I Said A Prayer For You Today [Private/Ikkadan]

[Kokomo]

Yamazaki Household. 3am.​

Sleeping had become a sort of irrelevant notion for the busy bodies of the world. The door of the Yamazaki Household creaking open as the slim 6'2" figure of an intimidating flawless creature moved into the foyer. Her long legs exposed outside of a black pencil skirt and placed delicately into heels that made her even taller. Smoothing her white blouse, she closed the door quietly behind herself and made a few steps inside.

"Good morning Itami-Sama!" A cheery voice would call much too loud as Itami's hand would clasp over the prototype's mouth after a brief heart attack. Shushing her, Itami would release her mouth, putting her hand over her heart, "For goodness sake, you scared me. Be quiet, everyone is sleeping."

"Good night Itami-Sama!"

"Sh!" The maid would wheel away back into the darkness. That was the potentially most irritating thing about the grassy green eyes that were now planted into the woman's beautiful face--she had limitations she didn't have with the crystal eye. She could only see so far, and she had to have enough light to see in the first place. Being new to the Yamazaki household, her first few steps to find the stairs had her ramming into the beautifully polished furniture before she finally managed to climb the stairs with a dangerously creepy click of every heel on the stairs.

Slowly, the woman pushed the door open to the young resident of the Yamazaki household, her form silhouetted in the door frame before she closed it behind her. Those heels clicked on the wood floor over to the mattress where he young boy would lay far too vulnerable. Crouching down, Itami's delicate hand grabbed his shoulder and shook him, shushing him and covering his mouth had he dared make a sound.

"Quietly, now, dear. Get dressed, come with me." She would say before standing again. Those long legs shimmering palely in the moonlight that escaped into his room as her heels clicked back out of the room, shutting the door behind her as she would move downstairs and wait for him to join her.

"Goodbye Itami-Sama!"

Moving outside, the young woman would climb onto a large horse, waiting for the young lad to join her so she could pull him up behind her, and escape quickly from the sight of the Yamazaki household, taking her time through the forest to get to their destination.

The forest was eerie so early in the morning. A path cut through it with a dirt road that was much less travelled on, the woman's eyes flickering at all the new sights. It was hard to get used to 1st person sight when she had been seeing eagle eye for so long. Her long black hair filtering between her and the boy behind her. The moonlight kissing the trees and the fog that rolled around on the ground where the dew began to develop.

And there was silence.

 

[Honma Kotone]

Awoken from his nightmarish prison from a gently grafted hand against his face; the man, whom adorned the name 'Tessu', was always so evident within his happy-less dreams. His eyes hot open uncharacteristically with shock, his brown hues set their eyes (after a few moments) onto the image of Itami; a woman who now lived with the Yamazaki, and last time these two had met, well, Ikkadan may have accidentally insulted her. "Itam-" He would utter from his lips, which were parched and chapped ever-so-slightly with dehydration. And do you know what the weird thing was about Ikkadan was that his innocence allowed himself to trust another person quite easily. Perhaps it was a fault that really, really needed to be corrected sometime soon.

Slowly the boy, whom was pretty much naked, crawled out from his bed - wrapping the sheet around his waist - and revealed his surprisingly toned stomach. It wasn't over-the-top but just the right amount of muscle definition for a lad of that age. He would encroach across the room until he reached his cupboard; where his garments waited for him. And it was at that moment, that the trusting boy would lazily cock his head in the direction of the door upon hearing the soft clicks of Itami's heel against the corridor. Ikkadan would feel pressured for time, despite not knowing whether this was true or not, that's how he felt. Promptly, the boy would shove on his white undershirt, complimented by his snug red jacket, trousers, brown boots and styling his hair momentarily with thanks to his dresser mirror.

Ikkadan, after readying himself, would follow the loosely echoed clicks until he reached the beautiful woman as she sat upon a lush steed. He would smile, cocking his sleepy head with a smile, and then questioning the woman: "Why did you wake me up, Itami-san?" Without very much resistance, the boy would prompt himself to sit upon the steed.

 

[Kokomo]

He asked too many questions, but it was justified this time. Itami stared forward as the horse grunted a few times in the cold morning air as the woman tipped her head back to look at the trees and the way the light filtered garishly and grotesquely through them. "You were mumbling and screaming in your sleep again." She said in a hushed tone, her eyes moving back to the area ahead of them as she flipped a piece of her raven locks behind her shoulder, "My turn to ask a question." She said, her piercing green eyes looking towards him and locking onto his. "Who is Tessu?" Itami would stare him down for a long while before turning her head back to the front. Her body sitting sideways on the black horse.

