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Shikaru placed his hand against a gold glass wall. He looked at it, but saw Totoki’s face instead. “Totoki, where am I?” he asked. “You don’t remember.” She said back, her voice hazed over with the glass. Her voiced traveled through his unwashed hair, vibrating his spine. “I just, I can’t place this” he said with confusion, “Am I dead?” “No, remember, there is now way in the world that you could be dead” she said, smiling. Shikaru smiled back. “I know, its just, its so much like heaven, whatever heaven looks like” he shrugged and sighed. She looked him in the eye and said “Its not heaven, Shikaru, I know heaven.” He sighed heavily and rested his lump of fleshy shoulder on the glass. “Then where am I?” he asked. “Your memory.” She said. “My memory” he asked in confusion. “Yes” she said simply and calmly. “Don’t you think that if it was my memory, I would’ve recognized it” he said. Totoki smiled at him. “You recognized me, didn’t you” she said, “Is that enough?” Shikaru began to panic. “Where are my children?” he yelled, “Where are they!” Totoki frowned, “they didn’t come.” “Why?” he asked her. “They weren’t needed, you will see them later, as will you see me” Totoki said. “You don’t even know how much I want to be with you, to just feel your skin against mine” Shikaru said. “I know, you can’t though, not yet, it’s not permitted,” she said. She looked him in the eye solemnly. “Your time on earth is not over yet.” Shikaru looked down at himself. He was his true form, the naga that was inside the human shell. “When will it be over” he asked her. “No one knows, yet, it’s a mystery, under normal circumstances, an immortal would live forever, but you will have to eventually leave earth, just as Hidan will have to stay until the day of judgment” she told him. “Why?” he asked. Why cant I just die already, I’ve been waiting 1000 years, you would thing I’d expire some time soon.” “No one knows, it’s only of one being to know, and we are not that one” Totoki said. “I have to know, I am still the ultimate shinobi,” Shikaru said. “You don’t have to know, you just think you do” Totoki said. “And why might that be.” Shikaru asked. He was starting to become agitated with his dead wife. “No one knows why, Shikaru, its just so,” she said. Shikaru sighed. “I wish I could just feel you, just once,” he said, “I’m so close yet so far away.” “You will, I know you will, but not now, later though, someday, I know you will be with me and everyone else who loves you,” she said. “What about now,” he asked. “Not know” Totoki said, “I’m sorry, it’s time for you to return to your body.” “Now, why now, couldn’t I just wait” he asked. “Yes, my love” Totoki said, “the longer you stay here, the weaker your body will be on earth. Remember this, I am always with you, and I will always be with you, never forget that.” Shikaru felt the breeze again. He kissed the wall separating them, and she kissed back on the other side. Then he began it return.
Shikaru and Totoki’s souls separated and shikaru returned to his body in a skinny-bodied longer haired version of himself. His power had multiplied immeasurably. Yama stared at him. “What the hell!” he yelled. Shikaru lifted from the smoke and fog that he had created. “Is that some kind of sealing jutsu or something?” Yama asked. Shikaru looked at himself. He shed a tear or two as he recognized his pale hands. They were his hands. He was himself again. “No, actually, it was salvation,” Shikaru said, “I am no longer a demon”. “No longer a demon, eh?” Yama said, “That means you’re weaker.” Yama wielded his bladed fists at Shikaru. Shikaru grabbed Yama’s hands and sent an electric current “Wrong again, I’m much stronger than I was before,” Shikaru said. “What are you?” Yama yelled. His eyes fixated on Shikaru’s power. “I am an experimental disaster,” shikaru said as he began to plan Yama’s death. Yama struggled to get up. His arms and legs were paralyzed. “I’ll kill you,” Yama whispered. He hobbled towards Shikaru. Shikaru stared at the man. “Lay down and I’ll let you