Revelation [IO] [NK]

Yurei shifted his gaze to Damon, watching him with an intent curiosity. Unbeknownst to the young man, the guard had allegedly killed himself. Perhaps it was what he had witnessed, or, more likely, the events that had transpired in conjunction with Yurei and Damon’s response. Roka Yagami was obviously distraught prior, but the pure emotion emanating from the pair must have been too much for him. Despite his emotional state, Yurei could not help but be saddened by the man’s apparent death.
The emotion, however, quickly waned with Kenshin’s voice. "You were talking about the death of Akio Inuzuka were you not?” he had inquired, the ice in his words freezing the tips of Yurei’s fingers. In place of malice, Kenshin resonated with apathy with but a tinge of glee.

"Don't try to act surprised, at the mere mention of my name Yurei here looked ready to either strangle me or curl up into a ball and start crying,” he continued. He was right. The hatred was there, yet buried deep and only sparks. The emotional backlash had seeped in, draining the pale-skinned shinobi. This fatigue was obvious, the Uzumaki even noting it in his assessment. There was nothing behind his words – simply a void unlike Yurei had ever encountered. It was as if Kenshin was completely cut off.

This jounin then went on to presume what had happened, his cold and calculative nature reigning true in his hypothesis. Then…

“He did the village a favour if you ask me, anyone as weak willed as he has no place as a Shinobi...” Kenshin remarked. It was so cold – so frigid. Yurei could see it now. That void. It made so much sense…

"So yes... it was I that killed Akio Inuzuka."

Yurei’s relaxed hands clenched. His cheeks protruded, the tightening of his teeth under significant pressure. How could you… how could anyone…

Wait. Yes. I know. I see it now. That cold. That bitter freeze in his voice that pierced the night. Yurei didn’t doubt what the Uzumaki said for a moment. He knew it was true. And he knew why he had done it.

Were he still able, a tear would roll down Yurei’s cheek. His face, however, remained dry. The Uchiha looked at the ground for a moment, letting out a rattling breath. There was little use in restraining himself, but the Uchiha focused, taking in a smooth, deep breath, once noticeably calmer. He shifted hallow gaze from the ground to Damon on his right, then spoke. “I see,” he said, keeping it short to test the waters. His voice bore no rattle, but was instead akin to that of Kenshin’s, only more so with emotional fatigue rather than the total absence of it.

“I want to know something more. Why tell us like this? Now?” Yurei glanced down once more. “No. I know why. It’s because you’re a monster. You represent everything people here think about us.” Esu began to growl, snarling with his teeth bared. Yurei gripped the dog’s collar, restraining him with all of his strength. “And I bet you take pride in that too.”


That was it. His sparks died out, that flame unkindled. He spoke now with a voice that carried little presence, but it resonated with genuine thought. “We didn’t kill that man. He was a coward, you said it yourself. But he told us the truth. And that’s what matters to me, now.”

WC: 3703

Yurei gazed at Damon, awaiting his words. The Uchiha spoke with an icy tone, chilled similarly to Kenshin’s. The passion took root in his voice, but it was a quiet thing. Silent like a cutting blade rather than an explosion. The pale, young man had never witnessed this tone in Damon, but today was simply full of surprises in a manner of speaking. Nothing was normal.
“Coward,” Damon had called Kenshin. The words he spat were frigid.

It was certainly a brave word. But bravery in the face of this… creature. That was true bravado. The accuracy of this statement, however, was up to question, especially with the news the threaded man delivered. "I had nothing to do with your friends death being covered up, I was simply the one who ended his miserable life,” Kenshin said, his words once more stinging the tips of Yurei’s fingers, and now his toes as well. If Kenshin wasn’t responsible for the cover up…


“The one that chose to cover the death of your friend up was none other than…”

Yurei did not tense. It was almost expected, truly. Not only that, but it made sense. This man spoke of logic and nothing more. It, while stark, was the only objective way to view this world. Not with the emotions Yurei and Damon were feeling, no, but rather the lack of.

“our illustrious Hogokage, Kyousuke Snow.”

