The Tea House

Ketsueki replied with what she had asked him to do: give her the curse mark. But to her disappointment, he didn’t agree with her request. She found it weird though. She never knew the curse seal source could control anyone he had put the mark on. She personally didn’t like that. Not that she didn’t like it at all, but the fact that she would trust Ketsueki so easily to the point that she would give her own self, and that’s something very risky. Especially when he had only recently been an ex-missing nin. Who knows what would happen if ever he could personally control her, and turned out that he actually planned to return to Suna for this purpose, and use her against the village itself? That wouldn’t be good.

She shrugged in agreement of what Ketsueki said, and took the cup from the table. She’ll first see how things would go, and when the right time comes, maybe she would actually accept that insanity, the curse mark itself. The door opened, and two new persons entered. The first one seemed to need to talk to Ketsueki since he was the one he stared. As he bowed to her, she caught a glimpse of an intricate-designed dark mark on his shoulder, and she immediately understood. This one must be a member of Ketsueki’s small group of curse mark people. And she was right as Ketsueki confirmed it.

Then, she winced slightly as the other new person came and shot a glance at Ketsueki. Anger and despise. Wow, that’s really, really unpleasant. she thought as she frowned. She noticed the man, of course, as he was the current Hokage of the Leaf. He was really annoyed and irritated though, and it seemed not to her, but to Ketsueki instead.

She sighed as Ketsueki stood and confronted him. It looked like these two have an unpleasant business of their own. She could feel the Hokage’s anger, and it’s already reaching its peak. She shrugged. If ever these to goes berserk, then she’ll just use her Empathy to sort everything out. She never liked arguments, especially coming from two respectable people.

“Right. Uhm, by the way, Hokage-sama, err, Hokage-donno, I mean.” – she remembered that they were of the same ranks, as she was also a Kage now. She used to call him –sama when she was not yet the kage. - “, you said you wished to speak to me.” she uttered, followed by a smile, trying to change the subject to prevent further arguments between them, as she put another variety of teas in her cup.

Kazika nodded to ketsueki before he got in sarasu's face.He the turned around and started to walk away he heard ketsueki stand up and heard him talk so he hurried out.He didn't want to be around if ketsueki lost his temper.But as he was leaving he wondered about why ketsueki was so nice when he was talking.He must have changed he thought to himself.Then he walked out of the building to the training area.

Sasru's eyes lit up as the Kazekage was a young girl, well younger than Sasru himself. Sasru looked as Ketsueki spoke and Sasru could sense the sarcism as he spoke. Sasru was at his peak he was about to pull his sword out and impale Ketsueki but Sasru restricted his self. Sasru listened to Ketsueki as he mention Chiba's name but as soon as Ketsueki mentioned that he had given Chiba a Curse mark. Sasru grabbed Ketsueki by the thoat and swung him against the wall 'Listen you, you might be powerful but do not anger an Uchiha or you will end up six feet under'. Sasru would let him down and let him fall to the ground. Sasru turnt his eyes to the Kazekage 'How could you let this monster back on your streets, he has the blood of two Konoha ninja on his hands, they both had familys, i was the one to tell them the looks there wives gave me and the children they kept asking there mothers where there daddys had gone, do you know how painful that was to watch'. Sasru was upset the memories of his brother filled his head, he looked back at Ketsueki 'Listen how could give Chiba and Kazika a curse mark, my great granfather Sasuke Uchiha had a curse mark and turnt to dark side becuase of it, what will you do when they lose control and kill and im here to tell you something'.

Sasru paused slightly as he was about to tell Ketsueki something really important 'Under Konoha is a tablet which has the history of the sage of the six paths and the how to seal the jubi, i intend to use this jutsu to strengthen the seals and make sure no one can free the tailed beasts on this planet again, Ketsueki becuase i am the hokage i have the scrolls that show the locations of the seals, you can neither help me or not it is your choice'.

Sasru looked back at the Kazekage 'Kazekage i propose that Suna and Konoha form a alilance and i will teach you the jutsu needed to strengthen the seals and we can work together to stop the bijuu returning'. Sasru was completely serious 'Oh by the way im Sasru Uchiha and you are'. Sasru had left introductions a little late but what he needed to say was very important.

Ketsueki saw his little performance was getting to Sasru, how amusing, his anger was building, it was evident on his face, the way his body moved, the way he was speaking. Sasru lunged for him, where Ketsueki instead not allowing himself to be touched by the Hokage, side stepped and batted the hand out of the way, there need not be a disturbance. He spoke of how Ketsueki killed two guards, and Ketsueki would reply himself.

"I killed two guards yes, but have you not realised I've killed many more people, brought them sorrow, and have done nothing to repary my debt? Do you not know of the guilt I feel, the pain I caused is not reversible, but I am doing my best to dull the wounds of the people I have harmed. I will repay those two ninja's families anyway I can, but now is not the time."

His voice was sincere, he intended to repay everyone he had hurt, including the Hokage. "It also came to my understanding that is your village, as of such, I suppose I owe you a favor..." He said. "You may call upon it anytime you wish." He stopped, how could he give two ninja a curse mark? It was an easy question to answer.

