Team Rin: Mirror of Damned Souls

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

The trek back down the mountain is slow and time consuming. Fortunately nothing seems to attack you, nor do you feel as if you were in danger. The few stone beasts you encounter raise their hackles but otherwise leave your path clear and make no attempt to harass you. Climbing down the mountain takes much longer than climbing up as you aren't running, but the lack of danger is calming. However, when you arrive at the base of the mountain you discover a distinctly empty foundation resting exactly where a gate had been before. Consequently, you no longer feel the foliage around this foundation is the same impenetrable barrier that it had been two days prior. The team none the less makes their way on into Water Country's countryside.

After several days you come to the same fishing village you had left nearly a month ago. On the surface it has not changed, but as you travel through the village you notice a distinct lack of other people around. There's no one buying dinner for their family, no one unloading the two empty ships at the dock, no one wandering between the close wooden structures and definitely no one bumping into you with that strong fishy smell cascading off their body. Your group is now standing around the town's dock, completely alone.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin was as Rin as Rin could be. Too much so. As they strolled through the village Rin hummed something and occasionally sung a word or two. The song sounded like nothing the kids had heard and was probably older than all of them, hell, it was probably older than her.

When the silence and stillness finally oppressed her humming Rin stopped. "This won't do," she announced trying to act normal. "Paying customers right here and nobody is bowing, most peculiar." She rested a hand on Hibiki's head as if it were an after-thought. She then put more weight on him as if he were a kick-stand. "Lesson time: Where is everyone and why aren't they calling us honorable this and that?"

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Even though their returning trip from Yakushi's temple was met with no troubles, it did not stop Hibiki from causing his own trouble. During the entire way down, Hibiki hid from his Uchiha mother sensei. If he ever caught himself walking beside her, he would stare at her through the single bang of wavy, flaxen hair that helped frame his face. Using his hair as a little shield from Rin's gaze was ingenious- or so he thought- since he could keep his eye on her without her knowing. For the most part, Hibiki remained silent and brooding throughout their decent; however, he could not find any memories of his past where he was happy in a real house with a real parent, with a normal life.

Days taken up with work and fear— that was the normal life Hibiki was accustomed to. The thought made him glare at Rin who represented his past and soon to be future. A mother, he failed to remember his since the first time he tried conjuring a face to put with the name, and here he had one. Would she be the same as his father before, oblivious to his emotions and goals? Would she leave him prematurely, driving him into a state of mind worse than before? Realizing, he was looking at her too much and afraid she'd notice, Hibiki slowed down until Sumie or Yuu was between him and the blond-haired Uchiha. What am I doing? I'm hiding from her. Why? She's not dad, nor is she probably mom...Why am I afraid of her?

Contemplating his uncalled for reaction to her, Hibiki twirled his finger around his other bang of hair. It was a good thing, his mind was preoccupied with Rin, it helped mitigate the fact he had killed an old friend and an innocent stranger. It might not be that bad...Then again it could be...Whatever I can't act afraid! I have to do something, inaction is what kills people! Alright! Here I go! When he finally decided this, the group had made it into town and he had made it next to Rin unknowingly. The vacant streets and empty town meant nothing to Hibiki as he looked up to the woman who claimed to be his mother, the same woman he would try to get to know better, the same woman who was leaning on him as if he was some sort of stool.

At first, Hibiki thought nothing of it. The Leaf-nin struggled to turn his head up to Rin, "Rin, I want to tal-" As he opened his mouth to speak, the woman pressed even harder down on his face leaving an imprint of her hand when she lifts it up. Hibiki shook his head violently to free himself and argued, "Rin! I don't care about the stupid villagers! I just want to...Whatever, they're probably in their homes or something. Let's just leave this place and go home." His voice sounded irritated, and he crossed his arms as if he wanted to cut off any connection that was between him and Rin.

[Valgunn]

Rin

"Rin-sensei," Rin corrected. "Or okaa-san when we're back in Konoha," she tried to act cheerful as she tried to mold his hair a little. She had no paticular form in mind but she tried her best to mimic her own mother, although she probably wouldn't have used him for a kick-stand. Be nicer, she chastised herself.

"We can't steal a ship and we couldn't sail it by ourselves anyway," she knew what would likely happen if they caused too much trouble. "We are guests and we should act properly."

"Anybody else feel like answering?"

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

The daft genin slapped at the Jounin's hand, trying to clear it from his muffed up hair. "I just don't care!" he yelled, oblivious to their current predicament, "You might be a mother on paper," his mouth closed tightly trying to hold back what was about to come out, "but you're not mine. You don't know me, Hibiki! Ordering me to kill people, ordering me to do things I don't want to. Yelling at me. Forcing me to my room. Calling me names. You don't know me!" With what strength the genin had from their descent, Hibiki broke away from her grasp and ran to the dock.

He plops down onto the wooden pier and swings his legs over the edge. Okaa-san?! Hibiki grunts a little and stares at the unmanned ships. Sure, I'll go right along with that. She didn't even ask me if it was alright... The Leaf-nin kicked his feet a little tossing the idea in his head, he wasn't used to not being able to talk to himself as freely as he could before. Thinking was hard to do. Part of him felt that Rin wouldn't be so bad, he even worried about her back at Yakushi's temple; however, Rin was his sensei, how could she be a mother to him? It didn't make sense for a mother to openly send her child off to do dangerous missions, let alone lead him into them.

Hibiki keeps his back to Team Rin as he continues his contemplation, there was much to think about. Accepting the Uchiha as his mother would change his life forever. In fact, he may end up loving her, but what good was love in the Ninja world that Hibiki had found himself in? He looked out again at the ships, so well built that even their massive weights could stay high above the mightiest waters, but a few cannonballs is all it takes for it to sink into the blackest depths of the ocean.

[Callos_DeTerran]

The conversation between Hibiki and Rin was...uncomfortable to say the least and Sumie welcomed a chance to get away from it.

"I'm going to look around." Sumie says bluntly, moving away from the two to head off into the village, looking for any sign that someone might still be around. The girl sticks to the shadows as much as she can, an uneasy feeling crawling up the base of her spine even if there was no other proof for it then an empty village.

And why hadn't that gate been there again and it's...delightful gatekeeper Charon?

Such thoughts were shaken away, she had to focus on the task at hand despite how distracting her 'team-mates' were.



Spot: [roll0]
Hide: [roll1]
Move Silently: [roll2]

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu had spent the majority of the time the group spent climbing down the mountain contemplating his new arm. Was it going to help him? Or was it going to doom his soul with its demonic taint? He had a ton of questions, particularly for Suimie. She actually seemed to know something about this arm. Yuu had always prided himself on being at least moderately intelligent, and one of the things that his father had drilled into him was that one needed to know as much as they could about any situation, and having suddenly acquired a demonic arm that spoke to him ranked rather high on his list of "things that one needs to know about". As a result, as usual, he was only half-listening to Hibiki and Rin's odd relationship. That sort of thing looked like it was going to go on for some time.

He did notice the lack of people, though. He groaned inwardly. It meant trouble. He knew it did.

"I just want things to go smooth. Why don't things ever go smooth?"

He turned to Kuromaru, his bound hand drifting to his sword hilt.

Do you smell anyone around, boy? Got any reason they aren't out here doing business?"

