[Deleted]

Potato, po-tah-to. Sozin knew that life was worth living for, but he held different philosophical views from the position and resident expert on death.

There was the reminder that only several months ago he'd been something-- someone entirely different. So even as she tried to explain her feelings, or characterisation of his past still saw value in him and his own purpose. So even when she'd declared that live was worth living for, he nodded.

"I agree." It didn't seem to matter whether or not Sozin wanted to hide his true nature, there were still slips in the cracks, and in this case it was the arrogance that contradicted his previous statement; because he found himself to be above humans and mortals alike. Sozin still had... some growth to go. It was so that he was doing it because of his company and his deeper desires, because he had held himself ever so appropriately and correctly against the shinobi who had died with him more than a day before, or political opponents as they had found themselves when he focused on his tasks and his work.

There she was: asserting herself as a saviour who wasn't a saviour (by her own admission) and the unabated, goodness just needed to see the light of Akui. Her being and moral fibre was wasted on the likes of the Yokai and their flames. Because they were cut from different cloths, he wouldn't have held himself from sleep just because a perceived stranger died.

Had the only particpants in their walk were the two of them, Sozin would have laughed heartily before cutting is short and responding. "No, not yet. You'd think swordplay would translate to deft fingers, but I am defeated. I'm going to try and learn a flute instrument." It was different muscle memory. The fingers moved differently, and to that end it was no different to a weapon. This weapon simply didn't hurt people.

On the inside of his cloak, he had been holding a hand to his gut. Pain: the movement and muscles despite having some healing were not quite yet done. Sozin felt a hell of a lot better than he did a few hours ago, but persevering through the pain and not responding to it were two very different beasts.

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[Akatsuki]

 

- THIS IS THE END OF ALL HOPE -

"Deathwish without a prayer"

"Good." And Akatsuki would allow the conversation to lay there for the time being. There was no point in dwelling on it, and no reason to fight or argue for a cause that they both agreed on. She could never know for certain unless he told her his truth, and so, as long as she had his word on it--that even despite his attitude on the subject, he found enough value in life and believed that it was worth living--then she could be satisfied.
    Eventually the conversation drifted on, and Sozin revealed to the young woman that he had begun practice with a wind instrument--the flute. She grinned cheekily at his commentary and shook her head. "Not at all! Swordplay has much less to do with one's fingers and more to do with the strength of your arm, your wrists, and the poise of your body. It gives you good grip strength, sure--but that means nothing when faced with trying to play notes!" She laughed a bit, thinking the comparisons entirely unrelated. "I didn't know you fought with a sword, Sozin. But, you know--my brother is also a musician. He's an incredible pianist, and he was always pretty good with a blade, too. But--" she smiled-- "definitely different skills. If it were that easy, I'd have had at least half the talent that he did. Well, say, even if you're no good at the flute for now, if you keep practicing I'm sure you'll be able to make some really wonderful songs."
    His pain would go unnoticed to her--of course, she understood he would still be uncomfortable. While he was alive, sentient, and capable of moving on his own, now, it was still apparent to Akatsuki that he wasn't in perfect shape and still had some injuries on him. Less so than before--and certainly not of fatal nature, anymore--but there was still a suffering there. But with his cloak hiding his hands and body, if he did not make any obvious signs of distress, she would not be able to know what he was experiencing.
    Not unlike the last time the two had traveled together--in a different life.
    With a broken leg and a broken ribcage, she'd been suffering immensely. But with how she'd pushed through despite the severity of her injuries--her strength still allowing her to carry on despite the circumstances, and the joy of companionship causing her to laugh despite the agony it was to simply breathe--it had been difficult to tell just what she'd been truly suffering.
    "Do you know what kind of flute it is?" she inquired. "I always thought ocarinas sounded quite lovely. What made you discover your interest in the wind instruments? Or--instruments at all?"