"We are going to have release the old seals on the bijuu, that means fighting these bijuu in there most pure form, any chance of defeating them will have to be taken, even if it means using Forbidden jutsu. I am not letting this world be destroyed, I will stop it. I will not let those who have been chosen to be consumed by the Curse Mark, everything I do will be to prevent that happening." He glanced at Anna, remembering what she had said, she wants a Curse Mark too... Would he be able to give it to her?

Then Sasru told him something very important. The fact that the seals could be improved upon is a great fact indeed, maybe he could seal the bijuu without imprisoning them inside people. Then no one would be filled with the burden.

"Sasru, you say these scrolls improve upon seals correct? Using my own forumulation and my own, we may be able to seal the bijuu without placing them inside a host. The only known jutsu to be able to seal them is one taht costs the users life, I'm improving on it, so my life will be spared, if I die, there is no hope of sealing the bijuu, I have a few more scrolls to go through, but I'm almost done. I would be glad to have an ally such as you, but we can't move now. If you go by yourself, you will die, I wouldn't advise it. The locations would be of great help, but at this moment, our group is by no means strong enough to handle it yet. Not only do I have to perfect the Bijuu Sealing, but also the Curse Mark extension, Kazika and Chiba can barely reach Curse Level One. I need to perfect that as well, but I assure you, I am almost done, the constant training is putting great stress under my body, any further and I will die, along with my research. My intentions are good, and intend to do anything I can to stop the bijuu resurfacing. Thankyou for your offer, and I accept. Obviously the old sealing isn't strong enough, so I need to perfect this. With both our techniques, we can do this."

He spoke, certain of his plan, Sasru's help would be great indeed, if he declined Sasru's help, he would die going against the Bijuu himself, if Ketsueki wanted to lower his kill count, he would first have to stop the Hokage going on a suicide mission. His eyes flashed quickly to Anna, he was missing time with his friend, always business business business, Ketsueki was bored of this now.

"Now would you please leave, I've accepted your offer, and I will contact you as soon as I am done, I promise. I will visit you personally, and tell you the details of the plan when everything is formulated. Now, goodbye Lord Hokage." He said, and turned to Anna, sitting back down on his chair, he just wanted to get back to a nice normal conversation, but he felt that wouldn't happen, not now.

Anna was busy adding stuffs in her cup as the two argued. They didn’t look like they would kill each other anyway, - though the Hokage was showing impatience - so she let them talk with their businesses.

“How could you let this monster back on your streets, he has the blood of two Konoha ninja on his hands, they both had familys, i was the one to tell them the looks there wives gave me and the children they kept asking there mothers where there daddys had gone, do you know how painful that was to watch”

She stirred her cup, her gaze still wandering on which tea to put next. She spoke fluently, calm and composed.

“Yes, yes. I definitely know. And compared to what he had done to your village, Suna had suffered more.” She began. “He killed a lot of people, including the former Kazekage himself, and do you really reckon that didn’t matter to me?” She reached for another pot and took off the lid. “It affected me, more than you, yourself, Hokage-donno. However, don’t you reckon far more than 2 people will die once I lock up the man who is a big part of stopping the bijuu? Besides, loss and pain are part of being a human anyway.”

She shrugged and continued adding powdered teas. The two continued with their chat: the Hokage mentioning about six paths and stuff which she really didn’t understand, and then asking for Ketsueki’s help for some stuffs, while Ketsueki, himself, agreed with being an ally with the hokage, and even suggested his thoughts of stopping these bijuu. She felt a bit comfortable since they looked like they’re going in good terms.

'Kazekage i propose that Suna and Konoha form a alilance and i will teach you the jutsu needed to strengthen the seals and we can work together to stop the bijuu returning’

She heard the Hokage speak. She wasn’t really looking at them, but the statement was obviously directed to her. She scooped another teaspoon of unknown tea from the jar and added it on her cup, then stirred. The hokage continued.

'Oh by the way im Sasru Uchiha and you are?'

“I actually already know you since you’re the Hokage.” She smiled. “Aaaanyway, I am Anna, Hikari Anna, and I’ve been Kazekage ever since… uhm... quite a few months ago. And about your offer, an alliance would be good, considering that we need every ally that we can get against the tailed beasts.”

She stared on the cup for a moment, thinking a lot of things. Then, Ketsueki suggested having them to leave, though it was pretty obvious that he was still worried about the situation. Anna, herself, was pretty concerned with this thing, and would prefer to discuss this more. It was, in any case, a major problem. She had always thought the tailed beasts had disappeared long ago. Then, she made her decision.

“Ketsu-kun, you said I need time to think it over, right? Well, 10 minutes was enough.” She leaned forward since Ketsueki was now across the table in front of her. “I’ve decided.” She then smiled, and spoke clearly and with no hesitation. A soft, yet austere tone of voice:

“I want to have the curse seal.”

