[Closed] Death Walks

[Willoria]

What is Dead may never Die
Souta had never wanted to come to this place again. The main road had broken off to a little-used path, warning sides popping up ever few feet. Eventually he and Sakaki came to a fence higher than Souta's head, the gate broken in but still with warning markers all over it. He stepped through the debris gingerly before helping Sakaki through. He had already warned her not to touch anything once they got there, but that lesson was probably driven home by the sight that greeted them beyond that fence. The smell was horrendous. Parts of the land were a sickly green and looked as if acid had been poured into the earth and rotted holes straight through. Buildings were decrepit and the place was abandoned...save for skeletons and bodies of rotten flesh that could be seen here or there.

Souta carefully led the way down what had once been the main path of the village, glancing about here and there. "Gods... they never rebuilt this place... they never cleaned it up..." In truth he felt horrified. A house to his left had a skeleton hanging out of the window, stains beneath it running down the side making it clear the person had tried to scramble out of a window to be impaled on the glass of their own window and die in agony. To his right was a market store, the doorway holding at least three fleshy, rotting, corpses in it as they had fought to try and get out, only to die where they were. "I always wondered why her body wasn't found... no wonder... they never even tried to give any of these people peace." It left Souta feeling sicker than hell, and not just because of the stench. The place was an absolute horror show.

[TyDie]

Sakaki had always known that, as a shinobi, she was destined to see the worst this world had to offer. It was her job to defend her people from those horrors, and that naturally meant she herself would have to face that horror head on. Still, even knowing that, the sight before her was among the worst visions she had ever seen, her senses were assaulted by a myriad of terrible images and smells. In fact, as she saw the three bodies in front of the market, she could hold herself back no longer and had to stop and bend over, retching for a moment as she emptied her stomach. "By the Light... How could such a place exist? Everything touched by Her Light is holy but this... This is a nightmare."

When she recovered from vomiting, she wiped her mouth with her sleeve and reached into her ninja pouch, removing a small cloth that she could tie around her face to work as a mask. It didn't help much, but it did provide enough filter that she would hopefully not lose the rest of her belly's contents. "I can't imagine what the people here felt as they died... What a horrible way to go." I could tell you exactly what they felt in death, child... Their souls are still present here. This plague that struck these lands, it goes deeper than the flesh... Shishire's words earned a curious eyebrow raise from Sakaki, who then proceeded to take it as a prompt to begin searching for Sachiko's soul.

A series of hand seals would lead to Sakaki flooding her eyes with the black chakra of Shishire, and before long her vision was filled with a plethora of souls. Dozens upon dozens of souls, all flitting about like little orbs of flame, dotting the entire compound. It was overwhelming honestly, so much so that her head began to spin and, unless Souta caught her, she would end up falling. "So many souls, Souta... So many."

[Willoria]

Souta stayed close to Sakaki, not wanting her to wander through this place alone. It had been horrific enough the first time he'd been here, now it seemed worse. "Sachiko was brought here because it was believed this plague was more than just a disease." He was saying as he turned and saw Sakaki start to fall. He was behind her quickly, scooping her up into his arms to keep her from falling over before he knelt and put her feet back on the ground at least, but kneeling beside her to keep her up. "Souls?" he asked carefully, for a moment remembering something he wished he didn't.

"No... what are you saying? What are you telling me? I can't hear you... please you'll have to go one at a time. I can't... I can't!"

Sachiko's words echoed through his mind and Souta swallowed hard. "That must be what Sachiko saw, what caused her to start losing control..." he said quietly, only standing up in full when he thought Sakaki was steady on her feet again. "I wasn't close, I wasn't allowed to be so I couldn't ask her and she couldn't tell me. She just started... rambling. Then screaming." He took a deep breath as he glanced about, and looked at Sakaki again. "Be careful of them, Sakaki. Something about them... and this plague... we never figured it out. Sachiko may have lost control because of it."

[TyDie]

Sakaki was caught by Souta and kept upright, but the assault of the souls around her didn't cease. It was as if, the moment they realized she could see them, they saw her... And they were upon her in moments, crowding her and blinding her as the wispy lights that were the souls of these poor, damned villagers surrounded her. Souta didn't see or feel a thing, but they could sense the presence of Shishire within Sakaki... They knew what she was, and what they hoped she could do. Shihihihi... Is it too much for you, child? The other host felt the same way... overwhelmed by the shear number of souls, cut off from their afterlives by this affliction. She couldn't handle the pressure... but can you?"

