Starring:
Kiyoshi, Sei
Date: June 4, 2014
Summary:
Sei confronts Kiyoshi about what happened to Kiji.
"The Aftermath Becomes You"
The Pits, Kiri
Sei had saw the whole thing and he wasn't happy. Kiyoshi putting his hand through Kiji was not acceptable.
Sei was having to deal with feelings.. for another? Would he actually not kill her..? That was a troublesome thought. Another time!
Sei sent a missive to Kiyoshi, telling him to show up in the Pits at this time. The place was already filled with his brood, the spiders secreted here and there. Within the shadows that harp was being established, silk threads being twisted around and around themselves to begin the music once the other arrived. They were going to have a talk.
Then Sei planned for a beating. Here, in private, to settle the issue.
Kiyoshi read the missive over twice just to be certain it wasn't a joke of some sort. It was not. Nor was it a surprise to the young Moto. At least, not entirely. With a shake of his head, the moss-haired giant went about preparing himself until the official meet up time…
The sound of heavy footfalls would precede Kiyoshi entering the arranged array, armed with only a Kanobi (Oni Club) and wits. It more than likely would not prove enough. And in hindsight, if things were to turn into a fight, Sei would have the definitive advantage in the pits. That is… assuming the boy can stay out of reach in such a confined space.
All such thought is shunted aside upon seeing the teen for himself. "Sei-san." He stated formally, flipping the club off his shoulder and gently setting it down killing side first upon the ground before his legs.
Sei stood there, arms crossed as he'd watch Kiyoshi come in. A nod of his head was given in greeting along with a whistle. Once the club was set down, the music would begin, about a dozen harps from the sound of it, the eerie sound filling the pits and echoing into the cold springs themselves would wash about them. Within that sound was the genjutsu, the simple factor of vocalization used within the illusion. A thousand voices, more, all whispering, together at once, they added on top of each other, leading up to that voice of normal volume made from the thousands of whispers. "We saw what you did to Kiji-san. We saw you impale her. We saw you cause pain. We want you to understand that we do not approve. We do not want this to happen to Kiji-san. That is as close to what we would call the equivilent of a 'friend' to us. We want you to make sure you know this as well. So we will leave scars so it is remembered. We are allowing you to prepare yourself." Sei's lips didn't move with that voice, he simply stood, watched and waited.
Eyes the color of mud narrow at Sei as the voice echoed his messege. They aroused a brief, faint smirk before his expression returned to the neutral. He understood, or at least felt he understood Sei's feeling enough. But still, it was funny to think that lone wolf he precieved him to be before actually considered anyone a friend.
A sigh escapes his lips. "I would welcome this punishment… if it were possible." Kiyoshi states solemnly, confidant and aggravated by his healing abilities. "… But you'll have to try for more than just scars… And Meruin-sensei will not approve." He adds. Then again, he nearly smiles again due to how their roles seemed reversed in a way. But this was no laughing matter. The fact that Kiyoshi began to build up his chakra as he spoke was proof enough of that…
From all around them, the spiders would hiss in unison. Sei simply shook his head a little, that genjutsu's touch once more occurring. "We know that it will not be approved. We believe this is a signifigant part of our social experiment and will deal with the results appropriately. We know of your regenative ability and we will make sure to be sufficent enough to leave a mark. Whatever the punishment may be, we will do our best to make sure it is through. One way or the other."
'An experiment?!' Kiyoshi screamed in his head and eyes alight with anger. But, it only lasts a moment before simmering down into the back drop of other emotions. If he explained it as such, Meruin was more than likely to go easy on him. More importantly, the blame would more than likely pushed off to him as a failing on his part for stepping into another volatile situation or something along the lines. The very thoughts turned Kiyoshi's insides. But…
"And if I lose control completely here?" He asks.
