Three weeks have passed since the young Toraono had discovered that his father was a man by the name of Ryuu Tama. In that time since the boy took to studying his father and everything he could about him, however, every trail he picked up always ended in disappointment. The man had a penchant for giving up when things grew too hard, was easily distracted, emotional, and just a large mess of problems that the teenager just wasn't mentally equipped to handle. Even more irking was how the man insisted he had only had a single lover in his life and it had not been the mother who gave birth to him. For a solid week Michino dared to be hopeful that Tama wasn't his father when they ran the blood tests. Yet Friday came and the tests showed their DNA not only matched but was close enough for him to directly be his father. The second test, ran with samples given by the closest cousin he had in the Toraono clan, also cleared him to be a member of this clan as well. Science said Ryuu Tama had an affair during the time before Okibi's disappearance, but the man swore, angerly, that the "Wild Child" was the only being he had ever even been sexually attracted to. His father made it clear that science and research always came first before he met Okibi and that she was, and would always be, his only mortal distraction.
This wasn't the only problem he was facing now either. Ever since the battle against his father, before he was even sure who the man was, Michino had looked death in the face and accidentally woke up a power that he still wasn't able to turn back on. In that brief five minutes he had control over those black flames his demonic strength inherited from the Toraono's bloodline was forced to flee into the silver disc in the hilt of his blade. This also ended up trapping the demonic voice in his mind that had once been his mental Id, separated. Now that the dark presence was "exorcised" from his body his Id, Ego, and Super Ego were all now back into a single state. After spending years training his body and mind around another being living inside of his mind the sudden loneliness and primal urges were starting to drive him mad. Owari, the demon, could still speak to him when he grasped the hilt of his weapon but it seemed that, like him, the creature wasn't taking well to his new identity. All of it finally came to a boiling point two nights ago.
Still trying to get over the terrible things his own father had done the boy had started to visit Tama less and less. Especially once the old man started getting offended every time Michino would bring up his birth; he had questions the hybrid refused to answer or just didn't know. Feeling in a destructive mood the teenager decided to dredge back up the conversation rudely. Tama reacted as one would expect and it triggered the Toraono's sudden hot-blooded nature. The occurring fight between the two nearly escalated into blows but local authorities showed up in time to keep it from coming to that. The report was made, sent in, and it was suggested that Michino not contact his father for at least a month so that he had time to accumulate to his new life.
With nothing left to turn to and not wanting to bother Kuro over what he thought was trivial, the boy decided to revisit the church he used to go to when he was younger. It had been awhile since he stepped into the small house meant for the faithful and since he had discovered the dark nature of his problematic mind he was half afraid of bursting into flames upon walking inside. Regardless the priest running mass that day recognized the Toraono and was more than happy to welcome him half way through their service. As he sat there listening to hopeful words of peace his mind wondered. He looked at the stained glass windows depicting ancestors and the gods in far off places fighting evil and saving lives. A genuine smile graced Michino's face for a moment as he wondered what it must have been like to of lived back in the days of the Ancient Courts; to be a hero of the First Men.
His mind was brought back to reality when the head priest placed a hand on his shoulder. The service had finished while the teenager had been daydreaming and his tone darkened a little in embarrassment.
"What is it you seek young Michi, you looked troubled there boyo..." the priest would ask. His name was Father Wekenko and though the boy was an 'in and out' member of his flock he still admired the child for his mental strength; he would always had a hand out for him. Wekenko was well aware of how much his mysterious birth and family circumstances ate at kid's soul. It didn't surprise him that his problems were family related but it did astound him that he had actually found his father.
"Well," the priest said after a moment of silence finished off Michino's long list of worries, "The way I see it is that you're too focused being afraid of becoming evil. I also must state that, aside from the seven sins, evil is in the eye of the beholder. Remember that even if your father was a bad man he still once did good and is thus still capable of being good. He saved your life, did he not? I recommend that you abandon everything about yourself for a week. Maybe do some spiritual strengthening by helping someone else to your fullest. Like, maybe a close friend you haven't been spending enough time with? Walk a mile in someone else's shoes and your life will seem easier, I promise my child."
The words echoed through his head as Michino walked down the street. His mood was a little lifted but he puzzled on how those words. His hand turned the knife absently in his pocket. He could feel the demonic presence inside of the hilt of his weapon and the sadness of the creature inside. He could only try to understand the pain Owari suffered. It had once tasted the mortal experience and was now nothing more than an idea with power attached to it trapped inside of a weapon. The passing thought of wondering if he could actually find something the spirit could possess and live without hurting anything but it seemed like an impossible task simply because of the powerful disk the creature was trapped inside of. He turned his eyes absently towards the church he was walking away from. Perhaps it was time from him to step outside of the village for a little while. A soul searching journey to find the answers he knew was there but only the gods could fathom.
