The Sound of a Dying Soul [Mission, P]

Age : 28 Posts : 488

Approved Mission
Travel Topic

Since her childhood, it has always been a curiosity to her the way the night gave way to the daytime; almost as if all the terrors of the night surrendered themselves to the uncontainable light and let themselves be swallowed by it. The Sun rose above the valley which had served as a night camp for the young Uzumaki, illuminating its surroundings in the morning light. Her red eyes slowly opened as a yawn escaped her lips. She stretched and got up in a matter of seconds, for she had things to do before she could actually rest. Having been sent on yet another mission, Ophelia had travelled to the Lightning Country; a place she had never been to before, a place so peaceful and...happy. It seemed all her worries weight next to nothing, and all her troubled thoughts were just far away images now she could barely even remember. Everytime, however, she looked at that piece of paper which had her mission on it, everytime she looked at the person's face she was supposed to capture and send back, it seemed everything returned to her instantly, heavier than the previous time. But that was life, and she couldn't do anything about it now; after all, should she not complete the mission, Kirigakure would be dissatisfied and revoke her vacation. Or even her position as a Shinobi, and that was something she did not want under any circumstances. Life as a Shinobi was all she had. If it were to be taken away from her, what would be left?

“C'est la vie, my friend, c'est la vie!” she said to herself while she finished packing her things together and extinguishing the fire, making sure she wouldn't be tracked down. Though, she certainly never showed she was a Shinobi in any way to strangers or even when she was alone. You never knew who could be watching you, after all. For that very reason, she just walked like a regular person down the dirt road among the trees in the large forest that was just before a village she did not know the name of. But it was a small village, and definitely not Kumogakure no Sato.

Her next stop would be in that small village, she decided, while looking at a map, not sure whether she was holding it correctly or not. But after finding the compass on the map, she was certain she was holding it straight. Ophelia tucked it away into her pocket and continued her normal walk along the road, occasionally stopping and admiring the flowers and beauty of the forest in general. She had even brought her camera with her, a bulky black one, more appropriate for photographers rather than enthusiasts such as herself. Excited at the beauty of the landscape, Ophelia never ceased to take pictures of anything she saw. It also helped her remember things and review important moments in her life. Later on, looking back at the pictures she even noticed new things and details which had escaped her attention at the time the pictures were taken. This always amazed Ophelia, how photographs were pieces of evidence and always saw more than she did. They showed the world exactly how it was, nothing more and nothing less, much unlike memories who tended to beautify or worsen past situations. Photographs were just objective and weren't siding with anyone but reality. That's why she loved them and that was also why she disliked fake photographs. Pictures in which the people put on a fake smile just to show off later where they had been to and how great a time they were having. She preferred photographing people at unsuspecting times, so she would capture their true essence, for she didn't have any use for fake things.

After a couple of hours and thousands of photographs taken, Ophelia had finally reached the small village which had no fence or wall or anything shielding it from the outer world. It didn't even have guards. Probably because it was no hidden village or any major village of importance with anything valuable to protect. The red head walked right in, putting on sunglasses and a large white hat just to give off the impression she was a tourist. The houses of the village were fairly old but beautiful. Walking through them seemed like taking a dive back through time itself, landing in a different period. Even the people looked like they came from another time, a time long forgotten, with their fancy dresses and kind manners. Everyone was greeting Ophelia, wishing her a pleasant stay in their home, inviting her for dinner or to parties. It occurred as an oddity to the female, but she accepted each one of them, for she would need contacts in the future, and also to find that person she was assigned to find.

Finally, the sun was setting and the young girl decided to stay at a hotel in the city center for the night, before she would move on to the next village. He couldn't be that far away.

[880 words.]
{Mission Post}

Age : 28 Posts : 488

Unpacking her clothes, she threw them onto the spare bed for she cared little about folding her clothes properly. What she was really excited about, was going to one of those grand parties she had been invited to. Going through her backpack, she turned it upside down and watched as a good ten invitations fell out. Reaching into the blind, she picked one folder and opened it, revealing the hour and location of the party. To her surprise, and excitement, it was a mask ball, with a medieval theme. How exciting, Ophelia had never been to a ball, and a mask ball one at that! A sudden realization hit her, which caused her face to morph into a shocked expression; she had no dress! Quickly, she jumped out the window, using her Ninja skills to navigate past the buildings and into the market area. She risked being noticed and identified but she had forgotten all about it. This was a freaking ball! “Excuse me, sir; do you have this in red?”

