Blackened Trees, Blackened Hearts. [P, Yaju]

Yuriko had risen from bed much earlier in the morning than she would normally have under ordinary conditions, but due to Aufero as well as the events of the night before, she awoke just as the sun rose to glare into her window and shine upon her face with merciless light. It was to this that her eyes opened and she stood upon her own two feet, moving slowly to the living-room as her parents greeted her warmly and kindly without knowledge of the trauma she had endured the nights previous, or even of the sword concealed within its sheath upon her hip. They would likely never know of these things, for she intended to choose today what her fate would be for the near future: If she would indeed leave the village this very day and begin a quest in order to fulfill the will of Aufero, or perhaps she would stay a while longer to say her good-byes and become stronger in the process so that she may stand up to those who challenge the two of them. Soon, Yuriko would become the cleansing fire that this world needed in order to save itself from destruction. Very soon, she would no longer even be Yuriko Nori. . . 

Her Mother, a kindly young-woman with brilliant blue eyes and soft auburn hair, waved as she entered the room in greeting and then smiled warmly: "Good Morning my little Yuri." Her Mother cooed whilst motion for Yuriko to join her Mother and Father at the small table within the middle of the room for breakfast. Yuriko uttered a soft: "Good Morning, Mother--- Mom..." With a soft, stifled sob, before approaching the table cautiously and sitting down between her Mother and Father, beginning to eat a meal of their preparation. Her Father was a tough-looking man with short blonde hair yet smoldering dark brown eyes which held much authority in their gaze, however as he looked upon his daughter, Yuriko, he smiled kindly and gently at her before speaking: "How are you, Yuri? Are you speaking with your friends? What of that new Sensei you told us about a few nights ago?" At the mention of Yaju, Yuriko stiffened up and managed out in a hushed tone: "It's nothing, Papa---Father ... I promise. My friends are alright and my Sensei is ... We are not speaking. I will tell you later, I promise." With that, she excused herself from the table and gave both of her parents generous hugs before striding back into her room and swinging open the closet.

Upon opening the closet she sought out a few specific articles, a cloth breast-plate, a skirt, boots and gloves as well as a cape. She then took off her elaborate Gothic-Style dress and placed on the new clothing while drawing Aufero, whom turned the fabric from blue on color to a dark grey that was nearly black due to the Shadows from within the blade. Yuriko then fastened the cape securely before opening the window and leaping from it to the ground below, which luckily was not too far as her room was only a mere ten or so feet from the ground and therefore would not harm her as she tucked and rolled onto the street which was luckily still mostly empty at this time of day. As she walked down the street, Yuriko kept Aufero firmly at her side while using the cape to conceal the blade as she strode confidently out and toward the nearby Black Forest, a place she intended to use to clear her mind and such. Upon arriving, she would enter the tree-line and then disappear into the Forest, stopping only after traveling a near mile inward. It was then that the idea came to her that, all of these other changes in her appearance would still leave her utterly recognizable, but if she were to cut her hair then perhaps not as many would notice that she was indeed Yuriko, but merely a stranger with the cursed blade. So indeed, Yuriko took Aufero out from her sheathe and used her to cut the twin-tails from her hair and shorten the length overall so that it was half-way down her neck. She gazed solemnly into a nearby puddle of water after doing so in order to inspect the handy-work.

It was there that Yuriko now stood, gazing into a puddle of water within the Forest and awaiting something she was not completely sure of, though she felt as if something would eventually find its way to her soon and that, with all luck, she would be ready this time. She was after-all, a new person, no longer simply Yuriko Nori . . . But Angerona Night, savior of Kumogakure, or at least soon to be in her mind. 

[796]

It was only a day after leaving his home and going to the fox mountains and to him it felt as if it was months and months. After leaving the mountains he was given a new appearance which had made his hair long and black and his eyes lavender. Today Yaju would be checking out a lead that someone had illegally accessed the black forest and it was currently unknown as to whom this person was. Being not only the head of the ANBU operatives in Kumo, but the Raikage's left hand general he felt like it was up to him to actually go and see what was going on and who this mysterious person was that had been lurking in this special forest.

