Til Death Do Us Part

So it seemed the man had enough sense to retreat. Clearly an impressive feat considering he should have already been trapped by the girl’s shadow style jutsu. Alice couldn’t help but smirk at the thought. Some might have gotten angrier at their prey fleeing after making a defiant act, but the rogue kunoichi simply found it amusing.

The blonde male had moved quickly, but not so quickly that the Nara couldn’t easily track his movement, which allowed her to notice the new arrival roughly the same time Taishi had. ”Well look what we have hereeeee,” she said aloud in her usual playful manner. It looked like she had another little toy to play with, whether the boy knew it or not.

”Don’t worry, R. I don’t want to scare off our new little friend here. What would he think if I just killed you here without warning?” The kunoichi was standing straight up once more with her hands still clasped behind her back and smiling in the direction of R and his new meat shield. Her right hand, still hidden from view, formed a single seal and the area began to fill with an eerie mist. It was just light enough for all five members of this little gathering to clearly see one another, but not much beyond that.

Suddenly, an ominous crimson aura began to swirl around Alice before shaping itself into a clearly feminine figure in a hooded robe. The figure’s face was hidden beneath the hood except for two crimson eyes peaking out and staring right at the new arrival. It held a lantern at its side in its left hand and a long scythe in its right. The rogue’s killing intent was made incredibly clear. The unnamed boy would soon likely begin to see images of his own death played over and over again in his mind. Impaled time and again by unyielding spikes made of shadows while the sadistic laugh of Alice could be heard clearly in each vision ringing out with sheer delight.

The clone would begin taking slow, pointed steps toward her new prey. A maniacal grin was clear on her face now and the bloodlust she kept locked away was leaking out. In that moment she no longer cared about Taishi behind her or the disrespectful blonde nearby. All she cared about was the look of pure dread that would no doubt be on the boy’s face as he realized his life was no longer his, but instead at the mercy of this twisted girl he had happened upon. What shitty luck he must have had. She finally reached the boy after what probably seemed like an eternity to him, but was really only a moment or two, and reached out with her left hand. At the same time she did that, the reaper would bring back her scythe in a position ready to strike. Just as the Alice clone’s hand would reach the top of the boy’s head the, the reaper’s scythe would pass through the boy’s neck and then completely vanish along with the mist. The clone’s hands moved slowly to cup the boy’s face as she smiled at him, leaving a nearly imperceptible seal. ”So, what’s your name?”

[used display of power, Mark Seal and hidden mist. Clone has 165ap remaining. Original has 150ap after upkeep for hiding in shadow]

Levi was discovered, crap. Was it his stomach growling that gave him away? It coulnd't be his height since he was too short to be noticed. Not that it would matter now that they had found out about his presence. The white haired male had suddenly vanished only to reappear next to Levi. He could see that the brute wouldn't join his friend's example as he remained where he was, probably ready to interfere when needed. It was only a matter of time before something would happen. With all of his strength having left his legs it would be futile to try and run away, so Levi had no other option than to wait.

As the kunoichi turned her attention to Levi and his blond visitor, a sudden mist began to take form around all of them. He was hoping it would just be a change in the weather that had started to take place, but that was just his wishful thinking. It didn't take long for Levi to figure out she was the one calling the shots. With slow steps she was walking towards him, just about the same time an unpleasant aura had started to gather around her. It was at that moment Levi didn't know what was happening and couldn't believe his eyes as it looked like the Grim Reaper itself had appeared in front of him.

From that point on, all he would be able to hear was a creepy smile as the individual carrying a scythe was getting closer and closer. He didn't know how much time had passed before the bloodlusted maniac finally had made her way over and was now standing right in front of him. It would only be a matter of time before the scythe would start swinging in his direction, putting an end to his life of running. He knew he was looking to find peace, but he didn't mean it like this. After all he had been through, Levi wasn't afraid to die. But he wasn't expecting it to come this soon.

Just as he had said his prayers and accepted his fate, the reaper would disappear into the mist, leaving the sudden and gentle touch of the girl on his head. More confused than he already was, he had no idea what was going on. Finally the girl would speak, asking his name. With his first words, not knowing if they would also be his final he answered.

