Planned Happenstance

[Willoria]

She was a child who missed her father. It was a truth at the center of her core, Suzume knew that. In accidentally taking on EGF, she had lost herself for a time. She had tossed aside the organization inherited from her father, feeling it was an empty shell that only expanded the void within her. She had walked away from the life she had set up for herself in Dragon Country, completely ashamed of what she had become. It threatened to eat away at her, but of course in her leaving there were a few things she had made sure to take with her. All of these things were within a pack she kept with her, including a rather large scroll. She had thought about destroying it, removing her final temptation to hold on to anything left of the man, but in leaving her organization behind she had received a message as well. It was cryptic, it wasn't something she could verify, but she felt driven to see for herself.

There were a few small villages outside of Konoha that Suzume had taken note of in the past, back when she had accidentally stumbled upon the village itself and that was where she made her stay. She moved from one to the next, curious about the person she sought. 'Black eyes... black bracelets... that's what he said...' she thought to herself, sitting in the corner of an inn that seemed more promising than the others.

She kept her cloak drawn about herself, her coolie hat on her head and tipped downward to keep her face hidden. A cup of tea, long since turned cold, sat in front of her. She went over strategy after strategy in her mind, but nothing seemed right. 'Will she be alone? Guards? He was unclear... he mentioned family but those could be guards instead... this power... I doubt she's alone...'

She sat holding her non-existent breath and waited.

[TyDie]

Their trip to Konoha had bore far more fruit than even Sakaki had thought possible. The girl had gotten everything she wanted from this cultural expedition to experience the life of the Sand Village's ally; she tried new foods, saw new sights, and most importantly made new friends. She had had discussions with the Hokage of the Leaf Village about numerous subjects and done her duty to bring the villages even closer together, which was precisely what she aimed to achieve. So to say that the Jinchuuriki was 'happy' was a serious, serious understatement. The girl was practically skipping in her black and gold kimono, her hair done up in a bun with chopsticks to keep her appearance somewhat proper despite her mannerisms and giddiness standing in stark juxtaposition to her attire and appearance.

Despite the risks that came with staying in a populated area at night, Sakaki managed to convince Souta that one last night in Fire Country would do them all some good. A real bed at an inn instead of camping in a tent? It wasn't hard to sell her Rika and Souta on, and despite Rokuro's protests about security, she won the majority and were able to stay in a small town close to the border of Wind Country. She and the rest of her group strut into the small, quiet inn, and Sakaki lead the group to the front of the bar. "Hello sir! Me and my comrades here would like to spend one more night here in Fire Country with a bit of comfort. Could you put us up for the night?" The man behind the counter, an old, blad gentleman with a long white beard eyed the shinobi group over and smiled.

"Hoho, of course child. Plenty of rooms upstairs, just let me know how many you need." Sakaki turned around to look at Souta for a moment, a big smile on her face as her darkened eyes seemed to light up. "Rika and I can share a bedroom, and you three can sleep however you need to. Y'all go ahead upstairs and set up the rooms, I need to use the restroom." Sakaki gave her father a hug and left him and the rest of the crew to gather all the stuff and prepare their rooms for the night. Meanwhile, Sakaki would skip around the corner, paying no mind to anyone else in the room. However, she had another set of eyes that was attentive, and it had no problem giving voice to what it noticed.

Caution child, there is an unnatural presence nearby. Sakaki simply rolled her eyes as Shishire spoke in her mind, making her way towards the bathroom. "Since when do you care about my well being?" It was clear she didn't believe the spirit within her... and in a moment she might regret that.

[Willoria]

Suzume sat with her hand just in front of her face, under the brim of her hat, fingers twitching as she waited. 'How was he ever so patient?' she couldn't help the thought, though a smile like a cheshire grin followed the thought as she chuckled to herself. 'Patient? Never. Never was he.' she answered herself, shaking her head even as she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. It seemed to be an entire entourage, and silently she wondered if she had finally found the right place. Most of them went off to a set of stairs to find their rooms, but one of them broke off from the group.

