The Chamber of Interwoven Existence:.

[Azure]

Memoriam.

-- { x } --

From the end of the abyss marked the dead, to the maw of present advancement, to the base of infinity nearing the afterlife- all of the roads ended up in this chamber. Shard or not, with the Guardian of the respected room gone, the locks of the room came down and opened up the final resting room in the Shodai’s statue. This room was marked by the lone word glowing ominously in the ancient language suggesting it was not only in respect to past events, but it had already marked itself as the site of another memory. A memory soon to be fulfilled.

The room was as large as one of the Guardian lairs, if not a bit bigger. It didn’t have a lava flowing mausoleum, a ruined city nor a waterlogged temple. The walls were painted with each of those, signifying each stage of life. Death, life and afterlife were all present. This room was the culmination of all three stages intertwined; it was the room of existence. At any given time, a person existed in one of these stages- but in the retrospect of existence- a person inhabited all three at once outside of time.

Seven pillars inhabited this room, seven founding shinobi and seven crafted swords. It was in memory of the six families the Shodai brought together to free the village- but these didn’t have the same sanctity of the seven statues beneath the village. This was merely for symbology, as if the Shodai was saying he wouldn’t have mattered in history if his six followers didn’t become his apprentices. Though not imbued with spiritual energies, it seemed as though the pillars were some type of aqueduct system. The six pillars flowing something to the seventh pillar, each a different color. The seventh pillar had a crystal dragon nesting around its base and acted as a hose to spilling the mixture of the ingredients to the top of the seventh pillar. The back of the dragon acted as the stairs to the top.

Apart we are pieces, together we are one.

Gestalt;

The whole is not the sum of its parts.

Those who developed this sanctuary designed one more buffer against the current situation of a separated Pearl of Shodai. The substance that was flowing into the basin at the top of the seventh pillar was a unique type of sap- nature’s glue. The pearl shards can work separately, but together they must not be three separate pieces, but three and something more. It’s immeasurable to how much this sap was needed, but it was generally the melding of courage, power and wisdom along with human will. Care, compassion, reason, logic- an algorithm of why these pieces were being brought together. Unless someone held all three shards, they couldn’t complete the Pearl. The three paths would intertwine, so would each party seeking a resolution to the day.

Destiny was not inherited alone.

[cntrstrk14]

Syaoran would enter the room, the first of the participants in the search for the pearl to find their way into the chamber. Of course, quite near behind him would be Kia and Aiko. The seven pillars dominated the room, and though Syaoran knew only the basics of Kirigakure's history even he picked up that each one stood for one of the founding clans and swordsmen of the mist. The seven pillar, being fed by all the others, was decorated with a dragon staircase that climbed to the top where the contents of the other six pillars poured into one. Whether it was something of actual power or if it was simply a beautiful visual effect was uncertain to the Alchem. However, he was rather certain that with only his portion of the shard he would not be able to proceed. The shard pulsed in his hand, the energy that flowed from it like that of a beating heart. Turning towards Kia, he would speak softly.

"A bottle neck, great, just what we need. We will have to wait for the others to arrive...", he said, sympathy tugging at his voice. He knew the longer it took to find her daughter the less likely that it became that they would ever find her. There was no telling where or why they had her daughter, or if they planned to keep her hear or make an escape with her. In fact, the more they fought the more likely it would be that the captors would see their end and flee instead of staying. If only there was some way for him and Kia to move forward and leave the main battle for the others.

[Azure]

The road was woven with ambivalent air. Though Haruyuki held the Shard of Power and the remand will of the Guardian Nereus, there was still a distinct feeling of alienation permeating his skin. Some of it felt haunting, no doubt the chill of DEATH waltzing around any shadowed corner, but it was probably also in part of ancient energies swimming around the corridors of the olden people who built this. Their hopes, dreams and intentions living on through this statue construct. Just as the Guardians remained in a state of catatonic awareness, he wouldn’t be surprised if the Shodai hadn’t kicked the can completely.

At his side, his brother Shougo walked, along with Sukasai- the Suizuma girl and the two shinobi that Warrusu had placed in their group that had little to no action or say in the past entanglements. Haruyuki would have probably left them to die or bound them up were he not in some unknown land. They could be used as distractions, they could be used as meat shield- or heck, they could actually prove some worth in their time. They weren’t an immediate threat and needed no swift hand of judgment. Haruyuki knew what lay ahead. The crux of DEATH, somewhere Minasoko loomed and he’d no doubt show a scene here. This is where he desired to recreate the Shodai jewel and manipulate the poor boy, slave of the Sanbi. That corruption of power had to be stopped. Regardless of how Haruyuki felt about the timeline of Kirigakure no Sato and the progressive path it would take, he wouldn’t tolerate a man such as Minasoko to be in power. Not in an heartbeat.

Light perused at the end of the tunnel, puking them into a rather large room, fit for adoration. Fit for a final battle. Coming to the threshold, Haruyuki silently read the letter encrypted on the wall, understanding that this was the final ritual room of the statue. As the group trickled inward, the Hisame would chance a gaze at the Tsuchikage, arriving before and seemingly untouched.

“Ho, Showstoppa!”

A play on the lyrical pronunciation of Syaoran’s name. Haruyuki assumed the lapse in calling him by his title wouldn’t be too hurtful, after all the guy found himself in Kiri and not his home town. Though Haruyuki would have suggested leaving now since as long as they had at least one shard, Sanbi couldn’t be controlled- they could simply nuke the place, but they were also searching for the lost kids. Haruyuki may not have a complete understanding of the Tschukage, but he certainly knew there was no way he’d agree to such things, when one of the kids was why he still continued with this group. Haruyuki could fell his shard warm, pulsing its energy into him, like it was calling out to this place or perhaps a sister shard. Syaoran probably succeeded in getting his piece.

“I don’t know whether to be relieved we meet again or apprehensive since room could have made us cattle be brought to the slaughterhouse. No doubt DEATH will fight tooth and nail to still accomplish their goal. They’re bound to be lurking around here, we’re not lucky enough to be done yet.”

Haruyuki’s eyes rested on the third door, the one no one had arrived through yet. He hadn’t seen any DEATH on his way here and though it was possible they’d follow his footsteps, it was more likely they would come from the last door. Just in case, Shougo stayed watch from where they came, It was only a matter of time.

[Rhapsody]

Arisu would arrive with her blade drawn, having spared no time to so much as acknowledge Warrusu. He was an after thought at that point, shunned from the woman's conscious by his own inability to act.

It would be clear that the Jounin had suffered a great mental injury; she stared at the others in the great cavern with wild eyes, as if deliberating an attack. what chance did she really stand if she charged the group standing before her? If Arisu threatened them, an they killed her, would she welcome it? The sight of her illusionary sister still sizzled in her mind's eye, tainting every breath. Something inside of the Jounin knew she had to make it out of the horrible cavern alive, and she lowered her weapon.

"DEATH," she croaked, and cleared her throat before trying again, "I saw them. They killed... They have the pearl, I think."

The woman shuddered, angry burns and sores protesting fiercely in the dim light. She squinted, as if trying to fight back tears, and then tightened her grip on the weapon she held. Its blade, of average length and possessing no peculiar sense of mystery, was caked in a sheer layer of blood.

"What do we do?"

[Warr]

Being a shinobi- no, being a man entirely, is about overcoming obstacles. It's about having faith in yourself and forcing yourself to do things which someone else might not do. If you didn't take obstacles with the intent to defeat them, even if you blindly moved to do so, then you are not fit to even leave your parent's hut. Man would not have grown to be masters of the world without blind faith in their own selves, and intent to defeat obstacles.