Sasru listened to Ketsueki accept this offer and heard him asking him to leave but he stayed for a little longer to listen what the Kazekage had to say, he was told how Suna had greater loses than Konoha, Sasru thought to him self (wow, if this Kage is able to forgive for what he done to this village maybe i should forgive him myself). He smilied as she accepted the offer for the alliance. 'Thank you, both of you for accepting my offers, now Ketsueki has you said before Kazika and chiba have not unlock there curse seals full power let, well i can help you with that'. Sasru reached into his back pocket and brought out a scroll with the Uchiha crest on it. 'This scroll was written by my great granfather Sasuke Uchiha and it tells you about a jutsu and a pill that can awaken a curse seals full power in only a couple of hours but i warn you if this jutsu goes wrong the person you are using it on will die'. Sasru grabbed Ketsueki's hand and placed the scroll into his hand 'Consided this a token of forgivness and freindship'. Sasru smilied at Ketsueki and made his leave 'I'll be waiting for your arrival at Konoha'.

Ketsueki took the scroll and bowed to the Hokage, grateful for this new scroll, this would make things go quicker. He saw the Hokage leave, and placed the scroll into his pouch. Then he heard what Hikari Anna had said.

“I want to have the curse seal.”

Ketsueki felt a pain in his chest, no no no no no! Why? Why did she want a Curse Seal? He didn’t want to have to do this to his first friend. The guilt he would feel if she lost her mind… he wouldn’t be able to bare it. He might harm her, she might go crazy… she might kill…

No, she was stronger than that. Ketsueki said he would if she wanted it. She says she does, so give her a curse mark he must. He turned around slowly, and walked over to Anna. He squatted down, facing her. His eyes were serious, he would speak quietly, once Sasru was gone. He placed both his hands on her shoulders.

“Anna, you definitely understand the consequences of this decision correct? You will have to learn to control yourself to a great degree. You will experience urges to kill, you must resist these urges. With your strength…” He stopped for a moment, his eyes leaving hers for a moment. “The urges will fade after a while, and you should be yourself again after not too long. I am going to do all I can to help you. You’ve made your decision, and I will oblige, as I promised. I’m going to need your permission to do a couple of things while you are unconscious, after the jutsu has been used. You’ll fall unconscious, where I will then have to lay you down on this couch. Then I will wait for you to regain consciousness. When you wake, I am going to ask you how you feel. Depending on what you say, and how you say it, I may have to pin you down or restrict you in some way, possibly with my sand. I won’t harm you, I promise you that much, people are confused and angry when they wake from this, and I don’t want to take any chances, regardless of how powerful you are, and no matter how great your will may be. You’ll wake after a few hours, a day at the most. I won’t leave your side during this time at all. I’ll keep you safe from others, and from yourself.”

“To initiate the technique, I need you to let me bite your neck, and surge my chakra into you. You’ll feel uncomfortable, and you will experience unpleasant emotions, most of them reflecting on mine, it’ll be horrible, it’s part of the technique, it’ll be quick, I promise, try to think of pleasant thoughts as I use this technique. After a couple of seconds, you’ll fall unconscious. Then I wait for you to wake. Once that is done, and you’re back to your normal self, the technique will be finished.

He would wait for her reply, to make sure she was still prepared for this.

OOC: Can I have my own super awesome new variation of curse seal (lol lol), or do I get stuck with the normal one?

IC:

She saw, with her peripheral vision, Ketsueki turn around. Her eyes were focused on what tea she should add to the cup next, but her mind was racing on possibilities of what could happen with her decision. She was too occupied, that she had barely realized Ketsueki moving towards her, and she flinched in surprise as he squatted in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders. She blinked, and then tilted her head.

The first sentence was not a big deal. She already made up her mind on this matter. However, “You will have to learn to control yourself to a great degree.” She blinked twice and then nodded. But her inner self was revolting.

Anna, herself, had never been good at self-control or anything that features controlling herself. Even as a ninja, she had almost below average chakra control which usually ends up her tripping, or a jutsu exploding.

She didn’t give a single hint of this to Ketsueki however. She didn’t want him to back out or to refuse to give her the curse seal. She had already decided, and she would do this for the sake of the majority. She listened further with Ketsueki’s statements. Every word was clearly and seriously delivered, and every sentence made proper sense. Personally, she wondered how she’ll go with the curse seal. She may be stronger than most ninjas, but self-control is just not her thing. She shrugged in her thoughts. It’ll be over in some time anyway, and furthermore, Ketsueki said himself that he’ll be there for her once she goes berserk or rampant. She just hoped Ketsueki would be able to restrain her when her urge to kill is at max. But she had total confidence in him anyway.

Amidst the unknown outcomes, she smiled at him, and gave him her straightforward reply.

“Okay.”

((Yeah, you can come up with your own super awesome Curse Mark xD Or have a Canon one if you wish))

Ketsueki eyes never left Anna's, he focused on them, looking for any types of uncertainty. If she had any doubts or uncertainties, she hid them well, Ketsueki couldn't find any. His gaze lowered to the floor for a second. He still regretted doing this, and he probably would for the rest of his life. He looked up again, and stared into her eyes again. She was pretty, Ketsueki never really observed her this close, it would only make it all the harder, so he had to get it over with.

