To Pick Ourselves Up ~P, NK~

As the boy was speeding through the air towards Xyxer, he could almost feel the air around them change. Something was going to happen here. This would be the end of the fight. Whose favor it would swing in... well, in the back of his mind he had known what the result would be. But nobody could say he died like a coward.

Thinking to escape his fate, the arm on his back would begin extending it's range, growing to maximum size and reaching towards the ground, aiming to drag itself along the concrete to stop the boy's forward momentum. The boy's skin would begin to seep an inky black substance, the color draining from his skin, the mark beginning to spiral in his eyes. He would bare his teeth into a vicious snarl.

And then he felt his weight shift. His left side had become lighter somehow. Of course, this would alter his path forward, the boy now headed to slightly to the right of the tyrant. The golden arms were gone now, his skin quickly returning to normal, the mark disappearing from his eyes. In the back of his mind, he was sure he heard a scream, though he was sure it wasn't his.

The boy would reach out futilely with his right arm before colliding with the ground, the consciousness draining from his body faster than he'd ever care to admit. Taking stock of his body, the boy would notice both left limbs missing, the snarling expression not leaving his face. He had... he was alive?

Xyxer had kept him alive. But he had kept him alive for a purpose. And that purpose was surely far from benign. The man would pay for this, surely. Altar would watch the life drain from the man's eyes in absolute bliss one day.

But that day was not today.

Passing out then, the boy would wake up later to find himself in a hospital bed, his limbs reattached by the resident master medical nin. Of course, the thought of the Hyuuga even coming close to him disgusted him, let alone having the man heal him once more, like when he was a child. Throwing the covers from the bed, the boy would walk home, a slight limp to his walk, his left arm hanging heavier than he was used to.

~Exit~
~TWC : 2125
~Putting all words towards Thousand Hands, at 5,101/8,000~
~Claiming 20 AP~

While Xyxer performed precise, unwanted surgery on the boy before him, he felt a sudden, new rush throughout his body. This move hadn't been as brutal as it could have been.. it had been more elegant in it's destruction than Xyxer's prior attacks. There was a new element to the manifestation inside of Atlas, it was growing glorious, and it was growing rapidly. A demon that could both delight, and terrify.. it was such an entrancing experience to be the host of, and it certainly had Xyxer proud to be the hand that had caused it. He barely even registered what was happening to the boy by the time he saw his sword fly directly through them, and he almost thought he had missed them entirely with the absence of presence of the great sword. However, this would soon be shown to be incorrect as a few seconds later, a large tear appeared in the form of Altar with his limbs flying up into the sky a great distance, almost leaving his vision entirely. It was convenient for the male that one of the arms had halted the speed of the boy, making it so that he didn't have to intercept his leap, after all, that'd simply be too much of a nuisance for someone who was busy having an episode.

The familiar growl beside Xyxer pulled him back into reality, and so the bloodied blade of Tidebreaker would dissipate back into the other world, wherever it may be, with the hilt of Samehada twirling around his wrist and pulling him forward towards the male who had lost their consciousness, before the blade simply removed it's hilt from Xyxer and instead fell down onto it's side, snaking the handle of itself along the still attached forearm of Altar, draining him of his energy while he was unconscious in order to further it's own fulfillment, after all, everyone in this thread had been seeking their own pleasure in this topic, and it was only fair the blade got it's own when it's master had won the onslaught.