Yet as this maze shifted, and his ally Arisu had been wrenched from him, Warrusu did nothing. The fire which told him to defeat this guardian stifled, as he saw this tunnel like so many other imaginary tunnels which had been his opponents, and for a moment memories long gone shifted into his sight. The six foot plus sennin of Kirigakure found himself in his five foot ten gennin form, found this labyrinth transformed into something more natural and eerie. As he stepped forward his sight turned the traps of the passage to be something else, and as he stepped on a trigger which sent forth poisoned arrows at his midsection, it was only instinct and the illusion of that dire roach swiping at him that caused a twisting flip to the side, dodging those poisoned darts by mere centimeters.

For the moment his sight was twisted so that he found himself struggling to get away from the writhing maw of that beast, and as his body reacted to that memory, his kekkei genkei kicked itself into activation, water chakra flying off wildly as he reenacted the act of reading the scroll which had held what would become his signature technique upon it, and as his chakra and instinct replicated that instance. And so the spear of water flew forward, activating another trap, and sent a boulder rocketing forward at him, as if sent from a catapult. The memory broke away for the moment, and his fists came up, his body tensed. It would be impossible to dodge this boulder as it closed the centimeters between them, and with all his strength he could only hope to grab it and crush it before it barreled him over and into his death.

And so he did, with a mighty roar. The boulder was smashed in his hands, and as it shattered, his left hand was cut. His eyes narrowed at the wound, no focus placed on this labyrinthine tunnel, but instead remembering the death of Kaysu at the hands of a monstrous vine, of cutting his own hands fighting the beast to try to save her. Of the ghostly feeling of thousands and thousands of scions of the destroyed dire cockroach devouring him. Even after all that time, even after hundreds of battles and training his body fiercely, after thousands of scars- he could not defeat the enemy that was genjutsu, he could not hope to defeat this guardian. He would never be able to protect Kaysu... why wasn't Kaysu at the scene of this battle yet? She could Genjutsu Kai them out of this, she could have helped the wounded. It made him feel off, he had trusted her immensely, but he felt that something was wrong. It was the story from before, but this beast didn't mess with his image issues involving weakness in solving Kaysu. It didn't even find him worth more of a challenge than a stupid Tunnel, and he was not sure what to say to that. Falling to his knees and hands with a thump, he would move no longer.

His family had never been tricksters, it was not their ninja way. Truth faith does not need deceit to back it up, Grandpa had always said. A ninja endures, father would tell him as he sobbed at the very real pain of having his nose broken by one of his cousins in sparring. But they always told him that Genjutsu was beneath a ninja, a true heart could break through genjutsu. Was he a true heart? Was his wish to become Mizukage anything more than stroking his Ego? Were there no better candidates, in honesty?

The man huffed as he stooped there, not sobbing as he had in his youth- but neither standing tall as he had when his precious children were born, and cried out strongly. No, he stooped there in silence, in defeat. He could not defeat this, and as he pounded against the ground, he huffed. “I will not be defeated, Kirigakure needs me.”

And then the facade shattered, as the battle went on. While Warrusu's mind registered the return to the real world at first, his mind was assaulted by the phantoms of his memories before, the losses he had seen. His body would not twitch an inch into intervening in the battle between Sailheim and the DEATH operative, until it was too late. The battle was lost, he had failed.

But he rose from his knees, his teeth grit together. For a moment passion and rage entered him, but then it was over. A glance of contempt was sent the way of the deceased Sailheim, a still unnamed figure in his mind who used the coward's path of ninjutsu, who had planted these seeds of doubt into the Umikoi Fisher-Prince. Arisu could not have even been saved, and while the youth did not know that, he felt something different in the air.

The storm was coming, and he would not attempt to batter the shutters closed. Let it come, as destiny was a lie. Mankind made their own choices, their own way, and he would overcome the obstacles desinty and fate put in front of him, or die trying. DEATH could not be allowed to win, and even with the shard, he could hope that Syaoran and Haruyuki's teams had successfully gained their portions of the shards.

He did not like being a failure, but he did not feel the need to speak to any of the others on it, either. Syaoran was an outlander, despite his many times helping. Haruyuki had once been a comrade in arms, but Warrusu had not relied on him in close to a half decade. And Arisu was someone who he barely knew, who he felt he had failed by not defeating Sailheim. Without a word, he rushed up the dragon's back, unseathing Ensui from it's pouch, and summoning the liquid blade from it's place, activating his kekkei genkei with the intent to detect enemies coming his way and cut them down.

By fighting Chigiri, he was coming closer to it in mentality, he was a broken soldier even if he did not care to admit it. But he would fight on.

[Azure]

Haruyuki’s intuition registered before his eyes did. As Arisu broke the darkness with her sword drawn figure, he exhaled in relief. Despite the fact that her sword was caked in blood, a substance the guardians didn’t seem to have- he was happy to see her alive. Strongly due to the fact that he felt a certain resonance with this woman. They were both unexpected allies in this event. Arisu was a newcomer and Haruyuki was absent for five years. He felt a certain outsider sympathy for her.

[color-skyblue]“Hey blondie, what’s with the sour puss?”[/color]

He remarked as the Hisame walked over to her. Her physiological tense suggested distress, on top of his concern for her, he was worried about her psychological health in relation to this mission. If she were burdened down, she might be a hindrance to their mission and that didn’t bode well. As Haruyuki approached, he gave her a certain stern, but compassionate look as if he were to say ‘Don’t give me an act, I know something’s wrong and I’m trying to care. Don’t fight a worthless battle here, please. Sadly, he already knew chances were slim that his enigmatic looks would be registered correctly. He hadn’t spent enough time with Arisu for the two to actually be able to read each other- but he could try. They were close enough to exchange whispers and Haruyuki’s face softened, as to not intimidate her or interrogate her. Don’t ignore a helping hand, miss.

He would have been concerned who she claimed died- his immediate thought, where was Warrusu? Despite a questionable past, Warrusu did stand up for him when he was thrown back into the rink and that earned him points. They fought together against his uncle and worked well. But to his relief, Warrusu showed up and moved silently on his own agenda. It might have appeared that Haruyuki was ignoring him, but he was simply letting the man go on his own way. It was clear that something shook these two up and if Arisu claimed they might have the pearl- then the guardian was finished. There was a brief spike in Haruyuki’s consciousness. Perhaps a residual concern of Nerues that his partners were taken down as well?

“Well all paths led here. Whether we go up or stay here, it looks like we’re just picking out setting for a showdown. At least here, we have the strongest- and potentially the least amount of casualties. They still have to assemble the whole pearl for control of the Sanbi, but I wouldn’t doubt they could try controlling it to the point of…exhaustion.”

The address was to everyone in the room now. He meant they’d push the host to his absolute limits. Of course, that was just the Hisame’s speculation, he wasn’t the expert on DEATH here, but this crew didn’t seem like the type to lay down their arms because they failed at one objective.

“Splitting up again will only put us in danger of taking on the main force alone, plus you never know if that nifty writing on the wall has more than one meaning. Your thoughts, Warrusu?”

Ooc; My friend, ball's in your court now, Warr.

[Blackrose]

Kia smiled at Syaoran. It was nice that he was so worried about her and her daughter even though he did not yet know the truth of the situation. What was even more amazing was how Kia was able to smile in such a desperate situation. She had surprised even herself in this matter. Still despite the darkness that surrounded them, Kia seemed to find and latch onto the light she felt inside Syaoran. Somehow this would all be okay in the end. Yes… that is what she had to keep telling herself. Everything will be okay as long as he is with me. Thankfully it hadn’t been too long before the procession of other ninja began to enter.