"You have no idea how hard this is. This bite won't hurt, but the aftershock will..." He said, giving her a smile, the forced smile made it slightly easier to do this, as he finsihed the sentence however, the smile faded, and became one of sorrow. He hugged her tightly, and during the hug, bit her neck, surging chakra into her, the chakra that would give her a brief but detailed insight at his personality, what he used to feel, and what he felt now. His eyes were tightly shut, he wanted this over quickly, but had to keep going, pulling out too soon would leave the Curse mark underdeveloped and erratic, far more dangerous than a normal Curse Mark. When time was up, he pulled away.

He caught her as she began to fall, and let her down to rest. He didn't look forward to the writhing and the pain she would feel. He ran downstairs, but became composed as he reached the bottom. He snatched some cloth from the desk while nobody was looking, and ran back upstairs. He was there and back in a matter of seconds, just in time to see the symbol on her neck form. This would be when the pain would start, and this cloth would be used to wipe the sweat from her forehead. He wet it with cold water.

Then Ketsueki knelt by the couch, by her head, waiting for her to wake up.

Hopefully it would be soon.

"You have no idea how hard this is. This bite won't hurt, but the aftershock will...” she heard him once again, followed by a smile - a forced smile that is. She didn’t need Empathy to know that it hurt him to do this; she could already see it in his eyes: the pain that she had brought him. She wanted to let him know that it’ll all be okay, but she didn’t even know if it would. There was no clear answer to what could happen. But if others, who aren’t even that strong, survived, then how come she wouldn’t be able to?

Then, she felt her body pulled forward, hugged tightly by the one in front of her – by Ketsueki. She was surprised; it was all too sudden. She thought he’ll give her the curse mark maybe a bit later. True, she said she was ready, but deep inside, her mind was still debating. But it was too late. She already felt his warm breath on her neck, and, at that very moment, she showed hesitation. She wasn’t ready after all. She wanted to speak; to just be able to say the word “wait”. But it was all too late. A stinging pain instantly hit her neck as she felt two blades sink in to her flesh. It wasn’t that painful. Of course it wasn’t. It’s just an ant bite compare to the “after effect”.

There was a long pause, a deafening silence, since the time Ketseuki bit her. Aside from the stinging pain from the bite, she didn’t feel anything else. She wondered if the curse mark already worked, or if Ketsueki failed. But the latter was totally impossible. Finally, he pulled away. She could see his eyes closed. She tilted her head to try and feel her neck. No new pain. She then spoke.

“Uhm, Ketsu-kun, I don’t think it was…” then, she gasped.

Her hand instinctively reached for the bite on her neck. She didn’t know what to do. It was painful. It was a different kind of feeling; not the pain she feels when she gets bruised or broken bones, nor the pain of soars and wounds. It was worse than those. Finally, she screamed in pain, shouting the word “Get if off”. She was no longer able to think, unable to recall back that it was her own decision. She gritted her teeth, and her eyes were blinded by a few tears as she breathed heavily. She had always hated pain anyway. The beat of her heart was rampant, and beads of sweat dripped down her chin from her forehead as she continued to pain. She could feel his exact emotions: every agony and sorrow he felt. This was the real pain. Then, images flashed on her head. She was brought to her worst experiences. She felt the exact same pain of when her sensei and team mates died, and then came the death of her closest friend, Kaede.

Everything was just too much for someone like her who has a really low pain tolerance. She could no longer bear the pain. Her blood-red eyes closed, her hand on her neck dropped, and there was nothingness.

She couldn’t feel her body, just the pain which came from her neck that went all the way to her heart. She saw herself floating into nothing but darkness. However, a few seconds of relaxation meant a lot of minutes of suffering. Just as she was calmed with the pitch-black surroundings, she woke up, and she was brought back to incidents of her past life – the worst incidents. Back when she was treated as the weakest, when she was discriminated, when she couldn’t do anything at all. Then the death of her sensei and team mates, and eventually Kaede. Everything repeated.

Meanwhile, in the real world the curse seal mark on the neck had formed.

Spoiler:

OOC: You said you wanted to do something while I’m unconscious, that’s why I didn’t wake her up yet. XD Btw, can I have a curse seal with three levels, instead of the normal two? Two is boring. XD

((I was just gonna go with what you posted, so I don't really mind hehe. If your template is super awesome, I suppose you could have three levels. On this site, being approved is always based on the time and effort, so anything is usually possible))

Dammit! He expected this reaction but just seeing it happen... made it all the worse. Ketsueki began to panic, not quite sure of what to do. Usually when he bit someone he just left them to his own devices, but this was Anna! No way was he going to do that! He would have to find someway to soothe her, but he knew that would be impossible. After seeing her writhe like that, Ketsueki's heart sank. This must have been the biggest mistake of his life, why he had agreed to it he didn't even know. Not long after though, he calmed down, recomposing himself. He acted on impulse, just hoping what little he knew would help.