"You mumble about him a lot, sometimes scream..." They would slow to a stop, still in the forest, but the lights of the hospital could be seen up ahead as she slid off and tied the horses reigns to a tree, smoothing out her skirt as the backs of her heels sunk into the soft dirt. The thick fog up to her knees as she gestured for him to follow her. "Tell me inside. Quiet, now." She commanded as she took his hand and led him inside directing him through the front door by his shoulder.

This early in the morning was when most of the disturbing people came. This was the time when accidents happened, not appointments. People were laying on the floor holding their stomachs, the lobby reeked of vomit and blood. People were cut up, bruised, bleeding, coughing--dying. Itami didn't even seem to notice as she brushed the mud and dirt off of her heels at the front rug, waved to the secretary, and moved inside, leading Ikkadan by his shoulder.

The office she walked into had her name written on it, and she shut the shades inside the room without ever turning on the lights. Putting on a lab coat, she handed one to Ikkadan, "Go on then, continue. Tessu. What is he? Who is he?" She asked as she locked the door and moved to the bookcase, a click could be heard when she ran her fingers along the edge, unlocking it secretly, and she slid the bookcase aside, gesturing for Ikkadan to go ahead of her before she would enter behind him, shutting and locking the secret door behind them.

The walls and the floor were the same sickly yellow color, covered in dirt and unknown stains. A long staircase lead from the door down to another door and a long twisted hallway that would lead into a big room full of doors that they would make their way into. The smell of vile vomit, urine, dirt and blood was sickening to the stomach, and on Itami's first trip, she had managed to be overwhelmed to the point of losing consciousness. But at the moment, she didn't seem phased.

 

[Honma Kotone]

The cold, bitter grasp of frost against his cheek as it corroded his breath during the early morning raise. His eyes waddled from side to side, observing the star-less sky and the bitterly cold particles of breath dissolving against the backdrop. It was so odd to feel this cold while being underground. However, perhaps it was a very sobering thing, really: to reiterate to yourself that you live in a ditch underground. And just as the plain boy's mind would stride away from any rational train of though, like the reason behind this early call, Itami would state about Ikka's disturbed sleeping habits. "Tessu..." He would mutter under his cold, icy breath before falling silent at the woman's command.

Ikkadan's distracted eyes honed in on the darkness that surrounded them before the distant light of the hospital awoken his sanity. He would slowly trail his sleepy orbs onto Itami and follow her lead; like some kind of lost pup. The Yamazaki would remain quiet as he was lead into the sanctuary of healing, a place that should generally smell quite biotic and clean, but at this early in the morning the cleaners hadn't started their shifts. He missed the smell actually, the smell that would occasionally cause his nasal passes to burn with acidity. Ikkadan would continue to remain silent, only following Itami, and not daring to utter a word as his mind reflected on that man: Tessu. He was always so predominant in his nightmares and could never distinguish whether he was a hero or a villain.

"He is..." Ikka would lazily speak, taking the gifted white coat with a loose grip and equipping it against his own red jacket. "I'm not really sure anymore... I was told that he was bad, I think. I can't really remember what Iori-ojisan had told me. Everytime I think about him, its as if my mind blurs and his figure comes into the fray more clearly..." Ikka would smile, masking his discomfort as he looked onward and watched Itami adjust the bookcase with her surprising strength. He would wonder why she had a secret passage in the first place, mind you.

A virus, that is what he was, and now he was infecting the boy's mind with false propaganda.

Ikkadan would hesitantly stand beside the gap that had been moved ajar for them both to enter the secret passage. Was this really the right thing to be doing? He barely know what was going on, and he naively was following this woman as if she was some sort of messiah, and he, a village idiot no less. And, as a bit of internal-humor, Ikkadan would mentally make a note of telling the cleaners to visit this place to clean the custard yellow walls. However the joke would run dry as they reach the bottom and the smell of pure filth would fester, attack and suffocate the boy. Ikka hadn't ever smelt something so off, so disgusting in all of his short life. The boy would cover his mouth with his gloved hand and gasp, "What is that smell?!"

 

[Kokomo]

Even the young man who seemed to be terrified by the name wasn't quite sure who the character really was. It was a mystery that haunted his dreams and turned his sweet tooth to nightmares almost in an instant. The sad truth of being alone in your own mind for too long. Nonetheless, he seemed to willingly go along with her ideas and what she wanted him to do. Slipping on the coat and sleepily following her deeper into the catacombs silently.