@tag | 451 Words | Notes:

Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only
Pink Text - Sign language
Violet Text - Common Language

Shin of GS + Adox

[Deleted]

She spoke a lot of truth. It wasn't anything that Sozin already knew: there were different adjustments and just because they could accomplish some feats didn't mean every physical thing would come as naturally to them, it may had just facilitated it easier. But, it was something for him to chase that was not explicitly for anybody else and more for himself and his own sanity. "Well. I don't - knives. But I'm still considering getting a Katana anyway, because... they're Katanas. They're beautiful. I remember yours and the weight, and while I'm thinking of something lighter, since I needed more time to get used to life without chakra, I needed something... easier to use to begin with." Sozin had unintentionally slipped up there, and had let his mouth get ahead of his mind. But it still gave him understanding of her brother - he did want to have a conversation with the now man at this point.

They were getting well underway on their travels and Sozin had not yet seen her own energy levels, but on the bright side he was warming up on account of the movement, even if he held a hand to his side.

The question did puzzle him, though. Had he considered a what? "What's an ocarina?" Sozin had not heard of one, beyond the flutes and strings - instruments still existed that he had not heard or thought of? How on earth was he meant to make any judgements if he didn't know what made the noise he wanted to play?

"Ideally I want something that I can just... play to and let time pass. The noise they make I think, the breath and how it infers the noise, I'd heard this older woman and she had some lungs on her, but she played this song which I thought I hadn't heard in a long time and... it stirred some feelings of an older time, but I can't remember what..." Something for his mental health: to allow him the time to process everything going on in his life and some of the notes made on the Shakuhachi were just... nice. They were calming to him.

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[Akatsuki]

 

- THIS IS THE END OF ALL HOPE -

"Deathwish without a prayer"

Akatsuki didn't immediately make a face--though her instinct wanted her to raise an eyebrow, she managed to keep her expression relatively calm as he went on to briefly express his admiration for katana. Something that she could understand, of course, as she dedicated herself solely to the artform of wielding them. But...
    How does he know that my katana is heavy?
    She... didn't recall telling him that. Nor could she recall an instance where he'd ever touched the blade--so how could he have possibly...?
    "Ah, ocarinas--they're, these little flutes made of clay. Often they are sort of oval shaped, and they have lots of holes in them. They're quite pretty sounding, the materials to create them aren't expensive, and they're good for travel, to my understanding." Perhaps they suited what he was aiming for. perhaps not.
    Akatsuki frowned, slightly, as a brief silence would pass between them.
    "Say... Sozin..." her voice was quiet, her gaze cast to the floor. "You know, I... I don't really... let most people hold my blade." It wasn't that it never happened--sometimes she'd allow someone else to pick it up for the sake of making a point, or to demonstrate. She'd had instances where she had been given little option other than to let it be confiscated for a short period of time. Or, the worst of them all--when she'd been hospitalized for over a week, and her companion stood in the earth where she had fallen, awaiting her return...
    But, still, they were relatively uncommon instances.
    Usually, she would not allow the weapon to pass into anybody else's hands.
    Akatsuki thought back to the first time that she had met Sozin--the first time that she could remember meeting him, at least. He'd seemed like a stranger, to her, yet he seemed to hold such a familiarity to her. He'd spoken kindly, his mannerisms those of one who was familiar with her--and he'd even expressed words of admiration for her, even if she did not believe him. "What..." she furrowed her brow, trying to concentrate on the past--whatever memories of him that she might have forgotten. But, still, she could not recall them. "What exactly... were we...? To each-other? What... is our relationship?"
    They could not have been friends, and her spirit refused to accept that he could have held any significant place in her heart. How could she possibly have forgotten someone who was so important to her? He'd made it sound like their meeting had been brief--years ago. Forgettable. And yet... his demonstrations and his words--his behavior, it all... seemed... contrary to that narrative.
    She'd turn her eyes from the path that she lead to look at him--a concern on her face, but sincerity there, too. Desperately trying to understand. "In what way do you regard me..?"

@akira | 464 Words | Notes:

Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only
Pink Text - Sign language
Violet Text - Common Language

Shin of GS + Adox

[Deleted]

What had he said? Katana... light... dagger... shit. The penny dropped for him and his heart sped up. Though his face was still directed at the road, his eyes looked at her, then the road, then at her, then the road.