{Later that evening…}

A ball room, a castle, a garden taken straight from your favorite fairytale. That was what Helion’s Palace could be described as. A fairytale. The garden stretched over fields upon fields of green, embellished with fountains, and sculptures and benches full of life and birds chirping happily away at the water even though it was dark already. The birds were so content that they cared not about the darkness and flew about the land anyway, to demonstrate their happiness. At the top of the hill Helion’s Palace was located, which indeed was a Palace; a castle, a remainder from the medieval ages, still being in private property though, belonging to an extraordinarily wealthy family, the lone descendant of which was throwing this party. Ball music could be heard from the inside of the walls escaping to the outside, dawning the arriving guests with an idea of the fun they were about to have. All guests were being privately escorted by coaches so big and glorious they looked like they came straight from a dream. It appeared the guests were all wealthy business men and women, clearly belonging to the upper class of that small village. Funny, how even a town such as this was home to people such as these, hosting wondrous balls in dreamy castles. But there was a guest, a lone guest, who arrived by foot. She walked up the stairs to the entry, her dress dancing behind her in a playful manner, as her fine hand reached out to the receptionist and handed him her invitation. With a smile of his lips, for his eyes were concealed by a black mask, the man greeted her into the Grand Ball Room, before whispering something into her ear. The female stopped for a second before whispering back, and in her most upper class style walked to the tip of the stairs that unraveled before her leading down to the Grand Ball Room. The receptionist coughed and inhaled deeply.

“Grand Duchess Magnolia Melusina Tennyo of Asclaria, the first.”

People in pretty gowns and festive masks all turned around for a second to acknowledge the arrival of a seemingly co-royal of theirs, even though unknown to them which aroused even for a bit their interest. A weird name like that, she must have been from a far, exotic –rich- place. Prepared to only glance at her for no more than a second, their stare stayed glued on the frail figure descending the stairs. It looked like she was floating instead of walking, her movements soft and flowing, in alignment with the divine motion between them. People stared in admiration, whispering, judging, thinking up the wildest stories that they supposedly heard about this unknown beauty, stories as true as their good intentions. As she passed by, a scent as sweet as the first spring breeze caressed the room around her, leaving everyone in a state of disbelief and reverence. Just as the red head descended the stairs, packs of young men awaited her, stretching out their hands while bowing, asking her for just one dance. They were all fine-looking, though the Duchess couldn’t really tell for they were wearing masks. This was a mask ball after all. As she was pondering which one to choose to open the dance grounds, she could not help but wonder why they were all so eager to dance with especially her.

“My Lady;” a voice came through her thoughts and she turned around, looking at a young fella bowing not in obsequiousness as the others, but in respect and mutual honor. He stretched out his hand holding a rose as pale as her skin and smiled. The Grand Duchess looked at it in pretty much the same way others were looking at her, and took it into her hand. She lifted it up to her nose and took in its bedazzling fragrance, closing her eyes for a second as a wonderful sun-lit meadow drowned in colorful flowers in spring appeared before her mind’s eye. She smiled, though that was not visible due to her mask, and turned to look at the dark haired man.

“To be overcome by the fragrance of flowers is a delectable form of defeat” she said chuckling and stretched out her hand for the mysterious man to take. He led her without a word onto the dance floor, obviously feeling quite accomplished and satisfied that it was him who she had chosen out of all these qualified men. And indeed, the jealousy could not be hidden from the other chaps’ faces.

{Mission Post}

Age : 28 Posts : 488

They walked to the center of the dance floor while every eye pair was set on only them, some of them approvingly looking at them, but most of them observing them with jealousy from either sex. “I’ve heard she’s slept with half Asclaria and the neighbouring Kingdoms” whispered a young brown haired girl to her girlfriend as she eyed the Duchess. “She’s said to be filthy rich and instead of spending it on the poor, she throws it out the window for herself only” said another one a few meters away from the first girl. “Her people hate her.” “Her parents never wanted her.” “Her parents are dead and she’s the only heir.” “She has a younger sister whom she abuses.” “Her parents give her anything she wants.” “Her parents wage war on anyone they please, whenever they please.” “This family is a plague, a nightmare, they should be taken care of…!” Voices were stirring up the peace of the Ball Room, fading into a single muffled sound, however, and no sentence could be discerned from the other. All this left the couple untouched for they could hear nothing of that, staring deep into each other’s eyes, brilliant golden meeting crimson seas. It was as if the world around them did not exist. The music set in softly, wonderful ball dance music, and the lad set the Duchess in motion. He led her movements and figures never leaving her out of his sight, for she was too beautiful too even miss a second of her. Her movements were glorious and elegant, she was probably dancing for years; at least that was the impression she gave him and the others around her. It seemed as if she could do anything, as if she was perfect in every way. Oh, how she wished she was all that. But bitter truth hit her, always there, she was not perfect at all. She was no ‘porcelain-doll’ as people called her, she was not flawless and she was far from perfect or even decent, according to herself at least.

