A small blessing for Minami was that the porcelain mask complete covered the expressions he was making and hiding the fact that his eyes kept darting around at the speech he was receiving. He completely ignored the young girl, only having one mission and had been objectively failing that mission for a little over three minutes now and ho-boi was his hide thankful that at least his mission appeared to still be secured away, undiscovered. Balancing the harrier bird on his shoulder, Minami gave a small bow of his head and a (as calm as possible) line of "my mission takes priority" before taking a step forward and to the side, testing the waters of Sypher's reaction before he would walk to the back of the room, bypassing the Senju, Inuzuka, pup, and wolf-dog, even going so far as to climb through a shelving unit rather than having to walk past. When the Mist Anbu when to stand up on a countertop to reach the vent, the bird companion alongside him flew to the top of a shelving unit, gold eyes peering, unafraid, at the young girl and older male, obviously on guard.
Minami didn't have to do more than reach up before the Binturong was climbing down his arm and taking position across his shoulders while Minowa had leaned forward and was filling up his arms. Minowa was young - far younger than he looked - but Minami wasn't a big man to begin with. The blond genin was bundled up in his arms, a ball of what was pristine white clothes of exceptional quality now dulled with clumps of dust. His 'mission' remained complaint and quiet in his arms, the Binturong far happier now as well. Just as the Anbu was about to leave, however, the bundle squirmed and, really, it was a miracle that he had stayed silent for so long already given what that long speech had just revealed. He paused in the doorway, watching the young boy stare up at Syy with bright blue eyes. Minami leaned his head closer and spoke.
"We should wait for Lord Inka to speak to him first." He was always relieved that Minowa was usually a compliant child - and he would have said always but the vent incident was still too fresh to forget even now. Minami adjusted his hold to better keep the child pressed close to his armoured chest and goes top leave the store room, and walk past the Leaf Jounin searching for his missing charge.
I t o k o : Chakra Pool: 180 // 180 Stamina Pool: 230 // 230
T e c h n i q u e s : Element : Element Jutsu
• Name Rank: X :: Simple/Spiritual/Complex Details
Jenni Deer
astrasinthewild
Quote:
Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2021 4:22 pm
❝ᴵ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵉᵛᵉʳᵞ ʳᵉᵃ≀ᵒᵑ ᵗᵒ ᶠᵢᵍʱᵗ‣❞
〚Ah, there was another child in the vent. Sypher maintained his expression, watching the Anbu nod to him before moving away. Ironic that the Anbu was keeping their distance because Sypher was quite happy that he was doing so as well. At the moment, he was more vulnerable than he would allow his words to admit. With no jutsu available to him and no way to really defend himself, Aika was Sypher’s only true protection. He kept an eye as the Anbu removed the child and another small animal from the vent but didn’t move otherwise. He understood that an Anbu had priorities and that, as was clearly being demonstrated, that priority was the other child. As the Anbu returned to leave the storage room, however, the child looked at Sypher Oh...Oh he looks like Minowa. Sypher gave the wide blue eyes a gentle smile, a very sad smile, as he felt his heart break a little. How would Minowa look now? If he had been gone for three years...would Minowa be four? Five? He swallowed tightly, still watching the child, before dipping his head in acknowledgement of the Anbu’s words. He was still a stranger, it seemed. One that not even children were allowed to talk to It’s all right. It’s all right. I’ll see Minowa and Inka and it will be fine. he used the lowered movement to blink tears away before straightening “Please, convey my wish to meet with Mizukage Hizara to him.” it was grasping at straws to hope that this Anbu might do so but it seemed like this might be the only way. The Hokage had shown a clear either lack of interest in the situation or had become very busy. Either way, if he never got the chance to speak to Inka, it was likely Sypher would have to leave the village. And that was not an option at the moment. At his side Aika whined, clearly upset that a child had been deprived of her kisses, and sat under his calming hand. Sypher rolled his eyes a bit as the Konohagakure Jonin stared at him from the doorway Honestly. It took him this long? he glanced at the little girl, wondering if she would follow her friend or not. He didn’t want to leave her in the storage room.〛
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬[ Promise me you'll remember ]▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ you arebraver thanyou believe; ✧
Chihiro; Chakra 160/160 Stamina 210/210 Raiton l Katon
With an angry stomp or two, she was getting frustrated as she clearly doesn't understand what was going on. The guy was talking about finding his family and used big words that she couldn't understand. "Ya'll are boring." She said angrily as it seemed Minowa was done with their game. "Come on." She muttered to Botamochi. However, before leaving, she made a point to Akia as she kissed her on the nose. "You good girl. You in my pack now!" With a smile, she left the boring adults.
