Spinning Webs [Private]

[Mikaboshi]

The shadows coalesced in the hallway outside of Sousuke's office and Mikaboshi stepped through them-- still wearing his tattered armor and bleeding from several rounds. Hotaru had been an impressive opponent, much more so than he ever could have predicted before their battle. If not for his unleashing of his true nature, he would have almost certainly been destroyed. Naturally at this point Sousuke would have been alerted by the Black Blade that Mikaboshi had taken off the mask which limited his powers and released the first set of gating parameters which contained his presence within the body that Sousuke had given him. They were safe-guards to keep Mikaboshi's vampiric nature from drawing in the energy of others around him unconsciously and hurting those around him. Naive as he was, Sousuke still had not been willing to simply set the sword-wraith free among his people without any sort of restrictions and thus the body had built in levels of containment. The mask was the primary method of containment and shelled up most his dark presence. All that remained of it tangibly was the eerie chill that permeated the air near his body whenever he passed another living thing. Past that the restrictions were built into the body itself and though Mikaboshi did not pretend to understand what Sousuke had done to manufacture the mechanisms which controlled them, he certainly had spent time learning how to activate them which had given him a small level of autonomy where his power level was concerned. Still, the Steward-Kazekage would want to know why Mikaboshi had released his powers and that gave him the perfect opportunity to give Sousuke the news about Hotaru.

The beautiful thing about it was that it wasn't truly a lie. Hotaru had assaulted him and he had defended himself. Naturally, he had intended to kill Hotaru for her transgression but that did not need to be said outloud. All Sousuke needed to know was that the ANBU Sennin, whom would be missing for some time due to her spiritual injuries suffered while Mikaboshi had been ripping out her soul, had betrayed the state of Sunagakure by attempting to assassinate a member of the shinobi corps. Even the ANBU whose responsibility it was to police the activity of Sand-nin could not simply choose to eradicate others on a whim and without evidence-- and naturally there would be no evidence. Hotaru was a careful woman and would not have shared what she thought she knew about Mikaboshi with anyone she didn't have to. It was very unlikely that the shinobi assigned to observe him even knew the first thing about their assignment other than they were to follow and observe the Hand of the Steward. She certainly would not have kept any physical records which might be stolen or compromised. She would have kept all she knew within her head where it was safe. And that currently would prove to be her downfall in the long run. Feeling Sousuke's presence within his office, Mikaboshi turned slowly and leaned against the door as he pushed it open. Normally he would have simply appeared within the room but he wanted to make an entrance for Sousuke so that the Steward-Kazekage would immediately take notice of the fact his assistant was so gravely injured. Coming through the door, Mikaboshi felt his vision swim once more from the paralyzing poison and dropped to a knee while holding his head to get the dizzying haze to stop.

"Lord Takahashi," He announced with some difficulty. It always strained his physical body to speak after unleashing his spiritual presence and intensified the metallic rasp that he spoke with. "I come... with urgent news."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

...It is within the time of the father's fall she will arise. She will not be compromised. She will not be undone. The sins of the One King shall be revisited once more, as she will not forgive the First Men for slaying he who... Sousuke's eyes narrowed. The translation of the text he was provided with was falling short. It seemed as if two things happened, the original translator gave up due to frustration in translating the text, or this was where the original manuscript ended. Sousuke did not often concern himself with prophecy but one's regarding the return of an Ancient, or in this case the return of an Ancient's daughter troubled the Steward. He closed his eyes and thought hard. He had gathered the following tidbits: Ancients such as Fuujin or Homura had off springs. Some of them are chaotic creatures, and some are lawful. What Sousuke feared most was that he gathered from his reading that Homura or Fuujin had a daughter. She would be a vengeful creature who would no doubt be a threat in future times. He queried his father on the matter, and Judori did not recollect the ancestors fighting such a creature. This of course meant that this creature's terrible vengeance would come in his time, or his son's time. He would have to be ready. The problem was that he was no Sunahoshi, or the One King. He had a growing armoury, but considering the powers of the Ancients would his armoury be enough?

The return of an Ancient was not the only thing troubling Sousuke, the Black Blade had went off and sent out a message to him. Mikaboshi had for a time went to phase two. A higher form of power, but one that was still controllable. The Steward wondered why this was, seeing as how Mikaboshi could easily defeat petty bandits or gangsters in phase one. Unless... Sousuke's eyes turned back the tome he was reading. He had no doubt he would be given an answer shortly, given the fact that Mikaboshi knew what he knew.

"Lord Takahashi, I come... with urgent news."

Sousuke noticed that his assistant did indeed come with impeccable timing. His phase one form was wounded, and quite heavily. The worst fears of the Ancient's return was forming in his mind. Sousuke's own trump card, or trump cards were not fully prepared yet. Mark Two was at least four weeks from entering a testing phase, and the Flame Engine was still missing a proper Flare Gem. Sousuke rose from his desk and approached Mikaboshi. "Speak, once you've gathered yourself."<i></i> He simply said. "How damaged is your second phase? You do not use phase two unless, it is something dire..."<i></i>

 

[Mikaboshi]

"Dire indeed." Mikaboshi gasped. Thankfully there was no play-acting necessary for his injuries. Hotaru had done a very admirable job of thrashing his physical body and even though he would recover in short order owing both to his own unusual nature and Sousuke's superior designs, he was very much treading a dangerous line at the moment. "Miyamoto Hotaru, your ANBU Sennin, has betrayed you. Attacked me... in the street. Drove her off."