As if on queue, Souta would watch as Sakaki's body was engulfed by black chakra, an aura of darkness surrounding her as her eyes dimmed to a dark blue. Souta would recognize this immediately as Shishire's first form, the one she had first tapped into alongside him. "How... How could such a horrid plague be allowed to exist in the holy rays of Her Light? The sun hangs over us, and yet this abomination against nature stands resolute against it. Her Light is supposed to cleanse all that is unholy... So how is this place unphased? These souls, they're damned Souta... They can't cross over. They're swarming around me, desperately hoping I can give them closure."

In the midst of all of these souls swarming her, there was one in the far off distance that seemed to hang alone in the air, about 50 meters away. It was slowly moving away from them too, and before long it would be out of her sight. In a moment she pushed off of Souta, standing on her own two feet again as the swarms continued to suffocate her. "No... I can't help you all right now. Don't make me do this..." The souls refused to stop, either they couldn't hear her or didn't care. Instead, a moment later, she was forming a long series of seals, funneling chakra into the cloak surrounding her.

"I'm sorry... You made me do this. I am your master, now OBEY!" As she finished her seals, this chakra flooded her aura, strengthening it against the presence of souls. And in an instant the wisps of light surrounding her would freeze as they touched her, suspended in mid air as they were paralyzed by her power. The stress of the situation pushed her even further, and before long her aura grew even darker and more palpable as cracks formed along her legs and the light itself seemed to dim around her as she entered her Second Form. "There's a soul that way Souta... It didn't react to me. It's the only one that didn't."

Without another word she would follow the stray soul that seemed to drift off towards the other side of the compound, leaving the clutter of paralyzed souls behind her.

JutsuShow

Form 2 activated:

[Protection of Chernobog]
B-Ranked Shijutsu
Prerequisite: Form 1 or higher
Sakaki will perform a series of hand seals, funneling Shishire's chakra throughout the cloak surrounding Sakaki. The cloak will grow visibly denser and darker with the extra chakra, which works as a sort of defensive armor. The chakra flows through her aura with 10 speed, but repels the presence of another soul with 30 strength, requiring that a target attempting to touch her physically have more than 30 strength to do so. In addition, touching her physically while this jutsu is in effect damages the soul at the point of contact, inflicting paralysis within the area of contact for 3 posts. This cloak enhancement lasts for 5 posts.

[Willoria]

Souta swallowed hard, watching Sakaki closely as she spoke. "You can subjugate them, Sakaki." he told her quietly, suddenly feeling that familiar grip of fear in his chest. 'She has to be ready for this... don't let me damn two of them...' He feared what might happen if she didn't subjugate the spirits, that she might lose control and already in his mind he knew exactly what he would do if she lost control too. The other guardians were out of sight but he knew they would be near. He could leave Shishire to them, and if she were gone they would be too distracted with the genma to get to him in time, to stop him from putting himself in the very same grave. In truth, when she used her jutsu the man breathed a sigh of relief, momentarily fearful of what he might have been about to see.

He saw her go through two forms before she strode off after the last spirit, and he followed her closely. He didn't say a word, sickness and fear had already seized away his speech for the moment. He was terrified of what could happen, but he was also terrified of what needed to happen. They needed to find Sachiko's body and return her home, Souta needed to face his greatest mistake. He wasn't entirely sure just how to do that either.

[TyDie]

Sakaki walked slowly but deliberately through the center of the commune, her eyes staring up to the sky to watch as the soul flitted about lazily through the air. She was transfixed at this point, not even paying mind to the other souls that charged her like the former souls did, freezing in place the moment they made contact with her aura. "I'll help you all later, I promise. But for now... This one." Your eyes do not deceive you child, this is indeed the soul of my former host. How fascinating that you picked up on that so quickly. But it is different... strange... fractured. It appears that when I emerged from her I did not destroy her soul completely, I merely split it. Perhaps it is drawn to it's twin...

It seemed the most logical conclusion, and at this point she wasn't even paying much attention to Souta. She continued to stagger like a zombie down the small trails of the compound, moving past a house on her left to take another path towards a small dead end. The soul flitted behind the centermost building, out of sight. "No, don't go..." She could still sense it's presence nearby, and she knew full well it had stopped behind that house. Who knew what they could find on the other side, as Sakaki started to round the corner to the back end of the house.

[Willoria]

Souta's hand strayed to the hilt of his sword as they walked, doing his best to push aside image and memories about that day. The further they went, the more it felt like he was struggling to take steps through a mire. Looking down he could have sworn he saw a blackness swirling about his ankles, flashes of images running through his mind as the walked along the side of that house. As Sakaki rounded the corner, he found himself wondering how she seemed so unencombered, and yet he felt like he was drowning. His greatest mistake was resting a hand against the side of the house to steady himself and it was like a jolt of electricity shot through his arm, and the man dropped to his knees heavily.