As the woman opened the door into the lobby of the laboratory, Ikkadan reacted the same way the woman had not to long ago. A wicked smile crept across Itami's face as she grabbed his shoulder firmly, "The stench of rebirth!" She exclaimed, letting out a vile laugh, pushing her hair back behind her ear. "This, my...young apprentice..." Itami took a pause to contemplate what she had said, "Ikkadan... is where you can make it...all come true. Isn't that fantastic?" She inquired as her eyes looked around the sickening area as she leaned agains the wall.

"Can I ask you a question?" She raised a shapely eyebrow, "What makes you think Iori knows about Tessu...?" Itami gave a slow sly smile, "I mean, if I was you, I'd listen to the voices--most voices I hear about," Her voice slowly went down to a whisper, "They have hidden powers just to be opened...Shame to think maybe Iori is keeping that from you..."

 

[Honma Kotone]

Ikkadan had already fallen to the ground, but instead of staying stationary, he began to crawl slowly over to a corner in the hallway. He pressed his face against the grimy, yellow wall as the breathing became heavy, unsteady and, clearly, his facial expression was something that only depicted being disturbed. The smell of rotting flesh was so prominent, it was so disgusting and vile that it choked the young boy like some thick, unpleasant smog. Ikkadan couldn't understand what was going on, he wanted to move but his body was in a complete state of shock, he couldn't move at all...

A firm hand over his face, specifically his nose to mask the stench, and then he was able to focus on Itami rather than the putrid smell. However, even with his nasal passages closed and when he breathed through his mouth, there was an odd taste accumulating at the back of his throat. "Iori told me that he was the one to fight against Tessu!" And as he said that, the voice at the back of his head spoke to him in a muffled fashion, it suggested that the statement just spoken by Ikka was false. Even in his voice, you could tell that Ikkadan was slowly not believing in his own words. "He... He let me become a part of his family. Why would he want to keep something from me... We are a family..."

Ikka lowered his head, and even his hand, now at that point where his sense had became adjusted (somewhat) to the horrid smell. He sat there in silence for a moment, mulling over the conflicting thoughts that ran through his head. "Why are you doing this to me, Itami?" He dug his head in-between his knees until he felt safe enough.

 

[Kokomo]

"Family!" Itami spat, grimacing at the young boy as she grabbed his shoulder and jerked him to his feet. "There's no such thing as family." Her voice hissed in a low tone as her eyes burned with some unknown color. "Are you listening to me? Ikkadan?" She asked, shaking him a bit as her large lovely eyes burned into him, but her eyes slowly traced around his weak figure--the smell was killing him on the inside. He wasn't focusing well.

Itami turned, pulling a ring of keys from her bag, she unlocked a door and pushed it open to a familiar smell--not sight. No, last time she was in this room, she was blind. It was a bittersweet room, slathered in pinks and purples. It appeared to be a little girl's room--it was supposed to be where Itami would become a princess. But instead of locking poor Ikkadan in there by himself, as Kasa had done to her, she gave him a gentle shove inside and followed, shutting the door behind them to lock out the smell of 'rebirth' and lock in the smell of 'cupcakes'.

"Better?" She asked, moving to sit on the bed, grabbing a familiar bear and stroking it's head lightly. "I'm doing this to you...because I want to protect you." Her eyes wandered across the room and fell upon him. "They brought me into their home too." She said as she patted the spot beside her. "After I tried to kill Suzuhime.... they brought me in to restrain me... they brought you in to restrain you...you and your 'hidden power'..." Itami said as a smile slyly crept across her face,"Don't you see? They want you there to watch you. To make sure you're under their control."

"Think about it... how much have you thought about you? It's all about them now, in your thoughts...in your actions... Hell, when you eat breakfast you think of them. Ikkadan..." She took a pause, looking down at the bear in her hand, "They've got you already.... I'm just trying... trying to get you back..."

 

[Honma Kotone]

Ikkadan would find himself being jested into a room full of flamboyant, girly colours; which was only complimented by the fragrant smell of baked goods. His noses would orgasm at the sense of something different, something much more easier on his senses. He would fall to his knees lapping in all that he could, not wasting a moment of 'fresh' air. Truly, the smell of rotting flesh had imprinted itself into his mind forever. However, it was odd because even though Ikka never seen any bodies, and had never seen any bodies throughout his life, there was something inside of him that just influenced his mind into believing that the smell belonged to the dead. Ikkadan scurried over to the bed, almost curling up in a ball for a period of time - attempting to recollect himself from that horrid smell, which only burnt his nostrils.

