[Graded][closed] Explaining Death

[TyDie]

Sakaki stood up and surveyed her surroundings, wondering what exactly had happened to her over the past few hours. It was a bout of momentary amnesia, perhaps a side effect of what actually did transpire naught but a few hours ago. But what was even stranger is that she didn't recognize her surroundings, not only because they were different in appearance, but they were different in feeling too. Everything felt... hazy. Odd. Strange. All around her she saw architecture she had never before seen, not even in books. Sprawling spires of dark stone, decorated with pointed tips and garish windows that were both beautiful... and somewhat saddening. The emotions evoked by their appearance were such a strange mixture, and never before had she felt such feelings in regards to architecture.

The ground before her was covered in lush dark grass, slightly wet from the drizzle of rain that fell atop her head. In the sky hung dark storm clouds, yet there was no thunder or lightning to accompany the depressing drizzle. The spires of stone that surrounded her prevented escape it seems, forming something akin to a 50 meter arena. In the center of this arena was a single slab of stone, the only landmark that broke up the monotony of the grass she stood upon. Sakaki found herself drawn to the stone, and didn't stop herself from slowly walking towards it. When she got close enough to examine it further, she found that it bore her name, her date of birth, and another date... one she wasn't sure of.

Your date of death, child.

The voice arose from nowhere, causing Sakaki to quickly turn her head in search of it's source. Your search is in vain, You'll not see me. Not now. Did you already forget what happened? Sakaki stopped her search, as it was apparently she would not find the voice's owner, and instead focused on what it had said. "What happened... I remember... Oh!" She looked down at her arms and saw along her wrists the black markings, similar to a bracelet in tattoo form, and it all came rushing back to her. "Shishire! The Sealing!" Do not dare speak my name child! Your filthy human mouth is not worthy of it! Sakaki's hands shot to her ears in shock at the booming voice's ferocity, but she now understood who it belonged to.

"So it's you... Is this an illusion then?" A wry chuckle formed in the child's mind in response. Nay, maggot. My power goes far beyond simple illusions and parlor tricks. By the time I escape your body, you will come to understand that there is nothing in this world greater than Shishire. As it spoke it's own name, a skeletal hand erupted from the earth at Sakaki's feet, gripping her foot tightly before yanking her down into the grave with her own name on it. Darkness enveloped her more quickly than she could scream, the suffocating blackness of infinity spread out before her.

Once this is all over, you will never see your precious 'light' again. I will make sure that your soul knows no peace in the afterlife. You will hate those who damned you to this fate, cursing their names as I torment your pitiful soul for eternity. And maybe, if you're lucky, I'll grant you nonexistence in the end... But not the light. No, never the light. You are cursed to never join that which you hold so dear. It's voice was thick with arrogance and pride as it spoke of the horrors it would visit upon her in the end, but Sakaki was far too scared by the darkness around her to pay it mind. It felt like an eternity before finally the horror ended...

---

With a jump and a gasp for air Sakaki shot up in her bed, cold sweat dripping down her face as she hyperventilated, still picturing the dream she had just experienced so vividly. Her eyes darted around her small room, finding familiar sights that helped to ground her in reality once more. A dream... It had all been a silly dream. Her right hand rose to wipe the sweat from her brow, but once more she saw them, those black bands on her wrists... It wasn't a dream, was it? That really happened last night. That thing in her mind... It was real. Fear threatened her once more, but this time she was able to look out her window and see the brilliant light of the Sun shining through.

It was enough to relax her, knowing that the dark had passed for now. But she could feel it inside her now, this being known as Shishire... it was there. It didn't speak or attempt to make it's presence known, but it was a tangible dread that she felt no matter how she tried to shake it off. So focused on these new feelings was Sakaki that She hadn't even realized that, among her small room, she was not alone...

[Willoria]

Souta had been watching her for some time now. She wasn't the first charge under his belt, and if he was ever forced to kill her she wouldn't be the first there either. Usually he stayed in the background, unseen as he was supposed to do. But like many others, Souta was tired of watching hosts fail. He couldn't help but wonder how much better they might do if they realized the constant watch they were under, the threat at their throat that wasn't just Shishire. This time he had helped get her home, and remained behind. He stood in a corner of her room, arms folded over his chest as he watched her sleep, something small obscured in his large hand as he waited for her.