On his head sat a single young fox who had four tails and a Kumo head band on acting as his sensor while he continued to move about and see just what was going on," Yaju the signature is about twenty meters north in the inner depths of the forest, if we pick up the speed we can get there faster," nodding yaju would pick up the pace and continue jumping from one large tree to the next without missing a beat, his body and mind being reborn and anew he would continue on. Within five minutes he would be within the ten meter mark of the person's signature and judging from their position they had not moved much. Activating his Byakugan only for a moment he would confirm that this entity was still in the same position and deactivated it, picking up his speed so that he was now traveling at his full speed and stopping just at the top of a tree three meters from the person.

Jumping down onto a lower branch he would observe the person from behind and tilt his head," Excuse me but this forest is off-limits to villagers, i am going to need you to leave," which he would look closer and smile for a moment, he knew this chakra signature and knew who this was but he was not sure. At the moment he would simply observe and look at her for a few more moments to see if she would turn around and look at him.

Yuriko had heard the voice of Yaju as he stopped not too far from her position and informed her that the Forest was off-limits to villagers and that she must leave it. At that, she let out a soft, cold laugh before turning and gazing upon Yaju's new form with the eyes of her own, while her appearance had changed only subtlety physically, it had drastically been altered aesthetically from the appearance of the elaborately dressed Yuriko that he once knew. Her chakra was tainted by faint wisps of black, dark energy that flowed from the blade of Aufero even through the sheathe, giving her an air of corruption and ruined innocence. She then strode forward, stopping a couple arms length's away from Yaju as she observed his new form with both distaste and curiosity, Aufero too was observing this new Yaju with renewed interest as Yuriko slowly drew her from the sheathe and held Aufero at her side. 

Finally she spoke, a small smile forming on the corner of her mouth as she did so in a calm tone: "Leave? I had just arrived . . . It would be a shame to have traveled such a distance for naught. Perhaps you would like to stay for just a moment with me and dance underneath the soft glow of the sunlight through these trees?" As she finished speaking, Yuriko performed a twirl that seemed theatrical in nature and then held out one hand out to Yaju before performing a back-flip away if he would reach for it, or even if he had not. With a swift and much faster motion than she had before, Yuriko drew Aufero and positioned herself in a stance that was odd with such a blade as Aufero, a fencing stance. 

Aufero prepared for any confrontation that may occur by increasing her dark aura around Yuriko's arm in signal that her power was recovered mostly from the previous night and that the blade would perform just as well as any other if a fight was destined to happen.  Aufero's words rang out firmly within Yuriko's mind as she retained the stance: "He has changed . . . Be wary, for he may be even more powerful than our last encounter, however there is no way to be certain." As Aufero finished, Yuriko chuckled, however it was devoid of humor and as she spoke her words came out much less kind and friendly than her former self would have been in the past, or even the night before: "Ah, What is your name stranger?" She began with a crooked smile, "I am Angerona Night, the shadow of Kumogakure. And you are? ---" If Yaju provided his name she would make a few jabs into the air with Aufero before spinning a full 360 before saying: "Engarde!" and awaiting his next move.

Aufero mused silently to herself as the young Wielder prepared herself for battle even in the uncertainty of this Forest: "She is fool-hearty much as the previous Wielders had been . . . But, she will learn in time --- She is now no longer Yuriko, after-all . . . She is the Darkness's Vessel, Angerona Night." As Aufero finished her internal monologue, her blade pulsed in anticipation with dark energy. She was all too ready to relive last night with less of a certain death than before, however so was Yuriko, or rather; Angerona. The two of them would wait for Yaju's movements before continuing further, both poised and in position. 

