Private Straightening the path (Kiri and Take)

[Uchiha Asuka]

The villagers seemed a bit startle at the Kimono wearing red-head appearing and dissapearing all over the village. She seemed to be looking for something, or someone. A look of annoyance on her face. It hadn't been long since she had returned from her little trip with Shushuke and what a revelation she had given. Students claiming the high honor of stupidity incarnate, but not the usual kind of stupidity. The "This might kill me" kind of stupidity. As she clinched her teeth, moving from apartment complex, to the hokage faces, the arena, random buisnesses she looked and looked.

Finally, at her FAVORITE dango shop she found one of the boys. Take. In line waiting for his turn to order. Well. Not this time. In a moments notice she grabbed the boy hard from the ear. "You're coming with me brat." She simply said as she teleported out of the shop with the kid. Not letting go of his ear she didn't speak as she teleported again and again looking for her other student. Finally, she went to the residential areas and started looking there. From there it didn't take long to find the other one, training in the forest. With one last teleport she grabbed Kiriyomi just as hard from the ear. As if she was about to scold both of them. "As if you train hard." She clicnhed her teeth, teleporting once more.

They would end up into what looked like an empty basement, quite large in size. There were a couple of small windows letting light come in but most of it from the lighbulbs in the ceiling. There were red markings all over the floor. To the trained eye they were two different circles, each marking representing a different sign. It seemed to be a sealing ritual. Asuka finally threw the boys unto the floor, letting go of their ears. Pinching her nose in annoyance she started. "What the hell were you thinking?" She said looking at both of them, anger and dissapointment in her face. "It's like the word 'forbidden' is an invitation to you idiots." Giving a long annoyed sigh she went over to a earby table as she started writing on small sheets of chakra paper. "Do you think it makes you special? Do you think some techniques are sealed of because we don't like how it looks? That nothing has a price?" Her annoyance made her mess up one of the papers as she grumbled in frustration, crumbled it and threw it to the side.

(Summoning Take and Kiriyomi)

 

[Ōtakemaru]

Today was not a good day for Take.

He wanted to challenge his mother to a spar. At first, it was a spur-of-the-moment thought, but as time passed by, he came to realize that he couldn’t just reveal his Cursed Seal to her – and yet, it had made him stronger than ever before… and he wanted to appear strong and skilled in front of her. Maybe she’d smile and nod at him, saying stuff like ‘you really are my son’ or ‘I am so proud of you’.

And not scoffs about how he’d be very likely to die in service due to his ineptitude.

Instead, he found her at home in a drunken stupor, quite a frail shadow of her former self upon first glance. The sight of her in such a state sent shivers down his spine, and he’d be far better off just spending the rest of the day outside, far away from her judgement. There was something about her gaze that was pure torture to him… something so condescending about her that he couldn’t bear to experience right now.

Dango would likely calm his heart, but fate wouldn’t have any of it today. As if a jumpscare, his ear suddenly felt very, very painful – before he could even let out a voice-cracking cough, he heard the voice of an annoyed woman adamant on taking him with her. It happened so fast, but he kept confusingly cry: “W-Wait, wait! What’s wrong?! Why are you pulling me- p-please, stop!”

At some point, he found himself inside an empty room, but details were blurry for the young swordsman whose breath had begun to hasten. He didn’t know who the kimono-clad redhead was, but she looked and sounded like a superior to him… but with his gaze fixed to the ground, he didn’t even give himself a chance to recognize her.

"It's like the word 'forbidden' is an invitation to you idiots."

… D-Did she know… about the Cursed Seal he had? Was that why he was here? Realizing that made his hands shake, even while flat on the ground supporting his body along with his knees. He didn’t want to lose it. He didn’t want to lose it. Please don’t take it away from him. He was nothing without it.

“Do you think it makes you special? Do you think-”

Special?

SPECIAL?

If she wanted to know what this Cursed Seal made him feel… it made him forget. It numbed his mind from his past, like alcohol did at times. At least, like alcohol did for his parents. It didn't make him feel special, it made him feel normal! Acceptable! That his life had an iota of something!

It made him feel that he could be something he knew he would never become… and he felt that this woman was about to take that away from him. He felt defensive, like he needed to protest, like he needed to oppose. It was cursed, right? Cursed things often took more than just chakra away from their hosts, right? It could take all it wanted from him! If its price was this worthless husk, then by all means, take it! He was in the right, right?! His mother was in the right, right?! His father was in the right, right?!

