Starring:
Isra, Kiji, Kiyoshi, Naoya, Tsiro, Yuriko
Date: December 11, 2014
Summary:
A Shimizu calls out a Kaguya for a fight. Oddly the young Kaguya was attempting to be the voice of reason until she became lost in the heat of conflict.. only to have a Jinchūriki interrupt everything.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"A challenged issued, a challenge interrupted"
Land of Water, Kirigakure
The afternoon deepens the longer she searches, every door and back alley of the village yielding no hint of the person she seeks. The one that had left a missive for her, a challenge. To fight, kunoichi against kunoichi. Yuriko had an inkling what this might be about, but she wasn't certain. And so see looks for Kiji, eventually deciding that she wasn't inside the village walls, leaving a few options outside that she may or may not be lingering.
The Kaguya girl skips the staircase entirely as she jumps from the cliff and falls several dozen feet into the cold springs itself, landing agilely in a slight crouch. Bright eyes flit back and forth, narrowing, nostrils flaring as if the petite girl was tracking an animal, rather than a human.
Kiji was in the pits. Right in the center. The shimizu girl looked calm at first, standing there in a well made silk outfit. Despite the cold air she still had exposed skin, her forearms were exposed and there was a space about an inch wide where her thighs were exposed between her skirt and shorts and the thigh high leggings she adopted for winter. Most of it was black silk with a white Shimizu symbol woven into it. her hair was in it's typical braid down her back. There was just one odd thing about her. The air stirred her clothing and hair lightly, but the closer Yuriko got to her the more an aura seemed to surround her. Dark and strong. It was practically roiling off her, but she looked calm, her eyes closed as she stood there, feeling the chakra surround her. It was a kind of meditation, reveling in what she felt.
It wasn't hard to sense Yuriko coming and she could tell it was the Kaguya girl. The fight wasn't supposed to be until tomorrow… As Yuriko crested the side of the pit Kiji lifted her head a fraction of an inch, her eyes slowly opening, staring straight at the girl, blood red.
It was relatively easy to sense Kiji, as she was making no attempt to hide from the Kaguya girl. Further still is the mass of energy that she feels gathering around her as well. Yuriko narrows her eyes subtly, pushing herself to rise smoothly to her full, if but small, height. Somehow, she doesn't give that impression, that she was several heads shorter yet no one looks down their nose at her. "Shimizu-san." Yuriko murmurs, holding up a piece of paper between her fingers. The challenge. "Could you explain this? At first I thought it might be a joke, since usually Kaguya issue challenges like this with their life on the line. But you look rather serious…" she ponders quietly. "Did I do something against you or your kin?"
Crimson eyes watched the small Kaguya as she stood, but though she could see Yuriko's attitude of power she did not seem affected by it. The little girl might be younger and smaller than Kiji — though not by much — the Shimizu knew she was more powerful for certain. Her tone was simple and matter-of-fact, perhaps a touch of curiosity. Those bloody eyes tracked Yuriko, glancing away once when the challenge was presented, but otherwise kept a steady gaze.
Kiji turned, a simple step to the side to face Yuriko. "Kaguya-sa….san." She hesitated with the honorific but forced herself to move forward in the conversation. She did not want to be caught calling Yuriko 'sama' in this situation. But she did keep it relatively formal. If Yuriko wanted to fight her now that was fine too. There was little to no chance that she would win this, probably little chance she'd even scratch the Kaguya girl. She still needed to see what she was made of.
"Meruin-dono would not want either of us to kill each other in a challenge during war-time. But otherwise yes that challenge is perfectly serious." She was too, her eyes, usually a blue or purple, sometimes a golden in combat, were bright red and slowly getting darker like blood drying on bone. "Or is it that I'm a waste of your time?"
With Yuriko running this way and that within the village, her movements were hardly unnoticed. One by one, large spiders began to swell with chakra and they connected with their host, relaying information and and forth. While many of them stayed where they were, several advanced their positions, tailing the young Kaguya at a fair distance, focusing on her scent rather than direct line of sight.
'Just what is going on now?' was asked softly as a young Okumo begins to walk into the village gates. 'Good good.. watch, don't distract her.. She doesn't normally look this hard for something.' Naoya closes his eyes though they continue to shift rapidly under his eyelids. "Hmm.." Without even opening his eyes, Naoya begins to make his way through the village, more directly, towards the springs. 'Another..? Focus onto her for a moment.. Hmm.. That look.' With a light nod, the walking pace he had soon breaks out into a sprint.
Yuriko arches a pale brow at the older girl, observing her demeanor, her expression. For several moments like this. "If I thought that, why would I be here?" she murmurs. "You didn't answer my question. Why did you send this to me? It's not like is a spar or something. You don't want to measure my merit. So what did I do?" The small girl asks again, tilting her snowy head to one side. Wavy bangs falling in her face.
Kiji looked irritated for a moment. "Actually that is exactly what I want. I want to see what makes you so … so.." A flush crosed her cheeks just a hint of color but she barreled through. "What makes you so special? Show me!" Inside she screamed, her fists clenched. Her eyes flashed and from her wrists tendrils of blood pierced her skin from the inside, coiling up her arms like vines. Her chakra pulsed and she fell into a stance that might seem negligent to a taijutsuist. The truth was she didn't use taijutsu and so needed no specific stance to attack or find her balance. She lowered her head and her eyes took on a predatorial expression. She could sense Naoya but her focus was on Yuriko. "Are you denying a challenge? Refusing? SHOW ME!" Blood pierced her palms and she thrust both out forcefully in front of her, sending a threatening rain of blood needles at the kaguya. It was a simple and direct attack, meant to provoke a response. It probably wouldn't do any damage.. The girl was quick, Kiji knew.