Waiting around for the limbs of Altar to fall back from the sky, Xyxer folded his arms and tapped his left foot for a few minutes in anticipation, wanting to catch them before they hit the ground and likely blew into bloody masses from the velocity they would be travelling at, after all, a shinobi that lacked an arm and a leg would be no shinobi at all. As his eyes scanned the sky, he noticed how the area had become eerily silent, with no auditory sign of wildlife present. It was almost as if the entire world had stopped when the demon had let itself known to the Shinkou. Around this time, the leg and the arm of Altar would start to spin back down from the sky, increasing in momentum each second of their descent, and he positioned himself so that he could catch them both within short steps of one another. He'd catch the arm first, grasping the wrist like a snake that struck the unprotected thigh of a gazelle before he took a few shorts steps to his left, grasping the ankle of the boy's leg while allowing it to spin around him so that he could shake off the momentum and not fully break the severed appendage. With the items collected, Xyxer simply walked back over to Altar and tied the appendages around his torso, primarily on his back, before lifting him up from the ground and resting him over his shoulder for transportation, with Samehada remaining latched onto him the entire while. Taking a few steps, he'd calmly walk towards the nearby hospital, after all, if a member of the ANBU died from something as petty as blood loss.. then what was to be said?

Entering the sterilized grounds, Xyxer no longer had to bother even registering people when he entered. It was merely expected that either himself or his ANBU would bring about someone he had injured at some point. As he walked through the winding, white halls, he'd soon push into one of the more private rooms, with Haru naturally following in tow when he saw his injured friend on the shoulder of the Betrayer. Throwing him onto the bed, Samehada removed itself from his form so that Xyxer could lift the blade up and sheath it on his back once more, sated of it's thirst. Xyxer allowed Haru to tend to the boy while he was in the room, watching the medic rush about with his healing techniques and bandaging in an attempt to cover up the scarring that would be left on Altar as a reminder of his failure. Once Haru had finished, he curtly nodded towards Xyxer, quite likely broken at this point due to the absence of an actual player for the character, before exiting the room and leaving Xyxer alone with Altar.

Sitting silently on a chair beside the closed door of the interior of the room, he heard the boy stir beside him, and he refocused his attention towards him instead of the beast that lurked, amused by his antics. He saw him throw the cover off of the bed like a child, and so he would stand up in the room at that point, since Altar was quite likely delirious from the blood loss, and of course, his absence of stamina due to the blade that sapped him. "Hold on a little while now, Altar. I didn't have this whole debacle for you to simply walk out." Xyxer started to move towards the male, his constant sardonic smile present as he spoke up once more, "You see, Altar, you're making all of this incredibly difficult for me. No matter how much I teach you, it just does not go through your head, that this is the only way for you to develop. You seem to still believe you're invulnerable." Xyxer gestured towards the arm and leg that had been cut from the boy, snickering once, "Evidently you aren't. You see, Altar, I need you to know me."


[Given how Altar is in no shape to defend himself due to being unconscious, going to assume that Samehada is capable of draining his entire pool.

So, of course, 930 AP absorbed into Samehada

900/100 = 9 x 5 = 45 AP Cap increase for Samehada

250/250 AP for Samehada now

As per the rules, 50/10 (Since there's a spare 5 AP on Samehada that couldn't be used for this) = 5 x 5 = 25 AP added to wielders cap

Oh, and of course, exit interrupted]

As Altar awoke and stood, the world shifted before him, the horizon of the far wall swaying back and forth. The boy would lean back against the bed, placing a hand over head. Christ, that wasn't good. As he took a second to survey himself, the boy would bristle at the sensation of the disgustingly familiar chakra signature of Xyxer across the room, and it was then that the man spoke.

As he spoke, Altar would grit his teeth, slowly shuffling over to the man, his nearly stumbling steps and complete lack of balance supported by a hand out in front of him, delicately tracing across the wall. As he walked to Xyxer, the boy would reply. "I know you plenty, Xyxer. You're a fucking monster, and nothing else. Nothing more. I've given up on trying to believe you as anything else. I don't see how you believe maiming your own ninja is a way of assisting them in any way, shape or form." The boy would say, wrapping up as he reached the man, still unsteady on his feet. And, of course, as he reached the man, he would swing his right fist at the man's jaw, and whether it hit or not the momentum would drag him leftwards, his feet barely catching him.

"No, it is you who pretends to know me, Xyxer. I loathe you. And i'll kill you if it's the last thing I do on this earth." the ANBU would say, before recomposing himself before the man. "This has graduated from mere battles, Xyxer, and we both know it. We've started a war. And it doesn't end until one of us lays dead. And I don't intend that to be me." the boy would finish, matter of factly in tone. There were no idle threats in his speech. The boy only spoke facts and promises to the tyrant that deserved neither in his eyes.

