Reunification of Friends (Invite Only)

Kasai did not know, as he walked among the forest, each leaf so familiar to him; each branch bending as a friend would with a greeting bow. Each step carrying him deeper into this land that he knew all too well, and he knew what he was waiting for. He had anonymously requested the attendance of a friend. A friend whom had been at his side for the past... At that point, it seemed like a lifetime.

Much of the world around him had changed, and he was not yet ready to step back into it. The death squad seemed gone, new ninja were in the village, and time itself was different.

However, the greatest difference noticeable to those who knew, was Kasai himself.

The mask was gone.

The mask, which had once been Kasai's face, now hung around his neck, almost as a necklace would. In its place, was Kasai's true face. After all the years, he finally allowed his face to heal. Still with burns on parts of his face, Kasai had recovered much in the past months, and the only large burn marks left were only on the left side of his face, and his neck. Now, his orange eyes shown without the mask, his scarred nose and mouth were cam and peaceful, and for once, the hair which had not been able to grow for years finally hung down his back, each strand the red color of the setting sun.

He had cast aside his carnival clothes for robes, white and gold and red, as vibrant as the flames from which he was born, yet simple as a priest's. His hands were folded as he walked, and the large scroll of the ape summons slung across his back. With each step, he tried to take in the new world more and more, for he had to. 

Yet, he had not come to think about his new clothes, or why he not longer wore the mask that hung around his neck. No, he had come to meet an old friend. Only one, and one only in particular. Any other soul that he would sense, and he could sense them all, he would avoid and not allow them to interact. He had come for one person, and one alone. 

The trees around him spoke his name. The shadows dancing in the safeguard of the trees called him. All around, nature was summoning the man whom Kasai had called upon. It was time that he would come back into this world which he had been gone from for far too long. 

It would be a good day, a memorable one. A day to meet a friend again, after a life time of wandering and waiting.

(Happy birthday, Tatsuya))

A message had found its way to Tatsuyas front door. He knew who is was form immediately by the wrinkled edges and the wild writing inside. If was a short message about Kasai's return to the would. However once reading it Tatsuya had a feeling of order in the message. It was still written in its cryptic form but in a more civil way. It told of a general aria of were to meet in the forest that surrounded their strong willed village and with out a moment to spare Tatsuay burst out of the door and into the woods. Unfortunately because Tatsuya was now a Chunnin he had many more responsibilities so it would be more like him sneaking out of the village. Preforming the necessary hand signs Tatsuya body begins to sink down and melt away into the shadows until any signs of him have vanished. Then whit out any trouble Tatsuay slithers out of the village.

Once in the woods and in his silky shadowy form Tatsuay is able to maneuver much more quickly and more efficiently around trees and does not have to spend much time slowing down to make turns. Soon he arrives at the general aria of where Kasai told him to meet. Soon enough Tatsuya does come across some one but the man is completely un recognizable and it isn't until Tatsuya makes his way to the front of the man when Tatsuya realizes who it is.

They had been apart for a long wile and it seemed that this time was had a huge effect on Kasai's physical appearance. Not only was he wearing different clothing that looked a little priest like but his mask was off his face as well. It was burned and scared as Tatsuya suspected but what prompted Kasai to take off the mask?
Tatsuya still hidden in the world between sky and earth Tatsuya undetectable was about 2 meters away from Kasai.

The ground in front of Kasai begins to rise up like a black blob of death then like leaves falling off a tree in the fall the shadowy essence that hid him from the world began to peal away from his body starting with the top his head. Once Tatsuya had completely risen from the ground the shadows burst off his body as if a gust of wind had come through. Tatsuya stood there in front of Kasai not sure what to say. Not to suggest that he was in shock of his face but he could not simply find the words. Unlike Kasai Tatsuay had not changed much he may have looked a bit older but if anything he did look a little cleaner. Because of his his more frequent duties to the village Tatsuya did look a little more civil and grown up with combed hair and an issued  set of chunnin armor. However Tatsuyas feet were with out shoes which was fitting for him.

Standing there with out words Tatsuya looks into the eyes of his old friend.

[Thanks Buddy!]

