My Darling Homura [Homura]

[Sand Council]

My Darling Homura...

The letter was simple enough, a plain white unmarked envelope left on your pillow. Inside there was a roughly scrawled note, the letters were large and uneven, the ink was dark and carried with it a putrid smell. Something clung to the 'ink', powdery and fine, it collected in gobs over the letters on the lower portion of the page. A fine mist of powder hung in the air upon opening the letter, it might be unnoticeable but Homura was a trained fighter, perhaps he would notice something amiss. Hopefully he noticed too late, that would ruin her fun.
[legend="The Note"]I aM<i></i> stiLl wAitinG for tha<i></i>t drinK. WhEn </FONTFACE>yOu</SIZE><i></i> <SIZE size="200">wAKe up we will hAve sOme r<FONTFACE fontface="helvetica">eAl fuN.[/legend]

The note was unsigned but it was likely that he already knew who it was from. The letter was laced with a potent toxin, much like lullaby powder if it was made of acid. If he breathed in only a granule of the the cruel mixture his body would seize with pain for several minutes before he fell "asleep."

Oh how I misssssed you darling...

=====================

What occurred during this interlude could only be assumed, but upon arousal of the wakening kind Homura would find himself in a rather different place indeed. The Remnants of the Seat, destroyed along with the Kazekage Tower little remained but the scattered debris of a once ...not entirely pathetic village's governing structures once stood. "It had been almost a day," she whined as she sat cross-legged on a large flat boulder several feet from him. "I don't know why you neglect me so," she complained as she uncrossed her legs and sauntered closer Homura. "But no worriesss, although you might not recall the eventsss of the last hour or ssso..." *clap* *clap* *clap* She clapped her hands together lightly thrice before she added, "bravo."

Today was a special day, at least for Homura. While he was not bound, the same could not be said for the youths, many less than 13 that she had corralled and tethered with chains to the massive boulders. Homura was wounded but those injuries were self inflicted. The blood has already dried and most of it was his own. Of those bound, several were shivering in a puddle of piss, others were trying to be discrete as they tried to file away at the massive chains that held them. Still others, she was having fun with. A vat of acid, or it could only be assumed that is what it once contained has already been utilized, scarring and mortally wounding several. Some had already been reduced to piles of quivering flesh, still holding onto life in such an unfortunate state. It was a great distraction for the bored woman, making others suffer. These children held no value. Nothing did, this crusade by the Cabal, the honor of these shinobi, not even her own life. There was something about that fact that caused her to ache.

"Wakey Wakey... We have babiesss to ssslaughter."

 

[Randamu Kyarakuta]

Fuzz, the best way to describe the feeling he felt waking up. His thoughts in a disarray as his vision slowly came into focus. He would slowly find clarity as the fog faded.

"Why am i caked in blood?"

"That was me, I've been around a lot longer than you, and I know the antidote you had wasn't enough, I tried to do a full cleanse." his sword spoke to him in his mind, though his question was out loud. It was a family heirloom after all, and probably had talked to more than one of his family. Though Naganisa knew nothing of the sort. He had pretty much healed though, part of his ability to recover fast.

"It had been almost a day, I don't know why you neglect me so," she started a trek across to him.

"What are you going to do? You see what she has going on, this can't be allowed. I think we've had enough of this, whatever she's doing here, it isn't right."

He agreed but said nothing, though it didn't matter as the sword was a part of him, it could just hear it in his head, or subconscious. Once he had heard that, he fully absorbed himself in the surroundings. There were kids, maimed and destroyed by this woman. So, with a grunt he stood up and rubbed his shoulder, as laying on the ground wasn't the most comfortable.

"Wakey Wakey... We have babiesss to ssslaughter."

He would have a face of anger, and it would be shown as he locked eyes with her, reaching his hand out for her throat. If he could get his hand around it, he would squeeze tightly and try to force her against a wall, getting right in her face.

"You poison me again, you interfere in my missions, and you bring me here to THIS sight? Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you, and if you think poisoning me again is going to work, think again. I'm so far beyond caring for my well being, that I'm willing to succumb to poison if it means I get to skin you." he said, with an intensity that could only be delivered by someone like him.

 

[Sand Council]

Naganisa​

He reached for her and grabbed at her throat, she did not expect him to recover quite so fast. His ability to heal and metabolize poisons was quite uncanny. Her eyes locked onto his fiery countenance. That look... That expression... His anger... Ohh~ She was pushed back into the wall, his fingers curled tightly around her throat. Her lungs burned and her heart pounded from within her breast as he then gave his vendetta speech. She was moved by his heroically threatening statement. "That is the sssweetest thing I ever did hear," she coughed as she lifted her hands to cup them over her own heart, her neck still within his grasp. She was a lucky woman to have gained such admiration in such a short time: her discomfort was worth more than his own life. It stirred something within her.