The music spun her around in circles as her wonderfully cherry dress danced around her delicate legs, waves of red toning the paleness of them. Her feet were safely guarded by a pair of blood red heels, dancing with so much confidence and stability; one would wonder how it was even possible to dance so elegantly with shoes like these.

“I’ve never seen you before, my Duchess” the silver haired man finally spoke to her, a smirk on his face. It was obvious that he was confident and prideful for it showed in the tone of his voice and the way his eyes shone through his black mask. With a swift motion he twirled her away from him, letting her hand go for just a moment before she took it again and spun herself into his arms. She turned and looked into his eyes; a sweet fragrance hit her nose which caused her to blush which only she realized. “What a loss for you, to meet me so late” she stated smirking as they returned to their exit pose. The silver haired man smiled. “I cannot conceive how horrible your life must have been until now” she continued, jokingly. He spun them around in circles, much like a waltz but with more complex figures and steps. “Well now that you are here, my Duchess, life for me has certainly gained meaning.” The Duchess chuckled. “You have not revealed your name to me, yet. Do you plan to keep it concealed forever?”

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The man’s smile suddenly vanished if only for a second to appear back again, but this time it was a fake one. The Duchess could tell. Her eyebrows united in confusion. What was that about? The man chuckled and spun her around three times before letting her down in his arms, leaning forward as if to kiss her. “I am the Duke of this castle” he kindly whispered loud enough for only her to hear. The music stopped and people started clapping at the orchestra. The Duke lifted the Duchess up and looked at her. She was stunning. “Would you fancy a walk in the garden, my Duchess?” he softly spoke, leaning in to her so he could reach her ear, for he was considerably taller than she was. Her red eyes looked at him for a second before whispering “I would very much fancy that” and walked out onto the balcony, led by the Duke’s arm.

{Mission Post}

Age : 28 Posts : 488

They walked onto the white marble balcony, which was more of a terrace than a balcony really. It was dark and the starry night lit up like a million little lights the castle and its garden, reflecting in the water gorgeously. For a moment the Duchess contemplated how beautiful life and nature were and that we should all learn to appreciate it more. A smile crept over her face with a shade of sadness in it, for she knew that humans would never learn to appreciate the simple things in life. She wondered if there was someone else out there who shared her beliefs, who thought just the way she did about the universe, life, love, loss. She wanted to know if other people had felt the pain she had felt, the longing, the mourning and lastly the desire for truth and acceptance. Her mind wandered into dark worlds as she stared down from the balcony at the stunning garden. She was so happy that she was at this Ball, it was a nice opportunity for entertainment and relaxation at the same time, after having to fulfill her tedious duties.

“Take my hand, my Duchess” his voice cracked a hole in her mind as she turned around abruptly, for he shocked her. She was immersed by her thoughts and for a moment had forgotten all about him. He just stood there, his hand stretched out towards her, a smile on his face. His whole complexion was ethereal. There was something otherworldly about him, something magical that calmed her senses and thoughts. For the first time, she felt safe. She felt happy and satisfied, as if all her concerns were gone or at least as if they weren’t of great importance anymore. She felt relieved. The Duchess smiled and took his hand and together they stepped down the marble stairs into the garden. It was full of bushes, trees, exotic flowers and sculptures. The Duke kept walking without saying a word and so did the female next to him. They enjoyed the sounds of nature and she let him lead her, which was quite bizarre for her nature, for she was known for always taking control no matter who or what was standing in front of her, though always in a kind and subtle manner. The Duke led them in front of a maze made of high bushes and stopped. “Shall we?” he inquired as he looked at her. The woman looked at the maze and back at him before finally saying “We shall” and smiled. She had never been in a maze before; it would be interesting for sure. After all, this was his maze, so they wouldn’t get lost, right?

After a few minutes of walking, they reached a round place in the middle of which was a small fountain. Opposite to it, there was a marble bench. The Duke looked at it and led them there to sit down. The both took a seat and sat there in silence for a bit.

“So this is all yours, heh? Fairly impressive” the Duchess finally uttered for she couldn’t keep her mouth shut for any longer. She needed to learn more about him. The man looked up at the stars before saying anything, his demeanor unchanged. He took a deep breath. “It belongs to my Father.” He only said and continued staring at the stars. “So, is it your first time in the Lightning Country? I understand you’re not from around here” he added and looked at her. The Duchess blushed furiously, how could he know? She quickly calmed herself and reminded herself that she was announced at the beginning of the Ball. She mentally slapped herself. “You are rather pale yourself,” she said mockingly but couldn’t sense that this upset the young lad quite a bit, for he seemed to be sharing the same anxiety as she did, “but yes, I am not from here….it is my first time here as well. I must say it is a beautiful country, so much more different than my own.” She almost physically slapped herself when she realized what she had said. Now he would ask what her home was like. Her behavior was odd for someone who had nothing to hide.