live,” Shikaru said. “Not a chance,” Yama wielded all of the chakra he had left in him at Shikaru. Shikaru clutched the chakra and sent it right back at Yama. “Please don’t kill me, I was hired to…” Yama pleaded. “I warned you,” shikaru said,” I gave you a choice, and you chose death. Its your fault if I kill you, you have accepted death, and that cannot be reversed.” Yama laid half standing-half sitting on the ground. His mouth was covered in blood. Shikaru clutched his fist and Yama grabbed at his chest. “So that’s how you kill, that’s what you are!” Yama screamed. “You’re the devil! The devil! Only a devil could be so cruel. Only a devil will kill like that.” Yama started to cough. He lunged forward and his esophagus exploded. After that all of his innards disengaged and he fell to the ground stone dead. “Goodnight Yama, your time has already passed,” he said. Shikaru pulled Yama’s sword out of his side and jabbed into his back. He turned around and walked out of the clearing. His long hair was blowing in the gentle breeze. He hadn’t felt like this in years. He smiled up at the sky and said “I feel you with me, Totoki.” He felt the breeze pick up into a gust. The clouds moved in and the temperature cooled. Shikaru stood still in the forest near the clearing. Then he felt something on his neck. He turned around and there was nothing. He felt it again, but this time on his nose. He rubbed it and felt water. It was raining. “This is beautiful,” he said. He smiled as the wind and rain hit him. After hours of walking, Shikaru spotted lights in the distance. The air has become freezing, but he feared to approach it. He had no idea of what village his was in, and in his state, death was a possibility. As he approached the building, it became obvious to him that there was food inside the small old style building. He heard voices coming from inside. Shikaru sensed the presence of another person. A man in a hooded uniform jumped out of at tree near him to enter the tavern. He took the opportunity and killed the man. Shikaru stole his clothing and disguised himself to look as normal a possible. He walked into the bard with the hood over his head. He sat down at a shady table in the back of the room. “HI!” a geisha waitress said. “Oh my God! You’re so bony, you must be starving!” “I don’t think I’m that bony,” Shikaru said back to her, “ but yeah, I’m hungry.” “Anything I can get for you” she asked cheeringly. “Yeah,” he said, “Get me anything, just no alcohol, and make sure it has loads of meat in it.” “Oh, um, ok,” she said, “but it’s my job to bring a little sakè out with the meal.” “NO ALCOHOL” he demanded. “Ok, ok, geesh” the waitress said. She left to serve him anything. Shikaru tapped his hand on the desk. A man in the seat near him tossed him a kunai with a small piece of paper attached to it. Shikaru opened the paper. It read “kill the woman, the food is poison.” He laughed at the message. “Now who might you be?” Shikaru said to himself. He activated his shikanugan and smiled. “Hidan.” Hidan walked over to the table where Shikaru was sitting and removed his hood. “Don’t eat the food.” Hidan said. “Because its poison, really Hidan.” Shikaru said. “How do you know me” Hidan asked, “ Who are you?” “I can’t say at the moment, I’m wanted for murder in mass quantities” Shikaru said. “Murder, eh” said Hidan, “I know too many people wanted for murder.” Shikaru turned to Hidan. “But most of them are dead now, right, Hidan.” He said. “Who are you” Hidan asked hastily. Shikaru lifted his hand out to Hidan. The skin formed a name “Shikaru” “You don’t look like him.” Hidan said. “It’s a disguise,” Shikaru said,” these clothes aren’t even mine. Another Geisha, this one with blue hair, served the food that the violet haired geisha had been ordered too. