Dreams and Nightmares [P]

Mon Mar 19, 2018 2:48 pm

Breathe.

Yurei’s breath rattled, echoing outward. His silvery eyes flickered to life, but they could find nothing but darkness. The pale Uchiha gasped, swallowing. He held his breath, finding himself surrounded by shadow. Below his feet were the floorboards of his room. However, Damon, his bed, Akio… they were all missing. Where… where am I?

The platform Yurei stood upon appeared suspended in the darkness, illuminated in a dim and unseen light. His alabaster skin grew grey in the light’s feint touch. “Hello?” he said, the phrase was all he could muster. The Uchiha’s wards propelled forward, repeating all around him in a decrescendo, each repeat more twisted than the last. I feel so cold. This place… I know it...

Yurei swallowed, stepping back. The wood boarding twisted and splintered below him, crackling and hissing like a snake under a weighted boot. Its hiss echoed as his breath and his voice had, permeating the air with its warped sibilations. His pale eyes scanned the darkness around him, unable to see anything in the enveloping gloom. The Uchiha held his breath unconsciously, staving off the hunger for oxygen with a strangling fear.

The shadow that surrounded Yurei bore no resemblance to the night sky. It mimicked nothing of Hoshigakure’s star-filled blanket, but was instead a void. Light was unnaturally absent. This was darker than anything Yurei had ever bore witness to. It was if nothing existed beyond the fading platform he stood upon.

Tension grew within Yurei chest - a pressure of suffocating weight. His lungs burned and pulsed, begging for relief. The Uchiha gasped for hair, sharply calling it forth. The tension in his chest dissipated, but Yurei’s call for air echoed around him once more. Only this time, it grew louder. Yurei’s sharp whistle of air contorted into a howl, a disturbed vacuum that crescendoed into a scream. It echoed in Yurei’s ears. Crimson liquid erupted from them, driving the young man to the ground. The scream shifted into the voice of a woman. A wretched thing he had heard long ago, something that had once plagued his nightmares.

The scream had returned.

Roshi!

The voice hissed. It was his mother’s. On the night of his father’s death. The floorboards began the twist and crack. The splintered in a horrible swelling of the sounds of bones breaking. The dark music blended together in a maelstrom of echoed, silencing all else in its torrent. Yurei gasped for air, shielding his eyes from the sight. Louder the noises grew, reverberating off of unseen walls.

Yurei winced in agony, gritting his teeth. His dark blood ran down his cheeks, staining the floorboards beneath him in a crimson puddle. It grew expanding outward, saturating the ground. The Uchiha backed up, lifting his red hands from the floor. His body trembled, but he stood. His breath rattled, but he took in air. The Uchiha’s eye surged with chakra. The Sharingan was revealed.

The screaming, the crackling of the floors, the agonizing sound disappeared. It faded as sharply as it had arrived, and now Yurei was left to the void. His eyes shifted downward, and the darkness before him had began to fade, revealing a new path of the wooden floorboards. Yurei took a deep breath, moving forward.

The platform behind Yurei faded into shadow more and more with each step he took across the crimson surface. Blood splashed with each step, trickling outward into the void and falling into nothingness, an empty end. What was before Yurei now appeared as a long bridge. It sharply grew, seemingly as an endless hallway. The Uchiha began to run, chasing the end of this hell, but he found his movements sluggish, as if he were walking in the dark depths of an ocean. He felt a pull, a whisper calling him back. The hallway twisted, shifting around in a winding spiral. Blood dripped from it like rain as it coiled, falling onto Yurei as he traversed it.

In his hopeless trek, the hallway began to fade. Light was stripped from it, and despite his struggles, Yurei found himself in complete darkness. Alone and cold.

I’m alone…

Yurei’s stopped, swallowing. His white eyes scanned, looking into the empty darkness. He could find nothing. No shapes. No silhouettes. It was simply a void.