Yurei gave a slight chuckle in knowing this. It was not of genuine humor, however, instead a result of the expected. Kenshin then proclaimed his not understanding of the order, whether it was for sympathy or the thawing of their cold hate. In theory, it made sense to Yurei that the death would be covered up. With the shinobi and villager tensions, knowledge of Akio’s doings would only kindle the flames of hatred in the village. But to deny his friends, his family, an explanation. That was truly cold. To ask of them to believe in his life - that he might one-day return – that stung with the same chill that Kenshin spoke with. Compassion, charity - these things were not present in the shinobi of this village – perhaps anywhere. Nor would it be, or at least expected to be.

“But orders are orders,” Kenshin remarked. He was, of course, correct. Orders had to be followed, but when knowing that they were wrong was another question entirely. But Yurei did not expect Kenshin to care. He offered little empathy if not the exact opposite.

The Hogokage… the peacekeeper of this village. He lied to us. He denied us closure. It seems this jounin is not our only monster. Perhaps my father was right. Kenshin, Akio, the leader of our own village. Maybe shinobi truly are evil…
That thought disgusted Yurei to his core. But was this harsh reality truly the way things were meant to be? No, he wouldn’t allow that.

Kenshin then went on to explain Akio’s ultimate fate – his remains. Whether he meant it or not, despite the someone gruesome nature of it, Kenshin provided a form of closure. Everything he said up until now was true. Still, Akio deserved better despite his actions. Yurei knew in his heart that the death Akio caused was not intentional. No, even then, it was the fault of the accursed village. The village that couldn’t save Akio. I couldn’t save him…


The Uzumaki professed his side of things, and, truth be told, Yurei could find no reason to cast blame. It was his duty. Harsh, cruel orders. What Akio did was wrong. It was irresponsible. If only he hadn’t been gifted chakra, he would still be alive. Yurei would still have his friend.

“Worst case... public execution, where he is painted as a demon, a monster, a murderer... he would be ridiculed and shamed for all too see before finally being put down like a rabid dog,” the jounin confided.

“We are already painted as such things,” Yurei said, finally speaking up. “Rabid dogs, monsters, murders, demons,” he listed, shaking his head ever so slightly. “What’s the difference between you and him? Akio murdered someone, but the village sees you both the same way regardless of they were to ever discover the truth of his death or not. Your duty is to a village that doesn’t care about you nor that you care about. You’re emotionless, a bitter thing. What value do you take from aiding this village? From complying with such orders that leave Damon, Akio’s family, and myself with so much pain?”

The Uchiha exhaled, processing everything. Kenshin explained that what he did was merciful, and Yurei knew that was true. The issue was with this village, perhaps the entire world, that allowed such circumstances to exist. It was the people that made up this world, the actions they demanded – the responses.

"I am not asking you to forgive me for what I have done... because if I was in your positions there is no way in hell I would forgive me. The only thing that I am asking of you is that you think about this logically. Hate me if you must, I couldn't care less... just don't do anything stupid because I did what I swore I would do the moment I put on this headband,” Kenshin remarked. Perhaps he was attempting to teach a lesson to the pair, but instead it was isolation. Meaningless cruelty, cold logic – nothing more. No emotional basis, no ties, simply how things were from an objective standpoint. Still, however, Yurei did not understand Kenshin’s purpose – his duty. It seemed an existence without conviction.

“What neither of you seems to realize is the true reality of what a shinobi is... we are not heroes, we are killers. We risk our lives to protect those weaker than us not out of the kindness of our hearts... we do it because they provide us with a place to live and continue to fill our pockets,” Kenshin said.

No, you’re wrong, Kenshin.


“If you don't like it, then do something about it, try to change the course of the world just as many others have done in our bloodstained past... and die just like all the rest.”