Mikaboshi's sentences were growing shorter as his ability to speak was waning. In coming to Sousuke's office, the Hand had massively underestimated his injuries in the wake of charging his body with his release. The spiritual release filled his physical form more fully with his power and even though it allowed him much more strength than is normal, it had a deteriorating effect on the flesh of the body. Simply put, a being of Mikaboshi's caliber was never intended to be caged in the flesh of a human being and due to that when he channeled more of his power through the vessel that was the body his consciousness currently inhabited, it tended to exacerbate any injuries he currently had following the released state being ended. Slumping backwards against the wall of Sousuke's office, Mikaboshi left a black streak of oil as he pitched backwards and then slid down into a sitting position. Looking up to Sousuke, Mikaboshi once more brought his hand to his chest and began attempting to staunch the loss of oil with basic healing techniques. He would not die from his injuries, but the human body was a weak thing and it was entirely possible he could potentially lose his connection to the body for a short period of time which would cause him to lose valuable time that he needed to paint Hotaru as a villain in case she managed a speedier recovery. While he did not fear reprisal from her, he did not wish to lose this opportunity because of inability to keep his human body from failing him.

"Has an accomplice as well. Saved her life." He coughed as the malign glow of his dark purple chakra suffused his hand and his eyes shimmered slightly brighter. "Who knows how deep it goes."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The Steward's eyes narrowed. Hotaru betray him? Impossible. What further disturbed Sousuke was that she was not working alone. This certain someone had gotten her out of there before Mikaboshi could strike a killing blow. "Curious. Why now? She never seemed the impatient type or the type to... do such a thing"<i></i> Sousuke simply questioned himself. as he watched Mikaboshi adjust himself. "More importantly did she damage your self-store systems? I tried to make those ... less obvious in your shell."<i></i> He watched as Mikaboshi began to restore himself. Thankfully it seemed that she did not strike out systems.

Sousuke turned back to the matter at hand. Hotaru. "When you can, I would like for you to recollect what you can and elaborate. What did she say to you? Usually people ... find themselves in a position to boast or reveal their hand. Such is ... in this deplorable thing of human nature in the area of treachery. So confident are people to ... reveal things they do not intend. I wonder..."<i></i> Sousuke's eyes traced over to the tome he was reading earlier. Did Hotaru tap into some sort of mysterious power that had tampered with her mind to allow her to function outside of the normal realm of human logic? A possibility. Though he would not allow any theories to formulate just yet. He would require more information from Mikaboshi.

The Steward summoned the black sword that held Mikaboshi's power in check. He pointed the blade at the construct and willed it to repair. At least enough for any major injuries or critical injuries to seal up entirely. An incapacitated Mikaboshi was something Sousuke did not want. "Tell me. Was she different than usual? Tainted? Corrupted? Inflated ego? Possessed? Criminally or morally insane?"<i></i>

 

[Mikaboshi]

"She was skilled but I will survive." Mikaboshi responded, giving what perhaps was the closest thing to honest words of praise for a human being that he'd ever said in Sousuke's presence. Already he could feel his body mending enough for him to speak properly without gasping. His natural healing factor was already significant and when augmented with his chakra his body was capable of repairing itself quite quickly. "She came upon me after I parted ways with a young man that I had recently taken as my student. Lord Kuro had saved him from an attacker and I was seeing to his wounds. Apparently she believed that I am behind a series of recent killings, you know the ones."

Mikaboshi of course had alerted Sousuke to the recent series of brutal killings as was his duty. The fact that he had subtly encouraged the murderer to continue his activities was naturally left out of his report and would never ultimately be reported. The Hand was never so foolish as to approach the conscience-less human murderer as anything but a criminal benefactor-- of which there were many in the underbelly of Sunagakure that might wish to see people continually killed on the streets. Six dead so far, the killings were mundane in nature even though they ended to be unnecessarily violent. Up until now the ANBU had not caught the perpetrator and Mikaboshi had not been given orders to track him down but he knew that he likely soon would be. Especially if his desire to take over after Hotaru panned out. What better way to discredit his predecessor than by finding the real killer that had been behind the crimes which she had attacked him for? That part he had to admit was a piece of divine luck on his part. When he had encouraged the murderer to his course, he would never have believed that it would yield such amazing fruits.

"Long story short, she assaulted me and I defended myself. I underestimated her and was forced to release stage two to gain the upper-hand. She was nearly mine when her accomplice poisoned me and escaped with her." Explained Mikaboshi as he began to get back to his feet. He was still injured-- that much he would still need time to fix -- but he was not in nearly as bad of a way as he had been when he had come into Sousuke's office. "It is impossible to say what her state of mind was. She did however seem quite convinced that I was her enemy. Her first move was to come at me with her blade draw which implies to me that she had every intention of striking me down from the very beginning. It is possible that she believes that the Steel Throne is behind the murders."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The Takahashi clan murderous? Hotaru must have been delusional. The Stewards have always been and will be the stalwart defenders of Suna. There was nothing to have been gained in kinslaying. Sousuke's brows furrowed as the thought disturbed him greatly. Surely his father wasn't doing anything without his consent. "Strange."<i></i> Sousuke observed. "Strange she would come to such a conclusion, given our history. Not logical at all."<i></i>