The Uchiha’s eyes flickered, shifting as this world had. They coiled into a spiraling shape resembling that of three large kunai. It was his Mangekyou Sharingan.

Before Yurei were two lights - devoid of color. They mirrored his own, staring back at him at the same height as he gazed outward. Yurei’s narrowed his eyes, pursing his lips. The hapless void of darkness grew into dim light once more. The splintering of the floorboards resonated within the air around the alabaster Uchiha and grew with each echo, as if steps. The void-like white eyes before Yurei cut through him, raising and coming closer. He knew this sight. He knew it well. And he felt the chill of death upon his breath.

Light flickered, briefly showering the silhouetted monster before him in its dim light. Its skin was somehow darker than all of his surroundings. It stepped forward, splintered the wood before Yurei. His chest began to ache. This was as it had been before - the death of his father. This creature… it was Yurei Uchiha.

It snarled, screaming in a blood-curdling agony that erupted into Yurei’s ears.

The Uchiha’s eyes flickered open. His body rose, and, with a sharp jolt, the Uchiha propelled a kunai forward as if a missile. It pierced the wooden wall across from him, splintering it in a circular crack.

Yurei exhaled, noting the cold sweat surrounding him. His extended arm trembled with frigid cold. He slowed his breathing, swallowing and taking deep breaths. Fear slowly faded from his body, allowing the boy to stand up. The Uchiha stood, briefly touching his eyes. They stinged with searing pain, beckoning Yurei to shut them if only for a moment. He meandered through his bedroom, opening them slightly to find his way around. Yurei extended his arms, finding silk in his grasp. He quickly wrapped his kimono around him, sliding his arms through the sleeves and tying it around his waist. The young man came to his door, sliding it open.

For a moment, Yurei sat at the door frame. He took a deep breath, quelling his nervousness. It was quiet here. The deafening sounds of screams still echoed within him, reverberating throughout his insides. His body quivered once more, shaking in a pulse of fear before returning to a state of stillness. Yurei felt fragile, like a thin sheet of ice over a lake, bound to shatter. The young man’s eyes came to life once more, gasping for air. They turned to face the window behind Yurei, searching out into the Hoshigakure landscape. Twilight was upon the sky, and, soon, sunlight would return to it. Perhaps Yurei needed the thaw.

The Uchiha swallowed, noting his mouth as bitterly dry. He quickly descended through the hallway, eventually coming to the kitchen. The Uchiha continued to the light switch, illuminating the otherwise dark and cold room in an incandescent glow. The cold of night shifted into something warmer. Long hands of black extended from their hosts, shying away from the light.

Yurei sighed, pouring a glass of honey. It was much too early to begin a tea. Its shrieks would no doubt wake his mother, and, frankly, after that horrific display in his nightmares, Yurei wished for silence.

Water spilled from the cup, running over Yurei’s hand. He quickly shifted the faucet and cut the water, setting his glass down and flicking his wrist in a spray of water droplets. The Uchiha pursed his lips, rubbing his eyes with his left hand and raising the glass to his lips with the other. The water rushed into his mouth like a spring rain after the dry season, rejuvenating him. I must have sweat off so much last night…

Yurei soon found himself in the shower, its warm heat rolling off of his back as each stream of water danced upon his alabaster skin. The nightmare’s sweat had left him cold and clammy, like a moist ice. Yurei’s skin was always pale, but it had finally felt as it had looked.

Steam rose from the showerhead, swirling around his face in humid kisses. His snow-white hair draped over his shoulders, dripping with its own current of water. The Uchiha raised his hand to cut the water, quickly drying off and stepping outside.

The Uchiha quickly dressed himself, wearing his normal clothing underneath his silk kimono. A netted undershirt, navy blue pants, and a matching shirt. The Uchiha grasped his kimono from a clothing rack, scanning it with his pale eyes. His fights had left it dirty and perhaps with a shred of blood. It was not fit to be worn in public. Instead, Yurei marched outside in his blue garb, sliding on his shoes as he stepped outside. The air was heating, and the sun was peeking over the horizon.