"Can't you feel it?! Can't you taste it?! Ah! The freedom of it all!" She cackled incessently as she stared up into the sky and darkness surrounded her. Black Chakra had engulfed her, crevices in her flesh had begun to bleed and her eyes were the purest black as she stared down Souta. "I should thank you. Bringing her here... this place... I never thought something like this could work so perfectly, or I might have tried it before. How might I reward my good and faithful servant?"

"Sachiko, please!" He begged, on the ground on one knee, his sword held limply in his hand as blood ran down one side of his face from a nasty gash above his eyebrow. His right side was coated in crimson from a jagged gash between his ribs, teeth stained in blood that dribbled down his chin. "Don't do this! Take back control!"

"She's gone you fool! Can't you see-!" She moved to gesture around her with a hand but was suddenly meant with a sickening squelch and the sound of steel running against bone. Turning her head she found herself looking directly into Souta's eyes. He was on his knees still, but at his height he had still managed to close the gap and put them near nose to nose, and his blade neatly between her ribs, through her heart, and against her spine.

"...I'm Sorry..." he breathed.


The moment was a flash, instant, though Souta could feel the tears stinging his eyes as he grunted and forced himself to his feet. He rounded the corner just after Sakaki and was shocked at what they could see. It was a pool of sickly green liquid, of the plague, what may have once been the pond here. He vaguely remembered her body sliding off his blade and into the water now that he thought about it. But where he expected rot, he saw something else instead. The dark-haired girl was pale, but she almost looked to be silently sleeping beneath the green water's surface. Her hands were down at her sides, the gash between her chest and abdomen was clear as day. "What the hell..."

[TyDie]

Sakaki's darkened form rounded the side of the building, but she noticed quite immediately as Souta froze in place behind her, sensing a strange disturbance in his soul with her jutsu. She turned to look at him and in doing so, she felt and saw everything that he felt and saw... The death of Sachiko. Shihihi... I remember this well. The freedom of it all... How I yearn for that again... How... terrible... She wasn't even herself. How... How could this happen? Why wasn't she saved? Saved? By what? Your precious 'light' that you keep spewing nonsense about? I told you, child... That figment won't save you, or anyone else.

Normally she had steeled herself against such attacks against her faith, as Shishire made them constantly... But now, seeing all this... It was hard to have faith. It was hard to believe in anything that would allow such darkness to exist beneath it's rays. This plague robbed these souls of their chance to be with Her Light, and yet the sun above her head did nothing to purify it. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, as once more that fragment of a soul caught her attention and the pale white body in the green water revealed itself to them. The fragmented soul hovered just slightly overtop of the body, unable to rejoin it's twin still trapped within her corpse.

"Souta... Her soul has been split. Part of it is still trapped in her body... And I can do nothing to it. My power... isn't great enough." So sad... You've come all this way and yet you can do nothing for her. It seems she'll remain trapped between life and death forever. What a horrible fate... So much darkness permeated this place, so much terror and fear, she could feel every negative emotion trapped within the souls in this place... especially that of Sachiko, the body in the lake. She fell backwards as if stumbling, the chakra within her swelling and growing as her aura started to darken further...It was too much, too much darkness to simply stand by and abide it's existence. "that damn ball of fire in the sky Did Nothing, Souta. It never does anything. This place had been this way since you lead Sachiko here years ago, there was plenty of time to consecrate it and give these souls the rest they so desperately wanted, but that liar in the sky didn't care. It's not all powerful... It's nothing!"

As she spoke, Souta would watch as the air around Sakaki changed... those cracks on her legs began to grow and stretch up her body to her hips and abdomen, while the aura around her arms began to compact into a physical, transparent form, looking and feeling as if it were some kind of unnameable fabric. The horns along her jaws elongated backwards even farther and took on the appearance of small, strange looking wings, while her skin turned so pale that the body in the lake appeared healthy by comparison. The black bands around her wrists, the infamous markings of Shishire, seemed to disappear entirely along with her wrists, and thus her hands appeared to float in mid air in front of her arms.

And finally, as she turned to look at Souta, he'd notice there were no irides sat in her eyeballs anymore; they had been replaced with pitch black darkness, devoid of any features whatsoever. "The village put this darkness in me for a reason, Souta... I have to embrace it. This 'light' of ours isn't strong enough... So instead, i'll master the darkness!" It was clear that Sakaki had just gone far beyond what she was normally capable of, and if Souta had done any research into Shishire's history he'd recognize the advanced features that Sakaki now bore...

She had just tapped into Shishire's third form.

