Progressive Encounter (Private/PM)

[Kiri]

His vision was blurring as he looked on, each gasping breathe hurt his chest. It was hard to keep himself steady after suddenly shooting that massive amount of chakra even at his state. He knew he could barely stand and yet he was stubbornly staring at the woman. The armor cracked. Had he done it?

But upon hearing her voice, he suddenly felt like all of his efforts were for naught. In his mind, he kept saying 'Stay down. Die' but his eyes shook in disbelief as the woman, not only seemingly surviving everything with ease, was now different. A sense of malevolence was upon her and he felt his heart gripped with fear.

In the moment she moved to attack, Nanashi tried to step back, raising his hands to brace and defend himself. However, he was slow, far too late. The world stopped as soon as the first punch connected to his head. His mind floated until there was nothing more to think or to fear. Just a trailing voice of that which resided in him, cursing him for failing, yet laughing sadistically at the pain.

He did not even feel the pain of the punch that connected to his gut, breaking a rib or two. Wind was knocked out of him. Consciousness faded as he spewed out blood. Eyes turned hazy as they try to look at her form, but the world spun into an eternal darkness and cold void.

And he fell to the ground, limp and silent. The pulsating chakra vanished. The mark of omega on his chest burned deeply until it disappeared. All that was left was a broken body, bleeding, bruised, tattered.A

 

[Kasamatsu Yukari]

Amaya jumped backwards and stood there for a few moments as the boy hit the ground. She noticed his chakra weaken, and the boy went limp. "A shame. I was just getting started. You've got potential though." She walked over, checking his pulse, feeling that it was still there. Walking back over to her bag, she grabbed a cotton bandage out. She may not be med-nin but she could at least bind the injury until they got back to the village. However, that wasn't going to be an immediate concern. She wasn't quite done with the boy yet. Kneeling back down by the young one's leg, she started to wrap the injury as carefully yet tightly as she could. He lost too much blood as it was, and she didn't need him dying on her while she worked on the experiment. Besides, she needed to see this seal for herself. She'd seen drawings in scrolls, but nothing so much as that. She needed to learn more. Picking up both of their bags, she propped herself down by the boy thinking of where they could go. She remembered mention of a little shack that lookout parties used to use every now and then not far from where they were. It had a small stock of rations, medical supplies, and a cot. That would work well enough for her.

A short while later, carrying the boy and both bags, they arrived at the little shack. She put the boy down carefully propping him up against the wall, opening the door and setting down both bags inside. She then carried the boy in, laying him on the cot. "Hmm..It's kind of strange that Rega would openly choose a young boy like this to inscribe a seal on." She thought back to the scrolls she read in the ancient forest, remembering that there were 8 seals of which were able to be applied to a body. She also remembered reading that each seal drastically took a toll on the shinobi's life-span. So young, and yet already inscribed...Noting that there wasn't a single seal on his arms, shoulders, hands or legs, she ripped open his shirt using a small knife she found on a table nearby. "No seal on his chest either...Did they find a way to mask it when it's not in use?" She was speaking aloud without realizing it, but figured it really didn't matter too much. The boy was seemingly unconscious and there weren't any other people around, so she was safe for now. She took a moment to walk to her bag and take a drink of water, thinking of what to do next to try to find the seal.

 

[Kiri]

In some books he read before, the experience of dying comes quick. A mere blackening of the world. Extinguishing of the senses. A simple ceasing. Cold and the void. But really, how could they describe such a feeling when they haven't experienced it yet? Such liars those writers were.

And yet it was the only thing he could relate to when he felt the world turn black. But the darkness did not last long. A blinding light suddenly flashed throughout the world and brought light to the void. Yet there was not a single feeling that he felt. Nanashi simply saw, not even seeing his own hand as he would look down.

"Where is this?" he uttered as he tried to walk but felt as light as a feather, no gravity to pull him down. He tried to pat himself and yet felt no pain at all. "Wasn't I fighting just now?"

"Fight? That was a mere pathetic child's play, if you ask me," a voice suddenly called out to him.

"Who's there?"

Then the white void changed, contour shaping the space, a light source making shadows. He finally saw his own body as he stared on the shadow and found his legs before he raised his hand and found them quite pale.

"You don't need to ask. Deep down you already know. It is what we seek."

Turning in hope to find the source of the voice, Nanashi saw what looked like a battlefield. The ground was scarred and in the middle was a figure obscured. The closer he approached, the clearer it looked. It was a man on the ground, on all fours but his body was changed- thick armor hide, clawed hands and three tail-like appendages sticking from his back covered in sharp armor. He was surrounded by broken blades or were they fragments of more appendages. He howled, possibly in pain- a voice that Nanashi could almost recognize.

But upon stopping on his tracks, the man began to laugh and taunted him. "Do not be afraid. This is the answer you've been looking for. Quick, burn this image into your mind. Search for me. Seek me. And we shall be as one."

Spoiler

At those words, the man looked up and Nanashi stepped back in shock as he saw his own face, albeit older, more dangerous, yet flowing with power. But the shock had pushed him and the world faded. Only the voice burned and echoed in his head.

Slowly, he opened his eyes to the stinging pain of his body. He looked over and saw someone near him, seemingly inspecting him as his shirt was torn. Then he glanced to the side to see his things among another's bag. And from that other bag, he saw an object protruding before it fell.

Again, the voice echoed in his mind. He winced and then he fell back out of consciousness.

WC: 484
[MFT]