[Closed] For The One Who Lost It All

[Director]

Fanho stepped on the windswept sands as he came to a shack out in the desert. He had time to think over his approach. What he'd say to Zao, how he'd get to the bottom of what happened. However, he seemed to at a loss for words as he stood about eighty meters away from Zao's hut. He had tracked him this far. It was that or invade his realm which Fanho disregarded as a reckless. The Awai looked hard at the shed feeling pity, sadness, hurt, and frustration at the betrayal shown by the Suna nin. For someone suffering so much he decided to put his pain above others and at what cost? Two peoples lives lost chasing a pipe dream.

He tugged down his face covering as he shouted towards the small house. "Zao! You must know why I'm here. Come out and lets talk about this." He'd offer the shinobi a chance to face his crimes, admit his mistakes, come peacefully, and be whom he was thought to be. Someone with honor, dignity, and be someone whom didn't soil the memory of his wife. He hoped he could just break through to Zao, reason with him, and bring him back from the edge where he stood. Perhaps it wasn't too late to save someone from themselves. Only Fanho could hope for such luck in this bleak world.

[Zao]

'Master!' The voice that was similar to a teenage boy entered into the mind of a white haired man who was seated on a simple prayer mat before a shin high wooden table. Upon the table was a worn looking book flipped open about two thirds the way through, opposite of the book was a saki bottle and cup, the cup gently grasped in frail looking finger as he turned his head slight sensing a glance as the closed door behind him a couple meters. Just as the plant spirit pet that was lingering outside of the small hut's door from its position just under the sand was about to tell him of someones arrival a voice from the past echoed past the light drone wind of the desert.

"So, someone has finally come..." It was truly an enviable thing, such dasterous acts would sooner or later leave time for someone to find the culprit. Exhaling slowly the dim blue eyes turned back to the cup at his fingertips and with a fluid motion he finished off the small shot cup allowing the warm liquor to fill his chest. The cup was placed down slowly and with a simple tap of the ceramic cup against the wood he began to slowly get up.

But he was not alone in the hut as to his left was a tall but frail looking figure in a golden robe and mask, his exposed skin seem charred and shriveled but a mysterious and murderous feel emanated from the demon. To the other side was another demon like figure with smooth black skin but a more normal sized stature with two whip like weapons, one hanging from each side of the creature's waist line. Both went to immediately get to their feet as though to drive away whoever was seeking out their master but a simple wave of Zao's artificial left hand caused them to pause unnaturally. A soft voice slipped from the man's thin lips, "It's an old friend..." Only a few simple words escaped the shinobi's mouth as he rose to his feet and silently exited the hat's single entrance and exit.

Sunlight fell onto the pale skin of the fragile looking Bannin, his hair longer than before as it stretched down just past his waist in an unkep manner, something not like the old man as through the bright sun and floating desert sands he peered out across a distant to Fanho. But their was no smile normally found upon the old man's lips, his face seemed close to emotionless as he gazed as the young man before him who he had met many years ago. 'He seems to have grown into quite the formidable shinobi after all these years...guess only he would be able to cipher through my spacetime trail.' Zao was thinking quietly to himself as a desert rose like flower poked through the soil to his left side and to his right a thorn covered vine began to reveal itself. But with a simple shake of his head both retracted back down in the soil and moved to join the two companions inside as it seemed their master wished to be alone.

Though neither wished to leave their creator, they only hesitated slightly before slipping away finally leaving Zao alone outside the hut as he now closed the door gently behind him. "It has been sometime since I last saw you, Fanho. Quite the shinobi you've grown into..." His voice was barely audible from the distance between them as the older white haired man seemed weak at first glance with his speech and mannerisms.

[Director]

phpBB [video] As the windswept dunes stacked themselves in the background, Fanho stood waiting peering through his sunshading spectacles. He detected quite a bit of chakra centered around the hut. Not sure of the numbers, but he could feel a strong presence that indicated Zao wasn't alone. Not to mention the plant that disappeared from outside. Zao had setup sentries, but this wouldn't be a drag out fist fight the young Hokage hoped. He felt somewhere deep inside Zao was still the man he was before. A loving husband, a dedicated shinobi, and a man of honor and dignity. He just needed to dig deep and help Zao find it within himself.

It wasn't long before the man opened the door joining Fanho outside in the sun. In the light away from the dark. A step in the right direction Fanho silently hoped to himself. Fanho walked a bit closer to Zao closing the distance to 50 meters apart. Just in-case there was any ill-will that he hadn't felt, he needed to keep his guard up, but it was clear Fanho's intentions weren't to launch an attack. "It has, it indeed has." Fanho chuckled to himself as a smirk flashed before he could help it. Acting like old friends, it felt like things hadn't changed, and almost as if he wished the crime hadn't been committed. However, Masami and Souta were gone. By Zao's hand none-the-less, it soured the smirk that had briefly shown on Fanho's face.