[Willoria]

Souta was frozen in place, staring down at the corpse of a girl who, if he didn't know any better, he might have thought she was still alive. The things Sakaki was saying was almost lost to him, until he lifted his gaze and realized what was happening in front of him. He knew those black eyes all too well and the moment before replayed in his head still, all he could sit there and wonder was if it was happening again. A tickle on the back of his neck told him he wasn't the only one wondering the same. He spun suddenly at the flash of steel out of the corner of his eye, his left hand closing over a man's wrist with an audible snap as he broke the wrist in question, his right hand lashing out and slamming part of his hand into the man's solar plexus. The man he attacked, who had been trying to get at Sakaki, crumpled at his feet with a shout of pain. His sternum was fractured, his wrist broken, as Souta yelled out. "Let me handle it!", a message to the rest of the guardians as he glanced down at the man at his feet. "This isn't then, you have to trust me." he told him, still looking mildly panicked himself before he turned to look at Sakaki again.

"Talk me through what you're doing, Sakaki." he said, phrasing it almost like it was a question. "I need to know it's still you, we need to know." He feared her new form, but even more he feared how she might react to the other guardian who had tried to attack her blindly. The man he had just nearly put into the ground in a single move to keep her safe. "Dark and Light are two sides of the same coin." he began to tell her, to remind her rather. "This village worships the light, that's true. It doesn't mean darkness isn't what we need from time to time." He knew he might answer for his statements later, as most worshiped the light and would find his statements to be sacrilege.

[TyDie]

Sakaki's supreme mind was capable of seeing the threat coming despite the opponent's impressive speed, and already her hands were beginning to fly through seals as she prepared to blast the man's soul from his body in a single stroke, her mind blinded by so many emotions that she simply didn't care who it was. It was a threat, and so it had to be dealt with; it was that simple. However, she paused in her seals as she witnessed what Souta did... even now he protected her? That act alone was enough to bring some modicum of sense back to her, as her hands fell back to her side and she took a deep breath. Meanwhile, Shishire raged within her, clearly upset that she had come so close to giving in... So close.

"Souta... I... Trust you." She repeated what she had said years ago, what she had said multiple times before, and what she still felt deep in her heart through all of that negative emotion. Dark and light... "I... I think I can... Help." Sakaki, in this new altered state of hers, took a few steps over to the body in the lake and stared at the fragment of soul flitting about over top of it. She walked out on to the lake, floating on the waters as she eyed the soul with a mysterious interest... before reaching out and touching it with her right hand, as if it were physical. Of course, Souta wouldn't see any of this, but he would see her reach out to grab thin air before slowly bringing that same hand down to the body in the lake. Her other hand reached into the body itself, pulling the other fragment from the corpse out with her left hand. She would then take in a deep breath as chakra filled her body and slowly, delicately like a master artist putting the finishing touches on their magnum opus, she brought her hands together.

The two became one in a dance unlike any the world had ever seen, her hands weaving and rotating as if forming an orb while she fused the two fragments back together. And once the deed was done, she would then slowly lower that soul back into the body in the lake before putting forth a single forceful shove, pushing the soul back into place as if it were the last piece of a puzzle. She would then take steps back off of the lake, going back to dry land without taking her eyes off of the body...

[Willoria]

"What're you..." Souta's voice trailed off as he watched her walk across the water. In silence he watched, hardly noticing the sounds of the man behind him whimpering as he pulled himself up to his feet. If the man still intended violence, it would have gone poorly for Souta, his guard entirely down. Thankfully the man intended no such thing, though he was clearly concerned.

Rokuro stepped up beside him, his sword sliding back into his sheath with a snap though he kept his dominant hand against his body, bone sticking out of the flesh. His bare chest betrayed the bruise spreading out from where Souta had hit him and he frowned at the sight before him. "Tell me you realize what she's doing, Souta-sama. This is sacrilege... this isn't your mission."

"She's repairing a soul, that's all. You're being paranoid, Rokuro."

Rokuro shook his head. "Even I can see what she's doing... to hell with you, it's on your head for letting it happen." he said bluntly, turning and taking off though whether he was rejoining the others, or going back for medical attention wasn't actually seen.

Souta watched what Sakaki was doing in silence, tears running down his face in silence as he realized what she was doing, and what Rokuro feared. But Souta couldn't bring himself to stop it. 'It's a second chance at life for Sachiko, that can't be feared...' he told himself, holding his breath as Sakaki took a step backwards from her work, from the body.

