Memory (Maku)

There were times when Akihana felt she was more an observer of this world than an active participant in it. Times when she felt that she was not in fact inside the tall, narrow frame crowned by blonde locks and responsibility but rather a weightless being right above it, watching the Queen go through her daily schedule with a kind of ignorant attention. She marveled at this woman's ability to struggle on despite the many times she had been broken, trampled on, rebuilt and re carved out of habit more than want or resilience, this woman who on most days did not resemble her at all.

As she made her way out of the church, just a lonely figure in her borrowed servant's garb and dark cowl that did its best to hide her trademark golden hair, Akihana wondered if she ever would feel at home in the palace. There were few people she had ever felt at home, her little apartment in Kumo before the world had decided to split, leaving a crack down the mile where her personal universe existed, the small cottage in Sanctuary where Denkiteki had allowed her to stay before they arrived in Haven.

The home she and Youka had briefly shared in the aftermath of their marriage, she wondered if that home still existed. Or if, in his wrath, the Raikage had destroyed the place of peaceful silences and warm dinners, of quiet conversations and even quieter acts of kindness.

The oil lamp she had lit before leaving Kumogakure still glowed by her bedside, tended to carefully by the kunoichi each day and night to ensure the light never went out. Her handmaiden has been quick to notice the religious way in which Akihana attended to the tiny flame, offering to place it in the palace shrine with the other holy and important artifacts, only to be turned down firmly by the medic. This light was neither holy, nor sacred, it was just hers, as was the person it was dedicated to.

The area outside the church was not silent exactly, the city of Hoshigakure was never silent and the Water Gardens at this time of night particularly served purposes few respectable people would be found indulging in. Yet Akihana made her way into the gardens regardless, not quite ready to return to an empty palace full of strangers. Arata was gone, Denkiteki was gone, Arashi was away with Lady Tsuji, Youka...

No, there was little point in counting, because the emptiness in her heart was not quantifiable. So instead the kunoichi just made her way deeper into the folds of the garden, the rushing noise of tiny streams muffing out more interesting sounds that sometimes permeated the still night air. Despite the chill that made her pull the inky black cloak close around her, there was no wind, no breeze, no air movement. The weather was suffocating enough to make her feel all alone in the world.

A sharp snort emitted from somewhere beside her, making her cast her golden gaze down to the large pig that had seemed to appeared out of nowhere. Crouching down, the blonde rubbed Pig's ears fondly, being awarded with a soft snort for her efforts.

Perhaps she wasn't as alone as she thought.

Throwing a toasted almond into the air and catching it with a snap of his pearly whites Maku took in the water gardens.  There was a variety of different activities going on.  They were of varying levels of socially appropriate.  Which was essentially why he made himself the almonds before coming out here.  After all when viewing a show it was important to have a snack.

He hadn't been in town long, but the palace seemed to remain mostly the same.  Moving through without being noticed was of little difficulty, though he kept to servant areas, mostly the kitchen anyway.  The fox that had been sleeping since their battle was wide awake.  It's nose twitching and sniffing in the world around him.  It's mind for the first time in maybe a thousand years at peace.

The effects of his Tsukyomi ran deep, and if the fox had the power to tell what he had done his savagery would know no bounds.  The entirety of its rage locked away deep within its mind.  As for Maku, the idea of the sage of old had been replaced with his face.  Not to mention how much Maku himself had learned from the creature. There was still much to extract in the way of knowledge, but that was for another time.  For now, he was more interested in finding  certain someone.

His right hand held the bag, his left moving in varying ways to procure almonds and then place them in his mouth.  His attire was that of his regular black suit with a black tie.  However strapped to his front was the baby carrier with the fox in it.  It's eyes at piece, it's nose wriggling and it's 9 tails flowing this way and that, around the area of his knees, the beast of legend in quite the miniature.  

He could feel her from when he had arrived.  As he came through some bushes and saw her kneeled he crunched an almond, giving her a very puzzled look.  Petting a pig was a wierd thing, but then again he had a chakra monster in a baby carrier, so really who was he to talk.  Giving a whistle, he would simply say "it's been awhile, but your still wierd and confusing" in his sing song voice.

"Would you like an almond?  Made them myself ya know". He would offer should she eventually look in the direction of his voice.  His eyes were blue, his smile wide as though he had merely stepped out to go to the market at their last encounter.  

He was back.

On hindsight, perhaps it was to be expected, the kunoichi thought even as her hands withdrew from Pig a maximum speed to form the seal for Genjutsu release. the small jolt in her chakra system did nothing to dispel the vision, the sensation that accosted her in the water Gardens an yet Akihana repeated the motion, once, twice, a third time now. Pig, realizing her conundrum nudged her softly, trying to help her break out of the possible genjutsu. The animal may not have had chakra at his disposal but he had hung around ninja enough to know when one was in distress.

