Re: Dance In The Dark - [Spar P Ken/Mizu]

Mon Nov 09, 2020 11:27 pm

Her grip slackened in disbelief as he spoke her true name, a name of which most hadn’t heard with living ears - he continued as though dropping her name was of unimportance though.
Continuing on with his speech full of praise and acknowledgement of work and dedication. She was feeling prideful of her progress and his words even brought a slight blush to her cheeks; it was the final words that made her lips fall open in utter shock - combined with his kneeling in front of her it took a second for his words to register their meaning. Those words would completely trump all previous statements, decimate all expectations she could have had for his actions and leave her speechless for a long moment.

Blinking a few times she would come to and refocus herself trying to gather her thoughts with a slight shake of her head. “Get up, what are you- Don’t kneel to me that's so unnecessary.” She was shaking her head, a smile creeping over her face as she tried to hide her excitement but she couldn’t help but place her cold fingers on her burning cheeks. “I can’t believe this.. I- thank you for this, there is so much I want to do.” She was looking at him again, her hands pulled from her face and being used in an animated way to emphasize her points as she spoke - her face alight with ideas and ablaze with ambition. “The world will know us like never before I have so much to do!” She was pacing now, the energy from the news infecting her and causing her mind to flash forward into full planning mode - the opportunities were endless.

She would stop suddenly and look at him sharply - “I get the office… that view, the grove around it - you weren’t.. Planning this were you?” She was referring to the Kage tower being built as if she had always been in mind - from the moment the two had met outside of the morgue he had found her enjoying the heights of ruins or at the tallest points she could get on; the vantage point always brought her ease. It could all just be coincidence of course...

WC 367

Thu Nov 12, 2020 10:24 pm

He was correct… she was indeed blushing at the praise, it was interesting really… she was an extremely impressive person in general but she was completely unable to handle praise in any capacity… how very fitting for her. It was when he kneeled to her that she would truly become shocked, rendered speechless and only able to blink almost owlishly, before she shook her head in an effort to bring her back into the correct state of mind. As she spoke he could see that she was desperately trying, and failing, to hide the smile that was creeping up on her face, so with a small smirk on his own face he would respond in kind, a hint of teasing in his tone.

“As you command, Lord Kazekage”

With that said, he would rise slowly, and as she continued to speak he would simply smile proudly at her. He could see the joy on her face, and as her fingers came up to her extremely flushed face she would begin to speak, before starting to gesture around wildly with her hands, something he had never seen from her before. She was so animated… so free right now, and he loved it. As she was pacing and declaring more she would suddenly come to a halt and eye him sharply, before asking him whether this was something that he had been planning… heh, he wondered when she would have caught on. With his Byakugan he didn’t need a tower like that one to see everything that was happening in the village, and truthfully it was a little too grandiose for his own tastes… but, he had seen how Mizuki designed her house. He wondered whether she had realised that the wood in the office itself, as well as the desk and the chairs within, were made from the very same wood that she had inlaid throughout her house. He knew that she loved having the vantage point, from all the times that he had seen her watching over the village… The Spire had been designed in her image. With the same amused smirk upon his face Kenshin would lock eyes with Mizuki.

“How very astute of you… well, no point trying to hide it at this point. Yes, I had been planning this for quite some time now, but I will admit I had not been planning to give you the title quite this soon… you truly did manage to surprise me in this spar… surprise me and completely surpass even the high expectations I already had for you. I cannot stress enough just how proud of your progress I am, and with the level of strength you possess now I believe you are ready for the title of Kazekage. You will do Sunagakure proud, and you will lead the village to heights that I cannot.” The Ragdoll would express with the same proud smile on his face, and in the process showing just how much faith he held in her. He knew it was all true as well… Mizuki was the sole shinobi in Sunagakure that he could truly say held the village above all else… she cared about the village more than she cared about herself, and that was somewhat scary to think about, especially for someone like her. Not even he cared about the village to that extent… and that was what made her perfect Kage material… the village needed someone who could guide it and nurture it an a way that he couldn’t. He was the perfect founder, he set the foundations and made sure everything was grounded, he ensured that Suna would withstand the test of time… but now it was time to hand the village to someone who could truly help it grow to new heights.

