Stage 1 - Denial (Kasuga)

The small burst of chakra emitting from her fingertips had Arata laughing gleefully. The child had been far too cooped up in the palace for a nearly seven year old boy and it showed now as he accompanied his mother to the water gardens. The Queensguard had learned to be more discreet now, leaving Akihana to spend some time with her son as well as train some of the techniques she had come across in Denkiteki's personal library. The pocket dimension he had entrusted her with had acted like a safe haven until now, until the night she had-

"Mommy, do it again!" Arata shouted, running towards her and automatically making the blonde recall the small burst of chakra growing atop her extended right palm. It didn't matter that she couldn't hit the mark properly and that her reaction to things heading Arata's way was much faster than in her own self defense. As long as the child was nearby, she would take every precaution necessary.

"I will if you stay out of the line of fire, sweetie," she called out, prompting the dark haired boy to make a face.

"It's not even fire mom, Arashi Nii-san is more powerful than you," Arata goaded, hoping to launch his mother into some kind of display of power. Unfortunately fro him, Akihana had seen more mind games than her little one had learned to play at his age. Instead of showing off like the boy had hoped, his mother simply nodded with a proud smile.

"He certainly is, and still growing, soon he'll be the most powerful shinobi in the world, do you know why that is Arata?"

Grudgingly, the boy shook his head.

"It's because he knows when to use his power, and when to withhold it." Even as she finished, Arata was rolling his dark eyes at her. This wasn't the first time his mother had stressed the importance of not using ninjutsu, and to top it all off they were now in a city where no one was even allowed to use ninjutsu. Not even Maku, or Den-san.

"Mommy, where's Maku?" the child asked, eyebrows raised as the thought struck him anew. Akihana had never been sure how the two had gotten to know each other so well to the point where Arata actually missed his absence but somehow it had happened. Arata was fortunate, he could ask. Akihana could not.

"Now are we going to stand around or are we goign to watch mommy try to blast something?" the blonde asked with a brave smile, distracting the boy instantly. Arata moved aside, out of his mother's way as the kunoichi's fingers began glowing once more, gathering heat and chakra to form the small yet deadly orb.

"Excuse me miss? Have you-," his words fell short as the woman he had been talking to looked at him oddly and kept going, no manners he supposed on his part. Pushing his spear onto his back a little more he kept walking not knowing what to ask these people. "Have you seen someone from Kumo?" or "I'm looking for my sister who looks like-" not good enough either was it? He knew next to nothing about his sister except for a name, their clan and that was it. From his earlier conversation with the guard at the gate, he was forbidden or at least told to not use his ninja arts in any form around the people of this area which he didn't mind hence why he kept his spear abound on his back. The tattered rolls of bandage kept it from sight, though his mouth and nose were retreated to his scarf as he continued to stroll about taking in the new area.

It was after a few minutes of looking around that he knew for sure this had not been a shinobi village. Sure they had guard of shinobi origin about, but these people? Did not have chakra like a normal shinobi would. It made him curious as to how they got along after so long, but he wouldn't go about asking them why this was so. As he walked he poked mentally at his ever long companion, Erebes," Hey... What do you think i'll find of my sister? Surely she escaped Kumo right?," the small boy continued to look around as they spoke mentally. " Does it look like I know boy? If anything she should be fine...I mean she had one of my siblings within her...Medusa I think? Don't know much on her though if she had her....she should be fine, so stop worrying and look out for her," the demonic voice chimed before it had disappeared.

Thus Kasuga continued to walk his eyes turned to the sky for a moment before he stopped. Something had been caught on his senses, different from those around him. Looking around his head turned in the direction of the sensation as he was about to speak," Yeah I feel it too...someone with chakra more potent than these....humans is about. Go on, check it out," he chimed in telling the boy what he needed to know. Without fail he looked around for a dark corner to go into, swiftly moving into it and making sure no one could see him. With a single, swift jump he took off into the air on black wings flying full speed towards the signature. It wasn't much but it could have been someone who could actually help him.

After mere moments he would appear five meters from the woman, the wings disappearing and dropping him to the ground with a soft thud," This is it...," his eyes looking around before catching sight of her. This...this was where the chakra was coming from...But this wasn't his sister. He waited for a moment before speaking rummaging through his stuff for the small picture he had taken from his dad and held it in front of him," Um...sorry miss, but can I ask if you've seen the girl in this picture?," while he tried to make himself not as menacing as possible he didn't want to alert anyone because he had literally just flew into the area.

