Cursed roads intertwine [P, Suto, nk]

With a slightly exasperated sigh, and while still attempting to maintain a calm and cool air, Yuirko would turn as Suto once more interrupted her calm interlude back to her village with a question. He had asked, quite simply, how to perform the trick which she had done so easily moments ago to which Yuriko quite simply replied: "You must focus your chakra onto your feet in order to climb a tree; or walk on water. Just make sure not to break your concentration though, or you may end up hurting yourself." To further ensure Suto's understanding, she would reveal all of her knowledge of Chakra control and manipulation that was in her knowledge, to the point where the day had begun to already pass around them and it had become night-time at last, the moon rising into the sky as she finished her long lecture to her new Prophet and ally, then turning from him and saying: "I have to return to the village before anyone notices that I am gone, I doubt it would look that good if they found me talking to a Wanderer and Self Proclaimed Shinobi." She said with a tinge of anxiety in her voice, as she truly was worried that perhaps someone was watching them, and if that were the case, then she may be in for difficulties with Aufero and her will, as the villagers would likely not approve of their new-found religion just quite yet, not until they truly understood salvation.

Regardless, Yuriko shook her head to clear the dismal thoughts and with a small wave toward Suto, would once more and - hopefully for the last time - walk back to her Village and then her home, where she would greet her parents heartily and then enter her room after answering their usual questions: "How was your day? Did you meet anyone new today? When do you plan on training again? You know your Father could always take you to the training grounds - - - " To which Yuriko replied in turn, "It was well, I suppose I did. A new friend, you could say. - I will train soon, I promise. I just have - - - A lot on my mind, lately." With that, she would excuse herself to her room and with a sudden rush of energy she began to rummage through her closet and found a collection of clothing articles from a year past, which she improved with the aide of her rather honed sewing skills, the new outfit which she created then being placed within the closet for later use. 

Disrobing from her dress, Yuriko would gaze upon herself in the mirror: She felt different, since she had obtained the sword only roughly a day ago and now that she finally gazed upon herself it was clear why. She had become pale in tone, though not too terribly so that she appeared sickly, but enough that it was noticeable to the average person, her eyes - as Suto would have seen - now held reptilian slits in place of the ordinary round pupils so many others would have, though she found it odd that her parents of all people had not noticed this small fact - perhaps it was due to the light, or rather Aufero had concealed it from them? Furthermore, underneath her dress it was now clear that Yuriko had already lost a bit of weight, though she was still fairly healthy in appearance she now leaned toward a sort of sickly thin, much in line with the paleness of her skin. 

Shivering, she would turn from the mirror and lay upon her bed with a soft "thud" as she opened her mind to Aufero, allowing the blade into her mind freely as she stared up at the ceiling: "We will grow stronger together, Yuriko," Aufero reassured softly. "As I grow stronger, you too will become healthier and stronger in turn." The Goddess Blade concluded, Yuriko then offering up an obedient nod and speaking in her typical, soft voice: "I understand, Goddess Aufero - - - But I do not know if I can do so here, I have a Sensei and -- and what of my parents?" She timidly asked, a small frown coming across Yuriko's lips as she spoke. Aufero replied with certainty, a calm chill traveling along with her voice: "Then we shall leave this place, Yuriko, very soon. As for your Sensei, he means nothing in the end result of our plans . . . Simply another soul to be saved, correct? As for your parents, I assure you that leaving will provide you the power necessary to protect them, no matter what comes to pass." As Aufero spoke, Yuriko's frown was slowly replaced by a confident smile, her childish enthusiasm taking over as she replied to the Blade's words: "You are right, Goddess! And the stronger I become . . . The more people that I can save! My parents will understand - - - When they see all the people I have saved, they will be so proud..." As she finished speaking, Yuriko's giddiness was overcome by a sudden exhaustion she felt, the rush of energy fading as now sleep beckoned her, and reluctantly, Yuriko obliged.

As she slept, Yuriko dreamed of a beautiful forest clearing, filled with darkness and thick, black fog, within it she could see the faint silhouette of a familiar figure she had simply come to know as "The Knight" who, from what memories Aufero had shared with her, was known to be the First Wielder of the Goddess Blade. The Knight from her knowledge, was a very noble and strangely self-loathing woman who seemed to carry with her an air of sorrow and tragedy, along with pride and chivalry, she was like two conflicting halves of the same being placed into one body, yet Yuriko idolized her none-the-less for her prowess in battle as well as in word-craft, as The Knight had a very strong way with words, almost as well as she had with the blade. Both of which amazed Yuriko to no end. Smiling, she would wave to The Knight in her dream, who simply turned and offered a solemn nod before fading away into the thick black fog beyond; It was now that she was shown the true reason for her being here, the Goddess Aufero was standing now directly before her in human form, the true beauty of which was indescribable to Yuriko. 

Aufero gazed upon Yuriko with an analyzing yet gentle countenance, a faint hint of a smile appearing upon her lips as she now spoke in a strangely - yet not unwelcome - maternal tone: "Yuriko . . . You are within my Realm, it is here that we shall begin to discuss our future actions, as well as our goals in Your Realm. Tonight, I shall reveal to you much which has been hidden until this point, for this is the night when you truly become my Wielder and Deliverer of Salvation." And with that, Aufero regaled Yuriko with the tales of Wielders and Darkness, of her nature and of her True Home's nature, of kings and queens and of peasants and knights, so many things which Yuriko had, up until this point, not known a single thing of was being revealed to her over the course of this single dream . . . Yuriko was being reborn, rebuilt, from first the body and soul, now the mind.