Itami would begin talking, but honestly, he didn't know how long she had been talking for. He sort of just 'tuned in' on what she was saying because, now, the smell that suffocated him had subsided.

The Yamazaki would set his eyes on Itami, stroking the head of a bear playfully. She then went on to say that she had tried to kill Suzu, his auntie, and that they had taken her in just to observe her. Wasn't there an old saying: keep your friends close, and your enemies closer, which came to mind at that point. All Ikkadan could do was but stay as silent as a mouse, continually being convinced that this woman was speaking the truth from the voice inside of his head. He moaned, pathetically, digging his face into the fragrance'd duvet cover. 'They've got you already', she added, which only caused Ikkadan to grab a hold of his head and shout: "Shut up, shut up!"

"You tried to kill Suzu-obasan, how can I even trust you?!" He would comment, lifting his head and baring his fangs at the young woman, "You take me away in the dead of night to some pit of Hell, and what, you expect me to believe you and him!" Ikka would exclaim, only moments after finishing his sentence, he would cover his mouth and wear an expression of shock. He didn't mean to add 'him' into that sentence, he just slipped up! Ikkadan was now aware that Itami had heard his nightmares and now she knew that he had a certain amount of influence over him, through his dreams. But now, that control was extending from a state of sleep into everyday life. "What makes you think I won't tell Iori-ojisan about this?!"

Fight the voice, Ikkadan...

 

[Kokomo]

An outburst. It wasn't shocking, but rather it was pleasing to hear. She had gotten into his head, and making her way around him--soon she'd be running circles around him, easily. Rocking her head back, the woman turned her head to the side to look at him, "She attacked my husband." She lied, her voice was quiet, calm, and sweet--as always. "That's what a family is." Her eyes dropped slowly to the ground, "You're willing to die for each other. I was willing to sacrifice my safety for his. Trust me...I'm sacrificing myself for you...right now. I'm the only one you should trust..."

"But... you see..." Her head turned back to the bear and she smiled "Iori didn't stand up for Suzu.... oh no..." A wicked laugh tried to escape, but stifled, "He stood up for me, because he's a traitor and a liar--even to his own sister...your dear 'Auntie'..." She rolled her eyes, her grip firming on the head of the bear, "I know you're not stupid, Ikkadan... listen to me..." Her head gripped even harder, "Listen, dammit!" She tore the head off the bear and the stuffing exploded like snow as she threw the head across the bedroom and she turned on the boy as he threatened to snitch.

"Oh!" Her sneer grew as she turned and grabbed him by the shirt, "Oh, kiddo, you're going to wish you didn't say that!" She let out a hesitant laugh, almost insane and twisted as she turned away and shook slightly as she restrained herself.

"Come on... let me show you what I brought you here to see." She said in a low whisper as she opened the door.

 

[Honma Kotone]

What more could Ikkadan say to this woman? She was clearly convicted in turning the nature of Ikka's balance from good to evil; which was made all the worse considering, on a mental health level, he wasn't in the right frame of mind to be in this situation. However, looking at it from a spectator's point of view, what Itami was doing was quite clever, yet very sly. She was using his mental instability to curdle his mind into a mush, where he would feel so lost, confused and scared. And there she would be: a woman offering salvation, companionship and freedom of these apparent 'lies' and devious family members. Although, what she would count on would be his stubbornness, and also his heart; which had been lifted by the friends he had made recently.

"I don't want to go with you..." He would state as she asked him to follow her, which more-or-less was her just telling him to follow, rather than asking him. Ikkadan would fix his position, sitting atop the bed with his head placed on top of his knees. "I don't want you to hurt me..." He would add feebly, feeling so lost and helpless thanks to the situation. "But I have to come, don't I?" Ikka's eyes would fill with water for a moment before immediately wiping them and giving her a angered smile, something that would say: 'Great, just perfect...' but obviously sarcastically.

Ikkadan would push himself off from the bed and drag himself over to where Itami stood. He so desperately wanted to call on the people whom meant something to him: his family, and his friends. "I won't ever become your mindless puppet, Itami..." He said with such a hateful stare, as the voice within his head urged him to join with the mental doctor.

 

[Kokomo]

He didn't want to go. Cute, he thought he had a choice. Standing up to her, perhaps, was his way of thinking that he was becoming better than her--when in reality he was giving he exactly what she wanted. He was pushing against her, and away from her: the first step. If he came to the point where he hated her, then it would break the 'happy-go-lucky' pattern. Ikkadan would stop loving everything, and see the bitter reality in his life, and he'd come running back to Itami when he realized how vicarious his life really was. He wasn't making life his own, he was living through other people.