Kasai could feel the shift in the air around him, and knew immediately that his friend had come. He smiled slightly to himself, and when the black blob at his feet made to rise, he did not move, for he was not afraid. Nor did he have a reason to be afraid. He had known Tatsuya for eternity, and now, he was fully convinced that nothing would bring his friend against him. The world itself could rip in half, and these two friends would remain undivided.

It was the day and the night that met then. The burning sun that rises in the sky, and the dark shadows that stretch throughout the land. Light and dark, fire and earth. The two contrasting elements, each one with the power to destroy the other, colliding at that location.

However, neither could exit without the other, and both are the reason why the opposite exists. Kasai and Tatsuya, the spirit of fire, and the guardian of the earth. Fire and earth, shadow and light. Together, they were the duo of Konohagakure. The pair that had stuck through The Dawn themselves, survived torture, and survived the face of death itself. Together, they were unbeatable.

With the robes of light and fire flowing around him, and the scarred face twisting more into a smile, Kasai extended his hands outwards to embrace Tatsuya.

"Friend," he started, looking at the man who stood before them. For they were men now, when once they were boys. They had both seen death and traveled the world. Watched cities fall, and managed to escape. Yes, they were no longer children of the village, neither by rank nor experience. "It is good to see you again."

For it was. After a life time of wandering, there is no other face that Kasai would rather see at that moment. With the only other friend he had ever known dead in the earth, Tatsuya seemed all that was left to hold Kasai to the ground where they stood. 

However, their friendship, the force unrestrained, had to be aimed. They were both strong enough to survive aptly in the world, and together, they could do far more than survive. It was high time that force was set into motion. It was time that they had a plan.

The two of them had perfected combinations to wipe out shinobi stronger than themselves, and each one had their signature moves. They both made pacts with powerful beasts to summon to battle. They were ninja, and there was no other way to put it.

Face to face the two men stood with out a word spoken. Tatsuya felt that time was playing tricks on him, that it only seemed like yesterday was the day that Tatsuya met Kasai. My what adventures they had, from battling the words of the rude Uchiha children to the fight for their lives with the demon Youka. Tatsuay almost cringes at the thought of that man and what he wanted to do to the world. He was the sort of man who could not stand the thought of different opinions and had a mentality that told him that he was the ultimate being.
No matter all of that was in the past and what mattered was the man who stood in front of him.

With the braking of silence Tatsuay smiles at hearing his voice and once hugging tight Tatsuay responses.

"It has been a wile friend and I cant wait to hear the story behind your absents but from the looks of things you have changed quite a bit."

Tatsuay was curious to if Kasai had gained any new powers wile he was away and felt a old sense of competition returning to his body.
Tatsuya did feel a little disappointed as he could not show off any new growth to his friend. But no matter Kasai was back and if Tatsuay was feeling anything it was the feeling of getting his hands dirty to get stronger.

Kasai looked at his friend, and saw then what had prompted that response. It was true that Kasai had changed much in the time he had been gone, however, it seemed as if Tatsuya had changed very little, if any at all.

Yet, while the physical changes were great, there was bit one change otherwise, and that was not in power, but in his mind. 

"I'm afraid the changes you see, Tatsuya," Kasai started, looking at his friend, and spreading his arms to show off the robes. "Are the greatest ones.
"I have not learned any justsu while we were away, or any skills of extravagance," he continued, smiling softly.

But, while he gained no jutsu or unseen power, there was an idea which Kasai had gained. Order.


This idea, however, was one that must be presented correctly, or else, Kasai would worry what Tatsuya would think of him. He was no longer the wild boy he had once been, dancing around in carnival clothes and speaking in rhymes. No, he was older now, and more experienced, and he felt that he needed attire to match. However, there were those out there who had not grown. Those who thought, for whatever reason, that to kill and make chaos was the right way. They took many forms and many names, but the most common was the missing ninja, and "The Dawn". They were those who, for whatever reason, sought destruction over utopia, and that was what Kasai had realized. They were the ones stopping the world they lived in from being perfect, and he knew that now.