“Then you really are a coward, Kenshin,” Yurei said. “Damon was right. To see so much wrong in the world and to do nothing. You must be either fearful or so completely detached that you don’t care at all. But to call the world accursed and to follow it rather than oppose it…” Yurei clenched his fist. “I’m doing something. I’m trying to show this village how to understand one another. To unite them, not by some cold ‘one provides for the other’ agreement, but through the love for one another.”
The alabaster Uchiha took a deep breath before continuing. “If you want to continue on being what these villagers see as all as, go ahead. But I’m going to make a difference. I’m going to stand out. I’m going to show everyone that shinobi aren’t killers gifted with chakra, but guardians for everyone that people to look up to. I’m going to save this village one way or another, and I’ll gladly die trying if it comes to that. But at least my life would have had purpose.”

WC: 4917

"We are already painted as such things. Rabid dogs, monsters, murderers, demons. What's the difference between you and him? Akio murdered someone, but the village sees you both the same way regardless of if they were to discover the truth of his death or not. Your duty is to a village that doesn't care about you nor that you care about. You're emotionless, a bitter thing. What value do you take from aiding this village? From complying with such orders that leave Damon, Akio's family and myself with so much pain?" Yurei would ask after Kenshin had spoken his piece on what would have happened had he instead chosen to capture Akio. The youngest of the trio was of course correct, the stitched and scarred shinobi had never been accepted by the civilian populous of Hoshigakure... but he doubted that Yurei truly understood the full extent of what his friend would have gone through had he captured him.

Akio would not have suffered alone in that hell either, everyone who had ever known him would have suffered to some extent. The white haired youth seemed to harbour a belief in the inherent goodness of humanity... when in truth, they were quite possibly the most inherently evil and despicable creatures to have ever existed. The silver haired Jounin knew full well how they would have portrayed the Inuzuka on the day of his execution... he would have been made to look like a sick and twisted creature that took joy in bringing pain to others. All he cared about was gaining more power at any cost, simply so that he could continue to live and bring pain to the world until the end of his days. They would have made him look like a second coming of Kenshin himself, and that would have completely destroyed the boys family. Kenshin would answer Yurei's questions later though, as he still had a few things that he wished to say before anything else.

"Then you really are a coward Kenshin." he would hear coming from the mouth of the pale one the moment he had finished speaking. Contrary to what he may have expected though, Kenshin would simply sigh and give a light shake of his head, as he was somewhat curious as to where exactly that had come from.

"Damon was right. To see so much wrong in this world and to do nothing. You must be either fearful or so completely detached that you don't care at all. But to call this world accursed and to follow it rather than oppose it... I'm doing something. I'm trying to show this village how to understand one another. To unite them, not by some cold 'one provides for the other' agreement, but through love for one another. If you want to continue on being what these villagers see us as, go ahead. But I'm going to make a difference. I'm going to stand out. I'm going to show everyone that shinobi aren't killers gifted with chakra, but guardians for everyone that people look up to. I'm going to save this village one way or another, and I will gladly die trying if it comes to that. But at least my life would have had purpose" The young Uchiha would say, his heroic speech finally coming to an end. But for an instant, in his place Kenshin saw a fair skinned child with short, silver hair, and on his face was a bright smile... and that got nothing more than a sad smile from Kenshin. It seemed the rousing speech had also lifted the spirits of his fellow, as he was finally able to meet Kenshin's Sharingan and Seigan enhanced gaze. 

"I don't claim to know your past, nor will I. But of you only became a shinobi for the pay and shelter, then you aren't a person. Not really. No, you're just a tool for the crooked will of this village to use as it sees fit." The dark haired teen would say before giving a pause, no doubt waiting for a witty retort from Kenshin, but for once, the silver haired Jounin had none. All that could be seen on his scarred face... was pity.

"So, what's the point of all this, what are you going to do with us?" he would then ask, causing Kenshin to shake his head lightly. These two were simply too much for him.

"...Would it surprise you so much to know that I wasn't always this way? That I wasn't born as a bitter and uncaring thing as you describe me, Yurei?" the Ragdoll of Hoshigakure would ask, the smile filled with sadness still firmly plastered on his scarred face. Right now, at this very moment, he felt not anger, nor blood lust, all he felt was pity for these two poor boys, who simply did not understand... but they would in time. 