Itami would shed some light on his sorry life.

Ikkadan got up, grimacing at her with hate (Perfect!) and spitting his words at her. "You're already mindless, Ikkadan. I'm trying to give your mind back to you." She gave him a gentle look, smiling bittersweetly as she shut the door behind them as she lead him to the door in the center of all the doors, a long dark stairwell extending downwards as she pushed him inside, shutting the door behind them as she did a fire jutsu to light torches with a blue flame all the way down.

"Oh, I'm so excited!" She said wickedly, her paces staying behind Ikkadan all the way down into a dark room light very dimly in the blue light. Everything appeared to be made of stone, as though they were in a cave. The room smelled damp and reeked of blood. Had Ikkadan been able to see the farthest corner in the back, he would see children's bodies stacked on top of each other lifelessly. But for the time being, Itami would lead him to the middle of the room where a large rock would be set. Itami would push the top half of the stone to the ground beside it and revealed...a disgusting sight.

With the door locked, and the room dark, the situation became painfully eerie. Itami swirling her finger in the jelly-like liquid of lost souls. "Hello, my beautiful babies..." She whispered, her pale face glistening in the bright blue light the pool exerted. "Which one of you wants to tell Ikkadan here what happens when he betrays me?" The souls moaned and echoed out in pain, lifeless crying into the dark room. "You?" She asked, plucking her hand into the pool and pulling a single soul out. It appeared slimly and jelly-like, and she tipped her head back...

And swallowed it whole.

A sicking slurping sound escaping her lips, as her body glowed for a moment from the devoured chakra, and then, before Ikkadan's eyes, she would appear to became even more flawless. Her skin would smooth, her eyes brighten, her lips more supple....

The Fountain Of Youth.

 

[Honma Kotone]

Ikkadan remained still, well in the sense that he did not speak, and barely operated his body - other than the simple motor function of walking. Barely concentrating on the obvious, Ikka would be pushed into another room, which had another staircase and that led down to another form of physical Hell. The boy wouldn't be able to see the hand seals needed to perform the unknown fire jutsu as it crawled along the walls; igniting the baron torches and illuminating the damp staircase. However, even as he tried to listen to the crude, and vile, voice inside he was snapped back into reality with the witch's wickedly bitter heckle. She seemed so ugly now... No more appearing as a beautiful soul that he once seen her as.

At the bottom of the staircase, Ikkadan's eyes would have to adjust but there was no mistaking what he was saying: a mutilation of bodies, all stacked on top of each other like some kind of sick jenga. All he could was but winch in pain at the sight, and smell, of such a foul scene. He really didn't know how to react to this situation, and what could he do really? She was in control, even if Ikkadan was stronger physically - she had this mental leash over him at the moment, and that was completely crippling him to the point of no return. And then, things could worse...

The witch revealed her cauldron of souls, whom creamed and squealed like pigs at her words. Ikkadan could only keep his eyes on the swirling mess of life that the woman had created, and what else could he do? He simply tried to avoid eye-contact after a few moments, but found it difficult as the souls kept screaming (with an echoed voice) for help. Ikka just remained silent, well, until the witch plucked one of the poor souls from their crude prison and devoured it whole.

Ikkadan stretched his vision upon the vile witch before narrowing his hues, "If you're going to kill me, just do it." He said with a plain, almost emotionless voice as the feeling of utter exhaustion took over his entire being. "I'd rather someone who was truly beautiful kill me, not just some leech."

 

[Kokomo]

The reaction was fair enough, but not exactly what she wanted. He was no longer afraid, and it was time to end the fun. Itami slid the top of the rock back on as she turned to the boy, her eyes flaming at his last remark, "How dare you!" She screeched, "I'm not a leech! I'm beautiful! Beautiful!" She screeched again as she picked grabbed him by the throat, "I'm going to kill you!" Her voice was high-pitched and squealing as though she had reached ultimate witch-status.

And then it happened. Her mouth inches from his as she began to do what could only be assumed as sucking the chakra out of him. The air was cold, harsh, and her grip on him tight. Her mouth unhinged like a snake, her teeth baring like fangs as she turned into some sort of malicious demon--a monster--a vile creature.

But she wouldn't kill him.

He'd wake up in his bed---as though it was all a terrible terrible nightmare.

[Topic Left]

[OOC: There is a possibility of this being considered Godmodding, please, PM me if you need me to make any changes.]