SO WHY DID HE COWER SO MUCH?!

All he did now was hold the back of his head with both hands and press his face to the ground as if to physically beckon her to stop scolding him. Despite all of his inner arguments, why did he feel so… guilty…?

If one were to listen closely to what he was mumbling to the floor... he'd be spewing a disk on repeat: "I-I'm not special, I'm not special, I'm not special, I'm not special, I'm not good... not good enough... n-not without it..."

[Topic Entered]

 

[Kiriyomi]

Kiriyomi woke that day with a heavy heart. He had spent some time with Itsuki-ojiisan and it had made him rethink the choices he had made recently in his life. Staring down at his hand, regret began coursing through him. He had yet to activate the Curse Seal, and maybe that was for the better. It was a forbidden technique, one that could have killed him, and yet he had carelessly thrown himself right into its path. Why? Unable to come to terms with that answer, he snuck outside and began hammering a tree in the forest. Punching it over and over until his knuckles came away bloody, and even then he kept punching. He was just about to give up and go back inside when suddenly his ear got a sharp jerk and all he heard was, "As if you train hard." Wait a second, that sounded like Asu-

Before he can finish the thought, Kiri finds himself standing somewhere else. A sudden wave of nausea passes over him as he falls to his knees and vomits all over the floor. What just happened? He was just sitting in the forest a moment ago, and now he was in a dark room with what appeared to be blood smeared along the floors. Tears began filling his eyes as he looked around for an explanation, falling on Take beside him. Wait... did someone learn what they did? Were they going to be punished now? "It's like the word 'forbidden' is an invitation to you idiots." There it was again, that familiar voice! Glancing up, Kiri sees a blurred figure with red hair standing before a table, and recognition finally sets in.

"Do you think it makes you special?"

No... It made me stronger. I was so weak, I couldn't protect anyone. I couldn't stop Shusuke-sama from getting hurt during that mission, and had that sheet of obsidian gone just a few inches to the side, it would have cleaved Keniwa clean in half. I'm not strong enough to help my mother get through the loss of Oto-san. I just ran away when things got hard, and took the easy way out. I thought that my life was worthless and that I could make use of it if I just saved even one person... But what if the seal went wrong, and I ended up hurting someone? Would I be able to live with the blood of someone's child, and innocent, on my hands? How could I think that it was okay to do anything so stupid?

Kiri looks up, snot dripping from his nose, tears pouring down his face. Instead of the brave facade he normally wears around the village, he now looks like the child that he is. "Please Asuka-sama! Help me! I don't want to hurt anyone, I don't want this seal anymore! Take it off of me, get it out of my body, please just save me!"


[Topic Entered]
[MFT: 488]

 

[Uchiha Asuka]

As she finished her seals Asuka clinched her teeth. Both broke down. Really? That's all it took? Just a couple of words about being special? At this point she might need to require tracking seals on each of the students to keep track of their stupidity. Looking at their reaction made her even angrier. She hadn't even started with them. As she continued with her seals she simply shook her head. It wouldn't be enough to simply take it away. No, no. They deserved something way worse.

"Not good enough? That's what this is about? Power? Willing to through your life away for power?" Moving over to Take, a combination between sadness and dissapointment in her face. She understood the why, didn't mean she agreed or was even going to let it go. As she looked down upon the boy she slapped him as hard as she could. Not enough to knock him out of course. "News flash you idiot! No one is special. Not you, not Kiriyomi, not me. Not even the freaking Hokage." She used a firm finger to poke him in his chest. "We shinobi already have a short life expectancy thanks to the dangerous line of work we place ourselves in." She shook her head. "But you're willing to have a pointless death? Is that how little your life is worth to you? So little that you are willing to gain a little bit of power at the ultimate cost." She clinched her teeth, her already unstable mind leeting her emotions get to her. Her Sharingan blazing into life. "Why do you think they call it the ultimate cost? Because it sounds fancy? You only get one life. ONE. Do you know what happens when you die?" She waited a few moments, glaring at the boy. "Done. Finnito. Fade to black. Nothingness. Oblivion. You're dead!" She started slapping different seals on his back on a star pattern. "All the beautiful things life has to offer WASTED because you have an inferiority complex." She gave a slight giggle, pinching her nose. "You think you're the only one that has problems? That you're idiotic compex is so overwhelming that life isn't worth it. Well, let me tell you." She took a deep breath, getting inches from his face. "I watched my family get torn apart. I watched my daughter DIE!" Her lip quivered at the thought for an instant. "You're problems aren't that big. Look forward, not backwards. Or I swear I'll end it for you so you free up some space for those that DO WANT TO LIVE!"

