Mending Bridges

Zeo didn't really understand if Enishi got the full grasp of what Zeo's Kekkei Genkai was. Hell, he didn't know himself. He only just awoken to his power and still learning it. It was terrifying to have power and not control it. But in the end, the same was exactly for Enishi. He struggled with the power of the Jugo and had no one to help him, forced to endure persecution for his uncontrolled rampages. In a way, they were very much the same and Zeo felt bad for judging too soon about it.

But there it was, all his secrets about his origin, his clan, his past-- were either lost or locked away in a scroll that no one could hope so far. There had to be a way... but he was soon distracted as Enishi spoke up, and saw that something changed in the young white-haired shinobi. He became... friendlier, lighter. Happier. There was something in him that had bloomed or changed right before his eyes, even without his eyes he could sense this change...

He said much, and sympathize with Zeo, but what really surprised him,. was his declaration to help him find out more about his family heritage and Kekkei Genkai! Zeo's eyes widened at the offer as if a ray of sunshine had broken through the rainy downpour outside. It all came out, Enishi's lack of family, his upbringing, and how he was threatened. It just all came out like a busted dam far faster than Zeo was prepared for, having a smacked-macril look on his face. "Ummm...."

He didn't have the time to interject, but he was soon greeted by not merely a rival he had fought a few days ago, but a true friend. The real friend he made in the village here. Someone who offered to reach out a hand of his true self to him, and Zeo did the same. The tension and guard Zeo had soon melted away as Enishi was the first to offer a hand to him, offering to shake it.

Zeo was a bit stunned at first as he looked to the hand, but soon his stoic expression melted into a smile upon his half-hidden face. "I... I don't know what to say... " he said softly, his breath failing him a moment as he gathered himself up. "Yes, I do want to find out the truth. So.... thank you, and I will do the same to help you master your abilities as well." he said as he reached out to shake his hand.

He took a hold of Enishi's hand to shake it, the two boys smiling as amended any bad blood the two had and became true friends...

Ba-bub!! Zeo's head throbbed for a second like a spike as he flinched, his eyes closed--- but only to soon open them wide to reveal his black, star-filled eyes! The Uchugan activated in that instant, outside of his control the moment he touched Enishi. He felt his feet grow weak for a moment, but soon lost sense of things, as he saw Enishi's concerned face before it faded-- Zeo's vision going blurry and bright.

He felt as he was flying towards something, but soon in an instant, the bright white faded, to reveal an odd 'black-and-white' scenery. He stood there, as if he was in a dream, not feeling 'there' but a part of it. He looked around, to soon find he was in a village. THE village, hoshigakure. He couldn't make out much but soon he saw a crowd of people gathered around something, or some one.

He tried to get closer, and the sounds grew louder. Yelling, shouting, anger... the anger felt like a fire that repelled him. He wanted to get away, but he couldn't ignore it. Zeo tried to move and see what was going on. People were hurling things. Stones, tools. The animosity was horrible as he heard their words.

"MONSTER!!"

"GET OUT OF HERE! NO ONE WANTS YOUR KIND!!"

"KEEP AWAY FROM MY CHILDREN!!"

"Just DIE ALREADY, FREAK!!"

The sheer words felt harsh to Zeo's ears, like bursts of thunder and lightning in a storm as he soon got close enough... and saw it.

In the center, was a younger white-haired boy... ENISHI! He was smaller there and in raggy clothing, but it was him. He was huddled on the ground, arms over his head to protect himself as he saw the abuse he was enduring. Part of his body had transformed, mutated due to his Kekkai Genkai. Zeo's eyes widened as he tried to just protect himself and not hurt others, but everyone continued to lash out at him.

"Stop it... Stop it... " Zeo used all his will to speak, but no one heard him. He was there, but not. A phantom in a memory, and no effect on what he saw or did. His teeth gritted, unable to do anything. "I SAID STOP IT!! LEAVE HIM ALONE!! " Zeo cried as he lunged forward, trying to reach and push the attackers away from Enishi-- only to have his hand move through them like mist.

