So this is the Mizukage's Chambers? [Xyxer]

It was a chilling yet not too cloudy day as Takeo made his way down the streets of Kirigakure, leaving behind the shrinking home of the Tadashi clan. The young man ran a hand through his long white silky locks. It had been awhile since he had just taken the time to wander the islands. Little by little he had explored over the last few weeks. Now he was heading to the last place on the list. The office of his younger brother. They hadn't spoken much since his arrival. Xyxer didn't spend much time with the rest of the family still to this day it seemed. While Takeo had taken the time to catch up with his sisters he had yet to truly talk with his brother. Today was that day.

The whispers in the recesses of his conscious tried to talk him out of it. It was a bad idea to visit him. Takeo shook it off. If the pain in his right knee was anything to go by his time as an active shinobi was running out. He needed to find closure with his career. He also needed to fix the rocky relationship he had with his siblings. There was one way for that to go, and this would be it.

It was a short walk, the Tadashi's complex lay on the main island also so it didn't take long to reach the office building. Takeo had walked these halls before years previously. This time there would be no smashing through the wall in order to exit..hopefully anyway. Instead the man would make his way through the busy halls and to the main chambers that the leader of the village resided in.

The man opened the door and made his way inside.

After his initial reunion with his family after a long, arduous voyage to a land unseen by most of his shinobi, Xyxer had resigned himself to his chambers most days, sparing the odd day for meditation in the gardens. He could no longer enjoy the luxuries of others, nor their consequence free existence. His shoulders were started to grow heavier with each day that passed and his power became more prominent; he was no longer the recluse Kage that interacted solely with fishing settlements. No longer the idle Kage that only yearned for vengeance rather than claiming it with blood and fear. His name was now spoken of in hushed whispers around the villages he'd been through, often compared to otherworldly beings of malicious intent. A malevolent specter roused solely to inflict as much suffering it could; voracious beyond content.

Despite all of this, he was no longer the mad dog he had once been. The rabid hound once tethered to single villages like a mockery of the great wolf Fenrir. Most of them had been led by weak kages with no backbone, no will to have terrible events unfold to protect the village. They cared more for some nauseous notion of morality, or perhaps even a corrupted form of honour where losing the lives of those loyal to them was a superior option of their enemies. It made no sense, but Xyxer would break that mold of leadership. He'd sailed across the ocean with an army at his back and conquered the expanses of Konoha, granting them mercy in the form of an alliance. A fatal choice he'd come to realise later down the line. No, a vital choice. The abandonment of his insatiable bloodlust would serve him in the future, or perhaps even some form of taming.

Words buzzed in his ears as if someone was trying to communicate with him but they mimicked the sound of a fly. He had to prepare himself to take the next step without failure. If his resolve weakened, or he proved to be too weak to dominate the rest of the world it could spell ruin for his family. His legacy would be stained with his final failure.. The only important one. 

Finally, the sound of feet advancing down the hallway struck his ears. Light footsteps, not filled with tension as most are that come down the hall. Something within him stirred which was foreign to him, a curiosity poking at the back of his mind for something.. greater than the footsteps. Greater than the man they belonged to.

The door opened to reveal his twin, Takeo Tadashi, who promptly made his way inside the room before Jester closed the door behind him. His desk was mostly free of clutter other than stacks of paper that pertained to the recent war and the funds involved, as well as the boons that could be offered. A light smile softened the features of the Jinchuriki, his head nodding a little in greeting to his brother. "I'm surprised you came to the office, brother/ Is there something you need, or did you merely come to congratulate me on my success?" He almost sneered at his own words.

Entering the threshold of the room Takeo let his eyes wander. There was little that had changed since his last visit. Surprising considering how long it had been. Yet Takeo had never seen Xyxer was one to decorate. He had heard talk of a recent excursion from the islands. The general populace were in high spirits still. Takeo had heard whispers of the heroics of the shinobi of Kirigakure. How their lord Mizukage had defeated the strongest of Konohagakure single-handedly. Yet there were no trophies. No signs of such an achievement were laid out to bare in the chambers. It was the sign of a man who thought himself so highly he had no reason to show off.

Soon after he lay eyes on the man himself. If Takeo had paid more mind to detail he might have noted a slight slouch in the seated Kage's shoulders. The signs of a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. A fitting feature that would have accented the name Atlas, if it was still a moniker the man had used. Yet Takeo did not see it. His mind was elsewhere during that moment.

There was another presence in the room. Not Jester, the one who had closed the door behind. It was not human, that was for certain. Takeo saw it briefly. An almost ghost like figure was the only way he could describe it. Neither male or female, more like a hazy mirage than a solid humanoid. It was there for a moment then it was gone. Normally it wouldn't worry him. During his time in solitude Takeo had seen many things that hadn't existed in this reality. However this mirage had a source, his seated brother that sat there.