The girl's blackened schlera gave her away first, her wrists bared by the short-sleeved kimono was the second giveaway. Suzume's yellow eyes followed her as she walked right past her and around a corner towards the bathrooms. A quick check to see the rest of the entourage had gone another direction and up the stairs, and Suzume was out of her seat. She channeled chakra through her body in a gathering of black chakra that quickly dissipated as she rounded the corner after the girl, ensuring she would appear as a normal person at least when she first spoke to the girl.

'What am I doing?' she found herself thinking as she followed Sakaki into the bathroom, deftly locking the door behind her as she stepped in and suddenly advanced on Sakaki, aiming to keep the girl between herself and a wall. "You and I have something to discuss."

Jutsu UsedShow

[Personalized Transformation]
D-Rank Ninjutsu
After channeling chakra through her body, Suzume is able to use this more specialized form of the Transformation Technique to change her appearance to match that which she appeared before she ever attained EGF. This transformation being more reliable than the original Transformation technique, requiring a much more keen eye to see through this disguise. However, this form is insubstantial, and a single attack will dispel the disguise. Lasts for an amount of posts equal to Suzume's (Chakra Pool/2).

[TyDie]

The jinchuuriki entered the bathroom, which had a total of three different stalls from what she could see, paying no mind to the presence following her into the room. As she went towards an empty stall however, she felt herself face to face with some strange, yellow eyed woman, who advanced step by step towards her until Sakaki's back was to the wall. The Jinchuuriki wasn't truly afraid yet, she felt confident that she could deal with whoever this was... however, the look on her face betrayed her discomfort with the situation, and if that wasn't enough she was already surrounded by a black vignette of chakra as she prepared a technique to deal with the woman. "Turn around now and we'll forget this ever happened, but one sudden move and it'll be the last thing you ever do."

She had no idea who this girl was or what she wanted, but to approach her so dangerously told Sakaki all she needed to know; whatever she wanted, it wasn't in Sakaki's best interest. And if she had to, she'd leave the woman a corpse on the bathroom floor... but she hoped it wouldn't come to that.

[Willoria]

Suzume couldn't help a bit of a smirk at the black chakra. It was something that would have made most uncomfortable, but it was a color she was far more familiar with than the traditional blue. She took a single step back from the girl but did not leave, instead holding her hands out at her sides and open to show she was no threat. Yet in preparation in case she needed to defend herself, black chakra swirled lightly around the woman herself as well, even as she smiled. "I'm not here to hurt you." she tried to assure her. "I'm hoping we can help one another."

She did not raise her hands up, knowing that might leave Sakaki thinking she might attack, especially as the hilt of her sword was peeking over a shoulder. Instead she kept them down, simply open, and formed no seals as she watched the girl in front of her. "I've heard rumors of you... of what you might be able to do..." she said, reminding herself to feign a normal breathing pattern as she spoke. "If what I've heard is right... you might be able to help me..." she chewed on her lower lip a moment, faltering as she wondered if this really was a good idea. She'd fought to keep the truth a secret for so long, if she told this one girl, it could spread through the villages like wildfire.

"I need my father back... and I think you're the only one who can help me..."

[TyDie]

The woman before her held her hands out to show a lack of desire to fight, yet Sakaki's guard was still up and chakra still swirled around her, slowly making it's way towards her hands to coat them with Shishire's power. One single touch is all it would take for Sakaki to render the woman paralyzed now; it was one of her few close range techniques that involved the use of the Soul Genma's power. But more interestingly, this mysterious woman seemed to have unique chakra, just like her; a black mass of power that enshrouded her. So she was a ninja too... but she saw no sign of village association. With a stern gaze Sakaki held her right hand out, pointing at the woman with her chakra-cloaked hand "Who the hell are you? And how do you know who I am?"

But before she would get answers, she would receive more questions; this girl wanted her father back? She wanted Sakaki's help? Sakaki shook her head in disbelief and scoffed in annoyance. "You follow me into a bathroom to get me alone, corner me threateningly, then expect me to help you? You're not giving me much to go on here woman, and you certainly aren't earning my trust! Tell me who you are, now!" Now Sakaki was battle ready, her hands out in front of her ready to lash out at her the moment she made a movement. Flee, child. You can bend space and time, in a flash you could be gone from here. It was true; Sakaki could have left before this situation got as bad as it was now... but that damn curiosity of hers wouldn't let her. Even if she refused to help this woman, she at least needed to know why her assailant felt the need to go to such lengths to get Sakaki alone.