“I’d like to know more about the place you hail from” he naturally said and turned around to face her. The red eyed woman felt a rush of blood leaving her face. She searched for the right words before answering him. She wanted to look as composed as possible. “Asclaria, well, it is a brilliant place. Lovely green scenery and lots of rivers and waterfalls. Sunny and warm weather all year round, not too hot though and not too warm. Like an eternal spring” she continued describing the place she was from. The man looked at her; his eyes looked like they remembered something suddenly. “How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot! The world forgetting, by the world forgot…" she was surprised that he knew that passage. “..Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind” they both continued, “Each prayer accepted and each wish resigned!” They both loosened in laughter because they had spoken simultaneously. “I’m surprised you know this poem” the Duchess added. “You’d be surprised at all the things I know…” he whispered as he took his hand and led it to her mask, gently taking it off while leaning into her to kiss her. The Duchess grabbed the opportunity and removed his mask as well. A pair of golden eyes framed in silver hair stared back at her. And she stared back at them. It was him. The thought crossed her mind. It was him.

{Mission Post}

Age : 28 Posts : 488

The Sound of a Dying Soul [Mission, P] Tumblr12

For a second everything seemed to flow in slow motion; movements too fast for her mind to comprehend were acted out by her body almost instinctively. The environment around her faded into a mixture of green and blue as she suddenly found herself a good few meters away from the man, an explosive kunai in her right hand. All her senses were tense, the hairs of her neck standing tall while goose bumps travelled across her body from head to toe. She could feel nothing; her body was not that of her own, it belonged to someone else. It belonged to her other self. She was in full fighting mode in a matter of a fraction of a second when she saw his face. His face. It was the trigger for her sudden change in demeanor and the boy could not fathom why. He stood up abruptly and stared at her in surprise. “What-what’s wrong?” he stuttered, trying to keep a clean head. The red eyed woman did not answer but performed a string of hand seals and a strong yellow light emerged from her body spreading out in a circle towards the silver haired man. He couldn’t believe his eyes. She was a Shinobi. Why did all the beautiful girls he ever met have to be Shinobi? It was as if his fate was playing tricks on him.

With a swift motion he flew up high into the air, avoiding the beam of lightning that would have rendered him short of one limb. He floated in the air for a few seconds before gravity started pulling him down again. But the girl had other plans. Focusing chakra to her feet, she jumped towards the man, the kunai in her hand, and collided harshly with his body, sending them both flying towards the sky. They fought mid-air, exchanging fists, though the girl was more the aggressor and the boy merely tried to block her assaults. It seemed awfully easy to him to evade the hits, which irritated the red head a great deal. “What is wrong with you!?” the man shouted at her. He was really confused; he didn’t know what was happening. Though a thought crept through his mind. Had they send her for him? Was she there to bring him back? There was no other reasonable explanation for the girl suddenly going wild on him. Unless she really wanted piece of him and showed her feelings in…assertive ways. Kinky, he thought to himself and chuckled, ignoring almost the fact that there was an explosive kunai stuck in his costume, while the girl had already pushed herself away from him, descending to the ground. He stood there and just looked at her for a few seconds and the female thought she had finally caught him off guard. In reality, he was merely amazed by her beauty now that her face was revealed. All that fierceness really added to her cheeks. Seconds before the explosion took place, he had taken the kunai and thrown it towards the sky, turning his back on it. Still, the blast from the detonation sent him straight to the ground, taking the girl with him.

They both landed onto the earth, or rather inside it, for they left a crater where they landed. The dust settled down and the girl was sitting on top of the boy, her dress torn to shreds, burnt to pieces, covering the…sensitive parts only. With one hand holding both his hands over his head, and with another holding a kunai against his throat, she breathed heavily. The boy just stared at her, a satisfied smirk on his face. “You suck at Taijutsu, Duchess” he stressed the title, for now he knew it was just a cover name. “So, with whom do I have the pleasure tonight?” he mockingly asked as he kept staring at her. She was all worked up. It was visible that there was a tremendous gap of power between them, and yet the man had let her keep the upper hand, just to see how far she’d go. At any time, she was finished meat. “It is obvious you know who I am, so it would be only fair to know your name as well” he continued.

The Duchess breathed heavily and after catching her breath she decided to say something finally. “Uzumaki. Uzumaki Ophelia.”

