Truth is Stranger Than Fiction

It had been a crappy week.  It was supposed to be a defining moment for the shinobi, rescuing his mother from the clutches of the very demon who soiled and destroyed his home so many years ago.  Maybe even bring rest to his family by avenging them.  That one was a long shot, but it was at least a goal.  Kumo would never really be the same for him, and it was no longer his home, but he could defend Hoshi without hesitation.  He expected a triumphant return, the Princess hailing the heroism of both himself and Kyousuke Snow.  Tsuji would be there, and they could be a happy family, himself, Aki, Tsuji, and Arata.

Arata.  That name brought rage to his heart, and he found himself clenching a fist tighter than he ever thought possible.

Instead, Akihana said in no uncertain terms that he might have damaged relations between their villages, and that Youka was not the demon he thought him to be.  His family was not murdered by his hand, and there was evidence that not all of them had been killed off.  If anything, the Raikage had Tekiatsu shinobi under him. But that wasn't the worst of it.  Neither was when he found out that his mother had agreed to marry him, and now technically the Raikage was a step father.  

No, the worst was when they returned to Hoshi.  He knew something was wrong the moment that the Princess refused to make eye contact with him.  She had been there, soon after the incident, and she knew about it.  In fact it was her quick thinking that prevented a more tragic incident.  Tsuji had been attacked.  By none other than his own brother's hand.  No one wanted to believe it, not even him, but the look in her eyes when she finally regained consciousness was all he needed to know the truth.  The damage he had caused in his own room... the Princess was very forgiving when it came to his actions.  

He couldn't stay in the Palace on this day, days after his return, and finally had gotten the reasoning to leave. Tsuji told him some of what Arata had told her.  One part in particular was the solution to a missing person case.  Ser Maverick.  Apparently his brother challenged the Queensguard on his last day in service, and Maverick beat him.  Arata then added murder to his growing list of bingo book infractions.

Arashi was overseeing an effort to find and retrieve the poor man's body, with the help of both medical ninja and non-ninja personnel.  He wasn't worried about the lake, if anything, the purity of the water would return after some time.  Right now, though, it was about putting to rest a cherished member of the Royal Palace.

A shout brought Arashi out of his thoughts, and he glanced down towards the shore where a group of individuals were pulling a stretcher out of the water, loaded with the man's body.  His armor was still intact and glistened in the light.  And aside from blue lips and white skin, the man was still whole.  The damage to his lake would officially be minimal.

Arashi jogged down to where the people where, and took a look himself.  It was him alright, and without another word Arashi raised his hands over him, checking for injuries sustained.  Aside from the ropes that bound him, Arashi found the truth of why the Guard hadn't been able to do anything about his fate.  Broken legs.

With a silent nod, he let the group prepare to bring the body back to Hoshi for final rights, opting to stay by the lake, staring out across the disturbed surface.  Even angered, the young man still had to hold back tears over his brother's action.

Den had been told that Arashi was over-seeing the retrieval of a body. Originally he'd been seeking the Prince out to him about the beast Den had mistakenly thought was Gyuki, but now Den was concerned for the boy. He had heard the boys protests to his mother while they were within Sanctuary and now the Prince had to deal with the fact that his younger brother was a murderer.

When he found the retrieval team as they were returning he realized Arashi wasn't among them, however one of the medical ninja quickly informed him that the Prince had remained at the crime scene. It didn't take Den long to get there, and he spotted Arashi staring out across the lake. Den silently walked up to him and stood by his side unless he reacted to Den's arrival.

Again unless Arashi reacted a brief moment would pass before Den would simply say, "It's an unfortunate world we live in, isn't it?"

His own thoughts were purely away from his current location, so that when he heard the voice of his Kage, Den, he almost jumped in surprise.  Almost.  Arashi held firm, closing his eyes and giving a small shake of his head.

"That... that is putting it lightly." he said, softly, pinching his eyelids to stop the tears forming.  He was practically an adult... he had to act like it.

"I thought I witnessed the absolute height of despair.  Losing my family at a young age, watching everything I knew burn and decay... I fooled myself into thinking that things were only going to get better from here." He closed his fist tighter to stop him from shaking.

"Now my whole world has been flipped.  I don't know what's true and what's an lie.  I have to deal with the fact that my mother married herself to the one who killed our village.  That my family's murderer might be innocent.  That my brother is a murderer and about to be declared rogue.  And that my girlfriend may be irreparably damaged after Arata tried to kill her." he added, shaking his head, and release just one sniff from his emotion.  Adult.. must be adult.  

"My brother lacked control of his chakra... his attacks forced some of it into her... they don't know if it can be removed.  Neutralized, but not removed.  I have to avenge her, Sensei.  Her and Ser Mavrick.  But I don't know if I can... if I am prepared to remove more of my family away from me."

Den listened as Arashi let out his feelings. The Hogokage couldn't help but empathize with the boy. He'd gone through similiar tribulations growing up, forced to watch most people he grew close to die or betray him. The desire for vengeance too, was familiar. Den had come to Hoshigakure seeking the murderers of his friend, could he fault Arashi for wanting to do the same? But this was Arashi's brother, Akihana's son, they were talking about. What did Arashi mean by removing Arata? He'd turn and look at the Prince, wondering just how much this world was starting to effect him.

"Has Aki seen to your friend? If not then perhaps she could do something about the infliction. As for Arata... we'll find him. I promise you that. We're not going to let him hurt anyone else." As he finished speaking Den looked back out towards the water.

Arashi nodded.  "Yeah, as soon as she found out mother was back, she insisted of her presence.  She's improving... but thats it.  Only mom will really know what the final effect will be." he said, shaking his head.

"I shouldn't have left... if we had a full ANBU force, I'd be at the front to capture him, but... the village is still too young.  We don't have a special team, just village defense.  And even that... if they get wind that Hoshi has you and me, they'll come after us for them." he said, his hand going to his stomach, where the seal was.

"It's rare for you to come out, let alone come all this way, Lord Hogokage..."

If the girl was improving there was hope that Akihana's treatment was working. That was good to hear.

After the Prince finished speaking Den looked at him again, "I actually came to talk about 'them'. You said it yourself, right now we can't really utilize our forces for more than just defending the village. We just don't have that many powerful or skilled shinobi.

One way we've worked to deal with this issue is the shinobi academy, but that's taking time.

Another way we can deal with this issue, I believe, is by helping you learn to draw on the power of your new friend. In fact, I think if you learned to utilize his chakra properly and were able to work alongside him..." Den once more looked back at the water, "... you might be able to take someone like me down.

Have you managed to talk with him at all, or draw on any of his power?"

The young man turned away from the lake at his leader's words.  Not the comforting ones for Tsuji, but the words of the one thing that they both had in common... the chakra inside them both.  

"Well... I don't know if its my body or my chakra, but I haven't had any of the same issues that Koga had.  To be honest, I've been hesitant to try and draw on its power.  I've spoken a few times, but each one had been the same.  Nothing but taunts and attempts to overpower me.  If anything, its let me hone my skills in sealing.  But... well.." he gestured to the lake.

"This was the true result of the one time I tried to subjugate him.  I needed an isolated place, and I created one.. but the fight I had with him almost destroyed it... the original lake was much, much smaller.  And he kinda forced me to... lost control of my storms." he said, shaking his head.

"I don't even really know him... the only name I was able to get out of him was Gyuuki, but Akihana said that was the original 8 tailed beast, not this one.  Honestly, I can't even figure out his nature.  He's a complete enigma, and that scares me."