seems disrespectful.”
The demon was quiet for a while before finally speaking. “Gyuki.”
Shinji nodded and tapped his fingers on his legs. “Gyuki, okay. So, listen. Here’s the situation we’re in now. The Jashinists are making a mess for everyone, and they seem to keep going after you guys.”
“I’m aware.”
“That makes it super dangerous for you, the other tailed-beasts, and the entire world if we just let you roam around right now. I know you probably don’t want to be sealed away like this, but unfortunately-”
“It’s a necessary measure. I understand.”
Shinji grinned at this point. “You seem like you approach things from a logical perspective, am I right?” Gyuki simply nodded. “And you’re not much for words either. Perhaps that’s because you don’t know me, or that you don’t like me so far. Is that fair?” Silence. “Okay. Well, let me offer you a deal then.”
“A deal?”
“Right. See, you want to be free. I can’t really do that because the world is in crisis mode with the Jashinists, and you being out and about gives them an edge over us.”
“Yes, I see your point.”
“That brings us to my proposal. Let’s work together.”
“That’s your deal?”
“Yeah. Instead of just keeping you sealed in here and having your power taken out of the equation, help me out. I want to beat the Jashinists and keep my village safe. In turn, it’ll be keeping you and the other tailed beasts safe as well. So, help me out. Lend me your power for now. And then after the world ending isn’t on the horizon, we can talk about letting you out. How’s that?”
“Those are your terms? I give you access to my power, and in exchange there’s only a chance that you let me out?”
“Woah, woah now. I only said that because the future’s still not certain. Jashinists are a problem now, and I’m trying to find a way for us to help each other now. Who knows, by the time all this is said and done, you might not want to leave.”
Gyuki was silent for a minute, but eventually relented. Shinji could feel the struggle between their chakra give, Gyuki allowing him to gain control over a certain amount of the demons power. The two talked amongst themselves for a while, discussing the terms of their deal and Gyuki teaching Shinji how to use his power willingly.
Gyuki’s head swiveled to face the horizon. “I’m being called.”
“What?”
“There’s a problem. I have to go.” The edge of Shinji’s vision began to vibrate rapidly as Gyuki attempted to force his way out of this mental prison. “What are you doing? I must go.”