Re: The Rites of Fire [Tutor|Akuma]
A quartet of classical musicians were playing a melody which filled the garden setting with life. The song was like sweetness on the tongue, to the ears. The sound of music filled the emptiness beneath the chatter of a thousand varied voices; the cream risen to the top of their village, discussing the matters of their fame and fortune among their peers. The pair of shinobi were mixing into the menagerie of wealth, and together, the duo resembled foxes sneaking into the hen house. The sea of velvet cloaks was parting as shinobi passed through it. Though the shinobi were masked and hooded similarly to the patrons of the gathering, the lack of quality in their garments was telling, and many black eye-holes pointed at them as they went.
And as young Akuma followed his elder, one of these intrigued patrons stepped in his way, methodically blocking the junior ANBU. This one masked patron was female with a feathered and jeweled visor; it was the handled kind, and she held it high to her face as she nearly collided herself into Akuma in order to hail his attention. The golden visor blackened her eyes to the point of mystery, and relieved the awkwardness of her long, ugly nose. Black matte lipstick was caked onto her thin lips as she spoke to Akuma.
“Oh my, I love your mask, darling” the woman glided into Akuma’s path as she said this, and she raised a hand covered in crimson painted claws, and gaudy rings to stroke the young man’s cheek longingly. “Is it couture? I’d hate to be a copycat but I must have one just like it ” She was admiring the lad’s mask, which of course was just the common anbu headpiece. The woman was being distracting and nosey towards Akuma, and before he’d know it, their brief exchange would lead to the crowd filling in around him, creating complete separation from the leader he was following.
Kaji was only a few feet away from Akuma, but the sea of red was so thick that the master and apprentice were visual cut off from one-another. While Kaji did recognize this as the start of an organized effort against them, he remained calm, certain that the people surrounding him and Akuma were little to no threat. Instead, the senior ANBU was doing the math, considering what came next once these strangers believed they had the two intruders firmly surrounded. The same tactic occurring against Akuma was being used against him as well, and he could sense the faint fear in the masked aristocrats as they took timid steps in surrounding him. The eyes of his mask were as soulless and empty as theirs were, but these people were no shinobi, and their bark was much worse than their bite, or so Kaji hoped. “You have made a grave mistake in coming here” a man with a raspy voice chided Kaji. Then another, meeker member in the crowd spoke up after, “you shinobi should know your place!” They were gaining courage, and ready to confront the shinobi now. “Let us show them their place, then. ...Bind and flay their skin till they bleed to death” the last voice was old and shriveled up, but spoke with venom in every spoken vowel. These people were on another level, and whispered mad things until the sounds all fell silent, and even the chorus of classic instruments came to a sudden halt.
The mass of the congregation then split to the left and right of the garden, and another hooded figure strode out to the center floor of the party, front and center, on a brick-walkway with the previously-mentioned monolith standing behind this masculine being. This being was a man by all accounts, with a tall and broad form. The outline of his cloak was rectangular and failed to reach the ground; it waved in the soft breeze, against his black leather boots. Everything about the domineering man’s appearance sang out superiority, from the muscular mold of his frame to the exceptional design of his mask. The mask was a frontal cranium of a large, unknown beast’s skull, plated with polished and buffed platinum. The forehead was mostly-flat, with the exception of a slit which ran down the forehead, and contained grooves. From the nose-down, the remains of the beast’s face were replaced with rib-shaped carvings of bone, which ran horizontally from the center, and resulted in a triangular, bandana shape that pointed down to his broad chest. The faint glow of countless candles illuminated the polished helm, and further aggrandized the man, who took the full attention of the crowd with ease. The wideness of his frame reduced the effectiveness of his velvet cloak, revealing regal attire clad in fine leather and exotic furs beneath it.