Sei tilted his head to the side slightly, then finally gave a shrug. "Then we kill you for the good of the village. We recommend you don't lose control." The music took on another tone to it, within and behind that sound of the voices the music would seek to ensnare Kiyoshi within it, dragging him down, slowing him, musical strands of fatigue trying to sap him as the spiders would move about them, chittering again. A sudden mass of webbing from the left would seek to throw Kiyoshi off balance as a rock, one of plenty loose within the pits got launched at the back of Kiyoshi's knee from the right. Sei didn't move, simply watching as the brood started it's work.
Kiyoshi narrowed his eyes at Sei and clenched the hilt of his club. The sheer arrogance of his teammate was — Kiyoshi clenched his jaw, fighting down his temper anger, only to be forced to use it to tune out the voices that tried to gnaw on his will. Doing so left him vulnerable for Sei's brood follow attacks. While he did manage to keep on his feet by adhering to the ground with chakra, the spiders did well to distract him long enough for the back attack to land. His leg nearly gives out. Nearly, but he stays propped up thanks to the club long enough for his regenerative abilities to restore the wound to pristine condition. "You are no Meruin-sensei, Sei." He states as he straightened out fully again.
In other words, he did not believe for a second he could be slain. And even if he should, Sei would only be ensuring his own death in the process by doing so.
"We do not need to be a failed experiment to be successful." The genjutsu voice would return in response. This one was much more vicious in nature, a stronger entity within the genjutsu that would tear at Kiyoshi. That fear, thrust apon him even if he was ignorant of it would seek to claw at him. Even as more spiders would surround Kiyoshi, latching on to inject their venom before scattering away to avoid a full retaliation at the brood. Sei didn't move because Kiyoshi wasn't moving. But Sei was obviously going to need to step it up a little to deal with that regeneration.
Kiyoshi doesn't hear the response, since he dared not allow Sei any deeper after the song from before. All he catches is a fleeting and faint whisper. It is enough, nevertheless, to elicit eyes widening in surprise before he's forced to refocus again and push out phantom feelings that assualt him. Successful though he is, the giant does not allow momentary success to blind him of the broods attempt to claw, bite, and inject him with poison. Unfortunately for them, the skin becomes bone to thick and strong for their fangs to pierce.
It was time to strike back. Kiyoshi rushes forward, club at the ready to follow his initial shot to the neck with a bone crunching sweep of the weapon.
Sei didn't move. The genjutsu and initial attack were unsuccessful, indeed it was partly to be expected, Kiyoshi, afterall, was a student of Meruin. However, when Kiyoshi attempted to use that club, he'd find that it was already mired in webbing. Certainly not enough to slow the action initally, however as the swing furthered, so too did the webbing, until it was literally stopped within a barrier of web. From within that middle a bursting outward had Sei rushing right into Kiyoshi, seeking to tackle him to the ground before that clone of web and spiders was revealed, the mass sticky and hard to deal with while the spiders would inject that poison as before. Once more that forced emotion, the hissing of the spiders around them raising with the harp's music would assault Kiyoshi, seeking to press him down further, attack both his mental state, as well as his physical one.
The combination was sound, aggravating so. He could no more smash the barrier apart any better than he could punch through it. So, Kiyoshi bounded back, meaning to regroup and reconsider when Sei comes bursting out of the webbing. If he honestly thought the clone's tactics was going to surprise him, let alone knock him off balance enough for the webbing to come into play, Sei would be wrong. Both bare feet and club are brought down abruptly, turning up the stone due to his momentum and strength, but also providing that extra brace against the clone.
It was like what watching a pinata slam into a red oak (or whatever those REALLY giant trees are called!). Hilarious, but a distraction that left Kiyo vulnerable to another mental attack. He nearly claws at his own ears to try and drive the noise and forced emotions on. The fear bashes against the flood gates, denting them, as well as force Kiyoshi to take his mind off the fight. To resist it, Kiyoshi fell on his knee, gripped the sides of his skull, and focus.