The push soon caused the vision to fade again... his vision blurred white again as he felt himself pulled back, as if a gale had tossed him away as he was swept back out of the events before him, and away to back whence he came....

A gasp escaped Zeo. As quickly as his eyes flashed his Uchugan, they soon vanished, as if Zeo had woken from a dream and all while he had held Enishis' hand. The sheer shock caused Zeo to step back, separating their joined hands. Almost unconsciously, a tear fell from Zeo's returned state eye... revealing the sad vision he had.

He saw it... and he knew what he saw. It was instinctual, but it was clear what he saw. That vision was no hallucination. It was a memory. ENISHI'S memory... A series of shallow breaths escaped Zeo as he struggled to calm himself. He had witnessed likely one of many bad memories the understudy had, and it shocked him. He could see it as if he was there.

"E-Enishi... I'm sorry," Zeo said, as he wiped a sleeve to calm his crying eyes. He cleaned them and recovered as best he could but he was still rattled. "I saw... I saw what happened and ... I'm sorry they did that to you. Even here, I..." He took a deep breath, calming the maelstrom of emotions that was assaulting him. It has clearly been a trying day but now, he could not just see 'spirits' and 'spiritual energy, but he saw now memories. Just what were these eyes!?

Very likely, Enishi , if he was smart could likely put together what Zeo saw. He was frightened by not just what he saw, but how he saw it. Even Genjutsu, couldn't bypass into the depths of memories that easily. Whatever his eyes were, they held power yet to be understood.

WC: 1164

Approved

"All's well that ends well," A single proverb came to the erudite's mind, his natural wit emerging from the depths of his previously brooding self. Irregardless of the crucibles the two kindred spirits faced, everything turned out well. As if a gold circuit attaching to the two machines that were Enishi Kurosawa and Zeo Kamigawa connected both of their minds in their conversation...for a few minutes - crucial minutes, Enishi and Zeo were able to fully understand each other. Amid the brooding animosity that arose ever since their duel in the Chuunin Exams, hints of a possible friendship between the two began to dwindle. However, in a twist of fate as if some sort of divine intervention predetermined this to occur, they saw each other again. In mere minutes, the phoenix that was their comradery rose from the ashes of animosity - mending the kilometers of broken bridges that were separating them from acceptance of each other. It was an insightful conversation all throughout, and it seemed that their talk would come to an end once they declared in unison to set their sights on the River Country and find out about the town's untimely genocide. They both exchanged handshakes with smiles, ready to become stronger and meet again when the time was right.

Until...

Shock.

A sudden burning sensation burst from the handshake, toppling the feeble understudy on the ground with a quick yelp escaping the chambers of his mouth. His bandages would slightly unravel due to the unexpected movement; The crutches he held with such a firm grip would become nothing more than slaves to gravity, falling on the tile floor with a sickening "BANG!" "What...the hell..." Enishi grunted in aching pain, trying to nurse his rupturing head with his right hand but to no avail; he could handle the shock but his body was still marred with searing injuries - hell he could feel some of the stitches embedded in his chest slightly reopen. Eh, nothing that a Mystical Palm won't heal. The shock was far too strong to be some regular clothing reaction...it was almost like whatever Zeo was about to endure, Enishi wasn't allowed to partake in it, so he was immediately "rejected" in the form of a shock? Shakily, his emerald eyes looked up, trying to refocus on the Kamigawa while trying to piece together what happened. But, what he saw shattered any thoughts he had at the moment.

"...Zeo? Why are you crying?" Tilting his head sideways in an almost morbidly curious manner, Enishi's expression morphed into one of concern as he saw Zeo wipe a few tears. "What happe-" Was the interrupted rumination of the understudy before the Kamigawa began to speak, apologizing to the Jugo for some unknown and saying that he saw what happened? What was he even talking about? Some sort of daydream? Perhaps Zeo felt as though he was partially to blame for the understudy's past? 

...It couldn't be...