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen; one and all.” The wall of a man addressed the crowd with a deep, projecting voice. It was modulated only slightly; enough to ensure anonymity while increasing his presence and volume for absolute clarity. “It is my esteemed honor to be in the presence of the finest company the Land of Fire has to offer… Surely, the Lord Daimyo would approve of such a momentous gathering as this, if he were here to see us for himself.” On that note he caused a slight stir in the crowd, whispers upon the mention of their fallen lord, who spent a lifetime trying to bury the hidden leaf in salted earth. Kaji was silent as he watched from his cage of warm bodies, and the mysterious master of ceremony was pointed at him and Akkuma. He was centered on them. “For as long as our land has been branded by fire, our people have gathered in the spring to celebrate the Sacrament of Fire. It is a time for reflection... all across our beautiful city and onward to our farthest borders. As the progenitors of this land’s success, we join here tonight to recognize the product of our own labors, and prepare for the new year.” As he spoke, many of the audience members were nodding their headpieces, and fueled his mania even more. “Look around you, and see the faces of those responsible for your prosperity… Not shinobi, but the innovators and leaders of society… Many of you have devoted your lives to the betterment of our land without indulging in the primitive shinobi hierarchy, who previously, and now again, shed our nation’s blood for their menial gains.”
Then a pair of wooden double doors swing open at the back of the garden, where it ended and the townhome that hosted the party began. The loud creaks alerted the audience first, but then they all witnessed as two souls emerged; first came a child in white robes, followed by another masked figure, also donned in the ceremonial red velvet. The child was frail with unkempt burgundy locks that ran down to her shoulders, and tired eyes that stared ahead as she marched at an even pace. Her bare feet pressed against the cold stone, making wet smacks as she made her way. As the humbled child approached the master of the evening, the broad man paid her no mind at all, and continued his speech as she movement about behind him.
“Tonight, the masses are gathering around their bonfires; merely lighting their lanterns as a cheap, figurative interpretation of the ritual we have gathered to undergo in its true form.” He then pointed to the sky, revealing countless paper lanterns floating over the Konoha sky; so many lights that they beat out the moon and stars. The release of the lanterns was a modernized ritual, much more practical than the savage practice Kaji was expecting to witness tonight. The masked behemoth of a man sat a stocky hand onto the child’s shoulder as she arrived by his side, fully compliant. “In order to feed the flames of our burning will, suitable tinder must be supplied.” He then looked down to the child, which was less than one-tenth his size. “LOVE is the key to our prosperity and peace. And there is NO GREATER LOVE than the act of selfless sacrifice. And no love more pure than that of our youth, who have yet to become tainted by the shinobi, who have usurped control of our kingdom, and seek to corrupt the will of fire until our kingdom is again in ruin.” He then graduated the hand up patting strokes across the child’s head, and petted her like one would pet a large dog; but the child was much more fragile. The crowd was unmoved and went along with the speaker’s rhetoric and behavior happily.
However, Kaji found himself nervous and troubled; struggling to keep still in the face of the unsightly deeds taking place. His was making deep breaths, and using mantras to calm himself until his moment came to move, and half of his thoughts were the repeating hopes that Akkuma could stay on the same wave length. While Kaji did expect something underhanded, this was not what he thought they’d find tonight… The duo had bitten off a bit more than they were prepared to chew when they diverted from zone nine. And this was clear that the people who had drawn the ninja in like flies to the spider’s web.
“This child’s sacrifice is a necessary act, in order to see that we continue to feel the grace of the flame. She shall be purged by the flames, so that we may find new prosperity on the land fed by her ashes.” As the mad man continued, the empty child began a climb onto the stone monolith with a little help from the handle who walked her out to the garden. She could barely make it onto the panel, but it was there where’d she’d soon meet her devoted end.
“KNEEL” the master commanded, “kneel and receive your blessing, as we begin the Sacrament of Fire!” On his command, waves of the velvet-draped worshippers of the will began to drop to their knees. Some of them ambled down to the soft soil, while the more capable followers threw themselves to the ground in acts of devotion. By the time the child was lying flat atop the monolith, the only people left standing would be the Master, several new guards who had stealthy entered the garden since the ceremony commenced, and lastly, two Leaf Shinobi who’d give themselves away completely if they did not comply.
WC: 1752
- I'm sorry about the wall of text.