Warrusu and Haruyuki were the only names she really knew of the bunch of them. Even that was only because the two of them were famous. She did recognize one girl though she didn’t know her name. She carried a sword with her, and Kia remembered this girl from the palace. It was where Sy had first appeared, come back to save her and her daughter. Their time together had been short but it was unmistakable that this was that same girl. She looked, to put it simply, a mess. There seemed to be a tension about her as well. Kia wasn’t sure just what the others had been through, but if it was as hard as the guardian Sy had face then she could only imagine what that girl had gone through.

Looking around Kia let the others speak. She wasn’t a war general, she was a mom more than anything at the moment. Her only stake in this was the daughter that was taken from her. Still to a mother this stake is much higher than the well being of any village. She would offer up Kiri to burn if it meant saving her daughter. Still it was probably best not to let the others know about that. Syaoran might understand her. After all it was his daughter too, even if she had not yet told him, eventually he had to find out.

She walked around examining the seven pillars. She was careful not to touch them, she didn’t want to accidently trigger a trap or some other nonsense that the builders of this place had come up with. Instead she simple waited and bided her time. She tried her hard not to think about what DEATH would be doing to her Lily, but she had no such luck. The more time progressed the more she began to get restless waiting for the men to be done with their talks.

[cntrstrk14]

Syaoran would look over as Haruyuki came into the room from another entrance. He would give a small nod to acknowledge his entrance then turn his attention back to the six pillars and the flow of energy to the seventh. He had been looking over them since he got in partly because their use intrigued him, partly because he was contemplating how dangerous they were, and partly because he was bored. While still eying the flowing streams, he would answer the other man's poor pun attempt on his name and comments.

"If DEATH was dumb enough to try and trap me, then so be it. Don't take this the wrong way, but I am not here to save Kirigakure no Sato. I've learned with my short life that I can only protect so much with the power I have. I am here for Onkyou Kia and her daughter, our goals just happen to align right now with beating the piss out of these DEATH shinobi.", he ended, his emerald eyes never leaving the pillars. He had been contemplating the flows for awhile now, he had never seen anything quite like them. What was their purpose? Had they been flowing for all these centuries since the villages founding or had they only started recently? What kept them flowing, what was their power source? What caused these pillars to exist. Everything existed from something, it was a fundamental law of nature.

His attention would only be broken when the blonde haired woman would burst into the room. Syaoran's emerald green eyes would fall on her for quite a few more moments than they had on Haruyuki. The blade she held in her hand was caked in blood, not something that was new to Syaoran, but matched with her shaken attitude he expected to see a horde of enemies following her. She was visibly upset, whatever she had gone through had shaken this young woman to her very core and further. At first Syaoran's mind went to Warrusu, wondering if he had been killed in the journey. Without him Syaoran imagined it would be much harder for Kirigakure to survive this ordeal. Not only was Warrusu a powerful fighter, but as a Hachinin he was a symbol to his people. Symbols carried more strength than they were ever given credit for.

"What do we do? Well, myself and unless I am mistake Haruyuki both have pieces of the shard. Without the whole they will not be able to control the beast, but neither will we. At best that makes it a wild card, one that could tilt the battle in either direction. Either way, I plan to beat every DEATH ninja I see into the ground until I find what I am looking for. If I was you I wouldn't worry about us, I would worry about them. You can trust in me, we'll figure this out.", Syaoran's words were much more encouraging than they had been only moments before. This girl needed some hope, she was running on fumes and needed something to hold onto.

Just as he finished, a person would dart into the room and past the group, running up the dragon towards the top. Syaoran had reflexed a kunai into his hand, ready to send it flying into the most convenient jugular if the person was an enemy. A moment's look made it clear that the person was Warrusu, but he had rushed up the staircase to the top of the seventh pillar. Without a word, Syaoran would let Haruyuki talk and his gaze would merely follow to where Warrusu had stopped with his sword. Syaoran could feel the weight of his own two katana as he waited for Warrusu to reply to the other man's solicit for advice.

'What the hell? Why did he just rush past us? Is he possessed? Does he know something we don't?', Syaoran thought to himself. To him, both options were equally viable after what he had seen from the guardian before.

[Blackrose]

Kia had been trying to keep herself busy while examining the pillars. If she had let herself idle or think about her daughter she would have been going crazy trying to rush everyone on. She would have kicked and screamed and trashed this entire room just to get things moving even if the choice was out of her hands. Unfortunately the talking that had begun to turn south. The young girl looked like she was going to break any second. Sy was becoming increasingly irritated, and now Warrusu had appeared in the oddest manner and behaving as if her were possessed. Stood back, should this break out into a bigger fight she knew that she would only get in Sy's way. She looked at the girl who had helped her before and shook her head. Kia remembered a time when she had once been like that. So scarred and broken that she could barely move forward. Half the time if it had not been for Sy Kia would have just plain given up all hope.

Still the girl wasn't really her concern. They needed to hurry. Who knows how much time was left, or if they were already too late. Kia grimaced and shook it off. She couldn't think like that, not now. She had to have hope. Still her body tensed and her morale dropped. The other girl had already said it. She was hoping too hard that it wouldn't have been true. All they had done up until now was finished without that last shard. "I can't stand this..." She muttered, "Everyone is moving so slowly as if time wasn't already against us before we arrived. My daughter... shes out there with them... and we are all stuck here trying to solve a puzzle with a missing piece." She clenched her hands as her rage continued to build.

"We have no time for this!" She yelled out, "Stop standing around and do something! We need that shard or this entire quest was pointless!"

She didn't mean to yell. She hoped Sy didn't take her rage upon himself, it was really directed at everyone and yet no one at all. She was being selfish and unreasonable, like and mother who's lost her child. But they didn't know that. All she had done was thrown a tantrum and possibly just made a fool of herself. What good would come of urging on blind mice through a maze?

[Rhapsody]

As Warrusu entered the room, Arisu found she could barely contain her rage. She felt as though she had left Her own body, skin tingling as though somebody had run a current through the girl. After all that she had done to clear the path for this selfish louse, he ran passed her without so much as a nod. Compared to Arisu, with her steam burns and tear-stained face, the Umikoi looked fresh as a daisy. How could he act as if he had been the one to drag her through their struggles?

The Jounin tightened her grip on the sword she held, blood roaring through her ears and drowning out the words of rhe Tsuchikage, and then the complainys of the woman he sought to protect. Arisu wouldn't have had anything kind to say to the mother anyways. She had no sympathy for mothers. In fact, it seemed any shred of humanity Arisu had posessed had dried up within the hold of the Guardian's illusion.

"Which one of us are you going to use next?" Arisu finally yelled, her eyes trained on the Umikoi high above them, "Or is that my job again? Is that why you let me live?"

All the rest of the world had melted away as Arisu's tunnel vision took over. Even though Haruyuki stood only feet away, she payed him no mind. The Jounin was clearly hysterical, though had enough of her sanity left to wonder why she had been used like that. Against the backdrop of such power, she looked like a pale slug, too far gone into the hold of desperation to care what the rest of the group thought.

ooc: done on my ipod so i apologize for the spelling and quality. my laptop is dead but i might be able to tet a temporary fix for the situation later this week.

[Warr]

The Umikoi Fisher-Prince's ascent was not slowed by the prescience of Haruyuki, Arisu, Syaoran, and Kia. The dark haired Kiri-nin barely even turned to look at them, but stopped at Haruyuki's statement, stopped his ascent, standing midway up the dragon's back, tensing his hand around the handle of the liquid sword Ensui. From there he spoke loud enough to be heard below, with no hesitance if they could hear him above.

"We don't know how the Pearl works, and even though they have one of the three shards, we don't know if that'll stop them. The Sanbi is a beast which is powerful for us not to know with certainty that it is this or that, and nothing says they need the shard to control the Jinchuuriki which they'd holding the Bijuu in." He shrugged, his rage and disappointment, if not even shame, clearly visible upon his face for a moment, before a cowl of neutrality was placed upon his face. "We should not split up until we find the child of Kia, Syaoran and Kia should secure her and after that is done, Syaoran can help us with the Sanbi- if he wishes to."