He showed a little more restraint this time on account of the first crack in his armour from a week prior in his mission with Azarea and the follow up memories that plagued him. There was still concern, still panic: but self preservation won over any ounce of logic there. If she had come at him with something a bit easier on his ears, his mind would have had time to digest it - think it, not come to the automatic assumption the knowledge of identity would have led to him being found out, caught out, banished from Kusagakure and led scrambling back to the Harbinger, though he know full and well the only reason he'd become a Harbinger was on account of the man he had inhabited.

If he didn't have that... then what did he have? A nukenin? Though he could play politician. It was a lie, he could cry: 'A fabrication!' Kusagakure's medics had tested him thrice, octuple times: there was no doubt in their minds he was who he said he was. Nay, how would they know? In the back of his mind he felt sorry for Akatsuki in having to flatly lie, but there were even some things he didn't know about himself yet. To suggest they were available for him to answer - that he was somebody she knew at some point? That was not helpful.

"My memory tells me like a father would to their child, with love: care and concern. I wish I could tell you if I knew." It was the best to enunciate his feelings, that he knew on some level he deeply cared about her. It was in contravention with the other competing interests he now held - with the absence of reasonable logic between who he was and who he "is".

Sozin would look back, a momentary lapse: making sure that their 'friends' were behind them at a reasonable distance, and they continued. When he did - she would have seen from his cloak the way he held his side, though may not have necessarily associated it with pain.

But even if she didn't: they sure did notice it, and they didn't make it clear. And so were the competing interests, who would also arrive at their combat site in a few days - one less previous to the day prior.

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[Akatsuki]

 

- THIS IS THE END OF ALL HOPE -

"Deathwish without a prayer"

Like a father would to their child? Well, that left her even more confused. She supposed that it could be reasonable--he did appear to be a little older than her, but it still left her questioning. What does that mean? Possessive and hateful? With resent? Her experiences with her father had not been pleasant ones, and she did not know any different--
    "With love?" Well, that'd been surprising, too.
    Love, care, and concern--she was beginning to paint a picture in her head, and so far it all aligned with everything that she understood about him. When they'd met last, he'd spoken with concern of her quest--something that had been important to her. They'd talked about life and trying to move forward--he'd tried, though failed, to instill her with a new sense of hope for something to work on and toward. Hobbies and... things like that. He said he'd admired her--though, without further explanation, she didn't have any context or understanding of what that word had meant, if it'd meant anything at all.
    She tried to focus on that, rather than trying to understand or guess what a fatherly relationship was supposed to be like.
    Did she even have any point of reference for something like that?
    Between the twins--though she had no way of knowing it--she was the only one burdened with the misfortune of remembering their father and what he was like. And for her, family meant absolutely nothing. The concept was entirely unnatural and foreign to her.
    Was it something more alike to her and her sensei? He was old--certainly old enough to be her parent. And he'd been kind to her, had taken her under his wing, taught her a great many things--given her hope, and comfort, and belonging when she had nothing otherwise. But, even then, she did not like to think in terms of family--it always left a bad taste in her mouth, and she did not like to compare love to things she felt nothing toward. He wasn't family to her--he was simply just important. He'd cared about her, in a way--she knew that much. Perhaps that was all that Sozin had meant, too.
    Still.
    I'm not a child, and I don't see you like an old man, she kept the thought to herself. Sure, Sozin was her senior--but not enough. She would have sooner thought he was like a brother--though that relationship certainly isn't one she would have actually considered to him, either. Just... someone older holding concern for someone younger than them. "Not friends." She'd only ever had one in her life--so that certainly wasn't it. "Not like lovers." She'd not had that, exactly, either. Sozin couldn't have been that to her. "But family doesn't mean anything to me, either." Akatsuki sighed, frowning. But she couldn't deny that he'd seemed too familiar to be considered a stranger--not completely. "Not strangers." She wasn't certain if she was trying to translate his own feelings to something she could understand, or trying to figure out hers. "Not any of those things, but not nothing, either. I wish I could remember. It's going to eat me up." If at least she could remember the way they'd actually met, or what had been shared between them--even if it hadn't been anything at all. If she could just look back and analyze what words she'd used, or what things they'd done--then she could know better, and it'd be easier for her to assert their relationship and draw a line in the sand. She could confidently say that it hadn't been anything worthwhile.
    But she didn't know.
    So, she couldn't deny Sozin's feelings, and especially not when she didn't even understand her own. "Just... let me know if you figure it out, I guess."
    As he looked back, the fabric of his cloak and robes shifted and she was able to briefly catch a glimpse of one of his hands--clutching his side.
    Her guess would have been injury--and of course, he had been injured. But he'd been hiding it on his expression--Akatsuki knew the ninja couldn't have healed everything. Visibly, he still had some cuts and bruises. What more was lurking beneath the surface? "Is everything okay?" she asked out of instinct, though as soon as the words left her mouth, she supposed it didn't matter. The medical shinobi had likely already done all that they could--or were willing to. And there wasn't much that she could do in the ways of help him--she was no healer. As much as she wished she was.