[ZeroNumerous]

Rin, Hibiki and Yuu (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qg4pOW3Pn8)

Sumie heads off on her own when Rin and Hibiki begin fighting. Their words are interrupted by Kuromaru's loud and angry growl. The dog hugged the ground as it's fur bristles and lips curl back to show white fangs. Following it's gazes down the street reveals to you a pair of people sitting calmly on a bench. The two figures are juxtaposed over the bright orange and faded reds of the coming twilight. One plays a reed flute while the other calmly strums a shamisen.

The flute player is a man wearing thick black circular glasses that block his eyes entirely from view. A wide-brimmed, short and black hat--rounded where it rests upon his skull--blocks the failing sunlight from touching his face. The collar of a buttoned up longcoat protects the rest of his face from your view. The coat in question is a sleek black affair with long sleeves leaving only his white gloved hands in view. The coat covers his legs, but billows in the wind just above polished black shoes.

In contrast, the shamisen player wears a white hat that otherwise matches her compatriot. Her own glasses are tinted red, and further extend metal to cover her eyes from view entirely. Her long white coat is unbuttoned and shows a matching puffy silk shirt beneath. Her long sleeves terminate in sleek black gloves which pluck at the shamisen without even a pick. She does not look at her instrument and instead gazes listlessly skyward. None the less, her fingers miss no notes and her music remains in time with her compatriot.

Neither player makes a move toward nor away from you. Neither do they stop playing, change their tempo or even appear to notice you. Rin, however, gets that familiar feeling of a knife blade drawn in secret. Her instincts telling her that danger is nearby. Meawhile, Yuu's own burgeoning combat instincts picks up on the hidden danger, albiet in a much less direction fashion. The less-experienced ninja feels a sensation of coldness in his human fingers and heat in his demonic ones. He feels the pseudo-flesh beneath his seal-scarred bandaging crawl as the demonic fire beneath roils and lashes about in preparation for something he cannot see.

Sumie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StG1gMEHqYc&feature=PlayList&p=823C2026A36A3048&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=4)

Searching around split the young chuunin apart from the group and sent her deeper into the village's twists and turns. An alleyway here, a ladder there, a muddy street here and Sumie stops to find herself standing in front of a medicine shop. A human-like shadow, bearing no face, materializes from an alleyway behind the chuunin. A voice like honey, a voice she remembers, echoes from the blindspot in her vision. "Don't turn around child. Report. How did the encounter with the snake go?"

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu let out a soft groan of disappointment. His paranoia sense was working overtime, telling him that these people would kill him as soon as look at him, and recent events had made him call into question his combat skills. The fact that his demonic arm was reacting to...something made him even more uncomfortable. Was it their music? He tried to measure the rhythm of the music, to see if his arm was reacting in time. As he did so, he glanced at his sensei, seeing how she would react and priming himself for action- which would hopefully involve running.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

The sheer emptiness of this place was wearing, especially after she had left the others behind for exactly this purpose. Not a sign or trace of anybody that she could find in her short search, and Sumie doubted her investigation would be any more fruitful in the opposite direction.

"Hah...this place is as empty as a grave..." Sumie murmurs to herself, to break the oppressive silence that hung over this place, feeling a familiar twinge of soreness in her chest from where Yuu's sword pierced through her. Already the wound has mostly healed but still it gave her more trouble then she could afford, looking at the medicine shop and contemplating taking some drugs from inside. After leaving proper payment of course.

Then the ANBU girl heard that chillingly familiar voice and froze in her tracks, heart pounding in her chest as she stiffens in surprise as if by instinct at the sound of that haunting voice. Suddenly the armor wasn't making her feel so safe anymore, too tight and constricting, Sumie's breath beginning to race in the beginnings of a panic attack before years of decorum training stamped down on it.

...!

"Ma'am." Sumie says stiffly, staring straight forward as her hands ball into fists and she has to resist the urge to turn about and face the source of the voice. "It...went as well as any interaction with the Sannin could go. The objective of Rin's team was accomplished through my doing and that of Orochimaru as well, but the Yakushi was slain after the fact as well as Orochimaru himself if the body is to be believed. The Kusanagi has been recovered and we have only just returned."

Her voice cracks only once, when calling the person 'ma'am' but she related what she believed were the pertinent details of the mission in a quick fashion.

"Did...do you know why the village is empty ma'am?" Sumie asks apprehensively, knowing she hadn't been told to speak.

[ZeroNumerous]

Sumie

A laugh, a bubbly girlish giggle that Sumie had come to dread, would be the first response from the voice. That laugh always preceded cruelty. "A good girl only speaks when prompted to. A good girl would not question her superior." The directed phrase pierced into the primal part of Sumie's mind. It drew forth the memories of pain, memories of days upon days of kneeling in a pool of her own blood and memories of that smiling face which caused it all. They had been oh-so-thorough in checking her for whether her bloodline powers had truly manifested or whether she was tricking them with a technique.

"You should try to be a good girl, Sumie-chan. But I will tell you that the occupants are.. Indisposed. They would prove... troublesome. And certainly unnecessary for what I had in mind. So they were dealt with."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

Her stomach rolled treacherously in her stomach at that giggle, threatening to rebel as primal fear and pain reared it's ugly head in the back corners of her mind. A cold sweat begins to form on her brow, the first sign of obvious fear the normally infallible girl has shown, and she trembles where she stood.

A sickening crack as the club comes down, the distant sound of screaming as the examiners huddled about her as if she was some test subject. The normally cold table underneath had actually begun to warm with her blood, something she was oddly grateful for, from the numerous lacerations across her arms, legs, and torso. And now they had progressed unto breaking limbs, seeing how quickly she could recover from such debilitating wounds.

And there was that insidious girly giggling, the only noise that could be made out over that infernal screaming. That screaming that just seems to keep going and going, making her eardrums hurt as the club comes down two more on the same arm. Why wouldn't the screaming stop?!

Oh...it was her.

"My apologies ma'am! Traveling with Rin and her team has been...nerve-wracking, forgive my rudeness." Sumie says almost right away, squeezing her eyes shut as if expecting some physical blow to go along with the mental terror she was feeling.

For what she has in mind...?

"Um..." she speaks up nervously, knowing she was likely to be pushing her luck, "Has my mission changed?"

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin remained as always, impenetrable, true motives hidden beneath years of training against such obvious signs. No stay movement or twinge betrayed her thought. That was Yuu's first clue. Instead of the very animated woman she acted she stood with perfect stillness.

One-thousand-one, one-thousand-one, one-thousand-one. The steady beat of time she kept despite her attempts otherwise stayed steady.

She counted the distance using methods of her own creation. Inside her mind one thousand and one calculations effortlessly solved themselves. She didn't want to do this and for the first time she didn't.

With a turn away from the pair she returned to her animated state and sauntered down the dock to Hibiki. "Yuu," she called out without turning her head. She wasn't even sure why she was calling out to him. He would do something stupid whether she told him otherwise or not. "Whatever, you never listen to me anyway."

Shoving her hands in the tattered remains of her coat she continued along the dock. She stood and then crouched beside Hibiki. "I dread to ask, but: what's up?"

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

The soothing music that filled the vacated streets of the village compelled Hibiki to turn around from his spot. He kicked his legs in beat with the traditional sound that came from the shamisen and flute, the notes they played evoked a certain sense of tranquility in his heart which was in disarray from speaking with Rin. Breaks in the melody only made Hibiki focus more on the music when he picked back up; his eyes went back and forth between the players, but then they turned up to see the approaching jounin. Hibiki shut his mouth which was slightly open in awe from the musicians, his eyes turned spiteful and glared at the woman for a quick second.