He saw her when she started to twitch and squirm, he knew the nightmares that probably drove at her mind. Shishire was never a kind mental roommate, that much he knew for certain. Watching her he knew this was still true. Before long the girl came awake with a start and for a moment Souta remained completely still. He could tell she had not yet noticed him in the shadows of the corner of her room. The fact that he had pulled the curtains when they brought her in now helped keep him hidden from her sight.

With a groan akin to a low growl, Souta pushed himself off the wall with his shoulders. He leaned forward and rest his hands now on the foot of the frame of her bed. "Shishire is never a kind roommate." he remarked, looking at her a moment. "Did they feed you lies or truth before all this child? Did they tell you that you could do great things for this village? Or did they tell you the damnation you risked for power?"

[TyDie]

Sakaki once again gasped as the man in the corner finally revealed himself, the sound of his groan causing her blackened eyes to dart towards him. "Gah! Who - Who are you? How did you get in?" Sakaki scrambled up in her bed, pushing herself towards the headboard as the man approached the foot of her bed, speaking of Shishire. She tilted her head in confusion... that had only been hours ago. "How... How do you know about that? Were you there last night?" She calmed a bit, realizing his connection to her was the spirit that now resided within her, and crossed her legs into the lotus position while he spoke.

Her words brought forth anger inside her though, as she could tell just from the way he was speaking that he underestimated her. Treating her like some child... Even though she was one, that was no reason to speak down to her! Who did he think he was? "Zao-sama never lied to me! He told me exactly what to expect, it was life or death and I won! Now I can use this thing's power to make our village safer, better! Don't treat me like some little brat, you hear me!?" She was incredibly huffy, which was somewhat adorable given her small size and young age. However, the girl's anger was clear; she didn't like this guy so far, acting all high and mighty.

[Willoria]

As she demanded answers, the man had no qualms about replying, he simply didn't do it. He remained quiet as he watched her and listened to her defend herself. He couldn't help a smirk as she insisted she hadn't been lied to, and yet followed up with such naive statements. "As if Shishire is just going to hand you that power now, right?" he replied, his voice as always deep as if something scraped against gravel. "My name is Meiyo Souta." he finally told her. "They say I'm your guardian, but in reality my job is to guard this village." He stood up to his full height and crossed his arms over his chest as he stared down at her. "It's still life or death, kid." he told her. "And if you screw up and loose control, it very well may be my blade that brings death to you."

He stared into her darkened eyes, feeling the hair stand up on the back of his neck. He knew Shishire wasn't the sort to stay quiet back there, the beast lingered behind the eyes of this child and that was something he had to keep in mind. "But I sincerely hope I will never have to do that again." he admitted quietly. "You will have to force that beast to submit to gain proper control of his power. Your will must always be stronger than his. Today was easy compared to what you're going to face in the future."

He went quiet a moment, knowing damn well everything he said she would hate, it might even strike terror into the girl. But he'd wait, whether she lashed out or cowered, whatever her reaction, he'd wait for it to pass before reaching a hand out towards her. "You should stretch your legs, get a bite. You'll find your body more stressed than before, you should get used to it as quickly as you can."

[TyDie]

Sakaki narrowed her eyes at the man as he made his mention of Shishire, and how the beast wouldn't just give her that power for free. She knew that of course, but a part of her thought the sealing would be the hardest part of all this... It was apparently the opposite; this was just the beginning. Still, a small 'hmph' as she puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms over her chest was the most response he'd get, turning her head away from him to look out the window instead. This 'Souta' was going the right was to get under her skin, but the situation got much darker as he threatened her and explained the real reason why he was here, watching her. Watching her was his job, he was the one who would step in to take care of 'business' if she lost herself to Shishire.

Well... That wasn't very comforting.

But the next big was, at least. He didn't want to kill her, and he wanted her to succeed... But his age and the stress lines on his face showed that he had seen much pain and strife in his time. And she wasn't the most observant person out there, being a 10 year old and all, so if she could see all that then it was pretty clearly displayed. "... Izanami Sakaki. But I guess you already knew that, huh?" She tried to stop being grumpy with him, unfolding her arms and letting her shoulders relax finally. He extended a hand to her, and she let out a small smile as she took it, using his strength to help herself to her feet. She found that she was fully clothed despite removing her shirt last night for the ritual, thank goodness...