"Your friend here is right, neither of you know my past, so don't presume to understand anything about me. There was only one thing correct in that little speech of yours Yurei... and it was that I am simply so detached that I simply don't care.... this world could burn and I would do little more than rejoice. Because maybe... just maybe, something truly beautiful could be born from its ashes." He would then say, giving a light chuckle as he did so, before gazing up into the night sky. It seemed that the three of them had been speaking for longer than he had thought, as it had only been sunset when he first confronted them, yet now the stars were shining in the sky.

"Let me tell you a tale. Once upon a time, there lived a young boy. This young boy lived in Fire Country, in the village of Konoha. The boy was born to two of the greatest clans in the village, the Senju and the Uzumaki, yet the boy had inherited the bloodlines of neither clan. He didn't care though, he was simply a happy child who enjoyed living life with his father. The boy had never known his mother, as she died giving birth to him... but he was happy knowing that his father loved him. Then, on the morning of his fifth birthday, he ran down to the kitchen to make breakfast and surprise his father, but it was the boy who got the surprise... in the form of his fathers corpse sitting at the table. The boy was too young to understand what had truly happened... so he tried to wake him up... he tried for hours, doing anything and everything he could... but nothing worked." Kenshin would start to explain, looking up into the night sky as if he were in some type of trance. By the time he had finished that particular portion of the story his hands were clenched so tightly that it was a wonder blood was not dripping from them, and his arms were shaking lightly 

"...A few hours later, the neighbours came to investigate the boys screams... and found him still desperately trying to wake the man up. In those few hours though... the boy had found a letter from his father, and in his desperate search for answers he had opened the note, and read it. One of the worse mistakes of his life... because his father explained exactly why he had taken his own life. He simply missed the boys mother too much, and he went to be with her... but what cut the boy deepest was when he saw the line 'if he had never been born she would still be alive'. The knowledge that the man that he loved so dearly.... saw him as nothing more than a mistake that took the love of his life, was simply too much. The child was never the same after that, his faith in humanity shattered beyond all repair by the one man that was supposed to protected him.It took years for the boys uncle to breathe some life into what small embers remained in the boys heart, and he did so by regaling with tales of the shinobi of Konoha... of the Will of Fire. This gave the boys life some new meaning, he wanted there to be peace in the world, so that nobody else would ever have to suffer in the way that he did." Kenshin was still staring aimlessly into the sky, although by now his arms had stopped their shaking and his fists had been unclenched.

"The boy joined the Konoha shinobi academy at the age of seven... and the very first lesson on his first day, the teacher explained that the moment they had joined... they became nothing more than tools. The boy was of course shocked by this, and in a fit of anger asked about the will of fire that his uncle had spoken of... and the man did little more than laugh at him. This was the final straw for the boy, he gathered what little jutsu scrolls his parents had left behind and fled from the village, refusing to become a tool for a corrupt system. Eventually the boy managed to stumble across one of the many black markets hidden across the nations, and he discovered that the scum that lived there were so much worse than even the people of Konoha. Rape and Murder was simply a part of everyday life, and the strong ruled over the weak with an iron fist... but at the top of the food chain, were the shinobi. And among those two shinoobi, the boy met two men that seemed to be decent people... one with pink hair, and the other blue." The half-blood Uzumaki would continue on with his little tale, his hands having clenched into fists once more and his arms shaking a little more violently

"These two men... they took the boy in and began to teach him everything they knew, math, science, Ninjutsu... everything. Over the course of three years the boy once more began to open up, coming to see the two men as father figures... but like all the other good times in this tale, they had to come to an end. After training for the day finished, the boy went back to his assigned quarters... only to have a gas sprayed into his face the moment the doors opened. When the boy finally awoke, he saw the two men that he had come to see as fathers standing over him... but when he went to move, he discovered that he had been strapped down to a table. The men then proceeded to explain to the boy... that from the moment he had introduced himself they had seen him as nothing more than a lab rat... and the last three years were spent the way they had been only to wait for his body to mature enough for their experiments. For the next two years the boy experienced nothing but a mixture of mind numbing pain and despair, that was when they did not have him drugged to the point that he wasn't even aware of what was happening around him." He would then say with a sigh. His hands were clenching and unclenching rapidly as he tried to reign in his anger at what he was forced to recall. His arms were shaing whenever his hands clenched into fists, but that as it was being done over and over again it almost made it seem like his arms were convulsing. He would pause in his story for a few moments, long enough to follow Yurei's example and take a deep and smooth breath in the hopes of calming himself down a little... and it worked for the most part.

