A Deal With The Devil [Private/PM to Enter]

[Kazu]

BGM: Lament of the Living

A dull breeze wafted through the air, stirring slightly the flora in the area. This breeze brought with it a coldness, a sort of dead stillness that was not found in the hustle and bustle of a busy village. This feeling could only come far away from civilization, far away from wandering gazes, and far away from disapproving scowls. There were no animals to speak of in this area, and the grass itself had forsaken this place by turning brown and decrepit. This was not a place for life to be. And so, as Kotsuko walked among the dead grass and the hardened dirt, he felt this place to be a perfect spot. There could be no other place so amazingly suited for his purposes. Secluded. Isolated. Alone. It was as if the land itself had plucked the idea out of the young man's mind and made it into reality. He scoured the rolling hills, walking a fair distance from the safety of his village in search of just the right spot for him to practice. He needed to test skills of his which he couldn't afford to have discovered, at least by anyone in his village. These were dark skills, not the kind that you could simply tell people about. He'd been brash in using his newly found abilities, but he couldn't afford to let that continue. He'd decided to play today's experimentation safely, which was how he'd come to be this far out into the countryside. As he continued to walk on, he saw a small valley surrounded on three sides by steep hills. The enclosure was perfect for what Ko would be doing, and so he continued to haul himself over to this little nook.

Standing in the small area, the young man looked pleased with his discovery. Setting down the bag he'd been carrying, the young man stretched his body before starting with his experimentation. His dark brown coat swayed in the breeze, opening to reveal a rather unassuming wardrobe. A plain shirt, thick pants, and a pair of leather boots didn't make the man stand out much. As he reached behind his waist, though, something odd came loose. A couple of small gourds, with symbols marking him as a shinobi of Kumogakure printed on them, were laid at his feet next to the rest of his supplies. Their contents couldn't be guessed at just yet, but it wouldn't take long now to find out. Ko quickly retrieved a large scroll from his bag, and unfurled the parchment onto the ground in front of him. There were strange markings on it, a seal of some sort. Without skipping a beat, the young man waved his hand towards the gourds he'd previously set down. The seals closing them shut released, and a steady stream of iron sand began to pour out of them. As if guided by some sort of invisible hand, the sands began to move towards the parchment until they were right on top of the paper itself. With another hand motion, the young man manipulated his sand to embed itself into the parchment as if it were ink. Words began to form inside the seals already drawn, completing the seal with traces of his own chakra imprinted into the seal. "It's done." The young man looked upon his work with a sort of giddiness not often seen in a man of his age. There was but one ingredient left.

BGM: Flirting with Death

Manipulating the iron sand again, Ko formed a small knife to form in his hand. Walking up to the seal he'd made, Ko began to speak. "O lords of the afterlife, hear my call! Come forth, demons of the night, ghosts of the beyond, and spirits of malevolence that still walk upon this earth! I summon you!" A grin began to form on the young man's lips as he spoke, twisting itself into a demented smile born of pure masochistic joy. Ko brought the knife down to one of his fingers, slicing open his skin to let a trickle of blood stream out from his finger. The crimson orbs fell onto the seal, activating a most terrible jutsu. The writing began to glow a dark purple, releasing a dark aura into the area around Kotsuko. It was evil, unholy, and dark. It was unnatural. Inside the seal, a tear was made. Not a tear in the paper, but one between this world and the spirit realm. The darkest corner of the spirit realm was opened, revealing to Kotsuko the true nature of the creatures he'd pledged his soul to. He couldn't have been happier. He called again, but this time into the infinite realm below. "I am Kotsuko, and I have signed a blood oath with thee. I require your power, here and now." A groan could be heard deep within the crevice that Ko had just created, like some sort of ancient creature awakening from its slumber. Ko's shadow, cast by the glowing purple hue, grew longer as if they had a mind of their own. The shadow grew taller, and taller, until it reached a length that was simply unnatural. "Sasaki Kotsuko, I've been expecting you..."