This dream continued on for ages to Yuriko, but in reality had lasted only the few hours she had slept, and when she awoke the next morning; Yuriko was no longer simply Yuriko Nori - She was Angerona Night, Wielder of the Goddess Blade, Solis-Aufero, Savior of Kumogakure and soon, the world.

[6,936]

Suto would begin to listen as Yuriko would begin to sigh, right as she had begun to turn back and face Suto after he had made an inquiry as to how he could possibly do research over the subject of ‘Chakra’ as Yuriko called the aura-like energy that had been launched at him in their sparring match, or how he could walk up the tree in the manner that Yuriko did giving an example over one of the seemingly basic uses chakra had. She began to reply; Suto beginning to take focus as this had peaked his interest, the subject of chakra did, considering the fact that it seemed to be a common thing among shinobi; and him wanting to become one and all.  She began to say that he only needed to focus his chakra; which he interpreted as focus his energy to his feet before he would begin to walk up the tree, he figured it was easy enough. Though Yuriko proceeded to continue over the subject of chakra; she appeared to be covering everything she could possibly cover, probably not wanting to be interrupted again, considering she took the time to say that she wanted to head back to the village and saying it wouldn’t be a good situation if she were found hear, conversing with Suto, and the fact that it was night time, she was probably tired. “Hey,” he would begin, interrupting her yet again. He would make a small grin on his face, and whether or not she would turn around to respond to him, he would begin to speak; “thanks.” he would say, in response to Yuriko teaching him about chakra; thus causing Suto to to, eventually, become a stronger, and more skilled shinobi, hopefully. He didn’t wait to watch Yuriko off, instead he would turn around, and travel further away himself, towards a safer, and more concealed little area that wasn’t really too far off from his current position.




He went on; it was far too late for him to make any progress in his training, instead he would merely finish his day with a dinner’s meal - hopefully, depending on how fishing goes, after which he decided he would head off to sleep, anxious to get started on his training the next day. He would approach a small little body of river, taking off his cloak, as he didn’t want to ruin it by getting it wet, or take the time to clean and dry it. Instead he would fold it, and place it down on a nearby tree, on top of it’s branch. He would then proceed to step into the water, moving somewhat slowly, his eyes squinted as he gazed into the water, multiple ripples passing by due to his movement, despite it being slow. He was hunting for fish, though he knows it’s rather stupid to hunt them down using bare hands, he didn’t really have anything else to use, ‘lest he found a branch and managed to sharpen it enough to impale the fish, which, he didn’t feel like doing, only out of pure laziness.



In the end, however, he ended up with nothing. He sighed, having some fruit he had picked back at his little camp spot thing, that he would decide to eat for dinner, though he had preferred some meat. Walking back, after picking up his cloak, he would find his little bag; taking out a few pieces of fruits and berries, and taking a small portion of time to eat them. He was running low, so he would need to hurry up and find an area to restock, or visit one of those villages, such as the one Yuriko lived in. Though he decided it wasn’t best to; considering Yuriko had said that it would have been bad enough for her to be found talking to a wandering self-proclaimed ninja, which he assumed was bad. He merely sighed, and found a nice place to sleep for the night.


On the first day of training(~) Suto woke up early in the morning; he could tell it was early because the sun hadn’t even rose above the horizon yet. He let out a long, exaggerated yawn. He was still somewhat tired, though his excitement over his training kept him awake, as he laid for nearly half an hour trying to fall asleep after originally waking up. After the half an hour, he grew bored, and decided now was a better time than any to begin his training. He would stand up, having slept in a sleeping bag he had taken, long ago, from his old home. He wrapped it up, and left it where it was. He let out another yawn, stretching a bit, before heading over to the area Yuriko and Suto had once met just yesterday. It was an area with few amount of trees, though he deemed it good enough for his training session over focusing his chakra.



He would begin to take in a breath, moreover it being a breath of confidence than anything. It looked easy enough, just focus and walk up the tree. He was around fifteen feet away from the tree; figuring it was a good distance, allowing him to concentrate on where his energy, or chakra should be. He would release the breath, only a second having passed in time, and would hold a seal - one that Yuriko had used when walking up the tree, which she had explained was necessary, though only after Suto asked about researching chakra, to manage to concentrate the chakra. He felt a flow of energy, though there wasn’t much of it - perhaps he was too tired, he figured, but continued to focus a good portion of it into his feet. Dust and dirt began to fly away from him, being forced away from him. If this wasn’t evidence of chakra (Not that everything Yuriko had shown him wasn’t,) then he didn’t know what was. With his energy focused, he ran at a decent speed - really as fast as he could go, considering he could only move so fast, being the slow person he was. In reality, he had close to no movement ability in terms of speed - he was slow, as he learned in a humiliating fashion against Yuriko when they had sparred just the other day. He figured baby steps, he would work on moving quicker another day, and focus on learning to concentrate chakra control today. He placed a foot on the tree’s trunk as he approached it, feeling a solid surface, somewhat more so than the dirt he had been running on, he figured dirt was more softer than a tree’s trunk. He then lifted his other leg up, above the other one, and tried to place it on the trunk. But he fell. He fell before even lifting it up past the leg on there. He sighed - this was already more difficult than he precedingly figured.



