End of Days [Open]

[Senju Kazuki]

[col]

Kazuki admitted Suna's initial intrusion had provoked him tickles. He did not expect the kind of reaction she shown though. She seemed embarrassed and flustered.Was that a justified response? She was an Ancient, Zabucho's sake. Why was she reacting like a teenage girl? He was perplexed, but he was not given enough time to question or ponder. Shiori's transgression into his sovereign state continued. Smokey or liquid shadows kept pouring out from his chest hole and eventually they were surrounded by an impenetrable dome of darkness. Fortunately at the start of this event, the Earth Court Queen immediately released her hold over the Overlord and stepped away. But she neglected to try escape from the trap that was being laid for them. "I -- WE -- got an answer. But is it a truth you actually wanted?" she answered the White Wolf's query with a question of her own. Whatever she had done in her deep inspection, something had been triggered. Shadows kept pouring out from inside his body, both from his fractured pericarp and from his eyes. Although most were being used to maintain the dome, another portion was slowly covering the Silvery Haired Man's body in a layer of shadow. Looking down, he would notice that his legs had been fully covered with that strange substance that had been housed inside his body and it was slowly raising to his waist. "I wanted an answer. Is this it? What is happening to me?" he would question her.

He wanted an answer and it was pointless to be happy or unhappy with it. He was whatever he was. No point in being overjoyed or pissed about his nature. It would not change anything and if there was one to blame, it would be him. Reaper had been the one searching for the truth, he had been the one forcing Suna's hands into revealing what was inside him. Maybe she had done just that. Maybe she had done nothing at all. Did she know if her involvement had been critical to such evolution in Kazuki's essence? Eventually the Overlord's entire body would become fully covered with shadows. His eyes would begin to glow purple and, ironically, the very substance that covered his body would congregate on his right hand and take the shape of a massive scythe. It would seem that shadows and death walked side by side in him. "I feel different. Powerful perhaps. I really can't describe what is going on within me." he would admit as he gazed the Earth Court Queen. To his surprise he no longer had to raise his head to lock eyes with her. He had grown and now their eyes were even.​

|[legend="[[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qMBans8jyM][b][u]Senju Kazuki[/u][/b][/url]]"]

Reaper

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[Michi]

The unrelenting chill filled the darkened globe of gloom. She watched as the shadows literally poured from this humanoid reservoir. The darkness did not bother her, however she found the inky prison they now stood in as disconcerting. She did not like the feeling of being trapped or constrained. The Ancient could not control her autonomic response as her body tensed and her heart hastened. She knew or at least believed that this was a skill of the Deep Court, this shadowy house that separated them from the desert. She knew that the corporeal shadows was such, not because she recognized the technique but rather because she felt disconnected utterly from her element. She knew the Senju had an affinity for shadowplay, she had seen him try to fight and recognized the writhing shadows and chilly aura that the Deep Court Lord also possessed. It was what made her first believe that he was an Ancient, however then she had her doubts but at this moment she felt that her first instinct had been proven true.

She had her concerns, most specifically that he was a child of the Wild Hunt. It was a relief. A relief that he was merely a madman, not a monster.

"I wanted an answer. Is this it? What is happening to me?" He asked. It was not a simple yes or no question, assuming that he was a hybrid. No two were alike but this released seemed excessive for someone who should only have a sliver of heritage.

"You are not human," she affirmed, her breath came out as mist as she stated the obvious. "Son of the Deep Court," she clarified "your shadows are pouring from you." She seemed calm about this, it might have been the first reaction of some to think they were hemorrhaging but he was fine. "You are a shadow... And have authority over the dark. But you need to pull yourself together."</B><i></i> She demanded, her tone became sharp when she gave him that order. He was changing, physically. The shifting, twisting and reaching shades seemed to yawn into a new form. His human flesh either covered, converted or devoured by this newly freed element.