Jounin. Yurei thought with a shy smile. The rank came with many things, and an access to more knowledge was the first on the Uchiha’s list. There was, after all, power in such things, wasn’t there? Power to be abused, that is. But in the right hands…

Yurei pursed his lips, starting in stride to the Kozai Yuki Archives. He had been there before, most notably for the final chuunin exam. That seemed like a lifetime ago. Back then, Akio was still alive, and he had just met new friends from Kumogakure, what he understood now to be a rather morbid village. However, there was always one thing that Kumogakure had over Hoshigakure, something indisputable. The Hidden Cloud’s citizens didn’t hate their protectors. That was an alluring concept, one Yurei sought out for the world. Unfortunately, most of what he knew in Hoshigakure was pain and diservice. The experiences needed to replicate such a worship of shinobi were lacking. There was, of course, his genjutsu, but that proved only temporary for some people. Perhaps it wouldn’t work at all on others. Hoshigakure was an exception to the old prophecy of love thy neighbor. The relationship between villager and shinobi was one of cyclical hatred.

Yurei passed by an array of sand-colored houses, eventually coming to the library. It was a massive destination, but, somehow, it seemed smaller than it had before. Perhaps Yurei was just older than he was then. Taller. Bigger. Or maybe it was something more. Few things impressed Yurei, now, or held his interest. Few things mattered as much to him, especially in a place that caused him so much suffering and strife. It was close to torture, in a way, but far more subtle. Yurei paused at the entrance. Long ago he had set foot in this place to achieve the rank of Chuunin. But now.. He wasn’t entirely sure what it was that he wanted. It was not a clear, as defined. But that was life in general. Things grew more complex the older you got, Yurei knew that now. His sunshine world where everyone would love one another seemed more than a distant memory, but the dream of another person. Now his means of peace stemmed from a darker source. But one with the purest of intentions.

Yurei stepped inside the library, and, just as he thought, the circular building did not carry the same weight it had long ago. Nor the same amount of space.

The young man maneuvered throughout the library almostly aimlessly, fishing for something to catch his eye. It wasn’t until he came to a section locked away that his interest was piqued. Atop the library, on the third floor, was a sealed off chamber that extended from the circular design of the library. The Uchiha had been granted access to this area upon the rankup of jounin, but, despite curiosity, sleep proved the more alluring of the two. Was it wrong to rest after such an exhausting tournament?

Yurei pursed his lips, venturing inside the area of the library. After descending through a dimly lit hallway, the Uchiha came to a tall, spiral room, layered with forbidden knowledge. The Uchiha’s eyes twitched with ecstacy and excitement, but the pulse of erratic energy quickly shifted into something colder, more focused, yet equally determined.

The Jounin quickly ascended via a spiraling staircase, shifting to different sections of this newfound part of the library. His long, skeletal finger trekked each spine of each book as he passed them, reading the titles. He passed scrolls with strange markings, aged ink over parchment decades old. It was an impressive collection of books, but nothing seemed to stand out for Yurei. Nothing of interest, at least. The Uchiha narrowed his eyes, looking to the ceiling. The top of this section of the library was close, and, yet, the alabaster-skinned Uchiha hadn’t found anything of note.

However, shifting his long, spiked hair, the young man noticed something - a book he himself had purchased but never read. It was the Curse of Hatred. The pale jounin raised his white eyebrow in pondering consideration. “Hmm…” He managed to get out, extending his hand to the book. It was cold to the touch, like ice. Crimson leather stretched over its contents, and gold lettering titled the piece. Yurei turned to the first page, expelling his air onto it. Dust rose into the air, prompting the Uchiha to hold his breath. Yurei’s silvery eyes narrowed once more. In the dim light, the Uchiha rose the book to a nearby flame, revealing its contents. Existing outside of the original text were various notes written with a quill and ink. What’s this…?

