Moonlight CYOA
Feb 1, 2011 20:55:31 GMT
Post by Yushinoki on Feb 1, 2011 20:55:31 GMT
You jump up and decide to cut in... There has to be a way, right? You couldn't let Remilia die like that, especially because it's your earthrender that did this to her... You can only hope the Earthrender you hit Flandre with that long ago wasn't perfeced enough to have the poison like effect... Or she'd be on the path to dying as well. "...But there has to be a way..." you say. Reimu and Frederica turn their faces to you... Reimu gives you a soft glare. Probably for listening into them. But Frederica doesn't seem to hold any anger for it, "...There is none. If whatever kept her living is gone now, which it has to be, if the energy is resurfacing... She'll have a month at best."
...You really don't like that pessimism. "I've went through harder things than keeping someone alive... I'll succeed." you say, Frederica steps torwards you and puts her hand on your shoulder. "No. There simply isn't a way.God's Matter is capable of keeping it from spreading... But we cannot simply replace the areas afflicted by Earthrender in her brain with God's Matter. That would kill her." she states... Dammit. Was it really hopeless? Or was there a way to save her...? There has to be one, right? "Can't you just negate the kinetic energy?" you ask, Frederica shakes her head "It'll accelerate again." "Can't Touma destroy it with his arm?" "No. He failed already. A second try wouldn't do anything better." "There has to be so-"
"Shiko. There isn't a way." Reimu cuts in between you and Frederica. "...She wouldn't be saying there isn't a way unless there really is no way. If there was something with even an infinitly small chance of working, she'd suggest it. Okay?" she says... You bite your lip... Dammit.... Why?
A: Suggest another way... Specify what. There has to be one, right?
B: Give up, for now. Sasuke's waking up, so go for ramen.
C: Give up.. For now. But tell Remilia in private. She should know.
D: Give up... For now. But tell everyone.
E: Free choice.
You cross your arms, annoyed... Letting out a soft "Tch..." there had to be a way... There had to be some way to save her. You don't want to give up on her like that... You don't want to give up on anyone if you can help it... You haven't known Remilia for that long, but she's a good friend. Not only that... But she was Flandre's sister, and you have been friends with Flandre for quite a while now. And with how close those two are... You really don't want Flandre to go through losing her sister now that she finally got her back.
After a few seconds, you can hear some grumbling around you. "...Nn..." Sasuke says, waking up... Struggling up. Sakura quickly sits down to help him up, and Sasuke quickly moves his hand to where his injury was. "...Nice going, Shikoro. Scolding us for going all out and then using this level of jutsu." Sasuke says... In a rather playful way. He doesn't seem angry at all, really. "...At least you're competent, actually able to harm me, unlike those two." Sasuke mocks Naruto and Sakura... Naruto's competitive spirit instantly flares up and he gets annoyed. "I would've destroyed you our last fight...!" Naruto blurts out.
"...Weren't we going for Ramen?" Sakura interrupts the two fighters and they look over at her for a second. Sasuke looks confused, while Naruto grins before looking at you. "Yeah. Lets go!"
---
Its a few minutes of walking until you reach the ramen store... And you quickly order whatever.
---
Well. The food arrived quickly. You have plenty money, now, so Reimu doesn't have to pay for anything.
A: Talk about Remilia's... Condition.
B: Just talk about social matters. Specify what.
C: Silently eat.
"So... How about that new Hokage, Lord Tsunade? I've only met her a few times... She's pretty kind, but do any of you know anything more about her?" you ask, and Naruto loos at you, surprised, you take a bite of Ramen before he lets out an explosion of "Kind? Granny Tsunade is mean! You don't know what I had to do to get her to agree on returning to Konoha!" he says... You move your face to look at him, expression filled with a light amount of surprise. "Eh?" you ask... Naruto shakes his head and smiles "You'll see, when we spar again, Shikoro!" he says... So he had something up his sleeve... You wonder what. But you don't consider it too wise to ask in on that. "Anything more?"
"She used to beone of the legendary Sannin, together with Orochimaru and Jiraya. They're three of the strongest ninja Konoha had every known, and were in the same team under Lord Sarutobi... Tsunade was known as the most powerful medical ninja in existance, and nothing has come to prove that wrong... Hell, she's healed Kakashi from mental damage." Sakura explained.. Was that even... Possible? That made no sense at all... Oh well, that just made her seem much more poweful "...She left the village for unknown reasons, though." she finishes... Naruto opens his mouth to speak, before shaking his head and shutting his mouth... Before working in another working of ramen.
The ramen you ordered was starting to empty, too... Hmm... anything more to talk about now?
A: Ask Naruto about THAT JUTSU
B: Ask Naruto about what he was going to say about Tsunade.
C: Something else. Specify.
D: Nothing, nothing. Stay silent and finish eating.
"Well... I discovered I also have an affinity for Fuuton, do you know anyone with that element?" you ask. Naruto looks over at you and smiles "You too? Kakashi told me after some test with a piece of paper, we haven't done any training yet, though... He said Asuma was the leading Fuuton specialist in Konoha..." Naruto says... You commit it to memory. Okay... Asuma. Got it... Naruto also has it, but no training in it yet. Well, at least that proves that it isn't a powerful elemental jutsu that he had up his sleeve...
Quickly, the ramen is finished and Naruto and his team stand up. "Thank you, Shiko." Naruto says as you pay for everything, the rest of Naruto's team also gives you a few words of thanks before they turn around and start to leave... Already? "We have a mission today... In ten minutes or so. See you all later." Naruto says as he and his team suddenly start running... Yeah. Ten minutes was a strict time limit to run across all of Konoha in... Especially if it was a combat mission and they had to conserve chakra.
You turn back to your team... Hmm... What to do now?
A: Go train.
B: Go rest until something interesting happens. You've been training enough.
C: Go search out Asuma.
D: Free choice.
"...Frederica, can you help me when your eye's recovered? I need to drop by the Sound and Gekko..." you ask. While Frederica sees no reason not to agree and quickly nods, Reimu seems angered by your question and steps toward you. "Shiko! You can't ask her to use her eye directly after it recovers! You'll overexert her... Her eye might go out again!" Reimu says, obviously worried for your sister... You understand that, but her eye being out is not really anything compared to Remilia dying...
"I know... But I really need it. Can you take me and Remilia back and forth?" you ask... Frederica immediately understands what you're talking about and nods. "...It'll be useless for that, Shikoro... But I can take you." she says... You sigh. She was really, really sure that there was no way to cure her, right? Remilia looks up at you, confused... "Why do you want to take me there?" her voice was shakey and rather afraid... Surely, she must realise that there was something wrong. "...Don't worry..." you say.
...Your voice almosts breaks. But, you keep that lie up properly and she her worry slightly eases... Her eyes roll down to the ground, and her feet impatiently stomp the ground softly... Seems like while it eased her worry, the don't worry was not enough to fully soothe her worries... You bite your lower lip. You're going to have to tell her soon, right? But... Telling her that she was going to die... Might have a bad effect on her mentality. She was still a young girl, could she truly handle death being so near and so inevitable?
A: Go to Tsunade to ask if you can have a day off in two days.
B: Talk to Remilia about her condition. Have a walk with her.
C: A then B.
D: B then A.
E: Free choice.
"Well... Remilia... I haven't really gotten to know you... Let's take a walk, okay?" you suggest. Reimu's eyes roll over to face you...And Remilia weakly looks up at you... Seems like she really was expecting some bad news. Flandre looks over at you, and then down at her sister, confused... "...What's wrong?" she asks. Remilia moves her face to her sister and smiles, uneffected by the pressure "Nothing, nothing. Reimu's going to get you some sweets now." she said. Reimu gets a surprised and annoyed glare in her eyes... Before falling back to a smile, nodding at Flandre. "Yeah. Let's go eat some candy until they return" she says... And they leave. Frederica gives you one final worried look as she walks away as well...No turning back now.