[ Exit ]
Botamochi; Chakra 60/60 Stamina 60/60 Doton l Futon
►Stronger than youseem; ♥ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬WANNAPLAY▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬- ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬[Smarter -- than you think]▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Konohagakure l Genin l Tamer l Taijutsu l Inuzuka Clan
Minami was peering over the blond boy's head at Syy when he received the request. He nods and speaks. "Immediately so." He agrees, then walks out of sight, the harrier bird taking flight and following him after a few seconds of regarding the Senju and wolf-dog, flying with sharp, precise movements of its wings.
[ exit :: ?? ]
I t o k o : Chakra Pool: 180 // 180 Stamina Pool: 230 // 230
T e c h n i q u e s : Element : Element Jutsu
• Name Rank: X :: Simple/Spiritual/Complex Details
〚Grateful at the Anbu’s reply, Sypher bowed his head again as the Anbu and the child left At least maybe now... he smiled as the little girl gave Aika a kiss, not at all offended by her comment on how boring he was. Children were very rarely interested in the going ons of adults so it didn’t really matter How about that, Aika. You have a lovely pack now. he ruffled her ears as he walked out, tapping her nose as she joined him. He gave the Jonin a pitying look to which the man’s ears turned red, before moving to go back to his room.
Back in his room, Sypher was sitting on the bed with a knee pulled up and his head resting on it. Aika was laying on the other bed, head in Sypher’s lap, enjoying the gentle rubs that he was giving her sides. His hair was pulled back in a better hair tie than it had been previously, and it draped over his back to pool on the bed. His back was to the door, looking at the window that Aika had gotten open earlier, enjoying the fresh air At least this village has very lovely, non-aggressive trees. he thought, rubbing his eyes a bit. The whole event of earlier had been a bit exhausting I’ve missed my lunch. Sypher thought, glancing at the empty tray at the end of his bed but he sighed Not hungry anyway. his mind was a bit...full of things. But mostly of Minowa and the blonde child from the storage room Would Minowa get that big eventually? he wondered, closing his eyes How much of his life have I missed now? How many experiences has he had without me? locked in that damn tree for so many years. “That damn tree...” he muttered, causing Aika to lift her head It’s all right, Aika. he rubbed her ear gently, sighing What went wrong? It was only supposed to act as a defense against dangers. To protect people. how many other villagers had been harmed by the Sero? How much damage had been caused by his damn creation? He leaned forward abruptly and buried his face in Aika’s fur “What have I done, Aika...” he whispered, eliciting a whine from the wolf-dog. Sypher kept petting her, his face still buried in her fur, until he finally sat back up. He could go around in circles thinking but until he knew what had happened, there was nothing he could do to fix it. Moving Aika’s head off his lap, he flipped his legs off the bed and walked over to the window, sitting in the alcove that Aika had stood on to look out. Aika whined from the bed but dropped her head with a huff, tail wagging slowly.〛
〚"I've got your dinner, love." a plump, lovely old grandmother type nurse pushed open the door to Sypher's room, a food tray in one hand and a bowl of raw meats and some veggies in the other. The bowl went on the floor and was immediately seized upon by Aika while the nurse placed the food tray on the end of Sypher's bed "Thank you." he acknowledged but made no move away from the window, legs crossed at the ankles as he looked out the window. The nurse gave him a slight frown, he needed to eat something!, but just left the room with a sigh. Sypher glanced at the tray of food but it was unappetizing at the moment and he turned his attention back to the tree outside his window. He wasn't quite in the melancholy mood that he appeared but At least this prison has a window. And I can leave if I have to. he winced, silently chiding himself at comparing the hospital to a prison. It was nothing like the Sero's trap that he'd been in, nothing at all. But he couldn't help it. Even before he had gone to Kirigakure, Sypher had always felt trapped by the villages. At least when he was in Kirigakure, it had been more of a home to him. Now, here, it felt like he was just in a larger prison than before. I want to go home. but where was home? It wasn't in Kirigakure. He'd tried to stay there after he had been freed but without the people, without his family, it hadn't been home. And while he suspected that if Inka was here, as Mizukage, the rest of Kirigakure was here too, it still didn't feel like home. It felt wrong. He looked over as Aika finished, the bowl rattling around as she licked the insides clean, watching the wolf-dog. "You in my pack now!" he smiled as he remembered the little girl's defiant way of speaking, at odds with the gentle kiss