Silence took the air for several moments, until it all happened in an instant. There was a rush of water as Sachiko came up to her feet, staggering and screaming. She stumbled further into the water, away from Sakaki and Souta for a moment, looking down and putting a hand over the gaping unhealed wound under her breast. She seemed to be panting as if trying to catch her breath, and her now green eyes were fixated on Souta. "What the hell have you done?!"

[TyDie]

Sakaki didn't move an inch as she watched with bated breath for the body before her to show some sign of... something. A twitch, a movement, a breath... But no, nothing. Until suddenly it thrashed to life all at once, flailing as if it were drowning. Sachiko, the failed host to Shishire, was once more alive... though for how long she had no idea. When she finally finished moving though, Sakaki realized to her horror that she wasn't quite 'alive'. After all, she bore a gigantic wound in her chest that was sure to be immediately lethal... to anyone who was alive. And yet she stood and moved as if it wasn't even there, though she did notice it. "I... I thought I was... Helping."

The aura of Shishire still surrounded her, an aura that Sachiko was all too familiar with if she had done anything with the genma. Or perhaps she wasn't familiar at all? After all, she was husked... But she hardly even considered that thought for the moment, as a few seconds later the light returned to her eyes and the genma's cloak began to slowly but surely recede. First the eyes, and then the cracks, then the horns and fabric-like chakra around her arms, before finally her wrists returned and the aura finally left her entirely. "I... Thought..." She didn't even have time to finish the train of thought before her eyes began to roll back into her head.

[Willoria]

Souta was so stunned by Sachiko's sudden revival that he almost missed what Sakaki said. But as she started to say it a second time he rushed forward and caught her, pulling her away from the water and laying her on a dry section of ground as he quickly checked her pulse and breathing, letting out a sigh of relief as he realized she was okay. "...she's a host for Shishire."

Souta slowly turned his head and looked over at Sachiko who appeared to be drenched from head to toe, pale as death with her now green eyes, and stepped closer to almost stand over them as Souta checked on Sakaki. "Yes." he told her, swallowing hard. "She was sent with me to retrieve you... to retrieve your body. Your family begged me to help them give you peace." he told her, shaking his head as he looked at her. "I had no idea this would happen, that..."

Sachiko appeared to sigh as she tilted her head and looked at the girl. "Perhaps you should set up camp outside of this place before we talk about what happened... and what I am... at least I don't seem to be craving brains of any kind yet." she glanced around her warily, as if looking for the other guardians. "Your friends still prefer to stay out of sight I see." she mused, shaking her head as she stepped around the pair and started walking towards the exit. "I'm pretty sure you'd kill me again if I touched her, so you carry her."

---

Souta set up a camp outside of the haunted village, outside and away from the broken gate, in a small clearing under a tree. There was a fire set up and several tents by time Sakaki would come to. He had placed her on a bedroll inside one of the tents, he himself sat outside of it. His katana was sheathed but resting against his shoulder with the end of it in the ground, easily accessable. He did not seem to move, nor speak. The other tents appeared to be empty but likely would be used by the other guardians as they rotated in watch shifts.

Sachiko was at the edge of the firelight on the other side of camp, standing with her arms crossed and her back to the camp as she seemed to be watching nothing. She didn't move, didn't even appear to breathe, but she was there.

[TyDie]

When Sakaki finally awoke several hours later, the moon hung overhead while the camp rested underneath a single palm tree that was miraculously alive despite the death that hung in the village so close to it. She snapped to attention as she awoke, rising upright with harsh, short breaths and cold sweat dripping down her face. "What happened!? Souta? Sachiko? Wha..." As she spoke, it all seemed to come rushing back to her; the sight of the village, finding Sachiko, tapping into Shishire's power, and the 'revival' of the woman that once bore host to the same spirit she now bore host to. She had no doubt that Souta would notice that she had awoken, and so her eyes searched for the man to assure herself that both he and she were both safe.

She would slowly rise from the bedroll to walk out to the fire, the chill air of the desert night sending a shiver up her spine. "My memory is still fuzzy, but... It seems we got what we came here for. Although, I didn't mean for... that..." She eyed Sachiko up and down, a mixture of fascination and guilt crossing her face. "So... you're Sachiko?" She finally said after a long silence. Without any real idea of what to say next, she tried to 'break the ice' with a horribly bland line. "So, uh... How are you... feeling."

[Willoria]

Souta jumped up as Sakaki came out of the tent, reaching out a hand to touch her shoulder briefly before sighing with relief. "You had me worried." He said, following her as she walked to the edge of camp where Sachiko stood. He didn't want to admit it, but he was still worried. The girl hadn't spoken to him since being raised, and a quick glance to his right confirmed a simple fact. Rokuro was less than ten feet away, obscured entirely in the darkness but clearly waiting to act if he needed to. If Souta had to guess, the other guards weren't so far away either. The idea of an undead zombie in the camp was leaving everyone more than a little unsettled.