He let out a deep sigh, his expression taking on that of someone possessed by an emotion or a thought, and to Arisu he spoke only two words. "I'm sorry..." Then he continued his rushing ascention up the stairs, refusing to waste any time. He had failed before and he could not waste any time, or he'd fail again and again and again, and Kirigakure would be lost to the hands of Chigiri. He would destroy all of those members of DEATH who stood in his way, if he needed to too.

[Azure]

The Hisame’s shoulders slumped as he felt ignored once again from Arisu. This wouldn’t quell his attempts, for goodness sake he might be the only one to reach her, or at least throw blows with her until she snapped out of it. He could see it in her heavy eyes, her disdain, her psychological shakeup. He was the one she hadn’t yelled at, which he perceived that she just didn’t know how to talk to him at that point. Which was fine, she might still have some self control left. Despite Kia erupting with anger, Haruyuki ignored her- he wasn’t going to cater to the protective mother. He didn’t blame her, but he wasn’t going to baby sit her- that was Syaoran’s job, just as keeping Sukasai and Shougo in line was his job.

“No worries Show’, I have a shard and I’m not going to blame you for your actions. I’d choose the same, but right now we can agree that the children are liabilities. For all we know, and I’m sorry to mention morbid news, but we’re all shinobi and we have a certain tolerance to thought subjects- Kia’s daughter may end up being a substitute for the kid they tried sealing Sanbi in. If these really are wildcards, then I wouldn’t say DEATH couldn’t figure out that piece of logic. Also don’t take this the wrong way, but if you secure the kid before we finish DEATH and decide to split, give someone who’s staying the shard or destroy it.”

He was sure he didn’t need to waste his breath discussing matters of national relics and security to the Tsuchikage. He didn’t mean to be rude, it was beneficial that Syaoran was here, but since village walls rose up again, he didn’t want speculation to go up that Kirigakure was indebted to Iwagakure. That was just messy politics. The Hisame wasn’t one about strict political lines, but he barely trusted the shard he carried. The only power he liked to rely on was his own. His icy eyes flicked back to Shougo and then to Arisu. He chose to continue standing next to her because he was concerned for her health. Concerned that someone might set her off. They didn’t need a civil feud in the middle of a war. He still wanted to try and coax Blondie out of her breakdown, but in such a state she could be a hazard. He’d protect the others if she went insane and acted on it. It looks like he’d have to gamble now and take a leap of faith.

“Look Blondie, I don’t know what you saw in there, I don’t know what happened to you, but I want to get out of here and I’m sure you do too. Go back to someone, to some thing or try to start something new. If you’re going to say you have nothing or it doesn’t matter, find something to hold on to until we make it out of here alive, please. We need you. I need you- and if there’s any sunshine left in that soul of yours as bright as your hair you’ll realize you made it this far, what’s one more day?”

Old habits die hard; Haruyuki knew enough about influence to know that what he just said was a loaded mouthful. It was meant to either shake her out of the frenzy or get her to snap before she’d be a liability. He told her he needed her, perhaps a dash of interpersonal reliability would make her feel like she wasn’t a tool. She was having an identity crisis and despite his cold nature, Haruyuki’s kindness flowed in for a few choice acts.

[Rhapsody]

Had Arisu not chewed her fingernails down to the skin, she might have cut her palms open on them with the strength of her own grip. Her fists had curved into white-knuckled weapons, shaking with the tension contained within the muscles. Warrusu's words enraged and inspired her all at once. On one hand, she was shocked at the thought that a simple apology was meant to quell her anger. On the other, his attitude made her want to concentrate her might, and outshine whatever effort he put forth. Never mind the man was among the highest caliber of Shinobi; Arisu had no idea what a Hachinin was.

The Jounin allowed her muscles to realize as Haruyuki spoke to her, acknowledging the man in full for the first time since they had arrived in the cavern. She exhaled at length, releasing a breath she didn't remember holding. Self awareness hit her like a landslide in that moment, and her sword mad ea metallic noise as she let the tip hit the ground.

"Okay," She finally responded, her tone dull. There were no more words that Arisu could think to say and, so, she stayed silent.

Recognizing, for the moment anyways, her lack of strength in comparison to the people around her, the woman waited for further orders before acting. she wondered to herself where the DEATH agents she had seen could have gotten to, and what they could possibly hope to achieve by unleashing the Sanbi. Though she had come from a place of Demons herself, the monster Arisu had met had always been purely metaphorical. She dreaded to think what kind of monstrosity lay in wait if the Pearl were to be united in the wrong hands.

Edited March 25, 2011 by Rhapsody

[cntrstrk14]

Syaoran's only outward reaction to Hariyuki's and Warrusu's words would be a small nod. He could not commit to their cause, Kia and her daughter's safety came first no matter what.

ooc: Not much else to say here. Let's get this show going!

[Azure]

We are the ringing in the seashells;

We are the roaring beneath the waves.

We are the voice against the ignorant;

We are part of a higher cause.

We sleep ‘till the waters cry for justice

We take the stain to eternal slumber

We are now called to be awake

Until the ripples still.

The droning ghosts whispered on the night wind a creed that would cleave a revolution, an idea that would bring the Bloody Mists back to its era of scared shores and red bays. All men were affixed by their beliefs and fictions rooted so deep within history not a soul could recall a type before disruption among kingdoms. Kirigakure would not be spared by this factor; instead it would spearhead most of the world’s bloodiest tales. Yet one thing remained at the crux of the blood mixed waters. The ones that were left were the pure ones.

The facts revealed in this shrine proved this to be true. The seven families that formed the legendary village were still very much alive and in the same domineering control that they adhered to in archaic lore. But purity was not limited to inherent genetics, perpendicular to popular oppressive belief.

Rather ideas and creeds were holding together these people and strong genetics were only compliment to this. Yet DEATH wasn’t led by a man who was blessed with accelerated growth in the shinobi arts, he wasn’t given a professional teacher who already knew of his potential and could hone those abilities explicitly. He was born as the scum on a whale’s belly; luckily for him no caste system demanded he stay a Dalit. So with freedom he had, he used. The son of an unloving whore, memories so distance they felt like a dream to him. But this didn’t feel like a dream, this was a reality. This was also a nightmare.

“For five years, Kirigakure has gone throneless while other nations prosper. I will not sit by as my people are in disarray.”

An alien voice quickly diffused into the chamber. It was a powerful voice, deep and booming. It was filled with charisma and actual care. This voice didn’t carry brash arrogance upfront, or the drunken tones of selfish power, but it echoed a firm yet frustrated compassion for the country of Mizu no Kuni. Within seconds of the voice’s first syllables, the room was contested with porcelain masks. They came out of everywhere, yet nowhere at all. DEATH clamored through each of the three pathways to the room, as if they had been trailing the group of freedom fighters the entire time. It was a sizeable squad that entered the room, but nowhere near the numbers one might imagine in a final confrontation.

The man who spoke stepped forward, heavily fortified by guards. He was a tall man with long black hair, cut at his bangs and bound out of his face with grey-blue thread. He arrived from the entrance that Shougo stood at, who was taken by surprise by the appearance of DEATH and promptly moved his group out of the way, lest the weaker ones be hurt. This man was unmistakably Sekiryuu Minasoko by the electric that could be felt when his men were near. It was obvious by their body language and loyalty that they’d clearly die for this man without a second thought. He was lightly tanned with the clearest gray-blue eyes, accentuated with the dim light he stood in. He was dressed in a ancient shinobi armor, quite like the Senju, only modified slightly and painted dark grey and blue-grey.

“We need---“

“Sir!”