Kotsuko quickly homed in on the voice. It was behind him, almost right next to his ear. But as he turned around, he realized that nobody was there. There was only his shadow, looking back at him. An unsettling feeling of curiosity began to well up inside the young man, trying to figure out where this voice came from. "Show yourself, spirit. Stop hiding from me." An eerie snickering could be heard, again almost right next to his ear. "Silly human. I'm not hiding, I'm right in front of you!" Suddenly, the young man's shadow began to grin with pure malevolence. Ko would have almost been scared had he not been so calm and collected. "I see. So, how long are you going to play like this? I have some issues to tend to." The shadow's grin lessened, becoming a thin frown. "Play? Who's playing? I am born of your shadow, and it is like this that I shall remain. How else are you to use my power?" Kotsuko seemed to think over this answer for a little bit, his brow furrowed in thought. At last he seemed to come to a conclusion, as he moved to ask another question. "How long are you able to maintain this form, hiding within my shadow?" The creature smiled, it's malicious grin returning once more. "So long as you feed me chakra, I can keep this form as long as you wish."

"And what if I decide that I don't need you constantly? Say your presence is about to be detected?" The shadow seemed to chuckle a bit, as if either the question were silly or it was excited for the answer. Kotsuko couldn't tell which. "Don't you worry. Once I mark you with my seal, I'll be able to slip in and out of the spirit realm unaided. You'll only need to summon me by thought." Curious, the young man raised an eyebrow at the creature. "You are a curious creature." A twisted grin spread over the young man's mouth, mirroring the demon's smile perfectly. It looked like the youkai was truly Kotsuko's shadow. "I like it. Tell me your name, dark one." The demon was silent for a moment. The air was still, and nothing happened. Suddenly, a cackle filled the air. The creature seemed quite amused by Kotsuko's reaction. "You are an interesting one as well, Kotsuko. Very well, you may call me Fukuzai. It is a pleasure to be at your service." Still smirking, Kotsuko moved to light a cigarette. His shadow, however, remained still. Eerie. "Aptly named, I see. 'Fukuzai, the Hidden One," huh? It has a nice ring." Taking in a deep breath of smoke, the young man gained his composure for a second. He collected his thoughts. A lot had just happened, after all. "Well then, Fu. I suppose we should start on that seal you mentioned. It would be troublesome to hav-" Kotsuko stopped. Fu noticed it to, as he began to move along with Ko's movements. He looked like a normal shadow again. The young man whispered to himself, as he slowly prepared himself for the worst case scenario. "Someone's here..."

 

[Kouin]

His acquisition of the rinnegan was a great surprise to him; he never thought that the power of the senju chakra, and the raw destructive force the Gates of Babylon would help manifest it. These eye lent him so much untapped power that was just simply welling up in his body as if it were ready to explode. His consciousness had grown more and more with each passing day. His eyes had fully manifested into the ripple eyes doujutsu; a light green encompassed the entirety of his ball, except for the ripples that flowed outwards from the center. Kouin had heard rumor that a powerful wind user could be found in the outer areas of Cloud; with his ever expanding conscious, he had to find a vessel to place it in, but it couldn't just be any shinobi. Tales of his father Raiden, and his savior and brother, Xun. Kouin sadly could never meet Xun, nor could Xun; he knew deep inside his father's wish as well as Xun's would be to meet the offspring of destiny. The prodigal son of the man who almost died, he owed Xun that much in the least. He placed his hand gently on the ground, and tried to sense if the body was anywhere close. He sent his chakra out in ripple formation; if anything was near by the chakra would return like an echo of a lost soul. Alas nothing came back, so he'd have to pinpoint the location through other means, his Outer Path could pull the bodies location for him, but it would take time.



Slowly he begun releasing the restraints on his chakra, and began a ancient chant. Sage chakra begun flooding from his body and into the ground; Oh caelesti pectore , invenietis vas tuum* From the ground, a demonic statue began to rise, it's powers were unimaginable. Prodiit voluntatem meam agendum no-** As the statue reached its zenith, Kouin could feel a sharp disturbance in the normal pattern of chakra flow; this flow was something of dark and malicious intent, he knew nothing good could come from this. Thoughts ran through his head.... What to do.... He had zero obligation to stop the ritual, yet the flooding of dark energy was causing his body to ache; his new senses weren't quite accustomed to sensing the flow of chakra, but even he could tell this was far from normal. The strain on his body caused the Outer Path to skin slowly back into the ground, Shit.... I lost it.... He could feel the chakra waves beneath his feet quiver as he staggered to make a decision. He didn't know how much time was left, but he had to stop it; the forces at be aren't allowing the Outer Path to be maintained, which he couldn't allow the atrocity to continue. Kouin emptied his mind of all exterior thoughts, he had to focus on the location of the heathen, but he wouldn't make any hasty decisions; hasty decisions often not lead to hast deaths.