The Anbu had yet to do something about these killings. Perhaps it was Hotaru behind them? Sometimes the person to cast the first stone was the perpetrator. It could also be that she was some sort of benefactor to this murderer. There was a multitude of scenarios. It could even be that Hotaru was being used as a puppet by the murderer, or even she was acting under duress. The Steward's mind continued to race through but a fraction of the possibilities. "Hotaru's mind could have been polluted from..."<i></i> The word that Sousuke wanted to say was illegal drugs. He expected better of his staff though it would seem nothing short of Hotaru being a raging lunatic. The Steward would hesitantly admit to the possibility of organized crime. It did not sit well with him. Sousuke didn't finish his sentence and thought hard about the matter. "I would like the chance to have her brought in alive for questioning, but given your injuries that seems to be very difficult. Such a risk needs to be calculated and contained. I would also like the chance for the same to occur to the murderer. Root both of them out and see how things play out in a round of zero-sum game or a positive sum game."<i></i> Sousuke turned to Mikaboshi. "Do you require further assistance or shall I acquire you a regeneration cell?"<i></i>

 

[Mikaboshi]

"As I said, I will survive." Reiterated the ancient as he rolled his right shoulder and closed his eyes as pain shot through it. He was still getting used to things like physical pain and once more as the spike of pain subsided Mikaboshi had to wonder why Sousuke had designed the body to interpret things like that. Perhaps it had been a limitation of design forced upon him so that the body would retain the sense of touch? He knew not; fleshcrafting was not an art he was particularly knowledgeable on despite his intimate knowledge of spirits and souls.

He did not immediately like the idea of having to bring Hotaru in alive if he located her, but Sousuke had so ordered it and so it had to be so. He would much rather have preferred to execute her in combat to prevent her side of the story from being told but that could still potentially be possible if she pressed him into a fight. He would not be allowed to simply assassinate her however and that would prove to be something of a challenge for the Hand. As for the murderer... that would be simple enough. The man had rudimentary training in chakra manipulation so he would be easy to find if Mikaboshi put his mind to doing it and the man ultimately did not actually know anything about who it was that had been encouraging him to kill. For all intents and purposes, that could be entirely pinned on Hotaru if he needed to but Mikaboshi knew he would have to be careful with putting too much into this coincidence. Hotaru had not been a solitary woman and had been well-liked by her comrades. They would not simply take the knowledge that she had betrayed the government and accept it and spinning too many threads into this web of lies that he was creating would make it too heavy to support under it's own weight. It would make too much sense for lack of a better term and cause people to look more carefully at the murders than they needed to. As it stood, the murders and Hotaru's betrayal being separate occurrences was the best way to let that play out for now, decided the ancient as he thought on his orders.

"What of the vacant Sennin position?" It was bold going for bringing it up in the way he had but the Hand knew Sousuke would not suspect him from such a mundane comment. Mikaboshi routinely discussed policy with Sousuke, if only out of his own curiosity. He missed the court affairs of old and though the happenings of human societies paled in comparison of magnitude to the politics of the ancient world, they sufficed if only to temporarily alleviate his boredom. "They will require discipline in the wake of this news to prevent them from seeking her out on their own. She could be very dangerous right now with the knowledge that I would have reported this immediately."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The Steward wondered what to do about the vacancy of the Anbu Sennin. The Steward didn't see the Anbu as unwieldy without a leader. In a way it seemed a bit soon to be calling for a successor to Hotaru, however, if a sennin was not put into place then a power struggle could occur amongst themselves. "There are many things to consider about this sort of appointment."<i></i> Sousuke spoke first and foremost. His father had been in the business of putting sennin into power. Now of course the job had fallen unto him to do so as the Kazekage-Steward. Hotaru was a bit of an odd exception though, but his father didn't object to her being put into command.

The Steward paced about. He had his hands behind his back as he walked back and forth. He paused and eyed Mikaboshi for a moment. He shook his head, and returned to pacing. It seemed like Seitoshi was considering people for the position. "I wouldn't unretire Jiro. He deserves his retirement. Hotaru's sister is an anbu too, but she never got along with her sister."<i></i> Sousuke thought out loud. "Kuro is already busy with general day to day activity. I would ... no, he would merely use the title of Anbu Sennin to win favour with the ladies."<i></i> Sousuke was continuing to go through individuals on a sort of mental list. He once again paused staring at Mikaboshi. "You know the oath of office don't you? Recite them for me won't you? I'm still considering potential candidates. Perhaps the words will give me an idea of a better representative."<i></i> Sousuke commanded the Ancient. He returned to his pacing as he awaited Mikaboshi to recite the words of the office of the ANBU.

 

[Mikaboshi]

Many things to consider indeed, thought Mikaboshi in echo of Sousuke's words. If he were not appointed to the position as he expected that he would be-- after all, who was suited better to the task of policing the agents of Sunagakure than the Hand of the Steward-Kazekage himself? --then he would need to begin efforts immediately to find Hotaru on his own. Thankfully, Sousuke had already given him the order to track her down and bring her in so regardless of whether or not he was appointed ANBU Sennin he would be allowed the freedom he needed to act in the investigation to find her. But just the same, the last thing he wanted to be doing was reporting his findings to an overseer who might catch something that he missed. Mikaboshi was confident in his ability to deceive others, they had not called him the Deceiver at one point in time for nothing, but taking unreasonable chances with this was not the way for him to escape culpability for having created the situation in the first place. It fell into the category of separating the tasks of finding the killer and Hotaru. Too many risks could too easily lead to the plan falling apart which was substantially dangerous for him.