As she stood, her legs felt weak and gave way, only for her to grasp at Souta and try to stay standing by gripping onto his clothes. "Woah! Oops... heh, sorry, I guess last night was... really rough huh?" It still hadn't really registered with her how tough last night really was... on everyone involved. "You never answered me... Were you there last night?" She asked the question as Souta lead the way out of her room, no doubt leading her towards the streets of Sunagakure.

[Willoria]

Souta was watching her closely as he helped out of her bed, glad to see that her foster mother had obviously helped her back into her clothes. Awkwardness would have been an understatement if she hadn't. As Sakaki stumbled he quickly reached out and caught her under the arms, helping her too her feet. "Its not unusual." he remarked as she referred to her sealing probably being at fault. "You'll feel weak for a bit, but that's why you're going for a walk now. A short walk, some food, you'll start feeling better in no time." He did his best to keep his tone level, stern even. But it was moments like this that the small bit of kindness remaining in the man often came out. He helped her out of the room, his hand deftly moving to leave something on the table that she wouldn't discover until later.

He couldn't help a bit of a chuckle though as they left her room and home, walking the path towards the market that wasn't all that far away, and she asked that question again. "Yeah, I was there... just in case." he answered rather somberly. "But in truth we aren't supposed to discuss it. The details of such events are closely guarded secrets, the sort of secrets we all take to our graves." he added. There were points of the sealing he had been sworn to strict silence, and Souta wasn't about to break that. "So what is your favorite food, Sakaki-chan?"

[TyDie]

Sakaki smiled up at Souta as he caught her and helped her regain balance, which only took a few moments. Once she stood fully garbed, she made her way out the door to her bedroom and saw Miss Miami at the top of the stairs. "Good morning, Miss Miami!" the woman looked to be in her 30s or so and was lightly tanned, with cascading raven locks not that dissimilar from Sakaki's own hair. Her thin figure was covered with a beautiful while kimono "Oh dear, leaving so soon?" "Yes, Miss Miami. My new friend here is going to be taking me out, we have some ninja stuff to talk about!"

It was clear that Miami didn't know much about shinobi life, nor did she know anything about Sakaki's sealing or the newfound physical traits she bore as a result. She was simply informed by the village to take care of her and change nothing about how she interacted with the young girl. That was enough for Miami... All she ever did was love the children at her orphanage as if they were her own. "Well, please be careful dear. You had a very rough night from what I heard!" Sakaki rubbed the back of her head and laughed... "You don't know the half of it... I'll be back later!" And with a chipper smile she went out the door with Souta.

Once out the door, a wave of sadness overcame her. They weren't even 10 steps into their walk before Souta responded to her earlier question about him being at the sealing, prompting her own question. "That means... Miss Miami can't know either, can she? I can't tell her anything about it... Not about Shishire, not about the sealing... So many secrets." Sakaki let out a small sigh as the realization came over her. She never kept secrets from Miss Miami, she looked at the woman as if she were her mother. It didn't feel right keeping secrets from her... The talk of food interrupted her thoughts, and while she did have an answer, she wasn't very enthusiastic about it. "Yeah, I do... But you're not likely to find it cheap around here. I found out one time, when Miss Miami treated us to some really expensive food, that I love sushi. But then I found out how rare sushi is here, since we're not near any water or fish. A ramen shop will do."

Whether it was the fact that her favorite food was a rare delicacy, or the fact that she felt like she was lying to her mother, Sakaki was definitely down in the dumps now.

[Willoria]

Souta watched the interaction carefully, smiling at Miss Miami as he was mentioned by Sakaki. He didn't say anything, the pair had already talked at length about his intentions, especially when she realized he was standing over her sleeping child at one point. There was much he couldn't tell her, that he couldn't be honest about, but eventually he was able to convince her of two things. The first was that Sakaki was vital to the village's safety and had a huge role to fill, though she'd be able to talk about almost none of it. The second, was that he was there to protect the girl. It was hard explaining the second thing to her, if only because it was barely a half truth of the situation.

As he talked to the girl herself and they walked along though, he found himself having a hard time not smiling even as she felt down in the dumps. Souta had a great many secrets he kept to himself, and one of them was that he kept an immaculate garden at his home with the help of a Naegi friend. In this garden was a pond full of fish perfect for sushi, an art he had mastered some time ago. He made a mental note of her favorite food and filed it away later, thinking that if she were to exceed expectations it might be a nice surprise.