"Levi"

(WC: 411, TWC: 744)

Just as he had predicted it didn't take long for the girl to catch up, the male flashed a fake smile at her words. There was absolutely no reason why she couldn't or wouldn't cut straight through this stranger to get to him. However she decided to play magician by adding fog to the already white area. Delaying the inevitable to make it more fun for herself? Maybe but she also called forth her shadow friend the way she had when she forced Taishi, the tree boy, and himself to fight for their lives. It didn't work on him then and it wasn't working now but that had to be intentional, the male between them hadn't enough time to respond to Rui when she arrived. And he probably didn't have enough time to process everything that was going on before he'd start to see the images and hear the sounds. It was annoying that she was doing it again but at least she had an M.O., calling cards were helping in becoming infamous.

Naturally one would be planning a means of escape while she was distracted but even with her oddly diminished chakra there was nowhere he could go. He wasn't sure how much stamina she had after summoning them but the price of his eyes and limited wouldn't allow for a long fight. Maybe she had the patience to wait for this guy to get stronger after killing this blonde asset? if so that would be one pathetic death for the Shinkou. Then again she could just keep him around to train the stranger she had just marked him after all and the poor sap had no idea. She asked his name which was better than saying "I killed some guy in the Land of Iron after retrieving my 'subordinates' from Kono". Of course, he answered Ryal was like a bug to her normally making this guy a crumb. The two of them would simply wait to see what would happen next.

WC: 333

Well, on the plus side it would seem that Alice had redirected her attentions to this newcomer. His partner would get a pass, even if only momentarily. The young girl would approach the new guy while giving off that "I could kill you without even breaking a sweat" vibe, though this seemed to be really a test, as what one does in the face of such insurmountable odds is key. Would he sit there, paralyzed in fear like a spooked deer? 

Taishi would start to walk closer, following at Alice's pace while keeping a friendly distance between the two. The greyish brute would all the while keep his eyes on the little swordsman. Taishi wasn't Ryal, and if the young man thought it best to brandish a weapon Taishi would likely offer the boy a lesson he wouldn't soon forget.

"So, what do we do with him?" He would ask to everyone, unsure what the crazy shadow witch's plans were. The brute would note that the newcomers name was Levi, and all of his attention seemed focused on Alice. It made sense, as she did have an odd way to interact with new people that demanded response. He would also gaze over to his partner, making sure that everything seemed okay. Taishi would leave the interrogation to Alice, as she could probably glean more information out of the new guy than he could.

Hmm so the new prey’s name was Levi. He didn’t seem like much to the clone, nor the original for that matter. She hadn’t exactly gotten the reaction she had been hoping for with that display just now, but there was a clear vision of defeat on the boy’s face. Unfortunately his arrival had interrupted Alice’s discussion with the other two. She hadn’t even told them what her plans were now or asked if they still wanted to join her. Judging from Levi’s chakra signature and his reaction to the kunoichi’s killing intent he wouldn’t be much use in a fight either, except maybe as a meat shield, something R had immediately picked up on. Decisions, decisions.

”Levi-kuuun hmm, she began to say as the brutish gray one asked what they were going to do with the boy. ”Well, I’ll let my original handle things from here,” the clone replied with a wink. As if to punctuate the clone’s sentence, the original Alice would suddenly rise out of the clone’s shadow to stand on solid ground. Now that she was here, the clone simply shrugged her shoulders with a playful smirk and disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.

Alice, the real Alice this time, cracked her neck and stretched, clearly showing she held no concern over the trio surrounding her. ”That was....amusing. But I haven’t even gotten around to my plans yet! Before I do, however....” the rogue Nara would turn to the newcomer now and make a single seal. Eight long tendrils of shadow would rise up from the ground around here and just move around lazily waiting for an order. ”Tell me, Levi-kun. Do you want to live?” The sadistic glee was evident on her face and her killing intent was evident in her one visible eye. Depending on the boy’s answer he might just meet the real reaper.

[-40 for shadow sewing. Original has 275ap remaining.]

Levi-kun, it had been years since he last was adressed like that. Despite his youthful appearance and short figure he already had reached the age of 25. His last years had consisted of running and surviving on his own. It was a miracle he had lasted this long. Suddenly the young girl rised out of the shadows in front of him. It seemed like it was a clone all this time. Now that the real deal was standing in front of him it was time for her clone to slowly disappear into a cloud of smoke.

