Starring:
Date: December 16-17, 2012
Summary:
Two short scenes showing some of Risu's progression into madness. Not all of these progression scenes made it into logs so this tries to give a bit of flavor of what has been going on with Risu between matches
"Descent into Madness: Risu's fall"
Boneyard Gardens and then Kiri Memorial
Boneyard Gardens [Kirigakure]
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As you enter the gardens from the street, you realise that the curved white fence-posts with the strange-seeming cross-baring between
them are large, curved rib bones; Likely from a whale, if their size is any judge. Within the walled off area, however, the ground is rich
and lush; Tall fruit trees, staggered so that during any given season at least a few of the barrier-ring of trees would be in bloom and part
giving fruit, rest covered with a network of creeping vines along the trunks. The ground seems almost carpeted by herbal beds full of mint,
garlic, any number of things that one can imagine are likely here, growing.
The area seems to be a large, circular space; Trees at the far outside, concentretic rings of herb beds, and then a ring of low to
the ground fruit-bushes. Where the ground is visable, it seems that the dirt has a strange consistancy, like light, bleached woodchips. In
the center of this large garden is a grassy field, perhaps 60 feet across, at the very center of which is a water fountain; Upon the
fountain's central pillar, in very small text, lists of names are written. When you find the name of someone who you had heard died within
the last few months, you realise the morbid truth; This place of lush, nurtured growth is a graveyard.
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The monsoon season is horrible in Kiri. Powerful storms keep raging through and despite being an island nation it is cold. Not cold
enough for snow, but the rains… oh how it rains. But here, in the garden the plants soak it up as this is the wet season for them and the
lack of frost means they grow year round. At the moment there is a temporary lull in the monsoons, but another one is likely to come through
at any time, another band of showers to soak everything. The leaves are still wet from the last shower. The sky is still dark and gray. It's
late afternoon and Risu is sitting on a bench in the park. She looks a bit like death warmed over, pale and some how fragile. There is a
darkness about her, something not quite physical but definately noticable, like a cloud hanging over her as she sits there, alone, in the
park. She had tried to find Itami earlier and had even talked to Goh and had left messages where she could, so hopefully Itami would find
her, as she had been unable to find Itami.
Notifications have been showing up to Itami often and she's been minding them as much as she could. Dividing her time between being
secretive while also maintaining her relations with matters regarding Suna and Risu have been straining, but she found it necessary to endure
this path in order to keep things together. The rain, after a while, didn't bother her. It took her some time to get used to it and how it
had the tendency to grow cold. Thankfully, she had clothes that could keep her warm in this kind of weather and managed to purchase an
umbrella to ensure that she wouldn't be rained on.
She found herself heading to the boneyard gardens. A most unusual place, but nice in its own way. She never thought bones could look
so attractive among all the other things around here. It wasn't long before she was able to spot her target, Risu, sitting alone. It didn't
take much for her to notice something was off about her, as well. She approached as she normally would, with warmth and concern in mind and
after drawing closer, she began to settle herself on the bench the girl was sitting on and holding the umbrella over her head. "You'll catch
a cold out here if you sit out in the rain like this…" she spoke to her.
Risu looks up at Itami as she sits down next to Risu. She takes a deep breath then lets it out slowly. "Ah… I… maybe…." She
says, as if she's not sure what to say. After her match earlier, where she created dead bodies of those she killed as defensive blocks and
almost killed her opponent in that match, Risu is a bit shaken up. There is gossip all around town about what happened during that match so
Itami may have caught word of some of it. Risu looks back down at the path.
"Itami? I… I think I'm breaking. I can't control it… I tried… I'm trying but… it's too much. It's getting too powerful too
fast, faster than me. I don't know what it is but… but it's breaking me." Her words are soft, pained, "I… I need help but I don't know
what to do. I… I'm scared."
"Your abilities…I'm guessing you are talking about those?" Itami inquired. Of course, she was. "First, do not concern yourself
with fear. Fear only acts as a hindrance. I did hear about what happened. Something like that is bound to circulate very quickly. Watching
people being pulled from the grave, so to speak and used as shields…" She huffed softly. That was something. She looked at Risu and
observed her for a few moments. "The only thing I can think of is to have you contained if your abilities get to a point that you can't
control them. Considering you can both create and destroy things on a whim. It stands as a threat both to you and to those around you. I
understand you aren't the sort to want to kill people. You've made that very apparent. We'll just have to find some means of helping you in
this situation."