He acted slowly, as to not jump her body, that last thing he wanted was to cause her more discomfort and pain. He reached slowly over to her forehead and placed the wet cloth over her forehead. With all that writhing, she was bound to warm up, best to keep her comfortable. He had no idea what she was experiencing, but, from what he had gathered, it wasn't the nicest thing at all. Then Ketsueki heard something which made him feel sick inside. He was disgusted with himself. All he could hear was the words "Get it off!" Over and over. This three words made Ketsueki regret every decision he had made in the past five minutes. He wanted to go back in time, and stop himself from doing this. He would learn - make a jutsu that could let him travel through time, he could stop the pain she was going through-

Panicking again. Ketsueki thought to himself over and over-
She'll be ok, She'll be ok
She had to be. The guilt he would feel should she not be ok... Ketsueki would never be able to live with that. There wasn't much else he could do. She had stopped screaming by now, she was gritting her teeth and seemed to be crying. Her breathing was heavy. He gently placed a hand over her heart. Her heart was rampaging like a beast, he hadn't examined the others heartbeat, the strain her muscles must be going through, the pain, everything. Not good.

Then, she was silent. She just stopped. Ketsueki feared the worst. She might not be ok, what if he had-

Don't jump to conclusions. Who knew that he would fret so much like this, a couple of weeks ago and he wouldn't have cared. She had changed him, Ketsueki was glad for that much, but maybe he had lost sight of his rationality too. He couldn't bare to lose his first friend. He rested his head,above her heart, listening intently to her heartbeat. She was calming down, he didn't know what she was experiencing, if anything at all. But her heartbeat alone was enough to assure him that she would be ok. She must just be unconscious. Hopefully the storm was over. Ketsueki breathed a sigh relief, his head still resting gently.

She would wake soon- everything would be ok. She was the Kazekage, they're picked from physical, mental and emotional characteristics. She had been chosen for the job, so she would be able to handle this no problem. He spied the Curse Mark form, an odd pattern, quite intricate. Ketsueki closed his eyes for a moment, he didn't want to see it. This would stay with him for quite a while.

OOC:

Ketsueki Kekkon wrote:

He would learn - make a jutsu that could let him travel through time.

*two thumbs up* Awesome. XD

IC:

Kill.

The single word that played on her mind over and over again. She found it pretty irritating though, especially if the voice was even louder than her own. No matter how hard she pressed her hands on her ears, she could still hear it. And just as well, no matter how hard she closed her eyes, she still could see the visions. She wanted help. Make it stop. But only the voice and visions were present. Finally, she was no longer able to tolerate the annoying thing.

She gave in.

The voices stopped, the visions faded, and there was only darkness. Then, she could now hear a faint breath beside her. She could suddenly read his emotions. And furthermore, she was able to feel her own body, though the immediate pain on her shoulder abided. She opened her eyes, but instinctively retracted with the sudden presence of the light. As her eyes adjusted with the environment, she was only able to see a plain white ceiling, nonetheless, her peripheral vision could see different things which were at first, indistinct, but eventually became evident.

She sat, and then sighed. She looked around, and saw him, positioned beside her. She smiled at him – an appreciative smile. She placed her hand on the side of her head, feeling a bit dizzy for a moment.

“Haha. It’s weird.” she began. She was glad to hear herself speak, and not the unpleasant voice which spoke over and over again. Then, she continued.

“I feel like I terribly want to kill.”

A smile – a grin – painted down her face along with her calmed eyes. “I thirst for bloodshed.” She finished.

Her chakra burst out, a surprising colour of silver, throughout her body. Her neck throbbed, but she didn’t mind. She felt good – no, far from good. She felt amazing. She could do everything she wanted. No more conscience and good will to hold her back. Her grin widened as she observed her hands, her body, everything she was now. But still not enough. She wasn’t contented. She wanted more. She glared at Ketsueki. It was weird. She knew he was important to her, but somehow, she didn’t care. She terribly wanted to kill. She grinded her teeth ready to assault him, her two fangs longer than her normal ones.

But then again, she restrained herself as her mind raced. He was important to her. She couldn’t possibly hurt him, least to kill. But she could. So what if she kills him? She wouldn’t lose anything anyway, and moreover, he could fulfil her craving. However, she just couldn’t. She swore to be strong to protect those valuable to her, and now she would even use this strength to kill them?

Two different personalities fought inside her. She just couldn’t. But she desperately wanted to. Finally, she calmed. She wouldn’t kill him. But just as well, she would relieve this urge. Immediately, the curse mark spread on her left part, covering her arm and hand, and a portion of the left side of her face. The silver chakra, a bit transparent, continued to leak out, engulfing her body into a flame-like structure which then burned the couch she was in. A small explosion occurred where she was, and smoke filled the room. She took this chance to dash towards the door and ripped it out of its hinges. She felt incredibly great. Her superior speed was now unbelievably increased, and her lack of strength was filled in by the curse mark. She then went out.

She couldn’t take to hurt Ketsueki, so she decided to go downstairs and kill everyone else.