Age : 28 Posts : 488

The man’s eyes widened and faded into a smile. It’s her after all, he thought to himself as a smirk graced his face. The female glared. “What’s so funny about your life hanging by a thread?” she replied to his smirk, to which the boy could not help but chuckle. He was obviously mocking her shamelessly. “And you’re after me because…?” he continued his inquiries. Ophelia’s eyes formed a frown; she was getting annoyed by this guy. Wasn’t it bad enough that she thought him for someone else, and it turned out to be the target of her mission, did he also have to mock her? “Oh you know damn well why Kirigakure is after you” she hissed. She hated this guy and she didn’t even know exactly the reason. All the harm this person had done, it made her resent him.

“Oh please, enlighten me. I’ve been behind on the new my dear...” he continued, still mocking the shit out of her. Her ears couldn’t believe it. As a reflex she put the kunai closer to his throat, creating a small cut which started bleeding. The man inhaled sharply a bit, but his eyes were not filled with pain or anxiety; they were filled with satisfaction. This annoyed her even more. “You are accused of deserting your village, stealing sensitive data and sharing it with enemy villages” she spoke, disgust showing in every word of her sentence. The man’s façade was unbroken but it surely changed; it became harsher. Out came a man that had seen too much of the world. “Of course, what else…” he mumbled as his gaze wandered above to the stars. It delighted him how they shone so carefree high above the earth, so seemingly happy and yet deeply touched by their own existence. “You’ll have to come with me” she continued as she got a rope from seemingly her thigh. Just as she attempted to bind him, she found herself thrown to the ground, with the boy on top of her now, leaning really, really close to her. She looked at him as her heart stopped for a second and an overly loud high pitched tone drummed through her ears. Anxiety and fear at the same time. Quickly, she charged chakra into her hands and touched his face for only a second but a second was more than enough for this technique to work.

He screamed in pain as he tumbled back, his hands covering his face. He was bleeding severely; his vision was now blurred, as there was an insanely deep cut across his face, slicing through one golden eye. It bled like hell and he was shocked that she, a Shinobi so weaker than him could deprive him of one eye with just a swing of her hand. “Medic, huh” he said more to himself than to her as he cut his gown and put a piece of fabric over his wound, binding it. She was stronger than she looked or allowed to be seen, and that was a major plus point for her. She caught him by surprise, but that wouldn’t happen again. Just now had he begun to pay attention to her as a Shinobi and not as some attractive woman. And all his feelings for her vanished for now it was either him or her, and she didn’t look so intent on just walking away. He paid attention and noticed something he could be sensing the whole night, but thought it was coming from someone else. Never did it cross his mind that this little, sweet girl was the source of this horrendous chakra pool. It was quite astonishing how she could contain all that power inside her without bursting out randomly. Could it be that she is indeed one of the few….? he contemplated and figured he’d just have to find out, one way or the other.

Again she charged at him while forming hand seals, and the man just stepped aside, avoiding the crash. But that didn’t stop the woman, she just kept running. Suddenly it started raining, heavily, and it seemed it only rained around the man…which was rather odd. He looked up as the female was a good 20 meters away from him. “I know what you are!” he shouted at her, for now he realized that she was indeed a host of a beast far greater than herself. His skin started to hurt, it was as though it was being pinched with needles. It was nothing but a nuisance, but the pain started growing stronger and stronger. As if his flesh was being pierced through. Ophelia’s heart skipped a beat at his words. How could he know? Not even the Mizukage knew that she was a host. How did this man know? She reminded herself that he was a Nukenin now and it was natural for him to know things like these. “You know nothing! (..John Snow! lol)” she hissed with hate at him while completing another string of hand seals. The man scoffed. “They sent you after me…do you even know my name?”

Many times Shinobi were sent on missions with nothing more than a photo of their target and method of capture. No name, origin, or even reason as to why they were being hunted down. Missions of this nature were always sensitive cases and sometimes the full details were known to only the Kage assigning the mission. Ophelia never questioned missions, she was loyal to Kirigakure…but lately weird things had happened. Especially since her last visit in Konohagakure...the words this old man had spoken to her in that bar…it was strange and had surely awakened certain distrust towards the Council. Was she just another piece in a grand game of chess?

{LDS Training Post}

Age : 28 Posts : 488

“I don’t need your name to bring you back”. Completing the hand seals, a typhoon formed from the fountain and the rain, reaching till high up in the sky. The woman twisted her hand and the typhoon directed its wrecking power towards the young man. He looked at it, not a sign of fear or anything was visible on his face. Really? he thought to himself as he jumped out of its way. He wouldn’t let it get him that much was for sure. He turned around to jump away, only to be greeted by Ophelia with a knife in her hand, aimed at his throat. He tumbled back as he looked at her. What the hell...this girl not playing.