"But I have thought, and spent many hours wondering and pondering," he said then, looking at his friend. "And it made me remember a goal that we once had," Kasai said, pausing, folding his arms together in the long sleeves of red and gold.

"Tatsuya, do you remember the Akatsuki?"

Listening to Kasai's words Tatsuyas green eyes soaked in the colors that Kasai is wrapped in. They showed off Kasai's fiery spirit but in a controlled and yet in a powerful manner. The name of the Akatsuki rings load in Tatsuya years and worries slightly that Kasai may have been effected by thous tyrants much more then Tatsuya thought. However Kasais eyes seemed calm and were still very much a reflection of the pureness in the world.

Chuckling slightly Tatsuya responds.

"My my Kasai you have changed much more beyond your physical appearance." Tatsuay turns away and runs his hands down the bark of a tree. "It seems that the fire that runs through your vains are not leaving the destructive path that made your insanity but are now tamed to your will." Then facing him. "We have to be careful if we choose the path similar to the Akatsuki. We may strive to stay pure and our initial intentions may be that but the path of darkness and corruption is powerful and even the purest of men can fall into its dark deadly grip. I would love to save the world and create a new order of peace but we must walk around with a mirror in hand so that our actions stay in check."  Even then i would be hard.

Tatsuya was not sure how Kasai would react to little speech and he would not be surprised if Kasai took offense to it but as much as Tatsuya wanted to save the world he did not want to risk sacrificing others for that cause.

"No," Kasai said, after a long pause. "Not a path similar to theirs. A wall in front of their path, more of. To stop them, whatever the cost."

Kasai did not want to become like them, not after they were the cause of the death of Makussu. No, Kasai no longer wanted to walk down a path, but to alter other paths. To make a wall, with a gate that only they would decide who pass through. They would be the iron bars on corruption and greed, iron bars with no key out.

"If fate was a human, Tatsuya," Kasai started. "They would have two arms, two legs, one chest, and a head, just like any other human, correct?" He began to pace around, his eyes flicking to Tatsuya as the mask bounced ever so slightly against his chest with each step.
"The arms; they would each have a hand, wouldn't they? Of course they would; hands and the fingers on them are some of the most important aspects of the body, minus the mind and vital organs. The hand can do, and does many things. It casts jutsu and releases chakra through the seals, after all," he said, taking a breath.
"But what if this person, the human of Fate, had a sense of justice? A sense of what is right, and what is wrong? It is clear that it does not," he said, closing his eyes briefly. "But what if the hands did?
"Fate is clearly not a human, but who are we to say that these hands which belong to Fate are not people? What if they were? Would they find those who hurt others? Would they destroy those who destroy hope? Would they seek out peace and happiness for the rest of the world, even at the cost of their own lives?
"These hands, if they were people, they would be very similar, wouldn't they? And yet, every person uses different hands for different tasks, and each person is better at somethings with one hand over the other. So what if these hands of fate, if they were people, had different elements? Those elements would be very different, wouldn't they? As different as night....and as day. As earth; full of life of every kind, and of fire; bringing destruction, yet also passion and purity.
"If these were the elements of the hand of Fate; the elements of night and day; earth and fire, then who..." Kasai paused, a slight smile crossing his scarred lips. "Who, in this strange world that we live in, would hold those elements?
"Would they live in the largest village? Two young ninja, with a scarce sense of direction or purpose?
"They would know of those who they seek to destroy, of course. They would know about The Akatsuki, and all the rogue ninja. These Hands of Fate would seek out to destroy them, for they would know that it is these ninja who bring death and suffering into this world.
"The Hands of Fate would have lost a friend at the hands of these ninja. They would have seen villages fall," Kasai's voice was raising now. "They would have watched their own Kage, the only leader they have ever known fall to the hands of these ninja! They would have seen the world burn, and they, they alone would know must be done!
"They would be standing here, The Hands of Fate, reunited after what must have been years. They would be the best of friends, and the perfect combative squad. They would have every base covered, and also know that they will never cease learning. 
"Together, The Hands of Fate would know their own fate! They would know their purpose!" Kasai said, taking in a deep breath, and then stood, his hair the color of the setting sun and blowing in the wind, his eyes wide with a fire of their own burning, and the mask around his neck seeming to call out to Tatsuya itself.