"I would be the sword and shield of Sunagakure. Where her enemies lurk, I will find them. When her people are threatened, I will protect them. When her children betray her, I will punish them." Mikaboshi dutifully recited, following Sousuke's orders. Momentarily he had resisted the compulsion if only to test the limits of his binding to the Black Blade but inevitably the compulsion won as it always did. "I am the sword and shield of Sunagakure. To this duty I am sworn to my grave.</COLOR><COLOR color="darkred">"

Placing his hands behind his back with his knuckles resting against each other, Mikaboshi said nothing further. The oath was... dramatic, to say the least. Dramatic, but accurate. The ANBU Sennin which was sworn to not only protect the citizenry of Sunagakure from foreign shinobi but from domestic as well. Already in his mind he was mentally checklisting things that he would change. Currently he knew that The Grid was considered to be the "headquarters" of the ANBU but that would not do. He would need something more... secretive for his purposes. And given that the Obsidian Palace was wardenless currently and was regularly staffed by the ANBU anyway it made perfect sense for them to take residence in the building. It would need some retrofitting but that could be easily done. And the prison itself would give him ample resources for his coming plans. He was not an expert at fleshcrafting... yet. But the Ancient of Deep and Shadow was nothing if not a quick study in the ways of magic and nobody would miss a few hardened criminals from the cells of the Obsidian Palace. Allowing himself a grin behind his mask, knowing that the Black Blade would be picking up on his desire to be elevated to ANBU Sennin, Mikaboshi waited for Sousuke to make the logical appointment choice.

Him.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke paced about as he heard the words. Powerful words. Binding words. His own oath he took to become the Steward-Kazekage was similar but the two roles were slightly different. Sousuke would only be the Steward-Kazekage until the Sunahoshi returned. It could be later today, it could be tomorrow, a week from now, years away. No one knew.

Sousuke felt the Black Blade pulse. Indeed... Sousuke thought as he came to a sudden halt. "When you originally sought to take over this shell, did the thought ever come to you that you may have failed? Why you ever wanted to possess this shell, considering its weaknesses is a mystery to me. People see me... and they won't speak of it but some know that something is wrong or in part is missing. What that something is ... they do not know in its entirety."<i></i> The Steward paused for a moment longer. "I, willingly, overlooked that past and gave you a second chance in order to have the opportunity to do something more... to become something more than what you were."<i></i>

"I come to you for advice on matters. You have advised me well, and have not failed me or given me ill advice. We have disagreed from time to time, but I have come to respect your opinion. I merely wish that you do not fail in your new undertakings. Bear in mind that you are bound to me as it is due to our pact, but now you are bound to serve this village."<i></i> The Steward turned to regard Mikaboshi. "Are you feeling up to the challenge?"<i></i>

 

[Mikaboshi]

"Failure is only a matter of time and perspective, Lord Takahashi." Mikaboshi commented ominously, his eyes set on Sousuke. Failed was not the correct word. He had fallen certainly. But even now, he was still an Ancient. One of the rulers of the Old World and one of the oldest creatures in creation. If all were right in the universe, humanity would still be kneeling at his feet. But now he served a human leader-- and not even their king. But no, he had not failed. Not yet. There was still a hand to be played and Mikaboshi had every intention to press any advantage he could get. Even though his core essence was still chained within the enchanted steel of the Black Blade, Mikaboshi's mind and a portion of his power was free to walk the world and seek a way to free himself entirely from his curse. Thus far, his defeat and subsequent sealing had proved only to be a temporary setback.

And yes, Mikaboshi had advised Sousuke well. As was the terms of their deal, naturally. He was bound to serve Sousuke to the best of his ability which included sharing his knowledge and experience when called upon to do so. While he did not like serving at the hand of a human being, it was not all-together a bad proposition. He possessed autonomy to a level, a feeding ground full of ripe prey that knew nothing of the wolf that walked among them and now troops to command to do his bidding as he planned his escape from the Black Blade. Technically speaking his escape was not in the best interest of Sunagakure, but neither did it directly endanger the village to the point where it would break his oath of office that he had taken. Having put words to the oath, Mikaboshi had sworn his word to personally protect and aid not only Sousuke but also Sunagakure which meant that by his word he was no longer capable of doing anything that endangered the city as a whole. Nothing that might see the destruction of the city. But as it just so happened, such an oath possessed limitations. If actions taken by Mikaboshi were, to his opinion, in the best interest of the village-- say perhaps to be brought under the control of an ancient court once more --then it would be his duty to secure such a development of events. The next few years would be interesting.

"'Up to the challenge'?" Questioned the Hand, his head rolling to the side slightly as if confused. "I am an ancient."

And that was all that Mikaboshi had to say in response to Sousuke's question. For any who were less familiar with Mikaboshi, they might have wondered why the Hand had not simply replied with "Yes" or something in the direct affirmative but Sousuke who knew Mikaboshi's idiosyncrasies reasonably well would likely understand that to Mikaboshi he had answered in the affirmative. Proud to a fault, Mikaboshi considered his kind above humanity and it was not an opinion that he kept to himself on regular basis. In his mind, the ancients were the rightful rulers of the Wind Country and humanity the craven usurpers. Supported by their powerful king Primus, humanity had displaced the ancients and gained something of a dominant stature over the desert region. But as Mikaboshi had told Sousuke only moments earlier, failure to such beings that could live for millennia was only a matter of perspective and patience. Something that many of them, including the Hand himself, possessed in spades.

"May I suggest that we convene the Council?" Offered Mikaboshi. Bringing the Council together would serve the two-fold purpose of announcing Hotaru's duplicity and cementing his own promotion before any of the other councilers could voice dissent. The decision was ultimately Sousuke's but Mikaboshi did not wish to give the other members of the council time to interfere if they wished to do so. None of them were particularly interested in the affairs of the ANBU to Mikaboshi's knowledge, but why give them the chance?