Another figured zipped up from behind Minasoko. His hair was more auburn than black, tied in a long pony tail. He had long since removed his porcelain mask, revealing his perfectly lush and stainless face. Tucked under his arm looked like a little package, limp and obviously pulling him down. Though despite the weight, the soldier held up.

“Jabu’s gotten out of control. He’s on the rampage and on his way through the third tunnel.”

“Take the substitute girl. If worse comes to worst, we’ll transfer the Sanbi into her. You must protect her, Shael.”

“Understood.”

The ‘package’ Shael had, briefly rustled under his teal robe. It was like whatever it was tried to move around in its sleep. The commander hoisted the body up on his shoulders to reveal a little girl, who had to be less than five years old in his control. She mumbled something incoherent, but for any parent It would be instantly recognizable as their child. Without further questions, Shael began to take off down the tunnel he came from, attempting an escape and rendezvous in a safe haven, perhaps to use the girl as the next host for a tired Sanbi.

“We don’t have much time. We tried to control the Sanbi with the one shard we acquired but it backfired. Now the beast is coming here, so now we’re at a stalemate aren’t we? It would be wise to work together.”

There were dark undertones beneath Minasoko’s voice. Chillingly dark.

Ooc; As to avoid confusion, I will make a separate post for Haruyuki.

[cntrstrk14]

As the DEATH ninja poured into the room, Syaoran would prepare himself for an attack. They outnumbered the handful of ninja by an exuberant amount, enough to run them over easily. Not to say that the three Hachinin and two others would not put up a fight, Syaoran estimated that the DEATH ninja would lose at least 75% of their men if they came at the group right now. However, he did not have much time to think about this as the man who spoke came forward, his voice carrying a very distinct tone that did not match the expectations Syaoran had for a leading member of the organization. However, it would not be the man that Syaoran would become focused on, it would be the second man who would enter the room and more specifically, who he carried. At first his eyes would distinguish the package as a young child, and with a quick observation he would also be able to see that she was still very much so alive. He quickly deduced that this was most likely Lily, Kia’s missing child. However, within the few fractions of a second that these thoughts shot across his mind, the child would stir and Syaoran’s mind would go blank.

"So I take it that your night went well?"

Syaoran’s mind floated on a sea of shock and distant memories. The girl the man held, she appeared to be no older than five years old. Her hair was dark like Kia’s, but it was not her age or her hair that sent the Alchem’s mind into a reeling state. For just a moment, as she stirred, he had seen something further, something that almost anyone else in the world would simply dismiss. For just a moment there had been the familiar glow of blue and gold like a fire that seared across the edges of her skin. Invisible to the eye, but he could feel it. That chakra, that flow of creation and destruction, that unique glow of warmth should only exist in three people in the world.

"Sy calm down. Not exactly how I wanted to wake up but oh well..."

Syaoran’s hand was around Kia’s, his grip tightening just so slightly as his mind floated in a state of shock. He was looking at a miracle, something that should not, or so he though, exist in this world. But here it was, right in front of him, the first signs of progress on a scar nearly a decade old. The girl had the Alchem bloodline, her chakra had ebbed for just a moment and that unmistakable golden flames licking in blue had been unmistakable. Why had she not told him? Would it have been better if she did? Did it even matter at this point? What was he going to do? How could he raise her? How could he save her? What did this all mean? Was he suppose to be mad or exuberant right now? What would Sanji say?!

Alchem Syaoran had a daughter, and she was beautiful.

There was no time to discuss this with Kia, there was no time to even hesitate. He had been set in a state of shock from this turn of events and he had wasted already far to much time. He had not even registered what the man was now saying, but all he knew was that he had to stop the the other soldier who was holding his daughter from moving one step further away. It was an impulse, a movement that his body could not even begin to fathom how to stop before it already happened.

“We don’t have much time. We tried to control the Sanbi with the one shard we acquired but it backfired. Now the beast is coming here, so now we’re at a stalema-”

“STOP!”, Syaoran shouted over the man as he tried to speak.

‘I have a daughter...’

His eyes were on the other ninja, Shael was his name if Syaoran heard correctly. Syaoran’s hand was outstretched towards him, he did not even remember raising it, nor did he remember gathering the chakra that now felt like a surging torrent just at his finger tips. He could not win alone against all of these enemies, but if they were going to try and take his daughter even one step further away he would gladly try his luck against the other ninjas in the room.

“Don’t take the girl. Take me instead. All you need is a host correct? A willing participant should be more suitable than a child.”, Syaoran said quickly, not giving the others with him a moment to break in.

‘I have a DAUGHTER...”

If nothing else, Syaoran knew he had to get this girl out of their hands as soon as he could. It was even possible that they did not know whose daughter it was they had, though slim. If they knew who they had, all the cards would be in their favor and they already had him. His stomach felt as if it had lost its bottom, but his face was calm and calculated, he couldn’t give any signs one way or the other to the other man.

“If you return the girl to her mother I will do anything you say.”

‘I HAVE A DAUGHTER!’

[Azure]

Haruyuki felt a light tremble slide down his neck as he heard the clicking of empty steps. A shinobi trains themselves to be undetected and voids the sounds of their footfalls. Yet when too many sounds are voided, it gives away the position that something is about to transpire. But even then, it’s often too late. The Hisame saw as the shades of DEATH clumped into the room about to participate in the grand feu. It was inevitable, and ironically this was no one’s court. Neither side hadn’t a clue what they were doing anymore, which made it ever so pleasingly dangerous.

The Hisame automatically took a defensive position towards Arisu. It was instinctual, that he should protect the girl physically as he attempted to with his words- but there was more than that. He didn’t doubt her ability to hold her own (and would greatly allow her such freedoms), but given the instability she showed he figured he was also protecting her from running around, trying to behead all the DEATH agents while some people tried to play politics. It was obvious there was a reason the organization didn’t attack upon entering the room, for surprise was their biggest advantage. Grimly, Haruyuki figured it wasn’t a gentleman’s honor that stayed their hand.

Before Minasoko even spoke a word, Haruyuki knew the man was present. The same dark and chilling chakra Haruyuki had sensed time and time again when Shougo was captured, followed by the trip into the shrine of the seven swords. There was no doubt. The commander of DEATH was present. His words were patriotic and if Haruyuki hadn’t such an individualistic natured, he’d probably be moved. The man was a good speaker and probably truly believed for what he fought for- but this Hisame was one for cold business. He already steeled his mind away from swaying philosophies. Whether Mianosoko was right or wrong- that wasn’t Haruyuki’s place to decipher. He had taken Shougo and he had taken two children and enslaved them as toys. Those reasons were enough for Haruyuki to be convinced this man had an open grave with his name on it.

Then a different variable walked into the room. He carried a child under his arms and spoke with urgency to his commander. Something had gone wrong. Blackly, this was like a comedy of errors, minus the humor. The kid wasn’t the Jinchuuriki- this was a little girl and not a boy. Though, Haruyuki wasn’t completely sure because most young children tended to be ambiguous. There were only two children he knew of involved in this deal. His calculations told him it was a good chance; this was the daughter DEATH had stolen from Kia. Syaoran’s adamant reaction only reassured that Lily was in the room. With her present, Syaoran was a liability and since Kia and Lily were the only reason Syaoran was here, his internal ‘cornered-beast’ syndrome was now active. Great.

The real Jinchuuriki is on the way, causing all hell and now this guy wants us to work with him. Worse, Syaoran wants to offer himself in exchange for Lily. Doesn’t he realize if he can’t control Sanbi as a host, he might end up killing them anyway? Of course he does, the man has to have some type of plan.