[1,369]

Yaju continued to look at the form of Yuriko for a moment as something was off the moment he laid sight on her eyes, the hues which to him showed so much love and promise were now tainted and dark which lead to him shaking his head in disappointment he would feel the tapping of the fox on his head as he whispered something to him,"[i] the chakra of this girl feels weird Yaju..is she someone you know," in which Yaju would reply without moving his mouth," It was someone i once knew...but has now changed," the lavender eyes once again came back to the girl as he now jumped from the tree and landed a few arms length away from her and rested his hands inside of his pockets. At the current moment he was wearing that same Haori from before but underneath it stood a black buttoned up shirt and black pants.

As she began to speak he would pull up the sleeves of the haori just a bit before rolling his shoulders and looking at her," If only i had a good dancing partner i would dance, but why not humor you for a bit since i have nothing better to do," as her hand however outstretched to him he would look at it and back to her before shaking his head. It would seem that she was already losing herself to the sword or rather to Aufero but since this was the path she had chosen he would have no choice but to do something about it in the future. The fox however on his head would jump off and scurry up into the tree looking down to the two of them watching intensively to watch the movements of his master and the unknown girl.

Was she really asking for his name? It was at this moment that he would smirk and shake his head knowing that things were not what they had seemed. Reaching for the hilt of his sword he would shrug," My name....is Yaju and i am the Light that protects this village, be ready Angerona," his eyes locking onto her as he slowly moved his thumb underneath the guard of the blade, pushing onto it to gently unsheathe the blade. It was clear that only the crossing of their blades would speak for them rather than the words of their mouths, and this was what he left the village for to clear his mind to prepare him for a moment such as this.

As a gust of wind took his hair into the air he would dash forward, his right hand on the handle of his blade as he flicked his left thumb and quickly drew the blade, coming towards Yuriko at the speed of 50 and attempting to perform a horizontal strike in an attempt to cut most of her mid section. If she had blocked the first strike he would have pivoted and moved forward thrusting his sword towards her," it seems like our first fight is here," although this was said in his mind, she would
be able to hear it due to the connection of their seals.

Yuriko was impressed even to herself that now Yaju's movements were no longer a blur to her and in-fact at this point in time when he would attempt to attack her, she was able to move fast enough to raise Aufero in defense in order to parry, then gasping softly as she jumped back from the second. He was indeed still quicker than she was however and thus the sword managed to pierce a small section of her new clothing before she could become fully out of its range. "However," She thought to herself. "I am becoming stronger . . . I can move almost as fast as he can, now if only I could get past his guard." With that thought she would frown as his own words entered her mind and spoke to her, while she was comfortable with the new path she had chosen and the new person she had decided to become; His words still haunted her and caused both anger and sympathy to emerge and clash within her heart. She was still struggling between herself, let alone against the man she had once professed love for and was now destined to fight.

Clearing her mind, Yuriko would attempt to dash forward and unleash a quick flurry of small downward blows toward Yaju with as much force as she could muster before then attempting to move backward once more and await his next movements. As she did so, Yuriko spoke up in a voice that was a bit closer to her former tone and composition: "Just give in, Yaju! I am the one who will save Kumogakure --- The world! You will not stop me, and if you strike me down here you will be taking a savior from this world! - - - " She then paused, before adding: "Would you truly kill a hero?" As she said this, her expression became confident and firm, believing each word she had spoken with a fevor as she released one hand from Aufero to rest at her side while aiming the blade toward Yaju, the free hand slowly creating a mystical Orb which he had been shown once before, one of Yuriko's Orbs. 

"Even the Darkness has some light within it, you should know that. . . Yaju." She whispered, leaving the orb to hang within the air beside her as the hand went back to the hilt of the blade and her lips became a thin line. Aufero pulsed and whirled with Dark Energy even more-so than before as Yuriko waited, she was prepared to unleash a fury upon Yaju if so required, but even she hoped that the fight would not continue too long for they were still quite clearly a gap in raw power.  