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The Steward nodded his head as Mikaboshi reminded him that he was an ancient. "I attempted to be comedic... but I have seem to have failed in doing so."<i></i> Like himself, the Steward did not know the Ancient to laugh at all. The Steward nodded his head in agreement with the Ancient. "We will need to call the council to make this truly official. Though ... there is the matter of appointments to make. We do need a new Warden of the prison ... and I would think that you would wish to have an assistant of your own. I would inquire if any names spring to mind at the moment for these positions? If you wish to have time to consider some applicants, I will grant you that as it is ... not the easiest thing to consider given your current condition."<i></i> The Steward paced about though. "Unless you think it necessary to appoint yourself as Warden and Sennin. Ancient you may be ... but you cannot be everywhere at once."<i></i>

The Steward returned to his desk though and retrieved the tome he was reading. "I do have a parting query for you. Are Ancients ... such as yourself, Homura, and Fuujin capable of having offspring?"<i></i> The Steward would reveal the tome he was reading to the Ancient as it was a matter of dire consideration in the future months to come. "I am merely considering the future and how best to approach ... a possible return of the Fuujin or Homura line... before you arrived I was in the midst of reading this translated text. Unfortunately this translation is at best a poor one as the writer's hand had a ... most difficult time in distinguishing penstrokes for the words Fuujin and Homura. If you had not advised me earlier, I would have almost thought that Fuujin and Homura are the same person ... but we know better than that. If what this text suggests is true, I would think that you would be ... most interested."<i></i>

 

[Mikaboshi]

"It would only seem logical that the ANBU possess the right to manage the prisoners that they apprehend. Who is better suited to be their handlers than they?" Mikaboshi reasoned. He did not jump at the idea that he would be both Warden and ANBU Sennin-- rather he simply implied that the two are logically connected regardless of what he wanted. It was the better way to come at such a suggest. That way he was not asking for more power. Rather he simply made it clear that the jurisdiction of the two positions was ultimately nothing but a technicality anyway. "Running the prison would also grant easy opportunities for learning things such as interrogation techniques."

Then Sousuke proceeded to ask a strange question about the biological nature of ancients. Specifically, if they were capable of having children. The answer was, of course, yes. Not all ancients had preferred the comfort of a spiritual form as Mikaboshi had during his reign. He knew that other ancients had preferred physical bodies to give those that followed them a clear avatar to devote their thoughts to. Mikaboshi had preferred to keep members of his court guessing and had been partial to a malleable spirit form which he could change the shape of at his desire. But that did not mean that he had not in the past taken physical form before. The Hand had not often wondered at the origin of his kind, even with his ancient memory he could seldom remember a time before the elemental courts ruled, but he knew that if ancients so desired they could create spawn with each other or with humans, if an ancient were to desire such a coupling.

"It is possible, yes. There have been times in the past where even I thought to create a more powerful vanguard for my court by siring half-breed offspring." Explained the new ANBU Sennin, his voice unsentimental as he spoke. He supposed that members of his now surely diluted bloodline could still exist in the human world of today but he had not cared for his children in ancient days and did not have any intention of beginning now. Still, Mikaboshi made a mental note to catalogue any names he came across in his new position which might be distantly related to him. Blood was a powerful thing in both mortals and ancients and such ties were not something that could be totally ignored. If he found someone that might be a threat to him in that way... well. They would have to be awfully useful to outweigh their danger. "And it is equally possible for us to create spawn with other ancients, should the need or desire arise."

Mikaboshi wondered what Sousuke was getting at. There was no question in his mind that both Fuujin and Homura had daughters. Similar to himself, both of them had gone out of their way to sire demi-ancients for lack of a better term. When the first ancient had done it, all of the others had responded in kind to keep the balance from being tipped. While most of the demi-ancients were simply humans with stronger bodies, some inherited extraordinary powers from their parent and the value of an agent which was mostly expendable but possessed the powers of an ancient was great. So truthfully, they had many children. But he also knew that Fuujin and Homura had cared nothing for them just as he had. Moving to where Sousuke was showing off the tome that he'd been translating, Mikaboshi narrowed his eyes behind his mask. What had Sousuke found? Further, what information could he have found regarding either of the other ancients which Mikaboshi did not already possess? Interested, indeed.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke listened well to Mikaboshi's advice on the nature of the appointments. Sousuke picked up that Mikaboshi didn't directly ask for the appointment, merely he made the two jobs as one. It made sense, but Sousuke had one minor concern that the job may be too all encompassing, but as Mikaboshi had said earlier he was an Ancient. The Steward accepted this and agreed. "Very well."<i></i> He would say at first. "I would be wary though of the mysteries within the Prison. That structure has stood for a long time, and it was the practice of old that one person be trained in order to deal with the building's ... effects. That is not to say that the person who was Warden lacked an apprentice. If you are going to bring in the ANBU, I would ask that you be cautious. The building's effects are strenuous and I am concerned for your sake as well... should you go into an unconscious state and your shell needs dire repairs, it would take me some time to acquire access. I would not want undo harm to come to you. Ancient you may be but some things are indeed older than you. Few they may be, but you get the point."<i></i> Sousuke nodded his head. Mikaboshi mattered him in ways that the Ancient may not have understood. Their relationship was complex, it wasn't friendship or a mentorship but it was something of mutual concern for the health and welfare of the other.