“I… was a good founding Kage, but I am not the type of person who is fit for leading the village in the future, I am too well known… too feared and too hated, too harsh and too cold. I created the foundation, I designed the systems and implemented them… but now it is time to hand the future of the village to the one person that I truly believe can nurture it properly… to the one person who can truly bring this village to the heights I know it can reach. It is time… for you to ascend to the position you were always meant to hold.” With that, Kenshin would smile once more, reaching over and resting his hand on Mizuki’s shoulder, weakly gripping his hand and beaming at her proudly.

“It is time for me to take a step back, but make no mistake… I am not going anywhere. Sunagakure is my home and I will defend her to my dying breath. With that said… I would like to put my name forward for the position of Anbu Commander. Lilith is a good shinobi… she is powerful and she has a very good mentality, but she does not want to lead the Anbu… she dislikes leading people in general, and truthfully I understand why. As a former Anbu yourself I am sure you are aware of just how… disjointed the organisation felt… how little it actually did, and how little systems were in place. I aim to fix that before handing it to someone who I feel can live up to the title. I will also continue in my role as Medical Corps Commander, training those that wish to aid our shinobi with the Medical Arts.” Kenshin would say, with a small smirk on his face, before reaching over his shoulders and gathering his mane in a pony-tail, and holding it about an inch off the back of his head with his right hand

“One final thing… I think it is time for me to take a new form once more, the Stark persona served me well for a time, as did The Monster that is my base form… but now, it is time for me to become a person again, for me to no longer being the thing that goes bump in the night.” The Ragdoll would declare, before using his threads to completely sever the hair cleanly. With a few handseals the form of The Reaper would begin to shrink, and his facial structure would shift minutely. The scars on his face would vanish completely, and his eyes would shift from silver to a vibrant red. He would gain a little weight, but would still be what most would consider to be quite skinny.

“...Actually, there is one more thing I believe you should know.” The Reaper would admit, his voice still sounding the same as it did in his base form, as this was his new base form and he quite liked his own voice. His red eyes would look almost worried and ashamed as he met Mizuki’s gaze, before allowing his eyes to break their lock as he stared at the ground for a few moments, silently contemplating how he should say this so as not to worry her too much.

“...I am not well… in fact, I would go so far as to say that I am dying, albeit slowly. I’m sure you can feel it… my chakra, it is foul… toxic, and it is destroying me from within. My body is not powerful enough to contain it… I never once believed that I was immortal, but to be destroyed by the very power that I sought out is truly ironic isn’t it…” Kenshin would admit, still unable to meet the gaze of Mizuki properly.

“I… have been trying for months now to slow this decay… trying for months to delay it… and trying for much longer to reverse it… but I have had no such luck. My body rejects new bloodlines, and those that I possess are probably the only reason I am still alive now… no serums or medicines have helped, and my techniques are not designed to heal such precise levels of damage… I have hit a wall, and this point I may have to resort to some truly desperate measures.”

“I haven’t told anyone this, not even Lilith knows, although I believe she has her own suspicions on the matter… I just… for the first time in what feels like ages… I am scared, and I don’t know what to do. I didn’t want people to worry for me, I couldn’t appear to be weak… and now, I truly don’t know whether it is too late. I’ve never worried about death, I never had anything that I wanted to see flourish and grow… I had nothing to live for, but now that I have found that something… this happens. Life truly is cruel…” The Ragdoll would say, lifting his head to meet Mizuki’s eyes once again, his own eyes wet and red, and his shoulders shaking lightly.

“...But, I refuse to simply lie down and die… I am not some simple shinobi, I am Kenshin Uzumaki… and I will beat this… and for the first time in my life… I know that I cannot do this alone… I need help. It’s also quite amusing… because the one person that I would ever consider asking for help just happens to be the one person that I truly believe can help me with this issue… and, as I am sure you realise, that person is you Mizuki…”

WC: 1568

Tue Dec 01, 2020 12:10 am

Her hand would come up to cross over her body and rest atop The First’s hand - the weak grip strengthening under her grasp - symbolic as usual. She listened to his praise and his words of faith in her ability to lead the village to heights unseen - and she intended to do just that, the fire that had burned in her on their first meeting was an inferno now, passion drove her forward. She would of course nod in agreement, words at a loss still, but nevertheless in agreement to his request - she never loved being around Lillith anyways so not having to have to deal with her on the daily outside of her new office was for the better. He pulled his hand away and she released it without question as she watched curiously to his next declaration - a change of appearance signifying a new era.