JutsuShow

[Frigid Embrace of Hel]
B-Rank Shijutsu
Prerequisite: Form 1 or higher
Sakaki will perform a series of hand seals, funneling chakra within her hands to allow her to damage a target's soul. For the next three posts, Should Sakaki's strike impact a target, the area surrounding the point of contact will become completely paralyzed for 3 posts. Repeated strikes in the same area refresh the duration of paralysis

[Willoria]

"Hiraku Suzume." She had no qualms giving her own name, and so far Sakaki's reaction had already been better than she expected. She could not confirm what was within Sakaki of course, even the spies she inherited from her father weren't that good, but she could suspect based on what her spy had reported to her. If it was accurate, she was lucky she hadn't been left for dead already. "I don't expect you to trust me." she said flatly. "But I am offering you a weapon you can't just scoff at, something you should at least consider." she prayed she could keep up her words, that she could channel her father in this moment. "My father was Hiraku Kenji... one of the most dangerous missing ninja to ever live, and what no one really knows is that... he's dead." She seemed to swallow hard as she spoke the words.

"And I need his help." she added. "His curse... his worst curse... is visited on me now." She reached a hand slowly up to her coolie hat and removed it, setting it aside before briefly closing her eyes and letting the jutsu she had used dissipate. A moment later the woman who stood in front of Sakaki was still Suzume, but a far more horrific figure. Her mouth looked like it had been cut wider at the corners and stitched back together, her flesh dried on a rack and sewn back together. Ever part of her looked as if it had been ripped apart and made a horrific puppet of some kind. It only got worse as she tilted her head to regard Sakaki's reaction carefully. She shifted her hands down to her sides again and tendrils slipped from the sleeves to wriggle around her wrists before disappearing again.

"He can save me." she said quietly. "I just need to talk to him... and afterwards you can have him." She seemed to take a few deep breaths, chest rising and falling as she did so. "I have... what's left of him. You can use that." she closed her eyes for a moment, forcing her mind to calm and trying to compose her thoughts. "My father had spies in his day, spies that report to me, that's how I heard about you, how I found you. One of them thought they saw you resurrect a wolf... and I've been to Konoha before... so I knew I had to try and find you. To try and get you to help me. No matter what it meant for me."

[TyDie]

Sakaki's eyebrow raised as she heard the girl's name, though she didn't immediately recognize it. The comings and goings of the missing ninja world had only recently become a topic of interest for Sakaki, now that she was almost ready to start gathering the bodies of powerful criminals to reanimate. But suddenly it seemed the woman had a proposition for Sakaki, and the name she spoke next definitely rung a bell. "Hiraku... I've never heard of you before, but there aren't many ninja that don't know of Kenji in one way or another. You say he's dead? A lot of people doubt that he even can die, word is he stood against the Hokage and lived. And after speaking to the Hokage personally, I can promise you that's no easy feat." Hokage Takeo was one of the most powerful ninja Sakaki had ever met, to even survive a battle with a man like that put Hiraku Kenji on a pedestal above many others. How on earth did he die?

You concern yourself far too much with the 'why', child. If he is dead, use him. He is ours now, as are all souls, Shihihihi. The spirit spoke in her mind, but Sakaki was far too interested in the sight that she now beheld in front of her. The chakra dissipated from her hands as she took in the sight of Suzume's true form; it was hideous, monstrous even, and yet Sakaki found herself fascinated instead of disgusted. "What on earth... is there even anything solid inside of you anymore? This is what gave your father his strength? But how does someone like this have a corpse? Fascinating..." Suddenly, the door began to jostle behind Suzume, and a loud banging erupted from the other side followed by a voice calling out for Sakaki. And Sakaki immediately knew who's voice that was...

"Souta. Shit."

She didn't have much time to think, and what she needed was more time and more privacy. Luckily, she had a way of attaining both. "Your turn to trust; Walk through the portal." Sakaki was already shrouded in black chakra again, and a moment later the woman physically ripped space open with her hands, opening a portal through space that lead to the girl's personal realm, created by the power of her space time prowess. The second Suzume walked through Sakaki would follow, and they'd both be suddenly transported through space and time, arriving near instantly in Sakaki's realm. They would arrive in an open 'welcoming' area, with a stone path in front of them that lead to a crossroads. In each corner of this land were various locations; Right in front of them was her giant laboratory, full of her scientific interests, while to their left was a small cavern with a locked door and to their right was a tranquility garden. A full moon hung in the sky, casting Sakaki's realm into perpetual night. "I've bought us some time to talk, but not much. It's taxing to keep anyone here but me. You say that you have his body? I'll need to see it... or, whatever is left of it."