You start walking with Remilia... Silent until you reach the training grounds again... Finding a nice, silent spot... Before you speak up. "...I'm sorry...But... You only have one month of life left... Unless...." you say, however, your words fall immediately interrupted "A month? That's more than I expected." wait.. What? "...What are you-" "I was worried it was this week or something... I remember what happened, Shikoro. I remember everything. Somehow, my memory has been returning piece by piece. I know that I shouldn't even be alive now." she explains... Was that why she thanked Frederica?
"...Story time~" Remilia says, falling back to her normal, cute, cheerful tone... Which was awkward in this situation. "Gekko has four weapons. Originally, there were eight. But two of them were destroyed, and two of them were lost. Not important now... Our remaining ones are... The Railgun 'That which maximizes potential'. The Scythe of Bernkastel 'That which creates." eh, creates? You've only seen it destroy... However, the readers know that it creates. (See: Pact with earth) "The Axe of Scarlet Thoughts. 'That which destroys'. And the spear of Lavanir. 'That which joins.'" she explains.. Well, that was useless. She just contradicted what you already knew and added no new information at all... Except the Axe. You only knew Mokou had it.
"Each of these weapons have two forms. One is usable by everyone... And one is only usable by the true bearer... Or when the current bearer is in sufficient danger." Remilia explains, sitting down... you sit down as well. "...Upon obtaining one of these, they create a pact with your soul. And you are the true bearer until you die. You cannot pass on the weapon without death." she said, ripping off a slight part of the upper part of her shirt... Revealing a mark on the top of her ribs "I know this 'cos I'm the real wielder of the Lavanir. Only the true wielders get told stuff like this" she explains... So why didn't your sister now this? (Readers know) "Without it, the Lavanir can only pierce and split apart, not join two things together. However, the piercing power it has is still really a lot... Can pierce just about everything, really. Especially if... Well, the user 'joins it with something'" Remilia said... yeah, like when it pierced through Frederica's spear. (God's Matter. You guys know) "Railgun can only pull out a part of your potential until the previous wielder goes byebye. Scythe of Bernkastel can only destroy in the hands of someone not the true bearer. Axe can only create... Well, weapons that destroy stuff. But still." she says, standing up and holding her hands behind her back, calmly.
"I survived direct impact because I was joined to the Lavanir. It 'held my body together'. But that's only a very, very small part of the potential it has" she explains, turning to you and softly smiling.
A: Ask her what she means.
B: Ask her if she knows more about your Railgun.
C: Ask her if she knows more about that axe.
D: Ask her if she knows more about the scythe.
E: You know enough... Go to Tsunade.
"What do you mean?" you ask... Confused about her wording. Join what together? And how was that relevant again? "Hehe. It can join anything together, as long as enough power is added. Two buildings can become one, two mountains can become one... The moon and the sun can become one, too." she said with a smile, spinning around peacefully... She was way too cheerful. This was honestly getting eerie. "...Maybe two souls can become one, too? If I can't heal my body, I can at least forever be with my sister that way." she said, holding her arms behind her back...
...Wait... What? "Don't know if it's possible... But I won't disappear and leave my sister in despair. Flandre's a really nice girl. A bit immature, but really nice. The Earthrender is a legendary attack in Gekko... I was kinda expecting something bad to happen. Sure, didn't expect a sentence to death... And I really don't want to die, either... But if I can just be with my sister, spiritually? That's fine." she said... While it was slightly comforting... It also sickened you that she could be so happy with disappearing. A soul stuck in Flandre's? You'd still be dead, Remilia!
"Don't even think of stuff like that. I'll find a way to save you, okay?" you say and she nods and spins in place for a second, speaking up again "I'm just a pessimistic optimist. Always expect the bad thing to happen, but I make the best of it~" she says, letting herself fall over backwards and lay on the ground. "If you can save me, even better. But if you can't. That's okay.... Flandre can't unlock her full potential without me dying anyway." she said... Yeah. the Lavanir. Remilia still owned it. If she died, Flandre's power would probably blast through the roof... But... Power isn't a reason to kill yourself. "...That's no reason to want to die..." you say. What's with everyone... And being obsessed with 'power'?
A: Ask about the Railgun.
B: Ask about the Lavanir.
C: Ask about the Scythe of Bernkastel.
D: Ask about the Axe of Scarlet Thoughts.
E: Enough talking... Tsunade time.
F: You know enough now... You don't want to go to Gekko and the Sound anymore.
G: Free choice.
"Well... What's with the axe...?" you try to change the subject off of Remilia dying... And decide to ask something of the only weapon you don't know anything about. Remilia rolls around to lay on her side, and tiredly sits up. "...Well, it belong to the Fujiwara clan." right. Mokou's clan. "...Last true bearer I remember was... Um... The mother of that annoying, white haired girl... What's her name." you softly twitch... Was she calling Mokou annoying? And why was that even annoying you? "...Right. You don't remember her name. I didn't ask for that." you say. Your tone slightly annoyed. Remilia looks up at you with questioning eyes, confused about your sudden change of mood... But you simply shake your head.
"...Well, the true version is capable of... Well. Smashing through stuff. It's said to have the ability to crush any defense with ease... It also doesn't have a solid form, being able to turn into mist with exactly the same ability. Mist made out of God's Matter." ouch... That sounds... Yeah. You're not really going to block that. "Most used form is an axe, though. People also say it has a negative effect on the users personality but I think it's just that everyone in the Fujiwara clan is just born a stupid *****" she says... "Oh, shut up." you tell her off, Remilia looks up at you and giggles. "Just kidding. Ignore that last part~" she says... Well, that was useful enough.
"Oii, Shiko. I ran into Tsunade." you hear Reimu's voice from the distance, and both she and Tsunade show up "...She explained what happened. I can't give you anything more than three days, and you must immediately return on request, got it!?" she orders... You feel a large amount of pressure descent on you again as she says that, and you weakly nod. "...Y-Yes." you mutter... Before Tsunade looks at Remilia, her eyes rolling back to you after. "I can heal the injuries the Earthrender causes, but I can't stop the Earthrender itself. I've ran into a few people who got hit by it... It'll require biweekly checkups, and she'll be in a lot of pain... Probably not being able to walk after the first few weeks." she explained... Dammit. That's your biggest lead out... You can't let her just live in torture, right?
A: Deny that option, go train until Frederica recovers.
B: Accept that option as a last resort, to extend the time you have to find something... Go train.
C: A, but rest the days.
D: B, but rest the days.
E: Free choice.
"I'll keep that in mind as a last resort, Lord Tsunade... Thank you. I don't want to lose anyone." you explain... Tsunade nods. "By the way, your trip to Gekkogakure will serve for political reasons as well. I heard the story from Reimu and your sister. You need to try to create a bond between the new Kage and Konoha... For that, and for that reason alone, might your trip be extended. I understand it's your home town and you might want to look around, but it's of the utmost importance that we focus on Konoha's repair." she says... Her tone really contains a lot of authority and experience. You nod in reply and acceptance... Sure. You wanted to do more stuff than just diplomacy in Gekko, but... yeah. This was a lot more important. Maybe you could sneak in some time to do stuff?
"Well... In two days it is. Thank you again." you say, bowing to Tsunade... Can't be disrespectful to her... She nods and turns away, pacing back to probably the Hokage's tower or wherever. You look at Remilia for a second... She glares at you, noticably annoyed. "...Please don't keep me alive if it hurts too much." she says. You smile down on her and shake your head. "Hey... You won't die, okay? Don't worry about it." you say... She puffs her cheeks for a second before smiling... At least she believes in your resolve.