The desire to act appeared in his mind. His conscious called out to Takeo and then his vision went black.

He came back around to find himself having walked further into the room. Takeo was lost, unsure of what had happened during that split second. However now Takeo recalled how Xyxer had greeted him upon entering the room. The white haired man grinned back in response. "I'm surprised you came back to this place Xyxer. I would have permanently moved into the country of Fire rather than this place." His gaze moved from his brother to the window, raining as usual. "Though you always did like wet places." He commented lightly taking a seat opposite his brother.

"I do have business with yourself brother." Takeo said after taking a moment to get comfortable. Something was telling him to leave, almost willing him to not be here. However he pressed on, speaking once more. "My mind and body are rusting in activity. I thought simply returning to where my family resided would help." The man paused, rubbing his temples with slight frustration. He was getting a headache from all the noise. "Sadly that hasn't worked. I need to become an active shinobi again."

Takeo was finished talking for now, content to let his brother speak his part as he dealt with the headache that was slowly transforming into a full blown migraine.

Chips of ice returned the gaze of Takeo, studiously appraising everything about the man that he could upon his entry. He'd became rather proficient at reading the body language of people since his days in the ANBU Corps of Kirigakure No Sato. Low-level criminals often betrayed their thoughts with either grand actions or through shrinking at mentions of certain details. Remorse often played into the criminal psychology, many did not want to commit the acts yet it was like a mother seeing her youngest child being taken away by the current; no thoughts for oneself when they threw themselves headfirst into the murky depths to retrieve their offspring. A compulsion that couldn't truly be explained in words. Yet the quality of remorse didn't seem to be a trait that the two in the room shared. Takeo never lamented about his part in the destruction of the village that raised him, all of that lost history; destroyed heirlooms passed down between generations no longer.

With these thoughts creeping in his mind there was a trickery of light; Takeo's eyes had plummeted into darkness with a small, circular iris gleaning an almost sandy yellow, yet it was gone just as his thoughts started to devote themselves to the image. Although his mind told him it was an illusion, a simple game that was being played, something else within the male pushed back and told him otherwise.  

A strange sensation ran through Xyxer, one that almost mimicked a feeling if he had to place a name to it. Almost as if he had not seen his brother in what felt like a millennia despite having met at the gates. The words of his brother even struck him with more significance than he usually devoted to them; not as many quips as he used to layer into his speeches. If truth be told, Takeo seemed to have been.. humbled. Almost withdrawn into himself. The brother that always displayed himself in such a flamboyant way that a golden peacock would be in awe of his self-confidence.

Xyxer shrugged in response, a single word escaping his lips in response to his first comment, "Loyalty." Xyxer could never live in a village such as Konohagakure. The children themselves seemed more akin to brats, their endless optimism brought about unpleasant thoughts. All of them were children who did not understand the cruel hand of the world. People from Kirigakure knew. People from Tengakure had started to know. Shimagakure did not yet know the terrible end they nearly met had their leader not made a wise choice on that rainy night. "These people have served me faithfully all the way from Tengakure to here, it'd be wrong to betray them and leave the people that have aided in my efforts." The words sounded noble in theory, but a streaking thought ran through his mind of when he left Old Kirigakure to pursue a different path with the Sannin that had once drowned Konohagakure. A grave mistake that had to be learnt from.

His brother's goal to become an active shinobi was amusing to him, yet curious more than anything. He'd wandered for years and now wanted to join the village.. Perhaps he was bloodthirsty. The tales of Kirigakure's conquest were likely out in the open at this point, and the brutality they used to teach Konohagakure a lesson would likely be infamous. Yet when a man provides you with a goose that lays golden eggs you don't bother to ask questions, nor to mock it. Nodding his head after a few seconds of deliberation Xyxer clasped his hands on top of the table. "Very well, but we have no use for you in the lower ranks, you've obviously proven yourself greater than that. Have you ever been an ANBU Operative, brother? A Hunter-Nin? The most active roles you can find; death weaved between each footstep. You lose your identity when you wear the mask, and you become something greater than you once were. Something along that vein is what you desire, no?" The mask had always helped the Leviathan, it hid the lack of emotion within. The emptiness that gnawed away.

Takeo frowned upon Xyxer's first response. Loyalty? Where had been their loyalty when they let an academy student claim the rank of Kage in Tengakure? The idea of these villagers being loyal forced a smirk to the man's face soon after. Takeo didn't doubt that the moment Xyxer showed any sign of weakness he would be cut down by the masses. However he didn't voice his opinion. He would let his brother experience the price of hubris, as he himself had those years ago. The nattering in his head ceased for a moment. It seemed that even the deep thoughts within the back of his mind agreed with such thoughts. For the first time in awhile Takeo could hear clearly. It was as if the man had been submerged underneath the wave's that surrounded the village until now. How he had missed this.