Mikaboshi described how he sired some 'children', but the way it came across seemed very different. Sousuke found this strange as his relationship with his father and mother was one of natural love and affection. In the case of Mikaboshi it seemed that his relationships with his offspring was one of an experimental nature which was anything but loving or nurturing. It seemed as if Mikaboshi was trying to breed an army. It made sense that he would use his own offspring as they were bound to him by blood. "I would think that you would have a sort of blood bind over your offspring so as to make sure if they did not go rogue or try to unseat you."<i></i> Sousuke concluded. "I digress... at any rate this prophecy details a particular daughter of Fuujin or Homura. From what I understand ... the First Men sealed her away after they had defeated Fuujin and Homura. This text details her return and how she will bring about an end to our civilization. What worries me is that she is a Twilight elemental. So she is infused with aspects of light and shadow... you of course represent the shadow in its rawest form. I would think she would have gained such an affinity from being corrupted from the years of being sealed, darkness can come from a host of things. This of course brings me to this question. Due to her nature as a Twilight Element, being of both light and dark natures, is her capacity beyond the Black Blade or yourself?"<i></i>

 

[Mikaboshi]

Older than I? I'm counting on it. Thought Mikaboshi as Seitoshi warned him of the danger inherit with the power source of the Obsidian Palace. Surely Mikaboshi already knew that it was dangerous. The deeper into the Palace on descended the closer to the source they would come and the greater the threat to their life would grow. None still lived which could tell truthful tales of what the Source was but Mikaboshi had several guesses. He was older than most things still in the Wind Country and there were few things which predated him by any large margin. He was after all the former lord of the Deep Court. But if what was imprisoned deep beneath the Palace was what he expected to find... well. Things would certainly get much more interesting.

It struck the Ancient as odd that Sousuke audibly voiced his concern for the well-being of his captive servant. Mikaboshi would certainly not consider him a friend-- the Lord of Shadows had no "friends" --nor would he consider him family or anything of the sort. Sousuke, odd as he was, was still only human. Only a pink monkey that had usupred his kind's place in the world. But more than that, he was a human that was descended from men that gladly served the Sunahoshi whom were the men that had betrayed him. Rather than freeing their ally from his prison, the first Sunahoshi had chosen instead to lock Mikaboshi away. Whether it was because he feared the Ancient's release from the sword or if he truly intended to simply see Mikaboshi removed from the picture to smooth the way for his underground city which had been developed since then, he cared little. The reason was immaterial. The fact was that they had made a pact and the Sunahoshi had broken it. While Mikaboshi was a creature naturally predisposed to twisting words and misleading others, he found lies to be abhorrent. An outright lie was as close to a sin as his mind could conceive and thus he disallowed himself from telling them. Even now when he had misled Sousuke into thinking Hotaru had betrayed him, everything he had told him had been a version of the truth. Hotaru had attacked Mikaboshi in the street for reasons unknown and by proxy that meant she had betrayed Sousuke. The rest was simply speculation on Mikaboshi's part. He had no way of knowing if she believed the Steel Throne behind the murders, but it was a safe theory considering all in the Sand Village knew that Mikaboshi served Sousuke to the letter.

Eyeing Sousuke as the Steward commented on whether or not Mikaboshi would bind his offspring to prevent them from rising against him, Mikaboshi silently commended him on his pragmatism. Yes, of course Mikaboshi had ensured that his children would never rise against him. But he had not done so with such an obvious mechanic as a blood seal. Such magic could be defeated or dispelled. If a child of his were ambitious enough-- and naturally they were his children after all, why wouldn't they be? --they would simply find a way around his spell-binding. No, rather he had raised them with ideals of honor and loyalty. While they were taught to believe that all others were merely playthings to them, his children were reared with the understanding that noble members of the Deep Court were sacred. It was only together that they stood against the other courts and his children were raised to understand that to weaken any other member of the noble court only served to weaken them all. All of which was absolutely true. If the Deep Court showed weakness, it commonly came under assault from the Earth and Flame Courts-- both of which shared territory in the underground with the Deep Court. There was the tacit understanding that the Deep Court made the rules in the underground world but that did not stop Earth and Flame from testing Deep's might from time to time.

Ah. Mikaboshi thought as Sousuke elucidated on the topic of the mystery daughter. The text did indeed remark upon how she would be the end of human civilization-- it took Mikaboshi a great deal of self-control not to instantly correct Sousuke's usage of the phrase "our civilization" --but it did not say how or why. It interested him greatly. Prophecy and such topics as fate and destiny were fickle. It was not impossible to know or predict the future; there had been Ancients which were quite knowledgeable in such topics in the past but navigating the pathways of the future was treacherous. Typically speaking, events were of two natures: Fixed and fluid. Fluid events tended to be things of the every day nature such as whether or not one brushed their teeth in the morning or if they arrived on time for a meeting. These things affect few in the time stream making them easy to adjust and thus termed 'fluid'. Fixed events were events which could not be avoided. Usually things of massive scale that could affect thousands or millions of lives, fixed events were both humongous in scale and dangerous to even know were coming. Even if one possessed the ability to manipulate time enough to transport themselves to the time of the happening and prevent it, the ways of fate would only provide for another way for the event to come to pass. In layman's terms, they were impossible to truly prevent. Perhaps forestall but never prevent. And that was where the danger truly lie. The knowledge of a fixed event's impending impact combined with the concrete fact that no matter what one did it would be impossible to stop had driven greater beings than men insane in the past. And even so, speaking a little more mundanely than what sort of temporal event this "end of the world" would be, "End" could mean lots of things. It could simply refer to an end to the way things were currently. It was impossible to say.