@tag | 755 Words | Notes:

Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only
Pink Text - Sign language
Violet Text - Common Language

Shin of GS + Adox

[Deleted]

It was hard watching her try to figure it out for herself. It wasn't like he could say anything on the matter...

What he didn't understand from her was her... aversion to the statement - couldn't wrap her head around it like a key was missing from her mind. But, he did recall, she didn't really have parents. How could it have been applicable to her? Sozin felt he'd closed a door that might have been once open by his statement, as a Herald he had... other priorities. That didn't stop him from feeling bad about the lie.

'Of course she wouldn't know about family.' As if to put a dot over an i. She said it would eat her up, and one that Sozin had known all too well in his life. "I will." Sozin would tensely try to commit and finish the conversation. It would fill them with some silence and for Akatsuki: it was more questions down the road.

Sozin would need to think about what those answers would be.

And feeling bad about a lie in general was also bad. That had been unlike him in recent times, where it had come so secondhand to him - but this wasn't just anybody. It was Akatsuki, he who had helped bring him peace under a night sky. A particular thought - A square wheel. It had been silly - naive, even, to state it was love after two perceived meetings. A poor choice of words. One that he would come to chastise himself for later. As she was piecing it together he had his own internal monologue.

"I'm alive, so it's going well." Sozin would mutter. His body still needed to heal, but it was better than it had been several hours previous. It was vastly better as the day before, but not as good as it could have been had he been able to just die. At the moment, his breathing seemed to only let his lungs expand so far, stopping past a certain point that started to invoke pain.

Ah, the joys of recovery.

He tripped again, on account of the eyesight. It would inform him and get him to start looking around more and trying to resolve the encumberment with the lack of an eye.

SPOILER: Click to show

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[Akatsuki]

 

- THIS IS THE END OF ALL HOPE -

"Deathwish without a prayer"

Sozin was quick enough to dismiss her concern, and she was content enough to accept the answer. He was right: he was alive. And that was certainly something enough on its own, something she would not complain about. Even if there was suffering, he lived yet.
    Akatsuki felt some guilt over it--he wouldn't have had to be dealing with this at all if she'd just allowed him to take the easy route out. He'd not asked to be saved, and now he was having to suffer the consequences.
    But, still.
    She stood her ground, and wouldn't apologize for what she'd done. Even if there was some guilt, there, she lived without regret.
    Sozin tripped again, and once more Akatsuki's hand came out instinctively to catch him--grabbing lightly to his arm to steady him, her mix-matched eyes gentle on him. "Here," she spoke quietly, "It can be a little to adjust to at first... I could hold your hand, if you would like?" She could try to steady him, giving him an added support as he struggled through the snow-ridden forest. If he preferred not to, though, she would respect that as well. Whatever he thought would be better, though her hand was offered nonetheless.
    "About earlier, though," Akatsuki would try to start a new conversation--or rekindle a past one. "You said that you met a woman who played a song you liked on the flute. Do you--well, I know you said you hadn't heard it in a long time, so, perhaps you don't know what the song was called anymore or anything like that, but... Do you remember how it went?" She was curious--nothing more than that. In truth, Akatsuki loved music--lullabies and ballads, music boxes and other instruments. She knew, in the great vastness of the world, with all of the endless creativity that people exuded, there were hundreds of millions of songs, and she could not possibly know every single one of them. But, still, she was curious.
    Maybe she did.
    Maybe she wouldn't.
    But there was only one way to find out.
    