And then just like that he was once more submerged. The brief agreement between himself and his own thoughts had already ended. Takeo's eyes wandered to gaze out the window. He observed the ocean that lay not far from the office building. For a moment he lost himself in his own thoughts. Takeo sank beneath the waves, the ever present voice urging him to fall back into his mind.

The words of Xyxer brought him back to the surface once again. Takeo grimaced as his ears rang. His eyes swivelled back to Xyxer as the man spoke to him. "To lose my identity hm?" He mused aloud. Takeo had heard stories of the ANBU, of some of the things that had been required of them over the years. Takeo had little to do with the ANBU of Tengakure during his tenure. The one who sat opposite him remained in charge of that dark part of the city of skyscrapers. Now he was offered a chance to dive headfirst into the dark.

It was a chance to be reborn. Long had he looked in the mirror and wondered how he had become like this. The Takeo that existed now was not the one that had been previously. He had changed for the worse long ago. Meeting that woman had screwed with his mind he had come to realise. Purposely injuring himself to hunt her down had been the beginning of a spiral into despair.

A chance to lose his identity? That was a perfect opportunity. Cast aside what he had grown into. Fall back into what he had once been. This was a ladder out of the depths that had been offered to him.

Takeo ran a hand through his hair. "I've always preferred to shine brightly brother. Though I can make an exception for this. What will I be required to do?" He turned his head to look at where Jester stood, or where he had been if he had gone. "Being the official door closer of the Mizukage isn't really suited to me I think. Hopefully you have more interesting things to do?" Takeo said as he turned back to face his twin.

Catching the frown upon Takeo's features was enough information for Xyxer. The comment had been wounding to the male, yet perhaps not too much as he had no further comment to add. He did wonder how his brother felt about the shenanigans that unfolded in Tengakure, he'd certainly not been shy about the destruction yet.. that could just as easily have been the innate desire for destruction that Tadashi's seemed to be crave. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't enjoy the theatrics that had occurred on that day.. the deft movement of lightning as it soared through the concrete jungle that scratched the sky.. All of the history of the village being reduced to rubble. The legacy of those that had scorned him nothing more than a tale that mothers told their children to lull them to sleep. 

A scratching voice caught him in the back of his mind, reminding him that he'd spared the villagers on that dark day. No.. It wasn't a dark day. It was one of retribution. No, not retribution, the culprits didn't die. The conflict within his mind caused him a degree of discomfort as he fidgeted in his seat. Children do not bear the sins of their parents. He kept reminding himself of this phrase, willing the hunger for violence to dissipate an leave him alone so he could enjoy the reunion between himself and perhaps the only person that Xyxer could truly consider an equal. 

He had to move. If he remained seated he'd grow uneasier with each passing second until he exploded. Standing up from the chair, his hands pressing against the desk for support he caught the gaze of his brother going out through the window. Following it, the gentle clashing of the waves and the rocking of the boats that were out fishing brought about a calm for him once more. Diligent people despite the circumstances. That's why he didn't kill them. 

Returning his attention to his brother, a smile polished his features while he started to walk beside him, the brotherly affection he felt overwhelming him. In a world where people were exploited and died like insects, these two had ascended and proven themselves beyond the average shinobi. Takeo's words faded when the monsters eyes caught the scar that ran down his neck. Diagonal slash. Flashblade. A torrent of blood during a spar. This was what Xyxer did to those he considered equals.. those he cared for. He couldn't settle for being on the same level as anyone, even if he truly wanted to defend them. No.. he couldn't desire the defense of Takeo otherwise he wouldn't have cut as far down as he did. He could have stopped it. He'd intended for that suffering on his brother. To remind him of his place beneath the Wrath of Tengakure. To give him a memento mori to remember him by each time he looked at himself.

His vision became crimson for a few seconds and his hand moved of another entities volition, initially grasping for his throat to remind him once more of their roles. Unease filled his mind again while he watched as a passenger in his own body.. was this what paralysis was? If he was moving surely not.. before any notable distance could be gained from the movement he finally found himself able to move once more. The brotherly love crashed into him like a tsunami again and he extended his arms outwards towards his brother in an uncustomary gesture for the male, "It's pleasant to see the world hasn't changed you, brother." His arms would remain outward to give his ol' brother a hug. Perhaps it was to play off the action that had been out of his control, or maybe he truly wished for Takeo to know he wasn't expendable in his thoughts.

Not yet.

If he accepted the hug he'd pull away soon after, or simply begin talking regardless in response to what was said. "Every grim storm requires a beaming lighthouse so we can safely return home." Xyxer grinned again at his words. There was a truth behind the fact, but it was doubtful that either of them understood how much they ground the other. Not at this point at least. Xyxer nodded towards the ANBU so that the door could be opened before he started to walk out, expecting his brother to follow him. Reaching a blocked off part of the building, with a multitude of torches stashed to the side, Xyxer took two and handed one of the beacons to his brother that already metaphorically glowed, yet perhaps a literal light would be of assistance to him in the coming journey. Igniting the torch with a match before he put the flame of the match out, he'd offer the light from his torch to his brothers, exposing them both to the light while they went through the next sector.