He moved towards the direction of the power, and with each passing step he could feel the power and energy growing stronger. If he hadnt been accustomed to such pressure already, he more than likely would be too stifled to even speak, much less think. Thankfully his expanded consciousness let him mitigate the strain the evil energies had on his mind and body, but he couldn't let them continue; the source either needed to be stopped or reasoned with. He could feel the presence of an ethereal being of the spirit realm; the last time he encountered a contract user was when he met Kagemaru when they captured Kiko. The contracts were interesting beings, they took the form of the users spirits, and manifests as such; courage, pride, anguish, despair, any of these could be manifested upon, but this feeling that lingered in his bones could make even the heftiest of giants tremble; in a hushed tone, he spoke softly, This isn't a normal contract.... This is something of pure malice. His eyes honed in on the precise location, whomever was doing the ritual clearly wanted to be away from the vigil eyes of the village, but more had to do with it, since he himself was out here for similar reasons; the village generally frowned upon the use of corpse, something about disrespect to the dead and loved ones.



He finally reached the destination; a small, secluded clearing. The soil was soft and rich, yet reeked of an aroma only death could describe. Evil, forbidden experiments were taken place here; he peered into the clearing and saw a young man speaking to a shadow? He spoke in hushed tones, not loud enough for him to hear him, but enough to know things were amidst. Their spatial awareness to the surrounding environment was quite astute; they already knew someone was in the area, but did Kouin want to give his element of surprise away so suddenly, or would he make the man wait? He shook head in dismay, Now have I ever been one to make someone wait? Fateful encounters were usually things of myth, Kouin never believed things happened for reason; you could mold your destiny into anything you wanted, yet maybe this man had purposely drawn him to this area, knowing he'd sense it... In which case he had to b on guard for this man could have many tricks up his sleeve.


He stepped forth from his hiding spot, and made himself visually noticed. He studied the man in depth; smoker, knowledgeable and intuitive, and highly skilled in some degree, in what was still a mystery. This feeling of malice.... Is it coming from you...? His eyes surveyed the area, but the shadowy amalgamation seemed to have suddenly disappeared, but he could still sense a lingering darkness, like it attached itself to something... Or someone.... He watched carefully as the man took drags from his cigarette, Those will kill you, you know? He jest clearly, as shinobi anything, or anyone could kill you, but he had to break the silence more, I could.... I could sense an evil and malicious force rising in this area; I assumed some dark sacrifice was taking place, but... No corpses were in the area, so it couldn't have been a sacrifice, But maybe it was some contractual agreement...? He continued to probe the man, if he was the cause of the disturbance, he had to learn why.

[Topic Entered]

Spoiler

Latin Translations
*Oh godlike heart , you will find your vessel
**come forth, my will must act no-

 

[Kazu]

As Ko scanned the area for whoever it was he had sensed, it became obvious very quickly that he need not continue to search. The man rose up of his own volition, revealing himself to the seemingly alone young man. Ko brought a hand up to his cigarette, extracting the small stub from his mouth so that he might exhale a cloud of hazy white smoke. With dull grey eyes that revealed nothing of what he was truly thinking, Ko looked his new guest up and down. He was searching for anything that might give him clues as to who this man was, and why he was here. There shouldn't have been anyone in this area, or in the few kilometers in any direction. For this man to have come here meant that something had given Kotsuko away. But what? It didn't take long for the young man to notice the odd ripple pattern within this man's green eyes, immediately revealing to Kotsuko what kind of man he was. A Rikudou Sennin, eh? So that's how he had been discovered. The young man wouldn't want to reveal his hand just yet. Instead, he merely gave the man a genuine smile. "Malice? I'm not sure I know what you're talking about." He wondered how long he could play the innocent bystander, and whether he could force any other useful information out of this man before the charade was over? Chuckling at the man's insistence that the cigarettes would kill him, Kotsuko took another breath of smoke. "I'm afraid you're right, but they probably will lose out to a blade one of these days. Mercenary work is certainly a risky business." Good lies were rooted in the truth. No one had ever told him this advice, yet somehow he felt like someone had. Maybe in a past life, if he believed in that kind of thing.