When Altar had left the bed and started his almost zombified walk, Xyxer almost felt a sense of pity for him. No matter how many times they found themselves in this situation, he was always the one that lost, and yet like a relentless chihuahua, he kept attempting the impossible. He was unsure why Altar lacked the capability to be one of his Shinobi, but that fact was growing increasingly more red flagged with each passing second of the words that Altar spoke. There was no self preservation in this male, and there was no respect from Altar to Xyxer. He did not understand pain, he did not understand consequences of his actions. This boy, in essence, was already dead on the inside.. so what would the difference be when he was dead on the outside, as that seemed to be his goal in this entire charade. Altar was leaving Xyxer in a rather irritating situation at this point. He had been kept alive purely from the demon's respect for Youta and Haru, and yet here they were.. and Altar was trying his damn hardest to have himself executed on the spot. Perhaps, the even worse conclusion, would be that Altar thought he was so valuable to Xyxer that would not be killed for his actions. 

As Altar continued to complain about Xyxer, he seemed to keep ignoring himself out of the reasoning for why those situations occurred. Did he forget he had been the first one to perform an offensive action in their last fight? Around this point, Xyxer had simply leaned backwards to avoid the head hook by Altar, allowing him to go off balance with the failed move of his. The restraint that Xyxer was currently exerting over himself impressed even the demon inside, yet it annoyed him. Such a fool should not be left alive when it had no desire to live, and he would be doing the world a just favour for eliminating someone who was already dead, because he could go on to do many atrocious acts with little on his conscience if he always eliminated himself from the picture. "You seem to forget, Altar, that you were the one that attacked me first? Did you forget about the electricity that erupted from your body, or has the blood loss made you faint?" Xyxer had been trying to no avail to make something of this boy, and yet in the end, it appeared it had all been for nothing. Both of them likely knew what was going to happen by the end of this encounter, and they were merely buying time now to understand more of one another. 

The shoulders of the male lifted and fell by the end of Altar's next phrase, his eyes idly watching him with his head back in it's regular position since he was no longer avoiding a hit, "No, Altar, I don't pretend to know you. I don't care for you, because you are nothing compared to your predecessors. Your girlfriend and I may not have liked one another, but we got things done when in the presence of one another. Your bestfriend and I, once again, did not like one another, but we made shifts in the world when we put our differences aside. Yet here stands a broken man before me, not broken because of my actions on his body, yet, but because he's too much of a coward to accept the reality he finds himself in." At this point, the demon had given up on trying to defuse the situation with the boy for he had little reason to. He had been babysitting him for far too long, and anything beyond this point would simply be met with an action the demon approved of, for Atlas was gone now, "They're dead, and I'm left with you. Someone who can't accept the death of those closest to them, and instead he seeks to blame it on his leader, the only person in his life who has sought to accommodate him, and provided excuses for his ill behaviour. You attack me, then have the audacity to claim it was me who instigated the fight? If you didn't wish to be alive Altar, all you had to do was say." Xyxer's hands remained idly folded over his chest, standing a rough three feet away from the male that was before him at this point, in anticipation of the following event.

Altar would look at the man, intense hatred burning brightly in his eyes. "I am no fool, Xyxer. You approached me, hand on the hilt of Samehada. I know what that means. Your intentions become clearer to me every time this happens."

Upon hearing the finale of the tyrant's speech, the boy would look to the demon. "You...you never sought to accomodate me, Xyxer. You fought me every step of every way I went. You tortured me. And they...their deaths..." The boy would say, quickly becoming flushed in the face. His voice would rasp, and the boy's legs would give from under him, the ANBU falling to his knees before the tyrant.