that she had given Aika. At least Aika had managed to make a friend in the short time she had been here. Pushing off the window edge, Sypher walked over and picked up Aika's bowl, setting it on the bedside table as he ruffled her back a bit. His own dinner was not any less unappetizing. A bowl of miso soup, what looked like fried chicken on noodles with carrots and bamboo shoots (Definitely not eating those.), a sweet pear, a glass of water, and some kind of...pudding? It had whipped cream on top, some sort of cake or cookie in the middle and the bottom was chocolate pudding. He picked it up, tilting it a little to examine the dessert before dropping it back to the tray. He didn't want food. There was a chair that had been pushed out of the way when the other bed had been made for Aika and Sypher sat in it, tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling ... he stretched his legs out, closing his eyes as his head rested on the back of the chair Is it all right for me to hope for my family? from everything he was hearing, what had happened to him had not been the only thing the Sero had done. Why else would the village have been evacuated? Had the Sero done more than just trap and feed on him? If it had, were the nightmares he'd had in there related? Monsters and corpses, flowers rotting, screams. His mind swirled and he brought his hands up to cover his eyes. What if...what if something had happened to Inka? To Minowa? What had happened in the three years? And was it actually three years...? he sat up suddenly and eyed the chart at the end of his bed ...that will have my current age. Sypher pushed off the chair, startling Aika who had settled down on the floor beside him. He snatched the chart off the bed and flipped it open, breezing past the notes and diagnoses. It looked like they had made full use of every diagnosis for trauma in the book. But that wasn't what he was after. Age...age..ag- Aika sat bolt upright as Sypher's breath seemed to stop, a deep warning whine starting in her chest. He was trembling, staring at the number "That-That's no-not." he swallowed or tried to. It felt like he was choking. "No-not three years. Tha-That's-" Aika let out a sharp bark as Sypher crumbled, stumbling back into the wall and sliding to the floor. She dashed over, darting around him, trying to get between him and the chart even as he started to pull in air unsuccessfully. Twenty-eight... Aika was howling now but it was a bit distant for Sypher, like she was in another room. Six years. Six years. Six years. he cradled his head as the nurse and doctor came in, summoned by the Jonin on guard, the sounds muffled Lying Hokage... he couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe.
"He's on oxygen and we've sedated him. Just a mild one but he shouldn't have another episode." a nurse was telling the Jonin as both of them stood in the doorway to Sypher's room. Aika was laying on the bed next to Sypher, a steady whimper coming out through her nose. An oxygen mask covered his mouth and nose, eyes closed, a small bruise forming on his upper arm where they had sedated him. His eyes moved restlessly behind his eyelids but he didn't wake up "What caused it...?" the nurse mused and the Jonin winced "The Hokage, well, the acting Hokage, told him he'd been missing for three years." the nurse looked appalled "Then...oh dear." she put a hand to her mouth "Yeah. He was holding his chart when we found him." the nurse shook her head as the Jonin held the door for her to leave "Discovering you've been missing for six years. Especially when you don't remember those years..." the door shut on whatever else she was going to say. Aika whined, laying her head on Sypher's chest, a quiet prolonged noise as Sypher slept.〛
〚There was something on his face and it irritated him. A hand came up, jerkily, and touched the oxygen mask on his face gingerly as his eyes blinked open. Everything was hazy, the room spinning a bit as he tried to adjust Sedated....again. Sypher brought his hand up to cover his eyes, biting his lip as he held back his frustration. He couldn't go twelve hours without being sedated, it seemed. ... he swallowed, his throat tight, and felt Aika nuzzle his free hand. He used a finger to rub her nose but didn't sit up and didn't take his hand away from his eyes Six years. now it made sense. Being declared missing and presumed dead. The reaction from the Hokage. It had been a blow when he thought he had only been missing for months, a year at best. Then three years. Now six years. Aika started a whine, scooting up to push her head into his shoulder, licking the tears that were escaping from under his hand I'm so...tired of losing so much. Sypher turned, burying his face into Aika's fur as she tried to lick him. The oxygen mask was still on and it was knocked a little loose but didn't come off. He kept his eyes tightly shut, just listening to Aika's panting and feeling her fur under his hands I'm so tired. he was spiraling it felt like, his chest tight. What had he done? Where had everything gone so wrong?