With the others just standing around them, it looked like it was going to be between Levi and the crazy girl. Not that it would be his first encounter with someone messed up, but it had been a while since he had seen something like this. Now that it was just between the two of them, the little girl had activated yet again one of her jutsu. As he was trying to figure out what would happen he was being surrounded by eight long tendrils of shadow. Levi would be certain of it now, she had to be part of the Nara clan as well. With a sadistic expression on her face she would finally ask if he wanted to live.

Did he? He wasn't really sure about it anymore. All his years of running had left quite the impact on him. The things he had seen, the places he had visited, he had led a nice life considering he was marked as a Missing Nin. Now that he thought about it, he had lost his goal in life. What was he aiming for, what direction was he looking to take? He had no idea. 
But when he was thinking about weather or not he wanted to live, a certain reminder came to him. His former friends and teammates wouldn't want him to give up hope. They would want him to continue living for their sake as well. He had to live on for them.

"Weather I live or die is upto you. My life is in your hands, or should I say shadows? Although I fear no pain nor death I believe I still have some use in this world. It may as well be in your interest I would continue to live. But if fate has decided that I should meet my end here, it might as well be at the hands of one of my own."

Filled with mere bloodlust and killing intent, the girl still would be able to figure out what Levi meant with that.

(WC: 436, TWC: 1180)

Ryal knew that his partner wasn't asking him solely given the general air of his tone and the fact that it was clear to even the newcomer that Alice was in control. Even if he had made a suggestion it was highly likely to go ignored, while he didn't need to die this crazy little bitch probably had a quota to catch up on. She'd already been thinking on what to do with him when Taishi spoke and said his name childishly before showing her true self. Of course, she'd been hiding, an extra precaution just in case they had gotten stronger. He didn't know how her jutsu worked but the way she stretched made it seem as if she'd actually condensed herself within the limits of the clone's shadow. Rui's eyes narrowed a briefly when she'd finished and begun talking again, she then asked Levi if he wanted to live. His answer to this was quite interesting, he had conveyed the exact message the Shinkou was sending to the one known as Ikki. Though he wasn't too sure about the last part, he couldn't think of anyone who'd be honored to take his life and he clearly wasn't gonna let a stranger do it. 

Just being able to trace back a few mutual ancestors didn't give you the right, it had to be earned. Nevertheless, should Alice decide to spare her alleged clansmen Ryal wouldn't mind working with him. At least for now, he could turn out to be a pain in the ass but only time would tell and this wouldn't last much longer.

WC: 266
AP: 352

Taishi would watch the Nara, her mentioning that she wasn't the original. So it would seem that this was a clone, a chakra based duplicate to confused the targets and provide another line of defense. It would seem as though the pair wasn't truly trusted, but considering that they had only recently met her and right afterwards she was away for some time it made a good deal of sense. Out here there was a "survival of the fittest" mindset, though all it managed to do was breed hostility between the missing ninja and prevent the same level of unity that most villages have. 

Did he want to live? What kind of question was that? Didn't everyone want to live? Taishi of course wasn't afraid of death, but he sure as hell wanted to live. Life was meant to be enjoyed and embraced, not squandered. 

Hearing Levi's response made Taishi give a firm look of confusion, and he would simply shake his head. "What kind of dumbass answer is that? Everyone is in control of their own life, their own fate. Don't relinquish that freedom to anyone, kid." He would look over to the new guy, making sure that his words were understood with clear eye contact if Levi took his eyes off of Alice for a moment, "If you are gonna die, go out on your terms not anyone else's." 

Freedom of choices, that was a huge factor as to why he never desired to try and be recruited into a villages service. Too many rules and restrictions. He could take orders, but if he didn't like them he sure as hell was going to make it known and likely refuse them.

Taishi was right. This guy was a complete idiot. Not afraid to die and no will to live? What the hell was she supposed to do with that? The guy was completely useless to her like this. And thinking that being a fellow Nara was gonna keep Alice from killing him? Well, she should just kill him on principle alone. She probably would have too, if she’s get any satisfaction out of it. There was no way she could take pleasure in the man’s suffering though if he had no will to live. It completely took all the fun out of her methods. She supposed she could raise him up, mold him, and actually give him a reason to live. Then when he was confident and motivated to survive she could rip it all away and utterly destroy him. Yes. That thought did have some draw to it....

