From Darkness to Light (Max)

The sounds of clattering and crashing could be heard within his own home as he tried to move through something. The past few weeks have been a blur for the male as he struggled with his own sight. He had no idea that such a touched power would cause something so...delirious. His sight had been waning for some time, though he chalked it up to a passing phase, but the past few days have shown that he was indeed losing his sight. Nothing had bothered him more than the comings and goings of his sight. It had only been a moment since his talk with the Raikage who had given him the hint that his eyes would soon go out, and that his sight now lied in the eyes on another Uchiha. While he should have listened to the advice, he wrote it off and took it as a grain of hair upon the rice fields and here he was now. He had the body of one Serah Uchiha still within in his possession and while he was unsure if she too had the Mangekyou Sharingan, he was going to take the chance and see for himself. Calling upon one of the wolves of the mountain, he would request one to take him to the hospital and once he had arrived he would have someone seek out his friend and closest confidant- Max.

Moments passed as the male stumbled into the hospital and asked for a private and isolated room, and also for someone to retrieve Max. Once his requests were properly taken care of, Kiseragi had been taken to the room and sat on the bed where he stared blankly out of the window. A scroll had been pulled from his pouch and pulled on the bed where he would wait until the door was opened. Once he heard the idle creek of the door being opened, he would turn to face it with those grey colored eyes and smiled for a moment," Ah good...they found you...," he didn't mention what his request was until the male had been in the room and the door had been closed. Taking in a deep breath he would turn back to the window and tap his knee to figure out how best to say this," Well as you can probably tell the light in my eyes are slowly fading...i suppose its because of the constant use of my eyes, but if that is the case then the Uchiha are definitely cursed right? I've been told the only way to fix this is to take the light of another Uchiha....and recently i've come across one that had died by my hands...could you do a friend a favor and give them to me?," he would assume that his friend would know of what he meant by his request, but he would wait until Max had spoken to truly see if he knew.

Another simple day would be upon him, Max's mind drifting more and more. He often finds himself lost in thought for days, for he lacks any of the physical needs of a body. Instead he simply wanders the recesses of his mind, grasping tightly onto memories that feel all too fleeting anymore. He was starting to forget things here and there... little things that seemed to fade into the darkness, lost to the boy. He often found himself staring at his photo of Akihana, his mother's face something he never wants to forget. If he lost that... that last beacon of light in this dark world... he would have truly lost everything.

His concentration was broken by a light rapping at his door. A messenger relayed that he was being summoned, and by Kiseragi no less. The young lord would lift himself from his chair, though it takes him longer than one would expect. This body never tired, never truly wavered, but his mind and will had begun to. The disconnect from his life force to this body was... more taxing than he originally expected. Still he would rise. If Kiseragi needed him, he could not deny his friend and ally the aide he sought. 

Max would walk through the door, his image that of his old body wearing the loose white robes he always had. Closing the door behind him, the young puppet would give a simple nod in response and then listen to what the Uchiha had to say. "After all that you have done for me, I would deny you nothing, friend. I would still be lying in a bed in this very hospital if it were not for your actions. For that, I will be eternally grateful." Max would ponder just what Kiseragi meant, though. The transference of another's light? It was an odd concept, but piecing it together he understood. What concerned him was what had been happening to force Kiseragi to strain his eyes as much as he had. "I do believe the Uchiha are cursed, in a sense." Max would ready himself for the procedure. "If this is what you desire, I will see it done." Max questioned nothing, believing fully in the man sitting before him. If this is what Kiseragi needed of him, Max would oblige. 

"Whenever you are ready, we can begin."

A smile appeared on his face as he heard his friend speak, his eyes slowly turning to take in what he could of his visage," It is good to see that i have people among me that carry that same sentiment. Unfortunately my eyesight is the reward from a fight from my previous teacher...and father figure i guess you could say. I let my anger get the best of me and i attacked him and still lost. I guess the overuse of these eyes, but that is neither here or there," there was a small shrug as he filled the edges of his hair for a moment. Maybe he'd get a haircut after this or something. Maybe something...different. That was a thought he would have to put aside as he moved to open the scroll and unsealed it to reveal the body of one Serah Uchiha. He wasn't 100% sure that she had what he needed, but even if she did not another set of eyes would help him continue to see until he found the right combination. When Max mentioned that his clan might have been cursed, a small chuckle escaped his lips," You might be right...All those stories about my ancestors makes me think so, but i'm not going to fall for that...i cannot."

He'd let the male examine the body as he laid down, moving the stray hairs from his face as he relaxed his body," I'm ready when you are...and when i next open my eyes lets hope that i can see the light once more. Oh and one more thing? If you should require a new body for something you can have the girls..she won't be needing it anymore after all. You might find something useful in it should you want dig further," with that he took one last deep breath and braced his body for the eventual darkness.

Max would nod, understanding that his comrade had been ready. It would take the young medic almost no time to examine the body of Serah Uchiha and ready himself for the surgery. He would begin by gloving up and then placing his hands on the man's forehead letting chakra flow to lull the body into unconsciousness. Once Max ensured that his patient was stable, he would pluck the Sharingan eyes from the corpse. The Lich would gaze at them for a moment, succumbing to his thoughts. For so long these eyes brought a feeling of dread to the boy, an unshakable feeling of terror. It almost seemed silly at the moment, his eyes gazing into those of the dead Uchiha and then finally resting on his comrade. Max would form all of the needed seals for an anesthetic jutsu, just so that he could be certain Kiseragi would not flinch during the procedure, or worse awaken before completed. 