To say Haruyuki trusted Syaoran’s silent plan would be a gross overstatement. It was obvious this was not the best move, but Syaoran wasn’t playing by their rules. He made that obvious and Haruyuki didn’t hold it against him. He chose to valiantly protect the ones he cared for. Haruyuki couldn’t blame him for that without being a hypocrite, so in fact Haruyuki was doing the same thing. Plainly, DEATH couldn’t make a transfer of Sanbi hosts without controlling it. They would need the only tool available to do such a thing: the complete pearl. DEATH had one shard and Syaoran was about to hand over his. It seemed the only segment left was Haruyuki. His fist tightened- Syaoran would probably fight him for the shard, an ordeal the Hisame didn’t want to participate in. The two of them fighting would accomplish nothing and if the guardian battles proved anything- two powerhouses colliding wouldn’t go without scarring. What probably pissed him off the most was that after all that fighting and killing Pebbles, now there was a good chance he’d be forced to give up the treasure, making his death in vain. Haruyuki remained quiet, mulling over what little options he had.

This had grim tidings in every direction, unless Haruyuki created some sort of plan.

[Azure]

Despite the Tsuchikage’s sudden shriek, Minasoko was too determined to finish his sentence to stop. He was taken by surprise by the sudden outburst and curiously, followed the man’s train of thought. At the end of his sentence, Minasoko opened the floor for further debacle over the matter at hand. Shael was determined to follow his master’s wishes and wouldn’t cease his actions based off the cry of Syaoran. What he would stop for was when DEATH’s general stuck two fingers in his lips and proceeded to whistle loudly a certain pitch that Shael would understand and comply.

“Hmm, indeed. We aren’t so unreasonable; to show you I mean the truth I’ll extend the olive branch first.”

No one questioned Minasoko’s executive decision to work with the team of rebelling shinobi. He gave the command to Shael, who took the package he held onto so dearly and slowly took the sleeping Lily over to Kia. It was a gamble on their part, who was to say these people weren’t bluffing? But having a strong, willing host would make all the better for a transaction. The girl was never meant to be a bartering chip anyway, just a failsafe if things didn’t work out right. Whether she would have been released if things actually did work was a question never to be answered.

There. Kia had her daughter back and Syaoran was a newly realized father. But he had a bargain to own up to.

“The only way for this to work is if we recreate the Shodai’s Pearl. No one wants to deal with a rogue Sanbi and I don’t suppose anyone else knows the sealing ritual? We need the remaining shards.”

Minasoko produced a glowing object from his equipment. Without a doubt, it was the Shard of Wisdom DEATH had acquired through the ambush of Sailhem. The illustrious cerulean shard called out to its siblings, that were now closer together than they had been for several centuries. Minasoko stepped forward and began nearing the seventh pillar and then stopped. He and his DEATH body guards would not near closer without a cue from the other shinobi that they accepted his terms and were willing to work together.

Every second wasted in resistance only brought the Sanbi’s host closer to their dwelling place. Every moment Jabu spent as the host would put a further burden on his life. If they waited too long he’d die and everything both sides fought for might come crumbling down.

[Blackrose]

There were no words for the fear that rippled through Kia’s chest at the loud and ominous voice of Minasoko filled the chamber. There were many things Kia was afraid of. Losing Sy and Lily were at the top of the list. Diving deeper into her unknown past was also up there. However, a new kind of fear bubbled up in. Upon hearing Minasoko’s voice fear gripped her in a strangle hold so tight that she nearly fell to her knees. This new fear involved hurting the people she loved.

”That voice…”

There she was again, five years ago, it was her first memory of her new life. It was painful. She was on the cold floor. Her body felt like mush. She couldn’t stand or take in anything. Breathing felt painful as if she had never breathed before this day. Sights and sounds were broke and distorted. Her ears and eyes felt like they had never been used. None of it made sense. However as things became slowly clearer she could recognize that voice. His voice. He was there. When she saw his face it all came flooding back to her. He was there when she woke up on that operating table. He was there to tell her who she was. Onkyou Kia. He’s the one that got her into the GERTs, where she met Sy… He was the enemy. He’s the one who made her, but why? She looked and saw Sy protecting her and her heart crumble. She knew now. She knew why she was there. She was Sy’s liability. She was the key to making him vulnerable, careless.

Her eyes shot back in fury towards Minasoko. The air around her dropped in temperature so fast that frost appeared on the floor below her. Her bloodline was surging through her, spreading from her ice cold core and taking over. Then it happened. One of the DEATH shinobi brought forth a young girl. She knew her instantly. She knew her small head slumped forward; her dark hair fizzed and battered. The bloodline receded as fast as it had begun to emerge. Kia’s eyes widened with fear as she stared at her daughter’s unconscious body in the man’s hands.

”Lily!” She screamed out. Her body trembled as they spoke about using her daughter. No, she couldn’t let Lily be a host. It would destroy her. Her Lily… she couldn’t let them have her. She would have charged in right then if the fear that they might hurt her hadn’t already rooted her in place. Her chest tightened and she looked back at Minasoko with tears of rage in her eyes. ”You! You’re the one! You w-“ She stopped. Her tongue had become useless. Her throat burned and her body pulsed with pain. She couldn’t push out the words. She couldn’t say who he was and where she knew him from. Why? She felt like she had been locked in place, the immense heat in her throat died down and soon she was able to speak again. It was too late by then.

Sy had stepped forward and offered himself in exchange for her daughter. Their daughter. She looked up at Sy again, gripped with pain and fear. ”No…” She whispered, ”Sy you can’t. I need you… she needs you.” She whispered behind him. Sy either didn’t hear or chose to ignore her going forth with his plan. Soon Lily was back in her arms. Kia cradled her daughter tightly to her chest with an enormous amount of love and tenderness. She looked up at Sy, ”Sy you can’t. He’s-“ She was cut off again. Her tongue lodged within her throat prevented her from speaking freely. The warm sizzling pain returned to her throat making her squeeze her eyes shut in pain.

What could be causing this? Why couldn’t she warn Sy? Why couldn’t she speak? Her last thought hit her and she sat stunned by her stupidity. She remembered thinking that exact thought before. She remembered trying to speak to Minasoko, but her tongue and mouth were unused to words. She couldn’t form them correctly and it all came out as mumbles and garbles. He had pressed his hand to her mouth and her tongue was filled with hot searing pain momentarily. When it subsided she had been able to speak again, as if the pain reset her muscles. She had thought he had helped her but this must have been his true plan. He wanted to keep her quiet. So he gave her a curse in the guise of a gift. He had sealed her words.

She looked up at Sy with a pleading look in her eyes. He needed to understand. She needed to warn him before it was too late. Before he was dead, and Lily no longer had a father…

[Rhapsody]

Feeling forgotten in the maelstrom of emotion that had engulfed the room, Arisu tightened her grip on the sword she bore, eyes darting from one parent to the other. The drama that had unfolded had gone completely over the woman's head, and she did not react. Far more alarming, anyways, was the Tsuchikage's willingness to comply now that he had been presented his child. The Jounin ground her teeth nervously, unwilling to die so that strangers could live. And yet- what use had her life served thus far?

"My name is Arisu," she murmured suddenly, looking to Haruyuki almost sheepishly, "I just... I don't was to die as... as Blondie."