Risu sighs, and leans against Itami, "I don't know what to do. I try to do the right thing but I almost become someone else, and it's
getting worse, stronger. I don't know what it is. But… it's like every time I destroy something I get more powerful… and that makes it
even harder to control. And making new stuff doesn't fix it… so it all just grows… and grows… and grows…" She bites at her lower lip,
then looks up at Itami, "You'll find a way to keep me from hurting anyone, won't you? I mean, I know we have to fight as shinobi but… I
don't want to kill anyone else in the tournament, I don't want to hurt anyone accidently. And… I don't know if I can co that. It… it's
hard, and scary. I could probably just destroy the entire garden here and leave a crater with just a few gestures…. but… that would make
it even stronger. And I don't even know what /it/ is… is it me? Is it something else?" She asks, her voice trembling, "You… you'll find
an answer, won't you? I know you had a lot to do but… but if it goes wrong… and I'm in the middle of a village… if I can do that now,
what would happen if I wiped out half a village?" She asks softly, "And how much stronger would it be /then/??"
Itami began to switch the umbrella into another hand so she could use a free arm to wrap around Risu while she leaned against her.
"I'll do everything in my power to keep you from having to hurt people, Risu. If you feel it necessary, perhaps resigning is the best way to
go. That way, you don't need to participate in the tournament and that leaves us more time to be able to see what we can do about your
issues. On top of that, not being exposed to battle will keep you from having to try and use your abilities. It will prevent them from being
fed into," she explains while squeezing her tighter in her grip.
"I haven't been around for you like I promised I would and I deeply apologize for that. I was…selfish in some regards to me
leaving Sunagakure, but I assure you it was because I had the village in mind. Still, I will find a solution for your problem. It's not you.
Know this well. You know that you do not wish to do these things to people, so the abilities you have must have some influence over you in
some kind of way." She sighed softly.
"You don't have to worry about wiping out villages. You won't be doing that. I can assure you…."
LATER
Cliffside Memorial [Kirigakure]
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A strong frigid wind always whips through the air here, clearing it of any mist that might linger. The cliff face extends fifty feet out over
the water, at the end of the face is a large obsidian memorial obelisk. A single dirt path heads back westward.
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Risu is standing in front of the large memorial. She is staring up at it and reading the names on it, out loud, one at a time. There
are a lot of names on it. She is slowly walking around it too. Something seems a tad wrong about her at the moment, her outfit is different
to be sure, but also just something seems horribly off about her, dark. The weather is cold, the wind whipping around but no rain at the
moment, a bit of a reprieve from the monsoons that have been coming through.
Rumors fly around a set of exams. Even Keiji knew that much. However there was one rumor that caught his attention. Though he had
not seen the matches, there was a bad rumor about someone who's control over their abilities seemed to be slipping. While most would expect
that from Kirigakure shinobi, the rumor distinctly mentioned a girl from Suna. Though Keiji knew of Akina's abilities, it seemed she would be
the lesser of the two entries that he had to worry about.
Just on a hunch, Keiji decided to investigate Risu. You know to at least make sure she was alright or getting help that she needed.
It took him a while to find her but eventually he comes upon the monument. He stops for a few moments to watch her actions. She did seem
different.
Risu reaches up and runs her fingers along the engraved names, saying them in a sing song voice. It's kind of spooky really as she
reads the names of dead nin in that way. As she circles around the monolith she rounds it and spies Keiji. She blinks a few times, then says,
"I know you, right? Are you real? I didn't kill you, did I?" Her voice sounds strained, odd. Her eyes are full of darkness, the brilliant
blue now streaked with black as if the pupil is leaking into the iris and even some into the white of her eyes.
"So it is true.." Keiji states. He steps forward as she asks if she had killed him. "Calm yourself Risu." he states as he stops a
few feet infront of her. He was not sure if she was going to attack or if she was dreaming a delusion. For safety purposes he had to lean
towards the first out come. "I won the first Chuunin exams. You came to me for advice. Remember?"
Risu tilts her head, "Oh, yeah… but… but I didn't get the scrolls. I did but I gave them away… away away… to someone else who
lost right away… away." She rocks back and forth then gives a rather odd grin, "Glad I didn't kill you, killed some others you know?" She
takes a few stumbling steps towards Keiji, "Can't hold the darkness back all the time now, but the pickle man says I have to, says it's
important to not use it…. how can I win if I don't use it? Might kill someone though… that'd be bad to kill more people, right?" She
asks, unsure sounding. "Or would that be good? I forget…."