His body snapped back facing the boats while his feet kicked harder, out of beat now. The child's fingers clenched around the edge of the dock and tapped against the warped wood in haste. He knew she was coming and running away wouldn't do anything, she would get to him eventually. Hibiki locked his gaze out to the boats as they rode the waves up and down when Rin came to his level. Before she said anything, he could feel the warm breath from her nostrils slither through the air and tickle his bare neck. He shivered.

Her words came out the same, finding their way through the empty space between them and into his ears. His feet stopped kicking, "I...you...you never asked me if it was alright." Hibiki paused until he had to breathe again, "Parents, they're never there for you and you forget about them...but when they come back...they leave again. They hurt you worse when they are around." His eyes watched the boats once again, the symbolism finally came to him, "I...don't want to feel that way again, ever. Being put down, being let down...I don't love you any more than you love me. Isn't that how it is? Loving each other? You want me to believe that you love me? Even if we did...even if it worked out..." His eyes turned from the boats to Rin who was next to him, "It takes one little thing to go wrong for it to be all wrecked."

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin took in a deep breath and let it out slowly to remind herself this was happening. "I guess so," she said with a little half-smile creeping on he face. A bashful expression displayed as she looked at him. She took another deep breath to remind her of the reality of the situation.

"You'd prefer it if I wasn't your mother then?" She turned her head back out to the sea as she spoke. A dark pall dropping over her as she expected his answer. "I can sort it out," she paused. "I can have words with Kurina."

"I'd really prefer if you gave me a chance," she said after a long pause. She searched inside for something more to say. Some words to seal his mind into accepting her. She could but she didn't.

If he wanted nothing to do with her then she wouldn't stop him.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu cautiously followed his sensei over to where Hibiki sat, still watching the two musicians play, his feeling of dread only increasing as time went by. Still keeping his body facing towards the two, so as not to present his back to them, he muttered over his shoulder.

"Um, sensei...I hate to interrupt, but I've got a really bad feeling about those two. I know you sensed it too, so is this really the time for a personal talk?"

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

The music seemed to stop for Hibiki, as he listened to her words. His eyes caught everything her face gave away; for what may have been the first time ever, Hibiki saw what laid underneath Chimera. Maybe, he thought, she had feelings like he did. Maybe, being a ninja didn't take away her emotions like he was taught. What a predicament, he didn't think about how she felt about it. She did, after all, make it so. She must have wanted it to be. His eyes followed hers to the sea where they remained as he spoke to her, "Why did you pick me, Rin...sensei?"

He dodged answering her, it looked like they had all the time in the world to talk to each other there on the dock. "Kurina-sama must have told you about...me. I'm not the best pick of the bunch...Yuu's an orphan like me, why not him? He wouldn't fight against it...like I am." Hibiki kept his sight on the waters below and afar. Boats may sink, but...

[Valgunn]

Rin

"Shut up," she said with measured coolness. Her face never swerved from the ocean as Yuu's heightened senses caught a lick of her intent. "I'm more than aware of the danger and this is more important." To his perception she seemed to turn slightly toward him. "Your grace period is now over, I'll let this impudence slide this time."

"If you're so worried just stick close to me and you'll be safe," the last words she spared for Yuu were nondescript.


Turning her head clearly she looked at Hibiki again her expression deep in thought. "I don't know," she answered truthfully. "I think I just wanted to feel needed." She thought through her words as she spoke them. "Needed in the way you need someone. Somebody to give you that good family bond."

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

The genin paid no attention to Yuu and focused on the sea, his thoughts turned inward as he contemplated his choices. He turned his head only when he felt her breath once again caressing his neck. Hibiki stared at Rin as she spoke truthfully to him, if she was lying or trying to win him over he wanted to know. When he found nothing of the sort he opened his mouth to speak. Feelings became thoughts and thoughts became words, "I..." His lower lip trembled slightly trying to fight off whatever was coming next, "don't need anyone." Sad eyes stared up at Rin hoping not to see the damage it would inflict upon her, "I'm sorry."

His head tilted slightly and a painful smile formed on the edges of his lips. Hibiki's eyes hid from sight as the sun began its final descent below the horizon and caused a shadow to cover Hibiki's saddened expression. Rin could see behind Hibiki seven long streaks of shadows stretching across the dock, originating from the child. His mouth opened again and said some inaudible words as if he wanted to fight against his decision.

[ZeroNumerous]

Rin, Hibiki and Yuu (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY1EMwDeaBw&feature=channel_page)

The musicians suddenly shift, the woman stopping her playing but continuing to stare up at the nightsky. Neither communicates this stop nor moves anything other than their fingers. But as if on cue the flute player shifts into a somber and saddening solo.

Clap Clap Clap Clap Clap Clap

The sound echoing over the musician's playing chilled Rin's blood while heating Yuu's own. It seems to have no actual origin, but it's clearly audible and obviously close by in order to be this loud. A familiar voice, muffled by a mask unseen, cuts through the silence left in Hibiki's wake. "Such beautiful cruelty." It turns to a mocking tone, matching Rin's own voice as if she were speaking deeper than normal. "Oh, no. I have been rejected by my son, but in turn I reject those who actually want me around! Woe is to this tragic soul!" A hearty, throaty laugh emanates from the buildings around you. "Get real! All this pretending absolutely must be tiring for you. It has to be so bothersome to crawl into your human skin and puppet yourself around while feigning emotions beyond your all-consuming desire to kill." Another laugh, much more feminine but still muffled by intervening material, escapes from the empty streets. "Why keep pretending, Chimera? What do you gain out of tricking these little children? Ah! I know.." The voice turns sickeningly sweet, as if whispering sweet nothings into the ear of a lover. "This is the part where you throw them to the monster to save yourself, isn't it? The part where you prove that you cared naught a wit about them?"

A single silver dart, an acupuncture needle turned into a weapon, buries itself in the dirt at Rin's feet. There had been no sound of it being thrown, no blur of movement to announce an attacker and certainly no appearance of a tangible foe. "Or is this the part where the hero loses his mentor and swears revenge on the hated monster which took her away?" The sound of feet hitting dirt draws your attention away from the musicians and toward the south. A tall woman wearing a dark blue men's kimono stands in the middle of the street. A white obi holds the kimono close against her body, and she's discarded the outer jacket in favor of a looser set of clothing for maneuverability. A yellow fur scarf wrapped around her throat twists in the wind. A solid white mask, marred only by a swirl of yellow creating a vortex pattern, protects her face from view. In fact, the only part of her body uncovered are bright pink toenails and her soft hands. The last of which bear two senbon poked between her fingers.

"Children should neither be seen nor heard. Maybe you should do away with them now? Or do you enjoy the sight of those around you being hurt?"

Sumie

"Just be sure to kill them all, little Sumie-chan. It'll look strange if you come back unharmed, won't it?"

A soft touch brushes against the chuunin's shoulder. It was a clumsy and cold touch, like the kind of touch you'd expect from the puppet of a poor puppeteer. A groan, unlike the previous speaker and much more guttural, echoes from behind Sumie. If the leaf-nin turns around she discovers a woman's hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she discovers it belongs to a lady-of-the-night wearing an open kimono stained with crimson. Her lifeblood spills down her throat and onto her exposed chest, her skin is ashen white and her hand is cold to the touch. A growl escapes her slack jaws and Sumie immediately recognizes the technique as a forbidden jutsu from the Sound Village.

