Welcome to Gaia! ::

Kyouken looked down at her new body, smiling as she familiarized herself with how it worked, what she now knew, and how best to use that advantage. What she discovered, however, left her speechless. The sheer alien nature of this one's senses was unreal, the memories couldn't possibly be true! Yet there they were, in her own mind now, as true as anything she had witnessed herself. She had certainly caught an odd one.

Shaking her head, she rid herself of that momentary reverie, and instead returned to the serious matter of the hunt. Out of the three potential prey she had spotted, she had already claimed the first. Out of the two, neither was getting closer. That gave her room to decide which to go after. After considering it, she made her choice, and slunk through the thick grass once more, already used to her new body. She had chosen the Gekkou, the one she had tried to stalk earlier, but had been interrupted by other prey. she would need to finish what she started before moving on to other targets.

So she continued moving slowly toward Herru. She made only the slightest sound as she moved through the grass. She only moved when the wind was blowing, letting the sound of the wind obscure those slight sounds. It would take her a while, but she was nothing if not patient. After all, ninja were primarily used in assassination attempts or infiltration. Such acts required incredible patience, stealth and determination. she had all three in spades. If it would give her an advantage over her prey, she would gleefully wait as long as she needed to.
(279 )

The grass shifted ever so slightly. It could have been because of a light gust of wind, or it could have been because of someone stalking through it. In this case, it was the latter. Kyouken maintained her slow tempo as she moved through the forest of grass, getting ever nearer to her prey. Once she drew within sight of him, she paused. He had laid down? That would make a sneak attack from behind virtually impossible, with his back laying down against the earth. If that was the case, then it would have to be a frontal assault. She could still get the element of surprise in, however.

She shifted her position relative to him only slightly, shifting so that she would be coming from the same side as the hand holding the grass flute to his lips. Her goal was simple, sneak up as close as possible, and only then rush in. She would then aim to rush in, and grab his arm with one hand, while her other hand stayed available in case he tried pulling a weapon, or calling for help.
(185 )
(Don't worry about it. Soon you won't have that problem, haha.)

At first, confusion flickers across Kyouken's face, as Herru doesn't seem to be aware of the danger he was actually in. He didn't think she was an enemy, he would soon learn better. Confusion gave way to anger as a snarl escaped her lips after he dared press his own against hers. Actually growling, like the wolf her outfit resembled so much, she let a savage grin come across her face. In a voice thick with anger and menace, she replied to his comment. "Is that so? Then if you enjoyed that, you'll just love this, Moon-chan. Maniwa Ninpou: Kyouken Hatsudou!"

Just like before, purplish chakra would begin to manifest from her body, making her tattoos, already attention-grabbing, glow and become even more so. A pulse of chakra would escape, creating a force that rushed away in all directions around her and Herru. He would feel a tingle through his arm, though not a painful one. Having pain as an aspect of a technique like this would be folly, she didn't want to see her target get injured if she could avoid it.
(190 )
(Normally I wouldn't mind so much, but considering you had just come back after poofing while I had moved on to the other target while waiting for your post before that, just made it all so messy.)

A disease? Kyouken hadn't known her prey was a blasted Gekkou! But it was too late, she had already started her technique, she couldn't afford to leave anyone a witness to what it was like, or what it could do. Even if it meant taking his disease for herself, she was stuck. She glared once more at Herru's lighthearted rejoinder, he seemed as tense as if he were at a picnic luncheon, not in the middle of the last dance of his life.

"Shy? Ha! I just don't expect people who should be on their sickbed to go around kissing people! Why should I be afraid of your disease, Moon-chan? You seem lively enough to be a nuisance!" At first she didn't answer his question for what her technique did. She had always jealously guarded even the least scrap of information connected to it, so that nobody would be aware of how it worked. That was really the only way she could continue to use it, after all. But this Herru was an odd one, he seemed to be accepting it, not struggling in the least. If she told him, and he tried to escape, could she keep him captive? Perhaps. Very well, she would tell him, tell him at least a little of what her Kyouken Hatsudou could do. "Alright. My technique is a forbidden art, it lets me live forever, at the cost of another person's life force. You are contributing to a power that is greater than death, feel honored, Moon-chan!"