After close to a week of back to back emotional trauma on top of everything else, Kiyoshi was starting to lose it…
Not that Sei would let up on Kiyoshi. Indeed, from everywhere around them, ripping rock out of the walls and causing plenty of damage to the ground, only for the stones to be used agaisnt Kiyoshi, he'd get assaulted on all sides at once by that brood. Sei was forced to step it up further and he wasn't going to back down. Afterall, he had already told Kiyoshi there would be a beating. Physically or mentally Sei was making sure that Kiyoshi felt that attack. Even with that, however, Sei didn't go too far. He wasn't going to over do it on the poison as this wasn't to the death. Kiji lived, so too would Kiyoshi.
You failure.
You betrayed her.
You don't deserve them.
Pathetic!
It doesn't matter what they say, none of them…
This isn't bad. This isn't enough. Just leave. And —
Let this fester for who knows how long!?!
So many thoughts, and so many voices. None of which he could trust as his own, or really seperate from one or the other. He tried, nevertheless, to no avail. A deep, rumbling growl issued forth from both within and without. The spiders would wreck the pits just hammer away at Kiyoshi, be it by stone, fang, webbing, or more; only to be rebuffed against all odds, shattered or broken against ossified skin and muscle to thick to break through.
His clothes do not fair nearly as well as the rest of his being. Albeit, that would soon become a lesser concern… for Sei, that is. With a growl that grew into a wall shaking roar, Kiyoshi's skin and clothes seems to burn away as a surge of chakra up, piercing a whole in the cieling until nothing stands in its ways but clouds. When it recedes, as it is bound to do, what stood in Kiyoshi's place was only a vague, crimson merging of beast and man…
Sei didn't move. The brood's assault didn't effect Kiyoshi other than piss him off. Sei looked upward curiously while the hole was put into the roof. That.. would need to be replaced. Sei's head tilted to the side, more and more energy was put into his own hive mind, releasing himself from being just one of them so that Sei and the spiders were fully together. Syncing with a perfection that had never been felt before. Sei didn't have to look to know where they were, he didn't have to sense, or track. It just happen. One mind, one entity, the spiders and shinobi together. While Kiyoshi raged and indeed lost control, Sei/brood would assault him again. That movement was so fluid as the webbing would seek to take Kiyoshi down, pinning him to the ground while the rest of the brood would attack, new found power and strength together as Kiyoshi would get injected with that poison.
The sensor nin would come with other forces in tow. Not now, but soon enough.
This vague notion passes through mush of a mindscape between host and bijuu before falling away to the wayside.
They were angry..
The Okumo before them… he was the cause…
They smiled, or expressed roughly what could be taken as such, and exhaled, releasing visible steam in the process. The thousands-in-one entity paid it no mind or the possible danger. They merely renewed their assault with greater coordination. But again, Kiyoshi — the other 'They' — rebuked their efforts by seemingly allowing themselves to be captured, only for the cloak to burn the webbing and the hosts rapidly expanding muscles to tear away the weakened strands. The brood are given a worser treatment. That is, those that manage to survive long enough to dive into the cloak and try piercing the ossified skin beneath.
Kiyoshi let's out another roar, then leaps forward, tearing the ground apart in his wake. If sei's barriers did not hold, he too would get the same treatment as Kiji.
Sei/brood knew when the beast moved. Everywhere there was webbing. Even if burned off, it would get replaced, more added to it. This was getting difficult as the mounting assault was causing a higher loss in the brood than anticipated. Sei/brood would deal with that another time. Once more that webbing that was all about would be put into use, even with that layer of the cloak seeking to burn it away, there was a rate of deterioration that could be used. The sounds would assault that mental space once more, draining further as the hissing snared the beast while the webbing would suddenly tighten, Sei/brood moving together in such sync as to cause that webbing to enclose about the beast. Not knowing what Kiyoshi was, even with the observations, definitely was causing Sei to recalculate what he should do, rapidly.