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience but we had an issue with your waitress, she is injured by a gas leak in the kitchen. “See, I ******** told yah!” Hidan whispered to Shikaru. “Shut up” shikaru hissed, “It’s ok, I wasn’t that hungry anyway.” “Ok, but she ordered you something that we can’t serve in the main room,” she said. A chilling sensation ran through Hidan and Shikaru. “Come with me” the waitress said, “Bring your friend.” Shikaru and Hidan followed the strange geisha to a room in the very back of the building. Hidan sat down but Shikaru felt another presence. He punched the wall next to him. A figure fell from the wall. She was coughing up blood. “Who are you” Shikaru said firmly. The woman was bruised and bloody. Her hair matched the blood on her chest and her eyes were a warm gold. She resembled a family member greatly. “I am Kauro Yoshikiro,” she said to him. Shikaru froze as the name resonated in his ears. “Yoshikiro” he asked quietly. “Yeah, any problem with that” Kauro said. Shikaru removed his hood and released his disguise. “This” he said, his head down. He lifted his head. “I am Shikaru Yoshikiro, the demon immortal of the Yoshikiro clan.” His eyes locked with hers. “Shikaru…Yoshikiro” she said slowly. She then bowed to him and kissed his feet. “My lord” she said, “I’m so sorry for trying to kill you.” “Stop!” Shikaru demanded, “I am not meant to be worshiped.” “He’s right” Hidan said, “he’s no Jashin.” “Shut up or I will kill you” Shikaru said to Hidan. Shikaru gave Hidan an evil glare. Hidan set up and glared back at Shikaru. “Again, I am sorry” Kauro said to Shikaru. “Enough with this s**t, why did you try to kill me,” he asked. “It’s my job” she said, “The Otokage issued your name as an enemy. “Otokage” Shikaru asked. He sighed and thought, “You would think they would have respect for someone of my rank, oh well.” “So my own village has turned against me,” Shikaru said. Hidan wondered to the back of the room, only to come back with something. “Look what I found, eh Shikaru?” Hidan said, “This little b*****d thought he could escape from us, but I ******** caught him!” “SENJOU!” Kauro screamed. Then she lowered her head. “Who’s Senjou” Shikaru asked Kauro. “I am Senjou” the man said, “Senjou Yoshikiro of the house of Reon.” You are of my youngest son’s house” Shikaru said. “Nonsense” said Senjou, “Reon-sama died many years ago, and you claim to be his father! I can’t believe you”. Shikaru walked up to Senjou and placed his hand on his head. He showed Senjou his past memories of Reon. “Now do you believe me, son of reon, the son of Shikaru, My Son” Shikaru asked. Senjou nodded in agreement. Kauro ran up to Senjou and hugged him. “Don’t ever try to evade him again,” she said, “He’s our ancestor and he should rightfully be the Otokage once more”. “I never truly retired from that office,” Shikaru said. “Wha?” Hidan said in disagreement, “HIM? Haha, You are so ******** confused. He’s a ******** psycho…” Shikaru whacked Hidan. “Hidan!” Shikaru yelled, “Shut up or I WILL return you to the hole in the ground where you came from!” “Two immortals in one day, wow, this is interesting” Senjou said. “He’s weak on asking, but will you train us,” Senjou asked, “will you teach us the art of elastication, hardly anyone knows it anymore”. Shikaru looked at the two of them. He stared into their eyes and nodded. “As long as you can get the current Otokage to bow down to me,” he said. Kauro smiled and held a kunai to the air. “I wouldn’t be worried about that,” she said. Shikaru dismissed Hidan to whatever he was going to do with his life and proceeded to Otogakure with Kauro and Senjou. “Tell me everything you know about the current Otokage” Shikaru said. “His name is Tsuchimaru Kaguya” Kauro said, “He’s the descendant of Kimimaro, he’s about 87 now and is going blind.” “He’s retiring next week” Senjou said, “how convenient.” “That’s helpful” shikaru said, “Now we don’t have to knock him off.” “We honor our Otokage” Kauro said, “Assassination is met with death.” “I know that, don’t forget I was the second Otokage.” Shikaru reminded them. “Yes, Kauro-chan” Senjou said teasingly. “Shut up, Senjou” Kauro growled. “Yes ma’am” Senjou said sheepishly. Kauro tossed a kunai knife at Senjou. “Next time, I’ll let it hit you!” Kauro said to Senjou. “Calm down Kauro” Shikaru said calmly. He walked ahead of