((I wonder how that would work if it was allowed xD))

She wanted to kill, this was expected, so Ketsueki instictively leapt back and over the coffee table, grabbing his gourd by the strap, and dragged it along the ground. In another quick hop-step movement, he twisted his foot, and sent him towards the door. If she got out of this room, bad things were sure going to happen. She even specifically told him she wanted to kill. He flipped open his pouch and grabbed a shuriken, but didn't pull it out. His movements were slow, deliberate, as to not irritate Anna. His face was sad, strewn with guilt. What he was going to do, he was not looking forward to do.

Have... Have a created a monster? He whispered in his mind. You fool! Look what you did to her! Ketsueki's face contorted in disgust to his own thoughts, and then settled to the sad look he had. His eyes never left Anna.

"Anna. I regret ever giving you the Curse Mark, it has by far been the worst decision of my life. I assumed you would be able to control yourself. You're the Kazekage for crying out loud! The most powerful person in Sunagakure. I respect you, I respect the person who you are. But there is the side of me that fears your power, even more so now that you have a Curse Mark. When I came to Sunagakure for the first time, I assumed I would die. I thought you would kill me as soon as you brought me here. But you didn't, you saw past what I was and what I could become. you gave me a chance to redeem myself, and that's why I am proud to call you my first friend."

"You changed me, and today, I will repay debt. Instead of fighting to harm those in this village, I'm going to fight to protect them, unless you realise what you are doing and stop it. You have to. You can't harm these people Anna!" His voice grew strained the further on he spoke, growing more and more urgent.

"Anna. Remember who you are. You are the Kazekage of Sunagakure. Those people down there look up to you, they want you to protect them. Remember who wanted the Curse Mark that you now have. You wanted it, knowing the repurcussions. You have to control yourself."

He dropped his gourd and pouch, utterly defenseless. He took slow steps towards her, his hands by his side.

"Please." He said, just once. "You want blood. You have a Blood lust. Let me fill that desire, leave the people downstairs and in the village. They're your people. They dislike me, they hate me, if you killed me, your people would love you even more, praise you that you could kill me, and your desire would be filled, you could go on, with your strength, your power, and be loved by everyone, keeping everyone in Suna safe from harm, thanks to your power."

His arms lifted up to embrace her, his throat was tight. He felt her Chakra, the chakra of silver flame was slightly painful itself, but he wouldn't let go.

He spoke what might be his final words.

"You'll be conisdered strong to Sunagakure if you kill me, but you'll be powerful beyond belief if you can control your want for blood, you can do it.

Maybe he would need to make that jutsu.

The smoke gave her the opportunity to dash towards the door. She had only one thing in mind. Kill. She urged for it, no, thirsted for it. It drove her crazy - she desperately wanted to. She needed to. She reached the door, but someone was already there. As the smoke cleared, Ketsueki stood in front. She gritted, her fangs visible. She hated being interrupted, especially if she's desperate. Then, he spoke. Her eyes wandered though her head was still. She wasn't listening. But she could heard everything.

"You are the Kazekage of Sunagakure. Those people down there look up to you, they want you to protect them. "

Then, she focused her eyes only on him as she narrowed them. She wanted to kill him, but still restrained. Then, he continued talking, and just as well, she wandered again, not listening bit able to hear. If only she could fight the things that's holding her back, she would've killed him moments ago. And then, to her astonishment, she hugged him. He didn't mind the pain he was getting from her chakra. What does he think he's doing? she thought as her eyebrows met. There was a long pause for a moment, then she sighed.

"You're right. I should control myself for the village. I have to protect them." she spoke first. Then, smirked. "Yeah right. That's something only a weakling would say."

A fist shot in one quick fluid motion towards Ketsueki's left face which would send him crashing on the side wall of the tea house. Then, she laughed a mad laugh as she turned to face him, a wide-crooked smile on her face. She was fascinated with her exceptional strength.

"Haha! What kind of garbage do you think you're saying? Kazekage? protect Suna? the people I love? The hell I care! I don't give a crap! Like, I can just blow up this entire village and kill everyone and be gone forever! That way, everyone's in peace. No more hardships and trials. No more pain and suffering. No more agony and loneliness." her voice lowered. The curse seal reflects her hidden feelings and perceptions. "Life sucks, you know. And if everyone's dead, there's no reason to cry for those who died. Because everyone's already dead. Everyone's finally together."

She calmed for a moment, still laughing a little, her face an empty mask of emotion. Then, she laughed again - a crazy laugh.

"Yes! I'll kill everyone! And I'll end their suffering! And then, I'll feel better!" she panted, her eyes widened with madness and her smile and absurd smirk.

She glared at Ketsueki, she had decided. She'll kill him after all. She crouched down, and then sped towards him in a blur. She would then appear right in front of him, grabbing his head and smashing it on the wall behind.

She's going insane! I have to stop her!

