Max's Night Terrors (Senshi, IO)

Max would wake up, slowly getting up from his restless slumber. He couldn’t help but think of all the things that he has lost, these nightmares keeping him from a good night’s sleep. Sitting up in his bed, he would look down at his hands. His eyes would slowly begin to tear up, unsure of how else to process the feelings within. Wet tears of unhappiness poured down the young boy’s cheeks, dropping in small wet pools on his blanket. Wiping his eyes with the blanket, the tears would slowly stop and he would just sit and think. The nightmares were not of pleasant things, and to be honest he didn’t really feel like dwelling on them at this moment. Such things are best when forgotten, removed from ones memory to help ease the pain. Sadly, such reprieve was not in the future for the Kumogakure Ninja.
 
Looking at his hands, he noticed the metallic limb first. It was hard not to see it, and at this moment it only brought to his memory the time that he had lost the arm. It was lost during his mission with Reizo, Itami, and Senshi. Maku had cut it off, and Max had been bleeding out fairly badly. He felt the life fading from his body as he had lost consciousness. The only thing he could think of at that moment was that he would die, right then and there and without completing any of the goals he had set out for himself. He would have been lost, but Senshi had bandaged him up, stopping the blood loss and preventing Max from dying. Even with all of his own wounds and burns, Senshi had done everything he could to save the boy.
 
Once this thought had passed, he recalled his time at the hospital. Senshi had brought him a basket of goodies, helping alleviate the problem of terrible hospital food. That was also the time that Komori had come to visit him as well. That was the first of many meetings, as the boy had become friends with the twins known as Komori and Komon. They went from complete stranger to the chummiest of pals, and all in a fairly short time. It really had been a fortuitous meeting when the two groups had met one another. Max fondly recalls all of the glitter that had been everywhere during that training exercise. Young Max recalls the memory is as though it was just yesterday, but so much time had passed since their games in the woods of Kumo…
 
Max would look over at his puppets, resting quietly in the corner of the room. Despite all of his nightmares, and the dark thoughts that keep the boy up at night, his puppet pals never brought him any unease. They were always there, speaking softly to him in whispers whether they had a body or not. Even without a body, his friends would whisper to him things that they thought. People claim that once you are dead, that is it. You are removed from the world, never to be seen again by those that are living. Max doesn’t think that it is that simple though, as he always hears the silent thoughts of the dead that spoke. It was just that they were only heard by those with the ears to listen. If his nightmares were made real, would he be able to hear their voices from beyond the grave?
 
Shaking his head and patting his cheeks, Max would try to completely wake up and remove all grogginess from his mind. Getting up, he would stretch and walk over to his mirror. Looking at his own reflection, he saw both himself and something else… something that he didn’t enjoy seeing. A gaunt, lifeless husk stood beside him, the creature looking almost exactly as Max did. Was this it? Was he seeing his own demise? Was this what was going to happen to the boy? Was he doomed to lead a life of misery and pain before he simply became one with those that he calls his puppets? The creatures lifeless, black eyes would be the most noticeable feature. It was almost as if they were simply staring into the boy’s soul. Then, with a blink, the specter would vanish leaving only Max in the room with only his own crazy thoughts.
 
Max would walk over to his closet, taking out a nice, clean shirt to wear. Donning it, he would walk over to his window and open it up. The cool morning breeze would help wake him up, the refreshing crisp air hitting his face. The sun still wasn’t up, but it had to be close to sunrise. Most people were probably still asleep, and so a walk through the town might not prove very fruitful. He needed to do something to help clear his thoughts though, and so after finishing getting dressed the boy would head out into the palace halls. He would have to find something to do. Anything is better than dwelling on his thoughts.
 
Max would silently close his door, only himself and Napa now wandering the halls. As the memories of his nightmares faded, Max couldn’t help but want to go see his big brother Senshi. He couldn’t really recall why, but something was compelling him to visit his closest of friends.
 
The palace was huge, and despite him normally finding his way out with little issue, it felt as though it were a maze now, actively trying to hold the boy prisoner. Around every hall corner he would see that specter walking down the hall and fade away into thin air. The site of the creature only helped unnerve the boy. He wasn’t someone that feared much, especially not the dead…. But this specter wasn’t just some dead spirit. No, it was the manifestation of his darkest of thoughts.
 
Max would actively try to avoid it on his way to Senshi. Sweat was pouring from the boy, and his color gone as if he saw a ghost. He would knock on Senshi’s door hoping that he wasn’t waking him up. Senshi was always an early riser and the first one to be up and training, so Max wouldn’t expect to have disturbed his older sibling. If Senshi did look groggy as if he were sleeping Max would apologize to no end.
 

“Senshi, can I please stay with you for a bit?” He would ask, his voice sounding quiet and his thoughts distant. 


WC: 1084
TWC: 1084

He door would creek open to reveal a tidy room, a bed off to one side and a desk of sorts crammed  in to the corner. Sitting in a neat pile On the perfectly Made Bed was a small bag, that max would eventually recognize as one of Senshi's weapons pouches that he had worn so proudly. When and if Max finally approached the bag he would find it full of scrolls with a letter, sealed Inside a red envelope on the very top. Max's name was neatly scrawled out on the front of the envelope as well. Should max have looked around the room he would have
Noticed three four sealing tags, one on each wall, two lines of blood running down the center of it. Exactly the same as the sealing tags Senshi had at their house, their home in Kumogakure. The barrier technique that provided some level of security to their home.

