Market Mishap [Tutor/Suika]

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

"Still no place to stay..." Not that Ritsuro could ask for much, he'd only just arrived, and there was no one he knew in the village. Rising from his cozy corner of an alleyway, the child held his stomach. He was hungry, and on top of that the worms which infested his body were especially rambunctious today. Movement beneath the skin could be observed if one looked close enough, as Ri began making his way to the main road. A sharp pain came over him, an intense feeling throughout his body which caused him to collapse - he would almost say there was a whisper - but the feeling soon passed. Clambering to his feet, he continued his trek to the marketplace. Unfortunately, that sensation was not uncommon when living with what he did.

That aside.. This city was truly amazing, at least compared to the hole he'd called home for so long. So many people, buildings larger than all of the huts from home stacked on top of each other. Everyone was different, their own style, personality, everything, and it baffled Ritsuro. The only people that made any sense to the boy were the "shinobi" - or whatever people called them - prowling the village. At least they had some sense of uniformity - not that he could speak, with his trashy appearance. For now though, there was only one thing Ritsuro could think about, and if there was anything he'd learned on his own...

Hey brat, get back here! It was stealing. He'd been starving every since his good-for-nothing father ditched him at the gates of Kumogakure, and having nothing but a note didn't help him procure food. Running and running, the boy eventually found himself in another alleyway, free from the gaze of the poor merchant he'd stolen a kebab from and anyone else who might've been pursuing him. Or so he hoped, he'd seen some of what those shinobi were capable of, and there was no telling if this was a serious enough offense for them to chase him.

Now, he could eat.

 

[Suika]

“Stealing food, ay?” questioned the kunoichi as she instantly appeared within proximity to the starved boy. Crossing her arms, she blocked his exit out of the alleyway. Although tapping her foot with a stern rhythm, her expression was relaxed. In fact, she appeared almost amused. “There’s definitely ways to be subtler about it, kid.”

Rewind. How did Suika end up before the youthful and tattered Ritsuro? Frequenting the market as much as she did, the young kunoichi went about her daily rounds at the market. Yes, it was daily. As she found pride in the balances of her life, there was one aspect of it that she lacked complete inhibition in. Sweets. Desserts of all kinds, mainly pudding, was her Achilles. Whenever she was rewarded pay from missions or teaching classes, the Chuunin typically rushed to the market to claim her true payment. This day wasn’t out of the ordinary, no. What differed, however, was a spectacle she caught from her peripheral vision.

“Three cups of matcha green tea pudding, Pudding-san! Oh, and how about those pastries, too?” As the mystical gal completed her exchange, she heard an angered man shout from the distance. “Hey brat, get back here!” Phrases such as those were common in Kumo’s Susukino District, but her otherworldly perception sparked in her an invested interest. Something was off… her gut told her to involve herself. Swinging her bag of desserts over her shoulder, the girl jogged plainly toward the sounds of the commotion. A little boy, with a look of pained desperation painted across his face, dashed off with some savory meat. On his tail, and with a weapon in hand, was the infuriated shop owner. Manifesting an ethereal ring to form around her finger, Suika channeled a genjutsu, False Surroundings, to throw the furious man off course. It worked. Once he was distracted, she, with her ninja speed, appeared before the boy who hopelessly guzzled his stolen meal.

And now back to the present.

After critiquing the boy’s thieving abilities, or lack thereof, Suika swung her back in front of her and held it out for the boy to grab. If he was hesitant, she’d wait. The girl was offering her dessert. “That kebob won’t be enough, trust me. I have some food in here. It’s sweet, so it should be even better. Eat up.” It was more of an order than a suggestion. While she remained firm in her position as to not let the boy escape, she kept an air of both coolness and lightheartedness. This boy, from the looks of it, had been struggling. As her eyes glowed with faint spiritual aura, she began to suspect why. There was a type of darkness in his gut.

Shaking her head, she gestured toward herself. The kunoichi did not want the boy to notice her moment of disturbance. “I’m Suika. What’s yours, friend?” With the Kumo headband around her neck glistening from the lights that cracked through the alley’s shadows, she awaited the small boy’s response.

 

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

"Ah shit.." The boy's voice was muffled, the meat still being shoved into his mouth - as if the kunoichi before was going to snatch it straight from his hands if he wasn't quick enough. How could she so nonchalantly critique his thieving skills like that? Shouldn't she be telling him not to steal because it's wrong, or something cliche like that?