“Yes!” Arata pumped his fist in the air as though the small line of laser travelling from his mother’s fingertips and landing on the rock fifteen feet away was his own personal achievement. Though the impact didn’t do much more beyond singe the rock, Arata still felt the need to cheer. Perhaps he thought something cool would follow like the rock exploding. Sadly nothing happened, making his face fall as he looked towards his mother. “Don’t worry mom, you’ll get it next time,” he encouraged halfheartedly as he returned to her side.

“I sure hope so,” Akihana replied with a grin that in no way befitted someone who had failed at their task. Of course, Akihana wasn’t about to tell her son that it wasn’t’ the power of the blast she was working on but the range. Power, as any experienced shinobi could tell you, could be turned on and off at will. Range though, that was tricky, and finesse at range was a rare skill among shinobi. Today, Akihana wasn’t trying to make things shatter into a million pieces, no, what she wanted was simple, to increase that fifteen feet range to, say, a hundred meters.

“Now let’s give it another try,” she spoke, raising her hands once more when Arata was out of the line of fire. her fingers began to glow anew when a dark presence made itself known and instead of shooting her hand towards the potential threat, the blonde let the chakra retreat as her hand moved at top speed towards Arata, shielding the boy from whatever was coming. If the discreetly placed Queensguard around the Water Gardens hadn’t felt the stranger approach then it was a safe bet that they couldn’t handle him or her. By the time the source of her precaution landed in front of her, black wings extended from his back, Akihana had moved completely in front of Arata, shielding the boy from view.

To her surprise, the newcomer appeared to be a child no more than Arata’s age. Though his dark wings did faze her for a moment, the memory taking her back momentarily to well over a year ago. The sky over Could Village lit up with blue and silver fireworks as a young kage threw back his ink dark hair and let out a roguish, bark like laugh. Yaju had been famed for his skill with his wings, she recalled with a sharp jab as her senses forced her to focus on the here and now. Despite the newcomer’s powerful chakra, he was still a young child and Akihana could feel herself relaxing in his presence.

“Hi there sweetheart,” she offered kindly as he held out the picture. “Are you lost? Is that a picture of your Mommy or Daddy, we can help you find them,” she offered, extending her hand for the picture. Before she could take it however, Arata had pushed away from behind her and snatched the photograph from the boy, his own dark eyes narrowed in suspicion at the boy’s wings.

“I’m Arata,” he introduced himself sullenly, trying to appear more grown uo than he was. Akihana had noticed this particular behavior more prominent when Arata was in the company of boys his own age, trying to impress them by being “cool”, whatever that meant. She waited as Arata took a look at the picture, his cool demeaned vanished in an instant as his eyes grew to the size of dinner plated.

“This is a picture of Misaki-sama, how do you have a picture of Miss Misaki,” he asked, now even more suspicious of the boy. Even when Misaki had been alive, Arata had been fiercely protective of her, a trait he had probably picked up from Yaju. And now it appeared her son was just as protective of Misaki’s picture.

The landing went smooth though he had forgotten the place he had been in. The wispy black wings would beat once before slowly dissipating behind him as he sat his bag down. He didn't know exactly where he had been at the current moment but as the woman moved in front of the young boy he didn't know what quite to make of it. The action appeared maternal in nature, much like his own mother had been like. It wasn't as uncommon as he would like to think and as he took a single step forward and showed the picture it would become more and more apparent. When she asked was he lost, he tilted his head for a moment in confusion. Forgetting that he was in the body of a seven year old boy, he must had been mistaken for a child (because he is). Shaking his head he would begin to speak until he had felt the picture snatched from his hands.

In that moment his features scrunched and turned into something akin to anger as his right hand slowly moved back to the bandaged item but then he had stopped. Knowing that he would indeed cause a scene, he allowed his hand to fall limply to his hand before he had heard it. “This is a picture of Misaki-sama, how do you have a picture of Miss Misaki,” They knew something...they had to. The boy knew his sisters name, knew her face and now he had became closer to his goal. His face returned to normal as he turned his eyes to the woman," You...and this boy know of my sister? Please tell me you know where she is!!! Me and dad are looking for her...I went looking for her to bring her home...are you from Kumo then?," he knew it...someone knew something about his sister, the more he thought about it the more questions he had thought to ask.