Now... Training time.
A: Ninjutsu
-1 General Ninjutsu
-2 Suiton, Offensive
-3 Fuuton, Offensive
-4 Suiton, Defensive
-5 Fuuton, Offensive
-6 Suiton, Other.
-7 Fuuton, Other.
-8 Work to combining elements with your Doujutsu
B: Taijutsu.
-1 Speed training
-2 Strength training
-3 Skill training
-4 Try to improve your style.
C: Genjutsu
-1 Offense
-2 Defense
D: Doujutsu
-1 Construction
-2 Attraction
-3 Deflection
-4 Acceleration
-5 Deconstruction
-6 Negation
-7 Sealing
-8 Reflection
-9 Combinations.
E: Railgun/Curse Seal.
-1 Work towards being able to unlock the full first CS's form without sideeffects.
-2 Work towards being able to use more of the CS form's stamina.
-3 Improve your control over your railgun.
-4 Try to learn how to tap into the Railgun's chakra.
You start to work on a supportive water jutsu.. An important one. What's the best way to create water? Rain... of course. With rain, your water was everywhere... And if it was everywhere, at least, if you had enough fine control on it, you had your weapons everywhere... What if you managed to combine it with Kinetic Energy manipulation? Small, sharp suiton blades falling all over the place... It'd be great.
---
Yeah... you got Rain Dance. You need a slight water source for it, about as much as the mist... You can create a type of replicating effect on the water with your chakra and then make it rain a lot of water all over the place. It's pretty concentration-heavy to start on, though.... Which might be problematic in the middle of a fight. However, once you used it, it's activated for a good two minutes... It's just a light rain now. And there's no additional effects yet. But you're sure you can improve it to having those later. Gotta start somewhere, right?
"Oiii, Shikoro. Frederica's eyesight returned. We're leaving in an hour or so... She needs some rest, first" Reimu notes to you.. You nod at her, and continue training for that one final hour.
---
Before returning home. Okay... You're pretty tired from the two day training session, but it's nothing big... "I'm ready, Shiko." Reimu says. You nod at her, before looking at Remilia... She nods, too... Hmm... Who to take along? And where to go first?
A: Gekko, specify the team you're taking.
B: Neru's base. Specify tthe team you're taking.
Both have their own ups and downs to go earlier.
"Can you take all of us to the sound, Frederica?" you ask your sister... She bites her lip for a second before nodding. "That should be possible... However, it shall take a while to charge." she spoke... Reimu's eyes jumped between Frederica and Shikoro a few times... She seemed pretty sure. "...Are you sure....?" she asks her, Frederica gives a simple smile and nods at her. "Place your hands on me. I'll bring you to the Sound."she said... And the focusing and chakra gathering started.
---
It took three and a half hours... and it was really boring to stand still for that long. Flandre was clearly having trouble... Surprisingly, Reimu didn't. Standing there, calmly, with her hand on Frederica's shoulder and smiling... Surprisingly, you pop in outside the base, you recognize the area, having went through this on your path to meet Reimu. Frederica seems a bit dazed for a few seconds and sits down to catch herself... "...I'm certain I teleported into the base..." she said, sounding almost disappointed on herself... Before Reimu softly pats her on the head. "This way." you say, stepping forward only a single step before Reimu halts you.
"Wait!" she yells out, you look back, a bit confused. "Barrier." she mutters... You look back. You certainly don't SEE a barrier. You're urged to throw something at it to see what happened... But that might not be advisable. Reimu softly walks torwards you, coming to a dead stop only two feet in front of you. "...It's hidden really well. Only sensors should be able to find this..." she said, placing her hand on empty air... Before she closed her eye and spoke. "Fantasy Seal... Reveal." she said, and in a ten by ten meter radius in front of her, a white plate of something became visible. "...Probably a detection one... Gimme a second." she said, reaching into her pockets and grabbing onto eight seals. "On my command. Run through. I can't hold this down for long... It's freakishly powerful. This is impossible for one person to make..." she muttered... With a flick of her hand, those seals slapped onto the barrier and a door shape opening appeared in it. She waves at you, and lets out a quick "Now..." and you rush inside... An instant after the final person, Remilia, went through, it collapsed behind you and you let out a sigh of relief...
...Before you hear a voice that makes you jump for a second. "Don't screw with my barrier!" an omnious voice shouts... It sounded like it belonged to an old man... You prepare for a fight, but before it could happen, Neru appeared in front of you. Giggling. "...Battler said someone was screwing with our barrier. I'm glad it's just you guys... Why'd it take so long for you to visit?" she questions in an almost disappointed voice. "How's it all going in Konoha? And follow me. It's not fun to talk here." she says with a soft smile, gesturing you to come with her.
A: You only arrived a few seconds ago... Did anyone screw with the barrier before you? Mention it.
B: Explain how it is in Konoha.
C: Kick her in the face for not being more welcoming.
D: Explain the situation... Silently.
1: Follow.
2: Don't follow.
Wait... How could she already be here if you just triggered the alarm...? Neru's fast, maybe, but she can't teleport. And you're still a bit away from the base, so there's no possible way she could already be here! "Neru, we only just entered.. .You sure it's us?" you ask her... A bit of worry befalls your tone. Obviously, you don't want people invading the base of, as far as you can remember, your oldest, and even through conflict, sitll one of your closest friends.
Neru merely giggles in response "Yeah. It's you. I'm testing out a new device Nagi made... I'm a projection, not really here~ You came at a great time, Shiko!" she said as she turn around, walking away as she leads you to follow her... Of course, you do. No reason not to follow her, right? You're also very curious to what happened to your old base in all the time you haven't seen it... Neru's probably turned it into something a lot better than just a military and science base, hasn't she?
---
...You didn't expect what she actually did to the base... From the old, dark, ugly military base, it turned into something what seemed more akin to a mansion. A giant, underground mansion... How did she manage this in so little time? With so little manpower? Shouldn't that be... Impossible? Reimu and Flandre seem similarly surprised, while Frederica and Remilia held no reaction, seeing as they really had no prior knowledge of the base...
"I've also got someone that really needs to talk to you, Shikoro, Frederica... It's incredibly important." she says, her gaze turning from playful and happy to worried as she faced you "...I think Kaori already told Reimu some details... Although in less friendly terms as she was annoyed at what happened to her little brother..." wait, what? Kaori...? Does Kaori want to speak with you? Didn't she want you, like, dead...? Why was she here anyway? Criminal organization! Neru... Weren't you planning on turning this into something more peaceful!? Thinking about it slightly annoys you... But, it's Neru. She wouldn't go evil for no reason at all. There has to be something...
The Neru projection in front of you disappears the instant you enter what used to be the arena... Which had now turned into something more of a city square. People were hanging around... Lots and lots of old faces. All old Genin you've seen in the Sound... And some new faces... Or those might've just been people you've never met before... Walking into the room gave you a feeling of nostalgia. Even though you like it a lot better in Konoha, something here... You miss it.
"Heeey~ Shiko~" you can hear a voice come from your left and twist your face torwards it... Eh? Neru...? Quickly, she arrived next to you... "...Haven' dyed my hair back blonde yet. But it's me~" she says in her normal playful tone again.
A: Ask how it's been going.
B: Ask about Kaori specifically.
C: No time to waste time... Go to the person that wants to speak to you.