For now he nodded as she mentiond a ramen shop and the pair made their way towards it. Of course, by this point there was a small critter in one of his ninja pouches that had woken up and immediately made her displeasure known. Hara the baby fennec fox screamed from the pouch and started fussing. Souta groaned in announce as he reached a hand to his hip and opened the pouch, fishing out the little fox with one hand and setting her on the ground gently. "Fussy little shit." he muttered, glaring down at her.

Hara of course was happy to be out and immediately bounced around both Souta and Sakaki's feet, squealing with joy.

[TyDie]

Sakaki didn't hear anything from the man at first, as he was simply quietly ruminating on the information she had given him. However, both of their thoughts seemed to be interrupted by the sudden screaming sound coming from the man's pouch. "What the heck was that, Souta?" The answer came quite quickly as the man opened up his pouch and removed from it a fennec fox, the teeniest little fox she had ever seen. Almost immediately she was overcome with joy at the energetic little furball bounding around their feet. "Oh my goodness Souta, it's ADORABLE!"

She wasted no time kneeling down and immediately attempting to pet and scoop the animal up, if able. "How on earth does such a grump like you have such an adorable little fox running around with you? I didn't take you for the type to have a pet!" It was an honest question, although it came out a little harsher than she meant it. Eventually, when the fox gave an indication of being done with attention, the two would continue on their way through the streets towards a little stand that served various kinds of noodle-based foods. Everything from Ramen to Udon and all in between was there, and Sakaki had been here numerous times. It was also very quiet right now, guaranteeing them privacy.

[Willoria]

Hara continued bounding about their feet, whimpering and crying with sheer joy as she did so. As Sakaki would inevitably try to scoop her up though the little fox laid her ears flat and crouched down, so soft she leaped through the genin's hands as if she were water running through her fingers. It all seemed to be a game to the little animal though as she wasn't upset but rather yipped happily the more she did it. Souta watched with something close to a smile on his face for a moment, until of course Sakaki asked about the origins of the animal.

Souta rolled his eyes and shook head head as he started walking again, Hara quickly bounding after him though he deftly stepped over her every attempt to trip him up as if he'd been doing it forever (he felt like he had). "I found her in the wild, maybe a week old at the time, and dying. I normally wouldn't take a pet but she was determined to live and so I took her home with me. I have raised her by hand ever since... though Hara is an ornery shit." He muttered the last part as he led the way around the corner and spotted a favorite noodle spot of his own. Smirking, he led the way into the shop and found a seat, motioning for Sakaki to join him.

The place was completely open with booths and tables everywhere. It was a nice day with a gentle breeze and so all the walls, which were shouji screens, had been thrown open for a perfect combination of shade and breeze in the desert.

[TyDie]

Sakaki giggled and laughed with the little fox, as if the two shared a common language of some kind. She connected with the young fox, her desire to live and fight was one she knew all too well after last night. Souta's words hung over them as they walked and she thought to herself about a pet in the future... She would like a companion. One that wasn't stuck in her head. "Huh... I like that. Maybe you're not so bad Souta. You know, you can tell a lot about someone by seeing how they treat animals, especially lesser creatures like this little girl." The young girl was quite smart for her age, a fact that would become more apparent as time went on.

Taking a seat at a small booth by the noodle restaurant, Sakaki would wait for the waiter to come by before requesting a simple bowl of pork ramen and a kettle of green tea. Once the waiter had taken both of their orders and they had some privacy, Sakaki asked the question that was burning in her mind since last night. "Souta... I need to know one thing. Everyone was so cryptic last night, especially Zao-sama. He spoke of me, mastering life and death, and called Shishire the 'Soul Genma', but no one has thought to explain the most basic question; What am I supposed to do with it?" Ever since she first walked down into that dank cave she had wondered "how is this going to make me stronger?" and no direct answers were given. She had thoughts of course, but none of that mattered without confirmation.

What were the powers of this Genma? With it's aid, what would Sakaki be able to do in the future, when she mastered it?

[Willoria]

Souta got settled on his side of the table in his chair, sighing as Hara jumped up in the chair beside him and seemed to smile up at him, wagging her tail and yipping. He tried to shush her and she began to pout, earning another scowl from him as he turned his attention back to Sakaki. He honestly fell quiet at her question, not entirely sure how to answer it. He nearly breathed a sigh of relief as a waitress came by and he ordered a simple seafood ramen and an order of vegetable tempura. He was far too glad for the interruption.