"Stop your sobbing. I got no sympathy for stupidity." Moving over to Kiriyomi she kicked him on the side. "You didn't think about that before?" She could guess what he was talking about based upon his reaction. She had seen her plenty of times. More than once she stood in the same predicament he was. "Did you think WHY it's called a cursed mark? Because it's CURSED you dimwit." She janked him back unto his knees as she started slapping seals on his back, same as Take. "Hey, I'm Kiriyomi. I know better than everyone else." She said mockingly. "I'm not going to ask any of my teachers if it's a good idea. Or help me make it safe for those around me." She shook her head in dsigust. "What if you killed someone? How would that weigh in your conciense? Over what? A feeling of usefulness?" She crouched down. Hard poking his belly as she spoke. "You think I got to where I am because I'm special? That I didn't have to work for it?" Standing back up she huffed. Scracthing her head. "Every action has a consequence. You train, you get tired but get stronger. You take a SHORTCUT gain power but risk hurting others or YOURSELF." She laughed as she looked at him. "It's like common sense got thrown out the window. I swear you idiots are gonna be the death of me."

"You do idiotic, stupid, dagerous SHIT and I have to clean it up." She stood above them. Arms crossed. "If you want to die. Tell me. I'll kill you both without breaking a sweat." She promised. "And best thing is I didn't take any shortcuts. Otherwise, show me your marks. I have to see if I'm even going to be able to remove them."

 

[Ōtakemaru]

Some would say that she had an obvious point to make… they’d be right. In hindsight, why did Take accept the Cursed Seal with such short notice? Was it because of his ignorance? Was it because of his age and the challenges that it brought? Was it really because of his pain?

He was quick, as always, to deduce the cause of his problems – himself. He knew that the Cursed Seal wouldn’t come without a price, but he didn’t think that it’d kill him after a while. Why did he think that? He couldn’t answer that question if you asked him… one thing was for certain, it wasn’t out of arrogance.

If his mum was here, she’d definitely be laughing at his face right now. His cursed mind couldn’t help but assume the same look on Asuka’s face upon raising his head u-

*SLAP!!!!!*

… W-What… what was that? He couldn’t feel tears gathering at the corners of his eyes anymore, they flew off with the sudden slap from Asuka. It… it hurt like hell. What was that sound? Like a dying radio ingrained inside of his skull, just ringing constantly… why did she slap him? Was… was that honestly his first question? Had Take really lost his mind to ask himself such a silly question? Why did she slap him? He expected poison, the same kind that his mother dealt him over and over and over again – not this… this… whatever this feeling was. He’d stopped crying, his eyes were widened in shock but his body had stopped shaking. Why had he never felt like this before?

… Mhm… was that how little his life was worth to him? What a heavy question. He thought that the answer was obvious – yes, obviously, he was reminded so all the time. While cowardly to blame one or two people for his problems, a child was impressionable – if it was told so convincingly from the moment he was able to wield a blade, then Take had simply taken it as a fact. That he was that worthless… ouch, why did she slap him so hard? Who would slap someone as worthless as him that roughly? Why did she sound so worried about him?

She reminded him that he had a life. That all he knew… wasn’t what actually was. His conviction about his life – a dumb lie he’d imposed upon himself for one reason or another. His worth – as a living being, invaluable. His problem – just a mere inferiority complex gone nuts. His chest was squeaking, it hurt to be belittled like that, but she followed up by mentioning what she had been through, and his pain couldn’t compare to that. He had no choice but to remain quiet, since he was at fault here… again, quick to blame himself before anyone else.

Quick to blame… himself. Maybe that was his biggest problem, in the end. That he kept drawing problems back to himself each and every time – even things that were way beyond his control. He didn’t choose his parents. He didn’t choose to be a Nanjirou. He didn’t choose to be a slow learner. Just as angry as the redhead was at him, why… wasn’t he angry, likewise? Angry at those who doubted him? Using that anger to drive himself? Using that anger to live? It was an emotion, after all – he, and all other humans, lived by emotions in the end. And what an emotional wreck he was.

