Starring:
Date: October 31 - November 5, 2012
Summary:
Berii is given a mission and some back up to go investigate strange animal attacks in case things are not what they seem.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Night of the Beast pt.2"
Small village within the Land of Fire
And so they watched and waited, then watched some more then waited some more. Turns being taken boredom being had. Eventually the lights in the doctors room would go out and he most likely fell asleep with nothing of interest happening. GREAT PLAN DAISUKE. Well Berii was all for it herself actually, she was more than certain that the doctor had something to do with it.
"Bweeeeh, Daisuke." Berii huffs, tilting forward and falling out of the tree landing softly on her feet and stretching out her neck with a quick side to side head tilt. "Hnn, maybe we showd just wait fo' something to happen, not wike this is making sense fwom nowmal inspection, maybe we have to be in the situation to make the unpwausible, pwausible."
A glance back, she awaits his opinion on this suggestion.
Daisuke looked a little frustrated as they sat there watching the Inn and the doctor's room. It was just a hunch, and even if it would've worked, he doubted the doctor would do anything with shinobi around. "Well, it wasn't like he was just going to suddenly give himself up with us around, right? He's a doctor so he has a good head on his shoulders." he says as he glance in the darkened window. "I'd prefer not baiting anyone else out but perhaps we can be the bait." Daisuke says as he turns to Berii. "Henge can come in handy, right? Maybe pick one of the villagers you've seen around today since we arrived and pretend to be gathering wood or out for a night walk?" He waits for Berii to reply before doing anything.
"Hnn, I dunno." Berii's lips purse, thinking back on the villagers she actually saw, any one of them she actually came across appeared to have no ability to work. Either out of paranoia or out of age. "Hnn, I guess we can tw-" Berii is cut short by a cry for help that went a little something like…
"HEEEELP!"
Yeah, mostly like that, it's yelled out a few more times before being followed by, "It's here! It's here!" From the first set of yells, Berii had twitched but, had difficulty moving. Her hand comes up to her head as she gives out a slight "Ergh..I." The Sharingan eyes fall to the ground as her eyes begin to shut in pain. "One sec, you… go ahead. Be, thewe."
The head pain kicking in just as the yelling started to occur, she instantly assumed that it had something to do with the attack but, just what?
When/if Daisuke gets there, he'd find nothing but, a limp body torn completely in half between two homes. Two small flames in the shadows beyond, burning eyes glaring at Daisuke with a snarl as a menacing aura radiates from the beast. It may feel like minutes that the staredown occurs but, it is only a split second until the beast simply vanishes.
This time it looked like an attack. Claw marks all along the houses sides, the dirt stirred up, blood splatter and, a very much real and dead villager. Only until a few minutes stillness passed did the villagers begin to pop their heads out.
Daisuke is quick to respond, the menacing aura coming from the beast nothing compared to what was emitting from Daisuke as his inner chakra began to boil. As the chuunin arrives on the scene he is met with the powerful stare of two small flame-like eyes in the bush. The red-headed chuunin stands tall, facing the two small flames as his own eyes turn bright yellow and he lets out a powerful roar of intimidation, not from himself, but from deep within. For within him sat the King of all Forest Beasts, and nothing was going to be parading around trying to intimidate the King. With that, the beast vanishes, Daisuke waiting for a few moments before sending out a shadow clone to scour the area it was in. He kneels to examine the new victim, the markings on the body matching up with the ones the doctor described. He observes the scene as the villagers begin to pop their head out to look before asking them to call for the doctor.
"Ah. How interesting." Doctor Okido comments as he comes in to view. "Not an ounce of fear, unlike everyone else. I know you ninja are trained but… hrm…" Whispers start up among the villagers. With glances towards Daisuke and then the body and then back. "Where's your partner?" One of the villagers ask just as Berii comes stumbling in soon after, rubbing her head.
"Neh, Daisuke, did you get it?"
She then looks over to the dead body and abruptly turns her head in the opposite direction.
The continued events causes the Doctor to do a simple, "Hrm…" Once again before gesturing to Daisuke. "Come with me. I believe we need to talk, some more." Berii gets a sideways glance from Okido. "You too." The white haired man heads back into the inn, whispering continuing as the three foreigners step into the building.
"I told you before, doctor. When you pay well, you get the best." Daisuke says as he turns towards the doctor and the villagers. "If the beast had not run away, it would be dead on the ground next to its victim." His tone is flat and without emotion, a professional tone that he uses in missions around others when representing the village. "As for my partner…" he says, trailing off as he looks over to Berii.