Ketsueki screamed inside his mind, she was going crazy, the madness in her voice told him everything. Nothing he was saying or doing was making any difference. He broke of the embrace, and stepped back. His face was contorted with sadness, his eyes, filled with guilt. He knew he would have to fight. He pulled the cork out of his gourd, sand blared out almost instantly. Her fist burst through the sand, crashing into his jaw. True, it absorbed some of the impact, but it still hurt a lot. He skidded across teh ground, back towards the door. He was going to have to fight defensively, no matter how much he didn't want to harm her, he just might have to.

"You dissapoint me." He said blankly. "I thought someone of your caliber would be able to control yourself. I was wrong. I regret ever telling you about my history. I should have gone with my original plan, pay my debts and leave. But I saw something in you, and felt something inside me. The prospect for me to change. You changed me, but what I fear I have lost.... You have taken." His words were harsh, being soft wouldn't get through now.

"You think peace is acquired through death? That sounds a lot like me not too long ago. Look at yourself Anna! You've become a monster! I'm not talking to this wild, crazy blood thirsty Anna! I'm talking to the one inside! The one that's been pushed to the bottom! The one that smiled, the one that was clumsy in such a funny way! The Anna who took me in as a Shinobi, the Anna who took me in as a friend." His voice was desperate, his voice, his face, very much the same.

He saw her dash at him, the blinding speed, only moments to react. He ducked and leant to the side, one of her fists glancing the side of his head, he leapt back, crashing through the door, into the wide hallway. He blocked the way to the stairs. He raised one hand, creating a wall of hardened sand between them and the staircase. Thank god they were at the end of the hallway.

"I'm starting to regret ever meeting you!" He roared. With a flick of his wrist, sand flung towards her, he only had a small amount to work with, most of his sand being used to block any form of escape. "I'm going to restrict you the old fashioned way!" The sand which he had thrown at her would twist and writhe around her arms, applying pressure, snapping the bones. The first order of business would be to restrict her ability to use hand signs.

"Please... He whispered desperatley. "Let this Anna fall, and let the old Anna surface... I want to see you smile, the cute, innocent smile that I love!"

Ketsueki's resolve wavered for a moment, how could he possibly harm her? He had already tried to break her arms... would he be able to go further?

OOC: Soorrrry if I replied late. I'm really busy with school today. Being president of the dance troupe isn't easy, you know. And the semester exam is coming up in 2 weeks time so I have to study. Haha, sorry bout that. T.T

IC:
He blocked the hallway with his sand, what a jerk! He had been interrupting her over and over again with his crazy talk. [it’s her point of view, okay? Not mine. XD]. She was irritated, far irritated than before. She would kill him: strike him on the chest, take his heart out, and then amputate all his limbs. She could also start with the abdomen to further increase his pain.

"I'm starting to regret ever meeting you!"

Her face stayed calm amidst the insanity. Yes, like I really care about how you feel. she thought sarcastically as she grinned at the incoming sand which had now rushed towards her with Ketsueki’s command. She just stood there, letting the sand wrap around her arms and hands. The sand spread out through her arm, and little by little, applying pressure on them. She smirked, and with her strength, she was able to move her arms despite the heavy pressure of the sand. Her right hand touched her left arm and her left hand touched the right, such that she’s touching the sand on both her arms. Then, she didn’t even need the handseals for it.

“Chakra Absorption Technique”

The just ran on her hands and then contacted with the sand. The silver chakra burst out larger while the sand began to drip down from her arms as the chakra on the sand was absorbed completely. She smiled. So, the Chakra Absorption Technique had been improved as well.

She glared at Ketsueki with her wide smile. “Was that the best you can do?” she tilted her head. “My turn now.”

Instantly, puffs of smoke erupted throughout the room, and the once large and empty room 25 was now filled with duplicates of herself all over: the ceilings, the walls, the ground, and some were even standing on top of others. But the distance between herself and Ketsueki was empty.

If there’s a good time to try out her capabilities in this curse mark, then it would be now. She knew she was stronger, far stronger than before, maybe even the strongest strength she had ever felt. She wanted more. If only she could stay like this for her entire life, then all will be okay. The bunshins possess the same increase in ability as hers. She’ll definitely kill him.

“It’s sad, you know. I thought someone like you would understand me.” she spoke first. “Nevertheless, I’ll see you in hell later.”

She finished with a grin, and then crouched backward. In a matter of a second, she was already dashing towards him, the bunshin following up as well. All of them - right, left, front and above – were heading towards him. But she, herself, was going to land the first hit. One hit was enough to knock him down unconscious. She was now closer, everything happened in a blue. And then, she was only a feet from him. She pulled back her left arm, closed her fist, and was ready to shot it forwards towards his face. One last step, and she was right in front of him, her fist inches from his chin. However, with that one last step, the silver chakra instantly disappeared, her right foot slipped on the floor causing her to trip forward to the right, passing through Ketsueki. Her fist missed him by inches, and then fell on the ground face first. The bunshins who were also inches from Ketsueki all disappeared at the same time in a soft puff of smoke.

She sat up, her legs folded separately on either side. The silver chakra was nowhere in view, and slowly, the black mark on her left side began to flow in a fierce colour of flame-red and retracted back to the curse mark itself.

