[Graded][closed] Just Checking In!

[TyDie]

After leaving the hospital with Rika and talking her into getting her new prosthetic arm, Sakaki left the hospital and let out a deep sigh as she headed for her next destination... Souta's house. She knew full well that he was going to want to check in with her; after all, it wasn't stated, but she had no doubt that her handlers had checked her over after realizing that Shishire had gotten to her while she was in the leaning tower with Rika. When her handlers got involved, she was pretty sure Souta would be too, if not directly then at least he'd have been briefed. She knew that for a fact too, since she awoke to a note on her bedside table telling her to go to his house later that night.

So that's what she was doing, crossing the village to reach Souta's house and, most likely, get yelled at for what happened. But why would he yell, Child? After all, you're not dead... One might say that you controlled yourself quite well. Don't they want you to use my power for their sake? You can't do that if you don't go through my trials and survive... Sakaki let out a sigh, as the genma's words mirrored her own beliefs for the moment. I don't get it either... I've been told that I need to work with you, to use your power, but they want me to be so cautious with you that it's like... I don't understand how i'm supposed to make strides if I'm not supposed to take risks. I have asked you before child, and I will ask again; Are you certain this village wants whats best for you? Are you certain that this man you are going to see wants whats best for you? I think only you know what's best for you...

Damnit... Why did Shishire have to make so much sense? Her idle conversation with the genma killed enough time that before long, Sakaki stood outside Souta's luxurious house again. She walked up to the door and, with a sigh to prepare herself, knocked on the door.

[Willoria]

Souta was in the living room with Hara with the knock came, and almost immediately there was a growl deep in his throat. "Come in!" he yelled at the door, Hara running off to her room as he got up and moved to the edge of the living room. Because of the way the house was set up, Sakaki would have to turn a corner to actually see into the living room, and because of this the man leaned against the wall and waited. When he heard the door open and Sakaki inevitably remove her shoes, as he required of her every time she came over, he formed a couple of hand seals. As soon as he inevitably came around the corner the maroon chakra would light up his right hand briefly as he smacked her 'round the back of the head. "So you want to explain to me when you got so stupid?" he remarked, stepping away from the wall and motioning towards Sakaki as he spoke. "And that isn't just for you, its for Shishire too."

He sighed and started leading the way further into the living room before sitting heavily and leaning forward, hands clasped, and looking at her. "You managed to avoid all the traps the first time through, just to hit one on the way out? Ending up in your partner losing a limb?" Souta took a deep measured breath as he stared down the girl under his guardianship, and someone he suddenly felt needed more training. "Walk me through what happened."

Jutsu UsedShow

Shizumeru • [Fists of Authority]
C-rank Tenkujutsu (NinTai)
After performing a set of hand seals, the user focuses chakra into their hands, causing them to be coated in Maroon chakra. If they hit a spirit, a jinchuuriki, tsukimogami, or other such being, within three posts it will cause the target to drop in available forms by 1 for up to 5 posts.

[TyDie]

Sakaki happily trod through the front door, removed her shoes, and shuffled her way along the hard wood flooring of the man's home, rounding the corner to the living room only to find it empty. Confusion took her as she walked through the archway... only to feel the sudden hand against the back of her head. And that wasn't all; Shishire felt it too, a small grunt of annoyance emanating through her mind as the genma felt the power of Tenkujutsu... a feeling it was all too familiar with, given the amount of times it had been sealed and captured. Tenkujutsu... Grrr.... The voice filled her mind with such disdain, such absolute seething rage, knowing that it was the same art that ended the rule of the genma millennia ago.