It was clear what the Oni woman thought the outcome of their fight would be, though she had spent the entire ordeal resigning herself to death time and time again. She had little faith in the men and women she had been fighting alongside, constantly waiting to be brushed aside by their might- just a sacrifice so that better people could live.

ooc; um. i have nothing to add to this thread at all. oh well. xD

[cntrstrk14]

Syaoran’s gaze would carefully follow the officer as he carried Lily towards her mother. His chest was strung into a tight ball as he slowly walked, only lessing slightly as the young black haired girl would return to Kia’s arms. The Alchem’s emerald eyes would swing with a weight that could, and had, shaken worlds. The enemy, no ally, commander told the group that all of the shards would be needed to control to Sanbi. Of course the Alchem had already assumed this and his grip would tighten around his own shard. Syaoran could hear every word that came from Kia’s mouth but he had to stay on this path now that he had made the decision. He would not even give another look towards the two, because he was afraid that he would not be able to leave them if he did. Kia’s words cut into him like a hot knife, but he shouldered the guilt and deepened his gaze at the man. After a long moment where he assumed everyone in the room was thinking over what had just transpired, he would slowly turn towards Haruyuki and approach. His steps would echo off the walls as all voices were held. When he was within arms reach of the younger ninja he would hold out his empty hand.

"Haruyuki, the shard... please.", he said from inside an icy shell of self control and calmness. Leaning in a bit closer so that only the other ninja would hear he would also whisper the following.

"This is all a gamble. I know I am being selfish, but if I end up doing something reckless I am going to be relying on you and Warrusu to... keep me in check. Please.", the Tsuchikage said, he intense gaze pressing the urgent and deep meaning to his words. His gaze would halfway flick over to Kia and Lily before returning to Haruyuki. If anything, he was more determined after that quick look. If things went wrong here the two Kiri Hachinin might be forced to kill Syaoran.

[Azure]

Haruyuki was sp carefully eyeing up the two proud parents that he nearly forgot Arisu was behind him. She had finally found her tongue amidst the eager discussion of what the hell was about to happen in this statue chamber. Then the blond woman spoke up finally revealing her name. The Hisame’s ears perked, looking at her with entire serious intent- and then it melted away to a devilish smile.

“Relax, blondie, you still have a few years left of me pestering you.”

He shrugged, his way of telling her keep some hope left, because something big was about to go down. Putting your tail between your legs wasn’t going to help any. Then the moment he warned himself was upon him. He knew with every echo, every footstep Sayoran neared he was going to pop the question. The Tschukiage’s emerald eyes met Haruyuki’s icy blues. It was quieter than the void of death during their long exchange. Haruyuki received the request and scowled, though if one thing was obvious to him- a civil conflict would help no one in this predicament. He finally secured the shard, and for what? The Hisame’s grip laced around his shard and he could feel the flames of power lick his soul.

“I told the guardian I didn’t need the shard to kill anything in my path that prevented my goals.”

Haruyuki saw that Syaoran was surprisingly clam in the situation. He was attacking it like he would a diplomatic mission, the Hisame assumed. It meant either he had a plan, or was feigning it and trying to call a bluff. Haruyuki produced the shard in his hand, but didn’t offer it. He closed his eyes and a spark of his chakra surged through the thing, like we was communicating with the thing inside.

“I have no intention of having the reputation of a liar.”

Now he gave the shard to Syraoran’s open hand, making his remark with also the suggestion that he’d live long enough to have a reputation after this ordeal. The Hisame was skeptical of what was about to happen, but if this mess proved anything- situations change by the eye blink. Haruyuki understood that Syaoran was risking himself and wasn’t too sure he even knew what he was doing and accepted death if it came to him. He had no reason not to like the man and he did ask nicely and then Haruyuki flicked away the sword he had in his hand.

“Let’s kill some tension, might as well make the best out of it with that monster coming.”

[cntrstrk14]

Syaoran would give a small smile as Haruyuki would pass over the shard, moving it over to his left hand with the other and securely closing his palm around both.

“I don’t intend to make you break any oaths.”, he said and then began to walk back towards the commander of DEATH. About halfway between the commander and Haruyuki, the Alchem would pause and take a moment in the center of the two groups.

“Now, if you will give me a moment, I need to take out a small insurance policy.”, he said. Moving slowly so that the DEATH ninja, or his allies for that matter, thought he was making an attack he would place one hand near the ground.

Making a single seal with his free right hand, the ground near his feet would glow brightly until it was almost too bright to look at. In a very slow and mechanical way, Syaoran would raise his hand from the ground and the light would follow with it. As he came higher and higher, the light closest to the ground and furthest from his hand began to take shape. Matter that appeared to be bone appeared, materials that appeared to be muscle, internal organs and circulatory systems wound themselves with the bright light as if he was slowly creating a human body out of blue, white and golden sparks and flashes. The skin would only begin to appear as his hand came to his shoulder level, the makings of a head and limbs becoming obvious as the human body would shed its own light with the creation of tan skin, as if the light was behind the skin and slowly extinguished as it was blocked from the outside. As the Alchem brought his hand to a height that exactly matched the top of his own head, what was happening became apparent. The hair, eyes, facial structure and body type took form and the ‘human shell’ appeared as a copy of the Alchem himself. Of course the clone was clothed in nothing but a simple pair of shorts and no shirt, as if the clothing was an after thought in the entire process.

Shinzui Bunshin No Jutsu

(Essence Clone Skill)

As the last of the bright light extinguished, the body would appear to be sleeping with its head bent over in slumber, despite its rigid standing as if supported by an unseen plank. Syaoran would step behind the clone of himself and bite his thumb drawing blood as if for a summons. Making the same seal as before, he would reach up to the small of the clone’s back and press against it, allowing the blood from his hand to touch the copies skin. With a sudden and violent shock of chakra that would light the room up blue, like an electrical pulse, the clone would stumble forward as if struck in the back by a sharp blow. His eyes would open and his mouth would take in a sharp gasp of breath as if for the first time in his life he was tasting air. His eyes were wide and he looked around the room at all the people as if unsure of what they were and how he should react. Then his gaze fell back on Syaoran, and it was not emerald eyes that met the Tsuchikage’s, but a mixture of hazel and blue that took an edge from the man’s gaze. His hair was many shades lighter than his creators and his skin a few steps darker and more tan. Pulling himself up straight for the first time, the clone would survey the room once again as if with a new understanding before walking towards Haruyuki, Kia and the others.

“Now.”, Syaoran said, his eyes falling back to the commander of DEATH. “Now that we have all the shards, what would you have me do?”

[Azure]

[

]

Without uttering a word at the show the Alchem put on, Minasoko snapped his fingers. Even without a verbal command, three of his DEATH operatives, clad in the most elite armor sliced through the air forward and danced a shadow waltz to Syaoran. Guards.

From the predicted entrance, the jinchuuiriki burst through the opening, with debris of blood, bones and stone on its chakra armor. He was just a young child with sandy brown hair and teal eyes stricken red with strain. Blood thirst seeped from his mouth. He was coated in a green-blue and grey spiked shell radiating off his body. The provoked demon was one tail away from achieving perfect synchronization with the three-tailed turtle. The first wave of DEATH shinobi jumped in its way- a show of cooperation?

“Quick, the pearl!”

Minaosko roared as Jabu released a shockwave of chakra, tossing the DEATH shinobi like rag dolls across the chamber. As quick as a dart, Minasoko had already reached the base of the central pillar. Forming a fast single seal, a gush of water sprouting him to the top of the pillar. His eyes bore into the Umikoi, but said not a word to Warrusu, only concerned himself with the agreed pact. He brought out his shard, it cried with a magnificent blue light. The commander turned to watch his forces be slaughtered as Jabu made his way with finesse towards Syaoran and the last two shards. The jinchuuriki sensed the power of the shard that tired to control him and was quite irate about that. One of the elites tunneled an orb of water at the beast. The bubble exploded with a great force around Sanbi, but the creature retaliated and grabbed the shinobi’s head with such a destructive force it snapped his neck, too audibly for comfort. The next drew his sword and parried with the demon’s spikes long enough for the third to snatch the two shards from Syaoran’s hand. Before the third met her early grave via gaping stomach cavity, she tossed the two shards through the air and Minasoko caught them.