Ophelia kept charging at him, exhausted from all the chakra drain she had suffered. She could feel the Sanbi roaring inside her, but she couldn’t tap on its powers…she wasn’t ready yet. She didn’t even really try for she was afraid that it would break free from her and kill everyone and her in the process. That certainly was something Ophelia wanted to avoid at all costs. She’d hate herself even in death should she fail to contain the Sanbi.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Ophelia” he said, his look stern and unchanging. It seemed to her as if he was making fun of her. She knew he was higher ranked than she was and that’s why she was always battle ready, but she’d never thought that she would make it this far. She thought that she was sent on this mission to never come back again…that for some reason Kirigakure wanted her dead. Why else would they send a Genin to capture an S ranked Shinobi? And yet, he seemed to be making no effort to defend himself. He had even lost and eye. Why was it that he was just standing by when he could have killed her in an instant?

“Then surrender peacefully!” Ophelia didn’t stop charging at him while he just blocked her with his fists. “Can’t do that, sorry.” The female came really close to him with her knife but he kept his calm. “Isn’t the pain you caused Kirigakure enough? Isn’t destroying your village satisfactory enough for you!?” she started screaming at this point for she couldn’t understand how a man could turn his back on the village that raised him. I’m running out of time…if I hit an all-time low…we’re both done for… she thought thinking of the Sanbi. She really needed his power but couldn’t access it. She needed peace and silence for that, not anxiety and hectic movement.

The man had it. He reached out and punched the girl in the stomach so hard, she flew a few hundred meters and against the castle, breaking through a wall. People started screaming as they ran out of the castle to hide from the commencing destruction and the typhoon, which was slowly dispersing. They didn’t understand what was going on, but they didn’t need to know much to realize that their lives were in danger by remaining there.

Opjelia was bleeding severely from the head, cuts and bruises all over her body. “Arggmm…” she moaned as she fought with herself and the Bijuu to stand up. But the man was already coming at her. “How dare you little brat accuse me of BETRAYAL. How dare you! ME!” he kept screaming while coming at her, his façade of a calm person dropping completely. Revealed was a man hurt rom the world, a man who appeared to be fighting for his rights. But Ophelia was too busy not dying at the moment to even notice his change. She wiped the blood off her face and disappeared from the scene. The man stopped and looked around, still infuriated. “I, who risked everything for them, for my village, my home!” he searched for her while screaming like a madman. “I, who killed so many to save my kind!” he crushed boulders now with his insane strength, bits and pieces flying around, slicing even his own skin, but he didn’t notice. He couldn’t. He was dead set on the girl. “I, Akihiko Mizushima, the Prince of the Water Islands and heir to the fucking throne , thrown out and hunted like an animal by my ‘superiors’?!” He stood very still before a boulder, speaking with irony the last part. He breathed heavily. He wasn’t tired, how could he be? He was disappointed. What had he done to them that they wanted him dead?

Ophelia was scared now. She was dead. Dead, should he get his hands on her. Obviously this man had a twisted sense of reality. But then again, every criminal had, she contemplated. At any rate, she found herself at almost the end of her strength. She could contain the Sanbi, but she wasn’t sure she could keep fighting. Maybe she should just let go and let it take over. No. No she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t let it win. Suddenly, she felt a pair of hands grabbing her from the shoulders and pulling her up. Akihiko had found her and looked at her with such hatred, she regretted her very existence. He threw her to the ground, where she could not even crawl away. Fuck, fuck fuck!

{LDS Training Post}

Age : 28 Posts : 488

He jumped on top of her and would have grabbed her by the collar had she any clothing left there, and starting shaking her up and down in a violent fashion. “Do you even begin to comprehend the sacrifices I have made for this village!? Do you?! Huh?!” he screamed while shaking her but Ophelia couldn’t just shut up now, could she? “Like betraying us? Like selling data to Sunagakure?? Those sacrifices!?” she realized that she wasn’t in the best of situations to anger him even more, but she couldn’t stand him to be so delusional about his actions. And that was it. He started punching her in the face mercilessly, her head hitting the ground behind her every time. First he broke her nose, her cheekbones and jaw following soon after. He literally broke her face. And after a few punches, more than anyone could take, she passed out.

Waking up, she found herself in a cave very much known to her, for she was floating. She looked around. Shit. She was inside her mind, but still alive, which meant she was still being beaten up by Akihiko. A sudden laugh roared through the water. It was the Sanbi. Ophelia moved towards the source of it and faced a giant turtle strapped down with chains to the ground of the cave. “So you’ve come to me for help….” Isobu said and chuckled. He had certainly straightened out his speaking flaws while he was locked away. After all he could hear Ophelia speak every day all day long. “No, I don’t need your help, I’m doing just fine.” She said, trying to hide the fact that she was dying. She was also a little too proud to admit that she needed his powers. She completely ignored that Isobu could sense her lying and being at the brink of death. And the latter influenced him a great deal as well. “Girl, you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t need my help.” She pouted and looked at him. This turtle’s intelligence seemed to have increased while he was in there. She wasn’t sure she liked that. She moved towards him and caressed his shell.