He had created the Sero to protect Kirigakure, to protect his home, from the advances of the UHV. It had been fine, created, and working, to protect. Sure, it had needed some fixes but that was why he had stayed rather than go to the UHV per his initial plan. To leave Kirigakure temporarily and go to the UHV, to take it apart from the inside. That was the plan. But...he couldn't leave Minowa. Couldn't leave Inka. So he'd changed his plan. He'd been leaving the site of the Sero when the tree had grabbed him. Literally. Roots around his legs, arms, throat, pulling him underground. Like being buried alive. He hadn't even had the chance to fight back. And then pain like fire all over his body as roots slid into his skin and dragged all the strength from him. He'd felt the roots wrapping around his bones, for gods sake. Terror like nothing he had ever felt had seized him in the moments after. He was trapped. He couldn't get out, couldn't scream, could barely breathe. And it had only gotten worse. Water and dirt, ebbing and flowing cold and crushing. It went on. And on. And on. It was a never ending terror, along with the feeling of things, roots, bugs, on his skin and under it. He had felt his muscles scraped and twisted by the Sero's roots. Felt the deep ache as his bones were clenched. Wanting to scream but what if the roots choked him? What if they went down his throat, into his lungs, into his heart? Would the Sero keep him alive? Keep his hear beating as he died? Eventually, the terror had become a state of existence and it overwhelmed his mind. Sleeping, dreaming, was the only freedom he had. The only time he could be somewhere else. But after a while, even that became a prison. Waking up and falling asleep became a single existence, living in perpetual night terrors and euphoric dream state. Sleep became a drug, with all the benefits and curses therein.
Six years. He had spent six years in that existence. And whatever had happened to the Sero, he had been on the verge of awareness. Night terrors and clenching roots. There had been moments were he was certain the Sero would kill him. The tree would react to something and suddenly he would be awake, in agony as the Sero dragged anything it could out of his body. And then he would be lost again. Sypher opened his eyes as Aika rested her head on his neck What...was the point of waking up from that nightmare if I'm now trapped in this one? fumbling, he pulled the oxygen mask off his face, letting it fall to the side What was the damn point..."...Minowa...Inka..." he mumbled into Aika's fur, curling up slightly around the wolf-dog. Not an easy task for someone as tall as he but They are the only reason I have to have lived. how...pathetic. How could he even face either of them? Sure, he had asked on several occasions to see them. And he did want to see them. But now...six years was a lot longer than three. To rely on them for his reason...was an insult. To them. They were their own, no matter how much or how little he meant to them. Could he say the same? Could he stand on his own? Like had had before? His fingers tightened in Aika's fur but then he released her and sat up. He stretched out and took the bowl of miso soup. It was cold now but he stirred it with the spoon, raising little bits of tofu to the surface along with strips of spinach ... he sipped on it, sitting cross leg on the bed, setting the spoon down and just sipping from the bowl. Sypher had a lot to consider. And, he thought as he gaze Aika a noodle, time to do so.〛
A nurse put the empty food tray on the counter as a doctor glanced up “Did he finally eat?” the nurse shook her head, tilting a plate to show that it had been licked clean “Looks like he let Aika clean it. So there’s no telling how much he actually ate.” she said sadly and the doctor rubbed his eyes, the worry clear. Sandaime Senju had been difficult from the start, though the doctor doubted that was his intention. The former Kage had been as open as he was able to be, the signs of severe trauma or abuse obvious from his physical and mental inability to speak on what was distressing him. But...there was a certain resistance that the Kage had as well, a distrust of either himself or of them. That distrust had only become greater after the Sandaime’s discovery of the true time he had been missing. He had withdrawn into himself after regaining consciousness, an act that had sent the resident doctor on call into a panic and caused them to place the Sandaime under watch. So far, they had seen no sign of physical attempts to harm himself but his resistance to eating was equally dangerous to his life. “If he continues like this, we’ll have very little options.” the doctor leaned back in his chair, sighing “We need to get him to eat a full meal. Not just bits and pieces.” the nurse frowned and pushed the food tray out of the way so she could lean in “We can’t force him to eat. And we can’t expect his recovery to go the same way as our other patients. This isn’t some broken bones or injuries inflicted during a fight.” she said, tapping the counter “He’s a victim, not a participant.” the doctor frowned “You think...we’ve been addressing his treatment wrong?” the nurse shook her head “It’s not the treatment that is wrong. Sandaime Senju is...was essentially a prisoner. He was taken, against his will from what we know, and based on his body, he was tortured and abused.” she leaned in “For six years.” the nurse emphasized. The doctor tapped his upper lip, thinking. It was true. Most of the patients at the hospital were shinobi who had been involved in a training accident or a skirmish outside of the village against an enemy. Very few of them came from situations that the Sandaime had been in.
Taking the tray, the nurse arched a brow at the doctor “We need to start handling his treatment with the understanding that this man was a prisoner and suffered abuse at the hands of an unknown entity for six years. He’s going to get a lot worse before he gets better.”And there will be more setbacks until and, indeed, after we make that change. the doctor thought, glancing along the hall to where Sandaime Senju’s room was. According to the Jonin who was on guard, the man had opened up briefly during a slight tussle in the storage room. It wasn’t clear what had happened but apparently the Sandaime has spoken to an Anbu from Kirigakure. Even if it hadn’t been much, it was more than the doctors had gotten out of him. He’d reclaimed his name and made himself known as from Kirigakure. That was, at least a little, progress. But that had been before the latest panic attack.