@tag | 345 Words | Notes:

Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only
Pink Text - Sign language
Violet Text - Common Language

Shin of GS + Adox

[Deleted]

Though he caught himself she had been there to catch him. Sozin shook his head, a noise from his throat 'mm. mm.' indicating a no. "Thank you though." He kept his arm to himself and the other by his side. Besides, it would have only worked if she had moved to his other side so he could keep a wrap on his chest side.

What he had said earlier had caught her interest a bit - and whether to keep herself entertained or the time moving to keep her focused on their journey, Sozin would oblige the request. "Huh... I think it was mellow... like... um.."

Sozin would think about it - before beginning to whistle along to the tune as the best he could remember. Though slower than the original if she knew it, would have been able to recognise it. Somehow, he had remarkably good breath control and by his virtue of being able to hold and change one note at a time made him not bad at the act.

The mark of noise in their forests: despite being in a country of frost the cool winds were setting in with the skies as they were. The grey and the white trees dotted along their scenery as the road began to turn to path: the road less travelled by and only known by the stream of people as they picked convenience lines to their destinations. But - there would still come a point that they'd have to come off the road to a direction that had completely erred from the paths. Into the wood, as they might've suggested.

Another cursory glance between he and their stalkers. His whistle continued, piercing through the woods like one might have heard from folklore and mythology about the watchers and wendigos of the woods: with nobody but them to hear it.

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[Akatsuki]

 

- THIS IS THE END OF ALL HOPE -

"Deathwish without a prayer"

Akatsuki would keep her hands to herself as Sozin politely declined her offer, and she did not mind it. He likely had some pride--and felt that he would not overcome his struggles if he did not do it entirely on his own. That, and being that it was no big deal--tripping or stumbling would not, likely, cause any fatal harm--that it was not worth bothering receiving any assistance. Either or, or something else entirely, Akatsuki had no issue respecting it.
    She listened as he whistled the tune, and while it sounded familiar to her, she would not be able to place a name. It was different--a whistle quite different than what one would expect from any kind of flute--but the imitation was beautiful in its own right. Eerie, in a way. But Akatsuki did not shy away from such things.
    And, so, for the remainder of their time, unless somebody else spoke up or started a different conversation, Akatsuki would continue to lead them quietly, listening to Sozin's song echo off of the forest's stillness. Though, he likely would stop at some point as well; they still had a way's to go. She did not mind the silence when it fell. And she did not have the energy to needlessly fill it.

--

It would be some time before the group would arrive to the scene where Akatsuki had found Sozin. She would stand off to the aside and allow the others to pass her once they got closer--she was uncertain what else to do here. She was not one of the medical ninja wishing to inspect, she was not Sozin who needed to acquire some lost possessions, and she was quite tired--even more weary and sore after the continued hours of travel.
    The world was dark, the temperatures had dropped even more. Though there were few clouds in the night sky--no snow threatening them for the time being, and the moon's crescent form offering meek lighting to them. The snow was stark against shadow, but still it was difficult to fully grasp what was in their surroundings. With what snow still remained on the forest ground, eating up the sound of the forest, Akatsuki was certain that they would still be able to hear any danger approaching. And, hopefully, none would.

@tag | 381 Words | Notes:

Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only
Pink Text - Sign language
Violet Text - Common Language

Shin of GS + Adox

[Deleted]

Every now and again, Sozin would whistle through their walk: different tunes, sometimes not of any recollected music but from his voice generally taking notes and going with it. But, as the moon came out and it grew much colder, they would eventually come across the same scenes before. Luckily for them, the moon was out and there wasn't the sky. For Akatsuki, this was fortuitous. But cold. Sozin half had the idea of getting the other ninja to create a torch, but didn't for her own sake.

The signs of there being a battle had been apparent though: the closer they came to the area the more of a fight seemed to unveil. And then the signs: familiar memories playing out to Sozin. It had been a long battle. Eventually the clearing that they'd come upon was shown. There were two sets: one of lined up bodies, the ones that Sozin had killed, and the ones that Akatsuki had killed: they were strewn about.

