After returning as a Jounin of Kirigakure, Maikeru seemed much himself, yet very exhausted. Though many didn't know it, including some of his close friends, he was actually hearing Jigoku's voice and seeing him, despite him actually being gone. Being Jigoku was already sent to the Void, this was actually a psychological problem, which he has since been cured of after a visit with a pair of talented Medical Ninja. It seemed things were finally looking up.
However, on a mission to a desert island far south east of any of the Great Five Shinobi Nations to repair a seal that closes a door containing some very dangerous creatures, Maikeru was reportedly poisoned and wound up actually being locked inside the seal himself. The details of how he escaped aren't clear, but many assume the creatures got back out and were distracted enough with massacring the monks on the island that he had time to fully repair the seal. When he was found, he had only recently recovered from starvation in his time behind the seal, as well as the poison, but he is now in much better shape. Since then, though, it seems he has decided to drop the act of attempting to be too nice of a person, as the shoe never really fit, and has begun allowing his darker, much more dangerous and dominant side, his true self, to show.
Maikeru was accepted as a Jounin of Kirigakure soon after arriving from the Land of Demons. He later went back to make peace with the Land of Demons and was officially released from them. Recently, he went out with a team led by a Death Hand Agent and was the last of the Kirigakure team on the battlefield. He went missing for a while. When Takeshi brought him back, he had lost all his memory and was writing a poem and sparring quite a bit. He has since regained his memory and gone to work with new motivation. It is rumored he killed the S-Rank Criminal Kaede without taking so much as a scratch in their last battle. When he came back from that fight, he started a new group called the Onryou.
After Maikeru saw Ruki acting strange in the gardens, he attacked and fatally wounded him, which led to Ruki's death by being jumped by Kirigakure shinobi. It was discovered that Ruki was in fact Kaede. Maikeru claims to have been under the influence of some sort of jutsu that led him to believe he had killed Kaede before. Since then, his attitude has taken a rather drastic change. He seems to be no longer interested in leading some sort of revolution against injustice, instead becoming focused on power.
Unable to serve Hikan's bloodlust anymore, Maikeru turned on Kirigakure during a war where Hikan's scientists were wielding a giant laser that was killing thousands. He used his signature jutsu to help destroy the weapon and began wandering. He seems to be a friend to all villages except the one he turned on so far, though there may have been a few friendly speedbumps with a certain Jounin Councilman.
Jigoku… That is the name the man gave himself to mock those whose chakra he absorbed into himself, calling himself Hell. He was more beast than man, craving only power and destroying anyone he could to gain more. His powers allowed him to absorb the chakra of those he killed into himself to make himself more powerful with each kill. Rather than simply making himself powerful enough to protect himself and his people like most shinobi, he wanted to become a god. To be able to crush a village with more impact than one of the tailed beasts would have been an utter delight to him. At first, he was thought to be a myth, something a villager came up with to scare others, but, as the man became more powerful, he began to allow himself to become notorious around the Land of Demons, and his bloodlust began to spiral rapidly out of control. Teams of Chuunin and Jounin bound together to try to take him down but all ended up just feeding more power into him.
Jigoku's bloodlust finally took a turn for the worst when he decided he was powerful enough to take on and absorb the leader of the Land of Demons along with her guards. He charged into the capital, killing and absorbing as many shinobi as he could along the way. The streets began to run with blood as more and more people became a part of the legion of souls he had taken. All the shinobi in the capital stood against him to protect their leader. As the battle raged on and people fled, the lord of the land sprang out with a vessell in hand and began to go through Hand Seals, preparing to seal Jigoku inside it. When Jigoku saw this, he grabbed the closest hostages he could, a woman and her infant and leapt toward the priestess. Just as the seal was about to become complete, Jigoku threw the infant at the vessel, shattering it and causing the power that was being used to seal him in the vessel to flow into the child. Knowing it was too late and too dangerous to stop the seal from happening, the the priestess quickly scribed a seal on the infant's right arm to contain Jigoku's soul inside it. Once Jigoku was safely sealed inside the arm, she then began scribing seals onto the boy's arm to make sure that Jigoku was contained and not able to take complete control over the boy's body or animate himself ethereally. After making sure the seals were complete, the priestess then turned to check on the boy's mother, who much to her dismay was dead… Apparently, Jigoku had to have one last kill before he was sealed away. Found in the dead mother's purse was a blanket with what they assumed to be the boy's name, and so they called him Maikeru.