Yuriko blinks her bright aquamarine eyes with some at first, though quickly Kiji's demeanor was growing, voice rising with a scream. Eyes flashing wildly and blood tendrils rising into the air like the limbs of an unseen octopus. Her gaze narrows, watching carefully just as thick pools of blood senbons are short at her. Shifting her weight lightly, the petite girl makes a side step and avoids the first shot, through the second rips her arm. Yuriko tightens her jaw, but otherwise there's no sign of pain. The skin already beginning to visibly knit itself together. "No. I'm not denying you. But I'm not going to fight back either." she murmurs quietly. "What's got you so mad, I wonder…"
Kiji watched the senbon cut Yuriko's arm and true to her own training, the kaguya showed little response to pain. She'd expected no less. But she was going to just stand there and not return fire? Kiji's eyes darkened, like dried blood, an orange circle outlining her irsies and her aura grew even darker. The question did not elicit a response from Kiji but for the shimizu girl to gather the blood around her and wihtin her, pulling the already thrown senbon back into a liquid state, droplets forming in the air all around Yuriko, with a snap they became even more needles and they flew at seemingly random angles trying to catch her off guard or from behind. Kiji's stance grew more aggressive, her feet sliding apart as she prepared to move in. "And here I thought you Kaguya respected a challenge made." Was all she said…
Already Kiji was preparing for another attack, Yuriko could tell. The splattered blood all around her being pulled up to create more needles. Unending liquid senbon, potentially without draining any more of the user. Yuriko faintly turns her snowy head, glancing at the blood senbons, all around her.
White flashes at her hand, Camellia blade forming and slashing through the air at the senbon. Unsuccessful however, as they pierce her. "You know nothing of my clan, or of me, yet you so recklessly issue a challenge. So far I have only seen a fool, and I don't really care to strike down a fool." A small growl of annoyance curls at her throat, though Yuriko sighs, a bit of energy gathering in her gut.
Kiji saw the needles hit their marks, felt her blood mingling with Yuriko's and yet she could not even feel satisfaction that the girl was hit. Kiji glared more as Yuriko continued, talking to her like /Kiji/ was the child. Those blood whips unfurling from about her arms. She leapt forward then, eyes glowering, a dangerous combination of rage and adrenaline. Her whips snapped out to try and wrap around the girl. She wanted to hold her in place, to force her to pay attention. But the whip slipped or the girl moved and she was left missing her target. Kiji turned to face Yuriko with a glower. "What makes you so special?" She reiterated, looking Yuriko over, the wounds the blood…. A little voice inside told Kiji to stop but she was beyond control at this point. "What makes you so task precious?"
Crouching down at the upper cliff of the spring, a young Okumo stayed perched watching the two. His head cants to the left, watching with with some curiosity while a few dozen spiders begin to flow from his sleeves and pants legs. Not one of the spiders got within ten meters of the two girls, but they expanded out to find spots which was close to sturdy cover incase they needed to hide from a strike.
'Rather than confront the hunter, she's planning to cull all other prey? ..No. You interfere and I'll eat you myself' was said with a low muttered voice though none were around him at the time. The boy's normally bright amber eyes slowly begin to dim as the pair continue to circle. 'No.. I don't know why she's not going for her head. Stop asking.'
Yuriko ignores the wounds that had been made, pale flesh already stitching itself together and leaving only tears in her winter kimono. The blood whips and strikes at the air, if but a moment too late as the Kaguya girl flickers and moves with sudden speed, reappearing behind Kiji. Exhaling a long breath, Yuriko lifts arching a pale brow and tilts her head. "Honestly I'm not sure what you mean by special. I don't think I am, but other people think differently." she murmurs. "Genetic mutant, kenjutsu prodigy, child of two Seven Swordsmen, one time student of the Mizukage. But really I don't think any of that is really who I am. They're just parts of what makes me me. Just like right now, attacking a young girl that's said she wouldn't fight back, that's just a small part of what makes you you. Not a very good part, but still a part." Yuriko softly shrugs her shoulders.
Kiji scowled at Yuriko's comment. "Don't pretend you're an innocent child. No student of Meruin-dono's is innocent." She growled, teeth clenched. For a moment she stood up, arms hanging at her sides, watching Yuriko with her crimson eyes.. Slowly that color darkened so much that her eyes looked entirely black, it even obliterated the orange ring around the irises. Her aura darkened as well and she began stalking, moving around Yuriko, wtching her cloely. She'd noticed Naoya's presence of course and her eyes flicked over toward him for a split second before she flicked her wrists, whips roiling with her chakra.
"Child of two Swordsmen. Student of the Mizukage. Teammate of Sei and Kiyoshi. Prey. Kaguya." She spat each like it was a curse. "There is something about you they all seem to want. Show it to me. Get your pretty little head out of the clouds." Both whips lifted, and Kiji struck, one trying to wrap around Yuriko, the other striking out like a bullwhip. Kiji had actually mimicked an attack she had once seen Meruin use, though his whip was made from webbing… The visual style was still there for Yuriko or anyone to recognize. She grit her teeth and muttered under her breath. "So much better than everyone else."
For a brief moment, a small smile touches the young girl's lips, as if appreciating the fact that Kiji called her out. "Not so innocent," she agrees. "But for other reasons than being Meruin-sensei's student." Her rich blue green eyes blink slowly as they watch the older girl move, stalking much like a predator would. Yuriko is familiar with this.