Their charge was too soon and too unfocused. The ground upon which Sei stood would bear the brunt of the Jinchuuriki's fury, but not ease it as much as a direct hit would. As for the sounds that saught to assault the mental space once more, Kiyoshi doesn't appear to be effected in the least. Between the natural defenses and the pain of constantly tearing and regenerating flesh, the boy was all but blind to the noise. The webbing that followed, sadly, finally seemed to bound the beast for now. But for how long under the corrossive coat…?
Sei/brood calculated. he'd have to knock this thing out if he was to survive. Immediately another clone assaulted the beast, that hiss of the burning off webbing filling the air angredly as it'd assault the figure enshrouded in chakra. That webbing created the opening needed for the spiders to finally get that poison in, hitting the beast hard and spreading the poison further. As the webbing would get shredded and finally fall away, the spiders would leap away, leaving those poison marks and what remaining silk would be behind. Some how this thing was in the village. Sei/brood didn't know why, but the reason behind Kiyoshi's actions were understood much better now. Both before and now.
The clone hits hard, but stretches the webs already binding Kiyoshi. Instinctively, the Jinchuuriki takes advantage of the error by digging deep, taxing what little of his reserve hasn't been already stripped by the spiders webbing to expand his muscles, breaking the bonds and incidently creating a mass of flesh to tough for the spiders fangs to pierce.
Free at last, Kiyoshi falls on all fours, angrier now more than ever, but too tired to attack… for now.
Sei/brood would attack again, that heavy swarm strike would come around from everywhere, the destruction of the pits further enhanced as the whole area was used against the winded Kiyoshi. He wassn't letting up. Sei/brood knew he needed to knock out this beast. Stepping back a single step, it only allowed for that minor space as Sei continued to hammer at the beast, trying to make Kiyoshi fall down so he could be returned to normal.
Kiyoshi is the shore, the broods attacks, the waves. They may chip off the surface layer of fur and bone, but nothing does enough damage that can't just be restored within seconds. By the time the dust and debris settles, Kiyoshi is still standing, arms crossed to protect his face and breathing hard. Not that it was necessary given the skeletal structure protecting most of his body anyways.
'Listen!'
His head jerks at the noise and starts scanning their surroundings…
Sei/brood narrowed his eyes at Kiyoshi as he stood there relatively unphased. A small shake of his head and the opening that Kiyoshi had made in the roof was used. A rather large rock, embalmed in spider silk would suddenly get launched at him from a massive spider silk slingshot. Slamming into the beast, it'd scatter that webbing around the other, Sei/brood watching as the silk ensnared with the spiders leaving the rock to try and pin that beast down, assaulting him even further to keep him pinned under the rock.
The grating sound of Sei and his broodlings continuing to draw breath eventually draws the beast away from its search at first, but not fully. He — they — IT — the beast could still feel something nudging at their conscious. Their first thought is of course the Okumo trying to dig its claws in… into something. It wasn't clear. Nothing… everything was growing unclear. Muddied. It all — Blood, chakra, bone, and spittle either scatters or goes flying apart upon impact with the boulder slingshot slamming down upon, sending the unprepared beast to its knees and hands. But, much like atlas the beast strained itself, breaking the webbing helping to keep the rock down before most of it could fully set properly.
The temptation to toss the boulder at Sei is all but impossible to resist…. But the beast does at some quiet urging. With the weight out of its way, it starts towards Sei, only to freeze up, and start trembling. "SHhhuuuck…jouuup." Utter nonsense except for how it gripped its head, growling and shaking until at last it cannot take anymore!
It runs out of the pits, the cold springs, and doesn't stop running until it reaches the bloody marshes…
Sei tried to move as he did. Those few steps and with the beast's full power into it was not enough time to give him a chance to stop it. Sei/brood stopped at the entrance to the pit, watching the retreating lights. Closing his eyes, he'd shudder in silence as the hold of that hive mind retreated, releasing that evolved form to return to Sei and his brood. Eyes opening, a single pair instead of multiple, Sei looked about at the distruction and waited for the sensor nin to come find out what the heck just happen in here.