Kyouken's tattoos would have begun actively shifting, starting to reach out and cross over onto Herru. It would feel slightly numb, slightly tingling, like a series of minuscule electric shocks running up his arm from where she grabbed him. It would be quite an interesting sight, to see tattoos moving, shifting as they traversed from one body to the next, like they were a living thing.
(331 )
(Post two of three for Kyouken Hatsudou.)
(Haha, really? There should be some irony in there, finding your life's purpose only at the cusp of death. Haha.)

Kyouken frowned, but let herself be shifted as Herru's comment struck home. She had known the Gekkou clan suffered from a virus, but she hadn't known it was incurable. That made this new body she was about to gain much more troublesome. She'd have to do her utmost to find a new vessel right away, if what eh said was true. Even her glare was only halfhearted as her latest victim stole a second, and final kiss, before beginning to slump over. "Trust? Perhaps, or perhaps it just doesn't matter. Your road is at it's end, Moon-chan. Thus with a kiss, you die."

Only a moment later, her technique finished running it's course. Her tattoos had now fully switched over to Herru's body, leaving her own form bare of inked patterns. The burst of chakra all around them finally faded, and with it, so to did Maniwa Kyouken's latest body. It slumped over before becoming so much dust, and soon wafted away, blown apart by the wind. It was finished.

Kyouken opened her eyes in her new body. She could feel the sickness within her, no his, body. Herru had spoken the truth, there was no cure. She knew that now. She, or rather he, shook his head, before standing upright, silent as she merged her own memories with that of her latest victim. Herru's thoughts, memories, abilities had all become hers. In the end, he had not died from his disease, like he might have feared. Instead he had been given a quick end. A ninja's mercy.

Dusting himself off, Kyouken took a look around, wondering if there was anyone else nearby that could provide what he needed. His eyes narrowed as he remembered the Aburame's associate. Perhaps she hadn't gotten very far? The hunt was on!
(311 )
(Post three of three for Kyouken Hatsudou; process complete. New body gained, Gekkou.)
(True, true. And I couldn't resist adding that 'thus with a kiss you die' line, haha. And thanks again!)

Kyouken, in her -no, his- new form, stalked forward through the tall grass once more. He was sure of the direction his latest prey had gone, he had made use of one of his newer abilities earlier. After taking the Aburame's body, she had discovered the location and heading of the other potential prey. She could tell that the other girl was stronger, stronger than either of the two she had already claimed. And now, even when he had the strength of both of his latest victims, he could tell he was still weaker. But no matter, that just meant he had to be stealthy, resort to trickery and subterfuge. That was as it should be.

So he abandoned the slow and steady movement he had grown accustomed to, instead straightening up and boldly walking toward the space where Konata had been just moments ago. After all, she hadn't yet seen him in this form yet, so she would have no need to be wary, hopefully. He hastened his pace, and soon saw her, walking a short distance ahead of him. He thought back, dipping into the memories he had gained from the Aburame, and focused on those dealing with his new prey. She hadn't disclosed who she was, or any of her abilities; that was as expected. But even so, he knew she would make a fine vessel, one worth hanging on to for a while. He moved forward, slipping through the tall grass easily, and called out to her. "Ex-excuse me? Can you help me for a moment?"
(264 )
(No pic, because Kyouken obviously looks quite a bit different from normal at the moment.)

Kyouken had to think quickly, he hadn't thought that Konata would have actually accepted his call for help. Throwing together something on the spot, he decided taking a little risk would help the request seem more urgent. "It's jut back that way! Somebody dug a pit or something, and a girl fell down it, but I can't get her out by myself! Here, I'll show you where she is!" Acting impulsively, he reached out and grabbed Konata's hand. If he succeeded, that would be the perfect time to begin Kyouken Hatsudou. He'd have to be careful to not start it too early, however, as the distraction caused by looking for the trapped girl would hopefully create an even better window of opportunity. It would be risky either way, but hopefully doing something like that would alleviate the risk somewhat.
(145 )