"Of course not, Takeo. That position is reserved for those I trust to not slide a dagger between my ribs." He joked as he made his way down through the building, a shadow following the two of them as they proceeded to the concrete depths. He continued to speak during the descent into the darkness of the earth, "We can change the world, you and I. Just like we dreamed of as children. Legacies that ensure we never get forgotten. I'd never cheat you of our glory.. you were Tenkage before me, brother, you're capable. As ANBU.. I'll want you to assassinate high-profile targets. Brutally." Xyxer stopped walking while he spoke, turning to his brother to accentuate the sentence while the light of the flame illuminated his features, "Brutality is how we establish ourselves. Tear apart every crevice of these individuals, make them unrecognizable when they're discovered. Let them know the Tadashi, and Kirigakure, have left their gory mark." When he finished speaking he'd pause a second longer before moving down the flights of stairs once more, now a good way under the building beyond most sensory.

Arriving at a steel vault that was the final destination of the trip that was blocked off to people who weren't able to access the Mizukage, Xyxer moved towards a generic brick in the wall, pressing his hand against it with light force before it popped inwards and several more bricks came out across the floor and walls. The key was to enter them in the correct order if you wanted to access the vault, which wasn't too difficult as Xyxer went about tapping the bricks in an organised sequence. The lock on the vault clicked. Wrapping his free hand around one of the exposed areas of the door, he'd pull it open and gesture for Takeo to enter before following him inside. A vast room would be doused in darkness, hiding its secrets from those who couldn't see without aid. Yet fortunately, they both had it.

Walking further into the room, the flickering flames exposed faces upon the walls. Glaring, mocking, smiling, chirpy. The faces were unique in their own right, aligned upon the walls for what seemed to be an endless distance inside the darkness of the room, yet who was to say it just a mere room? To some initiates it was truly the abyss, as they could never find the opposite of one wall. Some even felt like the masks were following them, pulling them towards certain masks that longed to be worn once more. Masks that had a history that weren't always clean, nor admirable. In this room the heart found what it desired; both anonymity and an identity. A new life to be lived behind a new face. Xyxer did not need to speak to his brother, as the masks would tell him all he needed to know. Their footsteps would echo throughout the chamber as the former ANBU advanced deeper into the darkness, the eyes of the masks all glaring at a blackness that rippled deeper in the tomb. The man that killed many stood on the rocks beside the dark liquid, awaiting his brother. He couldn't truly be ANBU if he didn't experience a rebirth. Only the drowned can be reborn.

There was something different about the man who stood from the chair. Something within him had changed. Takeo had felt it from the moment he had entered the room. Now that he was up close the difference had become clearer. During their years apart something must have happened. The throne was a heavy weight to bare. Such a weight was not suited for someone who was not stable. An unbalanced mind would topple under the weight. It had happened to Takeo, though his legs had been taken out from under him, and it may have happened to this man who stood opposite him. Somewhere deep down a part of Takeo knew what was wrong. That part refused to indulge him with information, intent on locking him out of part of his own mind. Takeo was a patient man however, and time would reveal all.

Takeo stood once more when Xyxer moved around the desk. It was a sign that there conversation would be taken elsewhere. It was a welcome change for the pair. Long had their discussions only taken place within the halls of rulers.

He waited for Xyxer to lead them out of the room. Though the man seemed hesitant for some reason. Takeo had a comment prepared, had the man grew too comfortable in his cushy chambers to leave? It was not his best quip, long had the time since they came naturally to his tongue ceased, however it would suffice for this exchange. However the elder of the twins was forced to hold his tongue. The hesitation had become clear as the younger sibling stretched his arms out in a gesture of affection. Takeo chastised his other half mentally for such an obvious trickery of his vision. The garbled retort Takeo had come to expect never came however. The only sound that filled his ears was that of the ocean and rain outside of this room.

Not a trick of his mind, but one of his brother then. Too often had he fallen for tricks in his lifetime. There had been too many tricksters in his lifetime. Many liars and betrayers. For everyone he fell for he had grown wiser from it, stronger. Yet still he kept falling for them, such a fool he was.

Takeo accepted the hug, albeit with trepidation for the trickster to reveal his true nature. Yet there was nothing of the sort. A genuine show of affection from Xyxer. It further proved to Takeo in his own mind something had changed. Then Xyxer spoke to him once more and Takeo was hit by a force he had grown far too accustomed to of late. His head buzzed and his teeth ground together. The urge to just slump to the floor grew in the back of his mind. Takeo wanted to laugh at the words.

The world hadn't changed him? What a joke.