JutsuShow

Open Space: Seeking Truth
A-Rank Jikukan Ninjutsu
Sakaki begins by channeling chakra through her body, then reaches out into the air in front of her to physically grab “space”, pulling apart her two hands to tear apart Space right in front of her up to 3x3 meters. This tear is new, and will cause the universe to self correct and make a personal realm for Sakaki. This technique is required for Sakaki to have any techniques that involve the use of a personal realm. This technique can only be used once to create a personal realm, but can be used repeatedly in order to enter that realm. An Architect using this technique within their realm will merit no reaction, while using it within someone else’s realm will allow Sakaki to enter her own. Specifics on the Realm can be found within the Jikukan spoiler.

[Willoria]

Before Suzume could respond to Sakaki's questions, the pounding at the door came. She suspected this 'Souta' must be one of the girl's guards, or something akin to that judging by her reaction. If the man caught her with Sakaki she was of little doubt that the result would be disastrous and her hope to get this girl to resurrect Kenji would go for naught. But then the girl spoke of trust and opened a portal, and Suzume had to fight a smile. Of course portals were complicated and walking into one brought up by another could leave Suzume in danger, but it was also a sign. Sakaki wanted to know more, away from the man pounding at the bathroom door, and that meant Suzume's plan was starting to work.

She didn't hesitate, stepping through the portal quickly. She was so accustomed to her father's realm that she couldn't help but to stare for several moments at every aspect of it, the full moon overhead putting a smile on her face before she realized Sakaki had spoken again. "I'm sorry, I haven't seen a realm of another since my father's and his was.... well. Confusing. To put it simply." she said, chuckling almost awkwardly. "Yours is amazing..."

She turned to Sakaki and it clicked in her head what she'd been asked, and she nodded quickly as she shrugged her pack off her shoulders. "I'm not sure if this will bring him back with this curse I've gained of his, or if it'll bring him back human... but I have the scroll he used to gain this. In it are the rest of his organs, some of his flesh... and I have another scroll with the parts left after the ritual that killed him." She took out one large scroll and one slightly smaller, offering them both to Sakaki.

"I'm afraid it may get grotesque from here... but you seemed to handle my appearance fine, so maybe this won't be much to you." she said quietly, her hands shaking a bit as she offered the scrolls. "I'm sorry... it's... it's all I have left of him, as morbid as it all is..." she admitted quietly.

[TyDie]

Sakaki could already feel the realm pulling from her chakra as the two woman stood in her realm together. It was already exhausting, her breath becoming more and more labored by the second, but the information she was gathering was already worth so much. So this woman's father was capable of Jikukan as well? The amount of power contained within this man's soul was becoming more and more apparent by the moment. "Jikukan is a rare power. I only know a couple of other shinobi capable of it from my village, among the thousands of shinobi in Suna. Not even our Kazekage can do it. Kenji must have possessed some incredible power... And thanks for the compliment." Sakaki smiled at the strange yellow eyed woman, as a bead of sweat made it's way down her forehead, betraying how much effort this was truly taking her to maintain. "The Realm reflects the creator from what I understand. But enough about that, you want to know if I can raise your father, not talk about my jutsu."

Suzume did as Sakaki asked and produced all that she had of her father's remains, explaining that the big scroll contained all that was his body before his transformation, and the smaller scroll was whatever was left after his last technique. Sakaki raised an eyebrow, took the scrolls from her, and wasted no time letting both of them unroll before laying them flat on the ground. Then, with a slap of her hand on the centers of both scrolls... viscera and gore appeared on top of the scroll. Bones, organs, skin, muscle, sinew... but it was all scattered around haphazardly, there was no corpse to be had here; just an amalgamation of what once was a corpse.