"I would caution you on attempting to predict the future Sousuke. Such are the pursuits of the foolish and the soon-to-be insane." Mikaboshi remarked, though he had to admit that he was fascinated by the concept of a twilight aligned being. He knew of them, of course. They were half-breeds. Things such as couplings between members of the Sky and Deep Courts could produce them on occasion. When Light and Dark came together, it was not always for war. That memory of course brought to mind a painful memory for Mikaboshi, one that had buried for some time and with an inaudible snarl on his lips he buried it once more. He never wished to think any further on the subject. But it seemed as if the universe looked to put it in his path no matter his course. For a moment, he considered his words to Sousuke and thought on their relevance to his own path. "Her nature is not the question. If she has darkness in her, she is-- in part at least --a creature which belongs to me. That is not something so easily put aside. But it is possible that her power will exceed mine as things stand now. I am not the being that I once was."

He left off with a warning for Sousuke. If he came to blows with this twilight offspring of a Court Lord, Mikaboshi would not be able to simply overpower her. Perhaps once upon a time her dark nature would have given him enough leverage on her to force her to kneel before him with a gesture but he was too diminished from what he once was. Too atrophied. He would help Sousuke fight as was his duty but his power over darkness would not alone ensure Sousuke a victory.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Mikaboshi's wisdom as usual was indispensible. Predicting the future and trying to read it was a sort of maddening business. Sousuke tapped his fingers along the spine of the tome. Did the Ancient know this from experience or was it merely history repeating itself? Indeed a many number of writers who wrote such tomes and prophetic poetry suffered from some sort of mental break down. Some committed suicide due to the simple fact that they did not want to be present for such dark times. The Steward would heed the ancient's words, thought he was troubled on the concept of visions or dreams. "What does one do when they begin seeing visions? I've always wondered."<i></i> Was it possible to put a sealing technique into one's subconscious to block out these sort of things? Maybe it was some sort lost technique. "When you created the original black blade, did you create it because you could or was it a dream of power?"<i></i> The Steward wondered if Mikaboshi himself suffered from having visions.

When Mikaboshi detailed on the true nature of the supposed ancient daughter in question the Steward wondered. If she belonged to Mikaboshi, was this creature in part a past rogue child of his who had spawned with Fuujin or Homura? The Steward paused. "To you knowledge, did any of your offspring go rogue? Have you been able to trace your lineage to the present day? When you say that she belongs to you, do you mean this in a paternal sense or merely this is part of your element? I would think that this is the case of the latter, but anything can or will be ."<i></i> The Steward was full of questions when dealing with Mikaboshi. The ancient knew so much, and experienced such a large span of time. He had seen empires crumble. He had seen the fall of Homura and Fuujin to an extent. Imprisoned he was, but still he was a unique creature. There was always one question Sousuke had for Mikaboshi, that he dare not ask. Who created him of all things? Was Mikaboshi created by a being of a higher power? Was he self created? Was it sheer will? It was a wonder to think of the many options.

 

[Mikaboshi]

"I did not create the Black Blade. Before you, I was simply the last to wield it." Mikaboshi explained, his eyes falling to the semi-inert sword at Sousuke's hip. The Black Blade was an weapon of Ancient manufacture but not necessarily Mikaboshi's. If it had been something he'd created, the Black Blade would have been purely a shadow-aligned blade. It would have given the wielder sovereignty over the darkness in a limited fashion, not unlike Mikaboshi's own powers. But instead, the Black Blade had been created by a noble-blooded member of the Flame Court which had crossed Mikaboshi. The Lord of Deep Shadow had slain the offender and taken from his corpse the sword which he would later become known for. As he thought on it, Mikaboshi could not even remember the name of the foolish Flame noble which had so brought upon himself the ire of the King Under the Sands but he remembered the day he had taken the sword from him. The Black Blade was unlike most other mortal weapons. Though it did not possess a true mind of it's own, within it's nexus of bound power swam an unconscious instinct not unlike that of an animal. In that regard, the Black Blade did not truly think for itself but it could feel and relate that to it's owner. It could feel and hunger and hate but only in limited fashions. "I do not know who among the Flame Court it was that forged it or why. As for why I'd claimed it... it's previous master had thought to offer me insult and paid for it with both his life and his blade."

There was some irony in the fact that Mikaboshi had paid very much the same price when Fuujin had defeated him. He had not been truly slain, not like the Flame noble had been, but for the last couple thousand years he might as well have been dead. Sealed within a sword and kept within a vault, Mikaboshi had been kept away from the world at large and corralled into the darkness by himself. Being the creature that he was, Mikaboshi held no fear or hatred of the dark. Not truly. But being alone for so long can be maddening, even for a being as long-lived as an Ancient. Hearing his response to the question of the sword, Sousuke asked then if any of Mikaboshi's children had gone rogue.

"With all due respect, I have been serving at your side since my release from the sword. You'll understand if I have not had the time to pursue the places that destiny has taken my descendants." He remarked. Mikaboshi had free time, certainly. He was not always at the beckoned call of the Steward-Kazekage. But such an endeavor... to trace a bloodline through thousands of years of history-- much of which was literally considered to be myth and legend in today's day and age --was a titanic task. Even if he had months, years even at his disposal it was not certain that he would be able to track a bloodline through archived history. He had a few guesses and would certainly know any descendants of his by their auras but he had only been released for so long and hand-investigating every possible lead which could be a descendant of his was a task that still might take decades. "It is not something to easily explain. Humans experience things like the elements in too limited of a scope to truly understand. For Ancients, the element we resonate with is not simply a part of us. It is who we are. When I say that she is mine, she is not simply capable of wielding the shadow element. It is a part of her which makes her a part of me and vice versa. Unfortunately, such a connection is beyond the human capacity to comprehend fully."