He sighed, standing back up and taking a few breaths to cool his rage a bit. He was slightly angry that he couldn’t do even decently on his first attempt - Not being successful in any sort, though instead he had failed on a rather large scale. He would sigh, after calming himself, beginning to wander back another fifteen feet, and focusing his chakra with the hand seal once more. Once more dust and dirt would fly away, as he focused his chakra into his feet, releasing a sigh, feeling as if he were to fail again based on his previous performance. In fact he was most likely going to fail, a lot as well.



He dashed forward once more; trying to move at a faster speed this time, putting forth an actual effort. Upon getting close to the tree, he would place his right foot, as he was right handed, so he preferred using his right side for everything, and then pushed up with his left foot, trying to get it above his right foot again. This time he was more successful, making it further up than last time, even nearly having it land on the tree’s trunk. This probably meant, either he was getting faster, or his right foot had been acting like Yuriko’s feet when walking up the tree, which meant he was proceeding, either way really. He was either improving his control over his own chakra, or he was growing faster. He began to take a some rather rapidly paced breaths; surprisingly he had wasted a lot of his energy, he was already tired and it hadn’t even been a while. He began to wander, slowly, resting, letting his energy return to him. He would look around, and soon take notice. The sun was up, maybe more time had past than he had figured. He was sure in shock, he figured maybe half an hour had past sure, but it appeared as if two, maybe even three hours had past during the time of his training. Maybe he really was too slow when it came to running. But, no, he must have taken a really long break when it came to resting in between attempts.



He would begin to walk back to his camp, his stomach growling for food as about another half hour past through the day as he rested. It appeared almost to be noon, lunch time. Having skipped breakfast sure didn’t help the regeneration of energy, it being considered one of the more, if not most, depending on who’s opinion it was, meal of the day, which helped someone, energy wise, throughout the day. He sighed, wanting food. Though wasn’t really looking forward to plain fruits and berries, but would have to endure the lack of meaty flavor. Upon returning to the camp, he would find everything left where it was. His bag near his sleeping bag, both lying underneath a tree. Though the area, this one at least, was surrounded by trees. A miniature forest, though larger than the previous one. It was shaded, so it was nice and cool compared to being out in the sun. He sighed, and took out some more fruit from his bag, and began to nom his meal down, letting it last nearly twenty minutes before he finished. He buried any seeds in the ground surrounding him, figuring it would be beneficial for the environment, and to future wanderers such as himself.




He would begin to feel tired, though, rather than full of energy. The meal didn’t seem to help him, maybe being too anxious for the training to begin interefered with his normal sleep schedule so much that it through him off. He felt like heading back to sleep, though didn’t want to, he wanted to return to training. He merely rubbed his eyes, figuring it was better to force his body to endure and continue on with his training. He would stand up - taking note of the area. The area being nearly completely covered, except for a small opening in the forest’s roof, among the leaves. In the center of the field, rays of light blasted through the opening, it seeming to be the only opening it received. Suto figured it was better to hide over next to the trees, under the shade, and sleep there, as he was less likely to be noticed, most likely anyways.



Getting back up, he began to wander back. He began to figure maybe it’s not the lack of concentration that’s making him fail, but perhaps the lack of chakra focused, or maybe too much had been focused into his feet, though that seemed unlikely. He didn’t see too much chakra being used in this effort interfering with his training, but anything was possible. Going back to the field he and Yuriko sparred in, he felt somewhat re-energized, or at least having enough to continue on training. He walked towards the same tree he had been using to practice his chakra control; and stood fifteen feet from it. He once more held the same hand seal, and began to focus his chakra, though this time a larger quantity for the sake of success. After of which, he would once more dash forward, running up the tree, taking step after step, placing both feet on the trunk with each step, not yet removing one until the other was safely ahead of the other and planted down on the hard wooden surface. He made it three steps more than where he had once, and then flipped backwards, rather than falling down. He was getting better, and he grinned at that fact. Though, for what seemed to be a six meter tall tree, a few steps up it wasn’t good enough to convince Suto that he was capable of controlling his chakra properly. Though he continued to grin, it was an achievement, however small, and by getting it, he was making progression. He wandered back the full fifteen feet, and made the hand seal once more. He wasn’t exactly tired yet, though this had seemed rather draining. After focusing more chakra into his feet, as it had seemed that the more chakra was better, he would dash forward once again. He continued to take steps up, wandering up the tree, though he didn’t progress further from the spot he had made it to last time. Instead, the bark had broke a step before the location to where he had last made it. It was a strange event at first, but then he began to think about it, and it had become somewhat apparent that too much chakra would merely break the bark. He sighed, now having to find an exact amount, which would probably take a while.