DM

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c26/ZeroNumerous/ZombieAttack.png

Sumie needs an initiative check.

Rin, Hibiki and Yuu recognize the villain as the first villain you ever met.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Hibiki saw none of the pain he had expected in her face. A blank expression hung from on her face like a mask. She was so still it made all movement around her seem unnervingly quick. "Alright," she said to him before the musicians shifted.

Her eyes never shifted as the music did, he ears didn't prick at the sound of clapping and her posture as the dart buried itself at her feet.

Rin couldn't explain her feelings but she knew she still had them. Years upon years hadn't striped her of them, not yet. Not yet and not ever, she mimed with her mouth.

"I'm so sorry," she spoke softly as she stood up and straightened. "I'm still human, Mizuki. I can't be who you want me to be." She turned and looked at her with pity.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu didn't really want to speak up. This was something personal between his sensei and this enemy. Not to mention, if she was here, that might just mean that that jinchuuriki that had appeared the last time would show up, and that would make things considerably more complicated. Yuu had improved since their last encounter, but presumably, so had his foe. Then again, there was his new arm...demon against demon...the flames of his arm, already dancing, gave a particularly bright blaze at this though.

I need to focus here! Gratuitous fighting is never fun! You know that!

He could have sworn he heard a faint chuckle from the region of his arm.

Shaking his head slightly, Yuu returned his focus to the situation at hand.

"I don't know exactly who you are, or what your specific problem with Rin-sensei is, but you're mistaken about one thing. We are not children. Hibiki and I put that part of our lives behind us when we put on our hita-ate for the first time. Whether or not Rin-sensei cares about us is irrelevant. She is our team leader and as such we obey her orders. Whatever else there may be, that is the core of a shinobi team. Anything else is superfluous."

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

As soon as Yuu steps forward Mizuki responds. Before he even starts his speech a silver two inch metal dart embeds itself in his throat and immediately cuts him off. He instantly feels a disruption of his chakra flow and the ninja knowledge wedged in his skull reminds him of the tenketsu at his throat. Mizuki doesn't even look toward Yuu as she speaks. "I said children should neither be seen nor heard. That means you should run boy. Run while your legs still have the life to carry you. Maybe, just maybe, I won't chase after you."

With that said, Mizuki addresses Rin again. "We both know that's a lie. You're as much a monster as I. War made you one, just as it forged me into a blade of vengeance. Your feigned connection with people unfamiliar with loss is disgusting." Mizuki extended her uncovered and empty left hand toward Rin. "Awaken to your true self again and we could destroy them all. No one could oppose us in this world, not even the Hokage."

Attack Roll: 3+17=20 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2248057/)
Damage Roll: 1+6d6=20 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2248058/)

Yuu needs a fortitude save at DC 22 or he's paralyzed for 5 rounds.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

He shouldn't have been taken off guard like that. This was a known threat, and, judging by the needle now embedded in his throat, much more serious than anything he could handle. He should have been more alert. His eyes had followed the attack, but he couldn't get his body to react in time. His arm continued to flare as he reached it up and, with casual brutality, pulled the needle out of his neck. The blood on it hissed and boiled as it came in contact with the demonic chakra of his right arm. He tossed it aside, his hand dropping to the hilt of his sword.

"F**k off, bitch. I stand with my sensei."



OOC: Goddamn Frenzy rules.

HP 59/79, CP 40/40, AC 19 vs. needle-bitch, 18 vs. other threats.

Fort save- [roll0]

Will Save to avoid Frenzy- DC 20- 20 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2248079/)

[Valgunn]

Rin

"No," she intoned seriously. "This is real, Mizuki. My compassion for my students, my friendship with my comrades and my pity for you. It's all real." Rin let rip a huge smile as the remnants of her coat flapped around her. "Nothing in this shinobi world can make me give up my humanity, I worked too hard for it."

"I'm going to live human and die human, Mizuki. So give up or kill me."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

"Yes, ma'am." Sumie says with a dead tone of voice, refusing to look back at the woman even as a hand comes down on her shoulder. When the order comes to kill them all though, she twists and snaps her leg up in what would have been a devastating kick to the head at what she could only presume was her enemy.

The sight of ashen dead flesh and the blood cascading down from a slit throat throws her off balance, shock registering on her face as she stumbles back in surprise and can't help glancing over towards were she had last heard the woman.

Did she do this?

Sumie's thoughts are quickly shaken off.

"New orders. Exterminate all of these husks." she says to herself, trying to regain her focus.


Sumie:
AC: 29
HP: 86
Stamina: 82
Chakra: 54

Taihouken (Converted to Stamina)
Auto-success on both
Releasing all speed and strength ranks

Attack Roll: [roll0]
Damage:
[roll1]
[roll2]

[ZeroNumerous]

Mizuki

The woman seemed to ignore Yuu. Instead, she focused on Rin as the younger jounin proclaimed her defiance in face of overwhelming opposition. "Oh! Little Rin-chan. Such fire! Such passion. Nothing will make you give up your humanity? Re-eally?"

It was over before it had even begun. A trio of steel spikes shot from a near-by building with a speed untraceable by human eyes. The first embeds itself right in the middle of Yuu's spine with all the force of a fired crossbow. The boy staggers under the assault, and that break of his stance is all the second shot needs to slip between his ribs, through his liver and out the other end. Ripping pain sends him to his knees where the third shot finds his jugular and sends a spray of red skyward as it tears through his neck. In the space of a few seconds the boy had went from living and defiant to bleeding out on the dirty streets like a dog. The final killing shot sped onward toward Mizuki, who did not attempt to dodge. It pierced her flesh just before she dispersed into the same cloud of smoke created by the Shadow Replication technique.

The voice spoke from all sides as it had before. "Then let us see. I know you have a medical technique that will save the dead. But by the time you're finished you'll have another patient to take care of. So tell me, Chimera, will you abandon one to save the other? Will you give up that little shred of humanity and renounce your healer's oath?"

Real Mizuki Attacks!

Attack Roll #1 - 16+20=36 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2248095/)
Damage Roll #1 - 1+6d6=26 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2248106/)
Attack Roll #2 - 10+15=25 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2248101/)
Damage Roll #2 - 1+6d6=16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2248132/)
Attack Roll #3 - 17+10=27 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2248103/)
Damage Roll #3 - 1+6d6=19 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2248105/)

Total: 26+16+19=71. Combined with the 20 damage from earlier, Yuu is at -12 and Dead.

Sumie

The zombie in question responds with a flailing fist that even an amateur could dodge. The other zombies don't seem to move, and whomever is guiding them seems to be only able to focus on one zombie at a time. Sumie guesses from the sounds of instruments that whomever is controlling them is nearby.

Attack Roll: 6+9=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2248150/),

No changes to map.

Sumie's listen check: 19+4=23 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2248156/) detects that the players are west of her current location and roughly near where she left the group.

[Rogue 7]

Kuromaru

The dog's eyes seemed to burn as he watched his master fall. His scent hadn't changed, but the dog had seen enough of death to know that those injuries were fatal. His companion was dead. Koromaru let out a howl, searching around best he could for his foe.


Koromaru!

HP 35/35. CP 8/8, AC 21

Entering Nidan Kosoku.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

Sumie leaped away from the zombie's clumsy blow with ease, shaking her head at the decrepit state of the woman before she darted back in with a heavy axe kick that brought her down low to the ground. She rises up at of it with a swift punch towards the rib cage, hoping that it'd be enough to bring this dead body down.