"How's everything been going lately, Neru?" you ask, Neru starts pacing through the crowds, heading towards the northern part of the base. You pace behind her, making sure all of your team can follow you "Fine, really. We're getting a helping hand from the Right Hand of Akatsuki. We desperately needed that, to slap off all of Orochimaru's attacks." she says... You kind of lose her after the first part of the sentence.... Seriously. "...Have you gone insane!?" you shout at her, Reimu shows a similar, angered reaction...
"...We needed it, Shiko. We would've died without their help. I made sure that they weren't going to backstab up... And they're surprisingly nice... Well, barring that Melt kid and that eyepatch dude from the combat division..." she says. Letting out a soft sigh "So many broken walls..." her voice turns childish that sentence.... And she actually flails for a second. Neru, that's not Kagesque behavoir. "...Oh... Well... Anything else happen?" you ask, Neru shakes her head and shrugs. "Nuthin' special. Satori's dropped by last week but Kaori and I kicked her away. She's surprisingly powerful... Nothing otherwise, though." she said, looking over at you, as if asking if anything happened to you...
"...Well... I discovered I have a part of your bloodline, too. That my dad is a massive, massive dick... Oh, and my old village.. Well... You probably heard of what happened." you say, Neru softly nods and paces forward, you make a shunshin to land besides her before mentioning the final part. "...Plus... I need a way to make Remilia not die... She has something... She's on a timer now... Do you have any of Orochimaru's old research regarding her? We need to find a way for her to not die..." you say... Neru seems slightly... Annoyed by this. "Nagi and Battler should. They've been running through the research data a lot lately. They're two massive nerds." Neru complains. Throwing her arms behind her head.
...Before you reach a door. It used to lead to Orochimaru's personal office... Probably belong to Neru and Kimimaro now, doesn't it? Neru kicks it open, too lazy to pull away her hands from behind her neck... And you see three people inside. That one teleporting ***** was laying down on the desk, a redheaded male was standing in some corner with a large amount of cuts in his face, and a long haired women with giant breasts was leaning against a close by wall. You walk inside, Reimu and Frederica staying close behind you...
Reimu's eyes glare at the women with long hair. "That's Kaori... Be prepared. She might alre-" you hear the door close, turning around... Kaori was already behind you... And she locked the door. "...Relax. You two girls, can you wait outside for a bit? This is private matters." she said... Sensor type? You were pretty sure she was waiting with her eyes closed, after all. You can hear and annoyed "Uuuu~" come from Flandre and a disdained "Hmph" from Remilia... Before you hear them sit down against the wall.
...
You're worried about the fact that she just locked the door behind you. You turn around to look at her... But she already disappears from your sight. Appearing on top of the desk that the teleporter was previously laying on. Said teleporter was now face down on the ground, letting out a complaining scream. "Come closer, you three." she said... "...It's seriously important. I won't harm you" she said as red text popped out from her mouth... You somehow feel like you can believe her... And step closer to her.
A: Ask what the hell she wants from you.
B: Ask what the organization and it's goal is anyway.
C: Ask why they joined Neru.
"What the hell do you want from me!?" you're angry at this point... Even if she doesn't want to hurt you now. She threatened you via Reimu. And is basically invading the home of your best friend.. What the hell did she want? This was just ridiculous... Out of anger, your left eye activates and stays focused on Kaori, who simply pushes her hands off the desk...
...Before suddenly being in front of you. You saw no kinetic energy build up, and couldn't react before she grabbed you into a choke with her left hand. "There's no logical reason for me to not kill you now, Shikoro, Frederica. You're liabilities" Kaori said in a powerful tone. Immediately, to save you, Frederica rushed in... But even her amazing skill in Taijutsu was neutralized, immediately, by Kaori wrapping her left leg around Frederica's neck... You can hear her choke. You can feel no breath course through your airways."...But I won't. Just because I promised Neru to take in another view. But you're treading on very thin ice." she said... Reimu pulled back her left arm to use a jutsu, but Kaori used her one free hand to draw her sword and point it at Reimu.
...She was the leader of the Right Hand, and equal to Sasori and Deidara. Kanzaki Kaori, the Saint of Swords, and a Taijutsu Specialist that even that Akatsuki hadn't seen before. But, that wasn't the limit of her powers...
"Kaori, calm down." Neru said... Putting her left hand on the arm Kaori used to hold you. Instantly, all the power in her crushing grip fades and she lets all of you go, before appearing back on top of the desk. Obviously still agitated... Did she let go out of respect for Neru, or did Neru use something to calm her...?
"...But, Shikoro. Seeing as you really want to know. And it's important that you know so you don't **** up and die" she says. Hissing at you in the last part of the sentence, she was mocking you... You get even more angered from this, but before you can say anything, she speaks again. "Originally, killing you would be the easier option, but with Neru's hospitality, we decided to not go that way." Kaori says, her left hand slamming towards Battler. Immediately, seven chains flew out of her sleeve and wrapped around the red haired man... Before pulling him to right in front of her. "...Your story from here on. It's your research, Battler." she said,her left foot kicking into Battler and pushing him forward.
"...Right, right." he says, scratching the back of his head. "Umm... What was it again?" the instant he says that, Kaori's left foot slams into the side of his face and he lets out a wince of pain, immediately remembering it. "Oh, right... Well. One of my techniques allows me to spy on everyone I've ever been in contact with. Every member of the Right Hand has this jutsu used on them... Including a mysterious shinobi, Tobi." he explained... Background information. You don't care. "Get to the point already." you say, annoyed and impatient.
"Right. Right. He was talking to the leader of Akatsuki. In private. Not even Kaori has ever done that, so that alone was suspicious... But like they're hunting for the Bijuu..." he says "...He really wants your eye as well. As well as your sister's... As well as Neru's bloodline. He said he wanted to be 'complete.'" Battler explains... what?
A: Bullcrap. Why are they helping you if Akatsuki wants this!?
B: Yeah. Prove it. Itachi and Kisame didn't kidnap you when they could!
C: Press for more details.
D: Stay silent... And just wait for him to finish.
You say nothing... And wait for him to continue... Just staring at him... However, he doesn't seem to continue, and he seems quite awkward and confused... After a few seconds more, Kaori gets annoyed and kicks him against the side of his head. "Why did you stop talking!?" she said, annoyed, Battler falls on his side and quickly stands up, rubbing the side of his face. "I expected you or Shikoro to say something. You usually interrupt me when I'm speaking." he said. Kaori lets out an annoyed 'tsk' and Battler continues.
"Right, right... There wasn't much more I heard him say. Barring the fact that Orochimaru was really, really screwing with his plans at first... And, recently, that he lost a big load of pawns with the split of Gekkogakure." he said... Pawns? Orochimaru screwing with his plans? There's too much fiendish evil plans for one speech... And why did they want you, anyway? Wouldn't your dad and Erika be a better haul? "...Oh, right. They might also want those weapons... Probably not a priority. But a nice bonus is a nice bonus, right?" he said, turning around and getting an idiotic smile on his face... His hands moved up into grabby motions... And Kaori was getting obviously frustrated "Kind of like how we get someone powerful with this huge pair of bre-" before he could finish that last word, Kaori had already kicked him in the face and held him down with one foot
"I give, I give!" he begged... But Kaori really didn't feel like stepping off his head, and just stared up at you. "If one of you two dies, it's game over for the other one. With the way he's wording it, he might just destroy everything if he gets that power... And even though we're criminals, we're kind of attached to this little planet." Kaori said... So she really didn't care that much other than that she didn't want to rule over a planet filled with dead people? Right.
"Oh, Shikoro. How long are you staying? You can go hang out with parts of the Right Hand if you want. Combat Division has some asses, but the Defense and Support ones are nice... Nagi's working on Research with the Support Division as well... So you might find what you need there." Neru cuts in... As the teleporter whore finally stands up and opens the door behind you, letting in Remilia and Flandre... And giving you your own exiting path back.