As the Rikudou Sennin before him continued on, Ko continued to play out his part. When the man spoke of evil and dark sacrifices, the young man would grow a scowl of worry or perplexity. He was really giving it his all in this performance. "I'm sorry, but I didn't feel anything. I've been out here trying to find some herbs and plants that are said to be rather medicinal. Unless you're hearing the plants cries for help as I pluck them, I'm afraid I don't know what sort of evil you might have sensed." Friendly and yet standoffish. It was a rather potent combination that generally would disarm a combative foe. It's rare to find people who truly will charge at anything. By trying to cozy up to the man, Ko would be doing his utmost to ensure an opening for himself to leave. He had completed his main objective, after all. It wouldn't do to have this man finding out his deeds just now, especially before Ko knew who his loyalties laid with. "If there's anything I can do to help you with your search, though, feel free to ask. I've been camping out in these woods for a few days now, so I've got a fairly good idea of the lay of the land. Oh, and where are my manners?" Ko extended a hand out to the man, a big grin on his face that was meant to relax his unwelcome guest into lowering his guard. After all, there were only friends here right? "The name's Akuro Kunashi, pleased to meet you!"

 

[Kouin]

Deceit was a fine line; a line which could either aid you in your greatest conquest, or pummel you straight into the ground. The guile know how to walk this without fail. The man had quick tongue and was slick to reply; those were his favorite people. His inquisitive eyes studied the man once more, Oh? His senses wouldn't have led him to this clearing had it been simply nothing. He wondered if his senses might have led him in the wrong direction. No. He was certain this was the area, he was even more certain this man had some dealing, he just had to pry it out of him. Lies usually lead to a quicker death, but that applies to all. He had to be sure to generalize his questions; he had no reason to show the majority of his, and neither did the perp before him.

He was no master herbalist, but he knew of a few medicinal herbs that could be found in the area; as someone with no village, you have no medical branch to rely on; it's all you. Find the herbs or you stay injured basically, it was a dog eat dog world out here, but from what he could tell there was either very little truth, or he just so happened to pick them from a different clearing; Kouin wondered how far down the rabbit hole the young man was in, or how dark of dealings he was actually messing with. He placed his hand too the ground, and sent out ripples of his sage chakra; if the amalgamation was still present, the sage chakra should have an effect on it, but what was it? He had never seen anything like it before...

His emerald rippled eyes stared deep into the one now known as Kunashi, if that was even his real name. Maybe he was just being paranoid? His first attempt at locating a potential body had gone to shambles, but if it happened once it can surely happen again. If what you speak is the truth, than what was that shadow you were speaking too, that is now so conveniently gone? He spurred the question which should unravel his whole tale, but if it didn't he had no other leads, but he was sure that he wasn' hallucinating, at least not this time he wasn't. Akashi, Sento Akashi. He too had no reason to reveal his real name, especially to someone he knew no facts about, yet he'd have to maintain a facade to keep him going, so with minor reluctance, he grasped Kunashi hand for a firm shake. Pleasure.

 

[Kazu]

BGM: Mind Games

Kotsuko's smile didn't falter as he stared this man down like an angry hawk. Ko didn't like this situation at all. Fu's voice whispered into the young man's ear, inaudible to the stranger before him. "He knows. Get out, now." This man, this Rikudou Sennin, was onto him. Stretching the veneer of his lie to its absolute limit, Ko responded in a calm and aloof voice. "Lies? What purpose would lies have in a conversation between two strangers?" The jig was almost up. If this had been any other man, Ko might have gotten away with his little fib. His power, though, is what really let him get the better of Ko's tale. That damned chakra of his. Almost as if in response to this thought, the man leaned down to place his hand on the ground. He was searching. Ko knew it. Fu knew it. They'd been backed into a corner, and now there really wasn't a way out. What was Ko to do, stop him? Somehow, the young man didn't think that would go over too well right now. He watched as the man poured his sage chakra into the ground, sending it out in a ripple around him. Fu's voice whispered again into his ear. "Whatever you're going to do, make it quick. I won't be able to conceal myself for much longer with this chakra disrupting me." Silently cursing this stranger, Ko's smile dropped slightly. It'd been tarnished by his fury. "Shadow? You must be seeing things. Do you even hear how crazy that sounds?" He locked eyes with this man who called himself Sento Akashi, damned if that be his real name, and tried to look deep into what it was he wanted. Through the eyes laid everyone's inner desires. You just needed to look properly for them. Akashi's outstretched arm would not hang for long, as Ko quickly grabbed his hand for a handshake so tainted by hidden meanings and implications that it might as well have been a declaration of war. "Indeed, the pleasure is mine as well."