But even as the blonde now tried the technique without the hand seal, she knew it wouldn't work. Despite being known for his devastating Genjutsu, he had never really used it as much as rumors would have you believe.

Perhaps he was finally here for her? How fitting that it wouldn't be the reaper who came for her but someone who used to make her heart skip a beat. Never one to lie, Akihana had known her time was near when she had felt the all too loud chakra a few days ago in the palace. The kunoichi had attributed it to her own lack of sleep and abundance of grief at the time and since no guards had come running, she had to assume she was he only one who felt his presence. It wouldn't be the first time she had felt him close enough to reach out and touch.

"Do I get to go to hell too?" she asked, ignoring his preferred almonds. Pig of course would not commit such blasphemy in the face of good food, hurrying to leave Akihana's side and shoving his ample snout towards the male's bag of nuts. Pig had little care if the food came from an ethereal being sent to drag her to the afterlife, food was food.

On Akihana's part, the words spoken were not in surprise. If she deserved to go to hell, there was little she could do about it now. Failed mother, failed wife, perhaps a failed ruler, the list of her sins was extensive enough to warrant the treatment. "is it cold there, I didn't bring a spare cloak?"

Maku was half listening to her bizarre statements, and a touch more concerned with the wierd creature that was oinking around. "Shoo shoo". He said at first pulling up his bag of almonds. When the creature persisted he backed away, and then moved to the side, and the. Began to run around Akihanna. The oinker in tow, which did not please him. The entire scene was made even more chaotic by the hissing sound the Kyuubi had started to make. His fangs barred and eyes piercing, it's cockles beginning to stand on end.

Which of course was dangerous if it decided to do anything else, but Maku was distracted by the pig. "I don't know what you are talking about unless you are describing this ghastly beast following me, call it off!! Call it off!" He would say with what others might describe as a touch shriekish, but when questioned later Maku would describe dulcet tones of bravery. He hadn't known he was afraid of pigs, but he had never actually met a pig before. He grew up in the jungles, so wild boars seemed alright, but this pink disgusting beast was something totally different, God it's little black eyes were clearly designed by god to mirror the pits of hell of which Aki spoke of.

This would in fact continue until Akihanna broke from her wierd fantasy and call him off. In the event she did Maku would stop, look around, tighten his suit, and eat another almond. "Well........this is awkward. Ummmm you look nice?" He would say, clearly all concentration, all formality thrown out the window by the creature of ill repute.

"I might go to hell someday, but firstly I doubt you'd go with me, and secondly that day isn't today....". He would say with a very puzzled expression.

As he did the Kyuubi stared at Akihanna, it's fangs still bared. Though it didn't seem to be looking at her, but rather through her. It felt......something, though it couldn't put its paw on it. Not yet anyway......it's bijuu chakra flowing fully and unrestrained. Having been given a scare Maku's own chakra was in flux. The combination of both actually caused some of the grass to wilt at his feet, and more than one in the water garden felt their breath catch. In combination their chakra together in this one spot was over 300, which was no small feat when unrestrained.

Instead of answering her question, the golden haired male engaged in a most bizarre tableau with Pig, eventually chasing the poor animal around in circles as he held aloft his bag of almonds, leading poor Pig on. The large animal never one to simply admit defeat in the face of food gave a most remarkable chase, one which made Akihana almost dizzy as her golden eyes swiveled this way and that, watching man and pig going round and round in a blur. If these were her final moments, they were certainly interesting.

"Don't- " she began as something else joined the chaos around her, something far more dark and curious that had sensed the creature strapped across the visitor's torso. As Makona lifted her small head in another realm, a curious look on her cherubic, childlike face, Akihana tempted to calm the chaos outside. "Pig, stop!" she ordered and the creature came to a halt at once. it knew that voice, that voice promised food in the near future. Giving the man a look of disbelief and a few moments to gather himself, the kunoichi knelt down by the pig once more.

"There there, its's okay. The mean man won't bully you anymore." Withdrawing a small foil packet from the folds of her cloak, she presented it to Pig as a peace offering - it was important to carry food around with you at all times if you found yourself the adopted owner of a pig - only then turning towards the cause of the animal's strife.

"You could have just given him the almonds instead of scaring him like that," she admonished the blond, finally turning her attention to him. The the fact that he was real and here and not dead or in hell as she'd seen him last. If there was anyone who could defy death, it would be the trickster standing in front of her. But what could be his reason for doing so? Akihana had been made painfully aware that she certainly wasn't reason enough.

So why here? Why now?

When he clarified that neither of them were bound for hell today, the medic finally raised her gaze fully to his, golden eyes clashing with his bright blue ones, the motion as familiar as if it had never stopped. She was the first to look away. "So why are you here?"