Taking the hat from off his back, he unraveled it and showed it to the female. The older Raikage hat he had in his grasp was a bit worn and dusty, though as he held it his hands tightened around it," My dad spoke highly of my sister....He said she was the strongest of us, unmatched in our clan's abilities. I want to meet her and see if she will train me," he smiled genuinely as he tuckered the hat onto his back and continued speaking," My name is Kasuga Ametsuchi, now oldest son of the Raikage Kurisu Ametsuchi. Who are you miss?," the yellow hues returned to the female as he removed the scarf from his mouth allowing her to see his full features. "Finally Erebes...we found a lead to my big sis...maybe now we can grow stronger," he thought this to himself, not knowing of the news he could potentially get from the female.

At the revelation that this young child was Misaki's brother, Arata's face went taut with surprise. Had Akihana been less cought off guard herself, she would have appreciated what her son was going through. It had taken the blonde a while to acknowledge the beginings of a jealous, possessiveness in her son but it was quite clear now in his steadily darkening eyes. Arata had been devastated to learn of the Squad's death, he had taken to wearing the Haori around just to keep the spirit of the group alive. His actions had first been of a child who missed his mentors but later, they had turned into the actions of a boy who had lost his way. Yaju, Misaki, Kuro, Alice, they might all be gone but their memories belonged to Arata - or so he had thought until now.

Slowly handing the photograph back to the boy, Arata retreated behind his mother once more. As much as his world was shattering, he could no more bring himself to tell this stranger what had became of his sister than Akihana could. A brief expression of sadness crossed Akihana's face as Kasuga asked of the lost Ametsuchi. Instead of answering him directly, she reached out a hand to instinctively comfort the boy. Misaki had never mentioned a brother but given her father's reputation, Akihana wasn't surprised.

"Hello Kasuga, I'm Akihana, I came from Kumo too, just like your sister," the kunoichi explained, rubbing the boy's shoulder comfortingly if allowed. It looked like he'd travelled a long way, his Konoha headband glinted dully on his person, testifying to the long journey.

"We were just about to break for lunch actually," Akihana added and as if on queue, two Queensguards appeared carrying a basket each. Both men bowed respectfully to the blonde before shrinking back to their positions in the shrubbery. "Why don't you join us, I made ham and cheese sandwiches and an apple pie for dessert. And you can try our local drink, it's called chanch." She knew all this would not distract the boy but he at least deserved a good meal before she told him that his search was in vain.

"How long will you be staying in Hoshi, Kasuga-chan? Would you like to stay at the palace with us?" She asked, laying the picnic blanket between the three of them and opening the basket of food.

As he looked at the younger male who had handed him the picture back he stared at it for a moment, his eyes falling slowly as he wondered- What news would he receive from the woman? If she had told him his sister had been alive and in hiding he would become almost ecstatic jumping up into the air for glee though in the same aspect what if he had gotten nothing back in return. All the while, his darker semblance floated within the confines of his mind absently watching, waiting to hear the news. No one knew how he would honestly take the news, not even he knew. Was he going to be mad or sad? Start crying or going on a rampage in disbelief that all his family consisted of was his father and himself. There had been so many answers that he had wanted and yet he wasn't sure if he had been ready for them or not.

As he stared at the female he watched as her hand caressed his shoulder as to console him, his eyes closing for a moment as if waiting for the news. While she had not directly told him anything the young male would only look up to her in confusion. Why had she not told him anything about his sister? Was she hiding something from him that he shouldn't have known? For now he had kept himself under control as he was about to speak he had heard his stomach growling which had caused him to look down in embarrassment," I...would like some of the food please. But afterwards please tell me about my sister and where I can find her please," he wasn't going to deter from his goal. He couldn't when he had found someone from Kumo who had actually knew his sister. His journey had finally came to a close, but food was more important right now.

Slowly Kasuga stepped from the way of the guards who hadn't made much of a fuss about him yet, he wondered why but wouldn't ask simply because it had not came up. Slowly he took off the spear he had been wearing on his back, sitting it underneath the Raikage hat he had in his possession. Looking around he wondered if his sister had actually been here in this place somewhere. It was beautiful and he could even hear the sounds of water nearby, a befitting scenery for the news he could potentially get. After everything had been set up and Akihana had asked how long he was going to be in Hoshi, he looked to her after taking a sandwich into his hands," Um...until I can find my sister or some information about her. After that...I do not know what I can do, Dad might call for me though if he needs me so i might travel a bit," not knowing that eventually his world would be shattered again, he peacefully ate the sandwich in the somber atmosphere.