Sachiko turned to look at Sakaki a moment, her gaze seemingly unemotional as she glanced her over. "Yes. And you must be my replacement." she said rather coldly, sighing. "I mean, I'm not craving brains yet if that's what's worrying you." She looked at Souta a moment, for the first time since she'd taken up her spot at the edge of camp. "I'm guessing I can't feel much, since pain doesn't seem to be a factor... and I think I'm still dead somehow..." her eyes remained on Souta. "You killed me."

"I didn't-"

"Didn't have a choice. I get it." she finished for Souta, looking at Sakaki a moment. "Did he try to kill you just now? I never saw him until he came after me... what's your name anyway?"

[TyDie]

Sakaki rubbed her shoulder in response to Sachiko's cold demeanor... she never understood the phrase 'cold shoulder' until tonight. The idea of being her 'replacement' stung a bit as well, but she tried to remain at least somewhat happy. "Y-Yes... It's true, I bear host to Shishire now. That's how I raised you." She said it with a slight hint of pride, though of course it seemed Sachiko didn't feel nearly the same way about it that she did. All the same, she extended a hand to the undead girl, and gave her a smile. "Izanami Sakaki. It's a pleasure, I've heard a lot about you." It felt strange, this whole situation felt strange. Here she was, shaking hands with and introducing herself to a girl who had died a few years ago as a result of the very same spirit that resided within her, and now she had raised her from death using that spirit's power.

She wasn't sure anyone was prepared for this.

As Sachiko tore into Souta for 'killing her' she couldn't help but frown, though she waited until she was addressed to speak up. "No, he didn't try to kill me. In fact, another man tried and Souta stopped him... You know that he didn't want to bring you down, right Sachiko? I saw it, in a flash as Souta was struck with the memory. You... you were already gone. Shishire had taken you, Sachiko. Please, I know it's hard, but don't blame him... it's hard enough as it is." She looked to Souta with a hint of sadness, realizing that this must be even worse than retrieving a dead body for him. Now he got to listen to the girl he killed tear into him.

[Willoria]

"I don't blame him." Sachiko said, her tone still cold and even sounding snappy this time. She let out a sigh briefly and raised a hand to pinch her nose briefly in thought. "I'm just... trying to remember." she said. "It's like it's... fractured. I'm staring through a piece of glass and pieces are missing when I try to remember. she said, her hand dropping to her side. "You're not helping!" she suddenly yelled, her eyes shifting to stare into the darkness.

Souta couldn't help a start of a laugh in spite of himself when Sachiko yelled. Unlike the two in front of him he could almost see Rokuro slink off to a better hiding place at those words. Clearing his throat, he tried to get back to the subject at hand, and ignore Rokuro's lurking behaviors that were bound to get him in trouble if he kept it up. The man was clearly still vastly uncomfortable with the entire situation, and having trouble hiding it. "Sakaki's first sighting of me wasn't me trying to harm her... the first time she saw me was immediately after her sealing." he admitted. When Sachiko gave him a puzzled look, he continued. "Mistakes were made with you. You needed a closer guidance than what we gave you. When Sakaki was sealed I took a more direct approach with her. I've worked with her nearly every day as her Sensei, rather than hiding in the shadows as some kind bodyguard. She's well with it so far."

Sachiko looked at Souta a moment before her eyes returned to Sakaki. "I guess I should be happy my death might have saved your life." she said rather simply, frowning. "I'm guessing we're going back to the village now though... and I'm going to guess there are going to be a lot of questions about me... can one of you at least tell me, I mean, what am I?" she asked, swallowing hard. "I can't hear my heartbeat, I don't feel my breath. I don't feel pain and I don't feel hot or cold or any of it... I'm walking, talking, I'm me but.. I'm still dead, aren't I?"

[TyDie]

Sakaki breathed a small sigh of relief as it seemed that Sachiko was simply having a hard time re acclimating to the land of the living. Which of course was understandable, given she was gone for years. Her notice of the guardian on the outskirts of the camp didn't phase Sakaki at all though. "Eh, I'll be honest, I've learned to ignore them. Now that I've ranked up to Chuunin there's more of them around. I notice them from time to time but i'm not doing anything wrong, so I have nothing to fear."