“Your problems aren't that big. Look forward, not backwards.”

“Are you… telling me to go against my parents?”

His voice was low, but without the sobbing from earlier, it was clear and sharp enough to hear. He sounded so confused – Asuka was telling him all sorts of things that contradicted the view on life that he’d been fed this entire time. Who should he believe? Obviously the one who actually worried about him, right?! Well, tell that to a mentally wrecked 13-year old like him, then!!! Shit, logic… his logic was so skewered. His heart, in the end, was still shaking. Why was he sounding defensive about his parents? Why did he even bring them up? Wasn’t this all his fault? Yes, according to him! YES, OBVIOUSLY! ALL OF HIS PROBLEMS – MIND YOU, HIS PROBLEMS – WERE BECAUSE OF HIM! RIGHT?!?!?!?

Now they were going to get involved in all of this as well, and that was the last thing he wanted… what made him open his mouth about that?

And there it was. Death. It glared him straight into his eyes with those red, illustrious Sharingan, promising him an end to all things. An end to his life. An end… the end… nothing would linger behind. Nothing would follow him. His parents would be free of a fai-f-f-f-f-

With all of his troubled feelings, with all of his chaotic trouble, he slowly lifted his right hand and removed the wrist guard and the black glove. He didn’t look nearly as sad as before… something got to him with her slap earlier, but he was still too shocked by the whole ordeal to realize it. He wasn’t going to say anything else, he wasn’t going to utter a word… he was just going to suffer the consequences of his actions in the only way he wanted to. He was guilty, so the Cursed Seal had to go. And if there was a future for him… then certainly it’d be a cruel one. Perhaps a devastating life awaited him. Nothing was guaranteed, but… he felt like he was going the right direction…

…

T-The mark had faded? His eyes widened in dreadful fear once more, clearly aware that it wasn’t meant to look like this. It used to be a solid black, but this was barely grey, it was almost looking like a really, really faint birth mark at this point. His arm began to shiver, and so did his face – the feeling of not knowing what was happening to him almost sent him hyperventilating. Why was he hyperventilating? He didn’t care about his life, did he?!

“W-Why am I… p-p-pa-pani-panic…”

His body had already gone through so much to adapt to the Cursed Seal. Branching into his vessels, through his veins, and all over his body... the energy that it composed of - cursed, usually detrimental energy - had a singular purpose deep inside of his self. To live through him- no, it was him. It lived, and so he lived. It grew stronger, and so he too did. It was clear from his increased musculature, his increased vitality, and his regenerative prowess from days past - but how come he hadn't noticed it up until now?

 

[Kiriyomi]

As Asuka begins to berate Take, Kiriyomi curls into a ball and continues to sob and plead for her to help him. He doesn't hear anything that she says to Take, his sobs echoing in his ears as she berates the boy sitting beside him. Kiri tries to look around the room, but the water falling from his eyes still blurs everything around him. He sees Asuka move swiftly towards Take and an arm strike out, causing him to cower away from her. She hadn't been so mean and violent the last time he had seen her; sure, she'd thrown a tea cup at Shusuke's head. But the boy had asked for it, storming in and calling her a hag.

Suddenly there's a sharp and intense pain in his side as Asuka kicks Kiri in the ribs, and he feels something snap beneath his skin. Crying out in pain, the boy curls even tighter into a ball, trying to make himself as small as possible. Why was she being so violent towards them? He was begging her for help, and this was how she responded? He understands that he'd made a mistake; perhaps he did deserve to have the lesson literally beat into his head. He certainly wasn't planning on going back out and getting cursed again after this encounter. Asuka jerks him up to his knees and jabs him in the stomach, mocking him and asking how he'd feel if he had killed someone. His mind flashes to his friends, Akio and Keniwa, and the thought of his hand through their chest as he feels their lifeblood pouring out all over his arm. The image is so vivid that he screams, clutching his head and pulling at his hair.

A sudden searing and burning pain tears through his hand as the Cursed Seal finally activates, and Kiri gasps as his rib reattaches itself and the pain fades away. Staring at his arm as the mark slowly crawls up his body, the Aburame boy is filled with a sense of dread. It finally happened; he had been unable to activate it throughout all of his training, and now, before the previous Hokage it finally shows itself. If anyone would be able to stop it and help him, it should be her. But all logic flies out of his mind seeing the black marks marring his skin, and his Kikai suddenly swarm out of his body and form the boy's left arm. Turning it on himself, the ants all turn their mandibles outward, and Kiri slashes down at his arm with the prosthetic. Slashing his own arm, attempting to practically peel off the seal, Kiri screams in both terror and pain. Over and over he slashes at his arm and hand, blood pouring down his body and staining his clothes as his tears mix with the blood and skin he is tearing off his own body. If not stopped, he would continue to mutilate his own body until there was nothing left but a stump.