He was strong, but not strong enough to keep his hands on her... not yet, but in a few moments he would be fully recovered and her windpipe would be crushed. She shot her knee up, aiming for an uncalled for shot as she twisted and writhed to pull away. She would break his grasp but not without effort, her throat was already bruised and his fingers had left their mark. "That's love you know, you heard that didn't you?" She verified to nobody in particular but her eyes addressed a particular child. He had almost filed himself free, perhaps taking Homura's aggression as a momentary out. The child stopped, paralyzed in fear of her gaze, expecting that he would be the next one burned. She was not going to attack the boy... just yet.

She turned her attention back to Homura. "You're funny!" She declared, undeterred by their lover's spat. Missions were such boring tedious things, his day would have been quite dull if it had not been for her. "There is nothing wrong with what I am doing, I have fun. And I assure you... you will have fun too." Her hands rubbed her neck, it was tender now. He could be cruel... How fun... People and their lives are cheap, barely of substance and above all else only had value in the entertainment of others. She had learned these hard truths from an early age, she was once insufficient to defend herself much like these children and she too was subject to the wiles of those stronger than she until she was liberated. Someday, if some of these children were lucky enough they too would be free and with the value they found in life, they would continue where she left off. It was a right of passage for those with the fortitude or the luck to survive. From the end of her subjugation onward, she was to be the hammer rather than the nail.

Life was a game and lives were simply the toys to her. Homura was a fun one, he had survived several encounters and even felt a twinge of attachment to him, after all she sought him out. Perhaps she just wanted a playmate and perhaps this was her convincing him to play along or rather she was trying to convince herself that this was a rather enjoyable game. This was the life she desired wasn't it? To live for today without regard to who she hurt or to even her own life. A woman does not act in the way she did for the purpose of living out a long meaningful life, rather the short, vicious life of a fiend. She pulled herself from her musings, "Let's drink, fuck, cause chaos and LIVE with wild abandon... Life is short, we should relish every last moment we have left to our insignificant lives." His indignity was charming.

Three things could happen at this point. Perhaps Homura would attack her again. He might even win with his strength returned. In the end, she did not care if he killed her, she had lived longer than she would have ever anticipated, if her end was not met by him it would be by someone who mattered less to her. He might be her white knight, here to change her wicked ways. Lives were not her playthings and every life, no matter how small or fragile had value. Maybe he would just join in the fun and they would watch Sunagakure burn together.

 

[Randamu Kyarakuta]

"Hng!" He grunted as she knee'd him. He managed to shift enough to avoid his jewels being unrelated to the family. His grip did however slip and she managed to get free, creating a bit of distance and holding her throat. She could be hurt, that was good, as he expected something less...human from what he had experienced with not only her, but the rest of the cabal he had met.

"That is the sssweetest thing I ever did hear,"

He didn't say anything, he was still recovering but it wouldn't take long. He had to assess the situation at hand, he seemed to be at an cross roads here. Everything in his body was saying slay this woman, but although he had done some very dishonorable things, he was still a samurai and honor was something very important to him, even if it didn't show most times. She would rant on about love, calling him funny and/or proclaiming there's nothing wrong with her goings on, something she really needed to be corrected on.

"Let's drink, fuck, cause chaos and LIVE with wild abandon... Life is short, we should relish every last moment we have left to our insignificant lives."

"Do you remember the fear you felt when we met up with Akio? The crippling pain in your body that made you freeze in fear? You didn't enjoy that, it wasn't fun, and you confided that in me in so many words. What he was doing to you was wrong, and you felt it. Are you remembering that feeling? Hold it in your mind, then look around at these kids." he said, walking over to the one she was eyeballing and turning to her. He put himself between the two, as to make him a meat shield of sorts. Hopefully it would spark some feeling of remorse in her heart for what she was doing, he didn't know her origins so this could very well be a pattern that she was a part of.

"Torturing kids isn't fun, it's not honorable and at the end of the day all we have is our honor. I believe in honor above all else...except a stiff drink." he light heartedly joked. "I'll never regain my honor, after slaughtering my whole family...but maybe I can help you regain yours." he said, shifting stances just in case she attacked at any time during his dialogue. "Tell me who you really are, I want to know your past and how you got involved in this whole mess."

 

[Sand Council]

Naganisa​

There comes a point where a raw soul becomes numb, where the trepidation, angst and hate become meaningless terms. Their opposing forces, much like their darker counterparts have not been felt by the woman for a long time but for very different reasons. Her past was devoid of compassion, love or hope; her present life occupied with a need to feel alive. Life is a contrast of death, as pleasure is of pain, through these extremes she could feel something rather than nothing. There was a problem with this method, in search of pleasure and confirmation of her existence: there was a need to reach greater highs and deeper lows to even feel a breeze through the anesthesia. That was what she liked about Homura, he knew how to have a good time and she would miss him when he was gone. The sadist in her wanted to see him in pain, the masochist in her wanted to be in pain. She wanted him to make her feel. She wanted to have fun.