No other clan values love as much as the Uchiha. To the clan, love is the source of their power - the loss of it.

Yurei knew this much. From experience. The loss of his father had awakened his Sharingan. The loss of Akio his Mangekyou Sharingan. Despite this, the Uchiha continued reading.

To know love is to shelter it. Protect it. Give one’s life for it. However, when love is lost, the Sharingan is not the only thing to awaken. When love is lost, hatred is born, and, as it is with love, no other clan hates as the Uchiha do.

Yurei grimaced, narrowing his eyes. He flipped the pages in the book, coming to another portion of modified text.

The Sharingan is initiated through various emotional experience. The first is sorrow. The second is hopelessness. The three tomoe Sharingan is unlocked through reliance. The Mangekyou Sharingan, the ancient secret of the Uchiha Clan, can only be unlocked through the loss of a significant other.

The alabaster Uchiha swallowed. He had experienced each of these. And the loss of Akio had granted him this power. But the cost… His eyes ached. Damon’s bled. What other repercussions were there? How absolute was this power?

However, the Mangekyou Sharingan is not without risk. Use of the eyes causes severe pain, and, ultimately, the loss of light completely.

“Hmm,” Yurei said aloud, posturing in thought. His Mangekyou Sharingan afforded him with many powers, ones beyond any he had experienced without it. Damon had as well. His black flames burned hotter than any fire ninjutsu, and Yurei’s own Nayami could stun the most skilled of opponents. But blindness? To lose these powers forever… It couldn’t be allowed. If Yurei wished to shape the world as he wanted it, he would need such gifts, the gifts from his best friend. The tools of creation.

However, the Mangekyou Sharingan is not the final stage of the Uchiha bloodline. Through the transfer of one Uchiha’s eyes to another, the Sharingan will merge, restoring and infinite light - The Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. With this, the light in the Uchiha’s eyes shall never fade.

A thin smile cast on Yurei’s face. This was the secret to his success. And all he needed was Damon Uchiha, his brother in arms. And perhaps he could share in this eternal light. Their eyes need only be exchanged. White and red would intwine, and each would see with the other’s eyes. Yurei’s goal would become Damon’s and vice versa. Just as Yurei wanted it. The two of them - together. United in goals.

But there was this curse of hatred… The alabaster Uchiha knew hate well, though he refrained from vocalizing it. It boiled within slowly. It was quiet, but hot. And, unknown to the Uchiha, it was bubbling to the surface. But such hate was motivation. It was reason for change. And the jounin convinced himself that hatred for a world such as this would need to be spread in order to create a new one.

Yurei closed the book, placing it just as it had been. He couldn’t help but smile, laughter erupting within him. Yurei Uchiha, Jounin of Hoshigakure…. No… Yurei Uchiha, the man who changed everything. This is it, Damon. Akio. This is the power of the Uchiha clan, and I will use it to shape this world how I see fit. I’ll fix everything wrong with it and unite everyone under one philosophy. One ideal. One goal… Mine. No one will have to die for another. There will be no more conflict, yet progress. Change. All for the better. A world where shinobi are what they should be - guardians. Protectors. If this Curse of Hatred truly is real, then I’ll use it as I will use the world. Everyone will share this hate, but it will be a hate for this world. And when that’s done, the goal won’t just be mine. It will be everyone’s.

Child-like hope emanated within Yurei. He had hoped that beyond jounin would be a bright future. And bright it was. The Uchiha could almost taste it. However, with light, there was always darkness. That… thing he saw. His dream was of himself, wasn’t it? The darkness that killed his father. And if the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan held an everlasting light, so too would there be an everlasting darkness. And in order to create this world, which would Yurei have to be?

WC: 3087

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Spoiler:

Mon Mar 19, 2018 4:07 pm

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Dreams and Nightmares [P]

Dreams and Nightmares [P]

Re: Dreams and Nightmares [P]