On the third day of training(~) Suto had finally gotten more than half way up the tree, he hadn’t forgotten the fact that lacking in eating breakfast was a downset on his training, so he had been eating enough to keep him energized for a longer period of time. As the day progressed, he continued on with trying to make it further and further up the tree, this being the third day he only had merely four days left in the week to try and master this skill. By the rate he was going, he would probably have some time for rest and relaxation for a few days before Yuriko returned, probably two, but hopefully he would have this shit, which is what he considered the energy wasting hell his training was, mastered by day’s end. Sadly, and unfortunately for him, he had made a fair way up the tree, though he hadn’t quite made it all the way up yet. He figured tomorrow would definitely be the day for finishing this.




On the fifth day of training(~), he had previously, on the fourth day, had finally reached the top, or highest part he could climb to, of the tree. He grinned in success, having accomplished a great starting goal for shinobi everywhere. Seven years past the normal requirement, considering how young Yuriko looked, but an achievement nevertheless. He gave it a few test runs just for the sake of assurance, and had reached the top each time. He then grinned, then remembered something Yuriko stated. You could also walk on water. It seemed just as easy, just focus the proper quantity of chakra and Suto could walk on water like he did on land or trees. He grinned at the idea of progressing once more, so he wandered, looking for a small body of water. As soon as he found one, he focused his chakra by creating the hand seal once more. He had already taken off his cloak, as for the sake of not getting it soaked and having to dry it. He began to run out on the water, though, a few steps in, (When it got deeper,) he began to lose his balance, and fell in the water. He got up, and was ignored at his failure. The grin had been wiped clean of his face, and replaced with a disappointed frown, and a sigh. He spent that day, and the next, focusing on walking on water.



Then the seventh day came. Suto was waiting for Yuriko’s return, he had successfully gained the ability to walk on both water and the trunk of a tree. He grinned at his success, and traveled, with his property, to where he was supposed to meet his friend. He began to wait, not sure how long it would take. It was still early, after all. He was used to waiting, he waited out long days before, considering he often wandered with no companions, but now he could perform training, with Yuriko constantly bringing him information on how to do things most shinobi can do. He grinned at the idea of one day becoming like those he had witnessed in battle one day, when he was younger, (though hidden.) The day was nice, even though the sky was filled with grey. It was days like this he preferred, considering he was out wandering around all day, and it had a nice smell in the air. It wasn’t necessarily rain, though the air just seemed to be fresher than normal on days like these, the days Suto could appreciate more. The sun was covered up too, creating a nice cool shade on the world, rather than the rays which hit the earth, warming the areas Suto walked through, which was rather irritating, he preferred the shade over a nice bright day. He merely waited, lost in though, which is what he normally did, most days just sitting on a rock or something, thinking about what his future would be like. Though he merely sighed, he was rather impatient today, having not really met someone in a long time, he was ready to talk to someone.


{Close enough to a 3k post ->-

total words so far; 8267}

Awakening the next morning, Yuriko had risen from bed anew and confidently strode from her room and home out the door, where she would bask in the dawn before eventually meeting with her Sensei and going with him to their designated meeting place within his home, where many events had taken place that led to quite a drastic change in Yuriko's overall behavior as well as her attire and appearance: The meeting had gone fine for several hours, in-fact the two of them had become nearly committed to each-other during their small time together and almost became something more than student and teacher, as they slept close to one-another before Yuriko had been awoken by a sudden pulsing sensation within her mind, where Aufero had informed her that she had now a desire for Souls, the reason for this was given within her mind as Aufero spoke: "Yuriko, we must take the souls from these Mortals in order to save their bodies and minds from the curses and destruction which they have placed themselves in the position of obtaining. We are their saviors, do you remember? What Suto had suggested to you is quite true, I am the Goddess of Salvation to these mortals, and you are the Vessel - - - You are their hero, Yuriko. You are performing a service which none are capable of besides ourselves, the price for which is blood and toils, their souls are a small fee for salvation are they not?" Aufero spoke with such conviction that Yuriko, being a young girl and completely committed to the Goddess, found no reason to argue such a point and turned to the man whom was in the bed and, as he awoke, she said in a gentle, yet anxious voice: "I understand so much more now . . . I never want to hurt you, Sensei. That is why I need . . . - Your soul."


Her request was denied sternly as the man as he explained that he had already lost too much to already lose his soul, after a small scuffle Yuriko had agreed to forget about these events and simply return to their training, which was surprisingly agreed upon as the next morning they resumed the usual affairs. However, eventually the two engaged in another argument which led to a spar where she was to battle a Familiar in the form of a little boy, who she scared intensely with the powers of Aufero, stopping herself only from killing it as she was then assaulted within her mind by her soon to be former Sensei. He entered her mind where she managed to emerge victorious with the aide of Aufero and with that, she left his home behind and traveled back to her own, collapsing as she entered her room and was taken into another dream within the Goddess's world. Yuriko materialized within the expanse of trees and grass, all of it veiled in darkness and shadows which whirled around like a sort of thin, impatient fog which threatened to encroach upon her if she should do something to upset it, much like it were a living being. Soon, Aufero herself appeared from the distance, with the Knight in tow - whom stood at Aufero's side allowing her to be fully visible for the first time to Yuriko: The Knight was a tall, strongly-built yet lean woman who stood roughly six feet tall, she wore in-lieu of heavy-armor as she was typically seen wearing within the Memories or her Silhouette, an impressive and elaborate black gothic dress much like Yuriko's own only with an air of antique to it that hers lacked. Beyond her clothing, she had pale blonde hair which flowed in long silky strands down to her mid-back, deep amber eyes which held within them a seemingly endless expanse of sorrow and pain yet at the same time the utmost gentleness and care, pale skin which seemed to be ordinary for that of her kind or rather what she had become, and finally her voice - Goddess, her voice. It was a beautiful, almost seductive tone that was soft yet lightly accented with French, giving her an exotic air and perhaps even in the way that she spoke, a maternal one. Yuriko smiled brightly at the Knight, her red eyes twinkling in awe as she gazed upon this inspirational woman which had a connection to the Goddess as a former Wielder. 