"They...their not my fault...they can't be my fault" the boy would say, his voice wavering. He would look at his trembling hands, the appendages appearing perfectly fine. But in his mind, in his vision, they were painted red. Time stopped for the boy kneeling before the demon. In his mind, everything raged. He found himself in his mindscape, reliving every horrible moment from his past. Youta's death from unknown causes, her burning body, the intense feeling of failure. Haru leaving him for dead at the hands of the tyrant Xyxer Gyojin, knowing full well what fate awaited him. His vicious murder of his own sister, her blood painting his hands, his clothes, his everything. The murder of Nekoda, the one precious thing he had left, the one positive he had left, only to be replaced by Kalamity, the demon Yuumei, who wanted nothing more than to maim and kill. A perfect replica of Xyxer. Striving only to fight. Only to kill. Only to hurt. Only for violence.

Conceived in violence, to do violence and die violently.

But the again, wasn't that his purpose? Wasn't that his duty as an ANBU, as a ninja of the Bloody Mist? Wasn't his mission to maim, murder and, eventually, die? Perhaps Kalamity was right.

"You'd be no better than him."

Raising his head from the violent, grotesque imagery before him, Altar saw Nekoda, alive and well before him. She put a hand to his forehead, and the nightmares vanished. Everything was calm.

"You are a ninja, Altar. An ANBU at that. But you are not merely a weapon. You are capable of thought, feeling and emotion. That is what separates you from the others. They're subdued by obedience. You are not." the girl would finish, a kind smile on her face. Beside her, Kalamity would appear, the constantly shifting demon facing away from him.

"Think, Altar, since Haru left you to be tortured and killed, how have you thought? What have you lived for?" the demon said, not waiting for a reply. "You've been hateful and angsty, filled with pre-conceived notions that everyone is out to get you. And while that may be damn true at times, that's the world you live in. It's not butterflies and rainbows. It's blood and guts, it's violence and hatred, it's..." the demon would say, about to continue his rant before stopping himself after receiving a stern stare from Nekoda. Clearing his throat, the demon would pick back up.

"My point is, yes, the world sucks. You have no one left, Altar, but you had no one for years and you got along just fine. You can't carry the world alone forever, and you can't act like you have to. Xyxer's a tyrant, a bastard, cruel and all around just an ass. But he's the Kage, and as it stands he's stronger than you. But remember that there's more to him than that." the demon would say, looking over his shoulder at Nekoda. "For every demon, there's a balance. You just have to find it and learn to bring it out when it suits you. No more of this mind game bullshit where he plays you. Play him instead."

"You need to stop viewing the world from eyes of hatred, Altar. Have faith, be kind when you can, and the world will reward you. And when you can't be, then it becomes time for Kalamity's place of expertise. Crushing everyone under you like meager bugs." the girl would say, releasing her hand from his forehead. As she did, the mindscape faded, and Altar found himself looking at his hands in front of Xyxer once more. Time resumed.

"...it really wasn't your damn fault, was it?" the boy would say, shaking his head and rising to his feet. "All this time, i've been looking for someone to blame. And seeing as you constantly fought with me and tortured me, it was easy to throw the blame at you. But it wasn't actually your fault, was it?" the boy would finish, a stern look in his eyes.

"I'll be frank with you, Xyxer. I don't like you as a person. I respect your strength, and I respect you as Kage. And whether I like it or not, i'm more or less forced to serve under you. So for the love of god, quit with the antagonistic bullshit, quit with the torture, and i'll readily be all the more willing to serve."

Xyxer's eyes ran over the pose of Altar as he responded to the words of Xyxer, and it almost felt like he would have to give Samehada a new meal, which would quite likely be just as tasty as the spaghetti he had fed it on a day prior, whether it would taste better or not was debatable, and that would depend on which of the pair you asked, if Samehada could form a coherent sentence of course. With his fingers tightening across the hilt of his monstrous blade, he next saw something interesting to say the least.. Altar dropped down onto his knees before him, and he was curious as to the reason why. Of course, you could say it was the exhaustion of the absorption, and being decapitated not too long ago.. but given the circumstances of what he was saying, and the hesitance in his words, he believed Altar was finally starting to come around and understand what was being said. He started to think that for a change, Altar had read the room and got the message. 