A: Nowhere. Time to leave.
B: Go visit the Combat Division.
C: Support Division... You need to cure Remilia.
D: Defense division.
E: Just hang out with Neru.
1: Leave after this.
2: Stay a day.
3: Stay two.
...You really don't like that pessimism. "I've went through harder things than keeping someone alive... I'll succeed." you say, Frederica steps torwards you and puts her hand on your shoulder. "No. There simply isn't a way.God's Matter is capable of keeping it from spreading... But we cannot simply replace the areas afflicted by Earthrender in her brain with God's Matter. That would kill her." she states... Dammit. Was it really hopeless? Or was there a way to save her...? There has to be one, right? "Can't you just negate the kinetic energy?" you ask, Frederica shakes her head "It'll accelerate again." "Can't Touma destroy it with his arm?" "No. He failed already. A second try wouldn't do anything better." "There has to be so-"
"Shiko. There isn't a way." Reimu cuts in between you and Frederica. "...She wouldn't be saying there isn't a way unless there really is no way. If there was something with even an infinitly small chance of working, she'd suggest it. Okay?" she says... You bite your lip... Dammit.... Why?
A: Suggest another way... Specify what. There has to be one, right?
B: Give up, for now. Sasuke's waking up, so go for ramen.
C: Give up.. For now. But tell Remilia in private. She should know.
D: Give up... For now. But tell everyone.
E: Free choice.
You cross your arms, annoyed... Letting out a soft "Tch..." there had to be a way... There had to be some way to save her. You don't want to give up on her like that... You don't want to give up on anyone if you can help it... You haven't known Remilia for that long, but she's a good friend. Not only that... But she was Flandre's sister, and you have been friends with Flandre for quite a while now. And with how close those two are... You really don't want Flandre to go through losing her sister now that she finally got her back.
After a few seconds, you can hear some grumbling around you. "...Nn..." Sasuke says, waking up... Struggling up. Sakura quickly sits down to help him up, and Sasuke quickly moves his hand to where his injury was. "...Nice going, Shikoro. Scolding us for going all out and then using this level of jutsu." Sasuke says... In a rather playful way. He doesn't seem angry at all, really. "...At least you're competent, actually able to harm me, unlike those two." Sasuke mocks Naruto and Sakura... Naruto's competitive spirit instantly flares up and he gets annoyed. "I would've destroyed you our last fight...!" Naruto blurts out.
"...Weren't we going for Ramen?" Sakura interrupts the two fighters and they look over at her for a second. Sasuke looks confused, while Naruto grins before looking at you. "Yeah. Lets go!"
---
Its a few minutes of walking until you reach the ramen store... And you quickly order whatever.
---
Well. The food arrived quickly. You have plenty money, now, so Reimu doesn't have to pay for anything.
A: Talk about Remilia's... Condition.
B: Just talk about social matters. Specify what.
C: Silently eat.
"So... How about that new Hokage, Lord Tsunade? I've only met her a few times... She's pretty kind, but do any of you know anything more about her?" you ask, and Naruto loos at you, surprised, you take a bite of Ramen before he lets out an explosion of "Kind? Granny Tsunade is mean! You don't know what I had to do to get her to agree on returning to Konoha!" he says... You move your face to look at him, expression filled with a light amount of surprise. "Eh?" you ask... Naruto shakes his head and smiles "You'll see, when we spar again, Shikoro!" he says... So he had something up his sleeve... You wonder what. But you don't consider it too wise to ask in on that. "Anything more?"
"She used to beone of the legendary Sannin, together with Orochimaru and Jiraya. They're three of the strongest ninja Konoha had every known, and were in the same team under Lord Sarutobi... Tsunade was known as the most powerful medical ninja in existance, and nothing has come to prove that wrong... Hell, she's healed Kakashi from mental damage." Sakura explained.. Was that even... Possible? That made no sense at all... Oh well, that just made her seem much more poweful "...She left the village for unknown reasons, though." she finishes... Naruto opens his mouth to speak, before shaking his head and shutting his mouth... Before working in another working of ramen.
The ramen you ordered was starting to empty, too... Hmm... anything more to talk about now?
A: Ask Naruto about THAT JUTSU
B: Ask Naruto about what he was going to say about Tsunade.
C: Something else. Specify.
D: Nothing, nothing. Stay silent and finish eating.
"Well... I discovered I also have an affinity for Fuuton, do you know anyone with that element?" you ask. Naruto looks over at you and smiles "You too? Kakashi told me after some test with a piece of paper, we haven't done any training yet, though... He said Asuma was the leading Fuuton specialist in Konoha..." Naruto says... You commit it to memory. Okay... Asuma. Got it... Naruto also has it, but no training in it yet. Well, at least that proves that it isn't a powerful elemental jutsu that he had up his sleeve...
Quickly, the ramen is finished and Naruto and his team stand up. "Thank you, Shiko." Naruto says as you pay for everything, the rest of Naruto's team also gives you a few words of thanks before they turn around and start to leave... Already? "We have a mission today... In ten minutes or so. See you all later." Naruto says as he and his team suddenly start running... Yeah. Ten minutes was a strict time limit to run across all of Konoha in... Especially if it was a combat mission and they had to conserve chakra.
You turn back to your team... Hmm... What to do now?
A: Go train.
B: Go rest until something interesting happens. You've been training enough.
C: Go search out Asuma.
D: Free choice.
"...Frederica, can you help me when your eye's recovered? I need to drop by the Sound and Gekko..." you ask. While Frederica sees no reason not to agree and quickly nods, Reimu seems angered by your question and steps toward you. "Shiko! You can't ask her to use her eye directly after it recovers! You'll overexert her... Her eye might go out again!" Reimu says, obviously worried for your sister... You understand that, but her eye being out is not really anything compared to Remilia dying...
"I know... But I really need it. Can you take me and Remilia back and forth?" you ask... Frederica immediately understands what you're talking about and nods. "...It'll be useless for that, Shikoro... But I can take you." she says... You sigh. She was really, really sure that there was no way to cure her, right? Remilia looks up at you, confused... "Why do you want to take me there?" her voice was shakey and rather afraid... Surely, she must realise that there was something wrong. "...Don't worry..." you say.
...Your voice almosts breaks. But, you keep that lie up properly and she her worry slightly eases... Her eyes roll down to the ground, and her feet impatiently stomp the ground softly... Seems like while it eased her worry, the don't worry was not enough to fully soothe her worries... You bite your lower lip. You're going to have to tell her soon, right? But... Telling her that she was going to die... Might have a bad effect on her mentality. She was still a young girl, could she truly handle death being so near and so inevitable?
A: Go to Tsunade to ask if you can have a day off in two days.
B: Talk to Remilia about her condition. Have a walk with her.
C: A then B.
D: B then A.
E: Free choice.
"Well... Remilia... I haven't really gotten to know you... Let's take a walk, okay?" you suggest. Reimu's eyes roll over to face you...And Remilia weakly looks up at you... Seems like she really was expecting some bad news. Flandre looks over at you, and then down at her sister, confused... "...What's wrong?" she asks. Remilia moves her face to her sister and smiles, uneffected by the pressure "Nothing, nothing. Reimu's going to get you some sweets now." she said. Reimu gets a surprised and annoyed glare in her eyes... Before falling back to a smile, nodding at Flandre. "Yeah. Let's go eat some candy until they return" she says... And they leave. Frederica gives you one final worried look as she walks away as well...No turning back now.