"Do you even have the experience to be judging me like that? You seem pretty innocent, you know." After taking the last bite of his kebob, the woman may have been able to understand him a little better. Of course, Ritsuro couldn't help but be hesitant. When someone appears out of thin air and starts lecturing you about how you can do better? It's hard not to be. The last thing he might've expected - at least considering the situation - was a gesture of kindness.. Sweets.

Somehow the child had never experienced "sweets," unless fruits he'd nabbed from the market in his village counted. Unfortunately, those kinds of luxuries were kept in places that were far too secure for his novice abilities. Now could finally be the chance that he had to try them...

Snatching the outstretched bag, the boy dug through it and picked up one of the puddings, examining it closely - slightly off put by its gelatinous state.

"So thieves get rewards in this place?" He asked, opening the package slowly and sniffing the substance within. It smelt like tea, but more... Pleasant? Maybe giving it a try would be worth the shot. As he lifted the sweet to his mouth, the pain from earlier once more came over him. More intense, and the whisper? Louder, like a thousand different voices all fighting for their chance to speak. All of this activity, this commotion, could be observed just beneath the boys skin, and the darkness Suika saw would flare up - but only for a moment. The pudding was now splattered on the ground, and the boy sprawled out beside it - conscious but dazed, unaware of what had happened.

Suika would have seen the boy pause - just before taking a bite - then flail about in pain and fall to the ground, noticeable discomfort on his face for several seconds before seeming to go blank.

MFT - WC:375

 

[Suika]

“He’s feisty… I like him.” The boy was a stranger to Suika, but there was an air of familiarity to him. Perhaps his unapologetic brashness reminded her of her dear friend Eishi? For a moment, she entertained the thought of the two boys conversing. Boy, would that be trouble. Shaking her head at his judgment of innocence, the kunoichi responded plainly. “Don’t trust every seemingly harmless person you meet. After all, you’re in a shinobi village, kid.” Despite being a few years older than him, the boy did appear very young to her. He was tattered, vulnerable, and was clearly either a non-shinobi or a student in the Academy. Suika didn’t feel superior in any way to him; however, the age gap ignited her more protective, older sisterly side.

That’s why, when the hungered boy fell over and dropped his sugary treat, the kunoichi dashed to his side. For a moment, she witnessed the darkness in his belly swarm violently for a second. What was in this boy? Being the mystic that she was, she knew she had to help him. But how? Examining the pained boy, her eyes glowed with a spiritual aura. Attempting to press her palm against his stomach, she released a pulse of her own spiritual chakra into the boy. It was a seemingly harmless act, typically used to dispel genjutsu in others, but maybe it’d have a varying effect? Regardless…

“Are you okay?” she asked with slight worry masking her tone. Attempting to help the boy up, she picked up the bag of sweets and shot a more forward query. “What is in your stomach?” Her expression revealed both concern, yet, also a sternness. The boy, from this point, was under her direct care now. Suika felt more than obligated to tend to the kid.

 

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

Spiritual chakra may not have been Suika's best choice...

Demons and the divine have never had a.. Stable, relationship to say the least. So when even a small burst was forced upon a mass of writhing, hungry worms that also happened to have a demonic origin? Well, they certainly didn't enjoy it. The creatures were sent into a frenzy, many trying to escape their vessel - for fear that a divine power was coming to destroy them - while other were consuming every bit of chakra they could in an attempt to fight off the supposed invasion. Ritsuro had once again fallen to the ground, flailing even more violently than before and now screaming from the intense pain that had overtaken him. If paying enough attention, Suika may even be able to hear a far more sinister cry coming from the depths of the child's being.

"What's happening?!" The boy cried, desperation now clear on his face. He'd felt pain caused by the creatures that resided within him, but nothing has every compared to this... The boy had no way of telling what might happen - he felt as if he would explode, so many worms thrashing about just beneath the skin. Despite all of this, he felt empty.. His very life essence being consumed for fear of it being the power they all feared. A million voices sounded in his head - saying they should rally and drain the boy dry to be sure the spiritual power they'd felt wouldn't kill them all, others saying it would be easier to just abandon their host and find another feed from, some even taking advantage of the chaos and consuming what they can - to grow and perhaps rule the rest. There was no longer any order among the monsters, there was no longer anything but hysteria. The cursed child could feel it....