She was also happy to hear that, after Souta's explanation, Sachiko seemed to actually be thankful that Souta learned from his mistakes. She wasn't bitter that Souta had killed her but not Sakaki, she was happy that her death was a learning experience if nothing else. And to Sakaki, that was the most positive way one could look at the situation. Perhaps she's not lost yet... Lost? Far from it child, Shihihihihi... She's glorious. My power truly knows no limits. This is the most stable resurrection I've seen in a long time. Most reanimation jutsu fade after time, but she still seems stable... I wonder if it's permanent? Oh the possibilities... Shishire was obviously pleased with it's work, but Sakaki still sat on the fence. However, when Sachiko asked about what she was, Sakaki's curiosity and fascination could no longer be held back.

"Well, I'm a capable medic, and I can monitor souls of course... I could try and figure you out real quick if you like?" Assuming Sachiko allowed her to, Sakaki would waste no time performing a few strings of hand seals, first funneling chakra into her eyes before following up with a few soul assessment techniques. "Fascinating... Your soul is completely fine now, and stable enough that I don't think it's going to fade naturally. It seems your soul has taken keenly to it's body, and it doesn't want to leave anytime soon. So your soul is alive and well." She would proceed to add all of this information to her collection as well, in case it was needed for the future.

Next she would perform another series of hand seals and placed her hands on Sachiko's hand, grasping it tightly within hers while she funneled light green chakra through her form. It didn't take long to realize that something was amiss... or rather, everything was amiss. "On the other hand... your body has no signs of life whatsoever. Your organs are not functioning, your skin lacks living cells or tissue of any kind. For all intents and purposes, your body is still a corpse. I don't think you'll be able to heal naturally at all with no bodily functions to speak of... Would you mind if I treated that wound?" She referred to the one under Sachiko's breast. While fully healing the wound was still beyond her abilities, with a few jutsu she could at least pretty it up so it wasn't so... grisly.

JutsuShow

[Soul Sight]
D-Rank Shijutsu
Sakaki performs a series of hand seals, funneling Shishire's chakra into her eyes as she does so. This allows her to see the souls of any living beings within 10 meters. This jutsu requires no concentration from Sakaki to maintain, and lasts for 3 posts.

[Soul's Affinity]
D-Rank Shijutsu
Sakaki performs a series of hand seals, augmenting an already active variant of the Soul Sight jutsu with additional chakra. Using this jutsu, Sakaki enables herself to see a target's primary affinity, their wispy soul changing color based on whatever primary affinity they have. This jutsu only lasts for a single post.

[Collection of The Morrigan]
C-Rank Shijutsu
Prerequisite: 20 Instinct
Sakaki performs a series of hand seals, funneling some of her chakra into a target within range of her current variant of the Soul Sight Jutsu. In doing so, she commits details of that particular soul to her memory, adding the soul's information to an archive of souls. Doing so enables her to pick out archived souls amongst a crowd, put a name and face to the soul even if she cannot see them, and even recall previous information gathered about the subject such as previous sensory evaluations performed on the soul. This archiving lasts indefinitely.

[Evaluate the Soul]
C-Rank Shijutsu
Sakaki performs a series of hand seals, funneling Shishire's chakra into her eyes after using a version of the Soul Sight Jutsu. By doing so, Sakaki will be able to compare the “strength” of each soul she is able to see to each other. The “strength” of the individual is determined by the average of each person’s Stamina, Control and Strength stats. Sakaki can determine who's soul is more powerful than others, allowing her to pick out possible risks. This jutsu lasts for 4 posts.

*[Iijutsu • Medical Diagnosis Technique]
C-Ranked Ninjutsu
Prerequisite: 5 Iijutsu
Perhaps one of the most important Iijutsu techniques to date, the *[Iijutsu • Medical Diagnosis Technique] allows its users to probe another's body in search for medical answers. After focusing chakra into his/her hands, the user will begin to channel it into the patient's body. Using this chakra as an internal extension of his/her hand to feel for abnormalities and other issues, the user is often able to determine the problem after some time and concentration. In order for a thorough examination to provide sufficient answers, the user will focus for up to one (1) post, seeking signs of internal and external damage, organ malfunction and disease among other ailments. Although skilled medical-nin have the possibility to work faster, skill cannot be substituted in for thoroughness.

[Willoria]

Sachiko didn't protest as Sakaki checked on things for her, in fact she went along with it just fine, nodding with each and every piece of information. Souta watched on quietly, his mind reeling over what was happening. "So calling myself a zombie probably isn't that far off, huh?" she said, for the first time a light smile and a chuckle both crossed her lips. As Sakaki continued, she leaned forward and sniffed at the top of her head too. "Well I'm not craving brains, and I don't feel like I can smell any to crave, so I think we're safe for now." she joked, noticing that Souta seemed almost relieved as her old humor slowly began coming back.