"Do you remember the fear you felt when we met up with Akio? The crippling pain in your body that made you freeze in fear? You didn't enjoy that, it wasn't fun, and you confided that in me in so many words. What he was doing to you was wrong, and you felt it. Are you remembering that feeling? Hold it in your mind, then look around at these kids."

What was he talking about. Akio? That never... Yes, yes that did. Akio was not like the rest of them and once in awhile there was too much of even a good thing. There were not many things she feared, but there was something about Akio's oppressive presence that made it hard to breathe. She hesitantly looked around at the chaos she had wrought, the torment she was free to cause. It was nothing more than a sweet to them, the slaughter and the scream, a benefit granted by their vocation not a consequence. The corners of her mouth twitched, her face twisted and her dark thin lips curled into a terrible countenance. She lifted her hand, a small vial between her long thin fingers, she was going to hurt something. The insolent youth about to flee. Homura had stalwart stance between the Cabal member and her intended victim. "Get out of the way!" Naganisa demanded, her hand still posed in a threatening manner.

"I..." she started to say before she stopped herself. She was going to tell him that she did not want to hurt him. But she did want to hurt him, not really. Poison him, have a little fun. A little hurt is not always a bad thing, but this acid was a big hurt, the kind he would not come back from. Why didn't she want to hurt him, she could hurt him, listen to him scream and writhe but she did not want that. Hurting him was no fun, he had value to her.

"Torturing kids isn't fun, it's not honorable and at the end of the day all we have is our honor. I believe in honor above all else...except a stiff drink."

Homura had made his position known and he was actually putting his foot down hard. She would have found it sexy if it was not for the fact that he was telling her that there was an importance in 'honor.' What was honor? It was intangible and without value. She remembered what he said he did "You're just like me,"[/b] she countered. "YOU hurt people too." Nobody had honor, not really. Sunagakure was just as bad as her former owners, they ruled with power and with a stated hereditary authority riddled with lore to grant them the divine right to their caste. He wasn't a Sunan dog so perhaps there was some sense of honor in his bones, but to say he had honor for not being among the worst was like saying he would have a slice of pie instead of the whole thing. He was a killer too, he told her he was.

"I'll never regain my honor, after slaughtering my whole family...but maybe I can help you regain yours."

He added as if he read her mind. She furrowed her brow and her eyes looked downward. Was it a sense of remorse? A sign of shame? Something else entirely. The corners of her lips had turned downward as she slipped the caustic substance into her pocket. She waved her other hand in a dismissive manner as she let her hair fall over her face to hide the expression her visage was now burdened with. She took a sniffling breath inward as if she was seeking the strength to find the words. "Break the chain at your feet, they are all attached in some manner. I am sure they will be able to find someone to break them the rest of the way out..." Her voice faded off, she had run out of air. She forced another moist breath of air into her lungs. "Just stop standing in the line of fire for something insignificant," she muttered. She was angry but she was also something else, she knew this feeling as it had been lingering for some time but not with such force. She lacked the acumen to discern this feeling but she knew that she did not want to feel like this. This was not fun. Why did Homura have to spoil her game?

"Tell me who you really are, I want to know your past and how you got involved in this whole mess."

"That has nothing to do with anything," Naganisa protested. Who she was did not cause this, this was just the way she was. Broken. She slumped down on a cold hard hunk of stone studded with the remnants of steel beams. She did not like to think about it. "I call myself Naganisa... I was a slave of men and the Cabal saved me," she confided. There was a sense of gratitude in her voice that could be discerned through the dull tone her voice had taken. She exhaled noticeably and her shoulders shrunk down as she let all of her air out. She seemed smaller, more fragile than the madwoman that had kidnapped him a short time before. "But the past is the past... I have the sex I want these days," Naganisa added, perhaps clarifying what her role was before her liberation. "Life is cheap and short, I'd know that better than anyone. Fuck..." she complained. She had said too much, she needed a stiff drink more than a talk right now. Dredging the bottom of any pond always brings up the dirt and the bodies. She needed an anesthetic.

"I gave you what you wanted, we'll find something to hurt that you will enjoy too," she offered but her voice sounded more like pleading. Her life before this interaction was fine, she got her jollies and some random useless people at least served to entertain her for a few seconds... minutes... hours... She looked towards him, her bottom lip pushed out past her first. She was pouting when she asked a question she hoped he would answer 'no' to, "unless you were serious about this honor business." How dare you Homura, tangle the sinews of a woman's heart and leave them knotted and confused.

 

[Randamu Kyarakuta]

"Get out of the way!"