Continually sedating a foreign former Kage was not ideal but it had happened twice now as a result of poor hospital regulation. Removing a service dog, allowing a patient access to his medical chart. The doctor leaned forward and covered his face with his hands At the rate we’re going, by the time his village is informed of his survival, he’ll be in a permanent state of sedation. speaking of “Why the **** was my patient sedated again?!” the doctor jerked his head up and came face to face, nearly nose to nose, with a very angry resident therapist “There was an episode. He accessed his medical chart while we weren’t present.” the therapist waited, making an “and?” motion with his hands “And...we learned that the acting Hokage told the Sandaime that he’d been missing for three years. While the medical chart had his actual time missing as six.” the therapist stared at him, a vein starting to pop along his neck “So...in addition to already suffering from severe trust issues and fears of abandonment, we’ve now added suspicion and distrust of medical and authority figures.” the doctor winced. “Unbelievable.” the therapist ran his hands through his hair “Can we, please, stop inducing further trauma in this patient?” he groaned, turning in a slow circle “It’s not intentional, Tashako-san.” the doctor protested and then jumped as the therapist slammed his hands down on the counter “I do not care. Please, listen. This patient, former Kage or not, has been a prisoner for six years. Stop creating more issues for him!” the doctor flinched away “And please, please, do not let him go wandering off again as he pleases.”I knew that was going to come up. he dropped his chin into his hand as the therapist stomped off. Maybe he should have picked a different speciality.
... Sypher tilted his head at the dinner after the evening nurse had left. It was a soup, a mix of egg drop soup and white rice, with fried crisps. Not what he had been expecting or what he had come to associate with hospital food Hmmm. he scooted closer to the soup, watching the steam rise from the top, before taking the bowl with both hands. Lifting it, he sipped at the broth “Oh...” he said in surprise, blinking, before taking a deeper drink. It was good. And it didn’t spark a need to reject the food from his system immediately. He sipped on the soup slowly but taking deeper sips, chewing slowly as he watched Aika enjoy her food. Setting the bowl down, still half full, he shifted his legs so that they hung off the side of the bed ... he was still in that position when the door opened. Glancing over his shoulder, he watched the therapist from his first admittance enter hesitantly “How are you feeling?” the man asked, carefully avoiding looking at the bowl. It appeared that the nursing staff were at least trying to find things that the Sandaime would eat, even if it was a little out of the ordinary menu. Sypher just watched the man pause at the edge of the bed, his gaze moving from the man to the open window. Even seated, Sypher was taller than the therapist who was of average height so when he looked at him again, their eyes were almost at the same level “...I’m...” he hesitated then closed his mouth. Aika had turned her attention away from her meal when the therapist had come in and now jumped up to sit on the bed next to Sypher’s. He pulled his legs back up onto the bed and scooted back and away from the therapist No, no, no... in his mind, the therapist was panicking as he saw Sypher withdraw from him but he kept a mild exterior “That’s quite all right. I just wanted to let you know that a new medic will be in charge of your treatment. I’ll still be here, if you need to talk. If you want to.” Sypher nodded curtly but his attention was already leaving the therapist, rubbing Aika’s snout with both hands as she wagged her tail Damn it. the therapist bowed his way out of Sypher’s room, throwing a dagger like glare at the doctor behind the counter. Three steps back. Zero steps forward.
A new medic...Sypher sighed and bumped his forehead into Aika’s as she licked his ear. No doubt this was because of his activities and his panic attacks. I hope that it was just a transfer. if someone had lost their job or position because of him I don’t think I have enough energy to take on more guilt. he wiped his ear absently to remove the Aika slobber, bending over sideways to grab the soup bowl again. He ate a little more of it but the taste wasn’t the same. He let Aika eat the rest of it “You are going to get fat. he informed her as she licked up the bits of rice that she’d missed. Setting the bowl back down, he leaned back until he fell over onto the beds, laying sprawled across both beds with his legs hanging off one edge and curling his arm around his head to cushion it. Aika huffed and curled up in the crook of his body, resting her muzzle on his shoulder to watch the door.〛
〚TW: child abuse Sypher was sleeping. He was still stretched between the two beds, Aika’s head resting on his hip and her muzzle pointed to the door. He’d taken the pills that the doctors had given him to help him have a dreamless sleep but even they weren’t strong enough to stop the terrors that made his fingers flinch and his brow furrow in distress. Aika let out a low rumbling cough as he shifted, rolling onto his back. Her weight was a comfort to him but it didn’t seem to be helping much this time. One of the drawbacks of the sleeping medicines was that they kept him trapped in the sleep when the terrors and nightmares came.