But once the pair had ordered and the waitress left he was still left with that question hanging in the air. "First, I'd suggest you survive." he told her, sighing again as he leaned forward and rested on his elbows, staring at the girl for a moment before he continued. "I'd wager that Shishire is one of, if not the, most dangerous of the genma that exists. Several before you have tried to host him only to be killed or corrupted. So first, focus on surviving. Dominate him with your will and do not let him win. Not ever." he sighed once more as he sat up and a rather somber look crossed his eyes briefly. "Once you have a handle on him, then we can talk about what you can do with that power, for the sake of this village."

In truth, Souta was terrified of Shishire, what it had done to so many had left an impression on his mind. Watching Sakaki now he fought hard to think of her not as a child or a shinobi, but a tool, so that if she failed the loss might not hit him so hard. He could already feel himself losing grip on that idea though. This was a girl, a child, in front of him. To lose her to such a thing would be devastating. "So you told me your favorite food... how about your favorite dessert?"

[TyDie]

Sakaki started off listening with keen interest, finally ready to hear what this beast inside her was capable of. But of course, all she received was more concern over her life and cryptic mumbo jumbo, earning a furrowed brow and small eye roll from the young jinchuuriki. "Ugh, that's not at all what I wanted to hear and you know it! Fine... I guess I should probably... Try to talk to it instead..." She slowly trailed off and lost her composure as the realization crossed her mind that eventually, she would have to... 'connect' with this creature. It wouldn't give it's power freely, she would have to work alongside it and no doubt appease it's desires in some way in order to make headway with it's power.

But what did that entail? Her thoughts went back to what Souta had just said, about how many jinches had lost their lives to the Soul Genma, including one of their own Kazekage! "So, you're saying that i'll never be truly safe from it, right? Even if I become the most powerful shinobi in our village, there's always a chance that it could get me. That's... not very comforting." Her eyes dropped down to the table, just in time for the waitress to come back with a wide assortment of their ordered food and drinks. She took the liberty of pouring Sakaki's first cup of tea for her, and the girl smiled up at her with her strange, sad eyes. The waitress, noticing the odd physical quirks of Sakaki, gave a weak smile and quickly shuffled away, not wanting to catch whatever disease she thought Sakaki had.

"Tch... She's afraid of me. I guess that makes sense though, I'd be afraid of someone that looked like me too." She zoned out as she gazed deep into her cup of tea, seeing the reflection of her eyes in the cup. She hadn't even given thought to Souta's question about dessert...

[Willoria]

Souta couldn't help a bit of a chuckle at her sudden upset over his answer and the old man shrugged. "I can't tell you. I know some of Shishire's abilities, but I doubt I know all of it." He watched her as the mental wheels went to work and she obviously realized she would have to work with it. 'Good.' he thought to himself. 'She's a quick learner already... and perhaps she can bring the thing under her power more quickly if he thinks she's eager to learn.' He was honestly happy at the sight, until she started to speak again. He didn't even get to respond to her before the incident with the waitress.

He saw the way Sakaki's face fell as the waitress quickly shuffled away, and Souta turned his head to watch the waitress shuffle away. The manager of the place was behind the bar and seemed to see the way Souta was watching the woman, stopping her to ask questions Souta couldn't hear. "Wait here." he told Sakaki rather suddenly before standing and striding over to where the pair stood. "You must be new here." he growled at the waitress upon his approach, the woman stammering as she turned to face him, yet Souta didn't give her a chance to actually respond. "You are a waitress in a shinobi village. Many of us are unique, many of us carry strange traits that a layperson like you could never hope to understand. Many carry burdens from those same traits you can't possibly know." His gaze was dark, and the manager remained silent as he leaned back against the wall and watched the two, clearly going to just let what Souta said happen. "You have no idea the absolute hell that little girl has been through in the last twenty four hours, and treating her like some diseased thing just made it all the worse."

The waitress was wide-eyed, looking between Souta and Sakaki quickly before she started to open her mouth.

But Souta held up a hand to stop her before she spoke and he looked to the manager, pointing at the waitress. "She doesn't come near my table again. Understood?"