The torture eventually reached a peak, and the boy managed to push himself up just in time to vomit. Several things caused this - the pain being the largest reason. Within the brine, was a mass of worms - black as night - which screeched from pain before shriveling and dying. This site calmed many of the creatures that were on a frenzy within RItsuro - clearly escape was no longer an option - and this allowed many others to realize that they were killing the host that they relied on for survival, not the energy which they feared. The torrent of skin calmed down, and the boy finally found peace... Collapsing once more and momentarily passing out....

MFT

 

[Suika]

The series of events that followed the girl’s attempted remedy were quite traumatizing. In reaction to the kunoichi’s spiritual chakra, whatever was inside the kid began to react both violently and aggressively. She noticed a swarm of cursed energy, perhaps emitting from some living, parasitic source, moving chaotically in his stomach and causing his skin to lift. The shape of what resided in him surfaced… he definitely looked infested by some type of creature. Worse than this, the young boy reacted with an excruciatingly pained expression unrivaled by his last. Suika held the back of his head and gripped his hand tightly. Whatever was inside him, it was draining his life force. She could feel his vitality slipping as he writhed in agony.

“What should I do?” she thought as her once calmed eyes appeared more panicked. Creating a spiritual blade from pure spiritual matter, she had made up her mind. She had to remove whatever was inside of him. At this point, what choice did she have? He seemed a goner anyway. The Chuunin never reacted hastily, but the stakes of this predicament had heightened dramatically. Desperate times called for desperate measures, she told herself.

Just as she readied to perform an impromptu surgery with her basic understanding of human anatomy, the boy jolted up and vomited. Inside this were the suspected culprits – parasitic worms that radiated a dark energy. With her face contorting into an angered expression, she dematerialized her blade. Grabbing a small vial from her pouch, she collected some shriveled fragments of the deceased worms and locked them tight. With the boy now unconscious, yet stabilized, she attempted to slug him over her shoulder. Normally, she chose not to meddle in the business of others. This was a small child, probably a student from the Academy, so this brought him more to her jurisdiction and responsibility. She could not turn a blind eye. However, she realized that, whatever occurred in him, was not her area of expertise. Suika knew who could probably help.

“Hopefully, Eishi is doing his shifts right now at the hospital. Let’s see what we can do to help, friend.” And like lightning, the girl was off.

[OOC: Topic left w/ Ritsuro unless stopped. Since he was KO'd, I am attempting to have Suika transport him to Eishi at the hospital. I will need to request a thread with Eishi as a follow-up, but will also need your approval, first, to see if this is a route you want to venture down. I will message you on Discord. Also, thank you for your patience! This has been the busiest week of my life]

[MFT]

 

[Uragaeshi Riyoji]

Well the woman was certainly good at comforting a dying kid... Holding his hand nice and tight at least let him know he wouldn't pass on alone. If he was passing on, anyways. Thankfully, death wasn't part of Ritsuro's story... Yet, anyways. Stories such as his were always so difficult to predict, sometimes, someone might narrowly avoid their demise. Sometimes, their demise may come on the very next page.....

Just as the cursed child was regaining his bearings, he observed the same spiritual chakra from before - now it seemed oddly sinister.. But maybe that was the crazed worms talking. Either way, if the squirmy bastards inside of him had the same reaction as before? It seemed the boy would be knocking on death's door much sooner than he'd expected. After surviving the first great worm revolt, he felt almost invincible! Except, he actually felt rather frail and sickly. Vomiting up demons covered in blood does that to a person, though.

"If you're not careful, boy, we may just have to take this body of yours..." The voices... However singular they now sounded, spoke to Ritsuro. "It seems our conflict has been resolved, our opinions no longer split. We've overcome our obstacle, but will you? We will not allow a weakling to be our master, if you cannot resist - put us in our place - then you've not the power to control us. You've not the right." There was no way for the boy to respond, but there was no denying that the beings inside of him had... Combined. Their dark force now more malicious than it ever had been, as if they would consume him if ever given the chance. "We'll give you your time for recovery, but if no action is taken? You, will be us..."

There was little the boy could do about being picked up, but he was aware that he was. Fading in and out of consciousnesses, he would simply observe various buildings zoom by as the two practically flew through the sky toward the hospital...

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