"Eventually the boy managed to free himself from the table, breaking the bindings using the very power given to him by the two men... and the first thing he did when he was free was kill the two. It took the boy almost a full year to regain full mobility of his body after all the two men had done to him... but when he did he burnt their hideout to the ground... along with their rotting corpses. From there on out he was on his own... but that was fine, for the boy was dead, and the monster was born. The name of that poor, naive child was Kenshin Senju... and the name of the Monster that took his place is Kenshin Uzumaki." The former missing nin would reveal, no doubt they already had some idea who the main character of the story was, but he felt the need to confirm it anyway. He wasn't sure at what point the silent tears had started to stream from his eyes mismatched eyes... but he knew that they had been, as he could still feel the moisture flowing freely them. His vision was slightly blurred due to the irritation and his eyes ached a little, but it was nothing that he couldn't handle.

"I was just like you once Yurei... a naive boy that wanted nothing more than peace, but then I had my innocence stolen in the cruelest of ways, by people that I thought I could trust. You may think what you wish of me, I don't care... but I hope beyond hope that you never have to experience anything like what I did... I would hate for another monster like myself to be born." he would say with the same sad smile, before turning to focus entirely on the one that Yurei had referred to as Damon.

"I am not going to do anything to either of you unless you try to kill me. This all came about because I learned that you were digging into your friends death, something that is now classified information because of Kyousuke's decree. I came to inform Roka that Kyousuke had made the information classified, when I found you two walking away from his house, while he lay dead within. I questioned you about what happened, and when I was confident that neither of you had anything to do with the cowards death I decided to explain the situation to you. There is no master plan... it really is just that simple." the Jounin would explain with a light shrug, before deactivating the Seigan and closing his left eye. With that said, Kenshin would turn to walk away from the pair, confident that neither would try to stab him in the back as he walked. 

"Remember that Akio's death is classified information, and spreading that information around will result in punishment." He would speak as he continued to walk away, his words just loud enough for both Yurei and Damon to pick them up clearly. Now that they actually knew that the death of their friend was classified information they would be punished if they informed anyone else of what they had learnt tonight.

And hopefully neither of them noticed that he had not answered the question that Yurei had asked him earlier. 

WC: 2515

[Exit]

TWC: 6785

2700 words towards Mystical Palm Aura Mastery (AP Reduction/No Handseals), claiming (25% max stat discount) (251 words here , 152 words here, 150 words here 1504 words here, 866 words here, 1877 words here

4085 words towards Miasma Mastery, 3915 words remaining

Approved

Yurei’s eyes flashed to Damon as he spoke, his speech of sorts finished. “I don’t claim to know your past, nor will I. But if you only became a shinobi for the pay and shelter, then you aren’t a person. Not really. No, you’re just a tool for the crooked will of this village to use as it sees fit,” Damon had said, feeding off of the albino’s claims. Yurei, of course, agreed. To follow suite in a world such a this and not strive for something better, that was a true horror. With this, Yurei found something common between this jounin and Akio – hopelessness.

It was an uncertain claim, but the Uchiha could not help but feel this way. It must have been a miserable existence, one marred by a lack of purpose.

The pale Uchiha lifted his silvery eyes from Damon, glancing at his own hands. He tightened them, watching the creases fold, hearing the bones pop, and feeling the stretching of his muscles. There was an intensity to them, a fire. Not one of hate, but of passion.

The pale Uchiha glanced up at Kenshin, observing the ragdoll of a man. There was something familiar about him. Something the Uchiha had not noticed before.