He stood his ground, he wasn't going to let the woman hurt the kid. He had seen enough innocence lost, and it wasn't too late to stop any more from being ripped away. Her face was painting a picture, of someone trying to fight the nature she had been forced into, someone raised in what could have been the worse conditions. It would be no shock to him if she'd been brainwashed into this state. Eventually should would withdraw, hanging her head low as if her actions sunk in, like nobody in her life had taken time to say 'stop and look at what you're doing'. Perhaps he was the first one to say so purely out of bravery.

"Break the chain at your feet, they are all attached in some manner. I am sure they will be able to find someone to break them the rest of the way out..."

He drew his sword and cut through the chain below him like butter, the sword finding itself back in the sheath before she could even catch a glimpse of the steel. He had gotten better with his weapon since they had last met. It was also talking to him more, and a lot more frequent. It was only silent now out of rest, for it had been guarding him intently the whole time he was out, using it's very essence to keep him safe from the poison.

"Just stop standing in the line of fire for something insignificant."

"Nothing is insignificant. Nobody is insignificant. Not me, not you." he said, closing the distance between the two of them.

"That has nothing to do with anything," she spoke as if her past meant nothing. We are the sum total of our experiences, and hopefully she would get that in time. Perhaps that's why he was trying to nurture her instead of destroy her. He saw something in her that reminded him of himself. Regardless, she would give snippets of her life, not going into extreme detail for which he was slightly thankful of.

"I call myself Naganisa... I was a slave of men and the Cabal saved me, but the past is the past... I have the sex I want these days, life is cheap and short, I'd know better than anyone, fuck..." she had confided in him, he didn't know how to properly articulate that she had exchanged one cage for another. Instead of doing some dirty fat guys bidding, she was doing theirs. They were sweeter about it though, so it seemed like it was her choice.

"I gave you what you wanted, we'll find something to hurt that you will enjoy too, unless you were serious about this honor business."

He had stepped up right next to her and reached his hand out to her.

"Why don't we do both? Do you want to be truly free? See that no one ever has the sex they don't want? Then we can start by setting sunagakure free. Right now the cabal has them all captive, saying their free to do as they will as long as they don't leave. They are making it seem like the anarchy their causing is the villages fault, when really they've manipulated the populace into doing what they want. Manipulated you into doing what they want. When akio was displeased with you, did he not hurt you as the men had before you were 'saved'?" He paused for a moment. "Then we can kill the sunagakure heirarchy, and truly free the people. Let them decide what they want. I bet you my life, it isn't this. I swore off my allegiance to Suna, and I'll pledge my allegiance to you soley...if you'll do the same." he laid a lot on her, trying to look into her eyes with his bedroom eyes, his voice carrying a light tone to it, like one would talk to their girlfriend in, behind closed doors. This was a huge gambit, which he could easily screw up.

 

[Sand Council]

Naganisa​

"Nothing is insignificant. Nobody is insignificant. Not me, not you."

For her entire life she felt small... puny... weak... Subject to the wiles of dangerous and cruel men. It was a basic law of nature or so she thought: survival of the fittest and subjugation of the weak. Her early life was rife with the consequences of weakness and the constant knowledge that her life was worth as much as someone was willing to pay, and that was never very much. With freedom she became strong but she never forgot her value, a pittance really, cattle had been more costly. She was not wrong, she was just doing what anyone else would do in her situation.

Why was he trying to change the way life is? When did he turn from a good time to such a fucking idealist? She just wanted a playmate, someone to share in the carnage. Her desperate need for someone had forced her to open an old part of herself. She was a lonely angry woman, jealous of the world in so many ways for having so much and sharing with her so few of its pleasures. In a way she was a glutton, finding and then taking pleasures in whatever form they came to her in. "I don't have value..." she muttered, "but I appreciate the sentiment." Her words her mumbles as she fumbled with something in her pocket. "But you are important to me," she admitted. A part of her wondered if that was all there was to human value, the intangible declaration of value by others desperate to assign worth to something they would rather not live without. He made her happy... no, not really. He made her feel special even when he was plastered: she remembered the day they met, he called her a 'cutie.' That moment,while not of her knowing, was the beginning of the end of her fun. She liked harassing those Sunan swine, she liked killing people and she liked seeing others in pain. Now with him, she felt the pangs of remorse. He had been changing her from the beginning, their very first meeting and while she had noticed even such a sort time ago. She had failed to kill him upon their initial encounter and even the subsequent crossings. He became her playmate and her ally, she wanted to share this spectacular disaster with him but then he became an object of pursuit. She knew she went too far when she took him, when she hurt those kids and when she placed him in a position to bear witness. Perhaps she wanted to be stopped one way or another in a twisted way even though she was not even consciously aware of it. She had confided in him that there was a disquiet in her soul. These changes were bubbling just below the surface for some time, but Homura was serving as a powerful catalyst. She wanted to change for him... perhaps because of him.