 

[Uchiha Asuka]

This is why Asuka was better at dealing with brats like this. She had a lot more patience than her. The feeble mind of the child wasn't something she had the tolerance for. But the voice screaming in her head to help them just wouldn't leave her alone. If it wasn't for her she would have left when Takeshi gave her the choice. At an annoyed sigh she looked over at Take. "I'm telling you to be your own person." She shook her head at him as he revealed his hand. Alarms went in her head as soon as she saw the mark had faded. That wasn't supposed to happen.

Grabbing his arm she studied it for a few moments as the other child continued crying. Oh no, this was bad. She could feel the energy coming out of him but there wasn't a lot of markings. Which meant one of two things. Either someone else had removed it and this was just the residuals or.... she clinched her teeth. "You've used it quite a bit, huh." She sighed as she dragged Take by the back od his shirt to one of the circles. "Thanks to your stupidity I won't be able to remove your mark. It has actually become a part of your chakra nodes. If I remove it... at best you won't use Chakra again. At worst 'll kill you." Using hand signs she encased Take's arms in crystal to keep him from moving much. "Best I can do is make sure you don't accidentally kill yourself. God you are dumb." She shook her head. "This is an opportunity for you. To change. To become who you want to be. To be owner of your desti-" She didn't get to finish as she finally heard the sounds of skin ripping, the smell of blood.

Turning her head around she clinched her teeth. What the hell was wrong with these idiots? Within a swift move Asuka grabbed Kiriyomi's prosthetic hand. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" She screamed at him. Making sure he didn't continue. Looking over at the damage she quickly placed hand on the hurt arm. Using a basic medical jutsu to at least be able to take the mark out before he bled out. "Taking off your arm. Like that helps. Do you ever even think about what you're doing? THINK before you do. Decisions like that is how we die in the field." Shaking her head she dragged him towards the seconde circle. Following the same process she did with Take. "At least yours I can remove safely... but it will be painful." Once they were both secured Asuka would place her hands together, taking a deep breath. Chakra leaving her palms. On the right, a curse removal for Kiriyomi. She would finally be able to remove that thing. On her left hand, a sealing crest. This would help Take control his seal so it didn't go hay-wire at random. But it isn't perfect. If he willed it, he can unleash it.

Placing a hand on both their heads Asuka took another deep breath. "This will be painful for you both, but you must endure it. This is more for the sake of others and yourself than the power you so crave." As she started there was a light breeze cominf from Asuka. Finally, she released her chakra unto the boys, the circles turning red as the symbols started slimbing up their bodies.

Take would feel them bury deep within him, twisting and sealing off his Chakra nodes as they pulled and stretched the markings, absorbing the cursed mark unto itself. Becoming part of it. The nodes being sensible as they were would send a huge amount of pain through Take. His body screaming. It took a couple of minutes, the pain never lowering in intesity. In the end, different strikes of flames would cover Take's bodies. Signifying his curse had been sealed away.

Kiriyomi on the other hand would feel the opposite. As the symbols climbed up his body he would feel as the curse was ripped from him. No physical harm, but the feeling alone was if his skin was slowly ripped and taken. The curse mark slowly getting absorbed by the markings and ending up in Asuka's palm. Pain like this was intense, unimaginable. It also took a couple of minutes. Finally... it was over. As Asuka looked over her palm where she had taken out Kiriyomi's curse, there was a medium sized black ball. Giving off curse energy. Immediately grabbing one of her storage seals she quickly sealed it in. Using a small amount of chakra to burn the seal to dust.

With a sigh she started looking over the children. "You both were lucky I found out." She said standing up. Releasing them from the restraints. "Gods know what would have happened if I didn't."

 

[Ōtakemaru]

To be… his own person. His own person? So just… Take? He should just be… Take?

He was afraid. Very afraid. Ill thoughts of himself ran through his mind on a daily basis, and the being known as ‘Take’ was synonymous with many bad things. Yet here she was… a redhead kunoichi with a very familiar outline, demanding him to stick true to himself. What if he, the self she told him to be, was… no… maybe she didn’t care whether or not he was a failure or a success. Maybe she knew what he didn’t. Or maybe this was all a Genjutsu?