And so the pair withdrew from the hug soon after. Takeo forced a smile on his face. A chance to lose this part of him would serve him well. Thankfully they would be on their way soon after. Xyxer's own comparison of Takeo to a lighthouse made the man chuckle.

Being around family put his own mind at ease, at least somewhat. As the pair walked through the halls of the building Takeo remained focused on what his brother was saying. Takeo only heard two things this moment, the sounds of their footsteps and Xyxer speaking. The otherwise silence let the man relax and focus once more.

They came to a halt at a closed off section of the building. Takeo hadn't been in this part of the building before, neither had many others from what he saw. Only darkness lay ahead. Was this for a symbolic reason he wondered. Xyxer had always been one for the more subtle theatrics of things. A sign that the ANBU operated in the shadows? It was all he had to go on for now.

Wading into the depths of darkness was not his style. He had joked about shining brightly only minutes previously, but that had long since faded. His own mind was a dark pit of despair. Now Xyxer wanted him to descend into yet more darkness? There was a hesitation when Takeo accepted the torch. His body tightened up on instinct. Nothing good ever came of wandering into a place blindly. He knew that all to well.

The lit torch in his hand offered some comfort. The pair descended deeper underground. Xyxer continued to speak. Takeo registered the words, though only just. The man found himself more preoccupied with the surrounding darkness. The two weren't alone, Takeo knew this much for certain. Wherever his head turned there was a shadow in the corner of his vision moving. What manner of creature had Xyxer trapped in the depths? The man's grip on the torch tightened, his knuckles turning white as he clenched the handle.

Xyxer stopped moving at some point during their descent. Takeo had only barely registered what the man had said. Though now his gaze turned toward the man in front of him as he spoke. Takeo wasn't sure about the brutality part. While his own skill set made it more than likely it would happen, the man didn't wish to cause unnecessary gore without reason. The flames of the torch caught the man's attention briefly. It lit up in his own eyes, the yellow flames reflecting within them. "That I can do." Takeo blinked, tearing his gaze from the flames.

His brother had already continued his descent. The two continued on for some more time. As he continued downward Takeo's grip on the torch loosened. While there were still flickering shadows all around him, he had slowly grown accustom to them. There was no creature, just a trickery of the light. This replayed itself in his mind as he continued downward. Then it ceased when they reached the end of their descent.

A vault stored under the island. What sort of secrets did it possess? Why had Xyxer led them down here? Finally all the questions that he should have been thinking about came flooding back to him. Lost in his own mind once more Takeo had forgotten to even question what was happening. This sort of naivety was often found in rookie Genin, not in himself. Internally the man sighed. Just another sign that he was fractured. His body had been repaired, yet the lingering memories of his experiences continuously blinded him.

It would be the end of him, sooner rather than later. This was the last resort to keep himself going. The option for failure was not there anymore.

Takeo stood back was Xyxer went through the sequence of unlocking the vault. The man noted it was an interesting system, though he didn't doubt his ability to break into the vault if need be in the future. Takeo entered first into the dark room the torch he held illuminating the small area in front of him.

It was hard to grasp how large the room they had entered truly was. Takeo couldn't fathom the amount of time and manpower it must have taken to construct. It was undoubtedly man-made, for there was no way nature could have created something like this. He wondered if perhaps his sense of scale had been muddled. How long had the two been in descent? Was it a trick of the light? Such questions came to him in this moment as his eyes darted left to right and back again. If given time for thought Takeo would have used his all seeing vision granted by his left eye. Though it did not occur to him to use it at this time for his attention was taken by what lay in the room.

The man stood still in the darkness, the flames on the torch remaining steady to light the area surrounding him. Vasts quantities of faces hung from the walls. Each one different, with their own story to tell. What had brought them to this cavernous space? Why did they now hang from the walls like an army of guardians watching over this room. Why was Takeo here? Why had he been brought into the depths, in this room filled with faces with stares that bore into him.

His legs felt like lead as he made his way further into the room. Takeo felt a shiver run down his back. It was as if a thousand pairs of eyes were watching his every movement. They could see right through him, they knew him. The air was heavy. He found it difficult to breath and his heart seemed to have been kicked into overdrive. In the darkness there was no way to tell how long he walked for. The passage of time escaped him. Once or twice Takeo had wondered if this was his purgatory.

Days had passed since they had first entered this place now yet the faces never ended. More than once Takeo had caught one in the corner of his vision change expressions. Twice had he now seen the faces of Akihana and Denkiteki. Yet when he had turned numbly to confront them they had been lost in the sea of faces.

Weeks passed and Takeo surfaced from the depths when he saw Xyxer had stopped walking.

Lit up by the torch his brother wielded Takeo saw the murky pool before them. The irony of it all nearly made him laugh, instead he felt himself turning sick. All this to escape from himself, from what had happened to shatter his mind, now he was confronted with one of the catalysts. He should turn back now. Turn back and leave this den of despair. Or destroy it, bring down the foundation upon which this place lay. His body seemed to agree with him. He felt the urge build within him, the deep booming laughter ringing in his ears. It was that which brought focus back to him.