Those people were in different spots: different areas. One of the bodies were already half picked away - apparently dragged further out into the distance by a carnivore where then they were fed upon. But otherwise, the remaining were intact. The cold, and the lack of most available predators in the area mean that they had succumbed to rigor mortis: and the stages of death were a bit slower than usual.

They would begin to keep moving while Sozin stopped alongside Akatsuki. With good reason: they passed and began to inspect. "Stay here. In twos, let's go." They would try to beckon Sozin to stay, perhaps even forgetting that he held a knife still. The ashes had long since stoked into the earth: only remaining pieces of branch and the fire that had scorched the earth but two days earlier.

After they had passed, Sozin would grumble to Akatsuki. "You're tired... if they start something, stay behind me and let me protect you." It had been an ardous journey for all of them whether they liked it or not. She looked like shit. It was rude to tell a lady that, so Sozin did not: but the signs of exhaustion were playing on her, from her eyes to her vacant expression and how the last couple of hours her movements were becoming more wasteful as though they couldn't hold themselves up.

-- would first turn one of them over, before looking at the headband and then one of their colleagues. "They're not ours." Sozin would shrug, obviously. They weren't talking to Sozin but Sozin would look perhaps a bit arrogant as they looked back at him, and continued searching.

Sozin did need to find his own things though and began to walk toward the fire and one of the erected tents - where the items that were not on their own persons to be found. "We said stay there." "You've already established they're not yours. I have items that need retrieving, too." Sozin would not be able to rest until at least he'd found what he'd been looking for. It was cold. "We should start a fire." One of them spoke. "No." Sozin shut it down instantly, and it wasn't for his own sake. He was freezing.

"What do you mean, no? We're freezing out here." They chided back. "We can't go out into the night, and we can't stay in the same area as you. You four have the energy to leave. We don't. Take off for the evening." Sozin might've made an error on saying it, but he didn't seem too bothered by his loose stance, ready to fight. Even if he still held a hand around his gut area now, he would've cut them down if they bothered him too much.

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{Spoiler}Add any jutsu, relevant information here

[Akatsuki]

 

- THIS IS THE END OF ALL HOPE -

"Deathwish without a prayer"

Eventually they would arrive, and one of the shinobi instructed the group to split into groups of two. Ah, yes, it is safer to be in numbers, Akatsuki thought to herself, standing idly as she waited for... well, she wasn't entirely certain, what. She'd never established that she was going to travel with Sozin after this, and really, all she had determined was that she was going to keep watch over him--try to keep him alive, and safe, while he fought off death. But now that he seemed well enough, was that it? She wouldn't feel comfortable until he was safely back in Kusagakure, and she wasn't certain how well he'd be able to stop her if she put her mind to it, but neither did she want to slow him down--and she was exhausted, at this point. There was no denying that.
    Did she continue on, anyway? Did she ask for a break--not a full rest, but just something to try regaining a little energy? When they had not even agreed to work together?
    Akatsuki hummed a little--not any particular response, merely making noise--as Sozin spoke lowly to her, his voice gruff. Let him protect her...? It took a moment for it to fully register. Then, she shook her head. "No." Was she in any shape to be fighting? Probably not. Was she the type who easily accepted help? No. Could she probably still fight--even if her performance was sloppy or ungraceful? It would not be the first time she'd endured despite egregious circumstances. SHe was not against pushing herself still, even if it was unwise.
    She was on survival mode--instinct kicking in.
    And instinct told her that she could not rely on anybody else.
    Solitude.
    One of the medical ninjas got verbally annoyed with Sozin made his move to search for his own belongings--they seemed aware enough that the men and women who had been slain here were not their allies. What little could be recognized in the remains left behind--bodies lined up neatly, and the pieces and chunks scattered about thanks to Akatsuki's doing.
    "You're not the boss of me," Akatsuki countered angrily, sounding more like a pouting child than anything of actual threat. But she did not like this situation, where she was being told what to do, and where to go, and sit still like a good girl who followed orders--
    --They should make a fire.
    They ought to have.
    Frost was coming for them all, Akatsuki knew. These times were some of the most perilous in her journies--due to her limitations. But even if she were like they were--it was dangerous. Dangerous for all of them to be out here, like this.
    Yet Sozin refused.
    Akatsuki turned from where she stood to stare at him as he suggested that they leave--which they should have. They no longer had any business giving her and Sozin any trouble, so if they were cold they ought to go off on their own now--
    --But why did he insist, as well?
    Akatsuki stared, her body tense, almost as though she had seen a ghost.