He stopped applying resistance upon her pulling him towards one of the circles created earlier. She mentioned that, due to his frequent use of the Cursed Seal, she wouldn’t be able to remove it from him… was he stuck with it, then? It really would kill him? He didn’t know any better than that, so it terrified him… but this was what he wished, right? It surely didn’t feel like he wished for any of this, however… he just wanted to be stronger…

… No… that was such a lie. He just wanted to see his mother smile at him again. But today’s events sealed his fate – such a thing would never happen. He would never be able to retrieve her motherly love again. He did this to himself.

His Cursed Seal had become part of his chakra nodes, and losing the ability to use chakra ever again began to sound like his atonement… but she… she tried a different path. To make sure that he wouldn’t accidently kill himself, she encased his arms in crystal along with the seals prepared. He offered no resistance to whatever she was planning to do – all that clouded his mind was regret. How easily he made things worse for himself, this one…

… Had Kiriyomi been trying to chop off his own arm? Why didn’t he stop the kid? Why was he…

Upon witnessing the symbols drawn on the floor and on them turning red, he began feeling like threads were yanked into his blood stream, poking at all of his pain receptors in the process. He gagged, then he squeaked, then he tried not to scream hysterically, but then he choked under his seemingly dying cries. His skin was on fire, leaving behind an everlasting mark of purgatory across his face… a deep, dark mark.

He was sweating after such intense pain rushing through his corpse, but upon being released, his mark began to grow again. The flame patterns glowed like hot lava and spread across his face and arms, as if he was giving it at first… but then the advance stopped. A complete standstill… and it retracted itself back. He couldn’t trace his Cursed Seal back beyond the flame pattern on his face and neck, however.

His chakra network was completely identical to that of the Cursed Seal, however. One who relied only on chakra vision wouldn’t have been able to distinguish between the seal and the swordsman’s own chakra at this point… which was an anomaly. And yet, Take still appeared to be himself, looking up at Asuka with widened eyes as if everything that had occurred awakened something tremendous in him. Not anger, but… clarity.

Why did his head feel so light all of a sudden? Instinctively, he brushed his hand over his hair, exposing more of the flame pattern that was the imprisoned source of today’s confrontation. It was all over… huh? No more Cursed Seal meant… he was back. Back to the old Take that he had tried to run away from. Back to his previous life… back to attempt what she insisted was the right thing to do. To just try his best. On his own.

It… felt wrong. Something felt so terribly wrong about all of this. What now? Who did he even want to be? What could he possibly beco-

“I’m s-sorry…”

Whatever living hell awaited him back home, he could take… but Asuka had done what she had to. And although his heart was on fire, in such deep pain, he couldn’t cry anymore. She said so herself – his problems weren’t that big. Hell, maybe they weren’t problems at all – maybe his life was just… meant to feel like this. It was his card dealt, and he should’ve rolled with it.

“I-I should’ve dealt with things… myself…”

WC: 738 [MFT]

 

[Kiriyomi]

Kiri wasn't paying attention as Asuka pulled Take into one of the circles, binding his arms in crystal before turning back to him. Instead, he was watching in horror as the skin on his arm regrew almost as quickly as he was cutting at it. Blood was pouring from the cuts as they healed and closed up, causing him to cut more frantically until finally his arm was pulled back. He looked up, his gaze distant, as Asuka grabbed his prosthetic arm. The Kikai would writhe in her grasp, but did not bite her. They could tell that their host was panicking and in trouble, but they couldn't quite identify the source. They could tell, however, that Asuka wasn't a threat; on some instinctual level, Kiriyomi knew this too and was silently willing them to remain calm in her grasp.

As he is pulled towards the other sealing circle, his mind flashes back to the day of his father's funeral. Hoshirei is standing before him, presumably sharing a message from his father. This anger is not like you, please don't let it consume your world. He can't help but continue to cry, but these tears are those of grief rather than pain. He had failed his father's last request, basking in his anger and looking for a shortcut to get stronger. He realizes now that the seal almost activated that day in the forest, when he allowed his Kikai to completely consume the bandit he had come across. There was a darkness fueling his actions that day, one that went deeper than his own anger towards his father's murderers. How could he allow himself to become so consumed, to the point that he would take someone's life without a second thought?