"Owwww! What the hell was that for Souta!? Gah, that hurt!" She rubbed the back of her head, a look of annoyance crossing her face as she took a seat on the couch. She felt funny now, and she wasn't sure why, but apparently that word Shishire spoke had something to do with it. "I don't know what that was, but Shishire didn't like it. What'd you do to me? And what do you mean 'stupid', what'd I do?" Souta explained exactly what he meant, and a look of sorrow crossed Sakaki's face as she remembered her friend Rika... and the arm she had lost. "It's... it isn't that simple, Souta. We made our way through the entire tower, passed all of the trials, and were walking out with our prize. It felt great; my first mission, a success! But then... I guess we forgot about that last trap. We tried our best to run through the hallway, I almost ended up worse than Rika a few times. But Rika... at the very end, one last blade caught her in the left arm, and... well... She..." It still hurt to admit what happened, Sakaki had to take a second as tears welled in her eyes. She held up a finger, taking a deep breath as she recentered herself, giving Souta a moment to interject.

[Willoria]

Souta didn't immediately answer the question about what he did or used that irritated Shishire so much. Instead he chose to focus on her recounting of what happened, and he interjected the moment he was given a chance to. "And what caused you to lose your grip?" he asked, oddly carefully. It was the part he was admittedly most worried about. Part of him didn't particularly care about the Genin he didn't know getting hurt, he was more concerned with Sakaki's well-being.

His tone shifted to something more serious, but also far less accusing. More than anything, what filled his tone was concern. "I need to know what set it off, and what pulled you out of it." he said almost quietly. "I know what the reports read, what it looked like, but I need to know the full truth of what happened to you, Sakaki."

[TyDie]

Sakaki Took in Souta's words with a nod and another deep breath, trying to recount the memory of what had happened in the Tower. It was fresh, but that just meant it hurt more to remember. "Sorry... I'm trying Souta." She fanned her face a moment, trying to fight back the tears, successfully this time. One last time, she cleared her throat before continuing. "Rika lost her left arm. And when it happened, I tried to help her, but I couldn't. I had used so much chakra destroying a big statue guardian. I sat there, watching her bleed out, knowing I was helpless... A failure. And Shishire called me on it, saying it was my fault for not accepting it's help in the first place. I didn't want it's help, I wanted to do my first mission without it."

"Then I got angry. Really angry." Sakaki's hand tightened around her Kimono, gripping the fabric so tight Souta could see her hands shake. It was clear that she was still feeling that fury, over a day later, but she kept herself in control. "I... everything went dark after that, I thought for a second I was dead. But then Rika touched me, calmed me down, and I used the chakra granted by Shishire to clot her wound so we could escape. The last thing I remember was asking someone for help... Then I woke up in bed, with your note on my endtable." She finally released her grip on her Kimono, letting out a deep breath as a single tear finally made it's way down her face.

"... Am I in trouble, Souta? Did I do wrong?"

[Willoria]

Souta seemed to let out a breath he'd been holding and he shook his head. "You're not in trouble, Sakaki." he said, pausing as he leaned back on the couch and thought for a moment. "I worry about you, Sakaki. More than I'm supposed to worry about a host." he admitted, looking at her a moment. "Guardians like me are supposed to remain detached, just in case... in case things go bad. Your other guardians are much better at that so naturally I hate when I'm not there and Shishire gets to you." he stared at her for a moment, though almost not at her at the same time. It was as if he was staring through her, at Shishire.

"I need to be better at my job, to make sure the worst doesn't happen." He took a deep breath and looked at her again. "What happened earlier, that is called Tenkujutsu. It is part of a series of techniques used to interact with spirits... spirits like Shishire. I've been learning it so I can better protect you..." he formed a couple of handseals and reached out and touched her hand. "...and more."

Jutsu UsedShow

*Shizumeru • [Voice of Spirits]
C-rank Tenkujutsu (Nin)
After performing the needed hand seals and focusing chakra into their hand, the user places their hand on the head of a Spirit host, or on the object containing a spirit. This allows them to speak directly to the spirit in a telepathic link.

[TyDie]

Sakaki was as confused as ever, hearing that Souta was attached to the young jinchuuriki. After all, he said himself that he was supposed to remain detached; didn't that make him a bad handler? Or did it make him a good one? Anyone who would stay your hand and slow your progress is a bad handler, child. How are you to grow with my power if you don't overcome these obstacles that I present for you? As always, Sakaki felt stuck in the middle; Souta urging caution, and Shishire whispering in her ear to give in. It was maddening, and did little to help her calm down. But what did help her calm down was Souta, grabbing her hand... She hadn't even realized the jutsu he had used, though she had heard the explanation of Tenkujutsu.