If Max choose to look through the bag before reading or even after reading the letter he would note that each scroll wa slabelled nestly. "Weapons" "armor" "Ryo" "gear" "paperwork" "techniques". Just as the letter had explained Max found himself with all of Senshi's possessions. Every item, every weapon, every piece of armor, and detailed descriptions of how to learn and use every technique or skill he had ever invented himself. His seals he had given Reizo, Komon, and Komor. His skill Kaminari no Ririsu. Event be single S rank lightning technique he had never had the time to finish learning. Finally when max opened the letter he would be greeted by the following words in Senshi's usual neat and flowing script.

"To Max, My brother.

I'm sorry you're finding out this way, but I didn't have much of a choice. This is a suicide mission, one I will not come back from. It doesn't matter the weapons or armor I have with me, my death is the only way to accomplish my final mission. I need you to know that I do this for Kumogakure, for her people, for my comrades like Komon, Komori, Sakana, Saya, Renji, and Reizo. And I do this for you, my brother. I love you Max, you've shown me all that Kumogakure aspires to be and you made me want to do things simply because they were fun, not because I was required to or it was a mission.

I've never had a friend as dear as you have been, a friend who made me not want to take on the dangerous missions that our home requires. I considered for a very long time whether I should do this, but in the end Max, I must. Protecting Kumo ensures that you have a chance to live and bring her to the peak of her abilities. As such I leave you all of my earthly items, including detailed
Papers on how to perform all of my personal techniques. My weapons, armor, items, and money are yours to keep or disperse as you wish. Also there is paperwork for our house. I bought it outright, Max, you will always have a home.

Finally, my body will be at Kumo by the time you arrive back there from this village. I only request one thing from you, please remember the promise you made to me so long ago. Allow me to protect you and Kumo. 

Love,
Your Brother, Senshi"


((NOTE - giving Max everything, every item, armor, weapon, SVERYTHING listed on my stat page to include Ryo and notes on how to learn Senshi's character specific techs and skills, this includes descriptions of how to find the flamingo clan and Senshi's personal contract with them. The moment Max returns To Kumo he is also gifted with Senshi's body. If Kumo is destroyed/taken over
My body will be in the remains of our old house))

The door would creak open as the boy knocks, the room surprisingly empty. At first, Max thinks that Senshi might have just been off doing some training, but then he sees the weapon pouch on the bed. Senshi never went anywhere without his gear, especially his weapons. Max would enter into the room, giving it a quick scan. There seemed to be seals protecting the room, something that Senshi had also done in their home back in Kumo. Max would slowly step over to the bag, noticing various scrolls and a letter addressed to Max resting on top. The handwriting was the same as Senshi’s…
 
Max would open the letter and begin to read. He would begin to shake his head, his hands trembling as he read the letter and reread it. Again tears would flow down the now red, sniffling face of Max, now the droplets falling to the letter from his brother staining the paper in various places. The boy would simply begin to sob, sitting down on the bed next to the bag. This couldn’t be happening, not now. Max had just began to grown as a shinobi, and he wanted to see the pride in his brother’s face as he rose up to the rank of Jounin. Max was almost happy that he was alone in this room right now, because if anyone else had been there he wouldn’t have known what to say. His mind was blank, not fully able to wrap his head around this all. Thoughts began to slowly form, making the boy’s despair only strengthen.
 
Was this another one of Mortarion’s sick games? Was this some sort of test, to break the will of Max? Max would simply keep shaking his head finally figuring out what was going on. This wasn’t really happening. No, this was all just another nightmare, haunting his thoughts and keeping him awake at night. That had to be it… but then, why wasn’t he waking up? His heart would begin to race, as the terror and grief struck once more, the reality of everything starting to really kick in.
 
“Senshi is… *Sniff* Senshi is really….” Max couldn’t complete that sentence, no matter how many times he attempted to mutter it out loud. The words just sat in his throat, a lump of anguish trying to suffocate him it from within. His breathing was growing more and more difficult, almost as if he was in such shock that his body forgot how to function. Eventually, his breathing returned but it was in large, gasps of air as if he were drowning at sea.
 
His mind refocused on the nightmares that woke him, only to realize that such things were no longer just ‘bad dreams’ but now slowly becoming realities. His metallic fist would clench in anger, so tight that if it was his normal hand, his nails would have cause his hand to bleed. Max’s face -which as of late had grown to always have a smile- had a cold, expressionless look. Max would look up, only to see a mirror, likely used to help don armor or see how you look in an outfit. Max expected to see his own reflection, but instead he saw that ghoulish creature yet again. This time, though, it wasn’t behind the boy or beside him. No, this time the gaunt specter was all that he was able to see, the hollow eyes locking with Max’s own.
 
Max was lost in the eyes of the beast, it peering into the very soul of the boy. Without knowing, Max would begin to mutter out loud using the ventriloquism jutsu, making the specter speak.
“We will make them pay. Those who have wronged us shall suffer for their transgressions. This I promise you, Maximillian.” It would say in whispery words that seemed to come from all directions.
 

His voice was now hollow, seemingly void of joy, “I won’t forget my promise, Senshi. You will live on for eternity beside me.” The boy would then just stare down at the floor, still trying to cope with everything that was just thrust upon him. One thing was obvious though for any that knew the boy. That night something broke in young Max, and it was something that might never be repaired. 


WC: 715
TWC: 1799

OoC: :'(

Claims: WIP. Will handle at a later time.

---Exit---

TWC: 1799

Claims: Everything that Senshi left for me. 

"((NOTE - giving Max everything, every item, armor, weapon, SVERYTHING listed on my stat page to include Ryo and notes on how to learn Senshi's character specific techs and skills, this includes descriptions of how to find the flamingo clan and Senshi's personal contract with them. The moment Max returns To Kumo he is also gifted with Senshi's body. If Kumo is destroyed/taken over
My body will be in the remains of our old house))"

Approved of claims