"A lots changed since. I'm the Hokage now, that's new. Takeo's off fighting north on the border lands again Iwa. Though sometimes I feel like I got stuck with the harder task." Fanho chewed his lower lip as he thought to himself. Pondering what to say, but almost the words lost on him. He wondered how Taiga would've approached it, how Takeo would've, how Zakuro, or any other person than himself. They probably would've struck hard, fast, and now. Attempted to end the fight before it began, but Fanho didn't want that ending. He wanted to offer Zao a chance of salvation, not just for Fanho to feel better about the situation, but for Zao to regain who he once was.

"I guess I'll cut to it. You know why I'm here. I just.... I want you to know. I understand why you did what you did." Fanho sighed as he stirred the resolve to say what he felt was needed. "I can't condone it, it was selfish, but I empathize with your struggle. Put in the same situation, I can't say I know what I'd do." The Awai wrung his hands together before placing his palms together. "I've come to ask you turn yourself in. I'm not here to fight, I'm here to help Zao Saisuko find himself. The Bannin of Sunagakure that we all knew. The curious master of spirits that would save a girl from a band of never-do-wells at a simple request of an old friend, not a thought more. A person with such love for his friends he'd break a village taboo just to give him a few more years on this plane of existence. But I guess most of all, a loving husband."

Fanho breathed deep as he let it out once more continuing his monologue. "Surely that man is not dead. He wouldn't have been killed off by some simple spirit known as the 'Demon Hegemon'. That isn't the Zao I remember, nor I want to see." The young Hokage's head leveled as he peered at Zao with his blue eyes just leveled above his glasses, a determination in his eye that he'd bring the old Zao back. One who would face his mistakes, his poor choices, and instead of succumbing to his most basic desires and greed, he'd rise above it, and try to be better than. Hopefully Zao would not disappoint Fanho's optimism. After all, it was Fanho's strongest tool in his arsenal.

[Zao]

At the mention of his old friend, and now it would seem the former Hokage, off fighting Iwa the spirit sage couldn't help but shake his head and disheveled white hair from one side to the other, "That man sure loves to fight, but it suites him. And you, Fanho...will be a good successor to my old friend." There was a slight pause in his words, a scene from his past when he was first introduced to the young man standing across the sands from him now. In fact, it was here in this country or at least on the sandy board of Wind and Fire country during a battle where Zao and Takeo fought against an invasion of spirits had he been able to witness the strength of the young boy at that time. "How time flies..." The words were simply mumbled outload as he lifted his dim blue eyes towards the Hokage who continued to speak.

"Heh..." Zao couldn't muster any words immediately at the shinobi finally put aside any other chit-chat or pleasantries that were being exchanged as he asked why. Why oh why...all that slipped through the thin lips on the man's long face was a deflated laugh at his own foolish beliefs. "For most people no matter how dark their path they at least have a small glimpse of light or hope...but until you've been completely drowned in the darkness of hopelessness and sorrow then you will not be able to fully understand what acts of horror you could be capable of committing. Something to difficult to even live with..." He paused once again but his eyes could lift past the shifting sands between the two powerful shinobi, it was purely the shame and disgust that the former Saint held in his heart for the treachery that he'd committed against now only allies but friends.

"I don't even have the will to fight back even if I wanted to my young friend, but let me send away the others so they don't interfer..." Taking a half step back with his right foot he pivoted turning ninety degrees allowing his tired eyes to fall upon the odd hut that housed his four companions who were attempting to eves drop on the conversation outside. He simply pointed just above the apex of the structure as the fingers and hand began to glow ever so softly with a baby blue hue outline of chakra. Space and time warped above the hut forming a black vortex that without warning applied a sucking force to the structure as it was rapidly lifted into the air disappearing into the abyss that would land them within the man's personal realm. The spirits within didn't have time to act or they would have had some 'disagreement' with their master's attitude of not fighting back, this was something Zao had understood and took action to prevent them or Fanho from exchanging unnecessary blows.

The spacetime vortex seemed to evaporate as the environment returned to normal with only a large hole of sinking sand left where the hut was formerly before the white haired bannin returned his unfocused vision back across the sandy winds towards the new Hokage. With weak movements the man finally began to take steps towards the Konoha-nin, "I man must always be prepared to handle the consequences for his actions..." Zao's soft voice carried just barely through the desert winds, the man had no intention of fighting back or resisting but instead felt a strange sense of relief that he was about to be held accountable for the sins he had committed.

His short steps didn't stop until he arrived a few meters away from his former friend, "For Wei, I make no excuses. But I'm afraid that I can never be the man you use to know. Please take me away..." The simple use of his late wife's name caused a tear to slip down his left cheek as both eyes teared up...but before it could reach his chin the strong wind whipped it off into the vast desert, the broken man simply raised his tattooed hands and arms up as he surrendered himself to the leader of the Hidden Leaf. He had no idea what had happened or was concurrently happening in the world around him as he was still lost in the dark hole in his heart and soul. Whatever happened to him in Konoha, he deserved it and probably much more than that...