"Why don't we do both? Do you want to be truly free? See that no one ever has the sex they don't want? Then we can start by setting sunagakure free. Right now the cabal has them all captive, saying their free to do as they will as long as they don't leave. They are making it seem like the anarchy their causing is the villages fault, when really they've manipulated the populace into doing what they want. Manipulated you into doing what they want. When akio was displeased with you, did he not hurt you as the men had before you were 'saved'?"

He was right and he was wrong, but he said many of the words she wanted to hear. The village deserved to be destroyed. It was not mere propaganda drilled into her brain, rather it was her actual opinion on the matter. Homura did not understand the situation, how could he, Homura was a member of the one-percent. The average man, woman or child never learns how to mold their chakra be it due to limited natural talent or a lack of resources to become fully trained. The government of Sunagakure and their highest echelon all hold seats of power due to their physical might and their mastery over chakra. The small chakra-sensitive or learned population being the one-percent, and the rest of Sunagakure being the rest. The shinobi of Sunagakure had a strangle grip on Wind Country and it was choking out all life. Sunagakure's system is and always has been for the strong and survival of the fittest is not that different from the Cabal's tactics, not really. It was the strong that told the common man to live in this hole when the storms came. Not only was the exodus something that the shinobi should be held accountable for, event the storms were Sunagakure's fault. They were responsible for the plagues that killed so many as well as countless many other sins. She was about to say something when he added:

"Then we can kill the sunagakure heirarchy, and truly free the people. Let them decide what they want. I bet you my life, it isn't this. I swore off my allegiance to Suna, and I'll pledge my allegiance to you soley...if you'll do the same.

"Really?" She wanted to hear those words, she really did. A crease formed across her brow as she looked up at him. Was this a test of her loyalty to the Cabal, they would kill her... them both if they raised a hand against them. She owed them so much, but she hated them just the same. "We can't beat them," she admitted, shame laced her words more with that statement than it had when she brought up her past. "You are going to need this if we wish to be free." She handed him a scroll, time had exhausted the intricacies it has once possessed. What she held was a coveted artifact, the seal worn almost entirely away over the years.

[Snake Contract Given]​

<i></i>

He would need to sign a contract with a beast to overcome the monsters.

Papertrail:

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A Note from the Cabal:
So, you discovered the win scenario Homura. Naganisa has found value in life be it her own or that of others, you have done her a such a disservice Homura. It is sad how love changes people. Naganisa was WEAK but you have made her incapable. It is so unfortunate that love usually ends in tragedy, enjoy your victory for now Homura.

 

[Randamu Kyarakuta]

"I don't have value...but I appreciate the sentiment."

"You have a value that you can't see. I can though, so trust me when I say you do." he smiled widely.

"But you are important to me,"

His smile softened, while this had started as a game to him, something to do to be seen in the eyes of the Sunagakure public, to stand up and be counted, he had formed some bond with this woman. It was odd, to hate and like someone at the same time. At first she was just a means to an end, but now he kind of wanted her to make it out of all this alive. The second thoughts running through his head about turning her in when the cabal was dead, maybe he would just let her go. If he did though, everyone she killed would be blood on his hands. It was a very tough decision to make. One he wasn't looking forward to in the future.

"We can't beat them, You are going to need this if we wish to be free."

He took the scroll, inside held a ring that fell into his hand with a series of etchings on it he didn't quite understand. The scroll had a seal on it of the snake, a contract as it where. He understood, even if he'd never seen this contract before, he had seen others. His father held one on him at all times, and went up in flames with him. He would place the ring on his finger, biting into it and using his blood to sign the contract as others had before him. Tucking it away in his clothes, he'd fiddle with the ring on his finger, as people tend to do when new jewelry added.

"This is a good start, I have other cards up my sleeve though, so don't count us out yet." he said in reference to things that had transpired in the time since they were together last. "Where should we start? I'd like to dismantle the hold the cabal has over Sunagakure as a whole before we make a move on them. Dismantle the bombs that have been holding the people inside and get trade started again for one. If we do this right, we may make it able for Suna to fight back and all we'd have to do is sit back and watch as they kill themselves, then pick up the stragglers." he said, sitting indian style on the floor in front of her. "I'm just brainstorming, you have all the knowledge of who they are and what they've done, so any insight on where to strike first?"

 

[Sand Council]

Naganisa​

Homura had taken contract with the beast, just not in the conventional manner. There was no great flash of light and dramatic visage of a contract lord, it seemed rather mundane in fact. Just place this ring on your hand, it was less an agreement and more a symbiosis. "You will be able to call on the snake contract summons in battle, they have to come," she instructed him simply. "There are many fantastic creatures all around the world, creatures with such power,"</B><i></i> she sucked a mouthful of air in between her teeth. <B>"Those with more power, always use those with less for their gains... you will be no different when you use that. Someday you will need it." She thumbed her own ring and felt it twist around her finger. The metal always felt cold, the tiny spike on the face of the ring entranced her. Her palm was calloused and scared where the ring had bit her many times before.

