The old life shall cease [IO/NK] {Stein}

Taichi returned to the wildlife reserve, wanting to revisit the very spot that he had been able to pray before. He entered the reserve and he began to walk through the same path that he took the time before. He passed the merging rivers, the cascading waterfalls until he finally made it. The platinum haired viking knelt down to the ground and he bowed his head, he began his prayer to his gods for guidance in this time of his life of uncertainty, and he was sure that they would grant him something.

He prayed to the gods that they would allow him to understand just what it was that they were wanting for him, what they wanted his life to be like. He knew he wanted a change, he knew that he wanted his life to be different than it was before. He was growing tired of the nomadic lifestyle, never having a home and never feeling truly like he was home. But there were so many things from his past life that still needed to be answered, there were so many things that he needed to know, but his life was finally turning new, he was just going to have to make due with trying to put it all together on his own, like he always did.

And there he was, a man that the mad doctor thought long gone, would never see again. Yet it was impossible to mistaken that man, his build, his strut. Stein admired him from afar almost like a stalker, and would follow him into the wildlife reserve. Now Stein knew over all he had an escort who he drove to the shadows with his talks, but he was not going to cause any terrible commotion, but he needed to see what this man had been up to, how life had been.

The would be lacky of his, a possible apprentice of sorts. Stein would follow him to the specific spot where he decided to stop in which time Stein kept to the shadows and walked himself around before emerging in front of Taichi. A Smile crossing the face of the mad man, almost could be described as creepy to some. he would let out with a softened voice "I heard from an aquaintence far from here that you had mentioned my name" Rather cryptic specially seeing as this man was likely well travelled and could have met any number of people who would say the same to him, and yet the air of familiarity.

Stein stood there looking down with his head, yet above his glasses at the man. He opened his arms up wide and dropped the lab coat on his shoulders off to the ground, as if expecting to take any possible rumble serious with this man. yet if the man could not recognize him, Stein would have the upper hand only due to having already witnessed this mans fighting tactics and abilities. but who is to say who would ultimately win in the end.

Taichi would be interrupted for his prayer, by what sounded like one individual. He rose up his head and sure enough there was an individual closing the distance between them. "I need this time for prayer, I don't want it to be interrupted. Son of a bitch!" Taichi thought to himself, blood boiling. He remembered himself and calmed down, understanding that the time for his fruitless rage had ended. His old life was gone, and while this individual may be rude to interrupt a person's time of prayer, he was not going to allow this man to ruin what Taichi was prouding himself to be his new way of life, a calmer way of life, a nicer way of life. 

The individual began to speak, but what he spoke of was something from his old life. "Brought up his name?" Taichi thought to himself again. He wasn't sure what it was the he was talking about, knowing that he had talked to a lot of people in his days and what he spoke of what far to vague for the platinum haired viking to make anything out of. "I don't know what it is your speaking of." This is when the lab coat was shrugged off, as if the man was looking for a fight. Taichi was in a bad spot, for he knew that he was only a guest in this village, and the last thing he wanted to do was to get into trouble for fighting someone within the village, especially when he gained nothing from the fight, win or lose. 

"Look, I don't know who you are or what acquaintance you're speaking of, but I do know that I haven't a clue who you are. I'm new to this place, and honestly I'm trying to start clean here with no grudges or quarrels so if you wouldn't mind. I would like to go back to my praying now." Taichi would then tilt his head downward once again to continue his prayer, unless the individual before him would like to speak further, if not, then he would continue his prayer. Praying to his gods to allow him the patience and the peace to allow this man his peace, and praying that he would allow Taichi his.

Stein would immediatly stand up straight and bellow out in laughter. The child really did forget him. He would remind him with simply a single word...a Name.... "Stein" as he said the name, his glasses seemed to gleam in the light and a smile as malicious as it was creepy spread across his face. At which time he would call the man out "Taichi, How has your travels been since leaving Kazangakure? been well I hope" At this point he hoped the man would remember. He would go into further detail if it was needed.

Stein watched the man across from him, a smile on his face and mischif in his eyes. At this time that is when his ever faithful Medusa would approach and join the two "I found you sire.....Oh and you, Father has told me about you, Taichi the uchiha that pushed him to furthering his skills and mastery of the sage arts." The blonde would stand just slightly under the height of Steins tower. She however approached from behind Taichi but gave no threatening pressence to set him off.

If all went well that was, Neither planned for a fight for they sought a place to be, while Medusa found one for herself she was not truely one hundred percent on if she would stay here or leave back to Kirigakure. the blonde stopped beside Taichi and looked over at him before looking back at stein. If he did not catch on yet Medusa would spell it out for him "It is Hohenhiem, he took back up his old face and name of Stein."

Taichi heard the all too familiar name, "Stein." Taichi had much to discuss with Stein, such as what had happened in his time at Kazan, why he was no longer there and what had become of the one he had once called Hildr. Taichi would look up to Stein with curiosity in his face. "If you are here, then why is it you are no longer in Kazangaure? I once had business to go back, but I had decided that my time was better spent to begin a new life, a life in which I had imagined my old would come across once more." Taichi would pause for a moment as another figure would approach their position, Taichi would eye the figure, trying to recognize the one before them. 