Shishire, on the other hand, noticed it immediately, and recognized it.

"Ahh, so the murderer of the other child has learned a few new tricks. It matters not... Whether through the child or directly, you know we have nothing to say to each other. You are the leash to this child's potential; release your grip and let me do the rest." Sakaki was confused for a moment, but eventually it dawned on her that Shishire was speaking to Souta. But how? Souta couldn't speak to Shishire could he? How? "Can you hear that?"

[Willoria]

Souta couldn't help a chuckle as Shishire spoke, immediately trying to unnerve him. Fortunately, he already knew what Shishire knew about him that he would use against him, and he had been prepared to hear it. The spirit had no idea of his actual weakness. He nodded at Sakaki's question, before speaking aloud. "I'm not her leash, I'm your muzzle, at least until you two can learn to work together without you trying to husk her out like you did to Sachiko." he answered rather bluntly, before letting go of her hand and ending the jutsu. He had only wanted enough of an interaction to show Sakaki what he could do.

"I've seen the worst of what can happen Sakaki, and I just want to make sure it doesn't happen to you." Souta got up and motioned for her to follow him, leading the way into the kitchen. "Our village worships the Light, and you have in you one of the darkest things we're aware of. Finding balance is going to be hard. But it sounds like this girl somehow helped you.... might actually be good for you to spend more time with her." As he spoke he prepped a small serving of sushi and put it in front of Sakaki, sighing heavily. He'd thought talking to her about this would end in him telling her to stay away from this Rika, but instead it sounded to him like Rika was the only reason she regained control.

[TyDie]

Shishire was unafraid of the man, choosing to laugh instead of cower from the man. Shihihihihi... It isn't my fault that failure bit off more than she could chew. I didn't force her to use my power... Sakaki gulped as Shishire spoke, knowing that Souta couldn't hear him speak anymore... and she was silently thankful that he couldn't. She wasn't too keen on the idea of him pissing off Shishire, or vice versa... being caught in the middle of that was a thought that scared her.

"It won't happen Souta. Not to me. Promise." She tried to smile, but it was hard... He was right. This creature within her was pure darkness, and yet she was expected to work with it, despite everything she was taught about Yuumagure? It didn't make sense... A breath of relief filled her lungs though, as Souta made his comment about Rika. "Thank you, Souta! She's such a nice girl, and she's getting a new arm and everything. I actually helped her overcome her feelings about it, cus she didn't want to defile herself... which reminds me..." Sakaki eyeballed a particular piece of sushi, a crab roll, holding it in her chopsticks before speaking again. "She knows about Shishire. I... showed her. To help her overcome her fears."

[Willoria]

Souta leaned on his elbows on the counter and looked at Sakaki while she ate. "Well. She knows then." he remarked idly, thinking about things for a moment. He watched Sakaki eat a moment before turning and pouring some hot tea for the girl and bringing it over to her. "Well, I don't think she's the only one who has fears to overcome." he told her, chewing on the inside of his lip a moment before reaching out and taking one of her hands. He didn't hold it but rather lifted it enough to look at the black rings around her wrist briefly.

"You need to work with Shishire, but I think my cautions have made you more nervous about it, than helped. May have even lent to the two times now that you've lost control." Souta released her wrist and sat down at the table with her, staring at her a moment. "We need to train, we need to get you accustomed to tapping into Shishire's power more frequently. It needs to be made an instinct, without losing your guard, and that will take a lot of work."

[TyDie]

Sakaki... was a bit taken aback by Souta's response. It was shorter and more blunt than normal. She paused mid chew, giving him a suspicious look as she slowly finished the crab roll, not even bothering to swallow before responding though she covered her mouth with her hand while she spoke. "... That's it?Just, 'she knows'?" She finally swallowed, as if it was punctuation on the end of her sentence, before she continued. "I...was expecting you to be a lot more angry... At least frustrated... It's like I don't even know you anymore." Sakaki teased the older shinobi, smiling at him playfully before popping another sushi roll in her mouth with a delighted squeal of pleasure.