The manager nodded rather simply. It was only as Souta spun on his heels and walked back towards the table that he heard the manager speak to the waitress and pretty much say similar things that Souta had already stated. Souta took his seat at the table once more and sighed as he looked at the things at the table and did his best to smile as he looked at Sakaki again. "You never answered me, what is your favorite dessert?"

[TyDie]

The young jinchuuriki sighed and looked down at the table, forlorn and dejected as the waitress basically treated her like a leper. She reached for her cup of tea, looking to drown her sorrows in the drink, when Souta stood from the table and told her to wait. She did so, but watched with great curiosity as he walked over to the manager of the establishment and the young waitress. Tch... Pitiful that you need someone to fight your battles for you like this. And you think yourself worthy of my power? I didn't need him to! But..." But you're grateful that he did. Hmph. Sakaki couldn't lie to herself, or the genma; it was right.

By the time Souta came back to her, she shook her head and snapped back to reality. She had heard everything he had said, and of course a blush of embarrassment crossed her cheeks as the man returned to the table. "You... you didn't have to make a scene like that Souta. I would've been fine after we left..." She fought hard to fight back the tears, but they began pooling in her eyes anyway. However, it wasn't sorrow, but joy that caused them, and a small smile formed as Souta returned to business as usual, reiterating his previous question. "I like dango. The sweeter the better."

She may not have felt comfortable in her own skin anymore, but at least Souta was treating her like normal. Thank you, Souta. Somewhere in the back of her mind, the Genma audibly retched at the touching moment... That was fine. She didn't care right now.

[Willoria]

"I didn't do it just for you, Sakaki-chan." Souta said, realizing only after he said the words how harsh they really came out. A side effect of his voice really, one of the few he kinda hated. "What I mean is... we have plenty of clans and shinobi with unique abilities here. At young ages we're all susceptible to being far too hard on ourselves, and we're far too self-conscious about our appearances. If she's going to work at one of the most popular restaurants in the village, she needs to learn not to treat them all like lepers." Without thinking the man reached out and put a hand on Sakaki's wrist, giving a light squeeze before releasing her and pulling back. "No need to be embarrassed by my actions. I'm not."

Souta settled back into his chair, getting comfortable as their food was brought out by the manager himself. Souta thanked him as the man left and he looked at Sakaki. "So Sushi and Dango huh? Sushi isn't something many in this village would like, given its texture alone. I'm surprised."

[TyDie]

While she was initially caught off guard by the rather harsh sound of his words, he quickly explained himself in such a way that Sakaki didn't hold it against him for long. Especially when he reached for her wrist, she started to recoil but relented... the black rings that had formed around her wrist were an unsightly smudge on her otherwise flawless pale skin, and one of the first things she noticed about herself physically since the sealing. But Souta did not judge her like that waitress had, and so she let her wrist be taken and lightly squeezed. Another smile formed as he did so, and she had to fight to keep tears from forming.

"I mean it, Thank you. It's... going to be hard, coming to terms with everything. But I feel like I can rely on you... Can I, Souta?" Hmm... The first sensible thing you've said all day, child. Can we really trust this man? If he's anything like my previous host's overseers, there's a good chance he may turn on you one day... Sakaki shook her head visibly for the first time, struggling to push away the genma's words. It was all nonsense, surely it was a lie to convince her she was all alone... Right?

She didn't have time to dwell on what Shishire had said, but it did eat at her... Instead, she marveled at the ramen that appeared before her, so professionally prepared, and that smell! She couldn't help a squeal of joy, her previous depression leaving her at the sight of the wondrous meal. "Oh my, it's amazing! Thank you!" She smiled to the manager and bowed slightly before he walked off, leaving the two alone again. As Souta commented on Sakaki's food choice, she couldn't help a grin. "Miss Miami treated me to some one day, some leftovers that she didn't have the stomach to eat. I believe it was a kind of salmon, she said, or maybe tuna. It was incredible! A little slimy at first, but the flavor... It's been my favorite ever since, but I've only had it two other times since then."

Sakaki looked up to the sky in thought, watching a few clouds roll by in an otherwise featureless blue sky. "You're a Jounin, right Souta? You didn't say of course, but you have that look of authority to you. I was wondering... have you left the village on mission before? been to other countries? I... I would love to go somewhere where fish and sushi are more common. Mostly, I just want to see something more than this desert!" She let out a small laugh as she began to dig in to her ramen, more than pleased with it's taste and slight spice. She slurped up an egg in a single bite, her cheeks puffing out due to the size of the bite and catching even her a little by surprise.