At the end of the next week Michino had studied, packed lightly, and wrapped his skin in thick white cloth to protect against the blistering heat to come. He had a marked map that had drawn on it a path he was to set out and return from on. His hopes was that the amount of survival it would take him to make the trip would help him reach an epiphany or perhaps even allow him an audience with the gods themselves so that he could find freedom for the creature he had just learned how to accept.
As he arrived at the gates and while his papers were being cleared it occurred to him that no one would be aware that he was leaving the village. A wry smirk played on the edge of his lips as he wondered about just disappearing for a few days and how that would mess with his old man, but, a pang of guilt in his chest made him think better. When the guard brought his papers back, approved, Michino asked for the man to relay to Sousuke that he was heading out for no more than three days, and that he was taking the Sunan Pilgrimage. It was a rough road through the Godsfall that supposedly only the faithful could dredge through unscarred. The guard nodded and Michino lifted the small backpack and bedroll higher onto his shoulders as he headed out into the desert with the dawn barely peeking over the horizon.
Twelve hours into the trip Michino was exhausted from trying to walk across the dunes. His body screamed for rest but until he found something with an overhang he knew that rest was foolish. Yet his weary body was getting the best of him as the noon heat tried to steam cook him inside of his desert wraps. A missed footstep caused a slip on the sand and he tumbled head over heel down a rather large dune. As he rolled to a stop, the sand flowing over him absently as if to mock his mortality, the teenager looked wearily up and noticed in front of him a cave barely sticking up out of the sand. In fact the way the grains gathered around the entrance, unless you were walking directly before it, the mouth was hidden. Grateful that he had any chance of rest from the heat of the sun he prayed a thanks to Mother Suna and scurried inside of the cool shade of the cavern.
Upon entering he realized that it was a deep cave but still very shallow. It went downwards under the dunes and then flat. Yet it was large enough that a single person could live inside of it comfortably if they needed to so long as they kept the entrance clear of sand. It was perfect for sleeping out the heat so he could pick his travel back up at night. Well, if he had a clear sky anyways.
In a matter of minutes he unrolled his sleep sack from his pack and laid himself on top of it. He wasn't much of one for sleeping during the day but the cave was oddly comfortable and as he laid there he found sleep came a bit faster than it normally should...
[Word Count = 1725][Using Discovery of Choice Card. I am selecting Youkai! Searching for mah demon bruddahs!]
This wasn't the only problem he was facing now either. Ever since the battle against his father, before he was even sure who the man was, Michino had looked death in the face and accidentally woke up a power that he still wasn't able to turn back on. In that brief five minutes he had control over those black flames his demonic strength inherited from the Toraono's bloodline was forced to flee into the silver disc in the hilt of his blade. This also ended up trapping the demonic voice in his mind that had once been his mental Id, separated. Now that the dark presence was "exorcised" from his body his Id, Ego, and Super Ego were all now back into a single state. After spending years training his body and mind around another being living inside of his mind the sudden loneliness and primal urges were starting to drive him mad. Owari, the demon, could still speak to him when he grasped the hilt of his weapon but it seemed that, like him, the creature wasn't taking well to his new identity. All of it finally came to a boiling point two nights ago.
Still trying to get over the terrible things his own father had done the boy had started to visit Tama less and less. Especially once the old man started getting offended every time Michino would bring up his birth; he had questions the hybrid refused to answer or just didn't know. Feeling in a destructive mood the teenager decided to dredge back up the conversation rudely. Tama reacted as one would expect and it triggered the Toraono's sudden hot-blooded nature. The occurring fight between the two nearly escalated into blows but local authorities showed up in time to keep it from coming to that. The report was made, sent in, and it was suggested that Michino not contact his father for at least a month so that he had time to accumulate to his new life.
With nothing left to turn to and not wanting to bother Kuro over what he thought was trivial, the boy decided to revisit the church he used to go to when he was younger. It had been awhile since he stepped into the small house meant for the faithful and since he had discovered the dark nature of his problematic mind he was half afraid of bursting into flames upon walking inside. Regardless the priest running mass that day recognized the Toraono and was more than happy to welcome him half way through their service. As he sat there listening to hopeful words of peace his mind wondered. He looked at the stained glass windows depicting ancestors and the gods in far off places fighting evil and saving lives. A genuine smile graced Michino's face for a moment as he wondered what it must have been like to of lived back in the days of the Ancient Courts; to be a hero of the First Men.