The snare misses completely, as the young Kaguya flickers with speed again. Fash, but not fast enough apparently as she skids back several feet, back facing the cliff side where Naoya is perched. An annoyed scowl flickers through her features, her body already healing. "Stop saying that. I'm not better than anyone else. I just get bored."
"I'll say it until you show me what's so special about you!" Kiji's eyes had no white left in them by the time Yuriko skidded to a stop, her back to where Naoya was perched. Her face shifted so it was clear she'd looked up at the boy and then tilted down again, though it was impossible to follow Kiji's gaze with her all black eyes. Slowly, ever so slowly she seemed to pull in on herself, compressing and compacting her aura, her chakra solidified like a spine through her whips, widening them just a bit. And then her eyes slowly faded back in, a hint of crimson, a single color a ring like an eclipsed harvest moon. It made her look positively feral.
"You get /bored/?" She mocked. "With what? You warrant Kiyoshi's protection!" She lofted one arm and the whip snapped off like a broken branch. "You were protected by Sei." Then the other whip separated with a snap. The two whips broke apart into several large spikes of blood in mid air and Kiji slowly pulled her stance back together, rising ever so carefully, both hands up ar her sides.
"You were taught by Meruin-dono." She flicked her wrist and sent the spikes flying, but half way to Yuriko they split apart, one section heading for Yuriko's left the other for her right and if anything got past her… Well Naoya wasn't Kiji's target but she wasn't above threatening to get a rise out of Yuriko. "You have an Okumo following you around. And you.. get.. BORED?" The Shimizu looked to be growing in her rage, steeping in it like a teabag.
Standing up from his position, the young Okumo grumbles and waves a hand somewhat dismissively from his position. "Yu-chan.. since when were you a punching bag? Just what's gotten into you? The only thing she's going to listen to is force.." Walking off the cliff as he spoke, Naoya begins to walk down the face of the cliff, no longer trying to stay out of sight form his perch but he wouldn't walk closer than fifteen meters from either of the girls down below.
Shifting his attention between the young Kaguya and the young Shimizu before shaking his head, choosing to focus on Kiji for the moment. "Look at her, all she's lost herself in a bloodlust, snap her out of it.. Then you can talk with her, like talking to a wall right now." The young Okumo nor his brood seem to make any moves to interfere with the conflict, but all watched patiently.
Yuriko blinks her bright eyes with evident surprise, blinking a second time before narrowing her gaze. "Are you kidding me? You're jealous and you just call me out to challenge me because you can't get over it? You're supposed to be the adult here." she murmurs, somewhat flatly. Whatever thought she might have had though is quickly interrupted by Naoya's voice. Yuriko blinks over her shoulder, eyes widening for just a moment. "What are you doing here?" she hisses, scowling as her eyes snap back to Kiji. It's a longer moment before the small girl answers him. "I just can't." Yuriko murmurs. "If I attacked, it'll be within an inch of her life. And if I did that, Kiyoshi would never forgive me…"
Her hand tightens on the Camellia blade in her hand. "If both of us are precious to Kiyoshi… that's another difference between us. Kiji-san is fine with attacking someone that he treasures, but I'm not. I don't want to hurt her if it'll hurt him too."
The whip slashes at her cheek, stinging and pushing Yuriko to blur with sudden speed, dodging the second strike. When she reappears, it's behind Kiji again, away from the cliff and Naoya.
It is not long before word of a challenge has spread through the village like wild fire. Of course it managed to grab Tsiro's attention. He makes his way down to the springs in time to see Kiji attack and Yuriko only defend. He approaches the group of people but does not speak. Not yet anyhow. It seemed Yuriko may have surpassed him for the Kaguya least likely to enter a raged state. "Sometimes choices need to be made. If she wishes for battle perhaps you should entertain the notion." Tsiro finally states towards the younger Kaguya.
The red ring in Kiji's blackened eyes brightened in shade, making her appear more alert. But it was with those same eyes that she glanced up as Tsiro appeared at the rim of the pits. Kiji had ignored the people gathering around them until the Jounin had shown up. She'd flickered her gaze over him before turning toward Yuriko with a dark glower as she responded to Naoya. It just made her even more angry with Yuriko. It was like having lye rubbed into an open wound. Yuriko didn't want to hurt her because it might upset Kiyoshi? She grit her teeth at the way Yuriko said it, like she was taking the 'right' or 'better' path by refusing to fight. The Shimizu flicked her wrists again and new whips formed from her wrists, flipping lazily at her sides, her eyes locked on Yuriko, stalking to the side, ever watching, but aware of Tsiro as well. She would later think back and flinch at the idea of what Meruin might hear or what punishment might come of a challenge like this…. Kiji had not been as formal as she'd meant to be with the challenge, clearly, if Yuriko could just treat her like a child having a tantrum. Perhaps that's all she was. A child having a tantrum… Anger filled her again and her chest tightened, making it harder to breathe. She lashed out with a spin and a forward motion, snapping her whips at Yuriko again. "So you're even more trustworthy than me. Of course!" And then she laughed, a manic sound that made her seem even more out of control.
Yuriko Hearing her niisan's voice nearby, Yuriko's shoulders tense some, but she doesn't turn to glance at him, keeping her gaze trained on Kiji. "'Entertain the notion'." she mutters. First Naoya, now Tsiro. Everyone was so gung ho about her fighting Kiji. Was this going to happen again in the future? Just how many were going to approach her, for one reason or another, to test just how strong she really is? Kaguyas are always trying to prove themselves, trying to show just who was alpha. It wouldn't be so unusual. Yuriko exhales a longer breath, nose flaring with annoyance as a wrist flicks the blade with a practiced motion. "Petty…" she mutters under her breath, "Fine. I have given you ample time to flee and save your head. What happens now is no one's fault but your own… I have been mocked and underestimated long enough."