@tag | 516 Words | Notes:

Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only
Pink Text - Sign language
Violet Text - Common Language

Shin of GS + Adox

[Deleted]

Granted, Akatsuki had very real reasons to feel justified in her response, and in Sozin's defense: there was no defense. Just that her young attitude (ignoring their very similar spiritual ages) was annoying him. "Stop acting like a brat, you can't fight in your state."

That would be an argument later.

But while the opportunity for that would arise, his assurance and near intimidation would not work. They were: where was the fourth? The mute? Sozin would sweep his eyesight, and could see nothing. Three, yes, in dim light: yes.

Sozin had checked the area. The shinobi didn't have it on them: what was lined up. The items couldn't have blown away, not unless they had been unbound. They likely had been, too: but the individual files... they might've flown away. That could not be...but a final location hadn't been checked, unless he waited to check the environment till morning.

The tent had not been seen by anybody yet - and Sozin thought they recognised it as well, because although in the dark their little movement was tense. Was a fight going to occur? Sozin did hope not. It was already bad enough in the poor lighting, let alone his lack of knowledge of their abilities, of his own injuries, his lack of eyesight in one eye.

A whole bunch of bad. But even so, he knew he would win - and he hoped not at the expense of a regeneration. "We're not leaving." "No." Sozin sighed. This was an impossible situation. They couldn't stay together but apparently they couldn't leave. But they could? Sozin wanted to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Look. Either we're going to fight and I will kill you, or you're going to back off and return in the morning." Sozin was exceptionally dangerous and the fact he spoke in his injured state either meant that he knew something they didn't, or he was bluffing: and he was wondering which of those beliefs they would come to.

"You're not the one with the-" The leader wanted to try and assert his dominance here. The crunch of snow was apparent, but nobody was moving: Sozin would look around a little. His single eye squinting. He would turn his attention back, seeming to not notice anything.

"Does it not slightly worry you that you think I haven't considered your combined might and still consider you inferior little bugs to me? I'm sure you're all very capable Shinobi, but think a little, what do you think makes me so certain I can still finish you all off? " Sozin would carry on. The heat would turn up: it was noticeable enough to feel the whispers creeping up the back of one's throat, from the corners of their mind, they had hit a whack of it earlier of an intensity: but it was climbing back in to stay now.

His own movement was quick. Too quick, as he would turn a quarter step- facing side on to the assailants, while keeping his glare toward them.

Sozin would bury a knife in the mute, who had found his way between Akatsuki and Sozin: and they clasped for their mouth, gasping for air. "You think I don't know a Genjutsu when I see it? You think a single eye lost makes me blind?" He was dripping with venom. Sozin would turn his focus to the mute. "Your chakra makes you weak. Look." Sozin would point at the floor: now pointed out, the boot marks in the snow were obvious.

He pushed the man toward them. "Get help, or die. It matters not. Begone." Sozin was cold. This Genjutsu.. he had used it. Seen it. It had not been obvious, since he had not been looking for it. But when he had wondered where the man was... he was able to take a guess and it paid off.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}Add any jutsu, relevant information here

[Akatsuki]

 

- THIS IS THE END OF ALL HOPE -

"Deathwish without a prayer"