In her mind, Yuriko reached out to Yaju as she stood there, poised in a fighting stance that looked much like a Fencer's: "I do not want to fight you yet, Yaju . . . You can still walk away and save both of us." With that, she began to step backward before using her cape to conceal herself for a moment via swinging it in-front of her body and as it flowed over her for a moment she formed the hand-seals in order to perform the Substitution Technique, as she replaced herself with a log in an attempt to conceal herself while bounding into the nearby treeline in an attempt to prevent Yaju from attacking directly as she spoke. 

"You asked what I was willing to do for Strength . . . " Yuriko began, still within Yaju's mind. "The one thing that I am not willing to do --- Not yet --- Is kill you, Yaju. Do not force me to do this; I must save this world . . . And if it is with blood, then so be it." She concluded, voice fading away as she hid within the trees, Aufero still at the ready as she stood in waiting. 



[2,011]

It would seem that Yuriko had gotten not only faster but more agile as she blocked the first strike and barely avoided the second with the blade just barely scratching her clothing. Swinging the blade to clear it of any loose strands of clothing and setting it near his right side before watching Yuriko closely. It was funny how fate threw the two of them together and then tore them apart with such a reverb that it caused the both of them to change and become two opposite sides of the world, one for the light and one for the dark. Yaju shook his head and sat his blade upon his shoulder, the flat of the blade laying on the clothing that covered his shoulder blade.

When she dashed at him he would remain in the same stance while hold the blade in a manner that a traditional samurai would and as the first strike of hers would enter striking distance, he would being to block and parry each strike without taking his eyes off of her body watching each movement until she had jumped away. As she spoke he would sheathe his sword and smile as he thought of an answer for her, but in the end he would nod," You have already given up so much of yourself Yuriko to this darkness and that blade. I have to say that even a hero must die for the betterment of the world, and if i have to kill you one day...i only hope i can see your smile one final time. You must understand that eventually...words will not be able to convey our emotions or feelings only our blades will do the talking," holding his blade up to her he would open his eyes and finally go silent.

That phrase had made him look at the orb before looking to her and speaking," But the Light will only shine in the darkness as long as the person keeps themselves there. Once they give into the darkness the light fades, so what is it you are going to do...give into the darkness or stay in the light," as she spoke in his head however he would draw his blade once again and take his stance but this time he would only hold it with his right hand while his left held up two fingers.

Sighing he would respond into her query inside of his head with a silent answer," I cannot let you just do as you please and i cannot let that blade do what it wants. You became my responsibility once i swore to protect you and if i have to i will protect you from yourself," his eyes conveyed his feeling as he jumped back into the tree and picked up the fox, placing it onto his head," Get it ready just in case," in which the small fox would begin to meditate on his head.

When she spoke again he would chuckle and nod," the last thing i would want to do my dear is kill you...it is true that i love you too much to kill you and take you from this world, but if i must stop you i will angerona," his eyes continued to look around as he waited for her to make some sort of move against him.

Yuriko frowned as she heard Yaju's words, they pierced her even in this shell of Darkness like an arrow to the heart; However this only strengthened her resolve to fight and to show him, even through blood if necessary, that she was becoming the one thing Kumogakure needed: A hero willing to do anything for the greater good. All the other self-proclaimed heroes hid behind their honor and justice like a veil to hide the fact that they were cowardly within of taking a life, of taking a life in order to save a hundred more. This is what she fully intended to show Yaju as she continued to listen and upon his last word she replied: "You will not destroy all that I have fought to earn: Freedom and Strength are finally in my hands and you wish to take it away from me . . . You will not get away with this, Yaju." As she said this, Yuriko calmly strode back from the tree-line and into Yaju's view, holding Aufero at her side calmly as she did so. "I do not wish to return, can you not see this? - - - Yuriko Nori is dead!" She spoke in a choked tone as she fought sobs back, stumbling forward. "I will give you one chance; Kill me or let me live . . . Here and now. What you choose is your decision and yours alone. You may rid this world of me and perhaps save a few, or allow me to live and others may die. No matter your choice, I will hold no hatred to you; only the regret that you could not fight alongside me to change this world for the better and that you remain blinded by the mortal coils which bind you." With that, Yuriko performed something that was likely highly unexpected. She sheathed Aufero and knelt upon both knees in-front of Yaju, her cape billowing softly as she does so.