Sakaki frowned at the sight, looking up to Suzume and sighing as another bead of sweat trickled down her neck. "All the parts are here, but it's an unfinished puzzle. I can't do anything with these in their current state, I need an in tact corpse." Sakaki ran her fingers through her raven locks, letting her hair fall down her back as the act caused the chopsticks to fall out of her hair to the ground beneath her. With another slap of her hands, the scrolls poofed and all that they had released was once more put back into their respective containers. The woman then stood, but left the scrolls sprawled on the ground of her realm.

"I can put it back together, but not now. It'd take far too much time. You would have to... leave them with me." The words hung in the air, and Sakaki knew that the girl would have a hard time with the suggestion. After all, this entire exchange already required a great deal of trust on both of their parts, and this would go beyond even that.

[Willoria]

As Sakaki revealed the bits and pieces that were once parts of Suzume's father, Suzume seemed unphased. Thanks to Kenji she had seen plenty of gore in her life now, and though this gore happened to be Kenji's, it still didn't bother her. But as the other girl mentioned she couldn't just piece it all together, Suzume frowned. "I suppose you'd need time and Iijutsu to create a corpse from it, I hadn't really thought about it." she admitted quietly, reaching up a hand to remove her coolie hat and letting it hang in one hand. Her hair fell in her face, but still did nothing to improve the grotesque appearance that was her and the EGF. "I'm afraid during the time I knew him he never was a full body, what you see of me is what he was the entire time I knew him."

As Sakaki told her she would need to leave the scrolls with her, Suzume paused. She stared down at the scrolls themselves for several minutes before lifting her yellow eyes to look at the girl before her and she suddenly made a decision. From her pack she quickly pulled a small scroll, scrawling a few quick instructions before rolling it back up and holding it out to Sakaki. "These are instructions on how to contact me through another party. I admit, there's more steps beyond this but the others have their instructions as well." she explained. "Do this, and the messages will get to me. I already have a similar arrangement with someone in Konoha, so it should work just as well in Suna." she added, sighing quietly as she looked at Sakaki a moment.

Her confidence seemed to falter briefly as she looked at Sakaki, and appeared to take a deep breath. "I can't cry." she said quietly. "I no longer need breath. Food. Drink. I never imagined how I would miss these things." she added. "I... this is my only hope to both get my father back, and get myself back. I have to trust you."

"Please."

[TyDie]

Sakaki didn't dare give voice to the question, but not because she didn't want to; She knew she didn't have to. Suzume was smart, and she knew what she wanted. Sakaki had told her what it would take to get what she wanted, and it was up to her if she wanted to make that choice. A few moments passed, and it was made clear that Suzume was choosing to leave what remained of her father, Hiraku Kenji, with Sakaki. The Jinchuuriki reached out and took the scroll from Suzume as she explained what those instructions were, and Sakaki nodded in understanding. "Whether I fail or succeed, you'll hear word somehow. Perhaps one day, I can even give you the chance to speak to him again. But I admit... it's going to be suspicious enough, me going off trying to bring back the soul of a notorious missing ninja like Kenji. I'm not even sure how to explain that I have his body... What am I getting myself into?"

Sakaki seemed to doubt herself for a moment, raising her head to the sky and closing her eyes while letting out a deep breath. This had all happened so fast, and she had no plan for how to proceed. Do not let this opportunity slip by so easily, child. When has my power ever let you down? Take the body, the rest will fall into place... Shihihihihi. As the voice rang out in her head, Sakaki's eyes opened, and her head fell back down to look at Suzume. "I'll work it out. But before I get you out of this place, I need to know one last thing. I don't know if we'll ever meet again, and you should know that my payment for this... is going to be your father's power. It will be mine if this all works out; I will have complete control over him. This is your one chance to walk away, no strings attached. Think not only of your wants, but of your father's; I don't imagine he'll enjoy being under my command, but it's your decision to make. The dead... don't typically get a say in what I do with them."

If the village knew any of this, they'd flip out, and they'd be even more concerned about her giving a missing ninja the chance to walk away with no repercussions for what was going down. But despite her status as a Jinchuuriki, despite her loyalty to her homeland, her ability to control the souls of the dead came with what she felt was a responsibility. That extended to everyone, regardless of village loyalties or or lack thereof. If Suzume wanted out, Sakaki would let her.