Seal the Deal [Private]

[Oshiro Saki]

It had been a while, but it was raining in Kumogakure again. That suited Saki just fine; it reflected his innermost emotions. Despite his relatively callous outward appearance, inside he was torn up. He was beaten. He was down and out for the count.

He was dying.

He clutched the folded list of names that Sainou had given him a day before close to his chest, hiding it from the ever-present wetness falling from the sky, and from his eyes. The first name on the list was a man named Miroku Akkuma, and scrawled in parentheses next to it was "rogue shinobi, approach with caution. Meet through his associate, Kaza" Normally, Saki would have avoided him, however, his was the only name that was listed under the "Sage" section of the list. In short, it meant that he knew the most about cursed seals and similar arts, and thus he would probably be Saki's best bet for getting results for his problem.

The day before, Saki had sent out a messenger bird to the local post station, with the instructions for it to be sent to the visiting nuke-nin and his associate, wherever they were. In the letter, when the man would read it, would be a request to meet in at the main counter of The Rusty Kunai, a pub near the heart of the ever-crowded Susukino District. Saki wasn't one for pubs, but it was a public place where he knew at the very least, other shinobi would no doubt be on their time off. It was more secure for him, not that he had much to lose. Perhaps it was a poor idea after all.

Saki quietly opened the door and left the dreary gray of the outside world behind him for the warm, welcoming atmosphere of the building now around him. It had a surprisingly quiet ambiance to it, for something he had assumed to be nothing more than a haven for the drunken and the broken souls. He took his seat up at the main counter, his blue robes soaking wet, and removed a large hat he had been wearing to shield his face from the rain. His face was still wet, though. "Sake, please," he said to the bartender, who almost instantaneously presented a small glass before him. He had inadvertently picked a good time of the day to come, if drinking was your game: there were hardly any others in the building.

Taking a sip, he squinted and returned his cup down onto the counter. The bartender shook his head with the understanding that Saki had most likely never had alcohol before, and he'd be right. When was Kaza going to get here?

 

[Miroku Akkuma]

Kaza say back in the booth since he had received the message the young Emissary had come to the establishment known as The Rusty Kunai. He'd paid the man a decent sum to keep his bottles coming and to let him stay there till the Kumogakurian arrived. Turning his gaze to the man who looked quite out of place drinking liquor, for he certainly didn't seem to enjoy it. "Excuse me I don't suppose you are Oshiro Saki?" the youth would ask withdrawing a tobacco pipe. He wore a hooded jacket with jeans and combat boots. A small blade sat next to his glass, those forest green eyes held the shinobi before him with interest.

The emissary with noble features and a warm smile would gesture for him to take a seat. Lighting the pipe with a snap of his fingers he would take in a deep breath of nicotine filled smoke. "I'm Miroku Kaza Emissary of my Lord Akkuma." the smoke would engulf the youth as he spoke adding to his shady aura. This was not something he had been expects no doubt his Master would be intrigued to know he was sought out. Pouring Saki a glass he would take another puff of his pipe "So tell me how can the Miroku Clan help you?" his tone was calm and almost business-like. What was motivating the man before him to seek out a clan such as theirs & most importantly his Lord.

OOC: Whoop I'm excited something interesting and unexpected for Akkuma when he finds out. Looking forward to rping =D

 

[Oshiro Saki]

Saki's thoughts dind't take long to be answered. No sooner than he'd mentally wondered where Kaza was, a voice called out behind him, drawing his attention to a mysterious man wrapped in a veil of smoke and shadow. A devious grin seemed to pierce through the darkness covering the rest of his body, giving off an eerie air about him. If Death had been a person, he would have probably approached all his clients this way.

Saki felt the burn of alcohol down his throat once more, gulping the last half of his drink down without letting it his tongue.

This was all wrong. This setting wasn't how he had wanted it. Saki wanted a bright, crowded scene with plenty of people and lots of eyewitnesses if anything started to head south, but this was the stark opposite: dark, and loosely populated. The man's chair was in a back corner, away from the other customers.

Saki's eyes jumped to the left. There was nobody notable, just a civilian. He had no visible weapons, and no concealed weapons that he could tell. he was of average build, not very tall and not particularly muscular. His hat was leaned against his chair, on the floor. Overall, he was not threatening. Saki then dodged his vision to the right. he was met with more of the same: a pair of nonthreatening men on the far side of the room. They appeared to be coworkers of some sort, from the way they talked to each other, and they, too, did not strike Saki as an immediate threat. Saki's eyes then fell on the one who had called out to him from the back of the building. Supposedly, this was Kaza.