"So I ask you," he said, extending a hand. "Tatsuya, my last surviving and only friend, if I take the right hand, will you be my left, to this body of Fate, which seeks out peace for all?"

Tatsuay's eyes fallow Kasai as he moves back and forth and he trys to understand what Kasai is saying.
Kasai had extended his hand and Tatsuya looks at it. Extending his own hand Tatsuya places it into Kasais but then pushes it away. Again turning his back towards his friend Tatsuya looked deep into the carved crevasse of the tree try to find his words. It must have been a minuet or so until Tatsuya knows what to say.

"Lit me ask you something Kasai." Tatsuya turns back towards him. "How is this any different from the path that the Akatsuki took? When I was stuck in that dungeon and saw Jason being tortured and I learned what it meant to be a man with a vision. When I had to battle the bone bending Kaguya to the death I learned what it meant to be a man who wanted to change the world. I dont just mean the anger that was born by those experiences but the observations that I took. I saw men who were not very different from you and me and men who thought they were doing what was write. Frankly I could see where they were coming from. All they wanted was to stop the tyranny of the minority and destroy all oppressive forms of government." Taking a quick pause "Not to say that they were just in their actions but what they all truly wanted was to create a better world."

"Now i know that it is not in our morals to kill and cause destruction but we cant go running around feeling like we have the power to pass judgment on thous who have sined because then we would be no different from Akatsuki.

Tatsuay walks away from Kasai with a scattered mind and leans against a tree. Then in quiet solemn tone,

"I dont know maybe its because I dont have the physical power to take on these people. Im sorry I just dont feel comfortable with the power to decide who is evil and who is not.....People are still people no matter how evil they are."

Tatsuya feeling very unsure on how he feels about the world and where his morals lay hopes that he has not hurt Kasai.

He felt like his morals and opinions were a thousand puzzle sets jumbled up into one bag.

Kasai paused, just like it seemed each one did after the other had spoken. It had been a long time indeed since they had seen each other, as they almost always seen eye to eye on everything. However, those were the days when they had to survive, and now they had survived, and they were the survivors.

Yes, that was it. That was the answer that Kasai had been looking for; one that he was sure Tatsuya would like.

"What makes us different?" Kasai repeats his friend's question, nodding. "That's a good question, yes, and one that I have thought long on. I do have an answer as well, Tatsuya.
"I remember when we were younger, smaller, and weaker. We were captured by a demon of a man, I know. You too remember well all the incidents which occurred. I know I won't forget.
"Yet, it is because neither of us will forget that we won't become like them. That, and the fact that we are together. 
"As similar as we are, we each have our differences, and see things from different perspectives. This is one reason that we will not corrupt as the Akatsuki have; because we have each other. Too many times, the men who we see as demons work alone, and it is because of that which causes them to corrupt in their vision. 
"The second, is that we have been that small child, helpless in the corner, wishing someone would save them. We both remember, and always will.
"That is the second reason. We will know the difference between the tormented and the tormentors. We will not seek out pointless death or revenge, no. We, together if you will, would seek out those who are helpless and in need, and then protect them against the oncoming storm.


"We would be the heroes that we needed in our life, but never had."

It was a good answer and one that made sense. For they could distinguish what was light and what was dark, pure and evil.

"I understand what you are saying, experience is a must in this ninja world" Going thought a small revelation

Tatsuya realizes that when in the presute to find justice it is possible to stay in the real of the light. Then stepping into the light that gleams thought the trees Tatsuya says.

"Kasai Im sorry that it took me a bit to see what you were saying. " Pausing slightly "We will be the checks and balances for each other. The Yin and Yang. If one of us starts to slip away towards the deep end then the other will have to pull that person back up!"

Tatsuay walks up to his friend and takes his hand with a firm grip.

"Kasai you and I are going to do grate things and help so many people. We are the Terible Two Of Konoha!"

Tatsuya feels excitement running thought his body and the hype of being a shinobi increase.

"Well then Kasai to seal our deal shall we spar?"