In the dream, he was back in Kumogakure. This wasn’t a new dream but it was one that he’d hoped to have outgrown by now. Standing, his hair tangling in the wind, he stared at the building across the street from him. The surrounding area was one of the lesser cared for areas of Kumogakure, where the people weren’t quite starving but they weren’t going on full bellies every night. It wasn’t fair. Why this again? He brought a hand up to his face, fingers digging into his hairline as he clenched a fistful of his own hair. Before him, a door on the side opened and a tiny twig of a boy slipped out, careful to close the door behind him. He was scrawny, wearing an ill-fitting shirt and a pair of oversized trousers. The side of his face was bunged up, lip cracked at the corner and a shine of a bruise around his ear.
Sypher released his hair, feeling nothing. Of course. It was just a stupid dream. He watched the little boy run across the street, crawling under a fence. Pulled along without a will of his own, Sypher was forced to follow though he just slipped over the fence as the boy moved around bins and over leaf piles. It was cold, he suspected, because the boy’s fingers were turning white as he grabbed a door handle and pulled it open with difficulty. It was cold, Sypher remembered, because this had happened in the winter. He was inside the building with the boy now, watching him climb up a run down staircase to a top room. The room itself had nothing of value in it, a few old pillows and some blankets, boxes of useless junks, but the boy had shoved some boxes up to the window. Sypher watched him drag a pillow and a blanket over, climbing onto the boxes. He knew what the boy was going to watch, the rarest natural event in Kumogakure. Snow. The boy pulled the blanket around him as he sat on the pillow, scooting up to sit as close to the window as he could. His eyes were wide, blue gray with a deeper sadness in them that was slowly replaced by wonder as the snow started to fall. His hands came up onto the windowsill, his chin resting on them as he watched the snow. He was entranced by the snow. But Sypher was watching the door. He knew what would come through it. As the sun began to set and the snow grew thicker on the ground and in the sky, the door to the room opened quietly.
In reality, it had been a caretaker. A vicious foreign man who had come to Kumogakure and just never left. He’d followed the boy after coming home from the local ramen stand, spotting him sneaking out. Finding the child enjoying the snow, the man had grabbed the boy by his hair and thrown him out the window. Why? Because the child had been enjoying himself. Sypher had broken three bones in that fall, his wrist, upper arm, and collar bone, and caught pneumonia from being left in the snow for hours. He was only seven.
In this dream, the door was opened by the roots of the Sero. And they didn’t go after his seven-year old self but after Sypher himself. He couldn’t scream, couldn’t run, all he could do was stand in frozen terror as the roots wrapped themself around his arms and legs, dragging him to his knees. He was trapped, watching himself watch the snow, as the roots dug into his skin and muscle and wrapped around his bones. He was forced down, his face slamming into and then through the floor as the roots dragged him into the frozen ground. Sypher struggled but only succeeded in turning his face away, staring up. The building vanished but his younger self remained, staring down at him as the snow fell around him. Only it wasn’t himself anymore. It was Minowa. Staring down at him with cold, dead eyes that were slowly filled with roots and dirt.
Sypher woke in a cold sweat, staring at the hospital room ceiling. Aika was holding his bicep in her jaws, the pressure of her bite having jolted him out of the nightmare. He swallowed and tapped her muzzle with his finger, one, two, three, and she released him, licking his arm. He lay still for a few minutes before pushing himself up on his elbows, breathing heavily Damn it. it wasn’t fair. Why now? Why this nightmare again? He sat up and crossed his legs, resting his face in his hands. The handle of his room rattled and a nurse entered, here to clean away the bowl from the dinner previously “No more pills.” the nurse jerked her head up, startled by his voice. She frowned in a bit of confusion “Uhm, Sandaime Senju-san, I’m not sure-”“No. More. Pills.” his voice was harsh and the words came out through clenched teeth as his fingers dug into his skin and hair. Aika let out a low growl but it wasn’t directed at the nurse, rather she pushed her head between Sypher’s face and hands. He buried his face in her fur as the nurse retreated shakily from the room. His hands were trembling.〛
〚The Jonin standing guard yawned as a nurse came up to do a check on the Sandaime, his earlier refusal of pills having set his doctors into a mild panic. They were trying to figure out how to get him to agree to take his medications without force, something the Jonin suspected would not work out very well. The nurse nodded to him as she opened the door to go into the Sandaime’s room At least I should be off duty soo- “Wh-Where is the Sandaime?” the nurse asked, staring into the room. The Jonin spun around, pushing her to the side to stare into the room. The empty room. The window was wide open and as the Jonin rushed over, he realized that the lower half had been bent backwards out of it’s frame ...I’m going to be demoted.