Fabric rips as several dozen ivory spikes pierce through what remains of her kimono, becoming shreds dangling off of her limbs and form. Without a breath, energy begins to gather in her gut, building chakra while her free hand stretches its fingers, forming another long blade. As she does this, the blood whip strikes out at her, catching her cheek, though a moment after Yuriko disappears with burst of speed.
Kiji watched Yuriko's show of annoyance stoicly, coldly, despite her 'hot blooded' attitude. Both girls had been trained to some extent by Meruin and both had a certain reserve in battle thusfar. Yuriko's was in trying to avoid the fight, Kiji's was in a lack of fear. She watched Yuriko shift, change, rip her own clothes in the making of a battle form. Kiji's black and crimson eyes watched, her body tensed, in preparation. The Shimizu could sense the change in Yuriko, could sense the rise in chakra. Her reaction wasn't regret or or even satisfaction.
Instead, her head lowered ever so slightly and a second set of whips pierced her back, cutting through the silk of her shirt to snake out. Her control over this second set of whips was not as fine tuned as those at her wrists, evidenced by a bit of stray blood creeping down her back from the whips.
The second Yuriko told her what followed was her fault, Kiji prepared. Not moving, she opened her senses and pulled more chakra about her, waiting for the Kaguya to strike, prepared for an attack at the front or the back.
Taking one small step, Yuriko flickers with sudden speed once more as she moves. One sword is thrown into the air while the other is gripped tighter in hand. Using her speed, the small Kaguya makes clean and precise strikes, aiming hard and fast. While Kiji's attention is on her, the blade in the air flies, arching as if it were a thrown boomerang and soon coming back straight at Kiji.
Preparation almost worked. But almost didn't count. Kiji sensed Yuriko come out of her speed to strike and those whips on her back moved to defend. But she had not used the extra whips in battle before and she did not have the control yet to make them solid enough to properly block a weapon made of bone. Yuriko would feel a resistance and then the blade cut through the blood, spilling the tendrils in liquid form onto the ground and slashing Kiji deeply across the back. The Shimizu lifted her arms, crossed before her to defend the blade int he air with much the same result. though the whips at her wrists did not cut off, they slipped and Kiji's forearms were gashed in a movement that sent the blade away from vital body areas.
She showed no sign of pain.
Turnning, Kiji watched Yuriko closely, her eyes tracking her, her senses opened. The girl's arms slowly uncrossed as she stood there, the wounds slowly sealing shut. Whether Kiji was making a point or simply wanted to see more was uncertain, but she merely waited with that calculating expression on her face.
Yuriko can't be tracked. Refused to be tracked as her speed continues to increase, leaving afterimages of the petite girl in her wake. With each burst of speed she sues the larch bone spikes to slash at Kiji, even as the girl begins to heal. But countering that is simple enough. Deal more damage than she's able to heal.
Kiji had seen Yuriko move once before, but had been fighting her own opponent at the time. Now she could see (or not see) it more clearly. Kiji seemed to stand there and take a few of the cuts before her image faded into crimson and then burst apart, exposing the real Kiji to the blows, but also covering the landscape about her with her blood. Kiji took the attack silently, her eye twitching once under the assault, still she refused to register the pain. She took several cuts, but the blood did not fall from the wounds as it normally would. it was like Yuriko had simply drawn red lines on her.
If one was looking at her eyes, they might notice the black was a hint lighter, more red, but still she was past the point of returning. She grit her teeth and widened her stance before turning and running. Not away from Yuriko as much as toward Tsiro. She did not have Yuriko's speed, but she had a purpose. Her feet latched onto the wall and she ran up the pit, black and crimson eyes landing once again on Tsiro, flickering over some of the crowd before she spun and dropped, her palms slapping the ground below her.
Her long black braid fell over one shoulder and once again it was a good thing she wore shorts under that skirt of hers as she clung to the wall like a spider, head up, as she forced all that blood on the ground into spikes upon spikes, building and trying to catch Yuriko as she moved. Only those closest to her new position would be able to tell she was starting to pant lightly.
A thin grin begins to form on the young Okumo's lips as he watches Yuriko's body begin to twist and grow into a growingly more deadly state. Shifting his attention to the young Kaguya's hand, he begins to study her rather than simply watch the one sided punishment. Raising a thumb up to his bottom lip, wiping it slowly while a chuckle escapes him.against his lower lip slowly.
"Kiji-san.. you managed to fire up Yu-chan in a way I haven't seen before. She isn't even that rough with me. You should get down on your knees.. She isn't one to stop otherwise." Though before he could continue, the boy clucks his tongue, soon noticing the the air fill with needles of blood once again. With a shake of his head, the grin shifts to a lazy smirk as he says afterwards, "Kiji-san.. are you trying to have your hunter lose it's prey?"
Tsiro watches the fight progress as expected. He knew Yuriko was holding back the entire time. Even now she might have been. It was hard to tell with his constant absences. However when Naoya begins to speak, the crimson eyes seem to focus more on him than the fight. "Okumo, I believe you are mistaken. This is not Kiji's doing. Maybe the initial spark is. The end result though is the blood that runs through her veins. This is her being Kaguya." Tsiro's attention then turns back towards the attacks based towards Yuriko.