both of them. He knew exactly where Otogakure was. After walking for three days, they finally reached Otogakure. “It hasn’t changed at all,” Shikaru said. He smiled at the nostalgic site of his lifelong home. “You haven’t seen the inside, its so different than you remember” Senjou said. “Senjou’s right, Otokage-sama changed a lot of things about the village” Kauro said. Shikaru glared into the abyss of Otogakure with his Shikanugan. Everything was as he had remembered. He smiled and said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if Midaru jumped out from behind one of these doors.” “Midaru Tokami is long dead” Kauro said quietly, “You should know better by know.” “I know that, Kauro” Shikaru said sadly. They made their way to the eleventh Otokage’s chamber. Shikaru opened the door and disguised his voice. “Lord Otokage, I have visitors for you” Shikaru said in the secretary’s voice. “Bring them in” the old man said. The older man sat in a wheelchair. He had light blonde hair and dark brown, now cataraxed eyes. “Hello, Otokage” said Shikaru. “Shikaru?” the Otokage said. He reached is hand out towards Shikaru. Shikaru felt a breeze. He swallowed his gut and a tear fell. “Yusuke, is that you” he asked. “Close but no cigar” the old man joked. The old man sat up and laughed. “I’m Midaru!” he said. Shikaru hugged his old friend. He began to cry. Kauro and Senjou sat apathetically at the feet of their leader. “I am about to die, Shikaru-san” Midaru said, “I need you to take my place.” “Midaru, why?” Shikaru asked. “It is your calling to succeed me as the twelfth and second Otokage” Midaru said. “I understand, my fellow Seikiaitsuki member.” “I always knew I had a higher calling then the uke that I have always been” Midaru said. “Wait? You know him?” Kauro asked with confusion. “Know him might be an understatement” Shikaru said, “I’ve known Midaru, better known as the eleventh Otokage for most of my life, we were in an organization together, and he’s also the brother of one of my sons-in-law.” “So he’s just as old as you” Senjou said. “Yeah” Shikaru said. “Lord Otokage, is it true that you want Lord Shikaru to proceed you as the twelfth Otokage” Kauro asked. “I wouldn’t have it any other way” “Thank you, Midaru” Shikaru said. Shikaru hugged Midaru. Midaru blushed and his eyes widened. He gasped for breath. Shikaru sealed his breath in him with a lick to the forehead. “He has three hours left” said Shikaru, “get him to a medical center, NOW!” Kauro and Senjou carried their leader to the nearest hospital where he eventually died of old age. Shikaru attended his funeral. “They should bury him by Oniku” Shikaru said. “Who’s he” Kauro asked. “His life partner, they loved each other deeply” Shikaru said, smiling, remembering the past memories tied into trying to find Midaru someone to love. “Oh” she said, “so he wasn’t lying when he said he was an uke.” “Our lord never lied” said Senjou. “But he lied about who he was” Kauro corrected him. “It was to protect himself” said Shikaru, “he didn’t want anyone to suspect that he was an experimental immortal.” “I see” Senjou said, “We should try to make you into the twelfth now.” “Yes, we should” said Kauro “the funeral is over now.” “Don’t worry about it, Midaru said that I would be his successor, why would he lie” Shikaru said. “He’s lied before” said Senjou reminding him of what had already happened. “Never to me, he hasn’t” said Shikaru, he had an irritated tone to his voice. “Ok, but still, we should get at it soon” Senjou said in a panic. “He knows that, Senjou-baka” Kauro growled. Kauro glowered at Senjou. Senjou remembered her warning and stopped his idiocy. Shikaru started walking towards the house of the council. “He’s trying now, lets go!” Kauro said. Shikaru entered the council room. Four middle aged shinobi stood around a table, discussing the new Otokage. “You four, your late Otokage granted me the title of Otokage before his death” Shikaru said. The council turned and looked at the emaciated seemingly youngish man. One smirked at him, and another just laughed. “Come now” one