Unknown to Xyxer, the male kneeling before him was listening to the voices in his head at present, but as he was unknowing of that, he would start to speak in response to what he had said. Of course, his words would only come between the pauses the voices in his head were taking, quite likely more faded out than their prominent voices given that they were a constant for him.. however, although his tone was quiet, it still commanded some degree of fear, whether Altar was in the right place to even be able to fear Xyxer given the nature of the situation was questionable, nor did it really matter, but the voice spoke regardless, "You interpreted your Kage with his hand on his pet to be a sign of aggression? What? Is Samehada not allowed freedom?" Granted, that was mostly a quip, but he would continue not too long after the other voices had got their sentences in, "I didn't encourage your despair by any stretch, Altar. I attempted to give you tasks as a member of the ANBU Operatives to take your mind off of your beloved's unfortunate demise, yet you took it as a sign of oppression. I've experienced the loss of someone you cared for, I'm no stranger to the feelings you develop from that dark road. It's a difficult path to traverse alone, Altar, and you are alone."


Xyxer looked around the room for a few seconds, admiring who clean it was given the circumstances of how packed it must have been not too long ago. After all, Kirigakure was renowned for having hospitals that were very efficient in their treatments to get shinobi out of the building fast and in fighting condition, because they were trained for that daily. Countless Genin entered the hospital due to severe wounds caused from mere spars, because shinobi in this village had it ingrained into them to not consider spars practice fights, but legitimately trials of strength where life or death could be the factor, and as a result of that, it often was. Not every Genin would leave the hospital in one piece, but the majority did, and that was thanks to the staff that worked here. Oh, and the janitors were pretty fucking good as well, otherwise the room would be an absolute tip, filth. He carried on from his previous point, of course, with the other voices speaking before he started once more, all out of sheer convenience, "You've been fighting your demons for a long while now, and evidently, you're not even fucking close to being the victor in that battle. Your fear of acceptance controls you more than the prospect of a bear trap slamming shut on your balls would scare you, we know that to be true. Accept it, excel in your role, for Haru, for Youta.. I don't give a flying hadouken FUCK who you do it for, but you best do it. You've put me in a situation where you've wasted most of my resources on your loathing of myself, and yet still expect my care. That shit.. it won't fly anymore Altar, and that's the only warning I'll give you on that front, I trust you're smart enough to understand the message I'm trying to convey." Stretching his shoulder blades backwards at this point, he felt the defined muscles in his body working in harmony, the sign of a true weapon master with the unison of his muscular movement.. and it was also a sign he did not have cerebral palsy.

It was around about this point that Altar seemed to have regained some of his thought, and was talking while getting up to his feet. He was unsure on whether Altar truly had got the message from that brief encounter, or if he was merely telling him what he wanted to hear in order to stay alive, but Xyer held some form of hope for the former, as he did not want to see this boy wasted. He seemed to finally be capable of being molded into something greater than what he was, and that was an exciting prospect for the man who wanted a village that was feared, "Your torture was a needed experience, Altar. It will happen to you if you're ever caught by rival shinobi, and it's best you learn how to cope with it now, and it did not help that you were about as pleasant to have around as trench foot, although I am not entirely sure that exists in this world, but I'm sure you know what I mean." Xyxer turned his gaze from looking around to finally staring back down towards Altar who seemed to have recovered some of his strength, or at the least, his willpower, "I'll allow you your second chance, and I'll even give you some form of control, as you're currently a captain of an ANBU Squad. Tell me currently who you deem to be a worthy candidate for promotion to ANBU, and why. You'll have to give me the same report within a week, but you'll need to have interacted with those individuals more for a more in-depth explanation, as is the nature of your duty.. bear in mind Altar, what you had to do to become ANBU under my rule.." Xyxer finished off with, attempting to remind Altar that he was forced to make an attempt on his best friend's life in order to please Xyxer with his loyalty.