When the elder Moto's desired something, it would be in one's best interest to aid or evade them instead of acting as an obstacle. It is a lesson Kiyoshi learned early on. And yet, in his rush to pursue Kiji out of the ramen bar, he had been less than tactful about assisting the duo after an abrupt and unexpected encounter in the Market Place. Kiyoshi would wake up the next day complete sore in just about every way, and wanting nothing more than to forget the previous day altogether. The thought barely lasts longer than it takes the youngest Moto to regard his scattered treasures and recall his original intentions.
What should've been perhaps hours of searching before finding a lead was condensed to a matter of minutes thanks to the wild fire of gossip the challenge produced. That knowledge alone isn't enough to satisfy the paranoia delusions that arose from the news, so the Kirryu dug deep. Ignoring the warning of both of his conscious, tails of power are summoned, increasing the titan's speed dramatically… but not without consequences.
No matter what his obstacles were or who for that matter, anyone that did not heed the warning that was his thundering charge and glowing cloak are either leaped over or knocked aside. Regardless of which, nothing is given so much as a glance afterwards. The scent of battle — of Kaguya and Shimizu blood — drives Kiyoshi over the edge, both figuratively and literally, for without hesitation he leaps into the thick of things. If Kiyoshi registers any pain from where his tails failed to deflect or incinerate bloody needles, it isn't reflected outwardly during or after his crashing landing in front of Yuriko. He was beyond physical pain. The moss-haired giant stared long and hard at Kiji, but utters nothing except a deep, throaty growl. To most outsiders, the Jinchuuriki has lost control of his bijuu. But in truth, there were too many thoughts screaming for attention, clawing, DEMANDING to be voiced.
Navigating the mire kept him still, but the slightest action from anyone may very well draw his gaze.
In the meantime, his wounds rapidly draw to a close, leaving not a trace except blood.
Yuriko watches carefully as Kiji widens her stance and begins running up the side of the cliff. The small girl scowls, but keeps her carefully trained gaze on her. No doubt intending to prepare another strike with the blood splattered all around. Tightening her grip on the sword that's still in hand, the Kaguya girl prepares to take off in order to dodge the impending attack, only to be caught off guard when the large mass that is Kiyoshi lands in between them. The cloak of of chakra flows off of him in such a way that he radiates with power.
The moment was brief, as Yuriko stares at his back, growl curling at his throat after Kiji's strike hits him instead of the smaller girl. Quickly though her eyes narrow and her grip tightens on the ivory blade. "Kiyoshi… I need to finish this."
The once amused and interested Okumo's face drops as the massive 'thing' cloaked in chakra drops in between the two girls fighting. Exhaling slowly, the boy's breath quickly becoming rigid and stressed as chakra begins to lace with silk, both quickly beginning to wrap around Naoya's body in a tight weave. A glare fixes in the boy's eyes towards the intruder, though it doesn't linger towards the being head, but quickly began to try and pin point what weaknesses it might have to exploit though the fact the thing had tails was more bizarre to the young Okumo than anything. Naoya didn't try to talk at this moment, though his lips begin to peel back slightly, only faintly baring his fangs.
Kiji sensed Kiyoshi coming. She would have been figuratively blind not to. It was shown in a blink and her head tilted just a little as she peered up at the lip of the pit, past Tsiro. And then Kiyoshi was flying literally over her to land between her and Yuriko. Bone and Blood separated by…flame? Kiji's black eyes shifted ever so slightly away from the crimson ring and into a strange hint of purple, though the black remained and no white was visible in her eyes.
He growled.
Kiji hissed.
But she was dazzled momentarily by the shine of his chakra, the tailed cloak he wore was like staring into a sun to the sensor and she winced, braced on the wall of the pit still. There was tiny hissing apparently from Kiji.
Interference by the Moto made Kiji hesitate inside, but her expression stayed hard. This was not the outcome she had been looking for. At least before, Yuriko was displaying her ability in battle. Kiyoshi protecting her so fiercely merely angered the Shimizu more. This had started from a similar action, though proportionally different, in the ramen shop and a growl even from a jinchuuriki did not scare or daunt Kiji in the least. She did however hesitate to attack Kiyoshi. Her eyes slid to where Yuriko stood as the girl spoke and bared her teeth in annoyance.
A twinge at her lips showed when something pinched her and another hiss was heard again, apparently from Kiji. She didn't move. Remaining in that spider-like position she made eye contact with Kiyoshi. She locked their gazes, black and crimson rings with bright cerulean orbs, watching and preparing to defend herself if the 'beast' before her attacked. Slowly she moved her head and shoulders in a swaying motion tracked by Kiyoshi's every move, she stilled once more.
Within Kiyoshi's veins flowed a part of Kiji. Her blood and her chakra, mixed with his. It took a moment, but she flared that chakra. She did not harden it or change it or spike it. She merely made herself known, ever watching the predator before her…..
Still, her senses were completely open so she noted Naoya's sudden interest. His rising chakra elicited a sharp order from the Shimizu. "You stay out of this Okumo."
Kiyoshi does not turn back, nor does he answer Yuriko in any other way. Not immediately. She was not the potential threat. The Kaguya princes, for the moment, was not the source of his ire or threat to him yet. All he focus on with any clarity was Kiji. His restraint was far too stretched thin for more. Still, he is not complete blind to Naoya or Tsiro. Any prominent enough actions from there and he would show them no more mercy than he did his first kills.
A shift from her and his eyes follow immediately. And again… And again… No matter how repetitive or dynamic the motion, he would not be calmed or distracted from signs of hostility. But why wait for it? Why not run her through for daring to harm one of his closest his friends? Her blood may be powerful and alluring, but the amount shed by Yuriko bespoke — Kiyoshi shakes his head rapidly, jolted from any and all thoughts at the mentioning of an Okumo.