"You spoil me with this food, you know that right? This is simply too good." Sakaki practically melted as the salmon roll she had grabbed sent waves of flavor through her mouth. The mention of fears to overcome caused Sakaki to raise an eyebrow in curiosity. While she didn't recoil from him grabbing her, she was a little shocked by the suddenness of it... And when he showed off the black rings around her wrists, she instinctively looked away, a look almost like that of shame crossing her face. "That's... Not fair..."

The man was right though; Sakaki wasn't just nervous, she was afraid. She had made some strides with Shishire sure, but he still seemed like this phantasmal being of infinite power that would inevitably consume her, no matter what strides she made. Perhaps the most astute observation you've made in the past month... Shihihihihi... The laugh sent a shiver down her spine, and his confirmation of her fears did little to calm her. But as Souta mentioned training, she finally broke her fearful silence. "You want me to train with it? To use it in public? I thought you told me not to do that, we don't want anyone else to see right?" She was getting a lot of mixed signals from Souta... While he admitted that he was at fault for driving her to fear Shishire, she still couldn't shake the fact that he had told her to be extremely careful with it at one point. Now it seemed like the reverse was the case; he wanted her to tap into it more often, to get used to it's power.

"I have to be honest Souta. I'm afraid of Shishire's power, not because i'm afraid of dying or being taken over. I'm afraid... Because I like it. Like, I really like it. It feels incredible, and that scares me... Something so dark shouldn't feel so good, should it?" The concern in Sakaki's eyes was clear as day, and the truth was on the table. Meanwhile, Shishire was quick to capitalize It should feel good, child. My power is absolute, and once you get a taste, it's addictive isn't it? So enticing, to feel that power flow through every fiber of your being... It's unlike anything you've ever felt. It's okay to like it, child..."

[Willoria]

Souta simply looked at her, his elbow on the table and his chin resting in his palm, as he seemed to think through what Sakaki said. "First... you are in consideration for Chunin, Sakaki. If you hadn't heard that yet, you know now. When you rank up to Chunin you become celebrated in this village. There will probably be a parade, everything. Keeping you a secret within the village won't be as big of a deal anymore. So that's secondary to me right now. What matters is getting you accustomed to tapping into Shishire's power, but without losing control. Without letting him try to take over. Using the power and holding him back need to become secondary instinct to you." Souta took a deep breath and sighed however as he thought about what to say next. There was a fine line between liking power, and becoming addicted to it, and he knew that.

"There is nothing wrong with liking the power, Sakaki." he finally told her, albeit hesitantly. "We all like power, we love to exert it, and we love to prove that we are the ones in control with it. What matters most is how we use it, that defines us, but liking it? Everyone likes power." His skin bristled at the next thought that crossed his mind. He wasn't the most faithful of Suna when it came to Yuumegure. He wasn't the most faithful nor the most devout, but still the next words out of his mouth made him bristle. "Sakaki the only thing that says liking this power, that says using this darkness is wrong, is Faith. You are in a unique position... and maybe it is time to leave that Faith behind." He let those words hang in the air, waiting for her reaction.

[TyDie]

Sakaki was caught off guard by the sudden announcement of her upcoming rank up opportunity... So soon? She felt so young and inexperienced! Surely they weren't serious... But why would Suna joke about such things, especially with a jinchuuriki? No, Souta wasn't one to joke like that either, so it must be true... "Wow... Chuunin. And you're saying that once I become a chuunin, I won't have to hide the fact that i'm a Jinchuuriki anymore? That's a relief! But... now i'm all nervous." She gripped her chopsticks just a little too tight as she thought about it, breaking the sushi roll she had in her grip as she let out a small sigh of disappointment. She then grabbed up each and every piece of the roll so that she didn't waste it, eating it anyways, but with a distant gaze on her face as she ruminated on the idea of becoming a chuunin...