Aufero spoke, finally, after a period of silence which seemed to be brought about by Yuriko's intense gazing upon the Knight which, upon reflection, she would recognize as being a tad rude. "Lamina is here in order to teach you the ways of my blade, further than what you have already, from her you shall learn to hone your body to become the perfect Vessel and Savior that these people require - of course, you will still have to train in the Real World, but I do hope that this will at least provide you with a bit of aide." As Aufero fell silent, Yuriko nodded and promptly replied: "Yes Goddess, I shall not fail you . . . I will become the Savior - The Hero, that these people need." She then paused and added - "Lamina . . . So that is her name . . . " Though, she spoke in such a whisper that neither were likely to hear, and eventually the two ( Lamina and Yuriko ) departed from Aufero and traveled within the dream to a strangely calm and peaceful clearing, where they trained intensely for what felt like days, until eventually Yuriko awoke in her bed, springing from it with renewed confidence and donning her new attire, traveling from her home without a word to her parents in order to visit the Black Forest, leaving Kumogakure illegally in the process. There, she cut her hair much shorter and reflected for some time before her former Sensei came upon her and ordered her to leave, she of course denied and fought him for some time before eventually managing to escape - if only barely - out to the border of the forest, where they said their final good-byes and she declared herself free from all that had bound her in the past, becoming the new woman that she was destined to be: Angerona Night, Hero of Kumogakure and Wielder of Solis-Aufero. 

She spent the next few nights peacefully within the caves, in-fact the very same where Suto and Yuriko had met, passing the time by speaking with Aufero and becoming slowly more deluded and absorbed into her own mind and dreams until she hardly resembled the person who had once been Yuriko Nori, becoming more and more like this new Alter Ego she had created of a Hero, of Angerona Night. Upon the day of their meeting, she smiles to herself and adjusts her cape as she leaves the cave she had been in and moves swiftly to the clearing as the wind blew the cape behind her in a grand fashion as she leaped up into a nearby tree and then off of that and to the ground below, her new appearance along with Aufero's fully visible and on display as the shade created by the clouds allowed for the Dark Energy of the blade to seep over her lightly as if it were a gentle breeze upon her: Yuriko, or rather Angerona now, was dressed in a skirt, and shoulderless top, both of which were black with white and golden trims along the fabric in places, most of her top being white save for the breast piece. She wore long gloves with arm-bands, white stockings and weapon-pouches upon her thighs. Her cape was a pure white clasped around her neck by a brass necklet, and finally came the form of Aufero herself which was worn in a sheath upon Angerona's hip: The blade had taken on the form of a sort of stylized Katana with a short red line within the middle that seemed to signal blood of some description, and upon the hilt was a saber-esque guard which protected Angerona's hands from harm as she used the blade.

With her now shorter golden-blonde hair still covering her eyes, Angerona smiled at her friend Suto which, she had just noticed had been near the spot where she landed and had likely seen her display and new appearance, which indeed made her quite pleased as she gave him a small wave and simply asked: "How do I look?" before performing a showsman-like twirl with her cape billowing behind her as she did so, Aufero remaining sheathed upon her hip as she uttered a soft giggle, now offering her hand to her Friend and Prophet, Suto. She would of course await his response to both the gesture and question before continuing, her sword pulsing softly with an aura of dark black energy as she did so.

[8,401]

Suto would sit there, waiting, for what seemed to be a while in his point of view. He was eager to meet Yuriko once again, and explain that he had learned to both walk on water and on up the side of a tree trunk, though it was probably a minor accomplishment in training to become a shinobi. Suto was quite curious as to what else he didn't know, so he was already thinking up questions to badger Yuriko about later, such as what chakra could be used for. He began to think more and more about it, and then it hit him. Back in the cave, Yuriko had made light with chakra. 'Lest that was another ability of the all mighty 'Aufero', chakra seemed to be capable of doing much more than merely walking on surfaces. At the moment however, he had no real idea on what chakra would be like.


He continued to wait there, for Yuriko to make her return. Which she soon did, he was sitting there staring at the cave he and Yuriko had met, while sitting under the very tree he had used to train with. He took note of Yuriko's arrival, wondering how long she'd been waiting in the cave, and why the hell she couldn't have come out earlier. She was acting all shows-offy again, which somewhat annoyed Suto, but he let her have her fun. In the end she asked how she looked, though Suto merely asked, "How long're you in there for? Why the fuck didn't you come out sooner?" he said, ending with a sigh, "It felt like hours and you were right there." he continued, with a slightly annoyed tone, "OH, and I did it." he said, having forgotten to mention his accomplishment, but once he remembered to do so, he did with a grin on his face.