Against his better judgement, Kiyoshi searches the area for any signs of Sei's face; only to concluded with a disappointed huff at the sight of Naoya.
"What… Is… This… Be?" Kiyoshi says roughly after turning just enough to give Yuriko a sidelong glance. "Fury to potent in air… Wrong… Everything wrong to be.. just… Challenge. Just.. Spar." His gaze returns to Kiji, angry still but more wary and focused now. "Why this fight… Kiji?" He asks, forcing himself now to straighten out from the instinctive hunch. It is the closest he can get to offering a less hostile stance.
Meanwhile, Kokuo works to overwhelm the presence of Kiji's blood in Kiyoshi's body. Both knew of the postive side-effects of his presence. Neither wanted to sample the negative side..
Yuriko scoffs to herself, nostrils flaring as she turns her gaze past Kiyoshi to narrow on Kiji on the cliff wall. "It isn't just a spar." she murmurs lightly in reply. "All I wanted was answers, she issued the challenge and I defended myself, time and time again. I tried to get her to rethink this, but it doesn't matter now. This is what she wants." The young woman scowls. "She insulted me, insulted my clan, underestimated me and tested my patience. I don't care what her reasons are now."
Kiji kept shifting now and then, testing Kiyoshi's reactions and reflexes. She could see the lethal way he followed her, read his stance. Even when he shifted into something a tad more neutral he was still offensive enough to cause serious damage.
Behind and above her the crowd had shifted for the most part so there was no one left standing behind her just in case this exploded completely.
It was apparent that Kiyoshi was fighting the hold of his Other. Kiji could see it, could sense it, even knew it was trying to fid the boy of her influence entirely. His struggle came out in mashed up words and disjointed sentences. Why had she issued the challenge? Was it a spar? No, Yuriko cleared that up. Kiji had provoked the Kaguya, it was true. A bit of rational thought tugged at her mind, telling her that this had all gone sideways. Everything was spiraling out of control.
She was still quite angry, evidenced by her eyes, but she wasn't willing to attack Kiyoshi… But he was there in her way, though Yuriko would have put her int he hospital in a few more exchanges, Kiji would have taken it. She tried to move when Kiyoshi turned to look at Yuriko. The second his eyes left her she started to move..
She got maybe a foot before he was watching her again. "Che." She scowled. "I wanted to see what she was made of. It doesn't matter anymore." She let Kokuo absorb her chakra, obliterate her blood inside Kiyoshi and the blood still forming whips on her back and wrists, simply turned to liquid and fell, dripping down the cliff wall. Her eyes remained blackened, no whites showing, but those two rings of crimson faded completely, leaving her with a strange blackened gaze. Her face drained of all emotion then as she let go of the wall with her hands, pushing so her back was against the pit wall, knees bent, feet flat against the wall.
She watched Kiyoshi closely, wondering why. How had it come to this…
Kiyoshi doesn't let his gaze falter again, but he /does/ listen. On some level he even understood where she was coming from, and knew it would be 'wise' to step aside and let things continued as they were. And yet…
"Then take your.. pound of flesh from… me." Kiyoshi states coldly. Immediately after, the titan starts towards Kiji without so much as a glance back to see how Yuriko reacted to the news. Though the cloak seems to settle down with every step he takes, it shows no signs of disappearing any time soon on its own. Not even Kiji's words or the fact that she released her connection to her blood prompts the cloak to fade in turn. Kiyoshi remains very much angry, perhaps even more than before after she spoke, though it is tightly controlled to the point only micro inflections.
Kiyoshi leaps without warning, reducing the distance between himself and Kiji faster than the eye can follow. Unless halted in flight or preemptively in some way, the Kirryu does not seem to 're-materialize' until he's before Kiji, haunched over her from with his toes — well, blackened talons buried in the stone, and one hand in a similar position beside her face. "Kiji…" Her name rolls off the tongue softly as he goes to caress her cheek. "Do not lie to me." It is the only warning given before his gaze hardens and hand enclose her neck just loosely enough to breathe, if but barely. He honestly knew not for certain rather she told the truth or not. Yuriko's reply earlier however…
Tsiro's eyes watch over the events that unfold during all of the drama. Two girls fighting over something of jealousy and the entire genin class seems to get involved. All of this was enough to draw a bijuu out of its host. "So much work to do." Tsiro comments as the eyes roll. At least he was getting a good showing. Of course it started with the girls and now the boys get involved. It was not quite fatal yet. Then again if Kiyoshi continued with his not yet clenched strangle hold on Kiji something might turn deadly.
The order to 'stay out of this' fell on deaf ears or at least seemed to by the young Okumo's position. The chakra within Naoya continues to slowly blend but it would be a time before he begins to stand more up right, pacing almost soundlessly back and forth along the wall he was standing on. Around the trio, the Okumo's brood began to encircle at a distance and well spaces between each other, each one flares faintly with chakra, giving the boy a direct watch of each of them at almost every angle.
With the creature seeming almost talkative after the initial surprised it spoke at all. The young Okumo's pacing comes to a halt once the creature move rapidly towards Kiji rather than he thought the original target was going to be. 'Shift positions.. blind spot there, climb higher' was mumbled under his breath. In turn, the brood reacted without pause to reposition to watch Kiyoshi's hands around Kiji's neck. For the boy's part, chakra slowly but surely began to focus around his ankles as he lowers down, almost in a sprinting position.