She was not standing far from Kazuki, the wall of darkness prevented her from parting and she did not know entirely what she had awoken alongside this new awareness in terms of sentiment or wrath. She considered the possibility of being a pure-blood in a human shell but if that was truly the case then her intervention to this point was unnecessary. Armed with a scythe of gloom, there was the assumption of betrayal in the back of the Earth Court Queen's mind. Her hands started to run through a series of seals, neither of defense or offense. Her lips and limbs numb from the cold she called on the flame to warm her frigid form and illuminate the space. Wreathed in flames, it was as if someone had turned the lights on. It was like being inside a bubble of tar. Kazuki was hardly the man he was, his body pulled tall and broad, she was thankful he was not screaming in this enclosed space -- a good sign since he seemed to remain calm. Once the change completed she wondered if the Sennin would be placated. <B>"Satisfied brother?" She asked as the looked eye-to-eye.

 

[Senju Kazuki]

[col]

"You are not human. Son of the Deep Court, your shadows are pouring from you. You are a shadow... And have authority over the dark. But you need to pull yourself together." Suna replied and basically demanded. Unfortunately that was beyond Kazuki's capabilities. The pouring and living shadows kept spreading over his body, covering him as they rose. Whatever transformation he was experiencing, it was beyond his control. He could only wait it to finish and admire, or hate, the results. Eventually he would be fully covered with shadows. He had become a shadow monster, a scythe wielding shadow monster. The appearance of such a weapon provoked a reaction from the Queen's part, although what she did was unexpected. The Overlord fully expected her to attack him or raise a barrier for protection, but she seemed more interested in creating ambient light and warming herself. Shadows had never created any confusion in his mind, nor they ever raised any complications with his seeing sight. And he had never felt the chill that radiated from his frame. The very things he controlled, he was immune to them.

"Satisfied brother?" Suna questioned him. The White Wolf nodded in response. "The truth has been revealed I suppose. I am one of you." the Silvery Haired Man declared. He was not completely certain of that, but it was the only logical conclusion. "A kin to you, but more specifically to Mikaboshi." he calmly added. The shadows that surrounded them suddenly receded, all going back inside him. Eventually even those that covered Reaper reentered his body, leaving him with his normal, human appearance. "The sky is green." he stated. This would sound like a random statement, but he was testing his ability to lie a known fact. And apparently he could lie still. "Sister, what is our next step?" he asked. "There are things out there that will want our heads, and I am not even talking about Sousuke." he noted. He failed to say who those things were, but she was smart enough to ask, or even know already.​

|[legend="[[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qMBans8jyM][b][u]Senju Kazuki[/u][/b][/url]]"]

Reaper

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[Michi]

In the darkness, illuminated by the fires that ensconced the Ancient and hybrid she watched with idle interest the transformation. Even with the armor of flames, a trick she learned from humanity, it did not nullify the chill of this veritable icebox. Her breath escaped from her in puffs of condensate. She made no further attempt to warm herself, her interest rather in the resultant kin. As sappy as it might have been to say, she was warm enough thanks to this beatitude in her heart that there was another -- not a whole other but another still besides herself and the Deep Court Lord. At the same time there was also a sense of trepidation, knowing that she was outnumbered because of Mikaboshi's past perversions. Yes, she found his past unions with members of the human tribes vulgar and profane. Eventually Kazuki would find himself drawn to his Lord and his in theory ancestor; they might one day share the same cause. Rarely did the Deep Court found conflict with the Earth Court but in days past power was maintained through an exertion of might. Numbers with Kazuki were now in Mikaboshi's favor, and there was a paranoid nature that pervaded the Queen and she felt that one day Mikaboshi would want it all. For now they were allies but she felt that one day in the distant future that would change if the opportunity presented itself.

Her war was started because of loneliness, his vengeance...

"The truth has been revealed I suppose. I am one of you... A kin to you, but more specifically to Mikaboshi."

He verbalized her concern - a source of felicity and amelioration but also something that burdened her mind. The walls of darkness seemed to thin, the tarry black world fell to shades of grey. As the thinnest of shadowy films that separated the pair from the world fell away, a wave of warmth seemed to wash over her. He returned to normal and she cocked to her head to the side like a curious bird. "I liked you better the other way," she commented, a tone of disappointment in his voice. Such a lovely, dark thing now trapped in a meaty husk. Ancients were so much more honest than humans, they were what they were. It was because of man that she learned the art of deception and found the learning curve to be steep.

"The sky is green."

Kazuki demonstrated his ability to lie -- a good thing to know. Humans were by nature adept liars and Kazuki owed a portion of his heritage to a Court that thrived not on lies but of deception. So she would have to be doubly cautious with him.