But not everyone was comfortable with what was happening. "Oh I know what you are." Rokuro stepped out of the shadows, not seeming to care if he was spotted this time. As always he was bare-chested, his bruising and marks from before were gone, his hand seemed completely healed as well. "You're an abomination to her Light, an affront to nature. You should be allowed to rest, not this. Not this curse."

Souta turned his head to look towards Rokuro, his shoulders obviously tensing as he seemed to prepare for what might have been an attack. "That's enough Rokuro." he said, glancing at the man's chest and hand. "I see Kaede healed your wounds. Back to your place before I give her more work to do."

Rokuro glared at Souta briefly. "Souta-Sama, you know this isn't right. We can't just leave her be. She should be allowed to rest in her Light, not this cursed existence. You know how a curse affects someone! You of all people should-"

"Enough, Rokuro!" Souta snarled at him. "I have given you a direct order. Obey it, or I have just cause to leave you as the corpse here."

Rokuro glared, but went quiet. Yet he did not leave.

Souta turned his attention to Sachiko. "I think it's best if you stay with me when we get back. Rokuro won't be the last to feel this way, and the village will want to examine you, reassurances about what you are." He paused, his gaze softening as he realized he seemed like he was barking at her. "It... it's what will be safest for you."

Sachiko nodded slowly before looking at Sakaki. "What do you think?" she asked her. "Can I trust him like this? You know who he is now more than I do..."

[TyDie]

Sakaki let out a small giggle, finding the girl's dark sense of humor to be rather funny despite the seriousness of this odd situation. It seemed the man who had attempted to attack her before did not feel the same though, as the man Rokuro interrupted with his devout speech. As he spoke, he could hear sense in his words... and yet that feeling, that tie that bound her to the holy light of Yuumagure... She didn't feel that anymore. The part about being cursed she could sympathize with, but she had meant what she said in that moment; She had renounced Her Light. After seeing that horrible wasteland of souls, she couldn't imagine how Rokuro could still believe.

As Rokuro and Souta had their back and forth, Sakaki focused instead on Sachiko, a small smile on her face as she looked at the former jinchuuriki. She had to admit that, while her curiosity was endless in regards to her current existence, there was also another part of her... part of her that wanted to call her friend. After all, as she had told Souta, they had both felt ignored through their lives. Perhaps they could be each other's friends, so toss that aside... But that was only if she wanted to stick around. She asked if she could trust Souta now, and Sakaki took no time to answer that question.

"Yes. Without a shadow of a doubt, Sachiko. Souta just saved my life from Rokuro's jumpy hand, and he's saved me multiple times before. He's been there for me every step of the way... without him, we wouldn't be having this conversation. I trust him with my life, so you should... oh." She paused as she realized her misstep... Sachiko had no life to trust with now, did she? That lead to one final comment, as her eyes were growing heavier by the second, the fatigue of her new form unlock still weighing heavily on her. "I want you to remember something Sachiko... Whether you call it 'life' or not, this current existence is yours. And it should be you who decides whether or not you want it. Not me, not Souta, not Rokuro; you. If you want, I can push the soul out of your body right now and let you rest... Or you can try and exist in this state."

She'd leave the words in the air, awaiting some kind of response from Sachiko.

[Willoria]

Sachiko was quiet for a moment, not just looking at Sakaki but also sparing glances for Souta and Rokuro. It was strange, Souta was the one who had actually killed her, but Rokuro was the one out for blood right now. She could almost see it and it made her momentarily curious. She pointed at the man and he stepped closer, though Souta put up a hand to stop him from getting between Souta and Sachiko. "You. I remember Souta, I don't remember you. Why do you want me dead so badly? This isn't about Her Light, or you'd be of the same opinion of these two. What happened to you that day?"

At first Rokuro didn't speak. He reached up to the mask on the lower half of his face and removed it. What was beneath it clearly made Souta uneasy as he glanced away from the man, but Sachiko simply stared. A jagged scar of a gash ran from his ear down his jawline, across his upper lip and down the side of his chin. "Souta kept telling us to wait, telling us we could still get you back. You were lost and I knew it, and I tried to end it. You damn near killed me."

In the back of her mind all Sachiko remembered was the blood spraying across her face. "I don't remember you at all." she admitted, turning her gaze once more to Sakaki. "For now I'll stay." she told her. "But if this proves too much... I may come to you again." she added, turning her eyes to Souta once more. "Don't tell my sister. If she sees me like this... there's a specific way to approach her, let me do it."

Souta nodded slowly. "If that's what you want." he said, glancing at Rokuro as the man put the mask back into place. "But please don't delay. She thinks I'm bringing you back for burial tomorrow. I can't lie to her if she asks me where you are."