"...Would it surprise you so much to know that I wasn't always this way? That I wasn't born as a bitter and uncaring thing as you describe me, Yurei?" the jounin asked. Yurei narrowed his glossy eyes. There was something off about his tone of voice here – something Yurei had not witnessed in Kenshin before. Or perhaps there was nothing different in him at all. Maybe this cold man provided something else for Yurei – something the Uchiha couldn’t focus on, not yet. Something was there, something beyond that chilling exterior. What is it…


“This world could burn and I would do little more than rejoice. Because maybe... just maybe, something truly beautiful could be born from its ashes.” Yurei’s eyes narrowed further. He focused on them, hearing the jounin’s words and gazing beyond him. This hatred for this world… Yurei gazed up at the night sky alongside the Uzumaki, staring up at the glistening stars.

“Once upon a time, there lived a young boy. This young boy lived in Fire Country, in the village of Konoha. The boy was born to two of the greatest clans in the village, the Senju and the Uzumaki, yet the boy had inherited the bloodlines of neither clan. He didn't care though, he was simply a happy child who enjoyed living life with his father.” The Uzumaki had begun a story – but there was an oddity in this. Despite what Yurei knew of Kenshin to be, this was different. It was not mere intuition, a subtle change perhaps unfounded, but there was truth to it.

“The boy had never known his mother, as she died giving birth to him... but he was happy knowing that his father loved him. Then, on the morning of his fifth birthday, he ran down to the kitchen to make breakfast and surprise his father, but it was the boy who got the surprise...” I know this story…


“…in the form of his father’s corpse sitting at the table.” Yurei stopped, swallowing. His eyes widened. Kenshin… A mere word, a plea perhaps, was the only thing the alabaster Uchiha could mutter within the confines of his own mind.

“The boy was too young to understand what had truly happened... so he tried to wake him up... he tried for hours, doing anything and everything he could... but nothing worked." The Uzumaki stopped his tale, if only briefly, gazing up at the blanketed darkness that covered the world. Yurei brought his own eyes downward, noting the unrelenting grip, the trembling in his arms. Kenshin, you’re..


The man went on, detailing the elements of the story. His story. The chuunin found himself still, but his breath shaking. He clenched his teeth once more, the Uzumaki’s voice carrying a surge of melancholy and anger with each new word. His father’s longing for his wife, the hatred of his own son… Wait… I… I see it now…


“The child was never the same after that, his faith in humanity shattered beyond all repair by the one man that was supposed to protected him.It took years for the boys uncle to breathe some life into what small embers remained in the boys heart, and he did so by regaling with tales of the shinobi of Konoha... of the Will of Fire. This gave the boys life some new meaning, he wanted there to be peace in the world, so that nobody else would ever have to suffer in the way that he did." Yurei’s teeth tightened. This story was all-too familiar. The young man’s hands clenched, his lips pursed. He felt the desire to speak from his gut, but his temptation was quelled by the back of his throat, the Uchiha never finding the words.

"The boy joined the Konoha shinobi academy at the age of seven... and the very first lesson on his first day, the teacher explained that the moment they had joined... they became nothing more than tools. The boy was of course shocked by this, and in a fit of anger asked about the will of fire that his uncle had spoken of... and the man did little more than laugh at him.” We’re the same… The words made it into Yurei’s mind, and, were he able, tears would escape his eyes. Instead, Yurei took a deep breath, the call for air possessing the slightest shaking. Kenshin had resumed his shaking, drawing from emotion the Uchiha had never before seen in this man – this cruel, cold monster. Beyond that exterior was heat – a burning hatred for the past. Yurei looked into Kenshin, drawing on what he had witnessed thus far, but what he found was truly a surprise. What he had found was himself - Yurei's own, scarred face, looking back at him as if standing before a distorted mirror.

Kenshin continued, his voice carrying flame. He spoke of two men taking the boy in. A relationship, something akin to that of parents when there were none left. The story, however, took a dark turn, shifting it once more to tragedy. To suffer such a betrayal was not unlike what Yurei felt now. This torture, this cruel reality, it pained him. And though he did not expect to, Yurei began to feel for this man’s tale.

The hard part, was hearing those final words. “…and the name of the Monster that took his place is Kenshin Uzumaki." What Yurei assumed was true. This was a tragedy in every sense of the word, but Yurei knew that pain perhaps more than Kenshin realized or cared to know.