Takeo discarded the torch, dropping it to his side with a heavy thud. The man approached. He felt his body going dead, the numbing sensation going from his legs and spreading up along his torso. Still he pushed on, reaching the outcrop of rock that surrounded the water. "You best have towels with you." The man spoke through gritted teeth. It was difficult to force the words out, not something he was used to. Often during his lifetime had Takeo used words to lighten the mood, to cope with the events surrounding him. Now all he could do was force himself to continue on this path. He stepped across the rocks and descended into the water. It was cold, shockingly so. Takeo breathed inwardly sharply as his body began to go into shock. His feet remained firmly in the bottom for now. The cold water helped the man who now stood waist deep regain some focus.

If only so that he could now focus on not locking up completely and drowning himself in a pool of water.

As Xyxer spoke to his brother on the staircase he noticed something different about him. A flicker of light perhaps that hit his eyes in a funny way.. almost a genjutsu. Was his brother fond of genjutsu? For a brief moment his eyes replicated the endless void, yet there was something else in the center; amber dots. Likely a trick of the darkness in unison with the dim light of the torch and nothing more, the shadows themselves did not bend to the whim of the conqueror. With the thought behind him as suddenly as it came, he proceeded down the staircase.

Once they found themselves within the carnivorous abyss Xyxer strode towards the part where he felt most comfortable in the cavern. As his feet passed over the stone beneath him he couldn't help but look towards the masks that seemed to change each time he came down to this forbidden chamber of the world. Sometimes they resembled the faces of those he'd slain, those he'd witnessed dying; allies, foes, civilians. He was numb when he saw the faces of those he'd encountered, tears couldn't fall from the husk of what was once a demon in spite of how much it tried to be tamed.

Truth be told, Xyxer had little understanding of why he was so willing to perform grotesque actions of unjust retribution. The violence he used to dominate others was nothing short of despicable, yet the way he did it.. was mesmerizing. Perhaps there was a beauty in his art after all. The finesse of a human body and its full capabilities when exercised could defy even the will of the most formidable opponents.. their flames nothing more than scorched earth in the position the melee prodigy had once been. Blood flashed across his vision before a cloak formed around the body of the bisected Denkiteki. The memory invaded his sense and he could almost taste the iron.. To slay a Jinchuriki, that would be a feat.

Turning his eyes towards the Jinchuriki wandering towards him, his shoulders rolled backwards to ease the tension in his muscles. Together they could change this world; for better or worse, it did not matter. Their mark would be left in some form or another whether it be the creation of a paradise or even the end of the world. They were something special. Takeo Tadashi.. the chosen son of their mother, yet he was the one left to take care of her and the sisters he didn't grow up with while he wandered and enjoyed all the world had in store for him.

Licking the inside of his teeth as he continued to wait for the arrival of his twin he felt his hand twitching, yet he hid the occurrence by digging his thumbs into his pockets, tightening within the fabric. Fortunately Takeo found his way into the water without an issue other than falling victim to the surprise of the temperature.. yet he could not be faulted. It wasn't exactly a Jacuzzi.

Making his way in shortly after Takeo did he didn't feel the same shudder within his flesh; he was Hozuki, this was his domain. The shadows would not bend to his whim, but water had no choice but to cave to his will and it served only to refresh him when he stood beside his brother. One hand found its way onto the back of Takeo's head, supporting the weight, with the other resting on his sternum. "Don't be defeated by idle water, Takeo, nobody will remember your name if you die in a pond." Xyxer lightly quipped, an attempt that was likely feeble in reassuring the conduit of lightning.

Lightly pushing against Takeo's breastbone he'd begin to tilt his body, submerging the lost soul inside the dusky depths. Would he find what he searched for? Of course he would, he was made of stronger materials than most shinobi, Xyxer himself had proven this and they were cut from the same cloth. He'd find solace within the water, he wouldn't be defeated by something as trivial as drowning. In this scenario he would be an aquatic phoenix; reborn from his old self so that he could become something better, something useful. A creature akin to himself.

Takeo remained under the water while Xyxer continued to keep him held down, his hands ensuring that he didn't attempt to surface out of fear of succumbing to the water. Fear was not something he should know as a member of ANBU. That was for inferior people, those who either could not or would not put the objective before their own life. Once one understands that mortality is something to be walked alongside rather than feared.. that was when they would achieve their full potential. To embrace death as a partner rather than hold it at bay as a stranger. Takeo would dance with death on this day, and he'd be the victor in his reincarnation.

It was such a beautiful moment that he almost forgot to bring his brother out from the darkness. Gently raising him by the back of his head while his alternative hand sought to tilt his body outwards once more, he retrieved the figure from the immersion of the pool. If Xyxer had said anything during the drowning Takeo would not have heard it regardless. Lifting him from the water he gently pushed his brother onto the dry ground outside of the water, leaving his likely unconscious body there while his own vitality would decide whether he was worthy to keep alive.