"..." At that moment, the silver-haired shinobi knew exactly what Zeo Kamigawa meant, and that feared him. Not only did Zeo find out about a clan that he didn't even know about and was able to connect that clan to his curse of Nature Energy, but he saw a glimpse - A GLIMPSE OF HIS VERY PAST. The past he swore to forsake at any cost, someone saw it for what it was once again. If Enishi were, to be honest, he felt disgusted. He felt violated. He felt exposed. Filthy. Demonic. Sinful. A blight to the world. Yet, even with the mental warfare occurring within his mind that made him want to vomit blood...he still had to maintain frame. Wary eyes were the new expression of the Jugo heir. His expression was no longer peaceful. Zeo saw his past, something that no human besides the understudy should ever see. His expression was neutral, resolute, and unconquerable. Not a sign of weakness. 

"If I wanted sympathy, I would have never chosen the path of shinobi. The past is the past. I don't care about the people who assaulted me for years, nor do they care about me. Judging by their frail and pathetic spirits, they most likely didn't survive next winter. Why should I care about the dead? The dead can hate and curse me, but that's all it will be and ever be - curses from the dead." It was the objective truth, the people did not care about Enishi so there was no need to care about them nor care about what they did to him. 

They were nothing. 

No one.

Dead.

"I don't particularly blame them for treating me like a monster and torturing me for all of those years," Enishi's tone was frighteningly morbid, readily able to accept cruel treatment towards him just because of his pedigree. "I mean, what is easier to blame? Your own lack of power, determination, and resolve? Or some kid who's the son of bandits and carries a demonic curse? Is it easier to blame yourself for sinning, or the devil's influence for making you sin? You should know the answer. You live in Hoshigakure - the village of faith...it's the reason why religion exists. Humanity is allergic to accountability, so they blame the easiest things instead of...you know, themselves. It's a reoccurring pattern throughout all of history. Those peoples were nothing more than slaves to their natural instincts, blaming others instead of themselves. Essentially, they're just like any other human. That's why you shouldn't feel sorry Zeo." The understudy's twisted worldview would reveal itself at its greatest stage. For all of those who said Enishi wasn't a monster, they would certainly be biting their tongues right at this moment.

The understudy resembled a true demon.

"You should be happy - happy that they were human!" 

WC: 1059

Zeo was still in shock at the fact of the vision he had. While he had a peek at Enishi's trauma and the root of his twisted worldview-- Zeo couldn't help but realize the vision he had. He only touched him. He didn't even intend to try any sort of trick or genjutsu-- it happened all on its own, out of Zeo's control! He bit back his fear a bit and gulped, realizing the pain he caused. It was no secret that Enishi could guess what Zeo had seen.

What was scary was the worldview that Enishi had just shared. There was some truth to his words though. Humans would not face themselves easily, and Zeo too had moments of such conflict. He had the awareness to acknowledge himself and his own behavior than others, but still...

He wanted to say something, anything to put that twisted worldview to ease. Enishi wasn't a monster-- no more than Zeo was with his new abilities. "You are human-- no more than I am. Genetics don't make you a monster, actions do," Zeo said flatly. ""Monster" is just a word. What you define it to be is on you, no more than me or anyone else. There are only people, and what choices they do. " Zeo said flatly, but a bit pained for the experience he heard from Enishi's viewpoint.

Zeo shook his head, wishing to change the topic. The stress of Enishi's pain was too much for him, and likely a bit more. Still he held a hand over his right eye-- feeling the small throb still there from its previous activation. "Anyway, I'm sorry... for seeing such a personal moment. I just..." Zeo didn't even know how to describe it. It felt different from using Genjutsu. Even with his study into the art, he never heard of a genjutsu that allowed one to go into another person's memories. It wasn't like he was interacting with Enishi's chakra, but an echo of something that truly happened in the past. He didn't go into Enishi's mind but somehow relived what involved him.