You start walking with Remilia... Silent until you reach the training grounds again... Finding a nice, silent spot... Before you speak up. "...I'm sorry...But... You only have one month of life left... Unless...." you say, however, your words fall immediately interrupted "A month? That's more than I expected." wait.. What? "...What are you-" "I was worried it was this week or something... I remember what happened, Shikoro. I remember everything. Somehow, my memory has been returning piece by piece. I know that I shouldn't even be alive now." she explains... Was that why she thanked Frederica?
"...Story time~" Remilia says, falling back to her normal, cute, cheerful tone... Which was awkward in this situation. "Gekko has four weapons. Originally, there were eight. But two of them were destroyed, and two of them were lost. Not important now... Our remaining ones are... The Railgun 'That which maximizes potential'. The Scythe of Bernkastel 'That which creates." eh, creates? You've only seen it destroy... However, the readers know that it creates. (See: Pact with earth) "The Axe of Scarlet Thoughts. 'That which destroys'. And the spear of Lavanir. 'That which joins.'" she explains.. Well, that was useless. She just contradicted what you already knew and added no new information at all... Except the Axe. You only knew Mokou had it.
"Each of these weapons have two forms. One is usable by everyone... And one is only usable by the true bearer... Or when the current bearer is in sufficient danger." Remilia explains, sitting down... you sit down as well. "...Upon obtaining one of these, they create a pact with your soul. And you are the true bearer until you die. You cannot pass on the weapon without death." she said, ripping off a slight part of the upper part of her shirt... Revealing a mark on the top of her ribs "I know this 'cos I'm the real wielder of the Lavanir. Only the true wielders get told stuff like this" she explains... So why didn't your sister now this? (Readers know) "Without it, the Lavanir can only pierce and split apart, not join two things together. However, the piercing power it has is still really a lot... Can pierce just about everything, really. Especially if... Well, the user 'joins it with something'" Remilia said... yeah, like when it pierced through Frederica's spear. (God's Matter. You guys know) "Railgun can only pull out a part of your potential until the previous wielder goes byebye. Scythe of Bernkastel can only destroy in the hands of someone not the true bearer. Axe can only create... Well, weapons that destroy stuff. But still." she says, standing up and holding her hands behind her back, calmly.
"I survived direct impact because I was joined to the Lavanir. It 'held my body together'. But that's only a very, very small part of the potential it has" she explains, turning to you and softly smiling.
A: Ask her what she means.
B: Ask her if she knows more about your Railgun.
C: Ask her if she knows more about that axe.
D: Ask her if she knows more about the scythe.
E: You know enough... Go to Tsunade.
"What do you mean?" you ask... Confused about her wording. Join what together? And how was that relevant again? "Hehe. It can join anything together, as long as enough power is added. Two buildings can become one, two mountains can become one... The moon and the sun can become one, too." she said with a smile, spinning around peacefully... She was way too cheerful. This was honestly getting eerie. "...Maybe two souls can become one, too? If I can't heal my body, I can at least forever be with my sister that way." she said, holding her arms behind her back...
...Wait... What? "Don't know if it's possible... But I won't disappear and leave my sister in despair. Flandre's a really nice girl. A bit immature, but really nice. The Earthrender is a legendary attack in Gekko... I was kinda expecting something bad to happen. Sure, didn't expect a sentence to death... And I really don't want to die, either... But if I can just be with my sister, spiritually? That's fine." she said... While it was slightly comforting... It also sickened you that she could be so happy with disappearing. A soul stuck in Flandre's? You'd still be dead, Remilia!
"Don't even think of stuff like that. I'll find a way to save you, okay?" you say and she nods and spins in place for a second, speaking up again "I'm just a pessimistic optimist. Always expect the bad thing to happen, but I make the best of it~" she says, letting herself fall over backwards and lay on the ground. "If you can save me, even better. But if you can't. That's okay.... Flandre can't unlock her full potential without me dying anyway." she said... Yeah. the Lavanir. Remilia still owned it. If she died, Flandre's power would probably blast through the roof... But... Power isn't a reason to kill yourself. "...That's no reason to want to die..." you say. What's with everyone... And being obsessed with 'power'?
A: Ask about the Railgun.
B: Ask about the Lavanir.
C: Ask about the Scythe of Bernkastel.
D: Ask about the Axe of Scarlet Thoughts.
E: Enough talking... Tsunade time.
F: You know enough now... You don't want to go to Gekko and the Sound anymore.
G: Free choice.
"Well... What's with the axe...?" you try to change the subject off of Remilia dying... And decide to ask something of the only weapon you don't know anything about. Remilia rolls around to lay on her side, and tiredly sits up. "...Well, it belong to the Fujiwara clan." right. Mokou's clan. "...Last true bearer I remember was... Um... The mother of that annoying, white haired girl... What's her name." you softly twitch... Was she calling Mokou annoying? And why was that even annoying you? "...Right. You don't remember her name. I didn't ask for that." you say. Your tone slightly annoyed. Remilia looks up at you with questioning eyes, confused about your sudden change of mood... But you simply shake your head.
"...Well, the true version is capable of... Well. Smashing through stuff. It's said to have the ability to crush any defense with ease... It also doesn't have a solid form, being able to turn into mist with exactly the same ability. Mist made out of God's Matter." ouch... That sounds... Yeah. You're not really going to block that. "Most used form is an axe, though. People also say it has a negative effect on the users personality but I think it's just that everyone in the Fujiwara clan is just born a stupid *****" she says... "Oh, shut up." you tell her off, Remilia looks up at you and giggles. "Just kidding. Ignore that last part~" she says... Well, that was useful enough.
"Oii, Shiko. I ran into Tsunade." you hear Reimu's voice from the distance, and both she and Tsunade show up "...She explained what happened. I can't give you anything more than three days, and you must immediately return on request, got it!?" she orders... You feel a large amount of pressure descent on you again as she says that, and you weakly nod. "...Y-Yes." you mutter... Before Tsunade looks at Remilia, her eyes rolling back to you after. "I can heal the injuries the Earthrender causes, but I can't stop the Earthrender itself. I've ran into a few people who got hit by it... It'll require biweekly checkups, and she'll be in a lot of pain... Probably not being able to walk after the first few weeks." she explained... Dammit. That's your biggest lead out... You can't let her just live in torture, right?
A: Deny that option, go train until Frederica recovers.
B: Accept that option as a last resort, to extend the time you have to find something... Go train.
C: A, but rest the days.
D: B, but rest the days.
E: Free choice.
"I'll keep that in mind as a last resort, Lord Tsunade... Thank you. I don't want to lose anyone." you explain... Tsunade nods. "By the way, your trip to Gekkogakure will serve for political reasons as well. I heard the story from Reimu and your sister. You need to try to create a bond between the new Kage and Konoha... For that, and for that reason alone, might your trip be extended. I understand it's your home town and you might want to look around, but it's of the utmost importance that we focus on Konoha's repair." she says... Her tone really contains a lot of authority and experience. You nod in reply and acceptance... Sure. You wanted to do more stuff than just diplomacy in Gekko, but... yeah. This was a lot more important. Maybe you could sneak in some time to do stuff?
"Well... In two days it is. Thank you again." you say, bowing to Tsunade... Can't be disrespectful to her... She nods and turns away, pacing back to probably the Hokage's tower or wherever. You look at Remilia for a second... She glares at you, noticably annoyed. "...Please don't keep me alive if it hurts too much." she says. You smile down on her and shake your head. "Hey... You won't die, okay? Don't worry about it." you say... She puffs her cheeks for a second before smiling... At least she believes in your resolve.
Now... Training time.
A: Ninjutsu
-1 General Ninjutsu
-2 Suiton, Offensive
-3 Fuuton, Offensive
-4 Suiton, Defensive
-5 Fuuton, Offensive
-6 Suiton, Other.