There's always something interesting going on, no more like intriguing or…no, not even that. Danger and excitement. Sounded about normal for this village, but the danger and excitement was also a problem and a big one. When cloaks go flaring like that, it's bound to get attention and Isra's was drawn towards the area where it seemed the strongest. She made her way down quickly to the area with the intent assessing damages and hopefully, stopping it before it gets out of hand… "Of course it's out of hand, if it got this far…" She corrected herself aloud. When she came down the stairs and entered the pits, she quickly scanned the area and her face soured. "What in the world is going on here? Why haven't you apprehended him yet?" She questioned, mostly to Tsiro. "You know the danger this could pose to people!"
Annoyance darkens the young Kaguya's expression again, but her gaze follows Kiyoshi as he begins to move towards the cliff-side. Volunteering to take her place… even though she hadn't done anything wrong, had been called out for such petty reasons. Kiyoshi blurs with speed to appear in front of Kiji, and there's a fraction of a moment before Yuriko follows in his wake. It's not until he wraps a hand around the woman's throat does she step forward, daring to reach a hand out to touch his side, especially with how furious he is. "Kiyoshi…" she murmurs his name steadily. "Release her. She's already taken her pound of flesh and more. Besides, you don't need to protect me from her…"
Kiji listened as Kiyoshi told her to take her 'pound of flesh' from him rather than Yuriko. Her expression shifted from a set jaw and anger to something far more numb. There was still ice in her black gaze but it was directed at herself.
Kiji Knew he was coming. It was written on his face a second before his image blurred. Though she had expected to be struck or pierced, but Kiyoshi landed on the wall, completely covering Kiji's small frame, his claws in the stone. She hadn't moved, hadn't tried to stop him. He caressed her face, and though she did not move much, it was apparent in her body language (at that close range) that something had snapped inside her, her will was being sapped. Even the hand on her throat did not flinch away or falter. She accepted his hold and power over her life as if it were nothing.
No, that wasn't right. It wasn't nothing. She was nothing. Her eyes shifted in shape as she was ordered not to lie, a hint of imagined pain and her body slumped ever so lightly against the wall of the pit, slipping even further into Kiyoshi's grasp. She felt his grip on her throat but did not fight him. Rather she slowly reached up with one hand and covered the back of her neck where her braid hung.
She could sense Naoya moving, could still place Tsiro's position. Another strong signature approached.. Isra. Still, Kiji kept her eyes on Kiyoshi's. Black on cerulean. Her breathing sped up, her pulse thundering in her neck under his palm. He could kill her and.. honestly she wasn't sure she cared. He demanded an answer though.. wait.. what was the question?
Her tone was flat but her voice was steady and quiet. "I told you the truth. I wanted to see what is so special about it. It doesn't matter anymore." She pressed her neck forward even as she covered the back of her neck. Her hand was a physical barrier between his fingers curled entirely around her tiny throat and her hair. She seemed entirely ready for whatever came next…
And then Yuriko came next. The Kaguya's words revived the rage in her chest, the red ring in her eyes. She didn't want to be rescued by /her/ from /him/. Reaching up with her free hand she rested it on Kiyoshi's chest. The aura of the cloak burned at her skin, but for the most part what was destroyed by his chakra regrew within seconds. Then, she muttered something under her breath, Only Kiyoshi would be able to hear it because of how close they were Even Yuriko would be hard pressed to catch it. Her hand on his chest flattened, a soft contact, reminiscent of their past times, a familiar touch. Black turned from velvet to fluid as her eyes welled.
"Do it."
Then came the voice of reason. Isra wasn't far off. It was simply a matter of perspective. There was a demonic cloak out openly in the village. Tsiro finally stepped forward. "That is enough. Let the girl down." he commanded. It was the only warning he planned on giving. His crimson eyes focused on Kiyoshi. "If you really feel like getting it out of your system, I'll be your opponent." Ok… probably not what Isra was trying to accomplish but… how often do you get a Bijuu and a Kaguya in that proximity with such a tense situation.
The other senses were going as well. Tsiro had noticed the Okumo boy ready to jump in. Through out this he seemed to be firmly on Yuriko's side. Kiyoshi seemed to be torn in the middle and Kiji was the definite aggressor. If Tsiro's reasoning worked, he would have guessed that Kiyoshi and Naoya had feelings for Yuriko and Kiji had feelings for Kiyoshi… Had no one taught these genin about the three shinobi vices? Even at the mix of ages this drama should not be so. So much for simple fight and get it over with…
It doesn't register, not at first, but slowly it dons on him. Nothingness. The saner part of him was well aware of the little value she placed in herself, yet not once did it occur to him just truly how far that went. Kiji's surrendering brings neither brings pleasure or further incites the maddened Jinchuuriki. If anything, he felt more… conflicted. Weak. Broken. The situation should not have arose, /she/ should not — none of it made sense to him. He wanted to hate her. To simply blame it all on her and loathe her. It would be simple, so easy. Snapping her neck would be easy to. As the thought passed his mind, the Jinchuuriki's grip tightens ever so slightly…
The cloak remains indiscriminate. From the moment Yuriko's hand makes contact the energy composing the cloak attempts to corrupt her flesh, corroding it down to the bone if allowed to. An unlikely event regardless of whether or not she endures the pain to remain in contact with the moss-haired giant. And any case, until she spoke up, her touch went ignored. Just as he ignored the new arrival, and their words. Mostly.
"Yuriko…" He murmurs, gaze softening. Kiyoshi starts to turn to her, to see or speak, he wasn't sure but meeting her gaze was definitely necess—
"Do it."
His whole body freezes up for an instance. Then, his gaze is back on her, locked on her eyes while the rest of his senses belatedly registers her actions. She truly wanted to die. He recognized as much, but he also saw 'it' as well. Spite. Spite had been his companion throughout his formative years, and to a degree still was.