"It was like I was there... but a ghost. It felt so real and yet, nothing I did changed anything. Like some kind of out-of-body experience. " he explained, his heartbeat racing a bit. "How ... can my eyes do such a thing? And t hen there was that ... power. My persona... just what are these eyes of mine?"

A bit of fear was in Zeo's heart. He tried to swallow it down but it was a nervous sensation he couldn't shake. Nothing was scarier than having a power you could barely control. It benefited him, but without understanding it, it was no better than a wildfire that could burn you as well. Enishi probably understood that fear more than anyone. Zeo NEEDED to understand this power. He had to learn its origin and its secrets if he wanted to use it properly.

Still, to reach into another's past to see events unfold was a formidable ability in itself. He bit his lip, unsure how he would manage or use that power. He started to pace back and forth, his mind racing with questions of his own issues that he felt his brain was a thunderstorm.

WC: 548

"...I'm not a monster?" The demented visage of the understudy slowly reverted into his normal inquisitive gaze. For a moment - yet a crucial one that truly showed the brewing darkness in him, the Jugo heir revealed to Zeo an inkling of his demented worldview. Humans were generally unable to face the truth, humans found it easier to blame others than to blame themselves...and humans, always committed sin. As Enishi claimed with cold confidence brimming throughout himself - those were universal facts of the human condition. To be human was to wallow in adversity and squirm for all to see. To be human was to be in conflict between self-improvement and self-stagnation. To be human...was to be in moral conflict; the conflictions between morality determined whether one was to be written off as a monster or revered as a saint among humans. However, where the two clashed was rather humans were inherently sinful - or inherently neutral or maybe even moral. Enishi saw humans with bitter cynicism - piss and vinegar, Zeo saw humans with a blank slate - some might even see such a worldview as optimism. Heh, how funny - a shinobi being an optimist. Despite the monologues the two spewed towards each other with rapid intensity, Enishi could have sworn he saw a ghost - a specter of light surrounding Zeo.

The Kamigawa couldn't see it.

No one could see it.

Only Enishi could see it.

"...Misaki?" The understudy muttered; his voice was low and pondering; his eyes widened reflexively as he peered further and further into that ghost of light. Then suddenly...it disappeared. There was no mistaking it, for a brief moment - he saw Misaki in Zeo Kamigawa. Misaki, the woman who gave him the hope to live another day, the woman that gave him a place to stay...the human that convinced him that not everyone was uncaring...her ghost fluttered around Zeo before dissipating back into the afterlife. Was she attempting to guide him once again, away from the path of suffering and self-hatred or did she want to admonish him for thinking in such a way? Enishi didn't know, he was too shocked to conclude anything, but he understood something clear...his way of thinking, hurt her. He regained his composure. For a moment, the understudy was taken aback at the prism of light, but soon he would accept it. 

He wouldn't turn away from the light, never again.

Even if he couldn't accept it at the very moment...he felt it, the same emotion that she gave to him years ago. "Hope." The single thought that reflected in his psyche like a drop of water resounding through an endless ocean, was displayed for all to see on his body. Like the dawn destroying dusk, the demented expression on his face soon switched to a smile. His body relaxed, as he put his hands in his pockets in a manner uncharacteristic of the understudy. It was as if the burdens in his life for a brief moment, were destroyed. The sin of his ancestors, his parents, and those who he slaughtered whenever he went berserk was currently levied. A new expression indicative of a monumental change appeared on Enishi, one of resignation and...peace.

"I've killed many people. I've stolen many lives. I have performed atrocities that only people devoid of humanity can perform. We call those people, monsters. My genetics didn't make me kill others, I did. I was a slave to my bloodline." Despite his cruel words, he still spoke his words with an odd sense of prideful cadence - as if he was at peace with killing others. "However, I decided. I will no longer be a slave. I am Enishi Kurosawa - I am not a monster. My hands still reek of the blood of the countless I've killed to get to this point, but I do not intend to wash them. I'll carry the souls of the people I've slaughtered...and I'll channel it, to protect the people I certainly can save. I won't run away anymore by calling myself a monster - I'll accept that Enishi Kurosawa has killed people to get there...and with the people, I've killed - I'll use their will to save a thousand more!" Spoken like a true soldier of hope, the understudy's eyes flared - natural energy instinctively surrounding him. No, the understudy was no longer a fitting title for Enishi Kurosawa.