Maikeru was raised by a female shinobi of the village. She raised him as her own and trained him as best she could, but it was the priestess that taught him his most important techniques… How to keep Jigoku under control. From his time as a child, he was taught extensively how to perform seals. He had to practice over and over again the seals to keep the power in his arm contained while still being able to use it. This gave little time for him to make friends. Of course, it was very hard to make friends when most other children would either poke fun or be frightened at the sight of his arm. Their reactions discouraged him at first, but he learned to laugh them off. This did take some patience, though. There were times when he lost his temper and even used a touch of the power of his arm to teach some of them a lesson. Of course, that tended to return a good amount of discipline his way because it tended to bring up talk among the villagers about potentially needing to amputate his arm because of the power that lied in it, as well as the person sealed in it. The priestess insisted to them that Maikeru was working on his temper and also suggested that they discipline their children for provoking him.
As Maikeru grew older, he became more immune to the talk of other children and even adults. He found that once he stopped responding to their foolishness, his life was able to become a bit more normal, although, Jigoku being able to speak from his arm, trying to entice him to kill, didn't help matters. Once he was able to calm down, he even made a friend out of a girl a couple years younger than he named Aika. Over the years of their youth, they grew closer, though his training still took up a large amount of his time. He had to learn how to perfect making solid shapes out of his chakra as well as learn Chakra Leech and other techniques capable of stealing others chakra to be able to use the power of Jigoku, though Jigoku wasn't eager to give up his own techniques to the boy. It is still unkown even to Maikeru whether or not he will ever be able to delve deep enough into Jigoku's power to learn the techniques he used. Only time will tell. He also began taking missions for the village, which helped villagers see a little reason that his arm shouldn't be chopped off.
After he had become on of the priestess' ANBU, Maikeru planned to ask to court Aika since all his current life goals were out of the way. He had his timing planned out, when to present her with roses, exactly the words to say. He was on his way out of town to meet her in the place they had decided to meet that day when he heard the sounds of a fight going on. His eyes grew wide, and he rushed to find out what was going on. A shock came over him as he saw another ninja standing over Aika's dead body. Rage came over him, and he thrust his possessed arm forward, sending an enormous form of it at him to grab him. His eyes locked with those of his love's murderer, and he saw something in them. He wasn't after her. The murderer had come for him to try to take his power. In a rage, he began to release some of the seals on his arm, and, before he knew it, he had completely released Jigoku's power. Enormous power flowed from him, crushing and mangling the body of the strange ninja who had come for him until blood spewed as his body popped like a balloon. He tossed the body into the woods then walked over to Aika, picking her up and walking with her to the spot where he had planned to ask her. With the power still flowing from him, he dug a grave for her in one swipe then set her down in it. He placed the roses in her hands then covered the grave. With a roar and a surge of power, he raced off to the west, even running off into the ocean, his surge of power causing him to race faster than ever until he reached a new dark, misty island. He finally gathered his senses enough to reseal Jigoku's power inside his arm, but something happened that day that Jigoku had been wishing for years… Maikeru tasted the true power that lies within him, and Jigoku knew that, with one taste of it, he would desire it, develop a thirst. Perhaps it would simply be a subconscious thirst at first, but he would grow to thirst after power like a vampire craving blood…. So here he stands on the island where Kirigakure stands to begin a new life, whether it lead toward good or evil.
Personality
Since his return to Kirigakure after his mission to repair the seal containing the Crawler, Maikeru seems to have stopped putting up a mask and trying act so nice. His personality has shown to be much darker than before, cold and dominant. He has ceased to fight his nature and begun to embrace his true self, the demon inside and the power it brings. While many of his ideals are the same, he no longer fights against his nature to accomplish his goals.
Maikeru is an easy-going young man with a troubled past. He knows what it is like to only be viewed as a dangerous weapon, but he refuses to allow himself to just be a choice-less weapon made only to serve a village in war and have no other purpose. One of his goals as a Jounin is to teach young shinobi to have a life outside combat and training, to have an art, a hobby, friends, a true life outside bloodshed, and that they should always keep their choices their own. Whether one chooses to be good, evil, for the village, a rebel, peaceful, or bloodthirsty, it should always be by his own choosing.