"This is a good start, I have other cards up my sleeve though, so don't count us out yet."

He was confident or her was stupid. Did he already forget the fact that she could have killed him any any point while he was unconscious. She was far from the most powerful or the most resourceful of her peers.

"Where should we start? I'd like to dismantle the hold the cabal has over Sunagakure as a whole before we make a move on them. Dismantle the bombs that have been holding the people inside and get trade started again for one. If we do this right, we may make it able for Suna to fight back and all we'd have to do is sit back and watch as they kill themselves, then pick up the stragglers."

It was the later of the options. There was no master plan, there was no diabolical plot about to go off. She was simply sent here to have fun, much like her brutal and broken comrades. Each of them was a monster in their own right with Kaito being the worst of them. She appreciated him almost as much as she feared him, her freedom was because of him and he had provided her with a life and a means to live well.

"I'm just brainstorming, you have all the knowledge of who they are and what they've done, so any insight on where to strike first?"

"We were sent here by our leader, Kaito... Not that he has anything to do with what we do," she shrugged. He was good at finding people's strengths perhaps, "I was told to make some noise." She gestured to the empty manacles and pools of blood and acid, "I made some noise." The corners of her thin lips tugged downward, she did not make the noise her soul yearned for. It was cut short by a human conscience. She was a sociopath, most of them were. It was the sane ones you had to look out for, you never knew what they were thinking. She let out a low laugh, "we cannot be stopped... we did this to the village in less than three days and we are not even remotely organized. I have no idea where Kaito is... Or any of the others and there is only seven of us."

It was the truth, the two of them were no match for the Cabal. Sure, they did bad things but he did bad things too. Seeing others in pain was fun, it was a sadistic streak she thought they shared. But no... not fun. It was wrong to eviscerate and poison and break people... probably things too. "Let's run away," she said after a moment of silence. "Just get out of here." They could run off to Fire Country, perhaps Lightning. Someplace far away. She had no idea what the master plan was, but considering the fact that her only job was to cause chaos, it would be assumed that the finale was not something she was going to want to experience if she was on the wrong side of The Cabal. "There won't be nothing left to the village once Kaito finds whatever it is he is looking for or kills whoever it is he wants to kill," she warned him.

 

[Randamu Kyarakuta]

"You will be able to call on the snake contract summons in battle, they have to come,"

He didn't say anything to this, just nodded as it's what he expected. He would have to learn a proper way to do this before he could, but he would do that in the interim before they would attack their first target, a prepatory time needed in order to make sure what they did, they did right.

"Those with more power, always use those with less for their gains... you will be no different when you use that. Someday you will need it."

"We'll see, if the creatures here are truly strong, we'll be equals." he stated simply, he respected the power. At that moment he seemed almost incorruptible to it. He had power, maybe not as much as an entire group of terrorists, but enough to stand up to them and inspire others to do the same. They had the village at gunpoint, somebody just needed to knock the gun away. The hard part was going to be doing this without dieing, and also giving up his true intentions of saving the village with no fighting suna.

"We were sent here by our leader, Kaito... Not that he has anything to do with what we do, I was told to make some noise."

He took her hand, comforting her to make her feel better about whatever bad decisions she was regretting. It was good to see there was a human under that distraught, possible psychopathic, visage.

"We cannot be stopped... we did this to the village in less than three days and we are not even remotely organized. I have no idea where Kaito is... Or any of the others and there is only seven of us."

She was right, they had totally taken the village over, but she was wrong about how organized they were, or rather Kaito was. He found it impossible that he could just grab people up and say go and have this happened, there was no way. This was meticulous, he chose them all for their skill sets, and gave them all orders. Hers was akin to go out and be a big target, she was the most expendable.

"Let's run away,"

She said after a silence that seemed like an eternity. The offer was something that he actually was considering, perhaps she had some kind of lasting effect on him too. He would raise his hand to her face, stroking her cheek with it softly.

"There won't be nothing left to the village once Kaito finds whatever it is he is looking for or kills whoever it is he wants to kill,"

He'd lean in, to give her a kiss passionate enough to melt the very walls of the cave.

"We can't, not with innocent people left here. I promised you I'd help you reclaim your honor, and this is our starting point. You know them, you've spent time with them before coming here, and you knew where akio was when you took me to meet him. Think, give me something, anything to go on..." he said, lowering his eyes to the floor.

"If...if you don't want to fight that's ok. I'll bear the burden for both of us, and give them all I've got." he said, somber but resolved, resolute in his mission to destroy everything.