Sumie:
AC: 29
HP: 86
Stamina: 78
Chakra: 46/54

Attack 1: [roll0]
Attack 2: [roll1]

Damage: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]

[Valgunn]

Rin

In a time of crisis some people talk about how the world seems to slow down around them. Each moment played out in horrible detail as they stand helpless.

To Rin, a battle proven ninja, these moments were as clear as a photograph. The first projectile tearing through soft tissue into solid spine, the second punching between ribs and shredding internal organs, and the third leaving a gash in his trachea.

As Yuu's body hit the floor with a sick smack she was kneeling over him. Eyes closed she brought her hands together in prayer. Her hands were then covered in a glowing blue aura of raw chakra, pulling them apart they were still connected with blue tendrils.

Leaning down she placed on his head and then his stomach, the sources of spiritual and physical energy. The blue tendrils slipped into his body as she settled her hands. Live! Pressing he hands down on his body she flooded him with her own energy.

OOC:
Hit points: 76/76
Chakra pool: 67/97
Armour class: 33
Ongoing effects: Speed Rank 5 (1/1)

Iryou Ninjutsu: Hiken - Hiroi Fushigieisei!
Perform (DC27): [roll0]
Chakra cost: 29
Treat Injury (DC30): [roll1] + [roll2]

This technique allows me to bring back the dead, but all it gives you is a fighting chance. You need to want this. You need to make me a DC 15 Fortitude save.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

He felt the first two darts. Sudden, shooting pain, as if from on high. They burned and The third he felt for but a second before everything went absolutely numb. He was dimly aware that he was falling, that his blood was suddenly pumping out onto the ground around him, that he was most likely dying. But he couldn't feel it, couldn't connect to it. He wasn't aware of anything, not even the writhing, dancing flames on his arm that now seemed as though they were set to engulf his entire body and burn it down to ashes.

Suddenly, he was...tired. So tired he couldn't even think of resisting as he closed his eyes, still disconnected from the situation around him. In the distance, as he slipped away, he thought he heard Kuromaru howl.

Then....falling. If he was asked about it later, that's all he could describe. There was no sight, no sound, no touch, no taste. Without the sense of air rushing past him, he couldn't even begin to say just how he knew he was falling, but he was. He didn't know how long he was falling- it could have been seconds, days, or centuries. There was no way to determine the passage of time. There was nothing but the infinite blackness and that sense of falling forevermore.

And then...in the distance, there was fire. Fire and sound.

Probably an odd choice, yes. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzdeH6MaNVI) But it fits where I'm going from here. Just ignore anything after about 3:20.

The fire rose up to meet him as the noise...Yuu thought it might have been something's attempt at music...grew louder and louder, engulfing him. The fire began to burn at him, wracking him with pain, but it did not consume him. He had the vaguest inkling that he might have descended into hell when out of the flames in front of him, to his unseeing eyes, appeared a face. But this face was composed itself of flames, and seemed to bear only the faintest traces of humanity. Its eyes, though they were merely darker spaces in the wreath of fire that nonetheless imprinted in Yuu's mind the idea of a "head", blazed. Yuu could not move, could not turn away as those eyes bore down upon him and examined him.

The head opened its mouth, a mouth that seemed to be composed of endless rows of fiery, pointed teeth, in front of a black, gaping abyss, much like the one he had just fallen down. It opened its mouth and an ear-shattering bellow escaped from it, the full fury directed at Yuu.

"BOY!!!!!!!"

I was lenient last time at your failure, you pathetic, insignificant little &%^ing worm, but now...now!

Yuu shook his head weakly at the mental assault, struggling to put together a coherent thought through the haze of the darkness and now the still all-encompassing pain.

Am I...in hell?

The face roared at him, seemingly seeking to devour him, but it did not reach.

Hell?! Hell?! You will think Hell a blessing after I am though with you, worm! Be silent. Don't speak another word.

The face of flame seemed to regain some sort of composure, speaking a bit more calmly, but it still appeared as though it would like nothing more than to rend Yuu limb from limb and suck out the marrow in his bones.

I give up my body and give you my power on the promise of some little bitch and what do you do with it? You $&*^ all over it and die. If not for that chimera who is for some reason so enamored of you, you'd be a dead and rotting little sack of dirt, worm. You came to me in order to secure vengeance against that mist-bitch who took your arm, and then you don't even get three days off the mountain before you're killed like a swine at the slaughterhouse. I will not accept a host this weak, do you hear?

The voice had settled into an icy calm, but one that bespoke the same hatred and evil that the towering fury of a minute ago had expressed.

Now, there are going to be some changes when you awake, boy. I don't have the time or the inclination to coddle you as your sensei has done. You will be working yourself to the bone, training as you have never done before. You will become stronger, much stronger. You will kill, you will burn, you will become as unto a curse upon your enemies, a curse they cannot possibly avoid. You will seek out the foe who maimed you, and you will make her know that on the day she did that, she sealed her horrific fate. After that? Who knows. The debt to my master might be due at that point, or we might remain together. We shall see. I'll be in touch, boy.

The face faded into the flames, which started to flicker, sputter, and die as the noise and pain subsided, leaving Yuu once again staring into the inky blackness to contemplate the demon's words.

[ZeroNumerous]

Team Rin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kdz64mkRxzA)

Yuu gasped, breathing in the first breath of his new life. He would survive, and hopefully would not find himself violently killed soon. No sound comes from the peanut gallery and Hibiki doesn't see anyone around. The lack of sound--of either playing or laughing--found itself filed away in the back of both ninja's mind. A feeling of peace and success settles as Rin stands up.

Rin

The sound of a blade cutting clothing causes Rin to try and turn toward the source, but her hips don't listen. No pain erupts from her waist, no feeling comes from her legs and her stomach rapidly becomes numb. Looking down shows Rin a blade of steel slickened with blood stabbed through her abdomen. It's double-edged nature cutting a thin hole through the fabric of her shirt and skin. Her blood coalesces into drops that drip onto the dirty ground below. Small crimson lakes form at Rin's feet, and for just a moment her medical mind informs her of the remote chances of survival.

All that becomes meaningless once Rin blinks. She finds herself standing in front of her old home. Not as it is, but as it was when the Uchiha Clan had all been stationed in Haigakure. Rin finds that her body seems to have shrunk, her hair kept as it was when she was a child and summoning her Sharingan proves impossible. A cold shadow steps forth from the mansion's gate. It's features blurred by memory, shadow or possibly jutsu. A voice like drawn steel brings Rin's eyes up to the face of a man she knew all too well. "Nobara-chan. Why are you here?"

Hibiki

As Rin stands you see a blur of movement. A golden hilt flashes and Rin seems to be cut in twain by a blade too quick to see. But then she's fine, no blood spills from her wounds but she does fall flat on her face before drifting into unconsciousness. The blur stops, standing in front of the unarmed boy holding a hilt of gold with a blade of silver. The woman lacks a face. Instead she has only a simple blank mask of white marred by a wisp of red circling where her left eye would be. Her loose clothing ruffles lightly in the breeze. She wears an open sky-blue robe with a sarashi covering her chest, matching sky-blue shorts and chain mesh stockings. She seems to ignore Hibiki and opts instead to simply look down on Rin's unconscious form.