As caught up in his thoughts as he was, Kiri didn't hear Asuka's warning. A slight breeze blew from Asuka, catching him in the face and cooling his cheeks where his tears had stained them. Stopping for a moment and looking up into Asuka's eyes, Kiri sees her for the first time in that moment. Worry and anger both battling beneath the surface. She was concerned for them, truly, and was angry because they had both thrown their lives away. For what? A temporary strength that likely would shorten their lives, rendering them useless. A curse that could potentially harm them and those they cared about, if it took control of their minds and bodies as had almost happened to Kiriyomi that day. Seeing this and more in the former Hokage's gaze, Kiri hangs his head in shame as her hand approaches him.

Pain. Worse than when the seal was placed, wracking his body until it localizes onto his arm. His lower arm. His hand. The flesh being ripped off, regrown, then pulled off again. Then being slowly cut away, torn off in chunks, burned away, all different methods of pain that the boy was forced to endure. Biting his lip to keep from crying out again, he gasps as his teeth pierce through his bottom lip and blood fills his mouth, choking him. Then the screaming begins anew. He screams forever, it feels like, his mind shattering to pieces amidst the pain. He couldn't feel anything but the flaying of his skin, over and over, for what seemed to be an eternity. Finally, mercifully, the pain ended. Collapsing to the ground, his lip leaking blood, Kiri struggles to look up at Asuka. He knows what he has to do, with the last bit of consciousness that he has left.

"A...su...ka. Jin...zo. Cur...sed...too..." With that, the boy falls unconscious at Asuka's feet.

 

[Uchiha Asuka]

Asuka took a few moments to herself. Taking deep breaths as she walked in between the kids. Standing with her back towards them. In this instance she had to remember how SHE dealt with brats like these. Calm. Understanding. Teach, don't punish. Guide, don't push. Pull, don't let go. Giving a sigh she pinched the bridge of her nose. She could try. But the decision was theirs to make. Turning back around one of them had passed out. After giving her another problem to deal with. She never caught a break. Asuka should've stayed retired. Kept the bar going and just forgot about everything. But this wasn't only her choice. They had made a choice together.

"You better be." She said looking over at Otakemaru. Walking over to him she leaned down to face him. Remember, be understanding. "Whatever is your Senseis and superiors can help you. I can help you." She gave a slight smile as she rubbed his shoulder in a comforting manner. "Curiosity and the desire to discover is not a bad thing but risking your life is not worth it. It never is. We only got one shot to become the best we can. By aspiring to be better. But we can never do that alone. The lack of knowledge is a double edged sword. It can help you grow but it can also put you in danger if you're not careful." She gave a slight smile as she patted his head. "Just figure out what you want and ask for help to accomplish it. We can train together, fight together, spar, laugh, cry, discover new things together." She giggled "You're not alone pipsqueak. Not now. Not ever."

Walking over to Kiriyomi. Asuka leaned down. With a few hand signals she poured water unto his face. Just enough to wake him up. Placing a hand on top his head. Pulsing healing chakra, hopefully able to make him heal and feel better. Once he was awake she would simply give a relieved smile. "You recognized your wrongdoing." She spoke softly. "That's the first step into becoming the better version of yourself. Learning what you lack." She gave a slight laugh as she looked back at him with a smile. "No one is perfect. I'm certainly a prime example on how to screw things up. We have to learn where our actions are more hurtful than helpful." She gave a sigh as she looked up around for a moment. Looking at the mess. "You can ask others to help you help someone else. Doing it alone might come with some consequences you aren't prepared to face. Regret is the worst thing a Shinobi can have." Being satisfied she let go of his head.

Finally looking upon them both she got on her knees. "Getting stronger isn't just about what you can't do. But what you can improve on. It's not about what Jutsus you have. It's about how you master your current skillset. Ask yourself, would this new jutsu help my current arsenal? Or does it just add a dangerous thing I can avoid." Pointing to her Sharingan she smiled. "I'm able to move from one place to the other with a thought thanks to these. Able to have my own personal dimension... but... was the price worth it? No." Giving a pained smile she finished. "I would rip my eyes out if it meant getting my daughter back."

 

[Ōtakemaru]

… She appeared far more… heartwarming now. Take’s skin was still shivering, but he was able to collect himself once he felt her hand on his shoulder. She really… held his life high. Higher than power, and higher than he held himself. Higher than he had ever been.