"Yes, why are you here?" Makona echoed her jinchuriki, silver bells carrying the sound over to the fox snuggled safely across the male's chest. Her question however was more laden than Akihana's, as if the wrong answer could do significant harm.

"Me scare it!!!! That ghastly beast was chasing me! ". He would yell, before looking slightly embarrassed and giving a cough. Waving his hand like this hadn't been the most dreadful acts of bravery, he attempted to give of an air of not nonchalantness. This was slightly ruined by looking side eye at the piggy pig pig.

"Just popping back in." He would say, attempting to change the course away from the pig panic to something a bit less pathetic. Though given her look and tone perhaps this was a sore subject as well. "I went out, been busy. Youka gave me something to do I suppose. I hear you two are acquainted now. A shame thought he was just mine." He would say with a smile. The entire thing still made him very, interested to say the least. She had looked away, but she was always a touch dramatic.

"What have you and my seclusion brother been up to?" He would ask jovially. Completely ignoring any and all angst that could be hanging around the area.

The tinkering bells caused the Kyuubi's ears to twitch. If a fox could make a titch sound, then that's why it would do. With the other beast making its self more known by speaking, he could sense it out more so than he had. It's cockles went down, and its eyes began more than a little bored. "Imposter, I thought maybe one of my siblings was around." If it was possible to give another chakra beast the cold shoulder in the bijuu realm of communication, that's what would be happening at this point.

"There is no need for name calling," Akihana interjected, her "mom" voice appearing after what seemed like months though the medic wasn't entirely sure how long it had actually been. "Please apologize to Pig and I'm sure he too will concede the misunderstanding." Anyone who had been around pigs knew you didn't wave about food if you didn't intend to share. Pig on his part merely snorted from his position, showing no signs of apologizing. Should the male do the same, he and the animal would have something in common after all.

When he mentioned Youka, another fleeting look passed through her butterscotch eyes, far too fleeting to identify the emotion behind it but now fast enough to be missed. Was this ere due, had Youka sent him as a form of punishment after what she did? Living with him, Akihana had almost forgotten that the Raikage was not above cruel and unusual punishment.

"Is he-" she stopped herself once more, about to ask if he was alright. Her concern for the young kage far outmatched by that for herself. If Youka had sent his brother to deliver a sentence, then there was little she could do about it except nod and agree. But at least she would go down knowing if he was well or not. Half a year of no communication was ample time for the mind to wonder. "What would he like?" she asked instead. If he was here as an envoy, she could treat him as such.

The fox carrier had little intention of explaining how he had returned from the death, or even why. He probably thought they were minor details compared to the bigger picture, the picture - Akihana suspected - no one knew, not even himself. She refused to answer his query about Den and herself. Why bother, it wasn't like he had a personal stake on what either of them did. "Keeping busy," she answered shortly.

The frosty answer was not mimicked by Makona at all, who took the other bijuu's ignorance as the beginning of victory. A smile appeared on the corners of her pink lips as she gazed at the imprisoned ninetails who seemed worse for wear than even She may have been trapped isndie a body, but this pathetic being was trapped in worse ways.

"I meant, what are you doing with that puny human? Your other one was better, much better looking too."

Maku would not apologize to the demon swine, nor would he even entertain the notion that this was necessary. Turning his nose to the snout of the pink beast, he would then proceed to us the most classic techniques of mature adults. He pretended it didn't exist and moved on with his life.

"Ummm probably to not look like such a damn weirdo. Though he was like that before too." He would say with a wave of his hand before popping another almond into his mouth. Chewing it up he would consider her question. "I mean I left him in Kumo sleeping. Gave him a bit of a break. I've been running Kumo in his steed. Seems to be doing alright, maybe if he can stop being such a pansy he might even wake up eventually." He would say with a small chuckle. Youka and he had never spoken of Aki, never of the alliance, never really of anything. This misunderstanding between the two would be easy to exacerbate, as no doubt both had different views on the subject.

He smiled at her answer, more so thinking it was a mock of his own. "What's up with you Lady Akihanna, you act like you've seen a ghost or something. It's really quite wierd." His head would cock to the side, and he would stare into her eyes. Eyes that reminded him of desert, which subsequently he was much better at making than her.

The Kyuubi twitches and Maku reached down and hit the release, the fox hitting the ground. It hadn't been awake since their fight, however it appeared that the effects of his ephermal had begun to ware off. Subduing a chakra beast, with chakra was not the easiest thing in the world. In fact the beast had been under a 4 fold genjutsu chakra lock. As each level fell away it's chakra became stronger and more define. The Tsukyomi laid deep inside its mind, well away from detecting minds except perhaps for those that had knowledge of the genjutsu itself. If there was one thing Maku was confident was in, it was his genjutsu, and of all his attempts this was the most focused and perfect he had made.