Sumie

Defeating the remaining zombies proves easy for someone such as yourself. And as you make your way toward the source of the playing you'll find Hibiki standing in front of a woman you know all too well. Even without seeing her face you know who it is as your body remembers her posture, her hatred and the pain she visited upon your body. Where the giggle was terror then the elders were reason. But this woman's appearance carried only insanity, anger and pain. She did not giggle as your body was broken, she did not laugh at your pain and she was uninterested in whether your regeneration was a kekkei genkai or a technique. No, her only interest was to hurt you.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD25_StvAT0)

Something was wrong. Hibiki stood still, unable to move—the ultimate observer to a world that was moving on its own accord. Something was very wrong. Why couldn't the genin move? He wanted to—he desperately wanted to—but he couldn't even lift a finger against the actions taking place around him. Some unseen, unnoticeable force gripped at Hibiki's entire being and held him back. Whatever was happening to him prevented him from wincing as the thin pieces of metal perforated his beastly comrade; the moon was slow to shine onto the seemingly black liquid that escaped from Yuu's body. Where was his power to stop the world now? Hibiki was frozen like a statue as he watched his friend drop to the ground; his only response was a careless gaze, but that was the problem: inside he was crying out for his body to act. This struggle between the physical and the mental intensified to the point that Hibiki's consciousness escaped the empty shell that was his body.

Move! Move! Move! Hibiki's ethereal self shouted as he locked his hands around his physical body's wrist. Move! With all the strength he could muster, he trudged forward, but all he could manage was to lift his body's arm up to shoulder height. Hibiki continued his arduous task and took a step forward, digging his toe into the ground out of desperation to find more leverage against the dead weight behind him. Please... Tears glistening in the soft moonlight dropped from his cheeks unto the ground; Hibiki made one last great pull with all of his might, but he slipped and fell face first into the ground. His right arm ran up along the earth and managed to prop his dirt-ridden face from the now blood-soaked ground. Hibiki found himself face to face with Yuu, who had a needle protruding from his neck. Not again...Why? Why can't I help? The genin stretched his left arm out to touch his fallen friend; but instead of his own, a soft-skinned hand reached down upon the dead genin's chest. Hibiki followed the arm up to see Rin.

Hibiki opened his mouth to speak, but no words escaped from his lips. Rin! I can help! Please! I can... Before he could finish his thought he saw Yuu's body spring back to life with a gurgled gasp for breath. Rin...you did it! He felt his heart tighten up as if someone had clamped onto it, refusing to let go. The genin felt useless once again. He wanted to save Yuu, but he had to rely upon Rin. A weary smile spread across Hibiki's face. What would they do without her?

Then it happened.

A flash of silver and gold left Rin standing there, vacant of any expression, as if nothing had occurred. Confusion ran throughout Hibiki's mind as he scrambled to stand up from his prone position, but he had lost all of the strength in his muscles. He couldn't stand. The genin cussed with every swear word he knew as he struggled to push himself up; nothing was working. Rin! he shouted from inside his mind to the harsh reality outside. His thoughts were heard by no one as the blond-haired, emerald-eyed woman fell lifeless onto the ground across from him.

"Rin!"

Hibiki gasped as he found himself back in his own body; he patted his chest and arms with his hands, but then remembered what was happening. The daft genin sprinted forward and almost collided with the mysterious figure in front of him. Ignoring the masked woman, the Leaf-nin spun around her and dashed ahead towards his sensei. As soon as he was a few yards away from her, Hibiki slid on the ground with his left leg forward and his right leg folded underneath the left. His slide kicked up the loose dust on the ground, but he managed to stop next to Rin. Hibiki was quick to roll her over onto her back to see the damage dealt and hopefully save the woman who had saved them so many times before.


...Heal Check?
[roll0]

[ZeroNumerous]

Hibiki

Applying everything he knows about medicine shows that Rin is not dead. Her clothes are sliced open as if someone had cleaved through her left arm, ribs and dragged the blade out the other side. There is no blood on the ground, on Rin or on Hibiki. None the less, Rin is quite unconscious and unresponsive. The masked attacker remains unmoving and stoic as Hibiki goes through pointless dramatics in order to ascertain Rin's status.

[Valgunn]

Rin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe6dj7bo5Js&feature=related)

An instant of silence followed. Her eyes were vacant and her body did not move. Her clothes that should have hung loose around her were tight and crisp. A quick inspection showed she was wearing clothes that shouldn't still exist, the imperfections on it just as she remembered; magma red shorts, coal black shirt, and an orange pendant. Her hair was much shorter, she was too much of a tomboy to put up with long hair unless her mother badgered her about it.

Her chest contracted and she winced from the pain. "No." She ground her teeth together as she tried to focus. Her fists tightened painfully as she refused the situation despite how much she wanted to give in. "I've got to protect them." Rin's young body trembled as she tried to draw on power this body shouldn't have. "What's the use of all my power!!!"

All her words came through clenched teeth as she shook her body, her eyes clenched shut as she tried not to cry at her own uselessness.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Nervous hands shakily followed the cut's path across the Uchiha's body, and the fledgling med-nin found no obvious wounds that would threaten his sensei's life. Hibiki wiped away the tears that had built up in his eyes with his sleeved arm and sniffled a little bit; the way she dropped lifelessly to the ground had caused him to fear for the worst. Her unconsciousness, however, continued to worry the Leaf-nin; for if nothing was physically wrong, then what was causing her to appear inanimate?

Hibiki gently slid his left arm under Rin's neck and used his elbow as support as he lifted her head to keep her throat free from any obstruction. His eyes started from the slice through her clothing and lifted up to see the cause of the attack; the target of his glare was the masked woman, whom he could only imagine was Mizuki. In her hand was the gold-hilted, silver-bladed sword, the only weapon present to make such a slash. The genin embraced Rin closer to his chest and knitted his brows as he stared at the familiar opponent in front of him. His entire body quaked in apprehension to what he would have to face without Rin and Yuu to aid him.

"Wha-wha-what did you do?" he asked with his trembling and stuttering voice. Whatever was going on with his sensei, he had to buy her time before he could figure out what was needed to save her. Having his comrade unconscious next to him only complicated the situation further; talking would be his only option—for now.

[ZeroNumerous]

Rin

A familiar hand grabbed the young Rin and pulled her into a tight embrace. That memorable smell of family overtook her young senses. The man who held her only squeezed her tighter at Rin's outburst. "It's ok. No one here blames you for what happened." His words are spoken in soft whispers accompanied by soft strokes of Rin's hair. "Your mother has missed you so much. She's waiting for you to come home so we could be a family again."

Suddenly, his arms extend outward while pushing Rin away. His head lowers and orbs as black as night meet Rin's eyes. "But. You shouldn't be here. Not now, it isn't your time yet."

Rin needs a Fortitude Save.

Hibiki

The stoic attacker only responds to Hibiki's question with an blow so quick it cannot be seen. His nose shatters as blood sprays out from it in a beautiful arc. At least, it was beautiful to Hibiki as he fades out of consciousness for a second. Hibiki awakens mid-flight as the sensation of falling draws his attention to the rapidly approaching ground. A stomach churning crunch announces the boy's sudden stop.

Mizuki ignores his pain, his flight or his fall and instead responds to Rin's non-existent questions. "This sword is no mere blade for cutting flesh. Oh no, it is far worse. No doubt you feel it's effects even while locked away in your little dream world. No chakra comes at your call, your eyes shut forever and your body locked in it's most feeble form. Do you now realize the pain I lived through after Haigakure abandoned me? The pain of no longer being a ninja, but instead being a peasant?"

Mizuki attacks with a Heightened Kage Buyou.