His mind was brought back to reality when the head priest placed a hand on his shoulder. The service had finished while the teenager had been daydreaming and his tone darkened a little in embarrassment.
"What is it you seek young Michi, you looked troubled there boyo..." the priest would ask. His name was Father Wekenko and though the boy was an 'in and out' member of his flock he still admired the child for his mental strength; he would always had a hand out for him. Wekenko was well aware of how much his mysterious birth and family circumstances ate at kid's soul. It didn't surprise him that his problems were family related but it did astound him that he had actually found his father.
"Well," the priest said after a moment of silence finished off Michino's long list of worries, "The way I see it is that you're too focused being afraid of becoming evil. I also must state that, aside from the seven sins, evil is in the eye of the beholder. Remember that even if your father was a bad man he still once did good and is thus still capable of being good. He saved your life, did he not? I recommend that you abandon everything about yourself for a week. Maybe do some spiritual strengthening by helping someone else to your fullest. Like, maybe a close friend you haven't been spending enough time with? Walk a mile in someone else's shoes and your life will seem easier, I promise my child."
The words echoed through his head as Michino walked down the street. His mood was a little lifted but he puzzled on how those words. His hand turned the knife absently in his pocket. He could feel the demonic presence inside of the hilt of his weapon and the sadness of the creature inside. He could only try to understand the pain Owari suffered. It had once tasted the mortal experience and was now nothing more than an idea with power attached to it trapped inside of a weapon. The passing thought of wondering if he could actually find something the spirit could possess and live without hurting anything but it seemed like an impossible task simply because of the powerful disk the creature was trapped inside of. He turned his eyes absently towards the church he was walking away from. Perhaps it was time from him to step outside of the village for a little while. A soul searching journey to find the answers he knew was there but only the gods could fathom.
At the end of the next week Michino had studied, packed lightly, and wrapped his skin in thick white cloth to protect against the blistering heat to come. He had a marked map that had drawn on it a path he was to set out and return from on. His hopes was that the amount of survival it would take him to make the trip would help him reach an epiphany or perhaps even allow him an audience with the gods themselves so that he could find freedom for the creature he had just learned how to accept.
As he arrived at the gates and while his papers were being cleared it occurred to him that no one would be aware that he was leaving the village. A wry smirk played on the edge of his lips as he wondered about just disappearing for a few days and how that would mess with his old man, but, a pang of guilt in his chest made him think better. When the guard brought his papers back, approved, Michino asked for the man to relay to Sousuke that he was heading out for no more than three days, and that he was taking the Sunan Pilgrimage. It was a rough road through the Godsfall that supposedly only the faithful could dredge through unscarred. The guard nodded and Michino lifted the small backpack and bedroll higher onto his shoulders as he headed out into the desert with the dawn barely peeking over the horizon.
Twelve hours into the trip Michino was exhausted from trying to walk across the dunes. His body screamed for rest but until he found something with an overhang he knew that rest was foolish. Yet his weary body was getting the best of him as the noon heat tried to steam cook him inside of his desert wraps. A missed footstep caused a slip on the sand and he tumbled head over heel down a rather large dune. As he rolled to a stop, the sand flowing over him absently as if to mock his mortality, the teenager looked wearily up and noticed in front of him a cave barely sticking up out of the sand. In fact the way the grains gathered around the entrance, unless you were walking directly before it, the mouth was hidden. Grateful that he had any chance of rest from the heat of the sun he prayed a thanks to Mother Suna and scurried inside of the cool shade of the cavern.
Upon entering he realized that it was a deep cave but still very shallow. It went downwards under the dunes and then flat. Yet it was large enough that a single person could live inside of it comfortably if they needed to so long as they kept the entrance clear of sand. It was perfect for sleeping out the heat so he could pick his travel back up at night. Well, if he had a clear sky anyways.
In a matter of minutes he unrolled his sleep sack from his pack and laid himself on top of it. He wasn't much of one for sleeping during the day but the cave was oddly comfortable and as he laid there he found sleep came a bit faster than it normally should...
[Word Count = 1725][Using Discovery of Choice Card. I am selecting Youkai! Searching for mah demon bruddahs!]
Minutes slowly became hours as the hours felt like days. The sounds of the surrounding would become deafened as a shadowy veil would envelop the shinobi resting within the grasps of the cave. Stalagmites and stalactites would quickly grow at the mouth of the cave to the point of connection. This moisture seemed to come from nowhere as the blistering desert heat faded from the land. The frosty chill took to the earth causing each breath to become visible while segments of frosted ice would begin to cling to the cave's walls. The world was changing and if our young hero would awaken from his slumber he would see a new world void of light. The only visibility was caused from a single light blue flame which began to dance around the room. 