"Sister, what is our next step?"

Sister -- it was nice to hear that word again. "Our?" She repeated. "I am going to find the rest," she answered after a moment's wait. She had no intention of taking him with her. "You cannot be the only one and unlike me, nobody is seeking your destruction." He did not need to travel with her, he had a new home and a man who thought himself a King to serve. She, on the other hand, was compelled to seek allies and to remain a restless traveler until it was time to strike the King down. She did not fear Sousuke, not anymore. She could crush the Kazekage's throat in her bare hand if she so desired but she was not ready. She had greater ambitions than simply ensuring his death.

"There are things out there that will want our heads, and I am not even talking about Sousuke."

Kazuki warned. "Yes, the whole of humanity will turn on me... and you. But most think we are nothing more than a children's tale meant to beckon children to stay in their beds. Most have forgotten what it is like to--" she cut herself short, there was no use in reliving their past. She knew nothing about the Daimyo's plans or the Sovereign army he had raised, of the previous successes of the once dead but newly revived Rangers who used to hunt her brothers. She simply thought Kazuki was being dramatic. "I am confident that the greatest threat I have is the shinobi forces of Sunagakure and even their time is limited," she exhaled confidently.

It was time to go so she cracked a sad smile, "bensvelk veyet'toon isthasy." The tongue was quite old and it was a basic farewell in their first tongue, one that the Senju had likely never heard before because it died with her brothers. She turned her back to Kazuki, she was not facing the village but rather the badlands. "Good bye brother," she repeated in common. And with that she attempted to leave.

[Attempting to Leave Topic]​

 

[Senju Kazuki]

[col]

"I liked you better the other way," Suna declared. Kazuki would shrug his shoulders upon hearing such comment. She failed to notice that he was a being with a dual nature. Both his current body and his shadowy form were his natural forms. She would probably never understand that. "Well, unlike you, this is still my true body. Yours is just a mask, a construct you have created to contain those crimson sands of yours. I am not like you, that is something neither of us can afford to ignore." It was true. Although the Overlord was an Ancient, he was only in less than full capacity. They were kin, but not completely. It was quite unfortunate his discovery and their reunion had happened in the time it had. Because they were divided by a large gap, they would never be able to be friends or true companions. There would always a edge between them. "I wish things could have been very different. We could have felt joy together." he would state. It was not certain if she was going to understand what he meant, but it truly did not matter.

"Our? I am going to find the rest.You cannot be the only one and unlike me, nobody is seeking your destruction." Oh, she meant to go alone, after striking a deal with him? It was not going to happen. He would not have her suffer his presence the entire trip, but if she was going to the Fire Country, he was going with her. "I will not force my presence. But I will accompany you if you are going to the Fire Country. I will be damned if you are going to my home country without me. But the rest of the world is yours alone." he would note. Even if he had to shadow her, he would go with her.

"Yes, the whole of humanity will turn on me... and you. But most think we are nothing more than a children's tale meant to beckon children to stay in their beds. Most have forgotten what it is like to--I am confident that the greatest threat I have is the shinobi forces of Sunagakure and even their time is limited," the Earth Court Queen would answer. It seemed clear she had though he was being overly dramatic. Unfortunately she was wrong. He faced a dilemma now. Should the White Wolf tell her there was an enemy that would crush them both? And that was, in fact, using Ancients to fuel his war machine? Or should the Silvery Haired Man hide those facts from her and let her learn them the hard way? "That is not the only enemy you have." he cryptically told her. "And some enemies cannot be fought with might alone. And I think we are all going to learn this the wrong way, soon enough." he would add, furthering the enigma. The upcoming war could make this Ancient - Human struggle look like a walk in the park. And he could only hope they could survive it all so their feud could be resumed.

"bensvelk veyet'toon isthasy." she said to him. The tongue was completely foreign to Reaper, which quite a novelty feeling. He had no idea of what she had just said and he could believe she had spoken in Ancient tongue, something he clearly did not know. But the meaning became revealed as Suna turned around to leave. "Good bye brother," she spoke, what the Sennin assumed to be a translation to her initial sentence. He had no reason to stay her hand, but he needed something answered first. "One question before you go." he requested. "was there ever a court that was related to death? I asked this because you told me, inquisitively I must add, if I were the anthropomorphism of death, and I want to know why you said it."" he questioned her. Would she concede to such request? After hearing an answer, or the lack of one, he would also leave this forsaken place. But unlike her, he was returning to Sunagakure.