[Director]

Fanho watched as Zao seemed to repent for his own sins. A sorrow carried across the sands from the mans voice as he recollected his mistakes, sin, and choices at the cost of others. The pit that swallowed him causing him to act in his own depraved self interest now releasing him to face the consequences of his actions. His wife at rest finally, but two others lie dead in his futile attempt to save her. Somehow Fanho felt even more conflicted than if Wei were able to survive, at the least a silver lining existed on the horizon, but now there were just three bodies leading to Zao two undeserving of the loss inflicted upon them.

The fresh Hokage gripped his fist into a ball as he watched Zao send his companions aside. He was surrendering. He almost wanted Zao to fight back, to make this easier, to make some anger grow within Fanho so that he could put aside any pity or frustration he felt with the situation. Selfishly Fanho didn't want Zao to accept the consequences, it just made things more difficult. The somberness Fanho felt only grew as he nodded listening to Zao discuss how a man should face the consequences for his actions. The Awai nodded as he quietly whispered just over the sands, "It seems like this would be easier if you didn't, let me be a little bit angrier, and not be such a big softy for once in my life. Heh..."

He chuckled to himself as he realized it was selfish to take this last bit of salvation Zao was trying to cling back for himself. To take away any sense of responsibility the Suna Bannin was trying to claim for his actions would be a depraved injustice, just to soothe Fanho's conflicted feelings and ego. The Awai returned his gaze just over his dark purple hue'd sunglasses as Fanho walked to meet the weakened Bannin half way in the dunes. The Hokage grabbed Zao's wrists as he channeled chakra sealing off Zao's chakra before just holding his wrists for a minute. Taking in the last time he'd be able to really talk to Zao sincerely before he'd be locked away in a prison for life. Fanho reached up as he grabbed his sunglasses tucking them inside the collar of his shirt as he sighed.

"I will hold you responsible for your crimes, but I forgive you. Staying angry, staying filled with any hatred or deep seated resentment won't bring Souta or Masami back." The Awai swallowed as he stilled himself. Embodying the leader he wanted to be to others. "I will help push this world to a better future. I will step up and be the man that could've saived Saisuko Zao from his mistakes. I'm sorry I arrived too late." He'd give Zao a chance to say anything before Fanho slipped the last fuuinjutsu on him to paralyze the man into an unconscious state as he looked at the Bannin accepting Zao's own admission of guilt.

[Director]

phpBB [video] He looked at Zao laying unconscious as he looked towards the desert gazing upon the sands. Despite the sorrow, regret, and frustration he felt towards Zao. He knew deep down that if time had rewinded, Zao couldn't be convinced otherwise to forsake his pursuit of the genma. In a twisted way the same hope that drove Fanho also pushed Zao to this decision. In the end it netted him nothing but more pain, loss, and now the weight of his actions. Two innocents perished in a time of weakness and desperation.

His pointer and middle finger formed to a point as if holding a handseal. He placed his pointed fingers at the base of Zao's neck as he released a thump of chakra ending the mans life painlessly and merciful. Fanho could've chosen to be resentful, go into a fit of rage and take it out on Zao. However, those feelings were no where to be found in his psyche. He instead felt pity, he felt frustrated that he wasn't in the village, that he couldn't help Zao in other means, but most of all that he knew there was nothing he could have done.

With a deep breath Fanho released as the desert heat washed over him. Its warm embrace felt cold compared to the conflict he felt inside. It was resolved, but there were holes left behind in the wake of the tragedy. "I hope one of us gets some peace out of this at least. Maybe you can rest easy with her in the afterlife."

As he stood letting the bandage seals wrap and secure Zao's body, he looked out across the sands wondering if this was the life he'd lead now being Hokage. This responsibility, conflicting feelings, the burden of expectations, and the consequences affecting the village now on his shoulders. He peered down at Zao's body as he made a silent prayer for the passing of his soul as he took the body in tow to a nearby oasis making graves for both Zao and his wife Wei. Quite ascetic but all Zao wanted was his wife present by his side. Desert lily's decorated Wei's grave as Zao's headband laid across his. With a palm wood stood between the graves etched with their names, 'Zao a loving husband', 'Wei a loving wife'

The Hokage didn't want to be resentful and angry, go down a path of rage like some people had, a path of desperation that Zao had done. He wanted to forgive and let go. Even if it was difficult. Even if it took time. He wanted to leave all anger and resentment behind, lest he end up losing himself as Zao had.

"I'll be better, enough for the both of us, and anyone else that lost themself. Go be with your wife. Its all you've fought for this whole time."