Re: Revelation [IO] [NK]

Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:06 am

Yurei would step to the side, watching as Damon took the lead. Akio’s mother watched Damon with a hint of curiosity in her eyes, though not much. She sniffed, wiping her nose with her thumb and index finger and gave out a nasally sigh. “I see. Well…”

Akio’s mother paused, licking her lips and pursing them. It was obviously painful for her. “We last saw him a little over a week ago. We, uh, we argue a lot. About Akio. About being a shinobi.” The woman looked Damon and Yurei up and down, not noticing anything characteristic of a shinobi on either. “He goes out in the middle of the night a lot, so we usually think nothing of it, but, uh… well, he never came back. It was about a week ago,” she repeated, losing her train of thought. “About a week and three days. Y-yeah. That long. But he was here until dark; I can tell you that.”

The woman swallowed, sniffing as tears began to swell in her eyes. “I’m… I’m sorry. If there’s nothing else, I need to go. Good evening.” Her voice trembled as she shut the door.

Yurei turned to face Damon. Hatred and sadness swelled within him. It was in his eyes. “So a week and three days, roughly,” Yurei said rhetorically. “Looks like we have a date and time. Now to investigate the guard posts. Be ready to show them our headbands, ok?”

WC: 1111

Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:06 am

It was rather late in the evening by the time the two boys had left the Inuzuka home and nearly arrived at the smallest gate. “So,” Damon said, glancing around at his surroundings, “Even his parents don’t know where he is.” He was stating the obvious, but it was not for Yurei. It was for himself. He needed to say it out loud so that the fact would sink into the recesses of his body, and feel the weight of the situation. He kept his eyes forward, his face not looking towards Yurei. “The gates just up ahead. Did you want to ask them, or should I?”

WC: 1138

Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:07 am

“I’ll talk to them,” Yurei said flatly. He took the lead of the two and walked to the guard post. The Uchiha marched forward, keeping a pleasant and respect aura about him. “Excuse me,” he would call out to the guards. One was a blonde, and the other sported red hair characteristic of the Uzumaki clan. He took his headband from Damon and held it up to the guard. “We’re looking for someone; could you help us?”

The blonde guard raised an eyebrow, signalling for the Uzumaki to maintain watch. “What do you need?” he’d ask from his stand.

“Do you happen to know who was stationed here ten days ago? At night?” Yurei called out.

The man’s arched eyebrows rose as he shifted his gaze to something within the cabin - a registry detailing each of the guards from the past month. “Kenshin Uzumaki and Hikari Namika-” The man paused. “Wait, her name is marked out. Roka Yagami is wrote in.”

Yurei perked up at Kenshin’s name. This was it. “Do you happen to know where Roka lives?”

The man nodded, pointing to the nearby housing area. “It’s the small yellow house. He’s probably sleeping, though. He often works late shifts.”
The Uchiha would nod, bowing and thanking the man. With that he would turn to Damon. “Looks like we have our lead,” he would whisper, taking the lead of the pair once more.

The two would move to a group of houses, stopping at the one gestured to. Peering inside the windows, Yurei found nothing but darkness. “He could be asleep,” Yurei said. The Uchiha did not care however, moving to the door. Akio mattered more to him than some man’s sleep schedule.

“Would you like to speak with him or shall I?”

WC: 1405

Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:07 am

Firstly, Damon recalled Yurei’s headband from his pocket dimension and handed it to him. He then bore witness, perking up at the mention of the names of the guards. Kenshin… Yurei mentioned his name once before, I don’t recognize his name… but Hikari’s involved in this somehow? Or rather, she should have been. But this Roka character had instead been the second guard during the window of time that had been narrowed down. So many people I once knew that I haven’t spoken to in weeks… Had Damon isolated himself? Or was this merely a result of his strive for greatness - the isolation of others who he was striving to overshadow. Perhaps shinobi of Hoshi were merely against the idea that someone, whether they be from their own village, was able to surpass them in power and skill. The Uchiha snapped back to reality as Yurei thanked the man as he began to lead Damon to a small yellow house.

“I’ll go.” The two seemed to be alternating for the most part between which of them talked with whomever they encountered. Damon knocked sharply on the door three times. Nothing happened. More frustrated, Damon knocked again, banging harder. He pressed his ear to the door, hearing no signs of movement. Damon backed up and went to knock again as the door swung open. A somewhat tired man with long brown hair that drifted into his face stood in the doorway, who had most likely just been interrupted from sleep. His exhaustion seemed to change to questioning. He seemed surprised to have guests. “Uhm,” his eyes seemed rather shifty, “What can I help you with?” His voice seemed rather rushed, like he was eager to resolve the situation.