Daisuke shakes his head at Berii, "It ran away." is all that is said before the doctor seems to want to open up a bit more. He motions to Berii with a nod before following the doctor back into the creepy Inn, glancing up at the 2nd floor window in case the creepy man was watching.
The doctor closes the door behind the two with a click. Locking the door afterwards, "We will have to keep our voices low." He peers between the two, taking a seat and turning to the two, actually paying attention to Daisuke this time when he speaks. "It's that sort of attitude that'd get you killed boy. Don't think your ability, no matter how grand it is in the real world. Would work against the super natural." He nearly sounded, offended by Daisuke's earlier confidence. Any sign of offence is quickly wiped away with a half hearted smirk, "Though, I suppose the only reason we as humans know so much would be because the bold decided to step into the unknown and find out more. Maybe I shouldn't berate a young explorer."
The Doc continues to look between the two, "So are you seriously here to stop the beast or are there other intentions? Don't lie to me, I can tell. We don't need these villagers stressing out any more than they already are, this is an important location, despite its bad shape, they do make a lot of the food we eat throughout the Land of Fire. If this is some sort of fun little Halloween prank you two have going on. It's no longer funny."
The doctor crosses his arms. "If that's not the case then this is a very terrible way to make a quick buck off of some poor village." While he was blaming /them/ his eyes stayed directly on Daisuke the whole time. "Well?"
Daisuke confidence only grew as the doctor tried to belittle him a bit, knowing nothing about his ability. There was something about this doctor that irked him, and he certainly did not have his trust. He actually chuckles when he mentions being up against 'the supernatural'. Inside, Son also chuckles, though he was growing bored as the beast had gone. "I'm not sure whether to be hurt or angry at those comments. I assure you that we are here to stop the beast from ravaging the village. That is what we are hired for. I honestly had no clue about the importance of this village, but its people, Fire citizens, are being killed. We don't steal money from poor villages and we complete our tasks thoroughly." he says as he looks right back at the doctor with an equally accusing stare. "Taking down a beast, even a spooky flaming demonic bear, is a cake walk for us, doctor. So why don't you tell us a little more of what you know, huh? Maybe I will save you some samples when I am done."
"Heh. Good." The doctor grins, a weird grin, somewhere between joyous and 'joyous about a bunch of kittens being left in a burning building'. "You will make an excellent hero." He turns back to his work, "What do I know. I know that this beast does not exist." The old man raps his knuckles on the desk. "But, it is what's killing people. You see, there is never an ounce of physical evidence whenever things are done from the beast itself. No bizarre strands of hair, bodily fluids or, well just about anything any living creature should leave behind can be found. The only thing that is left is whatever effect it has in the world. If that makes sense. The footprints and the marks left behind by its attacks. Then there's that burning image left in the minds of others… now, you may be wondering why I say it doesn't exist."
He files through a few papers. "You see, I spoke to someone else. A village member who I told the 'true form' of the beast that everyone was trying to hide, I told him it was a tengu with an icy spear." The doctor looks a bit troubled, "The next day, he was attacked by a tengu he managed to escape the attack but, it managed to graze him with the spear, so cold that he became a victim of frostbite on the hand that was wounded."
"I noticed that much." Daisuke says as he walks over to take a seat and listen to what the doctor has to say. The information was somewhat interesting as Daisuke's eyebrow raises. "So whatever the true problem is, it creates these manifestations of what people fear?" he asks the doctor, just to confirm that this is what he was trying to insinuate. He turns his gaze to Berii and asks, "What about you? Don't pretend you didn't seem off, anything you saw or felt could be helpful." he asks his team mate, trying to get a good picture of this.
"N-neh?" Berii still looked a bit shaken up. "Oh, um, sowwy. My head stawted to huwt. I don't know what happened it just kind fewt wike I was thinking way too hawd but, I wasn't thinking on anything. Othe' than that, I didn't get much of anything, hnn." The Uchiha sighs, "But the feaw thing makes sense, it fangs I couwdn't be thewe…. My Shawingan might've been abwe to see thwough it, hnn.
"That seems to be the case. I guess you can say this is a case where words truly have power." The man looks over Daisuke's way, "Sadly it's not just power on the mind this time, I've tried to truly believe the beast is a harmless rabbit but, fear still overtakes, it's like a typical fear in the dark, everything in your room as a child starts to look demonic or monster like if you stare at it long enough. The monster still becomes a monster but… you, you had no fear. Perhaps you can focus your mind to get it to become something less threatening. Something you can capture so we can study it."