The Abysswalker climbed out from the depths shortly after, the dripping of water from his body echoing throughout the spacious cavern they were in.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

He stood there with his eyes fixated upon his brother, the flames of their torches lighting the side with their bright flare. The light bounced from Takeo as the heat licked at his wet flesh, almost as if the elements themselves wanted to see the Tadashi emerge as a new creature from the lagoon. A person to become renowned. Xyxer's dead eyes watched the catatonic body, acknowledging how his wet hair stuck to his face like glue. He seemed as if he was at peace.

He had hoped it would be a one off. A side effect of his arrogance at the time. In the desert he had nearly ended his own existence under the sand. Now thousands of miles to the east he was about to experience it all over again. The same feeling of suffocation, the same darkness creeping into his vision. Even the same panic induced freezing of his own movements. Yet it was different all the same. There was no pain. His skin wasn't being torn, his bones weren't shattering. The adrenaline wasn't there, it didn't even feel like he was truly in danger. The back of his mind told him it was alright. Just let it all go, forget about fighting and just give in. Then it all went black.

Crack

Takeo's eyes shot open at the sound of lightning striking the ground not far from him. The white haired man looked around. A storm raged in the dark sky above. Takeo found himself standing on a beach. No, more precisely a desert. Sand stretched for miles around as far as his eyes could see. Within the distance he saw what seemed to be ruins, once a great city now fallen from time. Confusion etched across his face. "So it finally happened then?" The man questioned, his eyes turning to the crackling storm. "And here I was starting to think I had nine lives!" After all he'd been through. After everything that had happened, he had died alone in a pool of water?

"Is this it? After all that you stick me in a desert?" Takeo snarled to the sky. No response, save for the lightning lighting up the sky above. His head dropped. Something had caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Takeo swivelled to examine what he had seen. A glint of an item that lay in the sand. Takeo approached it carefully, weary of some sort of trickery. As he approached the item became clearer to him. A musical instrument of some sort. His head cocked to the side in confusion.  He crouched down and reached for the item in the sand. His fingers touched the object and a hologram like image lit up in front of him.

Takeo fell backwards in surprise. Landing on his backside he watched as the hologram leapt into life. The scene before him played out. There were four people in a room, it seemed as if they were meeting eachother for the first time. Takeo blinked and peered closer. Two of the figures remained blurry, out of focus almost. The musical instrument became clear to Takeo now. It had belonged to one of the people in that room.

A small smile broke through the hardened expression of Takeo. He remembered what this was. The first meeting of himself and that man. His gaze moved past the two blurred figures and to the two others within the scene. One in the midst of landing in the arms of the other. A strangled laugh broke through and escaped him at the sight. "I forgot I did that." He said softly. The man he had met that day would influence much of Takeo's own future. He never got the chance to thank him, and now all that remained were memories buried in the sand.

The projection fizzled out of existence as the memory contained ended. Takeo stood once more and looked around. That couldn't be it. There must be more to this place than what it seemed. So he set out once more, toward the twisted ruins that lay in the distance. Takeo already knew what it contained, now he just had to confront it.

He had no sense of how long he walked for. The desert seemed endless, and the city in the distance seemed no closer. Days had surely passed by now. Not that timed mattered in this hellish place. Still, he was determined to see this through. The storm continued to make noise overhead. Each lightning strike and thunderous boom shook the ground. It was as if the storm grew stronger the further he went.

Then a wall of sand erupted in front of his path. Takeo stopped moving, hopping backward slightly and raising his guard. A roar ripped through the air, drowning out the storm as if it were just a bug. Takeo looked toward the wall, eyes narrowing in on the yellow set that stared back at him. "It was you then was it?" Takeo questioned. He thought his voice to be drowned out before the rumbling response came.

'What a sorry sight you have become boy.' The voice boomed. 'To think I succumbed to this? Me, the strongest of all the beasts?' The wall of sand began to shift. Takeo recognised the form that it began to merge into. His expression hardened once more.

"I killed you." He stated, his voice barely a whisper.

'I cannot be killed, especially not by you child. You only defeated me by luck alone. No human trash can best me in combat.'

Were it not for the seething rage that was filling Takeo he might have commented on how the beast seemed to be having a mini-tantrum.

"Yet it was you that lay by the gates of Hoshigakure without a head." He snapped back. There was no hint of playfulness that would have normally adorned such a retort. It was all becoming clear to him now. The source of all his frustration. The voice that was within the back of his mind this entire time. All the paranoia and sleepless nights that had come after were caused by this creature. "Why are you here now? Is this punishment? To be here in the land of the dead with this beast?"

'Foolish whelp. No host of mine would die so easily. This is not your personal hell boy. It is my own. My cell that you had me locked in by that trash of a woman all those months ago.'