said “How could YOU, of all people, be our new Otokage?” Shikaru smiled and walked towards him. “You know Shikaru Yoshikiro, the supposingly dead demon of the sound, well, I am Shikaru. I am now cured of my demonic skin, and have come back to take my banished throne. I am now 1021 years old, I have been protecting the sound village all of my life, even after I began wondering around the villages as a monster.” Shikaru looked them all in the eyes, transporting his life into their minds. “Now do you see?” he asked. They bowed to him. “You are indeed our kage” the second one said. “Don’t bow to me” Shikaru demanded. They did not bow again that day. Shikaru smiled. “I’m glad to see they know they’re places” he said to Senjou. Shikaru walked into his old room and transformed his clothes into something more comfortable for him. “I guess we now have to call you Lord Otokage” Kauro said as she walked into the room. Shikaru laughed at her statement. “Yeah” he said, “I guess you do now.” Shikaru picked up a blindfold made of black cloth and tied it over his eyes. “I will wear this blindfold until your training is complete” Shikaru said. “But my lord! That wont help you at all!” Kauro said. “Nonsense” Shikaru said, “I can see just fine. I will use my chakra to see my surroundings. I will still be able to see better than the average man.” “I think it’s pointless” Senjou sneered. “Do you want me to teach you or not, Senjou” Shikaru asked. “Yes Sir” Senjou humbly said, “Do you want me to blindfold yourself also?” “No, there is no need to, you are already spiritually blind” Shikaru said. “What?!” Senjou asked with disgust. “Your mind has hazed over with thoughts of doubt and greed, you need a fresh start” Shikaru said. “I understand,” said Senjou reluctantly. “So do I” Kauro said. Shikaru brought Kauro and Senjou to the training field where he had learned elastication. “ Doesn’t this field belong to the Tokami clan” asked Senjou. Shikaru turned around. “You mustn’t be worried of your sister clan.” “Sister clan, we fight all of the time…” Senjou said. “And what?” Shikaru said, “ The house of Reon and the house of Yusuke are sister and brother, ryuki being the sister, and my daughter which makes you my great grandson.” Senjou cowered in his footsteps. He never realized that his ancestor had been feet from him this entire time. Senjou bowed to his master. “I’m sorry, let us continue with training” said Senjou. “Why don’t you two stop fighting so maybe we can become the next strong ones” said Kauro. Shikaru smiled, and then sat down in a meditative pose. “Listen, someday I will die, and you will have to battle for yourself. From the day I turned seventeen, I have been protecting the Sound Village with my all, even when I was in exile. I am probably the most reliable person to protect the Sound” Shikaru said, “Tell me, do any of you summon snakes?” “I do” said a man who walked into the field. He had blue hair and a toothpick in his mouth. He also had an eye patch. “Hakisho” Senjou asked. “Oh hi, Senjou, Kauro, who’s the old blind man” Hakisho asked. Shikaru jumped up and grabbed Hakisho from his neck. “Who are you calling old” Shikaru growled. “No one” said Hakisho; he struggled to get the words out with Shikaru’s hand clamped around his neck. Kauro smiled and Senjou laughed as Hakisho hung from his neck in Shikaru’s fists. “Now…let…go” Hakisho asked. Shikaru dropped him and sat down. “He’s our teacher, Hakisho, don’t insult him” said Kauro. “He’s teaching us the elastication technique, interested in learning” asked Senjou. “Elastication, eh? I’ll learn, that old technique sounds interesting and maybe a little fun. “Shikaru-sensei, it looks like we have another follower” Kauro chimed. “Fine with me, but you must know, I’m not blind. I just wear this blindfold when I’m training” said Shikaru. Hakisho sat down and removed his eye patch. “It was my sisters eye, I keep it in her memory, rest in piece Rukia Yoshikiro” said Hakisho.
 orochimaruismine · Sat Mar 27, 2010 @ 12:21am · 0 Comments |
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