Sypher and Aika walked quietly away from the hospital, Sypher glancing back as he kept carefully to the shadows ... he was probably causing trouble for the hospital and the Jonin but he was quite done with the entire situation. He’d spent enough time and had given everything they asked of him to prove who he was. His part in this was done. Now it was time for them to deal with the rest of it. Tugging playfully on Aika’s tail, they both walked down to the streets.
Shikatsu walked into the hospital and was immediately greeted by some of the staff that recognized him from before. He smiled and said hi back before asking if his office space was still available. They nodded and told him he could go right on in. With a fond farewell he left and went down. Once he arrived he looked around and started getting his tool out and prepared to get to work.
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"Your life is to short, so don't go throwing it away so easily."
Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2021 2:21 am
爆 Ｉｎｋａ Ｈｉｚａｒａ 爆
Inka arrived at the hospital with the black cloak on his shoulders, signalling his rank via the stark white embroidery on the back. His Anbu guard was accompanying him, following in his steps. Approaching the reception desk, Inka calmly waited for them to be free before asking a single question.
"Would I be able to see Raigyo Severin?"
[ entry : Apartments ]
ch 1,030 // 1,030 | 950 // 950 st ⧼ Father ⬘ Mizukage ⬘ Godaime ⬘ Bukijutsu ⬘ Performer ⧽
T e c h n i q u e s :
• Speed ► Slight [Moderate Buki] [Heavily when drawing Small Weapons] [Moderate in smoke] [Heavily Buki in smoke ] [ Supreme when drawing Small Weapons in smoke ] • Reflex ► Supreme
tab | | tab s e v e r i n tab r a i g y o tab | | L o s ttab a n dtab a l o n etab,tabi ntab atab w o r l dtab Itab b a r e l ytab r e m e m b e rtab. . . ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅
Quote:
The front desk receptionist looked up at Inka and nearly choked on the coffee she had just began to drink. The freaking Mizukage was here. In front of her. Dear shinobi jesus preserve her. Coughing slightly, she flipped through a book beside her, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. "Dr. Raigyo... Drrrr Raigyoooo... You've certainly caught him on an off day, Lord Mizukage. Hold on, let me page him." She tapped some things in to an awefully ancient looking piece of plastic which held several small square lights. After tapping in a sequence of eight numbers, one of the many lights flicked on. The receptionist gave Inka a bright smile. "He should be here in a moment. You're welcome to take a seat if you'd like."
The morning had been brutal. Severin had awoken with a dry mouth and crusted eyes, feeling fairly hung over. Much of the night before was shrouded in a fog. He remembered he had been his old self, but little else besides his dinner with Inka, and none of his lost memories had stuck. He had spent most of that morning in a funk-- he put a brave face on for his patients, but was unusually quiet and reserved. This did not go unnoticed by a single person that worked along Sev. It seemed almost like he was in mourning. If there was one bright side to how empty he was feeling, it was that all the nurses who had been pissed at him before were now acting sweet towards him. He politely brushed off each one. He wanted to be alone.
A buzz in his pocket brought his eyes down from the report he had been blankly staring at for the past 15 minutes. Blinking slowly, he pulled the pager-like device from his pocket. NONURGENT. FRONT DESK. VISITOR. The words flashed on the small screen in a faint red color. He had a visitor? He never had visitors. Who would even...? Inka. His face went paper white and he had the sudden urge to puke. The only person who would visit him would be Inka, right? Severin put a hand to his mouth as he fought back the remains of the two bites of bagel he was able to stomach earlier. Was he here to end it? Oh gods... The world tilted a little, and Severin cought himself on the handrail drilled into the wall.
Suck it up, he told himself, forcing his lungs to suck in air. He needed to confront this eventually anyways. Maybe Inka would chose him over Sypher, maybe this would end well for him... something deep inside him tainted that positive hope. Some part of him knew. Clearing his throat, Severin straightened up. When did it get so hot in this building? Severin huffed, rolling up both his lab coat and his sleeves, deftly unbuttoning the cuffs before rolling them up over his elbows. Scars stared back at him. There was a massive, faded, burn scar to his left forearm on the outside-- his dominant arm. He was told that it was most likely a defensive wound. Several smaller, surgical scars spackled across both forearms. Scars to remind him of the incompetant trauma doctor who nearly cost him his life. Sev loosened his tie slightly, and made his way to the reception desk.