That is until Souta continued, explaining what she would need to do with Shishire, and that liking power was okay. You see, child? It's okay to like my power... After all, I do. And he's right about your faith too... You've no need for that crutch. Put your faith in me, child... You've proven yourself an adequate host, I've no intentions of husking you like I did those before you. Sakaki paused, listening to the genma and weighing what Souta had told her in her head... For a moment she felt like her head was spinning. It was so much to take in all at once. "Souta, Yuumagure is all i've ever known. Miss Miami taught me all about Her Light, it's holy warmth bathing us all. When I'm at my weakest, I look to the Sun's glow for guidance and strength. In fact... It's the reason I survived my sealing. I thought I was going to die, so I said a prayer, and the next thing I knew the seal on my back absorbed Shishire... Much to it's dismay."

The genma offered little in response to her comment, but Sakaki still sat in an odd, confused state as she considered everything placed before her. "I can't give up my faith, Souta. I just can't. But... you're right about me having to work with Shishire. I can't let faith interfere with that." Sakaki looked Souta in the eyes and finally, after all of this somber and serious conversation, a smile crossed her face again. "So how do you want to do this exactly? I mean, I could just tap into Shishire's power right here, in your living room. What better time than now?" She gave a playful smirk, knowing that home renovations wasn't on Souta's list of things he wanted to do today.

[Willoria]

It was a calmer reaction than Souta had expected, but it was still on par with what he expected. Most in Suna would feel the same when confronted with the idea of leaving behind the faith they were raised with. For Souta himself he hadn't even fully left it behind, no matter how hurt he had been by her death. But as she spoke he couldn't help as an idea brewed in his head. 'Wonder if Kiyori can help me research other faiths... maybe she doesn't want to leave hers behind, but understanding and learning about others could give her some comfort if she saw others that embrace darkness rather than reject it...'

Of course his thoughts were rather quickly interrupted as Sakaki offered to demonstrate abilities in his house and the man suddenly laughed. "I might lose my sushi supply if you do that. Fish robbed of souls don't sound appetizing." he remarked, chuckling still as he stood and touched her on the shoulder briefly before stepping more into the kitchen again. "Tomorrow we'll meet at the northernmost training ground and we'll work on it from there. You aren't strong enough to steal a human soul yet, so you can practice on me without too much concern. Most you did last time was make my arm go numb for a bit, so should be fine." Of course as he spoke he'd forgotten that he never admitted to her that she had nearly hurt him during her first bad episode with Shishire, but the incident was barely a thought in his mind much less serious to him since all it really was, was numbness.

[TyDie]

Sakaki chuckled at Souta's response to her offer, looking down at the few rolls of sushi that remained as he mentioned the thought of soulless fish. "Well we can't have that, such a loss would be beyond words!" She laughed and popped one more piece of sushi into her mouth, chewing and swallowing with a content sigh as she was finally full. Sakaki stood from her chair as well, and smiled as Souta placed his hand on her shoulder. Her own hand moved to touch his hand for a moment before he walked away, her way of saying 'thank you' without actually speaking the words. They were to train tomorrow it seemed, and for the first time she would attempt to use Shishire's power in an actual spar... She would attempt to tap into it's power on command, it's dark and twisted power.

She had never realized that she had already done this to him before, in her first fit when she tried to speak to her mother's soul. She had... made him go numb? How strange... But in the few discussions she had had with Shishire regarding it's abilities, numbness and paralysis were possibilities when it came to inflicting damage on a target's soul. "I'm sorry... I wasn't aware... I didn't know I could do that. I don't know anything about Shishire's power, aside from the few things we've discussed in private. I know... I can damage someone's very soul, not their body. And I can actually raise at least one dead thing right now; hawks are indigenous to our desert, so I can pull the soul of a hawk from death and give it a body for a little while. But that's it, as far as I know... for now..."

Sakaki let out a small sigh as she turned away from Souta, so conflicted about Shishire and it's power. "Is it weird... that sometimes I regret it, Souta? There's no going back, I know that, but... I feel like I made a mistake sometimes. Like I'd be happier without all this..."