"No." He states firmly, allowing his hand to fall to the wayside.
Furling his brow, the young Okumo tilts his head off to one side while looking at the creature before him before turning to look at Kiji who didn't even seem to put up much, if any fight at this time. A grumble forms in his throat and his posture seems to relax some what, rather than poised for a sudden strike, he returns to his pacing. Naoya's ember eyes focus for a moment, becoming more vibrant at the message from his brood, turning his head he soon begins to fixate onto Isra, a woman he remembered the face of but only faintly. 'No.. don't ask me. We'll piece it together later. Keep watching..'
Totally not what she meant, but well, he's a Kaguya. "Kaguya…" she muttered to herself and shook her head. Well, this was going to be tricky to dismantle assuming she could dismantle it at this point. She isn't even sure she has the means to. She felt a bit empty without Shibuki with her anymore, but she'd have to make due some other way for now. She's more than certain that the odds were heavily against her at this rate.
"I don't think this is the best time to be baiting him into fighting you…" she whispered to Tsiro harshly. "Kiyoshi. Let her go and come with me. Quietly. I don't want to hear or see any fuss out of you. You've already caused enough of a stir that I needed to come down her and tend to you and if I have to show up to see you like this, there's a problem and further, it renders our prior discussion meaningless. Are you going to be beast or man? Choose wisely so that I may act accordingly," she offered up her terms sternly. "Or…you can choose and act wisely and have me do nothing."
Kiji heard Tsiro's voice above her, ordering Kiyoshi to let her go, fight him he said. So many diversions today… Yuriko tried to talk it out, Kiyoshi told her to fight him, Tsiro's telling him to fight /him/.. Isra was.. And naoya… Kiji got kind of lost in all the people watching her disgrace. Her eyes locked on Kiyoshi's again and she could see his anger burning in his eyes. Her own hollow feeling made her feel the pain of her skin more, she could feel that cloak trying to obliterate her body just as Kiyoshi's Other had done to her chakra and blood earlier. If he just squeezed a little tighter perhaps that corruption would rend away enough skin to cut a major artery…
Then he did tighten his grip. But Kiji didn't respond. She even allowed her hand to fall from protecting the back of her hair. She could read that dark desire to rip out her throat. It was a sweet promise for the second it lasted. Then he looked at her, really looked at her. His refusal was more painful than anything he could have done to her otherwise. Her expression looked like he had struck her for a moment. Then his hand fell away, leaving her throat raw and bleeding for several seconds before the skin regenerated. And just like that she felt reality crush down on top of her….
A hand flew up to her chest, clutching at the fabric under her palm. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. Trialit, she thought, kill me! The tightness grew until it was a pain and that pain stabbed through her as her body seized up, forgetting how to breathe. Kiyoshi's voice echoed in her head. No. No. No. no. no…. She grabbed onto one last vestige of anger and reached out to slap him across the face, but her hand barely would have made it through the barrier of his cloak, but his large hand caught her tiny wrist firmly before she could connect. Then she seemed to lose any aggression toward Kiyoshi and Yuriko, her black eyes started to hint at a lighter grey, though bloodshot… She couldn't breathe. She clutched at her chest again with her free hand even as the chakra in her feet holding her to the cliff-face slipped. The only thing that would keep her in place was that grip on her wrist as she gasped for air… And tears tracked down her cheeks. She went completely limp in Kiyoshi's grip, head falling forward to hide her eyes.
The haze of emotions that propelled him through the streets, and to a degree kept him energized in the first place finally began to lift with the rejection. Perhaps he was being cruel and spiteful in the end. Or Mayhaps it was out of love or kindness? Either way, Kiyoshi refused to cross that line.
Without his pulse defeaning his ears, the voices of the others gain clarity to the Kirryu. He is shocked enough to whip his head and part of his body about to regard Isra with his eyes widen in shock, though it is only a brief glance. His nose twitches, noting something that he only faintly noticed before during the abrupt turn. Despite the cloak, shapeshifting abilities, and even his physicality, it his reflex that kept him safe from harm. Not that he was in any real danger of such. Confused as he was, Kiyoshi is given little time to puzzle out the why or even muster a response before the desire for either is lost time after simply only meeting her gaze.
He almost loses his grip on her when she went limp, but luckily, it holds. "Mmph.." Kiyoshi grits his teeth behind closed lips before yanking his wall hand free and pulling her up into his arms. She had already embarrassed herself enough, he reasoned, or at least allowed himself to think as he made his way down. At some point during his journey towards Isra, the cloak finally disappears into the air. "I… am alright, Isra-sensei. I hadn't honestly lost control… With your permission, I would like to return head home, and see to it that Kiji is cared for. As well as reflect on my actions, and prepare a report." He says calmly and evenly. In truth, it mattered not he had Isra's permission or not. Short of being bound and gagged and knocked out, Kiyoshi had no intention of deviating from his spoken plans.
If he had to actually fight, be it his sensei, naoya, and even Tsiro and Yuriko as well, then he would…
"I would hope not, Kiyoshi, but it seems you have everything in order here. So, I will allow you the permission to have Kiji taken to the hospital. However, that does not mean that you all will get away cleanly. Because of what took place here, I'll have to think about something to make you all work off the damages. Of course, that will be after she's healed," she nods her head in Kiji's direction. "All of you unleashing your power was devastating, but of course, yours naturally radiated more strongly due to your nature. But enough about that. Take her away and seek out medical attention. I'll have this area sectioned off…"
She proceeded to mark the area with tags that raised a few seal barriers to ensure no one was allowed to enter. She'd then take her leave, thinking he'd need to draft up a report of her own.