Saki placed a few coins on the counter to pay for his drink. Having determined if worse came to worst this would be a one on one situation, he got up from his chair, slowly, and crossed the room.
"Hello, Kaza," he said before sitting. Taking his seat and accepting a drink passed to him, he looked across the table into this other man's eyes. "I'll get right to the point.

Saki drew a manila folder from his robes and handed it to Kaza.

"Within that folder is a detailed analysis of a mutated chakra-eatingOenothera biennis. In case you aren't keen on botanical terminology, I'll give you the summary of the abstract: Somehow, a type of primrose was changed into a massive, sentient creature that seeks to grow itself by feeding on the chakra of humans, typically shinobi. It usually does this by enveloping and consuming them until their chakra is completely drained away, and they die. I was dispatched to kill it. I did."

Saki swished the contents of the drink Kaza had handed to him. It was different than the bitter sake he'd just had. He tried a sip, and he didn't hate it.

"Or at least, I thought I had. Like other plants, small fragments of it can live on for a period of time, and regrow when planted. I found this out the hard way," he said, putting down his drink and pulling up his left sleeve. Saki placed his arm on the table for Kaza to see clearly. His arm was almost completely green, and in some places, was very visibly growing small leaves or turning into vines, all except his hand, which wasn't converted yet. "It planted itself in me. It's feeding off of my chakra system, and it's going to overtake and kill me soon. This is why I need the help of your master, Akkuma. It's come to my attention that he is a master of Curse Sealing. After a discussion with a medical specialist, we came to the conclusion that attempting to seal the creature with a series of these seals will be the safest way to deal with it."

Saki let his sleeve fall back over his arm, which he returned to his lap.

"I'm prepared to pay Akkuma a significant amount of money for his services, if he'd like to see me as a client, if you will."

Saki finished the drink.

"So then. What do you think?"

 

[Miroku Akkuma]

The young Emissary watched Saki carefully it seemed once the shinobi had made himself more confident he downed the last of his drink. Kaza would nod as the Kumo-nin said hello, in the young mans mind introductions had already been dealt with. Those forest green eyes scanned the manila folder's contents as the man name Saki explained more. Closing the folder he would roll it up and place it in his robes.

Once the shinobi had finished speaking and begun drinking the Emissary would smile before addressing the first issue he saw. "Unfortunately my Lord has no need for wealth, already possessing quite a vast amount he doesn't deal in business this way. Being a demon he tends to value other commodities in place of currency." he would say with a small apologetic smile. Watching the shinobi finish his drink the Emissary thought on what Akkuma would accept and weighed it with what he thought the man before him would be willing to pay.

"Every contract negotiated with my Lord must be sealed and agreed upon by him in person. Acceptable sources of payment currently should be; active service in one of his many task forces, joining the clan or a one off favour that has no limits. Understand that the terms of contract and payment are sealed into your very DNA. The breaking of any terms within the contract will result in death. Though my Lord is often open to counter offers he does so enjoy negotiating & discussing contracts. So really it will all come down to how valuable your life is to you and what you'll be willing to do to stay alive." he would say in a business-like tone. Picking up the little dagger nearby and placing it back on his belt deciding the shinobi before him would not be a threat.

"If these initial terms are agreeable and you find yourself willing to proceed further than I will give you an object to give to my Lord. It'll show him that you have already dealt with me and I have your interests to be legitimate." he would say in that warm tone though his eyes still held their piercing gaze.

"Any Questions?" he would ask calmly refilling the shinobi's glass. Giving the man a wink he would puff on his pipe and await the questions Saki would no doubt have.

 

[Oshiro Saki]

Times were changing in Saki's life, and, as a result, he wasn't acting himself. I mean, come on--look at the circumstances. Here's a nerd who vowed never to drink alcohol, sitting in a bar with a shady man throwing back drinks he didn't even recognize, making deals that he didn't 100% know the consequences of. The fact of the matter was that Saki was a careful, calculating man who was way out of his element. He was desperate. And on top of that, he was cold and wet from the melancholy drizzle surrounding his whole world, both physically and mentally. Hell, even emotionally. If you had gone to Saki a month ago and told him he'd be in his current situation, he'd have seen you to his door and bid you farewell. He was very much a hobbit in the land of dwarves.

And yet here he was, sitting at a table with a stranger.