She watched with slightly widening eyes as The Monster became a man again - shrinking in height and shifting in looks to resemble a much more human appearance, he was still so thin it was on par with her appearance. His voice also stayed the same and it was a small comfort to her as she had grown fond of her friends’ tone - familiar and comforting. Suddenly though he was .. nervous; squinting her eyes in confusion she studied his face as he spoke to the ground. His next words hit her a bit harder than she expected and the worry for his life rose in her with no outlet - the mask of old slid down and she reigned in her emotions to not show her worry; now more than ever she would be the rock that he needed. Life was indeed cruel… here she stood with the blood of a clan that could outlive anyone without breaking a sweat, live centuries if left undisturbed and she was set to watch the people she loved slowly die…

The Kyuketsuki. Perhaps the near immortal blood could help.. But there was no telling and she didn’t want to get his hopes up with maybes - but the look in his eyes called for something to be done. She did not pity him as that is not what he needed nor what he was asking for but damn.. What a predicament. Thoughtfully she would look down, diverting her gaze not from upset but with focus on how to word her next phrase. “Kenshin, you won’t die I know your mind and determination and I never doubted you wouldn’t do everything in your power to overcome this… I am not sure how helpful this bit of information will be but my clan-” taking a deep breath, she would push aside the odd feeling of betraying her clan, revealing such a secret, “- given our.. Affliction we have an uncanny aging process. Not immortal by any means but we can live, if undisturbed, to unknown ages. According to old texts and memoirs of deceased members I’ve come across we rapidly age to our peak and then slow down to a crawl. Meaning, I will look this old for decades to come… in fact my biological parents were among the original 7 of my clan and while that would be impossible for other clans for mine, heh, not so much. The point of my bringing this up is perhaps with your medical ability you can find a way to isolate that ability and patch it into you?”

As she finished her words she would look back into his eyes with a stern look, one of which would be seen far more often - with the new weight of her entire village resting on her shoulders there was a rising sense of responsibility that fit her like a glove. The expression didn’t mar her beauty, her small stature did not take away from the commanding presence that exuded off of her - Lord Kazekage, not Lady.

WC 649

Wed Dec 02, 2020 9:39 pm

The Reaper would meet the worried eyes of Mizuki with a small smile of his own, listening to the words of confidence that she spoke as well as the confession about her clan and their rather… unique physiology. Truth be told, he had already known about the Kyuketsuki and their immunity to the effects of time, in large part thanks to Mizuki herself… or rather, to the organs that he still possessed after giving her the Uzumaki and Senju transplants. The tests he had performed had revealed their extraordinary nature, and truthfully it was something that he personally was familiar with. The same effect actually worked for both the skin and threads of the Tau… he, much like her, would forever outlive everyone around him so long as he continued to replace his organs as they began to fail him. The issue here was that his organs and his threads were being destroyed by his chakra, as they were simply not powerful enough to truly contain the toxic and foul energy… it was his own strength that was killing him. His testing had revealed that the organs he had received from Mizuki were so foreign, and so alien to his system, that he simply could not transplant them… but he had theorised something that he could do.

If he had his threads consume and absorb the organs, and more specifically, assimilate the cells within… there was an ever so small chance that it would strengthen his body, and if his body was strengthened the decay would cease. Well, that wasn’t exactly true, it would be slowed to the point that it was essentially a non-factor, and if that happened then he could truly heal the residual damage that it had already caused. As is, he could heal the damage itself… but the very chakra that he used to heal the damage would end up simply causing the damage again… it was amusing really.

“I won’t lie… I already knew about that ability, and my own bloodline is… in it’s own way, remarkably similar to yours. My skin, my threads, and my brain, do not age… or rather, their aging process is so slowed that it defies logic and reason. The rest of my organs, however, do not share this same strength… and in order for me to continue functioning as I age, and my organs ail, I simply need to replace them with newer and healthier organs. If I do that, I am effectively ageless… much as you are Mizuki. My issue comes from the fact that my own chakra is what is killing me… the decay is damaging the cells themselves because my body is simply not strong enough to handle the power of my chakra.” The Ragdoll would explain, trying to make sure Mizuki understood exactly what it was that he was going through right now. Truthfully, even as he spoke, he could feel the light pain across his body, his very nerves being slowly degraded and consumed by his chakra… but he had grown used to it, and it was a very slow process.