Attack Roll: 19+20=39 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2276599/)
Critical Confirmation: 15+20=35 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2276600/)
Damage Roll: 2+3+8+5+5+4+4+3+1=35 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2276604/) nonlethal damage
Feet traveled: 35*3=105
Fort Save: 2+8=10 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2276611/) vs DC 19
Falling Damage: 10d6=29 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2276623/) lethal damage

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

The girl arrived back on the scene, just in time to see the flash of steel as it seemed to sever all that kept Rin ambulatory and send her crashing down to the ground. Every muscle in her body froze, remembering her orders, as a single question dragged itself up from the depths of her mind.

What do I do now? My...this isn't covered by my orders.

A dazed part of her mind takes in the appearance of the woman who had done it, but only when it finally clicks in her brain does her body react. Sumie goes wide-eyed, her breath catching momentarily in her chest before she begins to hyper-ventilate as panic shot through her like a bullet from a gun. A cold sweat breaks out over her body as she trembles in abject fear of what the woman represented.

No no no, she can't be here. They BOTH can't be here. Something is wrong, something is different.

What should she do?! None of this was covered in her orders which meant...she had to go by what she knew as a Leaf-Shinobi. As a leaf-shinobi, it was her duty to at least attempt to save Rin from a foreign nin...even considering who that nin was. As a Konoha-nin, she should try to save Rin...then why wouldn't her legs stop shaking?

"Under the rule of the Hokage...I cannot let harm Rin any further." It didn't sound like Sumie, the stoic girl who had done such dangerous things as stab herself through the heart or face down Orochimaru without flinching. It sounded like a scared little girl facing down the very real and very dangerous monster that lived in the closet. She couldn't back down now though! Not when lives and her pride were at stake, and so before she lost her nerve, the ANBU girl charged at Mizuki with her eyes shut.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"


Against my better judgment... Release all speed and strength ranks then Kaimetsu no Soumi

Perform: [roll0]
Attack Roll: [roll1]
Action Point spent on Attack: [roll2]
Damage (Physical): [roll3]
Con. Penalty: [roll4]
Kawarimi Defense 1
Save DC: 26

Post left un-finished, have a question for Nod.

[Rogue 7]

Kuromaru

Kuromaru backed away from the mysterious woman, his hackles raised and his fangs bared. His insticts were telling him to turn tail and run, but he couldn't just leave Yuu, who was still lying on the ground, but Kuromaru's sharp ears could hear the sound of him breathing. His only hope was that the woman would not regard him as a threat, just as a pet dog. The woman Yuu held in such high regard was lying on the ground as well, and the other boy had been knocked flying. Kuromaru was fairly sure he was going to die here, but he would stand with his pack.

Yuu

Yuu stared into the blackness, unable to move, and cut off from all his senses. He wondered what exactly was going on, after that encounter with the demon. Suddenly, a light flickered in front of him.

It chuckled.


Well, it seems that there's someone out there with a much greater hatred than your own, and the power to match. A demon, if you will.

The flame chuckled again.

Well, my boy, it looks like you might really be headed for hell now. I thought that chimera of yours would be able to handle it, but turns out she's just as weak as you. It just goes to prove my point, boyo. You will need to get that strong, let that hatred consume you, and then it will be your enemies in this situation, not you. Assuming you survive, of course. And right now, it doesn't look like it.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Blackness surrounded Rin and covered what senses she had. Those senses were soon replaced by the heady sense of chakra heavy in the air. Her ears pricked as she heard a crunch of flesh and bone, the mocking tones of Mizuki came after. A twitch of her nose and she picked up the smell of Sumie and heard her unsure war cry.

Inside her mind she created a collage of sound, smell, and chakra. Mizuki was close and Sumie was on the offensive. A major offensive. In a flash the bindings inside her snapped open and allowed a flood of chakra into her system. Her body gorged itself on the energy and her mind reeled from the speed it calculated.

Mizuki dies today!

In the split hair of a second her flat back was against air instead of wood. Crouched low and feet lifted up so was to the side of Mizuki as Sumie came from the front.

Diversion time! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExwvgamzD4Q)

"Who the ****!" She shouted as her body contorted itself around her right arm. "Do you think I am!" She finished as her fist then exploded forward.

OOC:
Jigen Ryu stance followed by Rendan Kidouki.

Attack: [roll0] + [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]

My fist is the fist that will pierce the heavens!

[Valgunn]

Rin



OOC:
Confirm: [roll0] + [roll1]
Extra Damage: [roll2]

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Rin successfully hits Mizuki, grabbing her arm and holding her in place as Sumie steps forward to deliver a bone crushing punch. But something is wrong with the weight distribution of her target. Her fist sinks into flesh far further than it should have. Bones give way like paper, skin tears and Sumie's fist penetrates straight through Mizuki's chest. Then Mizuki's body distorts and goes to grotesque bulbous proportions before exploding.

Sumie, Rin and Yuu needs a Reflex Save or take [roll]6d6[roll] damage.

EDIT: Or I fail tags forever. 6d6=27 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2283349/)

[Valgunn]

Rin

In the instant before the explosion Sumie caught a glimpse of Rin's shimmering form seconds before she vanished in the fore of the explosion. Hibiki saw the woman high above the explosion. Her straight body flipped up and her feet came over her head giving her a view of the ground beneath her. Hibiki witnessed as Sumie had her flickering form before she vanished again as the explosion died. With a crunch of wood underfoot she landed next to Yuu without problems, her feet spread wide, and her eyes throwing themselves around in their sockets searching.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

How strange—it seemed like the entire earth had fallen from beneath the hapless genin's feet as his sight turned an opaque black where not even the most penetrating moonlight could breakthrough. This fleeting sensation, however, lasted only for a couple of seconds as his eyes regained their sight, and what a sight it was! Hibiki stared up to the vast dome of stars ahead of him, the sight was breathtaking as he managed to see spirals and clusters of stars bunched up together an ineffable distance away. "Wow," he muttered out of his lips before he realized the stars and galatic scenery began to shrink as he returned to the solid world below. The genin tried with all of his might to turn around but couldn't move even his finger in resistance as he crashed against stony road of the village.

Hibiki's neck snapped back as dirt and rock exploding beneath his body leaving a small crater in his wake, and bright stream of blood spurted from his mouth onto his gray flight jacket that was already dirtied from their battle before. A feeble hand is the first thing in all of the rubble to move, and with a fair amount of effort the hand dug into the broken pieces of road and became a post on which Hibiki lifted himself up. The leaf-nin, as a reaction, grabbed for his nose and felt the immense pain that had come from his the sword's impact. He whelped.

His pain was soon alleviated as he first saw the giant flash of light erupt at the dock; his hands parted from his face as witnessed the giant fireball, and he then felt the shock wave crash against his body and tear open his zipper to his jacket. Hibiki was speechless as he began running towards the explosion, but stopped when he saw a glowing figure rise above the firestorm. The body was, in question, was that of his sensei. He watched in awe as her body flew up into the sky and gracefully flipped; from his vantage point, she had leapt just over the moon and as she flipped her back followed the curvature of the lunar satellite. A part of him was exhuberent with joy as he realized their sensei was alright and not even close to dying, but the other part was more determined to make it back into the fray. An explosion like that may not have touched the Uchiha jounin, but it may have done damage to the others. With his mind set, Hibiki sprinted back, but was prepared for any attacks he may run into.