As the kyuubi hit the ground it sat and put its head on its paws in a very bored sort of gesture. A stance that if one had the ability to look way back in time when it was sealed in some nub of a kid it had often taken looking through a seal.

This posture was transposed as it felt it's mind move into an alternate dimension. He could faintly sense that of one of his kin. The 5 tails was nearish, or at least it had been here. He didn't particularly care to see him, but still it was interesting to feel him out.

What he felt from this girl though, was that of total fallacy. Kurama had barely held respect for its own kin, to come face to face to a lesser being such as this barely got his metaphorical chakra up. "Puny........pot and kettle there." He would say lazily with a yawn. In this alternate world he took his regular form. His body massive, his chakra radiating off his body. He was the Kyuubi, the 9 tails, the self proclaimed strongest of the beasts, and nothing had deterred this way of thinking.

"I don't hide in disgusting forms. Remarking on such tedious details, you clearly have let the influence of that one touch you too deep. I thought you were kin, but I see you are not even close." It's voice lazy, and a touch snobbish. He had measured the creature and felt it wanting. The bijuu realm around them was that of an abandoned city. The buildings in various states of debris and wreckage, the Kyuubi's massive body fitting in through the square, its tails brushing and tossing pieces of buildings down to crumble in the streets, its head still on its paws. Snow began to trickle from the sky as it had spoken, its breath coming off in great waves of what almost looked like steam.

Once again, no clear answer of why he was here or what he had been doing until now. The news of "giving Youka a break" made the kunoichi turn paler than her usual self, fear entering her golden eyes for the first time sine seeing the ghost in front of her. "Did you hurt him?" the words were a cross between a question and a threat. Her hands were perhaps never meant to fight, but Akihana had been battling her emotions her entire life and she refused to stand by and watch someone else she cared about disappear. This man would be the last person to hurt Youka, but then once upon a time she had truly believed he would be the last person in the world to hurt her too.

"Queen Akihana," she corrected him tensely, not giving in to the nickname she had never agreed upon but accepted as a term of endearment a long time ago. Even if they had never really agreed that it was. So many things had gone unspoken between them that they now had no real place in the physical realm. "If you are here on official business, you will address me as "Your Grace", and if you are here merely to check on me or Den, we thank you and will show you the way out."

In the realm of bijuu and immateriality, Makona raised an eyebrow at surprise, the surprise not directed at the massive form of the Kyubi but at her own jinchuriki for the first time. "Hmm, your human must really know how to push her buttons, this is the second time I've seen her like this and the first was with this one too."

Makona stowed the thought away for later, perhaps this garnered more looking into. her favorite image of this man was still of his broken body lying dead in an alternate universe when she had first taken over her jinchurki fully. Perhaps Makona had neglected the finer intricacies of this relationship in favor of ravishing in that one image.

As Khurama's haughty proclamations permeated the thin air around them, Makona's smile only grew. "Oh delicious!" she spoke, "You don't remember, do you? The great beast of legend... Has lost his mind to a puny human..." Her silvery gleeful laughter filled the world.

"Not as much as you apparently......". He would say in reference to her claiming he had hurt Youka.. His grin going from big to bigger as she continued to speak. The whole "your grace" "queen" thing was almost laughable. For a girl who claimed little ambition, or lack of power and authority she found a way of worming her way on up. There was little doubt that she worked hard. However, it was in a much different way than Maku had been forced to do. Perhaps because of this his perspective on the situation was very different.

"Ooooo I am here on very official business Akihanna." He would say, leaving off the title, on purpose of course. His grin still stretching from ear to ear. With a flick he sent the remainder of the bag towards the pig. However, should it's disgusting maw enter the bag it would find it to be totally empty. "I am after all running Kumogakure while our mutual friend is incapacitated. I was coming to celebrate."

He would take a couple steps forward towards her, still a respectable distance away to respect personal space and all that. I mean, he wasn't going to be rude in every way, just the ways she asked him not to be. "Like I said, been busy. Not easy expanding boarders, running an army, disposing Kage. Business has been booming, and relaxation just seems the next natural course, and were else but here. I mean, look at it." He would say stretching out his arms and looking up at the stars above. "What do you think? Am I allowed to invite Kumogakure here?" He would mock ask. Of course already knowing they were on their way. He would then continue, "I mean I was almost disappointed. I left you a letter and got nothing, luckily some dead sexy emissary met me in Suna, so clearly you still care." He would watch her. It's not that he truly meant to push all her buttons, but at this point it was involuntary.

In the realm of chakra beasts, the Kyuubi continued to watch the proceedings with a lack of any real interest. What he did feel was the indecision of the one in front of him. Her comments boring, after she snapped back to his own attention. "Whatever you say.......". His tone would reach out lazily. His distrust and lack of respect for the other entity would prevent him from taking anything she said to seriously. "She doesn't seem to happy. Does she?" He would ask still lazily.