[MFT - 682]
[Topic Left]

OC
Not stopping you from leaving.​

|[legend="[[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qMBans8jyM][b][u]Senju Kazuki[/u][/b][/url]]"]

Reaper

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[Michi]

"Well, unlike you, this is still my true body. Yours is just a mask, a construct you have created to contain those crimson sands of yours. I am not like you, that is something neither of us can afford to ignore.</B>

"Maybe," she conceded. "Then I will just leave you to wonder why you transformed at all when the shadows you housed escaped," she added cryptically. She did not understand why he became so lovely and dark for that short time or why he reverted back into this fleshy pink form. She truly doubted his words held truth, even if the lie was unconscious. Still she was fully aware that he was not an Ancient, at least not fully and that his relation to her was even more distant because they did not even come from the same court. Mikaboshi was in some way his line's progenitor although his contribution to Kazuki's heritage was long ago forgotten.

"I wish things could have been very different. We could have felt joy together."

She did not know what meaning he had intended - that perhaps they could have been friends rather than enemies if things were different. That was how she took it at the very least, that he saw himself still as her enemy. She frowned, it was a shame but she did not trust him either. That was why she would not travel with him, even she could not remain cognizant of his threat every hour of the day. "True." He could lie, she heard him test it. That solidified her stance, that lingering hope in the back her mind whispered that companionship with someone was a possibility. She was not looking for a romantic tryst, she would have been satisfied with a friend but you cannot choose cohorts you cannot place your faith in. There was no -their- next step. "Our? I am going to find the rest.You cannot be the only one and unlike me, nobody is seeking your destruction."

"I will not force my presence. But I will accompany you if you are going to the Fire Country. I will be damned if you are going to my home country without me. But the rest of the world is yours alone."<i></i>

"Why," she debated "everything you held dear has been destroyed in Fire Country." It was a cold but true statement, the Daimyo of Fire Country had overtaken his former homeland and there was no returning less he desired certain death. "I do not trust you and even I need to sleep," she added, her statement was blunt but honest. She knew that if she let down her walls for a moment, there was a good possibility that she would find herself killed or devoured. She was confident that she could take him in a fair fight, but the Deep Court very rarely played fair.

He would warn her of an impending terror, the perjurer or exaggerator it meant little to her. "Yes, the whole of humanity will turn on me... and you. But most think we are nothing more than a children's tale meant to beckon children to stay in their beds. Most have forgotten what it is like to--I am confident that the greatest threat I have is the shinobi forces of Sunagakure and even their time is limited,"

"That is not the only enemy you have."<i></i>

"You mean Lord Mikaboshi," she let out a low chortle. "He and I are not friends but we are family..." she answered, although she was not confident in her statement. She felt that one day the Deep Court Lord would in fact betray her, just like humanity had.

"And some enemies cannot be fought with might alone. And I think we are all going to learn this the wrong way, soon enough."

"Well, all I have is me," she announced "...and my alliance with Mikaboshi for as long as it might last." She let out a sigh, "and I will probably lose that fight." She admitted in a moment of introspection, but that was why she was searching and learning and eating -- it was an act of self preservation.

She started to sink into the earth when Kazuki called out one last question to her.

"One question before you go... was there ever a court that was related to death? I asked this because you told me, inquisitively I must add, if I were the anthropomorphism of death, and I want to know why you said it."<i></i>

The answer to that would be simple. "Don't you understand brother Kazuki, in this desert everything is alive... even death." She was the desert, literally. Just like Homura was the celestial spaces, Homura as the flame. It was rare that they looked at their own nature - how the earth endured, how the lofty skies found themselves above reproach, how flames devastated and ravaged, how the wild hunt consumed or how an honest shadow could ignite the imagination and deceive without being guilty of a single fallacy. Was death alive? It sounded antithetical and it a way it was, but Ancients were defined by natural law, not the logic of man. Everything that was, existed and lived and therefore had substance.

Still, with that final statement, she was gone.

<B>[Topic Left]​