For a while, Maikeru has seemed much more blood thirsty than usual. After his fight with Ruki inside the village, he seems more focused on growing more powerful than anything else now. It would seem thirst for power is what's driving him now to be a stronger Jounin for Kirigakure.
After leaving Kirigakure, Maikeru seemed to changed quite a bit. He cut his hair and began dressing and acting more like a businessman than a shinobi. He seems to be always calm and collected, always in control.
Appearance
Maikeru is a handsome young man, standing at about 6'1" tall, appearing to be around twenty four to twenty five years of age. His build is quite muscular, showing that he spends quite a bit of time training to improve his strength and agility. Though not disproportionately huge, his build is quite impressive. His silver hair parts in the center of his head, reaching down to his shoulders. The man's skin is tan color, showing that he has spent plenty of time in the sun. Shockingly blue eyes stand out a bit amongst his features, darkness radiating out of them as they stare coldly out into the world. Across his right eye, a scar from sound kind of sharp wound forms a diagonal down from his forehead down to the middle of his cheek.
Over his torso, the man wears a white button-up shirt, covered by a black vest. The sleeves of the shirt are ruffled and appear to have two layers, the lower one reaching most of the way down his biceps. With the shirt unbuttoned down to where the vest's pieces meet in the center, a portion of his chest is revealed, along with a rather jagged-looking scar. The vest is outfitted with several clasps and a pouches for kunai, shuriken, and such. One rather large strap around it clasps together across his stomach, holding the sheath of his katana on the back. Black pants cover his legs, tucked down into boots made for combat.
The most outstanding feature of this man, when it is not covered by a sleeve or glove, is his right arm, because it it blood red, and has a fiery symbol glow upon his hand, which is mostly covered by it, always having an eerie red glow to it.
Maikeru is a handsome young man, standing at about 6'1" tall, appearing to be around twenty one years of age. His build is quite muscular, though not so much that it disproportions him or enough to slow his movements. His silver hair parts in the center of his head and flows down to the length of his jaw, going around his face, though occasionally partially covering an eye. His dark blue hold a look of confidence, always calm and collected, yet holding a darkness that seems almost tangible around him.
Upon his torso he wears a white trenchcoat that flows down to most of the way down his calves. Its shoulders bare a pair of black armored shoulder pads with a silver trim, the inside part of them slightly covered up by a white collar that stands up and folds down. Under that he wears a black sleeveless shirt that has a few pockets for kunai, tags, and such if he happens to not be wearing his coat, its collar coming up his neck a bit like a turtle neck, but standing loosely. Over his lower body, he wears a pair of black, flexible pants with the legs tucked into a pair of three-buckle combat boots. On both thighs, he wears a buckled strap, likely attached to a kunai/shuriken holder or something of the sort hidden by his coat. On his back, attached by a shoulder strap sheath that forms an 'X' over his chest, which tucks down into an abdominal guard of some kind built into the shirt, he holds a long, katana-esque blade. Its handle a shining white, perhaps lined with some sort of precious metal.
The most outstanding feature of this young man, when it is not covered by a sleeve or glove, is his right arm, because it it blood red, and has a fiery symbol glow upon his hand, which is mostly covered by it, always having an eerie red glow to it.
Hobbies
Other than training, fighting, and going to war, Maikeru has been known to have a few hobbies on the side. He has often been spotted cooking his own meals, fiddling with art and music, as well as writing poetry. Mostly known is the poem he wrote when he was recovering from his injuries sustained at the hands of Uma and Kaede and trying to regain his memory. He often quotes in passing and sometimes in battle.
(OOC Note: This poem is actually from Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core. I claim no rights to it. DerGraf147 did an amazing job putting this video together.)
Prologue
When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end
The goddess descends from the sky
Wings of light and dark spread afar
She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting
Act I
Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess
We seek it thus, and take it to the sky
Ripples form on the water's surface
The wandering soul knows no rest
Act II
There is no hate, only joy
For you are beloved by the goddess
Hero of the dawn, Healer of worlds
Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul
Pride is lost
Wings stripped away, the end is nigh
Act III
My friend, do you fly away now?
To a world that abhors you and I?