 

[Takahashi Aki]

Sousuke nodded as he listened to the story of the black blade Mikaboshi. Mikaboshi always had excellent stories to tell. "You must tell me the full story of your encounter. Once you are well of course."<i></i> The Steward was already looking forward to the story. The Ancient was full of wonder and mystery. Little by little Sousuke began to learn from him more and more. The Steward would not inquire much about the downfall of the Ancient, as he felt that it would wound Mikaboshi's pride. It was always best to have a working relationship with such a creature Sousuke thought.

The statement Mikaboshi had spoken of earlier, that he was an ancient seemed to have some sort of limit. The Steward shook his head. He had perhaps expected too much of him in some regard. "I apologize Lord Mikaboshi. It was a bit much of me to ... "<i></i> He paused. It wasn't an expectation. "Inquire so much of you so rapidly and so personally."<i></i> Again he did not desire to wound the pride of so great a being. The Ancient didn't seem hurt at least an emotional way. Both Mikaboshi were alike in that regard. They wouldn't reveal emotional injuries. What next came concerned the Steward. The relationship between the two. Again the Steward attempt to have some form of understanding. At the very least he had some basic foundation. In that he came to a sort of sickening facts. "I know you are above petty emotions, but does it disgust you that share such a relationship with this questionable foe? If we were to vanquish her ... you wouldn't be undoing yourself would you? If so ... I would sooner contain her in something such as the Black Shell. Perhaps then we could have you siphon strength from her. A wild and weird concept to be assured, but just a thought. Does this function within your realm of possibility or am I getting a head of myself? I am doing my utmost to ... attempt a minor understanding of such an advanced topic. Not that I am ... trying to be above what I am, merely reach an ... accord of events to come that would be most beneficial to the both of you. Mutual destruction isn't at all favourable."<i></i>

 

[Mikaboshi]

"As I said... my relation to the element of shadow and my Ancient kin is more complicated than your words will allow me to express. If she is a shadow-aligned Ancient then she and I are svihelen. The closest translation to your common tongue I can think of is "family". But that suggests certain human connections which are ephemeral to us." Mikaboshi attempted to continue explaining the connection that he held to other Ancients of the Shadow alignment. As far as he knew, he was the greatest of them-- just as Fuujin had been the greatest of the Light Ancients. Also the last, Mikaboshi reminded himself reservedly. When Fuujin had destroyed him, to his knowledge Fuujin had also destroyed his court and most of his people. "It is unfortunate but your language lacks sufficient definition to explain what I am attempting to relate to you. To answer your question though, no. To destroy this child would not diminish my own power but I would never stoop to consuming the essence of another Ancient. To do so would be to become a monster of the most terrifying sort."

Mikaboshi referred to a beast that once walked the dunes of Wind Country by the name of Tarasque. Formerly the Ancient of the Wild Hunt, Tarasque was the predation perfected. The ultimate taker of lives. And it was he who was the patron of other such creatures in the nature world. Wolves, wasps, spiders-- even the mighty Sandworms took their predatory nature from Tarasque. Even beings such as Mikaboshi, creatures that fed upon the life essence of mortals and spirits, took from old Tarasque. But as the years went by, something in him changed for the worst. He began to hunt and crave the spiritual essences of other Ancients and eventually went so far beyond that as to become a metaphoric black hole. He ate and ate, hunted without limit and butchered any that came across him. He carved an indiscriminate swath of destruction and death through the Wind Country which began to threaten the very balance of nature. Eventually Tarasque was defeated by the most powerful of the Court Lords; Homura, Fuujin and Suna and had his heart ripped from him to keep it from eternally resurrecting himself. Mikaboshi had never discovered what they had done with Tarasque's heart but not for his lack of trying or interest.

"It is abhorrent amongst us to consume the essence of an immortal. We were born to hunt mortals. Not each other." Mikaboshi concluded to Sousuke. Though they warred among themselves constantly, no Ancient before or after Tarasque had consumed the essence of another as it had been decreed by the Great Three that any who tried would be subject to their wrath for fear that another Tarasque might be born. For his part, Mikaboshi had never considered it before Tarasque's rampage and certainly wanted no part of it following it. Though he desired the power of Tarasque's immortal heart, he did not wish the insanity that had clearly overtaken the former Ancient's sensibilities. To give up his mind was simply too high of a price for power for Mikaboshi.

 

[Takahashi Aki]

The Steward no matter how hard he tried to understand the culture or mannerisms of the ancients always came up short. He was most appreciative for Mikaboshi's explanations. What Sousuke thought was best for Mikaboshi was actually the absolute worst thing imaginable. Even in human cultures cannibalism was not acceptable at least four out of five times. "If in any way I offended you with my ignorance, I am sorry."<i></i> The Steward meant what he said, even if he did not sound sincere. The Steward closed the tome which he had been reading from and decided it was best to put the ponderous reading to rest.

"By tomorrow morning, I'll make the announcement formal. I hope by that time you will be well. No doubt a speech will be expected of you, I can't say that I myself enjoy giving them."<i></i> The Steward took a few steps up on a small ladder to put away the tome. "Things are expected of us ... individuals in high places. You of course probably aren't all that concerned really... as you are capable of expressing yourself better than I ever can. Something I envy truly."<i></i> The Steward was silent for a time. He was contemplating the particulars of his own minor speech he would have to give. The particulars of Hotaru's situation would be difficult to convey. Clarity would be of the absolute utmost importance. "Best to handle this in the morning. Recover your health. Attend to your shell."<i></i> The Steward nodded and permitted the ancient to leave to do as he was advised to.

[Topic concluded]