-7 Fuuton, Other.
-8 Work to combining elements with your Doujutsu
B: Taijutsu.
-1 Speed training
-2 Strength training
-3 Skill training
-4 Try to improve your style.
C: Genjutsu
-1 Offense
-2 Defense
D: Doujutsu
-1 Construction
-2 Attraction
-3 Deflection
-4 Acceleration
-5 Deconstruction
-6 Negation
-7 Sealing
-8 Reflection
-9 Combinations.
E: Railgun/Curse Seal.
-1 Work towards being able to unlock the full first CS's form without sideeffects.
-2 Work towards being able to use more of the CS form's stamina.
-3 Improve your control over your railgun.
-4 Try to learn how to tap into the Railgun's chakra.
You start to work on a supportive water jutsu.. An important one. What's the best way to create water? Rain... of course. With rain, your water was everywhere... And if it was everywhere, at least, if you had enough fine control on it, you had your weapons everywhere... What if you managed to combine it with Kinetic Energy manipulation? Small, sharp suiton blades falling all over the place... It'd be great.
---
Yeah... you got Rain Dance. You need a slight water source for it, about as much as the mist... You can create a type of replicating effect on the water with your chakra and then make it rain a lot of water all over the place. It's pretty concentration-heavy to start on, though.... Which might be problematic in the middle of a fight. However, once you used it, it's activated for a good two minutes... It's just a light rain now. And there's no additional effects yet. But you're sure you can improve it to having those later. Gotta start somewhere, right?
"Oiii, Shikoro. Frederica's eyesight returned. We're leaving in an hour or so... She needs some rest, first" Reimu notes to you.. You nod at her, and continue training for that one final hour.
---
Before returning home. Okay... You're pretty tired from the two day training session, but it's nothing big... "I'm ready, Shiko." Reimu says. You nod at her, before looking at Remilia... She nods, too... Hmm... Who to take along? And where to go first?
A: Gekko, specify the team you're taking.
B: Neru's base. Specify tthe team you're taking.
Both have their own ups and downs to go earlier.
"Can you take all of us to the sound, Frederica?" you ask your sister... She bites her lip for a second before nodding. "That should be possible... However, it shall take a while to charge." she spoke... Reimu's eyes jumped between Frederica and Shikoro a few times... She seemed pretty sure. "...Are you sure....?" she asks her, Frederica gives a simple smile and nods at her. "Place your hands on me. I'll bring you to the Sound."she said... And the focusing and chakra gathering started.
---
It took three and a half hours... and it was really boring to stand still for that long. Flandre was clearly having trouble... Surprisingly, Reimu didn't. Standing there, calmly, with her hand on Frederica's shoulder and smiling... Surprisingly, you pop in outside the base, you recognize the area, having went through this on your path to meet Reimu. Frederica seems a bit dazed for a few seconds and sits down to catch herself... "...I'm certain I teleported into the base..." she said, sounding almost disappointed on herself... Before Reimu softly pats her on the head. "This way." you say, stepping forward only a single step before Reimu halts you.
"Wait!" she yells out, you look back, a bit confused. "Barrier." she mutters... You look back. You certainly don't SEE a barrier. You're urged to throw something at it to see what happened... But that might not be advisable. Reimu softly walks torwards you, coming to a dead stop only two feet in front of you. "...It's hidden really well. Only sensors should be able to find this..." she said, placing her hand on empty air... Before she closed her eye and spoke. "Fantasy Seal... Reveal." she said, and in a ten by ten meter radius in front of her, a white plate of something became visible. "...Probably a detection one... Gimme a second." she said, reaching into her pockets and grabbing onto eight seals. "On my command. Run through. I can't hold this down for long... It's freakishly powerful. This is impossible for one person to make..." she muttered... With a flick of her hand, those seals slapped onto the barrier and a door shape opening appeared in it. She waves at you, and lets out a quick "Now..." and you rush inside... An instant after the final person, Remilia, went through, it collapsed behind you and you let out a sigh of relief...
...Before you hear a voice that makes you jump for a second. "Don't screw with my barrier!" an omnious voice shouts... It sounded like it belonged to an old man... You prepare for a fight, but before it could happen, Neru appeared in front of you. Giggling. "...Battler said someone was screwing with our barrier. I'm glad it's just you guys... Why'd it take so long for you to visit?" she questions in an almost disappointed voice. "How's it all going in Konoha? And follow me. It's not fun to talk here." she says with a soft smile, gesturing you to come with her.
A: You only arrived a few seconds ago... Did anyone screw with the barrier before you? Mention it.
B: Explain how it is in Konoha.
C: Kick her in the face for not being more welcoming.
D: Explain the situation... Silently.
1: Follow.
2: Don't follow.
Wait... How could she already be here if you just triggered the alarm...? Neru's fast, maybe, but she can't teleport. And you're still a bit away from the base, so there's no possible way she could already be here! "Neru, we only just entered.. .You sure it's us?" you ask her... A bit of worry befalls your tone. Obviously, you don't want people invading the base of, as far as you can remember, your oldest, and even through conflict, sitll one of your closest friends.
Neru merely giggles in response "Yeah. It's you. I'm testing out a new device Nagi made... I'm a projection, not really here~ You came at a great time, Shiko!" she said as she turn around, walking away as she leads you to follow her... Of course, you do. No reason not to follow her, right? You're also very curious to what happened to your old base in all the time you haven't seen it... Neru's probably turned it into something a lot better than just a military and science base, hasn't she?
---
...You didn't expect what she actually did to the base... From the old, dark, ugly military base, it turned into something what seemed more akin to a mansion. A giant, underground mansion... How did she manage this in so little time? With so little manpower? Shouldn't that be... Impossible? Reimu and Flandre seem similarly surprised, while Frederica and Remilia held no reaction, seeing as they really had no prior knowledge of the base...
"I've also got someone that really needs to talk to you, Shikoro, Frederica... It's incredibly important." she says, her gaze turning from playful and happy to worried as she faced you "...I think Kaori already told Reimu some details... Although in less friendly terms as she was annoyed at what happened to her little brother..." wait, what? Kaori...? Does Kaori want to speak with you? Didn't she want you, like, dead...? Why was she here anyway? Criminal organization! Neru... Weren't you planning on turning this into something more peaceful!? Thinking about it slightly annoys you... But, it's Neru. She wouldn't go evil for no reason at all. There has to be something...
The Neru projection in front of you disappears the instant you enter what used to be the arena... Which had now turned into something more of a city square. People were hanging around... Lots and lots of old faces. All old Genin you've seen in the Sound... And some new faces... Or those might've just been people you've never met before... Walking into the room gave you a feeling of nostalgia. Even though you like it a lot better in Konoha, something here... You miss it.
"Heeey~ Shiko~" you can hear a voice come from your left and twist your face torwards it... Eh? Neru...? Quickly, she arrived next to you... "...Haven' dyed my hair back blonde yet. But it's me~" she says in her normal playful tone again.
A: Ask how it's been going.
B: Ask about Kaori specifically.
C: No time to waste time... Go to the person that wants to speak to you.
"How's everything been going lately, Neru?" you ask, Neru starts pacing through the crowds, heading towards the northern part of the base. You pace behind her, making sure all of your team can follow you "Fine, really. We're getting a helping hand from the Right Hand of Akatsuki. We desperately needed that, to slap off all of Orochimaru's attacks." she says... You kind of lose her after the first part of the sentence.... Seriously. "...Have you gone insane!?" you shout at her, Reimu shows a similar, angered reaction...