[Willoria]

Souta couldn't help a chuckle as Sakaki apologized and even seemed conflicted about the damage she had done to him before. "It's okay, Sakaki. The damage was hardly anything, believe me, I've had a hell of a lot worse. We'll take advantage of that for now and you can use me as your training dummy. It won't be long before we have to find another alternative though as some damage you'll be able to inflict in the future even I won't be able to take." Souta lifted up his t-shirt to reveal several scars on his torso, even accidentally giving a bit of a glimpse of the one on his side with a name tattoo'd across it. "See? I can take a lot worse than numbness, you have nothing to worry about." he assured her, letting go of his shirt and taking a sip of his tea a moment as she went on to admit regretting her sealing.

"It's not weird." he told her, setting his tea aside again. "You'll find the life of a shinobi can be full of regrets, what matters is what we do with them. In your case, you may regret it at times, but perhaps remind yourself of the strength you lend to the village with this now. You will become one of the village's strongest weapons, and simultaneously you are the prison for a great beast. You may regret it at times, but you have a strong purpose to hold to as well. You are unique."

[TyDie]

Sakaki's eyes went wide as Souta explained his resilience in an almost boastful way, showing off a plethora of scars and wounds from days gone by that she could hardly believe. Some of them looked to be very vital areas too... how on earth did he survive all of them? "Wow... I guess I'll keep that in mind for the future. But you're right this power is death itself. It'll come to a point where I'll... kill with it. Easily, i imagine; souls don't mend as quickly as skin and bone. Another terrifying thought to add to my collection, I swear i'm becoming numb to all this weirdness."

Souta was also right about what he said about her purpose. "That was the very reason I agreed; to serve in ways no one else could. But regret isn't a feeling i'm happy about... what about you, Souta? All of those wounds and you're still alive, which means whoever gave them to you must not be right? Do you... regret killing? I'm pretty sure I will, when the day comes..." Sakaki felt a shift in the air as the conversation took it's dark turn.

"Sorry, maybe we shouldn't continue this line of thought. It'll spoil the food."

[Willoria]

Souta leaned against the wall and looked at the girl a moment, unable to help a bit of a smirk as she mentioned food spoiling. "It's okay, Sakaki." he assured her. "Yes, some of these wounds are from people that I was forced to kill. Some are from people I was able to capture, and others got away because of the wounds they dealt to me." He looked at her a moment and realized nothing he would say was going to make her feel better in the moment. "I could sit here and tell you that its part of being a shinobi, that you'll get used to it, but I think I got a better idea." The man wandered off for a moment to another part of the house, returning a short time later with a familiar fuzzball squirming in his arms.

He set Hara down and almost immediately the little fox ran after Sakaki and, within two leaps, was on the table attempting to steal a piece of sushi with Souta already laughing.

[TyDie]

Souta really did have a ton of experience under his belt as a shinobi... why did it still feel so strange to Sakaki? She knew what the life of a ninja entailed, that she would be called to perform deeds many consider to be wrong. She could be called to lie, steal, or even murder as necessary, and she knew that. But somehow it seemed so much different just talking about it in the academy. Now it was real, and Sakaki hadn't quite come to terms with that yet. However, Souta had the right idea with bringing Hara into the mix; dont explain to the child, distract her.

"HARA THAT'S MY SUSHI!!" Sakaki grinned and giggled as she chased the little rascal, who had already consumed the sushi bit with glee. When she finally caught her, she'd rough her up a little with a playful laugh, mushing the little fox's face while making all sorts of noises. "How is it this little girl manages to make me so happy no matter what?" she smiled at the little fox, who looked up at her curiously before taking off like a rocket in another direction.

Hara was full of energy, as always. Sakaki's smiling face turning to Souta. "And you too Souta. No matter how dark it gets you always make me happy. Thank you." She stood up and gave a small bow to the man who had done so much for her in the past few months. "I think it's time for me to go though. If we're training tomorrow, i'll need my rest. Thank you for the food Souta... let's work hard and get me to chuunin, eh? I can't keep this secret forever!"