“Alright.”

She touched the chains which in turn dispersed in a gradual burst of light while she and the Sanbi were engulfed by it.
Akhiko was very upset. He had, it seemed, lost his mind and punched the girl with no regrets, having in mind only his pain and betrayal he felt from his home. After all he was the hunted one, the banned, the black sheep. After all he had done for them, they just tossed him aside, labelling him as a ‘Nukenin’. Unbelievable. Suddenly, the girl opened her eyes. But they were different; she was different. A cloak of red appeared around her whole body which had now a poisonous effect on Akihiko, causing him to let go of her. But he wasn’t fast enough. Ophelia had already reached out and punched him in the face, sending him flying a few hundred meters away. Already on her feet when he landed, she jumped towards him, fist extended, only to punch a hole into the concrete. She went after him with fists and kicks again, landing a few decent hits that left him with a few broken bones and internal bleeding. “You piece of shit, how dare you lie!?” A thing Ophelia hated extremely was lies and the people who told them. It was incredible how easily she could turn into a bloodthirsty killer should she find out that she was being lied to. She’d take anyone down, either physically or psychologically, or die trying. Akihiko could see that with broken bones and one eye out he wouldn’t be able to defeat her. But he could also see that behind her hatred for him, there wasn’t actually she standing. It was Kirigakure and whatever they had told her, whatever they had filtered into her head. He felt sorry for the girl, and for smashing up her pretty face, for he once was in the same position as her. He, too, once was loyal to Kirigakure.

Ophelia couldn’t notice of course whatever changes that were clearly visible on his face, for she was too busy punching it. The Sanbi and she were now in total harmony and using his powers she was in utter control of the situation and of the beast. She was even having a conversation with it while finishing off Akihiko. “Let me explain!” a sudden voice rang through to her. It was the boy’s. What would he want to explain? How he betrayed his Kage? His Village?

She looked at him. He was done for and she was dying to know his delusional opinion. She stopped punching him and threw him to the ground, were he didn’t move. “Ha, I look even worse than you” he jokingly said, trying to alleviate the mood. “Talk or die sooner, bitch.” He looked at her in plain bafflement but quickly got his stuff together to start explaining.

Fiiniiisshhh hiiiim….fiiniiishhh hiimmm…. The Sanbi growled inside her, kicking and scratching the walls of her mind so he would get his way. But Ophelia wanted to hear what he had to say, she wanted to know what exactly it was that made people walk out on their home, their family, their friends. Kiiilll hiiimmm…..scuummm..scumm… Isobu continued but Ophelia couldn’t care less. Her red eyes, shaped now like that of a reptile’s, looked at Akihiko only and her mind was focused at him. She had no trouble containing the Bijuu or telling it to shut up. It seemed as though she had finally mastered its powers.

{LAST LDS Training Post}

Age : 28 Posts : 488

The garden had turned into a battle ground. The maze was completely destroyed and one part of the castle had crumbled to bits, revealing the flashy interior design of bathrooms, living rooms and bedrooms. Akihiko sure had style. And lots of money. He was a Prince after all. Still lying on the ground, with broken bones and severe internal bleeding, he couldn’t quite recall when the last time was he had gotten beaten up so badly. It must have been a long time ago. But this girl was something else, not only because she had a monster inside her, but also because she fought with such passion and determination for something she firmly believed in. As he once had. Look where it had led him. “I never betrayed my village….” He whispered to himself, barely loud enough for the Uzumaki to hear. She just looked at him and waited to hear his ‘explanation’.