OOC:

HP: 65/94 (-30)
CP: 78/78
AC: 20

Move Action:
Move!
30 feet closer to the group

Readied Action:
Kawarimi no Jutsu!
Kawarimi if anything targets Hibiki, whether it be a jutsu or attack. If activated he moves full distance towards the group.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Hibiki makes it over to the others. Yuu has been awoken by the loud explosion, Sumie smokes slightly as she failed to escape it and the only thing left of Mizuki is the sword. Somehow a silver scabbard had materialized over the blade during the explosion. The scabbard in question smells of gunpowder, but its silver gilding and decorative images of ninja speak of a blade not used for battle. It's handle is simple leather terminating in a green gem for a pommel. If anyone attempts to pick it up they discover it is much heavier than it looks, and that drawing it from it's silver scabbard is seemingly impossible.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

Noticing that there were no more enemies threatening him, Hibiki slowed down to a gentle pace which helped relieve his neck from the stress that running had put on it. Once he returns to the team, the Leaf-nin places his hand on his back and sticks out his chest while applying pressure from his hand; Hibiki grunts a little as his bones cracked back into place. The genin sneaks a glance at their sensei. He was thankful she was standing and alive; however, he couldn't understand why he was so worried before. What was it that he was afraid of when she first fell to the ground? Not wanting to answer these questions or face them, Hibiki returns his attention to Yuu who was on the ground but also in a bad shape.

The daft child kneels down and places a hand firmly against the bestial swordsman's sternum; Hibiki bounces his head subtly back and forth as he takes note of his comrade's heartbeat and breathing. Everything seemed a little slow, but that much was expected from someone on the brink of death. Hibiki does the best he can to Yuu (the best a med-nin could do without medical ninjutsu) and peaks over his shoulder at Rin. He knew Yuu would pull through, but what happened to Rin? There was no cut, there was no blood. What happened? When the genin was finished with Yuu, he crawls over to the elaborately decorated sword.

He lifts the weapon with his right hand and is surprised by its weight; Hibiki uses his other hand to keep the sword off the ground. Slowly, the genin turns the sheathed sword over to examine it more closely; however, when he tries to draw the blade, his grip slips and the sword falls against the wooden dock with a loud, reverberating clang. Hibiki shakes it off as nothing had happened and tries his hand at it again. This time his grip slips and he falls back onto the wooden dock with a loud, reverberating clang. The genin snarls and clamps his feet against the sheathe and locks his hands around the hilt. With all of his might, Hibiki tries to release the blade of the sword. Why was he doing this, he thought. Why did he want to know what happened to Rin so badly?


Not being threatened so I'll take 10 on Yuu's heal check for a result of...22

Hit points recovered: [roll0]

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Yuu slowly sits up, shaking his head. He looked around. His last memory was some defiant words to a foe apparently seeking the life of his sensei, and then...well, he knew. He had been killed, and then brought back to life. He recalled the words of the flame in his head and winced as the toll taken on his body caught up with him. He cautiously raised himself off the ground, looking at his bloodstained clothes- all his own- and looking around.

"So what happened? Who was attacking us?"

The bandage-bound flames on his arm gave a bit of a twitch.

I already told you what was going on, boyo.

Yuu's eyes widened for a second, and then he brought himself under control.

I'll find out from people I trust, thanks.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Rin didn't need any examination to determine what was wrong with her or why she couldn't activate her sharingan. She felt the stunted flows around her body as her perception came back to her. She tried to imagine her role in the village now. She saw being put somewhere safe and out of the way where she could be no trouble; if they didn't just kill her outright. Working a crick out of her neck she watched Hibiki work on Yuu and then fool about with the sword.

Rin turned on Yuu. "You dare believe you deserve any answers." Rin managed to act indifferent despite the anger that fired her voice. "Do any cells in your brain fire, at all? Who she is should be obvious by her voice and yet you decide to face her. Face a woman who was my senior at the Ninja Academy. You moron, Yuu." Leaning down she grabbed the sword that had cut her in so many ways.

"Sumie," Rin straightened and locked eyes with Sumie as she did so. "Find anything to explain why nobody is here?"

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

As the blond-haired jounin leaned forward to grab the sword Hibiki was still struggling to draw, the genin looked up at the woman gripped the sword tighter. I can figure it out myself, he thought,I can figure out what happened to her! Give me a chance! Once Rin's hand was around the decorated sheathe, the daft child pulled back. He wouldn't let her take the sword away, he wanted to prove his worth. He wanted to show off. He wanted to do so much to impress her. But he never wanted to admit it that way.

[Rogue 7]

Yuu

Clearly, he'd touched a nerve.

"Sorry. My head's a bit fuzzy, still."

He kind of felt like he should be cut a bit of slack since he, you know, died. That sort of thing tended to mess with a person's head. And Rin-sensei had wanted him to run? No. That wasn't his way. He kept this to himself, though.

[Valgunn]

Rin

Tugging on the sword Rin stared at Hibiki. "Hibiki," she smiled at him dangerously, differently. She saw Hibiki and shifted her posture, lifting her body ever so slightly up onto the balls of her feet. "Let go." Her mouth exaggerated each word as she spoke.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

He held his ground and returned her look with one of his own: soft yet determined eyes with a touch of worry. "I don't want to."

[Valgunn]

Rin

Leaning forward suddenly Rin pushed the sword toward Hibiki. Instead of her hands releasing their grip, they tightened. The blood in her fingers was trapped from the pressure as she crouched low and flung herself up above the genin. Either he let go or she took him into the air with her.

OOC:
She's a ninja.

[The Unborne]

Hibiki

In the amount of time it took Rin to bend her knees and prepare for her jump, Hibiki had swallowed a large gulp, quaked in his sandals, cried a tear, and prayed to the Buddhas that weren't dead that he'd be okay after this. "Rin-sensei, can I at least eh-eh-explain?" were the only words that came from his mouth before Rin had leapt.

He didn't know why she jumped into the air, and that part didn't matter to the young genin; Hibiki realized as his body was dragged skyward that this—their antics—would continue over and over again. The daft child had something he wanted to say and knew that he'd have to say it before he lost the chance. He took the next few seconds with his legs dangling with no ground beneath them looking at the moon which had seemed to take up most of the night sky.

When their bodies did land back on the cold, harsh ground, Hibiki released his grip and bowed his head in a defeated pose; however, his eyes kept staring up at his sensei. "Rin...can we talk again?"

OOC:

He's an idiot.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Sumie

The feeling of being utterly impotent was utterly new to Sumie. And completely and utterly disconcerting to someone like her. In the end, she hadn't managed to do nothing more then to disable some ambulatory corpses and give Mizuki the perfect chance to get away.

She only barely admitted to herself that she was immensely glad of the fact.

"They are dead. Twice over." Sumie replies in a subdued voice to the question.

[ZeroNumerous]

DM

Fooling with the sword, jerking it around, throwing it and even having Hibiki hang on one end while Rin yanks the other does nothing but hurt both ninja's arms. The sword seems to be cemented into it's scabbard, and no force either ninja can exert with their muscles moves the blade an inch. Both Rin and Hibiki come away from the situation with raw and aching hands.

The two musicians from earlier stand beyond the spectacle, hidden between two homes and no longer playing their instruments. Their eyes remain hidden by their massive glasses, their skin by coats as tall as themselves and they wait patiently to be acknowledged. A slightly crumpled white envelope pokes out from between the female player's gloves. A symbol that you can't quite make out, no doubt something Rin's Sharingan could have normally picked out, is embossed on the outer edge.