”Ugh, a Nara? I should just kill you now I’m principle.” she spat. ”Fiiiiine,” she began again with a sigh. ”I’ll let you live for now. You took all the fun out of killing you anyway. R!!” she shouted, taking her eyes off the pathetic man and settling them on the blonde for a moment. ”Watch your mouth, k?” she said with a playful smile and a wink, which probably looked a bit odd since she was still wearing her eye patch. Of course at the same time she did that her chakra would also flare and seem to reach unparalleled heights to emphasize her words before dampening again.

Without waiting for a response, Alice would simply turn around and flick her wrist, causing several of the tendrils of shadow to clear the snow off of a nearby stump on one swift motion before they disappeared. The sadistic kunoichi skipped on over to the stump and sat down upon it, crossing her legs. ”Taishi dear, our new pet is going to be your responsibility. Turn him into something useful, yea?” she said absently as she focused on flattening out her skirt. ”NOW! On to business.” The Nara would clasp her hands together in her lap and look at each of the haphazard trio or underlings she had managed to amass in turn. ”We’re going to Haven Country. Or more specifically, Hoshigakure no Sato. Most of my allies have gone missing including the young Roku, presumably killed, and I have reason to believe a certain man is connected to this.”

She paused for a moment, looking at each of the three again to make sure they were paying attention. ”The man is an S rogue. An ex-Hoshi shinobi, and so I’m going to go there to get as much information out of their Hogokage as I can before confronting him. As far as I know, the bastard is somewhere in Wind Country. Doing what? I don’t know. And it really doesn’t matter. But I’m going to find this man and get some answers.” Alice would wait then, clearly not giving them an option to refuse, but waiting for their thoughts on the matter regardless.


[used chakra disguise to flare Alice’s chakra and make it feel like 300]

It were long minutes before one of them would respond to what Levi just said. He figured they probably thought of him as an idiot for not begging for his life. That wouldn’t matter to him, with being on the brink of death he wasn’t planning to start making a case of why he should be left alive.

During his years as a shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato there were more than enough times where death was knocking on his door, it was the same when he lost all his friends on a mission that would make Levi decide he wasn’t fit to be a shinobi as he witnessed the deaths of his friends right in front of his eyes. Till this day he still had no idea how he was the only one able to come out alive. That moment and his years of running had made him accept that his time might come sooner than later. And he was okay with it.

“I don't fear death so much as I fear what comes before: loneliness, pain, depression. After a few years of those, I imagine death presents like a holiday at the beach.”

While he thought that he was learning how to live, he had been learning how to die as he had been spending all of his years on his own. Death is not the greatest loss in life, the greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live. So the fact that Levi wasn’t afraid to die was because he might already have died on the inside.

The brute who had remained silent this whole time had finally decided to speak when he turned to Levi. The man probably figured he had kept quiet long enough.
As he started speaking to Levi he went on about how everyone is in control of their own life and that they should be able to go out on their own terms, not someone else’s.

Although he agreed with the brute, Levi didn’t really feel in control of his life at this point. If he was about to die, he of course wanted it to be on his terms, but after all the time that had passed he was tired of running to a road with no end. Having lost his goal in life it could mean that in a way it would be on his own terms after all.

A different response would come from the little yet maniacal girl. Frustrated by his answer she claimed she wouldn't have fun killing him anyway. It wasn't really his intention when he came up with it, but he decided he wouldn't complain at this stroke of luck. It seems he would live to see another day. The dangerous girl let the brute know that he would need to take responsibility over Levi.

Now that it was all settled it was time to change the subject. Declaring they would be going to Haven Country, to Hoshigakure no Sato to be exact. It seemed one of her allies was missing or killed and she had an idea of who could be responsible. Regarding the one responsible for those acts seemed to be an S-Rank Missing Ninja, a former shinobi from Hoshigakure. So that was the reason they would head to Hoshigakure no Sato, to get as much information as possible.

Not really the turn of events Levi was hoping for. First he found himself in a life or death situation and now he had to join these dangerous people he knew nothing about to Hoshigakure. A situation he wasn't really looking for and didn't expect at all. 

(WC: 605, TWC: 1785)