Keiji ponders the statements made. Risu got the scrolls but gave them to someone else. "Why did you give them to someone else?" he
asks. "It is okay if they lost. That happens to a lot of people. Like I said winning the tournament is usually more luck than anything else."
Then comes that she killed someone. "Death happens. I have killed a lot of people, but I was also trained to." Though Keiji often questioned
the morality of his actions, he never truly had a break down like he was witnessing. "Control yourself. You do not want to become a monster."
"Monster? Oh, yes…. Ryuunosuke called me a monster… Isato too… Senju, one senju, two senju, both dead… one two no more…"
She chants in a sing song tone, "But I brought the dead bodies back, used them to block attacks in the tournament, made people really mad…
but I got rid of them… I can get rid of almost anything now. Poof, all gone. But pickle man told me not to…" She frowns, "But how can I
win my match if I don't use the darkness?" She asks again, then tilts her head and looks at Keiji, "Are you really here? I think you are. You
don't seem like the others who aren't here." She really seems to be making little sense, or perhaps making sense in her own slightly twisted
mind currently.
So she had brought bodies back to block attacks. It sounded a lot like she was able to summon corpses. "That is up to you Risu. Is
winning at all costs the only thing that matters?" he asks. "I am real. I am here. I can tell you that abilities are special. Some come at a
price. It is a matter of what you are willing to pay for greatness. Some people trade their souls for it. Other people trade their dedication
and hard work."
Risu's face suddenly turns into a scowl as she takes a threatening step forwards, "You don't know! You don't know about the darkness!
I don't want it anymore! It won't go away! I tried to make it go away but it won't. It won't stop, and it's getting stronger faster than I
am!" She almost yells. "What do I do? How do I stop it? It leaks out… it's everywhere, and everytime it gets used it gets stronger and
stronger… how can I stop it if it just gets stronger?! How? What am I supposed to do?!" Then like a switch her face returns to a much
calmer view, "Itami-san, she's going to go… she said she'd fine me help. She promised…. she'll do it, then it'll be okay…"
It was sounding more and more like Risu needed to find a monestary of sorts to live in. Unfortunately Keiji was not aware of one in
Suna. "Take a deep breath. Think about who you are Risu. You need to understand only you can control your inner demons." After a few moments,
Keiji responds to the fact he does not know. "You are right. I have no idea how it feels to have a power that controls me. I have always been
in control. It comes naturally to me. However I do know how it feels not to embrace my clan. I do not sling mud as a greeting or make it a
point to be nasty to people. I control me."
Risu hesitates, "You should go before I hurt you. I might make you go away accidently. I don't want to do that. I have… I have to
think, to focus before my match. I need to try really hard to control it, or I'll do something bad, but… I think I can… I have to, until
after the last match… that's the next one." She blinks, "Only the pickle man made me promise not to use my darkness? How can I win without
the darkness?" She's rambling now, repeating herself, and seeming a bit disoriented to be frank.
Keiji shakes his head. "I am going no where Risu. You can try to hurt me, but you may find I have another side. Forget about your
match. Some things are more important than rank. Things like a soul. You are putting people at risk that they need not be." Keiji takes a
stance as his own chakra builds. He was preparing for an attack. Now he was just pondering how strong Risu actually was at this point.
Risu tilts her head then says, "You're silly. You can't stop me. You could ask me but…. I think…" She hrms and hesitates, "I
promised pickle man I wouldn't make anymore black or white stuff. But… if you try to stop me or hurt me… I'm gonna have to break that
promise." She says softly as she eyes Keiji, "Don't make me break my promise… I really don't want to hurt you…" This would be comical if
Risu didn't sound so serious about it all. She's just a genin, a second tier genin at that, talking to a Chuunin that way?
"It is obvious that you cannot stop yourself. If you were in control you would not be acting like this. By doing this you place
every person you face in danger. Part of you does not want that. You need help. If you deny yourself this, then you will continue to hurt
people." Unfortunately Keiji had seen enough. Now he was waiting for an attack.
"That's enough." Comes a voice from the side. The large man, complete with his tattered black cloak makes himself known to the side.
"Everyone calm down." He says, again, not really coming across as angry or frustrated. Just … authoritive. "Risu, I'm happy to see that
you've held your promise and not used your powers." The pickler looks at Keiji, glancing him up and down. Appraising him, almost. "Who are
you?"