Akihana watched the child eat, glad that he hadn't pressed further, at least for the moment. She poured both Kasuga and Arata a glass of cool chanch, the popular drink Hoshi citizens enjoyed in the country's hot weather. They had come a long way since she had first stepped into Hoshi. Crime rates had gone significantly down, buildings had been rebuilt and repurposed, fresh water was aplenty and no one went hungry. Of course the ninja and the religious still had their conflicts but for the most part, Hoshi was a beautiful city where a young woman could enjoy a picnic with two children without worry.

When the youth mentioned his father, the kunoichi raised an eyebrow in question. "Oh, how is Kurisu-sama these fays? I saw him last almost eight years ago when he was Raikage. I wasn't an active ninja then, he simply granted us sanctuary in Kumo," she explained, gesturing to Arata and herself. "After him, your sister took the place of the Leader of Cloud and our village flourished under her. Misaki was a brilliant leader and a fierce warrior. People still quake and cower at her name. But her best attribute was niether her ferocity nor her skill in battke," the blonde continued, a wistful note in her voice. Reaching over to the pie dish, the medic neatly cut out a large slice for Kasuga. The news could wait a bit longer.

"I wasn't a very active ninja in her first regime other. The thing you should know about dear Misaki... she believed in others with all her heart. So much so that sometimes she didn't have enough faith left for herself. She gave all of herself to her people and still felt she let them down so she retreated for a few years, passing on that hat-" Akihana motioned to the Raikage hat Kasuga had hung over his spear. "To a friend and student of hers. Yaju Hayate..."

It had taken a long time for Akihana to be okay with saying Yaju's name out loud. It still hurt sometimes to think that he was gone but now she understood he was in a better place. "Hayate-sama never liked being called that. He just went by Yaju. He was having non of the bowing and respect leaders usually demand. It was under his regime that i started working again, and through him I met your sister for the first time." The old memory of walking to Lady Etro's shrine was still fresh in her mind. The thicket of pink hair, those glossy, uncertain eyes, Arata and Akane playing with a wolf cub and a tiny orb of light.

All this while, Arata remained quiet, chewing his sandwich thoughfully as his mother told the story. An air of sadness enveloped the boy as she spoke of his sensei but there was something else there too, a hint of determination Akihana wouldn't notice until it was too late.

Slowly Kasuga had eaten at the sandwich, his eyes closing for a moment as he chewed the soft bread and meat softly. Never had he actually had a sandwich this good and his face had portrayed this single emotion that he had been experiencing. His awkward expression had turned into a happy one for a moment as he continued to eat at the sandwich, taking the cup slowly and staring into it before slowly sipping at it. He was weary of drinks from people since his brother had died in the bar on their first meeting, but he felt no malice or evil intent from the female so he had allowed his guard to settle just for a moment. Shortly after he had finished the cup he sat it down beside him and nodded," My dad is doing well. Since the passing of the late Jason Senju, he stepped up as Hokage for a moment so that the village could have a leader and continue on. Haven't seen much of him since he took on the hat though I know he is busy and happy with my mother," he knew within these confines he could explain the situation more clearly as they ate.

When Akihana had began to speak highly of his sister, a smile formed on his face that being the pride of the Ametsuchi flowing through him. He knew from his father that his sister was a great warrior, but hearing of her deeds from someone who served beside her made it all the more better. However when he looked down at the hat he thought about something. Was he carrying on the legacy of his sister and her student by donning the hat his father had allowed him to take on? He had not heard of the male she had been speaking of, his father rarely mentioned him and yet he felt as if this was someone who his sister had trusted. His mind then wandered towards possibly searching for this male to find his sister. No doubt he would know of her whereabouts right?

Slowly after finishing his sandwich he sat up proper, resting his body onto his legs in a traditional sitting position to get comfortable. Akihana had filled with such pride of his big sister, his dream of standing beside her on a pedestal, his power rivaling hers. She had mastered the powers of an Ametsuchi clasmen and now he wanted to do the same. Her example was...amazing. A younger sibling looking up to the older as an inspiration all he needed now was to meet her and train under...yes. It was all he had wanted now, and with a mind motivated the child would speak," Okay so where is she? I want to meet my sister so I can become just like her....Misaki is surely about right? I know that Kumo was...overrun but if you made it out, surely my sister did too right?...Right?," his eyes turned to the female knowing that sooner or later he would get his answer and when he did...would he accept it?