To be hated by those you loved… Yurei knew it. To question a hopeful belief in the world, Yurei had done it. To see the betrayal of something one once took pride in… it was all true.

Visions of Yurei’s father danced within his mind: his hatred of shinobi, that awful, horrid night when he had struck the Uchiha in a fit of anger… that night he died.

The pale chuunin rose his eyes to Kenshin’s face. For the first time, he witnessed Kenshin weep. To truly cry not because of insult, but because of the past.

Yurei clenched his fist. But to think this way, to despise the world because of its atrocities…  The Uchiha swallowed his saliva like a large pill. This was much to take in, and it was a terrifyingly familiar tale. Despite this, the Uchiha found himself unable to extend his hand. Perhaps it was the harboring rage he kept for Akio’s murder. Or perhaps it was a simple denial of fate. Either way, the Uchiha was stricken with a new feeling – an unexpected feeling. He almost wept for Kenshin. Were it not for this day, his actions, he would have. Despite the duty the Uzumaki half-blood devoted himself to, Yurei felt what he felt. This sorrow was not for himself, not a selfish thing, but an undeniable relatability that resonated with the Uchiha.

"I was just like you once Yurei... a naive boy that wanted nothing more than peace, but then I had my innocence stolen in the cruelest of ways, by people that I thought I could trust. You may think what you wish of me, I don't care... but I hope beyond hope that you never have to experience anything like what I did... I would hate for another monster like myself to be born." Yurei felt his own heart beat in his chest. The blood left his body, his skin seemingly becoming translucent. For the briefest of moments, Yurei thought Kenshin correct, but there was something he could not believe in. I’m sorry, Kenshin… but I won’t stand by and let this world do this to me. I won’t become a servant to its will. I’ll free myself from it. And, no matter what, I’ll free everyone from it. One way… or another. And I’ll free you too.


With that, Kenshin briefly explained his purpose here and left, leaving the pair alone in the dark. Yurei sat for a moment, completely still. To make an attempt to recollect the past pained the boy. It was too much. And most of it was pain. Even the future was not a safe place for his thoughts.
Instead, the boy exhaled slowly, turning to face his Uchiha brother.

“Damon,” he murmured, closing his eyes for a moment. He briefly took Esu in his arms, standing. The Uchiha could not open discussion, instead taking his mind through a rollercoaster that ended at a steep incline. With all that transpired, Akio’s death, a cover up, Kenshin Uzumaki, his demeanor, his motives, his past… Yurei’s reflection, it was too much. So, instead, Yurei said nothing of it. The boy’s generally bright appearance was gone, shifted into a dark depression. And, despite being next to both Esu and Damon, he had never felt so uncertain, so lonely. “Let’s go home.”

With those final words, Yurei would say nothing more. Instead, the journey home was silent, but filled with the unbearable thoughts that scratched away at his mind, screaming into his very mind. So Yurei thought of nothing, instead gazing at the stars as he passed them, just as he had thinking of Damon and Akio. However, there was no grand plan ahead. Not one that Yurei could think of, not without immeasurable pain and uncertainty.

The Uchiha always had a straightforward goal, but now the lines seemed blurred, as if a splitting migraine. Yurei felt the call to defy the world, to make it his own, but, despite his suppressed thoughts, a new question rose in his mind. Does the world deserve it? Does this village deserve it?
Did Kenshin think it did? No, he wouldn’t. But if not…

Yurei’s eyes widened if only slightly. There was more to Kenshin, his purpose. Yurei still did not know it.

The Uchiha clenched his fist, clearing his thoughts for a moment. No more. He could think of nothing else – the pain was too great.

So instead, he shut himself off complete. Silent in voice, silent in mind. But the expression of cold hatred would not be removed from his visage.

[Exit]


WC: 6809


Final Claims:


Mangekyou Sharingan, 3000/3000 mastery of Arcing lightning (discount, no handseals), 3000/3000 to Shakling Stakes (discount), 750/3000 to Lightning Clones, Remaining 59 words to Kogarashi