Angerona observed Suto as he did not seem to care for her rather flashy entrance, which left her slightly disappointed, but upon hearing his first question she would shrug softly and reply: "I had promised to meet you in exactly a weeks time, thus I waited until precisely a week had passed" As she said this, Angerona's eyes wandered to the cave above them, then back to Suto as he mentioned it feeling like hours, then informing her that he had managed to accomplish the task that he was set out to do; The last part however was something she had witnessed partially within her stay at the caves, as occasionally she would glance out and see Suto practicing his technique while she was regaining her strength from all of the hardship that her body was forced to endure in such a short time. Angerona smiled, however, pushing her golden blonde hair from her eyes so that hers may gaze upon his intently as if testing them. "I am very proud of you, Prophet Suto." She said, then patting the sword upon her hip, which as mentioned before, had taken on an entirely new form from previously. "The Goddess is pleased as well . . . She knows you will make a fine ally and friend to the both of us." As Angerona speaks, Aufero pulses softly with dark energy, it visible dimming and brightening a couple of times before eventually coming to a stop. It is likely that this, however, is a form of communication between Sword and Wielder in order for them to speak to one another without moving her lips.

Angerona then strode forward and stopped in a position so that she was only a few feet from him. "You will learn so much more, too, Suto . . . You will become one of the most powerful Shinobi in this world with our Goddess's aide and your own will. I see so much greatness within you, such that I doubt any others could see . . . You are the chosen Prophet of the Goddess for a reason, part of which being your mind and the potential within it." She spoke in a gentle, calm tone, going so far as to place her gloved hand softly upon Suto's shoulder. "Now," She began, a smile forming as she light-heartedly changed the subject to the matter which Suto seemed to be most proud of. "May you demonstrate what you have learned, Suto? I am eager to see it . . ." With that, Angerona would take her hand gently away and proceed a step backward in order to provide Suto with breathing-room and also so that she may watch him intently if he were to perform any action.

While her eyes gazed upon him, Aufero's words began to ring out in her mind: "If he does demonstrate that he has learned this technique, I suggest that you attempt to teach our Prophet to defend himself properly, as he likely has not performed any amount of combat training during this short week's time. You, however, Yuriko - - - As the Deliverer of Salvation it is your duty to use all of your ability in order to keep our Prophet safe, it would be a shame to lose such a seemingly talented mind so soon." Aufero's words were firm and clear, and Angerona nodded in agreement as her eyes, for only a short second, moved to the blade, then back to Suto. She though idly how the Goddess Blade still referred to her as "Yuriko" even though she had adopted the new title not too long ago, though she assumed that this was due to the blade's familiarity with her and not any sign of disrespect, as she was a Goddess after-all. 

Slowly, her smile returned to her lips as she continued to watch patiently, a few small drops of rain falling upon her head and cape as it began to dim further around the two of them, though by no means was this Angerona's doing, but simply nature feeling the need for Darkness and Rain. Or at least, so she would assume. 

[9,080]

Suto would listen, from what he heard Yuriko saying was that she basically waited in the cave for a week. He saw no need to separate and meet up a week later if so, though he didn't quite understand her purposes, so maybe she had something that needed to be done. He left that as that, and then proceeded to speak. Yuriko had replied to him by stating her, and the goddess Aufero were proud of him. He grinned, though merely to make it look like that meant something to him. Not that it didn't, but a girl probably five or four years younger than you being proud of you for doing something one should have already known, if you were in Suto's career interests, seemingly a while back. Yuriko proceeded to mention on how Suto would learn more than what he is currently aware of, apparently, he figured, he was ignorant to much more when it came to being a shinobi. Yuriko then mentioned for Suto to demonstrate his ability in walking up the trunk of a tree; he saw no real purpose in it, but figured he'd sport the idea. No harm in doing it, besides maybe a little energy put into effort. He would stand up, walking away from the tree, then turning around. With a grin, he held up a hand seal, which helped him concentrate. He then focused a fair quantity of chakra into his feet, and then dashed forward, not at his full pace however. He had no intent of tiring himself over trying to prove he had accomplished something. He then, upon reaching the trunk of the tree, placed his right foot, out of preference, onto the tree. He then proceeded to place his left foot on it, and ran up it for a fair distance. After reaching roughly half way point, he did a back flip, and landed. He was slightly exhausted at this feet, but it only through his breathing pace off by a bit. "See?" He would say, turning to Yuriko. He was wondering as to what to do now, but would let Yuriko make any suggestions.

Angerona observed carefully as Suto began to perform the relatively small feat which he had been practicing for a weeks time. She smiled as he flipped off of the tree and then quite simply said: "See?" to which Angerona would respond, "Very Good . . . Now allow me, Suto, to show you further proof of the Goddess's Power." She said this due to Suto's previous doubt that she felt he still held, even as a Prophet, and so she would take one step forward before placing her hand upon the hilt of Aufero's new katana-esque form and reverently withdrew her from the sheathe as the sound of metal against metal resonated throughout the nearby trees. There was a pause between this action and the next, where Aufero began to glow a deep, crimson red while Angerona began to speak to Suto in her typical, calm tone: "I do hope that you do not fear the Dark, Suto." She would then raise Aufero into the air with the tip of the blade pointing at the sky as she uttered softly in a near-whisper: "Sun-Thief", the blade now suddenly releasing a powerful rush of Darkness from it's tip which spread into the air above them, then around them in a 25 Meter circle, causing reduction of sight as well as disrupting any Chakra Signature or Chakra Sensory that would have been in place, both for the outside of the circle as well as the inside. 