The news of Jason Senju's death took Akihana aback for a minute, not enugh to deter her from her attempts to comfort the child but enough to startle her. As Kasuga continued to explain how Kurisu had temporarily filled the position of Hokage, Akihana withdrew a small chit of paper and a pen from hidden pockets sewn into her pale blue gown. The blonde wrote only seven words on the paper before rolling it up and summoning a messanger slug. "Please, go ahead and eat, I'm just sending a message to a friend about Senju-sama's death. We didn't know him very well but the news is still sad." With a puff of smoke, the slug dissapeared, carrying the tiny message.

Jason Senju Dead, Kurisu Ametsuchi now Hokage.

Hopefully Den would understand how to handle the condolences and forge a new treaty with the leaf. It was good to see Kurisu find a purpose again. She hoped the people of Konoha were more accepting of him than they had been of her eight years ago.

When the child asked of his sister yet again, Akihana knew it was time. The last thing she wanted to do was make that smile full of hope and pride vanish from Kasuga's face but life was not always amicable that way. Reaching over, Akihana gently took the boy's hand, squeezing it softly to let him know she was there for him. Some might think Akihana was for too personal to those she met but the kunoichi knew the power weilded in a caring and loving touch. And this boy was going to need a lot of it for the news to come.

"Kasuga-kun... I told you about your sister so you'd understand for yourself what kind of person she was. You said you heard of the massacer in Kumo. And you know its been taken over by the forces that attacked it. Do you think Misaki would have ever left Kumo in that condition just to escape? The woman who thought of everyone else before herself... she fought till the very end... even when there was no hope. she refused to give up as long as there was breath in her body."

The blonde lowrred her eyes in respect to her fallen comrad. Misaki, Yaju, Kuro, Alice, they had all fought with all they had.

And it still hadn't been enough.

"She isn't dead," Arata yelled out, spilling his glass of chanch in his haste to get to his feet. "Stop telling people that mom, they aren't dead. They aren't, they aren't!" The boy chanted though Akihana could sense the denial Arata still felt. She could also see the accusation in his eyes.

You let them die, mom. It's your fault.

The smile that had been on the males face disappeared as the blond took his hand, he didn't know why yet he could feel it...something was about to happen. His eyes dropped close as she began to explain to him softly why his sister was not here and about the fighting in Kumo. The words they had made sense, they had but the young male had only seen a darkness flowing over him. As she slowly finished speaking to him he had tuned out the world. Within him everything had been breaking down, one by one he lost a family member. First Adam had died before him as soon as he finally knew he had family again, his sister now known to be dead. It was as if life had never wanted him to truly be happy, with a family that he knew and could grow with...but that dream had long since died.

The moment Arata had begun his outburst, Kasuga's form would begin to swirl with a black mist, his sadness and anger swelling to the brim as he began to quiver and fall to his knees. He couldn't believe it...they had took his family from him, left with nothing but a broken family. His mind and conception of finding his sister went down the drain as a single word uttered from his lips," No...," as the last sound left his lips a strange aura would leak from his body, the black mist shaking and fizzing in and out as if something was trying to contain it. Within the boy's body, Erebes had been trying to contain the boys anger making sure he didn't go berserk and attack anything in his path. The boys eyes would fly open changing from yellow to red as he growled," THEY TOOK MY FAMILY FROM ME....I DON'T...GRR," his voice cracking under the pain of hearing the truth. Tears streamed from his eyes as he cried into the sky, his voice booming as he clenched his arms.

The black mist would envelope his body as the wings returned slowly, his small frame shaking in pure anger, the emotions of a brother without siblings finally getting to him. For so long he had held the death of his brother on his heart, but after finding out his sister had fallen...he had finally snapped. The boy continued to clench his arms as he chakra poured out, the demon of darkness taking only a moment to overtake his boy," Hey you! Don't know what you told my host, but calm him down...he's going to go berserk at any moment and I can only do so much in here...so a little help!?," the elder deity barked to the woman before disappearing from the boys voice. In this moment his body began to become enveloped in darkness, his eyes completely turning white as he slowly stood to his feet. In times of darkness one needed the light, but to him his light had left him...but could he be saved?