“I will admit… I am amazed by your bloodline, both in terms of the kekkei genkai and of your direct lineage… it is truly something remarkable. When I mentioned earlier reaching a rather desperate decision… I meant it, I have been studying the organs I obtained from you when I transplanted the Senju and Uzumaki DNA… and I believe them to be the key. If I can manage to have my threads assimilate your organs, or more specifically the cells… I think I can beat this… but there is also every chance that the cells of your clan will end up clashing my own, and damaging me further in the process. It truly is a 50/50 at this point… and truthfully, I do not have any other choices, this is my only option.” Kenshin would then say, a small smile on his face as he gazed at the remarkably impossible woman that stood before him. Each of them were inhuman in their own right, and each of them would outlive everyone around them, provided they were not simply killed… and he had to admit, he was very glad to have met her. With a deep breath Kenshin would close his eyes and flash her a true smile

“Mizuki… no matter how this ends, thank you. I am truly glad to have met you.” He would declare, before exhaling and opening his eyes once more, the crimson orbs within hardened with determination.

“...I’ve made up my mind… it is time for me to take a leap of faith… time for me to end this. Success or failure mean nothing at this point… all failure does is speed up the inevitable, while success halts it entirely.” He would state, his voice confident as a small smirk rose on his face.

“And if it does fail… I’ll simply have to find another way. I will not give up, I am Kenshin Uzumaki… I have spat in the face of death once before and I will do so again... but this time I will be the one survivng.” He would declare confidently.

“Before I take my leave Lord Kazekage… I have a technique that I would like to teach you. I noticed during our spar your mastery of the Uzumaki Chakra Chains... and back when I possessed Uzumaki DNA I created my own varient of the chains, one that is much more powerful and versatile than the base chains..” The Reaper would explain, telling her his old Absorption Chains and how to perform them, explaining how she needed to mold the chakra within herself. Very similar in some ways to the base chains in application, but also quite different and more intense.

Once she had successfully performed the technique he would pull the woman into a hug, and simply hold her for a few seconds… before releasing her, taking a step back.

"The next time you see me I will either be cured, or looking for a new way to cure myself... this I swear." With that said, The Ragdoll would merge with the earth.

It was finally time.

WC: 1033

[Exit]

TWC: 5464

1 word towards Black Receivers, claiming (1874 words trained here, 25% max stat discount)

847 words towards Six Paths of Pain, claiming (1028 words trained here, 25% max stat discount)

1875 words towards Shinra Tensei, claiming (25% max stat discount)

1875 words towards Preta Path, claiming

866 words towards Outer Path, 1009 words remaining (25% max stat discount)

Mon Dec 21, 2020 4:00 am

The stern look remained on her face as he continued - his knowledge of her bloodline and clan abilities rivaling her own - but really what was expected from the man who spent all his time experimenting. While she wasn’t the most skilled at Iryojutsu she had become well versed enough to understand what he was explaining - and it seemed her clan was the only possible stall to the ailment. She would nod as his thanks, emotion of this level from him wasn’t very common and truly after everything that had happened she was feeling a bit strained emotionally so keeping a stern expression meant stability for her mentally.

He then decided to grant her one last gift - his own version of Uzumaki chains that went above and beyond what the base level versions she had mastered could do. Brilliant in their uses and versatility … there were a great many advantages this gave her and she couldn’t wait to explore all the options these opened for her. It had taken her a couple tries and clarifications before she had it completely under wraps - of course more time at a later date would help her become as comfortable with them as their predecessors.

Surprisingly once she had it she found herself drawn into a hug, for a moment she stood awkwardly before softening and returning the hug - her friend ready to take on the challenge that lay ahead of him with a strong will. She would give a heart warming smile as he drew back.

“Don’t let me down.”, would be her only words to him as he merged into the ground and left her standing under that beautiful moon. The second Kazekage.

[EXIT]

WC 281

TWC 4026
Max Stat Discount 25% used
2500 towards Absorption Chains [V7] - Taught at half word count 2500/2500
849 towards [V7] Chakra Enhanced Strength 1875/1875
677 towards Damage Reduction Shield [V7] 677/1875

Mon Dec 21, 2020 4:09 am

Approved