The man hrms. "I've already attempted to instil different images into minds of people in hopes that it would strike while those two were about but, it seems to know its weakness. It only assaults those who have the same image in mind. So the confusion tactic is out of the picture. But, there's hope with this 'bravery' tactic and maybe, if you can keep it together Uchiha, the legendary Sharingan might prove useful."
Berii nods and looks to Daisuke, "Maybe we shouwd sweep fo' now, hnn. "It pwobabwy won't attack again tonight and I got a bad headache fwom that wittle event." Berii says this and her Sharingan fades away.
"I suppose I could try. I know it's not going to work if it tries to bring out any monsters from my childhood. The only childhood fear I had was … taken care of.. a few years ago. I have since learned to face head on any fear that resided within me or in front of me. But you seem to know a lot about the world of the shinobi and the Uchiha clan, which is surprising coming from a doctor in a small village. Perhaps you can better introduce yourself later when this thing is dealt with. If you appear trustworthy, I might just let you study this thing." Daisuke says, turning to Berii. "You get some rest, then. I'll stay on watch for now."
Berii turns away with a subtle nod. "Okay." Berii glances at Daisuke, "Becawfuw, you nevew know, hnn…" The Uchiha would like to think that Daisuke had no fears but, she steps back through the door and begins heading to her room.
When her footsteps fade away the Doctor focuses on Daisuke. "Yes. You'd like to learn about me, I'm sure many would like to but, I have no time to explain that. You see, I must be going soon." The Doc smiles, a kind smile. "In fact you should get going too. At least from your room and watch over that Uchiha girl, you said something happened last time the beast came along correct?"
An eyebrow rises and he tilts his head in the direction Berii had left, gesturing him to check on her. "It probably wouldn't be best to leave her alone."
Daisuke narrows his eyes as his gaze doesn't leaving the doctor for a few moments, as if the mentally say he was on it him. But his team mate's safety was important and eventually he does turn to leave, saying "We will be having a nice chat afterwards, if you make it." With a behind-the-back wave like all the cool shonen anime chars do, he walks out the door after Berii and catches up, walking her to her room. "I still don't like that doctor, and all of a sudden he seems to know a lot, after telling us what to think the beast was. I mean, please, why try to put that image in our heads to begin with?"
The doctor laughs a hearty laugh, "I'll make it just fine. Good night." The door locks behind Daisuke once again and it wouldn't be difficult to catch up to a shuffling Berii. Who looks to be suffering from a lack of sleep, the prepared and awake look most likely just a front for the mission and when he comes up she'd be found rubbing her head. "Hnn, I don't wike this pwace at awl." She looks to her room door, "As much as I want to sweep off this headache, I'm afwaid to go to sweep." Berii's teeth grit, the headache intensifying. When she gets into her room she just slides into the bed, in no mood to change or even get under the covers.
"Neh, maybe he's the mad scientist type. Doesn't cawe what happens if he can figuwe things out. That o' he's doing it but, he hasn't made a move yet so he's pwobabwy not that stwong, hnn." The Uchiha rolls over in bed. "Meh, it huwts to think white now, I'm just gonna…" Berii doesn't finish that sentence, she just shuts her eyes.
Still awake but, talking apparently wasn't going to be anything high up on her list of things to do.
Daisuke listens to Berii's concerns. That, coupled with the speech impediment just makes him smile when Berii falls asleep despite not wanting to. He still has some adrenaline coursing through his veins from that beastial confrontation earlier and so Daisuke decides to look around. Closing Berii's door, he walks silently through the inn, scouting both the interior and, eventually making it outside into the village and surrounding forest. Deciding multiple sets of eyes were better than one, he creates a few clones to position around the village while he himself sits atop the roof of the inn with a good view of the forest and village on either side.
Once again the world seemed to be without anything of interest, the many clones appearing to find nothing until about an hour or two later depending on how strong Daisuke's sense of sound was. A light, ignorable thumping coming from Berii's room. It wouldn't matter if he picked up on this or not in a moment because, soon, something much more obvious happens. The sound of shattering glass of some sort.
When he gets closer the muffled sounds of a struggle would come from behind the door to Berii's room, which was now locked. When the Daisukes do react, they'd find the doctor waiting in the hallway, blocking one of the passageways to get to Berii. His arms crossed and his attention seeming to be anywhere but, towards the sound of struggle.