He appeared from a door to the left of the desk, dressed in black slacks and a navy blue button down neatly tucked in. His hair was neatly yet fashionably slicked back with a few unruly strands of his bangs hanging free. He was somehow more, yet less put together than yesterday. His appearence was neater, but there was this off air about him. His hands were tucked into his pockets, defensive, somewhat successfulkly hiding his trembling fingers. He wore a soft and warm smile, his ice blue eyes gently swept the waiting room, then fell on Inka. "Good morning, Inka." The Raigyo's tone came off awkward, and he was. He was unsure of what to say, scared to come off bitter or needy-- or worse, to overstep.
CHKR : : 00 // 00tabSTM : : 00 // 00tabRYO :: 17,000tabAC :: 30,000tabtab [ R A I G Y O ]tab[ L O S T ]tab [ B - R A N K ]tab[ G E N N I N ]tab[ KO N O H A ]tab[ S U N F L O W E R ]tab
Inka nodded his head and gave the receptionist his most polite smile. It was professional and well practiced - mostly because his natural way of smiling came across (apparently) as some variation of sarcastic. "Thank you. I will." He said and turned to go and sit by the window, enjoying the warmth of the sun as he waited, wondering exactly what the helpful woman had meant by 'an off day.' He hoped that just meant he wasn't scheduled for much and not that his morning had already been difficult for him. Inka settled in, expecting to have to wait long enough he might even be able to get a semi-nap in, but it barely felt like he had started to feel the sun start warming his skin when he heard someone greet him.
Blinking, amber eyes turned up and took in the figure standing before him. They tracked, and paused over a long burn scar on the forearm, over Sev's figure, taking in the black slacks and blue shirt and neatly styled hair. And yet...
"Good morning, Sev." Inka stood, hands neatly putting his clothes back in order as he turned to stand in front of the medic. "Have I called in at a bad time? I wasn't sure what would be a good time for you." He lifts a hand to signal the location they were in. "Or place. I just wanted to apologise for having to leave last night." Inka pressed on. "I hope I haven't overstepped coming here to say that." Feeling Severin's awkward tone and stand-offish demeaner, Inka could only feel even more apologetic about the situation he had placed them in. "Can I buy you a coffee? Even if its to go." He added, not wanting for Severin to feel like Inka was trying to trap him there. He was late for their dinner date, left early, and Syy had just suddenly reappeared in Inka's life. And Severin had to unfortunately bare the short stick in all three of these events. Which was technically one event... And he didn't know if he was intruding on Severin's busy schedule.
ch 1,030 // 1,030 | 950 // 950 st ⧼ Father ⬘ Mizukage ⬘ Godaime ⬘ Bukijutsu ⬘ Performer ⧽
T e c h n i q u e s :
• Speed ► Slight [Moderate Buki] [Heavily when drawing Small Weapons] [Moderate in smoke] [Heavily Buki in smoke ] [ Supreme when drawing Small Weapons in smoke ] • Reflex ► Supreme
tab | | tab s e v e r i n tab r a i g y o tab | | L o s ttab a n dtab a l o n etab,tabi ntab atab w o r l dtab Itab b a r e l ytab r e m e m b e rtab. . . ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅
Quote:
Severin watched Inka as he approached and listened to the other male patiently as he spoke. His eyes widened slightly in shock as Inka asked him to coffee with him. Did he want to spend more time with him? Or did he invite him out so that he could let him down in a more private setting? Severin's jaw flexed visibly as he thought, and it almost seemed as if he'd turn down the kage when...
"Okay. Lets go get coffee. My next appointment isn't for an hour or so anyways." Severin offered another soft smile. Inka was most likely having a hard time as it was. Even if he was happy about Sypher's return, the former mizukage seemed as if he was beyond damaged from whatever had happened to him before he got to konoha. That was enough to deal with within itself-- Severin didn't want to add more troubles on to Inka's plate like a spurned potential lover. Was he even that?
Severin turned to the receptionist and told her to contact him if any of his consults had issues, then walked over to Inka and gestured for the other male to continue on.
Despite his fears, he wanted a few last moments with Inka. Peaceful. He would put his feelings off to the side and enjoy having coffee with him. And if Inka decided he wanted Sypher instead, he would put on his bravest face. He wouldn't become just another problem for him, no matter what.
CHKR : : 00 // 00tabSTM : : 00 // 00tabRYO :: 17,000tabAC :: 30,000tabtab [ R A I G Y O ]tab[ L O S T ]tab [ B - R A N K ]tab[ G E N N I N ]tab[ KO N O H A ]tab[ S U N F L O W E R ]tab