Damon tensed before attempting to steady himself. “Where were you ten days ago.” Damon’s voice was level, but slightly shaky and small. He struggled to maintain his composure. The man sounded nervous, “I’m sorry… What?” Regardless of the reason for his answering questions with questions, Damon was fed up. He felt closer to Akio than he had within the past couple of weeks, and he could not take it anymore. Damon pounded on the man’s chest with his fist. “Were you at the gate!?” He visibly grew more frustrated. The nervous guard was taken aback as Damon surged forward, tearing up. “Where’s Akio?!” Damon pushed the door open, banging it into the wall as he stepped inside the man’s home. “WHERE’S MY FRIEND!” His shouting could barely be heard by any passersby as he was now inside the house of the guard. Damon was no longer asking and his normal demeanor was practically nonexistent as tears streamed down his face. Roka stepped back as Damon pounded once more on his chest before falling to his knees, sobbing. “I can’t lose him, too…” Damon fell to the side, leaning his back against a wall in the hallway. He brought his knees up to his chest and buried his head in them, letting Yurei talk to the guard instead.

WC: 1642

Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:08 am

Yurei was taken aback with Damon’s emotional barrage. He had never seen Damon like this. Never. The only thing that came close so such a reaction was when Yurei first used genjutsu on the young man. That was so long ago. Despite his mistakes, it was a happier time.

Upon entering, Yurei would close the door behind he and Damon, shutting it before the Uchiha got too loud. What followed was a heated display, one Yurei never expected from his friend. It was as if it was pent up over time, now bursting in a fury.

Damon’s anger, his rage, his sorrow, it reminded Yurei of himself.

The black-haired Uchiha continued, pressing the man back until all of his emotion culminated into exhaustion. Now Yurei took the reigns, bolstered by Damon’s rage.

“You were assigned to the guard station ten days ago with Kenshin Uzumaki.” Yurei’s voice was stern but calm. He had to be if he were to get answers. “What happened that night. We- I was told our friend, Akio Inuzuka, escaped the village.” Yurei took a deep breath. “I was lied to. I know I was. A genin couldn’t get through that gate, and if he were spotted, he would’ve been caught on the spot.”

Roka watched the boy, his eyes glossy. He looked at Yurei, then at Damon, breathless. “I, uh. Ye-yeah. I saw what happened. But if you were told that-”

Yurei’s voice was icy. “Tell us the truth.”

“He tried escaping. He, uh. He killed a civilian and ultimately died. I’m… I’m not really sure, but I think it was an accident.”

Roka sat down, taking it all in as he explained it. Yurei watched in horror, and Esu’s ears flopped to the ground. His bared teeth shifted into a pleading whimper that rattled Yurei’s core.

“There was a look on his face after he did it. Like he didn’t mean to. I don’t think he did, either, but I… I couldn’t really tell.”

Yurei clenched his teeth, never shifting his gaze from the man. “How did he die?” he would ask, his voice shaking. Tears began to swell in his eyes.

“The gas. The gas killed him on contact.”

Yurei swallowed, biting his lips. His vision blurred.

It’s happening. It’s happening again.

Yurei’s spirit crumbled. His ambition, his fortitude, they were gone. And what remained was a broken shell. Tears streamed down cheeks. “You bastard,” Yurei muttered to himself. His voice was inaudible, layered in water. He swallowed, the pit of his stomach freezing over and dropping into an endless abyss. He felt his knees shake and his arms lose their strength.

Akio…

is dead.

WC: 1847

Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:08 am

Damon was frozen. He was sitting up in the fetal position, his head buried in his legs. His tears soaking into his pants. The words of the guard weighed in. Akio had tried to escape. He had killed someone. He didn’t mean to. He didn’t mean to at all. He was killed. Akio died. Damon stared at the floor but he saw nothing. Water filled his eyesight as tears blurred the world past his vision. There was only him and the truth. Damon started shaking, sobbing uncontrollably. His shoulders shuddered as he collapsed on himself, falling over to the floor, no longer able to hold himself up. No longer feeling like holding himself. He laid on the floor of a stranger’s hall, a stranger who had just told him that his friend had died. Damon did not care where he was or who he was with. He had never felt such. Such.

Loss.