"Sire?" Taichi thought to himself, "Why on Earth would anyone call him Sire?" Taichi thought again. It wasn't because Taichi disliked Stein, quite the opposite, but the title seemed unearned for he hadn't been gone that long. Taichi turned to the woman who spoke to him. "Yes I am he, I am Taichi. The amount of my influence may be a little overstated, but yes he and I both are fairly proficient in the use of the ways of the sage. Hello, my name is Taichi Uchiha, nice to properly meet you ms..." He would trail off in the last few words of his as he would be asking for a response implicitly, for the woman to give him her name as he gave her his.


Once her name was given, he would turn back to Stein, being happy that he would be able to use his normal name without concern for who may hear him. He would begin a few more questions towards Stein, as he was certainly filled with them. "So Stein, why is it you are here and not in Kazan? I have several questions that must be asked to you, for you would be the only who would know the answer." He would wait for the simple question to be answered, before he would begin asking his many others.

Stein noted the look when medusa called him Sire and he would nod to Taichi as he relaxed back down. "A lot has happened" Stein would then flip the hat off his back showin the Kazankage hat to his fellow shinobi. Stein however had look to Medusa and wave her off which she would then leave before answering Taichi's question. Stein himself would handle that. "That is my aide Medusa, she is a living clone i created, a branch off from my masked beast technique from my bloodline." He would answer as they watched her leave the woods to head back into the village.

"I came here because I was looking for Team Fuku, they went missing, and this was pretty much my last place to look, and so I gave up hope and decided to live life anew here... As for your questions, please friend ask away" At that moment Stein would take a seat on the ground in front of a tree to have something to brace his back against as he looked on to the respected comrade in arms.

Taichi followed Stein towards the village, he wasn't too sure just what he was going to ask him first, but he figured he would ask about the Valkyrie, the woman the he had fought all that time ago. When the two had finally reached a stopping point, an area that was on an overlook of the village, just above a waterfall that fell sixty feet before falling into a large pond. Taichi pressed his hands to the ground below them and he created a bench for the two to sit on. After sitting on the bench, he would turn to the sunset and began to speak.

"Stein, there was a woman in the land of the Volcano, her name I don't remember." Taichi thought for a minute before continuing. "But her hair was as black as a raven's wing, and her skin was pale. I fought her, I took from her a decent amount of money. I felt pulled to do it from a voice that I was hearing many months ago." Taichi was realizing that there was so much that Stein didn't know, and there was so much that he needed to explain. He wasn't sure where to begin, so he figured he would throw his hands up and start again, "Hang on. There is far too much that I need to tell you. But first I need to know, where is that woman Stein?" Taichi would stop, allowing Stein to answer his query.

Stein took his respective seat after their unexpected stroll, and he would listen to taichi, and as he described her his look softened, and he turned away not able to look at Taichi. Stein knew the truth, and Stein also knew his own truth. And it was his version of the truth that he told "It is a long story Taichi, You see I knew her by another name, her actual name....Given by me to be factual. Kaede was a beautiful woman who I had saved and raised, and even helped to train her to who she was. But you see, Others felt their people more important and did not account for any possible.... change of Perspectives. Primrose Uchiha, one of team fuku went to Konoha to retrive their missing member Akki Senju, and when they returned, well It lead to the death of Kaede and Team Fuku, vanished. Seemingly Split apart for one reason or another. Yet another Blow Konoha has struck me. and this one feels more personal then attacking me from behind." Stein had the glare of light to block his tearing eyes, until the water dropped and moistened his cheek as he looked up to the sky.

Stein would take a moment to take a deep breath and recenter himself before looking over at the Uchiha "She was a fellow Uchiha like you, I left her body in Kazangakure to burn with the village when that volcano finally erupts." Stein would stare Taichi down and after a moment, like a switch was flipped he said in a slightly different tone "Her confidence was shattered after losing to you, and that was her downfall to her loss, so one could blame you for it"

TWC- 1014, Mid Thread claim 10 stats

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Taichi listened to his old friend speak the story of what had happened to Hildr, or Kaede as he called her. It was a story that was vague, far too vague for Taichi's liking, but he had sensed there was a side of the story that was not just being forgotten, but hidden away. Taichi knew it was not passed Stein to be vague to hide his true intentions, but this was something that Taichi did not honestly need to know, he understood that Hildr had been killed. This is why the voice had not returned with him. For a Valkyrie to be killed on this plane, that would mean that she was an imposter. His quest that had been given to him by the voice was still active, for his target was still yet to be found. 

"Stein, there is a side of this story that you're not telling me, and I am sure you have your reasons. Thank you for telling me the fate of the Kaede, I believe now that she was not who I thought she was, she just happened to look the part. I know little of the team Fuku or Akki Senju so these names mean little to me, as do their existences, but you seem to have had a close connection to these individuals. Who was it that killed them? Was it a rivaling village? Rouges?" Taichi would ask as his interest would not quite be piqued, but he would be interested in hearing more of this story of the happening that occurred while he was gone. He would look out into the sun that was now beginning to set, he would await the answer to his further questions, pondering his life and what it meant that the gods had brought him to this village, a place in which member of his old life now resided.