Takeo blinked, arms dropping to his side. "This is my own head?" He questioned to himself. It was so..dark. The crumbling voice brought his attention back to the sand body before he had time to dwell on it.

'Wake up child, leave me to my cell. No host of mine, regardless of how pathetic they may be, shall die to a puddle of water.' The beast moved, it's gigantic head rushing forward toward the standing Takeo. It's maw opened and another roar escaped, 'Wake up boy!' And once more the sand crashed down upon his body.

Takeo awoke with a start. He coughed, water spluttering out from his opened mouth. He lay on the rocks, body soaked through from the water of the pool. Widened eyes looked around to confirm his location. Then he sat back and breathed in deeply. There was a silence for several seconds as he took a moment to collect himself.

Then he laughed. It was a genuine laugh, one of relief. After all this time, all the months of thinking he was going mad. It was all a joke. That woman had sealed the beast within him. The voice was the beast's, the beast was that voice. Not a ghost that was haunting him, a living creature that now lay inside of him.

In the depths underneath the village of Kirigakure a great shroud had been lifted from him. The revelation of what had happened gave way to a question that would plague him for weeks to come after. Why hadn't she told him? She had been there, saved him again, and just left without a word. It was something he needed to know. A mission to her home may have required, though that would come later.

The drenched man stood from the ground. Standing to his full height he ran a hand through his damp hair to sweep it back. It would take him some time to adjust still. The idea that he wasn't alone in his mind was concerning to say the least. He was stuck with it though. It was something he would have to embrace, lest he let the madness overtake him like it had nearly done today. Soon the beast's connection with him would grow strong enough for them to converse normally. Then, maybe, he would be able to finally put a rest to this.

Takeo looked toward his brother, eyes flickering in colour, and he gave a slight nod toward him. "That's the second time I've nearly drowned you know." He commented lightly, still somewhat short on breath.

Wet hair clung to the damp features of Takeo, the man that currently lay in this dark cavern they both found themselves in. It almost seemed as if he was sleeping.. at rest. He studied the features of his brother in the dim light, noting the similarities between the two of them with faint amusement.. his eagle eyed brother. Now they both shared those hungry eyes, yet only one of them had furthered that agenda.. one that would soon be joined side by side by the only person rightful of that position. The only one Xyxer could truly consider an equal. 

Takeo was not stirring yet so Xyxer found himself studying the unconscious male more thoroughly, yet a specific mark that was left on him.. the ragged flesh stretching down his collarbone as a permanent reminder. It was ironic, he thought, that the man with the greatest barrier in the world had been harmed by one of the few people he let his guard down around. Would his beloved brother ever make that mistake again? No, he was smart.. he'd evolved. Something within him grasped the volatile nature of the Abysswalker; the entity that lured his closest relation down into the depths only for something else to emerge from the waters he found himself in. 

Still the man had not awoke from this state, and Xyxer had started to come to terms with his untimely death. The weak are left behind when they can not carry their weight, and so nature progressed with the sole heir of the Tadashi advancing upon the world, curling his fingers around each individual village: a united world under one merciful shogun. Yet, as these thoughts danced through the mind of Xyxer, a cough startled him.

He survived.

The thoughts were washed out from his mind by a gentle wave as they returned to his brother, peering down towards the man that had experienced, perhaps, his second embrace with death. How closely his brother kept that mistress in his grasp.. He almost envied him. A man of 9 lives, it would seem.. he always appeared to land on his feet regardless of the scenario. It appeared that even the genetically superior shinobi were still slave to human impulses as the initial signs of panic kicked in for Takeo, yet Xyxer thought no less of him. In the same situation, perhaps he would react the same.. Just how would a Hozuki drown. The thought strayed through his mind like a dog chasing after a stray frisbee.

Snapped once more from his runaway thoughts he witnessed the drowned man stand up from the ground shortly afterwards, confident in his own ability to not remain shook from his prior experience. Once again there was an almost imperceptible change to the eyes of Takeo, sand seemed to clog the iris' and the whites of his eyes were the polar opposite. No, another trick of the light. Perhaps his care for his brother had deluded him.

Returning the nod with a faint smile adorning his features out of pride for the Tadashi, he started to walk backwards, moving halfway towards the sole entrance and exit of the abyss. "I really ought to give you swimming lessons some time, Takeo." He said as he strolled to the desired location, once more the faces on the wall seeming to follow him.. yet he was used to it by now. They were nothing more than passive observers in this world.. the one that was detached from reality for all the twins knew. "As is customary of any ANBU, Takeo, you must have a mask to hide your features. To protect your identity when you're on your vital missions. Look around and you will find plenty, each with their own story to tell. Yet you can have only one, I'm afraid." Xyxer said as he turned back towards his Takeo, curious on what he'd be drawn to. He was ever the wildcard.