Roka was not guilty. Damon had been pounding on him for answers, but there was nothing that Roka was able to do. Not if some… some gas had killed Akio. Gas from someone… someone named Kenshin? Kenshin had killed Akio? Then Valen had tried to cover it up. The Hogokage had tried to cover it up. Hoshi was content to wrap up the death of a shinobi in a box and store it away into an archive of unknown size full of others. The sobbing was soon cut off by the sound of him gasping for air. I can’t breathe. Damon searched for air as though he was drowning. Oh God, I can’t breathe. His breaths were quick and shallow, never taking in as much air as he needed. He curled up his hand, banging on the floor as he tried to stand. Gasping, Damon struggled to his knees, hunched over and coughing out nothing. Dry heaving. He needed to find a way to rid himself of this feeling. A way to expel it from his system, but there was not one. There was only reality. He pushed himself forcefully from the floor, staggering, falling against the wall. He tried using it for support, but the Uchiha kept stumbling. He tried to find a kitchen. He needed something. Water.

Practically collapsing against the counter, Damon pulled himself towards the sink, turning on the faucet. He drank from the tap, thirsty like a dog who had been left in a desert. He coughed, spitting the initial gulps out, his stomach convulsing and his chest tightening. He shut the water off and sat back on the ground, leaning against the cabinets. He choked a few times, his body trying to return to normal. He laid there for a while, immersed in himself and his own sorrow. His eyes burned, whether this was from tears or something else he did not know.

Yurei

Damon turned his head, looking towards the only remaining friend he had in this harsh world with eyes that burned, straining to see. “Yu-” his voice was hoarse, forcing him to cough to clear his throat. “Yurei.” He called out towards his friend, wondering what he felt.

WC: 2162

Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:14 am

Laughter resonated in Yurei’s mind. The Uchiha pictured Damon and Akio, all together with Esu. It was the first day he had spent with Akio. Damon’s back pocket was missing, bitten off by Esu. The dog had smelled the dango in Damon’s pocket, and he decided that the treat would make a good meal, with a portion of the black-haired Uchiha’s butt as well.

Tears strode down the Uchiha’s face. He remembered that day well. He remembered Akio well. The training. The mission. His father’s funeral. In Takia Uchiha’s disconnect, Akio and Damon were there for the service and Yurei’s confession. They stood by him despite his mistakes. They were more loyal and kind to him than anyone he had ever known.

Yurei closed his eyes, water permeating from them still. The Uchiha looked up, gazing onto the guard. He stood by and did nothing. Yurei clenched his fist, his face now distorting in sorrow. He clenched his teeth harder than ever before, tilting his head opening his mouth to breath. The Uchiha felt as if he were breathing from a straw.

That’s what this was. Suffocation.

The Uchiha swallowed, letting out a cry. He whipped around, forcing the door open and stepping outside. Yurei took steps forward, reaching the side of the house in an area free from sight. He collapsed, falling onto the side of the building. His back pressed against the building, Yurei cried.

Pools of water accumulated in his kimono, sliding off of the silk and into the leaky pool to the side of the boy.

Yurei slammed his fist into the ground, his teeth bared. “Dammit!” he said, his voice muffled in his own spit. “This is my fault! This is all my fault! If I had just stopped him! If I just convinced him not to go none of this would have happened!” Yurei’s cheeks saturated with tears, the young man leaned over, staring into the pool of water as his tears fell into it, dissolving into it with a small ripple.

In the water, he noticed something. A change in his eyes. He felt it. Something beyond his tears. Something else entirely.

This feeling wasn’t unknown to Yurei. No, he had felt it three times before. Exactly three. One for each tomoe in his Sharingan. “M-my eyes…” Yurei said, gazing into the pool. Before him was his reflection, and, in his eyes, was something truly special. Something born from sorrow, from pain. His father had generated this feeling on the night he died. And now…

Yurei swallowed as the pool of water focused. His eyes, unable to produce the red pigment, bore his sharingan. His Mangekyo Sharingan.

Revelation [IO] [NK] - Page 2 De23e811

The Uchiha touched his eyes, feeling the chakra permeate from them. “Akio,” he whimpered. Esu walked to Yurei, touching the Uchiha’s hands with his cold nose. The chuunin looked to Akio’s dog, and reached to pet him, stroking Esu as the dog’s head and eyes hung low to the ground.

WC: 2347

Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:15 am

Damon looked around, but saw no sight of Yurei in the house. He struggled to his feet and began walking towards the hallway. “Yurei…” His mind was only capable of focusing on one thing at a time. He did not even register the apologies of the guard or the pained look on his face that he seemed to share with the two Uchiha. He did not notice the tears streaming down the guard’s sorrowful face or the rope that he was grabbing.

Damon walked outside, shielding his burning eyes against the setting sun. He looked down towards the ground, hiding his face. “Yurei,” he muttered weakly. He noticed no one else around him. It was quiet, save for the thumping of his heart. He could not see his reflection, but he was positive his eyes were bloodshot. He felt a surge of chakra, stronger than before, flood into his eyes. The last time this had happened…

“Yurei.”