The ruse was over by now. There wasn't much point in continuing to deny it. As Ko firmly held the man's hand in his own. A think smirk grew over his lips. "Do it, Fu." Instantly, the shadow released his hidden form, becoming a thin and wispy creature that seemed to dance as he moved. The shadow creature's arm twisted up and around Ko's, binding itself to the surface of his arm. It continued to ensnare it's partner's arm, but continued to swirl around the other man's arm as well. Within the span of half a second, the demon had linked the two in a tight grasp, making it impossible for the other man to escape. "Now, Ko." With his other hand, Ko activated a single-handed seal. As soon as he did, a dark purple aura began to spill out from the point which the two of them had grasped hands. It felt malevolent, and sinister. The other man might begin to feel weakened, as if his life energies were being drained. Ko felt it too, but it was important to immobilize him in this way. Ko needed time. "Do you feel that surge? The call of the shinigami? We're linked together now, you and I. Bound until death, or until I release this technique." Ko looked into this man's eyes, trying to gauge what kind of a reaction he might have to such an occurrence. Men of great fortitude stood strong in times of peril, looking into the eyes of a demon. Cowards shirked easily, unable to handle the grim realities of this world. Ko already had a pretty good guess as to what kind of man stood before him, yet it was still important to check.

"Now that neither of us are going anywhere, let's chat a bit. Who are you, truly? What business do you have out in these wastelands? How did you find me? And finally..." Ko's eyes narrowed as his next question was asked. This was probably the most important question of them all. "Why should I trust you?"

 

[Kouin]

He could feel a slight malicious tinge resonate back to him. He had definitely saw something, but what was it? A demon, a spectre? Or was it the rare Youkai contract? This man would keep up with his farse, but neither side would yield truth, Lies tell you the kind of person you're dealing with... His emerald orbs gazed into's the man's eyes, attempting to burrow down into his soul, I wonder what kind of man that makes you, Kunashi The man's stoic eyes yielded no answers, but his words spoke fathoms. He was confident in his abilities of deceit, yet he felt no other spectacular power aside from the spirit. Do you know how crazy it sounds for an entire village to freeze over? Yet it happened. When you see the worlds greatest surprises, everything is to be expected.

He felt the grasp of his hand, yet he knew instantly it was a mistake. He watched as the dark malevolent force from before began to intertwine them. The spectre coiled around both their arms, and locked them in place,Interesting... He could feel the dark power permeate from the binding; luckily he had a fair exposure to dark chakra, thanks to his cursed seal so the force didn't bother him too much. He analyzed the boys one handed seal, and felt the purple aura encase them, It looks like you want neither of us leaving right now.... He let out and agitated sigh, why was everyone literally messing with him? He glowered at the constructs of the bind; it was stable, and quite powerful, but some it had to be the aid of his friend; though Kouin had little to worry about short term, they both would be dead if they were out here for too long....

He smirked, the boy was making demands? He had to be very sure of his combat abilities to make brash commands; Kouin began to force his will into the man through their connection, I told you, I'm Sento Akashi, a humble traveller coming from stone. I was simple making way to Kumo. He spoke calmly and fluidly, he would have to talk himself out of yet another situation. He watched as the man's eyes narrowed down to him. A philosophy rung through Kouin's head, tricksters remain calm in the presence of similar people. They both knew the other wouldn't be deceived so easily, which explains the bind, I am Kaze Kouin, Ex-Kirigakure Anbu Corp. I was searching for a corpse; a very special one actually... Till your ritual interrupted my ceremony, and I lost my connection to the outer path... His eyes veered to the Spine of the World, yes.... maybe there.... He logged the location in his head of another time; he gaze shifted back to Ko's, Very interesting question, you should for the same reason you shouldn't. I hold loyalty to no village; my village is in a desolate wasteland, I'm as free as the day I was born, yet it also means I could oblige and help another village; what would Kumo think of these ordeals? He continued to prob the boy, he was hoping for a weak spot, but neither side was giving in for the time being.

 

[Kouin]

[Topic regretfuly left due to inactivity.]