“I was born into the Mizushima family, a family of royals who rule over the Water Islands and play a significant role in the Water Country’s political affairs. It is tradition for the male members of the family to join the Ninja Academy and to excel at it. See, my ancestors firmly believed that this was the way the Mizushima family would gain not only the trust of their people, but also highly proficient warriors able to wage wars and to win them” he paused to let that sink into Ophelia’s brain, so she would understand where he came from. “I was pretty excited about joining the academy. I was really good at Taijutsu and Weaponry, so that’s what I chose. Proceeding higher into the ranks, my goal was to become S ranked, the first S ranked in my family, besides the founder of my clan. Everyone just got up to B, rarely A ranked, just to have enough experience to last them in a battle. Lately it had turned into a superficial tradition anyway, and royals were being taken from the academy sooner than normally, but I wanted to serve my time and even go a bit further than that. Looking back, I believe the main reason for that was because I was afraid to take on the throne after my Father would die. So I tried to win some time away from ‘Kingly duties’. I moved up in the ranks rather fast and gained the trust of the Council and the Mizukage himself. We even became close friends…” his voice trailed off to images of him and the former Mizukage being the best of friends. They were happy times indeed, but it all had to be destroyed. “I wasn’t always sent on peaceful or easy missions, you understand. I had to do things. Horrible things. The perv, uugh, as I used to call the Mizukage, wasn’t happy about the Council sending me on such missions, but he couldn’t do anything to change that. And that was fine, he never was one of the strong ones anyway. But one day, the sent me on a mission to retrieve a teenager from a fishing village nearby Kiri. I thought it not important but it said they wanted her dead. She was just a kid.” Ophelia sat down at this point, her eyes and ears focused only on him. She was intrigued by his story and like a child listening to fairytales, wanted to hear more about it, and it dawned to her what would follow.

“So I refused to do it. I couldn’t kill an academy student” he paused and remembered her face. “And I returned to the office to file a vacation, but they wouldn’t let me. The guards attacked me and tried to kill me so I killed them instead. I found the Kage, my friend, only to be accused of treason and plotting against him. I, who loved him more than anyone. I, who loved my country more than anyone. Why did he believe them…why..” his voice broke down and he fought to keep the tears in. Ophelia wasn’t sure if he was lying at this point, but damn, he was a good actor should he be indeed lying. “We got into a fight. I tried to explain to him that I would never do such a thing, but he wouldn’t listen, he wouldn’t listen” tears strolled down his face, “so he attacked me. I didn’t defend myself at first. I-I couldn’t, he was my friend!” a long pause ensued, and Ophelia just looked at him, terror in her eyes. Did he…?

“And then…it just happened. He lay there on the floor, motionless, and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing…It just happened, I didn’t mean to.” He inhaled sharply through his nose to prevent mukses from rolling down. “So I fled the Country, what else could I have done? I came here, to one of my family’s hidden vacation houses, changed my name and pretended to be a wealthy Lightning Country businessman. At that time Kirigakure wasn’t on good terms with the rest of the world, so they didn’t go public about my hunting down or the Kage’s death, and certainly didn’t ask for any help from the other hidden villages. Occasionally they’d send someone after me, but I could always deceive them and they’d return empty handed. I hadn’t fought in a very long time.” He concluded and looked at her, signifying that she was the only one who had reached that point.

“That teenager…was it..?” Ophelia looked at him. Anger started building up inside her. He nodded. “You.” The Council wanted her dead. Dead. What had she done to them? They knew about the Bijuu probably and wanted to eliminate the threat. How could they have kept this from her? They knew before she even knew, and they said nothing? Not only that, her very Kage sends her on a suicide mission? A person whom, although she never had met, she trusted and put all her faith in? Why was it that people in power wanted her dead? The Bijuu inside her now was furious as well, for any threat for the girl meant a threat to him. He roared and kicked inside her mind’s eye. Her body started to glow a brighter red as the chakra cloak reappeared along with a tail this time. It wasn’t like she didn’t have any control over it- she just didn’t care anymore.

{Mission Post}

Age : 28 Posts : 488

Akihiko looked at the Uzumaki in terror of what was about to happen. Powerful gusts of wind spread out from her body as dark clouds started forming above them. Soon thunder and lightning followed, suggesting the start of a heavy storm. The silver haired man just looked at her before realizing that he had to do something before this girl ripped herself along with everything else around her apart. She had already turned her back on him, moving towards the ocean. Akihiko pulled himself together and used what little of his strength was left to get up and walked towards her. He grabbed her arm and made her stop walking, his hand being exposed ti excruciating pain due to the cloak’s power. Ophelia turned sharply around and looked at him, eyes which had completely turned red pressed together in hatred against the world now stared at him and his brokenness. “Destroying yourself is what they want, Ophelia! You’re helping them! You need to calm down!” he said and looked her in the eyes, scared the shit out of his mind but trying not to show it. Ophelia didn’t want to hear any of that, she just wanted to vent somewhere, and even though his words did make sense, she didn’t care and thought that she might as well die since she couldn’t do anything else to change the Council and Mizukage’s feelings about her. “We can do this together, Ophelia! We can go to Kiri and make them pay for what they put us through!” he finally said and caught her attention. “I am here for you, I will not leave you!” he continued saying.

“You hear me?”
“I will always be by your side.”

Finally the girl let go of her anger and collapsed under the strain with tears in her eyes. Akihiko took her into his arms and caressed her hair. For what else do humans need than reassurance that they will never be alone in this world?

“I’ll always be by your side.”

{Mission Post}

{THE END}