He looked next to the house in a secluded alleyway, hidden from the sight of others. Damon’s back still turned towards the streets, he headed down until he could not be seen. “Yurei, are you-” he paused as he stared at Yurei who had locked eyes with himself in his own reflection. Damon approached him and would try to place a hand on his shoulder. “Yur-” he would spin Yurei around to meet his eyes. If he was successful at doing so, he would be able to see the white Mangekyo Sharingan. It looked like three yang symbols, lacking any yins. Purity without a darkness counter. Instead, the black appeared as three blades, cutting through the iris. Four black circles decorated the entire design. “Oh God…” His tomoe… they’re gone?

Damon looked past Yurei, at the puddle he had been staring at, looking at his own eyes.

Revelation [IO] [NK] - Page 2 Damon_10

WC: 2466

Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:16 am

Yurei whipped around, meeting eyes with Damon. “Damon, your eyes,” he would say, his voice weak and trailing, with breaths in-between his words. Damon’s Mangekyo Sharingan… It was red, accented with a sharp, circular pattern forming around his pupil. Between the dark blades was a design akin to that of a tri-bladed shuriken. Yurei saw malice in his Uchiha brother’s eyes. His eyes were vicious.

The alabaster chuunin swallowed, holding his eyes as he sat, his back against the side of the guard’s house. He covered them with his palm, his skeletal fingers stretched over his eyes, and the chakra within them dissipated, returning Yurei’s eyes to their normal state. The Uchiha swallowed, looking up and shutting his eyes.

Lies. It was all a lie.

Valen lied to him.

There was no quest. No search. Akio had been killed. Killed by the village I’ve tried so hard to protect… Father… Were you right? Are shinobi truly like this?

Yurei pursed his lips, allowing the rest of his tears to fall from his eyes, rolling down his temples and into his white hair. “Damon,” he called out. Keeping his eyes closed. “Akio’s reasoning… not for killing, but for leaving… This village breeds it. His mother. His father. My father. Yours. They all suffered from hate. Whether they adopted it or were taken by it… Hate that this village breeds.”

Yurei’s face tightened, a cry trying to escape his throat. “Akio tried to leave it behind, but I couldn’t save him.” Yurei swallowed. “I’m sorry. For you. And for Akio.” Yurei turned his gaze to look at Esu, who stared the Uchiha in the face. Yurei reached out, grasping the dog around the neck. It was over. He had to let it out.

Despite any words said, Yurei would sob, gasping for air between each cry. He couldn’t stop. He wouldn’t. And neither would Esu’s, who’s whimpering pained Yurei’s heart even further.

WC: 2667

Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:18 am

Damon flinched at the mention of his father. They may not have been blood related, but the man was as much of a father to him as he could have been. “This isn’t your fault, Yurei. It’s this damn world’s.” Damon looked towards his brother. They were brothers in every sense of the word besides blood.

“We trust no one but each other.”

It was cynical, but it was true. According to Yurei, the village had tried to cover up Akio’s death. In fact, the only person that seemed capable of telling the truth outside of the two Uchiha. He closed his eyes, straining. When he opened them, his Mangekyo would have been deactivated. The immediate sadness had passed, now all that was left was the void that Akio left behind. “We should go check on Roka… I, at least, need to apologize for my behavior…”

Assuming Yurei came with, Damon would knock on Roka’s door once more. “Hello?” After a moment’s hesitation, he opened the door, looking around. Roka was not in the hallway anymore. “Yagami?” Damon stepped down the hall as he heard a sickening -cllk- sound. He picked up his pace, half jogging towards the end, where he discovered a gruesome sight. The guard, apparently overwhelmed by the guilt, had hung himself. “No, no, no,” Damon began as he hurriedly untied the rope, lowering Roka to the ground. He ran over to the body and checked for a pulse. Nothing. “Dammit.” Upon further inspection, his neck had already snapped. “Dammit dammit dammit!” He shed a tear for the guard. “He wouldn’t have done this if we hadn’t talked to him.” Damon looked around thoroughly for a note, but found no evidence. “We need to go. We can’t be found here.”

Damon would lower the body to the floor. He closed Roka’s eyelids. “Requiescat in pace.”

He then opened the door and looked outwards, only using his three tomoe sharingan to scan for chakra signatures and enhance his vision. Anyone who would be able to see them would be able to be spotted. No one was around. His own chakra was suppressed. He would not be able to be sensed. He motioned for Yurei to follow as he deactivated his sharingan. The two would leave the area without being noticed, until they had walked into town.

“Yurei,” Damon began. He scratched the back of his head. “Would it be okay if… If I could sleep at your place tonight. I… I don’t have anywhere to go. I can take the floor, I don’t mind.”

WC: 2892