Yuriko knelt, awaiting what Yaju may do. It was clear that at this moment she was indeed offering him a choice in which many lives could hang in the balance between: He could perform what would be considered his duty and slay her there, or perhaps offer mercy and allow her to live. If she were to live then her path would likely be carved in blood and result in the deaths of some to perhaps save the lives of many. If she were to die here, then her journey up to this point would have caused nothing but harm to herself and perhaps the one she loved, Yaju. She raised her head to gaze into Yaju's eyes softly and without malice, her arms were out-stretched in such a way that she appeared as if she were making a cross with her body; Her neck bared to him in a manner of fearlessness and offering. She spoke, but only after a long while and with a more gentle tone than she had used previously: "Yaju . . . You must choose whether to allow to live or die - - - Aufero has no part in this, all of my actions have been my own to this point and beyond. All Aufero had done was remove the inhibitions which stopped be from performing them; She allowed me to truly be free in my words and actions. I offer this same freedom to you now, as you decide . . . But please, remember me in either case. I do not want to become ashes in the wind to you --- I want to remain in your mind and soul." She then closed her eyes as she awaited his possibly fatal decision, Aufero meanwhile dimmed to a barely visible glow as concern overtook her for the Wielder which she had developed an attachment to over the past nights between them, she felt everything in Yuriko's soul whom in turn felt everything within Aufero's. They were intertwined and, if she perished then so would Yuriko as well as likewise.

"Decide" Both Aufero and Yuriko rang out within Yaju's mind, firmly yet both seemingly laced with sorrow and worry. Each of them held convictions of their own and each held minds of their own, yet both shared in this moment of fear for the future and confidence in the present. 

[2,718]

Yaju looked down to her from his current position and unsheathed his sword in which he would cut the trunk of the tree he was currently on and simply looked as it fell to the ground his body was light but his mind was heavy as he jumped down and landed onto the ground for the first time she would hear anger in his voice," You only see the path in front of you don't you? What of the people who care of you and those who only want the best for you..why is it this has to be the only path you take," he would pause however as she said that the Yuriko he knew was dead which for that one moment his strength would get the better of him as he hit the tree he had once cut and shattered the base causing it to fall," if the one that i love is dead...that only leaves an enemy in my eyes, if our love and what we had was that simple that it is gone...then i do not have any choice but to stop you now," however when she had given him the choice to kill her he would stab his blade into the ground sheath and all as he began to slowly walk forward towards her," You said the one i knew is already dead so what does that make you? An empty husk of what you once were or something different," his eyes were unable to be seen but secretly he was beginning to cry as he became nothing but one foot from her.

As she spoke however he would grab her and slam her onto the ground, pinning her arms and legs onto the ground as he looked into her eyes and sighed before kissing her and shaking his head," Shut the hell up and listen for once you foolish little girl, you are asking me to make a decision like this. My hands have already killed someone close to me and i refuse to do it again...those sins are forever burrowed into my body and soul. For you to ask me to simply end your life here...you have truly forsaken who you once were," shaking his hair clear from his face she would be able to see the lavender hues welling up as he spoke into her head," If you want me to choose so badly," jumping off of her and landing by his blade he would pull it from the sheath and point it at her," Fight me here and now...Angerona Night," no longer calling her by her old name he would accept that the one he loved was gone and this new woman was now his enemy...despite how he felt on the inside.

[1941]

"That bastard!" Yuriko growled internally, Aufero mirroring her anger with a powerful surge of Dark Energy which flowed up her arm and nearly up to her shoulder, engulfing it in Darkness. Slowly, Yuriko scrambled to her feet as her head hung limply, her expression and tone changing to reflect a darker, although more sorrowful Yuriko - Or more accurately, she was becoming Angerona. She raised her head just enough for her glowing red eyes to be visible underneath the strands of golden blonde hair and spoke with a cold, sad tone: "You are the reason she perished, You and your selfish pride . . . You could not allow me to do what was needed to save this world, and now you will burn for it. Either in Hell by my blade, or in a waking Nightmare from slaying me. Prepare yourself, Yaju." As she finished speaking, Angerona rushed forward and let loose another flurry of blows, however these were using both her full speed and strength, dark energy flying from the blade in a whirlwind as it rang out through the Forest.