“Rest now Jabu. Now, the ancient jewel will be complete once again. Kirigakure’s destiny will be upon us in magnificence. For the fallen and for the living, you will find glory. Awake, Shodai!”

Minasoko took held of the two flying shards and dropped it- along with his shard into the liquid being produced by the seventh pillar. Shining green, red and blue- the luminescent sap melded around the three shards. Each fit together with another in perfect harmony and slid into place as if invisible fingers were guiding them. The crystal dragon’s eyes glowed gold and the sap drained to a lower compartment. It appeared the machine was rigged to detect distinct weight difference to know when to open the valve. All that was left in basin was the completed jewel, shimmering with each color of the rainbow. It was stunning, it was mesmerizing, it was in the clutches of DEATH. Minasoko raised the pearl and in one quick motion and release of chakra, the Sanbi cried in shock as its body fell rigid.

Minasoko jumped from his perch while performing a sequence of seals progressively getting faster. When he landed in front of Jabu, he struck the boy’s chest with a shining blue flame. Jabu roared in agony as the tails begin to shrink away and the demonic coating over his body sheeped away. In a flash, the commander of DEATH swayed over to Syaoran. By commanding the pearl , he was physically moving the energy and consciousness of Sanbi like it was a puzzle piece. Minasoko, reached for a gourd at his side and coated his hand with it. To the learned, they would know it was the seven bloods of the royal families. In another fell swoop, Minasoko collided the energies with Syaoran- the blood exploded around him and then formed a yin-yang on the ground. The demon was gurgling as it flew into the body of the Alchem. The energy was heavy in the air as it all was sealed and slurped up into Syaoran. And then silence came.

Dark silence.

Then with a hiss, the silence was shattered.

“Now it’s ended. Kirigakure may find her unification now. With the Tsuchikage under control we may build a confederacy with my pavilion as its capital. This is our greatest hour.”

Minasoko’s voice rung throughout the chamber in exuberant command. DEATH returned a victory cheer as he was effectively calling a ceasefire and amnesty to both factions. Their new direction would be a larger nation- now accrued of both Iwagakure and Kirigakure with him as monarch. He had no intention of backing down his pact with the patriotic Kirigakure shinobi and the conservative DEATH. To prove his dominance and to excite morality, Minasoko whisked around the Shodai’s pearl and commanded Sanbi-Syaoran to move like a puppet. The new jinchuuriki was subdued- no demon chakra was leaking from his tenketsu. The pearl worked.

“You had five years to do this Minasoko, when Kirigakure was at its weakest. Now people are too tied to their countries again to see it your way. If you want to go ahead and destroy two countries, be my guest. But I re-e-e-eally don’t feel like going into hiding again.”

DEATH’s commander showed little care at the Hisame’s words. Like he already knew he was sending over the death warrants for several thousand people- of his own people- and was perfectly okay with it.

“We please the Great Ones with our deaths more than our lives. There will be no wasted sacrifice and you will be the first to meet the embraces of the fallen!”

The pearl of the Shodai glowed fiercely a culmination of reds, blues and greens as Minasoko waved it around with fury- righteous anger began to seep into his voice. With a cry, Sanbi-Syaoran lashed out towards the Hisame and swung his arm, releasing a pulse of teal chakra towards the Hisame. The shock hit Haruyuki and lifted the shinobi off his feet and slammed him into a wall- only to explode in a plume of smoke. Haruyuki was now upon Minasoko, their fists locked in pitched struggle. Haruyuki could feel Minaosko’s superior physical strength weighing down on him.

“You nearly killed my brother, now I want to see you SQUIRM.”

An bony ice hard burst out of Haruyuki’s shoulder and slammed into Minasoko’s neck. The shock broke their struggle and the pearl was airborne. The shinobi knew that in less than a second his space would be crawling with DEATH. It was no time to be playing hero and take the whole pearl. He had to act quick on his sudden plan.

“Pebbles would turn over in his grave if he knew I let this out of my hand. I sure as hell don’t want him haunting me.”

Haruyuki grumbled to himself. That was only half true, he did want that oversize piece of gravel to haunt him, only not as an angry spirit. From his right arm, a tattoo swam around his forearm and then leapt out into his hand- forming into his sword that he’d hidden as a decoy. To be truthful, Haruyuki was taking a shot in the dark with this one, but he knew these seven swords had some type of magical power in them when linked to the Shodai. So maybe, just maybe he had a chance. Plus with his connection to one of the shards he had to try. In his mind, he envisioned the pearl being split up, torn back into the three separate pieces.

“Burn.”

He whispered and struck the pearl with Kakuyuki. The pearl glowed a hot blue flame and then exploded. The three shards separated and began to fall. He quickly nabbed the one glowing red, knowing it to be his shard and suddenly turned to see a DEATH agent upon him. He took a well placed hard left to his jaw, but while falling summoned an ice needle and placed it between the shinobi’s eyes. It fell to its sleep as Haruyuki fell to the ground. When he recovered himself, he was beside Arisu again. The last two shards had fallen to the ground and if they weren’t quick enough DEATH would have them again. The Hisame figured playing the wild card game was better than a cat and mouse trying to control the whole pearl. This way, if Syaoran was strong enough to battle the Sanbi in his own body, he could choose who to fight for and who against. Haruyuki figured that the clone Syaoran resurrected was powerful enough to remain in combat long enough to make a difference, but out of respect, Haruyuki planned to make sure Syaoran-Sanbi wouldn’t accidently crush the child he so desperately fought for.

Now the fray got even more confusing. Excellent for adaptive shinobi. Whether Haruyuki fought alone or with company, this was the last stand, the last chance they'd get to end DEATH once and for all.

[Rhapsody]

Arisu did not hear herself scream as the Sanbi rushed into the room, his rage clear in the way he tore through the humans in his path as if they were nothing more than dolls. The twisting, snarling creature scared her more than any man ever could, and the woman could only think to run, aiming to duck behind a nearby pillar. She felt incredibly vulnerable, though her weakness likely afforded her some amount of invisibility. Though she had stra\uggled with the best of them, Arisu had never been a target in her ordeal. That, at least, had allowed her to survive.

She didn't see the pearl become whole, nor Jabu writhe in pain as the demon was taken from him, because she had engaged herself in a scuffle, slashing a man's knees as he attempted to snarl her in his grasp, perhaps mistaking her own lunge for safety as a threat. Arisu did, however, turn her gaze sharply toward the Tsuchikage as the silence fell. The Oni woman had no desire to learn of Kiri's rituals, though she did understand that they were not out of danger's way ow that Syaoran held the Sanbi within himself.

As the pearl exploded, Arisu had to squint, almost missing where the remaining shards had fallen. Sparing no words for Haruyuki as he came to rest beside her, the young woman lunged for a piece of the gemstone not more than a few paces away, curling her body around it as she rolled, alert and ready to face the DEATH agent that had come to take the shard from her hands.

Having no sword to defend herself with, as she had dropped it upon seeing the shard, Arisu set her mouth in a thin line and stood, throwing all of her momentum into her fist, concentrating her effort and driving her knuckles into the masked man's chest. There came a sickening series of cracks as his ribcage crumbled under her might, and the unfortunate soul could do little but gasp for air; his lung had been punctured.

The chamber swirled with chaos, a panic that seemed to only intensify with the pulsating gem clasped in Arisu's hand. Had it possessed a voice, the thing might have called out in dismay. The pearl had been whole for only a moment, its true powers realized but for a second. With it shattered, Syaoran alone held all of their fates in his hands. Whatever personal struggle he would endure within his own heart and with the devil he had absorbed, would determine life or death. No doubt, the combined powers of a Kage and a Demon were enough to wipe DEATH and the warriors off the face of the planet.

And still, the woman said nothing, her body almost shaking with the adrenaline in her veins.