“I’m…” her voice trembled, then she cried out. “Waaaaah!! I’m very sorrrry!!”

She continued to cry out loud, occasionally wiping the tears with the back of her hand. She was finally back to normal. The awakening of the curse mark had reached its duration, though it took her far larger time than usual due to her low self-control. The curse mark was now fully retracted on the mark, and it turned back to it’s ebony-black colour; back to the normal Sealed State.

The Sand, dead, all hope lost. If she could drain that part of the sand, she could then drain the rest of his sand… she’ll kill them all… everyone will die. And it will be all his fault. He hung his head, all hope lost. All the bunshins… all them so very powerful. He was finished, he would die here and now, he had created a monster, she wouldn’t stop killing. He closed his eyes, a single tear falling down his cheek.

“Promise me” He said. “When you kill me, don’t let me look at you…” His words constantly choked on his throat, barely able to get them out. He let his sand drop, no point trying to fight her off now. Once he died, the sand would fall anyway. She and her clones converged on Ketsueki. He stood motionless, not even bothering to fight back, if he did, he would only be a minor annoyance. He waited for his moment to come.

But nothing happened. He heard multiple puffs of smoke, lots of them. He looked up, all the bunshins were gone, the real Anna on the floor, sitting down, crying. Ketsueki knelt down beside her, and hugged her tightly. He closed his eyes, happiness overwhelming him.

“Don’t you EVER do that to me again Anna, I thought I’d lost you… I thought…” he stopped, choking on his own words. He sat there with her, for a full ten minutes, until he calmed down somewhat. He didn’t realize that she had so much potential. He thought he was going to die, he wouldn’t be able to stand to that kind of power, no way. He looked directly at her, still holding her.

“I- I’m…” He couldn’t finish his sentence. This was the first time he had feared for someone other than himself, he didn’t know what to say, what to do, he just knelt there, holding on to her, doing his best to comfort her, but even then, he wasn’t sure on what he was doing. “I’m sorry…” He whispered, and hugged her again. They were still in the middle of the hallway, and no one had yet come to approach them, Ketsueki was thankful for that. He brushed some of Anna’s hair to the side, and looked at her neck, the curse mark. He lightly touched it with his thumb, a pang of regret and guilt sweeping through him.

“I should have said no… It was foolish of me… I assumed everything would be ok…” Again, his words came out strained, “I’m just glad you’re ok…” He whispered. “You’re fine… it’s ok…” Ketsueki pulled back, and rested his forehead on hers, his eyes closed. “That was a… frightening experience, wasn’t it?” he said, with a light chuckle, the shock still seeping him, laughing coming out when it shouldn’t be able to. This certainly was a bonding experience, for Ketsueki anyway. The trust she must have him in to allow him to have done that, there was no going back now.

He didn’t move, he didn’t have the strength nor will to, this moment seemed to drag on to Ketsueki, never ending, a strange place where time didn’t elapse, where everything was at a standstill. Anna would, whether she liked it or not, would have to come with Ketsueki to hunt the Bijuu, but again, Ketsueki didn’t want to take her with him, the monstrous power that she could unleash, it could help fight the Bijuu, but what if she lost control again… what if…

He had to stay calm, that would be sometime in the future. All that mattered right now, was that they were both ok.

[Lol it's fine, school comes before RP, I understand lol]

She cried her heart out, unable to mind and be conscious. She just couldn’t believe she had done that: something so horrible, which she had never even imagined - never even dreamed nor thought of. It pained her to hurt him. She had hated herself for that. She didn’t know what to do. Would he ever forgive her for what she just did? Would he still treat her as a friend?

Then she felt the soft and warm arms around her. She stopped crying for a moment, calming herself. She felt comfortable, like she was in a puffy bed. She smiled amidst the tears. She took that as a yes to her questions. She closed her eyes and sighed, completely calmed down. She could no longer feel the pain of the curse seal but she could remember everything.

“I should have said no… It was foolish of me… I assumed everything would be ok…” “I’m just glad you’re ok…” He whispered. “You’re fine… it’s ok…”

She gritted her teeth, regretting every single action she just did. How could she even hurt this man? Someone’s who’s despite the lone and dark personality, is able to care for her? Then, she grinned, wiping the remaining tears, as she was fully calmed down.

“That was a… frightening experience, wasn’t it?”

She smiled at him – a reassuring smile. “Hahaha!! Yeah. That was something, neh? The curse mark wasn’t that painful as I thought. Not even slight. Aaaaand!!! It was controlling me, okay? I mean, you really think I would say such things as blow up this village and kill for peace? Haha.. ha.. Anyway, yeah, wonderful experience. So that was what it feels like to have a curse mark. Hmm. Really interesting. Wow, what an experience.” She laughed her natural boastful laugh amidst the lie she had said. She knew lying wasn’t her thing, but she didn’t want him to feel bad of himself. It was her own fault anyway.

And then, a long period of silence occurred as they both rested, tired of what had just happened. She sighed and closed her eyes. “Thank you, Ketsu-kun” she whispered before finally falling into sleep.