At the man's mention of the torture's necessity, Altar would simply shrug his shoulders. "We're shinobi, Xyxer, and I live by the bushido code. I'd sooner die than betray...Kirigakure. If I had no resolve, i'd have left long ago." the boy would say, hesitant with his choice of words, careful of any endeavor that might arise in the future.

"I've...honestly not seen many that I think are ready for that kind of promotion. Some intrigue me, but they all lack something or another. The first two to jump to mind are Rakka Yuki, and Ren Tsubasa. Rakka is skilled, but she seems to lack the ability to work within a unit of more than herself, though I suppose that's changed with relative ease. Ren is clever, but he lacks combat experience, something i've tried to drive into him, but I feel you'd be better suited at it than I. My area of expertise lies elsewhere." the boy would say, rubbing his arm, hoping to restore feeling in the appendage.

"And yes, I know what will happen. We will do anything for our Kage. Or perhaps it's our willingness to do anything to further ourselves. You should be careful with how you handle those types of missions, Xyxer, before you instill greed into your subjects rather than bloodlust."

A consistent smile remained on the features of Xyxer as Altar spoke at this point in time. It was quite clear what he meant by saying he would not betray Kirigakure, and yet an assault on himself would be seen as an attack on Kirigakure itself, but the meaning that he was trying to convey had been clearly received. Responding after a faint laugh, he'd nod his head a little, "I assure you, Altar, if you betray either me or the village, then you will suffer a fate worse than death. You may believe there's nothing worse than no longer being able to progress or experience, but you will discover in due time, if you tread the wrong path, just how incorrect that is." Xyxer spoke to the male, shrugging his shoulders towards him as if he was uncaring about what he had just said, the light threat of violence nothing new for the male.

Upon Altar's analysis of people he considered potentially worthy of the position as ANBU beside him, he had only chosen two, both of whom were known to him. Rakka he had met in Tengakure once, and then shared a drink with her when he was a leader. An alcoholic as a member of the Elite Op's seemed a bit strange, but the boy was probably finding something to comfort him after the loss of Youta still so he didn't bother to question it. He'd talked to Ren not too long a go, a feminine looking male who got offended at such a question.. he truly did not seem like he was even close to ANBU material at this point, and so Xyxer simply allowed the corner of his lip to rise in a half smirk as he spoke back, "You don't consider Kozurou or Yazu to be able to attain that level? Capability of socializing with your team is important, so that makes Rakka a poor choice alone, and Ren, well.. he's got enough duties as it is.. and didn't he even help kill his partner in the last blood games?" And next, Altar spoke about how Xyxer's games may potentially inspire greed, which was an amusing notion to say the least, "Greed is fine if aimed suitably, it's content that kills."

The boy would shrug himself at the man's reply to the two he proposed. He didn't seem to have that high of an opinion of Rakka, and he seemed to think Ren had too much to deal with already, being the head of the academy and all.

"I've never met Kozorou, and Yazu quite frankly strikes me as a highly unstable individual. That's all fine and dandy, this IS the bloody mist, but he should at least attempt to hide it, try to fight it instead of letting it run rampant. It's alright to be a little demented. It's not alright to be downright dangerous to your own people, the ones you're sworn to protect." the boy would say, moving past Xyxer into the hall of the hospital.

"I'd like to walk, if that's okay with you. It'll allow me to get readjusted to having all of my limbs."

Pushing off form the ground with his left foot, Xyxer started to follow out behind the male as he walked past him. He was smart enough to not risk his life by attacking him still, and who was Xyxer to deny the male the ability to walk freely on a leg he lost not too long ago? Xyxer was a merciful Kage despite the press, or at least that's what he imagined.

"ANBU are weapons, Altar, make no mistake about that. Some people can't help how they are, but they can control the way they channel it, wouldnt you say the same for yourself? Alone, you're without purpose and devoid of strength, yet as a member of an elite squad you can figure out where you truly belong in life. It's what we all experience."