"Is the Darkness of our Goddess not beautiful?" She would say with a hint of wonder and awe as she smiled up at the Darkness and Shadows which now would cover their "Sky" before she eventually lowered her eyes back to Suto: "And yet one more display of the Goddess's Power." She would say, holding the sword in-front of her as she took up her Dark Rose Stance, another burst of Darkness from the blade being used to cover Angerona's body in such a manner that it formed a Veil around her, causing her to seem as if she were encased in a black smoke which was constantly whirling and hissing, this also had the effect of making her appear faster than she truly was [15] as well as gaining her true speed while in the stance [10] of course, she would of course lose some of her stamina as a result of the Darkness being used upon her, but she did not intend to use this much longer than she had practiced with, only to demonstrate her power to Suto. As the Darkness gathered around her, Angerona would smirk and step forward, only to dash quickly forward at half of her full ability [27] which with the veil upon her, caused Angerona to appear to be moving much faster than such [42], though her true speed was slightly slower [37]. As she ran forward, Angerona then performed a front-flip - and using her speed as momentum - vaulted over Suto and landed a small distance behind him, attempting to place the tip of Aufero's blade to the back of his neck to show that she was indeed much faster than even before, as the Darkness hissed and whirled more violently than before, some of it even attempting to move toward Suto as it sought out more Vessels. "Do you see, Prophet? Our Goddess is growing more powerful, as am I, as time goes on."  With that, she giggled to herself - voice being distorted by the Shadows and coming out as an eerie echo of sorts - and withdrew her blade ( if it had even been in range ) from Suto, allowing her arm to fall limp with the sword still in-hand, moving slowly forward with the veil still upon her toward the Prophet, but attempting to - even in this strange, Dark Form - remain non-hostile, even after what she had just done to demonstrate the Goddess's power. In order to further this, Yuriko would speak in the Darkness-Corrupted tone: "Perhaps, Prophet . . . I should train you the way of the Darkness . . . As my Goddess taught me - - - The Goddess will be forced to keep your soul within your body, as you are not ready for salvation just yet, however." Angerona stopped now, retaining a small distance from Suto as she awaited his words, hoping that he would agree to this teaching, as she desperately wanted another to share the burden of Darkness with.

Aufero's words would then ring out in her mind, pulsing in her mind incessantly: "The Prophet shall know our Darkness soon enough, Yuriko. But do not cause him to flee from our cause, he may still yet be fragile . . . Be gentle with his mind, as it is not yet prepared to fully experience my power." At this, Angerona would nod and add to Suto: "You will not be harmed . . . I promise you. Our Goddess will not allow you to be harmed, as you are her mouth from which her holy words must be delivered to the world, and one does not cut the tongue from the holy mouth." With that, she would begin sheathing Aufero as slowly, she allowed the veil to fall from her body and the Dark Circle to dissipate at a rather meager pace. Angerona would smile, softly, toward Suto and extend a hand to him, offering the choice between accepting his role fully as a member of the Darkness, or denying it and risk angering the Goddess he had just so recently become a Prophet of. Though she would not say either of these things, they were merely inferred by the simple gesture and the words beforehand, now both Goddess and Wielder awaited a response patiently, yet anxiously, in the hopes that they would gain a fully loyal member of their sect.

[10,034]
[For Sun Thief, used the Charges earned during the time-skip: 10/10 Charges - 5 = 5/10 Charges remaining]

After Suto had finished proving that he had learned to walk on the surface of the trunk of a tree, though right after Yuriko would begin to mention that she would now, once again, prove Aufero's godly powers to him. He would merely face towards Yuriko, wondering what she was about to do. His grin had disappeared, and a more curious face had substituted for the previous one. His eyebrow was raised in anticipation, he didn't figured it would be actual god powers, but instead, hopefully something to where he could learn more. She continued speaking, Yuriko mentioning she hoped Suto wasn't afraid of the dark. He wasn't, otherwise he wouldn't sleep outside, or wander through caves for that matter. He would merely watch however, she had unsheathed her blade. Aufero seemed to involve the sword that she wielded with everything technique she performed, it was rather strange, perhaps he would question it later, but not right now. He was more interested in anything he could learn more than anything right now, and this demonstration was merely stalling the time he could be asking questions. The tip of her blade was pointed at the sky, as she performed her technique. All of the sudden, Suto had lost sight momentarily. It was quite dark, considering it had just been day time. Did she make it night time? Suto thought to himself, but quickly disregarded the idea, and awaited for Yuriko to explain herself. It was certainly something, but Yuriko did mention that Aufero's energy, or chakra, was dark, if Suto's recollection was correct. She seemed to call this 'attack,' or technique, or whatever it would be classified as "Sun-thief." The name certainly hinted the effects of whatever it was she used. Yuriko would mention that the darkness was beautiful, but Suto merely looked in the direction of which her voice spawned from and raised an eyebrow. "Oi oi," he would begin to say, "What happened? What'd you do?" His voice was somewhat panicked, after all he wasn't completely used to the whole chakra area of shinobi, and this seemed to fit in to that category. "Why can't I see anything?"