With a distinctive sound, Max would pull the eyes from Kiseragi. One by one, he would replace them with those of the Uchiha corpse. Once done, Max would ensure that the new eyes would bind to optic nerves, his healing palm making certain that the healing process took hold. He couldn't allow anything to happen to jeopardize his friend, especially with his own mental conditions worsening. How long would it be before his mind rotted away entirely? Days? Weeks? He didn't have time to think about it right now, as lately once he begins down the halls of his mind he finds himself there far too long. 

As he finished up, Max would slowly return Kiseragi to consciousness. "Well, did you find what you were looking for?" Max would ask, his tone low as to keep the procedure from those that didn't need to know. Max would remove the gloves, gazing at the eyeless corpse of Serah. "I am sure that I can find a use for this. Minimal damage to most of the tissue, and the lack of eyes doesn't hamper its effectiveness for my purposes." Max would point to a jar sitting on the table beside Kiseragi, hoping that he would be able to see. "The eyes I removed from you are there. I am unsure how useful a pair of nearly blind eyes would be to you, but perhaps you could give them to another of your clan that has completely lost their sight. Nearly blind is far better than fully so."

As the light slowly left his eyes and he went into a state of medical slumber, he sat in darkness for what seemed like an eternity. Floating within in own mind as he simply meditated in his isolation. The last few words of Max had sat heavily on his mind about his clan and his subsequent loss of vision, the fact that he had to take on someone's eyes to remedy the situation but what would come of it? Would it be something that would actually benefit him or would he still remain blind after this ordeal. As the male slowly returned to consciousness he didn't open his eyes immediately. He sat there for a moment taking in a few breathes before slowly opening his eyes and looking around the room and then to his eyes. The clarity of the world returned to him as he smiled and looked toward his friend," I have gotten what i needed...I can see just fine now...A little better than normal in fact," he began to test his eyes a little more, but decided he would wait until he had gotten a chance to test them after they settled.

Kiseragi would slowly get up as he wobbled a bit before standing straight and moving the few strands of hair from his eyes," I think I am sort of tired of my hair being this long...I don't know what I was thinking letting it get like this," a small chuckle left his lips as he grabbed for a kunai from his pouch and begun to cut it. As he did it he turned to look at the body of Serah Uchiha and nodded," I've been preoccupied with myself that I haven't asked the other question. How are you faring in your new body? I hope...things are going good?," he didn't quite know how things would work with Max's new body, but he wanted to know if the Little Lord had been coping better as a puppet.

(331)

Max would nod, pleased that he was able to assist his friend and aide in strengthening his village. It was a simple thing, but keeping Kumogakure strong was one of the few things that Max knew he could still do despite his worsening conditions. He would smile as his comrade trimmed his lengthy hair, not because of anything in particular. Just a small moment of simle joy, sweeping its way across the face of the young man. 

When asked about his condition, he wasn't entirely sure how to answer. Physically, he was far stronger and more capable than ever before. This body was stronger and more durable. It removed all needs of a normal body, like food, water or oxygen. It was a masterpiece... and yet Max didn't feel more capable or powerful. In fact just the opposite...

"The body is... fine..." Max would say, but it was clear his speech was burdened by unease, "It is taking a great deal of getting accustomed to. Far more than I ever thought it would take." The boy would look down at the ground, his head hung low. "My life force, essence... my soul is bound to that jar." He would place his hand on his head, then look up to his ally and friend. "I think that my mind is slipping, though..." Max upon uttering the words aloud felt as though he wished to cry, but no tears came for his body wouldn't allow such a human reaction to anguish. "I often lose track of time as I sit in my home, trying remember everything. At first I didn't notice it... but once I did..." Max would shake his head, "I have already forgotten the faces of so many friends... I have forgotten their voices... All I have left are strong feelings towards what appear to be strangers... and I know not how long I have before that is gone, too." Max would listen if Kiseragi had anything to say, but if not he would turn around and slowly walk to the door.

"I have cheated death... and it would seem that the reaper doesn't look to kindly on such things. Perhaps I too belong to a cursed family." He would place his hand on the door handle, allowing time to hear anything his friend had to say. "I hope that I am able to help the next time you need me... the next time Kumogakure needs me... but I know not how much longer I have."

Kiseragi sat and listened to his friend as he spoke and truthfully he was not...happy with the situation the young male had to put himself in to survive. His eyes would slowly go over to the male and slowly he would stand and walk toward him before resting a hand on his shoulder," Cursed? Don't think of it that way my friend...Where there are holes we can fill them. We can find a way to strengthen your bonds to your soul that you remain you and can continue to remain.. Even if it takes doing something dark...I will help you achieve a body that will always keep you. You've done many things for me and i'd happily do the same for you," a small smile appeared on his face as he gave the young Lord a thumbs up. "If death is so pissed you cheated him? He can come down and fight us for it...i assure you he will rue the day he decided to think he could decide when our time is. So cheer up my friend. Through life or death i'll be by your side. The village and I still need you," he would assure his friend as he stepped back a bit to let the male leave if he wanted to.

Max had been through a lot since his introduction as Raikage and even though he no longer had that title, he still had Kiseragi's respect and admiration. Even if the male didn't say anything he would do whatever it took to keep his friends..and his family safe. After a brief moment of silence Kiseragi would turn to the window letting his eyes rest as they went into their three tomoe state...then his Mangekyou...and finally into the new form. Within the window he could see his reflection and smiled as he blinked and turned off his curse," Today we will write our own history...and change our home for the better. What do you say Max?," his looked over his shoulder to the male.

(336)
(Will make claims if this is the exit post)

Making claims. (using max stat discount)
Final WC: 2,938 (Topic was made during August Event)
Claiming EMS
Putting all words into Sage Amp (A rank ver)

1,099 words toward Shadow Clone Jutsu (1,099/1,125)