Risu looks up at Goh, and nods, "I did keep my promise. I… I didn't want to but I did…." She says softly. Then she takes a few
steps back towards the memorial monolith. "He doesn't want me to fight in the tournament." She says as she starts to slowly circle the
obelisk, running her finger across the names of the dead, "He's from Suna, he won the last Chuunin exam… he's okay, he's…. just trying to
be mean and not let me fight…." Her voice is sing song again as she goes back to muttering the names on the obelisk a bit.
Keiji's dark eyes look over towards the newcomer. "Shippodoku Keiji. Risu is not well. She is losing control and is no longer
herself. If she competes she is placing others in danger. She will break her promise to win. She already suggested if I do not leave, she
would hurt me. I told her I am not going anywhere." he states. He was not being mean. He was trying to prevent her from doing something she
would regret.
"I see." Goh replies simply to Risu. "Well, if even I can't convince you to not concede from the tournament, then the only person who
can is the Kazekage." He lifts a hand to rub his chin, listening to Keiji carefully. "Shinobi enter the exams with the thought that they are
going to be put in danger all the time." Sucking in a breath, he exhales. "This situation is above you, I'm afraid. Your best bet, like I
said, would be to find Sousa. As a resident from Sunagakure, you should know where to find him, yeah?"
Then he shrugs. "I trust her. It's true that she isn't really herself, but that's not really her fault. But if she says that she will
promise not to use them, then that's good enough for me right now. If the worst happens and she snaps in the exam area, you will have to
trust that the proctor will save the situation in time." His eyes narrow on the male Chuunin. "What she doesn't need though, is to be pushed
further to the edge with no proctor here to help stop her from doing something she will regret. By her own countryman, no less. Please rest
assured that there are very good people at work, trying to make Risu better."
Without warning, over by the obelisk, there's a flash of darkness if it can be called that and… she falls over suddenly, limp as
she hits the ground, out cold with no obvious reason behind it. The sound of her fall might be the first thing that gets the pair's attention
if they miss the small flash of darkness around her that seemed to just… come, no seals or anything on her part just… kind of like a
pulse of darkness around her for a moment.
Keiji listens to Goh before glancing over at Risu. "If you understand that she is not herself, why parade her infront of another
nation instead of help her? Does this show really mean that much to you? She is tearing herself apart. As for the Kazekage, I have no idea
where he is. At best there is a member of the Jounin Council." One in which he doubted would be of any help. "Danger is one thing, but this
is another."
Goh blinks a little, just finishing his lecture to Keiji before Risu hits the deck. Preceeded by a flash of darkness. Striding over,
he looks at the young girl carefully, crouching down to lay a hand on her cheek. No doubt about it, she was down for the count!
"Interesting." He comments quietly, stroking his chin again. "I would say that my trust was suddenly broken, but I didn't notice her
performing any seals. It's like she… I don't know. Overloaded." Was that possible? There was so much he didn't know about this, which was
frustrating.
"That's not a question for me, Keiji." He answers the Chuunin. "I'm not a member of Sunagakure. But if your Kazekage has plans to
continue to play her, then there's little I can do to stop him. We just roll with the call and adjust as best we can. Again, conceding the
match is her call. We can't force her to withdraw. That would be… I dunno. What's the word? Counter productive. Or something."
He seems to stand there then, pondering. Risu still just sprawled out on the grass.
The dark eyes of Keiji remain cold as his attention returns to Goh. "The exam is meant for Risu, not for whatever affliction she
holds. She is no longer in control. Forcing her to agree to control the ability is not too much different from me asking her not to compete
the way you talk. If it is the Kazekage's call then maybe he should have asked her not to use the power." Keiji was pondering if he had made
his point. If there was something to be guilty of, they were both guilty of it. "I will take her to the council man." he states as he moves
forward to pick Risu up.
"Saying she's no longer in control is a bit steep." Goh replies, looking up into the sky, as if prompting it for answers. "And I
never forced her to agree to not use her powers. I just asked nicely. From what I saw, it seemed like you were going through a different
approach." He waves a hand. "Look, don't worry about it. It's splitting hairs, and this hasn't got much to do in the grand scheme of things.
Good idea, take her to the Council. They can at least relay what's happened to your leader quickly. Seems to me she's just … overcharged, I
guess you could say. With too much of the black stuff. Ideally, your leaders will have a contingent plan for this setup."
He takes a step back, letting him pick her up. "Be safe, Keiji."