Suto was blind, or at least made to the point to where he couldn't see Yuriko clearly, so he wasn't sure exactly as to what she was doing over there. However, soon enough he would hear someone jump ahead of him, and then someone landing behind him. "Oi, Yuriko?" He would question. She had moved at a fast pace, if so. Considering her previous distance. Though he hadn't gotten a good picture on her previous speed, when they had met a week ago, he was fairly sure it wasn't on the current level. He merely stood there in some form of awe, though not believing completely in any Goddess or Aufero nonsense, however the fact that Chakra had this ability, assuming it had anything to do with Yuriko's movement. Of course, to Yuriko, any facial expression might be taken for awe towards the Goddess of Aufero by the pace things were going. Not necessarily a bad thing if so, it would just merely mean he wouldn't have to act or lie his way into saying he totally believed what just happened was the work of a god. When Yuriko mentioned that Aufero and her were growing more powerful, however, had creeped Suto out some, as her voice seemed altered, as if trying to piss off Suto. She would later proceed to offer training in this 'darkness,' that she was supposedly using with the use of Aufero. "No.. thanks." He would begin "I mean," he continued, making up an excuse as to not sound as if he didn't believe in Aufero. "we'd become too predictable, having nearly the same abilities, if not exactly the same, so I'd prefer coming up with crap like this on my own." He finished, making no hesitation or the sign of lies within the sentence. Which was somewhat true, he just didn't want to be able to do what Yuriko does, and use his own unique skillset. It would help them in any possible fights, which Suto knew may happen often, because of him wandering on borders with a Village ninja, so shit might eventually go down, he'd merely prefer his own abilities in that scenario. Yuriko, assuming everything went down the same way it had, would extend her hand, in offer to supposedly agree for the two to become allies. He had mainly ignored, for the most part, the bit where she was saying Aufero would protect him. He merely put on a pondering face over the subject and let it be without an reply. "So," he would begin, "where too then?" He said, beginning to wander. He would start walking in a random direction, though it just so happening to be in the direction away from the village of Kumogakure. If 'Aufero' or Yuriko wanted to change directions he figured they'd make the request, and he would merely start following her, but if not, he would just assume Yuriko would follow him until they found a place to go to.

{EXIT - Word Count: 9793 Words}

Angerona frowned softly at Suto's refusal of the Darkness and Aufero inwardly mentioned to her that such could be taken as disloyalty, but Angerona simply waved the notion off and replied within her mind: "He is your Prophet, Goddess, I am sure that he is loyal - That he has his reasons for not accepting our Darkness yet. Perhaps he is correct in not being too easily predicted." At this, Aufero fell silent and went into a state of deep thought before simply agreeing with the notion in the hopes that it were correct, as Suto then began to move forward, away from the village of Kumogakure. Angerona quickly began following, walking alongside him as she began to hum to herself [To the tune of "Ring Around The Rosie"] and smiled as a soft breeze blew through her hair, moving it from her deep red eyes. "I suggest that we find our first objects of 'Salvation' soon, perhaps Funkagakure? Or the ruins of Tatsumakigakure? There are many choices, I do suppose we shall find out as we travel." She continued to walk while she spoke, her tone being slightly excited as she did so. She had become much more easy-going around Suto in her new state, when not dealing with the Goddess's Will or Training. She smiled often as they walked, occasionally pointing out to Suto a mundane part of nature such as a rare bird or flower, or sometimes she brought a casual arm around his shoulder in a playful manner which showed that she did not mean any hostility toward him as she considered him a dear friend and ally at this moment.

"I do believe that we will have wonderful adventures - - - Along with our duties, do you not, Suto?" She would inquire brightly, her arm still placed around his shoulder lazily as she did so. She was perhaps invading his space a bit, but given what she considered Suto, this should not be too unexpected. Angerona truthfully perhaps felt something more toward Suto, but it was likely that he would never recuperate these feelings as their personalities did not seem to match much, but Angerona held that faint hope in her mind as she continued to hum once more, walking up to the Borders before stopping both her pace as well as humming. "It seems that our decision is made here," She would begin, blinking as she looked around at the land around the two of them. "Where would you like to go?" She would ask, her eyes moving to Suto as she now wondered what their next destination would be, and what exactly Aufero would require her to do there. 

The cool breeze once more moved through her hair and cape, causing her to slowly gaze up at the sky. "Our new beginnings are here . . . " Aufero would speak inwardly to her, causing Angerona to nod softly and reply likewise, inwardly. "No matter where we travel, I shall do as you require, Goddess." She would then gaze out onto the horizon and smile: "We will save so many . . . " She thought this, but spoke it softly aloud as well, as the clouds parted from the sky and shone a soft sunlight upon the duo. It was only fitting that a Hero have a partner in order to deliver Justice, Salvation, and share the losses and the successes. At this moment, she gazed toward Suto and thought: "A Hero and a Prophet, This is the beginning of a long journey." as she now sat underneath a nearby tree, happily giving herself a moment's rest before they embarked upon their travels.

[Exit]

[10,634]

[Claiming: 
- 53 stats
- 5 Soul-Meter charge for Aufero = 5/10 Soul Charge. ]