Was this what… actual, parental support felt like? Was this what he was missing all along – just someone to actually tell him that he was wrong about himself? Was that all he needed? For someone to just… look at him like Asuka did. To scold him like Asuka did. To comfort him like Asuka did… like a real, motherly guardian. An actual, motherly guardian.

… Kiri? Kiriyomi? Why was he screaming so much?! What was happening?!

Take kneeled down to him in worry, hearing the name of Jinzo being uttered by the visually dying Kiriyomi. Asuka attempted to wake him up, explaining that she wasn’t really alienated from what they were going through… or what they were feeling. Imperfect. Troublesome. Could someone like her… actually, he didn’t even know. He didn’t know anything about her… but she slowly removed that fact from the registry.

‘Cause she was ready to rip her own eyes out to get her daughter back… she had… she once had a daughter. A daughter that she probably scolded once or twice like she scolded him. A daughter she probably guided once or twice like she was helping the two Genin. A daughter she must’ve loved like… like a real mother would. Like a real mother should!

Comparing the redhead to his own mother… somehow made anger bubble up inside of him. True, directed anger that didn’t aim at himself. A truly selfish anger…

That was when he ran a hand over his new flame marks… and he could feel the marks. They felt rash-like, tough to the touch like sandpaper. His entire chakra network was permanently tattoo’d with this mark… but even with such concentrated red chakra, his body was stable. His heartrate was normal. His blood was healthy…

Was he just meant to be cursed? “C-Can’t I rid of this? I don’t… I don’t have a daughter… but I have m-my regrets…” He couldn’t elaborate that easily – visages of his parents hovering over him like oppressive shadows, cuffing his will.

 

[Uchiha Asuka]

[Topic left due to inactivity, sorry. Gotta go!]

 

[Kiriyomi]

Kiriyomi opens his eyes to find his father standing before him once more. He knows that this must be a dream, and yet, he cries and rushes forward to throw his arms around Satsu and begins to cry into his shirt. "Oto-san! I'm so sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone! I just thought that if I could be stronger, then I could protect everyone better. I didn't mean to do something evil like this. I don't want you to look at me and be disappointed because I made the wrong choice. Please forgive me!" Clutching tightly to his father, Kiri doesn't see the sad smile that comes across his father's lips. Reaching down and patting him on the head, Satsu gently pulls his son away from himself and kneels down so that they are looking each other in the eye.

"I would never, ever be disappointed in you. I know why you did what you did, and I am proud of you. You were willing to do whatever it takes to support your friends and protect the village, but you must remember, your actions have consequences. Don't be mad at Asuka, she is just trying to protect you. Listen to your peers and elders, they will never steer you wrong. You know how to make your own decisions, and I know that, but a little guidance never hurts. Now promise me that you will not do anything rash again, like allowing another child to curse you. Promise?"

Opening his eyes and wiping water away from his face, Kiriyomi looks up at Asuka and whispers, "I promise." Sitting up, he listens to her explanation, which mirrors a lot of what his father said as well. Learn from your mistakes, decide which actions are helpful, and don't be afraid to ask for help. He nods along, tears in his eyes and gaze downcast, as Asuka's gentle tone causes him to regret ever agreeing to get the cursed seal to begin with. Had she been there to explain what it was to start with, he likely never would have taken Shusuke up on the offer and would never have cursed Jinzo without his consent. He feels awful for having dumped that into Asuka's lap, especially given how harsh she had to be with them. Jinzo was just an unwilling victim during the exams, not knowing what exactly happened to him. Hopefully the seal wouldn't eat away at his life force and cause him to lose control, like Kiri almost had. From that day forward, he vowed to never use his powers to place another cursed seal again.

Standing up and apologizing to Asuka and Otakemaru once more, Kiri finds a rag and begins to clean the mess that he made on the floor of the bar's basement. His conscience wouldn't allow him to leave without at least doing that much. He had vomited so much, and the blood was his own fault. So he diligently cleaned without a word, declining any help if Take or Asuka offered. After an hour of making sure that the floor was spotless, he would make his way upstairs. Standing at the top of the stairs, he would look back down to Asuka one last time. "I promise you will see your daughter again some day. I can just feel it." With those parting words, he makes his way home and into his room, where he cries himself to sleep.

[Topic left unless stopped]

 

[Ōtakemaru]

[Topic left too]