All that awaits you is a somber morrow
No matter where the winds may blow
My friend, your desire
Is the bringer of life, the gift of the goddess
Even if the morrow is barren of promises
Nothing shall forestall my return
Act IV
My friend, the fates are cruel
There are no dreams, no honour remains
The arrow has left the bow of the goddess
My soul, corrupted by vengeance
Hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey
In my own salvation
And your eternal slumber
Legend shall speak
Of sacrifice at world's end
The wind sails over the water's surface
Quietly, but surely
Act V
Even if the morrow is barren of promises
Nothing shall forestall my return
To become the dew that quenches the land
To spare the sands, the seas, the skies
I offer thee this silent sacrifice
While still a good friend, Yuuka and Maikeru haven't really grown as close as they once were since his return to Kirigakure, though that may just be due to how busy he has been with other things. Time will tell how things will turn out.
Kusabana Manami
Former Student
Manami literally followed Maikeru home from Sunagakure and became his student. She has expressed some sort of crush or love interest for him, and they did date for a while a couple times, but have since parted ways.
Suzaku Yuri
Ally
Maikeru has run into Yuri only a few times. She seems to be an alright person for a Swordsman, though he doesn't go out of his way to spend any real time with her to get to know her.
Samoninoryuu Kei
Ally
Maikeru has only met Kei a couple times outside being led into war by her under the orders of Hikan. She doesn't really seem to care anything about how many people on either side die so long as the end result is what she wants. She also seems rather psychotic, but he doesn't really care to get to know her enough to find out any more about her than he already knows.
Kuorenko Sekisetsu
Ally
Sekisetsu is a temperamental little brat. She also seems to be rather dramatic about her life. Hopefully she'll grow up and stop being so annoying one day, but the odds of that aren't looking so good so far.
Kishi Mune
Tournament Opponent
Maikeru has only met Mune once, and that was at the tournament. During his fight with her, she injected some kind of drug in his neck and stunned him, which freed Jigoku. However, once Jigoku had taken over, a hole opened to the Void and sucked his soul into it. He is now aware that she is not the one that opened the Void and used what he learned from his match with her to advance in his own style of combat, adapting to be able to take on any given opponent.
Uesugi Mika
Ex-Girlfriend
Mika and Maikeru got along great as a couple at first, but, after the tournament in her homeland, she seemed to start treating him more and more like he was Jigoku himself rather than himself. They started getting on each other's nerves until they finally split when he went back to the Land of Demons for an investigation.
Fujiwara Ei
Acquaintance
Maikeru has met Ei a few times. She seems to be a fairly normal person from what he can tell, just attempting to get through life like anyone else.
Iga Sachiko
???
Maikeru and Sachiko met when he stopped by Sunagakure to get some supplies recently. She talked him into the Item Store and out of it just to see if she could get on his nerves enough to stir a reaction, and, well… She got her wish.
Name
Relationship
Notes
Kaguya Takeshi
Friend
Takeshi is the man Maikeru respects most in all of Kirigakure. He trusts him for council and is glad to call him friend.
Kaguya Nori
Annoyance
While a strong warrior, Nori is foolish and arrogant, and a bit of a pest. Maikeru enjoyed watching him get taken down at the tournament, but he did make an agreement with Nori not to kill him so long as Nori stays out of his way. However, that doesn't mean he refrains from giving the Kaguya a thorough beat-down when he deserves it.
Okumo Meruin
Ally
While Meruin is quite powerful for a such a young boy, and that is impressive in itself, Maikeru doesn't really trust in the boy enough to see why he is a Chuunin. He seems to not really have any sort of control over his temper, which could turn out to be rather problematic in a war or mission situation.
Kyoumen Satsukiyami
Acquaintance
Satsukiyami doesn't really seem to be that bright. Maikeru offered to help him train after wiping the floor with him in the tournament, and he refused. Now, he wants to be accepted into Kirigakure. So long as he doesn't get in Maikeru's way, he will be tolerated.
Amuro
Ally(?)
Amuro unexpectedly appeared and gave Maikeru some guidance soon after Jigoku was reincarnated in his mind. Maikeru is quite grateful to Amuro, as he now knows exactly how Jigoku was taken away, as well as who helped out of a certain jam while he was still in Kirigakure.
I've decided to start keeping a journal since my return to Kirigakure. It helps to write things down, to have a way to vent, so I figured I'd give this a shot. My first entry, I guess, will be about my run-in with a certain Shirayuki girl.