He was an Apostle, an Apostle of Hope.

"Your power isn't a sin, don't be afraid of it. It should be something you're proud of. Your parents created someone as special as you, someone who can tap into a strength that many would want to take those eyes of yours for their own perverted benefit... Accept it. You're the only one who can wield this power, so don't ever turn away from it, Zeo!"

WC: 891
TWC: 1950

Zeo was still a bit taken aback by the abilities he displayed and all on sheer instinct rather than attempt. These eyes... this power, was something he had to admit-- he envied from other shinobi. And now he had it. A unique power all his own from birth. But he now felt fear for it. That and he was swirling for answers as to if this was a kekkei genkai-- why did his parents never tell him. His mind returned to the scroll, wondering if that simple container now sealed held some answers he could find to help him. 

That was till Enishi's words snapped him out of it. He spoke of the lives he took due to his 'curse'. Zeo realized it before him, but his words only cemented it. He made errors, and lives were lost, but to carry the weight of responsibility and push to be better-- was the only way to truly go forward in life. It was a cost Zeo knew he had to pay as well as a shinobi. He was no fool to know that one day he would have to take a life, to save a life. Still it was comforting that Enishi understood that price. 

Further, Enishi was the one to make Zeo realized he should embrace his power, not fear it. While it was easier said than done, it was no less true. THe fear in Zeo's chest dissipated and he breathed out in relief, understanding he had to press on himself. 

A smile returned to Zeo's face. He didn't know what Enishi saw about him that made his tone change-- but he was glad he could put the past behind and forge a future. Zeo should do the same. As he realized this , the rain began to lessen and stop outside, as lingering thunder echoed in the distance. 

Realizing he could try again, Zeo extended a hand to shake his once more. "You're right. So... let's work on both our goals-- together. I think that would be a great idea. If we do, I think we may make some good with our gifts after all." he said with earnest, interested to see them both grow. 


Zeo was happy that he could once again shake hands and form a closer bond to Enishi. They both were outsiders, loners and suffered in their own ways. But now, they could possibly grow together to solve the mysteries of each other's lives. Time would only tell what Enishi could do to control his 'curse', or Zeo's unraveling the mysteries of his Kekkei Genkai's origins. Either way, their odds were better now together. The storm began to dissipate and sunshine began to show through the windows now. In due time, they would be free to leave the hospital. When they did, they would walk out better than new, and ready to test each other to master their mysterious abilities. It was a future that Zeo would embrace as long as he had friends to help him see it through. Their future was brighter now, even though they lost the CHunin exams... things were starting to actually seem far brighter because of their experiences. It was nothing to take lightly or dismiss as a mere failure. They were stronger now for their loss. 


In the shadows of the hospital, however, hidden from view and having eavesdropped on the conversation-- a shinobi with a mask had observed and listened-- but smirked with confidence to hear that his charge, Zeo, had grown and overcomes his fear. He would only go up from there... and a new dawn would come to Hoshigakure with his awakening to his abilities... 


Zeo Exit: 


WC:  612


TWC: 5118


Jutsu Learned: A Rank Wolf Sense for Omega Summon WC: 2063 (-25% off) 
S rank Howling Cyclone  for Omega Summon too WC: 3000 (-25% off) 

Approved

[EXIT]

Thread TWC: 7304
TWC Available to be claimed: 1950

Claims:
Claiming Zeo Kamigawa's Chakra Signature Memorization
When this thread gets approved, putting 1050 towards and to finish off the training of Queen's Gambit [2000/2000]
900 WC towards changing Iryojutsu Specialty into Sensory Specialty [900/2000]
Untraining 10 Stat Points of Chakra and Using 9 Stat Points to put that towards Speed.

Looks good, approved