 

[Sand Council]

Naganisa​

"Not scared," Naganisa replied, her arms crossed over her chest. She looked like a pouting child and she was lying through her teeth, of course she was scared. She was terrified of Kaito, if this is what she does to a village on a job one could only imagine what he would do to something he had a personal vendetta against. She was trying but she was left in the dark over this entire situation. Their plans were always pretty straight forward and while this was more like a vacation than a work assignment, Kaito was not one for taking a break. She never really understood what drove him but she really did not want to know, most of them were broken in one way or another and he was no exception.

Sunagakure was full of funny business. She had no idea what they were planning but she knew that she was nothing more than the distraction. She let out a sigh, the kind of sigh you give when you are pulling something out of the air because you have no answer. She knew the most basic facts of course, they were hunters and they were for the most part all sociopaths. She was no more sane or less than the next, in fact she might even more more sensible than a few. They hunted monsters and other big scary things and locked their power away for their personal use. There were no monsters here, if there were she would be fighting them. She frowned at that last thought, she was not fighting anything. Sure she was having fun... rather not having fun torturing the civilians because she was supposed to make noise. "...I'm the distraction..." her voice trailed off.

The question was why was she one of several distractions. The prisoners were set free and they were running amuck. They were more than capable of causing a distraction and any one of them could force this sad little village into a state of utter disarray but it required the services of others. Kaito had to be looking for something, if they were not looking for a monster perhaps they were looking for an artifact. "Is there any place where we could find old stuff... like, really-really old stuff?" Perhaps there was a book, magical relic, or great power housed in or under Sunagakure. She was not much of a book-worm but there had to be a reason a hidden village settled here or rather why they were stuck settling here. Was Sunagakure sitting on top of something? "Kaito likes rare, powerful, usually old things..." she explained. This village was a dump but it did not look like it was in the hundreds or thousands of years, decades at most.

"What was here before the village?" She seemed to have more questions than answers but hopefully these answers would lead them to Kaito and perhaps the heart of the Cabal's plan.

 

[Randamu Kyarakuta]

She put on a brave face, but the words were still written on her forehead, she was scared and rightly so. He was too, he was just better at hiding it, his instincts of being a trained fighter kicking in. What they were trying to do is courageous, for courage is the act of being scared but choosing to do it anyways. At any rate, her words said what he'd expect/been told already. She was a distraction, expendable, he was right.

"Is there any place where we could find old stuff... like, really-really old stuff?"

He thought long, as he picked up a stick and began carving a layout of the village on the floor. If there wasn't enough dirt, the stick would literally carve the floor out...he was strong after all. Then he began to mark a few places, it was crude but it got the gist of things. He would then begin to point at various points and explain as she asked a second question.

"What was here before the village?"

"Here is the toroano dojo, it's pretty old but I don't know much of it's history, my clan never really had dealings with them. I know they're an institution though." he shifted the stick. "This is the prison, it's been here a really long time also but again, not sure on the specifics as that's anbu territory." he shifted the stick once more, scratching lines through the map. "The catacombs that run through the city do have some old stuff in them, I believe there's a back entrance to the library there. A lot of dusty tomes and stuff nobody has seen for centuries in there. I don't recall ever having to go in there myself, but if there's information on something old it's probably there. I believe there was a mission on the cabals sick board about it..." he recalled, before marking another area. "You've been here, this is where my household resides, the main house of Chikara, we've been here since before we were in the hole that is this village." he scratched it out. "That's not the place though, we never kept anything of importance except my sword, and if they wanted that, they had plenty of chances at it." he then circled the map. "The whole town was built in a big hole left by a massive sandworm, you probably walked through it's mouth to get here. The big bones we use to hang gates off of are a legitimate set of bones. Legend has it, the heart of the beast was destroyed and suna moved in, the heart had some kind of poisonous effect, right up your alley." he smiled. Taking a step back, he rubbed his chin.

"Where should we check?"

 

[Sand Council]

Naganisa​

There were a lot of reasons for Akio to be here, she frowned as Homura explained the various ancient institutions in a village that she thought was only a few decades old. She spun the little silver ring around her finger, there had to be something powerful worth all of this effort somewhere. She bit her lower lip in thought as she stared at the marks in the ground. Perhaps if she stared enough she would find something. "Maybe... the heart?" She half-asked Homura. The plague wars probably exhausted the corruption that was Barynx but what if the preserves still existed someplace. That would be a weapon of awesome potential, but she knew little of it. Due to her affinity for poisons, Akio should have involved her more in his plan and in his search for the heart. Did he want it all to himself? She had no idea.

She had no longer to ponder this as the walls rattled. It was something that would have resembled a seismic event to most, a moment of terror surely considering the fact that they are surrounded on all sides with earth and probably not a foreign notion to many Sunans but Naganisa knew exactly what that event meant. "Oh no!" She eyes were wide with fear, "someone tried to break out!" They were out of time, but she knew where Akio would be now. "The village is going to blow, WE HAVE TO RUN!" She announced as she tried to grab his hand. "We only have a few hours before this place collapses onto itself," she explained quickly, panic in her voice.