"I'll be honest with you," he said, easing himself by readjusting himself. "I don't completely trust you, or your master, Akkuma. I think that I'm getting the short end of the stick, somehow, and I'll remember that if I think so after everything's over. But, that said... I don't have anywhere else to go right now."/ Ski sighed, and looked off to the left for a moment, before returning his uneasy gaze to the man across from him. His glasses were smeared. "So it looks like I'm accepting your lord's conditions. I'll serve him, but I won't join his clan."

The Oshiro name was perhaps the most important thing to Saki at this point in his life. After all, he was the last.

"No questions from me."

OOC: Sooooo sorry. Rough patch IRL

 

[Miroku Akkuma]

OOC:
It's all good! ^_^ don't stress I hope all is good and your well! My sincerest apologies for the delay I went to pick up a delivery and we had a big storm roads have been closed for a week and just got back in the community. ^_^ my turn to apologise xD

The shinobi as mysterious as death himself leaned forward with a raised eyebrow "I would think you a fool if you instantly trusted myself or my Lord." he said in a matter of fact tone before sitting back and chuckling. "Is that so? Well I would advise you to remember that you are the one who sought my Lord out. The sealing arts are no simple task to perform multiple times, so do not be too hasty to make a judgement on the price you are asked to pay." pouring himself one more glass he would take a deep drink of its contents before saying one more thing.

"There is something else...I advise you to look at what you gain in the long scheme of things, not only do you gain your life but tools to aid in ensuring your survival." he said in a calm tone knowing the shinobi before him had no questions he clapped his hands together a sign of their business being concluded. The couple conversing got up and bowed to Kaza before leaving along with the solitary man who had been in the corner. Uttering a brief Lord Kaza as they did so, Saki would no doubt feel unnerved knowing that the only other occupants of the establishment had indeed been allies of the Emissary.

Downing the last of his drink he would bow to the shinobi before him "Well Oshiro Saki if that is all you require of me I must depart I have many things that require my attention. Good luck on your travels you'll find my master in the Toraono Dojo in Sunagakure...I recommend you depart soon. There is about to be a war, whether it is brief or drawn out depends on my masters success. The fate of countries is at risk here, there are shadow organisations which have gained the attention of my Lord in most of the great Countries. These groups control conflicts and the suffering of the masses all for their own profit. He aims to cleanse the Countries of these corruptions, in the end it is humanity that benefits from his plans. Whether they realise it or not is another matter." with that the hooded youth walked towards the bars doors pausing to say one last thing before leaving.

"Travel safe Saki when you get to the village gates say you are there to meet with Miroku Akkuma. Give him the stone, it's not essential but it will show him you have already dealt with one of his Agents." with those words he opened the door and departed into the snow storm that was Kumogakure. 'I do hope I meet that man again he does seem like a good person. I do hope Lord Akkuma doesn't scare him too much.' he thought to himself with a chuckle who knew perhaps Saki would benefit from his encounter with Akkuma. Everyone needed a demon in their life it kept things interesting.

Edited to fix wording error.
Topic Left Unless Stopped~
Chakra Infused Stone Given To Saki~

 

[Oshiro Saki]

Saki's jaws clenched and his fingers tightened around the glass he held on the table. With his face grim, his hair wet, and his composure obviously disgruntled, the only remaining sense of class that he felt he had was the fact that he was still sitting up straight, for however long that might last. What Kaza said was true; Saki had no real place to bargain here. The fact of the matter was that he needed Akkuma far more than Akkua needed him, and furthermore, he had no way of gaining any leverage out of his current situation. Regardless of how distasteful helping Akkuma would be, it was an unpleasant reality that he had to bear in order to return life to how it had been. Or, at least, to something close to what it had been. This was not Saki's time. Not yet.

With a clap, everyone save for the bartender rose from their chair and paid their respects to the man across the table from Saki. He grimaced as each did so. So his instincts were right--he was in danger. Everything that seemed off was off. So how had he so casually dismissed it as anxiety> Was this another symptom of the biennis? Saki would have closed his eyes to think, but he currently felt as though he couldn't even blink in the presence of Kaza. Would Akkuma be different?

Kaza instructed Saki as to where he would find Akkuma--the Toraono Dojo in Sunagakure. Inwardly, Saki sighed at the distanc. Sunagakure wasn't the closest place to the Lightning country. In fact, he wasn't completely caught up on all the happenings of it. Last he'd heard, all the inhabitants had moved underground. How do you find an underground city in the middle of the desert?

Saki accepted the stone from Kaza without saying a word. Giving him a look that contained equal parts frustration, distaste, and respect, Saki nodded and rose from his chair, leaving Kaza to be alone.

He didn't like this.

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