Could you please present yourself with some dignity child? I'm embarrassed for you. She couldn't help but laugh with her mouth full, more of a chuckle as she tried not to choke. What do I have to be embarrassed by? I'm enjoying lunch with a friend, and having a good time, despite your interruptions. 'Friend'... Right...

[Willoria]

Souta was looking over his own food, smiling at how good it all looked, as Sakaki brought up being able to rely on him. He paused for a moment, a small sigh escaping his lips as he leaned back and looked at the girl for a moment. He let her talk as she continued on, he watched how excited she became. He watched her make her accurate assumptions and even smiled slightly at the level of intelligence she portrayed. He already liked this girl, there was a strength he didn't get to often see in the younger generation in his village. 'No wonder she was chosen... even Shishire must be silently happy, even as he gives her hell for it...' He thought to himself, noticing the moments she paused or seemed to react to things that he obviously didn't see or didn't hear. He was certain these were moments Shishire intervened.

"I have killed a host of Shishire before, child." he said rather suddenly. His gaze was almost hollow as he said it, still leaning back in his chair. He sighed once more as he gave her a moment for the statement to break through to her, and only then did he lean forward and speak again. "You can trust me to be who I am, Sakaki. I will be harsh with you, and I will push you. It will all be because I do not want to ever do that again. There are going to be moments you hate me, there will be times you fear me. But it is all because I need you to know what is at stake here. It isn't just the village's safety, it is your heart and soul." he looked at her a moment and debated reaching out to touch her wrist again, but he didn't. He had a feeling after what he had just confessed she would likely recoil at his touch, if not of her own volition than Shishire would cause it to happen. He wouldn't be surprised if the spirit himself didn't remember it happening, but the spirit he knew might fear him more than the girl for it.

"You are my charge and I will protect you every way I know how, and that won't always be with a kind and gentle hand. I am a samurai, I live by the code and one day I will die by it... and I am not against doing the worst to save the soul of the best I know. I can see a strength in you even now that you can conquer this.... but through all of it, as much as I'd like for you to trust me implicitly, you also should never forget what I am, Sakaki."

He didn't say it, but it certainly crossed his mind. 'I may one day be called to be your executioner...' He knew if he ever had to do it again though, that would be the day he'd walk away from his position as a shinobi. He couldn't fail another. That was why he was here, visible to her, talking to her, rather than in the shadows. He had to try another way, he had to succeed.

[TyDie]

Sakaki continued to eat and enjoy herself, so happy to have made a new friend... or so she thought. Souta's blunt words gave her immediate pause, noodles hanging from her mouth as her eyes opened wide with shock. It would've been funny, were the topic matter not so serious. She froze, listening to his words as her eyes never once left him, slowly biting off the noodles and swallowing what food she had in her mouth. Wh... what is he saying? I thought he was here to protect me, to train me? But.. I tried to tell you, child. He is not your friend, not your comrade. He has no interest in protecting you, his job is to protect the village... from you. Or have you forgotten that you now bear host to the most powerful creatures this world has ever seen

She didn't move for several long, painful moment, her mind tuned in entirely to Shishire at this point. Face it child; you're a monster now. This village has damned you by fusing us together, in some vain hope that you will learn to harness my power for their benefit. Everyone will judge you, everyone will fear you, and when you finally lose control, I will take the reins. You will die, as so many have before you. Be sure to thank your superiors for this 'gift' they have given you. No... You're wrong. They wouldn't do that to me, to one of their own, unless they knew I could handle it! Shihihihihi... Whatever you need to tell yourself, child. Cling to your delusions... they will not save you in the end.

Sakaki's eyes began to tear up after the long, drawn out silence, where she admittedly only heard about half of what Souta had said after admitting to killing a host to Shishire. She had heard that he intended to protect her as best he could, that he didn't want to kill her, but in the end none of that really mattered to her right now. It was all she could to keep from crying then and there, but she managed to stand up and put down her chopsticks, leaving a bowl of ramen with only a few bites missing and an almost full cup of tea. "I must be on my way now. Please excuse me." Without waiting for a response, Sakaki turned and walked away from the table. She wasn't heading for home... truth be told she had no idea where she was headed.

But no matter where she went, she could count on one thing; She could run from Souta, but not Shishire.