"...We needed it, Shiko. We would've died without their help. I made sure that they weren't going to backstab up... And they're surprisingly nice... Well, barring that Melt kid and that eyepatch dude from the combat division..." she says. Letting out a soft sigh "So many broken walls..." her voice turns childish that sentence.... And she actually flails for a second. Neru, that's not Kagesque behavoir. "...Oh... Well... Anything else happen?" you ask, Neru shakes her head and shrugs. "Nuthin' special. Satori's dropped by last week but Kaori and I kicked her away. She's surprisingly powerful... Nothing otherwise, though." she said, looking over at you, as if asking if anything happened to you...
"...Well... I discovered I have a part of your bloodline, too. That my dad is a massive, massive dick... Oh, and my old village.. Well... You probably heard of what happened." you say, Neru softly nods and paces forward, you make a shunshin to land besides her before mentioning the final part. "...Plus... I need a way to make Remilia not die... She has something... She's on a timer now... Do you have any of Orochimaru's old research regarding her? We need to find a way for her to not die..." you say... Neru seems slightly... Annoyed by this. "Nagi and Battler should. They've been running through the research data a lot lately. They're two massive nerds." Neru complains. Throwing her arms behind her head.
...Before you reach a door. It used to lead to Orochimaru's personal office... Probably belong to Neru and Kimimaro now, doesn't it? Neru kicks it open, too lazy to pull away her hands from behind her neck... And you see three people inside. That one teleporting ***** was laying down on the desk, a redheaded male was standing in some corner with a large amount of cuts in his face, and a long haired women with giant breasts was leaning against a close by wall. You walk inside, Reimu and Frederica staying close behind you...
Reimu's eyes glare at the women with long hair. "That's Kaori... Be prepared. She might alre-" you hear the door close, turning around... Kaori was already behind you... And she locked the door. "...Relax. You two girls, can you wait outside for a bit? This is private matters." she said... Sensor type? You were pretty sure she was waiting with her eyes closed, after all. You can hear and annoyed "Uuuu~" come from Flandre and a disdained "Hmph" from Remilia... Before you hear them sit down against the wall.
...
You're worried about the fact that she just locked the door behind you. You turn around to look at her... But she already disappears from your sight. Appearing on top of the desk that the teleporter was previously laying on. Said teleporter was now face down on the ground, letting out a complaining scream. "Come closer, you three." she said... "...It's seriously important. I won't harm you" she said as red text popped out from her mouth... You somehow feel like you can believe her... And step closer to her.
A: Ask what the hell she wants from you.
B: Ask what the organization and it's goal is anyway.
C: Ask why they joined Neru.
"What the hell do you want from me!?" you're angry at this point... Even if she doesn't want to hurt you now. She threatened you via Reimu. And is basically invading the home of your best friend.. What the hell did she want? This was just ridiculous... Out of anger, your left eye activates and stays focused on Kaori, who simply pushes her hands off the desk...
...Before suddenly being in front of you. You saw no kinetic energy build up, and couldn't react before she grabbed you into a choke with her left hand. "There's no logical reason for me to not kill you now, Shikoro, Frederica. You're liabilities" Kaori said in a powerful tone. Immediately, to save you, Frederica rushed in... But even her amazing skill in Taijutsu was neutralized, immediately, by Kaori wrapping her left leg around Frederica's neck... You can hear her choke. You can feel no breath course through your airways."...But I won't. Just because I promised Neru to take in another view. But you're treading on very thin ice." she said... Reimu pulled back her left arm to use a jutsu, but Kaori used her one free hand to draw her sword and point it at Reimu.
...She was the leader of the Right Hand, and equal to Sasori and Deidara. Kanzaki Kaori, the Saint of Swords, and a Taijutsu Specialist that even that Akatsuki hadn't seen before. But, that wasn't the limit of her powers...
"Kaori, calm down." Neru said... Putting her left hand on the arm Kaori used to hold you. Instantly, all the power in her crushing grip fades and she lets all of you go, before appearing back on top of the desk. Obviously still agitated... Did she let go out of respect for Neru, or did Neru use something to calm her...?
"...But, Shikoro. Seeing as you really want to know. And it's important that you know so you don't **** up and die" she says. Hissing at you in the last part of the sentence, she was mocking you... You get even more angered from this, but before you can say anything, she speaks again. "Originally, killing you would be the easier option, but with Neru's hospitality, we decided to not go that way." Kaori says, her left hand slamming towards Battler. Immediately, seven chains flew out of her sleeve and wrapped around the red haired man... Before pulling him to right in front of her. "...Your story from here on. It's your research, Battler." she said,her left foot kicking into Battler and pushing him forward.
"...Right, right." he says, scratching the back of his head. "Umm... What was it again?" the instant he says that, Kaori's left foot slams into the side of his face and he lets out a wince of pain, immediately remembering it. "Oh, right... Well. One of my techniques allows me to spy on everyone I've ever been in contact with. Every member of the Right Hand has this jutsu used on them... Including a mysterious shinobi, Tobi." he explained... Background information. You don't care. "Get to the point already." you say, annoyed and impatient.
"Right. Right. He was talking to the leader of Akatsuki. In private. Not even Kaori has ever done that, so that alone was suspicious... But like they're hunting for the Bijuu..." he says "...He really wants your eye as well. As well as your sister's... As well as Neru's bloodline. He said he wanted to be 'complete.'" Battler explains... what?
A: Bullcrap. Why are they helping you if Akatsuki wants this!?
B: Yeah. Prove it. Itachi and Kisame didn't kidnap you when they could!
C: Press for more details.
D: Stay silent... And just wait for him to finish.
You say nothing... And wait for him to continue... Just staring at him... However, he doesn't seem to continue, and he seems quite awkward and confused... After a few seconds more, Kaori gets annoyed and kicks him against the side of his head. "Why did you stop talking!?" she said, annoyed, Battler falls on his side and quickly stands up, rubbing the side of his face. "I expected you or Shikoro to say something. You usually interrupt me when I'm speaking." he said. Kaori lets out an annoyed 'tsk' and Battler continues.
"Right, right... There wasn't much more I heard him say. Barring the fact that Orochimaru was really, really screwing with his plans at first... And, recently, that he lost a big load of pawns with the split of Gekkogakure." he said... Pawns? Orochimaru screwing with his plans? There's too much fiendish evil plans for one speech... And why did they want you, anyway? Wouldn't your dad and Erika be a better haul? "...Oh, right. They might also want those weapons... Probably not a priority. But a nice bonus is a nice bonus, right?" he said, turning around and getting an idiotic smile on his face... His hands moved up into grabby motions... And Kaori was getting obviously frustrated "Kind of like how we get someone powerful with this huge pair of bre-" before he could finish that last word, Kaori had already kicked him in the face and held him down with one foot
"I give, I give!" he begged... But Kaori really didn't feel like stepping off his head, and just stared up at you. "If one of you two dies, it's game over for the other one. With the way he's wording it, he might just destroy everything if he gets that power... And even though we're criminals, we're kind of attached to this little planet." Kaori said... So she really didn't care that much other than that she didn't want to rule over a planet filled with dead people? Right.
"Oh, Shikoro. How long are you staying? You can go hang out with parts of the Right Hand if you want. Combat Division has some asses, but the Defense and Support ones are nice... Nagi's working on Research with the Support Division as well... So you might find what you need there." Neru cuts in... As the teleporter whore finally stands up and opens the door behind you, letting in Remilia and Flandre... And giving you your own exiting path back.
A: Nowhere. Time to leave.
B: Go visit the Combat Division.
C: Support Division... You need to cure Remilia.
D: Defense division.
E: Just hang out with Neru.
1: Leave after this.
2: Stay a day.
3: Stay two.