"Was it worth it, killing me?!" She demanded whilst still attacking, eyes wide and her pupils dilated with rage as she nearly screamed: "I just wanted to save them! I wanted to protect them! And you ruined it, you turned me into a monster! You let my hatred grow and my sorrow consume me! You could never help me, not then . . . Not now!" As she finished ranting, Angerona attempted to skid backward and perform a series of hand-signs in order to perform a Clone Jutsu in which two clones prepared for another attack momentarily and then rushed at Yaju, each mirroring Angerona's own actions as she raised Aufero and thrusted her forward, attempting to pierce Yaju as she did so, aiming for his chest in the location near his heart in the hopes of, if indeed managing such a thing, of inflicting damage. 

At this point, it was clear that Yaju had triggered something within Angerona to cause her Yuriko personality to become clouded during this battle, her hatred and fears overshadowing any kindness or hope that she had before, the way in which she had been spoken to and the actions he had taken were the cause of this, explained within a thought during her own fury: "He refuses to change, he wishes to mourn rather than help me! I'll kill him, I'll kill him." Angerona then performed a leap into the air and attempted to dive downward at Yaju while holding Aufero in such a fashion that, while falling, the blade would be below her so that anything she landed upon would be pierced by it. It was her goal in this attack to hit Yaju and pierce through him in such a manner that hopefully would make up for her lack of strength.

As she performed this feat, her thoughts rang out through Yaju's mind clearly and full of resentment: "You have done this to me." She said within her mind to him, firmly and without hesitation as she dove. Whether or not the attack hit was up to Yaju's movements, but it was clear that at this point: Angerona was prepared to fight him to the death. 

[3,258]

Yaju stared at Yuriko...no he stared at the girl now known as Angerona as he threw his sword into its sheathe and pulled out two kunai with a flick of his wrist, the two Kunai appearing from his sleeves and into his hands as they began to crackle with lightning. With this he would give her at least half of his all to see if she was worth keeping alive till later or killing her here and now. Her words Echo'd through his mind as he ran at her to meet her in the middle as her blade began to clash with the kunai as he would wait for her second to last strike he would parry it and throw a swift kick towards her chest to knock her back a bit before jumping backwards, landing ten meters from her. Grabbing two more kunai out of his sleeves he would be now holding four in the form of claws as he watched her create the clones to come and attack him.

As the clones and Angerona came closer to him, he would throw two of the Kunai's at her or more specifically the two clones as he used one of the Kunai to block her attack but not without being cut on the chest and through his shirt. Using his strength he would push her back and throw one of the kunai at her to create more distance between the two of them as he stopped and looked up at her," So now you show your true colors to me and show me just how much you had wanted me..it's funny how i am the one to blame when all i wanted to do was help you," however when she had jumped up into the air he would stomp the ground causing a large portion of the earth to shoot into the air in the form of a square, this patch of earth being ten meters by ten meters. Jumping onto the pillar as it shot up he would run up it and run around it until he was on the side of Angerona and once he was near her he would jump into the air and deliver a devastating ax kick into her side sending her back onto the ground.

Landing not even ten meters from her he would scoff and look at her," You can blame it all on me all you want but you will not get any sympathy from me Angerona...what was left of the woman i love is no longer there and now if you want my soul you must kill me... but you cannot do that can you? You cling to your pitiful ideals without acting on them with your meager strength," he flicked the Kunai in his hand as he looked down to her," You say i have done this to you? Well you have brought this on yourself for messing with powers you could never comprehend!! Now stand up and defend yourself," his eyes glared at her as he punched the pillar of earth and caused a portion of it to fly towards her.

[2,486]