Since my return to Kirigakure, I've dealt with a few people that were cold to me, but none so much as this girl. Of course, I can understand why. She hates me for leaving the village as I did, and she also blames me for the death of one of her cousins that died during the time of the rebellion. I was rather surprised when she asked me to take her out on a date so she could try to see if I had a better side or if I'm just a monster, but I decided I may as well give it a show to show that I can be civil.
All in all, the date went well. I'm sure she wonders what I was looking at sometimes, but it's hard to hide the fact that I actually see Jigoku everywhere. I did a pretty good job of keeping it from impeding on the evening, though, I think. We aren't exactly DATING, and I'm pretty sure she's still not fond of me, but at least she doesn't fully despise me now. She is rather intriguing in a way, one of few people in Kirigakure capable of intelligent conversation without the mention of battle and bloodshed. Maybe we'll get along better one day, but only time will tell.
It is finally over. While I know it was my fault I let so much pressure build up on me that my mind snapped that way, I am definitely glad to finally be cured of the issue. With the help of Mushi and a member of her Medical Center, I have finally been rid of the illness plaguing my mind. No longer do I hear Jigoku's voice or see him. I don't have to worry about him attempting to take over my body. It's been a long road, but I've finally won. Jigoku is no longer a problem. His power is mine, as are his memories… And soon, his more powerful jutsu.
While they are mostly building on things I already know, the techniques I'm beginning to learn are quite deadly. One, I have used before in a moment of urgency, but mastering it makes it all the more powerful. With more control over this power, I'm also able to access the chakra a lot more freely to create a much more efficient technique for invulnerability. I will harness Jigoku's power, and I will surpass him.
I was recently sent to an island far southeast of the Land of Water to repair a seal that holds a creature called the Crawler in its realm. The things I experienced during that journey, I would wish on no man. Over the course of a few days attempts at repairing the seal, I was poisoned and blinded, which greatly impeded my work, all the while have to listen to that thing's maddening voice. As I went on with my work, Sachiko discovered that the monks of the island had called for a powerful shinobi only for a sacrifice to attempt to appease the Crawler long enough to repair the seal themselves. Because of this, during my last battle in the cave with those creatures, I was pulled through the crack in the seal into the creature's realm, at its mercy.
I'm not really sure how long I was trapped inside that thing's realm. It was dark, no sign to indicate day or night, and my vision was dim from the poison. I spent most of the time bound by some kind of ooze, being attacked by the Crawler's minions and under its Genjutsu, still having to listen to creature but much louder than it was in the cave. I'll spare most of the disturbing details, but it was just that, disturbing, not to mention I was literally starving to death. I had to find a way out… And so I made a deal. It's not an ideal thing, and it will lead to a lot of bloodshed, but it got the creature to let me go. After signing the contract, I was able to use a Reverse Summoning Scroll I had been given several months ago to finally get out.
I was in a small inn/restaurant near the coast of the Land of Demons when I got a rather odd surprise today. The son of the guy that killed Aika, my cousin, was in the restaurant harassing me when Aoitsuki and Kitaru came in. Kitaru, I can understand being a good soldier, but I was rather surprised that Aoitsuki came along to find me. She even stopped me from killing my cousin when I decided to punish him and asked if I'd given into dark temptations again. Is she really concerned about me? All things considered, that is intriguing… and puzzling. I'd thought she didn't care much for me, but today she showed some concern for my soul, the dark path I am on. Honestly, I'm not sure what to make of it, but I guess I'll find out eventually.
Abilities
While he is no slouch in Genjutsu and Taijutsu, Maikeru's true talent lies in Ninjutsu, particularly Fuuinjutsu. The power of Jigoku sealed in his arm provides him with a rather excessive amount of power in this area. There are times it seems this power makes him invulnerable to attacks. It's been said he has at least one technique that could wipe out an entire area.
This song represents how Maikeru feels about how things were in Kirigakure under Hikan's rule, as well as in other places where the powerful bring strife and chaos into the world on a whim, senselessly killing for no real reason.
This song applies to Maikeru in that he believes that all people should be free to choose their own way. He has fought his entire life to keep his own personality free of Jigoku's influence. Now that Jigoku's soul is gone, he is more able to live his own life.
The meaning of this song will be partially left in mystery. Maikeru holds much dark power within him and has proven himself to be quite deadly. Perhaps one day his true purpose will be revealed.