 

[Randamu Kyarakuta]

"Maybe... the heart?"

He thought as much also, there was a rumor that the prison had something under it also, dark that fed on chakra. It was a popular rumor, but nothing to go on as nobody has been deep enough to see it and come out. That was another possible place, but as soon as he began to further speculate, the walls began to shake and rock. He stumbled a bit as it shook. Placing his hand on his sword, defensively as if he was prepared to destroy every piece of earth that came crushing down around him. It would have been effectual until he was buried in what would become dirt eventually with the amount of mincing that would occur.

"Oh no! someone tried to break out! We only have a few hours before this place collapses onto itself!"

She was panicked, he would have panicked also if he wasn't paying so much attention to her touch of his hand. He gripped it tight and held her in place to speak before they moved. "Let's use my gift you bestowed on me, we need the numbers to help the civilians or else this is all for nothing." he said, taking the free hand with the ring on it and pricking his finger, smacking the ground and summoning as many of the creatures as he could. They sat there in silence, awaiting orders. "Spread out, take forms of respected Suna ninja and escort as many civilians as you can to safety. Time is of the essence so women and children first, don't bother with the criminals." it sounded cold, but it was necessary to cut down on the work as to save as many of the people who didn't deserve this as possible. They would spread out and do as he said, the urgence of the situation leading to him not having time to get to know his new companions.

"Let's go, I hope you have a plan that isn't just running away. We didn't come this far to give up now. We also need to warm the people, do you know how the cabal made their big announcement? We need to do that to warn the people, get them pro-active." he said as he would now let her lead him, loosening the grip but not so much that he'd let go. Hopefully his words, this whole experience, had gotten through to her. The village was, in some manner, in her hands now.

 

[Sand Council]

"Let's use my gift you bestowed on me, we need the numbers to help the civilians or else this is all for nothing."

"Darling, there is no time," Naganisa argued. "The village is going to be buried in four hours," she announced. This was not the time to do some heroic deed or to go out a legend. There would be nobody to remember their final act of valor. Besides that, she was scared. What could she... they do? At best they could have a few dozen, but for each person they save they risk saving none. It was too much of a risk, they needed to run today so that they could try to do good another day.

"Spread out, take forms of respected Suna ninja and escort as many civilians as you can to safety. Time is of the essence so women and children first, don't bother with the criminals."

"No, we need to get to the Toraono Dojo," she snapped. "I don't care who you try to save, if you try to save anyone at all... There is no time for warning people, we need to get to the Toraono Dojo," she commanded. The Cabal left a delay so that they had time to get out with whatever treasures they found. It was never meant to serve as a mass exodus. She did not want to live this way anymore, but she did not want to die a good woman either. There was a reason cowards and villains always lived longer and better than they should. She could not do it. She would not do it.

"Let's go, I hope you have a plan that isn't just running away. We didn't come this far to give up now. We also need to warm the people, do you know how the cabal made their big announcement? We need to do that to warn the people, get them pro-active."

"Dispatch Center," she replied. "Before we broke the lock on the door," she added as she pulled her hand away. She tried to hit Homura, hard... She had to take him down one more time. One more time for his good. If she failed, only a single tear would escape before her face hardened and she reminded him again. "Meet me in the Toraono Dojo... four hours and then there will be nothing left." She would then try to run away. If she successfully struck him and knocked him out, she would carry him like a child and take him to the Toraono Dojo.

[Attempts to Leave Topic]​

You have a choice Homura: Follow willing or unwillingly Naganisa to the Toraono Dojo OR try to save Sunagakure.

 

[Randamu Kyarakuta]

Thunk!

She hit him square in the head and his lights went out, he really needed to start expecting these things, having his guard down seem to be his greatest weakness. As he hit the ground, he would be grabbed up and swept away to a far off land, at least in his dreams as rainbows and unicorns and all sorts of things ran through his mind. He was going on a mental adventure that would be rudely interrupted at the stop to the dojo he had been so dutifully assigned to by naganisa.

[Topic left with naganisa]
[Sorry it's short, inspiration is dead inside me right now]

 

[Sand Council]

And with that we will be sent to our next topic. HERE.

Naganisa​

Oh, my darling Homura... you know not what you do. You may desire an act to absolve you of your sins but in death you gain nothing and only I will suffer this loss. I will protect you from yourself and I will save you from the fate of your brethren. The village will crumble and yes you will mourn this loss and you will hate me for pulling you away... taking you to safety, but you will be alive. I have much to atone for, but I refuse to add your life to the burden I suffer.

She scooped Homura up in her arms. She was a lithe thing in comparison to the swordsman, but she was able to tolerate the burden. She would save him but nobody else. She would do what was right tomorrow. That would be another day and another chance to do what was right, there would be no tomorrow if they stayed to fight.