"Sorry, I got too excited. I couldn't wait until the morning to tell you who I was. I mean, I should've been done here a while back but, I did enjoy toying with you two… I'm just so glad I was the lucky one to /accidentally/ stumble on her, this was starting to become boring." He then eyes what Daisuke does next, if Daisuke tried to rush by him he would honestly do nothing to stop him.
"Like I said, you should've been watching your partner. You might want to get back to that."
There was a reason why Daisuke remained on the top of the inn. With Berii's strange headache and the fact that it did not seem to go away once the 'beast' vanished, it had Daisuke worried that this monster in people's heads were symptoms of something going on, whether it was an inhaled toxin, a genjutsu, or whatever. And so the sound of a struggle would immediately spring Daisuke into action, leaving his clones to converge on the inn itself, the agile young monkey of a boy would use the drain on the side of the inn to swing down and leap through the window of Berii's room, smashing into the room and igniting his chakra to immediately bask the room in a reddish glow of demonic chakra because there was no time for lights. "Berii, you ok?" he whispers as he surveys the room.
As for the clones, one would make it to the inn, noticing the doctor outside, it would stop to converse with him, listening to what he had to say. After he would say, "Not that I care about your opinions, but wait here a second and you will see a real monster. And who said I wasn't looking out for my partner?" With that, the clone would poof as a massive red-furred fist would break through the door and grab the doctor in its clutch, pulling him inside.
When Daisuke comes in, he'd find Berii propped up against a wall, grabbing at the air in front of her neck and looking as if she were choking. As soon as he breaks in, what appears to be a stab wound would appear, Berii bleeding from the stomach. "D—dai..sss. Taiss" Not much more can get out, whatever the second name was her throat is crushed further by what initially appears to be nothing but, focus would make it obvious that it was indeed the beast. At least from what Daisuke can see, it may just be the beast in raw form. A thin wispy being that appears to be made of pure chakra.
Its form was loose but, it appeared to be having a confusing moment, being what Berii wanted to see at the moment, Daisuke would catch a glimpse of a humanoid figure within the chakra mist, phasing in and out of reality. The throbbing pain in her head combined with now apparently being strangled left Berii completely useless in this situation, useless like the doctor who is easily snatched up.
He makes no effort to run, he just begins to laugh. "Numbers and strength mean nothing compared to wisdom and cunning. My mission is already complete, you have nothing to stop now!"
Daisuke forms the chakra from his cloak into a snaking claw-like hand that attempts to wrap around the being within the mist, demon chakra burning at the normal chakra hungrily. The red chakra completely surrounds Berii, seeming very warm and almost sickly to most people, but aside from that the chakra does not harm friends. While he is doing this, the doctor is slowly getting crushed by the massive fist of Son Goku that Daisuke had used to trap the doctor in an ironclad vice, he wasn't going anywhere but to Hell if he didn't start talking. "If you care about your life at all you will remove this." he says in a voice that is not definitely not his own as he allows Son Goku, in his infinite awe and wisdom, to step up. His gaze turns to the doctor from within his cloak, his eyes burning gold within the darkness.
The chakra on chakra action causes the being to freak out, a wild array of screeches firing off until it gives away and disperses. "Oh look you did it yourself. Those things are much more flimsy than I thought." His voice is strained but, he does not seem to care at all, eyeing a limp Berii on the floor. "Don't worry about destroying it. I didn't need you to capture it for study, this was the study. I've also collected more than enough bodies and managed to contact Uchiha Berii, I won't be bothering this village or… well the beast obviously, both of us have had a successful day." He forces a grin, "Time for me to move on, don't miss me too much. A litte rest and some care at the hospital should do her just fine."
He then tilts his head back and opens wide, biting down harshly on his tongue and ripping it apart. Choking and sputtering for a moment before his body begins to fade away, turning into a wispy ash. Leaving behind a frail, body, dressed like a typical villager of this area. It looked like any and all nutrients and bodily fluids were sucked dry from the lifeless body a decoy for who knows how long.
The limp Berii would lay there, wide-eyed and clutching a wound that the only doctor in the entire village was no longer around to fix. Obviously shaken by whatever just happened to her she only had the ability to shudder.
Daisuke looks genuinely surprised as the doctor melts away to reveal a villager, laying the body gently on the ground. His first priority was to get Berii some medical attention, and Kadomai wasn't too far. And so he helps Berii up and, letting the old man know that the beast is done and if it comes back to call for them, he carts Berii off to Kadomai in his arms, completing the mission of purging the beast from the village, but letting the true culprit escape. Mission mostly Accomplished.