 Akatsuki did not respond immediately, though she would not respond as the scene continued to unravel before her. Sozin was speaking angrily at the shinobi--they were saying things in protest, too. But she couldn't understand a word they said. Their words were clear, the voices loud--but not a single thing that they spoke registered to her. Not for a lack of paying attention--Akatsuki was not often oblivious or unobservant. Ever since she was a child, such things couldn't be afforded. Perhaps that had been exactly her problem.
    She didn't know what to do.
    She didn't know what to say.
    Her instincts kicked into overdrive as every emotion seemed to flood over her--uncontrollable. Pain, anger, fear, joy, sorrow, shame, guilt--they wallowed in her gut like a weight, and she felt sick.
    Under a different moon, she might have scolded Sozin for stabbing a medic--she might have shunned or yelled at the shinobi for rocking the boat and escalating things. She might have tried to mediate and calm everyone around her as their own weariness, anxieties, and frustrations grew--
    --But she was not in a normal state of mind.
    I need to run, I need to get out of here-- some part of her knew that this was her fault--if she didn't have that damned curse regarding fire, they wouldn't be in this situation. But even that, she could not fully process. She choked on her words--not able to speak, not certain if she should. Akatsuki could have said that there was something she needed to do--and that they could stay here for the night while she left the area, and that would have been the polite way of handling it. She did not want to drag Sozin into her troubles--but it was more than that, this time. She could not even, for their sakes or for the sake of negating the situation, try to say such a thing.
    She knew that the polite thing to do would be to ask them to stop fighting--as if they would listen to her or anything she said--or at the very least announce her withdrawal. She knew, for some reason, that Sozin would probably try fighting her on it--but deep in the very fabrication of her soul, the urge to isolate encompassed her.
    It would not be Sozin's fault--he could not know what affect he had on her, he did not know Akatsuki's mind. The horror that dawned in her spirit would unbeknownst to him as he used his powers to intimidate the others and strike fear into them--
    But he was playing with fire, with no knowledge or understanding that Akatsuki was a pyre.
    The nukenin stepped back--the world shifted beneath her feet and she stumbled as everything around her seemed to spin. She caught herself, but her breathing was panicked--overwhelmed. I can't--I can't be here--I can't do this--I can't do this again I can't--

@tag | 481 Words | Notes:

Blue Text - Tsuchi Branch Kyōbō Only
Pink Text - Sign language
Violet Text - Common Language

Shin of GS + Adox

[Deleted]

Provided that Akatsuki remained behind him, his entire focus was on the remaining three targets and their very upstarting use of foul language, it had definitely incited a fight of sorts, and yet, they did not move - other than trying to resuscitate their partner. "You thought to go first, do not be surprised that you failed. Begone, before I turn my blade to the rest of you. Now."

And then there would be back and forth, and the hum of two other medics using up their own chakra to try and heal the man, while the other enforcer stood in front of them - wielding their own weapon and ready to protect, humming with chakra out the blade. Only, it was the enforcer who could not rely on their emotions and attacked Sozin while they were busy trying to heal the mute. Doubly mute.

And, some minute later, it was over for all of them. The enforcer dead, one still being healed and two busy trying to save them. "We surrender! God fucking dammit, you monster!" Sozin stood over them, the Herald that he was. Not happy with the outcome, but nonetheless - it was to be decided.

He held his chest, still - in pain. Still moving through it. Still... in pain. "Not... good enough. See, now you're going to give me leverage about your own village for threatening me, trying to kill me, and still not believing me. Did you forget that I'm a councillor? You and your pathetic no name village trying to threaten me?" Sozin would look away for a moment, but in his haste did not see Akatsuki there - but he was keen to also not be stabbed himself in the lapse.

And they did, begrudgingly, give him information. Some about their own families, some items they kept on their persons, and the location of the village Hidden in the Frost. Among those words were, 'you won't get away with this' - and Sozin responded with the information they had provided.

But, in the end, they moved on. Three people, one on their shoulders. Sozin was confident he could bat anything away. But he still needed to find documents. After they disappeared into the night and he had eased on his own powers he would finally turn. "Akatsuki?" Sozin couldn't see her. Had she taken off?

He did finally see her, in the same position - stuck like ... well.

He felt a bit of guilt set in that she might've just witnessed all of it take place. But, she had listened to him. "Sorry for that. It was the only way I knew to protect you." And himself, his mind reminded him: but he wasn't fully safe yet, not till he knew he could find the documents.

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